Mind Over Matter

Placebo Power: Can 'Thinking' Fit Get You Fit? - Newsweek Mind Matters - MSNBC.com

Just putting this here, as it bears repeating. The mind is an amazing instrument.

Older than Dirt

Answers From the FAQ, Page 6 - The U.S. Constitution Online - USConstitution.net

It may surprise you to know that--ALLEGEDLY--the US Constitution has a source of inspiration that outdates it by 300+ years. At least, some people claim it does. Quote:

During the bi-centennial year of The Constitution of the United States, a number of books were written concerning the origin of that long-revered document. One of these, The Genius of the People, alleged that after the many weeks of debate a committee sat to combine the many agreements into one formal document. The chairman of the committee was John Rutledge of South Carolina. He had served in an earlier time, along with Ben Franklin and others, at the Stamp Act Congress, held in Albany, New York. This Committee of Detail was having trouble deciding just how to formalize the many items of discussion into one document that would satisfy one and all. Rutledge proposed they model the new government they were forming into something along the lines of the Iroquois League of Nations, which had been functioning as a democratic government for hundreds of years, and which he had observed in Albany.

An interesting bit of trivia.

John Edwards is f*cked

YouTube - O'Reilly - John Edwards hires fanatical extremist staffers

I might've voted for Edwards. But now ...well, whether I like him or not is irrelevant. I agree with O'Reilly. This debacle has sunk Edwards's (grammar??) campaign. I don't like radical ...anything. Radical Islam, Radical Christianity, Radical Liberalism, you name it. So, for one radical wing to attack the other, it becomes a major turn-off for me. And, one has to wonder:

(a) Did Edwards keep these women on because, deep down, he AGREES with them? Shudder. Or...
(b) Did Edwards keep these women on because he's a wuss?

Either way, do YOU want someone like that in the White House? If I didn't say it before, I'll say it now. It's more than just about ISSUES when you're selecting a candidate. You can have the best talking points on the planet. But if you can't back it up, what's the point? If you can't CONVEY these talking points in a convincing manner, what's the point? If you have no credibility or charisma, you can be the wisest person in the world and have the cure for cancer, and there won't be a single person who will listen to you.

Honest Ed?

Campaign '08: Who Is the ‘Real’ John Edwards? - Newsweek Politics - MSNBC.com

People are looking for a 'change' in Washington. That, at least, is what every politician is telling us. I'm not sure that any candidates being fielded right now would create a worthy 'change,' but here's another guy I'm beginning to respect. First, some quotes:

In the fall of 2005, John Edwards sat down with a pad and pen and scrawled out three simple words: "I was wrong [agreeing to the Iraq war]." [...] But when a draft came back from his aides in Washington, Edwards's admission was gone. Determined, the senator reinserted the sentence. [...] "That was the single most important thing for me to say," Edwards recalls. "I had to show how I really feel."

On Feb. 4, in an appearance on "Meet the Press," he broke the cardinal rule of presidential politics and admitted that his proposal for universal health care would require raising taxes.

I'm not keen on giving more of my money to the government...but it's refreshing to actually see a presidential candidate be so candid and honest. Personally, I agree that taxes need to be raised some, considering (a) the limits imposed by our current health care system (which needs more than just money but a total overhaul) and (b) the looming potential for crisis in Social Security.

A note on this: "Critics claim Edwards's new 28,000-square-foot home in Orange County, N.C., shows his commitment to the poor may not be as all-consuming as he suggests." Does Edwards pay his taxes? He's even proposing to raise them (including his own). So STFU (as they say). If he's earned that money legally, who are you to gripe? Any mention from you guys at all about charities he may have donated to? Of course not.

It begins

Obama declares he's running for president - CNN.com

It's official. Obama's running for President.

I do hope that he's going to be different than the politicians we've had to deal with in the past. I'm yet to be excited about a presidential race. I don't think he'll get the nomination, because (a) other candidates like Sen. Clinton are already ahead in raking in the campaign money, (b) he's green, and (c) if this is true, he's less corruptable than other politicians.

