JUST SOME POSTS

Reprise

2012-01-15T10:51:00.000-05:00

One good thing about having done this now for over four years (!!) is that I have written about most everything common to our lives. With an election cycle in full swing I was going to write some election "stuff". However, I did a lot of it in 2007/8 and again in 2009/10 for the last two elections. So, to take advantage of that "work" I am just going to reference those posts. Some are attempts at humor and some are deadly serious. Here we go:

My first "election" post. An attempt at humor about elections and the parties:
http://justsomeposts.blogspot.com/2007/12/party-party-party.html

Then a follow up to the same blog:
http://justsomeposts.blogspot.com/2008/04/more-partying-and-such.html

This one gets into specifics, some about the 2008 races:
http://justsomeposts.blogspot.com/2008/10/this-one-gets-political-even-if-you-get.html

This is the next post after the one above. Clarification and details:
http://justsomeposts.blogspot.com/2008/10/follow-up.html

Here is a general comment on politics and the political system:
http://justsomeposts.blogspot.com/2009/01/birth-of-politicsgovernment.html

This in a post about one of the big political issues that will be discussed by the candidates: (and a follow up)
http://justsomeposts.blogspot.com/2010/04/need-dictionary.html
http://justsomeposts.blogspot.com/2010/05/dictionary-for-our-times.html

One on political "attack" ads:
http://justsomeposts.blogspot.com/2010/10/but-you-dont-want-to-vote-for-them.html

And lastly, a post of quotes from my favorite politician - Thomas Jefferson:
http://justsomeposts.blogspot.com/2011/02/where-are-all-wise-politicians.html

Please pay attention to what is going on, being said, and being done during this election period. VOTE! Get your friends to vote. Just vote from an informed point of view. Not party, not buzz words, not sound bite. Also, remember it is CONGRESS that makes laws, spends money, and othewise runs our lives - NOT THE PRESIDENT! It is important who is president, but it is congress that taxes and spends.

Someone turn out the lights, we're out of here! (never mind, they'll get turned off soon enough)

2011-12-23T17:40:00.000-05:00

Well. we did it. An incompetent congress, directed by an incompetent president has taken our national debt to a whole new record! Sometime this week (as I write this on Dec 23, 2011) our national debt has exceeded our GDP.

Now some of you do not know what a GDP is. (some of you don't care, but then you shouldn't be reading this - move on to some of my light hearted ones - they get all the hits anyway). GDP, or Gross Domestic Product is the total of the value of all the goods and services produced/performed in the U.S. combined with the value of all the goods produced and exported, minus the value of the goods imported. Or, GDP = private consumption + gross investment + government spending, + (exports - imports). There are other ways of measuring GDP, but in theory at least they should all add to the same number.

What really bothers me is this travesty occurred while Congress was battling over extending a social security tax suspension for two months. TWO FREAKIN' MONTHS!! Whether you think the idea is a good one or not (a whole other subject) is there anyone that thinks congressional leaders, members, and staff should have devoted the better part of a month on extending a tax break for TWO MONTHS. They fought over it for half the time that the tax will be deferred! Then they have to do it all over again! This is why government does not work!!

The only solution I see is to end the cycle of re-election that has these anointed ones scrambling for sound bites every day instead of doing their job, is term limits. If you read the history of Constitution of the U.S. the designers were wondering about the clauses that cover terms and eligibility for office. They were worried about getting good people to run and serve. The House of Representatives is the "people's" chamber. The representatives were to come to Washington, serve their term, and GO HOME! The founders kept the term at two years to insure that people would serve, knowing they could go back to "real life" in just two years. If they served two terms, it would only be four. Now we have people that spend their entire careers there. John Dingell was sworn in under a flag with FORTY-EIGHT STARS!! That's right, he was sworn in to his first term in 1955!! That is ridiculous! I don't care how good a job he is doing, he should go home and let someone else serve.

We have a very important election coming up. We need to vote for people, not politicians. We need to vote for people that will help set up term limits for congress. This is the only way to remove the pressure that makes these people, when elected, go crazy and to be afraid to make the decisions that need to be made. The spending we are doing now at the federal and state levels CANNOT BE SUSTAINED! I don't care how many millionaires you tax, it cannot be sustained. We have to CUT SPENDING! We have to get people in Washington that will do so.

If you want an education into our national debt and spending read this post from earlier in the year:
http://justsomeposts.blogspot.com/2011/07/im-back-and-were-all-broke.html

Did YOU make that?

2011-11-13T09:11:00.001-05:00

I am sure all of you have heard someone in the last year comment about how America doesn't make anything anymore. You may have even said it yourself. I have come across some interesting figures (at least to me - I love numbers!) about that.

What if I told you that manufacturing output, measured in dollar value, was at its HIGHEST in 2010. OK, I am telling you that. It's true. The U.S. manufacturing output was a record 1.7+ trillion dollars last year. How is that possible? We don't make anything anymore! (FYI, I have found some other figures that show the manufacturing output for the U.S. much higher - over $2.3 Trillion last year. So, it may be even "better" than I have presented. I am going with my original research however. I did want you to know.)

First, obviously we do make "things". One of the reasons that people feel that we don't is the fact that there are a LOT less people employed in manufacturing jobs than there were even at the turn of the century a little over ten years ago. We all know of people who worked in manufacturing that have lost their jobs or factories that have closed (at least around here). In 2000 there were approximately 17 million manufacturing jobs in the U.S. In 2010 that number had dropped to under 12 million - roughly a 30% drop.
The peak of manufacturing jobs was just prior to the 1980s recession (yes there have been others!). There were around 19 million people working in manufacturing jobs. Their output in dollar value was a bit over 500 billion dollars (half a trillion would be a good number to remember), or a little over $26,000 per employee. In 2010 the number of jobs was 11.53 million. Their output per employee was an astonishing $149,000+! That is a total manufacturing output of 1.72 TRILLION (remember the half a trillion from above). FYI, that makes us the top manufacturing country when measured in dollar volume output. China is number two, and rapidly advancing. However, their productivity (output per worker) is not even in the same league. Also, they have their own labor problems arising. The average wage in China has risen from less than 1,000 yuan per year in 1980 to over 26,000 yuan annually in 2010. China will need to get much more efficient to continue their growth. But, that is another subject.

So, you can see by the numbers that the U.S. does still manufacture "things", and a lot of them. So, what are those "things"? The top "thing" is production and manufacturing equipment. We make things to make other things. We are exporting our efficiency in the form of machines to others so they can make goods cheaper. Industrial supplies are also big. These are the materials to run the machines along with spare parts and maintenance gear. Then a catch-all - consumer goods. I know we think we get all our consumer goods from China. But, the U.S. manufactures a lot of consumer goods. We export a lot of them as well. (in fact industrial exports are at an all time high as well - in dollar value) Then comes one most would think of - automobiles and auto parts. Then comes aircraft and parts. The U.S. still builds a lot of planes. Both for domestic use and to export to other countries. Aircraft is still a great U.S. product even with the AirBus people and the Brazilians and Canadians building all those regional jets.

Bottom line - the U.S. is still a great manufacturing nation. We do not employ nearly as many people, but that is what allows us to be competitive even with our wages. So, if you hear someone saying "America just doesn't make anything any more" - you can set them straight.

Reading lists

2011-10-23T11:01:00.000-04:00

It still amazes me how many hits this blog gets. Especially since I have not been posting regularly since my wife died on May 30th. Another thing that amazes me is the post that gets the most hits.

"Now Boarding at Gate 999" is the most read post I have done. Here is a link to that post:
http://justsomeposts.blogspot.com/2010/03/now-boarding-at-gate-999.html

The second most read post is "Another Ramble". Here is a link to that one.
http://justsomeposts.blogspot.com/2008/04/another-ramble.html

It appears there are a fair number of people out there that can appreciate my idiotic sense of humor. If you like those types of posts, here are a few more to check out:
http://justsomeposts.blogspot.com/2010/03/will-cluck-for-food-second-post-today.html
http://justsomeposts.blogspot.com/2010/06/what-shall-we-call-it.html

AND ONE OF MY FAVORITES IN THIS VEIN:
http://justsomeposts.blogspot.com/2008/11/infinite-monkeyschimps-aka-million.html

There are a group of posts scattered about this blog, all with "Memories" or a very stupid name for the title. These are attempts at humor as well, with retellings of "memories" of a childhood from a twisted point of view. Here is one of those without the word memories in the title:
http://justsomeposts.blogspot.com/2009/02/aardvarks-on-steroids.html

Now for a few of the other posts I have done.

On the absurdity of political ads.
http://justsomeposts.blogspot.com/2010/10/but-you-dont-want-to-vote-for-them.html

One on the inequalities of life. Especially relevant in light of the "Occupy _____" movement of today.
http://justsomeposts.blogspot.com/2009/11/want-some-cheese-with-that.html

On health care coverage and global warming hoax.
http://justsomeposts.blogspot.com/2009/11/tsk-tsk-tsk.html
I have MANY, MANY of these. I feel this is one of the biggest hoaxes every perpetrated upon mankind.

For my wife, here is one that I wrote after a trip we took to visit her mother.
http://justsomeposts.blogspot.com/2009/03/then-we-wept.html
You can see all these posts and learn about MSA at my other blog - http://www.livingwithasnowman.blogspot.com/

I greatly appreciate all the readers I do have. Do me a favor and read at least one other post after the Gate 999 post.

On the soapbox again

2011-10-01T12:40:00.000-04:00

I am worried about one other aspect of the economic crisis we are in currently. It seems to have diverted attention from the man made global warming nuts and their attempt to take over the world's economy in the name of "saving the planet".

It bothers me when I see people mentioning their "carbon footprint" or reducing their CO2 emissions. I am all for taking care of our planet. But, this idiotic notion of anthropogenic warming of our atmosphere is rapidly becoming accepted. It is said if you repeat a lie enough it will become accepted. That is what is happening here. I have done many posts on this blog about global warming. I have links and quotes from many sources that show how this "accepted, proven science" is neither accepted nor proven. Here is a link to a letter sent to the U.N. Secretary General from 100 scientists asking him to get the U.N. to back down -
http://www.middlebury.net/op-ed/un-signatories.html

The final signatory is the head of one of the most prestigious scientific organizations in the world.

This is NOT fact. It is NOT proven. CO2 is necessary for life on this planet. CO2 is less than 1% of the total gasses in our atmosphere. Mankind contributes about 4% of that. So, even if CO2 is causing global warming, it is NOT because of our "carbon footprint"!

Some facts - the Antarctic polar icecap is now larger and thicker than it has been since the late 70s or early 80s. The polar bear population is larger now than at any time since humans have been monitoring them. Both of these reported "disasters" are being reported because they are hard to confirm and there are always places in the icecaps that are melting and polar bear groups that are dying. The reports of diminishing icecaps and dying polar bears is being propagated to gain ecological control over the poles, both of which contain vast resources of minerals and hydrocarbons (oil). There are two main reasons for this desire for control - 1) to acquire those resources and use them to make money. 2) to acquire control over the area those resources are in to stop their use in the name of ecology. These groups are working together now (not conspiratorially, but coincidentally) but will come at odds when control is obtained.

I will not go on, but please STUDY this issue. And when I say study, I don't mean watching Al Gore's film. There are literally THOUSANDS of scientists that are saying the whole thing is a farce. The eco-nuts are going to destroy our way of life with the control of carbon.

Remember -
there is no government money
corporations do not and cannot pay taxes - people pay taxes
man made global warming (and maybe even the warming) is a myth designed to control our way of life.

.81818181818181818181818181818181818181818181818181818181......

2011-09-11T13:35:00.001-04:00

I am writing this on the tenth anniversary of the attacks of September 11th, 2001. I have been watching some of the news coverage of the memorial service and reading some of the articles and such in the news and around the internet.

First, I want to make sure that those reading this know I am very, very sorry for the families and friends of those that lost their lives that day and in the next few that followed. The horror of the towers being struck and then falling, combined with the uncertainty of any attacks still to come made that day a hell for anyone old enough to realize what was going on, especially anyone with loved ones in harms way that day. I sincerely hope that all of those affected that day have gotten or will acheive some peace in their lives.

Those of you that have read more than a post or two of this blog know that is not all I have to say. So, here is what motivated me to write this post, other than the sadness of the memorial ceremonies -

I am VERY suspect and doubtful of the motives and emotions shown by a lot of the writers, speakers, presenters, performers, and commentators that I have watched and read on this day. I wonder how many of them would have been there had there not been national coverage on multiple networks? Again, not any family or friends of those directly involved, but the actual politicians, pundents, and performers that were there. Maybe I am too cynical in my outlook, but why do they not ask God to "Bless America" on March 4th, or October 7th, or yesterday? Why do they not wave American flags on the other days of the year and in the decade since the attacks? Why today, is America the "Greatest Nation on Earth" when it was not mentioned by these same people yesterday, a week ago, or last year?

Don't get me wrong. I am glad for any show of patriotism -even manufactured or read from a speech - from the elite media/entertainer/politico group that attempts to tell us what to feel, wear, eat, and believe. However, I do greatly doubt most of their motives. Like the adage goes - honesty is what you do when no one is looking. True patriotism is best demostrated unscripted and possibly even unnoticed. Or at least without drawing undue attention to ones self.

Although I do have grave reservations about the future of this country. I do believe it is the greatest on earth! The freedoms it offers to us that live hear and transfers to the world's population outside of its borders are a blessing for all. We should all demonstrate that fact every day, cameras - audience, or not.

for any of you with a question about the title - do the math.

I'm back and we're all broke!

2011-07-30T10:25:00.000-04:00

I finally have something to say. Like a lot of the news and the news reporters, I am going to comment on the national debt, debt ceiling, and related.

First - if you think the current problem is a Republican problem - you are WRONG!
Second - if you think this is a Democrat problem - you are also WRONG!

One thing I can say about today's politicians, for the most part they are all clueless. The only thing that appears to be motivating most of them is getting re-elected. There is enough blame to go WAY beyond party lines.

One aspect of the debt ceiling/national debt discussion that bothers me is that most average Americans seem only to be concerned about the problem in relation to any monies they get from the government being cut off. This is the problem people! Remember the base rule - THERE IS NO GOVERNMENT MONEY!! It still angers me beyond words when I hear a reporter, politician, or anyone else talking about "federal funds", or "state money". (but that is another subject - it is only relevant because people see their gravy train being shut down) There is going to have to be a LOT of government programs cut off or at least scaled WAY back!

The federal government is spending WAY over $1,500,000.000.000 (1.5 TRILLION) a YEAR more than it has! It does not take a financial genius to realize that is not sustainable!

How about some history relating to the national debt?

Pre-WWII (1939) the debt was around $40 billion dollars. During the FDR/Great Depression years, when HUGE federal spending got really started; the FDR administration took the federal debt from under $17 billion to over $33 billion in 1936. War build up and America assisting our allies in early WWII battles sent the debt to the $40 billion level.

At the end of WWII, in 1946 the debt had skyrocketed to almost $270 billion. FYI, the GDP for that year was around $1.7 trillion. So, the debt was under 16% of GDP - remember that - even after fighting a world war and funding the battle for a large portion of the world!

From 1950 to 1960, even with the funding of the rebuilding of Europe and Japan, the Korean War, the GI bill, the beginning of the Vietnam War, and getting NASA and our space program going; the national debt was in the $255 billion to $290 billion range. Still under the $300 billion level. FYI (for you real numbers freaks like myself) the GDP grew from over $1.9 trillion to over $2.8 trillion. So, under 14% growth for the debt with an over 45% growth in the economy. The national debt actually dropped as a percentage of GDP.

In the 60s with the Vietnam war, Johnson's addition of a LOT of social programs under his Great Society, and sending people to the moon, the national debt grew to around $370 billion. The GDP grew to well over $4 trillion! So, national debt stayed close to the same in percentages - even with all the spending.

The 70s brought the end of the Vietnam war, the beginning of OPEC and our first modern oil crisis. The debt climbed to over $900 billion. We were approaching our first TRILLION dollar debt. The GDP grew to $5.9 trillion. This shows what soaring oil prices and runaway social programs can do. Our national debt outpaced the growth of GDP by a wide margin.

The 80s brought the first Great Recession of my lifetime. It took us until 1983 to achieve sustained growth in GDP over the 1980 numbers.Unemployment was in the range it is now, to a bit higher. The advent of hair bands pulled us out ; ) (seeing if you are paying attention) We ended the 80s close to our first 3 trillion dollar debt ($2.85 trillion 1989). The 80s saw our first trillion dollar debt (1982), and our first 2 trillion dollar debt (1986). The GDP went to right at $8 trillion. Again, a decade where national debt outgrew GDP by a wide margin. The effect of oil prices, runaway social programs, and profligate spending were obvious.

Ah, the 90s! Desert warfare, global terrorism, Islamic jihadists, and so much more. The debt grew to over $5.5 trillion. The GDP grew to over $11 trillion. The first decade our debt was more than 50% of GDP.

Now for the REAL scary part. The 2000s. You can see from the previous (or your own research) no matter who was in the White House, the debt has risen ever since we instituted the social welfare programs of FDR. Republicans and Democrats alike cannot stop spending money they do not have!

Watch this:
In 2000 the national debt was $5.6 trillion.
In 2002 it was $6.2 trillion.
2004 - $7.3 trillion.
2006 - $8.5 trillion
Now we ramp it up a bit -
$9 trillion 2007
$10 trillion 2008
almost $12 (11.91) trillion in 2009
2010 - $12.6 trillion
today - $14.5 trillion.

AND GROWING AT OVER $1.5 TRILLION A YEAR!!

To finish the comparisons, the GDP grew from around $11 trillion in 2000 to around $13.2 now. So, with a 20% growth in GDP we have grown the debt by almost 250% AND GROWING!!

If any of you are left, here is the payoff. WE HAVE TO GET CONTROL OVER SPENDING. Taxes are irrelevant to the problem. We MUST stop spending what we do not have. You can raise taxes all you want. If you are spending the entire GDP every year it JUST WON'T WORK!! Period. You cannot tax more than is made!

Now, this means a LOT of cuts. Cuts to EVERYTHING! Social programs, defense, foreign aid, research, EVERYTHING. It has to be. The value of EVERY goods and services (ALL the money) produced is already in the debt. There AIN'T NO MORE! The federal government has about $3 trillion dollars of revenue coming in this year. We did not spend $3 trillion dollars a year in any year until 2008. (FYI - we are projected to spend over $4 trillion in 2014 if nothing changes!) We need to CUT SPENDING! PERIOD! Should tax increases or elimination of loopholes be part of the discussion - OK, maybe. I am not a fan of taxes. I do not see where penalizing any group of people is good. However, maybe we eliminate some loopholes that allow certain people to pay little or no taxes. But, WE CANNOT TAX OUR WAY OUT OF THIS! One of the things that bothers me the most is the way no one is talking about what we are spending now - well over $3 TRILLION!! THAT IS ENOUGH MONEY!!

Call or write your senator and congressman. Tell them it is time to STOP SPENDING OUR MONEY LIKE IT IS ENDLESS!! Tell the to pass a budget that lives within OUR means - NOW. Stop playing games.

I AM AN AMERICAN - another reprint

2011-07-02T19:15:00.001-04:00

Considering my lack of enthusiasm and the fact that I like this post and think it still makes the point - I am going to reprint this post again. This is from 2009 and last year. In 2009 I had a technical error and this did not get posted until after the 4th. Last year it was up.

Happy 4th of July! U.S.A.! Become engaged with politics. Write or call your elected officials and make your feelings known. I do not know many people today that think the country is on the right track regardless of their political leanings. Remember, the government works for US!

