A Lawyer's Mistakes about a Mac

You know, the one thing that I don't like is that most people who "switch back" to PC really don't want to change and in nearly every case that I've come across, they want the Mac to act like a PC and have not: taken the time to learn, ask the right questions or are willing to pay to learn how to get the same productivity out of a Mac that they do on a PC.

In reading Larry Bodine's article Commentary: Don't Sit Under the Apple Tree about his hard time with his Mac it really makes you wonder. So I'll go through his commentary point by point to answer what "short comings" he came up with and some of the answers to his problems.

1. I realized it was time to unload the silvery box of frustration when I had to buy a "Dummies" book on how to operate it. I'm smart; I shouldn't need this. Aren't Macs supposed to be intuitive and easy to learn? My mistake. OK, I don't care how much you know, but when you switch to something new there is ALWAYS a learning curve of some sort. Most people who switch to a Mac take between 2-4 months of getting used to it before they exclaim "I've got it now" and take off. Larry bought it May 2006 and was right at the launching off point but decided to quit.

2. I pretended that I liked the one button mouse. I quickly started using click + command keys (and other keyboard shortcuts). I really missed the little scrolling wheel in the center of the mouse. Uh, Larry, you should have had a two button mouse with your Mac called a Mighty Mouse since the mouse was introduced Aug 2005! If you have a Mighty Mouse and take a look under System Preferences > Keyboard/Mouse you'll see that there is are FOUR buttons to choose from, not just the one and has 360 degrees of scrolling, up and down, left and right.

3. What drove me nuts was that I would open Word for Mac and couldn't delete files while I was in Word. There is no File | Delete option. So the documents took up space on my hard drive, until someone told me I had to find the document in Finder and then move it into the trash from there. This seemed stupid to me; I just wanted to highlight a file and tap "delete." Ok, so there is no File > Delete in Mac's Word. You got me there. I don't have any answer at the moment. But one thing is for sure, these documents will not take up space on your hard drive unless you leave them there. Deleting files when you're in the Finder is no different than being at My Computer's C: drive.

4. Word files transferred from the Mac were missing pictures. PowerPoint files transferred from the Mac would lose their formatting. PCs and Macs are not compatible, regardless of what they say. While everything would be nice that things would be that easy, but programs and OSes are getting so big that there are problems, both with Mac, Windows, AND Linux. I'll have to check this one out myself and get back to you.

5. Doing a simple screen capture was an immense chore. On a PC you just press Alt and tap PrtScr. With the Mac I had to download and launch special programs to accomplish this simple task. Uh, no you didn't! Since the beginning of the Mac, using the Shift + Cmd + 3 key you're able to take a picture of your Macs screen. Or, under Applications > Utilities there is a program called Grab that does what you want to do with LOTS of differing options than a simple Alt + PrtScr keystrokes. So you were not aware of this, but if you find under the Finder the Help menu and typed in Print Screen in the search box you would have found a special help document called "What's it called on my Mac" describing all of the differences between your Mac and Windows. If you do screen capturing frequently, then put the app (drag and drop the app icon) onto the dock and with one click you launch the app. If you read up on "short cuts" under the Help menu you'll find a ton of ways to doing more with less keystrokes.

6. I didn't even bother with the Mac's iCal or Mail, which required me to buy an @mac.com address. Instead, I went straight to Outlook for Mac. A lot of the software for Mac -- such as AOL for Mac OS X -- was dumbed down and missing may features of the current PC versions. Ok, here's where you were told wrong information, you are not required to buy a .Mac account for calendar or Mail, but you are unclear what you needed to do here. Are you sharing your calendars with others? Again, you are NOT required to buy .Mac for your Mac. True, some of the software may be as you say "dumb down" compared with a Mac, but then again, this is a part of the Widows marketshare. But it is not about "dumbing down" the software, but more appropriately Mac software that is a "remake" of Windows software may have "less features and bells and whistles" than Mac software, so it is not "dumbed down" by any means. But remember, there are normally equivilents of the more robust Windows software for the Mac. Check out versiontracker.com to see what's available.

7. I run several Web sites, all optimized for IE 5.5 or higher. I couldn't operate my own Web sites with the Mac. Here's the number one problem of PC users do NOT get: Microsoft purposely creates it's OWN standards for web sites using it's OWN technology and therefore it "is optimized" for Windows!! If you were to go to the World Wide Web Consutium and read this "The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) develops interoperable technologies (specifications, guidelines, software, and tools) to lead the Web to its full potential. W3C is a forum for information, commerce, communication, and collective understanding" you'd find WHY MS stuff doen't work well with Safari, Firefox and others. If you'd follow W3C standards for your web site, you'd reduce your problems considerably and EVERYONE would be able to see your site, not just Windows users.

8. As a consumer, you have every right to choose what you want to use, but one thing that I tell everyone is that you can give feedback to Apple concerning their products just as you can give feedback to Microsoft concerning their products. Don't just complain online, write the companies and tell them what you think.

9. Then the hard drive croaked on me after only three months of owning the machine. I couldn't tell what was going wrong and had to hire someone for $125 an hour to come over and tell me what the heck was happening. Apple replaced it for free, but I became leery of what other hardware would fail unexpectedly. Well, this is nothing new, and it's not an Apple thing, it's a hard drive thing probably. Regarding the $125 an hour you spent to troubleshoot your Mac, you would have been in the same boat in your PC troubleshooting the problem. Or, you could have taken the time to make an appointment for FREE at your local Apple store and found this out. And by the way, ALL computer hardware will fail at some point. While I agree with you that "it's not fun" having to deal with broken equipment you just bought, more PCs have problems than Macs do and while you're getting a "cheap deal" on the new PC, you pay through the nose in upkeep costs, viruses, and the like.

Thanks Larry for the chance to show some positive light to your "bad" experiences.

I run Windows, Mac, and Linux at home, so I understand your comments for sure.

The Hate of Excellence against "Second Best" or less

I had a recent discussion with someone concerning a deaf person's need for an interpreter for a demonstration and wanting to get an interpreter for them. Comments from others chastized my thought process and that I was "bowing to the entitled" handicapped crowd. Although not those exact words, these comments by them troubled me.

This type of act is not a trend by any means, it just goes to show how evil and bad mannered man can be with those that are below them from a competitive perspective. But is it really about being competitive? You've heard the statement "You don't win Second Place" by those in a competitive sport, but what about other areas of life?

How about religion? Did you know that Australian Muslim Taxi drivers and Oslo Taxi drivers are not helping out blind people because of the blind people's dogs?

So what have we got here? We've got a business person that refuses or intimidates their workers NOT to get an interpreter for the deaf person because the boss considers the deaf person's "entitled" interpreter an "excessive cost" for an "entitlement" for a customer. We've also got a Muslim that refuses to allow dogs into their cabs because they "should not go near dogs."

In both cases it's about those that are not "perfect" by "normal" standards not being allowed to have some semblance of a "normal" life because the excessive "cost of doing business (i.e. not making enough profit) or religion (dogs are unclean). But what is interesting about these comments by these dumb and stupid people is this: the business person is willing to "give to the 'normal' customer because of 'customer satisfaction' what a 'normal person wants' " and considers the deaf person "less than a normal customer". The religious person is preventing a less than normal person from getting to a point of self sufficiency so as NOT to be a continual burden to their religion, they want to keep them in "their place" in society and not allow them to grow into productive human beings.

Three sides to every story

1. On the right side, refusing/oppressing/repressing to let anyone to be allow those that are less fortunate to move ahead.
2. In the middle, providing enough of a hand up to at least allow those that are less fortunate to make it on their own.
3. On the left, enabling those that are less fortunate to stay right where they are by giving them a hand out (not a hand up)and not give them some semblance of contributing to society.

It's a moral issue, not a cost issue.

But just like these stories, change can be slow. During the mid to late 1800's in America when baseball was just beginning, playing ball was normally done WITHOUT gloves with injured hands the norm. It wasn't until Doug Allison, a catcher for the Cincinnati Red Stockings, in 1870 and Charlie Waitt, who, in 1875, wore a pair of flesh-colored gloves in a failed attempt to avoid the derision of the fans because they thought they were being "sissies."

In this case, I'm glad to be called a "sissie" by others if it means that someone at least can get a fair deal in living their life.

Author of "The Ezekial Option" Joel Rosenberg

More evidence that Bible Prophecy is coming true and that those things that have NOT come true as of today WILL come true. Take a read on Joel Rosenberg's blog and read about the future events that continue to come true. You can also see Joel's web site and get more info.

I'll have more info concerning the Tribuation in upcoming blogs.

