Moving at the Speed of Gravity

I guess it's important to some people to measure the speed of gravity. So that's what they did this past weekend (see the BBC article here). Now, I'm no scientist, but as far as I know, the currently accepted Einstein's theory of general relativity indicates, generally speaking, nothing can go faster than the speed of light (see this interesting history of the theory here and a short explanation of the theory here).

Doing a Google search on the topic led to all kinds of interesting links on the subject so I ran out of time to do more here. So many links, so little time. Sigh.

Aloha!

Sometimes You Get the Bird

And sometimes the bird gets you. When we got on the freeway this morning, and crossed the first land of Botts Dots (see one history here and one picture here) the car resonated like a drum. The sound did not reoccur when we changed lanes again so we continued on our way to work.

When we got to my office, I walked around the car while SWMBO waited. That's when I noticed the flat tire. Sigh. Nothing like changing a flat first thing in the morning. While it didn't take more than 10 minutes to put the spare on and get SWMBO on her way to her office, I did get a special present from a bird in the tree above the car.

I guess I am just soooo lucky.

Speaking of Lucky

Actually, the people of Kaua'i probably don't think of themselves being lucky. Not when you realize that twice in the last 20 years (1982 and 1992, do we see a pattern here? - ed.), they have been hit by hurricanes. The last one, Iniki, was so large and powerful that the effects were felt on this island as well.

Thousands of homes and businesses were flattened. Either by the horizontal winds of the hurricane (which in some areas hit 200mph (~322kph)), or by micro-bursts of downward flowing air that squashed buildings like so many Lego toys.

The date Iniki hit 10 years ago? September 11th.

Speaking of September 11th

Some people deal with their grief best by reliving the events of last year by watching the endless reruns of planes crashing into buildings. Others would just as soon mark the day in their own way and move on. I'm of the second group, so I won't be watching any of the TV specials. To me, it just brings up too many bad memories. Memories I don't need to relive again.

I wish though, I had the answer to why some people hate the U.S. so much. If we knew that, and could do something acceptable about it, maybe we wouldn't have to be putting our military in harms way again. The military did a remarkable job in Afghanistan. Now they are poised to go into Iraq.

And yet. The hurricane winds of change are still blowing.

Aloha!

Echos of the Night

It started last week. The sleepless nights, that is. Nights of light, broken sleep. The kind of nights that seem to go on forever. But, without any rest. Without the rejuvenation that comes after a good nights sleep.

At first I thought it was the bed. We've been using an old one while our nice king sized bed is in the back house (and we are still in the front house). The old bed is lumpy and if you get too close to the edge you roll right off. But while this may be partly why my back is acting up again, I don't think it's the whole story.

In the end, it was the Doc. Things fell out of suspension and crystallized for me on Monday after reading his post on Ground Zero. I don't know how things are where you are but we've been bombarded (no pun intended) with TV ads about various commemoration specials happening this week. So I guess my unconscious kicked into high gear and began churning away. I hate when it does that. Not only does it waste brain cycles, but I can't get any sleep while it's doing it.

So, here we are. A year later. What have we learned since the events of 9/11/01? Well, one of the good things (I'll leave the bad for another time) are that we are a resilient and strong people. That you may be able to bring down our buildings, but you will never bring down our spirit.

That you may bring sorrow to our land for a time, but that we will rise up, with a renewed sense of purpose, and yes, patriotism, and smite those responsible for this evil.

Will we be attacked again? Probably. But if it happens, I pray we will come out of it still "one nation, under God, with liberty and justice for all."

---

Abraham Lincoln, 16th President of the Unites States of America

Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth, upon this continent, a new nation, conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that "all men are created equal."

Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived, and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battle field of that war. We come to dedicate a portion of it, as a final resting place for those who died here, that the nation might live. This we may, in all propriety do. But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate - we can not consecrate - we can not hallow, this ground - The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have hallowed it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here; while it can never forget what they did here.

It is rather for us, the living, we here be dedicated to the great task remaining before us - that, from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they here, gave the last full measure of devotion - that we here highly resolve these dead shall not have died in vain; that the nation, shall have a new birth of freedom, and that government of the people by the people for the people, shall not perish from the earth.

