Computerized fishing pole

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) - A Wichita man has gotten a utility patent for a computerized fishing pole that he plans to begin selling.

The Wichita Eagle reports that Edward Pope's fishing pole is called the Poletap SmartRod, and he's now trying to get the product into the retail market.

Pope, who runs Audio Visual Services, received the patent on the technology in the pole, which he says uses computer controlled accelerometer technology so that the pole can detect when a fish is biting.

The SmartRod also has different bite sensitivity settings and alerts anglers to a bite with a light and alarm.

The pole is water resistant and will sell for between $55 and $70, depending on whether it's bought with a reel.

Happy New Year

Seven PM, 12//3111/2012, the Good Lord has seen fit to let me live another year, I thank him for that. He has given me the opportunity to spend time with two Great Granddaughters  Miss Brooklyn, and most recently, Miss Emma Jane.

He has also seen fit to allow me to have reasonably good health, for an 80 year old, and to still be with my wife, of almost 50 years. As of this moment, life is good, and I am looking forward to the new year.

Some that stand out and come to mind, Not positive of the years, I think, 1943, Mom and Dad and I took a trip to New York. I think I was Eleven years old. Our hotel was right on Times Square. Sometime during the evening, I decided to take the elevator down to the lobby and take a look outside at the crowd. I stepped out a little too far and got caught up in the gigantic crowd that was also walking around the square. At about the second or third block, I found a policeman, explained my predicament to him, and he graciously escorted me back to our hotel.

The next one that comes to mind was in 1945. My brother was still in the service stationed in Cuba, US Navy, submarine service. Again, Mom and Dad and I, along with his fiance, Rebecca Rhue, got on a train in Dayton, Ohio and headed South. We didn't venture out, but from our room window I could take in a lot of the activities going on. Miami was loaded with servicemen. I mainly remember the next morning, I had to make the orange juice run to a vendor outside, doing "fresh squeezed" and close to him was a bakery with freshly made donuts. I remember many bodies, sleeping in doorways, anywhere they could find room to stretch out after their evening of celebrating.

I spent a number of them working in Nevada, working in a casino, and as I recall, we were crowded, a lot of celebrating, but at the stroke of midnight we had to continue to concentrate on the game, otherwise we could lose a lot of money. I remember one particular one, working the Primmadonna, worked graveyard, went in at 3am, and everyone inside the club was crying. I did not know what had happened to cause this reaction. There had been a riot on South Virginia Street, dogs and police called in, a tear gas canister had gone through our front window and exploded, the club was full of tear gas. I cried most of the shift. It was not easy dealing craps with tears in your eyes and tears streaming down your face. I remember some of those slot machine players who had a system, wipe the eyes and pull the handle, they didn't miss a beat.

Happy New Year to ALL ................................

Media Quiet About San Antonio Theater Shooting

On Sunday December 17, 2012, 2 days after the CT shooting, a man went to a restaurant in San Antonio to kill his X-girlfriend. After he shot her, most of the people in the restaurant fled next door to a theater. The gunman followed them and entered the theater so he could shoot more people. He started shooting and people in the theater started running and screaming. It is like the Aurora, CO theater story plus a restaurant!

Now aren't you wondering why this isn't a lead story in the national media along with the school shooting?

There was an off duty county deputy at the theater. SHE pulled out her gun and shot the man 4 times before he had a chance to kill anyone. So since this story makes the point that the best thing to stop a bad person with a gun is a good person with a gun, the media is treating it like it never happened.

Only the local media covered it. The city is giving her a medal next week.

Hillary has a blood clot

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton was admitted to a New York hospital on Sunday with a blood clot.

The State Department said the discovery of the clot stemmed from her treatment for a concussion she sustained earlier this month and was discovered during a follow-up exam Sunday.

According to Philippe Reines, a deputy assistant secretary at State, Clinton is being treated with blood thinners at New York Presbyterian Hospital, where he said she would spend the next 48 hours as doctors kept evaluating her.

"They will determine if any further action is required," Reines said. Clinton suffered a concussion earlier this month when she fainted following a bout of flu. 

Details of her blood clot Sunday weren't made public, but brain injury doctors told NBC News that she may have developed a clot, perhaps a deep vein thrombosis, in her lower limbs from prolonged rest after her injury. 

Such a clot would be dangerous but not necessarily life-threatening, although it is also possible Clinton could have a clot elsewhere.

Amazing frozen lemons

Reprinted here for information only. I have always been an advocate of Vitamin C, and agreed with Dr. Linus Pauling and his research. I drink orange juice in the morning and eat two oranges a day. Am going to buy lemons tomorrow and put these ideas to work. 

All it is.....is a frozen lemon

Many professionals in restaurants and eateries are using or consuming the entire lemon and nothing is wasted.
How can you use the whole lemon without waste? Simple.. place the washed lemon in the freezer section of your refrigerator. Once the lemon is frozen, get your grater, and shred the whole lemon (no need to peel it) and sprinkle it on top of your foods.

Sprinkle it to your vegetable salad, ice cream, soup, cereals, noodles, spaghetti sauce, rice, sushi, fish dishes, whiskey, wine.... the list is endless. All of the foods will unexpectedly have a wonderful taste, something that you may have never tasted before. Most likely, you only think of lemon juice and vitamin C. Not anymore.

Now that you've learned this lemon secret, you can use lemon even in instant cup noodles.

What's the major advantage of using the whole lemon other than preventing waste and adding new taste to your dishes? Well, you see lemon peels contain as much as 5 to 10 times more vitamins than the lemon juice itself. And yes, that's what you've been wasting. But from now on, by following this simple procedure of freezing the whole lemon, then grating it on top of your dishes, you can consume all of those nutrients and get even healthier.

It's also good that lemon peels are health rejuvenators in eradicating toxic elements in the body.

So place your washed lemon in your freezer, and then grate it on your meal every day. It is a key to make your foods tastier and you get to live healthier and longer! That's the lemon secret! Better late than never, right? The surprising benefits of lemon! Lemon (Citrus) is a miraculous product to kill cancer cells. It is 10,000 times stronger than chemotherapy.

Why do we not know about that? Because there are laboratories interested in making a synthetic version that will bring them huge profits. You can now help a friend in need by letting him/her know that lemon juice is beneficial in preventing the disease. Its taste is pleasant and it does not produce the horrific effects of chemotherapy. How many people will die while this closely guarded secret is kept, so as not to jeopardize the beneficial multimillionaires large corporations?

As you know, the lemon tree is known for its varieties of lemons and limes.

You can eat the fruit in different ways: you can eat the pulp, juice press, prepare drinks, sorbets, pastries, etc... It is credited with many virtues, but the most interesting is the effect it produces on cysts and tumors.

This plant is a proven remedy against cancers of all types. Some say it is very useful in all variants of cancer. It is considered also as an anti microbial spectrum against bacterial infections and fungi, effective against internal parasites and worms, it regulates blood pressure which is too high and an antidepressant, combats stress and nervous disorders. The source of this information is fascinating: it comes from one of the largest drug manufacturers in the world, says that after more than 20 laboratory tests since 1970, the extracts revealed that It destroys the malignant cells in 12 cancers, including colon, breast, prostate, lung and pancreas... The compounds of this tree showed 10,000 times better than the product Adriamycin, a drug normally used chemotherapeutic in the world, slowing the growth of cancer cells.

