Mark's Notebook

All Articles - June 2005

Payback time: FTC Chair's Credit Card Info Stolen

San Francisco Chronicle, AP News

An FTC spokeswoman says FTC chief Deborah Platt Majoras received a letter last week from shoe retailer DSW informing her that her credit card information had been stolen. The spokeswoman declined further comment. The theft was first reported by Newsweek.

Majoras' credit card number was among 1.4 million that were stolen from a company database.

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/news/archive/2005/06/30/national/w13
3822D01.DTL

Mark says:

Maybe now they'll do something about it. Then again, even this kind of stuff doesnt' seem to spur the government to action. Didn't I earlier post an article about a congressman who assigned his staff the task of stealing his identity, which they were able to do in a matter of a couple of days?

Billy Graham on politics

The Guardian

While religion and politics are mixing, making evangelicals a crucial base of the Republican right, Billy Graham, who is credited with converting George Bush to Christianity, has moved away from politics, claiming it impedes his ability to unite his flock around the Bible.

Asked where he locates himself politically today, he said: "I'm not even sure now where the middle is. One of the things I find very helpful is if I stay away from politics and just preach the Gospel."

In his autobiography, Just As I Am, he says: "Becoming involved in strictly political issues or partisan politics inevitably dilutes the evangelist's impact and compromises his message. It is a lesson I wish I had learned sooner."

http://www.guardian.co.uk/usa/story/0,12271,1512377,00.html

Housing prices in biggest bubble in history

The Economist

The worldwide rise in house prices is the biggest bubble in history. Prepare for the economic pain when it pops.

According to estimates by The Economist, the total value of residential property in developed economies rose by more than $30 trillion over the past five years, to over $70 trillion, an increase equivalent to 100% of those countries' combined GDPs. Not only does this dwarf any previous house-price boom, it is larger than the global stockmarket bubble in the late 1990s (an increase over five years of 80% of GDP) or America's stockmarket bubble in the late 1920s (55% of GDP). In other words, it looks like the biggest bubble in history.

The most compelling evidence that home prices are over-valued in many countries is the diverging relationship between house prices and rents. Calculations by The Economist show that house prices have hit record levels in relation to rents in America, Britain, Australia, New Zealand, France, Spain, the Netherlands, Ireland and Belgium. This suggests that homes are even more over-valued than at previous peaks, from which prices typically fell in real terms. House prices are also at record levels in relation to incomes in these nine countries.

America's housing market heated up later than those in other countries, such as Britain and Australia, but it is now looking more and more similar. Even the Federal Reserve is at last starting to fret about what is happening. Prices are being driven by speculative demand. A study by the National Association of Realtors (NAR) found that 23% of all American houses bought in 2004 were for investment, not owner-occupation. Another 13% were bought as second homes. Investors are prepared to buy houses they will rent out at a loss, just because they think prices will keep rising—the very definition of a financial bubble.

http://www.economist.com/finance/displayStory.cfm?story_id=4079027

An Avowed Virgin-Until-Marriage Turns Sex Ed Activist

New York Times

By Virginia Heffernan

An avowed virgin-until-marriage, she does not go libertine. In fact, all she does is turn from a graduate of True Love Waits, the popular virginity-preservation program, to an activist in behalf of sex education and the separation of church and school. But to make this change, she must defy her parents, her pastor and the school board. All of this civil disobedience is as hard as it ever was.

"Life in Lubbock, Texas, taught me two things: one is that God loves you and you're going to burn in hell; the other is that sex is the most awful, filthy thing on Earth and you should save it for someone you love."

http://movies2.nytimes.com/2005/06/21/arts/television/21heff.html

Worship as Higher Politics

Christianity Today editorial

Political priorities for citizens of the kingdom.

George W. Bush is not Lord. The Declaration of Independence is not an infallible guide to Christian faith and practice. "Original intent" of America's founders is not the hermeneutical key that will guarantee national righteousness. The American flag is not the Cross. The Pledge of Allegiance is not the Creed. "God Bless America" is not the Doxology.

Sometimes one needs to state the obvious—especially at times when it's less and less obvious.

In the heat of partisan politics (out of which many overstatements and misunderstandings arise), we are tempted to forget that the most potent political act—the one act that deeply manifests and really empowers a "kind and noble society"—is the worship of Jesus Christ.

In worship we signal who is the Sovereign, not of just this nation, but of heaven and Earth. In worship we gather to be formed into an alternate polis, the people of God. It is here that we proclaim that a new political order—the kingdom of heaven—has been preached and incarnated by the King of Kings.

Richard John Neuhaus put it this way: "Jesus Christ is Lord. That is the first and final assertion Christians make about all of reality, including politics."

Theologian Stanley Hauerwas said in a recent interview: "Christians' first political responsibility is to be the church, and by being the church they should understand that their first political loyalty is to God ... we are not first and foremost about making democracy work, but about the truthful worship of the true God."

http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2005/007/16.22.html

Five camps in Yosemite won't open this year

San Francisco Chronicle

It's still winter in the high country in Yosemite National Park. There is so much snow remaining, in fact, that the famed High Sierra camps will not open at all this summer.

