Big Argument with Kathy!

But she came back to me, crawling on her hands and knees.  In fact, she crawled on her belly, then she said to me, "get out from under the bed, you coward."

Oh, well!  I can't win them all.  (Sigh!)

The Illiad - Book 1 - 24

Check it out at Literature Daily here.

Friday coming up

Watched Man from Uncle tonight

Jack on the Net 3/31/10

Recently on my blogs:

History Moments
The First Law of Television or how I started my Churchill Book.

Literature Daily
No need to link as I reprint them all here. I take a couple of minutes out each day to get a hit of great classic literature.

Finance Tips from the Greats
Want to get rich? Rich Dad says, get your hands on some of that passive income. - Now how can I do that?

The Political Journal
Krauthammer on Obama's Retreat from Space. So-called "progressives" really need to catch up to the Space Age.

Chess Blog
Another year, another race for the USCF's Executive Board. 2 seats, 3 candidates.

Jack on the Net 2/28/10

Recently on my blogs:

History Moments
An easy quiz but watch out for that last question!

Literature Daily
No need to link as I reprint them all here. I take a couple of minutes out each day to get a hit of great classic literature.

Finance Tips from the Greats
Just started this blog today. Know a few great writers and basic business principles. This is what I look for in a good blog. Wasn't able to find one that exactly fitted my search, so I started one myself.

The Political Journal
So, the MSM loves Sarah Palin! - Huh? Are you serious?

Chess Blog
As the title says, this is mostly about chess politics. Lawsuits are over. I say Polgar wins; they say, no. Maybe they're right.

Demostehenes Vs. Phocion

Time: c. 330 B.C.
Place: Athens, Greece
Picture: Accropolis



Demosthenes:

Someday you will drive the Athenians out of their minds and they will kill you.

Phocion:

And if they are ever in their right minds, they will kill you.

These were great orators and political opponents during the rise of Macedon to power in Greece.

More information: Demostehenes, Phocion, Ancient Athens.

Daily Literature

What are all those quotations from books doing on this blog?

I've wanted to read the great books and, though I read a great deal, some of those books I never get to. They're too hard - in my mind that is. I still want to read them. What to do?

I decided to start a new blog Literature Daily. Each day, I put up a small piece from one of the great books. I'll just go day by day. Only a few paragraphs, no big deal.

A little bit each day will do.

You can follow along, too. You can subscribe to the blog and get a little bit each day. Eventually we will get the whole book - or a big chunk of it, anyway.

I re-post onto this, my main blog. You can subscribe right here. You don't need to subscribe to the whole thing. You can just subscribe to the label "Books". We can journey through the world's great literature together.

Tramps Camp

This is a personal blog from someone who is in my family. Great blog, folks! See their comment at Dad's Birthday.

Husband's Revenge

Dedicated to all wives who don't listen . . .

Sexy Name Decoder

I just learned that JACK stands for

Jock Adeptly Conferring Kisses.

If "jock" can be taken to include chess players, at least. - A loose expansion of the word.

The Political Line of Work

Politics is a great line of work. If you disgrace yourself, you can always write a book. Of course, you must first possess the ability to write one. - Or hire a ghost writer.

Jack on the Net 2/13/09

Things I've done on other sites/blogs on the internet in the last few days.

Lucianne

War: The Cyber Front - Der Spiegel [GER]

This is what an officially appointed hacker looks like: A man with gray hair and a moustache, wearing a blue German Air Force uniform. His name is Friedrich Wilhelm Kriesel, and he's 60 years old, a brigadier general and the head of the Bundeswehr's Strategic Reconnaissance Unit.

Computer viruses, hacking, worms - oh, the possibilities! Just wondering about cold wars, trade wars - or even just attacks on another country's computers in lieu of recall of ambassadors. You and me - we could find our computers down. This is known as "collateral damage."

Iran’s Election: Back to the Future? - The Economist [UK]

MAHMOUD AHMADINEJAD, Iran’s president, faces a disgruntled people, an election in June, and now a strong new challenger for his job. This week Muhammad Khatami, a jovial, 65-year-old reformist cleric, who is more softly spoken and gentler-looking than the incumbent, finally decided to throw his turban into the ring. He previously served two terms as president, from 1997 to 2005.

I don't believe this. Iran was on the Axis of Evil before MA came to power. MK may be marginally better than MA but will the difference matter much? When it comes to the Middle East, the Brits have such a blind spot!

S. Africa's Uncertain Future - The Economist [UK]

With business confidence at a six-year low, GDP growth forecast to slow to around 0.75% in 2009 (down from an annual average of 4.5% over the previous five years) and the government promising more populist policies after this May’s presidential and parliamentary elections, South Africa’s investment image is taking a battering.

