www.steve-sez.blogspot.com

Large Numbers

2011-03-04T15:24:00.000-08:00

You may have heard of our “Large Number” difficulty. Human beings can all relate to numbers like 5, 100, 30,000 or so, but when the numbers reach a billion or a trillion, we sort of go blank. I have found a rather simple and effective way to make understanding large numbers easier – I remove some of the zeros.

For example, the US deficit is about $1.4 trillion. That’s $1,400,000,000,000. Neither you nor I nor any other normal human being can “get our mind around” that large number. Meanwhile, congress is discussing spending cuts of $50 billion or so. That number is too big to comprehend, too.

So, let’s do the zero-ectomy and put these figures in perspective. I’ll remove nine zeroes from both numbers. The US deficit becomes $1,400. That’s a number most of us can relate to.

Next, congress is thinking of cutting $50 billion, or $50,000,000,000. Removing nine zeroes again, we get $50.

So, to put the deficit and spending cuts in perspective, the US government has a $1,400 bill, and they are quibbling over $50. That means that if they could miraculously hold government spending where it is, and cut out $50 billion of Washington spending every year, we’d be out of debt in only 28 years.

Oh, not quite. There’s interest to pay. Even at 5% (ridiculously low) the interest on $1,400 is $70 per year, so $50 won’t even pay the annual interest. The truth is, we would go deeper into debt each and every year because of the interest. After five years, we’d owe $1,500! (Errr, $1.5 trillion.)

Think of it like your credit card. You owe $1,400 and you pay $50 per year. That does not pay the interest, so while you pay, your debt will increase every year until you are bankrupt. Same goes for Uncle Sam.

Voting

2010-10-08T16:48:00.000-07:00

Well, it's voting time again. I used to puzzle over the "propositions" section of the ballot, but I have found a very simple way to figure out which way to vote on them.

Under 'fiscal impact' they usually say whether the proposition will result in more money for the government or less. If the proposition results in less money for the government, I'm for it.

Another good indicator is who endorses the proposition. If teachers, fire fighters, and police (unions) are for it, I'm against it. If they are against it, I vote for it.

This greatly simplifies the decision and voting process for me.

Toyota Problems

2010-02-03T07:53:00.000-08:00

This was one of the headlines on Yahoo his morning: "AP - Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood says he plans to speak with Toyota President Akio Toyoda about the auto maker's spate of recalls in the United States. LaHood confirms that the government is investigating potential electrical problems in Toyota vehicles."

It's a good example of government meddling in what should be none of their business. If Toyota makes an unsafe car, people will find out, and they will stop buying Toyotas. That will cost Toyota lots of money, and they will fix the problem. It does not require an investigation. It does not require a government bureaucrat meddling in the market. It does not require taxpayer money spent to support a huge government bureaucracy. It does not require a Department of Transportation. It does not require government at all. It is free people trading among themselves.

Haiti and Military Aid

2010-01-15T12:48:00.000-08:00

Regarding the recent earthquake in Haiti, it is a massive tragedy; however, it brings to light a point for consideration.

The purpose of the US military is to defend our nation against foreign aggression. It is not to do charitable work. Charity is a wonderful side of humanity, but it is not what the military is equipped and trained to do. Military organizations are trained to kill and destroy, not to help people in need.

There are several organizations, such as the Red Cross, that specialize in that kind of work.

Americans (about 60% of us) pay taxes to the government for the benefit of our country. Our taxes are not supposed to be used for private benefit or for charity. Once again, charity is a beautiful action, but it is not a proper use of tax money. For those who want to give money or effort to help foreign countries in time of need, they are free to do that - with their own money - not money taken from other taxpayers.

Raising Kids

2009-11-23T09:55:00.000-08:00

I wrote this several years ago, and I think it is still relevant.

If there is to be a world fit to live in, there must be parents willing to train their children to create that world and to live in that world. I think most parents in America today are on the wrong track. I think they are doing a poor job of raising kids fit for a world of nice people. Most kids of today are ill behaved, whining, screaming little criminals. They run their families, they are a nuisance to others, and their parents (who were raised the same way) let them get away with it. Bad behavior is accepted as “part of growing up.” They call it “self expression.”

A friend of ours was at dinner with us. We were having a pleasant conversation, when Heather, my 4 year old at the time, butted in, “Daniel’s putting French fries in his nose!” - or something like that.

I said, “Heather, I am talking with Lisa. Be quiet until we are done.”

Heather went back to her dinner. Lisa, mother of a 2 year old, seemed shocked. “Aren’t you afraid you’ll stifle her self-expression, or bruise her little ego, or something?”

“No,” I said, “Kids need to have their self-expression stifled a little. Can you imagine a world where everyone expressed everything they were feeling? Hell, I’d kill half the people I see and have sex the other half on the spot. I don’t want to live in a world like that, and I don’t want my kids to behave like that. She needs to learn to behave appropriately, and butting in while someone is talking is inconsiderate, rude, and inappropriate.”

It is now several years later, and Heather hardly ever interrupts anyone’s conversation. She waits patiently, and when there is a lull, she speaks. She is a very smart little girl, and she has a lot to say. Her self-expression is very much intact. With our training, she knows how to participate in an appropriate way. She is much more pleasant to be around than some 10, 12, or even 20 year olds who haven’t learned the art of polite conversation.

It took about three months to train her not to interrupt when other people are talking. Every time she interrupted a conversation between others, and I was present, I stopped her and asked her to wait until it was her turn – every time. It took some effort from me (and her mother), and we think it was worth it. We think it will have her life go better, and we think that is part of our job.

So, what is a parent’s job? I think our job is to raise human beings fit to live in a civilized world. We raise our kids to be people we enjoy being around, talking with, spending time with. It is not our job to be loved, or even liked, by our kids. It is not our job to coddle them or protect them from the natural consequences of their actions. As it happens, they do love us, and we enjoy that – but we don’t interact with them trying to get them to like us or love us. We try to teach them what is morally right, workable, and appropriate, whether they like us or not.

Once I was putting Heather down for her afternoon nap. She had been playing some game that she wanted to continue, and the nap interfered with it. After a few seconds of trying to persuade me that she didn’t really need a nap, she resorted to, “I don’t want a nap. You’re mean. I hate you.”

I smiled and said, “I got it (pause) and it’s still nap time.”

