Huckabee compares abortion to a holocaust

I had a hard time believing the reasoning for this one as reported by CNN our worker shortage is caused by abortion?

"Sometimes we talk about why we're importing so many people in our workforce," the former Arkansas governor said. "It might be for the last 35 years, we have aborted more than a million people who would have been in our workforce had we not had the holocaust of liberalized abortion under a flawed Supreme Court ruling in 1973."

Here I thought it was because employers would rather pay cheap wages to illegal immigrants because we don't enforce our current laws on the books to go after the employers which would force them to have to pay wages that Americans would actually want to work for to pick the crops, do the landscaping, etc....

Social networking for financial smarts...

Sure it's fun to do social networking, to chat, to discuss topics, to make new friends and to catch up with the latest gossip. Imagine if you could do all of that yet have a place where you could get some great stock tips as well as financial advice. That's the basis behind MyWallSt.net, a place to social network but one to learn the latest gossip, hints and more about investing.

We all know it's not what you know it's who you know all too often and this gives you a chance to connect with people interested in investing, learn from what worked for them or what didn't work for them. Share what worked for you or what you predict and what did not work out quite as you would have wanted. Rather than wait for publications to come out with most of the information already passe by then, here's a way to stay current on what's hot in the world of investments, from fellow investors just like you.

MyWallSt.net is free to join, it's easy to navigate when it comes to the website and it's membership numbers are growing daily. Stop by and check it out and enjoy trading virtual money with real stock...

Not enough water in Georgia?

While we see below that Bangkok is worried about being under water, in Georgia there is a disagreement as to is Georgia in a drought and should they be allowed to stop having to pump so much of their water so that Florida can power hydro-electric plants or not.

CNN is reporting Georgia governor, corps differ over extent of water emergency, which highlights some of the disagreement:

Perdue blasted what he called the "silly rules" governing the water supplies, noting that even if the state got replenishing rains, it could not by law conserve those, but must release 3.2 billion gallons a day downstream.

"The actions of the Corps of Engineers and Fish and Wildlife Service are not only irresponsible, I believe they're downright dangerous and Georgia cannot stand for this negligence," Perdue said.

The corps sent a letter to Perdue assessing the situation and pointing out that they are "not going to run out [of water] any time soon," Payne said.

The corps -- under an agreement reached in the 1980s with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the state and downstream users -- releases 5,000 feet of water per second from the dam between Lake Lanier and the Chattahoochee River.

The figure was based on a Florida hydroelectric power plant's needs, as well as concern for endangered species in the river, including mussels and sturgeon.

When you look at the pictures, it seems fairly clear that the water levels in Georgia are low...

Bangkok eventually will be under the sea...

Whether you want to believe it's climate change brought upon by man or a natural cycle of the Earth, Bangkok faces underwater future. What will happen to the 10 million people remains to be seen as Bangkok is one of the 13 of the world's largest 20 cities at risk of being swamped as sea levels rise in coming decades, according to warnings at the recent Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

It's obvious part of the problem was brought about by bad advice:

Once known as the "Venice of the East," Bangkok was founded 225 years ago on a swampy floodplain along the Chao Phraya River. But beginning in the 1950s, on the advice of international development agencies, most of the canals were filled in to make roads and combat malaria. This fractured the natural drainage system that had helped control Bangkok's annual monsoon season flooding.

Also illegal activity:

But the city, built on clay rather than bedrock, has also been sinking at a far faster pace of up to 4 inches annually as its teeming population and factories pump some 2.5 million cubic tons of cheaply priced water, legally and illegally, out of its aquifers. This compacts the layers of clay and causes the land to sink.

New way to search for information on people...

When I first read about Spock and how you can search for information on people and politicians in certain categories, one example would be Presidential candidates who are Pro-Choice, it sounded like an interesting website to check out. They even offer the ability to put a widget on your site for a search:



I'm far from famous but I wondered what would happen when I searched me, so that's what I did, and then I created a profile which took only a few moments to create. I then discovered that there was the ability to add a mini version of my Spock.com profile on any of my blogs that I wanted to.

You also have the ability to add your Linked in profile and search out friends. That seems to be a fun additional benefit of using Spock, though for me the main reason would be to have another resource to find out information on public officials/candidates. You can search by name or by tag, and as with the example above if you wanted to search in tags for "Presidential candidates democrat" using Spock.com you'd find a list of 41 names and also be able to add a widget for that particular search term as well.

Since promoting blogging is something that I'm really into, if I wanted to display a widget of Ohio bloggers on my sidebar, it would be possible to highlight all of those within Spock who are tagged "Ohio blogger". I saw some familiar faces which was fun and a few new people which was informative.



I do recommend checking out Spock.com to find information on the famous and to find information on the not so famous.

:-)

Roland S. Martin on Barack Obama...

If you have not yet read Roland S. Martin's commentary on CNN, Barack Obama's black wakeup call, I recommend heading over to do so.

Martin makes some interesting points:

There was a general assumption when Obama announced for the presidency that he was going to garner a lion's share of the black vote. In a normal presidential race, sure. But with Sen. Hillary Clinton in the race, the reality of the affection -- real and perceived -- that black folks have for the Clintons is clearly what has her storming out to a strong lead over Obama.

He then goes into giving reasons why he thinks black voters have been ambivalent about Obama:

Reason number one: The belief that white voters will not accept Obama so a vote for him will be a waste. Forget the fact that there are thousands of black elected officials in the country. African Americans running for the White House are not the norm, especially one with his credentials. This is a real concern, and one that can't be overlooked and dismissed easily.

Reason number two: Obama will be "taken out" if he wins. The New York Times had a piece over the weekend where a black woman essentially said her way of protecting Obama from harm is by not voting for him. Sounds nutty, but again, it's real, and it's been said many times. I've heard this "fear factor" time and time again, and it speaks to the deep concern blacks have that America has not advanced enough to be comfortable with a black man in the White House.

The third reason: Obama the policy wonk doesn't mesh with black voters. This is not to suggest that black voters don't care about issues -- they do. But Obama has a certain emotional detachment that has turned off many of them. You can't find one major "moment" where black voters have embraced him and showered him with love. I was highly critical of his performance at the June debate at Howard University because that was his crowd. But he failed to ignite the room. One HUGE Obama supporter told me that his daughter went to the event backing him, and came out loving Clinton.

While I'm not a black woman, I'm not sure Martin's advice as to the way to combat some of this is to put Michelle Obama on the road. As a woman, I'm smart enough to realize that how much I like or don't like a spouse really has no bearing on the decision to support or not support a presidential candidate. I seriously doubt many black women out there would feel any differently. Unless he's suggesting that Michelle Obama be the candidate instead, the end result of her stumping the campaign trail might not have a large affect.

Life without a Playstation...

Since our Playstation 2 was stolen, there have been moments where the game players in our family have looked at the collection of games and sighed. While there have been a few attempts to win a game station or two since then, they've lived through the drought of life without a video game system. However, hints about a playstation 3 have continued to increase and with the recent price drop? Could be possible...

The joys of grandma shopping...

One of the neat things I've already discovered about being a grandmother is how there are so many more options when it comes to shopping for children now as compared to when my five children were young. Something as simple as kids bedding has quite a few more choices than in the past. Whether her interest lead her to dragonflies or ballerinas, the bedding outfit to match is out there...

Bethel Woods Museum shouldn't need tax dollars...

I'm a fan of Woodstock, I won't regale my adventures as a nine year old but, it looks as if Bethel Woods Center for the Arts can raise enough money on it's own. When you consider the cost is slated to be at least $80 million in 2005 getting or not getting one million dollars is not going to be an major stumbling block, $15 million in financial aid was pledged by the State of New York in 2000.

It's also ironic that Hillary is being blasted for "supporting a hippy museum", when the reality is there were quite a few hard core Woodstock fans that did not even want the Center for the Arts to destroy the original area that Woodstock was held on.

:-)

You may now begin the grandmother jokes...

It's official!



Annika Grace entered the world at 6:02 a.m.