This is the type of discussions that are going on "as we speak" in the world where the Love of God and Christ are changing the minds of many. Not all will come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ, but that's not what we're suppose to do. We're to keep on talking and sharing what Christ has done for each and every Muslim, Jew, Pagan, Unbeliever, etc.

I challenge each and every Muslim to read the Bible and see for yourself what will happen. Start with the book of John and see how many times God talks about His Love for His Son, the Holy Spirit, and Mankind. You don't find love in the Muslim religion, do you? Very little, but the Bible is full of this concerning God toward Man.

Brigitte Gabriel Speaks on Radical Islam

At first I thought this was someone who would speak on a low tone, but when you read about her experiences, she'll never speak in a low tone, only with a fight that I've not seen by anyone in America, except President George Bush. Most of the Democrats are like sniveling idiots. But here's Brigitte's web site that explains it all.

Wake up America, the coming of a bigger and badder war is on the horizon.

Moving toward US government transparency

Blogs have made another step: they got a bill signed by President Bush that opens up the US Federal government so that everyday citizens can now look at what the government does. Download this first link which is a PDF of what the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) in simple language is doing. Read the PDF titled "Achieving Greater Transparency And Accountability In Government" to get more details.

You can also take a look at Porkbuster.org to find more interesting info on how the blogs of America are turning Congress on it's ear in doing the right thing, not the Congressional thing.

Here are some other sites:

Citizens Against Government Waste
Open Secrets.org
Sunlight Foundation
National Taxpayer Union
Tax Foundation

I hope this makes you sick to do something.

Blacks are getting the message: The US govt is little help

After reading this article "Black Entrepreneurs Win, Corporations Lose" by NBMBAA's Barbara Thomas you find the right combination of ideas and evidence: Blacks are doing better on their own rather than with bigger Corporations!

However, the article fails to realize that blacks have probably benefited from the corporate environment by working for them. It has built their confidence and skill base, not their talent base because they already have that in them. In the film Stand and Deliver about Jaime Escalante, a mathematics teacher, who taught "in a school in a hispanic neighbourhood. Convinced that his students have potential, he adopts unconventional teaching methods to try and turn gang members and no-hopers into some of the country's top algebra and calculus students."

This should prove that there is hope for ALL people, including kids.

“Freedom and Justice in Islam” by Bernard Lewis, Cleveland E. Dodge Professor Emeritus of Near Eastern Studies, Princeton University

I received this article from the Imprimis for Hillsdale College today, the only college that does not receive ANY Federal funding for college students and is the bastion for Free Enterprise and the Libertarian School of economic and political thought. But this is what Lewis had to say about Islam:

"By common consent among historians, the modern history of the Middle East begins in the year 1798, when the French Revolution arrived in Egypt in the form of a small expeditionary force led by a young general called Napoleon Bonaparte—who conquered and then ruled it for a while with appalling ease. General Bonaparte—he wasn't yet Emperor—proclaimed to the Egyptians that he had come to them on behalf of a French Republic built on the principles of liberty and equality. We know something about the reactions to this proclamation from the extensive literature of the Middle Eastern Arab world. The idea of equality posed no great problem. Equality is very basic in Islamic belief:All true believers are equal. Of course, that still leaves three “inferior” categories of people—slaves, unbelievers and women."

Read the article, it goes way into what the Middle East is thinking about us and where they are coming from.

What is interesting is that the same Hillsdale site has a paper on, based on the writings and history, of what General Patton would have thought of our war in Iraq.

Read this great article. This is a quote from it:

"Patton, who understood the hold of a radically triumphalist Nazism on a previously demoralized German people, would have the intellectual honesty to realize that we are at war with Islamic fascists, mostly from the Middle East, who have played on the frustrations of mostly male, unemployed young people, whose autocratic governments can't provide the conditions for decent employment and family life. A small group of Islamists appeals to the angst of the disaffected through a nostalgic and reactionary turn to a mythical Caliphate, in which religious purity trumps the material advantages of a decadent West and protects Islamic youth from the contamination of foreign gadgetry and pernicious ideas. In some ways, Hitler had created the same pathology in Germany in the 1930s.

Because of the Internet and globalization, Islamic youth have first-hand knowledge of the U.S. - its splendor, power and luxury - that both attracts and repels them, creating appetites forbidden in traditional and tribal society. Thus the fascist terrorists, to be successful, and cognizant of this paradoxical envy and desire, offer a mythical solution in lieu of real social, political and economic reform that in short order would doom the power of the patriarch, mullah and autocrat: Blame the imperialist Americans and the Zionist Israelis who cause this self-induced misery. Even those who don't join the extremists, like most Germans of the late 1930s, don't mind - albeit on the cheap - seeing their perceived enemies take a fall, as long as the consequences of terrorism are mostly positive in a psychological sense without bringing them material suffering in recompense."

What most people may not be aware of that Patton was a student of history and of learning. Both Patton and Eisenhower had person libraries in the thousands of books that they not only read, but passed on to others that had an interest with their own personal notes in the books margins

Would that some of today's kids would see this and take note.

What's the definition of Martyr?

When you read the definition of martyr, what comes to mind?

1. Someone who is killed by someone for their faith/belief?

2. Someone who kills themselves for their faith/belief?

When you look at this link "Despite Plea, Indonesia Executes 3 Christians" you find the real definition of being a martyr. And you find a number of positive comments about the Christians who were martyred as defined by Oxford American Dictionary states: martyr |ˈmärtər| noun a person who is killed because of their religious or other beliefs.

But, this is the Christian way, not the Muslims way. The Oxford American Dictionary states: martyr |ˈmärtər| noun, a person who displays or exaggerates their discomfort or distress in order to obtain sympathy or admiration. This is the second definition, much like the suicide Muslim bombers of the Middle East and Indonesia.

The problem is that the Muslims think they're going to heaven doing this. Buy why? Because their pasters/clerics/teachers are teaching this in their schools, mosques, and whereever they get a place to pronounce this evil.

Mat 7: 21-23 "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven {will enter.} "Many will say to Me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?' "And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.'

But what does the Bible state:

John 14:2-6 "In My Father's house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, {there} you may be also. And you know the way where I am going." Thomas *said to Him, "Lord, we do not know where You are going, how do we know the way?" Jesus *said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.

So, those that are Muslims that are believing in Mohammed are NOT going to heaven!. And they're not going to heaven as a martyr.

Do you trust your news sources now?

Ok, after reading this piece about double agent for both Viet Nam and America.


Pham Xuan An, who led a remarkable and perilous double life as a communist spy and a respected reporter for Western news organizations during the Vietnam War, died Wednesday at age 79.

...

In a 2000 interview with The Associated Press, An said he always had warm feelings for his press colleagues and for the United States, where he attended college at Fullerton, Calif. But deep down he remained a "true believer" in the communist cause as the best way to free Vietnam of foreign control.

So, the next time a reporter talks with you, think about who their talking with.

Bagdad streets are emptying

When you read this story about the dying of a street of stores, your heart goes out to the honest Iraqi Muslims who are caught in the cross fire of those that want to control things THEIR way instead of compromising.

While America has had it's twists and turns getting to where we are today, such as our own Civil War which had over 500,000 killed and about 900,000 wounded.

My heart goes out to the Iraqis that are putting up with this, but a new dawn will come soon, only they wish sooner than later.

Here's an example of is happening here in America:

Unearthing a Town Pool, and Not for Whites Only

A rebirth begins, let's hope Iraq does the same and soon. My hopes and prayers are for this.

Seed Faith or Bleed Faith? How Televanglists are fleecing Christians

Have you heard of the "Seed Faith" promises of certain Christian leaders such as Oral Roberts, etc?

Well, when you read this article The Most Evil Man You've Ever Heard Of you'll read how millions of dollars are being fleeced from poor, unsuspecting Christians.

What does the Bible state about this:

Hebrews 5:11-14 Concerning him we have much to say, and {it is} hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing. For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you have need again for someone to teach you the elementary principles of the oracles of God, and you have come to need milk and not solid food. For everyone who partakes {only} of milk is not accustomed to the word of righteousness, for he is an infant. But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil.

The Prosperity Doctrine from these individuals and the haven of Christian "Leaders" on the Trinity Broadcasting Network is WRONG!! God is not a formula, but there somethine to be said for doing what's right.

Porn drove me out of UK Navy, says chaplain

"A Royal Navy chaplain quit the service after being told to turn a blind eye to pornography on board two warships, an employment tribunal was told yesterday."

As you see, this is only the tip of the iceberg and will only get worse over time as we get nearer and nearer to the Rature and the Seven Year Tribulation that will make this timeframe seem like heaven.

