LENNY KRAVITZ ON MICHAEL JACKSON

Here's Lenny Kravitz's thoughts on Twitter in case you're not following him there at http://www.twitter.com/lennykravitz:

There will never be another talent like Michael Jackson. Many people are saying what a performer, what an icon. How many Grammy’s he won. How Thriller was the biggest selling album in history. They speak about the controversy and countless other things.

But the truth of the matter is he was a boy that God blessed with the most angelic voice. Just listen to an early Jackson Five album and listen to that voice. The purity, the feeling, the interpretation of the lyrics. At the age of ten, he was on par with James Brown and Aretha Franklin. But the thing he had that they could not match was the fact that he was a child. But at the same time he sang as an adult.

That line between child and experienced adult took his expression to an unmatched level. I heard somebody on the BBC news tonight say that he was a great singer but didn’t have feeling like James Brown. That somebody is not listening carefully. As a child he did it all.

Even if he had not done Off the Wall or Thriller, he would still be a genius in my eyes. I got to work with Michael on a track that has not been released and it was the most amazing experience I’ve had in the studio. He was funny. Very funny and we laughed the whole time.

I also saw what a beautiful father he was. He was a beautiful human being. I am deeply saddened this evening.

He was the first live performer I ever saw. I got to see him at Madison Square Garden when I was eight. If not for him, I wouldn’t be doing what I’m doing. He gave me joy as a child and showed me the way to go. He was music. Period. His hugeness as a star was great but before he was the King of Pop,he’d said it all. May you rest in peace sweet Michael. You gave us all you had to give.

Lenny

SOLID, FREE, INTERNET SECURITY

Okay, I'll admit I got lazy posting here, and it's not because of Facebook. It's because of Twitter. I find the idea of microblogging, just firing off a few words instead of writing several paragraphs appealing since a few words don't take that much brainpower to compose. Follow me if you've got a twitter account.

Today I decided to share some advice I gave a twitter buddy: how to get the best internet security products for free. Yes, completely, absolutely FREE. And I'm talking about the VERY best, well, okay, maybe toned down versions, but nonetheless, good enough to keep the average PC user's computer safe from all the bad malware that's out there.

A security suite consists basically of three products: An antivirus, an antispyware program and a good firewall.

Let's start with the firewall because this should be no surprise to anyone who's serious about internet security, arguably the best of the bunch is COMODO's free firewall. Surf over to COMODO's site, however, and you'll find that the standalone version has been discontinued and you'll be forced to download a huge installer for both COMODO's firewall and antivirus. Have no fear, though, once you run the install, you can choose to install only the firewall, so go ahead and download the dang thing. I don't recommend installing the antivirus, but make sure you install something called Defense +.

An alternative to COMODO is the free edition of Agnitum's Outpost firewall but I find it slows my computer down significantly. If you've got a fast system, though, it might come down to a preference on the user interface.

Now for the antispyware. Did you know you can get a free version of PC Tool's Spyware Doctor? You won't find the free version at PC Tool's website but if you look for Google's Google Pack you'll find that the starter edition of Spyware Doctor is included. Choose whatever else you want to install but make sure you get Spyware Doctor. Once you've installed it, go to the settings and turn on rootkit scanning.

Finally the antivirus. Hmmmm.... okay, while the two previous products have been consistently at the top of their reviews, I'll have to admit you can't get Kaspersky or G Data for free (legally).

However, Avira Antivirus has topped AV-Comparatives' on demand-scanning test for removing the most viruses and has been given the same overall rating as one of my favorite paid antivirus programs, BitDefender. Avira only earned minus points for the number of false positives it found, but I say hey, for a free product, I'm willing to suffer some false positives. The only problem for most users is the nag screen of its free version that pops up whenever you go online encouraging you to go paid.

Compared with my other favorite free antivirus (avast!), Avira works better with Spyware Doctor because it gives you the option of NOT installing its own antispyware and antirootkit engine. Spyware Doctor does a much better job at doing that so choose NOT to install the antispyware and antirootkit technologies of Avira.

