Told you so!

It's pretty cool when your Thesis is proven on a massive scale.

Article

And if anyone ever tells you that bacteria in a box will solve your problems (ahem, Rid-X), I have a bridge for sale. 

Open Mouth, Insert Foot

Driving back from the in-laws last night, Ana and I got on the topic of Jon Cusack, and how I used to think I looked like him when I was in college.  Anyways, Ana said, "People always told me I look like Helen Hunt."

 

I immediately said. "Oh, yeah.  She's hot."  Then I stopped myself and said, "No wait, I confused her with Holly Hunter.  Now, she's hot."

That is where I should have stopped because then I said, "Helen Hunt, no, she's not hot."  Then I immediately tried to backtrack, "Well, she is good looking though."

DOH!

I'm the Map!

Finger's crossed...

Paradoxical Dichotomy

Read this story on CNN, and it brought about a surge of emotion for me.  Specifically, these two paragraphs:

"Five anonymous marksmen will use matching .30-caliber rifles, standing behind a wall cut with five gunports. One of the rifles will be an "ineffective" round, similar to a blank, which delivers the same recoil as a live round. That ensures none of the riflemen will know who delivered the fatal shot.

The marksmen fire from a distance of 25 feet. The inmate is blindfolded, strapped to a chair and a target pinned to his chest" 

Barring the multitude of Biblical translations of the Hebrew text, one of the most sacred commandments is "Thou shalt not kill."

I realize this man murdered two people, and he should pay for his crimes, but what gives man the right to kill him in return?  

Ideally, there are only two things in our lives that are not in our control, when we are are born and when we die.  Everything else is within our power to change, control, etc.  So why should man control when this person dies?  Isn't birth and death divine?  Aren't we heralded into this world as a miracle and then called to Heaven when we die?  To me, man has no right to take the life of another man, or any other being, save for sustenance.

Now here is the paradoxical dichotomy...

From a broad viewpoint (read stereotype):

Democrats, Liberals, progressives etc. believe in pro-choice and anti-death penalty.

Republicans, Conservatives, etc. believe in pro-life and pro-death penalty.

In either instance, both viewpoints are paradoxes.  How can one believe in preventing a birth and saving a life, while the other believes in saving a life and ending a life?

Code of the Cardboard Gods - Part I

Code of the Cardboard Gods 
Part I - The Starting Nine

Setting: National Baseball Hall of Fame – Cooperstown, NY
Players: Museum curator and YOU
Puzzle Difficulty: 3½ stars
Points Possible: 20

It is a brisk autumn evening at your upstate New York farmhouse.  You have just finished a long session of working on your newest cryptology book about the Mayan calendar when your phone unexpectedly rings.  You contemplate not taking the call due to the late hour, but, suspecting it may be your publisher, you decide to answer.  You pick up the receiver, expecting your old friend, but hear an unknown voice asking your name.

“Yes, that is me,” you say, and then you ask, “Who is this?”

There is a brief pause, and then the voice replies, “I am a curator at the National Baseball Hall of Fame, and I need your help.  There has been a break-in, and I found an envelope addressed with your name and phone number, along with a curious code.  It is like nothing I have ever seen before.”

You ask, “Have you called the authorities?”

“No,” the curator replies, “Nothing has been stolen, and I’d like to avoid any… unpleasantness.  I am familiar with your work and judging by this envelope, you are somehow involved or are intended to be involved with this mystery.  You must understand. I need your help solving this code.  Money is no object, and I will pay whatever fee you require.”

Feeling the tug of greed, you inquire, “Can you send me a picture of the code?”

“No, you must see this in person,” he replies.

Your curiosity is piqued.  What better opportunity to combine your lifelong work of cryptology and your favorite pastime?

You agree, “I’m only 45 minutes from Cooperstown, I’ll be there within an hour.”

After an almost breathless drive as your mind is racing, greasing the gears for the puzzle that waits, you pull into the parking lot and notice a security guard vehicle and two non-descript sedans.  You grab your satchel and head for the grand front entrance.  As you approach, you see a balding man of middle age with a clean shaven face holding the door open.

“Are you the curator?” you ask.

“Yes, yes,” he briskly replies.  “Please, come this way. Quickly.”

You enter the atrium and immediately your eyes dart around, looking for the code that requires your interpretation.  You try and calm your nerves, remembering there is an envelope that will likely provide precious information.

“On the phone you mentioned an envelope.  What does it contain?” you question.

He answers, “I do not know.  It is sealed with wax.”

You take the envelope and examine the wax seal, and see the initials “OCG” emblazoned on the red paraffin.

“OCG,” you mutter.

“What does that mean?” he asks.

You reply, “It means Order of Cardboard Gods.”

Your mind races even faster over this new development.  Could it be?  You’re actually holding a letter from the mysterious Order of Cardboard Gods?

The curator shifts nervously and asks, “Order of what?”

“Cardboard Gods,” you distantly answer.

“Who are they?” he asks.

