a100wwe's blog

Mooba, the blog that makes you "moo"!

2005-12-10T20:21:00.000-05:00

Guess what? I've decided to replace a100wwe's blog with Mooba. This is a new blog that I'm making leaving behind all the ties that I have to the a100wwe franchise except the "by a100wwe" under the logo.

http://mooba.blogspot.com

Virus protection added to Gmail

2005-12-03T16:10:00.000-05:00

Google’s Gmail service as added virus scanning and removal to its feature list, the website says it works like this:

Each time you send and receive attachments, Gmail automatically scans them for viruses.
If a virus is found in an attachment you’ve received, our system will attempt to remove it, or clean the file, so you can still access the information it contains. If the virus can’t be removed from the file, you won’t be able to download it.
If a virus is found in an attachment you’re trying to send, you won’t be able to send the message until you remove the attachment.”

I have yet to be able to test it but I do wonder how effective it is, where the definitions come from, and how often they are updated.

XBOX 360 - Sold Out

2005-11-21T22:36:00.000-05:00

SOLD OUT

Well the console is not even out yet and I'm proud to announce that the XBOX 360 is SOLD OUT! We have just a few hours until the next-generation of gaming arrives, but it looks like it will be for only a select few who were able to get one. At my local Wal-Mart they sold tickets that were required to get a 360 tonight and within an hour of selling them they were all gone. So Microsoft has succeeded, the XBOX 360 is a hit.

XBOX 360 Launch Titles

2005-11-18T19:17:00.000-05:00

Amped® 32K Sports

Call of Duty® 2Activision, Inc

College Hoops® 2K62K Sports

Condemned: Criminal Origins™SEGA®

Dead or Alive® 4Tecmo®

Dead RisingCapcom

DemonikMajesco Games

FIFA 06Electronic Arts

FINAL FANTASY® XISquare/Enix

Need for Speed™ Most WantedElectronic Arts

Frame City Killer™Namco Hometeck, Inc

Full Auto™SEGA®
Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter™Ubisoft
GUNActivision, Inc.

NHL® 2K62K Sports

Kameo™: Elements of Power™ Microsoft Game Studios

Peter Jackson’s King Kong™Ubisoft

Madden NFL 06Electronic Arts

Ridge Racer

Perfect Dark Zero™Microsoft Game Studios

Project GothamRacing® 3Microsoft Game Studios

QUAKE™ 4Activision, Inc.

Saint's RowTHQ®

Test Drive® UnlimitedAtari®

Tony Hawk’s American WastelandActivision, Inc.

The DarknessMajesco Games

Top Spin™ 22K Sports

The Outfit™THQ®

NBA 2K62K Sports

XBOX 360 Software Compatibility List

2005-11-18T19:12:00.000-05:00

The following is the XBOX 360 Software Compatibility List for first-generation XBOX titles. This list is as complete as of 11-18-05. For the XBOX 360 to play first-generation software titles the Hard Drive is required to load the emulation software.

AirForce Delta Storm
Alias
Aliens versus Predator Extinction
All-Star Baseball 2003
Amped: Freestyle Snowboarding
Army Men: Sarge's War
Atari Anthology
ATV: Quad Power Racing 2

Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance II
Barbarian
Barbie Horse Adventures Wild Horse Rescue
Batman Begins
Battle Engine Aquila
Battlestar Galactica
Blinx 2: Masters of Time & Space
BMX XXX
Brute Force
Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Chaos Bleeds

Cabela’s Dangerous Hunts
Cabela’s Outdoor Adventures 06
Cabela's Deer Hunt 2005 Season
Cabela's Deer Hunt 2004 Season
Call of Cthulhu: Dark Corners of the Earth
Call of Duty: Finest Hour
Casino
Catwoman
Chicago Enforcer
Circus Maximus
Close Combat: First to Fight
Codename: Kids Next Door
Colin McRae Rally 4
Combat Elite: WWII Paratroopers
Commandos 2: Men of Courage
Conflict: Desert Storm
Constantine
Crash Twinsanity
Crash Nitro Kart
Crimson Skies: High Road to Revenge
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
Curse: The Eye of Isis

Dark Angel
Darkwatch
Dead or Alive 3
Deathrow
Digimon Rumble Arena
Dinotopia
Drake

Egg Mania: Eggstreme Madness
ESPN MLS ExtraTime 2002
Euro 2004

F1 2001
Fable
Fable: The Lost Chapters
Fairly Odd Parents: Breakin' da Rules
FIFA Soccer 2003
FIFA Soccer 2004
FIFA STREET
FIFA World Cup 2002
Fight Night 2004
Fight Night Round 2
Ford Mustang
Ford vs. Chevy
Forza Motorsport
Freedom Fighters
Frogger Beyond
Futurama
Fuzion Frenzy
Genma Onimusha

Goblin Commander: Unleash the Horde
Grabbed by the Ghoulies
Grand Theft Auto 3
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
Gravity Games Bike: Street. Vert. Dirt.
Grooverider: Slot Car Thunder

Half-Life 2
Halo
Halo 2
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
He-Man: Defender of Grayskull
Hitman: Contracts
House of the Dead 3

IHRA Drag Racing Sportsman Edition
IHRA Professional Drag Racing 2005

Jade Empire
James Bond 007: NightFire
Judge Dredd: Dredd vs. Death
Jurassic Park: Operation Genesis

Kabuki Warriors
Kelly Slater's Pro Surfer
kill.switch

Legends of Wrestling
Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events
LOONS—The Fight for Fame

Manhunt
Mat Hoffman's Pro BMX 2
Max Payne
Max Payne 2
Medal of Honor European Assault
Medal of Honor Frontline
Medal of Honor Rising Sun
Mega Man Anniversary Collection
Metal Arms: Glitch in the System
MicroMachines
Mike Tyson Heavyweight Boxing
Monster Garage
Mortal Kombat: Deception
MTV Music Generator 3
Murakumo: Renegade Mech Pursuit
MX World Tour: Featuring Jamie Little

Namco Museum
NBA LIVE 2003
NBA LIVE 2004
Need For Speed Underground 2
NFL Blitz 2002
NFL Blitz 2003
NFL Blitz 2004
NHL 2004
NHL Hitz 2003
Ninja Gaiden
Ninja Gaiden Black

Outlaw Golf 2
Outlaw Volleyball

Pariah
Phantom Crash
Pinball Hall of Fame
Pitfall: The Lost Expedition
Predator Concrete Jungle
Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time
Pro Evolution Soccer 5
Pro Race Driver
Pump It Up: Exceed
Pure Pinball
Puyo Pop Fever

Quantum Redshift

Rayman Arena
Raze's Hell
Red Dead Revolver
Red Faction II
RedCard 2003
Robotech: Battlecry
Rocky Legends
Rogue Ops
Rugby 2005

Samurai Jack
Samurai Warriors
Scooby Doo! Night of 100 Frights
Scrapland
SEGA GT 2002
Shadow The Hedgehog
Shamu's Deep Sea Adventures
ShellShock: Nam '67
Sid Meier's Pirates!
Sneakers
Sniper Elite
Soccer Slam
Sonic Heroes
Sonic Mega Collection Plus
Speed Kings
Sphinx and the Cursed Mummy
Splat Magazine Renegade Paintball
SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom
SpyHunter 2
Spyro A Hero's Tail
SSX 3
Stake
Star Trek: Shattered Universe
Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith
Star Wars: The Clone Wars
Star Wars Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy
Star Wars: Starfighter Special Edition
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords
Street Racing Syndicate
Stubbs the Zombie in Rebel without a Pulse
Super Bubble Pop
Super Monkey Ball Deluxe
SX Superstar

Tecmo Classic Arcade
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Test Drive: Eve of Destruction
Tetris Worlds
The Great Escape
The Hulk
The Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction
The Incredibles: Rise of the Underminer
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
The Simpsons Hit and Run
The Simpsons Road Rage
The Terminator Dawn of Fate
The Thing
Thief: Deadly Shadows
Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon
Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon 2
Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six 3
Tony Hawk's American Wasteland
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4
Tony Hawk's Underground 2
Tork: Prehistoric Punk
Toxic Grind
Ty The Tasmanian Tiger
Ty the Tasmanian Tiger 2: Bush Rescue
Ty the Tasmanian Tiger 3: Night of the Quinkan

Urban Freestyle Soccer

Vexx
Volvo: Drive for Life

World Series Baseball 2K3
Worms 4 Mayhem
Worms Forts: Under Siege
WWE Raw 2

XIII

Yourself!Fitness

Microsoft Live

2005-11-03T10:33:00.000-05:00

Wow, its been a while! Well anyway Microsoft has entered the era know as Web 2.0. The software giant has released (in beta) two new product line-ups known as "Live". Windows Live and Office Live create for the first time a web idenity for the products. Windows Live has a web portal, security tools, instant messenger, web-based favorites, search technologies, and the new web-based email client that was thought to replace Hotmail. Office Live will feature web-based versions of the popular Office products like Outlook.
I tried out the Windows Live Security Center and I have to say for the first try I'm impressed. They still have a long way to go but the shows how Microsoft will be even more security-centered in the coming years.

See it in action... Windows Live (BETA)

Microsoft, Yahoo to Link up IM Networks

2005-10-11T20:27:00.000-04:00

It is being reported that Microsoft's MSN Messenger and Yahoo's Yahoo! Messenger networks will connect so users on each can communicate with one another using text and voice chat free of charge. This deal would give MSN/Yahoo 44% market share with AOL's AIM still with a massive 56%. More to come...

UPDATE (8:38PM): The announcement is expected to made on Wednesday, tomorrow. And for bragging rights, I beat CNET NEW.COM to the story by an entire three minutes!

Who can say?

2005-09-14T13:39:00.000-04:00

Who can say that government does not care for its people? Who can say that government does not try to help its people? Who can say that the government does not do enough for its people? The disaster of hurricane Katrina has caused outrage with people claiming that the government is not doing enough to help its people. I challenge that the government is doing what it can to complete its job, the preservation of its people. The government is not there to handout help to those who do not ask for it, it can only help those who want help. When people prevent the government from completing this job the only resort for the government is to do what it can for those who want the help. The scope of this disaster is one of epic Biblical proportions that this government, and few others, have ever faced. The government has made mistakes but right now we need to accept those mistakes and support the governments actions so that no other mistakes are made. The government is not the only solution though, the people affected by this need to help others. We must take responsibility and blame where blame is do, but not now, we must help others and then place blame when every life is saved.

William Rehnquist dies

2005-09-03T23:19:00.000-04:00

BREAKING NEWS:
William Rehnquist, the chief justice of the United States, has died

The Revolution, 10 Years Later

2005-08-24T11:35:00.000-04:00

It was ten years ago today that Microsoft released the operating system that revolutionized the way we live our lives, Microsoft Windows 95.

With Windows 95's Debut, Microsoft Scales Heights of Hype (Washington Post, 1995)

Google releases new Desktop Search

2005-08-23T13:50:00.000-04:00

Google has released a new version of their Google Desktop Search client dubbed Google Desktop Search Version 2 Beta, very original. Its biggest new feature is Sidebar, which is much like the feature in the next version of Windows also called Sidebar, that is if it hasn’t been dropped again like I had heard it had. Sidebar for GDS comes with several handy features like search as you type, Google News, weather, stocks, Gmail indexing, a scratch pad, and the ability to add more through plug-ins. The new version seems to add some new security features also like encryption for your index. Looking at some of the features it seems they are catching up with MSN and their own Windows Desktop Search, but they still have some work to do.

Is it just me or does it seem like Microsoft seems to be behind the curve in every thing but their MSN division? MSN seems to be popping out projects, that work, while the rest of the company is still trying to catch up. MSN seems to have their act together and can get the job done very well in less time. I think the company (Windows team) needs a field trip to the MSN division to see how work gets done and not delayed.

Xbox 360's Core Dud

2005-08-18T21:27:00.000-04:00

Microsoft recently announced that the upcoming next-generation gaming console know as the Xbox 360 will come in two editions. I posted on here shortly after they made the announcement the press brief, which included the details of each edition. That posting can be found here.

The choice of two editions at first thought to me seems confusing and pointless. I found myself hopelessly searching for answers to questions I had; like if you buy the Core package are you forced to buy a memory card to save your games, or will it have some sort of internal memory? So far it seems your forced into buying a memory card to even begin playing the games. To use the backward compatibility with the original Xbox games you have to have the Hard Drive which is $99 so it ends up being the same price as the Premium edition with less included extras. It seems to me the Core package is more just a dud product so Microsoft can still claim to be at the $299 sweet spot that we have enjoyed for years. I don’t see many gamers buying the Core package because of these downfalls. The only reason I can see buying the Core is if all you need is a DVD (which you can buy for about $49 at Walmart) player or a Media Center Extender (which runs normally about the same price as the Core system). So really the Core system is pointless to buy when the Premium version comes with so many included features for just $100 more saving you about $200 if you were to buy the Core package. All I can say is you can put me down for a Premium, now all I need to do is pay for it. What would be ideal though is if Microsoft would just give everyone and Xbox 360 for free, that would make their goal of a billion gamers a lot easier. We can only dream.

The Countdown Begins: Xbox 360 Launch Details!

2005-08-17T16:49:00.000-04:00

The Countdown Begins: Xbox 360 Launch Details!

Leipzig, Germany— Ending weeks of speculation about which upcoming videogame platform will give gamers the most bang for their buck, today at the German Games Convention Microsoft® revealed that consumers can get their hands on Xbox 360™—the most powerful and feature-packed next-generation video game and entertainment system—for as little as $299.99 U.S. starting this holiday season. For gamers who want to experience the ultimate digital entertainment thrill ride, Microsoft also announced a model with hundreds of dollars worth of accessories for $399.99 U.S., giving consumers the definitive entertainment experience at an unbelievable value right out of the box.

The Xbox 360 and Xbox 360 Core System—along with an impressive lineup of high-definition game titles from the world's best publishers and developers—will make their debut in North America, Europe, and Japan in time for this holiday season, several months ahead of the competition. Although details for the Japan launch will be addressed at the Tokyo Game Show in September, the unprecedented three-region launch signifies an industry first. The Xbox 360 platform will deliver the most powerful console, the best games, the next generation of the Xbox Live® service, and amazing digital entertainment experiences never seen in console entertainment.

"The sheer entertainment value of Xbox 360 cannot be overstated," says Robbie Bach, chief Xbox® officer for Microsoft. "While the system has the muscle to power awe-inspiring graphics, audio, and online play, it's also got the intelligence to serve as a one-of-a-kind entertainment device that plays CDs, DVDs, MP3s, and digital content from an array of devices, including portable music players and digital cameras."

With its built-in Ethernet port and free Silver level of service right out of the box, Xbox 360 also connects players to Xbox Live, the premier global online console games and entertainment network. With Xbox Live, gamers can chat with friends online, build and share gamer profiles, send and receive text and voice messages, and access Xbox Live Marketplace for new content such as game demos, trailers, and casual games from Xbox Live Arcade. Subscribers to the Gold level of service will also enjoy access to online multiplayer gaming in their favorite games, as well as great promotional programs such as worldwide tournaments, the chance to play online with their favorite celebrities, and opportunities to win big prizes.

For gamers who want the ultimate experience (and the best value) right out of the box, Microsoft will offer the $399.99 U.S. Xbox 360 console. This premium edition—distinguished by signature metallic detailing on the console itself—comes fully loaded for the ultimate gaming experience, with components and accessories that would cost more than $200 if sold separately. The system includes:

Xbox 360 Console: Sexy styling that packs a punch—three powerful core processors are poised to pump out 720p/1080i output, 16x9 cinematic aspect ratio, anti-aliasing for smooth textures, full surround sound, and DVD playback right out of the box.
Xbox 360 Hard Drive: 20GB and detachable, the hard drive allows gamers to store their games, music, downloaded trailers, levels, demos, and community-created content from Xbox Live Marketplace.
Xbox 360 Wireless Controller: Hassle-free high-performance precision wireless gaming features the Xbox Guide Button for quick access to digital movies, music, and games libraries as well as a range of up to 30 feet and 30 hours of battery life on two AA batteries. 3
Xbox 360 Faceplate: The removable Faceplate comes in stylish "chill" (white) and can be swapped out with custom Faceplates to reflect gamers' personalities or decor.
Xbox 360 Headset: This lets gamers strategize with teammates or trash-talk opponents while playing games on Xbox Live.
Xbox 360 Component HD-AV Cable: This connects gamers to the world of Xbox 360 games and graphics through high-definition and standard-definition connections.
Xbox Live Silver membership: With this, gamers can chat with friends online, send and receive voice and text messages, and access new content from Xbox Live Marketplace like demos, trailers, and casual games from Xbox Live Arcade.
A bonus Media Remote: Included for a limited time only, the integrated control center for the entire digital experience lets consumers play DVDs, movies, and music, as well as access their Windows® XP Media Center Edition 2005-based PC with a single remote.

At $299.99 U.S., the Xbox 360 Core System comes standard with what consumers need to jump right into next-generation games and media, and is fully expandable to the complete Xbox 360 experience:

Xbox 360 console: As with the premium edition, three powerful core processors pump out 720p/1080i output, 16x9 cinematic aspect ratio, anti-aliasing for smooth textures, full surround sound, and DVD playback right out of the box.
Xbox 360 Controller: This wired controller features an extended nine-foot cable and a comfortable, enhanced ergonomic design.
Xbox 360 Faceplate: Like no other console before, the Xbox 360 console allows customization and a removable Faceplate that comes in stylish "chill" (white), which can be swapped out with other custom Faceplates to reflect gamers' personalities or decor.
Xbox 360 Standard AV Cable: This connects gamers to the world of Xbox 360, delivering great next-generation graphics and games using standard-definition connections.

The Xbox 360 console also comes ready for customization. With an array of Xbox 360 accessories, gamers can trick out their systems to suit their individual tastes and personalize their experiences. In addition to an ever-growing selection of eye-catching Faceplates ($19.99 U.S.), Xbox 360 Controllers (estimated retail price $39.99 U.S.*), and Component HD AV Cable (estimated retail price $39.99 U.S.*), the lineup includes a wealth of accessories that brings next-generation gaming entertainment to its optimum:

Xbox 360 Hard Drive: 20GB and detachable, the hard drive allows gamers to store their games, music, downloaded trailers, levels, demos, community-created content from Xbox Live Marketplace, and more (estimated retail price $99.99 U.S.*).
Xbox 360 Memory Unit (64 MB): Easily portable, this lets gamers save games, in-game achievements, and unique gamer profiles for quick and easy access on the go (estimated retail price $39.99 U.S.*).
Xbox 360 Wireless Controller: The same hassle-free high-performance precision wireless gaming that comes with the premium edition features the Xbox Guide Button for quick access to digital movies, music, and games libraries as well as a range of up to 30 feet and 30 hours of battery life on two AA batteries (estimated retail price $49.99 U.S.*).
Xbox 360 Play & Charge Kit: This allows plug and play for high-performance, precision wireless gaming with the Xbox 360 Wireless Controller. Gamers will be given ample warning when the end of battery life is nearing so they can connect the Play & Charge cable for uninterrupted play (estimated retail price $19.99 U.S.*).
Xbox 360 rechargeable battery pack: This provides up to 25 hours of gameplay for wireless gaming fun (estimated retail price $11.99 U.S.*).
Xbox 360 Wireless Networking Adapter: With this, gamers can chat with friends and play games via Xbox Live, as well as stream videos and music to Xbox 360 from a Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005-based PC, all without the clutter of wires (estimated retail price $99.99 U.S.*).
Xbox 360 Headset: This heightens the Xbox Live experience by letting gamers strategize with teammates or trash-talk opponents while playing games (estimated retail price $19.99 U.S.*).
Xbox 360 Universal Media Remote: Sold as an accessory, this integrated control center for the entire digital experience lets consumers play DVDs, movies, and music, as well as control a TV and their Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005-based PC with a single controller (estimated retail price $29.99 U.S.*).
Xbox 360 S-Video AV Cable (U.S. only) / Xbox 360 SCART AV Cable (Europe only): This versatile cable works for both high-definition and standard-definition TVs that use S-Video or composite video inputs. It provides optimal audio and video signal transfer (estimated retail price $29.99 U.S.*).
Xbox 360 VGA HD AV Cable: Gamers can experience high-definition gaming on flat-panel TV or VGA monitors. This cable provides optimal audio and video signal transfer (estimated retail price $39.99 U.S.*).

"With both the Xbox 360 and the Xbox 360 Core System, we're offering consumers real choice and real value," says Peter Moore, corporate vice president of worldwide marketing and publishing for the Home Entertainment Division at Microsoft. "We’re bringing true next-generation experiences into gamers' living rooms this Christmas holiday."

Xbox 360 is the most powerful video game and entertainment system, delivering the best games, the next generation of the premier Xbox Live online gaming service, and unique digital entertainment experiences that revolve around you.

The system will launch this holiday season in Europe, Japan, and North America, to be followed by availability in Australia, Colombia, Hong Kong, Korea, Mexico, New Zealand, Singapore, and Taiwan in 2006. More information can be found online at http://www.xbox.com/xbox360.

*Actual retail price may vary.

Source: XBOX.COM

Why Macs Suck, the Video

2005-08-14T14:02:00.000-04:00

I found this video on why this guy believes the Mac sucks. It is a very funny video and I recommend you watching it. It highlights some of the problems people have with the Mac and presents them in a comedic way. (WARNING: CONTAINS OFFENSIVE MATERIAL)

http://perseus.franklins.net/whymacssuck.wmv

Odd Keywords

2005-08-13T22:13:00.000-04:00

Today I was looking at some search keywords that had been used to find my site on search engines and I found this very interesting keyword, "psychological treatment therapy diaper fetish abuse". So I decided to do search of my own to see what this would come back with and here is a link to what I found. Click here for my search

Peter Jennings Dies

2005-08-08T00:27:00.000-04:00

Peter Jennings the anchor of ABC News's World News Tonight has died at the age of 67 due to lung cancer. My thoughts and prayers are with the Jennings family.

ABC News: Peter Jennings Dies at 67

Microsoft don't bully the web!

2005-08-03T21:42:00.000-04:00

In a recent article on WindowsITPro.com by Paul Thurrott he called for a boycott of Microsoft and their Internet Explorer product. He ended his remarks on the decision by Microsoft to not make the next version of Internet Explorer completely compliant with the web standards with this:

“My advice is simple: Boycott IE. It's a cancer on the Web that must be stopped. IE isn't secure and isn't standards-compliant, which makes it unworkable both for end users and Web content creators. Because of their user bases, however, Web developers are hamstrung into developing for IE at the expense of established standards that work well in all other browsers. You can turn the tide by demanding more from Microsoft and by using a better alternative Web browser. I recommend and use Mozilla Firefox, but Apple Safari (Macintosh only) and Opera 8 are both worth considering as well.”

The standards he speaks of are ones set by separate entity than Microsoft, a company that controls the market like the juggernaut they are. Because of the undeniable control of the web Microsoft in my opinion, whether they should or not, does set the standard. How can something that over 85% of the people who use the internet day in and day out not be the standard? Just by the command of their market share Microsoft is and sets the standards.

Now do I think this is right? The simple answer is no. But because of the commanding lead and almost impossibility of Microsoft not being the dominant force on the web for at least until the end of this decade, unless some unseen force changes that, Microsoft will be the standard. We as developers and consumers must accept this fact and live with it until we can change things. Since the majority of web users will not switch to a more “standards” compliant browser we must show Microsoft that we want the browser to conform in anyway it can to create a more open environment on the web for alternative browsers, but how can we accomplish this?

I have to say when I first saw Thurrott’s call for a boycott I thought that he was jumping the gun and making a fool of himself for making a war cry for a non-issue. Microsoft has set the standard so other browsers need to conform to those. But the more I thought about it the more I realized he was right. Microsoft does need to be more accepting of the standards that other browsers follow. Microsoft is the big bully in the playground we call the internet and they are trying to use their might of control over that playground so that others are forced to use them to use the playground and all it offers. By forcing websites to use the standards that Microsoft has set they have mad the web in some way incompatible with other browsers than the one they make. To truly experience the web the way you are meant to you are forced to use Internet Explorer because of the bullying that Microsoft has done.

Microsoft does though seem to be setting themselves up for a better browser. By at least attempting to comply with the standards they can without breaking the web into an unusable wasteland of broken sites they show that they are trying. The only question I ask is are they doing all they can without turning the internet into a wasteland? Hopefully they are and maybe with this new focus on standards compliance they can slowly transition to a more standard compliant browser that stops bullying sites into building a site for Internet Explorer and not the internet. Am I going as far as Thurrott to call for a boycott? No, but I am calling for developers to slowly transition from the old way of the internet relying on Internet Explorer and move onto the standards that have been accepted by the other browsers available. Maybe by doing this Microsoft will see they have been left behind and begin to transition Internet Explorer into a better browser.

Bush: Teach Intelligent Design (Creation)

2005-08-01T23:46:00.000-04:00

President Bush said on Monday that he believes that intelligent design should be taught alongside of evolution in public schools. He said, "I think that part of education is to expose people to different schools of thought... You're asking me whether or not people ought to be exposed to different ideas, the answer is yes". He would not comment on what his beliefs of our origins were.

...intelligent design says life on earth is too complex to have developed through evolution, implying that a higher power must have had a hand in creation...

Tomorrow I will try and get a more in-depth write up here on the blog.

Source: MSNBC/ AP

Is Microsoft the future of open-source?

2005-07-30T12:27:00.000-04:00

Bill Thompson has this article running on the BBC discussing a possible future for Microsoft in the open-source community. He proposes Microsoft creating a separate operating system that is based on freely distributed GNU/Linux code but is compatible with not only Linux but Windows and OS X applications as well. This could be done, according to him, in about a year if they devoted many of their resources to the development and improvement of the Linux code to a scope that would make the Microsoft version so advanced that other Linux distributions could not catch up and effectively make all other Linux versions obsolete by the time the code hit the market. He says that this could allow Microsoft to control the project and deliver updates and patches to its consumers for free in a much speedier amount of time because of all the resources and experience available at Microsoft compared to the classic open-source project. Meanwhile Microsoft slowly phases out its Windows division in favor of this new open-source OS. Microsoft would provide the OS for free but keep many of its other applications closed-source like its Office products. Before long those already running alternatives to Microsoft, like the classic-Linux, would be forced to switch to Microsoft’s version because they become outdated and incompatible with the new Microsoft controlled OS market.

