Last Living U.S. Veteran Of World War I Dies

Frank Buckles, seen in this 2008 photo, was honored by members of Congress and veterans on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C.

He was repeatedly rejected by military recruiters and got into uniform at 16 after lying about his age. But Frank Buckles would later become the last surviving U.S. veteran of World War I.

Buckles, who also survived being a civilian POW in the Philippines in World War II, died of natural causes Sunday at his home in Charles Town, biographer and family spokesman David DeJonge said in a statement. He was 110.

When asked in February 2008 how it felt to be the last of his kind, he said simply, "I realized that somebody had to be, and it was me." And he told The Associated Press he would have done it all over again, "without a doubt."

Ohio Senate Republicans move to wipe out collective bargaining for all state workers

I am posting this article for information only. I have not put my thoughts down because I did not feel I was articulate enough about the subject to do so. I had a vague idea, maybe even a good idea of the "what's and why's."

By Jim Siegel
The Columbus Dispatch

It is standing room only in the Senate Finance Hearing Room as lawmakers consider repeal of the state collective-bargaining law. More than 800 public-employee union members showed up at the Statehouse to protest.Arguing that state and local governments need the ability to adjust to the new economic paradigm, Senate Republicans today unveiled details of the most sweeping attempt in 27 years to limit the power of public unions to negotiate terms of employment.

The measure attracted a large group of union supporters to the Statehouse. The crowd inside spilled into the atrium, where a sound system was set up so they could hear testimony. Outside, several protestors clad in yellow shirts and carrying signs that urged a no vote demonstrated on the sidewalk.

The stakes are huge.

Collective bargaining would be wiped out for all state workers, including those at institutions of higher education. Local police officers and fire fighters who cannot strike would see weakened binding arbitration. Local workers would no longer bargain for health insurance, automatic pay increases would be stripped from state law, and teachers would not get a say in which buildings they teach in.

For Information Purposes .............

Collective bargaining is a process of negotiations between employers and the representatives of a unit of employees aimed at reaching agreements which regulate working conditions.


A Collective Agreement is an agreement between employers and employees which regulates the terms and conditions of employees in their workplace, their duties and the duties of the employer. It is usually the result of a process of collective bargaining between an employer (or a number of employers) and a trade union representing workers.

Don't know who they are, but God love 'em.

Just think where they could be, and what they could be doing, instead, they are serving their country in a hostile environment, they can be in harms way, but they are not supposed to be in combat.

I hold out hope for this country when there are gals like this, and some guys.

I have no idea who they are, but I will say a prayer for them tonight.

You do the same.

The PS22 Chorus Goes To The Oscars

The Academy Award show is Sunday night, and excitement is growing over what celebrities will wear, what they will say, and who will be the big winners. In addition, we can expect to hear some musical performances by Mandy Moore, Randy Newman and Gwyneth Paltrow (yes, she's singing).

But there is one group performing you probably don't know: The PS22 Chorus, a fifth-grade glee club from Staten Island.

After discovering the PS22 Chorus on YouTube, Anne Hathaway showed up at their Winter Recital in December to personally invite them to perform at the awards show. Needless to say, there was a lot of screaming.

Oscar host Anne Hathaway broke the news to the PS22 Chorus herself.

Now Breinberg and over 60 10-year-olds are in Hollywood preparing for Sunday's performance. The PS22 Chorus will be singing "Somewhere Over the Rainbow."

Me, I blame TV

Got in to a discussion this morning about violence in football, so many injuries occurring.

One guy blamed larger, bigger stronger players, state of the art training facilities, strength coaches and better conditioned players. That made sense. Another talked about safer and better helmets. It came around to me for an answer.

"TV, I blame TV, and the fans. Watch highlight reels, all about the "hits" they highlight the violence. Ohio State has an award for the best "hit" ...... The Tatum Award, they award the biggest and best hit. Not the best tackle or the best catch, the most violent hit.

There is one highlight reel on TV that is nothing but violent hits. I don't think they teach tackling anymore, just hard hitting. The art of tackling is a thing of the past. The crowds go wild over a hard hit, they love to see a player in agony on the ground ..... until the body is lifeless, then the crowd quiets down.

The first one I remember was Darryl Stingley, hit by, not tackled, hit by Jack Tatum. He was the first that I recall, just hitting, trying to injure or put out of the game. When he left Ohio State he went with the Oakland Raiders who specialized in hard hits.

TV loved the hits, they replayed the hits, over and over, they made the "highlight" reels.

When did you last hear of a player making a nice "tackle"?

There is some responsibility also to equipment, helmets are designed to absorb more shock, so instead of being protective, they are now used as battering rams."Hell, man, I can run into a wall, head first, with this thing (helmet), and not feel a thing, man."

I say blame TV, and the crowds, like the spectators in the old Colosseum, "Kill the Christians." Blood and hard hits sell advertising, no one wants to watch a "touch" football game.

The expression on this bird sez it all.....................

The Governor of Ohio

I had a good thought today, how can Kasich keep his nose to the grindstone, when he has his foot in his mouth?

Smart Girl, Sad Story: My Mom's Drunk, 9-Year-Old Tells Bank Teller

by Mark Memmott

In Southfield, Mich.,  "a 9-year-old girl, worried that her mother was driving drunk during a trip to the bank, slipped a teller a note asking for help and refused to get back in the car,"

The mom, 49-year-old Latanya Renee Evans, then left her little girl at the bank. Evans was arrested on suspicion of drunken driving a short time later. The Detroit Free Press says that "police found her nearby in a parking lot, where she failed field sobriety tests and a preliminary breath analysis test."

Her daughter, who got the help she needed from the bank employees, "was unharmed and picked up at the bank by her father

Small Business

Entrepreneurs and their small enterprises

are responsible for almost all the economic growth in the United States.

Ronald Reagan

Thieves have a new way to steal from you now!

I am posting this,  I think it is worth knowing.
"Wednesday, I approached my truck from the passenger  side to place my computer bag in the front passenger seat. As I reached to open the door I noticed there was a  hole right under my door handle.
My first thought was, "someone has shot my truck !"

I began to think about it and inspect it a little closer and the light" slowly began to come on.

I phoned my friend who owns a body shop and asked if he had any vehicles with damage to the doors that looked like a bullet hole.

"Yes, I see it all the time. Thieves have a punch and  place it right under the door handle, knock a hole through, reach in and unlock  it, just as if they have a key. "

No alarms, broken glass or anything.

I then placed a call to my insurance agent and explained it to him I was puzzled that they left my GPS  and all other belongings.

Here is where it gets scary !

"Oh no, he said, they want the break-in to be so  subtle that you don't even realize it. They look at your GPS to see where "home" is. Now they know what you drive, go to your home, and if your vehicle isn't there they
assume you aren't and break in your home."

He says they will even leave a purse or wallet and only take one or two credit cards.

By the time you realize there has been a theft, they  may have already had a couple days or more to use them.

I didn't realize my situation for two full days! They even give you the courtesy of re-locking your doors for you.

Periodically walk around your car, daily if you are in a shopping center or other parking area.

Report thefts immediately....your bank w/missing check  numbers, your credit card agencies, police, and insurance companies, etc.