I like the article's last paragraph. Just how is increased taxes and more government intervention supposed to increase private sector investment?

Chess Discussion

These lawsuits are a waste of time and money.

How to run for USCF Office

Old NW Chess Articles

The USCF's Forums

Old Chess Life Articles

Jack on the Net 2/11/09

Things I've done on other sites/blogs on the internet in the last few days.

Lucianne
This is my favorite news site on the net. I posted these articles to it.

Bailout May Top $1.5 Trillion - Washington Post

The gravity of the financial crisis confronting the Obama administration will come into stark focus today when officials unveil a three-pronged rescue program that may commit up to $1.5 trillion in public and private funds, and possibly more, lawmakers and other officials said.

Note that figure. This is a whole new world.

Despite Slump Economy Grows 7.1% - Times of India

NEW DELHI: Indian economy is holding its head high amid a global doom. In the current financial year (2008-09), the country's economy is expected to grow at 7.1%, according to data released by the Central Statistical Organisation (CSO)on Monday, the second highest in the world, only next to China.

Obama: Failure to Act = "Catastrophe" - New York Times

WASHINGTON — President Obama took his case for his $800 billion economic recovery package to the American people on Monday, as the Senate cleared the way for passage of the bill and the White House prepared for its next major hurdle: selling Congress and the public on a fresh plan to bail out the nation’s banks.

Russia Forces US Base Closure - The Economist [UK]

The Kyrgyz Republic, having been promised $2.3bn in Russian aid, says it will force the US to close its airbase in the Central Asian republic, which supports US forces in Afghanistan. For the Kyrgyz side, the motivation is primarily financial—although closure of the base will have some popular appeal. Russia, meanwhile, seems set on using the airbase to exert leverage over the new US administration, in the hope of getting concessions elsewhere.

This may grow into Obama's first big foreign policy test.

Israelis Vote in Volatile Contest - International Herald Tribune [FR]

JERUSALEM: Israeli voters went to the polls Tuesday with public opinion polls showing many still wavering until the last minute in deciding whom to support. Benjamin Netanyahu's conservative Likud Party has led in many of the polls, with the centrist Kadima Party, led by Tzipi Livni, the current foreign minister, following close behind.

First Extinct-Animal Clone Created - National Geographic

An extinct animal has been resurrected by cloning for the first time—though the clone died minutes after birth. Findings revealed January 23 in the journal Theriogenology describe the use of frozen skin in 2003 to clone a bucardo, or Pyrenean ibex, a subspecies of Spanish ibex that went extinct in 2000. Scientists had cloned endangered species before, but not one that had officially died out.

Jurassic Park anyone?

Europe Extends Missions to Planets- Space.com

The European Space Agency (ESA) on Tuesday announced mission extensions for three spacecraft currently exploring Mars, Venus and the Earth's magnet field. The extensions will allow Europe's current Mars Express and Venus Express probes to continue their missions at their respective planets through Dec. 31, while ESA's Cluster spacecraft will continue to do the same at Earth.

Amid all the gloom and doom here on Earth, mankind is making progress in Space. Someday we may achieve a true space-faring civilization.

Popular Rage Grows as Global Crisis Worsens - Der Spiegel [GER]

As the global economic crisis deepens, tempers around the world are getting shorter. French and British trade unions are organizing strikes, Putin is sending troops into the streets and Beijing is trying to buy itself calm. [Snip]About 50 million jobs could be lost worldwide in the next 11 months and more than 200 million people could drift into total poverty, warns the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC).

Glen Beck on Fox News tonight was warning of impending world revolution. I am skeptical. Can things really get this bad?

Rival Israeli Parties Claim Victory - Al Jazeera [ARAB]

The leaders of the centrist Kadima party and the right-wing Likud party have both declared victory in Israel's general election. {Snip} Saeb Erekat, a senior Palestinian peace negotiator, told Al Jazeera that no matter who formed the next Israeli government, the election results were bad for the Middle East peace process.

This is how the main Arab news reported the election. I was surprised how evenhanded this piece was.

The Paul and Susan Disco

Try JibJab Sendables® eCards today!

Just messing with your minds, folks!

Quote for the Day 7/29/08

I know that Barack Obama is a near-perfect political package. I'm still not sure, though, what's in it.

- Richard Cohen, left-wing columnist, Washington Post

Chess Discussion.com: My Shakedown Period

I'm baaack!

The new position as Moderator at Chess Discussion has taken up a lot of my time. So, there are some holes in the daily postings. Now that I've got up to speed, I think I can resume my normal schedule here.

