A new plan ............ for the election..

I received three Emails today, from politicians. Graphically nice, and got their message across nicely, DONATE MONEY. Not one thing about their platform, their ideas, goals or ..... nothing. I was given a choice of amounts on most of them, and, if none of those amounts sounded good, I could donate any amount I wanted to.

Most want me to donate to fight the Special Interest Groups. Not an opponent, not an ideology, just the interests of someone else. I wonder why I no longer have any respect for politicians?

Fortunately there was a logo at the top so I would know who it was from, and the disclaimer at the bottom, one was even from Michigan, two others were out of state, and two in Ohio.

Let's do away with all the political rhetoric, the TV debates, the mailings, the hand shaking, the baby kissing, the parades, the phony greetings around election time. The one with the most money wins, and with any luck at all, the candidate will recoup all he spent, while in office, and more.

Maybe each candidate gets his/her own, one time, telethon, like Jerry Lewis, the most money wins. No lying, no innuendo, no promises ... one TV ad today, the candidate vowed to take care of everything in the state if he was elected. Superman could not have accomplished all he was going to take care of.

Another means of compiling money would be to somehow convert "Political Rhetoric" ... or, BS, to being useful as a fertilizer in agriculture.

Boehner blinks: GOP leaders delay border bill, leave Obama in control

A conservative rebellion forced House leaders to pull their border bill from consideration on Thursday, leaving the GOP in disarray and putting pressure on President Obama to try to handle the situation without any extra money or powers from Congress.

Republican leaders in the House vowed to “continue” working on the crisis, and said it was “possible” they could still vote later Thursday, but the prospects appeared dim. Unless they come up with a solution in a few hours, they will go home for a five-week summer vacation leaving Mr. Obama to have to figure solutions out on his own.

“This situation shows the intense concern within our conference — and among the American people — about the need to ensure the security of our borders and the president’s refusal to faithfully execute our laws,” the GOP leaders said in a joint statement. “There are numerous steps the president can and should be taking right now, without the need for congressional action, to secure our borders and ensure these children are returned swiftly and safely to their countries.”

The House bill had included only a fifth of the money Mr. Obama requested, and had included a number of changes to existing law that would have made it easier to deport illegal immigrant children surging across the border. And under pressure, GOP leaders even scheduled a vote on a bill to freeze the president’s non-deportation policy for young adults.

But House conservatives, pushed by high-profile Sens. Jeff Sessions and Ted Cruz, said the measures didn’t go far enough in rolling back Mr. Obama’s previous non-deportation policies such as his Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and forcing deportation of more illegal immigrants.

CIA admits improperly hacking Senate computers

CIA Director John Brennan admitted that the agency did hack into the computers of Sen. Dianne Feinstein and other Senate staffers — an allegation he had denied in March.

In a search for Bush-era interrogation practices, computers were hacked in “a manner inconsistent with the common understanding” between the Senate and the agency, Mr. Brennan has concluded, agency spokesman Dean Boyd said Thursday, National Journal reported.

Mr. Brennan apologized to both Mrs. Feinstein, who heads the Senate Intelligence Committee, and the panel’s top Republican, Sen. Saxby Chambliss, for the actions of his officers, the Journal reported. The CIA’s reversal comes after a briefing on the inspector general’s findings.

The findings of the internal investigation have now been submitted to an accountability board led by retired Democratic Sen. Evan Bayh, the Journal reported.

Senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), released a statement on the revelations Wednesday, saying “What’s needed now is a public apology from Director Brennan to staff and the committee, a full accounting of how this occurred and a commitment there will be no further attempts to undermine Congressional oversight of CIA activities.”

2 Workers Pulled From Trench Collapse in Westchester

Two workers have been pulled from a trench which collapsed in Westchester Thursday morning, trapping the men, officials said. 

Their conditions are not known. Emergency crews responded to Bradford Avenue in Rye around 11 a.m.

Officials at the scene say the workers were trapped 4 to 5 feet below ground and were being administered oxygen before their rescue.

Politicians ..... ?

Perhaps it is my advanced age, but my view of politicians, how I perceive them, has altered drastically. I was at a meeting last night, a fundraiser, for a politician, attended by up and coming wanna be politicians, some old times who had been in the game for a while, and some in office now. Probably the largest representation in the group was money, old money, who, I am sure have benefited in one way or another, from their association with politicians, and maintain their contact, out of habit.

The politicians, in attendance, I must admit, I had little to no respect for, those there, who had "worked" and been successful, I had respect and admiration for. They play their own game, have their own set of rules, they have that .... look in their eyes ... they are always looking for, seeking that situation or that someone, who can be beneficial to their political career. They like to shake the right hand, and the right time. They will shake any hand, but some get that little extra squeeze of sincerity, that what can you do for me look.

The next time you shake the hand of a politician, look at his eyes. Most generally, they are not looking at you, but, where their next handshake is coming from, no sincerity, just necessity.

The "Political Bar" has been lowered, greatly, in recent years, in my eyes, it is laying on the ground.

I respected FDR, HE was the President, there have been some, since then, I have respected, but recently, there are none, "You are a what?"

Which states will legalize pot next?

In its much-discussed editorial published over the weekend, the New York Times called for an end to marijuana prohibition.

"The federal government should follow the growing movement in the states and repeal the ban on marijuana," the Times wrote in its editorial.

According to a national survey released by the Pew Research Center earlier this year, 54 percent of Americans now support legalization, and a whopping 75 percent believe the feds will eventually do just that.

The question, then, is not if, but when?

“Nobody really knows,” Aaron Smith, executive director of the National Cannabis Industry Association, told the Denver Post's Cannabist. “It would take an act of Congress, which is a monumental task, getting Congress to act on anything."

Instead, it's been left up to the states to reform marijuana laws. In January, Colorado became the first state to legalize the sale of recreational marijuana. Earlier this month, Washington became the second.

Smith and other pot advocates are hopeful that if they can get a legalization measure on the ballot in California in 2016, it will pass and federal reform will follow.

“At that point the largest state in the country and the largest cannabis market in the country will be regulated," Smith said. "It’s my hope that Congress at least then will overturn the federal ban.”

There are several smaller states that could legalize recreational marijuana before California does. First up? Oregon and Alaska.

Earlier this month in Oregon, a marijuana initiative qualified for the ballot in November. If it passes, the law would allow recreational weed sales beginning in July 2015.

According to a study conducted by ECONorthwest, the first year of recreational marijuana sales would generate $38.5 million in tax revenue in the Beaver State.

RIPLEY'S .... Believe It or Not! 7/31

Crop circle in Germany attracts many visitors

BERLIN (AP) — Thousands of people are trekking to a Bavarian farmer's field to check out a mysterious set of crop circles.

The ornate design was discovered by a balloonist last week and news of the find quickly spread online.

Farmer Christoph Huttner, who owns the wheat field near Weilheim, couldn't be reached for comment Wednesday but told the dpa news agency Tuesday he didn't create the circle himself.

He suggests students on summer holiday may have cut the image with a 75-meter diameter (246 feet) into his field.

The news agency says thousands of visitors have come to sing, dance and even swing pendulums in the giant image.

Huttner says he's not yet sure whether he will leave the circle in his field.

Female bomber kills 6 in Nigeria

Kano (Nigeria) (AFP) - A female suicide bomber killed six people at a college campus in Nigeria's Kano city on Wednesday, the fourth time Boko Haram Islamists were suspected of using a female attacker in as many days.

The latest violence came as the government announced the arrest of a 10-year-old girl with explosives strapped to her chest in a neighbouring area.

Boko Haram is blamed for killing more than 10,000 people since 2009, and their extreme tactics have been denounced worldwide, including on some jihadi websites.

