TOPIC: How many MPG does your primary vehicle get?
More than 50 mpg (less than 4.70 L/100km)		1%
40-50 mpg (4.70-5.88 L/100km)		2%
30-40 mpg (5.88-7.84 L/100km)		14%
20-30 mpg (7.84-11.76 L/100km)		45%
15-20 mpg (11.76 - 15.68 L/100km)		24%
15 mpg (11.76 - 23.52 L/100km) or less		10%
Do not know/Not Applicable		1%
Total votes: 30753

Poll supplied by GasBuddy.com /SouthCarolinaGasPrices.com

I wonder if this is a representative sampling of all US vehicle owners. I would venture a guess that it is. If so, then we are finally buying more fuel efficient vehicles. That's the good news. The disappointing statistic is that 34% (10,456) of vehicle owners polled still have automobiles and SUVs that get less than 20mpg.
Folks, Venezuela is becoming an arch enemy of the US, yet we still buy more than one million barrels of oil a day from that rogue state. Isnt' it time to change both our driving habits AND our vehicles? Those Excursions, Expeditions, F350s, Hummers and other gas guzzling behemoths need to be parked in leiu of more fuel efficient (not to mention safer for everyone around) vehciles. Don't just think this one over, folks. It's past time to ACT! At the very least, we all need to make sure our vehicle's engine is tuned, our tires are properly inflated and the filters are clean. Those things can result in as much as an 8% increase in gas mileage -- saving ALL of us dollars and the earth from more environmental problems.

TOPIC: Talking Veggies Stir Controversary at NBC
I just read a stirring FOXNews.com article. Here is the article... along with my comments and a public statement from Big Idea:

Bob the Tomato and Larry the Cucumber always had a moral message in their long-running "VeggieTales" video series. But now that the vegetable stars have hit network television, they can't speak as freely as they once did, and that's got the Parents Television Council steamed. The conservative media-watchdog group issued a statement Wednesday blasting NBC, which airs "VeggieTales," for editing out some references to God from the children's animated show. "What struck me and continues to strike me is the inanity of ripping the heart and soul out of a successful product and not thinking that there will be consequences to it," said L. Brent Bozell, president of the Parents Television Council. "The series is successful because of its biblical world view, not in spite of it."
That's the signature to VeggieTales. VeggieTales is a collection of animated home videos for children that encourage moral behavior based on Christian and biblical principles. More than 50 million copies have been sold since 1993, according to Big Idea Inc., which produces the series. Two weeks ago, NBC began airing 30-minute episodes of "VeggieTales" on Saturday mornings. The show was edited to comply with the network's broadcast standards, said NBC spokeswoman Rebecca Marks.
"Our goal is to reach as broad an audience as possible with these positive messages while being careful not to advocate any one religious point of view," she said. "VeggieTales" creator Phil Vischer, who was responsible for readying episodes for network broadcast, said he didn't know until just weeks before the shows were to begin airing that non-historical references to God and the Bible would have to be removed. Had he known how much he'd have to change the show — including Bob and Larry's tagline, "Remember kids, God made you special and he loves you very much," that concludes each episode — Vischer said he wouldn't have signed on for the network deal.
"I would have declined partly because I knew a lot of fans would feel like it was a sellout or it was done for money," he said, adding that "there weren't enough shows that could work well without those (religious) references." All programs set to air on NBC must meet the network's broadcast standards, said Alan Wurtzel, a broadcast standards executive. "VeggieTales" was treated the same as any other program, he said. "There's a fine line of universally accepted religious values," he said. "We don't get too specific with any particular religious doctrine or any particular religious denomination." Vischer said he understands the network's position. "`VeggieTales is religious, NBC is not," he said. "I want to focus people more on `Isn't it cool that Bob and Larry are on television.'" Marks said the network is "committed to the positive messages and universal values" of the show and expects "VeggieTales" to continue airing.
But Bozell isn't satisfied. "If NBC is so concerned about that four-letter-word God, then they shouldn't have taken `VeggieTales'," he said. "This just documents the disconnect between Hollywood and the real world."

I completely agree with Bozell. The signature of Veggie Tales is the Christian message. That message is the reason Veggie Tales has been so successful. It's sad that NBC regularly allows words like b1tch, @ss, d@mn, and even the f-word now and then. BUT, God and His Holy Word are not allowed. How ludiscrous!
Big Idea seems to think otherwise. A statement on their website says,

"When we were presented with the opportunity to reach a mass television audience, we knew that certain religious references would not be allowed on a children's block under current TV network guidelines. And we recognized that we were not going to change the rules of network television overnight. In light of this, 'Can Big Idea continue to fulfill its mission of enhancing the spiritual and moral fabric of society through creative media?' became the question we had to answer. Can VeggieTales make a difference on Saturday morning? We think so."