It is only the second time in 89 years that the camps were closed because of snow conditions. The last time was in 1995 following a severe winter.

The winter's snow usually melts by late spring or early summer. This year is different. Temperatures have dropped below freezing on several nights. The High Sierra got a dusting of snow as recently as last weekend.

Other facilities in the Yosemite Sierra are expected to open in the next few weeks.

The Tioga Pass road, at 9,900 feet above sea level, will open at 8 a.m. tomorrow. The store, gas station and lodge at Tuolumne Meadows will open on July 8, as will the facilities at White Wolf, also on the Tioga Road, the Park Service said.

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2005/06/23/YOSEMITE.TMP&nl=top

Software meant to protect PCs are now attack targets

Business Week

Think you're safe because your computer has the latest antivirus program, complete with daily updates via the Web? Or maybe you figure the firewall you have installed will stop malicious software from reaching your machine.

Well, you may not be as secure as you think. Hackers are increasingly finding flaws in the very programs designed to prevent attacks -- computer-security software.

A new Yankee Group report, to be released June 20, shows the number of vulnerabilities found in security products increasing sharply for the third straight year -- and for the first time surpassing those found in all Microsoft (MSFT ) products. The majority of these weaknesses are found by researchers, academics, and security companies. Trouble is, hackers then take those findings and use it for nefarious purposes.

Symantec has had the most reported vulnerabilities, with 16 documented last year. McAfee, the second-largest security player, decreased its vulnerabilities over the last year. This is a leading indicator of the relative quality of the two products, some argue.

More:
http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/jun2005/tc20050617_1613_tc024.htm

Oregon honors square dance leader on state quarter

by Hugh Noes, Staff Correspondent

The state of Oregon has selected the portrait of a famous square dancer to appear on their state quarter. They are doing so to celebrate the return of the National Square Dance Convention to Portland on June 22, 2005. The state quarter is being released on June 15.

Thanks to a generous donation by the Portland Oregon Visitor's Association, the NSDC will be able to share this piece of Oregon with registered delegates. Each registration packet will contain one Oregon quarter, along with a brief explanatory note card.

Most state quarter fans look at the wrong side of the coin, the side where bureaucrats use Powerpoint to combine clip-art images of flags, banjos, and birds into insufferable montages of state symbols. In the case of the Oregon quarter, this side consists of a rendering of Crater Lake. This drawing, while better than average for the state quarter series, is really a depiction of a big hole in the ground. This is hardly as scenic as ... um, well ... trying to think of a more scenic Oregon location but coming up blank. Back to that later.

Still, Oregon had the hindsight to select for the "other" side of the coin the greatest influence on square dancing this country has ever known. Few are aware that the "Father of our Country," and our first President, George "Pappy" Washington, was also the one who introduced square dancing into America. After the revolution, he wanted to create a dance form that combined the Schottishes and Quadrilles of the old country, but put a uniqely American stamp on them that would establish the new country's dance identity.

Washington's success was evident in the summer dances he hosted on the large lawn that would eventually become the National Mall. (This was before the Washington Monument was built, of course.) The dances were well attended, and sometimes the hotels could not accommodate the large crowds. In those cases, the President would open the Lincoln Bedroom and other White House facilities for use by the square dancers.

Bound for Portland

The 54th National Square Dance Convention takes place this week in Portland. It starts Wednesday, June 22, 2005 and runs through Saturday, June 25. Dancing is at the Oregon Convention Center, 777 NE Martin Luther King Jr Blvd., Portland, Oregon.

The National Square Dance Convention® is the largest single gathering of square dancers anywhere in the world. The most recent convention, the 53nd NSDC in Denver, Colorado, gathered more than 8,500 dancers from every state and more than 20 countries. The first National Square Dance Convention was held in 1952 in Riverside, California.

Portland last hosted the National Square Dance Convention® in 1994. At 21,700 attendees, it remains the second largest convention ever held in the Rose City.

The convention boasts separate halls for Mainstream, Plus with Rounds, Plus (without Rounds), A1, A2, Challenge (C1-C3), Youth, and Handicapable. In addition, there will be three separate halls for Round Dancing (combined for dance parties), two halls for Clogging, and two halls for Contra Dancing.

The bulk of pre-registered attendees hail from Oregon, Washington, California, Colorado, and Texas. There are also sizeable groups traveling from as far away as Denmark, Germany, and Taiwan.

Callers include our local Bay Area favorites Bob Elling, Keith Ferguson, Eric Henerlau, Jay Klassen, Andy Shore, and Roger Smith. Round dance cuers include locals Sue Harris, Sharon Parker, and Kenji Shibata, and favorites Kristine Nelson and Ron Noble.

