Old Fox KM Journal : August 2004

Monday, August 30, 2004

Nigerian Busts in 2004 for Advance Fee Fraud Scams

Don't Bank On It

Accra, Ghana - 01/15/04, GNA - An Accra Circuit Court on Thursday for the second time remanded in custody two Nigerians, who are accused of possessing forged Bank of Ghana Forms.

Mr Frank Eleazer Chakwude Ahumibe, a Businessman and Innocent Emeka Okoye, a Trader, have been charged with conspiracy and possessing forged documents.

The court chaired by Mr Emmanuel Ankarah, did not take their plea and they are to reappear on January 29.

The facts, as presented by Police Inspector Bennett Sarfo are that on July 9, 2003, Mr D.J. Moriss, a Business Consultant in the United Kingdom, received a letter on the Bank of Ghana headed form indicating that he had a sealed box containing precious item which had been lodged with the Bank.

Prosecution said the complainant who had not deposited anything with the Bank got alarmed and realised that it could be Advance Free Fraud (419) activists.
... read more

Friday, August 27, 2004

Old Fox portrait

Managing Information Message Board ->Managing Information ->Managing Information Help | Search | Members

Another Lexis search template test

Expansion of Banking Interests

Select a Jurisdiction:

(enter search terms)

CELEX EU Law Database: Combined Files

Monday, August 23, 2004

Bloomsbury.com's Magazine

Postmodern Term Paper Generator

The Postmodernism Generator -- Never miss another due date.

The Postmodernism Generator was written by Andrew C. Bulhak, using the Dada Engine, a system for generating random text from recursive grammars.

More detailed technical information may be found in Monash University Department of Computer Science Technical Report 96/264: "On the Simulation of Postmodernism and Mental Debility Using Recursive Transition Networks". An on-line copy is available.

The Postmodernism Generator is no longer available at this site due to some server problems, but it is available from a mirror site. To generate an essay, follow this link.

The word of the law

A new Quiz

All rise for the honourable justice system.
Click here

Sunday, August 22, 2004

Cone of Silence

----- Original Message -----
From: oldfox
To: drgridlock@washpost.com
Sent: Sunday, August 22, 2004 3:22 AM
Subject: Maxwell Smartrip. Missed it by THAT much.

Dear Dr. Gridlock:

I am new in town.

I see this http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A19146-2004Jun5.html and know that subsequently there has been a complete failure to provide SmartTrip cards because of the "unexpected" demand.

It strikes me as passing strange that an enterprise that hires thieves as cashiers can in it's right mind, refuse to accept cash in order to protect itself from it's selected employees. Imagine any other business with cashiers--supermarkets, gas stations, bars, airport parking lots, city parking lots, newsstands--refusing to accept cash instead of detecting and firing crooked employees. It's an outrage. Of course their receipts and ridership will decline and it is clearly an unsound and irresponsible business practice.

If they want to contract out parking services, then the theives are stealing from the contractor, not the Metrorail. Isn't the contractor paying a fee to the Metrolrail to run the parking lot? No one wants to bid on that contract? Then sell the parking lots to private operators who can charge what they like.

This is the United States of America. This is our capitol city. Perhaps one third of the mass transit ridership are government employees of one government or another. I imagine over half of the money to build this system is taxpayer money from the federal government. That same government currency is declared to be legal tender for all debts public or private, is sufficient by law for every merchant, bank, cashier and business transaction in the entire country! Except to use the government mass transit system.

It is really quite embarrassing. Maxwell Smart-rip. Missed it by that much.

Agent Thirteen
Terry Seale
Alexandria

Privacy Rights Clearinghouse

The Privacy Rights Clearinghouse is a nonprofit consumer education, research, and advocacy program. Our publications empower you to take action to control your personal information by providing practical tips on privacy protection.

Our Fact Sheets provide practical tips on safeguarding personal privacy. They also explain the public policy environment surrounding a variety of informational privacy issues and indicate where consumers do and do not have legal protection. Topics covered include Internet privacy, identity theft, telemarketing, junk mail, medical records, workplace privacy and many more. Fact sheets are also available in Spanish. Please check our New Postings section to learn of new and updated fact sheets.

