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April 30, 2006
Da Vinci Code Quest: Day Fourteen
Another more challenging version of previous challenges (in this case,Day Two)
and Day
Eight. Once
you've solved it, you will be asked a question, probably to decode a word
using the Atbash cipher. My question was
"Translate krhglo from Atbash". The answer is "pistol". I found the answer
at Wikipedia. Alternatively you can use Mike Salsbury's
nifty Atbash Cipher Decoder/Translator.
Please add your question and answer to the comments.
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Da Vinci Code Quest: Day Thirteen
This challenge is very similar to those from Day
One and Day
Seven. Once you solve it, you will
be asked a question. I was asked to "Translate cospirazione from Italian".
The answer is "conspiracy", without the quotes. On a second run I got
"Translate vol from French", the answer being "flight". For your question, likely a
different word to translate, I would do a
Google search (see the top of this page) for the word then
click on "Translate this page." Depending on the word, it should be pretty
straight forward to find the translated word. Alternatively you could go
straight to a translator such as Babel Fish. Please leave your word and
answer in comments.
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April 29, 2006
Clyde Kennard
In 1958, a Chicago man by the name of Clyde Kennard applied for admission
to the University of Southern Mississippi. He was actually a student at the
University of Chicago when he attempted to transfer.
His application was denied for much different reasons than the University
gave him. You must remember, the year was 1958, the state was Mississippi,
and Clyde Kennard was black.
The initial rejection did not deter Kennard. He continued forward with his
transfer attempt. However, in 1960 the leaders in Mississippi
framed him for stealing chicken feed. He was sentenced to seven years in prison, not for
stealing chicken feed but for being a black man trying go to college in
Mississippi.
While in prion, he developed cancer and was freed by Gov. Ross Barnett in
1963. He died later that year.
It seems that the matter of a pardon and expunging of the conviction from
his record would simply be an academic procedure. His innonence is not
questioned by anyone today. However, much effort has still been required just
to keep the matter afloat. The parole board of Mississippi is set to review
the case this week and issue a recommendation. Unfortunately, should they
recommend a pardon and expunging of his record, the current governor of
Mississippi, Hayley Barbour, has said he will not grant clemency nor expunge
Kennard's record. His reason is that Mississippi has no history or granting
clemency to the deceased. Mr. Barbour, you have a chance to make history.
It would go a long way toward removing this black mark from the history of your state.
The refusal to do so only reinforces the notion that Mississippi is a
backwater state full of racist bigots.
A simple act to clear one man's name.
It's not a radical idea. Just the right thing to do.
April 28, 2006
Da Vinci Code Quest: Day Twelve
Just like the Day Six
Challenge, you have puzzle to put together. It may be easier to find the four corner pieces
and place them first, then place the edge pieces, and finally the center
pieces. Just some jigsaw puzzle solving hints. The question is "By adding
some PIZAZZ to A NOVEL IDEA and rearranging the letters,
you'll get the location of a museum in this eternal city. What is the name
of the city?"
The
answer is Rome. Next, Click on the Greek Cross, located just below where
Google Maps places the Palazzo d Venezia, marked on the
image below.
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Da Vinci Code Quest: Day Eleven
Just like the Day Five
Challenge.
A couple of different ways to solve this one. You can either look at the
chess moves for each answer, or just choose the correct response based on
knowledge from the book. The questions and answers are:- A word that
can be read the same backwards or forwards is called
Answer: A palindrome - Jacques Sauniere's body was found in which
part of the Louuvre?
?
Answer: The Denon Wing -
The quick brown fox jumps over a lazy dog is an example of
Answer:
A pangram
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April 27, 2006
Senators to push for $100 gas rebate checks
While I would gladly except such rebate check, the proposed $100 gas rebate checks by a group of Senators (Charles Grassley of Iowa, Ted
Stevens of Alaska, Pet Domenici of New Mexico, and Rick Santorum of
Pennsylvania) is asinine. It is nothing more than election year politics.
If these Senators truly wanted to find a solution to the high cost of
energy, they would be looking for ways to reduce the demand for oil and
gas.
One such way would be to implement a tax adjustment for passenger vehicles
that get less than 25 miles per gallon. And then offer a tax break for
people driving cars that get greater than 25 miles per gallon. The tax and
tax break should be sizable, perhaps $100-$500 for each mile above or below
the threshold. Thus, anyone driving a Hummer would have to pay an
additional $1200 to $6000 a year. If you can afford a Hummer, you an afford
this tax. Anyone driving a Honda Insight would get a $3600 to $18,000 tax
break. Okay, so perhaps there should be some limits. Cap the tax and tax
break to $5000. Of course there should exceptions for businesses who can show
an absolute need for a low mileage vehicle and those below a certain
income. Also, I'm not saying the tax and tax break are absolute adjustments
to the tax. The amounts I've listed should be added or subtracted in the
calculation for adjusted gross income. And the tax should be affective for
every year the car is owned, not just the purchase year.
What should the government do with the extra revenue generated from this
tax? Put it straight into energy research, and more than just the hydrogen
kick the President is on. We should invest in solar, wind, and hydoelectric
power. While it is true that with current technology we would have to cover
an area the size of Arizona with solar panels to get enough electricity,
that's not something we need to do. Imagine if everyone had solar panels on
their roofs. There must be millions of square feet on American rooftops. I
would venture to guess that we could collect enough electricity to power
our cities and cars in such a scenario. No more gas or coal!
The things I've proposed above may not be the best solutions, but they are
certainly better than the politics the government is playing in offering
gas rebates and vowing to question oil companies about their profits.
A Mexican Sunrise: Chapter 3: The planning
"So how are we going to do this?"
Isaac asked Charlie.
Charlie loved this question. He had
been formulating a plan in his head, and now had a chance to reveal it to
somebody. But he wasn't going to just tell Isaac his plan. He wanted to see
if he could get Isaac to reach the same conclusion that he had by leading
him along. It was a method some believed Charlie used to make someone think
they actually came up with the idea, but that wasn't Charlie's intent. He
simply enjoyed seeing a person's face light up at the moment of new
understanding.
