Last day of April. I don't know if I can say without reservation that this has been a productive month. I did collect all the information I need to teach myself C++ and begin tackling computer programing. There is eight months left in 2009. During this time, I will learn C++, Java, and Python. I will learn how to work with the Microsoft Visual C++ Express 2008 compiler and the NetBeans 6.5 IDE. I have everything laid out on a month-to-month study guide. I have accomplished goals of this nature in the past approaching them in the exact same way. I did nothing else outside of the accomplishment of the said objectives. Money is tight, so I may as well hunker down and do nothing but focus on what it is a want to achieve by year's end. This study is for my mind, but also to create a career in the IT industry. I also have to work my body. I have said this before: the goals I am setting for myself are probably the most difficult challenges I have faced up to this point. If I fail to achieve them, this will be the a source of regret I will carry to the grave.
April 27, 2009
I have put my research skills to work. Having a good memory played an important role in guidance to this documentation. The implications of the scientific research presented in these files are horrifying. Mary Shelley told the world in 1818 that man was not meant to play God. No one listened. Please read this ... Pandemic Flu
Others are already saying what I fear may be fact:
New Swine Flu Feared To Be Weaponized Strain
By Wayne Madsen
Online Journal Contributing Writer
According to two mainstream media journalists, one in Mexico City and the other in Jakarta, who spoke to WMR on background, they are convinced that the current outbreak of a new strain of swine flu in Mexico and some parts of the United States is the result of the introduction of a human-engineered pathogen that could result in a widespread global pandemic, with potentially catastrophic consequences for domestic and international travel and commerce.
FACT
Yoshihiro Kawaoka is a leading scientist in the field of influenza and other infectious diseases. He is a professor at the UW-Madison and at the University of Tokyo. Kawaoka's research includes such topics as molecular mechanism of interspecies transmission of the virus leading to influenza pandemics in humans; molecular pathogenesis of influenza in poultry and mammals; Ebola virus role of viral proteins in pathogenesis and viral replication.
A Fall 2007 study conducted by UW-Madison virologist Yoshihiro Kawaoka, documented an early warning that flu viruses may be beginning to outwit highly effective drugs. His team found a single change in a viral protein would allow H5N1 to infect the upper respiratory system in mammals. The adaptation could enable the virus to infect a wider range of cell types and spread more easily among humans.
April 26, 2009
Will watch a movie, and then complete filling out my paperwork to get my State Retirement monies into my own hands. I was laying in bed last night and heard several thunderclaps. The rain started falling heavily and the wind picked up. Winter is finally over. The weather today is dark and cloudy. Not a great day to be off, but I will get some things done. Everyday has to be one of accomplishment. If I sit around and mush out, I will not realize any dividends.
It all boils down to this constant ... no one gives a rat's ass about what happens to me, except me. Some news on the flu epidemic in Mexico City:
Churches stood empty Sunday in heavily Roman Catholic Mexico City after services were canceled, and health workers screened airports and bus stations for people sickened by a new strain of swine flu that experts fear could become a global epidemic. President Felipe Calderon has assumed new powers to isolate people infected with the deadly swine flu strain that Mexico's health minister says has killed up to 81 people and likely sickened 1,324 since April 13. WHO Director-General Margaret Chan said the outbreak of the never-before-seen virus has "pandemic potential." But she said it is still too early to tell if it would become a pandemic — an epidemic that spreads in humans around the world.
I sent out my paperwork to the State to get my lump sum retirement. The penalties and taxes are outrageous but I will pay them just to get the funds into my own private hands. I can not and I will not delegate the fiduciary responsibility to a faceless bureaucracy. I figure I will have just enough to purchase a 100 Troy OZ silver bar. Even though this is basically a roll over investment, the State doesn't see it that way. They can kiss my ass. They won't be bleeding me for managing fees anymore, and neither will any other investment or brokerage firm.
April 25, 2009
This present flu senario is right out of the 1995 science fiction film 12 Monkeys:
At least 62 people have died from severe pneumonia caused by a flu-like illness in Mexico, WHO says. Some of those who died are confirmed to have a unique flu type that is a combination of bird, pig and human viruses. The virus is genetically identical to one found in California.
Just when you think a man-made disaster like the present financial fiasco is going to suck the life out of you, nature reminds us that she holds all the aces. The reported configuration of this new virus is suspicious. Let me put it this way; I find it suspicious. A pandemic flu epidemic would cull the world population nicely if you believe that the Powers That Be want to whittle the world population in half. I've read stories from several different sources that this is the case. I do not doubt it. The creation of a flu like virus that people have no natural immunity to would cut a wide swath; the Grim Reaper incarnate. In the meantime, I will complete my paperwork to redeem my State Pension Fund. When I get the money in the bank, I will buy a 100 Troy OZ bar of silver. What's left will be converted to cash. I will hold both till Hell freezes over.