Here is the post -

I am an American. Like the majority of those living in this country, I was born here as were my parents and their parents. Like the great majority of those living in this country, my ancestors were not born here. A direct descendant on my paternal side immigrated here in 1789 from England. However, I am not an English-American or even a European-American. It bothers me to see people described (by self or others) as Irish-American, African-American, Asian-American, or any other hyphenated American. Hyphens do nothing but separate us from what we truly are: Americans.

Like my father and his father before him; I speak English. In the not so distant past, every immigrant that came to this country learned to speak English. It was a point of pride for them to master one of the most difficult of languages. Since this was (and is marginally still) an English speaking country it was expected and usually accomplished relatively quickly. Expectation and hard work made it so. To immigrate to this country was, and is, a desire that burns brightly in the hearts of people worldwide. However, it seems now that it is expected by some that we should welcome their "diversity" in language and culture at the expense of our own. Merriam-Webster defines diversity as:

1: the condition of being diverse : variety ; especially : the inclusion of diverse people (as people of different races or cultures) in a group or organization.

Inclusion does not mean domination or extinction. One could make the argument that diversity by its very definition requires the original to remain as a part of the whole.

As I said above, my ancestors immigrated here. They came by accepted means and according to the laws of the land. It makes me very angry when I see the illegal aliens in this country called an "immigration" problem. I have said before - calling the illegal alien issue an immigration problem is like calling bank robbery a withdrawal problem. We have a very serious and growing problem in this country of providing and maintaining social services for our citizens. When these services are offered to and overwhelmed by illegals, it makes the problem that much greater. We must address the problem of illegals in our country. It is one of the defined constitutional responsibilities of our government to secure our borders. The government has failed at that responsibility. Amnesty is not the answer when solving a bank theft spree. Nor is it the answer to our illegal alien problem. People must be required to follow the laws of the land when it comes to becoming a citizen. We also must stop now in providing social services and any medical care beyond that which is needed to save a life to illegals.

The United States of America has a great heritage in its two hundred and thirty plus year history of offering freedom, liberty, protection, defense, and support of all kinds to the people of the world. A large portion of the world owes any freedoms and liberties it has to the armed forces and the diplomatic minions of the U.S.A. Americans have helped to free and rebuild Europe twice. We have helped free those behind the Iron Curtain. Most recently we have brought the light of freedom to the Middle East. American might has not been used for building an empire. We freed these countries and turned them back over to the indigenous people, while providing the funds necessary for rebuilding. It sickens me to see and hear cries of "Imperialism" from detractors of the U.S. That claim is ridiculous when history is reviewed. The U.S. has won in battle or by diplomacy; Japan, Germany, Italy, France, the Philippines, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Cuba, Grenada, Panama, and more. Did we add them to our country? No, they were all returned to their people who in some cases still decided the U.S.A. was the evil empire.

The United States of America is a beacon of freedom and light for all the world. We offer support, hope, and ideals of life that are envied by a large portion of the world.

Note

2011-06-12T09:12:00.000-04:00

For those of you that have not been to my other blog (www.livingwithasnowman.blogspot.com) you may wonder why there has been a lack of posts here. That blog is/was about the journey that my wife Carol and I were travelling with her disease - Multiple System Atrophy.

Carol passed away on May 30th. I have been dealing with the pain and loss and have not been too politically or socially motivated.

I plan to continue here, I am just not sure exactly when I will be motivated again.

Just remember - There is no government money.

Scott

Eternal

2011-05-31T08:03:00.000-04:00

The essence of someone

is held in the memories

and bound by love

always to remain.

People are eternal

if they are remembered with love.

R.I.P. Carol

Again with the spending and the deficit...

2011-05-14T08:30:00.000-04:00

I was going to write another post about our dire financial state. I then remembered that it was not too long ago that I did just that. So, in the interest of time and energy I am just going to ask you to read the posts from April 3rd and March 20th. Although not the best I have written, they get the point across.

http://justsomeposts.blogspot.com/2011/04/spending-and-spending.html

http://justsomeposts.blogspot.com/2011/03/checks-in-mail-but-postal-service-cant.html

Please read and then think about it. Call or write your congressman and/or senator. We must do something.

Wedding day

2011-04-29T08:37:00.000-04:00

In honor of the big wedding today - here are some that did not go as well...

Visions

2011-04-27T08:17:00.000-04:00

I see you sometimes as you were
laughing, not crying.
walking, not lying.
doing, not trying.
living, not dying.

I see you mostly as you are
sitting, not walking.
quiet, not talking.
with death stalking.

But,
I see you sometimes as you were.

Remembering "Memories"

2011-04-14T07:55:00.000-04:00

I was just reading some of my posts from the beginnings of this thing over three and a half years ago. Wow! Here is one that is definitely different from the latest I have done.

http://justsomeposts.blogspot.com/2008/01/memories.html

Check it out. I am not all politics and such.

I didn't do it!

2011-04-08T11:39:00.000-04:00

I cannot let this continue without a comment. The idiocy that is coming from Washington and the media about this "Government Shutdown" and the budget is ridiculous! Here are some facts:

1) the Congress (specifically the House of Representatives) is required by law to submit a proposed budget for the upcoming fiscal year by April of the current year. The key here is "required by law". The Democrats were in charge of the congress for all of 2010. The current fiscal year (2011) started October 1st (don't ask me why, but the Federal fiscal years all run from Oct 1st through Sept 30th). The House (CONTROLLED BY DEMOCRATS) did NOT submit a suggested budget. Neither the Senate nor the President (both CONTROLLED BY DEMOCRATS) asked them to do so.

2) in JUNE of 2010 Nancy Pelosi's (the Speaker of House at the time) Chief of Staff said not only had they not submitted a budget, but did not plan to do so (even though it is REQUIRED BY LAW!). When the new year came around, the Democratically controlled Congress passed the first continuing resolution to keep to keep the government running.

3) the House, CONTROLLED BY DEMOCRATS, in 2010 - passed FOUR continuing resolutions to keep the government going rather than present a budget. The fourth expired in March of this year and the Republican led congress passed another. Since then the House has passed two more.

4) the Republican led House has submitted a proposed budget for FY 2012 - AS REQUIRED BY LAW already.

To blame Republicans for this is idiotic. Are they complicit, YES. They have played along since they took over control of the House in January. However, if you read the above timeline, we are in this mess due to the Democrats not doing their jobs as required by law! The budget should have been in place months before the Republicans took office.

Spending and Spending

2011-04-03T08:50:00.001-04:00

I almost hate to do this one for fear of running off people that don't want serious posts, or get bored with the same subject; but I feel I have to.

My last post went into the problem we have in this country with finances, specifically government finances. There are way too many people in this country that believe the government can just spend money whenever and on whatever they want (including a lot of politicians!). I won't redo that post. If you care, you can go look yourself.

This post however is going to be similar. I am gravely concerned about our national debt. Mostly because the spending/budgeting by the government seems to be ignoring it. The U.S. national debt now stands at over 14 TRILLION dollars! 14 Trillion! Our GDP (gross domestic product - the combined value of all goods and services of an economy) is about 14 Trillion dollars. So, the U.S. owes as much as it produces. Now this is not as much as is earns - but produces. Compare this to an individual that owes $50,000 in debt and has a $50,000 a year job. The U.S. government position is like the individual above - but his/her debt equalling what they produce and consume as well as salary. So, to equal the government's position on debt the individual above might owe $250,000 against a $50,000 salary. Now that in itself is not the end of the world. In fact, it is common when you include mortgages. But, what if that individual was adding debt each year to the tune of an additional $12,000? The debt the U.S. government adds each year is greater than what is paid back, by a long shot.

More perspective. (these numbers are rounded for comparisons, but accurate for illustrative purposes) If you take the GDP of every country in the world and take out the top ten - the U.S. national debt would exceed the rest of the world's GDP! Here is the scary part. For the past two years and in the budget on place today, the U.S. is adding national debt at the rate of over 1.5 trillion dollars a year! That is more than the national debt of countries like Belgium or Switzerland a year we are adding! This cannot stand!

I have told you over and over again - THERE IS NO GOVERNMENT MONEY! The only places a government can get money is taxes and tariffs, borrowing it, or printing it. All three have problems. Printing it just means what is out there is worth less and less. So, to print your way out of a financial crisis is impossible. The dollars you are printing become worth less than you need, so you print more. They are worth less, so you need to print more. This is obviously not an answer. What about borrowing it? Well, this is fine except you have to pay it back. If you are broke, you cannot pay it back. So, you end up borrowing more to pay back the original. This is like using a new credit card to pay off an old one. Not sustainable.

Now the one that gets used a lot - taxes ( and tariffs - essentially a tax on certain goods). Taxing your way out of a financial problem cannot work because you are taking money from those that are producing. Everyone understands you cannot get money from those that do not have it. So, additional taxes are going to have to come from those that do. Those that have money are also the ones that fund banks, corporations, and companies. These are where the jobs come from. If you take that money out of the system just to pay government debt the economy will cease to produce. Taxes then go down. Producers of wealth and money stop producing as much. Taxes go down. Taxing your way out of a financial mess is impossible in the long term.

We have to get a handle on spending at every government level. That will mean a lot of government services will have to be cut back or eliminated. However, if we don't ALL government services will be cut back or eliminated. The government will be bankrupt. Call your Senator and Congressman and tell them to vote for spending cuts and tax reform. We will all be better for it.

I just read this and decided I made a BIG error. I failed to mention one of the scariest aspects of the finances of the U.S. government debt - the unfunded debt related to Medicare/Medicaid and Social Security. It is now over 100 TRILLION!! ONE HUNDRED TRILLION PEOPLE!! That is as of NOW. The amount is going up every day. If you don't beleive we need to have Social Security reform as well as reform the funding of Medicare/Medicaid you are crazy. There is NO OTHER CHOICE!!

The check's in the mail - but the Postal Service can't afford to deliver it.

2011-03-20T10:08:00.001-04:00

I know it has been a while. As I have said before, the lack of posts here is not because I have nothing to write; but because I have too much. Life has been busy, so taking the time to clear a thought and post it is sometimes hard.

Just a quick (I think, we will see after I finish writing this if "quick" really applied) thought or two on our country and the financial mess we find ourselves in. Now, if you do not think the country is in a financial mess, or the only problem is we don't tax those evil rich people enough - you might want to just move on to a blog about puppies or apple fritters. Otherwise, let's go!

The United States (as most countries on earth) is what I consider to be bankrupt. We as a nation are continually paying out and promising to pay out much more than we are taking in. Now, legally the U.S. is not bankrupt because no debt has been defaulted on and the U.S. still has a credit rating that allows it to borrow money to cover these pay outs. However, the constant spending of more money than that which is raised is not sustainable. I have a problem with that. No person, company, or other entity can continue spending more than they take in. It just won't work.

I have come to the conclusion that the average person in the U.S. is both stupid and ignorant when it comes to money, especially the finances of the government. A lot of people seem to think that the government has endless supplies of money. (a lot of government officials can be counted among this group) If you have read many of the posts on this blog you have seen one of my supreme lessons - THERE IS NO GOVERNMENT MONEY! If we could just get people to understand this, I think all but the extremely lazy and ignorant among us would stop looking to the government to solve and pay for everything. The government has NO MONEY directly, only the ability to raise money from taxes and tariffs and to borrow it. This should limit the amount of money that the government pays out, right? If you know that you and your family have $2,000 a month to spend, would you repeatedly spend $2,500? Would you donate to help your friends and neighbors to build a barbeque pit (or similar)? No, most people would cut expenses, trim the budget, and otherwise try to live within their means. Frivolous expenditures would be eliminated. When you are not taking in much money, everything other than food and shelter become frivolous.

I am constantly amazed at the number of people that are living off of the government in one way or another. Now, to be fair and in the interest of full disclosure, my wife and I benefit from government programs. She is disabled and we collect a Social Security check every month. It is not even a third of what she made when she was able to work, but it helps. Maybe we should turn it down, but we are not that altruistic. I also pay into Social Security every month, as did she when she worked, so I do not feel like we are abusing anything or anyone. The true surprise to me is all those that live off of government grants and programs. We need to cut the government expenditures. Most agree with this even if they are ignorant. The problem is, no one wants to cut anything that remotely benefits them or anyone they know. The problem is, the government is one of the least efficient ways to get money where it is needed. Think, when was the last time that you were impressed with the way a government program or office you were exposed to was run? I am not referring to specific government employees. There are wonderful hard working and dedicated people working at all levels of the government. I am talking about the operation of the office/bureau itself. Government at all levels is famous for using too many people, too much red tape, too many forms, etc. This makes government very inefficient. There are millions of government employees. You cannot convince me we cannot do without a large percentage of them. But, government has been growing. During this recession, government grew. While government revenues decreased, government spending, hiring, and payrolls INCREASED! This is idiotic.

The other problem is mentioned above is the people living off of government grants and programs. There are homeless advocates, mother and children advocates, student advocates, immigrant advocates, small rodent with spinal problem advocates (OK, maybe not), and by in large some level of government funds their existance. These advocates are outside of the government but exist because of government money. These are the people that scream the loudest when cuts are announced. "What about the homeless?" "What about the abused?" "What about the children?" are the cries that ring out when any cuts are announced. That's another thing, there have not been any real government cuts in decades. Very few if any government programs have ever been asked to operate on less money this year from the year before. Most of the cuts are from what they agency asked for, or was budgeting/budgeted for - which is almost always an increase. Washington (and some state capitols) is the only place that getting a 3% raise is touted as a "cut".

My point here (not too quick, huh?) is that we as a nation do not have the money to continue to act as a parent to everyone. The spending has to be stopped. That means programs REALLY have to be cut. That may mean that something that you support will be cut. That may mean that my wife's disability check will become smaller. We will all have to cope. I hope it means that hundreds of thousands of people that are living off of "government money" today to do research or act as an advocate for some cause will be looking for a REAL productive job very soon. We MUST support the politicians that are trying to make real cuts in spending. If not, EVERY program may be cut as the government will not have the credit rating to borrow money to fund them.

note - I just read this and I know it rambles a bit. I think I said what I was hoping to, but not as coherently as I had hoped. Sorry.

Where are all the wise politicians?

2011-02-26T08:15:00.000-05:00

The more I read what this man wrote, the more I am awed by him. I would love for him to be around today to talk to the politicians and the voters. Here are a few of my favorite quotes:

I predict future happiness for Americans if they can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people under the pretense of taking care of them.

It is incumbent on every generation to pay its own debts as it goes. A principle which if acted on would save one-half the wars of the world.

My reading of history convinces me that most bad government results from too much government.

When the people fear the government, there is tyranny. When the government fears the people, there is liberty.

Thomas Jefferson

Spam really works???

2011-02-23T08:38:00.000-05:00

I did a post a while back about spam emails and how it seems to me the senders aren't even trying any more. See it here: http://justsomeposts.blogspot.com/2010/10/at-least-make-effort.html.

I got a real winner this morning. Here is the headline:

It was Soapy's design to ass

An attention grabber, yes?

The body of the email (with links excluded - I don't want to send them any business):

You might have revieved an alert about that in our store (link was here) a lot of quality products. By purchasing our product you get a great gift. Many products and discounts.

Really? This is how you make a living?!?! Like I said before, it is said that the reason spam is around is IT WORKS! Who responds to this stuff? And spammers, if you are going to spam english speaking countries and people, AT LEAST LEARN ENGLISH! There is no work ethic any more. Sheeesh!

Just checked - the voices say I am still OK

2011-02-19T09:02:00.000-05:00

Well we made it! 20+ years of teenagers is over!! My youngest turned 20 today. If you don't know or recall why I am happy, I wrote about this day in 2009. See it here:

http://justsomeposts.blogspot.com/2009/06/im-not-crazy-voices-in-my-head-said-so.html

16+ years of at least two teenagers in our house! It is a wonder I can function at all.

Happy birthday youngest! Move out. ; )

The results are in!

2011-02-01T23:27:00.000-05:00

I discovered today where all the old stewardesses (yes, stewardesses - too old to be flight attendants)
go to die...

Delta (more specifically, Delta Express)

I thought I had spotted the fossil remains of one, and then she stood up and started doing the safety demonstration. (moved well, for a mummified creature!)

Two Ukulele videos in one day!!

2011-01-29T16:31:00.001-05:00

Try this one:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HgpsXURZFo4

Now the original:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bIEOZCcaXzE

Enjoy!

This ROCKS!!!

2011-01-29T08:46:00.001-05:00

If this doesn't at least make you smile, you need to chill out! This is fabulous!! FOUR STRINGS people!!!

Headline time again

2011-01-16T08:52:00.001-05:00

Before I get into the actual headlines with my famous witty commentary, here is a story that I find fascinating. I truly believe that one of our problems in America is we have too many people with too much free time. Now regardless of how you feel about the art below - this woman has TOO MUCH FREE TIME! (at least in my opinion)

Woman Recreates 'Last Supper' With Lint

Da Vinci's Masterpiece Has Seen Many Incarnations

ROSCOMMON, Mich. -- A northern Michigan woman has put her own spin on Leonardo da Vinci's "The Last Supper" by making a replica out of laundry lint.

Laura Bell of Roscommon collected lint from her dryer and fashioned it into a 14-foot-long, 4-foot tall reproduction of the Italian Renaissance painter's masterpiece.

Bell says she needed about 800 hours to do enough laundry to get the lint, and 200 hours to recreate the mural. She bought towels of the colors she wanted and laundered them separately to get the right shades of lint.

O.K. here we go with the headlines...

Police foil what they believe to be a goatnapping

It's never as easy as it looks on CSI

Man has odd explanation for running over 41 mailboxes

"I didn't see them"?? or maybe "I was trying to foil a goatnapping"?? (fyi - the real answer is he hit the "first few" by accident, then continued, to take out his frustration)

Cross-dressing shoplifters pepper-spray Home Depot customers

I HATE when that happens!

Now for the perfect crime defense...(no other comment needed)

It's tough to prosecute a guy who has next to no language skills

Drug-trafficking suspect Juan Jose Gonzalez is deaf, mute, and illiterate -- including no known knowledge of sign language. Good luck trying him in court! (these are the first lines of the story, not my comments)

Some sexual ones anyone??

Man arrested after putting porn magazines on women's cars

A marketing gimmick?
Probably just comes under my first comment of TOO MUCH TIME!

Boy, 12, faces charges after allegedly showing his junk in class

Obviously training to be a Jets quarterback

And under the heading of any sex is good sex...

Man: I didn't know that the woman I was boinking was dead

Observant fellow. I just wonder when he found out? Was it good for you...
I might have to follow this case. The defense arguments will have to be entertaining.

The Devil Just Bought an Overcoat

2011-01-13T08:43:00.000-05:00

I just read a headline that proves we are in dire times...

Tony Bennett is doing a duet with Amy Winehouse

Wait, I just realized that this news is probably only relevant to a very small percentage of people. Let me explain.

for the youth, who are wondering who this Tony Bennett is - he is an 84 year old singer that has sold over 50 million records worldwide while collecting 15 Grammy awards. His first pop hit was in 1951.

for the old, who are wondering who Amy Winehouse is - she is a 27 year old singer that is famous for her
drinking, heavy drug use, violent mood swings and weight loss. Her first hits were in 2003.

Good career move for someone?!?!

Musings

2010-12-21T08:36:00.000-05:00

Here we are again. I just noticed it has been over a month since I posted last. Time flies when you have a life to live! I actually have had many, many thoughts and ideas to post over the past month. I just never got around to doing so. Here are a few.