:-)

Online resource for those with less than perfect credit

There are many offers out there for credit card offers for people with bad credit. You could probably spend hours searching in various locations to try to find one that will meet your particular needs, which is why this online resource that contains offers for both unsecured credit offers and secured credit cards is a recommended site.

In addition to the credit card offers, there are many other resources listed from credit counseling to home loans. This gives you the ability to compare and to apply online...

In the end, what did Mona Shaw get?

While the Washington Post article almost makes Shaw a heroine, if you take a look at what the end result of her hammer bashing Comcast spree was it really worth it?

After:

Shaw storms in the company's office. BAM! She whacks the keyboard of the customer service rep. BAM! Down goes the monitor. BAM! She totals the telephone. People scatter, scream, cops show up and what does she do? POW! A parting shot to the phone!

Did it address the poor service issues? Did it get her telephone or television on? Nope:

Shaw received a three-month suspended sentence for disorderly conduct, a $345 fine in restitution and a year-long restraining order barring her from the Comcast office.

It would have been cheaper, easier and not entailed wasted time by Police officers had she just switched to Verizon and contacted one of the local media sources that has a consumer help aspect...

Regaling this type of behavior doesn't solve any of the real issues...

House fails to over turn Presidential veto on SCHIPS

After reading this, CNN breaking news story, House fails to override Bush veto of child insurance bill you can't help wonder what's next for the families that depended upon this health insurance for their children.

By a vote of 273 to 156, the measure fell 13 votes short of the two-thirds majority needed for an override. Forty-four Republicans voted for the override.

The Washington Post has the vote details. That is reporting different numbers stating 37 Republicans voted to support the veto over ride yet 2 Democrats voted against over turning the veto. Both news sources agree the vote was 13 votes short.

Here in Ohio; David Hobson, Stephanie Jones, Marcy Kaptur, Dennis Kucinich, Steven LaTourette, Deborah Pryce, Ralph Regula, Tim Ryan, Zachary Space, Betty Sutton, Pat Tiberi all voted in support of the veto over ride. John Boehner, Steve Chabot, Jim Jordan, Jean Schmidt voted no.

My daughter as a nurse...

My fourth oldest daughter is starting college this next semester with the goal set of becoming a nurse. While she is a very bright and talented young woman, I can't help but wonder if she is the "right stuff" for nursing. There are fields of nursing that she could be employed in that if she does decide this is for her that would appeal to her, such as becoming a travel nurse. She's not exactly the type who enjoys the same shift and the same location every day, so I could see where having the option of going from different locations in the United States would not only be something new and different but would give her the ability to see more of our country.

I really didn't realize how many options there were for travel nursing until I started to do some research on the different fields within nursing. It makes sense when you take a look at nursing history, women traveled to locations within the US and beyond as nurses.

This is not to say that I won't be wrong about her ability to deal with the actual requirements of becoming a nurse. There was a time before I had children that I was almost as squeamish as she is when it came to things that now I handle without even a second thought...

Accepting being a grandmother...

It appears from the phone call I got earlier that tonight could very well be the night that my daughter in law has her baby. In theory they have told her and my son that the baby is a girl so the first thing will be is the baby healthy, next will be was the ultrasound right or do they have a whole slew of pink items that will have to be returned.

I realize at almost 48 that my mother was already a grandmother when she was my age, I had my first child at age 21, my son is 24. It seems strange to me that my son could be expecting his first child when it feels like just yesterday he was born.

Yet, that is the way of life, those quick fleeting moments where before you know it, another major step in life has arrived...

A conservatory would be nice...

I can imagine how nice it would be to have a conservatory added to a home, even here in Ohio the additional space appears it would be usable all but the coldest months of the year. I'm also sure the myriad of cats we have would find the room quite enjoyable. The number of styles that Anglian Home offers is impressive, I'm partial to the Elizabethan style though the others are also very nice. From a construction standpoint all of the conservatories have a price guarantee and it's expected each will last a minimum of 25 years with a ten year warranty. Right now there is an additional special offer of a free Solaroof upgrade which aids cooling in the summer and warmth in the colder months. Anglian has been a trusted company that UK homeowners have turned to for home remodeling for over thirty six years and they have a full line of products and services with more information available on their website.

Anna Göldi

Having studied the history of witches and the beheading of Anna Göldi, this Newsweek article, Europe's 'Last Witch' was an interesting one. It's a web exclusive and contains video as well as some of the basic information as to what happened to Anna and the attempt all of these years later to clear her name.

She wasn't a witch but a live-in maid. She was indeed dangerous--but the spells she cast were in the bedrooms of the most powerful men in the canton, much younger than she. At a time when extramarital affairs were illegal, word of adultery could cost even the most powerful man in the land his influence. And Göldi had a history of sexual relations with the powerful men of the houses she tended. She had a relationship with one Dr. Melchior Zwicky, a doctor more than a decade her junior from a major Glarus political family for whom she was housemaid for six years in Mollis. The new documents Hauser has found show that Göldi may even have fled to Strasbourg in 1774 to secretly deliver and have baptized Zwicky's child.

But by 1782, Göldi, then 48, was working for the Tschudi family in Glarus. Her troubles began when Dr. Johann Jacob Tschudi, 35, a married doctor and judge from a politically powerful family, made sexual advances and she complained to church authorities, Hauser discovered. "There was speculation at the time that she was pregnant by Tschudi," the author says. Göldi had to be silenced. Suddenly, Tschudi alleged, one of the Tschudi children, Annemiggeli, became violently ill and spat up 100 needles. He blamed Göldi, alleging witchcraft. Soon a warrant was issued for her arrest. Once captured, she was imprisoned and tortured until she confessed. Replicas of her cell and the instrument used to torture her--a rope strung from a pulley that lifted her by the shoulders, her arms tied behind her back, stones tied to her ankles to stretch her body--are on display at the Mollis museum. The evangelical court, packed with Tschudis, charged Göldi with poisoning the child and condemned her to death by decapitation.

Software review spot...

I was checking out Bright Hub software reviews, since finding a reliable source of reviews for all of the different softwares is extremely helpful. There are so many different types that reading the opinions of those who have actually used it can make the difference between buying and not buying a particular title. Take the review of FantaMorph as an example, it's a software I have considered and in reading both of the reviews, it is one that I think I could have fun with.

Miguel will hate me but I could not resist...

hehehe...

Hillary leads in the Polls...will it matter?

Hillary Clinton could very well end up as the Democratic Candidate for President, and maybe she'll even win the election. If you look at recent headlines you'd wonder why is any other candidate even bothering to try? Poll: As Thompson's star fades, Clinton's on the rise:

On the Democratic side, Sen. Hillary Clinton of New York continues to gain support and build on her lead. She led Sen. Barack Obama by 23 points last month -- 46 percent to 23 percent. She now leads the Illinois senator by 30 points -- 51 percent to 21 percent.

I decided to search for a flashback moment to October 2003, and I discovered other bloggers had similar thoughts, which made this an easy find, so with a curtsy to Ablogistan we quote Zogby:

“This is stunning. Dean leads 43-20 among Democrats and 35 to 11 among Independents. He hits 40 among all age groups, union and non-union voters. His lead is 57-17 among self-described progressives, 50-20 among liberals, and 34-14 among moderates. Married voters give him a 38-13 edge and singles a 45-21 point lead. He holds huge leads among all education groups, among investors and non-investors, men and women. This qualifies as juggernaut status. Can he be stopped?”

Almost the same things are being written about Hillary Clinton:

Clinton Juggernaut Rolls On

The further we get in this campaign season the more it looks like it will take a huge unforced error on the part of Hillary Clinton to prevent her from winning the Democratic presidential nomination.

This time around though all of the other Presidential candidates are hoping for another Dean moment:

"I am perfectly willing to concede the lead to Hillary at the end of September," says David Axelrod, the chief media strategist for her chief rival, Illinois Senator Barack Obama.

"But if you have any doubts that these campaigns are fluid, go talk to Howard Dean. He was leading the (Democratic) polls in the fall four years ago and ... was being declared the almost-certain (presidential) nominee by the news media by the middle of the fall that year."

