Time to Blog!


March 27, 2005

This is a nice story. I endorse alternative medicine. I don't know if I mentioned about my lung problems. I went to the Doctor to get it checked out. They did nothing for me but charge up a medical bill. With the crap insurance I have with my present, soon to be ex-employer, I got stuck for $150. It reminds me of an old Henny Youngman joke ... " I went to the Doctor. He grabed my wallet and said, cough."

They made an appointment for me to see a specialist. The appointment was 6 weeks down the road. They took X-rays of my lungs, told me nothing; didn't prescribe any medication in the meantime, nothing. I read a story not too long ago about that 30 year old actress who went to the Emergency Room with lung problems. They sent her home. She went back to a Doctor a few days later, he sent her home. Two days after that, she died. Medical malpractice suits have destroyed the ability of Doctor's to do their work. I suppose I wasn't told anything because they want to wait for the specialist to take the blame if they make a judgement on what is wrong with me, and they screw it up. I am going to cancel the specialist appointment. I don't need these quaks. I will take care of myself. Back to the kimchi story.

I have no doubt that the combination of spices, and cabbage, may have something to do with the immune system fighting off this crazy bird flu virus. If you never tried kimchi, you should. It is delicious. I am going to seek out an Oriental Doctor to take care of me if that what it takes. Also, training is great for the immune system. Yoga, karate, arobic exerecise, whatever turns you on ... just do it!


Korean dish 'may cure bird flu'

BBC News - Kimchi is a traditional staple of Korean cuisine South Korea's spicy fermented cabbage dish, kimchi, could help to cure bird flu, according to researchers.

Scientists at Seoul National University say they fed an extract of kimchi to 13 infected chickens - and a week later 11 of them had started recovering.

The researchers said the results were far from scientifically proven and if kimchi did have the effects they observed, it was unclear why.

South Koreans are reported to be eating more kimchi as a result of the study.

"I'm eating kimchi these days because I've heard in the media that it helps prevent bird flu infections," one man said.

Love it or loathe it, once you have eaten it, you will never forget it. Kimchi is made by fermenting cabbage with red peppers, radishes and a lot of garlic and ginger.

The idea that it could help poultry to fight off bird flu sounds like a dubious folk remedy.

But the theory is being floated by some of Korea's most eminent scientists.

"We found that the chickens recovered from bird flu, Newcastle disease and bronchitis. The birds' death rate fell, they were livelier and their stools became normal," said Professor Kang Sa-ouk.


Sars link

There was an increase in kimchi consumption two years ago, when thousands of people in Asia contracted Sars (severe acute respiratory syndrome).

Kimchi was reported to have helped to prevent Sars. The claim was never scientifically proven, but according to some Koreans, people in other countries followed their example and started eating kimchi.

"After the Sars outbreak, I went to China and I noticed that the Korean restaurants there sold most of the kimchi they'd made that day," a Korean man said.

So one of Korea's national specialities may soon find a much bigger market. Whether it really is an effective remedy, only time and more research will tell.


March 26, 2005

I'm afraid this is what is going to happen when life reaches such a frantic pace that the human spirit can no longer endure it. All people do is work. Things are out of wack cost wise. The human race is working themselves into an early grave just trying to keep up with the demands that society is putting on them to be a success. Success in a materialistic culture is a great strain on the human psyche. If you can't buy all the things that you are being brainwashed into believing you must, then you are a failure. This is pure nonsense, but it is a powerful and knawing disease sucking the life out of people. Japan has always been known for the long hours people must work just to live. The following story is a frightening forcast of just how dangerous feelings of failure can be, and what the results will be. The rate of teen suicide is rising in the US also. The number of people taking prescription drugs to cope with the speed and presures of our culture is on the rise. When will this madness cease? Well, I have a good idea. It isn't going to stop until the human race is so decimated economically, and spiritually that there will be no choice but to accept the One World Government as our Lord and Savior. Did I hear someone say Antichrist? Sorry, I wasn't going to say anything about what I think is happening. Just forget what I said.

Group Suicide Becomes Frightening Trend in Japan. Troubled People Are Going Online to Organize Group Suicides.
Ritual suicides have long been a part of Japanese culture, but the Internet has given birth to another disturbing trend -- going online to search for others to participate in group suicides.

TOKYO — On the high-energy streets of Tokyo, bristling with so much life, a troubled teenager named Yoko says she constantly thinks of taking her own life.

"I want to die," the 17-year-old said.

And if she decides to go through with it, she'll have plenty of company. Japanese Web sites offer countless invitations to join in group suicides.

It's become one of Japan's most morbid trends — total strangers making meticulous arrangements online to kill themselves en masse. The group suicides usually take place inside sealed cars, where people burn charcoal so that they will die of carbon monoxide poisoning.

Recently, seven people in Saitama, six in Kanagawa and four in Hokkaido have taken their own lives in this way.

Ritual suicides have long been part of Japanese culture, often considered the honorable way out of failure. A best-selling book even offers advice on various methods. But counselors at Japan's few help lines are worried that the suicide Web sites are accelerating the trend by literally pushing people over the edge.


Hundreds of Options

Translators helped ABC News check out these suicide sites. A search turned up hundreds of messages from people contemplating ending their lives.

On one site, according to a translator, an 18-year-old man wrote: "I'm looking for someone who can die with me. This is my decision to die. I would appreciate if somebody joins me with a car."

