We will not tolerate intolerance!

We advocate free speech, but we will not tolerate intolerance. In other words, we advocate free speech only for those tolerant of our beliefs. For those who do not believe as we do ... no free speech!

See "Confused Yale Students," on the blog "Tongue Tied 3."

Massive security breach at UCLA

Be afraid, be very afraid, of giving personal information to practically anyone.

"The UCLA incident is the latest in a string of computer security breaches affecting financial institutions, universities and other large enterprises in the US. California's information security breaches disclosure law requires notification of these incidents in cases where personal data might have been disclosed."

The day after the day after Thanksgiving

I got up at 6:00 AM, lit the fires, had a cup of coffee (black, since I'm on a diet), and surfed the Internet, a bit. Then, I lay back down. I got up when breakfast (Egg Beaters and orange juice) was ready. Then, I lay back down. I got up at 8:00 AM, when the phone rang. It was Nicholas McGrew, returning my call from yesterday. I told him that I would call him when the special-ordered window came in.

After we went to the post office and the grocery store, I took Mom home and went to the KFC near the Baptist Hospital. I picked up two lunches.

This afternoon, we went to the Wendy's Restaurant on High Street and each had a salad.

Difficulty walking ...

Last night, I washed my hair, in anticipation of getting my hair cut, today; however, this morning I decided to put it off until next week.

I took Mom to the pharmacy, the post office, and the grocery store. As we were leaving the grocery, she began having difficulty walking, because of the pain in her hip. When we got to her house, she sat in the car while I put away the groceries, then, I helped her inside.

Later, I went to the coin-operated laundry to wash my sheets, dress shirts, and dress pants. There were some other people there, but not so many that I had to wait.

A busy day ...

I got to work early, loaded up my car, and was on my way by 7:40 am. I got back to Jackson, got a case of copy paper, and headed down to Crystal Springs. While I was out of town, I got several orders.

This afternoon, the optician called and said that they had received the lenses from the lab, but they sent them back because the lab had made some mistakes in manufacturing them. I told them that I would call back in three weeks to see if they had received the re-made lenses.

New software

Installed trial copies of MacJournal and NoteBook.

Went to the laundry and washed (and dried) all of my dirty socks. It took one of the large, front-loading machines. There were quite a few people there. I had to wait for one of the washers, then one of the dryers.

There was a lady there with two young children, a boy and a girl. The boy was very active, running all around. He wasn’t looking where he was going, and he ran into an open washer door. He cried for a while. Then, he got over it.

Tire changin' in the rain

Yesterday, I had the tread fly off one of the tires on my car. I was on Highway 49, going north, between Magee and Mendenhall. At first, I thought I had a flat, but, upon closer inspection, I realized that the tread had started to peel off. Flapping up underneath the car, it made a heck of a noise!

While I was changing the tire, to put on the spare, it started to rain. By the time I had finished, it had almost stopped raining.

When I got back to Jackson, I went to see Frank Holman. There, they repaired a slow leak in the right front tire, and I purchased a nice, used tire to take the place of the one that had come apart. Also, Frank tightened up the wire that is holding up the tail pipe. All for twenty dollars, including tax. Not a bad deal.

I asked Frank what the squeaking sound was, which was coming from under the hood on the left front side of the car. He said that it was the ball joint. While the car was up on the rack, he showed me where the rubber part had split open. Because of that, the joint can no longer hold lubricant. He said that it would cost eighty dollars per ball joint (there are two), and the car would need to have a front-end alignment after the ball joints were replaced. I believe that the alignment would be about forty dollars.

Also, he showed me a "bubble" on the left rear tire. He said that indicated that the tread would soon come off that tire, as well. He said that I could buy a set of four tires for $215.00 to $220.00.

Tomorrow morning, I plan to go in to have the ball joints repaired. Then, I'll see about buying some new tires, or, maybe, just have the "bad" tire replaced with another used one.

Iran Defies U.N. Deadline

In a move that should suprise no one, Iran has defied a United Nations' deadline to stop enriching uranium. See story at FOX News.

Actions do have consequences

Actor Tom Cruise found out that actions do have consequences, even for him, a mega-star.

