(Video NSFW) Jihad Hobbyist = Jihobbyist...

*WARNING* Audio portion of this video is NSFW.



Another 'tard has tried to bring down a transoceanic airliner with chemical explosives. This person, an educated and wealthy Nigerian, appears to have succumbed to the newest condition afflciting disturbed Islamic males, jihobbyism.

Jihobbyism is the extension of taking on Jihad as a Hobbyist . Some disaffected person, after too much extremist cybersurfing, decides to "become one of the martyrs". In this case, the internet - not a war in Afghanistan or Iraq - becomes the recruiting medium for impressionable Muslims. A person endlessly scrolling through pages of propganda, videos and jihadist podcasts effectively self-indoctrinates. There is no need for recruiting cells, almost anyone can become the Islamic equivalent of the Manchurian candidate.

The sooner we confront the falsehoods of this propaganda and challenge all true believers in Islam to reject violence, the sooner we will be able to engage in meaningful discourse and marginalize these zealots.

I often wonder whether South Africa would have been able to shed the mantle of apartheid had the internet existed. Or would they have collapsed into a spiral of fear and falshoods?

Proponents of peace do not blow up airliners.

Until then, we will be forever at war.

Please send me all your money...

Ah yes, the never-ending stream of junk sent via the internet. One could
infer that my blog also qualifies. Nevertheless, this new e-mail reflects
yet another attempt to capture what cash you have on hand. The message is
honest in regards to "random" selection of your e-mail address. Not unlike
the perpetual random requests for lists, collages and other trivia from
Facebookers; this message seems to be randomly compiled from real
information on the internet.

If anyone actually believes that a random firm, government or person would
be willing to fork over cash in exchange for a nominal fee, I will be happy
to conduct a deprogramming seminar for only half of whatever amount you are
being asked to surrender.

-----Original Message-----
From: Cnooc Corporation Company [mailto:cnooc1982@cnooc.com.cn]
Sent: Monday, March 02, 2009 3:00 PM
To: undisclosed-recipients:
Subject: Good Day

Human Resources Service Co.
Cnooc Oil Base Group Ltd.
Address:6 Dongzhimenwai Xiaojie,
Dongcheng District, Beijing, China 100027 Telephone:010-8452101, 010-8453198
Fax:010-6460250 EMail:cnooccorporations1982@yahoo.cn
Website:www.cnooc.com.cn

DESK OF: Mr. Wu Mengfei (Chief Financial Officer)

Good Day,

This is a letter from CNOOC Oil Base Group Ltd, visit our corporate website
for more info: www.cnooc.com.cn

We know that you may be surprise on how we got your email address,your email
was picked at random by our Gmek System use to randomly select the right
candidate for this position.We want to make you our payment agent there in
your location and your reward is 5% please contact us for more
information.We hereby assure you that you will not regret working with us.

Our company (CNOOC) was established in 1982. We are interested in employing
your services, to work with us as our payment agent our north America
customers will make payment to you on our behalf for goods and raw
materials we supplied to our customers in North America.

We deal on Oilexploitation, technical service, chemicals, fertilizar
production, refining,natural gas, power generation, financial services,
logistic services and new energies development.

Most payment ranges from $20,000.00 to $3.3 Million US Dollars please if you
are interested forward the following info to us:

1. Your Full Name:
2. Payment should be made to: Company?s Name:
3. Your Full Contact Address(Postal Address):
4. Phone/Fax Number:
5. Occupation:

Thanks for your understanding, we are expecting your reply as soon as
possible.

Yours Sincerely,
Mr. Wu Mengfei
Chief Financial Officer.

Protect your Visa card online...

My father will be 80 years old this year.  He was born in 1929, prior to the stock market crash.  He has lived through an extraordinary life and continues to do so.  I can truly say that he is someone whom I admire deeply and would list as my top hero.  It is, perhaps, with age that we appreciate the contribution of our parents to who we are.  One thing I admire about my father is his ability to connect with people.  He carries with him some surprising biases, but he maintains a courtesy and civility to everyone which (I think) truly reflects his feelings.  This courtesy, alas, also extends to the internet. 

