Well, chalk up even more points for the Mac. It turns out I have been bombarded by the MyDoom virus–and I wasn’t even aware of it! Having a Mac and all can be an advantage, as such pernicious worms and trojan horses simply bounce off, leaving my computer completely unaffected.

However, if you happen to get your email on a Windows PC (my condolences), then you should be aware that the MyDoom virus has probably arrived on your computer several times since late January. I myself have received a dozen or more variations. Here’s how to tell:

First, the email comes with an attachment. That should be your first big warning–NEVER open an email attachment until you are 200% certain of what it is by means of foolproof authentication (e.g., calling up the sender and asking them exactly what they sent and why). MyDoom creates variations of the attachment’s document name, a trick which nonetheless raised my suspicions when I found myself getting short emails with attachments named “readme,” “document,” “test,” “text,” “data,” and a few other names–but they are all short, generic–and came in ZIP file format.

Most of them came with a simple one-line message, reading, “The message cannot be represented in 7-bit ASCII encoding/Unicode characters and has been sent as a binary attachment.” Other variations include faked “failed delivery,” “undelivered mail” or “returned mail” messages.

It’s the variations that are tricky–they make the emails look slightly different. Some variations come with a scrambled-foreign-language message with the attachment, a trick that would have zapped a friend of mine had she not had antivirus software running, lucky her.

So what will happen if you’re infected? According to McAfee’s virus library, two things. First, MyDoom will steal your email addresses from you address book and generate some new email addresses, then send the worm to them; in addition, it will open ports (data access points) on your computer, making it so that hackers could take control of your machine. This page also provides a detailed description.

So you get that kind of email, steer clear–and always steer clear of attachments unless you’re doubly sure.

Update: and they keep on coming. Not 5 minutes after I posted this, another MyDoom email arrived, making for a total of fifteen since January 26th.

The photo gallery for the Democrats Abroad Japan Caucus is up and ready for view. If you would like copies of any photos at larger resolutions and/or higher image quality, leave a comment to let me know. Enjoy!

I asked the film crew that was at the caucus, and they said that what they taped would be on a show on Channel 4 (Tokyo) aired from 5 pm to 7 pm on Tuesday, which presumably would be tomorrow… this being Monday, just by thirty minutes.

Will give more info when I get it.

UPDATE:Well, for some reason they didn’t have use on TV. They did 15 minutes on a soccer player, 20 minutes on a transgender performer in Roppongi and even more time on a dry cleaning service, but we didn’t make the cut–very disappointing. There was a fire in Akihabara that kind of ran through the newscast, so possibly we got bumped for that.

However, the New York Times did see fit to writing an article about us!

Well, the caucus has been over for a while now–I stopped over at Akiyoshi for dinner after having had no breakfast or lunch, then came straight home and rested for a while.

The caucus went a little long, until a bit past 6:30, until the Foreign Correspondents People chased us out. After we finished the delegate assignments and the votes for who would go to Scotland for the main caucus, everyone settled down again to hear out the resolutions.

First came a resolution for Environmental Justice, represented in a 3-page missive stating the necessity of environmental protection that has been so savagely attacked by the Bush administration. Rejoining the Kyoto accord, tax incentives for renewable resources, and other important environmental policies were espoused, to be voted for positively by the remaining caucus members (by this time we had lost about a third of the attendees). After that, two resolutions, affirming gay rights and staking a position against any constitutional amendment outlawing gay marriage were adopted with similar speed and acceptance.

Other resolutions, most drafted on the spot, were met with more questions and quite a few revisions. One forwarded by someone obviously a bit puzzled and overwhelmed by the confusion involved in the caucus process was to suggest the process be changed to a primary. Apparently it would have to be done so for all Democrats Abroad chapters (more than 30 now), but there were many people who agreed. Still, the the idea had not been well thought out, and there were many questions about how it would be decided and by whom. Eventually, the matter was withdrawn, though the idea will be discussed by the DA and perhaps decided later in a different forum.

Next came a proposal for “Sound Science,” which met with a great deal of questioning, but was nevertheless a very popular issue. It stemmed from the practice of Bush and conservatives in relegating scientific study to the realm of religion and politics, with only studies that supported the political desires of the administration, or agreeing with fundamentalist doctrines, allowed to be heard at the highest levels. The presenter who felt strongly enough to stand up and take on the questions stated that “the past four years have been really depressing for those who believe in things like, you know, facts… reason… research.” Discussion then began over what exactly “sound science” referred to, whether it was supposed to be a partisan or exclusionary term–which is was not, as the proponent pointed out. Eventually, the idea of defining “sound science” as repeatable results, independent verification and peer review was whittled down to “independent peer review,” allowing for uncertainty and difference of opinions resulting from differing interpretations of data. But the heart remained, that being to stop religion or political forces from censoring or steering scientific data and discussion. The proposal passed resoundingly, as did most that passed.

Then there was the suggestion forwarded by Terri MacMillan, who runs the DAJ web site and blog, to explore the possibility of forming a committee to advance outreach programs to minorities and poor communities, particularly via broadband Internet, so that they may become more a part of the political process, more connected to choices and rights available to them, and end a virtual disenfranchisement that many people today suffer from. Again, there were questions and suggestions for revisions, but when the powerful “Yea” vote came through, Terri was delighted, letting out a joyous “Oh, Wow!”

