Microsoft at it again...

Today we read "Microsoft Sued Over Bing Trademark".
While this is nothing new, after all, Microsoft is in the news a lot for some kind of Copyright infringement, but what is new it the following statement by Kevin Kutz, "[Microsoft] always respect[s] trademarks and other people's intellectual property, and look[s] forward to the next steps in the judicial process."... Really?

Lets Review:
Microsoft settles Paltalk copyright infringement suit

Microsoft's copyright infringement

Microsoft Found Guilty Of Character Input Copyright Infringement In China

Microsoft Ordered To Pay $290M, Stop Selling Word

And these are just some of the most recent cases...

Microsoft doesn't even respect it's customers and the users of it's operating systems, WHY would it respect someone's copyright or trademark?

From the Round File

Man shot in Bluffdale last summer now accused of sexual abuse
If you remember, this guy got into an altercation with a neighbor as he was supposedly "doing his rounds" as a neighborhood watch captain... he stopped to talk to a couple teen girls, and the neighbor intervened, thinking this dude was picking up on the girls... a gun fight ensued, and this guy got shot... the other guy got in trouble, but that might all change now, as we find out that there WAS CONCERN... the neighborhood watch captain now stands accused of sexual abuse... so maybe he was picking up on the teen girls?

Digital Abuse
Well, I guess it had to happen some time... when you carry around something that allows access to you 24/7/365 (your cell phone) that someone would just figure they could stalk you, follow you around electronically...

Lawsuit against Intermountain Healthcare draws calls for change
This is one of those points that should be covered in the Healthcare Reform... a way for Hospitals AND insurance companies to make sure they milk us for every last penny that they can...
But it prolly won't be covered, and that means more "reform" to try and fix a broken system... why don't they just fix what is broken and leave the rest alone?

Charities Upset Over Chase Facebook Contest
I have a hard time feeling sorry for the likes of, "Students for Sensible Drug Policy (SSDP)" or "Marijuana Policy Project"... I don't think their cause deserves $25000 nor do they deserve the chance at $1000000...
But to be fair, I don't think Chase should be rigging the results of a contest either...

Mitt Romney: President's stimulus package has failed
Well, no kidding. It was a failed policy under Bush, so it could only be a failed policy under Obama... But try telling the Democrats that... they think Obama's stimulus is better than Bush's... interesting, isn't it?

Syracuse man's arrest serves as wakeup call for parents
THis should be filed in the "what the hell are my kids doing" file...
When your child comes home from a friend's house on a new or different bicycle, you, as the parent, should ask, "hay, where'd that new bike come from?" You aren't supposed to say, "hay, nice bike!"
We should be more responsible as parents, so our children can grow up responsible.

A&E focuses on teenage Utah psychic
I love these kinds of stories... not that I believe in psychics or anything, but I like to hear about people getting some recognition for some special talent or ability. It isn't main-stream, but it is still kind of cool. Unless you ride a uni-cycle... (just kidding)...

Some Salt Lake County residents to pay fee for police force
I am confused by this. When we pay our city and county taxes, we pay for the services of Police and Emergency Services (fire, etc)... so why are they able to charge people in the Unincorporated areas an extra fee for the same service they are already paying for?
I will be writing a letter to someone on the Hill to get answers to that question... it seems like a penalty for living out of the incorporated areas...that isn't right and maybe not even legal.

KSL 5 News investigates major medical billing lawsuit
This is one of the things I have been talking about for a while now. These are the practices that need to be fixed, not everything else. If we could solve the issues with over-billing, insurance fraud, kick-back deals, etc, we could save a ton of money, and healthcare services would become cheaper.

The Myth and Mystery surrounding Guns

I am not from the Old West, I am not a "nut case" (although there are those that might argue with that)... I just happen to believe that we have a right to protect ourselves, our property, our families, and our friends.
Our Founding Fathers also felt this way, and often said so:

"Firearms stand next in importance to the Constitution itself. They are the people's liberty teeth (and) keystone... the rifle and the pistol are equally indispensable... more than 99% of them [guns] by their silence indicate that they are in safe and sane hands. The very atmosphere of firearms everywhere restrains evil interference [crime]. When firearms go, all goes, we need them every hour." (George Washington addressing the 1st Congress)

They intended the Constitution as a guide to protecting our Liberties, Freedoms, and Rights, and to outline Citizen's Responsibilities and the Government's Limitations. The Second Amendment protects our Right to Self Defense: not just to defend the country, but to defend our person; and not just from foreign enemies, but from domestic ones as well.

