May 31, 2006
GOOD BYE KATIE . . . SEE YOU ON CBS
QUICK STAT
NUMBER 1 ON BILLBOARD
I got my copy yesterday of "Taking The Long Way" and even though "SOME" Country music fans have deserted them, the Dixie Chicks still remain on top.
Nice job gals.
CAN YOU AFFORD TO RETIRE - Part 2 of 6
In today's segment you'll see how one company, United Airlines used the Bankruptcy laws to get rid of it's retirement obligation by dumping it on the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC).
It shows how the Company duped it's employees into this deal while at the same time taking very good care of it's CEO.
>An obvious law should be that if a company setup retirement plans then they are obligated to fund that plan. Don't hold your breath that congress will pass such a law.
@ @ Watch the VIDEO @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @Can you retire part 2-6. <----( watch the video here )
SAVE THE INTERNET - Part 2 of 5
By ADAM COHEN - The New York Times
The Web, which Sir Tim invented as a scientist at CERN, the European
nuclear physics institute, is often confused with the Internet. But like
e-mail, the Web runs over the system of interconnected computer networks
known as the Internet. Sir Tim created the Web in a decentralized way that
allowed anyone with a computer to connect to it and begin receiving and
sending information.
That open architecture is what has allowed for the extraordinary growth of
Internet commerce and communication. Pierre Omidyar, a small-time
programmer working out of his home office, was able to set up an online
auction site that anyone in the world could reach - which became eBay. The
blogging phenomenon is possible because individuals can create Web sites
with the World Wide Web prefix, www, that can be seen by anyone with
Internet access.
Last year, the chief executive of what is now AT&T sent shock waves
through cyberspace when he asked why Web sites should be able to "use my
pipes free." Internet service providers would like to be able to charge Web
sites for access to their customers. Web sites that could not pay the new
fees would be accessible at a slower speed, or perhaps not be accessible at
all.
Save the Internet site. <----( click here to go to the site )
NO GOOD NEWS
The image tells the tail about what the news Journalists have done over the years during war. But the Iraq war has been especially hard.
Do you remember back in March when Laura Ingraham went on a RANT about how the media was reporting the news and she knew what they should be doing to report the GOOD NEWS.
Well I do too. Back in March 22nd and 23rd I BLOGED about it and with the events of the CBS crew that was recently injured and killed I thought it appropriate to show just how wrong she was than and still is today.
------>NEW IRAQ STRATEGY RELEASED: BLAME THE MEDIA
I didn't see the Today show this morning but it sounds like Laura Ingraham decided today was as good a day as any to stick her foot in her mouth.
Here is what Rep. John Conyers had to say about it in The Huffington Post
Every once in a while you see something on the network morning shows that makes you spit out your milk. This morning, on NBC's Today show, White House correspondent David Gregory, apparently subbing for Matt Lauer, opened a segment entitled: "Are Americans Getting a Fair Picture of What is Happening in Iraq."
Putting aside the ridiculousness of that question itself, the panel to discuss it consisted of James Carville and conservative pundit Laura Ingraham. Apparently having a short memory, Ingraham proceeded to blame the media's cowardice for low public opinion of the war. The following is a rough transcription of some of the things she said:
"I think. . .with all the resources of NBC, the Today Show spends all this money to cover the Olympics. . .all this money on where in the world is matt lauer. . .bring the today show to Iraq. . .when you see the villagers, talk to the children, then I want NBC to (not) report only on the IED's, only on the killings. . .instead of reporting from hotel balconies about the latest IEDs going off."
So the problem is that reporters are stuck in the luxury of their Baghdad hotels (which only have power a few hours a day)?
Tell that to David Bloom. Sometimes he hosted the Today Show in Matt Lauer's stead, but he does not any longer. He died in Iraq. He did not die from the inherent dangers of the conflict, but from a pulmonary embolism, having spent his last days reporting the news embedded with troops in conflict.
Tell that to Bob Woodruff and Doug Vogt. The ABC anchor and his camerman were both seriously injured by one of those IED's Laura Ingraham belittles.
Tell that to Jill Carroll, a freelancer for the Christian Science Monitor, kidnapped and still missing in Iraq.
The point is not that journalists are immune from criticism. The point is that the criticism should be grounded in reality.
Just because they choose to report what is really going on, that Iraq is in a civil war (a reality echoed by its former Prime Minister -- who I think knows a bit more about his country than Ingraham), should not make them targets for Ingraham's attacks. They regrettably already are targets in Iraq.
@ @ Watch the VIDEO @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @Click to watch. <----( watch the video here )
PROGRESS AND GOOD NEWS IN IRAQ
So Laura Ingraham thinks the media doesn't show the good news and the progress that we are making in Iraq. She seems to think that since she went over there a few weeks ago she is now the expert on all things Iraqi. What she didn't say is how FREE she was to visit all these sites that have made this progress.
Tonight on Countdown Keith Olbermann did a segment on this SHOOT THE MESSENGER CRAP that Laura Ingraham is putting out. There was a short little piece that he did, He was dead serious and I felt he was angry.
@ @ Watch the VIDEO @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @
He said her comments were unforgivable, desperate and stupid.
<----( watch the video here )@ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @
I find it funny that the ones that are yelling the loudest that the media is not showing the GOOD NEWS in Iraq are the ones that tend to focus on sex and crime type stories here in America. They don't seem to be running any GOOD TIME STORIES about the U.S. That would be FOXNEWS.
They have explored every aspect of Natalee Holloway the girl that disappeared in Aruba. At it's height FoxNews feature hourly updates on the status of the investigation. They interview family members, law enforcement personnel, and representatives of the Aruban government.
FOX NEWS: Dole pictured with Iraq violence
In a weird juxtaposition of images, FOX News was interviewing Bob Dole to push the idea that the media isn't reporting any good news out of Iraq with their FOX Fact saying " Iraq: A New Era"-while showing video of violence right next to "good old" Bob.
Are they just clueless or do they believe that the criticism they want to put out doesn't apply to FOXNEWS since they are so FAIR and BALANCED.
You and I know the real reason they give BAD NEWS so much attention is because it brings good ratings. Imagine that they want ratings over GOOD NEWS. FUNNY HOW THAT WORKS. THAT IS THE AGENDA.
Someone said that IN A WAR THERE IS NO GOOD NEWS. I think that says it all.
PRETTY GOOD JOKES
NO WORDS NEEDED
3. 1-d, 2-c, 3-a, 4-b;
PRODUCT WARNINGS:
"Do not use for drying pets." -- In the manual for a microwave oven.
May 30, 2006
TWO FER DAY
QUICK STAT
CAN YOU AFFORD TO RETIRE - Part 1 of 6
The other night on PBS Frontline they did a story called "Can You Afford to Retire". It talks about the changes American workers face in the recent past and more so into the future in the area of Retirement.
It was a 60 minute show and I broke it down into 6 parts to keep each part under 10 minutes, as a result the transition between segments is a little rough. You may want to go back to yesterdays segment and watch the last few seconds of the video to connect it to the start of today's part. (sorry).
@ @ Watch the VIDEO @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @Can you retire part 1-6. <----( watch the video here )
SAVE THE INTERNET - Part 1 of 5
By ADAM COHEN - The New York Times
The World Wide Web is the most democratic mass medium there has
ever been. Freedom of the press, as the saying goes, belongs only
to those who own one. Radio and television are controlled by those
rich enough to buy a broadcast license. But anyone with an
Internet-connected computer can reach out to a potential audience of billions.
This democratic Web did not just happen. Sir Tim Berners-Lee, the
British computer scientist who invented the Web in 1989, envisioned
a platform on which everyone in the world could communicate on an
equal basis. But his vision is being threatened by telecommunications
and cable companies, and other Internet service providers, that want
to impose a new system of fees that could create a hierarchy of Web
sites. Major corporate sites would be able to pay the new fees, while
little-guy sites could be shut out.
Sir Tim, who keeps a low profile, has begun speaking out in favor of
"net neutrality," rules requiring that all Web sites remain equal on the
Web. Corporations that stand to make billions if they can push tiered
pricing through have put together a slick lobbying and marketing campaign.
But Sir Tim and other supporters of net neutrality are inspiring growing
support from Internet users across the political spectrum who are
demanding that Congress preserve the Web in its current form.
Save the Internet site. <----( click here to go to the site )
THEIR KIDDING RIGHT
The Washington state Republican Party has adopted a platform that would revoke the constitutional provision granting automatic citizenship to the U.S.-born children of illegal immigrants.
Diane Tubeless, state GOP chairwoman, said she believes the provision reflects the sentiment of Washington voters.
The platform resolution was adopted Saturday with little debate and few dissenting votes. Delegates supporting it said their concerns included the cost to public hospitals and the expense of welfare for the children of indigent or deported illegal immigrants.
Another platform provision would require that any illegal immigrants seeking guest worker status leave the country before being allowed to apply for legal entry. Opponents to that resolution included Rep. Doc Hastings, R-Wash., and convention delegates favoring agricultural interests
Why the hell do the republicans always want to mess with the Constitution. It was written by people that not only had common sense they knew how to use that common sense. These folks are nuts and if they had their way we wouldn't have a Constitution to guide us.
The republicans have a better idea "IF IT AIN'T BROKE. . . BRAKE IT" (I give you Iraq).
PRETTY GOOD JOKES
NO WORDS NEEDED
I'M SORRY, SO SO SORRY
2. d;
PRODUCT WARNINGS:
"Warning: has been found to cause cancer in laboratory mice." -- On a box of rat poison.
May 29, 2006
MEMORIAL DAY 2006
QUICK STAT
WHERE HAVE ALL THE FLOWERS GONE
Where have all the Americans gone? Long time passing.
Where have all the Americans gone? Long time ago. Where have all the flowers gone? The girls have picked them ev'ry one. Oh, when will you ever learn? Oh, when will you ever learn? Where have all the young Americans gone? Long time passing. Where have all the young Americans gone? Long time ago. Where have all the young girls gone? They've taken husbands, every one. Oh, when will you ever learn? Oh, when will you ever learn? Where have all the young Americans gone? Long time passing. Where have all the young Americans gone? Long time ago. Where have all the young Americans gone? They're all in uniform. Oh, when will you ever learn? Oh, when will you ever learn? Where have all the Americans soldiers gone? Long time passing. Where have all the Americans soldiers gone? Long time ago. Where have all the Americans soldiers gone? They've gone to graveyards, every one. Oh, when will they ever learn? Oh, when will they ever learn? Where have all the Americans gone? Long time passing. Where have all the Americans gone? Long time ago. Where have all the Americans gone? They're covered with flowers, every one. Oh, when will they ever learn? Oh, when will they ever learn? Where have all the flowers gone? Long time passing. Where have all the flowers gone? Long time ago. Where have all the flowers gone? Young girls picked them, every one. Oh, when will they ever learn? Oh, when will they ever learn? words and music by Pete SeegerPRETTY GOOD JOKES
NO WORDS NEEDED
May 28, 2006
WORTH THE WAIT
QUICK STAT
23RD QUALM
Bush is my shepherd; I dwell in want.
He maketh logs to be cut down in national forests.
He leadeth trucks into the still wilderness.
He restoreth my fears.
He leadeth me in the paths of international disgrace for his ego's
sake.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of pollution and war,
I will find no exit, for thou art in office.
Thy tax cuts for the rich and thy media control, they discomfort me.
Thou preparest an agenda of deception in the presence of thy religion.
Thou anointest my head with foreign oil.
My health insurance runneth out.
Surely megalomania and false patriotism shall follow me all the day's
of thy term,
And my jobless child shall dwell in my basement forever.
GIVE THE SENIORS A HAND
Go to this site and send congress a message. <----( click here to go to the site )
WHAT'S NET NEUTRALITY ALL ABOUT?
Until summer 2005, rules on the books prevented the big telephone and cable companies that own broadband Internet lines from blocking or impairing your access to any Internet-based information or services you wanted -- or to use the techie term: to operate their network in a "neutral" manner. Those rules had been in place since the birth of the Internet and helped foster the explosive growth of competitive, innovative online services that brought consumers new competitive options.
Unfortunately, all that has changed. Last year the Federal Communications Commission wiped those rules off the books, giving big telco and cable companies the right to be the gatekeepers to the Internet. There is nothing to stop these giant companies from blocking your access to any website or online services you choose.
Now, consumers want their Internet back. That's "network neutrality."
@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@Go to this site and send congress a message. <----( click here to go to the site )
GOOD ANSWER
Ever since the New York Times published their article about that state of the Clinton's marriage Chris Matthews has been on a tear talking about it to the point I think he is OBSESSED with the sex life of the Clinton's, MAYBE A LITTLE ENVIOUS.
