Iran's president says nuclear program is like a train without brakes...Iranians remind him trains like that crash and burn

He's at it again! On Monday, Iranian President Ahmadinejad said his country's nuclear program is like a train without brakes. He told a group of clerics that Iran's nuclear ambitions were unstoppable. "The train of the Iranian nation is without brakes and a rear gear ... We dismantled the reverse gear and brakes of the train and threw them away some time ago," he said.

Reaction
Not only is he getting criticized around the world for his comments but he is also getting some rare criticisms across the political spectrum in Iran. Here are just some Iranian thoughts on the matter:

Etemad-e-Melli, National Confidence, "Why are you speaking a language that causes a person to be ashamed? A train's brakes are needed to reach its destination safely. You represent the voters of the great Iranian nation. Speak equal to the name and dignity of this nation."

Resalat chided "neither weakness nor unnecessarily offensive language is acceptable in foreign policy. Our foreign policy must reflect the ancient Iranian civilization and rich Islamic culture of the Iranian nation. Therefore, delicacy ... rich diplomatic language and non-primitive policies must be part of a calculated combination to work"

A train without brakes...

Hopefully, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei can control his bull dog; otherwise, the Iranian people might do it for him.

CBS shows North Iraq -- the diamond in the rough

Tonight on 60 Minutes, I saw an update on North Iraq. The Kurds, ethnically different from Arabs but are still Muslims are enjoying an economic boom! Because they are not killing themselves like Southern Iraq is doing, the Kurds have commercial infrastructures, universities, and other modern day luxuries popping up throughout their side of the country.

This is the "dream" of what we want in Southern Iraq, but it maybe sometime before Southern Iraq will ever be that way. Despite we have strong U.S. presence in Southern Iraq, deep-seated hatred is still hurting the dream of a unified Iraq.

But at least we see a ray of hope with the Kurds. On evening prayers at their Muslim mosques, they don't say words of hatred towards the United States, but rather praise of the liberation that they received after years of turmoil and genocide by the Arabs.

New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin broke the law, federal court finds

Mayor Ray Nagin, the supposed 'hero' of the New Orleans disaster has been found in contempt of court. Federal court records shows that he has been hiding/refusing to reveal records of who ordered the confiscation of legal firearms.

Instead of allowing citizens to defend themselves against gangsters during the Katrina disaster, Nagin sent an edict to act against civil liberties by removing legitimate guns from citizens. So the only ones armed in the city were...CRIMINALS.

No wonder New Orleans is now hailed as the Murder Capital of the country. You have armed criminals, a distraught police force, and citizens who have no weapons to defend themselves because their mayor doesn't respect the Constitution.

Resign Nagin. Your office is a shame.

Congress spends 1.4 million dollars arguing about non-binding Iraq resolution

I'm sure you've heard about it by now.

The United States House of Representatives spent over 40 hours arguing about a non-binding Iraq resolution of how they disagree with President's Bush decision to secure Baghdad and protect American troops and civilians.

Democrats, along with 17 Republicans, passed the resolution to show that they do not like securing Baghdad or protecting American troops. As you may know, after winning the Nov 2006 congressional elections, Democrats have promised to "change course" on Iraq from winning to running away. And they state this is just one of their first actions.

Democrats, along with their Iraq promise, also promised reform and changes within their first 100 hours of session. Perhaps they should start by not wasting tax payer's money on useless, non-binding resolutions! So how much did this useless, non-binding resolution cost? The labor cost was about $1.4 million USD, assuming all of the representatives that voted [428] were there for the full debate.

Great job congressmen -- good job on arguing about things that don't do anything.

A new U.S. dollar coin...again!

If you first don't succeed, try, try again...

The U.S. Mint is once again pursuing the dollar coin for mainstream uses. Their first initial attempt, Susan B. Anthony/Sacagawea coin, didn't fare well with the public because the dollar bill still existed. For this attempt, they will be using George Washington's image. They will be putting images of future presidents in future editions of the coin, similar to how they release different emblems for the quarters.

The difference between this attempt and the previous release is the media hype surrounding the new dollar coin. With the Internet, TV, and other media blitzing the news across the world, banks are already reporting consumer interest in the dollar coin.

