Category Uncategorized

Feb 1 1999

News for 2/1/99

##Recently Updated Pages

  • [[PC Sucks!]]

    When someone can get fired because of the ignorance of others, political correctness and the power it wields in our everyday lives has gone ***way, way*** to far.

  • [[Let’s Party]]

    A new year begins. Will it be better than the last? Let’s hope so!

  • [[The Mask Of Zorro]]

    Interesting take on the legend has Zorro passing the mask to the next generation.

  • [[January 1999 Trip Report]]
  • “February Events”
  • [[When You Least Expect It]]

    My grandmother died today.

  • [[Cool Sites]]
Feb 1 1999

PC Sucks!

When someone can get fired because of the ignorance of others, political correctness and the power it wields in our everyday lives has gone ***way, way*** to far.

##We’re doomed

No, this is not about PC compatible computers and the great
evil empire up in Redmond. It’s about political correctness run amok.
Our society was founded on some amazing principles. Among
them is the first amendment to the Constitution:

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or

prohibiting the free execise thereof; or abridging the freedom of

speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to

assemble, and to petition the Government for a reress of gievances.

Notice the part that’s italicized above. Free speech. It’s considered
sacred here in the United States, or at least it was. Now,I know that the
above has to do with the government making laws, but it’s generally
accepted that people should be able to say what they wish.

Now, I know that there’s been limits placed on free speech over the years
(you can’t yell “fire!” inside a crowded theatre for instance), but now
we’ve gone too far.

##n != N

Let’s get something straight right now {dictionary(“niggard”)} has nothing
to do with (pardon me) {dictionary(“nigger”)}. The two are unrelated
etemologically, and the meanings have nothing in common. But that’s not
good enough for the politically correct these days. To them, since it
*sounds” like it ”could* be related, it shouldn’t be used. And if
you do use it, you loose your job.

##Embarassment

This whole issue has nothing to do with racism or harrassment, but everything
to do with embarassment. The people who raised their voices in protest
were so embarassed at how stupid they looked that they couldn’t do the
right thing and laugh it off as a misunderstanding.

##It’s not my problem

I consider myself to be a fairly well educated person. I read the paper and
stay well informed (at least as well informed as I can), I read books, and
I like being challenged intellectually. I find listening to people such as
George Will and William F. Buckley to be interesting not for their
politics, but because they refuse to lower their use of vocabulary so that
the masses can understand them. They (rightfully so) expect people to
understand the English language, *all of it*. I’ve found myself on
occassion consulting a dictionary while listening to them so that I could
understand what they were saying. This isn’t a failing of mine. Rather,
it’s an opportunity to learn something I didn’t know before and expand my
vocabulary.

They decided a long time ago that it’s not their problem if we (the
masses) don’t understand them, it’s our problem. Just the same, it’s those
people’s problem that didn’t understand the word *niggardly* who have
the problem, not the guy that used it.

Grow up people. There’s a lot more out there that’s actually *worth*
worrying about!

Jan 30 1999

The Mask Of Zorro

Interesting take on the legend has Zorro passing the mask to the next generation.

##Three cuts above the rest

Zorro was never one of my favorite heroes when I was a kid.
Sure, I knew about the
“swish-swish-swish-and-there’s-a-Z-in-someone’s-shirt”. Everyone did. It
was just a story that never captured my imagination the way others like
“Tarzan” and other did. What was I thinking! This character ROCKS!

##Sir Anthony!

This guy has just got be one of the coolest actors in the world. When he
looked at Antonio Banderas and said “Charm!” I thought I was going to die
laughing. Only an actor that’s as good as Hopkins, and at the same time
doesn’t take himself too seriously could pull that line off without
looking stupid in the process.

Jan 23 1999

January 1999 Trip Report

My grandmother died and we had to head to Montreal for the funeral.

##1/21: We’re off to Montreal

We took off about 10:30am and headed off to Montreal. I got a
call a couple of days earlier that my Grandmother had died (see
[[When You Least Expect It]]). So Danae and I decided to take a few days and
head to the Great White North for the funeral.

We took a beautiful route through Vermont and New Hampshire up to the
Canadian border. The weather was great until we crossed into Canada. It
was almost like a switch had gone off. Within a few miles of the border the
temperature had dropped a good 10°, and the sky was covered with clouds.
By the time we got to the island, the snow had started to fall.

We stayed at my cousin Debbie’s house. She and her husband Steve have
always been willing to put up with us for a few days when we come to town,
and this time was no exception.

##1/22: Grammy’s Funeral

It was a cold morning. The temperature was about -10°C (that’s
about 14° to us Americans :-).

After the funeral, everyone went over to Aunt Kathy’s and Uncle Gordie’s
for a reception.

Here’s some pictures from the reception. Sorry about the quality. The
digital camera that I use doesn’t have a flash and just leaves the shutter
open for longer in dim light, so it tends to blur indoors. Oh well, better
than nothing 🙂

[[99012402]]
[[99012301]]
[[99012302]]
[[99012303]]
[[99012304]]
[[99012305]]

##1/23: Trip to the Biodome

Today we decided to do something with the families, so we all
headed off to the Biodome in Montreal. It’s the velodrome from the 1976
Olympics converted to a kind of indoor zoo. We had a great time. All four
kids were pretty good (which is always a plus :-).

After we got back from the Biodome, I went over to the Frail’s to get a
couple of pictures. One is in [[When You Least Expect It]], and the other is
right here. I thought it would be nice to have these as momentos of this
week.