"Well, according to this article,
these guys knocked the train off of its tracks."
"I thought you said that's something
we shouldn't do."
"It is."
"Then how are we going to do it?"
"What would you do?"
"Well, I suppose I would come up with
a plan that didn't knock the train off of its tracks."
"We've already established that
criteria. Do you have any ideas of what else we could do?"
Isaac sat thinking for a moment.
"Well, I suppose we could make the train stop somehow. I've heard of other
robberies committed by blocking the tracks and boarding the train once it
stops."
"Okay, that doesn't knock it off of
its tracks. But, it does expose us as we try to board the train. There
would be no doubt what we were up to or to our identities."
"So, we need to get on the train
without anybody noticing."
"No, we need to get on the train
without anybody suspecting us."
"What, huh, um." Isaac was not used
to making plans of deception, so his confusion and inability to understand
Charlie was understandable. "Okay, let me get this straight. We need to
stop the train and get on without anybody suspecting us."
"I never said we have to stop the
train, but you are right about the second part."
"Not stop the train? How are we going
to get on without raising suspicion if the train is barreling through the
desert? Just jump onto it?"
"I never said we had to get on a
moving train."
"What?! You just said we're not going
to stop the train. Now which is it?"
"How do other people get on the
train?"
"You mean other robbers? They stop
the train or knock it off of its tracks."
"Right, and immediately expose their
identities as thieves. But there are other people who get on the train and
nobody ever suspects them."
"Who are you talking about?"
"Let me put it this way. If you were
to want to get from Deming to San Francisco by train, what would you
do?"
"I'd buy a ticket at the train
station."
"Exactly!"
"Huh? You're thinking of getting on
the train with tickets?"
"Think about it. How else can you get
on the train without raising suspicion? You buy a ticket and board legally
as one of the passengers. You never have to stop the train. Just get on at
boarding call."
"Okay, I understand. So, we buy our
tickets and get on the train. Then what, just start robbing people?"
"No, absolutely not! We're not going
to steal from the passengers, some of whom probably had to scratch for
every penny just to afford a train ticket."
"So we're just going to rob the
safe?"
"Yes, and also from a car containing
gold or silver being shipped between banks."
"I see. So, once we break into the
safe and gold car, we can take all we can carry. Then what are we going to
do? Throw our loot off the train and jump off, riding into the sunset?"
"If you jumped off a moving train, I
think that might be the last thing you ever do. There would be no riding
off into the sunset."
"So what do we do? How do we get our
loot and our intact selves off the train?"
"How do other people get off the
train?"
"You mean we're going to get off with
everybody else, just like we got on?"
"Yes."
"Won't the other passengers and
guards notice that we're getting off with stuff that doesn't belong to
us?"
"What do other passengers get off the
train with? Or should I say, what do they claim once they get off the
train?"
"I suppose their luggage."
"Exactly!"
"So we're going to add the money and
gold to our luggage and just get off the train with it?"
"Do you see any problems with that
plan?"
"How are we going to fit money and
gold into our luggage?"
The patience that Charlie was
displaying at attempting to get Isaac to understand his plan was amazing.
"How would you suggest we do it?"
"I guess we're going to have to
remove our clothes and stuff from our suitcases and leave them on the
train."
"Why would we do that? Wouldn't it be
easier to put empty suitcases onto the train?"
"Yes, that would be easier." Isaac
thought for a moment. "But, won't the baggage handlers become suspicious if
they notice that our bags suddenly got heavier during the trip?"
"I don't think the same baggage
handlers will handle our baggage at either end of our trip. Plus, just to
avoid suspicion at having a really light suitcase, we could put some lead
blocks into them. Now those we can throw from the train."
Isaac's face lit up. "Oh, that's
brilliant. We can get on the train as paying customers, perform our deed,
then get off the train as passengers arriving at our destination. The
luggage handlers will never know that they're handing us gold and money
from the safe."
Charlie had a smile of joy on his
face. "That's right. And if we're lucky, we could get upwards of fifty to a
hundred thousand dollars worth of money and gold."
"I can't even imagine how much money
that is."
"It's enough."
Isaac sat thinking it over for a bit.
$100,000. Definitely more than the reward money I might get. Plus it's a
brilliant plan. But, what if something goes wrong?
"Uh, Charlie?"
"Yeah."
"In the article, the robbers end up
dead. There's no chance that could happen to us, is there?"
"There's always that chance. But, as
long as we don't pull out guns, I don't think they'll shoot at us."
"I'm pretty sure they would if they
caught us in the safe."
"Probably."
"And being dead makes it kind of
difficult to enjoy the money."
Charlie chuckled. "You do have a
point there."
"So, maybe we should take guns with
us."
"No. No guns. I don't want the blood
of any innocent person on my hands. I'd rather get shot than shoot an
innocent man."
"I guess I would too. I just don't
want to end up dead."
"Nor do I. But it's a chance I'm
willing to take to get back to my wife. And I think it's finally a chance
for you to live the life you've wanted."
"You're right." Isaac said absently.
He had a lot on his mind. The whole thing sounded like an adventure and the
sum of the pay off was mind boggling. But he was still worried that
something could go wrong, that they might forget something. Aren't there
guards on the train? There would surely be a guard on the car with the
safe. And definitely on a car containing a Wells-Fargo shipment of gold or
silver.
"What about guards?" he asked
Charlie.
"Guards?"
"Yeah, aren't there guards for the
safe and gold?"
"I think so." Charlie knew there
usually were, and had not yet figured out how to get around them just
yet.
"How are we going to get past
them?"
"I'm still working on that part."
"Oh. Okay. One more thing."
"Yes."
"How are we going to open the
safe?"
"I've trained myself in
safe-cracking. I can do it pretty fast now, less than thirty seconds."
Isaac didn't say anything else. The
problem with the guards had numbed his initial excitement. How are we
going to get past them?