Saturday, August 21, 2004

Idiots, Imbeciles, and Sadists

Code of Ethics

As a law enforcement officer, my fundamental duty is to serve mankind; to safeguard lives and property, to protect the innocent against deception, the weak against oppression or intimidation, and the peaceful against violence or disorder; and to respect the constitutional rights of all men to liberty, equality, and justice.

I will keep my private life unsullied as an example to all; maintain courageous calm in the face of danger, scorn, or ridicule; develop self-restraint; and be constantly mindful of the welfare of others. Honest in thought and deed in both my personal and official life, I will be exemplary in obeying the laws of the land and the regulations of my Department. Whatever I see or hear of a confidential nature or that is confided to me in my official capacity will be kept ever secret unless revelation is necessary in the performance of my duty.

I will never act officiously or permit personal feelings, prejudices, animosities, or friendships to influence my decisions, With no compromise for crime and with relentless prosecution of criminals, I will enforce the law courteously and appropriately without fear or favor, malice or ill will, never employing unnecessary force or violence and never accepting gratuities.

I recognize the badge of my office as a symbol of public faith, and I accept it as a public trust to be held so long as I am true to the ethics of the police service. I will constantly strive to achieve these objectives and ideals, dedicating myself before God to my chosen profession ... law enforcement.

[except and unless you are in Miami, Florida]

Friday, August 20, 2004

Four Ways Google Failed
How the IPO didn't change Wall Street.
By Daniel Gross
Posted Friday, Aug. 20, 2004, at 12:01 PM PT

According to the pregame hype, Google's IPO was going to substantially alter the structure of Wall Street, enliven the mood of sour markets, and upend the lousy IPO practices of the 1990s. While still a success—Google raised $1.67 billion, largely on its own terms—the IPO of the decade didn't come close to living up to the promise.

Here's what Google's IPO didn't do.

Presentations by Greg Notess
Upcoming Speaking Engagements
Daytona Beach: Florida Library Association, Mar. 24, 2004
East Brunswick, NJ: New Jersey Library Assoc., Apr. 19, 2004
New York: WebSearch University, May 10-12, 2004
Washington: WebSearch University, Sept. 26-28, 2004
London: Internet Librarian International, Oct. 10-12, 2004

Don't miss this one

Fantastic, uncensored, un-retouched, color Paris Hilton photograph. Unbelievable!

Thursday, August 19, 2004

Symbol Lookup: "You can use Symbol Lookup to find the following for a Stock%2C Mutual Fund%2C Index or Annuity%3A %0D%0A%95 the full name of the security%0D%0A%95 the trading symbol%0D%0A%95 the CUSIP number%0D%0A%95 the fund number"

Wednesday, August 18, 2004

Tech Support: "I need you to right-click on the Open Desktop."
Customer: "Ok."
Tech Support: "Did you get a pop-up menu?"
Customer: "No."
Tech Support: "Ok. Right click again. Do you see a pop-up menu?"
Customer: "No."
Tech Support: "Ok, sir. Can you tell me what you have done up until this point?"
Customer: "Sure, you told me to write 'click' and I wrote 'click'."

http://www.pbbt.com/Directory/Jokes/2279.html

Judaism 101

The Ever Changing Language

Hebonics 101

The New York City school board has officially declared Jewish English - now dubbed Hebonics - as a second language. Backers of the move say the city's School District is the first in the state to recognize Hebonics as a valid language and significant attribute of New York culture. According to Howard Schollman, linguistics professor at New York University and renowned Hebonics scholar, the sentence structure of Hebonics derives from middle and eastern European language patterns, as well as Yiddish.

Prof. Schollman explains, "In Hebonics, the response to any question is usually another question -- plus a complaint that is implied or stated. Thus 'How are you?'

may be answered, 'How should I be, with my feet?'" Schollman says that Hebonics is a superb linguistic vehicle for expressing sarcasm or skepticism. An example is the repetition of a word with "sh" or "shm" at the beginning:

"Mountains, shmountains. Stay away. You want a nosebleed?"

Another Hebonics pattern is moving the subject of a sentence to the end, with its pronoun at the beginning:

"It's beautiful, that dress."

