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GOING UPRIVER
The Long War of John Kerry: "

'KERRY'SAPOCALYPSE NOW!Butler can be a powerful storyteller. What stares you in the face is the anquish and grief of men who put their lives in the line of fire for a government that undertook a pointless war, mismanaged it, kept it going out of hubris and then abandoned it.Watch this and try not to weep.'
Frank Rich,
THE NEW YORK TIMES
'ANYONE WHO SEESGOING "
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OK.. I am no great fan of Kerry's, even though I like him better than Bush. But this movie sounds like it may be pushing it. I will probably go see it, just to know how they are trying to frame Kerry for the upcoming election.
I you see it, post your comments. But please, no name calling. Just review the MOVIE and refrain from any FOX-like tactics.
Cheers.

Time To Vote | Voter Leave Laws

Working? Not sure if you can make it to the Polls? Read:
Time To Vote | Voter Leave Laws: "STATE VOTER LEAVE LAWS



The following states have laws giving employees the right to take time off from work to vote. Many states require employees to give employers notice about taking leave before Election Day and some states require employees to provide employers with proof of voting. In addition, while employers cannot prevent employees from voting, most states give employers the right to specify the time during the day that leave can be taken.
NOTE: This information is for background purposes only. Readers should seek legal advice before taking any specific action. "

〈獨家〉真缺德！　黑心商人拿保險套做髮飾
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Would you really want to put this in your hair???
妳敢用嗎 ??

Black Box Voting |

If you plan to vote, or even give a darn about democracy, check this out:
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Black Box Voting |: "Chimpanzee demonstrates erasure of voting system log
Submitted by Bev Harris on Sat, 08/28/2004 - 18:52. News Articles
News clip: ***NEW*** Chimp video
Download: chimpanzee hacking Diebold audit log

'Impossible.' -- David Bear, Diebold

Simply by double-clicking the file, we opened a real Diebold audit log file, using real Diebold software. We then highlighted the records we wanted to obliterate. (Baxter, the chimp, has difficulty handling a mouse.)

What the chimp did: Baxter then hit the 'Delete' key, erasing the audit log records, and then the 'Enter' key, confirming the command."
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I am not sure, but I have heard that most polling places using the touch screen machines will also have paper ballots if requested.
You could also vote abscentee if you polling place does not give you the option.

Sniffer rats seek out quake survivors. 23/09/2004. ABC News Online

Is this really a good idea???
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Sniffer rats seek out quake survivors. 23/09/2004. ABC News Online: "Scientists in the United States are teaching rats how to track down human scents and have identified the brain signals that are generated when they do.
Electrodes implanted in their brains will send signals to a radio transmitter pack strapped to the animal's back.
Rescuers on the surface will be able to track the signal and locate any survivors. "
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Could you imagine being buried in rubble after a disaster, crying for help, hungry and scared. And just when you start to calm down, here comes a rat with a little helmet and a backpack. Now it starts squeaking at you and turning in circles. You think you are dying and start to weep again. Now, the rescuers know where you are, but you only think you are hallucinating. You are seeing a big rat with a helmet and a backpack that hiked into your little personal hell and began to try and talk to you.
OMG!!!.
But it gets worse. You are pinned and can't really move. After all that work, the rat is getting hungry.. And you are bleeding and can't move.
Shall I describe what happens next? Just hope the scientists remembered to pack a cheese lunch for the little rat.
The scientists would be on the surface looking at the brain monitor...
"Look, our little friend seems to have found a human. Oh, and it seems something else is going on in his little brain. Hey John, what does this mean?.... Oh, it looks as though he found something to eat."
DOH......

'Betel nut beauties' given cover up order. 20/09/2004. ABC News Online

After I got my first motorcycle in Taiwan, the roads were a new experience. You can't appreciate the burbs and the mountain roads from a bus. And the best thing of all was the scenery! And now, that is about to change.
'Betel nut beauties' given cover up order. 20/09/2004. ABC News Online
Now, I know what you are thinking.. AhDoGa, you are a pig. Well, Oink Oink...
I always thought it was stupid to have a half naked woman selling some product primarily used by men.. Oh.. Wait, I forgot about American T.V.. Beer, Cars, Jeans, Shoes and Cigs in the magazines.
Well, I say that if we can do it on T.V. in the states, let them bare all for work in Taichung.
Well, those long distance rides will never be the same... Bye bye girls.
At least I won't be as likely to chew Betel Nut.
ADG

Prince Roy's Realm

Prince Roy's Realm
My good buddy Prince Roy has some good food stories up now.
On a similar note, Zoe has been experimenting with a new book on vegetarian cooking. I have been eating well lately. Between the Zuchinni corn fritters, Thai style fritters, mushroom soba soup and veggie chili (my recipe)... oh.. I need to watch my weight.

