Clueless Emma

10 Common Errors “Spell Check” Won’t Catch

While we can rely on a spell checker to catch glaring errors, a computer can’t pick up on all careless mistakes, especially if the word could be correct in a different context. Often word misuse is our mistake. The English language is full of homonyms, or words that have different meanings but sound and look similar, which makes it easy to confuse proper usage. For instance, verbally, you might not even notice the difference between “your” and “you’re.” But in print, the error can lead the reader to perceive you as less intelligent than you are. For this reason, it's important to spell check and proofread your documents, especially for the following common misuses, which are so easy to make, you might even have to check your document a couple times to catch them.

via shine.yahoo.com

Please~ read and follow!!

Help fight the cyber jihad, join the Jihadi Smackdown Corps

Get involved! Here is your chance. Just a few minutes of your time can help get Islamic jihadi videos taken off Youtube.

Read Creeping Sharia's interview with the relentless folks who comprise the Youtube Smackdown Corps.

Then join them!

Clueless Emma Joins Robert Spencer's Anti-Jihadist Team in Blogger Competition to Send Troop Care Packages

Join me in sending care packages to troops fighting for freedom--we're in 2nd place now, but it's a win-win! Let's show our soldiers how much we value their commitment and that of their families who willingly endure their long absences!

Send a care package now to make their tour feel a little less lonely, a little more comfortable, a bit more appreciated for just the cost of a couple fast food meals.

 Join me and Move America Forward June 25!

Ephesians 11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. 

Move America Forward's "Troop-A-Thon" June 25, 2009

 

MOVE AMERICA FORWARD TO HOST 2nd

ANNUAL "TROOP-A-THON" ON JUNE 25TH TO SUPPORT U.S. TROOPS ON THE BATTLEFIELD!

Move America Forward, the nation’s largest pro-troop grassroots organization, reprising and building on a highly successful event from last year, is organizing a high-tech "Troop-a-thon" to benefit United States troops.

The 8-hour telethon will blend technological wizardry and top-tier guests to entertain and educate viewers. This year’s event will be hosted by Melanie Morgan and Andrew Breitbart and will be broadcast live from the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library.

The world will also hear from Gold Star families, those whose loved ones have laid down their lives for America’s freedom. The premiere guests will be our U.S. Troops, who will appear from the Front Lines in Iraq and Afghanistan.

THE OBJECTIVE

This project aims to ship the largest number of care packages to troops in Iraq and Afghanistan in American history, with the help of viewers and listeners of Internet video, and potentially Radio and/or FOX News during a live stream across America.

We have a tall order to fill because Americans stood tall for our troops and donated $1.6 million for care packages to our troops during our first Troop-a-thon last year.

Our troops need to know that Americans are fighting for them here at home, while they are sacrificing for us on the frontlines overseas. The telethon will encourage viewers to sponsor care packages to be shipped out of our central warehouse to give thanks to our military men and women.

The American public needs to hear their stories of success on the battlefield and off, from the men and women actually waging this critical fight against Islamic Jihadists. This is especially true as the war in Afghanistan ramps up with thousands more of our troops fighting the radical Islamists. We will showcase these stories in a lively and exciting format that spurs viewers to respond.

HOW WE’LL DO IT

The technology provider for this historic event is UStream (website: http://www.ustream.tv/ ) - a Silicon-Valley based company that does live video streaming to millions of people. In addition to the content stream, Ustream also hosts chat rooms and allows people to comment and donate while they are watching. Third party websites and blogs can even embed the stream so that their readers can watch the live videos without leaving the site.

Hollywood Producer Ben Mathis will produce any portion of the telethon that may be broadcast on cable TV. In addition to the top-notch production, MAF will host a lineup of troop-loving recording artists and A-list actors who will lend their time and talent and may even perform live to benefit our troops.

Those that have agreed to participate include President George H. W. Bush, Vice President Dick Cheney, Rush Limbaugh, Jon Voight, Mark Levin, Laura Ingraham, Jackie Mason, Kevin Farley, Jed Babbin and many more.

