Greetings, Quotaholics:

I usually try to comment on the news and keep my opinions to myself. However, we've been discussing alternative fuels lately and this has brought out my frustration with the current energy situation and the way it's being handled. So today my article will be a little more opinionated than usual.

As we're all aware, the price of gasoline has skyrocketed over the last few years. There are many excuses offered for this. One is that the war in Iraq has interrupted the supply of oil. Since the U.S. hasn't bought oil from Iraq for years, I don't see how this could be the problem.

The first time I remember that we were told the world was running out of oil was in the 1970's. Back then the oil companies had to play their scam a little better and they clamped down on the supply. It was not uncommon to see signs out front of the service stations stating that they were out of gas. Has anyone seen any such signs this time around? As a matter of fact, from what I read the oil reserves are way up and the refineries are not running at 100%.

Back then the price of gasoline was about 50 cents a gallon. After it doubled to about $1.00 a gallon all of a sudden there was plenty of gas again. Now the nationwide average for unleaded is over $3.00 and still going.

Another response I hear about the current prices is the comment "Do you know how much tax you pay on gas?". My answer is "Yes, the same amount I was paying when gas costs $1.00 a gallon". The fact is the taxes are per gallon, not per dollar spent. With demand for gas higher than ever, the tax revenue should be higher than ever.

According to an article in The Wall Street Journal however, "The Federal Highway Administration estimates that by 2009 the tax receipts that make up most of the federal highway trust fund will be $21 billion shy of what's needed just to maintain existing roads, much less build new roads or add capacity."

The article went on to say, "Trying to compensate for highway-budget shortfalls, a handful of states are exploring other, potentially more lucrative ways to raise highway money."

It seems that the states are considering charging you for the miles traveled instead of the number of gallons you buy. Now I know that I am simple minded, but I would think the easiest way to do that would be record your milage each time you purchase your auto registration and charge you for the miles driven. But government doesn't work that way. As Bruce has written before, the states are installing GPS units and electronic odometers in test vehicles. Now why they need GPS I'm not sure unless they want to be able to see where you go and how fast, not just how far you go!

So, to help us out, the government endorses the use of bio-fuels to cut the amount of gasoline used. To accomplish this they want to use food crops. This has already driven the price of corn way up which has in turn driven the cost of meat and products containing corn way up. If you want to drive a vehicle using bio-fuel you won't be able to afford to eat. But as Bruce pointed out bio-fuels can be made from algae, a non-food product that can be grown in areas not currently used for food crops.

So OK, we have high gasoline prices and there's nothing we can do about it. At least some people are concerned about how this is affecting us especially older folks on fixed incomes. Along comes Raj Bhandari owner of the Center City BP station in Merrill, Wisconsin. He decided to offer senior citizens a 2 cent per gallon discount.

How did the state reward such compassion? According to AP news MyWay, "Bhandari said he received a letter from the state auditor in late April saying the state would sue him if he did not raise his prices. The state could penalize him for each discounted gallon he sold, with the fine determined by a judge."

So the oil companies are making record profits, gas is 3 times more expensive that it was just a few years ago, if you conserve the state loses money and will raise taxes, and if someone wants to give you a break he'll get sued by the state!

Could this be any more screwed up?

Suffering from gas,

Isn't it worth $1 a month to you to keep RGQ in your mailbox?  Please click the link and direct your contribution to reallygoodquotes@....

"There is no exception to the rule that every rule has an exception" - James Thurber

E-Mail the Imp

I sometimes get leads to articles from Pravda. Often the poor English translation leads to difficulty in understanding what the article is about and sometimes the articles are themselves so bizarre that it's hard to accept them as actual news items. Often the only place the story appears is in Pravda itself, with no links cited to supporting journals, news agencies, or other websites. One such bizarre headline was, " Fishermen Catch Squeaking Alien and Eat It", but the video link they provided doesn't seem to work.

The latest thing I found in Pravda has proven correct. They ran an article about a new "Sky Car", a subject near and dear to my heart. There is a company in the Netherlands that has designed a vehicle, the PAL-V that can transfer from ground mode, operating as an auto, to an aviation mode, flying as an autogiro or gyrocopter. There are several things in favor of this vehicle going into production despite its apparent innovative design features and relationship to failed attempts at similar inventions in the past.

First, it transits between modes of operation quickly and easily, there are no parts to disconnect. The rotor, propeller, and tail simply fold up or out like a child's' "Transformer" toy. Second, it falls into the Light Sport Aircraft category which means almost anyone that has 20/200 vision (Can you say Mr. MaGoo?) correctable to about 20/30 with a drivers' license and a passing grade on a one week course can get a license to fly. Third, in the flying mode the vehicle is one of the safest designs, with the exception of those little bi-planes with wheels on a Kiddies Carousel. Fourth, it can operate on regular gasoline, bio-ethanol, or bio-diesel. (At least that's what they claim)

As a ground vehicle the PAL-V can go 125 mph (200 kph), and can hit a respectable 120 mph (195 kph) in its aviation mode. The PAL-V has a respectable range in both modes. On land its range is 375 miles (600 km) and a range of 550 miles (340 km) in the air. The designers are already looking at equipping the PAL-V with the technology to operate within the "Digital Highways/Digital Freeways" or "Highway-in-the-sky" concept being worked on by NASA and private industry. They're anticipating a large increase in personal air commuting, and hopefully many commuting in PAL-V's.

The vehicle is based on the Carver One, a three wheeled cross between a motor cycle and an automobile. (There's a neat video clip of the Carver in action in the Pravda link) This is also a very safe design; it leans into turns automatically lessening the possibility of going ass over teakettle in a high speed turn. Heck, I'd buy one just for the fun of driving it in the land mode.

The Bad Sied

PS: Check out some related Imp Articles.
RGQ Issue 586 – Sport Pilot
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/reallygoodquotes/message/586
RGQ Issue 752 – Aero Cars
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/reallygoodquotes/message/752
RGQ Issue 788 - 3 Wheelers
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/reallygoodquotes/message/788

Here's one for the most embarrassing moment section. I was so embarrassed that it took me 2 yrs to finally tell my story to anyone and I'm doing so for the first time on your site. So please take it easy on me!

A few years ago, the belt on my car was making noises on start up and I vowed each day to call and make an appt to have it looked at by a mechanic. One morning it was a little louder than usual and vowed again to call the mechanic, but as usual it would stop after a min and thought to myself that it could wait one more day.

An hour later my son called from school. He had left something at home that he really needed. So I jump in the car and take it to his school. On my way back I got a call from my mother who asked me to pick up something for her. So I figured I would do it while I was out and check the mail at the same time. As soon as I got off the phone I noticed that I was low on gas and figured that I would gas up on my way home from checking the mail.

I run the errand for my mother and was on my way to check the mail when the engine light came on. I immediately got on the phone to make an appt with the mechanic to drop off the car. All the while cursing myself for procrastinating for so long, but yet at the same time glad that I was getting it into the shop before the belt broke saving me thousands of dollars in repairs.

I was in luck! They told me to drop it off ASAP, they had a cancellation. So I drove right over to their shop and had my sister pick me up and take me home.

Later on that afternoon, my cell phone rang. I recognized the number as being the shop that I took my car to and answered it right away. The lady was so nice to me! She explained that the mechanic had hooked it up to the diagnostic machine and the code it gave the mechanic. And then she paused. My heart sank! And I knew that her silence meant that it was going to be an expensive repair. And then she spoke.

She told me that my car was fixed and ready for pick up, how much it was going to cost for the diagnostic machine and that my car was almost out of gas and that the mechanic had to put gas in it to test it. For the whole repair it was going to cost me $94. And then she told me what the code meant that the diagnostic machine gave them. The code meant.....


The engine was low on gas!!!


It took me a few hours to finally pick up my car. And I explained to the mechanic (out of embarrassment) that I was the owners cousin and she had sent me to pick up the car. I don't think he believed me by the smirk on his face, but he still acted professional. After paying for the "repair" I jumped in my car and drove off really quick. Can you blame me for not taking my car back there to be serviced again, at that same shop for any kind of repairs at all? That was the most expensive 1/4 tank of gas that I have ever paid!

And no, I'm not blonde! - April in Alaska

On this day in history, May 11, 1894: A wildcat strike was called when 4,000 workers reacted to a 28% decrease in wages from the Pullman Palace Car Company. George Pullman, owner of the company, was a "welfare capitalist." He believed that labor unrest was caused by low wages and substandard living conditions in company towns. He built Pullman, Illinois as a company town without the usual rickety tenements. Instead he built housing with all the amenities – indoor plumbing, gas, and sewer systems. He retained ownership and rented to his workers.

There was a recession in the 1890s that affected Pullman's company. He cut wages, but inexplicably, did not cut rents to match. His outraged workers joined the American Railway Union led by Eugene V. Debs. A strike was called and work stopped at the factories. Sympathy strikes were called across the nation and disrupted rail traffic west of Chicago.



"Those who produce should have, but we know that those who produce the most - that is, those who work hardest, and at the most difficult and most menial tasks, have the least."



"The people can have anything they want, the only problem is they do not want anything."



"I don't want you to follow me or anyone else. I would not lead you into the promised land if I could, because if I could lead you in, somebody else would lead you out." – all from Eugene Debs

Got a bunch today!

An alien ship landed near...