Fat State Stretched Thin: Tenn. Covers Gastric Bypass

by Daniel Potter

Ethicon Endo-Surgery Inc. Gastric bypass procedures (GBP) divide the stomach into a small "gastric" pouch and a much larger, lower "bypassed" pouch. The operation makes the stomach smaller and makes the patient feel full faster.

Tennessee's state Medicaid program faces hundreds of millions of dollars in budget cuts in the coming months. The program, known as TennCare, won't pay for overweight patients to get counseling from dietitians, but it will pay for the morbidly obese to lose weight through surgery, such as gastric bypass.

That has led some critics to complain that TennCare won't pay for an ounce of prevention but will pay for a pound of cure.

Tyson Plant Drops Labor Day for Muslim Holiday

Tuesday, August 05, 2008

Workers at a Tyson Foods poultry processing plant in Tennessee have opted to trade a paid Labor Day holiday for the Muslim celebration of Eid al-Fitr.

A 5-year contract approved by members of the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union at the Shelbyville, Tenn., plant last November includes the change to accommodate Muslim workers.

"The negotiating committee made the holiday a top priority in contract talks," the union's Alabama and Mid-South Council Representative Randy Hadley said in a statement issued in June. "And we were able to get management to commit to it."

The change, which does not affect the company's 118 other plants, exchanges Labor Day for the Muslim holiday that marks the end of Ramadan. The new contract, negotiated last fall, also gives Muslim workers a prayer room.

"Eid al-Fitr is one of eight paid holidays for all team members covered by the contract, while Labor Day is not a paid holiday," Gary Mickelson, Tyson's media relations director, told the Shelbyville Times-Gazette.

But Tyson spokeswoman Libby Lawson told FOXNews that employees who are not a member of the union at that plant would still be eligible for Labor Day as a paid holiday.

Tuning In Space Noise For Sounds Of Life

by NPR Staff

Earlier this month, NASA's Kepler Mission announced it had found 54 planets orbiting stars in so-called "habitable zones" in our galaxy, where the climate could be suitable for liquid water.

After the planets were found, NASA alerted the SETI Institute (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence) of their locations. The institutes's scientists started listening to those planets, and while they haven't heard any intelligent life yet, there's plenty of other noise to be heard in space.

Few people know more about sounds in space than University of Iowa physics professor Don Gurnett. He's been collecting sounds using instruments on satellites and space explorers for more than 40 years. Here's some of what he's heard.

SETI chief Jill Tarter says the Institute is not listening for the kind of sound you hear with your ears.

"What we're doing is using sensors that are sensitive to electromagnetic radiation," she says.

Electromagnetic radiation — like the energy in your microwave or from your reading lamp — is just another name for energy that travels in wave form. Radio signals are also a form of wave energy. So when SETI "listens" to the cosmos, the institute is actually receiving electromagnetic radiation.

"And then, just the way your radio does, that energy can be used to make audible sound," Tarter says.

Aerobic Exercise May Improve Memory In Seniors

There's a very small structure deep in the center of our brains called the hippocampus. It's smaller than your pinkie, but it plays an absolutely essential role in learning and memory. The hippocampus encodes new information so that we can recall it later. Without a hippocampus, we would be unable to form new memories; we'd only be able to remember the old ones.

As part of normal aging, the hippocampus shrinks. And this shrinkage speeds up as we grow older, foreshadowing memory problems and dementias like Alzheimer's disease.

But there's been some good news in the past decade: Scientists have discovered that in certain areas of the aging brain, new cells are born and grow throughout through life. Neuroscientist Peter Snyder, a researcher at Brown University's Alpert Medical School and Rhode Island Hospital, says the hippocampus is one of those brain areas that continue to form new cells and make new connections between cells.

"What we're finding is that of all of these noninvasive ways of intervening, it is exercise that seems to have the most efficacy at this point — more so than nutritional supplements, vitamins and cognitive interventions," says Snyder, who studies what we can do to maintain memory as our brains age.

Honor in War - A great story

Look carefully at the B-17 and note how shot up it is - one engine dead, tail, horizontal stabilizer and nose shot up. It was ready to fall out of the sky. (This is a painting done by an artist from the description of both pilots many years later.) Then realize that there is a German ME-109 fighter flying next to it. Now read the story below. I think you'll be surprised...

Charlie Brown was a B-17 Flying Fortress pilot with the 379th Bomber Group at Kimbolton , England . His B-17 was called 'Ye Old Pub' and was in a terrible state, having been hit by flak and fighters. The compass was damaged and they were flying deeper over enemy territory instead of heading home to Kimbolton.

After flying the B-17 over an enemy airfield, a German pilot named Franz Stigler was ordered to take off and shoot down the B-17. When he got near the B-17, he could not believe his eyes. In his words, he 'had never seen a plane in such a bad state'. The tail and rear section was severely damaged, and the tail gunner wounded. The top gunner was all over the top of the fuselage. The nose was smashed and there were holes everywhere.

Despite having ammunition, Franz flew to the side of the B-17 and looked at Charlie Brown, the pilot.

Brown was scared and struggling to control his damaged and blood-stained plane.

Aware that they had no idea where they were going, Franz waved at Charlie to turn 180 degrees. Franz escorted and guided the stricken plane to, and slightly over, the North Sea towards England. He then saluted Charlie Brown and turned away, back to Europe ..

When Franz landed he told the CO that the plane had been shot down over the sea, and never told the truth to anybody. Charlie Brown and the remains of his crew told all at their briefing, but were ordered never to talk about it.

More than 40 years later, Charlie Brown wanted to find the Luftwaffe pilot who saved the crew. After years of research, Franz was found. He had never talked about the incident, not even at post-war reunions.

They met in the USA at a 379th Bomber Group reunion, together with 25 people who were alive - all because Franz never fired his guns that day.

When asked why he didn't shoot them down, Stigler later said, "I didn't have the heart to finish those brave men. I flew beside them for a long time. They were trying desperately to get home and I was going to let them do that. I could not have shot at them. It would have been the same as shooting at a man in a parachute."

Both men died in 2008.
 