Then came a final proposed resolution, one which was met well in spirit if not well in specific form, that being to increase combat pay for those in Iraq and anyplace else where they face danger by the amount of $500 per month. This was debated on various grounds, such as how it would be paid for and exactly what the details were. Eventually, the suggestion came from Ruth McCreery that we bring back a kind of new version of the G.I. bill, guaranteeing a tuition-free education for every veteran; later, it was pointed out that the main spirit of the bill was to mend the multiple and various acts of violence done to veteran’s benefits by the Bush administration, so a repair of those wrongs was added, all on top of the $500/mo. “hazardous duty kicker” as defined by someone close to military culture. The resolution was passed.

All of these resolutions will eventually be taken to Scotland and proposed there, presumably to be worked into similar proposals and then voted on so they can be brought in to Boston for the convention.

Altogether, a productive meeting and four (really five) hours well-spent. I was very happy to find the live WiFi connection allowing me to post live from the meeting hall, and took quite a few photos, many coming soon, that helped document the activities. When more information–such as the official minutes–become available, I will post on them. Coming next: the photo gallery.

Well, it has been quite a caucus so far. We are now getting ready for the resolutions, after having taken the votes for the groups.

At the first count, it was Dean, Kerry, Kucinich, Edwards, Uncommitted, and Clark–so the Uncommitted, Clark, Edwards and Kucinich people, with the least votes, had to vote elsewhere or combine to make a larger group. This is where the “horse trading” started. A lot of the smaller-group people joined the uncommitteds, making them a viable group. The Dean group, from some reports (nothing official), had made a deal with the Kucinich people, to give them enough people to make the count in exchange for Kucinich people coming to Dean if Kucinich lost out–and that is what happened. After we lost a few people to time, the final count was: Dean 69, Kerry 51, and the Uncommitted group with 29. That’s the three delegates right there, the people going to Scotland.

Barbara, very committed to this cause and excited to be involved, volunteered to be an alternate delegate. The Kerry group, which I am in, elected a main delegate and three alternates (one of which is moving to North England in three weeks anyway). So now everything is getting dealt with so we can vote with our blue cards for the resolutions. More on that as it goes. A long process, and almost over, but it has been a real experience.

Okay, here is some live (and therefore sloppy) reporting on what is happening.

Mr. Skip Orr speaks for John Kerry; a lifelong Democrat, he nonetheless served in the Reagan administration, and tells that the Bush administration, particularly what he calls the “Bush cabal” are strong neo-conservatives, way farther right than Reagan and his people ever were. He spoke of a nightmare–January 2005 and Bush is at the Rotunda, with his trademark smirk, taking the oath. Unfortunately, probably because he was trying to save time, he didn’t say too much, didn’t speak too long.

The rep for Wesley Clark, Sven Serrano, has stepped up and presented three quick video commercials, and made a very good presentation. As might be expected, everyone is wowed by Clark’s credentials. But with his low numbers in recent primaries and caucuses, there are probably a lot of people who would like to cote for him but won’t. (He later got 11 of the 140 votes cast.)

Bob Scheele came to represent John Edwards. He gave a pretty straightforward campaign stump speech, fairly much in line with the basic Democratic party lines, as with everyone else. But like Clark, behind Kerry in the voting so far, probably a lot of people are wishing he weren’t quite so vocal against taking a vice-presidential spot should he eventually drop out.

The Dean people are a very strong presence here. Lauren Shannon (of Fujimama’s) gave the presentation, with a nice TV spot and a good letter from Dean. She spoke about the Dean people from Japan and all over who came to Iowa to help with the Dean campaign. And of course, there was the inevitable mention of Dean as the outsider, and particularly as the one who protested and stood up against Bush first, and got this whole ball of wax rolling as it has. The Dean people are indeed committed, a lot of fire in their bellies, but the Dean campaign is lagging after not having won a single state yet, and with Dean so far behind in Wisconsin, which he has pretty much tagged now as a do-or-die state. But this is really a Dean stronghold here, and a lot of votes are going to Dean. (Dean later got the most votes, though because this is a caucus, he got one of three delegates.)

Wayne Parton speaks for Dennis Kucinich, although he was not the official representative–so he read from a script. Told the story of Kucinich, which was impressive enough. Youngest mayor of Cleveland, college instructor, and Congressman from Ohio, replacing the Republican incumbent. Also fought against the “Enron-like” takeover of Cleveland’s power system. He also spoke well on how Kucinich voted against the Patriot Act, against the war in Iraq–and spoke honestly about his chances, but pointed out rightly that Clinton was way down in January, and that getting to the convention and contributing to the party plank is important. This “unofficial” rep spoke on and on, but he said great things–and was eventually shouted off the podium for time.

John McCreery has given us a reminder that the important thing is not just electing a president, but that getting twelve representatives, two senators, and one president–and even then, it is just the beginning.

The official count is in–156 people are here today, more than tripling past turnouts, and everyone is energized.

The straw poll is now being counted, and the figures coming in soon.

There was also discussion of how Americans abroad can vote–and according to Mr. McCreery, we should be able to vote for President, Vice President, and for members of Congress. The laws and regulations are laid out at www.fvap.gov.

