Mmmmmmmmmmm.....could it be true since they put this print?



LOUD ROCK SHOW MAKES TEEN'S HEAD EXPLODE!
Monday July 18, 2005

By CHAD LOWENBRUCK

(WEEKLY WORLD NEWS) WINTHROP, Ind. -- When Gerry Tillis, 17, attended a show by the band Dirt Weasel at the Civic Sports and Arts Arena, he had no idea it would be his last concert.
"It was completely gross," said Tiffany Bonner, 16, Gerry's girlfriend. "The music was really loud during 'In the Dark Hole' and Gerry looked a little scary. Then during the next song his head suddenly exploded." She added, "And don't say I'm, like, his 'former' girlfriend because even though Jerry's skull fell all apart and he's dead, I'll love him forever. I saved a piece of his -- what did they call it? cranieminem? Something?"

Dirt Weasel is a five-man combo known for its towers of amplifiers -- called "Marshall stacks" in the trade -- and ultra-loud delivery. Band frontman and lead guitarist Jake "Snake Eyes" Ballard said nothing like this had ever happened before at a Dirt Weasel show. "It was in the middle of the solo to 'Sit & Spin,' said Ballard, referring to one of the band's songs. "I went out into center stage like I usually do, to just, you know, blaze away. And this kid in a Goth T-shirt starting having like some sort of seizure. I thought he was just trying to start a mosh pit, right? But that's so retro and our auds are cooler than that."

"He was holding Tiffany's waist," said Gerry's friend Esteban. "We both were 'cause we, like, share her. And I thought he was having like this totally rad time when he blew up real good. The thing is, he wasn't the only one. I heard two other melons pop somewhere in the crowd." In fact, five young heads ceased to exist that night according to the Winthrop Sheriff 's Department. The local D.A. is considering manslaughter charges against the band.

Prof. Calvin Mittridge from Indiana Polytechnic Junior College theorizes that the explosions had something to do with loud noise interacting with a specific electrical frequency in Gerry Tillis' brain. "The five victims were 'heavily into' a certain wavelength, to use the vernacular," said Prof. Mittridge. "The music was on the same wavelength and amped the teens up. The result was like having your head in a microwave oven." Local religious groups had picketed the concert, claiming Dirt Weasel was the music of the Devil. They view this as a vindication of their beliefs.

"I see that no churchgoers got hurt," said Beth Norman, a local deaconess. "Only sinners would go to a thing like that, and as you can see several of them were made to reap the whirlwind." "Man, dumb lady don't know diddle," said Esteban. " 'Reap the Whirlwind' -- that's an Angel Corpse song. Anyway, we weren't singing like she said. How could we . . . we didn't even know any of the song's lyrics." Dirt Weasel has no plans to cancel any of its upcoming shows, though they may turn down the volume just a tad. "We're as concerned about the structural integrity of the arenas as we are about individual brain pans," said promoter Kris Robbie.

Tiffany Bonner said she'll attend another show by the band. "Like, just as a tribute to Gerry. And if my head explodes at least I'll be with him. I mean, death is tragic and everything, but life goes on."

Copyright © Weekly World News All rights reserved.

Is this really the best headline the Associated Press could find for this story?

I saw this card at a local department store and started choking up...

It is published by Sunrise Greetings, www.sunrisegreetings.com

It is interesting that these same people who are getting in such a lather over Karl Rove have never questioned current Kennedy family patriarch Sen. Ted Kennedy and his involvement in the murder of Mary Jo Kopechne in his youth. If there was a cover-up, than this is the real kahuna!

WASHINGTON, July 14 /U.S. Newswire/ -- A crowd of more than three hundred joined MoveOn.org Political Action members today in front of the White House to demand that President Bush fire his top political advisor, Karl Rove, for outing Valerie Plame, an undercover CIA operative.

"While it's nearly impossible to believe that Karl Rove didn't know he was outing an undercover CIA agent to a reporter, the fact remains he did reveal her identity as Ambassador Joe Wilson's wife who worked for the CIA," said Tom Matzzie, Washington director of MoveOn.org Political Action. "Rove either broke the law or was grossly negligent. The President should fire him as promised last year."

"Rove may be only the tip of the iceberg: What did the President and Vice-President and their top aides know about any of this, and when did they know it?" asked Matzzie.

"Was Rove a lone actor? Or was he part of a wider group that sought to discredit Wilson because his story undermined the Administration's case for the invasion of Iraq?"

MoveOn.org Political Action, formerly known as MoveOn PAC, demands the administration stay true to its word and fire those responsible for the leak.

Observations:

Why do they lock gas station bathrooms? Are they afraid someone will clean them?

If a turtle doesn't have a shell, is he homeless or naked?

Why don't sheep shrink when it rains?

Can vegetarians eat animal crackers?

If the police arrest a mime, do they tell him he has the right to remain silent?

Why do they put Braille on drive-through bank machines?

Why do they sterilize the needles used for lethal injections?

Why did kamikaze pilots wear helmets?

I have friends and acquaintances of different political spectrums who share with me their opinions, something which I find fascinating as I'm not interested in having my own opinions validated. Nevertheless, I'm so tired of hearing these same people repeat verbatim the rhetoric and half truths driveling from the mouth of the politicians from the left and right. I'm actually insulted by those kinds of speeches...meanwhile these politicians on the left and right pickpocket us while they try to mesmerize us by their empty words.

Heaven to murgatroy!

I hate pomegranate juice.
Pomegranate juice makes me gag and I feel the ends of my hair follicles when I drink it.
It makes me shudder and shiver.
I will not drink pomegranate juice.
Don't make me drink pomegranate juice.
Or else I will spit out out in your face and it will stain your white shirt.
Everybody will laugh at you with a red stain on your white shirt.
I warned you.
I hate pomegranate juice.
Don't make me drink pomegranate juice.
I hate pomegranate juice.

Maybe that's why I am strange.

CHICAGO (AFP) - Drinking pomegranate juice during pregnancy may help reduce the risk of brain injuries in babies.

Decreased blood flow and oxygen to an infant's developing brain during pregnancy, birth and early development is linked to premature birth and can lead to brain tissue loss, seizures and mobility impairments such as cerebral palsy.

The phenomenon, which is called hypoxia ischemia, causes brain injury in approximately two of every 1,000 full-term human births and in a very high percentage of babies born before 34 weeks of gestation.

But researchers at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis found that newborn mice whose mothers drank water mixed with pomegranate concentrate lost 60 percent less brain tissue than mice whose mothers drank sugar water or other fluids.

I'm going through a lot of heartache and worry these days about a personal situation bigger way than I am.

A special old friend wrote me a comforting e-mail. He had read my blog item about hearing the song "Downtown" and the special meaning it had for me. While I put a negative spin on my feelings when I heard the song, he reminded me to make sure to see that the glass is always 3/4 full than being 3/4 empty in the most beautiful way possible.

He wrote, "I saw your blog mention of "Downtown" by Petula Clark. It is an upbeat song, full of promise and hope. Please hold onto both at all times."

Being a man of many, many words, all I can say is, "wow." Petula Clark rules! And my super wonderful friend S. in Portland, OR rules, too....along with those who are holding up this oak tree who is swaying in every direction in this storm.



Downtown

When you're alone and life is making you lonely
You can always go-downtown
WHen you're got worries all the noise and the hurry
Seems to help I know-downtown

Just listen to the music of the traffic in the city
Linger on the sidewalk where the neon signs are pretty
How can you lose?

