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April 29, 2005

Is It Time to Name Blogging Subgroups?

Now that we bloggers have changed the world, the web, and the news, people are starting to look at us in a new light. We've even gotten into the dictionary, and some news outlets are starting to look to blogs for more news to cover. I'm starting to notice that the singular term "blog" is insufficient to explain the panopoly of blog types that exist in the great blogosphere. As such, I'd like to propose a new naming scheme for blogs. That said, "Lockjaw's Lair" will now be known as a "PoliBlog+."

Here are some proposed blog terms.

We need more. For instance, I can't quite think of a good name for the entertainment subgroup. MiscBlog can exist as a catch-all for those other blogs with no real focus. I welcome any suggestions.

Welcome to the PoliBlog continent of the Blogosphere.

Posted by Lockjaw at 2:36 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

Well, I've installed Skype. It's Cool.

I've heard a lot about it, but finally decided to give it a try. A good friend (Hi Dave!) has been talking about Skype on his blog, so I downloaded it and installed it, and gave it a try. He called me up this afternoon from Peoria, and we had a chat. All in all, I have to say that it worked very well. Internet telephony may well have arrived for real, this time.

If you're interested in giving it a try, go to Skype.com and download. It's free to use, PC to PC. You have the option of spending money on really cheap long distance, if you want, and they offer a very low price to have your own phone number so people can call you.

Now, I really want the cordless telephone that's landline and Skype compatible. That would rock. Skype me as LockjawTheOgre.

Posted by Lockjaw at 1:49 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

No More "Jim Crow" in Georgia

While the Democrats were busy accusing Republicans of being racists, Republicans were busy repealing "Jim Crow" laws in Georgia.

Posted by Lockjaw at 11:13 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

Handcuffing Kids in School?

You know what? When I was a kid, you NEVER saw a kid being hauled out of school by the police. You wouldn't see a kid in handcuffs. When I was a kid, and one of us gave the teachers trouble, we got a paddling. I'll never forget Mr. Nulph's paddle, a large thick hunk of wood with a hole in the middle and duct-tape around the handle. That thing was effective, and so was the discipline in the school.

Now, the schools can't administer corporal punishment, and the kids know it. The kids know they can act up with impunity, and the worst punishment they're likely to receive is being able to take a few days off from school.

Don't bemoan the arrest of a 5 year old, because she was handcuffed. Bemoan the arrest of that 5 year old because she should have gotten a whipping, and didn't.

Posted by Lockjaw at 9:39 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack

Liberals - Underlying Psychological Problems?

Do liberals have some sort of underlying psychological condition that causes them to be liberals? I know this sounds like a "trolling" statement, but I think it bears examining. There's more going on than mere political discourse. There's a lot more.

The problem is that liberals are all over the place. They'll support one thing, only to oppose it when the Republicans start to support it on their own. Social Security reform and the filibuster are two great examples. Can they be both for and against an issue? Yes and no. They aren't really for or against ANY issue. They're FOR the liberals/Democrats, and against the conservatives/Republicans. This allows them to say things that aren't true, and act like they believe them.

In the end, though, we have to ask ourselves if what they are saying IS true. If it isn't, and they continue to support it, then the next question is WHY they support it. Do they really believe what they say, or do they just say it out of political expediency?

If it's just political expediency, then they're liars. If they really believe it, I'd argue that they're crazy.

Posted by Lockjaw at 7:23 AM | Comments (3) | TrackBack

April 28, 2005

Joke Gets Man Killed Seven Years Later

I'm putting this in the "Funny Stuff" category, but I probably shouldn't. William Berkeyheiser answered the door and was shot dead. Why? Apparently, he told a joke to Stanford Douglas that Douglas thought was racially insensitive. It bothered Douglas so much that he tracked Berkeyheiser down to his home and killed him seven years after the initial incident. This poor sap really couldn't take a joke, could he?

The story is here. I found it through Insane Troll Logic.

Posted by Lockjaw at 12:56 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Liberals Wrong Again in Iraq

They said we wouldn't be able to defeat Iraq in 1991. They said we'd need 10,000+ body bags if we invaded Iraq the second time around. They said we couldn't liberate Afghanistan. They said we couldn't have elections in Afghanistan. They said we couldn't have elections in Iraq. They said a lot of thing. They also said this couldn't happen. For some reason, the media still takes them seriously.

Hat tip PoliPundit.

Posted by Lockjaw at 12:47 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Schools Taking Control of Explicit Songs at Prom

Schools have finally figured out how to control obscene music at school dances. They simply withhold payment from DJs that play songs with explicit lyrics.

''We can't be the music police, but I tell the DJs, 'I'm an old lady, and I'm standing over there in the corner. Don't make an old lady walk across the floor on you,' " Tucker-Underwood said. ''If you see me coming, you know something's up."

Posted by Lockjaw at 7:27 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Ann Coulter Addressed Filibuster - Liberals Call Her a Man

The new Ann Coulter column is out. This time, she addressed the Democrat filibuster of conservative judges, pointing out an important detail. The detail that she points out is that the Democrats aren't pointing out the details.

"But their actual objections to Brown are somewhat opaque. The Web page of 'People for a Small Slice of the Upper West Side Way' contains a lengthy diatribe on Brown's nightmarish extremism while managing never, ever to give one specific example. In fact, if you take out 'Janice Rogers Brown' and replace it with 'Tom DeLay,' it makes just as much sense when you read it."

...

"Conservatives never attack liberal judges this way. We simply say: He found the Pledge of Allegiance unconstitutional ... He found a right to gay marriage in a state constitution written in 1780 by John Adams ... He ruled that smelly homeless people have a constitutional right to stink up public libraries and scare patrons ... He excluded 80 pounds of cocaine found in the defendant's car on the grounds that it was reasonable to run from the police when the police are viewed as 'corrupt, violent and abusive.'"

