The View From the Outback© 2000 Richard C. Rhodes
A great deal of what we read in newspapers, magazines, and books, and what we see in the movies and on TV is written and produced in New York City or Los Angeles. Much of the "political wisdom" comes from the PR machines of the White House, the Congress, and from the Washington media corps. In short, one might conclude that all knowledge, wisdom, and wit are confined to those who inhabit New York City, Washington DC, or Hollywood. I am now a senior citizen, plus. My experience was gained in many cities in the U.S. and in about 30 foreign countries. That experience has included the U.S. Marines, law school, the ATF, the CIA, Fortune 500 executive, writer, public speaker, educator, editor, and publisher - for openers. For over 20 years, I have written articles off and on for various magazines and newspapers. I've had an enormous number of letters published in major national publications. Some insights come from talking with ham-radio operators in every major country and such idyllic places as the Cook Islands. The Outback is the rural area in Northeast Texas where I have lived for the past 14 years. Every few weeks I will attempt to post a new set of musings from the Outback. Click on a Topic to go directly to that topic. If you think that a poached egg is one that was stolen from the hen house - you may be a Redneck. If you think that Merlot was the magician and advisor to King Arthur of the Round Table - you may be a Redneck. If you think HDL is a package-delivery service - you may be a Redneck. It is beginning to look like if President Bush is reelected, it will be a miracle. He has the liberal print media against him (which accounts for the majority of circulation), most of the TV network news organizations, there is the Michael Moore propaganda, the late-night comedians who have consistently painted Bush as a moron and a liar, the continuing carnage in Iraq, gargantuan contributions to anti-bush organizations and Web sites - and a two-page ad against Bush in The Wall Street Journal - paid for by George Sorros, the president's dismal showing in the first debate (in my opinion), and rock stars giving anti-Bush concerts - for starters. If Bush does win, it will prove that the public is much, much more intelligent and discerning than the media, the pundits, the politicians, and the political strategists believe. It will prove that people can sift through all the garbage seen, heard, and read, and find a shining gold bar of truth at the bottom of the garbage pile.
FoxNews must be feeling pretty cocky. They have been running an ad for CNN over and over. What's with that? Several times I have touted the virtues of the HDTV sets using DLP technology, specifically the sets by Samsung. I have to suspend my endorsement of the Samsung DLP sets for a while. My HLP4663W started refusing to come on. Finally it produced a three-blinking-light front-panel diagnostic. This ostensibly means that the bulb which illuminates the DLP mirrors needs replacement. A search of the Web forums revealed that the problem is more likely the ballast that fires the lamp at startup. Given the number of people with the problem and what I have learned from retailers, this is a wide-spread problem with the Samsung DLP sets. The fix is generally a new ballast and bulb. My replacement parts are on the way from Samsung to my local repair shop. I am sure Samsung is scrambling to fix the problem, but that will not help the sets in the pipeline. Too bad, since the HLP series produces a superb HDTV picture, with no burn in, and except for the bulb (and now the ballast) has nearly an infinite life. Update: The bulb and the ballast were replaced in early September, 2004. It is now March, 2005, and the Samsung HLP4663W continues to work perfectly. Actually, it appears that only the ballast that fires the bulb was the problem, but both the bulb and ballast were sent and installed. My son bought the identical model a couple of months ago and has had no problems. Martha Stewart is to serve her time in a W. Virginia prison. The prison, nicknamed Camp Cupcake, is on a hill in a rural area, with no metal fences. Inmates double up in rooms equipped with bunk beds. Want to bet who will get the bottom bunk? Free time can be spent playing volleyball, softball or tennis, or doing aerobics. And you don't have to pay a health-club fee. For Martha's sake, I hope they have a French chef and a decent wine list. I have a devious mind, if you haven't guessed. One assumes that Martha Stewart will be allowed to have a laptop at Camp Cupcake, upon which she can "pen" her diary of incarceration - for later release. Here's the deal. One of the guards, or her cellmate, who is a drug dealer and is fed up with Martha's condescending crap, will delete all her files or reformat the hard drive while Martha is doing aerobics. Morale of story. Martha, send out backup CDs with each visitor - with password protection to protect form early leaks. Speaking of passwords, since Martha's prison ID has been widely published, I know for a fact that many people will start using it as a password - just for kicks. If you are a "password cracker," add 55170054 to your list. From the Outback for May 16, 2004: "Listen Up," starring Jason Alexander debuted on CBS. What a travesty. Jason tried everything from a song and dance, a spit-take into a glass of milk, and what I call "New-York yelling" that tries to pass as acting. The agitated yelling was pure George Costanza from "Seinfeld." The only thing worth saving is the young girl who plays his daughter. There is nothing new or unique with Alexander in "Listen Up." Without the "Seinfeld" cast, he is adrift on the Colorado rapids without a paddle. Spit takes will not save this show. It will dribble to an ignominious end. There was one bright spot. The show was in HDTV. The dinner-table food looked very appetizing. Yes, "Joey" is the same Joey from "Friends," but there is a difference. Many people think that Joey was the most compelling male character on "Friends." So, the rule for spinoffs is; only spin off characters who can act. Everybody is an expert. Jay Leno, on his show for 9/20/04, was talking to Jon Stewart from Comedy Central. Like Walter Cronkite, these two guys are the most trusted names in news. What other jokes can I tell? Mr. Leno, speaking of the failure to renew the assault-weapon ban, said "You can buy a machine gun now." What a moron. And people listen to him. The assault-weapon ban, as I have noted in newspaper articles and in the Outback for years, had to do with semi-automatic weapons. Machine guns, Jay, have been regulated since 1934. Since the Firearms Owners' Protection Act of May 19, 1986, ownership of newly manufactured machine guns has been prohibited to civilians. Machine guns which were manufactured prior to the Act's passage are regulated under the National Firearms Act of 1934. Today, a civilian cannot buy a new machine gun under any circumstances. To buy an existing pre-ban machine gun, you have to go through investigation and registration with the ATF - and pay a license fee. But, those who did manage to register machine guns prior to 1986, mostly collectors, are not willing to part with them. Jay, stick to