Thanks to Jim Madison for this, too good not to pass around

Understanding Derivatives -- A Primer

Heidi is the proprietor of a bar in Detroit.
     She realizes that virtually all of her customers are unemployed alcoholics and, as such, can no longer afford to patronize her bar.
     To solve this problem, she comes up with a new marketing plan that allows her customers to drink now, but pay later.
     Heidi keeps track of the drinks consumed on a ledger (thereby granting the customers' loans).
     Word gets around about Heidi's "drink now, pay later" marketing strategy and, as a result, increasing numbers of customers flood into Heidi's bar. Soon she has the largest sales volume for any bar in Detroit .
     By providing her customers freedom from immediate payment demands, Heidi gets no resistance when, at regular intervals, she substantially increases her prices for wine and beer, the most consumed beverages.
     Consequently, Heidi's gross sales volume increases massively.
     A young and dynamic vice-president at the local bank recognizes that these customer debts constitute valuable future assets and increases Heidi's borrowing limit.
     He sees no reason for any undue concern, since he has the debts of the unemployed alcoholics as collateral!!!
     At the bank's corporate headquarters, expert traders figure a way to make huge commissions, and transform these customer loans into DRINK BONDS.
     These "securities" then are bundled and traded on international securities markets.
     Naive investors don't really understand that the securities being sold to them as "AAA Secured Bonds" really are debts of unemployed alcoholics. Nevertheless, the bond prices continuously climb!!!, and the securities soon become the hottest-selling items for some of the nation's leading brokerage houses.
     One day, even though the bond prices still are climbing, a risk manager at the original local bank decides that the time has come to demand payment on the debts incurred by the drinkers at Heidi's bar. He so informs Heidi.
     Heidi then demands payment from her alcoholic patrons, but being unemployed alcoholics they cannot pay back their drinking debts.
     Since Heidi cannot fulfill her loan obligations she is forced into bankruptcy. The bar closes and Heidi's 11 employees lose their jobs.
     Overnight, DRINK BOND prices drop by 90%.
     The collapsed bond asset value destroys the bank's liquidity and prevents it from issuing new loans, thus freezing credit and economic activity in the community.
     The suppliers of Heidi's bar had granted her generous payment extensions and had invested their firms' pension funds in the BOND securities.
     They find they are now faced with having to write off her bad debt and with losing over 90% of the presumed value of the bonds.
     Her wine supplier also claims bankruptcy, closing the doors on a family business that had endured for three generations, her beer supplier is taken over by a competitor, who immediately closes the local plant and lays off 150 workers.
     Fortunately though, the bank, the brokerage houses and their respective executives are saved and bailed out by a multi billion dollar no-strings attached cash infusion from the government.
     The funds required for this bailout are obtained by new taxes levied on employed, middle-class, nondrinkers who have never been in Heidi's bar.
     Now you know, the rest of the story, and I hope you understand?

Too Good not to Share .............

Men are so Sensitive - Thanks, Ernie, good one.

The room was full of pregnant women with their partners.


The class was in full swing.

The instructor was teaching the women how to breathe and was telling the men how to give the necessary assurance to their partners at this stage of the pregnancy.

She said "Ladies, remember that exercise is good for you. Walking is especially beneficial. It strengthens the pelvic muscles and will make delivery that much easier." Just take several stops and stay on a soft surface like grass or a path.

She looked at the men in the room, "and gentlemen, remember -- You're in this together -- It wouldn't hurt you to go walking with her.

The room suddenly got very quiet as the men absorbed this information.

Then a man at the back of the room slowly raised his hand.

"Yes?" answered the instructor.

"I was just wondering if it would be all right if she carries a golf bag?"

I wonder

I was just wondering, have cell phones and all the new communications equipment had any effect on the divorce rate?

Cheating on either the husband or the wife would be more difficult, he or she can find you anyplace, and with GPS on the phone your whereabouts is always known.

I have to wonder, too, who are all these people that people are talking to on the phone. One lady in Walmart was on the phone for at least fifteen minutes while she was shopping, and I am not being critical, but she was not pleasant to look at, so I doubt that she had a boyfriend, maybe not even a husband. I think some people just hold the phone to their ear and talk, so they don't feel out of place, or they don't want to be bothered by people talking with them.

I had to question this morning, also, how can a person, get their phone, their hand, and their head, up their ....well you know. I was waiting to turn right, behind a car, red light, no cars coming from our left, she sat there, talking, and then, when there was some traffic coming, she pulled out, hit the brakes to avoid a wreck. And then, when she pulled her hand, her head and her phone out .... she had the audacity to shake her head with a look .......... wondering why everyone in the world was so stupid and could not drive. And, then, it looked like she called someone up to tell them what had happened.

Why not just use your cell phone number as your license plate number?

I use my billfold as my cell phone, I just hold it up to my ear and say, "Hello," everyone looks. If you saw my billfold you would question it.

I imagine it is difficult, to say the least, to have an "affair" when you are on the phone with your wife sixteen or more hours a day.

Kabuki

Kabuki is the highly stylized classical Japanese dance-drama, known for the stylization of its drama and for the elaborate make-up worn by some of its performers. Kabuki is therefore sometimes translated as "the art of singing and dancing." Since the word kabuki is believed to derive from the verb kabuku, meaning "to lean" or "to be out of the ordinary", kabuki can be interpreted as "avant-garde" or "bizarre" theatre.

In the United States of America it is known as POLITICS.

It's a FACT!

It is impossible to lick your own elbow.

John Kasich’s anti-police statements are not new

The recent news about Kasich calling a police officer an idiot multiple times for giving him a ticket is just one example in the list of disrespectful and downright strange things Kasich has said about police officers recently.

Back in December Kasich made two statements about officers ‘sneaking’ and ‘hiding." During an press conference with the Highway Patrol Kasich said:

“You got some patrolman sneaking in the weeds somewhere getting you going 2 miles an hour over the speed limit. We don’t want that in Ohio.”

And talking about the new IG Randy Meyer:

“He’s not going to be a traffic cop hiding in the bushes.”

And back in November Scott Pullins published a letter that discussed a Kasich campaign appearance in which John belittled the important work of police officers in Genoa Township: When asked about cutting the income tax, he replied that he would eliminate it as he reduced government. He gave Genoa Township as an example. He said that they employed 28 policemen and the last time that there was a crime in the township, one squirrel stole a nut from another one and ran up a tree. There is no need for that many police; he’d cut them. (Apparently he doesn’t see having police as a deterrent.)

In John Kasich’s strange view of the world it seems that police officers are lazy, over-paid union thugs who spend their days hiding in the weeds and pouncing on unsuspecting, hardworking bankers whose only crime is being late for game of golf.

Public Broadcasting Funds Caught In Budget Battle

As Congress and the White House clash over the federal budget, House Republicans hope to include the $430 million currently slotted for the Corporation For Public Broadcasting among the cuts.

Three-quarters of that appropriation supports public television, with the final 25 percent designated for public radio. And while most of that funding goes directly to approximately 1,300 television and radio stations around the country, federal funds make up about 10 percent of NPR's budget, either through competitive grants or indirectly from member stations that pay fees to carry NPR programs. CPB also provides funding to many specific programs, such as Nova, PBS Newshour, Sesame Street and Story Corps.

Public broadcasting has been targeted for spending cuts several times in the past decade, but in the face of record deficits — and pledges from both political parties to cut spending wherever possible — many in Washington think the proposed cuts have a strong chance of passing Congress as part of a continuing budget resolution.
 
I don't think I am entirely comfortable with a government funded radio or TV network. I do listen to NPR, however, more listening, less commercials. I am personally sick of radio "talk show" hosts who  are nothing more than entertainers who have, for some reason, gained an audience. TV Anchor persons nauseate me. They take on a self importance that they do not deserve. So, what does that leave? Not much. I still like those announcements, though, "Bank robbery, at eleven." 
 
Generally, here at Coventry, in our apartment, I turn on the TV, go to Easy Listening, and that is what is on almost all day. "Oldies and Goodies"

Telephone Calls

Question:  Which day are there more collect calls made than any other day of the year?

And, now you know ...................