Brent has the figures, I think, and is ready to announce the count: instant gratification–from the least: Al Sharpton got 1 vote; Wesley Clark with 11 votes; Uncommitted with 12 votes; Edwards with 15; Mr. Kucinich with 18; Kerry got 43; and Howard Dean came out with 52. Only groups with at least 15% of the straw poll can get candidates–you need 23%. However, another relevant rule is that we only get to elect three delegates to Scotland, so that three groups only can elect delegates. In the case of more than three viable groups, the three largest groups get the delegates. So there will be some horse trading as groups get together and talk about how votes get assigned and swapped and bartered and so forth.

More as it comes in. And I’ll clean this up later.

Here’s a photo of Andrew, Barbara and I sitting front and center at the caucus–the Democratic Party Delegation from Lakeland Japan; the newly elected leader of the caucus, John McCreery of DAJ, is giving the opening explanation, with people asking questions throughout–not to mention the camera crew from Channel 4.

The straw poll is about to begin….

Well, we’ve just gotten our final 5-minute warning (as opposed to all the other 5-minute warnings), but this time it looks for real, and the caucus will get started. I was very happy to find a live WiFi connection here, so I’ll be blogging from here as often as I can.

The turnout is amazing. Usually about 40 or 50 people turn out to the caucus–but now there are about 150 people crowding the room! And Barbara came in at the last minute–the office gang, and Sako from the Expat, are all here!

Now for the fun to begin!

This one I took a few days ago, and neglected to post. I love sunsets like these.

Well, I’m off to the Democratic caucus for Democrats Abroad (Japan). Wish me luck! I’ll be taking snapshots of the event, if they’re allowed, and will post more in detail tonight. Until then!

Josh Marshall pointed out this blog entry by someone looking at Bush’s National Guard records; it’s worth taking a look at. Essentially, it deals with the famous torn document–the only documentation made available by Bush’s people to counter even a small part of the AWOL charge. The document, however, has the left side–with most of the pertinent information–quite carefully torn off, including the name (only a “W” remains, like the Chesire Cat’s smile). The only clue that the form pertains to Bush aside from the “W” is a social security number–which happens to be blacked out, we’re left to trust Bush’s people when they say this document is his.

One has to admit, this is rather brazen of them. One could barely come up with anything that shouts “outright sham” as loudly as this. But then, we have other “proof” that Bush didn’t go AWOL: specifically, Bush’s own word, and assurances that unnamed acquaintances of Bush will anonymously proclaim that they saw Bush leave for duty during the time in question. Well, I’m convinced! That Bush is even a more shameless liar than I had ever thought before, that is.

In the meantime, Bush is not only underfunding domestic defense measures, he has even started trying to cut funding for homeland security.

And he’s going to appear on “Meet the Press” with Tim Russert. Some have predicted that Russert will throw softballs since this is such a treat for a journalist, but I don’t know–Russert has been tough on guests before. We’ll have to see. One can only guess that the Bush people (a) have a plan to manipulate the interview, and/or (b) Bush has been extensively trained to steer the interview as he sees fit. Should be interesting to see what he’s got up his sleeve.

One would think that with the possibility of the FBI actually threatening to arrest Cheney’s chief of staff in the Plame affair (one could have easily predicted the charge would not come from Ashcroft’s office), and with the WMD farce coming even more out in the open (despite Bush’s stacked, hand-picked panel), that Bush & Co. would be trying to keep a lid on things. Ergo my impression that something has been carefully planned for the “Meet the Press” appearance–Bush is too volatile when he’s not been carefully coached in what to say.

Will Bush implode? I strongly doubt it. Too often have we seen him shrug off hard evidence of his impropriety and illegal shenanigans, disappearing from accountability and leaving only a smirking “W” in his place.

But we should not lose hope. As the real Cheshire Cat reminded Alice, we’re sure to get somewhere, if we only walk long enough.

Well, you knew that it had to start sooner or later.

Matt Drudge, famed conservative Internet slimeball, has started spreading the rumor that Kerry had Botox injections, and as evidence, shows a series of “before” photos where Kerry has raised eyebrows or is looking upward, with the light source coming from above, and “after” photos which show Kerry with lowered eyebrows and relaxed features in direct-flash photos. Well, Gosh!

This would not be that unexpected (this is Drudge we’re talking about) save for the fact that now conservatives all over are jumping on the Botox Bandwagon, many (like Tucker Carlson on CNN yesterday) careful to phrase their comments along the lines of, “If it is revealed that he did use Botox then it will be a disaster for him.” No one that I can see, at present, is dismissing this as the wholly ludicrous, slimy and pathetic smear that it is.

Just wait until the conservative sleaze machine gets working full-force, with Bush’s $100 million-plus bankroll to back it up.

In the meantime, Bush is insisting on creating a panel, hand-picked by himself, to investigate the intelligence failures concerning the WMD that were not found in Iraq. The panel will take the place of the independent investigative committee that would have been commissioned by Congress and would have stood at least half a chance of getting to something near the truth. But a presidential panel? Forget it–it is already a foregone conclusion what they will find. Let’s not kid ourselves. Look at the Valerie Plame affair–has there been any headway there? Hardly–and administration sources have spoken off the record saying that they have effectively plowed that one under. Talk about a contrast to the Clinton years, where every unsubstantiated rumor was assigned an “independent” (i.e., Republican) counsel–the Bush administration, when forced by its outrageous misconduct into action, simply investigates itself and finds itself to have done nothing wrong.

