How cool is that?!?!  Microsoft using Apple computers to create ads against Apple Computers….hmmmmm.  Oh, and by the way, what was up with the Jerry Seinfeld and Bill Gates commercials?  What a waste of money and resources.  Looks like Jerry is laughing all the way to the bank.

Mr. Gates, I would be more than happy to be in your next commercial.  I won’t even charge the 10 million you paid Jerry.  I will do it for 1 million, or better yet, just pay off my house….what do ya say about that?  I’ll be patiently waiting for your prompt reply

Boys’ Orphanage at Lubumbashi

Trip to Mulungwishi from Lubumbashi

UMC sewing center in Lubumbashi

Mulungwishi Station, D.R. Congo

Dear Veterans,
I am writing to you today to ask for your help.  My husband, Sgt. Ryan Weemer needs your support.  Ryan is one of the men who, in recent days, has come home from the war in Iraq , and is now on trial for his life.

Ryan left for Iraq in June 2004, and was with 3rd Battalion 1st Marines when the insurgent stronghold of Fallujah was brought down in November of that same year.  Ryan was involved in some of the most brutal and deadly fighting to take place, where he personally was shot in the famous “Hell House” Incident, earning a Purple Heart for his injuries and a Navy Commendation with combat distinguishing device for his heroism in battle.  Ryan came home recovering, and chose to return to civilian life and settle down.  Leaving the Marine Corps in 2005, Ryan and I were married in 2006 and began our life together.  In late 2006, after Ryan had applied and had been interviewing for a job with the Secret Service, he was approached by government agents wishing to interview him about his involvement in a particular combat incident from two years prior.  That investigation today has become the trial for Ryan’s life.

Today, nearly four years after the alleged incident, Ryan has been recalled to active duty from his inactive reserve status and awaits trial on charges of murder and dereliction of duty in a Camp Pendleton court room this October.

I am writing to ask for your support in getting the word out to Marines, and Veterans from all over.  Since his recall, for the sole purpose of his prosecution, we have been apart, him on the West Coast, and I back here in Kentucky , because I could not give up my job.  I have moved back in with my parents, and we are doing everything we can to raise money to fund our mounting legal expenses.  Ryan has been appointed a military attorney, and because of the high profile nature of this case, has retained a civilian attorney (who is a Marine Corps reservist) as well.  His attorney, Paul Hackett, has agreed to work on a pro bono basis; however we are responsible for defraying travel expenses for his attorneys, expert witnesses, and other logistical and legal expenses.

We have established a website to get information out and receive donations for the “Sgt. Ryan Weemer Defense Fund” that has been established to collect what we can for these expenses.  I have enclosed some fliers and information about our situation, if you could get this information out to your group, we would appreciate it more than you can imagine.  We are members of the Kentuckiana Marine Corps League Detachment 729, and the corresponding auxiliary, and Ryan is a provisional life member of the VFW and DAV organizations in our area.  One thing I have learned in working with these groups, is that this is an issue near and dear to the hearts of veterans.  If there are any questions I can answer for you, or if you need more fliers or anything at all, please feel free to contact me.  We need help getting the word out, and raising much needed funds, if you can find it in your hearts to help us, we would be eternally grateful.

Thank you for your time and donations. Please visit us on the web at www.defendingahero.org
Semper Fi,
Amanda Weemer

I was also in the Marine Corps and up until now, I have always been proud to say that I am a Marine.  However, knowing that the very country that I served is doing this, I have to say that I am quite ashamed.  We have civilian authorities who have never served in the military that are trying to flex their political muscules on the men and women that do serve to protect our freedom, to protect these politicians so they have the freedom to flex those political muscules (which I think are more cowards than anything.)  As far as the Marine Corps goes, how dare you take this young man off of inactive duty and put him on active duty just so you can court marshal him.  Sad, very sad.

http://brainjobs.us/KEW/Cameron/index.html

http://www.flickr.com/photos/21729973@N04/

Digital Daily notes that Apple’s market capitalization at $159.37 billion is now worth more than Google’s which is at $157.56 billion. Apple’s market cap first exceeded $100 billion in May of 2007. Apple was included into the S&P 100 index at that time. For interest, MacDailyNews compiled a list of the market values of other notable companies:

- Microsoft (MSFT) - $255,648,204,000
- IBM (IBM) - $169,964,678,000
- Apple (AAPL) - $157,012,662,240
- Google (GOOG) - $156,392,862,560
- Cisco (CSCO) - $142,125,692,160
- Intel (INTC) - $135,658,860,000
- Hewlett-Packard (HPQ) - $111,866,423,760
- Nokia (NOK) - $97,746,699,520
- Research In Motion (RIMM) - $71,143,935,000
- Disney (DIS) - $59,257,501,500
- Dell (DELL) - $50,483,256,060

The practical significance of this ranking of market cap is little, but does always revive a famous comment by Michael Dell in 1997 when asked about what he would do to fix the then money-losing Apple:

“What would I do? I’d shut [Apple] down and give the money back to the shareholders,” Michael Dell said before a crowd of several thousand IT executives.