CyberTechs' Pastebin

Sex Offenders Forced To Live Under Miami Bridge

2009-05-20T14:59:00.001-07:00

Sex Offenders Forced To Live Under Miami Bridge : NPR

In Miami, a causeway in the middle of Biscayne Bay has become home to one of the county's least desirable populations: sex offenders.
What began a few years ago as a stopgap solution has become de facto public policy. For sex offenders with few resources who want to stay in Miami, there's just one option: an encampment of tents and shacks on the Julia Tuttle Causeway.
The encampment got started a few years ago, when Miami-Dade County, like other communities across the country, adopted an ordinance banning sex offenders from living within 2,500 feet of anywhere that children gather.
It's a law that applies not just to sex offenders on probation but also to felons who have served their time — people like 31-year-old Juan Martin. He served an eight-year sentence for exposing himself to a teenaged girl.
After Martin got out of prison in 2006, his probation officer brought him to what at that time was just a small camp of several men and a few tents under the bridge on the causeway. After three years of living here, he's angry. He says, "The state is forcing you to live like an animal."
Right now, 67 people live here. And nearly every week, probation officers drop off sex offenders, recently released, who have nowhere else to go.
Voncel Johnson recently became the first woman who was told she'd have to live under the bridge. She says when her probation officer dropped her off at the camp, it was unexpected and frightening.
"I'm thinking she's bringing me to a three-quarter-way house," Johnson recalls. "But when I got here it was … pitch dark. The first thing I saw was men, and I'm the only lady here. … I broke down.

The fact is, about half the counties in Florida now have an ordinance similar to the one in Miami. There are fewer and fewer places sex offenders can legally live in the state after they are released from prison.

Jayden - Nightmares

2009-05-07T01:45:00.000-07:00

So, for the past few days, Jayden has been waking up between 10pm and 1am with screaming terrors. Won't say anything except "scary!", throwing his arms out, growling, crying... lasts about 10-15 minutes usually till he gets calmed down. Never remembers the dreams of course!

Tonight, he came out at 1:30am, comes over, and says, "Daddy, it started out good, but then it was bad, and ellie went to the no-bridge." Poking and prodding, he tells me his dream was about a gate with 2 fences, but the gate had a no-bridge, and when ellie (Eliana) went on the no-bridge, she fell into off the cliff. That's when he woke up.

He says this is the same dream he has been having... no wonder he's waking up! I can't tell you how many times I've woken near screaming from watching him fall off a cliff in a dream!

Eliana: Counting

2009-05-02T15:32:00.000-07:00

Mommy: Ellie, if you fall off the couch there you're going to break my arm.
Daddy: Ellie, if you break her arm she won't be able to wipe your butt.

Eliana: Daddy, Mommy has two arms.

Jayden: Grandmas Age

2009-04-07T16:43:00.000-07:00

Today Jayden talked to my mom on the phone for her birthday.

"Happy birthday gramma"
"How old are you, anyway?"
"WOW that's a big number!"

:)

Jayden: New Wii Boxing highscore

2009-02-22T15:06:00.000-08:00

"My brain must have gotten wii smartness"

Jayden: 3am cuteness

2009-02-22T09:58:00.000-08:00

It's 3am, I hear several bangs that mean Jayden just woke up and is on his way out.
He steps out of his room, looks over at me, and says, quite indignantly: "Why aren't you sleeping! I was coming to cuddle with you!"

A Billion

2009-01-16T17:08:00.000-08:00

It's very old.. from multiple sources, I cleaned it up a bit, removed some of the more extreme items, etc.. the 250b New Orleans bit is from 2006, so it's dated. In fact, you can probably ignore the whole damn thing, it's only for my amusement anyway. I updated the "a billion xxx ago it was..." to 2009 because I was curious.

The next time you hear a politician use the word "billion" in a casual manner, think about whether you want that politician spending YOUR tax money.

A billion seconds ago it was 1977
A billion minutes ago it was the year 106ad
A billion hours ago it was 112,146bc - the middle of the paleolithic era (stone age)
A billion days ago 2,737,717bc, the Homo genus had not yet evolved
A billion dollars ago was 2 hours and 49 minutes, at the rate our government is spending it

While this thought is still fresh in our brains, let's take a look at New Orleans.

Louisiana Senator Mary Landrieu (D), is presently(2006) asking the Congress for $250 BILLION to rebuild New Orleans.

Interesting number. What does it mean ?
Well, if you are one of the 484,674 residents of New Orleans (everyman, woman, child), you each get $516,528.
Or, if you have one of the 188,251 homes in New Orleans, your home gets $1,329,787 for repairs.
Or, if you are a family of four, your family gets $2,066,012.

Washington, D.C...... HELLO!!! ... Are all your calculators broken??