Schollman says one also sees the Hebonics verb moved to the end of the sentence. Thus the response to a remark such as

'He's slow as a turtle,' could be: "Turtle, shmurtle! Like a fly in Vaseline he walks."

Schollman provided the following examples from his textbook,

Switched-On Hebonics.

Question: "What time is it?"

English answer: "Sorry, I don't know." Hebonic answer: "What am I, a clock?"

Remark: "I hope things turn out okay." English response: "Thanks." Hebonic response: "I should BE so lucky!"

Remark: "Hurry up. Dinner's ready." English response: "Be right there." Hebonic response: "Alright already, I'm coming. What's with the 'hurry' business? Is there a fire?"

Remark: "I like the tie you gave me; wear it all the time." English response: "Glad you like it." Hebonic response: "So what's the matter; you don't like the other ties I gave you?

Remark: "Sarah and I are engaged." English response: "Congratulations!" Hebonic response: "She could stand to gain a few pounds."

Question: "Would you like to go riding with us?" English answer: "Just say when." Hebonic answer: "Riding, shmiding! Do I look like a cowboy?"

To guest of honor at his birthday party: English remark: "Happy birthday." Hebonic remark: "A year smarter you should become."

Remark: "A beautiful day." English response: "Sure is." Hebonic response: "So the sun is out; what else is new?"

Answering a phone call from son: English remark: "It's been a long time since you called." Hebonic remark: "You didn't wonder if I'm dead yet?"

Tuesday, August 17, 2004

Stolen Art BOLO from Interpol

>
Type: PAINTING
Title (English): BANJO AND HAT
Artist(s): ANDERSON

Description

Information: SIGNED ON NOTE

Material: CANVAS/COTTON/FABRIC/LINEN
Technique: OIL

Height (cm): 28
Width (cm): 38

Signature State: WITH SIGNATURE
Signature Location: BOTTOM RIGHT

Administrative Information

Case happened in: United States
Folder: 2004/31286-1.1

Speaking of Scams

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

August 13, 2004

Many Local Officials Now Make Inmates Pay Their Own Way

By FOX BUTTERFIELD

MOUNT CLEMENS, Mich., Aug. 6 - Crime doesn't pay, but criminals just might.

That is what more and more local governments are hoping, as they grapple with soaring prison populations and budget pressures.

To help cover the costs of incarceration, corrections officers and politicians are more frequently billing inmates for their room and board, an idea popular with voters.

Here in suburban Macomb County, 25 miles north of Detroit, Sheriff Mark Hackel has one of the most successful of these programs in the nation. Last year, the sheriff's department collected nearly $1.5 million in what are being called "pay to stay" fees from many of the 22,000 people who spent time in the county jail.

Inmates are billed for room and board on a sliding scale of $8 to $56 a day, depending on ability to pay. When they are released, the sheriff's office will go to court to collect the unpaid bills, seizing cars or putting some inmates back in jail. The wife of one inmate, a Chrysler truck factory worker who is serving half a year for drunk driving, dropped off a check for $7,212 this week to cover part of his bill, the largest single amount ever collected by the sheriff.

Though the idea is not new - and in fact federal prisons adopted a similar policy years ago that has fallen into disuse - the squeeze on local budgets in recent years has propelled more local officials to assess incarceration fees. In all, more than half of states collect some sort of fees in their prisons, according to the American Correctional Association.

But the fees raise thorny ethical and constitutional issues, say advocates of prisoner rights and some other corrections experts. The costs place an unfair burden on a population that is almost by definition impoverished, making it harder for inmates to get back on their feet after release, some groups argue. Others contend that the fees deprive inmates of due process or constitute cruel and unusual punishment. In a few cases, courts have sided with the inmates on specific issues.

Collecting fees is also an entirely different matter from levying them. Some places profess so much difficulty that they have concluded the administrative costs outweigh the benefits. Even if the programs bring in revenue, there may be other costs.

. . .

New Scam to Rob Your Credit Card

Just verified this legend in www.snopes.com, and it is true!!! Subject: VISA & MASTERCARD Telephone Credit Card Scam This information is worth reading. By understanding how the VISA & Mastercard Telephone Credit Card Scam works, you'll be better prepared to protect yourself. Thanks to Dr. Pat Cloney for passing this on.

