Good morning and Update

Good morning everyone, It's Saturday the 7th of November and I have not written to a month and a half. I have been using facebook and kinda got away from the blog for a while. I plan to start back with the blog now. First off I will talk about my kids.

My youngest son Mike is still at Fort Leonard Wood, MO going through MP training, he should be in Blue Phase now ( they went through Red and White already ). He is loving the Army, he says that his Drill Sergent's are great. Mike said "I never thought I would say this but basic training is fun". I'm glad he is doing well. :)

( Mike at Army Basic Training )

My oldest child FC3 Cindy is doing well in the Navy and is still in Washington State. The IA assignment didn't work out for her so she will be staying with her ship, the USS Abraham Lincoln. They are currently in the yard so Cindys work is kinda mundane right now with the exception of testing the CIWS on occasion and scaring the crap out of yard workers. Have fun with that Cindy. :)

( Cindy on her Ship )

My son OS3 John is in Mayport Florida and has the most news. John got back from a 6 month deployment with his ship ( the USS Doyle ) in October. He went to visit my parents in Daytona and bought his first car. John bought a 2009 Kia Rio and loves it. John also sent me a picture of a letter of commendation that he got a few days ago. John is doing well and has a birthday coming up next week, Nov 15th. John will be 22 years old. :)

( John new Navy Working Uniform )

( Johns letter of Commendation )

( Johns new Kia Rio )



Free Meals for Veterans

Restaurant chains are offering free meals to U.S. military personnel in conjunction with Veterans Day.

Origins: In recent years, some national restaurant chains have begun the practice of demonstrating appreciation for U.S. military personnel (both veterans and those on active duty) by offering them free meals in observance of Veterans Day (November 11). Here are a few of the chains that will be participating in such programs in 2009:

Applebee's is offering a free entree on Wednesday [November 11 to veterans and all active-duty military from 11 a.m. to midnight at all 1,900 locations. Although Applebee's requests some kind of military ID, "We're not going to argue with folks who might forget to bring it," says Sam Rothschild, senior vice president of operations. http://www.applebees.com/vetsday/

For the 11th year in a row, 87 McCormick & Schmick's locations in 25 states are offering free entrees to veterans on Sunday November 8. The chain also requests military ID and highly recommends reservations. The promotion is on Sunday instead of Veterans Day, "because it allows vets to bring their families who might not be available during the week," CEO Bill Freeman says.
http://www.mccormickandschmicks.com/featured-promotion/Veterans-Appreciation-Day.aspx

The 485-unit Golden Corral chain is offering free buffet meals including beverage and dessert to current military and vets on Monday, November 16, from 5 to 9 p.m. No military ID is required for its ninth annual Military Appreciation Monday, says Dolly Mercer, national events manager. The event is held on this date, she says, "so we don't interfere with Veterans Day activities." http://www.goldencorral.com/military/

The Outback Steakhouse restaurant chain will also be offering a free Bloomin' Onion appetizer and beverage to all veterans and active duty military on Veterans Day, and outlets of the Krispy Kreme Doughnut Corporation will be giving away free doughnuts to all veterans and active military personnel that day as well.

Arby's invites active duty & veterans to receive a FREE reg roast beef sandwich this Veterans Day. As a Thank-You to all our veterans and active servicemen and women, Arby's invites you to a Free Regular Roast Beef Sandwich during regular business hours this Wed, Nov. 11, 2009 on your day, Veterans Day. Proof of US Military service is required. Limit one per ID.

My daughter Cindy also tells me that "Dad, Also Famous Daves BBQ is offering free meals to military on 11Nov and they also offer a 10% military discount daily".

Thursday morning

My wife Vicki fell yesterday ( she will be just fine ) She was standing on the railing for the daybed trying to open the curtain and fell down and got stuck between the daybed, wall, and under the rocking chair. When she fell she broke our son Mikes fan that was in there and also broke the mini blind on the front window. I was not home when it happened and she laid there screaming for help for about 30 minutes. Her voice was almost gone by the time I got home. I was able to get her fingers out of the mini blind mechanism where they got stuck and get her up. I made her Promise to not climb on anything unless I am home and she ask me first from now on. She is all bruised up now but nothing that won't heal with time. :) Just to let you know that Vicki has MS so she has balance problems even when her feet are on the ground.