Journalist Tatsuya Shibuyi says the anonymity of the Web is tailor made for troubled people in Japan.

Most Japanese, according to Shibuyi, even when suicidal, are too embarrassed to talk face to face about personal problems — so when they find other lonely people wanting to die, a group mentality takes control. For many, it's then scarier to back out than it is to follow through.

Yoko did find a suicide companion on the Internet, but has backed away for the moment. She is seeing a psychiatrist, taking medication and trying to stay away from the suicide sites.

But when asked if she still wants to commit suicide, she says, "Yes."




A Taiwanese supporter holds a democracy sign during a massive march in protest of Beijing's anti-secession law, Saturday, March 26, 2005, in Taipei, Taiwan. The Taiwan government has amassed over one million pro-Taiwan supporters in the streets of Taipei to rally against Beijing's recently approved anti-secession law allowing legal rights to use military action to halt any moves by Taiwan toward formal independence

Taiwan has been able to enjoy de facto independence for more than 50 years, largely because the United States has warned it might defend the island if China attacks. America is also the only major nation that sells advanced weapons to newly democratic Taiwan, about the size of Maryland and Delaware combined.

"China is a violent country. We want nothing to do with it," said Wu Chao-hsiung, a carpenter from Taipei who attended the protest. "We have to insist on the freedom to determine our own fate."

Behind him, U.S. and Japanese flags flew below a green protest banner. Many Taiwanese see those two countries as the island's most likely allies in any military conflict with China.


March 25, 2005



The headlines should read something like this ...

Lucky woman served million dollar bowl of chili at Wendy's.
Wendy's now seving finger food, come get it while it's hot.
Our finger foods are well groomed and tasty.
The State Lottery can't give you better odds at striking it rich like Wendy's does. Attornies now on premises.

Seriously, some people have all the luck. God bless America. I heard that one of the managers at the restaurant in question was heard saying, "Hey, all our ingrediants come pre-packaged. Don't point your finger at us!" Here is the story, enjoy.


Wendy's diner finds human finger in her chili

An unlucky diner bit into a segment of a human finger while digging into a bowl of chili at a Wendy's restaurant in San Jose, Santa Clara County health officials confirmed Wednesday.

The diner, who visited the restaurant Tuesday night, spit out the well- cooked digit, notified restaurant workers and became sick to her stomach, health officials said.

The origin of the finger remains a mystery.

Santa Clara County Health Officer Dr. Martin Fenstersheib said he was called at home by San Jose police who went to Wendy's and immediately dispatched health inspectors to the restaurant. He said he ordered officers to transport the body part, wrapped in damp gauze, to the medical examiner's office.

The restaurant, at 1405 Monterey Road, was shut for a couple of hours while the batch of chili and stocks of chili ingredients were impounded. The restaurant was allowed to reopen and to cook another batch of chili using newly purchased ingredients.

Wendy's officials said they are eager to find out how their food became contaminated.

"The entire investigation is with the county health department,'' said Steve Jay, Wendy's marketing director for Santa Clara County. "We're fully cooperating.''

Jay said the chili came from a master distributor but declined to name the firm. He added that Wendy's has been doing business in the area for more than 25 years and never had a serious problem before.

Fenstersheib said he spoke to the anxious woman several times by phone and had the queasy experience of confirming to her that the object was indisputably human. The woman asked officials not to name or even describe her.

"I had to confirm it to her that she had indeed put a piece of a human finger in her mouth," Fenstersheib said. "She kind of lost it."

The woman was "emotionally distraught ... due to the unpleasant sensation of having this (object) in her mouth," Fenstersheib said

He said the finger had been cooked at a high enough temperature to kill any viruses, including hepatitis or HIV, and that it was very unlikely that she will suffer any health effects from her experience, aside from psychological trauma.

"The potential for health impacts are extremely low for her or anyone else who ate that chili," Fenstersheib said. He said, however, that he will recommend baseline viral testing for the woman, to allow for comparison should any food-borne illness emerge in the coming months.

A similar strategy might be wise for others who ate the contaminated food, he said. "The risk is low, but nothing in medicine is 100 percent," Fenstersheib said.

County officials say they have no idea how many other people consumed the contaminated chili, which was cooked at about 2 p.m. Tuesday and was served to customers until the finger turned up at 7:20 p.m. Anyone who may have eaten the contaminated batch is encouraged to call county health officials at (408) 918-3400.

The finger was described by county Medical Examiner Dr. Joseph O'Hara as cooked but not decomposed. The digit was found in two pieces, a 1-inch fingertip complete with the skin whorls used in fingerprinting and a half-inch piece of fingernail. The digit appeared to have been torn off, possibly by manufacturing machinery, rather than cleanly cut.

Considering the nail's slightly longer length and neat grooming, O'Hara speculated that it may have belonged to a woman, though "it's hard to tell."

Since all of the workers at the restaurant were found to be in possession "of all 10 of their fingers," health inspectors assume the finger likely entered the food chain as a result of the manufacturing process, according to county Environmental Resources Director Ben Gale.

Health inspectors said the restaurant appeared to be generally clean and well-maintained, with only one minor violation having to do with a leaky vent.

Gale said it could take weeks to track each of the numerous ingredients to their places of manufacture, which will be in different states or possibly even different countries. Since the law requires that industrial accidents result in a stoppage of the assembly line and be reported to authorities, it may be possible to pinpoint the site of the original accident.

In addition, authorities may be able to obtain a fingerprint and DNA from the finger to identify the person.