She has only tried that tactic a couple of times in her 6 years. I suspect that if it had worked, she would have used it again and again.

Along that same line, we never end a sentence with “OK?” Most parents seem to end almost every sentence with “OK?” nowadays. “Honey, we have to go now, OK?” “It’s time for dinner, OK?” “Don’t hit your sister, OK?” These kids apparently grow up thinking that’s the way to talk. For example, they grow up to be cops (on the TV show COPS) who often end their orders with “OK?” “Sir, you hit your wife with a baseball bat, OK?” You are under arrest for assault with a deadly weapon, OK?” “Turn around and put your hands behind your back, OK?” “Sit in my car, OK?” “We’re taking you to jail, OK?”

When you are in charge in the way parents and cops are, you should never ever ask if it is OK. Kids, like criminals, have no choice – besides, of course it is not OK!

You say to the kid, “It’s time for dinner.” “Sit down.” “Don’t hit your sister.” “Be quiet.” It is not a choice. It is an order from an authority.

And to the criminal, “Get out of the car.” “Drop the gun.” “Sit down.”

As adults, we understand that the “OK?” question is inauthentic and meaningless. At best, when we use “OK?” we really mean “do you understand?” Kids don’t have the capacity to understand that. It leads to resistance that is not present when you communicate in a simpler, more straightforward way.

For example, when it’s time to put our kids to bed we say, “Bedtime.” They get in bed; we tuck them in and kiss them good night; and leave the room. They go to sleep. They do not whine about it. They do not attempt to persuade us it is not bedtime. They don’t get up after we leave the room. They don’t talk and keep each other awake.

They tried these things a few times when they were one or two years old. They were never successful, not once. It took about a week to “bed train” them. Now, it is simply not an issue. I know other parents who are still trying to get their 10 and 12 year olds to go to bed at bedtime. “It’s time for bed, OK?” doesn’t work any better with a 12 year old than it did with a 2 year old.

When it is mealtime, we say, “Time for dinner.” Our kids come to the table and we have dinner.

When it’s time for school, we say, “Time for school.” They get in the car and we take them to school. No problem. No arguing. No whining. No discussion.

We never ask them if they want to go to school. We don’t ask if they want to go to bed. We don’t end sentences with, “OK?” We know it is not a choice, and they know it is not a choice.

When they were about five or so, each of them tried a couple of times “I don’t want to go to bed,” or something similar. We always acknowledge what they want, and we make it clear that what they want is not the deciding factor. We say something like, “I got that you don’t want to go to bed (pause) and it’s still time for bed, so you are going to bed.” That’s usually the end of the discussion. When they first tried the “I don’t want…” tactic, sometimes they’d persist with a couple of more attempts. Each was met with the same acknowledgement and steadfastness, “I heard you. You don’t want to have your bath now (pause) and you are going to have your bath, anyway.”

While I’m on the subject of choice, there are many areas where we allow the kids to make a choice. For example, “You can have a hamburger or a chicken sandwich. Which would you like?” “You can wear your blue shirt or the red one. Which do you want?” But if it is really not a choice, we don’t pretend that it is. A word to the wise – never give a child more than two alternatives unless you want to spend a long time having a detailed discussion about it.

I have heard parents say, “I have learned so much more from my children than they have from me.” I say if you are learning more from your children than they are learning from you, you are not doing your job. The parent should be the teacher, not the student. If you are even a mildly competent adult, your kids have nothing to teach you. They know nothing! Kids are little blobs of protoplasm, and it’s your job to turn them in human beings who can function in our world.
Most parents have 20 years or more of life experience. Kids have none. It is not a parent’s job to learn from kids. It is a parent’s job to teach.

While we have a lot of fun with our kids, and we recognize and applaud their innocence, we are not confused about who is teaching whom. We are the parents. They are the kids. We teach; they learn; period.

A family is not a democracy. This should be fairly obvious, but apparently it is not obvious to some parents. They are constantly asking their kids for opinions and votes. A family that works is not and cannot be a democracy. If the kids got a vote, you’d have jelly beans for every meal and watch cartoons all day. The bottom line is always, “because I said so.” Parents should use it often, with pride and without guilt.

When our kids were two or three, they began asking “why” about just about everything. Though it is tempting to answer their “why” questions, no good can come of it. It starts with perfectly innocent curiosity. “Why does this bug taste funny?” But if you answer even one “why” question, you will soon be answering many more. “Why do I have to go to bed?” “Why do you get to decide what we have for dinner?” “Why do I have to go to school” “Why do I have to obey the law?” “Why shouldn’t I smoke dope?”

Our kids are now 7 and 10, and they seldom ask “why” questions. They ask, how, when, what, who, and where questions, but seldom “why.” We trained them by answering almost every “why” question with either the standard Zen response or “because I said so.”

“Why is Daniel eating toilet paper?” Daniel is eating toilet paper because he is eating toilet paper. That’s what I mean by the standard Zen response.

“Why is poop brown?” Poop is brown because poop is brown.

“Why do I have to go to bed?” Because I said so.

“Why do I have to go to school?” Because I said so.

“Why do dogs lick their tails?” Dogs lick their tails because they lick their tails.

Once in a while I test them, “Daniel, why are you so smart?” He thinks only a second, and then grins, “Because I am smart!” “And Heather, why are you so beautiful?” “Because I am beautiful!” And so she is, and so he is.

Reverse Robin Hood Program

2008-08-05T20:16:00.000-07:00

I didn't get it at first, but the $600 rebate idea is brilliant. Somebody managed to sneak an idea past the feds that actually works. Here's what I mean:

Normally, anything the government does regarding the economy is wrong, period. Every action they take makes matters worse or prolongs a bad situation - e.g., the mortgage/credit scenario.

The federal government routinely engages in massive redistribution of wealth - usually, they take money from those who earned it and give it to those who didn't. Basically, they take from producers and give to parasites. You know, the Robin Hood principle - "Take from the rich and give to the poor."

The $600 rebate is different. It is the only program that simply gives people money regardless of their producer/parasite status. You don't have to be "needy" or "disadvantaged" or any other kind of non-producer to get the money.

So, what will be the result of this sort of rebate (you didn't ask)? Producers will save the money or they will invest in something useful to grow their business or their life. Parasites will spend it frivolously on such things as booze, potato chips, rock concerts, tattoos, and illegal drugs. The result will be that money will move from the hands of parasites to the hands of producers. That's a good thing!