Appears Axlerod will have to concede October as well...

Asked about a belief among some that a Clinton nomination is inevitable, Edwards brushed the idea aside.

"I lived through the inevitability of Howard Dean," he said.

John might have to live through the inevitability of Dean as well...

Or? Things could change, the American people and more importantly the American media is a fickle thing and anyone who remembers how one campaign moment for Howard Dean was twisted and blown out of proportion would realize today's poll star could be tomorrow's poll memory...

Dog is man's best friend but what about me?

Right now we have two dogs, and I'll be the first one to admit that I still have not gotten over the death of my dog, Draco, a Manchester Terrier. When one of my daughter's had to move back home and with her came Ekoh, the female Manchester Terrier that came from the same breeder as Draco it was hard at first. It made me miss him all the more and Ekoh is not Draco, she's not a bad dog but she does not have his personality.

I've tried to be a huge advocate of dog crates, when my other daughter's now ex-boyfriend decided to buy her a puppy for Christmas without bothering to ask us if that was okay, our other dog, Quilla, a terrier mix started out being crate trained, until wayward family members gave in and were not consistent with keeping her in a crate.

This does not mean I am anti-dog, but the same as with the myriad of cats we have, none of them are ones that I personally selected, yet as the "mom", I'm the one who cares for them when they are sick or when other people don't remember to let them out, I'm the one on doggy doo doo clean up detail. Which is why I encourage people that if they are going to adopt a pet, to consider one from one of the many Humane Societies out there, that while a puppy is great there are so many animals out there that need someone like me that will take them in and care for them...

At least I'm not in last place...

This year has not been a good year for me for the football pool that I play in that is done by my husband's job. This is the fourth year I've played and the first year that he is beating me. He's creaming me...while thankfully I'm not in last place, he's the one who has been in first place rather than me.

I'm trying to be a gracious person but I gotta tell you, he's gloating much more than I ever did...

:-)

I want to live long enough to see a woman in the Whitehouse...

If my great-grandmother was still alive she would probably be one of those women who Hillary Clinton described meeting during the brief clip shown from her appearance today on "The View" that CNN writes about, It's hard running for prez as a woman. She would have been one of those who despite being politically naive to the point of voting whatever the party ticket was "because they know better than I do" would have been excited by the idea of finally having a woman as President. I can never ever forget the impact that Shirley Chisholm had on me, in fact I can go back to the time when she ran for President as one of the very reasons I'm the way I am today as far as still being a political junkie. While I was influenced by Chisholm's presence and determination, my great-grandmother told me that she would never win because she was black and a woman. "Honey, men are not ready to let a woman be president, white people are not ready to let a black be president and Shirley is both" is what she stated to me. She was of course right, but the question of is America ready now for a woman to be president versus does America want Hillary to be president is still yet to be determined.

Ghetto Skis

As a former avid fan of skiing, I appreciate the quality of rossignol skis, and if I were to start skiing again, their Rossignol Scratch Ghetto Skis would be the set I'd want. Yes, I'm woman and that particular ski is designed for men but I preferred men's skis in the past. Christysports.com has a huge selection of Skis, Boards and clothing and they also have a rental program in quite a few locations in Colorado and Utah. They also have some really nice clearance deals right now so if there is that special someone who is into snow boarding or skiing, now would be a great time to head over to get some great deals for the Holidays...

Lawyer sues on behalf of unborn embryo...

I read the headline over at Wired, Lawyer Represents Unborn Embryo in Federal Court Tuesday and I thought perhaps it had something to do with a custody case, yet as I started to read the article, discovered it's very far from that:

A Maryland lawyer has filed a lawsuit representing Mary Scott Doe, an unborn embryo, against Robert Klein, chairman of the California Institute of Regenerative Medicine, the state-run $3 billion stem cell research funding agency.

Martin Palmer, a trial lawyer in Hagerstown, Maryland, and founder of the National Association for the Advancement of Preborn Children (NAAPC, get it? The website goes to a placeholder as of Friday afternoon), has also represented several men in paternal rights cases involving unborn embryos.

Kristen Philipkosk stated that the website for NAAPC was a place holder at the time the Wired article was written, but it appears it's now come on line at www.naapc.net. I took a look at the 46 page complaint, one part to share that will give you an idea of the tone of the complaint:

PARTIES
4. Plaintiff Mary Scott Doe is a human embryo “born,” i.e., produced or
brought into life, in one of the states of the United States, including the state of
California, by the new science of in vitro (Latin for “in glass”) fertilization,
whereby the process of fertilization, which produces or brings her into life, takes
place not in a tube of flesh (the fallopian tube) but in a tube of glass (the test
tube), after which life for her has been presently suspended by the freezing of
Mary Doe in liquid nitrogen (cryo-preservation) and from which she may be
thawed and gently returned to the warmth of life and placed for human embryo
adoption so that she may fulfill her destiny as a fully developed human life or, in
the alternative, she may be coveted and enslaved for human embryo vivisection
and experimentation, resulting in her certain death and destruction.

It will be interesting to see what happens...

Great stress reliever, demolition derby

No, I'm not suggesting going out there with the family sedan and crashing up other cars but earlier today we had a bit of fun with RC cars and our own version of demolition derby. Granted you don't want to do the car version of battle bots with some of the nicer remote control cars out there but when you have some older ones...it can be fun...

:-)

Incirlik Air Base could be lost...

The logic in pushing the resolution on Armenian genocide becomes even more questionable as something to push right now when you stop to realize how much our US troops depend on Incirlik Air Base. If this is some type of a plan to try to end the war by Congressional Democrats, as has been suggested by some, that's a really stupid move. All this will do is make it even harder on our troops, and others.

For those that seriously think this is worth it, they might want to read up on the history of Incirlik. We have been banned from it in the past and from what is being suggested by many political analysts, it's very possible it will happen again.

France is banned from being allowed to fly over Turkish airspace since 2006 when a similar resolution on the issue of Armenian genocide was passed.

Seventy percent of air cargo, 30 percent of fuel shipments and 95 percent of new mine resistant armored vehicles destined for US forces in Iraq go through Turkey.

Washington Post reporter murdered in Iraq...

I opted for a different title for my post than the one the Washington Post selected, Washington Post Correspondent Dies in Iraq because the reality is Salih Saif Aldin was murdered, he was shot at close range in the forehead from the newspapers own reports.

The story of what he went through to report the news, should make everyone pause for a moment when it comes to what these journalists go through to try to bring the news and the truth to us. At least 118 journalists have been killed in Iraq, how many more will die before this is over would be to ask the same question as to how many US soldiers will die, how many more innocent Iraqis will die, how many more terrorists will die and the only real answer to that is no one knows.

I don't know how updated this list is, but it is stated it's one of journalists currently in Iraq and the Middle with the request that you keep them in your hearts and prayers.

Laywers on TV

I remember when the first ads came on television by lawyers and the discussion it created. Now of course there are many things that are advertised that back then would have raised eyebrows, from feminine hygiene products to Raleigh accident lawyers to sexual dysfunction, it's now become common place. Just as years ago advertising on the internet was thought to not have a future, now it's a multi million dollar industry.

Vegan Art Teacher fired...It all started with peeps...

I received an email today from Dave Warwak telling me about his being told to "stay away from children" after handing out cards to them at a homecoming parade in his hometown of Williams Bay, Wisconsin. He shared a link to his website, inslide.com and as I started reading, I wanted to learn more of the facts of how he ended up being fired for being a vegan. There were some local news reports, like this one from CBS in Chicago that gave some of the basics, and a Chicago Tribune story that reported on why he was fired,:

"We are not going to go vegan at this time," said Pat Hughes, president of the Fox River Grove School District 3 School Board.

The board, which voted 7-0 to fire Warwak, said in a prepared statement that he told pupils not to tell their parents, teachers or the school's principal what he was teaching and that he repeatedly refused to answer questions from school officials on that subject.