Those con artists get more creative every day. My husband was called on Wednesday from "VISA," and I was called on Thursday from "MasterCard." The scam works like this:

Person calling says, "this is _, and I'm calling from the Security and Fraud Department at VISA. My Badge number is 12460. Your card has been flagged for an unusual purchase pattern, and I'm calling to verify. This would be on your VISA card which was issued by bank. Did you purchase an Anti-Telemarketing Device for $497.99 from a marketing company based in Arizona?"

When you say "No", the caller continues with, "Then we will be issuing a credit to your account. This is a company we have been watching and the charges range from $297 to $497, just under the $500 purchase pattern that flags most cards. Before your next statement, the credit will be sent to (gives you your address), is that correct?"

You say "yes." The caller continues... "I will be starting a Fraud investigation. If you have any questions, you should call the 1-800 number listed on the back of your card (1-800-VISA) and ask for Security. You will need to refer to this Control #" The caller then gives you a 6 digit number. "Do you need me to read it again?"

Here's the IMPORTANT part on how the scam works. The caller then says, "He needs to verify you are in possession of your card." He'll ask you to "turn your card over and look for some numbers. There are 7 numbers; the first 4 are your card number, the next 3 are the 'Security Numbers' that verify you are in possession of the card. These are the numbers you use to make Internet purchases to prove you have the card. Read me the 3 numbers."

After you tell the caller the 3 numbers, he'll say ,"That is correct. I just needed to verify that the card has not been lost or stolen, and that you still have your card. Do you have any other questions?" After you say No, the caller then Thanks you and states, "Don't hesitate to call back if you do", and hangs up.

You actually say very little, and they never ask for or tell you the card number. But after we were called on Wednesday, we called back within 20 minutes to ask a question. Are we glad we did! The REAL VISA Security Department told us it was a scam and in the last 15 minutes a new purchase of $497.99 was charged on our card.

Long story made short, we made a real fraud report and closed the VISA card, and they are reissuing us a new number. What the scammers wants is the 3-digit PIN number on the back of the card. Don't give it to them. Instead, tell them you'll call VISA or Master card direct. The real VISA told us that they will never ask for anything on the card as they already know the information since they issued the card! If you give the scammers your 3 Digit PIN Number, you think you're receiving a credit. However, by the time you get your statement, you'll see charges for purchases you didn't make, and by then it's almost to late and/or harder to actually file a fraud report.

What makes this more remarkable is that on Thursday, I got a call from a "Jason Richardson of MasterCard" with a word-for-word repeat of the VISA scam. This time I didn't let him finish. I hung up! We filed a police report, as instructed by VISA. The police said they are taking several of these reports daily! They also urged us to tell everybody we know that this scam is happening. Please pass this on to all your friends. By informing each other, we protect each other. Thank-You.

Friday, August 13, 2004

Child Protection Measures Which You Can Take

Even though it is painful to think about, you NEED a plan for your kids

It's every parent's nightmare -- your child is missing. In today's world, the panic feeling these words bring can shadow even the sunniest day. The best defense for any parent, is education and information.

1. Teach your children their personal information.
As soon as your child can talk, start teaching them to repeat their name, address and telephone number. This should also be one of the first pieces of information you work on with writing. Don¹t forget 911. Even very young children can learn to dial 911 and tell the operator who they are and where they are.

2. Teach your children what is "safe."

--If they are lost in a public place, tell them to go to the nearest business or uniformed security guard and ask for help. --Tell them to never leave the building until you have reunited --A safe place is a house that belongs to someone they know, or a commercial business where there are lots of people. Woods, abandoned buildings, empty lots, etc. are not necessarily safe places.
--Adults should not be asking children for help. It is okay to say "NO" to an adult.

3. Have a family password.

Establish a family password that everybody remembers. This can be something as simple as the name of a family pet or your child¹s favorite food. Tell your child to never get in a car with any person unless that person knows the password. Role play until your child is comfortable and understands this. Say, What would you say if someone pulls up to where you are playing and says, Quick, get in the car. Your mommy was hurt and I'll take you to her. You child should answer, I'd say, What¹s the password? If they don¹t know the password, I would run away to a safe place and yell NO very loudly!