TOPIC: Laden alive and healthy: Pakistani intelligence

Pakistani intelligence circles have strongly refuted a French newspaper report claiming that al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden had died of typhoid in the country some time between August 23 and September 4 this year. “Based on the information gleaned from several arrested al-Qaeda and Taliban leaders, we can say with authority that Osama bin Laden, his deputy Ayman Al Zawahiri and the former Taliban chief Mullah Mohammad Omar are very much alive and in good health,” said a senior intelligence official in Rawalpindi.
“We are sure that bin Laden is hiding somewhere between Afghanistan and Pakistan,” he said. “We believe that his deputy sometimes moves back and forth between the two with the help of Mullah Omar and his associates.” The intelligence official said that even the American intelligence sleuths stationed in Pakistan are convinced that the al-Qaeda leader and his deputy are well and hiding somewhere on the Pak-Afghan border. “And they are trying to hunt him down,” the official said.

Further word on the possible death of Usama Bin Laden comes via The Houston Chronicle...

Saudi Arabia's Interior Ministry offered no details. "I've heard the reports, but I have no information at all. I have no idea," spokesman Mansour al-Turki told The Associated Press. In Washington, Blair Jones, a presidential spokesman, said the White House could not confirm the report's accuracy. But two U.S. intelligence officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue, said U.S. agencies had no information to suggest bin Laden was dead or dying.

A senior official in Afghanistan's Foreign Ministry said he was very skeptical of the document, noting past false reports of the death of bin Laden. He declined to let his name be used because he was not authorized to discuss the issue publicly. Pakistan's Foreign Ministry spokesman, Tasnim Aslam, called the information "speculative," saying his government had no information on bin Laden.

TOPIC: Probe into 'Bin Laden death' leak
The BBC is reporting something shocking this morning. Here is the article from BBCNews.com:

President Jacques Chirac has ordered an inquiry into the leak of a French secret service memo claiming that Osama Bin Laden had died. Mr Chirac told reporters he was surprised the memo had been leaked, and refused to comment on the claim itself.
A French newspaper quoted a document as saying the Saudi secret services were convinced the al-Qaeda leader had died of typhoid in Pakistan in late August. Officials in Pakistan and the US said they could not confirm the account. Saudi-born Bin Laden was based in Afghanistan until the Taleban government there was overthrown by US-backed forces in 2001 after the 9/11 attacks.
Since then, US and Pakistani officials have regularly said they believe he is hiding in the lawless border area between Afghanistan and Pakistan. His last videotaped message was released in late 2004, but several audio tapes have been released this year - the last at the end of June, in which Bin Laden praised Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the leader of al-Qaeda in Iraq, who was killed in an American air strike.
In its report, French regional daily L'Est Republicain said it had obtained a copy of a DGSE foreign intelligence service report dated 21 September. "According to a usually reliable source, the Saudi services are now convinced that Osama Bin Laden is dead," it read. "The information gathered by the Saudis indicates that the head of al-Qaeda fell victim, while he was in Pakistan on August 23, 2006, to a very serious case of typhoid that led to a partial paralysis of his internal organs."
Mr Chirac said: "I am surprised that a confidential memo from the secret services has been published, therefore I've ordered the defence minister to start an inquiry. As far as the information itself is concerned, it's not confirmed in any way. Therefore I have no comment at all."
The Washington-based IntelCenter, which monitors terrorism communications, said it was not aware of any similar reports on the internet. "We've seen nothing from any al-Qaeda messaging or other indicators that would point to the death of Osama Bin Laden," director Ben Venzke told the Associated Press news agency.

TOPIC: IE Bug Can Be Exploited Via E-Mail
Just previewing a message could result in a computer hijacked by a bot or loaded with adware, spyware, or other malicious code, a researcher says.

By Gregg Keizer / TechWeb

Exploits against the unpatched vulnerability in Microsoft's Internet Explorer are increasing and attackers are gathering momentum, researchers said Thursday. They warned that the problem would become worse if cyber criminals attack via e-mail next. "It might come to nothing, but it feels like a storm's coming," said Roger Thompson, the chief technology officer at Exploit Prevention Labs. "The potential is there. Call it a storm watch, not a storm warning."
At least two different exploits have appeared this week, said Thompson, one linked to the Russian-made hacker exploit kit called WebAttacker, the other posted early Thursday on the xSec gray-hat vulnerability research site. That second exploit can launch remote code without using JavaScript, as did the original inserted in the WebAttacker kit; it's more dangerous for that reason. "The xSec exploit doesn't work as posted," said Thompson. "It only crashes the browser. But it looks like it would be easy to turn it into a working exploit."
Worse, the current attack vector -- malicious Web sites that infect only those who happen to view one of their pages -- may be replaced by a wide scale attack carried out by e-mail, said Ken Dunham, the director of iDefense's rapid response team. "The newest exploit works with e-mail," said Dunham. "We took the newest version of Outlook, all patched, and the exploit crashed it." With some help from iDefense researchers, however, the exploit was able to execute other code. That means e-mail clients that preview HTML messages using the IE rendering engine are at risk. Just previewing a message could result in a computer hijacked by a bot or loaded with adware, spyware, or other malicious code. "You would be attacked immediately, as soon as the preview is rendered," said Dunham.
Dunham's surer than Thompson that the VML vulnerability will soon explode. "It's imminent. I would not be surprised if a small number of e-mails were already being sent to companies or governments."
"It would be nice if Microsoft released a patch," he added. But there are no indications that Microsoft will break from its regular security update schedule, which is set to release fixes on October 12th, two-and-a-half weeks away. For Dunham, it wouldn't be a stretch to assume that slick, sophisticated cyber criminals will target specific organizations -- companies, universities, and government agencies -- with e-mail infections. "There are people out there with a military or state or political agenda. They have targets, and they've identified those targets. All they're doing is looking for a way to compromise those computers."
The motivation? One of the oldest in the book: Money. "There is a market in the underground for corporate or government secrets," said Dunham. "An attack [like this] could even threaten a country's national security."