Netflix: Rabbit-Proof Fence

Netflix: Rabbit-Proof Fence: "Rabbit-Proof Fence (2002)"
My wife and I watched this movie last night. It was great.

It takes place during a harsh period in Australia's history. The situation in similar to the treatment of Natives in the U.S.. But this movie tells the story of how three young mixed girls ("half-caste", as they were called) beat the odds and escaped the torture of forced assimilation. I recommend this to all my friends who like thought provoking movies.

This morning I worked out with my friend Will at R-1 Gym. It was a great workout. Really fun. We worked on submission wrestling and I was surprised that my back did not give me too much pain. The back is getting better, slowly. I won't be able to do any really hard workouts for a while, but I can train.

This afternoon I went to a coffee making class with my wife. It was fun, but there was not as much focus on how to make different types of coffees as I hoped. Mostly, it was a course in how to make the basic starbucks-type drinks. I was hoping to learn the different grinds and methods. Such as French press coffee, Turkish, Perk and boiled. I guess that will have to wait. But the class was still fun, and I left wired off my head. It is 10PM and I am still a bit jacked... Yeah BABY........
Now to find something to do... maybe a game of Diablo II?????

Yahoo! News - White House voices concern at Putin's moves to strengthen powers

Yahoo! News - White House voices concern at Putin's moves to strengthen powers: "Bush said he had expressed his concerns to Putin in a phone conversation.

'Great countries, great democracies have a balance of power between central government and local government, a balance of power within central government between the executive branch and the legislative branch and the judicial branch,' Bush said.

'As government fight the enemies of democracy they must uphold the principles of democracy.'"


Are we forgetting about the Patriot Act? Hello????
Beautiful!

VVA Press Release

Yep, in a show of respect for the military rivaled only by Bush's proposed $25 billion cut to the VA budget, RNC delegates trivialize the purple heart in a vane attempt to snipe at John Kerry.
Read the statement below.

VVA Press Release

"Purple Heart" Band-aids a Mockery of service
A Statement from Thomas H. Corey, National President, Vietnam Veterans of America



(Washington, D.C.) ? Vietnam Veterans of America has received reports of delegates at the Republican National Convention disseminating and wearing "Purple Heart" band-aids in mockery of one of nation?s most distinctive honors, the Purple Heart medal.

The Purple Heart is one of the oldest military awards, first introduced in 1782 by Gen. George Washington to honor the service and sacrifice of the common soldier and recognize the spirit of volunteerism and selfless dedication. It was reinstated in 1932. The Purple Heart is awarded to members of the armed forces who are wounded by the enemy.

The spirit of the award recognizes the personal sacrifice of our troops without regard to the severity or nature of the wound. It is the wounding itself that merits the honor. To demean the decoration and the sacrifice it symbolizes demeans all veterans and the patriots who honor them.

With our nation?s sons and daughters at war to protect global freedom, demeaning military service in this way is especially hurtful. Vietnam Veterans of America urges all Americans to decry this type of outrageous, disrespectful, and infantile behavior.

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Vietnam Veterans of America (VVA) is the nation's only congressionally chartered veterans service organization dedicated to the needs of Vietnam-era veterans and their families. VVA's founding principle is ?Never again will one generation of veterans abandon another.?

AhDoGa's Daily Brain Farts

Just got this in the mail. Check it out in the Chicago Tribune.

In case there' still some doubt as to whom is telling the truth:


`This is what I saw that day'

By William B. Rood
Chicago Tribune
Published August 22, 2004

There were three swift boats on the river that day in Vietnam more than 35 years ago--three officers and 15 crew members. Only two of those officers remain to talk about what happened on February 28, 1969.

One is John Kerry, the Democratic presidential candidate who won a Silver Star for what happened on that date. I am the other.