Interested in one? In a few weeks, just go to the bank!

My baby turned 3 months old...Dohgirl is growing!

My baby is 3 months old now. Here's a quick look at what she looks like last month versus her birth pic. She's doubled her weight. Gotta love babies!

2.5 MONTHS

BIRTH

UN claims Global Warming is warming the earth, while I'm freezing in Florida

The United Nations just sent out global warming reports and warnings to its member nations, describing that the world's going to end because of man. And while I agree, we are the cause of our own disasters, they should have timed their reports better.

At the moment, southwest Florida is receiving freezing temperatures. This is an area where it is suppose to be tropical and have mild winters, yet we are freezing here. If someone was going to tell me the world is warming up year after year and it's going to be the end of the world, they should try to do so when we don't get record freezing temperatures in a semi-tropic climate.

It seems year after year we keep drumming the same tune that we are being cooked, and while there are ample evidence that glaciers are melting and weather's being affected, there is an equal amount of evidence that we are hitting record lows. Which begs the question, is global warming really something that is a true science or is it yet another guess, another theory? What if Earth was going through cycles? Why are scientists who oppose global warming get belittled in the media and scientific world? Why don't we keep an opend mind?

So you're thinking about upgrading to Microsoft Vista

After about six years Microsoft has come out with a new and exciting operating system, Microsoft Vista. Most people that have tested it have given it high marks compared to Windows XP. But what's required to run this new OS? I've got a rundown for you from Microsoft's web site.

1. 800mhz CPU
2. 512MB RAM
3. 20GB HD with 15GB free
4. CD-ROM drive/DVD

From what I hear, it might come as a DVD disc.

Hacker [Muslix64] makes name for himself, cracks Bluray and HD DVD code

The Advanced Access Content System Licensing Authority (AACS LA) on its Web site stated that it "confirmed that AACS Title Keys have appeared on public Web sites without authorization."

They have attempted to seal up HD DVDs and Bluray DVDs from being copied. Unfortunately, since these DVDs were readable on PCs, Muslix64 was able to find the keys that was residing in memory.

Doh.

Florida state legislators worked hard over the weekend to reduce skyrocketing home insurance rates

Citizens across the state of Florida were looking to the state to help them against losing their homes. And it seems like they have something in the making. After being flooded by calls, mail, and faxes, state legislators are frantically looking for a solution on how to preserve the economy admist a growing home insurance crisis. Due to the increased hurricane activities, home insurance rates have gone up across the state.

Sun Sentinel, one of the newspapers in south Florida, described it best. This is a historic, almost unprecedented event...both Democrats and Republicans sitting in meeting rooms working together to try to come up with an answer.

By Sunday evening, a deal came together that highlighted a level of bipartisanship and urgency in the Legislature that hasn't been seen for years in Tallahassee.

Source: Sun Sentinel

If you're a Florida resident, you should be proud -- your legislators worked hard to get this issue fixed!

Apple Lawyers Bully Bloggers Over iPhone Skins

You would think Apple would learn from bullying geeks from blogging. They've already lost one case when they attempted to get the anonymous source that tipped off one of their releases. Now they are bullying people that's posting about their iPhone user interface...claiming copyright infringement!

It might just be a freshman lawyer who doesn't understand the idea of fair use and free speech. But one thing is clear, Apple is no Google. Google's ideology is exchange and freedom of information, "do no evil"...while in contrast, Apple is restrictive, making any excuse to threaten bloggers if they feel their intellectual property rights are stepped on (which they aren't in this case).

For more information on how Apple's been threatening geeks and bloggers, view these links:

Techcrunch: Apple Bullies Bloggers, Again

Techdirt: ould Apple's Lawyers Really Not Understand That Reporting Isn't Copyright Infringement?

So how's the Internet reacting? Just view these comments from techcrunch.com:

# hornswaggled
January 13th, 2007 at 9:07 pm
First Cisco and now this. I am not a Mac guy but they are not winning me over with these kind of moves. When will these companies embrace the blogging community?