With that in mind, I advocate a huge increase in that program. We'll call it the Reverse Robin Hood Program. Let's give everyone $50,000 or $100,000, and watch the economy grow! Better still, give people all their money back. Or, even better, don't take money from producers in the first place. Abolish the IRS and let people keep whatever they earn.

Hmmm, I think this was tried before, during the first 150 years of a country called the USA. That country grew from nothing to the most powerful nation on earth with no income tax. Amazing, huh?

The First Time

2008-05-11T19:42:00.000-07:00

The First Time

The first computer I ever saw was at Vanderbilt University in 1961, while on a high school field trip. I was much more interested in the fact that the building next door was the gymnasium where the Vandy basketball team practiced. The thought of seeing one of my heroes in the flesh, generated much more excitement than hearing about the monster computer blinking stupidly at me and the other 30 wide-eyed high school teenagers.

So, I don't remember much about the computer except that it was very big and very gray. It had lots of tiny flashing lights in its “Control Center,” and it lived in a room about the size of the lot my house sits on today. The lights were all the same color and arranged in tidy boring rows on the rectangular panel at the Control Center, which was merely a fold-down desktop with an office chair in front of it. There were about a hundred switches on the control panel – also in straight perfect rows. The chair was vacant. I wondered who was “controlling” the giant machine.

There were no transistors in it. The whole thing used vacuum tubes (thousands of them), arranged in neat rows like the lights on the Control Panel. The operators opened one of the hundreds of dull gray cabinets to let us stare at the little tubes. They were called “peanut” tubes, owing to their size, but they reminded me of white Christmas lights that were a little too dim, and too tidy.

The little tubes had to be replaced on a fairly regular basis, and several technicians were on duty 24 hours a day to keep it running. I thought it was somehow strange to have these men serving this machine, especially since the machine didn’t seem to be doing anything but making the lights blink on the control panel, and using lots of electricity to light the Christmas lights that were hidden away in the gray cabinets.

Since then I have met many machines. An IBM 1401 with a disk drive about as tall as I am (over six feet), a 7094 which lived in the basement (actually three floors below ground) of the math building at Purdue University, a Microdata machine about the size of a refrigerator with a 20 MB hard drive which looked like a matching dishwasher, and hundreds of PCs and laptops.

The machines all seemed to have what I hesitate to call a “personality.” Looking back, I realize now that I began to associate each machine with a person I knew at the time. I don't remember much about the machines, but I can recall quite a bit about the people.

The first 1401 I encountered, for example, brings to mind a young naval officer I knew at the time. He liked to putter around and tinker with things. You've met people like Carl, I'm sure. He would spend hours fiddling with something on the computer, when it could have been worked out in 10 minutes with a pencil and paper. Carl once wrote a program to print out the disk and track where the seek head was located at any given second. There was no use for it, but he wrote it, anyway. He was just tinkering. Carl eventually went to work for Burroughs – a good match, I thought.

The first 7094 I saw, a basically solid machine which never seemed to complete anything, reminds me of my roommate at college. Marvin (I went to college when roommates were always the same sex) was an intelligent, healthy, apparently competent person. He was about six feet tall – slightly taller than the 7094. He wore brown horn-rimmed glasses, white dress shirts, and jeans, complementing his “computer geek” image. The word geek had not yet been invented, but Marvin was truly a geek.

Marvin never took on anything that offered the possibility of reaching a conclusion. His mission in life seemed to be to work a problem to death without solving it. Marvin worked well with the 7094 because it seldom completed a program but always gave him several pages of reasons why not. Marvin was in the Navy and is probably retired by now. The 7094 is retired, too.

I met my first Microdata Reality machine in 1975. The Microdata always seemed like a pleasant friendly machine to me. Though it had its unique quirks, it was user-friendly, accommodating, and just plain fun – like the young woman I met at the printer while we were waiting for our output one day.

She had long, shiny, dark brown hair and a pleasant smile.

I stuck my thumbs in my belt, sidled up to her and said, "Yuh come here often, ma’am?" I used my best Texican accent.

"Unfortunately, yes,” she smiled.

“What’s yer name?”

“Melody,” she said, offering her hand.

“I’m Steve. Yuh wanna fool around?" Us Texicans get right to the point.

"Uhh – No?” but she was still smiling and her dancing brown eyes said maybe.

Her voice had the sort of husky quality of certain actresses and women who do the nightly news. It reminded me of Lindsay Wagner, the woman who did several Ford TV commercials.

Our conversations grew longer and we grew closer as the days passed. We talked computers, family, and life. We shared a chocolate milkshake, watched a sunset or two, and yes, we fooled around.

Eventually, I moved out of state and then to Australia, and I lost touch with her. Her face merged with other pretty faces, but her memory still tugs at me when I see an old Microdata machine. There have been other machines and women since then, but I guess I will always remember that gentle, friendly Microdata and Melody. There's just something special about your first time.

Uncle Buck

2008-02-17T22:20:00.000-08:00

I had an uncle named Buck - Buck Crouch. Uncle Buck worked for the City of Nashville - Centennial Park Division. His had only one job his entire life. He was the gardener/caretaker of a little garden in Centennial Park called "the bowl" by locals. I said a little garden - it was roughly circular and about 100 foot diameter, as I recall. Uncle Buck started by planting a few flowers to cover up an ugly fence on one side of the park. He gradually added shrubs and flowers and rocks and paths over the years until it became a favorite with park visitors. It sloped toward the center from all sides - thus the name "the bowl."

The bowl contained hundreds of different flowers and plants. It was absolutely beautiful and immaculate all year. Even in the winter, there seemed to be color everywhere. It was a serene place with several narrow paths that people would stroll along and admire the flowers. Uncle Buck was always working in the bowl - all day, every week day. Nobody else touched anything in the bowl except Uncle Buck.

Uncle Buck only had one eye. He said he was hit by lightening when he was younger. I didn't think of it at the time, but today I find it ironic that a one-eyed man spent his entire life making a beautiful place for others to see.

Uncle Buck died about 40 years ago. The bowl is still there in Centennial Park. It's bigger now. In fact, it is one of the main attractions of the park, and there's a whole crew assigned to maintain it. It's still a serene, beautiful place.

I guess you don't have to build a skyscraper or a golf course or a shopping center to make a difference for people. You can be a simple gardener planting flowers and shrubs to cover up a fence in a park.

