Who woulda thunk...Reuters article about that e-mail...

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20061108/od_uk_nm/oukoe_uk_rights_email

U.S. firm's anti-gay e-mail sparks online fury Wed Nov 8, 5:31 PM ET

A U.S. landscaping firm has been inundated with hate mail after an e-mail it sent rejecting a client because he was gay was made public.

Houston-based firm Garden Guy sent an e-mail on October 18 turning down a prospective customer by saying: "I need to tell you that we cannot meet with you because we choose not to work for homosexuals."

The recipient, Michael Lord, forwarded the e-mail to dozens of friends and it spread across the Internet.

Garden Guy's web site (www.garden-guy.com) makes no secret of the firm's outlook. "The God-ordained institution of marriage is under attack," it says at the bottom of a page offering patios and organic pest control, and asks browsers to go to www.nogaymarriage.com.

The forum on Garden Guy's Web site has received 26 pages of postings since the e-mail was made public, many of them criticizing the owners' stance and urging a boycott. One accused the company of "hate and discrimination."

Garden Guy co-owner Sabrina Farber said her family had also received verbal attacks and murder threats.

"When we sent (the e-mail) we intended it for the client. We did not intend it to be some sweeping political statement for the world. That's it," she said. "We are humbly sorry for the hurt that it caused. We meant no hate."

Farber said she had not anticipated the impact that the e-mail would have. "We felt that it was our right as an American small business to choose who we do business with," she said in a telephone interview.

"Do I want to say that before you send an e-mail you might think about the fact the whole world can see it? I guess I do," she added.

Marc Rotenberg, executive director of the Washington, D.C.-based Electronic Privacy Information Centre, said those who send business e-mails should not normally be entitled to expect them to remain private.

He said exceptions that would stand up before communication privacy laws were communications between doctors and patients or lawyers and clients, where confidentiality was expected.

Mold.

A recurring theme. Personal attachs, vulgarity, and a general lack of anything resembling civility.

Yuppers, a recurring Jailhouse theme, what with those personal attaches and all; the other recurring theme is admins. refusal to use the iHub spel czecher.

New kind of slot machine payout?

They have another slot I like...I hit that one for $240.00 but couldn't get the jockpot...

Last year...

http://www.investorshub.com/boards/profile.asp?user=62083

Basque in your still born victory...

Again, knowing whether someone is long, short or holds no position helps to put a post in perspective.

Trouble is, whatever you are told, you still won't know, so why bother disrupting a board by asking?

OT Oops...who woulda thunk?

Voter results will decide Bush's potency

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061107/ap_on_el_ge/eln_bush

Got a PM from an admin. asking how tall you are.

I'm having trouble searching Richard, dick...

Dick, repeat after me...

I learned my lesson a long time ago. That's why I repost in italics. Keeps me from being sbused, especially by you.

OMG... I used an electronic votying machine...

Gives 50-50 results?

why are you here instead of getting sbused by SCORE-DOUGH?

Shouldn't that be "spewsed"?

Then why offer the U.N. as an excuse to our pre-emptive invasion of Iraq?

Jim - do you support the United Nations? Just curious.

and the ACLU should be prosecuted under REKO laws!

...we have prevented numerous attacks in this country and New York as well.

When did NY secede?

They still have those?

OT: Solved: the perfect way to cut a cake
12:58 06 November 2006
NewScientist.com news service
Amarendra Swarup

The art of cake-cutting requires great care and skill to ensure no party is left feeling cheated or envious. Now, however, parents and party hosts can approach the task with a little more confidence – mathematicians claim to have found the perfect way to cut a cake and keep everyone happy.

“The problem of fair division is one of the oldest existing problems. The cake is a metaphor for any divisible object where people value different parts differently,” explains Christian Klamler, at the University of Graz, Austria, who solved the problem with fellow mathematicians Steven Brams and Michael Jones.