The restaurant was open Wednesday, and business was brisk despite the finger incident.

Elizabeth Adcock, who visits that Wendy's frequently and was having a bowl of chili Wednesday at around 3 p.m., said she had heard television reports about the finger, but thought it might be an urban legend.

Another woman who was eating chili at the restaurant, San Jose State student Andria Mendoza, said she had overheard workers discussing a finger in Spanish, so she proceeded carefully.

"I actually did check -- with my spoon,'' she said.

Customer Gary Grant of San Jose expressed disappointment that it was business-as-usual at the restaurant.

"We come here all the time,'' Grant said. "We just ate here today, and nobody said a thing. There were no signs up.

"How can you trust somebody like that? You're still serving food. Which basically means you don't care.''

Customer Fernando Anaya was in a lighter mood.

"Where's the finger at?" he joked as he ordered a salad.

Anaya said he worked at a cannery many years ago, so the incident with the finger doesn't shock him. He said he plans to keep eating at his local Wendy's.

"I don't eat chili anymore,'' he said. "I used to, but the cholesterol is too high."


March 24, 2005



I have given this a great deal of thought, and have decided not to say what is truely on my mind concerning the coming of the One World Government. If I told you what I really thought, you would think me mad. The entire plot is so twisted and diabolical, it sounds more like fantasy than reality. I still think it is important, but it is up to each of you to come to your own conclusions. If you care, the information is out there. If you are concerned, perhaps you will make a supreme effort to enjoy the life you have, each and every day. I can't tell you what to do, what to believe, or how to live.

I will say this. If you are inclined to enlighten yourself to the great plan that is unfolding, read Revelations. Learn who Albert Pike was. Investigate the Freemasons, the Illuminati, and the Trilateral Commision. Read what you can. Come to your own conclusions. Live your life as you see fit. If you choose to wander the Earth clothed in animal skins, that is your choice. I've said this before. I can only change the small part of the World that I live in. The only goal I have is to die with as little regret as possible. If I can die knowing I made an honest effort to do what I could for the betterment of my fellow man, that will be a great accomplishment.


March 23, 2005



So what is the point? Doesn't everyone who uses a computer know how to find XXX material on the Internet? You can't swing a dead cat online without stumbling across adult materials. Hasn't this moron ever heard of Google? You type 'XXX' in the search box, or you type "asian", or "erotica" for pete's sake. You don't have to be a computer genius to figure that out. You don't have to be a pervert, like Micheal Jackson, to figure that out. Makes me wonder what the prosecutor's motive is, unless he is planning on sabotaging the case. Jackson might be going broke, but I bet he still has enough cash to pay off the right people to save his ass. He's done it before. When it is all said and done, Micheal Jackson will be charged with serving alchohol to a minor, and will have to perform a set number of hours doing community service; at some children's home no doubt.


Jackson's lawyers urge judge to bar use of material from home computers

Prosecutor Gordon Auchincloss said the material found on computer hard drives included teen-themed adult material as well as images of children on adoption sites.

He said the computers were linked to Jackson because they were found in his bedroom and contained online user aliases believed to be Jackson's.

"We intend to use this evidence to show ... Michael Jackson knows how to use a computer ... that he knows how to access adult materials on Internet sites," Auchincloss said.



Jackson gestering in response to the question "Micheal, how young do you like your boys?"


March 20, 2005

I received this dollar bill in change that had a stamp on it that read, "where's George" and a URL. So I logged in, and was able to track the bill! This site is fun. Here were the results I got on the dollar bill:

This bill has travelled 302 Miles in 222 Days, 6 Hrs, 53 Mins at an average of 1.4 Miles per day.

This list is in reverse-chronological order

Mar-20-05 06:00 PM Oregon, WI 12 Days, 20 Hrs, 13 Mins 10 0.80
User's Note: The bill is in good condition.

Mar-07-05 09:47 PM Madison, WI 36 Days, 23 Hrs, 34 Mins 56 1.5
User's Note Buckeye Inn, Madison, WI
Clean condition but not crisp

Jan-29-05 10:12 PM Waukesha, WI 172 Days, 11 Hrs, 5 Mins 235 1.4
User's Note This dollar bill is in mint condition, I got it from a "HOT BLONDE" for change when I was shopping. Aug-10-04 12:06 PM Carmel, IN


March 18, 2005

As you know from visiting my Blog, I am concerned with the formation and the manipulation of Secret Societies, and Shadow Governments towards the creation of the One World Government. I have been doing some research, and I stumbled across some writings that have put things into a clearer focus. I won't go into details right now, but all I can say is that I didn't read anything I hadn't know about. I just came across information that have crystalized my thoughts. And I'm being honest, it frightened the shit out of me. I am more concerned than ever. I still believe that the year 2012 is significant. In fact, I am convinced it is most definetly significant. I will share my findings with you later. I have kept things on an even keel. I still intend to present my information first subjected to reason and logic. That is what has me so concerned. What I have read is logical. Here is an interesting quote from Cicero.

"A nation can survive its' fools, and even the ambitious. But it cannot survive treason from within. An enemy at the gates is less formidable, for he is known and he carries his banners openly. But the traitor moves among those within the gate freely, his sly whispers rustling through all the galleys, heard in the very hall of government itself. For the traitor appears not a traitor--He speaks in the accents familiar to his victims, and wears their face and their garment, and he appeals to the baseness that lies deep in the hearts of all men. He rots the soul of a nation--he works secretly and unknown in the night to undermine the pillars of a city--he infects the body politic so that it can no longer resist. A murderer is less to be feared."

