Words and Links

It just makes my laugh whenever I see it!  Courtesy of failblog.org.

This is a wonderful take on the traditional story of Little Red Riding Hood from an engineers perspective.  The cutaway of the VW Bus is the best part.  Either that or the nutritional summary of Grandma.

Slagsmålsklubben – Sponsored by destiny from Tomas Nilsson on Vimeo.

In keeping with the Star Wars theme of funny motivational posters…  I just couldn’t resist this one.

The following is a true letter to the editor from a North East Pennsylvania newspaper.  It is frightening to think that there are people out there who think like this.

A new Constitution to reflect the present

I am fed up with conservatives who criticize everything our president and the Democrats do.  They love to refer to a 200-plus-year-old document that is about as relevant today as the horse and buggy.  We need a new Constitution.  One that reflects our current needs and rights and Obama’s mandate for change from the American people gives him the power and indeed, the obligation to create one.  We know now that the free market does not work.  Obama was wise enough to know that only government could save us from ourselves and our adherence to a capitalist system that is run on greed.  Let’s use this wisdom to ensure that every American has the right to health care, housing, transportation, a college education and a good-paying job.  As for the current health care debate, how can the average American understand such a complex problem?  We have experts in the government to figure out what is best for us.  Let’s let them do the job we voted them into office to do.

No, I am not putting the writers name here out of sympathy for them.

The Manhattan Supreme Court has required Google, the host of the blog “Skanks in NYC”, to release the personal information of the blogger behind the blog to Liskula Cohen.  Cohen is a fashion model who was referred to in the blog with the line “How old is this skank? 40 something? She’s a psychotic, lying, whoring, still going to clubs at her age, skank”.  At best this is needlessly offensive and at worst slanderous.

But is the court justified in forcing the identity of the formerly anonymous blogger to become public knowledge?  Absolutely!  While being able to be hidden behind blogs and posts has encouraged people to express themselves to a far greater degree than anything else in modern times, these people do need to take responsibility and be held accountable for what they say.  If you craft your words you can avoid civil penalties and still make your point, no matter how offensive.

Freedom of speech should in no way be confused with a freedom to remain anonymous.

The Acts:

Friday, August 15

• Richie Havens
• Swami Satchidananda
• The Incredible String Band
• Bert Sommer
• Tim Hardin
• Ravi Shankar
• Melanie
• Arlo Guthrie
• Joan Baez

Saturday, August 16

• Quill
• Keef Hartley Band
• Country Joe McDonald
• John Sebastian
• Santana
• Canned Heat
• Mountain
• Grateful Dead
• Creedence Clearwater Revival
• Janis Joplin
• Sly and the Family Stone
• The Who
• Jefferson Airplane

Sunday August 17

• The Grease Band
• Joe Cocker
• Country Joe and the Fish
• Ten Years After
• The Band
• Blood, Sweat and Tears
• Johnny Winter and Edgar Winter
• Crosby, Stills and Nash
• Neil Young
• Paul Butterfield Blues Band
• Sha Na Na
• Jimi Hendrix

Why is civility and decorum being abandoned at the town hall meetings?  On the surface it is definitely genuine and sincere opposition to President Obama’s health care reform initiative.  However, digging deeper into the motives of the protesters shows that the frustration comes from multiple sources, only one of which is the healthcare issue.

According to AP, the protesters are “white, conservative and working class. But they ranged in age and their concerns went beyond health care to deficit spending, taxes, government growth and other issues.”  The issues began rearing their head with George W. Bush abandoning of fiscal conservatism and disregard for personal liberties post 9/11.  The ball was then rolling downhill.  Increased Federal spending, the Iraq war, the near collapse of the financial system, and the massive government bailouts and buyouts of our large private institutions have pushed many people to the point where it was time to begin complaining and being vocal.

Healthcare reform was just the last straw.  As proposed, it is an awful idea that would cause our current system to suffer, and degrade the services available.  And it is virtually guaranteed to cause far more people to be unsatisfied with the health system than are now.

These protesters are frustrated and screaming out to put a brake on government expansion in general.  We still live in the greatest and most free country in the world and these people are screaming out to keep it that way.

Bear the Dog

The most important thing to know about barking is that it is a normal dog behavior. At appropriate times and levels, barking is even considered to be a useful behavior. Many people get dogs because they want them to bark when someone is either coming to the door or prowling around at night. But when barking becomes excessive, the noise can be a real headache for owners and their long-suffering neighbors. According to the Cornell Animal Behavior Clinic, up to one-third of behavioral complaints involve nuisance, inappropriate, or excessive barking.

Before things get out of hand, take steps to teach your dog when it’s okay to bark and when she should stop or remain quiet. If you want her to bark when people approach the house, enlist your kids, spouse, or a neighbor to help with the training. Ask the helper to come to the door and knock or ring the doorbell. If your dog doesn’t bark at the noise, encourage her by excitedly asking, “Who’s there? Is someone at the door?” Praise your dog when she barks at the sound.

Once your dog is barking to alert you, the next step is to teach her when to stop. After she has given a couple of barks, hold up your hand and say a code word or command, such as enough or quiet. Give the command in a firm, quiet tone of voice. If you yell, your dog will simply think you’re barking back at her, and she’ll just bark more. If your dog stops barking, praise her¡ª”good quiet!”¡ªand pop a treat into her mouth. Be sure you give the praise and treat only when the dog is quiet.

Often, showing the dog a treat may be distraction enough to stop the barking. Say, “quiet,” and give her the treat after several seconds of silence. As your dog starts to learn what the word quiet means, extend the amount of time between saying the command and giving the reward.

Some trainers recommend wrapping your hand around your barking dog’s muzzle, or snout, and saying, “quiet” or “no bark.” That works sometimes, but you have to be careful when trying that technique. If your dog is barking frenziedly, she may accidentally bite you when you try to wrap your hand around her muzzle.

A safer way to get this effect is to keep a halter collar on your dog while you’re at home. This type of collar has a loop that wraps around your dog’s muzzle. When your dog barks more than once or twice, give a quick pull on the lead to tighten the loop around the muzzle. As soon as the dog is quiet, say, “good no bark” or “good quiet,” and reward her with a treat.

Another way to stop the barking is to call your dog to you or give her a down command. Calling your dog to you usually interrupts barking. And a dog hardly ever barks when lying down. Choose a command such as come or down and use the same one every time. Offer praise for silence and then reward your dog with a treat.

Be sure you don’t unintentionally reward your dog for barking by hugging her or saying soothingly, “It’s okay, Sweetie.” When you do that, the dog thinks she must have been right to bark. This simply encourages her to bark more the next time a similar situation occurs.