According to Klamler, for any division to be acceptable, it must ideally be equal among all parties, envy-free so that no one prefers another’s share and equitable, where each places the same subjective value on their share.

Traditional methods, such as the "you cut, I choose" method, where one person halves the cake and the other chooses a piece, are flawed because though both get equal shares and neither is envious, the division is not equitable - one piece may have more icing or fruit on it than another, for example.

Impartial cutter
Enter the “Surplus Procedure” (SP) for cake-sharing between two people, and the "Equitability Procedure" (EP) for sharing between three or more. Both involve asking guests to tell the cake-cutter how they value different parts of the cake. For example, one guest may prefer chocolate, another may prefer marzipan.

Under SP, the two parties first receive just half of the cake portion that they subjectively valued the most. Then the "surplus" left over is divided proportionally according to the value they gave it. EP works in a similar way: the guests first get an equal proportion of the part of the cake they each value the highest – a third each if they are three; a quarter each if they are four, etc – and then the remainder is again divided along the lines of subjective value.

The result is everyone is left feeling happy, Klamler says. Two people, for example, may feel they are each getting 65% of what they want rather than just half.

“These procedures are new and have never been tried out in real-world applications,” says Brams. “But where there is a divisible good like land or water, which players value differently, the procedure could be used to allocate more-than-proportional shares, making everybody as happy as possible.”

Intriguingly, the procedures are "tamper-proof" – people cannot manipulate the process and must be truthful with the referee, or else they could end up with less than makes them happy.

Journal reference: Notices of the American Mathematical Society (Vol 53, p1014)

http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn10452-solved-the-perfect-way-to-cut-a-cake.html

Solved: the perfect way to cut a cake
12:58 06 November 2006
NewScientist.com news service
Amarendra Swarup

The art of cake-cutting requires great care and skill to ensure no party is left feeling cheated or envious. Now, however, parents and party hosts can approach the task with a little more confidence – mathematicians claim to have found the perfect way to cut a cake and keep everyone happy.

“The problem of fair division is one of the oldest existing problems. The cake is a metaphor for any divisible object where people value different parts differently,” explains Christian Klamler, at the University of Graz, Austria, who solved the problem with fellow mathematicians Steven Brams and Michael Jones.

According to Klamler, for any division to be acceptable, it must ideally be equal among all parties, envy-free so that no one prefers another’s share and equitable, where each places the same subjective value on their share.

Traditional methods, such as the "you cut, I choose" method, where one person halves the cake and the other chooses a piece, are flawed because though both get equal shares and neither is envious, the division is not equitable - one piece may have more icing or fruit on it than another, for example.

Impartial cutter
Enter the “Surplus Procedure” (SP) for cake-sharing between two people, and the "Equitability Procedure" (EP) for sharing between three or more. Both involve asking guests to tell the cake-cutter how they value different parts of the cake. For example, one guest may prefer chocolate, another may prefer marzipan.

Under SP, the two parties first receive just half of the cake portion that they subjectively valued the most. Then the "surplus" left over is divided proportionally according to the value they gave it. EP works in a similar way: the guests first get an equal proportion of the part of the cake they each value the highest – a third each if they are three; a quarter each if they are four, etc – and then the remainder is again divided along the lines of subjective value.

The result is everyone is left feeling happy, Klamler says. Two people, for example, may feel they are each getting 65% of what they want rather than just half.

“These procedures are new and have never been tried out in real-world applications,” says Brams. “But where there is a divisible good like land or water, which players value differently, the procedure could be used to allocate more-than-proportional shares, making everybody as happy as possible.”

Intriguingly, the procedures are "tamper-proof" – people cannot manipulate the process and must be truthful with the referee, or else they could end up with less than makes them happy.

Journal reference: Notices of the American Mathematical Society (Vol 53, p1014)

Nice find.

G'mornin' mate!

Don't be a card.

Magic trick...