Cicero, 42 B.C., Roman Statesman, orator, and author.

There is a mesage here for all of you interested in the covert manipulation of world events and world history. This is how things are done. This is how the One World Government is being formulated. Like I said, I will write more on what has me so concerned at a later date.

I took this online quiz I found on a friend's Blog I read. I didn't try to manipulate the results. I answered the questions honestly. The results didn't surprise me, but what did amaze me was how strong my inclinations are. Here are my results:

You scored as Buddhism. Your beliefs most closely resemble those of Buddhism. Do more research on Buddhism and possibly consider becoming Buddhist, if you are not already.

In Buddhism, there are Four Noble Truths: (1) Life is suffering. (2) All suffering is caused by ignorance of the nature of reality and the craving, attachment, and grasping that result from such ignorance. (3) Suffering can be ended by overcoming ignorance and attachment. (4) The path to the suppression of suffering is the Noble Eightfold Path, which consists of right views, right intention, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right-mindedness, and right contemplation. These eight are usually divided into three categories that base the Buddhist faith: morality, wisdom, and samadhi, or concentration. In Buddhism, there is no hierarchy, nor caste system; the Buddha taught that one's spiritual worth is not based on birth.

Buddhism

92%

Hinduism

75%

agnosticism

75%

Islam

54%

Judaism

42%

Satanism

42%

Paganism

42%

Christianity

33%

atheism

8%

Which religion is the right one for you? (new version)
created with QuizFarm.com



March 17, 2004



I'm glad to see some people still have backbones. It takes balls to look a Congresssional Panel squarely in the eyes, and say "kiss my ass." It's a shame that somewhere down the line, we will see more stories concerning Mark McGwire. The IRS will pick his bones clean. The press will follow him around and see if he is doing something naughty. You don't play ball with these people, and they will crucify you one way or another.


McGwire Tells Panel He Won't Name Names

Retired slugger Mark McGwire on Thursday told a congressional panel investigating drugs in baseball that he would not "participate in naming names" of players who used steroids. Mark McGwire, choking back tears at times, repeatedly refused to say if he took the drugs when he was helping fuel a surge in the sport's popularity with his prodigious home runs.

Two current players, Sammy Sosa and Rafael Palmeiro, said they never used steroids. That duo and McGwire were accused of using performance-enhancing drugs by Jose Canseco in a best-selling book that helped prompt the hearing.

Canseco, the 1988 AL MVP, wrote that he used steroids and that he injected McGwire with them.

But Canseco, who retired in 2001, told Thursday’s panel that “because of my fear of future prosecution ... I cannot be candid with this committee.”

It was an extraordinary sight — some of the top names in baseball history wearing business suits on Capitol Hill instead of uniforms on a diamond.


March 16, 2005



I don't think much of Robert Blake. My opinion doesn't carry any weight, but I still have one. This weasel deserves to fry, if he's guilty. My guts tell me he is. Will wait and see what the jury decides. One thing is for certain, he's nuts. Anyone who saw the interview he had with Barbara Walters has to think the same thing. It is a disturbing thought just how many nuts are running around loose. Sure, China is locking up innocent people. China is killing innocent people. But when it come down to handling their criminals, they got the right idea. The only solution to dealing with scum bags like Robert Blake is the "19 cent" solution. One clean shot to the back of the head. For those of you who are wondering why it is called the 19 cent solution; it costs 19 cents for the bullet.

Robert Blake Jury Reviews More Testimony

LOS ANGELES - Jurors deciding whether Robert Blake killed his wife reviewed more testimony Wednesday from an author who said police provided him with details of an interview with a former Hollywood stuntman that Blake allegedly asked to kill his wife.

Blake, 71, is accused of first-degree murder with special circumstances and two counts of solicitation. He could face life in prison if convicted.

Miles Corwin wrote the book "Homicide Special: A Year with the LAPD Elite Detective Unit" in which he included details of the Blake investigation and other cases.

In his testimony, Corwin couldn't recall whether he heard a tape recording or read a transcript of the police interview with Ronald "Duffy" Hambleton shortly after the killing of Bonny Lee Bakley.

Hambleton told police that Blake had approached him to work on a script and had said nothing about wanting to have his wife killed, Corwin testified.

Jurors listened to about 45 minutes of testimony from Corwin and seemed most interested in the statements regarding Hambleton. They resumed their eighth full day of deliberations after the review ended.


This just in!

Robert Blake Acquitted of Murder

LOS ANGELES - A jury acquitted tough-guy actor Robert Blake of murder Wednesday in the shooting death of his wife four years ago, a stunning verdict in a case that played out like pulp fiction.

The jury also acquitted Blake of one charge of trying to get someone to kill his wife, but deadlocked on a second solicitation charge.

I never listened to Howard Stern much, but I did hear him say this, "criminals are treated like royalty in this country." It is a sad day for American justice when hard working, honest people have to understand that big money talks loud here in this Capitalistic Paradise. If you have money, you can do what ever, to whom ever you want.


