The Burden of Being Royal

British army reconsiders sending Prince Harry to Iraq by Robin Millard Thu Apr 26, 1:46 PM ET LONDON (AFP) - Britain's army chiefs are reviewing plans to send Prince Harry to Iraq amid fears he could be targeted, officials said Thursday, but friends downplayed warnings he may quit if prevented from going. (YahooNews)

This is a no win situation for any of the players involved. If the Royal Family was the type that has just sat around and counted their millions, I would have a hard time finding any sympathy, but service to the country is something that every member of the family has done and in many cases, done selflessly. I am enough of a cynic to know a PR ploy when I see one and this is not one, not by a long shot. Harry, like his Uncle Andrew, is unlikely to ever sit on the throne. Also, like his Uncle, he has found a way to do some good and keep himself out of trouble while doing it. I support him. When Andrew went to the Falklands, there was not this sort of hue and cry, but that was a different time and a different sort of war. There is no question in my mind that the men in Harry's company see him as nothing other than a skilled fighter. More over, I suspect the members of their families for the most part feel the same way.

However, Harry is a Prince of England, and Al-Quada do not play fair. Iraq is not a war I would want my own child to be deployed to and I think, in this case, keeping Harry out of Iraq is probably the best of the "bad" decisions.

One Data Center?

RIM explains BlackBerry outage By Patrick Marshall, GCN Staff Last Tuesday’s outage of e-mail services for BlackBerry mobile devices left millions of users wondering where their e-mail went...It’s worth noting, however, that one factor contributing to the widespread nature of the outage is the BlackBerry system’s highly centralized message routing. All BlackBerry e-mails are routed through one of two network operations centers — one in Canada serving the Western Hemisphere, and another in England serving Europe, Africa and the Middle East, according to a Gartner report issued last summer. (Government Computer News)

As any good network person will tell you, you do not design a system to have a single point of failure if you can avoid it. Any good postmaster will tell you that when it comes to email, there is no such thing as an acceptable amount of downtime. RIM, for all the good its little toy does, seems, not only to have forgotten those cardinal rules, but seems not to care.

Now, to be fair, this is only the first major outage the company has experienced, but there are a couple of questions that have to be asked. First, with only one data center serving the entire western hemisphere, is it logical to be banking on BlackBerries for critical traffic during an emergency? Second, is it a good idea for organizations that deal in sensitive and classified information to be issuing these things like candy to people that may not realize the inherent insecurity of shipping email messages to and through Canada?

BlackBerries depend on four vital components to function. A near by, powered, cell tower; a functioning connection to the data center in Canada from that cell tower and a return route to the email service it is trying to connect to, be it the corporate or government data center; and two functioning data centers, one at RIM and the other at the agency or corporation being talked to. A failure in any one of these makes them little more than useless lumps of plastic. I guess I should throw in that there has to actually be a functioning BlackBerry on the end, so batteries or power. This makes the whole lash up very sketchy at best and fraught with all kinds of places for it to break down or be broken down. And yet, the Federal Government relies on and has written emergency procedures around the unquestionable availability of these devices. As we saw, the network is not flawless.

The second issue is not quite as spooky, but there are some agencies that are having trouble keeping a lid on their data. Only this morning, the Department of Agriculture again announced a data breach. And yet, the Government and other entities are shipping Gigabytes of data to Canada before it is turned around and sent to the carriers. Now, I hope that the data stream leaving the core Blackberry servers in the data centers around the United States has a better encryption than 128-bit key, but I am not holding my breath on that. Further, these devices really were not designed for sensitive data. This is generally true of any email system that does not use encryption on the front end, and most do not, leaving it up to the individual user. So we have a large quantity information flying around the Internet just waiting to be mined. Maybe I need to point my packet sniffer in a different direction today and see what I can come up with.

Bush In Denial

Reid: Bush in denial over war in Iraq By DAVID ESPO, AP Special Correspondent 1 hour, 4 minutes ago WASHINGTON - Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said Monday President Bush is in a state of denial over Iraq, "and the new Congress will show him the way." Holding his ground, Bush renewed his staunch opposition to timetables for U.S. troop withdrawals. (Yahoo News)

Clearly, President Bush does not get it. His response? "I believe strongly that politicians in Washington shouldn't be telling generals how to do their job," Bush said at the White House. The problem with this is that it is exactly politicians in Washington that are supposed to be telling the military what their job is, starting with the Commander-in-Chief. Unfortunately, this CinC has lost his way. The Generals were not the ones that decided Iraq needed to be invaded, it was the Politicians. Now the politicians are saying, "enough is enough, let us cut our losses and get while the getting is good."

