Absolutely Fabulous
by Alex Farr
Nothing beats an evening ride in a taxi with a pimp his two showcase whores.
“Wow,” lots of people say, as I drive them… wherever they’re going, “you must meet a lot of interesting people driving a taxi…”
Now, I don’t know about other people, but I could meet a lot more people in my life if I really wanted to. It’s really not that hard… all you have to do is go out into the streets, the bars, the flower shops, the hospitals, the old-folk’s homes, the tow truck yards, the police stations, or anywhere else- and just say “Hi.” For some reason though, most of us don’t do it. I’ve given this a lot of thought, mostly as I sit at cabstands at 7 am, ‘resting my eyes’… because drinking in the privacy of my own home until the wee hours of the night seems to make them tired… anyway- I think about it a lot. And the conclusion I’ve come to is simple. Most of the people one meets aren’t interesting. You have to go through a lot of uninteresting people, actually, before you meet the interesting ones. And, hard as it may be to accept the bare truth of it, the most interesting people in this world may not be the ones that you really want to meet.
Of course, there is a little still-drunken voice in my head that usually, at this point of my morning philosophizing, suggests that I may be one of these people. I like this voice, it makes me laugh.
But the other day, I had proof that maybe I am a wise fucker after all.
I was, as often happens, cruising in the neighborhood of West MacArthur Blvd., when yet another call came in for one of the many motels along the strip. Some of the most interesting and/or amusing people you’d ever meet seem to stay in the many motels along the strip… and, coincidentally, when I used to live just a couple of blocks off the strip none of my friends seemed to want to come into the neighborhood to visit.
Where the annual Interesting People Convention is held.
I was in a good mood though, because this call would make 3 fares in one hour… and these days that’s a busy hour. So I took the call, and raced to the motel. I honked, and a dude came out in a moment to wave… which is a good practice, since we cabbies will just drive away if we don’t get any response within the time it takes to turn the car around in the driveway so we can pull back into the street. But this guy, man he was looking like a million bucks. He was wearing nice slacks, a well tailored shirt, and even a tie. He was looking like a double for Denzel Washington or something… Christ, I wish I knew how to dress as well as this cat.
So I wait semi-patiently, and in a minute out come two girls. For a moment I was thinking of that ZZ Top song “Sharp Dressed Man”, but then I got a look at the second girl…
The first one was a cute little petite thing, with an electric blue bob, unusual on a black girl… tight bell bottom jeans… nice. The second had an electric purple bob, also unusual on a black girl… but she was wearing one of those ass-length shag-carpet kind of coats, and a dress no longer than the coat, and low-cut… and it all just showed of a whole lot of jiggle. Jiggle everywhere you looked…
Needless to say, I quickly looked away.
But it was, like so many other things in this city, like a car accident. You just can’t help looking at the grotesqueness of the scene…
As I watched, Home Boy, whose theme song was quickly becoming “Superfly”, pulled out a wad of cash, and peeled off a couple of bills for the girls. They took ‘em stoically, and headed on over… but this guy, he had some sort of strange fatherly vibe to him, somehow. It was strange, but unmistakeable as he followed them out to the cab, like a father seeing his daughters off to the school bus. He even came up to my window, saying to me “Now, you be sure these girls get up to 65th and San Pablo safely…”
It was all I could do not to laugh. It was like Ward Cleaver meets American Pimp…
June still found time to make him a hot meal after turning her day’s tricks
The truth of the matter though, is that it wouldn’t really have been any more than an unmemorable few minutes of amusement, if he hadn’t suddenly decided I was cool.
“Whoah, look at this guy. My man, you a cool looking driver, with the earrings and that goatee, and that cool beanie… let me get your card.”
I’d just unbraided my goatee, and so now it was like 4 or 5 inches long… and I’d just shaved off my dreadlocks, so I was wearing a hat to keep my tender scalp warm, and I’ve got something like 12 earrings decorating my ears. I don’t even really think about it anymore. So I just shrugged, and wrote my name down on a card for the dude.
“Yeah man, you’re Alex? Good to meet you, I’m Fabulous.”
I just stared for a couple of seconds. He reached out to shake my hand, and I shook, saying “Of course you are…”.
A man who’d gotten his business plan from watching “Shaft”…
“Yeah, I’m Fabulous, and this here’s my girl Fantasy (indicating the cute little blue haired whore), and that’s Karma (indicating Jiggles).”