Hints:  There's a great rhyming dictionary at http://www.rhymezone.com/
Limerick rules.  http://freespace.virgin.net/merrick.sheldon/limerickrules.htm 

Submit Opening Line

Re: Long-distance Access Fee

What's next? Doctors charging us for being healthy and not making enough office visits? Car dealerships sending us a bill for lack of auto repairs? Prostitutes banging on the car window demanding to be paid because we have "access" to them? Police giving tickets or arresting us because we had "access" to alcohol and might drink and drive, or had "access" to the bank and might rob it? Alimony demands because we had "access" to marry someone? Everyone?
The basic monthly service fee should cover the "access". Anything else is just a way to raise the monthly income while claiming to not raise the basic fee. It is like politicians claiming they did not raise taxes when the rates remain the same but the property appraisals go way up. It is all a form of dishonesty.
It is also why I first dropped ATT years ago, then dropped my landline altogether. Now I just have a cell phone with no roaming or long distance charges, so I can call anywhere from anywhere for the same price. - Dave S. in San Antonio



Re: Gambling

Hey Bruce in Colorado Springs - you said: When Cripple Creek, Colorado got "gaming" someone, (knowing I'm a committed Christian), asked me if I gamble. I answered, "I ride a motorcycle on Academy Boulevard... What do you mean 'do I gamble'". - Bruce in Colorado Springs

My Dear, we here in Ohio gamble, too. Are the drivers in Colorado as insane and out to kill you as they are in Ohio? You'd think, with all the motorcycles in this state (we may outnumber California; I know we are close), cage drivers would SEE us, or at least, hear us (well, OK, not if you ride on of those monstrosities that are totally silent - talk about gambling!!), but noooo...
Anyway, I love your answer, and even if my hubby wasn't a poker player - and a damned good one - we'd still be gamblers, just like you. - OhioKat



Re: Charlotte's 15 minutes

Mellie, your wise advice to Charlotte was JUST that...and I was touched. - Peter N

Mellie!  Great to see you back.  As usual your advice on the subject is wonderful. Love ya. - Mike



Re: Laura's financial problems

A site I really like is:

http://www.homemoneyhelp.com/BBOonline.html

There is lots of info there. Just thought the budgeting forms might help.
Also links to other good sights and articles. - Catlady



Re: Reader comments

Once again I have fallen behind with respect to this (and other) ezines. I have spent the past several days devoting time to reading everyones 'opinion' and have come to the conclusion that many who contribute to the 'readers comments' portion have a permanent case of PMS. I have been a member of this list for quite a few years, under 2 email addresses and have decided that perhaps it's time to show some of these folks how nasty and small minded they appear. (It is probably a fruitless endeavor though, for they seem to be the sort who do not see the forest for the trees, most of the time.)
The following appeared it the April 15th issue of this ezine.
Marsha in Michigan said, "To Lisa in Colorado , AMEN, SISTAH!!!! Thank you for your succinct and sensible 15 Minutes on this topic -- I'm not sure it could be expressed any better."

<sarcasm> However, since I'm making the assumption that you haven't been "born again" and accepted Jesus Christ as your Personal Savior (whatever the hell that means), it doesn't matter if you're the best Group One Person Who Ever Lived. You're going to "hell" anyway, irregardless of your sexual preference, as decreed by the faithful Christians who somehow know who is living properly and who isn't, so hey, no worries! </sarcasm>

"Perhaps someday the self-righteous and narrow-minded will realize that love is love no matter who is giving or receiving it, and to live and let live on this earth....but I doubt it. Thank you for sharing."

To Marsha in Michigan I have several things to say. You appear to be an offensive human who has an opinion of 'Christians' that comes from somewhat lower than her waist. I am a Christian, I have watched you malign 'us' again and again without comment, turning the other cheek, so to speak. Well, here is one Christian who has taken her last smack from the likes of you.

You denounce religion, specifically Christianity, and make broad sweeping statements about how 'Christians' feel, think and act. Well toots, perhaps you are of the opinion you have because of the attitude you emit.

Most true 'Christians' do not believe if you're not a Christian that you will go to hell. You see dear, you can always repent your evil ways…even with your dying breath, thus getting yourself into heaven after leading a life of depravity. Perhaps a box of Midol and climbing down off your soapbox would make you less bitter.


Michael-linn said…"That was not to set off people about the moon landing...you'll never convince me, so don't try, ok? Thanx!) "
Michael-linn, you made a fabulously insightful comment with regard to Political Correctness being way out of control, and Imus etc in this issue…kudos for that one.

But the above comment (and many others in previous ezines) show a different side. All I have to say to you is…for someone who seems to wants everyone to give her opinion validity (at least read it and think about what she says) your last comment above shows that you are decidedly closed minded about any opinion other than your own. The intelligent remarks you make are overshadowed by one sentence that indicates you wont give others the same consideration that you want from them. (If you didn't want anyone to consider your point of view, you wouldn't have felt compelled to write and submit them.)

To Peter N: Bless your heart L, I am sorry for your loss. I have 2 cats and a dog that, quite frankly, often I like better than people. They are not false and have no hidden agenda. Our pets (or are we their pets?) love and accept us for who we are, everyone should experience such unconditional love. Perhaps your Babycakes is frolicking somewhere with my Skeeter, she was 14 when she shuffled off her feline coils.

To Bruce from Colorado : With regard to NAMBLA et al. Keep singing the same tune, eventually someone will listen.

To Lisa from Colorado : Why are you getting so bent out of shape if you and your chosen groups are not part of the problem? Why do many flaming gays and lesbians feel the need to be defined as a person by with whom they sleep (or don't sleep as the case may be?) If you are happy within yourself, and your lifestyle…GREAT! Good for you. But why feel the need to tell the world of your sexual preferences? Guess what…most of us don't give a flying fig who you sleep with as long as they are above the age of consent, willing and there is no physical injury involved. I promise I won't disclose my sex life to you…won't cram it down your throat…if you just shut the hell up about yours. Fair?

Before you flame me for being a 'homophobe' I must disclose that I come from a large extended family that includes homosexuals of both genders as well as (gasp) heterosexual people. All are loved, welcomed and respected because of who they are, and what they/we have achieved in our respective lives…not based on who we have bedded. Your rant comment suggested that 'hetero's' better keep an eye one their spouses/sons…to that I have to say…Me thinks she doth protest too much. Think about it before you begin to tarnish the entire world with what you obviously see as your own perverted brush!

Thanks for letting me vent. - ScanDalous



Re: Reader submission

This sat in my in-box for a couple of days before I looked at it. When I got the areial images, I found it overwhelming. I find it difficult to understand how anyone got out of this tornado alive!

Noella

The links below are links to images of the town of Greensburg, Kansas. You have been hearing and seeing some of this on the news from their F5 tornado this past weekend. The entire town was basically destroyed - 95% if not more. Churches, school(s), banks, grocery stores, etc. All gone. This is devastating to say the least - more speechless as you see the images. I could not imagine coming out of my "safe place" only to see everything destroyed around me and it was that way for blocks and blocks. They had 20 minutes warning before the tornado hit.

http://media.kansas.com/static/slides/050507tornado/ (ground images)

http://media.kansas.com/static/slides/050507tornadoaerials/ (aerial images)

A note for your own preparedness - do you know where your safe place is at work or at home? You have to plan ahead and think about each type of disaster and what you would do or what is the safest.


Noella again -
(This last line reminds me of a place I used to work. My office was a large front room with windows and a large picture window to the lobby. During tornado warnings (I think we had one or two), we were expected to work at our station rather than take cover in an "inside" room. What cheapstakes! I also once dropped an exacto knife and it fell and went through my shoe into my foot. My boss watched it happen and told me "just pull it out, you'll be okay.")



Re: Reader submission

Before the Chunnel was dug, there was a Lot of ferry traffic across the strait of Dover. Back in the day, the London Times would often run a laconic comment on the front page: "Fog in Channel - Continent Isolated." The equivalent for the Bering Strait are the freighters now crossing the Pacific. To re-route that freight up the Alaska highway would not be economic, and so far, I've not heard of much local commerce or a major Siberian route. Up here, the transport trucks frequently run on ice for half the year, but I don't think many readers would care to share space with them. 10,000 miles of snowscapes would be even less fun than 10,000 miles of rocks 'n' trees 'n' trees 'n' rocks, as the Canadian touring musician sings. -
Bob of the near-North, where the leaves are just coming out



Re: Reader submission

And Noella, LOST has "jumped the shark" bigtime. - Peter N.

Noella asked, "The people on LOST, WHERE ARE THEY?"
Duh! They're lost.  Geez, I got to think of everything around here. - Mike

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Greetings, Quotaholics

There's an old saying, "If you can't do the time, don't do the crime". The penalty for committing a crime has always been jail time.

With jails overcrowded is it time to look for other methods of punishment?

At least one judge thinks so. The New York Post reported recently that a judge in Attalla, Alabama sentenced two shoplifters to stand outside the store they stole from wearing signs that read "I am a thief, I stole from Wal-Mart". They did this in lieu of serving 60 days in jail.

In Wyoming, they are trying to solve a different sort of problem. They have established a drug court which offers probation for offenders willing to participate in a rehabilitation program.

The participants must enroll in the program for at least one year. During that time they pass through four phases. Each phase is at least 13 weeks long.

In phase I the participants have a 9:00 p.m. curfew and can only have family visitors. The curfew is extended in each phase. The participants are also subject to drug/alcohol tests, group counseling and must report to a probation officer. Starting in phase II they must also attend self-help meetings each week.

An article in the Rocky Mountain News tells the success stories of several people who have participated in the program.

It seems that our old ideas of just throwing people in jail don't work. We've all read about the large number of people who commit new crimes and end up back in jail not long after being released. Are these alternative sentencing ideas the right path to take?

Is public humiliation, like in the case of the shoplifter, a good way to punish people? Is it possible that this kind of treatment will only make them more angry at "the system"? Could this lead them to become even more anti-social? Could this lead them to commit even worse crimes?

What about the drug court idea? Is supervised probation the way to handle drug offenses? I like the idea of counseling and self-help meetings. Do you think this is what drug abusers need or will they see how easy they got off and be less afraid of being caught again? It seems like jail time does very little good at stopping drug abuse, could this be the answer?

Is alternative sentencing the way of the future or should we just keep locking people up?

Confiningly,


P.S. - When I started writing for RGQ the number of subscribers was around 2000. It stayed that way for a long time, but now we have dropped to about 1975 subscribers.

I would like to see us get back to that 2000 number. I would really like to see us get to 3000!

If you enjoy RGQ why not share it with a friend. Forward this issue. Tell your friends how to subscribe. Point them to the archives so they can see what Bruce and I and all the other writers have been doing.

Isn't it worth $1 a month to you to keep RGQ in your mailbox?  Please click the link and direct your contribution to reallygoodquotes@....

Sometimes I need what only you can provide -- your absence." - Ashleigh Brilliant

E-Mail the Imp

We're all aware of the need to find alternative energy sources. There have been some crackpot ideas that range from using manure piles…tons of bat guano in caves or cow manure in feed lots…to orbiting solar collectors and beaming energy to the ground using microwaves. Some are feasible but too expensive, at least compared to the present cost of fossil fuels, some offer promise but technology hasn't yet caught up to imagination, and some don't offer any real benefits compared to existing systems; coal gasification being one.

While it seems a waste of resources to pursue research on every one of these possibilities, you never know when a breakthrough might occur that will make an improbable technology practicable. There's yet another reason to pursue some, if not all of these offbeat possibilities, the need to survive in space and in colonies on the Moon, Mars, and wherever our wanderlust takes us.