something you know, like cars and motorcycles, and leave the heavy lifting on political and gun-control subjects to people who know what the hell they are talking about. One actress at the Emmy-award ceremony wore a brown peek-a-boob dress that was distracting enough that I do not remember her name, what show she is in, or what her face looks like. If the idea is that the Emmy is to recognize creative talent, whey do so many of the women insist on wearing an endless variety of peek-a-boob dresses? What ever happened to the refrain of "I would like to be recognized for my mind, not just my body"? There were about 6,000 people in the audience. That group is doubtless largely responsible for keeping the California Cocaine dealers in business. The greatest irony was that Tony Soprano did not have enough clout to get his thank-yous in when "The Sopranos" won best drama. He growled that he had something to say and grabbed for the mike. Shandling said the show was over, and they ran the credits. Take dat, ya creep. The marketing practices in the software industry constantly defy logic. Norton Anti-virus by Symantec requires an update to the "subscription" every 12 months - in order to be able to download the current anti-virus definitions. A friend renewed her Norton Anti-virus 2003 subscription and was charged a total of $34.32. Yet, you can go to the Symantec Web site where existing customers can order an upgrade of the entire Norton Anti-virus program for $29.95! They send you a new CD with the latest version of the entire progam! Perhaps this is part of "making an offer you can't refuse," so that you are encouraged to obtain the latest software. Or, they are counting on people being so lazy that they click on "Renew" within the program - and Symantec's profit is then the full cost of the new subcription. There is no clue as to how much it will cost to renew. That surprise is mostly likely only apparent when you get into the renewal screen. Years ago, new 12-month subscriptions were about $9.95. What happened to that price? Another reason to abandon Symantec. Robert Novak, Chicago Sun-Times columnist, wrote in his Sept. 20 column about possible changes in a second Bush presidency. "An informed guess might have Condoleezza Rice as secretary of state." In a letter-to-the editor printed in The Dallas Morning News on Aug. 13, 2000, I said in part, speaking of Condi Rice: "She has secretary of state written all over her." And further: "Who better to lead our military back to greatness than Gen. Colin Powell - as secretary of defense." It is widely conceded that Powell took a more cautious and reasoned approach to the possible invasion of Iraq than did Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld - and others, like Paul Wolfowitz, at the Pentagon. How different might history have been if Powell had become secretary of defense? In the Outback for July 10, 2004 was the following: On Sept. 15, Martha Stewart announced that she wanted to start serving her prison time now, without waiting for the outcome of her appeal. For all your intelligence, Martha, it took you long enough to see the obvious. The Wolves are circling around Dan Rather and his Bush National Guard document fiasco. Mr. Rather is an adrenaline junkie. He loves to be in on the action. I quit watching CBS news after the San Francisco earthquake of 1989. Dan was reporting live not long after the earthquake. He stood on the street and said, as I recall, "There is a stench of death in the air." And "We saw a quivering brain on the pavement." Good grief. That was the last straw. He is a disgrace to Texas. Finally, the documents scandal may force him out. But, CBS news will still be CBS news, no matter who the anchor. (I read subsequently that the "quivering brain" comment was made by a rescue worker who Rather egged on to tell more when the man mentioned that they had seen body parts.) If you have any doubt about the sad state of our culture and our mores, especially in California, consider the "Jaywalking" episode in Los Angeles on Jay Leno's program. He asked some questions of a very attractive, well groomed young lady, who had no nose or eyebrow rings. She looked pretty "squared away" as we said in the Marines. Looks are deceiving. The questions revolved around how well people remembered the products advertised on TV when told of their slogan. Jay asked, what comes to mind when you think of the slogan "How do you spell relief?" The young lady answered: "Xanax" pause "Vicodin" pause "Prozac" pause "martinis." The ACLU ad with "ordinary looking people" complaining about how the Patriot Act allows the government to search their homes - and so on - is so lame and pathetic. Let me (a law grad and former Federal agent) talk to those people in the commercial. I would get right in their face and ask: "Have you or anyone you know ever had your home searched without a warrant under the Patriot Act?" Have you or anyone you know ever had their list of library book checkouts copied by any agency of the Federal government - under the terms of the Patriot Act?" The answers would be "No" and "No." And so it would go - though all the supposed abuses of the Patriot Act. Even the ACLU could not come up with a list of "abuses" under the Patriot Act, when asked. And they have been known to make stuff up if they need to support one of their weak arguments. The sad figures in the ad conclude by saying "And they want to make it permanent." We better do that, or suffer the consequences. By now, the potential consequences should be obvious. The Kerry attempt to demonize Bush over the fact that the assault-weapon-ban expired is ridiculous. The law was nearly useless as it was written, full of loopholes. Nobody can prove that it did anything to reduce gun crime. Neither house of Congress could find a majority to sponsor extending the bill. President Bush did not "look the other way." There is no support for this cosmetic, feel-good, legislation in the Congress. R.I.P. Here is but one example of the liberal media's attempt to distort the law. The Communist News Network ran an article on their Web site about the end of the ban. They showed a gunsmith holding a Ruger mini-14 rifle "with a configuration that makes it illegal to manufacture under the assault weapon ban." The gun had a large box magazine capable of holding more than the 10-round maximum dictated by the act. The gun was not "illegal to manufacture in that configuration." What was illegal was the large detachable magazine, if it was purchased after the ban. Pre-existing large capacity magazines already in the country were not banned. A typical CNN/CBS-type distortion. The Ruger mini-14 and mini-30 are a perfect example of how ludicrous the ban was. I own a Ruger mini-30, which fires at a semiautomatic rate, the same cartridge as the AK-47. The Federal ban did not ban the Ruger mini-14 (a .223 caliber) weapon, or the mini-30. So, all along, I legally had several pre-ban 20 and 30-round magazines for my Ruger Mini-30. Like I said, a piece of feel-good legislation. In any case, ban or no ban, I would take the fine craftsmanship of the Ruger over the AK-47 any day. Great rifle for Coyotes and other predators in the Outback - and for peace of mind in case several people