There are a few blog posts out there, some written by Vegans who are either supportive of or at least understanding of the frustration Dave Warwak felt and a few by non-vegans who call him a "waccko" among other endearments. Yet there were really no details as to how this all happened until I found this post on animal rights meet up. This is how the peeps comes in (though it must be said that since Peeps do contain gelatin...they are not vegan or vegetarian friendly):

He bought peeps for many students and for the entire faculty and asked that each person personalize the peeps and keep the peeps safe and sound for three days before returning the peeps to Dave. Principal Mahaffy even drew a balloon in which his peep pointed to the Principal and said "he's the greatest." Many of the children became attached to the peeps and only reluctanly gave them back to Dave on the 4th day. Dave then took the personalized peeps and put them in a mural in the school's hallway. On the first day, Dave took a few peeps and put their heads on plaques painted on the walls as if they were hunters' trophies. The next day, he put a few peeps in cages as if they were in a zoo. On the third day, he put a few peeps between slices of bread. Now, the point of the Peeps became clear: Animals, like the Peeps, may taste good but humans should care for them, not eat, jail, and kill (and run lab tests on) them. To underscore his point, Dave painted pictures of Einstein, da Vinci, and other famous vegetarians on the mural with quotations from each of them lauding the practice of vegetarianism and condemning meat-eating. He invited his students to join him on painting the mural and replaced all the signs with "school rules" in his classroom with signs saying "YES" all over the classroom.

In April, when his point became clear, the Principal and Faculty shunned Dave with the Principal (who has a PHD) feeling he was "bamboozled." Although the children loved the project (some of the children who killed frogs were now hanging up PETA literature at the local Jewel's bulletin board), Dave felt defeated.

There's more at the post

Dave Warwak did what many people do when they find something new that changes their life, the same thing two of mine did when they became a vegetarian/vegan, it almost became an evangelical thing for them. He wanted everyone to discover what he felt for him had been a life changing experience.

I think the peep experiment was a creative way of getting his message through, though as a parent, creating a scenario where middle school kids who are most likely not eating a healthy diet in the first place, just stop eating meat or dairy products without some type of a substitute being available isn't helpful. I also can't help feeling that if he would have been a Life Sciences/Home Economics or even a Gym teacher it might have been just a bit different. While he used Art to start the peeps message, some of the questions were directly related to how much art was being taught.

As to the cards with the message about Santa being a lie? I'll write the same thing I told my then five year old when she had a kindergarten teacher who decided to inform the class that Santa wasn't real. Talk about some upset five year olds...

The stories of Santa, the reindeer's and the North Pole aren't true, but the reason the stories were created was to remind people about what the spirit of the Christmas season is supposed to truly be about, the spirit of love and giving. Then again, my five year old already knew that...each parent has their own system of beliefs and traditions while it's great for teachers to share a bit of their beliefs so that our children learn diversity, if it's taken too far it creates situations like Dave Warwak is experiencing right now.

Media...GOP and creating NASCAR drama...

Wow...if you actually believed the GOP and most of our more irresponsible media, you'd think that Democrats believed they needed immunizations before they went to watch NASCAR. Watch the spin below:



Interested in the real truth?

Thompson said the immunizations are commonly recommended for people working in hospitals, holding centers and similar locations.

"Since committee staff members are visiting hospital and other health-care facilities available at or near these venues, including areas where groups of people are detained before being transferred to other off-site facilities, I believe that the recommendation (not requirement) that our congressional staff receive these same immunizations was sound," Thompson said in a letter responding to Hayes issued Wednesday.

"I am sure you would agree that providing immunizations to personnel involved in public safety is good public health policy, and there is no need to exclude staff from taking the preventative measures that the public health community recommends -- regardless of why and where mass gatherings are taking place," Thompson said in the letter.

Much less exciting...

The wonderful stretching of skin....

Having had children, my body has evolved from the days of my very skinny days to weighing much more than I probably should have. Some of this was not within my area of control as when it came to the natural weight gain of pregnancy and some of my weight issues were a result of a health condition/reactions to medications. Our skin is wonderful when it comes to being able to stretch when we gain weight and in most cases when there is a weight loss it will eventually "unstretch" for lack of a better scientific term but anyone male or female who has gone through this probably has a few stretch marks. For some of us we've been lucky and they are not that noticeable, but for others, it bothers them enough that they consider Stretch Mark Removal.

There are no instant cures for stretch marks contrary to some of the products sold out there, but there are many different options from the very intensive tummy tuck surgery to some creams and lotions that have been proven to reduce the appearance of stretch marks. HealthySkinPortal.com is a helpful place to get quite a bit of information on the different treatments and procedures for stretch marks and other skin conditions.

In addition to informational resources they also offer provider information and clearly identify which service provider has met their standards as a part of their SignatureCertified skin care specialist program. If there is no certified specialist, they list if there is one who has certification pending. The listings are easy to use as they are broken down by state and then by locations. HealthySkinPortal.com was designed with the goal of making sure that consumers are given all of the information possible to make a decision that will give them the best end result.

Representative John Lewis endorses Clinton...

Barack Obama may have Oprah's support, but the big news of the day when it comes to endorsements is Black civil rights leader endorses Clinton:

NEW YORK (AP) — Democratic Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton has earned the endorsement of a prominent black civil rights leader and congressman, dealing a setback rival Barack Obama who has his sights set on being the first black president of the United States.

Clinton and John Lewis, a leading rights leader in the 1960s, were scheduled to hold a campaign event Friday in Atlanta to discuss the endorsement.

Nice statement of confidence from the Obama campaign:

"Barack Obama has great admiration for John Lewis and understands his long relationship with Bill Clinton. He looks forward to his support when Barack Obama is the nominee," said Obama spokesman, Bill Burton in response to the endorsement.

Yet, it appears despite the early rush to support Obama that is fading along with his polling numbers. There is still time, last Presidential election this far out had anyone suggested John Kerry would end up with the nomination I would have scoffed...

Remember those who have less during the holidays...

Since at times I feel as if I am surgically attached to my computer, most of the shopping I do is done online, and the idea of entering crowded stores or malls really does not appeal to me at all. Yet, there are organizations like Toys for Tots that I support yearly as just one example. Thanks to the internet, shopping for toys is pretty easy and when you make use of a site like Coupon Chief and take advantage of their coupon codes you can save even more when you do shop, which means you can potentially be able to buy more for those who have less.

I always try to find some of the top selling toys for this year as well as looking for free shipping offers. One great place to shop for toys online is KB Toys, it's very easy to find popular toys and games for both boys and girls that you know will help make a child's holiday season more special.

Another store I really love that most people might not think of when it comes to gift buying is Oriental Trading. They have an amazing selection of items that could be used for stocking stuffers, which really comes in handy if you are going to do some type of a volunteer project to make gift baskets for families. It's really a nice touch to include a few small toys or even craft projects.

Whether you are planning on giving to a charity or buying for your family, Coupon Chief is one of the largest sources for coupon codes and with the way they list by store and by category, it makes finding just what you are looking for user friendly.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi defends timing of Armenian Genocide Resolution...

Saying that "There's never a good time", which while may be very true, there are still quite a few people out there questioning why now is the time to force a situation that appears to have an impact on relations with Turkey. Making statements like this could very well backfire on the Democrats in support of this non-binding resolution:

An one of the chief supporters of the resolution, House Foreign Affairs Chairman Tom Lantos, D-California, was unmoved by the administration's arguments that Turkey would block the use of U.S. airbases on Turkish soil.

"The Turkish government will not act against the United States because that would be against their own interests," he told CNN. "I'm convinced of this."

Lantos may be convinced but it doesn't appear Ike Skelton is:

Armed Services Committee Chairman Ike Skelton, D-Missouri, has sent a letter to Pelosi on Thursday opposing the resolution, saying the resulting backlash threatened by Turkey could disrupt "America's ability to redeploy U.S. military forces from Iraq," a top Democratic priority.

Another look at how serious the situation is in Turkey and the possible consequences that could result from this non-binding resolution are covered in the Washington Post, Tensions Rise in Turkey on Two Fronts.

President Abdullah Gul called Wednesday's congressional vote "unacceptable," adding, "Some politicians in the United States have once again sacrificed important matters to petty domestic politics despite all calls to common sense."

