Do you agree with Petersons Synonym?

Word of the Day

Information provided by Petersons.com
circumvent
DEFINITION:
(verb) to get around.
EXAMPLE:
When Jerry was caught speeding, he tried to circumvent the law by offering the police officer a bribe.
SYNONYMS:
fool

Cezanne Exhibit at LACMA

Are you available to go to the exhibit on December 11th or January 7th? Both days are Sundays. I'm trying to find a date that works for the most people so I can give Grandma a head count.

What do you guys think about "private internets?"

Okay, "private" is not exactly the right word. Nationalized internets (and yes, I mean the plural of "internet," as in, there will no long be only one internet) is probably a more appropriate term.

Basically, there is a non-profit company in California (Icann) that manages what is called the "root file." This root file connects numerical internet addresses with their more recognizable names, like Amazon.com or Google.com. The root file is accessed by every internet service provider in the world so that no matter which country you are in, when you type "www.Google.com" into an internet browser, you always access the same website.

However, a lot of countries (China, Saudia Arabia and other countries opposed to the free flow of information) don't like that an American entity has control of the root file. They want the UN to control the root file so that the UN can police the interet. However the US government is opposed to handing over control (Icann was created by the US government), so the UN most likely will not get it's hands on the internet. What will probably happen is that countries like China will set up their own root file and force all Chinese internet providers to only access the Chinese root file. Which means that the Chinese government will be able to control the flow of information into the People's Republic. It also means that Americans won't be able to access Chinese websites because our ISPs will access Icann's root file and not China's.

So what do you guys think?

Here is what Bryan Carney at the Wall Street Journal thinks will happen:

As a technical means of content control, going "split root," as they say in the business, is too compelling for governments not to give it a try. But the user experience would likely be much the same as it ever was most of the time. ISPs, as well as most vaguely democratic governments, would have an interest in ensuring broad interoperability, just as no one in Saudi Arabia or China has yet decided that dialing +1-202-456-1414--the White House switchboard number--from those countries should go somewhere else, like Moammar Gadhafi's house. Nothing stops phone companies from doing things like that, except that the market expects a certain consistency in how phone calls are directed, so it is in the interests of the operators to supply what the market expects. The same principle would apply in a split-root world.

Kitty Pictures

In order from top to bottom: Reagan, Flea, Pixel and Izzy.

Presidential Medals of Freedom...

What do you guys think of the President's choices this year? He has given the honor to:

1. Carol Burnett
2. Mohamed Ali
3. Jack Nicklaus
4. Andy Griffith
5. Frank Robinson
   

I loved the Andy Griffith show...but acting in sickeningly wholesome television shows now qualifies one for a "Medal of Freedom?" Some have suggested that next year, President Bush might nominate the San Diego Chicken. :-P

Is anyone watching the polls?

Live updates at the California Secretary of State's website.

Woo Hoo!!! My piece is up!!!

Power to the People by John R. Lott and Fern E. Richardson.

Dr. Walid Phares coming to Chapman

The Federalist Society at Chapman is hosting Dr. Walid Phares who will be discussing Islamic terrorism and jihad as well as the future of America's War on Terrorism. He is a senior scholar at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies as well as an adviser to the Justice and Defense Departments. If any of you are interested, you are more than welcome to attend.

WHO: Dr. Walid Phares
WHAT: Discussion of Islamic Terror and America's War on Terrorism
WHERE: Room 147
WHEN: November 15, 2005 at noon

For more information, go to Chapman Federalist Society's website.

ATTN RICK!!!! (and all other design lovers)

I just found the coolest site! It's called designologue. What in the heck is a designologue you might ask? "A designologue is a conversation between two designers in the medium they understand best - design. Comparisons can be made to Coudal's Photoshop Tennis where two designers alternately modify the others image using Photoshop. But instead of one designer versus another, the two converse. No winners. No losers. Just good conversation."

Check it out: Designologue.

Did you know you can do a word search of the full text of books?

Google Print

Edited to add: Do you ever wonder if there is some sort of reason (other than randomness) that things happen the way they do? This afternoon I came across "Google Print" totally by accident. Then, this evening, I got an email from an attorney I am writing an amicus brief with. He wanted a photocopy of all the books and journals I cited in the brief. Well, I had already returned one of the books that I had transfered to Chapman from a university in Illinois. But then I remembered this post and checked Google Print. Well, what do ya know?! The book is on there! Whew! I printed out the page...problem solved! :-)

I'm gonna be published!!!

I coauthored (with John Lott) an op-ed about Brazil's ballot measure to ban guns and it is going to be published in the National Review Online! Supposedly it is going to go up on the site on Monday.

[ETA: It's Monday and it isn't up yet. :-( ]

Sshhhh. Don't tell.

I was wandering around the net and found this cool site.
People send in postcards with secrets they want to confess and the editors pick a few and post new ones every sunday. They're funny, sad, sweet, racy, romantic...

Just a warning-some of them are PG 13! Parents should use their discretion *=)

I miss you guys.

Check out the site here.

Curb Your Enthusiasm: Lewis Needs A Kidney

Larry's life sure has a nice way of wrapping itself up all nice and neat like. No matter what he does or what kind of crap he pulls, he somehow always manages to come out on top. This week, his friend and real life comedian Richard Lewis finds out he needs a kidney transplant. Surely Larry will help his friend by donating a kidney, or at least take the test to see if he can. Right? On with the show!

After some coaxing from his wife Cheryl, Larry finally does take the test to see if his kidney is a match for Richard's, but he doesn't do it alone. Jeff tags along, and after the test results come back they find that they're both compatible. Good night, nurse. They fight over the honor of who will be able to donate part of themselves to help, and possibly save the life of their friend. HA! Just kidding! They play a game of eeny meeny miney mo. Larry thought he had the pattern worked out, and it did play the way he thought, but he's not the winner, he's the loser.

Larry asked Richard if there was anyone else who could donate a kidney, a family member, anyone. The only person who possibly could is Richard's crazy cousin Louis Lewis, but Louis refuses to donate until he's called to that big meet up in the sky. A few days earlier Larry and Jeff had dinner at a Jack in the Box with a mysterious former dental assistant, Pete. Pete was wanted for a string of muders and robberies of Jack in the Boxes. The were able to be his alibi for the night that a crime went down, thus getting him out of all charges. A few days later however, Pete murders and robs another Jack in the Box. The same one that Louis Lewis manages. What do you think the odds of the manager being shot are?

Kidney Donor Needed

I would like your opinion, and not just in a hypothetical, philosophical sense. We received an email at the office from mesora.org on behalf of a man named Harold Lefkowitz. He is in need of a kidney transplant and is appealing to people's generosity. He requires a donor withblood type A+ or O. Would you consider being a kidney donor for someone you do not know?

I have not discussed this with Rob or my immediate family, and I would absolutely do so, before making such a decision.

btw if you are interested, Harold Lefkowitz's phone number is: 516-431-0861 and his email is: bafkowitz@aol.com