What did the Pope REALLY say?

OK, now that the Muslims are all in a threat posture over what the Pope said, why don't you read what the Pope really stated:

Pope's speech at University of Regensburg (full text)

Oh, and by the way, this just in:

(AINA) -- According to the website Islam Memo, one Christian was killed in Baghdad after the Pope's speech two days ago. The speech created a wave of anger throughout the Islamic world, including Iraq. A poster has been placed in many Baghdad mosques for the previously unknown group, "Kataab Ashbal Al Islam Al Salafi," (Islamic Salafist Boy Scout Battalions). This group threatens to kill all Christians in Iraq if the Pope does not apologize in three days in front of the whole world to Mohammed.

Ok Muslims, you are proving the Popes references about the evil of Islam based on a historical dialog about Christianity and Islam.

But none have done it best than Father Raymond J. de Souza's (National Post Published: Saturday, September 16, 2006) article: Rioters' madness shames Muslim world: Reactions of some fanatics does not help open dialogue. Put into historical context, we now have a better idea of WHY things were said.

Muslims, are you listening? Or are you showing your deafness toward thinking?

As one person posted here stated "Christian martyrs die defending and caring for the innocent...while muslim martyrs die killing the innocent."

And here's the evidence of a Muslim, Sister Leonella Sgorbati, RIP

I'll love my neighbor, but I'll defend with my life the right to keep law and order in my land and elsewhere.

The True Face of Islam's President

Ok, now we've heard it all. The former Iran president was at Harvard and he basically lied to us about his involvement in the attrocities that he committed.

And the more liberal American's are taking it hook, line, and sinker.

Oh, and how do the Muslim nations prepare to counter this evidence?

They intend to spin this viewpoint so that they look better via the media.

It's only going to more and more terrible as the years go one.

But there is one person that thinks otherwise.

Emilio Karim Dabul wrote One Arab's Apology He states "One look at the average Arab regime should alert us to the fact that the problem, dear Achmed, lies not overseas or next door in Tel Aviv, but in the brutal, corrupt despots that we have bred from country to country in the Mideast, across the span of history. That history and its corresponding economic devastation is the main reason I reside on New York City's West Bank - New Jersey - not the one near Jerusalem. On my worst day, I'm happy about that fact. I'd rather be here than there, and experience the freedom and boundless opportunities that were mostly unknown to so many generations of my family in the Mideast."

Emilio, and I'll defend your right to stay in this country as long as you like. But the real point is:

Who will listen to his point?

The American "Taliban"? Who and where is it?

Since we've now have seen in the news media the likes of the Taliban, Hezzbolah, and al-Qaida, is there anything like this in America? Have we been aware of similar actions? I say a resounding YES!

Where?

How about the Ku Klux Klan (aka the KKK)

At one point about 15% of America's population were associated with the KKK and at the time of WWII it became associated with Nazisim in Germany with it's membership falling to very low numbers today, but it is still around. Although it has spun itself into an "anti-Taliban" like "loving" organization, it still fosters hate as much as al-Qaida, Hezzbolah, and the Taliban.

And you see from the WIKI article the various acts of the KKK are being immitated by the insurgents in Irag being fed by Iran and others.

It's all about POWER!!

Someone wants power to control someone else based on THEIR idea of what should happen.

May we ALL search out and practice God and Jesus Christ's Great Commandments: To Love God first, and to love you neighbor AS youself.

The coming US election: either it's the Right or it's wrong

After reading a number of sites about issues that are facing our nation and listening to the Islamofacists of Iran, Hezzbolah, al-Quaida talk about our nation, there is one thing that it will be coming down to in the near future:

Either we convert to Islam or we die!

President Bush for the most part understands it, but is leaving his responsibilities behind or leaving it to the EU and world opinion to shape the administration's policy. Tammy Bruce gets it right about the historical perspective and a few years ago Spain was attacked by al-Quaida with train bombs killing 191 and injuring over 1400 people. The Madrid bombing turned the tide of the Spanish election to a more Leftist government bent on appeasment, but has it stopped the terrorists? So, we see here that Spain's appeasement has not stopped the terrorists at all.

Winston Churchill stated it correctly while everyone was appeasing to Hitler An appeaser is one who feeds a crocodile - hoping it will eat him last. and the same goes for our nation

It both angers and saddens me about this appeasement. I spent 13+ years of my life defending my country and all it stands for, and even today our troops are being killed daily for this cause, and now the scared, myopic, latte-gulping, obese, narcissistic, power and wealth hungry Americans are leading us down a path of eventual destruction. Both of my aunts are rolling in their graves about my comments while my mother is telling them to quit rolling around in their caskets!

Contrast of contrasts of terms: When President Bush states "Either your for us or against us" he states via his actions that if you follow our laws you'll be kept reasonably secure and to live peacefully. However, from the Islamofascists their "Either your for us or against us" means we’ll behead you for not converting to Islam.

During World War II, Japanese, Native, and Black Americans while segregated and were oppressed to a certain degree by our nation and government, signed up and fought against both the hatred agression of Germany and Japan anyway. And we're talking about months before a decision to go and help in WWII, not like the years the American Muslim community is doing today. Or at least, that's what the American Liberal Media does not want us to hear regarding what part American Muslims are doing to help fight these terrorists.

Either we become crocodile hunters or we'll become crocodile meat!

Want to get a glimpse of Hell? This isn't a joke.......

When you read of what all of the Islamic extremists are doing to the average person the world, much like the Fox News crew got with their "forced" conversion, people don't realize that even the "good" by our standards "Muslims, Jews, and Christians" will have a rude awakening if they die without knowing who Jesus Christ is.

Bill Wiese has had such an experience of what Hell is like.

The real question is: let's say you don't believe it and it's not real. Good, then!! You have nothing to worry about.

But what if it IS real? Where do you stand? Do you carry around a rabbit's foot, Christian cross, or even a Jewish Star of David around your neck to protect you from it?

Read this article. You'll find Judgement there, but more importantly you'll find Love!! God's Love for you and me and the rest of the world.

I pray that you'll listen and not pass this by as an afterthought.

When Islam forces you to convert, or any religion for that matter

When you read about accounts that terrorists forced the two Fox News to "convert" to Islam at gunpoint it makes you wonder.

Centanni said he and Wiig were forced to convert to Islam at gunpoint.

"I have the highest respect for Islam ... but it was something we felt we had to do because they had the guns and we didn't know what the hell was going on."

Who forces someone to convert to their religion? Only those that are interested in THEIR power, not the power of God. When Right is turned to Might in getting someone to convert or change their mind concerning a religion, what does that say of that religion?

No where in the Bible does it state that you are to force someone to convert. In fact, if YOU were to convert someone to Christianity based on YOUR will and by force, it's YOUR will, not God's. Even in Christianity during the Inquisition, Believer's left Christ's Church doctrines to force others into their way of thinking.

Islam is that part of religion that Satan has convinced others to follow with such a force that there is only one way: their way: Satan's/Islam's conversion of the unbelievers to Islam. In True Christianity/Judiasm it is a matter of free will. Noah "was a preacher of Righteousness" and never forced his will by spear point, rock point, or if he had one, gun point, or kill anyone to get them to convert to God's way. Noah left each one to their own devices and God took care of them when He decided enough was enough and caused the Flood!

Notice that this is about defending ones faith rather going on the offensive and try and get one to convert. While there is nothing wrong with reasoning with others about the potentials of one's faith, it should NEVER be by gun point. Otherwise, what does that say of your religion? If you fore me to do one thing, you'll force me to do something else.

Even in America's own Colonial history there are incidences of these vary things happening.

When competition rears it's head rather than compassion, Man then errs when it comes to God. No wonder Unbeliever's look at Christians and other religious persons as weird. Why do you think that Paul states in 1 Cor 13:1-3 the affects of doing things WITHOUT LOVE!!! Because Paul was forcefully converting Christian believers to Judiasm but was stopped by Jesus Christ Himself and asked "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?"

Reading Acts 9 and then 1 Cor 13 and you see what Paul eventually sees: while judgement determines the direction that needs to be taken, love is HOW it gets done.

May God's judgement convict us of our wrongdoing, but may His Love convict us of our need for Him and to "Love others AS yourself." As 1 Cor 13 states, if you don't love others, your religion is worthless!!!!

Tribulation "Technology" Part 2: RFID tags, or part of "The Mark"

In my last post I showed on IPv6 will allow technology to be able to track each and literally "ever piece" of product and persons throughout the world. But this is only part of the puzzle. The second part is RFID tags. What are RFID tags?