“The net's core architecture moves over too, with Micrix on the DNS root servers, and even Google migrates the Googleplex's servers, simply because the support environment is better and patches are rolled out more efficiently and with fewer errors.” - Bill Thompson

The idea in theory seems like it could work and would make Microsoft the dominant player on nearly all computers and markets in the world effectively killing the competition again. If they distributed the OS in the right way I can see how they could effectively run a massive uber monopoly but avoid any and all legal actions because they wouldn’t control the OS since its freely open to the public to change in anyway they wanted to. Microsoft would control the world one PC at a time.

But we need to realize something, the chances of something like this happening are slim and the amount of changes that would need to be taken in the ideology of management are enormous. The thought that runs rampant through Microsoft that open-source is “evil” would have to be dropped and the transition from an closed-source to open-source development model for its largest division could either destroy the company or turn it around and be the company of choice, not necessity, once again. This change could set Microsoft back on a course that would reclaim their title as the “good guys” of technology that they lost so many years ago. They would still use the same “innovation” model that they have used for years that gave them he nickname of the “borg” because they would take GNU/Linux and assimilate its technology into their own product. I guess the future of technology at this point is a mystery, which development model will win? Will closed-source development reclaim its crown as the model of choice, will the open-source model take over becoming the defacto standard of the industry, or will some other model take flight possibly a hybrid of the two? Only time will tell.

Read the article.

Windows Vista Beta1 Released

2005-07-27T15:01:00.000-04:00

Microsoft released the first Beta of its next-generation operating system called Windows Vista, codename Longhorn. This Beta primarily focuses on the basics of the OS and it will be used to test the basic core of the OS for security, dependability, and management. Many of the features useful for end-users are missing from the Beta and are expected to be seen in Beta2, which will be released either by the end of this year or the beginning of next. Beta2 will be more widely available and released to the public while Beta1 is for developers and IT professionals and is released by invite only. More information about this Beta will be available soon and I will update you on what I learn.

This is the first Beta release of the OS and follows on the heels of the naming of the product just last week symbolizing a fresh new start for the OS that has been suffering from problems of its long development time and loss of interest in the community, this is also the earliest Microsoft has ever released the final name of a product further evidence that Microsoft wants to leave behind the "failures" associated with the Longhorn name.

Man killed in London 'unconnected' to blasts

2005-07-23T13:57:00.000-04:00

Police said Saturday that a man shot and killed on a subway car had nothing to do with an investigation into a series of bombing attacks Thursday on London's transit system.

Read more on the story on MSNBC.COM

It's official, Windows Vista

2005-07-22T09:07:00.000-04:00

As was reported last night, it's official the next version of Microsoft's Windows operating system will be called Windows Vista. Below is Microsoft's announcement video and the explanation of the name from the Windows Vista site

Watch the Windows Vista Announcement Video
---

Bringing clarity to your world.
Today we live in a world of more information, more ways to communicate, more things to do. There is more you can do and even more you can discover.
Every day, millions of people around the globe rely on their Windows PC to manage their increasingly digital lives. While familiar tools for managing digital information are powerful, today's world requires more.
In today's digital world, you want the PC to adapt to you, so you can cut through the clutter and focus on what's important to you.

Introducing Windows VistaÂ
It enables a new level of confidence in your PC and in your ability to get the most out of it.
It introduces clear ways to organize and use information the way you want to use it.
It seamlessly connects you to information, people, and devices that help you get the most out of life.

Windows gets a name, Windows Vista

2005-07-21T23:09:00.000-04:00

Paul Thurrott of WindowsIT Pro is reporting that the next version of Windows codenamed Longhorn will be called Windows Vista. He says the announcement will come on Friday July 22, 2005, in a press brief that will arrive around 9:00AM. Lets look into the name to see why they would have picked that name.

Vista: Noun {C}1 - A view, especially a splendid view from a high position.2 - A possible future action or event that you can imagine.

Well it seems fitting since Longhorn’s Aero UI will provide a “beautiful” interface and will launch Windows into the future, and hopefully for Microsoft in a future that they catch up to the competition. The name sounds more like something Apple would choose than Microsoft. It doesn’t seem to fit in with the previous naming scheme that they have chosen to use since their inception years ago. I say that until I think about the name a little more and realize it follows the same scheme as Windows XP did. If you didn’t know the XP was short for eXPerience, which is what Microsoft used in the creation of that version to provide the most stable and usable version to date. Now with Vista they are showing how they have taken what they started with XP and are taking that to splendid new heights as far as you can imagine. Hopefully the name will go well with consumers, right now I’m undecided whether I like it or not. Time will tell. I will have to read over the press brief and see why Microsoft has chosen that name and maybe that will help make up my mind.

BrainDump: Return to Flight - Two Years Later

2005-07-13T00:31:00.000-04:00

Image Source: NASA.GOV
A quick and unedited "dump" of my thoughts on our return to flight, written at 12:30AM so please forgive me. (I need to do this stuff earlier!)

Today we return to flight. We as a people have been grounded since the dawn of time, stuck on this rock we call Earth, and in just the past century for the first time we were able to leave and enter a world like no other before. It was the call and the innovations made in the recent past that have allowed us the leave Earth and enter space to go where no man has gone before. The early years of our race to space were full of mishaps and failures but when we got it right we got it right. We put a man in space, a man on the moon, limits to our abilities seemed to no longer exist. The limitations of man had disappeared we could now come and go as we please. The journey to space was not easy but it was something that had to be done. Space flights in the early years were exciting and new but in the more recent days we began to see space travel as not begin a big deal and the excitement ceased. Two years ago the space shuttle exploded and Americans and the world began to cry out and wanted to know what went wrong. The world shutdown for full focus on the events, the world stood still once again because of an event in space. It was a disaster that put our focus back on the space missions, we cared again, we knew we had to return to space. NASA grounded the shuttles for nearly two years to examine what went wrong and try to fix it, and today we return to space. We will no longer we stuck on the rock, we will no longer have the limitations of this planet stopping us, we will go back to where few men have gone before, we will be back in space! Good Luck and God Speed.

WeeklyRoundUp for July 8th

2005-07-08T12:01:00.000-04:00

Well this is my new WeeklyRoundUp, I thought I would wait until Friday morning to type it up and just write about what I could remember about the week but it seems I am having trouble remembering things to put in. So next week I will write them as they go and then put it all together on Friday. The WeeklyRoundUp will be a way for me to comment on the fly so you can see exactly what I'm thinking, in fact I will not even go back and proofread the text so it is as genuine as possible.

This week was for the most part a good week. I celebrated Independence Day with some friends, and was told I got somewhat gitty although I don’t remember much of it. And that I don’t remember much of it was odd since all I had was Cheerwine* and snack food, but anyway. I saw the new Tom Cruise movie “War of the Worlds”, say that ten times fast, and I thought it was a great movie although the ending leaves you with questions of how and why.

Then on Thursday I woke up to a surprise. Some man woke me up that went by the name of Tiger, said the same way as the Pooh character’s name, he wanted to know about a storm door quote that he had left. He had woken me up from a deep sleep and I was not happy right then, I couldn’t go back to sleep for a while so I turned the TV on and saw what had happened in London. I was still half a sleep so the news didn’t really hit me at that point, I knew what happened and understood it but it didn’t affect me for a while. I soon turned back over and went to sleep, when I woke up this time it hit me what had happened. Terrorist had struck in the heart of London! Many had been killed, hundreds injured, and more deaths were coming. My heart and prayers go out to the people of London and the UK, this is further evidence we need to hunt down and destroy those who strike with these cowardly acts of terror against the innocents.

I was watching a rerun of the Daily Show with Jon Stewart this morning and he had an interview with Howard Dean. I noticed something when Dean was asked what the plan was that the Democrats had that was better than the GOP’s he couldn’t answer the question. He changed the subject a little, enough you couldn’t notice, but he never actually answered the question of what the plan was. So does this mean the Democrats have no plan, just don’t know what it is, or don’t know how to say it?

I thought since I was drinking Cheerwine and its not available in most areas I would tell you what it is. It is a soft drink with as they say, “ a unique cherry taste and rich burgundy color”. L.D. Peeler first created Cheerwine in Salisbury, NC in 1917. It is one of the best drinks I have ever tasted and you haven’t lived if you’ve never had a Cheerwine. For more information on Cheerwine check out Cheerwine.com, and if you want to try some Cheerwine you can order it online here.

Declaration of Independence

2005-07-04T00:00:00.000-04:00

Today we celebrate the birth of the United States of America, a nation for the people and by the people. I felt it was only fitting to post the document that started it all. God Bless America!

When in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. --That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security. --Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.

He has refuted his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.

He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.

He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.

He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their Public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.

He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.

He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected, whereby the Legislative Powers, incapable of Annihilation, have returned to the People at large for their exercise; the State remaining in the mean time exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within.

He has endeavoured to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands.

He has obstructed the Administration of Justice by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary Powers.

He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.

He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harass our people and eat out their substance.

He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislatures.

He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil Power.

He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation:

For quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:

For protecting them, by a mock Trial from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States:

For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world:

For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent:

For depriving us in many cases, of the benefit of Trial by Jury:

For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences:

For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighbouring Province, establishing therein an Arbitrary government, and enlarging its Boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule into these Colonies

For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments:

For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.

He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us.

He has plundered our seas, ravaged our Coasts burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.

He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to compleat the works of death, desolation, and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty & Perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation.

He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on the high Seas to bear Arms against their Country, to become the executioners of their friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands.

He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.

In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A Prince, whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.

Nor have We been wanting in attentions to our British brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred. to disavow these usurpations, which would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our Separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, Enemies in War, in Peace Friends.

We, therefore, the Representatives of the United States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States, that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. --And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.

--John Hancock

New Hampshire:
Josiah Bartlett, William Whipple, Matthew Thornton

Massachusetts:
John Hancock, Samuel Adams, John Adams, Robert Treat Paine, Elbridge Gerry

Rhode Island:
Stephen Hopkins, William Ellery

Connecticut:
Roger Sherman, Samuel Huntington, William Williams, Oliver Wolcott

New York:
William Floyd, Philip Livingston, Francis Lewis, Lewis Morris

New Jersey:
Richard Stockton, John Witherspoon, Francis Hopkinson, John Hart, Abraham Clark

Pennsylvania:
Robert Morris, Benjamin Rush, Benjamin Franklin, John Morton, George Clymer, James Smith, George Taylor, James Wilson, George Ross

Delaware:
Caesar Rodney, George Read, Thomas McKean

Maryland:
Samuel Chase, William Paca, Thomas Stone, Charles Carroll of Carrollton

Virginia:
George Wythe, Richard Henry Lee, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Harrison, Thomas Nelson, Jr., Francis Lightfoot Lee, Carter Braxton

North Carolina:
William Hooper, Joseph Hewes, John Penn

South Carolina:
Edward Rutledge, Thomas Heyward, Jr., Thomas Lynch, Jr., Arthur Middleton

Georgia:
Button Gwinnett, Lyman Hall, George Walto

I'm Back, and hopefully better than ever

2005-07-02T22:53:00.000-04:00

Well its been a while since I posted on my blog. Lots of things have been going on that have kept me from having the time to post. It seems that I have missed out on a lot; from the new face of the Supreme Court to the missing girl in Aruba to Microsoft's plans to include RSS in Longhorn. The past few days I spent working on a new design for the blog that I hope works better than the old one. I grew tired of that old one and felt it looked to messy so I spent hours staring at code to get this one just right. Hopefully you will enjoy the new look of the blog and I hope this new design and layout allows me to be more flexible in the content. I think I may take a new direction with my blog post by doing something like a week-in-review maybe on Fridays where I will briefly discuss the weeks events. Who knows where things will go. It seems like when I switched to Blogger I lost interest in daily posts so maybe now I will get back to the roots and start blogging again.

US Supreme Court: Ten Commandments displays at courts illegal

2005-06-27T10:46:00.000-04:00

The US Supreme Court has ruled that the displaying of the Ten Commandments on government grounds is unconstitutional, unless they are presented in a secular way.

I don't know the case, but I think this is the wrong decision. US Law is based on the teachings of Judeo-Christian beliefs and the Ten Commandments are the basics of those religions. At least in the Texas case they ruled it was ok to display them so all hope is not lost. We cannot forget our past and rewrite history, America was founded by Christians based on the beliefs of there theology.

Split rulings on Ten Commandments displays

USA plans to produce Plutonium for first time since Cold War

2005-06-26T23:02:00.000-04:00

The White House has announced that the USA will resume production of Plutonium for the first time since the Cold War. Plutonium 238, the grade that will be produced, has been used to generate power since the Cold War.

http://www.iht.com/articles/2005/06/26/news/nuke.php

AP/Ipsos Poll: Most Oppose Return To Draft, Wouldn't Encourage Children To Enlist

2005-06-25T19:14:00.000-04:00

Source: AP/Ipsos Poll: Most Oppose Return To Draft, Wouldn't Encourage Children To Enlist

1. If you had a son who was the right age to serve in the military, would you encourage him to enlist in the
military now or would you discourage him from enlisting in the military now?
Encourage........................................ 32
Discourage ....................................... 55
(NOT READ) Neither........................ 12
Not sure.......................................... 1

2. If you had a daughter who was the right age to serve in the military, would you encourage her to enlist in the
military now or would you discourage her from enlisting in the military now?
Encourage........................................ 22
Discourage ....................................... 66
(NOT READ) Neither........................ 11
Not sure.......................................... 1

3. Do you favor or oppose the reinstatement of the military draft in the United States? (IF FAVOR/OPPOSE,
ASK:) Is that strongly or somewhat?
Strongly favor ................................... 11
Somewhat favor ............................... 15
Somewhat oppose............................ 23
Strongly oppose ............................... 47
Not sure.......................................... 4

Total Favor ...................................... 27
Total Oppose .................................. 70

4. If the military draft were reinstated, would you favor or oppose drafting women as well as men? (IF
FAVOR/OPPOSE, ASK:) Is that strongly or somewhat?
Strongly favor ................................... 21
Somewhat favor ............................... 21
Somewhat oppose............................ 15
Strongly oppose ............................... 40
Not sure.......................................... 3

Total Favor ...................................... 43
Total Oppose .................................. 54

Michael Jackson Verdict: Not Guilty

2005-06-13T16:56:00.000-04:00

The jury for the Michael Jackson case has found him to be not guilty.
More to come...

MSN Toolbar adds Tabbed Browsing to IE6

2005-06-10T15:31:00.000-04:00

A new feature has been added to MSN Toolbar Suite that allows Internet Explorer 6 to have tabs. These tabs are what people have been asking for, but did the team at MSN create a product that delivers these tabs as well as say Firefox and Opera? The simple answer is a NO. The tabs, while useful, are very buggy. It is apparent that all the tabbing system does is hide the window and link it to a tab. This is noticeable when you change tabs, looking at the taskbar you can clearly see that a second IE window is opened and then hidden during the change. So it leads me to believe all that is going on is the window is hidden and linked to a tab. Once the tab has been selected Internet Explorer must redraw the entire page before you can begin browsing. The switching process is slow and sometimes painful. Stability wise I have yet to have any problems with Internet Explorer crashing during one of these changes, but as I said switching is not a speedy process like it is in say Firefox. Another problem with the tabbing system is it can only be used when the MSN Toolbar is enabled so quite a bit of precious screen space is wasted on the two bars. On the plus side its a great feature and a great idea for MSN to give its users of the toolbar. The problems that the feature has are most likely not even something that MSN can fix, it is probably a problem with IE6 since it wasn't designed to have tabs in the first place. I have to give it to the team at MSN they seem to have their act together, delivering two features of Longhorn before the team at Windows can even show off a stable version of it. MSN Toolbar is a must have for its tabs and Desktop Search.

**Note: I do not use MSN Desktop Search because it does not index chats through AOL Instant Messenger, so I use Google Desktop, but I do think overall the MSN product is better minus that one major missing feature.***

My Review: 6/10
+: Great attempt for the MSN team. Its amazing how much faster they deliver a product over the Windows team.
-: Switching between tabs is slow and takes away from the browsing experience.

I recommend the product for users of Internet Explorer 6, but would say Firefox is a better choice if you want tabbed browsing. Hopefully the Windows team will deliver tabbed browsing in Internet Explorer 7 as well or better than it is in Firefox.

Download MSN Toolbar with Windows Desktop Search and Tabbed Browsing

It's official: Apple switches to Intel, leaves IBM behind

2005-06-06T14:17:00.000-04:00

Apple Computer's Steve Jobs announced that Apple will switch to Intel processors completely by 2007 and begin the transition in 2006. Jobs said that OSX has been designed for years to run on Intel hardware, but it was kept secret. "Mac OS X has been leading a secret double life the past five years", Jobs said. A new development kit for the Intel line is available now for the price of $999. Some developers see this as a major headache and claim that the PowerPC is a better processor than anything Intel has. The new Apples will run on the same hardware as Microsoft's Windows OS does; which makes me wonder will we now see OSX sold at Walmart like we do with Windows, and will the average PC running Intel hardware be able to run OSX? Sounds like I have some research to do.

**Update: It looks like Apple will use the same chips as Windows PCs but will not sell OSX for anything other than Apple hardware. It is thought that Apple will allow users to dualboot Windows and OSX on Apple hardware but not the other way around. I give it six months to a year before OSX will run on a Dell PC thanks to our friends the hackers.**

Apple Shifts to Intel Chips

France Rejects EU Constitution

2005-05-29T16:36:00.000-04:00

Top News Article | Reuters.com

France has rejected the first EU constitution with an overwhelming 57.26% against and 42.74% in support of the referendum.

Tech Support

2005-05-28T13:48:00.000-04:00

Now What Are You Going to Tell Tech Support!?

Deal averts filibuster showdown

2005-05-23T19:43:00.000-04:00

Sources: Deal averts filibuster showdown - Politics - MSNBC.com

Centrists from both parties reached a compromise Monday night to avoid a showdown on President Bush’s stalled judicial nominees and the Senate’s own filibuster rules.

Newsweek retracts Quran story

2005-05-16T18:58:00.000-04:00

Newsweek retracts Quran story
U.S. military says it must reach out to Afghans to ease tension

(CNN) -- Newsweek magazine issued a retraction Monday of a May 9 report on the alleged desecration of the Quran at the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
The White House earlier in the day expressed puzzlement over why Newsweek did not fully retract the story in its current issue, released Sunday.
Newsweek published that item in its May 9 issue. In the May 23 issue, it reported that its senior government source had backed away from his initial story.
Editor Mark Whitaker wrote in that issue that "we regret" that any part of the story was wrong. (Full story)
White House press secretary Scott McClellan said it was "puzzling" Newsweek had not retracted the story and said the damage done was "serious."
"The bottom line is that Newsweek itself admits the story they reported is based on facts that are wrong," McClellan said, repeating the word "puzzling" several times.
Violent protests broke out in Afghanistan last week after the magazine cited sources saying investigators looking into abuses at the military prison found interrogators "had placed Qurans on toilets, and in at least one case flushed a holy book down the toilet."
At least 15 people were killed and dozens injured when thousands of demonstrators marched in Jalalabad, Afghanistan, Pakistan and other parts of the Muslim world, officials and eyewitnesses said.
U.S. State Department spokesman Richard Boucher also chided the magazine before Monday's retraction, saying "one would expect more than the kind of correction we've seen so far."
Afghan government spokesman Jawed Ludin said his government expresses "in the strongest terms our disapproval of Newsweek's approach to reporting which allowed them to run this story without proper examination beforehand."
"Desecrating the Quran is a death-penalty offense" in Afghanistan and neighboring Pakistan, said Peter Bergen, a CNN terrorism analyst.
"There is clearly a lot of anti-American sentiment in Pakistan, less so in Afghanistan, but I think that this will feed into it," Bergen said.
Pentagon spokesman Larry DiRita blamed Newsweek's report for the protests.
"People are dying. They are burning American flags. Our forces are in danger," he told CNN.
The U.S. military said Monday it must reach out to angry Afghans to ease tensions.
"We want to redouble our efforts to communicate with the Afghan people," said Army Col. Gary Cheek in Kabul. "We want to ensure there is trust and confidence in the U.S."
The Pentagon said last week it was unable to corroborate any case in which interrogators at the U.S. Naval Station in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, defiled the Muslim holy book, as Newsweek reported.
"Top administration officials have promised to continue looking into the charges, and so will we," Whitaker wrote in the May 23 issue. "But we regret that we got any part of our story wrong, and extend our sympathies to victims of the violence and to the U.S. soldiers caught in its midst." Read More...

Zacarias Moussaoui pleads guilty in 9/11 Attacks

2005-04-22T16:53:00.000-04:00

ALEXANDRIA, Va. - Zacarias Moussaoui pleaded guilty Friday to helping al-Qaida carry out the Sept. 11 hijackings and said he understood he could be put to death for his role in the deadliest terror attack in American history. Read More...

MTV Debuts the Next Xbox!

2005-04-12T14:33:00.000-04:00

Elijah Wood will host a half-hour global premiere, with a performance from The Killers, airing exclusively on MTV channels around the world on May 12 and 13.

April 11, 2005, New York City, N.Y.—MTV: Music Television and Microsoft® Corp. today announced a global marketing alliance to unveil the next-generation Xbox® video game system on MTV channels in the United States, Asia Pacific, and Europe, all within a 24-hour window, a first for the videogame industry.

The highly anticipated console will be revealed to videogame fanatics, music lovers, and MTV viewers via a high-energy half-hour program titled “MTV Presents: The Next-Generation Xbox Revealed.” The special will be hosted by entertainment icon, seasoned gamer, and Xbox fanatic Elijah Wood, known globally for the Academy Award-winning Lord of the Rings film trilogy. Island Records’ renowned Las Vegas rockers The Killers will deliver electrifying performances throughout the special.

The global broadcast will premiere Thursday, May 12, 2005, at 9:30 P.M. Eastern in North America and on Friday, May 13, 2005, in other regions around the globe (local air times below).

Viewers will get an exclusive look at the Xbox vision for the next generation—one that ensures that the user experience is always connected, always personalized, and always in high definition. The special will feature never-before-seen, action-packed gameplay of future Xbox games; a peek into the future of the Xbox Live™ online gaming service; backstage celebrity interviews; and exclusive insider footage on the making of the next-generation console.

The inside look at the next-generation Xbox will continue at MTV.com, where after the special, viewers will find extended event coverage, including behind-the-scenes video, photos, and other special extras. MTV.com will also provide ongoing in-depth coverage of the next-generation Xbox, highlighting the latest news, product details, and previews of hot next-generation games.

“We recognize and celebrate our viewers’ passion for gaming and are excited to be working with Microsoft to launch such a significant entertainment product,” said John Shea, executive vice president, Integrated Marketing and Sponsorship Development, MTV Networks Music Group. “We’re proud that Microsoft considers MTV the premier global network to launch its new Xbox gaming console and reveal the first look to MTV viewers around the world.”

“Just as MTV revolutionized the way the world experiences music, the next-generation video game console from Xbox will spark a revolution in how consumers experience games and other forms of digital entertainment,” said Peter Moore, corporate vice president, Xbox Worldwide Marketing and Publishing, Microsoft. “We are ecstatic about our alliance with MTV and unveiling a video game platform in a way that has never been done.”

“MTV Presents: The Next Generation Xbox Revealed” will be broadcast around the world. Local market times are as follows:

North America
Thursday, May 12, at 9:30 P.M. Eastern (21:30)

Japan/Asia
Friday, May 13, at 11:30

Europe
France: Friday, May 13, at 19:00
Germany: Friday, May 13, at 19:00
Italy: Friday, May 13, at 23:30
Netherlands: Friday, May 13, at 19:30
Poland: Friday, May 13, at 21:00
Portugal: Friday, May 13, at 20:00
Romania: Friday, May 13, at 20:00
Scandinavia: Friday, May 13, at 22:00
Spain: Friday, May 13, at 21:30
U.K.: Friday, May 13, at 20:00

Australia
Friday, May 13, at 19:00

Pope's Last Will and Testament (Full-Text)

2005-04-09T10:27:00.000-04:00

The testament of 6.3.1979 (March 6, 1979)

"Totus Tuus ego sum" (Latin for "I am all Yours")

In the Name of the Most Holy Trinity. Amen.

"Watch therefore, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming" (cf. Matthew 24, 42) -- these words remind me of the last call, which will happen at the moment the Lord wishes. I desire to follow Him, and I desire that everything making up part of my earthly life should prepare me for this moment. I do not know when the moment will come, but like everything else, I place it too in the hands of the Mother of my Master: Totus Tuus. In the same maternal Hands I leave everything and everyone with whom my life and vocation have linked me. In these Hands I leave, above all, the Church, as well as my Nation and all humanity. I thank everyone. Of everyone I ask forgiveness. I also ask for prayer, that the Mercy of God may appear greater than my weakness and unworthiness.

During the spiritual exercises I reread the testament of the Holy Father Paul VI. That reading prompted me to write this testament.

I leave no property behind me of which it is necessary to dispose. As for the everyday objects that were of use to me, I ask they be distributed as seems appropriate. My personal notes are to be burned. I ask that this be attended to by Father Stanislaw (his personal secretary, Archbishop Stanislaw Dziwisz), whom I thank for his collaboration and help, so prolonged over the years and so understanding. As for all other thanks, I leave them in my heart before God Himself, because it is difficult to express them.

As for the funeral, I repeat the same dispositions as were given by the Holy Father Paul VI. (Here is a note in the margin: burial in the bare earth, not in a sarcophagus, 13.3.92) (March 13, 1992).

"Apud Dominum misericordia et copiosa apud Eum redemptio." (Latin for "With the Lord there is mercy, and with Him plentiful redemption.")

John Paul pp. II

Rome, 6.III.1979 (March 6, 1979)

After my death I ask for Masses and prayers.