But what appears to be a new tactic of deploying young women and girls as bombers will spur further outrage as Nigeria seems unable to contain the violence.

At about 2:30 pm (1330 GMT) on Wednesday, an assailant blew herself up at a noticeboard on the campus of the Kano Polytechnic College while students were crowded around it.

Witness Isyaku Adamu said the explosion came from within the crush of students and left blood splattered on the ground, as soldiers and police scrambled to secure the area.

Government spokesman Mike Omeri put the casualties at six dead and six wounded and confirmed that a female, whose age was not immediately known, was responsible for the bloodshed.

It was the fourth attack by a female bomber in Nigeria's second city since the weekend.

Death toll from Ebola outbreak rises to 729

DAKAR (Reuters) - The death toll from an outbreak of Ebola in West Africa has risen to 729, the World Health Organisation said on Thursday, after 57 deaths were reported between July 24 and 27 in Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria and Sierra Leone.

The WHO also said Nigerian authorities had so far identified 59 people who had come into contact with a U.S. citizen who died in Lagos last week after traveling from Liberia, via Togo and Ghana.

'Spice' is a deadly ingredient

Loved ones of 19-year-old Connor Eckhardt, from right, his mother Veronica Eckhardt, aunt Terri Mehrguth, sister Sabrina Eckhardt, 18, father Devin Eckhardt and close friend Jaclyn Westfall, 20, look on as a helicopter carrying Connor's heart flies off from Hoag Hospital in Newport Beach on Thursday. 

(KEVIN CHANG, Daily Pilot / July 17, 2014)

By Emily Foxhall

Family of teen who died after smoking synthetic pot warns others to stay away from the powerful and unpredictable drug.

Veronica Eckhardt bent over the hospital bed, sponging paint onto the sole of her son's left foot. "Connor would not like what we're doing," she remarked, but his foot did not twitch. Doctors had declared Connor Eckhardt brain-dead the day before, at age 19. Machines breathed for him in the Neuro Intensive Care Unit at Hoag Hospital.

Veronica's husband, Devin, held his son's leg steady as she continued to apply a mixture of brown and blue, Connor's favorite colors. Their son's decision to donate his organs had allowed the couple extra time at his bedside. Tests needed to be run. Appropriate organ recipients had to be identified.

On the day of his surgery, Veronica had been thinking of footprints they made when Connor was little. She wanted to make another set, so her mother and father-in-law went to buy supplies at Michaels. These painted prints would commemorate his end.

"Although his footprints will no longer be walking on the earth, his imprints will still be there in so many peoples' lives," she said.

The clock ticked past 2 p.m. Connor's organs were scheduled to be removed in two hours.

The previous Saturday, an otherwise healthy Connor had smoked "spice" — a substance made from plants treated with chemicals that bind to the brain's cannabinoid receptors.

The synthetic pot is thought of as a legal, untraceable way to get high, but the effect can be orders of magnitude more powerful than marijuana, said Dr. Michael Brant-Zawadzki, executive medical director of Hoag's neurosciences institute.

Also called "K2," spice can overwhelm brain circuitry, possibly leading to psychosis, kidney injury, high body temperature, heart attack or, as in Connor's case, death.

Concentrations of chemicals in spice vary, as do the chemicals themselves, making it difficult for users to know what they are smoking and how it might alter their brains.

"There's no way to tell when you cross the line from the expected effects to the lethal effects," Brant-Zawadzki said.

Whether because he stopped breathing or his heart stopped pumping blood, or both, Connor's brain was deprived of oxygen and began to swell.

Tests run at the hospital would not detect spice. The ever-changing components make it difficult for scientists to develop a standard way to trace it. But the hospital found no sign of other drugs. And he had the small, square packet of spice still in his pocket.

European ransoms now Al-Qaeda's major funding:

Washington (AFP) - Al-Qaeda is increasingly funding terror operations thanks to at least $125 million in ransom paid since 2008, largely by European governments to free western hostages, the New York Times reported.

The payments totalled $66 million in 2013 alone, according to an investigation by the newspaper published Tuesday.

While Al-Qaeda's network was first funded by wealthy donors, "kidnapping for ransom has become today’s most significant source of terrorist financing," said David S. Cohen, the Treasury Department’s under secretary for terrorism and financial intelligence, in a 2012 speech.

"Each transaction encourages another transaction."

The organization has openly acknowledged the windfall, the paper reported.

"Kidnapping hostages is an easy spoil," wrote Nasser al-Wuhayshi, the leader of Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, "which I may describe as a profitable trade and a precious treasure."

Vin Scully to return for 66th season in LA in 2015

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Vin Scully is staying in the booth for the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The 86-year-old Hall of Fame announcer will return for his record 66th season with the team in 2015. The announcement was made by in Korean, Spanish and English by players Hyun-Jin Ryu, Yasiel Puig and Justin Turner on the Dodger Stadium video board in the second inning of Tuesday night's game against Atlanta.

The news was greeted with loud cheers and a prolonged standing ovation for Scully, who stood and waved to fans from his booth, where he hugged his wife, Sandi.

A decision about Scully's future has become an annual rite of passage in recent years as he evaluates his health and his family's wishes in considering whether he wants to continue.

''God willing, I will be back next year,'' he said in a statement released by the team. ''Naturally there will come a time when I have to say goodbye, but I've soul-searched and this is not the time.''

Scully's consecutive years of service make him the longest-tenured broadcaster with one team in sports history. He calls all nine innings of the team's home games and road games in California and Arizona for the Dodgers' new television home on SportsNet LA, while the first three innings of his games are simulcast on the radio.

Ripley - 7/30

Chinese police shoot dead dozens after attack in Xinjiang

By Ben Blanchard

BEIJING (Reuters) - Chinese police shot dead dozens of knife-wielding attackers on Monday morning after they staged assaults on two towns in the western region of Xinjiang, the official Xinhua news agency said on Tuesday.

A gang armed with knives had first attacked a police station and government offices in the town of Elixku, in Shache county, it said, quoting local police. Some moved on to the nearby town of Huangdi, attacking civilians and smashing and setting fire to six vehicles.

"Police officers at the scene shot dead dozens of members of the mob," the brief report said.

An initial investigation showed that it was an "organised and premeditated terrorist attack", Xinhua added.

The dead and injured include not just Uighurs but members of China's majority Han Chinese population, the report said.

The U.S.-based Rebiya Kadeer, president of the exiled World Uyghur Congress, called for restraint, saying in a statement that she was worried "China will use this incident to step up repression, causing more people to lose their freedom."

The attack took place at the end of the holy month of Ramadan, which officials had tried to get Muslims in Xinjiang to ignore, in an indication of what rights groups say is discrimination targeting the Uighurs.

Shache, also known by its Uighur name of Yarkant, is located in Xinjiang's heavily Uighur southwestern part, close to the borders of Tajikistan, Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Xinjiang, home to many Turkic-speaking Uighurs, has for years been beset by violence, which the government blames on Islamist militants or separatists who it says are bent on establishing an independent state called East Turkestan.

China says Uighur militants have based themselves in countries including Afghanistan and Pakistan in recent years, and this week China's special envoy for the Middle East said some had also likely been trained in Syria and Iraq.

It was not clear why the attack was only being reported on Tuesday, more than a day after it took place, though China's ruling Communist Party, which values stability above all else, had a habit of suppressing or delaying bad news.

Obama immigration executive orders could force showdown

Reports that President Barack Obama could use executive orders to enact immigration policies could force a showdown with Republicans with broad constitutional implications.

Stories from the Associated Press, the Los Angeles Times and Politico indicate that the White House is considering using executive orders, a tactic already heavily criticized by Republican leaders, to defer some deportations and expand work permits to currently illegal immigrants.