Isn't it time we all switched from Internet Explorer to a more secure browser? Website authors should stop forcing us to use IE6 and get smart -- or they may be left in the dust cloud of vulnerabilities and malware. The root of the problem lies with Microsoft, though. They are to blame for the holes that plague Internet Explorer. Microsoft is the ONLY ONE that can fix the problem -- yet they constantly choose to put bandaids on a gaping wound. I don't want government interference in Internet matters, so maybe it's time large private sectors companies and public interest groups started putting TONS of pressure on Microsoft.
Personally, I use Firefox 99% of the time and Internet Explorer only on sites that require it. Even then, I send nastygrams to the webmaster telling them how shortsighted and insecure their websites are for forcing IE use. THINK it over and then ACT folks. It's high time Microsoft's feet was held to the fire.

TOPIC: Experts Say "Tie Doctors' Pay to Quality"
As a hospital employee, I was very glad to see the following article on WebMD.com:

Anyone who makes a living in sales knows about incentives: The better you do your job, the more money you earn. But chances are your doctor has never encountered that equation. He or she probably gets paid for whatever tests, diagnoses, or treatments are delivered, regardless of whether they are the right ones.
That could soon change, if a growing number of policy makers get their way. Increasingly, economists, researchers, and federal health officials are getting behind the idea of tying doctors' fees to how effectively and efficiently they do their jobs, and how well the care they deliver adheres to the best scientific data. Some private health companies have already begun offering doctors incentives for closely following standards in treating ailments like heart disease or diabetes.

This is great news! For at least three decades, physicians have pretty much had the attitude that they deserve to be rich; that YOU must wait on them and that they are superior to everyone with whom they work. [I know the last one first hand as I have dealt w/ doctors off & on for almost two decades now.]
While this is a stereotypical characterization, it is true of a large part of the M.D. population. Medicare and insurance companies should force doctors to actually perform better in order to get paid. Welcome news!

Read the entire article here.

TOPIC: FDA Updates Warning on Contraceptive Patch - Risk of blood clots in legs, lungs prompts label change for Ortho Evra patch

Article by Steven Reinberg
HealthDay Reporter

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said Wednesday that it has updated the label on the Ortho Evra birth-control patch, warning that some women who use the product face a higher risk of blood clots.
The label revision came after the final results of a study, commissioned by the drug's maker, Johnson and Johnson, found that users face twice the risk of clots in the legs and lungs than women taking traditional birth-control pills. But a second study, also commissioned by Johnson and Johnson, found no difference in risk between the patch and the pill. "Even though the results of the two studies are conflicting, the results of the second epidemiology study support FDA's concerns regarding the potential for Ortho Evra use to increase the risk of blood clots in some women," the FDA said in a statement on its Web site.
"Blood clots occurring in the legs or lungs are serious and rare events that are a potential risk for all hormonal contraceptive therapies," Dr. Daniel Shames, the acting deputy director of FDA's Office of Drug Evaluation in the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, told a press conference.
Read the entire article here - especially if you're using the patch now. There are a lot of considerations when thinking about contraception. Here's a link to a book that may help each married couple make the best decision for their family: The Contraception Guidebook: Options, Risks, and Answers

TOPIC: Internet / Computer History - 11 Years Ago
In response to growing public interest in the Internet, Microsoft created an add-on to the Windows 95 operating system called Internet Explorer in September, 1995. The Internet Explorer 1.0 web browser was developed from a licensed copy of the Spyglass Mosaic browser. At the time of Internet Explorer's release, Microsoft's browser competitor Netscape had almost 80% of the entire web browser market.

TOPIC: Audio Adrenaline - My Fav Band
Have you ever heard of them? If you like "hard-driving" rock-n-roll, you probably have heard of AudioA. They are an excellent band, with HUGE talent and small egos. They play small and large venues and never disappoint the audience. Audio Adrenaline is not a hard rock or metal band. They are PURE rock -- with a positive message.
My favorite CDs from Audio Adrenaline are:
Underdog
Bloom
Hit Parade
If you just want to get a taste of the band, check out: Adios - Greatest Hits .

QOTD: Beginning today, treat everyone you meet as if they were going to be dead by midnight. Extend them all the care, kindness and understanding you can muster. Your life will never be the same again. -- Og Mandino

TOPIC: The War on Terror -- Interrogations Should Be Harsh
Bill O'Reilly is a very outspoken person. His FOXNews show is highly rated by many on the right -- and publicly ridiculed by all of the left. I agree with him on many points and disagree with him on some. His Sunday Talking Points segment, Why USA Will Lose War on Terror if Things Don't Change, offers a good apologetic on why we MUST be able to interrogate prisoners of the war on terror -- without pussy-footing around with them.