You can find out everything you need to know about convention here:
http://www.54nsdc.com

Michelle Shocked rises again

Los Angeles City Beat

By NATALIE NICHOLS

Michelle Shocked is a rare bird in this day and age: a left-wing evangelical Christian. Dunno if she’d put it that way, or want me to, but it’s clear that the veteran singer-songwriter’s dedication to the antiwar movement, human rights, and freedom of expression equals her devotion to the Lord. The Texas-born L.A. resident, who attends an African-American church, speaks freely about being “saved” but doesn’t accept the typical Pentecostal notions that homosexuality is wrong and women are inferior beings. At a time when a persistent cultural meme, however false, holds that “liberal” and “Christian” are far apart, her convictions might make both sides uncomfortable in turn. But all she’s doing is living her life, her way.

http://www.lacitybeat.com/article.php?id=2218&IssueNum=106

Small acts of rebellion offer big doses of relief

New York Times

To examine the little weapons people use for everyday survival is to be given a free guidebook on getting by, created by the millions who feel that they must. It is a case study in human inventiveness, with occasional juvenile and petty passages, and the originators of these tips are happy to share them.

At Starbucks, order a "medium" instead of a "grande."

Press zero when you hear a computerized operator on the telephone.

Cut up magazines, heavy bond paper, and small strips of sheet metal and stuff them into the business reply envelopes that came with junk packages.

To coexist with loud cellphone talkers, the Web offers hand-held jammers that, although illegal in the United States, can block all signals within a 45-foot radius.

Get a key-chain-size zapper called TV-B-Gone, which can be used discreetly to switch off televisions in public places.

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/03/15/nyregion/15annoyances.html?ex=1268542800&en=5a
77805b2fcc1e66&ei=5090&partner=rssuserland

Mark says: Now, when are they going to come up with a zapper for the loud music in the car next to me?

More on news sites ...

From the BugMeNot.com page:

Which are the most actively requested sites on BugMeNot.com? At the time this page was viewed:

• www.nytimes.com
• www.washingtonpost.com
• www.latimes.com
• www.ajc.com
• www.chicagotribune.com

Note that I subscribe to the first two on this list. I have subscribed to newspapers that will send me a daily summary in email. I am not willing to scour the web sites for articles; I prefer to just read an email every morning.

Read news articles online without registering

This notebook links to lots of online news articles. Many of those news sites require you to register your name and email address. Registration is usually free, but it's still a PITA.

Checkout BugMeNot.com and use someone else's generic registration to get access without having to give up your personal information. Share your generic login info to save other people time as well.

Be sure to read the FAQ to see how the site works. Check it out at:

http://bugmenot.com/

Guestbook again ... sigh

The guestbook has only been online for less than 24 hours, and already it's being spammed again. I've had three spams and no real signers since the guestbook went online last night.

I did find an interesting reason why one might spam a guestbook:
http://www.junkeater.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=2

This article also has a suggestion for fixing it. I'll try it, but I'm not convinced that it worked this way in my case. I just don't think Google got a hold of my page that quickly. Unless I'm much more popular with them than I thought.

Guestbook back online

The Mixed-Up site guestbook is back online after a hiatus of about 18 months. There have been no new entries allowed since the end of 2003, but I did manually enter one person's email in the middle of 2004.

I had this terrible problem where people were spamming my guestbook with links to pornography and stupid advertising. I didn't realize this because the guestbook was not sending me any emails. It is supposed to send me email every time someone signs the guestbook, so that I can thank them for their time.

However, after changing servers in early 2002, that mechanism stopped working and I did not even know it. (For the technically inclined, this had to do with ownership of the processes running on the server. I eventually had to fix other similar problems by specifying the full path of each program to be run. This is because the new server is unaware of my path or any path.)

I delayed fixing this problem because I wanted to put something much more robust in place. Now, if anyone puts garbage in my guestbook, I can remove it by just clicking.

Why do people do this? I guess they do it for the same reason they fill my email box with spam. How many spam emails do you get? I bet I get more than you. I have two levels of spam filtering ... one at the ISP, and another on my computer at home. The ISP uses SpamAssassin and it's not bad. It probably catches about 90-95% of the spam addressed to me. I'm not sure exactly how many emails that is, but I have a background process that deletes the file every six hours, and it's usually about 1 megabyte. So that's about 4 megabytes of spam every day.

The second level takes place on my computer. I have given my email program (Eudora, it's fantastic) a huge set of rules that catch most spam. It catches any emails that originate in Argentina, Germany, Estonia, Mexico, the Netherlands, Russia, and certain set of IP addresses. It also looks for emails with certain familiar subjects, and emails that have bad attachments, like ZIP files and screen savers. Currently, I'm getting 1000-2000 spam emails per day. That's after SpamAssassin. I figure that before SpamAssassin I'm getting about 20,000 spam emails per day.

