Luke_Wilbur

There should be a class action law suit to take this company down. They make Enron look like a good company.

Anil, I think there is logic to your statement, but how do we know that war is not God's entertainment? How do we know that the words in all religious books are not divinely motivated. Benjamin Franklin impersonated or fabricated people and stories all the time to persuade the masses to follow his arguments. Machiavelli believed religion as a social force to be studied and manipulated by the astute prince, not as a genuine spiritual force. Today, the message really has not changed. Although, in some cases the reference to God has been replaced with Freedom.

I asked PFC Robert Bobbin whether or not we could win the war in Afganistan. Here is his reply.

The rent control legislation simplifies the rent control program so that it is easier for both tenants and housing providers to understand. Tenants will know what their maximum rent increases will be from year to year, and they will be protected from excessive rent increases with even stronger protections for elderly and disabled tenants. The legislation will also relieve the Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs (DCRA) and housing providers from the burden of filing what is currently more than 80,000 records each year to maintain the rent ceiling system. Finally, the legislation provides for a reasonable return for building owners, enabling the preservation of affordable rental housing in the District. “The issue of rent control is usually laden with controversy and disagreement, so it is remarkable that we are here today to celebrate a reform package that has the blessing of tenants, landlords and the Council,” said Mayor Williams. “The legislation is truly a consensus measure that is easy to administer and understand, protects tenants from potential fraud and abuse and ensures that housing providers can preserve rental housing in the District.”

If anyone is in dire need please let us know. Maybe some person close by can help you. Currently, my back yard is knee high in water. At 837 PM...National Weather Service radar indicated showers and thunderstorms extending along a line from northern Balitmore County in Maryland to Stafford County in Virginia...moving slowly to the northeast. This activity will be capable of producing very heavy rainfall...on the order of 1 to 2 inches per hour. Thunderstorms will also bring occasional cloud to ground lightning and wind gusts to 30 mph. Some locations affected within the next 2 hours include...Baltimore City...Columbia...Rockville...the District of Columbia...alexadria...Arlington...and the city of Manassas. DCC001-VAC013-510-610-260445- DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA DC-CITY OF ALEXANDRIA VA-CITY OF FALLS CHURCH VA-ARLINGTON VA- 956 PM EDT SUN JUN 25 2006 ...A FLASH FLOOD WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 1245 AM EDT FOR DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA ...AND ARLINGTON...EAST CENTRAL CITY OF FALLS CHURCH AND CITY OF ALEXANDRIA COUNTIES... FLASH FLOODING WAS REPORTED TO HAVE CLOSED SEVERAL ROADS IN NORTHEAST WASHINGTON DC. ANOTHER CLUSTER OF TORRENTIAL RAIN IS APPROACHING THE WARNED AREA FROM THE SOUTH THROUGH 11:00 PM.

bfrankdc. Besides speaking about Rees. What were the main issues in the debate? Who in your opinion won the debate?

What candidates do you endorse if any? What will you do for your ward different than other candidates? A good leader can shed off insults and be a model citizen for the younger members of the community. Can Jonathan Rees do that?

Mr. Rees has promised to remember and respect the fact that children and young adults are reading these forums. DCpages and myself in no way endorses Mr. Rees or any candidate at this point.

Mr. Rees has promised to remember and respect the fact that children and young adults are reading these forums. DCpages and myself in no way endorses Mr. Rees or any candidate at this point.

Mr. Rees has promised to remember and respect the fact that children and young adults are reading these forums. DCpages and myself in no way endorses Mr. Rees or any candidate at this point.

Max temperatures in the lower to mid 90s this summer...coupled with increasing humidity...will generate heat index values in the upper 90s. These values can be a concern for sensitive groups such as infants and elderly. The human body is more susceptible to heat related injury early in the season until it adapts to the conditions. Therefore...it is critical that simple precautions be taken. The heat can be intensified in urban areas such as downtown Baltimore and Washington DC. Heat index values in these areas can locally reach over 100 degrees even when the surrounding areas are only in the upper 90s. The most important thing to remember is to drink plenty of fluids. Water is your best choice as it prevents dehydration. Consider taking it easy or taking frequent breaks in the shade during the afternoon sun. Seek an air conditioned environment during the hottest part of the day. Wear light colored...loose fitting clothing. If you are working or exercising outside and feel dizzy or are getting muscle cramps... stop immediately and seek medical help. Remember...the interior of your car heats up quickly. Do not leave kids or pets in an enclosed car for any period of time...not even with the windows cracked.