Update on "flu like" outbreak
I have been watching some news video on this situation and it is being reported that over 800 people in Mexico (mainly in Mexico City) have become sick. The people contracting this virus/disease are young-healthy individuals. There is even talk, though cautious at this juncture, that a world pandemic could result.
April 24, 2009
Changed the oil on my van this morning, and am presently washing a couple loads of laundry. I have bills to mail, and I really have to stay on schedule as far as the computer study goes. Washed dishes last night. There just isn't enough time to get everything done, unless you pinch on the slumber. It looks like I will have to start sleeping a few hours less each day. I have done it before. I don't like it, but there will be plenty of time to sleep in the grave.
I remember writing about BIS before. I mentioned that they had good financial news, and they had an excellent analysis of what caused the present financial collapse here in the US. After reading the article Tower of Basel, it makes sense why they have such insight; they instigated it. I do not think this present global meltdown resulted from unforeseen circumstance or solely from greed, bad business practice, etc. This crisis was orchestrated and anyone who thinks otherwise is a coward, unable to see past their fear and ignorance. I keep saying this, but it is the one constant in my life; I can only take care of myself the best I can. I have to continue to have goals, and create a life I can live with ... perhaps even manage to find joy in.
April 23, 2009
For those of you who need to know the mechanics of how and why the international bankers are stealing every nickle the world economies have produced in the last one hundred years, this article is a must read. The why is self evident. The Tower of Basel ...
I have tomorrow off. Strange being off on a Friday. I think this is the first time. I have to return Saturday, and then I am off Sunday. I would rather have all three contiguous days off. Will most definitely hit the books. I have a great deal of ground to cover, and I don't feel like time is on my side.
I have decided that I will invest in a retirement fund. I might as well try and accumulate some wealth before I get to the point where I am unable to work at all. I plan on purchasing a 10 Troy OZ bar of silver every month till I accumulate 1000 OZ. I made my first purchase a few days ago. It will arrive to my PO BOX sometime next week. I would rather spend the money on this than just piss it away. I did that in Vegas, and I regret not having put something away. The aneurysm didn't help my financial situation, so there is that factor. Still, I could have been more frugal and contributed to my long term financial well being. I am due for a .90 raise in two weeks. If it goes through, this money would be earmarked for my monthly silver purchase. This is the company I am dealing with. Their prices are to market standards, and from what I have been looking at, slightly better than most. Northwest Territorial Mint
I feel this is the best move. I do not wish to invest in a company 401k, stocks, bonds ... anything paper. This investment is in a hard asset. From the research I have been doing, silver is a sound financial investment for the long term. One of the people I have been following as far as financial advice goes is Jim Rogers. He says the best place to put your money right now is in commodities. He is heavily invested in agricultural commodities and businesses that are agriculture related, but he is also a buyer of gold and silver. The man is the best long term investor I have studied. My investment window is 8-10 years. I will hold it all till I start collecting Social Security, if it happens. If not, I will at least have something.
April 20, 2009
The alarm went off at 5:45 AM and I am up. I have been hitting the snooze button, but I have to get in the habit of getting an early start here on out. I need all the time I can salvage to get the things done I need to get done. I am finishing my back-up of the Master Library. It is good to have this information duplicated in case my computer crashes for some unknown reason. Systems fail and when they do, back up is the only copy left. I have a ten hour day ahead to look forward to. By the time 7:00 PM rolls around, I will be tired. I will suck down caffeine and hit the books. I know that the shit is going to hit the fan, but I still can accomplish great things despite this. And if it doesn't, I will be in a superior position. I got my Nero 6.6 CD/DVD burner working on the XP machine. I am now able to create CD/DVD copies of information on both the Vista and the XP machines. It asked me for the serial number from the disk I had purchased. I went back into my archives and found the number in a "history" file created by the program when I had originally installed it; back-up is golden.
April 19, 2009
Transfering my entire Master Library back onto my external hard drive. I could have left well enough alone, but I had so much duplicate information, I decieded to organize it, delete the extraneous entries, and conserve space. In the long run, it is a good move. Off today and it is cold and raining. After I get the transfer completed, I will start my C++ training in earnest. I will devote two hours per day, seven days a week till I complete the five books I have. After I have a basic working knowledge of the C++ language, I will also be learning how to operate a compiler. I have a very fine compiler provided free of charge by Microsoft. It is the Visual C++ Express Edition 2008. By no later than Sepetember 2009, I will know C++, and I will tackle Java and learn the NetBeans 6.5 IDE. The learning curve will be shorter because I will already understand Object Oriented Programing (OOP). Giving myself the remaing four months of 2009 to complete this phase of my computer language education will solidify my foundation. In 2010, I will upgrade my working situation, get a computer related career and probably relocate to Madison.