Our son Mike called last night from Army basic training ( he called from his cell phone ). Mike said it's hard but that he will make it through. He said that I should get his address within the next two weeks. He wants me to keep him up to date on the Ravens football games. He said that he loved us and sounded very good. He also said that they can get care packages but that they can be no bigger that an shoe box. That's interesting that in Army basic they can get stuff. When his brother and sister went through Navy boot camp in 2007 all they could get were letters and no way would they have had a cell phone after the first few hrs.

Our daughter FC3 Cindy is checked out of the USS Abe Lincoln. Cindy has been doing NKO ( Navy Knowledge Online ) courses for her IA. She flies out to San Diego on Sunday for the start of IA training. She calls just about every day on her way to and from work on the ship and is doing just fine. We are so proud of her.

Our son OS3 John e-mailed several times from his ship the USS Doyle. He is doing well and will probably be going to GCCS-M school sometime after they get back from deployment. John said "There isn’t a lot going on here right now, I watched a really funny movie last night called “How to lose friends and alienate people”. It has the same main actor as Hot Fuzz."

As for me, I will be 45 years old tomorrow. I have no plans for my birthday, just hang around. It's been getting colder here, this morning it was 43 degrees when I woke up. We have been turning on the heat at night. That's about all for now. Hope everyone has a great weekend.

HAPPY 23rd BIRTHDAY CINDY

I want to say HAPPY 23rd BIRTHDAY to my daughter CINDY. I hope you have a great day. Love, Dad

The free desk

We moved the desk and hutch that we salvaged from the trash ( one of the neighbors across the street threw it out ) to the kitchen and my wife Vicki decorated it.

USS Doyle's Dutch Joint Operation

USS Doyle's Dutch Joint Operation

USS Doyle (FFG 39) Sailors conduct a community relations project in. Trinidad.

USS Doyle (FFG 39) Sailors conduct a community relations project in. Trinidad.

WE WILL NEVER FORGET

WE WILL NEVER FORGET 9-11-2001

GOD BLESS ALL THAT PERISHED IN THE TERRORIST ATTACKS. GOD BLESS THE FAMILIES AND GOD BLESS ALL IN OUR ARMED FORCES. this blessing does not apply to the terrorists that died that day.

Friday Morning

Good morning, it's a rainy Friday morning here in SE Kansas. I finished painting the body of our house this week and it looks nice. I will put some pictures up as soon as the rain clears. I still have to finish painting the soffits but I need a longer ladder to do that and my knees are really messed up and swollen right now.

My Navy daughter Cindy has been busy getting ready for her IA training. Cindy will go to Camp Victory in Iraq the beginning of Feb. Untill then she is doing medical, putting stuff in storage, and allot of training with the Army. Cindy is fighting a cold right now and working allot. Hope she starts to feel better soon. Cindy's birthday is comeing up on the 19th of this month. Cindy will be 23yo. Sure make me feel old to have kids that age. :)

My Navy son John has sent several e-mails from his deployment. They are on a 6 month deployment around South America. This is from one of Johns emails, I put initials for the names to protect the other sailors identities. "The last port was really nice. I think it was by far the best port. We were able to get some time off to relax and have fun. The new OS "U", a new ET "D", "R", and I went to look at the stores, ate, and watched Final Destination 4 on our last day in port. It was a lot of fun." John also said that they went to the beach allot. Aside from that they have been busy with training and work.

Johns ship in the Trinidad news


My youngest son Mike is getting ready to go to Army basic training Sept 15th. Mike has been going to the gym several days a week and hanging out with some friends that he met while here in Kansas.

That's about all for now, hope everyone has a great weekend.

USS Doyle And Columbian Coast Guard

Guided Missile Frigate USS Doyle Sailors Recently Conducted Multi-National Damage
Control And Visit, Board, Search And Seizure Training with the Columbian Coast Guard

Our free desk with hutch

These are pictures of our free desk with hutch. The people across our street put it out and put a "FREE" sign on it this past weekend. I was mowing the lawn when I saw it and told my wife and son Mike. Mike looked at me like I was crazy but I knew that we could use it. LOL Yes, then I took it... :) We have it on the back porch / laundry room now...

Apple Pie and the first tomatoes from our garden.

Apple Pie and the first tomatoes from our garden.

Vicki and Scruffy this morning.

Scruffy in the Kitchen this morning

Vicki talking to Scruffy this morning in the laundry room

We had a busy weekend here in Kansas

Good morning all, we had a busy weekend here in Kansas. We decided at the last minute to have a yard sale and get rid of all the junk in the garage. We started Friday afternoon and ended the yard sale yesterday at about noon when it started to rain. I had cleaned out the garage last month and had thrown away all the things that I thought were trash and kept stuff that I thought we should try to sell. Our son Mike helped me bring all the stuff out to the front of the house using his station wagon Friday afternoon and that helped allot. We did get rid of allot of stuff that was just clutter and the garage has allot more room in it now.