Tax his land, Tax his wage,
Tax the bed in which he lays.
Tax his tractor, Tax his mule,
Teach him taxes is the rule.
Tax his cow, Tax his goat,
Tax his pants, Tax his coat.
Tax his ties, Tax his shirts,
Tax his work, Tax his dirt.
Tax his tobacco, Tax his drink,
Tax him if he tries to think.
Tax his booze, Tax his beers,
If he cries, Tax his tears.
Tax his bills, Tax his gas,
Tax his notes, Tax his cash.
Tax him good and let him know
That after taxes, he has no dough.
If he hollers, Tax him more,
Tax him until he's good and sore.
Tax his coffin, Tax his grave,
Tax the sod in which he lays.
Put these words upon his tomb,
'Taxes drove me to my doom!'
And when he's gone, we won't relax,
We'll still be after the Inheritance TAX!!

Building Permit Tax
CDL Tax
Cigarette Tax
Corporate Income Tax
Dog License Tax
Federal Income Tax
Federal Unemployment Tax
Fishing License Tax
Food License Tax
Fuel Permit Tax
Gasoline Tax
Hunting License Tax
Inheritance Tax
Inventory Tax
Liquor Tax
Luxury Tax
Marriage License Tax
Medicare Tax
Property Tax
Real Estate Tax
Service Charge Tax
Social Security Tax
Road Usage Tax
Sales Tax
Recreational Vehicle Tax
School Tax, State Income Tax
State Unemployment Tax
Telephone Federal Excise Tax
Telephone Federal Universal Service Fee Tax
Telephone Federal
State and Local Surcharge Tax
Telephone Minimum Usage Surcharge Tax
Telephone Recurring and Non-recurring Charges Tax
Telephone State and Local Tax
Telephone Usage Charge Tax
Utility Tax
Vehicle License Registration Tax
Vehicle Sales Tax
Watercraft Registration Tax
Well Permit Tax
Workers Compensation Tax

Martin, the greatest president

2009-01-13T16:48:00.000-08:00

Tried to get Jayden to tell me what he learned at school today... He told me he learned about the greatest president we had, president martin, who was also a king...I'm thinking something got lost in the trip from school to home!

Three minutes later he signaled that he was quite done learning about Martin Luther King by tag-teaming my head with with a combination Jayden/Eliana bodyslam.

We're up to him remembering that "martin luther king said everyone should be the same.. i mean equal". I guess that's an improvement from king/president martin!

Quote: Cynicism

2009-01-04T00:01:00.000-08:00

A cynic is not merely one who reads bitter lessons from the past, he is one who is prematurely disappointed in the future.
- Sidney J. Harris

Worms

2009-01-01T21:22:00.000-08:00

Worms crawl in,
Worms crawl out.
Worms play pinochle on your snout.
They use your tongue,
As a diving board.
They dive right into,
Your vocal cords.
Your stomach turns,
An icky green.
Pus comes out,
Like a Dairy Queen.
Your eyes fall out,
Your teeth decay.
And that's the end,
Of a perfect day!

Amusing thoughts on a financial tip...

2008-12-29T17:32:00.001-08:00

So I was reading http://www.parenting.com/article/Mom/Work--Family/101-Ways-to-Bail-Out-Your-Family-Budget and came across this tip:

46. Bank what you resist spending.
Every time you talk yourself out of an impulse buy, like a pricey pair of shoes, transfer that amount into your savings account. You'll be amazed at how much you'll have in the bank by the end of the year.

All I could think was "I'd have to transfer my entire income to savings every month!" :)

The Columbus Dispatch : Ohio's voting machine glitch exposed

2008-08-22T14:05:00.001-07:00

The maker of touch-screen voting machines used in half of Ohio's counties has admitted that its own programming error is to blame for votes being dropped in some counties.
The problem can't be fixed before the Nov. 4 election, so Premier Election Solutions and Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner are issuing guidelines to counties for how to avoid the problem.

The Columbus Dispatch : Ohio's voting machine glitch exposed

This company cannot. be. trusted. They have proved this over and over again. First they blame anti-virus software for the loss of votes; then turn around and admit it's their own programming at issue.

There are _open_ solutions out there. A prime example is http://www.openvotingconsortium.org. This is a fully open, verifiable, 3 way system which can be audited by millions of technically savvy individuals. Donate to them, if you've got spare change.

5 year old thinking...

2008-08-19T19:44:00.000-07:00

While watching a commercial, Jayden announces...

"hey! Now we don't have to hang up our clothes, we can just get spacebags!

xkcd - A webcomic of romance, sarcasm, math, and language - By Randall Munroe

2008-08-18T15:07:00.001-07:00

(Click image for full version)

Came across this comic today -- this about perfectly sums up the base idiocy of the "AV software caused lost votes" argument coming from Premier/Diebold. (See Ohio Sues Diebold/Premiere Over Lost E-Voting Votes)

The 5 Most Ridiculously Over-Hyped Health Scares of All Time | Cracked.com

2008-03-27T19:07:00.001-07:00

This is the most insightful article I've read all week. I'm not sure if that's good or bad.... but this article is spot on.

The 5 Most Ridiculously Over-Hyped Health Scares of All Time | Cracked.com

Ice Chewers Bulletin Board - All about Chewing Ice

2008-03-09T11:04:00.001-07:00

WTF?