at once try to invade your home - as happened not far from here. The debate over whether the CBS "Bush National Guard documents" are authentic or fake should be able to be easily resolved. In the CIA, they have questioned-document experts and files on every typewriter and typewriter font known to man, foreign and domestic. One would assume that the FBI has similar files. A good questioned-document expert (not a handwriting analyst), if given access to some of the vast stores of typewriter and font info on file here and there, ought to be able to make a definitive judgement. In order do a proper job, the expert would need the original documents, to test the age of the paper, the source of the paper, the ink (typewriters have inked ribbons or film carbon ribbons), the font analysis (proportional versus monospaced, superscript or not, et al.). A typewritten document has so many "fingerprints" that a competent expert should be able to convince anyone beyond "a shadow of a doubt" of the truth or falsity of the documents. An inquiry into military report writing procedures and abbreviations of the time in question should be factored in. Al Yaganeh, who inspired the "Soup Nazi" character on "Seinfeld," is franchising his NYC soup shop. All the soup will be made in one plant in New Jersey and sent to the franchise outlets around the country - where it will be reheated and served. What a novel concept. Campbell's, Progresso, and others, have been shipping pre-cooked soup for as long as we can remember. Plus, Mr. Yaganeh has the nerve to suggest that the price, outside of NYC, will be $12 to $20 a quart. For reheated soup? Good luck, Al. Even the homeless can partake of home-made soup at various soup kitchens in this country. Where is my Yellow Pages book? Let's see: Soup Kitchens. How low can journalists go, or ones that pretend to be journalists? TVWeek.com reports that Ken Jennings, the JEOPARDY! whiz finally was beaten in about his 75th game (they are now showing game 41 about the time this is written). Mr. Jennings is said to have accumulated a final total of $2.5 million. Kottke.org claims it was the first to report on the Jennings ouster. Thanks a lot for ruining the suspense of the next 34 shows, or so. What kind of sick person would post such a thing? Are you proud of yourselves? I have to quit watching C-SPAN, or I may sink into true clinical depression. While we await the debate on the Homeland Security Bill and a bill that would authorize network HDTV via satellite to rural viewers, a quick flip of the channels produced the following: In the House, there was a bill or resolution to change the name of the Post Office building in Dunn, N.C., with a recorded vote of 15 minutes. Fifteen minutes pissed away on a recorded vote. Dunn, N.C., is a charming little town, where I held my first job, as a Federal agent chasing bootleggers. We had our office in the basement of that very post office. At that time, I think the population was about 7,000. On the Senate side, Sen. Dodd was rambling on about how wonderful it was that ESPN had celebrated its 25th anniversary. I would hope that both the Afghan and Iraqi political bodies are talking about more important subjects. Our representatives wonder why they poll right down there with used-car-salesmen and the media. Why was there a "recorded vote" for renaming the Post Office in Dunn, North Carolina? Probably because there were not sufficient members on the House floor to conduct a valid voice vote. That got me to thinking about "recorded voting" in the House. I did some searching but could not come up with an answer as to how it works. Apparently, each member has a card, similar to an ATM card, that they can plug into a reader in their office - or possibly at other locations about the Capitol. If so, what is to prevent a staff member, or someone other than the elected member, from casting that vote? How many votes are cast on bills that the members have not even read? And so on. Normally, I see "roll call" votes in the Senate. They may not have a "voting card" like in the House. It is all very interesting, given the huge potential for abuse. I will keep looking for answers, but may have to ask someone in the Washington media to explain this or look into it on their own. Whether there is abuse, or not, it still would make an interesting story. I am sorry, but I have to chuckle at all the dire reports that if Bill Clinton did not have his bypass operation, he might soon have had a heart attack. For years, doctors blamed most heart attacks on blood clots. Then, they switched to heart attacks are caused by "unstable plaque" (from cholesterol buildup) which break loose and shut off blood flow to a major heart artery. Next year, they will have a new theory. Reduced blood flow to arteries does not necessarily cause heart attacks, even 90% blockages, which Clinton and I both had. Unless you try to run a marathon or shovel two feet of snow. The reduced blood flow does telegraph itself to you with chest pains - if you're lucky - and you back off. Although only anecdotal, I exercised and mowed and so on for about a year with serious chest pain, but never had a heart attack. I did take a Nitro pill now and then, but simply could not bring myself to make that visit to the cardiologist until it was obvious that I was in deep trouble. Granted, Clinton had Angina at rest (which I never had), and that is a very bad sign. I think back to when I had chest pains and finally had my nuclear stress test with color imaging. My heart was starved for blood. The doctor gave me some pills that he said would "help my heart." Obviously, an operation was in the near future. I went home, took a pill or two and got on the treadmill, as I had been doing for years and all through months of chest pain (I stopped when it got bad). The next morning, I called the doctor and told him that the pills were great, that they had increased my time and distance on the treadmill without chest pain. There was a long pause. Finally, he said something like "You idiot, get off the damn treadmill. The pills were to help prevent a heart attack, not encourage you to go longer on the treadmill." Well, you never 'splained the program, Doc. Apparently, word seeps slowly into the Outback. We knew that the U.S. is highly dependent upon foreign oil. We did not realize that we are actually importing about 10% of our gasoline. Some Eastern states are nearly completely dependent upon imported gasoline. The last gasoline refinery to be built in the U.S. was in 1976. The number of refineries has declined from 319 in 1980 to 153 in 2002. The cost of building new refineries is nearly prohibitive, especially given the low return on investment. Somebody in Washington had better get off their butt and stop stonewalling on a comprehensive energy policy. Earlier, I suggested that the Pentagon build one of more refineries to supply the military with fuels. We get tax credits for various energy conservation efforts in our homes. It is time to start thinking about some incentives to make it financially attractive to build and operate a refinery. The world is increasingly tuning out our demands for more and more oil and gas. The main reason we are able to get any gas from Europe is that