Not So Smart Science Writing from a 'Physics Phobe'
A recent piece from NPR, 'Smart Science Writing from a 'Physics Phobe'' highlights
a work by Jennifer Ouellette, "Black Bodies and Quantum Cats". The title is
a reference to black body radiation and Schroedinger's cat, but I won't go
into detail about those. My issue here is that the her writing demonstrates
only a superficial understanding of the science, basic high school level
science at that.
In the piece, an excerpt is included. In this excerpt, she gives an
interesting if brief history of roller coasters along with an anecdote
about the maiden run of 'Apollo's Chariot' in Maryland. However, that's
where the credibility ends. In attempting to explain the phenomenon
involved she refers to potential and kinetic energies. She states that the
roller coaster is "always shifting between potential (stored) and kinetic
(released) energy". A body does not shift between types of energies. It can
gain or lose the different types of energy, so it can be said that the body
is having its total energy converted between the two types. We will igore
energy losses due to friction.
The coaster train is initially pulled up the first hill, giving it more and
more potential energy as it rises. The potential energy is a function of
height and mass (PE=mgh, where m=mass, g=Earth gravitational constant, 9.8 m/s^2,
and h=height). Once at the top of the first hill, the train has all the energy it
will have for the duration of the ride. The total energy is a sum of
potential and kinetic energies, E=KE+PE. At the top of the hill, KE=0, such that
total energy, E, is equal to the potential energy. As it rolls down the hill, it
begins losing potential energy and gaining kinetic energy. Kinetic energy
is a function of mass and
speed (KE=0.5*mv^2, v=speed). If the train
goes all the way down such that its height is zero, all of the
potential energy has been converted to kinetic energy and the train is traveling
as fast as it possibly can travel. At
h=0, PE=0 and E=KE. Once the train begins
going up the next hill, it slows because kinetic energy is being lost and
potential energy gained. The take home message is that if you know your
height, you can always calculate your speed. The highest speed the train
can travel is dependent upon the height of the first hill.
Roller coasters simply don't go up and down hills, though. The tracks twist
and turn, causing the train and passengers to experience a range of forces
pushing them around. These are sometimes mistakenly referred (as Ouellette
did) to as "g-forces". A g-force is simply a convenient unit to measure the
magnitude of the force experienced, with one unit of g-force being equal to
that of the Earth pulling you toward it. In her description, she attempts
to explain the difference between weight and mass. She is correct that
weight is mass multiplied by the acceleration due to gravity. However, mass
is not "how many atoms make up our body". Different atoms have different
masses. For example, carbon is 12 times as massive as hydrogen. Mass is the
amount of matter in a body. If you could count the number of atoms in your
body, you still wouldn't know your mass without knowing the mass of the
individual atoms. By counting the number of different types of atoms, you
could then work out your mass.
This review wasn't meant to go into alot of detailed explanation, although
there is a fair amount. Ultimately, I just wanted to state that the book by
Jennifer Ouellette oversimplifies some concepts as wall as makes some
statements that are only partially correct. If someone claims to have
avoided science writing and physics in particular for 25 years, don't
expect them to suddenly be able to offer lucid explanations. Based on the excerpt, I would
not recommend this to anyone wishing to understand physics. Instead, look
for something written by Richard
Feynmann .
Da Vinci Code Quest: Day Ten
Similar to the Day Four
challenge. The answers to the questions are:- Octagon
- Holy
Water
- Silence
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Da Vinci Code Quest: Day Nine
A more challenging version of the Day Three challenge. Once
you get the paintings properly hung, you'll get a question. I got "Where
was Jean Cocteau born?". The answer is Maisons-Lafitte. Other questions from other
people have been:
- What month was Da Vinci born? Answer: April
- What year did Charles Nodier die? Answer: 1844
- What month was Isaac Newton born? Answer: December
- What were Galileo Galilei born? Answer: Pisa
- What year did Galileo Galilei die? Answer: 1642
- What, in square kilometers, is the area of Italy? Answer: 301,230
- What, in square kilometers, is the area of France? Answer: 547,030
- Where was Victor Hugo born? Answer: Besancon
- What month is Italy's National Holiday in? Answer: June
- What, in kilometers, is the length of the River Thames? Answer:
346
- What month did Jean Cocteau die? Answer: October
- What year was Mont Blanc first ascended? Answer: 1802
- Where was Leonardo da Vinci born? Answer: Vinci
- Where was Leorado Fibonacci born? Answer: Pisa
- What month was Mont Blanc first ascended? Answer: August
- What year was Jean Cocteau born? Answer: 1889
- What month did Claude Debussy die? Answer: March
Please post any questions not listed here in comments.
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Da Vinci Code Quest: Day Eight
Another more challenging version of a previous challenge (in this case,Day Two). Once
you've solved it, you will be asked a question. My question was "Who
received letters in ISBN: 0231037775?". The ISBN number refers to a book,
and a search in Google or
Amazon.com should find it for you. Then you will have to
figure it on your own. Some more examples:
- What is missing in ISBN 0804739056? Answer: Grace
- In ISBN 0860780848, what goes with culture in Italy and France? Answer:
censorship
- If you don't have society or art, what is left? ISBN 0198219784.
Answer: Patronage
- What is the title ritual of ISBN 0300076290? Answer: Childbirth
- ISBN 0394501128 has title to power and what? Answer: imagination
- The B sibling in ISBN 0300018312 is? Answer: Byzantine
- We are not the banks or palaces in ISBN 0860784843. What are we?"
Answer: entrepreneur
If you have an example not listed, please add it to the comments.
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Da Vinci Code Quest: Day Seven
This challenge is very similar to that from Day
One except the grid is 5x5 instead of 4x4. Once you solve it, you will
be asked a unit conversion question. I was asked "How many stones are in
2,794,129 carats?" The answer is 88. For your question, I would suggest
doing a Google search for "unit1 to unit2 conversion", without the quotes
and where unit1 is the first in your question (in my case, stone) and unit2
is the second (in my case, carat). Just use a calculator to find the answer
after that. Since there are 31,751.4659 carats in a stone, I simply divided
2,794,129 carats by 31,751.4659 carats/stone.
