Sleepless in Midland

The Terminator - "Ah'll be back, in the Library of Congress."

"The Terminator" is headed for the Library of Congress. Here's what the press release said:

Under the terms of the National Film Preservation Act, each year the Librarian of Congress names 25 films to the National Film Registry that are "culturally, historically or aesthetically" significant, to be preserved for all time. These films are not selected as the "best" American films of all time, but rather as works of enduring significance to American culture.

And there is "The Terminator" along with "Deliverance" and "A Face in the Crowd." Here's this year's list of works significant to American culture to be preserved for all time:

1) The Asphalt Jungle (1950)
2) Deliverance (1972)
3) Disneyland Dream (1956)
4) A Face in the Crowd (1957)
5) Flower Drum Song (1961)
6) Foolish Wives (1921)
7) Free Radicals (1979)
8) Hallelujah (1929)
9) In Cold Blood (1967)
10) The Invisible Man (1933)
11) Johnny Guitar (1954)
12) The Killers (1946)
13) The March (1964)
14) No Lies (1973)
15) On the Bowery (1957)
16) One Week (1920)
17) The Pawnbroker (1965)
18) The Perils of Pauline (1914)
19) Sergeant York (1941)
20) The 7th Voyage of Sinbad (1958)
21) So’s Your Old Man (1926)
22) George Stevens WW2 Footage (1943-46)
23) The Terminator (1984)
24) Water and Power (1989)
25) White Fawn’s Devotion (1910)

Many of these movies have been shown on tv, and maybe TCM will run them all sometime soon. (Via Science not Fiction.)

Updated 1/7/09, three of these films are available for viewing at archive.org. There's Disneyland Dream (1956), a home movie made by a family that won a free trip to Disneyland. One Week (1920) with Buster Keaton. He and his new bride attempt to put together their new portable house within the time suggested by the instructions. And Femmine Folli (Foolish Wives, 1921) directed by and starring Erich von Stroheim.

Fire Safe Cigarettes

Firefighters have been battling cigarette makers for years over the fact that a cigarette will burn down to the filter whether it's puffed or not. Just the other day we saw the results of what was probably a cigarette tossed from a car window. See Don't flick your butt, previously.

The Coalition for Fire-safe Cigarette says, "Smoking-material fires killed 800 people and injured 1,660 others in 2005. Ninety-three percent of the deaths and 78 percent of the injuries were in home fires." Maybe 2005 is the last year for which they have stats, however a firefighter told me that the number of fires caused by cigarettes has been declining. That makes sense as more smokers quit and those who smoke usually do it outdoors.

I first learned about this issue in the early 80's when the manager of a building in which I was a tenant asked me to be the junior fire marshal of the floor. Cool. I even got a plastic badge! In reality I was selected because I just happened to be around when the fire department showed up to put on a program about fire safety. The firefighter conducting the class told us that firefighters had been trying to get the tobacco companies to add something to cigarettes to make the flame go out when people stopped sucking on them. The firefighters got the cold shoulder, and he said they learned that the cigarette manufacturers were adding something that made the cigarettes keep burning. Hard to believe, isn't it?

Finally the firefighters' efforts are starting to pay off. If the companies wouldn't do it themselves, maybe a law might make them do it. Texas is one of several states that has enacted such a law, and it can be found in Chapter 796 of the Health and Safety Code. Goes into effect on 1/1/09 after which retailers can sell out their inventory of the old cigarettes, but wholesalers can only deliver Fire Safe Cigarettes.

Here's a U.S. map showing which states have enacted fire safe cigarette legislation.

So, what's a Fire Safe Cigarette? They accomplish this by adding bands of paper around the cigarette in two places. The added bands have lower permeability so that the flame does not draw air through that portion of the cigarette as it burns. And the cigarette is supposed to go out if no one puffs it.

Well, I just had to find out for myself whether they work. So I bought two packs of cigarettes, one the fire safe kind and one the old kind. Look at the bar code on the pack. If you see "FSC" above the bar code then the pack is supposed to contain Fire Safe Cigarettes.

I conducted two tests. Lit the cigarettes and left them alone. The old style cigarettes burned for 13 or 14 minutes and went out when the tobacco had been burned. One of the FSC burned about three minutes then went out. The other burned for about four or five minutes before it went out. You can see the results in the photos. The last photo shows what was left of the four cigarettes after the experiment along side fresh cigarettes to give an idea how much was burned.

 

Can a smoker taste the difference? I doubt it -- cough -- but someone else will have to conduct that experiment. -- cough --

Smoke safely.

Open Carry

Heard a radio ad today asking people to sign a petition favoring the open carrying of handguns and the abolition of laws prohibiting open carry. Here's a link to the Texas petition which starts out like this: "We hold that all citizens who may lawfully purchase a handgun be allowed to carry openly in public in the State of Texas except for those places prohibited by law. We also call for state preemption of all handgun laws concerning open carry in Texas."