Mail Call

From: Don Armstrong
To: Dan Seto
Sent: Wednesday, September 11, 2002 2:56 AM
Subject: why some people hate the U.S.

Publish at your peril: you have my permission. Tack my e-mail address on as well. I won't say this sort of stuff as "anonymous coward", particularly at this date.

"I wish though, I had the answer to why some people hate the U.S. so much."

Playing devil's advocate, I'll give you a clue. USA citizens are the richest in the world, and the USA is the richest and the most powerful single individual stand-alone nation in the world. And they know it. AND THEY SHOW IT.

And some people resent having people swan in with the attitude that they're the best in the world, and the rest of the world is clearly inferior, and should clearly appreciate that the USA is SO much superior, and be grateful for the attention that the rich, superior and ever so gracious citizens of the USA graciously bestow upon them.

And why can't we have ketchup on our fries? Or our moussaka? What sort of backwater dump is this anyway? (in a loud voice, in a French or Italian or Greek or Thai or anything and everything else restaurant).

So the (entire) rest of the world despises the USA, simply because (some of) the citizens of the USA are despicable. And work at it. So very hard. And consistently.

Now, I'm not saying that's entirely just, or entirely fair, or entirely reasonable. However, it's well-earned.

Fact is, citizens of the USA are despised because they deserve to be. Fact that not ALL of them deserve to be - that some of them are decent citizens - doesn't get a look-in. Nor, I suspect, should it. Bad citizens of the USA should be disciplined by their fellows. Should have been disciplined by their parents in their youth; just as the execrable French citizens should be controlled by their fellows. And weren't and aren't. Sounds like spoilt children? Yes. Acts like spoilt children? Yes. Spoilt and rich and powerful? Yes. And we're expected to like these spoilt and rich and powerful brats and their tantrums? Ain't gunna happen.

Some of your allies recognise that your people's attitude is self-centred and stupid. Some of them swallow hard and bite their tongues. Some of them simply hate and despise you, and resent needing you and your spoilt brats. Your enemies feel the same, but think they can destroy you. All of them (I repeat) despise you because some of your citizens have made all of you deserve it. We've observed Bill Clinton and his cigars at work. We've observed Bush jnr trying to go it alone against Iraq before eventually backing off and agreeing that the UN has to be involved if the rest of the world is going to support his actions against Iraq. We still haven't observed Bush jnr saying that his actions should be the world's actions.

But you can take some sort of pride in the fact that your citizens are fully the equal of the despicable French. In fact, they make the French look good. Now, ain't that a point of pride?

Now, all that isn't necessarily fair; but all of it is true. While what I said isn't universally believed, there is a core of that belief everywhere, because it's so well-earnt. Can you do anything about it? Or will you prefer to ignore what the entire world believes while you can, until you can't?

I don't honestly see what a well-meaning citizen of the USA can do about this, outpowered as they obviously are by what may be a minority of idiots. I correspond with a LOT of well-meaning and decent individuals from the USA. My brother is currently working over there. Doesn't alter the fact that you have a lot of spoilt brats both there and out in the rest of the world shaping the world's opinion of you all.

And I fully suspect that none of this is any news at all to a citizen of Hawaii, who has suffered as the rest of the world has.

Best wishes,
Don Armstrong.

From: Dan Seto
To: Don Armstrong
Subject: Re: why some people hate the U.S.
Date: Wed, 11 Sep 2002 06:42:35 -1000

Well, I asked for it, rhetorical though it may have been! And yes, I'll post it, although I've stopped using email addresses because some of the most active "users" of this site are spammers trolling for email addresses.

But as to your point, I can't deny the kernel of truth in what you say. The so called "Ugly American" is a long standing problem. But I hope not all, and I pray not the majority of Americans are like that. But I agree there are many.

I see it when people from the mainland come here to live because it is different from where they came and the first thing they try to do is make it just like the place they came from. They assume the way things are where they came from, and the way they were taught to do things is the one true way and that it is their mission in life to make sure everyone else has to conform (poor dumb heathens that we are).