During Vietnam, there were several cases of the politicians trying to micromanage the war (again, another one that should not have been entered into, but that is a different argument). There is no comparison, however, between the Secretary of Defense telling his people to use less ammunition and the Congress of the American People telling the President to bring the troops home. This is not micromanagement. This is an executive decision, one that should be made by President Bush, and one he refuses to make. The generals will continue to fight as long as they are told to, using cobbled together arms, equipment and munitions if that is all they have available until the President is forced to do the right thing. Because otherwise, this President does not know what the right thing is.

Rights, privilege and access

At some point, some one has to ask if access to firearms in the United States is a little too easy. If the application of the Second Amendment is perhaps just a little too broad. Let us, for a moment actually look at what the amendment actually says:

A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.

OK, so the right to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed. Meaning that if you have a weapon, your rights are pretty well spelled out. My problem here is there is nothing here about the acquisition of those arms and that is what needs to be looked at more closely. At the moment, If you are a felon you cannot legally buy a firearm. If you suffer a mental condition, you cannot legally buy a firearm. At least, that is what the law says. Clearly, the law in fact and the law in practice are not quite following the same track.

There is nothing that says buying a firearm has to be a simple as buying a hammer at a Home Depot. In fact, it is harder to buy allergy medicine at the corner pharmacy than it is to get a firearm in many parts of the United States today. Oh, there are supposed to be background checks, waiting periods and positive verification, but the reality, as clearly spelled out over the past week is that these measures are little more than smoke and mirrors, put in place by those that oppose any restrictions on firearms to do little more than placate those that would see them, to the greatest extent possible, kept out of the hands of those that should not have them.

The other thing that is mentioned, and has come up by comparison with Switzerland, is the term well regulated. This is not "Bubba," a brew and three friends shooting of a couple dozen rounds on a Saturday afternoon because there is no football on. This is a trained, disciplined force ready to react at a moment's notice. You could argue that I just defined the military, and in some cases, I have done just that. But militias to me are much less well defined. A bad analogy is they would be like the neighbourhood watch in structure or a CERT. People that have gone through regularized, repeatable training, with routine refreshers including drills and practice. That is what separates a militia from just a group of thugs and falls very nicely into the method for better controlling weapons in the country.

Lest We Forget

A Day of Mourning for Va. Tech Victims April 20, 2007 - 6:40am By MATT APUZZO Associated Press Writers BLACKSBURG, Va. (AP) - As experts pored over Cho Seung Hui's twisted writings and his videotaped rant, parents and officials urged people to instead focus on the victims of the deadliest rampage by a lone gunman in modern U.S. history. (WTOP)

With all due respect to Gov. Kaine and with sympathy to the families of those killed, I have to raise my hand here and ask why?

Are these people more worthy than those killed in Oklahoma? New York? Washington? Pennsylvania? What about the victims of the Uni-bomber? Boyd and Malvo? What about the thousands killed by abuse every year, be it elder, spousal or child? How about those people that will die on the highways this weekend due to alcohol, fatigue and carelessness? And then there are the thousands of men and women in Iraq, putting themselves in harms way every single day for reasons that no one has yet been able to clearly explain to me and those that are not killed, will be forever changed by their experience.

Thirty two people died in Blacksburg on Monday. That is a tragedy that needs to be prevented from ever happening again. We do not need more armed guards and security cameras in out nation. We do not need more metal detectors and bars on the windows. What we need is a society that is paying less attention to whether some celebrity is wearing underwear and more attention to what is going on around us. We need a society that cares more about raising children that can think for themselves and act independently than it does about "staying in power." We need a society that is willing to step up, take real responsibility for their actions and worry less about trying to "keep their job." We need a society that is willing to hold not just its leaders, but itself accountable for its actions and its ill and be willing to take the steps necessary to change. Until then, the deaths at Blacksburg are meaningless. And that is what we should be grieving.

When Do We Start Rethinking Society's Ills

Gunman Kills 30 on Virginia Tech Campus April 16, 2007 - 2:57pm By SUE LINDSEY Associated Press Writer BLACKSBURG, Va. (AP) - A gunman opened fire in a Virginia Tech dorm and then, two hours later, in a classroom across campus Monday, killing at least 30 people in the deadliest shooting rampage in U.S. history, government officials told The Associated Press. The gunman was killed, bringing the death toll to 31. (WTOP)

My thoughts are with the families of those slain in Blacksburg today. I cannot imagine your grief nor do I even hope that I have to endure it.

