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Wednesday, February 27, 2008

Preparations For Pandemic

Greetings and Salutations to All my Kith and Kin and All the Ships in Outer Space:

The bird flu has now been documented in ninety countries, and it has mutated into an airborne virus that is transmitted directly from human to human.

This is the identical strain of influenza notorious for the global mortality of Nineteen Eighteen.

It killed more American soldiers than combat during the First World War.

Avian influenza, for which there is currently no known preventive vaccine, targets the body's immune system, turning a person's own natural defenses into a weapon that kills him, quickly drowning him as his lungs fill with fluid.

Those who have the weakest immune systems actually have the best chances of survival.

The most effective method of survival is temporary total isolation from all other human beings.

Virus attacks don't last very long, and the virus rapidly dissipates and dies, eventually destroying itself.

The bird flu is not yet a global pandemic, nor, so far as I am aware, even of local epidemic proportions.

The numbers of victims, if reporting is accurate, appears to be relatively small and localized.

Maybe, when the viral pandemic strikes, it won't be avian influenza.

Maybe it'll be some other variety of virus, which will be equally lethal.

The immediate effect of a global pandemic in our contemporary densely populated urban environment will be a disruption of all services and resources.

With so many people sick or dying, and the majority of them young adults at the peak of physical fitness, there won't be enough police, fire, and ambulance personnel to respond to emergencies.

Trucks won't run, because the drivers will be too sick, or too terrified, to enter the affected area.

There will be no fresh groceries to restock store shelves.

There may not be any electricity, telephones, potable water, and the waste disposal facilities may not operate.

Credit cards and ATM cards can't be used, and no one will dare to transact business using contaminated cash money.

Stores will have to lock their doors.

The hospitals, if operating, will be completely full, overwhelmed, and possibly close their doors, due to lack of staff.

It's possible that even local funeral homes will be unable to cope with so many corpses all at once, thus, bodies may lie unattended for many days.

Either way, prudence dictates we take certain measures to prepare ourselves for any possible scenario.

Here at the Ol' Soldiers' Home, I'm urging my fellow residents to begin now to store prepared foods, bottled drinking water, and sufficient alcohol and medication, so that you can remain barricaded inside of your room for at least two weeks.

(Actually, that very suggestion is already published by the administrators of our Soldiers' Home in the ARMED FORCES RETIREMENT HOME'S RESIDENTS EMERGENCY GUIDE, dated 12 June 2007, but most residents and staff apparently are ignorant of it.)

Since we at the Ol' Soldiers' Home are trapped in the very heart of a humongous megalopolis, evacuation would be impractical.

Besides, we would probably be quarantined, and not permitted to leave.

As there might not be any television, radio, or lights, it's a good idea to have plenty of books, puzzles, games, and non-electronic musical instruments handy.

With no heat, you'll need cold weather clothing and a good sleeping bag.

Since weapons and firearms are currently illegal within the District of Columbia, I'll give no advice on that subject.

But, you are already cognizant of what the demographics and mentality of our local neighborhood is, so rely on your invaluable years of military training and experience.

At the first hint that an unusual influenza or norovirus epidemic has begun, retire to your quarters, lock and barricade the door, and do not open the door for any reason.

If you absolutely must leave your room, then wear gloves, goggles, and a mask.

Store liquid disinfectant in your room, and FREQUENTLY wash your hands, especially after touching door knobs, plumbing fixtures, and light switches in public areas.

Under these dire pandemic conditions, many elderly and disabled residents won't survive, because there will be no dependable regular life support, such as oxygen.

So, for at least a couple of weeks, expect the prevailing stench of a multitude of decaying corpses here at the Ol' Soldiers' Home.

Aerosol room deoderants, candles, and incense may help alleviate some of the fetid atmosphere.

(It probably won't be operating anyway, but disconnect your smoke detector before burning candles and incense.)

Likewise, all of you folks out in the big wide World who do not reside here at the Ol' Soldiers' Home should also store food, water, fuel, medicine, winter clothing, bedding, pet supplies, firearms, and munitions, and prepare to survive in total isolation from all other human beings for a couple of weeks, until the virus has left the area.

Yes, I'm pushing the panic button.

