Reflection - Who are you?

I recently listened to one of my favorite bands Barlow Girl. One of their songs, Mirror, made me reflect on a few questions about how we all seem to be defined by the standards and judgments of others. See the lyrics below:

"Mirror"

Mirror, Mirror on the wall, Have I got it?
'Cause Mirror you've always told me who I am
I'm finding it's not easy to be perfect
So sorry you won't define me
Sorry you don't own me

Who are you to tell me
That I'm less than what I should be?
Who are you? Who are you?
I don't need to listen
To the list of things I should do
I won't try, I won't try

Mirror I am seeing a new reflection
I'm looking into the eyes of He who made me
And to Him I have beauty beyond compare
I know He defines me

You don't define me, you don't define me

Who are you?
The answer to this question seems to fluctuate over time in your life. When you grew up, you were known mainly by your parents reputation, and as you grew into adulthood, you were identified by your career, your intelligence, your position, your ethics, your morality, your hobbies, or whatever perception others had on you.

But does the judgment of others, or the position that we hold in life really answer the question of who we are? When you pass the layers of our work identity, of our day to day activities -- deep down in the core of our soul -- who are we?

Can He have a say?
I know that I'm affected by the world around me. And so are you. We are affected by what people say, how they criticize us or how they compliment us. Sometimes it plays over and over again in our heads. But no matter how smart you are, or no matter how stupid you think your life has been -- no one has the right to tell you who you are.

It doesn't matter if you have killed people (like Moses and David), or have lied and cheated (like the thief on the Cross) -- we still do not have the right to define who you are. My opinions about people are swayed like the waves of the ocean by the winds, but there is one opinion that matters the most and that comes from the God that made you and the God that makes your every breath possible.

So stop being depressed about the things that have brought you down in the past because none of my opinions or anyone else's for that matter actually means anything when it comes to who you are. The betrayals, the hurts, the sense of loneliness that we all have come to experience, our God has gone through them as well.

He has a clear idea of who you are and it is written in these passages:

1 John 3:1-10 (New Living Translation)

1 See how very much our Father loves us, for he calls us his children, and that is what we are! But the people who belong to this world don’t recognize that we are God’s children because they don’t know him.

---

Psalm 139:13-16 (New Living Translation)
New Living Translation (NLT)

13 You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body
and knit me together in my mother’s womb.
14 Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex!
Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it.
15 You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion,
as I was woven together in the dark of the womb.
16 You saw me before I was born.
Every day of my life was recorded in your book.
Every moment was laid out
before a single day had passed.

Summary
You are a child of God and there is nothing that anyone can say or do to take that away from you. Imagine the original feeling that you had when you were a child and you were embraced by your parents, and you knew deep inside no matter what they loved you unconditionally.

This is the very life, the very type of fulfillment that God has been longing to bring to your life. So stop living to the standards of your surroundings and to the restrictions that the world places on you, move on to a life that God has wanted you to set out in the first place: a place of fulfillment, a sense of belonging, and contentment that you are a unique and special person.

So I'm looking through the news...

So I was looking through the news, looking for updates about the economy, the current Asian rice crisis, Sadr's ceasefire in Iraq, etc. Instead, Reuters, one of the main news wire services in the world, gives us this...

Apple's newest MacBook Air hacked in 2 minutes

Interesting article on InformationWeek. Using a zero-day vulnerability exploit (lingo for no one knew about the problem), the default Safari browser on MacBook Air was remotely exploited and researchers were able to gain access within 2 minutes.

On the flip side, they also used the newest models of PC laptops, one with Vista and the other with Linux's Ubunta OS. Ubuntu and Windows Vista were not hacked but Apple's MacBook Air was.

Ouch, so much for those Apple TV commercials on how they are soooooo much more secure than Windows.

The team of researchers from Independent Security Evaluators (ISE) won $10,000 for finding the exploit.

Number 1 Killer In The World: Crime? Bird Flu? Nope - YOU

The Hidden Killer
Throughout the world, from the richest spots in the United States to the poorest areas in Haiti, there is a killer that causes more deaths than any other individual or conflict.

It's you...or to be more precise, its your health.

We worry so much about poverty, crime, and other social issues, that we often forget the number one killer in the world -- our health. Heart disease, cancer, and other ailments are the leading killers of mankind. This CNN article entitled, "Heart disease still the most likely reason you'll die", reminds us that the worst enemy of man is man itself and the choices he makes.

Evaluate Your Thoughts On Health
I consider my relationship with God and my family as my number one concern. But a close third is my health. Here's are some honest questions that I ask myself and it helps me define my choices. Perhaps you could use it as well to do a self evaluation.

1. What's the financial impact of bad habits and to my family's finances?
   
2. How can I provide for my family if I'm sick or can't work?
   
3. What sort of role model am I to my family if I'm overweight?
   
4. What sort of role model am I to my family if I'm smoking?
   
5. What sort of role model am I to my family if I'm drunk all the time?
   
6. What sort of role model am I to my family if I'm doing drugs?
   
7. How would people remember me if I passed away? Would they say nice things in the funeral but in their minds, "Yeah he died because he was dumb about his diet."
   
8. Am I influencing my friends to copy my bad habits?
   
9. At the end of the day, did I make my world a better place?
   

Many Diseases Are Preventable (ie: stop smoking)
Heart disease is deadly but also preventable. Cancer is deadly but also preventable. For instance, smoking affects both your heart, your brain, and it increases your cancer risk. To avoid the potential diseases, get rid of the habit. I know its harder said than done -- but you have to stop letting tobacco companies control you. You are killing yourself and feeding their bottom line.



Exercise Isn't Hard -- Just Walk
Physical therapists, sports medicine doctors, and alike are stating that the best exercise is brisk walking (speed walking).

According to the American College of Sports Medicine, "Walking, among the easiest and lowest impact activities a person can do, was proven to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease by as much as 40 percent, even in very moderate and achievable amounts."

Most Corrupt Officials Award 2008

PRESS RELEASE

February 24, 2008

Manila, Philippines Customs Office Receives, “The Most Corrupt Officials Award”

The first ever The Most Corrupt Officials Award (MCOA), stems to spotlight the best corrupted officials in the world. Its aim is to recognize the hard working officials who to the best of their ability, have gone above and beyond their normal duties to ensure maximum corruption.

The first winner this year is the Manila Customs office. On February 16, 2008, books worth P9786.00 was charged customs tax of over P7000.00+, a tax rate of 71%. The DHL shipping numbers were: 8417858514, 8417858525.

We would like to thank the Manila Customs office for showing the world how NOT to run a customs/clearance office. Their clear dedication in making sure that the country continues to suffer from bad rankings high above other countries is a testament to Manila Customs' integrity, character, and family values.

TSA wants to restrict batteries on planes (satire)

The TSA, in response to statistically insignificant mishaps, has concluded that lithium batteries is the cause of all evil and will now be restricting their existence in your checked or carry-on luggage by 8 grams or 25 grams in special cases. How do we measure how many grams in each battery? We really have no clue and neither does the TSA, but we will just guess.

Nice...

While I understand the inherent problems these devices might cause if they explode, there are riskier issues out there that can cause more damage, like humans. Yes, humans...they are a danger to airplanes. It seems like the majority of plane mishaps are due to humans. If you ban humans from planes, it would probably reduce plane crashes.

That's going to be the next TSA rule. (Joking.)

Huckabee and McCain, leading in SC polls, avoid negative politics

Tale of Two Gentlemen

This is about the strangest thing anyone has ever seen in South Carolina politics. The two leading contenders in the state for the Republican presidential nomination are not fighting. While the two leaders contend they have differences between them, they do not even attempt to highlight them in public.

This type of 'gentle' politics is historical -- dirty, vulgar politics date back to the founding of our nation (you should see what they said about Lincoln back in the day). What I find here is encouraging, something very different. Two people respecting each other, with different points of views, and debating where it counts: at a debate forum.

I applaud these two for being brave and showing true observance of the Christian. They are brave enough to back off from attacking each other and brave enough to form a friendship despite being competitors.

McCain and Huckabee ticket?

Who knows, perhaps if one wins the nomination, the other becomes vice president? Now that would be a very viable ticket in the general election. The ticket pleases all sides of the Republican spectrum and enough will power to bring in independent voters in a general election.