It was the accepted practice in Babylon 4,000 years ago that for a month after the wedding, the bride's father would supply his son-in-law with all the mead he could drink. Mead is a honey beer and because their calendar was lunar based, this period was called the honey month, which we know today as the honeymoon.

WHEN are THEY going to realize it???????

When are they going to realize just WHAT this says?

It says .......... B one G

That is NOT an I it is a 1

When are THEY going to admit that they, or someone screwed up.... it says B ONE G TEN. Anyone knows the difference.

"Welcome to the B one G TEN Conference, we can't spell, but we shure do play football ...."

Man Runs 365 Marathons In 365 Days

by Eyder Peralta

In total, Stefaan Engels of Belgium covered 9,569 miles.

He completed the Barcelona Marathon and finished a feat in which he ran 365 marathons over the course of the year. That's 26.2 miles of running a day for the 365 days.

"I don't regard my marathon year as torture. It is more like a regular job," the 49-year-old said.

He averaged about four hours to complete a marathon. He said his best time was 2 hours and 56 minutes.

Engels told the AP that he ran despite his doctor's insistence that he shouldn't run because he had asthma:

But he decided to overcome his ailment and ran his first marathon at 25. He said his latest feat is the result of 35 years of exercise.

"There were a lot of moments when I thought 'Today, I won't finish,'" he said. "One of the hardest moments was in Mexico City after a long flight, the altitude and I had gotten sick from eating something, and I thought 'What am I doing here?'"

According to CNN and the AP, which quote the Guinness Book of World Records, Engels smashed the previous record held by Akinori Kusuda who ran 52 consecutive races in 2009.

They warned us - we didn't listen!

If you are surprised by Kasich’s latest gaff – calling a police office an idiot multiple times at his EPA meeting last month – then obviously we missed all of the warnings we were given during the campaign.

John Kasich has acted again and again like a selfish, arrogant jerk who thinks he deserves special treatment from everyone.

He has done a 180 since being elected.

Makes me think of the man who had a dilemma. He had to decide which of two women to marry.

One was beautiful, vivacious, desirable, but not to bright. The other not attractive, but she was a singer, with a voice like no other, a nightingale.

He decided on the vocalist.

They got married, went to a secluded, hotel in the mountains.

He woke up the next morning, looked over at his new bride, not attractive, but with a beautiful singing voice, and said .............. "Sing, dammit, sing."

"Sing, King John, Sing."

Kasich Called Police Officer an "Idiot" After Getting a Ticket

By Julie Kent

Ohio governor John Kasich is already facing backlash by taking on the state's unions, and now has enraged police officers after today's revelation that he called a Columbus police officer an "idiot" last month for giving a traffic ticket in 2008.

According to court records, Kasich was pulled over on January 8, 2008, heading northbound on Rt. 315 for not moving over for a stopped emergency vehicle with its lights flashing. Kasich pleaded guilty and three days later he paid the $85 fine.

The "idiot" comment came up during a staff meeting that Kasich held with most of the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency's employees on January 21.

Kasich said:

"Have you ever been stopped by a policeman who's an idiot?"

"I had this idiot pull me over on (Route) 315. He says, 'You passed this emergency vehicle on the side of the road and you didn't yield. I said, 'I didn't... officer, are you kidding? I didn't see... where the heck was it? The last thing I would ever do would be to pass an emergency... Are you kidding me?'

"He says, 'Well, I understand, give me your license... goes back to the car, comes back, gives me a ticket. He says, 'You must report to court. If you don't report to court, we're putting a warrant out for your arrest.'

"He's an idiot. We just can't act that way. And what people resent are people who work in government who don't treat the client with respect."

Hypocrisy, thy name is DeWine

The Dispatch is reporting that “Mike DeWine filed a federal class-action lawsuit yesterday against BP”.

Funny story…

Last October Mike DeWine was running around the state claiming Attorney General Rich Cordray was “anti-business” because he had filed lawsuits on behalf of the state against Corporations that had screwed over Ohio and Ohioans.

I guess suing big corporations is only “anti-business” when Democrats do it.

Politics at its best .............

He is an IDIOT, comment.

Governor King John

I voted for him.

I listened to what he had to say during the campaign and I agreed.

Right after he won, I got an email from his office, "What do I do now?"  That concerned me.

Most of what he has done so far, since being in office, I have questioned.

Now, today, after his comment about the police, I realize he is a loose cannon, possibly incompetent, and is, in fact, an idiot himself.

He has no business in a governor's office, anywhere.

I hope something is done.

Would really like to hear the conversation ......

It has been reported that Charlie Sheen has been giving advice to Lindsay Lohan....

Wildlife-Smuggling Bust: 259 Live Animals Found In 3 Suitcases

by Jonathan Makiri

An Indonesian man was accused of trying to make some quick cash by stuffing 259 live animals into three suitcases last week. The bags were seized when they went through a scanner at Suvarnabhumi International Airport in Bangkok, Thailand, and an apparent wildlife-smuggling operation went bust.
According to the wildlife monitoring group Traffic, the menagerie included:
1 ploughshare tortoise
6 Argentine horned frogs
7 radiated tortoises
88 Indian star tortoises
22 common squirrels
6 mata mata turtles
19 bearded dragons
3 Aldabra tortoises
18 baboon spiders
1 pig-nosed turtle
33 elongated tortoises
1 African grey parrot
34 ball pythons
2 boa constrictors
1 milk snake
2 corn snakes
2 king snakes
1 mountain kingsnake
1 mole kingsnake
1 hog-nosed snake
4 spiny-tailed lizards
2 Sudan plated lizards
4 chitras
The exotic animals were purchased at Bangkok's Chatuchak Market, where illegal animal trade occurs in the open.

California cat burglar is a real cat named Dusty

Dusty is no ordinary cat, the San Mateo, California feline has been nicknamed "Klepto the Cat". Dusty is your average housecat by day, and at night he transforms in to a bit of a "packrat", with a penchant for stealing things.

The sticky pawed cat has reportedly collected over 600 items in the last three years. One of his favorites is a woman's bikini.

The cats owner's, Jean Chu and Jim Coleman, say the cats one-night record is 11 items.

"Towels, gloves, shoes, socks, little toys, children's toys," said Chu.

Dusty has been featured on the Animal Planet show "Must Love Cats." He was recorded several nights outside of his home, stealing neighbors unsecured belongings.

"Sorry Dad, Mom and I are tied up."

The Presidential Medal of Freedom was awarded today, among others, to the 41st President of the United States, George W. Bush, for his contributions to the security or national interests of the United States, to world peace, or to cultural or other significant public or private endeavors.


And, his kid, the 43rd President of the United States, could NOT ATTEND, he had a "Schedule Conflict.

"Sorry, Dad, would have loved to see you get the Presidential Medal of Freedom, but Mom and I were tied up."

I would love to know what was more important than that, and we will never know. 43, I lost a lot of respect for you today.

Think about this ............. it is true!

"Everything is changing. People are taking their comedians seriously and the politicians as a joke."
 —Will Rogers

Any good thoughts about a caption for this foto ?????