RFID tags are in the works as we write. But I quote: "Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) is an automatic identification method, relying on storing and remotely retrieving data using devices called RFID tags or transponders. An RFID tag is an object that can be attached to or incorporated into a product, animal, or person for the purpose of identification using radio waves. Chip-based RFID tags contain silicon chips and antennas. Passive tags require no internal power source, whereas active tags require a power source."

As it states in Rev 13:16- 18 "And he causes all, the small and the great, and the rich and the poor, and the free men and the slaves, to be given a mark on their right hand or on their forehead, V 17 and {he provides} that no one will be able to buy or to sell, except the one who has the mark, {either} the name of the beast or the number of his name. V 18 Here is wisdom. Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for the number is that of a man; and his number is six hundred and sixty-six."

Now you state, "Yea right, this is really going to happen!!"

First, follow the RFID News that update regularly what is happening in the RFID world. Second, look what Mexico's officials are doing with RFID tags in their country. Third Boeing uses RFID tags to track inventory so that parts do not get lost or stolen. Forth, RFID tags may be implanted in patients' arms is already happening in some cases.

So, it's happening as we speak!

It may not go worldwide until the technology is widely available over the next decade or so, but it's progressing and will not stop.

Setting the stage before the Rapture, 7 Year Tribulation and...

After reading the article "UN Ceasefire Deal Signals How A One World Government Will Position Evil War against Israel by
Bill Wilson it's suffice to say that this article points out that the recent 34 day war Israel had with Hezzbolah, Lebanon, Syria, Iran, and Russia is playing out just as God has predicted in the Bible's New Testament (especially Revelation), but we're not there yet. We're only in the "wars and rumors of war" part of what the Bible NT states which will continue to excalate over the next decade or so.

As Christians, we can not stop what is happening and the things that are happening in the world are the pre-Rapture happenings that will build until the Rapture occurs, which is the taking out of all of the Christians from the earth leaving the Jews as the only Right evangelistic nation left on earth. After the Rapture, the Jewish nation will become the defacto evangelistic nation but the rest of the world will be against it like never before. This includes the current nations that are lining up to battle against Israel. But God does provide a way to be with Him with everyone in the world seeing Him at work, but still not believing. Some will, most won't. Why? Because of religion.

This also includes Islam, the Great Religion of Satan, and those that are following Satan's religious path of destruction.

But what most Christians don't realized because of their ignorance of Bible Prophecy and the advent of liberal Theology is that the Middle East, including Israel, will continue to escalate "stair step" fashion in both intensity, duration, destruction, and involvement of others. Once the Rapture occurs and most of America is emaciated of God's chosen people because of the Rapture that there will be three and one half years of "peace" against Israel. This will give the other evil nations time to amass logistically many mighty armies that will prepare to go up against Israel and once the "trigger is pulled" at the mid point of the 3.5 years will begin a "Holy Jihad "against Israel that will be obliteraed by God's Own Hand.

For a more detailed and accurate picture of this period of time, see Charting the End Times with Tim LaHaye which describes in more graphic detail. See page 118 for a quick illustration.

Islam does not allow for security for the Islamic believer, see Walid's Testimony about his conversion to Christianity from Islam and read "The interesting thing is that I was not only terrorizing but I was terrorized by my beliefs which required me to gain enough merit and good deeds to go to heaven. But I never was sure if my good deeds would outweigh my bad deeds in the scale when I would be judged by God. Of course to die fighting the Jews would ease Allah's anger towards my sin and I would then be secured a good spot in heaven with beautiful wide-eyed women to fulfill my most intimate desires. Either way, I won and terror was the only way."

But the True God has stated it correctly, accurately, and lovingly.

How do you avoid this coming catastrophe is by becoming a Believer in the Lord Jesus Christ. John 3:16-20: "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. V. 17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. V 18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. V 19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. V. 20 For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved."

For those that want to know more about the comparison between Islam and Christianity, see Answering Islam web site that covers the critical aspects of both.

Tribulation "Technology" Part 1: Internet or IP addresses

When it comes to Evangelical Christians that talk about the Rapture, there is one question that most do not talk about: it is not when the Rapture will occur, but how close are we to it happening?

This amounts to another question: what has to be in place for the aspects and other parts of the seven year Tribulation have to be in place in order for a one world government to occur during this time?

Well, the first part is world communications. In order for the One World Government to happen you have to have mass communications throughout the whole world. This means that the current Internet connection, called IPv4, or called Internet Protocol version 4 that was implemented as the Internet took root there is a limit to the number of Internet addresses to 4,294,967,296 possible unique addresses. However, IPv6 called Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6) supports 3.4×1038 addresses, or 5×1028 (50 octillion) for each of the roughly 6.5 billion people alive today, or 56.9 billion addresses for each gram of matter on Earth.

So, what does this mean?

It means that there are so many IP addresses that not only will each person have their own unque IP address, or call it a "Social Security Account Number" or a "Permentant Drivers License" or even a "National ID" for every person in a nation but that it will be tied into the credit card system at some point. Why?

As it states in Revelation 13:16-17 "And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads. And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.

You can bet that an IP address will be used to track your buying and selling just like the gift cards being used today. In fact, it will be used in conjunction with RFID tags, but that's another article.

Bottom line: there is a convergence of technology to facilitate the advancement of a One World Government and we can not stop it.

Do you trust the photo and caption of your favorite newspaper?

After reading this article "Real Or Fake?" about the accuracy and veracity of the photos coming out of war torn areas such as Lebanon, Iraq, and Afganistan, it makes you wonder who are you going to trust?

You can read about other pictures regarding the recent Qana "massacre" here at this site.

Its seems that blogs are pointing out the inaccuracies of many newspapers such as A picture cannot lie? when in reality the picture can be staged!

So much for truth.

The UN's Interim Force in Lebanon Briefing

OK, now I've been enlightened about getting more "detailed" info from the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon Press Releases about things going on in Lebanon regarding Israel and the terrorist group Hezbollah. And I quote from the July 28th briefing:

"There were two direct impacts on UNIFIL positions from the Israeli side in the past 24 hours. Eight artillery and mortar rounds impacted inside an Indian battalion position in the area of Hula, causing extensive material damage, but no casualties. One artillery round impacted the parameter wall of the UNIFIL Headquarters in Naqoura. There were five other incidents of firing close to UN positions from the Israeli side. It was also reported that Hezbollah fired from the vicinity of five UN positions at Alma Ash Shab, At Tiri, Bayt Yahoun, Brashit, and Tibnin."

And here:

"All UNIFIL positions in the area of operation remain permanently occupied and maintained by the troops. UNIFIL dispatched three logistic convoys to resupply some positions yesterday. Additional convoys are planned for today, particularly to the forward positions in the eastern and central sectors which are facing critical shortages of basic supplies. The number of troops in some Ghanaian battalion positions is somewhat reduced because of the increased safety risk for the troops due to frequent incidents of Hezbollah firing from the vicinity of the positions, and shelling and bombardment close to the positions from the Israeli side."

And you won't hear of this on CNN or the other liberal media's broadcasts in America or for the world for that matter. If the world does NOT listen to this but only of the terrorists, then the world is heading down the wrong path.

Shooting down Israel's Myths

Once you read this article, you'll get a much different picture of Israel than what both US liberal media and extremist muslims talk about.

Read On a trip to Israel, a Muslim journalist sees firsthand a litany of lies.

Where would you live?

When is enough enough? When are sins of the past forgiven?

When you read this article Lawsuit Seeks Reinstatement of KY Teacher Dismissed for Appearing in Adult Film you begin to wonder: at what point does forgiveness start for past sins?

Oh, that's right, most people will continue to judge this lady even though she may have cross the line doing bad things.

From my standpoint, God does allow U-turns!!

The point is: when?

When reading Luke 23:39-43 you find one of the thieves confessing to Jesus to "remember me when You come in Your kingdom!" But is that all there is? Is there anything else that can help us with this picture?

Now read Matthew 27:44 and you find "And the robbers also who had been crucified with Him, hwer caseting the same insults at Him." (robbers is plural, my emphasis added) and again in Mark 15:32 "And those who were crucified with Him were casting the same insults at Him."

So, when you look at Matthew and Mark you find that both of the robbers/thieves were insulting Jesus, but one of the thieves in Luke decided that what he had done was wrong and changed his attitude toward Jesus and became a believer in who Jesus was: the Son of God and Savior of the world. And he did it on his "death bed" and did NOT do any good works, join a church, give money to a charity of church, or even was baptised to be saved!!

Since salvation has to be the same for every person, and there is only one sin that is unforgiven (rejecting the Holy Spirit's convicting you of needing Christ as your Savior), then all others can be forgiven and you can move forward. So for the Unbeliever, it's at the point of Salvation. For the Believer, it's at the point of confession of the sin.

