The
Pitt -
The inspiration for the painting known as The Pitt
came after about three months of sobriety, after
hearing the story told by a now old timer called
Virgil L. at the ofallon trailer noon mtg.
"I must
get this on canvas" were my thoughts as I plotted brush strokes in my
head, and so an attempt was made on a small 16x20 canvas, but try as I
did the picture in my mind would not take form on the easel. another
three months went by, it was on my six month celebration of sobriety
that I heard Virgil tell the story once again, this time the desire to
paint it was so ignited I wasted no time, I purchased a larger 20 x 30
inch canvas and began to paint. I would like to mention that I had not
done much painting before sobriety, and kept very busy working on
sobriety after finding it, so with the exception of a portrait of the
late Juanita W. "The Pitt " was my first painting born out of sobriety,.
This is
the story that inspired me as told by Virgil L. On a cold Feb.. sat.
night I attended my first A.A. mtg. I was 41 yrs. old and found myself
at the low point of my life. Little did I know as I sat with 20 other
people at the ofallon trailer group, that I had taken my last drink. I
received a message of hope that night , It came to me out of the mouth
of a dignified gentleman referred to as Mr. Mac. He told how He had
found himself in a " pitt of alcoholism", He had been in the pit for a
long time, and had given up any hope of ever getting out. He related how
his wife and children would call down to him saying " If you love us
you'll use your will power and climb out." Then the doctors would come,
the medical doctors and psychiatrist would offer valium and lithium to
ease the way out of the pit ,but if taken would only deepen the hole of
despair. and men of psychiatry expect honesty out of a soul drenched in
denial. Occasionally the preacher would come to the edge of the pit,
though be it well meaning, his commands of faith and prayer only
re-kindled long time resentments in a God I had long since lost touch
with, and a cry of defiance was sent to the man of the cloth from the
drunk in the pit. Often some well meaning friends would offer pot or
some other form of relief, but my drug of choice was the bottle, and
they were sure that all I needed to get me out was another drink.
occasionally a nice policeman would get me out and lock me up, but I was
to slick for them as soon as they cut me loose I got right back down the
hole again. the question why? as well as the answer eluded me. Then one
day I noticed some people in my pit with me, not my normal companions of
guilt, remorse, and self loathing, that were always lurking in the
shadows, ready to pounce if I tried to get out of the pit, These new
faces were from alcoholics anonymous and they told me they had been in a
hell just like mine, but they knew the way out , and they shined a light
on the first step, they weren't forceful, and only helped when I reached
for it, and when I did there was always a hand of A. A. there. And so I
climbed out of the pit finding my strength in a higher power in the
steps that led the way out. and so Virgil L retells the story Mr. Mac
told him and has been re telling it for over 30 wonderful years of
sobriety,. and inspired the painting of the story known as "The Pitt" by
artist Sandi Colbi now sober 6 yrs.
March 18, 2003 -
Virus writer profile--lonely, obsessive
- Reuters, Male. Obsessed with
computers. Lacks a girlfriend. Aged 14
to 34. Capable of sowing chaos
worldwide. That is the profile of the
average computer-virus writer, according
to one anti-virus executive. About 1,000
viruses are created every month by virus
writers increasingly intent on targeting
new operating systems, said Jan Hruska,
the chief executive of U.K.-based Sophos,
one of the world's largest anti-virus
companies. "So far, we've seen no
indication of decreased interest in
virus writing..."
March 28, 2003 -
Firewalls set to become illegal in many
American states - Legislation
by the ignorant, By Arron Rouse, The
Inquirer, AN INTERESTING PIECE of
news has surfaced that will have sys
admins fainting in disbelief. Eight
states have put forward bills that would
have a devastating effect on network
security and even networks themselves if
they come to pass. The wording in the
bills is dumb enough that firewalls
could become illegal...
March 03, 2003 -
'Reassurance' a key word as Google grows
- By Stefanie Olsen and Margaret
Kane, Staff Writer, CNET News.com,
Google is known and loved for its
impressive Web search tool, but now the
company is beginning to face some
probing questions about its plans to
branch into new areas. In its latest
efforts, the Mountain View, Calif.-based
company last week acquired Web log--or "blog"--pioneer
Pyra Labs and shortly afterward
announced plans to expand from selling
search-related advertising links on its
own site to selling them on partner
sites as well. The announcements stake
out new territory for Google, piquing
curiosity about what appears to be a new
direction for the company, and raising
some concerns as well...
March 06, 2003 -
The Perils of Online Job Sites -
By Kendra Mayfield, WiredNews,
Online résumé sites are one of the few
recession-proof businesses still
thriving on the Internet. But job
seekers who post their résumés online
may be handing their personal data over
to marketers and identity thieves
instead of legitimate employers,
according to a report released recently
by the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse.
"You cannot post your résumé online
without some kind of risk," said privacy
expert Pam Dixon. "There is no such
thing as a perfectly private résumé
database..."