“Yeah… cool.” I answered, managing to keep from laughing out loud… or at least not too loud. “65th and San Pablo…”
The girls didn’t talk too much along the drive. All I could think of was the irony… of the Karma of whatever poor bastard paid to be with Karma… not to mention the Karma of poor Karma herself, being born as herself.
I’d heard of the ugly stick, but now I was picturing the Karma stick. Ouch!
Interesting people… Fabulous…
After I’d dropped them off, and I was heading back to a cabstand to rest my eyes some more, I suddenly remembered another girl… one I’d picked up in another motel, one rainy day, who’d been bitching about having to give her “friend” a hundred bucks, so now she didn’t even have any money for food. And how, when I drove her back to his pad, he wouldn’t even let her in. She was less obviously a hooker, new to the game maybe… and apparently not very good if her “friend” wouldn’t even cover the $4 cab fare and let her in on a rainy day… so I drove her to another friend’s house, only they wouldn’t answer the door either. So I finally took pity on the chick…
“So, can we work something out for the fare?…” she’d mumbled, near tears.
“Forget about it, you can catch me later…” I told her. I suppose I could’ve demanded a street blowjob, and I could tell that was what she was offering… but I just didn’t have the heart.
And besides, if she was any good she wouldn’t have needed to offer a blowjob for what wound up as a $9 fare…
Even a cabbie can sometimes be fabulous.
Besides, there was another call on the dispatch radio nearby.
Microsoft says ”
Strategic planning, research, product development, marketing data, third-party information, and other corporate secrets are widely distributed on individual computers throughout an enterprise. These workstations, regular desktop computers, individual computers in home offices, and notebook computers are the most numerous, most vulnerable entry points to any enterprise, and they’re all open to intrusion and theft. Even if an enterprise uses advanced network access security, an unattended workstation offers instant access to files on the hard drive and also the network. Similarly, a stolen notebook computer offers easy access to critical data by competitors, unauthorized employees, and others whose knowledge of such information can profit at the expense of the victimized organization”
Traditional solutions such as file encryption leave too much to the discretion of individual users. What’s needed is an automatic encryption system that can be deployed and managed across the network—one that implements security policy without burdening users.Related.My-snort.org
Data Security (Now called Protect!) Overview
A possible Data Security solution offers a desktop security solution that enables System Administrators to restrict access to all enterprise PCs running Windows 95/98/2000/xp or NT 4.0. This will creates a secure computing environment by combining boot protection and powerful encryption with enterprise administration capabilities. Equally important to large organizations, Your Data Security should be designed to be deployed, administered, and upgraded without desktop visits.
Boot protection
Boot protection combined with encryption is an essential component of PC security. Because Protect! requires user authentication before the Windows operating system is invoked, it completely defeats the numerous and widely available Windows password cracking programs. Other common attacks such as moving the hard drive to a different machine or booting from a floppy will not enable unauthorized entry. Until an authorized user is properly authenticated, all information on the hard disk remains encrypted such that not even files or directories are visible to prying eyes.
Hard Disk Encryption
Protect! uses the industry-proven CAST and Blowfish encryption algorithms to encrypt the entire workstation hard drive. The encryption key is itself encrypted and can only be unlocked through the user password. This means that the key that encrypts the data is never stored in the clear.
Encryption is transparent to the user and creates no perceptible decrease in speed. Protect!, also relieves users of the responsibility for encrypting individual files, eliminating the possibility of leaving certain files unsecured. Because the encryption process is automatic and entirely transparent to the end-user, it is easy to use and implement in any size organization.
Delegated administration secures a distributed environment
Protect! incorporates unique “delegated” management that permits the enforcement of enterprise security policy while spreading the burden of administration throughout the organization. A System Administrator creates a Master Profile, which defines the rules that all installations must follow throughout the enterprise. Lower level Administrators can modify this Master Profile for local conditions..
The Master Profile also dictates the configuration and installation of Protect! Deploying Protect! can be accomplished through a variety of methods including software distribution tools such as Microsoft SMS or Novell ACU. Alternatively administrators can utilize login scripts, email or physical distribution of CDs or diskettes. Each installation specifies a network drive where Protect! can find updates to user profiles or enhancements to the program. Support for users who have lost or forgotten passwords is also provided across the network
Protect!’s Basic Security Functions:
Administration
- Central configuration
- Zero desktop administration
- Delegated administration
- Hard disk partition encryption
- Secure assistance for remote users
Access Control
- Boot protection
- Keyboard lock and screensaver
- User-specific partition restrictions
- Limited login attempts with automatic locking
Positive Identification and Secure Authorization
- Dynamic password support
- Stringent password requirements
- Role-based authorization
Logging
- Complete record of login activity, updates, and remote assistance
- Configurable audit reports
How Does Protect! secure the machine?