And the sleaze just keeps on coming.

Conservatives, it seems, are indignant nowadays because people are actually paying attention to discussion about President Bush’s rather inglorious military record. Didn’t we dismiss that four years ago, they wonder? No, it might have been dismissed by conservatives, but the question was never answered to satisfaction, and the press pretty much ignored it. That is not, by any measure, a justification for saying that it is irrelevant today. In fact, with Bronze- and Silver Star winner John Kerry looking to be the candidate for the Democratic ticket, Bush’s record seems all the more relevant.

While John Kerry, like George W. Bush, was the son of a prominent East Coast family and a Yale graduate, Kerry decided to go to Vietnam the honest way–while Bush, who admonished others to do their duty, got his daddy to pull strings so he could join a celebrity unit of the National Guard, guaranteed never to see combat anywhere. At an age when John Kerry was commanding a fifty-foot gunboat and taking on a Viet Cong soldier, about to fire a rocket at his crew, in personal combat, George W. Bush was sniffing cocaine and then bugging out of service for an entire year or more when they started drug testing in the Guard.

So you can see why, just maybe, Bush’s “war” record is fair game again. The question was not resolved, and all the evidence points directly at the conclusion that Bush did indeed go AWOL.

Here are just a few of the facts.

• Bush joined the Texas Air National Guard just 12 days before his student deferment ran out and he would have been eligible for the draft.
• The Guard unit Bush got into was a “celebrity” unit, with sons of two other senators (Bentsen and Towers), sons of oil magnates, and 7 sons of Dallas Cowboys players, among other offspring of powerful and influential people.
• At the time Bush applied, there were 100,000 young men or more on the waiting lists for the National Guard. The wait was usually one and a half years. Bush was accepted into the Texas Guard the very same day he applied.
• Texas Speaker of the House Ben Barnes admitted to receiving a request from a Bush family friend to get Bush into the Guard, and contacted Brig. Gen. James Rose, head of the Texas Air National Guard, to accomplish this.
• Col. Walter Staudt was so eager to take Bush in that he held a special ceremony in which he was photographed swearing Bush in, even though Bush had been sworn in earlier by a captain.
• Bush was accepted for Air Force officer and pilot training despite (a) having no flying experience whatsoever, and (b) scoring an abysmal 25% (the lowest possible passing score) on the pilot aptitude test.
• Bush specifically checked “do not volunteer” for overseas assignment.
• Bush was commissioned as a second lieutenant by “special appointment” by the unit’s C.O., despite having no ROTC in college nor having taken the 18 months’ of military service or training school–required for any commission except for surgeons.
• Was elevated into the 111th Fighter Interceptor Squadron over a waiting list of far more highly qualified and deserving pilots.
• Bush “volunteered” for action in Vietnam flying the F-102, but was unsurprisingly turned down because he had only 300 hours of flying time, whereas only volunteers with 1,000 hours flying time or more were accepted.
• The plane Bush was trained in, the F-102, was soon thereafter excluded from any active service, something that had been decided before Bush started training in them.

And then:

• In April 1972, all overseas and stateside military services started instituting drug testing.
• In May, Bush put in a request to be transfered to an inactive postal Reserve unit in the Alabama Guard. One week later, his request was turned down. Bush remained in Alabama, however, and did not return to Texas as was required.
• In August 1972, Bush was grounded from flying for “failure to accomplish annual medical examination.” It is not entirely clear exactly what happened–whether he simply did not attend the exam, or if he attended and failed; Bush’s service records are still sealed.
• Usually a Flight Inquiry Board is convened when a pilot is suspended, but none was for Bush, suggesting family connections put the kibosh on an investigation.
• In September 1972, Bush was ordered to start service in an active but non-flying Alabama Guard unit. While Bush and his people swear up and down that he served there, no records can be found of this service, and the base’s C.O. at the time, now retired Gen. William Turnipseed said, “To my knowledge, he never showed up… I had been in Texas, done my flight training there. If we had had a first lieutenant from Texas, I would have remembered.”
• In November 1972, Bush finally returned to Houston Texas, but did not report for duty with his home squadron.
• In December 1972, Bush inexplicably began working as a counselor with black youngsters in Houston, in a community service stint–often a punishment for offenders who are let off easy. His public criminal record for that period was wiped clean when Bush became governor of Texas and had his driver’s license number changed. (Rumors suggest that Bush was either caught with cocaine or for a second drunk driving offense.)
• In May 1973, Bush was ordered to serve “nine certain duty days” in person at Ellington Air Force Base in Montgomery; he never showed up.
• In summer 1973, Bush was awarded 35 “gratuitous” inactive Air Force Reserve points, which means that he did not attend his duties but was credited with serving anyway.
• Bush applies for admission into the University of Texas law school, and is turned down.
• In October 1973, Bush applies for Harvard law school, and is accepted.
• Bush is granted early discharge from the National Guard so he can attend Harvard.