Even though that was the main thrust of the discussion on Hardball he found a little time to talk about something else like president Bush's "MY BAD"
Here is a pretty darn good answer to president Bush finally finding something that he felt was a mistake in his administration.
As a side note listen to the stupid question Chris asks the gal at the very end. . . what's that all about, where is his mind during these interviews.
@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@Click to watch. <----( watch the video here )
PRETTY GOOD JOKES
NO WORDS NEEDED
I'M SORRY, SO SO SORRY
PRODUCT WARNINGS:
"Fragile. Do not drop." -- Posted on a Boeing 757.
May 27, 2006
ENRON END IN SIGHT
QUICK STAT
George's secure world.
THE NOT SO SMARTEST GUYS IN THE ROOM
Jeffrey Skilling was once a hard-charging poster boy for energy deregulation. Kenneth Lay was once a big political fund-raiser for George W. Bush.
Now both of the former Enron executives are likely to spend a big chunk - if not all - of the rest of their lives behind bars. Skilling and Lay were found guilty Thursday of conspiracy and fraud in one of the most infamous corporate crime trials of the new century.
"People in Houston are still very engaged," said Langevoort. "If that crowd is in the courtroom or on the courthouse steps - literally or figuratively - the judge will be aware of that at sentencing time. I have no doubt 20 to 30 years is well within the realm of possibility."
Judge Lake conducted the main Enron trial well and appeared to leave little room for error, legal experts said.
"This judge was very meticulous in the way he let the case be presented by both sides," said Roma Theus, who focuses on corporate integrity and white-collar crime at the Defense Research Institute, a national organization for defense lawyers. "The likelihood of serious error in how the case was presented is not great. Error must be so significant it taints the entire trial."
If their appeals fail, Lay and Skilling will probably be sent to minimum- or low-security federal prisons, which house about 85 percent of all federal prisoners. A medium-security facility is also possible.
It's highly unlikely they'lll do time at a maximum-security prison that houses violent or dangerous criminals, legal experts said.
THE GUILT-iest GUYS IN THE ROOM
Here are some reactions from former Enron employees to Thursday's verdict in the Enron criminal trial. These folks are a lot nicer than I would be if I had lost most if not all my retirement.
"Fantastic! Fantastic!" said Deborah Perrotta, who worked as an administrative assistant in Enron India's Houston-based office.
"It's a victory to show that corporate America can't get away with misleading the public and employees for their own personal gain," said Perrotta, who lost her job after the company filed for bankruptcy.
"Thank God," said Debra Johnson, another former Enron worker, "because the jury saw fit to punish them for what they did."
"The sentence may not be to everyone's liking," said Johnson, who worked as a coordinator in the Enron International office until the company's 2001 bankruptcy. "But the verdict is about being fair to everyday working people."
"Skilling and Lay thought the money, the power was everything," said Johnson. "This will let executives at other corporations know that it can happen to them. This is a milestone. And it's well deserved. We waited long enough. I'm smiling as I talk to you. I wish I'd been able to be there."
"We're never going to get our money back," said Perrotta, who now works as a representative for the Texas Federation of Teachers in Dallas. "We're not going to reap from this. It's just the satisfaction. It helps me close the book on the Enron debacle.
"It closes the door. Now I can start a new chapter in my life," she said.
"I'm thrilled about it but disappointed I have to wait till September for sentencing," said former administrative assistant Rita Hennessy. "If it was me or you they'd have taken us off immediately."
Hennessy, who worked under former Enron chief risk officer Rick Buy and lost all of her retirement savings when the company collapsed, said, "Unless they serve time for what they've done, the verdict doesn't matter. You can tell a child they're guilty but it won't mean anything unless you give them punishment. What lesson is learned if you don't?"
Hennessy now works for a pipeline company in Houston.
"Justice has been served," said Roger Boyce, who worked in human resources at Enron's pipeline business. "I'm satisfied with the verdict but I'm happy for all of us employees and retirees that a just verdict has been reached."
Boyce, who retired the year before the company collapsed and was a plaintiff in an employee-stock option civil trial against the company, said he was a little surprised by how quickly the verdict came back. "But they seemed to do a conscientious job. Obviously they examined the evidence carefully, coming back with 19 convictions against Skilling."
He added: "The verdict gives a very strong message that corruption in corporations has got to stop. It sets up a strong precedent that companies can't get by with corporate greed."
PRETTY GOOD JOKES
NO WORDS NEEDED
THINK ABOUT IT
A guy who recently became a vegetarian walks into a bar and tells the bartender about his new life style. Impressed, the bartender asks if the man went about this change gradually. The vegetarian replies "No. I quit cold turkey."
PRODUCT WARNINGS:
"Not for weight control." -- On a pack of Breath Savers.
May 26, 2006
HOW SWEET IT IS
QUICK STAT
Today we get to hear another great speech by president Bush.
Watch the VIDEO.Click to watch. <----( watch the video here )
HOWARD DEAN: 'THAT'S JUST GOSSIP'
AS I said a couple of days ago Chris Matthews is obsessed with the sex life of Bill and Hillary Clinton. To the point that in my opinion he is more hurtful than Bill O'Reilly.
If his is the standard we want to have in our political discussions then the first question that needs answered is what does Chris do behind close doors and with whom. He has become the greatest BULLSHIT artist on TV.
But yesterday Howard Dean put in a stellar performance on "Hardball", against the sex obsessed Chris Matthews, who can't seem to quit fantasizing, speculating and prognosticating on what other kinds of sexual experiences former President Bill Clinton might have in his future.
Here is the last part of the Dean interview.
MATTHEWS: Well I now want to bring up to you a topic that I thought would be something that might come up six months from now or a year from now, it's come up as you know, yesterday. "The New York Times," at the top of the page, of the front page, ran a big story on Bill and Hillary Clinton and it led with the question of this: "When the subject of Bill and Hillary Clinton comes up for many prominent Democrats these days, topic A is the state of their marriage." Is that a true statement?
DEAN: No. I think that's ridiculous. That's just gossip and I would expect that to be in the "New York Post," not "The New York Times."
(Mick: I wish Dean had added and I think your ridiculous for spending more than 30 seconds on this subject).
MATTHEWS: What's the gossip in saying that party leaders are worried about the marriage?
DEAN: I think it's untrue.
MATTHEWS: They're not worried? You don't talk about this? Are you sitting here and telling me that when you sit down with the big mockers in the party, the guys that have to make decisions about big campaign investments in this campaign of Hillary Clinton, don't whisper back and forth "Is everything OK? Are we going to get embarrassed next year by something with regard to that marriage?" You're saying this story is essentially not true?
(Mick: read that question again, he just can't understand why he's the only jerk in the world that is this obsessed with this story).
DEAN: First of all, I don't sit down with those people because I don't get involved in presidential primaries either. I think she's [Hillary Clinton] focused on running for re-election and I think that's a good thing.
Secondly, yes, what I'm saying is that is not Topic A on anybody's list. That is gossip. I think most people are not going to vote on gossip.
(Mick: Did you get that Chris. . . it's BULLSHIT GOSSIP).
MATTHEWS: Well, let me tell you what my observation is. I talk to a lot of people in politics, in and out of it, journalists and everyone else, and they talk about it, because they want to know what will be coming next year. People try to figure out what's coming next in American politics.
DEAN: Most people are worried, Chris, about gas prices and how we're going to get out of Iraq.
MATTHEWS: No, they're worried about who's going to get elected. Governor, you know the questions: who's going to get elected president and what things along the way are going to affect who gets elected. It's not gossip; it's trying to figure out the lay of the land, politically.
(Mick: That's cleaver Chris you point out who's going to get elected but don't say anything about who's sleeping with whom).
Let me read you something from a man I know you respect, David Broder of the "Washington Post." In today's column he said, "The very fact that "The New York Times" has sent a reporter out to interview 50 people about the state of the Clinton's marriage and placed the story on the top of page one was a clear signal, if any was needed, that the drama of the Clinton's personal life would be a hot topic if she runs for president." Is that a fair statement?
DEAN: I think that's also gossip. Listen, I'm going to be tough on this stuff. I think gossip and silliness like that, in the long run, do not overcome the fact that somebody's got to do something about gas prices, that we've sent a ton of jobs to China, that we have a budget that's so far out of balance that our kids are in debt. Those are the issues that matter, not salacious gossip. And I don't care who writes it. I have a lot of respect for David Broder and "The New York Times." It's still gossip.
MATTHEWS: OK, thank you very much for your clear statement. Howard Dean, chairman of the Democratic National Committee, which does not engage in gossip.
(Mick: He had to get in just one last snipe with that "does not engage in gossip comment).
Chris Matthews has long been shown to be right leaning which is funny because in his earlier work he worked for democrats.
It seems to me they need to change the name of his show from "HARDBALL" to "HARD-ON". He's a damn disgrace.
SWEET MUSIC
The Dixie Chicks were on Good Morning America for a concert today. As you can see from the crowd any fans they may have lost to country music they gained in the rest of America.
So to all the folks that want to trash the Chicks it didn't work. Time you said some prayers.
WORST PERSON IN THE WORLD
Here is Keith's choice for Worst Person Award.
Watch the VIDEO.Click to watch. <----( watch the video here )
PRETTY GOOD JOKES
NO WORDS NEEDED
CAN YOU? . . . DO YOU?
SCREW THE GOLDEN YEARS
PRODUCT WARNINGS:
"Warning: Do not climb inside this bag and zip it up. Doing so will cause injury and death." -- A label inside a protective bag (for fragile objects), which measures 15cm by 15cm by 12cm.
May 25, 2006
LOOKING FOR THE SILVERLINING TODAY
QUICK STAT
Today we get to hear another great speech by president Bush.
Watch the VIDEO.Click to watch. <----( watch the video here )
SWEET DIXIE
Continuing with my drive to promote the Dixie Chicks here is a 2 part video on the Chicks with Keith Olbermann of Countdown.
Watch the VIDEO.Click to watch. <----( watch the video here )
SHOULD THE STATE PAY FOR NASCAR
In April, the Kitsap Sun asked for questions from readers regarding the NASCAR racetrack International Speedway Corp. (ISC) was proposing to building in South Kitsap. I responded with this question.:
Mick Horan of Bremerton asks, "Why does the company need any state aid with a company valuation like that? Why don't they want to finance it all and get all the profits? It just seems to me that if you are happy with your product, you don't want to share the profits with anyone. Am I wrong?"
Answer:
To join an online conversation about the speedway go the Suns Blogs page here and move your cursor over the "Blogs" button, then click on "Tracking the Speedway. <----( click here to go to the site )
This question has come up most often in comparison to ISC's bid to build a speedway
on New York's Staten Island. The company is proposing to pay for the entire New York
speedway, other than asking for some infrastructure improvements.
In December, ISC vice president Grant Lynch told the Kitsap Sun, "In New York, you're
talking about the No. 1 media market in the world. The media exposure, the advertising
revenue, the corporate sponsorship - it's all right there. Washington is a valuable market
for us, but it's obviously not New York."
A company decides to borrow based on how quickly it believes it will see return on its
investment, said Alan Hess, finance professor at the University of Washington School
of Business.
In New York, with more lucrative media contracts available, the company would have a
faster return on its investment.
Hess likens it to an individual buying a house. When you buy a house, you typically don't
pay cash. You get a loan based on your belief that you'll make enough over the next 30
years to pay it off over time.
"It's no different for you than a company. You don't want to spend more than you're
generating," Hess said.
That's why, in most industries, 89 percent of the funding for projects that aren't for
day-to-day operations comes from debt, he said.
The company's reasons for wanting a loan based on sales taxes also come down to
economy. Government-backed loans typically cost less in interest, Hess said.
Visit the SITE.
As for sharing profits, the company really wouldn't do that. It would keep gate
receipts, naming rights, television income and other profits made at the races,
though there could be some money made by local vendors.
The financial windfall for Kitsap, assuming ISC's financial projections bear true,
would primarily be at facilities we already have, such as stores and hotels.
There also would be construction jobs while the speedway is being built.
Out-of-state visitors are projected to spend an average of $725 per person away
from the speedway, according to the Berk Report, a study funded by ISC and
deemed "reasonable" by the state's Office of Financial Management.
K STREET WORKS JUST FINE THANK YOU
The folks over at the Congress Watch of Public Citizen have put out a report on the lobbyists who bankroll Congress. It features a list of the 20 biggest givers among lobbyists -- an interesting read, to be sure -- but they've also compiled a tally of the biggest "getters," the members of Congress who've pulled in the most money from K Street during the 1998-2004 election cycles.