Those of you with eagle eyes will notice that my Guestbook has been up this whole time. But, you have not been able to post to it directly. If you like the site, or if you have constructive criticism, the guestbook is the place to make your comments public.

http://www.mixed-up.com/guestbook/

Christian denounces conservative beliefs

Boston Globe Book Review

By Rich Barlow, Globe Correspondent

The Sins of Scripture: Exposing the Bible's Texts of Hate to Reveal the God of Love, By John Shelby Spong, HarperSanFrancisco, 315pp, $24.95

John Shelby Spong, the former Episcopal bishop of Newark, is a well-known author of popular books on biblical scholarship. But he's made his name plugging radical rethinking of his religion, a campaign on full view in "The Sins of Scripture."

"There is no theistic God who exists to take care of you or me. There is no God who stands ready to set aside the laws by which this universe operates to come to our aid in time of need."

Spong's greatest ire is reserved for Bible texts and Bible text-quoters who justify sexism, homophobia, and other injustices.

But he contends that there are voices in the Bible that offer a corrective and authentic vision of God, one imbued with nobility and love missing from the traditionalists' take. He cites passages that envision God as something other than a robed divinity directing history from heaven, and others that speak of equality rather than prejudice.

http://www.boston.com/ae/books/articles/2005/06/14/in_sins_a_christian_denounces
_conservative_beliefs/

On Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B0009CUW34/qid=1118779050/sr=1-1/r
ef=sr_1_1/102-9400351-7800135?v=glance&s=books

Schwarzenegger asks for special election in support of support square dancing

By Jerry Manders, Night Riders Sacramento Bureau
Posted on Mon, Jun. 13, 2005

SACRAMENTO - California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger went on television statewide Monday to call a rare special election Nov. 8 and ask voters to stop the scourge of gerry-allemanding that has plagued the state for decades.

Gerry-allemanding is a form of redistricting that attempts to put certain undesirables such as square dancers, boy scouts, and Baptists together in the same electoral districts, while putting other undesirables such as movie stars, lawyers, and Congregationalists in other districts.

This ensures that certain districts are easily won by candidates of the Moral Retards party, while other districts are easily won by the Holier Than Thou party. The end result is that incumbent candidates retain their offices indefinitely, or until three strikes or term limits bar them from office.

Square dancers have long complained that gerry-allemanding puts them in districts where the local schools would rather rent space to anti-war demonstrators, drag queens, and tree huggers than to the local square dance club, which would like to put on a wholesome dance.

For example, Stanford Quads, a decidedly left-handed club, has always had difficultly finding a place to dance in a right-wing district.

By outlawing the plague of gerry-allemanding, Schwarzenegger hopes to give square dancers, ham radio operators, and gun owners much more freedom to practice their crazy hobbies.

Dance of the week: Krazy Dazys Newer Dancer

The Krazy Dazys sponsor a newer dancer hoedown this Saturday, June 18, 2005. Jim Osborne calls January-level squares from 8:00 until 10:15 pm.

The dance is held at a new location, American Musical Theater Studios, 1717 Technology Drive, San Jose. This is near the San Jose Airport. The Krazy Dazys have posted a map on their web site:
http://www.krazydazys.org/AMT.gif

The Krazy Dazys has been around since 1960. A few years ago they merged with the Gadabouts, another long-time San Jose club. Both clubs have always run beginner classes. This weekend's hoedown supports the Krazy Dazys' own January beginner class.

Krazy Dazys has a web site:
http://www.krazydazys.org/

Michael Jackson to take up square dancing

By Tennessee "Arkie Okie" Slim, Disassociated Press
Posted on Mon., Jun. 13, 2005

SANTA MARIA, Calif. - After a jury acquitted Michael Jackson of all charges on Monday, the embattled entertainer announced that he now intends to take up square dancing as a hobby. Experts have always affirmed that square dancing is a great stress reliever. Jackson spent several days over the last two weeks in emergency rooms with various stress-related ailments.

"I heard that when you go out square dancing, you can take four different people home in just ten minutes," Jackson said, a practice he described as "sweet and not at all sexual."

Screams of joy rang out among a throng of fans outside the courthouse. Fans jumped up and down, hugged each other and threw confetti in celebration of the news.

Some have described Jackson as a humanitarian who wanted to protect kids and give them the life he never had while growing up as a child star. By joining a local central California family square dance club, the "Blue Tail Flies," Jackson hopes to continue being a positive influence on children.

Jackson decided to take part in square dancing because he hoped it would help his image after years of eccentric behavior that included transforming his face through plastic surgery. But not all agreed this would have the intended effect.

Santa Barbara County District Attorney Tom Sneddon sat with his head in his hands. "Square dancing has always attracted its share of weirdos, and Michael Jackson certainly fits right in."

The singer's record label, Epic, has not indicated whether Jackson will record a country album.

Other Michael Jackson news:
http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/breaking_news/11883125.htm

Shall we dance? Robots offer a hand on the ballroom floor

AFP News

Ballroom dancing is no longer just for the romantic. Japanese researchers have developed a robot capable of taking to the floor by predicting how its human partner will move.