In support of that it goes on to make the following arguments, (paraphrased):

• Citizens' have the constitutional right to bear arms and defend themselves;

• Criminals are deterred by citizens carrying guns but not by gun prohibitions;

• It's inconvenient to carry an handgun concealed, and it slows down the quick draw;

• Other states allow it, and people there aren't bothered by it.

I believe that the concealed carry laws have helped prevent crimes, or at the very least, have made people feel safer. But I'm not convinced that open carry is really going to accomplish anything more than the concealed carry laws already do. The loophole isn't whether or not someone has to conceal his/her handgun, it's that there are so many places where carrying handguns is prohibited, i.e., gun free zones. Those are the places where the mass murderers like to strike. And unfortunately, the very first and last sentences of the above mentioned petition seek to preserve the gun free zones.

Then there's the strutting: the novices and gun exhibitionists who will make spectacles of themselves. "Mine's bigger than yours," etc.

People who haven't taken the class and gotten a concealed carry license will probably be more supportive of this than those who did. But if lawmakers do decide open carry is the way to go then they will most likely require a license for open carry, too. So it's not going to be a way to skip class.

Therefore, I'm basically indifferent about this issue. Good luck to them. If it's successful, fine. If not, I'm OK with that, too.

A sex chip for the brain -- is the Orgasmatron next?

From the Telegraph comes this science news:

The chip works by sending tiny shocks from implanted electrodes in the brain.

The technology has been used in the United States to treat Parkinson's disease.

But in recent months scientists have been focusing on the area of the brain just behind the eyes known as the orbitofrontal cortex - this is associated with feelings of pleasure derived from eating and sex.

(Via Skepchick.)

That immediately calls to mind the Orgasmatron which is even mentioned in the article. Movie fans know the Orgasmatron from the Woody Allen movie "Sleepers," and you can see it in operation in this Youtube video. Wikipedia describes the Orgasmatron, as follows:

The orgasmatron is a fictional device in the fictional future society of 2173 in the Woody Allen movie Sleeper. It is a large cylinder big enough to contain one or two people. The orgasmatron was made by decorating an elevator in the home where the movie was filmed. Once entered, it contains some (otherwise undescribed) future technology that rapidly induces orgasms. This is required, as almost all people in the Sleeper universe are impotent or frigid, although males of Italian descent are considered the least impotent of all groups.

The main character Miles Monroe, played by Allen, is being hunted by the police as being subversive to security of the state, and attempts to hide in it, thinking it is a closet. He is discovered there, and easily captured in a daze, with a dopey smile on his face.

So if sci-fi movies are inspiring scientists, then it won't be long before they come up with the Marilyn Monrobot. Not that anyone needs this advice, but the educational video from Futurama said it best: Don't date robots!

On the other hand, if Viagra tabs can loosen the tongues of Taliban warlords then a few Orgasmatrons would probably yield an unconditional surrender, and maybe even Osama himself might be induced to crawl out of his cave.

The Tao of Steve (or how to pick up girls)

So I was watching a movie at home Christmas night because I got snowed out of a trip to Santa Fe. (Damn you Al Gore!) It was the The Tao of Steve, and it was the only movie I could recall that was filmed in Santa Fe within the past few years. Although it was mainly filmed indoors, there were some nice outdoor scenes at an afternoon yard party at a beautiful home in the hills.

It was basically a relationship story featuring Dex, the slacker in Santa Fe, and Syd, the gorgeous set builder in town to build the set for the Santa Fe Opera. Dex didn't remember her, but he and Syd had had an encounter in college. That's the way Dex was, love 'em and forget 'em. You wouldn't know it to look at him, but he was a ladies' man. Not cute, not suave, not especially cool. But he was smartest guy in class, and the women loved him. It's ten years later, he's still not cute, and now he's fat. But he still had the knack. He was a Homme Fatale to put a name to it.

He had developed a set of three simple rules for picking up girls, to wit:

1. Eliminate your desire for the woman;

2. Do something excellent in her presence; then

3. Retreat.

We pursue that which retreats from us. If the guy does it right, she will follow. This worked so well for Dex that he lost all ambition to do anything else. He explained his attitude to some people at the above mentioned party thusly:

"Look, men try and achieve success for one reason: to impress women, right? That's the only reason they build companies, write books or compete in sports and stuff. The problem is, if you figure out how you could get laid without achieving anything then you could lose your motivation all together. So there's no reason to get off the couch."

Well, he met Syd, and he fell hard for her. His three precious rules fell by the wayside, and we got to watch him violate them right and left. So how did it turn out? Sorry. It' s time for me to retreat. You'll have to see it for yourself, but it's a cute movie.  And whether you're interested in the life lessons or the brief scenes of the beautiful hills of Santa Fe, it's worth the time it takes to watch it.