This is the type of service George W. Bush offered his nation. It is a viable issue not just because it pales abysmally compared to Kerry’s record, but because (a) Bush favored the Vietnam War and admonished schoolmates who suggested they would avoid service, (b) Bush harped on his military service in selling himself as a candidate, (c) Bush has been sending tens of thousands of young men and women into battle, where more than 500 American soldiers have died, and (d) Bush still campaigns like he was some kind of top-gun war hero, with the carrier appearance in his flight suit and the surprise fake-turkey visit in Iraq, bringing up both as recently as a few weeks ago in his State of the Union speech as examples of how connected he is with servicemen and -women.

The truth which is revealed in a look at the facts listed above shows that he was far from distinguished in his “service”–that in fact, he was a chickenhawk hypocrite who used family connections to sit out the war and then deserted even that safe and comfy post. It is also of note that Bush scored exactly 25%, the lowest passing score, on his pilot’s aptitude test–which seems to suggest that he scored even lower, but was bumped up to the minimum so he could be scooted through. While this is conjecture, Bush’s record (both in the Guard and out) is full of suggestive coincidences like this one. In any case–

Bush has no authority–zero, none–to speak as a veteran or for veterans, or to use any such image for his public persona.

I was both surprised, and in a way, not surprised, when I learned today that a co-worker of mine, a Democrat and a very intelligent person, had not even heard that Bush had had any problems in his Vietnam “service.” The press covered for Bush in the last election and virtually buried the story. The facts must come out, they must become widely known. Please feel free to re-use and/or reprint this information and distribute it widely. Americans need to know who it is that they’re voting for, and who they should most definitely vote against this year.

Lieberman has officially dropped out after doing no better than 11% in any of the current vote counts (the 11% being a 2nd-place showing in Delaware). Clark is hanging in there, in a dead heat for first in Oklahoma, but is placing no better than a close third elsewhere, in New Mexico. But Oklahoma is telling, as Clark was leading in the polls there; losing that state would be Perhaps Clark will stay in for another round, but it is looking more and more like he’ll be dropping out at some point.

Haven’t heard from Kucinich, but one can expect him to hang in there–and Sharpton, as I speak, is giving a rather upbeat speech about having beaten Dean, Clark, Lieberman and Kucinich. Those claims are rather enlarged, considering that coming in third in South Carolina (10% is barely the “double-digits” he crowed about) and no better than fifth elsewhere is a dubious distinction.

Kerry is the big winner so far, clinching as many as four states, according to some news services–Delaware, Missouri and Arizona at least, with the last two being the most delegate-rich (though 0% of precincts are reporting in Arizona, I guess they must be going by exit polls). Edwards has won South Carolina, but so far that is his only victory, with Oklahoma being a possible win.

We’ll see soon. Got to get to work. But I’ll also have to blog on the Washington Post article on Bush’s National Guard service, and give a more complete rehashing of that, as Terry McAuliffe’s jab on that account has stirred things up–including a rather lame response by the Bush administration.

I just wanted to let you in on a few web resources for living in Japan that I find useful.

Yahoo Trains and Jorudan

With Tokyo’s labyrinthine train system, it is a wonder anyone can make it around town–what with the dozens of train lines crisscrossing this way and that around Tokyo, with the psychedelic spaghetti that is the subway system in midtown. Should you take the Chuo, Tozai, or Marunochi line to Kichijoji, and then transfer via the Inogashira line, or should you go by the Keio instead? Which one is cheaper? Which is faster?

Well, there’s a great web utility for those in doubt. You can find it on Yahoo Japan’s web site; just enter the starting point, destination, and when you want to travel, and the engine will produce a list of possible ways to get there, citing departure and arrival times, transfer points, and total cost and transit times. Links to maps of the station areas are included. Unfortunately for those unable to read Japanese, the Yahoo site is not provided in English (though station names may by typed that way), but not to worry: the Japanese Traffic Guide by Jorudan accomplishes the same thing in English. The Yahoo version is better if you can get by the language barrier, though.

Free Maps

None of the Japanese mapping services are in English, but if you know the language enough, they are excellent for finding what you want. Both Yahoo Maps and Mapfan allow you to find a location by narrowing down by prefecture, city, and local area–or by typing in the address, station name, or postal code.

My preference is for Mapfan–their interface is easier for me, and their maps have greater detail.

Good Weather

There are many sites to give you weather reports, but the best weather site for Japan that I have seen is the one provided by TBS. Nationwide and Tokyo-specific forecasts include an every-3-hour forecast for the day, a one-week forecast, typhoon tracking, and up-to-date satellite images and radar readings–including an animated radar display that projects rainfall hour by hour up to six hours in advance. The forecasts are not always correct, as you would expect, but they are pretty reliable–and the whole thing is available in English.

Just a few… if you have any favorites, please leave a comment and point them out!

Bush is now preparing to present a $2.4 trillion budget with increases of up to 10% for military and homeland security spending. As it stands now, the budget deficit, once assumed to be $400 billion, has ballooned to $534 billion, and that only stands to grow. While Bush had predicted the deficit could be shrunk within just a few years, even optimistic projections still leave us with about a $250 billion deficit in 2009–and the extension of tax cuts, not to mention a Mars shot, both proposed by Bush recently, would add even more to that total.