With House Republicans already set to sue President Obama in federal court over what are seen as executive abuses of power over the Affordable Care Act, such aggressive actions from the White House wouldn’t go unchallenged.

But the big question is how would the GOP challenge immigration reforms through executive orders on constitutional grounds?

Josh Gerstein from Politico went over some of the legal roadblocks to a GOP challenge in an extensive story on Tuesday.

“Legal experts see any challenge to the expected immigration policy changes headed for the same key roadblock facing House Speaker John Boehner’s planned suit over Obamacare implementation delays: finding a way to show the injury needed to press a case in the federal courts,” said Gerstein.

Lyle Denniston, the National Constitution Center’s adviser on constitutional literacy, recently explained this issue of standing in a Constitution Daily analysis for readers.

“The Constitution’s Article III has a simple requirement that must be satisfied by any lawsuit that is filed in federal courts, and it is a make-or-break requirement. If the lawsuit does not involve a genuine ‘case or controversy,’ under Article III, a federal court simply has no authority to decide it,” he said.

“Because of Article III’s requirements, there are three things that an individual or institution must prove – up-front – before such a lawsuit could go forward in federal court. The suing party must first show that the other side has caused it an ‘injury in fact’ – that is, a genuine harm, not a fanciful or theoretical harm,” Denniston said. “Next, there has to be proof that the other side caused that injury. And, finally, the injury must be of a kind that the court can remedy by ruling in favor of the suing party. Those three requirements are what lawyers and judges refer to as ‘standing’ requirements – that is, a right to sue in federal court, in keeping with Article III.”

Water main break, geyser flood UCLA campus,

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A major water main ruptured underneath a street near the University of California, Los Angeles on Tuesday, unleashing a 20-foot-tall geyser and millions of gallons of water that flooded part of campus and stranded motorists on nearby streets.

The water gushed across the north end of the campus for several hours, submerging athletic fields and pouring into an underground parking structure, where motorists were caught in water up to their wheel wells, Los Angles Fire Department spokesman Brian Humphrey said.

The deluge happened as California suffers through a record drought that has prompted state and local authorities to impose water-use restrictions on residents, such as fines for wasting even a few gallons on excessive lawn-watering.

Humphrey said there were no injuries reported in the flooding but that fire department swift water rescue teams were on scene as a precaution and that crews helped drivers caught in the mud and flowing water.

He said the athletic fields and possibly some classrooms would likely suffer water damage, although it was too early to estimate.

A kit, makes this gun ... invisible, hard to find, but ................

Dubbed the "Wiki Weapon" the world's first 3-D printed, plastic firearm has gone viral. When the gun's owner posted the "printing instructions" on the web, they were downloaded over 100,000 times in two days. 

Now any lunatic can simply "print" a gun and assassinate a world leader.

Worse yet, Congress left a giant loophole in the Undetectable Firearms Act, which makes it virtually impossible for law enforcement to stop a would-be assassin. The law, as it stands, allows 3-D printed guns to be made with easily removable metal parts.

"Alright Buddy, you are in trouble now, I saw you kill that guy with your Wiki Gun, but what is even worse, you didn't have any metal parts, they'll get you for that."

Are we a great country, or what? The other day in took an hour or so to put a man to death. All of the great medical discoveries, the Polio Vaccine, Penicillin, but no good way to put a man to death. And then, probably a law suit because it took so long. And now, you can probably go down to your local library, use their 3D printer, and make a gun. But, it may be illegal to have one with no metal parts ... there is a whole blog worth of material there. Aw, how is anyone gonna know? We, as a nation, already own billions of guns, and now, we can make one, on our copier. Wanna hear something really scary, I know a guy, who has a box, of .... invisible bullets.

A comment on my last post ...............

I must admit, my mind is still, just not clear on this issue. If these "sports" cause head injuries, to me, the only logical course, is to NOT have them. Or, change the rules so there is NO contact. Problem there, people LOVE that "rock 'em, sock 'em, the harder the hit to more we yell" attitude. Jack Tatum, played at I think, Ohio State in those days, rather than The Ohio State ... well, he "hit 'em" and they often stayed down, and, the louder the hit, the longer he stayed down, the louder the crowd was. He was known for "vicious hits."

I find this whole scenario of an "outcry" because of injuries .... in a contact sport .... ludicrous. And, worse, professional athletes ... those who made a living playing the game, now turn around and sue because they got injured. If they were still around, I would sue my Mother and Father because I had to have a Triple Bi-pass. They created me, it was their responsibility to see that my "genes" were perfect.

"I got injured playing football." Now, take care of my and my family. I admired many of them for their football prowess, but I am more in awe of their unmitigated gall to expect compensation for something that they knew could happen.

Simple, do away with those "athletic cathedrals" on each campus, and Rededicate the campuses to EDUCATION. "Oh, what, how much, that much?"  So then, you are telling me, that they need the money they make from playing football. That is ironic, isn't it?

Let me get this straight, YOU put more emphasis on football, because it brings in all that money, and they pay that money to see .... what ..... hitting and mayhem .... and YOU are, as you say, "between a rock and a hard place," yes, I see that .... and, in most cases, the football coach wields more power than than the president of the university, certainly makes more money. How did football get so big? Oh, the hitting, tackling, roughness .... you really do have a problem.

NCAA settles head injury suit, will change rules

CHICAGO (AP) — The NCAA agreed Tuesday to settle a class-action head injury lawsuit by creating a $70 million fund to diagnose thousands of current and former college athletes to determine if they suffered brain trauma playing football, hockey, soccer and other contact sports.

College sports' governing body also agreed to implement a single return-to-play policy spelling out how all teams must treat players who received head blows, according to a Tuesday filing in U.S. District Court in Chicago. Critics have accused the NCAA of giving too much discretion to hundreds of individual schools about when athletes can go back into games, putting them at risk.

Unlike a proposed settlement in a similar lawsuit against the NFL, this deal stops short of setting aside money to pay players who suffered brain trauma. Instead, athletes can sue individually for damages and the NCAA-funded tests to gauge the extent of neurological injuries could establish grounds for doing that.

The filing serves as notice to the federal judge overseeing the class-action case that the parties struck a deal after nearly a year of negotiations. In addition to football, ice hockey and soccer, the settlement also applies to all men and women who participated in basketball, wrestling, field hockey and lacrosse.

Joseph Siprut, the lead plaintiffs' attorney who spearheaded talks with the NCAA, said the sometimes-tough negotiations ended with a deal that will make college athletics safer.

"I wouldn't say these changes solve the safety problems, but they do reduce the risks," the Chicago attorney said Tuesday. "It's changed college sports forever."

Ukraine: MH17 black boxes show crash caused by rocket shrapnel

The MH17 Black Box is a unique electronic device, utilizing the new GE 427 Micro Processor, in a multiple circuit with a sophisticated Analog connections to a Brunt 1011 Satellite which gives  it comparative and analytic characteristics in a broad scale.

It was originally designed for the Pentagon to be used in Orbital Satellite communications systems, but the broad spectrum that it can scan made it ideal for the Black Box device. Its ability to gather frontational information, from both audio and video, of an eclectic nature, with some revisions, altered its use and thus, its use in the Black Box.

When in use, it constantly monitors performance of its surroundings, which makes it unique compared to other such devices.

In this instance, from the moment of impact, it evaluated the type of impact, the severity of the impact, and with the aid of the D4 Satellite, in a similar orbit to the GE 427, could analyze the impulse generated as it hit the fuselage of the airplane, and even more unique, it could instantly store such information, evaluate it, and record its findings to be analyzed by those finding the black box.