There's no greater challenge then going into space. As old as the space shuttle is, and as old as the technology in it is, there's one aspect of the shuttle that will be built into any future craft designed. Back-up systems. Name a system, and there will be at least one back-up to that system. They may be identical systems; one on, one in stand by, or they may be different but still accomplish the same job. It would be similar to an aircraft having a fly-by-wire control system with a mechanical/hydraulic back-up.

Space craft on long duration flights and off Earth colonies will need reliable sources of oxygen, fuel/power, water, and food. The most efficient systems we develop for providing these necessities will be those that provide two or more of the requirements, or those that have outputs that support both the astronauts/colonists and other required systems. A fuel system that produces both power and water supports the system that produces food and supplies water directly to the astronaut/colonist is an example. We'll start with complete systems we take with us, and using resources that are at the colony site, begin to establish as many back-up systems and integrated systems as we can.

Recently we learned about oilgae, a type of algae rich in vegetable oils that can be processed into bio-diesel. Algae produces oxygen and algae rich in vegetable oil makes it a potential food for animals or processed for human consumption. In a closed system if you can grow algae, breathe the oxygen it produces, eat it, and still have enough left over to keep producing oxygen, and eat it…you're doing great. It doesn't hurt that it also gets rid of that nasty carbon dioxide that could kill you.

Recently an Aussie (crazy folks down under), spent twelve days in a closed system with an experimental Israeli biocoil algae system to provide him with oxygen. The algae was activated with his own urine…I never knew urine was rich with nutrients, but apparently his algae thrived on it. That's another benefit to consider, processing our human waste and the waste of any critters we grow for food. Of course we'll probably just have a clone factory raising sheets of beef, pork, and chicken protein.

However successful, or how much a failure, projects like this may be, the collective knowledge gained from success and failure will allow scientists to create a mini-ecosystem that's failsafe, with back-up integrated systems, able to utilize the resources we find out there. All we'll need to do is send one out there ahead of our astronauts. The name of the game will be, "Piss on to activate."

The Bad Sied

On this day in history, May 14, 1900: The Summer Olympics open in Paris, France. The games were associated with the World's Fair, also running during the summer. There were no opening or closing ceremonies to the Olympic games which ended on October 28. There were 997 athletes competing from 24 different nations in 95 event divided into 19 sports. Not all winners received medals, some were given cups or trophies.

Paris hosted the 1900 games and women were included. Equestrian long and high jumps, a swimming obstacle course, and live pigeon shooting were all sports in 1900 and never again. France took the most medals with 26 first place wins, a total of 95 medals, and 184 points. The United States came in second with 18 firsts, 47 total, and 97 points. Third place went to Great Britain with 16 firsts, 30 total, and 68 points.



"There is no greatness without a passion to be great, whether it's the aspiration of an athlete or an artist, a scientist, a parent, or a businessperson." - Anthony Robbins



"There has never been a great athlete who died not knowing what pain is." - Bill Bradley



"I wanted no part of politics. And I wasn't in Berlin to compete against any one athlete. The purpose of the Olympics, anyway, was to do your best. As I'd learned long ago from Charles Riley, the only victory that counts is the one over yourself." - Jesse Owens

[Tim is busy saving the world today.  He suggested this piece from the archives]

Seeing the comments that resulted from my mentioning PETA in an article, I will never mention PETA again. But since I just did, I thought maybe you'd like to hear my views.

Did you know it's a scientific fact that plants feel pain? I'm sure you've heard they are healthier and grow faster if you play music they like. I'm not sure what type of music they like best, but I'm pretty sure Britney Spears is not on the short list.

When plants are "eating", they give off oxygen. That's a good thing, I guess, because I breathe oxygen. Sure they sell oxygen at the store. Hospitals use it. But eventually, they'd run out and have to get some from plants.

Plants are basically peaceful things. They aren't very aggressive. A cactus won't hurt you unless you attack it.

Do you know what cow-tipping is? It's the cruelest of rural sports, where a person walks up to a sleeping cow and pushes it over. But cows at least have a fight-or-flight fantasy. They, well, if they were awake, could simply move forward and avoid the attack. They have teeth, so they can bite. I don't want to be behind one if you pull on it's tail.

Plants are completely lacking in the "flight" part of that fantasy. With the possible exception of the tumbleweed, plants can't run. And did you know if you pluck them out of the ground, they don't die right away? I don't know what they scream, but they scream, or at least that's what scientists say. They feel agony.

Plants don't have lawyers, so I just figured I'd speak up on their behalf. I know lawyers though, so I thought I'd create an organization and sue anyone that breathes.

I think I'll call it "People For Fair Flora Treatment", or pffft! Have a cow.

Tim a'Musing
Having a Ball with Yarns

No trees were killed in the sending of this message. However, a large number of electrons were terribly inconvenienced.

Update to iLoo story:

In keeping with my "extremely high journalistic integrity" <cough, cough, hack -- I'm amazed I can even spell that>, I thought it only right to inform you that the story about Microsoft developing an Internet outhouse was a hoax perpetrated by MSN's UK division.

This was an actual Microsoft story that was confirmed by Microsoft representatives and covered by "The Wall Street Journal, The Associated Press and Reuters" (no mention of RGQ), which Microsoft is now retracting. http://www.cnn.com/2003/TECH/internet/05/13/microsoft.hoax.ap/index.html Somehow though, I still think someone at Microsoft thought this would be a good idea and they're just now covering their asses from the backlash.

My piece about Microsoft being full of crap stands.

Other ways to disguise saltiness is by adding a small can of tomatoes, or a dash of sweet sherry or a little plain yoghurt, whichever is most suitable for the particular dish involved. ·

These remedies also work well on stews, soups and curries. These remedies also work well on stews, soups and curries. - Patti 

Good jobs!  Methinks you like alien lines.


A lottery win would bring me...

Hints:  There's a great rhyming dictionary at http://www.rhymezone.com/
Limerick rules.  http://freespace.virgin.net/merrick.sheldon/limerickrules.htm 

Submit Opening Line

Re: Gasoline

The Texas legistlature will likely pass a bill that will suspend the state tax on gasoline for the summer months. I think it is 23 cents a gallon. That's no solution, more like a gesture from maggot politicians wanting my vote, but I have to say that I'm pleasantly surprised. They're usually doing very strange things in our state house; this at least helps the citizen a little. - Raccoonrevival


Yes, Mike, the oil situation could be more screwed up, and it is getting there as quick as it can spin. Just putting the tax on the dollar value of gasoline instead of the quantity would cut into obscene company profits, and help pay for the full costs of the roads. To cover the current subsidy to car-associated costs would put gas over $6 per US gal, and that's still writing off climate change. Yet people complain about a subsidy for public transit or good bikeways.

However, there are still tax benefits to driving oversize vehicles, and when the price of gas dipped recently, their sales went back up. These manipulated oil shortages are rehearsals for the real thing, and wether you think that peak oll came last year or may be coming as late as 2040, our descendants are going to be very disappointed in us for setting up a life-support system for them that will surely fail. As Bucky Fuller said, the oil should only be used to build things that don't need it to keep going, in hopes that a hundred or more years from now, people will still be able to afford luxuries like new plastic bags, instead of mining the landfills. - Bob of the North


Since all the major oil companies are European companies, and over there they have a lot of alternative ways to get from point A to point B, and most of the privately owned automobiles are tiny fuel-efficient things, and the cost of their fuel is higher per gallon than ours, most Europeans take trains and buses a lot. We promoted individual vehicle use over train and bus use many years ago, and then pushed flying as an alternative for longer distance travel, resulting in extremely few trains and buses and overburdened airplanes ( which cost an arm and a leg to use). We also like our Big Cars, Big SUVs, Big Trucks, V-8 engines and such. Comfort and speed and hang the cost! That's us Americans! How many of us now work for mega-corps with Home Offices in Europe or Asia today? How many of those big companies think
we're a bunch of spoiled brats? Maybe we should ask Congress to spend as much on local commuter systems as it does on war to re-establish networks of trains and buses,
import thousands of Vespas and such, and offer a rebate to folks whose vehicles use so much fuel to get to work and back that they'd save mega-bucks at the pumps if they trade down to the tiny cars. Ah, and they should build one coast-to-coast mega highway like the Autobaun so the speedsters could enjoy themselves once in awhile without getting a ticket.
Back in the 1940's when fuel was rationed, people took buses everywhere, especially in the winter. My grandfather took the wheels off his Chevy and put it up on blocks, cleaned and serviced the engine and didn't put it back together again until the next spring. We even went to Church on Sundays by bus, plus a short block or two of walking. Remember walking? A mile was nothing to a teenager then. Today far too many of then have nicer, newer cars than their teachers do in the school parking lots. For unknown reasons, it appears a kid is supposed to get a Brand New Car when s/he Achieves a Drivers License these days, or at least gets Mom's Car then and a new one when s/he achieves Graduation. When did THAT get added to the Rite of Passage? Maybe it happened when cars stopped being things kids could tinker with. I'd bet many of the RGQ folks had at least one clunker as a kid that they bought with earned cash and spent a year fixing up.
Or maybe it's time some Inventor came up with a working Transporter system so we just step in a booth and get whisked away to a destination booth. The fact is, Americans use far too much fuel, use cars much more often than anybody else on Earth, and we figure this is one of our Basic Rights. If we didn't jump in the car five times a week to pick up a couple things here and there, we'd save a bunch of fuel. Taking the time to make a list, plan a route and doing it all in one trip saves time AND fuel. Stopping for a loaf of bread or bottle of milk while driving home from work saves fuel. If we can't do much about the costs layered on by taxing agents and producers, we CAN be more efficient about our use of the stuff. - Nancy L in Ohio


Yes, it could be more screwed up. Remember when there were gas lines around the block and signs that said "Out of Gas"? At least it's plentiful right now. - mellie, who has never had a car and always gets where she wants to go. :-)



Re: April's embarrassing moment

To April in Alaska.....BLONDE is NOT JUST a haircolor!! *I* should know!! - Michael-Linn



Re: Oilgae

Sorry for the delayed response on this one: A couple weeks ago I read with great interest the discussions regarding the possibility of using Algae as a source of bio-fuel. I have heard about this, and am very skeptical when someone comes and tells about their next great 'perpetual motion machine'. I am of the mind that we face huge challenges regarding energy in the future, and no one thing is going to be able to replace the oil we currently use. Here is a link to an energy blog that I frequent and a story investigating the claims of Oilgae:

http://www.theoildrum.com/node/2531

It is a rather lengthy article, but I think it does a great job of informing about the various issues involved here. - Rich in Portland, Oregon
[Thanks, Rich.