Some say that this is not such a big deal, and babble on about percentage of GDP, but one thing is very real: maintaining the debt is expensive. We paid $375 billion in 2003 just to service the interest on the national debt, and with every year of Bush deficits, that number grows by the tens of billions. We could pay $4 trillion or more over the next ten years in such payments, while the debt itself continues to grow and grow.

And while Bush digs us ever further into debt, Iraq is living up to its designation as a quagmire. We were told that the capture of Saddam Hussein would lead to an immediate increase in guerrilla activity, which would then drop off. Nothing of the sort happened. Attacks in December and January continued as before, with an average of about 50 coalition deaths every month, with no end in sight. January’s death rate, in fact, was higher than any month except for November since the major combat ended. And recent attacks on both military and civilian targets threaten Bush’s timeline of handing back control to a makeshift government on July 1st. And even if that government were to take over, it would not mean the pullout of more than a token number of U.S. troops.

All of this as more and more troops are being held over in Iraq far beyond what they were led to expect, with more and more troops expressing their unwillingness to resign for service–and all the while, Bush finds more and more ways to cut their pay and benefits.

Where is that 7% increase in military spending going? Where did the $87 billion for the wars go? And where will the extra money come from when that $87 billion runs out in early 2005? Since it is after the election, you can bet Bush won’t say anything specific–but raiding your grandkids’ piggy banks yet again is a pretty damn sure bet.

I had already read the book by Michael Chricton, so I was prepared to see a lot of it get tossed out and changed in the film version. And that’s pretty much what happened. Though generally faithful to the book, a great deal was changed, and not all to the film’s benefit. Still, the movie turned out a bit better than I had expected, and I’m not disappointed that I went to see it.

The general story is that a team of archaeologists working on a site in France come across a 650-year-old set of papers that include a plea for help from the team’s leader, Professor Johnston, who just recently went to visit a tech company in the U.S. that was funding the dig and the restoration of the site. Members from the team visit the tech company and learn that they have a functional time machine, and the professor went back to a time during the Hundred Years War between France and England, and did not return.

So off the team goes to medieval France, and things quickly go wrong. An inopportune attack by horsemen cause the team to split up, and one team member returns in a way that disables the time machine. The machine must be repaired within a certain amount of time, or the team will never be able to return. The team, meanwhile, must suffer the vagaries of the 14th century, and somehow regroup, find the professor, and return within the same time frame.

Chricton’s book had a great many more interesting points to it, as books, with much more space for exposition, are apt to do. In the novel, it is explained that they do not even engage in time travel, but in lateral travel across near-identical worlds within the multiverse. In other words, there are an infinite number of universes, called the multiverse; many of those universes are exactly the same as ours except that they are a certain time ahead or behind our time. The universe they connect to in the story is identical to ours except it is the year 1357 A.D., some 650 years behind us. So there is no actual time travel, just a hop to the next universe where things are different but the same.

Chricton manages a very interesting and well-written explanation of the quantum mechanics involved (pp. 124-131), one of the highlights of the book, in fact. And he goes into detail about how the “faxing” process works–again, interestingly done. The main problem with Chricton’s writing is the same with other novels–inappropriate focus on the technology. You see, in order to make the three-dimensional multiverse “faxing” work, the company had to develop quantum computers, which are incredibly fast and small. The problem is, quantum computers would be an incredibly profitable discovery–worth hundreds of billions of dollars at least. Multiverse travel would change the world, and again be worth untold billions or even trillions. But in the book, Chricton has this company using quantum computers and multiverse travel so they can research the building of a historical theme park. Because, apparently, that’s where the money is. Complete and utter nonsense, of course, and it kind of ruins the whole effect.

But in the movie, this is all changed–they do travel in time, and in order to do so they use a “wormhole” that they just happened to stumble upon. Less complicated, and missing Chricton’s major flaw, but in itself unsatisfying–it comes across as just some convenient plot device to get them back in time. And the loss of quantum mechanics means the absence of other neat story elements, such as probability and exactly where some technology is coming from.

But then, the story is supposed to be about people, not quantum mechanics. And in the movie, the people have changed, too. Chris Hughes is changed from a graduate student to the son of the professor, disinterested in History. Two characters are added, one a French guy named François, and another one a marine sent to lead the team–both added so they could be killed off for effect (no big secrets spilled there, folks, you could see them coming).

The story itself, however, takes quite a beating. Elements added in and thrown out all over the place. Marek gets swept away with Lady Clair instead of Chris. A complete fight and battle sequence in the mill bridge, as well as a battle with the knight at the green chapel, and many more were nixed. The use of radio communication by the team members, the mystery of who is the mad guy the tech company left behind to plague them–lots of elements like that, changed or eliminated. And the fate of one of the bad guys–accomplished in the book with spit, amusingly enough–was changed for the worse in the film.

Still, the characters were good, the storyline perhaps more coherent than if they’d remained true to the book, and the action as a whole was enjoyable–about what you would expect from a Richard Donner film (he also did Superman, the Lethal Weapon movies, and the movie version of “Maverick”).

You might want to leave this film to video or DVD. But it’s not bad.

There is a growing call for an investigation into the “intelligence” failures that led everyone to believe that Hussein had WMD, with now even Republicans calling for an investigation. That’s pretty significant, for the GOP to be in charge of the White House and both houses of Congress, and agree to investigate–quite a statement about how serious this is becoming.