# Morgan
January 13th, 2007 at 9:12 pm
I’ve never seen a community more willing to bend over for a company than Apple fans. Totally closed, secretive, often overpriced and protective, defaults to DRM in iTunes, litigious, and just arrogant. If it were any other company people would get truly angry. With Apple it’s always a sigh leading into breath-holding for the next big announcement.

# Robert Dewey
January 13th, 2007 at 9:21 pm
I’m an Apple fan, and I can surely say this is crap. If they want users to switch from PC to Mac, they need to take the “don’t be evil” approach. When a prospective Mac user sees this, you can bet they’ll change their mind…

# John
January 13th, 2007 at 9:48 pm
When Jobs and Apple get out from under their “options” scam I’ll bother to look at Apple Inc’s issue with bloggers and legality.

# Jorge
January 13th, 2007 at 10:29 pm
Apple users are like abused lovers: you can beat them all you want, but they’ll never complain, and they’ll even defender the abuser.
So much for Apple empowering its users…

# Spencer P
January 14th, 2007 at 6:37 am
Apple is definitely the Sirius Cybernetics Corporation of our day.

# Scott N.
January 14th, 2007 at 9:57 am
It’s incredible to me that apple is able to preserve their reputation when they pull this sort of thing on a semi-regular basis. They’ve become just as ridiculous as the competition.

Pelosi shows her stupidity - wants to increase American Samoa's wages

I have studied American Samoa and its economy last year for an IPP report (business paper). I looked at its history, and where it stands in the world. They are one of our territories. They are U.S. nationals but not citizens; hence, they cannot vote but has every other privilege an American has. One of their main industries is tuna processing and they are being paid at a lower wage than mainland USA because of the cost of living. This gives employers like Del Monte the ability to employ a significant amount of the population which would otherwise go to jobs in Asia or other low-cost countries. In short, Del Monte and StarKist (yes makers of Chicken of the Sea) have been able to single handedly feed the island.

Incoming House Speaker Nancy Pelosi apparently wants this all change. She wants to increase the minimum wage laws in the area and double the cost of labor for these companies. The Samoan people have asked these companies to hire them and have had public hearings on how much they should be paid. Now Pelosi and her aides want to ruin that.

What's the risk of increasing minimum wage?

Non-voting Rep. Eni Faleomavaega said, "decrease in production or departure of one or both of the two canneries in American Samoa could devastate the local economy, resulting in massive layoffs and insurmountable financial difficulties."

The island's prominent politician has clearly said it. If you increase the labor pressures against the two tuna companies that have done so much for American Samoa, two things will happen. Either the price of tuna will increase and the two companies will probably go bankrupt because foreign tuna companies will beat its pricing, or they will simply leave the island and go to an offshore location.

Why I call this the stupidity of Pelosi

Any congressman or senator that goes along with this plan I consider stupid. Why such a harsh word? Because they are about to make a whole island suffer and a significant amount of the population will become unemployed. There are no other major employers in American Samoa. It isn't like they could just move around freely and get a job like in the mainland.

Politicians who do not take into account local culture and the local economy are stupid. Very very stupid.

Update - What gift to get my wife "contest"

Just an update of what I got for my wife's birthday. I stuck with the classics - flowers and dinner with friends and family. I threw in a digital camcorder and a black video iPod for kicks.

Now on to Valentines Day gift ideas. If you have a gift idea that I will use, I'll ship you a free business investment book titled Investing Without Losing as a thank you!

Why People Give Gifts
There are many ways to show love. You can do it by an action of kindness, a song, a hug, or a gift. As we give gifts to our love ones for whatever reason, whether it's Christmas or a birthday, always remind yourself why you are giving. It's not to meant to impress but to show that you love.

Need ideas -- my wife's birthday coming up, what to get her?

Okay my wife's birthday is coming up and I need some gift ideas. And Valentines is not that far either, so I guess I need two gift ideas.

Tips:
1. She likes shopping (as many wives do I think)
2. I don't like giving gift cards. Gift cards are great for friends but when it comes to my wife, I need to give something more personal (and maybe plus a gift card).
3. We don't like jewelry so diamonds are out.

