This, That, and Then Some

The network canceled the comedies “George Lopez,” “Help Me Help You” and “Knights of Prosperity.” “What About Brian” did not make the cut, and ABC is still debating the future of “According to Jim,” while leaving it off the fall schedule.

The cancellation angered Lopez, who complained in the Los Angeles Times that his comedy about a Latino family is being dumped in favor of “Cavemen”.

“TV just became really, really white again,” Lopez said.

Talk about a racial slam. This is an older news item, and I have had to think long and hard before writing this. I know it might piss off some, but I am tired of racial slams - from anyone!

Why is it ok for a Latino to make a racially motivated slur against white people when he is pissed off about his television show, but it’s not ok for a white person to complain about illegal immigrants - any illegal immigrants? There is a difference.

Funny…I didn’t see anyone making racial comments when Friends was cancelled.

I am sure there will be somone out there who will think I am being a racist by pointing out the obvious irony here, but, hey, I am sick of the politically correct double standards. If it’s not proper to make jokes, slurs, or racial comments and people such as Imus and others are getting fired for it, why then is it ok for someone else to do it with no repercussions?

When those in the public eye (or anywhere) make such statements, it increases the division between races. Do you ever see these same people going through the media to talk about all the positive things that have been done? Hardly. So why do they only focus on the negative?

I apologize if this hurts anyone’s feelings, but it’s not my intent. Take it as you will, but people from all walks of life will never get along if we don’t stop the endless slams against each other, no matter if it’s race, religion, creed, lifestyle, gender, or body type.

Why is it that whenever there is an issue with certain people in our society, lawmakers or “leaders” go to extremes and swing the pendulum 180 degrees in order to stop problems?

All they are doing is making the rest of us pay for someone else’s mistakes!

Perfect example: In a Virginia middle school, the administrators have enacted a “no-touch” rule. No touching between students…at all…ever. The offenders face a hefty punishment if they do.

No touching, means literally that; no handshakes, no high-fives, no hugs or anything. The administrations’ reasoning? High-fiving can lead to several kids getting involved, and someone might get “bonked” in the head and it’s too much trouble. The no handshake excuse is that handshaking is considered a gang activitiy. Hugs? No way…too intimate.

You have to watch this video with the administrator attempting to reason why there is no touching. A 13-year old boy is under suspension for giving his girlfriend a quick a-frame hug.  Read more.

Psychiatrists have discussed the importance of human contact, especially to children who are still growing physically and emotionally. No wonder our kids are so screwed up when it comes to emotional health!

Finally, one of the top spammers in the world has been nailed! I am so sick of clearing out spam and getting the same crap everyday from different e-mail addresses and such.

But at least there seems to be some progress. Read on…

Courtesy of Yahoo!

SEATTLE - A 27-year-old man described as one of the world’s most prolific spammers was arrested Wednesday, and federal authorities said computer users across the Web could notice a decrease in the amount of junk e-mail.
 
Robert Alan Soloway is accused of using networks of compromised “zombie” computers to send out millions upon millions of spam e-mails.

“He’s one of the top 10 spammers in the world,” said Tim Cranton, a Microsoft Corp. lawyer who is senior director of the company’s Worldwide Internet Safety Programs. “He’s a huge problem for our customers. This is a very good day.”

A federal grand jury last week returned a 35-count indictment against Soloway charging him with mail fraud, wire fraud, e-mail fraud, aggravated identity theft and money laundering.

Soloway pleaded not guilty Wednesday afternoon to all charges after a judge determined that — even with four bank accounts seized by the government — he was sufficiently well off to pay for his own lawyer.

He has been living in a ritzy apartment and drives an expensive Mercedes convertible, said prosecutor Kathryn Warma. Prosecutors are seeking to have him forfeit $773,000 they say he made from his business, Newport Internet Marketing Corp.

A public defender who represented him for Wednesday’s hearing declined to comment.

Prosecutors say Soloway used computers infected with malicious code to send out millions of junk e-mails since 2003. The computers are called “zombies” because owners typically have no idea their machines have been infected.

He continued his activities even after Microsoft won a $7 million civil judgment against him in 2005 and the operator of a small Internet service provider in Oklahoma won a $10 million judgment, prosecutors said.

U.S. Attorney Jeff Sullivan said Wednesday that the case is the first in the country in which federal prosecutors have used identity theft statutes to prosecute a spammer for taking over someone else’s Internet domain name. Soloway could face decades in prison, though prosecutors said they have not calculated what guideline sentencing range he might face.

The investigation began when the authorities began receiving hundreds of complaints about Soloway, who had been featured on a list of known spammers kept by The Spamhaus Project, an international anti-spam organization.

The Santa Barbara County, Calif., Department of Social Services said it was spending $1,000 a week to fight the spam it was receiving, and other businesses and individuals complained of having their reputations damaged when it appeared spam was originating from their computers.

“This is not just a nuisance. This is way beyond a nuisance,” Warma said.

Soloway used the networks of compromised computers to send out unsolicited bulk e-mails urging people to use his Internet marketing company to advertise their products, authorities said.

People who clicked on a link in the e-mail were directed to his Web site. There, Soloway advertised his ability to send out as many as 20 million e-mail advertisements over 15 days for $495, the indictment said.

The Spamhaus Project rejoiced at his arrest.

“Soloway has been a long-term nuisance on the Internet — both in terms of the spam he sent, and the people he duped to use his spam service,” organizers wrote on Spamhaus.org.

Soloway remained in federal detention pending a hearing Monday