Merry Christmas

Have you been naughty or nice this year? I'm betting you were nice, and good for you. Santa should be nice to you.

The Christmas season is such a wonderful time, and even with a recession hanging over our heads it's nice to put aside the cares of the day and simply enjoy the peace and love.

For me it's the trip not taken. I had planned on spending Christmas in Santa Fe, NM, but that four letter word scared me away: Snow. This desert dweller just doesn't know how to handle all that white stuff falling from the sky.

So instead of photos of luminaries and Christmas Eve barrel fires, we'll have to be content with this Santa Fe Plaza web cam.

Merry Christmas to you!!!

Yard Art

Now that's a nice piece of yard art. The homeowner bought this bronze sculpture in Colorado, had it shipped home, and planted it in his front yard. It looks like a museum piece, and it definitely marks this house as the home of someone who appreciates art. If you are wondering where the child is pointing, the piece is titled "Toward Our Future."

(It sure beats the heck out of lawn jockeys!)

Home invaded

According to the news report some masked men forced their way into a house identifying themselves as sheriff's officers. Audrie Palmer tells the story at Mywesttexas.com:

Midland police are searching for the group of masked men who allegedly broke into a Central Midland home early Tuesday.

The victims told authorities that three, possibly four, men wearing black masks over their faces identified themselves as from the sheriff's office before they forced their way inside the residence.

The incident happened around 3 a.m. ... The suspects then took an undisclosed amount of cash before fleeing the premises, authorities said.

Midlanders will remember the incident almost exactly one year ago when police raided a house in the early morning hours and encountered the resident with a rifle. The resident didn't survive that encounter. See When police kill. There are still some questions about that incident that haven't been answered publicly: How did the police make known their presence? Did the surviving civilian witness confirm the police version of the incident?

So now we have an incident where robbers break into a house in the early morning hours claiming to be law enforcement officers. The homeowner is in an awkward position. "Officer, may I please see your photo ID?"

The normal response for many Midlanders might be to reach for the gun unless they believe the invaders really are law enforcement officers. The challenge for law enforcement officers to make darn sure that the residents know they are real police and sheriff's officers. This might be accomplished by flashing car top lights and a bull horn announcement for the resident(s) to come outside. And most importantly, the public needs to know this procedure in advance so that they don't have to make a split second 3:00 a.m. life or death decision.

You gotta have a seal

Make your own seal at this Official Seal Generator.

 

It's great fun! Give it a try.

A fly on the wall

What a hardy fly this little guy is. We had freezing temperatures last night, and somehow he survived the night in the great outdoors.

He flew away just before I could swat him, so he had two recent brushes with death.  And yeah, if I hadn't wasted time taking the photo I could have done the deed.  Can't go soft, though, he's still a pest.  The hunt is on, but with any luck the next cold front will get him.

Don't flick your butt

Texans know this already, but some visitors may not.

Dry grass catches fire very easily, and all it takes is a lit cigarette tossed out a car window.

Texas is a great state, please don't burn it up.

Somnamblogging -- Blogging while sleeping

A woman sent emails in her sleep. It's called zzz-mailing -- emailing while asleep -- and it's reported at Zzz-mail: What happens when sleepwalkers go online. Excerpt:

The 44-year-old woman, whose case is reported by researchers from the University of Toledo in the latest edition of medical journal Sleep Medicine, had gone to bed at around 10pm, but got up two hours later and walked to the next room.

She then turned on the computer, connected to the internet, and logged on by typing her username and password to her email account. She then composed and sent three emails.

Each was in a random mix of upper and lower cases, not well formatted and written in strange language.

One read: "Come tomorrow and sort this hell hole out. Dinner and drinks, 4.pm,. Bring wine and caviar only."

She learned what she had done the next day when her pen pal called to accept the invitation.

(Kim Komando brought this up on her radio show today.)

But it's not just emailing. Have you ever read a blog entry on these pages that made no sense and wondered where the heck did that come from? There's the answer: Somnamblogging -- blogging while sleeping.

Welcome Chief Robinson

At around 2:05 pm today the Mayor and City Council affirmed the appointment of Price Robinson as the new Chief of Police of Midland, Texas, with a unanimous vote of all the council members present. It was a full house, minus two council members. The audience gave him a warm welcome and a standing ovation, and I fully concur. I predict he is going to be a great chief.

Mayor Perry said they had received a lot of applications, and they came from literally everywhere. However, Chief Robinson's application rose to the top. Courtney Bacalso has penned a nice article about Mr. Robinson for the Midland Reporter-Telegram, and a city news release provides some key points from his resume, to wit:

Robinson was one of five finalists interviewed last week.  He has served as Interim Police Chief since May 1, 2007, following the retirement of John Urby.