 

A couple of years ago we set him up with a computer.  He is interested in genealogy and we though this may be a good way to get him moving on his projects.  Like me, my dad has a variety of interests and often starts projects with good intentions, only to see them idle on a shelf.  Family history has remained a constant, if inconsistent, pursuit.  In his introduction to the internet, he has met every Nigerian bank officer, deposed dictator, European heiress and other e-mail persona hucksters and con artists care to offer.  I am not sure he has a skeptical bone in his body.  Worse, these e-mails are becoming more sophisticated.  Social engineering techniques and phishing sites are creating more compelling messages designed to part us from our identity, cash or both!  

 

The message below arrived in my inbox today and I though of dad.  Aside from the horrible English, the message appears legitimate - save that any contact from your Visa card would have at least two or three personal identifiers.  My dad is not alone, there are a host of individuals on the net who - with complete innocence - respond to suspicious e-mails and enter far too much information on websites.  Who we are is one of the last elements that remains protected.  Even the Lifelock CEO, who promotes his program by using his social security number, has found himself the victim of fraud and deceit.

 

---

From: VerifiedbyVisa [mailto:protect@protectvisa.com]
Sent: Wednesday, December 10, 2008 2:33 AM
To: undisclosed-recipients
Subject: Protect your Visa card online with a personal password
Importance: High

Protect your Visa card online with a personal password

Solution

Create an additional password to protect your existing card for online purchases

We are proud to announce that Visa Europe in association with all European and U.S. banks launch a new campaign against online fraud and reward all participants with a 50,00 Euro bonus just for enroll and secure your card. Your personal bonus code is VISA-884AM-4423-2008 ( after you use the code please delete the email or keep it private, conform our privacy  and policy you cannot use your code twice, for more info please visit our Privacy and Policy )

Please enroll now by clinking the Global Visa Site select your country and follow the easy steps for a better security on your card.

 Global Visa Sites (CHANGED FROM SCAM SITE IN ITALY)

Do not be the next victim and fight with us against credit card fraud. 

The overwhelming amount of deception and trickery on the web is not simply confined to attempts to steal your identity.  A host of individuals who promote their own agenda or worldview make their home in the ether, complete with seemingly authentic endorsements, credentials and "facts".  Most recently, Deepak Chopra quoted Wikipedia for a count of civilians killed in the Iraq war.  Never mind that this figure is hotly debated by expert agencies, to quote Wikipedia is akin to saying;

 

"I heard it from my cousin's, brother-in-law's step sister."   

 

There is a lot of good research and information on Wikipedia, but all of it must be validated and no one will take a Wikipedia reference as a valid source.  No matter your cause, you can find support on the web.  Denizens of Lemuria among us, Chemtrails, Illuminati control of the banking system, suppression of real news (Ken McCarthy's BrasscheckTV is a purveyor of such bunk), anti-Vaccination / Autism adherents (Jenny McCarthy is a dedicated mom and a passable actress - but she is no scientist), and the list goes on forever.  In fact, take this challenge.  Make something up.  Google it.  I would be willing to bet that your neophyte idea is on the web - even if only in satirical form. 

 

Trouble is, like these compelling e-mails, it takes time, energy and a skeptical approach to sort the truth from the lies.  Most people either don't care, don't have the time or skills to dig a little deeper.  Do you read all the terms on that credit card application you just filled out?  Do you realize the introductory rate is null and void if you are more than 15 days late on a payment?  Do you know the new rate will be the maximum allowed by law, sometimes as high as 31% APR? 

 

Read the fine print.

 

Check the sources.

 

Dig a little deeper.

 

Know the bias.

 

Doubt.

None dare call it Conspiracy...

My good friend (okay, she’s a blog –bug) Lana Walker has made good on a little wager we had in February.  During the cold, dark winter of the primary season our wager consisted of her assertions that the media was “blocking” information on Ron Paul and that once the election was over a huge public backlash would ensue.  Who would have guessed that the global economy would be on the brink of collapse due to actions taken by the Carter administration in 1977?

 

Well, I simply made the assertion that no conspiracy existed.  I follow a simple rule, no secret can exist which is known by more than one person.  The alternate corollary is that the ONLY way to keep a secret between two people is to make sure one of them is dead.  In the interests of fair play, and full disclosure, my predictions are here.  What was my killing line? 

 

“There is a real risk the economy will improve”

 

I think I need to return my MBA.  Clearly, I don’t know what I am talking about.  But enough about me, let’s talk about conspiracies.