Boot Protection and Hard Disk Encryption:
Protect! provides two levels of protection: boot protection and hard disk encryption.
Authorized users need to provide valid name and password in order to boot a protected desktop PC or notebook. Even if someone boots via some alternative method, everything on the hard disk—programs and data—remains encrypted until an authorized user enters the computer.
After an authorized user enters the system, Protect! automatically encrypts and decrypts the data stream to and from the hard disk. Also, for Windows 95/98, a keyboard lock and secure screensaver can be activated manually or automatically if the user leaves the computer. The user must enter the password again when upon return. Because Protect!’s encryption is automatic, security policy is not left to the discretion of individuals. No one needs to know encryption programs or procedures because encryption and decryption occur automatically in the background.
What if someone forgets the password?
Remote Help:
Administrators can remotely help users who have forgotten their passwords, or need to unlock accounts that have been suspended due to excessive failed login attempts. In organizations using dynamic passwords that change with every login (such as Safeword from Secure Computing), Administrators can offer “one time login” assistance if users misplace the password calculator.
Protect! Delegated Administration
Unlike many centralized administration programs that impose the entire burden of administration on a few individuals, Protect! allows diffuse responsibility throughout the organization. The System Administrator delegates privileges to local administrators but still retains control over critical elements of enterprise security.
Simplicity and Central Control
Protect!’s administration affords simplicity and strong central control of system information, group information, and individual user information. System Administrators have the ability to install and configure the system, delegate privileges throughout the network, modify the system for local conditions, and set properties and privileges for individual users through the use of a simple database consisting of Profiles.
Scalability
This scalable system allows user privileges to be easily mirrored from the existing organizational structure. Profiles can be administered centrally and updated automatically on the local workstation. The system administrator can choose to allow multiple users to operate the same computer without compromising other secure files (each user is given a unique ID and password). Protect! also works with all standard utilities and software.
Installation and Deployment
System administrators can deploy Protect! across the network without having to install the software manually on individual machines. They can also use profiles in conjunction with system installation management software to perform silent installations of Protect!. Administrators create the installation profile and modify it to meet local requirements. User systems can then be installed “silently” from the installation directory on the server. This allows site administrators to use their preferred installation management software to aid in the deployment of Protect!.
Installation using Profiles:
Profiles are the essential element in the installation and maintenance of Protect!. The System Administrator creates an enterprise-wide security model in an “installation profile” when Protect! is initially installed.
The installation profile consists of initial system settings. Protect! uses these settings as the default in all subsequent installations. Some settings can be locked to enforce enterprise-wide security rules. The System Administrator then distributes the initial installation profile to the local site Administrators. These administrators make local changes to the profile, if permitted.
After the installation profile has been modified by the local Administrator(s), subsequent user installations will not require any additional configuration information. In essence the installation profile is a template for user installations. Administrators can change profiles with “updates” to the configuration of Protect! after it has been deployed to users’ desktops.
One important configuration detail in the initial installation profile is the “update path.” The update path is the network location of a system directory where Protect! looks every time it starts and also at regular intervals. This directory can contain User and Group changes, access level changes, or changes to any of the other settings in the initial installation profile. Either the System Administrator or a site Administrator can create a profile update, which they can automatically distribute to users through the update directory. This allows for easy maintenance of the system without having to deal with each desktop individually.
How does Protect! organize different types of users?
Profiles:
Protect! utilizes profiles to describe the configuration of the database and to set the properties of Groups and individual Users. Profiles organize three types of information:
System information defines universal settings including partitions to be encrypted, the paths to directories for updates, and the type of encryption algorithm to employ. System information also defines levels of authority and the privileges of System Administrators, Administrators, and Users.
Group information defines settings and privileges for Groups, including User access to Remote Help and unlocking security functions such as keyboard locking. A User created under a Group will inherit the current Group settings.
Individual information consists of settings and privileges of individual users, including user access to specific partitions, remote help, and unlocking security functions such as keyboard locks.