a large number of new vehicles run on diesel, and they have some spare gasoline production. If they convert that gas production to diesel, there will be some long gas lines here. While we wait for hybrid cars and Hydrogen cars to save our bacon, our government continues to ignore the tenuous situation we face with regard to oil exploration, gasoline production, and alternative energy sources. All things come to those who wait. For years, I have been on the case of Interstate Bakeries, the makers of Hostess Twinkies and Wonder Bread, about their products. Twinkies because they are so grossly over priced and contribute to our obesity epidemic and white Wonder Bread because it is a refined carbohydrate. Refined carbs are fingered as one of the reasons for the dramatic increase in diabetes and obesity, for example. Sales at Interstate have declined dramatically because of the low-carb craze. The price of its shares has dropped dramatically. WSJ reports that once the company finally files its 10K for fiscal 2004, there may be a paragraph from its auditors that says "there may be substantial doubt about the company's ability to continue as a going concern." That is auditor talk for the company may go belly up. Better start stocking the freezer with Twinkies. And some Insulin. (Update: Since this was written, Interstate Bakeries has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.) The AARP Bulletin for July-August of 2004 had a long article about "Green Graveyards." The dead person is not embalmed. They are put in biodegradable caskets or no caskets at all. The body is buried in one of the several "green cemeteries," with a simple headstone. The pitch is that the procedure is land conservation. If this is "land conservation," at some point your remains - what there are left - and your headstone must be removed to make room for more "natural burials." It all sounds gross, but AARP found several people who thought it was a great idea. I would have preferred that they not have run the story at all, but I read it because I was incredulous that they were praising this strange practice. So now we have several options at death, cremation, burial in waterproof caskets and vaults, or wrapped in blankets and tossed in a shallow grave where you can "complete life's cycle by being returned to the earth." I will not be renewing my AARP membership. This is a strange group - the managers, that is. Those of us in the Outback get madder and madder about the lack of a real effort to bring Internet broadband access to rural areas. When we read that 78% of households in Korea have broadband, and that some of their services are fast enough to receive HDTV, we get depressed. The U.S. now ranks 10th in broadband deployment, behind Korea, Canada, and Iceland! Simple and healthful meal. Here is a salad that I eat for dinner at least twice a week. Try it, as it is delicious, quick to prepare, inexpensive, and healthful: Solid White Albacore Tuna (or microwave-steamed Salmon), broccoli, tomato, black olives, marinated artichoke hearts, diced red onion, fresh or minced garlic, croutons (optional), some honey, a bit of Dijon or Creole mustard, extra-virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar, Parmesan cheese, and pepper. You could add a dark leafy lettuce, such as Romaine or Boston Leaf, but I have no room in the bowl for it. Iceberg lettuce has no nutritive value. You can also add your favorite raw veggie or legume. I often toss in some garbanzo beans. Serve with wine. Yogurt for desert. I am hooked on Dannon's Raspberry laCreme (140 calories). I love it when one of the elite in the Eastern media makes a mistake or does something dumb. Here is a letter that I wrote to David Brooks of The New York Times:
Mr. David Brooks Dear Mr. Brooks: On the PBS News Hour for Sept. 2, 2004, you commented on how some of the Democrats in Boston had been "Ebulent" (phonetically you said Ebbulent). The word is Ebullient and is pronounced E - Bull - yent (more or less). One would think that a columnist for the Times would know the correct spelling and pronunciation of a college-freshman word. I have a $19.00 Webster Dictionary on my hard drive, which also pronounces words. Perhaps the Times could spring for the 20 bucks for you to get a copy. I don't read your paper, as I am interested only in truth. Then there was my letter to the editor of USA Today, in which I asked him if he had lost his frigging mind in hiring Michael Moore to write a column from the Republican National convention. I pointed out that by no stretch could Mr. Moore be considered a journalist and then used every derogatory adjective I could think of to describe Mr. Moore. I cut and pasted my comments about Michael Moore from the Outback for August 11, 2004. Mr. Moore is a propagandist and not a journalist. Real journalists must really be offended. If you think Michael Moore has any credentials to qualify him as a journalist, that is your privelege. If, however, you think Michael Moore is an idiot and a traitor, you might drop a line to the editor of USA Today and let him know what you think of his judgement in hiring Mr. Moore to write a column. Mr. Ken Paulson, Editor I sent an e-mail to Brit Hume of FoxNews in which I said I really did not care what his panel of political All-Stars think. I cut and pasted for him some observations I had made in the Outback that were made earlier and were more correct than many of the opinions of the pundits on TV. They, like all other talking heads, prattle on and on about stuff that we can usually make up our own minds on without any help. Brit should can the All-Stars and have on more genuine experts in various fields. Then, let us decide what we think. I now switch channels when the Fox All-Stars come on. In an article from AP with a byline by Frank Eltman, about the upcoming bypass surgery for Bill Clinton, it said it part: "In bypass surgery, a new piece of blood vessel, usually taken from the patient's leg, is sewn into place to create a detour around a blockage." (emphasis is mine) Dear Frank, here is the way it really works: The normal surgical practice among thorasic surgeons I know is to use the mammary arteries (if they are healthy) as a first choice for a bypass. The limited length of the available mammary arteries prevents them from being used in all the bypasses in many multiple bypass operations. Basically, when the surgeon runs out of mammary arteries, they harvest saphenous veins from a leg. The mammary arteries hold up for a much longer time than the veins from the legs and are used in the most critical bypasses being performed. The less critical bypasses normally get the harvested veins. In an article in the NE Journal of Medicine in which the 10-year survival rates of bypass patients were studied is the following: "We found that patients who had only vein grafts had a 1.61 times greater risk of death throughout the 10 years, as compared with those who received an internal-mammary-artery graft." Or, as your doctor might tell you: "Internal mammary artery grafts infrequently develop intimal fibroplasia and have greater long term patency rates compared with saphenous vein grafts." Gee, Doc, I'm glad you cleared that up. While checking my bank and credit-card