pachl@sbcglobal.net

Imagine you had three circles, one inside the other like tree rings. If each circle has 24 symbols, how many combinations are possible?

By this I mean, using all three circles, if each circle is considered active, how many combinations using each of the three rings together are possible?

In normal Texas Hold 'Em poker, imagine you have a pair of Kings.

What are the odds that an ace will appear either on the flop, turn, or river? (just the sum of the odds is fine)

Second part to question: if I lost on KK to an ace on the board 18 out of the 20 times in which I last had this pair, what are the odds of this happening?

Is it at all possible (I'm not so interested in practicality) that in the future a very large, rugged spaceship could use something like a whale harpoon to haul asteroids back to Earth?

I don't want to get bogged down in scientific details; I'm writing a Sci Fi story, and the emphasis nowadays is not on hard science.

I realize an asteroid has mass and even its own gravitational pull. But let's say a spacecraft wanted to bring back one of Jupiter's 68 small "moons" back to Earth. Would any unbreakable rule of science make this absolutely impossible?

The idiots who designed a Sergio Tacchini baseball cap used base metal for the two vent circles. Hence, when the baseball cap got wet, it left rust stains.

I can't just bleach the whole thing because it has some red in the hat too. Any product that removes rust stains? Also, the cheap red they used bled a little. Anything to help that?

Yeah, I know.... I should just toss the cap in the garbage, but the damage is minimal. With a little work it can look pretty good.

Democrats have a long history of being shockingly low class. Just watching them during the political races is sickening. They jump up and down on cars like saves and mindlessly chant, "Change. Change." Absurd.

The Clintons were reported to have made off with a good deal of White House furnishings and gifts when they moved out. The total value was reported to have been in the neighborhood of $190,000. The US Park Service reported that some $28,000 worth of items were returned after the theft was reported in the press. There was also a substantial amount of damage done to White House equipment such as computers, fax machines, etc., as well as theft that Clinton later blamed on "irresponsible staffers."

The low class Democrats stole the "W" off every electronic device (computers, etc.) when GWB defeated Clinton. More proof that they are just low class thugs and vandals at heart.

Will the Obama crew be the biggest thieves of all? What will they steal? What lame excuse will they give when things go missing?

Donald Trump has offered $5 million to a charity of Obama's choice in exchange for the release of Obama's college records and passport application.

Liberals.... a moment of honesty, PLEASE! If Obama refuses to release these records now, after promising the most transparent presidency in history (and delivering the most secretive instead), wouldn't you have to concede that something suspicious is coming from that slimy, dirty Chicago politician, Obama?

$5 million, folks! If GWB had refused such a deal, Republicans would immediately demand to know why. Libbys stay silent. Why? Do you finally realize that Obama is hiding something big?

If you answer this question, ANSWER it. Don't prance around the issue. There is only one reason Obama would continue to (very suspiciously) seal his records: he's hiding something. He promised us the most transparent Presidency in history, remember? So Libbys, are you now saying it's OK for him to continually lie and make fools of his followers?

Donald Trump has offered $5 million to a charity of Obama's choice in exchange for the release of Obama's college records and passport application.

Liberals.... a moment of honesty, PLEASE! If Obama refuses to release these records now, after promising the most transparent presidency in history (and delivering the most secretive instead), wouldn't you have to concede that something suspicious is coming from that slimy, dirty Chicago politician, Obama?

$5 million, folks! If GWB had refused such a deal, Republicans would immediately demand to know why. Libbys stay silent. Why? Do you finally realize that Obama is hiding something big?

I am torn between going to the Maldives or Bora Bora. I intend to read up on both, but at this point the main disadvantage I perceive with the Maldives is that you're on VERY small islands where I suspect there's not much to do at night (I'll also check directly with these resorts to see what entertainment options they offer, if any).

This boredom factor was a problem on an otherwise idyllic vacation to Thassos, a Greek island. Thassos is beautiful but at night there was nothing to do. We were so starved for something beyond chit chat that we'd drive our scooters into town every night just to sit by the ocean and have a Coke.

The advantage I see with Bora Bora is that it is considerably larger, and it is an island one can explore.

I love swimming around reefs in shallow water. The Maldives abound in that. I realize Bora Bora is similar in parts, but in the Maldives the majority of the accommodations seem to be in the over-the-water huts where you can dive right into the water from your room. That would be awesome.

Any advice? Experiences to share? Specific locations to visit? Things about which one should be beware. Items one must not forget to bring along on the trip (due to their not being available) ?

Churchill said: "Islam in a man is as dangerous as rabies in a dog."

Too harsh? Too true? Exceedingly politically incorrect? How do you opine on the subject?

Is Islam misunderstood? Vilified?

How about this news item today? " A Pakistani minister offered $100,000 on Saturday to anyone who kills the maker of an online video which insults Islam, as sporadic protests rumbled on across parts of the Muslim world.

"I announce today that this blasphemer, this sinner who has spoken nonsense about the holy Prophet, anyone who murders him, I will reward him with $100,000," Railways Minister Ghulam Ahmad Bilour told a news conference, to applause.

"I invite the Taliban brothers and the al Qaeda brothers to join me in this blessed mission."

What should be done about radical Islam?

The way I see the elimination of Bin Laden is that Obama simply never rescinded GWB's standing orders.