Thanks, Uncle Buck.

Dear Son - Newborn

2008-02-17T20:35:00.000-08:00

Dear Son,

You can't read this now, of course, as you lie there wriggling and squirming in your little bed, but I hope someday you will, and that you will find something useful in your old man's words.

I want the best life has to offer for you. I want you to have every experience a little boy needs to grow up happy and strong and straight. I want you to learn how to tie your shoes, ride a bike, fly a kite, play checkers, hit a baseball, fix a car, mow the lawn, paint a house, and a thousand other things.

I want you to find a wife, have children as beautiful as you are right now, and to raise them up to be good people like you. I want you and your wife to walk hand-in-hand into your old age, and to still be in love with each other.

I want you to grow up honorable, trustworthy, and honest. I want you to be someone people respect. I want you to have a sense of duty and obligation to your family, your country, and yourself. I want you to find a purpose - a mission - and I want you to achieve it. I want everything good in life for you.

I want you to succeed everywhere I failed.

I love you son, and I will never turn that off, no matter what you do or how you turn out. You can count on that. I pray with all that is within me that you will always be healthy, happy, prosperous, and awesome!

Superbowl Sunday

2008-02-03T22:36:00.000-08:00

I was invited to watch the game with friends at their house today. They combined the game with a chili cook off. There were half a dozen different types of chili, at least 30 adults, and about half that many kids. Most of the people didn't know each other.

The day was one of those magical times when everything works out well. It was rainy outside, so everyone stayed in. The kids got to know each other quickly and played well together. The adults ranged in age from 20's to 70's (78 to be exact). We mingled and talked about the game, Budweiser commercials, kids, the weather, the chili, and other stuff.

I didn't hear one word about politics or elections from anyone the whole day.

Is that a perfect day, or what?

Poetry Must Rhyme

2008-01-19T08:51:00.000-08:00

Poetry Must Rhyme

There's something satisfying about good poetry;
It soothes the savage soul of man - or at least the soul of me;
Except when written with the lack of thought and ample time;
For then it grates on ear and tongue because it doesn't sound good.

I love the taste of cherry pie, each tender tasty bit,
Except when e'er I bite into a piece that has a pit.
The feeling then is near the same I get with every line
Of something some call poetry that simply doesn't sound good.

Prose can be quite beautiful, the words can be sublime;
And prose can make a paragraph, but poetry must rhyme.

Limericks

2008-01-19T08:46:00.000-08:00

Bio-Computer
There's a bio-computer, you know
Which some say is likely to grow;
You just plant a seed
For whatever you need,
And reap whatever you sow.

Accounts Payable
When it comes to retiring accounts payable,
I wish it were infinitely delayable;
For then I could keep
All the cash that I reap,
And add to my wealth day-by-dayable.

The Trip
A cute little girl who was ten
Once went where she never had been;
And on her way back
She retraced her track
And never did go there again.

The Fox
There once was a fox that lived in a box
He wore no shoes, nor did he wear socks;
No shoes, no socks,
Just a fox in a box;
A barefooted fox in a box.

My Philosophy
My metaphysics is objective reality;
Reason is my epistemology;
My ethics - selfish egoism;
My politics - capitalism;
And that's my entire life's philosophy.

Fun

2008-01-12T00:32:00.000-08:00

We all like to have fun. But fun doesn't mean the same thing to everyone, or even to the same person at different times.

When I was younger, I spent time doing things that were supposed to be fun - that other people said were fun - but I didn't find them fun at all. For example, I consumed far too much alcohol on many occasions. Sometimes I got so drunk I couldn't walk so I had to drive. It was supposed to be fun. When my friends and I talked about it later, we would laugh and laugh - but it wasn't really fun, even then. It was a desperate search for fun.

With age I have discovered a few activities that really are fun for me. Other people may not think they are fun. I don't care. They are fun for me.

I like to play country music and folk songs on the piano, guitar, and harmonica. It is fun. Sometimes I play with a few friends who like to play music, too. That's even more fun.

I like to curl up on the sofa with the kids and scratch their backs and tummys while we watch Survivorman.

It's fun for me to have a meal at home with the whole family.

It's fun to drive in the rain. We don't get much rain in San Diego, but when we do, I like to drive in it.

I have fun going for a run around the park. I don't care whether it is healthy or not - I just want to have fun, and going for a run does it for me.

There are a few things I used to think were fun. They might still be fun, but I don't do them any more. I used to enjoy golf. What a joy it was to see the ball fly. I think it would still be fun, but I don't do it much any more. I still go to the range once in a while - and I still like to see the ball fly.

I used to play racquetball. My playing friend moved away and I stopped playing. I miss playing racquetball and I miss my friend.

I had a motorcycle a few years ago. Riding on curvy roads in the mountains near San Diego... Now that's fun! I sold it when I got married and took on kids. I miss it, but not that much.

Fair Tax?

2008-01-07T23:27:00.000-08:00

Income tax never made any sense to me. It still doesn't. I think Mr. Huckabee has a pretty good idea with his "fair tax" thing. If you make money, I think all of it should belong to you - not the IRS. If you save most of it, there is very little tax for you. If you spend a lot, there is a lot of tax. That kind of system makes sense to me. It seems to promote and reward behaviors we want in our citizenry, and to discourage those we don't.

But of course, the real reason I would like to see the fair tax implemented is that the IRS would vanish like a coin in a magician's hand. That's a trick I'd love to see.

We Need More Guns

2007-12-06T10:29:00.000-08:00

Whenever some dude goes postal, most recently at the Von Maur department store in Omaha, the media story always implies that guns are the cause, and that the right to carry guns is questionable. A recent Reuters story put it like this:

"It was the latest in a series of mass killings that have shocked the United States, where gun ownership is widespread and the right to possess arms is a fiercely contested constitutional issue currently on the agenda of the Supreme Court."

I note that the story implies a highly distorted picture. There has not been a "series of mass killings." It did not "shock the United States." You can't "shock" a country; you can only shock individuals. Gun ownership in the US is widespread, but gun carrying is not. I bet there were not more than three people in the entire mall carrying guns, and they were probably all security guards or off-duty police officers. And what the hell does "fiercely contested" even mean?

I think we would have a much safer country if more people carried guns. For example, suppose 90% of the people in that Omaha mall were carrying. This guy steps off the elevator, shoots someone, and a dozen good citizens draw their weapons and handle the problem in about three seconds. Result: two dead people, not seven, or whatever the final number turns out to be.

