Reiff on Life

Boston Dynamics BIGDOG Robot

2009-04-20T21:05:00.000-07:00

Obama Tries to Put Lipstick on a Pitbull

2008-09-10T13:01:00.000-07:00

Boycott 2008 Olympics in Communist China

2008-03-25T22:24:00.000-07:00

Fred Thompson Endorsement

2007-12-19T13:21:00.000-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving

2007-11-22T19:11:00.000-08:00

Enjoy the attached humorous Thanksgiving photo.

--
Mark Reiff <markreiff@earthlink.net>

September Eleven Remembered in Poland

2007-09-11T12:55:00.001-07:00

FYI,

Go to the linked discussion thread to see some inspiring photos.

"September Eleven Remembered in Poland"
thenews.pl via FR
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1894795/posts

: Candles will burn again on the symbolic graves of those from the
: Podlasie Region in Poland who perished in the terrorist attack on the
: World Trade Centre six years ago.

: Among them were Lukasz Milewski from Suwalki and Dorota Kopiczko from
: Augustow.

: In the Suwalki cementary, there is a tombstone dedicated to the two
: who died, which resembles the Twin Towers joined by a crucifix, where
: candles are lit up on every September 11.

: The Christ the King Chapel in Suwa?ki is dedicated to Lukasz and the
: church bell is named after him.

: A mass is held in his honour Suwalki on every anniversary of the
: tragedy. Lukasz Milewski was 21 years old.

: His body was one of many never identified.

: Friends and family will also gather around the symbolic grave of
: Dorota Kopiczko from Augustów who perished on the same day. Dorota and
: ?ukasz are also among the six names engraved on the commemorative
: plaque in Warsaw dedicated to the New York attack victims.

: The message on the plaque reads: "In honour of the Poles who lost
: their lives on that day".

: In Poznan firemen will commemorate the lives of 300 of their American
: colleagues who then died while on a rescue mission.

: A commemorative assembly will also be held by young people from in the
: town of Kalisz and surrounding areas.

: They will burn candles for the 9/11 victims in a wood clearing by the
: obelisks near the village of Szwacin.

: Six years ago, on September 11 two passenger planes hit the World
: Trade Centre killing more than 2700 people.

--
Mark Reiff <markreiff@earthlink.net>

Travel the Planets with Willy Ley Space Scientist

2007-07-02T21:02:00.000-07:00

Thank You Senators Sessions, DeMint, and Vitter

2007-06-21T22:48:00.000-07:00

Remember Me - Music Slideshow

2007-05-08T13:35:00.000-07:00

What I Like About Texas Music Slideshow

2007-04-27T10:50:00.001-07:00

FYI,

What I Like About Texas Music Slideshow
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PGukLuXzH1E

--
Mark Reiff <markreiff@earthlink.net>

IP Map of the Internet

2006-12-17T10:01:00.000-08:00

Not sure where you lie in the great wilderness that is the Internet? Wondering how far away your friends (or enemies) are along the TCP/IP pipes? Look no further — just use the Map of the Internet!

The David Zucker Albright Ad

2006-10-12T18:43:00.000-07:00

or alternate links here or here

WorldNetDaily: YouTube Blocked Video Mocking Clinton Administration

The Examiner: Robert Cox: When will the right recognize the cost of conceding Web 2.0?

Refugee who Fled Iran's Mullahs Becomes First Woman Space Tourist

2006-09-19T19:56:00.000-07:00

FYI,

"Refugee who Fled Iran's Mullahs Becomes First Woman Space Tourist"
London Times
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,3-2364282,00.html

AS A young girl in Iran, Anousheh Ansari would stare in wonder at the
stars and dream of joining them in the blackness of space.

Yesterday, a week after her 40th birthday, she made her dream come true.
At an estimated cost of $20 million (£11 million), Mrs Ansari became the
first woman space tourist after blasting off in a Russian Soyuz rocket
from Star City in Kazakhstan.

As the first Iranian-born astronaut was circling Earth last night, her
remarkable journey from Tehran to the International Space Station was
being hailed also as evidence of the continued power of another dream:
the American one.

Mrs Ansari was 16 when her family emigrated in 1984 as the Islamic
Revolution in Iran was at its peak and girls faced a strictly limited
future. Her parents said that they wanted her to be able to pursue her
passion for science.

She arrived speaking only French and Farsi, became an American citizen
and quickly immersed herself in the study of electronics, receiving
degrees in electrical engineering and computer science at George Mason
University in Virginia and George Washington University in Washington.