"America's fighting a barbaric enemy whose entire strategy is to commit atrocities. That's all the terrorists do: commit crimes. And many misguided Americans believe we cannot even interrogate these people harshly when lives are at stake.
It is absolutely impossible to keep America safe by affording captured terrorists name, rank, and jihad number. For all the false accusations that the USA is a torture nation, there have only been a handful of cases where water boarding and other harsh measures were approved. Right now in Guantanamo Bay, detainees are allowed eight hours of sleep, three meals a day, two hours of outside exercises daily, and a bevy of entertainment and religious options.
For our trouble, the detainees throw bodily fluids at our guards hundreds of times a year. And there have been 90 stabbings by the captives, including an American doctor who was trying to save a detainee's life. Military doctors in Gitmo now wear body armor when examining detainees. So once again, it comes down to theory versus reality. The terrorists can do anything. We can't do much.
Senator John McCain and others believe if we go further than intense conversation, our soldiers will be in jeopardy if captured. Well, Senator McCain knows better than anyone else. They already are, as the senator was brutally tortured by the North Vietnamese, who had signed the Geneva Convention. A few months ago, two American soldiers were captured in Iraq. They were sliced to death with machetes, photographed, and their bodies displayed on the Internet. If military people do capture those suspected of doing that, they now can't use any techniques other than conversation. Let's call it, 'we'll ask, don't tell.'
As Talking Points stated Thursday night, President Bush is correct in asking for legal authority to use coercive interrogation methods in selective cases. The most noble thing in the world is saving lives. Sometimes harsh measures are needed to do that."

I couldn't agree more. I believe there can be a balance between the Geneva Convention rules and harsh interrogations. We must be able to push the terrorists HARD in order to get information that will save lives. The kind of abuse that took place in Abu Graib is unacceptable. However, there are other methods that can and should be used to help win the war on terror. Make no mistake, if we go easy on terrorists, we will reap the harvest of their hatred and wraith.

TOPIC: Driving & Cell phones -- A Dangerous Combination
Reuters reports...

California has banned motorists from talking on cell phones unless they use a headset or speakerphone. The law will not take effect until July 1, 2008, to allow time to educate the public.
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who signed the measure, urged Californians not to wait until then to put down their phones while driving, citing government data showing those who held their phones while driving were involved in 15 times more accidents than those with hands-free setups.
"The simple fact is that it is really dangerous to talk on a cell phone and drive at the same time," Schwarzenegger said. "It's very important for people to know ... stop using the cell phone right now, because you are putting people at risk."

I know this to be 100% true -- especially for women and teens. OK, I know that was a cheauvanistic remark, but true nonetheless. Many (NOT all) women have their cell phones glued to their ears the entire time they're in the car. Worse yet, inexperienced kids -- who don't really know how to drive in the first place -- slumped back in their little ricers; racing around with cell phones stuck to their faces. No wonder women and kids have the highest accident rates in the nation.
I can't tell you how many near misses I've witnessed that included people talking on cell phones and not paying attention to the 3000 lb. vehicle they are piloting. PUT THE CELL PHONE DOWN AND DRIVE! If you truly need to talk while driving, buy a $10 headset or Bluetooth and keep BOTH hands on the wheel! It's a no-brainer folks.

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TOPIC: Violent Irony
I'm sitting here watching SpikeTV this Sunday afternoon. The TV was left on Spike after two episodes of Star Trek:TNG. "Video Justice, crime caught on tape" #1 and #2 were just on. How ironic that VJ talked about the violence of criminals, as though its source is not understood. Throughout the program were commercials showing The Russian Specialist -- a very violent movie, along with commercials for The Ultimate Fighter 4 -- an extreme fighting, pseudo-reality show.
It's ironic that the producers on SpikeTV offer a show that reports on violence as a serious topic -- including the ramifications of the crimes committed. Then, they show commercials of Dolph Lungren shooting people while the dub-over asks, "What's he specialize in?" Second voice sarcastically says, "Killing people, I guess".
On one hand, SpikeTV shows how serious crime is through the lens of video cameras. On the other hand, SpikeTV touts television shows, movies and games that are extremely violent -- as though the two have nothing to do with each other. Sickening!

TOPIC: Why should the Pope apologize?
I see absolutely NO reason why the Pope should apologize to Muslims. He QUOTED someone else and that person's writings. He made excellent, true and correct points about Islam. He said what needed to be said -- what many people are afraid to say.
On the other hand, a world news service reported "Two churches were set on fire in the West Bank on Sunday, a day after Muslims hurled firebombs and fired guns at four other West Bank churches and one in the Gaza Strip to protest the pope's comments."
WHO SHOULD APOLOGIZE? It's more than clear that MUSLIMS are the ones who should apologize. It's their hatred, violence and discrimination that is leading to so many problems in the current world politic.

TOPIC: The Browser Wars
George Jones (no, not that one) and Valerie Potter of InformationWeek published an excellent article on the ongoing saga of Internet browser wars. Here's an excerpt and a link to the entire article: "Ever since Netscape took on Mosaic in 1994, companies have been duking it out for domination in the browser marketplace. We relive the biggest and best of the great browser battles."
FWIW, I definitely disagree with Mr. Jones and Ms. Potter on the winner of Round 4. IF Netscape had not won that round, it would not have been a multi-million dollar company offering a completely free browser. Netscape clearly won the Round 4 battle.
Also, in my opinion, Firefox won Round 5. IW's assessment: "The Winner: Depends on how you measure it: Firefox leads in features and security, but IE still commands the lion's share of the market." If IE had won, Firefox would be relegated to a very small and singularly interested group of Linux enthusiasts. Instead, Firefox now commands at least 8% of the browser market, with more people switching or casually using Firefox every day.