No, it ain't here yet.

But, it's a comin'.

Forewarned is forearmed.

Thank you.

John Robert "SAIGON" Mallernee, KB3KWS
Official Bard of Clan Henderson
Armed Forces Retirement Home
Washington, D.C. 20011-8400

NOTE: "My unpopular and controversial personal opinions are independent of my Scottish clan."

Thursday, February 21, 2008

Video of Satellite Shoot Down

Greetings and Salutations to All my Kith and Kin and All the Ships in Outer Space:

Here is a video of the SM-3 missile destroying the satellite .

The SM-3 missile was launched from the United States Navy cruiser, USS Lake Erie, in the Pacific Ocean.

The top secret spy satellite, operated by the National Reconnaissance Office, was destroyed at 2226 Hours (i.e., 10:26 PM) Eastern Standard Time on Wednesday 20 February 2008.

Here is another video which shows the missile being launched, and impacting the satellite.

Ain't this neat stuff?

Of course, there's lots of idle speculation going on about the possible REAL reasons for ordering the satellite shot down, as the official justification that was offered sounded rather illogical and unbelievable.

Likewise, there's also speculation that Russia and China may have had other reasons for objecting to America's action, which the Russians and Chinese don't dare reveal.

Thank you.

John Robert "SAIGON" Mallernee, KB3KWS
Official Bard of Clan Henderson
Armed Forces Retirement Home
Washington, D.C. 20011-8400

NOTE: "My unpopular and controversial personal opinions are independent of my Scottish clan.

Sunday, February 17, 2008

Questions About FOX NEWS Report

Greetings and Salutations to All my Kith and Kin and All the Ships in Outer Space:

I have some questions about the Fox News reporting of PURPORTED AL QAEDA VIDEO SHOWS PRISONERS BURNED ALIVE.

The news report is woefully incomplete.

Here is the text of that report:

***************


PURPORTED AL QAEDA VIDEO SHOWS PRISONERS BURNED ALIVE


Saturday 16 February 2008



Al Qaeda's latest display of terror has made its way onto the Internet, showing horrifying images of what appear to be prisoners in Iraq being doused with an inflammatory liquid and then burned alive.

The video, which appears to have been posted first on Google last December in an alleged anti-Al Qaeda Web film, shows five insurgents standing behind three blindfolded prisoners kneeling at the edge of a burning pit.

"And now that we have captured these scums who committed this dreadful crime, we will burn them with this fire," the Al Qaeda leader says in Arabic.

"The same fire which they committed their crime with.

"And I swear by God almighty that, I swear by God almighty that we will have no mercy on them," he continues.

"Allahuakbar, Allahuakbar."

As he speaks, two of the insurgents pour liquid on the blindfolded prisoners.

Then they push the bound men into the pit, where they are engulfed in flames.

According to the summary (in Arabic and German) included in the nearly fifteen minute video posted on Google, many of the clips were found in Diyala, Iraq.

The makers of the film say that the originals were "passed to us by others."

***************

Does the news report identify the three individuals being executed?

What crime did those three men commit?

The alleged
Al Qaeda video stated the three were being burned with the same fire they were guilty of using in their terrible crime.

Did those three men commit arson and murder?

Did this execution take place in Iraq?

If so, where in Iraq?

Was it in a location currently patrolled by American military units?

One of the individuals appeared to be a Caucasian male, had an obviously military haircut, and was the only one dressed in conventional Western clothing.

Was he a captured American soldier?


Is one of the guards armed with an American weapon?

It looks like an M-4 carbine, or a CAR-15 carbine, loaded with an eighteen round magazine.

Who were the two Negroes (or were they Arabs, with just the tops of their heads visible?), and why were they wearing Arabic robes?


Why was this broadcast in Turkey, and why was the German language used?

Who originally wrote this report?

Why did they leave so many questions unanswered?


Thank you.

John Robert "SAIGON" Mallernee, KB3KWS
Official Bard of Clan Henderson
Armed Forces Retirement Home
Washington, D.C. 20011-8400

NOTE: "My unpopular and controversial personal opinions are independent of my Scottish clan."