4. Be able to identify your child!

A simple Child Identification Kit can make a world of difference to police officers who are searching for your child. Keep a record of your child's identifying characteristics, fingerprints and DNA samples. One of the most complete and easy to use kits on the market today is provided by Case Breakers, Inc. For only $8.95 you get an easy-to-use, compact kit with instructions to record and maintain a complete identification record for your child. Fingernail, hair and saliva samples are secured in a sealed pack, and stored, at home,in the freezer. Law Enforcement personnel can use all three samples to build a genetic profile, plus utilize the child fingerprinting kit if your child is ever missing. Shipping is always FREE on all kits. Order Now!

Protect your family. Teach your child to be safe and be secure in the knowledge that you have done everything in your power to successfully find your child if the unimaginable ever does happen!

Thursday, August 12, 2004

out-law.com - legal news and business guides: "Current UK laws against spam

As seems common-place with e-commerce laws, no-one is really sure whether spam is currently illegal. First of all, the UK?s Data Protection Act can apply. This Act covers the collection and use of personal data, which can be as simple as an e-mail address in the format forename.surname@company.com ? because, from that information, an individual can be identified. The Act does not cover non-personal data, such as joe@hotmail.com. You can find out more about the Act and its requirements by reading our guide on data protection. There are equivalent laws throughout the European Union."

Job Interviews for Discharged Military Employment: "Typical Job Interview Questions"

Why do you want this job?
Stress the positive aspects which prompted you to apply. Do not mention any negative aspects.
What qualities do you think will be required for this job?
The advertisement for the job may help, but also think of the other qualities that may be needed. These may include leadership ability, supervisory skills, communication skills, interpersonal skills, problem solving, analytical skills, etc.
What can you contribute?
This is your chance to shine. Tell them about your achievements in your previous position(s) relevant to the new position.
Why would you want to work for us?
Emphasise the positive reasons why you want to join their company. Avoid concepts such as more money or shorter hours.
Why should we hire you?
Base your answer on previous experience and achievements related to the company. Add that you think there is a good ...

Wednesday, August 11, 2004

Current Consultations: "Current Consultation Papers
Some of the documents below are in Adobe PDF format. To view them, you may first need to download a free copy of the Adobe Acrobat reader.
The consultation papers below are listed by publication date, starting with the most recent. At the end of the consultation period, the papers will be moved to Closed Consultations.
Consultation titlePublication dateClosing date
A National Strategy for Refugee Integration

(This link will take you outside the main Home Office website)29/07/0420/10/04
Paying the Price - a Consultation Paper16/07/0426/11/04
Strength in Diversity - Towards a Community Cohesion and Race Equality Strategy19/05/0417/09/04
Controls on Firearms12/05/0431/08/04
Consultation Document on Common Commencement Date30/04/0403/09/04
Reconciling Security and Liberty in an Open Society02/0431/08/04"

Tuesday, August 10, 2004

HBS Working Knowledge: Strategy: When to Make the First Offer in Negotiations

Don't be afraid to be aggressive
How extreme should your first offer be? My own research suggests that first offers should be quite aggressive but not absurdly so. Many negotiators fear that an aggressive first offer will scare or annoy the other side and perhaps even cause him to walk away in disgust. However, research shows that this fear is typically exaggerated. In fact, most negotiators make first offers that are not aggressive enough.

An aggressive first offer can work in your favor for several reasons. Take the perspective of the seller: more extreme first offers lead to higher final settlements. For example, higher listing prices lead to higher final sale prices in real estate transactions because, as we've seen, high-anchor offers lead buyers to focus on a negotiated item's positive attributes. In addition, an aggressive first offer allows you to offer concessions and still reach an agreement that's much better than your alternatives."