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-2529961995820609070&hl=en

If he was your child, would you disown him in what is very much his time of need and support?

Not Congress, but Haggard had regular access to the Office of Faith-Based Initiatives in the Bush white house.

See #msg-14540267

==================
And here's the latest news story...

Haggard Confesses to His Congregation

By COLLEEN SLEVIN

DENVER Nov 5, 2006 (AP)— Less than 24 hours after he was fired from the pulpit of the megachurch he founded, the Rev. Ted Haggard confessed to his congregation Sunday without giving specifics that he was guilty of sexual immorality.

http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=2630266

BTW, if he was your child, would you disown him in what is very much his time of need and support?

From the post I referred you to, does this mean anything to you:

...Office of Faith-Based Initiatives in the ... Bush Whitehouse

Don't know if you saw this...#msg-14540267

Different people will take different things from it. The most compelling thing for me was the indoctrination of children, and the parallel to regimes of the past. It bodes ill for peace in the world. An ideological war won't be resolved easily.

I saw it. The program will repeat over the weekend. It is well worth seeing.

...he has no political ties, was not elected to office, nor holds office. therefore, he has no more bearing on the election than joe po dunk the town drunk...

Here's a slightly different perspective on Ted Haggard...
======================================

Why the Haggard Scandal Could Hurt Evangelical Turnout

Posted Saturday, Nov. 04, 2006

David Kuo, the former number two at the Office of Faith-Based Initiatives in the first Bush White House, is camped out on the NYT bestsellers list with his book, Tempting Faith, about the dangers of mixing politics and evangelicals. He says he met Ted Haggard only a few times, but says that the episode has saddened him nonetheless, especially the headline-grabbing fallout of Haggard's admissions.

"At the end of the day, this comes down to bringing Jesus into politics," he says. "Right now, it's not Ted Haggard on trial. It's Jesus. This is about the God he represents. When you make yourself a public figure and you fall, you bring the perception of your God with you."

"Jim Dobson's response was particularly telling," Kuo says of leading evangelical James Dobson. "He basically blamed the controversy on gays and Democrats. When evangelical leaders can't see beyond Tuesday on any question, what on earth is happening?"

Kuo says that the New Life Church was the starting place of many evangelical pastors who fanned out across the country, and Haggard was their mentor. Kuo's own church in the DC suburbs is led by former Haggard acolytes. This interconnectedness of so many congregations, along with Haggard's recently political bent, both amplify the effect of the scandal.

"The evangelical obsession with homosexuality makes this especially ironic. For many evangelical leaders, anything related to homosexuality is this special, dark sin. But that's not what the Bible says," says Kuo. "Really it's a sin like gossiping to your neighbor. Jesus doesn't even mention it at all."

Kuo also says it's important to remember that this is not just a scandal or a news story, but a moment of deep pain for Haggard's congregants. "Lost in all of this are thousands of people in Colorado Springs who are desperately hurting," he says.

Politically, Kuo sees a potential to reduce the evangelical vote on Tuesday. "I think the significance of the Haggard thing is this building case against evangelical involvement in politics. Christians are smart," he says. "They can see what influence politics is having."

http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1554908,00.html

Did you remember to put your glasses on? <g>

Can I assume that we did not have an interruption in sight availability tonight?

that very mindset gauls me...

French thinking?

Looks like you are not alone in thinking that way.
===================================================

"Get out the vote" efforts key to many races
Sat Nov 4, 2006 8:24 AM ET
By Andy Sullivan

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Next week's battle for control of Congress could turn on people like Karen Roper, who are working to get people off their sofas and out to the polls.

Roper and an army of other ordinary citizens are on the front lines of a final, frenetic push by both Republicans and Democrats to encourage their supporters to vote -- an effort that could mean the difference between victory and defeat in dozens of close races.

Republicans say they will need a strong turnout among conservatives to hold on to Congress in the face of widespread dissatisfaction with President George W. Bush and the war in Iraq.

