Garry's Blog

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Garry's Blog

technorati tags: garrysblog

Giving the Terrorists What They Want

Giving the Terrorists What They Want: "Bruce Schneier writes about how the U.S. is giving the terrorists what they want by reacting with fear.

I'd like everyone to take a deep breath and listen for a minute. The point of terrorism is to cause terror, sometimes to further a political goal and sometimes out of sheer hatred. The people terrorists kill are not the targets; they are collateral damage. And blowing up planes, trains, markets or buses is not the goal; those are just tactics. The real targets of terrorism are the rest of us: the billions of us who are not killed but are terrorized because of the killing. The real point of terrorism is not the act itself, but our reaction to the act. And we're doing exactly what the terrorists want.

I made a similar argument here when discussing the London attacks and proposed racial profiling programs as a response.

Why do we need terrorists to destroy the cornerstones of democracy with bombs when governments are willing to do it themselves out of fear? Isn't that a sign that the terrorists have w"

Social Conservatives' Obsession with Crime

Here's another well-done post by Dave Pollard to save the world.

Social Conservatives' Obsession with Crime: "
A couple of days ago I reported a liberal's assertion that conservatives seem 'unwilling or unable to engage in issues that are fundamental to the future of mankind'. In the last few days we've seen evidence of what social conservatives, at least (economic conservatives have different preoccupations), are engaged in, to the point of obsession: Crime, criminals, and punishment. The social conservative media are full of news and hand-wringing about the following issues, all of them crime-related:



The War on Terror (actually a War on the Desperate) -- currently focused, of course, on the heroic foiling of the British criminal airline bombing plot, the heroic Israeli war with criminal suicide bombers and the criminal Hizbollah (who are armed by the criminal Iranians), and why the botched wars against tyrants in Iraq and Afghanistan are not now civil wars and are still 'winnable'. In the minds of social conservatives, Al Qaeda is the master criminal behind all of these activities.
The War on Drugs -- to social conservatives, everyone in this is a war"

technorati tags: politics, crime, howtosavetheworld, htstw, garrysblog

Copenhagen Consensus

If the world would come together and be willing to spend, say, $50 billion over the next five years on improving the state of the world, which projects would yield the greatest net benefits?

That's the question answered by the Copenhagen Consensus.

Here are the results for 2006 with communicable diseases, sanitation and water, education and malnutrition at the top of the list. Financial instability, conflict prevention and climate change are at the bottom of the list.

technorati tags: copenhagenconsensus, world, health, hunger, improve, garrysblog

About the Dulcimer

Did you know the dulcimer is one of the few old American stringed instruments. Read about it here, and listen to it here. See other instruments on the gallery of the facinating site, OddMusic.com.

technorati tags: dulcimer, oddmusic, garrysblog

BULLSH*T!

Penn & Teller are brave American Heroes.

BULLSH*T!: "BULLSHIT! Penn & Teller present their rational, libertarian bent views on diverse subjects, now available for free download on Google Video ::: profanity; creationism; alien abductions; conspiracy theories; recycling; gun control; endangered species; religion; the bible; family values; the apocalypse; signs from heaven; the occult; 12-step recovery programs; exercise v. genetics; environmentalism; hypnosis; ghosts; the war on drugs; feng shui / bottled water; college; PETA; and abstinence."

Reaction vs. Response

Thanks to the Cato-at-Liberty post below. It helps to explain security.

Reaction vs. Response: "See if you can pick out which statement below represents reaction to yeterday’s news of the foiled terror plot, and which statements represent response to the strategy of terrorism.


“This country is safer than it was prior to 9/11.” — President George W. Bush, 8/11/06, quoted in the Washington Post Express.
“We cannot afford no security, but we cannot afford total security, because . . . absolute security could come only at the expense of grounding all the planes and really undermining our way of life. And that would, of course, be a defeat for America.” — Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff, 8/11/06, The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer
“Everything that can be done to protect [travelers] is being done.” — Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, 8/11/06, quoted in the Washington Post Express

As Ohio State University national security expert John Mueller points out in his brilliant Regulation article, A False Sense of Insecurity, ”The costs"

technorati tags: politics, security

The "Threat" and our Liberties

In his blog, Sic Semper Tyrannis 2006, Colonel W. Patrick Lang (retired) wrote, The "Threat" and our Liberties over six months ago. I think it is quite timely to read this important post once more - especially after hearing of Homeland Security logic.

technorati tags: politics, freedom, liberty

App offers solution for those with disabilities

Kudos to Apple and Steve Jobs. We need more of this.

App offers solution for those with disabilities: " Video: App offers solution for those with disabilities. Apple Computer CEO Steve Jobs demonstrates Universal Access, an application that will be bundled with the company's new operating system Leopard. The program has features such as voiceover enhancements, braille support and closed captioning."

technorati tags: apple, disabilities, handicapped, software

North Carolina Becomes First State With an Innocence Commission

For doing the right thing, I look at North Carolina's Governor Mike Easely as a national hero.


North Carolina Becomes First State With an Innocence Commission: "History was made this morning when North Carolina Governor Mike Easely, a former prosecutor, signed into law a bill establishing an Innocence Commission.

Gov. Mike Easley signed a measure Thursday, creating the country's first innocence inquiry commission -- a state panel that will examine possible wrongful convictions.