accounts online, I spotted a charge that was obviously fraudulent - from three days earlier. Somebody had either bought or hacked into a list of credit-card numbers. I cancelled the card and got a new one ASAP. It seemed like a good idea to order a 3 in 1 credit report to see if there were more nefarious things going on. Well, what fun that was. I called Equifax and asked to order a 3-1 report (Equifax, Experian, TransUnion). After giving some personal information for my bona fides, I carefully read my credit-card number. I have no regional accent and have been speaking on the radio for 50 years. It is nearly impossible to misunderstand me as I bite off each number with military precision. In a few days, I got a letter from Equifax, telling me there was a problem with my order, but no hint as to what the problem might be. They asked that I call their 800 number, which I did. Three times the lady asked me what problem the letter pointed out. Three times I told her it said only there was "a problem." She fiddled around, put me on hold, and finally came on and said that she would have to research the matter. I repeated my credit-card number to her and my phone number and my e-mail address. Several days went by with no response from Equifax. Since I worked for their predecessor company while in college, I wrote the president a letter and asked him if he could find out what the problem was. Just after I came back from the post office -having posted the letter - I got an e-mail that said that the problem was that my credit card had been refused by the vendor and would I please call and provide another card number. I called my bank 800 number and found that my new card was valid and that there had been no "declines" on my record with the new card. In other words, Equifax must have gotten my number wrong, or typed it in wrong, and checked on somebody else's account. I clicked on the Reply button on the incoming e-mail from Equifax (which of course repeated their incoming message) and said that my credit card was good, there were no "declines" noted and that they should run it again. I got a reply saying that they could not find any file associated with the e-mail address I had used. They sent me the damn message in the first place! And I simply hit the REPLY button. Well, that was the end of my patience with Equifax. I went online to TransUnion and thought I would give the online application a try. After filling out a bunch of screens and providing the same credit-card number I had used with Equifax, up popped some screens that said they were required to verify my identify more fully before they made my report available online. I ran to the truck and got my gas credit cards. It said that I had entered one correct number, but one or two others were not good numbers. Oh, really, and you are going to give me my credit report? More screens with more requests. I ran and opened my safe and got all my credit cards out. I felt like I was playing online Hangman. I would get a "Your right," followed by two "sorry, wrong number." On a dialup line, all this was taking up a lot of time and I was getting madder by the minute. Finally, I closed the browser and shut down my modem connection. The hell with it. The next day, I called a number TransUnion said could be used to verify more information if such was needed to process my report. I got a very poor quality digital voice that asked me to punch in my account number or my Social Security. No thanks, I am not talking to a robot. In a day or so, I got an e-mail message from the people who process the 3-1 reports for TransUnion. The message said that my account had been processed and my report was available at the "link below." I clicked on the link, entered my user name and password and a message said "your information is being loaded" (something like that). For twenty minutes I stared at the little balls running across the screen, but no report appeared. I shut down my modem connection. For the fourth time, to hell with it. After a night's rest, I decided to try a broadband connection in town where I have access for limited periods. I logged on and up popped a screen that said my report could not be presented until I answered some more questions. Mind you, I had gotten an e-mail from these folks telling me that my report was ready for download. One of the screens was for credit cards. I ran into the parking lot and got my gas cards out of the truck. I punched in one and got the "sorry, wrong number" message. I tried again without all the numbers at the end of the card. Bingo, like a shot my 3-1 credit report appeared on the screen. I downloaded it to the desktop and transferred it to my USB flash card, then deleted the file from the desktop and the Recycle bin. At home, I transferred the file from the USB flash card to my hard drive and printed the 16-page report. I felt like I had just cracked the German code during WWII. And it had only taken a couple of weeks, a few phone calls, a few e-mails, and working the Internet from two different locations. Piece of cake.
So, in the scoring on getting my credit report, on a scale of 1-10, humans at Equifax Zero, computers and e-mail at Equifax Zero, computers at TransUnion a 6, robot on the phone at Transunion a Zero. The acutal vendor the the TransUnion 3-1 report is TrueCredit.
I also noticed that Equifax did not list one of my gasoline credit cards that I have had for years. They listed three of my credit cards as Open that I closed voluntarily years ago. While I was at it during the signup, I opted for a weekly update of any activity on my credit reports, for only $9.95 a year. With identity theft so rampant, this is a heck of a bargain. Now, the last chuckle. When I got my first weekly e-mail report, I heard the ding that I had new mail but could not find it. It was in my SPAM folder. The message contained many of the points that my SPAM algorithm flags. So, now I know to look in the SPAM folder for my weekly updates. If I think of it, I may put it on the OK list and let it go to my In Box.
Bill Clinton is to have bypass surgery. Dr. Christopher Cannon, of Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston said treatment guidelines suggest patients like Clinton take at least five medicines each day to prevent re-blockages -- aspirin, a blood thinner, a beta blocker, an ACE inhibitor anti-hypertensive and a high-dose "statin" cholesterol drug. I have studied heart disease and high-blood pressure for more than 20 years. I had a multiple bypass operation, done by one of the best heart surgeons there is, and post-op care by a world-renowned cardiologist. I would walk out of Dr. Cannon's office as fast as my pudgy feet could carry me. His post-operative "prescription" appears to be overkill. Some of it with possible serious negative consequences. But, what the hell do I know? It is now six years since my multiple bypass operation. I do not take a blood thinner, a beta-blocker, or a statin. I do take aspirin, an ACE inhibitor, Coenzyme Q-10, and a host of other supplements, and eat a balanced diet, including some steak and pizza and wine - and I exercise. Somehow I managed to walk a mile on the treadmill yesterday without pain or shortness of breath, lift a few weights, and do