Ice Chewers Bulletin Board - All about Chewing Ice
A place to share about ice chewing..

Ice Chewers Bulletin Board - All about Chewing Ice :: Index

"I can’t believe you dug that out of the trash to take a picture of it"

2008-03-04T11:00:00.000-08:00

Fears of Internet predators unfounded, study finds

2008-02-19T22:51:00.001-08:00

WASHINGTON — A lot of parental worries about Internet sex predators are unjustified, according to new research by a leading center that studies crimes against children.

Perhaps this should say "Media FUD" instead of "parental worries"? I'm hopeful that this is the first step in the end of this particular phase of media fear-mongering; unfortunately this will like be ignored.

The study comes out with a set of information that have individually been reported/suspected for years, but as far as I'm aware, were never performed as a formal study.

In this case, their are 3 studies:

3,000 children aged 10 thru 17, interviewed first in 2000, then again in 2005
3,000 children aged 10 thru 17, interviewed first in 2000, then again in 2005 (2 of the same study!)
612 Interviews with a investigators from a "nationally representative" sample of agencies in the Unites States.

The conclusions, published in American Psychologist (the journal of the American Psychological Association), in a paper titled "Online 'Predators' and Their Victims", by Janis Wolak & co-researchers, were as follows:

Sex assaults on teens fell 52 percent from 1993 to 2005, according to the Justice Department's National Crime Victimization Survey, the best measure of U.S. crime trends
Internet predators don't hit on the prepubescent children whom pedophiles target. They target adolescents, who have more access to computers, more privacy and more interest in sex and romance, Wolak's team determined from interviews with investigators.
Most Internet-linked offenses are essentially statutory rape: nonforcible sex crimes against minors too young to consent to sexual relationships with adults.
Most victims meet online offenders face-to-face and go to those meetings expecting to engage in sex. Nearly three-quarters have sex with partners they met on the Internet more than once.
Only 5 percent of predators posed online as other teens, according to the survey of investigators.
Usually their targets are adolescent girls or adolescent boys of uncertain sexual orientation, according to Wolak. Youths with histories of sexual abuse, sexual orientation concerns and patterns of off- and online risk-taking are especially at risk.

Here's hoping we can get more facts -- I'd settle for well-supported theories! -- in the near future, instead of more fear mongering from the media.

Quotes

2008-01-22T08:04:00.001-08:00

Daddy, I want my cereal squishy, so it doesn't hurt the pink stuff that holds my teeth in.

-- Jayden

The Roots of Fear | Newsweek Politics | Newsweek.com

2008-01-15T13:00:00.001-08:00

This is an excellent article on the basis of fear, and it's use (and misuse) in politics. This should be required reading before registering to vote!

The evolutionary primacy of the brain's fear circuitry makes it more powerful than the brain's reasoning faculties. The amygdala sprouts a profusion of connections to higher brain regions—neurons that carry one-way traffic from amygdala to neocortex. Few connections run from the cortex to the amygdala, however. That allows the amygdala to override the products of the logical, thoughtful cortex, but not vice versa. So although it is sometimes possible to think yourself out of fear ("I know that dark shape in the alley is just a trash can"), it takes great effort and persistence. Instead, fear tends to overrule reason, as the amygdala hobbles our logic and reasoning circuits. That makes fear "far, far more powerful than reason," says neurobiologist Michael Fanselow of the University of California, Los Angeles. "It evolved as a mechanism to protect us from life-threatening situations, and from an evolutionary standpoint there's nothing more important than that."

The Roots of Fear | Newsweek Politics | Newsweek.com

Burglary #3

2008-01-02T10:45:00.001-08:00

Got broken into again! Sometime between 6pm on the 30th and the next morning. Took most of my & (Uncle) Gary's battery power tools, Gary's miter saw, most of our hardwood floor, and broke the main garage door hinge and the interior 4' custom door. Also went thru the china cabinet and the boxed stuff in the garage.. yay, what did they take we won't know about till we unpack? At least they left his tile saw.

Gary has an idea it's someone who lives near us. He bases this on the fact we have been taking our tools home with us every night - until the 30th, when both he and I left our battery power tools upstairs. I don't see who could see the house well enough to know this, but hopefully it won't be an issue once we move back in. Shayna will be in the house to bark, Putting up some cameras, inside and out, and adding more lighting to the front and back yard, motion activated.

Gotta get the neighbors to sing....

...

Every light in the house is on
The backyard's bright as the crack of dawn
The front walk looks like runway lights
It's kinda like noon in the dead of night

...

Happy Lynda

2007-12-07T02:57:00.000-08:00

Lynda decided to pose for her CD, and got silly in the process :)

1st Day of Chanukah

2007-12-05T02:03:00.000-08:00

This is Elianas' first time lighting candles; Jayden has been doing it a few years now.

Aren't they just adorable?

2007-12-05T01:55:00.000-08:00

Hopefully they still feel this way once they're teenagers!

Growing up too fast :(

2007-12-05T01:53:00.000-08:00

He's looking entirely too old in some of these pictures :( I want him to stay a litte boy longer!