Further adding to the why this is not the right time:

Fifteen Turkish soldiers have been killed in the past five days: Sunday, PKK fighters attacked an 18-member Turkish commando unit, killing 13 of the soldiers in a gun battle near the border; two Turkish soldiers were killed Monday in a booby-trap explosion. In addition, a police officer was killed Wednesday in the southern Turkish city of Diyarbakir. Last week, PKK gunmen raked a civilian bus with automatic weapons fire, killing 13 civilians, including a 7-year-old boy. The Turkish news media have described the attacks as the deadliest in more than a decade.

Since this is being compared to the Holocaust, one of the similarities is that no one seems to be able to agree on how many were really killed. It should be pointed out this is not the first period of killing of Armenians, during the Hamidian massacres which took place in the 1890's the variation on the numbers of Armenians killed range from R. J. Rummel estimating that 15,000 Armenians were killed, Turkey's claim of 25,000 to 30,000 were killed and the Armenians claiming 250,000 dead to as high as 350,000 killed, with various historical experts claiming numbers within that range.

If you take the high end of the Armenian estimates and believe that 350,000 were killed during the Hamidian massacres and then an additional 600,000 to 1.5 million killed beginning in 1915, the gruesome but logical question becomes where close to 1.75 million bodies buried from that 20 year time period? There is evidence that a majority of residents in some villages were murdered, as this report shows 350 bodies were found. The documented number from the sites that have been excavated shows a total of 2,950. Where are the bodies from the other estimated over one and a half million? Since it is believed that many Armenians died when they were driven from their homes into the desserts, there should be evidence of that many deaths. Unlike the Holocaust there were not furnaces or other forms of body disposal being used that would create a logical explanation.

While I completely understand the importance of getting answers and trying to force the government of Turkey to acknowledge the history of what happened in the 1890's and in the 1915 time period when it comes to the numbers of Armenians who were murdered, if historians can not even agree on what happened, should that not be the first focus?

US gaining on UK in mobile Web use

In reading this article entitled, Search Is Driving Mobile Web Growth In The U.S., I didn't realize that the US had made such gains in numbers. It appears the growth is mainly due to using mobile search and there is a definite growth in the popularity of the mobile website. Companies like Go Live Mobile are becoming well known when it comes to mobile website hosting and mobile website design. This is a critical element since sites developed specifically for mobile users make their mobile web browsing a faster and more enjoyable experience. This also means there is some new terminology, terms like wap site, WAP means "Wireless Application Protocol". This also means terms like wap site hosting and wap site design are becoming more common. If the predictions in the article prove true, it appears this will continue to grow in popularity and use as more mobile phone users experience the web.

Turkey has recalled its ambassador to the US

Yesterday, a few people took me to task here on the blog for my belief that a non-binding resolution really served no purpose. That in addition to having other more present danger type situations here in the US that should be getting the attention of Congress, these non-binding resolutions were basically useless.

It appears I was wrong, they do have one use, as CNN is reporting as breaking news that Turkey has recalled it's Ambassador to the United States as a result of the Armenian genocide bill.

"Yesterday some in Congress wanted to play hardball," said Egemen Bagis, foreign policy adviser to Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. "I can assure you Turkey knows how to play hardball."

That would seem to be the opposite effect of those who expressed here that passing the non-binding resolution would create some sort of positive change in Turkey when it came to teaching history and improve conditions for those living there now. This decision to recall the Ambassador comes after an earlier warning from the Turks that in part stated:

Turkish President Abdullah Gul, who has warned in a letter to Bush that U.S. recognition of the mass killings as genocide would cause "serious problems" between the countries, called the resolution "unacceptable."

Meanwhile Turkey's ambassador to the U.S., Nabi Sensoy, said the resolution would be a "very injurious move to the psyche of the Turkish people," predicting that its passage would create a backlash in his country.

Egemen Bagis, a foreign policy adviser to Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, told an audience in Washington that U.S. lawmakers wanted to play hard ball, adding: "I can assure you Turkey knows how to play hard ball."

Bagis added that Turkey would respond if Congress passed a bill and warned: "I can promise you it won't be pleasant."

He cited Turkey's refusal to allow French airplanes to cross its air space since France passed a law declaring it a crime to deny that the mass killings of Armenians between 1915 and 1923 constituted genocide.

How anyone believes this will make life any easier for those like the Kurds who are already experiencing hell was beyond me before the events of today took place.

This doesn't seem "calm, orderly or focused"

Today my youngest daughter was threatened at school by one black male and three black females based on how she dressed and the friends she has at school. One of these friends was beaten with a belt and a shoe by some of the same group threatening her. The victim was suspended, not those who attacked him. Today in Cleveland, another Ohio City an hour and a half from here, this happened:

Coon "came out of the bathroom and bumped Mike and he (Mike) punched him in his face. Mike started walking.

Focus on that for a second without knowing what came next. This is at a school that according to:

John Zitzner, founder and president of E City Cleveland, a nonprofit group aimed at teaching business skills to inner-city teens. "It's orderly, it's disciplined, it's calm, it's focused."

A student of the school bumps into someone and is punched in the face, which given the student who was punched was currently suspended for fighting, it seems it would be known there were some problems. Then there is this about the same student:

"He's crazy. He threatened to blow up our school. He threatened to stab everybody," Doneisha LeVert said. "We didn't think nothing of it."

And:

Student Frances Henderson, 14, said she often got into arguments with Coon, who once told her, "I got something for you all." He was a "gothic" who usually wore a trench coat, black boots and a dog collar, she said.

Officials said he was wearing a black Marilyn Manson concert shirt, black jeans and black-painted finger nails.

You have a student with known problems who made threats who was obviously not liked by his peers with the outcome:

A 14-year-old suspended student, dressed in black, opened fire in his downtown high school Wednesday, wounding four people as terrified schoolmates hid in closets and bathrooms and huddled under laboratory desks. He then killed himself.

My daughter's school doesn't have metal detectors, which this school had but didn't use regularly, when these school systems and parents finally learn to start being more proactive when it comes to dealing with children who send out clear warning signs will be when these school shootings stop happening.

I'll do what I can to do to protect my daughter, but I can't prevent her from being the next victim as long as school systems and parents allow children to be ostracized, bullied, abused to the point where they strike back the only way they seem to have been taught how to react - with violence. The cycle of violence needs to be broken...

Everybody was Kung Fu Fighting...

Not only is it a catchy tune, but many people turn to the Martial Arts to keep fit in addition to the protection aspect. My son took Akido lessons for years and there was a time when I took kickboxing classes, which I enjoyed and it really did keep me fit. Unfortunately it became difficult for me to get to and from classes, and at that time martial arts equipment supplies were hard to find and fairly expensive.

That's not true today though, which makes me think it's time to perhaps get back into it since it was not only a great way to stay fit but a fantastic stress reliever. Places like Pad Up carry a huge selection of items from belt racks to display how far you've come to punching bags to even pink boxing gloves. This gives you a way set up your own personal work out space and to be able to work out at home at your own convenience.

Agency: Pollution Cuts Europe Lifespans

As reported through Wired News life expectancy in western and central Europe will be shorter by nearly a year. There's more at the link but part of it:

BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) -- Poor air and water quality, and environmental changes blamed on global warming, have cut Europeans' life expectancy by nearly a year, Europe's environmental agency warned Wednesday.

More must be done - fast - to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and to improve air and water quality, the European Environment Agency said in a 400-page report presented at a ministerial conference held in Serbia.

Hundreds of thousands of people across Europe are dying prematurely because of air pollution, it said. "The estimated annual loss of life is significantly greater than that due to car accidents," the report said.

At this rate, life expectancy in western and central Europe will be shorter by nearly a year, it said. The current average age expectancy in western and central Europe is 70 for men and 74 for women.

Sigh...how about we worry about the now and the future?

When you read the headline, White House: Genocide resolution would hurt relations with key ally you might assume that the issue of genocide might have something to do with the many places on the planet right now where genocide is happening or recently happened.