 

These are the stuff of legend, whether it is the uncaring gods, toying with our lives, or the hidden puppet masters of a clandestine world government, we love to imagine someone has got their hand on the tiller.  The internet is a rich feeding ground for all the various fantasies of the population of the planet.  You can find conspiracies about almost anything.  There are Coca-Cola plots, sinister “chemtrails” saturating our atmosphere, Lemurian myths, Big Pharma (or oil, or the military industrial complex, or the RIAA, or anyone!) working to suppress the “true” nature of whatever it is someone is supporting.

 

There are NO areas exempt from good on a little wager conspiracy theories.  I would submit that most organized religion is an extrapolated form of conspiracy theory.  However, that’s beside the point.  The reality is that conspiracy theories are just that, guesses and predictions to explain circumstances and situations.  They may be driven by a kernel of truth or they may simply be paranoid delusions brought about my mental illness.  What has proven itself time after time is that they simply don’t exist. 

 

Some more astute readers will Google various “true” conspiracy theories and present them, smugly, as fact.  The CIA’s MKULTRA mind control experimentation is credited by many to be proof that these things exist.  The reality is far from compelling.  It represented a small program, sanctioned by the government, in which individuals were subjected to LSD and other drugs in the quest for a perfect truth serum or mind control chemical.  The project was indeed secret, however, its overall influence was small.  Finally, its eventual discovery and exposure eliminates the underpinning framework that conspiracists promote, that these programs are “undiscoverable”.

 

Whatever your take, I would encourage you to apply Occam’s Razor to the posits of anyone promoting an alternate view to current events of contemporary history.  First ask yourself, which is the most likely occurrence?  Second, how likely would the alternate possibility be able to remain concealed from view?  Finally, what motivates the promoter of these views.  A frank and objective answer to each of these questions will guard you against falling for most of the ensnaring hogwash running rampant in our society.

 

Now excuse me, I need to order one of those  free Amish Heaters!

How the internet is changing the rules...

Joss Whedon created Buffy the Vampire Slayer and my favorite, gritty SciFi series, Firefly. Here he presents the very funny Neal Patrick Harris in a delightful online only video.

Military Rules...

Provided me by a good friend and USMC brat. They generally seem to apply, and I am in a humorous mood today.

Military Rules

Marine Corps Rules:

1. Be courteous to everyone, friendly to no one.

2. Decide to be aggressive enough, quickly enough.

3. Have a plan.

4. Have a back-up plan, because the first one probably won't work.

5. Be polite. Be professional. But, have a plan to kill everyone you
meet.

6. Do not attend a gunfight with a handgun whose caliber does not start
with a '4.'

7. Anything worth shooting is worth shooting twice. Ammo is cheap. Life
is expensive.

8. Move away from your attacker. Distance is your friend. (Lateral &
diagonal preferred.)

9. Use cover or concealment as much as possible.

10... Flank your adversary when possible. Protect yours.

11... Always cheat; always win. The only unfair fight is the one you
lose.

12... In ten years nobody will remember the details of caliber, stance,
or tactics. They will only remember who lived.

13... If you are not shooting, you should be communicating your
intention to shoot.


Navy SEAL's Rules:

1. Look very cool in sunglasses.

2. Kill every living thing within view.

3. Adjust Speedo.

4. Check hair in mirror.


US Army Rangers Rules:

1. Walk in 50 miles wearing 75 pound rucksack while starving.

2. Locate individuals requiring killing.

3. Request permission via radio from 'Higher' to perform killing.

4. Curse bitterly when mission is aborted.

5. Walk out 50 miles wearing a 75 pound rucksack while starving.


US Army Rules:

1. Curse bitterly when receiving operational order.

2. Make sure there is extra ammo and extra coffee.

3. Curse bitterly.

4. Curse bitterly.

5. Do not listen to 2nd LTs; it can get you killed.

6. Curse bitterly.


US Air Force Rules:

1. Have a cocktail.

2. Adjust temperature on air-conditioner.

3. See what's on HBO.

4. Ask 'What is a gunfight?'

5. Request more funding from Congress with a 'killer' Power Point
presentation.

6. Wine & dine ''key' Congressmen, invite DOD & defense industry
executives.

7. Receive funding, set up new command and assemble assets.

8. Declare the assets 'strategic' and never deploy them operationally.

9. Hurry to make 13:45 tee-time.

10. Make sure the base is as far as possible from the conflict but close
enough to have tax exemption.



US Navy Rules:

1. Go to Sea.

2. Drink Coffee.

3. Deploy Marines

Go Navy !

One born every minute...

PT Barnum was right. You can fool all of the people some of the time.