Liberals respond by calling Coulter a man.

Posted by Lockjaw at 7:00 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

April 27, 2005

France's EU Vote and Monetary Valuation

In recent weeks/months, the US Dollar has been losing value against other currencies, including the Euro. This brings a couple questions to mind. One, what happens to the Euro if widespread adoption of the EU constitution fails? Two, what happens to the value of the Euro, and the dollar -vs- the Euro, if widespread adoption of the constitution fails? This is a good question for the folks over at Marginal Revolution.

Posted by Lockjaw at 11:11 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

April 26, 2005

Amazing Race Blogging - First Time for Everything

I have to admit, I'm not a fan of Amazing Race. My wife is, though, so while she watches, I browse the blogs or play a game of Civilization III or something. Tonight, I'm typing along on the PC, and The She Ogre is watching AR. The thing is, they're in Turkey tonight, and she keeps yelling, "I've BEEN THERE!"

She keeps yelling it over, and over, and over. Once, she yelled, "I've been in that same place, not just that city."

The She Ogre spent her last semester of college in Europe, visiting museums and archaeological digs across Italy, Greece, Turkey, and elsewhere. She's having a ball.

Posted by Lockjaw at 9:36 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

The Bear is Redesigning - Needs Logo

If you've got graphical design skills (girls like guys with skills), then The Truth Laid Bear has a contest for you. I'd enter this one, but as you can see from MY logo above, I'm no graphic designer. If you think you've got the chops, click on over and check out what he's looking for in a new logo.

Posted by Lockjaw at 8:44 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Family Guy is BACK!

We're less than a week from the new season of the previously cancelled Family Guy, on Fox. I've been looking forward to this one for a while. The show was cancelled after 3 seasons, because that's what Fox does with good shows, but the huge response to the DVD caused Fox to want MORE!

I just finished watching the season premier, and it was excellent. The opening gag had me rolling. Peter and Lois are funny in their sacrilegious storyline, but Brian and Stewie are hilarious. Be sure to catch this one. I'm not going to spoil it for you, but I will leave you with one question from the show.

"What good is mining nose gold if you can't share it with the townspeople?"

Posted by Lockjaw at 10:54 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Florida Self-Defense Advancement

Florida has made another step forward for the law-abiding among us. Erasing the previous requirement that a person facing criminal force has a duty to retreat, Florida is changing the law to allow crime victims to face force with force. Florida has become a bellweather state for self-defense rights in recent years, and they've become a safer state because of it. Let's hope this spreads.

Posted by Lockjaw at 9:43 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

Is It Time to End the Hubble Mission?

The Hubble Space Telescope was a spectacular achievement 15 years ago when it was put into orbit. Using the orbiting telescope, we've been able to look further and study more than we ever could before. Now, though, there's a debate going on about whether Hubble should be kept in service or allowed to de-orbit and go out of service. I'm a fan of the Hubble, but I think its time is passing, and that it may just be time to end its mission.

When the Hubble Space Telescope was envisioned, it was an answer to a serious problem for astronomers. There was a need to build a better quality telescope than was available on Earth, using the technology of the day. Atmospheric conditions caused problems with detailed imagery, so the obvious answer was to put a telescope above the atmosphere to solve the problem. After the Hubble was launched, and a new lens was installed, we began to see images like we had never seen before. The mission was a fantastic success.

Things are changing in astronomy. New telescopes are coming online, or are in development, that can rival Hubble in image quality. Methods have been designed to overcome the atmospheric limitations of terrestrial telescopes. At the same time, Hubble is requiring more maintenance and attention as it ages. We are at an impasse, where we must ask ourselves whether the need to keep Hubble in operation is out of scientific need or merely affection.

I admit to affection. Hubble is one cool piece of technology. I'd just as soon it stay in orbit forever, doing the job it was meant to do. In scientific terms, however, I have to wonder if it isn't time to start bringing its mission to an end. With respect to Tyler Cowen, I think the Hubble mission should be finished.

Posted by Lockjaw at 6:19 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

April 25, 2005

Maggie Gyllenhaal - Cute, but Dumb

There's almost nothing worse than deciding that you really like a particular actress, and want to see her in more movies, only to discover she's stupid. It's not enough that she's stupid, but she's willing to openly display her stupidity publicly, too. Maggie Gyllenhaal has joined the club, following in the footsteps of Melanie "What's the Holocaust" Griffith, Cameron "If you think rape should be legal, then don't vote" Diaz, and Jane "commie" Fonda. She had this to say about her latest movie, which deals with the aftermath of 9/11 in New York City:

“I think what’s good about the movie is that it deals with 9/11 in such a subtle, open way that I think it allows it to be more complicated than just, ‘Oh, look at these poor New Yorkers and how hard it was for them,’” Gyllenhaal told the NY1 cable channel.

“Because I think America has done reprehensible things and is responsible in some way and so I think the delicacy with which it’s dealt allows that to sort of creep in,” she added.

Cute may go away with age, but dumb goes on forever.

Nod to Say Anything.

Posted by Lockjaw at 6:42 PM | Comments (4) | TrackBack

New Logo - Too Big?

Well, I've made a new logo. I think it looks nice. When I look at it on a different computer, running at only 1024x768, though, it looks a bit large. I may have to shrink it down just a bit. What do YOU think?

Posted by Lockjaw at 4:42 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack

Anti-Minuteman Hunger-Strike

Thanks to Dave Barry for pointing out this image of a woman who has decided to go on a hunger strike to protest the Minutemen's border-guarding efforts. Maybe I should have put scare quotes around "hunger strike." Sounds to me like she's found a cheap excuse to go on a diet.

[UPDATE: Welcome Polipundit readers.]