And what is even more astonishing: this type of therapy with lemon extract only destroys malignant cancer cells and it does not affect healthy cells.

So, give those lemons a good wash, freeze them and grate them. Your whole body will love you for it!!!!!

SOMETHING for NOTHING

President Barack Obama gave a New Year's gift to returning members of Congress, federal workers and Vice President Joe Biden on Thursday, signing an executive order calling for an end to a years-long pay freeze.

As of March 27, 2013, federal employees will see a half-percent to one percent pay increase, marking the end of a pay freeze that has been in place since late 2010. Congress hasn't seen a pay raise since 2009.

According to the order, Biden's pay will increase from $225,521 to $231,900 a year, before taxes. House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) will see his salary increased to $224,500 and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) will take home an annual pay of $194,400 after his raise.

While Obama's order made no mention of merit for such a raise, HuffPost's Amanda Terkel reported on Friday that the 112th Congress is set to end the session as the most unproductive since the 1940s, with only 219 bills passed by the body becoming law. The raise won't take place until the 113th Congress, meaning that outgoing members will see no effect from the order.

Obama ordered the raise as he continues to negotiate unsuccessfully with congressional leaders to find a deal in order to avoid the fiscal cliff at the end of the year. If no agreement is met, over $500 billion in planned tax increases and spending cuts will be implemented.

MEMO

MEMO

FROM: All Network Sports Television Executives

TO: All Colleges and Universities participating in Bowl Games in 2012 and 2013

SUBJECT: Bowl Games

It has been brought to our attention by our accounting department that many previous bowl games have been boring, uneventful,unattended and  financially not profitable for all concerned. For those and other reasons, we are asking all 68 teams to strive to keep the games as close as possible through the third (03rd) quarter. All network executives would be exceedingly appreciative if all games were tied at the end of the third (03rd) quarter.

The monetary rewards that your school (conference) will receive remains the same regardless of the competitiveness and outcome of the game, but advertisers have complained that viewership has declined greatly, on some occasions, at halftime due to lopsided scores and teams being greatly outplayed by their opponents.

Realistically, the games have no importance, they are, after all, created solely for the benefit of creating "television revenue," and filling dead air time during a previously slow season.

So, please, to appease our advertising family, please keep the games as close as possible. Look at the game as Three Quarters for Advertisers and one quarter for the team, the fans, and the school, and whatever minuscule benefits are derived by emerging victorious over a much lesser opponent. After all, in most cases you are receiving a nice vacation in a highly desirable climate.

In future years we hope to expand the number of games to include every collegiate college program in the country, and by 2015 it is our goal to include high school teams in some selected areas, i.e. Texas and Florida.

Remember, this is "show business," ratings, and audience, save the athletics and heroics  for your regularly scheduled games.

Please take this memo as a "suggestion" and not as a threat in any way, keeping in mind that it is we who determine who goes to many bowl games, and therefore who is part of the multi million dollar payday. 

Wishing you all the best of luck in the "fourth quarter."

New Years Eve is approaching

New Years Eve just ain't the same anymore. Dick Clark is gone, Guy Lombardo is gone, how can we enter into the New Year without hearing and watching Dick Clark drop that crystal ball, followed by Guy Lombardo and his Royal Canadians. Lombardo's orchestra played at the "Roosevelt Grill" in the Roosevelt Hotel in New York City from 1929 to 1959.

I saw him on one occasion in Dayton, Ohio at what I think was called Miami Shores. A river South of Dayton. I had my own boat then that my Dad and I had built, The Dood, and often took it down to Miami Shores to go up and down the river. He had his boat in town for a race, and I happened to be down in the pit area and had an occasion to see him working. Lombardo was also an important figure in hydroplane speedboat racing, winning the Gold Cup in 1946 in his record-breaking speedboat, Tempo VI, designed and built by the legendary John L. Hacker. He then went on to win the Ford Memorial competition in 1948 and the President's Cup and the Silver Cup in 1952. From 1946 to 1949, he was the reigning US national champion. Before his retirement from the sport in the late 1950s, he had won every trophy in the field.

Seems like Dick Clark has been around forever. I remember him from both radio and television. His New Years Eve show was a major part of the the celebration, it was an institution. He passed away on April 18, 2012.

New Years, many years ago always consisted of "Kippers" and Guy Lombardo, and then Dick Clark became a big part of the night. It will never be the same without them.

Woman in Custody in NYC Subway Shoving Death

NEW YORK December 29, 2012 (AP)
A woman is in custody in the death of a man who was shoved in front of a speeding subway train, and she "made statements implicating herself," New York City police said Saturday.

Detectives questioned her but aren't releasing the 31-year-old suspect's name until she is formally charged, NYPD spokesman Paul Browne said in a brief statement. Among other things, investigators were arranging for witnesses to positively identify the woman in custody as the attacker, police said.

Sunando Sen, a 46-year-old Queens resident who was born in India and ran a printing shop, died Thursday night when a woman who had been muttering to herself on a train platform in Queens suddenly knocked him on the tracks as a train entered the station.

Newtown fraud suspect also went after Hurricane Sandy cash

NEW YORK (AP) — A woman charged with trying to swindle donors by posing as a relative of a child killed in the Connecticut school massacre had also been soliciting money for Hurricane Sandy relief.

Nouel Alba was arrested Thursday and accused of concocting bogus tales about having to identify her nephew's body in order to raise money for a "funeral fund" for the victims.

The New York Post reports that in the days after Sandy struck, Alba also posted Web messages claiming she had founded several charities to assist storm victims.

But the postings were filled with false claims, as well as an invalid tax-ID number for one organization.

In an interview with CNN before her arrest, Alba denied being involved in any scam.

qiāng zhi (I think)

China Demands US Citizens Be Disarmed

The official Chinese government news agency, Xinhua, has demanded the US immediately adopt stricter gun control measures to reduce the number of firearms the US populace is permitted to possess.

The Chinese state-controlled media’s statement, titled “Innocent Blood Demands No Delay for US Gun Control,” is primarily focused on the Newtown tragedy in which 26 Americans were killed by a mad gunman. Twenty of the victims were young children.

The Chinese government stated, “Their blood and tears demand no delay for the U.S. gun control.”

In an apparent effort to restrict information to their populace, the Chinese government wrote of a number of US mass shootings but failed to mention they were either stopped by a citizen legally carrying a firearm or otherwise only occurred in the controversial gun-free zones that critics say make prime targets for madmen.

"The previous play is under review"

I know it's a mute point, and no one really cares to hear it, and with all that is going on in the country and the world, it means absolutely nothing, but I am beginning to hate those "instant replays" they use during football games. Why have the striped shirts on the field, regardless of what they call, it means nothing. Their decisions means nothing anymore.

It makes me wonder how many games in the past would have gone the other way if they had "instant replay."