We have a problem in our country today...we have organizations and government representatives that would like to take our rights away, including our right to self defence, leaving us vulnerable and at the mercy of those who would harm us.
It all started in the 1830s, when Georgia tried to ban handguns, but the ban was struck down. This is the same situation we find in Washington DC, with the Heller Decision. We do have the right to own guns.
This trend has continued through the years and is still an issue today:

"If I could have banned them all- 'Mr. and Mrs. America turn in
your guns' -I would have!" (Diane Feinstein, US Senator, in a Statement on the TV program 60 Minutes, Feb 5 1995)

So, to help eliminate the MYTH and MYSTERY regarding guns, I would point you to a small book called "Gun Facts", its free, and it is an easy read.

I have posted other blog entries regarding gun safety and responsibility, so I won't rehash those, but I would also like to point you to some other resources for more information to help clear up any misconceptions you might have regarding guns and gun ownership.
Gun Control is kind of a misconception. It only controls those people who follow and honor the laws. A criminal, by definition, does not follow or honor the law. So who is affected in Gun Control? Certainly not what they were hoping. There are hundreds of quotes regarding "protecting our children" and "stopping crime", but if criminals are the ones causing crime, and they don't follow the law, then why would Gun Control protect our children and reduce crime?
The Logic is flawed.

Another thing to point out is the utter ridiculousness of our gun laws... First off, lets take the MOST DANGEROUS AND DEADLY consumer product made in the world -- no, it isn't a gun, it is an automobile. Now, lets look at the Licensing and Registration requirement for this, most dangerous, product...
Driving Test, written and in practice.
Photo ID, with identifying information.
Is good in all 50 states.
Does not limit size, shape, brand, model, or color of vehicle.
I can buy or sell it without keeping records.
I don't need Government Approval to buy or own one.
The government does not track how many I have, or how fast they go.

Now, what about Guns?
Some states require classes and a range test.
Some states have a photo, some have other identifying info.
Some states recognize an out-of-state permit.
In some states I cannot own one.
In some states I cannot carry it openly.
In some states I cannot carry it concealed.
I have to have special permission to own automatic weapons.
Some states ban scary-looking weapons.
Some states limit the number of bullets I can have.
Some states require paperwork when sold.
Feds require tracking and background checks.

A friend wrote this article that takes a look at how we could change the existing gun laws to make them simple and effective.
Part of the problem we face with Gun Laws is that they are just ineffective. We should streamline them to make them more effective, and enforce the existing gun laws with recommended punishments for abuses of those laws. That would reduce most of the problem right there.

Now, if that doesn't clear it up, or at least give you some idea that all the "Myth and Mystery" regarding Guns is simple "HYPE", then I don't know what will.

Cancer, no Cancer, Cancer, no Cancer...huh?

I recently read an article that says there is a link between cellphone usage and brain cancer:
Study: Cell phone cancer link

This study states:

A groundbreaking, $30 million study into cell phones has found a link between long term use and brain tumors.

and

The project carried out studies in 13 countries, talking to tumor sufferers as well as healthy cell phone users, It interviewed 12,800 people.

This study was conducted by the WHO (World Health Organization) which is funded by the UN.

In another study:
No tumour link to mobile phones, says study

We see a different conclusion:

Deltour's team analysed annual incidence rates of two types of brain tumour -- glioma and meningioma -- among adults aged 20 to 79 from Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden from 1974 to 2003. These countries all have good cancer registries that keep a tally of known cancer cases.

This represents about 30 years of data and 16 MILLION people, with a result of:

We did not detect any clear change in the long-term time trends in the incidence of brain tumours from 1998 to 2003 in any subgroup," Isabelle Deltour of the Danish Cancer Society and colleagues wrote.

Hmmm. So who is right? a $30 million study to ask 12,800 people or a study over 30 years with 16,000,000 million people? Which one do you think is more statistically relevant? (and this is true even if we look only at the 60,000 cancer patients, not the full population).