So what is with the teacher? She should not have been fired. But what should be done is for the parents to talk with their kids about what her decisions have been, what she did to overcome them, and where is she now. It's also MOST important the "righteous" or "religious" Chrisitans and others don't smear her for changing her direction. While a judgement may remain for the sin that has been committed, once that judgement is over you're free.

You without sin cast the first stone............. yea, I thought so, you can't throw a stone either because you're a sinner as well.

As it has been stated "broken people" should never be considered "second-class citizens in the family of God" by Southern Baptist evangelist Ted Stone. There are three aspects that most people are not aware of. Judgement, Mercy, and Grace. Judgement is getting what you deserve, Mercy is NOT getting what you deserve, and Grace is getting something you DO NOT deserve.

Your thoughts?

What ARE colleges teaching kids: Windows, but no Mac/Linux

Had dinner tonight with an old friend and he works for a telecom company as a Senior Architect. What he stated is that the kids that have been hired by his company straight out of college are not prepared for the rigors of what he is working with, i.e. they only know Windows and do not know Mac or Linux. The reason: all of the heavier software development is using Sun's Solaris or Linux as their OS of choice and Windows is not capable of doing the things that they do. So it seems to him that the colleges are dumbing down the Computer Science degrees in favor of Windows "usability" rather than the harder aspects of using UNIX versions such as Mac OS X and Linux.

Is this article Toronto high school expels Linux lab you find the same thing happening. But what is interesting is that it seems that schools are cowtowing to the students rather than teacing what the real world is expecting based on this comment: "Worthy, however, said that the Linux lab was more Montgomery’s project than what the students wanted."

Since when are the students running the schools?

But, on the other hand, take a look at what others schools are using: this School Successes article states that Linux is being used more and more to offer those that Windows is priced them out of getting "connected' with the rest of the world.

What you find interesting is that when you look at what Apple has done at Apple Education you find some stark similarities between what Macs and Linux are doing together. They both are UNIX "compatible" if you learned on one or the other.

Is flash of the OS more important than the function?

Your thoughts?

God, Katrina and other disasters, and our moral decline

What I find interesting today is what I read here, Hurricane Katrina: The Prophetic Significance by Dr. David R. Reagan. Then, when you read about Hurricane Katrina Scams and Hurricane Katrina Fraud Task Force homepage you begin to wonder if Dr. Reagan's web page is not a sign of worse judgements to come to our country. When the likes of Enron, WorldCom, and Tyco CEO greed. It states in the Bible that we, both believers and unbelievers are:

"not bold to class or compare ourselves with some of those who commend themselves; but when they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves, they are without understanding" (2 Corinthians 10:12) because doing so will lead us away from God and His Purpose.

When will people listen? When will people quit seeking something that has no value in and of itself? I guess I have to kick off the dust from my shoes and move on to those that might listen elsewhere.

Our Founding Fathers viewpoints of our country

Here are some quotes from some of our country's founding fathers as we near our Nation's Independence Day on July 4th:

"We hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness - That to secure these Rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just Powers from the Consent of the Governed…" -The Declaration of Independence

"The sacred rights of mankind are not to be rummaged for, among old parchments, or musty records. They are written, as with a sun beam in the whole volume of human nature, by the hand of the divinity itself; and can never be erased or obscured by mortal power." -Alexander Hamilton

"We have no government armed with power capable of contending with human passions unbridled by morality and religion...Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other." -John Adams

"Providence has given to our people the choice of their rulers, and it is the duty as well as the privilege and interest of our Christian nation to select and prefer Christians for their rulers." -John Jay, First Chief Justice of the Supreme Court

"Upon my arrival in the United States, the religious aspect of the country was the first thing that struck my attention...The Americans combine the notions of Christianity and of liberty so intimately in their minds, that it is impossible to make them conceive the one without the other." -Alexis de Tocqueville, French Historian

"The religion which has introduced civil liberty, is the religion of Christ and his apostles, which enjoins humility, piety and benevolence; which acknowledges in every person a brother, or a sister, and a citizen with equal rights. This is genuine Christianity, and to this we owe our free constitutions of government." -Noah Webster

"And can the liberties of a nation be thought secure when we have removed their only firm basis, a conviction in the minds of the people that these liberties are of the gift of God? That they are not to be violated but with His wrath? Indeed I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just: that his justice cannot sleep forever." -Thomas Jefferson

"Of all the dispositions and habits, which lead to political prosperity, religion and morality are indispensable supports. Whatever may be conceded to the influence of refined education on minds of peculiar structure, reason and experience both forbid us to expect that national morality can prevail in exclusion of religious principle." -George Washington

"The Almighty God has blessed our land in many ways. He has given our people stout hearts and strong arms with which to strike mighty blows for freedom and truth. He has given to our country a faith which has become the hope of all peoples in an anguished world." -Franklin D. Roosevelt

"The right to freedom being the gift of the Almighty...The rights of the colonists as Christians...may be best understood by reading and carefully studying the institution of The Great Law Giver and Head of the Christian Church, which are to be found clearly written and promulgated in the New Testament." -Samuel Adams

"I am only one, but I am one. I cannot do everything, but I can do something. What I can do, I should do and, with the help of God, I will do!" -Everett Hale, Chaplain of the United States Senate

"Almighty God...I yield thee humble and hearty thanks that thou has preserved me from the danger of the night past, and brought me to the light of the day, and the comforts thereof, a day which is consecrated to thine own service and for thine own honor. Let my heart, therefore, Gracious God, be so affected with the glory and majesty of it, that I may not do mine own works, but wait on thee, and discharge those weighty duties thou requirest of me. Give me grace to hear thee calling on me in thy word, that it may be wisdom, righteousness, reconciliation and peace to the saving of the soul in the day of the Lord Jesus. Grant that I may hear it with reverence, receive it with meekness, mingle it with faith, and that it may accomplish in me, Gracious God, the good work for which thou has sent it. Bless my family, kindred, friends and country, be our God and guide this day and for ever for His sake, who lay down in the Grave and arose again for us, Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen." -From the Prayer Journal of George Washington

"Those people who will not be governed by God will be ruled by tyrants." -William Penn

Question is: do these comments ever make it into our schools textbooks?

Is the rise of Extremist Islam the same as the Old Communism?

After reading this web article Somali Islamists seize checkpoints, demand sharia it seems that there is little difference between Islam's Sharia and Communism's approach to its people: extreme limitation to people's freedoms.

However, when you look at the other exteme of not giving citizens the right to protect themselves as it shows in Belgium in this aritcle “Youths” Kick Man to Death on Crowded Antwerp Bus it shows that governments that don't have the means to which to protect its citizens cause fear. But notice what the paper stated "Three Moroccans, two of whom are minors, were arrested today." While most Moroccans are muslims, these may not be following Islam or follow an extemist viewpoint.

What are the answers?

Call to cancel AOL Account

OK, you've got Vincent Ferrari recording his Customer Service call and trying to cancel his account and according to an AOL spokesperson, the person was fired. Typical corporate baloney. Regardless of the company most larger companies have measurements of how well things are going and those metrics are to help the company, not help the customers. While it may show up in the bottom line in the short term positively, it goes to show in the long term how bad this type of measurement and metrics can hurt a firm, not help it.

Another interesting thing is that there are laws that are on the books that allow for Vincent to record these calls without the other party's consent. According to this web site Can We Tape? it states that journalists can record anything without anything being wrong. This site states:

"Federal law allows recording of phone calls and other electronic communications with the consent of at least one party to the call. A majority of the states and territories have adopted wiretapping statutes based on the federal law, although most also have extended the law to cover in-person conversations. Thirty-eight states and the District of Columbia permit individuals to record conversations to which they are a party without informing the other parties that they are doing so. These laws are referred to as "one-party consent" statutes, and as long as you are a party to the conversation, it is legal for you to record it."

OK, so while most customers are not going to make a phone call and try and snag you into saying something which is bad for you and your company, what this implies is that anyone can call anyone and record their phone call and put it on YouTube or their web site for the whole world to know. So if you work for any company, remember that anyone can record your conversaion without your knowledge and based on the above incident, you could be fired for following "company policy" of "zero tolerance" of something or what not.

Maybe that's why phone calls waiting times get longer and longer? Or just maybe it gets tiring of hearing "I Win, You Lose" attitude from companies.

Oh, and by the way, the reverse is also true. How many customers lie to get out of paying something to a company?

It works both ways!!!!