They do offer the opportunity to make more trips to the kitchen to get "refreshments." And it gives "sports announcers" to see a replay many times and on a number of occasions find out they were wrong. I love it when they say one thing, and find out they were wrong.

I turned off one game last night, got tired of them. What is even worse, the next play us underway, a whistle is blown, the play is stopped, "The previous play us under review." One case, they were kicking the "extra point" and the touchdown was taken away.

Coaches, teams, assistant coaches, managers, striped shirts, announcers, color announcers, analysts, and now a whole new category, replay analysts. Some of these "too many" bowl games, had more people involved in the game than they did people in the stands.

It used to be that two teams played against each other. Then they started broadcasting them on radio, now look what it has grown to.

Be it ever so humble ...................

Germans Are 'Exporting' Their Elderly And Their Sick Because Of Rising Costs

Kate Connolly

Growing numbers of elderly and sick Germans are being sent overseas for long-term care in retirement and rehabilitation centers because of rising costs and falling standards in Germany.

The move, which has seen thousands of retired Germans rehoused in homes in eastern Europe and Asia, has been severely criticized by social welfare organisations who have called it "inhumane deportation".

But with increasing numbers of Germans unable to afford the growing costs of retirement homes, and an ageing and shrinking population, the number expected to be sent abroad in the next few years is only likely to rise. Experts describe it as a "time bomb".

Germany's chronic care crisis – the care industry suffers from lack of workers and soaring costs – has for years been mitigated by eastern Europeans migrating to Germany in growing numbers to care for the country's elderly.
But the transfer of old people to eastern Europe is being seen as a new and desperate departure, indicating that even with imported, cheaper workers, the system is unworkable.
Germany has one of the fastest-ageing populations in the world, and the movement here has implications for other western countries, including Britain, particularly amid fears that austerity measures and rising care costs are potentially undermining standards of residential care.

Ban adoptions of Russian children by Americans.

MOSCOW -- Russian President Vladimir Putin left little room for maneuvering Thursday when he suggested he was likely to sign the so-called Dima Yakovlev law, which would ban adoptions of Russian children by Americans.

The measure, which includes other sanctions against the United States, is intended as a response to an American law passed by Congress and signed by President Obama earlier this month. The Sergei Magnitsky Act denies visas to Russian officials involved in the prosecution and death of a Russian lawyer and whistle blower who called attention to alleged official corruption.

The Russian counter-measure, passed by both houses of the Russian parliament, provides a whole range of punitive actions, including visa restrictions for specified U.S. officials and the adoption ban. The latter has attracted widespread attention, raising deep concern and apprehension among U.S. families hoping to adopt children from Russia. It also has been criticized by Russian civil society and human rights groups.

During a Kremlin government meeting Thursday, Putin lashed out at the United States for behaving “with a defiant arrogance” and said that he sees no reason not to sign the Russian law but needs some time to study it. His remarks were laced with sarcasm as he discussed foreign adoptions.

“There are probably many places in the world where the level of life is higher than here,” he said in televised remarks. “So what? Shall we send all our children there? Maybe we should all move there too, shouldn't we?”
 I understand their concern. What makes us, as Americans, think we have something better to offer, by doing their children "this favor." Not long ago, and perhaps it still is, somewhat of a "status symbol" to adopt a negro or a foreign child. I always felt it was a bit of arrogance on our part, at least, perhaps, not doing it for the right reason.

The fainting, the concussion, all for nothing

Republican senators will refuse to confirm Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., as Secretary of State until the nation’s current top diplomat, Hillary Clinton, testifies about her handling of the Benghazi terrorist attack.

“The Senate is expected to take up Kerry’s nomination in early January, but multiple Republican senators have already said they won’t agree to a vote on Kerry’s nomination until Clinton testifies about the Sept. 11 attack on the U.S. mission in Benghazi,” The Cable’s Josh Rogin notes.

Clinton backed out of testifying at a congressional hearing last week after fainting and suffering a concussion. She was the first cabinet-level official to acknowledge that terrorists played a role in the assault on the U.S. mission in Benghazi.

She has been nominated for the best "Nice Try"  award of the year. Bill Clinton, her husband, stated, "Hillary has never faked anything."

Miss Emma Jane

Three weeks old today 12/26/2012

Christmas Day, my poor wife had to hold her, feed her and burp her

For almost an hour

She is still smiling today ... my wife, not Miss Emma

Poor Fred

Thanks to Jim in Oklahoma, a gem for my blog.

A drunken cowboy lay sprawled across 3 entire seats in the Posh Amarillo Theater.

When the usher came by and noticed this,  he whispered to the cowboy,  "Sorry, but you're only allowed one seat".   The cowboy groaned but didn't budge.

The usher became more impatient.   "If you don't get up from there,  I'm going to have to call the manager."

Once again,  the cowboy just groaned.  

The usher marched briskly back up the aisle and in a moment,  he returned with the manager.

Together,  the 2 of them tried repeatedly to move the cowboy, but with no success.

Finally,  they summoned the police.  

The Texas Ranger surveyed the situation briefly,  then  asked,  "All right buddy,  what's your name?"

"Fred",  the cowboy moaned.

"Where ya from,  Fred,?" asked the Ranger.

With terrible pain in his voice and without moving a muscle,  Fred replied, "The Balcony."                                                       

Human nature, at any level..............

A former TSA screener turned blogger who is now causing embarrassment for the federal agency has revealed that TSA officers routinely laugh at and make fun of passengers’ nude body scanner images in back rooms.

In a blog entitled Taking Sense Away, the anonymous ex-TSA worker reveals how he, “Witnessed light sexual play among officers, a lot of e-cigarette vaping, and a whole lot of officers laughing and clowning in regard to some of your nude images, dear passengers.”

The revelation was in response to a reader who asked, “Tell us, please, what really happens in that private room and why the TSA does not want it seen in public nor recorded.”

The ex-TSA screener also ridiculed the existence of I.O. rooms (image operator rooms) where naked images produced by body scanners are viewed by TSA agents.

This, to me, is not a "revelation," it is human nature. I have to wonder if there is any one of us who has shopped at a Walmart, and not "thought" some of the same things. I think back to my younger days, standing behind a crap table in Reno, and commenting to the other dealers, quietly,  when some customer walked by, good, bad, or indifferent. Is it alright to think it, but not comment on it. I would have been shocked if someone had revealed that it "did not" occur.

School Obama’s Daughters Attend Has 11 Armed Guards

This is interesting, this school has always had guards. I wonder WHY it has been controversial for other schools to have a similar policy. Should be a "no brainer." 

Some interesting news has broken in the wake of the latest push for gun control by President Obama and Senate Democrats: Obama sends his kids to a school where armed guards are used as a matter of fact.

The school, Sidwell Friends School in Washington, DC, has 11 security officers and is seeking to hire a new police officer.

If you dismiss this by saying, “Of course they have armed guards — they get Secret Service protection,” then you’ve missed the larger point.

The larger point is that this is standard operating procedure for the school, period. And this is the reason people like NBC’s David Gregory send their kids to Sidwell, they know their kids will be protected from the carnage that befell kids at a school where armed guards weren't used (and weren't even allowed).