Among current members of the U.S. Senate, guess who's No. 1.
That's right, the man who helped found the very K Street Project and then tried to deny its existence, our own junior senator from right here in Pennsylvania, Rick Santorum. Looking at those four election cycles from 1998 through 2004, Public Citizen found that the Pa. Republican had raked in $1,163,560 from registered lobbyists -- $838,133 from individuals, and $325,427 from their political action committees.
NO SURPRISE HERE
Well it's time for the next Idol star to step forward.
PRETTY GOOD JOKES
NO WORDS NEEDED
SCREW THE GOLDEN YEARS
PRODUCT WARNINGS:
"Warning: knives are sharp!" -- On the packaging of a sharpening stone.
May 24, 2006
NEW LOOK
QUICK STAT
I've rearranged and changed thing trying to clean up my act a little bit. For the next 3-4 years I'll put comments and images of president Bush right here at the top. I kick it off with Global Warming and with words of wisdom from the mouth of president Bush.
Watch the VIDEO.Click to watch. <----( watch the video here )
DO YOU HEAR ME NOW
Some folks want the Dixie Chicks to shut up and just sing. I say that's just BULLSHIT. These gals have every right to speak out and give their side of the story. The country music folks/radio have attempted to bring the girls down and it's hasn't worked. Need proof. . . start with the fact that their new album is now NUMBER ONE in Amazon and iTunes. Can't get much better than that.
The C/W right wing crazies don't speak for all of Country Music but on the other hand I haven't heard to many of the folks in the middle coming to the defense of the Chicks. Why is that?
Below are the words to the hit Not Ready to Make Nice.
Not Ready to Make Nice - The Dixie Chicks
Forgive, sounds good.
Forget, I'm not sure I could.
They say time heals everything,
But I'm still waiting
I'm through, with doubt,
There's nothing left for me to figure out,
I've paid a price, and I'll keep paying
I'm not ready to make nice,
I'm not ready to back down,
I'm still mad as hell
And I don't have time
To go round and round and round
It's too late to make it right
I probably wouldn't if I could
Cause I'm mad as hell
Can't bring myself to do what it is
You think I should
I know you said
Why can't you just get over it,
It turned my whole world around
and I kind of like it
I made by bed, and I sleep like a baby,
With no regrets and I don't mind saying,
It's a sad sad story
That a mother will teach her daughter
That she ought to hate a perfect stranger.
And how in the world
Can the words that I said
Send somebody so over the edge
That they'd write me a letter
Saying that I better shut up and sing
Or my life will be over
WHAT'S HIS PROBLEM
Chris Matthews is totally obsessed with the Clinton's. He just couldn't get enough of the article in the FRONT PAGE. . . ABOVE THE FOLD. . . (that means something cool to the in crowd. It had to do with the Clinton's life style and you could see old Chris was wetting his pants as he talked about the story.
What a jerk.
IS IT A OVER
I haven't been watching American Idol this year but I did watch last nights show. To me Katharine McPhee has it over Taylor Hicks, but I've heard that Hicks will be the winner.
McPhee's singing of Somewhere Over the Rainbow must have brought a smile to Judy Garland. I thought it was great.
We only have to wait till tonight.
PRETTY GOOD JOKES
NO WORDS NEEDED
use ypir mouse to see the complete bridge
IN THE NEWS
With immigration in the headlines of all the news papers and on TV it was sure to follow that there would be a new Info-mercial running on TV.
The subject of this ad is to demonstrate how to get a job in American.
Watch the VIDEO.Click to watch. <----( watch the video here )
PRODUCT WARNINGS:
"Remember, objects in the mirror are actually behind you." -- On a motorcycle helmet-mounted rear-view mirror.
May 23, 2006
GOOD JOB MICK
QUICK STAT
DIXIE CHICKS ON LETTERMAN
We are fighting a war to bring peace, freedom and democracy to IRAQ and yet there are plenty of people here in America that are ready to prevent the Dixie Chicks from having that same basic freedom.
On the Letterman Show the Chicks sang their new song "NOT READY TO MAKE NICE". It's a good song and I have to say I like it.
Watch the VIDEO. Listen here to the song. <----( watch the video here )
TWO GOOD MEN
Rep. John Murtha (d) Pennsylvania and Alberto Mora, Former General Counsel U.S. Navy were honored with the Profiles In Courage award. The award goes to people that have stood up for what is right even with the fear of beginning criticized.
Watch the VIDEO. Watch the last part of the interview. <----( watch the video here )
DRUDGE GOT IT DEAD WRONG
It appears that Drudge got caught with his hand in the cookie jar, and to make it worse he didn't have the balls to admit it directly. What a wimp.
DNC: DRUDGE IS DEAD WRONG, WE DID NOT PICK LANDRIEU OVER NAGINThe Democratic National Committee strongly denies it placed political operatives in the city of New Orleans to work against the reelection efforts of incumbent Democrat Mayor Ray Nagin. Well-placed DRUDGE REPORT sources claimed DNC Chairman Howard Dean made the decision to back mayoral candidate and sitting Lieutenant Governor Mitch Landrieu (D-LA). The DNC says the report is "unequivocally and absolutely false." DNC Communications director Karen Finney explained: "The DNC does not as a policy get involved in Democratic primaries... The only thing that the DNC did was a campaign helping ensure that displaced voters had an opportunity to vote." The DRUDGE REPORT takes chairman Dean and his spokesman at their word. That's it. He takes THEIR word for it. OH, OH and by the way Drudge 'retracts' the story on Howard Dean AFTER RECEIVING A LETTER FROM THE DNC'S LAWYER. Wonder why Drudge left that little piece of info out.WE GOT TWO FER TODAY
Keith on Countdown awarded Drudge the worser (2nd) place award and O'reilly got the worst (1st) place position.
Watch the VIDEO.These guys will never learn. <----( watch the video here )
NO WORDS NEEDED
PRETTY GOOD JOKE
SCREW THE GOLDEN YEARS
PRODUCT WARNINGS:
"Warning: May contain nuts." -- On a package of peanuts.
May 22, 2006
WE GOT RAIN TODAY
QUICK STAT
BARBARO UNDERGOES SEVEN-HOUR PROCEDURE ON LEG
Barbaro underwent more than seven hours of surgery Sunday to repair rear leg bones he'd broken in the Preakness, calmly awoke from anesthesia and "practically jogged back to his stall" for something to eat.
His survival, however, is still 50-50.
Despite the huge first step on the road to recovery, Dr. Dean Richardson said the Kentucky Derby winner's fate still came down to "a coin toss."
"Right now he's very happy," Richardson said after the surgery at the University of Pennsylvania's New Bolton Center for Large Animals. "He's eating, he's doing very good. But I've been doing this too long to know that day one is not the end of things."
Sounds like a positive yet cautious report on the out come of this operation. A few prayers can't hurt.
SHE BROUGHT IT UP
John Edwards was on This Week with George Step this weekend and had a chance to cover a number of issues that where in the news and on TV this past week or so.
He answered Mary Cheney's blabber about the fact that she was gay and how mad she and her dad were during that debate in the last election. He said the VP thanked him for his kind comments (I remember that). Now if it turns out he didn't mean it or that he lied well that just seems to be the pattern with this group.
Saying that Bush/Cheney are the worst leadership ever is dead on. They can't admit errors. They don't want to hear other ideas.
I know that most of these guys that have these talk shows want to get the dems to commit to "IMPEACHING" the president. I personally think that's a bad idea, Edwards answer was just right. . . they need to be voted out of office. He doesn't want an impeachment, thinks censure may be ok.
Watch the video clip here it's a pretty good interview.
Watch the VIDEO.Watch the video clip here it's a pretty good interview. <----( watch the video here )
IMUS SUPPORTS THE DIXIE CHICKS
On today's IMUS In The Morning Show he talked about the Dixie Chick's. His guest was Levon Helm.
IMUS talked a bit about what happened and Levon said I thought in this country we have free speech. Imus said the problem is that they said their remarks overseas, had she said it in Texas it wouldn't have mattered.
First what does criticizing a policy of your government have to do with where you say it? Second back when the comment was made regardless of where it was made it was suggested that you where a traitor, unpatriotic and other words that are just BULLSHIT.
The right wing is very good at organizing and protesting (doing the very thing they want to prevent you from doing). So they got the Dixie Chicks music pulled from radio in many locations. These people march to the drum beat that Rush Limbaugh, Bill O'Reilly and Hannity spew out day after day.
Watch the VIDEO. I'm glad to hear Imus supporting the Dixie Chicks and hope to hear others do to. <----( watch the video here )
NO WORDS NEEDED
PRETTY GOOD JOKE
SCREW THE GOLDEN YEARS
THE SUNDAY FUNNIES ON MONDAY
Watch the VIDEO. I'm glad to hear Imus supporting the Dixie Chicks and hope to hear others do to. <----( watch the video here )
PRODUCT WARNINGS:
"Theft of this container is a crime." -- On a milk crate.
May 21, 2006
I'M POSTED
QUICK STAT
In terms of progress. . . Why are baby steps in IRAQ always viewed as giant leaps forward.
THE DIXIE CHICKS: AMERICA CATCHES UP WITH THEM
I saw this excerpt in the New York Times about the Dixie Chicks. I bought their HOME Album back when this first happened to show support for them. I've done the same thing this morning by ordering their newest album Taking the Long Way from Amazon.
These gals don't take Crap from anyone even the big mouth of ALL OF CABLE NEWS Bill O'Reilly. What a joke he made of himself, sad thing is he doesn't see it.
Go out and get your copy of their new album. You'll feel good about it.
THE DIXIE CHICKS call it "the Incident": the anti-Bush remark that Natalie Maines, their lead singer, made onstage in London in 2003. "Just so you know, we're ashamed the president of the United States is from Texas," said Ms. Maines, a Texan herself.
It led to a partisan firestorm, a radio boycott, death threats and, now, to an album that's anything but repentant: "Taking the Long Way" (Open Wide/Monument/ Columbia). The Dixie Chicks - Ms. Maines, Emily Robison and Martie Maguire - were the top-selling country group of the late 1990's and early 2000's. After country's gatekeepers disowned them over politics, they decided to keep their politics and let country music fend for itself.
The Incident is very much at the center of "Taking the Long Way." The album could have been "way safe and scared," Ms. Maines said. "We could have pandered." They didn't. The new songs are filled with reactions, direct and oblique, to the Incident. There are no apologies.
"We had to make this album," Ms. Maines said. "We could not have gotten past any of this without making this album. Even if nobody ever heard it."
"Taking the Long Way," due out on Tuesday, is the first Dixie Chicks album on which group members collaborated in writing all the songs. The first single, "Not Ready to Make Nice," declares, "I'm not ready to back down/I'm still mad as hell," and starts with a tolling guitar more suitable for a Metallica dirge than a honky-tonk serenade. The Dixie Chicks and their manager insisted to their record company that "we need to approach everything like not one radio station is going to play one single song," Ms. Maines said. Asked about country radio, she said, "Do you really think we're going to make an album for you and trust the future of our career to people who turned on us in a day?"
"I understand everybody was in a place of fear, and everybody's nerves were on edge, and mothers were sending their sons and daughters off to war, and tensions were high," Ms. Maguire said. "But you know when it continues and continues and people are still mad about it, I think back to those words and think: How is that bad, what she said? It's so harmless. It's so nothing."
The United States concerts on the Dixie Chicks' tour were already sold out. Promoters offered refunds, although there were more requests for new tickets than there were returns. Protesters showed up outside concerts; others burned Dixie Chicks albums.
"We have video footage of this lady at one of the shows protesting, holding her 2-year-old son," Ms. Maines said. The woman commanded her son to shout along with an angry chant. "And I was just like, that's it right there. That's the moment that it's taught. She just taught her 2-year-old how to hate. And that broke my heart."
At the Time 100 party a few days before this interview, the Dixie Chicks performed "Not Ready to Make Nice." Afterward Ms. Maines recounted, the Fox News commentator Bill O'Reilly - who has regularly denounced her, and whom she pointedly calls "despicable" - rushed over to greet them. "It's like, 'Just want to say that was great!' " Ms. Maines said. " 'I really like that new song.'
"And I go, 'But two million tops, right?' And he goes, 'What?' And I said, 'I saw your show when you said we wouldn't sell more than two million, tops.' And he was like, 'Oh, ah, well, two million's pretty good these days, right?' And I was just like, 'Right, yeah. You were saying it in a positive way.' "
Ms. Robison interrupted, laughing. "That's what you call a no-spin zone."
