THE FLY, EMAIL, STRANGE FORMAT

I thought you might like to be reminded of a few months ago. So there you are, shovel and all.

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Don't forget, click the header.

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I get email. I mean lots of email. Lots and lots and lots. Some of it I have even asked to receive.

Among the requested missives are a number of highly desired communications.

(I also have an variety of names I have signed up with and an infinite number of passwords that vary from 9 to 14 keyboard clicks. (Thank heavens for Roboform.)

I get upset when I have to scroll through a drop down menu to identify which state I live in. (A simple box for me to type it into would suffice. New Mexico is way down on the list.)

I rarely use my real phone number (the Do Not Call list only works once in a while, and no, I have not insured my car against uninsured breakdowns).

The space where it asks for my phone number? Well, 505-555-1212 works in those little boxes.

Yes, I'm a bit irritable where some obscure company wants me to tell them anything about what I am or do. (I've also been a Doctor, President of a famous computer magazine, head of the English Department at an Ivy League College, an automobile mechanic with more than 86 mechanics working under me, a kid in his second year of college and on and on. I have a lot of personal fun on the internet. But none of my poses hurt anyone.

Back to what started all this: I get a regular email from a newsy sort of company and the messages are difficult to read for a couple of reasons. Some have strange or out of place characters in them and/or broken lines where there should not be broken lines. I'll try to show it here, but with the vagaries of Blogger, you never know what you'll get.

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[0]sherl0k writes "[1]Opera 10.0, dubbed Opera Unite, has been

released. Built into the Web browser is a full-fledged Web

server, complete with nifty little gadgets such

as a 'fridge' that people can post notes onto, a chat room, a widget to stream your music library anywhere, and a

built-in

file-sharing mechanism.

It also scores 100/100 on the

[2]Acid3test."

Readers [3]fud

reporter and TLS point to [4]The Register's report

on the new release and a [5] 5-minute video demo, respectively. Update:

06/16 15:18 GMT by [6]T: Roar Lauritzse

of Opera Software writes to

point out that "release" isn't quite the right word here; though you can

download it, version 10.0 is still in beta, and the version with Unite is

a labs

(experimental) release.

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Now, this only happens with their email, not the web site. Weird, huh?

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You might be interested in this news flash that was put out by the once famous AP wire service...and then reprinted in newspapers and web home pages on the internet:

Obama Kills Fly During Interview

AP

comments: 2439filed under: National News, Political NewsPrintShareText

SizeAAAWASHINGTON (June 16) -

Talk about flying at your own risk.

President Barack Obama, nettled by a fly during a TV interview at the White House, took matters into his own hands Tuesday.

Skip over this content(sic?) Said Obama to the persistent fly: "Get out of here."

But it didn't.

So Obama waited for the fly to settle, put his hand up and then smacked the fly dead in one try.

Without missing a beat, the president said to CNBC correspondent John Harwood: "Now, where were we."(sic)

Well, maybe one more second to gloat.

Said Obama: "That was pretty impressive, wasn't it? I got the sucker."

The camera crew was still rolling in the East Room. Obama didn't mind. He pointed to the vanquished insect on the ground and said, "You want to film that?"

CNBC did.

That fly is history.

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I am so glad to bring that information to you, fellow Americans. Talk about BO saving the nation from that fly's offspring should warm the cockles of your hearts.

Hurrah, Mr. President.

Is there any chance of your either starting or keeping us out World War III? I know that's a petty question after the astounding news of your triumph over musca domestica.

But we'd kinda like to know.

THE JAWS ARE WAITING FOR YOU

The header needs to be clicked.

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I found a web site the other day that had me going from one thing to another. More than interesting, it had me riveted, from its quality and ease of use, to the very American messages it had on its pages. I urge you to look it over (but take your time, 'cause it's very graphics heavy). I am humbly giving you my opinion on three pages that should not be missed.

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Page 1: Wonderful World

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Page 2: http://apathetic-usa.com/

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Page 3: http://apathetic-usa.com/mission.htm

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Feel free to send any of these clips around the web, with the usual credits.

IT'S TIME FOR A CHANGE

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Remember to click the header.

I thought you might like to see some of the currrent crop of bumper stickers. You know, after the 100 days of love and smooches.

