Missplaced Interest

Horrible things that happen every day to good people which we have no control over, I should know.

Why is it then that rather than help those deserving & truly in need people so readily respond to such stories as...

WoW & Baby
Madeleine McCann
Paris Hilton

???

The first two links are stories that make me cry, it is impossible for me to understand what either set of parents were thinking, or rather, impossible for me to understand how they could possibly not think about the outcome of their actions.

I grieve for the childrens' lost potential, one of them could have cured cancner some day..

While I am sad for the parents' loss, I am infuriated with their actions. Little Madeleine who was not yet four years old when she dissapeared, was expected to be safe alone with her two year old sister? In a strange country at that! Making matters all the worse are our celebrity role-models that youths look to when measuring the value of their own lives, supporting these parents without a single pointed finger asking "Why were they left alone?"

Leading into another frustration..

Sports stars, more and more, are going straight from highschool (if that) into the pros. Buy them early, buy them for less, use them longer. What about little Jonny who wants nothing more than to be in the NBA and subsiquently considers school a waste of time when he can skip it to be just like Kobe? As with the President of the United States, I believe there should be certain requirements before a person can become a professional sports player. The fact that there are no regulations makes for NFL players who can't stay out of jail except for when their managers keep them straight just long enough for game day.

There is no specific point in this post other than to vent my frustration with the loss of values today.

To watch or read the news is to be increasingly saddened by society.

Google & 911 ?

What a load of crap!
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Report: JFK terror plotters used Google Earth

Posted by Caroline McCarthy

One of the four terror suspects in an alleged plot to blow up fuel tanks and a gas pipeline at New York City's John F. Kennedy International Airport recommended Google Earth as a way to obtain detailed aerial photographs, according to a court complaint obtained by The Smoking Gun.

The "JFK plot" made headlines on Saturday when U.S. officials announced that they had charged four men, one of whom remains at large, in a nascent plot to target fuel tanks and a gas pipeline at the high-traffic airport. The court document in question describes a May 11 meeting in Guyana, in which one of the four defendants, Abdul Kadir, said that the surveillance video they had "was not sufficiently detailed for operational purposes, and told them to use Google Earth software to get more detailed pictures of JFK after they returned to New York."

According to a statement from Google on Monday, the search and information giant has "paid close attention to concerns that Google Earth creates new security risks." Additionally, it's willing to be cooperative. "Google takes security concerns very seriously, and is always willing to discuss them with public agencies and officials. Our experience is that security concerns can best be addressed through dialog with the relevant governmental experts." The statement then cited U.S. government studies that determined that the benefits of making imaging data (like the images found on Google Earth) publicly available outweigh the risks, and that the government can likewise limit availability if it chooses to.

The Google statement pointed out that while Google Earth might be one of the most popular and accessible sources of detailed aerial views, it's by no means the only one. "The imagery visible on Google Earth and Google Maps is not unique: commercial high-resolution satellite and aerial imagery of every country in the world is widely available from numerous sources," the release read. "Indeed, anyone who flies above or drives by a piece of property can obtain similar information. Accordingly, we expect security concerns to be addressed primarily by the companies and governmental agencies that gather and distribute the images."

That's true, but Google Earth and other online satellite mapping databases certainly do make it easier for a would-be terrorist to obtain such maps anonymously. Prior to the availability of services like Google Earth, it would've been tough to get your hands on satellite imagery without asking for it--and potentially drawing attention to yourself if you were asking for aerial views of something like an airport.

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In 1999 I was looking up people's home addresses, phone numbers and satalite images of their land here http://apps.coj.net/PAO/ just using their first and last name. Not to mention that http://www.mapquest.com/ has been around for over ten years itself! I could make half a dozen more links off the top of my head to websites that provide similar information, with satalite images as detailed as Google Earth, some even more so! Heaven forbid I do a search for such tools..

I hope that anyone who reads any articles relating to this matter has enough common sense to say "Bull Shit" - though I know that this is unfortunately not the case for the masses.

Secret Post

This was intended for www.postsecret.com but a recent post in the Endometriosis Research Center's yahoo group made me cry today because it struck so close to home..

The question was "What should people know, what do people (wrongly) think?" and one of the responses was made by a mother about her daughter. Someone had said to her daughter, "Well I know people with cancer that make it to school everyday!" which was crushing.

As if dealing with a disease that has no cure and who's treatment options are dangerous and damaging wasn't enough, the lack of understanding is that much worse. I consider myself to be blessed that so many try to understand, but I see them struggle with it everyday like I'm supposed to magically get better. I watch as they can't help but become frustrated with me when I say that I am not okay but appear fine.

My dad has been fighting cancer for about five years now. When I tell anyone about my dad the response is always something to the effect of, "Oh I'm so sorry, I'll pray for him!" or something of similar ilk. While they may not understand fully what it means to have cancer or watch someone you love deal with it, it is common knowledge that it is a horrible thing to have to go through and scary to boot.

Endometriosis is scary too.

There is something growing inside of my body that's not supposed to be there, and I can't do anything about it. It hurts me physically and my relationships with those around me. Too little is known about this disease that was discovered over 300 years ago. Doctors still can't even agree on safe treatment options, instead they proscribe harmful treatments that give little to no return on the investment of risks taken.

When I told my mom that my doctor thought I might have endometriosis she responded with, "It could be worse. At least you don't have cancer." I don't think she knows how much those two sentences have hurt me, in fact, I know she doesn't.

Here are the top five things I want others to know about endometriosis..

5) I cry every time the pain is so bad that it keeps me from being a productive member of society. It is the pain that makes it hard for me to visit with friends and family or work, not because I don't want to.

4) Endometriosis is a disease, it's not just bad cramps. Many other medical conditions also come as a "gift" when you have endometriosis. No, there is no known cure. Having a baby will not solve my problems and you're an ass for saying so. Lupron is not a miracle shot, it is a temporary solution with very serious long term side effects. Do NOT perform a laperscopic surgery just to get it under your belt and stick it on your resume, if you can't help, help me find someone who can.

3) My emotions are out of control, and it's not just from the Lurpon. I am uncomfortable in my own skin and ashamed of what this disease has done to my body. That too makes me cry every day, because I don't know how to deal with this and neither does anyone else.

2) Don't tell me you know how I feel, that you've had something similar. You don't, and you didn't. Endometriosis has a very distinct feeling and if you do not have it, you cannot imagine what it is like to feel so clearly know where and when the disease is spreading inside of you while you and the doctors both are helpless to stop it.

1) Learn about endometriosis with me, help me not be scared. This is the most important thing you can do for me.