The lights are much brighter there
You can forget all your troubles forget all your cares
So go downtown
Things'll be great when your-downtown
No finer place for sure-downtown
Everything's waiting for you
Downtown

Don't hang around and let your problems surround you
There are movie shows-downtown
Maybe you know some little places to go
To where they never close-downtown

Just listen to the rhythm of a gentle bossa nova
You'll be dancing with 'em too before the night is over
Happy again

The lights are much brighter there
You can forget all your troubles forget all your cares

So go downtown
Where all the lights are bright-downtown
Waiting for you tonight-downtown
You're gonna be alright now
Downtown

And you may find somebody kind to help and understand you
SOmeone who is just like you and needs a gentle hand to guide them along

So maybe I'll see you there
We can forget all our troubles forget all our cares
So go downtown
Things'll be great when you're-downtown
Don't wait a minute more
Downtown-everything's waiting for you
Downtown (everything's waiting for you)
Downtown etc., etc.

"My face is red and black, the top of my head is tiger spots, my hair are black feathers."

Something has really been bugging me ever since I heard Gwen Stefani's song, "Hollaback Girl."

Her music video by the same name featuring her in a cheerleader's outfit and a marching band makes no sense. A whole in the back? Perhaps until now.

The lyrics in question are, "I heard that you were talking sh** And you didn't think that I would hear it. People hear you talking like that, getting everybody fired up So I'm ready to attack, gonna lead the pack. . . . 'Cause I ain't no hollaback girl,I ain't no hollaback girl"

According to the Urban Dictionary (http://www.urbandictionary.com/) there seems to be an argument as to the real meaning...which means others have just been as confused. The one entry which ties it up perhaps somewhat neatly...

"A holla back girl is a member of a cheerleading squad who repeats – hollers back - words that the squad leader shouts out to them. For example at a Pep Rally, cheerleaders might shout out “S-P-I-R-I-T” and the squad leader asks “What does that spell?” and the holla back girls respond – hollering back “SPIRIT”. In the context of Gwen Stefani’s song “Hollaback Girl”, the term also refers to a girl who has heard about some guy talking bad about her and she isn’t just going to take it – she is going to be the leader, take charge and put an end to his verbal “cheerleading”.

Gwen Stefani lyrics - "I heard that you were talking sh** And you didn't think that I would hear it. People hear you talking like that, getting everybody fired up So I'm ready to attack, gonna lead the pack. . . . 'Cause I ain't no hollaback girl,I ain't no hollaback girl."

The definition which seems to be the one most others agree with (724 to 84)...

A girl that is willing to be treated like a doormat or booty call. She is a girl that will allow guys to do whatever they want with her and will just wait for them to 'holla back' at them.

I definitely will be sleeping more easily now that I know this.

I've been dealing with a VERY stressful situation for the past week. Of all people I figured out the powerful medicine of music when I walked into my local post office and heard one of my all time favorite songs, "Downtown" as sung by Petula Clark. I've always loved the words, the melody, and the wonderful memories of a time when I lived in Portland, OR and life was a lot simpler and the future seemed to be paved only with happy times, etc.

Damn it felt good...

Sigh....

Isn't that special...on the surface an article in the Washington Post reports about a breach of security at a nuclear power plant in Tennessee. Buried in the article is one line that should send shiver up the spine of every American and should make everyone realize that President Bush is Mexico President Vincente Fox's puppy dog. Shame, President Bush!

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- Sixteen foreign-born construction workers with phony immigration documents were able to enter a nuclear weapons plant in eastern Tennessee because of lax security controls, a federal report said Monday.

Controls at the Y-12 weapons plant have since been tightened and there was no evidence the workers had access to any sensitive documents, said the National Nuclear Security Administration, which oversees nuclear weapons facilities for the Department of Energy. However, the DOE inspector general's office said in the report issued Monday that its field agents found "official use only" documents "lying unprotected in a construction trailer which was accessed by the foreign construction workers" at the plant.

"Thus, these individuals were afforded opportunities to access ... (this) information," the inspector general wrote. "We concluded that this situation represented a potentially serious access control and security problem." The report, initiated by a tip in 2004, said the workers had fake green cards that certified them to work in the United States. Their cases were turned over to the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency for deportation.

THis is how I'm feeling right now....

JOURNEY - TRIAL BY FIRE

treasures in the jars of clay

let the light shine out of darkness

fallen down but not destroyed

it's just another trial by fire

in my song i'll send a prayer

do you know me, do you hear me

where's the will to face this shame

it's just another trial by fire

hello mr moon

can i have some time with you?

trouble keeps me runnin'

you can see it comin'

i know who shines down on you

hello mr moon

i've come back to talk to you

all my life i'm runnin'

from a love that's comin'

saving grace please pull me through

in my doubt i can't believe

like a wave tossed where the wind blows

tears of faith temper my soul

just another trial by fire

just another trial by fire

I support the US invasion of Iraq to topple Saddam Hussein.
I support the Middle East finally getting through its head that we are not a country to be f**ked with....and we are not going to tolerate radical whacked out Muslims to bomb our countries and kill some three thousand of our citizens.

But what about the invasion of US by Mexicans and other societal miscreants on our porous southern (and northern) borders? I want to be calmed about that...not necessarily about a justified war.

WASHINGTON (AP) - Facing growing pressure to bring troops home from Iraq, President Bush is launching a public relations campaign to try to calm anxieties about the war.
Bush scheduled a major address for June 28, the one-year anniversary of the transfer of sovereignty from the U.S.-led coalition to Iraqis. Four days before that, he will meet at the White House with Iraqi Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari, who heads the transitional government chosen after January elections. The president also plans a series of radio addresses and appearances outside Washington. He will emphasize the importance of democracy in Iraq and elsewhere when he meets with fellow world leaders in Gleneagles, Scotland, in July, White House press secretary Scott McClellan said. The president's campaign comes as the U.S. death toll in Iraq has climbed above 1,700. A relentless wave of suicide bombings, kidnappings and beheadings has killed at least 1,070 just since al-Jaafari's government was announced April 28.

Former Texas Governor Anne King said many years ago about Dubya's dad, "Poor George, he keeps putting his foot in his mouth." It would seem that Dubya has the same hoof-and-mouth affliction when he goes around complaining about the Democratic party so-called obstructionist ways. What about Dubya's obstructionist ways on not dealing with the ballooning health care crisis, the lack of border security where millions of Mexicans are illegally coming into the United States? Huh?

(Washington Times) President Bush last night ripped the Democratic Party as do-nothing obstructionists bent on derailing his reform agenda, saying that on issue after issue, Democratic leaders in Congress 'stand for nothing except obstruction, and this is not leadership.'
At an evening congressional gala at the Washington Convention Center -- which drew $23 million for House and Senate Republican candidates and amounted to the kickoff of the 2006 political campaign season -- the president drew standing ovations from Republican faithful as he hammered Democrats for offering no solutions to the nation's most pressing problems.
'If leaders of the other party have innovative ideas, let's hear them. But if they have no ideas or policies except obstruction, they should step aside and let others lead,' Mr. Bush said to thunderous applause from more than 5,000 supporters.
The president, who has spent the past several months seeking consensus on his Social Security reform package and reaching out to Democrats with nonconfrontational rhetoric, said opposition party leaders are pursuing 'the philosophy of the stop sign, the agenda of the roadblock, and our country and our children deserve better.'
'Political parties that choose the path of obstruction will not gain the trust of the American people,' he said at the event dubbed 'the 2005 President's Dinner.'
Mr. Bush said political parties can take one of two approaches: 'One approach is to lead, to focus on the people's business, to take on the tough problems, and that is exactly what our party is doing.

Well, it looks like old presidents don't fade away....they go senile...

Former President Carter, the one president who should keep on doing his good works by building houses for the downtrodden and writes books about fishing, thinks that the Guantanamo Bay detention center should be closed "to show that the US has a committment to human rights." Well, Pres. Peanut Brain, do the enemy combatants who are being detained there have a similar committment to human rights? The answer is no. These detainees are people who have no regard for human rights when they bomb and kill all in the name of Allah. Perhaps we should then empty the zoos and wild animal parks to show our committment to the rights of animals. Perhaps we should stop spraying for mosquitos who are carriers of the West Nile disease because we are not being kind enough to animal and plant life.