Gov. Huckabee on the Daily Show

What happens when a Christian man wants to make a difference in the world of politics? Something might actually get done.

In this video, Gov. Huckabee is warmly welcomed at the very liberal Daily Show. Clearly explaining his biblical faith of being prolife, he gets applause rather than scorn. God teaches us to take care of the weak and the poor in the Bible and Gov. Huckabee clearly believes in this, making him a true social conservative.

This is not the 'political' conservative where someone steps in a room and divisions are made.

My Letter to My Health Insurance Company: Celtic

Every year, health insurance companies raise their premiums. On the first year, they have these "teaser" rates -- very affordable and very attractive. But on the second year, they raise the prices. Mine went up close to 15% in premiums.

So they sent me a letter, either I go with the new insurance rates or go with a cheaper option but carry a $2,500 deductible or $5,000 deductible -- which is crazy. So I wrote them a letter.

Dear Celtic Management:

You sent me a letter that you were raising my insurance premiums starting 02/01/2008. Please do NOT renew my health insurance with your company. Your other options are NOT acceptable. I regret that you are doing this as you made money on last year’s premiums.

Secondly, aside from doctor checkups, we have had no claims against our insurance. In short, we feel like we are paying more because we are healthy: we do not smoke, we do not drink alcohol, and we have healthy diets. We feel as if we are paying more each year because people are choosing lifestyles that hurt their health. This is simply unfair.

If in the future, you create an affordable health plan for people that are not overweight, do not smoke, and do not drink alcohol so that the premiums do not go up every year, please give me a call.

Thank you,

Don Sausa

Our health system in America is broken because people choose to be unhealthy.
Politicians like Clinton, Obama, Edwards, and others want to overhaul the health care system. But what many fail to realize or fail to emphasize is that America's health system is broken because the health of Americans is broken. Around 25% of Americans smoke, 60% are overweight, and 80% drink alcohol.

It's a no brainer that smoking kills you, being overweight kills you, and drinking alcohol kills you (healthy heart good news: wine helps your heart, kills your liver and causes cancer -- that's a bad trade off).

How to fix America's health care system? Teach people to eat good food (avoid pork and other red meats), avoid smoking, avoid drinking alcohol, rest on a weekend once a week with no work in mind (ie: Saturday), and get sleep everyday.

Two Iraqi soldiers tackle suicide bomber to protect others

A heart breaking story was posted today on cnn.com. For years Iraqi troops have been criticized for lacking in courage. I think the actions of these two Iraqi soldiers is a sign that things are changing in Iraq. The Iraqi people are willing to fight against foreign invaders (mainly other Arabs trying to blow themselves up).

In the end, my hope for Iraq is for their people to be able to stand on their own and we have no more troops there. If we get more courageous
Iraqi troops like this, my hope could turn into reality soon.

MagicJack Product Review - Is Dan Borislow trying to kill telecom?

On the wee hours of the morning I saw a commercial about MagicJack, a softphone / USB device that 'allegedly' allows you to make unlimited calls to the U.S. from any Internet connected computer in the world for $19.95/year. I was intrigued.

A few Google searches later, many people have reported that it does work overseas. Since I tend to travel often, I'm now officially going to try this out. I would have loved to test this while I was on Holland America's cruise ships (which blocks Skype). But I didn't know about it! Definitely a case study for infomercial marketing.

OUTLINE:

01/06/2008: I just ordered it off their web site at www.magicjack.com. Shipping for priority mail costs $13.90. They are already making a profit off me on shipping alone! Mr. Borislow, work on this -- this does not make a first good impression. Build it into the price rather than jacking the shipping.

More updates later...

01/03/2009: First I appreciate everyone's opinion on MagicJack. I seem to have attracted a lot of lovers and haters of this product.

After almost a full year's worth of use from Tokyo to Manila to all parts of the world, here are my final comments:

1. It has saved me a lot of money. I have attended conference calls and calls to friends and family through MagicJack and having the capability to do that without much cost has been great. At one point I was in one of Tokyo's airport lounge using a cheap old telephone hooked up to my computer...and everyone just gave that strange look. I could imagine them asking, "Is he really talking on the phone or is he nuts?"

2. From a rating standpoint, from 1 to 10, I would give it a passing 8. The extension cable broke the first month, plus there were some annoying upgrades and outages that seemed to span hours and I had to use Skype. About 1 out of 10 calls seem choppy while my Internet connection/CPU usage is fine. But overall, I am relatively happy with my MagicJack because I use it a lot and will be definitely renewing it for another year.

What's surprised me though is that the popularity of MagicJack seemed to have boomed, with more and more people talking about it as the year passed. I heard it from a guy traveling with me to Manila. In the past, when I mentioned it in passing, they would simply say..MAGIC WHA? This is good news for me, I hope that means the company is healthy and they will continue to save me money.

P.S. Thanks for fixing your shipping charge. I now see it dropped to $6.95.

-Don

Two outsiders win Iowa

Huckabee (R) and Obama (D) won the Iowa caucus today for their respective parties. Both candidates have trumped their competitors and changed the political landscape in the 2008 presidential run.

Huckabee, outmanned and outgunned by Romney, was suppose to lose. Huckabee, spent roughly $300,000-$400,000 in Iowa while Romney spent $20 million. Obama was a nobody in Iowa compared to the well known Clinton machine. He is also the first African American to win an Iowa nomination, a miracle in itself since only 2% of Iowans are black.

While there's still many more races to go, this win for the Huckabee and Obama camp is significant. Romney and Clinton no longer look invinsible as they did before.

[On a side note, I personally think Huckabee and Clinton should fight in 2008. They are still the best representatives of liberalism and social conservatism in America.]

Huckabee jams on Leno's Tonight Show

Very similar to another former Arkansas governor...(Clinton). But this was a very solid and short interview. People got to see him personally, outside of the political machinery in Iowa. Relaxed and poised, he clearly explained his position about the current tax reform needs of America and the issues he has with his underfunded campaign.

I'm in total agreement -- we should encourage people to work hard and be successful, not go on welfare.

Netscape Brand Dies: RIP

Most of the people that read this will have no clue what or who Netscape is. But Netscape and its founders changed the world as we know it today. And on February 2008, the Netscape brand will be shutdown. All 'old school' computer geeks, I'm sure will be saddened by this. Netscape brings memories.

In the beginning...

In the beginning, the online world was small. A handful of bulletin board systems created ad hoc communication networks (ie: FidoNet) across the world, connecting thousands if not millions of users thanks to volunteers, hobbyists, and scientists. During this time, Prodigy and CompuServe were still existing and were young companies. They too wanted to connect people with their computers and 300 baud modems, but their idea was to charge monthly rates.

The hypertext world (The World Wide Web), created by Tim Berners-Lee in 1989, was still in its infancy. Nobody wanted to use it because it wasn't easy. It wasn't friendly.

But something happened.

Uber-geeks came to the forefront of innovation. Marc Andreessen and his friends at the newly formed Mosaic Communications Corp, created Netscape. It made web browsing so easy, so unique, and so much fun. Gone were the ANSI graphics, the boring door games and the monochrome colored text found in BBS systems.

The World Wide Web became a new home for those hungry for change online, inviting other geeks to come and see the glorious colors of hypertext and the wonders of GIF layered animation (Flash was just a forethought). The Internet before Netscape was a puzzle. But in the end, Netscape could not last a fight against the Microsoft giant. They took notice of Netscape's rise and created their own web browser. Bill Gates even admitted they did not take the Internet too seriously until Netscape came along.

Thanks to Netscape, competition began and web innovation took off. The magic we all enjoy, the things we all see today on our computer monitors, on our Web TVs, our PS3 browsers, XBox Live graphics...all of it could be traced back to Netscape. It may not have been everyone's favorite browser (1 out of 10 didn't like it), but it helped in the Internet revolution.

Goodbye Netscape, may you rest in peace.

Benazir Bhutto (1953 – 2007), a martyr

Farewell to Pakistan's Benazir Bhutto
Former Pakistani prime minister Benazir Bhutto was assassinated today, exactly two weeks away from Pakistan's general elections.

If you do not know who Bhutto was, you will know today -- with media outlets from around the world showing horrifying scenes of a well-planned assassination. The assassin(s) used a combination of bullets and explosions to inflict the fatal blows. It occurred shortly after Bhutto left a political rally. She was hit twice, once at her spinal cord and another shot near her chest.