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TOPIC: Microsoft Unveils the Zune
Rex Crum from MarketWatch.com reports, "Microsoft Corp. [has] unveiled Zune, a 30-gigabyte music and video player that marks the software giant's entry into a digital-media player market dominated by Apple Computer Inc. with its 80Gb iPod.
Microsoft said Zune will come with a three-inch screen, which is larger than the iPod's two-inch video screen, as well as built-in wireless and FM-radio tuning technology -- features that also aren't available on the iPod.

Additionally, Microsoft launched what it calls the Zune Marketplace, an online music site where customers can purchase individual songs or buy a subscription that allows the purchase of unlimited songs for a flat fee.

Microsoft said the Zune would be available in time for the holiday shopping season, but didn't immediately disclose prices for the product, or for songs bought through the Zune Marketplace. Katy Gentes, a Microsoft spokeswoman, said the Zune price would be "very competitive."

The company touted the features of Zune and Zune Marketplace, saying consumers will be able to use Zune's wireless capabilities to share sample tracks of certain songs, music playlists and pictures between Zune devices.

Microsoft's debut of Zune comes two days after Apple revamped its line of iPod media players to include an 80-gigabyte device that can play movies in addition to songs, TV shows and videos and digital pictures. Apple also showed off a new 8GB flash memory version of its iPod Nano device and a 1Gb iPod Shuffle that is about the size of a matchbook.

Microsoft is seen as having its work cut out for it in the media-player market. Apple has a five-year headstart with the iPod, and the latest figures from NPD Group say the iPod has 75% of the U.S. market for digital media players."

Check out ZuneTalk.com for up to date information and discussions on Zune and Zune Marketplace.

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OnThisDay: September 14th
1716 - First lighthouse in US lit (Boston Harbor)
1814 - Francis Scott Key inspired to write "The Star-Spangled Banner"
1848 - Alexander Stewart opens the first US dept store
1899 - Henry Bliss becomes first automobile fatality (NY)
1938 - Graf Zeppelin II, world's largest airship, makes maiden flight
1948 - Groundbreaking ceremony for the United Nation world headquarters (NYC)
1948 - Milton Berle starts his TV career on Texaco Star Theater
1973 - Israel shoots down 13 Syrian MIG-21s
1741 - German composer George Frederick Handel finished composing "The Messiah."

TOPIC: Five Tips to Increase Your Likeability
I just finished reading an article written by Justin Hartfield of The Prometheus Institute. It helped re-enforce values I already knew to be true. The title is self-explanatory, so I'll list the highlights here.

1. Be positive.
2. Control your insecurities.
3. Provide value.
4. Eliminate all judgments.
5. Become a person of conviction.

I highly disagree with number four, though. It contradicts numbers three and five. If you provide value by having moral values and become a person of conviction, then you must judge some things -- and even some people (or at least their words & deeds).

10 Christian Values Every Kid Should Know: A How-To Guide for Families by Donna J. Habenicht, ISBN 0828015066

QOTD: How unspeakable are our obligations to the grace of God. -- John Newton

TOPIC:September 11th
Today is a somber occasion. Unless you've been living under a rock, you know what 9/11 (or 9-11) means to Americans from ALL walks of life. It was the day that America was attacked by terrorists, on our own soil. We lost almost 3,000 lives that day -- fathers, sons, wives, daughters and children.
Many people died that Monday morning. More are sick and dying now -- from airborne related illnesses, infection, cancer and poisoning caused by the after-effects of the attacks.
One group chose to die rather than allowing their hijacked plane to become a missile headed for the White House or Capital. Firefighters, policemen and ordinary citizens ran into harm's way in order to save others. Hundreds of those folks lost their lives in a heroic effort to help people they didn't know.
It was a horrible moment in time. It was also a time that defined heroism and self-sacrifice.
I was supposed to be in New York City that day, for a business and pleasure trip. Thankfully, certain events changed my plans and I didn't have to go to New York that weekend. I thank God I wasn't there -- wasn't in one of those airplanes or on the ground in Manhattan.
Rather that further pontificate about the fifth anniversary of the al-Qaeda attacks, I'd like to offer a few pictures and links to sites commermorating this day in history. Here are a few noteworthy links:

• Netscape.com is hosting a thought-provoking blog entitled: "Where Were YOU On 9/11?" [At the time of this posting, there are 400+ answers to the question -- including mine.]
• LycosNews - Moments of Silence
• AP Ipsos - Poll on 9/11
• Wired News - Artist renderings of The Freedom Tower (and other planned buildings)
• AP Photos (hosted by LycosNews) - September 11th
• Pravada.ru - An excellent group of photos
• Cooperative Research - Extensive timeline of 9/11 events
• FoxNews - Lengthy article and linked photo essays
  