Al Aqsa official: Jewish temples existed

In what is astounding is that the article Al Aqsa official: Jewish temples existed it states

"Contradicting most of his colleagues, a former senior leader of the Waqf, the Islamic custodians of the Temple Mount, told WorldNetDaily in an exclusive interview he has come to believe the first and second Jewish Temples existed and stood at the current location of the Al Aqsa Mosque.

The leader, who was dismissed from his Waqf position after he quietly made his beliefs known, said Al Aqsa custodians passed down stories for centuries from generation to generation indicating the mosque was built at the site of the former Jewish temples.

He said the Muslim world's widespread denial of the existence of the Jewish temples is political in nature and is not rooted in facts.

The former leader, who is well known to Al Aqsa scholars and Waqf officials, spoke on condition his name be withheld, claiming an on-the-record interview would endanger his life.

There you have it folks, the Islamic religion and culture denies anything or very little about Jewish history. Blame the clerics and extremists for "dumbing down" the Arab people. No different than Galelio being suppressed by the Christian clergy in years gone past.

Statements of facts are one thing, statements of beliefs are another. it is when statements of beliefs are NOT based on facts or half truths that problems arise.

Is the info on the web site "God Hates Fags" really true?

After taking a look at the God Hates Fags web site you begin to wonder: Is what they say 100% true?

Well, as a matter of fact, no. But then again, there are very few people in the world both in the past and into the future that are or will be 100% correct, not even me, because we're all fallible. But, from this perspective there are some that are more accurate and correct than others.

Their web site is more accurate than most in describing God's judgements, but where they fail is in HOW they tell about God's judgement and pervert God's love for each individual. Telling a person that they are destined for Hell is correct in expressing God's judgement, but if you don't talk even more about God's LOVE of the person in order NOT for that person to end up in Hell which is provided by God's Son Jesus Christ then you are failing to preach the gospel according to Jesus Christ.

In their FAQ: Doesn't the Bible say that God loves everyone? they state "No. You are probably thinking of John 3:16, which says no such thing. The word translated "world" in that verse (kosmos) NEVER means every individual of mankind who has ever lived (see, e.g., John 17:9)." While they are very accurate, they miss HOW God loves the World. In John 3:16 "God so LOVED the World" means that God judgement was looking to condemn every individual in the world because of the inherant Sin that is in each of us, but that God's LOVE for each of us He was looking NOT to condemned us by His Judgement but it caused Him to offer HIs Son as a sacrifice for each of our sins. Once Jesus Christ satisfied this Judgement, God is able to OFFER salvation to each of us. But, it is up to each of us to RESPOND this this LOVE and accept His Son's Salvation.

But where they really err really bad is when they discuss the Unforgiveable Sin. In their FAQ Aren't all sins equal in God's eyes? they incorrectly state "What is blasphemy against the Holy Ghost? It is attributing the work of God to Beelzebub." This is 100% false!! In the Bible and God's eyes this is works related, not Grace related. This is a SALVATION passage and it's in regard to the Holy Spirit convicting the person of their need for a Savior in Jesus Christ, both with Judgement in that they are a sinner, but also with LOVE in that He has provided a way for them to be accepted into His family by their belief in what Jesus Christ has done for them. We are to SHARE the gospel and allow the Holy Spirit to CONVICT the person. But understand, God expresses Himself regarding salvation depending on where the individual is coming from. In the story in Luke 17:36-50 Jesus states that the one who is forgiven more will love the forgiver more. The prostitute that feels unloved by God will get much more love from Him than condemnation, however, the arrogant will get more judgement than love to show them that their self-righteousness is never acceptable in His eyes.

Where Churches and Christians go wrong is when the church or Christian through their OWN works (see 1 Cor 3:11-15 under "wood, hay, straw" convicts the person that they need Jesus Christ and not allowing the Holy Spirit to convict them. This results in a false salvation and if the person "leaves the faith" then the Christians or church state "they were not really saved then" which causes irreparable harm with the inaccuracy of their knowledge of the Bible and God.

When they state in their FAQ When it says in the Bible that God is not willing that any should perish, doesn't that mean God wants everyone to be saved? that "It is clear by any plain reading of this verse that the "not willing that any should perish" language is directed at and applies to only a specific group of people, here called the 'us-ward.' " Now the NASB version of the Bible is more accurate by stating "The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance." Yes, God does want everyone to be saved, but not everyone HAS BEEN or WILL BE saved. This reference is not for a select group of people other than the whole world, including the scoffers, and it is intended to show that if they don't come to the conclusion about God's judgement about their own life and sinfulness they WILL perish if they don't make a salvation decision!

Read John 3:16-18 and you'll see that each person is condemned already, but God has provided an answer to your situation. Once you are saved you CANNOT lose your salvation and place in heaven as per 1 Cor 3:11-15 under "If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved". You may lose your rewards that have glorified God, but you will still end up in heaven no matter what you do here on earth.

Does that mean i hate homosexuals? No!! For instance, I don't hate alcoholics, I hate what alcohol does to the person. I don't hate arrogant CEOs, I hate what unbridled power does to a person. I don't hate drug addicts, I hate what drugs does to a person. Judgement is about figuring out right and wrong regarding what a person is doing, love is about how to correct in a way that is meaningful to the person to let go of the addictions they have.

You can also see on YouTube WBC on Fox News 061006 on YouTube describing an encounter with a member of their church.

Writer's being scammed

It is just plain bad business to be be doing this to writers, butt Angela Hoy's article Top 10 Signs You've Been Scammed Into Writing for Free shows the problems of writers and "getting into" the main stream can run into. But this also goes for other writers as well. I've been in touch with Dave Taylor of Ask Dave fame about my book and have not heard from him concerning my book as I, too, want to write a book and showcase my skills. Although he told me after seeing my Table of Contents" that I had a great idea, I needed an Editor to help get things moving along since I have over 118 pages of info already written.

Since it has been since the end of March that I have talked with Dave about my book and have helped him out personally regarding a computer, I'm still eager to see what his comments are concerning my book. He suggested that I contact No Starch Press book publisher, I have to put together a book proposal about my book. I'm working on it and should be done shortly. My purpose of writing the book is to showcare my thought processes and not showcase my writing.

We're moving on.

Entrepreneurs: an MBA at the library?

This is a good article, but it points out the one part that even Bill Gates knows: nothing prepares you for the challenges of building a business than actually doing it for real (he quit Harvard to build Microsoft at the right time). While schools can give you close to real world experience, it's "only simulated" at best and can provide some critical thinking skills.

Iran, what state is it in?

What I find interesting is that Iran is becoming a rather troublesome country. You find that Iran is having trouble at home as well as it's influence abroad in neighboring Iraq. This could spell more trouble for the region which is already unstable, but only time will tell how it will play out.

Viewpoints of: Is the glass half empty of half full?

As I was thinking this morning, I began with just a short view of this issue, but it took on a life of it's own as I began to think of others. Here goes:

Optimist - The glass is half full
Dreamer - We need to find a bigger glass or more glasses
Jesus Christ - “Everyone who drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life." John 14:13-14
Pastor - Drink of the Living Water
Business Owner - I own the glass
Supplier - We need to find more water.
Property Owner - I own the water (lake, stream, pond)
Engineer - Someone didn’t design the glass to specifications
Jack Welch, former GE CEO - My main job was developing talent. I was a gardener providing water and other nourishment to our top 750 people. Of course, I had to pull out some weeds, too.
Environmentalist - how clean is the water?
Scientist - If we freeze the water it becomes ice, if we boil the water it becomes steam.
Hollywood type - Can I have MY Evian bottled water.....
Survivalist - First thing is to find water because we can’t live without water, then find a glass (container) to put it in.
Manufacturer - how is the glass made?
Conservative Politician - the government is not in the business of finding water, let businesses do that.
Liberal Politician - a pitcher of water in every home and the government will get it for you.
Doctor - you need four eight ounces of water to drink daily.
Sahara desert dweller - how far until I get to the next water hole
Astronomer - where can we find water on other planets
Artist - what style or type of glass should hold the water
Waiter - would you like some more water?
W. C. Fields, comedian - You can't trust water: Even a straight stick turns crooked in it.
Traveller - I started out with a full glass …
Desert Traveller - Water, I need water …..
Statistician - .5 * 0 = 0, while .5 * 50% = .25, so the glass is ….
Accountant - why did you spend money on too big a glass?
Manager - We need to budget (ration) this water out
Customer - Where can I get more water
Leonardo da Vinci - Iron rusts from disuse; water loses its purity from stagnation... even so does inaction sap the vigor of the mind.
Worker - I need more water to drink
Blue Collar Worker - I don’t need water, give me some beer!
Government worker - we need to tax more so I can get more water and glasses
Socialist - You need to give some of your water to others, you’re hoarding too much water for yourself.
Pessimist - The glass is half empty
Skeptic - We may not have any more water or glasses to go around
Burglar - I’m going to take your water
Terrorist - I’m not going to let you have any water or any glass
Cynic - There is no more water to fill the glass up and the glass is made of glass and it will break
World View - 1 in 5 people of the world is without adequate drinking water.