Shame on President Obama for seeking more gun control and for trying to prevent the parents of other school children from doing what he has clearly done for his own. His children sit under the protection guns afford, while the children of regular Americans are sacrificed.

The elephants came for the funeral

It is Wednesday morning in Newark, Ohio, 12/26/2012, I am looking out at freezing rain and snow, possible  blizzard on the way, a lot of snow, due to the rain, snow and wind,, we will probably lose power, so I have flashlights, battery lights and candles ready. The thermos is filled with coffee, water jugs in freezer are frozen, the bathtub is full of water (so we can flush the toilet), so animal stories warm my heart. I know it took a long time to get there, so excuse all the wordage. 

In case you needed another reason to care about wildlife, here’s one: If you devote your life to elephants, they might come to your funeral. Or anyway that seems to be what happened for conservationist and “elephant whisperer” Lawrence Anthony, who died in March. A few days after his death, two herds of elephants filed through the bush to their friend’s home, where they appeared to stand vigil for two days, according to Anthony’s family.

Anthony had spent time living with the elephants, in order to care for traumatized animals who were considered violent and unruly. But at the time of his death, of a heart attack, Anthony was living in a house on the Thula Thula game reserve in South Africa. The park’s elephants hadn't visited the house in a year and a half, but Anthony’s son Dylan says that the herds, from all over the park, traveled 12 hours to arrive shortly after his father’s death. They stayed for two days, and quietly left.

Elephants are well-known for their grieving rituals when family members die. If they thought of Anthony as a sort of tiny, weird-nosed cousin — and why wouldn't they, since he lived with and cared for them?

Christian the lion

This is such a neat story. They purchased the lion, raised the lion, they returned it to the wild, a year later they went back, to the wild, and found him. 

Christian was a lion originally purchased by Australians John Rendall and Anthony “Ace” Bourke from Harrods department store of London, England, in 1969 and ultimately reintroduced to the African wild by conservationist George Adamson.

One year after Adamson released Christian to the wild, his former owners decided to go looking for him to see whether Christian would remember them. He did, and with him were two lionesses who accepted the men as well.

Watch this extraordinary video HERE

Some news ...........

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - Oklahoma highway officials have re-opened Interstate 40 in downtown Oklahoma City after a 21-vehicle pileup at its intersection with Interstate 35.

Ben Affleck is passing on the role of a lifetime. The “Argo” director and star announced Monday on Facebook that he won't seek the Senate seat that John Kerry plans to vacate in Massachusetts if he's confirmed as the next Secretary of State.

Jack Klugman, who has died at 90, was a TV-star anomaly - not conventionally handsome, with the jagged voice and hangdog demeanor of a character actor, and a performer who was as comfortable being part of an ensemble as he was a lead actor.

Actor Charles Durning, who starred inThe Sting, O Brother Where Art Thou? and as Denis Leary's father on the firefighter drama Rescue Me, died Monday in his New York City home. He was 89 years old. Durning's longtime agent and friend Judith Moss told The Associated Press that he died Dec. 24 of natural causes.

Christmas has helped some people in the grieving Connecticut town of Newtown cope a little better with the shooting tragedy that killed 20 .

Christmas Morning, 2012 - Caleb, our dog, as he usually does, woke me up. He licks my face, takes over the pillow my head is on, makes it impossible for me to sleep, so I get up. I went to the kitchen to make coffee, went to the living room and turned on the TV.

The three main channels were all doing early morning Christmas shows, then the weather came on. I had to chuckle to myself, life goes on, Christmas or not. Mother Nature Rules.

Forecasts of snow, sleet and freezing rain threatened to complicate Christmas Day travel around the nation's midsection Tuesday as several Gulf Coast states braced for a chance of twisters and powerful thunderstorms.

A blizzard watch was posted for parts of Indiana and western Kentucky for storms expected to develop Tuesday amid predictions of up to 4 to 7 inches of snow in coming hours. Much of Oklahoma and Arkansas braced under a winter storm warning of an early mix of rain and sleet later turning to snow.

Some mountainous areas of Arkansas' Ozark Mountains could get up to 10 inches of snow amid warnings travel could become "very hazardous or impossible" in the northern tier of the state from near whiteout conditions, the National Weather Service said.

Early Tuesday, the Oklahoma Department of Public Safety said some bridges and overpasses were already becoming slick. Also, Kathleen O'Shea with Oklahoma Gas and Electric said the utility was tracking the storm system to see where repair crews might be needed among nearly 800,000 customers in Oklahoma and western Arkansas.

Elsewhere, areas of east Texas and Louisiana braced for possible thunderstorms as forecasters eyed a swath of the Gulf Coast from east Texas to the Florida Panhandle for the threat of any tornadoes.

Storms expected during the day Tuesday along the Gulf Coast could bring strong tornadoes or winds of more than 75 mph, heavy rain, quarter-sized hail and dangerous lightning in Louisiana and Mississippi, the weather service said.

"Please plan now for how you will receive a severe weather warning, and know where you will go when it is issued. It only takes a few minutes, and it will help everyone have a safe Christmas," Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant said.

Ten storm systems in the last 50 years have spawned at least one Christmastime tornado with winds of 113 mph or more in the South, said Chris Vaccaro, a National Weather Service spokesman in Washington, via email.

The most lethal were the storms of Dec. 24-26, 1982, when 29 tornadoes in Oklahoma, Missouri, Arkansas, Tennessee and Mississippi killed three people and injured 32; and those of Dec. 24-25, 1964, when two people were killed and about 30 people injured by 14 tornadoes in seven states.

In Alabama, the director of the Emergency Management Agency, Art Faulkner, said he has briefed both local officials and Gov. Robert Bentley on plans for dealing with a possible outbreak of storms.

No day is good for severe weather, but Faulkner said Christmas adds extra challenges because people are visiting unfamiliar areas and often thinking more of snow than possible twisters.

"We are trying to get the word out through our media partners and through social media that people need to be prepared," Faulkner said

During the night, fog blanketed highways at times in the Southeast, including arteries in Atlanta where motorists slowed as a precaution. Fog advisories were posted from Alabama through the Carolinas into southwestern Virginia.

Several communities in Louisiana went ahead with the annual Christmas Eve lighting more than 100 towering log teepees for annual bonfires to welcome Pere Noel (Santa's name in France) along the Mississippi River between New Orleans and Baton Rouge. That decision came after fire chiefs and local officials decided to go ahead with the tradition after an afternoon conference call with the National Weather Service.

In California, after a brief reprieve across the northern half of the state on Monday, wet weather was expected to make another appearance on Christmas Day. Flooding and snarled holiday traffic were expected in Southern California.

HO, HO, HO.....................

Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve, 2012. Dinner is simmering, tonight we decided on sauerkraut with the nicest, tastiest wieners I have ever had. During cooking they grow to humungus proportions and they are delicious. I load the kraut with apples and Caraway seeds. Throw some potatoes in for the last half hour. A great dinner for the festive evening.