"So then he was just backtracking," Ms. Maines continued. "He says: 'We really respect what you did. And we really respect that you stand up for yourself and blah blah blah. We just wish you would say it over here.' And I said, 'I'll say it over here.' "
The complaint that she criticized the president on foreign soil has been a talk-radio talking point. Ms. Maines dismisses it. "It wasn't like we played 20 shows in America and I was saving up this comment for London," she said. "I was in London when the war was about to start. That's where I said it. I would have said it anywhere, because I didn't think that it was a bad thing to say or a controversial thing to say."
(The next day on "The O'Reilly Factor," Mr. O'Reilly acknowledged that Ms. Maines had "chided" him. He mentioned the radio boycott but did not endorse it. "Not Ready to Make Nice" is "a pretty good song," he said. "There's no reason not to play it.")
Ms. Maines added: "It will mean a lot to me if people buy the album just sort of out of protest. The naysayers and the people who were so organized to take us down did a really good job. And they succeeded. So it feels good to let the music win out in the end and say, 'Even your hatred can't stop what people want to listen to.' "
WHEN IS A TAX CUT NOT A TAX CUT. . . WHEN IT'S AN INCREASE
The $69 billion tax cut bill that President Bush signed this week tripled tax rates for teenagers with college savings funds, despite Mr. Bush's 1999 pledge to veto any tax increase.
Under the new law, teenagers age 14 to 17 with investment income will now be taxed at the same rate as their parents, not at their own rates. Long-term capital gains and dividends that had been taxed at 5 percent will now be taxed at 15 percent. Interest that had been taxed at 10 percent will now be taxed at as much as 35 percent.
The increases, which are retroactive to the first day of the year, are expected to generate nearly $2.2 billion over 10 years, according to the Congressional Joint Committee on Taxation, which issues the official estimates.
Didn't Bush screw over collage students with student loans just a few weeks ago?
WHERE'S THE TRUTHINESS
INTERNET BANKS DEVELOP SOME MUSCLE
Who says Americans don't save?
Right now, consumers are flocking in enormous numbers to Internet-based bank accounts that pay interest rates upwards of 3.5 percent.
ING Direct, the market pioneer, has $60 billion in assets and is adding $1 billion in deposits each month. HSBC Bank USA's deposits in this type of account shot up to $3.8 billion from $1 billion in the first quarter. Citibank, which began offering high-yield savings accounts on March 29 with the hope of gathering $4 billion by year's end, now expects to hit that target months earlier than expected.
But they all have several key things in common: They use the Internet to offer accounts, insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp., that pay far higher interest than is usually available at brick-and-mortar bank branches.
The rates rise and fall with the bank-to-bank lending rates set by the Federal Reserve Board and currently hover between 4 and 4.75 percent, depending on the institution. A few institutions offer higher rates but require minimum balances of $50,000 or more.
That stands in contrast to the average interest-bearing checking account, which currently pays 1.06 percent, while money-market accounts pay 3.16 percent on average, according to the Web site Bankrate.com.
Consumer advocates and financial planners can't say enough good things about the Internet-based accounts.
I've used ING for over 6-7 years now and it works just fine. When I first started the interest rate was 6.5% today it's 4.15%. Still a pretty good rate.
NO WORDS NEEDED
PRETTY GOOD JOKE
SCREW THE GOLDEN YEARS
RELIGION GONE NUTS:
Sen. Bill Frist doesn't think condoms stops AIDS. This is the same guy that diagnosed Terri Schiavo from watching some video tape.
Is he a real Dr. or just the QUACKER we see on TV from time to time.
This is the same guy that thinks he has a chance in hell of becoming president. If he's the GOP nominee in 2008 the Dems would have to run the worlds worst race to lose that one.
PRODUCT WARNINGS:
"May be harmful if swallowed." -- On a shipment of hammers.
May 20, 2006
LOOKS LIKE RAIN
QUICK STAT
I think this makes good sense. Good job Mr. President.
JON STEWART NAILS IT
Man when Jon Stewart asks a question if you are the one charged with answering that question you have to be shaking in your boots. He has a way of stating his questions that doesn't give you room to spin your answer.
As an example watch this clip as he asks the question about the difference between the Bush administrations objection to the use of stem cells while at the same time condoning WAR.
It points out just how absurd these arguments are. To me it's the same thing as the folks that are on the extreme right that object to abortion because it "ENDS" a human life yet on the other hand some of these people would be very happy to shot and kill a Dr. that performs an abortion. Go figure.
Watch the VIDEO.Good question. <----( watch the video here )
IT'S FICTION FOR GOD SAKE
Christians in many countries denounced the movie "The Da Vinci Code" as it opened Friday, complaining that the big-screen adaptation of Dan Brown's best-selling novel distorts history and offends Christians.
" 'The Da Vinci Code' gratuitously insults Jesus Christ and the Catholic Church," said Vincent Nichols, the Roman Catholic archbishop of Birmingham, England. "It deliberately presents fiction as fact."
It is fiction, and anyone that reads the book or sees the movie KNOWS THAT going in. Spiderman is fiction so if you chose to think it's fact shame on you. So who is the archbishop talking for?
The film's release in India was postponed while government officials considered complaints from the Catholic Bishops' Conference. Bishops across South America have decried the film, and leaders of China's official Catholic church have called for a boycott, although the country's notoriously strict censors allowed the film to be released uncut.
I think that it's the folks that are in power that worry about this stuff a little to much. Maybe they see it as losing control.
Brown's book and the film portray Opus Dei, a conservative lay Catholic organization, in an extremely negative light. Several Catholic leaders said that was unfair.
I don't know why the church feels the need for this "TOP SECRET" organization. All this secret crap is, in my opinion, is not a good thing openness is .
So in the end these folks get all uptight and bent out of shape over a work of FICTION. But where were they on the ABUSE SCANDAL? They were mum as hell.
GOT HER TALKING POINTS WORKING
Today I saw Mary Cheney on CNN's The Situation Room. She has been out promoting her new book "Now It's My Turn". I've seen her a couple of times on other shows and have not been impressed.
She loves to slam John Kerry and John Edwards for using the "L" word and for talking about the fact that she is a lesbian. Her mom and dad do too.
Vice President Cheney expressed outrage the day after Sen. John Kerry brought it up in response to a question about whether lesbians and gay men are born or choose to be homosexuals in the last presidential debate, just a week after Sen. John Edwards brought it up in the vice presidential debate.
Lynne Cheney, Mary's mother, was even more incensed. She called it "a cheap and tawdry political trick. . . . The only thing I can conclude is he's not a good man. I'm speaking as a mom." (How dare they bring her daughter into this . . . this . . . political debate. In a presidential election no less.)
"How incredibly sad for Mary Cheney, the lesbian in question. And not for the reasons that her parents and the pundits have been screaming about," journalist Dave Cullen wrote on Salon.com, deftly describing his own offense at the latest chapter in the quiet saga of Mary. "It is not an insult to call a proudly public lesbian a lesbian. It's an insult to gasp when someone calls her a lesbian. . . . You're embarrassed for us. And it's infuriating."
I just don't think she's a GOOD LESBIAN else she would be outraged at the republican party and it's effort to ban Gay marriage.
What she is good at is getting the TALKING POINTS DOWN. Listen to her answer to Wolf B question on how the president and vise president are doing handling the WAR in Iraq.
She says "EXACTLY RIGHT.
What the hell is she smoking or drinking.
Watch the VIDEO.Listen to her answer. <----( watch the video here )
NO WORDS NEEDED
PRETTY GOOD JOKE
SCREW THE GOLDEN YEARS
PRODUCT WARNINGS:
"Warning: This product can burn eyes." -- On a curling iron.
May 19, 2006
DOWN AND DIRTY FRIDAY
QUICK STAT
AUTISM
Pediatricians Fail to Screen for Autism; Johns Hopkins Study Finds, Most Know Too Little About the Screening Tools.
I received this from "H" (my Blog fan). At first I was shocked as I read the article, but as I got into it I decided I saw a reflection of me. As hard as it is to admit it I was basically unaware of Autism until about a year ago.
Over the past week or so I did a daily post on Autism and each day I found I didn't know jack about Autism so this report isn't surprising to me.
More education is needed about the signs of Autism both in the family and by physicians.
Few Maryland and Delaware primary care pediatricians screen patients regularly for autism and autism-spectrum disorders (ASD) as part of their overall look at possible developmental delays, according to results of a joint study from Johns Hopkins Children's Center and the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Of the 255 pediatricians who participated in the study, 209 (82 percent) said they regularly screen their patients for general developmental delays, but only 20 of the 255 (8 percent) said they do so for ASD. Of those who do not screen routinely for ASD, almost two-thirds (62 percent) said they failed to do so because they weren't familiar with the screening tools.
"Lack of familiarity with ASD screening tools appears to be the single greatest barrier to routine screening," said Susan dosReis, Ph.D., of the Children's Center Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and lead author of the paper, which appears in a May 11 supplement of the April issue of the Journal of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics.
The findings suggest that screening for ASD remains largely opportunistic rather than systematic, researchers say.
Screening is essential, as delay in diagnosis and treatment generally leads to poorer outcomes in children with developmental disorders.
"This study suggests that current national efforts may not be sufficient to actively promote the use of ASD screening tools in the general pediatric practice," dosReis added. "So it is important to learn what some obstacles might be and what needs to be done to overcome those barriers."
Visit the SITE.For more information, please visit: <----( click here to go to the site )
MOUNT ST HELEN'S IS REBUILDING
It was about 26 years ago when Mt. St Helen's first blew. Ever since then she has been rebuilding herself one inch at a time.
Here is some time-lapse film taken over many months that shows just what is going on. This is neat stuff.
Watch the VIDEO.Watch her build. <----( watch the video here )
COUNTDOWN'S WORST PERSON AWARD
I just love this segment of Countdown.
Watch the VIDEO.Who will be the WORST person in the World? <----( watch the video here )
NO WORDS NEEDED
PRETTY GOOD JOKE
SCREW THE GOLDEN YEARS
A plane leaves Los Angeles airport under the control of a Jewish captain.
His copilot is Chinese. It's the first time they have flown together and an
awkward silence between the two seems to indicate a mutual dislike.
Once they reach cruising altitude, the Jewish captain activates the autopilot,
leans back in his seat, and mutters, "I don't like Chinese."
"No rike Chinese?" asks the copilot, "why not?"
"You people bombed Pearl Harbor, that's why!"
"No, no," the copilot protests, "Chinese not bomb Peahl Hahbah! That Japanese, not Chinese."
"Japanese, Chinese, Vietnamese... doesn't matter, you're all alike!"
There's a few minutes of silence. "No rike Jews!" the copilot suddenly announces.
"Why not?" asks the captain.
"Jews sink Titanic," the copilot responds.
"Jews didn't sink the Titanic!" exclaims the captain, "It was an iceberg!"
"Iceberg, Goldberg, Greenberg, Rosenberg, no mattah... all same!"
PRODUCT WARNINGS:
"Beware! To touch these wires is instant death. Anyone found doing so will be prosecuted." -- On a sign at a railroad station.
May 18, 2006
HAVING FUN YET
QUICK STAT
I'M TAKING THE DAY OFF
Need to do some house keeping on my computer and house.
NO WORDS NEEDED
PRETTY GOOD JOKE
SCREW THE GOLDEN YEARS
I've reached the age where the happy hour is a nap.
PRODUCT WARNINGS:
"Do not use as ear plugs." -- On a package of silly putty.
May 17, 2006
A NEW DAY
QUICK STAT
It was never worth it.
AUTISM
Don Imus (IMUS IN THE MORNING, MSNBC) has been talking about the problem with AUTISM for months. It's become a major problem in America. Roughly 1 in 166 American children born today will fall somewhere on the autistic spectrum. That's more than three times the number with juvenile diabetes.
On his show the other day IMUS showed a video that lasted about 15 minutes. I've cut the video down to bit size clips that I will post here over the next seven days. Here is the list of each days subject.
1. Intro by IMUS (5/11) 2. A new decade for Autism (5/12) 3. Running scared (5/13) 4. Can't you just . . . (5/14) 5. Teach your children well (5/15) 6. Dreams deferred (5/16) 7. No surrender (5/17)
Part 7 of 7 is No surrender.
Watch the VIDEO.No surrender. <----( watch the video here )
IT'S JUST THE BEGINNING
With today's video on Autism we end (for now) this seven part series. I'm using the emails I got from (H) because as the mother of two boys with Autism she shows there is hope through "intervention".
She is very proud of the progress her boys have made and I'm very happy and grateful for her taking the time to visit my Blog and send me a message.
I know I have a lot to learn about Autism as do many American I'm afraid, so this is not the end but rather just the beginning.
