The Life and Times of the Oxfordian Snail

......[c]2005 by Richard L Zorek......12.31.05.....

Happy 2006! I guess I could just leave it there. It is short, but to the point. Might be better than writing some gratuitous article which would just use a lot of words and in the end would just say the same thing. I don't really have to write anything about the New Year. After all, I am the chief editor and I get last word as to what gets printed and what doesn't. If I had decided that a good article about care and feeding of the oxfordian snail would be appropriate then it would be done. However I don't know anything about the care and feeding of snails and I made the "oxfordian" word up. (I have an "Oxford" dictionary in front of me). I could make it up I suppose and possible get some of you to believe me. (aaahhh, the power of words). But I won't. That snail lived in my imagination for a few minutes and now is extinct....such a tragic end and short life, but now we must go on.

About twenty years ago I spent New Years eve at a dance and party with lots of mixed drinks and ended the night at a motel with a girl named Debbie I knew from work and from the party. We didn't go there to sleep. How times have changed. Tonight I will "celebrate" by not celebrating and I won't miss it. I hope to be in bed and sleeping by 12. I did go to church, though....by choice and willingly. Twenty years can sure change a person can't it? I don't make resolutions because they usually amount to being things I should be fixing in my life any way, and the first of January has no magical power to enforce them. I certainly move closer to the day I will die...as do we all...and it would be a great time to reflect on that. But once again, the first of January has no power over that either, because we should always be aware of where we are going in this life. Closer to death..closer to eternity. Death? Is that a downer? I don't see it that way. It is an important event that is going to happen in everyones life: rich, poor, tall, short, ugly, pretty. Often referred to as the great "equalizer." I also believe that how one deals with it says a lot about that persons character. Tomorrow is coming and it is time to do something powerful and impact those around you. Because they too are moving closer. And it all starts by realizing how short of time we have. David in the Psalms referred to us as blades of grass....here today and gone tomorrow. Almost as quick as the "existence" of that oxfordian snail in the scheme of things. It doesn't matter where we have been...tomorrow is a new day. Not because it is January 1......but because it is a new day: cease it!

Watch, Enjoy, Spend

.......[c]2005 by Richard L Zorek......12.30.05.....
I don't watch much TV. I don't have time for it. I do not feel deprived because of that. I don't watch "Desperate Housewives" or any of the "CSI" shows which sounds like they must run pretty much all the time. Occasionally I might catch the news or a piece of some show, but that's about it. Obviously I do get on the Internet. And spend probably more time on it than I should. I guess it was inevitable that TV and the Internet would merge. Of course, my intro to the Internet was through WEBTV, so I knew of the capability. Then came video streaming and if one has all the right "downloaded" software and some good hardware, their computer can be just like a TV. This week CBS begins streaming two of it's shows "Two and a Half Men" and "How I Met Your Mother." This will be the first time CBS has streamed a whole TV show. And it will have no commercials. Next year AOL plans to stream classics like "Welcome Back Kotter" and "Chico and the Man." Why are they doing this? Because they are stalking you--the consumer. They have realized the upward trend of people watching videos and movies online and instead of making their own environment (i.e, their studios and stations) more appealing....they are going to track you down. Oh, you are not only going to watch their shows.....but you are going to enjoy them. And then....happily....email them on. The "no-commercial" shows are just the intro.....they will very soon have commercials wherever they can squeeze one in. Already if you go to the major TV news websites in the Kansas City area, the news clips are proceeded by a commercial. So, that video about that drive-by murder may be important to you....but you have to know where to get that good deal on a new car first.

None of this can be done for free and the goal of all commercial television is to get money out of your wallet. You give some to their advertisers, so they can pay them for getting the ad on the network who puts the ad on to make you want to get money out of your wallet and give some to their advertisers, so.....it is the circle of life in the world of TV. Now throw the Internet in the mix somewhere and it continues.....