One of the things I have wondered about for many years is lawn care. (ahh - I can hear the cries now "come quick, gather 'round, he's speaking of lawn care!!") We of the present accept lawns and lawn care as a part of everyday life, at least for us that live where homes have yards. Did you realize that lawns and lawn care are a relatively modern development? Grasses were not common, nor did they grow well in the climate of most of North America. Lawns sprang from (was going to say "grew", but too cheesy) the European/English gardens of the well-heeled. The "common folk" rarely had a green yard unless it was a herb/vegetable garden or basically a pasture. The time and expenditures, both monetary and of labor, were not given to something as frivolous as a green yard in most parts of the world until well into the 20th century. The invention of the lawnmower and grasses engineered for North American climate and soils around the beginning of the 20th century were the catalyst for our modern lawns. (you guys caught up in this yet? Facinating, yes?)

My point? Is there a point? Well, I am just amazed at the time, effort, and money devoted to lawns. Did you realize that in the U.S. close to 20 billion dollars a year is spent on lawn care in goods and services? TWENTY BILLION DOLLARS!! For a lawn! There are many, many people out there wondering where their next meal is coming from and we as a people are spending billions on grass seed, fertilizer, and the illegal aliens to apply them.

In case you can't tell, I am not a lawn person. When we got married, I told my wife I did not do lawn work. We have been married now for over 37 years and I have not done any lawn work to speak of except for one five year period where we lived on a place with a couple of acres for a yard. We bought a riding mower and I did mow the lawn then. An example of my yard awareness - We lived in one house from 1980 through 1988. When we were moving I was walking around the house to see if we had left anything. When I got to the side of the house opposite the garage and driveway, I realized I had never been to that side of the house before - in almost eight years. Not a yard guy.

Now for one of my real pet peeves about yards and what started this in my head a few months ago...LEAVES! I am constantly amazed at the money and time we as a people spend on getting leaves up and out of our yards! Then a lot of folks will pay someone to put fertilizer down on the same yard. Crazy in my book. Do people realize that leaves, left to rot, will become fertilizer? We have armies of leaf blower carrying crazies pushing leaves from one side of the yard to another. (or into another yard) We have the poor soul that actually uses manual labor working for hours with a rake to make a pile of leaves, usually blocking the street in front of their house. We spend millions of tax dollars paying workers to pick up these leaves and transport them away. Away vile leaves! With tax revenues decreasing, city/county workers being laid off and put on reduced hours; I am amazed I never hear anyone say "What if we stop picking up leaves?"

I promised a few thoughts back at the beginning. Then again, I did not expect to do a dissertation on lawn care and leaf disposal. I will stop now. I think I will go put some leaves to work and make some tea. More thoughts later.

Time for the news

2010-11-17T07:40:00.001-05:00

More headlines anyone?

Harry Potter Grave Draws Tourists in Israel

I'm glad they finally got something that would get the tourists in!

Thief Steals Safe, Leaves Most Of Cash Behind

Maybe they really needed a safe?

Crack Cocaine Found in Boston Preschooler's Shoe

Wow, times have changed. I used to get a piece of gum or similar when I got new shoes!
(fyi, the mom says she has no idea where it came from)

Neil Young's Car Starts Warehouse Fire in Calif

Cars gone bad, hate when that happens.

Vanity Plate on Getaway Car IDs Robbery Suspect
Police: An N.H. Woman Charged with Robbing a Pharmacy was Found Because Her Name was on the License Plate of the Getaway Car

Probably not cut out for a life of crime, maybe a career change is in order.

Man Tries To Run Over Girlfriend When She Says No To Proposal

Maybe she should reconsider. I see this as a great relationship.

and lastly - entrepreneurship at its best...

Pianist Pays Swindlers $20 Million For Protection Against Fake Threats

(I'm just going to show you the first of the story. It speaks for itself)

New York, NY, United States (AHN) -- A New York couple has been arrested and charged with fraud after brainwashing a wealthy pianist into paying them as much as $20 million for protection against fictitious threats.

Vickram Bedi, 36, and Helga Invarsdottir, 39, met Roger Davidson, 58, in 2004 when the latter went to their computer service shop and asked them to get rid of a virus in his laptop. Upon learning that Davidson was a heir to a $36 billion oil service firm, the couple told him that the computer virus in his computer was part of a plot by foreigners and the Catholic organization Opus Dei to assassinate him.

Davidson agreed to pay Bedi and Invarsdottir $160,000 per month to protect him. The swindling lasted six years with the pianist even appointing the couple as board trustees to his music charity, the Society for Universal Sacred Music.

'til later. Watch who you get to work on your computer if you are an oil fortune heir!

But you don't want to vote for them!

2010-10-31T09:04:00.000-04:00

I have purposefully held off from political commentary during this election cycle. For those of you that have been reading this long enough, you know how I feel. After doing many, many posts during the time leading up to (and after) the presidential elections two years ago - most anything I said would be redundant.

One thing I have noticed during this campaign season even more than the last few (and the prevalance has been increasing for many election cycles) is negative ads. It amazes me how a candidate (and this is about the only thing that is truly bi-partisan) can run a 60 second spot and not tell me any reason I should vote for them except that their opponent is evil personified. The "but I'm not as bad as him/her" reasoning is the word of the day.

I know that experts and pundants say that the reason negative ads are run is, they work. I guess this is like my prior post - that's what they say about spam too - we continue to see it because it gets results. I guess that speaks to the mindset and reasoning power of the average American voter - "don't boggle my mind with issues and solutions, just tell me who is wearing dirty underwear!"

A typical political ad goes something like this...

Joe Blow is killing your children.(picture of dead bodies) Joe blow voted to send every job in America to a small Costa Rican resort, which by the way Joe Blow has taken many free vacations to.(palm trees and then to a picture of Joe Blow in a Hawaiin print shirt with a drink in his hand) Joe Blow wants to raise your taxes to take 110% of your paycheck, while giving billionaires free food at any restaurant they choose.(pictures of homeless people with "Help" signs, then to a fancy restaurant with a well dressed couple eating and laughing) Joe Blow hates women, gays, blacks, Jews, Christians, whites, Hispanics, heterosexuals, mailmen, dogs, and weevils. (pictures of each flash as the words are read) Wait, he loves weevils! Weevils sound like and have the word evil in their name - JUST LIKE JOE BLOW! (picture of a weevil slowing morphing into Joe Blow) There is some speculation that Joe Blow is a cannibalistic devil worshipping alien that just wants you to have kids so his pod-people friends will have a host for their young! Is Joe Blow really the kind of person you want representing you in government? (picture of Joe blow develops horns) Vote Sam Blow. He is much, much less evil! (cut to a picture of Sam with a small puppy and smiling child) "This message was paid for by Sam Blow" (no relation to Joe)

Vote Tuesday the 2nd. Vote for someone that will do something, not just for the best negative ad.

At least make an effort

2010-10-27T08:13:00.001-04:00

Like you, I get an amazing amount of spam each day. I have three email accounts that I check regularly (and a few more I don't) and have been online for over 15 years with one of them, so maybe I get a bit more than average. I read articles that talk about how many billion spam emails are sent each day. I also hear that the reason there are so many is that they produce results. Spam is essentially free to create. A bit of time and an internet account are all that is needed. So, I guess to get a return on that investment doesn't take but one or two poor souls to be duped.

I have noticed lately that a lot of the spam I am getting is really, REALLY badly produced. Come on now, this was the subject of one I got this morning: compactors flatulent conglomerating

Compactors flatulent conglomerating!?! Really!? I will admit it made me look at the contents. (I heard a gasp - "you opened a known spam email?" - sure I do it all the time in my spam filters' message center. I just never click on any link in the email. 99.999% of all spam can't hurt anything if you just look at it, especially inside your spam filter) The email asked me to see the new 2008 line of Rolex watches. Now, this was not particularly compelling to me. #1 - I am not a watch person. If I was, I would most definitely NOT be a Rolex person. If I was a Rolex person, I don't think I would want to examine the two+ year old line. There was a link there to look at these watches (and other fine brands) but I just deleted it.

I have noticed the claims that a prince has money he needs to use me to liberate or the business plan that has to have my participation to work are all presented in very, VERY bad english now. There have always been errors and such, but these look like they are typed out by a chimp with an old Remington manual typewriter. Guys (and/or gals), if you want to scam me - at least learn to spell and write in my language.

I guess there is just no pride in the spam trade anymore.

Really, I don't know how that got there!

2010-10-21T08:37:00.000-04:00

This guy is obviously a few horns shy of a full orchestra. Gotta give him credit for being prepared though.

Denver man sentenced for child porn, ID theft

By The Denver Post

Ralph Landers, 43, of Denver was sentenced to 16 1/2 years in federal prison this week after pleading guilty to possession of child pornography, identity theft, fraud and other charges.

That is how the story begins. Most definitely a model citizen. Then it tells how the authorities got on to him originally.

Authorities became aware of Landers in March 2008, when he attempted to buy child pornography over the Internet using a fake credit card, according to court documents.

Dude, a fake credit card? He missed internet purchasing of illicit materials 101. It continues...

Investigators eventually learned Landers had tapped 114 bank and credit card accounts using stolen identities and commercial mailboxes he had rented.

He was indicted last year and pleaded guilty in February.

He was arrested after postal inspectors arranged the delivery of an order for child pornography to a post office box Landers had rented.

He was obviously working at the time...
When he was pulled over after making the pickup, inspectors found a pistol, laptop computer and computer files in his vehicle.

This is where his boy scout training comes into display.

"They also found a red tool case containing women's underwear, a grappling hook, binoculars, an expandable baton, an extensive collection of lock picks, glow sticks, duct tape, a stun gun, zip ties, a head lamp, leg cuffs and handcuffs, several condoms, and a case containing syringes and pills," according to the U.S. Attorney's Office in Denver, which prosecuted the case.

Ready for anything. Remember, this was a trip to a post office box to pick up an illegal package.

You gotta love it.

Need a laugh?

2010-10-17T08:55:00.002-04:00

I have seen this many times over the years, but it still is great!

I defy anyone to watch this and not laugh.

http://www.evtv1.com/player.aspx?itemnum=8089

Today's Headlines

2010-10-10T08:45:00.000-04:00

Here are some more headlines and news stories:

Two arrests at Liverpool airport after attempt to smuggle corpse onto flight

Man, another wasted Saturday night!

World's Oldest Leather Shoe Found

Now if they could just find the other one. Finding the pair is always the rub.

Former mayor receives two year sentence for underwear theft in England

The dude that was wearing them says he does not want them back.

Two ill after eating burgers laced with multi-purpose cleaner in Australia

Someone should have told them that "multi-purpose" has limitations!

Almighty set to 'guarantee' quality of mineral water in south Russia

Is it to be a money back guarantee? They say the devil is in the details.

Vt. police: Women had 77 cats living in 2 cars

It was all good until they started making "tuna runs" every night.

This one requires a bit more than the headline. Hang on...

Maybe she just needed to feel wanted

Police: Woman flags down cop, asks if she's wanted, is told she is — and runs

.The Associated Press
updated 10/8/2010 3:54:03 PM ET 2010-10-08T19:54:03

LOCKLAND, Ohio — Police in suburban Cincinnati arrested a woman after she flagged an officer down and asked if there were any warrants out for her arrest.

Really? Obviously the brains of the operation.

I got, you got, we all got the blues

2010-10-04T08:41:00.002-04:00

Here's something to play around with.

http://www.thebluesmaker.com/

Enjoy.

It's becoming a hobbit

2010-10-02T08:41:00.001-04:00

You gotta love this!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7B2LPxggvqY&feature=player_embedded

Watch for at least 30 seconds.

Thoughts

2010-09-21T08:39:00.000-04:00

I just looked and it has been over a month since I posted. How time flies when you are living a life!

I have a LOT to comment on and talk about, but I am not sure I can make a cogent argument this morning. I just don't feel it.

I am continually amazed at the ignorance of what appears to be the average American. I do not understand how people can be so uninformed. I am dumbfounded by the apparent lack of concern for the health and welfare of the nation. The "as long as I get mine" or "as long as we get ours" school of thought is ridiculous, and very dangerous. (a good time for a reminder of the "great lesson" - there is no government money - no federal dollars, state dollars, government grants, etc. - it is all OUR money) Winston Churchill said it well -"The best argument against democracy is a five minute conversation with an average voter."

We are now approaching a time where over 50% of the people are getting some type of assistance "from the government" (re-read the above if you wonder why that is in quotes). I have written numerous posts about this subject, so do some research if you want details, at least as I see them. Thomas Jefferson said "“The democracy will cease to exist when you take away from those who are willing to work and give to those who would not." The "tax the rich" answer is untenable at best. First, who decides at what level "rich" starts. If you are unemployed, living in a cardboard box, on the street; the guy living in his car with a job cleaning toilets appears rich. If you are making $100,000 a year, are you rich? If you live in South Carolina - maybe by some measures. If you live in Manhattan, probably not. Second, at some point "the rich" cease to be so or just leave. Great Britain has had a flight of wealth that has crippled the economy there over the past thirty years or so. As they became more socialist/liberal and government programs increased, the burden on those with money became too onerous. The answer - leave. Some of that is happening at the state level in the U.S. now. California's fiscal problems should be a warning to us all. If the tax burden becomes too large, people will move to avoid it. That applies to businesses and people. (another reminder lesson - businesses don't pay taxes - their customers and/or shareholders do. You cannot "tax" a business - just people.)

In my opinion, backed by many, many others; the American voters really blew it November of 2008. There is a chance for some measure of redemption this coming November. We need to get it right. Most incumbents (of both parties) need to go. The president of the U.S. does not spend money, nor levy taxes - the Congress does. As long as we have fat cats in Washington that are doing nothing but protecting their interests, we will continue in decline. There are a few that are worth preserving. I will let you decide who that is. Most of the folks up there need to go. The 2008 elections were about "hope and change". If you really want change, get Congress rolled over. Then in two years we can roll some more.

Again with the headlines

2010-08-15T08:41:00.000-04:00

Sorry, I was going to do a scathing report on some government inefficiencies, but this is just more fun! MORE HEADLINES...

Actually this one is kind of a report on government inefficiencies:

City Unsure Why the Sewer Smells

Oh my, maybe they are too "full of it" to notice?

Midget Sues Grocer; Cites Belittling Remarks

Really?

Students Cook & Serve Grandparents

If this catches on it could solve a number of problems - school lunch costs, Social Security costs, and more!

This one requires a bit of the article as well -
Army Vehicle Disappears
An Australian Army vehicle worth $74,000 has vanished after being painted with camouflage.

At least they know it works!

Alton Attorney Accidentally Sues Himself

I KNEW we had too many lawyers! (or alternately - You gotta hate when that happens)

County to Pay $250,000 to Advertise Lack of Funds

Government at work

Volunteers Search for Old Civil War Planes

Then I guess they will move on to Revolutionary War planes?

Meeting on Open Meetings is Closed

The issue seems to have been resolved to me. Who called this meeting?

Just hold on, there will be more.

Headline revisited

2010-08-08T22:46:00.000-04:00

Read the post below. I was just looking and realized I really blew it with the 4th one down. If you have not read them, go ahead I'll wait.

Got it? OK. The comment for the fourth one should read...

Oops, I did it again!

Headlines

2010-08-02T22:59:00.001-04:00

I have not done these for a while. Here is the REAL news...

Police Use Taser on Fake Cougar
May 18th (UPI) Warren, Mich

Working their way up to the real animals I guess.

Chance of Rain Today Depends on Where you Live
May 29th Buffalo, NY

It takes training to do the weather.

Man walks into a bar: grabs another man's beer, chokes bartender
August 1 (AP) Dayton, OH

There is probably a priest and a duck that come in later. I didn't read the story.

Pink-Clad Pooch Stolen from Gay Bar by Man with Britney Tatoo
July 21st (UPI) Stanton, Pa

It always starts with the tatoos.

Woman Steal $650 Worth of Gum from Hospital Gift Shop
June 10th (AP) Columbus, OH

What's that, three - four packs?

and lastly...

Grandpa, Pregnant Mom Tasered at Party
July 20th (UPI) Manassa, Va

It's not a party 'til Grandpa gets tasered.

It is now the next morning after originally posting these. This last one has kept me going all night. I have additional comments for it.

Grandpa, Pregnant Mom Tasered at Party
July 20th (UPI) Manassa, Va

Get ready to catch Grandpa's teeth!

Grandpa, Pregnant Mom Tasered at Party
July 20th (UPI) Manassa, Va

I can hear Bubba now - "Yeah sure, you got Grandpa; but he's slow. Watch me get Bambi!"

Grandpa, Pregnant Mom Tasered at Party
July 20th (UPI) Manassa, Va

I should get two points for Bambi, she's pregnant.

Want to play? If you have any comments - send them on.

The Other Congressional Spending: How the House Spent $1 Billion on Itself

2010-07-22T08:07:00.001-04:00

Oh my. I was going to write this myself from documentation and articles I have found, but this one does it well. Saves time and effort.

The Other Congressional Spending: How the House Spent $1 Billion on Itself

Please read it. Then get others to read it. The people we have "representing" us in Washington have gone off the deep end. We have to do something to stop this.

This is NOT a Democrat or Republican problem. This is a people problem.

I am convinced that the only solution is term limits. We have to get the Congress rolled over. The founding fathers did not put term limits into the constitution because they could not imagine anyone wanting to be in Washington for long. They were concerned in getting true representation of the population. The reason the terms are what they are is from the concern that representatives would do one session of Congress and want to go home. Now we have people in both houses of Congress that have spend decades there. That creates a ruling class mentality.

Take a good look at the expenses of just the House of Representatives for just nine months. Wow.

Change is needed. REAL change, not campaign slogan change.

Headline

2010-07-21T08:05:00.000-04:00

Russian Prosecutors Investigate Parasailing Donkey Stunt

Associated Press

This is too easy! I have a million comments for this. You try. I'll just sit back and watch.

Happy 4th - A Reprint - I am an American

2010-07-03T07:44:00.000-04:00

I was looking to do a 4th of July, patriotic post. I wrote this last year intending to post it for the 4th and missed it by a week. So, I will use this again.

I am an American. Like the majority of those living in this country, I was born here as were my parents and their parents. Like the great majority of those living in this country, my ancestors were not born here. A direct decendent on my paternal side immigrated here in 1789 from England. However, I am not an English-American or even a European-American. It bothers me to see people described (by self or others) as Irish-American, African-American, Asian-American, or any other hyphenated American. Hyphens do nothing but separate us from what we truly are: Americans.

Like my father and his father before him; I speak English. In the not so distant past, every immigrant that came to this country learned to speak English. It was a point of pride for them to master one of the most difficult of languages. Since this was (and is marginally still) an English speaking country it was expected and usually accomplished relatively quickly. Expectation and hard work made it so. To immigrate to this country was, and is, a desire that burns brightly in the hearts of people worldwide. However, it seems now that it is expected by some that we should welcome their "diversity" in language and culture at the expense of our own. Merriam-Webster defines diversity as:

1: the condition of being diverse : variety ; especially : the inclusion of diverse people (as people of different races or cultures) in a group or organization.

Inclusion does not mean domination or extinction. One could make the argument that diversity by its very definition requires the original to remain as a part of the whole.

As I said above, my ancestors immigrated here. They came by accepted means and according to the laws of the land. It makes me very angry when I see the illegal aliens in this country called an "immigration" problem. I have said before - calling the illegal alien issue an immigration problem is like calling bank robbery a withdrawal problem. We have a very serious and growing problem in this country of providing and maintaining social services for our citizens. When these services are offered to and overwhelmed by illegals, it makes the problem that much greater. We must address the problem of illegals in our country. It is one of the defined constitutional responsibilties of our government to secure our borders. The government has failed at that responsibility. Amnesty is not the answer when solving a bank theft spree. Nor is it the answer to our illegal alien problem. People must be required to follow the laws of the land when it comes to becoming a citizen. We also must stop now in providing social services and any medical care beyond that which is needed to save a life to illegals.