Item C right there will lose him the race. The Powers That Be are NOT going to allow someone who will truly act in their own best judgment into the White House. Not going to happen. Don't put your tinfoil hats on...what I'm referring to is this:

Admitting the tactic is typical of aspiring candidates, Obama promised to overhaul a political system he says is dominated by lobbyists and special interest groups "who've turned our government into a game only they can afford to play."

These are the people who will prevent him from getting the nomination.

Final note: In Obama's speech, he talks about change. What politician doesn't? I guess it's hard to sound truly unique...he can seriously mean to change things for the better, while other politicians just give us lip-service.

It's "Big Block of Cheese Day!"

Firefighters' windfall comes with a catch - The Boston Globe

Any "West Wing" buffs may read the following and go, "A-ha!"

The town does have the Cheshire Cheese Monument, a sizable concrete sculpture of a cheese press commemorating a 1,450-pound cheese hunk given by town elders to Thomas Jefferson in 1801. But its value as a terrorist target is not readily apparent.

A quick note on vigilante justice

I am sick and tired of receiving these little phishing expeditions in my inbox. I think the time has come for any able-bodied hackers/crackers to fight back.

The IP address is 202.62.97.140. It is registered in Laos (according to APNIC). They can be pinged (tried it). My hack-fu is pretty weak, but I think the time has come for those of us who give a shit to fight fire with fire.

That is all.

PS: No, they did not scam me. My hack-fu is good enough to see through most bullshit. I just think it's time to take the war to the aggressors.

UPDATE (2/9/07): If the government thinks it's a good idea, then it must be!

The Sacred Cow

BBC NEWS | Europe | Banning the freedom to deny

I imagine that, on Fark.com, they'd put an "Asinine" tag next to the featured article.

I really hope nobody tries this stunt in the US. I imagine, though, that the Supreme Court, while still stating an acknowledgment of the holocaust, will strike down such a law as unconstitutional. I find it disturbing that there are MODERN governments that are trying to control what people believe. If a person, for whatever reason, believes that the holocaust didn't happen, it's their right to be wrong. There are people who still believe in creationism, DESPITE science 'proving' otherwise; just as the courts have 'proven' that the holocaust did happen. "When an international court determines that such crimes have taken place, then you should no longer be able to say: 'You're making that all up.' (from the article)" When a body of renowned scientists determines that evolution is how all things came into being, then you should no longer be able to say: 'Blah, blah, blah.'

It starts with the holocaust. Perfectly innocuous. But criminalizing people who deny the holocaust is, in a matter of process, the same as criminalizing people who deny evolution. Or deny modern astrophysics (i.e., people who still believe the universe revolves around Earth). The context may be different, but the action is the same. Sure, these people (deniers) are wrong. Should they be jailed for it?

And then, how much farther down the road will we be jailing people for OTHER beliefs? Where does it end? I know where it starts, and it needs to be nipped in the bud before it happens.

Another cool blog, and, POST #450 (yay?)

I don't know if this is really Mr. Jobs's (Jobs'?) blog or not (since his profile has another blog called 'iamnotstevejobs'), but I happened to see this one line, regarding ... well, read the featured article and you'll see what I mean:

I've already instructed my guys to get on this like a hobo on a ham sandwich.

I can just picture Steve Jobs writing that. What a mental picture. It made me laugh. In fact, I haven't laughed this hard since I was a little girl.

So, Mr. Fake Jobs, I don't know if you're real or not, but I'll buy you a beer.

It's a communist pot! I mean, plot!

AlterNet: Once-Secret "Nixon Tapes" Show Why the U.S. Outlawed Pot

I have two people in mind when I think of pot and drugs.

One is a cousin of mine. He was a straight-A student, and otherwise doing quite well socially and educationally. He then got mixed up with some people who were heavy into drinking and marijuana. He smoked quite a bit of the whacky terbakky himself. As I recall, he never finished high school and now pretty much just drifts.