Mick,
Thank you for the kind words. I had a wonderful day yesterday and am truly blessed
to be the mother of these children. They have taught me so much!
So far, the video segments have show some very affected children who don't appear
to have benefited from much intervention. The video segments are small, and they
really haven't touched on treatment, so it's a little difficult to tell what treatment,
if any, they have had or are getting. Most children with Autism do benefit from
treatment if they get enough hours and have follow through at home. The focus of
therapy is to re-train the brain and teach them HOW to learn. Once they get that,
their progress can be truly remarkable.
Anyway, I thought I'd pass on some sites that have been helpful to me in the past.
Take Care!, (H)
Autism Society of America: www.autism-society.org
Do a search for "Families for Early Autism Treatment" for a group in your area.
Or, www.feat.org
Autism Research Institute: www.autismwebsite.com/ari/index.htm
Nation Institute of Mental Health: www.nimh.nih.gov/publicat/autism.cfm
Cure Autism Now: www.cureautismnow.org
Hi (H), You know your observation might be dead on, but on the other hand I'm thinking this video is directed at an audience of Americans that are unaware of what Autism is and is all about. Sadly I must include myself in that group.
Ignorance is bless I guess.
I've seen some video of the success stories and if I can find some that I can use I'll post them in the days to follow.
I'll add your links in tomorrows post.
Glad you had a great Mothers day. We did too and the weather was just great. It's been like summer the past few days here in the great pacific northwest. Mick
Hi Mick,
Great weather down here, too! (SLO, CA) It's great to have some sunny days for
a change!
Don't get me wrong, I think the video is exceptional! It shows very graphically
what many families of children with Autism are dealing with. My boys "looked"
very similar to the children in the video before they received intervention. And,
the mothers have expressed many of the same feeling and concerns that I
have had and, to some extent, still do have.
The place where we are now is interesting...my kids are doing well and when
people find out about their diagnosis, they often comment on how well they are
doing, which is really nice, but they have absolutely no idea just how "disabled"
(for lack of a better word) they really were before intervention. So, I think they
get a skewed impression of what Autism is really about.
When my older son was diagnosed I was almost relieved because we finally
had confirmation that there was something wrong. So, the first thought was,
now that we know what it is, what can we do to help him. I felt empowered
to rise to the occasion and get my son the help he needed.
When my second son was diagnosed, I felt so completely lost and overwhelmed.
I knew what it would take to reach him and really did know if I had the stamina to
go through all that again, especially since statistically 75% of children with Autism
never communicate functionally. (I'm not sure if that statistic is accurate anymore.)
How could I possibly be so lucky, twice?
Anyway, we have had wonderful outcomes with our kids and I feel that people r
eally need to know that there is hope. Unfortunately, there are so many unknowns
about Autism and to my knowledge there really aren't any steadfast predictors of
outcome, but all children improve to some degree with treatment.
Thank you for being an advocate for our children, whether you meant to or not.
t mean a great deal to all of us.
(H)
NO WORDS NEEDED
PRETTY GOOD JOKE
SCREW THE GOLDEN YEARS
PRODUCT WARNINGS:
"Caution: Remove infant before folding for storage." -- On a portable stroller.
May 16, 2006
NO RECORD TODAY
QUICK STAT
Will Bush get a bounch?
YOUR NOT GOING TO BELIEVE THIS
Yesterday we say that the HUMMER was going out of production. Here is a story about what can be done to improve gas mileage.
The world's most fuel-efficient vehicle has been unveiled by its British inventor. Andy Green, 45, from the University of Bath, believes his three-wheel TeamGreen car is capable of doing 8,000 miles to the gallon.
His budget eco-motor cost just $3700 to build and will be the sole British contender for the title of the world's most fuel-economic car in a global competition later this month.
The car, which weighs less than 5 stone - the average weight of a nine-year-old boy - made its debut at the Somerset university campus.
It will compete against 250 teams from around the world for the Shell Eco-Marathon championships in France from May 19.
It has taken Mr Green more than two years to design and build the car, over weekends, holidays and evenings.
This will be the fourth eco-vehicle he has built. He holds the British record for fuel-efficiency, with 6,603 miles to the gallon in a previous car.
The new vehicle is powered by a single cylinder four-stroke engine with a capacity of just 35cc and runs with a special management system incorporating fuel injection.
"The car is important because it is a reminder that the way to achieve fuel-savings is to drive lighter cars. It's the weight of this car that is the main reason for its fuel-efficiency."
Under the rules in France the car has to be driven at an average speed of 18mph.
Imagine if the big Auto makers had worked just a little over the past 30 years to increase the gas mileage of their cars. You knew it wouldn't happen. . . and why is that you say. . . well because they didn't have to. It's just that simple.
AUTISM
Don Imus (IMUS IN THE MORNING, MSNBC) has been talking about the problem with AUTISM for months. It's become a major problem in America. Roughly 1 in 166 American children born today will fall somewhere on the autistic spectrum. That's more than three times the number with juvenile diabetes.
On his show the other day IMUS showed a video that lasted about 15 minutes. I've cut the video down to bit size clips that I will post here over the next seven days. Here is the list of each days subject.
1. Intro by IMUS (5/11) 2. A new decade for Autism (5/12) 3. Running scared (5/13) 4. Can't you just . . . (5/14) 5. Teach your children well (5/15) 6. Dreams deferred (5/16) 7. No surrender
Part 6 is Dreams deferred.
Watch the VIDEO.Dreams deferred. <----( watch the video here )
HERE ARE A COUPLE OF RESOURCES
Here are a couple of WEB Site's to get started if you want to do some research on Autism. I'll add additional resources tomorrow.
AutismSpeaks visit the SITE here.
Click to visit the site. <----( click here to go to the site )
FirstSigns visit the SITE here.
Click to visit the site. <----( click here to go to the site )
HERE ARE SOME ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
Cure Autism Now Foundation <----( click here to go to the site ) The Dan Marino Foundation <----( click here to go to the site ) The Doug Flutie Junior Foundation <----( click here to go to the site ) NJ COSAC <----( click here to go to the site ) Organization For Autism Research <----( click here to go to the site ) Unlocking Autism <----( click here to go to the site ) Cure Autism Now Foundation
Visit the SITE.
The Dan Marino Foundation
Visit the SITE.
The Doug Flutie Junior Foundation
Visit the SITE.
NJ COSAC
Visit the SITE.
Organization For Autism Research
Visit the SITE.
Unlocking Autism
Visit the SITE.
NO WORDS NEEDED
PRETTY GOOD JOKE
PRODUCT WARNINGS:
"Please keep out of children." -- On a butcher knife.
May 15, 2006
GOOD START THIS MORING
QUICK STAT
LARGEST HUMMER TO GO THE WAY OF THE DODO
General Motors is preparing to give a final salute to the hulking Hummer H1, the ultimate in sport utility might and, to its many critics, the ultimate in environmental incorrectness.
G.M. said Friday that it expected to stop building the H1, flagship of its Hummer line, next month. The move comes 14 years after it first went on sale to the public.
Despite its $140,000-plus price tag, rough ride and a fuel economy rating of about 10 miles a gallon, well-heeled buyers and celebrities like Arnold Schwarzenegger snapped up the H1 when it first reached the market in 1992.
With diesel fuel prices around $3 a gallon, it costs more than $150 to fill up the H1's two gas tanks, which together hold 51.5 gallons.
And with G.M. on a push to recast its image as a green company, "it's time for it to go away," Mr. Pinelli said of the biggest Hummer.
Environmentalists, who have used the H1 as an automotive punching bag since it first heaved onto American streets, could hardly contain themselves.
All I can say is it's about damn time. I mean is there anything sillier than seeing one person driving one of these monsters down the street. It's stupid too.
AUTISM
Don Imus (IMUS IN THE MORNING, MSNBC) has been talking about the problem with AUTISM for months. It's become a major problem in America. Roughly 1 in 166 American children born today will fall somewhere on the autistic spectrum. That's more than three times the number with juvenile diabetes.
On his show the other day IMUS showed a video that lasted about 15 minutes. I've cut the video down to bit size clips that I will post here over the next seven days. Here is the list of each days subject.
1. Intro by IMUS (5/11) 2. A new decade for Autism (5/12) 3. Running scared (5/13) 4. Can't you just . . . (5/14) 5. Teach your children well (5/15) 6. Dreams deferred 7. No surrender
HERE ARE A COUPLE OF RESOURCES
Here are a couple of WEB Site's to get started if you want to do some research on Autism. I'll add additional resources tomorrow.
AutismSpeaks visit the SITE here.
Click to visit the site. <----( click here to go to the site )
FirstSigns visit the SITE here.
Click to visit the site. <----( click here to go to the site )
Part 5 is Teach your children well.
Watch the VIDEO.Teach your children well. <----( watch the video here )
3 PART SPECIAL SERIES STARTS TODAY
Starting tonight, Monday 5/15/6, CBS Evening News will run a 3 part special series on Autism called "LIVING WITH AUTISM"
NO WORDS NEEDED
PRETTY GOOD JOKE
A LETTER TO DR. PHILL
Dear Dr. Phil,
When I retired, I could hardly wait to spend time enjoying my favorite pastime
-- bass fishing. I got my own little fishing boat and tried to get my wife to join
me, but she just never liked fishing.
Finally, one day at the Bait & Tackle Shop, I got to talking to Sam the shop owner
who, it turned out, loves bass fishing as much as I do. We quickly became
fishing buddies. As I said the wife doesn't care about fishing. She not only
refuses to join us she always complains that I spend too much time fishing.
A few weeks ago Sam and I had the best fishing trip ever. Not only did I catch
the most beautiful bass you've ever seen, only a few minutes later Sam must
have caught his twin brother! So I took a picture of Sam holding up the two nice
bass that we caught and showed the picture to the wife hoping that maybe she'd
get interested.
Instead she says she doesn't want me to go fishing at all anymore! And she wants
me to sell the boat! I think she just doesn't like to see me enjoying myself. What
would you do? Tell the wife to forget it and continue my hobby or quit fishing and sell
the boat as she insists?
Thanks,
Concerned
PS Enclosed is a picture of Sam with the two bass we caught
Dear Concerned, Get rid of that narrow minded wife.
That's a nice pair of bass!
Dr Phil
PRODUCT WARNINGS:
"Do not use orally." -- On a toilet bowl cleaning brush.
May 14, 2006
MOTHERS DAY 2006
HAPPY MOTHERS DAY
MAY 14, 2006
AUTISM
Don Imus (IMUS IN THE MORNING, MSNBC) has been talking about the problem with AUTISM for months. It's become a major problem in America. Roughly 1 in 166 American children born today will fall somewhere on the autistic spectrum. That's more than three times the number with juvenile diabetes.
On his show the other day IMUS showed a video that lasted about 15 minutes. I've cut the video down to bit size clips that I will post here over the next seven days. Here is the list of each days subject.
1. Intro by IMUS (5/11) 2. A new decade for Autism (5/12) 3. Running scared (5/13) 4. Can't you just . . . (5/14) 5. Teach your children well 6. Dreams deferred 7. No surrender
A VERY APPROPRIATE GUEST BLOGGER
On the occasion of Mothers Day I find it very appropriate and I must say touching that my guest Blogger is both a Mother and the Mother of two young boys that have Autism.
Hi Mick,
Wow, the clip in your post today is powerful and my reaction was the same as yours, but probably for a different reason. For me, it was like looking in the mirror at our life. That constant whinny, crying is exactly what my kids did just about every waking moment. When they weren't crying, their silence was deafening.
It's true that your whole life becomes about Autism, what treatments are available and the different theories about its cause. For me, my focus hasn't been so much on the cause as what do we do now...I could handle only so much and I felt I was fighting for my kids lives. For years I read nothing, literally nothing, that didn't have to do with the treatment of Autism. For a couple of years and between the two boys, we had 45 hours per week of therapy provided by 11 different therapists who came to house multiple times during the week. I'm not a stay at home mom, but I do have flexible hours at work. My husband works evenings and weekends. He and I never saw each other, but one of us was always available for therapy. Oh, by the way, the divorce rate for families dealing with Autism is somewhere between 70% and 80%. Thinking back on that time is exhausting, but at the same time the boys were learning and we really learned to appreciate the little things, like looking at you when you say their name. Hearing my boys say their first words, for the second time, after a couple of years of silence is well, I can't describe it.
As I said before, my oldest is 9 and he is in a regular 3rd grade class. He has age appropriate language and is a good student. But, socially he suffers. He gets frustrated easily, and his anger can escalate rapidly to the point of aggression. He knows he has Autism and hates being so different from others. This morning he was getting ready for school and was upset about a homework problem that was a challenge for him. He was so frustrated that he began crying inconsolably. He said that he hated having Autism and "if I find out who gave this to me, I'm going to hit them." I can't blame him I want to "hit them" too, whoever they are.