I talked to our Navy kids, John and Cindy this weekend and they are both doing well. John has been staying in a hotel on base and enjoying a big comfortable bed while his ship is in port. Cindy has been busy getting ready for her almost year long stint an an IA in Iraq. Cindy posted her schedule "Leave here 27Sep, Go to San Diego. 05Oct Fort Sill, OK, 08Nov Fort Jackson, SC, 30Nov Fort Sill, OK 20Dec Fort Lewis, WA 28Jan Kuwait 08Feb Iraq" I am hopeful that I will be able to see her when she is at Fort Sill, OK being that it is only about 300 miles from us.

Our son Mike is still working on a temp basis at Russell Stover Candies in Iola, KS and is reaping some of the benefits of his job. He hasn't taken them up on the free candy yet ( we wish he would ) but he did come home with a free watermelon last week. They were giving out watermelons to all the employees when they left work one day last week and we are still eating it. :) Mike goes into the Army in one month ( Sept 15th ).

That's about all from here. It's just going to be a relaxing Sunday, at least I hope so. My crohns disease is acting up this morning and I feel like crap if you know what I mean. :) Bye for now, I'll write more soon.

Me and Scruffy last night.

My wife Vicki took some pictures of me with our dog Scruffy last night while we were playing with his rag in the living room.










My wife Vicki took some pictures of me and our dog Scruffy last night while we were playing with his rag in the living room.

Sunday Morning

Good morning all. Things have been a little busy here in Kansas the last week or so.

First of all my daughter Cindy said "Well got the final word. Iraq in late Sept for sure. Dont have anymore info on it right now." Cindy is a CIWS-FC 3 in the Navy and is currently with the USS Abraham Lincoln. Cindy volunteered to go to Iraq as an IA "Individual Augmentee" . Cindy is on leave right now with her boyfriend in Washington state.

My son Mike joined the ARMY last week and will go to basic training and then train to be an MP Sept 15th at Fort Leonard Wood, MO. Mike has been working out almost every day trying to get ready for the long months of training ahead. In the meantime Mike got a temp job working at Russell Stover Candies in Iola, KS for the next two weeks.

My son John took a few days off from his Ship the USS Doyle now that they are back in port in Florida for a few weeks and went to Orlando with some other friends from the ship. John is doing well and has been studing for his 2nd class Petty officer test and his Enlisted Surface Warfare pin.

That's about all for now. Hope everyone has a great week.

My youngest son Mike joined the Army.

My youngest son Mike joined the Army. He goes to Basic Training on Sept 15th at Fort Leonard Wood, MO. He made it through MEPS ( Military Entrance Processing Station ) Wednesday and Thursday and is going to be an MP ( Military Police ) on his Army contract.

USS Doyle (FFG 39) and Destroyer Squadron 40 deliver books to Chile.

My son Johns ship USS Doyle (FFG 39) and Destroyer Squadron 40 deliver books to Chile.

USS Doyle Gun Salute To Esmeralda

USS Doyle Gun Salute To Esmeralda






My son Johns ship USS Doyle (FFG 39) renders a 21-gun salute to the sunken warship CNS Esmeralda.

USS Doyle Hosts French Midshipman

USS Doyle Hosts French Midshipman

Shared via AddThis
My son Johns ship, USS Doyle Hosts French Midshipman

USS Doyle In Southern Seas 2009

This is a video from my son Johns ship.


DNU Flash - USS Doyle (FFG 39) conducts Anti-terrorism and Force Protection Training.






USS Doyle In Southern Seas 2009

Two Videos of our son Mike and our dog

Here are two videos of our son Mike playing with our dog Scruffy tonight.

I'm Back

My son Mike with his car

Good morning all, I am still alive here in Kansas and have been a little busy.

My youngest son Mike graduated high school this year and moved in with us, he was living with his Mom in Maryland. Mike is joining the Army. He thought about joining the Navy like his brother and sister but the Navy said that it could take 6-15months for him to get in because of budget cuts and that they are overmanned right now so he called the Army and is going with them. The Army recruiter was here for 4hrs Wednesday evening doing paperwork with Mike and he is coming back today at 4pm to do more and then Mike goes to Kansas City next Thursday and Friday to MEPS ( Military Entrance Processing Station ) to sign his contract and get the physical and so on.