Posted by Lockjaw at 11:51 AM | Comments (5) | TrackBack

Hollywood Helping Democrats Lose?

An analyis by the Progressive Policy Institute is telling Democrats that they're losing support from families, and Hollywood is one major cause. This Washington Times Story tells how PPI has informed Democrats that they should paye attention to "morally corrosive forces in the culture," and warns that the party will not fare better with this pivotal voting bloc until they do. Give it a read.

I'm inclined to agree. When prominent members of liberal Hollywood get up on stage at a political event to support Democrats and start making comparisons to sexual organs, cursing outrageously, and generally displaying a complete lack of moral code, parents notice. They notice actions that they don't want their kids to see, and they notice who is sponsoring the activity.

Looking at what many of these same people are doing when they're NOT involved in politics causes parents to notice when they DO get involved. Remember the day when you wouldn't hear references to fecal matter on TV? That changed to hearing a *bleep* when the word was used. Then, L.A. Law was allowed to use God's name in vain. Next thing you know, you're hearing sh*bleep* which has given way to today's sh*blip*t. Once upon a time, the word was banned from TV. Now, only one letter of the word is banned. My kid isn't fooled when he hears the not-quite-bleeped version, and he doesn't like it. Luckily for us, we're raising a good kid, who understands the difference between right and wrong.

The Republicans aren't exactly jumping up and down to do anything about it. Democrats, except for a select few, are vehemently opposed to doing anything about it. Hollywood, thinking itself an important and lucrative support structure for the Democrats, makes it clear that nothing SHOULD be done about it.

Will the Democrats bite the hand that feeds them? I doubt it.

I can point to one law that clearly paved the way for what we see on broadcast TV today. That law is the 1996 Telecommunications Act of 1996. Part of that law required the inclusion of the V-Chip into new TVs. Previously, TV broadcasters had been limited in the offensiveness that they could show, partially because of a decision of the Supreme Court. Since TV had no mechanism to show what was coming to you before it was there, offensiveness had to be kept to a low level. The V-Chip, though, changed this. Suddenly, you had a way to know how bad a TV show was. This took away any legal reason to keep the offensiveness low. Sold as a helper to parents, the V-Chip was the downfall of polite TV.

I wasn't a lone voice in the wilderness back in 1996, when I was writing letters to my Senators and Congressman in opposition to the V-Chip provision, for this very reason. As it turns out, though, I was right.

Hollywood isn't stopping its antics anytime soon. In 2008, they'll be back on stage at Democratic fundraisers, insulting more than half the population of America in the most profane way possible. Good parents will notice.

Posted by Lockjaw at 7:16 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

April 24, 2005

Congratulations to Marginal Revolution

Far short of their two year anniversary, Marginal Revolution has hit the two million hit mark on their counter. I can tell you, the reason they're hitting two million is because they run a GREAT blog over there. I've learned a great deal about economics from them that I didn't know. I especially love their series of posts on "Markets in Everything." If you aren't reading MR, you should be.

Posted by Lockjaw at 8:12 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Opera 8 Browser Bigger than Firefox?

I've been a big fan of Opera as my browser of choice since version 5.x. It's just a great browser in so many ways, and I've come to love many of the features that I just can't get anywhere else. Apparently, I'm not alone. Over 600,000 copies of the new version 8 release were grabbed in the first 48 hours. When the downloads went over 120 per second, an hour after release, the servers started bogging down. They had to bring more servers online to handle the downloads. When I went for the download, the main page had been greatly simplified, to make it easier to handle the load. By comparison, Firefox downloads reached a million in five days, a rate that was a bit slower.

Why is Opera such a great browser? I can think of a few good reasons.

Opera just keeps getting better. With v8, I'm even finding that those pages I had to load Firefox to read before, I can now read just fine. If you haven't tried it, you should take a look now. It's great. Download it from Opera.com.

Posted by Lockjaw at 3:50 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

Syria's Pullout from Lebanon Nears Completion

It looks like Syria is getting close to finishing its pullout from Lebanon. That's a good thing. Now, if we could just start with a "palestinian" pullout from occupied areas of Israel, we'd have some real progress.

Posted by Lockjaw at 3:32 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

April 23, 2005

New Bills for NC Legislature

North Carolina's Legislature, currently in control of the Democratic Party, isn't known for doing too many smart things. If there's a bad idea to be put forth, you can look to the Legislative Building in Raleigh to find a copy of the bill. In order to allow time for bills to go through both houses during the two-year season, there's a deadline. All bills must be entered before that date in order to be considered. This year, the number of bills entered at the last minute was over 200 (after more than 2700 bills were entered in this year alone).

Ogre (Yep, there are TWO of us ogres in the Tarheel state, but the other one just goes by Ogre) has a rundown of some of the stupidity in the 200 bills entered Wednesday. Go over and check them out. The legislature does NOT enhance my pride at being a North Carolinian.

Posted by Lockjaw at 7:38 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Nice Traffic Tool for Bloggers/Webmasters

I've posted about this elsewhere, but haven't done so here, because it's a little outside of my normal fare. If you're looking for a good way to get at least 10,000 true visits to your blog or other website by real people, you should check out HonestyHits. It's a service where you surf other sites to earn credits, which are then applied to bring others to your site. HonestyHits has one other cool thing that sets it apart. They give you 10,000 credits/site views when you join.

So, join up. Enter your site. Be sure to set your site to only allow views from MANUAL surfers, because they do have an automated surfing system that doesn't require real eyeballs on your site. Allocate all 10,000 credits toward your site, and let it go. It won't be 10,000 surfers in a week. They'll trickle in over a while. It's pretty cool, and has brought a lot of viewers to my site.

Of course, once you've got them there, you need to have good content, or you'll never see them again. That part's up to you. I'm just suggesting a good way to get some more viewers to your site. If you're interested in info, go to HonestyHits and check it out.