March 14, 2005



"He (God) has favored our undertakings."
1776
"A new order of the ages"

The bottom Latin phrase Novus Ordo Seclorum doesn not mean New World Order. I'm not a Latin expert. I did study Latin for a couple of years in college. I read Julius Ceasar's report of his campaign in Gaul (Modern day Spain), and I did read some of Cicero's oracles. I don't hardly remember much. I was also an alter boy in the early 1960's. The language of the Holy Mass was still in Latin then, and we had to memorize our parts. It did give me a foundation to work with. And yes, now that I mention the Church and the 1960's, there were pedophile priests being secretly moved around from one parish to the next via an "underground railroad" Luckily, I didn't get molested. I had a close call, and I will tell you about it in the near future. When I started writing this evening, I didn't intend to drift towards a discussion of perverted priests molesting alter boys, but it happenend.

To get back to the task at hand, the Great Seal of the United States. Impressive, isn't it? You have to hand it to those Freemasons, they know how to make an entrance.


March 13, 2005


A makeshift memorial of flowers and crosses is seen outside a Sheraton Hotel in Brookfield, Wisconsin March 13, 2005. Terry Ratzmann fired a handgun into a crowded church service at the Wisconsin hotel, killing seven people including the pastor and his son before taking his own life

Ted Bundy was described as the "all American boy." John Wayne Gasey dressed up like a clown and entertained children at parties. He was also photographed with First Lady Roslyn Carter. The Blind, Torture, Kill (BTK) maniac was a devoted Church goer with a family. Jeffery Dalmer was a quiet neighbor. The only exception being when he was working with his power tools drilling holes into people's skulls trying to transform them into sex zombies, or cutting up dead bodies and stocking his stand alone freezer. Ed Gein didn't make any waves either. He just went about his business quietly killing his family and neighbors, and building furniture with their bones. It is always the people you least suspect that are totally insane. That is what makes them so dangerous.


Wis. Gunman Described As 'Average Joe'

NEW BERLIN, Wis. - When chipmunks got into Terry Ratzmann's garden, he set up traps to catch them. But his neighbor said he kept the animals alive and let them loose somewhere else.

"He couldn't even kill a chipmunk. He was that kind of individual," said Gene Herrmann, who lived next door to Ratzmann for about 30 years.

The man police say killed seven people and then himself during a church service Saturday was described by neighbors as quiet and devout.

He liked to tinker about his house and garden, said Shane Colwell, another neighbor who knew Ratzmann for about a decade.

Ratzmann, 44, lived with his mother and sister in a modest, two-story brown home about two miles from the suburban Milwaukee hotel where police say he opened fire during a service of the Living Church of God.

Ratzmann, a computer technician, went to church every Saturday, Colwell said, and had lived in the same house his entire life. He was so devout that he skipped Colwell's wedding because it was on a Saturday, the same day as services at the church, which belonged to a denomination focused on "end-time" prophecies.

"He wasn't a dark guy. He was average Joe," Colwell said. "It's not like he ever pushed his beliefs on anyone else."

Church members, though, said Ratzmann struggled with depression for years and stormed out of a service two weeks ago, possibly because he was upset over a sermon. Investigators were not sure what set him off.

"Terry suffered from depression, on and off. When he was really depressed he didn't talk to people. Sometimes it was worse than others," said Kathleen Wollin, who was sitting at the front of the room during Saturday's service.

Rosemarie Malchow, another neighbor, said he rarely talked to anyone except Colwell. She would sometimes wave at him, but he rarely waved back, and she would see him leave his house on Saturdays dressed in a suit and tie.

Investigators say Ratzmann also may have been on the verge of losing his job. He worked for an employment agency and had been assigned to a health care company.

Agents who searched Ratzmann's home found three computers containing many encrypted files. They also found a rifle and ammunition.

Police questioned Ratzmann's mother and sister on Saturday. Ratzmann's aunt, Pat Ratzmann, said her nephew's parents divorced about 20 years ago, and his father died about 12 years ago.

Nearby residents remembered watching Ratzman tend his large backyard garden in the summer.

"Usually, he had his hands full digging up flowers and stuff," neighbor Mark Malchow said. "You could tell he had a green thumb."

Ratzmann built his own greenhouse, and neighbors said he shared his homegrown vegetables with them. Colwell said Ratzmann raised trout and designed a system in which he used trout waste to fertilize his greenhouse plants — including tropical plants and Venus flytraps — then recycled the water back to the fish tank.

A week ago, Colwell helped Ratzmann fix his truck. Herrmann said he took good care of his house and three dogs.

"He never bothered anybody around here," he said.


March 12, 2005



Must be a full moon or something. The fruitcakes are crawling out of the wood work.

Murder suspect Brian Nichols is led to a waiting vehicle by an unidentified police officer at the FBI (news - web sites) office in Atlanta, Saturday, March 12, 2005. Nichols, accused of killing a judge and two other people at a courthouse Friday, was captured at a suburban Atlanta apartment complex hours after a federal immigration agent was discovered shot to death miles away.

This story just in also. Another native son brings shame to our state. No detail on just what might have caused this crackpot to finally snap. There might be more news on this later. I will include any follow up on this shooting. One thing is certain. This isn't the last of this. Push people to the wall with no way out, and this is what happens. It frightens me to see that people have lost all hope of the future getting better. I am fighting my own demons right now. My job is a nighhtmare. I am looking at a new place to live tomorrow. It is going to cost more. I am barely making ends meet right now. I know I am in the same boat as many others. That doesn't make it easier to deal with. That doesn't justify the hardships and uncertainty of life in the US today. Sure, things are worse elsewhere. What the hell is going on?