My daughter Cindy in a dress getting ready to go see "RENT"

Cindy

My daughter in the Navy Cindy called and told me that she is going to Iraq the end of September to work with the Army as an IA. An IA is an Individual Augmentee you can read more about that here http://www.ia.navy.mil/ Cindy is currently a CIWS-FC Petty Officer Third Class on the USS Abraham Lincoln in Everett, Washington. Cindy has been in the Navy since March of 2007. I am very proud of her and what she is doing. God bless you Cindy.

My son John on his ship

My son John was doing well the last time I talked to him. John is currently on Deployment with the USS Doyle. John is also a Petty Officer Third Class in the Navy but he is an OS. This is from the US Southern Command website. USS Doyle is on a six-month deployment to Latin America and the Carribean as part of Southern Seas 2009 in support of U.S. Southern Command´s Partnership of the Americas strategy.

In other news we got a new dog, this one is nuts. His name is Scruffy and he weighs about 30lbs. I will write more about him another time, as for now I need to go and get more coffee. Hope everyone has a great day.

My son Mike with our new Dog Scruffy

Thank you Cindy

My daughter Cindy got me this beautiful throw for Fathers Day this year. I love it Cindy and it was so thoughtful of you to put your brothers names on it too. I will cherish it always. I love you, Dad

Our Dog Tanner passed away yesterday at the age of 16.

Our beloved Dog Tanner passed away yesterday at the age of 16. He was a good dog and a companion and will be missed. Tanner had cancer and wasn't getting better, he had stopped drinking and eating for the last two days. Yesterday afternoon we made the decision to have him put to sleep. We buried him in our back yard near the mock orange bush on the North side of our yard. He always liked going under that bush. We will always have good memories of him and he had a very good life here.

Happy 10th Anniversary to my Wife

We were married 10 years ago today. Happy Anniversary Vicki. It's been a great 10 years. I Love you.

SEVERE WEATHER OUTLOOK

PUBLIC SEVERE WEATHER OUTLOOK
NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
0702 AM CDT WED MAY 13 2009

...SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS EXPECTED FROM THE CENTRAL/SOUTHERN PLAINS TO
THE MID MISSISSIPPI VALLEY LATER TODAY AND TONIGHT...

THE NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER IN NORMAN OK IS FORECASTING THE
DEVELOPMENT OF TORNADOES...LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS FROM THE
CENTRAL/SOUTHERN PLAINS TO THE MID MISSISSIPPI VALLEY LATER TODAY
AND TONIGHT.

THE AREAS MOST LIKELY TO EXPERIENCE THIS ACTIVITY INCLUDE

NORTHWEST ARKANSAS
ILLINOIS
SOUTHEAST KANSAS
MISSOURI
OKLAHOMA

ELSEWHERE...SEVERE STORMS ARE ALSO POSSIBLE FROM NORTH TEXAS TO THE
GREAT LAKES.

SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP LATER TODAY ALONG A
SHARP COLD FRONT THAT WILL SURGE SOUTHEASTWARD ACROSS THE CENTRAL
PLAINS INTO THE MID MISSISSIPPI VALLEY. THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED
TO INTENSIFY DURING THE HEAT OF THE DAY AS A VERY MOIST LOW LEVEL
AIRMASS SURGES INTO AN INCREASINGLY CONVERGENT FRONTAL
ZONE...INITIALLY ACROSS PARTS OF SOUTHEAST IA AND WEST CENTRAL
ILLINOIS...THEN DEVELOPING SOUTHWESTWARD ACROSS MISSOURI INTO KANSAS
BY LATE AFTERNOON. THIS ACTIVITY WILL SPREAD SOUTHWARD INTO
OKLAHOMA AND ARKANSAS LATER THIS EVENING. VERY LARGE HAIL AND
DAMAGING WINDS ARE LIKELY WITH MANY STORMS...ALONG WITH A FEW
TORNADOES.

ADDITIONALLY...A MID LEVEL CIRCULATION LOCATED JUST NORTHWEST OF
FORT SMITH ARKANSAS WILL LIFT NORTHEASTWARD INTO SOUTHERN MISSOURI
THIS AFTERNOON. THIS FEATURE WILL LIKELY ENHANCE SEVERE POTENTIAL
DOWNSTREAM ACROSS PARTS OF EASTERN/SOUTHERN MISSOURI INTO SOUTHERN
ILLINOIS. WIND/MOISTURE PROFILES WITH THIS CIRCULATION SUGGEST A
FEW STRONG TORNADOES MAY BE NOTED WITH SUPERCELLS THAT EVOLVE ACROSS
THIS REGION. IN ADDITION...LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS SHOULD ALSO
BE ANTICIPATED WITH THESE STORMS.

