ShowMeBlog

Walking around the Miccosukee Golf Club

  I decided to start walking today.  I had my Palm Theo in my right pocket and my Casio Exilim EX-Z1080 in my left pocket.  What more could an old man need for a four mile walk?
  I started out at 8 PM to walk around the Miccosukee Golf and County Club.  It is a 27 hole golf course here in Miami FL. 

 

  It took me one hour and a half to do the walk.  I did stop a few times to take some photos.
  I am not sure I want to walk around a golf course each day.  I am thinking it would be better to walk someplace.  But I want to know the distance.  When I get the iPhone I can use the GPS to get the distance.

Inability to Complete 1/4 Mile Walk Predictor of Death

Inability To Complete 1/4 mile Walk Significant Predictor Of Death & Poor Health

“04 May 2006
Walking fitness makes a significant difference in predicting the likelihood of future disability in the elderly, according to a study published today in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health (GSPH) and their collaborators found that the ability to walk 400-meters, or about a quarter mile, was an important determinant not only of whether elderly participants would be alive six years later but also how much illness and disability they would experience within that time frame.
"The ability to complete this walk was a powerful predictor of health outcomes. In fact, we found that the people who could not complete the walk were at an extremely high risk of later disability and death," said lead author, Anne B. Newman, M.D., M.P.H., professor of epidemiology at GSPH and professor of medicine in the department of medicine, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine…”
Obesity Discussion

   On the 1st I plan to walk each day.  Ken runs the course and says it is 4 miles but I found a site that has it and says it is 3.07 miles.

The site Walk Jog Run is pretty neat.  I just signed up.
In a few days I may give up on the idea of walking each day.  But today I am dreaming of long walks and good health.

Casio Exilim EX-Z1080

  Remember the Casio Exilim EX-Z1080 that I loved so much?  I sold it to Russell.  Well I gave it to him and cash for a computer and monitor.    
  I talked Russell into selling me back the Casio Exilim camera.      
  I will soon have the camera back and I am going to hang onto it this time.      
  It is an excellent camera and I love it.      
  I can carry it with me at all times.      
  This Kodak camera is nice and has a great zoom but it is too big for me to carry in my pocket.      
  Remember I do not own a car so when I go someplace I have to carry everything with me.      
  I will be glad to get it back.      
      
  Russell is walking up to CVS for me.  He is going to get an ear wax removal kit for me from CVS.  I was not sure he would get something like that but I guess he does not have a problem with it.      
      
  Russell signed up for un-employment money at last.  I've been begging him to do it for months.  He will get $249.00 a week for about four months.  He is still trying to get a job.  He has not had much luck.  I think times are hard here in Maimi but also it is because he does not speak Spanish.      
  Russell will start college at the end of August.      
  Russell has not had any problem getting credit cards in the past few months.  He has a number of them, but he does not use them.      
  He also has been approved for a college loan.      
  He is all set to go to college.  He knows what he wants to take and his plans.      
 
  I have not got my iPhone yet.  I sure am looking forward to it.      
  I am going to give Russell my Palm Treo when I get the iPhone.      
  I have it set up as a pre-paid cell phone.  I put $100.00 into it back over six months ago and I still have a bit over $50.00 on the phone.  You can see it is rare for me to use the phone.      

Bush/Mukasey plan to make torture legal

“Dear ACLU Supporter,

A few days ago, we alerted you to Attorney General Michael Mukasey’s demand that Congress issue a new declaration of war. This would make the entire globe -- including the United States itself -- a “battlefield” where the president gets to decide who is an “enemy combatant” and lock that person up forever.

The Bush/Mukasey plan also includes a congressionally-approved subversion of the Constitution and a cover-up of the Bush administration’s systemic torture and abuse of detainees.

At the same time, an ACLU lawsuit has uncovered new evidence that the torture and abuse Mukasey wants Congress to cover up was authorized by -- you guessed it -- the Justice Department. One of the documents obtained by the ACLU is a redacted version of a previously undisclosed 2002 Justice Department opinion that authorizes the CIA to use specific interrogation methods, including waterboarding.

Now, Mukasey -- as head of the Justice Department -- wants Congress to cover up torture committed under the watch of his predecessor, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales. It’s outrageous!

Don’t let it happen. Read the alert I’ve attached below and take action now at: http://action.aclu.org/coverup

Anthony D. Romero
Executive Director”

“WASHINGTON — After a major setback in the Supreme Court last month, the Bush administration urged Congress on Monday to work out a plan for allowing prisoners in Guantánamo Bay to contest their incarcerations before federal judges — but without ever letting them set foot in the United States because of the “extraordinary risk” they pose.

As part of the plan, the administration also wants Congress to “reaffirm,” nearly seven years after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, that the United States “remains engaged in an armed conflict with al Qaeda” and other terrorist groups. The administration used Congress’s original affirmation of an armed conflict, three days after 9/11, not only to invade Afghanistan, but also to incarcerate enemy combatants without trial and to conduct wiretaps on Americans without a court warrant…”  The New York Times

Titanium

  I have been crazy for things made out of Titanium for years.  I do not own anything made out of Titanium.  I am not sure I have ever held or seen anything, in real life, made out of Titanium.
  I have no idea why I want to own things made out of Titanium.
  