some floor exercises. I guess if you listen to the "conventional medical wisdom," from guys like Dr. Cannon, I am living on borrowed time. If a new Outback column does not show up within a month, you will know that Dr. Cannon was right. I should have been taking all that other crap Bill Clinton is being told he needs. This is very presumptuous of me, but I am going to disagree with Dr. Cannon on several points. I could not sleep thinking about this and am writing this at 3 a.m. to get it off my chest. A beta blocker normally does two things, it slows your heart rate and lowers your blood pressure. Beta blockers are usually prescribed for heart failure, high blood pressure, angina, abnormal heart rhythms, and after a heart attack. Since there is no indication that Bill Clinton had a heart attack or heart failure, Dr. Cannon seems out of the mainstream in suggesting that bypass patients, like Mr. Clinton, take a beta blocker. Common sense would seem to indicate that if your heart is okay, and you have a new set of arteries/veins, why would you need to slow down the heart rate? By that logic, every healthy person should be taking a beta blocker so their heart doesn't have to work so hard. The ACE inhibitor is prescribed for high blood pressure and is friendly to the heart. It is appropriate. I take one. Dr. Cannon also suggests that as a matter of routine, bypass patients be put on a blood thinner. "Blood thinner" is a lay term used to describe all types of anti-platelet medications. The most widely used is Warfarin (Coumadin). Warfarin is used to prevent blood clots from forming or growing larger. It is often prescribed for patients with certain types of irregular heartbeat and after a heart attack or heart valve replacement surgery. Even though I had bypass surgery, I just take Aspirin, and am not on Warfarin or Plavix. If you have an irregular heart rhythm, such as Atrial Fibrillation, blood tends to pool in the heart and may form clots which can break loose and cause a heart attack or more probably a stroke. So, for AFIB patients, an anti-platelet drug (Warfarin) is routine. There is no indication from the reporting on Clinton that he has an abnormal heart rhythm. I read somewhere that at least prior to his bypass operation, Mr. Clinton was on Plavix, possibly because he had chest pains. The Plavix Web homepage is revealing. It says in part: "PLAVIX, taken daily, can help protect you if you've had a recent heart attack, recent stroke, or if you have poor leg circulation (called PAD). Your doctor may recommend using PLAVIX daily with aspirin if you: have been hospitalized with heart-related chest pain (unstable angina); have had a certain type of heart attack (non–Q-wave heart attack)." There appears to be no indication that Plavix is normally suggested for use after heart bypass surgery or after the insertion of a stent or stents during angioplasty. (www.plavix.com) Blood thinners like Warfarin are tricky to deal with. If you don't take enough, you don't have the clot protection you need. If you take too much, you may have spontaneous internal hemorrhaging or a hemorrhagic stroke. So, your blood has to be tested frequently to make sure it is in the proper range. When I hit another vehicle head-on at 70 m.p.h. and woke up in ER, one of the first questions I was asked was "Are you on Coumadin?" I said I was not, and the doctor said that was a blessing because with the severe trauma my body had undergone I might have had some serious internal bleeding. Remember, Warfarin is the main ingredient in Rat Poison. The rats die of internal hemorrhaging. Dr. Cannon also says that bypass patients should receive a high-dose "statin" cholesterol drug. That's really dumb. Suppose you don't have high cholesterol? Nearly half of the people admitted into ER with heart attacks have normal cholesterol. For all the talk about statins being a "gold standard" for treating cholesterol, they often have serious side effects. But, the makers and the brainwashed doctors now tell us that statins will also prevent stroke, heart attack, and a host of other maladies. So, the beat goes on. (See for example: "Statins Inducing Heart Problems, Among Other Things" in the Outback for July 10, 2004.) Once again, I invite you to visit www.statinalert.org and www.thincs.org - the latter is populated by cardiologists, researchers, and health-care professionals who insist that Cholesterol is NOT the cause of heart disease. If they are right, people are spending billions on drugs they don't need and which often have serious side effects. But, the billions of dollars in income allows for a massive PR campaign on the "benefits" of statins. And it is a gargantuan PR effort. I see the tracks every day in the media and the medical literature. As I have noted before, I once got my total cholesterol down to 150 (total, not just LDL) by diet, exercise and some natural supplements. I do not take a statin and will never take one - under any circumstances. Probably the most important things you can do for your heart are to take Coenzyme Q10 and exercise (see: www.coenzymeq10.org). Bill, I hope Dr. Cannon will not be treating you post-op. If so, get at least two more opinions on post-op care. Or come by the house and we can go over some of the two boxes of medical research and a shelf of books I have on heart disease and the hundreds of medical studies and reports on my hard drive. We can thumb through several years of the heart newsletter from the Cleveland Clinic and piles of the "Harvard Heart Letter." I'll show you my angiogram, too. I have it on videotape. And the colored JPEGS of my nuclear stress test images. It will be a bypass love-in. I'll show you the list of what my cardiologist has me taking, such as Coenzyme Q-10, L-Carnitine, Vitamin E, Vitamin C, Calcium, Vitamin D, B complex vitamins, Kelp (for iodine), Magnesium, Fish Oil (Omega 3 - EPA + DHA), Flaxseed Oil (Omega 3 - Alpha-linolenic acid), B12 - B6 - Folic Acid (to keep homocysteine level down), and a diet with a lot of veggies, fruit, fish , whole grains, extra-virgin olive oil - and a couple of glasses of wine or a dark beer now and then. And of course an ACE inhibitor, a potassium-sparing diuretic, and Aspirin. You can walk on the treadmill while I fix the steaks. Because, believe me partner, I feel your pain. Disclaimer: The content of articles on this web site are provided for information purposes only. A decision to act upon the information presented on this web site is at the discretion of the reader. No liability or responsibility whatsoever is accepted by the author/s of any material contained within this web site for any alleged harm arising from the use or dissemination of this material. All decisions regarding health and medical issues should be made in consultation with one or more competent medical practitioners. A long time ago, I wrote glowingly about Carly Fiorina, da boss at HP. I sent her a copy of my article in the Outback and got back a nice e-mail thanking me for my kind words and for my long-time support and purchase of HP products. I am still personally smitten with Carly, and admire her ability to survive in an extremely volatile business. But I am mad as a wet hen at her Printer Division. My son and grandkids