STATE AND LOCAL EMERGENCY MANAGERS ARE MONITORING THIS DEVELOPING
SITUATION. THOSE IN THE THREATENED AREA ARE URGED TO REVIEW SEVERE
WEATHER SAFETY RULES AND TO LISTEN TO RADIO...TELEVISION...AND NOAA
WEATHER RADIO FOR POSSIBLE WATCHES...WARNINGS...AND STATEMENTS LATER
TODAY.

Happy Mothers Day

Wishing my Mom a Happy Mothers Day.

5 Scientific Reasons Mom Deserves Mother's Day

Perfect Steak ( Video )

Don't ever ask, what else can go wrong? LOL

Last evening the rain finally stopped and I went out to mow the lawn with my new mower blade installed, I was half-way done when the gas tank fell off the mower. I quickly fixed that and continued mowing and when I was just about done the back left wheel broke off the mower ( the mower deck cracked ) I finished mowing anyway by holding the mower up and I will fix the mower deck today with some sheet metal.

In the last two weeks:

The washing machine tub cracked and we bought a used one from Home Appliance for $160.00. The used washer lasted two days and stopped working. They came out and said it couldn't be fixed so we ended up buying a new one from them ( they did apply the money from the used one to the new one ) and we are happy with the new GE Washer.

The Central air stopped working in our house. The Contractors came out and fixed that with a new capacitor, Freon, and two new pipes.

I went to plant our small garden and my shovel broke in half, I bought a new one.

The mower blade bent in half the last time I mowed, I bought a new blade and installed it.

Don't ever ask, what else can go wrong? LOL

Happy Birthday Dad

Just want to say Happy Birthday Dad. Hope you have a great day today. My Dad is going to Epcot center today with my Mom to celebrate his birthday. Hope you two have a great time. Love, John

Swine Flu PSA From The 1970’s and a funny story from my childhood

This is a true story from my childhood. I remember my father taking my brother and me to get the Swine Flu vaccine at a local school that was immunizing people in our community in 1976. My brother who was afraid of shots at the time was very nervous. We waited in line for what seemed like hrs. Once we got up to the door of the school my brother promptly turned around and started running away through he parking lot screaming I'm blind, I'm blind. People in the line behind us thought he got the shot and went blind and they really looked panicked. My father and I had to tell them that he hadn't even got the shot yet. He did end up getting vaccinated and we were just fine.
Good advice for the Swine Flu, Get tamaflu as soon as you begin to feel ill. Don't touch any surfaces then touch your eyes or nose. Wash hands frequently and stay away from coughing people.

Our Deck after using the Power Washer

A friend of ours "Mike" let me use his Power Washer to clean our deck last evening. It took me about three hours but was well worth it. Thanks Mike. :)

Pork Chops on the Grill

Our dog Tanner waiting to get a taste of the Pork Chops

Pork Chops on the Grill

The finished product

Good morning, it's a rainy Saturday here but we had a nice day yesterday. The last two days I cooked dinner on the grill. I think food always taste better grilled. :) Last night I grilled Pork Chops, I seasoned them with Pepper, Salt, and Cavender's Salt-Free Greek Seasoning. They were delicious and only took 20 minutes to cook. We have leftovers for today...

Watch Shows and Movies on YouTube

YouTube added a new tab titled "Shows" that highlights TV shows. "Today we're excited to announce a new destination for television shows and an improved destination for movies on YouTube, where partners like Crackle, CBS, MGM, Lionsgate, Starz and many others have made thousands of television episodes and hundreds of movies available for you to watch, comment on, favorite and share," announces the YouTube blog.

http://www.youtube.com/shows

Happy Easter

Happy Easter everyone.

Funniest movies of all time, our picks

Our son John asked me last night, "If you get a chance can you and Vicki think of what you guys think the funniest movies of all time are?"

Below is the list of Movies that we came up with.


* Monty Python's Holy Grail
* A Fish Called Wanda
* The Jerk
* Animal House
* Stripes
* Airplane
* Fast Times at Ridgemont High
* Young Frankenstein
* Silver Streak
* The Blues Brothers
* Raising Arizona
* Trading Places
* Blazing Saddles
* Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb
* Stir Crazy
* Dogma
* The Burbs
* Parenthood
* All of Me
* Seems Like old times
* Caddyshack
* What About Bob?
* The End
* I Love You to Death

Chicken Fried Steak

Last night I made Chicken Fried Steak for dinner. It was really good and easy to make.