Here is a wonderful email that was sent to me about Click Fraud. Advertisers beware of that your competitors might be clicking your link and costing you money. We were thinking about doing that revenue model for DCpages, but after reading this article we are reconsidering our direction. Click fraud occurs in pay per click online advertising when a person, automated script or computer program imitates a legitimate user of a web browser clicking on an ad, for the purpose of generating an improper charge per click. Click fraud is the subject of some controversy and increasing litigation due to the advertising networks being a key beneficiary of the fraud whether they like it or not. Use of a computer to commit this type of fraud is a felony in many jurisdictions, for example as covered by Penal code 502 in California and the Computer Misuse Act 1990 in the United Kingdom. There have been arrests relating to click fraud with regard to malicious clicking in order to deplete a competitor's advertising budget. In 2004, a California man created a software program that let spammers defraud Google out of millions of dollars in fraudulent clicks. Authorities said he was arrested while trying to blackmail Google for $150,000 to hand over the program. Pay per click advertising or PPC advertising is an arrangement in which webmasters (operators of web sites), acting as publishers, display clickable links from advertisers, in exchange for a charge per click. As this industry evolved, a number of advertising networks developed which acted as middlemen between these two groups (publishers and advertisers). Each time a (believed to be) valid web user clicks on an ad, the advertiser pays the advertising network, who in turn pays the publisher a share of this money. This revenue sharing system is seen as an incentive for click fraud. Click fraud can be as simple as one person starting a small web site, becoming a publisher of ads, and clicking on those ads to generate revenue. Oftentimes the number of clicks, and their value, is so small, that the fraud goes undetected. Frequently publishers will claim small amounts of such clicking is an accident, which is often the case. Much larger scale fraud also occurs. Those engaged in large scale fraud will often run scripts which simulate a human clicking on ads in web pages. However, huge numbers of clicks appearing to come from just one, or a small number, of computers, or single geographic area, look highly suspicious to the advertising network and advertisers. Clicks coming from a computer known to be that of a publisher also look suspicious to those watching for click fraud. A person attempting large scale fraud, alone in their home, stands a good chance of being caught. Organized crime can handle this by having many computers with their own internet connections in different geographic locations. Often scripts fail to mimic true human behavior, so organized crime networks use Trojan code to turn the average person's machines into zombie computers and using sporadic redirects or DNS-cache-poisoning to turn the oblivious user's actions into actions generating revenue for the scammer. Impression fraud is an insidious variant of click fraud in which the advertiser is penalized for having an unacceptably low click-through rate for a given keyword. This involves making numerous searches for a keyword but without clicking of the ad. Such keywords are disabled automatically, enabling a competitor's lower-bid ad for the same keyword to continue while several high bidders (on the first page of the search results) have been eliminated. It is very difficult for advertisers, advertising networks, and authorities to pursue cases against networks of people spread around multiple countries. Disputes over the issue have resulted in a number of lawsuits. In one case, Google (acting as both an advertiser and advertising network) won a lawsuit against a Texas company called Auction Experts (acting as a publisher), which Google accused of paying people to click on ads that appeared on Auction Experts' site, costing advertisers $50,000. Despite networks' efforts to stop it, publishers are suspicious of the motives of the advertising networks because the advertising network receives money for each click, even if it is fraudulent. Here is a very good article in the Wall Street Journal that discusses the subject: http://startup.wsj.com/ecommerce/ecommerce...10-delaney.html