5.III.1990 (March 5, 1990)

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(Undated sheet of paper)

I express my profound trust that, despite all my weakness, the Lord will grant me all the grace necessary to face according to His will any task, trial or suffering that He will ask of His servant, in the course of his life. I also trust that He will never allow me -- through some attitude of mine: words, deeds or omissions -- to betray my obligations in this holy Petrine See.

24.II-1.III.1980 (February 24 - March 1, 1980)

Also during these spiritual exercises, I have reflected on the truth of the Priesthood of Christ in the perspective of that Transit that for each of us is the moment of our own death. For us the Resurrection of Christ is an eloquent (Vatican notation: added above, decisive) sign of departing from this world -- to be born in the next, in the future world.

I have read, then, the copy of my testament from last year, also written during the spiritual exercises -- I compared it with the testament of my great predecessor and Father, Paul VI, with that sublime witness to death of a Christian and a Pope -- and I have renewed within me an awareness of the questions to which the copy of 6.III.1979 (March 6, 1979) refers, prepared by me (in a somewhat provisional way).

Today I wish to add only this: that each of us must bear in mind the prospect of death. And must be ready to present himself before the Lord and Judge -- Who is at the same time Redeemer and Father. I too continually take this into consideration, entrusting that decisive moment to the Mother of Christ and of the Church -- to the Mother of my hope.

The times in which we live are unutterably difficult and disturbed. The path of the Church has also become difficult and tense, a characteristic trial of these times -- both for the Faithful and for Pastors. In some Countries (as, for example, in those about which I read during the spiritual exercises), the Church is undergoing a period of such persecution as to be in no way lesser than that of early centuries, indeed it surpasses them in its degree of cruelty and hatred. "Sanguis martyrum -- semen christianorum" (Latin for "Blood of the martyrs -- seeds of Christians"). And apart from this -- many people die innocently even in this Country in which we are living.

Once again, I wish to entrust myself totally to the Lord's grace. He Himself will decide when and how I must end my earthly life and pastoral ministry. In life and in death, Totus Tuus in Mary Immaculate. Accepting that death, even now, I hope that Christ will give me the grace for the final passage, in other words (Vatican notation: "my") Easter. I also hope that He makes (Vatican notation: "that death") useful for this more important cause that I seek to serve: the salvation of men and women, the safeguarding of the human family and, in that, of all nations and all peoples (among them, I particularly address my earthly Homeland), and useful for the people with whom He particularly entrusted me, for the question of the Church, for the glory of God Himself.

I do not wish to add anything to what I wrote a year ago --7 only to express this readiness and, at the same time, this trust, to which the current spiritual exercises have again disposed me.

John Paul II

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Totus Tuus ego sum 5.III.1982 (March 5, 1982)

In the course of this year's spiritual exercises I have read (a number of times) the text of the testament of 6.III.1979 (March 6, 1979). Although I still consider it provisional (not definitive), I leave it in the form in which it exists. I change nothing (for now), and neither do I add anything, as concerns the dispositions contained therein.

The attempt upon my life on 13.V.1981 (May 13, 1981) in some way confirmed the accuracy of the words written during the period of the spiritual exercises of 1980 (24.II-1.III) (February 24 - March 1).

All the more deeply I now feel that I am totally in the Hands of God -- and I remain continually at the disposal of my Lord, entrusting myself to Him in His Immaculate Mother (Totus Tuus)

John Paul pp.II

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5.III.82 (March 5, 1982)

In connection with the last sentence in my testament of 6.III.1979 (March 6, 1979) ("concerning the site / that is, the site of the funeral / let the College of Cardinals and Compatriots decide") -- I will make it clear that I have in mind: the metropolitan of Krakow or the General Council of the Episcopate of Poland. In the meantime I ask the College of Cardinals to satisfy, as far as possible, any demands of the above-mentioned.

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2. 1.III.1985 (March 1, 1985) (during the spiritual exercises)

Again -- as regards the expression "College of Cardinals and Compatriots": the "College of Cardinals" has no obligation to consult "Compatriots" on this subject, however it can do so, if for some reason it feels it is right to do so.

JPII

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Spiritual exercise of the Jubilee Year 2000 (12-18.III) (March 12-18).

(Vatican notation: "for my testament")

1. When, on October 16, 1978, the conclave of cardinals chose John Paul II, the primate of Poland, Cardinal Stefan Wyszynski told me: "The duty of the new Pope will be to introduce the Church into the Third Millennium." I don't know if I am repeating this sentence exactly, but at least this was the sense of what I heard at the time. This was said by the Man who entered history as the primate of the Millennium. A great primate. I was a witness to his mission, to his total entrustment. To his battles. To his victory. "Victory, when it comes, will be a victory through Mary" -- The primate of the Millennium used to repeat these words of his predecessor, Cardinal August Hlond.

In this way I was prepared in some manner for the duty that presented itself to me on October 16, 1978. As I write these words, the Jubilee Year 2000 is already a reality. The night of December 24, 1999, the symbolic Door of the Great Jubilee in the Basilica of St. Peter's was opened, then that of St. John Lateran, then St. Mary Major -- on New Year's, and on January 19, the Door of the Basilica of St. Paul's Outside-the-Walls. This last event, given its ecumenical character, has remained impressed in my memory in a special way.

2. As the Jubilee Year progressed, day by day the 20th century closes behind us and the 21st century opens. According to the plans of Divine Providence, I was allowed to live in the difficult century that is retreating into the past, and now, in the year in which my life reaches 80 years ("octogesima adveniens"), it is time to ask oneself if it is not the time to repeat with the biblical Simeone 'nunc dimittis' (Latin for "Now Master you may let your servant go.")

On May 13, 1981, the day of the attack on the Pope during the general audience in St. Peter's Square, Divine Providence saved me in a miraculous way from death. The One Who is the Only Lord of life and death Himself prolonged my life, in a certain way He gave it to me again. From that moment it belonged to Him even more. I hope He will help me to recognize up to what point I must continue this service to which I was called on October 16, 1978. I ask him to call me back when He Himself wishes. "In life and in death we belong to the Lord ... we are the Lord's." (cf. Romans 14,8). I also hope that, as long as I am called to fulfill the Petrine service in the Church, the Mercy of God will give me the necessary strength for this service.

3. As I do every year during spiritual exercises, I read my testament from 6-III-1979 (March 6, 1979). I continue to maintain the dispositions contained in this text. What then, and even during successive spiritual exercises, has been added constitutes a reflection of the difficult and tense general situation which marked the '80s. From autumn of the year 1989, this situation changed. The last decade of the century was free of the previous tensions; that does not mean that it did not bring with it new problems and difficulties. In a special way may Divine Providence be praised for this, that the period of the so-called "cold war" ended without violent nuclear conflict, the danger of which weighed on the world in the preceding period.

4. Being on the threshold of the third millennium "in medio Ecclesiae" (Latin for "inside the Church") I wish once again to express gratitude to the Holy Spirit for the great gift of Vatican Council II, to which, together with the entire Church -- and above all the entire episcopacy -- I feel indebted. I am convinced that for a long time to come the new generations will draw upon the riches that this Council of the 20th century gave us. As a bishop who participated in this conciliar event from the first to the last day, I wish to entrust this great patrimony to all those who are and who will be called in the future to realize it. For my part I thank the eternal Pastor Who allowed me to serve this very great cause during the course of all the years of my pontificate.

"In medio Ecclesiae" ... from the first years of my service as a bishop -- precisely thanks to the Council -- I was able to experience the fraternal communion of the Episcopacy. As a priest of the Archdiocese of Krakow, I experienced the fraternal communion among priests -- and the Council opened a new dimension to this experience.

5. How many people should I list! Probably the Lord God has called to Himself the majority of them -- as to those who are still on this side, may the words of this testament recall them, everyone and everywhere, wherever they are.

During the more than 20 years that I am fulfilling the Petrine service "in medio Ecclesiae" I have experienced the benevolence and even more the fecund collaboration of so many cardinals, archbishops and bishops, so many priests, so many consecrated persons -- brothers and sisters -- and, lastly, so very, very many lay persons, within the Curia, in the vicariate of the diocese of Rome, as well as outside these milieux.

How can I not embrace with grateful memory all the bishops of the world whom I have met in "ad limina Apostolorum" (a reference to required, periodic visits)! How can I not recall so many non-Catholic Christian brothers! And the rabbi of Rome and so many representatives of non-Christian religions! And how many representatives of the world of culture, science, politics, and of the means of social communication!

6. As the end of my life approaches I return with my memory to the beginning, to my parents, to my brother, to the sister (I never knew because she died before my birth), to the parish in Wadowice, where I was baptized, to that city I love, to my peers, friends from elementary school, high school and the university, up to the time of the occupation when I was a worker, and then in the parish of Niegowic, then St. Florian's in Krakow, to the pastoral ministry of academics, to the milieu of ... to all milieux ... to Krakow and to Rome ... to the people who were entrusted to me in a special way by the Lord.

To all I want to say just one thing: "May God reward you."

"In manus tuas, Domine, commendo spiritum meum." (Latin for "In your hands, Lord, I commend my spirit.")

A.D. 17.III.2000 (March 17, 2000)

JOHN PAUL II: TESTAMENT

Pope John Paul II, 1920-2005

2005-04-02T21:03:00.000-05:00

Yahoo! News - AP: The Life of Pope John Paul II (Flash)

Exposed: Do Homosexuals Really Want The Right To Marry?

2005-03-22T21:58:00.000-05:00

In their own words: Homosexual activists reveal their real agenda.

Homosexuals claim they want the "right" to get married and live normal lives just like heterosexual married couples.

The truth is, however, that the drive to gain legalization of so-called "gay" or "same-sex" marriage is part of a larger sexual agenda. Homosexual activists are now beginning to openly admit that they don't want to marry just to have a normal home life. They want same-sex marriage as a way of destroying the concept of marriage altogether-and of introducing polygamy and polyamory (group sex) as "families."

They are finally admitting what the Traditional Values Coalition (TVC) has been saying for years: Their ultimate goal is to abolish all prohibitions against sex with multiple partners.

WHAT ARE THEY SAYING? ...

Chris Crain, the editor of the Washington Blade has stated that all homosexual activists should fight for the legalization of same-sex marriage as a way of gaining passage of federal anti-discrimination laws that will provide homosexuals with federal protection for their chosen lifestyle.

Crain writes: "...any leader of any gay rights organization who is not prepared to throw the bulk of their efforts right now into the fight for marriage is squandering resources and doesn't deserve the position." (Washington Blade, August, 2003).
Michelangelo Signorile, writing in Out! magazine, has stated that homosexuals should, "...fight for same-sex marriage and its benefits and then, once granted, redefine the institution of marriage completely … To debunk a myth and radically alter an archaic institution. … The most subversive action lesbians and gays can undertake-and one that would perhaps benefit all of society-is to transform the notion of 'family' altogether." (Out! magazine, Dec./Jan., 1994)
Andrew Sullivan, a homosexual activist writing in his book, Virtually Normal, says that once same-sex marriage is legalized, heterosexuals will have to develop a greater "understanding of the need for extramarital outlets between two men than between a man and a woman." He notes: "The truth is, homosexuals are not entirely normal; and to flatten their varied and complicated lives into a single, moralistic model is to miss what is essential and exhilarating about their otherness." (Sullivan, Virtually Normal, pp. 202-203)
Paula Ettelbrick, a law professor and homosexual activist has said: "Being queer is more than setting up house, sleeping with a person of the same gender, and seeking state approval for doing so. … Being queer means pushing the parameters of sex, sexuality, and family; and in the process, transforming the very fabric of society. … We must keep our eyes on the goals of providing true alternatives to marriage and of radically reordering society's view of reality." (partially quoted in "Beyond Gay Marriage," Stanley Kurtz, The Weekly Standard, August 4, 2003)
Evan Wolfson has stated: "Isn't having the law pretend that there is only one family model that works (let alone exists) a lie? … marriage is not just about procreation-indeed is not necessarily about procreation at all. "(quoted in "What Marriage Is For," by Maggie Gallagher, The Weekly Standard, August 11, 2003)
Mitchel Raphael, editor of the Canadian homosexual magazine Fab, says: "Ambiguity is a good word for the feeling among gays about marriage. I'd be for marriage if I thought gay people would challenge and change the institution and not buy into the traditional meaning of 'till death do us part' and monogamy forever. We should be Oscar Wildes and not like everyone else watching the play." (quoted in "Now Free To Marry, Canada's Gays Say, 'Do I?'" by Clifford Krauss, The New York Times, August 31, 2003)
1972 Gay Rights Platform Demands: "Repeal of all legislative provisions that restrict the sex or number of persons entering into a marriage unit…" [Emphasis added.]

Exposed: The Myth That "10% Are Homosexual

Exposed: Homosexual Child Molesters

Exposed: The “Born Gay” Legend

Exposed: Epidemic of Homosexual Hate Crimes?

Exposed: 30% Of Teen Suicide Victims Are Homosexuals... NOT!!

Exposed: Sexual Orientation- Fixed Or Changeable?

Exposed: Do Homosexuals Really Want The Right To Marry?

Source: TraditionalValues.org

Exposed: Sexual Orientation- Fixed Or Changeable?

2005-03-22T21:56:00.000-05:00

For decades, homosexual activists have claimed that their same-sex attractions are inborn, genetic, and unchangeable. Now, transgender activists and their homosexual allies are beginning to claim that sexual orientation is fluid. So, which is it?

A strange thing is occurring within the homosexual movement. In the early years of homosexual activism, homosexuals referred to their same-sex desires as "sexual preferences," but soon rejected this term because it indicated that "choice" might be involved in their deviant sexual behaviors.

The preferred term for decades has been "sexual orientation" because it conveys the impression that being a homosexual is morally neutral, inborn, and unchangeable. In 1979, several homosexual groups worked with federal legislators on passage of a pro-homosexual bill in Congress. They insisted that "… the old term 'affectional or sexual preference,' has been changed to 'affectional or sexual orientation.' The reason for this is that it was felt 'orientation' best expresses the nature of human sexuality, while 'preference' raises the possibility that we believe that sexuality is a matter of choice." (Rueda & Schwartz, Gays, AIDS, and You, The Devin Adair Company, Old Greenwich, CT, 1987, pgs. 70- 71.)

“Sexual orientation is one component of a person’s identity, which is made up of many other components…” NEA/ APA Booklet

The homosexual movement has gained immense political power by claiming that homosexuals are "born gay" and that it is harmful to try to change them. The University of Washington's homosexual lobbying group Gay, Bisexual, Lesbian, Transgender Commission, for example, makes this claim on its web site: "Homosexuality is not a choice any more than being left-handed or having blue eyes or being heterosexual is a choice. It's an orientation, part of who you are. The choice is in deciding how to live your life."

The National Education Association and the American Psychological Association have helped perpetuate the "born gay" myth through its pamphlet, Just The Facts, which was sent to every school superintendent in the country. Just the Facts claims that "Sexual orientation is one component of a person's identity, which is made up of many other components, such as culture, ethnicity, gender, and personality traits."

The author of this NEA/APA pamphlet then goes on to promote homosexuality as normal and attacks any attempts by ministries or psychological groups like the National Association for Research and Therapy of Homosexuality (NARTH) from helping individuals become free of same-sex attractions.

Homosexual activists and their allies at the NEA and APA believe that "sexual orientation" is just part of who a person is and that we must not only tolerate but support individuals who have differing sexual desires. Pro-homosexual politicians insist that we must pass special rights laws to protect homosexuals from alleged discrimination. Moreover, those who oppose homosexuality are considered to be suffering from a non-existent mental illness called "homophobia."

“No one is born gay. The idea is ridiculous. . . Homosexuality is an adaptation, not an inborn trait.” — Camille Paglia

In recent years, however, even homosexual researchers and philosophers are beginning to admit that there is no such thing as a "gay gene" that predisposes homosexuals to engage in sodomy. The National Association for Research and Therapy of Homosexuality has published a series of these admissions by homosexual researchers and philosophers in "The Innate-Immutable Argument Finds No Basis in Science." Homosexual researcher Dean Hamer has stated: "There is not a single master gene that makes people gay … I don't think we will ever be able to predict who will be gay." Simon LeVay, a homosexual researcher and activist studied the differences in the brains of homosexual and heterosexual men. He admits: "It's important to stress what I didn't find. I did not prove that homosexuality is genetic, or find a genetic cause for being gay. I didn't show that gay men are born that way, the most common mistake people make in interpreting my work."

Lesbian author and activist Camille Paglia has stated: "Homosexuality is not 'normal.' On the contrary it is a challenge to the norm … Nature exists whether academics like it or not. And in nature, procreation is the single relentless rule. That is the norm. Our sexual bodies were designed for reproduction … No one is born gay. The idea is ridiculous … homosexuality is an adaptation, not an inborn trait."

Here Comes The
Sexual Continuum Concept

After decades of claiming that homosexuality is inborn and unchangeable, homosexual activists who are allied with the growing transgender movement are now beginning to assert that sexual orientation is fluid—and that one can become whatever he or she wants to be along a sexual continuum. The sexual continuum concept is not new. Sex researcher Alfred Kinsey invented what is known as the "Kinsey Scale" that places heterosexuality on one end of a sevenpoint scale and homosexuality on the other end. In between are varying degrees of either homosexual or heterosexual behaviors. Bisexuality is in the middle and was considered by Kinsey to be the ideal. Kinsey believed that all sexual behaviors were normal—even bestiality. Kinsey's co-author Wardell Pomeroy, for example, described the possibility that boys could have a loving relationship with farm animals in his 1981 book, Boys and Sex. Some boys, says Pomeroy, "...build a strong emotional attachment to a particular animal … a loving sexual relationship with an animal …"

Kinsey's sexual continuum scale is ideally suited to the transgender movement, which claims that maleness and femaleness are simply social constructions—not genetic realities. Gender- Pac, for example, has created a whole new vocabulary to blur the distinctions between male and female. In its online "Glossary of Terms," GenderPac defines "Gender" as "...the way we perceive things to be masculine or feminine." GenderPac also defines "Gender Expression" as "...things like clothing and behavior that manifests a person's fundamental sense of themselves as masculine or feminine, male or female." It then defines "Gender Identity" as "… an individual's fundamental sense of themselves as masculine or feminine, and male or female."

GenderPac has successfully redefined what it means to be male or female by describing gender as simply a perception or a feeling. Not only is gender relegated to a person's opinion about himself, anyone who disagrees with this view is guilty of "genderphobia."

GenderPac leader Ricki Wilchins, a male-to-female transgender compares "genderphobia" with the non-existent condition called "homophobia" in a press release issued on April 17, 2003. He notes that GenderPac has joined forces with the homosexual group Human Rights Campaign in order to fight for federal laws to protect "gender expression" and "gender identity" in the workplace. According to Wilchins, "...homophobia comes from the same hateful place as genderphobia." Transgenderism is considered a sexual orientation just like homosexuality —and transgender activists are working to gain protected minority status under hate crimes laws and laws ostensibly designed to protect minorities from discrimination.

Do Changing Sexual Behaviors Deserve Legal Protections?

If the new homosexual/transgender view is correct—that sexual orientations are fluid and not fixed, then why should government protect—what in essence are lifestyle choices—not fixed identities? Why should any individuals who engage in freely chosen, unsafe sexual behaviors be given protected status under our nation's anti-discrimination laws?

If sexual orientation is fluid, not fixed, then homosexuality, transgenderism, pedophilia, etc., are all due to freely chosen or compulsive behaviors—not genetics. They do not deserve protected class status because these behaviors are no different than smoking, alcoholism, drug addiction, or other self-destructive behaviors. These behaviors can—and should be—modified or eliminated.

The behavior of homosexuality, for example, is inherently unsafe and frequently leads to serious infections from sexually transmitted diseases, including AIDS. Likewise, sadomasochism is inherently abnormal and unsafe. These behaviors need not be protected. Nor, should our culture be overhauled in order to cater to transgenders who "feel" as if they're trapped in an opposite sex body. A person may "feel" he is from another planet—like Rael, the head of the Raelians, a cloning cult, but we should not pass laws based upon a person's distorted view of reality. Transgenderism is the evidence of a disturbed mental condition, not a fixed identity that should be protected in federal law. We cannot allow our culture's future to be determined by individuals who are mentally disturbed—yet that is what is occurring.

Which Sexual Orientation Will Next Achieve Protected Status?

There are literally dozens of groups of individuals who engage in bizarre sexual behaviors and who have mental conditions known as paraphilias or behaviors known as fetishes. These include Coprophagia—individuals who get sexual satisfaction from eating feces; Klismaphilia— individuals who are sexually aroused by enemas; Pederasty—male homosexuals who enjoy having sex with children; Sadomasochism—individuals who derive sexual pleasure from receiving or inflicting pain upon others; Diaper fetishes—adults who get sexual pleasure from wearing diapers and wetting themselves; Necrophilia—individuals who are sexually aroused by viewing or having sex with corpses.

All of these behaviors could be considered to be "sexual orientations"—and many of the individuals who engage in these behaviors are working to have their peculiar sexual behaviors declared to be normal in psychiatry and in the culture at large.

At a symposium sponsored by the American Psychiatric Association (APA) in San Francisco on May 19, 2003, two psychiatrists presented a paper arguing for such deviant sexual behaviors as Pedophilia, Sadomasochism, as well as other Gender Identity Disorders to be removed from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV-TR). The presenters were Drs. Charles Moser from the Institute for Advanced Study of Human Sexuality in San Francisco and Peggy Kleinplatz of the University of Ottawa. Both are involved in an international organization called "ReviseF65 Project," a subsidiary group of the Norwegian National Association for Lesbian and Gay Liberation. This group lobbies national governments to remove Sadomasochism as a mental disorder from psychiatric guidelines.

Sociologists refer to groups of individuals who engage in bizarre sex practices as "deviant subcultures." With the success of homosexuals and transgenders in organizing as pressure groups to normalize what has been considered abnormal behaviors, other groups will feel empowered to do the same. Pedophiles, for example, have found allies in academia who support adult/child sex. In 1999, the University of Minnesota press published Judith Levine's book, Harmful to Minors, which argues that adult/child sex is not necessarily a bad thing. The foreword to her book was penned by former Surgeon General Joycelyn Elders.

In addition, the deviant homosexual subculture has fueled efforts to normalize adult/child sex and to lower the age of sexual consent. Mary Eberstadt's article, "'Pedophilia Chic' Reconsidered," in The Weekly Standard (January 8, 2001) details the close linkage between homosexuals and the pedophile movement. Eberstadt observes that the reason why sex with boys is being openly debated today is because it's driven by "certain parts of the gay rights movement. The more that movement has entered the mainstream, the more this 'question' [of adult/child sex] has bubbled forth from that previously distant realm into the public square."

Pedophilia and Sadomasochism are just two of many sexual orientations that may eventually be normalized in our society. The sad truth is that because of the pervasiveness of the Internet, many sexually confused and mentally disturbed individuals are finding mutual support in forums and chat rooms. They are reinforcing their mental illnesses instead of finding the help they need to overcome these sexual perversions. Author Carl Elliott details this dangerous social trend in "A New Way To Be Mad," published in the December, 2000 issue of The Atlantic Monthly. Elliott describes a bizarre online underworld of individuals who suffer from what is called "Apotemnophilia." These individuals "feel" like they should not have arms or legs. In essence, they wish to have their arms or legs amputated in order to "feel" normal. One amputee said: "My left foot was not part of me." Is Apotemnophilia a "sexual orientation," a paraphilia, or a fetish? Whatever the psychiatric diagnosis, the fact is that this is a serious condition that must be treated, not given societal approval. Yet we may not find much solace in so-called mainstream psychiatry. Fortunately, the National Association for Research and Therapy of Homosexuality (NARTH) is providing a voice of sanity in a world that seems to have gone insane. Likewise, Traditional Values Coalition will continue to promote a realistic view of sexuality and expose the dangers that homosexuality, transgenderism, and other deviant sexual subcultures pose to our nation and families.

Exposed: 30% Of Teen Suicide Victims Are Homosexuals... NOT!!

2005-03-22T21:54:00.000-05:00

Homosexual Urban Legend: 30% Of Teen Suicide Victims Are Homosexuals

For more than a decade, Traditional Values Coalition has been repeatedly exposing the myth of an "epidemic" of "homosexual" teen suicides.

Now, a psychologist has published the results of two studies that-once again-expose the Homosexual Urban Legend that teens who have homosexual feelings are committing suicides in record numbers.

Homosexual activists have repeatedly claimed for more than ten years that 30% of all teens who have attempted suicide are homosexuals. The mythological 30% figure was concocted by a homosexual social worker named Paul Gibson who wrote "Gay Male and Lesbian Youth Suicide," published in 1989. It has been thoroughly debunked, but homosexuals continue to use the figure because it supports their political and social agenda.

This 30% myth has been used over and over again to convince public school officials to establish pro-homosexual counseling programs, special clubs for homosexuals run by Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network (GLSEN) teenagers, and sensitivity/anti-homophobia training sessions to convince straight students that homosexual behavior is normal.

The latest studies that expose the 30% urban legend appear in the December, 2001 issue of Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology. The author of these studies is Cornell University psychologist Ritch Savin-Williams.

Savin-Williams says previous homosexual teen suicide studies were flawed and exaggerated because they were drawn from group homes or runaway shelters where the most troubled teens gather. Researchers also took at face value the claims that these teens made about their attempts at suicide.

Savin-Williams surveyed a more representative group of teens. He focused on 349 students, ages 17 to 25. When these students told him they had tried to kill themselves, he asked them what method they had used.

Savin-Williams discovered the following:

Over half of these reported suicide attempts turned out to be "thinking about it" rather than attempting it.
One study of 83 women showed a true suicide rate of 13% for those who hadn't attended a support group. (Between 7% and 13% of all teens have tried to kill themselves, according to latest figures.)
Another survey of 266 college men and women found that teens who think they are homosexuals were not much more likely to have attempted suicide than straight students. Homosexual students were more likely to have reported "attempts," but these turned out to be "thinking" about suicide rather than actually doing it.

According to Savin-Williams, homosexual teen suicide statistics unfairly "pathologize gay youth, and that's not fair to them." Savin-Williams is not "anti-homosexual," but has apparently attempted to conduct honest research.