A quote of Teddy Roosevelt

"It is not the critic who counts: not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error or shortcoming, but who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself for a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat."

Budget Crunch Forces A New Approach To Prisons

by Carrie Johnson

Budget problems are forcing states and the federal government to rethink their approach to prisons. More than 2 million people are incarcerated in the United States, and the cost is getting unbearable.

Even conservatives who describe themselves as tough on crime are starting to call for the release of some inmates. That's in part because the numbers are speaking louder than ever.

States spend about $50 billion a year to house prisoners, and experts say incarceration is the fastest-growing expense in state budgets, except for Medicaid.

It costs 23 times as much to have somebody behind the walls as it does in the community, and I think that disparity is what's becoming compelling.

Ain't Love Grand ....................????

Gallaudet University's Lady Bisons

Gallaudet University's Lady Bison come with the same hoopla as any other college basketball team: Cheerleaders rustle fistfuls of pom-poms; wild male fans in nothing but face paint and brightly colored Speedos rile up the crowd; and frustrated coaches lob high-pitched advice from the bench.


It's not until the team huddles that you notice anything different about the Lady Bison. All the Gallaudet players are deaf or hard of hearing. The university, located in Washington, D.C., is the premier school for deaf students. Its women's basketball team competes against mainstream — hearing — teams, and this year, it's making a surprise run up the national rankings.

How Do You Play Basketball If You Can't Hear?

Playing basketball would seem to require at least some hearing — for whistles, buzzers or the sounds of the ball. But the players say it's not as important as you might think.

"We've been playing around 23 games," guard Stephanie Weiss says, "so I feel like we know each other. We're sisters for life — like, we know how to communicate with each other."

Rookie guard Britny Latham says she looks for visual clues. "I watch to see if anyone stops or throws their hands up," she says. "I just watch, or I can feel the beat on the ground."

Obviously, it works; Latham is a breakout star in a standout season on a team that's nationally ranked — and a favorite for an NCAA tournament bid.

Hundreds PROTEST Global Warming

Out of the mouthes of babes.....................

My last train trip

My last trip was in 1962, went from Elko, Nevada to Columbus, Ohio, I remember my disappointment, no dining car, all vending machines and toasters, things had changed since my previous trip from Dayton, Ohio to Reno, Nevada, probably five of six years earlier.

I loved riding on trains, and train stations were special places. There was something about them, people going and coming, not the "fast" atmosphere that you found in an airport.

When I went out to Reno, I boarded the train in Dayton and went to St. Louis, and had to change there to another train. In St. Louis, one of the Busch family was boarding, children, nurses, secretaries a whole party of people. They loaded their own "steaks" and quite a few cases of Budweiser beer as well as a large number of suitcases and trunks. We all got a lot of free beer for the next few days.

Train travel was "elegant" in a lot of ways. Life went on as usual, you ate, slept, talked, yet, you were unknowingly "moving on." You were all in a separate moving world.

I always wanted to take one of those long train journeys in Europe, that would be neat. The Orient Express and some of those other famous trains would be nice to ride on.

Train travel in America

Trains in the United States have always had a strong hold on the popular imagination, inspiring countless railroad stories, songs, films and legends. A rugged charm sets them apart from more mundane means of transport and their ecological soundness means that rail travel is again in vogue. Amtrak trains (not ‘Amtrack’) pollute less, rarely suffer from weather delays and won’t give you jet lag. You can choose your companions, read a book, have a snooze, sleep horizontally and enjoy most of the comforts of home while on holiday. One reason for travelling by train in the USA is especially compelling: it’s much more fun.

Trains go to almost all big US cities as well as to Disney World, Niagara Falls and the Grand Canyon. Pampered by helpful attendants, you can travel by railway from coast to coast, explore the Rocky Mountains and ride directly alongside two oceans. You cross rivers, lakes and deserts and see places which can’t be visited any other way. Less expensive than flying, more comfortable than the bus, train travel keeps you relaxed and in touch with an ever-changing landscape. See here for some of Amtrak’s best routes. See here to win free Amtrak passes and flights to new York City.

Amtrak coaches have generous reclining seats, observation domes, air-conditioning and snug bunks. This may not be the fastest way to travel but the civilised pace is perfect for sightseeing, and if the scenery palls you can go for a stroll, enjoy a meal in the dining car, make friends in the bar or watch a movie. At night a gentle rocking and the steady rhythm of the wheels are sure to lull you to sleep. Not many people would mourn buses if they became obsolete, and even fewer entertain fond thoughts about airports, but children still count freight cars and wave as the train goes by. Instead of leaving you exhausted and surly, trains create a sense of adventure and romance. No wonder people still find the plaintive sound of a locomotive horn at midnight a sure sign that it’s time to move on. As the bell clangs and the conductor calls out ‘All aboo-aard!’ you’ll soon discover why Amtrak train travel remains so beguiling.

Streetcar named Progress

One growing part of America's infrastructure, however, has a distinctly 19th-century feel. It's the return of the streetcar.

Like so many urban development stories in America, this one begins in Portland, Ore.

Outside the famous Powell's bookstore, a 21st-century streetcar glides to a stop, opens its doors, and lets out a mix of tourists and locals. Modern streetcars have been running in this city for about a decade, and Chandra Brown lives right along their route.

"I love the streetcar," says Brown, who's lived in Portland for 17 years. "They had told me that there were no streetcars built in the United States, and I basically said, 'You're a liar, that can't be, honestly.' So I did some research after that and found out, yes, that was absolutely correct. There was no builder of modern streetcars in the United States."

As it happens, Brown is a vice president of Oregon Iron Works. Her company has been making bridges, boats and other heavy equipment since the 1940s. A few years ago, they created a subsidiary called United Streetcar. Now they are manufacturing the first American-built streetcars in more than 50 years.

The Oregon Iron Works factory is a cavernous space in a Portland suburb, where men with hammers are busy constructing a streetcar base. Seventy to 90 percent of the parts are made in the U.S.; seats from Michigan, upholstery from North Carolina, windshield wipers from Connecticut.

"It was 2009 when we finished the first prototype, made-in-the-USA streetcar," Brown says. "Now this little fledgling company is building 13 cars with $50 million-plus in orders." Those orders are all for cities in the U.S., too.

'Back To The Future'

In fact, the U.S. is in a streetcar boom. More than a dozen cities either have them or are actively planning for their development.

Dog poop-powered lamp could see light of day in Carbondale

By John Stroud

The Park Spark Project in Cambridge, Mass., is home to the first anaerobic digester for dog waste in the U.S., a system Carbondale is considering.

Laurie Guevara-Stone of Carbondale-based Solar Energy International recently approached Carbondale's parks and recreation commission about installing a gas lamp in one of the city's two dog parks that would be fueled by methane from dog waste.

If the project proves feasible — and if grant funding can be obtained — it would serve as yet another renewable-energy demonstration project in green-savvy Carbondale.

Fifty Years Ago

This week is, simply, the anniversary of one the saddest days in American sports.

Fifty years ago, on the morning after Valentines Day, a Sabena 707 plunged into a field near Brussels.

Eighteen U.S. figure skaters were killed -- the elite of a nation's whole sport wiped out, along with coaches and officials. Proudly, they were flying to the world championships.