Robinson has worked with the Midland Police Department since 1980.  He has served as Deputy Chief from November 1, 2004, until May 1, 2007.  He began his career as a Recruit on September 1, 1980, moved to Police Officer on November 1, 1980, then to Detective on April 1, 1983, was promoted to Sergeant on March 1, 1987, and was promoted to Lieutenant on July 1, 1995.

Robinson has a Master Peace Officer certificate, received his undergraduate degree in Law Enforcement and Police Science from Sam Houston State University and a Master of Business Administration from UTPB.  He is a graduate of the FBI National Academy, attended the Senior Management Institution for Police at the JFK School for Government at Harvard, and a graduate of the first Rising Star Program with the City of Midland.

Robinson also served on the Greenwood I.S.D. Board of Trustees for 15 years; as President for 13 of those years.  He represented Region 18 on the Texas Association of School Boards for five years.  Robinson serves on the Board for Teen Court, Safe Place, and PDAP.

As Chief of Police, Robinson will oversee the daily operations of the department including managing the 162 sworn officers and the 44 civilian employees.

He has served as interim chief for the past several months, so he knows what a tough job it is. There's a big staff to supervise, and he's the one who has answer to the public when something goes wrong. It's a high profile position which typically draws lots of complaints and little praise. But they've selected the right person for the job, and I feel confident he will make us proud.

Typepad comments not working

The commenting feature of blogs has to be one of the main reasons why blogs have become so popular. So when it's not working it sure is missed.

Beginning sometime in the past day or so Typepad's comments stopped working, and unfortunately, the commenter doesn't realize it until he/she tries to save the comment. Bummer.

Typepad provides a good service, and the staff has always done a great job. So hopefully they will get the comment feature back up and running soon.

In the meantime, thanks to everyone who has tried to leave a comment, and sorry for inconvenience.

City Manager names Price Robinson new Police Chief. Is it too soon to start giving advice?

According to a news release from the Midland Police Department, city manager Courtney Sharp has named Price Robinson as the new Police Chief, and that's good news for the city of Midland, Texas. Chief Robinson has been with the MPD since 1980, and having served as interim chief for the past several months surely gave him an edge. A promotion from within the department probably sits well with the MPD employees, too.

Good job Mr. Sharp, and congratulations Chief Robinson. So is it too soon to start giving the new Chief advice? Probably not, let's throw in two cents worth anyway.

I've attended a couple of MPD awards banquets over the past few years. And each time it was great to see the fine and deserving men and women of the force honored publicly.

However, here's my beef. At each ceremony there was a medal of valor or some other award given to the officer or team of officers who were involved in the killing of a civilian by the police. It seems almost routine that these killings are eventually validated by investigating authorities, so there will no doubt be those who disagree with me on this, and I respect that -- I'm only speaking for myself here. But as a civilian watching someone get an award for killing another civilian left me feeling a little bit queasy.  Yes, we want our officers to protect and serve with valor. But we also want our fellow citizens to live to see another day, and if it's a bad guy/gal, live to see his/her day in court. If the ultimate goal of a police officer is to defuse a dangerous situation, then a resolution leaving a dead civilian doesn't seem like a successful outcome and shouldn't deserve an award.

So here's my suggestion: Give an award to each officer who has NOT killed a civilian in the past year. Better yet, simply stop giving out the awards to those involved in the shooting of civilians.

I don't want to give them any ideas here, but I suppose they could address the issue by banning civilians from the awards program.

In any event, we should welcome and congratulate Chief Price Robinson.  I feel sure he will be a good chief and make us proud of the Midland Police Department.

Updated 12/17/08 re comments. The comments left on 12/17/08 are not appearing for some reason. If you left a comment and it doesn't appear here, please be patient. Here's what Typepad says:

Some users are experiencing issues with the comment form on their weblogs. We are working on this currently.

Rest assured that I value your comments whether you agree or disagree. (And on this post most seem to agree about Chief Robinson and disagree about the awards.)

Mr. Ruben's car collection

Where does a man with a collection of around 3,000 cars park them? If it's Mr. Ruben, it's in the family's spare bed room. OK, you've already figured it out, these are miniature cars, Hot Wheels, to be precise, not to be confused with room temperature cars.

He's been collecting them for 10 or 15 years, and each time he makes a trip to the store he may come home with a few more. Don't you know his wife just loves it? It's obvious some compromises have been made, and some rules have been laid out: He can hang them on the wall, but NOT from the ceiling. And presumably all is peaceful in the household as the new ones end up stored in boxes.

Actually, some of them are worth some coin as collectors' items. It seems that the ones still sealed in the boxes will retain their value, whereas once the seal has been broken then down goes the price. So visitors can look but not play.