Watching You Watch It

"Watching You"

.......[c]2005 by Richard L Zorek......12.29.05.....State Sen. Jason Crowell might actually be seeing things the way they are, at least when it comes to traffic surveilance cameras. The Missouri Senator wants to ban police cameras at intersections aimed at catching red-light violators. The cameras aren't that selective, though, and are aimed at whatever comes through the light at any speed. Big brother watching you? Maybe. Take notice when you go through the light...but watch your speed limit and the signal while looking. Once a person is caught on camera, they are stopped by robotic policeman nearby who requests proper identification and ensure that all information is correct before issuing a ticket. All right the last part is not true, but that is the problem with the cameras. The cars owner is fined, even if the owner isn't driving the car. Those supporting the cameras(i.e., city/county treasurers, politicians, judges who like to collect fines w/o evidence) believe the watchful automatic eyes make all motorists safer.

When Your Computers Heart is Achy

.......[c]2005 by Richard L Zorek......12.28.05.....Over the weekend I was sick and pretty close to death's door. (OK, maybe no where near the door.....but dreamed briefly that I saw the door open and through it was a bright light over the Jordan River as I floated up above all my family members coming to meet me as angelic choirs began to sing "Achy Breaky Heart" and I woke up immediately because no one wants to hear that song sung by anyone, let alone a choir). Well, they say the things that are closest to you begin to resemble you. Some people look like their dogs. Some like their cats. Some resemble their cars. There are some that look like those pink plastic swans that go in the front yard and I just don't know what that is all about.

In my "family" I guess it's the computer. It got a virus. Like me, neither of us had been sick for awhile.......and even when we are we usually aren't stopped by it. But, my browser got hijacked by this vicious little virus who was backed up by another one and when I thought I could delete him....he would develop again from some "exe" file. And I was sure I was hearing it say "you can tell my arms to go back to the farm and you can tell my feet to hit the floor...."in a very evil taunting kind of way. The only "insurance" it had on it was the Nortons and the bug knocked it out first. What do you when your first line of defense disappears? You get real mad. Anyway, about one day later and a lot of starts and restarts. I finally got it. Along with a host of other things inside my system and registry that I never knew was there. Quite the operation. I think the last thing I heard it say was "...tell my fingertips they won't be reaching out for you no more...." Then it was gone flushed into cyberspace to other virus family members that had passed on before it had. Now everything is back to normal. But, it is almost midnight and a new day is coming.......

Yahoo Geo Cities: Too Risky To Use! User Beware!

...[c]2005 by Richard L Zorek......12.27.05.....
I had a free website account a Geocities for many years. The I.D. was itea64050. It was originally established to deal with issues relating to the Independence Transportation Employees Association, a "wanna-be-union" that established its presence with the Independence School District school bus drivers. It also had some other school bus information. I was slowly using it less and less, but was still using it periodically. One day, I discovered the guest book disappeared and then found out that what was left was gone. I wrote them after I sifted through the links forever a long time trying to find a place to contact them. I listed this violation The violation is .........directed toward
Geocities for not making a better way to communicate with
you. I had pages at "itea64050" (yahoo ID) and they have
disappeared. WHY??????. Sean from Yahoo! Customer Care
wrote this back (standard response I presume):
Your Yahoo! account was disabled pursuant to the Yahoo! GeoCities Terms
of Service (TOS). You agreed to abide by the TOS when you created your
Yahoo! GeoCities account. Yada yada yada. But no explanation as to what was violated. So I wrote back: Looks like I need an attorney to figure out what your wrote here. You
specify a violation took place, but don't have any clue what it is. What
was it??? I do not believe there was one after 5 years. This time Kirk from Yahoo! Customer service sent me the exact same email that Sean did. Still no explanation. So, getting frustrated, I wrote back again:
Yada yada yada. You are telling me it was violated. WHAT was
violated???? WHAT? Ads in "w-h-a-t"? Do you understand?? "WHAT" was
violated. You have given me nothing except the TOS, which I already
read. Let me know, I am getting ready to cancel all the Yahoo stuff
because you apparently can't read. I can read fine I have read your
TOS.
You haven't told me how I VIOLATED your TOS?? Do you understand? Let me
write it real slow for you: w-h-a-t d-i-d I v-i-o-l-a-t-e??????