In the end, the project will be successful because we’ll bring together the talents of a large swath of individuals and groups from a wide variety of backgrounds and specialties and make it easy and appealing for Americans to view the program and sponsor packages. The payoff will be when our troops overseas see in tangible gifts America’s expression of our gratitude and respect for them.

www.Troopathon.org

Free Roxana and other "thought criminals"--and keep American speech free--disagreement is not a crime!

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights states, "Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference, and impart information and ideas through any media regardless of frontiers."

Journalist Roxana Saberi has been incarcerated in Tehran's Evin Prison, where she is spending her birthday on a hunger strike. Around the world, people continue to face similar violations of their rights to freedom of expression, free speech, and a free press. Let's show the international community that we won't be silenced by intimidation and tyranny  - that we won't                                stop believing in and fighting for these rights.

Freedom of the press is not a luxury.  It lies at the heart of making this world healthier and more just. People without a voice and without a clear line of sight into the things that would threaten or corrupt their societies cannot hope for equitable growth and meaningful change.

A group of bloggers is holding a blog rally in support of journalists, bloggers, students, and writers who have dared to express their thoughts freely only to be imprisoned, abused, or killed.  

Please consider "wearing" a blue ribbon online this week on your blogs, websites, and facebook / myspace / twitter pages, and invite others to do the same.  Get the discussion going, and keep it going!

Borrowed from Notes of an Anesthesioboist

"Free Roxana" site here

Michelle Malkin

Dave Ramsey Town Hall Meeting April 2009: Oregon update

Mark your calendar for April 23 at 8:00 p.m. EDT! We are holding an exciting one-time national event called Town Hall for Hope, and you're invited!

We all know that the economy is causing a lot of fear among Americans. It's time for our nation to come together to find hope for the future—and that's exactly what Town Hall for Hope is all about.

At this free, 90-minute event, Dave will address the nation live with straight talk about what's really going on with the economy. He will discuss the history of the economy, real stats, and steps to take toward hope! Plus, he will answer questions from all around the country.

You do not want to miss this historic event! It's shaping up to be one of the most-viewed webcasts in history. Over 6,000 host locations across the U.S. will be broadcasting the live feed on Thursday, April 23, at 8:00 p.m. EDT (West Coast delay—7:00 p.m. PT). The event is completely free for anyone to attend. Search for a host location nearest you on our site using the zip code tool.

Get involved now and start spreading the word at townhallforhope.com. We'll see you there!

—The Dave Ramsey Team

Update: Direct TV Fox Business News airs Dave Ramsey Town Hall Meeting tonight right now at 8 on 359.

US Army awards contract to develop ways to harness soldiers' thoughts

...A soldier could radio commands to one or many comrades by thinking of the message he wanted to relay and who should get it. Initially, the recipients would most likely hear transmissions rendered by a robotic voice via earphones. But scientists eventually hope to deliver a version in which commands are rendered in the speaker's voice and indicate the speaker's distance and direction from the listener.

Bad Allergies? Ditch the tech stuff!

Fox News reports that exposure to the nickel in cell phones and the radiation from ipods may increase sensitivity to allergies and trigger similar symptoms.


This makes sense, in a way...my kids and I have had allergy symptoms throughout the winter, which is odd--usually it's mostly in the spring, and this was a particularly long, cold winter.

There is also a claim that the radiation messes with the central nervous system, which is rather scary and certainly something to look into!

Installing A Husband

Dear Tech Support,

Last year I upgraded from Boyfriend 5.0 to Husband 1.0 and noticed a 
distinct slow down in overall system performance -- particularly in the
 
flower and jewelry applications, which operated flawlessly under 
Boyfriend 5.0.

In addition, Husband 1.0 uninstalled many other valuable programs, such
 
as Romance 9.5 and Personal Attention 6.5 and then installed 
undesirable programs such as NFL 5.0, NBA 3.0, and Golf Clubs 4.1.

Conversation 8.0 no longer runs, and Housecleaning 2.6 simply crashes 
the system. I've tried running Nagging 5.3 to fix these problems, but 
to no avail. What can I do?

Signed, Desperate

-------------------------------------

Dear Desperate:


First keep in mind, Boyfriend 5.0 is an Entertainment Package, while 
Husband 1.0 is an Operating System.