For years, no one asked about those events. But now they are the focus of skirmishing in a presidential election with a group of swift boat veterans and others contending that Kerry didn't deserve the Silver Star for what he did on that day, or the Bronze Star and three Purple Hearts he was awarded for other actions.

Many of us wanted to put it all behind us--the rivers, the ambushes, the killing. Ever since that time, I have refused all requests for interviews about Kerry's service--even those from reporters at the Chicago Tribune, where I work.

But Kerry's critics, armed with stories I know to be untrue, have charged that the accounts of what happened were overblown. The critics have taken pains to say they're not trying to cast doubts on the merit of what others did, but their version of events has splashed doubt on all of us. It's gotten harder and harder for those of us who were there to listen to accounts we know to be untrue, especially when they come from people who were not there.

Even though Kerry's own crew members have backed him, the attacks have continued, and in recent days Kerry has called me and others who were with him in those days, asking that we go public with our accounts.

I can't pretend those calls had no effect on me, but that is not why I am writing this. What matters most to me is that this is hurting crewmen who are not public figures and who deserved to be honored for what they did. My intent is to tell the story here and to never again talk publicly about it.

I was part of the operation that led to Kerry's Silver Star. I have no firsthand knowledge of the events that resulted in his winning the Purple Hearts or the Bronze Star.

But on Feb. 28, 1969, I was officer in charge of PCF-23, one of three swift boats--including Kerry's PCF-94 and Lt. j.g. Donald Droz's PCF-43--that carried Vietnamese regional and Popular Force troops and a Navy demolition team up the Dong Cung, a narrow tributary of the Bay Hap River, to conduct a sweep in the area.

The approach of the noisy 50-foot aluminum boats, each driven by two huge 12-cylinder diesels and loaded down with six crew members, troops and gear, was no secret.

Ambushes were a virtual certainty, and that day was no exception.

Instructions from Kerry

The difference was that Kerry, who had tactical command of that particular operation, had talked to Droz and me beforehand about not responding the way the boats usually did to an ambush.

We agreed that if we were not crippled by the initial volley and had a clear fix on the location of the ambush, we would turn directly into it, focusing the boats' twin .50-caliber machine guns on the attackers and beaching the boats. We told our crews about the plan.

The Viet Cong in the area had come to expect that the heavily loaded boats would lumber on past an ambush, firing at the entrenched attackers, beaching upstream and putting troops ashore to sweep back down on the ambush site. Often, they were long gone by the time the troops got there.

The first time we took fire--the usual rockets and automatic weapons--Kerry ordered a "turn 90" and the three boats roared in on the ambush. It worked. We routed the ambush, killing three of the attackers. The troops, led by an Army adviser, jumped off the boats and began a sweep, which killed another half dozen VC, wounded or captured others and found weapons, blast masks and other supplies used to stage ambushes.

Meanwhile, Kerry ordered our boat to head upstream with his, leaving Droz's boat at the first site.

It happened again, another ambush. And again, Kerry ordered the turn maneuver, and again it worked. As we headed for the riverbank, I remember seeing a loaded B-40 launcher pointed at the boats. It wasn't fired as two men jumped up from their spider holes.

We called Droz's boat up to assist us, and Kerry, followed by one member of his crew, jumped ashore and chased a VC behind a hooch--a thatched hut--maybe 15 yards inland from the ambush site. Some who were there that day recall the man being wounded as he ran. Neither I nor Jerry Leeds, our boat's leading petty officer with whom I've checked my recollection of all these events, recalls that, which is no surprise. Recollections of those who go through experiences like that frequently differ.

With our troops involved in the sweep of the first ambush site, Richard Lamberson, a member of my crew, and I also went ashore to search the area. I was checking out the inside of the hooch when I heard gunfire nearby.

Not long after that, Kerry returned, reporting that he had killed the man he chased behind the hooch. He also had picked up a loaded B-40 rocket launcher, which we took back to our base in An Thoi after the operation.

John O'Neill, author of a highly critical account of Kerry's Vietnam service, describes the man Kerry chased as a "teenager" in a "loincloth." I have no idea how old the gunner Kerry chased that day was, but both Leeds and I recall that he was a grown man, dressed in the kind of garb the VC usually wore.

The man Kerry chased was not the "lone" attacker at that site, as O'Neill suggests. There were others who fled. There was also firing from the tree line well behind the spider holes and at one point, from the opposite riverbank as well. It was not the work of just one attacker.