Saturday, February 16, 2008

Assorted Subjects

Greetings and Salutations to All my Kith and Kin and All the Ships in Outer Space:

Because of the statements I'll make in this post, it'll only be published in my blog.

Unlike previous postings in my blog, I won't e-mail this message to anyone.

That's because my statements will be perceived as so blatantly offensive, that I'd forfeit every friend I have, and even relatives would disown me.

Hardly anyone ever reads my blog, so I can say whatever I want to here.

"Help!

I've fallen and can't get up!"

The Ol' Soldiers' Home has issued me one of those electronic emergency signal buttons to wear on a chain around my neck.

It's only good when walking around on the grounds here at the Ol' Soldiers' Home.

Are you watching the NASA STS-122 Space Mission on your computer?

Have you noticed that the guy in the European Mission Control Center in Munich, Germany sounds EXACTLY like Arnold Schwarzenegger?

This time around, the crew on this particular Space mission is really earning their pay.

Not every part is fitting together correctly, so the astronauts have had to work extra hard.

Maybe the glitches were deliberately planned, as an experiment to observe how the crew would creatively solve unexpected problems encountered during an actual Space mission?

I purchased a brand spanking new pair of bowling shoes over the Internet, and I was planning to go bowling this afternoon.

But, my stomach is way too full.

Earlier, I went to the PX and bought some frozen French bread pizzas.

I thought I had plenty of room in my freezer, but, my freezer is already filled up with burritos.

So, I stowed one of the pizzas in the freezer, and I had to cook and eat the other two pizzas.

For supper, our mess hall is serving spaghetti and meat balls, with garlic bread, and tapioca pudding for dessert.

But, I doubt I'll be able to eat any of it, because my stomach is already stretched way too tight.

That's too bad, because I love tapioca pudding, and can never get enough of it.

I also love chowing down on spaghetti and meatballs, and especially relish the taste of garlic bread.

A couple of weeks ago, I was supposed to get an annual physical examination.

I haven't had a medical check up in many years.

Well, typical of Soldiers' Home bureaucracy, nothing went right, and I never got my physical check up.

They don't even know I'm living here, or that I'm supposed to get a physical examination.

When I took my urine sample down to the clinic, the door was locked, with a sign posted saying the computer was down, and there would be no lab tests.

When I saw the doctor to get my prescriptions renewed, it was a black lady with a thick foreign accent.

I don't even know for certain that she was a doctor.

She said I should make an appointment with my major care provider, Dr. Lopez.

But, it's been so many years since I've seen Dr. Lopez, that I'm not sure he still works here.

Besides, what good does it do when every doctor here has English as their second language, or was educated and hired, not due to ability, but under racial preference mandates?

The one good thing is that our pharmacy is very efficient.

Our medications are issued by Walter Reed Army Medical Center, and we get our prescriptions filled and delivered very quickly.

When I go on Sick Call, they always renew my prescriptions without any questions or hassles.

But, that's all they do in our clinic.

They don't run any tests or perform any examinations.

There's no evaluations or diagnosis.

The physical plant of the clinic itself is poorly designed, thus conducive to spreading contagious diseases.

I suspect that no matter who is elected President of the United States, there will be an assassination attempt.

That's because none of the candidates are acceptable to so many disillusioned and outraged American voters.

The Republican Party candidate, John McCain, does not represent traditional American values, and indeed, even pledges to perpetuate the betrayal of national sovereignty and negation of the Constitution of the United States.

The only candidate who consistently advocates upholding the Constitution of the United States is Dr. Ron Paul.

In the highly unlikely event he might be elected, he would probably be assassinated by a conspiracy operating within the government's existing status quo.

The Democrat Party candidate, Barak Obama, will probably be elected, simply because he is Black, and no properly indoctrinated White voter ever wants to be accused of being racially prejudiced.

But, a Black president would be disastrous, as are Black senators, representatives, judges, governors, and mayors.

Black people do not have the same concept of individual liberty that White people do.

This is borne out by the public statements made by Condoleeza Rice and Colin Powell, where they urge continuing the mandatory federal programs of racially preferential treatment for Black people.

Further, they've made statements indicating their ignorance of the Constitution of the United States, even advocating that police search private residences for firearms, without a warrant.