There you go, a top of the line, FREE, security suite that works on XP 32 bit, Vista 32 and 64 bit.

Waitaminit! Am I not an XP x64 fan?

Okay, you got me there. I only use COMODO with a paid version of Sunbelt's VIPRE antivirus + antispyware. However, for those XP x64 users who don't want to pay for their security programs, I've found avast! to be a still solid product. Although avast! bundles its own antirootkit and antispyware capabilities, I'd still pair it with Lavasoft's Ad-aware Millenium edition, which is still better at removing spyware than avast! Note that avast! doesnt' give you the option to disable its antispyware. Not as ideal a combo as the one I suggested for other systems, but still good enough if you want to get your security for free.

Some recommend installing the COMODO's antivirus with its firewall but I still think the jury's still out on that. Nevertheless, you have some really good choices if you don't want to pay for internet security. Be aware that except for COMODO, all the software mentioned is FREE only for personal use.

Dew on Gumamela

Dew on Gumamela
Originally uploaded by Dubioz Don

Although I don't seem to have been taking photos of anything else lately, I found the gumamelas wet with dew this morning. *snap*

ON FAMILY COURTS

I witheld any comment on what I think about the assassination of Prosecutor Osorio, although I would like to express my sympathies to his family. I'm just glad to be playing a much smaller role than I used to in a justice system that I already felt suffered from an abject lack of civility, and now seems to have degenerated further into some semblance of the old wild west.

I was just taken aback that anyone, including his own boss, could immediately conclude that Prosecutor Osorio did not handle any controversial cases because he was assigned to a Family Court. (Legally, there are no Family Courts yet, just Regional Trial Courts designated to act as such).

The term "Family Court", of course, is partly to blame. To paraphrase a judge from the Aussie/NZ region, "it sounds so civil, but in reality, it handles the most vicious of cases."

"The Australian", in a story about the courts and cuckolds, stated quite aptly, "We all know that in the Family law situation, it is not just an ordinary case that involves money, it is often a case that involves a lot of emotion."

What courts, then, other than Family courts, would have a docket riddled with so many subjects of controversy? Battles over family fortunes, custody of children, status of marriages, even the fate of minor prostitutes, all provide a fertile breeding ground for the hate, resentment and passion that could lead to murder.

Taken in this light, it is hard to think of an assignment, whether as judge, prosecutor or public attorney, to the family court as a fortunate one.

Indeed, it is in family courts, that ironically, families are torn apart. Disfamily courts, anyone?

ON AGE

An SMS exchange:

OM1: I regret to inform you that my doctor has advised me against playing for at least a couple of weeks, so I will be unable to join you in the court this weekend. I have to rest my back and knees.

OM2: Watup wit the back? I only know about your knees.

OM1: An old familiar back pain returned during our game yesterday. If you recall, I cringed in pain after a brief bench rest and I hardly ran on the court.

OM2: Well, you take your time. As we get older, our bodies heal slower.

OM1: Dat's pretty reassuring.... waaaah! Difficult for me to accept me age!

OM2: Don't worry, as you get older, acceptance becomes inevitable!

"Resistance is futile. You will be assimilated." -The Borg

OM1: Argh! How ryt you are! Thanks, DON!

THE LEGACY

As the rural banks affiliated with the Legacy group declare an extended bank holiday, I can't help but say, "I TOLD YOU SO!"

My first encounter with the Legacy group came when they sponsored a meeting of REALTORS(R) and they started selling their products with sweet words like, "You can buy a house/car, and after all your payments are made, you get 100% of your money back!"

This prompted comments like, "Too good to be true!" and "This reminds me of my investment in Pacific Lenders!"

To those who sought my advice, I always told them that any business has a profit motive and I simply don't believe that they could run their business without that most basic of all business motives. To many, the advice came too late.

Oh well, to those who managed to invest early and get all their money back, congratulations! But to the depositors of these rural banks and the more recent investors in Legacy, I hope you manage to overcome this challenge in the worst possible economic climate.