It's Time!

Tomorrow, February 14, 2011, I never thought that this day would arrive, it seems like it has been a long time in coming, but, tomorrow, PITCHERS and CATCHERS report for SPRING TRAINING.

It is also Valentine's Day, anyway you look at it, the weather is going to start turning warm.

I guess I like Winter and cold nasty weather, how else can you look forward to warm weather, nothing to compare it to. So, I like Winter, because it makes me appreciate Spring and Summer.

But tomorrow all the Pitchers and the Catchers head for warm weather locations to start throwing and catching baseballs, makes me feel "warm" all over.

Food for Thought

Same problem, different prospective ............. a good read ..

A worried woman went to her gynecologist and said: 'Doctor, I have a serious problem and desperately need your help! My baby is not even 1 year old and I'm pregnant again. I don't want kids so close together."


So the doctor said: 'Ok and what do you want me to do?'

She said: 'I want you to end my pregnancy, and I'm counting on your help with this.'

The doctor thought for a little, and after some silence he said to the lady: 'I think I have a better solution for your problem. It's less dangerous for you too.'

She smiled, thinking that the doctor was going to accept her request.

Then he continued: 'You see, in order for you not to have to take care 2 babies at the same time, let's kill the one in your arms. This way, you could rest some before the other one is born. If we're going to kill one of them, it doesn't matter which one it is. There would be no risk for your body if you chose the one in your arms.

The lady was horrified and said: 'No doctor! How terrible! It's a crime to kill a child!"

'I agree', the doctor replied. 'But you seemed to be OK with it, so I thought maybe that was the best solution.

The doctor smiled, realizing that he had made his point. He convinced the mom that there is no difference in killing a child That's already been born and one that's still in the womb. The crime is the same!

Monday is Valentines Day

Just sitting here, "in the stillness of the Midnight," took too many naps today and now I can't sleep.

Monday is Valentine's Day, and I got to remembering those days in grade school, when the night before you  would hurriedly scribble out those "cards for all your classmates." And you would wonder "how many will I get?" And, then you looked to see how many girls sent them to you, and especially any of the cute girls, or that one special girl.

The teacher generally gave us a small bag full of those candy hearts that had the little sayings on them, some would make you blush.

My "valentine" in those days, many, many years ago, was a neighbor girl, Alma Faye Eilerman, haven't seen her in seventy years, we grew up together, until about '43, and then have not seen her since.

My old memory is really working this Saturday morning, around 2, Mrs Prather was my First Grade teacher, that was the first year we exchanged Valentines, at Emerson Junior High School, in Dayton, Ohio. Emerson is gone, Mrs. Prather is gone, but we still have Valentine's Day, and of course, Dayton, Ohio is still there.

They were very little cards as I recall, they came in a box, everyone bought the same ones at Woolworth's or Grants or McCrory's, all Ten Cent stores, so you always got back the same cards that you handed out. At the last minute, you always forgot someone in your class. Mom would always make me take a few with no names on the envelopes, just in case.

It used to be a little Penny Valentine Card ..... now look at it... but, after all these years, we don't do much for Christmas, the wife and I, little to nothing for birthdays, but I will have to get her something for Valentines Day ......... the greeting card companies and the candy companies really started something .... Happy Valetines Day to all.................

Donald Trump 'Tempted' to Run for President

Tom Diemer

Does he mean it this time? Billionaire Donald Trump, the New York-based real estate tycoon and deal maker, says he is very tempted to run for president as a Republican in 2012 and will decide whether to do so by June.

"I am seriously thinking about it," Trump said on CNN Wednesday night. "I love this country. I hate what's happened to this country. We are a laughingstock throughout the world. We're not respected."

In an interview with Piers Morgan, Trump declared China an "enemy" of the United States and vowed that, if elected president, he would impose a 25 percent tax on all Chinese products. "They want to take over this country economically. They are not really out-competing. They are cheating" by manipulating currency, he said. "They are not our friends."

As president, Trump said he would replace U.S. diplomats with "business leaders" -- the "killers on Wall Street, of which I know every one of them." His people, he said, would not only confront the Chinese but OPEC, which could send gasoline prices to "five, six, seven dollars pretty soon because there's nobody here that calls them and says, 'Fellas, you better not do it.' "

Trump said he liked President Obama personally but believed the Democrat was in over his head at the White House.

Perhaps signaling his seriousness about a possible run, Trump planned to speak at the opening of the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Washington. The annual event offers a platform for would-be Republican presidential candidates.

Any comments about this?

Vermont Gov. Proposes Single-Payer Health Plan

by Aimee Miles

Vermont Gov. Peter Shumlin, who was elected last November after promising to reform health care in the state, unveiled a bill Tuesday that would abolish most forms of private health insurance and move state residents into a publicly funded insurance pool.

His much anticipated proposal lays out a strategy that leaves a number of key details — including how to pay for the system — open for debate.

Under Shumlin's "single-payer" system, Vermont residents would receive health benefits paid for by the state, regardless of their employment status or income. The plan is designed to help stem rising health costs, which state officials say have become unsustainable.

"Health care costs are climbing at a rate of more than 12 times the growth of the Vermont economy, and we're not getting the best value for our money," Shumlin said in a prepared statement. "The time for change has come."

Former Vermont governor Howard Dean, who unsuccessfully sought to institute a single-payer system in 1994, praised the effort.

"It makes a lot of sense, and it'll save them a ton of money," he said in an interview.

A VIEW OF INTERVIEWS FROM THE PURITY MALL

Will the creators of My View from the Purity Mall and Dooley Observed

Be doing interviews in the future with those key candidates

who will be running for major political offices in the U.S in 2012?

Joe an Jim will keep you informed on updates as they come in.

Britain Faces Closing The Book On Libraries

by David Greene

Nearly 100 local officials wrote a letter to the Times of London saying the government's austerity measures are too hard to swallow, and they are being forced to cut critical services.

Stony Stratford Library, in a small town near Milton Keynes, may be closing. Last month, customers checked out all 16,000 books as a protest against the proposed closure.

Among the toughest decisions the local politicians face is whether to shut down their public libraries. About 400 or so have been targeted for closure already ... sparking an outcry from communities across the country.

There was a time in Britain, say 160 years ago, when some in Parliament didn't believe in public libraries at all. The worry was, if the working class read books, it would get dangerous ideas and rise up against the government.

That's not the debate today. But this is still sensitive ground for politicians.

Dooley Observar - Dooley Observed

After being interviewed by the school administration, the prospective teacher said: 'Let me see if I've got this right.


'You want me to go into that room with all those kids, correct their disruptive behavior, observe them for signs of abuse, monitor their dress habits, censor their T-shirt messages, and instill in them a love for learning.

'You want me to check their backpacks for weapons, wage war on drugs and sexually transmitted diseases, and raise their sense of self esteem and personal pride.

'You want me to teach them patriotism and good citizenship, sportsmanship and fair play, and how to register to vote, balance a checkbook, and apply for a job.

'You want me to check their heads for lice, recognize signs of antisocial behavior, and make sure that they all pass the final exams.