So, this argument has been passed back and forth, back and forth, for years...and there still is no concensus on it.
Do cellphones cause cancer? I dunno...
But many really don't think so, "Cell Phones Don't Increase Chances of Brain Cancer"...

Well, one thing I do know for sure is, anything could cause cancer in the State of California... at least, that is what the label says...

UPDATE:
I found another study, but I don't know how it fits in this little battle...
Studies Find Harm From Cellular and Wi-Fi Signals

YMMV

Christians and Socialism

I have heard it time and again, people saying that the Church as established by Christ is rooted in Socialism. I disagree. Not to be contrary, but to clarify.

Yes, there are some things in the scriptures that can be interpreted as being socialist in nature, but Christ also taught about Stewardship, Responsibility, and Accountability.

“Thou shalt not be idle; for he that is idle shall not eat the bread nor wear the garments of the laborer.(D&C 42:42)” Let us hope that that spirit of independence that was with our pioneer fathers may be re-awakened in us, and that none who are Latter-day Saints holding the Priesthood of God will be guilty of being idle.”
(Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Heber J. Grant)

In Genesis, the LORD tells us how life should be:

Genesis 3:19
In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.

Psalms remids us why we should work:

Psalms 128:2
For thou shalt eat the labour of thine hands: happy shalt thou be, and it shall be well with thee.

No person who has "made their way" ever got their wealth because they were afraid of work:

Proverbs 13:11, 19:15, and 21:25
Wealth gotten by vanity shall be diminished: but he that gathereth by labour shall increase.
Slothfulness casteth into a deep sleep; and an idle soul shall suffer hunger.
The desire of the slothful killeth him; for his hands refuse to labour.

Here is one of the "socialist" scriptures, only, it isn't what you think...

Acts 20:35
I have shewed you all things, how that so labouring ye ought to support the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive.

There are 2 parts here, we should labour to support the weak... not those that won't work or don't work... and we should GIVE our support, not have that support TAKEN from us.

To take what isn't yours is stealing:

Ephesians 4:28
Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth.

So when the Government takes my money and gives it to someone who could earn their own, that is stealing.

The Church in the time of Christ supported helping the weak, but for those that could work, work was required:

2 Thessalonians 3:8, 10
Neither did we eat any man’s bread for nought; but wrought with labour and travail night and day, that we might not be chargeable to any of you:
For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat.

Whether or not you believe in the Book of Mormon, it contains many good words of wisdom.
This is essentially the Golden Rule, "do unto others as you would have done unto you", would you like someone leaching off your labor, and would you leach off someone else's labor?

Mosiah 27:4
That they should let no pride nor haughtiness disturb their peace; that every man should esteem his neighbor as himself, laboring with their own hands for their support.

In this verse, we get the same feeling as from 2 Thessalonians 3:8 and 10 and 27:4, that we should all labor and help those that are weak, sick, or otherwise afflicted.

Alma 1:26-27
And when the priests left their labor to impart the word of God unto the people, the people also left their labors to hear the word of God. And when the priest had imparted unto them the word of God they all returned again diligently unto their labors; and the priest, not esteeming himself above his hearers, for the preacher was no better than the hearer, neither was the teacher any better than the learner; and thus they were all equal, and they did all labor, every man according to his strength.
And they did impart of their substance, every man according to that which he had, to the poor, and the needy, and the sick, and the afflicted; and they did not wear costly apparel, yet they were neat and comely.

We are reminded to not be idle. Why? Well, we have all heard the phrase, "Idle hands are the Devil's workshop" - this might also explain why there is so much crime among those that use/abuse social services.

Alma 38:12
Use boldness, but not overbearance; and also see that ye bridle all your passions, that ye may be filled with love; see that ye refrain from idleness.

and

D&C 52:39
Let the residue of the elders watch over the churches, and declare the word in the regions round about them; and let them labor with their own hands that there be no idolatry nor wickedness practised.