Let's see, 3,000 cars with four wheels each comes to 12,000 hot wheels. Now that's a lot of wheels. Santa sure won't have any trouble figuring out what to bring him. Hey Mr. Ruben, remember to set out some cookies and milk on Christmas eve!

By the way, just in case you think this is a weird collection, forget it. Here's a slide show of some unusual collections at World's Oddest Collections

Christmas Parade 2008 -- better late than never

I'm a week late on this, sorry. But it's still preChristmas so hopefully it's not too late.

The Midland, Texas, Christmas parade took place on 12/6/08, and everyone, the marchers, the drivers, the riders, the spectators, everyone had a fabulous time. We got to see marching bands, low riders, Corvettes, fire trucks, angels blowing bubbles from the back of a pickup, and a wonder of tow truck muscle as the Towminator towed four big tow trucks. And that's just a sampling. Here are a few photos.

 

Santa was riding in the snorkel compartment of a fire truck waving to all the people. I waved to him, and he waved back as I snapped his photo. (Thanks Santa!) I lowered my camera and gave him a "thank you" wave, and he gave me a thumbs-up. Dang. Now that would have been a picture. Sometimes the best photos are the ones that got away.

Merry Christmas everyone!

A 2nd look at that fake "grow house" sting on Odessa cops

Last week we discussed the stunt that Barry Cooper and Kop Busters perpetrated on the Police Department of Odessa, Texas, when they lured the police into raiding a fake "grow house." Odessa Cops Stung was our first look at this. And it seems that Mr. Cooper and crew had been hired to bring attention to another case, specifically, USA vs. Yolanda Jean Madden, and the tactic they used to accomplish this appeared to be to try to publicly embarrass the Odessa Police Department.

Apparently we were supposed to hear about the search of the fake "grow house" and think that the OPD was ready to pounce on innocent people without probably cause. Texas law provides that a sworn affidavit setting forth probable cause is required before a magistrate may issue a search warrant, and that affidavit is public information. So now that we have a copy, a different story emerges.  See the affidavit and warrant in this PDF document.  (My scanner isn't long enough to scan legal size paper, so if it looks sliced and diced, sorry about that.)

The practical jokers didn't just set up in the fake "grow house" and wait for something to happen. According to the documents, an unsigned letter was left at the front desk of the Odessa Police Department on 12/3/2008 by a Pastor Terry Pierce. That letter was transcribed in the affidavit as "Attachment 'A,'" and here's what it said:

Attachment "A"

I'm leaving Odessa because my boyfriend is out of control. The cops only have a few days to catch him. I can't talk to the police because I have traffic warrants. He is from Ohio and is growing 80 marijuana plants in the house he rented in Odessa at 232 Lottman. There is clones to. He never leaves the house because he babysit the plants. They are almost ready so he is going to start harvest Friday morning. It takes him all day and he will leave to Ohio late this Friday night. He vent the hot air with a fan that blows out of the bedroom window ac by the front door. If you walk up to the door to pretend you are Jehovah witness you can feel the air coming from the vent and you can smell the plants. I tore a small piece of tinfoil he use to cover the bedroom windows. He doesn't know I tore it so drive by at nite and you can see the brite lights. He moved the half grown plants from Arizona to Odessa in a U Haul because his land lady got suspicious. He drives a Nissan Versa that is silver that he parks in the driveway and takes off the plates so nobody knows he is from Ohio. He knows about tap raps and will not answer the door if the police are there. He has $19,000 hidden in the fireplace but I took $1000 out to get me back home. He always keeps his money in the fireplace. He does not know I'm telling and thinks I don't know about him cheating on me. He has been growing pot for a long time and never get caught and he is getting sloppy. He will be easy to catch if the cops get him before he goes to Ohio.

Detectives went to the house, and everything appeared on the outside exactly as the anonymous letter writer described. So the search warrant was obtained, and police did indeed search the house. From the Youtube video taken by Mr. Cooper's cameras it's apparent that the police realized in short order that it was a hoax. That anonymous letter appeared to be a bald faced lie.

Some of the news reports suggested that police were considering whether charges should be brought against anyone in this case. And it would seem that the person who submitted that letter has made a false report. But here's another trick. Apparently they didn't deliver the letter to the police themselves but tricked some innocent pastor to do it for them. Sneaky, sneaky.

In any event, this certainly has been a curious case. Whether Mr. Cooper is trying to help Ms. Madden or is trying to make a point about the war on drugs, the public perception could be that he is simply trying to be mischievous. Sometimes a practical joke is so devious that the sympathy goes to the victim, and in this case the public might just very well side with the police.

Added 12/21/08:  Photo of house located at 232 Lotteman added above.