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Sanity

Mr Reid said the "challenge to all of us" means "we may have to modify some of our freedoms in the short-term in order to prevent their misuse and abuse by those who oppose our fundamental values and would destroy our freedoms and values in the long-term".

A sensible quote from a British politician.

No thanks. I'd rather just stay home.

Mother of three has been staying for months rent-free at church's house. She refuses to meet with them to discuss a reasonable rent, and she refused several job offers. Wha?

Blogged with Flock

The theft

When I got home from work, I went across the street to the convenience store and bought some gasoline. My plan was to mow the lawn, but, when I went to get the mower out of the back yard, I discovered that someone had stolen it.

Too bad. They got a piece of junk. It burned oil and fouled the spark plugs. The handle was broken. You would think that, if someone was going to steal a lawnmower, they would steal a nice one.

Now, I get to buy a new one--one that runs well. I'm not upset. Yay!

Reparations

Comment thread from fark.com: priceless

Software for the Apple Mac

A guide to OS X software for switchers. Good stuff.

Pain killers

Mother got up at 10:00 PM and took some pain killers. Her leg was hurting. She said that it was because she had been up on it a lot today. Also, she has been coughing quite a bit.

Scamming the U. S. Government

Scum of the earth.

Lawmakers expressed outrage Wednesday over a federal audit report that debit cards handed out to hurricane victims last year were used to buy such items as a $200 bottle of champagne from Hooters and $300 worth of "Girls Gone Wild" videos.

The cards -- given to people displaced by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita -- also bought diamond jewelry and a vacation in the Dominican Republic, according to the Government Accountability Office audit.

The GAO, the investigative arm of Congress, found at least $1 billion in disaster relief payments by the Federal Emergency Management Agency were improper and potentially fraudulent because the recipients provided incomplete or incorrect information when they registered for assistance.

The GAO uncovered records showing $1,000 from a FEMA debit card went to a Houston divorce lawyer, $600 was spent in a strip club, and $400 bought "adult erotica products," all of which auditors concluded were "not necessary to satisfy legitimate disaster needs."

CNN.com - Lawmaker: Hurricane aid spent on jewelry, erotica an 'affront' - Jun 14, 2006

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Return to Sender

This is encouraging, but we have been disappointed by "catch and release" before. We'll see just how serious the administration is.

In a blitz that began May 26, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has arrested nearly 2,100 illegal immigrants across the country. Officials said the raids are aimed at child molesters, gang members and other violent criminals, as well as people like Da Silva who sneaked back into the country after a judge threw them out.

The crackdown is called Operation Return to Sender.

"This sends a message," said Monico, standing outside the gray Victorian apartment where Da Silva had been hiding. "When we deport you, we're serious."

FOXNews.com - U.S. Immigration Officers Arrest 2,100 Illegal Immigrants

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Michelle Malkin: "The Fear-Mongers Fail"

Ha, ha, ha! A large majority of the American public actually appreciate the National Security Agency trying to protect our security, much to the chagrin, no doubt, of the legacy, i. e., so-called "main stream," media.

Legacy: a ... system ... that was created for a specific purpose but is now outdated; anything left over from a previous version of the [system]

A ride in the country

April 10, 2006 8:53:27 AM - Got up late (again!). Fixed a cup of coffee and am drinking it now.

For lunch, I had a Southwest Taco Salad from the Wendy’s Restaurant on High Street. A week from today, they are scheduled to open in their new location (right next to their present location).

After lunch, I drove down to Crystal Springs, to make a delivery to Bank of the South. It was just so beautiful, today, that I wanted to go for a ride in the country.

For dinner, I had one-half cup of yogurt, one-half cup of cottage cheese, and one cup of milk. Right now, I’m drinking a diet soda.

Tonight, I’m going to try going to bed earlier than usual, to see if that will make a difference in how much I eat. I notice that I snack “after hours.”

Errands and chores

I got up shortly after the alarm on my Palm PDA woke me up at 8:30 AM. I fixed myself a cup of coffee with canned milk. I had already had my breakfast, of two pieces of bread, when I had gotten up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom.