Her legacy
Bhutto is well known for her stance of moderation in Islam. She opposed Al Queda and more recently, the Taliban, for branding their message of hate across the region. She opposed restrictive rights on women. She was the youngest prime minister ever elected in Pakistan and the only woman to have that office.

Educated at Harvard and Oxford, she was one of America's last hope in bringing stability and democracy in the nuclear-armed Pakistan. Unfortunately, cowards did not want her to be voted in again by the people and killed her.

She is a martyr for the cause of democracy, she is a martyr for the cause of women's rights in the Islam world, and a martyr for the average Pakistani. My condolences to the people of Pakistan who are hurting right now and to her friends and family, who have yet suffered another tragic loss (Bhutto's father, another former prime minister, was also killed before).

Cruise with a Mission 2007

So I just got back from Cruise with a Mission yesterday. Over 300 young adults (and young at heart) went to Belize and Guatemala to help with orphanages, hospitals, schools, and other service projects.

People from all over the world came on a 55,000-ton ship (Holland America's Veendam) to assist others and to have a great time with other young adults who believe in the gospel commission of Jesus Christ.

I took roughly 1,200 photos, so its going to be about a week until I can get it all uploaded. But some have already uploaded their pictures online and I would like to invite people to email me at don.sausa___AT___gmail.com so I can post their links here:

David Stephan's Pictures

Huckabee and Clinton - the race I want to see

Over the past few months, I have said little about the 2008 U.S. presidential race. But after watching a few debates, having read every one's positions, and seeing the polls, I have some early predictions on the two party's nominees.

I believe it would be a great race if Clinton and Huckabee were the presidential nominees. They both represent the two most active voices in American politics: social liberalism and religious conservatism.

Here are some of my positive thoughts about these two:

Huckabee is a gentleman. When former president Bill Clinton was being pounded in the media regarding his promiscious affairs, Huckabee, the governor of Arkansas at the time, refused to attack Clinton. It is easy to kick someone when they are down, but it takes a gentleman to refuse joining the lynch mob.

Hillary is a survivor. Bill Clinton's numerous affairs undoubtedly have hurt their marriage. Despite the public spotlight on their marriage, she sought to reconcile and recover. Some say her ability to forgive is a weakness, but to me, that is one of her greatest strengths. Being able to stick by your husband despite the public humiliation speaks strength and conviction and values that are hard to come by in a society where divorce is so rampant.

Huckabee has conservative values that are biblically based. He is the answer to many Protestants' Christmas wishes, someone that isn't afraid to mention the name "Jesus" on public television and yet someone that knows how to separate church and state. He is against murdering babies, and he believes that the Bible is the Word of God, not an inspirational book.

Hillary supports socialistic health programs. I believe she can help with Medicare. Taking care of our oldest citizens that can no longer work, or have trouble being functional due to stroke or other diseases need government intervention. We cannot simply ignore the people that cannot help themselves and let them die. We need to support our nursing homes and outpatient therapy clinics. I do disagree with Hillary on more broader socialistic programs -- where the government is paying for people that have the ability to work and make money on their own. The last thing I want is spending tax dollars on lazy folks that do not want to work. (The Bible commands us to work six days a week, Exo 20:9, "Six days shalt thou labour...")

Huckabee's flat tax program would remove the IRS and install a new taxing agency to collect sales tax across the board in a fair manner. Economists say this could work. The basic idea behind the current tax system is, the more successful you are, the more you are punished by taxes. If you work less, the more you are rewarded. I think a flat tax rate would make it equal across the board and get rid of this idea to punish successful, hard working Americans. Equality is the key value here.

These are just some of my thoughts and I'm sure I will type up more later, but let me know if you agree or disagree.

Congress: Take Care of Our Seniors!

Congress: Take Care of Our Seniors!

Support HR 916 / S 450, “The Medicare Access to Rehabilitation Services Act”

Imagine if your grandma fell due to a stroke. In order to walk and talk again she needs outpatient rehab. But after Jan 1, 2008, Medicare will only pay $1810. After that amount is gone, even if she can't walk or talk yet, she is on her own.

We need to tell Congress that Medicare needs to take care of our parents and grandparents. They paid for Medicare all their adult working life only to be taken when they need it most.

We need to fight this injustice.

Call your congressman and senator and ask them to support The Medicare Access to Rehabilitation Services Act (HR 916 / S 450). Please no more blind therapy caps.

Help spread the message and post this on your bulletins/blogs/myspace.

The consequences of the falling dollar

Observations

Over the past few weeks the dollar has continued to weaken against other currencies in the world. While I was gone on an Asian vacation, I've noticed certain products already going up in pricing.

A Samsung 50" DLP HD TV was priced roughly $850 before I left, it is now $1200. Average gas prices has risen from $2.90 to $3.10 in my area. My baby's favorite milk formula rose by almost a dollar.

On the flip side, due to the low cost of U.S. goods and services, more Europeans are coming into Florida and other tourist hot spots, taking advantage of resort deals and cheap vacation packages. This infuses much needed capital in areas that are dependent on tourism and areas that have been hit by the real estate downfall.

The cause

Most economists squarely blame the subprime mortgage crisis as the cause of the falling dollar. International investors are scared to invest in U.S. assets because they do not know if the United States is falling into a recession due to the mortgage and real estate crashes. Couple this with trade deficits, continued cuts in interest rates (shows weakness), and the pile of debt continuing to climb from the Iraq war, the international market is anxious about the economic outlook of the United States.

This negative mentality has a cascading effect, with more and more investors looking to Europe, South America, and Asia as possible investment alternatives. Even China, who traditionally pegs their currency below the dollar, is looking to leverage against the dollar amidst their own growth problems.

So what does this mean to you?

The sinking dollar means cost of living will continue to rise for the average American. Goods from abroad are more expensive, including oil.

Oil prices, which are priced at dollars, will continue to rise as European and Asian countries continue to buy up cheap oil supplies. USD$100 per barrel is cheap to them with their new found value in their currency.

Americans vacationing internationally will find that they can buy less things for their greenbacks.

Those involved in the retail and exporting business may see a rise in sales due to increased international demand for cheap, U.S. goods.

How to win financially

I predict, based on the current credit/subprime issues with American banks and continuing cost of borrowing money for the Iraq war, the dollar will continue to fall well into 2010. It will rebound as the credit markets recover and when Congress stops overspending.

This means for the next 3 years, my investment portfolio will be more diversified, moving more funds into multinational companies (ie: PLDT) and investing in more foreign instruments.

Senate about to approve dangerous L.O.S.T. treaty

Recently, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, voted 17-4 Wednesday to approve the Law of the Sea Treaty. It is now up to the rest of the senators to vote this down. If the Congress and the president allows this treaty to go through, there are some serious ramifications.

My issues with this treaty:

First, the people that have signed up to this treaty includes the likes of Iran and others. We would have a voice in the governing body, but that doesn't do well when everyone else hates us. If there was ever a dispute, we could technically lose water access based on a popularity vote.

Second, it essentially gives the United Nations control over international waterways and we would be giving the U.N. the authority to enforce laws and resolutions that it attached to the treaty. For instance, it requires our submarines to navigate in a surfaced mode with a flag in territorial waters. That means we can't do covert operations to study our enemies using our submarines.

Third, as we have seen in the oil for food program, the United Nations isn't exactly perfect in executing laws and regulations. It is the best diplomatic world body we have, but it is an utter failure if we try to utilize it for enforcement purposes. We already complain that our government stinks at certain things (ie: Katrina), how much more, is a larger and more bureaucratic govt like the United Nations (ie: Rwanda) would perform. Do you really want the U.N. to hold the enforcement rights to international waterways?

Let your voice be heard

Contact your senator and congressman. Let them know what you think about this treaty. Should the United Nations rule our seas?

Lehigh Acres Rib City robbed by clown

Once again, another Lehigh Acres business has been robbed. Here's a report from the Naples Daily News:

A suspect wearing a clown costume robbed a Lehigh Acre's Rib City restaurant at gunpoint around 9 p.m. Sunday night. The clown suspect entered the restaurant after closing time and once he got in, he pointed a gun to all of the four employees. He wasn't able to get money from the safe so he took personal belongings and fled on foot and onto an awaiting vehicle.