I believe that vast majority of our citizens are honest, peaceful, and want to do the right thing. When one of our fellow human beings goes berserk and starts shooting people, it is too late for coddling and "help." It's time for instant self-defense and it is time to remove that individual from our society.

Early Signs

2007-12-03T08:22:00.000-08:00

I have an 11 year old stepson. I think he's going to be a politician when he grows up. It seems to be a genetic thing. There are several early signs that lead me to this conclusion:

1. He always wants to make the rules for whatever game he is playing with his friends.

2. He is exempt from the rules.

3. He's not very good at most activities (he's 11, duh), yet he loves to teach others how to do things he can't do himself.

4. He likes to be the center of attention, especially when it is inappropriate. For example, his younger sister falls and skins her knee. "I remember when I skinned my knee. It was last year. I was riding along the sidewalk..."

5. He thinks life should be fair and everyone should be equal.
"The people across the street have a BMW and you have a Honda. That's not fair."

6. He appeals to "the majority" when he doesn't get his way.
"Can I ride my bike to the store?"
"No, it's dark outside."
"All the other kid's parents let them ride after dark."

7. He never wants to spend his own money, but he is quite willing to spend someone else's. We give him an allowance, and he has saved about $400. As far as I know, he has never spent a penny of his own money - for anything!
"I need money to buy a birthday present for Heather."
"Use your own money."
"Oh - I'll just sing happy birthday for her."

8. He loves to have his picture taken or to be on TV. He is 11 and he has already been on TV half a dozen times.

9. He thinks he is right about every subject.

10. And finally, he talks waaay too much and says almost nothing that makes any sense.

We are attempting to address these behaviors, but so far the genes are winning the battle.

Waterboarding: Is It Torture?

2007-11-01T22:24:00.000-07:00

Having been on the receiving end of water boarding several times, and having been in the intelligence business for several years, I have a couple of points to make about it.

First, water boarding is definitely uncomfortable. It is quite frightening the first couple of times you experience it. As the media have reported, you feel like you are going to drown. I found that it became less scary with each application. After the third or fourth session, my thought was, "OK, here we go again." Water boarding causes no permanent damage, and in my opinion is not torture. Also, I found it fairly easy to avoid giving away "secrets" under water boarding. I know of at least 100 military men who have been water boarded. None of them gave anything but name, rank, and service number. Bottom line - it ain't that bad.

My second point is that the goal of interrogation is to find out useful information from a prisoner. With that in mind, is it important to note that you can make just about anyone say just about anything with sufficient torture. That makes torture unreliable as an interrogation tool. You can't depend on the information you get from torture, so torture simply doesn't make sense if you need good information.

The real reason our enemies use torture is to vent their hatred for our way of life, our religion, and our nation. It has no value as an intelligence gathering practice. It is simply an outlet for hatred.

Best Memories

2007-07-10T11:20:00.000-07:00

Looking back from now, I see that one of the most pleasant memories of my childhood was throwing up.

Whenever I got sick or ate something I shouldn't have, I would throw up. My mother would always wet a wash cloth with cold water and fold it twice lengthwise so that it just fit on my forehead. Then she would hold the washcloth on my forehead and rub my back gently as I threw up.

After I finished she would unfold the washcloth and wipe my face with it. During the entire experience, I felt totally loved and safe. At the time, I didn't realize my mother was building such lasting pleasant memories for me.

This morning about 3 AM my 10-year-old stepson threw up. I knew just what to do.

Immigration & Illegal Aliens

2007-06-11T18:09:00.000-07:00

This is a pretty simple topic for me. I live in California, so I have daily contact with many many Mexicans, Vietnamese, Koreans, etc. My gardener is a Mexican, my house cleaner is a Mexican, my opthalmologist is a Mexican, my barber is a Mexican, and my auto mechanic is a Mexican. All these people do good work and they all came here legally. The USA invites thousands of immigrants here every year.

I like all the Mexicans I know personally. I dislike the idea of allowing people to sneak across the borders - no matter who they are. It's against our laws, period. I think illegal entry here should be prosecuted just like any other crime. The evidence is pretty obvious - if you are here and you don't have a green card or other documentation, you are breaking the law.

I also believe it is a big mistake to print any government document, application, instructions, or any other official document in a language other than English. English is our official language and that's all there is to it. To those who don't want to learn it, I say, "Adios." I believe a language is the strongest link that creates a culture and holds a country together. Our country has been catering to a dozen or more "second languages" for many years, and I think that has weakened the USA and put us in more danger than we should tolerate.

AAA

2007-06-03T15:41:00.000-07:00

I got the bill for AAA today - $47. It is for my wife. I don't need AAA because I can change my own flat tire, I can read my gas gage, and I have never locked my keys in my car in the almost 50 years I have been driving.

Still, I am extremely grateful that such a wonderful organization as AAA exists. Imagine the peace of mind I enjoy knowing that if my wife gets a flat tire, locks her keys in the car, or runs out of gas, she can call AAA any time, day or night, and they will take care of it.

About a year ago she called me. "I am on the 163 and I have a flat tire. No need to worry. I already called triple A and they are on the way. I just wanted you to know that I'll be a few minutes late."

She told me later that she was on the road again about 15 minutes after she called me - and the best part of it is that I didn't have to do a thing. Forty-seven dollars a year. That's $3.92 a month. What a bargain!

Chigger

2007-04-22T22:48:00.000-07:00

My dog, Chigger, was run over and killed by a gasoline delivery tanker in 1954. I was 10 years old. Chigger was about 5. The driver did not stop.

It was a Gulf Oil truck. At that time, Gulf Oil was one of the seven largest oil companies in the USA. The company ceased to exist as an independent organization in 1984 - 30 years later.

Moral: If you run over a little boy's dog, stop and apologize.

Freedom of Speech?

2007-04-22T22:07:00.000-07:00

I was at the Earth Fair in San Diego today. We took the whole family - me, wife, and kids 7 and 10. We thought it would be fun.

There were two booths at the fair passing out literature for the anti-abortion people. I won't publicize them by mentioning the group name. I'll just say they are the ones who apparently think it is is a good idea to ambush doctors who do abortions and to blow up clinics where abortions are sometimes done - no matter who is there.