Even in the Doctrine and Covenants (another LDS Scripture), we get some good advice.
I think the message here covers many that are using/abusing social services, it is among these people that we have the highest crime rate in the nation:

D&C 56:17
Wo unto you poor men, whose hearts are not broken, whose spirits are not contrite, and whose bellies are not satisfied, and whose hands are not stayed from laying hold upon other men’s goods, whose eyes are full of greediness, and who will not labor with your own hands!

Some might say this scripture supports socialism, but in reality, we are told to do as the gospel requires, and that is described above:

D&C 88:123-125
See that ye love one another; cease to be covetous; learn to impart one to another as the gospel requires.
Cease to be idle; cease to be unclean; cease to find fault one with another; cease to sleep longer than is needful; retire to thy bed early, that ye may not be weary; arise early, that your bodies and your minds may be einvigorated.
And above all things, clothe yourselves with the bond of charity, as with a mantle, which is the bond of perfectness and peace.

Charity...the act of giving selflessly. Note: we should GIVE support not have our support TAKEN...
And in Thessaloniki, the saints were taught to "love one another" and to "work with [their] own hands" so that they would be "honest" and "lack nothing":

1 Thessalonians 4:9-12
But as touching brotherly love ye need not that I write unto you: for ye yourselves are taught of God to love one another. And indeed ye do it toward all the brethren which are in all Macedonia: but we beseech you, brethren, that ye increase more and more; And that ye study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you; That ye may walk honestly toward them that are without, and that ye may have lack of nothing.

So, did Christ support socialism in the early Church? Well, one thing is for sure, He DID NOT support what we commonly call Socialism today. The LDS Church has social welfare programs, but they don't just give; they also require. If you can work, in any capacity, they require you DO something for your support. They have programs where you can make quilts, crochet, help stock shelves, work in the cannery, clean the churches, etc, etc, etc... and for things like making quilts, the Church will provide all the materials you need, but you provide the labor.
The Federal Government has been looking into an overhaul of our government's social services for many years, and they look to the LDS Church for ideas on how to fix things. Unfortunately, they are unable to create a program that requires something of the people using the services. I am not sure of all the details, but people are, basically, unwilling to do anything. They might suffer from the "entitlement" mentality - that somehow, they are entitled to or deserve something for nothing. Or it might be something else.
The one thing I do know for sure is, if we continue to support the modern day socialistic trend, we will fail, we will fall into a very dark place. If crime follows those that use/abuse social services, then the more people using/abusing services the more crime. And it doesn't help to have the government taking our money and giving it to those that don't deserve it.

Support Social Welfare reform, but not the current plans being touted by this adminstration. There are better solutions.

From the Round File

'Warrior Gene' Linked To Gang Membership, Weapon Use
While I think they have found something, "Warrior" is NOT equal to "Criminal". We should be careful about our conclusions on this kind of research, or people will come to the wrong conclusions. Cops most likely have the "Warrior Gene", violent criminals prolly do too, but anyone who has a desire to compete in sports (including fencing, archery, rifle or pistol shooting, or any of the martial arts) prolly has this gene.

Scientists Say a Dirty Child Is a Healthy Child
This actually makes sense to me. That is why we didn't get the Swine Flu vaccine. My kids all got the Swine Flu, and now they won't have to worry about it ever again.
We also teach good hygiene, and we have snakes, so we use hand sanitiser, but we aren't so "clean" as to deprive them of the necessary health benefits... or so this article leads me to believe.

Changes Coming to Credit Card Rates
So why has it taken them this long to respond to this problem? I got a credit card for emergencies... it had a 10% rate on it when I got it (and it even had a smaller introductory rate)... now it is as 29%... OUCH! needless to say, I don't use it.
Now, if we can just get the banks to understand... charging bounced check fees or overdraft fees is a bad idea.......
If my account is empty and a charge won't clear, how can I pay the extra fees too?

Environmental Chemicals Are Feminizing Boys
I am actually surprised that I haven't heard anything about this from the Homosexual groups...
I know "gender confusion" is something that tends to lead some people to homosexuality, but maybe there is another reason, one that is biological, but not natural...?


Air Cannon Ties Pirates In Knots
I have heard that some boats are using some of the military "active denial" systems for this, including HIGH PRESSURE WATER CANNONS, MICROWAVE PAIN MACHINES, SOUND CANNONS, and EMP CANNONS...this is the first time I have seen something this clever...and cheep!