The United States of America has a great heritage in its two hundred and thirty plus year history of offering freedom, liberty, protection, defense, and support of all kinds to the people of the world. A large portion of the world owes any freedoms and liberties it has to the armed forces and the diplomatic minions of the U.S.A. Americans have helped to free and rebuild Europe twice. We have helped free those behind the Iron Curtain. Most recently we have brought the light of freedom to the Middle East. American might has not been used for building an empire. We freed these countries and turned them back over to the indiginous people, while providing the funds necessary for rebuilding. It sickens me to see and hear cries of "Imperialism" from detractors of the U.S. That claim is ridiculous when history is reviewed. The U.S. has won in battle or by diplomacy; Japan, Germany, Italy, France, the Philippines, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Cuba, Grenada, Panama, and more. Did we add them to our country? No, they were all returned to their people who in some cases still decided the U.S.A. was the evil empire.

The United States of America is a beacon of freedom and light for all the world. We offer support, hope, and ideals of life that are envied by a large portion of the world.

What shall we call it?

2010-06-26T08:52:00.000-04:00

I did not want you readers to think that all I think about any more is government waste and budgets, or oil spills, or any of that type of stuff. I am still pondering many, many, of lifes wonders.

A question has been on my mind for a few days of late. It is a question that I have pondered off and on for years.

I know most of you, if not all, have heard of a Baltimore Oriole, a Siamese Cat, a Canadian Goose, and/or a miniature poodle. All these animals have the modifier in their name to distinguish them from others of their type. If I just said "I like that cat.", and you looked over and there were three or four different cats; you might not know I meant the Siamese. You get the picture.

For the life of me, I cannot figure out why we have a duck billed platypus. There are no other platypuses (sic? - platypi?) that are alive today, nor were there when the duck billed platypus was discovered. What are we distinquishing it from? The non-duck billed version? As I said - does not exist.

Platypi (I looked it up, either "es" or "i" can be used - the "i" is much cooler) are, along with the spiny anteaters, the only egg laying mammals. Cool. huh? I learned in biology class that one of the defining features of a mammal was it bears live young. Platypi, ha - they scoffed at that rule.

As you would imagine, the duck billed platypus has a duck-like bill. It has webbed feet, sort of like a duck. It lays eggs like a duck. Why was it not a mammalian duck, or similar when it was named? There is more.

The platypus is not your normal duck, mammal hybrid. No, no, my friend. First, it has a beaver-like tail. This tail is used to store fat to help it through times of limited food, like the winter. It has fur, not feathers. The duck-like feet I mentioned above - actually they are more like an otter.

The females have two ovaries, but only the left one is active. (how about that for an obscure fact?). They are mammals, they have milk-glands - but no teats. The milk is excreted through pores into channels, like troughs where the young drink.

Not cool enough for you yet. Here is the fact I like the most. The male platypus (duck-billed platypus, excuse me) is venomous! They have a hollow spur on their back legs that can be used to inject venom. How awesome is that? Still not a fan?

How about being the only mammal known to use electrolocation? They have sensors that allows them to track prey in the water by sensing their magnetic field. Come on, you gotta be a fan now.

But, I still wonder why we call it a duck-billed platypus when it is THE platypus?

Some questions just cannot be answered.

An oily mess - facts and figures

2010-06-23T10:46:00.000-04:00

Seems like oil, especially in the water, is the major topic in the news today. As I am want to do, I have been researching oil, oil production, etc. Here are some findings.

A note: I hear the wackos and Luddites using the gulf oil spill as grounds for "ending our reliance on foreign oil!" Note: the Gulf of Mexico is NOT foreign. A large portion of the gulf, including where the oil leak is occurring is in U.S. waters. Ending reliance on foreign oil would kind of argue against shutting down the gulf drilling.

On oil spills: As horrible as this disaster is and will be, nature and the gulf will recover. Even if this thing lasts for the rest of the year, the gulf will recover. Will birds, fish, and other wildlife die? Will coastal communities suffer? Will tar balls show up on beaches for years? Yes, yes, and yes. Will birds, fish, and wildlife cease to exist? Will coastal communities close down for good? Will tar balls stop showing up on beaches? No, no, and no. Living things die - always have, always will. New living things will be born, always have - always will. Humans have lived along the water for the entire existance of mankind. There seems to be some sort of inate draw to the water for humans. Should we build hundreds of thousands of homes on delicate coastal areas, where water and drainage are at such a premium? That is another discussion. We probably should not be surprised when humans build in a flood plan and get flooded out; or build in a hurricane prone area and get blown out; or build in a desert and run out of water. But, all of this makes headlines. But I digress.

More on oil spills. The current gulf disaster is NOT the largest oil spill ever. It could be, but at this time it is not even close. It is not even the largest oil spill in the gulf, there was one in Mexican waters years back that dwarfed this one. Some folks are saying we need to stop drilling for oil in the gulf. If we stop now, what do we do with all the wells that are there? Does anyone besides me realize that this disaster happened as this well was being capped? If we stop drilling, all the wells will have to be capped. That is one of the most dangerous operations that occur on a drilling platform. That will almost guarantee disasters of this magnitude become everyday events.

As for oil in the water - the ocean floor seeps oil at the rate of millions and millions of gallons per year. Every year from way back when 'til way up ahead. I have read estimates that say the seabed of U.S. territorial waters seep 43 million barrels per year themselves. Yep, 43 MILLION. If fact, our drilling has helped mitigate this natural seepage by reducing the pressure. So, if we stop drilling the oil seepage will increase. Now, I know that a slow natural seepage is not the same thing as a multi-million gallon spill. However, it does show how the ocean and nature can handle a lot more than we give it credit for.

On oil production and consumption: The U.S. uses about 20 million barrels of oil a day. It has been as high as around 25 million prior to the recession, but this is about where most figures I have seen put us today. A fact: The U.S. is the world's third largest producer of oil. We produce just over 8 million barrels of oil a day. Saudi Arabia and Russia are numbers one and two respectively at just over 10 million barrels a day for SA and almost 10 million barrels a day for Russia. The U.S. gets most of its imported oil from two sources that most would not expect - Canada is our largest supplier, Mexico is the next largest. (if you are checking me, Saudi Arabia and Mexico swap back and forth for second - currently it is Mexico) Another fact: The U.S. exports - that's right - EXPORTS over 1 million barrels of oil a day - over 360 million barrels a year. Most of this goes to Japan and comes from Alaska. It is more economical and fiscally responsible to sell this oil to Japan than get it to the U.S. lower 48.

Bottom line of all those figures - the U.S. is the third largest producer of oil in the world. We produce about 40% of our oil needs. However we export about 12% of what we produce or what would be about 5% of our needs. Stopping our production will only make this much worse.

As for "weaning ourselves off petroleum and oil" as some suggest: This too is not realistic. Our entire way of life is based on petroleum and oil. We use about 70% of the oil for transportation. Not just automobiles - trucks, trains, boats, and airplanes. Imagine a U.S. without these types of transport. We are used to buying goods year round from all over the globe. This would end. We are used to going. Just going, somewhere, a lot. In my great-grandparents days, most people lived within 50 miles of home their entire life. Except for war, most people did not venture out into the world beyond their home their entire lives.

As for consumer goods: We as a people are spoiled in that we are used to paying very economical products from all over the world. Without oil, this would not be. A lot of the products that make our life what it is are made wholly or partially from petroleum products. Cosmetics, medicines, salves, creams, plastics, and packaging would all change or dissapear without oil. A lot of the clothing we wear - gone without petroleum. Most man-made fibers (basically all except wool, cotton, and silk) are petroleum based. See here for more:
http://www.ranken-energy.com/Products%20from%20Petroleum.htm

I guess you can see where I stand on petroleum production. We need to drill whenever and wherever we can. Our entire economy and way of life are dependent on it. Can we change? Yes. Our dependance on oil will go away when something better comes along and the economies dictate it. Solar, wind, hydro, and others are all great supplements. Nuclear power could be a great source, but the eco-nuts have deemed it evil as well. Next time you hear someone say we need to stop drilling, ask them what we do to replace it.

Dictionary for our times

2010-05-31T23:43:00.000-04:00

In keeping with the times and in accordance with the continuous comments about our "immigration problem" when discussing illegal aliens; the following definitions are now in effect:

1) breaking and entering will now be called a "visitation problem"
2) robbery will be called an "ownership problem"
3) car theft will be called a "travel problem"
4) embezzlement will be called a "borrowing problem"
5) murder will be called a "death problem"

and my all time oldie-but-goodie:

Bank robbery will be called a "withdrawal problem"

They're ILLEGAL people....

Geez!!

WWCSD (what would Col Sanders do)

2010-05-23T08:10:00.000-04:00

What is the world coming to!?!

Chicken Costumes Banned at Nevada Polling Places
Associated Press

There goes my Tuesday.

The Second Amendment

2010-05-22T08:30:00.000-04:00

This is as good of an endorsement of the Second Amendment as I have heard. I wish the idiots in Washington could all hear this over and over.

http://www.evtv1.com/player.aspx?itemnum=14651

Watch it all the way to the end. She sums it up well.

There is definitely a sewage problem up there, but...

2010-05-12T08:04:00.001-04:00

I guess that whole Facebook problem was resolved....

Congress to Examine Restroom Inequalities in Federal Buildings

The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee will hold hearings Wednesday on the "Potty Parity Act," a bill that seeks to address the shoddy restroom facilities for women in federal buildings.

The work ethic and prorities of the U.S. Congress continues to amaze me. Good work up there people!

Happy Mother's Day

2010-05-08T23:18:00.001-04:00

Without Thee,
I would not be.
So,
I gratefully
acknowledge ye.

To my mother.
Also to the mother of my children,
and the mothers of my grandchildren.

Take two and call the ambulance in the morning

2010-05-04T23:42:00.002-04:00

Here we go. I have been working on this one for a long time. I want to start by letting any of you that do not know me (and reminding those that do) - I am NOT a doctor. I have no formal medical training at all. What is listed here is documented reality and my evaluations of those facts.

I have been doing a LOT of studying and reading about what I now believe to be one of the biggest medical hoaxes in human history - the demonization of cholesterol and fats. First, some background.

The cholesterol as killer philosophy is relatively new. However, the entire premise is flawed. The thought that cholesterol is bad was taken from the fact that plaque buildup in artery walls contains high amounts of cholesterol. The problem is, cholesterol is there because that is one of it's jobs. Finding cholesterol in arteries (BTW, finding plaque buildups in veins does not happen, more in a bit) and saying it causes the blockages and disease is like noting that every time you see a car wreck you see law enforcement personnel. Then you determine that people in law enforcement cause car wrecks!

Did you know that cholesterol is found in every cell of the body? Did you know that you would be dead without cholesterol? Did you know your body uses cholesterol to make hormones, support your immune system, to produce vitamin D, and many other things? Did you know that your liver produces almost all of the cholesterol in your body no matter what you eat? Did you know that cholesterol is so important to so many bodily functions that there is a mechanism in place to recycle it back to your liver to be reused just in case you cannot make enough? Guess what organ is made of mostly lipids (fats), a large portion of them cholesterol? Your brain. That important enough for you? This is the time for one of my warnings. If you, after discussions with your doctor and hopefully doing a lot of research, still want to take the cholesterol lowering drugs - fine. (I think you are insane, but hey...) If you have a child of any age, and a doctor suggests giving the child a statin or lowering their cholesterol; RUN! With the brain being made of a large percentage of cholesterol, I shudder to think of what we are doing to children's brains by limiting the amount of this critical compound to a developing brain. (FYI, in the past few years the cholesterol-reducing industry finally got the approval to "treat" high cholesterol in children - I am telling you - this is a serious mistake!)

Did you know that over the age of 50 - 55 (it varies a bit based on the gender and overall health) lower cholesterol is related to a higher incident of death. Did you know that statin use causes problems with cognitive performance and memory (understandable due to the high cholesterol content of the brain), muscle weakness and pain, a suppressed immune system, and other physical problems? Statins interfere with the body's production of Vitamin D and Co-Q10 - both recently being recognized as being even more important to good health than ever thought.

As I mentioned above, plaque buildup is not found in veins. If you are not aware, veins take the blood back to the heart. The arteries take blood from the heart. This blood is under pressure (your blood pressure is taken from arterial flow), blood in the veins is not. You would think if cholesterol is depositing on the wall of blood vessels it would be in the low pressure area, right? The "plaque build up" occurs in arteries. It is a function of the immune system. Essentially (this is not a true scientific explanation) the cholesterol laden plaque is used as a "patch" to help "shore up" weak spots in the arteries. These weak spots could become aneurisms or ruptures (stroke). The cholesterol is there to prevent this. The underlying problem here is inflammation and oxidation. Anti-oxidents can help here. If you have a plaque build up problem, don't try to stop the patches, stop the inflammation. A good diet and supplement program will do this. You will feel better, and your arteries will be healthier. B vitamins are particularly good at this - B6 especially.

You can verify all this information by doing some research. There are several organizations of scientists and doctors that are trying to spread the word on the myth of the danger of cholesterol. One is THINCS, which has a website. Just Google “Cholesterol Myth” or similar. Please do so. Especially if you or a family member is taking one of these drugs.

I cannot tell you what you should do. If a doctor tells you that your cholesterol is high it is up to you and your doctor to decide what to do. Just realize your doctor is probably brain-washed by the hype and extreme PR that is being spewed forth by the drug companies. There is also a LOT of money being paid to doctors by the drug companies, either directly in the form of cash; or indirectly in the form of "goodies". The cholesterol lowering drugs are some of the most profitable the drug companies have. They are going to fight tooth and nail to maintain the illusion that these drugs are necessary for our health. I do know that I cannot envision any situation where I would take a statin (it is the opinion of some of the people I read and follow that a cholesterol OVER 300 is healthier!). There is too much evidence that the harm statins cause outweighs any help they may give, except for some rare instances of extremely elevated cholesterol or after a person has had a heart attack (although evidence supports this effect to being more likely caused by the slight anti-inflammatory action of the drugs than the cholesterol lowering). I do know that if I were to take one I would definitely be taking supplements to support my vitamin D levels and Co-Q10.

Again, this is not meant as medical advice. This is meant to make you question you choices of healthcare and medications. I have my opinions - you form yours.

Need a dictionary?

2010-04-29T22:22:00.000-04:00

What part of "ILLEGAL" do people not understand? I believe in immigration, I believe in civil rights. I do NOT believe that anyone here ILLEGALLY is entitled to anything other than a trip home. The argument is not one of immigration; it is one of ILLEGAL immigration. Anyone here ILLEGALLY HAS NO RIGHTS UNDER THE CONSTITUTION!! They have the basic right of being treated humanely, as they are being sent back to where they came from. I honestly cannot even understand the argument. I will repeat my line:

Calling the people here illegally an immigration problem is like calling bank robbery a withdrawal problem!

If you run a boarding house and someone comes in and takes a room without an application, without any ID or proof of income, and without paying you for it; do you call the police to get them out of your house, or do you offer them amnesty?

I really would like someone to present me with a compelling, cogent, relevant argument as to why this is even being discussed, other than from a political power play standpoint.

Here they come to save the day!!

2010-04-28T08:29:00.000-04:00

Don't worry. At least four of our U.S. Senators are working for us. What are they working on you ask? The economy and unemployment? The growing deficit or burgeoning budget expenditures? How about support and/or concern for our forces fighting on multiple fronts? No, no, no.

Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y.; Sen. Michael Bennet, D-Colo; Sen. Mark Begich, D-Alaska; and Sen. Al Franken, D-Minn. have all signed a letter they sent to Facebook questioning the new privacy policies. I don't know about you, but I feel better about my government already.

(I know that is in the Constitution somewhere!?! I just can't find it??)

Now THAT's Entertainment!

2010-04-18T07:55:00.001-04:00

You want to know how to entertain a crowd? You want to know how to keep an audience on the edge of their seats?

I just watched a video that sums it up...

1. You take a three year old child.
2. Put them in a flashy outfit.
3. Then they go thirty or forty feet in the air.
4. You put them on a high wire.
5. Make sure the high wire goes over a tiger pit.

Now that my friends, is entertainment. I mean you got your kid appeal. You got your flashy outfit. You got your high wire fun, AND you got your pit of tigers. What more could you want?

This was done in China. I guess thousands of years of culture have eliminated child labor laws?!?

FYI, the kid fell off the wire. The safety harness caught the child. Safety harness you ask?? Of course, you don't think safety was of paramount importance?

btw, don't worry...

no animals were harmed in the making of this video.

in case you think this is a figment of my imagination, here is a link for the video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i4Fh-B-Gs6k

I've got a baaaad headache!

2010-04-15T20:29:00.000-04:00

This is a headline from Popular Science on-line:

In Safety Study, Sheep on Meth Are Shocked With Tasers

Man, I should have followed up with my science career!

Or maybe have been a methamphetamine sheep farmer. Should have stayed in the FFA.

Epiphany - reprint of an earlier post with comments

2010-04-13T08:13:00.000-04:00

This is a reprint of a post I did back in November of 2007. With the political landscape of today it is even more relevant.

I am reading The Columbia History of the World right now (maybe that explains the lack of whimsy - 1100 pages plus written in textbook form) I am reading now about the Roman empire/republic. I came to a passage that almost shocked me with it's relevance to my thoughts of today. Here it is: (and I quote giving all rights to the book)

Rome ceded more easily to the demand for citizenship because her supply of citizen soldiers had continued to dwindle, and her mob of citizens without property, to grow. Of the attempts to reverse these changes the most famous were those of the Gracchi brothers in 133 and 123. Relyng on bourgeouis support, they advocated extension of citizenship to the allies, resettlement of small farmers on public land (hitherto rented to senators at minimal rates) resumption of colonization, and provision of grain at less than market rates to feed the Roman poor, pending their settlement. The longest-lived of these measures was the last: most of the Roman mob preferred poverty and indolence in Rome to the hard work of a small farmer, and when one party began to bribe them with public money, the other could not offer less, so cheap grain gradually became free grain, and other "relief" measures went on increasing through the centuries until the imperial government broke down.

Besides tbe run-on sentences that are a trademark of the book, this is great stuff and parallels today in the US (and other parts of the world). Read and re-read the passages; substitute food stamps for provision of grain at less than market rates and welfare/entitlement programs in the last line. Now, if you will remember my last post - the bulk of all taxes (government money) comes from a small minority of the population. To put it another way, almost half of the adult population PAYS NO INCOME TAX! In fact, a lot of them get tax credits that actually make their contribution a negative.

Here is the point. All politicians have been trapped in the "government money" grab. A large portion of people vote for the candidate that can get federal funds to be spent in their constituency. A lot of voters will vote for the candidate that they feel will "give" them the most.

With less than half of the people paying all the income taxes, what motivation would the majority have to bother themselves with what the taxes are? Democrats have been the traditional party of tax and spend, but unfortunately of late the Republicans are catching up (and even surpassing) fast! Read the Roman history lines again. The part about when one party began to bribe them with public money, the other could not offer less... really brings home our situation today.

I could ramble on and on but I hope this makes my point. Solutions anyone....??

I have heard throughout my life that the Roman Empire fell due to corruption. From my studies over the years, I can say that is mostly true. However, I do not feel the social and moral corruption was as big a problem as their government and politial corruption. The US has been called the modern Roman Empire or "new Rome". I fear we will suffer the same fate as old Rome.

Now Boarding at Gate 999

2010-03-29T23:21:00.001-04:00

Back when I used to travel a LOT, I told an airline employee that I was very impressed with their company's computing power. When she looked pleased but a bit puzzled, I explained. I told her it took an amazing amount of computing power to assure that my original boarding gate was as far from security as possible, my arrival gate was as far from ground transportation/baggage as possible, or if I was catching another flight that my arrival gate and my departure gate distances were maximized. She was no longer as pleased.

I am travelling this week and have more musing on the wonders of travel.