The group displayed pictures that I believe most people would find inappropriate, sick, disrespectful, apalling, and offensive in almost any setting, and especially at an event where kids of all ages were present. The pictures were of newborn babies covered in blood, and apparently dead. These pictures were about 5 feet by 7 feet in size, clearly visible from many yards away, and pretty much unavoidable if you passed anywhere within 20 yards of the booths.

I'm a staunch believer in freedom of speech and freedom of expression, whether I agree with the message, or not. The display of these pictures was not that, and does not deserve protection under freedom of speech, in my opinion. It was simply a visual assault and completely inappropriate for display where children are present.

It crossed my mind that these anti-abortion people couldn't possibly have children or they would have known that. Any sane parent would know that these pictures were inappropriate for kids to see.

The displays did have an effect, though. They brought to my attention how stupid, sick, socially ignorant, abhorrent, and repulsive the anti-abortion people are. We have never had an abortion, and I never paid much attention to the anti-abortion people before now. As of today, I will strongly oppose anything they attempt to do - ever. How's that for negative advertising?

The Don Imus Affair

2007-04-15T21:07:00.000-07:00

A radio talk show host named Don Imus was recently fired from his job because he called the Rutgers Women basketball team, "nappy-headed hoes." There have been thousands of stories and comments about it, ranging from what a horrible person he is, to how wrong it is for MSNBC and CBS to fire him.

So, first of all, I think it was not a nice thing to say. I'd call it very poor taste. I think his employer has every right to fire him, no matter what he said or didn't say. It's their show, and their business decision. If he gets a show somewhere else and it takes listeners away from MSNBC, the decision will have been a bad one. Time will tell.

I'm not a big radio listener. I can count on one hand the number of radio hosts I have ever heard - Rush Limbaugh, Howard Stern, Dennis Prager, Dr. Laura, and Roger Hedgecock. Before this incident, I had never heard of Don Imus. Upon hearing this story, I found myself thinking, "I'd like to hear this guy's show." I bet I am not the only one.

Regarding the harm done by words, when I was about six or seven years old, I learned a little saying - "Sticks and stones can break my bones, but words will never harm me." That seemed pretty obvious to me, even as a youngster, and since then, I have never felt especially harmed by anything another person said to me. I have been called various pejorative names. I have been told I was stupid, ugly, awkward, inadequate, and who knows what else. I have never been affected by those words, for the little rhyme always returned when I needed it - "Sticks and stones can break my bones, but words will never harm me."

Adults, nowadays, seem to have forgotten that little rhyme - or maybe they don't teach it in school any more. Apparently, it is now generally accepted that words do harm people - especially black people, and especially if they are uttered by white people. Apparently, if black people refer to other black people as niggers, that is OK; whereas, if a white person calls a black person a nigger, it is very harmful. It is grounds for an attack, lawsuit, loss of employment, or who knows, maybe even justifiable homicide (self defense). Apparently, white people aren't even supposed to say the entire word. They have to say, "the N word," instead.

I think that is very sad. Black people could make their children so much less vulnerable if they could just teach them the little rhyme, "Sticks and stones can break my bones, but words will never harm me."

Average Temperature of Earth

2007-03-07T23:12:00.000-08:00

Here's the deal. The temperature of planet Earth varies from year to year, from century to century, and from eon to eon. Geological clocks run much slower than human clocks. Human beings have nothing to do with the temperature of Earth.

Here's what will happen. The predominately liberal mass media will eventually arouse so much fear in the population of the USA, that the Feds will be compelled to "do something about it." (They have to get re-elected, don't ya know.)

They will do what governments always do: They will form a new Agency, staffed with thousands or maybe even millions of parasites, who will produce mountains of paper, and consume billions of taxpayer dollars to study global warming. They will enact laws which will make our lives more expensive and more difficult - raise the price of heating our homes, limit fossil fuel usage, screw up our cars even more than they already are, etc.

None of these actions will have any effect whatsoever on the temperature of planet Earth, because human beings have no power over the temperature of this planet. How arrogant would a person have to be to think he could affect the temperature of a planet?

A hundred years from now, the Global Warming Commission, or whatever they call it, will still be sucking billions of dollars out of the economy each year, and nobody will be able to get rid of it. That is, if there are still any producers left to suck money from.

There is plenty of disagreement among climate scientists about climate change, whether or not it is a threat, and what effect humans have on planet earth. (Hint: NONE.) Search on "global warming myth" for more info.

Customer Service

2007-01-26T10:28:00.000-08:00

I got an email from "customer service" at a big company.

Thank you for your email. Member feedback is essential to our business and greatly appreciated. Your comments will allow us to build a better product in the future.

I had emailed them about something missing on their website. Their response was the auto responder message above. Somehow, I don't feel served. I noticed that they did not say they are going to fix the problem.

Small companies usually provide pretty good customer service. If I had emailed a small company, I would have probably gotten a personal email, or perhaps a phone call, and the problem would have been corrected the next day.

With the big company, I got an auto responder message, and so far (three days) there has been no action.

I notice that only large companies have "customer service" departments. Small companies usually provide excellent customer service without any "customer service" department at all. It seems like big companies have the idea that if they create a "customer service" department and connect an auto responder, it will make up for poor customer service. That makes customer service even worse, so they hire more people and a VP of Customer Relations, increase the budget for the "customer service" department, and make customer service even worse. Etc.

Nonsense Emails

2007-01-25T08:55:00.000-08:00

I've been getting "nonsense emails" for several months. They usually contain a link to a website, and some words that make no sense at all. Here's an example:

This came as shocking news to many contestants, who, demonstrating one of the core weaknesses of American culture, had been told again and again that they had a talent that they in fact lacked. When I attempt to mount the new unit to the same folder, it won't let me. My team has been happy with the HTML 4 strict DTD, which puts you in standards mode without the super-strictness of XHTML. I mean, it's an online game, right?

I wonder if the senders of these emails expect to get any results. Does anyone click on an unknown link because there is some senseless verbiage in the same email?

It is a mystery to me.

The Scofflaw

2007-01-24T22:01:00.000-08:00

I live in a little town called Coronado. It's an island in San Diego Bay, where people raise their families, retire, obey traffic laws, go to church, and are polite to each other. It has the feel of a small town in Ohio.

