Friday, December 30, 2005

Researchers discover how a high-fat diet causes type 2 diabetes

Howard Hughes Medical Institute researchers have discovered a molecular link between a high-fat, Western-style diet, and the onset of type 2 diabetes. In studies in mice, the scientists showed that a high-fat diet disrupts insulin production, resulting in the classic signs of type 2 diabetes....
 
 
 
 
 

Saturday, December 17, 2005

A presidential order allowing warrantless spying on American citizens goes far beyond even the Patriot Act

It's hard to say rather if the NSA has the right to take our constitutional liberties away from us.  For one thing you have to look at what they actually do. Who is the NSA? about the NSA   They stop wars, they stop threats against US soil, and they keep the bad guys from infiltrating our very government and taking over, or causing harm. NSA has some of the brightest minds in the world working there.  They have the people that all parents wish to brag about when mentioning their own children. Very few individuals make it into this elite group called the NSA. Lots of people wouldn't even make it through a résumé. NSA are the ones who's résumé reads like a book. Who's IQ is in the top percentile in the world.  They can make even top business people like Trump look like a idiot. 
 
Our constitutional liberties have been in force long before the NSA has been in power.  The NSA was born out of concern for protecting US government information systems and basically to spy on foreign intelligence information. Their home page is located here:  NSA   This is the ones that are stepping on our toes trying to take US citizens constitutional liberties away. 
 
We have to look at both sides of this issue to go one sided without consideration of the other would be just as bad.
 
First we have our  Constitutional Rights to consider.  The courts for years have been pretty good about our rights as citizens and they have stepped on quite a few toes in the past to protect our Constitutional Rights. So should they step on a few toes now? Ask yourself this...Do you as a citizen have the right to threaten our Nation?  Do you have the right as a US citizen to threaten the liberties that our Constitution has protected? There is a fine line in here to consider also. That fine line is free speech.  I am sure most are aware that even if you met a idiot on the street that said they was going to blow up your local Mall or worse.  You would first be asking yourself... "Would or could this person do it?" Or are they just blowing off steam? 
 
Our Congress passed the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, which required that agencies receive warrants from a special court staffed by judges with top secret clearance before spying on U.S. soil. Which means a warrant has to be issued before they can act on any person on US soil. This has been a standard for many years.  It was passed in the 1970's to stop abuse by the higher Government offices.  In other words abuse was rampid and then Congress went in and stepped on a few toes to protect our Constitutional Rights.  It's one thing to be acting like God, and another to be playing the part of God.  The NSA along with a few other agencies abused their power plain and simple.  Even though I don't remember Congress getting involved and this taking place. It had to be absolutely bad in order for Congress to be involved in it, and taking action against them.  So this is something to consider.
 
I just hope they didn't open another Pandora's box. I also hope that our President didn't abuse his powers to allow them to step on our Constitutional Rights. The Bush Justice Department has argued that the Constitution grants the president "inherent authority" to spy on foreign powers or their agents, including U.S. citizens, and Congress cannot extinguish that authority. I don't remember reading this in the Constitution. I have read every line and can't find this folks.  I must be not as so blind as Bush is so deaf. he could be blind too.  Who knows? But to give credit where credit is due here is Bush's side of it. Bush and NSA He claims this was not suppose to be made public.  Oops!
 
So how bad is this?  It can be very bad for the public because it goes against the very fabric of what our Country has told us about our Constitution all of these years.  Our Liberties can be stripped from us and we can become no more than just another piece of land with a dictator running it.  Our Constitutional Rights are being treated as no more than a piece of paper that can be wiped of all of our freedoms, one by one.  It should never ever be so easy for the American public to loose a Constitutional Right. It should never be left for one man to change how our freedoms are handled. Not even the president should be allowed to change our Constitutional Rights without the publics say in it, and not without a act of Congress that the public has full access, and knowledge of.  No investigation should be done behind closed doors either on how Bush was able to do this.   
 
So what do I believe after reading all of this news?  It's just the best excuse Bush could come up with.   But the so called law he put in affect makes not a damn bit of sense if you think about it.  He claimed he needed this so he could be ahead of terrorist, etc.  He was already ahead.  He had top level Court Judges that were cleared for Top secret material that he could get in touch with and get a court order to search and do about anything he needed to do through the NSA.  So the NSA having God like powers wasn't necessary.  Unless he wants to tell us he couldn't trust his top Court Judges that has the Top Secret clearance?  Maybe they couldn't sign the court orders fast enough too? Duh.  I will wait for a better answer from our President. After all everyone deserves the benefit of the doubt. But the American public deserve better treatment also. Besides our Constitution is not just a piece of paper it's our backbone, heritage, history, and our livelihood...
 

Amendment IV - Search and seizure.

The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.

 

 

Friday, December 09, 2005

Campaign

 
 
Now this is interesting! Could it be that someone is not waiting for the security experts to decide on whom is responsible for teaching security to the old and new computer users?   I believe so.  :)    Campaign
 
 
 
 
 

Thursday, December 01, 2005

The RIAA suicide pact

I don't play that many of my cds on my computer.  I have maybe 10 of my cds on my computer out of the 30+ cds I own.  I do have a Linux box and a Windows box.  I have less of my Cds on my Linux box. 
 
I believe this article makes sense though.  But he did miss one point that he should of made and I haven't seen too many make a point of posting on it.  That is the copyright that is in place does allow the copying of your owned cds, it also allows you to sell the cds if you don't want them anymore.  It also states that you own the cd. 
 
I can't help to think that one of these days all of this will backfire in the RIAA face.  All of this hardening down will come back to haunt them.  I never plan to buy another Sony product.  I may never put another cd on my boxes.  I may just switch to (gasp) radio or satellite feed.  The RIAA and DRM may get their wish.  People will stop buying the cds because like me they don't want either of them planting a damn thing on their computers.  It's obvious to me that Sony was sneaking it in.  How many others will try to sneak it in?  No on my watch, and not on my computers. Sony taught me one thing, and that is not to trust the music industry. I don't believe I am the only one that learned this.  So Sony and the rest of them may harden things a bit.  But in the end it could turn out to be their suicide.  In the end the customers decide how far they can drive that stake into the heart of their customers.  The customer is always right.