Levels of Authority:
Protect! enables Administrators to establish a flexible hierarchy of authority that grants access to different parts of the system. You can specify levels of authority to personnel according to what they need to do in the system or with specific applications or data. The three levels of authority are:
System Administrator
The System Administrator has the highest level of authority to administer Protect! and can perform the following functions:
- Create and administer profiles
- Specify and alter settings for Users and Administrators
- Add new and delete old Users in the system
- Help Users who have been locked out of the system.
Administrator
Administrators have limited authorization to remove, install, and change settings for specific Users. The Administrator is only allowed to work with Users who have similar or lower authority than the Administrator himself. The Administrator cannot alter the System Administrator’s profile or in any way increase his/her own rights. Administrators are normally assigned authority to provide remote help and modify profiles.
User
Users have limited access to the computer as defined by system settings. Each User has an assigned account with a User identity and password that permit access to the entire hard disk, or specific partitions on that disk. This is particularly useful for contractors or multiple Users who have access to the same machine.
Birth defects caused by
workplace pre-natal injury
Unborn children can be injured by the mother’s workplace exposure to toxic
chemicals during pregnancy. The following are frequently asked questions
regarding such injuries:
Q. I BELIEVE MY CHILD WAS HARMED BY MY EXPOSURE TO TOXIC CHEMICALS
DURING MY PREGNANCY. DO I HAVE A RIGHT TO SUE?
Over forty states allow children and their parents to bring a lawsuit for pre-natal injuries.
Q. WHAT CONDITION HAS BEEN LINKED TO TOXIC SOLVENT EXPOSURE
DURING PREGNANCY?
A child’s abnormally small head circumference, called Microcephaly has been shown to be in some cases a result of exposure to certain chemicals during pregnancy, causing an interference with a normal development of the child’s nervous system. Such exposures include the inhalation of solvent vapors, radiation exposure, and certain pharmaceutical drugs. In particular, a solvent known as methyl ethyl ketone (MEK) has been shown to produce microcephaly in children.
Q. MY CHILD WAS BORN WITH THE CONDITION OF MICROCEPHALY;
HOW DO I KNOW IF IT WAS GENETIC OR CAUSED BY CHEMICAL EXPOSURE?
The answer to this question is complex, and ultimately must be determined by a physician Typically, this determination will be made by examining the following factors:
1. Whether your child has any recognized genetic syndrome;
2. Whether there is a family history showing a familial syndrome which includes as a symptom microcephaly;
3. Whether the child has physical features, which suggest that the microcephaly is genetic in origin.
Once all other potential causes have been ruled out, and it can be shown that the child’s mother was chronically exposed to MEK while pregnant, the child’s microcephaly will likely be attributable to the MEK exposure..
Q. WHAT IS MEK?
MEK is a colorless, volatile, organic solvent with a pungent odor similar to lacquer thinner. It is commonly used as a cleaning solvent in several industries.
Q. ASIDE FROM EXPOSURE TO MEK, WHAT OTHER FACTORS CAN
CAUSE MICROCEPHALY?
Microcephaly can also be caused by the following factors:
1. Maternal infection (such as Rubella) during pregnancy;
2. Maternal exposure to radiation;
3. Maternal ingestion of certain medications;
4. Maternal “recreational sniffing” of solvent based glue, paint or paint thinner;
5. Maternal ingestion of alcohol during pregnancy..
Lead Paint Poisoning
Childhood lead poisoning has declined dramatically in the U. S. due to limits on lead
in gasoline, paint and other consumer products. However, lead poisoning is still
affecting an estimated 890,000 preschoolers. Hence, about 4.4% of children
aged 1 to 5 may be suffering the effects of having too much lead in their bodies.
If you believe your child under the age of six may have been exposed to lead, have your child’s blood tested for lead. Make sure it is the blood-lead test and that you are told the actual number for your child’s blood lead. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) defines a blood lead of ten ug/dl as a level of concern, indicating that you should take steps to reduce ongoing lead exposure. At higher blood lead levels, more aggressive measures are recommended.
See cidnetwork.com for information on protecting yourself and your family from Lead poisoning around the home.
Q. I BELIEVE MY CHILD MAY HAVE BEEN THE VICTIM OF LEAD POISONING.
DO I HAVE A CASE?