Posted by Lockjaw at 3:04 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

April 22, 2005

Almost There - MT Upgrade Woes

I'm getting closer to where I want to be. I've modified the template a bit, and changed a few things. Now there's a left column and a right column. I'm having some font issues, but they're secondary to functionality issues. I think I've handled the functionality, so I'll fix the fonts next. There are still a couple little things to work on once I get the fonts fixed, but for the most part, the site is now fully operational like I want it.

Moveable Type is a whole new system to get used to. Since it doesn't have all of the extras that Postnuke did, which I didn't need, it's a lot simpler to learn. I don't get to un-learn the PostNuke stuff yet, though, because that side of the site is still operating normally as well.

All in all, I'd say this has been a fairly painless upgrade. Managing the site on this system is already much simpler. I'm going to like this.

UPDATE: Font problem fixed. Layout cleaned up to work with the fonts. I think I'm done, and I learned a couple new things about HTML and CSS in the process. I'm not a big fan of overly graphical websites, when text is what you're selling. That makes the design process simpler, and I think it makes a better blog.

By the way, I know the page is huge. It will take about a week for it to clean up. I imported 120 stories from the PostNuke site into this one, and they're all listed for one day, so EVERY story is currently on the front page. I could fix it, but I'd have to go through and modify the date on every post, so I'll just wait it out.

Posted by Lockjaw at 9:49 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Hey Now, It's Movable Type

Over the years, I've run this blog (or its predecessors) on a variety of platforms. First, there was SlashCode, which was nice for what I was trying to do at the time. Then came CuteNews, which never quite did exactly what I needed. For a while, I ran my blog over at Xanga until I made the jump BACK to my own server. When I moved my blog back to www.lockjawslair.com, I started using PostNuke. Postnuke is a GREAT application, with FAR MORE power than I'll ever need to run a blog. Unfortunately, it lacks a couple features I've come to love. It doesn't automatically ping update sites, and it has no capability to handle trackbacks.

I've paid attention to which blogger runs what software, and what they think of it. The most respected blogging software seems to be Movable Type, by Six Apart. Well, I've made the jump. Lockjaw's Lair now runs Movable Type 3.16.

The old site is still up and running. I did this so that old links to stories will continue to work. The two systems (Postnuke and Movable Type) can actually co-exist pretty well in the same directory. If you go to index.php, you're on the old Postnuke site. If you go to index.html or just plain old www.lockjawslair.com, you'll get the new Movable Type site. Links on the old site are starting to point to the new site, as fast as I can change them, and the transition to the new site should be rather painless.

What this means for my readers is that commenting on posts will be easier. I'll have more control over comments. The site should run cleaner, load faster, and generally be better.

What this means for me is that I've got to get to work on my template.

Posted by Lockjaw at 2:35 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Fixing the Filibuster

There has been a lot of talk back and forth about the filibuster rule in the US Senate. Some see the filibuster as a glorious institution which must be protected, while others see it as an annoyance. I fall into the latter category, regardless of the party exercising the power. The word itself has its roots from the spanish word "filibustero," which refers to bands of adventurers that traveled in the New World stirring up revelutions.

Legislatively, filibusters were seen in the 19th century as major annoyances, as a single person would take the floor of the Senata and speak, refusing the yield the floor to anyone else. As long as this person spoke, no other business could take place. It stayed this way until 1917, when the rules were changed to allow 2/3 of the Senate to stop the debate. In 1975, the Senate once again changed the rules to reduce the requirements to stop debate further to 2/5 of the Senate, or 60 members.

These days, the rules don't even require a single member of the Senate to get up and speak in order to prevent business from continuing. The hallowed institution of the filibuster has been changed so completely from its historical form that the minority party now need only declare that they intend to filibuster to start one, and other business of the Senate can then continue in the meantime.

I propose a real fix for the filibuster. It is a very simple fix. All that need occur is for the Senate to change the rules and once again require that a single Senator hold the floor in debate, preventing further Senate business, until a 3/5 vote of the Senate can be passed to force a stop to the debate. It makes much more sense, returns the Senate to proper operation much quicker, and forces one Senator to stand up for his beliefs. In the current situation, it gives both the Republicans and the Democrats what they say they want. Republicans want action on the President's nominees, which they would get in a matter of days. Democrats would keep the institution of the filibuster around in a way that MORE closely mirrors history than it does now.

With that done, the Democrats could be back where they've been before, using the filibuster to try to stop equal rights for black people.

Posted by Lockjaw at 2:21 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

Star Wars Episode III Soundtrack - Mini-Review

I've been listening to the soundtrack to the new Star Wars movie that comes out next month, and it's GREAT! How could it not be, though, considering that John Williams is such a fantastic composer. I'm not going to give a lot of detail, but I will point out a few things I found interesting.

First, I listened to track 3, "Battle of the Heroes." At once low-key and exciting, this ominous piece conveys the feeling of motion. You know that something energetic is going on (a battle, I'm guessing) and that there is real danger. Suddenly, without warning, Vader's theme punches at you in the middle. Wow!

Next I skipped ahead to track 11, "Enter Lord Vader." Although it wasn't quite what I expected, it was a great listen. You can feel the emotional buildup toward the reveal of Vader, and pick out the probable point at which we finally see Vader for the "first" time.

Listening on, there are lighter pieces such as "Anakin's Dream," and "Palpatine's Teachings." There are MUCH more energetic pieces when General Grievous is on the scene.

"Anakin vs Obi-Wan" is another one of those great pieces. You get a great feeling of the dichotomy of evil vs good with the separate themes for each man in the battle. This is a VERY energetic piece with repeated use of the Vader theme, which gets stronger as the piece moves on. In the latter half, we start to hear the choir join in and the music ends in anticlimax, leading to the next track, "Anikin's Dark Deeds."