Bruce Yarnall of the Office of Planning/Historic Preservation stated that the meeting on the St. Martins convent has been postponed. His number is 202.442-8835 D.C. Preservation League 401 F Street, NW Room 324 Washington, D.C. 20001 Tel: (202) 783-5144 Fax: (202) 783-5596 E-Mail: info@dcpreservation.org Comments or suggestions to the site: webmaster@dcpreservation.org D.C. Preservation League Director, Rebecca Miller, found about the St. Martin's convent last November. She stated that even if the convent becomes a historic landmark the building could be still torn down. Rebecca Miller believes also that a four story building would have a significant impact on a neighborhood of row houses. It appears that the hearing is going to be scheduled around July 26. I contacted Father Kelly of St Martins Catholic parish. He stated the parish has been committed for 100 years for the greater good of the community. The new housing project is in line with the DC Government's commitment to affordable housing and welcoming a diverse community. The 3rd revised design incorporates the existing row house design of the neighboring community.

Since I have recieved email about how Rob is doing, I thought I would continue on his status. Here is his latest email to us.

Max Mayfield, Director of NOAA's Tropical Prediction Center, National Hurricane Center, discussed hurricane season and preparedness on the relationship between hurricanes and global warming.

Did you see the comments from White House Press Secretary Tony Snow and National Security Advisor Steve Hadley. Korea and Iran think they can take advantage of the U.S. because the President's poll numbers are low. But, what they fail to realize that it in no way effects his power as Commander and Chief of the most powerful military in the world. Japan is responding now. If China gives the nod Korea might be falling down a slippery slope of disaster. **************************************** Q Can you elaborate a little bit more of what kinds of consequences North Korea might face if they do test fire this missile? MR. SNOW: No. I'll restate what I've been saying the last few days, which is it's our hope that there is no missile firing. North Korea made a commitment back in 1999 at a summit with the Japanese that they wouldn't do it, and certainly there are many options and we are simply not going to tip our hand as to what the possible response should be. The other thing to keep in mind is it's not us and North Korea. Anything that happens is going to be part of sort of joint operations, if you will, or joint negotiations with the other five nations, or the other four nations that are involved with us in dealing with North Korea in the six-party talks. So we don't want to be drawn into any perception that somehow it's the United States responding solely and unilaterally to anything the North Koreans may do. Q But, obviously, you bring up the notion of consequences to try and give them, you know, a nudge away from taking this action. So how does that really have teeth if you don't talk about what that means? MR. SNOW: Doesn't mean they don't hear it, just means you don't. Q How are they hearing it, then? MR. HADLEY: It's interesting, the Japanese have indicated publicly that one of the things they would consider doing is sponsoring a U.N. Security Council resolution. So it underscores Tony's point that there are a lot of actors in this process; a lot of folks are sending messages to the North Koreans this would be a bad idea, they shouldn't do it. And a lot of these countries are going to have ideas about what we do should North Korea ignore the advice of the international community and go forward with this launch. Q Have they, in fact, fueled this missile? What do we know about what they have done? MR. HADLEY: It's hard to tell. They seem to be moving forward towards a launch, but the intelligence is not conclusive at this point. Q Do you think they're trying to take attention away from the U.S. efforts to contain the Iran nuclear program? What's your interpretation of their motivation here? MR. HADLEY: It's hard to interpret their motives. All you can do is look at the history, and we've seen these kinds of things before in the past. There tends to be a desire to create a sense of crisis; they seem to think that's something that works for them. And they've done these kinds of things to get attention before. They did a missile launch in 1998. And what we've tried to convince them is that the kind of attention they will get is not attention that will be constructive towards getting back to the six-party talks, getting implementation of the September agreement, and really not conducive to the long-term interests of North Korea or its people.