So you see, it’s the glass, water, time, and the person viewing it that determine the viewpoint of the glass of water.

Facts about water:

National Geographic: Water Pressure
A Frenchman who can see water beneath the Sahara
The Water Page - The Water Page is an independent initiative dedicated to the promotion of sustainable water resources management and use. A particular emphasis is placed on the development, utilisation and protection of water in Africa and other developing regions.

US Media: Liberal or Too Liberal with Islam?

My wife and I watched the movie "Good Night and Good Luck" about Edward R. Murrow's "discussion" and op-ed pieces regarding Sen. McCarthy's hunt for communists in all sorts of places showed how fabricated McCarthy's sensabilities were about communism, but had shown how McCarthy had taken fear beyond what was realistic. However, after viewing the movie I've come to conclusion that today's media no longer carries along tje tradition as Murrow has established.

As seen on Dr. Salah Sultan's web site, who is president of the American Center for Islamic Research (ACIR), shows that the US media has not picked up on someone who is living right under American's noses and is expressing hatred for Americans. Why? In fact, Dr. Sultan's resume, which I was able to download on his english side of his web site states "• Vision: To live happily. To die as a martyr. To meet the beloved ones in the Paradise of the Lord of the heaven and the earth." which you can download and see for yourself.

While free speech is protected by our Constitution, I wonder if those that teach others to yell "Fire!'" in a crowded movie theater when there is no fire but DOES cause harm to others is prosecutable? As is used on the Internet, IANAL (I Am Not A Lawyer) but I'd keep a close eye on Dr. Sultan, because he's one to incite others to action in his comments.

I believe in Ronald Reagen's approach: Trust, but Verify!

Self Esteem: performance or encouragement?

Was in a discussion last night with my father and sister-in-law about kids in school today and the subject about kids self-esteem. My father's comment was that "kids learn self esteem from performance, not being told their good at things." My sister-in-law spoke about the same thing, but I began to wonder about the whole discussion and wondered if the performance thing is only one part of a kids self esteem?

It also belongs on the argument of kids: are they nature or nurture grown in regards their talent, skills, and experiences?

Just look at the number of kids that are troubled because of alcoholic parents. Is this performance related? Or how about motivating sports teams, at that point is probably no longer encouragement esteem but performance esteem.

Bottom line: I think it's a mixture of both nature and nurture regarding how kids grow up and it has to be age appropriate encouragement and performance. But it's also about motivating an adult. While performance at work is probably self motivating, it's still about motivating everyone so that they can perform to their fullest.

Is Islam the problem or is it's interpretation? What does the Bible say?

After reading this online article called Part of me died when I saw this cruel killing that describes a Iraqi woman journalist that was well respected and followed her heart to unite the Iraqi people around the good that they offered was brutally murdered "in the name of Allah" by the evil, fearful and oppressive Al-Qaeda and Taliban Islamic fundamentalists. The real question is; are the Taliban and Al-Qaeda approach to Islam a poor or wrong interpretation of the Quran (Koran)?

After viewing this site The Middle East Media Research Institute's Inquiry and Analysis Series - No. 273 about the reforms needed to take place in Islam it makes you wonder if such ideas and reforms are possible. After looking at this site Jihad Watch about the more subversive approach Islam works toward is it any wonder that they've chosen a different path using the same "thought-action-habit-character-destiny" approach by the more negative side of hate than of love. But why?

John 3:16-18: For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.

But of more importance is where is this evil all leading us to?

What even most Christians think is that, or the lack thereof, is the more liberal slant of Chritianity: we all want peace and we've created this problem! This includes those Christians that believe that the Sermon on the Mount and what the rest of the Gospels teach us are for us today. There are two basic problems with both the "where is evil leading us" and "Love and Peace is what Jesus teaches us to do in His Kingdom now" views of the more liberal churches.

1. Based on the above Bible verses Man has the capacity to do evil as well as "good" especially under the guidance of Satan, but these Muslims choose evil rather than good "in the name of Allah". When you constantly hear that most Muslims are against Israel while the Bible states that Israel is His Chosen nation, those that are against Israel are against God (In the future a Muslim army will attack Israel and be slaughtered by God supernaturally).

2. But when you look the Bible Prophecy you see a different story, especially when you read the book of Revelation. While the book has 22 chapters, chapters 4-19 contain some of the worse judgements to happen to the world since the Great Flood during Noah's time. If you'd like to understand more, read Events of the Second Coming which describes an overview of what will happen during these chapters in Revelation while Terms To Know describes some of the key terms that explain End Times prophecies.

Based on the original story, it would seem that religion is becoming much more pronounced and counterfeit to what the Bible states: that religion changes man from the outside in while in true Chritianity the Holy Spirit changes a man from the inside out and in the name of religion let's kill those that go against our beliefs.

So, the sequence of events in the future are:

The Great Apostacy - where even Christians will leave the Chritian church to follow counterfeit religons, including Islam, Buddism, and Hinduism, no matter how sincere they are and the rise of terror and evil.
The Great Tribulation - where about 1/2 to 3/4 of the world's population will be killed
The Battle of Armagedon - where Believers and Jesus Christ will come to kill the last remaining unbelievers to set the stage of the Millenium
The Millenium - where there will be 1000 years of peach with Jesus Christ establishing His Kindgon here on earth with no wars or any of the current health problems.

If you'd like to know more about up and coming events in more detail, see Charting the End Times by Tim LaHaye and Thomas Ice who give a graphic example of what is to happen in sequence, but not with date and time stamps.

If you need more answers, post the questions, I don't want you to be left behind and neither does God! He loves you enough to provide a way out of your dilema.

UPDATE 5/8/06: It seems that the video of the murder of the Iraqi journalist is a hoax per Atwar Bahjat horror story [UPDATE: it's a hoax.]. Goes to show that even bad AND news in error travels fast!!

But the bottom line on the video and pictures: who would STILL do such a thing? Only EVIL people!!

UPDATE 05/23/2006: Well here is a link to a story"This is a Saudi textbook. (After the intolerance was removed.)" that what I state above is closer to reality than even I thought.

Who owns your data?

One of the things that has bothered me is the fact that as Stephen Nipper writes in "Five things I would do differently if I started blogging today"> that most "free" things are not free, but can be costlly if you allow them the "free" part to continue if things ever get bigger than you considered it.

His first online comments about blogging is "portability, portability, portability" of which I say data retention, data retention, data retenion!! So the question becomes: who hosts or owns your data? If you read Stephen's comments about trying to get his data out of his blog hosting, it basically gone. Same with any other hosting company that web hosts your information. So, if you're a company that uses a web hosting of your data, I'd be very wary of how has the data versus who owns the data. Data now becomes a property thing and if someone hosts your data, someone else can get access to it without your knowledge or input.

BLOGGING

Wow, just read Guy Kawasaki's blog and got some good info about how to do it better under his title "The 120 Day Wonder: How to Evangelize a Blog." I really like Guy's writings and enjoy his insights.

What sites he recommended were Feedburner which actually turns your blog into an RSS feed which you can use NetNewsWire (on Macs) to track RSS feeds and Feedblitz for adding emailing services to your blog. Cool stuff.

A Dangerous Business: Morality at it's lowest

This Frontline program called A Dangerious Business aired a few years ago, but the affects are still being felt today. See the updates to the program.

It's along the lines of Enron, Tyco, and WorldCom, it's a moral thing. The sad part is that most vendors and customers will still do business with a company with this sort of morals rather than "shaming them" into better business behaviors.

Oh, and by the way, when you read the transcripts of the program, read what they state about ACIPCO, same business, different culture, better company!!

Success or Significance?

One of the things that I find when talking with others is whether they are looking for success or significance. What's the difference? Success is finding your own way of getting ahead in life and only thinking of yourself, but with significance is about you AND others that are around you. It's one thing to think about youself, but if you fail to consider others so that it's not a Win/Lose proposition, such as you win and the other loses, but one where it becomes a Win/Win situaion where both you and someone else you associated with gets ahead with being associated with you.

So, next time you are around someone, make sure that you are each encouraging to each other in a way that benefits both of you. It's OK to be corrective, but don't be condenscending or overly critical so that you kill someone's motivation. As the Bible points out in 1 Corinthians 13:1-3:

If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have {the gift of} prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. And if I give all my possessions to feed {the poor,} and if I surrender my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing.

