DSL
The DSL is back up. The pictures should be working again. The bastards at SBC have more customers in Dallas, so they get the fix first. Houston was last on the list.  Houston is always getting disrespect.

Song

Artist:	Mindy Smith [ Search RP ]
Song:	Jolene
Album:	One Moment More [ Search RP ]

Artist:	Wall Of Voodoo [ Search RP ]
Song:	Mexican Radio
Album:	Alterno-Daze - Survival Of The 80's Fittest [ Search RP ]

Coffee
James brings in a thermos of coffee from home most days. He offers me a cup every now and then. It is good stuff  Starbucks beans Breakfast Blend is the name. He has ruined me for the free swill at my office. They want a dollar in the cafeteria for a cup of OK coffee. The stuff James brings in is good enough to drink straight. Normally I have to add a kilogram of sugar to the office stuff just to choke it down.

Car Bombs
Some one asked why there have not been car bombs in the U. S.. I reminded them about the first attack on the towers in New York in 1993 I believe. Some one parked a truck in the underground parking and it detonated causing damage to a support, but not so much that it could not be repaired. Remember also, the Oklahoma City bombing was from a stolen Ryder truck. Earlier this year, a tanker truck full of nasty chemicals disappeared for a while and a nation wide alert went up. If memory serves it turned out to be some kind of paperwork mistake. I'm glad they err on the side of caution.
I worry about suicide bombers. I know there is a problem in this country with people who wish to commit suicide. There are so many it seems. I know Islam frowns on suicide quite abruptly. Muslim countries have low suicide rates. Muslim countries also seem to have a broad divide between classes. I know Islam has very broad lines not to cross. I think that is why it is such a popular religion. That and it says something like "Have as many children as you can afford and no less." I wish I knew the details better. I don't even know Christianity that well. So, why are there no Christians blowing themselves up in the name of religious whatever? Christianity has the Pope to say "This is right, and that is wrong." Judaism has a counsel of Rabbis (I cannot remember the name) who define or interpret Jewish Law. From my understanding, limited I admit, there is no central rule interpreting body for Islam. Islam has the Koran, but it seems as though many local clerics have followings of their own. Without a high authority where the buck stops on decision making, you get several distinct interpretations of everything.
Perhaps the difference is economic. I have no figures, but I bet most of the suicide bombers from Israel are not at the top of the food chain when it comes to cash. I've read only a little about everyday life in the Palestinian territories. It sounds like a hard life. If you ask me, a hard life makes you less likely to commit suicide. You get tough early in a place where everything is difficult.
Perhaps it is social. Again, my understanding is limited, but I believe most marriages in the Middle Easter Muslim majority states are arranged. I've heard it said your whole life is laid out in front of you. You are not expected to change your social position in the culture (if you are poor you are expected to stay poor). When you die, it is considered destiny. You have no free will in the major things in your life. I can understand that if someone doesn't like the plan in front of them, they might ponder the choice of dying for a cause.

Israeli Air Force Lands on One Wing
This is a pretty cool story about an F-15 pilot managing to land after one of the wings of his jet was torn off in a mid-air collision. The picture is not really that impressive until you read the accounts. I had a daydream once where I landed an A10 Warthog with one engine blown off. This reality out does my daydream.