It's a tall order, analysts and even some organizers said, despite the Republican Party's traditional advantage in fund-raising and getting out the vote.

Cincinnati physical therapist Linda Kopko, a registered Republican, said corruption scandals have also discouraged many party loyalists. "That's why the Republican turnout is going to be very low. I think they're very discouraged with what's going on," she said.

In Silver Spring, Maryland, Roper said she encountered a lot of enthusiasm at Democratic households she visited at the end of October. "They were angry at the Republicans, let's put it that way. If anything they were very psyched to vote Republicans out," the business consultant said.

With control of Congress at stake, both parties are spending millions of dollars on the efforts, which can increase a candidate's share of votes by as much as 9 percent.

"We've made a big investment in putting boots on the ground," said Montana Democratic Party executive director Jim Farrell.

Democrats have traditionally relied on labor unions and other independent advocacy groups to handle voter mobilization. But after stinging losses in 2002 and 2004, the Democratic National Committee created its own voter database and set up staff positions in all 50 states.

Polls show Democrats stand a good chance of picking up the 15 seats needed to win control of the House of Representatives, and could win the six seats necessary to control the Senate as well. A Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll this week found 47 percent of registered voters had been contacted by political parties or candidates; one in five had heard from both sides.

TURNOUT POWERFUL FACTOR

Get-out-the-vote efforts can play a disproportionate role in midterm races, which typically see lower voter participation than elections in which the presidency is at stake.

While 61 percent of eligible voters participated in the 2004 presidential election, only 40 percent voted in 2002, according to American University's Center for the Study of the American Electorate.

In Montana, Republicans hope to boost turnout by around 10 percent to help Sen. Conrad Burns retain his Senate seat, and Republicans in Michigan plan to campaign door-to-door in heavily Democratic Detroit for the first time since 1962.

In Missouri, Republicans have staged a massive rehearsal involving more than 1,000 volunteers to ensure their final weekend of door-knocking will go smoothly. They have already placed more than 1 million calls.

"We're trying to remind people to get out and vote," said Missouri Republican Party spokesman Paul Sloca.

But experts say a strong get-out-the-vote effort may not be enough.

"There's a lot blowing in the face of Republicans right now. While these ground efforts are going to be very key to help them minimize their losses, I don't see this as the silver bullet," said Michael McDonald, a political science professor at George Mason University in Virginia.

Democrats are likely to have greater success this year as their voters are motivated by an intense dislike for Bush, while Republicans have no comparable boogeyman, said Curtis Gans, director of the Center for the Study of the American Electorate.

http://today.reuters.com/news/articlenews.aspx?type=politicsNews&storyID=2006-11-04T132352Z_01_N...

Thank you. All political viewpoints are welcome here.

Welcome to the GOV board Brig. Please check out the iBox. This is an open board about politics. Hopefully you will add to a civil discussion here.

Nude couple's feud ends at Waffle House

No shirt, no service? What about no clothes at all? A couple that began squabbling in a motel room Friday morning carried their dispute over to an adjacent Waffle House diner in the nude, police said.

A woman, who was not identified, told officers she was staying in a room with Larry Boyd when he took a hit of cocaine, starting trashing their room and choking her.

She ran in the buff to the 24-hour diner off Interstate 40 west of downtown Nashville and locked herself in the bathroom. Boyd, also naked, followed her into the restaurant and then fled in a car.

He was arrested — still naked — after a short chase by police and was charged with driving under the influence, felony evading arrest and other charges.

___

Information from WSMV-TV, Nashville, http://www.wsmv.com

they even have cup holders installed...

For the coins or the drinks? <g>

We use an ink dot system to mark the ballot; the ballots are collected on site in locked boxes, then after the polls close all the boxes are taken to a central facility for tallying. A cross check is made of the number of ballots and the number of signatures from a sign in book. It's a fairly straightforward system, except results can take overnight. Big deal, in my book.