I remember Ebenezer Scrooge asking the 3rd Spirit, "are these visions of things that will be, or of things that could be?" I wonder if the killings we read about everyday are just an aberation, or if they are signs of the world to be. Either way, it isn't pretty.

Gunman Kills Four, Himself at Wis. Hotel

BROOKFIELD, Wis. - A gunman opened fire Saturday at a church service being held at a hotel, killing four people and sending several others to hospitals, authorities said.

"The gunman then apparently shot and killed himself", said Daniel Tushaus, chief of the Brookfield Police Department.

"There is nobody else being sought at this time as a suspect," he said.

Seven to eight people, ranging from their early teens to their 60s, were taken to hospitals in serious condition, he said.

The shooting was reported to police shortly before 1 p.m. Tushaus said it occurred during a regularly scheduled church service at the Sheraton hotel.

Some guests remained locked in their rooms after police surrounded the building and would not allow anyone to enter or leave.

Karen Suick, 48, said she arrived at the hotel Friday night with 15 players and parents for a hockey tournament.

"One of our hockey dad's two daughters are still in there," she said. "They called his cell phone. They were OK, but they were told to go back to their room. So that's what they did."

At least two church groups were holding meetings in the hotel at the time of the shootings, police said.

Brookfield is a western suburb of Milwaukee.


And the misery continues for Jack Whittaker. I have to agree with Jimmy Tribble on this one. Jack Whittaker was responsible for what was going on in his home. I suspect Whittaker was poking Jesse Joe, and was lavishing gifts and money on her out of graditute for making him feel like a million dollars. Oh yea, he already had that. Anyway, I really think it will come to that. The news papers will report that Jack was having an affair with his grand daughter's best friend. Hell, if I was an old fart that had more money than I knew what to do with, I'd be taking one last shot at some young snatch. You can't tell me he was hanging around all those strip clubs just to watch. And since this young thing was right there in the house, why not take a shot? I will continue to chronicle the tale of Jack Whittaker as it unfolds. Remember, you heard it here first.

Father Sues W.Va. Man Who Won Lottery

CHARLESTON, W.Va. - The businessman who won the nation's richest undivided lottery jackpot was sued Friday by the father of a teenager who died of a drug overdose at his home in September.

The wrongful death lawsuit said Jesse Joe Tribble was led astray by Jack Whittaker's late granddaughter, and it said he should have exercised more control over her since she was in his custody.

Whittaker promised to fight the case by Tribble's father, Jimmy Tribble. "I'll be dead and gone to hell before he gets a dime out of me," Whittaker said.

Tribble, 18, was found dead Sept. 17 at Whittaker's home in Scott Depot.

The night before, according to the lawsuit, Tribble had used drugs at the home with 17-year-old Brandi Bragg. When Tribble passed out on a bed, the lawsuit said, Bragg left him there instead of seeking medical help, though "she knew he was severely intoxicated and ill from the use of illegal drugs."

Bragg died less than three months later. The cause of death has not been determined.

The lawsuit accused Whittaker of negligence, saying he knew or should have known that Bragg was using money he gave to her to buy illegal drugs and supply her friends with drugs. It said he continued to spoil her with money, automobiles and unlimited access to his home even after she developed "a serious drug habit."

Whittaker disputed the claims, saying it was Tribble who bought drugs for Bragg and that surveillance tapes show Bragg left the house hours before Tribble died.

Trouble has dogged the already-wealthy Whittaker since he won the $314.9 million Powerball jackpot on Christmas Day 2002, taking his winnings in a $113 million lump sum. Among the problems, Whittaker was arrested twice for drunken driving, and his home and his vehicles have been hit with a rash of break-ins.


March 11, 2005



The headline should read, "Apple takes bite out of personal freedoms." Since I brought this up, I'll finnish it. I don't know where this ruling will lead. Where ever it goes, it stinks for anyone who writes something on the Internet. "Big Brother" is becoming a sad reality. Soon, technology will produce "thought police" monitoring all of our thoughts for our own good. You never know when someone might be thinking something that isn't politically correct. Or thinking something that the current Administration, whatever that is, doesn't approve of. In a greater sense, 911 did achieve what it set out to do. It took away life here in American as we all knew it.
God help us all.

Apple Wins Trade Secrets Legal Dispute
SAN JOSE, Calif. - A judge on Fritday ordered three independent online reporters to divulge confidential sources in a lawsuit brought by Apple Computer Inc., ruling that they were not protected by the First Amendment because they published trade secrets.

The ruling alarmed speech advocates, who saw the case as a test of whether people who write for Web publications enjoy the same legal protections as reporters for mainstream publications. Among those are protections afforded under California's "shield" law, which is meant to encourage the publication of information in the public's interest.

The reporters — who run sites followed closely by Apple enthusiasts — allegedly published product descriptions that Apple said employees had leaked in violation of nondisclosure agreements and possibly the U.S. Trade Secrets Act.

Santa Clara County Superior Court Judge James Kleinberg ruled that no one has the right to publish information that could have been provided only by someone breaking the law.

"The rumor and opinion mills may continue to run at full speed," Kleinberg wrote. "What underlies this decision is the publishing of information that at this early stage of the litigation fits squarely within the definition of trade secret.

"The right to keep and maintain proprietary information as such is a right which the California Legislature and courts have long affirmed and which is essential to the future of technology and innovation generally."

In December, Apple sued several unnamed individuals, called "Does," who leaked specifications about a pending music software — code-named "Asteroid" — to Monish Bhatia, Jason O'Grady and another person who writes under the pseudonym Kasper Jade. Their articles appeared in the online publications Apple Insider and PowerPage.