In fact, Beth Reis, a pro-homosexual activist with the Safe Schools Coalition solicited a clarification from Savin-Williams on his research. Reis was concerned that his work might have been misreported in the media. It was not.

Savin-Williams responded to her by noting: "When I solicit a broad spectrum of youths with same sex attractions, and not only those who openly identify as gay, lesbian, or bisexual while in high school, and asked in-depth questions about their suicide history, I found statistically no difference in the suicide attempt rate based on sexual attractions. Although same-sex attracted youths initially reported a higher rate of suicide attempts, on further probing this sexual attraction disappeared." Savin-Williams believes that pro-homosexual adults have done a disservice to homosexual teens by creating a "suffering, suicidal, tragic" script for them that often leads these troubled teens to report attempted suicides when these events did not occur.

According to Savin-Williams, homosexuals do a disservice to "gay" teens when they "paint them with one rather narrow negative brush stroke." Homosexuals, however, have won great inroads into public schools by claiming that "gay" teens are killing themselves in record numbers. This 30% suicide claim is now gone-and activists are finally being forced to admit this fact-something they had refused to do for more than a decade.

Human Rights Campaign (HRC), an aggressive homosexual group has continuously pushed the 30% urban legend over the years. HRC spokesman David Smith reluctantly admitted that the 30% figure is wrong, but he told USA Today, "Nobody disputes the fact being gay or lesbian in high school is not a very pleasant experience. The core problem is prejudice and harassment that goes unchecked in school settings. School officials take no action. We need to address that problem head-on."

Homosexual activists like David Smith have ignored more than a decade of studies debunking the 30% statistic. As noted above, the 30% urban legend was created by homosexual social worker Paul Gibson in 1989. Gibson's flawed study became an appendix in a Health and Human Services report entitled, "Gay Male and Lesbian Youth Suicide." Although Gibson's work was repudiated by then-Secretary of HHS, Dr. Louis W. Sullivan, homosexual activists were successful in using Gibson's work to push for "gay" counseling programs and "tolerance" curricula in our nation's public schools. Gibson's report, for example, was used by activists in Massachusetts to establish a state-wide gay and lesbian youth commission funded with millions of dollars by the state.

Gibson's 30% figure was based, in part, on a quotation from a homosexual activist in the Washington Blade who speculated that 3,000 homosexual teens killed themselves each year.

Inaccurate Report Still Used To Promote Homosexual Agenda

Activists continue to use his report, despite the fact that his work has been debunked. What are the most frequently quoted "facts" from Gibson's report? They are:

That homosexual teens account for one third of all teen suicides;
That homosexual teens are two to three times more likely to commit suicide than their heterosexual counterparts;
That suicide is the leading cause of death among "gay" and "lesbian" youth;
That "gay" youth suicide is caused by internalized homophobia and violence directed against struggling teen homosexuals.

Few journalists took the time to actually analyze Gibson's report when it came out. As a result, his non-facts became part of the culture. One enterprising journalist who actually studied the report is Delia M. Rios with the Newhouse News Service. Her report, "Statistics on gay suicides are baseless, researchers say," was published in the Seattle Times on May 22, 1997.

Rios quoted Peter Muehrer, with the National Institutes of Mental Health. Muehrer said most major research studies citing a link between sexual orientation and suicide are "limited in both quantity and quality." He also said there are no agreed-upon standards in suicide research and reliable methods for measuring suicide attempts are nonexistent.

Because of these factors, said Muehrer, "…it is not possible to accurately compare suicide attempt rates between gay and lesbian youth and non-gay youth in the general population." According to Muehrer, "There is no scientific evidence to support this (30%) figure."

Peter Labarbera, author of The Gay Youth Suicide Myth published by the Family Research Council, quotes Dr. David Shaffer, one of the nation's leading authorities on youth suicide. Shaffer analyzed Gibson's figures and observed: "I struggled for a long time over [Gibson's] mathematics, but, in the end, it seemed more like hocus-pocus than math."

In short, while Gibson's non-facts are still being used by homosexuals to promote the recruitment and seduction of children in our nation's public schools, there is now new evidence from Cornell's Savin-Williams, showing that suicide among homosexual teens is no more likely than among heterosexual teenagers.

The cold, hard fact is that teens who are struggling with homosexual feelings are more likely to be sexually molested by a homosexual school counselor or teacher than to commit suicide over their feelings of despair. In fact, TVC's Special Report, Homosexual Child Molesters [ Download PDF version ] reveals new statistics on the high rates of homosexual molestation of children in our nation's public schools. Statistics show that homosexual school personnel account for as many as 40% of all child molestations in schools. The fact that homosexuals account for only 1-2% of the population should be of great concern to parents and school officials. Homosexuals should be kept away from children, not serve as mentors for them in schools.

Exposed: Epidemic of Homosexual Hate Crimes?

2005-03-22T21:53:00.000-05:00

This Homosexual Urban Legend is used by homosexuals to lobby for state and federal hate crime laws that provide enhanced penalties for crimes committed against homosexuals. These laws, in effect, make heterosexuals second class citizens under the law because they are not a protected class. A person who assaults a homosexual will receive a stiffer penalty than a person who assaults a heterosexual for the same crime.

FBI statistics show that there are actually very few "hate crimes" committed against homosexuals in the United States. Yet homosexuals claim they need federal legislation passed to protect them from what they maintain is an epidemic of hate against them.

Crime in the United States, 1997 (FBI crime statistics), for example, shows that so-called "hate crimes" constitute an extremely small percentage of overall crime. According to the FBI, in 1997:

Out of 20,000 murders, nine were considered hate crimes.
Out of every 20,000 rapes, 2 were hate crimes.
Out of every 20,000 aggravated assaults, 24 were hate crimes.

In fact, the majority of these few hate crimes are not violent at all, but are listed as "simple assault" or "intimidation." A person who "name calls" another person is considered to have committed a hate crime because his "victim" may feel "intimidated." Name calling should not be a federal crime, but it is under many hate crime laws.

In 1998, there were 16,914 murders committed. Of those, 13 were considered hate crimes. The victims were all men, as were their killers. Four of these murders were committed against homosexuals. So out of 16,914 murders in 1998, only four were considered to be hate crimes directed against homosexuals.

The latest hate crime statistics available are from 1999

According to the FBI, in 1999 there were only 1,317 hate crimes directed against homosexuals and many of these were simple assault or intimidation. "Name-calling" rates equally with an assault in hate crime statistics.

Investigative reporter Fred Dickey, writing in the Los Angeles Times Magazine, October 22, 2000, describes the reality of hate crimes in "The Perversion of Hate: Laws Against Hate Crimes Are An Idea Gone Sour. Prosecutors Apply Them Unfairly and the List of 'Special Victims' Keeps Growing." According to Dickey, news reports in 1999 in Los Angeles screamed that the city's hate crimes had risen by 11.7% from 1998. The implication was that the city was experiencing an epidemic of hate crimes. But Dickey points out that in Los Angeles County, an area with 10 million people, there were only 859 hate crimes committed. Most of these were gang related and only 98 resulted in felony charges. This is hardly an epidemic.

Hate Crime Laws Criminalize Thoughts and Feelings

The effort to create a new category of crime, the so-called hate crime, is actually an effort to punish individuals who stray from the current politically correct orthodoxy.

Typically, hate crime laws have prohibitions against "intimidating" or "coercing" an individual. This could be as simple a thing as quoting the Bible to a homosexual co-worker or leaving a tract about sexual orientation on his desk. The Wall Street Journal recently decried the tyranny of hate crime laws. As the Journal observed in "The Hate Politics,"

Like all restrictions on free speech, bans of "racist" or "homophobic" expression rests on a slippery slope. Some Christian denominations believe that homosexuality is a sin. Are their clerics to be silenced by law because this view is unacceptable? … We aren't there yet. But when people can be given additional time in jail for what they were thinking while committing a crime we are approaching rule by a thought police. A good many people, even some supporters of hate-crime legislation, might find that a hateful outcome.

Political scientist Ronald J. Pestritto, a professor at St. Vincent College in Pennsylvania and an Adjunct Fellow with the Claremont Institute has observed that hate crime legislation is a political fad that "seeks to criminalize all feelings, thoughts, or attitudes that run contrary to the trends of the day."

Writing in "The Ideology of Hate Crimes," Pestritto says hate crime laws assume that "...there are more serious crimes out there than murder, or the taking of human life."

The advocates of hate crime laws believe that "crimes motivated by animus toward homosexuals must be considered the most hateful of all. Accordingly, we see that anti-homosexual murder is considered worse than other kinds of murder, yet beating another human being unconscious with a brick and dancing with glee about it, as several Los Angeles rioters did live on television a few years ago, is hardly considered a crime at all since it was motivated by rage over the racist Rodney King trial verdict."

James B. Jacobs and Kimberly Potter, writing in Hate Crimes: Criminal Law & Identity Politics, note that hate crime laws are actually aimed at criminalizing a person's personal opinions and beliefs. The authors note that the term "hate crime" is really not about hate at all, but about a person's beliefs about right and wrong.

According to Jacobs and Potter, "By linking hate speech prohibitions to generic criminal law, many well-meaning advocacy groups and politicians seek to shake a fist at the kind of ideas, opinions, and degenerate personalities that 'right-thinking' people abhor. But we must consider whether punishing crimes motivated by politically unpopular beliefs more severely than crimes motivated by other factors itself violates our First Amendment traditions."

Daniel E. Troy, a scholar with the American Enterprise Institute testified before the House Committee on the Judiciary in August of 1999 against proposed hate crime legislation. Troy told the committee that the fastest way for a group to achieve political power and status is to declare itself to be a victim. Troy writes: "Status as a disfavored group paves the way for special protections and special handouts. Thus, hate crimes legislation makes crimes into political footballs, further polarizing America on the basis of group and identity politics." Troy believes that special interest groups want to be proclaimed as victims so they can have special laws, special handouts, and special treatment. Consider the highly publicized murder of homosexual college student Matthew Shepard. The killers, Russell A. Henderson and Aaron J. McKinney have already been sentenced to life in prison without parole.

Should extra penalties be applied because of what Henderson and McKinney thought when they were killing Shepard? No one brutally murders another person out of love. Every violent murder is hate-motivated.

As National Journal editor Michael Kelly observed in a Washington Post column in October of 1998, what Henderson and McKinney did was a terrible thing, but "would it have been less terrible if Shepard had not been gay? If Henderson and McKinney beat Shepard to death because they hated him personally, not as a member of a group, should the law treat them more lightly? Yes, say hate-crime laws."

Kelly rightly observes that, "Hate crime laws require the state to treat one physical assault differently from the way it would treat another-solely because the state has decided that one motivation for assaulting a person is more heinous than another."

U.S. News & World Report columnist John Leo agrees. In a 1998 column, Leo noted that hate crime laws are ostensibly created to provide special protections for minority groups. Yet this violates the principle of equality under the law. Leo says, "Equal protection should mean one law for all, pursued evenhandedly regardless of our differences, not separate laws invented because of them."

Hate crime laws are frequently expanded to include so-called "hate speech" or actions that might be perceived by a person to be hateful. This could include sharing one's faith in the office with a homosexual co-worker or a child writing a report in school that is critical of homosexual behavior. Hate crime laws should not protect a deviant sexual behavior that many Americans oppose.

Current hate crime laws that provide special rights for homosexuals should be repealed and any new hate crime legislation should be defeated!

Exposed: The “Born Gay” Legend

2005-03-22T21:50:00.000-05:00

One of the most persistent and culturally damaging Homosexual Urban Legends is the erroneous claim by homosexual activists that they are "born gay" or that their sexual orientation emerges in early adolescence and is fixed and unchangeable.

One or both of these urban legends has been perpetuated not only by homosexual activist groups but by prestigious organizations like the American Psychological Association and the American Psychiatric Association.

The American Psychological Association, for example, features a Q&A section on its web site that deals with sexual orientation. To the question, "Is Sexual Orientation a Choice?" the APA answers: "No, human beings can not choose to be either gay or straight. Sexual orientation emerges for most people in early adolescence without any prior sexual experience. Although we can choose whether to act on our feelings, psychologists do not consider sexual orientation to be a conscious choice that can be voluntarily changed."

In a follow up question, "Can Therapy Change Sexual Orientation?" the APA answers: "No. … The reality is that homosexuality is not an illness. It does not require treatment and is not changeable."

Current research from professional organizations like the National Association for Research and Therapy of Homosexuality (NARTH) dispute the APA's pro-homosexual position.

Regrettably, however, homosexuals have used this particular urban legend to fight for anti-discrimination laws and for "hate crime" laws that provide special legal protections for homosexuals not accorded to heterosexuals. They have also used this fraudulent claim to push for homosexual recruitment programs in public schools under the guise of providing "safe schools" for "homosexual" teenagers. Homosexuals have also demanded sensitivity training for those who are repelled by homosexual behavior. Currently, transgendered individuals (those who cross-dress or are undergoing sex change operations), are also now claiming to be "born transgender." Transgenders are demanding federal laws to protect them from societal disapproval. (See TVC's Special Report on this: "A Gender Identity Goes Mainstream.")

Great cultural and legal changes have taken place in our society because of this Homosexual Urban Legend-but it is slowly but surely being debunked. This is being done not only by conservative psychologists and psychiatrists, but by the admissions of homosexual researchers themselves.

Dr. Robert Spitzer, a NARTH associate, was one of the main forces behind the American Psychiatric Association's 1973 decision to remove homosexuality as a mental illness from the APA's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM).

Dr. Spitzer is now convinced that men and women who have a homosexual orientation can change through therapy. His most recent findings were published in Archives of Sexual Behavior (Vol. 32, No. 5, October 2003, pp. 403-417).

NARTH summarized his findings on its web site. Dr. Spitzer interviewed some 200 men and women who reported changes from homosexual to heterosexual orientation that lasted five years or longer. According to Spitzer, his findings show that "the mental health professionals should stop moving in the direction of banning therapy that has, as a goal, a change in sexual orientation."

One of the most compelling articles to dispel the notion that homosexuality is genetically determined, fixed, and unchangeable is: "The Innate-Immutable Argument Finds No Basis in Science: In Their Own Words: Gay Activists Speak About Science, Morality, Philosophy," by Drs. A. Dean Byrd, Shirley Cox, and Jeffrey W. Robinson. This essay is published on the National Association for Research and Therapy of Homosexuality web site.

The authors of this study carefully quote a number of homosexual researchers who have worked for years to locate a "gay gene" or some other genetic basis for homosexuality. They have failed and are now admitting that such evidence may never be found.

Homosexual researcher Dean Hamer, for example, attempted to link male homosexuality to a bit of DNA located at the tip of the X chromosome. He has written: "Homosexuality is not purely genetic…environmental factors play a role. There is not a single master gene that makes people gay. . . . I don't think we will ever be able to predict who will be gay."

Homosexual researcher Simon LeVay, who studied the hypothalamic differences between the brains of homosexual and heterosexual men noted: "It's important to stress what I didn't find. I did not prove that homosexuality is genetic, or find a genetic cause for being gay. I didn't show that gay men are born that way, the most common mistake people make in interpreting my work. Nor did I locate a gay center in the brain."

Homosexual researchers Bailey and Pillard conducted the famous "twins study" quoted by homosexual activist groups to promote the idea that being "gay" is genetic. The study found that among those twins studied, 52% of identical twins were both homosexual; only 22% of non-identical twins were both homosexual; and 9.2% of non-identical twins.

This was hailed by homosexual activists groups and by the media as supposedly proving that homosexuality is genetic. The study actually proved the opposite. As Byrd, et al, note: "This study actually provides support for environmental factors. If homosexuality were in the genetic code, all of the identical twins would have been homosexual."

In short, the three most famous studies in recent years that homosexual activists use to claim that homosexuality is genetic prove no such thing. In fact, two of the authors of these studies admit their research has not proven a genetic basis to homosexuality.

Catholic Psychiatrists Offer Insights

In June, 2002, Catholic psychiatrists with the Catholic Medical Association in Pewaukee, Wisconsin, sent a letter of concern to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and offered to help the Catholic Church deal with its scandals over priests with same-sex attractions. Many of these priests are not pedophiles in the clinical sense or the legal sense of the word. These are pederasts or homosexuals who are attracted to teenage boys or young adults.

The letter of concern notes: "There is no verifiable evidence that same-sex attraction is genetically determined. If same-sex attraction were genetically determined, identical twins would always have the same sexual attraction pattern. Numerous studies of twins have shown that this is not the case. And there are numerous studies documenting change of sexual attraction pattern (see 'Homosexuality and Hope,' available at www.cathmed.org). This entire statement is available on the Catholic Medical Association web site. This association is helping to debunk the notion that individuals are "born gay."

If Not Genes,
Then What Causes Homosexuality?

Regent University's Law Review for Spring, 2002, is entirely devoted to a discussion of various aspects of homosexuality, including the origins and causes of homosexual behaviors. The Law Review includes a study, " Homosexuality: Innate and Immutable?" by Dr. A. Dean Byrd and Stony Olsen.

After discussing the lack of evidence on the genetic origins of homosexuality, Dr. Byrd and his associate detail the various environmental factors that can lead a person into a homosexual lifestyle.

Gender Confusion: Dr. George Rekers, an expert on Gender Identity Disorders, is author of dozens of scholarly research papers on homosexuality and wrote Growing Up Straight: What Every Family Should Know About Homosexuality in 1982. He is also editor of Handbook of Child and Adolescent Sexual Problems, published in 1995. Dr. Rekers stated in 1995, that "Gender nonconformity in childhood may be the single common observable factor associated with homosexuality. Some of the typical childhood factors leading to homosexuality are: feeling of being different from other children; perception of father as being distant, uninvolved and unapproving; perception of mother being too close, too involved; diminished or distorted masculinity or femininity; premature introduction to sexuality; and gender confusion.

Failure To Internalize Maleness: Dr. Joseph Nicolosi, president of the National Association for Research and Therapy of Homosexuality has written: "Homosexuality is a developmental problem that is almost always the result of problems in family relationships, particularly between father and son. As a result of failure with father, the boy does not fully internalize male gender identity, and develops homosexuality. This is the most commonly seen clinical model."

Dr. George Rekers, writing in Growing Up Straight, observes: "Many studies of homosexual patients as well as of nonpatient homosexuals have established a classic pattern of background family relations. The most frequent family pattern reported from the male homosexuals includes a binding, intimate mother in combination with a hostile, detached father."

Sexual Abuse By Same-Sex Predator: In studies conducted by Diana Shrier and Robert Johnson in 1985 and 1988, males who had been sexually abused as children were almost seven times as likely as non-molested boys to become homosexuals.

Dr. Gregory Dickson recently completed a doctoral dissertation on the pattern of relationships between mothers and their male homosexual sons. His paper is entitled: "An Empirical Study of the Mother/Son Dyad in Relation to the Development of Adult Male Homosexuality: An Object Relations Perspective."

Dr. Dickson's study is reviewed on the NARTH web site. His study sheds new light on the relationship between early childhood sexual abuse and a child's later involvement in homosexual behaviors. According to Dickson, an alarming 49% of homosexuals surveyed had been molested compared to less than 2% of heterosexuals.

His study affirms previous findings of Dr. David Finkelhor (1984), which found that boys victimized by older men were four times more likely to be currently involved in homosexual behaviors than were non-victims. As Finkelhor observed: "It may be common for a boy who has been involved in an experience with an older man to label himself as homosexual (1) because he has had a homosexual experience and (2) because he was found to be sexually attractive by a man. Once he labels himself homosexual, the boy may begin to behave consistently with the role and gravitate toward homosexual activity." (Child Sexual Abuse: New Theory and Research, New York: The Free Press, 1984).

Dr. Dickson's study suggests that sexual abuse should be considered in evaluating the factors that contribute to the development of adult homosexual behaviors. Dickson writes: "An experience of sexual abuse could possibly contribute to the sexualizing of the unmet needs for male affection, attention, and connection."

Dr. Dickson continues: "Given the relational deficits [with his mother] experienced by the male child, it is also possible that the molestation, as devastating as it may have been emotionally, simultaneously may be experienced by some of the boys as their first form of adult male affection, as well as something relational that is not shared in common with his mother."

Counselor Dr. Robert Hicks, author of The Masculine Journey, has written: "…In counseling gay men for twenty years, I have not had one yet whom I would say had a normative childhood or normative adolescent development in the sexual arena. More often than not I have found stories of abusive, alcoholic, or absent (physically and emotionally) fathers: stories of incest or first experiences of sex forced upon them by older brothers, neighborhood men, or even friends. I sometimes find these men have had early exposure to pornography…."

Homosexuals Are Made, Not Born

In summary, the most credible research to date on homosexuality-and research conducted years ago-demonstrates that no one is "born gay." The homosexual is suffering from a developmental problem, which frequently starts out in childhood as gender confusion, family dysfunction, or molestation.

From a Christian perspective, homosexual behavior is also labeled a sin and a sexual perversion. It is a behavior that must be repented of. The sin is akin to allowing oneself to become addicted to pornography or to drugs. These behaviors can be overcome-but the person must want to change!

The Bible-both the Old and New Testaments-clearly condemn homosexuality as a sin and a sexual perversion. Dr. Robert Gagnon, assistant professor of New Testament at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary has written a definitive text on how God views homosexuality. In The Bible and Homosexual Practice: Texts and Hermeneutics, Gagnon proves beyond doubt that the Bible consistently condemns homosexual behavior but calls the homosexual-and other sinners-to repentance and salvation. Gagnon urges Christians to resist the homosexual agenda but to love the sinner by "befriending the homosexual while withholding approval of homosexual behavior."

There is hope for homosexuals through developing a relationship with Jesus Christ, through both religious and secular counseling programs, and through support groups that provide accountability for those struggling with same-sex attractions and self-destructive behaviors.

Organizations like Exodus International, Parents and Friends of Ex-Gays, NARTH, Reality Resources, and others can provide the resources that homosexuals need to be set free from these self-destructive sexual behaviors. Freedom is possible for those who wish to be free!

Exposed: Homosexual Child Molesters

2005-03-22T21:47:00.000-05:00

Homosexuals claim that “heterosexuals” molest most children but statistics show that homosexuals molest at far higher rates than do heterosexuals.

Rev. Paul Shanley, a retired Catholic priest was arrested on May 4, 2002 in San Diego on three counts of child rape. Shanley had a history of molesting boys that went back to 1967. He was at the founding meeting of the North American Man-Boy Love Association (NAMBLA) and while in San Diego operated a bed & breakfast for homosexuals in Palm Springs. Shanley has openly called for “man-boy” love.
David Carlton Nurmi, was arrested in Florida on April 26, 2002, for possession of child pornography and for molesting a 15-year-old boy.
Geoffrey Cornish, a well-respected Solana Beach, California therapist was sentenced to 23 years in prison in September, 2001 for sexually molesting boys who came to him for therapy. Cornish, who is HIV-positive, was also a coach for the Torrey Pines High School surf team. Cornish told police he had been molested himself by a Boy Scout leader for three years when he was living in England.
James Edward Sanders, a homosexual child molester, was arrested in New Mexico in December, 2001 for sexually abusing a 7-year-old boy. Police also discovered child pornography in Sanders’ home.
Christopher Reardon, a homosexual, former youth minister, and Boy Scout leader was sentenced to 40-50 years in prison in the Summer of 2001 for raping, molesting, and disseminating pornography to 29 boys under his care.

These are only a few of the homosexual child molestation cases to hit the news during 2001-02. Virtually every week, newspapers detail more cases involving homosexuals who have sexually assaulted children under their care.

New York Post Exposes High Rate Of Teacher/Student Molestations

In a story not widely publicized in the mainstream press, the New York Post published a story in its July 30, 2001 edition about the secret epidemic of homosexual child abuse cases that go unreported in New York City’s public schools.

The report, “Secret Shame Of Our Schools: Sexual Abuse Of Students Runs Rampant,” by Douglas Montero, is the result of an analysis of 117 cases of sexual abuse between January 1999 and June 2001. Sixty percent of those accused of sexual abuse were transferred to desk jobs inside the school district. Forty percent of those transferred suspects were repeat sex offenders.

The report noted that out of the 117 cases, 212 children were victims. In 45% of the cases, the sex offender attacked more than one student. In nearly 16% of the cases, school officials delayed or tried to cover up the sexual molestations. The average victim is a 15-year-old girl and 75% of the victims were girls. According to the report, “Nearly 20 percent of the offenders are homosexuals and in most of these cases, the attack led to a sexual relationship with the stu- dent.” The report also discovered that the Board of Education investigated another 347 substantiated sex abuse cases between January 2000 and July 20, 2001. Adding the 117 cases with the 327, it appears that at least one child is sexually abused each day by a school employee—and 20% of these molestations against children are done by homosexuals!

Homosexuals Molest Children At A Far Higher Rate Than Heterosexuals

Homosexuals account for only 1-2% of our population based on current surveys. The National Opinion Research Center in 1992 found that 2.8% of men and 1.4% of women identified themselves as “homosexual” or “bisexual. A 1995 survey of 18-49-year-old men published by the Journal of Sex Research indicated that 2.6% of them had engaged in homosexual sex within the prior 12 months; 4% had had homosexual sex within the past five years. In other words, at least 98-99% of our population is heterosexual in orientation.

Homosexual activists routinely claim that most child molesters are “heterosexual” males, thus shifting the focus away from their own very high rates of molestation. Since 98-99% of the population is heterosexual, it is technically correct to say that most molestations are done by heterosexuals. However, statistics indicate that homosexuals pose a far more serious threat to children than do heterosexuals.

For example: In 1987, Dr. Stephen Rubin of Whitman College conducted a ten-state study of sex abuse cases involving school teachers. He studied 199 cases. Of those, 122 male teachers had molested girls, while 14 female teachers had molested boys. He also discovered that 59 homosexual male teachers had molested boys and four female homosexual teachers had molested girls. In other words, 32 percent of those child molestation cases involved homosexuals. Nearly a third of these cases come from only 1-2% of the population.