  I was a welder for many years.  I had to study metals.
  I never welded Titanium or heard about it.  At least I do not remember working with it. 

  I want to own a camera, cell phone and ham radio made from Titanium.
 

“W.” the movie by Oliver Stone

  I love movies.  I love history, news and political subjects.
  
    I will not be seeing the Oliver Stone movie “W.” (2008). 

“W. is a film in production based on the life and presidency of George W. Bush. It is directed by Oliver Stone and stars Josh Brolin as George W. Bush. Stone has compared his goal for W. to the approaches of The Queen (2006) and his own Nixon (1995). Filming began on May 12, 2008 in Louisiana and it will be released on October 17, 2008…^{”  Wikipedia}

"I want a fair, true portrait of the man. How did Bush go from an alcoholic bum to the most powerful figure in the world? It's like Frank Capra territory on one hand, but I'll also cover the demons in his private life, his bouts with his dad and his conversion to Christianity, which explains a lot of where he is coming from. It includes his belief that God personally chose him to be president of the United States, and his coming into his own with the stunning, preemptive attack on Iraq. It will contain surprises for Bush supporters and his detractors."
Oliver Stone^[3]

  I hate Oliver Stone because of his movie “JFK” (1991).  The movie was one big lie but it was presented as if it was history.  Many people today believe that the Jim Garrison nutty conspiracy is history.
  I wish that was the only movie that Oliver Stone had made.  It would then be easy to just write him off.
  He has, however, made some great movies;  “Platoon” (1986), “Born on the Fourth of July” (1989),  and“Talk Radio” (1988).
  I do not want to see a movie about President Bush and not know what parts are true and what parts are Oliver Stone lies.

Bummer news

“Obesity experts agree that daily exercise is essential for good health, but whether it can successfully lead to long-term weight loss is a question of much debate. What has become increasingly clear, however, is that the conventionally accepted advice — 30 minutes of moderate-intensity activity most days of the week — is probably insufficient to spur any real change in a person's body weight. A study published July 28 in the Archives of Internal Medicine adds to the burgeoning scientific consensus: when it comes to exercise for weight loss, more is better. It suggests that obese people would have to exercise at least an hour at a time to see any significant difference in their weight…”  Time/CNN

  On August 1st I plan to start walking a four mile course.  It will take me about an hour.  I hope I do it each day.  It will be more fun when I get my iPhone. 

Sen. Stevens indicted

WASHINGTON — "Sen. Ted Stevens, the longest-serving Republican senator and a figure in Alaska politics since before statehood, has been indicted on seven counts of making false statements.

Stevens, 86, has been dogged by a federal investigation into whether he pushed for fishing legislation that also benefited his son, an Alaska lobbyist. Authorities have also scrutinized his ties to a corrupt oil contractor who paid employees to renovate the senator's home..."   NewsVine

  When I saw this news item I was thinking I wonder how (Republican) Sen. Ted Stevens voted on the impeachment of President Clinton.  Ten Republicans voted with all 45 Democrats to reject the perjury charge and one of them was Ted Stevens.
  Ted Stevens did vote for the obstruction of justice article.

  Sen. Stevens is 86 years old.  My guess is that he will drag out the matter.
 

Earwax

  “Earwax, also known by the medical term cerumen, is a yellowish, waxy substance secreted in the ear canal of humans and many other mammals. It plays an important role in the human ear canal, assisting in cleaning and lubrication, and also provides some protection from bacteria, fungi, and insects. Excess or impacted cerumen can press against the eardrum and/or occlude the external auditory canal and impair hearing…”  Wikipedia

  My ears brother me.  I have hearing lost and have had since I was a kid and have never had it treated.
  The one thing everyone tells a person is do NOT put a q-tip or cotton swab in your ear.  I been putting a q-tips in my ears daily for years. 
  I am going to try and stop today. 

  I am going to try and get up to the CVS store today and get a ear wax removal kit and clean my ears out.  I am going to try and not use q-tips any more on my ears.  I wanted you to know in case you have invested in q-tip stock.  You may want to sell your stock.
 

Ahmadinejad: What color is his sky

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) -- “Iran's president on Tuesday blamed the U.S. and other "big powers" for nuclear proliferation, AIDS and other global ills, and accused them of exploiting the U.N. and other organizations for their own gain and the developing world's loss…”

  I think, because of President Bush, the United States is heading down.  I do not think the other “big powers” are headed down. 
  It sure is easy to hate Ahmadinejad.  We forget that most of the people in Iran hate him more than we do.  
  Is he just saying the shit he says to make waves or does he believe it?
  If he believes that the “big powers”; "They have come to the end of their power, and the world is on the verge of entering a new, promising era." then he should be scared shitless. 
  Think of a world with no “big powers” like we have now but a nation with big powers like China, Iran and Cuba. 
  If the world got turned upside down I think one or more of those ex-big powers would have taken Iran off the face of earth. 

  If we have another four years with a Republican president then I think the United States will be much less of a world power and much weaker.
  If we get Democrats into the White House they can try and turn the ship of state around.  It will not be easy.