When President Carter was being so totally ignored by Presidents Clinton and Bush during their campaign for tsunami relief tells me that the old peanut farmer is trying to get back into the news headlines.

ATLANTA (AP) - Former President Carter on Tuesday called for the United States to shut down the Guantanamo Bay prison to demonstrate its commitment to human rights. "The U.S. continues to suffer terrible embarrassment and a blow to our reputation ... because of reports concerning abuses of prisoners in "bold reminder that America is determined to promote freedom and democracy around the world," Carter said.

About 540 detainees are being held at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba. Some have been there more than three years without being charged with a crime. Most were captured on the battlefields of Afghanistan in 2001 and 2002 and were sent to Guantanamo Bay in hope of extracting useful intelligence about the al-Qaida terrorist network.

A friend of mind made a really good point: "I'm finding these days that I'm more often trying to point out to people rather than being mad they should analyze why things happened or why the person is the way they are. Often you'll end up just feeling sad for them instead of hating them."

Food For Thought...

Illegal immigration is getting to be a major problem that is getting more out of hand here in San Diego. The news media tries to be very politically correct by referring to the "illegal aliens" as "undocumented workers." As a radio talk show today pointed out, does that make someone who breaks into your house an "undocumented guest"?

Tonight I think I found the mantra by which I have always tried to live by...


To laugh often and much,
to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children.

To earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends.
To appreciate beauty. To find the best in others.

To leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child,
a garden patch or a redeemed social condition.

To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived.


Ralph Waldo Emerson

What's the deal here?

The news media and the NYPD get all upset because they nab "Desperate Housewives" star Cody "Zach" Kasch outside of a NYC bar puffing on a marijuana joint and issue him what is called a "desk appearance ticket." It is OK for Presidents to smoke marijuana yet "not inhale," but we go after regular citizens.... Something is wrong here methinks.

This past weekend was a pivotal mark in history for Latvia, Estonia, and Lithuania when President Bush acknowledged the United States' (Pres. Roosevelt) mistake in participating in the Yalta Conference during World War II which divided Eastern European into spheres of influence. This agreement between the US, Britain and the Soviet Union paved the way for the enslavement of the Baltic States. My mother was a refugee -- who along with my grandmother and aunt -- escaped from certain death from the hands of the Russians in Latvia. My grandfather, a high-ranking judge in Latvia, was executed by the Russians. My mother was also on the list to be killed just because she was his daughter. President Bush also acknowledged how the Baltic States have been at the forefront of the democracy movement in Eastern European and the current war on terror, and how Russia must take responsibility for its past occupation and genocide.

It was a very hard decision for the President of Latvia to attend the commemoration of the 60th Annivesary of the end of World War II in Moscow...a celebration which really marked the beginning of the time when the Baltic States magically disappeared from world maps. The end of World War II for us Balts came with the destruction of the Berlin Wall.

You can read more about my Baltic connection (along with two links to two great videos -- a commercial and a music video produced by the Latvian Tourism agency) on my website at www.ivarsonline.com under the "Heritage" link.

A friend will help you move, but a REAL friend will help you move bodies.

Ah spring, when love blooms, and unfortunately so does every damn plant in creation. Ivars shivers and coughs and sneezes piteously.

The dignitaries from 138 countries reflected the extraordinary mix of faiths and cultures that John Paul courted during his 26-year papacy: Orthodox bishops in long black robes, Jews in yarmulkes, Arabs in checkered head scarves, Central Asians in lambskin caps and Western political leaders in dark suits.

In a gesture the pope would certainly have applauded, Israeli President Moshe Katsav said he shook hands and chatted briefly with the leaders of his country's archenemies, Syria and Iran.

Obviously we CAN get beyond politics for at least 2.5 hours....

I really try to make myself look at issues from both liberal and conservative perspectives....which leads me up to the horrible situation with Terri Shaivo.

Pres. Shrub should not have intervened in this horrible family mess. That said, I don't understand liberals who will argue this point and decry the death penalty and call it "cruel and unusual punishment," but had no qualms about TerryShiavo being subjected through a long, gruesome death via starvation. They decry the government intervention into the case, yet yelled and screamed for government intervention in the case of convicted felon Rodney "Can we get along here? Can we all get along?" King.

Law enforcement officials have said they fear the project will lead to vigilante violence. Mexico’s foreign relations department also pledged in the days leading up to the civilian operation to pursue all legal and diplomatic means to stop the volunteers and ensure they do not violate the rights of Mexican citizens.

The volunteers may alert authorities when they see someone cross the border, but are not allowed to detain anyone. The immigrant who complained he was held illegally was later picked up by the Border Patrol, and remains in custody.


I guess what this means is that the Mexican authorities are going to pursue all legal and diplomatic means to stop the American citizens from guarding the border because of the failure of the US Government to protect the sovereignty of the US bordrs, and ensure that they do not violate the rights of Mexican citizens to illegally cross the border into the United States. Meanwhile, George Bush, Mexico's co-President stares into the TV lights like a deer startled by car headlights.

Of course then you have the dimwits who go around carrying placards saying, "NO HUMAN IS ILLEGAL."

Mugger steals bag of dog feces

According to police, an early-evening mugging in San Diego turned out to be a real waste for the crook involved.

San Diego police spokesperson Dave Cohen said that on March 28, an unidentified male suspect approached a woman walking her dog and snatched a plastic bag she was holding.

The suspect reportedly stopped to check the bag and discovered that the bag contained animal waste.

The angry suspect threw the bag to the ground and demanded money from the woman. When she told him that she had none, he pointed his gun at the woman's dog, Cohen said.

The man then allegedly pulled the trigger, but the firearm failed to discharge. The suspect attempted to shoot the animal a second time, but the gun again failed to fire.

Cohen said the man then fled the scene in a waiting silver car.

The suspect is described as Latino, in his 20s, with a stocky build and about 5 feet 8 inches tall. Anyone with information should contact the San Diego Police Department at (619) 531-2000.

Awwwwwwwwww....poor Russia...the rantings of a dying nation...... A nation who lets its senior citizens go hungry, doesn't give them a decent pension, kills off opposition politicians, attempts to influence elections (e.g. Ukraine), yet continues to develop nuclear weapons...

MOSCOW, March 14 (Itar-Tass) - Russia is going to use the rostrum of the United Nations Commission for Human Rights to draw the attention of the world community to the negative humanitarian situation in Latvia and Estonia, the Russian Foreign Ministry stated on Monday in connection with the opening of another session of the Commission in Geneva. The ministry said it would refer, specifically, to the discrimination of the authorities of countries against a non-titullar population in those countries.

“Russia will aim at the session to help remove elements of confrontation and ‘double standards’ so that the international community be able jointly to decide problems in the human rights area,” the ministry noted.

Russia’s priorities at the session include the nomination of typical draft resolutions on the subjects “Totality of the judicial system”, “hostage taking”, “arbitrarily stripping people of citizenship”, “impermissibility of certain kinds of practices leading to the heightening of contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related lack of tolerance.” Russia will also declare for the adoption of a balanced and stringent resolution on “Human rights and terrorism”.

Sooooooooooo true!

This is an improvement?

Who in the heck are we jokin' with?

This is why I take a lot less creedence in the so-called "liberals." They hyperventilate, vent steam, but cannot take on a normal discourse on issues.

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) - Howard Dean, the newly minted leader of the Democratic Party, and former Pentagon adviser Richard Perle made clear their opposing views on the war in Iraq during a debate marred by a protester who tossed a shoe at Perle.

Perle had just started his comments Thursday when a protester threw a shoe at him before being dragged away, screaming, "Liar! Liar!"

Between Hillary and Howard Dean they are SURE to be the saviors of the Democratic party with the election of Howard Dean as DNC Chairman....NOT!

