"I've done the calculations and your chances of winning the lottery are identical whether you play or not." Fran Lebowitz

As always, click to enlarge. That's a semi tanker that plowed through three houses. Scary.

I'm posting this entry on my new MacBook Pro. I've had it a little over 24 hours and I can do this much and not a lot more. But I'm learning:

• Safari 4 may have some great features but it doesn't like Yahoo! Mail. I wish it did. But I downloaded Firefox, which is what I used on the PC.
  
• Firefox on a Mac doesn't work like it does on a PC. Some functions I liked aren't available but some others are. I'll adjust.
• This backlit LCD screen is very vivid. I like it!
• Apple isn't big on text. I'm one of those guys who reads the manual from cover to cover before I do anything else. Two slice toaster? I'll read the instructions. MacPro? There aren't any. The "manual" is about 4 pages long and tells you how to turn it on/off and where the ports are. Beyond that you're on your own. In theory that's because a Mac is so intuitive that the graphics are all you need. But if you were raised on a PC that takes some getting used to.
• iTunes is NOT user friendly. I transferred my music over and a) got double copies of many songs and b) didn't get any copies of others. Alas, much of what didn't come across is music we use on Sundays at Pathway. And how do I build a playlist?? If I want to create a playlist of 3 songs...?
• I really like some of the features of this new touch pad. If I move two fingers up or down the screen scrolls up or down whatever page I'm on, whether web page or, for example, a document.
  
• I spent a LOT of time today loading software, moving files over, learning new software...and I feel like I've barely scratched the surface.
  

I made progress on Gerta's dieseling problem. I removed what very little tension was left in the throttle cable and that dropped the idle rpm some. But it still idles a little higher than it should and diesels on shut-off about one time in five. Tomorrow I'm going to tinker with the carb in an effort to drop it another hundred rpm or so.

This afternoon ASU beat North Carolina in the College World Series. This stage of the tournament is double-elimination and ASU had to win to stay in. They play #1 seed Texas Friday night.

Did you know that doctors don't take the Hippocratic Oath anymore? Haven't for decades.
Did you know that OB-GYN's who won't perform or refer for abortions can't be board certified?
How long will it be before doctors who won't peform or refer for procedures they consider morally wrong - abortion, euthanasia, etc. - won't be able to get a license to practice?

The blush may be off the bloom. President Obama's personal approval ratings are still very high, but ratings of his job performance are dropping, five points in the last month . Fifty-six percent of Americans disapprove of his bailout for GM. An increasing number of independents don't like his meddling in the private sector of the economy. And his health care plans make people nervous.

Honeymoons can't last forever.

Iran seems to be on the brink. And the North Koreans are up to no good, even if it is all just a bluff. Pakistan and Afghanistan are unstable and the former is a nuclear power. The Darfur crisis continues despite the President's campaign promises to intervene. All of it fascinates me because I'm a news junkie. And I enjoy learning about the dynamics involved. But I sure don't worry about those trouble spots.
"The Lord God is sovereign over the kingdoms of men and gives them to whomever he wills" (Dan. 4).
My interest is academic, not personal. Yes, I think it's all going to come crashing down some day; the Bible says so. But it will be at his time and in his way.
He has promised to take care of me. Even if that means taking it on the chin in a worst-case scenario it's OK because it's not about this side anyway.
I'm thankful for the freedom from worry over geo-political developments.

How come Macs don't have a back space key?