JUST SOME POSTS

"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!

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?

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

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...

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.

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 great...

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 b...

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...

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 ...

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 Go...

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 inher...

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.

"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 ...

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 pap...

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), f...

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 p...

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 m...

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 questio...

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% leve...

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 b...

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

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 ...

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...

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

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.'...

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...

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...

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 ...

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 l...

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...

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 ...

I just wanted to send a shout out to my readers all over the world! According to my visitor tracker, in addition to many places in the USA, I have had at least one hit from Korea, Bulgaria, Russia, and Finland. The title of this blog is "Hello" (or Hi) in Korean, Finnish, Russian, and Bulgarian respectively. Welcome aboard. Comments are welcomed. Thanks! 고맙습니다! kiitos! спасибо! благодаря! KEEP READING - ALTHOUGH THIS IS AN IMPORTANT POST - IT IS THE SECOND OF THE DAY. READ ON 1

I love learning and knowledge. I love weird facts. I just came across one that qualifies as one of the weirdest and coolest I have ever read. Read on... The microscopic parasite Toxoplasma gondii has an interesting effect when it infects rats and mice - it makes them become unafraid of cats. This is pretty helpful to the Toxoplasma , which can only sexually reproduce if its host is eaten by a cat. Is that awesome or what?!? This parasite can only reproduce in the intestinal tract of felines (cats). It can be carried by any warm blooded creature. If it is present in a rat or mouse, one of the side effects of the parasite is to form vacuoles which become cysts in the brains of the host. In rats and mice those cysts cause some sort of chemical reaction that cause the rats/mice to lose their fear of cats. Here is one citation of the phenomenon - T. gondii infections have the ability to change the behavior of rats and mice, making them drawn to rather than fearful of the scent of ca...

If you have read most of these posts you have seen quite a few rants about my concern over the societal changes in perspective and definitions of what to me seems to be common ideas. "Global Warming" and environmentalism are two (or two sides of the same coin) that come to mind. Like I have said - if you repeat a lie enough times, people start to believe it. I won't go off on that subject today, however - read some old posts if you don't know where I stand. I have some comments on freedom and liberty, especially as it concerns the free market economy. We, as Americans, are granted liberty and certain freedoms by our constitution. Our country was founded by people that were fed up with religious and political persecution. The original colonists in no small numbers were Christians from protestant sects that were not allowed to practice their beliefs due to state sponsored religion in the countries and/or regions they came from. Our country also was founded by people ...

Why I could not be an attorney... Following is a portion of a news story. The last line is an example of why I could not be an attorney. AUSTIN, Texas — A woman in Texas has been accused of repeatedly smearing human waste on her 3-year-old daughter's intravenous feeding line, potentially causing life-threatening infections. Emily Beth McDonald, 23, of Austin, was charged with felony injury to a child. She faces up to life in prison if convicted. According to an arrest affidavit, a surveillance video at Dell Children's Medical Center captured McDonald on Sunday placing feces from a soiled diaper on the cap of a tube with a direct link to her child's bloodstream. According to the affidavit, police interviewed McDonald, who allegedly confessed and said she knew that her actions could make the child severely ill and possibly even kill her. No motive was disclosed. McDonald was released on a $100,000 bond Wednesday. The Austin American-Statesman reported she must wear an ele...

How does it feel to own a car company (or two)? GM is ours (at least nominally) as is Chrysler, at least for a little while. The good news is we only paid 50 - 60 billion for them. And what gets better from there is, we are now "selling" the only valuable parts of Chrysler to Fiat. Then the plan is to give (for a nominal investment in operating capital) most of the value of GM to Magna (a large parts supplier from Canada) and a Russian banking/investment firm. The auto workers union gets another large chunk; and the US and Canadian government get most of the rest. If, and that is a BIG IF, GM (and the new owners) gets what is left turned around and makes money, we (the US government part) gets a return. Whoopee! After the money we paid in "bailouts' prior to the bankruptcy, and the unseen fallout that will occur after the bankruptcy (layoffs and closures from suppliers, dealers, etc) it would have been cheaper to buy the three million cars that sales were off and gi...