No traditional activities tonight, just sit and stare at the TV, but the mind constantly wonders to Christmas Eves past, friends no longer with us, and friends and relatives living far away. It is one of those nights for memories, they can't be helped.

I will end my prayer tonight with a "Happy Birthday," and probably, sometime before going to bed, out of habit, go out on the porch and look skyward, still hoping to get a glimpse of the sleigh. I decided I never wanted to be convinced, that's the boy in me.

Thankful tonight, oh yes, the good Lord has seen fit to let me live another year. I thank him for that. I have to think of all those still without home from Sandy, and all those poor souls who lost their children at .Sandy Hook, I cannot imagine the agony those poor people are going through tonight. Yes, I have much to be thankful for this Christmas Eve, 2012.

Merry Christmas to ALL.................

Happy Birthday, Jesus ................

Tonight, we celebrate His birthday, the birth of Jesus Christ. Regardless of your beliefs, tonight will be a "quiet" night, there will be a stillness in the air, like no other night. Things that happen other nights, will not happen tonight. It will be a Silent Night, a Holy Night.

Wars have stopped on this night, fighting has stopped, enemies have shaken hands and even exchanged small gifts. I think even "non believers" may believe in something on this night. There is "magic" in the air.

I always look to the heavens on this night, the eve of the birth of Christ.

May the Peace of our Lord Jesus Christ  be with you tonight, especially, and always. Remember to take a moment to wish Him, a Happy Birthday.

Gampa, I farted!

"Gampa, I farted."

Yes, that is what our little almost three year old precious Miss Brooklyn announced to all in the room I guess she had, no one was aware of it, but she was proud. Now, I don't understand most of her words, after repeating a few times, and some additional questions asked, I understand her.

But, the "Gampa, I farted," came out as loudly and as clear as a bell.

That word has never been used by me, too much. I think it was the way I was brought up, that word was not used too often. It is normal for humans to pass flatus per rectum, although the amount and the frequency may vary greatly between individuals. My Dad was a Doctor, so it was looked upon as being a natural occurrence.

Personally, I never liked the word and all that was associated with it.

Recently, while shopping, Miss Brooklyn had to make a "potty stop." While sitting in the stall on the commode, like a "big girl," she loudly announced to her Mother, and all in listening distance, "Mommy, she farted," referring to the lady in the next stall. As they both left their stalls, the lady admitted to Miss Brooklyn, "Yes, I did."

Now, thanks to Miss Brooklyn, I proudly announce it to my wife, when it happens, "Honey, I farted!"

I admit this  is not a god Christmas topic, but with all the political rhetoric going around, I thought that gas was an appropriate topic. Yes, that precious little girl pictured above is Miss Brooklyn.

Happy Retail Savings Day to All

Let's face reality. December 25 is "Retail Savings Day." I thank God that I have old Christmas memories of the the 30's and 40's to look back on. How great a strategy is it, where EVERY kid needs a toy on this day, so head to Walmart, buy a toy, they will put it in a truck, and see that some kid gets it on Retail Savings Day. Columbus Ohio had four(04) Walmart Semi's FULL of toys, probably purchased at Walmart, paraded through the streets of Columbus, TELEVISED, on their way to a venue where they would be handed out.

I end my prayers each night with a "Happy Birthday." Now it is no longer CHRISTmas. At old Emerson Junior High School, years ago, the last day of school before CHRISTMAS, they put on a play, in the auditorium, with the baby Jesus, Mary and Joseph, the Wise men  the Star, all performed by the upperclassmen. Then, we got a candy cane or a popcorn ball, and went home, to anxiously await, THE DAY.

We even went to church on Christmas Eve. The old First UB church in Dayton was filled with the scent of pine and candles, and Revered Herrick would offer his Christmas Sermon telling the story of the birth of Christ. I can still see the interior of that church at Christmas.

Someone should be convicted of stealing those memories from the young.

I am listening to CHRISTMAS MUSIC coming through our TV. Probably ten or twelve stations, Traditional, Pop, Ultra Hip, Classical, Modern Hits, Country, Navidad (Spanish), Soulful, just to name a few, all Christmas Music. I wonder when that will be forbidden. Come to think of it though, no "Away in a Manger," maybe  is is already happening.

Does anyone really care?

Some of the electors assigned by their states to cast the official votes for president of the United States are expressing doubts about Barack Obama’s eligibility.

Capitol Media Services reported that three of Arizona’s 11 Republican Electoral College electors who cast their ballots for Mitt Romney expressed concern that Obama didn't meet the Constitution’s “natural born citizen” requirement.

“I’m not satisfied with what I've seen,” Tom Morrissey, chairman of the Arizona GOP said. “I think for somebody in the president’s position to not have produced a document looks more legitimate, I have a problem with that.”

The actual vote for president is not the popular vote that was held Nov. 6, but the Electoral College vote in state capitals. States are given one Electoral College vote for each member of Congress, and they vote, depending on varying state laws, for the candidates their state residents choose by popular vote.

I have always doubted his eligibility to be president. If it were proved that he was not "eligible" I think he has the public so "hoodwinked" that it would not matter, of he would do a "Presidential Proclamation" that it didn't matter. Remember, he COULD NOT beat Hillary. He COULD NOT beat McCain. He COULD NOT get his Healthcare approved. He COULD NOT beat Romney. Stands to reason that he COULD NOT be ousted as president. Notice how the word president is not capitalized anymore, I always did in the past. Shows how the office has degenerated.

"Times are a changin"

Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) now ranks as the least-liked congressional leader, with just 31 percent of voters holding a positive opinion of the Republican leader and more than half — 51 percent — saying they view the Ohio congressman unfavorably.

That’s the first time in several years that Boehner has slipped below House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) in the Rasmussen survey. The Democratic leader held a 37 percent favorability rating in the poll.

The poll was released Friday, just hours after Boehner was unable to rally Republican support behind his “Plan B” proposal, intended to secure additional leverage in “fiscal cliff” negotiations with President Obama. And it comes just a day after President Obama’s approval rating in the Gallup daily tracking poll hit 56 percent, the highest mark for the president since October 2009.

Merry Christmas to All

More OLD Radio shows to listen to

Here are three more old radio shows that were Christmas favorites. Take time to sit down and rest from all of your Christmas activities. Get comfortable, put the head phones on if you have them, or turn the volume up and enjoy these as much as I have in the past. Merry Christmas.

Bob Hope Christmas Show - The Bob Hope Christmas show from 1943! This one is titled "The Christmas Package". LISTEN HERE

Kraft Music Hall with Bing Crosby - Holiday Inn Christmas Program with Bing Crosby. A little music, a little comedy. A great show!  LISTEN HERE

Loretta Young - The Littlest Angel - Loretta Young doing that holiday favorite "The Littlest Angel".
LISTEN HERE

Old time radio show

I am having some problems with some of these old time radio shows, so if the link does not work, be not concerned, I am will get it right soon. Have your sound on, just in case. I listened to this show every year of my early life, it was an integral part of Christmas. "Miracle on 34th Street," on the old Philco radio. Close your eyes, sit back and let your imagination run wild.

LISTEN HERE

Is it just me, or ...............

