Dear Beloved Cybrarian:

This is precisely what I have been waiting for. It has the meat to cover the IT skeleton, in information about the new lexicons we are surrounded by, and usually quashed by.

Because of obscurity, is that the underlying reason for the name? I am certain; obscurity has a major role in our lives on earth. How else would coincidence and consequence have been discovered?

I have been on the reserve to call you and ask if you can include some current information on electronic bits and pieces, paraphernalia, gear, policies, futures... eh? Besides on Google...

I am reading these days periodicals such as:

• e-Week,
• VAR Business and Government VAR for government and education integrators and developers,
• Photonics Spectra,
• Laser Optic News,
• B 2 B,
• Continuity Insights,
• Game Industry,
• Business 2.0,
• Business Solutions - growth strategies for the IT channel, and
• Best Practices in Trade Show Marketing: Exhibitor Magazine,
• Chief Learning Officer – solutions for Enterprise Productivity,

...along with the usual ‘Cigar Aficionado,’

Sincerely, yours,

Patrick Darnell

Jesus for President: should get the Evangelical Base Vote... eh?

People pack churches to hear Shane Claiborne talk about "Jesus for President," the book he co-authored.

The dreadlocked Christian activist from Philadelphia and his team parked a black school bus around the back. The hand-painted gold letters on the side read "Jesus for President."

The bus runs on vegetable oil and, yes, it's a political statement.

"It'll be a long time before we fight a war over used veggie oil," says Claiborne with a sly smile.

Claiborne is touring the country, packing churches and community centers, in support of the book he and Chris Haw co-authored, "Jesus for President."

"This whole project is about the political imagination of what it means to follow after Jesus," Claiborne said. "The language of Jesus as Lord and savior is just as radical as it would be to say 'Jesus as our commander in chief' today."

• Story Highlights
• Shane Claiborne co-authored "Jesus for President"
  
• People flock to hear author, who travels in bus that runs on vegetable oil
  
• Young evangelicals not a lock for Republicans as their parents were
  
• Author asks people to endorse what is at the heart of Jesus

But these voters say views on abortion and homosexuality won't define them in November. The environment and social justice are moving to the forefront of their discussions.

Don't Miss

• McCain meets with Billy Graham and son
• McCain: Obama's word cannot be trusted
• Evangelist accuses Obama of 'distorting' Bible
• Election Center 2008

About 26 percent of the United States identifies itself as evangelical Christians in the Protestant tradition, according to the latest U.S. Religious Landscape study by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life. In 2004, more than 75 percent of evangelicals cast their vote for George W. Bush.

"They delivered for him in some key states, like Ohio, without which he could not have won," said CNN's Bill Schneider, senior political analyst. "It was the rallying of the evangelical base that Karl Rove developed as a strategy, maximizing turnout among your base voters, not worrying about independents or swing voters."

But polls have shown that evangelicals as a whole, following national trends, are disaffected with Republican leadership and increasingly up for grabs.

Thursday was the fifth night of the tour and it has already seen hundreds show up in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and Indianapolis, Indiana.

It was a hot, muggy June day in Pittsburgh. About 250 people came through the doors to find there was no air conditioning in the old church-turned-community center. They ran out of chairs so people took to the floors and leaned against the walls.

There were voters from across the board: Republicans, Democrats and independents. Most were young, Christian by background, evangelical in theology, and they say they're hungry for something more than partisan politics.

Steph Walker and Amanda Widing had to settle for seats in the back.

Evangelical movement touts 'Jesus for president' By Eric Marrapodi and Kate Bolduan CNN

PITTSBURGH, Pennsylvania (CNN) -- They're spiritual misfits. Rabble-rousers. They packed the shell of the old Baptist church on Negley Avenue in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to hear author, Christian activist and fellow misfit Shane Claiborne stump on the campaign for a third party candidate, Jesus.

People pack churches to hear Shane Claiborne talk about "Jesus for President," the book he co-authored.

One Day at the Middle School Bizarre...

From: Lori Spaeny
Sent: Monday, June 30, 2008 3:35 PM
To: Jason Thomas
Subject:

This letter was sent to the principals office after a middle school had sponsored a luncheon for the elderly. An old lady had received a new radio at the lunch as a door prize, and was writing to say thank you. This story is a credit to all human kind. Forward to anyone you know who might need a lift today!