'You also want me to provide them with an equal education regardless of their handicaps, and communicate regularly with their parents in English, Spanish or any other language, by letter, telephone, newsletter, and report card.

'You want me to do all this with a piece of chalk, a blackboard, a bulletin board, a few books, a big smile, and a starting salary that qualifies me for food stamps.

'You want me to do all this and then you tell me. . I CAN'T PRAY?

Indiana Building Won't Be Named For Former Mayor

In Fort Wayne, Ind., in the 1930s and 50s, Mayor Harry Baals was very popular. But city leaders won't name a building after him. The issue is pronunciation. The former mayor pronounced his last name "balls." His descendants have since changed it to "bales."

Why Do Girls Love Horses, Unicorns And Dolphins?

Why Do Girls Love Horses, Unicorns And Dolphins?


by The Kitchen Sisters

People have long speculated about why girls love horses, according to Peggy Orenstein, author of Cinderella Ate My Daughter: Dispatches from the Front Lines of the New Girlie-Girl Culture.

By identifying with these dynamic, strong animals, Orenstein says, girls are expressing their own power.

"They're all active, they're all sources of power and motion and transformation," she says.

Laurel Braitman, an MIT graduate student in the history of science who writes about animals and what we think about them, says girls' fascination with these animals is more than power — the animals fuel girls' imaginations.

"Horses and dolphins and unicorns — these are all borderland creatures; gateway animals to other worlds," she says. "They help us imagine wonderful other ways of being in the world. They let us be cowgirls and oceanographers and mermaids and princesses."

My new coffee cup

Had a "memory" experience yesterday. We had not been to the Goodwill Thrift Store for a while, so we decided to stop in there yesterday. We used to hit it once a week, neat to see the shelves full of discarded items and it is inexpensive. Bought a lot of "junk" there, most of which was ultimately donated back to them.

Saw a cup I liked, 67 cents, more than I like to spend, but I liked the cup.

Bought it, brought it home and then I noticed a seal on the back of the cup, got out the magnifying glass and saw it said, "Department of the Navy." A cup from an "Officers Lounge, had seen them many times, but not being an officer had never had the pleasure to drink out of one.

I looked for a picture to use on this blog, found the above one, that cup is selling for $22, and I could not copy the clearer image, it had a copyright on it .

So, I, an old enlisted man, am this morning, drinking coffee out of an officers lounge coffee cup.

Betty Montgomery Strikes GOLD

Former Ohio Attorney General/Auditor Betty Montgomery was approached twice by the Kasich Administration to serve as the Director of Public Safety, but was turned down both times.


We’ve since learned that Ms. Montgomery will also be named to the Ohio Casino Commission and have reason to believe that she has, this time, accepted the Governor’s appointment.

Meanwhile former Ohio Attorney General Jim Petro is moving back into State Government, too. The Kasich Administration is going to appoint Petro to be the next Chancellor of the Board of Regents to replace current Chancellor/former Congressman Eric Fingerhut.

Petro is a rather curious pick given he hasn’t actually made a name for himself on university policies like Fingerhut, who despite being a Strickland appointee, has been widely regarded as one of the most reform-minded, successful Chancellors in Ohio history.

With the nomination of Petro and Montgomery, you almost have to feel bad for Ken Blackwell and Jeanette Bradley. They seem to be the only Republicans still out of State government who used to serve in statewide office in the 1990s-2000s, who DON’T have a position in the Kasich Administration. How odd.

North Carolina Town's Longtime Barbershop Cutups

July 24, 2009
If you find yourself in Drexel, N.C., stop by The Barber Shop and get a trim from owner Lawrence Anthony or barber David Shirley.

"We have doctors and lawyers and judges and town drunks and people that's got a million [dollars] and probably owe a million [dollars]," says the 65-year-old Shirley, who explains he's been around barbershops all his life. He's worked in Anthony's barbershop for more than 40 years.

"I remember a gentleman would come in, and we would ask what type of haircut he wanted, and he said, 'Well, cut one sideburn above my ear, leave the other one below and leave my alfalfa sticking up.' And we would say, 'We can't cut your hair like that.' He said, 'Why? That's the way you cut it last time.' "

A chance haircut — and 50 cents — kicked off 85-year-old Anthony's barber career back in the 1940s.

When he was about 18 years old, his father sent him to a neighbor's house with his little brother. His job was to get his brother a haircut.

"The neighbor said, 'I was drunk last night, ain't no way I can cut hair; you'll have to do it,' " Anthony says. "I said, 'I ain't never cut a head of hair in my life, ain't never touched clippers.' He said, 'You go ahead and cut it. If you mess it up, I'll straighten it out.' "

Anthony picked up the clippers and cut his brother's hair. When he was finished, the neighbor complimented his work, telling him, "Well, that's better than I could do."

The neighbor then sold Anthony some hand clippers, a comb and a pair of scissors.

"That's when I went into the barber business for 50 cents," Anthony says.

Anthony says he tries not to think too hard about how Drexel has changed over the years.

"Forty, 50 years ago, Drexel was a thriving little town," Anthony says. "But for the last 40 years, with good management and careful planning, we now have nothing. We got the barbershop and there ain't much going on in Drexel no more. It's kinda faded away. Try not to think about that too much, it might make you feel sad."

And Shirley keeps putting off retirement.

"I would hate to think of the time that I have to turn the key for the last time and walk off," he says.

But it's not money that keeps his hands on the scissors, Shirley says.

"As I get older, I think I'm a rich man — not dollar-wise, I don't mean that — but in memories and friends," he says. "I've been thoroughly blessed."

Speaking In Defense Of Science

by Marcelo Gleiser

Although it may seem like old news, science and the teaching of science remains under attack in many parts of the country. This "anti-scientifism" is costing the United States dearly.

A country that distrusts science is condemned to move straight back to medieval obscurantism.

While many countries are working hard to educate their young about the values of science and of scientific research, in the U.S. countless people are teaching them to mistrust science and scientists, taking every opportunity to politicize and theologize the scientific discourse in ways completely incompatible with the goals and modus operandi of the scientific enterprise.

New York Stock Exchange Could Be Bought By German Bourse

by Jim Zarroli

NYSE Euronext, the company that owns the New York Stock Exchange and stock and derivatives markets throughout Europe, has confirmed it's in advanced talks with Deutsche Boerse, which owns the Frankfurt Stock Exchange. The deal would create the world's largest financial exchange with headquarters in both Europe and the U.S.

Deutsche Bourse would control 60 percent of the shares, which means the ownership of the iconic New York Stock Exchange would be in foreign hands for the first time.

The deal has to be approved by regulators in both the United states and Europe who have expressed reservations about such a merger in the past.

The Super Bowl last Sunday.

I did not watch any of the halftime "entertainment," I did not entirely see the National Anthem being "sung," I took one look at her and switched to another channel, after realizing how strong the "Hookers Union" actually is. I understand she "butchered" the song. I guess the halftime entertanment had a few snags also. The economy is slow, I am sure they had financial cutbacks on this, the "biggest revenue maker of the year."