Updated 12/22/08 -- A comment left by Mr. Cooper alerts us about Doug Carman's article in the Odessa American titled Hoax Mess which reports that a pastor named Terry Pierce denied delivering the anonymous letter to the OPD. If that's true, and there is only one pastor named Terry Pierce, then one error in the affidavit is the description of how the police came to be in possession of the letter. However, based on Mr. Carman's article, no one seems to be disputing whether that anonymous letter actually exists.

The article contains this: "When asked about Pierce's role in the affidavit, Odessa Police Cpl. Sherrie Carruth said the department considered the aftermath of the raid an open investigation and refused to comment." So hopefully that investigation will uncover how the police actually obtained the letter if not who actually wrote it.

Updated 12/24/09 -- see Yolanda Madden Awarded a New Trial.

Clouds over Mt. Rainier

Apparently this phenomenon occurs a few times a year, and it creates a remarkable looking cloud formation. See some photos at Mt. Rainier puts on a show.

Here's the explanation:

The cloud is formed when warm, moist air runs into the surface of Mt. Rainier. The mountain's topography forces the air upward, which cools and condenses the air -- turning it into a cloud.

As the air sinks back on the other side of the mountain, it dries out and the cloud dissipates. That's why it just hangs over the summit area.

(Although it looks like it is "hanging" over the mountain, air is continually flowing over the summit.)

Thanks Sis.

What does the F-word mean?

It's the F-word, you know, "F___!" That word was the subject of arguments before the Supreme Court about a month ago in FCC vs. Fox in regard to whether the FCC can fine a TV network for spontaneous utterances of bad words on live TV.

The Supreme Court hasn't yet ruled on it, but in an example of just how wonderful the internet is, you can read a transcript of the oral arguments in this PDF document. And right there in black and white are the exact words the Justices and attorneys used while sparing with each other about bleeping machines, tape delays, the F-word, the S-word and whether the FCC should take into account whether or not a bawdy joke is really funny.

What exactly does the F- word really mean? Merriam-Webster says this:

intransitive verb
1 usually obscene : copulate
2 usually vulgar : mess 3 —used with with
transitive verb
1 usually obscene : to engage in coitus with —sometimes used interjectionally with an object (as a personal or reflexive pronoun) to express anger, contempt, or disgust
2 usually vulgar : to deal with unfairly or harshly : cheat , screw

In reality "copulate" really isn't the most common usage of the F-word. Read further into the definition to find that it's used to express anger, contempt or disgust, and that's probably the most common usage. It's a swear word. Does anyone use it to refer to sex? "Oh darling, you mean the world to me. Let's f___." Not exactly the most endearing choice of words.

Reminds me of a story a friend told me years ago. She was babysitting a brat, and the brat said "F___ you!" The babysitter said, "That will probably happen, but you certainly won't be involved." So here we had one person using it as an insult, and the target of the insult turned it around to use it with the literal meaning with a retaliatory insult. Touché.

That story drives home another point. If we wonder why the word has such a high potential to shock it's good to keep in mind that it shocks only because we let it.

So the supreme Court had to hear arguments in FCC vs. Fox about the F-word being used in an awards show. Apparently the FCC had previously allowed occasional usage when it was used as a swear word as opposed to usage for its literal meaning. But that changed, and the FCC wanted to ban the word regardless of its usage.

My take? When dealing with our Constitutional rights we should ere on the side of freedom and not on the side of constraint -- there are too many people who would relish the chance to punish their critics. As for TV, if Nicole Richie wants to stand at a podium and unleash a string of expletives the market is going to be the final judge of how much talent really is on display.

But some people are offended by the word. So let's compromise. For those celebs who just can't control themselves let's use a swear jar. Every time a celeb utters one of those words on a TV show he/she puts a nickel into the swear jar. That's a nickel for every viewer. So if the show attracts a million viewers then the celeb deposits $50,000 into the kitty, and the viewers are invited to enter a contest for the kitty contents. So there's an incentive for the celebs not to swear and an incentive for people to watch and hope they do. When the audience hears an offensive word, ka-ching! It's win - win.

Hat tip First Amendment Law Profs Blog which links Time on the topic. And if you are unclear just what the F-word is, the FCC's FCC news release pdf provides some examples of the TV usage it finds offensive.

Finally, for an up-to-the-minute example of the F-word's common usage take a look at the jpg on the right. It's from the front page of the 12/10/08 print edition of the Wall Street Journal lifted from Newseum.org and purports to display a portion of an affidavit transcribing a disgraced Illinois governor's taped incriminating conversations. The conversation is about money and bribes, and clearly the F-word is meant for emphasis, not to describe a sex act.

Updated April 28, 2009 -- Ruling issued today. See Syllabus. Scalia wrote the opinion reinstating the FCC's order against Fox but the court did not rule on its Constitutionality. Well fudge!

USA vs. Yolanda Jean Madden

[Updated 12/24/09 -- scroll to bottom.]