'As a state prosecutor for more 15 years, I know that law enforcement's greatest nightmare is to have an innocent person in jail or on death row,' Easley said. 'As a state that exacts the ultimate punishment, we should continue to ensure that we have the ultimate fairness in the review of our cases.

'Its creation gives our criminal justice system yet another safeguard by helping ensure that the people in our prisons in fact, belong there. This is something all North Carolinians can be proud of,' Easley said."

technorati tags: politics, reform, prisons, innocence, garrysblog

M&M's as in memos? Candy seeks corporate business (Reuters)

Finally, some innovative marketing.

M&M's as in memos? Candy seeks corporate business (Reuters): "Reuters - The candy that 'melts in your mouth, not in your hand' has a new message: this space for rent."

technorati tags: m&m, marketing, garrysblog, candy

Steal this plant: Brazil fights big pharma name-nappers

I love Brazil. I lived there for a couple of years. The women have got to be the most beautiful in the world - on a par with Greece and Russia (sorry Ms. Puerto Rico and Texans).


Steal this plant: Brazil fights big pharma name-nappers: "Xeni Jardin: BoingBoing reader Chris Spurgeon says,

Brazil is sick and tired of companies stealing their plant names, and they're not going to take it any more! Brazil has a wonderful rep for not just rolling over and accepting the increasingly draconian intellectual property treaties being foisted on developing nations by the first world. Their latest move comes in response to a growing trend. It goes like this:

1) Brazilians spend millennia eating some great tasting Brazilian plant that's also great for your health.
2) Foreign company learns about the plant.
3) Foreign company trademarks the plant name and creates a company to sell the plant (turned into a health drink, or shampoo, or anti-aging cream, or brain-tonic pills, or God knows what else).
4) Some poor guy in Brazil opens up a local business cooking up the plant for the locals. (He uses the plant name in his company's name). He starts a little export business selling his product.
5) He gets the pants sued off of him because some company 5"

The Iran-Israel War

Andrew Sullivan is dead on target.

The Iran-Israel War: "It's already started, and looks like it will escalate. Only by annihilating the Jews can the Shiite Islamists in Iran realize their dream. And so the war begins. It will end only in either the destruction of Israel and Iran's..."

How Did You Like the Cybercrime Treaty Debate?

How Did You Like the Cybercrime Treaty Debate?: "Perhaps you weren’t aware of the Senate’s debate over the cybercrime treaty. You would be like most people. The Senate quietly approved the cybercrime treaty yesterday.

The treaty is the product of years of diligent work among governments’ law enforcement departments to increase their collaboration. It lacks a dual criminality requirement, so Americans may be investigated in the United States for things that are not crimes here. And it applies not just to “cyber” crimes but to digital evidence of any crime, so foreign governments now may begin using U.S. law enforcement to help them gather evidence in all kinds of cases.

But you already knew that if you were following the debate. You were following the debate, weren’t you? "

Digital art that responds to emotional state

Digital art that responds to emotional state: "David Pescovitz: Computer scientists have created a digital artwork that changes based on the mood of the viewer as expressed in his or her face. A webcam tracks eight facial features and then changes the digital image in response. The researchers from the University of Bath and University of Boston University call the technique 'empathic painting.'


From a press release:

For example, when the viewer is angry the colours are dark and appear to have been applied to the canvas with more violent brush strokes.

If their expression changes to happy, the artwork adapts so that the colours are vibrant and more subtly applied...

“The programme analyses the image for eight facial expressions, such as the position and shape of the mouth, the openness of the eyes, and the angle of the brows, to work out the emotional state of the viewer,” said Dr John Collomosse from the Department of Computer Science at the University of Bath.

“This kind of empathic painting only needs a"

The Federal Government is Remarkably Efficient (at Throwing People in Prison)

"The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports some distubing statistics on conviction rates at the federal level:

About 95 percent of federal criminal defendants plead guilty. Of the remaining few who fight in court, nearly nine of 10 are convicted, according to national statistics.

[…]

“The odds are pretty stacked against defendants once an indictment is issued; that pretty much seals their fate,” said Mark Allenbaugh, a Huntington Beach, Calif., lawyer and nationally recognized expert on the federal court system. “Once the indictment is issued, conviction is almost guaranteed.”

Between 2000 and 2005, 99 percent of the 435,000 federal criminal defendants prosecuted nationwide were convicted.

I suppose it’s possible that just about everyone ever indicted at the federal level is guilty, but I doubt it. U.S. Attorneys’ offices tend to be better staffed and better funded than local prosecutors’ offices, and certainly have ...."

A White and Red Lily

I love photography.

Occasionally, one of my photos on Flickr gets voted for as a favorite. Here's a recent one, my photo of a white and red lily.

It made my day.

technorati tags: photos, photography, flickr, lily, flower, garrysblog

Quote by Alexis de Tocqueville

Alexis de Tocqueville was born on July 29, 1805.