Dr. Judith Reisman, in her book, Kinsey, Crimes & Consequences, describes the research done by Dr. Gene Abel. This researcher compared the molestation rates of self-confessed homosexual and heterosexual child molesters. In a sample of 153 homosexual molesters, they confessed to a total of 22,981 molestations. This is equivalent to 150 children per molester. Self-admitted heterosexual molesters admitted to 4,435 molestations. This comes to 19.8 victims per molester. Dr. Abel concluded that homosexuals “sexually molest young boys at an incidence that is occurring from five times greater than the molestation of girls.”

This high rate of molestations by homosexuals is consistent with other studies conducted during the past several decades. Here are just a few studies that show homosexuals molesting children at epidemic rates:

The Los Angeles Times conducted a survey in 1985 of 2,628 adults across the U.S. Of those, 27% of the women and 16% of the men had been sexually molested. Seven percent of the girls and 93% of the men had been molested by adults of the same sex. This means that 40% of child molestations were by homosexuals. (Los Angeles Times, August 25-6, 1985)

In 1984, a Vermont survey of 161 adolescents who were sex offenders found that 35 of them were homosexuals (22%). (Wasserman, J., “Adolescent Sex Offenders—Vermont, 1984” Journal American Medical Association, 1986; 255:181-2)

In 1991, of the 100 child molesters at the Massachusetts Treatment Center for Sexually Dangerous Persons, a third were heterosexual, a third were bisexual, and a third were homosexual. (Dr. Raymond Knight, “Differential Prevalence of Personality Disorders in Rapists and Child Molesters,” Eastern Psychological Association Conference, New York, April 12, 1991)

Drs. Freund and Heasman of the Clark Institute of Psychiatry in Toronto reviewed two studies on child molesters and calculated that 34% and 32% of the sex offenders were homosexual. In cases these doctors had handled, 36% of the molesters were homosexuals. (Freund, K. “Pedophilia and Heterosexuality vs. Homosexuality,” Journal of Sex & Marital Therapy, 1984; 10:193-200)

From these studies and many more, it is evident that homosexuals molest children at a far greater rate than do their heterosexual counterparts. While they comprise only 1-2% of the population, they are responsible for upwards of a third or more of all sexual molestations of children.

Exposing The Homosexual/Pedophile Link

Homosexuals seldom openly admit that they want to sexually assault children, but their literature and their actions tell another story. In the January 1-8, 2001 issue of The Weekly Standard, author Mary Eberstadt exposed the clear link between homosexual activism and the growing North-American Man- Boy Love Association (NAMBLA) movement. Writing in “’Pedophilia Chic’ Reconsidered: The taboo against sex with children continues to erode,” Eberstadt notes:

The reason why the public is being urged to reconsider boy pedophilia is that this ‘question,’ settled though it may be in the opinions and laws of the rest of the country, is demonstrably not yet settled within certain parts of the gay rights movement. The more that movement has entered the mainstream, the more this ‘question’ has bubbled forth from that previously distant realm in the public square.

Eberstadt notes that the book, Male Inter-Generational Intimacy: Historical, Socio-Psychological, and Legal Perspectives edited by pedophile Edward Brongersma is currently available in the “gay/lesbian” sections of bookstores like Borders. This book, which openly promotes pedophilia, was first published in the Journal of Homosexuality in 1990. The Journal is edited by John DeCecco, a psychologist at San Francisco State University. DeCecco is a board member of the Dutch pedophile journal, Paidika.

The homosexual magazine Guide published a pro-pedophile editorial in its July, 1995 issue. In referring to pedophiles as “prophets” of sexual freedom, the Guide editorialist wrote: “We must listen to our prophets. Instead of fearing being labeled pedophiles, we must proudly proclaim that sex is good, including children’s sexuality. . . . Surrounded by pious moralists with deadening anti-sexual rules, we must be shameless rulebreakers, demonstrating our allegiance to a higher concept of love. We must do it for the children’s sake.”

Parents are correct to be concerned about homosexuals sexually assaulting their children. The Boy Scouts of America, for example, is right to prohibit homosexuals from membership or leadership positions. It is evident from the statistical evidence and news reports of child molestation cases, that homosexuals pose a clear and present danger to children. Our laws and social policies should protect children, not cater to the whims and sexual desires of sexual predators. We must oppose homosexual activism “for the children’s sake!

Exposed: The Myth That "10% Are Homosexual

2005-03-22T21:44:00.000-05:00

While homosexuals claim they make up 10% of the population, the reality is closer to 1-2%.

Homosexual activist groups have finally admitted that their claim that 10% of the population is "gay" is false. This admission took place in a Friend of the Court brief filed with the U.S. Supreme Court on March 26, 2003 in the Lawrence v. Texas, known as the Texas sodomy case. In this case, homosexuals are trying to have the Texas law against sodomy declared unconstitutional by the Court.

In footnote 42 on page 16 of this legal brief, 31 homosexual and pro-homosexual groups admitted the following: "The most widely accepted study of sexual practices in the United States is the National Health and Social Life Survey (NHSLS). The NHSLS found that 2.8% of the male, and 1.4% of the female, population identify themselves as gay, lesbian, or bisexual. See Laumann, et al, The Social Organization of Sex: Sexual Practices in the United States (1994). This amounts to nearly 4 million openly gay men and 2 million women who identify as lesbian."

Despite this indirect admission that the 10% figure homosexuals have used for more than two decades is wrong, the writers of the brief still continue to lie about the real numbers. The claim that 4 million men and 2 million women are gay is based on multiplying the 2.8% and 1.4% figures by the total number of males and females in the U.S. It is unreasonable to count any of the 60 million Americans who are 14 or younger (including 40 million who are under nine years of age) as "openly gay men and women." Yet, that is what this brief claims. Even as homosexuals admit they're wrong about the 10% figure, they apparently still can't resist lying about their true numbers in our population.

Reputable journalists, legislators, and other opinion leaders must avoid using this bogus 10% statistic.

Those who continue to use this homosexual urban legend should be challenged to prove it with facts-not myths.

The NHSLS study found that only 0.9% of men and 0.4% of women reported having only same-sexual partners since age 18, a figure that would represent a total of only 1.4 million Americans as homosexual.

The truth is that homosexuals used the bogus 10% figure in order to inflate their numbers and their influence. The 10% Urban Legend has been effectively used by homosexuals to recruit children into the homosexual lifestyle and to lobby for legislation to provide special legal protections for homosexuals. Homosexual groups throughout the United States, however, continue to use this bogus 10% figure because it provides them with political power and legitimacy.

Debunking The Urban Legend

What do scientific surveys and studies show about how many homosexuals actually exist? As long ago as the early 1990s, statistics showed that the 10% was false.

USA Today, in its April 15, 1993 issue published the following statistics from a Planned Parenthood/Alan Guttmacher Institute study:

Only 2.3% of males ages 20 to 39 said they had experienced a same-sex relationship in the past decade. Only 1.1% said they were exclusively gay.
A 1989 U.S. survey indicated that no more than 6% of adults had any kind of same-sex experience. Less than 1% said they were exclusively gay.
A 1992 French study found that only 1.4% of men and 0.4% of women said they had any same-sex contact in the past five years.
In 1991, the National Opinion Research Center (NORC) provided data indicating that of the 6% who have ever experienced same-sex relations, the number of currently active homosexuals (at that time) was .06-0.7%. The source for this is: T.W. Smith, Planning Perspectives 23, May/June 1991).

The Wall Street Journal shed more light on the 10% urban legend in its March 31, 1993 issue:

A survey conducted by the Minnesota Adolescent Health Survey (1986-86) of public school students indicated that only 0.6% of boys and 0.2% of girls identified themselves "mostly or 100% homosexual"-which is less than one percent!
In Canada, a 1988 survey of first-year college students under 25 indicated that 98% were heterosexual; 1% bisexual; and 1% homosexual. (Source: King, et al. Canada, Youth and AIDS Study, Kingston, Ontario: Queen's University.)

Census Figures Show Few Homosexual Households

The 10% figure was drawn from Alfred Kinsey's deliberately dishonest research on human sexuality conducted in the late 1940s and early 1950s. Even Kinsey never declared that 10% of the population claimed to be exclusively homosexual.

The Census 2000 figures show that homosexuals exist in far fewer numbers in our population than homosexual activists would have us believe. Homosexuals used these census figures to claim that the number of same-sex households had experienced an explosive growth during the past ten years. This is untrue. According to Census 2000 figures, there are a total of 106,741,426 households in the U.S., only 00.42% of those are unmarried same-sex households. This is less than one percent. Yet activists claimed that these figures showed a surge in same-sex households since 1990. However, the Census Bureau issued a disclaimer saying that 1990 figures and 2000 figures could not be reconciled because of the different ways the questions were asked in 2000. TVC's report, Lies, Homosexuals, and Census Statistics provides more details about this. It is posted on the TVC web site.

Dr. Mark A. Yarhouse and Dr. Stanton L. Jones have dealt with the 10% urban legend in their book, Homosexuality: The Use of Scientific Research in the Church's Moral Debate. They note that the 10% figure originated in the flawed research work of Dr. Alfred Kinsey in the late 1940s and early 1950s. Kinsey's work has been criticized not only for his use of pedophiles to molest children, but his statements about the prevalence of homosexuality in our culture have also been misquoted and distorted. While homosexuals still claim that 10% of the population figure is homosexual, Kinsey never made that claim. According to Yarhouse and Jones, Kinsey actually reported a number of different statistics on prevalence rates. These rates include the following:

Ten percent of white males were "more or less" exclusively homosexual during at least a three-year period between the ages of 16 and 55.
Fifty percent of males had neither attraction to nor the experience of homosexual behavior.
Kinsey also reported that homosexuality among women was about half the rate of males.

The Kinsey statistics as a whole are suspect because he didn't use random samples and drew samples from prison populations and others who self-identified as homosexuals.

Gay Activist Admits The 10% Figure Is Bogus

Bruce Voeller, a gay activist has admitted in his book, Some Uses and Abuses of the Kinsey Scale that the 10% figure was a myth used to promote the homosexual agenda. According To Voeller: ...after years of our educating those who inform the public and make its laws, that concept that 10 percent of the population is gay has become generally accepted as "fact." ... As with so many pieces of knowledge and myth, repeated telling it made it so…

Go to Table of Contents

Exposed: Homosexual Myths Table of Contents

2005-03-22T21:39:00.000-05:00

Bush enters the fight to save Terri

2005-03-21T07:06:00.000-05:00

Early Monday Presidents Bush signed legistlation that would allow Terri Schiavo's parents to ask a federal judge to allow Terri to live. Bush said, "In cases like this one, where there are serious questions and substantial doubts, our society, our laws and our courts should have a presumption in favor of life".

US can shoot down N. Korean Missels Now

2005-03-16T21:55:00.000-05:00

Major Gen. Holly announced that the US can shoot down N. Korea missiles now. So that means if N. Korea attacked us with a missile our defense system can shoot it down. Coming from a redneck I have to say that sounds so redneck, I really like this dude! That’s like saying my gun can shoot that deer better than yours. But seriously, hopefully the system works and its not a complete waste of money, but just about any spending on weapons is money well spent.

Also I am looking for some people to join this blog and help submit content, if you are interested email me at a100wwe@yahoo.com .

XBOX 2 Revealed

2005-03-09T19:59:00.000-05:00

GameSpy’s Raymond M. Padilla revealed to the world these past two days the spexs (specifications) of the next version of Microsoft’s XBOX. These spexs to me were very exciting.

CPU - Xenon's CPU has three 3.0 GHz PowerPC cores. Each core is capable of two instructions per cycle and has an L1 cache with 32 KB for data and 32 KB for instructions. The three cores share 1 MB of L2 cache. Alpha 2 developer kits currently have two cores instead of three.

GPU - Xenon's GPU is a generation beyond the ATI X800. Its clock speed is 500 MHz and it supports Shader 3.0. Developers are currently working with an alpha 2 GPU. Beta GPU units are expected by May and the final GPU is slated for a summer release. The final GPU will be more powerful than anything on the market today; in game terms, it would handle a game like Half-Life 2 with ease.

System Memory - Xenon will have 256 MB of system RAM. Keep in mind that this number should not be equated to typical PC RAM. The Xbox has 64 MB of system RAM and is a very capable machine.

Optical Drive - As many have speculated, Xenon will not use Blu-Ray or HD-DVD. Games will come on dual-layer DVD-9 discs. While the media is the same as that of the current Xbox, the usable space on each disc is up to 7 GB. The drive is slated to run at 12X.

Memory Units - Xenon will use 64 MB to 1,024 MB memory cards. 8 MB is reserved for system use, leaving a 56 MB to 1,016 MB for user data.

Hard Drive - As many have speculated, Xenon's hard drive is optional. 2 GB of the drive will be used as game cache. The final drive size is still being determined.

Camera - Xenon will have a USB 2.0 camera. It's capable of 1.2 megapixel still shots and VGA video. Photos can be used in-game and for gamer profiles. The camera can also be used for video chat. It's unknown if the Xenon camera will allow for EyeToy-like gameplay. Developers are currently using a simulated camera driver.

Sound Chip - Xenon does not have an audio chip in the traditional sense. Decompression is handled by hardware, while the rest of the chores are handled by software. DirectSound3D has been dropped in favor of X3DAudio. The former was deemed too inflexible.

Source: GameSpy.com

They also note that all XBOX 2 games will be, at least partially, XBOX LIVE Enabled. I assume this means all games will be required to have Live Aware, a service that allows others to know what game you are currently playing. In addition to that they have also introduced something new to gaming called a Gamer Card.

The Gamer Card will be a universal profile that will link all settings and files to you and only you. Something comparable to this would be a profile under Windows that allows you to customize your operating system with custom settings. I think this is a very neat idea. To be able to have multiple user accounts on one system sounds very exciting. This now means that I can have one setting on a game (ex: inverted controls) while another person on the same XBOX can have there own settings without being able to effect mine. Besides settings it will also link Gamertags, system settings, Gamer Creds, game saves, and much more.

The Gamer Cred will be a points system that allows you to boast how good you are at gaming. Each game will give points and the more you play and the better you play the more points you get. You entire profile will be viewable over XBOX LIVE including Gamertag, Game Creds, Country, rankings, and more.

In addition to all this a universal download market place and messaging system will be created. Instead of game downloads and updates being done on a game by game basis like it is now, they will now have a market place where all downloads will be featured. GameSpy says this may be like Amazon.com and allow users to review downloads. Another addition is a universal messaging system. Now messages are also on a game-by-game basis. With the current XBOX you can only know if someone sends you a message over LIVE and from what game, but to check the message you must be in the same game as the sender. With the new universal system messages can be read in any game.

The XBOX 2 seems like a very exciting thing for the future of gaming. Now we just have to wait for the PS3 and Nintendo’s next system to see who wins round two of the Next-Gen Console wars.

Read the GameSpy Story:
Part 1
Part 2

John Kerry will be given Atomic Iran

2005-03-04T19:22:00.000-05:00

WorldNetDaily is reporting that Jerome Corsi, co-author of "Unfit for Command", will see his book on eBay pre-published to the highest bid. The winner will receive two books, one book for him and have to give another to Sen. John Kerry. Kerry's book has written in it "For Senator John F. Kerry Looking forward to our first debate in Mass. [Signed] Jerome R. Corsi. 3/3/05.".

As you may know Corsi plans on running for Mass. Senator in 2008. He hopes to run against and beat Sen. Kerry for the spot. Corsi claims a strong Kerry supporter, and maybe Kerry, have ties to the Iran government, and as the subtitle of the book says, "How the Terrorist Regime Bought the Bomb and American Politicians".

Great idea Corsi. If these ties are true Kerry needs to be brought down. Beat Kerry for the Senator position like you helped beat him in his Presidential bid.

One Nation Under the Men In Black?

2005-03-02T20:17:00.000-05:00

The United States was founded upon the principles of the Christian and Jewish faiths. I have read and heard many of the conspiracy and other outrageous theories on the true nature of the United States, but I must disagree with many of them. We were, and still are, a nation based on faith in God. Religion has played a key role in the development of our nation.

Many, if not all, of the forefathers were men of faithful convictions to God. You may say some of them were atheist or agnostic, but I again must disagree. Some say George Washington was not a religious man because of him supposedly being a Deist. I ask you if he was then why did he spend hours upon hours each morning in prayer with God before he started each day? The United States Capitol was even at one time used as a church. What do you think would happen now if someone used a capitol in our nation to hold church services?

Now in the US Supreme Court they are questioning whether or not the Ten Commandments should be allowed on government property. Our nation is based on the principles found in the Ten Commandments and Hammurabi’s Code. To remove the Ten Commandments would remove our history. What is next, rewriting the Constitution or history itself so that our founders seem like they were card-carrying members of the ACLU? We cannot allow unelected Judges to hijack this nation with their rule by few.

Related Story: High Court Debates Commandments Displays

Bin Laden Urges Zarqawi to Hit U.S.

2005-03-01T07:04:00.000-05:00

You can go on and on whether on not Osma had ties to Iraq, I believe he did to an extent, but now it is known they have ties. This can be a scary union.

Officials: Bin Laden Urges Zarqawi to Hit U.S.
Tuesday, March 01,
2005
WASHINGTON — Recent communications between Usama bin Laden (search) and Abu Musab
al-Zarqawi (search)
indicate that bin Laden has "encouraged Zarqawi and his group to focus on
attacks inside the United States," multiple U.S. officials told FOX News on
Monday.
The sources would not get into detail about how the communication was
made or how it was intercepted by the United States. They also said that there
is nothing specific in the message, such as maps or references to particular
cities or buildings. Rather, the communication simply encourages a "focus" on
attacks inside U.S. borders, sources said. Read More...

Is Microsoft-Linux Coming?

2005-02-26T13:32:00.000-05:00

I read this very interesting artice in PC Magazine and it made me think. Will Microsoft enter the X market? I have suspected this for a long time, ever since the MS VS LINUX wars began. It WOULD make since for Microsoft to want to enter the Linux market. A Winux, MS-Linux, or Lindows product from Microsoft could allow them to kill Linux like the article says. There are even rumors that Microsoft is developing a layered OS version of Windows that would allows multiple OS's to run withing Windows like they were Windows applications. I guess this would work by using an emulator that Windows would process and reconfigure to work inside of Windows. So what I want to know is another OS on the table for Microsoft. Could they enter the Linux, or even Mac, markets? I guess only time will tell from Microsoft.

Pope Silenced... His Life is in Question

2005-02-24T22:37:00.000-05:00

It is beign reported by the AP that the Pope is, for now, mute. The procedure in which he under went has removed his ability to speak for the time beign. It is said he is in good spirit, and hopes to return the his duties very soon.

My thoughts and prayers are with the Pope. While I am not Catholic, I do hold great respect for him and his position. With what seem the final days of his life we must now begin to think to the future. What will be the results of the selection of a new Pope, this is in some peoples eyes the most powerful position in the world. Hopefully he has many, good, years in front of him.

By VICTOR L. SIMPSON
VATICAN CITY (AP) - Pope John Paul II underwent a successful operation Thursday night to insert a tube in his throat to relieve his breathing problems, hours after he was rushed back to the hospital for the second time in a month with flu-like symptoms of fever and congestion, the Vatican said.
The pontiff was conscious in his hospital room after the tracheotomy, breathing with the help of a respirator, the Italian news agency ANSA reported.
A top aide to Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi who visited the pope Thursday said John Paul was "serene" after waking up from the anesthesia. The pope raised his hand and attempted to speak with doctors but was told not to try, Cabinet Undersecretary Gianni Letta told reporters at Gemelli Polyclinic Hospital in Rome. Read More...

Schiavo does not need to die

2005-02-24T06:36:00.000-05:00

I was on the blog BlogsforTerri.com and I found this very interesting video. Based on the video it seems to be that Shiavo is in a state in which pulling the tube would be "cruel and unusual". She is a living, breathing human being who deserves to live as long as she is mentally alert.

Questions on the Videos
There are some that doubt the Terri Schiavo videos, questioning when they were taken and that perhaps she has deterioated since then. The facts are these:
After her accident, she never fully recovered. She was diagnosed then as having PVS. That diagnosis was the basis of Michael's malpractice award. After that point was when the fight to take the feeding tube from Terri began.
If at any point during the time of her accident and now she displayed the activities that are depicted in the video then the diagnosis of PVS is false. PVS is a permanent condition, you cannot come out of it and come back in (see the NHS definition here). PVS is a permanent condition defined as having no awareness of their surroundings or make any voluntary movements. The videos show that she has been doing exactly that.
Terri has been without rehabilitative care or anything that goes along with it for 12 years. Many medical professionals are hopeful of her recovery and she should be given that opportunity to recover.
Source: blogsforterri.com

Connected Coast to Coast... what drug is MSNBC on?

2005-02-22T20:21:00.000-05:00

Well I just watch the new show on MSNBC for the first time all the way through, very challenging not to pick up the remote and change it, called "Connected Coast to Coast". When I first heard the name I thought, "Great! They gave Art Bell or George Noory a show on MSNBC!" simply to say I was wrong. This show is supposedly meant to connect the computer inclined to the cable news networks. Since MSNBC is a part of MSN and Microsoft a show like this makes since, but they have delivered it poorly.

Dr. Monica Crowley is not to bad on the show. She offers a somewhat conservative view, but stays within the realm of political correctness. She offers a good personality for the show, but Ron Reagan is a different story.

Ron Reagan is nothing like his father. He is stiff and seems like he is reading of a teleprompter the entire time. His views are offensive to me, but that's his option. For example he talked about a move in Washington state that would split it between the conservative and liberal sides of the state. He made conservatives out to be stupid, homophobic ( by dismissing all possibilities that anyone could have another view than him), bad cooking, rednecks that would have no way of running there own state. While I might agree with a separation of Washington being a stupid idea, his way of presenting it was not the best*.

All in all CC2C I think will fail when it is said in done with, just look at these ratings I found on mediabristo.com on how successful the show has been:

12 to 1pm: 0.1 / 61,000 P2+ viewers / 30,000 P25-54
Vs. Jan. 05 avg: 0.2 / 151,000 P2+ viewers / 61,000 P25-54
5 to 6pm: 0.1 / 129,000 P2+ viewers / 20,000 P25-54
Vs. Jan. 05 avg: 0.2 / 194,000 P2+ viewers / 55,000 P25-54

Notice the ratings are almost cut 50% since January. Hopefully Tucker Carlson's new show will do well, the last new show on MSNBC I liked was Joe Scarborough's show. So maybe there is hope for conservatives on MSNBC. (HINT TO MSNBC: Forget the ballerina and get some real journalist, not uninformed liberals who are only successful because of his name!)

*I'm all for him stating his mind, but he needs to be a little less sheltered and leave the liberal cloud that makes him think this way, so narrow minded.

Chief Justice Rehnquist to Step-down by June -NYT

2005-02-21T21:51:00.001-05:00

The New York Times is reporting that Chief Justice Rehnquist of the Supreme Court will resign by June, if not sooner. This now brings the question, who will replace Rehnquist? The recent tapes say that President Bush at one time wanted John Ashcroft to be on the Supreme Court, but with recent events this seems unlikely. Time will tell.

ASHINGTON, Feb. 21 - When the Supreme Court resumes its term on Tuesday, Chief
Justice William H. Rehnquist will again be absent from the bench because of his
illness. Although he is not bedridden and has been regularly attending the
justices' private conferences, his empty black leather chair will certainly set
off a new round of speculation and chatter about his tenure on the court Read More

Chief Justice Rehnquist to Step-down by June -NYT

2005-02-21T21:51:00.000-05:00

ASHINGTON, Feb. 21 - When the Supreme Court resumes its term on Tuesday, Chief
Justice William H. Rehnquist will again be absent from the bench because of his
illness. Although he is not bedridden and has been regularly attending the
justices' private conferences, his empty black leather chair will certainly set
off a new round of speculation and chatter about his tenure on the court Read More

Bush says Diplomacy with Iran is first choice , but says war is an option

2005-02-18T20:54:00.000-05:00

To be brief I believe the US is not getting involved with the EU and Iran talks so that this leaves an open door for the US to clean up the mess. Chances are the EU will not succeed and since the diplomatic ties will break it would now mean something else would have to happen. That something else, based on previous events, would be the US dealing with it. I believe we would have brief talks that would fail and ultimately lead up to an attack on Iran.

Bush declares solidarity with Europe on Iran Diplomacy is first choice, he says, but force cannot be ruled out
MSNBC News Services
Updated: 3:51 p.m. ET Feb. 18, 2005
BRUSSELS - President Bush said Friday that Iran is trying to use the United States’ refusal to join European talks over Tehran’s nuclear program as an excuse for not giving up uranium enrichment.
In interviews on the eve of a trip by the president to Europe, Bush stressed that the United States preferred diplomacy and did not want to use military action against Iran over the nuclear question.
“What they’re trying to do is kind of wiggle out. They’re trying to say, ‘Well, we won’t do anything because America is not involved.’ Well, America is involved. Read More...

Microsoft's BIG Annoucement; AntiSpyware, Internet Explorer 7, AntiVirus

2005-02-15T15:52:00.000-05:00

ANTISPYWARE/Internet Explorer 7/AntiVirus

Bill Gates today at the RSA Convention announced that Microsoft would release there AntiSpyware product, that is now in BETA, as a free product to Windows users. He hinted though that to use the product you would need to pass a test that would check to see if you had a legal copy of Windows.

He also announced that a public BETA of Internet Explorer 7 would be released in the summer of this year to users of Windows XP Service Pack 2. The product promises to focus on security and productivity, like tabbed browsing. Up until now it has been thought that Internet Explorer 7 would be an exclusive to Windows Longhorn, but this seems like they have changed that plan.

Another announcement was of the new Microsoft Update that will replace both Office and Windows Updates so that all Microsoft products could use a single update service, this is expected to enter BETA in March. In terms of AntiVirus products, Gates said once the recently announced deal to acquire Sybari is closed Microsoft will ship a new anti-virus scanning engine based on the acquired GeCAD technology as part of Sybari's Antigen solution. More to come...

Can A Penguin Be Gay?

2005-02-12T15:35:00.000-05:00

We're here, We're Queer, We're Penguins?

Update - The Zoo has come back with a reason for there actions: "We're simply trying to help save a threatened species, the Humboldt penguin is a bird whose homosexual tendencies are well known to zoologists."