I'm not going to go into every track on the soundtrack. There might be some folks who don't yet know the storyline, but I can say that this movie can be expected, as all five of the other chapters were, to move along very well with the use of a fantastic soundtrack. From track one, "Star Wars and the Revenge of the Sith" to track 15, "A New Hope and End Credits," this music pulls your emotions along for the ride. I can't wait to see the music video :)

Posted by Lockjaw at 2:20 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

DSL Issues And Solutions

For some time, we've had an issue with our DSL. When the phone rang, the DSL would drop and reconnect. It was one of those things that happened only on the occasion of a ringing phone, so it was no big deal. Our phone doesn't ring all that much, which pleases me greatly.

Yesterday, though, the phone rang at an inopportune moment and my WIFE was the one inconvenienced by the DSL drop that ensued. When I'm inconvenienced by such trivial things, it's one thing, but when SHE is inconvenienced, I'm more likely to act. I'm strange that way.

At any rate, a quick search on Google turned up similar situations. The cause, they said, was usually a phone on an unfiltered line. A quick check showed that the most recently added phone in the house had managed to be installed with no filter. That's odd, because the phone it replaced WAS filtered, but it managed to happen nonetheless. I popped a filter on the line, and things are running great.

Things are actually MUCH better than before. Bittorrent speeds for one file, before the filter was installed, ranged as high as 80kB/s. I currently have two downloads running at over 150kB/s and have seen one or the other go over 200kB/s. I'd say things are running a bit faster than before, and I like it.

Posted by Lockjaw at 2:20 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Being Overweight is NOT Such A Killer

Finally, the Federal Government has come around and admitted something that many of us took for granted already. Being overweight is NOT the major killer that it has been held up to be. Being overweight is NOT the #2 killer in America. Being overweight has NOT killed nearly 400,000 people per year. Being overweight HAS been used as a people-control issue by the liberals for no good reason. This article gives the details.

Another big liberal issue defeated by the facts. It won't matter, of course, because liberals have NEVER cared when the facts were against them. They'd rather watch a movie with some idiot doing something stupid to make a corporation look bad than actually understand what the facts are, anyway.

In related news, the Food Pyramid is being replaced. The one-size-fits-all pyramid we've all come to know and despise is being replaced by a veritable cornucopia of pyramids, so we can be completely confused.

I would like to argue that the 4 food groups were good enough. The Food Pyramid was finalized in 1992. Before this, we had the 4 food groups and 46% of the population was overweight. By 2000, 64% of the population was overweight. Now, with the food pyramid being replaced by 12 different food pyramids, you can expect that the percentage of overweight Americans should top 80% by 2010.

Overweight and ALIVE, that is.

[Update: Daly Thoughts has issued a challenge to bloggers to tell what THEY think of this new, confusing, hard to remember food pyramid swarm. Go check it out]

Posted by Lockjaw at 2:19 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Goodbye to The Roth Report

Wes Roth has been keeping up The Roth Report for a while now, and has turned the site into one that I've enjoyed quite a bit. It had worked its way into my daily routine. Now, Wes has landed a position as a Senatorial Intern. Congratulations to Wes on the new position. I hope this job leads to bigger and better things. Unfortunately, it means that the Roth Report is no more.

Ogre Sad.

Posted by Lockjaw at 2:18 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Opera Browser v8.0 Released!

For several years now, I've been using Opera as my browser of choice. In the days before Firefox, Opera led the way with tabbed browsing and pop-up-blocking. There are LOADS of little features that I've come to love, and that I can no longer live without. Opera has been the FASTEST browser for a long time, and that hasn't changed. Comparing Firefox to Internet Explorer is like comparing the hare to the tortoise. To stick Opera in the comparison you'd have to think "bullet."

I'm used to fast render times. I loaded Byrd Droppings in the new Opera v8.0 and it virtually flashed onto the screen.

Time to sing the Happy Happy Joy Joy song. If you haven't used Opera, Download Opera NOW and try it.

Posted by Lockjaw at 2:17 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Habemus Star Warseum

To those who aren't Catholic, or otherwise don't care so much about the new Pope, here's some entertainment news. Three new Star Wars Episode III TV spots have been released. Nice action shots, General Grievous, and Darth Vader. Grooviness ensues.

Posted by Lockjaw at 2:17 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Habemus Papum

It is now official. Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger has been crowned Pope Benedict XVI of the Roman Catholic Church.

Posted by Lockjaw at 2:16 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

White Smoke - Who Da Pope?

Watching Fox News, it appears that the chimney at the Vatican is spewing white smoke. The white smoke is a century-old signal that the College of Cardinals have arrived at a decision on a new Pope after the passing of the old. In addition, the bells at the Basilica are tolling, an additional signal decided on after troubles with grey smoke last time out.

Announcement of the new Pope is pending.

Heck, I'm a Southern Baptist ogre, and I'm excited.

Posted by Lockjaw at 2:16 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Believing in God - Is It Enough?

There are a lot of people in this world who see Heaven as a foregone conclusion. I'm not talking about the people who don't believe in God, and think that the concepts of Heaven and Hell are fiction. I'm talking about the ones who believe in the existence of the one God and a paradise in which they are to spend eternity. Too many of these people, because they've been wrongly taught, think that they are destined to go to Heaven when they die because they believe in God, have been good people, and maybe even went to church.

I worry about these people.

It starts with the concept of Heaven and Hell. Maybe I'm off-base with my beliefs, but I understand the paradise of Heaven to be an eternity in the presence of God. I likewise understand Hell to be an eternity in existence without God's presence. Is Heaven a wide open countryside with rolling hills, green grass, rivers, flowers, birds? Maybe. I don't know. What I do know is that God is there, and that's good enough for me.