TOPIC: Al-Qaeda releases 9/11 anniversary message
Source: CNN via Netscape.com
A lengthy statement from al Qaeda No. 2 Ayman al-Zawahiri on the eve of the fifth anniversary of the September 11 attacks calls on Muslims to step up their resistance against the United States. "Your leaders are hiding from you the true extent of the disaster," al-Zawahiri says in a statement posted on the Internet late Sunday. "And the days are pregnant and giving birth to new events, with Allah's permission and guidance."
The video appeared on the Web site for Al-Sahab, the terror network's production company, said counterterrorism expert Laura Mansfield.
Al-Zawahiri calls on Muslims to fight U.S. allies in Somalia, where an Islamic militia recently pushed a U.S.-backed alliance of warlords out of the capital, and urges Iraq's Kurds to take up arms against the Americans. Al-Zawahiri also attacks "collaborators" he says have abandoned Islam.
Appearing just hours before the Monday anniversary of the attacks that killed almost 3,000 people, the video is more technically sophisticated than previous ones released by al Qaeda's leadership. It is more than an hour long and is subtitled in English, with a short section of highlights at the start of the video. The statement appears to have been recorded recently, as al-Zawahiri references Israel's bombardment of Lebanon and the kidnapping of Israeli soldiers by Palestinian militants and by Lebanon's Hezbollah guerrillas. Al-Zawahiri criticizes the West for arming Israel, and calls on the Muslim nation "to rush with everything at its disposal to the aid of its Muslim brothers in Lebanon and Gaza."
An Egyptian-born doctor from a prominent family, al-Zawahiri is al Qaeda's second in command and is thought to be bin Laden's personal physician.

TOPIC: 9/11 -- Five Years After The Attacks
As can be expected in this day and age of cynicism, distrust and flat-out liars in suits, ProjectCensored offers a story that is not being mentioned in the mass media. It sounds outlandish, but is worth letting you know about -- so you can THINK for yourself...

Research into the events of September 11 by Brigham Young University physics professor, Steven E. Jones, concludes that the official explanation for the collapse of the World Trade Center (WTC) buildings is implausible according to laws of physics. Jones is calling for an independent, international scientific investigation “guided not by politicized notions and constraints but rather by observations and calculations.”
Among the report’s other findings:

• No steel-frame building, before or after the WTC buildings, has ever collapsed due to fire. But explosives can effectively sever steel columns.

• WTC 7, which was not hit by hijacked planes, collapsed in 6.6 seconds, just .6 of a second longer than it would take an object dropped from the roof to hit the ground. “Where is the delay that must be expected due to conservation of momentum, one of the foundational laws of physics?” Jones asks. “That is, as upper-falling floors strike lower floors—and intact steel support columns—the fall must be significantly impeded by the impacted mass.
• How do the upper floors fall so quickly, then, and still conserve momentum in the collapsing buildings?” The paradox, he says, “is easily resolved by the explosive demolition hypothesis, whereby explosives quickly removed lower-floor material, including steel support columns, and allow near free-fall-speed collapses.” These observations were not analyzed by FEMA, NIST, or the 9/11 Commission.
• With non-explosive-caused collapse there would typically be a piling up of shattered concrete. But most of the material in the towers was converted to flour-like powder while the buildings were falling. “How can we understand this strange behavior, without explosives? Remarkable, amazing—and demanding scrutiny since the U.S. government-funded reports failed to analyze this phenomenon."
• Steel supports were “partly evaporated,” but it would require temperatures near 5,000 degrees Fahrenheit to evaporate steel—and neither office materials nor diesel fuel can generate temperatures that hot. Fires caused by jet fuel from the hijacked planes lasted at most a few minutes, and office material fires would burn out within about twenty minutes in any given location.
• Molten metal found in the debris of the WTC may have been the result of a high-temperature reaction of a commonly used explosive such as thermite. Buildings not felled by explosives “have insufficient directed energy to result in melting of large quantities of metal,” Jones says.
• Multiple loud explosions in rapid sequence were reported by numerous observers in and near the towers, and these explosions occurred far below the region where the planes struck.

In January, 2006 Jones, along with a group calling themselves “Scholars for 9/11 Truth,” called for an international investigation into the attacks and are going so far as to accuse the U.S. government of a massive cover-up.

The group is headed by Jones and Jim Fetzer, University of Minnesota Duluth distinguished McKnight professor of philosophy, and is made up of fifty academicians and experts including Robert M. Bowman, former director of the U.S. “Star Wars” space defense program, and Morgan Reynolds, former chief economist for the Department of Labor in President George W. Bush’s first term.

TOPIC: VeryFunnyAds.com Shows The Worst In Advertising
TBS is airing ads touting a website that offers clips of what they call "very funny ads". On the contrary, most of what I saw when viewing the site was stupid, overly sexualized or just plain offensive. NONE of the clips seems to advertise a product or service. The top ads (currently) are all geared towards over-sexed, twenty-somethings. DUMB and DUMBER should be the title of most of the so-called advertisements on veryfunnyads.com.
When will Madison Avenue and the like learn that stupid, sex ads DO NOT sell anything? They might turn on horny teenagers and dirty old men, but they lower the character value of the product to that of sexual promiscuity and/or incompassionate violence. Did I mention the "stupid guy" factor?
I'm sure I'll be flamed for this opinion, but that's the way I see it. Why don't YOU think about it -- and then form your own opinion?!?