Jim Connaughton, Chairman of the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ), discussed the President's designation of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Marine National Monument on Tuesday. Here is the transcript. ************************************************************************** Jim Connaughton Good afternoon everybody. As a scuba diver, coral and marine life enthusiast, and a sometime economic and military history buff, today's topic is a particular personal pleasure to discuss! Last week, President Bush signed a proclamation to establish the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Marine National Monument. This action represents the largest single act of conservation in our nation’s history and creates the largest protected marine area in the world. I am pleased to answer your questions today on this historic event. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ashley, from Boulder, CO writes: I just want to thank the administration for taking this giant step toward protecting our water and our ecosystems. Water is our most precious resource, far more so than gold, and my heart is singing today. Thank you to President Bush and everyone else who participated in this historic moment. Only good things can come from this and hopefully it will set a precedent for further protection and conservation measures. Jim Connaughton Thank you Ashley for striking such a strong personal chord in your question. You should know that, for those assembled with the President and First Lady in the East Room of the White House in support of the proclamation, the moment was also quite emotional. The proclamation was the culmination of a very long consensus process involving state, local and federal officials, native Hawaiians, interest groups of all types, and national and global ocean conservation leaders. Famed ocean explorers Jean-Michel Cousteau (son of Jacques) and Sylvia Earle added to the weight of the moment with their inspiration and dedication to making the public aware of this treasured natural, cultural and historic resource, but also the broader need to take action to protect and wisely manage our ocean resources. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Daniel, from Washington, D.C. writes: How many acres is the new monument? How does it compare in size to the other National Monuments? Thanks for protecting the environment. Jim Connaughton The new Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Marine National Monument is approximately 140,000 square miles. That's about 90 million acres! It is larger than 46 of our 50 states and is more than a 100 times bigger than Yosemite National Park. It is about 7 times as big as all of the other national marine sanctuaries put together. If it were on land, it is as long as the drive from Chicago, Illinois to Miami, Florida and as wide as the drive from Washington, D.C. to the Atlantic coast. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Michael, from Powell, TN writes: How is a National Monument made? Jim Connaughton Michael, one of the first conservation laws passed in 1906, the Antiquities Act, gives the President authority to declare a national monument through a public proclamation. This is done in very special circumstances. Renowned conservationist President Teddy Roosevelt was the first to use the law. President Bush was pleased to use this authority just following the Act's 100th anniversary earlier this month. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Cayla, from California writes: I was wondering why the president has waited so long to preserve this area. I heard that his interest in the area was sparked by a documentary by PBS at a private showing in the White House quite a while ago. Jim Connaughton Actually, Cayla, we got going on the process way back in 2001. In, fact it is one of the first projects I helped initiate after the President appointed me. We then spent the better of part of five years in a massive public outreach to build consensus on the levels of protection and ideas for appropriate management of this vast resource. Public involvement to date included more than 100 meetings and working group sessions that were open to the public, including 22 formal public hearings in Hawaii and in Washington, D.C., generating over 52,000 public comments. The vast majority of these comments called for strong and lasting protection for the region. In December 2004, the President's Ocean Action Plan publicy called for protection of this area. After that, Hawaii Governor Linda Lingle established full protection for the portion of the waters and land controlled by the state. Then just, last April the President and Mrs. Bush were pleased to host Governor Lingle and