Our initial reports of the day's action caused an immediate response from our task force headquarters in Cam Ranh Bay.

Congratulatory message

Known over radio circuits by the call sign "Latch," then-Capt. and now retired Rear Adm. Roy Hoffmann, the task force commander, fired off a message congratulating the three swift boats, saying at one point that the tactic of charging the ambushes was a "shining example of completely overwhelming the enemy" and that it "may be the most efficacious method of dealing with small numbers of ambushers."

Hoffmann has become a leading critic of Kerry's and now says that what the boats did on that day demonstrated Kerry's inclination to be impulsive to a fault.

Our decision to use that tactic under the right circumstances was not impulsive but was the result of discussions well beforehand and a mutual agreement of all three boat officers.

It was also well within the aggressive tradition that was embraced by the late Adm. Elmo Zumwalt, then commander of U.S. Naval Forces, Vietnam. Months before that day in February, a fellow boat officer, Michael Bernique, was summoned to Saigon to explain to top Navy commanders why he had made an unauthorized run up the Giang Thanh River, which runs along the Vietnam-Cambodia border. Bernique, who speaks French fluently, had been told by a source in Ha Tien at the mouth of the river that a VC tax collector was operating upstream.

Ignoring the prohibition against it, Bernique and his crew went upstream and routed the VC, pursuing and killing several.

Instead of facing disciplinary action as he had expected, Bernique was given the Silver Star, and Zumwalt ordered other swifts, which had largely patrolled coastal waters, into the rivers.

The decision sent a clear message, underscored repeatedly by Hoffmann's congratulatory messages, that aggressive patrolling was expected and that well-timed, if unconventional, tactics like Bernique's were encouraged.

What we did on Feb. 28, 1969, was well in line with the tone set by our top commanders.

Zumwalt made that clear when he flew down to our base at An Thoi off the southern tip of Vietnam to pin the Silver Star on Kerry and assorted Bronze Stars and commendation medals on the rest of us.

Error in citation

My Bronze Star citation, signed by Zumwalt, praised the charge tactic we used that day, saying the VC were "caught completely off guard."

There's at least one mistake in that citation. It incorrectly identifies the river where the main action occurred, a reminder that such documents were often done in haste and sometimes authored for their signers by staffers. It's a cautionary note for those trying to piece it all together. There's no final authority on something that happened so long ago--not the documents and not even the strained recollections of those of us who were there.

But I know that what some people are saying now is wrong. While they mean to hurt Kerry, what they're saying impugns others who are not in the public eye.

Men like Larry Lee, who was on our bow with an M-60 machine gun as we charged the riverbank, Kenneth Martin, who was in the .50-caliber gun tub atop our boat, and Benjamin Cueva, our engineman, who was at our aft gun mount suppressing the fire from the opposite bank.

Wayne Langhoffer and the other crewmen on Droz's boat went through even worse on April 12, 1969, when they saw Droz killed in a brutal ambush that left PCF-43 an abandoned pile of wreckage on the banks of the Duong Keo River. That was just a few months after the birth of his only child, Tracy.

The survivors of all these events are scattered across the country now.

Jerry Leeds lives in a tiny Kansas town where he built and sold a successful printing business. He owns a beautiful home with a lawn that sweeps to the edge of a small lake, which he also owns. Every year, flights of purple martins return to the stately birdhouses on the tall poles in his back yard.

Cueva, recently retired, has raised three daughters and is beloved by his neighbors for all the years he spent keeping their cars running. Lee is a senior computer programmer in Kentucky, and Lamberson finished a second military career in the Army.

With the debate over that long-ago day in February, they're all living that war another time.

Copyright ? 2004, Chicago Tribune

BBC NEWS | Health | Why we enjoy telling people off

BBC NEWS | Health | Why we enjoy telling people off

OK... This article from BBC science pages may explain just why so many people like to listen to Rush Limbaugh, Bill O'Reilly and Sean Hannity even though they don't keep much touch with reality.

-----"Writing in Science, the researchers said telling someone off activated a part of the brain which is linked to enjoyment and satisfaction.

The researchers said it might explain why many people choose to reprimand others if they break the rules or abuse their trust. "-----

I always wondered why people watch/listen to these types of compaint based, insult slinging shows. It's not as if they are actually news shows.
Well, here you have it.

D.