I saw a poll on CNN asking readers to choose our greatest President. With 110,000 votes in, the results were: Washington 13% 14384 votes Lincoln 33% 36171 votes F.D. Roosevelt 28% 30697 votes Kennedy 12% 12881 votes Reagan 15% 16438 votes Now this is hardly scientific, the link to the poll was next to an article memorializing Ronald Reagan. You could not add any candidates, but had to choose from...
So, tomorrow night the Detroit Pistons play the Los Angeles Lakers for the NBA Championship. Most sports pundits give LA, with four future Hall of Famers in their starting lineup, a considerable edge in this series. My brain tells me that LA will win in four, maybe five. Ah, but my heart.... The LA Lakers have Shaq (also known as "Superman," just read his tattoo) and Kobe. They have Karl "The Mailman" Malone and Gary "The Glove" Payton, who came to LA just to get championship rings. Heck, ...
Ronald Reagan died today, at age 93, after a long bout with Alzheimer's disease. His legacy is a complicated one, but I would just like to share my thoughts as a person who lived through his two terms in office as the President of the United States. Let me preface any further remarks by saying, candidly, I voted against him not once but twice. Despite that, I must say that the United States was a better place after his two terms in office. His accomplishments cannot be underestimated and w...
A pattern of attacks has begun against Islamic countries friendly to US interests. - Today a bomb blast in a Shiite mosque in Karachi, Pakistan took the lives of at least 16 worshippers and sparked rioting in Pakistan's largest city. President Musharraf has been a supporter of US policy in the War Against Terror. - 22 people died in the hostage situation in Khobar, Saudi Arabia. While Osama bin Laden' s family has close ties to the royal family of Saudi Arabia, bin Laden has advocated t...
If anyone doesn't recognize the allusion in the sub-title to Jonathan Swift's wonderful, satirical essay "A Modest Proposal," you should look that up. It is intended as a warning that what follows is satire, not intended to be taken seriously. Nor is it intended to give offense, but meant humorously. I hope that it offers a chuckle or two. America, Canada and Australia share a common history, a more similiar-than-not culture and many physical characteristics. One has to wonder, then, why Amer...
On February 27th, 2004, three United States Senators introduced legislation that, if passed, will go a long way towards making the Internet safe again. The bill, introduced as S.2145, is intended "To regulate the unauthorized installation of computer software, to require clear disclosure to computer users of certain computer software features that may pose a threat to user privacy, and for other purposes." The bill, formally known as the "Software Principles Yielding Better Levels of C...
In primitive societies, desecrating the dead bodies of fallen enemies was a not uncommon practice. Often it was based on form of belief that what was done to the body would have implications in the afterlife. This is not an act associated with civilized people living in modern world. But recently Arab terrorist organizations have revived this form of mutilation. We have all seen or heard about the beheading of Nick Berg. You have to wonder why he was beheaded rather than simply shot. Dead ...
Bull Durham is one of my favorite sports movies. In a wonderful scene, Kevin Costner teaches Tim Robbins how to handle an interview by practicing his "cliches," things that you can say that will never offend anyone. "I'm just glad to be here and to help the team in any way that I can." "We're just taking it one game at a time." Bland, almost meaningless comments, that will never cause a sensation. I wonder why politicians can't just learn their cliches. Vice President Dick Cheney said of D...
The 18-year old suspected of creating the Sasser internet worm has confessed. A high-school student from the village of Waffensen in Germany has confessed that he was the one that created the latest, destructive internet worm. The Sasser worm differs from previous versions, such as Netsky and Bagel, in that you don't have to double-click on an attachment to become infected. The damage done already is incalcuable. Hospitals in Hong Kong were hit, airline flights delayed. If you think ...
Four alleged spammers have been arrested in Detroit for violations of the Federal Government's new "can spam" law. The four men stand accused of sending out a million spam e-mails for their weight loss product that is variously known as AIT Herbal, Avatar Nutrition, Phoenix Avatar and other names. According to the Federal Trade Commission over 10,000 complaints of unwanted e-mails from the company had been received in their offices. The e-mails violated the new Federal law which went in...
I have just returned from a wonderful performance of "Testiclese," an original play by Nat Topping presented at the University of Michigan's Residential College (RC) theater. I fear that I won't be able to say enough good things about the play or tonight's performance, but I feel compelled to try. Nat Topping is a wonderful young man, a talented actor and playwright. He is a talent to watch, destined for greatness. The Fates themselves have woven his thread into the fabric of time...wait, ...
Ariel Sharon has put on the table the unilateral withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Gaza Strip and portions of the West Bank. The move is widely seen as an attempt by Sharon to bolster his own sinking political ship (Sharon is under investigation in Israel for financial improprieties and is under fire from both right-wing and left-wing Israelis) and has been condemned by much of the world. President Bush is one of the few world leaders to praise the move. The transcript of President Bu...
Ariel Sharon has put on the table the unilateral withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Gaza Strip and portions of the West Bank. The move is widely seen as an attempt by Sharon to bolster his own sinking political ship (Sharon is under investigation in Israel for financial improprieties and is under fire from both right-wing and left-wing Israelis) and has been condemned by much of the world. President Bush is one of the few world leaders to praise the move. The transcript of President Bu...
Ariel Sharon has put on the table the unilateral withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Gaza Strip and portions of the West Bank. The move is widely seen as an attempt by Sharon to bolster his own sinking political ship (Sharon is under investigation in Israel for financial improprieties and is under fire from both right-wing and left-wing Israelis) and has been condemned by much of the world. President Bush is one of the few world leaders to praise the move. The transcript of President Bu...
Ariel Sharon has put on the table the unilateral withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Gaza Strip and portions of the West Bank. The move is widely seen as an attempt by Sharon to bolster his own sinking political ship (Sharon is under investigation in Israel for financial improprieties and is under fire from both right-wing and left-wing Israelis) and has been condemned by much of the world. President Bush is one of the few world leaders to praise the move. The transcript of President Bu...