The mercury issue should be something easily addressed, but it all comes down to $$$ and liability. I don't know, if I think about it too much, it makes me crazy. Oh, you can post our correspondence if you'd like. I'm all for education. There is so much hope for these children if they are diagnosed early and receive intensive intervention. The NIH recommends 30 hours a week of intensive behavioral intervention. Unfortunately, a lot of parents don't know that and again, $$$ is always an issue. Thank you again for your interest! H.
Part 4 is Can't you just . . .
Watch the VIDEO.Can't you just . . . <----( watch the video here )
3 PART SPECIAL SERIES MONDAY
Starting on Monday 5/15/6, CBS Evening News will run a 3 part special series on Autism called "LIVING WITH AUTISM"
NO WORDS NEEDED
PRETTY GOOD JOKE
CAN'T GO WRONG WITH CHOCOLATE
There are four basic food groups: milk chocolate, dark chocolate, white chocolate, and chocolate truffles. ~ Anonymous
PRODUCT WARNINGS:
"Caution: Hot beverages are hot!" -- On a coffee cup. (Can you say McDonalds)
May 13, 2006
LOT'S TO SAY, SO LITTLE TIME
QUICK STAT:
What's going on in this country. Do you notice the change? The image here tells a part of the story. I've talked about the changes that I've watched over the years. It has to do with work, retirement, greed and even going to WAR.
In terms of work I basically had two jobs in my life time. My first job was with Boeing, I worked there for a little over 5 years. My second and last job lasted for 35 years and it was as a federal civilian working for the Navy. Working one or two jobs in a 40 year period is not going to be the normal anymore.
When it comes to retirement you'll pretty much be on your own. Yes some companies will help but the burden will be on you.
Greed I feel is the major driving force behind these changes. Why the employee is valued less today than in the past is beyond me. But the bottom line is what is the most important item.
What does WAR have to do with this? Well it may be a stretch but I think with an ALL VOLUNTEER ARMY I think the decision to go to WAR is just a little easier. Do the math, there are about 250 million Americans with just a fraction of them in the military. Meaning the effect of WAR is less on most people.
Notice the change now?
AUTISM
Don Imus (IMUS IN THE MORNING, MSNBC) has been talking about the problem with AUTISM for months. It's become a major problem in America. Roughly 1 in 166 American children born today will fall somewhere on the autistic spectrum. That's more than three times the number with juvenile diabetes.
On his show the other day IMUS showed a video that lasted about 15 minutes. I've cut the video down to bit size clips that I will post here over the next seven days. Here is the list of each days subject.
1. Intro by IMUS (5/11) 2. A new decade for Autism (5/12) 3. Running scared (5/13) 4. Can't you just . . . 5. Teach your children well 6. Dreams deferred 7. No surrender
WATCH FOR THE RED FLAGS OF AUTISM
( The following red flags may indicate a child is at risk for a typical development, and is in need of an immediate evaluation.)
In clinical terms, there are a few "absolute indicators," often referred to as "red flags," that indicate that a child should be evaluated. For a parent, these are the "red flags" that your child should be screened to ensure that he/she is on the right developmental path. If your baby shows any of these signs, please ask your pediatrician or family practitioner for an immediate evaluation:
* No big smiles or other warm, joyful expressions by six months or thereafter
* No back-and-forth sharing of sounds, smiles, or other facial expressions by nine months or thereafter
* No babbling by 12 months
* No back-and-forth gestures, such as pointing, showing, reaching, or waving by 12 months
* No words by 16 months
* No two-word meaningful phrases (without imitating or repeating) by 24 months
* Any loss of speech or babbling or social skills at any age
Part 3 is Running scared.
Watch the VIDEO.Running scared. <----( watch the video here )
WE GET LETTERS
The other day I got the following response to my first Post on Autism. With the senders permission I'm posting her message and my reply.
comments: Not a rant...I really enjoy reading your blog. Really good stuff! And a laugh once in awhile is good medicine. Thanks for the pieces about Autism. Both of my sons (7&9) are affected. They were both diagnosed pretty early and have had some fantastic intervention. They are amazing kids, but I wouldn't wish this on anyone. It makes me tired just thinking about it. Thanks for sharing this with others. It's important. Signed: H.
Hi H,
Thanks for the Rant that's not a Rant :)
I have to admit that I don't know that much about Autism but I'm starting to learn. As I said in my BLOG today when I was growing up and having children Autism was not an issue. Aids wasn't a problem nor was Bird Flu and I've often wondered why that is. It's like this stuff hits out of the blue.
When I first heard IMUS talking about AUTISM he was talking about the mercury-based vaccine preservative known as thimerosal used in the vaccines we use today and the fact that the drug companies seem to refuse to address this issue. It seems that there was a study that SUGGESTED this preservative might (MIGHT) have something to do with the increase in Autism.
Imus has always said that children need to get their shots and that parents need to talk to their doctor to make sure he/she use vaccines that does not contain that preservative. But he also says they need to investigate the use of this preservative.
I'm no expert but it seems just common sense and makes me crazy that it's so hard to get this done.
This video is a brief look at what moms go through. Man what an eye opener. I'm not ashamed to say I cried and felt so bad for these moms. I'm sure you know all to well the problems.
By the way I just this morning found out that Autism effects more boys than girls by about three or four to one.
Good luck to you and your boys. I'm glad that things are going well for them. I'm sure they are amazing kids, that was something I got out of the video.
In closing I wonder if you would mind me posting your message and my answer on my Blog? I would only use your first initial (H.).
Take care and I'll say a little prayer for you all, Mick
Tomorrow I'll post a much longer message that "H" sent. It's heart warming and sad at the same time.
NO WORDS NEEDED
PRETTY GOOD JOKE
YOU TALKING TO ME
Q: What is the difference between a violin and fiddle?
A: The fiddle has beer stains on it.
PRODUCT WARNINGS:
"This product is not to be used in bathrooms." -- On a Holmes bathroom heater.
May 12, 2006
DON'T GET TAXED
QUICK STAT:
Just one more reason I'm glad I'm retired. Check out the lower rung of that ladder.
GOOD JOB QWEST
A massive government database containing the phone records of tens of millions of Americans - reported by USA TODAY on Thursday - marks the modern intersection of two powerful emerging forces: terrorism and technology.
"Are you telling me tens of millions of Americans are involved with al-Qaeda?" Vermont Sen. Patrick Leahy, the ranking Democrat on the Judiciary Committee, railed at a morning hearing. "These are tens of millions of Americans who are not suspected of anything."
Specter said he would call executives from AT&T, Verizon and BellSouth - the companies that supplied to the NSA their records on cellphone and land-line calls made from millions of homes, businesses and government offices - "to find out exactly what is going on."
"Why are the telephone companies not protecting their customers?" he said. "They have a social responsibility to people who do business with them to protect our privacy as long as there isn't some suspicion that we're a terrorist or a criminal or something."
One major telecommunications company, Qwest, did refuse to participate in the NSA program because of concerns about its expansiveness and the lack of judicial oversight, USA TODAY reported.
Does Qwest have better Lawyers than the other companies. Either that or more BALLS.
GOOD JOB QWEST.
AUTISM
Don Imus (IMUS IN THE MORNING, MSNBC) has been talking about the problem with AUTISM for months. It's become a major problem in America. Roughly 1 in 166 American children born today will fall somewhere on the autistic spectrum. That's more than three times the number with juvenile diabetes.
On his show the other day IMUS showed a video that lasted about 15 minutes. I've cut the video down to bit size clips that I will post here over the next seven days. Here is the list of each days subject.
1. Intro by IMUS (5/11) 2. A new decade for Autism (5/12) 3. Running scared 4. Can't you just . . . 5. Teach your children well 6. Dreams deferred 7. No surrender
My kids are all grownup today. They are healthy and as I look back the word Autism wasn't something we thought or worried about. As I sit here now thinking about this I come from a large family of 8 brothers and sisters. Amongst us we have had 26 children about 3.25 children each and there is not one case of Autism.
I've heard that Autism started to become a major problem beginning in the 90's all of these children I'm talking about here were born in the 60's, 70's, and 80's. My logic suggests that if Autism had been a major problem before the 90's you would think that out of 26 kids there would be 1 or 2 that had it. Today the rate is 1 in 166 births.
How blessed can we be.
This is a hard video to watch but it's an inspiration because it shows the strength of these moms dealing with the awful truth of Autism on a daily basis.
Part 2 is A new decade for Autism.
Watch the VIDEO.A new decade for Autism. <----( watch the video here )
Watch for the Red Flags of Autism in tomorrows post.
IT'S STILL THE ECONOMY STUPID. . . PART 2
Well the republicans have now passed their tax cuts again.
So the question is what are you going to do with your $20.00. That'll make your day I'm sure.
NO WORDS NEEDED
PRETTY GOOD JOKE
MOM AND CUBS
Why do Polar Bears always look so comfortable when they lay down.
PRODUCT WARNINGS:
"Do not recharge, put in backwards, or use." -- On a battery.
May 11, 2006
MOVING ON
QUICK STAT:
REST IN PEACE DEAR LITTLE FRIEND
I got a call from my daughter last night and she told me her little pal for the past 15 years passed on to a better place.
KOKO was his name and he was the nicest little dog you can imagine. He will be missed.
AUTISM
Don Imus (IMUS IN THE MORNING, MSNBC) has been talking about the problem with AUTISM for months. It's become a major problem in America. Roughly 1 in 166 American children born today will fall somewhere on the autistic spectrum. That's more than three times the number with juvenile diabetes.
On his show today IMUS showed a video that lasted about 15 minutes. I've cut the video down to bit size clips that I will post here over the next seven days. Here is the list of each days subject.
1. Intro by IMUS 2. A new decade for Autism 3. Running scared 4. Can't you just . . . 5. Teach your children well 6. Dreams deferred 7. No surrender
This is a hard video to watch but it's an inspiration because it shows the strength of these moms dealing with the awful truth of Autism on a daily basis.
Part 1 is an intro by IMUS. He gives a little background info.
Watch the VIDEO.Intro by IMUS. <----( watch the video here )
IT'S STILL THE ECONOMY STUPID
They always talk about the DOW JONES being up over 11,000, but to me the majority of the middle class doesn't own stock or if they do it's not a significant part of their wealth or lack of wealth.
If they are still working and in their mid to late fifties they are worried about their retirement and Health Care.
If they are already retired they worry about Health Care issues. Medicare and prescription drugs are major issues. How do you know which drug plan is best especially when you know the drug companies have such control over the plans.
Jobs and lack of GOOD PAYING JOBS is a big issue. Lou Dobbs had a database list of all the companies that had sent jobs offshore. He's been distracted with the boarders issue and but you can still view his database of companies exporting jobs overseas.
Visit the SITE.Click to visit the site. <----( click here to go to the site )
Interest is getting to the level you can't afford buying a house or even getting a Home Equity Loan. I have a $25,000.00 line of credit that has gone from 4.25% back in Jan 2003 to 7.5% today. I won't be using it once I pay the last $5,000 off. NOte: The FED raised the interest rate another quarter point yesterday.
Who do I blame. The man at the top. That's life he has to take responsibility for something. To hear some of the right wingers CLINTON was responsible for everything, and still is if you listen to FOXNEWS.
NO WORDS NEEDED
PRETTY GOOD JOKE
PRODUCT WARNINGS:
"Not intended for highway use." -- On a 13-inch wheel on a wheelbarrow.
FREE BBQ GRILL
This is not a joke. Get a FREE BBQ.
You can get a free BBQ grill from any of the following stores:
A&P
Albertsons
Costco
Food Lion
Fry's
Kroger
Meijer
Publix
Safeway
Sam's Club
Target
Vons
Wal-Mart
Winn-Dixie
QFC
FRED MYERS
I especially like the higher shelf which can be used for keeping things warm!
May 10, 2006
I FEEL GOOD. . .NOW
QUICK STAT:
Oh how I remember these meetings. Still glad I'm retired.
MEA CULPA
Yesterday I had a Doctors appointment so I just put up some pictures on my BLOG and said I'd add the text later. I lied. My Dr appointment lasted two hours and when I got home I had to shut down my Computer and rearrange my setup.
I bought a new computer and it arrived yesterday. I also had ordered and received an storage rack because my current setup was just a mess. I have a scanner, 2 printers (a laser and a color), my Wi-Fi, RadioShark (a USB radio that allows me to record radio to my hard drive), I have a Double Layer RW DVD external drive, CD/DVD Turntable Storage drive and a USB connection for my Digital Camera. Do you know how many wires it takes to hook all this stuff up.