Once the Black Box was found, and the GE 427 analyzed, the information was quite clear.

As a secondary finding, they found holes in the aircraft made by the rocket, and a telltale name tag, with the date of manufacturer and the type of rocket and oddly enough, the Serial number. It was lodged in the tail section of the airplane. Dr. Sausaff Assad, who analyzed the findings, stated, "Yes the Black Box was a big help, but finding that ID tag lodged in the tail, well, that clinched it, we just are not sure who fired the darn thing. Questions ..... Ah, we don't know why it is painted orange."

Not a lot to choose from????????

PHOENIX (AP) — An Arizona strip club has endorsed a Democratic candidate for Congress. And the candidate, the Rev. Jarrett Maupin, says he's happy to have the support of The Great Alaskan Bush Company of Phoenix.

The Arizona Republic reports the strip club recently announced its endorsement on a sign that reads: "Jarrett Maupin for Congress 'The Rev.'"

Maupin, who calls himself a member of the Progressive Christian Coalition, says employees voted to back him because he supports affordable student loans and all-day kindergarten.

Maupin is running in a close race for the 7th District seat against three other Democrats to replace retiring longtime Rep. Ed Pastor.

But he can't vote for himself because he was convicted in 2009 of lying to the FBI in a case involving then-Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon.

US fuming over Israeli criticism of Kerry

I don't know, but the older I get, the more I question our role as "policeman" to the world, and that word pops up again, "arrogance." We were perhaps a "power" during and after WWII .... we're somewhat like an old actor, once a 'star" but .... now a has-been. Put up a good front, but, rather pathetic ... the face is withered, the clothes are threadbare, but, in his mind, he is still a star. I just have to wonder .... who, does Obama think, really cares ....

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Obama administration pushed back strongly Monday at a torrent of Israeli criticism over Secretary of State John Kerry's latest bid to secure a cease-fire with Hamas, accusing some in Israel of launching a "misinformation campaign" against the top American diplomat.

"It's simply not the way partners and allies treat each other," State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said.

Her comments were echoed by the White House, where National Security Adviser Susan Rice said the U.S. was "dismayed" by mis-characterizations of Kerry's efforts. Israeli media reports have cast Kerry as seeking a cease-fire that is more favorable to Hamas and being dismissive of key Israeli concerns.

Kerry himself, in a speech to the Center for American Progress, noted the criticism but did not give ground.

"Make no mistake, when the people of Israel are rushing to bomb shelters, when innocent Israeli and Palestinian teenagers are abducted and murdered, when hundreds of innocent civilians have lost their lives, I will and we will make no apologies for our engagement," he said.

Jane Somers - A celebration of Life

Jane Somers has passed away ........ a short time ...... before her 104th Birthday, in Angola, Indiana.

Jane Somers was the sister of my brother's wife, Rebecca Rhue. I remember Jane from some visits she and her husband Dr. Jerry Somers, made to our home in Dayton, Ohio. Jane was one of a trio of sisters, all very gracious ladies.

One married an advertising man, he got me a tie, in the 40's, hand painted silk, of the NEW, Mercury Hurricane Outboard Motor, which was painted on that tie. I had one of the motors, and one of the few that had a tie.

Jane married a Doctor, Fort Wayne, Indiana, as I recall. I think he used to be a team physician of the old Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons. I remember he had a party for the team each year prior to the season starting. I remember my brother and Becky, his wife went one year.

I don't recall the last time I saw Jane probably at a wedding, niece or nephew.

Why write about Jane Somers, well, for one thing at one time she had something to do with Magic Johnson in Lansing, Michigan, as a teacher or counsellor, and, she lived to be almost 104, and, as my niece, Jane Dooley told me, she drifted off in her sleep.

Hillary swats aside Obama, says George W. Bush made her ‘proud to be American’

I accused Hillary of being "wishy washy" about a comment she made. NO, I am "wishy washy" publishing this blatantly clever political move she made in this statement. Well, maybe not "wishy washy" ... just a good, really good, politician, give credit where credit is due. Good move, I have moved a few steps closer to liking her. We share something in common, we both like George Bush, so she can't be all bad.

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton raised eyebrows on CNN by claiming that former President George W. Bush actually brought out her patriotism and made her proud of her American roots.

She also seemed to take a pot shot at President Obama’s foreign affairs policies during an interview on the “Fareed Zakaria GPS” show on CNN.

“We have to go back out and sell ourselves. It is not to be taken for granted. What do we stand for and how do we intend to lead and manage? How do we try to enlist the rest of the world in this struggle between cooperation and order and conflict and disorder which is really at the root of so much that’s going on today — and I don’t think we’ve done a very good job of that.”

Mrs. Clinton went on, discussing the differences between headline news and actual trends — appearing to suggest that it was Mr. Bush, and not Mr. Obama, who had a long-term view of the international stage.

“Of course, there are specifics,” she said, Breitbart reported. “They’re all the headlines we can talk about.

“But the trend lines, let’s not forget the trend lines. George W. Bush is very popular in Sub-Saharan Africa. Why? Because of the president’s emergency program for AIDS relief. Whether you agree or disagree with a lot of what else he did — and I disagree with a lot of it — I am proud to be an American when I go to Sub-Saharan Africa and people say, ‘I want to thank President Bush and the United States for helping us fight HIV/AIDS.’”

She then seemed to take another jab at Mr. Obama’s White House, saying that America spends a “lot of money and a lot of time and effort” to exert influence around the world.

But “I think we would be able to succeed more effectively if we were clearer about who we are and what we stand for and the values that we hold,” she added during the CNN interview.

Fox News analysts suggested Mrs. Clinton was likely being genuine in her pro-Bush views, but that she was also as likely to be trying to distance herself from Mr. Obama and his foreign affairs policies in case she decides to run for the presidency for 2016.

How do you recruit "Suicide Bombers?"

My last post brought this thought to mind. I doubt that an ad in the paper will suffice. There is little to no positive aspects to the job. Life insurance could be the only benefit, but what insurance company would want to write the policy. They could advertise it as an alternative to bankruptcy.

WANTED - SUICIDE BOMBERS

There are just not to many things to put on the plus side of that ad. There is no retirement, probably no life insurance, a      l     o   n   g     vacation, really I can't see any benefits being offered.

Is it just considered a "Temp" job? Do they train? If so, to do what ..... "Ok, Miss Asammani, let me show you how to strap this bomb on to your back, there, good, that has it, no let me show you how this detonator works. You see this little red button here, yes, that one ... DON'T push it."

Perhaps an evening "Opportunity" meeting like Amway had, and Koskot, high energy, "WOW, do we have an opportunity for you, YOU are gonna love this opportunity." They fill them with coffee, coffee, and more coffee. "YOU are going to be so thrilled with this opportunity that you won't be able to sleep tonight." And, she won't, who could after ten cups of coffee.

It has to be a tough sell ...........

Two dead after female suicide bomber targets Nigeria petrol station

KANO Nigeria (Reuters) - A female suicide bomber blew herself up at a petrol station in northern Nigeria's biggest city of Kano on Monday, killing one other person, a military source said.

The source gave no other details about the attack. It was the third bomb attack in Kano in just 24 hours.

On Sunday, a bomber hurled explosives at worshippers in a Catholic church, killing five and wounding eight. Also on Sunday, a female suicide bomber killed herself while trying to target police officers. Nobody else died in that attack.

There have been no claims of responsibility for any of the blasts, but the prime suspect is likely to be the Islamist militant group Boko Haram, which is fighting for an Islamic state in religiously-mixed Nigeria.

The militants have killed thousands since launching an uprising in 2009 and are seen as the gravest security threat to Africa's biggest economy and top oil producer.

An old Indian story ...............

