My own state requires that employers provide 2hrs off to vote, but some employers are saying they can't comply, because they can't afford to lose the coverage. Bullshit. If that's the case, they can't afford other national holidays like Christmas and Thanksgiving. "I can't afford it" is another way of saying "it's not high among my priorities." On top of that, 2hrs may not be enough, given the … [Read more...]
Going Back to DOS (and Linux)?
November 2, 2008 By
I'm reinstalling my operating system. I should say systemS, since I'm going to be triple booting. I used to dual boot Linux and Windows 2000, with Linux as primary, until my university presented me with a Microsoft-only interface to their online-eviron. Shortly thereafter, Windows went down, took the hard drive with it, and I didn't have time (doing a Masters Degree and work simultaneously) to do … [Read more...]
Chicago
October 17, 2008 By
Great subway system (actually elevated train, but I call it a subway). Breakfast at Yolk twice - fantastic. Fun area along Wabash in the look, under the L-train. Chinatown there, compared to Chinatown everywhere else I've been, leaves a lot to be desired. Yuck. Even the food was atrocious. Saw some brutal police action - didn't like it. They seem more threatening and pugilistic that yankee … [Read more...]
Seattle
October 12, 2008 By
Great chowder. Love the ocean, of course. Downtown is fantastic. Good coffee. Grand Hyatt Seattle. … [Read more...]
We Did It!
September 27, 2008 By
You'll remember that back in April I told you about the New Futures Orphanage. Money was coming in so slowly that they had to eat it (as rice) and, especially with food costs being what they now are, they could never get together enough at once to buy farm animals and start sustainable agriculture. Their goal was $1000 to buy chickens and other sustainable food sources. This goal has been met, and … [Read more...]
E-paper Phone?
August 12, 2008 By
I got the thinnest phone in the world. OK, the 2nd thinnest - the [Motofone F3]. This was designed for India, to be cheap, reliable, and easy to mass-produce. But the Indians didn't want it. By the time it hit the market, the market had changed, and they wanted iPhones, or something like it. Money is pouring in the country, and so it wasn't loved the way I love it. But this is e-paper, and a great … [Read more...]
Upgrade to Smaller Vehicle?
July 24, 2008 By
I decided to dump the SUV and get a tiny car. SUV = failed experiment. I had a small car, an old-style Nissan Altima, but I was in a huge freeway pileup and it was totalled. My goddaughter gave me her SUV, and old 4Runner (how kind is that?) but I kept having to put a lot of engine parts on it, and it was threatening to be a more serious ongoing expense than a car payment. So I traded it and the … [Read more...]
My brothers need $600.
June 30, 2008 By
We’ve got almost half of the $1000 needed to fund their orphanage food program. If ten people give $60, they’re funded! I first got involved with direct giving because of the New Futures Orphanage. I was scouring the net, looking for a way to reach the poor directly on limited funds, when I came across the [ blog ] run by volunteers at New Futures and knew that I had to help. Recently, the … [Read more...]
My Hero
May 13, 2008 By
He calls men Susie and Barbara. He always has a comeback. He tells it like it is, and doesn't stick around for the chips. He's Dr. Cox from Scrubs, and he is magnificent. … [Read more...]
TV’s closest ally to the Book
May 11, 2008 By
I'm a fan of roughly a half dozen TV programs (only three of which are still on), and top of my list would have to be BookTV on C-Span2. It's one of the rare places of intelligent speech in a medium that epitomizes free speech. Tonight is Jim Hightower, "Swim Against the Current". Of course, the title either sells itself or causes disinterest, depending upon your inclinations, so I like that … [Read more...]
When the floods come…
May 7, 2008 By
...be their Ark. The Oxfam Emergency Fund: Donate to help victims of the Myanmar Cyclone. Those who are least like us, who are not our people, who are most distant from our daily cares, are our strangers. Love is tested not by it's application to those who are most like us, but to those most estranged. … [Read more...]
What’s the difference between a week and a year?
May 2, 2008 By
If this week 40 people would give $25 each to New Futures Orphanage, instead of that same amount spread out over a year's time, the children could buy chickens, fish, plants, and other sustainable food sources that would last over a long time, and wouldn't have to eat the small increments of money coming in, while they're waiting, so that they have no future. If 20 of us could give $50 this week, … [Read more...]
I’m asking for your help.
April 30, 2008 By
I first got involved with direct giving to the poor because of the New Futures Orphanage. I was scouring the net, looking for just, real, and direct ways to impact the lives of the poor, with small funds. I came across a [ blog ] kept by an English teacher backpacking through Cambodia. She'd come upon an orphanage there that needed volunteers to teach some English to the children. Teachers would … [Read more...]
The Mines of Ghana are God’s Vineyards
April 17, 2008 By
Note: This letter was sent by way of participation in an Oxfam Campaign and borrows content from a sermon by Sociologist Anthony Campolo on corporate responsibility. Golden Star Resources Ltd. 10901 W. Toller Drive, Suite 300 Littleton, Colorado 80127-6312 U.S.A. Dear Mr. Tom Mair, I read the reports from Oxfam (who is like the Mother Theresa of global care and relief agencies), and like a … [Read more...]
Don’t Forget
April 7, 2008 By
Please do not stop praying for Kenya. The poor, involved in microbusiness there, have been decimated. It's easy to suggest that somehow it's their fault, but it isn't. It's not your fault when armed gangs burn your tents and shacks to the ground, with everything you have, and kill people all around you. Below is a photo of Eunice Cherotich, someone I care about there, and a photo of Kenya in the … [Read more...]
Lee Jung Hyun
January 9, 2008 By
Lee Jung Hyun is one of the most unique and creative pop artists in Korea. She developed her own style and made the already interesting pop culture there even more interesting. If Michael Jackson, Elvis, and Madonna became one person, they might start to measure up to Jung Hyun. The embedded videos don't carry over from the old blog, but are easily found in Youtube. … [Read more...]
Letter About Prisoner Medical Care
January 8, 2008 By
Senator Constance N. Johnson Oklahoma State Senate, District 48 Senator Johnson, I am concerned about legislation introduced and planned for introduction in 2008 by State Senator Owen Laughlin of Woodward and others. The legislation concerns inmates in county jails and financial responsibilities for pre-existing medical conditions. Links at the bottom of this letter include the recent court … [Read more...]
To the United Nations
January 5, 2008 By
I'm writing to ask that you intervene early, not wait, in the erupting situation in Kenya. I am deeply and personally concerned. … [Read more...]