I read over the article, and agree that it was interesting. The writer communicated with Dr. Briggs, the same author I cited in my original piece. He disagreed with some of Dr. Briggs' findings, and cites his reasoning.

Whether the author is right or wrong, it seems that his biggest target is de Beers of South Africa, which was selling oilgae franchises before producing even a drop of fuel. There appears to be the makings of a scam in their activities. While scams have always existed, the biggest problem is that it gives oilgae a black eye. Scams or not, it doesn't mean that the technology won't work.

I want to make clear that this is not a perpetual motion machine. It's a process that was first demonstrated in the 1970's when Congress funded the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) (please link to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Renewable_Energy_Laboratory) within the U.S. Department of Energy to investigate alternative fuels and energy sources, and it certainly obeys all physical laws.

There's an economic downside to this that hasn't been discussed, however. We all know that oil can be profitably sold at prices of $20 a barrel. It has been in the past and could be again. Speculation, petropolitical, and geopolitical uncertainty has driven the price increase to current levels far more than supply and demand has.

I don't have any figures to back this up, but instead am playing a whatif game. Let's just argue without substantiation that oilgae could be produced at a price equivalent to oil at $40 a barrel. Let's further hypothesize that production was increased worldwide to a point where it was being used to replace a third of petroleum. The demand for petroleum would correspondingly drop off, its importance on the world markets would lessen, and its price would drop. What would happen if the price dropped below my hypothetical price of $40 a barrel, a fixed production cost for oilgae?

Suddenly oil becomes far more attractive. Who would want to spend $2.00 a gallon for oilgae biodiesel or ethanol if gasoline could be had for, let's say $1.50? The market for oilgae would dry up, plants would close, petroleum would regain its dominance, and its price would rise again.

Sadly, no matter how well it works, its future is completely dependent on oil prices remaining high. If oilgae is ever produced on a scale large enough to really make a difference it will also bring petroleum prices down far enough for it to commit suicide. Only a taxation scheme that would keep oil prices artificially higher than oilgae could save it.]



Re: Gambling

My Dear, we here in Ohio gamble, too. Are the drivers in Colorado as insane and out to kill you as they are in Ohio? - OhioKat
OhioKat,
I learned to drive in Los Angeles and have driven all over this country and three others. I have driven in Mexico, (renown for some wild drivers), but I have NEVER seen worse drivers than here in Colo Spgs. Just last Friday I warned a biker that spent 3/4 of a mile in my passenger side blind spot that he'd better beware because drivers here don't pay attention. - Bruce in Colorado



Re: Reader submission

True story... this happened to me.

I know a guy named Manuel who moved to Colorado from south Texas. He was recounting to me a situation he had while in a local restaurant called The Armadillo. After perusing the menu he asked the server, "where's your armadillo?" She answered, "people don't eat armadillo... we don't serve armadillo here!" Manny replied, "well I'm from south Texas, and I DO eat armadillo... I've eaten armadillo my whole life. When I go into a restaurant called Burger King I expect to be served burgers, when I go into Taco Bell I expect tacos, so when I go into The Armadillo I expect to eat armadillo!"
So I asked him, "What do you expect when you go into Hooters?" - Bruce in Colorado

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Greetings, Quotaholics;

I love meat. A nice juicy burger, or a thick steak is a meal to enjoy!

But of course with my doctor bugging me about my cholesterol, I have been made to feel guilty about indulging. What we need is meat that is lower in fat. Maybe one that contains omega 3, which has been shown to lower cholesterol.

According to an article in the London Telegraph, just such a meat exists. It is said to have half the fat and ten times the Omega 3 of beef. Not only that "It's free from bird flu, mad cow disease, tuberculosis, foot-and-mouth and tape worm, the scourge of our traditional meat industry".

So what is this mystery meat? Horse! But don't bother looking for some at the local butchers shop. At least not in the U.S. or U.K..

"What makes cowmeat an acceptable dinner, while horsemeat's taboo? Some would say, British sentimentality. Now that the combustion engine has made the horse as beast of burden redundant, horses have become pets. Most Brits would no more eat Dobbin than Fido."

"Not so elsewhere. Horsemeat is eaten as far afield as Kazhakstan, Japan and Sweden, where sales exceed those of lamb and mutton. The Belgians love horse, especially in steak tartare, and it's a common ingredient in rustic Italian salamis. The French even have special butchers, called boucheries chevalines, with magnificent gilded horseheads hanging over the door."

In a world where sources of protein are in short supply, does it make sense not to eat horses? I know that some have tried marketing rabbit, buffalo and other meats in the U.S. with little success. I wonder why?

I tried an ostrich burger at the New Mexico State Fair one time. It was very tasty and is supposed to be very low in fat. I have yet to see that in the supermarket either. Ostrich ranching was supposed to be a boon to the New Mexico economy since they grow so well there. There just wasn't a big enough market for the meat.

There's a place very close to where I live now that raises and sells buffalo. They sell buffalo burgers there but again, no buffalo in the local market.

I've tried racoon, armadillo, venison, squirrel, rabbit, quail, crawdads, all sorts of wild "critters". I figure when civilization collapses I can shoot enough stuff to survive. So why aren't any of these meats readily available?

Why are we so reluctant to eat any meats except beef, pork, lamb, and chicken? Would you try horse if it were offered to you? It certainly seems like it would be a healthy choice.

Carnivorously,


P.S.  Monday I asked everyone to forward RGQ to a friend.  Our subscriber list is still stuck at 1973!  Come on, lets get some new subscribers.  How about some feedback on what you would like to see in the way of new features.   How would you feel about RGQ being available in a blog, like this?

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"Music played at weddings always reminds me of the music played for soldiers before they go into battle." - Heinrich Heine, German Poet and Writer (1797-1856 )

E-Mail the Imp

I was given a lead to a technology that I'm still trying to rap my brain around, and I don't think I can envision all the possibilities. There are some very serious possible applications and there are possible uses that will be fun and quite profitable for the inventors, or should I say innovators.

Bio-feedback is a method of using your own brainwaves and neural activity to control your brainwaves and neural activity. Sounds like Catch-22, doesn't it? If you are happy, depressed, stressed, scared, or any state at all, your brain and neural system acts differently. If you are stressed and see the patterns of neurological activity, and then concentrate on relaxing, you can see them change. With a little practice, you can learn how to control your nervous system without being hooked to a monitor.

There's debate about the possible clinical use of this technology for treating autistic children, those with attention deficit disorders, and those with obsessive-compulsive disorders. But in the meantime a company called NeuroSky Inc. is putting their efforts into mind toys.

The basis of their brain wave-reading toys and games is electroencephalography, or EEG, the measurement of the brain's electrical activity through electrodes placed on the scalp. NeuroSky's "dry-active" sensors are the size of a thumbnail, and could be put into a headset that retails for as little as $20, said NeuroSky CEO Stanley Yang. These electronic games, with bio-feedback, will allow the player to concentrate on his/her "virtual" actions and enhance their skills and abilities. The player can make their reactions faster, actions smoother, and scores increase. If the player loses concentration, their results will probably be worse than playing the game without bio-feedback.

Now imagine adding bio-feedback to a virtual reality set-up that includes sensory information, such as sound and tactile (haptic) information, generally known as force feedback. Climb into a suit that has sensors and devices to provide the sense of "touch" all over the body and concentrate on the sensations that you feel. The harder you concentrate will intensify the feeling or sensation. You could have computer generated aromas wafting around with computer generated sounds to further the Virtual experience.

But wait, there's a danger. Some devious and diabolical engineer will develop a suit and program for the ladies that will concentrate on romance in "virtual reality". Some poor gal will set the controls to "multiple orgasms" and forget to turn off the machine for a day or two or at least for several hours. She could become so physically depleted she'd need to be hospitalized. I wonder how she'd explain everything to her insurance company.

The Bad Sied

One of the best things about this space is that it gives readers a chance to vent and ask questions, and maybe receive some advice or information that can help. Such is today's piece from Jan. She needs some assistance if anyone out there has any answers, and she got 15 Minutes of Fame to do it.

My son is diagnosed ADHD (not as bad as it's made out to be, in my opinion and it's not medicated), BiPolar (medicated - absolutely terrifying w/out them; we're talking voices-in-the-head.. hallucinations.. bugs..).

After he's stable on medication for about a year, side effects from the meds seem to be cropping up: involuntary jerking, twitching, head snapping, etc. - it's called Tardive Dyskensia and it can be permanent. Just what he needs.

When he's not on the meds, he can be dangerous to himself and those around him, so there's really no choice regarding whether or not he needs them (and if I had a freakin' dime for every time somebody who saw some 15 minute segment on 20/20 or Dateline lectured me on "proper discipline" or "proper diet" and how that would take care of everything, I'd be a very rich woman but I'm pretty sure my son would be dead).

Last year it got so bad he had to be hospitalized, which almost killed both of us. I ended up pulling him out and stabilizing him at home (no small feat in itself, once you put someone in a mental hospital, they want that insurance $$).

So I took a bunch of time off work and we just stayed home and "healed" and stabilzed and he's been doing very well for quite awhile. He's enjoying school, his toys, his bike... he's enjoying being an 11 year old boy and he's doing what he's supposed to be doing as a normal kid and I'd pretty much give my teeth to keep it that way.

But I'm thinking the twitching is starting up again and was putting out some feelers to see if anybody else had any experience with this and if there's any way to keep him as himself, without the whole side effect thing.

Tried a ton of different drugs; Depakote, Zyprexa, Lithium, Geodon.. Cogentin, Lamictal and some others that I can't recall at the moment.. He's currently on Seroquel and Trileptal. - Jan in Chicago

On this day in history, May 18, 1897: Bram Stoker publishes the novel, Dracula. Abraham Stoker was born on November 8, 1847 outside of Dublin, Ireland. He was an invalid as a toddler, but made a complete recovery by the age seven when he first went to school. He was a isolated child and spent much time daydreaming. He eventually went to Trinity College in Dublin and graduated with honors with a degree in mathematics. He was also interested in history and philosophy.

While Stoker invented Count Dracula, it is not the first literary mention of the name Dracula. During his research, he read a book from 1820 that mentioned Voivode Dracula or Vlad the Impaler. In the book, it was stated that Dracula meant devil in the language of the area. Vlad the Impaler did fight the Turks. He was not, however, a vampire. Nor was he a count. But he had a really catchy name.



