Lunchtime Chat: Prisons

There were so many things we talked about today:
* Bush is a great guy
* AP: Record-High Ratio of Americans in Prison
+ 2,319,258 Americans were in jail or prison
+ one out of every 99.1 adults
+ one out of every 30 males between the ages 20 and 34
+ one out of every 9 black males between the ages 20 and 34
+ 50 states spent more than $49 billion on corrections last year
+ http://www.pewcenteronthestates.org
The solutions mentioned at lunch today have all been tried before: let them go, let them work, let them fight, send them to the moon, give them land, kill them all, etc,... But there is a real problem, and what is a real solution?

There were some other interesting things discussed too, right?

--Tom

Lunchtime Chat: Apple & Iraq

Today at lunch we talked (predictably) about Apple and Iraq.

The lunch opened with "What do you think about the new MacBook and MacBook Pro computers?". [I like the multi-touchpad on the Pro but I thought the upgrade to the Santa Rosa chipset that allowed full access to all 4 Gigabytes of memory was more exciting that yesterdays change to the penryn processers.]
Then I was asked "Have you bought your iPhone yet?" and that started a silly discussion about the religion of Mac and ended when I said "if I was elected president that I would take the oath of office with my hand over a MacBook Air or an iPhone." I like to tease me too! :)

But we got back to a much more interesting discussion when someone asked "Did you watch the debate last night?". This started a rapid chain of topics that flowed something like this:
Clinton vs Obama
Democrats vs McCain
McCain and the Iraq war
Exit stratagies from Iraq
Turky into Iraq
Splitting up Iraq (Kurds in north, then Shia/Sunni, ...)
Splitting up Germany
North/South Korea
soft/hard landing of North Korea
China's involvement with North/South Korea
China's involvement in the middle east
The global escalation of military forces to control oil and other resources
...and back to our current choices for President

At which point I said "Our current choices for President were like asking me if I want a regular Big Mac Meal or the Super Size? Where are my other choices!". So I finished my lunch of salmon and steamed vegetables, and we went back to work.

Red Cross Wilderness First Aid

I believe EVERYBODY should take a Red Cross First Aid class.
And, if you want more than the basics, take Wilderness First Aid.

There is a Standard First Aid class almost every Saturday from 9:00-4:30
in San Jose. And there are many daytime and evening classes as well.

Here are the next three sessions of the Wilderness First Aid class:
* Mar 4,6,11,13,18 (Tu,Th) 6:00-10:00
* Apr 14,16,21,23, 28 (Mo,We) 6:00-10:00
* Jun 12,17,19,24, 26 (Tu,Th) 6:00-10:00
I am currently planning on attending the April class.

Register online with the Red Cross - Santa Clara Chapter or call 408-577-2178.

Which class is right for YOU? Look here.

Here is a description of the Wilderness First Aid class:

Wilderness First Aid (32290) This course is intended to serve as an educational resource for those involved in activities that take them beyond the scope of traditional urban emergency medical services. In these cases, emergency care is delayed until help can be notified and rescuers can reach the intended patient or the patient is evacuated to safety. This course helps provide the knowledge and skills necessary to deal with these emergencies until more advanced care can be provided.

This course will teach you how to respond to emergencies in delayed emergency help situations, identify causes of injuries and how injuries can be prevented in wilderness areas, learn proper advance preparation for journeys into the backcountry, learn basic and more advanced first aid techniques to use when an injury occurs, learn the Emergency Action Steps for First Aid Response to be used when EMS is not readily available, learn how to respond to an emotionally upset victim, learn short distance transfer and evacuation techniques, and practice providing wilderness first aid through the means of scenarios and simulated rescues that test knowledge and skills.

Fee: $ 80.00
Length: 20 hours
Certificate: Wilderness First Aid basics (valid 3 years) this also serves as a Basic First Aid certification as well.