Mrs Ansari joined a telecommunications company, where she met her
husband, Hamid. In 1993 she persuaded him and his brother to pool their
savings and set up Telecom Technologies, a supplier of communication
networks, just as the industry in America was deregulating.

The start-up grew rapidly to employ 250 people and turned the Ansaris
into telecom tycoons when the business was sold for hundreds of millions
of dollars in 2000.

Mrs Ansari turned her eyes again to the stars. She gave $10 million in
2002 to the X Prize Foundation, set up to encourage advances in human
spaceflight, as a prize for the first private venture to launch a
reusable spacecraft into space twice in two weeks.

The Ansari X Prize was claimed in 2004 by Mojave Aerospace Ventures.

When the impoverished Russian space programme at the Baikonur centre in
Star City began accepting paying passengers on missions, it was only a
matter of time before Mrs Ansari signed up.

Space Adventures, the American firm that markets the trips, does not
disclose the price but is understood to charge $20 million a ticket,
most of which goes to the Russians.

Six months of intensive training has prepared Mrs Ansari for the 11-day
spaceflight with two professional astronauts, Michael López-Alegría,
from Nasa, and the Russian Mikhail Tyurin. They are due to dock tomorrow
at the space station, where Mrs Ansari will spend eight days before
returning to Earth with the departing crew, Pavel Vinogradov, of Russia,
and the American , Jeffrey Williams, on September 29.

Mrs Ansari, who recently described space as being “in my soul and in my
heart”, said before take-off that she was looking forward to seeing Iran
again from high above Earth. She has not been back since she left.

She hopes that a new generation of girls with similarly big dreams will
be staring back at her up among the stars. She said: “I hope to inspire
everyone — especially young people, women and young girls all over the
world, and in Middle Eastern countries that do not provide women with
the same opportunities as men — to not give up their dreams and to
pursue them.

“It may seem impossible to them at times. But I believe they can realise
their dream if they keep it in their hearts, nurture it and look for
opportunities and make those opportunities happen.”

Mrs Ansari’s family were at Baikonur to witness the dream and they
celebrated with champagne and tears as the rocket took off in a plume of
flame and smoke.

Her mother, Fakhri Shahidi, said: “It’s hard to believe my daughter is
going to space. I pray with all my heart she’s coming back soon.”

Russia is the only country to offer space tourism for those able to
afford the hefty fee, and Mrs Ansari is its fourth paying customer. She
had been scheduled to go later but got her seat on this mission when
Russian officials withdrew Daisuke Enomoto, a Japanese businessman, for
unspecified medical reasons.

Mrs Ansari has said that she detests the term “space tourist”,
preferring to see herself as an ambassador for a new wave of private
explorers at Earth’s final frontier.

She told an interviewer: “Tourists are people who just buy a ticket and
then they go. They don’t train for six months and try to learn every
system.”

--
Mark Reiff <markreiff@earthlink.net>

The difference

2006-07-23T15:35:00.000-07:00

Winter Fun in July

2006-07-03T19:53:00.000-07:00

FYA,

Enter Your Name and see what happens.

http://www.chezclodio.com/divers/Hi.html

--
Mark Reiff <markreiff@earthlink.net>

Photos from Texas Repubican Party Convention

2006-06-12T21:02:00.000-07:00

FYI,

The photos that I took at the Republican Party of Texas State Convention
in San Antonio can be found at the Republican Party of Galveston County
web site at:

http://www.GalvestonCountyGOP.com

You can order prints or other merchandise with any of the photos by
going to the link below. You can also forward this to your family and
supporters in case they want to order prints as well.

http://www.digibug.com/handytech?login=texasgopconvention

You can always download the photos from the Party's web site, but the
photos available on Digibug.com are the highest resolution suitable for
the best prints.

--
Mark Reiff <markreiff@earthlink.net>

I’m Mad as Hell and I’m Not Gonna Take It Anymore

2006-04-10T13:59:00.000-07:00

FYI,

"I’m Mad as Hell and I’m Not Gonna Take It Anymore"
LtCol Oliver L. North's Freedom Alliance
http://www.freedomalliance.org/view_article.php?a_id=679

Immigration Solution: Do as Mexico Does, Ha!

As hundreds of thousands of protesters gather on Monday to show their
support for the pro-immigration movement, Freedom Alliance
(www.freedomalliance.org) plans to start a movement of its own, the “I’m
Mad as Hell and I’m Not Gonna Take it Anymore!” coalition.