The other day we learned about Barry Cooper and his sting operation in which he set up a fake marijuana grow house to tempt the Odessa Police Department to raid it. They took him up on it. The raw video from his cameras is now available.

When I first wrote about this in Odessa Cops Stung I omitted that part of Eddie Garcia's CBS7 report addressing Mr. Raymond Madden and his daughter, Ms. Yolanda Jean Madden. Yolanda Madden was arrested in 2005 in Odessa for possession of illegal drugs, intent to distribute, and doing all of that too close to a school. She was tried in the Federal Court in Midland, Texas, found guilty, and given a prison sentence.

Her dad, Mr. Madden, contends that the drugs which Ms. Madden was charged with possession of were actually planted in her car by the police, and Mr. Barry Cooper's efforts to embarrass the Odessa Police were apparently for the purpose of helping Mr. Madden in his efforts to help his daughter.

To try to get to the bottom of this one would start by looking at the court record at the Federal Court in Midland. It's cause number 7:05-CR-134, and it was tried before a Judge without a jury on October 11, 2005, and the Judge found her guilty.  It appears from this record that an informant, in cooperation with the Odessa Police Department, arranged to purchase some methamphetamine from her, they arranged to meet, and she was arrested at the scene.

She appealed the court's ruling to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit and lost. The 5th Circuit's March 22, 2007, ruling in case No. 06-50428 can be read online in PDF. In reaching the conclusion it did, the Court of Appeals reviewed some of the facts of the case, and since facts are all we are concerned with here, some of the highlights from that opinion, edited for brevity, will follow:

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA Plaintiff - Appellee
v.
YOLANDA JEAN MADDEN Defendant - Appellant

• After a bench trial, the district court found Yolanda Madden guilty of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine within 1000 feet of a university, a junior high school, and a playground. She contends she did not validly waive her right to a jury trial, despite that she executed a waiver ... By executing the waiver, and absent a claim of prejudice, she is presumed validly to have waived her right to a jury trial.

• Madden contends that the warrantless search of her vehicle was not supported by probable cause because the informant who led police to her was not shown to be reliable. The informant identified Madden by name and by photograph, and he provided credible and detailed information about her, including her history of selling methamphetamine to him, where she lived, her father’s place of business,and what vehicles she drove. As police observed, the informant initiated two telephone conversations with Madden to arrange to buy methamphetamine from her. Police corroborated information about her vehicle, and the informant accurately predicted her arrival at the set location in the vehicle she was driving. Under the totality of the circumstances, the information given by the informant provided probable cause to stop and search Madden’s vehicle.

• Madden contends that her admission to police that there was methamphetamine in her vehicle should not have been admitted, because it was either the fruit of an illegal stop or obtained in violation of [her] Miranda [rights]. Because the information provided by the informant established probable cause or at least reasonable suspicion for the stop, Madden’s admission was not the fruit of an illegal stop.

• Madden’s statement was not obtained in violation of Miranda. Police had only just stopped her at the meeting site, and a detective had explained that police were conducting a drug investigation and had reason to believe she possessed methamphetamine, when she blurted out that there was methamphetamine in a bag inside her vehicle. She was not in custody. ...

• In addition, Madden was not being interrogated. Nothing in the record suggests that the officers expected her to blurt out that she was carrying illegal drugs before being arrested, Mirandized, or questioned further. ...

• Madden contends that the district court should have departed downward to cancel out her two-level sentence increase based on the crime’s proximity to two schools and a playground. She argues that police entrapped her into appearing at that location. ...

• This was not a reverse sting, because the government was not acting as the seller. Moreover, the evidence shows no sentence entrapment, but rather that the site for the meeting was chosen by Madden and the informant, without police input, because it was convenient for Madden.

• The judgment is AFFIRMED.

A petition for a writ of certiorari was submitted to the U.S. Supreme Court, but it was denied.

Finally, in August of 2008 Ms. Madden filed a writ of habeas corpus alleging that, among other things, the government used false evidence and she had ineffective assistance of counsel. That writ is still pending.

Updated 12/24/09 -- see Yolanda Madden awarded a new trial

The X-Ray Vision Camera Lens

Here's the link for the ad for this x-ray camera lens. The ad was linked at Impact Lab which posted some photos purporting to demonstrate the lens' capability to take photos that lets the viewer see through people's clothes.

Not so fast there Superman eyes. It's really just an infrared filter, and what we are seeing is heat.

There's a simple explanation of how an infrared filter works at Core by Indigo. In short, heat emits infrared light which we can feel but not see, because the wavelength is in the spectrum that can't be seen with the naked eye. Filter out other light and the infrared light becomes visible.

It's often called thermal imaging, and you can see examples of some of those images at this photo display which shows side by side photos of a normal shot and thermal image showing the hot spots.

