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Born April 13, 2005

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© Copyright 2005, IRED.com, Inc.

^{2005 March 30}
Is that an MLS Book in your pocket, or is it MicroMLS?: I have been playing with MicroMLS on a Dell Axim Pocket PC this week. I'll be back with a full report during April, but if you have not tried carrying your MLS database with you in your pocket, and are still having to return to the office to check out new properties you might want to visit the MicroMLS web site for a preview demo. So far I am very impressed, and frankly, skeptic that I am, I was expecting more gimmick than goodness. Not only are there hundreds of data fields available (depending on your MLS, of course), but color photos are included for each listing...without a separate download!

Becky | |

^{2005 March 27}
Happy Easter: It's been a long week. My 91 year old favorite aunt died, so we began the week in Oklahoma at a funeral. Meanwhile, Jon returned to San Diego from Fallujah, so the net for the week is overwhelming joy.

Considering the virtual media silence from Iraq or anywhere that is not related to Terri Schiavo, I am especially happy that Jon is home, but there are still thousands of other sons, daughters, nieces, nephews, brothers and sisters in harm's way. May all their families soon be reunited as well.

The only life anyone seems to care about right now is Schiavo's. What is wrong with this picture? As a parent I can understand the Schindler's reluctance to let go, and I think starvation is a terrible way to die, but is 12 years of legal wrangling more humane? Not in my book. If I am ever in Schiavo's condition I would want my loved ones to let me go and to live their own lives. Before this week I have probably never specifically had such discussion with my mother, but my husband and I have discussed such a possibility and our wishes many times. Of course we have living wills, too, so we don't believe there is any likelihood of such a dilemma. However, the most frightening aspect of this mess is the government's and the courts' getting involved in personal decisions. This is where I part ways with the Bush policies. What ever happened to common sense?

Becky | |

^{2005 March 14}
Iraq's Hope for the Future: My nephew, Jon is on his way home from Fallujah at last. It was a very long six months for his family and friends as it has been for thousands of other families of our militia. His big Welcome Home party will be held in San Diego on March 26, but as he leaves Iraq he offers this photo to all of us as an expression of his optimism for the future of Iraq. Meanwhile, we believe that Jon himself is America's hope for the future. Welcome home, Jon. We are so proud of you.

Becky | |

^{2005 March 13}
Dixon Quads: My niece, Liz Dixon, is awaiting the birth of her second, third, fourth and fifth child! I reported around Christmas that she was expecting quintuplets, but the smallest miscarried some time ago. At 23 weeks she is now on hospital bed-rest while my brother and his wife care for 11-month old Logan. This is the brother who was just 5 when I married! Oh, my.
For those who want to follow the adventures of the young Dixon family, Liz' sister, Meredith, has set up a web site at DixonQuads.com and friends have also established a fund for the quads. I ask that anyone who has benefited from IRED over the past 10 years please consider making a donation to them. My brother's letter to friends and family is available here providing more details about the Dixons.

Becky | |

^{2005 March 4}

Ready to Wear: My interest in fashion is pretty much confined to what shall I wear today, but part of the fun of blogs is the diversity, and the outrageous humor to be found in the most unexpected places.

Becky | |

First They Came for the Jews:

First they came for the Jews
and I did not speak out
because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for the Communists
and I did not speak out
because I was not a Communist.
Then they came for the trade unionists
and I did not speak out
because I was not a trade unionist.
Then they came for me
and there was no one left
to speak out for me.

  --Pastor Martin Niemöller 1945

Freedom of speech may be one of the first of our rights, under the US Constitution's Bll of Rights, that most children become aware of. Whether it is a two-year-old saying "No!" to Mother, or a second-grader's declaration that girls are icky, or a college freshman's first protest rally, we grow up in America knowing full well that we are entitled to express our opinions. Okay so moms, teachers or even Federal Officials may disagree with us, but our right to speak is inviolable.

Now, however, thanks to the bi-partisan McCain-Feingold bill, which so effectively put a stop (didn't it?) to "soft-money contributions" in the 2004 presidential campaign, may be extended to include political speech on the internet. If the Federal Election Commission has its way, soon links to a political campaign website may be considered not freedom of speech but "in-kind contributions" to political campaigns. The soft-money limit of $2000 per individual would then kick in, not only restricting the freedom of bloggers and website owners (and perhaps next the frequenters of water-fountains, bars or Little League picnics) subject to accounting for and declaring such "in-kind contributions". At this moment only bloggers are under scrutiny but I can't, for the life of me, see how the internet differs from any other public forum except for technology, and if technology is the definitive criterion then what about telephones, faxes or smoke signals?

Of course IRED is a real estate and not a political website, and it is international in focus and could as easily be headquartered in Toronto or Tahiti as in Texas, so maybe our voice would not have the political monetary value of an InstaPundit or Daily Kos, or my own current favorite semi-political blogger Roger L. Simon. How would that accounting be accomplished? Would there be a weighted valuation, or a flat-rate? Would commenters links be applied to the accounts of the site owner? How would anonymous bloggers be accounted for? Would the rules be different for those using corporate sites such as TypePad or Google's Blogger.com? Has anyone at the FEC ever surfed the net?

All in all, while we still do have the right to free speech we just want to say that this is one of the most absurd interpretations of political campaign law (we could probably match it in other arenas if we tried, so we'll make the distinction) that we have seen. Oh, and by the way, if it should be enforced, we have every intention of linking to campaign websites in the future, even though it is something we have never done in the past!

Update:You can now join the Online Coalition, as I did, by signing the letter to the FEC which asks in part:.

As bipartisan members of the online journalism, blogging, and advertising community, we ask that you grant blogs and online publications the same consideration and protection as broadcast media, newspapers, or periodicals by clearly including them under the Federal Election Commission's "media exemption" rule.

Becky |

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^{2005 March 1}

Another Domino Fell yesterday, but scarcely anyone in the media seemed to notice! Every cable news outlet was too distracted by Michael Jackson to let us know the real news -- that the Syrian government in Lebanon abruptly resigned in an amazing show of the "power of the people" as a result of the ill-conceived assassination last week of former Prime Minister Hariri. The past 30 days have been extraordinary, but you'd think it was just business as usual in Europe and the Middle East if you weren't paying close attention in the US. Keeping up with current events has become a real challenge requiring dedication and far more time and research skills than most people have.

Update: Mark Steyn noticed, and apparently the New York Times noticed something, too.

Becky | |

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