He was a French historian and political scientist. 1805-1859

"The greatness of America lies not in being more enlightened than any other nation, but rather in her ability to repair her faults."

technorati tags: tocqueville, french, historian, quote, quotation, saying, america, greatness

Google's Great Calendar

I'm trying out Google's Calendar, and I think it's great. For an online calendar, it's Tops.




technorati tags: top, online, calendar, google, tool

Liberal Blogs and Israel

Liberal Blogs and Israel: "Why the strange reticence on recent events in the Middle East? David Adesnik has a theory. On a related note, I was biking Saturday past the 'Peace Vigil' held each week in Provincetown. One sign read: 'Stop Israel's Slaughter of Innocents in Palestine and Lebanon.' I have never seen a sign in the weekly vigil calling for an end to terrorism. Strange for those committed to 'peace'."

Mapping Paramilitary Police Raids in America

Thanks to Cato.org for their excellent policy paper, "Overkill: The Rise of Paramilitary Police Raids in America." Posted via MetaFilter, it gives me a chill to see the numbers.

Included in the report is a revealing U.S. map, Botched Paramilitary Police Raids: An Interactive Map.

The Map Key includes:

• Death of an innocent
• Raid on an innocent suspect
• Death or injury of a police officer
• Other examples of paramilitary police excess
• Death of a nonviolent offender
• Unnecessary raids on doctors and sick people

technorati tags: police, crime, politics, paramilitary, map, garrysblog

My News Bin Review (My Keepers)

I scan about 25 blogs each day, and I just checked out my News Bins. So far this year, these have become my "My Keepers." These are posts I found particularly interesting which I have kept for reference.

First, I was amazed at how many have come from How to Save the World. It's author, David Pollard deserves special recognition for his continuing efforts and fine work.

Dave Pollard's environmental philosophy, creative works, business papers and essays.
In search of a better way to live and make a living, and a better understanding of how the world really works.

And now . . . My Keepers

Now How Am I Going to Make a Living?

Cultural Divergence After the Crash: Thoughts on The Only Life We Know

Wednesday, June 14, 2006 7:31:34 PM

Regular readers of How to Save the World know that I have been struggling for a couple of years with my novel The Only Life We Know. The novel takes place at the dawn of the 23rd century, a hundred years after a combination of events have conspired to cause our civilization to crash. The human p... [more]

How to Change Hearts, Minds & Behaviours

Sunday, June 11, 2006 8:10:30 PM

My Purpose is Provoking Change. So I'm very interested in the change process. I've observed how easy it is to persuade people about something if they have no preconceived views on it, and how hard it becomes once they've 'made up... [more]

Our Failure of a Prison System

Thursday, June 08, 2006 8:14:56 AM|talkleft

The Vera Institute has completed a bipartisan report on our prison system for Congress. 13.5 million people are jailed each year. On any part... [more]

We know what we are, but know not what we may be.

Saturday, May 27, 2006 4:44:46 PM|sourwookie

Timeline of Trends and Events (1750 to 2100). Large image, lots of info. Via ... [more]

Getting Things Done, Happiness, and Our Strange Sense of Priority

Wednesday, May 24, 2006 4:08:07 PM

I slept in today. Or, rather, I lay in bed, listening to the birds, smelling the Spring air, daydreaming, thinking about what I would write about today, trying to shut out of my mind all the other things I 'had to do'. As a seasoned procrastinator, I knew that when those other things became urgent... [more]

You look like a cross between Gary Cooper and Liberace!

Wednesday, May 17, 2006 2:02:19 PM|blahblahblah

Find your celebrity dopelganger. MyHeritage is another site that uses face recognition on photos y... [more]

Legal guide for podcasters

Wednesday, May 10, 2006 6:04:36 PM|Cory Doctorow

Cory Doctorow: Donna sez, "Remember EFF's great Legal Guide for Bloggers? This guide is the ideal complement. Published by Harvard's Berkman Center for Internet & Society, the Stanford Center for Internet & Society, Vogele & Associates and Creative Commons, the guide carves out new ground in addre... [more]

Art? Porn? Who cares?

Sunday, May 07, 2006 11:05:43 AM|dirtynumbangelboy

Every Playboy centerfold, December 1953 - May 2006. [NSFW] Every Playboy centerfold, 1960-1999. [NSFW, via] [more]

What Our Dysfunctional and Evolving 'Information Behaviours' and Information Skills Mean for Our Future

Thursday, May 04, 2006 3:22:18 PM

On the KM speaker/unconference circuit, I am often asked to talk about the dysfunctional 'information behaviours' that impede learning and knowledge sharing. The list of these behaviours, many of them suggested by you readers, now stands at 25: Dysfunctional Behaviours Caused by Information Polit... [more]

Deconstructing KM

Saturday, April 29, 2006 9:22:13 PM|Denham Grey

Steve Barth will be taking KM to task next month in an interesting KnowledgeBoard presentation. Steve levels these charges: Right information, to right people at the right time - is the wrong focus The quest to 'know... [more]

See the world.