I tend to think his supposed decline was more based in who he kept for company.

A second person I know is just plain old nuts. He smokes weed AND does a wide array of hallucinogens. I'm not sure about this, but I *think* he dropped out of school and got a GED. Or not. But at any rate, to listen to him talk is enough to make your brain hurt. It's not so much that he speaks like an incoherent stoner or anything like that. Not only is he big on psychedelia, but he reads. A LOT. And, despite his usual rambling vocal gait, he makes coherent points about topics that are WAY over my head. Thus the subsequent hurting brain.

Opponents of legalizing marijuana will tell you that pot destroys the mind. I don't know about that. I think the purported bad effects of marijuana usage are more of a case of (to quote one of my favorite TV shows): post hoc, ergo propter hoc. That is, one event doesn't necessarily lead to the next event (I just restated the interpretation as its opposite, but oh well...and based off of how they conveyed this whole theory in logical fallacy on West Wing). In the case of my cousin, was it the pot usage that sent his life into a tailspin, or the people he was hanging out with? Because, in the case of the second guy, he hangs out with other subvertive-types, but all fairly intelligent and bent on 'expanding the mind' as opposed to just getting high. This second guy is also a dope field (and does harder stuff), but he's definitely no low-watt bulb. True, he isn't raking in 6 figures a year (he works at McDonalds)...but I believe that is because counterculture people are generally frowned upon in Corporate America and are relegated to subservient roles in society, such as jobs where you have to say, "Do you want fries with that?"

Seriously, folks. Do 'potheads' 'fail' in life because of the J, or because of society's tendency to ostracize (and imprison) those who smoke the J?

Post hoc, ergo propter hoc? I don't think so.

Drug Policy Alliance

PS: No, I do not smoke (or otherwise use) pot. I do not smoke, period. My lungs would go into a revolt.

Another paradise lost

The Seattle Times: Nation & World: Where women alone choose whom to wed

Pretty neat such a place still exists in this world. But, "the treacherous tides and narrow channels that long kept outsiders from these remote islands are no longer holding back the modern world."

Anyone who would say these 'savages' should just 'get with it' needs to reverse some roles and see if they'd like it if their views were considered savage and should 'get with' the new modern program.

Just stopped by to say that. That is all people. Move along.

Talk Your Way Out of a Ticket

Talk Your Way Out of a Ticket (Deal of the Day: Personal Finance) | SmartMoney.com

I figured this of such importance, that I'm not just linking to it, but copying the whole article here. After all, news sites tend to purge their articles after a while, and I want this bit of info to stick around a while longer.

NOBODY RELISHES AN encounter with the fuzz. But chances are you have friends who have the uncanny ability to weasel out of any speeding ticket. What's their secret?

"If you're a woman, crying profusely has been known to help," suggests David Matheson, principal of X-Copper Legal Services, a North American fraternity of former police officers turned lawyers. But, let's face it, unless you're a soap opera star, crying on cue can be hard to do.

The good news: There are many alternative ways to get out of a ticket. Mastering these skills is bound to prove financially rewarding. Speeding tickets can easily set you back $200 — and result in painful hikes in your insurance premiums to boot.

Here's advice both on how to avoid getting a ticket — and, if you aren't successful there, how to get your ticket dismissed in court.

When You've Been Pulled Over
Be on your toes, here: The first few minutes after you get stopped are critical. "If you're going to be doing any fast talking, do it before the officer starts writing the ticket," says Lauren Z. Asher, a New York City attorney specializing in traffic law. Nowadays, most ticket-writing systems are computerized, which makes it a whole lot harder to make that ticket disappear once an officer starts the paperwork. Here's what to do:

Stick 'em up
You've watched the show "COPS," right? Well, so has the officer who just pulled you over, who's now wondering whether he's got a homicidal nut case on his hands. So don't pull any fast ones. Put the officer at ease by turning off your engine, lowering your driver's side window and placing your hands on the steering wheel. Don't root around for your personal documents until the officer asks for them — the motion may be mistaken for you hiding something or, worse, retrieving your handy Smith & Wesson.