Is it just me, or is television, anymore, just one long commercial interrupted occasionally by some inane, untalented people, in ridiculous situations, sporting events, newscasts and a few other shows. I am an admitted "channel hopper," and I can almost go through our entire menu and confront a commercial on every channel. The only honest television shows are infomercials, they are what they say they are.

The number of commercials allowed during a "break" must have changed. I've counted as many as six and it seems like even more.  Count them sometime.

Bruschetta, can't eat just one

Bruschetta with Tomato and Basil Recipe

We stated serving this at Dooley's Diner on our lunch menu years ago, we had to take it off the menu. Could not make it fast enough. It is a great appetizer or great to serve with spaghetti or many Italian dishes.

Prep time: 15 minutes  -  Cook time: 10 minutes


INGREDIENTS

6 or 7 ripe plum tomatoes (about 1 1/2 lbs)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
6-8 fresh basil leaves, chopped.
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 baguette French bread or similar Italian bread
1/4 cup olive oil

METHOD
1 Prepare the tomatoes first. Parboil the tomatoes for one minute in boiling water that has just been removed from the burner. Drain. Using a sharp small knife, remove the skins of the tomatoes. (If the tomatoes are too hot, you can protect your finger tips by rubbing them with an ice cube between tomatoes.) Once the tomatoes are peeled, cut them in halves or quarters and remove the seeds and juice from their centers. Also cut out and discard the stem area. Why use plum tomatoes instead of regular tomatoes? The skins are much thicker and there are fewer seeds and less juice.

2 Make sure there is a top rack in place in your oven. Turn on the oven to 450°F to preheat.

3 While the oven is heating, chop up the tomatoes finely. Put tomatoes, garlic, 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil, vinegar in a bowl and mix. Add the chopped basil. Add salt and pepper to taste.

4 Slice the baguette on a diagonal about 1/2 inch thick slices. Coat one side of each slice with olive oil using a pastry brush. Place on a cooking sheet, olive oil side down. You will want to toast them in the top rack in your oven, so you may need to do these in batches depending on the size of your oven. Once the oven has reached 450°F, place a tray of bread slices in the oven on the top rack. Toast for 5-6 minutes, until the bread just begins to turn golden brown.

Alternatively, you can toast the bread without coating it in olive oil first. Toast on a griddle for 1 minute on each side. Take a sharp knife and score each slice 3 times. Rub some garlic in the slices and drizzle half a teaspoon of olive oil on each slice. This is the more traditional method of making bruschetta.

5 Align the bread on a serving platter, olive oil side up. Either place the tomato topping in a bowl separately with a spoon for people to serve themselves over the bread, or place some topping on each slice of bread and serve. If you top each slice with the tomatoes, do it right before serving or the bread may get soggy.

Serves 6-10 as an appetizer. Or 3-4 for lunch (delicious served with cottage cheese on the side.)

Yield: Makes 24 small slices.

The Pasty - A culinary legend

    A pasty sometimes known as a pastie or British pasty in the United States, is a baked pastry associated in particular with Cornwall in Great Britain. It is made by placing uncooked filling on a flat pastry circle and folding it to wrap the filling, crimping the edge to form a seal. After baking, the result is a raised semicircular end-product.
     The traditional Cornish pasty, which has Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) status in Europe, is filled with beef, sliced or diced potato, swede (also known as a yellow turnip or rutabaga - referred to in Cornwall as turnip) and onion, seasoned with salt and pepper, and is baked. 
    The origins of the pasty are unclear, though there are many references to them throughout historical documents and fiction. The pasty is now popular world-wide due to the spread of  Cornish miners, and variations can be found in Australia, the United States, Mexico and elsewhere. 
    I was introduced to them in Michigan. They are a favorite with tourists and even more so with hunters who head North grab a pasty or two and head to the woods. There are many little independent stores, gas stations and restaurants that have their own favorite, guarded, recipe. Here is a basic one, easy to fix and easier to eat .............

Original Pasty

     3 c. flour
     1 1/2 sticks butter (cold and cut into bits)
     1 1/2 tsp. salt
     6 tbsp. water

In a large bowl, combine flour, butter and salt.  Blend ingredients until well combined and add water, one tablespoon at a time to form a dough.  Toss mixture until it forms a ball.  Kneed dough lightly against a smooth surface with heel of the hand to distribute fat evenly.  Form into a ball, dust with flour, wrap in wax paper and chill for 30 minutes.

Filling

     1 lb. round steak, coarsely ground
     1 lb. boneless pork loin, coarsely ground
     5 carrots, chopped
     2 lg. onions, chopped
     2 potatoes, peeled and chopped
     1/2 c. rutabaga, chopped (can substitute turnip)
     2 tsp. salt
     1/2 tsp. pepper

Combine all ingredients in large bowl.  Divide the dough into 6 pieces, and roll one of the pieces into a 10-inch round on a lightly floured surface.  Put 1 1/2 cups of filling on half of the round.  Moisten the edges and fold the unfilled half over the filling to enclose it.  Pinch the edges together to seal them and crimp them decoratively with a fork.  Transfer pasty to lightly buttered baking sheet and cut several slits in the top.  Roll out and fill the remaining dough in the same manner.  Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 30 minutes. Put 1 tsp. butter through a slit in each pasty and continue baking for 30 minutes more.  Remove from oven, cover with a damp tea towel, cool for 15 minutes.

Another HERO emerges ...............

When the first sounds of gunshots echoed through the halls of Sandy Hook Elementary School last Friday morning, Dawn Hochsprung left the safety of her office and took off running toward the shooter, who had forcibly entered through the front doors.

School therapist Diane Day, who was with her when they heard a “pop, pop, pop” in the hallway, said the principal, along with psychologist Mary Sherlach and the school’s vice principal, didn't spare a moment before running out to investigate the noise.

"They didn't think twice about confronting or seeing what was going on," Day told The Wall Street Journal.

Only the vice principal returned, with a gunshot to the leg. She would be the only surviving victim of the attack.

Officials in Newtown, Conn., lauded the heroism of Hochsprung, a relatively new principal, noting she had lunged toward the shooter in an attempt to overtake him before being fatally shot. A fourth-grade teacher at the school credits Hochsprung with flipping on the intercom switch, which broadcast “screaming and crying,” through the school, in order to warn teachers.

As principal of 700 students, Hochsprung had recently instituted new security measures for the school, including visual recognition for entering. Tragically, her best attempts to make the building safe weren't enough to keep out Adam Lanza, the disturbed 20-year-old who forcibly entered the school around 9:30 that morning.

Hochsprung’s close friends aren’t surprised by the heroic actions of a woman they remember as putting her students first. In fact, long before Friday’s senseless shooting, the dedicated educator had mulled over the “what if” of a school shooting.

Friday Morning - The day of ?????

What to talk about?????h

What's on my mind today?

The end of the world tomorrow, always a hot topic, people around the world are "maxing" out their credit cards and going on a spending frenzy in anticipation of their being NO tomorrow. Thousands are flocking to Central America to celebrate the end of the Mayan Calendar, and I'm almost certain that there are some around the world, ending their lives rather than face the uncertainty of tomorrow.