Apple demanded that Bhatia, O'Grady and Jade divulge their sources. The reporters refused to cooperate, saying that identifying their sources would create a "chilling effect" that could erode the media's ability to report in the public's interest.

The online reporters could not immediately be reached for comment Friday but have said they would consider appealing a decision favoring Apple.

Apple Insider and PowerPage have hundreds of thousands of monthly visitors and generate revenue through advertisements, but they are a fraction of the size of more established publications covering the computer industry.

The journalists have said Apple is trying to curtail their First Amendment rights because they lack the legal and financial resources that mainstream publications have to fight such information requests. Other trade publications wrote about the music technology after the reporters broke the story online.

"Apple is using this case as a desperate attempt to silence the masses of bloggers and online journalists that it cannot control but feels it can intimidate," Jade, who has been writing about Apple for more than eight years, wrote in an e-mail earlier this week. "Online publications are typically not backed by commercially funded organizations — a weak spot Apple most certainly recognized prior to filing its suits. The company hopes that it can stop or chill the Apple-news industry with its threats."

The Cupertino-based company did not immediately respond to calls for comment after Friday's ruling.


March 10, 2005

Now we are talking. I swear if I live long enough, I will see a reality TV show called, "The Colliseum." Let's just cut to the chase and watch a couple of convicts on Death Row step into "the cage of death" and have one man walk out. Hey baby, it's Thunder Dome. Let's sell some products and send the Nielson Ratings through the roof. As long as waivers are signed, and all parties involved are satisfied, why not? If something like watching two men beat each other to death, or hack each other to bits with a prison made "shiv" upsets you, turn the channel.


TV Therapy Shows Turn Pain Into Gain

LOS ANGELES - Smokers struggling to kick the dangerous habit. The obese aching to shed life-threatening fat. Drug abusers, gamblers and shopaholics challenged to get control of shattered lives. That's entertainment in the world of AddicTV. Networks have found there is wrenching drama — and it's real! — in putting human weakness and the fight to overcome it on camera. "Cold Turkey," beginning its second season on Pax (10 p.m. EST Tuesday), gathers 10 smokers on the pretext they've been cast in a reality adventure show. Then they learn the cold truth: there's a contest and a cash prize, but to win they must give up cigarettes without any of the aids widely available. Players on NBC's

"The Biggest Loser," now in production for its second season, know just what they're in for and get help in the form of personal trainers and diet guidance. But like lab rats left in the care of a bored technician, the shows toy with their subjects.

On "Cold Turkey," a sexy blonde and frat boys are brought in to blow smoke, literally, at contestants whose nerves and willpower are frayed. "The Biggest Loser" makes fattening food easily available and dares players to resist. The rationale is the outside world contains temptations, so the shows should, too. Accepting that requires a leap of faith — believing that networks are more interested in salving wounds than in generating ratings. That unlikelihood isn't a hindrance to the self-important tone that infuses the shows.

"Ultimately, they're fighting for something much bigger than a cash prize," says a sanctimonious Mother Love, who serves as host of a "Cold Turkey" reunion show. Better still: Charo — yes, "cuchi cuchi" Charo — visiting the valiant "Cold Turkey" warriors and advising them, "You are about to be heroes" and "You are fighting a cause not only for you, but for millions of people." She leads them in an inspirational session of salsa dancing. Let the healing begin.

Could a class of programs that at first glance seem so clearly exploitive be defensible? To hear those with the most at stake tell it, yes. In the first season of "Cold Turkey," lung cancer victim Deborah Taylor met with contestants and implored them to end the habit that would ultimately prove fatal for her. "She kept saying she was very proud she had done that ... She was proud that she may have made a difference for some people," her doctor recounts in the reunion show.

Alyson sees it that way. The former drug abuser is among those featured in A&E's new series "Intervention" (10 p.m. EST Sunday) in which addicts get a shot at recovery after revealing how far they have fallen. "I would do it again in a heartbeat," she said of the documentary program that is excruciating to watch. Alyson, 27, agreed to take part because she figured the only thing she had left was a cautionary tale. "I thought I was going to end up dying anyway, so I might as well have done something before I checked out," she said in an interview.

But each addict is surprised by loved ones who gather, with a professional "interventionist," to persuade them to enter therapy. Alyson said the exposure of painful and shocking moments, including filching drugs from the bedroom of her seriously ill father, was worth it. Now working at the center where she was treated, she was sitting next to a counselor when her episode aired last week and said "the phone was ringing off the hook" with calls of inquiry. She deems "Intervention" to be educational, not entertainment — and networks are eager to join in touting such programs' social value.

"With this series there is real potential for an amazing personal transformation each week," A&E documentary programming executive Nancy Dubuc said. "If the intervention doesn't succeed, viewers will still be witness to a portrait of the unrelenting power of addiction." And the channel will reap the benefit of ratings.

A&E announced that Sunday's debut episode drew 1.6 million viewers and scored as its most-watched original Sunday series ever among young adults — the advertiser-preferred audience. It's difficult to avoid cynicism when commerce and humanitarianism meet. And it's hard not to think of these programs, so intimate a window into tormented souls, as an invitation to Peeping Tomism.

See pictures and hear stories of the childhood years of golden promise for Alyson and others before the fall. See the drug-induced stupor or the gambler's desperation. See the young man harangue devoted family and friends who want only to rescue him. Jeff VanVonderen, among the interventionists who appear in the series, brushes away the suggestion that participants might be exploited.