You can't give to others what you don't have, so if you can't love yourself, you can't love others. Loving yourself is getting to know what God has created in you, but loving others means seeing what God has made them to be and what they are to accomplish.

As Mother Teresa stated: You can't judge others when you are loving them!!

Linux goes into the Public sector in Steamboat Springs Colorado

In this article Linux taken for a ride in the Old West gives some details about how Steamboat Springs, Colorado is transitioning from Windows to Linux both in the server and in the desktop because of the costs associated with some proprietary software and gives another reason why Open Source software is gaining ground.

The biggest problem is for Open Source to get traction is getting the word out that it works.

iPod Cross Platform: Windows and Mac

As one who has used computers since 1984 and run Windows, Mac, and Linux the one thing that has been most interesting is cross platform issues. Most interesting is that most people I have talked with are not taking advantage of all of the features of a given hardware/software solution.

My wife left the Windows world in her career of real estate a few years back when she saw the various programs and uses of the Mac in her industry. Recently my wife, who is is becoming a geek chick if I ever saw one became fully aware of the iPods full capability: it's not only an MP3 player, but it's a "flash/hard drive" as well.

But, being in a real estate office that is mostly filled with Windows and a few Mac agents she has concerns with being able to get things done in a Windows environment. When she realized that the iPod is also a "flash/hard drive" and is able to carry all types of Word, Excel, Powerpoint and other files with her without carrying her laptop she was excited about the possiblities. However, after I confirmed that the Mac iPod "hard drive" could not be accessed by a Windows computer I had to see what solutions were available.

Enter MacDrive 6 by Mediafour. This product, once loaded on a Windows computer, allows a Mac formatted iPod "hard drive" to be accessed on a Windows computer. Now the question is: what about Windows > Mac "hard drive" via Macs OS X Windows sharing AND flash drive iPods.

I'll let you know what I find out about this answer.

iWork: Pages and Keynote web sites

Here you go with some web sites for Apple's iWork

iWork Community:

iWorkcommunity.com

Pages:

PagesUser.com

Keynote:

Keynoteuser.com
Keynoteadventurer.com
KeynoteHQ.com

As I find more sites I'll update this blog.

Creating Sales is like being a farmer....

you have to plant some seeds before you can harvest!!

I was recently talking with a business person and we got on to the subject of sales and his ONLY comment was:

What are your Sales numbers?

While I don't disagree that sales numbers show results and results are what matters, what HE failed to realize is that results come from activity to produce numbers and results. You can't find out how much a farmer harvests unless you know how much he plants and how much he "maintains" his field in preparation for planting and the next step of planting in search of getting more of a harvest. So, in more detail:

Field Preparation + Planting + Plant Maintenance = Harvest

Same goes for business, but with different terminology:

Planning + Designing + Marketing = Sales

Poor leaders focus on EITHER one or the other side. POOR workers focus on EITHER side as well. Good leaders AND good workers will notice BOTH sides of the equation rather than only on one side, results OR process.

So, next time you are talking with a person whether that person is a business owner or a person who works for someone else, listen to how they measure themselves or how they are measured or even how they've been measured.

If a leader states "I don't care how you do it but reach this number or you'll be ...." is a VERY POOR leader because they fail to understand HOW their business will GROW!! It shows that they will NOT be able to duplicate what has been done.

If a worker states "I don't care how I do it but I have to reach this number or I'll be ..." it shows that the worker is willing to possibly swap out ethical behavior with something less truthful.

In both cases we've seen how Enron, Tyco, and other companies bow to pressure to perform and begin to perform unethically.

If you take care of your customers, they care about how you perform, Wall Street can take a hike.

Free software posted on a Commercial Web site

Here's a neat example of a company that is concerned with their customers, Bare Bones Software has a section of their web site that lists free software on the Mac. Nothing is more important to me starting a business than finding free or low cost software to get my tasks and jobs done. But what is really nice is the fact that here's a company that that lists it on their web site. Good job in my view.

This should be a suggestion for every commercial web site that sells products, placing links to free software that either helps with your products or that you find that have been helpful to you.

Golden Rules: Here are some, what are yours?

I was glancing at this site about "49 Golden Rules" by CEOs and thought this interesting. But the real question is: how many companies work it?

As W. Edwards Deming stated once: "I don't know of any employee that walks into their work with an attitude of 'I'm going to really screw up today.' "

What do you think?

iPods: Maintaining them and finding answers

My wife has an iPod mini that I got for her less than a year ago and she's been having an issue with it. But after going to Apple's Support web site or the iPod Support site and the iPod Updater Software web site I realized that my wife had not updated her iPod software since she got it last year. But another thing happened that I was not aware of: that by using the Mac "Software Update" I had actually automatically downloaded all of the iPod Updater software that was located under the Applications > Utilities > iPod Updater folder and when I checked this folder all of the updates to the iPod software were there. Wow!! And I thought I had to download the newest version each time one came out.

The other part was that the "Five R's" do work. Fortunately, my wife's issue was not a hardware issue but a software one which, for those that have been around computers for any length of time, most of the time issues are with software and not hardware. This means that you can do things at home and not have to call your friends and visit an Apple technician.

So, my wife is happy again with her iPod and I learned something new today.

Company Metrics: Measurement for the Company or measuring for the Customer?

Recently I was discussing measurements with a QA professional friend of mine and we got into the a discussion about metrics, or the measurement of something. Most companies today have begun measuring productivity of each BU (Business Unit) in terms of various metrics, but just like the ISO 9000 of old, just because you have a measurement does NOT mean you have customer satisfaction. Just because you have a process documented does not mean you have customer satisfaction. Just because you have a measurement does not mean you get customer satisfaction.

In most QA circles (such as American Society for Quality) there are two terms that are discussed: outcomes and output. Outputs are what you produce based on the defined process, outcomes are what you want, the goals that you define. However, if you define a metric of only what management wants and not what the customer wants or do not take into account what a customer wants you'll drive your customers away while patting yourself on the back as far as your metric goes.

In the past I worked for one company that made sure you did a certain percentage of transactions through BU "A" of the company because it affected the bottom line and payroll of each of the BUs when in reality the customers got better service in BU "A" because of the newer and faster machines. While the customer's wanted the faster service, the metric of management kept certain customer's waiting longer, thus making some of them go elsewhere.

On the other hand, when I was having a discussion with another computer user over the use of Windows, Mac, and Linux the one thing the person asked was "what about getting 24 hour support for Macs while I may not get any for Linux but where I can with Windows." The one part that most people don't understand from this person's or company's "metric" is that having 24/7 support for the product they buy can be had for probably a price and while it may indicate "high quality customer service," it may also be indicative of a poor product quality! With a high quality product you won't have to call anyone because there are no issues to resolve.

Or, you can also relate that a customer's view that "you're having more tech support calls" means that you're having a product quality but could really mean that you've sold more of your product.

The same goes for measuring an employees performance. Many a metric that has been established to measure a manager's performance actually hinders an employees chance for advancement. If a manager has a good employee who keeps a metric high and the employee wants to advance, the manager might dissuade the employee to stay just to keep their metric high while preventing the employee's real talent to shine in a promotion. The manager's manager might look at the "metric" and see that if it goes down that either the person was "promoted," a positive outcome, or "quit", a negative outcome, because of a failure of the employee to advance in the company.

Make sure that the metric you use is based on reality and customer feedback and not following "Enronish" expectations. For those that think that no one is watching them and can get away with doing bad things either to their customers or their employees or others, just remember that God is measuring your output as indicated by in 1 Corinthians 3:4-8.

Off today, doing some writing and thinking

I'm off today from my regular job and getting into writing my book. Came a cross a number of sites that added information to my book:

Marc's Outlook on Productivity
apennyfor.com

I'll be back with more, I'm still looking....

Update 1/23/2006: I never did finish this, but hopefully the links wills spark some new ones when I have the time.

Added use for iPods: Kids Emergency Info/Medical Source

When I do my computer writing, software updating, and all around thinking about computers I come up with ideas that can be helpful to others. Well, while I was updating my wifes iPod with the newest Apple iPod Updater for all iPods, I was reviewing my wifes iPod Mini and came up with a thought for parents who get their iPods for their kids:

Place your kids emergency medical and contact information information on your kids iPod so that it's easy for those around during an emergency to be able to respond quickly and appropriately.

Since most kids carry their iPods with them most anywhere, especially with their friends, it's easy to find the information.

Any comments?

Hope this helps someone's kid at some point.