No...what our fine elected congressional representatives and our president are focusing on is:

The nonbinding proposal, which is to be considered by the House Foreign Affairs Committee, refers to the "genocide" of Armenians in the early 20th century during the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, which preceded the creation of modern Turkey in 1923.

First, it's a nonbinding proposal which means, it means nothing. Secondly, we have real important issues facing this country right now, a war, the economy, health care, and while what happened in 1915 is important from a historical standpoint, we should be spending our energies on preventing suffering for those here on Earth right now.

BP Solar Decathlon

We've been covering climate changes and what we can do to help our environment as far as green technology recently. It was with great interest that I read about the BP Solar Decathlon. While the perception of BP only being interested in traditional fossil fuels could be assumed in hearing just the name BP, they are actually very involved in trying to develop different forms of alternative fuels as well as energy efficiency. Twenty university teams design completely solar-powered houses that must be livable in this contest then transport them to Washington D.C. in this event that is held every other year. BP in addition to being a main corporate sponsor is the only energy company to be involved in sponsorship with this event that is also sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy.

At this moment there are two days to the event, and it's being covered in great detail on a blog specially created for the BP Solar Decathlon that has pictures, information on solar power and as the event grows closer, you can expect the winners to be announced as well. This is the third year for this event and the past two times the University of Colorado took home first place, they were again selected this year to compete by the Department of Energy. Will they bring home the win again or will one of the other teams design the most attractive and most energy efficient solar home? Just a few more days for that to be discovered...

GOP candidates worried about Hillary...

Following the logical line in politics that they only focus on you when they perceive you as a threat, At Debate, GOP Hopefuls Again Focus on Clinton by Chris Cillizza.

I guess if those considering a republican candidate are going to decide who to vote for based on who can get the best jabs out there on Hillary Clinton, they were in good shape after tonight's debate. If they were looking for real substance? Didn't happen...

What does being a lesbian have to do with it?

The headline at Fox News, Lesbian Sues Restaurant After Bouncer Boots Her From Women's Bathroom, made me ponder after reading the article, especially this part:

Farmer said she knows she looks like a man with her closely cropped hair and male clothing. She said people usually apologize after making the mistake, but the bouncer told her, "I want you out of this restroom and out of this restaurant."

Her sexual preference has no bearing on how she was treated, there are many women who prefer short hair and appear to be more masculine that are not lesbians. I know of several women who could be mistaken for men who are not lesbians and several women who are very feminine who are lesbians...

They want another dog...I say two is enough...

Currently we have two dogs in our household, one is the one many of you have seen pictured here before, Quilla, who is a shih tzu/terrier mix and Ekoh who is a manchester terrier who did live with me as a puppy and now that the daughter that owned her moved back home is again living with us. I have nothing against bigger dogs, and I can oohh and ahhh with the best of them when it comes to looking at boxer photos. I don't know many who would not want a boxer puppy, especially after looking at how cute Cali Cross is.

It's not as if I'm a person who would ever be mean to dogs or be like Michael Vick and not know the first thing about dog responsibilities. Nor am I like our current president when it comes to abdicating responsibility. That is part of the issue though, is I know very well who will end up with the additional responsibility despite all of the promises. Me. When it comes to the physical work aspect of dogs even the liberal members of my family are like Michael Vick and the President, minus the death of animals and problems in our society, but they are slick fast speaking promiser's of walks and housebreaking and other things that unfortunately for them? I'm not buying and thankfully this house is not a democracy...

Global warming or not...weather has been devastating...

This picture of a giant wave that hit Taiwan creates an instant sobering moment of the reality of the force of nature.



Then here in the US, hundreds in Chicago were affected by the heat at the Chicago Marathon with one man dying as a result of the heat and humidity.

I know here in Toledo Friday was a record breaking day for heat, yesterday was close and it appears today broke the record that was set in 1963 of 91 degrees, it reached 92 degrees today. This of course points out that we have had record heat in October in years past since Friday's previous record was in 1951 and today's was in 1963.

As has been stated here previously, I do believe man has an impact on the environment that can affect our weather, but I also realize that weather as well as other factors that impact the weather such as Sun flares, etc., do appear to go in cycles as well.

Lindsay Lohan makes the news again...

The amount of attention we place on celebrities and their personal issues never ceases to amaze me, and the amount of discussion on things like Lindsay Lohan checking out of drug rehab makes me wonder at times. It seems we have a larger segment of our population who would rather worry about Lindsay or Brittany Spears losing her children than they do issues that affect them like health care or who should lead our country...

My neck is still naked...

A few months ago the chain to my favorite necklace broke and I haven't found one to replace it yet that I like as much. When I look at designer inspired jewelry, part of the problem for me is finding that "one" that calls to me. I'm the type of person that once I find a piece of jewelry that I like, I wear it every day. What I should do when I find a piece I really love is buy more than one so that way if something happens I don't go through the searching for just the right replacement...

Travel insurance and age limits...

Until I started doing some research, I had no idea that there were some companies that did not provide a medical option for travel insurance over 70. Most of the insurance plans have an age cut off of between 60 to 69 years of age, this means some of our senior citizens residing in parts of the world like England don't have the option of the additional medical coverage.

Cover My Travels is different in that it offers Medical Travel Insurance for travelers up to age 79. Some medical insurance plans also charge extra for what is called "Hazardous activities", which means elderly or not, if you decide to take a whitewater river rafting trip you could have to pay extra for medical travel insurance coverage. Cover My Travels is different in that aspect too, they cover most of these types of activities from Archery to Wind Surfing for no additional charge.

Considering many of the Senior Citizens I've met that have decided that in their golden years they are going to experience adventure for the first time, one example would be a former neighbor of mine who was 70 and decided he was going to go sky diving, it's nice to know that there are some companies out there that realize adventure doesn't stop in your 60's.

Meeting Dr. Lonnie Thompson

Last night I had the opportunity to attend a forum on Climate change sponsored by the City of Toledo and the University of Toledo. The main speaker for the evening was Dr. Lonnie Thompson from Ohio State University, a leading expert on climate change, especially related to glacier ice. His name will be familiar to those of you have read or heard or watched Al Gore's Inconvenient Truth.

Bottom line, no matter how you feel about global warming the reality is our Earth is changing and at a more rapid pace than predicted. The affects of these changes especially the melting of the glacier ice will have an impact on many parts of the world with huge ramifications possible when it comes to the access to water. China is putting a new coal powered plant to generate electricity online each week, that is going to create even more pollution and a global impact on our environment.

As Dr. Thompson aptly pointed out last night, part of our human nature seems to be never dealing with an issue until it reaches a crisis proportion. A river is polluted for years, a few keep talking about the issue, telling people that action needs to be taken. For years it's ignored until the river gets so polluted it actually catches on fire. That's just one real example of how we as a human race put off action. The reality is it is probably impossible to combat some of what is happening but there are steps we can take to minimize the damage, to not add to it.

Some of those steps were covered last night as far as solutions that will help our environment and make us less reliant on other countries to provide our nation with fuel.

So, even if you are a part of the group that believes that Global warming is a hoax and this is some natural cycle, the natural cycle will cause quite a bit of hardship and destruction that could very well impact us since we all do share the same Earth...

Technical Training that Works...

The motto that you see when you visit the Wyotech website is, "Get your hands dirty with technical training that works". What this means is that the training you get through Wyotech is hands on training in some of the in demand fields that include automotive, aviation, HVAC, and watercraft. Why this is important is it is easier to enter the work force for one of these tech careers when you have actually done the job.

Wyotech has seven different campuses in five states and it's very easy to sign up for more information through their website. You'll be able to find out about financial aid, specifics on which programs they offer at the campus nearest to you and discover when you can get started learning what could very well be the career of your dreams. All seven schools are accredited and have a high job placement ratio after successful completion of their training courses.

Emails rolling in about Presidential Veto...

Joe Trippi from the John Edwards for President campaign was first, with of course the requisite plea for donations:

Dear Lisa Renee,

You're not going to believe this—President Bush just vetoed health care for millions of low-income children!

I know that's hard to believe, and I wish I were making it up. But I'm not. Earlier today, President Bush vetoed a bipartisan expansion of the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP)—a successful program that provides health care to millions of low-income children.