Please enter the command: 'I Thought You Loved Me.exe', try to download
 
Tears 6.2 and don't forget to install the Guilt 3.0 update. If that 
application works as designed, Husband 1.0 should then automatically 
run the applications Jewelry 2.0 and Flowers 3.5. But remember, overuse
 
of the above application can cause Husband 1.0 to default to Grumpy 
Silence 2.5, Happy Hour 7.0 or Beer 6.1. Beer 6.1 is a very bad program
that will download the Snoring Loudly Beta.

Whatever you do, DO NOT install Mother-in-law 1.0 It runs a virus in 
the background that will eventually seize control of all your system 
resources. Also, do not attempt to reinstall the Boyfriend 5.0 program.
 
These are unsupported applications and will crash Husband 1.0

In summary, Husband 1.0 is a great program, but it does have limited 
memory and cannot learn new applications quickly. You might consider 
buying additional software to improve memory and performance. We 
recommend Food 3.0 and Hot Lingerie 7.7. 

Good Luck, 
Tech Support

 

 

                 

HE COULD DECIDE THAT IF HE IS DOING SOMETHING ONLINE HE DOESN'T WANT MOM AND DAD TO SEE, HE'D BETTER STOP DOING IT...

He could accept it. He could ignore it. He could accept it, but limit the parts of his Facebook profile his dad could see. He pondered more. What were the social implications of "friending" your folks?

I'M AGAINST A NANNY STATE, BUT TRULY, WHEN IT COMES TO HIKERS IN SNOW, BY GOLLY, USE YOUR BRAINS. CARRY THE DEVICES! PERHAPS NOT MANDATORY, BUT REQUIRE A WAIVER OF ALL RESCUE EFFORTS IF REFUSED.

The latest Mount Hood rescue effort to find a pair of climbers who failed to show up at Timberline Lodge Monday has highlighted the debate over the Mt. Hood Locator Unit.

The unit, not much bigger than a cell phone, was developed after a May 1986 hiking tragedy that claimed the lives of nine students and staff from the Oregon Episcopal School who were trapped by bad weather during an annual hike.

The units send a radio signal that search teams can use to triangulate the rough coordinates of lost climbers. The device is sewn into a thick strap and worn across the torso or inside a backpack. When activated, it sends out a radio signal. Searchers on Mount Hood are equipped with special receivers programmed to pick up the signal, which can extend as far as five miles but is affected by natural obstructions such as cliffs.

"It's pretty much line of sight," said veteran climber Steve Rollins of Portland Mountain Rescue. "If we can see it, we can receive it."

But someone still has to call authorities to alert them of the missing person, or no one will look for the signal, Rollins said.

"Activating a mountain locator unit does not activate a rescue for you," he said. "And it certainly doesn't guarantee that we can get to you."

The units became a subject of debate after three other climbers -- Brian Hall, Jerry "Nikko" Cooke and Kelly James -- went missing last year while climbing Mount Hood. Their fate became a national story as blizzardlike conditions pinned searchers near the timberline for days.

None of the men had an MLU, though James had a cell phone that he used to call his family from a snow cave near the summit where his body was found. All three died on the mountain.

Somerescue groups and climbers are wary of making the units mandatory. "Sometimes it gives people a false sense of security," said Todd Wells, a searcher with the Hood River Crag Rats.

Wells also questioned the MLU's effectiveness. He was one of the rescuers using a receiver Sunday to track the signal emitted from the party's MLU. "It was like a needle in a haystack," he said.

Other distress beacons are also available, including avalanche transceivers that can send and receive signals.

More recently, personal locator beacons have become available. They're similar to those carried by ships or airplanes, and communicate with satellites. They send out a distress signal along with a location, but cost about $500.

At minimum, experts advise people heading into the backcountry to a carry a cell phone, compass, maps and a global positioning system unit. And they should know how to use them.

MySpace.com agrees to combat sexual predators

MySpace.com has agreed with more than 45 states, including Oregon, to add extensive measures to combat sexual predators. 

An official familiar with the multistate agreement said MySpace, the huge online social networking Web site, has agreed to include several online protections and participate in a working group to develop age-verification and other technologies.