"I wish I had a kryptonite cross, because then you could keep both Dracula and Superman away." - Jack Handy



"This is an area you always need to address when you're dealing with Dracula is the fact that there is something kind of attractive in his darkness - which there isn't in other horror characters." - Richard Roxburgh



"How blessed are some people, whose lives have no fears, no dreads; to whom sleep is a blessing that comes nightly, and brings nothing but sweet dreams." - Bram Stoker

Ooooh, there's a bunch here today!

My bank statement gave me a shock...

Hints:  There's a great rhyming dictionary at http://www.rhymezone.com/
Limerick rules.  http://freespace.virgin.net/merrick.sheldon/limerickrules.htm 

Submit Opening Line

Re: Slavery Reparations

Peter Flaherty, NLPC President, said today, "If JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon were alive 200 years ago and owned slaves, the apology would be appropriate. Otherwise it is about as cynical and as hollow as you can get."

Being of German derivation, it would be as reasonable as expecting ME to be executed for relatives that worked at Auschwitz.
If we spent less time bitching and moaning about the past and more time addressing the attitudes that lead to inhumane decisions we could jettison "political correctness" and just be WISE in future. What the hell difference would it make in someone's life if money WAS paid to great-great-grandchildren of slaves? Would they have had a better life of picking tobacco to know their progeny could now afford $2000.00 rims on a 10 year old Cadillac.
I think Warren Buffet has a good idea to expect his kids to make their own life instead of inherit his. Look at Paris Hilton. What impact on life is she contributing. How is getting something for nothing improving her future. It would be just another chapter in the "Lucky Sperm Club".
Bill Cosby is a great philosopher. - Bruce in Colorado


Characterizing "slavery reparations" as a shake-down is dead-on accurate. Yes slavery was evil. Yes it is a blemish on the history of our great nation. Now, get over it. No one living today was a slave. No one living today owned a slave. My mother has traced our family history back to our first European ancestors to arrive in this country (as well as to a few who could have met the boat). Most of my ancestors were apparently so poor they were lucky to own shoes, much less land and crops and slaves.

So why should I be forced to hand over my hard-earned money to someone else? That, at its core, is what slavery reparations are all about. Take from one to give to another. If it is a private company that I own stock in paying out, or some government agency, no one has the moral right to take from me what I have earned to pay off some someone who is making a stink about something that did not happen to them, or their parents, or many their grandparents.

Why should more recent immigrants to the country be forced to hand over their money? If your grandparents came to the US to escape the Irish potato famine, then certainly there is no way to claim your family was responsible or benefited from slavery. The Irish had to see "No Irish" signs plastered everywhere they went… do we want to start paying out for those indignities.

About those ancestors of mine that were there to meet the boat… where do I sign up to get my land back? - Tammy in Alabama


I'm of German heritage with a dash of the British Isles and a dash of Native American. My paternal side of the family came to the US from Germany in the 1880's and the maternal side arrived here from Germany in the 1750's. My ancestors were adventurous enough to both emigrate and seek a dalliance or two beyond there fellow countrymen.

By the logic that required J.P. Morgan Chase to cough up some big bucks or petty cash (depends on whose eyes are looking at the settlement), I should be tossing dollar bills into a fund to pay off the survivors of the Holocaust, since I'm of German heritage. I should also pay into the fund to compensate the people of Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, and the Americas for any atrocity imposed on them by my English ancestors. I also must apologize and pay for any wrongdoing by my Native American ancestors who responded to my English and German ancestors' wrongdoings when they snatched away my land and wiped out whole tribes of my kinsmen. Bull puckey.

Go deep enough in any ones heritage and you'll find some group/nationality that crapped on another group/nationality. As an example, why aren't Blacks repaying Blacks over the issue of slavery? Many slaves were captured and sold to whites by other Blacks. The practice was a hated but accepted part of life on the African continent as far back as biblical times.

Let's get every person on the planet to put a penny into a world wide "Atonement Fund". That would take care of everyone's responsibility to pay off their historic obligations. About five billion pennies would be about a quarter of a billion dollars, a rather tidy sum. The fund could be used to finance microloans to aid the impoverished around the world.

Just think, we could help the poor and eliminate guilt for a penny a person, not a bad investment. – sied


"It's absurd for someone to" get upset over a measly $5 million scholarship fund for African-Americans set up as an apology "for the transgressions of others committed hundreds of years ago."

An amount which almost equals the budget for meals on the company's executive jets is symbolic at best. Coming from a company rolling in dough like this monster banking corporation, the sum is like them handing the shoe shine boy a quarter. In 2006 they reported having $1.3 Trillion in total assets and provided stock based compensation for its own officers at a cost of $2.4 Billion. http://investor.shareholder.com/jpmorganchase/annual.cfm

We are all continuing to pay for the 'sin of slavery.' Big companies like JPMorgan Chase should be driving hard with affirmative action plans intended to bolster the values of its investments in communities in this nation and around the globe. A little bit of PR is fine. However, real value for the shareholders would follow an aggressive effort to provide open, fair and honest treatment for the disadvantaged.

The effort by the National Legal and Policy Center is certainly as absurd as the suits for "slave reparations" under these circumstances. At every level in the company, JPMorgan Chase should oppose such "injustice." They should make a strong stand for equality and rights for their own human resources and for the individuals and communities they serve. That would make a real difference and produce longstanding benefits with no real cost. - Mike from Florida



Re: Mothers Day Proclamation

WOW, I sure wish I had seen that before Mothers Day, it would have been great to send out to a lot of Mothers and others as a political statement like it was meant to be.
That is great statement to be sure. Thank you. - OLDBBD in California


Re: Alternative Sentencing

Chris in Utah laid out the problems involved with today's law violators extremely well. Thank you, Chris! As I read it, one word kept popping to mind - Respect ! A person who has no respect for other people's property can steal that property, destroy it, burn it, and even harm the people who own it. A person who lacks respect for others turns up in every school building sassing teachers, teasing and bullying other students, and is generally heading for trouble with the law. And for
no reason I know, a lot of people in authority positions LET them be that way. Most of us who have a lot of silver in our hair today were raised to Respect Our Elders, Respect Our Authority Figures, Respect the neighbor's yard, Respect the neighbor, even if we don't like them. We
addressed adults as Mister and Missus, and Miss, not by their first names. Not today! They put everybody on the same playing field, and I suppose some think that takes away prejudice. With no Mentors, no one to look up to as a Good Example, no Heroes, a ten year old thinks he's
as wise as a 50 year old. Parents aren't Authority Figures in many homes today. They are child minders - often minding what the child dictates. And there are the many homes where working parents feel guilty about not being home with their children so they compensate by giving them anything they demand - and allowing them to BE demanding. Babies don't begin by being tyrants, crooks or law-breakers. We teach them that by not teaching them to respect others, and giving them too much authority for their level of knowledge and experience. Grade school kids aren't little kids any more. They are subjected to a bombardment of adult stuff they don't really understand, but since they are encouraged to dance the dances, wear the sexy clothes, hear the
raunchy "music", and own the toys, they leave behind any semblance of childhood and become aggressive, miniature adults. Ask a kid with a ring in his tongue if his parents okay'd the installation, and you'll get a shrug and a grin and something like "I paid for it, what can THEY say?" (my next question of this kid was Why do you want a ring in your tongue? and he said "chicks like it".) I am very glad I am NOT raising kids today! - Nancy L in Ohio

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Greetings, Quotaholics;

I've always been a big believer in breastfeeding. Both my daughters were breastfed and they have always been as healthy as can be. Nothing worse that colds and flu.

Is there a down side to breastfeeding? Well 18 years ago, when my first daughter was born, it was difficult to find a place where she could be fed. Back then nobody made provision for that. Nowadays lots of restaurants, stores, malls, etc have places set aside for breastfeeding. People seem more accepting of it now too, so it's not uncommon to see a woman breastfeeding in a public place.

There are some that oppose it though. I found a website that claims that breastfeeding is sexual abuse of children. The person who wrote the article claims that breastfeeding is only for the sexual gratification of the mother and leads to problems for the children.

The conclusion of the article states, "Breastfeeding causes extreme psychological & sexual perversions in the mother and their child(ren.) It is best advised for women to bottle feed their baby to avoid the negative consequinces noted above in the child(ren.) If you (the mother) are breastfeeding it is advised to stop now and switch to the bottle to stop any futher psychological damage done to you and your child and seek therapy for yourself and the child when he/she is old enough."

It seems a little perverted for someone to think that way. There was a time when everyone was breastfed. I suppose the author must think everyone back then grew up to be perverted.

Of course if you make the decision to breastfeed you will face the decision of when to quit. This wasn't a problem for us. The day came, with both our daughters, when they just quit. They were ready for real food that was more filling. This time came when they were about 9 months old.

But what if the child shows no interest in giving up the breast? How long do you let them continue?

I found a clip of a BBC documentary on YouTube called "Extraordinary Breastfeeding". The lady in the clip breastfed her first daughter until she was 5 and is still breastfeeding her second daughter who is almost 8.

According to the clip "Scientists believe extended breastfeeding can product higher IQ's."

The clip goes on to show the daughters drawing pictures of their mother's breasts, talking about the names they have given the breasts, and declaring that children should never quit breastfeeding.

All in all I found it a little creepy.

I know there is a middle ground between the "doctor" who claims it should never be done, and the BBC clip where the mother and children claim it should never end. Where do you think that point is? What if the child never wants to quit? At what age do you cut them off? 6 months? 1 year?

Do you think children can be harmed by breastfeeding? Do the benefits of breastfeeding outweigh the possibility of harm?

Sucking my thumb,

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"Music played at weddings always reminds me of the music played for soldiers before they go into battle." - Heinrich Heine, German Poet and Writer (1797-1856)

E-Mail the Imp

There's an old joke about a man who bought a new Motor Home and wrecked it on his first weekend trip. He was pulled from the wreckage battered and bloody and was being treated by the EMT's. A Highway Patrol officer was questioning him about the accident and asked him what happened. The man answered, "I'm not sure. I set the cruise control and went in back to get a sandwich. The next thing I knew, we were upside down."

Transportation specialists have long dreamed about vehicles that could ply the highways autonomously at very high speeds, very close together, and exit on a dime. Most of the successes in testing were accomplished on closed tracks where sensors, magnetic strips, or special paint marks on or in the road. Vehicles passing over them are kept in lane and at speed.