All I can say is, compassionate conservatism indeed.

Then Joaquin Guerra from the Bill Richardson for President campaign without a request for donations which was awe inspiring:

How the Grinch Stole Children's Health Care
WASHINGTON, DC-- New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson issued the following statement today regarding President Bush's veto of the SCHIP legislation passed by Congress:

"The Grinch came three months early this year and stole children's health care. Unfortunately, this is no fairy tale, and unless Congress overrides the President's veto, it will not have a happy ending.

"President Bush's veto is irresponsible. It is outrageous. It is simply immoral. Of the many shifting rationales the President has offered for vetoing this bill, one is that it will burden private insurance companies. That sums up everything we need to know about this President. Choosing between insurance companies and children should not be hard.

Then an email with the subject line of "Unbelievable" from Dr. Howard Dean:

Dear Lisa,

This morning, President Bush rejected health care for children. Now it's time for Democrats to reject President Bush.

If we can get 2/3 of Congress to stand up to President Bush, we can overturn his veto on the State Children's Health Insurance Program -- a program that provides health insurance for millions of kids.

We need your help to get those votes.

It stands to reason that calls to action are being made on this issue and you should contact your elected representative in Washington. From here in Ohio - Brian Rothenberg, the Executive Director of Progress Ohio shares the following:

Call Voinovich, Boehner, and Chabot today and demand that they do the right thing: Stand with Ohio's families, and vote to override Bush's veto.

Senator George Voinovich: DC Office: (202) 224-3353

Congressman John Boehner: Toll-free: (800) 582-1001

Congressman Steve Chabot: DC Office: (202) 225-2216

There is also an online petition you can sign.

Water drops on my head...

For a brief moment yesterday I thought our upstairs bathroom leaking problems had returned. I was standing at the stove and felt a drip of water from above through the area of drywall that we hadn't repaired yet since I wanted to make sure the leak was really solved. It turns out the problem was related to shower faucets rather than plumbing, one of the girls moved the shower head over too far and did not properly close the shower curtain, which caused a small amount of water to pool outside of the bathtub.

Pelosi's prayer not answered...

It was reported that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was praying that President Bush would not veto the bipartisan children's health insurance bill.

It appears, those prayers were not answered, Bush vetoes expansion of kids' health insurance program.

There are enough votes for an over-ride in the Senate but not in the House...

What does this say about our military?

I was reading the story about a US sailor who is facing the possibility of his wife being deported while he is sent back to serve in Iraq, U.S. sailor: Don't deport my wife. The situation is very troubling and what this points out is where many of those who are being sent to defend our country are coming from:

Gonzalez himself entered the country legally, crossing the Mexican border with his family when he was about 10. He joined the Navy as a so-called "green-card sailor" and became a U.S. citizen in July 2005. The military does accept some immigrants who aren't U.S. citizens.

"I understand the laws have to be followed and guidelines and a system must be maintained, but on the other token, there are times when the situation is just out of their reach," Gonzalez said.

His wife, Mildred, added, "We didn't come here to break the law. We just want to feel safe and have a home just like everybody else."

U.S. Army Sgt. Emmanuel Woko, a member of the Army's 2nd Brigade, 1st Infantry Division who faces his third tour in Iraq, understands just how Gonzalez and his family feel. His wife and children could be sent back to Nigeria.

At a minimum you'd think that something like this should warrant some type of emergency leave from the military...

Alas, I didn't get to wear a hard hat...

Today as a part of coverage for my local political blog I attended the groundbreaking ceremony of our new arena. Unfortunately since I'm just a blogger I didn't get to wear one of the hard hats when it came to the official dirt throwing part of it. I did however get a chance to get watch the backhoes at work and see first hand how Heavy Equipment Operator Training can come in handy. I spoke to "Bob" who was taking a break so the dignitaries could do their speech moments for a few moments to ask him where he got his training. He learned to operate heavy machinery while he was in the Army and Bob felt it had been a very rewarding career for him both financially and personally. He gave the example of being involved in building the arena and had been involved in building our local baseball stadium. Bob shared there was a huge feeling of accomplishment driving by these places and knowing he had a part in it's construction.

What I found really interesting about ATS that's new is they are going to be offering a free online training course that will teach you the basics about heavy equipment and if you successfully complete the program you will get a free ATS tee-shirt, sweatshirt, or hard hat...so I might yet get my hard hat...

:-)

What the Supreme Court will be focusing on...

For those of us who are Supreme Court watchers these next few months could be full of many interesting discussions to come after looking at what's on the docket. It's being reported that some of these issues will end up being discussed as a part of the upcoming elections and given this:

# Three capital punishment disputes, the biggest being a fundamental look at lethal injection protocols and whether they represent cruel and unusual punishment. Another deals with the rights of foreigners on death row, and the third with whether child rapists should be executed. The third case is not yet on the docket but is expected to be added.

# The rights of accused terrorists held overseas by the U.S. government and whether the federal courts will have a say in how these prisoners will be tried before military commissions.

# The "100-to-1 disparity" in federal sentencing for defendants in crack cocaine cases, who get far harsher prison terms than powder cocaine dealers and users.

# Whether a tough federal law to combat child pornography unfairly targets those who merely talk about or promise to distribute the indecent material, without actually doing so.

I'd have to agree that many of these decisions will be discussed on the blogs and on the campaign trail...

Will the Monks be broken...

The issue of will the government in Burma be able to break the Monks into submission is the topic of this Newsweek article, Blood in the Streets. Once again I think it should be pointed out that sanctions such as the US and other nations are punishing Burma with don't work. All these types of economic sanctions do is hurt those who can least afford to suffer. A huge part of me hopes that the Monks win, the courage and the dedication to their beliefs that they are demonstrating right now should be creating a huge outcry as to how wrong the government of Burma is. Yet, it appears all that is happening is rhetoric and news reports, the Monks may be applauding the British embassy but what is really being done to help them in this type of living conditions:

The Burmese monks' bare feet were raw after more than a week of street protests, but as they swarmed past the British Embassy, they burst into applause. They seemed to know that London was supporting their cause—in part by having Ambassador Mark Canning, watching from a window above, spread the word about the military junta's efforts to silence them. "Normally we wouldn't talk," the tall, impeccably groomed diplomat told NEWSWEEK. "But under these circumstances we decided we have an obligation to try and ensure that the outside world knows what is going on here." He had seen trouble ahead for months, since hearing that the country's Buddhist monks, who rely on alms to eat, were down to just one meal a day. "That tells you a lot about the economic hardship," he says. "It's very, very difficult."

Perhaps if the British Embassy was out there offering them food or real support it would have been more worthy of applause...Then again, that's more than what the US government is doing right now.

Digital Frames in Australia...

If you've seen the lcd digital photo frames and you wanted to order one but you lived in Australia and you weren't able to take advantage of ordering a digital photo frame or more than one digital picture frame then you'll want to take note of this post. Digital Framez has designed a website for you to take advantage of their world wide shipping of digital frames.

You can now take advantage of the same technology others are enjoying by being able to have a slide show of photos in a frame by simply inserting a memory card of photos into the frame. The same great deal that was offered here in the US of a free 256 MB SD Memory card being included with every ten inch frame purchase is also available in Australia. A really nice feature of these digital frames is you can also use video or mp3 files so those special moments could come to life over and over again, framed...

Avoid a crashing experience...

The worst thing imaginable would be to have spent all of that money on that dream plasma television you have always wanted and then having it drop from your wall. If you are making that kind of an investment it makes sense to use high quality plasma lcd television wall brackets to make sure that you avoid a crashing experience.

Dekomount is in the process of creating an online presence to compliment their current London operation (where you can get same day pick up). They state that they will be offering an 18 month warranty and that when the online ordering system is up and running any orders made before 3:00 will be delivered the next day. So, if you are a UK resident and a wall mounted television is in your future, bookmark the Dekomount website, their promise of fast delivery, great warranty and prices 200% cheaper could make you a very happy consumer.

Hillary having a mind of her own should be lauded..