Condoleeza Rice and Colin Powell are two highly educated Black people, but with all their education, they still lack the basic comprehension of inalienable rights, liberty, or personal responsibility.

Black people, as do all other non-Caucasian peoples, also lack the inherent noble idealism of White people.

Do you want proof?

Just wait a few years, until the projected change in demographics comes to pass.

When the shoe is on the other foot, and Whites are numerically in the minority, do you really think that people of any other race will be even half as generous, compassionate, or considerate towards the hated White man, as Whites have traditionally treated other races?

Just read your Scriptures to see what has happened in previous civilizations.

Or, just look at Africa today, after all these centuries, or compare life in megalopolitan Washington, D.C. with life in Idaho Falls, Idaho.

Globally, the White man has always been the minority.

With true idealism, White people have been the most civilized, disciplined, intelligent, communicative, artistic, moral, and creative, and even as conquerers, still exhibited compassion and charitable largesse towards all those whom they vanquished.

Do you think any other racial or ethnic group will do likewise, when they are in power?

No, all races are NOT equal, nor are all men equal.

Not every man gets to become President of the United States, or an astronaut, or a Rock 'n' Roll star, or an Airborne Ranger in the United States Army.

Not every man is a serial murderer or a pedophile.

We're all different individually, and our racial characteristics are also genetically different.

I suspect our White ancestors had a valid reason for imposing legalized racial segregation, outlawing miscegenation, and instituting "Jim Crow" laws.

We like to pontificate from our modern ivory towers, but we didn't live back then, under those conditions, so who are we to be arbitrarily passing judgement on those who went before us?

All we have to do is look around us at our society today, and we can see whether or not we really are any better than the ancestors we so blithely condemn.

Thank you.

John Robert "SAIGON" Mallernee, KB3KWS
Official Bard of Clan Henderson
Armed Forces Retirement Home
Washington, D.C. 20011-8400

NOTE: "My unpopular and controversial personal opinions are independent of my Scottish clan."

Tuesday, February 12, 2008

North American Cell Phone Outage

BLACKBERRY SERVICE FALTERS IN NORTH AMERICA


NEW YORK (AP) -- A major service outage afflicted users of the popular, addictive BlackBerry smart phones across the United States and Canada on Monday.

Officials with AT&T Inc. and Verizon Wireless said BlackBerry maker Research in Motion Ltd. told them customers of all wireless carriers were affected.

It was not immediately clear how many of the 12 million worldwide BlackBerry subscribers had problems, as some users reported being able to access their service normally Monday afternoon.

But Garth Turner, a member of the Canadian Parliament, said during a caucus meeting that the incident -- the second widespread disruption in 10 months -- was having a big impact.

"Everyone's in crisis because they're all picking away at their BlackBerrys and nothing's happening," Turner said. "It's almost like cutting the phone cables or a total collapse in telegraph lines a century ago. It just isolates people in a way that's quite phenomenal."

Bell Canada spokesman Jason Laszlo said the majority of its BlackBerry customers were affected.

The BlackBerry service, which lets users check e-mail and access other data services on their handheld devices, has become a lifeline for many business executives and is increasingly popular among consumers with models like the BlackBerry Pearl.

In a statement, RIM said a "data service interruption" resulted in "intermittent service delays for BlackBerry subscribers in North America."


The company said voice and text messaging services were not affected.

RIM later said data service was restored around 6:30 p.m. EST, about three hours after the outage began.

"No messages were lost and message queues began to be cleared after normal service levels were restored," the company said, apologizing to customers for the inconvenience.

There was no word on what caused the outage.

Major disruptions have been rare but often provoke an angry backlash against Waterloo, Ontario-based RIM because of its typically lengthy silences about the cause and because it eventually gives only cryptic, jargon-laden explanations.

When the BlackBerry service suffered a major outage last April, the company remained silent about the cause for two days.

The latest outage enraged some BlackBerry customers who were also hit by the network failure last year.

Stuart Gold, a customer who says he gets 1,000 e-mails a day as director of field marketing for Web analytics company Omniture Inc., worked on his laptop most of Monday after his BlackBerry went on the blink.

