JUST SOME POSTS

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...

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 la...

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 ...

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...

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 afte...

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

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, ask...

Here's something to play around with. http://www.thebluesmaker.com/ Enjoy.

You gotta love this! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7B2LPxggvqY&feature=player_embedded Watch for at least 30 seconds.

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 ...

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...

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!

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 ...

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 ...

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.

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 mar...

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...

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 ...

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!!

What is the world coming to!?! Chicken Costumes Banned at Nevada Polling Places Associated Press There goes my Tuesday.

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.

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!

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.

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 dise...

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, oth...

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??)

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 i...

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.

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...

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 ...

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!

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 juri...

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.

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 ...

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...

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 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.

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.

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 th...

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.

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

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 tr...

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 lugga...

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