It is absolutely doable now and over ten years ago when first tested. The necessary hardware was already on the shelf and programming was also developed. The only thing lacking was enough $$$$$ to rig all the highways and adapt all the cars. The answer is to build a vehicle that can drive itself along the existing roadway system, or even off road, just by telling the on board computer, "Take me from here, to [there]"; there being the name of a place, an address, or a point of latitude and longitude.

Load up street maps into a computer, load up terrain maps, and load up navigation maps, and you have the basic data where everything is located. Hook up a GPS system and the vehicle will know where it's at and go. I did forget to mention variables that have to be considered. There's the blond that pulled only part way off the road to tidy up her make-up. There are traffic signals to consider and accidents that tend to bring vehicle traffic to a standstill. We can't forget the Sunday Driver going half the speed limit in the "Hammer" or passing lane.

All of that has been considered and programmed into test vehicles. They pick up the 'variables" by the use of optical scanning and radar devices, allowing the vehicle to slow down, stop, accelerate, or steer around these obstacles. In 1995, a fully automated Mercedes made an autonomous round trip between Munich and Copenhagen, hitting in excess of 110 mph (175 kph) on the autobahn. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency ( DARPA) will hold it's third "Grand Challenge" in November for autonomous vehicle operation in off road and urban areas.

So why aren't there hundreds of thousands of cars and trucks running around with no drivers? Again it's $$$$$ to build them, and guys like me to accept them. I surely don't like the idea of a driverless tractor-trailer coming up on my tail at 70 mph (110 kph) knowing that at any second that onboard computer could pop up with, "The operating system has detected a dll error and will now terminate the program".

They need to start small to get us used to driverless vehicles. Lexus has done it very well and in a practical manner. A self parking, hands off option on the LS460. BMW also has a version ready, and Toyota is tweaking their version. I'm still not ready, but I'll accept this, for now. I'm sure the ladies will love to parallel park while they touch up their do's. That will sell it for sure.

The Bad Sied

This isn't really embarrassing for me, but it could be construed as being embarrassing to someone else. You see, I've been considering moving one of my forums, and I mentioned that I write to one of the people that was considering being dumb enough to accept this forum.

She asked me what I wrote.

I said "Words." - Tim

On this day in history, May 21, 1924: Bobby Franks dies at the hands of two teenaged University of Chicago students who wish to commit the "perfect crime." Richard Loeb, 18 years old, and Nathan Leopold, aged 19, were both bright, energetic, and wealthy young men. They had both skipped grades and entered college early. Loeb had already finished his undergrad studies and was said to have an IQ of 160. Leopold was a child prodigy who had studied 15 languages speaking 5 fluently and gave lectures on orthinology. His IQ was said to be 200.

The pair got Bobby in the car and then hit him in the head and stuffed a rag in his mouth. He died immediately rather than as the young men planned. Their "perfect" hiding place for the body was discovered within hours. Instead of collecting a ransom, headlines from a special edition newspaper cried that the body of Bobby had been found. Leopold dropped his specially made glasses at the scene. Both murderers confessed within weeks. They were defended by Clarence Darrow who managed to get life imprisonment for murder and 99 years for kidnapping rather than the death sentence. Loeb was attacked by another inmate and died of his wounds in 1936. Leopold was released from prison after 33 years in 1958 and died at the age of 66 from a heart attack.



"From Jesse James to Loeb and Leopold, from the perpetrators of the St Valentine's Day's massacre to the Lindbergh kidnapper and beyond, our celebrated delinquents have become a part of the national heritage." - F. W. Dupree



"What a rotten writer of detective stories life is!" - Nathan Leopold



"No other offense has ever been visited with such severe penalties as seeking to help the oppressed." - Clarence Darrow

More!  More!

I heard the old dog start to bark...

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Re: Alternative Meats

Buffalo products are available at Costco. Pretty darn good, too. Ostrich
can be found at most Natural Grocers. Whole Foods, Wild Oats, Vitamin
Cottage. The corner grocery store used to carry ground horse meat. We used
to cook it up for the dog when he was feeling poorly. I'm quite sure some
of it made it into human consumption. It is based on the human/horse bond.
The horse was a noble animal, and not just a beast like cattle or hogs.
You've been to the New Mexico State Fair??? Did you happen to see a very
eccentric woman with a hat? And distinctive glasses? L&K - hermit
[I loved the NM State Fair. Tamales in the Spanish village, Fry Bread in Indian village, you could eat all day there. Your discription doesn't ring any bells, however you have to remember I was living in Santa Fe. You have to be really eccentric to stand out in that town! There's a Wild Oats near here, I'll have to check and see if they have Ostrich. Thanks]


You need to come visit us down in South Louisiana. Now, while I don't know of anyone that eats horsemeat, alternative meat sources are readily available. Our crawfish season is coming to a close for the year and what a bumper crop we had this year. It is not uncommon at all to find venison served as the Sunday roast in many homes. Nutria ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nutria ) is being touted as the other white meat. I distinctly remember my mother buying farm-raised rabbit at the local grocery when I growing up. And who can pass up a good turtle soup? I was never so happy as when I moved back home from Ohio. You know you're from Louisiana when you can go anywhere in the world and will still complain about the food. I guess what I'm trying to say is most people are uptight about trying new things. Maybe if they start their marketing down here, we'll start making equestrian jambalaya. - Lisa in Baton Rouge
[I had a Cajun art teacher in Dallas. He would have a party to celebrate the end of school and cook up a giant pot of gumbo. The only rule was that you couldn't ask what kind of meats were used! I don't think he used anything too weird, but that comment would usually scare a few people away from the pot.]


I wouldn't have a problem eating horse meat, but if the subject came up with my horse woman friend, I would feign total horror over the idea, because she practically lives to ride and actually had to put down one of her horses last year, and it broke her heart. Horses don't exactly equal cats and dogs as more than just pets here, but it just wouldn't fly in the US. You'd be eating Fury or Trigger or Secretariat, or, oh god, Barbaro, who had a rough enough ending without ending up as Derby Tartar. I think it comes down to names and intelligence. You just can't kill and eat an animal you've named, and it just seems so wrong to do the same to an animal that shows some degree of smarts.
Which is why you, Mike, should wake up in a cold sweat some early morning, having nightmares about eating that raccoon. They're so smart, and wily, and dexterous with their little hands, that they can figure how to get into anything.
That has to be respected, so they should get a pass, even if they kill your chickens, harrass your cat, terrorize your Shi Tzu and move into your house.
Excuse me, but I think there's a possum under my computer. Be right back. - menudo


I think the reason certain animal meats are "taboo" is because our society has befriended that species. In America, we consider dogs and cats more as "family pets" than "family snack." While there are exceptions, they're far and few in between.
Horses are used for sport and sometimes as pets. Children always wish for a pony, and even mystical creatures are based off them. (eg: Unicorns)
Cows, Buffalo, and even Pigs are portrayed more as dumb creatures, animals that we shouldn't feel sorry about when they're bred for food. Yet I'm sure that if someone had a pet pig, they would feel hesitant on having sausage for breakfast because they have a new belief on the animal. - David, 20, Pennsylvania


http://nutiva.com/about/media/2006_02_01a.php
http://liberalvaluesblog.com/?p=454

after the meat talk , I was reminded of an article I read a few months ago
about the consumption of Omega-6. The actual article I was looking for was a
study conducted in Britain. British violent offenders were fed controlled
food, some high in Omega-3 and others high in omega-6. The corn based
omega-6 led to a 15% increase in violent anti-social behavior. I cannot find
that article, but these two (above) are a close second. - Mark in Rochester, New York


Mike, the standard advice about eating fat and cholesterol raising cholesterol levels has been disproved many time, most importantly in the Framingham study. For more info on the truth about cholesterol levels, a good place to start if thincs.org. DLB
[I'm taking a cholesterol lowering drug now.  I stress test it with a big fat steak as often as I can!  Seriously though, the drug has lowered my bad cholesterol quite a bit.  No matter what I did with diet, the levels were always elevated.]

Re: RGQ Blog

I like the blog format. Actually, whenever I've mentioned that I contributed my thoughts on the internet, I call IGQ a blog, because that's the word that's understood and recognized. I wouldn't know what else to call it. And I did turn on a friend to IGQ several years ago, and she is a contributor in the comments section. I'm thinking of sending one to another friend, but you gotta admit that it's not your average blog, with rambling and here and there unconnected thoughts (oops , like me). IGQ, the very first time it's read, prompts you to think and even do research before you state your case, or offer counter arguments, or even just comment. (I get a pass, here, I hope. I just babble incoherently), but read and learn to the point where my head is spinning from so much information and so many different lives and so many important and sometimes literally life and death situations.
Tonight, I'm going to send this issue to a friend. Sorry, a littly wordy there. - menudo
[Thanks for the feedback menudo.  There are a couple of problems with the links in the blog, but I'm hoping to go live with it in the near future.]


Re: Toothpaste Myth

Lady Robin, the Fact Ferret, I love your stuff, very informative and good information. I just want to add something that might be useful for explaining cavities. Even though you may brush your teeth, and even floss, cavities are inevitable if you breathe thriugh your mouth while asleep rather than through your nose. Saliva kills germs, but when your mouth is wide open, the air kills the bacteria that saliva contains. So, wake yourself up, and command yourself to breathe through your nose, whether it's natural for you, or not. It'll save you countless money in dental bills. Or get your damned nose fixed, whichever is cheaper. - menudo



Re: Body Snatcher Update

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18724972/

Funny thing is Mr green (DA) has lost most experienced asst DA after election and has become the "Plea Bargain" king. I believe because he doesn't have the manpower to take anything to court!!

Kinda makes things interesting. Most people here in Roch want those sick
bastards behind bars, but with Mr Green.........

we're expecting some VERY lenient (Fines) sentences. - Mark in Rochester, New York

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Greetings, Quotaholics;

I've probably mentioned before that work is not my favorite thing. It starts too early in the morning and ends too late in the evening. Plus you don't get to take a nap.

I had pretty much given up napping by kindergarten. Back when I was a kid, about the time they invented dirt, kindergarten wasn't required. However, my mother signed me up and took me for my first day.

I was horrified that some of the kids were writing on the blackboard and doing math. I was afraid that I was supposed to know how to do that. The real indignity came when they rolled out mats and expected us to take a nap!

I refused to go back. I was willing to read and do math if that's what was expected, but I flat refused to take a nap. That was for babies.