Ah, the never-ending stream of scam e-mails.

This one particularly struck me as inventive. Apparently some nameless
person has deposited some money in an account for me! Hooray! I only
have to send a copy of my ID and personal information to claim this
tremendous benefit! I suspect that if one were to add up all the funds
offered via these internet scams, it would exceed the total amount of
cash in circulation. And yet, people continue to fall for these types
of frauds.

-----Original Message-----
From: Ruiu Monica [mailto:ruiu.monica@orange.nl]
Sent: Thursday, February 14, 2008 2:17 PM
To: undisclosed-recipients:
Subject: Congratulation Your Payment Is Successful

Good day,

I have been waiting for you since to come down here and pick
your bank draft but did not hear from you since that time then i went
and deposited the 1.200,000.00 Euros draft/cheque in the bank.

We have arranged your payment through swift card payment center
Asia pacific, this card center will send you an Atm Card which you will
use to withdraw your money in any Atm machine in any part of the world,
but the maximum is One Thousand, Five Hundred Euros per day.

Kindly contact the below person who is in position to release
your ATM Payment Card. Send your information which they will use to send
the card to you.

1::Your full name::
2::Your home address were you want them to send the atmcard::
3::Current occupation::
4::Age::
5::Your current home telephone number/mobile phone number:: ::
6::A Copy of your identification::

However, kindly contact the below person who is in position to
release your Atm Card.

DR HENRY IWUEKE DIRECTOR,

ATM Payment Department Apex Bank

Email Address: atmapex@myway.com <mailto:atmapex@myway.com>

I have paid for the processing charges.the only money that your
are going to pay to them is only 100 Euros which they will use to obtain
the affidavit of onwership from the federal high court of Benin
Republic.

Try to contact them as soon as possible to quicken the
processing of your card before your draft gets expired .

Let me know as soon as you receive your card. Wait for your
respond.

Thanks You For Your Good Co-operation in this matter.

RUIU MONICA

I have left the included e-mail addresses intact in the hopes that some
mail trolling spider program will add them to their own spam lists and
thus provide some counter to this nonsense.

By no means are internet cash offers alone being swallowed hook line and
sinker by gullible people. Individuals are investing a lot of money in
unproven (and dangerous) cancer cures, diet pills, suspicious
"enhancement" drugs and a host of other "too good to be true" items and
programs. If you, for example, are depressed, the Church of Scientology
would like to talk to you, because, after all, psychiatry kills.

Our complicit media is equally to blame for this continued lack of
critical thinking among the populace. Recently, the governor of New
York - Elliot Spitzer - published an article in the Washington Post
claiming that a little known federal department was the root cause of
the sub prime crisis - preventing the noble states from enacting their
predatory lending laws.

Balderdash.

Governor Spitzer has used his bully pulpit as the AG for New York, and
now governor, to pursue his version of social activism. And yet his
actions as AG and governor have been far from pristine in terms of
ethics.

The issue at hand is with the nature of humanity to deal with problems
quickly and simply. When we roamed the African plains, we simply ran
from danger. This has morphed into a virtual fleeing from
accountability and reason. We want a solution and are unwilling to
stick around to understand the situation.

Understandable, but the tendency towards wishful thinking has eclipsed
many a rational thought.

Now if you'll excuse me, I need to e-mail Ms. Monica...

The new war, continued...

It seems that the assault on Scientology has gained the attention of one of my favorite news publications. The Economist reports the issue in typical matter of fact style with just the soupcon of humor that is the style of the magazine. I am also aware of several mysterious mail items showing up at Scientology sites. This is disturbing. It risks shifting the reasonable protest against a dangerous cult to a criminal attack on human beings. I certainly hope the group Anonymous has the good sense to disavow any association with such activities!

read more digg story

The new war...

The CHurch of Scientology is under attack. A group of individual(s) have posted a direct challenge to the fabricated religion developed by ex-Navy officer L. Ron Hubbard. CNET, the tech news source, has a more detailed story.

Is this the day when we mark the genesis of a true cyber war? A war between non-nation players in which information is the only weapon? The stakes are high. Scientology is a multi-million dollar organization which is, in my opinion, a dangerous and predatory cult. It uses clear psychological manipulation to subvert an individual's will and consume their financial and physical assets. The veneer of legitimacy and belonging is held up by the likes of John Travolta, Tom Cruise and other celebreties.