I am at a loss for words! All I will say is I posted a series a while back on homosexuals on my old blog, and I think this will apply for that. I will definitely keep a check on this.

Berlin - A plan by a German zoo to test the sexual appetites of a group of suspected homosexual penguins has sparked outrage among gay and lesbian groups, who fear zookeepers might force them to turn straight."All sorts of gay and lesbian associations have been emailing and calling in to protest," said a spokesperson for the zoo in the north-western city of Bremerhaven on Friday.He said the zoo concluded the penguins might be gay after seeing male penguins trying to mate with other males and trying to hatch offspring out of stones.German media reported that female Swedish penguins would be brought to the zoo to test the theory, but when word got out about the plan, the phones started ringing."Nobody here is trying to break-up same sex pairs by force," the zoo's director Heike Kueck told public broadcaster NDR. "We don't know if the three male pairs are really gay or just got together because of a lack of females."

Could NY Go Red in 08'

2005-02-11T16:15:00.000-05:00

Is New York Republican Country?

Will Rudy and Hillary go head to head?
Updated: 2/11/2005 9:07 AM
By:
Jola Szubielski

They haven't made any official announcements as yet, but
there is wide speculation both former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani and
Senator Hillary Clinton will seek the White House in 2008.
Martin Reid of
the Rensselaer County Legislature said, "This is both the big shot for both of
them. They have to grab the brass ring."
A recent CNN Gallup poll has
Giuliani and Clinton as the front runners for their respective party
nominations.

Albany Common Council President Helen Desfosses said,
"Hillary is moving to the center, and who knows, the Republicans are in
considerable disarray for 2008. They really don't have an heir apparent to
Bush."
Reid and Desfosses said both Giuliani and Clinton have a good shot.
Each has the political experience and prestige to win, but each faces their own
hurdles.
Reid said, "Giuliani can run now, whereas Hillary has to get
through her re-election in 2006."

Desfosses said, "I think it's much
more likely that Hillary Clinton is going to end up the Democratic nominee
than...Giuliani is going to end up the Republican nominee. He's very liberal for
a Republican."

But still some in the Capital Region have already picked
their choice.
Mike Hartigan of Albany said, "I'd vote for Guiliani. I think
he did a great job in New York City, really turned the city around. Early in my
career I spent a lot of time in New York City, and it wasn't a place I'd like to
be. Today, I don't mind going down there. It's fun to be there. It's a
cleaned-up city. I think he can do that same kind of thing for the nation."

Mary Ferguson-DeWitt of Albany said, "I would vote for Hillary Clinton.
I'm a supporter of hers. I really like her policies. I like what she's done in
the Senate, and think she's for people."

But whatever the outcome,
people from the Capital Region said two candidates from New York could only
benefit the state.

From what I know, and I am not a New Yorker, Giuliani is more loved than Hillary by hardcore New York. He is not my first choice for a repbulican President, but he is acceptable. If I had my pick Pat Buchanan would be in office so that might tell you something. Giuliani is a progressive Republican with liberal views on many social issues. Like his lives with gay guys. I don't think he could easily win the support of right-wingers like Pat Robertson. What the future holds in 08' has yet to be seen, but mark my words Giuliani and Hillary whether they run or not will effect that election.

BREAKING NEWS: BUSH WARNS IRAN ABOUT NUKES

2005-02-09T18:54:00.000-05:00

BUSH SAYS DON'T DO IT IRAN!

Today President Bush made it clear that he would not allow Iran to develope nuclear weapons he said quote," The Iranians just need to know that the free world is working together to send a very clear message: Don't develop a nuclear weapon... And the reason we're sending that message is because Iran with a nuclear weapon would be a very destabilizing force in the world". We all know what happened the last time he told a country in the Middle East not to have a nuke...

Is it time for the Pope to Go?

2005-02-07T22:22:00.000-05:00

Read the Story

I respect the Pope, he is a great man of God. But his time has come to end the leadership of the Church. His health I believe is hindering his ability to lead the Church. If you believe some end-time theories we have one more "good" Pope before a Pope comes that is aligned with the Antichrist, I don't know about this though. It sounds like and interesting blog post though.

Interview with Bill Gates

2005-02-06T16:29:00.000-05:00

SPIEGEL Interview with Bill Gates: "The Bad Boys are also Terribly Clever" - International - SPIEGEL ONLINE

Spiegel Online has a great interview with the founder of Microsoft, Bill Gates. He hits on some very good points, and I recommend everyone to read it, techie or not.

The NEW MSN - Reviewed

2005-02-03T21:01:00.000-05:00

The New MSN Homepage
The new homepage has been rebuilt from the ground up, with a shabby vinyl sidling job. The layout of the new page is great, but the looks of the site seem so much like what I would have expected during the middle of the 90’s. With Microsoft products of late you expect shiny interfaces that work, with the new MSN you get an interface that looks like something Windows 3.1’s look and feel can put to shame. The old MSN is still accessable, and that is a great thing. Come on Microsoft this is as you coined it the “Digital Media Revolution” take advantage of broadband access. Sure the new page loads fast for dial-up, but what about those of us who can handle images and flashy graphics. You copied Yahoo! plain and simple, let Yahoo! have the plain, bland interface; you are Microsoft you are supposed to make products that look and feel great. Content wise I have to give it to you Microsoft unlike the old one your layout is great. There is no more of having to look for what you want the main topics are right there with no problem. On the whole page there are three advertisements. Two of them are at the top out of the way, and the third one is hidden in the content as a topic for Shopping

My Review: 6/10

+: Great layout and content, few ads
-: Very bland and may have problems keeping users interested.

The New MSN Search
Watch out Google, MSN is coming! The new search service is amazing! It uses new technology called natural language to allow you to “ask” the search engine questions. I could try and explain it, but Paul Thurrott couldn’t have said it any better so here is his explanation of it.

“Arguably, the most amazing feature in MSN Search is its ability to answer actual questions, thanks to integration with the voluminous Encarta back-end. Microsoft calls this feature "Encarta results," and you can access it directly by clicking the Encarta link above the search box. But you can also simply type in a question without directly accessing the Encarta link. The answers you get are surprisingly intelligent.
A simple example: As with Google, you can type a short math equation (e.g. 2+2) into MSN Search and get the answer (4) returned. However, MSN Search takes it much further and can solve algebraic equations. Type in a Google-buster like "2y^3 + 4y -10 = 9" and MSN Search will tell you that x=y=1.805787 (Figure). Type in "cos 45 degrees" and MSN Search will tell you that cos 45deg = 0.707107. "Now this is fun stuff," Grothaus told me, leading me through some of the amazing searches you can perform. Oh yes, it goes way further than simple equations.
How about some conversions? Type in "how many quarts are in a gallon?" and MSN Search will reply with 1 gallon = 4 quarts. How many centimeters in a foot? 30.48 of course.
OK, that's fun. But there's more. How about a direct question? Let's try: "Who shot John F. Kennedy?" MSN Search says that "Lee Harvey Oswald, a former United States Marine, was arrested for Kennedy's assassination but was shot and killed by Dallas nightclub owner Jack Ruby before he could stand trial. Later, a government investigation (the Warren Report) concluded that Oswald acted alone, and no one else was ever charged with taking part in the crime." It then provides a link for more information about JFK. Who won SuperBowl XXXVIII? The New England Patriots, of course.
You want definitions? Search for "define debacle." The result? "Chaotic failure." You can also ask about geographical data ("What is the mass of Jupiter?") and nutrition ("How many calories are there in spinach?") as well.
"It's a great tool for helping people get to answers quickly that they know are from a trusted source," Grothaus said. "We're going to continue to add more and more information into this. Right now, it's based on somewhat of a tablet set up for asking questions. But there are a couple of projects out of Microsoft Research that you may be familiar with--Ask MSR, for example--and a lot of those projects take a natural language approach. So if you look at asking a question like, 'who killed Abraham Lincoln?', you would basically go into the algorithmic engine, look at the entire index of Web source material, and it would sort out the words 'Abraham Lincoln,' 'killed,' and look for them in proximity to each other. You'll get results like Mary Todd Lincoln and John Wilkes Booth. It will then analyze how many times it sees these words are clustered together and come up with algorithmic predictions. John Wilkes Booth might be a 75 percent likelihood of being the answer, whereas Mary Todd Lincoln might be 23 percent, or whatever. We're not sure yet how it will end up as an end user experience. Maybe we'll show the proportionate weighting so people know there's a possibility of other answers. Those are things we're looking at to incorporate down the road."
So what about Google? Frankly, the search leader offers nothing like this. For certain types of queries ("Who shot Abraham Lincoln?"), you can sometimes get a rough approximation by clicking "I'm feeling lucky" but there's no real answering of questions occurring there, of course.” -WinSuperSite.com

The next great feature is SearchBuilder. This feature puts any search engines Advanced Search to shame. The customizable search options and possibilities are endless. It allows you to custom tailor any search to fit you. I love this little thing! There is not much it can do that the others can’t, but the way it is presented puts it on top. It puts a new menu on the web page to edit your search results instead of having to go to another page, this can save lots of time in the long run.

I can’t say anything about the results because the information is not available yet. The way it presents the results though I can. Google seems more polished and less messy than MSN’s results. When I see MSN the results look rushed and slapped together, but on Google the results seem to be like they were made to be there and not just put there to fill up space.

Overall MSN is a great new search engine, they have a long ladder to clime to beat Google, but I do think Google’s days are numbered. Whether or not MSN will overthrow Google only time will tell, but there are so many options out there and it seems Google’s lead gets smaller and smaller every month.

My Review: 8/10
+: Great tools like NewsBot, SearchBuilder, natural language, and others set it apart from the others
-: No test to see if it gives results better than Google, messy presentation in displaying results.

Transcript of the 2005 State of the Union

2005-02-03T18:41:00.000-05:00

The following is a transcript of President Bush's 2005 State of the Union as spoken before Congress on February 2, 2005.

Mr. Speaker, Vice President Cheney, Members of Congress, fellow citizens:
As a new Congress gathers, all of us in the elected branches of government share a great privilege: we have been placed in office by the votes of the people we serve. And tonight that is a privilege we share with newly elected leaders of Afghanistan, the Palestinian territories, Ukraine, and a free and sovereign Iraq.
Two weeks ago, I stood on the steps of this Capitol and renewed the commitment of our Nation to the guiding ideal of liberty for all. This evening I will set forth policies to advance that ideal at home and around the world.
Tonight, with a healthy, growing economy, with more Americans going back to work, with our Nation an active force for good in the world — the state of our union is confident and strong. Our generation has been blessed — by the expansion of opportunity, by advances in medicine, and by the security purchased by our parents' sacrifice. Now, as we see a little gray in the mirror — or a lot of gray — and we watch our children moving into adulthood, we ask the question: What will be the state of their union?
Members of Congress, the choices we make together will answer that question. Over the next several months, on issue after issue, let us do what Americans have always done, and build a better world for our children and grandchildren.
First, we must be good stewards of this economy, and renew the great institutions on which millions of our fellow citizens rely.
America's economy is the fastest growing of any major industrialized nation. In the past four years, we have provided tax relief to every person who pays income taxes, overcome a recession, opened up new markets abroad, prosecuted corporate criminals, raised homeownership to the highest level in history, and in the last year alone, the United States has added 2.3 million new jobs. When action was needed, the Congress delivered — and the Nation is grateful.
Now we must add to these achievements. By making our economy more flexible, more innovative, and more competitive, we will keep America the economic leader of the world.
America's prosperity requires restraining the spending appetite of the federal government. I welcome the bipartisan enthusiasm for spending discipline. So next week I will send you a budget that holds the growth of discretionary spending below inflation, makes tax relief permanent, and stays on track to cut the deficit in half by 2009. My budget substantially reduces or eliminates more than 150 government programs that are not getting results, or duplicate current efforts, or do not fulfill essential priorities. The principle here is clear: a taxpayer dollar must be spent wisely, or not at all.
To make our economy stronger and more dynamic, we must prepare a rising generation to fill the jobs of the 21st century. Under the No Child Left Behind Act, standards are higher, test scores are on the rise, and we are closing the achievement gap for minority students. Now we must demand better results from our high schools, so every high school diploma is a ticket to success. We will help an additional 200,000 workers to get training for a better career, by reforming our job training system and strengthening America's community colleges. And we will make it easier for Americans to afford a college education, by increasing the size of Pell Grants.
To make our economy stronger and more competitive, America must reward, not punish, the efforts and dreams of entrepreneurs. Small business is the path of advancement, especially for women and minorities, so we must free small businesses from needless regulation and protect honest job-creators from junk lawsuits. Justice is distorted, and our economy is held back, by irresponsible class actions and frivolous asbestos claims — and I urge Congress to pass legal reforms this year.
To make our economy stronger and more productive, we must make health care more affordable, and give families greater access to good coverage, and more control over their health decisions. I ask Congress to move forward on a comprehensive health care agenda — with tax credits to help low-income workers buy insurance, a community health center in every poor county, improved information technology to prevent medical errors and needless costs, association health plans for small businesses and their employees, expanded health savings accounts, and medical liability reform that will reduce health care costs, and make sure patients have the doctors and care they need.
To keep our economy growing, we also need reliable supplies of affordable, environmentally responsible energy. Nearly four years ago, I submitted a comprehensive energy strategy that encourages conservation, alternative sources, a modernized electricity grid, and more production here at home, including safe, clean nuclear energy. My Clear Skies legislation will cut power plant pollution and improve the health of our citizens. And my budget provides strong funding for leading-edge technology — from hydrogen-fueled cars, to clean coal, to renewable sources such as ethanol. Four years of debate is enough — I urge Congress to pass legislation that makes America more secure and less dependent on foreign energy.
All these proposals are essential to expand this economy and add new jobs — but they are just the beginning of our duty. To build the prosperity of future generations, we must update institutions that were created to meet the needs of an earlier time. Year after year, Americans are burdened by an archaic, incoherent federal tax code. I have appointed a bipartisan panel to examine the tax code from top to bottom. And when their recommendations are delivered, you and I will work together to give this Nation a tax code that is pro-growth, easy to understand, and fair to all.
America's immigration system is also outdated — unsuited to the needs of our economy and to the values of our country. We should not be content with laws that punish hardworking people who want only to provide for their families, and deny businesses willing workers, and invite chaos at our border. It is time for an immigration policy that permits temporary guest workers to fill jobs Americans will not take, that rejects amnesty, that tells us who is entering and leaving our country, and that closes the border to drug dealers and terrorists.
One of America's most important institutions — a symbol of the trust between generations — is also in need of wise and effective reform. Social Security was a great moral success of the 20th Century, and we must honor its great purposes in this new century. The system, however, on its current path, is headed toward bankruptcy. And so we must join together to strengthen and save Social Security.
Today, more than 45 million Americans receive Social Security benefits, and millions more are nearing retirement — and for them the system is strong and fiscally sound. I have a message for every American who is 55 or older: Do not let anyone mislead you. For you, the Social Security system will not change in any way.
For younger workers, the Social Security system has serious problems that will grow worse with time. Social Security was created decades ago, for a very different era. In those days people didn't live as long, benefits were much lower than they are today, and a half century ago, about 16 workers paid into the system for each person drawing benefits. Our society has changed in ways the founders of Social Security could not have foreseen. In today's world, people are living longer and therefore drawing benefits longer — and those benefits are scheduled to rise dramatically over the next few decades. And instead of 16 workers paying in for every beneficiary, right now it's only about three workers — and over the next few decades, that number will fall to just two workers per beneficiary. With each passing year, fewer workers are paying ever-higher benefits to an ever-larger number of retirees.
So here is the result: Thirteen years from now, in 2018, Social Security will be paying out more than it takes in. And every year afterward will bring a new shortfall, bigger than the year before. For example, in the year 2027, the government will somehow have to come up with an extra 200 billion dollars to keep the system afloat — and by 2033, the annual shortfall would be more than 300 billion dollars. By the year 2042, the entire system would be exhausted and bankrupt. If steps are not taken to avert that outcome, the only solutions would be drastically higher taxes, massive new borrowing, or sudden and severe cuts in Social Security benefits or other government programs.
I recognize that 2018 and 2042 may seem like a long way off. But those dates are not so distant, as any parent will tell you. If you have a 5-year-old, you're already concerned about how you'll pay for college tuition 13 years down the road. If you've got children in their 20s, as some of us do, the idea of Social Security collapsing before they retire does not seem like a small matter. And it should not be a small matter to the United States Congress.
You and I share a responsibility. We must pass reforms that solve the financial problems of Social Security once and for all.
Fixing Social Security permanently will require an open, candid review of the options. Some have suggested limiting benefits for wealthy retirees. Former Congressman Tim Penny has raised the possibility of indexing benefits to prices rather than wages. During the 1990s, my predecessor, President Clinton, spoke of increasing the retirement age. Former Senator John Breaux suggested discouraging early collection of Social Security benefits. The late Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan recommended changing the way benefits are calculated.
All these ideas are on the table. I know that none of these reforms would be easy. But we have to move ahead with courage and honesty, because our children's retirement security is more important than partisan politics. I will work with members of Congress to find the most effective combination of reforms. I will listen to anyone who has a good idea to offer. We must, however, be guided by some basic principles. We must make Social Security permanently sound, not leave that task for another day. We must not jeopardize our economic strength by increasing payroll taxes. We must ensure that lower income Americans get the help they need to have dignity and peace of mind in their retirement. We must guarantee that there is no change for those now retired or nearing retirement. And we must take care that any changes in the system are gradual, so younger workers have years to prepare and plan for their future.
As we fix Social Security, we also have the responsibility to make the system a better deal for younger workers.And the best way to reach that goal is through voluntary personal retirement accounts. Here is how the idea works. Right now, a set portion of the money you earn is taken out of your paycheck to pay for the Social Security benefits of today's retirees. If you are a younger worker, I believe you should be able to set aside part of that money in your own retirement account, so you can build a nest egg for your own future.
Here is why personal accounts are a better deal. Your money will grow, over time, at a greater rate than anything the current system can deliver — and your account will provide money for retirement over and above the check you will receive from Social Security. In addition, you'll be able to pass along the money that accumulates in your personal account, if you wish, to your children or grandchildren. And best of all, the money in the account is yours, and the government can never take it away.
The goal here is greater security in retirement, so we will set careful guidelines for personal accounts. We will make sure the money can only go into a conservative mix of bonds and stock funds. We will make sure that your earnings are not eaten up by hidden Wall Street fees. We will make sure there are good options to protect your investments from sudden market swings on the eve of your retirement. We will make sure a personal account can't be emptied out all at once, but rather paid out over time, as an addition to traditional Social Security benefits. And we will make sure this plan is fiscally responsible, by starting personal retirement accounts gradually, and raising the yearly limits on contributions over time, eventually permitting all workers to set aside four percentage points of their payroll taxes in their accounts.
Personal retirement accounts should be familiar to federal employees, because you already have something similar, called the Thrift Savings Plan, which lets workers deposit a portion of their paychecks into any of five different broadly based investment funds. It is time to extend the same security, and choice, and ownership to young Americans.
Our second great responsibility to our children and grandchildren is to honor and to pass along the values that sustain a free society. So many of my generation, after a long journey, have come home to family and faith, and are determined to bring up responsible, moral children. Government is not the source of these values, but government should never undermine them.
Because marriage is a sacred institution and the foundation of society, it should not be re-defined by activist judges. For the good of families, children, and society, I support a constitutional amendment to protect the institution of marriage.
Because a society is measured by how it treats the weak and vulnerable, we must strive to build a culture of life. Medical research can help us reach that goal, by developing treatments and cures that save lives and help people overcome disabilities — and I thank Congress for doubling the funding of the National Institutes of Health. To build a culture of life, we must also ensure that scientific advances always serve human dignity, not take advantage of some lives for the benefit of others. We should all be able to agree on some clear standards. I will work with Congress to ensure that human embryos are not created for experimentation or grown for body parts, and that human life is never bought and sold as a commodity. America will continue to lead the world in medical research that is ambitious, aggressive, and always ethical.
Because courts must always deliver impartial justice, judges have a duty to faithfully interpret the law, not legislate from the bench. As President, I have a constitutional responsibility to nominate men and women who understand the role of courts in our democracy, and are well qualified to serve on the bench — and I have done so. The Constitution also gives the Senate a responsibility: Every judicial nominee deserves an up-or-down vote.
Because one of the deepest values of our country is compassion, we must never turn away from any citizen who feels isolated from the opportunities of America. Our government will continue to support faith-based and community groups that bring hope to harsh places. Now we need to focus on giving young people, especially young men in our cities, better options than apathy, or gangs, or jail. Tonight I propose a three-year initiative to help organizations keep young people out of gangs, and show young men an ideal of manhood that respects women and rejects violence. Taking on gang life will be one part of a broader outreach to at-risk youth, which involves parents and pastors, coaches and community leaders, in programs ranging from literacy to sports. And I am proud that the leader of this nationwide effort will be our First Lady, Laura Bush.
Because HIV/AIDS brings suffering and fear into so many lives, I ask you to reauthorize the Ryan White Act to encourage prevention, and provide care and treatment to the victims of that disease. And as we update this important law, we must focus our efforts on fellow citizens with the highest rates of new cases, African-American men and women.
Because one of the main sources of our national unity is our belief in equal justice, we need to make sure Americans of all races and backgrounds have confidence in the system that provides justice. In America we must make doubly sure no person is held to account for a crime he or she did not commit — so we are dramatically expanding the use of DNA evidence to prevent wrongful conviction. Soon I will send to Congress a proposal to fund special training for defense counsel in capital cases, because people on trial for their lives must have competent lawyers by their side.
Our third responsibility to future generations is to leave them an America that is safe from danger, and protected by peace. We will pass along to our children all the freedoms we enjoy — and chief among them is freedom from fear.
In the three and a half years since September 11th, 2001, we have taken unprecedented actions to protect Americans. We have created a new department of government to defend our homeland, focused the FBI on preventing terrorism, begun to reform our intelligence agencies, broken up terror cells across the country, expanded research on defenses against biological and chemical attack, improved border security, and trained more than a half million first responders. Police and firefighters, air marshals, researchers, and so many others are working every day to make our homeland safer, and we thank them all.
Our Nation, working with allies and friends, has also confronted the enemy abroad, with measures that are determined, successful, and continuing. The Al Qaeda terror network that attacked our country still has leaders — but many of its top commanders have been removed. There are still governments that sponsor and harbor terrorists — but their number has declined. There are still regimes seeking weapons of mass destruction — but no longer without attention and without consequence. Our country is still the target of terrorists who want to kill many, and intimidate us all — and we will stay on the offensive against them, until the fight is won.
Pursuing our enemies is a vital commitment of the War on Terror — and I thank the Congress for providing our servicemen and women with the resources they have needed. During this time of war, we must continue to support our military and give them the tools for victory.
Other nations around the globe have stood with us.In Afghanistan, an international force is helping provide security. In Iraq, 28 countries have troops on the ground, the United Nations and the European Union provided technical assistance for elections, and NATO is leading a mission to help train Iraqi officers. We are cooperating with 60 governments in the Proliferation Security Initiative, to detect and stop the transit of dangerous materials. We are working closely with governments in Asia to convince North Korea to abandon its nuclear ambitions. Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and nine other countries have captured or detained Al Qaeda terrorists. In the next four years, my Administration will continue to build the coalitions that will defeat the dangers of our time.
In the long term, the peace we seek will only be achieved by eliminating the conditions that feed radicalism and ideologies of murder. If whole regions of the world remain in despair and grow in hatred, they will be the recruiting grounds for terror, and that terror will stalk America and other free nations for decades. The only force powerful enough to stop the rise of tyranny and terror, and replace hatred with hope, is the force of human freedom. Our enemies know this, and that is why the terrorist Zarqawi recently declared war on what he called the "evil principle" of democracy. And we have declared our own intention: America will stand with the allies of freedom to support democratic movements in the Middle East and beyond, with the ultimate goal of ending tyranny in our world.
The United States has no right, no desire, and no intention to impose our form of government on anyone else. That is one of the main differences between us and our enemies. They seek to impose and expand an empire of oppression, in which a tiny group of brutal, self-appointed rulers control every aspect of every life. Our aim is to build and preserve a community of free and independent nations, with governments that answer to their citizens, and reflect their own cultures. And because democracies respect their own people and their neighbors, the advance of freedom will lead to peace.
That advance has great momentum in our time — shown by women voting in Afghanistan, and Palestinians choosing a new direction, and the people of Ukraine asserting their democratic rights and electing a president. We are witnessing landmark events in the history of liberty. And in the coming years, we will add to that story.
The beginnings of reform and democracy in the Palestinian territories are showing the power of freedom to break old patterns of violence and failure. Tomorrow morning, Secretary of State Rice departs on a trip that will take her to Israel and the West Bank for meetings with Prime Minister Sharon and President Abbas. She will discuss with them how we and our friends can help the Palestinian people end terror and build the institutions of a peaceful, independent democratic state. To promote this democracy, I will ask Congress for 350 million dollars to support Palestinian political, economic, and security reforms. The goal of two democratic states, Israel and Palestine, living side by side in peace is within reach — and America will help them achieve that goal.
To promote peace and stability in the broader Middle East, the United States will work with our friends in the region to fight the common threat of terror, while we encourage a higher standard of freedom. Hopeful reform is already taking hold in an arc from Morocco to Jordan to Bahrain. The government of Saudi Arabia can demonstrate its leadership in the region by expanding the role of its people in determining their future. And the great and proud nation of Egypt, which showed the way toward peace in the Middle East, can now show the way toward democracy in the Middle East.
To promote peace in the broader Middle East, we must confront regimes that continue to harbor terrorists and pursue weapons of mass murder. Syria still allows its territory, and parts of Lebanon, to be used by terrorists who seek to destroy every chance of peace in the region. You have passed, and we are applying, the Syrian Accountability Act — and we expect the Syrian government to end all support for terror and open the door to freedom. Today, Iran remains the world's primary state sponsor of terror — pursuing nuclear weapons while depriving its people of the freedom they seek and deserve. We are working with European allies to make clear to the Iranian regime that it must give up its uranium enrichment program and any plutonium re-processing, and end its support for terror. And to the Iranian people, I say tonight: As you stand for your own liberty, America stands with you.
Our generational commitment to the advance of freedom, especially in the Middle East, is now being tested and honored in Iraq. That country is a vital front in the War on Terror, which is why the terrorists have chosen to make a stand there. Our men and women in uniform are fighting terrorists in Iraq, so we do not have to face them here at home. And the victory of freedom in Iraq will strengthen a new ally in the War on Terror, inspire democratic reformers from Damascus to Tehran, bring more hope and progress to a troubled region, and thereby lift a terrible threat from the lives of our children and grandchildren.
We will succeed because the Iraqi people value their own liberty — as they showed the world last Sunday. Across Iraq, often at great risk, millions of citizens went to the polls and elected 275 men and women to represent them in a new Transitional National Assembly. A young woman in Baghdad told of waking to the sound of mortar fire on election day, and wondering if it might be too dangerous to vote. She said, "hearing those explosions, it occurred to me — the insurgents are weak, they are afraid of democracy, they are losing. … So I got my husband, and I got my parents, and we all came out and voted together." Americans recognize that spirit of liberty, because we share it. In any nation, casting your vote is an act of civic responsibility; for millions of Iraqis, it was also an act of personal courage, and they have earned the respect of us all.
One of Iraq's leading democracy and human rights advocates is Safia Taleb al-Suhail. She says of her country, "we were occupied for 35 years by Saddam Hussein. That was the real occupation. … Thank you to the American people who paid the cost … but most of all to the soldiers." Eleven years ago, Safia's father was assassinated by Saddam's intelligence service. Three days ago in Baghdad, Safia was finally able to vote for the leaders of her country — and we are honored that she is with us tonight.
The terrorists and insurgents are violently opposed to democracy, and will continue to attack it. Yet the terrorists' most powerful myth is being destroyed. The whole world is seeing that the car bombers and assassins are not only fighting coalition forces, they are trying to destroy the hopes of Iraqis, expressed in free elections. And the whole world now knows that a small group of extremists will not overturn the will of the Iraqi people.
We will succeed in Iraq because Iraqis are determined to fight for their own freedom, and to write their own history. As Prime Minister Allawi said in his speech to Congress last September, "Ordinary Iraqis are anxious … to shoulder all the security burdens of our country as quickly as possible." This is the natural desire of an independent nation, and it also is the stated mission of our coalition in Iraq. The new political situation in Iraq opens a new phase of our work in that country. At the recommendation of our commanders on the ground, and in consultation with the Iraqi government, we will increasingly focus our efforts on helping prepare more capable Iraqi security forces — forces with skilled officers, and an effective command structure. As those forces become more self-reliant and take on greater security responsibilities, America and its coalition partners will increasingly be in a supporting role. In the end, Iraqis must be able to defend their own country — and we will help that proud, new nation secure its liberty.
Recently an Iraqi interpreter said to a reporter, "Tell America not to abandon us." He and all Iraqis can be certain: While our military strategy is adapting to circumstances, our commitment remains firm and unchanging. We are standing for the freedom of our Iraqi friends, and freedom in Iraq will make America safer for generations to come. We will not set an artificial timetable for leaving Iraq, because that would embolden the terrorists and make them believe they can wait us out. We are in Iraq to achieve a result: A country that is democratic, representative of all its people, at peace with its neighbors, and able to defend itself. And when that result is achieved, our men and women serving in Iraq will return home with the honor they have earned.
Right now, Americans in uniform are serving at posts across the world, often taking great risks on my orders. We have given them training and equipment; and they have given us an example of idealism and character that makes every American proud. The volunteers of our military are unrelenting in battle, unwavering in loyalty, unmatched in honor and decency, and every day they are making our nation more secure. Some of our servicemen and women have survived terrible injuries, and this grateful country will do everything we can to help them recover. And we have said farewell to some very good men and women, who died for our freedom, and whose memory this nation will honor forever.
One name we honor is Marine Corps Sergeant Byron Norwood of Pflugerville, Texas, who was killed during the assault on Fallujah. His mom, Janet, sent me a letter and told me how much Byron loved being a Marine, and how proud he was to be on the front line against terror. She wrote, "When Byron was home the last time, I said that I wanted to protect him like I had since he was born. He just hugged me and said: ‘You've done your job, mom. Now it's my turn to protect you.'" Ladies and gentlemen, with grateful hearts, we honor freedom's defenders, and our military families, represented here this evening by Sergeant Norwood's mom and dad, Janet and Bill Norwood.
In these four years, Americans have seen the unfolding of large events. We have known times of sorrow, and hours of uncertainty, and days of victory. In all this history, even when we have disagreed, we have seen threads of purpose that unite us. The attack on freedom in our world has reaffirmed our confidence in freedom's power to change the world. We are all part of a great venture: To extend the promise of freedom in our country, to renew the values that sustain our liberty, and to spread the peace that freedom brings.
As Franklin Roosevelt once reminded Americans, "each age is a dream that is dying, or one that is coming to birth." And we live in the country where the biggest dreams are born. The abolition of slavery was only a dream — until it was fulfilled. The liberation of Europe from fascism was only a dream — until it was achieved. The fall of imperial communism was only a dream — until, one day, it was accomplished. Our generation has dreams of its own, and we also go forward with confidence. The road of Providence is uneven and unpredictable — yet we know where it leads: It leads to freedom.
Thank you, and may God bless America.