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Da Vinci Code Quest: Day Six
A puzzle to put together. It may be easier to find the four corner pieces
and place them first, then place the edge pieces, and finally the center
pieces. Just some jigsaw puzzle solving hints. The question is "This city
contains a three-dimensional version of Leonardo's The Last Supper created
by the Venuzuelan sculptor Marisol. What is the name of the city?" The
answer is New York.
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Da Vinci Code Quest: Day Five
A couple of different ways to solve this one. You can either look at the
chess moves for each answer, or just choose the correct response based on
knowledge from the book. The questions and answers are:- What is the
spiked belt that Silas wears called?
Answer: Cilice - What are the
second, third, and fourth leading members of the Priory of Sion
called?
Answer: Senechaux - The engraved tablet that is supposed
to reveal the hiding place of the Holy Grail is called the. . .?
Answer:
Keystone
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Da Vinci Code Quest: Day Four
Hang the paintings per the instructions. It's pretty straight forward, but
may take some trial and error to get it right. After that, you are asked
"The symbol shown on Sophie Neveu (pictured at left) is called what?" The
answer is a "Chalice" (no quotes).
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Da Vinci Code Quest: Day Three
There are three questions. You can watch the video if you like, but the
answers to the questions are:
- Fleur de lis
- Vitruvian
man
- 5
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Da Vinci Code Quest: Day Two
This challenge requires you to click on debris to restore the painting and
reveal the question. When you click a piece of debris, it will be
highlighted along with any other valid piece that it can be combined with.
You click on a valid piece to bring the debris together. You have to get
the order of combining the debris correct to clear the painting. Once you
have successfully done that, you are asked to "Name the symbol on Manuel
Aringarosa,, pictured at left." The symbols is the "Greek Cross" (no
quotes).
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Da Vinci Code Quest: Day One
The first day's puzzle is similar to a Sudoku puzzle. Just make sure every
line, horizontally and vertically, has each symbol only once. You will then
be asked a question "Please name the symbol on Robert Langdon (pictured at
left)." The name of the symbol is "Blade", without the quotes.
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April 24, 2006
Yesterday was a great day
Do you ever have days that just stand out in your memory? Days that you
wish would never end? I'm having more and more of those days as of late,
but yesterday was exceptional. My girlfriend and I decided to head to a
coffee shop so that she could study and I could work on some things.
We ended up at a Borders, a two story Borders. That's key, I think. The
coffee shop in the Borders is on the second floor. When we first arrived,
the place was packed and we had to sit at a tiny table. I had my eye on a
larger table next to the window, and when it opened up we pounced. The joy
of sitting by a large window on a beautiful, sunny day with a view of the
clear blue sky cannot be described adequately.
I enjoyed the chance to sit there, ponder, watch the activity on the street below, write, and just be with her.
I also got a fair bit of writing done. I started a story I think might just
lead to something pretty awesome. But, we'll see. We left Borders and found
some dinner, hoping there might be some way that our table would still be
there when we got back. Alas, twasn't to be. We decided to head down to a
Barnes and Noble just a couple of blocks away. A side note: The restrooms
in the Borders are at least an order of magnitude better than the ones at
BN. At least between these two. The coffee shop in BN is also
on the second floor. I spotted a girl leaving from a table by the window
and told my girlfriend. We then hurried in, thwarted only by a slow moving
group of three college age girls. When we arrived we had a table by the
window, one that was even near an electrical outlet! She studied some more
and I wrote some more before we had to go. It was a really great day, and I
hope we get to replay it many more times in the future.
April 21, 2006
Perception and Baseball
Here is an interesting article about how
some phenomenon in baseball are explained. For instance, it's actually
impossible for a batter to keep his eye on the ball all the way to the
plate. The angular velocity of the ball when it gets close to the plate is too fast for the eye to track it. A quick
calculation tells me that a pitch thrown at 85 miles per hour will have an
average
angular velocity of 1500 degrees/second for the final five feet to the
plate. By comparison, the ball is traveling at 8 degrees/second for the
first five feet. Very good batters can no longer track the ball the last 5 feet.
Thus, in the 0.04 seconds that it takes the ball to travel those final 5 feet, the swing is
directed at where the ball is expected to be.
April 20, 2006
Why do we have five fingers (including the thumb)?
Why do we have five fingers?
Including our thumbs?
Yes.
Well, I suppose because all the four fingered
and six fingered monkeys fell out of the trees.
Why do we have patches of hair?
You mean instead of a coat of fur, like a
dog?
Yes.
Again, it must be because all the furry
monkeys fell out of the trees.
If the traits we have are because of monkeys that didn't fall out of trees,
how come we don't have tails?
Hmm. Must be because the monkeys with five
fingers, patches of hair, and no tails fell out of the trees but survived
the fall.
So, we're descended from hairless, tailless monkeys?
It would seem that way.
Does that make God a monkey?
No.
But, I thought God made us in his image. How can we have evolved from
monkeys and God not be a monkey.
The two ideas are compatible. Just think of
evolution as God's chisel.
Well, that does make sense.
Any more questions?
Yes. Shouldn't the idea the God could have used evolution as a tool to
create us be taught in schools?
No.
Why not?
Because, that idea is a religious belief. Only
theories and ideas that are based on quantifiable or measurable
observations should be taught in a science classroom. Religious ideas are
the responsibility of parents and churches.
So, we shouldn't teach science ideas that have no basis on scientific
observation.
That's right. God created a beautiful and
amazing universe, and gave us the intelligence to attempt to understand it.
We can study God's handiwork, but we won't be able to find God using
science. I think he
did it that way on purpose.
That makes sense. Okay, good night. I'll dream about four fingered monkeys
falling out of trees.
Okay. Good night.
Yearning. . .
