Friday, January 28, 2005

The Iraq elections

There are 150,000 US and coalition troops in a country of 25 million. That is a ratio of .006 soldiers per citizen. Therefore most of the citizens are probably already on our side. The problem is that there is a minority of extremists, that have a lot of ordinance, that are opposed to our presence. Actually, their actions demonstrate that what they are really against is freedom.

That is why they've stepped up their attacks in anticipation of the election. They are terrified about the Iraqi people learning what it is like to vote, to actually have a voice in their country.

It is really amazing to think about it. In less than three years, two countries in the Middle East have gone from dictatorships to having free elections. No, the elections have a lot of details to work out. But the mere fact that there are elections at all is just amazing.

These people are where America was during the end of the 18th century! Back then only men who owned property could vote. Now we have a democracy that is a model for the future of our species!

It is exciting to think about what the future holds for the Middle East. I look forward to witnessing the changes during my lifetime and envious about not being around to see what it will be like a hundred years from now!

Tuesday, January 04, 2005

True Stories from the classroom

From a special teacher friend:

"This is one of the funniest things that has happened to me in my teaching career!

Last night I gave my students the following homework assignment: Write a thank you note to someone who gave you a gift over the holidays. Tysheemia brought hers in this morning and asked me to put a stamp on it for her and mail it to her daddy. The address was:

Mr. Mann
1 Deadbeat Street
Charlotte, NC

I almost died! She told me her mom gave her the address! This is the same student who gave me an uncooked, unwrapped spicy hotdog for Christmas.

Hmmm...I wonder if her daddy is neighbors my ex-husband? "

RF Consultant

Here is a link to one of my friend's web page: RF Consultant. Steve now works for a company called Open Cell. They provide coverage solutions to areas where towers just don't fit.

Juice Experiment #1

My first juice experiment. Start with all organic vegetables and fruits.

2 large carrots
1/2 cucumber
1 small pc. ginger
1 large granny smith apple
4 pcs spinach
3 radishes

It tasted pretty good. I started with 1/2 of the apple but when I added the rest it was much more pleasant tasting. Not sure I could taste any of the ginger.

Blink XT2 Thumbnail Failed Fix

Well, this is a bit frustrating. I have one outdoor Blink XT2 camera from Amazon which I installed about a year and a half ago...or maybe tw...