benefit from my insatiable desire to build a new computer every couple of years. They get the old ones. This week, I delivered to the grandkids a pretty decent Pentium P4, 1.9 GHz, with 512 MB of RAM and Win XP Home (with SP1a), six USB ports, a 56K modem, a CD-burner, and a CD-ROM drive. It was my spare computer, because I am pawing the ground to build a new one - and the current one will become the spare. I set about to install the HP device. In the 20 plus years I have been installing desktop software, I have never seen anything take longer to install than the CD-ROM software for the HP printer - with the exception of Win XP, of course. It flashed a message that it might take 35 minutes to install! What? We started the installation and went downstairs to eat a pizza. When we came back, files were still loading. Finally, the gruesome process was over. Mind you, this is not an operating system or a major computer program. It is a CD that supposedly contains the drivers for the 3-1 printer. Normally about a one- or two-minute install. After the installation was complete, I noticed that there were at least three new icons sitting on the Taskbar. The usual nonsense, a toolbox, and other stuff you practically never use, and if you do use them, you can execute them from the All Programs Menu - or make a desktop shotcut. I have a single folder on my Desktop which is labeled "Misc." I store all my program shortcuts in that folder, change the icon to something nice and avoid desktop clutter. So, into MSCONFIG to kill the startup of these HP "housekeeping" programs. Then the shock. When I rebooted, my User icon for Windows XP came on the screen. Normally, with only one user in XP, you boot straight into the Desktop screen (unless you have programs that execute at startup). I stared at my User Icon for a long time. How did that get there? And why? Finally, I looked in Control Panel/User Accounts, and I had my answer. The HP printer install CD had installed a complete NEW user called "Microsoft .NET." In the hundreds (thousands?) of programs I have installed in Windows on my computers and for others, never had an installation created a new user! I had a vague idea that we did not need or want Microsoft .NET, so I deleted that User and deleted the associated files. Rebooted and up came the screen normally. What arrogance and colossal nerve of HP to create a new User, especially one we did not want or need. Microsoft .NET is a set of Microsoft software technologies for connecting information, people, systems, and devices. I knew only enough about it to know that we most likely had no current use or need for it. I checked the Microsoft .NET spiel at Microsoft and got the usual hyperbole that .NET was the greatest thing since sliced bread. One example told of the benefits of connection your inventory system with your accounting system. The grandkids have no inventory or accounting system. Another example talks about the possibility of connecting your car to the internet via .NET - and being able to know when to change oil. The grandkids have no cars, so we will pass on that feature. I'm sure I do not understand enough about the virtues of MS .NET, since a recent review of Norton Ghost 9 (the disk imaging software) said the Ghost 9 requires that .NET be on your disk. A competing product, Acronis True Image 8, does not require it - as far as I know. You know which one I am buying. Update: Since I wrote this, I have discovered an ugly truth. Several more pieces of hardware require that .NET Framework be installed on your hard drive. For example, my new Matrox P650 video card and some of the ATI Radeon video cards. Each of these installations creates a new User for .NET Framework. This is a pain, because now you can no longer turn on your computer and make coffee while it boots. A logon screen comes up with your main User (if you have only one) and you have to be at the computer to click on the User icon to finish the boot process. There is no choice for .Net Framework user, you can find that in Control Panel/Users. I am now searching for where in the Registry there is a tweak that can bypass this pause to make you click on a single-user logon icon and boot all the way without interruption. Update regarding .NET Framework SP 1.1: .NET Framework SP 1.1 had been showing up on my Windows Update, but it was too large for me to comfortably download and install on a dialup connection. On my old computer, I did not even have .NET Framework installed. I went to my broadband access in town and downloaded SP 1.1 and installed it on my new computer. Now, my computer boots normally - that is, all the way without a User logon required and, .NET Framework is no longer listed under Control Panel/Users. And for now, I don't care how or why. If you need it, you can find it under Control Panel/Administrative Tools. The original version of .NET Framework was 1.1.4322.573. There is apparently a bug in the update that does not show the updated version. You can download Belarc Advisor (wwww.belarc.com) - which you should always have on your computer anyway - and it will tell you which version of .NET Framework you have. After SP1.1, the version is 1.1.4322.2032. Or you can use your file manager to go to: C:\Windows\Microsoft.Net\Framework\V1.1.4322, right click on MSCORWKS.DLL and check the version number. After all of this, when I do Windows Update, .NET Framework SP 1.1 is no longer listed. This all only took about five hours to figure out by searching the Web. I am burning both the original .NET Framework file and the SP 1.1 patch to a CD - just in case. Don't you admire the world's biggest software company, whose first quarter profits were a paltry 2.9 billion dollars? They never get anything right the first time. Even the Service Pack for .NET has bugs. Terrific! A Simple Test for Dumping Your DoctorRecently, I was talking with someone whose relative had a heart attack. We got to talking about the post-heart-attack advice given by the patient's cardiologist. First, the doctor said not to eat eggs. Second, the patient was put on a statin (cholesterol-lowering drug). It was not known if the patient had high cholesterol or if the patient was told to take Coenzyme Q10 to offset the decrease in Q10 brought about by the taking of a statin drug. As I said to my friend, the egg thing is an easy argument to crack. The Web is full of authoritative studies on the potential effects of eating eggs on the cholesterol levels in humans. After years of going back and forth, the overwhelming preponderance of the evidence is that eating eggs will NOT increase your serum cholesterol. A Harvard study of 80,000 nurses showed that increasing dietary cholesterol by the amount contained in one egg per day did not increase the risk for heart disease. My cardiologist insists that I eat eggs, and I have had bypass surgery. Eggs contain nutrients that may help lower the risk for heart disease, including protein, vitamins B12 and D, riboflavin, and folate. They are a nearly-perfect food. It is not the cholesterol in foods such as eggs or shrimp that significantly raises your cholesterol. It is fats in your diet, such as saturated fats - and the trans fat found in many margarines - which some doctors have told