A typical case involves a child under six years of age with a venous blood level of 25 u.g./d.c.l., (micrograms per deciliter of whole blood) or greater. If your residence has tested positive for the presence of lead paint, you may have a case, typically against the property owners whose apartment or house contained the lead paint.
Remember: It is illegal for landlords to discriminate against families with children, sneak in waivers of liability or threaten with eviction which is retaliatory.
Bar Chicks
By Bourbon
Drinking impairs judgment of female beauty… no we’re serious…. beer goggles aren’t just a myth!
I like watching people as I sit in my stool at the end of the bar. And as a red-blooded American male, I prefer looking at the women that come into my usual drinking hole. Not because they’re pretty. The places I go don’t serve pretty girls; mostly because pretty girls don’t go there. No, the women who come to the bars I drink at come in all shapes and sizes…and hair colors and clothing styles and…
So anyway, I‘m at the bar the other night and some broad walks up to me and tells me I have Paul Newman’s eyes. Now, for those of you who have ever seen me (which isn’t too many of you), I do not look anything like Paul Newman. I don’t even look like a young Paul Newman. But this chick with a great ass, an even better rack, but a bad case of summer teeth (some are here…some are there) told me I had Newman’s eyes. That’s not too strange.
What was strange was the tall, stick-like, anorexic, concentration camp, heroin addicted looking, walking swallow of AIDS that was talking to my buddy. She just about made me sick when she looked at him longingly, closed her eyes, and sort of expected a kiss from him because she walked up and kissed him. I felt really bad for the guy. Of course, he’s the guy who plays the numbers at a bar just to make sure he gets a piece….and he ended up leaving with her because everything else either knew his reputation or was too young for him (and to be in a bar) in the first place.
My other buddies spent their time talking to former students while the Paul Newman chick kept reaching for my sack under the bar….and I’m not talking about where I keep my weed (I don’t even smoke the shit). This broad was all over my nuts like a squirrel before winter. I had to excuse myself out the back door before I broke any assumed vows with my fiancé.
When I came back in, she and her friend with the pirate poofy shirt on and the wicked cunt were lesbo-dancing to some Enrique Iglesias song while every dirty hillbilly and ghetto thug wannabe drooled. It was then that I realized……I must absolutely stop drinking before I ended up out there with those ridiculous bastards.
By the end of the night….I was alone at the end of the bar again, contemplating what my buddy was doing with Alice the AIDS patient and where the other guys had wandered off to. I do remember being asked to babysit the girl who thought I had Paul Newman’s eyes….so I walked her to her car. She really did have an amazing ass. And I was drunk.
So….this whole article has no real point to it except this: Don’t drink if you’re looking for women while you’re out. Impaired judgment is a terrible thing. And if you have big tits and a geat ass, at least have the decency to fix your teeth. The filthy feelings I have after that evening are scars that will linger, sweetheart.
It has been reported of the link between vaccinations and autism, including a special report it published by Dr. Russell Blaylock.See also Birth Defects caused by Workplace and Chemical exposure.
Blaylock claims that many vaccines include toxic mercury.
More evidence of a mercury-autism connection: University of Texas researcher Claudia Miller says data indicate that mercury released mostly from coal-fired power plants may be boosting the cases of autism.
Reuters reports that Miller’s study found the incident of autism — a complex developmental disability that affects an individual in the areas of social interaction and communication — has risen dramatically in Texas counties where mercury emissions also rose.
Hundreds of coal-fired plants release about 48 tons of mercury into the air each year in the U.S.
“The main finding is that for every thousand pounds of environmentally released mercury, we saw a 17 percent increase in autism rates,” said Miller. “The study shows that there may be a very important connection between environmental exposure to mercury and the development of autism.”
“Now we think that due to the rising exposures to pollutants like mercury, they may be at the root of some of these cases,” she said.
Italians are known for speaking their minds, pouring out their hearts and just generally speaking loudly, in public. So it would seem hard to keep a secret there.
But even Italians, who are used to airing their lives in public, believe authorities may be going a bit too far in tapping mobile phone conversations.
The largest operator, Telecom Italia Mobile, or TIM, has informed government officials that it can’t keep up with requests for more taps. Currently, the company’s 5,000 duplicate lines, which are used for eavesdropping, are being used.
Based on the number of TIM cell phone subscribers, that means about 15,000 are being bugged at any given time.
Authorities say they have to rely on taps and recorded evidence because witnesses are so fearful of testifying in cases where Mafia justice reigns.