Name-drop
It feels shameless, but go for it. If you have a police benevolent association, or PBA, card, hand it over with your license and registration. (Departments give these cards to donors, and individual officers hand them out to family and friends.) Keep in mind, though, that you'll get better results if you actually know an officer and have a card with his badge number on it.

Play dumb
When the officer asks, "Do you know why I pulled you over?" it's best to feign ignorance. "Sometimes it's a fishing expedition," explains Aaron Larson, a civil litigation and appeals attorney in Ann Arbor, Mich. The cop might have you for speeding for example, but not notice that you've got a blown-out headlight. No need to volunteer that information.

Kiss up
Obsequiousness works. Tack a "sir," "ma'am" or "officer" onto the end of every sentence, advises Jodi R.R. Smith, founder of Mannersmith, an etiquette consulting firm in Boston.

Don't argue
Being rude, sarcastic or combative with an officer can lead to more tickets (maybe he notices your seat belt isn't on) or a heftier charge ("reckless driving" rather than "failure to stop"). "He's got the pen and he's got the ticket book, and he's just going to say, 'Tell me when it hurts,'" says Matheson. And if you're really a jerk, you can bet the officer is going to remember you, should you later appeal the ticket.

Ask for a warning
"If it's pretty clear that the officer is going to ticket you, there's nothing to be hurt by asking," says Larson. More states are recording warnings, though, so getting one may decrease your chances of wrangling your way out the next time you're pulled over.

You Got a Ticket
Don't be so quick to pull out your checkbook. With a little time and effort, you may be able to avoid paying the ticket and, perhaps more importantly, clear it from your record.

One option, of course, is traffic school. The outcome of these day-long programs is arranged before you attend — usually, the ticket will be cleared from your record. In this case, you'll still need to pay for the ticket itself, but you won't have to worry about insurance premium hikes and added points on your record. Of course, if you're a frequent offender, you might find that traffic school is not an option.

Fighting a ticket in court is a gamble, but it's one you may be able to win. The key, says Matheson, is proving that the officer and the court made a mistake. Here are some tips:

Don't count on a no-show
You'll often hear that to contest a ticket, all you have to do is show up — ticketing officers rarely make an appearance at court. Not true, says Asher. It's considered a serious part of a traffic cop's job, she says. Many cities even schedule traffic-court hearings around an officer's schedule, so he or she can show up on one day at testify for a handful of cases.

Always plead not guilty
Pleading guilty with explanation (i.e., you did what you're accused of but for a good reason) allows a judge to reduce the penalty, but only if he or she buys your excuse. The offense still goes on your driving record — and can affect your insurance. Better to plead not guilty. One exception, notes Matheson, is if the judge or prosecutor is willing to accept a guilty plea in exchange for a lesser charge, or dropped charges.

Get the officer's notes
While you were babbling excuses in the car, your ticketing officer was writing down everything you said, as well as details of the scene. Often, these notes are all officers have to rely on at court. In most states, you have a right to request a copy before your court appearance. That way, you won't be blindsided by what an officer says, and can further build your defense.

Polish your defense
Arguing that you didn't know you were in a school zone, or didn't see the red light because you were talking on your cellphone aren't viable defenses. According to Nolo, a company that specializes in do-it-yourself legal materials for consumers, there are two tactics you might try: challenging the officer's observations (I had the right of way, not the other car), or defending your conduct (I had to cross the double yellow line to avoid hitting a dog).

Bring evidence
Diagrams and pictures are always helpful, says Asher. They can help prove that an officer may not have had a clear view, or that your mistake was an honest one (say, if road markings were faded). For photos, include an identifying building, street sign or landmark in the frame. And make sure it's seasonal. Showing a stop sign partially obstructed with lush summer foliage won't help if you were ticketed in December.