************************************************************************** One other thing from a lovely lady: Economics White house style. It is the month of August, on the shores of the Black Sea. It is raining, and the little town looks totally deserted. It is tough times, everybody is in debt and everybody lives on credit. Suddenly, a rich tourist comes to town. He enters the only hotel, lays a 100 Euro note on the reception counter, and goes to inspect the rooms upstairs in order to pick one. The hotel proprietor takes the 100 Euro note and runs to pay his debt to the butcher. The Butcher takes the 100 Euro note, and runs to pay his debt to the pig grower. The pig grower takes the 100 Euro note, and runs to pay his debt to the supplier of his feed and fuel. The supplier of feed and fuel takes the 100 Euro note and runs to pay his debt to the town's prostitute that in these hard times, gave her "services" on credit. The hooker runs to the hotel, and pays off her debt with the 100 Euro note to the hotel proprietor to pay for the rooms that she rented when she brought her clients there. The hotel proprietor then lays the 100 Euro note back on the counter so that the rich tourist will not suspect anything. At that moment, the rich tourist comes down after inspecting the rooms and takes his 100 Euro note, after saying that he did not like any of the rooms and leaves town. No one earned anything. However, the whole town is now without debt, and looks to the future with a lot of optimism. And that, ladies and gentlemen, is economic recovery stimulus.

BROKAW, AXELROD, OBAMA

Don't forget to click the header. On the left, a challenge from a free newspaper here in Albuquerque (I guess it's open to anyone who wants to speak out). Go for it. ************************************************************************************ I found this video to be properly respectful on the President's part. I also found it an eye opener on the collapse of a news anchor I once respected. Tom Brokaw was able (at one time) to take interviewees (sp?) apart with just one question. In this interview he clearly is in awe of BO. Mayhap Tom thinks BO is the Second Coming? http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/26184891/vp/31120874#31120874 ************************************************************* I've also just gotten a spam email offering me a chance to see "Naked Obama". From TMHewkin. (Who may not be the actual sender, I am warned.) Should I send it to David Axelrod? *********************************************************************************** From David Axelrod, The White House Hello - As a Senior Advisor to the President, I'm here in Cairo, Egypt where I watched President Obama deliver an unprecedented speech calling for a new beginning for the United States and Muslim communities around the world. We all know that there has been tension between the United States and some Muslim communities. But, as the President said this morning, if all sides face the sources of tension squarely and focus on mutual interests, we can find a new way forward. The President outlined some big goals for this new beginning in his speech -- including disrupting, dismantling, and defeating violent extremism. It was a historic speech, and since many Americans were asleep at the time it was given we wanted to make sure you had a chance to see it: Majority-Muslim countries around the world are filled with extraordinary people who simply want to live their lives and see their children live better lives, just as in America. Indeed, part of what makes America great is having nearly seven million Muslim Americans living here today and enriching our culture and communities. We can extend that kind of relationship abroad. It won't always be easy, but if we make an effort to bridge our differences rather than resigning ourselves to animosity, we can move toward a more peaceful world over time. Thank you, David Axelrod Senior Advisor to the President WOW! I missed this (June 4) in my email. I'm not sure, but perhaps I responded to something about our President. Only I always use a different ISP and screen name when I do. Hmmmmm. Don't know whether to be flattered or to watch my step. ************************************************************************************ A fart can be a good thing, It gives the belly ease; It warms the bed in winter, And suffocates the fleas. A fart can be quiet, A fart can be loud; Some can leave a foul, Poisonous cloud. A fart can be short, Or a fart can be long; Some farts are noted To sound like a song. A fart can create A most curious medley, A fart can be harmless, Or silent - and deadly. A fart might not smell, While others are vile; A fart may pass quickly, Or linger a while A fart can occur In a number of places And leave everyone there With strange looks on their faces. From wide-open prairie, To small elevator, A fart will find all of Us sooner or later. That farts are all bad, Is simply not true -We must never forget Sweet old farts like you! Sent to me by a friend -- I think. >)~..^(< *********************************************************************************** One last item: In the men's room at work, the boss placed a sign directlyabove the sink. It had a single word on it, "THINK!" The next day, when he went to the men's room, he looked at the sign and right below it, immediately above the soap dispenser, someone had carefully lettered another sign which read, "THOAP!"

MR. PRESIDENT, WHO ARE WE HELPING?

Click the header, just for fun.

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We seem to be alienating our few international friends and increasing our enemies at record speed. Granted, I am not an expert where diplomacy is concerned. I do, however, have some knowledge of picking friends and enemies. (At least on an individual basis and I've read Shakespeare's advice, too.)

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For a lot of years, we bribed and held out a carrot to prevent North Korea from developing nuclear weapons. Looks like we might have run out of carrots. To say nothing about money.

