To one of the most annoying hacks still on CNN Lou Dobbs.

Someone I know may be able to reduce their blood pressure medication with him gone. The man was once a newscaster and did a competent job reading the news, but then they let him express his opinion and people discovered what an idiot he was.

I think we can all safely assume that he will probably be replaced with another old white guy who votes Republican.

Update: Ah, yes, true to form it is John King.

The BBC reports on a New PC to encourage older users

A new computer aimed at people aged over 60 who are unfamiliar with PCs and the internet has been unveiled.

The simplified desktop – called SimplicITy – has just six buttons directing users to basic tasks such as e-mail and chat.

The computer comes pre-loaded with 17 video tutorials from television presenter Valerie Singleton.
…

The computer is built using Linux operating system, a free operating system that can be customised by users.

If people decide they no longer need the SimplicITy desktop, they can replace it with a standard Linux desktop.

The point a lot of people miss is that Linux can be simple to use for simple things, i.e. using a computer as an appliance, like a typewriter and telephone. As long as you aren’t interested in the newest games or most advanced multi-media applications, it is really straight forward. By using Linux, these people are avoiding a lot of the pitfalls that can be annoying and expensive, like computer viruses and trojans.

If we had wider availability of broadband in this country at a reasonable price, this would be a nice addition.

You may have read about the assault in Tampa, a Marine Reservist attacked a Greek Orthodox priest claiming he thought the priest was a Muslim terrorist.

Sorry, but if you can’t recognize a Greek Orthodox priest after living in Tampa for more than a week, you aren’t quite as bright as mildew.

The Greeks were first drawn to Tarpon Springs, North of Tampa, at the end of the 19^th century to dive for sponges in the Gulf of Mexico, and enough of them went down to Tampa that the government of Greece has a consulate in the city. The governor of Florida, Charlie Crist, is a Greek-American from Tampa. It is rather difficult to miss the Greek festival in the city. Actually, even in cities as small as Fort Walton Beach, there is a Greek Orthodox church.

This guy is trying to convince law enforcement that he seriously thought that Muslim terrorists would dress up like Lawrence of Arabia so everyone would realize who they were. Bruce’s claims are ludicrous:

The man yelled “Allahu Akbar,” Arabic for “God is great,” the same words some witnesses said the Fort Hood shooting suspect uttered last week.

“That’s what they tell you right before they blow you up,” police say Bruce told them.

Having known a few Muslims I can tell you that they use “Allahu Akbar” the same way Christians use “Jesus Christ” – the meaning depends on the context, and whether the exhaust manifold was hot or cold when the wrench slipped…

At the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month in 1918 the guns fell silent. The Great War, The War to End All Wars, was over…for a couple of decades.

The red poppies of Flanders fields became a symbol of that war and the veterans that returned from it. Known as Remembrance Day in much of the world, the poppies will be in evidence. Remembrance Day observances have more in common with the American Memorial Day as day to honor those who have died in war.

First called Armistice Day in the United States, the name was changed to Veterans Day, and its purpose changed to honoring those who are serving, or have served in the military. The change was made to avoid a conflict with the existing Memorial Day observance that goes back to the Civil War era.

A heart felt salute to everyone who managed to survive basic training. We can hope that sooner, rather than later, there will be no need for another generation to put on uniforms and march to war.