In order for the party to appeal to all of the people in the "red" (Republican) states, they need to figure out how to convince them of their position instead of just preaching to the choir and validating the beliefs of the choir members.

The Republicans and Democrats are one and the same people but with different labels. We need to come together and solve problems rather than following old thoughts and being derisive just to maintain a party label.

We need to take care of social problems, but we have to do so at the least amount of cost.

A friend of mine today said something which really put a smile on my face:

I hate the cold. Could never understand people that live in the snow. Snow is a white icy substance that is shaved and put in a paper cone with flavored syrup, or something that one plays in for a weekend then goes home.

This is the very reason why I don't take a lot of liberal Democrats like Hillary Clinton very seriously. So often that not their actions don't reflect some social ill what they yell and scream about and accuse Republicans perpetrating. Hillary Clinton is on the board of Walmart, yet Walmart is soooooo anti-union...

NEW YORK (AP) - Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (WMT) said Wednesday it will close a Canadian store whose workers are on the verge of becoming the first ever to win a union contract from the world's biggest retailer.

Wal-Mart said it was shuttering the store in Jonquiere, Quebec, in response to unreasonable demands from union negotiators, that would make it impossible for the store to sustain its business. The United Food and Commercial Workers of Canada last week asked Quebec labor officials to appoint a mediator, saying that negotiations had reached an impasse.

"We were hoping it wouldn't come to this," said Andrew Pelletier, a spokesman for Wal-Mart Canada. "Despite nine days of meetings over three months, we've been unable to reach an agreement with the union that in our view will allow the store to operate efficiently and profitably."

Pelletier said the store will close in May.


Can we all collectively spell out H-Y-P-O-C-R-I-T-E!?????? Apparently Hillary cannot.

OHHHMAAAGAWD...I 3/4 agree with Hillary Clinton....

WEST PALM BEACH — America's leaders don't have a vision, and the economy may be on the brink of collapse, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton said Sunday. The chance to invest in a national energy policy may be lost because President Bush is looking the other way, and flaws in the American health-care system are going unaddressed, Clinton said.

But somehow, she manages to be hopeful.

Clinton, D-N.Y., spoke at the Kravis Center before a gathering of Brandeis University alumni and the public, charming the crowd with her views on a Bush administration whose strategy, she says, is to turn a blind eye when it doesn't have an answer to a serious question. "I don't see that thoughtful, visionary direction that got us where we are today," she told the crowd of hundreds. "The history of America is... to make sacrifices today for a better tomorrow. The progress that then occurred moved everyone forward. "That progress is at risk today," she said.

President Dwight D. Eisenhower left a legacy of highways, John F. Kennedy the excitement over space exploration, and Lyndon B. Johnson created the legal framework for civil rights, Clinton said. "What are we investing in today?" "I believe that on both political and substantive grounds, my husband did it just right," she said, referring to former President Clinton. "The deficit reduction act didn't get one single Republican vote. He took on the gun lobby with the Brady Bill. He took on health care. He took on hard issues that we pay a president for. Frankly, it is not that hard cutting people's taxes." Among her goals: a plan to extend the life and health of social security, a budget with discipline and health-care reform.

Idiot.

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope John Paul on Saturday stressed that the Roman Catholic Church believed abstinence and fidelity within marriage, and not condoms, were the best way to stop the spread of HIV/AIDS. The Pope's words, spoken to a new ambassador to the Vatican, took on an added significance being his first direct comment on the controversial topic since a Catholic official in Spain this week appeared to question the Church's stand against condoms. "The Holy See ... believes prevention through education about the sacredness of life and the correct practice of sexuality, that is chastity and faithfulness, is necessary above all other things in order to prevent this disease responsibly," the 84-year old Pontiff said in a written address. The Church opposes condoms in all except the rarest of circumstances because they are a form of contraception
It says promoting the use of condoms to fight the spread of AIDS fosters what it sees as immoral and hedonistic lifestyles and behavior that will only contribute to its spread.

JESUS, PROTECT ME FROM YOUR FOLLOWERS!!!

The Boston Herald reports that Happy cartoon icon SpongeBob SquarePants is just a little too gay for one conservative Christian group that charges that Bikini Bottom's most famous resident is a homosexual. Focus on the Family is up in arms about a music video created by the We Are Family Foundation that shows the popular porous cartoon character and several other kids' favorites dancing to the Sister Sledge song, ``We Are Family.'' The group claims SpongeBob & Co. are promoting a ``pro-gay agenda.''
``We see the video as an insidious means by which the organization is manipulating and potentially brainwashing kids,'' Paul Batura, a spokesman for Focus on the Family, told the New York Times. ``It is a classic bait and switch.'' The Times reported that the group's head, James Dobson, also attacked SpongeBob at a pre-inauguration black-tie dinner in Washington, D.C. Tuesday night. Dobson apparently believes that SpongeBob and his cartoon sidekick, Patrick - who are often seen holding hands - are secretly practicing the Love That Dares Not Speak Its Name.
And the Nickelodeon superstar's taste in television - he enjoys the imaginary ``Adventures of Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy'' - was also called into question. The attempted outing of SpongeBob is bound to generate as much controversy as Jerry Falwell's 1999 pronouncement that purple Teletubby Tinky Winky was gay because he carried a purse.

What idiots we have in Washington DC...

Here they go on nationwide television and radio talking about a possible terrorist threat being instigated by ten or so Chinese nationals. What gets me is how nonchalently they say how that these terrorists have crossed into the United States through the Mexican border....

Why isn't the border sealed? Why aren't we trying to do anything this? Why aren't we posting the U.S. military? Has anyone remembered about 9/11???

I feel so defeated. Once again the Republicans and Democrats are betraying the trust of the American people.

I just got hit in the head tonight with the biggest reason why I cannot take the Democratic party seriously, although I agree with a lot of their views...

The reason is why I feel so out of touch with the Democratic Party is because it has been taken over by the idle liberal rich...Barbra Streisand, John Kerry, Michael Moore, etc. They are no better than the idle conservative rich... None of these people will ever understand the common man...so how can they hope to be the alternative to the corporate driven America they think they speak for... Can you imagine Babs cruising down to her local VONS store and using a VONS Club card to save a dollar on frozen pizza.... These people have so profited from American business....yet are so part of an elite class....no different from conservative Republicans who are in the same economic league. They yell and scream how bad outsourcing is and how so many people don't have access to affordable health care, yet after the election they are silent...

These people say that they "feel our pain," but do they really?

I need to be convinced.

It is so interesting how some groups in the US just don't get it...

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The Fox television network said on Thursday it will provide its stations with TV spots that portray Muslims in a favorable way after it received complaints for featuring followers of Islam as terrorists on its hit television show "24." On Monday, Fox premiered the fourth season of "24." The drama featured an upper-middle class Muslim family operating as a sleeper terrorist cell. The Muslim mother poisons her son's non-Muslim girlfriend because it was feared the girl could jeopardize the terrorists' plan.

"What we are hoping to do is to try and mitigate the damages of the stereotypes because it can bring real-life consequences on American Muslims and their lives here," said Rabiah Ahmed, spokeswoman for the Islamic group. Citing a public opinion survey conducted by Cornell University last year, Ahmed said television influences viewers' perceptions of Muslims. "There aren't any positive or even neutral portrayals of Muslims on TV; whenever Muslims or Arabs are portrayed it is always in a stereotypical way," she said. "When average Americans don't have any personal interaction with Muslims, whether it be at work or at school, they base their perception of Islam and Muslims from what they see on TV," she added. "We did bring that to Fox's attention."

WHile I'm sure there are civilized Muslim families out there, the fact is that you haven't heard any of these groups try to go and stop the Muslim fanatics in the Middle East try to help their own cause by preventing the murder of Americans (beheading, shootings), throwing rocks, being homicide bombers, send their kids out to be homicide bombers. These groups are being a bit whiny-assed. In the tradition of the axiom, "physician heal thyself," the Muslim community improve their image by actively uniting against how their brethern are behaving in the Middle East and THEN complain.