Is Hell a pit of fire and brimstone where one suffers the burns and stings and eternal torment? I don't know, but God isn't there, and that's bad enough for me.

Whatever Heaven and Hell are, there must be a way you can go to the one, and avoid the other. Many believe that you go to Heaven if you're a good person. Others think that belief in God and following the basic rules is good enough. I'd beg to differ.

So, here it is in a nutshell, Lockjaw's lesson on how to go to Heaven.

God is an all-powerful being. In the work that he does, he saw a need for a class of helpers. To perform this task, he created the angels. This system worked for a long time, but eventually some of the angels decided that they didn't like being under God's yoke, and rebelled. They saw themselves as powerful beings in their own right, and decided that serving God wasn't what they wanted to do. For this transgression, God cast them out of his presence.

God decided to try again. For this second attempt, he created Earth, the Universe, and mankind. Through the lives of man, God passed along laws, advice, and clues. The clues were to be used to recognize the arrival of his son, a willing sacrifice to absolve mankind of its sins. One day, that son was born of a woman. He lived a life of 33 years and fulfilled the prophecies, so that those who understood the clues might recognize him as the messiah. The end of his life happened as the clues said it would, and he died as a sacrifice for our sins.

Through this sacrifice, God's will in creating this second group of servants came to pass.

Because of this sacrifice, we have the chance to have all of our evils and sins to be forgiven. All we have to do is make some serious decisions.

First, we must choose to serve God. We must ask to be joined in his family as adopted sons (and daughters) with Jesus as the firstborn. As members of the family, we are to serve the father through the commands of the firstborn son. It is this family, who looks up to the Father and to the firstborn son, that will be allowed a permanent place at his side.

The first group of servants was endowed with great power from the beginning. Eventually, some chose to leave the service of God. The second group, mankind, was created powerless in his eyes. Through free choice, mankind can serve God. Once a man decides that he WANTS to serve God for eternity, he can be allowed to do so.

Choose you this day whom you will serve.

Oh, and if you're going to believe something, I suggest you study it so you better understand your own beliefs. If Heaven is of God, and you want to go to Heaven, then take a look at what God says about it. It isn't like he's hiding this information from you. He's even given you a book to read.

Posted by Lockjaw at 2:15 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Fun Day - Geodetic Survey Benchmark Hunting

Yesterday was an enjoyable day. A new friend, Paul, and I spent the day going around town finding Geodetic Survey markers. Some were easy. Some were hard. Some were missing. One was there, but the brass plate had been broken lose, leaving only the peg in cement behind. One mark had been lost, with multiple people unable to find it. We walked to the general area, following a topographical map, and took a best guess at its location. From that spot, we looked 20 feet away to not one but TWO signs testifying to its presence, and located the spot easily. A couple marks were easy to find because I knew the area very well, and one mark led us through an old cemetary that I never knew existed. One was on the front porch of a local church, another in the front yard of a fire station, and one was high atop a concrete column at one end of what was once a railway bridge.

For a little more info on Geodetic Survey markers, or benchmarks, look here.

I can't wait to go out again. I had a blast.

Posted by Lockjaw at 2:14 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

What's Next on the Reading List?

Although I don't finish off books at quite the speed I did when I was a teenager, I still love to read good books. I've got around at least 100 books waiting on shelves, in boxes, in totes, and in stacks that are waiting to be read. There are some priorities in my list, though, that I'm trying to get to in the short term. Here's an incomplete list.


Like I say, it's an incomplete list. I'm still reading my Bible in One Year, and there are some non-fiction books I need to read. There are still some surprises to be found.

For instance, as I finished up this post, I looked over and saw a paperback of Foundation and Empire on the shelf. I forgot that I found it. I guess I know what's next.

Posted by Lockjaw at 2:11 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Blogging Traffic Exchange Sites

I've used Blog Explosion for a while, and I've enjoyed it quite a bit. The concept is simple. You use their "surfing" tool to view blogs that belong to other members, and you earn credits. Those credits are used to send other "surfers" to your blog. For every two blogs that you visit using their site, they'll send one surfer to your blog. Simple concept, and it works fairly well. I've found a lot of good sites through Blog Explosion and had a lot of new users come to my site because of it. What a deal!

I've noticed another traffic exchange system out there. It's called Blog Clicker. Like Blog Explosion, Blog Clicker lets you browse member blogs and earn traffic for your own blog. It's a bit newer, and has a different look and feel, but works very similarly. If you're a Blog Explosion user, and are looking for a different batch of blogs to browse, give this one a try.

I've found one more traffic exchange system to give a try, too. It's called BlogAZoo. I haven't used it very much yet, but I thought it might be worth a try. At any rate, it's worth joining and surfing a bit, just to see a new batch of blogs. It looks like they've only got around 1600 members so far, so you can get in early.

That's my short traffic exchange entry for the day. If you've never used a traffic exchange system before, give Blog Explosion a try and see how it works. You'll find some new blogs to read, and some folks will find yours. If you're a Blog Explosion user, don't hesitate to try Blog Clicker and BlogAZoo for something new.

Posted by Lockjaw at 2:10 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Picking Out State Fair Date, 6 Months In Advance

I photoblogged my visit to the North Carolina State Fair last year, and never did I think I would be planning my visit to this year's fair six months before it comes around. Planning is exactly what I'm doing, though. It looks like I'll be going to the fair on October 21st. That's the day my favorite band is playing. Third Day is booked for that day. If I'm lucky, it will be my 5th show. I say if I'm lucky because they're also playing Carowinds on June 24th.

It gets even better. The Carowinds show is SonFest, a three day festival featuring some of the best names in Christian Rock around. Third Day, Reliant K, Casting Crowns, Audio Adrenaline, and much more.