News You Might Have Missed

Here’s some interesting stories that appeared in various magazines and newspapers around the world. I think that they’re all important in some way.

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About Terrorism

Both Congress and Europe have dropped “The War on Terrorism” as a label. Important sectors of public opinion no longer believe that such a thing is even occurring. The label has become politically incorrect. However,

The International Herald Tribune has this story about the push for nuclear weapons in the Middle East.

Is terrorism a crime like the other crimes that our law is designed to address? Here’s three different stories on the new face of terrorism. From Newsweek; from The National Review; and from The Washington Post.

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Hollywood and Terrorism

Anybody who is too ideological (either left or right) is going to have trouble dealing with the issues of the day. Hollywood is notoriously left – way left. I think that’s the source of their trouble. Like left-wingers everywhere else (see above) they are in denial.

This is from USA Today.
This is from The Boston Herald.

There is a real problem with the attitude that everything George Bush is for, I’ve got to be against. Just because George Bush is concerned about terrorism does not mean that the issue does not exist.

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The Arab Media
The same problem with denial is in how people want to ignore what’s in the Arab media. The sheer vitriol against Jews is just one of the very disturbing things one sees. We want to believe that only a few of the Muslims are fanatics. But our desires should not war with realities. In America, we complain about left-wing or right-wing bias. This is nothing to compare with the venom one sees in the Arab outlets on the net.

Sadly, Conservatives seem willing to notice this; while liberals seem to deny it. Like the “War on Terror”, stories like the below ought not to be ignored.

Hamas Tortures Cats on TV. This is entertainment?

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The Western Media
That doesn’t mean that the bias in the Western Media isn’t a problem, too.. Here’s a comment on The BBC from The London Times. Other media malefactors: The New Republic; and Newsweek.

"The narrative was right but the facts were wrong" – Evan Thomas, Newsweek.
(Translation: the guilty defendants were actually innocent.)

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Global Warming
This may very well be real. One can’t help but notice that there’s a bandwagon effect going on about this issue. And in the rush to judgment, facts are being presented that aren’t true – and at the highest levels of government and society. For example:

Are recent years really the hottest on record? Here’s the corrected stories: From The Calgary Sun and from The National Post. Notice that it was the Canadian media that highlighted this screw-up by NASA?

Scientists with sincere, credible dissent on the newest fad are getting hammered. See this story about “Green McCarthyism” from The New York Post.
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Prejudice of the Political Kind
This is highlighted by George Will in a column in The Washington Post about Barack Obama.

Backwards and Forwards
Finally, here’s some positive news – at least I think it’s positive.

The Pope brings back the Latin Mass. Never could figure why folks in the Catholic Church was so against this. Liturgy is something where even conservatives can be pro-choice. And what’s so wrong with seeing how Christians worshipped in those years gone by?

A new Space Hotel is going up. Grand Opening is scheduled for 2012.

Ready for the latest scientific find? Smart people aren’t necessarily the most successful. Success seems to depend more on hard work and commitment than smarts. I think they mean financially, but I suspect that if they measured success in terms of love and romance, they would find the same thing.

Tax Season

Missed out on posting for the last few days. I do income taxes and this is the busiest time of the year.

Political Riddle

I got this story from my good friend, Kurt Paasch.

News item: Senator Ted Kennedy (D Mass) has expressed doubt that Osama bin Ladin is still alive.

After numerous rounds of "We don't know if Osama is still alive," Osama himself decided to send Ted Kennedy a note in his own hand writing to let Kennedy know he was still alive. Kennedy opened the note, which appeared to contain a single line of coded message 370HSSV-0773H.

Kennedy was baffled, so he E-mailed it to John Kerry. Kerry and his aides had no clue either, so they sent it to the FBI. No one could solve it at the FBI, so it went to the CIA, then to the NSA. With no clue as to its meaning, the FBI finally asked Marine Corps Intelligence for help. Within a few seconds, the Marines cabled back with this reply: "Tell Kennedy he is holding the message upside down."

Intelligent Life in Space?

Okay, so now it's time to reveal my true identity. You see, I'm not from this planet at all. Regretfully, I'm not even carbon-based. I just tapped into your internet to study you earthlings.

But don't worry. I've grown to actually like you. Especially your religion. I think I want to be a Christian. Can I be baptized? That's a real problem to me because the Bible only talks of humans being saved. Since I am not descended from Adam and Eve, do I even need to be baptized? No original sin, get it?

Wait a minute. News flash from Home. There's this silicon-based rock form that just appeared on our planet. Says he's the Messiah. Says WE'RE the chosen people now. Cool! My tendrils are twitching. Send an e-mail to the Pope.

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Picture is publicity still from "Stargate Atlantis".