Vista is a total piece of shit. The more I work with it, the less impressed I become. I am glad I have XP to fall back on. I was unable to transfer my Master Library to an external hard drive. Vista turned it into a paper weight. I will have to burn the inforamtion onto several DVD's, but then I will have a backup. I do not wish to have a single copy of this data. I am going to learn Python too! I am not going to rely on the whims of others to keep bread on my table. I have to learn these skills so I have better options than I currently hold.
April 16, 2009
Democracy Now!
A daily TV/radio news program, hosted by Amy Goodman and Juan Gonzalez, airing on over 750 stations, pioneering the largest community media collaboration in the U.S. Here is an example of the show.
April 15, 2009
I have finally reached a conclusion as to the best steps to take to educate myself so I will be able to obtain IT employment. It boils down to this; C++.
C++ is the foundation of all computer programing. If I learn C++ and the skills necessary to work the IDE/compiler, I will create a rock solid foundation. After C++ comes Java/NetBeans 6.5. With these under my belt, PHP and SQL will be understandable. I will have specific skills that cover a broader area of expertise. I have the books I need to become an expert on C++. I have programs to compile the code. It is only a matter of systematically
attacking this knowledge, and in essence, learning everything that a student enrolled in a four year computer science program would learn. The days will be long, and the nights sleeping short, but this will change my life for the better.
April 13, 2009
Short day today in the salt mines. I have tomorrow off, so getting finished early is almost like having two days off in a row. Moving .pdf documents from my Vista computer over to the Windows XP. I plan on doing most of my reading/study over there. What I am transferring will take me years to complete, and I still have thousands more in the "Master Library" folder. With the advent of electronic storage it is possible to have a personal collection of books that would fill a modern library. I was feeling disappointed with the attitude of these people I was talking to on IRC. I mistakenly thought that having a discussion with like minded people might be enjoyable for a change. I was wrong. The only feedback I got was sarcasm and self righteous indignation. People are boorish and stupid; especially the educated ones. They might have a smattering of knowledge and they think they are living gods. What a joke!
Cooking some chicken on the stove, but will have to find something to nibble on in the meantime. I am starving. Things could be worse. I could be unemployed with no prospects of finding another position. I really have to make some concrete decisions about where I want to be at year's end. I can not just give up my dream of finding a rewarding vocation, or of finding some real friends.
Here are two documents (both in the one zip file) that look interesting:
Searching and Seizing Computers and Obtaining Electronic Evidence in Criminal Investigations.
January 2001
&
Searching and Seizing Computers and Obtaining Electronic Evidence in Criminal Investigations.
July 2002
Not that I have anything illegal on my hard drive, but it is always good to know the rules of the game.
Here is the zip file:
Seizing Computers
This just in:
Rock music producer Phil Spector was convicted Monday of second-degree murder in the shooting death of a film actress at his mansion six years ago, a verdict that will send him to prison for at least 18 years barring a successful appeal.
A Superior Court jury returned the verdict after about 30 hours of deliberations. The jury had the option of choosing the lesser charge of involuntary manslaughter, but did not do so.
The panel also found Spector guilty of using a firearm in committing a crime.
Spector exhibited no reaction to the verdict. His attorney argued that he should remain free on bail pending the May 29 sentencing, but Judge Larry Paul Fidler remanded him to jail immediately.
Second-degree murder carries a penalty of 15 years to life in prison. The use-of-a-gun enhancement adds three, four or 10 years in prison, according to the district attorney's office.
I never thought Spector would be found guilty. The OJ conviction in Vegas should have been a sign, but to tell you the truth, it has been so long I had forgotten all about this. A sad end to a man who had it all and lost it all. He was living the life of a depressed, lonely old man. He will most likely die in prison. How ironic that the the "Wall of Sound" creator should end his days behind walls of stone.
April 12, 2009
I have to sit down today and complete my tax return. I don't know why I have let it go to the very end this year. In the past, I usually filed as quickly as possible. I do not have any elaborate deductions to compute so it shouldn't take long. I re-installed Windows XP on my old machine. My goal to go for Linux+ Certification first may have been premature. According to the protocols I was reading, you should get A+ first followed by Network+ and then go for the Linux+ if you desire to go into that area of the IT field.
The buzz was that Vista had bugs. The truth of the matter is that Vista had ONE main flaw; it jumped from a 32 chip set to a 64. Because of this modification a great many excellent Windows programs didn't work in Vista (Shitsa). This is what pissed everyone off. I don't know if Windows 7 will accommodate Windows XP software. If Microsoft wishes to keep it's customer base, it better. I will keep this machine running Vista Premium as is. I can hook up to the Internet and do all my WWW stuff. I can listen to my music and watch video. My Windows XP station will function as my desktop publishing unit. I can still read all my books here on my Vista machine. I can still do a great many things, but I do like having the option to work with Windows XP.