So I got my current PC all moved and rearranged. I also took the opportunity to replace a 6 foot table with a 4 foot table to hold my new Computer.
Today I setup my new PC. Life can be fun don't you think.
YA GOT TO LOVE THIS GUY
Bill O'Reilly is the worst, the absolute worst person in the world. Why he is so popular with the people on the right is hard to explain. When you think about it, it's down right scary.
Bill rants and rants that Air America is about to fold. He's been doing that for months as I've pointed out here in my BLOG. He has a thing about Al Franken. I think it stems mostly back to Franken's book LIES AND THE LYING LIARS WHO TELL THEM.
Anyway, the guy just continues to lie on an almost daily basis on his TV Show. I've yet to figure out how FOXNEWS management allows this to go on and on. Sure I know people can make a mistake, they can misspeak. But damn when you do it day after day it's just not a mistake anymore.
Add that to the "CREATIVE EDITING" that they do on his program just adds credibility to my belief that he is a serial liar.
He'll lie about the dumbest thing or he'll state something in such a way that it's kind of true but not really. That's why Media Matters has a full time job tracking his show. As does Keith Olbermann on his show Count Down.
In this video Keith shows just how O'Reilly lies, and he does it with a smile on his face.
Watch the VIDEO.
Click to watch. <----( watch the video here )
NO WORDS NEEDED
PRETTY GOOD JOKE
HOW YOUR COMPUTER WORKS
Have you ever wondered just how your computer works?
Well ... It's finally explained here in one, easy to understand, illustration:
FONT WAR:
Here is an example of what your computer does when it's idle.
Visit the SITE.
Click to visit the site. <----( click here to go to the site )
May 09, 2006
GOT TO SEE THE MAN
QUICK STAT:
OH CRAP. . . HERE WE GO
Text to follow.
@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ Watch the VIDEO.Click to watch. <----( watch the video here )
OH CRAP. . . HERE WE GO
Text to follow.
@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ Watch the VIDEO.Click to watch. <----( watch the video here )
NO WORDS NEEDED
PRETTY GOOD JOKE
PRODUCT WARNINGS:
"Do not eat toner." -- On a toner cartridge for a laser printer.
YOU SAW THE AD. . .ALL MOST
Oh there ain't no bugs on me
There ain't no bugs, on me
There may be bugs on some of you mugs
But there ain't no bugs on me.
Mosquito he flies high,
Mosquito he flies low
Mosquito better no land on me,
Or he won't fly no mo'.
A peanut sittin' on a railroad track
His heart was all a flutter.
Along came a big freight train
Toot! Toot! Peanut butter!
Oh there ain't no flies on me
There ain't no flies on me
There may be flies on some of you guys
But there ain't no flies on me.
Oh there ain't no lobsters on me
There, ain't no lobsters on me
There may be lobsters On some of you mobsters
But there ain't no lobsters on me.
Oh it ain't gonna rain no more no more
It ain't gonna rain no more
How in the heck can I wash my neck
When it ain't gonna rain no more?
Well little bugs have littler bugs.
Up on their backs to bite'em
And the littler bugs have still littler bugs
And so ad infinitum.
May 08, 2006
PROBLEMS COME
QUICK STAT:
OH CRAP. . . I'M HAVING COMPUTER PROBLEMS
I've got a new PC on order and it looks like I'm going to need it sooner rather than later. Don't know what exactly is going on with my system but man it's r. . . u. . . n. . . n. . . i. . . n. . . g so slow.
NO WORDS NEEDED
PRETTY GOOD JOKE
NEW SPIN ON AN OLDY
It was the first day of school and a new student named Pedro Martinez, the son of a Mexican restaurateur, entered the fourth grade. The teacher said, "Let's begin by reviewing some American history. "Who said 'Give me Liberty, or give me Death?' " She saw a sea of blank faces, except for Pedro, who had his hand up. "Patrick Henry, 1775."
"Very good!" apprised the teacher. "Now, who said, "Government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth?" Again, no response except from Pedro: "Abraham Lincoln, 1863."
The teacher snapped at the class, "Class, you should be ashamed! Pedro, who is new to our country, knows more about its history than you do!" She heard a loud whisper: "Screw the Mexicans!" "Who said that?" she demanded. Pedro put his hand up. "Jim Bowie, 1836."
At that point, a student in the back said, "I'm gonna puke" The teacher glared and asked, "All right! Now, who said that?" Again, Pedro answered, "George Bush to the Japanese Prime Minister, 1991."
Now furious, another student yelled, "Oh yeah? Suck this!" Pedro jumped out of his chair waving his hand and shouting to the teacher, "Bill Clinton to Monica Lewinsky, 1997!"
Now, with almost a mob hysteria, teacher said, "You little shit. If you say anything else, I'll kill you!" Pedro frantically yelled at the top of his voice, "Gary Condit to Chandra Levy, 2001."
The teacher fainted, and as the class gathered around her on the floor, someone said, "Oh shit, we're in BIG trouble now!" Pedro whispered, "Saddam Hussein, 2003."
Finally someone throws a eraser at Pedro, someone shouted "Duck"! The teacher asked "Who said that? Pedro: Dick Cheney 2006!
PRODUCT WARNINGS:
"May irritate eyes." -- On a can of self-defense pepper spray.
May 07, 2006
TOLD YA SO
QUICK STAT:
ON BEING WRONG: I TOLD YOU SO
Richard Reeves, a liberal writer said in part yesterday.
No doubt there is something both petty and unseemly about saying, "I told you so." After all, the people who were wrong about something - invading Iraq, for instance - know what mistakes, honest mistakes, they made. But it does feel good to remind them.
My "told you so" instincts were aroused by Extra!, the newsletter of a valuable liberal voice, Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting, which marked the anniversary of the Iraq invasion by quoting the first words of grandees (Note grandees: A person of eminence or high rank.) who were wrong then and still are:
- "I will bet you the best dinner in the Gaslight District of San Diego that military action will not last more than week ..." said Bill O'Reilly of Fox News.
- "All the naysayers have been humiliated so far. The final word is hooray," said Morton Kondracke, also of Fox.
- "The war was the hard part. ... It gets easier. I mean, setting up a democracy is hard, but it is not as hard as winning a war," said Fred Barnes, also of Fox.
- "The only people who think this wasn't a victory are Upper West Side liberals, and a few people here in Washington," said columnist Charles Krauthammer.
- "When we find the chemical weapons ... the left is going to have to hang its head for three or four more years," said Dick Morris on Fox.
- "The three-week swing through Iraq has utterly shattered skeptics' complaints," said Tony Snow on Fox, before he moved over to the White House himself.
- "Now that the war in Iraq is all but over, should the people in Hollywood who opposed the president admit they were wrong?" said Alan Colmes, Fox's house liberal.
- On MSNBC, Joe Scarborough said: "I'm waiting to hear the words, 'I was wrong." ... I just wonder who's going to be the first elitist to show the character to say: 'Hey, America. Guess what? I was wrong.'"
Well, I'm waiting, too. We all make mistakes; that is the nature of life. Real grandees learn from them.
Look again at the names of these folks again. Is there even ONE that you think will say they were wrong. Hardly.
HE SHOULD TALK
I don't know why Bill O'Reilly is so obsessed with the Air America Network. Oh the other hand I think I do know. He's a very little man. He can dish out criticism (SHUT UP, JUST SHUT UP) but he just can't take it.
On his show last week once again he is talking about the shut down of Air America. Something he does very often. If you were to believe Bill Air America should have been closed down months ago.
If you watch Bill's Show you know what he thinks of ANYONE that has a different belief system then his. Watch the show video below.
I found this on TVNEWSER <----( click here to go to the site ) We can all hope the trend continues.
In The Demo, O'Reilly Hits A New Low Young viewers just don't watch The O'Reilly Factor like they used to. April marked Bill O'Reilly's lowest-rated month in the 25-54 demographic since August 2001. His 415,000 demo viewers in March was a new low, but O'Reilly managed to lose a few more in April, averaging 412,000 in the demo. Here's his post-Katrina track: Sept: 1,115 / Oct: 518 / Nov: 468 / Dec: 460 / Jan: 472 / Feb: 458 / Mar: 415 But this trend started long before the hurricane. for O'Reilly, April's numbers reflected his lowest demo rating in almost five years. Among total viewers, O'Reilly delivered a respectable 2,102,000 million viewers for the month. But that, too, was low -- the lowest, in fact, since July of 2004 (when he had 2,042,000). Click continued to feast your eyes on O'Reilly's monthly averages since 2001...
In the end he says "Smear merchants never prosper. . . . Hmmmmm to bad he doesn't look in mirror when he says that.
Watch the VIDEO
Click to watch. <----( watch the video here )
NO WORDS NEEDED
PRETTY GOOD JOKE
PRODUCT WARNINGS:
"Do not use near fire, flame, or sparks." -- On an "Aim-n-Flame" fireplace lighter.
May 06, 2006
KICKIN BACK
QUICK STAT:
TAKING IT EASY TODAY
GLAD I'M RETIRED
NO WORDS NEEDED
PRETTY GOOD JOKE
PRODUCT WARNINGS:
"Do not drive with sunshield in place." -- On a cardboard sunshield that keeps the sun off the dashboard.
TIME TO SMELL THE FLOWERS
These friars were behind on their belfry payments, so they opened up a small florist shop to raise funds. Since everyone liked to buy flowers from the men of God, a rival florist across town thought the competition was unfair. He asked the good fathers to close down, but they would not. He went back and begged the friars to close. They ignored him. So, the rival florist hired Hugh MacTaggart, the roughest thug in town to "persuade" them to close. Hugh beat up the friars and trashed their store, saying he'd be back if they didn't close up shop.
Terrified, they did so, thereby proving that only Hugh can prevent florist friars.
May 05, 2006
TIME FOR A NAP
QUICK STAT:
Click on the image to see a full view.
I fought the City of Bremerton and the Mayor of Bremerton on the building of the $28 to $35 million dollar 750 foot Tunnel used to off-load cars from the ferry and have them drive through this tunnel and exit on to Burwell St. Now all that is in the past. . . we lost and it's time to move forward.
Day 4 and the last page of this salute to the City of Bremerton.
GOOD RESOURCE
Consumer Reports Best Buy Drugs is a public education project of Consumers Union, the publisher of Consumer Reports. Consumers Union is an expert, independent, nonprofit organization whose mission is to work for a fair, just, and safe marketplace and to empower consumers as they buy products and services.
Consumers Union accepts no outside advertising and no free test samples. It has no agenda other than to promote and protect the interests of consumers.
Consumers Union's revenue comes from the sale of information products and services, individual contributions, and a few educational grants. Consumer Reports Best Buy Drugs is funded largely from such grants. Consumers Union is governed by a board of 18 directors who are elected by CU members and meet three times a year.
Prescription drugs can be expensive, even if you have insurance coverage. But there are medicines that can effectively meet your medical needs and give you better value for your health care dollar. Consumer Reports Best Buy Drugs is a free public education service from the nonprofit Consumers Union, publisher of Consumer Reports. Millions of Americans trust Consumer Reports to provide expert, independent information about products and services, and to help them save money.
The information on this website can help you learn about more affordable drug treatment options to discuss with your physician. We work with respected doctors and pharmacists to compare drugs and point you to those that are proven to work based on current scientific evidence. In concise, easy-to-read reports, we tell you what you need to know about the effectiveness, safety and cost of many widely used prescription drugs.
Check the site out. <----( click here to go to the site )
THE QUESTION IS
FLASH
I was just flipping through the channels on my TV and came to C-SPAN 2 and they had this message on the screen. "Due to technical problems at the Pentagon, we'll tape today's briefing and show it later."
IS THAT CONVENIENT OR WHAT.
Keith Olbermann looks at the runin Rumsfeld had with a question he didn't expect.
Ray McGovern, who was in the CIA for twenty seven years asked Donald Rumsfeld why he lied about the run-up to the Iraq war. Rumsfeld then proceeded to lie to McGovern to cover up his earlier statements about WMD's being in Iraq. He also tries to use the troops in his defense, a terrible strategy, but not uncommon unfortunately.
There are two videos on this. The first is the question itself and the second is a discussion between Keith and Richard Wolffe, Newsweek. Very interesting stuff. especially the part about the inability of Rummy to admit a lie. . . even if it is on video tape.