The official said MySpace will also accept independent monitoring and changes to the structure of its site. "We don't like to single out Myspace because they are one of many chat rooms where this problem occurs," said Stephanie Soden, a spokesman for Oregon attorney general, Hardy Myers. "But being able to work with them on this is very important."

The agreement is scheduled to be announced today in Manhattan by attorneys general from New Jersey, North Carolina, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Ohio and New York.

HEHEHEHE....BRING ON THE ILLEGAL RAPISTS. DARE YA.

Taser, the world's leaders in delivering high-voltage shocks to the target of your choice, are releasing a handy all-in-one stun-gun and mp3 player carry case.

The product was unveiled at the massive Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.

The Music Player Holster's mp3 player can hold up to 1GB of music – enough for 150 or so songs – and the C2 stun gun can deliver 50,000 volts into your desired shockee, via a pair of darts. The wires that connect the darts give it a range of up to 15 feet, so you can shock to your heart's content.

ELIZABETH SMART'S DAD SPEAKS FOR AN ORGANIZATION THAT EMPOWERS KIDS

CHECK OUT WWW. RADKIDS.ORG

FROM THE WEBSITE:

Other safety programs give children general guidance rules, show videos or simply "talk" to the children.  radKIDS^® is dedicated to providing our children with a hands-on, activity-based physical skill development program empowering our children with options, not fear.  radKIDS^® provides our children with the instinctual options they need to recognize, avoid and if necessary respond to potential danger in their world today.  radKIDS^® has always believed, and it is further proved by the NCMEC study, that the first few seconds of a potentially violent encounter are critical. When a child is approached or grabbed, the response needs to be immediate, instinctual and absolute.

This instinctual response can be "taught" and enhanced through individual demonstration, training and practice. radKIDS^® is dedicated to providing communities and families the tools they need to teach and empower your children with realistic options in their own personal safety.

 

---

       

radKIDS® works!    Just ask Candy McBride, our 23rd documented save against abduction! (Click here)     Watch the CBS Early Show video clip

BEST-SELLING VIDEO GAME PROVIDES PORN FOR CHILDREN

(CNSNews.com) - A new, best-selling video game, Mass Effect, made for the Microsoft Xbox 360 console, allows the characters to engage in explicitly graphic sexual intercourse. Some game experts and pro-family analysts say Mass Effect is marketed to young kids and presents a moral danger to them and that the companies making and marketing the game should be prosecuted.

The game is "clearly marketed to minors," Cathy Ruse, a lawyer and senior fellow for legal studies at the Family Research Council, told Cybercast News Service.

"There are cultural implications for feeding porn to kids in this way," and "when you do this, you're teaching them a distorted lesson about human sexuality and human dignity. These are lessons that they will take with them into adulthood and ultimately society," Ruse said.

Mass Effect is made by BioWare Corp., in Alberta, Canada. The game has a strong, plot-driven storyline reminiscent of the Star Wars films or television shows like Babylon 5. 

As part of that story, the playable character can become romantically involved with a woman, if playing as the default male character; a man, if playing as a woman; and an alien that looks and talks like a woman, for any play-through. This storyline culminates in a cutscene in which the characters copulate in full digital nudity.

BACK ON THE NET

I'm now home in my jammies, under the covers with my icky sinuses, sore throat, and Turbo, the rat terrier.  I'm happy to say that after hours of computer maintenance, including defragging and cleaning up the hard disk, as well as deleting a bunch of unused programs and messing around with the network connections icons, my laptop is happily reconnected to the World of Blog. How did I fix it, you ask? What was the magic moment that manifested the answer to the mystery? Um. I turned the modem on and off. Again. Dunno why it works sometimes and not other times. Dunno why my computer shows a connection when I obviously don't have it. I knew it couldn't have been my computer settings, because I haven't ever seen them, let alone changed them! But far be it for me to question, as long as the answer is here!

I got a ton of grading done, and have just enough left that it all fit into my satchel, which rests a bit convictingly against my TV stand. As if I'll do it. Ahem. Yes, okay, I have to. No more excuses. It's not like there's anything good on TV these days, anyway, I s'pose.