Freedom Alliance is asking Americans to call, email and fax their
congressional offices – particularly those in support of illegal
immigrants, talk radio, local newspapers and whoever will listen and say
“immigration is out of control, I’m Mad as Hell and I’m Not Gonna Take
it Anymore!”

“Senator Reid won’t take immigration seriously until illegal immigrants
begin invading Capitol Hill or his cushy office,” said Freedom Alliance
President, Tom Kilgannon. “His wavering on the immigration bill shows
why he is the minority party leader, he isn’t listening the majority of
Americans.”

“What’s more, people are protesting for rights for illegals in America
that they aren’t entitled to in Mexico,” says Freedom Alliance
Immigration Policy Analyst, Jon Dougherty. “Let’s give Congress
something to worry about while on recess for the next two weeks.”

According to an official translation published by the Organization of
American States, the Mexican constitution includes the following
restrictions:

- Pursuant to Article 33, “Foreigners may not in any way participate in
the political affairs of the country.” This ban applies, among other
things, to participation in demonstrations and the expression of
opinions in public about domestic politics like those much in evidence
in Los Angeles, New York and elsewhere in recent days.
Equal Employment rights are denied to immigrants, even legal ones.
Article 32: “Mexicans shall have priority over foreigners under equality
of circumstances for all classes of concessions and for all employment,
positions, or commissions of the Government in which the status of
citizenship is not indispensable.”

- Article 11 guarantees federal protection against “undesirable aliens
resident in the country.” What is more, private individuals are
authorized to make citizen's arrests. Article 16 states, “In cases of
flagrante delicto, any person may arrest the offender and his
accomplices, turning them over without delay to the nearest
authorities.” In other words, Mexico grants its citizens the right to
arrest illegal aliens and hand them over to police for prosecution.
Imagine the Minutemen exercising such a right!

- The Mexican constitution states that foreigners -- not just illegal
immigrants -- may be expelled for any reason and without due process.
According to Article 33, “the Federal Executive shall have the exclusive
power to compel any foreigner whose remaining he may deem inexpedient to
abandon the national territory immediately and without the necessity of
previous legal action.”

"Mexico has rarely been a reliable ally in terms of helping staunch the
illegal flow of its citizens to the United States. In fact, Mexico
usually does all it can to aid that process," Dougherty said. "But
clearly, over the years, Mexican lawmakers have put their own people and
their own nation first in terms of drafting immigration and foreign
labor laws. For once, American lawmakers can follow the lead of their
counterparts south of the border. They should adopt the same laws."

--
Mark Reiff <markreiff@earthlink.net>

Did Jesus Walk on Water? Or Ice?

2006-04-04T23:24:00.000-07:00

FYI,

A miracle no less, if true. I wonder if the Myth-Buster guys will try
to duplicate this? :)

"Did Jesus Walk on Water? Or Ice? - Scientist says Sea of Galilee could
have had frozen patches in Jesus' day"
MSNBC
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12152740/from/RSS/

illustration of how rare phenomena might have allowed such a feat
http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/i/msnbc/Components/Photos/060404/spring.jpg

: Rare conditions could have conspired to create hard-to-see ice on the
: Sea of Galilee that a person could have walked on back when Jesus is
: said to have walked on water, a scientist reported Tuesday.

: The study, which examines a combination of favorable water and
: environmental conditions, proposes that Jesus could have walked on an
: isolated patch of floating ice on what is now known as Lake Kinneret
: in northern Israel.

: Looking at temperature records of the Mediterranean Sea surface and
: using analytical ice and statistical models, scientists considered a
: small section of the cold freshwater surface of the lake. The area
: studied, about 10,000 square feet (930 square meters), was near salty
: springs that empty into it.

: The results suggest temperatures dropped to 25 degrees Fahrenheit (-4
: degrees Celsius) during one of the two cold periods 2,500 to
: 1,500 years ago for up to two days, the same decades during which
: Jesus lived.

: With such conditions, a floating patch of ice could develop above the
: plumes, resulting from the salty springs along the lake's western
: shore in Tabgha. Tabgha is the town where many archeological findings
: related to Jesus have been found.

: "We simply explain that unique freezing processes probably happened in
: that region only a handful of times during the last 12,000 years,"
: said Doron Nof, a Florida State University professor of oceanography.
: "We leave to others the question of whether or not our research
: explains the biblical account."

: Nof figures that in the last 120 centuries, the odds of such
: conditions on the low-latitude Lake Kinneret are most likely
: 1-in-1,000. But during the time period when Jesus lived, such “springs
: ice” may have formed once every 30 to 60 years.