HBS Working Knowledge: Organizations: Seven Principles for Cultivating Communities of Practice:

Seven Principles for Cultivating Communities of Practice

March 25, 2002

Although communities of practice develop organically, a carefully crafted design can drive their evolution. In this excerpt from a new book, the authors detail seven design principles. The payoff? Knowledge management that works.
---

by Etienne Wenger, Richard McDermott, and William M. Snyder

Seven principles for cultivating communities of practice
In Silicon Valley, a community of circuit designers meets for a lively debate about the merits of two different designs developed by one of the participants. Huddling together over the circuit diagrams, they analyze possible faults, discuss issues of efficiency, propose alternatives, tease out each other's assumptions, and make the case for their view. In Boston, a group of social "

Link Valet: "Link Valet is a WWW Link checker. When you enter the URL of an HTML page on the Web, it will fetch the page, and print a report on it. Link Valet will also spider your site. When a link references another HTML page at the same site and hierarchy as the URL, Link Valet will recursively follow the link and prepare a similar report on the page referenced. "

crossref.org : : crossref search: "In order to open published scholarly content for the first time to free, full-text interpublisher searchability, a group of 25 leading journal publishers are participating in a CrossRef Search Pilot.

This Pilot is initially limited to the content of 25 of the more than 600 CrossRef publishers and societies who collaborate to provide scholars with cross-publisher reference linking.

Through a special, reciprocal arrangement between Google and CrossRef, this Pilot launches a typical Google search but filters the result set to the scholarly research content from participating publishers, with the intent of reducing the noise produced by general web searches.

Google has indexed the full text of scholarly journal articles on the publishers' websites through a CrossRef gateway. Users ...

CONVERA - RetrievalWare Categorization and Dynamic Classification

Categorization and Dynamic Classification

RetrievalWare's advanced Categorization and Dynamic Classification solution enables organizations to discover links, knowledge and expertise embedded within otherwise diverse and scattered information sources. More importantly, RetrievalWare presents the results of those discoveries in a view dynamically created by the user's search and work process context.

Users can launch a search and automatically classify the results based on pre-defined or dynamically generated classifications made possible through the combination of multiple taxonomies. These can consist of Convera's pre-packaged industry taxonomies, customer defined taxonomies or custom taxonomies supplied by Convera's Taxonomy Development Partners. By combining these classifications, users are able to isolate and discover critically relevant information that existing search and retrieval software cannot uncover.

How it Works
Using Convera's innovative taxonomy-based Categorization and Dynamic Classification technologies, together with the RetrievalWare Semantic Networks -- key concepts, relationships and linkages are extracted based upon taxonomic structures that are uniquely meaningful to a given organization. "

Monday, August 09, 2004

excited utterances: "Friday, December 13, 2002
UK and Australian Law Firms: Leaders in KM

I've mentioned, in three previous blogs, the English and Australian law firms' apparent lead over US law firms in successfully integrating KM. What are the UK and Australian firms doing right?

Many answers have been posited. Gretta Rusanow, Chief Executive of Curve Consulting, offers some answers in Know-How: A Valuable Thing to Waste: Most U.S. Firms Give Little More Than Lip Service to Knowledge Management based on her 2001/2002 Global Law Firm Knowledge Management Survey Report.

The 16 surveyed law firms were:

United States
Cleary, Gottlieb, Steen & Hamilton
Davis Polk & Wardwell
Debevoise & Plimpton
Goodwin Procter
Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky & Popeo
Shearman & Sterling
Simpson Thacher & Bartlett
Weil, Gotshal & Manges

United Kingdom
Allen & Overy
Linklaters
Lovells

Australia
Allens Arthur Robinson
Blake Dawson Waldron
Freehills
Mallesons Stephen Jaques
Minter Ellison

(thanks to David Goldman's watchful eye)

Also see, The Empire Strikes Back by Carlyn Kolker (2001)
- Joy London, 11:53 AM | Comment (0) "

Taxonomy Strategies: "Taxonomy Strategies is an information
management consultancy that
specializes in applying taxonomies,
metadata, automatic classification, and
other information retrieval technologies
to the needs of business."

Andy Rooney on Monica.

Can you believe it? Monica turned 28 this week.
It seems like only yesterday that she was crawling round the White House on her hands and knees.

2.Andy Rooney on Vegetarians.

Vegetarian - that's an old Indian word meaning "lousy hunter".

3.Andy Rooney on Prisoners.