The thermal imaging cameras used by firefighters to look for humans in a smoky building are based on this principle, but they are very expensive. Make them rugged and waterproof and they are worth the high price a fire department has to pay for them especially if it means the firefighter doesn't have to crawl through a smoke filled house looking for a missing occupant.

A firefighter grade thermal imaging camera is lots of fun to play with, but the price is too high for someone who just wants a toy. So it's nice to know there's a way to make a poor-boy thermal imaging camera with a simple filter. For some tips on taking infrared photos see this PopSci article. However, it might take a little practice to get it right. And the PopSci article suggests experimenting with over or under exposure to get the desired image of the heat given off by a human. See the results of their experimentation at image page 5.

But for real X-Ray eyes I think you have to be from the planet Krypton.

Something missing from this OJ verdict

Remember the O. J. Simpson jury verdict following his trial for murdering his ex-wife? Remember how segments of our population rejoiced? "Not Guilty" was the verdict, and many people cheered believing the justice system got what it deserved.

So now we hear that OJ's Vegas adventure will land him in prison for a good long while. But something didn't happen. People didn't riot, teeth didn't gnash, eyes didn't tear up, cries of racism didn't ring out.

Nothing has really changed, except that Obama got elected in the meantime. And maybe this has ushered in a change in attitude that will inhibit the urge to throw out charges of racism so freely. It's just a small thing, but let's appreciate the small things when they happen. And if we have Obama voters to thank for that, then "thank you," Obama voters.

Odessa Cops stung!

Victims of the drug war fight back with publicity.

They set up a fake "grow room" with Christmas trees, and an anonymous tip brought the cops who kicked in the door only to find that they themselves were targets of a sting.

Apparently Barry Cooper set this up in an effort to expose police abuse in the drug war, and his message board gives a little more detail about this particular bust.

Here's Eddie Garcia's CBS7 report, and a here's a local open thread about it.

Hopefully there will be some video of the bust available without having to purchase Mr. Cooper's DVD. And let's keep an eye out for OPD news releases on the matter.

Added: The objective appears to have been to demonstrate how easy it is to get the police to raid a house, SWAT style, even though they lacked any real evidence. Apparently, it isn't that hard. If we have all the facts then all it took in this instance was a suspicious house and an anonymous tip.

The CBS7 news report has been posted on Youtube.

Updated: Here's the raw video from Mr. Cooper's cameras. And for my latest on the case about which they were trying to bring attention, see USA vs. Yolanda Jean Madden

Updated 12/24/09 -- see Yolanda Madden Awarded a New Trial.

A football player walks into a bar with a Glock in his pocket

Sometimes the jokes write themselves. We've heard of so many Glock accidental discharges -- some call them negligent discharges -- that they practically beg for ridicule. It's Darwin's natural selection.

In the handgun world a Glock must be the macho gun -- real men carry Glocks, only sissies would own a handgun with a manual safety. I've written about this issue so many times I could recycle old posts. A typical Glock has a very light trigger pull and no manual safety. Put it in the hands of a careless person and that's an accident waiting to happen.

The news of the day is about a NY Giants football player named Plaxico Burress and how he can't handle his handgun as well as he handles a football. He fumbled. Here's what the NYT said:

The criminal complaint, released by prosecutors Monday, said that an onlooker then saw Burress near the V.I.P. area of the club holding a drink in his left hand and fidgeting his right hand in the area of the waistline of his pants. The witness then heard a single “pop” sound before hearing Burress say, “Take me to the hospital.”

Burress was on the ground, with his legs shaking, when a bloody gun — a .40-caliber Glock pistol — fell out of his pant leg and onto the floor, the onlooker said. Investigators believe that Pierce was standing next to Burress when the gun went off. The bullet, which broke through the skin of Burress’s right thigh and pierced muscle tissue, traveled through the leg before lodging itself somewhere in the club.

OK, you knew this was coming. Children divert your eyes.

"Hey big boy, there was a pop in your pants. Is that a Glock in your pocket or are were you just glad to see me?"

Want free wireless broadband internet?

See USA Today:

Free broadband for America has inched closer to reality: The plan, after two years of debate, is finally on the calendar for a full vote by the Federal Communications Commission.

Assuming the plan is approved at the FCC's Dec. 18 meeting — one of the agency's last before President-elect Obama takes office — free broadband could become reality within a year.

First proposed in 2006, the plan calls for a chunk of airwaves called AWS-3 — now idle — to be used for wireless broadband across the USA. Under terms being contemplated by the FCC, the winner of the AWS-3 auction would have to reserve 25% of network capacity, at least, for free broadband.

The winner would be allowed to charge for other services, including premium broadband that would offer faster speeds.

Assuming there are no last-minute snags, the AWS-3 auction will take place early next year.

Free. Now that sounds nice so long as taxpayers don't end up footing the bill.