: Such floating ice in the unfrozen waters of the lake would be hard to
: spot, especially if rain had smoothed its surface.

: "In today's climate, the chance of springs ice forming in northern
: Israel is effectively zero, or about once in more than 10,000 years,"
: Nof said.

: The findings are detailed in April's issue of the Journal of
: Paleolimnology. Nof has posted a PDF file of the research to his Web
: site.

--
Mark Reiff <markreiff@earthlink.net>

Fake Money for Fake Politicians Unwilling to Stop Illegal Immigration

2006-03-29T14:31:00.000-08:00

Click for printable version, which can be sent to your Congressman, Senator, etc. who refuse to pass legislation to stop illegal immigration and fix the legal immigration process.

Just remember that you are not a politician, so don't try to spend this fake money.

Mohammed Image Archive - Depictions of Mohammed Throughout History

2006-02-03T22:28:00.000-08:00

Controversy over the publication of images depicting Mohammed in the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten has erupted into an international furor. While Muslims worldwide are calling for a boycott of Denmark and any other nation whose press reprints the cartoons, Europeans are trying to stand up for Western principles of freedom of speech and not cave in to self-censorship in the name of multiculturalism and fear.

While the debate rages, an important point has been overlooked: despite the Islamic prohibition against depicting Mohammed under any circumstances, hundreds of paintings, drawings and other images of Mohammed have been created over the centuries, with nary a word of complaint from the Muslim world. The recent cartoons in Jyllands-Posten are nothing new; it's just that no other images of Mohammed have ever been so widely publicized.

This page is an archive of numerous depictions of Mohammed, to serve as a reminder that such imagery has been part of Western and Islamic culture since the Middle Ages -- and to serve as a resource for those interested in freedom of
expression.

The images in the archive below have been divided into the
following categories:

- Islamic Paintings and Miniatures Showing Mohammed in Full

- Islamic Depictions of Mohammed with Face Hidden

- European Medieval and Renaissance Images

- Book Illustrations
- Dante's Inferno
- French Book Covers
- Various Eras

- Contemporary Christian Drawings

- Animated TV Parodies

- Satirical Modern Cartoons
- The Jyllands-Posten Cartoons
- Recent Responses to the Controversy

- Links

The Jyllands-Posten Cartoons The Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten created the furor over depictions of Mohammed by publishing a series of 12 drawings
after a local author said he was unable to find any artist willing to depict Mohammed for his upcoming illustrated book. The publication of the images in Jyllands-Posten has been condemned around the Islamic world, and has led to
calls for a boycott of Denmark by Muslim nations. Here are the Jyllands-Posten drawings, for the record:

Imams Showed Pedophile Mohamed
2006-01-14
Danish Drawings of the Prophet Mohammed Blog

The Danish newspaper, EkstraBladet, has obtained a copy of the secret case file, which Islamisk Trossamfund (Danish Islamic Community) has distributed on their "road show" in the Middle East: (Viste pædofil Muhamed - the text is in Danish but the article links to all 43 images).

It turns out that the 12 drawings in JyllandsPosten weren't sufficiently bad - at least not to justify a trip to the Middle East - so the imams have inserted a few extra images to make sure their trip wasn't a waste of money.

Danish Islamic Community claim they have received these images in mail, but they refuse to tell Danish newspapers, who has received them - and they won't allow the newspapers to interview these people. Danish Islamic Community has also failed to explain, why an entire country must be denigrated all over the Middle East because of 3 drawings mailed by a single person.

As long as Danish Islamic Community have failed to properly explain, where they have obtained these images, why these images were distributed in the entire Middle East - and exactly what the Danish Islamic Community were hoping to achieve - we must assume the images belong to Danish Islamic Community.

The irony is that in doing so the Muslims have done exactly what they accuse the non-Muslims of doing: They have broken Muslim law by reproducing, publishing and distributing drawings of the prophet. And they have managed to out-blaspheme the infidel Danes by reproducing 3 blasphemous pictures that are far worse than anything ever published in JyllandsPosten.

The imams have not yet explained on their homepage, http://www.wakf.com/, why they distributed these disgusting images - and what they were hoping to achieve.

Flash On-line Detective Games

2006-01-29T22:16:00.000-08:00

FYA,

A Case of the Crabs - Flash game
http://www.otterarchives.com/bountygame.html

: Something stinks and it smells like crab, only there's something funny
: about these crustaceans. You play as Detective Nick Bounty, who
: despite his ability to solve the most tangled cases, has yet to work
: for a paying client. This time it's up to you to discover who knocked
: off a local seafood salesman and get to the bottom of a diabolical
: counterfeiting operation!