For a good insight into the vulnerability of the human psyche, read Corruption of Reality by John Schumaker. For a tongue in cheek insight into Scientology, go see the Completely Unauthorized Children's Scientology Christmas Pageant.

Personally, I doubt the veracity of the threat. The video is very Sci-Fi and likely a retaliatory shot against the churh's recent litigation against the posting of a "secret" recruitment video. However, if it is real, there could be a very interesting struggle about to take place.

Nonetheless, there seems to be an appetite for this sort of action. Individuals feel empowered by the internet and threatened when a group (like Scientology) tries to restict free speech.

It may be the first day of the new war.

Foodstuffs...

As with many issues, consumers all over the world are turning to the internet for information. This includes everything from movie reviews, political opinion, car part specifications, genealogical research and health information. There is a problem, however, and I call it the wikidization of information.

Wikipedia is an outstanding collaborative work of volunteers to catalog and define almost everything in the world. The problem is that it is not peer reviewed, it is subject to a loose editorial control at best and can be flat out wrong. This is not to say that it does not serve a useful purpose. It is a great starting point to frame a debate or determine the level of controversy around a topic. It is unacceptable as a research reference in scholarly work.

People rarely know how to reach out for source documentation on a topic. They often stop at the first piece of information which confirms their preconceived notions. Rarely do they consider the possible biases of information sources and too frequently distrust official sites, believing them to be dishonest or unscrupulous.

For example, many people seek out a low calorie diet. Concerned by the claims raised in the 1970s about saccharin, they seek out “natural” sugar substitutes. This can be unrefined sugars, molasses and products such as stevia. What few US citizens realize is that stevia is not a food.

Stevia is not approved as a food ingredient in the United States. However, it is sold as a “dietary supplement.” According to the provisions of the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA), which was passed in 1994, dietary supplements do not need FDA approval before they are marketed, in the way that new food additives or drugs do. Dietary supplements that contain stevia cannot legally be promoted as sugar substitutes in the U.S., and stevia cannot be used as an ingredient in foods. The sale of the supplements is legal, however. (ACSH Document 20060417_sugar_web)

This has led to uninformed decisions about food and how we eat. In my opinion, a balanced, sensible diet – coupled with exercise – is the key to a healthy, happy life. Individuals need to make informed decisions and resist being swayed by questionable or inflammatory information. The American Council on Science and Health encourages individuals to seek information from reliable sources. From the abovementioned publication;

Distinguishing between reliable and unreliable information sources on the World Wide Web can be challenging. Simply entering a topic into an Internet search engine is not the best way to obtain science-based advice. A better approach is to visit trustworthy health-related Web sites, such as the National Library of Medicine site, the U.S. government’s health clearinghouse site, the sites of government agencies such as the Food and Drug Administration or the U.S. Department of Agriculture, or the sites of trusted professional organizations or voluntary groups such as the American Dietetic Association, the American Heart Association, or the American Cancer Society , and then search within the collections of documents at these sites for information on a specific topic. In instances where something sounds too good — or too horrible — to be true, it’s also a good idea to see whether the topic in question is discussed on the Urban Legends Reference Pages and/or Quackwatch. Both sites are reliable, and they are frequently updated with new information about various health myths and misinformation.

Caveat emptor.

Weak lately...

New of the world has been summarily uninspiring of late. I was briefly excited when I read about some physicists who may have shaken up the scientific world with a simultaneous transport of a particle. However, there has been no follow up and I can find no buzz in the press about it. Even searching Elsevier (the science web) has proven fruitless. It seems like the typical fall doldrums. School is starting and the usual crop of internet predator and date rape stories are sure to be popping up like crocuses in the media. The present credit crunch is being felt by some who bought homes overvalued or way over their price range (I love Dave Ramsey's quote - Act your wage!) and their less than scrupulous lenders.

The government's fiscal year is winding down and (as usual) there is a plethora of remaining funds for training, exercises and other activities that was poorly budgeted throughout the year. My own unit is preparing for its semi-annual weapons qualifications and I will be sojourning off for a week of training. The Proto-Citizens are now ensconced in their first full month of school (August is too early to start anything in Georgia) and Citizen Une and I are planning for a trip or two to see old friends.

Ah, the routine of autumn.