Did you know that it costs forty thousand dollars a year to house each prisoner? Jeez, for forty thousand bucks apiece I'll take a few prisoners into my house. I live in Los Angeles. I already have bars on the windows. I don't think we should give free room and board to criminals. I think they should have to run twelve hours a day on a treadmill and generate electricity. And, if they don't want to run, they can rest in the chair that's hooked up to the generator.

4.Andy Rooney on Fabric Softeners.

My wife uses fabric softener. I never knew what that stuff was for. Then I noticed women coming up to me, sniffing, then saying under their breath, "Married!" and walking away. Fabric softeners are how our wives mark their territory. We can take off the ring. But, it's hard to get that April Fresh scent out of your clothes.

5.Andy Rooney on morning differences.

Men and women are different in the morning. We men wake up aroused in the morning. We can't help it. We just wake up and we want you. And the women are thinking, "How can he want me the way I look in the morning?" It's because we can't see you. We have no blood anywhere near our optic nerve.

6.Andy Rooney on cripes

My wife's from the midwest. Very nice people there. Very wholesome. They use words like 'Cripes' 'For Cripes sake.' Who would that be; Jesus Cripes? The son of 'Gosh' of the church of 'Holy Moly'? I'm not making fun of it. You think I wanna burn in 'Heck'?

7. Rooney on Grandma

My grandmother has a bumper sticker on her car
that says, 'Sexy Senior Citizen.' You don't want to think of your grandmother that way, do you? Out entering wet shawl contests. Makes you wonder where she got that dollar she gave you for your birthday.

8. Rooney on answering machines.

Did you ever hear one of these corny positive messages on someone's answering machine? "Hi, it's a great day and I'm out enjoying it right now. I hope you are too. The thought for the day is: "Share the love." BEEP
"Uh, yeah... this is the VD clinic calling.... Speaking of being positive, your test results are back. Stop sharing the love...."

Blogging for Business

Business Week Online
By Olga Kharif
Monday, August 09, 2004
KM NewsAll News
KM News Home

Jonathan Schwartz, president and chief operating officer of server maker Sun Microsystems (SUNW), first suspected that his blog was a success when his salespeople began reporting that customers were reading his posts and sealing deals faster. Then, the blog started getting a surge of traffic from users with e-mail addresses ending in "ibm.com" and "dell.com" -- folks who work for Sun's rivals. Schwartz saw that as irrefutable proof that his blog, started on June 28, was a gold mine (see BW Online, 8/4/04, "Don't Quote My Blog on That").

Some six weeks later, he's a firm believer that a blog -- which generally consists of diary-like entries that are posted to the Web -- is a must-have tool for every executive. "It'll be no more mandatory that they have blogs than that they have a phone and an e-mail account," Schwartz says. "If they don't, they're going to look foolish."

NO INTERFERENCE. Blogs, until recently almost exclusively the domain of geeks, alternative media, and celebrities, are turning into the cyber equivalent of the corner office. On July 7, Michael Powell, chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, started one, discussing the extent to which the government should regulate telecommunications. His initial post drew more than 30,000 readers in its first week. Microsoft (MSFT) Chairman Bill Gates is considering starting a blog, says a company spokesperson. Filmmaker Michael Moore began a blog on July 4 to promote his controversial new movie, Fahrenheit 9/11.

While celeb blogs typically revolve . . .

Friday, August 06, 2004

KartOO

KartOO 4U - Part 1

Wednesday, August 04, 2004

Imagination at Work!

test link

Mining Grey Matter Gold Before it Vanishes | DM Review | Industry Led, Industry Read

Mining Grey Matter Gold Before it Vanishes

Article published in DM Direct Newsletter
July 18, 2003 Issue

By Kimiz L. Dalkir

We are entrenched in an era when companies must deal with significant change within their employee base, as organizations rapidly approach a critical mass in their employee cycle. Recent figures show that 50 percent of the U.S. government workforce will be eligible for retirement by the year 2004; 15,000 Canadian civil servants are expected to retire from the federal government within the next five years and the numbers are similar in Europe. Combined with expertise transfer due to heavy employee turnover, companies are at risk of being devastated by loss of intellectual capital.