Last week I needed to go to San Diego, and I decided to take the ferry instead of driving. While I was waiting for the ferry, I struck up a conversation with a lady who was also waiting. I would guess her to be about 55. We chatted about the weather, life in Coronado, the ferry, and her grandkids. She seemed to be a nice lady - a typical Coronado resident.

The ferry soon arrived and we boarded. About 15 minutes later, we reached San Diego and I happened to be behind her as we disembarked. She walked up the gangway, onto the sidewalk, and ignored the "Don't Walk" sign which was flashing on the other side of the intersection at Harbor Drive and Broadway. Luckily, the cars in the process of making a right turn across the lanes where she was walking saw her and stopped. I waited for the light to change and then followed her along Broadway.

All the while, she seemed to be walking faster, clutching her purse ever tighter to her body, and in more of a hurry with each step. The next intersection was at Kettner Blvd and the trolley line. When she reached there, the lights were flashing and bell was ringing, in preparation for the trolley. She ignored the lights and the bells and continued right across the street and the tracks. The trolley didn't hit her.

She was not really in any danger at either of the intersections. There were no cars coming when she began to cross the street, and the trolley was far enough away that she could easily cross safely.

My point is that this nice old lady, who I had been talking pleasantly with only a few minutes before, was remarkably transformed into a hurried, purse clutching, scofflaw, and less than model citizen, the moment she arrived in San Diego.

I wonder what causes that.

Milk Is Bad for You

2007-01-13T09:29:00.000-08:00

The title pretty much says it all. Milk has been linked by thousands of scientific studies to many illnesses we experience. Here are a few: Migraine headaches, strokes, high blood pressure, allergies, asthma, breast cancer, colon cancer, prostate cancer, ovarian cancer, anemia, kidney stones, and heart disease. Milk causes osteoporosis, yet older women are told to drink lots of milk. Milk is the substance that causes osteoporosis in the first place. Drinking more of it only makes the loss of bone go faster.

To read for days and days about the evils of milk, you can go to http://www.notmilk.com/ .

So much for the scientific evidence. You'd think doctors would know this. You'd think they would tell patients. I asked my doctor about milk.

She said, "Milk is good for you. It has lots of protein and calcium."

"Really?" I was surprised. "Did you have any nutrition classes in med school?"

"Yes, I had a couple of classes. They were electives. Sort of general nutrition."

"Where did you hear that milk is good for you?"

"Oh, I don't know. I guess TV, magazines, things I read. It's a good source of calcium and it's high in protein, so that's got to be good for you."

"Hmmm, check out www.notmilk.com and let me know what you think. There are quite a few studies there that say milk is bad for you."

Had she read some of the scientific studies on milk, she would have known that the protein in milk is a kind of protein that slowly leaches calcium from bones and causes osteoporosis. Like most people, she was relaying the general conversation generated by advertising in mass media, and the message (milk has calcium and protein, and it is good for you) was only half true. Milk has protein and calcium -- and it is very bad for you.

I haven't had another appointment with her since then, and I don't see my doctor socially, so I don't know if she has changed her opinion or not.

A friend of mine had suffered with allergies for several years. Sometimes his allergies would flare up and he would have to go the doctor to get treatments and drugs to clear his sinuses so he could breathe through his nose again. I suggested that he try eliminating milk for a couple of weeks and see what happened. I saw him about three weeks later. He said he had stopped drinking milk. His allergies were gone. That's right, gone. He had been going to a doctor (allergist) for several years. His doctor never told him about milk. My friend is now mostly dairy free. He says that whenever he does try a little (egg nog during the Christmas holidays, or a slice of pizza), he gets the watery eyes, dripping nose, and clogged sinuses within about 30 minutes.

I find it interesting that the only mammals on Earth that drink milk after the first few months of life are humans. We are also the only mammals that drink the milk of other animals. It seems reasonable to me that our bodies were designed to have human milk during the first few months of life, and solid foods thereafter - just like all the other animals on Earth.

Stock Trading

2007-01-06T10:32:00.000-08:00

I have a NASDAQ Series 7 license. It's a license you need to be a stock broker. The official term for a stock broker is a Registered Representative. It's supposed to mean I know a lot about investments - stocks, bonds, mutual funds, and options. I do, yet nothing I learned in getting that license was of use in making money in the stock market. I doubt if Warren Buffet has a Series 7 license, yet he is arguably the most successful stock investor alive.

I have learned a few things about stock trading. I even wrote a book about it. (Not available in stores.) One of the best insights I have had about the stock market is that prices of stocks are determined buy the number of people who initiate buy or sell orders. If more people are placing sell orders, the price will decline; if more people are placing buy orders, the price will rise.

This may not sound like a big "TAA DAA" at first. It's one of those ideas that is "obvious to the casual observer," as my college professors were fond of saying. But I think it is rather profound.

I believe most amateur stock traders (that would be anyone who doesn't make a living trading stocks) do a lot of research and reading in an effort to figure out which stocks to buy or sell. I used to do that. Most of that effort is a waste of time, because whatever you read is almost certainly written by people who do not actually buy or sell the stock. Remember - the price of the stock is determined by the number of people who actually buy and sell stock, not by people who write about it.

So, where can you find out how many people are initiating orders? Stock charts. Many sites on the Internet offer charts. The charts show a picture of trading activity, in some cases, right down to the minute. My favorite site for real time charts is: www.freerealtime.com .

You can also see historical charts on the Web. My favorite site for that is www.clearstation.etrade.com . www.bigcharts.marketwatch.com is a good site, too.

If the price on the chart is moving up, there are more buyers than sellers. If the price is moving down, there are more sellers than buyers.

The real trick is predicting when the activity will change direction. I haven't figured out how to do that, yet. I'll let you know when I do.

How to Sell Me Stuff

2007-01-01T21:00:00.000-08:00

Like most people, I buy stuff. Sometimes I buy via the Internet or in a retail store. Sometimes I buy from a salesman on the phone. If I could send a message to all phone salesmen, I'd say, here's how to sell stuff to me over the phone:

First of all, if you are making a cold call, never ask me how I am doing. You and I both know that you don't give a hoot how I am doing, other than that I am well enough to hear you and perhaps buy something from you. The fact that I answered the phone establishes that I am that well.

I would like to know your name and your company, so tell me that when we start. Speaking of names, don't use my name over and over. "Steve, I have a fantastic offer for you today!" "You know, Steve, our research indicates that the veeblefetzer market is going to explode in the next 24 hours, and Steve, you can get in on it right now!" Yuk. That tactic does not create rapport. It makes you sound like an idiot and it irritates me.