I find myself even more amazed at the airlines computing power today. They still are able or maximize any distances I have to travel to, from, or between planes. However, now they are able to assure that my seat mate is larger than me. I am usually sitting with an empty seat beside me just knowing that the first person resembling King Kong that comes down the aisle will ask me to get up so they can sit next to me. I am sorry, but anyone that has a shoe that old women are trying to move into or a T-shirt size with more than two Xs should NOT be allowed to sit in a middle seat - ESPECIALLY next to me!

Sure enough, I boarded my flight to leave home yesterday and was on one of the small regional jets. I was in the window seat with an empty seat next to me. The plane was almost full and I stupidly thought there was a chance that I might actually have no one next to me and would be able to stretch out a bit. HAH!. Suddenly I felt the plane lurch to the side and start shaking like the glass of water in Jurassic Park. The lights were blotted out as a wall of human flesh moved towards my row. Of course, once I saw the leviathan I knew I had my seat mate. As he headed down the aisle, I noticed that no matter which way he turned his body he was brushing against seat backs and shoulders. I again was marvelling at the computational power the airlines have. I was not even aware they knew the weights and sizes of their passengers. But it is obvious to me that they are no only aware - they use this information to pick MY SEAT MATES!

Another use of amazing computing capacity is making sure I am sitting within two rows - always in front of - a person that has an active case of pneumonia or tuberculosis. This is a relatively new development. For the past two or three years, whenever I fly, there is someone behind me that is deternined to lose a lung during the flight. We were not quite down the runway yesterday before the lady directly behind me began ejecting portions of her lung onto and over my seat back. Seriously, there were a few times I thought she was going to pop an eyeball out. The air was thick with sputum and disease. Sandwiched in between the window and Jumbo beside me with pieces of diseased lung flying about pretty much makes for a wonderful trip. I think Dante had something similar in his seventh level of hell.

There are other examples of this massive computational wizardry on display when I fly. Like, how they make my bag come off the baggage carousel among the last. Or, how they can assure that my gate is as far from a bathroom as is possible. It is amazing that they can determine that my gate will be as far from an open refreshement stand of any type as it can be. Truly amazing. Must be a Microsoft - Intel thing. Hey Bill, I'm a supporter - call off the dogs.

I am looking forward to my return trip in a couple of days. I am sure Delta is offering a special out of Dallas to any retired Dallas Cowboy tackle that is looking for a few days in North Carolina. If they have pneumonia - they fly FREE!!

The Swiss have voted!

2010-03-18T20:45:00.000-04:00

If you have not read the post below, you may want to.

The referendum has been held. The Swiss have decided by an overwhelming margin that they are not insane. Animals will not have access to public defenders to pursue animal rights cases.

Maybe there is hope for us all after all.

Now if the U.S. Congress could show some signs of intelligence!

The jury is still out

2010-03-06T21:11:00.000-05:00

OK, there is now some doubt about whether we are the craziest society on earth. I just read a Wall Street Journal article about a referendum that will occur tomorrow - Sunday 3/7/2010. The Swiss people will be voting on whether the government needs to provide animal lawyers - public defenders for "animal rights". Now, I think animal abuse is awful. Anyone that would purposefully harm a defenseless animal should be punished legally and by society. However, Switzerland has taken this idea to a whole new level. They already have one animal public defender that operates in one of the cantons (kind of like our states, or "super"-counties). He recently prosecuted a fisherman over the abuse of a pike. This abuse occurred while a fisherman was catching the defendant (pike). The legal argument was based on the fact that the fisherman took too long to land the defendant and caused it undue suffering. The court threw the case out, but only because the court said it had no jurisdiction due to the fact that the defendant was not a resident of that canton and the abuse did not occur there.

FYI, Switzerland already has the most over-reaching of laws concerning "animal rights". Prospective dog owners must take a state approved four hour course before buying a pet. Social species like fish, birds, and yaks (a lovely pet I'm sure!) must be kept with companions, and sold in pairs (or more). There are even specific directions in the law about how to "put down" a sick fish with a humane blow to the head or by immersing it in water mixed with clove oil diluted in alcohol. A 2003 Swiss law requires that animals be treated as sentient beings, not property.

As I said, although I do not believe animals have "rights". I do believe they deserve humane treatment. Pets deserve love and respect in addition to food and water. However, when farmers are fearful of being dragged to court every time they "harvest" animals for their meat and hides, fisherman are afraid to take to long to land a catch, or hunters must be wary of any "abuse" when legally hunting; we have a problem.

I will be watching for the results of the referendum in Switzerland. I will be expecting the same here at some point.

Who's trippin' down the streets of the city...

2010-03-03T20:36:00.001-05:00

This was obviously a bad day for this soccer goalie in Germany.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fqUhmHsG5P0&feature=player_embedde

In some South American countries, this could get you killed!

If you got the title reference, you are probably my age or close and have a good memory.

Later.

Will cluck for food (second post today - check both)

2010-03-01T22:08:00.001-05:00

I stopped by Food Lion tonight and picked up some groceries. Because it was late (and both my wife and I like it) I got some fried chicken from their deli. We have gotten it before and it is quite good, and a very good value. (OK Food Lion - free food coupons can be sent to the email attached to this blog - but stop reading here) The chicken in not as meaty as the stuff you get from KFC or other chicken places, but it is about half the price.

We sat down to eat and I grabbed a breast. I bit into it and started eating. About 40 seconds later I was down to all bone. I looked at my wife and said "This chicken died of starvation, based on the meat on these bones!". I ate some of the potato salad and macaroni salad, but what I wanted was some chicken. I grabbed another piece, this one a thigh. There was no way this chicken was ambulatory. The size of the thigh was so puny that there is no way there was enough muscle mass to move the chicken around! I had the tiny little bone in my hand and I told my wife I felt like the guy in the Wendy's commercial saying "$2.99" with the little bitty drink in his hand.

I can picture the farm that these Food Lion chickens came from - thousands of emaciated fowl dragging themselves along on their little wheeled dollies, legs too weak to support their weight; their breasts caved in like a TB patient at the end of life, without the strength to move their wings. I can see them throwing themselves onto any morsel of food that they happen to come across as they fight off starvation. Their only hope is the processing plant and the sweet release of death.

Oh well, I still like the taste of the chicken. Next time I guess I will just buy two packages.

Go ahead, take out that $1 million mortgage

2010-03-01T08:16:00.000-05:00

I was going to write one of my stunning commentaries on life, liberty, and small animals; but decided to wait and see if I need to. The CERN people in Europe are firing up the Large Hadron Collider again. So, we may all be headed to a black hole. If you don't remember or know what I am talking about see the two posts below and/or Google it.

I'm Baaaack from Sept 13, 2009 and Still Here from Nov 7, 2009.

Wonder if any "birds" got 300 feet underground again?

I will admit that finding the Higgs bosun is a facinating prospect, but I still wonder about this thing. Oh well, at least it will be quick...

Pledge

2010-02-20T08:41:00.000-05:00

This is good. It would serve us well if all school children (and a lot of adults) would see and hear this every day.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wdwc_3RjhQs

Enjoy and share.

Rare Disease Day 2010

2010-02-13T22:23:00.000-05:00

Rare Disease Day 2010 is coming up - February 28th, 2010. Contact any and all government officials and legislators you can, as well as any other people you know. There are over 25 million persons with a Rare Disease - one that affects less than 200,000 people. In most cases this is too small a population to support research or treatment development. However, with over 100 diseases in this classification there are a LOT of individuals and families dealing with these maladies. You can go to http://www.rarediseases.org/ for more information. Your thoughts and support are needed and welcomed.

New Blog

2010-02-03T13:52:00.001-05:00

I just set up a NEW blog - http://www.livingwithasnowman.blogspot.com/. This will be a blog chronicling my wife's disease and my thoughts and comments on it. I will take the content from this blog that relates to MSA to that blog. This blog will remain as for my insane ramblings and political and social commentary.

Please check out the new blog - http://www.livingwithasnowman.blogspot.com/. Comments are welcomed.

Travel notes

2010-02-02T21:58:00.005-05:00

I am travelling again, this time by car. I came up with some random thoughts during the long ride today. I have been making the trip down I-95 since the early to mid-70s. (if I was being fair there was the illicit trip in my father's car when I was 16, but I digress) In fact, the first six or seven years we made the trip you had to leave I-95 at many points because it did not exist yet! (anyone else remember the old, decrepit, bridge in Savannah, Ga?) I found myself doing it again today. This trip was a bit different because I did it alone. I am not sure I have made the trip alone before. If so, it has been very rare. With six kids and a wife, there was usually a few or more other travellers. Even when I was going down for business as I was this time, and have a few times in recent years, I usually had my wife with me to combine a visit with family in Florida. This trip was done alone. Nine hours in a car alone can give you a lot of "thought time". So, here are some of them. I never cease to be amazed at the capacity of the State of Georgia to always be doing road work on I-95. In the early days, as I stated in my opening remarks, the construction was understandable as the road was being built. But, in the 36 or more years I have been making the trip to at least southern Georgia, once or twice a year each year, I do not remember getting through Georgia without a major construction project. Now, I have to give credit where credit is due; they have finished the highway in fine fashion from the state line near Savannah to almost Darien. It is a fine road with at least three lanes in each direction. Then, just north of Darien -here come the barrels. Georgia is the home of orange barrels on the eastern seaboard. At least from Virginia to Key West where I am familiar with the drive. The barrels there are as plentiful as sand on the beach. The barrel making industry has to be very enamored of Georgia. Another thought I had was concerning construction of another sort. When I car or truck takes out a bridge/overpass concrete side rails or the guardrails on the side of the road, why do they put an orange cone there? I can see the poor soul that has lost control of their vehicle heading for the side of the road wondering if they are going to make it, thinking -"Oh, I can't crash here! There are orange cones!" I know of very few (in fact NONE) incidents where people choose the section of guardrail or bridge they hit. I also saw a rare site today. An orange cone in the wild! I whizzed by it at 70+ mph, so I did not get a great look at it; but I saw the orange peak rising above the grass and weeds on the side of the road as it took a tentative look at the traffic. I was very upset that RIM decided not to put a camera on my Blackberry. I would have loved to take a shot of this unusual event. I did not get a good enough look to know if it was an escaped construction cone, or the even rarer feral cone. It was gone in an instant. FYI, it was a Georgia cone. Probably a descendant of one of the original construction cones from when the road was first built. Other things of note today. One is the number of people I saw texting. In two cases they went speeding by me (which reminds me of another classic George Carlin quote - "Have you noticed anyone going slower than you is an idiot and anyone going faster is a maniac?") and I was NOT going slow! Crazy, definitely idiotic maniacs. We should make cars in which the seatbelts and airbags deactivate when the driver is texting and let them cull the herd, so to speak. The last note is one of profound sadness. As I stated in my opening remarks, I have made all these trips to my memory with my wife. She was to go with me on this trip, and I was going to drop her at her mother's house for a visit. We have had some very memorable and enjoyable trips along this route together, the most recent last October. Her illness and the logistics of her care prevented this one from being another. I missed her companionship. She would have enjoyed the cone in the wild.

In these difficult times...

2010-01-20T08:16:00.003-05:00

I see where NBC is giving $40 million dollars to Conan O'Brian to leave the Tonight Show hosting job. I could have saved them SOOOOOOO much money. I would have left for $100,000! In fact, for $10 grand or so I would not have even applied for the job! NBC - you can contact me through this blog.

For everyone in Washington

2010-01-16T20:15:00.005-05:00

I will have to admit I thought Ray Stevens was dead. (in fact, if you are much younger than I am, you may not even know who he is!) However, due to the topical nature of this song, I assume he is not only alive, but still doing music. This is kind of funny and I hope very true. Enjoy! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dc_-L4fyLUo

Pay Attention Now

2010-01-14T08:18:00.003-05:00

It's time for a refresher course. I have done too much of the "fun" stuff lately. Take notes if you wish - there will be a test in November. 1) There is NO government money. When you hear about a "government stimulus" or "federal funds" or anything like that - think "my tax dollars". The government has no money and has no way of getting money without taxing us, or borrowing it. 2) Corporations (companies) do NOT pay taxes (or fees, or fines). Taxing companies to help with the deficit, or adding a fee to banks to help cover the shortfall, is a tax or fee on US. When you hear of a new tax, fee, or fine, to be levied against corporations (like the one proposed for banks currently), think of it as being taken from YOU. Corporations HAVE NO MONEY except for what they get from their customers and/or shareholders. All banks will do if this fee is levied against them is raise our fees to bank with them. "We contend that for a nation to try to tax itself into prosperity is like a man standing in a bucket and trying to lift himself up by the handle." Winston Churchill Write your congressman and senators. Let them know in Washington that spending our money on whatever they deem fit is NOT going to fly. Most importantly - VOTE every chance you get. Get rid of the idiots up there now that are doing all this - from BOTH parties.

Just pull that right over here

2010-01-11T08:27:00.003-05:00

I just got back from a trip. Some things struck me (as usual) as I was out viewing the world. Here are some thoughts... I wonder how we ever got along without one of the most annoying and yet helpful inventions of my lifetime - wheeled luggage. I am really surprised at how civilization advanced to the point that we have with this technological marvel only being around for a short while. Everywhere you looked there was luggage (and backpacks, and briefcases, and computer cases) on wheels. In a crowded area, I would get my toes and feet run over multiple times. I was waiting in a cab line with several hundred other people going up and down through the maze of ropes, all of us pushing or pulling our wheeled marvels. In fact, the one guy I saw that was NOT equipped with wheels was quite noticeable. We of the wheeled wonders would whip wildly through the winding path while he kicked, slid, tossed, dragged, and otherwise schlepped his belongings a foot or two at a time. By his lack of luggage technology he was an outcast. An object of our scorn; and for the empathetic among us, possibly even pity. One other invention that has become almost as wide spread is the "smart phone". I remember travelling in the 80s. I worked for a company that sold cellphones, so I had one provided to me. As is so common now, I would take it out and check for messages and/or calls as I got off the plane. People would look at me and make snide remarks as to how "special" I thought I was; or gasp at the fact that I had a device to make a call that did not require quarters to be inserted. Now, as we are approaching the gate the Backberrys and iPhones come out for email, texts, tweets, and yes even a call or two. The person that is handicapped with just a cellphone is looked upon with almost as much pity as the non-wheeled luggage guy. The only other device that is used (sometimes in conjunction with the smartphone) for contact is the laptop/netbook. These too are becoming quite common as people are searching for internet connections and power outlets with their portable computers. Again, I wonder how we ever advanced to the point we have without instant communication and access to data 24/7?! More later, got to go. My Blackberry is calling.

Rock On!

2010-01-04T08:37:00.002-05:00

Still not feeling too creative, so I'll let the Muppets do it for me. Enjoy! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tgbNymZ7vqY

Quotable Quote

2009-12-26T08:05:00.004-05:00

"Just the existance of flamethrowers proves that sometime, somewhere, someone said to themselves, 'You know, I want to set those people over there on fire. but I'm just not close enough to get the job done.'" George Carlin was a genius!

Survey Says...

2009-12-14T12:40:00.002-05:00

78% of people said 22% of people were dumb as a rock. 21% of people said 78% of people should mind their own business. 1% of people said can't we all just get along?

News Flash

2009-12-11T02:28:00.001-05:00

This just in.... The search for the world's most uncomfortable pillow has ended. More to follow.

Global Warning

2009-11-28T08:05:00.004-05:00

If you have read much of this blog, you know how I feel about the idiotic pseudo-science of "global warming". (I put it in quotes because we may have some warming of our climate, but NOT man-made, and NOT anything we can control) If you follow any of the non-traditional news or do any digging beyond the headlines, you may have seen the reporting of the scandal based around tens of thousands of documents and emails from the Hadley Climate Research Unit in England. These emails and documents, although possibly out of context, contain damning evidence of a conspiracy to defraud the world concerning man-made global warming. Check out "Climategate" in a Google or anywhere else for details. I, like others, am now more convinced than ever that the whole man-made global warming thing is a hoax. Maybe not even an innocent one. The cost to society and our way of life to do what these eco-nuts wanted would have (and still could if we don't act on this info) destroyed it. The correspondence between these global warming "experts" shows that exclusion of anyone that disagreed with them was commonplace, that manipulation of facts and figures was necessary to back up their claims, and that the whole thing is/was a lie. If you want more on this STUDY. Go and read posts I have done previously - I have links and info there that will help. Get with friends and family and have them study. Then get with your elected officials and STOP any plans to "fight global warming". Following is a link to a great site with documented FACTS about climate change. http://www.geocraft.com/WVFossils/global_warming.html If we allow this, either by participation or apathy - we will all pay. (hey, I sound like a global warming alarmist - "the sky is falling" - sorry) Climategate should be the end to this nonsense. Help make it so.

Thanks and stuff

2009-11-27T08:17:00.004-05:00

I was going to do a wonderful, erudite, elucitative, and enjoyable post about Thanksgiving and the giving of thanks. Been there, done that... go to the days pre and post Thanksgiving for the past two years and read if you are looking for that. Blah, Blah, thankful.. yada, yada, ate too much.. whatever. Enlightenment to resume shortly. Stay tuned.

Want some cheese with that?

2009-11-15T08:05:00.004-05:00

We are a nation of whiners. If you add the social, political, and financial freedoms we have, we are indeed living in the greatest nation on earth. I have a shirt that I wear occasionally that says "No Whining" on it. People love it. I have had more comments on that shirt than any other piece of clothing I own. The problem is, everyone likes it; no one owns up to it! I know I whine. One could say this blog is an exercise in whining. (maybe it is, what's it to you? I can't make my opinions known? .....sorry - lost it a minute) We complain about how horrible things are. I know that we are going through some challenging times financially. I feel we are going through some very challenging times socially/politically. But, all in all for most of us, things are pretty good. Our whining manifests itself in our tremendous sense of entitlement. Striving for a better lifestyle and a more secure financial future is good. That ideal was one that built this nation into the greatest financial growth engine on earth. However, today people want a better lifestyle and financial security, but want it given to them. If I have six and you have two, taking two from me is not a way to make things "fair". Yes, we both would have four now (I did the math for you, I know math can be a challenge), but how is taking something from someone that obtained them legally, morally, and ethically; fair? The best illustration of this that most people "get" is with grades. In every classroom setting you have the studious, the not-so-studious, and the stupid. (I know, not PC - but hey - some people are just not as well endowed in the cranial portion of their anatomy - if you don't follow that - you may be one of them) You have the people that make the A's, some people that make some B's, if a teacher/professor is following the intent - most people making C's, some struggling at D, some collecting F's, and some that a new letter should be invented for. How about if at the end of the course the teacher/professor said "It is unfair that there are people making A's and people making F's. I am going to average everything out and give all of you a C". That means the deadwood gets a C as well as the person that worked and studied and gave it their all. Most folks can see the inherent problem with that grading system. However, when it comes to incomes and financial aspects of life, they just don't get it. The reason communism/socialism do not, and have not worked is - they can't. If you take away the incentive for performers to be rewarded for their efforts, they will not perform. If you take away the "punishment" (failure) from those that do not perform; they become even more of a burden. By the way, for those of you that point to Cuba, China, or others as proof that these forms of government DO work - shame on you. The point of communism or socialism is to "even out" the wealth between all people. Greed, ambition, drive, etc prevent this from happening. If you do not think that there is a difference between how an average Chinese peasant and a member of the Chinese politburo lives and their incomes - go away now! You cannot "even out" the distribution of wealth without destroying the source of that wealth - ambition and drive from those willing to work for a better life. I was in a convenience store the other day and was met at the counter by a VERY happy clerk. I commented that he seemed especially joyous and he said "Today I became a US citizen". I congratulated him. I asked how long he had been here and he proceeded to tell me his story. Briefly, here it is. He came here on a student visa from India four years ago. He was very captivated by our way of life. After two years of school, he decided he wanted to live here in America. He got a work visa and went out to find a job in computers/IT - what he had done in India. Now this was 2007 and we were rolling along economically, but he could not find a job in IT. He went to work at a computer assembly plant on the line while continuing to go to school at night. He had problems making his bills, so he took a second job (while still working full time at the computer plant and going to school part-time). As we headed into this recession, he lost his job at the computer plant and had to leave school to find a job that made enough money. He went to work for this local convenience store company while keeping his second job at McDonald's. He later started cleaning up offices at night - so he worked three jobs. But, he is now a citizen, can now become a manager for this convenience store company. He told me that they have a program where he can become part owner of the store he runs if he goes to certain markets and helps them open a store. He proceeded to tell me that this is the greatest country on earth. He was literally beaming with pride at becoming a citizen and flush with the excitement of all the opportunities he had before him. Notice the timeline on this - during the Great Recession. Did I mention he was black? In India, blacks are treated with extreme contempt in most areas. Did I mention he was Muslim? Muslims in India are a minority and are also treated with tremendous prejudice. He was thrilled at the reception he got here in this country, and how he was able to get ahead. He said in his native country he would have been lucky to get a small plot of land and work it for a subsistence living. We have people of all colors, creeds, and religions in this country. We have a large group of them that expect the larger group of us that work for what we have to subsidise them. This convenience store clerk is proof that if you are willing to work - three jobs if necessary - at night if necessary - you can get ahead. Even if you are dark skinned, have a "funny" accent, and are not a Christian. You don't need mine - earn your own. If you need a bit of help while you earn yours - I'll be here.