IRAN, THE NEXT TARGET?

2005-02-02T21:57:00.000-05:00

"In the long term, the peace we seek will only be achieved by eliminating the conditions that feed radicalism and ideologies of murder. If whole regions of the world remain in despair and grow in hatred, they will be the recruiting grounds for terror, and that terror will stalk America and other free nations for decades. The only force powerful enough to stop the rise of tyranny and terror, and replace hatred with hope, is the force of human freedom....To promote peace in the broader Middle East, we must confront regimes that continue to harbor terrorists and pursue weapons of mass murder.... Today, Iran remains the world's primary state sponsor of terror -- pursuing nuclear weapons while depriving its people of the freedom they seek and deserve. We are working with European allies to make clear to the Iranian regime that it must give up its uranium enrichment program and any plutonium re-processing, and end its support for terror. And to the Iranian people, I say tonight: As you stand for your own liberty, America stands with you."

I have selected the words that may leave the door to an attack against Iran open, what do you think is Iran next?

2005 State of the Union

2005-02-02T20:18:00.000-05:00

C-SPAN:: Watch the State of the Union

President Bush will deliver his 2005 State of the Union Address before Congress and the world tonight. It is expected to focus on Social Security, Iraq, Democratic reform and the growth of freedom around the world, and other pressing issues facing America. Hopefully for the President there will be no “fuel rod” mistakes like in the past. The speech should last about 40 minutes and with applause last around fifty to sixty minutes. You can watch the speech live at 9:00PM on all the major networks or on the internet through C-SPAN, a link to the C-SPAN coverage is provided above.

::I Should have my own review of the speech up by tomorrow::

MTV, bad for your Health?

2005-02-02T18:17:00.000-05:00

PoliticsToday

I do not watch MTV and I never will. MTV is nothing but liberal propaganda trying to corrupt the minds of the youth. Its music and programing is full of sex, drugs, and violence and MTV needs a visit from the FCC. They have directly helped the distruction of the moral values in America, a product of the liberalization of America in the 60's. So needless to say, I think MTV is bad for your mental health.

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Conservative watchdog group Parents Television Council blasted MTV as "smut peddlers" Tuesday, accusing the music cable network of targeting young viewers with oversexed programming.

The PTC found fault with the teen-targeted network based on an examination of 171 hours of programming that aired the week of March 20 last year, during its annual "Spring Break" celebration. The analysis, contained in a report titled "MTV Smut Peddlers," spotted 13 sexual scenes per hour in MTV's reality series, as well as 32 instance of foul language per hour in its music videos. "There's no question that TV influences the attitudes and perceptions of young viewers, and MTV is deliberately marketing its raunch to millions of innocent children," PTC president L. Brent Bozell said. The report declared reality series "Making the Band 2" the channel's most offensive series, chronicling 208 instances of foul language in four total hours.

An MTV spokeswoman said, "It's just unfortunate that Mr. Bozell has yet again attempted to unfairly and unaccurately paint MTV with a brush of irresponsibility around sexual and violent content. The report underestimates young people's level of intellect and sophistication."
Reuters/Hollywood Reporter

It's Dean, "WHOOOO"!

2005-02-01T21:00:00.000-05:00

PoliticsToday

Martin Frost has left the race for the Democratic Chair leaving the front runner Howard Dean as the main person for the job. The way I look at it Dean is the right man for the job. He is a northern liberal out of touch with America, just like the Democratic Pary.

Google Browser, coming to a desktop near you?

2005-01-31T22:29:00.000-05:00

C:/technology...

Google Browser, coming to a desktop near you?

Google may be entering the browser market. They have recently picked up two former developers from Mozilla Project, and something else happened. That was Firefox 1.1 has been delayed for "unknown" reasons. So rumors on the web say that is because Google is working with them to brand the next version as the Google Browser. Would you switch to a Google branded browser? More to come as it comes in...

Medicare goes Sexy

2005-01-31T22:22:00.000-05:00

BREAKINGNEWS

Medicare's new prescription benefit will cover sexual performance drugs like Viagra... Developing... Source: DrudgeReport.com

Does Bush need a Statue in Iraq?

2005-01-31T08:29:00.000-05:00

THENEWIRAQ

Tell me what you think, I am still not sure what to think of this:

January 30, 2005 -- BAGHDAD — The man replacing the mayor of Baghdad — who was assassinated for his pro-American loyalties — says he is not worried about his ties to Washington.
In fact, he'd like to erect a monument to honor President Bush in the middle of the city.
"We will build a statue for Bush," said Ali Fadel, the former provincial council chairman. "He is the symbol of freedom."
Fadel's predecessor, Ali al-Haidari, was gunned down Jan. 4 when militants opened fire on his armor-covered BMW as it traveled with a three-car convoy.
Fadel said he received numerous threats on his life as the council chairman, and expects to get many more in his new post.
"My life is cheap," Fadel said. "Everything is cheap for my country."
As Iraq prepared for a volatile election that is being watched across the world, Fadel heaped praise on the United States.

Fadel acknowledged that many in his country appear ungrateful for America's foreign assistance. He said most Iraqis are still in "shock" over the changes, and need time to adjust.
Any public monument to Bush is likely to further incense terrorist forces, who have attacked American troops and their supporters for months.
Fadel said he is undaunted.
"We have a lot of work and we are especially grateful to the soldiers of the U.S.A. for freeing our country of tyranny," Fadel said.
As for his own protection, the new mayor will be traveling in a new $150,000 SUV complete with bulletproof windows and flat-resistant tires.

Microsoft's Tweak that gets UnTweaked then Tweaked Again!

2005-01-30T18:13:00.000-05:00

C:/technology...

Microsoft was told a few months ago that they had to release a version of Windows in the EU that had Media Player taken out of. So Microsoft agreed. The version was called Windows XP Reduced Media Edition. I kid you not! The EU was not amused and told Microsoft to change it. Insiders say Microsoft knew that that wouldn't fly, but they just wanted to get underneath the EU's skin. I have to ask you if you saw two versions of Windows XP one called Windows XP Home Edition and another called Windows XP Reduced Media Edition which would you choose? I think hands down you wouldn't want to buy a "Reduced" edition of anything. So far we do not know what the new version will be called, but I do know I think this is stupid all together. The Accessibly Options menu in Windows allows you to prevent access to certain programs. Why Microsoft couldn't have just had it turned off at install and the EU be happy seems odd. But the EU doesn't want it at all, even though you could easily just download it later on.

My Solution is release Windows XP EUxclusive but not under Microsoft's name. Have a third party release it. This would mean Microsoft would not have to support the product, so compatibility with other programs could be stripped and access to Windows Update denied. Show the EU that an American company can do what ever it wants, they need to show that the American powerhouse and 500 pound guerrilla Microsoft will not let the EU bully them around. American Superiority in Europe shall prevail through Microsoft.

Democracy Has Won, Iraq Votes for the First Time

2005-01-30T10:58:00.000-05:00

THENEWIRAQ

Democracy has won! The first election in over fifty years in Iraqi history has taken place today with an overwhelming turnout. Surprisingly most of the Arab press has covered this as a positive event that could be a turning point in the outcome of Iraq. Aljazera on the other hand has almost ignored the entire events, and focused more on the next vote in Iraq later this year. The American press is mixed coverage. I have been going between the major channels looking at how they are covering it, and it was not quite what I expected. MSNBC has focused mostly on the positives of the war and how the lockdown on the country has succeeded, Dan Rather also focused on the positives by highlighting the high turnout and also how successful the lockdown was, Peter Jennings took a much more negative approach by making the attacks seem much larger than they were and the turn out being disappointing (which they are in the triangle, but the turnout is high in the rest of the country which he failed to speak of), Fox News is the one I have watched the least of but seems to be the most balanced. I have seen on Fox them question the war itself and whether we even should be there, talking about the successful lockdown, talking about the attacks, saying this will mean the attacks will begin to stop, saying the attacks will step up, and other things that have been said that they then give the opposite side of. Fox News does seem to be for focused on the positives though.

The turn out of the election seems to be very promising. The Iraqi people have come in higher turnouts than any US election in history, as much as seventy-two percent or more. Some precincts are reporting an amazing ninety-five percent turnout! Within the triangle some polling places say that have lines with thousands upon thousands of people in line. Outside the polls the people are dancing and cheering in celebration of the wonderful events they have witnessed and participated in. Attacks have been sparse and mostly within the triangle. Only one US soldier was killed in the election, and one British C-130 down, and as I write the first reports are coming in so I may have some outdated information as far as I know it was an accident. Less than forty Iraqis have been killed in attacks, most of which were by suicide bombers. Before the election insurgents were warning the Iraqis that they had more than five hundred suicide bombers ready for an attack, and now it looks more like maybe a dozen or so.

When it is all said and done with today will be seen as a tremendous day in Iraq and the world’s history. Democracy has won, the Iraqi people are cheering and thankful, and most importantly the Iraqi people are officially free! They may have to walk thirteen miles to vote, US spy planes have tracked large groups of people doing this to get to the polls, but they want to vote in this historic election and shape there country and future. God Bless America, God Bless the Iraqi people, and God Bless Democracy.

Pee and Beer Save Lives

2005-01-28T19:36:00.000-05:00

???

In Slovakia a man was trapped in his car after an avalanche of snow covered it. He began to try and think of a way out so he got a beer that he had for a holiday he was taking, well he came up with the idea he would urinate in the snow until he was freed. He said quote, “I was scooping the snow from above me and packing it down below the window, and then I peed on it to melt it. It was hard and now my kidneys and liver hurt. But I'm glad the beer I took on holiday turned out to be useful and I managed to get out of there."
All I can say is… WOW! It took 60 beers to do it, I bet he is glad he bought that many!

Read the original news story

Bush pledges to bring troops home!

2005-01-28T06:55:00.000-05:00

THENEWIRAQ

Presidnet Bush said Thursday that if asked he would take the troops out of Iraq right now, because we are not occupiers. He added by saying, "I've, you know, heard the voices of the people that presumably will be in a position of responsibility after these elections, although you never know, but it seems like most of the leadership there understands that there will be a need for coalition troops at least until Iraqis are able to fight." This doesnt seem like much of a change though. Also during the interview Bush said quote, "children can receive love from gay couples, but studies have shown that the ideal is where a child is raised in a married family with a man and a woman" No flip-flopping from this guy.

So what do you think, has Bush changed his positions on Iraq; do you agree with his family statement? Don't forget to link to my blog.

Chicken Barbie Girl

2005-01-27T21:20:00.000-05:00

???

. This is one of the most funny things I have ever seen. It is a must see!

Watch the Video

Rice sworn in as Secretary of State, finally

2005-01-26T22:03:00.000-05:00

PoliticsToday

Finally, the Democrats blocked this confirmation long enough. Yes, she does have a questionable past when concerned with the Iraq war, but her shortfalls are acceptable. She is one of the best people fit for this job, and defiantly the best that even had a chance of gaining the position. Though if I had the choice it would be someone a little less neo-conservative. What ever, she is officially our new Secretary of State.

Rice sworn in as secretary of state 13 in Senate vote against nomination over Iraq
The Associated Press

Updated: 8:37 p.m. ET Jan. 26, 2005
WASHINGTON - Condoleezza Rice won confirmation as secretary of state Wednesday despite blistering criticism from Senate Democrats who accused her of misleading statements and said she must share the blame for mistakes and war deaths in Iraq.
The tally, though one-sided at 85-13, was still the largest “no” vote against any secretary of state nominee since 1825.
Rice was sworn-in seven hours later by White House Chief of Staff Andrew Card in his West Wing office. Her designated replacement as national security adviser, Stephen Hadley, held the Bible. Bush planned to attend a ceremonial swearing-in Friday at the State Department.
Separately, a Senate committee narrowly voted to send Alberto Gonzales’ attorney general nomination to the full Senate. Jim Nicholson and Michael Leavitt won confirmation as the new secretaries of veterans affairs and health and human services, respectively, as President Bush’s second-term Cabinet fills out.
Rice, Bush’s national security adviser for four years and perhaps his closest adviser on the war and terrorism issues that dominated his first term, becomes the first black woman to be America’s top diplomat. She succeeds Colin Powell, a former Army general who clashed privately with some of the strongest hawks in Bush’s inner circle.
Although Rice’s nomination was never in doubt, Democrats mounted a lengthy and biting protest that showed she will not immediately match Powell’s collegial relationship with Capitol Hill.
Democratic senators denounced Rice’s job performance and truthfulness. Most criticism focused on Rice’s role planning for war and explaining the threat posed by Saddam Hussein. Some accused her of avoiding accountability for the absence of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. Others said she seemed unwilling to acknowledge errors in planning or judgment.
“In the end, I could not excuse Dr. Rice’s repeated misstatements,” Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., said of his vote against Rice.
Durbin said Powell had been “a voice of moderation,” and he expressed “hope that the responsibility of leadership will inspire Condoleezza Rice to follow his example.”
The 11 other Democrats who voted against Rice included some of the Senate’s best-known names, such as Massachusetts Sens. Edward M. Kennedy and John Kerry, the unsuccessful candidate for president against Bush last year.
Independent Sen. James M. Jeffords of Vermont also voted no.
Thirty-two Democrats voted to confirm Rice, although several said they did so with reservations. Rice won support from all 53 Republicans who voted. Two Republican senators did not cast votes.
Through history, no nominee for secretary of state has been defeated in the Senate. Many have had little or no opposition and were confirmed without recorded votes. Only one, Henry Clay in 1825, received more recorded no votes than Rice, according to the Senate historian’s office. Clay was confirmed by a vote of 27-14.
More recently, Henry Kissinger was approved 78-7, Dean Acheson 83-6 and Alexander Haig 93-6.
As White House national security adviser, Rice was not directly answerable to Congress. That changes now that she is a member of Bush’s Cabinet who must testify before Congress and brief legislators in private. She will also have to ask Congress for the money to run the State Department.
“My own view is she is a forthright person,” Sen. Richard Lugar, R-Ind., said after the vote. Lugar chairs the Foreign Relations Committee that questioned Rice over two days of contentious confirmation hearings last week. He said that trust will come with time.
The Senate also:
By voice vote confirmed Nicholson to be secretary of veterans affairs and Leavitt to be secretary of health and human services.
Received the nomination of White House counsel Gonzales to replace John Ashcroft as attorney general. The Senate Judiciary Committee sent the nomination along on a 10-8 party line vote.
While all senators acknowledge that Gonzales will be confirmed, Democrats have said they will require several hours of debate before allowing a final vote. Democratic senators have accused Gonzales of helping formulate the policies that led to abuse of foreign prisoners.
The Senate is also expected to quickly confirm Samuel Bodman to be energy secretary, perhaps as soon as next week.
Rice spent part of the day Wednesday in her temporary office at the State Department, where she conducted strategy sessions on the upcoming Iraq elections and peace in Sudan. She also met briefly with Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom.
The State Department planned a welcome ceremony for Rice on Thursday and a swearing-in by Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg on Friday. Bush was to attend Friday’s ceremony.
The 50-year-old former Stanford academic and expert on Russia faces a formidable foreign policy agenda, topped by the ongoing U.S.-led war in Iraq. She has pledged to try to promote negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians.
Rice also inherits a fitful diplomatic effort to halt nuclear weapons development in North Korea and Iran. Bush has included those countries with Iraq in an “axis of evil.”
In addition to mending fences among Democrats on Capitol Hill, Rice will begin almost immediately to try to rebuild alliances in Europe and elsewhere that were damaged by international opposition to the Iraq invasion.
Bush’s first overseas trip of his second term will be a tour in Europe next month, and Rice is expected to accompany him. She is also expected to make a solo trip abroad sometime beforehand.

31 killed in the fight for Freedom

2005-01-26T16:43:00.000-05:00

THENEWIRAQ

Today we mourn the deaths of thirty marines and one sailor in a tragic helicopter crash in Iraq. As it stands now preliminary reports on the cause have all but ruled out an attack, but rather the fault of the pilot or due to a sandstorm in the area. I hope this is due to one of the latter and not an attack.

In times of war, be it against a distinct or unknown enemy, a person must make sacrifices in the name of that war. Both sides must make antagonist of one another to rally the support of their people. These men were doing their job of promoting peace and waging war on the insurgency. There final mission was to bring much needed supplies to polling places for the Iraqi Election that is just days away on January 30.

For the first time in these Iraqi’s lives they will have the chance to participate in a free, fair, and competitive election, one of the three qualities all successful democracies must have. There have been many estimates made by analyst on what the turn out will be, and many are low but just as many are very promising. I have seen figures where they think the turnout will be in the sixty five to eighty percent ranges. Now I ask how can this be in a country that is supposedly in such bad shape that just walking out of your home puts you at risk?

The country, by some of the latest figures I have seen, is ninety percent stable with the left over ten percent being the trouble spots. If you look at a map almost all of the attacks take place in the same areas. The medias of the world have set their focus on the negatives of the war and one triangle in the center of the country to sell their news. This completely lives up to the philosophy of “bad news sells” that is shared by most media outlets. When Fox News did the “What We Have Accomplished” short on their syndicated Fox News Sunday I thought that this was a positive turn in the reporting on the events happening in Iraq. But since this I have seen few highlights of the “good” things happening in Iraq.

Needless to say the elections will take place on January 30, they most certainly will have there own problems and may create new problems. Any problems resulting from the elections will eventually be phased out and the Iraqi’s will have a country of their own. Whether or not you agree with the war we are in it and we are in to deep to abandon it now. I firmly believe that one-day Iraq will be a great democracy proving that democracies can survive in the Middle East and that the United States’ power will prevail making the world a safer place to live.

Is Fox News a Nazi Group?

2005-01-26T10:25:00.000-05:00

Is Fox News's "bias" to Bush like the popularity that Hitler had when he gained power over Germany? Ted Turner thinks so! At the National Association for Television Programming Executives's opening session. He said Fox News may be on top but they are not the best and said also that Hitler got the most votes when he won right before WWII. And that the network is nothing more than a propaganda tool for Bush. He claims the news is dumbed down and twisted to go in Bush's favor. I don't think Fox News is as biased as they are made out to be. Sure Fox's on-air staff is mostly conservative and yes they do let there biased out, but I sure trust Fox more than I do CNN. CNN is nothing but a liberal propaganda tool. Get over it Ted, CNN has lost the battle for cable news supremacy. But thats my take...

Rappers, History, and Drugs; how the future of America is in Peril

2005-01-26T08:05:00.000-05:00

Social Changes in America

::The following is a post from the old blog created on Jan 25, 2005::

Well, today I am going to let you in on some personal information about me that pertains to my post. That is I am still in High School, it’s not been let out before simply for one reason. That reason is it never came up, but now I feel I need to bring up some very troubling and at the same time promising information about the future of America.
The youth of today, me included but not as bad as most, have no idea about there future, past, or present. The main concern of my peers are who they are dating, what some rapper thinks or says, what drug they are going to do after (or in school), or a host of other non-important issues.
In my history classes they have no idea about the basics of American government, challenges, or people that helped shape America. You may remember from my Martin Luther King Day post I stressed this same point. Well today it’s time again. But don’t worry Dr. King is not my focus for today.
The other day I had to debate a fellow student about something he heard in a Snoop Dog song about smoking pot with the President. Now we all know Snoop Doggy Dog is a great source for our political information, but this was scary. He also challenged me with other references to so songs and artist I have never heard of, but I knew the events were not true. He honestly believes because of what a rapper sung that Bill Clinton, George Bush (both), Al Gore, John Kerry, and several other past or potential Presidents are all part of a secret organization of weed smoking, power hungry aliens with the sole purpose of using Satanism to take over the world. This is a far stretch, even thought the weed and alien stuff could explain quite a bit.
To move on from stories from people who were probably high when they made it to the act of getting high. Drug use in my school is a serious problem. They have easy access to steroids, marijuana, cigarettes, ecstasy, and many other illegal substances I have never heard of. I will be honest to you, I have never done drugs and the closest thing to it is the laughing gas at the dentist office. The use of drugs at my high school could be considered at the epidemic levels. Few are untouched by there effects, and I am definitely in a slim minority. The attitude towards drugs, students and teachers alike, are minute and seen as a necessary evil. Those that do them are from the gothic to the cheerleaders. The drug enforcement officer is lax on his job, and would rather be doing other things than saving the life of child. The students do not understand the effects of the drug use; they find ways to justify the use. Some say it’s to feel good, others say it’s to improve their eyesight, and the list goes on. No matter what excuse you come up with they all fall to the human trait of wanting to twist events and actions around until they come out as the innocent one.
This post may seem all negative from what I have said so fare, but there is hope. There are those who don’t do drugs, there are those who know there Americana, there are those who can defy human temptations. All hope is not lost. I know of a handful of students who I can trust the future of America to. They will be they few that the masses ride along on the backs of, I hope that I can be one of these also.
If you look back at previous post of mine this seems out of character for me, well it is but I also represent a change in my blogging. I am now adding social issues to the blog. The issues will range from topics you just read to many other pressing social issues affecting America. I will also add some more user integration features into the blog to provide a more diverse web of topics. The main focus will no longer be politics; this new shift will allow many more things to be covered, and political and social issues will share the main focus. I hope you enjoy this new focus shift, and hopefully it will last for many posts to come.