TOPIC: PC Magazine's Top 99 Undiscovered Websites
I am not a huge fan of PC Magazine, mainly because they tend to review products from which they derive advertising revenue. In this world of spin doctors, I just don't trust a review to be objective -- when the product being reviewed helps pay the bills.
However, a web article recently published by PC Magazine is very helpful. It offers a list of 99 websites that have NOT yet hit the big-time -- but offer advice, products and services that are useful to computer users of ALL skill levels. Some of the categories are:

• Apps - PC & Mobile
• Business
• Computing
• Consumer Electronics & Photography
• Health
• Information, Search & Reference
• Lifestyle, Entertainment & Fun
• News
• Oddities & Gaming
• Shopping & Consumer Issues
• Travel

For the record, here are several of my personal favorites: Concise Freeware; GetJAR; Gmail Tips; StopBadware.org; (for the tech geek in me) Akihabara News; (for the photobug in me) Photon Head and SLR Gear; TheFreeDictonary; (for the kids' homework help) WebMath; (for the news junkie in me) 10x10 and PollingReport; and (for the over-analyzer in me) ConsumerSearch. You gotta check out the list -- and the websites -- for yourself. This is, without a doubt, one of the most useful posts The Sope-Bocks has ever offered. Enjoy!

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TOPIC: Have you had your Google today?
Here's a bit of computer history for the masses...

"Stanford University graduates Larry Page and Sergey Brin collaborate on an Internet search engine they call 'BackRub', named for its unique ability to analyze the back links pointing to a given website. They rename the search engine and officially open up Google for business on September 7, 1998. The Google name is a play on the word googol, a mathematical term that refers to the number represented by the numeral 1 followed by 100 zeros."

Today, both Larry and Sergey are billionaires!

TOPIC: TCP in '73!
I love computer and Internet history. In terms of human or world history, computer history is exponentially "faster". Witness this...

"Bob Kahn and Vint Cerf presented their paper 'A Protocol for Packet Network Intercommunication' in September, 1973. The paper described a new protocol they called the Transmission-Control Protocol (TCP).
In 1978, the TCP protocol was split into two parts. One part was for dividing messages into datagrams, reassembling messages, and detecting errors. The other part was for routing and delivery of data. The protocol was named TCP/IP and subsequently became the standard for all Internet communication."

Within a mere 28 years, almost everyone in the industrialized world knows what TCP/IP means -- if not by definition, by popular use on the Internet. Isn't that AWESOME?!?

TOPIC: Steve Irwin Will Be Remembered...

Steve Irwin: "I'm a conservationist through and through. ... That's why I was put on this planet, for the benefit of wildlife and wilderness areas. That's what I'm into. That's what makes me pumped, mate. That's what myself and Terry and our families have been all about." (on the Andrew Denton Show)

Over the past 24 hours, I have read quite a few eulogies to Steve Irwin. The Crocodile Hunter, Animal Planet, the Discovery Channel -- were all partially built on the efforts of Steven Irwin. Steve left behind more than 200 million viewers in 35 countries -- many adoring fans; along with a handful of critics. There are a few articles and memorialized interviews worth noting. Steven left huge shoes to fill in the world of wildlife conservation. Let's hope Terri Irwin, Wes Mannion, John Stainton and the rest of the team at Australia Zoo will continue the legacy that Robert, Lyn and Steve Irwin began more than two decades ago. Here are a few articles of note:

Radar.blog
Statesboro Herald (AP)
RedTailBoa.net
FoxNews.com
CNN.com (view related links, too)
MS-NBC.com

The only negative press (of note) was Steve Johnson in the Chicago Tribune. Thankfully, the public is correcting Johnson's perspective and inappropriate blog post via the Tribune blog's Comments section. Here is the reply I sent:

"Steve [Johnson],
In your own words to Mike (above), 'Obviously, Irwin, though (sic) television's power, had crossed the line in people's lives to being more than just a remote, 'famous' person.'
You are SO correct. Steve Irwin almost single handedly made unloved and ugly reptiles lovable and enjoyable to countless thousands. He was the real deal LONG before cameras rolled. He spent years camping along the rivers of Australia, rescuing crocodiles for little or no payment -- and NO notoriety. He built a small "petting" zoo into THE Australia Zoo. Yes, he was much more than a 'remote famous person'.
As for his so-called taunting and harrassment, you and the others are wrong and obviously uneducated about animal behavior. Steve took the time to settle wild animals that felt threatened by his presence, so that he could show us their beauty, their personality and their worth in this world.
As for his conservation efforts, did you know that Steve Irwin spent much of his money buying land for what -- wildlife conservation. We're not talking about plush land for development. We're talking swamps and desert and land that was never meant for human habitation. Steve and his team also worked to save the lives of many animals, including specific species NOT native to Australia.
Folks need to learn what they are talking about before they start typing. You, Steve Johnson, should be ashamed of bringing up an old piece that by mere coincidence has some truth -- post-mortem."