Am I somehow in error? From the accounts I read, it seems Obama didn't meddle with GWB's original plan.

So isn't it galling he takes the credit, barely mentioning all the people who spent countless hours working on the task?

Probably around 8-10 years ago there was a movie about a man who checks into a hotel and discovers the door won't open. If I remember correctly, later on it is bricked off. He tries many ways to escape. At times we aren't sure this isn't some drug-induced problem of his imagination. He calls his girlfriend and she in turn calls the police. Next time they speak, she tells him the police are in his room, but it is as if they are in another dimension.

What is the name of this film? I tried IMDB but couldn't find it.

In the opening sequence of the new Ridley Scott movie, Prometheus, a very white skinned alien standing by a waterfall drinks a fluid that kills him and then, once dead, his DNA appears to change in the water.

What is happening in this scene?

How effective are the various types of non surgical liposuctions? There are some that freeze the fat, essentially destroying the fat cell. Over a period of three months, the fat is eliminated from the body.

Another type called Cavitation, breaks the fat cell membrane with ultrasound. After the elimination of the fat tissue, the fat is spilled out of the cells in the form of triglyceride into the interstitial fluid, where it is enzymatically metabolized into glycerol and free fatty acids. Water soluble glycerol is used as a source of energy, while the insoluble free fatty acids are transferred to the liver to be processed. Fat is channeled out of the body.

Another type supposedly uses a similar type of ultrasound to heat the fat cells so they break open and die, also eliminating the waste through the body.

What is the best treatment? These treatments appear to honestly assess how much one can expect to lose in four sessions, but I would like to hear from someone who actually underwent the process.

Voula Papachristou was kicked out of the Olympics after sending a tweet that read, "with so many Africans in Greece, at least the West Nile mosquitos will eat homemade food."

Am I missing something?

How is that racist? It's definitely clever and funny, but I can't see how it can be construed as racist.

Imagine a Chinese athlete wrote, "With so many Americans in Beijing, at least the mosquitos will be well fed" (a thinly-veiled comment about Americans being fat)

How dangerous is it when we lose our sense of humor?

I have read that cabins and other accommodations fill up a full calendar year ahead of time.

This grim scenario appears even worse when people cite how you can call in the first five minutes when certain dates become available for sale (1 calendar year ahead) only to find that the cabins are already booked, in large part because people are booking the previous days and their stay includes the dates you want. For example, you want July 4-8, but someone booking July 3 can book July 3-8. Hence all the dates you wanted fall under previous bookings.

I was just in Sequoia. We loved swimming in those small pools of water at the base of waterfalls. Any suggestions about finding these spots in Yosemite?

What is the best of Yosemite?

People who don't suffer back pain won't even understand this question, so just skip it.

I have a bad back. No matter what I do, it will always be like this. I can't go on roller coasters because of the incredible stress they put on the spinal disks. But next year I'm thinking about trying the water rides at Hurricane Harbor. How much of a jolt do they deliver to your back? For example, if I am in a car, and the driver slams on the brakes, that kills my back. The same forces apply on these rides. When the ride hits the bottom and slows down, it could be quite jarring.

I also wanted to try Dive Devil at Magic Mountain. Since you're supported in a harness, it appears that your back is not stressed.

Know of a Good motel (or hotel) centrally located in L.A., with swimming pool?

There was one motel I used to stay at in the 1990s, but I'm not sure if it still exists, nor what the name is. It was one of those two story, open styles where your door went out onto a long outdoor hallway that overlooked the courtyard and pool.

I recall that it was only a 5 minute drive to Westwood Village leaving the parking lot going RIGHT and heading there. If you went LEFT out of the parking lot you'd head to downtown, around the Beverly Center.

There will be three adults (all guys), so sharing one bedroom is not an attractive option. Neither is just two Queen beds. Too narrow for two guys to share one bed. We'd either get two rooms (most likely) or one that had at least two Queens and a nice sofa bed.

We'd like to be either around Sunset Blvd or around West Hollywood, although Santa Monica is not out of the question. Rate per room maximum $175 per room per night.

Serious question. Please, only serious answers.

I read Obama's book, Dreams From My Father. He mentions living in Indonesia, having an Indonesian passport, and then using it to fly to Pakistan in 1981.

Obama's legal name in Indonesia was Barry Soetero. It was not a nickname but his official, legal name. You cannot register for school with anything except the legal name, and that was Barry Soetero. He was still using this in college until he got involved in more "soul searching" and wanted to emphasize his ethnic roots.

If Barry Soetero was his legal name, and had a passport under this name, when did he change it back to Barack Hussein Obama?

Let's look at Obama's career:

1) Went to college. Mysteriously got into Harvard, despite no indication of grades or any other substantiation to support his admission. Gets out of law school. Barely practices law, then becomes a community organizer (for which you need the same credentials as McDonalds)

2) Got into the Illinois legislature by dirty tricks; had his opponents removed from the ballot. Authors no legislation of substance. Gets no bills passed. Hardly ever there. Absent all the time.

3) Gets into Senate by running against the most unlikeable politician: Alan Keyes. Obama authors no legislation whatsoever in Senate. Has one of the highest rates of absenteeism in Senate history.

4) Gets elected as President with absolutely no qualifications.

Is this an indictment against Affirmative Action in all its societal forms? Do we have to go back to promoting people who actually have a track record of accomplishment?