Art imitates life.

GAZA (Reuters) - Palestinian Islamic Jihad militants carried out a deadly attack on Israeli troops in the Gaza Strip Wednesday, a group spokesman said.


This just proves to me and the rest of the world that the Palestinians 1) don't want peace with Israel, 2) don't deserve their own autonomous Palestinian state. The newly elected president of the Palestinians, Mahmoud Abbas, was a clear indication that the Palestinians and Israelis want to work towards peace...but there's the faction that wants to ruin it. Earlier, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon (news - web sites) called Mahmoud Abbas on Tuesday to congratulate him for winning the Palestinian presidential elections, the latest sign the two sides are eager to restart peace efforts after years of stalemate under the tyrannical Yassir Arafat.

The "poppers" were manufactured in Hong Kong...along with their grasp of the Engrish ranguage...and humor...

Why is an elephant grey and wrinkly?
Becuase if it wee small, white, and smooth it would be an aspirin!

How do you start a teddy bear race?
Ready, teddy, go!

Don't worry about avoiding temptation.
As you grow old, it starts avoiding you.

What do ghosts like about tall buildings?
They have got lots of scare cases.

What do you get if you cross a sheep with a kangaroo?
A woolly jumper!

What do you call a lazy skeleton?
Bone idle

What do you call a blind dinosaur?
Do you think he saw us

What lies in a pram and wobbles?
A jelly baby.

What's the most popular gardening magazine in the world?
Weeder's Digest

Customer: "This steak is terrible, I want the manager."
Waiter: "Sorry, sir, he isn't on the menu."

What do you call a fairy who hasn't had a wash for a week?
Stinkerbell!

What has a pelican got in common with the Water company?
They both have large bills.


These fantastic examples of humor were published by Robin Reed....maybe they shouldn't be!

The other night I got to experience "poppers" at a party...a pretty lame experience overall! They were made in Hong Kong and had their pieces of paper with "jokes."

I couldn't agree more!!!! Yay, Ahhhhhhhhhhhhnold!

Report: Schwarzenegger suggests U.S. Republicans move leftward

BERLIN (AP) — California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger suggested in a German newspaper interview published Saturday that the Republican Party should move "a little to the left," a shift that he said would allow it to pick up new voters. Schwarzenegger, a Republican, has taken an unorthodox approach since winning office last year — standing by a promise to toe a conservative line of fiscal matters while veering left on social issues such as gay rights and the environment.

In an interview with Germany's Sueddeutsche Zeitung daily, Schwarzenegger said that "the Republican Party currently covers only the spectrum from the right wing to the middle, and the Democratic Party covers the spectrum from the left to the middle." "I would like the Republican Party to cross this line, move a little further left and place more weight on the center," he was quoted as saying. "This would immediately give the party 5% more votes without it losing anything elsewhere."

Schwarzenegger was guarded on suggestions that he harbors presidential ambitions, saying only that a debate on whether the constitution should be amended to allow foreign-born citizens to run was "overdue." Schwarzenegger became an American citizen in 1983, 15 years after he immigrated from Austria. He has said he'd consider running for president if such an amendment passed but also taken pains to say it shouldn't be created specifically for him.

"I would like people to remember me as someone who raised standards, wherever I got involved." he was quoted as saying. "I brought bodybuilding from nothing, I made the action film a genre, and the same goes for politics — I want to do things that no one believed possible. I would like to bring people together as governor."

I'm so tired of the fakers who fake themselves out of everything and don't take responsibility for their actions.

Beverly Hillbillies' singer dies at 93

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Jerry Scoggins, who sang The Ballad of Jed Clampett, which introduced the comical clan on The Beverly Hillbillies, has died. He was 93. He died at his home Tuesday of natural causes, the Los Angeles Times reported. The song and the TV show premiered in 1962 and were instant hits. The CBS series starring Buddy Ebsen as Jed drew up to 60 million viewers at its peak and ran until 1971.

The ballad, which begins, "Come and listen to a story about a man name Jed/ a poor mountaineer who barely kept his family fed/ then one day he was shootin' for some food/ and up through the ground came a bubblin' crude," was written by Paul Henning. Scoggins sang the lyrics while bluegrass stars Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs played guitar and banjo. Scoggins came out of retirement to sing the theme again for a 1993 movie based on the TV series.

Scoggins' country and western trio, the Cass County Boys, was hired by Gene Autry for his Melody Ranch radio program in 1946. The group performed in 17 of Autry's movies. The group, whose other members were John "Bert" Dodson and Fred Martin, also performed with Bing Crosby on television in the early 1950s. The Cass County Boys were inducted into the Western Music Hall of Fame in 1996. A memorial service is scheduled Friday.

"'The only normal people are the people we don't know very well." Oscar Wilde

mi·as·ma (m-zm, m-)
n. pl. mi·as·mas or mi·as·ma·ta (-m-t)

1. A noxious atmosphere or influence: “The family affection, the family expectations, seemed to permeate the atmosphere... like a coiling miasma” (Louis Auchincloss).
2. 1. A poisonous atmosphere formerly thought to rise from swamps and putrid matter and cause disease.
   2. A thick vaporous atmosphere or emanation: wreathed in a miasma of cigarette smoke.

What I have always said from day one about the Democratic party has been confirmed.....by one of the biggest Democratic PAC...Moveon.org....and why I cannot necessarily support the Democratic or Republican parties....

WASHINGTON - Liberal powerhouse MoveOn has a message for the "professional election losers" who run the Democratic Party: "We bought it, we own it, we're going to take it back." A scathing e-mail from the head of MoveOn's political action committee to the group's supporters on Thursday targets outgoing Democratic National Committee chairman Terry McAuliffe as a tool of corporate donors who alienated both traditional and progressive Democrats.

"For years, the party has been led by elite Washington insiders who are closer to corporate lobbyists than they are to the Democratic base," said the e-mail from MoveOn PAC's Eli Pariser. "But we can't afford four more years of leadership by a consulting class of professional election losers." Under McAuliffe's leadership, the message said, the party coddled the same corporate donors that fund Republicans to bring in money at the expense of vision and integrity.

"In the last year, grass-roots contributors like us gave more than $300 million to the Kerry campaign and the DNC, and proved that the party doesn't need corporate cash to be competitive," the message continued. "Now it's our party: we bought it, we own it, and we're going to take it back." Pariser urged MoveOn supporters to help support a DNC chair with a bold vision to represent Democrats outside Washington. Democrats will vote at their February meeting in Washington on a successor to McAuliffe.

DNC spokesman Jano Cabrera declined to engage in a tit-for-tat with MoveOn, but praised McAuliffe's efforts. "Call me crazy, but I think the fact that for the first time in party history we outraised the Republicans, and did so primarily through grass-roots fund raising is something to be proud of," Cabrera said. Among those vying for the party chairmanship is former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean an early darling of MoveOn's cybernetwork of activists when he ran for the Democratic presidential nomination.

Excellence

Excellence is never an accident. It is achieved in an organization or institution only as a result of an unrelenting and vigorous insistence on the highest standards of performance. It requires an unswerving expectancy of quality from the staff and volunteers.

Excellence is contagious. It infects and affects everyone in the organization. It charts the direction of program. It establishes the criteria for planning. It provides zest and vitality to the organization. Once achieved, excellence has a talent for permeating every aspect of the life of the organization.