I was reminded today of an old friend, a gentleman I met in Nevada, an Osage Indian, who was aged when I met him. He had no idea of his age. When he was born, on the Indian reservation, in Oklahoma, there were no birth certificates, or any recorded data on his birth. So, he had no idea how old, he actually was. He returned to the reservation on one occasions, seeking the mid-wife who was at his birth, but unfortunately, she had passed away, a year or so prior to his asking.

He was in the lineage of an Indian, Masaqua who was of the Siouan descent in the tribe, who had moved the tribe from the Ohio River Valley to Osage County, Oklahoma. Masaqua was a tribal leader, and was in reality, the Chief of one tribe and a descendant of Shonka Sabe (Black Dog) who was Chief of the Hunkah division of the Osage tribe.

I knew him as Bill, and we often talked of his life on the reservation that he knew before moving to Nevada. He often spoke of his tribal leader then, Akecheta Tallchief, a man he had tremendous respect for. Bill said he remember spending many hours in his Teepee, sitting around a fire, listening to stories related by the tribal elders.

He said that one he always remembered was of Akecheta speaking of the affection and love he had for his squaw, his wife, greatly respected and admired by all in the tribe, lovingly named, Five Horses. The story of her name was beautiful. The horse was revered and respected in the tribe, and its grace and beauty, those qualities were all seen, in his love, his squaw, his wife, Five Horses.

Bill recalled that many years later at a tribal Council in Norman, Oklahoma, he told of again, sitting around the council fire, listening to the tribal elders and their stories of ... legends and stories of how it was on the reservation.

Bill said he sat there, rapt attention, listening, and during a slight pause, he asked Chief Akecheta, "I have always wondered, why was your squaw wife, named Five Horses.

"Akecheta, with a tear in his dark, deep eyes, looked at me at calmly said, Nag, Nag, Nag, Nag, Nag."

US: Russia has fired rockets into Ukraine

WASHINGTON (AP) — Stepping up pressure on Moscow, the U.S. on Sunday released satellite images it says show that rockets have been fired from Russia into neighboring eastern Ukraine and that heavy artillery for separatists has crossed the border.

The images, which came from the U.S. Director of National Intelligence and could not be independently verified by The Associated Press, show blast marks where rockets were launched and craters where they landed. Officials said the images show heavy weapons fired between July 21 and July 26 — after the July 17 downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17.

The four-page memo is part of the Obama administration's push to hold Russia accountable for its activities in neighboring Ukraine, and the release could help to persuade the United States' European allies to apply harsher sanctions on Russia.

The timing of the memo also could be aimed at dissuading Russia from further military posturing. The Pentagon said just days ago that the movement of Russian heavy-caliber artillery systems across its border into Ukraine was "imminent."

Moscow has angrily denied allegations of Russia's involvement in eastern Ukraine. Russia's foreign ministry over the weekend accused the U.S. of conducting "an unrelenting campaign of slander against Russia, ever more relying on open lies."

Secretary of State John Kerry spoke by phone Sunday with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, urging him to stop the flow of heavy weapons and rocket and artillery fire from Russia into Ukraine, said a State Department official. Kerry did not accept Lavrov's denial that heavy weapons from Russia were contributing to the conflict, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to provide details of the call.

There was no immediate comment from Moscow. The White House had no separate comment on the release, referring queries to the State Department.

Oh, my God, we've upset Obama!!!!!!!!!!

I wonder why, Obama honestly thinks that anyone in the world really gives a darn, what he thinks. What does China think? We have neighbors here, in the apartments, they argue a lot, we hear them, it is none of MY business. Why does HE feel it is any of his concern? We are possibly, now a second rate, or lower, nation .... when will the "arrogance" wear off? WE as a nation are much like Walmart. No one really likes them, but they have low prices, long lines with few registers open, and they really don't care about it .... because of low prices .... in the case of the USA ... we give MONEY away ..... different means, same goals ..... pictured here is Mrs. or, ah, well, a Mr. Obama ...

Gaza City (Palestinian Territories) (AFP) - US President Barack Obama on Sunday spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and stressed the need for an immediate and sustainable ceasefire in the raging Gaza conflict.

Both the Israelis and Hamas exchanged strike and counter-strike on day 20 of the war, as world leaders pushed for an elusive ceasefire.

In a statement, the White House said Obama "made clear the strategic imperative of instituting an immediate, unconditional humanitarian ceasefire that ends hostilities now and leads to a permanent cessation of hostilities based on the November 2012 ceasefire agreement" brokered by Egypt.

Earlier, fighting renewed apace, as Israel pounded Gaza with aerial, naval and artillery bombardments after a night of rocket fire from Hamas.

The two sides had observed a 12-hour humanitarian pause on Saturday, giving Gaza medics a chance to pull bodies from rubble they had not been able to reach under fire.

But Hamas rocket fire prompted Israel to abandon an extension of that truce Sunday, and subsequent Hamas calls for another ceasefire were ignored by both sides, as world leaders pushed for a permanent cessation of hostilities.

Neither side has agreed to the truce demands of the other, in a conflict that has killed more than 1,030 Palestinians, 43 Israeli soldiers and three civilians inside Israel.

Joan Rivers Slams CNN for Biased Israel Coverage!

 Who really cares what she thinks? Are we not a great country, a pushy, over the hill entertainer, with little to no, questionable talent, with so many face lifts she car barely speak, honestly thinks someone would listen to her comments, and, put any credibility to them.


I have not cared for her for many years, obviously.

I wonder, I wonder .......

I had the "munchies" last night. A few years ago we cut down on salt, sugar and goodies, so munchies is not a good thing to get. No cake mixes, no nothing. So, I decided to bake a cake ..... a simple cake .... from scratch, which brings me to the point of this blog ... Who, how, and why and when did someone invent flour" There had to be a first.

Hey, Igor, water fall from sky, must put something over, what we decide to call it, oh, yea, fire.
Good, that make nice hot place in there, what we use it for?
To what, what you mean by bake?
We mix things together to put in there, see what happen.

Who would have thought to grind things grown in the field, could it somehow have been an accident?
JaJa, you be bad boy, you sit there, rub two rocks together. Ok, put golden stuff in there, rub, keep rubbing till I tell you to .... what ..... what is white stuff ... Oh, you spill in hollow stone .....

I wonder if it was the same person who decided that you could put eggs in there too. I wonder how long we have been baking bread, biblical isn't it, the loaves and all.

Maybe God did it all, well there would be a lot of problems with the Bible if it were not for wine and loaves and the people had to be fed, so it all started before ..... them    amen.

All of those ingredients in my cake had to have a start somewhere. Sugar, flour, eggs, milk, vanilla, and even more questionable ... mix it all together, and then, they needed a pan or something to put it in, a hollowed out rock won't do, and they had no minutes or hours yet, so how did they know how long to ... bake it, and who started bake? No watch to keep track of time. It all had to start with an oven, well, maybe in the hot desert it just baked itself.

John L. Pillsbury invented flour.
Harlan J. Cane invented sugar.
Pressley L. Bovine invented butter.
Charlenton H. Beane invented vanilla.
Hobart T. Alumma invented the baking pan.

Enough history for today, the cake, blah, ate some ... probably not do it again, who thought to put oil in a can, under pressure with a little knob on top, to spray ..... the pan. Oh, it was Barton J. Spray.

Russian drunk driver kills American cyclist on peace ride:

MOSCOW (Reuters) - A 61-year old American man who was cycling in Russia carrying "messages of peace" was killed by a Russian drunk driver in a hit and run accident, news agency Itar-Tass reported local police as saying on Friday.

Ron McGerity who was touring historic Russian cities around Moscow by bicycle, was struck by an intoxicated truck driver on Thursday. The driver was later detained, Itar-Tass said.