Still here

2009-11-07T08:33:00.003-05:00

Remember the "atom smasher" I talked about a while back that was built in France? The largest machine ever built by man. It is going to be used to find quantum particles that until now have eluded researchers. These particles have been determined by math and physics to exist, but have never been "seen". I mentioned that the problem with this machine is that it appears to be a "lemon". After years of design and construction and billions and billions of dollars, it still won't work. The problem with this machine and the fact that it might be a dud is that there are no small number of people that believe it could destroy the earth when it is actually used. (to be fair there are a large number of people that believe Elvis is sitting somewhere with JFK and a space alien drinking gin fizzes) Well, they tried to crank this thing up again this week. Can you say "shut down". The machine had to be shut down when a bread crumb, possibly from a stray bird (this unit is over 300 feet underground, but they said a bird) was dropped into the machine. Just a mention - THE MACHINE COULD DESTROY THE EARTH! IT HAS FAILED SEVERAL ATTEMPTS TO WORK! BIRDS ARE DROPPING BREAD CRUMBS IN IT! There are some people that think the machine, when operating, would create a particle so "vile to nature" that there is something from the future that is preventing it from operating. No really, I heard Elvis say it... Oh well.

Tsk, Tsk, Tsk

2009-11-02T08:18:00.004-05:00

I don't know where to begin, so I'll just wade on in. The anti-capitalist eco-nuts have almost (that is my optimism - in reality they probably HAVE) done it. The unsupported, non-documented, anti-science theory of man-made global warming is now a given. I read something every day from unsuspecting or willing accomplises that talk about how this is being done, or should be done to "combat global warming" or "fight climate change". Sad. But as I wrote many months ago - “If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it. The lie can be maintained only for such time as the State can shield the people from the political, economic and/or military consequences of the lie. It thus becomes vitally important for the State to use all of its powers to repress dissent, for the truth is the mortal enemy of the lie, and thus by extension, the truth is the greatest enemy of the State.” Joseph Goebbels The people that are out to destroy capitalism and your way of life know this. Get the media on board and have them spew the half-truths and pseudo-science of global warming and people will accept it as fact. I have many, many posts on this blog about this, so I won't repeat myself. But, do some studying people. There are tens of thousands of respected and trained scientists that are trying to let us know that the whole thing is a hoax. There are two main reasons for the climate change lie. (and a third innocent one - the poor uneducated mind-numb saps that just want to help preserve and protect the earth and the environment and don't know any better) 1) money - if we go to this carbon credit system as a requirement of businesses and others to justify their lifestyle - the trading of carbon offset credits will be a HUGE moneymaker. The major financial trading firms want a piece of this. They all know that they can sit back and make a commission off of every carbon credit trade and get rich. 2) destruction of the evil thing that is the American way of life. Unfortunately there are people living here (and living well) off of the American way of life that don't think it is "fair" that we are the most powerful and rich nation on the earth. The fact that we are better off than most of the world's population is disgusting to them. Therefore we have to be taken down a couple of notches. What better way that to put a penalty on the energy sources that power our way of life? Again, do some reading. Google - climate change hoax or similar and read. The other thing that is being forced upon us is the health care / insurance deal. First, do not think for a minute that the powers that be are really trying to get healthcare at a reasonable cost for all of us. That is the cover story that is being used to lull you into supporting this debacle. If the goal was really to get cost effective healthcare for all Americans there are easier ways to do it. If you wanted to do it the easiest - just expand Medicare and Medicaid to cover the people that don't have insurance now that want it. (I say "want it" because there are people out there with insurance available that don't want to pay for it - I have a son that way. He is 22 and is still invincible in his mind. Although he has insurance available from his job, he is not signed up because he doesn't want to pay the premiums.) Even if you believe the doomsayers that use the 46 million number, that cost figure would be a lot less than what they are doing now. (if we stop giving free healthcare to illegals it would be a lot less) If the goal was affordable quality healthcare for all there are many other changes that could be made to help. How about tort reform. Defensive medicine, or the ordering of tests to rule out the most obscure diagnosis are rampant. The US takes more MRIs than the rest of the world combined (or close anyway - hey I need some hyperbole as well). Doctors can't treat you for the obvious just in case you picked up a weird parasite from that last trip to Somalia or whatever. People don't seem to want to accept that doctors are people too. They are just doing a job. Like you and me they will make mistakes. That is inevitable. Legal action is NOT a substitute for medical care. How about allowing insurance companies to write policies accross state lines? That would help cut costs as well. How about allowing insurance companies to offer limited coverage insurance policies? Every policy written now has to include coverage for pregnancy, for example - I don't need to pay for that! But, it is required to be in there. Oh whatever. It just bothers me because people are such lemmings. All they can see it the butt of the lemming in front of them.

No Snappy Title Available

2009-10-27T08:15:00.005-04:00

I just finished some travelling and since I have not done a post in a few weeks I thought I would just do some random thoughts... Have you ever noticed that for the most part fireworks are sold by people that proudly proclaim their insanity? Crazy Joe, Loco Larry, Insane Ike all sell fireworks. You don't see Responsible Bob's Fireworks Emporium along the highway. Now I realize that selling personal explosives to anyone with the money to buy them might require a small bit of detachment with reality, I still wonder why James Cash Penney or Alva Roebuck didn't get into fireworks. Part of my travels included a cruise. One of the discussion points about any cruise for those that have NOT taken one as well as those that have) is the food. "Did ya' eat a lot?" is usually the first question from anyone that finds out you were on a cruise. I think the cruise lines are now pressured into providing food in insane quantities (Loco Joe's Cruises & Fireworks?) at all hours of the day just to keep up with the expectations. There is somewhere to eat on board 24 hours of the day. There are many different places to eat as well. You can sit down and be served or go to a buffet and serve yourself. My post of a few weeks ago comes to mind - we eat and eat and eat to fill the time between meals. What amazed me is the almost animal desperation that seems to infect the cruising human being as they approach the buffet line or seating area for the restaurant. Unless you were passed out or ill, as I said there has/had been copious amounts of food available for anyone to eat at any hour they desired. But, get them near the food and it is like a rice truck unloading in Ethiopia! People push and shove and yell at each other about what is there or not there as if they were coming off of a fast that would rival Gandhi in intensity. FYI, it is NOT an American thing either. There was yelling in many languages and it seemed to cross all cultural boundaries. It made me proud to be a human. I have other thoughts that I will share - I just wanted to "get back on the horse" so to speak.

They's jus' kids!!

2009-10-10T08:39:00.006-04:00

Anyone that has read this blog for any time at all knows I love a great news headline. I scour the web for them. I went looking this morning and found one at the top of the first site I went to. Here you go: Dead deer in clown suit left on Iowa porch Now I don't know about you, but boy did this bring back memories. Getting the guys together, shooting some hoops, grabbing a bite to eat, and dressing up wildlife like Bozo! Ahh, those were the days. Now I will admit that in most cases I never even see the stories that go along with the headlines. In this case it was a short paragraph and I read on. This extra reading of mine may have provided info that is as good if not better than the headline. The police in Sioux City, Iowa obviously have a great detective division and possibly a CSI lab and investigators just like all those TV shows. The comment from the paper regarding the results of the police investigation was: Officers suspect it was a prank I had first suspected a Godfather-type message to the family - Iowa crime family style. But, I am glad to know it was a prank. Those silly Iowans! I can't wait to see how they decorate for the holidays. Gotta go. There is a groundhog out back that would look stunning in a pair of shorts and a fright wig.

Heaven forbid they ever put any tables out there!

2009-10-02T22:23:00.012-04:00

I heard a news story on the radio yesterday at lunch (and again with additional info going home) that brought home to me one of the major problems in our society. After I heard it I felt this blog coming on. Here we go... (this may be a bit disjointed, I started this Saturday a.m. and had to quit and went back Saturday evening. I tried to put a link to the newspaper story about this and a computer gremlin pounced upon the bits and bytes and took away half of this. I am now finishing it up Sunday p.m.) The story was about five benches that were placed by the city as a gift from a group that was trying to add ambience or a useful area to a greenway park that runs through parts of downtown Greensboro, NC. The benches, along with some large rocks and some sort of artwork, were place in a semi-circular configuration as an "oasis" and resting spot along the greenway; which until this placement had not had any benches or artwork. Now the problems began. It seems benches are inherently evil; or at least attract those that are. The local community group filed complaints with various city entities to have the benches removed due to "illegal activities" that they attracted. It seems if you install benches it attracts drug dealers, prostitutes, homeless people (which used to be called just "bums" but that is another blog) and all sorts of unsavory types of activities. To hear the head of the community organization talk, it was as if a portal directly to hell had been placed at the mouth of their homes. Remember, we are talking about benches (and rocks, you can go the the Greensboro News & Record website and see the story about a protester that sat unmoving on one of the rocks and would not let the workers take it; until he was arrested) Now my point. I understand the concern of the families living in the community near the benches. Illegal and illicit activities are not condusive to a peaceful existance. However, my amazement came from the fact that no one ever mentioned the problem - the unsavory types that it attracted - or the lack of police presence to eliminate it! Now, if you leave food out on counters and tables it can attract bugs. You can remove the food and clean the counters and the bugs may not be as visible. However, if you want to eliminate the bugs you have to go at the problem - the bugs! You call an exterminator, put out one of the bug baits or traps, or spray poison around. You continue to do so until you are convinced the bugs have moved on or are dead. I know we are dealing with human beings here, no matter how vile or evil they may be. I know that poison is not a reasonable humane answer. I realize that traps are not a civilized response either. There are ways to eliminate these vermin without just taking in the "food" (benches - in case you aren't following). I would maybe recommend a demand to the city council and police for increased police presence in the neighborhood. How about a neighborhood watch? This is a NIMBY response just like a myriad of other responses by people that can't be inconvenienced by the infrastructure required to support our modern way of life. Now I know we are talking benches and rocks here, but I still find that demonizing the benches to be very silly. Just like the saying - "Guns don't kill people, people kill people". I would like to offer up a new one for the citizens of Greensboro, NC - Benches don't commit crimes, people do!" Go sit on a bench somewhere and think about it...

Excuse me, but was that animal on fire?

2009-09-28T22:40:00.002-04:00

Because we all love a flaming cow story: De Groene Amsterdammer (a Dutch newspaper): A Dutch veterinarian was fined 600 guilders [about $240USD] for causing a fire that destroyed a farm in Lichten Vourde, the Netherlands. The vet had been trying to convince a farmer that his cow was passing flatulent gas; to demonstrate, the vet ignited the gas, but the cow became a 'four-legged flame-thrower' and ran wild, setting fire to bales of hay. Damage to the farm was assessed at $80,000USD.The cow was unharmed. You gotta love a Dutch veterinarian.

Memories are the stuff that dreams are made of

2009-09-27T22:56:00.002-04:00

"How old is that thing?" - If I had a dime for every time I heard that one! I thought I would do some more remembering. This is about another relative I got to know as a kid - Uncle Rufus. Uncle Rufus was a strange man, even by the standards of my other slightly strange relatives. He hated almost everything and everyone. He was the only man I know that would join a protest march and then join the counter-protest half way through. Luckily, Rufus did not have to deal with people a whole lot. Even in his job - see Rufus was a chinchilla farmer. He raised a herd, skinned them, and sold the pelts once a year at a furrier's market. In case you don't know, chinchillas are basically a cross between a squirrel and a hamster. From the face end they look quite a bit like a very large hamster. From the tail end they look like a squirrel with a bit less fluff in the tail. They are, however, blessed (or cursed, from their standpoint) with a fur that is about a soft as fur can get. For that reason for over 400 years, these little rodents have been sought and bought for their pelts. As I said, Uncle Rufus was a "hater". He hated everyone. I use to tell him (when I was out of range of those massive hams he called hands - see Rufus was about 7 feet tall and over 350 pounds)"Uncle Rufus - you are an equal opportunity hater." Yessir, Rufus hated some because of what they were and others because of what they weren't. He hated special days and days with nothing going on. He basically hated. Now this was many years ago, and the civil rights movement was getting a solid start in really making some changes. Rufus would hear someone like Martin Luther King and start screaming at him on the TV. The very next minute he might hear George Wallace and start screaming at his image as well. The thing is, he didn't agree with anyone -he just disagreed with everyone. Uncle Rufus started doing some checking on his background and heritage. See, he was adopted. My grandfather always said Rufus' mother let him go because he was arguing with her about child care as an infant. He did not know his natural father or mother. So, he went to looking around. Turned out he was one-quarter Japanese, one-quarter black, one-quarter native American, and one-quarter Caucasian. He killed himself - hate crime.

Even more headlnes

2009-09-17T21:16:00.003-04:00

These are more headlines that are presented as real - whether they are or not - I love 'em. Here we go: COLD WAVE LINKED TO TEMPERATURES a simple start - no comment needed MAN IS FATALLY SLAIN Gotta hate when that happens - probably just meant to wound them AUTOS KILLING 110 A DAY, LET'S RESOLVE TO DO BETTER You gotta love a positive attitude NICARAGUA SETS GOAL TO WIPE OUT LITERACY They can start with newspaper writers and editors NEVER WITHHOLD HERPES FROM LOVED ONE Sharing is very important in a relationship MINERS REFUSE TO WORK AFTER DEATH It is SOOOO hard to get reliable help LAWMEN FROM MEXICO BARBECUE GUESTS Want fries with that? NJ JUDGE TO RULE ON NUDE BEACH The bailiff should probably skip the "all rise..." part SQUAD HELPS DOG BITE VICTIM Animal rights gone wild or just an Animal Planet show gone bad? And the Journalism Award of the Month goes to this gem: WAR DIMS HOPE FOR PEACE A Jimmy Carter devotee no doubt Gotta go read the paper.

I'm Baaaaaack!

2009-09-13T22:06:00.005-04:00

I just finished a period of travel. I am now home for five weeks or so before I head out again. After Nashville for two days, Las Vegas for three days, and Atlanta for four days over the last four weeks, it is good to be home. The other good news is that the next trip I take (mid-October) is for ME! (or my wife and me) We are headed for Miami and the Bahamas on a cruise ship. Can't wait! This is just a collection of thoughts. Let's get this thing started: Friday was the 8th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. I saw some stories memorializing the events, and some speeches and such. That is good. There was also a noticeable lack of attention in my opinion. For all the cries of "Let's never forget!" and other such sentiments it is amazing to me those that have apparently forgotten what happened that day. I saw and see news stories every day about releasing "enemy combatants"(we can't call them terrorists any longer, it may offend their sensibilities), filing criminal charges against the CIA personnel that did the covert intelligence gathering to prevent other attacks, and generally vilifying anyone other than those that acted in, and supported the attacks. That is pathetic and sad. In most of our jobs, if we make a mistake we get reprimanded. If we mess up real bad we may get fired. How about a job where if you make a mistake (or have made one prior to getting up and running) you destroy the earth. I don't mean nuclear winter, or poisoning the water - I literally mean DESTROYING THE EARTH, as in "POOF" no more earth. In the interest of science - quantum mechanics to be exact - the European governments and various universities have designed and built the world's largest particle accelerator - the Large Hadron Collider being brought on line in France soon. This unit is the world's largest of what is commonly referred to as an "atom smasher". This unit is much, much larger than the largest now which is in the U.S. The unit will crash sub-atomic particles into one another at near the speed of light to break them down into the particles that make up these formally smallest particles. The search is on for the illusive Higgs boson as well as any other particle that would solve some lingering questions about how matter is held together. (I could go on about quarks, gluons, and more - I LOVE it! - but most find it boring, so I won't) The problem with this (or granted - potential problem) is that there are more than a few physicists that believe this large collider could open up a small black hole when cracking these particles. Now, small is misleading. A small dog is cute. A small hole in a sock can be ignored. Small can be OK, when talking about bad things. A small black hole however can destroy the earth. Again, not cause a problem that will poison us slowly; not create an issue for the scientists to work on; DESTROY the earth. (FYI, from my very limited knowledge I see this as a very, VERY, VERY slight potential problem) The scientists that are working on it say it is such a small statistical chance that is it almost non-existent - so they are going on and firing the machine up. Now for the point. The unit was to go on line last year. They had problems. Then is was fired up partially this year and they found problems with the cooling system and some other parts that caused the unit to "crash" before it could split an atom. When checking, the engineers found numerous problems that are being worked on. So, this large machine that has a potential of destroying the planet is a lemon. It is over budget, behind schedule, and requiring major repairs before it even gets going. I'm just saying... Lastly, my wife has started a web page or blog on Caring Bridge a site for patients and family of people with illnesses. I have referred to her in many posts here. You may want to get a feel for her illness from her perspective. She does not type well any longer as her motor skills are going and her tremors can be pretty bad - but I think you will get the gist. Here is a link to her site: http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/livingwithmsa Later - if we are still around.

Let's eat, and eat, and eat...

2009-08-23T08:05:00.003-04:00

As anyone with eyes can tell when walking around a mall or shopping center - America is populated by overweight people. Actually, we are an obese people. Now, I know there are those of you that work at it and actually are NOT fat. I know there are young people that are still obese-in-training. But, look around - we are a LARGE group of people. Although I have lost substantial weight over the past two years or so, it is a constant battle to keep all or even most of it off. I was mulling this over lately; and yesterday while we were strolling through an immense shrine to consumerism (Opry Mills mall), I had some thoughts as I was viewing the people strolling with us. First, no respectable mall is complete without a huge temple to caloric intake - the food court. This mall is no different, there is a huge space of tables and chairs flanked on one entire wall by a veritable cornucopia of gustatory delights (and not so delightful - who thinks of some of this stuff! - but that is another post) So, as we are paying homage to the gods of retail, we must stock up on calories. Heaven forbid that we should have to walk, look, and spend money for over an hour and not be able to buy bad Chinese-like food on a styrofoam plate! We shop, we eat. Food and eating LOTS of it has also ingrained itself into all parts of our social lives. What is a safe and acceptable first date? How about dinner (and maybe a movie - but that is not for this discussion either)? Maybe meet for lunch or a snack at the aforementioned food court? Casual encounter? - how about over coffee - which in the U.S. usually means coffee flavored sugar and cream with a muffin the size of a truck tire. Families are given food when another family member is sick or dies. After a funeral people gather and eat. Get married? - lets eat. Get engaged - bring out the cake. Promotion? - how about a dinner. Retire? - goodbye meal. Family gathering or reunion - the food preparations for this can take years of man (or woman) hours of planning a execution. Speaking of execution - scheduled for one later today - what would you like to eat? The last meal has taken the place of final words in most cases. In our family's case, for the meeting I was referring to in yesterday's post - I let my sister know we would be able to get together and one of the first things she offered up was a suggestion for a restaurant. The first night we were eating dinner and my mother, BEFORE we got our food was talking to me about lunch the next day. (I am not picking on you two, I just needed examples. Plus, you are fun to pick on ;)) When we are together we are usually planning meals, even if we are eating a meal at the time (gotta be prepared, we don't want to miss feeding time!) If we as a people were NOT huge, when you consider our food obsessed culture, it would be a miracle. Well, I gotta go - time to eat!!