A sense of yearning,
A feeling of anticipation,
Longing,
to start something new,
Wanting to create something,
Searching for meaning,
Creating,
something with meaning,
Feeling primal
scream urges,
Wanting something,
not sure
what,
Can I create
something with a,
Resonance,
Something real,
Something lasting,
Just want to be,
Comfortable,
Just want to be,
In the arms of my love,
My love in my arms,
To show her something beautiful,
To create something beautiful,
Yearning to relieve
the stress
of now,
Anticipating
the future,
Unable to describe
this feeling,
Wanting,
Longing,
Yearning...
|
April 18, 2006
The Incompetence of the Secretary of Defense
Recently, several retired generals have called for the removal of Donald
Rumsfeld from his position as Secretary of Defense. This removal should
have occurred following the Abu Ghraib prisoner abuses, but for some reason
Bush stood behind this incompetent individual. As an example of this
incompetence, let's examine his statement in response to the recent call by
the retired generals.
Last week, six retired generals called for Rumsfeld to step down.
Rumsfeld is quoted as stating the following in response.
| "Out of thousands and thousands of admirals
and generals, if every time two or three people disagreed we changed the
secretary of defence of the United States it would be like a
merry-go-round," he told Arabic TV channel al-Arabiya. |
First of all, it was six retired generals that are questioning his
leadership. Admirals, generals, and anybody currently in the military cannot question
the Secretary of Defense, per Articles 88 and 89 of the Uniform Code of Military
Justice.
888. ART. 88. CONTEMPT TOWARD
OFFICIALS
Any commissioned officer who uses contemptuous words against the President,
the Vice President, Congress, the Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of a
military department, the Secretary of Transportation, or the Governor or
legislature of any State, Territory, Commonwealth, or possession in which
he is on duty or present shall be punished as a court-martial may direct.
889. ART. 89 DISRESPECT TOWARD SUPERIOR COMMISSIONED OFFICER
Any person subject to this chapter who behaves with disrespect toward his
superior commissioned officer shall be punished as a court-martial may
direct. |
The logic used by Rumsfeld to imply support for his
leadership (i.e. thousands of military personnel aren't complaining) is
inherently flawed. Personnel can't complain, or they face court-martial. If
he can't see the flaws in something as simple as this, then should we
really be surprised at the lack of planning that has occured in Iraq?
Certainly the overthrow of Saddam and the Iraqi government was impressive,
but it's quite easy for a hurricane to blow over a tent. It was hoped that
the free elections held in Iraq were going to be an historic symbol for the
future of the country and the region. However, things since have
been nothing but disastrous, with a civil war brewing in Iraq, if not
already occuring. We need a leader in place who can ensure that the brave
work of our military and those Iraqis fighting for freedom does not become
a footnote in history. We need a leader worthy of our military.
April 17, 2006
Smokers' Rights vs. Non-smokers' Rights
I recently had a discussion with a friend about the rights of smokers. He
seemed to think it just fine for people to light up whenever and wherever they
wanted, as long as it's not in an enclosed public area. I disagreed that
even in public areas, such as outdoor bus stops, there should be no
smoking. He countered with an argument about treating smokers as second
class citizens.
First and foremost, smoking is a choice. One is not born a smoker. If you
choose to smoke, you choose have chosen to live your life a certain way.
Yes, you have a right to smoke, but I have just as much a right to not
smoke and not inhale your cigarette smoke.
I do believe that smoking bans in bars and restaurants cross the line,
because a person should be able to run their business however they choose.
I just wanted to make that clear.
Now, in public areas, that is a completely different story. Even outside.
Let's consider this for a moment: Nonsmokers have a right to breathe fresh air, and
smokers do have a right to use a legal substance. Who's right should be
upheld in a public area? Does the smoker's right to smoke supersede the
nonsmoker's rights to not inhale the smoke? Or is the contrary true? I would argue that the action
that causes the smallest change in the surroundings is the stronger right.
Thus, the non-smoker's rights are the ones that should be respected in this
case.
So, what about people that work in public places, such as universities? If
they choose to smoke, where can they smoke? They can't smoke inside, and my
argument has concluded that they can't smoke outside either. My answer to
this is that one does not have a right to pursue an addiction while on the
job, and employers should not have to cater to such addictions by providing
smoking areas. Smoking is a choice, and should be done on a person's own
time.
April 16, 2006
A Science Fiction Tale
Suppose I were to tell you that millions of years ago, the Earth was part
of a confederacy of planets. Now, imagine that the planet was populated with
people who had techonology and dress very similar to that of the 1950s and
1960s. Don't forget the Earth was populated by over 100 billion people.
That's right, 100,000,000,000 people.
The previously mentioned confederacy consisted of many planets that had
beocome overpopulated. The leader of the confederacy was to be removed from
power, and so devised a plot to eliminate the excess populations. He
rounded up billions of people and took them to Earth, where they were
stacked around volcanoes. Hydrogen bombs were then detonated in the
volcaones, killing all of the people.
The story does not end there. The people's souls were then captured by
this leader and forced to watch a motion picture in theaters on Earth for
almost 40 days. The motion picture implanted the ideas of all the major religions
into memories of those souls.
Are you still with me? I'm sure you're thinking this might be a fantastic
science fiction tale, at least good enough for a bad B-movie. However, the
above tale is actually part of the belief system of Scientology. It is quite surprising that in this day and
age people will actually fall for such stories, especially given a religion
with a basic tenet that what you see is truth. Doesn't that rule out the
possibility of souls attached to my body, causing me problems? Doesn't that
rule out a belief in anything that happened before I have a conscious
memory? There's no archaeological evidence for such an outlandish tale, so
how can they reconcile this within their belief system?
The truth as I see it is this: Scientology is an organization of people who
have committed fraud in obtaining tax-exempt status, who wield power
through the mystery of stories that you can only learn if you can
pay the price ($20,000 or more), and who harass those who see them for who
they really are. If the religion is truly about saving mankind and has a
purpose is helping others, then why are the stories and practices not more
freely available? Why are they kept mysterious under the guise of "trade
secrets"? The reason, is that this is nothing more than a scheme for those
in the upper echelons of Scientology to enrich themselves.