McGerity, who was in Russia as part of a planned ride through 61 countries to promote messages of peace, was hit while cycling on a road between the cities of Kostroma and Ivanovo in Ivanovskaya Province, around 280 kilometers northeast of Moscow.

The last photographs posted by McGerity on his Facebook page showed him on his specially designed bicycle in front of the mausoleum of Bolshevik leader Vladimir Lenin in Moscow's Red Square.

His personal website said cycling was a vehicle for charity fundraising that gave him a chance to deliver "peaceful and spiritual civic messages" to local officials around the world.

Browns stunned by Johnny Manziel's 'non-stop antics'

At a time when the Johnny Manziel story should start to focus almost solely on football, some members of the Browns organization have turned it into another examination of his off-field life.

Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer wrote a story, citing anonymous Browns sources, saying the team is "alarmed" by his actions since the draft. Manziel has been seen at various parties this offseason. The story said the team was worried enough about a photo of Manziel apparently rolling up a $20 bill that coach Mike Pettine told Cabot that he called the rookie quarterback, while the coach was on vacation in Hawaii, to get answers.

The Plain Dealer pointed out that tight-rolled bills are often used for drug use, although there was no evidence in the photo that's what Manziel was doing, Pettine reached out to ask him about it. According to the story, Pettine said he planned to address it again with Manziel face-to-face when he reported for camp with the other rookies on Wednesday.

It isn't just the one photo, either. The Browns sources who talked to Cabot said the team was promised by Manziel before the draft that he would tone down his partying, and the Browns have been "stunned by his non-stop antics" since they took him.

Pope gets a free lunch

Pope Francis has lunch at the Vatican workers' cafeteria, Friday, July 25, 2014. 

Pope Francis got a free meal on Friday when he popped in unannounced at the Vatican workers' cafeteria and lined up, tray in hand, along with stunned diners. 

Cashier Claudia Di Giacomo told Vatican newspaper L'Osservatore Romano that when Francis presented his tray with a plate of cod fish, a bowl of fusilli pasta without sauce, a side of grilled tomatoes and "just a few" french fries she "didn't have the courage to hand him the bill." 

Francis chatted with his tablemates five Vatican pharmacy stock clerks. His tip? A papal blessing and photos snapped with diners, said the cafeteria chef, Franco Paini. The pope usually dines at the Vatican guest house where he lives. (AP Photo/L'Osservatore Romano)

Amazon worker piloted drone around Space Needle

SEATTLE (AP) — An Amazon.com employee from out of town was the operator of a drone that buzzed the Seattle Space Needle this week, police said.

Witnesses told police they saw the craft fly back into a fifth-floor room of a nearby hotel. Police contacted the man and he admitted operating the drone equipped with a camera Tuesday. He told authorities he wanted to try out the craft he recently purchased at a hobby shop.

Police had received reports that the drone had crashed into the landmark of Seattle's 1962 World's Fair, but they saw no evidence of that.

The man showed officers video taken during the drone's flight, police said. It showed people waving from the Space Needle's observation deck but no indication that it had struck the tower.

The man agreed not to fly his drone in public while in town.

Amazon.com Inc. recently asked the Federal Aviation Administration for permission to use drones as part of plans to deliver packages to customers in 30 minutes or less.

The FAA allows hobbyists and model aircraft makers to fly drones, but commercial use is mostly banned. Amazon is asking for an exemption so it can test its drones in the U.S.

US evacuates embassy in Libya amid clashes

WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States shut down its embassy in Libya on Saturday and evacuated its diplomats to neighboring Tunisia under U.S. military escort amid a significant deterioration in security in Tripoli as fighting intensified between rival militias, the State Department said.

"Due to the ongoing violence resulting from clashes between Libyan militias in the immediate vicinity of the U.S. Embassy in Tripoli, we have temporarily relocated all of our personnel out of Libya," spokeswoman Marie Harf said.

The withdrawal underscored the Obama administration's concern about the heightened risk to American diplomats abroad, particularly in Libya where memories of the deadly 2012 attack on the U.S. mission in the eastern city of Benghazi are still vivid and the political uproar over it remain fresh ahead of a new congressional investigation into the incident.

"Securing our facilities and ensuring the safety of our personnel are top department priorities, and we did not make this decision lightly," Harf said. "Security has to come first. Regrettably, we had to take this step because the location of our embassy is in very close proximity to intense fighting and ongoing violence between armed Libyan factions."

The evacuation was accompanied by the release of a new State Department travel warning for Libya urging Americans not to go to the country and recommending that those already there leave immediately. "The Libyan government has not been able to adequately build its military and police forces and improve security," it said. "Many military-grade weapons remain in the hands of private individuals, including antiaircraft weapons that may be used against civilian aviation."

Believe It or Not!

Wyoming Town for Sale Includes Home, Bar, and General Store, But It Has a Few Downsides

Your wish to own a town can be granted — if you have $1.5 million to spare.

Welcome to Aladdin, Wyo. Population: 15. Yes, the town is named symbolically after the riches-seeker in the folktales of "Arabian Nights." Judy Brengle's husband had bought her the town as a gift after their kids left for college. It's now up for grabs, via a handwritten for-sale sign.

Formerly a coal-mine hub, the town now sees motorcyclists or travelers en route to Devils Tower.

The new owner could inherit:

-A bar (Although, you can drink anywhere on the 30 acres)

-A functional general store along Highway 24, with a famous, historic "Liar's Bench" on the porch

-An outhouse for the General Store, since there's no indoor plumbing or sewage system

You could find your whole new world in Aladdin, or like what happened in a neighboring town —purchase and rename your newly acquired piece of the West. Buford, Wyo., which was purchased in 2013 for $900,000, is now called PhinDeli Town Buford and boasts one resident.

Israel rejects Kerry’s cease-fire plan as deadly clashes escalate in Gaza

You can be sure anything from Obama and Kerry was not in Israel’s best interest.

Israel’s security cabinet unanimously rejected U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry’s proposal for a temporary cease-fire in Gaza Friday, as bloody clashes continued between Israel and Islamic militants.

Kerry’s proposal called for a temporary truce to make time for Israel and Hamas to hold indirect talks about easing the border closure of the blockaded Gaza Strip. Hamas has demanded that Gaza’s crossings be opened.

Israel TV reports that on Friday evening, Israel’s Security Cabinet — which groups top ministers on security issues — rejected the proposal in its current form Friday, mainly because it would mean Israel has to cut short an ongoing effort to destroy Hamas military tunnels under the Gaza-Israel border.

There was no immediate Israeli government comment.

Kerry met twice Friday in Cairo with United Nation chief Ban Ki-Moon and Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shukri to negotiate an agreement for at least a week-long halt of the fighting between Israel and Hamas in the nearly three-week war.

White House Fears Impeachment If Obama Unilaterally Grants Amnesty

Can you really imagine Obama worrying about this? He doesn’t seem to care about anything he does. This is spin to keep it in the headlines.

Check it out  .....................

As is always the case with anything involving former-Alaska Governor Sarah Palin, our unbiased, objective, not-at-all-liberal media couldn't wait to mock her impeachment case against President Obama — but not everyone is laughing. According to reporting from The Hill, The White House fears exactly that should the president take executive action to grant amnesty to thousands of illegals.

Senior White House advisers are taking very seriously the possibility that Republicans in Congress will try to impeach President Obama, especially if he takes executive action to slow deportations.

Dan Pfeiffer, a senior adviser to Obama, said Friday that the White House is taking the prospect of impeachment in the GOP-controlled House more seriously than many others in Washington, who see it as unlikely.