David Kay calls the failures completely the fault of the intelligence community, and that is where the focus is right now. But is that really where the fault lay? Could there have been such gross incompetence? Kind of hard to believe it could have really been that bad. Or was there supposed to be an intentional campaign of misinformation? What did the entire intelligence community have to gain by that?

I am still sticking to my guns on the concept that everyone knows but no one is mentioning–the elephant in the middle of the room–that this was a case of moderate intelligence failure which was greatly exacerbated by a White House intent on invading Iraq and so pressing the intelligence community for intel that matched their agenda–even abandoning that community when it did not give good enough product. I believe there was pressure to exaggerate, I believe there was sexing up, and I believe that there was a highly selective presentation of that information. And what we see now is the intelligence community falling on its sword. The question will be how far the community is willing to fall on that sword, and whether they may crack under the strain of a Congressional investigation.

But for now, it looks like the investigation may take place, which is certain to upset the Bush administration, which was in the process of so carefully planning military and diplomatic operations so they would all line up so nicely with the election.

There’s a NASA press conference going as of this writing, and these guys are proving to have a lot more interesting things to say than the dry scientific delivery you might expect. All of them are giddy, of course, now that both Spirit and Opportunity rovers seem to be doing very well.

One small glitch in video playback showed an animation of the rover driving off the lander and stopping in mid-animation–three times–while the scientist commenting said to the effect of, “that’s exactly how the rover rolled off the lander, except for the part where it didn’t drive off the lander.” Later, a graphic was shown of where the lander would be, and the commentator said, “that would be where we ended up in the animation!” The full shot, however, was shown after the conference ended.

When another scientist tried to announce calmly that hematite (a mineral which forms in water) had been confirmed on Mars, the whole auditorium broke out in applause and a bottle of champagne was handed over to the scientist, who obligingly unwrapped the cork while calmly noting that “this is the third time I’ve been drinking today,” before explaining the highly technical “squiggly line” that proved the hematite. All in all, pretty amusing stuff, and great to see people in such good spirits.

By the way, NASA events are televised on NASA TV, which requires the Real Media Player. If CNN stops coverage, you can pick it up there.

Well, talk about having some fun. I participate in The Ornery American, part of which is a discussion forum set up by the author Orson Scott Card, where social issues are bantered over at length by people of many stripes. A very interesting discussion area, though sometimes it is better for writing practice and honing debating skills, as one side rarely changes the minds of the other on any specific issue.

Anyway, someone brought up George Bush and his past with drinking and drugs. Now, I have already written extensively on this at this site (much of it mirrored over at The Expat), so I decided that instead of reinventing the wheel, I would cobble together bits and pieces from previous blog posts, and stitch them together into one large entry on Bush’s character and Judgment in a post on Ornery. Which is what I did. I mean, what the heck, they’re my words and this is not an academic paper I was writing, just disseminating information.

One of the guys from the other side of the Bush-is-a-weasel issue then Googled some of the text I had written–and found it, of course, on my blogs. Then accused me of plagiarism! Although he did not use those precise words, he did say that I was being warned (an “ALL CAPS WARNING” no less), and then tut-tutted, saying “Deliberate dishonesty indeed.”

Of course, he fell victim to the Internet Age fact that anyone can publish, and apparently just figured that the guy he was debating couldn’t possibly be the author of the sites he’d found on Google. Despite the fact that, with every one of my posts, my handle on the Ornery forums (“Tokyo”) listed at the top of each entry serves as a link to my profile, which clearly lists this blog as my own. So, he was a little observant, but not quite enough, and was clearly way too eager to jump the gun and attack me on grounds other than that President George W. Bush has abysmal character and judgment. Still, an amusing little incident there–especially since this same guy admonished me a few weeks ago for the unthinkable transgression of posting four messages in a row. Apparently he has assigned himself hall monitor.

In other news, the damage done by Bush’s crass use of NASA as a campaign tool is beginning to show. NASA has canceled shuttle maintenance for the splendid and prolific Hubble Space Telescope because Bush’s orders leave them little if any money for other missions (Bush didn’t give NASA much new money, he mostly stole all the money from other projects). As a result, the grand old Hubble–a great success and a testament to NASA’s can-do ability–will gradually fall into disrepair and then eventually die.

Swell.

We also hear doubts that democracy is a realistic goal for the greater Middle East, where freedom is rare. Yet it is mistaken, and condescending, to assume that whole cultures and great religions are incompatible with liberty and self-government.

Which is why Bush is desperately trying not to allow full and free elections there, but rather a caucus form which would keep the majority from ruling.

As long as the Middle East remains a place of tyranny, despair and anger, it will continue to produce men and movements that threaten the safety of America and our friends.

Though Bush is too scared to say the name “Saudi Arabia.”

America acts in this cause with friends and allies at our side, yet we understand our special calling: This great Republic will lead the cause of freedom.

Despite the fact that we consistently cuddle up to dictators and do not install Democracies except rarely. We “freed” Kuwait, but it is a hereditary monarchy. We befriended Pakistan because of 9/11, but it is a country where a duly elected leader was ousted in a military coup. And let’s not get started on Saudi Arabia. Just a few example of many.