My recipe for Chicken Fried Steak. Down home cooking comfort food....

Start with good tenderized cube steaks. Season the steaks with salt, pepper, and season salt. Dip steak in egg and then in crushed saltines and then back in egg and then again in the saltines. Season the outside again with the same salt, pepper, and season salt and then fry in hot oil until done. Make sure you don't crowd the pan. I cook a little at a time and when they are done I drain them on paper towels and then put them in a warm oven until all the steaks are done. To make gravy, drain most of the oil from the pan and then add flour to the remaining oil in the pan to make a rue, add milk, pepper, and some beef bullion granules to taste and stir until gravy starts to thicken. Put the gravy over the cooked steaks right before serving. Serve with mashed potatoes. :) Definitely not healthy, but sure is good, Yum....

Our son John in his Dress Blues

Our son OS3 John took this picture of himself in his Dress Blues. It's kinda fuzzy, it was taken with his cell phone on his ship. If our daughter FC3 Cindy ever sends me any pictures of herself I will post those too. :)

Free Microsoft support for Windows XP, Office 2003 ends next month

Microsoft will end official free support for Windows XP Home Edition and Microsoft Office 2003 on April 14th. That doesn't mean the help center on your computer will stop working, but you won't be able to get free answers to your questions from Microsoft anymore. You will be able to pay for extended support for both products through 2014.

Microsoft will also continue providing free security-related hotfixes to non-subscribing customers. So unless you frequently make calls to Microsoft support, the April 14th deadline might not really affect you.

My son John

I talked to my son John last evening. John is on leave right now and is at my parents house in Port Orange, FL until Saturday when he will return to base in Mayport, FL, as most of you know John is an OS3 on the USS Doyle. My Dad picked him up yesterday morning and is going to store his stuff while his ship is on deployment. Here are some pictures that my parents sent last night.

20 Things You Probably Didn't Know About Time

The beginning, the end, and the funny habits of our favorite ticking force.

Wonder why you have to set your clock ahead in March? Daylight Saving Time began as a joke by Benjamin Franklin, who proposed waking people earlier on bright summer mornings so they might work more during the day and thus save candles. It was introduced in the U.K. in 1917 and then spread around the world.

Read the rest at discovermagazine.com

Good morning, It looks like a great weather week

Good morning, It looks like a great weather week here in South East Kansas with temps in the 70s for several days. It will be nice to be able to turn off the heat and open the windows and doors for a few days. :) I talked to my son John this morning on WLM and he played some songs that he was learning on his keyboard and I got to see his barracks room in Mayport, FL via Webcam. It was nice to see him. John is going to the mall today with some friends. We hope to find out if John will be able to come visit us this month in the next day to two. His ship is going out next month sometime for six months. That's about all for know. I am just finishing up my pot of coffee and listening to music. Hope everyone has a great day.

It's PDF Patching Day

It's PDF Patching Day

Get the patches while they are hot:

Update Foxit Reader if you have it already.

Update Adobe Reader if you still have it.

APSB09-03 - Security Updates available for Adobe Reader 9 and Acrobat 9

Summary:

A critical vulnerability has been identified in Adobe Reader

9 and Acrobat 9 and earlier versions. This vulnerability would cause the application to crash and could potentially allow an attacker to take control of the affected system.

There are reports that this issue is being exploited.

Adobe recommends users of Adobe Reader and Acrobat 9 update to Adobe Reader 9.1 and Acrobat 9.1. Adobe is planning to make available updates for Adobe Reader 7 and 8, and Acrobat 7 and 8, by March 18. In addition, Adobe plans to make available Adobe Reader 9.1 for Unix by March 25.

Old Glory Insurance In Case of Robot Attacks

Still Funny after all these years

Video Recaps | Full Episodes | Webisodes

Firefox 3.0.7 targets security issues

Mozilla on Wednesday released an update to the Firefox Web browser that its developers said fixes eight security issues found in Firefox 3.0.6, six of which were rated critical.

The most serious of the vulnerabilities fixed in Version 3.0.7 could allow attackers to run arbitrary code on a victim's computer, Mozilla warned in security advisories Wednesday.

The six critical flaws affected the browser's garbage collection, which monitors how Firefox modules use the computer's memory, as well as the browser's PNG libraries and in the layout and JavaScript engines.