I have read a great deal on the subject, watched many videos on my laptop, talked a great deal with who have varying opinions on the subject. Discussed the "Hollow Earth" viewpoint, read some on the Nostradamus theory, been watching a lot about that today on TV.

And, Obama wants to ban guns. An opportune time to bring that subject up.Almost a "have you quit beating your wife" situation. In the aftermath of recent shootings, only an "anti" gun opinion can be tolerated. I reflect though that it was the threat of a gun, that prompted him to commit suicide. How many "incidents" have been stopped because of the threat of a gun, we never hear of them, just the other side, so I am not sure of my thoughts. I just know that in all my years, I have seen an eroding of my rights, and much more government.

Oh, I guess too, rain, cold, sleet, high winds and snow on the menu for tomorrow. I have to take my wife to work in the morning and pick her up in the afternoon, not looking forward to that, and again Saturday and Sunday.

So, my plate is full,, don't know what to worry about first. Here's hoping we are all alive and well on Saturday. I tried to purchase a lottery ticket for tonight. I figured I would win if the world was going to end, but, oddly enough, there is no Thursday night big money drawing.

Wonder if they know something I don't?

I wonder???????

To be on the safe side, I want to thank all those of you who have read and supported this blog.

Will it all end tomorrow, 12/21/2012, I certainly don't know. I have watched some presentations, by intelligent, rational, scientific minds who say yes. Thousands have flocked to a location in Central America. Some place here in Ohio is being visited by many, something about magnets.

There are many cultures who say yes.

A "polar shift" is predicted, a reversal of the earths rotation combined with some solar events. I wish there were some who refuted all those theories. So far, many authorities and scientists agree that something might happen and that gives me a reason for some concern.

Sandbags won't help this if it happens. I don't like "height" so if I am suddenly catapulted into space .... ugh!

December 19, 2012

If some people are right, we don't have many days left. I watched a video last night, he sounded credible, if so, questions about our future. I only grasped a little of what he said, would have to watch it a number of times to really understand his comments.

Yesterday was my Mother's birthday. Jessie Maud Shannon passed away too many years ago, I would have loved to spend more time with her, I really never got to know her, other than just being my Mom. Probably took her for granted too many times, yet, she was my biggest supporter, confidant and friend.

We always put our Christmas tree up on her birthday, making it one of the biggest days of the year, heading to our spooky attic to retrieve the decorations, always putting the lights on first, then the ornaments, icicles last, then Mom would do the decorations under the tree. The fence that Dad made from old fruit boxes, the cotton for snow, mirrors for ice, houses, all the china dolls at the gateposts. A glorious day, and Christmas was only a week away.

I cannot imagine how the families of those with "empty chairs" are coping with the season. How can they look at presents under the tree that will go unopened. How could they possibly look at gifts purchased, but will never be wrapped. Overwhelming grief, and it was senseless, it cannot be reconciled, that makes it even more grievous.

We don't do much on Christmas morning anymore, our family is spread out across the country, just the wife and I, so it is much like any other day, anymore,, but I am sure that this Christmas morning I am going to be saying a few prayers, hoping that in some way, they will help alleviate the deep hurt emanating from those homes missing the sound of some first graders, opening  their presents. My thoughts will be with them, I cannot imagine their grief.

Few days go by anymore, when when there is not a shooting, a deadly car wreck, or a major catastrophe of some kind, it is becoming a way of life, commonplace.

Maybe it will all end in a couple days, who knows? Perhaps we have run our race, the planets are aligned, the Mayan calendar may be right, there is no more.

YOU said it ........... Coach .....................

Winthrop had a basketball game with Ohio State last night. In a  post game interview, their coach made the below comments. You can also listen to his comments HERE. The team has been on the road, and he has not seen his family since before last Friday.

There is no doubt the killing of 20 elementary school students and six of their teachers and administrators struck Kelsey hard. He has 4 and 5-year-old daughters at home and he referred to them in his powerful message.

“The last thing I wanna say is I’m really, really lucky, ’cause I’m gonna get on an eight-hour bus ride, and I’m gonna arrive in Rock Hill, S.C., and I’m gonna walk into my house, and I’m gonna walk upstairs, and I’m gonna walk into two pink rooms, OK, with a 5-year-old and a 4-year-old laying in that pink room, with a bunch of teddy bears laying in that room.

“And I’m gonna give them the biggest hug and the biggest kiss I’ve ever given them. And there’s 20 families in Newtown, Conn., that are walking into a pink room with a bunch of teddy bears with nobody laying in those beds. And it’s tragic.

“And I don’t know what needs to be done. I’m not smart enough to know what needs to be done, OK? I know this country’s got issues. Is it a gun issue? Is it a mental illness issue? Or is it a society that has lost the fact, the understanding, that decent human values are important?

“And our leaders – I didn’t vote for President Obama. But you know what? He’s my president now. He’s my leader. I need him to step up. Mr. Boehner, the Speaker of the House, he’s a Xavier guy, he’s a Cincinnati guy, OK, he needs to step up.

“Parents, teachers, rabbis, priests, coaches, everybody needs to step up. This has to be a time for change. And I know this microphone’s powerful right now, because we’re playing the fourth-best team in the country. I’m not going to have a microphone like this the rest of the year, maybe the rest of my life.

“And I’m going to be an agent of change with the 13 young men I get to coach every day and the two little girls that I get to raise. But hopefully things start changing, because it’s really, really disappointing.

“I’m proud to grow up American. I’m proud to say I’m part of the greatest country ever. And that’s got to stay that way. And it’ll stay that way if we change. But we gotta change.”

How to get to Mars ..

INTERESTING VIDEO TO WATCH

WATCH HERE

Blackburn Voyager 3.3/Mars 1.0 Combo Light Set 

12/21/2012 some pertinent information.

Are you concerned about 12/21/2012?

Maybe you should be.

Listen to THIS

Let me know what you think, I would like to know. Don't you just hate it when people back some things up with facts?

THIS is worth watching, watch it at least three times, it is difficult to digest in one viewing, there is too much to comprehend.

I really would like to hear your thoughts on this.

joedooley@yahoo.com

Mayan Messages: The Mayan Tzolkin Calendar, Daily Guide to Self-Empowerment 
The Mayan and Other Ancient Calendars By Stray, Geoff 
The 2012 Astrotheology Calendar 
[CD] Starfields By Marsden, Carolyn 
[CD] Twilight of the Gods By Von Daniken, Erich/ Heyborne, Kirby (NRT) 
2012 Doomsday Planner Full-Color Edition 
Real Life Leadership in a Newfangled World: The Essential Remedy for a Symptomatic Society 
2012 By Bruce, Alexandra 
2012 Doomsday Planner 
Starfields By Marsden, Carolyn 

What a great idea ................

In honor of those who lost their lives recently in Sandy Hook, make it a  point today to show some "act of kindness" towards one of your fellow citizens today. Open a door, buy a cup of coffee for someone, help someone across the street, just one simple random act of kindness. Many people are doing it, around the country.

Do one every day, what a fitting tribute, just one random act of kindness, each day.