My wife reintroduced me to napping when we first got married. I took 6 weeks off between jobs and we got to have a long honeymoon together. Of course, being a newlywed, there were certain benefits to nap time that I don't remember from kindergarten, but I was surprised at how much a nap would refresh me and how much more I got accomplished in the afternoon and evening.

These days a long morning at work, a big lunch, and a boring afternoon is a recipe for falling over on my keyboard.

If only somebody would get smart and allow napping at work.

As it turns out, some companies are doing just that. According to the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Post Gazette, "An article in the January issue of the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine says fatigued workers cost employers $136.4 billion each year in health-related lost productive time. It's at least part of the reason companies such as British Airways, Nike Inc. and Pizza Hut International allow their workers nap breaks and find productivity increased as a result. A NASA study found that a short nap can boost workers' output by as much as 34 percent."

Harvard University-trained psychologist and sleep researcher Sara C. Mednick was quoted as saying, "The health benefits are beyond the cognitive stuff, like increased memory and productivity. There have been some epidemiological studies that show decreases in heart disease and stress."

The article continued, "The overall benefits have some countries where businesses had traditionally shut down after lunch for a midday siesta rethinking more recent efforts to stop the practice in the name of global commerce. The Spanish government, for example, pulled the plug on naps for civil servants in 2005 and is trying to end the daily doze for all workers. China, the fastest-growing major economy in the world, also is increasingly ditching the venerable nap in favor of a 9-to-5 workday model."

It's funny that by the time the U.S. and U.K. start to recognize the benefits of napping, other countries are trying to follow our lead and get rid of the practice.

How about you, do you need a nap? Do you think this will catch on? Will we all soon be running around with "pillow hair" in the afternoon?

I wonder what my wife will say when I come home and tell her I slept with all the women at work?

Nodding off,

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"Cleaning your house while your kids are still growing is like shoveling the sidewalk before it stops snowing" - Phyllis Diller

E-Mail the Imp

I ran across a blog where a guy went off on the five musical instruments he hated . As wild as this guy got about musical instruments, I'd hate to see what he would write about an ex-wife after a divorce.

I was going to counter with a piece about the musical instruments I love but I couldn't come up with a list. Not that I hate musical instruments, I just couldn't come up with which ones I liked best. Depending on the circumstance and situation I like almost all music, and with the different styles of music…including native folk art; that means all instruments are encountered and acceptable within their genre.

So I decided to concentrate on the styles of music I liked best, and least, and the musical instruments associated with those styles. That led me to my own list of disliked musical instruments. I suppose my favorite types of music are the Blues and Boogie. The instruments are simple, and when played by experts can produce sorrow, joy, or simply get your mojo working. My list of instruments is compiled of the ones I think are least suited to be in a Blues Band.

Jews' Harp. (Also known as a Jaw Harp) It's played by clenching between the teeth and plucked with the finger, using the mouth to amplify the sound and change the pitch and tone. It always sounds flat or off key to me, and tends to make dogs howl. Besides, you can't sing the blues with a hunk of metal jammed in your mouth.

Penny Whistle. Include piccolos, fifes, flutes, and ocarinas. They're too reedy and high pitched to fit with the mellow tones of an acoustic guitar, a muted coronet, and the underlying base tones of a plucked bass. They also tend to make dogs howl.

Accordion. Accordions sound best when they're used in Polka Bands, but since I quit drinking, I found I don't like polkas sober. They're great in a Zydeco Band and blend well with the sound of a stroked washboard. But they're too strident for a Blues Band and tend to make dogs howl.

Calliope. Great with a Barnum and Bailey animal parade, but I don't really like musical instruments that are bigger than my car and too heavy for a Chevy to tow. They also tend to make dogs howl.

Tambourine. This is a small, portable, percussion instrument that has no affect on dogs. It brings up images of Salvation Army Bands playing very bad music, usually Christmas Carols and Hymns around a kettle, looking for donations. They make me howl.

Moog Synthesizer. This is an electronic screech machine that can get a cat to answer a howling dog.

Just like swishing water around in your mouth cleanses your palate at a wine tasting, I think I'll clear my musical palate now with a bit of Fats Waller and Muddy Waters.

The Bad Sied

On this day in history, May 23, 1785: Benjamin Franklin writes a letter claiming he invented double lenses spectacles. Our ancient ancestors had to cope with poor of failing eyesight as there were no corrective measures available to them. Seneca, born around 4 BC, read while looking through a globe of water to achieve some means of magnification. Nero watched gladiators while gazing through an emerald, not as magnifying lens, but as sunglasses.

In 1268, Roger Bacon described corrective lenses in Opus Majur and in 1289 di Popozo wrote about them and called them "spectacles." While the first lenses were simply magnifiers, by the 16th century concave lenses were made for correction of near-sightedness. It took over 300 years to correct one design flaw – keeping the lenses correctly positioned in front of the eyes. First they were placed in frames that were perched on the nose – pince-nez. Some noses were simply not up to the task. By the 17th century, silk ribbons were tied to the frames and looped around the ears. In 1730 rigid side pieces were added and in 1752 they were finally hinged.



"I wear my wife's eyeglasses because she wants me to see things her way." - Jayson Feinburg



"Rose-colored glasses are never made in bifocals. Nobody wants to read the small print in dreams." - Ann Landers



"I had some eyeglasses. I was walking down the street when suddenly the prescription ran out." - Stephen Wright

Annie came out of retirement, I see...

I winked and turned the lights way down low...

Hints:  There's a great rhyming dictionary at http://www.rhymezone.com/
Limerick rules.  http://freespace.virgin.net/merrick.sheldon/limerickrules.htm 

Submit Opening Line

Re: Breastfeeding

I have got to tell the story of my grandfather!

He was a sickly child to the point that his doctor told his mother that he would probably die before he reached his 20th birthday. Needless to say, he was always pampered as a child and she breastfed him until he was six years old. He remembered standing behind a door, waiting for company to leave so he could "feed."

He lived for many years a wild, free life. He married my grandmother when she was 15 and they had four children. He lost a son to World War II, and about 10 years later lost a daughter to cancer, causing him to rethink his life, and at which time he became a minister and pastored a church until his late 70s, early 80s. He took care of my grandmother for 10 years after she had a stroke and was "bedfast" (he was in his 90s at that time).

After she died, he lived another 5-6 years and finally died at age 103; but up until the day he died, he had all his "wits" about him. His only problems were hearing and sight. However if one wrote notes to him with bold black magic markers, he could still see the message.

And the strange thing is, us kids would go out on the tractor with him (he had a farm and sometimes he'd let us "drive" the tractor - a real thrill for us) ever since he was at least 60 years old - he'd always say to us, "well, I don't know if I'll be here another Christmas or not, I might not make it until then." He suffered with a "nervous stomach" and it seemed he was always expecting to die soon.

I firmly believe that though he nursed for much longer than normal, it had to have had a positive impact on his life and longetivity.

I really miss my grandpa. - Noella


After reading the article this morning about breast feeding, I found this article that suggests that human breast milk may fight cancer.

http://cbs4denver.com/watercooler/watercooler_story_141112445.html - Lisa in Colorado
[I know none of you want me to die from cancer, therefore I will be accepting volunteers to help me fight the possibility!]


We knew of someone who had a kid who would follow her around in the mall yelling "TIT... TIT!!!
My opinion is when the child has teeth IT'S TIME TO MOVE ON!!!!!!
I think Sigmund Freud breast-fed until he was about 45. - Bruce in Colorado


Mike said "I've always been a big believer in breastfeeding." So have I but at the age of 58 my wife says I'm too old!
I seem to remember a vidoe clip of John Lennon & Yoko Ono with him singing {I think} Imagine.
Yoko was breast feeding one of the boys who seemed about 5 or 6. - Still reading but only occasionally writing; Jesse in Mount Isa, Australia


Re: History

Patti said "on this day in history, May 21, 1924: Bobby Franks dies at the hands of two teenaged University of Chicago students who wish to commit the "perfect crime." I think Patti should also have mentioned Bobby was only 14 years old. - Still reading but only occasionally writing; Jesse in Mount Isa, Australia


Re: Living With Disability

Jan--I've had experience dealing with a person who has
disabilities, although not on the order you are going
through. I've heard so many opinions about my
brother-in-law's disability I could scream sometimes
(He lives with us and has Down Syndrome). I wish there
was something concrete I could tell you. You are
already doing what I do--taking one day at a time.
Here's a couple of websites that might have some
information you can use:

http://www.isbd.org/portal/

http://www.obad.ca/

http://www.sfn.org/index.cfm?pagename=brainBriefings_bipolarDisorderAndTheBrain

You say your son's symptoms include " voices in his
head"? Are you sure the problem is bi-polar and not
schizophrenia? I've only been around one person who
was BP--but I can't remember if she had trouble with
that kind of symptom. I know she mentioned
hallucinations--pink elephants, in fact!
I'm not trying to diagnose or second guess your
knowledge of the problem--just offering a different
view point in the hope it might give you some new
direction to look in. I had heard that recently they
are checking some ADHD patients for tonsil and adenoid
problems--seems that can make it worse, or even mimics
the symptoms of ADHD.
My heart goes out to you but I won't give you the crap
about being a hero or anything. You are just doing the
job of a mother, even if yours is harder than most.
I'm sure you've tried just about everything you can
think of to make life normal for your son, if nothing
else I'd like to give you my hope that something helps
him. - Ruth in Washington

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Greetings, Quotaholics;

I think most of us agree that discrimination is wrong.

Telling someone they can't live where they want because of their race, or they can't have a job because of their sexual orientation is also illegal in most parts of the world. In Australia the law covering discrimination is the Equal Opportunity Act. It is possible, apparently, to appeal this law.

According to an article I found at National Nine News, a Melbourne bar has asked for, and been granted, an exemption. The bar happens to cater to the gay community. Their request, to the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal, was to be allowed to exclude heterosexuals from admission to the bar.

"The owners of Collingwood's Peel Hotel, which came under fire in April for promoting a gay Anzac Day party, successfully argued to the state planning tribunal that banning heterosexuals from the club would prevent 'sexually based insults and violence'".

"VCAT deputy president Cate McKenzie claimed that allowing straight men and women into the club would defeat the purpose of the venue. 'This would undermine or destroy the atmosphere which the company wishes to create,' McKenzie said. 'Sometimes heterosexual groups and lesbian groups insult and deride and are even physically violent towards the gay male patrons.'"

Wait a minute. Couldn't other businesses and clubs make the same argument?