I still feel icky. But on the way home, I had a hankerin' for good bread to dip into my Campbell's Chunky Chicken and Rice soup , so I stopped at the Great Harvest Bread Company. I'd never been there before, but figured that since a fellow teacher graciously gave me a gift card for a loaf of bread, I'd give it a shot. Admittedly, I felt a bit overwhelmed by all the choices, and the well-meaning girls behind the counter were a bit overly patronizing. On my best days I don't do well with salespeople, so today was a stretch to bite my tongue--they didn't do anything wrong except try to help me. I must have been offered 5 slices of bread to try. All I wanted to do is look at what they had to offer and attempt to digest their (in my opinion) astronomical prices.

When I picked up a flyer to examine the bakery's baking schedule and to try to figure out what I was doing (apparently everyone else there knew exactly what they wanted, and I had to keep stepping aside to allow the constant stream of customers to keep flowing) the cashier grabbed it from me, straightened the pile, then sheepishly told me she didn't mean I couldn't have one. SIGH...biting tongue...I hurriedly chose a potato cheddar chive loaf, with big chunks of red potatoes, moist delicious chunks of cheese, and flavor that broke through my stuffiness with aplomb. Immediately upon returning home, I threw the Campbell's in the micro, let the dog out, started the pellet stove, checked out Fox News Channel, and settled in for the evening. Okay, I think $6.95 is too high for a loaf of bread that I ate [ahem], could maybe possibly eat in one setting, but I gotta say this is some really good stuff! I just may be hooked, to which I lament that I don't need another really good stuff to be hooked on! Dutch Bros mochas already have me spoiled--I cannot become a bread snob now, too!

Well. It's a balmy 43 degrees right now and it's been raining with moments of snow for the past week. I don't expect these dark skies and rain showers to go really away until probly mid- May.  I sure wouldn't mind a good school-closing snowstorm on the eve of January 1, though! ;)

ILLNESS, INTERNET, AND GRADING WOES

Why is it that my DSL internet signal shows all bars green with connection strong, yet my laptop cannot find any browser on any site? This happens every once in a while, and it is so frustrating that I find myself near to hyperventilating in frustration! In the past, I called Qwest and was laughed at by the snotty phone operator when my computer suddenly connected in the middle of my pathetic explanation of why yes, I had full signal but no browser. Don't want to go through that again. Also, I've been able to unplug my modem, restart my computer, and within an hour or so the problem somehow resolves. That is not the case today.

I'm feeling blecho with swollen glands making my neck feel like it's about to burst, and my sinuses are stuffy and I'm flat out miserable and irritable. Add to that my stupid computer issues and I'm pissed and grumpy.

I went to work to grade and clean up my classroom, hoping to alleviate that stress monster from the back of my mind. So far I've managed to put away class Christmas decorations,  check email and my blog, and begin venting. I will find many things to occupy my time before grading. I don't know why it's so hard to get started. As soon as I do, it doesn't take all that long, but it's the passive aggressive lazy kid in me who procrastinates until the stress monster is on the verge of devouring.

I feel icky.

Anyway, if anyone has a magical way of fixing my internet dilemma at my house, please let me know. Of course, I may not read it until next year, when I'm back in the classroom, but we can pray. And the really bad thing is that I realize how completely hooked on the stupid box I am--no internet for a day? OH NO! I get so outrageously evil at the concept it's downright scary!

Did I mention I don't feel good?

I drank hot organic tomato bisque for lunch, which almost counteracted the twangy affect of a pot of mediocre Folgers, but all I really want to do is crawl back under my four comforters (one is fake goose down and sooo warm), sip more soup, and pretend I have a concerned loving hawt boyfriend to nurse me back to health. Okay, the last one is silly, but I'm nearly hallucinating with yuckiness, so indulge me. At least the true love of my life is waiting for me to return, and he unconditionally bestows kisses on me, even when I have morning breath. He sleeps under my covers and cuddles all night, too, even when I'm bitchy.

My kids are at their dad's in Atlanta until after New Year's. I miss them, but it's kind of a nice break twice a year, and it's important for them to believe their dad's a nice guy...

 Anyway, I'm off to grade and get all caught up and planned for the last couple weeks of this semester. Here's to the New Year approaching and 2008. Who'da thunk it--we're almost a decade into the 21st century! Time is fleeting. Enjoy!