Michael Jackson came to London last month to make the announcement he was going to do a number of concerts there, and that this would be his last schedule of performances. He was adamant about this being it. I have waited for comments on his appearance, and I have not seen any of substance. Since no one will make this observation, you know damn well I will; it wasn't him. I watched the video, and I watched it again. I swear on my own grave it wasn't him. I'm not saying he is dead, but this person claiming to be Michael Jackson didn't sound right and his mannerisms were rehearsed. Michael Jackson is too valuable a commodity. His proclivities for young boys has certainly damaged his reputation, but people will pay to see him, especially if this is the last time he will perform publicly.
April 8, 2009
Every now and then I check the web site of Grandmaster Dominick A. Giacobbe. I know we had our moments of tension. He did try to force me to quit. Maybe it was part of a plan to make me a better person. Whatever the agenda, I still do and always have held him in great respect. I was visiting his site today, and learned that his wife had passed away March 1, 2009. She must have finally succumbed to cancer. A malignant tumor was discovered back in 1974 after she had a c-section operation. Since then, Grandmaster Giacobbe has been promoting his annual "Fight for Cancer" Tournament and doing a karate show. All proceeds from these events went to the American Cancer Society. I am sure his support and the physical training Christina A. Giacobbe did all the years after her initial diagnosis kept her healthy and alive till the very end of her life. Many people despise the Grandmaster. Say what you will; he is a better man than I am, and better than most men I have known. He is a man who's word is his bond. He has trained tirelessly for the past 35 years or so promoting the art of Tang Soo Do. He has made a difference in a great many lives, including mine.
I am not a big SNL fan, but this presentation is worth looking at. I won't say it is funny. I sit here waiting for the real estate market to disintegrate. The home mortgage market crisis brought the world financial markets to their knees. When the other shoe drops, the country is going to be in a state of pure chaos. I even read some crazy story that the Chinese have 150,000 soldiers stationed on the Texas/ Mexican border. What the hell is that all about! American soldiers probably wouldn't shoot fellow Americans in cold blood, but the Chinese would in a heartbeat. I finally have two consecutive days off. Will make the best of it.
April 4, 2009
I like Trent Renzor and Nine Inch Nails. Marylin Manson is singing in this video. He isn't wearing his trademark look, but is recognizable.
The social order is showing signs of stress. People are killing other people more and more frequently. Parents are killing their children and themselves in suicidal desperation. The key thread running through these killings is unemployment, despair, and hopelessness. It is just beginning. If the expert opinion that the US economy will implode this summer comes to pass, the events of the past couple days will look like a boy scout cook out.
The American Witch
Artist: Rob Zombie
Album: Educated Horses
This is a journey for your anxiety
This is a journey for your anxiety
This is a journey for your anxiety
This is a journey for your anxiety
Body of a monkey and the feet of a cock
Dragged from her home on the killing rock
Black dog dying on the weather vain
The Devil's in a cat and the baby's brain
The end, the end of the American
The end, the end of the American
The end, the end of the American
The end, the end of the American Witch
Alone on the hill and ready to die
Cancer of darkness blacken eye
The mark of the wolf and the sign of the calf
Angels bleed down above the raft
We all pray for, 20 innocents
We all bow down, 20 innocents
We all hang high, 20 innocents
We all accused, 20 innocents
The end, the end of the American
The end, the end of the American
The end, the end of the American
The end, the end of the American Witch
Do you want to know where their dreams come from?
Some showed the faith and some showed none
Do you want to know where their dreams come from?
Some showed the faith and some showed none
We all pray for, 20 innocents
We all bow down, 20 innocents
We all hang high, 20 innocents
We all accused, 20 innocents
The end, the end of the American
The end, the end of the American
The end, the end of the American
The end, the end of the American Witch
Do you want to know where their dreams come from?
Some showed the faith and some showed none
Do you want to know where their dreams come from?
The end, the end of the American Witch
April 1, 2009
I was looking at some old posts as I frequently do. The thing that caught my eye (if I should be so bold) was the quality of the research put into them. They weren't just mindless thoughts and senseless babble thrown haphazardly together. Some of the stuff I was looking at was damn good. It is good to reacquaint myself with the work I have put into this Blog the past five years. With all it's warts, I am proud of the work I have presented. The prose was polished. I had forgotten just how much time and effort I did put into the creation of these posts.
Here is something I ran across by accident. Seems a company associated with McAfee called "SiteAdvisor" visited this site and rated my downloads for problems. They didn't find any, which doesn't surprise me ...
Download tests for webstonne.com: 30 green downloads
In our tests, we found downloads on this site were free of adware, spyware, and other potentially unwanted programs.
What did surprise me is the material they did download for testing. Seems the employees hired to download the material and test it had a liking for my Order of Nine Angels documents! Results HERE