The suspect is described as a black male. During the incident the suspect was wearing a Halloween costume consisting of a clown mask and a clown wig.

Anyone with any information is asked to contact the Lee County Sheriff’s Office, or call Southwest Florida Crime Stoppers at 1-800-780-8477 (TIPS).

Kaycee

My little Kaycee turned 11 months and she's doing so well! At 9 months she was already walking and now she seems to enjoy running...away from mommy and daddy! Plus she seems to be very photogenic.

Why Filipinos are insulted by Desperate Housewive's remark

I recently saw Fox News' coverage on the controversy surrounding the TV show, Desperate Housewives and the country of the Philippines. Teri Hatcher made this remark in the show:

"OK, before we go any further, can I check those diplomas? Because I would just like to make sure they are not from some med school in the Philippines."

Fox News analysts had no idea why the Philippines would be so upset about this remark. The reason why they have no clue? They lack cultural understanding. This specific remark hits the national pride of the country. I'll explain below.

The role of Filipinos in the U.S. health industry
The Philippines is by far one of America's closest allies in Asia (it used to be part of the United States). The Philippines is also closely tied to America's health industry. It is the largest provider of medical professionals to the United States. The country sends over 60,000 nurses and physical therapists every year and in some cases sacrificing its own health needs to help our country.

In fact, many hard working Filipinos spend their entire life working to be able to go to medical/health schools and to go to the United States for a better life. They go through extensive visa screening, examinations, and accreditation before they can even practice here in America.

The dream of the nation
Working overseas is fast becoming the heart and soul of the Philippines, as it feeds and educates the masses in the Philippines, accounting for a significant chunk of the economy. Being a health professional in the Philippines and being able to come over to America to help their families back home is almost like a culturally ingrained dream to all Filipinos.

This is why the remark was insulting. It hit home across all Filipinos.

A comparison
When I see a U.S. flag being burned on television, I get angry. When I hear people insulting our troops in the field, I get angry. I felt the same exact anger hearing this remark. Spitting on the heart of the nation hurts.

ABC/Teri, that's a low blow.

Cop killer gets cornered, shot 15 times for 'resisting arrest'

A 25 year old young adult, Shawn/Sean LaBeet, was the prime suspect for the killing of Officer Jose Somohano, 37. He allegedly injured 3 other law enforcement officers who survived their wounds. LaBeet, according to police accounts, used a military-grade assault rifle against the officers who were chasing him for driving erratically.

LaBeet escaped with the help of friends and family. They were subsequently arrested for accessory to murder. During the manhunt, officers surrounded LaBeet in a corner and he was gunned down 15 times for 'resisting' arrest. The medical examiner's office stated some of the wounds came from 2 to 3 feet. In short, at some point, there must have been someone up close and personal to make sure he wasn't 'resisting'.

The message here is clear: If you are a criminal/druggie and you are caught, give up. If you shoot and you kill a cop, you will not have a long life and you are guaranteed to look like swiss cheese in the process.

P.S. News organizations believe Sean LaBeet is the half brother of Ishmael LaBeet who in 1972 killed 8 people on a resort/golf course to steal $731.00 and to scream anti-white slogans. In 1985, Ishmael LaBeet was being escorted to another prison on an American Airline flight with 198 passengers. He escaped by overpowering his guards on the plane and had the pilot land the plane in Cuba. The airline was released to go back to the United States but Ishamel stayed in Cuba and remains as one of the FBI's most wanted criminals.

Apple firmware update 1.1.1 causes a stir online

Not so long ago, Steve Jobs wanted to change the world. Customer first. Profits second. Now a market leader in online music and stepping into the cellular realm, Steve Jobs has decided, along with Apple engineers, to dominate the world instead of changing it. This is what happened to the iPhone and its 'upgrade' which killed all development of third-party applications for the iPhone. It is one thing to stop phones from being unlocked, it is another to stop creativity and development of software applications. That's harsh.

Am I the only one seeing that Apple is becoming a monopolizing figure, signing exclusive deals, forcing customers to accept their way or the highway?

Apparently not...

PC World, "Apple is becoming the new Microsoft, at least in the monopoly way!"
Sunday, September 30, 2007 by MattMik

New York Times, "Joel Robison, a systems network engineer near Seattle, said his phone stopped working immediately after he installed the upgrade. He said that when he took it to an Apple store, he was accused of having unlocked the phone (he didn't)...“Their accusation was very damaging to my opinion of Apple’s service,” Mr. Robison said.
Saturday, September 29, 2007 by Katie Hafner

Salon, "If you care about your rights, don't buy an iPhone"
Friday, September 28, 2007

ZDNet, Apple’s growth, an unwinnable iPhone war and a reputation at risk...
Friday, September 28 2007 by Larry Dignan

Yahoo News!, This is the equivalent of Roger Ebert slamming a Scorsese movie, or Lester Bangs trashing the Beatles. Tired of being pushed around by Apple's greed and ham-fisted approach to locking down its hardware, gadget giant Gizmodo has brought down the hammer by giving the Apple iPhone a (rare) "don't buy" rating. Ouch, that smarts.
Saturday, September 29 2007 by Christopher Null

As you can see, these aren't off the beaten paths news updates. New York Times, ZDNet, Yahoo!, and other outlets all portray a negative image of Apple's "kill everyone's creativity" iPhone update.

The 'new' Apple is here. The think different, promote creativity company is now in the gutter.

Scientists report alcohol (from any drink) increases cancer risk

Proverbs 23:31-32: "Do not gaze at wine when it is red, when it sparkles in the cup, when it goes down smoothly! In the end it bites like a snake and poisons like a viper."

I don't drink and nobody in my family does for biblical reasons. Apparently God is smarter than us and scientists just figured it out today.

Science Daily — One of the largest individual studies of the effects of alcohol on the risk of breast cancer shows that it makes no difference whether a woman drinks wine, beer or spirits (liquor). It is the alcohol itself (ethyl alcohol) and the quantity consumed that increases breast cancer risk. In fact, the increased breast cancer risk from drinking three or more alcoholic drinks a day is similar to the increased breast cancer risk from smoking a packet of cigarettes or more a day, according to Kaiser Permanente researchers Yan Li, MD, PhD and Arthur Klatsky, MD.

References:
1. Science Daily
2. Associated Press

Final notes:
Yes, a small amount of red wine is good for the heart. But let's complete the sentence: "Good for the heart, hurts the liver, kills the brain, increases cancer risk." Nice.

eBay hacked? Reality check.

Today, someone publicly posted usernames and credit card information on eBay's message boards. To some that witnessed this one and half hour series of posts, it was concerning. At face value, it looked like someone hacked eBay and they were posting the information out on the Internet. But a second look at the information creates some doubts. Here's my points:

Reality Check
1. The userids were correct but they are already public in the first place.

2. eBay reports other pertinent information did not match their files (ie: names, CVV, credit cards).

3. There are several credit card and name generators on the Internet that you can play as a game for free. Just because someone goes through this and matches it with an eBay user id, that doesn't mean eBay is hacked.

4. eBay's statement, which California laws among others require them to tell the truth are as follows:

"Very early this morning, a malicious fraudster posted on the Trust & Safety forum on eBay.com posing as approximately 1,200 eBay users. The fraudster made these posts in a way that was intended to appear as though he logged in with their accounts. The posts contained name and contact information, which appears to be valid, and could have been secured as part of an account take over.

The posts ALSO appeared to contain credit card information -- however, these credit cards are not associated with financial information on file for these users at eBay or PayPal. We're in the process of reaching out by phone to these members to, so that if the information is valid somehow -- regardless how this fraudster acquired the information -- these members can take the steps they need to take to protect themselves."

5. I'm not a defender of eBay. In fact, if you type in the words 'ebay monopoly' on Google, you will find I have criticized them over their moves to restrict Google Checkout, their competition in the payments processing industry. But I can definitely say today's hysteria by some eBay users (you know who you are) and the media is annoying at best. Stop the panic and let the facts come out.

The usernames that were listed on the forums are listed below. I got this from http://shenemanfamily.com/comp.html. There's tons of screenshots and even a YouTube video of this (already pulled off).