Lockjaw Happy

Posted by Lockjaw at 2:10 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Moore Farenheit 9/11 Lies Exposed - Box Office

Michael Moore has quite a name for fictionalized "documentaries." He collects a lot of film, and cuts it together to make of it what HE wants to make of it. It's his stock in trade, and he's good at it. His job allows him to create the "truth" he wants the viewer to see, and to make fun of people he doesn't like in the process. It's been good business for him. The problem is, he spends a lot of time pushing "truths" that just aren't true.

The content of his movies isn't the only place he tells untruths. Sometimes I wonder if he even knows WHAT the truth is. In this article in National Review, another of his lies is exposed. During the release of F911, Moore praised the performance of the movie, pointing out how the movie was doing better in the red states than the blue. Some people even believed him. Byron York sets the record straight.

"Still, that did not answer the question of whether Fahrenheit 9/11's appeal was nationwide, as Moore had claimed. The reporters and commentators talking about the film could not have known the answer to that question at the time they were confidently asserting that the picture was indeed doing well in red states as well as blue. Sold out in Tulsa? A standing ovation in Greensboro? That sort of thing was anecdotal evidence at best. To learn how well the film really did would take weeks and would require a detailed look at its performance everywhere it played. The newspapers and magazines didn’t have time for that."

Posted by Lockjaw at 2:09 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Palestinian Despair and Israeli Opportunity

You often hear some who know no better trying to explain how the despair of the people in the palestinian-occupied areas of Israel (Gaza and the West Bank) is caused by Israel itself. To see why this is not true, one need only read the news. In this story about a 15 year old being arrested with pipe bombs, we get to see some of the truth.

"Hassan may have wanted to be detained by the army in order to do his high-school matriculation exams in an Israeli prison, says his brother Amar.

“There’s a rumor among youngsters that it’s easier to succeed in Israeli jails,” he told Ynet. “Many boys were detained at roadblocks with weapons, in order to do the tests in jail."

In other words, teenagers in the palestinian-occupied areas believe it would be easier to find success by going through the Israeli prison system than it would be to live under the control of their own political leadership.

They're probably right.

Posted by Lockjaw at 2:08 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Idaho Commends Makers of Napoleon Dynamite

Folks, you just can't make stuff like this up. The Idaho Legislature has voted to commend Jared and Joshua Hess, makers of Napoleon Dynamite. That's not so unusual, actually. Have a nice laugh, though, at some excerpts from the bill.

"WHEREAS, tater tots figure prominently in this film thus promoting Idaho's most famous export; and
WHEREAS, the friendship between Napoleon and Pedro has furthered multiethnic relationships; and
WHEREAS, Uncle Rico's football skills are a testament to Idaho athletics; and
WHEREAS, Napoleon's bicycle and Kip's skateboard promote better air quality and carpooling as alternatives to fuel-dependent methods of transportation; and
WHEREAS, Napoleon's tetherball dexterity emphasizes the importance of physical education in Idaho public schools; and..."

And the best part:

"WHEREAS, any members of the House of Representatives or the Senate of the Legislature of the State of Idaho who choose to vote "Nay" on this concurrent resolution are "FREAKIN' IDIOTS!" and run the risk of having the "Worst Day of Their Lives!"

Gosh!

Posted by Lockjaw at 2:07 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Mike Adams Suggested Reading List

Over at Town Hall, Mike Adams gives a nice list of books that you, your high school kid, or anyone else should read if they want to know what communism and socialism are really all about. It's a great list, with some great comments. Although I haven't read them all, I've got to say I'm right with him on those I have read. I'm probably going to have to fill some gaps in the list ASAP, too.

Adams starts his list with the #2 book on my list of books to read to learn about communism. I start with the Communist Manifesto. The manifesto is where you can discover what two of the founders of this evil system really think. Once you've digested this evil puke, you're ready to start learning WHY it is such evil puke. That's why you need to read We The Living by Ayn Rand. Rand gives the reader a semi-autobiographical look at the life of a young woman growing up in post-revolutionary Russia. We see "equality" in soviet terms as the tearing down of those who have succeeded in life. We see attacks on "speculators," and the training of youth in the false economics necessary to believe socialism will work. I think it very interesting that so much of this book could have been written 70 years later, with the subject being the Democratic Party instead of the Communist Party. The only difference is how much power they have to punish people for political disagreement. Today's Democratic Party is no less evil than the Communist Party of the 1930s. They just haven't completely taken over yet.

He also includes my #3 book, Animal Farm, which I believe needs a good historical prologue before it is read. That's why it is #3. Animal farm, through satire, tells of the early years of communism from the perspective of those in power.

There's much more, and they're all great. I especially loved reading Treason, by Ann Coulter. I loved it even more when I got my hands on the primary source material she used in writing this book. Democrats try to paint her poorly by calling her names, but she paints them poorly by documenting how they've ALWAYS stood with the enemies of post WW-II America, and backing it up with proof.

Posted by Lockjaw at 2:06 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Canada - Liberal Mecca

That wonderful liberal mecca of Canada is a great place to see liberal free speech in action. Unlike America, where you're allowed to criticize pretty much anyone you want (as long as you aren't two or more people gathered together to criticize a candidate within 60 days of an election), Canada can prosecute you for saying the wrong thing. For instance, you can be prosecuted in Canada for saying that homosexuality is immoral, wrong, and generally a bad idea. Not so in America, but that's because the liberals haven't completely taken over yet. In Canada, the only approved opinion on homosexuality is that it is moral, right, and such a fantastic idea that EVERYBODY should do it.

Another thing that Canada has a penchant for doing is outlawing news coverage of certain topics. That's exactly what they've done. Of course, all I have to do is link to Captain's Quarters to assist Canadians in finding information about the banned news story. Canadians who feature that same link on their own blogs can be prosecuted, but I have the protection of the US Constitution.

Let's see. Canada has no freedom of the press. They have no free speech. They have no right to own firearms. Their health-care system sucks, and is government-run. They have price-controls on drugs.