Join this blog

2005-01-26T01:06:00.000-05:00

If you are interested one of the main reasons for switching to this new blog was to have multiple members to post to the blog. I would like anyone who wishes to join to please contact me through either email, a100wwe@yahoo.com , or by leaving a comment in the comments section with contact information like an AIM screen name or email address. I would like some mix like a liberal and conservative to be a members, and to not only report on news but also provide commentary on events.

the NEW a100wwe's blog, and where to find old post

2005-01-26T00:04:00.000-05:00

Welcome the new home of my blog, I was formerly on tBlog.com but due to some issues with the way they run things I have choosen to switch! I hope you can make this blog as great as it was on tBlog. If you want to review past blogs, prior to January 25, 2004, then you have to go to the blog on tBlog.

Visit the old blog

Pen or Pencil, what are you?

2005-01-24T21:28:00.000-05:00

Sunday at church my preacher had a very good sermon with some very excellent points. I would like to share and analogy he did with pencils and pens.

Pencils and Pens, what a person uses can sometimes tell you something about that person. First you have to ask yourself what is the difference between a pencil and a pen. The major difference is that with a pencil you can erase, but with a pen you are stuck with what you wrote.

A person who primarily uses a pen can be seen as a determined, unwavering, overly confident person. The person feels they make no mistakes and have no need to erase. When writing say a paper they can go start to finish without making mistakes, they can take notes without missing a thing, they can create anything with there pen and never mess up. If you do make a mistake it tarnishes your paper and you can scribble it out, but you still have leftovers of the mistake. Now we all know that the first part about perfection is not true to the extreme, but makes you think about the pen.

Moving on to a pencil. The pencil is for people unsure, can be seen as lacking self-confidence, and can easily be changed. When you use a pencil if you make a mistake you can easily fix it. You can erase and erase and most of your marks are gone. The pencil is no permanent and you are never stuck with what you wrote.

Now lets relater this to life. Pencil people can go through life and if they see things not going there way they can change it. Think about when you erase a part of a paper multiple times what happens? The piece begins to fade away and eventually wear a hole in you paper, or life. When you continually erase things from life you will begin to corrode at your life itself, this can be mental or physical.

Pen people on the other hand like I said can’t go back and fix their mistakes; they can only try and scribble it out. Scribbling it out only does one thing, makes a splotch in your life forever that is unchangeable. You can add, or you can blotch it out leaving a flaw in your “perfect” paper.

So what should we be the pencil or the paper? Well you could be the word processor, but that’s not an option. I say be the hybrid, we have all see those erasable pens with the eraser at the end. With these you can make permanent decisions, but at they same time go back and at least make the mistake less visible but always there. This allows you to have the best of both worlds. Be a pen, be a pencil, or be a hybrid, it’s your decision. If you’re the pencil don’t let temptations stray you down the wrong path, be confident. For then pen people, don’t let your pride over take you. Yes it’s true you can actually make a mistake, I kid you not, always keep in mind your not perfect. And for those hybrid people, pick the best traits of both worlds; be confident and unwavering, but at the same time accept your faults and sometimes you have to go back and fix things.

::Sorry if the entry seems a little confusing or poorly written. Like most of the time lately I have not had much time, so I had to get this typed up as soon as possible without really having time to think about the entry. Enjoy, try and piece my thoughts together and then ponder on it::

George W. Bush 2nd inaugural address (full text)

2005-01-20T21:29:00.000-05:00

Vice President Cheney, Mr. Chief Justice, President Carter, President Bush, President Clinton, members of the United States Congress, reverend clergy, distinguished guests, fellow citizens:

On this day, prescribed by law and marked by ceremony, we celebrate the durable wisdom of our Constitution, and recall the deep commitments that unite our country. I am grateful for the honor of this hour, mindful of the consequential times in which we live, and determined to fulfill the oath that I have sworn and you have witnessed.

At this second gathering, our duties are defined not by the words I use, but by the history we have seen together. For a half century, America defended our own freedom by standing watch on distant borders. After the shipwreck of communism came years of relative quiet, years of repose, years of sabbatical – and then there came a day of fire.

We have seen our vulnerability – and we have seen its deepest source. For as long as whole regions of the world simmer in resentment and tyranny – prone to ideologies that feed hatred and excuse murder – violence will gather, and multiply in destructive power, and cross the most defended borders, and raise a mortal threat. There is only one force of history that can break the reign of hatred and resentment, and expose the pretensions of tyrants, and reward the hopes of the decent and tolerant, and that is the force of human freedom.

We are led, by events and common sense, to one conclusion: The survival of liberty in our land increasingly depends on the success of liberty in other lands. The best hope for peace in our world is the expansion of freedom in all the world.

America’s vital interests and our deepest beliefs are now one. From the day of our Founding, we have proclaimed that every man and woman on this earth has rights, and dignity, and matchless value, because they bear the image of the Maker of Heaven and earth. Across the generations we have proclaimed the imperative of self-government, because no one is fit to be a master, and no one deserves to be a slave. Advancing these ideals is the mission that created our Nation. It is the honorable achievement of our fathers. Now it is the urgent requirement of our nation’s security, and the calling of our time.

So it is the policy of the United States to seek and support the growth of democratic movements and institutions in every nation and culture, with the ultimate goal of ending tyranny in our world.

This is not primarily the task of arms, though we will defend ourselves and our friends by force of arms when necessary. Freedom, by its nature, must be chosen, and defended by citizens, and sustained by the rule of law and the protection of minorities. And when the soul of a nation finally speaks, the institutions that arise may reflect customs and traditions very different from our own. America will not impose our own style of government on the unwilling. Our goal instead is to help others find their own voice, attain their own freedom, and make their own way.

The great objective of ending tyranny is the concentrated work of generations. The difficulty of the task is no excuse for avoiding it. America’s influence is not unlimited, but fortunately for the oppressed, America’s influence is considerable, and we will use it confidently in freedom’s cause.

My most solemn duty is to protect this nation and its people from further attacks and emerging threats. Some have unwisely chosen to test America’s resolve, and have found it firm.

We will persistently clarify the choice before every ruler and every nation: The moral choice between oppression, which is always wrong, and freedom, which is eternally right. America will not pretend that jailed dissidents prefer their chains, or that women welcome humiliation and servitude, or that any human being aspires to live at the mercy of bullies.

We will encourage reform in other governments by making clear that success in our relations will require the decent treatment of their own people. America’s belief in human dignity will guide our policies, yet rights must be more than the grudging concessions of dictators; they are secured by free dissent and the participation of the governed. In the long run, there is no justice without freedom, and there can be no human rights without human liberty.

Some, I know, have questioned the global appeal of liberty – though this time in history, four decades defined by the swiftest advance of freedom ever seen, is an odd time for doubt. Americans, of all people, should never be surprised by the power of our ideals. Eventually, the call of freedom comes to every mind and every soul. We do not accept the existence of permanent tyranny because we do not accept the possibility of permanent slavery. Liberty will come to those who love it.

Today, America speaks anew to the peoples of the world:

All who live in tyranny and hopelessness can know: the United States will not ignore your oppression, or excuse your oppressors. When you stand for your liberty, we will stand with you.

Democratic reformers facing repression, prison, or exile can know: America sees you for who you are: the future leaders of your free country.

The rulers of outlaw regimes can know that we still believe as Abraham Lincoln did: “Those who deny freedom to others deserve it not for themselves; and, under the rule of a just God, cannot long retain it.”

The leaders of governments with long habits of control need to know: To serve your people you must learn to trust them. Start on this journey of progress and justice, and America will walk at your side.

And all the allies of the United States can know: we honor your friendship, we rely on your counsel, and we depend on your help. Division among free nations is a primary goal of freedom’s enemies. The concerted effort of free nations to promote democracy is a prelude to our enemies’ defeat.

Today, I also speak anew to my fellow citizens:

From all of you, I have asked patience in the hard task of securing America, which you have granted in good measure. Our country has accepted obligations that are difficult to fulfill, and would be dishonorable to abandon. Yet because we have acted in the great liberating tradition of this nation, tens of millions have achieved their freedom. And as hope kindles hope, millions more will find it. By our efforts, we have lit a fire as well – a fire in the minds of men. It warms those who feel its power, it burns those who fight its progress, and one day this untamed fire of freedom will reach the darkest corners of our world.

A few Americans have accepted the hardest duties in this cause – in the quiet work of intelligence and diplomacy … the idealistic work of helping raise up free governments … the dangerous and necessary work of fighting our enemies. Some have shown their devotion to our country in deaths that honored their whole lives – and we will always honor their names and their sacrifice.

All Americans have witnessed this idealism, and some for the first time. I ask our youngest citizens to believe the evidence of your eyes. You have seen duty and allegiance in the determined faces of our soldiers. You have seen that life is fragile, and evil is real, and courage triumphs. Make the choice to serve in a cause larger than your wants, larger than yourself – and in your days you will add not just to the wealth of our country, but to its character.

America has need of idealism and courage, because we have essential work at home – the unfinished work of American freedom. In a world moving toward liberty, we are determined to show the meaning and promise of liberty.

In America’s ideal of freedom, citizens find the dignity and security of economic independence, instead of laboring on the edge of subsistence. This is the broader definition of liberty that motivated the Homestead Act, the Social Security Act, and the G.I. Bill of Rights. And now we will extend this vision by reforming great institutions to serve the needs of our time. To give every American a stake in the promise and future of our country, we will bring the highest standards to our schools, and build an ownership society. We will widen the ownership of homes and businesses, retirement savings and health insurance – preparing our people for the challenges of life in a free society. By making every citizen an agent of his or her own destiny, we will give our fellow Americans greater freedom from want and fear, and make our society more prosperous and just and equal.

In America’s ideal of freedom, the public interest depends on private character – on integrity, and tolerance toward others, and the rule of conscience in our own lives. Self-government relies, in the end, on the governing of the self. That edifice of character is built in families, supported by communities with standards, and sustained in our national life by the truths of Sinai, the Sermon on the Mount, the words of the Koran, and the varied faiths of our people. Americans move forward in every generation by reaffirming all that is good and true that came before – ideals of justice and conduct that are the same yesterday, today, and forever.

In America’s ideal of freedom, the exercise of rights is ennobled by service, and mercy, and a heart for the weak. Liberty for all does not mean independence from one another. Our nation relies on men and women who look after a neighbor and surround the lost with love. Americans, at our best, value the life we see in one another, and must always remember that even the unwanted have worth. And our country must abandon all the habits of racism, because we cannot carry the message of freedom and the baggage of bigotry at the same time.

From the perspective of a single day, including this day of dedication, the issues and questions before our country are many. From the viewpoint of centuries, the questions that come to us are narrowed and few. Did our generation advance the cause of freedom? And did our character bring credit to that cause?

These questions that judge us also unite us, because Americans of every party and background, Americans by choice and by birth, are bound to one another in the cause of freedom. We have known divisions, which must be healed to move forward in great purposes – and I will strive in good faith to heal them. Yet those divisions do not define America. We felt the unity and fellowship of our nation when freedom came under attack, and our response came like a single hand over a single heart. And we can feel that same unity and pride whenever America acts for good, and the victims of disaster are given hope, and the unjust encounter justice, and the captives are set free.

We go forward with complete confidence in the eventual triumph of freedom. Not because history runs on the wheels of inevitability; it is human choices that move events. Not because we consider ourselves a chosen nation; God moves and chooses as He wills. We have confidence because freedom is the permanent hope of mankind, the hunger in dark places, the longing of the soul. When our Founders declared a new order of the ages; when soldiers died in wave upon wave for a union based on liberty; when citizens marched in peaceful outrage under the banner “Freedom Now” – they were acting on an ancient hope that is meant to be fulfilled. History has an ebb and flow of justice, but history also has a visible direction, set by liberty and the Author of Liberty.

When the Declaration of Independence was first read in public and the Liberty Bell was sounded in celebration, a witness said, “It rang as if it meant something.” In our time it means something still. America, in this young century, proclaims liberty throughout all the world, and to all the inhabitants thereof. Renewed in our strength – tested, but not weary – we are ready for the greatest achievements in the history of freedom.

May God bless you, and may He watch over the United States of America.

::MY COMMENTS ON THE DAY AND THE SPEECH WILL COME SOON::

Inauguration: Fit for a King

2005-01-20T21:27:00.000-05:00

Today is the day that we inaugurate our President for the next four years. I have never hidden the fact I am a strong supporter of President Bush, and looking back at my post you can see that those post were biased during the election horserace. I would like to think that all my hard work in maintaining this blog during those many weeks and months at least shifted one vote to Bush. To be honest with you I would be happy if I only affected one vote for either candidate, just the fact they took there time to vote made all of it worth it. Today all the work of the people who helped Bush win the election will come to an end, the hard work will finally see its final pay off and a new chapter in American History will begin.

America through the ages has been unique its transfers of power. Throughout history the transfer of power in a government has been full of violence and anarchy. The United States to this date has yet to have either. People have the right to protest and the right to support, but the one thing that has been preserved is the peaceful transfer of the power of the Presidency.

The day of inauguration is one of the few days in a Presidency that the man who holds that position it treated like a king in a ceremony fit for the monarchy of large kingdoms. When I see the stage of the inauguration and watch re-runs of past inaugurations I cannot help but think of the great kingdoms of the past like the Roman Empire. I imagine that our process of inducting of the President must have been much like it was when greats like Alexander took power. The large crowds coming to show there support, the honoring of the man who takes power, and the overwhelming pride an American must have in our democracy. The inauguration is the day in which Americans should forget their differences from the election and begin show their support* for their leader, the leader of the free world, the leader of our nation. Lets face it, like it or not your stuck with him so make the best of it, set your differences aside for the day and once it’s over use your right to protest and try and make a difference in America.

When you watch the inauguration today I want one thing to be on your mind. I want you to imagine a Kings induction and compare it to our President’s induction. By no means am I trying to imply the spoof of “King George”, but I only am trying to convey my thoughts of inaugurations. Today is George Bush’s day, one of the few days in which he is allowed to be treated as a king, the day that marks the begging of his Presidency.

*Remember he is your leader and no matter what you have to support him, but you don’t have to agree with him. Keep in mind by support I mean support for the person, which is different than support for what he does. You have the right to change America and he is one of your tickets to that change. Support him in your prayers, your thoughts, and your hopes. He is your leader for the next four years and he will play a direct role in your future.

Rice Defends Her Integrity in Clash Over Iraq

2005-01-18T21:31:00.000-05:00

Rice Defends Her Integrity in Clash Over Iraq

By Arshad Mohammed and Saul Hudson

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Secretary of State-designate Condoleezza Rice on Tuesday defended her integrity and honesty as she clashed with senators about Iraq and vowed to press diplomacy to repair ties strained by the war.

Testifying at her U.S. Senate confirmation hearing, Rice was questioned about the number of U.S. troops sent to Iraq, the adequacy of Iraqi forces being trained to replace them and the failure to find weapons of mass destruction that were the Bush administration's central justification for the war.

Rice, whose confirmation as the first black woman secretary of state is all but assured in the Republican-led Senate, said she believed the White House sent enough U.S. troops to Iraq despite the raging insurgency that erupted after the invasion.

In a heated exchange in an otherwise generally cordial hearing, California Democrat Sen. Barbara Boxer argued the Bush administration had shifted its justification for the war because it had failed to find stocks of biological and chemical weapons it had asserted were there.

"You sent them in there because of weapons of mass destruction. Later the mission changed when there were none," Boxer told Rice. "Let's not rewrite history, it's too soon to do that."

"It wasn't just weapons of mass destruction," Rice told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, saying former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein supported terrorism, attacked Kuwait and Israel and needed to be removed given the new U.S. threat perception after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on New York and Washington.

"We can have this discussion in any way that you would like, but I really hope that you will refrain from impugning my integrity," Rice told Boxer. "I really hope that you will not imply that I take the truth lightly."

The exchange was the most pointed in a hearing that included disagreements between Rice and Democrats on the numbers of trained Iraqi troops -- the linchpin of the U.S. exit strategy -- and the numbers of U.S. troops sent to stabilize Iraq.

Rice said she believed there were more than 120,000 trained Iraqi forces -- acknowledging problems of absenteeism and desertion -- but drew a quick rebuke from Sen. Joe Biden of Delaware, who said he thought the number was closer to 4,000.

The discrepancy might be explained by a Jan. 12 State Department report that shows 126,961 Iraqi forces -- including 53,520 police and 40,063 national guard -- as trained but only 4,159 regular Army.

If confirmed, Rice will take on many of the huge challenges facing the Bush administration: the raging insurgency in Iraq, the rift with U.S. allies in Europe, concerns about another attack like Sept. 11, 2001, and U.S. unpopularity abroad.

Rice said she would seek to rebuild U.S. alliances and to spread freedom around the world -- stances met with skepticism by critics who regard the Bush administration's foreign policy as marked by go-it-alone, America first tendencies.

"We must use American diplomacy to help create a balance of power in the world that favors freedom," Rice told the committee. "And the time for diplomacy is now."

Biden shot back: "Despite our great military might we are in my view more alone in the world than we've been in any time in recent memory. The time for diplomacy, in my view, is long overdue."

"We went in to rescue Iraq from Saddam Hussein, now I think we have to rescue our policy from ourselves," added Sen. John Kerry, the Massachusetts Democrat who failed to unseat Bush. "I don't take any joy in this but it's ... the reality we've got to deal with. We've got kids dying over there."

Rice declined to predict when U.S. soldiers may come home from Iraq and said the U.S. exit strategy was tied to training Iraqi forces to replace the roughly 150,000 U.S. soldiers still in the country 21 months after Saddam was toppled.

"Our role is directly proportional, I think, to how capable the Iraqis are," she said.

Rice was national security adviser during Bush's tumultuous first term, which was marked by the Sept. 11 hijacked airliner attacks, the resulting U.S.-led wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, and arguably, the worst rift with Europe since World War II.

A Soviet specialist, Rice said preserving Russia's democracy was vital to U.S.-Russian relations amid worries the Kremlin is turning increasingly authoritarian, and she promised to work "personally" to promote Israeli-Palestinian peace.

Bush has chosen the 50-year-old former Stanford provost to replace Colin Powell, widely admired and often seen as the Cabinet's lonesome dove stressing diplomacy to solve crises.

My thoughts on Martin Luther King Day (may offend some)

2005-01-17T21:32:00.000-05:00

Today we celebrate Martin Luther King Day here in the United States. The federal holiday is to celebrate the birth and life of a god, sorry I mean Martin Luther King. I said “god” because the man, yes man, has been put upon a pedestal greater than many other important figures in American history. Now don’t get me wrong Dr. King was a great man, and what he did was just as great but the people that made his life what it is are ignored.

When you ask the average American citizen whom John Locke is chances are they won’t know the answer, but ask them who King is and they can give you an answer quickly. Why does King have a day when the founders of this nation have none? Why does King have a day when George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, John Locke, Abraham Lincoln, Benjamin Franklin, and countless others that without them King would have never existed not have a day? The simple answer is political correctness and liberal elites have hijacked this nation.

George Washington and Abraham Lincoln once had there own days to there own where we paid respects to there lives, but now they are thrown into a watered down and almost unimportant holiday called Presidents Day. We get the day off and here some speeches, but in some respects King Day is more important to some people.

Now to John Locke, I personally think August 29 should also be a National Holiday to honor the man who planted the seed of America. In case you don’t know who he is let me briefly tell you. Have you heard the phrase “life, liberty, and the pursuit of property”? Locke believed that people could be in a contract with one another for a particular kind of government, and that they could modify or even abolish the government. The founders of our nation used Locke’s theorys on life and government to write the Decleration of Independence and provide the foundations of American government. The phrase “life, liberty, and the pursuit of property” was also used by Thomas Jefferson to come up with his world renound and imfamous “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness”. He felt Locke’s vision was to exclusive to land owners, so Jefferson wanted to be more inclusive by saying all people have the right to be happy.

To close I ask you why is King seen as a more important figure in America than the very people who created America. When will we begin to respect those who founded America like Jefferson, Locke, and Franklin and stop practicing political correctness to keep the minority happy. I challenge you this MLK Day to not only pay respects to King, which to an extent you should, but also all year long and today pay respects to our founders and other important figures in the story of America.

Blog Alerts and Notification Services

2005-01-04T00:27:00.000-05:00

a100wwe’s blog provides several ways of notifying and providing alerts to its readers on updates and new posts here on the blog. Through Alerter we have the ability to deliver content directly to your email, mobile phone, or IM client. The service uses Microsoft’s MSN Alerts service which requires a .NET Passport, free from Microsoft and can be used on many other websites across the web. Along side of the Alerter service we also syndicate the site in various formats also allowing the content of the site to be delivered directly to you for your conveyance.

The following is a list of a100wwe’s blog notification and syndication services:

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The Christmas Story

2004-12-24T21:33:00.000-05:00

Keep the Story and the name alive! Merry Christmas!

The Christmas Story

As told by Matthew

This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.

But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins."

All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: "The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel"--which means, "God with us."

When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. But he had no union with her until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.

After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, "Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him."

When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. When he had called together all the people's chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Christ was to be born. "In Bethlehem in Judea," they replied, "for this is what the prophet has written: "'But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will be the shepherd of my people Israel.'" Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. He sent them to Bethlehem and said, "Go and make a careful search for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him."

After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were overjoyed.

On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.

When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. "Get up," he said, "take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him."

So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt, where he stayed until the death of Herod. And so was fulfilled what the Lord had said through the prophet: "Out of Egypt I called my son."

When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi. Then what was said through the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled: "A voice is heard in Ramah, weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted, because they are no more."

After Herod died, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt and said, "Get up, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who were trying to take the child's life are dead."

So he got up, took the child and his mother and went to the land of Israel. But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning in Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. Having been warned in a dream, he withdrew to the district of Galilee, and he went and lived in a town called Nazareth. So was fulfilled what was said through the prophets: "He will be called a Nazarene."

--Matthew 1:18 - 2:23 New International Version

Source: http://holydays.tripod.com/christmas.htm

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Virus protection added to Gmail

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XBOX 360 Launch Titles

XBOX 360 Software Compatibility List

Microsoft Live

Microsoft, Yahoo to Link up IM Networks

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William Rehnquist dies

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Xbox 360's Core Dud

The Countdown Begins: Xbox 360 Launch Details!

The Countdown Begins: Xbox 360 Launch Details!

Why Macs Suck, the Video

Odd Keywords

Peter Jennings Dies

Microsoft don't bully the web!

Bush: Teach Intelligent Design (Creation)

Is Microsoft the future of open-source?

Windows Vista Beta1 Released

Man killed in London 'unconnected' to blasts

It's official, Windows Vista

Windows gets a name, Windows Vista

BrainDump: Return to Flight - Two Years Later

WeeklyRoundUp for July 8th

Declaration of Independence

I'm Back, and hopefully better than ever

US Supreme Court: Ten Commandments displays at courts illegal

USA plans to produce Plutonium for first time since Cold War

AP/Ipsos Poll: Most Oppose Return To Draft, Wouldn't Encourage Children To Enlist

Michael Jackson Verdict: Not Guilty

MSN Toolbar adds Tabbed Browsing to IE6

It's official: Apple switches to Intel, leaves IBM behind

France Rejects EU Constitution

Tech Support

Deal averts filibuster showdown

Newsweek retracts Quran story

Zacarias Moussaoui pleads guilty in 9/11 Attacks

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Pope's Last Will and Testament (Full-Text)

Pope John Paul II, 1920-2005

Exposed: Do Homosexuals Really Want The Right To Marry?

In their own words: Homosexual activists reveal their real agenda.

WHAT ARE THEY SAYING? ...

Exposed: Sexual Orientation- Fixed Or Changeable?

For decades, homosexual activists have claimed that their same-sex attractions are inborn, genetic, and unchangeable. Now, transgender activists and their homosexual allies are beginning to claim that sexual orientation is fluid. So, which is it?

“Sexual orientation is one component of a person’s identity, which is made up of many other components…” NEA/ APA Booklet

“No one is born gay. The idea is ridiculous. . . Homosexuality is an adaptation, not an inborn trait.” — Camille Paglia

Here Comes TheSexual Continuum Concept

Do Changing Sexual Behaviors Deserve Legal Protections?

Which Sexual Orientation Will Next Achieve Protected Status?

Exposed: 30% Of Teen Suicide Victims Are Homosexuals... NOT!!

Homosexual Urban Legend: 30% Of Teen Suicide Victims Are Homosexuals

Inaccurate Report Still Used To Promote Homosexual Agenda

Exposed: Epidemic of Homosexual Hate Crimes?

The latest hate crime statistics available are from 1999

Hate Crime Laws Criminalize Thoughts and Feelings

Exposed: The “Born Gay” Legend

Catholic Psychiatrists Offer Insights

If Not Genes,Then What Causes Homosexuality?

Homosexuals Are Made, Not Born

Exposed: Homosexual Child Molesters

New York Post Exposes High Rate Of Teacher/Student Molestations

Homosexuals Molest Children At A Far Higher Rate Than Heterosexuals

Exposing The Homosexual/Pedophile Link

Exposed: The Myth That "10% Are Homosexual

While homosexuals claim they make up 10% of the population, the reality is closer to 1-2%.

Reputable journalists, legislators, and other opinion leaders must avoid using this bogus 10% statistic.

Those who continue to use this homosexual urban legend should be challenged to prove it with facts-not myths.

Debunking The Urban Legend

Census Figures Show Few Homosexual Households

The 10% figure was drawn from Alfred Kinsey's deliberately dishonest research on human sexuality conducted in the late 1940s and early 1950s. Even Kinsey never declared that 10% of the population claimed to be exclusively homosexual.

Gay Activist Admits The 10% Figure Is Bogus

Exposed: Homosexual Myths Table of Contents

Bush enters the fight to save Terri

US can shoot down N. Korean Missels Now

XBOX 2 Revealed

John Kerry will be given Atomic Iran

Here Comes The
Sexual Continuum Concept

If Not Genes,
Then What Causes Homosexuality?