Dear Faculty and Students,
God bless you for the beautiful radio I won at your recent senior citizens' luncheon. I am 84 years old and live at an assisted home for the aged. All of my family has passed away. I am all alone now and it's nice to know someone is thinking of me. God bless you for your kindness to an old forgotten lady. My roommate is 95 and always had her own radio. Before I received this one, she would never let me listen to hers, even when she was napping. The other day, her radio fell off the night stand and broke into a lot of little pieces. It was awful and she was in tears. She asked if she could listen to mine, and finally I could say to that stingy bitch, fuck you.

Thank you for that opportunity.

Sincerely,
Agnes

[thanks to Dan of the Century, tile]

Buying Dogfood in Bags can be a real Crap Shoot...

Chinese recalls on dog food still has me guessing: ...based on a History Channel episode I once saw, I judge that what ever food-stuff that is recalled in Dog food from China must be something unmentionable.

Shopping prices makes for a more than often routine visit to Dollar General, Big Lots, or Family Dollar. The part that sucks is if you buy it at one of those retail groups, only to find it for less at Wal-Mart the next day.

Then Storage of 50 pounds of Dog food can be a nightmare. Sometimes the plastic containers don't stand up to the voracious river rats that find it in your garage. But how did they find it to begin with?

That is the crap shoot part of the equation. Dog loves the crispy food, and barks loudly if her bowl outside is empty. So we maintain peace with a continuous supply to her "trough." but keeping her bowl full has us rolling snake eyes.

Bluebirds love her food, we find out. Also watching are Mockingbirds who see the Bluebirds, so they start dipping in with misdirection like Chriss Angel, stealing a nugget on each dip. Of course we start finding dead bluebirds and river rats and if she could a few dead squirrels in her dog run area. So much so has she guarded her food bowl, momma calls her "Killer." The kids think that is wonderful, but still move with extreme caution when filling the "bowl."

With no fore-thought at all we have built a complicated ecosystem of competing organisms in our own backyard habitat that centers around a stainless steel bowl of often-recalled bagged dog- foods from China.

Now really who would have ever thought of ever doing any of that consciously?

What's in that stuff?

What is worse? Rumor or Reality? UPDATE

The Grass is much Greener.....
Iran's parliament speaker, Ali Larijani, warned other countries against moves that would "cost them heavily." In comments that appeared in the semi-official Mehr news agency Sunday, an Iranian general said his troops were digging more than 320,000 graves to bury troops from any invading force with "the respect they deserve."

"Under the law of war and armed conflict, necessary preparations must be made for the burial of soldiers of aggressor nations," said Maj. Gen. Mirfaisal Baqerzadeh, an Iranian officer in charge of identifying soldiers missing in action.

[Reference: retrieved from here -- July 29, 2008; PM for critical review only -- http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/meast/06/29/us.iran/index.html?eref=rss_topstories]

White House, CIA and State Department officials declined comment on Hersh's report, which appears in this week's issue of The New Yorker.

Hersh told CNN's "Late Edition with Wolf Blitzer" that Congress has authorized up to $400 million to fund the secret campaign, which involves U.S. special operations troops and Iranian dissidents.

President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney have rejected findings from U.S. intelligence agencies that Iran has halted a clandestine effort to build a nuclear bomb and "do not want to leave Iran in place with a nuclear program," Hersh said.

"They believe that their mission is to make sure that before they get out of office next year, either Iran is attacked or it stops its weapons program," Hersh said.

The new article, "Preparing the Battlefield," is the latest in a series of articles accusing the Bush administration of preparing for war with Iran.

Report: U.S. 'preparing the battlefield' in Iran UPDATE --

War With Iran?
David A. Andelman, 04.03.08, 1:50 PM ET
"Iran could produce a nuclear weapon within the years 2008 to 2010, if that is its objective. It remains for us to determine whether that is the case. It's here that we must ask ourselves what are the motivations and the intentions of Iran," Heisbourg says.

The key motive, he argues, is "respect." Iran isn't unique here. France, India and China all went nuclear for similar reasons. The "ummah," Iran's religious powers who follow their own Shiite agenda, dream of an "Islamic Bomb," that will restore Iran's leadership role in the Muslim world.Still, there were various points along the road to the brink of membership in the nuclear club when a different path might have been taken, Heisbourg seems to suggest--but none more significant than the moment with President Bush welcomed Iran into his own, quite exclusive club--the "Axis of Evil." Suddenly, on Jan. 29, 2002, the leadership in Teheran saw itself directly in the cross-hairs of the American military machine. [Reference: retrieved from here -- July 30, 2008; PM for critical review only -- HERE]

The UN is weak But we are Strong!