Obama’s senior adviser, Dan Pfeiffer, as quoted by The Hill: “I saw a poll today that had a huge portion of the Republican Party base saying they supported impeaching the president. A lot of people in this town laugh that off. I would not discount that possibility.”

Pelosi: Dems ‘Committed’ to Protecting Rights of Migrant Kids

House Democrats will fight to ensure migrant children crossing the border keep their legal protections, Rep. Nancy Pelosi  vowed Thursday.

Appearing in the Capitol with the presidents of Honduras and Guatemala, the minority leader suggested Democrats wouldn't accept any border-assistance bill that rolls back the mandatory due process rights currently afforded those children.

“We are committed to addressing their humanitarian needs; we are committed to due process for them,” Pelosi said during a briefing. “In order for that to happen, we must pass the president’s request.

”With more than 57,000 unaccompanied children crossing the border since October, Congress is wrestling with a legislative response that will speed the processing of those kids while ensuring they aren’t sent back into harm’s way.

Guatemalan President Otto Perez Molina blamed the crisis on drug smugglers, known as coyotes, who are “misinforming” families that they can buy their children a permanent home in the United States.

“They’re making a lot of money,” Molina said through a translator, “but through deception.”

Can you say FLIPFLOP

Do you know what these are called?

First lady Michelle Obama on Thursday night urged Democrats to “dig deep” into their pockets and “write a big fat check” before the midterm elections, but minutes later complained of too much money in politics.

Speaking at a party fundraiser in Chicago, Mrs. Obama said Democrats must triumph in the November contests if President Obama is to make progress on his agenda during the final two years of his term.

She also blasted special interest groups that funnel money to Republicans.

“So, yeah, there’s too much money in politics. There’s special interests that have too much influence. But they had all that money and all that influence back in 2008 and 2012 and we still won those elections,” she said.

Mrs. Obama then urged fellow Democrats to add even more money to the political system.

“There is something you can do right now today to make a difference, and that is to write a big, fat check. I kid you not,” she said. “I’m going to be honest with you. That’s what we need you to do right now. We need you to write the biggest, fattest check that you can possibly write.”

Tesla Motors move to Nevada would be lithium boon

RENO, Nev. (AP) — Lithium-ion batteries are not exotic, complicated or big.

But if Tesla Motors locates a "gigafactory" here, the lipstick-sized batteries could change Reno's whole universe.

An announcement isn't expected for months about which among five states would ultimately land the electric car-maker's battery factory, though Tesla is expected to start breaking ground on two or three spots this summer.

If northern Nevada ultimately wins the factory, the region will need a crash course in "li-ions," (pronounced "lie-ions") as they are known. Reno already has some experts.

Before Tesla was a gleam in Reno's eye, Denis Phareswas planning to make lithium-ion batteries here.

Phares formed Dragonfly Energy in 2012 and was joined soon after by partners Justin Ferranto and Sean Nichols. He's a former USC instructor and current executive MBA student at University of Nevada, Reno. The partners have picked up several business-competition wins and will head to the Cleantech Open finals in October.

Right now, Dragonfly, which pays some of the rent as a middleman for selling China-made batteries online, is aiming for big-money backers to fund research into making lithium-ion batteries faster, cheaper and easier — and here.

"It's the highest energy and power density combined of any energy-storage medium," Phares said. Li-ions are also safer and longer-lasting than conventional batteries. That's why Tesla uses them and wants more.

Dragonfly's west Reno lab is strewn with battery parts, tools and tables. They're developing streamlined methods to build their own lithium-ion batteries in Nevada — not specifically to power electric cars, but for electric power grid applications and as replacement batteries for lead-acid models currently used elsewhere.

Dragonfly has a patent pending for their more efficient battery-making system.

"The goal is to bring manufacturing back home," Phares said.

Martha's Vineyard Break Will Put Obama Over 140 days On Vacation

When President Obama wraps up his 16-day summer break next month on Martha’s Vineyard, Mass., he will have taken all or part of 141 days of vacation, time split between Summers on the island, Winters in his native Hawaii and birthday weekends at his Chicago home.

Obama has been criticized for taking costly and lengthy vacations, especially compared to the short trips most Americans take. The U.S. Travel Association told Secrets that the average American vacation lasts just 3.7 days.

Pregnant Woman Unable to Cross Street to Hospital Because of Obama Motorcade

I am admittedly not a fan of Obama. I am concerned, however, that we are so busy, with other things, many political in nature, that no one is "standing post" at our front door. My guess would be,  that the below article, was deemed newsworthy by a republican backed organization. ..... 

"Okay, park the limo here for a while, I'll tell you when to go .... Yes Mr. President ...... Do you think that woman up there is in labor, oh boy, she is trying to get across the street to that hospital ....OK floor it .... I don't want her crossing the street, I want her to have that baby at the bus stop, on that bench .....look, there is another guy ..... great .... that will give them something to talk about .. good job, we're heading out on the jet tonight, wanna come along ... bring your clubs"

A pregnant woman was stopped from crossing a Los Angeles street Wednesday afternoon because the road was closed for President Barack Obama’s motorcade.

NBC4 anchor/reporter Robert Kovacik witnessed the woman take shelter at a bus stop bench on the south side of Third Street east of Robertson Boulevard and across from Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.

The pregnant woman was with her spouse at the time. Witnesses and two LAPD officers on scene said they believe the woman was in labor and told NBC4 an ambulance was called to the location as a precaution.

NBC4 talked to the woman on the scene, and she asked not to be shown on camera. She was out of breath and appeared to be in active labor.

Police on the scene tell NBC4 there were two medical emergencies during the president’s motorcade, the woman’s pregnancy and a man having post-surgical problems.

A baseball incident of years ago ..........

I had a neighbor years ago, he was older than I. He apparently had bumped in to someone, my name came up, he wrote, and sent me one of his books. I was reading it again yesterday, and in view of some recent news, I thought this was interesting.
An excerpt from a book I have, written by John (Jack) Matthews, who is from Dayton, Ohio..

"Years later I was out of college and working at E.E MacDonald Company and one of the buyers gave me two tickets to the opening day Reds game. I asked Dad if he would like to go with me. It was the first day that a young rookie had come up from the minor leagues to play for the Reds. His name was Pete Rose. Pete's first time at bat, he was walked. He surprise the entire opening day crowd by running all the way, full tilt, to first base. What a fantastic moment."

True story and a good read ..... so to speak ..

A true story you may like .. pertains to a Father, mine. He was a Doctor in Dayton, Ohio, GP till '43, then OBGYN. I did a blog on him once. Got this reply, a little long, but inspirational ..... 

Your dad Dr. R.Dean Dooley saved my life on February 21,1956 at Miami Valley Hospital. 

He had previously delivered three healthy sons to my parents but for months Mom was ill and having "female problems" that went on so long she consulted another physician who said Mom needed a hysterectomy. Since three boys were already more than she could handle; at age 28 she consented to the operation and checked into Miami Valley for surgery the following day.

Dr. Dooley just so happened to be in the hospital and stopped by to see Mom and pray with her before surgery in the morning.

But I was told by my aunt; who was in the hospital room; that Dr. Dooley seemed troubled and asked my Mom if he could perform and examine on her because he thought Mom looked the same way when she was pregnant the other three times.

Mom consented but was certain she could not be pregnant. At 11:26pm your Dad brought me into the world slightly premature but a healthy 6.15 lbs. I have always known he was my guardian angel.I didn't get a chance to tell him in person but I know he hears me!

Thank you Dr. Dooley. You did the right thing.
Sincerely
Dr. Debora Heflin

Austrian Boy And Marmots

AUSTRIA — A nature-loving family says their 8-year-old boy has become friends with some of the Austrian Alps’ shiest creatures. “Matteo loves those animals and they are not at all afraid of him because he has a feeling towards them and they understand that,” the boy’s father, Michaela, said. 'It’s amazing to watch the connection between a boy and his animal friends.'