What's been discussed:
1. She likes my PSP and Gameboy micro. So I asked her if she wanted a PSP or a GameBoy DS. She doesn't know and she doesn't think she really has the time to play it.
2. She's wanting a new shelf put in.

What's already understood:
1. I'm already giving her cake and flowers.

Send your emails to me at don ( at ) donsausa.com. If I use your idea, I'll send you this investment book for free.

Apple shares tumbles 6% due to options fraud scandal

Apple is making headlines again, but it isn't about new gadgets.

Justin Scheck reports:

According to people with knowledge of Apple's situation, federal prosecutors are looking closely at stock option administration documents that were apparently falsified by company officials to maximize the profitability of option grants to executives.

The faked documents were revealed in a three-month internal probe — conducted by Quinn Emanuel Urquhart Oliver & Hedges — that concluded in October, said individuals familiar with the case who requested anonymity because it remains the subject of criminal and civil government investigations.

The falsification of documents is perhaps the key issue for government officials trying to determine which of their 100-plus backdating investigations will be pursued as criminal matters and which will be limited to civil SEC inquiries.

Steve Jobs reportedly has hired an independent lawyer to mount a defense against SEC inquiries. Hopefully, this will end soon. Worst case scenario = Jobs quits, Apple gets fined (fines for companies like Apple are like ant bites, the bottom line isn't significantly hurt).

Reduce 2006 taxes by helping Typhoon Durian victims in the Philippines

Over 1,000 people died as Typhoon Durian swept through northern Philippines. They didn't die by the winds. They died being buried alive by the mountains that they thought could protect them from the winds. How did this happen? Nearby mountains became wet and unstable...the end result was an oncoming onslaught of mud and rock wiping out entire villages. See a picture below of a Durian mudslide.



Aid workers on the ground are still trying to recover, with many families separated and children left parentless. One of the first aid groups to respond, the Adventist Development and Relief Agency, is currently doing its best to help and assist with volunteers from all over the Philippines. But they need your help!

If you wish to donate to this cause and to also give yourself a reduction in IRS taxes for 2006, click here.

Merry Christmas 2006

I'd like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas! Hope all of you got what you wanted!

Consumer complains to police - cocaine she bought was not good

This is from Tampa Bay's 10 News. A woman from NC bought crack cocaine and when she tasted it, she complained it wasn't that good. She flags down a deputy at a convenience store, showing him how bad the cocaine was.

Kids, this is what happens when you do drugs. Not only do you lose money, you lose IQ.

HWTHORNE — A North Carolina woman was arrested after complaining to a Putnam County deputy that the crack cocaine she had just purchased wasn't very good.

Eloise Reaves approached the deputy at a convenience store Friday, telling him that another man had sold her 'bad crack,' that contained wax and cocaine.

The 50-year-old woman pulled an alleged crack rock out of her mouth and placed it on the deputy's car for inspection.

The deputy told Reaves that she would be arrested if the crack tested positive for cocaine.

She was charged with possession of cocaine and bonded out for $1,500.

'Pursuit of Happyness' is the best movie of 2006

I don't consider movies as the "best" too often. So take this one seriously. The movie about Chris Gardner, how he went from homeless to success is an inspiring tell-all story of a man who didn't give up even though everybody else was giving up on him. His live-in girlfriend left him as a single parent. His sales job was not paying the bills. Eventually, he was kicked out of his rental home, then kicked out of a motel, and finally found himself on the streets. Yet through this experience, he persevered and looked for a job that would pay well...he was going to be a stock broker, despite the fact that he's barely had any education beyond high school.

Will Smith stepped up as a serious actor in this movie...enough I think to put him for an Oscar nomination. His son made his first film debut. The pair's father and child connection was real which made the movie so much more realistic.

In real life, Chris Gardner was homeless for almost a year, and his child was merely a toddler, not a six year old that could talk and walk. These realistic facts put the movie into a different light. A man who hardly had any education but had the will to go above and beyond his status quo.

It is a clear success story of someone with perseverance. Someone choosing success.

Why we're losing in Iraq (video joke)

The British public, like their American counterparts, is asking themselves...why are we losing in Iraq. See the video below...