You ignore his question; your mind is drifting.  You break the wax seal, revealing a coded letter:

Click picture to enlarge

You smile at the simplicity of the code.  To the untrained eye, it looks like gibberish, but to you, the words shine through.

TO BE ANSWERED BY YOU (4 pts)

[ANSWER: ]

The last line gnaws at you.

The curator peers over your shoulder and brashly asks, “What does it say?  Who are the Cardboard Gods?”

You turn your head and flatly say, “Take me to the code.  I will tell you later about The Order and this letter.”

The curator backs away, and begins to lead you down the long hallway into the Hall of Fame Plaque Gallery.

Midway down the Gallery, you see the code ahead of you, basking in bright moonlight.  The plaques of the Class of 1936 have been removed, and placed at the foot of the wall now bearing a mysterious puzzle.

You approach the coded puzzle in awe.  A puzzle you have never seen before, a new challenge for your restless mind.

A wry smile crosses your face, and you think to yourself, “Oh, this will be so much fun!”

YOU SOLVE THE PUZZLE (16 pts)

Click picture to enlarge

[ANSWER – ]

[Author’s Note: You must provide the correct answer and your logic to receive the points .]

Tangent, Secant, Cosine, Sine, 3.14159...

Reasonable Suspicion

After reading A's Tuesday Rant regarding the hypocrisy of the illegal immigration movement, I found the Arizona Senate Bill 1070 that is garnering a lot of attention in the media and causing a vocal backlash from the Latino community.  I have somewhat mixed emotions about illegal immigration, but predominantly it is due to the white majority viewpoint.  


Almost every time illegal immigration enters the forefront of the American consciousness, it becomes synonymous with our southern border.  Never does the topic of illegal immigration through our western shores (Asians), our northern border (Canadians) and eastern shores (Europeans, Caribbeans and Africans) get mentioned.  No, illegal immigration is a Mexican albatross.  The fact being though, many who illegally immigrate through our southern border are not even Mexican, but Central or South American.  In essence, it is a "brown people" issue that white America has.


I understand that protecting our borders is important from a national security stance (i.e., preventing terrorist activities) and from a drug enforcement viewpoint, of which I am staunchly in favor of preventing cocaine, heroin, etc. from entering our country and ruining lives.  But I do not see the harm in people, hard working people, coming to America to earn a living for their families.


Family is the most important tangible connection we have in life.  For someone to break their backs doing labor that most American citizens would never contemplate doing is admirable to me.  It is humble.

Now some say that they are taking jobs, using resources, clogging hospitals, but the fact is most employers do garnish their wages for taxes.  Illegal immigrants do pay sales tax, gas tax, cigarette and alcohol tax.  They are paying taxes, in some form or fashion, and when those wages are garnished to remit to the IRS, almost none of it is returned to the employee for they do not file taxes, unless they are trying to obtain legal citizenship.  


We can't build a wall around this country.  It is not and should not be a part of the American psyche.  This country was built by immigrants through their own hard work, the shed blood of Native Americans and the sweat of African slaves.  I think it is high time the descendants of the original immigrants realize that America is not theirs, but it is OURS.  


The law in Arizona should be repealed or at least amended.  Check out a few of the parts I find extremely offensive:


Article 8 - Subparagraph B - FOR ANY LAWFUL CONTACT MADE BY A LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICIAL OR AGENCY OF THIS STATE OR A COUNTY, CITY, TOWN OR OTHER POLITICAL SUBDIVISION OF THIS STATE WHERE REASONABLE SUSPICION EXISTS THAT THE PERSON IS AN ALIEN WHO IS UNLAWFULLY PRESENT IN THE UNITED STATES, A REASONABLE ATTEMPT SHALL BE MADE, WHEN PRACTICABLE, TO DETERMINE THE IMMIGRATION STATUS OF THE PERSON. THE PERSON'S IMMIGRATION STATUS SHALL BE VERIFIED WITH THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT PURSUANT TO UNITED STATES CODE SECTION 1373(c).


Article 8 - Subparagraph E - A LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICER, WITHOUT A WARRANT, MAY ARREST A PERSON IF THE OFFICER HAS PROBABLE CAUSE TO BELIEVE THAT THE PERSON HAS COMMITTED ANY PUBLIC OFFENSE THAT MAKES THE PERSON REMOVABLE FROM THE UNITED STATES.


Section 4 - Subparagraph E - NOTWITHSTANDING ANY OTHER LAW, A PEACE OFFICER MAY LAWFULLY STOP ANY PERSON WHO IS OPERATING A MOTOR VEHICLE IF THE OFFICER HAS REASONABLE SUSPICION TO BELIEVE THE PERSON IS IN VIOLATION OF ANY CIVIL TRAFFIC LAW AND THIS SECTION.


Reasonable suspicion?  Without warrant?  Stop any person operating a motor vehicle if there is reasonable suspicion they are in violation of this section (i.e., SB 1070)?  


To me that screams put a yellow star on every Latino's lapel.