Sour Apples for the iPod nano

Seems that the incredibly cool and small Apple iPod nano has a few kinks. Yesterday, Apple conceded that some of the screens on its latest music player are subject to cracking and scratching. The screen problem emerged after users complained to Apple and reported their experiences in various online forums in the last several days. It is now offering free replacements or full refunds to those affected. However, the company has not disclosed how many units are affected, saying it was only 'a tiny fraction'' of the amount already sold. What do you think?

I think:
This may be a case where someone in marketing wanted to get these babies on the market so fast that Q&A was done hastily. If you read some of the reader reponses to the BusinessWeek article, it sounds like Apple should have done a better job of telling consumers to buy the protective case or to be careful because the device scratches easily. Everyone wants to take a shot at Apple, probably because they are dominating the portable digital music player market. Though this will give the company some headaches, I'm sure Apple will be just fine.

Bush Warns that Violence in Iraq May Grow. Duh!

Today, President Bush declared that Americans need to know about the gains being made in Iraq, and again predicted victory there, but he warned that terrorists would step up their attacks in advance of next month's vote on a new constitution. Mr. Bush's remarks in the Rose Garden came a day after Iraqi and U.S. forces announced they had killed Abdullah Abu Azzam, the No. 2 al Qaeda leader in Iraq, during a weekend raid in Baghdad. Al Qaeda in Iraq issued an Internet statement denying that Abu Azzam was its deputy leader, calling him "one of al Qaeda's many soldiers" and "the leader of one its battalions operating in Baghdad." Do you think the war against terror in Iraq is moving toward a victory?

I think:
I seem to remember back in 2003, after Saddam Hussein was captured, that President Bush declared victory in Iraq. Now, he did also say that there was more work to do but many of us felt that his victory dance was a bit premature. I won't even get into the debate about whether or not it was a good idea to go to war but what I do want to point out is that Bush's administration was pretty darn short-sighted about this war. There was no consideration at all for the overall objective and how long it would take or how expensive it would be to reach it. At first, we were scared shitless to hear that Iraq had anthrax, nerve gas and WMDs. When we didn't find them, our objective was to spread democracy in Iraq. We found that to be a pretty difficult and lengthy (not to mention costly) endeavor. Then it was to fight terrorism. Now, it's just to get out without getting any more egg on our face. It is very naive to think we can overthrow Saddam Hussein, throw a bunch of our troops over there to "secure" the country, and then expect them to adopt democracy over night. How much longer has Iraq been a country than the United States? Say, a few THOUSAND years! Even I can figure out that it won't be easy to completely change a nation's identity and culture, and I'm just an average person. Duh!

The Battle Over Intelligent Design

Today, a federal court case in Harrisburg, PA, prompted by the ACLU, gets underway about whether the Dover School District should be allowed to teach "Intelligent Design." There is a lot of debate about this theory as it uses both science and religion to explain the origins of nature and the universe. It proposes that there is a designer behind everything and that designer just might be God. Many oppose this theory being taught to our student because of its links to religion. What do you think?

I think:
To me, this is a hard one because I believe the purpose of education is to present all the known theories and then let the student decide what he or she believes. Yet, I also strongly believe in the separate of church and state. Since our country was founded on the idea of freedom to decide whatever religion or belief system an individual subscribes to, I don't think it is a good idea to stress one way or the other. Right now, Darwinism is the dominant theory taught because it is relatively easy to prove. Perhaps we should treat this one the way sexual education was treated for a while: let parents decide whether or not their child should be exposed to this idea. Give people a choice. Afterall, that is what is great about this country. When our freedom of choice is taken away, we are no longer free.

Let Me See Those Hands

The American Society for Microbiology and the Soap and Detergent Association recently conducted a survey of 6,300 men and women leaving the restroom and found that only 83% of them washed their hands, even though 91% say they do. Women tended to be better than men at washing their hands. The report says that just any old hand washing won't prevent spread of disease. You need to wash your hands for at least 40 seconds (or sing the Happy Birthday song twice). What do you think?

I think:
It's no surprise that women are better at men washing their hands. Just remember that when you meet a man you've never met, and he offers to shake your hand.

Hey Jennifer, are you here?

On August 26, 2005, 48-year old David Hesterbey entered Jennifer Aniston's Malibu home through an open door. He told staff there that he was "looking for Jennifer." Apparently, Aniston was away at the time. On September 14, 2005, Aniston won a restraining order against Hesterbey who was ordered to stay at least 100 yards away from Aniston for three years. What do you think?

I think:
Somebody on that staff should have made sure the door was locked. Most celebrities will, at some point, have run-ins with weirdos. Privacy is just something you give up when you're famous. The only way to stop it is if consumers would stop buying all the rag magazines. Then the paparazzi, and weirdo stalkers would back off.

What the "Bleep" Do We Know?

Just saw this movie last night, "What the Bleep Do We Know?" And I have to say it literally blew my mind. Released in 2004, this movie is a hybrid movie/documentary that combines information on quantum physics and neurochemistry with a modern story-line about an unhappy, anti-depressant addicted photographer who learns that there’s more to her life and her "problems" than meets the eye. The viewer comes away with a whole new view on reality. The most compelling phenomina that the movie/documentary highlights are an actual DC Crime Study and Dr. Masaru Emoto's study on water crystals. If you don't believe in "magic," you need to see this movie.

To Those Who Died Needlessly

To Those Who Died Needlessly After Hurricane Katrina Passed:

I'm sorry that our government was too busy preparing for terrorist attacks to come help you. I'm sorry that I personally could not have done more for you. I'm sorry that your loved ones will mourn your loss and the loss of everything they had.

To get more revealing looks into what these people had to suffer go to these links:
Charmaine Neville: A New Orleans Evacuee Story
More on Charmaine's Story
Oprah's Special Report: Inside the Katrina Catastrophe
Nightmare in New Orleans by Brian Williams
Reporter's Notebook: Katrina's Aftermath From the Ground by Jeffery Kofman
The Survival of New Orleans Blog

Please do what you can to help and hope that you're never in the same situation as these people were.

Abandoned by Their Own Country

On NBC's Meet the Press this past Sunday, Tim Russert, interviewed a number of government officials including the secretary of Homeland Security, Michael Chertoff, the governor of Mississippi, Haley Barbour, and the president of Jefferson Parish, Aaron Broussard about the lack of swift emergency response to the devistation left by Hurricane Katrina. When Aaron Broussard was interviewed, he gave an emotional appeal for help and completely broke down sobbing. What do you think?

I think:
There is only one other time I watched something like this on television with complete disbelief and horror, and that was September 11, 2001. It is in times of disaster and hardship when we really see the character of our government, sometimes it's good and sometimes it's bad. This time it was bad. Why did the government wait? Why did so many people die unnecessarily? Again, it all comes down to power and money. The people of Lousiana and Mississippi don't have special lobbyists or big business on their side. They are just average people, with a large percentage of them categorized as "poor." What's really frightening is this kind of thing typically happens in third world countries where the poor always suffer the most. This isn't supposed to happen in the United States. I'm sure the world is getting a whole new perspective on how things work here in the good ol' USA. They're probaby shocked like the rest of us.