Yep. Sounds like a liberal mecca to me.

Posted by Lockjaw at 2:05 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

May A Moody Baby Doom a Yam

I'm home.

The family and I just returned from a fun and relaxing weekend in Virginia. We visited my father-in-law and his wife, who live in Lexington Virginia, just behind and slightly above Virginia Military Institute. Lexington is a fine small town, growing by leaps and bounds.

As I said before I left, we did visit the Natural Bridge. It had been over a decade since I had been there, and I wanted to take my son to see it, as well as the wife. They both loved it. Natural Bridge is one of the natural wonders of the modern world. It spans a space between two cliffs, nearly 100 feet above the valley floor. Route 11, a two-lane road, runs across the bridge, with regular automobile traffic. After we visited, in fact, I drove the car across the bridge, just to say I had.

While at the bridge, we went into a shallow cave which was once a saltpeter mine, visited the falls, and saw the rest of the sights. One special sight is the "lost river," a rapidly flowing waterway that runs through the mountain. When it was heard, years ago, dynamite was used to blow an opening and expose the flow. During the wet season, which it was, the water flows out of the opening at a rapid pace. In the dry season, the water flows from right to left, not rising to the level of the opening.

After visiting the bridge, we went on a tour of the Natural Bridge Caverns. This is a nice, short tour that takes you as much as 350 feet underground. There are some really nice formations, underground pools, and the like. It isn't as spectacular as Luray Caverns or Carlsbad Caverns, by any means, but it is a nice short tour to complement a visit to the bridge.

Mostly, though, the visit involved spending time with family. Virtually no time was spent at a computer screen. In fact, I spent some time catching up in my Bible in One Year reading. I was a week behind going into the weekend, and now I'm caught up completely for the first time in over a month. For those wondering, I'm currently reading in Deuteronomy and Luke, along with the Psalm and Proverb each day.

Did you see Friday's Battlestar Galactica? WOW! I can't wait until the new seasons starts. I've had the finale downloaded for weeks, but had held back from actually watching it, since we had the weekly episodes showing. There's something much more satisfying about watching the show on the actual broadcast, rather than in a recorded form. The wife and I did spend some time last week catching up on episodes we had missed, so we'd have all the details we needed for the finale.

The Pope is dead. We watched quite a bit of the coverage. We've been awaiting this for some time, as he has been becoming more frail over the last years. The next couple weeks will be interesting to watch.

That's it for now. I'm off to catch up on my news and blog reading.

Posted by Lockjaw at 2:04 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Pre-Kindergarten - Worse Than Nothing?

North Carolina is one of the pioneer states in Pre-K education. Every time a budget is proposed to solve a budget crisis, cuts happen nearly everywhere while Pre-K programs see increases in their budget. Outside of the basic fiscal irresponsibility of this decision, it may have adverse effects in the future of the children who go through those programs. Marginal Revolution tells of about a study on the matter.

"...early education does increase reading and mathematics skills at school entry, but it also boosts children's classroom behavioral problems and reduces their self-control. Further, for most children the positive effects of pre-kindergarten on skills largely dissipate by the spring of first grade, although the negative behavioral effects continue."

Here is a link to the full study

In other words, programs such as "Smart Start" and "Head Start" might not be so smart. The "head start" given to the kids in academics simply go away. If this is true, then the money spent on these programs is merely wasted. On the other hand, these kids seem to get a "head start" on behavioral problems in class. This doesn't seem very smart either.

Of course, we know what the liberals will say in response to this. Spend more money on the programs that are failing. Nothing excites a Democrat like failure, ya know.

Folks, I'll put it very simply. Your child's education is too important to trust to the government.

Posted by Lockjaw at 2:03 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Changing The World Through Example

I want to change the world
I want to make it well
How can I change the world
When I can’t change myself

One website I like to check in on semi-regularly is Aish.com, a Jewish community site. I often find articles about common problems, approached from the Jewish point of view. This time was no exception. In EMT No-Gossip Zone, Tova Saul tells of working as an EMT on a truck with a man who, in addition to being a nice guy, was also a gossip. Tova, being an observant jew, refused to take part in these discussions, as it is against God's teachings. Tova goes on to tell how Tony, her partner, came to appreciate this no-gossip rule, and went on to work for a similar rule on his own.

I've had to deal with malicious gossip in my time. One person I counted as a friend for years has been known to spread malicious words against me on more than one occasion. At any time I've confronted him about it, he's made sure to tell "his side" of the story to others to benefit himself at my expense. In the end, I found it best to completely rid myself of his presence, and to not commit the crime of speaking ill of him to others. Even saying this much about the situation pushes my limits, even though I won't mention his name. I even sanitized it a bit, because of one detail that could have limited the list of possibilities to a half-dozen.

Gossip is a horrible thing. I've seen it tear groups of friends apart. I've seen its effect in organizations, companies, churches and families. Unfortunately, you can't stop others from engaging in malicious talk. You can only stop yourself. Lead by example.

If I want more peace in the world
Then I must make peace with myself
If I want more trust in the world
Then I’ve got to trust in myself
If I want more love in the world
I must show more love to myself
-- Lyric excerpts - Todd Rundgren - Change Myself

Posted by Lockjaw at 2:02 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

North Carolina Politics At Its Finest

There's nothing like good government. Unfortunately, here in North Carolina, there really is nothing even resembling good government. The latest flak in the air is a conflict between Democrat Governor Mike Easley and the Democrat controlled legislature. It seems that there's a valuable piece of real-estate in downtown Charlotte that the state wants to dispose of. The legislature wants to sell the land to a culinary school for $1. Mike Easley is trying to short-circuit the deal by selling the land to a developer for $5.25million. That's about as simple as I can explain it, because it's a reall