Thanks Drew

A thanks to Drew for finding the ClustrMap so I could snatch the idea and put it on my Blog too. :) It is really neat. I have had visitors from Australia and New Zealand. Who knew?

Tagged!

My good quirks:

I drink coffee every morning before speaking to anyone.
I take off my shoes the second I get into the house.
I collect dolphins.
I have many saltwater aquariums.

My bad quirks:

I have NO patience for idiots.
Some of the nicest people grind my nerves.
I throw up when stressed or nervous.
Heights freak me out.


My food quirks:

I can't get through the day without






or


















I eat all of one item before moving to the next. Typically, the least favorite item to the most favored. :)
I never eat "brothy" soup without crackers.
I hate tomatoes, but love tomato soup.
I don't like most beef, pork, or chicken.
Beets are not for me.


My sleep quirks:

I can't sleep unless I read for awhile.
I will sleep for nine days unless I set the alarm clock.
I can drink coffee one minute before going to sleep.
I must have a completely dark room to sleep well.
I must have something in the room making noise to drowned out all the other noises.
The cats have parties on my bed and it doesn't wake me.


Quirky people I tag (who haven't already been tagged):

Allison Quirk (this was meant for you!)
Leisa (Get a Blog!)

Poetic Justice

Spammer Must Pay 11.2 Billion

Associated Press

An Midwest internet service provider was awarded an $11.2 billion judgment against a Florida man for sending millions of unsolicited e-mails advertising mortgage and debt consolidation services.

The lawsuit, filed in 2003 by Iowa's CIS Internet Services, also prompted earlier judgments against companies in Florida and Arizona worth more than $1 billion.

"This ruling sets a new standard," said CIS owner Robert Kramer III. "Gross abusers of e-mail risk exposure to public ridicule as well as the economic death penalty."

The most recent judgment was issued Dec. 23 against James McCalla of Florida, who is also barred from accessing the internet for three years.

The lawsuit claimed that McCalla sent more than 280 million illegal spam e-mails into CIS's network, which provides internet connections in Eastern Iowa and parts of Illinois.

Kramer's lawsuit initially named numerous defendants, many of whom were dropped from the lawsuit in the last couple of years. In 2004, judgments totaling more than $1 billion were issued against Cash Link Systems and the TEI Marketing Group, both of Florida, and AMP Dollar Savings of Arizona.

The lawsuit said the defendants used the cis.net domain in the e-mails as part of a false return address to disguise their source and deflect complaints to CIS.

Kramer claimed that under state law he was entitled to $10 per illegal e-mail but didn't expect to receive any of the judgment money.

According to the website for the Coalition Against Unsolicited Commercial E-mail, large numbers of junk e-mails have knocked out or disrupted internet provider systems belonging to large companies such as AT&T, as well as systems belonging to smaller rural providers such as CIS. Additionally, the massive numbers of spam e-mails cost businesses and individuals millions of dollars annually.

John Mozena, co-founder and vice president of CAUCE, said Kramer's lawsuit will likely not solve the spamming problem.

"There have been regulatory actions and even criminal actions against spammers, but it has not made much of a dent in the total volume of spam we see," he said. "Spam is still roughly two-thirds of all e-mail on the internet."

He said sending unsolicited commercial e-mail is not illegal in the United States. It is only illegal to send dishonest spam, which includes forging a company's domain name onto the e-mail or having a misleading subject line.

"What we need is a federal anti-spam law, such as some countries such as Australia have," he said. "Spamming is illegal in Australia."

Mother Nature and I have split up

Yes, I am breaking up with Mother Nature. Today I had to drive home with sleet pelting my Jeep. A real balmy 34 degrees at that. Wind chill below freezing. It's supposed to get colder and the sleet will turn to snow. I am not pleased. :( So, we are done, Mother Nature and I. Broke up. It's over. Don't try to change my mind. We're through. *raspberry*