I don't think you should blame the third grade class from the Little School in Arlington, it was their first attempt at doing the entertainment for the Super Bowl. They thought that Christina Agulara, being an "old woman" to them, would be alright. Christina Aguilera has been invited to sing a do-over. The Brooklyn Cyclones are offering the Staten Island native a chance to perform "The Star-Spangled Banner" before one of the minor league baseball team's home games this summer in front of their 300 anticipated fans.

I am sure that many people are not aware that Ben Roethlisberger, upon entering Miami, started out majoring in Psychology, and was pursuing that course of study until one day one of his professors, Dr. Schlimhauf, explained to him the meaning of Therapist. Ben thought it was two words, and quickly dropped out of the course.

I personally think that the powerful TV network execs, leaned toward Green Bay to win, because of Ben's recurring problems. He now has two bodyguards with him at all times. One actually is a transvestite weight lifter from Pasadena, California and the other is a crossdresser from Hoboken. Her attire depends on the occasion.

I predict that  next year the Bears will be in the Super Bowl, It will be attended by Obama and his entire entourage, Eminem will sing the National Anthem and halftime will feature The Village People, some of whom will be in wheelchairs as a salute to elderly Medicare victims who will soon be euthanized.. Ben Roethlisberger will not be playing but will be chaperoning a group of women who are in a "sex addict" support group.

The sound system for the entire event, including halftime entertainment is controlled by a hearing impaired group from Las Vegas, Nevada, and all visual components are in the care of a DSB group from Peoria, Illinois.

About Winter .........

How can you tell when we've had enough Winter?

The Perfect Husband

Several men are in the locker room of a golf club. A cellular phone on a bench rings and a man engages the hands-free speaker function and begins to talk. Everyone else in the room stops to listen.

MAN: "Hello?"

WOMAN: "Hi, Honey, it's me. Are you at the club?"

MAN: "Yes."

WOMAN: "I was shopping and found this beautiful leather coat. It's only $2,000; is it OK if I buy it?"

MAN: "Sure, go ahead if you like it that much."

WOMAN: "I also stopped by the Lexus dealership and looked at all the

New models. I saw one I really liked."

MAN: "How much?"

WOMAN: "$90,000."

MAN: "OK, but for that price I want it with all the options."

WOMAN: "Great! Oh, and one more thing... I was just talking to Janie and found out that the house I wanted last year is back on the market. They're asking $980,000 for it."

MAN: "Well, then go ahead and make an offer of $900,000. They'll Probably take it. If not, we can go the extra eighty-thousand if it's what you really want."

WOMAN: "OK. I'll see you later! I love you so much!"

MAN: "Bye! I love you, too."

The man hangs up. The other men in the locker room are staring at him In astonishment, mouths wide open.

He turns and asks, "Anyone know whose phone this is?";

Comments on the Aguilera version of the National Anthem

Some comments I picked up on the Internet about last nights "rendition" of the National Anthem.

How come a Mexican sings the USA American National Anthem? Now, that is stupid.

The National anthem is an ode to our countries history of courage and pride. Don't dare get up there without practice. You know you are going to be in front of millions and you screw up. She puts more thought into preparing for her tours. Get it right!

Sang like a sick cow and looked like one as well.Reply.

Why hire a celebrity? Have someone current / retired military! They wouldn't screw it up and they would sing it the way it was meant to be. No pitch changes no embellishing to show off their vocal skills.

Yelling is not singing. And then yelling mistakes and looking tortured. Pretty soon we wil be accepting lousy football plays and then we outsource this as well. Guys we are loosing our jobs because we accept this incredible stupidy and sloppyiness and arrogance.

Sorry,but she not only butchered our anthem by not knowing the words,singing it like she did was even more offensive to us war vets.sing it like it was written.damned disgusting.

We can't even nomitate someone who can sing? Lets outsource this to China as well, and the next the whole NFL. Worst of all are those Americans who think these kind of mistakes are acceptable. Real proffessionals can handle the pressure.

Regardless whether or not she messed up the lines, it was a horrible rendition by someone who is full of themselves. Just sing it the way it was written and the chances of messing it up are reduced. On top of that, she didn't even look that good!

Christina Aguilera flubs line of national anthem........

WHY, why, why, when there are so many competent professional SINGERS available, who do an oustanding job on the National Anthem, do then find some "airhead" singer, who is an "entertainer" only, probably no voice training, and because of a NAME ONLY, get them to perform. They had a great choir there who could have done so much better, the woman who sang America could have done a better job.

At least she looked nice, no jeans and t-shirt, she said she hoped her love of the country came through, even though she flfubbed the song.

I didn't hear any love of country, just a little airhead who choked. She should have done a duet wirh Roseanne Barr.

Anyone have an answer?

I have searched, Google, Yahoo and others, but I can't even come close to finding an answer, maybe you know, or can direct me to an answer. They are on the government payroll, someone should know.

How may speechwriters does Obama have??????

Easy to find other information, but that seems to be difficult to find.

Check out this site

The Animal Rescue Site

Another one to check out .................

My Daughter, Melissa Shannon has always been a "pet" person. She has raised homeless rabbits, an opossum she raised, she cannot drive by an apparent homeless animal.

Remember, pets, dogs, cats, etc., are put on this earth for one reason only, "to share love."

Caleb keeps us young, he is always ready to play. I keep a putter handy, have plenty of tennis balls around, all I have to do is get the putter, and he is "at the ready."

Monday Morning

Dreary in Ohio, no sun, drizzle of rain, not freezing, anyway, but very dreary. Coffee and "Easy Listening" to get the day started.

Super Bowl is over for another year, next year the Bears win it all. Ben will be in "rehab" for his sexual addiction, Charley Sheen will be there too, and will just be in prison for a number of things, watching the game on the prison network.

Wonder what all will happen in the upcoming "off season" of football. And, there may be NO football next season, that is a possibility also. A whole bunch of guys, their talent, they can play football, and thanks to TV they are making millions of dollars a year, so they may go out on strike. I don't think that TV will let it happen, way too much money in advertising revenue to let that happen, unless they can do a bunch of reality shows on "life with no football."

Soon we will have March Madness, then baseball season and then, at least, college football.

A show on the other night talking about how there are fewer kids playing little league football, too many injuries. Most "pro" players WILL NOT let their kids play, they must know something. Main cause of head injuries in LL football, dumb, stupid, un-educated coaches ..... "get in there, kid, hit 'em, knock 'em down, play like a MAN." They estimated the percentage of really knowledgeable LL coaches, about five percent, the rest do not know the proper way to coach.

So, no LL in football, declining numbers of players, may impact college and professional football in years to come. Other sports, "start 'em young, get the fundamentals down." Football, the helmet is for "protection," not a battering ram.

I wonder what this week will bring? More on the "wedding" in England, going in to space while your wife is in physical rehab, looks like a dreary news week, just watch, something will happen. I think that when things settle down in Egypt, they will go to war with Israel, get all those reporters over there, quick.

One more thing I noticed, all the "easy listening" orchestral is music is directed by men, only one woman, Beegie Adair, and I never heard of her. Why do men lead the orchestra and do the arrangements, and the only thing women can do is sing, on "Singers and Swing?"