It's already Friday...

My, how times fly's, another week almost over, 30 some days till football season  Walking Caleb this morning, that damp grass was rather chilly on my feet, the bad news, they mowed yesterday, I tracked grass all over the place. I don't know how he does it, but Caleb is amazing. He knows the exact minute, down to the second, when I get my first cup of coffee, sit down and get really comfortable, laptop and the ready, poised to hit a key .... and there he is ... just sits, and casually, looks up with that ..."hey, I gotta go out" look, no words, no gestures, just that ............ look. 

So we've gone through all of that now, second cup of coffee, I am ready to type, but what, China? That new carrier they are building looks formidable. I am no great history buff, but looking back, it seems like "a person" has been responsible for many of the problems encountered in the world, one country, governed by one person. I have been fixated with China for some time. They have accomplished some of the greatest "feats" the world has ever seen, quietly, unobtrusive. 

I was thinking this morning, while the coffee was brewing, they might be able right now to take over this country, but, why would they want it? We only think we are a powerful, wealthy nation. And, why, do we honestly think that we are so good .... Oh, they told us so. We  YELL the loudest. What did China think of that airplane being shot down .... I doubt that they cared. Instead of worrying about that, they are constructing colossal structures, building a giant of a Navy and a powerful country. 

The President of the United States wants answers. Who, wants what, to what? What value, actually, was his stand, on that plane crash. It was politically correct and the echo sounded good to Obama, but who, around the world really gave a "rats petootie," so to speak. I am sure Obama's wife, or maybe I should say partner, was impressed, as were his kids, and, of course, Biden and the others in that little "click" in Washington. I would have to wonder how many people, really, in the world, even heard him?

I imagine at Obama's urging, he is awarding medals at the White House. One was on Letterman last night, a hero, no doubt, but why. In the past, medals were awarded in a nice ceremony, and everyone went home, and the medal was displayed, eventually in a drawer. I did watch that segment of Letterman. He said something rather prophetic at the end, I wish he had gone farther .....something to the effect .. the medal recipient had a young son, many accolades were bellowed on the soldier, and a rather detailed explanation of the incident that he had been involved in ...... this is not a quote, but the "jist" of his comment  "you have a son, I have a ten year old son ... I am on television, and then Letterman waved, "Hi son" ..... I think he was trying to make the point perhaps the comparison of the accomplishments of each, and perhaps the soldier was much more deserving .... that was what I got out of iit ..... I WISH Letterman had compared the difference in money earned, during their time on the show together .... not bragging, just a comparison to show how underpaid our troops actually are. And of course they pointed out he had received a phone call from the president ... the soldier did not seem overly impressed with that.

We are an arrogant nation, we are an arrogant people, we are never in a foreign land, we want to lock our front door, so to speak, but our house is already full, do we really know what an American is? 

I am not going to worry about it, I know we are safe from aggression, we are in good hands, I am going to go take a nap ...... we be OK!

A final thought ....... "The Fox ... don't need to be in the Hen House ... cause he owns it"

China looks to dominate the Indian ocean with this new aircraft carrier

(LONDON ) - Calling it a quantum leap above anything the USA has even on the drawing board, experts agree that the Chinese government thought 'outside the box' with this new design.

The new aircraft carrier offers more speed, larger capacity, increased stability.

It is absolutely a true 'blue water' long range vessel with what appears to be an endless list of advantages and capabilities.

According to what we are learning, the new carriers can service their nuke and sub fleet in between the twin hulls and it is also reported that they can easily launch amphibious operations from the same area, and that they will launch in half the time the Americans can currently do the same.

It certainly is one formidable looking weapons system.

The extra 'parking and readiness' station between both hull structures, and of course the launching and landing capabilities from the utilization of twin flight decks at once, offer the gigantic vessel a clear advantage.

We understand that six of these vessels would be used in the Pacific (2), the Atlantic (2) and one in the Indian Ocean, and one in the Mediterranean Sea. That would cover roughly the entire world, with strong air and naval defenses.

As information about the carriers becomes available, it is also important to remember that Chinese are currently drilling oil in several parts of the world that are off-limits or difficult access for the United States, including Cuba, Brazil and Venezuela.

CHINESE HAVE COMPLETED THE WORLD'S BIGGEST DAM ( THREE GORGES ).

THE WORLD'S LONGEST OVER-WATERBRIDGE (65 TIMES AS MUCH STEEL AS IN THE EIFFEL TOWER).

THEY CONSTRUCTED A 15,000 FOOT HIGH RAILROAD INTO TIBET (ALL CONSIDERED MAJOR ENGINEERING FEATS).

THEY ARE THE ONLY NATION OTHER THAN RUSSIA THAT CAN LAUNCH MEN INTO OUTER SPACE (THE USA CAPABILITY ENDED WITH THE LAST SPACE SHUTTLE LAUNCH LAST YEAR ).

THEY HAVE ALSO SHOT DOWN A SURVEILLANCE SATELLITE (ONE OF THEIR OWN) FROM THE GROUND.

PLUS THEY "OWN US" IN THE INTERNATIONAL DEBT GAME AND PROBABLY OUR ARABLE FARMING LAND ONE DAY.

CHINA'S NEW A/C CARRIER COULD BE TWICE AS FAST AS ANYTHING THE WESTERN NATIONS HAVE, PLUS THE STABILITY OF A CATAMARAN TYPE HULL WILL GREATLY REDUCE THE PITCHING, YAWING AND SWAYING COMMON TO OUR PRESENT DESIGNS.

These aircraft carriers look formidable and of ultra modern design. There are reports the 1st Chinese aircraft carrier is under construction and could enter service around 2015 or earlier. It won't be long before we see the real thing. Defense analysts are waiting; watching anxiously.

China's aircraft carrier puts naval ambitions on show

At a northern quayside China's first aircraft carrier dwarfs nearby vessels, its take-off ramp rising higher than the top deck of the cruise ship at the next berth, symbolizing the country's naval ambitions.

Dalian, where the Liaoning was refitted and undergoes regular maintenance, looks out over the Bohai strait, gateway to the Yellow Sea, and beyond it, Japan and the Pacific Ocean.

Beijing proclaims that China's rise is entirely peaceful and it has no interest in hegemony, but analysts say its goal is to surpass the naval capability of Japan's Self-Defense Forces and ultimately rival the US Navy, masters of the Pacific.

That will require a number of aircraft carrier battle groups, developed over decades and costing billions of dollars.

The 300-metre (1,000-foot) Liaoning -- a Soviet-era vessel Beijing bought from Ukraine -- was commissioned in September 2012, and officers have acknowledged that it is not yet ready for combat, with naval fighter pilots taking years to train.

But it is only the first Chinese vessel of its type. Analysts say future carriers will be entirely Chinese-made and ultimately nuclear-powered, vastly extending their range.

Police puzzled by dolls left on porches in California city

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Police said on Thursday they were investigating porcelain dolls that had been left on the doorsteps of at least eight homes in a Southern California beach city that homeowners said bore a resemblance their daughters.

The dolls were found over the past week on porches in San Clemente, a community of more than 60,000 people about 65 miles southeast of Los Angeles, Orange County Sheriff's Lieutenant Jeff Hallock said in a written statement.

"Families in each of the homes where porcelain dolls were left voiced concern that the dolls resembled their daughters," Hallock said.

He said the dolls had been collected as evidence and were being examined to determine their origin for clues as to who had left them.

President Obama greeted by scandalous art in Los Angeles