Firefox 3.0.7 fixes several issues found in Firefox 3.0.6:

* Fixed several security issues.
* Fixed several stability issues.
* Official releases for the Estonian, Kannada, and Telugu languages are now available.
* Items in the "File" menu show as inactive after using the "Print" item from that menu - switching to a new tab restores them (bug 425844). This issue has been fixed.
*For some users, cookies would appear to go “missing” after a few days (bug 444600).
* Mac users of the Flashblock add-on, experienced an issue where sound from the Flash plug-in would continue to play for a short time after closing a tab or window (bug 474022).
* Fixed several issues related to accessibility features.

Mozilla developers said they weren't sure the layout and JavaScript flaws could be exploited.

"Some of these crashes showed evidence of memory corruption under certain circumstances and we presume that with enough effort at least some of these could be exploited to run arbitrary code," Mozilla said in an advisory.

Updates for Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux are available at the Mozilla site. Firefox 3 users will receive an update notification within 48 hours, or they can download the update manually by selecting "Check for Updates" from the Help menu.

The update, Mozilla's second this year, comes as Firefox continues to chip away at Internet Explorer's market dominance. Mozilla now has 21.77 percent of the global browser market share, compared with IE's 67.44 percent, a drop of more than 7 percentage points in a year.

Obama said, buying stocks now may be a "good deal."

President Obama told Americans to take a look at investing in the stock market yesterday afternoon, a remarkable utterance for an American president, especially as the Dow Jones Industrial Average proceeds on its course Southward.

"What you're now seeing is profit and earning ratios are starting to get to the point where buying stocks is a potentially good deal if you've got a long-term perspective on it," the president said on a day that trading continued to hover under 7,000.

The president predicted that Americans' consumer confidence would improve as they see the stimulus bill "taking root."

So in my opinion if you voted for and trust President Obama go and buy stocks and help boost our economy.... As for me, I voted for the other guy....

The Senate voted overwhelmingly to preserve thousands of earmarks in a $410 billion spending bill on Tuesday, brushing aside Sen. John McCain's claim that President Barack Obama and Congress are merely conducting business as usual in a time of economic hardship.

McCain's attempt to strip out an estimated 8,500 earmarks failed on a vote of 63-32. The Arizona senator's proposal also would have cut roughly $32 billion from the measure and kept spending at last year's levels in several federal agencies.

While Republican opposition in the House focused more on the bill's overall spending, McCain and allies turned the Senate spotlight squarely on earmarks.

"How does anyone justify some of these earmarks: $1.7 million for pig odor research in Iowa; $2 million 'for the promotion of astronomy' in Hawaii; $6.6 million for termite research in New Orleans; $2.1 million for the Center for Grape Genetics in New York," he said.

He also noted the legislation includes 14 earmarks requested by lawmakers for projects sought by PMA Group, a lobbying company at the center of a federal corruption investigation.

Square Root Day revelers to party like it's 3/3/09

Count on today's alignment of the calendar to add some excitement to the lives of at least a few math geeks.

Today is Square Root Day, a rare holiday that occurs when the day and the month are both the square root of the last two digits of the current year. Numerically, March 3, 2009, can be expressed as 3/3/09, or mathematically as √9 = 3, or 3² = 3 × 3 = 9.

"These days are like calendar comets, you wait and wait and wait for them, then they brighten up your day and poof they're gone," Ron Gordon, a Redwood City, Calif., teacher who organized a contest intended to publicize the event, told the Associated Press. The prize, or course, is $339.

Celebrants are expected to mark the occasion by cutting root vegetables into squares or preparing other foods in the shape of the square root symbol.

Square Root Day occurs only nine times in a century. The last one occurred on February 2, 2004, and the next will occur in seven years on April 4, 2016.

Square Root Day isn't the only humorous holiday celebrated in the math world.

Pi Day is observed each March 14 (3.14), while Pi Approximation Day falls on July 22 (roughly equal to 22/7). The first Pi Day was observed in 1988 by staff at the San Francisco Exploratorium, who walked around in circles.

President's Helicopter Blueprints Leaked to Iran Via P2P

President Obama isn't very excited about his fancy new helicopter, but that's not his fault, he just hasn't seen its super-neat blueprints yet, because he's not allowed to have Limewire.

Right, I'll back up for a second. The embattled chopper(s)—under fire for their cost and alleged foreign manufacture have been trotted out by republicans as an example of government spending spun out of control. Just as that controversy seemed to be subsiding, reports surfaced that the blueprints and avionics package for Marine One have been leaked over a peer-to-peer network, to Iran. Oops?