Although Gold said he thought last year's outage gave him a needed break from work, Monday's frayed his last nerve.

"I cannot believe this happened again," he said as he got off a plane. "I'm on the road 300 days a year. My entire life is in my BlackBerry -- my family life, my professional life, my emotional life, everything. ... They're not allowed to do this to me."

Gold, 49, said he plans to ask his company to buy him a second smart phone from a rival as a backup. BlackBerry competitors include Palm Inc.'s Treo.

In a statement, AT&T spokesman Fletcher Cook said the company first learned about the problem from RIM about 3:30 p.m. EST.

"This is not an issue with AT&T's wireless network," Cook said.

RIM has deals with scores of wireless carriers to offer the BlackBerry service around the world.

AP Technology Writer Jordan Robertson in San Jose, Calif., and Associated Press Writer Rob Gillies in Toronto contributed to this report.


*********************

Greetings and Salutations to All my Kith and Kin and All the Ships in Outer Space:

Somebody's lying about something.

Yesterday evening, I was using my cell phone to talk to friends in Utah.

All of a sudden, the phone went dead.

I thought my friend, who has health problems, may have punched the wrong button and accidentally cut off our conversation.

When I dialed back, I got a busy signal.

Eventually, I got through, but there was no sound at all.

Then they called me.

But, again, I could hear absolutely nothing, not even my own telephone ringing.

The phone lit up, displayed the number that was calling, and indicated I was answering the call.

But, there was no sound.

The battery was still good, and I had over five hundred minutes left in my account.

So, I tried calling a local number here in Washington, D.C., and the same thing happened.

Everything appeared to be working normally, but there was no sound.

I got on the computer and sent an e-mail to Utah asking what was going on.

At the same time, they sent me an e-mail asking me the same question.

Then I saw the news report on my YAHOO! screen, and I knew what was going on.

I don't own or use a Blackberry.

My cell phone is a rebuilt used Nokia, purchased from Wal-Mart in Vernal, Utah.

My account is prepaid from TracFone, and my carrier is AllTel.

So, I reckon all of this stuff is somehow interlinked together, despite the denials in the news report.

I e-mailed a copy of the news report to my friends in Utah.

I watched TV and waited a while, and then tried my phone again.

This time, it worked, and everything was back to normal.


Last night (actually during the wee hours of this morning), the broadcast of COAST TO COAST AM
featured an interview with security consultant, Kevin Mitnick, a convicted Internet hacker.

They discussed the Blackberry outage and also wondered about the eight separate incidents of undersea computer cables being cut, including the relatively low amount of news coverage of those incidents.

I am curious if any of you all were similarly affected, and what were the details of your experiences?

Also, do any of you all have any theories or opinions about all of those undersea Internet cables being "accidentally" severed?


Thank you.

John Robert "SAIGON" Mallernee, KB3KWS
Official Bard of Clan Henderson
Armed Forces Retirement Home
Washington, D.C. 20011-8400

NOTE: "My unpopular and controversial personal opinions are independent of my Scottish clan."

Sunday, February 10, 2008

Watching The Space Shuttle On TV

Greetings and Salutations to All my Kith and Kin and All the Ships in Outer Space:

Are you using your computer to watch the NASA-TV live broadcast from the Space Shuttle and Space Station?

Using the new BETA program will require a plug-in to be downloaded and installed, which is what I did.

If you click twice on the image, it'll fill your entire screen.

The only problem is that the full screen view doesn't have as sharp of a screen resolution.

I reckon I'm spoiled, because I subscribe to high definition channels on my cable television.

It's expensive, but once you see the difference between a program broadcast in high definition, and compare it to a regular broadcast, you'll see why I'm willing to pay that extra money.

Boy, I sure hope NASA-TV gets around to reformatting their broadcasts, so the resolution will be just as sharp when viewed full-scale on a television screen.

My computer is connected to my twenty-seven inch LCD wide screen high definition television, and that makes NASA-TV a real show!

It's really neat watching them prepare for tomorrow's space walk.

Also, it's kind of nifty looking at Earth passing below.

This is almost as good as watching the original STAR WARS trilogy!

I ain't seen none of the more recent STAR WARS movies, so I don't know how good they are.