48871
1778696
40018
1165julie
123olbrich
151jpeterson
1755tom
1954siel
1957dudad
197bro
1alejandrita
1deadrock
1shack57
2005bim
2005branstetter
2006paulaandrea
21mercedes
3-dhunter
3015philip
30pete30
3371andrew
351stech
3bayaccount1
420sel1
49erdolphin
4ashtree
4ever80s
672roberts
754joshua
ab562
accrdcivic
adarisse
aeleafe
ags61
ahug
alabamian100
alastair1109
alcanat71
aldaros749
aldnjones
alec816
alex816
alexander_k1977
alobato06
alrivcamp
anazingjt
anyenc
aoheaney
apeanuttoys
apsjr
asne40
atlooncall
atschirner
babyface15432
badbaby1972
bagged85
bakesman
bankbuddy
barnesk8
baseballcards5009
beathab
beep_beep_
beeson4
besthag
betterbidfast
bettrnbuck
bigant4542
biged2229
biged7779
bigmike0125
bigquess
bigskybill7
billsfossilcarsandparts
black*gts) 15
blancayyotambien
blodgett777
blue_eyed_redhead
bluebassethound
blunose2772
bluv5
bmer1828
bmf1833
boat74alfa
boatbabe36
bobbellford
bohyunseok
bri686
brianw87
brown2411
brynno1
bshophubby
bsmachinepump
bubjay21777
buck_robbb?
buck-rehhh
budel
budmuf
bumskibum1987
calihoney02
candiaikens45011
carlinglight
carolinemaryshea
carymcc76
cassiem1210
catbic
caveman069
cds7814
cg_woodworking
chicodesma cl0ne786 classyladypainting cleary50
clem54140 codgson
coleiro9540
const_man78
copcl
cornflakeosu cox2000muse
cpa331
ctoudic
curve82
curve93
cworn
cyclecog
dakotacobalt1
dalt57
debshood
deertrail98
dennis491 dfd1
dfmengert
dishmie1411
distinctivejourneys
djdom111
dlanelangford
dlk953
dlparta
dmlindner
docdinky
dodgeguy2
donjtoto
donn9547
dookie892
dopey94970102
doudymac dowgint
downtoearthdental
dragonswar84
driverrobthedark
dsmitty123
dts2649
dubdlee20
dueete
dukesnyder9 duncangodfrey
dunewaters
dung_smith
dvdsrcy e.w.pruvis007
eaglesilos
easybizman
ebee347
eddavilla
edjoan4
edsamaro
egwdoug
emak79
embrdyldy
emeraldsong
entertainyourself
equipmentjunky
ericm1980
erknight
ernieg2004
escalator66
evinrude1963
faysfinest
fishhead2842
fkada
flamingo9
flattopcody
floridaphil73
flynnut69
fordy64
foxierockwell
francescaelisa02
frankg32
franktiano
freewilly1956
frenchfreesia23
frodobaggins4
frogsbud
fsteil
fthdfrd
fttadm
funnycide
fuzylops
gamala54
garyjktrains
gasche9079
gattica777
geewhizbeav
gemz2rad
geo8rge44
george_p77
georgia2470
gg9416
gil148
gio911
giraffe59
gj3newell
glare282
glckidz
glen3295
glenoglen
glmoparman
glotfepr
gmg817
golfantick
gollipg
gollipg
goodies-online
googler69
gpb1705
greatfes
greenapples91
greensfarms
greg3ibg
grocky_fr
grp1983
gsipes1
gumptruck
gusstaff
gwitlock2308
gwmillerco
ha9362
hainesvette
happysweep
harasim2007
harat555
hardseteelandiron
harn8222
haroldehittyhat
harry200_1
hartonehtis
hartopehtis
haybale98
healthyshoes128
heathmyster
helen6835
henburg21
henryettaknight
hesamess
heyjoe1702
high-diesel
hillsrusdog
hkatzen
hobbiesbdg
hoeycomadina
holacolombya
holierthanthou06
hop21t
hoprv
horseshoebuy
hrpete304
husspup
hyazdanparast
iabdulg
iamsore
ians4102
iblaine
idaboy1
iec33
iglidetours
ikelada
ilikeeverything2
ilive4cars7
ilivesparkysparky
imgman_200013aq
innstudio
iqman104
itchynfat
itchyrash
ivycamille
j_ferrara
j.ing
jackandruff
james-halpin
james10448
jandj9202003
jarrett518
jaspergixerboy
jaswebconsultant
jay_nuttz
jbscottdudley
jckhwr
jd260599
jdwcrna
jeffchief
jerusha85
jess_camb
jessalee83
jetek26
jillpallotta
jim8ujg
jimnlouise
jimpriest
jjsmudger
jk0055
jlobster
jmfoxislan (partial name)
jmoster96
jmt1011
jnmconnections
joannakitte (partial name)
joe01655
joey0115
joey1320
joface109
jonathanlocke84
jonchristoper75
jones48194
jordancoreyburt
josh_anderson185
joshuadam
josti
jpennstar
jptrupiano
jrbailey7hpu
jrtsgackerman
jrw1bulbeck
jsapp36
jseryak
jsmhjabarber
jstein03
jtg976jtg
jtstrick5
judyanita
jugene23
jules2120
julesooles
juz2709
jwadleigh
jwstaton78
jxbuter
k3_plus_m
kalandr
kapenbrutzler
kappenbrutzler
karamjit2004
karena6253
kareng9217
karenrig
karensky1000
karensmith786
karunafinancial
katedae
katonycross
kayla3320
kbfis
kbobkaran
kcprog
keecreek
keiner01
keith_s
keithatprem
keithmacd
keldroed
keli_chik
ken1966thistle
ken1986thistle
kenn2120
kentlau13
keving82
kevinmag
kevinrcon
kevinselink
kfo-design
kilzbugz
kit124
kkeastbay
klingon_master
kromes0621
kynimo619
ladydemonsia
laser246
lazyln
ldmerriam
lee_vintagecoolstuff
libertybeads
light4less
live*life
logarithym
loriwebb777
louderthanlove3
lovemjh
lucienschallehn
lucy3182
m168yeh
madaboutyou1408
marcia9622
marcilea123
mardill2168
markaellis
markmadman11
masram3
matt81657
matto72
mavisaltin
maxlaptops
mediaman1961
metalcrafter
meuyarrow
mgshaft69
mickieboy65
mikesyz
miniemoe
misprint604
mj4900
mjhks
mmmmcn2
mobi_bristol
moheine
moht321
monica950
moseisely
moviemaster51
mrlittlemanlane
mrsacwright
msears1
musicmilligan
myron37
myttb
mytyoz
neuroticrn
nicholasbishop
nijxk99
nita50
nokarma4630
nps007jr
oakrderfn
only1jellybeanz
ornball
paalienman
padi2618
pajs60
pam3821
partidaguy77
peachjr
pepsiman241
phyllis421
pikey408
pinkkey
pinkypunch
pizzants
pkchevyracer2
plug17
pman0516
pmi1495
poodlecracker
porchenaples
porkchop6756
postie246
powerpak
prem-recycle
proudpapa2006
prpldivr
punjabiochard
purpleronnie1969
pwarren54
pyromaniacs
qqu41p
quentin 790
raffaello5
ralphied
raptor597
ratautobody
rav_industries
ravenmaid3
raysel
rebos2
redflashsteve
rednismo350z
rev-angel
rh781218
rizrx7
rjbaumgartner
robin37a
robrey718
rodgarza
rodgndak
rodimusprimus
rogerscott
ron.dena
ronr888
roofdesignr
ropoon
ros3215
royerclan
royonoco
rrazor
rrralston
rubylite
rudy230177
rugby-league11
runwaycollections
rustman33
ryanmartin1988
sabako61
salvarobles
sanibel1600
sffdsaprky
shaf7886
sheldonfezzik
shirlali
sidlip
simplemindss
smalto29
smokeygrouse
socialbutterfly28601
spaceychacha
spawn203
spratff
spudgunn39
starcraft98
stewb814
sticman68
sucker4sales
sweetlime3
texaswranch
thebody55
themicks56
theperfectpick
they_call_me_*ice*nuts*
timberlandstreet
tintoyalley
tintoyc
titantelus
toddolie
tonnsracing
tracyfreeman
trocito1997
tzede619
uncledon07
virginia8232
vytotv
waitesanderson
warr2350
whatsurflavor
wilmingtonud
wonz11
wsn71
x_oarsist
x-alien
xeniphon
xrho
xtramp
y3kjon
yajitha
yarandy63
yardworks_inc
yeseron
youngest_of_4
yvonne8447
ztbhhb

Halo 3 release and Corporeal theme song

Microsoft's Halo 3 is launching right now as I type up this blog post. If you don't know what Halo 3 is and you haven't played the Halo game series, then you either have been sitting under a rock or your hair color is gray. Halo 3 is called the biggest video game release in video game history, the final episode of the Halo trilogy.