April 13, 2006
A chain of events. . .
"What was that?" He thought to himself. He
had been startled awake from a rather pleasant dream, and thus was
immediately in a foul mood.
Overhead, he could hear his neighbors
arguing. "Not again." He groaned as he buried his head under his
pillows.
In the apartment above his, a couple was
arguing, and both had likely already forgotten what caused the initial
spat. He accused her of not caring about his hobbies, of not supporting him
and of not giving him enough personal space (she had, after all, deleted
some rather lascivious material from his computer not long ago, an act that
had absolutely infuriated him beyond reason). She accused him of not caring
about his feelings, of being self-centered about his hobbies and need for
personal space. What about her needs?
As the argument continued, a thought popped
into her head. "Perhaps it's time to end this, just like I always do. I'll
show him!" With that, she calmed down, yelled one last insult at him and
stormed out of the room. She was going to need a little bit of time to make
things seem realistic.
About ten minutes later, she returned. He was
still fuming and ignored her when she walked into the room.
"I'm sorry." She said.
He was shocked. "What?"
"I'm sorry. I want to make things up to you.
Here, take my ATM card and withdraw $50 that you can spend on your games
and videos."
"Are you serious?" He said, still
shocked.
"Yes. My ATM card is in my wallet with my
PIN. Now go before I come back to my senses."
"Okay. Thanks. I'm sorry too. I said
some things I shouldn' have said. I won't buy any videos."
"That's okay. Now go."
He stood up and walked over to her, giving
her a hug and a kiss. He couldn't believe what was happening. "I'll be back
soon!" He cheerfully yelled back to her as he left.
As he was walking to the ATM, some thoughts
began to trouble him. "She probably just wants me out of the house so she
can plot some type of revenge against me. What's the worst it could be,
though? At least I'm getting $50 out of the deal. That will buy me the new
game I've been wanting." With that thought, his brief fears subsided.
He approached the ATM and noticed that there
were more people than usual in the area. "No matter. Probably just a
tournament or match at the university is letting out now." He took out her
ATM card and put it into the machine. It asked for the PIN, and he pulled
out the sticky-note that she had written it on. He entered it and the
machine asked what he wanted to do. He selected withdrawal, entered the
amount as $50, did not get a receipt, took the money and ATM card, and
turned to leave.
Almost before he could completely turn
around, he felt a blow to his shoulder and suddenly found himself on the
ground. In the next moment, his face was ground into the sidewalk, a knee
in the back of his neck. His hands were being cuffed, and he couldn't fight
back, even if he wanted to.
"What's going on?" He was able to cough
out.
"You're under arrest. We got a report that
somebody stole a lady's wallet. She told us where she was and that the
perpetrator might try to take money out at an ATM since she had left a note
in the wallet with her PIN on it."
"Well, my girlfried gave me her wallet so I
could get some money out. We had a fight and she wanted to make up to me,
so she told me I could take some money out. . ."
"You think we were born yesterday? How do you
think this looks? You have an ATM card that's not yours, and you fit the
description of the suspect. And you just took money out of an account
that's not yours."
"But I swear to you, my girlfriend. .
."
"She said she broke up with you this morning,
and in your anger you took her wallet."
"This is unbelievable!"
"Come, let's go!"
All of the commotion had not gone unnoticed
by the restaurant owner across the street. He had seen the plain clothes
officers drive up and take postions around his restaurant. His fear had
been that they were there for him. He was already making preparations in
his kitchen to make things more on the up and up.
For years now, he had offered brown rice as
an option on his menu. However, he didn't really sell brown rice. What he
did was to scrape the darkened rice from the bottom of the rice pots each
day and give that to customers wanting it. Some had complained, but none
had yet caught on. The police presence outside made him worry that his time
was up. He could see the headlines now. "Restaurant owner jailed for
selling browned rice, not brown rice." There were other more serious
violations at his restaurant, like underpaid illegal aliens washing his
silverware in week old dishwater, the refridgerator humming along at a
balmy 58 degrees Fahrenheit, and the lack of hairnets on the cooks. But, he
was worried about the rice.
Seeing the police take away the man at the
ATM had allowed him to relax. Although he had seen his life flash before
his eyes, it wasn't enough to make him change his ways.
ATF vs. Ninja at UGA
Here is an amusing story that Jeremiah Ransom will one day get to tell his
grandkids and that the ATF officials hope he doesn't tell a jury. The full
story can be read at redandblack.com.
|
ATF rids Univ. of ninja threat |
By CAROLINE ERVIN
Published , April 12, 2006, 06:00:01 AM EDT
ATF agents are always on alert for anything suspicious, including
ninjas.
Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearm agents, on campus Tuesday for Project Safe
Neighborhoods training, detained a "suspicious individual" near the
Georgia Center, University Police Chief Jimmy Williamson said.
Jeremiah Ransom, a sophomore from Macon, was leaving a Wesley Foundation
pirate vs. ninja event when he was detained.
After being held in investigative detention, he was found to have violated
no criminal laws and was not arrested.
Full Story, ATF rids Univ. of ninja threat
| 
This photo, taken by a student's camera phone, shows ATF officials
story image 1
pinning down Jeremiah Ransom in front of Snelling dining hall. He was
coming from a pirate vs. ninja event at the Wesley Foundation and was not
arrested. (Kathleen Ruark | The Red & Black)
|
April 11, 2006
Frivolous Lawsuits
I was thinking today, with all of the frivolous lawsuits that people file
against each other, such as the suit against eharmony, the man named Jack Ass who sued the MTV show
"Jackass" for infringing upon the copyright of his name and defaming his
good character, and the man suing his son's baseball coach because the team
didn't make a tournament (or even win a game). Perhaps I should file
some suits, because it seems you can actually win. I could file a lawsuit
against the drivers of gas-guzzling SUV's because their demand for gas
drives up the cost that I, the driver a car with good gas mileage, must
pay. Or what about a suit against smokers, that would be a popular one. I
could sue for the mental anguish I'm caused while attempting to enjoy a
breath of fresh air but instead inhale a huge puff of smoke. Or what about
driver's of cars with loud stereos? I could sue them for assaulting me with
their loud music, causing me distress when trying to enjoy a quite evening
at home. Certainly these would have more merit than the examples of real
suits, don't you think? Yeah, probably not.