"Not at all," he said in an interview. "It's a second chance, and the cameras happen to be there. How cool is that?" He envisions parents seeing the show and realizing there may yet be hope for their own troubled child. But let's give the last word to those who sacrificed their privacy, at minimum, on the national altar of enlightenment — or entertainment.

First-season participants of "Cold Turkey," meeting on the reunion show, were asked what they think about watching others go through the experience on season two. "I feel sorry for them that they have to do it in front of cameras," one replied. "And I can't wait to tune in," chimed another.


March 9, 2005

Now here is a good idea. It is always the simple, straight forward ideas that make money. I never would have thought of this. It probably won't fly here in the US because some group will oppose it. Sure, kids might be nearby and overhear someone's phone moaning. They might ask, "why is that person making that noise?" And the first time it happens, some attorney will be suing someone for sexual harassment, or even worse, lascivious behavior. Hell, let's go for indecent "exposure!" The tort possibilities are endless. Anyway, I thought you might enjoy this article. Keep your ears open, you may be hearing a sexually explicit phone "ring" soon.

SAN FRANCISCO - Adult film company New Frontier Media has something new for cell phones: ring moans.

Wireless content company Brickhouse Mobile on Tuesday said that under an agreement with New Frontier it would begin offering ring tones for mobile phone users featuring porn stars making groaning and moaning noises from the suggestive to the positively tantalizing.

The company said it would also begin offering sexually explicit "wallpaper" for cell phone screens and adult videos for download on mobile phones under its brand The Erotic Network, the television subsidiary of New Frontier Media Inc.

Brickhouse and New Frontier signed their five-year deal in January but did not disclose full terms of the program until Tuesday. Users will be able to buy individual items or take a monthly subscription.

The two sides said they would also work together on age-verification schemes to ensure that minors were not purchasing inappropriate content. Much of the more explicit content will be available internationally at first.


March 6, 2005

I don't care about poor Apple computer. They are doing well. They have more money than some countries. I don't blame them for wanting to keep their company secrets under wraps. But this ruling is just the thing that snowballs into censorship. The courts rule on one thing, and before you know it, the rest of us are taking it up the ass.

I have been writing about the rise of censorship. There are tremendous dangers lurking under the surface waiting to raise their ugly heads. Sure, it will be in the fight against terrorism. It is for our own good that we have to give up the liberties that generations have fought and died for. It is for our own good that we all march into the cookie cutters of political correctness. We have to all be on the same page, the page of right wing fanatics hell bent on fulfilling the vision of a "One World Government."

This vision has been 200 years in the making, longer even. It was foretold long before the Pilgrims landed on the shores of the New World that America would be the force behind this. The New World Order, or One World Government is something that will be. We can't stop it. I sometimes think that this whole war on terrorism bullshit is designed to further this vision.

Maybe order is something we need. Since we blew it, we will loose it. That's what we get for going through life acting like a pack of wolves. We can't help it. The only contribution humanity has made to mankind in fostering hate. We will all get what we deserve in the end ... a New World Order of Secret Societies ruling the planet Earth. Wait, don't we have that now?


Loss for online publisher

In a case with implications for the freedom to blog, a San Jose judge tentatively ruled Thursday that Apple Computer can force three online publishers to surrender the names of confidential sources who disclosed information about the company's upcoming products.

Santa Clara County Superior Court Judge James Kleinberg refused to extend to the Web sites a protection that shields journalists from revealing the names of unidentified sources or turning over unpublished material.

Kleinberg offered no explanation for the preliminary ruling. He will hear arguments today from Apple's attorneys and the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a San Francisco digital rights group representing two of the three Web sites Apple subpoenaed -- Apple Insider and PowerPage.

The case raises issues about whether those who write for online publications are entitled to the same constitutional protections as their counterparts in more traditional print and broadcast news organizations.

Apple sought subpoenas in December against two online news sites that focus exclusively on its products: PowerPage (www.power page.org) and Apple Insider (www.appleinsider.com). The company filed a separate suit against Think Secret (www.thinksecret.com) on Jan. 4.

Apple's argument maintains that disclosures about an unreleased product, code-named "Asteroid," constituted a trade secret violation. The company asked the court to force the Web sites to identify the source of the leaks.

In its court filings, Apple argued that neither the free speech protections of the United States Constitution nor the California Shield Law, which protects journalists from revealing their sources, applies to the Web sites. The company said such protections apply only to "legitimate members of the press."

Subpoena fight The court earlier authorized Apple to serve subpoenas on the Web sites, seeking all documents related to Asteroid and information about anyone with knowledge of the postings about the product.

The Electronic Frontier Foundation fought the subpoenas, arguing the online publishers, like their print and broadcast counterparts, frequently rely on confidential sources to report on issues in the public interest.

"Compelled disclosure of journalists' sources would have a devastating effect on the free flow of information," said Kurt Opsahl, an EFF attorney. "It's the lifeblood of a functioning democracy. Therefore the courts have to understand the vital connection between the confidentiality of sources and the freedom of the press."

An Apple spokesman declined to comment on the case.

Adding support Thomas Goldstein, a former dean of the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism who worked as a reporter for the New York Times, filed a brief in support of the Web sites.

"Just because Apple does not want these publications to report on its activities does not mean that they are not news publications," Goldstein wrote.