To celebrate this release, I have posted Corporeal's take on the Halo theme song during the E3 game conference. Corporeal's main star, I would say, is the up and coming Christian violinist, Hanah Stuart.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy Is The New Blair

Last year, I said former Prime Minister Tony Blair was one of the best political leaders in the world. Why? Because he stood by his principles and did what was best for Britain despite everyone else thinking he was in the wrong.

We know that Blair's new replacement, Gordon, is not following his shoes. At the start of his term, he has already somewhat shifted some of Britain's pro-American stances. Nope...we won't find any too many similarities between Gordon and Blair.

But surprisingly, we are seeing it in newly elected French President Nicolas Sarkozy. Unlike his predecessor, Chirac, he is openly engaging in friendly talks with America. He is moving away from the socialistic, anti-American ways of the old guard in France and moving into a capitalistic, pro-business ways of America. On the foreign policy side, he is also moving to increase French support in Afghanistan and to ally France with U.S. interests (ie: against Iran).

Will Sarkozy be the next Blair, befriending America? Seems likely and we as Americans certainly hope so. We would like to call the French as our friends again.

I guess the true question is, is the next president of America going to be like Bush? :)

Spammer Trying to Trick eBay Sellers

PowerSellers started receiving this spoof e-mail. This is not from eBay and should be ignored at all costs. Also if you are bored, someone try to trace who owns this fax number: 1-323-446-7072 (it is a California number).

Dear eBay Member,

Your account will be suspended under the "Abusing eBay" section of the eBay User Agreement. This section states that eBay may suspend a user's account if we think that the user is creating problems (legal or
otherwise) or acting inconsistently with the letter or spirit of our policies.

To have your account considered for reinstatement, please fax us both of the following:

- Copy of your driver's license or other government issued ID with your name and address clearly visible
- Copy of a recent credit card statement (copy of the actual credit card is not acceptable)
- Copy of a recent bank statement
- Copy of a recent utility bill

***Important***
All contact information listed on the documents that you submit with your appeal must be consistent with the contact information listed on your registered eBay account. If any differences exist, you must provide an explanation for these discrepancies, as well as documentation that confirms your explanation.

If your eBay contact information is your work address, please send official documentation to validate this.


***Important***
If your fax doesn't contain this information, we won't be able to process it.

Please fax all documentation to:

eBay
Attention: Abusing eBay Appeals

U.S. Fax Number: 1-323-446-7072

Please allow 48 to 72 hours for your request for appeal to be processed. Sending us an email before that time may delay your request.

***Privacy Note***
Any documents submitted to us will be destroyed after the information has been reviewed and verified. However, your full name and addressmust be legible for us to process your request.

Thank you for your time.

Sincerely,

Chance
eBay Customer Support

Remembering Frank D'Alessandro

DIED: September 13, 2007
WHY:
(1) Accidental drowning in New Jersey while kayaking at night
(2) He was in New Jersey to visit his ailing mother

Frank D'Allesandro is a name that many will not forget in Southwest Florida. For 28 years, he has sold, bought, and developed commercial properties in the area. You can see his ubiquitous signs everywhere. He was very successful in marketing his name to the area, writing columns for News-Press and having his own television show on Comcast.

While he didn't have time to get married and have kids, he was fond of kids in the community and funded several public service projects across Southwest Florida. While I never met the man, those that know him personally have always characterized him as a professional business man who had a soft spot for the community.

I'm not sure whether he was a Christian or not, we can only hope to see him in heaven some day, but until then, let's remember him as the man that put Southwest Florida's commercial real estate on the map.

Help needed to find potential Cape Coral pedophile!

The Cape Coral police has alerted residents of Lee County of a possible pedophile. He has been seen attempting to lure kids into this truck twice. Thankfully kids were smart enough to say no and tell their parents. See his details below.

The man has been described as someone in his 30-40s, shoulder length blonde hair, and a camouflage hat. He was seen driving a newer, silver Dodge Ram with oversized chrome rims.

Anyone with information on this Stranger Danger Alert is asked to contact the Cape Coral Police Department at (239) 574-3223.

If you live in Lee County, please share this bulletin with someone so they know.

Lehigh Acres crime increasing, businesses closing, and self-defense for Christians

According to NBC-2, there has been over 700 business-related robberies and crimes in Lehigh Acres this year. Some businesses are thinking of closing down due to this violence. As I mentioned on a previous post, residents have been seeing this as a disturbing trend. Lee County commissioners need to add more funds to add more deputies and patrols in the area.

Businesses need to take advantage of the "castle doctrine" in the state of Florida. This means if you are being robbed or someone physically attacks you, you can defend. You don't have to retreat.

When someone pulls a gun, it will take you maybe half a minute to think and dial 911. It will take the deputies to make it there in 3-5 minutes. Depending on the amount of drugs and criminal intent the robber has, you are probably dead or hurt in 1 minute.

How do you avoid this? Equalize the playing field. Have a protective measure in your business. That could be a dog, a gun, a taser, bullet proof glass, armor, a bat, alarm system, etc. I do not advocate an "eye for an eye" or "living by the sword", but I do advocate preservation of life and self-defense.

Understanding Self-Defense and Christianity
To my fellow Christian readers out there...

Most Christians know the verse to "turn the other cheek". (Matt 5:39) But we have to balance Jesus' statement of Matt 5:39 with His statement in Luke 22:36, "He said to them, "But now if you have a purse, take it, and also a bag; and if you don't have a sword, sell your cloak and buy one." Jesus told His disciples to buy swords. Why? He knew, during this period they would be persecuted and hunted down. Jesus wanted to make sure they preserved their life, especially as they move about spreading the good news. A few verses later we see Peter using his sword offensively to attack a soldier and Jesus rebukes this act.

Why? The disciples were already told about the sacrifice and what was suppose to happen. The act of salvation was not supposed to be stopped. So Peter's offensive attack wasn't merited. It wasn't self-defense but rather an act of anger and pride.

In short our response to violence, robberies, and thefts should also be controlled and wise not an angry act of pride. Don't shoot someone because you see them picking up one of your products. Having that type of pride could land you in jail. If you see someone pulling a knife from a distance, you have the opportunity to call for the police. But when it comes down to someone pointing a gun to your head or to your wife's or to your children's head...that's different. In those scenarios, which verse will you remember? Turn the other cheek or buy a sword?

Apply biblical common sense and you'll know the answer.

Product Review (2007): Xbox 360 Wireless Network Adapter

Someone at a local game store said this wouldn't be ideal if your router is over 20+ feet away, suggesting its performance is below your average wireless card.

I took a chance anyway and I don't regret the decision. I'm getting good reception and download speeds from at least 40 feet away with walls/doors in the way of my router and my XBox. Downloading movies and hosting games is even better than my powerline ethernet connection.

9/11 anniversary and new video angle

This coming Tuesday, let's remember the folks that have died in the 9/11 disaster. This unprovoked attack is forever etched in our minds, a constant reminder that evil does exist in this world. And when there is evil, there is also hope, that God will deliver good.

And let's count our blessings...we have not been hit with any major terrorist attack. Thank you for those that work for the safety of our country, from the troops to the intelligence analysts to yes, even President Bush, who despite all the criticisms out there lobbied against him, he has brought the fight to the Middle East and not in our home turf.

To our troops: we owe you our freedoms, our appreciation, and our support. No matter what politicians say, no matter what the media thinks, what we know for sure, is that you have and still are, taking our bullets for us, trading your life so that ours can be comfortable here at home.

Feel free to share this bulletin.

~www.donsausa.com

Goats , Airplanes, and the Sky, What Do They Have In Common?

I can't make this stuff up.