A mind is a terrible thing - or mine is anyway...

2009-08-22T08:00:00.006-04:00

My wife and I are on a bit of a road trip. We travelled to Nashville, Tennessee yesterday to meet with family members. The trip consists of about six hours of actual drive time and then you add in the stops for various and sundry things. That gave me over seven hours of time to let my mind wander. My mind wandering is kind of like a three year old at the mall - flitting here and there and no knowing where he is going next. One of the things I was thinking about was writing a post about the trip, so I traversed hither and yon with different comments based on the journey and travel in general. You will have to trust me when I tell you some of it was GREAT - because I don't remember any of the details of it. We had our usual bathroom trials and tribulations, but I have done that. If you are not aware of what I am talking about -see this: http://justsomeposts.blogspot.com/2009/03/to-pee-or-not-to-pee-with-apologies-to.html People have, and do, think I am weird (correctly so, in most cases - but I digress). I sometimes make myself laugh with the thoughts I have. My mind goes off on tangents sometimes that amaze me. I can laugh because it is not a conscious thing I do. I have a part of my mind that is always working on a punch line. Thankfully, I do not verbalize a lot of the thoughts, because I would have been shot, jailed, or otherwise penalized many, MANY times in my life. This part of my brain is like the guy in school that always had a comment, out loud or under his breath, about every thing (which, thinking about it, was ME). Those particular synapses are firing off wise-crack after wise-crack to the other more civil part of my brain - constantly. One example of this (and one where I laughed out loud at the thought) was yesterday after about three or four hours of driving. I looked out and saw a van with markings on it for a "fenceless animal containment" service. Otherwise, one of those "invisible fence" things. The wise-acre in my mind started working on it. I won't bore you with the ten minutes of one liners; I just want to give you a small glimpse at the one that came out on top. How about a new "fenceless animal enclosure" that also helps the economy and can clean up the street a bit? You buy this system and you get four homeless guys with cattle prods! Have a big yard or a lot of animals, we have the deluxe system - add a former bank manager and a few out of work auto workers to the four homeless guys - give them all cattle prods and BINGO - coverage for the largest jobs. Your pet or livestock is secure, formerly unemployed types are productive, and no messy digging. Someday I know I will probably be on medication for this. Oh well...

Sorry, you're not real

2009-08-17T08:18:00.004-04:00

This will be short and sweet. I am amazed by the coverage of the detractors of the Obama/Government healthcare plan; both the hundreds and thousands of people that are showing up to the "town hall" meetings and the thousands and millions that are writing and calling their representatives in Congress. Two hundred or more people show up at a town hall meeting and vociferously protest the plan or ask for details and they are villified and ignored! The democrat response? "They don't represent America." "This is not a true representation of the true feelings of the American people." Wow... PETA,Greenpeace, or some other anti-conventional way of life organization can show up somewhere with six or seven protesters and they are covered as the lead story on the nightly newscasts! The leaders of these groups are interviewed and quoted as if theirs is the only voice and opinion that exists! I have NEVER heard any politician or newsperson state or even question if these groups are or are not a "true representation of how Americans feel." At this point I don't care how you feel about any of the issues. Write, call, or show up at a town hall meeting. Let our elected governement "representatives" and their sycophants in the media know how you feel. Let them know you are awake. They are NOT free to do whatever they want because you ARE paying attention. They are scared as hell. POWER TO THE PEOPLE!!

Check please!

2009-08-03T08:05:00.004-04:00

This is one that has been brewing in me for a while. You can hardly hear a discussion or debate about taxes nowadays without hearing someone talking about taxing the rich. Our problems would be over if we could just get those rich people to pay their taxes - right? I have done some research on who does and does not pay taxes in the U.S. Here are the results: I just saw this headline relating to 2007: Top 1% of income earners pay 40.4% of taxes. You got that? For the tax year of 2007 - the top 1% of taxpayers paid over 40% of the total income taxes. FYI - that is more than the lower 95% paid! 1% of the population paid more than 95% of the population. (the other roughly 20% of taxes were paid by the 4% from 95% - 99%. Now, these folks did earn over 22% of the income. (they are the highest 1% after all) But, even making 22.8% of the income, you wouldn't think would require them to pay over 40% of the taxes, would you? (another tidbit - to reach this top 1% level, you have to be a Warren Buffett or Bill Gates - right? Not really, the average income for the top 1% was $410,000 - a lot of money, but not millions) Now for some years that I have detailed figures for: (if you are still there) In 2005 top 1% - made 16.6% of the income - paid 33.7% of the taxes top 5% - made 31% of the income - paid 54.1% of the taxes top 10% - made 42.1% of the income - paid 65.8% of the taxes top 25% - made 64.7% of the income - paid 83.6% of the taxes top 50% - made 86.1% of the income - paid 96.4% of the taxes bottom 50% - made 13.9% of the income - paid 3.6% of the taxes Now, there are a lot of wealth distribution questions that can be raised by those figures, but that is not the point of this post. (in a true capatalistic market - it should not be the point of any discussion, but I digress) Another discussion that is made is how the Bush tax cuts gave breaks to the wealthy. These figures for 1995 (Clinton era - pre Bush) may surprise you: top 1% - made 14.6% of the income - paid 30.3% of the taxes top 5% - made 28.3% of the income - paid 48.9% of the taxes top 10% - made 40.8% of the income - paid 60.8% of the taxes top 25% - made 64.4% of the income - paid 80.4% of the taxes top 50% - made 85.5% of the income - paid 95.4% of the taxes bottom 50% - made 14.5% of the income - paid 4.6% of the taxes Oddly similar, huh? But this was BEFORE the rich got their tax cuts - how could that be? If any of you are still there - I may be the only one that finds this stuff interesting - here's more: I have heard the argument = "that is just income taxes, the rich don't pay income taxes; they get tax breaks" Here are figures for ALL taxes (sales, SS, captial gains, etc): top 1% - pay 28% of ALL taxes top 25% - pay 69% of ALL taxes (sorry, I did not write a year, but looking above it wouldn't have changed much anyway) Now, back to the tax cuts for the rich that let them off the hook - In 1980 the top tax rate was 70%. The top 5% of income earners paid 37% of taxes. compare that to the 2005 numbers where the tax rate was less than half of that! Regan cut the top rate to 28% in the 80s. Tax revenues WENT UP!! In 1981 the total income taxes collected were $517 billion (top rate 70%). In 1990, with the top tax rate at 28%, the taxes collected were $1.03 trillion. Almost a double tax revenue with over a 50% tax CUT. Lowering taxes increases revenue - every time it has been done, that has been the results. Raising taxes ultimately LOWERS revenue. That is why you should be VERY afraid of all the tax increases that are being discussed at the national and state levels. Now some final thoughts for you to remember - 1) the rich DO pay their share of taxes, and then some 2) corporations and business do NOT pay taxes - their customers and employees do 3) there is NO government money - just borrowed money or your tax dollars 4) borrowing your way to prosperity is not possible - neither is taxing your way there Discussions? fyi - except for the 2007 figures which are from a news story,the tax numbers are from the IRS website - you have to dig around a LOT - but they are there

Even More Headlines

2009-08-02T08:31:00.005-04:00

More wacky headlines. You can't convince me that journalism school is not worth it! Teenage girls often have babies fathered by men Hey, in movies sometimes they are fathered by aliens. Sex Education Delayed, Teachers Request Training with lots of homework, I would guess. Lung Cancer in Women Mushrooms this discovery only became possible after we found a guy that can determine the gender of mushrooms. Include Your Children when Baking Cookies chocolate chips and raisins are soooo overrated. Infertility unlikely to be passed on maybe the first headline isn't so dumb afterall. Work after Death there are some TOUGH bosses out there - no time off for death, you slacker! Child's death ruins couple's holiday hopefully it didn't rain too. Milk drinkers are turning to powder I think I've seen this movie. Court Rules Boxer Shorts Are Indeed Underwear I'm waiting for the ruling on the thong. Hospitals are Sued by 7 Foot Doctors I got basketball team lines, low doorway stuff, can't decide. Lack of brains hinders research maybe they should consider journalism? Two convicts evade noose, jury hung a swing and a miss. Safety Experts Say School Bus Passengers Should Be Belted I have been on a bus with a few of these. Man Run Over by Freight Train Dies I hope he doesn't think this will allow him to miss work! Smokers are productive, but death cuts efficiency hummm, maybe they will have to re-evaluate that work after death policy? Juvenile Court to Try Shooting Defendant then send him to work. Here's How You Can Lick A Doberman's Leg Sores film at 11. More later.

Now THAT is how it is done!!

2009-07-24T08:41:00.003-04:00

These folks are doing it like it should be done - in my opinion. If this does not at least make you smile - get a life! This says that it was requested that the link requires you to go to You Tube. FYI, it was not "requested" by me. I guess it is a You Tube thing. 7/28

Memorial Perspectives

2009-07-18T23:33:00.005-04:00

Hot title huh? I couldn't think of anything better. Hopefully it will seem OK after you read this. Another of today's amazing "things" is the ability to connect with people. My wife and I have discussed that back when we were in school, when the year was over and you said "goodbye" to most of the people; it was really goodbye. You would not see them or hear from them until the next school year started. Now, school age people expect, and get, instant contact with anyone they have a cell number for with a text. If for some reason they do not have a cell number, they can fall back to the ancient contact system known as email. With a text message, or even email, you can contact someone and not even know it they are in the same country. Even when I went off to college I remember writing letters (think back, it will come to you - stamps, envelopes...) to people. If I got a reply, it could be months and at best was weeks later. We had phones, but I was lead to believe that a long distance call would bankrupt a millionaire. It was many years until I had my own phone bill and saw the real damage. Of course , since I would have been using a pay phone (some of you may not remember these - shiny metal phones with coin slots that hung on the walls in various places for anyone to use) and would have needed what then WAS a small fortune in change, OR would have had to call someone that would accept a collect call. Believe it or not, this is not the point of this post. I was making a point about contact. We have email, text messages, and a LOT of social networking sites. I am not sure how many of you belong to one or more of these, but I bet it is a lot if you are my age or younger. We have Facebook, Classmates, Linkedin, Twitter, MySpace, and many many others. I belong to and use in varying degrees the first three. Due to these sites I have made at least a minimum contact with people I went to high school with. We have written on each other's wall in Facebook, or traded an email or two after contacting one another by any of the sites. It has been good to hear from people that in most cases I have not seen or heard from in over 35 years (that's over 100 dog years!!). Now for the real point of this post. I am constantly amazed when I read the remembrances of my old classmates and friends. Their memories and mine converge at a lot of points, but diverge at many more. They will say something like "remember 5th period English - we gave ole Mrs Whatsit hell, huh? Was that great or what?" Now I will rack my brain and usually remember ole Mrs Whatsit, but not much else. I definitely do NOT remember having much fun at school (recess in the early grades, maybe - after the bell rang, absolutely). After about the 5th grade, I HATED SCHOOL!! And high school - basically four of the worst years of my life!! Now I had my physical problems that made them especially rough. I had been raised to be an athlete. I was to be a football player. I dutifully went out there and gave it my all. I dislocated my shoulder in a drill two weeks before the first game in my freshman year. I was out for the season. The next year, I had my knee blown out in practice a week before the first game. After two operations, I was out for my career. I missed fifty days of my tenth grade year recovering from surgery and such and eighty one days my eleventh grade year. I spent six to eight weeks in a cast both years. I also had an alcoholic dad on the home front that was driving me crazy. So, I will admit I had some reasons to hate those years. However, people are always going on about how teachers changed their lives. I hear and read stories from former students of teachers that comment that the teacher was the reason for their great success or accomplishments. That is where perspective comes in. There was not a teacher that I had until college (and there were few there!) that I thought knew their butt from a hole in the ground. I absolutely despised them all. The idiotic rules and mindless drills going over useless crap!! I get so angry now that I am sure my blood pressure goes up to dangerous levels. I was told I would understand all this more when I was older. Well I am pretty damn old now and I still think it was a royal waste of my time! At least in most of my college courses I could read the book, study a bit, only go to class and take the tests, make my A and leave. Sitting a listening to the teacher go over the same junk that I had read in the book infuriated me. Why ask me to read the book if you are just going to repeat it? (I usually had read all my books cover to cover by the fourth week or so anyway) But, the line I hated the most in high school was "show your work". This was usually in math. I don't know how I did some of the math, it just came to me. If it was right, I never saw what difference it made. I can tell you in real life in the business world - I have NEVER been asked to show my work! Results are all that matters. I guess the teacher thought if you didn't do a page of computations there was no way that you could have the answer. I never liked being called a cheater. I am getting mad now just thinking about it. AHHHHHHHHRRRRRRGGGGGGG!! One teacher in particular that I am amazed to hear people comment positively about was our music teacher. From about the fourth grade I had this woman in church and at school. She was absolutely the WORST of all. She managed to take something I dearly love - singing - and make me hate it. Her idiotic nazi-ish rules and competitions we had to do were the bane of my existence. Again, it is especially troubling to me because music and singing are (I guess were, as I do not participate any longer) a great pleasure of mine. I still can be moved to tears, laughter, and/or get goose bumps listening to a piece of music. This drill sergeant of a woman almost ruined that for me. She did make me walk away from it for three years. I have never forgiven her for that. Years back I got a letter from some girl I did not know asking me for a donation for some award her former students were going to give her. My reply was - "You guys have WAY to much time on your hands." If I could have defecated in a bag and sent it, I would have. Anyway, the point was perspective - memorial perspective (ahh, tie in) I am amazed by the people that went to the same high school as me for the same four years that write me about how great it was. It was four years of pure hell. Dredging up selective memories of the good times AFTER school won't change that for me.

I am an American

2009-07-11T00:02:00.002-04:00

This was intended to be posted on July 4th - I blew it. Here it is anyway... I am an American. Like the majority of those living in this country, I was born here as were my parents and their parents. Like the great majority of those living in this country, my ancestors were not born here. A direct decendent on my paternal side immigrated here in 1789 from England. However, I am not an English-American or even a European-American. It bothers me to see people described (by self or others) as Irish-American, African-American, Asian-American, or any other hyphenated American. Hyphens do nothing but separate us from what we truly are: Americans. Like my father and his father before him; I speak English. In the not so distant past, every immigrant that came to this country learned to speak English. It was a point of pride for them to master one of the most difficult of languages. Since this was (and is marginally still) an English speaking country it was expected and usually accomplished relatively quickly. Expectation and hard work made it so. To immigrate to this country was, and is, a desire that burns brightly in the hearts of people worldwide. However, it seems now that it is expected by some that we should welcome their "diversity" in language and culture at the expense of our own. Merriam-Webster defines diversity as: 1: the condition of being diverse : variety ; especially : the inclusion of diverse people (as people of different races or cultures) in a group or organization. Inclusion does not mean domination or extinction. One could make the argument that diversity by its very definition requires the original to remain as a part of the whole. As I said above, my ancestors immigrated here. They came by accepted means and according to the laws of the land. It makes me very angry when I see the illegal aliens in this country called an "immigration" problem. I have said before - calling the illegal alien issue an immigration problem is like calling bank robbery a withdrawal problem. We have a very serious and growing problem in this country of providing and maintaining social services for our citizens. When these services are offered to and overwhelmed by illegals, it makes the problem that much greater. We must address the problem of illegals in our country. It is one of the defined constitutional responsibilties of our government to secure our borders. The government has failed at that responsibility. Amnesty is not the answer when solving a bank theft spree. Nor is it the answer to our illegal alien problem. People must be required to follow the laws of the land when it comes to becoming a citizen. We also must stop now in providing social services and any medical care beyond that which is needed to save a life to illegals. The United States of America has a great heritage in its two hundred and thirty plus year history of offering freedom, liberty, protection, defense, and support of all kinds to the people of the world. A large portion of the world owes any freedoms and liberties it has to the armed forces and the diplomatic minions of the U.S.A. Americans have helped to free and rebuild Europe twice. We have helped free those behind the Iron Curtain. Most recently we have brought the light of freedom to the Middle East. American might has not been used for building an empire. We freed these countries and turned them back over to the indiginous people, while providing the funds necessary for rebuilding. It sickens me to see and hear cries of "Imperialism" from detractors of the U.S. That claim is ridiculous when history is reviewed. The U.S. has won in battle or by diplomacy; Japan, Germany, Italy, France, the Philippines, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Cuba, Grenada, Panama, and more. Did we add them to our country? No, they were all returned to their people who in some cases still decided the U.S.A. was the evil empire. The United States of America is a beacon of freedom and light for all the world. We offer support, hope, and ideals of life that are envied by a large portion of the world. Proudly I say, I am an American.

Latest Headline in the news

2009-07-04T08:17:00.002-04:00

Too good not to share: Two Mexican Midget Wrestlers Killed by Fake Prostitutes AP Friday, July 03, 2009 The headline is the story.