Friday, April 28, 2006 11:20:18 AM|monju_bosatsu

See country data plotted as 3d bars rising from the surface of Global-i, an interactive animated globe. For other map visualizations of county data, try Maplecroft Maps, Worldmapper, and Social Explorer's Census Data Maps. Worldprocessor has over 300 beautiful physical globe... [more]

Creating the Jobs We Want

Sunday, April 23, 2006 7:58:33 PM

So you say there are no good jobs out there. You've determined your genius: The place where your gift (what you're really good at) intersects your passion (what you love doing) -- areas 2 & 3 in the above diagram -- but no one ... [more]

Getting Things Done: Fear of Failure

Thursday, April 20, 2006 6:45:05 PM

You say "too late to start"You've got your heart in a headlockI don't believe any of it;You are afraid to startYou've got your heart in a headlockYou know you're better than this. -- Imogen Heap, Headlock So you've instituted Getting Things Done, David Allen's personal productivity methodology. You diligent... [more]

I know that face

Thursday, March 23, 2006 2:03:43 AM|tellurian

Riya ? Face recognition + autotagging. Now in beta [more]

Bad Men

Tuesday, March 21, 2006 5:03:06 PM|Meatbomb

Dictator of the Month. Your one stop shop for all your dictator-oriented needs. Even includes scorecards. From Amin to Zedong, they're all right here, folks. Enjoy some righteous anger [more]

Finding Soulmates to Make a Living With

Wednesday, March 08, 2006 5:46:42 PM

Lately I've been having a lot of sidebar discussions with readers about finding that way to make a living at the intersection of What You Love (your passion), What You're Good At (your gift), and What's Needed (your purpose). Knowing your Genius (where your gift and passion intersect -- areas 2 & 3 in th... [more]

"That's Not What I Meant"

Thursday, February 16, 2006 5:14:40 PM

Wired News has a report on research that suggests the tone, and often the intent, of half of all e-mail is misconstrued by readers. Part of this is the general imprecision of language itself (and our lack of skill in u... [more]

Three Things to Teach Your Children

Wednesday, February 15, 2006 3:18:13 PM

When I say "your" children I don't mean just your biological children, but rather all the young people that you have contact with -- students, recruits, the children of friends. I believe that part of the reason for the dissociation of so many young people today is the fact that we don't talk wi... [more]

Eight Ways Your Innovation Program Can Go Wrong

Monday, February 13, 2006 4:06:45 PM

Innovation & Creativity Model ©2006 Dave Pollard & Meeting of Minds (see explanation at end of this article) The Doblin Group, whose model of the Ten Types of Innovation I've described before, has written an intere... [more]

Dave Pursues His Passion

Wednesday, February 08, 2006 10:22:54 PM

Regular readers will probably be aware that I've recently become preoccupied with finding my Genius (what I'm good at), my Passion (what I love doing), and my Purpose (what there is a great need for) -- and, m... [more]

Finding Where Your Passion, Your Genius and Your Purpose Meet

Tuesday, January 31, 2006 3:37:59 PM

Recently I suggested that perhaps the best way to decide how you want to make a living was to simply ask Who Needs Your Gift Now? The implication of that question is that your Gift is something you both love (it's your Passion) and... [more]

Advice to Innovators: Know What Urgent Problem You're Uniquely Solving

Monday, January 30, 2006 5:17:54 PM

Over the years I have advised many entrepreneurs, worked with a lot of consultants, and coached executives. All three groups repeatedly make the same mistake: They try to introduce 'solutions' that are really interesting, quite feasible, and well within their area of competency, but which fail to ... [more]

Who Needs Your Gift Now?

Wednesday, January 18, 2006 12:32:39 PM

(I've had a recurrence of last fall's back injury, and sitting at the computer brings on spasms -- perhaps it is telling me something? -- so until that improves this blog's articles are likely to be short, and hopefully sweet. -- Dave) Two great inspirations in my life recently, Dick Richards' b... [more]

The Dragons in the Room: Barriers to Change in Organizations

Monday, January 02, 2006 8:36:26 PM

Adam Kahane's latest book Solving Tough Problems stresses the importance of speaking candidly and listening openly, in order to allow resolutions to complex (wicked) problems to emerge. The book is principally anecdotes of Kahan... [more]

Holy snails!

Wednesday, December 21, 2005 10:46:08 AM

Opium

Wednesday, December 21, 2005 10:42:07 AM

technorati tags: newsbin, topposts, keepers, howtosavetheworld, htstw, davidpollard, garrysblog

What is Our Youth's Favorite Site?

I love eMarketer.

I'm a ex-high-tech researcher, and I've been reading their articles for many years.

eMarketer's article, What is the Youth Market's Fave Site? has important statistics about the Youth Market on the Internet.

Congratulations go to Google who has won our youth - well done!

It also seems Facebook has the girls' interests and ESPN (and Yahoo) has the guys'.

technorati tags: google, facebook, espn, youth, internet, yahoo, favoritesite

Name a Business or Product

Need a name for a new business or product? Here are four sites offering unique name generator tools:

http://www.wordlab.com/tools/t_index.cfm

http://thesaurus.reference.com/

http://www.domainfellow.com

http://www.rhymer.com/naming.html

technorati tags: name, product, business, generator, tool, free, garrysblog

So You Wanna . . .

So You Wanna is a facinating site that teaches things you didn't learn in school. I practice yoga and so I tested their So You Wanna Learn the Basics of Yoga page. It had an excellent overview along with graphics for a yoga routine. So You Wanna is very informative and covers many subjects.

technorati tags: soyouwanna, howto, learning, garrysblog

Take the Superhero Self-quiz

Here are the results from a surprisingly accurate superhero quiz I took:
You are Superman

Superman 85% Supergirl 72% The Flash 70% Robin 69% Spider-Man 65% Wonder Woman 62% Batman 60% Hulk 60% Iron Man 55% Green Lantern 40% Catwoman 40%

You are mild-mannered, good, strong and you love to help others.

