Spam: An Update

Unwanted, unsolicited e-mails continue to be the bane of the internet. All the ISPs, all the browsers and all the e-mail programs employ rigorous, even Draconian programs to filter and block spam, yet, like New York City cockroaches it continues to proliferate. It is almost laughable. Consider this: in the past three days, the rigorously filtered Jaxonia mailbox has been successfully invaded by more than 70 un-asked-for commercial messages. G-Mail has a 'delete forever' button, and all of these gate crashers will be so dealt with, but IT DOESN'T MATTER! Like rampant spermatazoa, spam messages just keep crashing the ramparts.


Ads for drugs and credit reports lead the list, followed by sundry investment strategies, work-at-home schemes, and free food offers (steaks, sub sandwiches, health food.) Pornography seems popular, too, and not the run-of-the-mill kind. Real aberrant, abhorrent stuff.


Recently some legitimate enterprises have cautioned that their well-meaning and advantageous e-mails can be construed as 'spam' by over-zealous filtering programs; they suggest that we examine our spam carefully, and re-write or alter our filters to accept them.


FAT CHANCE! If you get listed as spam, YOU'RE SPAM! We're too busy deleting to find a workaround for you.

A tale of two watches

The Omega Seamaster is a painstakingly restored original from the 50s. It is one of the first self-winding watches, with a pendulum-like mechanism that winds the watch using the motion of your arm and wrist. If the watch sits unworn for 48 hours, it stops! It also runs fast -- about 30 seconds a day. It has been appraised at $3,000. Whenever I wear a suit and tie (or better) I wear this watch.

I bought the Sharp watch for $5 ten years ago at a Radio Shack discontinued sale. Five years ago the batteries (it takes 3) ran out. I replaced them for $12. Last week they ran out again, but the replacements only cost $8 this time.

The Sharp keeps perfect time AND date AND the face lights up -- perfect for finding out just how long you've been bored by a movie. I wear this watch 24-7; when I change to the 'impressive' watch, I always apologize to the Sharp!

Does anyone know how to read any more?

The Republicans, the insurance and pharmaceutical industries, are trying to convince America that we have the best health care in the world, and that the Obama Adminstration is trying to take control of it and turn it into the worst kind of socialized medicine. Horror stories have been leaked to the press -- Canadians dying while they wait for operations, senior citizens refused care in Great Britain because they are too old... it's difficult to check out such statements, but just some rudimentary internet fact-checking about world health should get you wondering.

For example, did you know that ALL the countries the GOP vilifies for their stand-in-line socialized medicine are healthier than America? Check it out: America ranks 45th in the world in life expectancy; France, England, Denmark, Sweden, Spain, Italy and Canada are all in the top ten!

Here are some amazing stats from Denmark:
Hospital room cost: $11 a day
Doctor visit: $20
After your payments reach $150, it's all free.
Prescription drugs will cost you a maximum of $270 a year.
If you have to wait more than three months for a scheduled procedure you can go anywhere else in the world, and Denmark pays the freight -- including travel.

The internet is full of facts -- and finding them is called 'googling.' Try it out!

The Fabulous Palins, Michael and Sarah!

The famous Monty Python sketch seems appropriate for Sarah.



Just how the media can interpret her resignation as anything other than her demise, is, quite frankly... silly!