Dell Defect Turning 2.2GHz CPU Into 100MHz CPU?
Oops. This shouldn't have gotten into the wild. I test software and hardware and I find many bugs in architecture as well as implementation. This one is serious, and I hope they make it right with their customers.

New device aims to make teens safer drivers
It wouldn't take any of my kids very long to figure out how to disable it, or simply ignore it. But it is an interesting idea. I believe there are some GPS units that already have similar functions -- wasn't it Avis who had one of their cars taken and the user took it across state lines...so they charged him for an out of state fee... by using the GPS onboard?
You can also track most cellphones by the GPS in them. Combined with mapping software, you should know just how fast they were going, and where they were.

Stay tuned for more randomness from the Round File!

The "Entitlement" Mentality as Fostered by the Government

It wasn't that long ago that people worked for their money. They would go out and earn a living. The world didn't owe them anything, nor did they expect anything for free.
Now, we fast forward to today. People feel they are "entitled" to a job. They feel they are owed something by society. They have no problems taking something that doesn't belong to them.

Part of the problem is Socialism. Socialism is a Governmental philosophy of "distribution of wealth". In other words, if I make $100,000 and you make $50,000, then they would take $25,000 from me and give $25,000 to you. Now we both have $75,000.
While this works in theory, the entitlement mentality spreads... after all, why should I do $100,000 worth of work when I can do $50,000 worth and get paid $75,000?

Once this process breaks down, we end up in the hurt-locker. No one is making $100,000, everyone still wants $75,000, but there is no one to pay us the extra $25,000...

Essentially, this is what is happening with the Healthcare debates. I would pay X number in taxes and that money would buy someone healthcare, and I would be required to have my own healthcare ...
Only, who will pay for my healthcare? Now, as the people realize they can get free healthcare, will they support the program with money of their own? Where is the incentive? It is the same as the scenario above.

And, if I am a big business, the Free Market says that if I am an idiot and I don't have a good product, or I don't do my marketing right, or if I have a failing business plan...then my business fails, and I go under. The Socialist plan is that they throw money at your business to save jobs and consume products from other companies... but it doesn't require that you be intelligent with your business.
The Government recently did this with the likes of AIG, Sally May and Ferdie Mac...and many other businesses...mostly banks, who made bad business choices and really stupid mistakes. Instead of letting them go under and reaping the rewards of their labor, the Government gives them money... now, where is the incentive to do better?

So now, instead of making good business decisions, the Telcos are asking for bail-out money. They have learned that you don't have to have a good business strategy, you just have to ask for Government support. Where is their incentive to succeed, to provide a great product or service? They don't have to market or sell to the customer any more, they just have to get the Government to give them money for them to succeed.

Telcos Want Big Subsidies, Not Line-Sharing

We are doing this to ourselves. We should be standing up and shouting, STOP! But where is our incentive?

The More You Buy, The More You Save

This is marketing hype... we hear it every day. And yet, it isn't even possible for the statement to be true. It is what we lovingly call an Oxymoron.
If you spend $50 to save 10%, you actually still spent $45. If you spend $100 to save 25%, you have still spent $75. $75 is still MORE than $50, so you have spent more... however, it is also true that 25% is more than 10%, so actually did "save more"...
This is how they get away with this marketing ploy...

As we read this, we think that somehow spending more keeps more money in our pockets...or saving money... But for this to be true, it would have to be like this:
If you spend $50 to save 10%, you still spend $45. if you spend $100, you should save 65% (or more) so you spend a total of $45... that way, the more you buy, the more you save...

Well, ok, so my logic is a little flaky, but the point I want to make isn't even about sales, but about Marketing...

Democrats: Health care bill saves money and jobs

Tell me... How does spending $1.2 TRILLION save money? Don't be fooled, the news media (or the Democrats) is (are) putting the marketing spin on this issue. It is the same Marketing ploy as the one described above.

What would really save money?
Working on how to solve the Graft, Greet, Corruption, Waste and Fraud that plagues the current systems, and find ways to prevent it from happening in the future.

But you won't see that advertised... it suffers the same fate as my slogan, "the more you buy, the more you spend"... truth isn't usually a big component of cheep marketing ploys.