Americans took those dollars and put them to work, driving this economy forward. The pace of economic growth in the third quarter of 2003 was the fastest in nearly 20 years. New home construction: the highest in almost 20 years. Home ownership rates: the highest ever. Manufacturing activity is increasing. Inflation is low. Interest rates are low. Exports are growing. Productivity is high. And jobs are on the rise.

Home ownership is up after years of interest rates being at all-time lows, from way back in the Clinton years (as have inflation rates). This year’s home construction is high for the same reason–but it is a side effect, not a save-all solution. Home sales are not high because more people are employed or that more people are successful, which is usually why high home sales are a good sign. It’s just a good time to finance, so the indicator is false. Look at big-ticket item sales–that fell in November and was flat in December. Not so good.

And interest rates are being held low to try to encourage a shift to the stock market from bonds and savings (not always working, though), and the Fed has indicated that it will keep the rates low until the job market improves, but that’s spurring fears because other parts of the economy may overheat, causing other problems.

And speaking of the job market, that’s the biggest hole in this mixed recovery: the jobs are not coming back. Thanks to the mindset of Bush and others like him (businesses are important, people are secondary), there is a hemorrhage of jobs from this country. In the recession of the 90’s, all the jobs lost were recovered within three years. Well, it’s been three years since Bush oversaw his recession, and we’re still down three million jobs. He says “jobs are on the rise,” but (as I noted in a previous segment) only 1,000 new jobs were created last month, not the 250,000 Bush needed; unemployment figures dipped slightly, but only because tens of thousands took their names off the unemployment rolls despite not having a job. And the jobs that are created are, more and more, the kind of McJobs that don’t pay well or have good benefits. Productivity is higher because of the Dilbert Factor (pointy-haired boss: I fired one guy and added all his work to another guy’s load–I doubled productivity!”), and though exports may be up, we still have a $38 billion trade deficit.

In other words, Bush is trying to talk up the economy now as hard as he was trying to talk it down when he wanted to win an election and sell his tax cuts for the rich.

By passing the No Child Left Behind Act, you have made the expectation of literacy the law of our country. We are providing more funding for our schools — a 36 percent increase since 2001. We are requiring higher standards.

Can you say “unfunded mandate”? Whether or not Bush’s numbers are bogus, one thing is certain: Bush is not providing nearly as much money as the law calls for, and as a result, local school districts are paying for it, even though their finances are as tight as everyone else’s.

We are regularly testing every child on the fundamentals.

Standardized and more prolific testing is an easy way for politicians to pretend that they’re doing something (“we’re testing!”), but as an educator, I can tell you that’s it’s full of s***. They do that in Japan–test the hell out of everyone and make the tests supreme–and as a result, you have a nation full of Japanese people who tested very high in English Language for six years in junior and senior high, and yet most still can’t make a complete sentence in speech or on paper. It’s called “teaching to the test”–if the test is paramount, then it–and not actual learning–becomes the end goal of the school. We have to teach our children how to think and learn, not how to pass tests better.

On top of which, this test-oriented bent is causing more and more schools to cheat, either by giving out answers or persuading poor students to stay home on test days–as evidenced by massive corruption in Texas, by no small coincidence.

There are no easy answers to the problems education faces today–a lot more money, a lot more respect for school teachers, and a lot more faith in all teachers to do the jobs they’ve been trained to do (get the administrators and politicians out of the classrooms, thank you) are a good start. But Bush wants none of those things.

So tonight I propose a series of measures called Jobs for the 21st Century. This program will provide extra help to middle and high school students who fall behind in reading and math, expand advanced placement programs in low-income schools, and invite math and science professionals from the private sector to teach part-time in our high schools.

Oh, an invitation! That’ll work! And naturally, there are so, so many “math professionals” out there! And scientists working at high-paying jobs for pharmaceutical companies will surely swarm to take a cut in pay so they can become substitute teachers at high schools! And of what private sector professionals that would be willing to do this, of course all have high qualifications and certifications for teaching kids, right? Oh, my aching head! How about paying people who are trained to be Math and Science teachers a decent wage and paying to improve the schools so that they at least rate minimum, and then maybe there won’t be a shortage of Math and Science teachers!

Why is throwing money always the answer to helping rich people, fixing the military or hiring executives, but when it comes to Education, somehow money is not even part of the answer? Where is Bush’s pledge for billions to help the schools? The same place all the money went for AIDS in Africa or “no child left behind,” and the same place the money for the Mars mission will go after politicians have no use for it anymore.

Ah, too much for tonight. All of this is touching off what remains of my stomach flu. But rest assured, I will be back to continue.

It has recently come to my attention that some goings-on with Bush might not be the result of a bad president, but rather a sinister conspiracy. Witness the photo below, where Bush dropped his dog Barney:

All good and well… who doesn’t drop a dog onto the tarmac now and then? But look at this shocking photo of Bush falling off his self-balancing Segway scooter:

Look carefully behind the Segway. Who is there, but…. BARNEY!!!

Did Bush really fall? Or was he pushed???

Maybe we’re on to something here… Did Barney remove the WMD from Iraq? Did he slip a Killer Pretzel into the bowl? Or is he using doggy mind-control to make Bush speak funny? What else can we blame on Barney? Let’s hear it, folks!