Excellence demands commitment and a tenacious dedication from the leadership of the organization. Once it is accepted and expected. it must be nourished and continually reviewed and renewed. It is a never-ending process of learning and growing. It requires a spirit of motivation and boundless energy. Ii is always the result of a creatively conceived arid precisely planned effort

Excellence inspires; it electrifies. It potentializes every phase of the organization’s life. It unleashes an impact which influences every program, every activity, every committee, every staff person. To instill it in an organization is difficult; to sustain it, even more so, it demands adaptability, imagination and vigor. But most of all, it requires from the leadership a constant state of self-discovery and discipline.

Excellence is an organization’s he-lire. It is the most compelling answer to apathy and inertia. It energizes a stimulating and pulsating force. Once it becomes the expected standard of performance, it develops a fiercely driving and motivating philosophy of operation. Excellence is a state of mind put into action. It is a road-map to success. When a climate of excellence exists, all things, - staff work, volunteer leadership, finances, program — come easier.

Excellence in an organization is important… because it is everything.

You KNOW things are tough for this division of Safeway grocery stores when their spaghetti sauce has only one mushroom.......
Posted by Hello

I wish Alameda and Marin Counties in California (San Francisco Bay Area) would just declare independence from California and the United States so they can drown in their own socialistic ideology and leave the rest of the country to themselves. So called "progressives" complain that supporters of President Bush want to impose their ideology on the unwitting, stupid, right-wing population.....and these people don't? I guess maybe teaching the Qu'Ran would be more appropriate. This is the same area (City of San Francisco) that gives individuals working for over a year insurance benefits so they can have transgender surgery at no cost......

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A California teacher has been barred by his school from giving students documents from American history that refer to God -- including the Declaration of Independence. Steven Williams, a fifth-grade teacher at Stevens Creek School in the San Francisco Bay area suburb of Cupertino, sued for discrimination on Monday, claiming he had been singled out for censorship by principal Patricia Vidmar because he is a Christian.

"It's a fact of American history that our founders were religious men, and to hide this fact from young fifth-graders in the name of political correctness is outrageous and shameful," said Williams' attorney, Terry Thompson. "Williams wants to teach his students the true history of our country," he said. "There is nothing in the Establishment Clause (of the U.S. Constitution) that prohibits a teacher from showing students the Declaration of Independence."

Vidmar could not be reached for comment on the lawsuit, which was filed on Monday in U.S. District Court in San Jose and claims violations of Williams rights to free speech under the First Amendment. Phyllis Vogel, assistant superintendent for Cupertino Unified School District, said the lawsuit had been forwarded to a staff attorney. She declined to comment further.

Williams asserts in the lawsuit that since May he has been required to submit all of his lesson plans and supplemental handouts to Vidmar for approval, and that the principal will not permit him to use any that contain references to God or Christianity. Among the materials she has rejected, according to Williams, are excerpts from the Declaration of Independence, George Washington's journal, John Adams' diary, Samuel Adams' "The Rights of the Colonists" and William Penn's "The Frame of Government of Pennsylvania."

"He hands out a lot of material and perhaps 5 to 10 percent refers to God and Christianity because that's what the founders wrote," said Thompson, a lawyer for the Alliance Defense Fund, which advocates for religious freedom. "The principal seems to be systematically censoring material that refers to Christianity and it is pure discrimination." In June, the U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear the case of a California atheist who wanted the words "under God" struck from the Pledge of Allegiance as recited by school children. The appeals court in California had found that the phrase amounted to a violation of church and state separation.

* * * * *

I did a bit of internet research and found this explanation of the "Establishment Clause." :

"At an absolute minimum, the Establishment Clause was intended to prohibit the federal government from declaring and financially supporting a national religion, such as existed in many other countries at the time of the nation's founding. It is far less clear whether the Establishment Clause was also intended to prevent the federal government from supporting Christianity in general. Proponents of a narrow interpretation of the clause point out that the same First Congress that proposed the Bill of Rights also opened its legislative day with prayer and voted to apportion federal dollars to establish Christian missions in the Indian lands. On the other hand, persons seeing a far broader meaning in the clause point to writings by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison suggesting the need to establish "a wall of separation" between church and state."

I'm getting so tired dealing with flakes... I whined to a friend of mine and he gave me a good quote back...

"I want an individual that has the balls to say what is on his mind, considerate enough to respectfully word it, and backs their words with action."

SINCE WE'RE NEIGHBORS, LET'S BE FRIENDS!!!!

Poooooor babies....let's just totally forget 50 years of brutal and oppressive occupation, genocide, and the deportations and killings, and the Russification of the Baltic cultures... Hey, if you Russkies don't like it...just get your butts back into your vast wasteland where Papa Putin will embrace you with open arms.......


RIGA, November 16 (Itar-Tass) -- Relations between Latvia and Russia must be built anew, from scratch, Russian ambassador in Riga told the first news conference in his new capacity.“What do we really need – mourning for the past or a decent future?” Kalyuzhny said. He believes that relations between Latvia and Russia must be pragmatic and firmly rely on the principle of mutual benefit.

“After meetings with Latvian businessmen I developed the firm conviction that everybody wants good relations. The Russian market can give a powerful boost to any business,” Kalyuzhny said. In establishing relations one should be keen to sidestep sensitive issues, but never forget about them. The position of the Russian minority in Latvia and the place of the Russian language and Russian schools are one of the most complicated issues. “These problems have spilled over the Latvian borders to have become problems of the European Union, too. Regrettably, the EU has not found a solution to this day, thereby following a policy of double standards,” Kalyuzhny said.

I came across a new veteran's organization on MSNBC and on NBC News called "Operation Truth." While their cause is noble, the way they are promoting themselves is, at best, suspect....


Dear Friends,


Like probably millions of Americans I read about Operation Truth online, and was actually considering linking it to my own website which gets a lot of hits.


But after seeing the television ad with Robert Acosta, the vet who regrettably lost his arm in combat, I'm sure that I reflect the opinions of a lot of Americans that the ad shoots your cause into the foot. While Robert's injury is horrible, I can help but think aobut the vets who don't go on television whining about their injuries. The commercial begs the question why did Robert Acosta go into the military in the first place...did he expect it to be Club Med or just an opportunity to win the right to wear a uniform (which in his case would be more like a costume). This armchair politics doesn't wear well, very honestly, and really sounds like partisan politics, which is against federal rules for a so-called non-profit/non-partisan organization. Acosta's words are more of those of a someone whining and trying gain our sympathy because of his injury to push a political agenda rather than "educat(ing) the American public about the truth of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan from the perspective of the soldiers who have experienced them first-hand."


Why are you also taking advantage of the persona of former Gov. Jesse Ventura? His own military career is suspect...something the media has tried ot get the straight truth about but hasn't been able to. He is universally hated as a political figure because of the mess he created in Minnesota which he eventually ran away from...and he now appears in ads here in California denegrating our very popular Governor who has accomplished more in one year that former Gov. Ventura did during his term as governor.


Your organization has valid concerns as it involves the current war situation and a noble cause in your stated mission statement which I agree with...but as someone in public relations and marketing...I can professionally say you are shooting yourself in the foot by representing yourself in the media as you have.I will be placing a copy of this note on my personal blog so that others may see it.


Ivars Bezdechi
San Diego, CA

(AP) - Margaret Hassan, a kidnapped aid worker who spent decades bringing food and medicine to Iraqis, was believed murdered after Al-Jazeera television said Tuesday it received a video showing a hooded militant shooting a blindfolded woman in the head. Hassan's family in London said the longtime director of CARE in Iraq was likely the victim, and British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw said analysis of the video showed Hassan has "probably been murdered, although we cannot conclude this with complete certainty

Watching the masses of Palestinians beesech the helicopter carrying the body of PLO chief Yasser Arafat while the Palestinian henchman shoot their machine guns in the air killing several people, Palestinian children compelled to be homicide bombers in Israel, the beheadings of American, British, and Turkish contractors in Iraq, the blowing up of the ancient Buddhas in Afghanistan just shows what the world is up against in dealing with the worldwide Muslim plague.