I hope, dear reader, that you will take some time to read and reflect on the state of affairs of our planet. May I suggest a few "non-net" titles;

1) Infidel - A stunning work of one woman's journey to understanding
2) Foreign Affairs - A collection of scholarly essays from all sides of the political spectrum
3) The Economist - Weekly news and analysis - the best balance and perspective available

Now this small selection will, hopefully, spawn some responses to the question, what do you read (non-net) that enables you to form your world view?

I would be interested to know.

The great divide...

A recent article in the Washington Post - yes I read it once in a while - underscore something which many, including myself, have been pointing to for some time. The fact of the matter is that there has never been a better time to be a consumer of information. The wealth of options available to people in the free world are nearly limitless. As a consumer I can see a story on network television, research it on the internet, e-mail the originators and gain a level of understanding heretofore unheard of in society.

The cost of this undertaking is small. All the hard work has been done by scholars and others who full the net with content. I can even search libraries for original source material, read UN transcripts minutes after meetings (which never make the news) are concluded.

So why do people cry foul and claim that the news consumed by the masses is skewed this way or that? Why do Democrats whine and moan about a fairness doctrine? Doesn't the failed Air America project underscore that there is little market for liberal talk radio? And doesn't the fact that a Kucinich voter would hardly listen to (much less be swayed by) a Sean Hannity mean anything (and vice versa)?

The premise of the WaPo (I love these homey nicknames) article is that it's not about the plethora of information, but the range of choices. Simply put, most people (and I mean ALL people, everywhere) opt out - to some extent. They turn on Dancing with the Stars or idle away their time online in MySpace or any other of a host of niche realms. This is what the market has wrought. If you offer me NBC Nightly News or a repeat of the Sopranos, I may not choose the news. Even Katie Couric, in all her intern slapping, photo-shopped tartiness can not save such a narrow track vehicle (network news).

So how do you get the population of a country so overflowing with choices to pay attention to politics long enough to make some informed decisions ? The politicians do not care. They know that as long as enough people keep voting for them the rest of the nation can quietly slumber on in ignorance. The sleepers actually risk little. Their interests are connected inextricably with those of the engaged. If you are routinely reading blogs, news and other informational sites you are not one of the sleepers.

Does it all matter? As long as a sufficiently representative portion of the populace maintains watch, the rest of the country seems happy to cede its authority over to us. In essence, we have a representative, representative government. One which we earned and one which we (apparently) deserve. If I ran the zoo. I would require every citizen to devote some period of time to government.

Augggh! Deux! That's dictatorship!

Perhaps, like the Heinlein novel, Starship Troopers - in which only those who served in the military could vote - an arrangement could be struck. If you participate, you get to vote - otherwise you are excluded from the choices.

If you think about it, we already compel folks to engage with the government. The payment and preparation of taxes requires no small amount of effort and certainly conscious engagement.

I don't think a couple hours per week on local, state and national matters would be too much to ask.

Wait a minute, isn't that the premier of Kid Nation?

zzzzzZZZZZ.

Spam, Phish, and others...

Good morning! It's Monday. While Scoot is locked in mortal combat with the forces of ignorance, I get a chance to catch up on all my fan mail.

Wait a a minute, I don't know anyone in Nigeria. Yes, dear reader(s) it is time for the annual diatribe on spam and other internet abuses. Let's begin by reviewing the top few spam e-mails, sexual aids aside.

1) Hello, I am Kwanodallala Mugabartilsg from Lagos, Nigeria. I have $20 million (did I say $20 million, I meant $40 million) in a numbered account. No wait, don't delete me, it's legitimate I sw**

2) Congratulations! You have won the Lithuanian lottery, presently valued at 100 million euros, that's 5 billion in US dolla**

3) Timmy was born without a head, his fondest wish is to annoy the crap out of every living thing on the planet. Won't you send this message alon**

4) I swear this is true! A professor at a University in a large western state sent this out. Taking large doses of mercury and rubbing them gently on yo**

And now my newest, and most recent,

5) My name is SGT David Ess, serving with the Third Infantry in Iraq...

Ah yes, the desperate plea of our soldiers in Iraq, strangely sent out from Yahoo Japan. I am sure the SGT needs enough money to buy an Iraqi lottery ticket in order to purchase more mercury for the little headless boy he and his platoon have adopted...

The net has proven the depth and height of humanity. I think I have learned that there are folks who would gladly pick our pockets as pick us up when we fall. Once again it is the understated and overlooked who tend to do the most good.

On another note...

Scoot, I am with you. I look forward to the return of your intellect to the ethereal world.