Please forward this on to someone, let's get everyone doing it ..................... let me know what you do..

REPLY ONE: A policeman stopped a car for an expired plate. The driver apologized, said he had to decide between the plate and food. The policeman wrote the ticket and handed it to the driver. Inside the folded up ticket was a hundred dollar bill.

TWO: A man called a local coffee shop, told them to give a FREE coffee to everyone who came in, and send him the bill.

Random Kindness bag 

Remember the children ..

On the news just now, a Mother stated that her young daughter has wanted to sleep with her, since Friday.

Had not thought of that. How would a First Grader, anywhere, feel about heading to school today? It could be a very frightening experience for them. Adults cannot grasp what happened, how must a young child feel about it, it happened ..... in a school ..... to kids their age. The gravity of that might have more impact on them, than it does an adult.

Adults ask how it happened, what must a child ask? The anticipation of Santa Claus and Christmas being overshadowed by this event. Adults should be able to cope with it, they have gone through similar events before, children never have.

Hug your child when you get home tonight, he, or she, might really need a hug ..............

Times have changed ..............

I took my wife to work this morning, and as we pulled in to her street, a woman was walking in the opposite direction. Since it is a dead end street, she was most likely coming from where my wife works.

After I dropped my wife off, I was headed back the way we had come, and there was that woman, still walking. There were quite a few miles ahead of her, to anywhere she might want to go. I really wanted to stop and offer her a ride, but I could not do it, too many thoughts were running through my mind.

First, why was she walking. If she was having car trouble she would have used the phone at work. So, probably, someone did not pick her up after work. I have been going down that road for a number of years now, and never saw anyone walking where she was, so that concerned me.

Maybe someone was seen trying to pick up people in the area and she was a "plant." I was concerned, so my better judgement prevailed, I drove by her. For all I know, she is still walking, somewhere. I will never know why, and, it was really none of my business anyway. Chivalry is dead.

When did it all change, that we are concerned and afraid to help others?

You just gotta be kidding, and no one is saying anything?

I find it rather strange ..........

Old Hillary finds out that her husband, old Bill, is having extra-marital sex with Monica Lewinsky in the Oval Office, takes it in, stride and nothing happens.

Now, she finds out she has to testify before the House Foreign Affairs Committee on the deadly attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya and she faints and suffers a concussion.

She is being monitored by doctors and is recovering at home. She was never hospitalized. At someones recommendation, she will continue to work from home next week, staying in regular contact with Department and other officials. She is looking forward to being back in the office and returning to work after the meetings are over,, whenever that is.

Sheer Cover-Up Tunic Plus Size   Many should be wearing this COVER UP TUNIC in Wasington...

And now..........................

Clinton on set!!!!!

Victoria Capozzi

Victoria Capozzi

Later today my counseling skills, training and all around ability as a human being to console those in need 

will be put to the test.

I, along with my amazing school counseling collegues will be working/covering the crisis center in Newtown, CT while other crisis workers begin to work with the district's teachers. 

This is the school district that gave me my first job out of grad school. 

I will always feel an allegiance to this community. 

Please continue to send love and prayers to all asking 

for the strength and courage to heal in these difficult times.

CoverUp, CoverUP, COVERUP

Two down, how many to go??????????? Anyone concerned how much of this goes on in Washington ........................????????????????  

Washington (CNN) -- U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton sustained a concussion after becoming dehydrated and fainting,

and will no longer testify Thursday before the House Foreign Affairs Committee on the deadly attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya.
Clinton had been suffering from a stomach virus at the time, according to a statement on Saturday from Philippe Reines, deputy assistant secretary of state.

She is being monitored by doctors and is recovering at home. She was never hospitalized, Reines said.

"At their recommendation, she will continue to work from home next week, staying in regular contact with Department and other officials. She is looking forward to being back in the office soon," Reines said.

A senior State Department official added that the fainting occurred earlier in the week and the concussion was "not severe."

Secretary Clinton had been scheduled to testify on Capitol Hill Thursday about the deadly attack in Benghazi, Libya, in September that killed four Americans, including the U.S. ambassador.

WASHINGTON -- Whether Susan Rice jumped or was pushed from consideration to succeed retiring Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, her removal from the equation clears one bone of partisan contention from President Obama's plate as he heads into his second term.

The UN ambassador asserted that she withdrew her name to save her boss from "an enduring partisan battle" that would further distract him and the country from urgent national priorities, including job creation, deficit reduction, immigration reform and "protecting our national securitiy."

Precious ...... forgive a Great Grandpa

MY BABY SISTER

Miss Brooklyn and her Baby sister, Miss Emma Jane

RIP

The Victims as identified by Connecticut state police:

1. Charlotte Bacon DOB 2/22/06 Female

2. Daniel Barden DOB 9/25/05 Male

3. Rachel Davino DOB 7/17/83 Female

4. Olivia Engel DOB 7/18/06 Female

5. Josephine Gay DOB 12/11/05 Female

6. Ana M. Marquez-Greene DOB 4/4/06 Female 

7. Dylan Hockley DOB 3/8/06 Male 

8. Dawn Hocksprung DOB 6/28/65 Female 

9. Madeleine F Hsu DOB 7/10/06 Female 

10. Catherine V Hubbard DOB 6/8/06 Female

11. Chase Kowalski DOB 10/31/05 Male

12. Jesse Lewis DOB 6/30/06 Male

13. James Mattioli DOB 3/22/06 Male

14. Grace McDonnell DOB 11/4/05 Female

15. Anne Marie Murphy DOB 7/25/60 Female

16. Emilie Parker DOB 5/12/06 Female

17. Jack Pinto DOB 5/6/06 Male

18. Noah Pozner DOB 11/20/06 Male

19. Caroline Previdi DOB 9/07/06 Female

20. Jessica Rekos DOB 5/10/06 Female

21. Aveille Richman DOB 10/17/06 Female

22. Lauren Russeau DOB Unknown

23. Mary Sherlach DOB 2/11/56 Female 

24. VIctoria Soto DOB 11/4/85 Female 

25. Benjamin Wheeler DOB 9/12/06 Male 

26. Allison N Wyatt DOB 7/3/06 Female

HOUSTON -- Kevin Garnett, his eyes fixed low, walked over to Kevin McHale after the final buzzer and gave him a long hug.

Several other Celtics followed, embracing the Houston Rockets coach and expressing their condolences on the death of his daughter before McHale wiped away a tear and headed for the locker room.

It was a touching end to Houston's 101-89 victory Friday night, when McHale's current team beat his old one.

"I got to go over and give him a hug and talk for a little bit," said Boston swingman Courtney Lee, who played for McHale with the Rockets last season. "I saw the tears rolling down his face and it was definitely an emotional time."

McHale's 23-year-old daughter, Alexandra "Sasha" McHale, died Nov. 24 of complications from Lupus. McHale left the Rockets for nearly a month before returning last Saturday for a game against Dallas.

A Hall of Fame forward for the Celtics during his playing days, McHale selected Garnett out of high school with the fifth pick in the 1995 NBA draft when he was general manager of the Minnesota Timberwolves.