patients to eat in place of butter. (Some margarines are now substantially free of trans fats, and some, like Benecol and Take Control, will actually lower your cholesterol.) Trans fats are also found in many processed foods like cookies and chips, althoug there is a trend to remove trans fats, or limit them, in snack foods. The Harvard Web site, noted later, puts it this way: "But surprisingly, the amount of cholesterol in food is not very strongly linked to cholesterol levels in the blood. The biggest influence on blood cholesterol levels is the mix of fats in the diet." Sirs, it was no surprise to those of us who have closely followed nutritional research over the past decades. So, here is an easy test. If your doctor tells you not to eat eggs because they will increase your serum cholesterol, and/or prescribes a statin drug but does not have you taking from 100 to 200mg of Coenzyme Q10 to offset the statin-induced depletion of Q10, dump your doctor! Just the don't-eat-eggs advice is almost enough. It shows that the doctor is buying into long-held medical myths that have been soundly disproven. What else is your doctor behind on in his or her research? Not knowing that statins decrease levels of Q10 - and of the possible ramifications - is inexcusable. That's a one-item dump. If you do not have high cholesterol but your doctor prescribes a statin because it "helps prevent heart attacks and strokes," I would do some research on statins and seek a second or third medical opinion. (See: Statins Inducing Heart Problems, Among Other Things, in the Outback for July 10, 2004, in which it is noted that the statin-induced Q10 depletion is causing many cases of Congestive Heart Failure, etc.). Take a look at www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource for more information. Just remember that when even the vaunted Harvard School of Public Health talks about the link between high blood cholesterol levels and heart disease, that theory was born by feeding high-fat foods to Rabbits - which are vegetarians. See: www.thincs.org for the view that cholesterol does not cause heart disease. Disclaimer: The content of articles on this web site are provided for information purposes only. A decision to act upon the information presented on this web site is at the discretion of the reader. No liability or responsibility whatsoever is accepted by the author/s of any material contained within this web site for any alleged harm arising from the use or dissemination of this material. All decisions regarding health and medical issues should be made in consultation with one or more competent medical practitioners. Tips On Installing Windows XP SP2After prowling the Web looking for stories about installs of Win XP SP2 (Service Pack 2), I decided that on a home computer it would now probably be okay. A friend had ordered the SP2 CD-ROM from Microsoft and loaned it to me. I would NOT attempt an SP2 update on a dialup connection, and would even have misgivings about doing it over a broadband connection. I want a disk! I could find no Microsoft download for home users for SP2, which you could do on the office broadband and burn to CD. There is one for IT professionals. Here are some of the steps I took to update XP Home, which may help you: Run updated versions of AdAware and Spybot Search and Destroy. Very important. Spyware can abort the install in some cases. Update your virus definitions and do a full disk scan for viruses. If you have a Registry cleaner, such as in VCOMM Fixit 5, or the one in Norton System Works, run it. Make an image copy of your C:\ drive. I discovered that I had that function in NERO 6 Ultra edition and was able to make a mirror-image backup of my abbreviated C:\ drive (I install programs on a D:\ partition) using only two DVD disks. Back up e-mail, financial data, documents, updates to programs, shareware, etc., to a CD-R or DVD disk. In RUN MSCONFIG, uncheck all Startup Programs and reboot. After reboot, do Ctrl-Alt-Del, and in the Task Manager "End Process" for any programs that you are SURE are not a part of the Windows operating environment. For example, PALM.EXE, which executes Palm Desktop and is loaded in the Startup Folder on my computer. Insert the SP2 update disk and follow the Wizard. On a P4 2.66GHz, 1GB RAM computer, with 48X CD-ROM drive, it took 25 minutes from start to the last reboot. A Restore Point is created along the way. System files are backed up, an SP2 uninstall routine is installed, so there appears to be several safeguards should your SP2 installation not go well. After the SP2 install reboots and you are back in Windows, in RUN MSCONFIG, check all the programs that you want to load at startup and reboot. You are given a chance to make some selections along the way about the XP firewall and so on. If you do not catch it during the installation process, you can click on Control Panel and open Security Center. If you have a 3rd-party firewall, like Norton or Zone Alarm, you should click on Windows Firewall and check Off (not recommended). Actually, it IS recommended if you have a 3rd- party Firewall. Microsoft suggests that you do not run their firewall and a 3rd-party one at the same time. While the MS Firewall is better than it was, it still does not filter outgoing traffic, for example. If you are on a dialup, or like to have total control over Windows updates, click on Automatic Updates and select "notify me but don't automatically download or install them." There was much early talk about Security Center not recognizing anti-virus and/or 3rd-party firewall programs. One of the recent Norton downloads for Norton Internet Security cured that. I cannot speak for other vendors. Now, when I look in Security Center at Firewall, it tells me that "Norton Internet Security is currently ON." Under Virus Protection, it tells me that "Norton Antivirus is up to date and virus scanning (background) is ON." In the October issue of PC WORLD, on p.166ff, there is a description of what to do if your firewall or anti-virus program is not recognized by Security Center. Apparently, if programs are not recognized, you will see the Security Center icon on your task bar, with a message. The article says there is a selection for "I have a firewall solution that I will monitor myself" (and ditto for anti-virus programs) - that will keep the alert from bugging you. I would not know, since Norton is playing nicely with Security Center. I have run all my major programs, including FTP, and surfed with both IE6 (which is completely updated) and Firefox, and have checked my e-mail. So far, all is well. It even seems like programs and screens are loading faster. COPYRIGHT 2000 Richard C. Rhodes You are welcome to quote sections from this page - or the whole page, as long as the source URL is included. Of course, I would be flattered if anyone linked to this page. It is very hard to be the writer, editor, fact checker, copy editor, and publisher of anything. So, I beg your forgiveness for the many mistakes that creep in. Suggested Reading From Past Columns Click Here for Suggested Reading List Archive of Back Issues Media List of Addresses and e-mails Postal Service State Abbreviations, etc. Postal Service Abbreviations - Richard C. Rhodes End |