I could write you a letter and tell you I think your review system is
crazy, but unless I let you know what make me think you are crazy, you
won't know will you?. That should be clear. Well so, now I get an email from Justin at yahoo! customer service which started out different:
You are welcome to establish a new account with Yahoo! and Yahoo!
GeoCities at any time, provided that your use complies with our Terms
of
Service. I became convinced they have no explanation and I have no idea why they did it after five years. So, my suggestion to anyone who doesn't want to lose information without a reason.........or even with one, I guess, is to not uses Geocities. It's much too risky. And "customer service doesn't listen, or cant read anyway....Geo Cities Warning.

Almost The End (Moan....Whine....Cough)

......[c]2005 by Richard L Zorek......12.27.05.....
I will confess. When I get sick: I whine. When a little fraction of my immune system gives in just a little bit I am pretty sure I am about to breath my last. And anyone around me knows it because of the moans from the pain or the terrors I am facing (all right, so maybe it's just a cough and nasal drip, but it is still not pleasant). But, as I faced the inevitable end the last few days I, naturally, thought about things. But first, I should mention that I saw no one at the "Jordan" waiting for me and there was no bright lights. I didn't even see the Missouri River and the shades were pulled in my bedroom. I didn't float above my body, but I may have pretended to for a few moments but I think it was just those really good prescription pills. But it was a time to reflect as the end neared and I wondered about why God made those cockroaches in the first place. I don't have any here, and haven't seen any for awhile, but I know that they are out there somewhere....just doing "cocky" or "roachy" things. And for what purpose? I will have to ask God when I see Him about that. Surely God had a reason for it. I mean he allowed "West Wing" to be a hit TV show didn't he? Well, on second thought, I may need to ask Him about that, too.

Then I thought briefly about a miracle. Maybe if I die I could be raised from the dead. It has happened. Jesus did it. Others did in biblical history. Ted Kennedy clearly has been raised several times. So, why not me? The only thing I could think of was that I am not insured. So, that would be a problem. Being brought back to life might be a "health" related issue only covered on certain polices. And at this time, I am one of many Americans who doesn't have the luxury of medical insurance. Oh, I guess there are free clinics. That's what the rich folks say. They say "Oh you can get health care if you just go down to the clinic" so stop your whining. First off, those of us who are going to die don't like to be told to stop whining and shut up. Elvis' last words at his mutli-million dollar estate in Graceland were "I am going to the bathroom." Did anyone tell him to shut up? I don't think so. Whining may be the only thing sustaining us at the moment. In America, as they say, you often get what you pay for. So "free" is cheap. That's often what you get. Not to mention the wait you have trying to get into such a place if you can get in at all. Well, rich folks think we don't have anything better to do anyway and don't really want to be bothered with such issues because their time is better spent on the golf course and all they have to do is throw out a few extra dollars and they receive instant medical services from a variety of places.

So, does health belong to the rich? In America...I believe it does. The cost of prescriptions themselves is enough to break any average person without insurance. So what do they do? If they can't get to the "free" clinic, there isn't much they can do. I wish I had an optimistic way to end this, but I don't. But, my temperature is returning back to normal and I am off the NyQuil, so death doesn't seem as eminent as it was yesterday. I may have survived this round..........but me and the American Health system will meet again.

Hit Retro: Kansas City USA

.......[c]2005 by Richard L Zorek......12.22.05.....In the commercial world of media there's more talent that never makes it to the top than actually does. Often it appears to be the "politics" of who knows who and who has the money. But, talent can come from many places and often right under your own nose. And if you just took a look to see if there was something under your nose, you are not in this category. Local talent has always abounded in the Kansas City area. This area is ripe with budding jazz and blues artists. After all, this is Kansas City. Both Ellington and Basie played here in the early parts of their careers. But now we have entered the age of the Internet. And there are talents to be found here which have a Kansas City base. For example, there is Internet radio. Yes, we have commercial radio stations like 101 the Fox, and 98.9 The Planet, and even the self appointed prophet of liberalism, Lazlo (and his church of listeners who would probably rather listen to music but instead have to hear him ramble). I discovered an Internet venue called "Live 365," which hosts a large number of grassroots broadcasters. Some have talent, some just have a radio station on the Internet. Out of Lenexa, I found "Hit Retro USA," a little station put together by a guy named Steve Jarrott. As of this writing, he is now revamping the site and show has renamed it The Steve Jarrott Show (formerly Hit Retro USA. And since his name is Steve Jarrott and the name of the show is the "Steve Jarrott Show", it seems like more than just an incredible coincidence. It is very professional and worth a listen. Satirical to just off the wall...... it's good stuff. And I have talked to Steve, and aside from a little help help from his daughter, he is doing all the voices.