Click here to take the Superhero Personality Test

technorati tags: superhero, quiz, selfquiz, superman, garrysblog

Remembering Our Troops on Memorial Day

I'm a retired U.S. Government employee. As I think about our troops and veterans on this Memorial Day 2006, I try to imagine the difficulties and horrors experienced - past and present. One current thought presently haunting me is how terrible the shoes must have been in the World War I trenches.

Remembering our troops and their families is just not enough. Remembering the courage and bravery of our fallen heros is not enough either.

America Supports You.

technorati tags: supportourtroops, troops, garrysblog, memorialday

In Memoriam - Col. Oleg V. Penkovsky

Most often called the spy who saved the world, Oleg V. Penkovsky, was executed on May 16, 1963. A hero of the Cold War, he was one of the bravest and heroic men in the long history of spying. The USA should long remember and honor him.

An excerpt from his defection letter:

"I ask you to consider me as your soldier. Henceforth the ranks of your Armed Forces are increased by one man."

technorati tags: spy, intelligence, espionage, cia, politics

A Cute Text Generator

A cute generator is the Ninja Text Generator.

technorati tags: generator, text, ninja

Graphic Design at its Best

Thanks to graphic-design.com for The Gallery. Spotlighting creative art, it introduces us to some of the best of the best in today's graphic design.

Very inspirational.

technorati tags: best, graphic, design, graphicdesign, thegallery, graphic-design.com

Blog Systems I Use

Garry's Blog - Blogger - This is the main blog I'm currently using. I'm occasionally having problems with images.

Garry's Blog - TypePad has excellent design features but is not free. I've used this for a long time before Blogger.

Garry's Journal - WordPress is a free system with unique and beautiful layout templates.

Garry's Blog - 20-Six is a free UK blog with excellent easy-to-use features.

Garry's Blog - AOL Journal is AOL's free blog.

Garry's Blog - LiveJournal is a free blog with a large searchable user community. I used Pro for quite awhile.

Garry's Blog - Tagworld is a free blog with interesting design features.

Garry's Home - Multiply is a free blog with interesting design features.

Tags: blog review blogging weblog

MyDeathSpace.com Memorials

One of my daily RSS feeds is BoingBoing. One of their posts is about MySpace memorials. Once I started, it was difficult to stop reading them and their posts within days before their death. Sadly, it looks like lots of young lives are lost to car accidents, shootings and drugs.

mydeathspace.com: deceased (former) MySpace users

Xeni Jardin:
From the website:

Only three things are certain in life. MySpace, Taxes, and Death.

If you have a MySpace account and you die, this is where you will end up.

MyDeathSpace.com memorializes deceased MySpace users and picks up where
a regular obituary leaves off.

Click the MySpace Deaths link at the top to view the latest MySpace Deaths!

Link (Thanks, Matt!)

technorati tags: memorial, myspace, boingboing, garrysblog

Pick Your Addictions Wisely

Because I was having so much trouble posting this information using Blogger, I posted it to Garry's Blog on my Typepad subscription.

The post, Pick Your Addictions Wisely, is very important to help understand the seriousness of addictions.

Saluting Jim Schutze

For over a month I've wanted to comment on Jim Schutze, a reporter for the Dallas Observer. Jim's article of January 12, 2006, Bad Ticket, discusses the Dallas Transit's DART Police and offers an innovative solution to an apparent problem of police control. Since it appears they don't have one, he's offering his own volunteer internal affairs department for DART Police at no charge. He is donating his time, and he's following up on the issues. Jim stands up for the common man and represents the best of the Dallas community. A man with this kind of courage deserves a salute.

See also Jim Schutze's related article on Dec. 8, 2005, Bus Gestapo.

Link

technorati tags: news, transit, police, dallasobserver, jimschutze

Your Own Music Map

Try these two tools in order to access a special corner of your world - your music world:

Pandora helps you discover new music you'll love. Just enter your favorite song or artist.

LivePlasma has a music feature offering a visual search engine showing all the artists or bands who fit your musical tastes. Try the movie feature also.

technorati tags: mindmap, music, tool, visualization

My First Job - Buffalo News

I was 12 years old 50 years ago. That was when I got my first job. It was a newspaper route with the Buffalo News, then called the Buffalo Evening News. I had it for three years.

Just imagine - a kid delivering newspapers on a bicycle through 3 Buffalo winters, not to mention the rain, shine, sleet and hail throughout the other seasons. And besides that, I had a huge route with over 230 customers.

Did it make a man of me? Well, it taught me courtesy, discipline and respect. It also taught me about responsibility and maybe even a little about money management. Not bad for a first job.

Over the years that followed, I often relied on the lessons I learned as a newsboy. I like to think I was industrious, hardworking and honest. I also had learned to be sensitive to customers. And, I tried to always be polite and remember to say, "Thank you."

Thank you, Buffalo News, for your contribution to my upbringing.

