Free In Idaho!

I’ve paid a certain amount of attention over the last year to the idea of SEO (search engine optimization) and page-rank, where it concerns webpages and blogs.  I’m not particularly well versed in all the ins and outs of it, but I have to say, I’m not impressed by some of the voodoo that gets done in order to get a site or a blog up in the rankings.

We can all think of blogs that post a bikini shot or two every day.  Tacky…

And the faith some folks put in “page-rank” is amazing.  Case in point, the blog I just clicked on.   When I visit my favorite blogs I often try a few of their weblog links.  Always ready for a new blog to add to my bookmarks.  I’m amazed by how many “ghost blogs” there are out there… just sitting there, doing nothing, no posts in months, obviously abandoned by their owners, who started them with all good intentions but quickly found that blogging is more of a commitment than they thought.  Like the blog I just clicked on.  No posts since December… of 2005.  Only four months of archives, and probably fewer than 50 posts total.  Google page-rank of 3… higher than many good currnet bloggers who post nearly every day.

Right.  This highlights one of the weak spots in Google’s algorithm…longevity and a few incoming links from current sites (who are probably clueless that they’re linking to a nearly 2 year old zombie), and membership in one of those silly “net ring” thingies will still give you a page-rank higher than really deserved. 

   I can’t help it…

I see one, and think of the other.

Here is a little early morning reading that caught my eye

Over at Riehl World View, he has a story that looks at the progress made in Iraq over the last year and a half.  Progress HAS been made, and you can see it mapped out here.

…we are the strongest nation with the strongest military on the face of the Earth. That in and of itself makes surrender ridiculous. We elected these people to lead and to win, not quit because of some headlines.

I get frustrated when I read about how much money we send to other governments, with so very little return… we have to be the world’s most generous nation, but at the same time, the world’s biggest patsy.  For all the real progress made in Iraq, progress with out “allies” in Pakistan is not quite so evident.  Here’s a prime example, over at ABC’s The Blotter

“The U.S. has provided $5.6 billion in coalition support funds to Pakistan over the past five years, with zero accountability,” said Congressman Patrick Murphy, D-Calif., at the hearing.

“Why is Pakistan still being paid these large sums of money, even after publicly declaring that it is significantly cutting back patrols in the most important border area?” he asked.

I have to say, that is an excellent question.

…the rugged mountains of Pakistan have emerged as a safe haven for al Qaeda and the Taliban.

“They are the central front for al Qaeda,” said Seth Jones, who studies the area for the RAND Corporation, a national security think-tank. “They are the area al Qaeda has based its international and regional operations. It is a very serious threat to the U.S. security,” he said.

Pakistan continues to deny al Qaeda enjoys a safe haven in its territory.

The main point of the story is to let a Taliban leader blow hard and threaten new and more deadly attacks.  Alright.  What are we going to do about it?

How about a story from Washington State that illustrates once again how screwed up the whole illegal worker situation is?  Check this out

…Two Eastern Washington fruit growers and the labor contractor they used to bring legal Thai workers to their farms three years ago have been ordered to pay $1.8 million to some 600 Yakima Valley farmworkers — some of them illegal immigrants — who claim they were displaced.

Let’s see, a company brings in legal, federally certified guest workers, and they lose in court because they have “displaced” the illegals?  You’ve gotta be kidding me!  I wonder if Senator Craig knows about this?  Maybe when he quits his lawmaker gig, he can get the Idaho franchise…

And did you see that China is retaliating against the U.S. food industry?  I guess they don’t like that we’ve banned the phoney toothpaste and the tainted pet food, so they’ve banned some of our poultry and pork products…no chicken feet for you.  The best line of the story is this

…Beijing has taken significant steps in recent days to clean up its product safety record, including executing the former head of its drug regulation agency for taking bribes and banning the use of a chemical found in antifreeze in the production of toothpaste.

I feel so much better now.

there was this guy

Can you relate to that, or what?
 

Very busy day today… too many things to accomplish in too short a time.  What better way to relax tonight than by reading a few other blogs?

Kim answers a troll

He’s got a bunch of comments on this one.   I don’t think the guy would like it in Greenleaf, Idaho!

Michelle has a new >Wordpress< blog

I’ll be curious to see how I like it next week.  Tonight was the wrong night to try it out.

The BBC is liberal…who knew?

So, I’ve been trying to check in on Bill Whittle’s site since last night, and all I get is the blue screen… no, not the MS death screen, the Eject!Eject!Eject! blue screen.  But no words to go with it… what’s up with that?  (note: it was just very slow to load this morning)

And of course, once you’ve been exposed to Bill’s essays, you’re hooked, and you check back at his site nearly every day, even when he isn’t posting but every every two months.  So, because I know he and others are building something new, I checked over at the other url, “just in case” mind you, and whoa, something’s happening here.

The suspense is killing me….

   The other day I was working in my home office and heard the unmistakeable sound of a very low flying helicopter as it swung over the house.  I grabbed my camera and went out on the deck, hoping to get some “black helicopter” pics (you never know when you might need those), and I was excited to see it line up and come down just a couple blocks over from the house.  Jumped in the truck and made my way over to the local elementary school where I was treated to a very special event.

When I got onto the playground, I could see all of the kids in the school sitting on the grass that overlooks the soccer field and track.  The helicopter was winding down, more neighborhood adults were arriving, and the kids were wiggling around with excitement.  The rotors and the noise quit, and everyone got very still.  Then the crew compartment opened up and the crew started climbing out, and as they did all the kids and adults broke into cheering and clapping, and the kids rushed the helicopter and surrounded it.  Can I tell you what a lump in the throat that gave me? 

The kids were great, and the two pilots told them about the aircraft and the $18,000 helmets, and about being home from Afghanistan barely two months and how they brought the Apaches home (”where’s the bulletholes” one kid wanted to know… “we FIXED ‘em!” was the reply).  I was impressed with how respectful the kids were, and how respectfully the men treated them back.  And patient!  I’d hate to guess how many T-shirts, waterbottles, and arms they autographed.

And after the kids had their fill, they went off to the other fun things you get to do on the last few days of school… and we adults got to shake hands with these two soldiers, and tell them thank you and how grateful we are for the job they do.  You guys are heroes!  Thanks!

something!  Just what remains to be seen.  The intention is to write about things that interest me, particularly about living in Idaho.   Right now I’m setting no timetables or schedules, making no promises about how much I will post, and I certainly won’t try to guess what this will look like in the future.

Categories?  I don’t know.  “Guns”, “Birds”, “Idaho”, “Videos”… I’ll make ‘em up as I go.