My crappy week ...

... actually started Sunday night, though I didn't realize it at the time.

 

I went to bed with a strange hacking cough I seemed to pick up on the way home from Covington, WA (band practice). I thought nothing of it.

 

I woke up Monday, and felt REALLY cold. Again, I reasoned, a run on the cardio machine, build a good sweat, etc, and I'd be fine.

 

Then at about 10, the aches started with my head, then neck, then back, then knees, then the hips. I thought I was falling apart. This was not normal. My throat suddenly seemed like it was on fire.

 

I went home and collasped into bed, and was not able to get out for the next couple of days. To make matters worse, I couldn't really even sleep. My joints hurt so much, I simply couldn't get into any comfortable position for more than 30 minutes. And if I did, it would be interrupted by coughing, and sudden chills.

 

Monday night/Tuesday AM were the worst - I'd now break out into a random sweat. I swore I saw steam running of my head! I was running a pretty high fever.

 

Finally on Wednesday, I was stable enough to walk (the fever seemed to break), and see the doctor. Turns out I had some bacterial infection. I was perscribed some anti-biotics, and some regular flu stuff to treat the remaining symptoms.

 

Of course, in all that time, it's no shock, that the Mrs. ended up getting it too. She's about a day behind.

 

I tried going to work today, but after an hour of sitting, I felt the aches in my calves and neck. Plus that damn cough doesn't want to leave! I'm hoping I'm through the worst of it by now.

 

What's really odd is ...

 

The last time I was really this sick, where I missed so much time from something, was - quite literally- 20 years ago! That's right - I recall missing the last week of January/1986 over what seems to be a very similar set of circumstances.

 

Hey - I never claimed my memory was good, perhaps this was my body's way to commemorate. One would think I'd be stronger now, as I get older ... either that or bacterial infections are far more dangerous today.

 

Time will tell what the last week of January/2026 will bring ...

The Canadian election. Why a move to the right ... ?

I won't delve down into a really big analysis. But in a nutshell, here are my thoughts on what happened, and why the current party (Liberals) were voted out.

 

Because the Liberal Party's mess with the whole sponsorship scandal, I think the majority of Canadians didn't think there were any other viable options in this election. While they have some good ideas, the New Democratic Party has never been able to really reach out to folks on a national level, largely due to poor leadership and lack of substance. The Bloq is a non-option, and useless. They don't even care about their own cause (Quebec separation), all they do is suck up federal tax dollars by being in Ottawa.

 

Interesting how after the results, Duceppe (Bloq leader) made all sort of gestures to work with Harper (PM-elect). Funny how history repeats itself but in reverse ...

 

I think it's what Canadians want for now (i.e. a minority government) Until the Liberal Party gets their house in order (i.e. get rid of the corruption that comes with running the country for more than 12 years), and elect a leader that can infuse new blood, we won't see them in power any time soon.

 

Some of the former premiers look like fairly good options (McKenna, or Tobin). Rock or Dion are other choices.  I think Manley is a bit too old and tied in too much with the party power structure to really be effective.

2004 Election

My my ...

...

"The non-partisan GAO report has now found that, "some of [the] concerns about electronic voting machines have been realized and have caused problems with recent elections, resulting in the loss and miscount of votes."

The United States is the only major democracy that allows private partisan corporations to secretly count and tabulate the votes with proprietary non-transparent software. "

...

"Among other things, the GAO confirms that:

1. Some electronic voting machines "did not encrypt cast ballots or system audit logs, and it was possible to alter both without being detected." In other words, the GAO now confirms that electronic voting machines provided an open door to flip an entire vote count. More than 800,000 votes were cast in Ohio on electronic voting machines, some seven times Bush's official margin of victory.
2. "It was possible to alter the files that define how a ballot looks and works so that the votes for one candidate could be recorded for a different candidate." Numerous sworn statements and affidavits assert that this did happen in Ohio 2004.
3. "Vendors installed uncertified versions of voting system software at the local level." 3. Falsifying election results without leaving any evidence of such an action by using altered memory cards can easily be done, according to the GAO.
4. The GAO also confirms that access to the voting network was easily compromised because not all digital recording electronic voting systems (DREs) had supervisory functions password-protected, so access to one machine provided access to the whole network. This critical finding confirms that rigging the 2004 vote did not require a "widespread conspiracy" but rather the cooperation of a very small number of operatives with the power to tap into the networked machines and thus change large numbers of votes at will. With 800,000 votes cast on electronic machines in Ohio, flipping the number needed to give Bush 118,775 could be easily done by just one programmer.
5. Access to the voting network was also compromised by repeated use of the same user IDs combined with easily guessed passwords. So even relatively amateur hackers could have gained access to and altered the Ohio vote tallies.
6. The locks protecting access to the system were easily picked and keys were simple to copy, meaning, again, getting into the system was an easy matter.
7. One DRE model was shown to have been networked in such a rudimentary fashion that a power failure on one machine would cause the entire network to fail, re-emphasizing the fragility of the system on which the Presidency of the United States was decided.
8. GAO identified further problems with the security protocols and background screening practices for vendor personnel, confirming still more easy access to the system. "

