Friday, January 30, 2004

Oh, my tummy aches

"There is an century-old prophesy within the competitive eating community, dismissed by most, that foretells the rise of the 'One Eater' "

I didn't even know there was a "competitive eating community". I've got to get back in training!

It's hard too believe that this woman is single. Of course, under no circumstances, do not take her to dinner for a first date.

Wednesday, January 28, 2004

Letter to the Editor, Westerville News and Public Opinion

January 28, 2003

We have another election coming up and the school levy will once again be the most contentious issue on the ballot. Fear is overriding the facts and cool reason. We have lots of people shouting, "The school board is corrupt and evil! They're ripping you off! They're stealing and wasting your money! School teachers and administrators are getting rich while you can't afford health care!" In this atmosphere it's hard to really look at the issues.

From my perspective it boils down to this: cutting the Westerville schools to the state minimum requirements will signal the death of Westerville as a growing, prosperous, desirable community. Westerville has benefited in recent years from an influx of businesses and new homes and from its proximity to New Albany, Easton, and Polaris. What brings businesses and new residents, dollars spent in Westerville businesses, and keeps our property values rising? The quality of our schools.

Try this experiment: call a real estate agent and pose as a home buyer from out of the area interested in moving to central Ohio. Then ask them the #1 question all home buyers ask: "How are the schools?" The answer: "Well, Westerville is in a mess. They've just cut all of language, music, and art programs and barely meet the state minimum requirements. Let me show you some nice homes in New Albany, Upper Arlington, Dublin."

You want fear? Vote against the levy and the value of your home will plummet. Vote against the levy and those of us who can will put our children in private schools. Many will take the loss on their homes and move. Vote against the levy and no new businesses will move in (what if Banc One pulls out?). Welcome to the new Northland.

Randy Murray
Westerville resident

Teach Your Children Well

Russian Roulette for Kids

I feel sick, too.

"When I showed my friend, who happens to love Apple, he looked sick. He did not say anything to me. He just put his hands on his head and was in shock. I wish I had a picture of that."

How I PC'd an Apple G5

If I find out this kid's phone number, I'm telling them that their darling child destroyed a $2,500 top-of-the-line computer because he really wanted a $300 PC to play games on.

He thinks he's a genius, but he doesn't have a clue of what he could have done with all of that power. Don't want to run Mac OS X? Hell, use it for a Linux supercomputer!

Tuesday, January 27, 2004

Landmines are Red, Violets are Blue

Now this is slick: Flower-Power Could Help Clear Land mines

Imagine a 21st century Johnny Appleseed, striding through the battlefields, sewing a warning to all who come near.

An Increasing Margin of Error

God, I'm tired of surveys, exit and opinion polls.

And here's how you can make it stop: when asked to take a poll or survey, agree to gladly, then lie.

You must respond to the poll - if you don't, someone else will. But if you lie, they're results will become less accurate or predictive. And it's more fun that way.

I'm tired of being profiled, marginalized, and herded into pre-defined groups. I'm tired of politicians saying what they think we want to hear. And I'm particularly tired of "front runners" and "come from behind wins."

We have polls - the elections are when we speak and make our opinions known. But too many vote the way the expect others too, unwilling to "waste their vote". How can you know how others will vote without the help of the up-to-the-minute-margin-of-error-less-than-3-fucking-percent polls?

Elections and voting are a sacred duty. So the next time you walk out and as asked how you voted, smile and lie.

Randy