And don't be so damned enthusiastic. I don't care about your excitement or your opinion. I suspect you would lie to me if you thought you could make a sale. Just tell me the facts and the price. It could go something like this: "This is John Smith from Bob Thomas Ford. We have several 2006 Ford F-150's that we are offering below factory invoice. Do you want one?"

See how easy that is? Just tell me what you are selling and ask if I want it. I know what an F-150 is, and I know if I want one. I don't need to make an appointment with you to drive one or discuss it. Don't waste your time or mine. Simply ask me if I want it.

If you are selling something I am not familiar with, I may ask a few questions to find out if I want it. I may ask what it does or what it costs. If I don't ask, don't tell me. Don't try to educate me about it or persuade me of its merits. Just answer the questions I ask - nothing more. If I want to meet with you, I will ask. If I don't ask, don't try to sell me an appointment. It won't work. Not now. Not ever.

The Toilet Seat Issue

2006-12-14T20:01:00.000-08:00

Most people are aware of the toilet seat controversy and conversation in our culture. Women say it should be down; men say women should get over it. I think most men want to please, protect, and provide for their women, and they will do a myriad of things that don't make much sense to themselves (the men) merely to maintain a tolerable level of tranquility with their mate.

The trouble with the toilet seat issue is that women don't give men the real reason they want it down. (Hint: It has nothing to do with convenience.) The real reason is that women pay a huge amount of attention to looking good. Their shoes are notoriously uncomfortable, they spend hours getting their hair, nails, and other body parts "done," the place mats must match the carpet in the dining room, and why? Looking Good!

The plain truth is that women want the toilet seat down because it is more aesthetically pleasing to them. It looks good to them when it is down rather than up. As empirical evidence, I offer the fact that most women will lower both parts of the toilet seat when they leave the bathroom, thus relegating themselves to having to raise the top part again when they return to use it again. This is obviously inconvenient, even to them, yet they will do it every time.

So, here's a clue for women: If you want men to happily leave the toilet seat down, say, "Honey, it would really make me happy if you would leave the toilet seat down. It makes the bathroom look better for me. Would you do that?"

And the clue for men: Leave the toilet seat (both parts) down, no matter what she says. It's really not worth any more discussion.

Mission: Pizza

2006-11-26T12:12:00.000-08:00

Last night we went out for pizza. We went to my favorite place (Round Table). The evening turned out to be yukky. I didn't eat any pizza. When the guy (a gawky teenager) brought my pizza to our table, he stumbled over his two-sizes-too-big Niki's, which were tangled up in his butt-crack-showing pants, and the pizza went flying - on the floor, on the table, on me. It was a mess.

The proprietor offered to make me another (larger) pizza at no charge. I refused, opting for a refund instead.

I have been thinking about the incident - wondering why getting a new, larger pizza for the same price was not acceptable to me. I have three observations so far.

First, a business transaction includes a "time of delivery" agreement or assumption. In the case of pizza, my assumption was that I could have my pizza at about the same time as my family so we could enjoy our food together. Since making a pizza takes about 20 minutes, my family would have been almost done with their meal by the time mine arrived. I was not willing to make the deal if I couldn't enjoy the pizza with my family. This is also why I would never buy a car that can't be delivered in the next few days. I remember when the Toyota Prius first came out. I liked the car and price, but there was a six month waiting list. Hell, in six months there might be a better car available. I'm not paying for something I can't have now.

Second, having pizza is sort of like a mission for me. I suspect this is the case for most men. There are steps to be taken, in a certain order, and the result is a meal. Drive to the restaurant, place the order, wait patiently, get pizza, and eat! Once we set our mind to the mission, any major glitch in the order or time of execution is basically a failed mission. We don't feel like eating when we have failed in the mission.

Third, I note that if I eat when I am upset or off balance in some way my body never feels quite right about it. I suspect the food doesn't really nourish me very much. It's almost like having mild indigestion.

I only have pizza once or twice a year, so I am bummed that I didn't get one last night. Next time, I think I'll wait at the counter for the pizza. I believe I can walk to the table without stumbling over my own feet, and I'm quite sure I won't be showing off my butt crack.

How to Stop Hijackings

2006-11-15T22:51:00.000-08:00

This will never happen, of course, but it occurs to me that there is a very simple way to stop aircraft hijackings, almost overnight.

As passengers embark, offer each person a gun. I'd suggest a 22 or 25 caliber weapon, as it is unlikely to cause explosive decompression in case it is fired inside the aircraft. If a person were shot several times with one, however, they would definitely not be in the mood to continue their hijacking.

My premise is that most people are normal, law-abiding, good people. If a hijacker or two got on the plane and took a gun, there would be a large majority of good people with guns, too, and the hijackers would be vastly outnumbered. This would act as a very big deterrent to would-be future hijackers. I believe it would stop hijackings, altogether.

It offers the added benefit of a huge cost saving and job creation. The entire security check-in procedure, with the accompanying delays and costs, could be eliminated. To purchase enough guns to equip every domestic flight in the US would cost some money, but not nearly as much as all that security screening stuff and staff. Firearm manufacturers would probably gear up and hire more people to meet the increased demand for guns, so that would create a few thousand jobs and help our economy.

And finally, can you imagine how nice and polite people would be to each other if they knew their seatmate was probably armed?

Dateline Predator Sting

2006-11-11T20:21:00.000-08:00

I watched the first Dateline Predator show and found it novel and fascinating. There was something "off" about it, though. I couldn't put my finger on it at the time. I watched the next couple of episodes, and I finally figured out what was bugging me about the show.

Bottom line, these men were being accosted on national TV, arrested, led away in handcuffs, and put in jail because they "thought" they were doing something wrong. None of these men ever talked with a minor, much less had sex with one. These men all "thought" they were chatting with a minor; they "thought" they were going to see a minor; and yet they were not interacting with a minor at all - ever!

So my question is, "Is it a jailable offense to do something you 'think' is illegal, even though you have actually done nothing illegal at all?" The men on Dateline chatted online with cops who were way past 18, and visited a house where there was a young woman who Dateline said was over 18. Where is the crime?

If the speed limit is 65, but you "thought" it was 45, and you were driving 65, should you get a ticket because you "thought" you were speeding?