Photo courtsey of Milky2005

TOPIC: 'Crocodile Hunter' Steve Irwin Dead
Steve Irwin, known as the "Crocodile Hunter," has died after being stung by a stingray in a marine accident off Australia's north coast. Media reports say Irwin was snorkeling at Batt Reef, a part of the Great Barrier Reef about 9 miles from the town of Port Douglas, when the incident happened on Monday morning.
Irwin, 44, was killed by a stingray barb that pierced his chest, according to Cairns police sources. Irwin was in the area to film pieces for a show called "Ocean's Deadliest" with Phillippe Cousteau, grandson of Jacques, Irwin's producer and friend John Stainton told CNN's "American Morning." Weather had prevented the crew from doing work for that program, said Stainton, so Irwin decided to do some softer features for a new children's TV show he was doing with his daughter, Bindi. "He came over the top of a stingray that was buried in the sand, and the barb came up and hit him in the chest," said Stainton. Ambulance officers confirmed they attended a reef fatality Monday morning off Port Douglas, according to Australian media.

Full article: KLTV7

"He has left a legacy," Stainton told CNN. "That people do love some of the unloved animals like crocodiles and reptiles that people wanted to kill. He's actually put a position in their hearts for them. I want that to continue. ... I want people to really go out there and remember Steve Irwin for what he really was, which was a great conservationist, saving wildlife and actually promoting wildlife that people didn't love."

Charlie's Notes: My daughters cried and cried when my wife and I told them about Steve Irwin's death this morning. As a father and husband, my heart goes out to the Irwin family. Terri, Bindi and little Robert are feeling a million times the loss we all feel.
My girls both said that Steve Irwin is one of the reasons they love animals so much. Steve helped ALL of my family learn to find the beauty in many animals, especially reptiles. May he rest in peace and may God's comfort surround his family in this time of mourning.
Here is an excellent tribute to Steve Irwin (hosted on YouTube).

OnThisDay: September 3rd
1783 - Treaty of Paris signed (ending the US Revolutionary War)
1833 - New York Sun begins publishing (America's first daily newspaper)
1895 - First professional football game played (Latrobe, PA.)
1935 - First automobile to exceed 300 mph - Sir Malcolm Campbell (301.337 mph)
1951 - TV soap opera "Search for Tomorrow" debuts on CBS network
1971 - Watergate team breaks into Daniel Ellsberg's doctor's office
1978 - Pope John Paul I officially installed as 264th supreme pontiff

Have you tried Simply Audiobooks yet? It's a great site that offers books on CD or downloadable audio. Listen during your commute!

TOPIC: High Cholesterol And Diet...
It's no big secret. I have high cholesterol and even higher triglycerides. I'm not proud of it, but these are factors I live with everyday. Some of the reasoning for high HDL is my diet. The remainder is hereditary (I can do nothing about that). Along with being clinically overweight, my heart risk factor is along the lines of eight times the risk of a "normal" adult male in my age range. I am 43 years oold -- with a wife and three children, so it's time I got serious about my health.
This morning as I stopped by the cafeteria to get some lowfat yogurt and granola for breakfast (did I mention the Diet Dr. Pepper?), I saw some info on the "TLC Diet" for people with high cholesterol. That lead me to google the diet and gather some info. I thought I'd pass it along to readers of The Sope-Bocks as I suspect some of you may need to make changes in YOUR diet as well.
The National Institute on Health (NIH) has an excellent website devoted to the heart-healthy Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes (TLC) Diet. Check it out and follow through the steps. I found that what I thought was a low-fat plan is really over the limit for fat and sodium. So, I need to make MORE changes -- and have a better chance of sticking around to see my kids graduate college, get married and have grandchildren for us to spoil. :-)
You can find more TLC Diet information at HeartAdvance.com, CNN.com and the American Heart Association. If you have only a couple of minutes to devote to this topic today, then read the outline entitled: Following a Healthy Eating Plan from the AHA. You should also check out the list of foods that best help lower your HDL ("bad") cholesterol and learn more about dietary fats.

TOPIC: YouTube Statistics...
YouTube has become one of the biggest websites in terms of consumed bandwidth and number of videos available. It’s also the greatest hit on the net after the Star Wars Kid of course. Lee Gomes from the Wall Street Journal has been doing some research and calculus related with YouTube and its videos, users, bandwidth, money, video titles, search keywords and other stuff. The final result is interesting:

• YouTube hosts over six million videos, growing at about 20 percent every month.
• The videos take up 45 terabytes of storage — about 5,000 home computers’ worth.
• The total time spent watching YouTube videos since it started last year is 9,305 years!
• The content requires several million dollars’ worth of bandwidth a month to transmit.
• The most popular items get an especially large percentage of the traffic.
• The words “dance,” “love,” “music” and “girl” are all exceedingly popular in video titles.

Source: Gadgetizer

TOPIC: Tropical Storm Ernesto
Ernesto was simply "all wet" as he rolled through southeastern North Carolina last night. Thankfully, TS Ernesto wasn't like his older big brother Hurricane Hugo. Ernesto drinched us, but didn't cause much damage. We're thankful for that -- and definitely NOT thumbing our noses at any tropical storm or hurricane. We hope and pray Ernesto dies down quickly as he moves on a northward path inland through Virginia towards the Jersey shore.

News coverage:
The Globe & Mail
News.Yahoo.com
Charlotte Observer