THE DARKNESS

Bill Zeller was a talented programmer. He took his own life on Sunday and left an explanation. Zeller was a victim of sexual and psychological abuse. It's clear from his writing that the abuse left him unable to interface with the world in any way that didn't leave him feeling he was too sullied to have the same experiences that he thought others had. He had a self-described "darkness", which despite his prostration it's clear he handled more ably than perhaps he ever realized. Programming was a solace, but only temporarily. Zeller never felt he could escape the things that had happened to him because he carried his torment with him everywhere.





The Agonizing Last Words of Programmer Bill Zeller

Bill Zeller

I have the urge to declare my sanity and justify my actions, but I assume I'll never be able to convince anyone that this was the right decision. Maybe it's true that anyone who does this is insane by definition, but I can at least explain my reasoning. I considered not writing any of this because of how personal it is, but I like tying up loose ends and don't want people to wonder why I did this. Since I've never spoken to anyone about what happened to me, people would likely draw the wrong conclusions.
My first memories as a child are of being raped, repeatedly. This has affected every aspect of my life. This darkness, which is the only way I can describe it, has followed me like a fog, but at times intensified and overwhelmed me, usually triggered by a distinct situation.

AWKWARD SEGUE

Police Segways fall foul of NZ law

Police in a New Zealand town have been forced to resume foot patrols after their futuristic Segway scooters were deemed illegal, local media reports.

The two-wheeled scooters use gyroscopes and computers to remain upright and can reach speeds of up to 20 kilometres per hour.
Inspector Steve Bullock said they had proven popular with the community."They are a novel vehicle, I would liken them to a modern-day horse because they engender curiosity and people want to talk to you about them, which is what we want as a police organisation," he told NZPA.
"We want to be more engaged with our community and be approachable and be a person rather than just a blue shirt."

The millionaire British owner of the firm that makes the scooters, Jimi Heselden, died in an accident last September when he rode one over a cliff and into a river.

WHAT'S IN A NAME

Jared Lee (Loner) Loughner ... obviously a terrorist.

What makes Arizona's killer just a loner, not a terrorist?

Did you know that Jared Lee Loughner, the suspect in the Arizona shooting spree that left six dead and 14 wounded, including the US congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, had speculated beforehand on YouTube whether he would be labelled a "terrorist"? He needn't have worried. Loughner has yet to be described in such terms by the authorities or the media. "Loner"? Yes. "Extremist"? Yes. Terrorist? No.

PRIME CONSCIOUSNESS

Life is Religion

Life is religion.
Life experiences reflect how one interacts with God.
Those who are asleep are those of little faith in terms of their interaction with the creation.
Some people think that the world exists for them to overcome or ignore or shut out.
For those individuals, the world will cease.
They will become exactly what they give to life.
They will become merely a dream in the 'past'.
People who pay strict attention to objective reality right and left, become the reality of the 'Future'.

Cassiopaeans, 28 September, 2002

GUN NUTS

Sarah Palin's PAC Puts Gun Sights On Democrats She's Targeting In 2010



Shot Congresswoman Was In Sarah Palin's 'Crosshairs'

Gabrielle Giffords, The Arizona congresswoman shot outside a Tucson Safeway, was featured on Sarah Palin's infamous 'crosshairs' map, which targeted legislators who voted for Obama's health care bill.
The map that was criticized as an incitement to violence?


FLASHBACK: March 25, 2010.
Ms Giffords talks about the consequences of Palin's incitement to violence.

OUR ALIEN MASTERS

Habib drops torture case against Government

Former Guantanamo Bay detainee Mamdouh Habib has agreed to drop his lawsuit against the Australian Federal Government for being complicit in his torture while he was detained by the US.

"In reaching this settlement, the Government acted in the best interests of the commonwealth to avoid further protracted litigation and to enable our agencies to focus on their core responsibilities of protecting our national security," a spokesman said.


FLASHBACK: January 28, 2005

Downer defends Habib detention


Foreign Minister Alexander Downer has defended the three-year detention of Mamdouh Habib, who returned to Australia today from the US military camp at Guantanamo Bay.
Asked whether Mr Habib deserved compensation for his detention without charge, Mr Downer said: "No, I definitely don't".
"We have not a skerrick of evidence that any Australian has been involved in abusing Mr Habib.
"We've told the Americans we will provide appropriate security for Australian people," Mr Downer said.

FLASHBACK: January 31, 2008

Official denies witnessing Habib torture

An Australian consular official has denied claims he was present while former Guantanamo Bay inmate Mamdouh Habib was allegedly being tortured in Pakistan.
Mr Habib claims he was detained and interrogated at the Australian High Commission in the Pakistani capital Islamabad.

OUR ALIEN MASTERS

Spankin' Sarah Palin: A clown short of a circus

If anything is a threat to the national security of the United States of America, it is this screaming, unrefined oaf with as much class as a searing release of flatulence followed by hysterical giggling at a state banquet. Is this what the people of the USA deserve?

EARTH CHANGES

Shift of Earth's magnetic north pole impacts airport

Because of the movement of the Earth's magnetic pole – at nearly 40 miles a year toward Russia – because of magnetic changes in the core of the planet Tampa International Airport has been required to redesignate runway directions.
The airport closed its primary runway to repaint the numeric designators at each end and change taxiway signage to account for the shift in location of  magnetic north.
The main runway will be re-designated 19R/1L on aviation charts. It's been 18R/36L, indicating its alignment along the 180-degree approach from the north and the 360-degree approach from the south.