The leak wasn't at all intentional, unless you consider trusting technical illiterates with such sensitive material "intentional". No, the leak happened because an employee at a unnamed defense contractor (The Register thinks it's Lockheed) accidentally stored the files in a P2P folder, or, and this is more likely, just set his entire hard drive to share. Before long, the files had been uploaded to ~~xOsamaFanIran74x~~ and the intelligence community fell into a tizzy, all because some guy wanted to catch up on Big Love during his lunch break. In an interview with WXPI, Wesley Clark summed up the situation—and then, hilariously, the internet—for all of us:

We found where this information came from. We know exactly what computer it came from. I'm sure that person is embarrassed and may even lose their job, but we know where it came from and we know where it went. Once it's out there, it's hard to get it back. I don't think the full ramifications of this have been understood by the watchdog agencies.

Read more at DSL reports

US Contractor Follows Japanese Example: Leaks Military Secrets Via P2P

Nearly four years ago, it was reported that a contractor in Japan who had plans for a nuclear power station leaked them via a file sharing app on his personal computer. It was never clearly explained why he had those classified work-related materials on his personal computer, but it led to quite a mess, with the government begging people to delete the nuclear secrets, if they found them. You would hope that with that as a guide, other government and military contractors around the world would be more careful. No such luck. Apparently no one takes things like basic computer security seriously anymore.

A step by step narration about the evolution of Internet

Ever wondered how the Internet evolved? I'm sure the answer is yes, almost all of us at some point of time wanted to know this. This 8 minutes and 10 seconds long video will roughly reply all your queries you ever came across, regarding the evolution of Internet.

Microsoft offers a simple online tool to help evaluate the functionality of routers.

The Internet Connectivity Evaluation Tool checks your Internet router to see if it supports certain technologies. You can use this tool on a PC running either the Windows Vista or Windows XP operating system. If you're planning to run Windows Vista, this tool can verify whether your existing Internet router supports advanced features, such as improved download speeds and face-to-face collaboration using Windows Meeting Space.

The tool is intended to be run from a home network behind a home Internet (NAT) router. Running this tool from behind a corporate firewall or on operating systems other than those specified above won't produce accurate results. This tool requires administrator privileges to run.

The tests can require up to 10 minutes to complete and do not make any permanent changes to your router. For the most accurate results, your computer should be connected directly to your Internet router, using a wired connection.

Note Although it is unlikely, testing might interrupt your Internet connectivity or cause your router to stop responding. If you require uninterrupted Internet access at this time (for example, if you are in the middle of downloading a large file, bidding on a time-sensitive Internet auction, or playing an online game), you should wait and do this testing at another time

http://www.microsoft.com/windows/using/tools/igd/default.mspx

http://blogs.technet.com/rp/archive/2009/02/21/internet-connectivity-evaluation-tool.aspx

Happy Birthday Vicki

Flowers Vicki got from her girlfriends in Arkansas for her birthday this year.

Happy Birthday to my beautiful wife Vicki



Famous Birthdays 1959

Births

* “Weird Al” Yankovic
* Adrian Paul
* Aidan Quinn
* Apollonia Kotero
* Babyface
* Brian Setzer (Stray Cats)
* Bronson Pinchot
* Bryan Adams
* Danny Ainge
* Dave Coulier
* David Hyde Pierce
* Emma Thompson
* Florence Griffith Joyner
* Israel Kamakawiwo’ole
* Jim McMahon
* Jody Watley
* John McEnroe
* Kathy Sledge (Sister Sledge)
* Kathy Valentine (The Go-Go’s)
* Keith Olbermann
* Kevin Spacey
* Kyle MacLachlan
* Lawrence Taylor
* Linda Blair
* Magic Johnson
* Marie Osmond
* Matthew Modine
* Morten Harket (a-ha)
* Nancy Cartwright (voice of Bart Simpson)
* Nastassja Kinski
* Randy Travis
* Richie Sambora (Bon Jovi)
* Rodney A. Grant
* Rosanna Arquette
* Sade

Hulu's Super Bowl ad ( Video )

Hulu: We're evil, and proud of it



Hulu offers several current and past TV shows and some movies online. All are free to watch with limited commercial interruptions. The site, developed by News Corp. and NBC Universal, a unit of General Electric Co., offers free viewing of full-length films and TV episodes, supported by advertising.

Take a look at Hulu and try it for yourself. It's free.