The Partner Ballroom Dance Robot -- or PBDR in robot talk -- has a woman's face, a sensor around its waist and can move in all directions on its three wheels hidden underneath an evening gown.

As its partner takes steps, the robot analyzes his movements and figures out how to accompany him with its shoulders, elbows, waist and neck.

The robot is 165 centimeters (five feet, six inches) tall and weighs 100 kilograms (220 pounds), with a male version under development.

PBDR is actually one step in another direction altogether -- developing a robot that can care for the elderly. Good caregivers need, like PBDR, to be able to guess what the elderly want them to do using the limited information available.

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/afp/20050605/tc_afp/afplifestylejapan_0
50605203654

Researcher sees future where people walk at work

USA Today

By Steve Karnowski, Associated Press

"I hate going to the gym, which may be partly why I'm so interested in this," he said, keeping up a 1 mph pace on his treadmill while checking e-mail and fielding questions from a reporter.

That speed is slow enough to avoid breaking a sweat but fast enough to burn an extra 100 calories per hour, or 1,000 a day, given his average 10-hour workdays, Levine said.

"We're talking more than 50 pounds of weight loss a year, if I were to keep my diet the same," he said.

Levine is a leading researcher of NEAT (mayoresearch.mayo.edu/mayo/research/levine_lab) — short for "non-exercise activity thermogenesis" — the calories people burn during everyday activities such as standing, walking or even fidgeting.

A recently published study he led showed that thin people are on their feet an average of 152 more minutes a day than couch potatoes. Levine was brainstorming ways to address that 2½-hour NEAT deficit a few months ago when he had the idea for the "ultimate office makeover."

http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/2005-06-07-office-fit_x.htm?csp=34

Less Cursing, Better Pictures: 10 Suggestions

New York Times

by David Pogue

10 habits of highly effective digital camera owners:

1. End shutter lag.
2. Don't believe the megapixel myth.
3. Ignore digital zoom.
4. Ditch the starter card.
5. Beware the format factor.
6. Do your research.
7. Know your class.
8. Turn off the flash.
9. Turn on the flash.
10. Turn off the screen.

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/06/08/technology/circuits/08pogue.html

Club of the week: Sunnyvale Singles

Single Squares of Sunnyvale is one of the largest square dance clubs in the Santa Clara Valley. Six to seven squares dance weekly on Thursday nights at the Murphy Park clubhouse in Sunnyvale. Dancing starts with one half hour of pre-rounds at 7:30, cued by Jim Chico, followed by six or seven tips of Plus level dancing from 8:00 until 10:00, called by Jake Shimada.

Club History

Sunnyvale Singles started in 1957. According to a former member, the club was started by a group of single ballroom dancers. Past callers include Brad Bradford, Bill Davis, Gary Carnes, Scot Slocum, and Ken Carroll. The club has had round dancing from the very beginning. Past cuers include Barbara Bradford, Jim Turner, Larry Segal, and Craig Rice.

The group has had more than 3000 members over the years. The Sweethearts list alone has 492 names of those who married other club members. (This does not include club members who married class members.)

The club has danced at a number of locations, but mainly at Ellis School in Sunnyvale in the 60's and 70's, and Blackford High School in San Jose in the 80's and early 90's.

Former members include callers Ken Kenmille, Jay Klassen, and Ben Goldberg, and cuers Jim Turner, Larry Segal, and Craig Rice.

Past President Joe Carboni says that in the late 80's and early 90's the club had about 400 members, and was considered the largest singles club in the USA. Current membership is about 80 people. The only other valley club of comparable size is nearby Palo Alto club Bows and Beaus.

Beginner Classes

The club also hold classes weekly on Tuesday nights at the same location. Roger Smith is the class teacher. The club runs three beginner classes every year, starting in September, January, and May. Classes last eight months, so each new group overlaps and interacts with the previous group and the next group. One group learns Mainstream from 7:00-8:30 pm, and the second group learns Plus from 8:30-10:00 pm, in separate sessions on the same evening. Plus class members are encouraged to assist with the Mainstream class. This gives them a refresher on the previous calls.

Josie Baumgarner says the new class format works well because class members often bring their friends to the next class and do not have to wait a year. They can become angels to their friends. Also if a person has to miss and can't keep up, they can restart in a short time. The classes also get many people who danced before and do not want to start from the beginning. They can start with the phase 2 class and pick up their dancing skill fast to rejoin the club.

Annual Hoedowns

Sunnyvale Singles sponsors three special hoedowns every year. Spring Fling, a September-level newer dancer hoedown, is held every year in March. The Strawberry Festival is a Plus-level dance held every June. Cactus Jack is a Plus-level dance held every November.

The group also holds other special dances. The largest is the Sweetheart dance held every February near Valentine's Day. On this special club night, former members who met in the club and have married are invited to return for a grand party. This evening forms a kind of reunion for many former club members, and out come the photo albums going back 30 years or more.