There were electrical/technical problems with one of Nepal Airlines' Boeing 757 aircraft. It caused a delay in services over the past few weeks. To boost consumer confidence and fix any future problems, they sacrified a goat in front of the plane to satisfy their pagan sky god. Nice...remind me to never fly with Nepal Airlines.

I went ahead and called Northwest Airlines/Delta, my two favorite airlines and made sure they didn't sacrifice goats to pagan gods before they fly. They said no...only cows. ;)

For the full article, visit Reuters.

Stem cells help baby's vision

I don't believe we should be killing babies just to harvest stem cells. That's what some researchers want to do in America. Kill babies so adults can have life (not a good trade).

But there's also a way to get stem cells without hurting the embryo. Such was the case with this young baby who was born blind. Apparently, the mother saved the umbilical cord (they do offer this service at most hospitals). They were able to transfer the stem cells and infuse it directly into baby Cameron. His vision is now improving.

From Sun Herald

Stem-cell treatments already producing changes in Port Charlotte toddler, who is legally blind

Cameron Petersen can't sit still.

The 19-month-old Port Charlotte toddler crawls toward objects with a new sense of curiosity. His legal blindness seems to be fading with each day in China, as he explores the foreign surroundings of the room.

"My son says he's like a little monkey," said Cameron's grandmother, Carol Petersen, who has been communicating with the family by phone.

Earlier this month, Cameron traveled to China with his parents, Melissa VanGorp and Zachery Petersen, as part of a case study to treat his blindness with stem cells.

Cameron was diagnosed with optic nerve hypoplasia, a leading cause of blindness in children. The condition causes underdevelopment of the optic nerve and can lead to permanent blindness.

Doctors told Cameron's parents nothing could be done.

But the family never gave up hope.

They found Stem Cells China, a research facility which has successfully infused stem cells into patients suffering from numerous disabilities and diseases.

Family members raised about $20,000 this summer to help fund the trip to China and for the treatment.

The procedure, which isn't available in America, transplanted harvested umbilical cord stem cells into Cameron.

Stem cells can transform into specialized cells with specific functions, such as repair of Cameron's optic nerves.

Treatment consisted of four total stem-cell infusions to Cameron's arm and the lumbar region of his spine. It didn't take long to notice a change.

Carol Petersen said Cameron's energy level increased following his first treatment on Aug. 10. He also seemed healthier.

Petersen said Cameron used to have a high temperature every other day.

By the third treatment, Cameron was standing on his own and crawling toward objects -- something he couldn't do before. In the past, Cameron would feel objects such as his toys by putting them against his lips and face.

"He's exploring everything," Petersen said. "I am just so overjoyed."

Cameron is one of five children to undergo stem-cell treatment for optic nerve hypoplasia. Among those treated by Stem Cells China were a child from Missouri this summer, along with a girl from Romania. Both have shown incredible progress with vision.

Full article here: Sunherald

Rising crime rate in Lehigh Acres a concern

Alert: For an update on 2010 trends and 2009 crime statistics for Lehigh Acres, please access my newest posting.

Some months back I've commented about the crime rates in Lee County going up. Specifically, I was shocked at the homicide incident where I used to work, near the Teleperformance / CallTech building in Fort Myers. The area used to be safe a few years back, but now it is a major crime spot.

Lehigh Acres, the new crime center of Lee County
Another major crime spot popping up is Lehigh Acres. Gangs have moved from the expensive Collier region and moved to Lehigh Acres. Law enforcement officials have been seeing increases in meth labs in Lehigh homes as well as increases in violent crimes.

This month alone, we've seen gunmen shoot down, Jack Abrahamsen, an innocent 64 year old man at a Chevron gas station. The gas station is located on Lee Blvd and is the busiest road in Lehigh. Despite the fact that there were probably many witnesses to the crime, the assailants managed to escape. Also last Thursday, the sheriff's office reported a crime spree of burglaries in Lehigh. Car washes, a casino, an auto body shop, and other locations have been robbed.

Dave Zangari, the owner of the auto body shop, said everyone is getting sick of the increased crime in Lehigh. "Look out because all us shop owners are looking out, and if we catch anybody on our property who's not supposed to be there, I'm afraid there's going to be a lot of problems, and it's not going to be good," said Zangari.

But its not only businesses that should be careful. Even at your house, you might get robbed. On the 15th of this month, four teens were arrested for carjacking. They attacked a man right in front of his Lehigh home. The teens were: Thayer Evans, 17, Bobby Redmon, 15, Aaron Madison, 16, and Jean Desgrottes, 16.

And that's not all...
And just in case you thought that was it...yes there's also some weird junk going on in the area. They've found a human skull in Lehigh on 14th Street West near Lee Avenue. The skull had ceramic pots with sticks pointed out. Officials have speculated it might be some sort of ritual.

Conclusion
Lehigh is growing, with a growing population and a healthy number of businesses. However, there is also a criminal culture brewing. The criminal activity isn't limited in adults either. It has spread to our teens in the area. When I look at racial demographics, a significant portion of the criminal activity in Lehigh Acres this month has been caused by African American youths. This is not hate speech, just facts. Lee County Sheriff Mike Scott also thought there are possible cultural factors involved, specifically highlighting violent rap lyrics.

These kids will end up behind bars if they are not taught about the basic values of life. I'm sure they all know robbing or shooting someone is not acceptable in our society. But they need to believe the reason behind why we aren't suppose to hurt other individuals. Parents need to teach them the values of life, that all human beings were created in the image of God. We need to teach them that they are not animals with no purpose like what textbooks are telling them.

As for rap music, even if we could even ban all the violent lyrics and violent video games in the world, the fact of the matter is, these youths will choose a lifestyle that they are used to. The parents need to step up and offer more choices than the life of crime. Bring them to church and have them respect life, give them hobbies and career-based interests that give them hope, and spend time with them so they respect you.

My two cents worth...

WMDs from Iraq found...in UN office?

The CIA and the Bush administration have been labeled as liars in the past few years for their failure to retrieve any traceable amount of chemicals, nukes, or other types of weapons of mass destruction (WMDs) in Iraq. This was the primary reason after all why Congress authorized to preemptively attack Iraq (not the fact that Saddam was a ruthless dictator killing his own people and attacking the likes of innocent countries like Kuwait).

What I find interesting today is that the United Nations found a small quantity of Saddam's nerve gas in their own offices in New York! Someone apparently 'forgot' they were stored there. The United Nations, whose member states have been very critical of the Iraq war for our inability to find WMDs, have some very interesting questions to answer:

1. Why do you have Saddam's nerve gas stored in your New York office? (I have been there.)

2. If they were forgotten by previous U.N. inspectors years ago, what does that say about the United Nations' ability to do their job in documenting weapons of mass destruction?

Should we rebuild New Orleans?

New Orleans is surrounded by water, protected by walls that can't withstand category 5 winds.

Presidential hopefuls have been giving promises and speeches lately. They've been promising to help rebuild New Orleans, bring home insurance rates down in the area, and restructure FEMA. These are good sound bites but we seem to be failing to address the basic question we should ask about New Orleans: should we rebuild it?

The Danger
New Orleans is located below the sea level. Levees and pumps are the only things protecting the city from being flooded. As we have seen in Katrina, it takes only one part of that wall damaged before you'll see entire neighborhoods being wiped out by water.

Taxpayers Paying For Risk
Initially they estimated that it would take $3 billion to redo the walls back to pre-Katrina levels. We've just recalculated the costs and now we're sitting around $15 billion. You and me will now pay $15 BILLION to wall up a city and there's truly no guarantee that it could withstand another Katrina. How's that for investment risk?

As a taxpayer, I would prefer not to pay for projects right outside of disaster zones. For instance, would you build a neighborhood right outside an active volcano? You'd say, that's insane! Well that's what presidential hopefuls are asking the American people -- build right outside of a disaster zone.

Where Should They Go?
I understand that there are a lot of people in New Orleans that are poor and are below the poverty line. I would rather invest the $15 billion in helping those individuals get an education and job training so they can work and live outside of disaster zones and flood-zone areas.

I understand the locals and a good number of the American people take pride in New Orleans and all of its rich, cultural and musical history. But when it comes to life and death, wouldn't our ancestors prefer their people be saved from yet another probable disaster?

In short, yes, let's celebrate our history and the dead men that made it, but let's also make history by learning from our past and saving lives.