Maybe I don't want gays in my bar, because they make fun of the straight patrons. Maybe I don't want women in my private club because they make the men feel awkward. Maybe I don't want blacks in my country music bar because the rednecks always start fights with them.

Would these examples be any more discriminatory than the Australian example?

I just don't understand the logic we see in the laws these days. You can't have anything that is all white, all Christian, all men, or all heterosexual. But it's perfectly fine to have a group, club, or organization that is all black, all Muslim, all women, and now all gay!

Am I way off base here? Is discrimination any less evil when it is the minorities doing the discrimination? If you owned a business in Melbourne that was forced, by law, to admit everyone, would you be upset about this decision? Are you upset anyway?

Indiscriminately,

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E-Mail the Imp

You hear a loud noise and you go to investigate, golf club in hand just in case there's an intruder. You enter your bathroom and find an intruder hiding behind the commode. Method of entry? Through the roof.

You have just discovered something from space that crashed through your roof, just like the Nageswaran family of Freehold Township, NJ did on January 2nd of this year.

Two geologists from Rutgers University, along with an independent metallurgist, soon arrived. They concluded that the golf ball size, 13 ounce rock — tentatively named "Freehold Township" — was an iron meteorite.

It is extremely rare for meteorites, or any space debris to hit a man made object. The objects that do are usually a fairly good source of income for the owner of the house or car. But this one is special. It turns out that it isn't a meteorite at all, but a hunk of stainless steel alloy. It's a melted blob that bears no resemblance to any man made object, and so far no one can determine where it came from.

I have a theory that the piece of debris was part of a space craft or probe that blew up in orbit many years ago. It was located in the same thin band of garbage as most of the rest of the debris from booster rockets, satellites, dumped astronaut trash, and dropped tools that haven't fallen out of orbit and burned up. It has an irregular shape that leads you to believe it melted and cooled in space. It has pock marks which are similar to craters on asteroids and the moon.

There are all sorts of "rock" particles screaming around at tens of thousands of miles per hour between the planets. Quite a few, if not most, are in orbits around the sun similar to comets and asteroids. Some are just free spirited asteroid splinters on a kamikaze dive into the sun. The chances of anything hitting something as small as a satellite are slim. Since most particles are the size of flakes of dust, the amount of damage they can do is minimal, but something the size of a marble could tear up a satellite or space probe.

My theory is that a collision took place on July 7th, 1947 between a golf ball size rock traveling at 40K – 50K mph (65K – 80K kph) and an alien space ship in low earth orbit. The vessel was severely damaged and the crew attempted an emergency landing on earth. It suffered the same fate as the Shuttle Columbia during reentry, and blew up. The resulting debris was the basis of The Roswell Incident; and the stainless steel blob that landed in New Jersey is the last remnant of the alien mother ship.

That should get the Ufologists and conspiracy nuts out of the woodwork.

The Bad Sied

Funny stuff!

I couldn't believe what I heard...

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Re: Young Love

I fell in love for the first time when I was ten (fifth grade, however old you are when you're in that grade). And since then . . . even through all the relationships I've had, all the good moments I've shared with some boyfriends and all the other stuff, I've only really been in love one other time. So I definitely think it's possible to fall in love at any age.

My sisters, with whom I've spoken extensively over this issue, have a different experience. One had just the experience that this article warns about - though she was in an unhappy marriage, she never let it show. She just thought that the marriage would be forever, and it was comfortable. She settled for what she could get. Then an ex-boyfriend came into her life, and it was more than a mess; but she says she was happy with the ex-boyfriend in a way that she knew she could never be with her husband.

My other sister, though in a comfortable relationship with a man who is a very nice man and a great father, is not in love and has never been so - much to MY surprise. My relationship with my first love has always been a friendship, because as a kid, I'd always been WAY too shy to tell him how I felt. (And I didn't want to scare him off, :) ) But the feeling that I get when I see him, when I talk to him, even when I read an e-mail of his, is one incomparable to what I've ever felt for anyone else. I feel safe and accepted, and I trust him immensely.

Though we were just kids when we met, I knew from the very beginning that I wanted to grow old with him; I could see us having a marriage and a family, and I believed wholeheartedly that it could last forever, like I believe a marriage should. I still feel that way - going on eleven years later. And even though our lives haven't been interwined very much these past ten years, somehow . . . we always seem to find each other again.

So maybe there's something to that, and maybe there isn't. Am I just being childish? Or is there really something to be said for the concept of "true love"? Who knows? I guess I'll know when I end up married to my first love; the one person I've met with whom I feel immensely comfortable, the person who makes the world disappear when we speak, the person who I trust to tell every secret and every painful memory, the one who's last name I'd be proud to bear as my own someday, and the one for whom, above all, I wish complete and utter happiness, with or without me as his wife. - Juana in New Mexico



Bruce asked: "Do you think it's possible for a young teen, perhaps 13-16 years old to truly fall in love? If not, is there some sort of age limit before one can really love someone else?"

Love is hard work... HOLES ARE WHAT YOU FALL INTO!
Infatuation is not love, and the first "love" rekindling is more of a longing for an idealistic relationship that doesn't exist. People imagine what a perfect relationship looks like, and by way of transference, invent the "reality" into existence with the other person.

I have a friend whose 12 year old marriage fell apart because his wife pined for the guy she dated before "Leroy" came along. She finally decided to hook up with her first "love", play "hide the chorizo" with him, and jettison "Leroy". She soon found out that her first choice was a train-wreck who is jealous, beats her and demands to know her whereabouts at all times... so her expectations of this utopian relationship were shot to hell within the first year. - Bruce in "Cynicism" Colorado



Re: ADD and Food Coloring

Bruce wrote: "I found an interesting article that refers to the possibility that food coloring could be a cause of ADD in children."

As a matter of interest, my sister ( 23 years ago) noticed that her kids were acting up after eating certain foods (having to almost be scraped off the ceiling), and it was determined that the major cause of this was a dye called Yellow No. 5, found in - of all things - ketchup! As well as, obviously, many other foods. No Yellow No. 5, no problems with the kids! Easy, for us. Thank goodness. (I'm so glad our family wasn't affected by this - one of my favorite candies was loaded with Yellow No. 5, and I had no ill effects!) - Lyn in Florida



Re: Homosexuals at the Pentagon

The last time Bruce in Colorado wrote about homosexuals I asked him for his evidence. I'd still love to see it. We're all still waiting.

This time, in his alarmist phraseology he asserts, "If this country transforms our national security into a politically correct social experimentation to assuage the attitude you hold, we are screwed!" Wow, what a powerful turn of phrase! But his accompanying arguments show that HETEROSEXUALS should be banned from the job. I could trace out the logic, but Bruce in Colorado isn't concerned with logic, this is just about oppressing the homosexual minority.

James Bond is fictional, which is sure lucky for him. Colorado Bruce would sack him because his promiscuity might cause him to expose secrets to the wrong people for a strange piece of ass. Yeah right. - Sincerely, John in Oz



Re: Life After the Oil Crash - Reader Submission

Ellen asked readers to debunk this website for her.
http://www.lifeaftertheoilcrash.net

I can't debunk it, but I think I can take some of the "doom and gloom" out of it. There's little doubt that the status quo is slowly changing and the vast oil deposits in the Middle East, the Gulf of Mexico, South America, Alaska, et al, will someday be depleted. And yes, they will produce less oil per capita in the next few years than they did twenty years ago before they run dry.

The article cited the massive reserves of oil sand and oil shale but stated that the expense of production would never be as cheap, relatively, as pumping oil out of the ground and that production levels would never equal the old tried and true method we currently rely on so heavily. Not quite true. As more and more oil companies look to oil sand and oil shale reserves in Canada and the US (There are also sites elsewhere in the world), techniques for extraction and processing will improve, thereby lowering costs and increasing production levels. These companies have already invested billions in start-up money and would not have done so, and continue to invest, had the prognosis for no profit been on the horizon.

The cost of fuel will go up. But eventually the economy will stabilize while costs for everything adjust to the increased price of fuel. In the meantime, there are the new coal gasification techniques that are being tested which will bring additional fuel into the marketplace, and there are enough coal reserves to provide fuel for about another hundred years.

The non-fuel uses for petrochemicals will probably increase in the near future. But I'm sure that we'll be able to produce enough fuel and oil from oil sand, oil shale, and coal gasification to cover our needs. In the immediate future there are always the massive reserves of methane and methane hydrates available to take the place of some of our oil requirements. We already have an infrastructure to handle natural gas which can be expanded, if we desire, to provide natural gas as fuel for our power plants, much of our shipping, truck and heavy equipment fleets, taxis, busses, and even private autos. It is estimated that there is about twice as much methane hydrates, than all the coal and oil, in any form, in the world.

While we shift gears to these alternate oil and fuel sources, technology can be brought to a level that will make hydrogen powered vehicles competitive with gas powered vehicles. Fuel cell technology is improving daily, and one of these types of fuel cells uses methane which we have in great abundance. Battery technology will improve to the point where electric vehicles could become more prevalent than gas powered vehicles, which will most likely be hybrids in just a few years.

Lastly, we need immediate improvements in the efficiency (read miles per gallon) in our gas powered vehicles to offset the heavy use of oil products as fuel. One way is to promote the sale and use of "smart cars", sometimes called "city cars". Zap International will be bringing the Obvio and Toyota will bring the Aygo to the US in 2008 and several other auto manufacturers are following suit. Another way to increase vehicle efficiency is to improve the efficiency of the internal combustion engine. One way being looked at is going to a six stroke, vice a four stroke, engine. Combining a "Steam-o-lene" engine with a generator in a "city car" could mean getting well over a hundred miles a gallon without giving up much more than a bit of passenger space.

Apocalyptic ramblings aside, we do face some hard times ahead, but the vision of a Mel Gibson "Road Warrior" future isn't one of them. All we need to do is manage what assets we have and use them wisely. - sied



I've never yet seen a climate alarmist connect the dots between Peak Oil and Greenhouse. But the two CANNOT exist together. The IPCC says temperature will go up by a degree and a half over the next hundred years if China increases it's oil use 40 fold. The scarier predictions are based on the assumption that the world will use more than that. They never, ever, say where the oil will come from.

Yes, a 10% reduction in oil supply will be an economic and social catastrophe. Ellen's article proves this. But that is nothing compared to the humanitarian disaster the Climate Alarmists want to manufacture by cutting oil use by 70%. It's the difference between being cut and being flensed. - Sincerely, John in Oz

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