A Place For Singles

The club membership consists of single dancers, but they invite all dancers, single or married, to join them every Thursday evening in Sunnyvale for grand evening of dancing.

With a smile, Joe Carboni says Sunnyvale Singles is an ideal place for singles to meet, dance, and have fun in a friendly atmosphere, but it has one drawback, you must learn to square dance.

Board member Ellie Wierenga says the club schedules monthly non-dancing social events. These might include potlucks, rafting trips, whale watching, theater plays, ball games and anything else that might be of interest to members and friends.

Strawberry Fesival

This year, the Strawberry Festival takes place on Saturday June 11, 2005. Eric Henerlau is calling the squares, and Jim Chico is cueing the rounds.

You can find out more about Single Squares of Sunnyvale on their web site: http://www.singlesquaresofsunnyvale.org/

Square Dancing...in Space?

by Paul Asente

Hello earth dancers! El Camino Reelers wants to invite you all to Star Thru the Silicon Galaxy, the 22nd annual convention of the International Association of Gay Square Dance Clubs!

We'll be transforming the Santa Clara Marriott over the July 4th weekend into an intergalactic space portal for a weekend of dancing and excitement. There will be 6 full-time halls running from the morning of Saturday, July 2, through the evening of Monday, July 4: Mainstream, Plus, Advanced, C1, C2, and C3AC3BC4. All dancing will be on professional dance floors--no carpet.

We're very pleased to feature a calling staff of intergalactic super-stars! Dance to Saundra Bryant, Vic Ceder, Andy Finch, Rob French, Neil Heather, Mike Jacobs, Michael Kellogg, Kiyoshi Kikuchi, Andy Shore, Anne Uebelacker, Dave Wilson, and Bronc Wise. We're especially happy to be bringing Andy Shore back from Florida for the weekend, and for challenge dancers, Kiyoshi will be bringing his special kind of magic all the way from Japan.

Almost everyone is welcome! We're asking the three-eyed slime beasts from Nebulon 7 to stay away, but other than that, we welcome aliens and humans, robots and organic beings, women and men, youths and adults. However, those caught teleporting between squares or implanting mind parasites will be severely dealt with.

Even if you're not able to join us for the full weekend, we hope you'll come to our free Trail-In Dance on Friday, July 1, from 7:00 to 10:00. Dance to Saundra Bryant, Mike Jacobs, Andy Shore, and Bronc Wise for nonstop dancing at Mainstream through Advanced, with C1 star tips. This dance is being sponsored by All Join Hands Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving, promoting, and educating about gay and lesbian square dancing. Day rates are also available, and full information on the Trail-in Dance and day rates and hours can be found on our web page. Please plan to carpool, because the Marriott charges $6 to park for non-registered guests. The Grand March (which you're welcome to participate in) will be at 5:00 on July 2.

Square dance attire is optional at all sessions, although people usually dress up for the Grand March.

Full registration includes all three days of dancing, a banquet, brunch, very special free gifts, and admission to after-hours entertainment. Not to be missed is the annual Honky-Tonk Queen contest, an extravaganza of bad drag and even worse taste!

If you have a few days before convention, we'll be holding tours to Yosemite, Monterey, Santa Cruz, the Winchester Mystery House, and other places. Some guerrilla square dancing almost always springs up during these tours!

You can find lots more information, sign up for tours, and register on-line at our web site, http://www.silicongalaxy.org. Or call 650-747-0622 and we'll send you a registration form or answer any questions you may have.

So please come join us...we're hosting dancers from Australia, Canada, Denmark, England, Japan, Sweden, Taiwan, and the United States...and beyond!

(Article reprinted from The Prompter with the permission of Paul Asente)

Dance of the week: Strawberry Festival

Sunnyvale Singles present their annual Strawberry Festival this coming Saturday, June 11, 2005. The energetic Eric Henerlau will call the squares, and local favorites Jim and Adele Chico will cue the rounds.

Pre-rounds start at 7:30 pm; Plus squares start at 8:00 pm.

The dance takes place at at John Muir Middle School, 1260 Branham Lane, San Jose.

Sunnyvale Singles has their own web site here:
http://www.singlesquaresofsunnyvale.org/

Apple Offers $50 Credit for iPod Batteries

Washington Post

As part of a tentative settlement announced this week, Apple agreed to give $50 vouchers and extended service warranties to as many as 2 million customers whose older iPods had batteries that needed to be replaced or didn't fully charge.

Within a year, lawyers had received e-mails and calls from more than 12,000 angry iPod owners.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/06/02/AR2005060201102.
html

Growing Problem for Military Recruiters: Parents

New York Times

By Damien Cave

Two years into the war in Iraq, as the Army and Marines struggle to refill their ranks, parents have become boulders of opposition that recruiters cannot move.