The Goat in the Grey Fedora - Flash game
http://www.otterarchives.com/bounty2/index.html

: is the follow up to the award winning Point & Click adventure, "A Case
: of the Crabs". This time, detective Nick Bounty sets out to find a
: missing ceramic goat for the neice of a recently deceased lawyer. He
: soon finds out, however, that he isn't the only one looking for it!

--
Mark Reiff <markreiff@earthlink.net>

SantaStars Christmas Lights Around the World

2005-12-24T21:06:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas,

Click on the SantaStars on the map to see the Christmas lights.
http://www.santastars.com

You can even add your photo of your Christmas light display.

--
Mark Reiff <markreiff@earthlink.net>

Christmas Puzzle Card

2005-12-08T12:36:00.000-08:00

FYI,

Here is a cute Christmas puzzle e-card with music.

http://www.jacquielawson.com/viewcard.asp?code=ER13610552

Merry Christmas!
(Happy Holidays to all others not calibrating Christmas.)

--
Mark Reiff <markreiff@earthlink.net>

MapSexOffenders.com

2005-11-13T14:31:00.000-08:00

FYI,

A little late for Halloween, but scary never the less. But better to know than
not about where these scum are lurking.

MapSexOffenders.com
Orbizon, Inc.
http://www.mapsexoffenders.com

: This website is provided as a public service by Orbizon, Inc. Using this
: website, interested members of the public have access to information about
: offenders, who, in most cases, have been convicted of sexually-violent offenses
: against adults and/or children and certain sexual contact and other crimes
: against victims who are minors. The public can use this website to educate
: themselves about the possible presence of such offenders in their local
communities.

: Zoom in to level 3 to view sex offenders.

Click on red dot to see name, photo and address of offender. Click on name to
pull up more detail on their crime.

PS: The leftist forum where I was "dumpster diving" at and found this gem, thought
this was a bad thing. Go figure!

--
Mark Reiff <markreiff@earthlink.net>

French Toast - France suspends 8 police officers for beating youth

2005-11-10T21:56:00.000-08:00

Mon deu! Parisian salute'.

PARIS, Nov 10 (Reuters) - France has suspended eight police officers after two of them beat a young man they had detained during rioting in a suburb north
of Paris and the other six looked on, the Interior Ministry said on Thursday.

The youth beaten by police had been detained "in the context of the recent urban violence". He suffered superficial injuries to the forehead and foot, the ministry said.

Don't be a Jive Turkey this Thanksgiving :)

2005-11-06T14:03:00.000-08:00

FYA,

Cheer up, don't be a "Jive Turkey" this Thanksgiving :)

"Survival Song" animated music video
American Greeting Cards
http://www.msn.americangreetings.com/view.pd?i=382219626&m=1652&rr=y&source

Happy Thanksgiving in advance.

--
Mark Reiff <markreiff@earthlink.net>

Causes of Color

2005-10-31T21:26:00.000-08:00

FYI,

Fascinating explanation and examples of what causes the color of things.

Causes of Color
http://webexhibits.org/causesofcolor

--
Mark Reiff <markreiff@earthlink.net>

2005-10-24T17:39:00.000-07:00

2005-09-29T11:42:00.000-07:00

Looters, what looters? - Texans know why there is a 2nd Amendment

Oh, the Huge Manatee!

2005-09-28T11:35:00.000-07:00

2005-06-18T19:58:00.000-07:00

Prayer Service Program page 2

2005-06-18T19:39:00.000-07:00

Prayer Service Program page 1

2005-04-14T23:42:00.000-07:00

My Republican Bumpersticker Idea

2005-04-14T23:37:00.000-07:00

Got Beer?

2005-04-14T23:35:00.000-07:00

Better "Bunny Suit" Model than John Kerry

2005-04-14T23:32:00.000-07:00

Tom and I Share A Laugh

2005-04-14T23:26:00.000-07:00

Air Force One Takes Off While Our Jet Waits

2005-04-14T23:21:00.000-07:00

AP Photo of Me at Bush 2000 Victory Party in Austin When Florida Called for Bush

2005-04-14T23:17:00.000-07:00

Me and My Congressman, Dr. Ron Paul

2005-04-14T23:15:00.000-07:00

Thanking House Majority Leader Tom DeLay for Fighting to Save Teri Shaivo.

2005-04-14T23:08:00.000-07:00

Good Texan Advice Found at the Outpost Tavern

2005-04-14T23:02:00.000-07:00

Me in a Suit