But while some people are arrogant, there are many more who are sensitive to indigenous peoples. There are many more who are decent, hard working, and generous people who are just trying to raise their families in peace and prosperity.

But you know, even if everyone in the U.S. were arrogant S.O.B.s, does that justify what was done on September 11th of last year? If you believe that, then I respectfully disagree with you.

---

You might want to check out columnist Larry Miller's January 14, 2002 article in the Weekly Standard (see it here). It says:

Since the attack, I have seen, heard, and read thoughts of such surpassing stupidity that they must be addressed. You've heard them too.

Here they are:

1) "We're not good, they're not evil, everything is relative."

2) "Violence only leads to more violence."

3) "The C.I.A. and the rest of our intelligence community has failed us."

4) "These people are poor and helpless, and that's why they're angry at us."

5) "Any profiling is racial profiling."

Read the article and find that all you thought you knew is wrong.

May God Bless America - Aloha!

Showers of Blessings

In Hawai'i, rain is considered to be a blessing from the gods. In fact, when an important event is rained on, it is considered a very auspicious sign from above. So I guess it was, as we were outside observing a minute of silence on behalf of the victims of 9/11 and their friends and families that a gentle mist came down from the clouds.

Everywhere across our state, people stopped what they were doing, went outside at 10:05am and remembered what happened a year ago. At the same time, church bells were rung, in every steeple, in every corner of each island - pealing out their message of grief.

Na Lei Aloha

A little bit of Hawai'i was in New York city yesterday. Over 12,000 orchid lea were distributed to survivors, families, friends and emergency personnel. Many of the lea were left at ground zero bidding a fond farewell to their loved ones.

At the Pennsylvania crash site of United Flight 93, lea from the family of Hawai'i passengers Christine Synder and Georgine Corrigan ended up on the shoulders of President Bush.

Mail Call

From: Don Armstrong
To: Dan Seto
Date: Thu, 12 Sep 2002 06:10:53 +1000 (EST)
Subject: Re: why some people hate the U.S.

"does that justify what was done on September 11th of last year?"

Of course not. Australians died there too. And Canadians. And English. And even French, I suspect.

It doesn't justify it. But it does somewhat explain it. Every US tourist who was horrible to someone while overseas bears some responsibility for the events of a year ago.

Doesn't excuse or justify what was done. But if you know the reason then you've got a start on preventing a recurrence.

Regards,
Don Armstrong

---

To: Dan Seto
From: JHR
Date: Wed, 11 Sep 2002 23:34:13 -0700
Subject: Counter Balance

Dan -

Although I cannot dispute much of what Don Armstrong says (I've seen too many examples in my travels) in his email that you published, there is another facet of the discussion. My son sent me this:

"ps below is an article that has been making the rounds: London Sunday Times August 11, 2002 "America Can't and Won't Hear Europe's Wobblers by Andrew Sullivan" (see it here. Note that JHR's email included the full text of the article but since I assume it is copyrighted, I have substituted a link to the text at another site. - ed.)

This harsh truth from a very well respected British newspaper no less.

You may or may not wish to publish it, NP either way.

Regards,

JHR

Aloha!

Bits and Bytes

Seen over at ThinkGeek, a T-shirt saying: "There are 10 kinds of people in the world. Those who understand binary and those who don't."

You Might Be A Geek If

Signs You're Becoming a Geek By Thom Kokenge & Victor De Long

11. Monitor tan.

10. Before heading to the bathroom you inform your friends you're off to download and log out.

9. You become physically ill at the mention of the RIAA, and visibly excited at the mention of object-oriented programming.

8. You have a poster on your wall of the Linux penguin.

7. You're mad because all your friends got goodnight kisses after prom, but your sister just slugged you in the arm and said "Thanks, bro."

6. You think having twice as many computers as there are people in the house is a bare minimum.

5. You feel that living life like the movie "tron" wouldn't be so bad.

4. In your little black book, you list (both) the girls you know in order by IP address.

3. You can type faster than you can speak

2. When your shrink says "Mother . . . " you say " . . . Board."

1. If, by some happy accident, you someday have kids, you want to name them after your favorite fonts.

Have a Great Aloha Festivals Week Everyone - Aloha!