FL car drivers lose Oct 1 no fault protection

Florida's going to be losing no fault insurance by Oct 1 if state lawmakers don't act fast. There has been outspoken criticism of the no fault insurance law for over 30 years. State Farm for instance wants to remove the law so they could pass the savings to their customers. The problem though, is that it will no doubt increase court costs and would require consumers to spend more time in court just to get a claim.

At the moment, if you were in an accident, each insurance company would be entitled to pay for their own customer. If the no fault insurance law is removed, the court must find which person was at fault through a lengthy and often expensive court case.

Here's the winners and losers if the no fault insurance law expires without legislative action this October:

Winners

• Lawyers would have more work.
  
• Larger insurance companies could advertise lower rates.
  
• Drivers that defy statistics and don't have accidents will have lower rates.
  
  Losers
  
• Doctors and outpatient clinics wouldn't be paid immediately until the court figures out which insurance company is at fault. Drivers may be denied treatment.
  
• Drivers that have an accident and get injured would have to wait for the court to get compensation for loss wages and injuries.
  
• Small insurance companies would effectively shutdown as their legal fees increase. Larger insurance companies would be able to gain market share, effectively reducing competition.
  

Bottom Line
There is no magic solution to the no fault law. They could perhaps reduce the no fault PIP requirement (from $10,000 to $5,000) to reduce insurance rates, but still keep the law (a compromise of both camps). Either way, this fair law, will disappear if you don't let your state legislators know your opinion.

Should the Feds save Wall Street?

I wrote earlier about my thoughts regarding the recent drop in Wall Street. But there's been a lot of calls right now for the Feds to cut rates further and help the market from the credit crunch. But should they do it? Short answer: Yes.

Long answer: Some have asked, should the Feds reward the speculators who did this in the first place? By giving them a lifeline, they might just do it all over again. While punishing a small group of financial companies would be fair right now, we need to recognize that there is an overall effect of this fallout that's hurting the innocent.

The Feds must utilize their monetary policies and powers to protect the livelihoods and the economy of the American people, the majority of which had nothing to do with the speculative lending but are now affected by it.

Or the Fed could just say, life isn't fair. Tough.

Day 5: Izmir, Ephesus

On Day 5, we went to Izmir, Turkey. Izmir is the third most populous city of Turkey and the country's largest port after Istanbul. But compared to the port of Istanbul, Izmir is more geared towards industrial ships, so the captain of Carnival Freedom had to manually navigate this busy port.



After we docked, we boarded the tour bus. Cruise ships usually assign a number to each group and the group boards the corresponding tour bus as seen below.



We went to Izmir to visit Ephesus, one of the most important port cities in ancient time. It had one of the Seven Wonders of the World, the Temple of Artemis. It was destroyed by a fanatic on the same day Alexader the Great was born (356 BC). When it was rebuilt, it was again destroyed. This time by the Goths (262 AD).



Base of Christianity
If you are a Christian, you should definitely visit Ephesus. Paul used it as the base of his operations. In fact, he had some problems with some of the local population because he was converting people from false gods to Christianity. Local tradesmen were getting angry because they were losing their income -- nobody wanted to buy the idols of the false gods anymore.

The Riot in Ephesus (Acts 19:23–41 NIV)
23About that time there arose a great disturbance about the Way. 24A silversmith named Demetrius, who made silver shrines of Artemis, brought in no little business for the craftsmen. 25He called them together, along with the workmen in related trades, and said: "Men, you know we receive a good income from this business. 26And you see and hear how this fellow Paul has convinced and led astray large numbers of people here in Ephesus and in practically the whole province of Asia. He says that man-made gods are no gods at all. 27There is danger not only that our trade will lose its good name, but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis will be discredited, and the goddess herself, who is worshiped throughout the province of Asia and the world, will be robbed of her divine majesty."

28When they heard this, they were furious and began shouting: "Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!" 29Soon the whole city was in an uproar. The people seized Gaius and Aristarchus, Paul's traveling companions from Macedonia, and rushed as one man into the theater. 30Paul wanted to appear before the crowd, but the disciples would not let him. 31Even some of the officials of the province, friends of Paul, sent him a message begging him not to venture into the theater.

32The assembly was in confusion: Some were shouting one thing, some another. Most of the people did not even know why they were there. 33The Jews pushed Alexander to the front, and some of the crowd shouted instructions to him. He motioned for silence in order to make a defense before the people. 34But when they realized he was a Jew, they all shouted in unison for about two hours: "Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!"

35The city clerk quieted the crowd and said: "Men of Ephesus, doesn't all the world know that the city of Ephesus is the guardian of the temple of the great Artemis and of her image, which fell from heaven? 36Therefore, since these facts are undeniable, you ought to be quiet and not do anything rash. 37You have brought these men here, though they have neither robbed temples nor blasphemed our goddess. 38If, then, Demetrius and his fellow craftsmen have a grievance against anybody, the courts are open and there are proconsuls. They can press charges. 39If there is anything further you want to bring up, it must be settled in a legal assembly. 40As it is, we are in danger of being charged with rioting because of today's events. In that case we would not be able to account for this commotion, since there is no reason for it." 41After he had said this, he dismissed the assembly.

John, the beloved disciple and Mary, the mother of Jesus

Before Jesus died on the cross on Friday, rested on the Saturday (Sabbath), and rose on Sunday, He told John to take care of Mary. This is why many scholars place Mary in Ephesus, the same area where John was living and where John died.

The hill below is the supposed burial area of John. The Turks built fortications near the church years down the road.



More from Ephesus

On this hot summer day, there were thousands of visitors!



Ephesus had public pools and public restrooms. This guy was nice enough to show how it was done 2000 years ago. And no need to flush back then, there's constant running water underneath from the acquifer.



Forget the movie theater, they had live performances in this ampitheater. Carved on a mountain, this was an incredible feat for people that didn't have jackhammers and other modernized tools. Click on the picture and take a close look how big the people are compared to the ampitheater.



Celsus Library completed around 135 AD.

VMware surges on IPO opening, but be careful

Still yet to finish my vacation pictures...but couldn't resist posting this.

Various news organizations reported that VMware's IPO has surged in stock price due to the increased demand for their software. This is an incredible feat for what seemed like a small company back in the day...

My experience with VMware and their staff
Several years ago, my network security team released a security advisory back in June 1999 on how to exploit the product in Linux. We found two serious security problems in its infancy. As a courtesy, we gave the manufacturer enough time to fix the bugs and stop their production line and walked them through the problems.

I found VMware's management to be responsive, and was able to adequately resolve issues within a short amount of time. They were also friendly, and cordial on the phone. And they gave us free licenses... :-)

Product line and questions of future growth
I think it's safe to say that VMware dominates the current virtual machine market. Being able to run multiple operating systems and processes on one machine is a cool and practical product, but is VMware able to deliver consistent growth with one product?

I know Google's been able to do it with advertising, and Apple's been able to do it with iPhone/iTunes. The question is, can VMware deliver? I hope so.

Wall Street thoughts

I haven't finished my vacation pictures, but I wanted to comment on recent Wall Street issues.

Wall Street, a few weeks back reached 14,000 points and then it suddenly fell 800 points. Why? There's a scare out there that mortgages are failing and subprime loans are going to hurt commercial lenders. While this is partly true, much of it is based on speculation. The housing market is roughly 5% of our economy and even if half the mortgaged homes of America fails, that's still 2.5% of our country's overall strength.

Also, how does the housing market affect the likes of Google, Boeing, and other stocks? It doesn't. Yet people are selling their stocks in these good, strong companies.

What does this mean for you? Stocks are now "discounted" from their 3 to 5 year highs. In short, this is the time to buy if you have any extra cash. Even $100.00 right now could help you down the road (ie: $10,000 in WalMart in 1975 is now worth $25 million).

Tips in this market:

1. Setup an account like on www.buyandhold.com or etrade or other online brokerage. Many of these brokerages have no minimum balance requirement, so you could invest with a meager $100 or a solid start of $10,000.

2. Research stocks that you know (ie: products you use). If you know it's always in high demand, and it is a long lasting product that you keep buying or using, why not invest and own the company? Quick example: who makes your toothpaste? Have you ever stopped using toothpaste?

At any rate, buy, hold, and win for your retirement. Save the money you use for cigarretes or Harry Potter memorabilia and invest it instead for your future.