March 06, 2003 -
Keep Out Sign Irresistible Online
- By Michelle Delio, WiredNews,
Despite being asked not to, people went
there anyway. They came, they saw, some
of them pondered and then, with a quick
click, they opted to send the website to
its death. The creator of a website
called Don't Go There, launched
Wednesday, purposefully programmed the
site to survive a mere hundred hits
before it automatically shut itself
down. It was up to site visitors to
either prolong its life or to kill it
off quickly. "I'm hoping it stays up for
at least 24 hours. But we'll see," site
owner Jack Gasoline said last week. The
site went live at noon EST Wednesday and
took its death blow in the form of the
100th click at 12:57 pm...
March 01, 2003 -
Net Gurus Rally Anti-Spam Forces
- By Justin Jaffe, WiredNews,
Like Greek gods high atop
Mount Olympus, the masters of
the Internet have long been
watching the spam wars. But this
week they decided to step in and
settle the fight -- once and for
all. The Internet Research Task
Force, the closest thing the
Internet has to a governing body
for all matters technical,
inaugurated the Anti-Spam
Research Group this week to
develop "a taxonomy of the
(spam) problem and the proposed
solutions." ...
March 06, 2003 -
Congress questions FCC copyright plan - By Declan McCullagh,
Staff Writer, CNET News.com, WASHINGTON--A political rift over
copy-protection standards for digital TV has developed between the
Federal Communications Commission and a key panel in Congress. During a
hearing Thursday, members of the House of Representatives' subcommittee
overseeing intellectual-property law warned the FCC that a possible
proposal for digital TV regulations could encroach upon Congress' turf.
In August, the FCC voted unanimously to take the first step toward
developing regulations involving a "broadcast flag" to designate shows
that may not be copied freely...
March 28, 2003 -
Saddam's Bunker Stands Tough - Reuters - WiredNews, BERLIN -- The German architect of
one of Saddam Hussein's main bunkers in Baghdad said on Friday the Iraqi
leader can survive anything short of a direct hit with a nuclear bomb if
he stays within its four-feet-thick walls. "It could withstand the shock
wave of a nuclear bomb the size of the Hiroshima one detonating 250
meters away," said Karl Esser, a security consultant who designed the
bunker underneath Saddam's main presidential palace in Baghdad...
March 29, 2003 -
Beware the latest in e-fraud: Internet 'cramming' - MSN
MoneyCentral, In the newest scheme, charges for unwanted Internet
services are appearing on victims' credit-card bills. The FTC is
cracking down, but the hoax is difficult to stop. By Steve Gillmor,
Internet cramming is about to enter our daily lexicon. Just as phone
cramming (in which unscrupulous companies added unwanted services to our
phone bills) entered our discussions on fraud a couple of years ago, now
people are getting Internet services they never ordered. Sometimes, the
victims don't even own a computer, much less need Internet access. The
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) charged three individuals and eight
businesses last week with the latest in e-fraud: billing or debiting
consumers’ credit-card accounts for unordered or fictitious Internet
services. A U.S. District Court judge issued a temporary restraining
order to halt the bogus billing practices. The agency named Kenneth H.
Taves, Teresa Callei Taves and Gary Mittman, all of California, and
their companies, J.K. Publications, MJD Service and Net Options, in its
complaint...
March 29, 2003 -
Website "Cramming" Scam - By Shelley Lockwood, Scam Free
Success, This scam is usually targeted at small business. You get a
call or an e-mail offering you a free website design and free hosting
for 30 days. They ask you for your company details for inclusion in the
website. Some take your billing information and advise that unless you
cancel you will be billed monthly after the trial period has passed.
Others say you won't be billed at all, unless you call to continue the
service after 30 days. Either way, if it's a scam you'll be billed on
your phone bill. The description of the charges are usually vague,
referring to some kind of service. These can be easily missed on a
lengthy business telephone bill. To add insult to injury, if the website
is developed at all it's usually of very poor quality. We tend not to
worry if we haven't given out a credit card number. This used to mean
you didn't have to worry about fraudulent billing. If a physical invoice
was to arrive for something we didn't order, not a problem, we just
didn't pay it. What's important to realize these days is services and
products can now be billed on your phone bill. Your telephone number in
the hand of a scammer can be as valuable to them as your credit card or
banking information. There are legitimate offers of 30 day trial period
websites. If you are interested in trying one out, before proceeding
make sure you research the company first. A corporate website for your
business is an important tool. This decision shouldn't be taken
lightly...
March 08, 2003 -
WHAT IS "CRAMMING"? -
"Cramming" is used to describe the
practice of placing unauthorized,
misleading, or deceptive charges on
consumers’ telephone bills. Entities
that engage in cramming appear to rely
heavily on consumer confusion over
telephone bills to mislead consumers
into paying for services that were not
authorized or received. For example
cramming occurs when consumers
unknowingly sign up for optional
telephone services when they call
certain 800 or 900 numbers, enter
contests, talk to a telemarkerter, or
fail to return various mailings. In
April 1999, the Federal Communications
Commission adopted principles and
guidelines designed to make it easier
for consumers to read and understand
their telephone bills. The
"truth-in-billing" guidelines and
principles are designed to make
telephone-bills more consumer-friendly
by providing consumers with
information they need to make informed
choices in a competitive marketplace
and to protect themselves against
market abuse...