Photo by buffalowaterfront.com

technorati tags: newsboy, newspaper, job, buffalonews buffalo

Remember the Troops on Valentine's Day

On this Valentine's Day, special recognition and appreciation go to our troops as well as their families and loved ones. For their dedication, I remain grateful. Today, I will especially remember the troops and their loved ones for their sacrifices and pain of separation. Thank you.

technorati tags: support, troops, family, valentines

A Kid's Introduction to Musical Instruments

Here are two sites offering a great introduction for kids about musical instruments:

Check out the Dallas Symphony Orchestra - Kids site with a clever Music Room. Click on the piano's music sheets to listen to various musical instruments.

PBS has PBS: Instruments of the Orchestra with a fun matching game. Click on the "Listen" button, listen to the instrument being played, and then select which instrument below is the one you heard.

technorati tags: music, instruments, kids, children

Best Blogs Defending Freedom of Expression

This might be a good time to refer to the Reporters sans frontières - Blog awards 2005 results. The competition is for the best blogs defending Freedom of Expression. Congratulations to the brave winners, listed by geographical region.

technorati tags: blogging, blogs, freedom+of+speech, awards, freedom+of+expression, best, garrysblog, Garry's+Blog

The Bland Leading the Blind (Ted Rall)

I don't always agree with Ted Rall, but I do with his recent excellent Op/Ed on the Muslim Cartoon controversy and censureship.

technorati tags: muslim, cartoons, ted+rall, garrysblog, garry's+blog

Driving and the Law

Two hard-to-believe examples of driving and the law come from the Newspaper, a journal of the politics of driving:

UK: Man Fined $142 for Flipping Off Speed Camera

Texas Toll Road Imposes $73,000 Fine on Driver

technorati tags: law, government, politics, driving, fines

LEAP: Law Enforcement Against Prohibition

Thanks to my favorite BoingBoing for their important post and comment on the Drug War. Law enforcement professionals against the war on drugs should inspire us all towards reason and compassion.

I watched the videos on the LEAP site, and I was deeply impressed.

Technorati tags: boingboing, favorite, government, legal, legislature, drug+war, LEAP, Garry's Blog

Rose - Classy

Rose - Classy
Originally uploaded by Kathleen Andersen.

I was reviewing a flickr group called "Red Flowers." I think this photo by Kathleen Andersen deserves special appreciation - it's absolutely stunning.

Tags: photography photoblog blogging weblog flickr best

Favorite Kids Sites

Here are a few favorite sites for kids to play games and learn.

Math - A Plus Math

The easiest way to learn your basic math is with flash cards, and this site has it all automated. If you're having trouble with certain numbers, use the Non-java flash cards. For speed, use your computer's Numbers keypad and Enter key. Besides automated math flash cards, this site also has practise for counting money and telling time.

Fly a helicopter

A very realistic helicopter game. Win by successfully flying through all four levels. Lots of fun.

Concentration

This is one of the better concentration games. It delivers a score as well as timing. A good way to see if your memory works.

Simon Game

An excellent Simon game found on the Kidz Page. Another memory game.

SSCrabble

Here's a great one-person online Scrabble game. It has almost all of the features of Scabble automated.

Tic Tac Toe Strategy

This link is to a strategy page for Tic Tac Toe. You open the game in another window, and then you can either play or use it to learn how to win or draw . . . but never lose. It's all mathematics.

Tags: kids blog game learning review blogging weblog

All My Blogs

I've been blogging for 4 years, since early-2002. I'm not knowledgeable in HTML, and so I'm always looking for a blog tool with easy editing and a nice design.

For my first blog, I turned to LiveJournal. It was free, but I quickly subscribed to their inexpensive Pro service for the added features. They have a huge user community that relys on individual interests to develop social networks. At one time, I could take my interests and search against the entire database. Out would pop five to ten people who had or said they had interests very similar to my own. That search feature was eventually discontinued.

I moved on to try 20-Six's beautiful layouts and friendly service. Then I went to TypePad who offered features that I couldn't get without a paid subscription. After a blogging hiatus of about a year, I looked at Multiply and then tried AOL Journal and then finally settled on Blogger. My current blog is through Blogger and is hosted on my business web site G.R. Jenkin & Associates.

I'm now also trying out WordPress. I have heard many good things about it, and I'm impressed with its layouts.

Blogs I've Used

Garry's Blog - Blogger - this is the blog I'm currently using
Garry's Blog - 20-Six - a free UK blog with excellent features
Garry's Blog - AOL Journal - AOL's free blog
Garry's Blog - LiveJournal - a free blog with a large user community. I also used Pro.
Garry's Blog - Tagworld - a free blog with interesting design
Garry's Home - Multiply - a free blog with interesting design
Garry's Blog - TypePad - excellent design features but not free
Garry's Journal - WordPress - a free system with very nice layout templates

Blogs Editors I'm looking at

BlogJet
WBlogger
Qumana Editor
Zoundry Blog Writer
RocketPost
BlogWizard
Post2Blog

Tags: blog review blogging weblog Garry'sBlog

Keeping In Touch With a Parent in Prison

This NYT editorial is excellent. The practice of profiting by gouging prisoners' families has been going on for over 20 years. Congressional Representative, Bobby Rush, Democrat of Illinois, should be commended for introducing a bill to prevent this practice.