LET'S LEARN JUDO

So Vladimir Putin has launched an instructional video on Judo. And the former Prime Minister of Thailand was sacked for showing his culinary skills on a cooking show?

Well, why shouldn't we let world leaders show off their non-political skills? Why limit them to the staid and stogy? I say let them show off what else they can do other than lead a country.

Other instructional videos we'd like to see:

1. How to Overcome your Height Disadvantage and Get Your Dream Job - Gloria Arroyo

2. Voodoo for Dummies - Jean Claude Duvalier

3. How to Keep Fit and Enjoy Your Beer - George W. Bush

4. You Can Be a Party Animal in College and Still Be President of the United States - George W. Bush

5. Guide to Airport Bathrooms - Boris Yeltsin with a foreword by U.S. Senator Larry Craig

6. Brainwashing for Beginners - Kim Il Jong

7. How to Survive a Breakup and Find New Love - Nicolas Sarkozy

8. Legal Handbook on Eviction - Dmitry Medvedev

9.Cooking With Substitutes - Hu Jintao

And, wait for it.... this is the one the men are waiting for....

10. How to Pick Up Chicks by Bill Clinton

CAPITALIST HEAVEN

Bored at the wake of a friend's father, I decided to tour the funeral parlor to see if anyone else I knew was off to the great beyond.

I spot a counter, and intrigued by stacks of what look like money, I decide to take a closer look. Sure enough, money it was, bundles and bundles of money, in amounts you're unlikely to see in your bank account during your lifetime. Only this was the kind of money people burn to send off a loved one to make sure he has enough of it to lead an exorbitant lifestyle in heaven. "Gee", I thought, "Some people really believe you can take it with you."

But it got me thinking, what if you really needed cold hard cash in heaven? I went to bed with this thought in my head.....

I arrive at the pearly gates where Saint Peter is waiting for me. The gates are surrounded not by angels but by ordinary souls like me. For some reason, they're not in a hurry to get in line and just seem to be, well, loitering.

"That will be One Million Divinars." (the heavenly currency). Naturally, being a Catholic, my friends neglected to burn me up some moolah.

"But I don't have that kind of money!" I tell Saint Peter. "I didn't know you had to pay for admission to heaven!"

"That's alright." St. Peter tells me. "Sign here and here." And he hands me some legal looking documents.

"This is for a loan", I say, "for over five million divinars. Am I paying for more than the cost of admission?"

"Where do you think you're going to live in heaven?" retorts the guy with the keys. "We're going to get you a house."

"A house? How the heck am I going to pay for that?"

Saint Peter tells me not to worry. "Don't fret, the miminum wage here in heaven is quite considerable. You'll get a job soon. And because we're giving you forty years to pay for your loan, why, you would still be productive then and able to continue to make payments, even though your loan is at a subprime rate. Not too bad a deal to get your own slice of paradise, eh? And you came just in time, heaven is currently full of cheap homes."

St. Peter has got me convinced, and I am about to affix my John Hancock when curiosity gets the better of me. "St. Peter, who are those people just hanging around the gates?"

"Oh, don't worry about them. They're not going to bother you. They're the reason the homes in heaven are so cheap now. Some of them got sick, some of them lost their jobs. Most of them just couldn't make the payments on their homes because they spent their money on unnecessary things, like food, clothing, education... who needs that in heaven?" *wink* *wink*

I look beyond the gates and see some beautiful palatial homes. "Is my house going to look like that?"

"Oh, heavens, no! Those belong to the people who are giving you the loan. Those are really great folks, them bankers. They give you money to buy your house, which you only have to pay for all your life, and the only guarantee that you'll pay is your house itself!"

"So if I can't pay, they kick me out of my home?"

"Well, only if you can't pay."

"But if enough people can't pay, they lose money too?"

"Oh, that's what the Big Guy's for. To bail them out in case too many borrowers don't pay their loans."

"And these people around the gates? Is anyone going to bail them out?"

St. Peter struggles for an answer, "Uhhmmm, ahmmmm......"

I wake up in a start and begin writing an e-mail to my friend.

"Should I croak before you do, there's this little counter at the parlor....."