April 07, 2006
Smart as a Crow
This story
about bird intelligence is pretty amazing. Crows in Japan and
California have learned a very clever way to crack nuts: they put them in
front
cars to be run over. However, just putting them in the road and waiting for
a car presents a dangerous task in retrieval. So, the
crows actually learned to put them in front of cars at a red light. When
the cars have stopped, they put the nuts in the road and then fly off and
wait for the cars to move again, running over the nuts and cracking them
open. If the nuts didn't get run over, the crows put them in a
different spot in the road. Is that not amazing? I known people with
college degrees less clever than these crows.
April 06, 2006
The start of the 2006 Golf Season!
The 2006 golf season has officially started, at least for me. I find it
appropriate that my first round started the day before the Masters
Tournament begins. Although I'm sure nobody really wants to read a play
by play summary of my round, I'm going to do write one anyway. Perhaps
somebody will find it mildly amusing. And don't worry, I will not be doing
this everytime I play. Just on special occasions.
I was in a group of three. The sun was out, the air was crisp, and it felt
nice to be back out on the course. I didn't have high expections of myself
since I hadn't played golf since December, and I actually hadn't played
this course since October.
I was the last to tee off in my group. Neither of the other two guys had
done anything spectacular, so I didn't feel too much pressure. My hope was
that the ball wouldn't end up in the trees on the left side of the fairway.
I didn't tee the ball up. Since it was par 3 (actually all the holes are
par 3) and I was using an 8-iron, I
prefer to hit off the ground. I took a few practice swings, then stepped up
to the ball. I placed the club behind the ball, took my stance, looked
toward the hole, readjusted my stance, took one last look at the hole, then
concentrated on the ball. I knew I wanted to strike the ground just under
the ball, so I was focused on that as I took my backswing. I also
remembered to keep my left arm straight as I brought the club back down to
strike the ball. Then, I made contact. I didn't feel much, which is always
a good thing. I followed through then looked up to find my ball's
trajectory. I was surprised to find it on a beautiful arc, straight at the
green. Some people standing behind it exclaimed "Nice shot!" I thanked them
and watched my ball land a few yards short of the green, take a hop onto
the green, then roll to within a foot of the hole. "Now you have to hole
it!" The same person said. I laughed out loud. We began walking toward the
green, I was beaming. Once we finally got to the hole, I was a bit nervous.
A one foot putt. What if I miss it? That would be devastating. I stood over
the ball, looked toward the hole, then made my putt. It went straight in
without much drama, and I had birdied my first hole of 2006! I'm still on
the high from that shot. I was under par for the year!
The next hole brought me back to reality. There is a water hazard, and I
was going to hit over it. After all, I had just made an awesome shot on the
first hole. So, I was the first to go as I had earned honors after my
birdie, on the first hole of 2006, none the less. I was using my 8-iron
again. I took my swing, topped the ball off, and watched it roll with great
speed toward the water. I could see my entire round was about to drown in
that pond. Then the ball started to slow, and I again had hope. It finally
stopped well short of the water, and actually stayed on the fairway
(although no credit for a fairway on par 3). I used a sand wedge to knock
the ball past the green, then again to knock it onto the green. Two putts
later I had a double bogey and was no longer under par for the year. But
for 10 glorious minutes, I was.
The next hole is very short, so I decided to use my sand wedge. I ended up
with a bogey. On hole four, I hit a terrible shot that skidded along the
ground, hit a branch and flew up, hitting the tree that the branch had
fallen from before stopping near the tree. I again used my sand wedge to
hit the ball over the green, then onto the green. Two putts later, I stood
at triple bogey. Hole five, I hit another grounder that rolled past the
green and to the edge of a barbed wire fence. I took a few hacks, then
three putted for another triple bogey. Although I wasn't playing all that
great, I did find that I was doing an extraordinary job of damage control
after a bad shot.
On hole six, I struck yet another grounder. However, this one had enough
umph to make it all the way to the green. Yes! My second green in
regulation for the day! I two putted for par.
Hole seven, I struck a beautiful pitching wedge shot that landed just past
the green on a hill that gave me an awkward lie. Isn't golf just grand like
that? You can be rewarded for a great shot with a terrible lie. I poked the
ball with my sand wedge about three feet, then finally chipped it onto the
green. Two putts later, double bogey.
I had a triple bogey on the next hole, the result of being too
tenative with my chip shots, thus only advancing the ball a couple of yards
when I needed about ten. The ninth hole is the shortest on the entire
course, actually reachable with a sand wedge. It is protected, however, by
a sand trap on the right edge of the green. I again topped my ball off and
watched helplessly as it rolled into the previously mentioned sand trap.
The sand trap has a mound between it and the green, but I had enough room to
hit over. All I had to do was take a fairly big swing, take a lot of sand,
and the ball would roll onto the green. I took my swing, drove through the
ball taking very little sand. Here
is where that small mound actually saved me. It swatted my ball back down
into the sand. If not for the mound, my ball would have gone at least
fifty yards past the hole. I took another shot, this time taking a good
amount of sand, and watched the ball roll onto the green. Two putts later,
double bogey.
At the turn is the longest hole on the course, but still a par 3. I decided
to use my 5-iron. I hit a pretty good shot that landed about 15 yards to
the right of the green. I chipped it onto the green and had a chance for
par! However, I missed my first putt, then holed the next one for bogey.