A Department of Defense survey last November, the latest, shows that only 25 percent of parents would recommend military service to their children, down from 42 percent in August 2003.

Legally, there is little a parent can do to prevent a child over 18 from enlisting. But in interviews, recruiters said that it was very hard to sign up a young man or woman over the strong objections of a parent.

The Pentagon - faced with using only volunteers during a sustained conflict, an effort rarely tried in American history - is especially vexed by a generation of more activist parents who have no qualms about projecting their own views onto their children.

The Army faces an uphill battle because many baby boomer parents are inclined to view military service negatively, especially during a controversial war.

"They don't realize that they have a role in helping make the all-volunteer force successful," said Colonel David Slotwinski, former chief of staff for Army recruiting. "If you don't, you're faced with the alternative, and the alternative is what they were opposed to the most, mandatory service."

Many of the mothers and fathers most adamant about recruitment do have a history of opposition to Vietnam.

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/06/03/nyregion/03recruit.html

Gross ice creams: a taste test

Radar Online

by Bill Vourvoulias

For years now, high-end restaurants have been pushing “savory” (i.e., disgusting) ice creams on us. Well, now it’s payback time.

Flavor: Chocolate Garlic
Rachel, age 8: "It tastes like poop."

Flavor: Haddock
Mason: "Frozen fish crystallizes easily, and the chunks are way too big."

Flavor: Bay Leaf
Penny, age 5: "I’m not going to taste any more."

Flavor: Lox
Alexander, age 10: "You know what this is like? Fear Factor for kids."

Flavor: Durian
Molly, age 6: "Ew. It looks like dog pee. I’m not tasting it."

Flavor: Lobster
Thelonious, age 7: "Run, before he makes us try another!"

http://www.radaronline.com/web-only/style-slave/2005/05/they-all-scream.php

Mark says: The Chocolate Garlic flavor was tasted at my favorite ice cream store, Marianne’s Ice Cream, Santa Cruz, California.

Traveling preacher bears cross, delivers message

"I originally began carrying the cross in 1986 in the town of Milpitas, California."

Mr. Johnson fashioned his first cross from 86 pounds of oak. At first, he carried it around San Jose, Calif., and the Bay Area on the weekends, off Friday through Sunday from his job.

In 1999, Mr. Johnson sold his belongings, gave up a home and decided to take the cross cross-country.

"I'm reminding people they need God in their lives," said Mr. Johnson, who stopped relying on maps a while ago. "I've got a story for every state and every city. It's whatever God provides every day."

http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=14620929&BRD=2185&PAG=461&dept_id=4160
46&rfi=6

http://www.crosscarrierchuck.com/

Yet another online pitfall: Domain shame

I've tried to tell callers and cuers for many years that if they have an email address from juno.com, aol.com, or yahoo.com, email recipients will not take them seriously.

Why not? An email address from juno.com or yahoo.com says you are cheap, that you are not willing to pay for email. If even you do pay for the upgraded versions of these services, you'll still be lumped with the 90 percent of those who use the free versions.

An email address from aol.com says that you are a rank beginner. You might know how to use email, but probably not other internet services like web or p2p. It also says that you might be a spammer. And even if the recipient knows who you are, they still have to worry that their email to you may not arrive because of AOL's aggressive spam filtering.

Some employers are now balking at resumes that are sent from certain e-mail domains because of the stigma attached.

"I'll never hire someone with an AOL.com address," said Peter Shankman, founder of The Geek Factory, a New York City marketing firm that consults for such clients as Yoo-hoo soft drinks and Walt Disney World. "It screams that you're at a very basic stage."

http://www.madison.com/wsj/home/features/index.php?ntid=38123&ntpid=3

"What's worth more - credibility or cash?"

Free e-mail addresses and certain providers don't always make the best first impression. If your livelihood depends on your email transactions, don't blow it by using an email address that says "unprofessional." It might "only" be a calling or a cueing contract, but why take a chance?

And of course, some email addresses are just in bad taste. A screen name like pimpman404 or spoiledbrat770 won't get you very far. I had a former boss whose personal email address was somthing like "foobar@stoplookingatmyass.com." I was afraid he might send a job reference from that account on my behalf.

On the other end of the spectrum are those who have upscale domain names. An email from mac.com says that you're a Mac snob who looks down on lowly PC users. If my email address were "markb@markb.com" you might think me a little full of myself.

Sometimes useful

Free or cheap email addresses can often be useful as a secondary address. I do have a hotmail.com address and a yahoo.com address. I use them when I sign up for services I'm not too sure about, just in case I might start getting a lot of spam. I also use them for mailing lists. I would never use those for vital personal communication.

I've also occasionally had a mac.com address, not because I'm a snob, but because such an address can be tested for free for 60 days every time you upgrade your Mac.

If you travel a lot, it can be useful to sign up for a free or cheap service with nationwide dial-up access. And your needs will vary widely depending on many factors. Are you carrying a Mac Powerbook, a Dell laptop, an iPaq PC, or a Palm Pilot? Will you connect via a wire or via a cell phone? For example, I could never use the Juno service with my Palm Pilot because its special software requires a PC or Mac.