This is one example of what I think the Internet provides as a service. It levels the playing field to some degree and lets those who might not have had the opportunity before to express themselves and show the world wide web their talent.

Using Your Cell Phone While Chewing Gum

"...how could you
have the audacity to runinto me whileI am talking on the phone?...."

.......[c]2005 by Richard L Zorek......12.21.05.....Some people can't walk and chew gum at the same time. Or so I have heard. I have not surveyed those who were walking improperly to ask if they were chewing gum or not. I will leave that to the experts (who can get a government grant to look into it). I've hit on the issue of drivers with cell phones before. And I emphasis on "issue," as I have not ever actually hit a driver with a cell phone, though they make themselves such easy targets.

How about the cell phone user who isn't driving? Well, they are fine usually. But then there's the one who walks in front of you as you walk down the aisle at Walmart looking for falling prices. They suddenly stop in front of you or slow down and you bump into them. You realize they are on the phone and they just give you a look of disgust, while they keep talking. How could you have the audacity to run into me while I am talking on the phone? Or so they are thinking. Then there's the one in front of you in the line at the Quik Trip. It's bad enough that the one in front of him can't decide which lottery tickets to buy, but now when this guy gets up to the counter he has to try and hear the cashier, reach for his money, and keep the conversation going with his girlfriend all at the same time. And, by the way, none of us want to hear the conversation with the girlfriend. But rather than hang up, he has to impress us with his phone technique (or maybe with just that he has a girl friend) and slow us down while we wait for him to get done so we can get in and out of the convenience store quickly.

There are, of course, other situations. People with cell phones in theaters or church meetings or for that matter any kind of meeting where the phone user feels we might be interest in hearing his conversation on a cell phone. But, in case you didn't know it: we are not. So, learn how to use it properly and safely around others. Safely? Yes, because someone is going to take that cell phone and shove it where the sun don't shine of you don't exercise a little courtesy. Can you hear me now??

Have You Seen Him?

"suspect"

"suspect"

.......[c]2005 by Richard L Zorek......12.20.05.....
The FBI is looking for this man. He is suspected of robbing a Blue Springs bank. They released these pictures to help you. So, let's go over the description. He is black and white. He has light scaly skin that drapes over his body. He has no mouth or nose. Small dark eyes. I do not know why we shouldn't be able to all identify him with these pics. Call the proper authorites with the information.

The Absolute Positive Without-A-Doubt Truth About the JFK Assasination in Dallas.

.......[c]2005 by Richard L Zorek......12.19.05.....

The lone gunman who shot President Kennedy on that fateful day in November 1963 has been revealed to be Hollywood director, Oliver Stone. Stone's psychoanalyst, who remains anonymous, revealed this recently when he released Stone's files to the FBI.

Because Stone was a young boy at the time and because it would have made the secret service look like idiots, Stone's involvement was covered up and the blame pinned on Lee Harvey Oswald. When Oswald found out about the frame up, he was going to alert the media. At first, The FBI hired Elvis Presley to eliminate Oswald, but since he was busy recording an album, they hired Jack Ruby to eliminate Oswald.

According to Stone's psychological report, Stone remained silent for many years. The movie, "JFK," was an attempt to justify an unsettled conscience. He had also released the movie, "The Doors," which was an effort to deal with the drug problem he faced just after the shooting. Later came "Natural Born Killers" and it started to become clearer what that was all about.

Ludicrous? Maybe. But so are all the other theories.