I surfed the Internet, looking at news and the CompUSA sales, then lay back down, pulling up the covers, since it was fifty-one degrees at 10:00 AM.

We listened to the Galloway church service from eleven o'clock until noon. The sermon was about Jesus riding on the donkey into Jerusalem. I emailed the pastor telling him that I enjoyed the sermon.

We ate lunch at noon. I had two eggs (egg substitute, actually) and water.

At one o'clock, I took Mother to do her errands: pharmacy (where we saw Mildred McGrew), the post office (where I received four pieces of mail), and the grocery store. We have switched to doing our errands on Sunday, instead of Saturday, because the grocery store offers a senior citizens' discount on Sunday (Wednesday, too, but Sunday is more convenient, because I don't have to work on Sunday).

I tried to telephone to Bill, twice, while we were out, but, both times, I got his answering machine, although I didn't leave a message either time.

At two o'clock, I mowed the front and back yards and pulled some of the branches, which could have scratched my car when I pull into the driveway, away from the street.

After I finished mowing the lawn(s), Bill called. They had been out, and, when they returned, they saw, from their caller ID unit, that I had called them.

Haircut, errands, eating out

I got up just before 6:00 AM and took a few photographs of my hair, before going to get a haircut. Then, I had a cup of coffee and played an April Fool's joke on Mother. I told her that I didn't sleep a wink last night, and she believed it. Then, I said, "April Fool's!" Hah, hah!

I got to the barbershop at 7:33 AM and was back home just a few minutes after 8:00 AM. Mr. Graham said that someone had broken into his shop and stolen the money out of the gum ball machine, which had been placed there twenty-five to thirty years ago (when he first moved there) by a local Civitan club.

After I got back home, I reheated and finished my morning cup of coffee. Then Mother and I went to the post office and the grocery store. On the way, I telephoned Bill and asked him what kind of soda pops they would like for us to have ready. He said Classic Cokes. They had not left home, yet.

It is now 9:53 AM, and I am waiting for 10:30 AM, when Mother and I will leave to pick up one of her prescriptions at the pharmacy, go to the Piccadilly Cafeteria for lunch, and the Home Depot to buy some more rocks for the driveway.

At the Piccadilly, I got the roast pork loin, broccoli casserole, macaroni and cheese, and a piece of garlic bread. I ate only the pork and brought the rest home for dinner.

When we got home from the Home Depot, I poured the rocks into the water puddles in the driveway. Then, I took out the garbage and the old newspapers.

I watched television, for a while, but there was nothing on that held my interest. I ate the piece of garlic bread that I brought home from the Piccadilly.

It is now 2:30 PM, and I'm sore, I guess from hauling those heavy bags of rocks.

No cash for you

I was panhandled, again. The last time was on the twenty-second of this month, only nine days ago. The company secretary says that the panhandlers find me wherever I go.

I had ducked into a local Walgreen’s drug store to buy a twelve-pack of diet Cokes, in preparation for this weekend’s visit by my brother and his family. As I was leaving, a black guy approached me.

Him: “Can you do something for me?”

Me: “What can I help you with?”

Him: “I’m trying to feed my little girl.”

Me: “I don’t have any money, but you can have these,” I replied, on a whim, thrusting the Cokes into the somewhat surprised man’s hands. “Will these help you?”

Him: “Yes, sir.”

We parted company. As I was getting into my car, I turned and saw him at a pay phone. Maybe he was calling some of his friends, perhaps asking one to panhandle for some chips and, another, for some dip. Sorry if I sound cynical, but I am. I have been panhandled so many times, I believe that I can tell, to some degree, if the individual is sincere ... or not.

I was panhandled today. My first encounter of the new year, with someone of the panhandling persuasion. I was approached while sitting in my car in the parking lot of the downtown post office.

The man's story was that he had just arrived from New Orleans. (Isn't he a little bit late getting out?) He said that he and his family were staying in a motel on Highway 80 and that he was trying to "build enough" to get some chicken wings and a loaf of bread. There was more to his story, and I just let him talk for a while, but, in my opinion, it was just a tale invented to generate money. No matter. I gave him five dollars. He asked me to join his family for dinner. I politely turned him down.