Tags: prisons weblog blog garry's blog

"I Don't Understand" in 255 Languages

I have traveled throughout the world; therefore, I found Jennifer's Language Page to be quite cool. Simple expressions are in many many languages. There are 255 languages and four English examples for "I don't understand." For English - Texas it's said to be, "What'd ya say?" When I read that, I thought, "Huh?"

Other expressions are there also . . .

[Hello] [Good morning] [Good afternoon] [Good evening] [Good night] [How are you?] [Goodbye] [Please] [Thank you] [What is your name?] [My name is...] [Do you speak English?] [Yes] [No] [Welcome]

What's missing? I can think of a couple. How about, "What is this?" or "How do you say ...?"

Tags: world language weblog blog garry's+blog

Skyscrapers and Skylines

Anyone who likes skyscrapers (and who doesn't?) will like the SkyscraperPage.com. Skyscrapers throughout the world are beautifully illustrated. It's worth the visit, even though image galleries are temporarily unavailable.

See also DallasSky.com for the beauty of the Dallas' skyline.

Tags: skyscrapers dallas blogging weblog garry's_blog

Magic Hands Dance

My niece sent me this link through break.com to view Magic Hands. It's an online video showing the Thousand-hand Bodhisattva dance performed by 21 deaf girls and boys from China's Disabled Peoples Performing Art Troupe.

My niece has years of experience in dance and so I especially appreciate it coming from her.

Tags: dance blogging weblog deaf garry's_blog

The World Hunger Map

Food for thought

Something to ponder in the upcoming weeks of plenty food: the world hunger map.

According to the map, 16% of the world is undernourished. In many locations, over 35% of the population are undernourished. In Afghanistan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, 70% are undernourished.

Thanks to LOGOS for the link.

Tags: world hunger map starvation blogging weblog garry's_blog

Single Best Photo of 2005

Buzznet.com is running a contest - they're asking for your Single Best Photo of 2005. Here is my entry. Her name is Karissa, and she's my grand granddaughter.

Tags: photography photoblog blogging weblog flickr best buzznet garry's_blog

A Favorite Photo

I posted a few of my photos on Flickr and Buzznet. My photo of an orchid got quite a few views and, more importantly, it received a favorite rating from one of Flickr's kind appreciative souls. I'm surprised how good it made me feel.

Tags: photography photoblog flickr buzznet flowers orchid blogging weblog garry's_blog

Meme - Advice for the Bride-to-be

Let's say it's your granddaughter's wedding day. You have a lifetime of experience and now you have a moment alone with her. You have an opportunity to give her lasting advice. What do you say?

Honor each other in words and deeds.
Think of the other one first.
Be flexible, compassionate and caring.
Keep a sense of humor.
Be grateful.
(from a 62-year old grandfather, married twice)

Respect each other.
Don't try to control.
Make up your own mind and don't make it up for others.
Don't push yourself on others.
Be square.
(from a 90-year old great-grandfather, married for 67 years)

Be yourself.
Be honest.
Don't try to be someone you're not.
Communicating is important; money is the problem.
(from a 67-year old grandfather)

Tags: meme wedding advice garry's_blog

War & Casualties and Saddam Hussein

How many deaths did Saddam Hussein cause? Matthew White helps me understand how difficult a question that is. His, Tyrants, has Saddam Hussein as a Secondary Level Mass Murderer. Iraq: A Population Silenced makes me believe Saddam is responsible for at least 50,000 deaths without including the Iran-Iraq War (1 million casualties). I've learned, thanks to Matthew, there is always a question of accuracy with atrocity numbers.

The below sites help give us an overview of war, casualties and costs.

Conflict Map
The Education Section of the Nobel eMuseum offers a timeline map in Flash that covers conflicts throughout the 20th Century. Move throughout the map and zoom in for specific data.

Wars, Massacres and Atrocities of the Twentieth Century
Matthew White offers a timeline with year-by-year death toll over the 20th Century. Advance to next slides for quarterly maps and excellent summaries. Some data is a few years old, but very well done. Also, see the main site, Historical Atlas of the Twentieth Century. Lots of info here. A well-done to author of the site and librarian, Matthew White.

Americans Killed/Wounded by Action
The American War Library has a very comprehensive table of the number of Americans killed in wars from 1775 to the present. Included is the Cost of the Wars.

Statistical Summary - America's Major Wars
LSU's Civil War Center offers a statistical summary of America's major wars and breaks it into three important tables: Military Participation Ratios, Casualties and Financial Costs in 1990-dollars. Thanks to our friends in the Allied Coalition, the Gulf War was probably America's least expensive war.

Wars and Genocides of the 20th Century
Piero Scaruffi has an excellent site listing wars and casualties ranging from 1860 to 2003. During the 20th Century, 160 million people died in wars.

The Wide World of War
Fact Monster provides an excellent collection of interesting details dealing with war. Included is everything from Battles That Changed History to A Who's Who of Warriors. Also valuable is the Timeline of U.S. Military Operations.

Tags: world+wars war casualties blogging weblog conflicts tyrants militarysaddam+hussein genocides garry's_blog

The Wonderful World of Color Scheme Generators

For graphic designers and webmasters, here are a few color picker sites worth looking at (in order of my preference):

Color Scheme Generator
WellStyled.com has a generator with lots of choices - mono, contrast, triad, tetrad and analogic styles and variations for all.