This sort of thing brings out the pro/anti-gun lobby and they keep arguing over the same point. If there was stricter gun control this would not have happened/if you take away the guns, only the criminals would have them.

I did not grow up in a society where the firearm was a part of the social fabric. Canada does not have a second amendment giving its citizens the right to bear arms. In fact, to get a gun of any kind, it requires lots of paperwork (or did) and lots of background investigation. And while there are those that argue the crime rate is just as high (or higher), there are very few mass-murders the like of what we have seen today or at all in the United States.

Why is that?

The truth of the matter is quite simple, at least to my mind. Making it harder for people to get firearms is a good thing. In almost every one of these situations, the people doing the shooting were no more a criminal than I was. Are there other ways to kill lots of people? Sure, but I cannot think of many with the skills needed to use them effectively. The gun is "the great equalizer." It does not take any skill to use and makes one hell of a mess, quickly, efficiently and cheaply. The gun was only created to kill. Yes, it is an inanimate tool, but it has no other purpose. To hang "self-defense" on it is only a thin veil of justice that it does not deserve.

Only the Abstinence is Missing

Study: Abstinence Classes Don't Stop Sex April 14, 2007 - 6:16am By KEVIN FREKING Associated Press Writer WASHINGTON (AP) - Students who took part in sexual abstinence programs were just as likely to have sex as those who did not, according to a study ordered by Congress. Also, those who attended one of the four abstinence classes that were reviewed reported having similar numbers of sexual partners as those who did not attend the classes. And they first had sex at about the same age as other students _ 14.9 years, according to Mathematica Policy Research Inc. (WTOP)

At the risk of saying it, this is not news, except to those parents that actually think little Susie is not sleeping with her boyfriend, or would not be, given half-a-chance.

Now maybe it is time to really talk about reproductive health in the United States and start teaching our young people about sex, protection and responsibility? And a couple of the parents, too.

Leopard delayed. Too late for Apple?

Apple hoi polloi annoyed at Leopard delay On virtual soapboxes, Mac fans weighed in -- and not in a happy way, either Gregg Keizer April 14, 2007 (Computerworld) -- Mac users, whether casual or fanatic, aren't taking the bad news sitting down. When Apple Inc. announced Thursday that it will delay the release of Mac OS X 10.5 "Leopard" by four months, they jumped on their soapboxes -- the Internet's forums and news story comments and blogs -- to rant and sometimes even rage at the Cupertino machine. (ComputerWorld)

While the important users of Macintosh software gripe about the delay, there is a much more critical issue at play here. That being that if Apple is serious about playing in the personal computing market, delaying their new OS could be catastrophic if they expect to have any chance of being viable and in-play at this time next year. And I am not overstating the issues. Vista is going to be deployed, but there are already organizations looking for "something else." Microsoft, knowing that people are slow rolling Vista because of the lack of features as well as the high costs of upgrading hardware (especially in large operations like the Federal Government) today announced end-of-life for XP in an effort to spur adoption.

So what are the alternatives? Linux in some ways is clearly not ready for the desktop prime time, but with a little work and some big players, it could be very quickly. Most users do not care what the operating system is, so long as they can write their emails and surf the web, and frankly, we do not need file servers under every one's desk, so this would be a perfect opportunity for Apple, which has always made a name for itself by producing good GUIs to step up and steal away the desktop from Microsoft, but if the delay their OS, the decisions, especially for fiscal '08 and '09 monies will be made before anyone sees the Leopard desktop. And then they will be focusing on the next big problem...either IPv6 or, more likely, email retention, encryption and secure connectivity. And people will be asking "Apple who?"

CFL: Life-cycle costs outway energy saving benfit?

Consumers in dark over risks of new light bulbs Push for energy-saving fluorescents ignores mercury disposal hazards Posted: April 16, 2007 1:00 a.m. Eastern By Joseph Farah © 2007 WorldNetDaily.com
WASHINGTON – Brandy Bridges heard the claims of government officials, environmentalists and retailers like Wal-Mart all pushing the idea of replacing incandescent light bulbs with energy-saving and money-saving compact fluorescent lamps. (WorldNetDaily)

An interesting counterpoint to the push for these new bulbs. It would seem that the grass is not always greener on the other side and there are a few issues that may be more important than the amount of energy they are supposed to save. Mercury is not a trivial metal to clean up, has been shown to be quite dangerous and as pointed out in this article, rather expensive to deal with when it gets loose in the house.