Watch the Video.Click to watch. <----( watch the video here )
Click to watch. <----( watch the video here )
NO WORDS NEEDED
PRETTY GOOD JOKE
PRODUCT WARNINGS:
"Caution: Do not spray in eyes." -- On a container of underarm deodorant.
May 04, 2006
GOT TO RUN
QUICK STAT:
Click on the image to see a full view.
I fought the City of Bremerton and the Mayor of Bremerton on the building of the $28 to $35 million dollar 750 foot Tunnel used to off-load cars from the ferry and have them drive through this tunnel and exit on to Burwell St. Now all that is in the past. . . we lost and it's time to move forward.
Day 3 of this salute to the City of Bremerton.
Short post today. . .
LOBBYING BILL PASSES NARROWLY IN HOUSE
The House narrowly passed a bill on Wednesday intended to restore public trust in Congress by reshaping the relationship between lawmakers and lobbyists. But Democrats denounced the measure as a sham, and 20 Republicans voted against it.
But the measure falls short of what Republican leaders promised after the scandal involving the lobbyist Jack Abramoff rocked the Capitol in January. The chief Republican architect of the bill, Representative David Dreier of California, the House Rules Committee chairman, conceded that he wished that the measure "were stronger than it is." But Mr. Dreier also called it a "very, very strong package," and promised that it was just the beginning of Republican efforts to clean up Congress.
I don't trust Representative David Dreier. I think he's cut from the same cloth as Abramoff just a bit more polished. So which is it weak or strong. I know and I think you do too. And I'm sure you don't think that congress will do anything more in the future. Because they won't.
What BULLSHIT!!!
NO WORDS NEEDED
PRETTY GOOD JOKE
PRODUCT WARNINGS:
"Do not use while sleeping." -- On a hair dryer.
May 03, 2006
NEED TO GET OUT MORE
QUICK STAT:
Click on the image to see a full view.
I fought the City of Bremerton and the Mayor of Bremerton on the building of the $28 to $35 million dollar 750 foot Tunnel used to off-load cars from the ferry and have them drive through this tunnel and exit on to Burwell St. Now all that is in the past. . . we lost and it's time to move forward.
Day 2 of this salute to the City of Bremerton.
BEN STEIN IS FULL OF CRAP
This last weekend on CBS Sunday Morning Show they had Ben Stein doing the Opinion bit. He was defending Donald Rumsfeld. He talks like he has s**t in his mouth and it makes it hard to understand some, no much of what he is saying.
For example I took just a snippet to illustrate this point. It's the part where old Ben blames Bill Clinton for all of Rumsfelds problems with the war in Iraq. I took this very short piece and replay it four times to see if I can understand what he is saying Clinton did to the troops. I still can't understand what the hell he is saying.
Listen to this <----( watch the video here ) and send me a message is you can figure out what he is saying just after the words "But guess what, it was Clinton. . ." I've tried and tried but I can't understand what he is saying right there. after the word Clinton.
That aside, Ben is just flat out lying about this smaller army business that Ben blames Clinton for. The truth is this was a "WAR OF CHOICE" by that we didn't need to take on. We and by that I mean the Bush Administration WANTED this war. They wanted it now, they didn't want to wait. And in the words of Ben Stein "GUESS WHAT" they could have waited to build up the Military if they really thought it was a problem. It's called planning, a concept they don't seem to understand.
The truth about the size of the Military that was needed is part of Rumsfelds policy of reorganizing the Military. He believes that a smaller, quicker more agile Military could handle Iraq. It was in direct conflict with the Powell strategy of using OVERWHELMING force.
A little professional jealousy going on here I'd say.
Listen to Ben's full opinion here.<----( watch the video here )
WI-FI - IT'S TIME FOR KITSAP COUNTY
A few weeks ago I sent the Kitsap Sun and the Bremerton City Mayor an email about the need to provide FREE WI-FI access not only for the City of Bremerton but all of Kitsap County.
Now I notice more and more Cities, Counties and States wanting to do the same. In fact some are doing just that right now. Local governments across the country are getting into the wireless Internet business. Communities left behind by the high-technology revolution of the last two decades view municipal networks as an affordable means of renewing their economic competitiveness and a way to bridge the digital divide between technology haves and have-nots.
Rhode Island wants statewide Wi-Fi
America's smallest state is seeking to become its first to offer a wireless broadband network from border to border.
Backers of Rhode Island's $20 million project say it would improve services and make the state a testing ground for new business technologies.
It also comes at a time when Rhode Island's capital of Providence is stepping up efforts to lure business from Boston, about a 50-minute drive away, in neighboring Massachusetts, where office rents are among the nation's most expensive.
The Rhode Island Wireless Innovation Networks (RI-WINs) should be fully in place by 2007, providing wireless connectivity throughout state, whose land mass of about 1,045 square miles (2,700 square kilometers) is only slightly more than double the size of metropolitan Los Angeles.
OHIO
CHESTERHILL, a tucked-away village in Ohio's Appalachian southeast, has been on technology's periphery for years. Its 312 residents have limited cellphone service and no broadband Internet service. The town's antiquated telephone lines struggle to handle minimal Internet speeds for those who do dial up.
But thanks to a rural technology grant from the American Distance Education Consortium and a network built by Ohio State University's Information Office, residents are set to go high speed wirelessly. With a satellite receiver mounted at their library, and a broadcast antenna on the village water tower, Chesterhill, where 20 percent of the residents live below the poverty line, now has a 1.5-megabit Internet pipeline in the air.
COME ON KITSAP COUNTY LET'S DO IT.
"For external use only!" -- On a curling iron.
Click on the image to see a full view. I fought the City of Bremerton and the Mayor of Bremerton on the building of the $28 to $35 million dollar 750 foot Tunnel used to off-load cars from the ferry and have them drive through this tunnel and exit on to Burwell St. Now all that is in the past. . . we lost and it's time to move forward. Today and over the next four days I'm going to display a pamphlet dealing with the revitalization of downtown Bremerton. Should be fun and I hope interesting.
The Secret Service has agreed to turn over White House visitor logs that will show how often Jack Abramoff, the convicted former lobbyist, met with Bush administration officials -- and with whom he met. U.S. District Judge John Garrett Penn approved an agreement last Tuesday between the Secret Service and Judicial Watch, a public interest group, that requires the agency to produce records of Abramoff's visits from Jan. 1, 2001, to the present. Judicial Watch filed suit in February after the Secret Service did not respond to its request under the federal Freedom of Information Act. Abramoff once was one of the city's most successful lobbyists. He represented Indian tribes in their dealings with Washington politicians. He pleaded guilty in January in Washington to federal charges stemming from an investigation into his ties with members of Congress and the Bush administration. He also pleaded guilty to fraud charges in Miami concerning a multimillion-dollar purchase of the SunCruz Casinos gambling fleet in 2000. Administration officials have refused to say how many times Abramoff, who raised at least $100,000 for President Bush's reelection, has been to the White House. Bush has said he does not know Abramoff. The visitor logs are to be delivered to Judicial Watch by May 10.
Civil service leaders announced a media campaign yesterday to lure talented applicants to the federal workforce at the same time that a new study says the government needs to do a more effective job of recruiting college students for federal jobs. Linda M. Springer, director of the Office of Personnel Management, said the agency will begin airing four 30-second television ads featuring federal employees touting the work they do and encouraging viewers to explore job opportunities at USAJOBS ( Click to visit the site.) . The ads come as the federal government faces an unprecedented wave of retirements among the baby-boom generation, with about 60 percent of the government's 1.8 million workers eligible to retire over the next 10 years. "We often call it the retirement tsunami," Springer said. "We've got to get ready for it." I worked for the Government (DOD-Navy) for over 35 years until I retired a few years back. I must say I always enjoyed my jobs and felt I was able over the years to move up in the Organization that I worked for, in my case it was Data Processing Department. I especially enjoyed the last 10 to 15 years when the Naval Supply Center first got into Micro Computers. I was put in charge of that group. We had no manual or idea what we should do, it was basically up to us to develop the plans and procedures. It was fun. If you are thinking of a new career the Government is not a bad choice, you could do worse.
"Caution: The contents of this bottle should not be fed to fish." -- On a bottle of shampoo for dogs.
There's a reason you don't talk to people for 25 years. Because you don't particularly like them! Besides, I already know what the captain of the football team is doing these days: mowing my lawn.
I don't how you feel about this march/protest that will take place today. I sometimes think I try to read to much into things that are not important at all. Things like the many Mexican flags that we all saw during some of the earlier marches. The most recent controversy of the rewriting and singing of the National Anthem. And finally the picking of May 1st as the day to have this march. . May 1st is said to be a communist holiday and it might be some place. But it's also May day, something I remember from my youth. The time to pick lilacs, say the rosary and think of the virgin Mary. The song we sang "Tis The Month Of Our Mother" comes to mind. . So I think what does any of that really have to do with this march today. To be sure it has a part to play but just a part. . Building a fence along the boarder, issuing workers secure cards, cracking down on companies that hire the illegal aliens are all options that need to be explored. But the one issue I think that is the most important and to me the least talked about is the issue of these families. . I've heard there is an estimated 11 to 20 million illegal's in this country. Every child "BORN" in this country makes them a US citizen automatically even if both there mom and dad are Mexican. So kicking these families out of the country just doesn't make sense to me. . I think the Kennedy/McCain bill is the correct approach. A country that was able to land a man on the moon and bring him home to talk about it is smart enough to solve this boarder problem with out turning people into felons. The ongoing genocide in the Darfur region of western Sudan, which has continued since 2003, is fueled primarily by the Janjaweed, a government-supported militia recruited from local Arab tribes. The genocide in Darfur has claimed 400,000 lives and displaced over 2,500,000 people. More than one hundred people continue to die each day; five thousand die every month. Watch a short introductory video on the genocide in Darfur. <----( click here to go to the site ) About the size of Texas, the Darfur region is home to racially mixed tribes of settled peasants, who identify as African, and nomadic herders, who identify as Arab. The majority of people in both groups are Muslim. Government neglect has left people throughout Sudan poor and voiceless and has caused conflict throughout the country. In February 2003, frustrated by poverty and neglect, two Darfurian rebel groups launched an uprising against the Khartoum government. The government responded with a scorched-earth campaign, enlisting the help of a militia of Arab nomadic tribes in the region against the innocent civilians of Darfur. Since February 2003, the Sudanese government in Khartoum and the government-sponsored Janjaweed militia have used rape, displacement, organized starvation, threats against aid workers and mass murder to kill more than 400,000 and displace almost 2.5 million people. Violence, disease, and displacement continue to kill thousands of innocent Darfurians every month. Americans have a particularly important role to play in supporting peace in Darfur. The US government has been proactive in speaking out in support of the people of Darfur, but there is still much work that needs to be done. Long-term peace in Darfur requires that the government of Sudan, the Janjaweed militia forces and the rebel groups of Darfur reach substantive agreements in the ongoing peace talks. However, as the peace talks drag on, thousands of innocent civilians die from murder, disease, and starvation every month. Today, millions of displaced civilians living in refugee camps and are in dire need of international support. At this time, human security is the highest priority for the people of Darfur. The world has left the responsibility of providing security to the African Union Peacekeeping Mission in Darfur. As Sally Chin of Refugees International has noted, the world has given the African Union "the responsibility to protect, but not the power to protect." We must now work to ensure that the world fulfills its responsibility to protect the civilians of Darfur. Visit Genocide Intervention Network site. <----( click here to go to the site )
If you're going to insist on making movies based on crappy, old television shows, then you have to give everyone in the Cineplex a remote so we can see what's playing on the other screens. Let's remember the reason something was a television show in the first place is that the idea wasn't good enough to be a movie.NO WORDS NEEDED
PRETTY GOOD JOKE
QUOTE OF THE DAY
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May 02, 2006
PUSHING IT
QUICK STAT:
OH CRAP. . . HERE WE GO
This can't be good news for the White House.
CIVIL SERVICE STEPS UP RECRUITMENT
NO WORDS NEEDED
PRETTY GOOD JOKE
PRODUCT WARNINGS:
NEW RULE
May 01, 2006
FORWARD MARCH
QUICK STAT:
IMMIGRATION MARCH TODAY
NEVER AGAIN
NO WORDS NEEDED
PRETTY GOOD JOKE
YOU GO GIRL. . .WE'LL BE WATCHING
THE EXPRESS LINE
I was in the Express Lane at the store, quietly fuming.
Completely ignoring the sign, the woman ahead of me had slipped into the
check-out line pushing a cart piled high with groceries.
Imagine my delight when the cashier beckoned the woman to come forward,
looked into the cart and asked sweetly, "So, which six items would you
like to buy?"
Wouldn't it be great if that happened more often?!
NEW RULE