How can this be? Surveys show 80 percent of an organization’s critical knowledge and know-how resides in the heads of a few key people and only 20 percent has been documented either in paper or digital form. Companies

Monday, August 02, 2004

Who is The Patriette?

*The Patriette*: "The babblings of a flag-waving American girl in Minnesota who loves her country and supports freedom and individual liberty.

UK GovTalk - Schemas and Standards: "govtalk home > Schemas and Standards Schemas and Standards

This section outlines the technical standards that will act as the foundation of e-Government strategy.

These standards will allow information to flow seamlessly across the public sector and will provide citizens and business with better access to government services.

The section is split into 6 areas:

The Gateway
The e-Government Interoperability Framework
XML Schemas
The e-Government Metadata Standard
The Government Category List
The e-Services Framework
Click on the links above (in the original) or use the menu on the right to explore the sections further."

FTC Unveils New E-mail Address for Deceptive Spam: Spam@uce.gov

Old Address to be Phased Out

The Federal Trade Commission receives about 300,000 samples of deceptive spam – forwarded by computer users – each day, and stores it in a database. The FTC and its law enforcement partners use the database to generate cases against people who use spam to spread false or misleading information about their products or services. To better handle the high volume of spam forwarded to the database, the FTC recently opened a new email box – SPAM@UCE.GOV. The old email address (uce@ftc.gov) will be phased out.

The FTC’s spam database has served as the basis for FTC cases involving pyramid schemes, money-making chain letters, credit card scams, credit repair scams, bogus weight-loss plans, fraudulent business opportunities, and other scams that were promoted via email.

Consumers who wish to forward unwanted or deceptive spam to the FTC should use the spam@uce.gov address. Whenever you complain about spam, it's important to include the full email header.

Consumers who think they have been taken advantage of by a spam scam can file a complaint with the FTC online at www.ftc.gov. Complaints will help the FTC find and stop people who are using spam to defraud consumers.

To learn more about how to avoid spam scams and reduce the clutter in your in-box, check out www.ftc.gov/spam.

Copies of the consumer publications about reducing spam are available from the FTC’s Web site at http://www.ftc.gov and also from the FTC’s Consumer Response Center, Room 130, 600 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20580. The FTC works for the consumer to prevent fraudulent, deceptive, and unfair business practices in the marketplace and to provide information to help consumers spot, stop, and avoid them. To file a complaint in English or Spanish (bilingual counselors are available to take complaints), or to get free information on any of 150 consumer topics, call toll-free, 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357), or use the complaint form at http://www.ftc.gov. The FTC enters Internet, telemarketing, identity theft, and other fraud-related complaints into Consumer Sentinel, a secure, online database available to hundreds of civil and criminal law enforcement agencies in the U.S. and abroad.

MEDIA CONTACT:

Office of Public Affairs
202-326-2181

(http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2004/07/newspamemail.htm)

Sunday, August 01, 2004

Enter the World of the "Wiki"

By Chris Hayes

Chris Hayes is CEO of CourtEXPRESS, a national and international court access and document retrieval service using leading-edge Internet and telecommunications technologies.

Published July 26, 2004 at LRRX

Introduction

One of the hottest new concepts in the world of geeks and nerds is wiki software. You may not have run into a wiki website yet, but, no doubt, one day soon you will. They’ve been in use in the programming community for a number of years, and they are now becoming popular among companies as an in-house extranet application. Even BusinessWeek magazine touted the popularity of the wiki in a recent issue. (See Wiki World: Not Just for Geeks Anymore, and Wiki's Winning Ways, June 7, 2004.)

Wikies are fun and informative, but it is helpful to have a little understanding of them before you have to work with one. The following overview should get you started.

What is a Wiki?

A wiki is a web-based discussion site that grows and changes at the will of the participants. People can add and edit pages at will, using a Word-like screen, without knowing any programming or HTML commands. More specifically, a wiki is composed of web pages where people input information and then create hyperlinks to another or new pages for more details about a particular topic. Anyone—yes, anyone—can edit any page and add, delete or correct information. A search field at the bottom of the page lets you enter a keyword for the information you wants to find.

Exit Finder

Shows highway exit signs and interchanges from MIT.
http://web.mit.edu/spui/www/freeway/index.html