On the eleventh hole, I topped the ball off again and watched it roll about
halfway to the hole. I used my pitching wedge and struck the ball very
well. A straight arc, right at the pin! Unfortunately, the arc was too big
and the ball landed behind the green. I then attempted two meek chip shots,
advancing the ball only about three feet each time, before finally knocking
it onto the green. Two putts later, I had my highest score of the day:
quadruple bogey. In typical fashion, I then parred the next hole. I hit a
beautiful shot that landed just short of the green, chipped onto it, then
one putted.
On hole thirteen, we were held up by a kid who was apparently practicing on
that hole, and only that hole. He saw us, looked at us, then hit a couple
of shots. We thought he might be playing the hole, but that was not the
case. After his shots, he looked back at us, then yelled "Are you hitting
in?" What kind of question is that? Of course we're hitting in. This is a
golf course, and that's what people do. He moved out of the way. I hit a
beautiful shot, but it had too much power and landed behind the green. But
it sure felt good. After we had all teed off, we began walking toward the
hole. Then the kid began taking practice shots again! What is up with that?
He obviously didn't understand golf etiquette. I finished up with a triple
bogey, and when we left we saw the kid practicing some chip shots. He holed
the first one, then the second one would have also gone in if not for the
ball that was already in the hole. He is apparently quite good, but needs
to learn some etiquette.
Hole fourteen, I used a 3-iron to knock the ball even with the green, but
to the right. It was another beautiful shot, straight, but I had just aimed
a little to the right too much. I then began another series of meek chip
shots before one putting for a triple bogey.
Hole fifteen was my last good shot of the day. I stroked a wonderful arc
that landed just to the left of the green and a little short. A chip and
two putts later I stood at bogey. The next holes went double, triple, and
double bogey, respectively.
I ended the round at 32 over par, one better
than my previous best. Thus, I am hopeful for my progress this year.
Perhaps I can break 80 at this all par 3 course (that would be 26 over).
But one thing I can say, for ten minutes, ten glorious minutes, I was under
par for the entire year.
April 05, 2006
Lonely Chairs
The room was small, probably about twice the size of a typical dorm room.
But this room was in an academic building, actually in the basement. It was
used primarily for meetings. I was sitting here, waiting to see if any of
my students would show up today.
As I sat there, I let my mind wander. I noticed the chairs on the other
side of the table. They were plushy and their bright colors had now faded.
They had once been purple, orange, red, and blue. For some reason there
were more purple chairs in here than any other. Mixed in among these chairs
were some wooden chairs. Thus the room had a diversity of chair options.
The upholstery of some of the plushy chairs was coming detached in
places, making it look like a bubble was under the cloth. For some reason I
felt a tinge of sadness upon observing this. I thought back to the person
that ordered these chairs years ago. They must have been excited either at
the chairs themselves or at the anticipated response that coworkers would
have to the chairs. Who knows, perhaps a whole group of people was at one
time excited about these chairs. But now, the chairs sit quietly in a
seldom used room in the basement of an academic building.
I know the chairs have no feelings, but I think the sadness I felt was for
the person or people that at one time regularly used these chairs. Are they
the kind of people that would feel some sadness that their old chair now
sat in a basement? Or would they have no feelings at all? And think of all
the stories these chairs could tell! Not just the events that unfolded in
front of them, but the stories that were told by those sitting in them.
I suppose there are other chairs that have suffered worse fates. At least
these chairs are still in use, they still have some life. They are able to
comfort the bottoms of those in academic meetings and of students trying to
grasp new concepts. So, even though their colors have faded, their use has
declined, and they have bubbles, they are still active. I hope that the
same can be same for me when my hair has greyed, I have retired, and I have
wrinkles.
The Imaginary City of Urville
Here is an interesting website. Gilles Trehin of France has drawn over 200
sketches of this city (see below for example). He has also written about the history, geograpy, economy
and
culture of Urville. And it is all from his vivid imagination. Click the
picture to visit Urville.
April 04, 2006
Zyrx
This game requires a good memory. Moderately addictive. Plus, you have to
love the color scheme! :)
Equal pay in tennis
Please, do not get me wrong as I certainly think that everyone should be
get equal pay for equal work, but the situation in tennis is quite unique.
This year for the first time (because the French Open is on board this
year), three of the four grand slam tournaments will be paying the men's
and women's winner equal prize money. However, this is not for equal work
because men must win their matches by winning three sets while women must
win two sets. Thus, the men must always play a minimum of three sets in a
match while the women will play a maximum of three sets. I certainly applaud
equal pay, but I think it's time that the old thought that women can't
compete as long as men also be discarded. Have both men's and women's
matches be best of five. I believe it could only be good for the sport.
April 02, 2006
Pettiness and the Sanctity of Refreshments
I often get the chance to visit the Communications Department at notable
midwestern university
and I am often amazed at how petty a group of people can be. In the
Communication Systems Strategy and Management Program, they often set up a
break area with snacks and drinks. Nothing wrong with that. They also set
up this break area in a commons area of the building. Again, nothing wrong
with that. The pettiness
comes in the form of a huge sign proclaiming the space the sole property of
the program. The sign, printed and looks somewhat professional, states in a
very large font "Private Break Area". I'm sorry, but that is just petty. In
addition, I know of a few individuals who have made the mistake trespassing
on this sacred ground and getting a cup of coffee. He was confronted by a
person who's sole job is to protect the area from those not in the program.
Said person instructed the coffee "stealer" to throw the coffee away. So,
instead of simply informing those who don't know better that the coffee and
snacks are only for program participants and to not take anything else, the
program actually wants to completely deny those who make mistakes. You've
already lost the cup of coffee, so what does it matter if it is drunk by
someone not in the program? A trash can is more worthy of the coffee than
anyone outside the program? At a later date, the same person who took the
coffee was falsely accused of taking snacks. Somebody actually took
the time to go to his adviser and say "I saw so and so take a snack from
our break area." To the people running this break area, please grow up. I
know that you suffer some serious inferiority complexes because of the
other more successful programs in the Communications department, but that
is no reason to act this immature. If you want a private break area, you
should set up in a room, not in a commons area.
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