others in the marine exploration and conservation community for a showing of Jean Michel Cousteau's film in the movie theater at the White House. You are correct that the President and First Lady were particularly moved by the movie and by a lengthy and earnest conversation with Cousteau and Dr. Sylvia Earle, a well-known marine biologist and National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence. This event reinforced the President's resolve not just to take action but to complete the process rapidly. He felt that the five years of public process and the broad agreement achieved provided the necessary foundation for taking the step of invoking his Presidential authority under the Antiquities Act, so we could move forward immediately with protection and design of an effective management plan. The strong bi-partisan support of the Governor (a Republican) and the Hawaii congressional delegation (Democrats) was very important as well. President Bush felt very strongly about conserving this important natural treasure and recognized that others did as well. That is why he created this new National Monument. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sasha, from Port Angeles writes: Which federal Agency will manage the Marine Monument? Jim Connaughton The monument will be jointly managed by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in the Department of Commerce and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS)in the Department of the Interior, working closely with the State of Hawaii in what we call "seamless management." After all, the wildlife and ecosystems in this area do not know the difference between these agencies and their legal jurisdictions. The President charged the ocean and marine life experts at NOAA to oversee the new marine areas and the biologists at the Fish and Wildlife Service to apply their skills to the wildlife refuge areas. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- David, from Washington, DC writes: First of all, congradulations on the creation of the new Marine National Monument. When does the Administration anticipate having the management plan and necesarry regulations finalized? Jim Connaughton A very critical question David. The Proclamation enables us to go forward more rapidly to complete the work underway on the management plan for the resource, which we will complete within in 18 months. Any needed regulations will be issued as soon as possible. But a lot will happen before then. For example, within 30 days, NOAA should approve a list of "vessel monitoring systems" for boats that intend to enter the monument. In fact, as soon as I conclude this session of Ask the White House, we will be meeting with the agencies to discuss these and many other implementation needs. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Gregory, from Torrance, CA writes: Chairman Connaughton, my question for you is how will we be able to protect the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Marine Monument from people who might try to poach the wildlife there? Is that the forest service's responsibility and will they be able to handle it? Thank you. Jim Connaughton Enforcement responsibilities for poaching or for any other attempted removal or destruction of the resources within the monument are the responsibility of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Both of those agencies have law enforcement personnel, and they will be assisted by the U.S. Coast Guard. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Jeff, from Ely, Nevada writes: How much will building this new monument cost? Jim Connaughton In this instance Jeff, Mother Nature built this spectacular and thriving natural environment that we now call the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Marine National Mounment. The cost, of course is priceless. Our job is to protect it, learn from it, and look to it as a source of inspiration for stewardship of the marine resources on which we all depend for food, for transportation, for recreation, for science, and for education. We must use and enjoy these wisely too! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Jim Connaughton Well, this concludes our online session, but the online experience does not have to stop with me. Check out the info prepared by NOAA's National Marine Sanctuary Program at www.hawaiireef.noaa.gov. Additional information about the wildlife refuges and Midway Island can be at the Department of the Interior's Fish and Wildlife Service website. And the State of Hawaii also hosts information about the islands. Cousteau's "The Voyage to Kure" on PBS and the National Geographic Society's magazine piece and photo book are also a must to truly appreciate this resource.