...
More here and here

Dating lunacy

http://lifestyle.msn.com/Relationships/Dating/ArticleIV2.aspx?cp-documentid=39924&GT1=7116

 

"If a man suggests splitting the tab on a first date, the woman should pay -- then bolt. I don't say this is fair, especially if, for instance, the woman is a CEO and the man is a freelance writer. But it's the way it is, and any man who tries to worm out for the sake of saving a few bucks is a creep to be ditched. "

 

That may have been true in the day and age when men worked, and women stayed at home and took care of the children. He implies that men only ask women out, not the other way around. Clearly this person hasn't been dating much in the 21th Century. His last sentence indicates that he is unable/unwilling to see how the world has changed.

Today, women work just like men. If one truly believes in equality of the sexes, then things like the restaurant tab should be spilt evenly. Frankly I lose respect for a woman who doesn't even offer to pay part of the bill. I drop them like a bad habit.

 

But wait, it gets better ...

 

"For men, an early red flag about money may not start waving until the third or fourth date. A lot of women begin life as daddy's girls -- a few stay that way. They feel men should provide them with the lifestyle to which they've grown accustomed to with other men who did just that. If you're a sugar daddy yourself, have fun. If not, back off. Over time you'll only be despised -- and dropped."

 

Gee, maybe women who act like that turn out that way because men like this guy keep buying them dinner, in addition to everything else in their lifestyle. Don't think there's a connection there?

 

The advice I'd give this guy is to stop treating women as playthings, or something so fragile. Women are people just like men, and as such should be treated as equals.

 

Maybe it's the water ...?

For as long as I can remember, I seem to have a face that people either ignore, or look at in disgust. And it's not just my face, people seem to take great pains to ignore me in meetings or put me on hold to talk to others.

 

There must be something in the way I look or carry on that somehow implies stupidity.

 

Even when I'm saying something useful or meaningful, somehow, it always gets ignored. I've lost track of the number of meetings I've been in where I'll suggest something, it gets ignored, then five minutes later, someone else invariably says the same thing, and it's considered a great idea!

 

And it's always the case, that when I show my ignorance on a subject, I usually have every person in the room looking at me like I just ripped a huge fart.

 

I don't claim to be the cleverest man in the world, but every so often in meetings or social gatherings I do think I come up with useful ideas or some witty repartee.

 

Maybe that's the problem, I try too hard. Or maybe it's that I have a very big face, and that makes me a big target. Maybe it's the water ...

 

 

 

 

Yankees lose, again

Despite all the bad things going on this year, we have one good reason to celebrate -

Steinbrenner's Yankees choked again. That's what, 5 years in a row. It must really get under Steinbrenner's skin that all that work he's done to get Republicans in office all these years, and yet ever since Clinton left office, they haven't won the bring prize?

 

Anyways ...

 

Here's some guy who gets the analysis wrong-

 

http://msnbc.msn.com/id/9658414/

 

Uh dude, Torre and Cashman were the guys that built the team that won all those World Series in the 90's, remember? They were able to do so, because a certain owner stayed out of their way.

 

It's amazing how this guy can waste so many words, time, and energy focusing on what's not the problem. The owner is the problem. Pretty much everyone who follows MLB knows this. Except ... well ... apparently this guy.

 

Let's move on ...

Speed bumps - and the morons who try to avoid them.

I work out at a gym that has below-ground parking. People go in and out of this garage at break-neck speed. Consequently, the gym installled speed bumps before and after the entrance.

 

Yet a day doesn't go by where I see virutally the same people swerving to avoid such speed bumps, or partially going over them. 99% of the time, they do this by going into the oncoming lane.

 

Why are people so stupid? These are accidents waiting to happen.

 

Is it so necessary to be going so fast as to endanger not only oneself, but every pedestrian and other driver in the process with such stupidity? It's not my fault such idiots are late to their spinning classes that they must act like maniacs in their gas-guzzling SUVs or Road Rangers to find that parking stall closer to the walkthrough door!

 

Would it hurt to just leave a bit earlier, go over the speed bumps slowly, park a bit further away? Heck one might even find the walk a good exercise in of itself!