##1/24: Dinner at Maurice’s

Debbie and I went to 10:30 mass with Meghan. The level of
participation at the church was pretty amazing. I was an altar boy when I
was a kid, and even then it was rare to have a full crew present at mass.
During this mass, there were six! Maybe that was unusual for this parish,
but I thought it was great.

After mass Debbie, Steve, Danae and I packed up the kids and headed over to
a local bookstore called Chapters for a little while. Chapters is kind of
like Barnes and Noble. We had a little adventure there. Madison fell down
an escalator! Luckily she was wearing a heavy jacket at the time that
padded her fall and didn’t get hurt. But we were all pretty scared there
for a few minutes.

After we got back from there, we headed over to my uncle Maurice’s house
for dinner. Little did we know that all three of his kids (Karen, Diane,
and Frances) and their families were coming over as well! My mom was also
there. We watched the end of the Hope golf tournament and had a nice dinner.
Can you believe David Duval!!

##1/25: The ride home

Basically an uneventful ride home. It only takes about 5 1/2 hours to make
the drive. We’re definitely going to have to do this more often.

Jan 19 1999

When You Least Expect It

My grandmother died today.

[[99012401]]

So I come back from lunch and sit down in my office. I have
a few messages waiting for me and whoever the jerk was didn’t leave
anything and just hung up (more on that later). I start back to work and
about a half hour later the phone rings again. It’s my mother. She’s the
one that called but didn’t leave a message. She tells me my grandmother
died this morning. Silence. “Are you all right,” I ask, talking to myself
as much as my mother. “I’m fine,” she replies.

##You’re never quite ready

I’m still a little stunned as I write this. Although everyone in my family
has been expecting my grandmother to die for at least a couple of years, it
still came as a shock.

##”Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night”

It was really my Grammy’s time to go. She had be suffereing from
Alzheimers for years and it had been in the final stages for at least the
last year and a half.

At least twice in the last year the doctors were sure she would die. And
both times, she fought through it to stay alive another day. No one is
really sure what was driving her, but her family has always been
fighters. It probably has something to do with surviving the
“Potato Famine”. Most of the Irish around the world are *very* strong
people.

##Isn’t it just grand

A friend of mine from work told me something that I find
pretty comforting. Her mother works at an Alzheimers care center and she
visits there often. She tells me that she loves going there because all of
the patients are always so happy. She says that she things that the reason
they’re happy is that what Alzheimer’s actually is is when the memory
system kind of reverses itself and the person starts going back through all
of their best memories until they reach the beginning and are ready to go.
They’re always happy because they’re always reliving something pleasant.

So, although it’s tough on the family, everyone can take some solace in
the fact that at least the victim is not suffering.

Jan 19 1999

News for 1/19/99

Musings: [[When You Least Expect It]]

Open source is the future,
[but not the future you think](http://www.slashdot.org/features/99/01/18/1546240.shtml!)

Tiger and Mike to play in pro/am.
[Is Pebble Beach ready?](http://www.golfweb.com/library/soltau/soltauwoods990115.html)

[Duval is showing shades of greatness](http://www.golfonline.com/columns/1999/bonk/0115.html.)

##Recently Updated Pages

  • “Musings 1999”
  • [[Musings]]
  • [[When You Least Expect It]]

    My grandmother died today.

  • “Carney’s Corner News 1999”
  • “Carney’s Corner News”
  • [[JFK]]

    Brilliant dramatization of Jim Garrison’s JFK Assassination investigation. Don’t think about the politics or accuracy. It’s not a documentary. Just sit back and enjoy.

Jan 18 1999

News for 1/18/99

##Recently Updated Pages

  • “Carney’s Corner News 1999”
  • “Carney’s Corner News”
  • [[JFK]]

    Brilliant dramatization of Jim Garrison’s JFK Assassination investigation. Don’t think about the politics or accuracy. It’s not a documentary. Just sit back and enjoy.

I think I can relate.
[Saying Goodbye, and Good Riddance to Silicon Valley](http://www.nytimes.com/library/tech/99/01/biztech/articles/17drop.html.)
I left for some of the same reasons.

Bud Geraci: [In the wake of the week (1/15/1999)](http://www.mercurycenter.com/columnists/geracie/docs/bg011699.htm)

[MacOS X Server?](http://www.omnigroup.com/MailArchive/MacOSX-talk/1999/0544.html)
I want it, **NOW**!

How about Quicktime 4 (from the MacOS Rumors page)?

Quicktime 4 looks to become a very serious boost for Apple’s

leadership position in digital

media — and, quite possibly, be a serious threat to the streaming

media world. Apparently,

Apple sources have shipped beta versions to major users of Microsoft

NetShow and

Realmedia’s Realsystem G2, and the response has been overwhelming

–particularly with

regards to Apple’s plans to open-source the server version, allowing

virtually anyone to

create their own custom-developed streaming media server.

In fact, rumors abound that Apple is working with IBM to incorporate

support for Streaming

QT4 into its top-of-the-line streaming server, a major coup for

Quicktime….and sources

report that at least two other companies are planning releases of

Quicktime 4 server

products simultaneous with Apple’s release of the technology.

All this, and
[Win2000 is going to be later that expected!](http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/news/0,4586,2188076,00.html)
Maybe there is a computing god after all 🙂

##Recently Updated Pages

  • “Score — 5/15/98”
  • [[A Civil Action]]
  • [[JFK]]
  • “January Events”