Anyone know anything about Harry "Tommy" Thomas Jr. ? I am starting to see his signs around Rhode Island and North Capitol.

Anil, What is your opinion of the current state of the world?

No problemo Joe Just don't get into trouble.

Here are remarks of Secretary Condoleezza Rice with Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos of Spain after their meeting. North Korea was a major topic *************************************** QUESTION: Hello. Madame Secretary, how imminent do you think a North Korea test launch would be? Do you regard it as a test and not as some sort of hostile act? And what would the consequences be? What would the United States do if, in fact, they do go ahead with the test? SECRETARY RICE: Well, Anne, we are working very closely with our allies. I, over the weekend in the last few days, have had several conversations with regional allies. Indeed, Foreign Minister Moratinos and I talked about the North Korean situation. We regard it as abrogation of obligations that North Korea undertook in the moratorium that they signed onto in 1999, that they reiterated in 2002 that is clearly a part of the framework agreement that was signed in September of this past year between the six parties. And so it would be a very serious matter and indeed a provocative act should North Korea decide to launch that missile. We will obviously consult on next steps, but I can assure everyone that it would be taken with utmost seriousness. I think it is already taken with utmost seriousness by regional states and by the world because it would once again show North Korea determined to deepen its isolation, determined not to take a path that is a path of compromise and a path of peace, but rather instead to once again saber-rattle. And so from our point of view it would be a very serious matter indeed. ******************************* Here are remarks of Japan's Deputy Press Secretary Tomohiko Taniguchi about the North Korea missle test ******************************* Q: I would like to ask you a question about the North Korean missile. Does Japan suggest that its tough action against North Korea will depend at all on the trajectory of the missile launch, or is it irrespective of the trajectory? Mr. Taniguchi: Foreign Minister Aso gave remarks to the members of the Japanese press corps when he was asked what the Japanese Government would be doing in response to the launch. He said that the Japanese Government, together with the United States (US) Government, is going to bring this issue immediately to the United Nations (UN) Security Council. Already a Japanese legislation has been enacted at the last Diet session that would enable the Japanese Government to exercise further means to pressure North Korea. Foreign Minister Aso also said that the Japanese Government is going to use this newly introduced law to further pressure North Korea by using a variety of means. These are the points that Foreign Minister Aso has already mentioned. Q: Just to follow-up, has Foreign Minister Aso or any other minister said that this action will be taken irrespective of whether or not the missile, if it is launched, passes over Japan? Simply the act of launch of the missile would provoke an action? Mr. Taniguchi: He did not go into any details of that sort. When you say irrespective of the launch, you are suggesting perhaps that the North Korean government may have a couple of different objectives with respect to the launch. However, I cannot say anything about it because it has not happened. When it happens, there may be other elements to be taken into consideration. We have got to carefully see what the situation is going to look like, and by pulling together all the elements worthy of consideration, we will be coming up with a concrete decision about what to do. Q: The Republic of Korea (ROK) Government seems to make the impression that this might not be a missile launch, or they are trying to make a distinction between a missile launch and a satellite rocket launch. Is there any difference whether it is a satellite rocket launch or a missile launch? Mr. Taniguchi: Well it will surely involve technical details. I am not an expert on that so you should ask someone who has got a proper knowledge about that. I would say that immediately after the launch, given the technicalities and the expertise shared by the Japanese, US and ROK Governments, it would be made clear what sort of intention the North Korean government has had. Q: I understand that the Japanese Government has been sending warnings to North Korea through various diplomatic channels. As of yesterday, I believe there has been no response from them. Is that still the case? Mr. Taniguchi: There has been no response. Q: No response back from the North Koreans? Mr. Taniguchi: No response yet. Q: There was an article in one of the ROK's dailies today suggesting that some of the technology used in the electronic parts for the Taepodong-2 actually came from Japan. Is the Japanese Government aware of those suggestions? Mr. Taniguchi: Me, personally, I do not know anything about it. I have not read the article either. Q: Just further elaboration, various countries are continually testing missiles of various kinds. So Japan's objection to this potential missile is not solely based on the possibility of it crossing over Japanese territory. Is that the correct characterization, that it is based on the act of launch? Mr. Taniguchi: The opposition of the Japanese Government toward any attempt of a missile launch has been firmly backed by the pledge made between the Japanese and North Korean governments when the leaders of the two nations met in September 2001. This was clearly stated in the so-called Pyongyang Declaration; the moratorium for the missile test launch was clearly stated there. So by launching a missile, the North Korean government is going to violate both the spirit and text of the Pyongyang Declaration. I should also add that the North Korean government has been widely known to be a proliferator of technologies associated with missiles. So it is going to pose a danger, of course not only to Japan but also to the wider world. For these two reasons, any attempt to launch missiles has to be powerfully condemned not only by the Japanese Government but also by the international community as well. Q: If the missile accidentally lands in Japan or somewhere near Japan, would this be perceived as an attack by North Korea? Mr. Taniguchi: A judgment of that sort will depend on many subtle differences and elements. The decision has to be made as quickly as possible, that is the bottom line. But in order for the Japanese Government to reach that decision, it is also the case that you have got to take into consideration many elements. But that said, I should say that even if it is a terrible accident, the North Korean government is going to shoulder all the responsibility and it goes without saying that it has got to apologize most sincerely to the people and for the property that may be damaged by the accidental occurrence.

Here are the two emails I received today from Comcast. Here is the second message that was sent today

Dedrick of Comcast of customer service (1-800-266-2278 option 1 [English], option 1 [trouble], option 3 [home telephone service] ) stated that Comcast by accident gave Carmen Wilbur's number to another customer. They are trying to contact this customer to give the line back to Mrs. Wilbur.

That is pretty intense. I hope the leaders in Iran realize that Al Qaeda is a bigger threat to their country's existance than the United States. I am sure the authenticity of the document will be questioned.

Is 1223 the best bar in DC?