But, I reckon the sequels would never match up to the originals, as that is usually the case.

I wonder if our Space Station and Space Shuttle will be able to survive all the attacks from the UFOs and assorted aliens?

Just imagine standing in your back yard at night and using your binoculars to observe the battle in Outer Space!

I'll bet the National Areonautics and Space Administration never even thought to equip our astronauts with some ray guns, huh?

Gosh, gee whillikers, do you all remember when man first landed on the Moon?

I was a young Private First Class in the United States Army, stationed at Spangdahlem Air Force Base, in Germany.

I joined with a couple of airmen, Lonny Nordberg and Dave Peters, who were also my fellow members in the Church of JESUS CHRIST of Latter-day Saints, to listen to the historic space broadcast over the base's microwave radio station.

Boy, oh boy, that was so super neat!

What a memory!

Can you believe there's folks living among us who hadn't even been born way back then, and don't know what the heck I'm talking about?

Golly, gee, I reckon I've gotten plumb old, huh?

Do you believe intelligent life exists on other planets?

I do.

It's something that's taught in our "Mormon" faith.

That's one reason I like to use my computer as a volunteer in the Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence (i.e., "S.E.T.I."), continuously analyzing various data randomly collected from Deep Space.

Thank you.

John Robert "SAIGON" Mallernee, KB3KWS
Official Bard of Clan Henderson
Armed Forces Retirement Home
Washington, D.C. 20011-8400

NOTE: "My unpopular and controversial personal opinions are independent of my Scottish clan."

Internet Game: ESCAPE THE PHONE BOOTH

Greetings and Salutations to All my Kith and Kin and All the Ships in Outer Space:

Use your computer to play this game, ESCAPE THE PHONE BOOTH.

It took me a whole hour to escape from the phone booth.

I saw this game posted at the ANN COULTER OFFICIAL CHAT web site.

Most of the other participants in that discussion forum solved the problem in mere minutes.

But, I had a real struggle.

How well will you do?

One of the forum members alluded to another game, ESCAPE FROM A ROOM.

But, I never could solve that one.

By the way, yesterday's SATURDAY STUMPER crossword puzzle at the CHICAGO SUN-TIMES newspaper's web site was the hardest one I've seen in some time.

It took me an hour to solve it, and usually, I solve them in twenty minutes, or less.

On the other hand, today's crossword puzzles at the LOS ANGELES TIMES newspaper's web site were unusually easy.

I solved all three puzzles, the Daily, the Sunday, and the Magazine, in only a little over twenty minutes.

Normally, those puzzles are much more difficult, and require a little more time, frequently up to forty minutes.

They also have a TV crossword puzzle, but I never do that one.

I also did the SUNDAY CHALLENGER crossword puzzle at the WASHINGTON POST newspaper's web site, but it wasn't difficult.

Unlike the other puzzles, the ones in the WASHINGTON POST don't have a timer, so I don't know how long it took me to solve it.

But, they aren't so challenging as they use to be.

Thank you.

John Robert "SAIGON" Mallernee, KB3KWS
Official Bard of Clan Henderson
Armed Forces Retirement Home
Washington, D.C. 20011-8400

NOTE: "My unpopular and controversial personal opinions are independent of my Scottish clan."

Saturday, February 02, 2008

Clan Henderson Videos

Mo Cinneadh Agus Mo Chairdean:

Ciamar a tha sibh?

Is tha gu math.

I just now found this video, FOUNDATIONS OF STONE, posted in the Internet discussion forums at THE BLOOD IS STRONG web site.

Click your mouse here to view the second half of that video, FOUNDATIONS OF STONE.

It was posted by a Canadian, Daibidh MacCoinneach, with the comment, "Clan Henderson will like this:"

Boy, oh boy, I reckon we will!

You can now view both videos at the bottom of this screen.

Slainte mhath!

Tapadh leibh.

Is Mise Le Meas,

John Robert "SAIGON" Mallernee, KB3KWS
Official Bard of Clan Henderson
Armed Forces Retirement Home
Washington, D.C. 20011-8400

NOTE: "My unpopular and controversial personal opinions are independent of my Scottish clan."