There are good Muslims who truly practice their faith in accordance with Qu'Ran and don't endorse the tactics and behaviors of these fanatics, but my question is...WHY AREN'T THEY SPEAKING OUT and DOING SOMETHING? These Muslim terrorists are no different than the right-wing Christian fanatics who have hijacked the Christian faith in the United States and Canada, and have acted like no different by going around holding placards with pictures of aborted fetuses and practicing intolerance and hate and bombing women's health clinics.

What a definite loss to the world of music, and to the world at large....

Rapper O.D.B. Collapses, Dies in Studio

By NEKESA MUMBI MOODY, AP Music Writer

NEW YORK - The rap artist O.D.B., whose utterly unique rhymes, wild lifestyle and incessant legal troubles made him one of the most vivid characters in hip-hop, collapsed and died inside a recording studio Saturday. He was 35.

AP Photo

O.D.B. had complained of chest pains before collapsing at the Manhattan studio, and was dead by the time paramedics arrived, said Gabe Tesoriero, a spokesman for O.D.B.'s record label, Roc-a-Fella.

The cause of death was not immediately clear, but O.D.B. had recently finished a prison sentence for drug possession and escaping a rehab clinic. He would have turned 36 on Monday.

O.D.B. — also known as Ol' Dirty Bastard, Dirt McGirt, Big Baby Jesus or his legal name of Russell Jones — was a founding member of the seminal rap group the Wu-Tang Clan in the early 1990s. With his unorthodox delivery — alternately slurred, hyper and nonsensical — O.D.B. stood out even in the nine-man Clan, which featured such future stars as Method Man, RZA and Ghostface Killah.

I did a lot of soul-searching today trying to figure why I ultimately supported President Bush in his reelection bid....and it FINALLY hit me why...

Make no mistake I am no major supporter of Pres. Bush. It concerns me that he is preoccupying himself with the issue of gay marriages and abortion when his main focus should be tightening up the border with Mexico and the illegal alien problem, the Iraq mess, and focusing his efforts on the so-called "war on terrorism" and not just reducing it to the level of a nuisance that Sen. Kerry proposed.

But when it came down to it, I had no idea what Kerry stood for. That was after all the hard campaigning, three successful debates, and a month of Sen. Kerry's attacks on Bush's handling of the war in Iraq. And like many, many Americans, I didn't see that it was a good time to be changing the guard at 1600 Pennsylvania in the midst of a war...nor did I see it right to turn the president out just because I didn't like him for whatever reason like so many of Sen. Kerry's supporters.

It would seem that Howard "I Have A Scream" Dean is wanting to become chairman of the Dems. He says that the Dems have to establish a identity separate from the Republicans. Continue a super left wing identity so they can lose more elections????? Nonononononononoo....

MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) Former presidential candidate Howard Dean is considering a bid to become chairman of the national Democratic Party. Steve Grossman, himself a former chairman of the Democratic National Committee, said Dean had told him he was thinking about it.
Dean was traveling today in New York and unavailable for comment. His spokeswoman, Laura Gross, said ``it was far too early to be speculating on that.''

The 240 members of the Democratic National Convention will elect a new chair early next year. Several names are already being mentioned, including former Clinton aide Harold Ickes; Donna Brazile, who ran Al Gore's presidential campaign, and Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack. Dean has been outspoken since the beginning of his presidential bid in saying that the Democratic Party must establish a separate and unique identity from Republicans. The next chairman will replace Terry McAuliffe, whose term is ending.

I love those who are on the left side of the street going around accusing President Bush of being a warmonger.... Now United Press International reports that declassified documents show that President Clinton was ready to drop nuclear weapons on North Korea if they made an incursion into South Korea. This is the same president, who, according to Newsweek magazine, was urging Sen. Kerry to openly go out and back the anti-gay marriage initiatives decided by several states last week.

Seoul, South Korea, Nov. 7 (UPI) -- Newly declassified documents revealed the United States planned as recently as 1998 to drop nuclear bombs on North Korea if the country attacked South Korea. As part of "scenario 5027," 24 F15-E bombers flew simulation missions at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base in North Carolina to drop mock nuclear bombs on a firing range between January and June 1998, the Korea Times reported Sunday. The revelation followed claims by a South Korean lawmaker that the U.S. drew up plans to launch preemptive strikes on key targets in North Korea in 1994.

The report also came amid concerns that President George Bush will take a tougher stance with North Korea during his second term.

The declassified documents also said the U.S. had kept nuclear weaponry in South Korea until at least 1998, despite officially claiming it had withdrawn all nuclear warheads in 1991.

I'm getting really sick and tired of the imbeciles who go around spouting and spitting who seem to think the world will explode into space soon as a result of President Bush being reelected. Here's the text of the e-mail someone sent me last week:

Subject: I AM TAKING THE NEXT 4 YEARS OFF.

America is surrounded by Bushites. Bush "DID NOT WIN". KERRY CONCEDED.
This makes TWICE that BUSH went into office WITHOUT being ELECTED!!!!
Now, let's all sit back and watch as each PROGRAM goes UNDER, programs designed to help those in NEED. ( all HIV/AIDS Patients will be dropping like flies, There is no money to pay for the expensive medications)
Let's watch our military dwindle in a foriegn country for one family's greed, and let's watch our forests and wildlife areas be raped for yet even more greed, and let's watch our enviroment become polluted and our people become sick as a result.
But, by god let's make sure DUBYA stays in office because he waves the flag higher and buys whatever he wants.

Very little separates Pres. Bush and Sen. Kerry. They are both Washington insiders, they are both rich men...Sen. Kerry having even more money behind him.... But let's get ourselves together....how can this individual say that Pres. Bush didn't win when he received 59,634,378 votes (53% of the electoral vote/51% of the popular vote) to Sen. Kerry's 56,084,352 votes (48.01% of the electoral vote/46.84% of the popular vote).

(From Yahoo News)




I lifted this very interesting computer generated electoral map of the US from http://uselectionatlas.org showing how the nation voted county by county.




The time has come for all Americans...no matter what political persuasion...to come together and celebrate the diversity of political views...and support our president. We are not a country of one political view....we are a country of political views. With Pres. Bush's convincing win, it behooves Democrats to simply get a better candidate who can convincingly communicate his vision, rather than participating in gutter partisanship and carping.



Tonight out of the blue I decided to go volunteer to man a phone bank at the local Republican office. It was interesting... I was given a list of 100 names to call of people who had recently registered to vote. Most of the people who had registered to vote were at home and had to listen to my spiel which went basically like, "Good evening...may I please speak to . My name is Ivars and I'm calling from La Mesa on behalf of President Bush reminding you to vote tomorrow. The polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Do you know where your polling place is?" More likely they would not so I would give them the address which was printed on the sheet by their name. I would then end the call by saying, "Thank you again for your support of President Bush...." Most of the people answered their phone, I left a few messages on a few people's voice mail as I was instructed. Everything went well until I got one name which some how erroneously got put on the list as a Republican. I swore the person answering had lit the fuse on their tampon and started cussing at me with ever swear word in the dictionary...and he wouldn't stop. I remained calm and wished the person a good evening.

Why are registered Democrats such blow hards? At best I identify myself a VERY liberal Republican/law and order Democrat...but sheesh...you say the word "President Bush" and they go crazy...just like my doddering 95% deaf old 90-year old neighbor who called for me to bring over his mail which I had been saving while he and his doddering 75% deaf crazy Italian wife were gone on a cruise to Mexico for 10 days. I really have avoided discussing politics with people since you don't know how they are going to react...anyway, this crusty old guy somehow engaged me into asking who I voted for...I told him...and he blew up to the point of almost making his dentures into a dangerous projectile which he would aim at my house to blow a hole in the siding.... Here, a guy who worked directly with Robert Oppenheimer to build the first atomic bomb, was disrespecting my point of view and my overall opinion.... Was my opinion worth any less than his? Sheesh...and I've had the same reaction from other so-called patriotic registered Democrats...huffing and puffing like a steam locomotive if you disagree with them.... I have no more right to criticize and pass judgements on one person's beliefs and ideology than they have the right to criticize and pass judgements on my beliefs.