So find the service that is right for you. But also be aware that you can have more than one email address. Just because you have a paid email address through Earthlink, this doesn't mean you can't also have a throwaway email address through yahoo.com. And just because you have a cheap service for nationwide traveling, this doesn't mean you can't also have a more legitimate-appearing email address at home.

Disclaimers

I have or have had email addresses on aol.com, yahoo.com, hotmail.com, spymac.net, and mac.com, among (probably) many others.

I own a Mac, and I use Macs, PCs, Unix, Palm Pilots and everything else.

More on these issues:
http://www.madison.com/wsj/home/features/index.php?ntid=38123&ntpid=3

Couple Celebrates 80th Wedding Anniversary

Associated Press

What does it take to stay married for 80 years?

A British couple knows. Percy and Florence Arrowsmith celebrated their 80th wedding anniversary Wednesday. He's 105, and she's 100.

They offer this advice: Don't sleep on an argument, always share a kiss and hold hands before going to bed.

The Arrowsmiths were married on June 1, 1925. They met at their church in western England, where he sang in the choir and she was a Sunday school teacher.

Guinness World Records said the Arrowsmiths hold records for the longest marriage for a living couple and the oldest aggregate age of a married couple.

http://www.kfoxtv.com/family/4558991/detail.html

Rumba Clinic: First of a Series

Wendy-Jean Iannico is going to bring round dance clinics to the San Jose area once a month on Sunday afternoons. The first will be on June 12, 2005 at Murphy Park in Sunnyvale. Sue and Phil Harris will teach beginning Rumba. This clinic is aimed at those who have recently completed a Phase 2 class of Two Step and Waltz.

If there is sufficient interest, another teacher will conduct a Cha Cha clinic in July. These could be the first of a series of clinics approaching Phase 3 and 4 basics.

If you or anyone you know might be interested in these clinics, please call or send email to Wendy. Her contact information is on the flier.

http://www.mixed-up.com/fliers/05/Rumba%20Sunday%20June%2012th.htm

Challenge dance of the week: Vic Ceder at TNTs

The incomparable Vic Ceder calls a weekend of Challenge and Plus dancing in the Sacramento area, June 3-5, 2005. The dances take place at Royer Park in Roseville and Cook's Barn in Orangevale. Vic calls sessions of C1, C2, and C3A. He also shares the stage with cuer Win Robinson for a special Plus level dance on Saturday evening.

Vic Ceder is an internationally-known challenge-level caller who was on staff at the National Advanced and Challenge Convention for many years. He also calls for a Plus-level club in his home area of Santa Barbara.

Vic and Debbie also publish the popular and highly regarded Ceder Chest series of square dance manuals.

Friday June 3 at Cook's Barn
   7:00 - 8:00  .... C3A
   8:00 -10:00  .... C2


Saturday June 4 at Royer Park
  10:30 -  1:00 .... C1
   2:30 -  5:00 .... C1
   7:00 -  8:00 .... Pre-rounds
   8:00 - 11:00 .... Plus


Sunday June 5 at Cook's Barn
  10:30 - 1:00 .... C3A w/C3B star tips
   2:30 - 5:00 .... C3A w/C3B star tips

http://www.mixed-up.com/cgi-bin/calendar/search?C=A&search=dynamite

The Wi-Fi Church

"The church has to move with the times, and I wanted to make St John's a sanctuary for everyone, including business people with laptops and mobiles."

-- Rev. Keith Kimber of the Church of St. John the Baptist in Cardiff explains his decision to add a wireless node to the Stations of the Cross

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/05/31/wi_fi_church/

For months I've been suggesting that we install Wi-Fi in our sanctuary, so that if the sermon gets boring, I can surf the net. Sorry, Pastor Mike! (There is flaky Wi-Fi in the café. I'm told there is also wireless in the sanctuary, used by the sound crew. But I've not been brave enough to pull out the Palm Pilot with Mary sitting next to me. She can pack a mean wallop.) -- Mark

More: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/wales/south_east/4594989.stm

Dance of the week: Ice Cream Fling Thing

Since 1973 local square dancers have welcomed the month of June by attending the Ice Cream Fling Thing, the Anniversary Dance of the Bows & Beaus. Held the first Saturday of June, this year's dance will be on June 4 at 7:45 p.m. at Cubberley Community Center in Palo Alto.

Callers for this dance will be perennial favorites Harold Fleeman and Jim Osborne. Sue and Phil Harris will start cueing pre-rounds at 7:45 pm. The evening will end with a tip of Hot Hash dancing.

Bows and Beaus has a web page here:
http://www.bowsandbeaus.org/

Here is an article with more information about Bows and Beaus:
http://www.mixed-up.com/markb/notebook/20050327a/

Archives

Last updated Monday 3 August 2009