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China, while taking our money happily with one hand and clandestinely giving N.K. the needed technology to gain nukes, still lets us think we can coexist peacefully.

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The Philipines (who'd a thunk it?) are unhappy with the U.S. and are talking about "asking" us to leave their shores. (I just bet they'd still like our navy to visit regularly.)

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Mexico is sticking it to us, at us and up us at every turn. But they are still aiding and abetting acts of invasion by their citizens.

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Japan smiles and bows to us, all the while openly supporting their own automobile industry monetarily while they watch our car companies go down the tubes.

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A state (California) puts a proposition to the voters and they reject it. The people who were defeated start yelling discrimination and trying to force the bill back into life. As if it were their choice only and not all of the state's voters.

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It's being shown by automotive authorities that every single state has granted licenses to people who actually failed the written test for a driver's license. And some who failed the road test.

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Although MADD and DADD have gotten the nation up in arms about drunk drivers, no one has really done anything about the death rate from sober, speeding drivers. You know, those who think they are good drivers, but kill thousands every week. One week of their casualties takes many years for DUI drivers to equal.

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The President gives billions and billions to enterprises that were so mismanaged your sons and grand sons and 20x great grandsons will be paying the bills he is racking up. Yet he continues to destroy unions, those groups that protected the working man at one time.

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A bloke in England wanted to introduce his 14 year old son to the pleasures of sex and like any good father sought out a professional. She turned out to be a cop and the dad was arrested. The judge spared him jail because "he believed the man did not mean any harm to his son".

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Current joke: A businessman dragged himself home and barely made it to his chair before he dropped exhausted. His sympathetic wife was right there with a tall cool drink and a comforting word. "My, you look tired," she said. "You must have had a hard day today. What happened to make you so exhausted?"

"It was terrible," her husband said. "The computer broke down and I had to do my own thinking."

Isn't it something when we are so computer illiterate that we actually believe our computers

can think?

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An aside here: We're thinking of buying a 32" Vizio LCD 1080p HDTV. Any comments on it?

(It's well under $600. That's a bargain, I'm told, compared to the sets I used to pay $265 for.)

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Seems The Big O (BO?) wants $1.25 billion to settle discrimination claims by black farmers against the Agriculture Department. Just sayin'.

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I pay for a subscription for a semi nerd publication (Windows Secrets) that I joined when one of my heroes retired. Ads everywhere on the page. And what I thought was a strange offer of something for free. I can get two chapters of a book that might be of interest for nothing. (Yeah, I need to pay for the other chapters.)

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The BO was on TV today, telling us he was going to name a czar to watch over our safety on the internet. I couldn't help but wonder how many companies have already sprung up saying they will "meet government specifications on making your computer safe online"? You know, to sell to those sweet ladies and gents using Yahoo and AOL for their ISPs. He didn't mention any way this could be avoided.

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You know, of course, that BO's just setting us up to take full control of the web and read your email? Don't let him find out your an NRA member.

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A QUICKEE WITH PRESIDENT OBAMA

Be sure to click the header. I've got other bones to pick with The History Channel, too.

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Political promises, I often feel, are made especially to be broken. That's why so many of them are pie in the sky.

Pictures of Presidents are different, though:

Two women jailed over trying to steal an Obama photo by breaking in and using force.

Marla Anderson wanted that Barack Obama picture, so much so that Wyoming police say she walked into a Grove Avenue home Friday to take it.

She struggled with the owner, who called police for help. Anderson lost and ended up in the Hamilton County jail – without the photo. Officers arrested her getaway driver, 31-year-old Tamika Cornwell, of Colerain, about 10 hours after the crime. She’s accused of being an accomplice to the burglary, tampering with evidence and putting her child in danger.

Her 3-year-old son was there when the women fought over the picture.

Anderson, 24, of Wyoming, is facing the same charges.Both women are scheduled to appear in court Monday.

Can't help but wonder if they were just looking for change?

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President Obama to pay black farmers $1.5 billion

http://news.aol.com/article/obama-to-propose-125b-for-black-farmers/437055?icid=sphere_newsaol_inpage

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Jeff Dunham is a very funny ventriloquist. If you haven't seen him, try: http://news.aol.com/article/obama-to-propose-125b-for-black-farmers/437055?icid=sphere_newsaol_inpage

He has his own view about terrorists.

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One more thing. President Obama wants to do a $150 billion job on us. Er, for us.

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=akjbUdlowd9c&refer=home

Who's in charge here?