Imbeciles. And you know, they can find someone else to pick up their damn mail in the future...

I've been dealing with a personal/professional debacle for a bit of time.

An individual who I run into once in a while asked me how things were going with the situation, and I answered that it would seem that I've gotten them into between a rock and a hard place, to which he answered, "If you've gotten them by the balls, twist a little. You will be amazed what can be accomplished with a little bit of pressure."

I so love some people around me, especially when they are intelligent and witty!

I like to chat a bit on the Internet...and it would seem that I've been blown off by another acquaintance/friend just because our political ideologies are different. The worst is that I avoid discussing this subject and leave it to my blog to express my beliefs? Are my opinions worth less than any other person's?

What happened to respecting each other's opinions? Don't we have that right anymore? Or are we going down to the approach that only one ideology is proper? I happened to hear Dr. Laura talking about this the other day...I don't normally listen to her but she was the most interesting thing on at the time. She actually made sense for once!

It comes down to this...I have a super duper uper wonderful friend who hates Tapioca pudding and mushrooms (not together). I like Tapioca pudding and mushrooms (not together). Should I hate this person now because he doesn't care for Tapioca pudding mushrooms???

This is just as incongruent as a friend's recent posting on his blog...

Six ways to get rid of an annoying Shrub

1. read booklet with candidates, measures and propositions (automatically mark Kerry without reading)(check)
2. Fill in my yes and no's of choice for each candidate, measure and proposition on the absentee ballot (check)
3. stuff absentee ballot in envelope (check)
4. make sure to sign back of envelope (check)
5. put stamp on envelope (check)
6. drop envelope with absentee ballot in the mail at the post office (check)



What if the first notation read as...

1. read booklet with candidates, measures and propositions (automatically mark Hitler without reading)(check)


Despite my disagreement with his approach to voting, I think he's still a super great guy who I'm proud to have as a friend.

This is why I cannot support Sen. Kerry...

Today he went out during a campaign stump speech and ripped Pres. Bush for "incredible incompetent." If Sen. Kerry, I truly hope that he doesn't have to "eat crow" for his vulgar words... Discourse and debate are good. Vulgarity such as in this case is downright wrong and doesn't nothing. And nobody is going to make all of the right decisions all of the time....I guess Sen. Kerry will make all the right decisions.

I was reading US News and World Report today about how divided our country has become over the presidential election. This rudeness from the candidates has permeated the population at large.

Somebody said to me that they really have seen a lot of positive changes in me in the past six months, seeing that I'm happier, more self-assured, etc.

My super buddy friend, L, perhaps put it best, however, "I like to think of it not so much as change, but as an awakening of those parts of ourselves that tend to suffer the trevails of times and circumstances...We are coming into our own and finding a comfort in these skins."

After being trashed by an individual on my support of President Bush's re-election, I have kind of synthesized my thoughts.

My support for President Bush is tepid at best...but I'm not going to go around screaming and yelling and being hateful and say that he "just needs to be gotten rid of." That's the talk of politically immature imbeciles.

The other day the progressive San Diego Union-Tribune endorsed President Bush. Their editorial summed up my feelings. These are the key phrases...

"In recent days Kerry told The New York Times that his goal as president would be to contain terrorism to the level of a nuisance, like prostitution. That telling comment revealed a perfunctory worldview that is strikingly different from that of Bush, as his record of the last three years dramatically attests. When Al-Queda terrorists struck the president went on the offensive in aggressive fashion. He perceived immediately that the international order had changed in profound ways, that the wide-flung tentacles of terrorism threatened the civilized world."

The editorial concludes that...

"John Kerry's record of waffling on issues large and small does not instill ocnfidence that he would provide the steady leadershp that these uncertain times demand. With George Bush, however, there never is any doubt about whee he stands. That is why he merits another four years in the White House."

I couldn't say it any better.

I'm shocked on the news of the death of professional baseball player Ken Caminiti. No...I'm not a basefall fan (I've never been to a baseball game in my life) but I had the opportunity to meet him when I played his body double for a commercial filmed in San Diego (when he was a San Diego Padre) for a Nike Baseball TV commercial. As I recall, Ken Caminiti was definitely not the sharpest crayon in the box on the set of the TV commercial. He definitely was not the sharpest crayon by his use of cocaine and steroids. Although I found him to be mentally dull, apparently he was a good baseball player who garnered the admiration of his loving fans.

According to the Associated Press, "The three-time All-Star third baseman often was in trouble the last few years. His 15-year big league career ended in 2001, five seasons after he led the Padres to a division title and was a unanimous pick for MVP." The dispatch from the AP continues to say that Caminiti hoped to get back into the game, possibly in a position that would allow him to mentor younger players about avoiding the mistakes he made. Caminiti did return to baseball this year, serving as a spring training instructor with San Diego.

So sad...






Posted by Hello

Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.......since when am I "for sale"??? Nobody said anything to me!
Posted by Hello

Now I've heard everything...

I have little or no respect for those in the education field. They're the ones who have fucked up generations (including myself) with their newfangled theories...to the point that when I wanted to buy 10 fifty-five cent stamps, the cashier at the post office couldn't figure out that the final bill was going to be $5.50.

This is what has me screaming to high heaven and which just proves my points that those who are engaged in teaching teachers have no concept of reality. The Boston Herald reports that teachers should no longer use red pens to mark up students papers and tests. "A mix of red and blue, the color purple embodies red's sense of authority but also blue's association with serenity, making it a less negative and more constructive color for correcting student papers, color psychologists said. Purple calls attention to itself without being too aggressive. And because the color is linked to creativity and royalty, it is also more encouraging to students."

"I do not use red," said Robin Slipakoff, who teaches second and third grades at Mirror Lake Elementary School in Plantation, Fla. "Red has a negative connotation, and we want to promote self-confidence. I like purple. I use purple a lot."

The unfortunate part is that the older generation of teachers who have been in the classroom for 30 years or so are retiring, and still have the ability to think straight. The article says, "

Red has other defenders. California high-school teacher Carol Jago, who has been working with students for more than 30 years, said she has no plans to stop using red. She said her students do not seem psychologically scarred by how she wields her pen. And if her students are mixing up "their," "there," and "they're," she wants to shock them into fixing the mistake. "We need to be honest and forthright with students," Jago said. "Red is honest, direct, and to the point. I'm sending the message, 'I care about you enough to care how you present yourself to the outside world.' "

These so called "educators" are the same people who can't think straight, and are raising generations of future citizens who need everything sugar coated.

Shakespeare said, "Kill the lawyers." I say, "Beat some sense into the namby-pamby limp-wristed educators who cover up their own incompetence by encouraging others to be incompetent."

The thought occurred to me today that right-wing Bible banging conservatives keep going around doin' their "praise the lord" theater thinking that they are going to go to by straightshot to heaven. They say as a part of their mantra that the Bible teaches us not to judge others....but aren't they judging themselves when they go around harrassing those who don't share their views....discriminate against gay people, etc. ??? They say they are convinced that they are going to be in the express lane to heaven. But how do they really know that? It just might be that they might do their dastardly things in this life on earth, but when they go to heaven that they don't find a "lane closed" sign???????

Like millions of Americans I watched the Bush/Kerry "dog and pony show" called a "debate" and I have to agree with most spin doctors that it was a draw between the two. They both spewed a lot of hyperbole and statistics and really said nothing new. Until we fix the electoral process so we can get better candidates, we will be stuck with candidates who are really cut from the same cloth. Their positions really don't differ from one another....it all comes down to personalities.

My support of President Bush continues to be tepid at best.