So, maybe we need a study of the full-life cycle costs of these new bulbs, because you know that 90% of them are going to wind up in the trash.

Free Speech and False Accusations

Another interesting news day. On one hand, we have:

MSNBC Drops Don Imus Simulcast April 12, 2007 - 3:33am By DAVID CRARY AP National Writer NEW YORK (AP) - MSNBC said Wednesday it will drop its simulcast of the "Imus in the Morning" radio program, responding to growing outrage about the radio host's racial slur against the Rutgers women's basketball team. (WTOP)

On the other hand, we have:

Prosecutors Drop Charges in Duke Case April 12, 2007 - 3:16am By AARON BEARD Associated Press Writer RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) - Nearly a year after calling the rape accusations he and two Duke lacrosse teammates faced nothing but "fantastic lies," David Evans again stood before the cameras and proclaimed his innocence. This time, there was no room for doubt. (WTOP)

So, what do these two cases have in common? On the surface, not much, but unless you have been living under a rock for a couple of years, they are very much connected to each other.

Now I am not going to apologize for what Imus said. Frankly, he is no better than Rush or Sharpton or Stern or any of the other so-called talking heads out there, but this is America and he is entitled to say anything he wants. If it does not violate the FCC regulations, then the repercussions of his statements are simply those of the public arena and he is getting an earful from those that think they know better.

What is important here is the deafening silence we are hearing from these so-called black leaders that are currently leading the charge against what Imus said and not doing their own apologizing for almost single handedly destroying the college careers and possibly impacting the lives of three young white men who were falsely accused of rape more than a year ago.

Calling someone a "nappy-headed ho" is derogatory, but frankly ranks up there with calling them stinky. School yard silliness at best and as someone pointed out, these girls call each other names much worse than that in the locker room. It is free speech and as was said in the movie "The American President" America is advanced citizenship... It's gonna say "You want free speech? Let's see you acknowledge a man whose words make your blood boil, who's standing center stage and advocating at the top of his lungs that which you would spend a lifetime opposing at the top of yours. Yes, he should be slapped upside the head, but that really should be the end of it.

Acting as judge, jury and executioner when there has not even been a solid criminal investigation is another matter altogether and is at the very least libelous and it is certainly more deserving of someone saying "I am sorry." Of course, I do not expect that to ever happen. And that is the sad part about race relations in the United States. What is more depressing is it is not the first time that the so-called black leaders have ridden in on their mighty horses and pontificated at the top of their holy voices and been wrong. This just happens to be the latest example of it. So, to Mr. Sharpton, and Mr. Jackson, and the rest, when you have a moment to breath between roasts, how about saying "we were wrong and we apologize." But do not expect it to be accepted. Nor, should it be.

Good Friday? What's Good about it?

Today, according to some people (like the ones who make my calendar) is "Good Friday." On the Christian calendar of events, one of the holiest days of the year. Here in the Excited States of America, banks and financial markets are closed, some children are on vacation (Spring Break) and others have the day off. For most, however, regardless of religion, it is a normal day of work.

Sunday, according to some people, again, like the ones who make my calendar, is "Easter Sunday." Again, on the Christian calendar, one of the holiest days of the year. And here, in the Excited States of America, where there is supposed to be a separation of Church and State, almost everything will be closed up tighter than a drum for the entire day.

This is something that caught me by surprise when I came to the US. In Canada, everything is closed for a four day weekend from Good Friday through Easter Monday. Not a big deal, but then Canada did tend to shut down for a lot of things. Here, the idea that the greatest retail nation on the planet should be closed for what is a religious holiday baffled (and continues to baffle) the heck out of me. Think about it for a moment. This is a nation that has no official religion and in fact, has laws prohibiting it. This is a nation of Christians, Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, Atheists, Agnostics and everything else in between (if I forgot your religion, please do not feel offended, but there is no way I am cataloging them, just an example). So it leaves me at a loss why things would be closed on Easter Sunday. Christmas I can understand. It is considerably less of a religious holiday than it is a secular one. Easter is ONLY a religious holiday (bunnies not withstanding).

So, why does the United States close for Easter, and yet you can get 50% off of a new rug or car or appliance on what should be a national holiday, the 4th of July? Answer that and you will have cracked the code. I certainly cannot.