It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

We found snow this Christmas season in Bushkill PA!

I spy with my little eye, another hoax

For those of you who know me, there are certain things about my nature that you either love or hate. While I try to believe in all the wonderful things in the world, it doesn't take much for me to see something "hinky" where others wouldn't. Once that happens, I get to digging.

Which brings me to today. A close friend of mine said "hey, take a look at this site http://www.felonspy.com/search.html". And so, I did.

I proceeded to type in my street name, city, and state, then, I hit the search button.

Hmm, wow, 5 felons on my street out of 7 houses? Not to mention the 2 people that live in the invisible house behind the cemetery, which has no houses anywhere near it.

Of course, I wouldn't be blogging about this if that was all there was to it.

So, I took a few steps to check this out. I took note of the names that appeared in this search, and did a google search for their [name], [city] just to see if anything turned up. I mean, one would think that at least 1 or 2 of these folks would have committed the felony in the town in which they live, and it would be in the paper or something. No joy.

Then, the icing on the cake.

Using the Firefox add-on Firebug, I was able to see that, clicking the search button makes a call to a page called get_random_text.php. Hmmm, random text! That's assuring. I was also able to see that, the information regarding location was only sent to a javascript which spoke to google to get the map. The only item passed to the felony site itself is a randomly generated number. Try it, hit the search button several times and you will see the number of pins change each time.

Of course, they have a disclaimer about how, the first time you search, the information you get is correct, but, all the other times it is random, to prevent hackers. Um, yeah, want to sell me a piece of land on the moon too?

Ok, so, my name didn't appear on the list and, no, I'm not a felon. My problem has nothing to do with sites that actually might give you real data meant to protect you in some way. My problem is a little deeper than that.

There are far too many people who are still waiting on that check from Bill Gates for forwarding that email to 10 people, or who believe that somehow, they forwarded the hand of God to people, and they are blessed in return, among countless other scammy items. These are the types of people who would look at sites like this, believing that all of the dangerous people live right next door to them. They might use it as a tool when they are researching real estate, or even vacation spots. Their decisions could be effected by a search like this, when in reality, the information presented is nothing more than random data, spat out by a some script based on a random number spat out by another.

Anyway, another hoax out there, great.
Til next time folks.

Decadent Decampment

Part II of the the evacuation saga. PART I

After the wonderful meal at Clover Grill, we decided it was time to turn in. Throughout the evening, we had heard several rumors that all of the shops, including food, were to be closed at the airport. With that, we decided to get some food and water to bring along.

Off to bed.

The alarm clock rings at 4:30 in the morning. Just enough time to grab showers, pack our soap and shampoo, and check out. We head across Canal Street, food in hand, water packed and fingers crossed that our shuttles weren't canceled.

They were canceled, but in their place was a free ride on one of several tour buses provided by (I have no clue who provided them, but I'll certainly give credit when I figure it out).

The ride was smooth, and only about 35 minutes, though we feared it would be several hours worth of a drive.

We arrive at the airport and though everything was closed, there were plenty of snacks provided free of charge, as well as water to drink. Even though we were supposed to be out on the last flight, we ended up being put on stand by and flying out on the very first flight out.

I was surprised. I fully expected a lot of hassle and a very long day full of waiting, but New Orleans certainly gets Kudos for the way that this evacuation was handled.

To those who stayed behind: I can not imagine why you would stay but good luck to you all, and I hope to see you again next year!

Decadent Diligence

So, for those of you in the know, Southern Decadence is THE party. Most folks usually arrive the Thursday or Friday of Labor day, and stay for a 24/4 party, complete with dance, drink, and eats. This year, we made all of our reservations, long before Gustav was a butterfly flapping it's wings. Since we were to leave on Tuesday, we figured we were pretty safe. Well, at least until, New Orleans told us to evacuate.

Fully expecting nothing but mayhem on Sunday (evacuation day), we decided that we might as well enjoy our Saturday evening.

We start out on Iberville. As Bourbon (the hub of all New Orleans activity), comes in to view, we notice, well, nothing. Boarded up bars and nothing on the streets but the saw dust from those boards.

Bourbon Street looked like a proverbial ghost town, not a person, or a car could be seen. Nothing but our own footsteps and heartbeats could be heard. That is, until the pitter patter of our feet were replace with the "Thud thud thud thud" of the driving beat coming from OZ.

A sigh of relief (sigh). Thank goodness we were not the only three who ventured out. Even more thankful that we didn't somehow miss the message that we were supposed to be gone all ready!

And so, we partied the night away, some expressing their fears, some making nervous jokes, but most making the best of the evening.

At about midnight, hunger took it's toll, so we headed out to our ritual spot The Clover Grill. George is cooking, as he is every year. Music up, dancing, seemingly calm in this most unsettling of times. But, wait... As we look around we notice, there isn't anyone taking orders, no one ringing up tabs.

Seeing the need for some help, Carlos Saenz, a Dallas musician, jumped up and started taking charge, and orders. "Ok, you see George is backed up, so, we're going to make this easy, order the simple items like burgers please" (this is a paraphrase of course).

Another visitor was busing tables (never got his name) and the evening went slowly, but smoothly.

And George continued to dance and cook the night away.

It never ceases to amaze me how people come together in times of crisis.

Continued in next post.

Heroes for our Heroes

I had written this poem some time ago, and it appears in a few places here and there around the net. For those of you who don't know my complete background, I was a soldier in the U.S Army. No matter what I believe politically about the war that we are currently in, I hurt for my brothers and sisters in arms, and I know that every ounce of support that we can give them is a blessing.

Heroes for our Heroes
In a far off land, they fight for us,
to protect our right to be.
They asked no questions, offered no objection,
they all went willingly.
Long hard years they've fought for us
and continue still today
To keep terror from our children's hearts
and defend our country's way
They are our brothers, they are our sisters
fighting for our freedoms every day
They are our children, mothers and fathers
and such an awful price some pay
They are our heroes, they are our champions
our soldiers who defend
And we will be their heroes and champions
we stand and fight for them
Some will question why they are there
some march, and some protest
But these are the freedoms, you must admit
our heroes are there to protect.