Color Scheme Tool
SteelDolphine.com has a nice easy-to-use tool that offers five-color schemes and many variations.

Color Palette Creator
SlayerOffice.com has a palette tool that provides 10 shades of any base color and multiple options for changes.

ColorMaker
Bagism's ColorMaker is very handy by letting you vary and test text colors and backgrounds. Then you can save the script. Many related links are included.

ColorSchemer
A well-done to ColorSchemer.com. Includes buttons for lightening and darkening.

ColorCombo
A four-panel side-by-side color combination viewer and quite a few other viewers. Very comprehensive. Can be downloaded for offline use.

And something different:

StrangeBanana
When you get tired of playing with colors, just pick a randomly generated blog site and use that design for your own.

ColorMatch
A nice simple color scheme generator by StrangeBanana.

Tags: color picker blogging weblog scheme generator weblog design garry's_blog

Meme - What do you love? What do you hate?

Tags: meme love hate

Concentration - C'mon Kids! Match Up Disasters

There was a humorous BoingBoing post by Xeni Jardin about the current terror threat level. It even includes a crazy photo bonus. Well, here's another crazy FEMA bonus, special for the kids: The Concentration Game.

Tags: FEMA government

Glitter Text by GlitterGraphics

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Here's a sample of glitter text by GlitterGraphics. Nice job and nice free samples.

Tags: graphics glitter

An Excellent Optical Illusion

This optical illusion, created by M Bach & JL Hinton, is one of the best I have seen. It works so well, I had to pass it on to friends and family. Thanks to Tim Bray for the link.

Tags: optical_illusion garry's_blog

The Incarceration Mentality

When will we understand that in the U.S. today, it's the incarceration rate and not the crime rate that is escalating? According to Bureau of Justice Statistics, despite falling crime rates since 1991, the rate of incarceration has increased 51%. The three strikes law is wrong-minded, the death penalty is inhumane, and the justice system needs help (but not through Homeland Security).



Two quotations:

"One is absolutely sickened, not by the crimes that the wicked have committed, but by the punishments that the good have inflicted; and a community is infinitely more brutalized by the habitual employment of punishment than it is by the occasional occurrence of crime."
Oscar Wilde (1854-1900)

"Treatment of crime and criminals is one of the most unfailing tests of civilization of any country."
Winston Churchill (1874-1965)

Tags: government blogging weblog death penalty incarceration prisons

Visualization with Search Engines

Searching visually should greatly enhance knowledge management efforts. Check out the following for a mind mapping concept of web searching:

KartOO
KartOO is a metasearch engine with visual display interfaces. KartOO is too cool.

MusicPlasma
This is a great visual search engine that will allow you to identify all the artists that fit your musical tastes. Compare this with the currently popular Pandora.

TouchGraph
This is one of the top visual search engines.

Web Brain
Visually browse the ODP - Open Directory Project.

and for related resources . . .

Mind Mapping Resource Center
Mind mapping is a popular brainstorming tool. The Mind Mapping Resource Center has collected the best resouces and tools on this subject into one convenient location.

Tags: mind mapping search visualization visualisation blogging weblog garry's_blog

Religion and Politics Self-test

Here are two sites providing religious and political self-tests.

Religious Self-test
Even if you don't know what faith you are, Belief-O-Matic knows. Answer 20 short quetions about your concept of god, the afterlife, human nature, and more, and Belief-O-Matic will tell you what religion (if any) you practice . . . or ought to consider practicing.

Political Self-test
On the Issues has a self-quiz where you can check out your own political beliefs. Select the Quizzes Tab at the top and then go down to the quiz, "Politics Match Quiz of Your Political Philosophy." You can even compare your opinions with those of top U.S. leaders.

Tags: philosophy religion politics test self-test blogging weblog garry's_blog

Hope for Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD, ADHD)

Need help for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADD)? Read some good news through ZDNet. Maybe the Smart BrainGames video games system can help.

Here Comes Generation Y

Are we ready for Generation Y? They're today's 10 to 27 year olds and number 73 million. Just to get a perspective, the Y Generation is almost as large a demographic group as the 78 million Baby Boomers born between 1946 and 1964. In 2015, the adult members of Gen Y will comprise 34% of the U.S. population. They will be the largest market segment in the United States.

Tags: generation+y blogging weblog garry's_blog

Edge - The World Question Center

This is a site with answers to questions like, "What do you believe is true even though you cannot prove it?" or "What's your law?" Read what the experts as well as commonmen say.

Tags: edge.org blogging weblog garry's_blog

Why Not?

WhyNot.net makes it easy for good ideas to be heard. People can challenge the status quo and find ways to do things better.

Molecular Expression

The Florida State University in Tallahassee has put up a very interesting Java applet on their site called "Powers of 10." Very educational and very mind-boggling.

Tags: science blogging weblog garry's_blog

Daily Inspiration

I found this affirmation that was on my desk and used daily while working with Perot Systems for over 10 years. It seemed to work.

Autumn Colors

Autumn colors in
Carrollton, TX.

Taken Dec. 5, 2005

My New Blog

This is my first post to my new Garry's Blog using Blogger.com. I have 13 other blogs and have used Blogger off and on since 2002. This is now my main blog.