I don't wanna work, I just wanna bang on de drum all day

2009-07-02T08:03:00.003-04:00

We all could probably use a laugh or two. These folks are going to have to wait for the unemployment numbers go down to get a job...WAAAY down! Hiring managers shared these 43 memorable interview responses: Why did you leave your last job? 1. "I have a problem with authority." - Carrie Rocha, COO of HousingLink Tell us about a problem you had with a co-worker and how you resolved it. "The resolution was we were both fired."- Jason Shindler, CEO, Curvine Web Solutions What kind of computer software have you used? "Computers? Are those the black boxes that sit on the floor next to the desks? My boss has one of those. He uses it. I don't have one. He just gives me my schedule and I follow it." - Greg Szymanski, director of human resources, Geonerco Management, Inc What are your hobbies and interests? [He said] 'Well, as you can see, I'm a young, virile man and I'm single -- if you ladies know what I'm saying.' Then he looked at one of the fair-haired board members and said, 'I particularly like blondes.'" - Petri R.J. Darby, president, darbyDarnit Public Relations Why should we hire you? . "I would be a great asset to the events team because I party all the time." - Bill McGowan, founder, Clarity Media Group Do you have any questions? "Cross dressing isn't a problem is it?" - Barry Maher, Barry Maher & Associates "If you were a fruit, what fruit would you be?" - Megan Garnett, Articulate Leadership Team, Articulate Communications Inc. "What do you want me to do if I cannot walk to work if it's raining? Can you pick me up?" - Christine Pechstein, career coach "I was a Chamber of Commerce Executive once hiring a secretary. [The candidate asked] 'What does a Chamber of Commerce do?'" - Mary Kurek, Mary Kurek, Inc. Visibility Consulting "Can we wrap this up fairly quickly? I have someplace I have to go." - Bruce Campbell, vice president of marketing, Clare Computer Solutions "What is your company's policy on Monday absences?" - Campbell "If this doesn't work out can I call you to go out sometime?" - Christine Bolzan, founder of Graduate Career Coaching "How big do the bonuses really get once you make associate? I hear it's some serious cash." - Bolzan "[The candidate asked,] 'Can my dad call you to talk about the job and the training program? He is really upset I'm not going to medical school and wants someone to explain the Wall Street path to him.' The dad did call. Then that dad's friends called and I ended up doing a conference call with a group of concerned parents ... long story." - Bolzan "If I get an offer, how long do I have before I have to take the drug test?" - Bolzan "When you do background checks on candidates, do things like public drunkenness arrests come up?" - Bolzan "Can I get a tour of the breast pumping room? I heard you have a great one here and while I don't plan on having children for at least 10 or 12 years, I will definitely breast feed and would want to use that room."- Bolzan "So, how much do they pay you for doing these interviews?" - Jodi R.R. Smith, Mannersmith Etiquette Consulting Why are you leaving your current job? "Because I (expletive) my pants every time I enter the building." - Abbe Mortimore, Human Resources Manager, True Textiles, Inc. "I was fired from my last job because they were forcing me to attend anger management classes." - Smith Why are you looking for a job? "Cigarettes are getting more expensive, so I need another job." - Pechstein "My parents told me I need to get a job so that is why I'm here." - McGowan Why do you want to work for us? "Just for the benefits." - Jennifer Juergens, JJ Communications "My old boss didn't like me, so one day, I just left and never came back. And here I am!" - Matt Cowall, communications manager, Appia Communications "I saw the job posted on Twitter and thought, why not?" - Rebecca Gertsmark Oren, Communications Director at The Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity What are your assets? (as in strengths) "Well, I do own a bike." - Pam Venné, principal, The Venné Group What are your weaknesses? "I get angry easily and I went to jail for domestic violence. But I won't get mad at you." - Pechstein "I had a job candidate tell me that she often oversleeps and has trouble getting out of bed in the morning." - Linda Yaffe, certified executive coach "I am an alcoholic and do not deserve this job." - Deb Bailey, owner, Power Women Magazine & Radio Show "I'm really not a big learner. You know ... some people love learning and are always picking up new things, but that's just not me. I'd much rather work at a place where the job is pretty stagnant and doesn't change a lot." - Michaele Charles, Voice Communications When have you demonstrated leadership skills? "Well my best example would be in the world of online video gaming. I pretty much run the show; it takes a lot to do that." - Rachel Croce Is there anything else I should know about you? "You should probably know I mud wrestle on the weekends." - Venne When can you start? "I need to check with my mom on that one." - Bolzan Use three adjectives to describe yourself "I hate questions like this." - Katrina Meistering, manager of outreach, National Fatherhood Initiative Tell of a time you made a mistake and how you dealt with it. "I stole some equipment from my old job, and I had to pay for its replacement." - Meistering Have you submitted your two weeks' notice to your current employer? "What is two weeks' notice? I've never quit a job before, I've always been fired." - Meistering Random responses. "One guy [said] 'it would probably be best' if I didn't run a background check on him. Of course, I did, and learned all about his long, sordid past of law-breaking. Our client actually offered him a job as a staff accountant, but quickly retracted the offer when I had to tell them all about his recent arrest for a meth lab in his basement." - Charles "[A] guy said he did not have a mailing address, as he was living in a gypsy camp at the airport." - Sandra L. Flippo, SPHR "I went into the lobby to pick up a candidate. As he stood up, his trousers fell to the floor! [He said] 'Oh, my gosh -- they told me I needed a suit for the interview. I've got no money -- so I borrowed this thing. It's too big!'" - Beth Ross, executive and career coach "Wow -- I'm not used to wearing dress shoes! My feet are killing me. Can I show you these bloody blisters?" - Bolzan "May I have a cup of coffee? I think I may still be a little drunk from last night." - Smith (During a telephone call to schedule the interview) "Can we meet next month? I am currently incarcerated." - Smith "[A candidate] was asked whether he could advocate impartially on behalf of the various universities he would be representing since he had attended one of them. He responded, 'Well, I don't like to poop where I eat, but I thought my education sucked, so I certainly wouldn't put that school above the others.'" - Darby Have a great July 4th weekend!

Is it warm in here, or is it just YOU!?!

2009-07-01T08:03:00.004-04:00

With the US House of Representatives already stamping their approval on a massive "Global Warming" bill and the Senate getting ready to address the same, I thought I had better do a blog on said "Global Warming". I got to looking around and found I had addressed it quite adequately (IMHO) earlier - see: http://justsomeposts.blogspot.com/2007_11_17_archive.html and http://justsomeposts.blogspot.com/2009/03/warning.html and http://justsomeposts.blogspot.com/2009/02/arent-penguins-lovely-this-year.html Then go here. This is a page from the official site of the US Senate's Environmental subcommittee. Enlightening to say the least. http://epw.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=Minority.Blogs&ContentRecord_id=2158072E-802A-23AD-45F0-274616DB87E6 Also, there is a site online that addresses a petition asking the US Government to recognize that "global warming" is NOT a theory that is held in consensus by scientists. 31,478 American scientists have signed this petition,including 9,029 with PhDs. You can visit this site here: http://www.oism.org/pproject/ Man-made global warming is B.S. It is a pure fabrication by wackos and thieves that want to control your wallet, and your life to the nth degree. Contact your elected officials and tell them to STOP putting our way of life on the line for this junk "science".

Politics Explained

2009-06-28T21:47:00.003-04:00

This is borrowed from many websites - (with minor adjustments by me) Politics Explained FEUDALISM: You have two cows. Your lord takes most of the milk. PURE SOCIALISM: You have two cows. The government takes them and puts them in a barn with everyone else's cows. You have to take care of all of the cows. The government gives you exactly as much milk as you need. BUREAUCRATIC SOCIALISM: You have two cows. The government takes them and put them in a barn with everyone else's cows. They are cared for by ex-chicken farmers. You have to take care of the chickens the government took from the chicken farmers. The government gives you as much milk and eggs as the regulations say you need. FASCISM: You have two cows. The government takes both, hires you to take care of them and sells you the milk at "market" prices. PURE COMMUNISM: You have two cows. Your neighbors help you take care of them, and you all share the milk. RUSSIAN COMMUNISM: You have two cows. You have to take care of them, but the government takes all the milk. The five year plan calls for you to have six cows. CAMBODIAN COMMUNISM: You have two cows. The government takes both of them and shoots you. DICTATORSHIP: You have two cows. The government takes both and drafts you. PURE DEMOCRACY: You have two cows. You and your neighbors decide who gets the milk. REPRESENTATIVE DEMOCRACY: You have two cows. You and your neighbors pick someone to tell you who gets the milk. BUREAUCRACY: You have two cows. At first the government regulates what you can feed them and when you can milk them. Then it pays you not to milk them. Then it takes both, shoots one, milks the other and pours the milk down the drain. Then it requires you to fill out forms accounting for the missing cows. LIBERTARIANISM: You have two cows. The government doesn't care. PURE ANARCHY: You have two cows. Either you sell the milk at a fair price or your neighbors try to take the cows and kill you. LIBERTARIAN/ANARCHO-CAPITALISM: You have two cows. You sell one and buy a bull. SURREALISM: You have two groundhogs. The government requires you to make pizzas . CURRENT STATE OF U.S. POLITICS: You have two cows. With the taxes on the farm, taxes on the income from the milk, the myriad regulations requiring you to document every breath you and your cows make; you barbeque the cows.

Now for the News - more weirdly worded headlines

2009-06-25T22:27:00.004-04:00

Maybe none of you like this stuff, but I think it is HILARIOUS!! Here we go: (all supposed to be real headlines) Typhoon Rips Through Cemetery; Hundreds Dead Those reporters don't miss a thing do they? Joint Committee Investigates Marijuana Use And then they head to the convenience store . Prostitutes Appeal to Pope Hey, he IS just a man! Enraged Cow Injures Farmer With Ax I have explained before - NEVER give tools and/or implements to an animal! Tiger Woods plays with own balls, Nike says Too many options here, talk among yourselves. Man Struck By Lightning Faces Battery Charge They call him "Bunny" now. (think about it) Blind woman gets new kidney from dad she hasn't seen in years These are too easy!! Two Sisters Reunited After 18 Years at Checkout Counter Had to be a K-Mart, I have done half that at a K-mart myself. Local High School Dropouts Cut in Half Then they pulled rabbits out of their hats. Iraqi Head Seeks Arms Would Saddam have allowed this? I think not. Astronaut Takes Blame for Gas in Spacecraft You know what they say - "the smeller's the feller". And finally, a headline that made some journalism professor and parents soooooo proud: If Strike Isn't Settled Quickly, It May Last a While no comment Stay tuned for more (and I'm feeling a rant on the state of affairs in our great nation as well)

I now pronounce you..HOT! Part 2

2009-06-23T07:42:00.004-04:00

If you have not done so, the correct way to do this is to read part 1 first. See below.. I was discussing the heat and the fact I was in a suit. 95 degrees may not seem like that big a problem to those not trying to live in it. Take my word, it is HOT, especially when dressed for much cooler weather and spending time in a building with no A/C. My son and I arrived with the portable A/Cs about 3:00 as planned. I had asked said son to stop and pick up two plug adapters due to the fact that I did not remember seeing ground plug holes on the outlets when we inspected the building earlier in the week. Of course, he did not. So we arrived at the chapel and unloaded the A/Cs and saw - the plugs would not work. He headed for the store and I started to place and prepare the A/Cs. It is now 3:45, my son is not back, the A/Cs are placed but have not been checked, airflow aimed, or even verified to work as I have no way to plug them in. A quick call determines he is almost back. A few moments later, after application of the plug adapters we have one A/C functioning - backwards. Without a way of testing the air flow, what I had assumed to be the exhaust was actually the cold air outlet which was blowing the cooled air out the window. We quickly changed plans, relocated the units, ran the tubing in the proper directions and fired them up. Now, remember my other job - transporting my daughter (the bride) to the chapel. As we were to walk down the aisle together, that made perfect sense. The service would not start without either of us (or the Groom, or the preacher - more in a moment). So, I sent a quick text telling her I should make it, but it would be tight. The A/Cs were blowing, the flowers were in the chapel, cousins were there doing preparation - it was AFTER 4:00!! I had to go. Remember I said the chapel was located in a park about 15 to 20 minutes away from my home. I was, appearance wise, as you would expect a man to be after working with two large appliances in an un-airconditioned building. A shower was definitely in order. So, we headed home to clean flowing water, shampoo, and soap; as well as fresh clothing. It was now 4:15 - remember, we were scheduled to walk at 5:00. No problem - for Superman or the Flash. Now, I will admit - I was out of contact with the female masses. I am sure they had their own gremlins to battle. I do not know what exactly was occurring in their part of the preparations, I only know that later it was all done and they were all at the chapel on time. I cannot write that side of the story. Here is the continuation of mine. We made it home about 4:30. The mother of the bride (my wife), her mom, one of my daughters and her husband, and another daughter were loading up and heading to the chapel. They told me that my daughter - bride to be, had headed out with another sister to the chapel; unwilling to wait for me. I, looking like a refugee from a shipwreck passed them at a gallop for the shower. Avoiding the details, I was back out the door, in my suit, at 4:45 or so. No gremlins had attacked in my preparation. Weird! Nice, but weird. I was now headed back to the chapel. Remember, it is a 15 to 20 minute trip and I had to start the walk in less than 15 minutes. No problem. Being a responsible driver and a stickler for safety, I obeyed all traffic laws. No, really! OK, most traffic laws. OK, some traffic laws. But, I digress. Did I mention that the park has a parking/use fee. Now as part of the use of the chapel we were to avoid the parking fee. There is a little gate with a retired Nazi SS officer in it just outside the area I needed to be. I just knew I was going to have a problem as I did not have my wallet, nor invitation, nor parking pass. I figured when I got to the gate, Fritz would have a gremlin on his shoulder and a machine gun in his hand. Amazingly, he let me through without so much as a "Heil Hitler". Little did I know the gremlins had all massed at the chapel. They were doing nothing but leading me into their trap. I got a call from a daughter that was attending to my nearly hysterical daughter/bride to be asking where I was - as it was now 5:01. I told her I was on the road to the chapel and would arrive in two minutes or less. She said good, but the preacher was not there. Now my time-addled brain did not register the seriousness of that statement. As I said above - the ceremony would not start without the bride, the groom, me, and THE PREACHER; three out of four would not work. In fact, legally - I was the only one of the four that could miss it. So, I continued on towards the chapel with a faint gremlin laugh echoing in my ears. One of my requirements in dress for this wedding was to wear an orange tie. Now being a responsible adult, I did not own an orange tie. My bride to be daughter was to get me one. I had asked on the previously mentioned phone call if she had it. She did, and I grabbed it as I rode by and headed to park and apply said orange tie. I noticed as I went by that the doors to the chapel were open, and numerous people were milling about. Huh! After application of the orange neckwear, I walked up towards the chapel. I then noticed with my keen powers of observation that the people that were milling looked a bit wilted. Some looked downright wet! I now heard a full fledged gremlin cackle. As I approached I was told that the preacher was not here yet, and the A/C had quit. People were sitting in this chapel with the windows closed, no A/C and it was 95+ degrees. It seemed that shortly after we left the chapel, the fuse/circuit breaker that was designed for an historic building with no A/C had tripped. This took out the lights, ceiling fans, and the portable A/Cs. It was about 500 degrees in the chapel give or take 100 degrees. I suggested they open the windows. As I glanced in some windows it was like looking through the portholes of a sinking ship. I have never seen such widespread despair. All hairdos were wilted. All the attendees were coated with a sheen of sweat like a race horse after a good run. Some appeared to have showered, with their clothes on. My bride to be daughter was being attended to by another daughter. She was nearly hysterical. About that time the preacher called again and said he needed another hour. Now, it was about 5:10 and the preacher needed another hour. NOT GOOD! The gremlins were cheering and laughing so loud I could not hear myself think. If the drowned rats in the chapel and milling about in the yard had heard the call, they would have mutinied. As it turned out, one of the attendees husbands was a minister fully licensed in NC. After being asked he graciously agreed to do the ceremony. Other than being as hot as an oven, it was a lovely service. As I stated at the beginning, my daughter is legally married and all is well. After some fluid replacement for most of the attendees - they were all well too.

I will end now with a tip of the hat to the gremlins - well played.

I now pronounce you...Hot! - Part 1

2009-06-22T07:48:00.005-04:00

This was another weekend with an event - another of my daughters got married on Saturday. It ended up being nice, and she is legally married (we are told); so all is well. It did not look like that would happen at a few points however. (squiggly lines and blurring occur now as we flashback in time)~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ First to set the stage, lets fill out the scorecard. There was a gaggle of females - sisters of the bride, cousins' of the bride wives and significant others, aunts, grandmas, assorted other females that don't fit any of these categories, and a mother of the bride. That amount of estrogen in one place can only lead to heartache and misery. There were males, but except for me they all seemed to have hidden, like the desert wildlife from the noon sun. There was also no organization. (of course in my testosterone-fueled brain it appears to me that organizing a gaggle of females is a bit like herding cats or maybe mealy bugs... but I digress) Now, most of the "stuff" had been done, arranged, and/or accounted for. However, there is no preparation for - the event gremlins. These little mischief makers are forever waiting in the wings with failed plans and broken dreams. They swoop down upon the unsuspecting (or even those anticipating them, such as myself) and tear the life's breath from the best laid plans. If you happen to not have a well orchestrated and documented plan - that is like fuel on their fire! Let the games begin. Begin they did. My daughter that was getting married has always had a "flair for the dramatic" (polite way of saying she loses it when under pressure, or imagined pressure - sorry babe) She was in tears by early morning on the phone to my wife because she did not see it all coming together. There were fans to assemble (paper fans given as favors and to help with the heat - more to come), flower petals to put into bags (it just ain't a wedding without bagged flower petals!), there was an upcoming makeup and hair session that was quickly approaching, the music was still up in the air as a last minute reassignment of that responsibility had been "gremlinized", and a host of other things that just promised to wreck the whole thing if a task force was not assigned to them. This is where the army of females rushed into action. We had a sister go to the bride to be and work with her (and helping her off the floor where she was lying weeping in despair), we had an aunt go to the drug store for calming herbs and to offer support and manpower (or woman-power) to take care of the tasks that needed doing, we had CD buying, and many other tasks being vanquished by the sheer application of estrogen (or just the threat thereof). Any unassigned females just took up a gnashing of teeth and participated in a general twittering (not the internet kind) that smote the gremlins where they lived.... or so we thought. My tasks were assigned, accepted, and a plan was in place for their completion. Little did I know a gremlin had been specifically assigned to my tasks as well. One of my sons and I were to take two portable air conditioners to the chapel and get them working to cool down the building where the wedding was to occur. We were told we could not get into the building until 3:00pm (with the wedding scheduled at 5:00pm), but we saw no problem with that if all went well. "If all went well..", words that gremlins feed on (more to come). I also had to pick up the bride (after getting suitably suited up of course) and deliver her and myself to the chapel to "walk the walk". Now, some explanation of logistics are in order. The chapel my daughter selected is an old Methodist church that was built in 1809 - 200 years ago, for those of you with weak math skills. It is a great old building, but it is an OLD building that has been historically restored to it's 1809 conditions except for the addition of electricity. It is located about 15 - 20 minutes away from where most of the attendees live, if all is well (this comes into play shortly). It sits on a ridge overlooking the Yadkin river valley in Tanglewood park. It is a picturesque setting and view, a lovely place for a wedding. Did I mention it was built in 1809? PRE-Air conditioning? (pre-almost anything we take for granted as far as everyday comforts - but I digress) Did you know that Saturday was the HOTTEST day of the year so far!! We here in Forsyth county North Carolina, do not have a whole lot of days over 90. There are even fewer over 95. Can you say RECORD HEAT!! We hit 95 or more Saturday; and I got to wear a suit! (it was a casual wedding, due to the rustic conditions of the chapel and the no A/C thing, but not for the bride, the groom, and ME) Stay tuned for more.

I'm not crazy. The voices in my head said so!

2009-06-14T23:21:00.004-04:00

Yesterday I attended a high school graduation. This event was special not just because one of my children was graduating, but because she is the LAST of my SIX children to graduate. Now, I have gone to all my children's graduations even though I think they are a particularly stupid social ceremony. Although I appreciate that a person has made it through high school; by the same token - it is just high school. A subject for another post maybe is adults that don't seem to be able to let go of high school - but I digress. I am proud of my daughter for her accomplishment. I am more proud of the fact that she has become a pretty decent person on her way to what I hope will be an even better adult, able to make a positive contribution to this world. Now for the point of all this... In evaluating my feelings about the graduation, I was thinking about the fact that I have been to six - for MY kids. Our first graduated before our last started school. So I started doing some math. (I actually did a spreadsheet, so maybe I am a bit weirder than I even let on) Here are some facts: My wife and I have had at least one teenager in our household for the last 19 years! AND, we have most of two years to go until we are done with them. 21 years of teenagers - I hear people complain about their one or two and just laugh. Even more astonishing is the fact that we have had at least two teenagers in our households for 16 of those years! AND, to top it all off, for 11 years we had three teenagers in our household. Reread those numbers and show some RESPECT! As for high school students - (remember that is only a three or four year proposition as opposed to teenager-dom which is part of eight) we have had at least one for the past 16 years! We had at least two for six years. Do you know how many practices, concerts, performances, games, open houses, etc that represents? 16 years of high school is over 100 dog years! Woof, woof. If you have read, or care to go back and read earlier posts you will come upon some that are a bit strange. If you factor in the above numbers, it is a wonder any of them are not! Seriously!! But I gotta go, my invisible friend has to feed his pet anaconda. NOTE: if you only read occassionaly - this is one of several posts over the past few days - keep reading