I always find it ironic when people assume that Hillary Clinton should have the same positions as Bill Clinton when it comes to what each one supports. No one can name many people who agree on everything, even torture. An important factor in this was life was different in America when Bill Clinton was president, many things have changed so the big deal being made about Hillary not having the same position when it comes to the authority to authorize the torture of a terrorist in a "ticking time bomb" scenario is to me a dud.

Hillary Clinton is the one running for President and while I enjoyed watching the former President on television this morning on Meet the Press, I found the discussion on NAFTA to be much more of interest than on the topic of torture, and as was aptly pointed out:

Clinton said that no "ticking time bomb" scenarios had occurred during his tenure or President Bush's to his knowledge.

I'd love to earn $13,400 and do nothing...

It's really hard to not be frustrated with the issue of governmental spending when you read articles like this one in today's Washington Post, Air Force Arranged No-Work Contract. I suppose the good thing is that this is coming to light, but the lack of care and concern when it comes to spending that created a scenario where:

While waiting to be confirmed by the White House for a top civilian post at the Air Force last year, Charles D. Riechers was out of work and wanted a paycheck. So the Air Force helped arrange a job through an intelligence contractor that required him to do no work for the company, according to documents and interviews.

Riechers was paid a total of $26,788 as part of the contract to provide research to the Pentagon, CIA and other intelligence agencies. In a statement, Riechers said he had no problem accepting the pay because Commonwealth Research is a nonprofit organization "that had an established relationship" with the military service. Riechers said he has not made any decisions relating to Commonwealth Research contracts since his appointment.

"We needed some way to kind of gap me," Riechers said about the temporary job.

Did we really? I'd suggest we didn't...

Let Dr. Shapiro help you avoid a "hairy experience"

I think most of us have heard about situations when there have been less than happy results when it comes to having a hair transplant done. I do quite a bit of research when it comes to checking out various websites where promises or claims are made that at times seem unbelievable but it appears that Dr. Shapiro, who specializes in Hair Transplants in Florida is one of those unique doctors who goes above and beyond what others do when it comes to services and providing information.

While his treatment area is in Florida, the information provided on what to look for and what to avoid when you are considering hair transplant would be of use to those living anywhere in the world. If you have seen written or video testimonials, looked at the before and after photos and wondered if they really are true, when it comes to Dr. Shapiro, his office will arrange for you to talk to former patients. This way you can see what types of results are possible for you to experience. Something else unique is the first consultation is free and you are encouraged to call and ask about getting the first 100 hair grafts for free. Hair loss is a serious issue for men and women, and Dr. Lawrence J. Shapiro, D.O.P.A is committed to providing a permanent and pain free solution.

How businesses can make the most of content management

When it comes to a company making the most of content management there are some great software tools out there that can help you share all types of information from web pages to rss feeds. Epazz Inc. provides employees the ability to create web pages without having to have to have html skills, and they also have a huge selection of options when it comes to managing email content. The ability to be able to track when an email was sent and when it was viewed is a nice administrative feature that has huge value when it comes to monitoring performance/results.

Using their External Content Aggregator is one way a business or organization can share important headlines or even blog posts found of interest to keep members and employees up to date on the latest subject of interest. The Poll Management software is another useful tool that not only gives the ability to create but to manage information in a simple and easy to use method. Epazz Inc. has been a trusted name in the content management business since 1999, and they offer a free 30 day trial free of their BoxesOS Seamless Integration system so you can see for yourself how work flow can be improved.

Product branding that you remember...

Earlier today when my family was here for Sunday dinner we started mentioning an item then what you first think of. An example if you said, Samsonite luggage to me the first thing that immediately came to mind was the older commercials they had with the gorilla's having a field day throwing the luggage around with it having no damage. When watches were mentioned, Timex and their "it takes a licking and keeps on ticking" came up. It's amazing how much space we have in our brains full of these slogans, it demonstrates that a creative advertising theme works...

Bill, chips and now John Grisham?

I think the Hillary for President campaign is taunting me, first I end up being lured with promises of potato chips and now? An email from John Grisham (yes, I know it's not really personally from John Grisham):

Dear Lisa,

Hillary once told me that she reads my novels for relaxation. It's an honor to have her reading my books, but given that I write about suspense and high drama, I sure hope she meant it as a compliment.

Either way, she's a great friend, and I even finagled an invitation to sit with Bill to watch her in an upcoming debate. I hear you might be joining us.

With the upcoming FEC deadline, this is a pivotal moment in the campaign. I hear you just contributed in the last few days, but will you consider another donation before the midnight Sunday deadline?

Sigh...so far I'm resisting making another *huge* donation...

:-)

Stargazing in St. Lucia...

The island of St. Lucia is named after Saint Lucy of Syracuse and Lucy means "light", which made me think of lights at night...stars...Due to the weather conditions in St. Lucia, most nights are clear which means they would be perfect for stargazing. For near perfect results when it comes to enjoying the night time sky, you need to be away from the lights of the city, this makes some of the beaches on St. Lucia, especially those on the Atlantic Ocean that due to the choppier waves are not as visited, the opportunity for a more secluded viewing spot.

Another great opportunity for stargazing would be to take advantage of the many fishing and chartering boat operations to arrange for a night time sail. Whether you are a late night person like me or an early riser, this St. Lucia travel guide would help you plan the exact vacation you desire.

Push-up bra ads banned as meeting nears?

The headline caught my eye as I wondered...wow now that's not very supportive (Okay bad joke couldn't help it). Seriously though, beyond the catchy title there is a more serious issue at work, media control in China.

The reason the ads for push up bras as well as "sexually provocative sounds" on "saucy" adverts for push-up bras and figure-hugging underwear, "low-brow and base" commercials for sex toys and those featuring famous people or experts attesting to the efficacy of medicines have all been banned is the approaching 17th Party congress that happens every five years in China. Evidently it's felt that the right public mindset has to be created:

"Every television advertisement management bureau and television station must strengthen their political consciousness and responsibility toward society," Tian Jin, deputy head of the regulator, was quoted as saying.

It earlier urged the country's increasingly freewheeling broadcasters to forgo vulgarity and bad taste in the pursuit of ratings in favor of providing "inspiring" content for the masses imbued with "socialist" values.

"Create a positive atmosphere for public opinion," the regulator cited state television head Zhao Huayong as telling his staff in preparation for the congress.

Credit Card company in UK with a focus on ethics...

The Co-Operative Bank takes a different tack when it comes to banking and providing credit cards, they offer the "usual fare" of selection between a zero interest credit card for an introductory period of time, and a standard credit card with a competitive interest rate, they also have a credit card that earns travel points. Online banking is available which is also becoming a standard in the credit card industry. Where the difference starts is their established policy on ethics, they have demonstrated through years in business that they put into practice what is stated. One example of their ethics policy is since 1998 they have not invested in any business involved in the extraction or production of fossil fuels. They also offer people the ability to donate to environmental and social organizations with their Affinity credit card. This means with every purchase made a donation is made to the organization/organization of your choice, whether it be Amnesty International or Hospice.

Black ministers not supportive of Jewish person to represent Tennessee in Congress

What should be considered a moment to be proud of when it comes to diversity, the Jewish person to represent Tennessee in Congress has been mired in division. Steve Cohen won the election in 2006 after winning a primary of six other candidates all who were black. The ninth district in Tennessee has a primarily black constituency and since 1966 their has been a black congress person from that district.

What I think should be pointed out is some of the statements that have been made, one example is statements made in August at a meeting of the Memphis Baptist Ministerial Association:

"He's not black and he can't represent me, that's just the bottom line," said Rev. Robert Poindexter of Mt. Moriah Baptist Church. "I don't care how people try to dress is up, it always comes down to race and he can't know what it's like to be black."

How can this not be considered racism? It's not just one isolated incident, this situation has also made NPR today.

If a black or a hispanic person was elected in a majority white district and the things that are being said about Cohen were said publicly there would be a huge outcry against those making these racist statements....

Hard Drive Recovery best left to the experts...

We come to rely on our computers and at times even though we know we should back up information just in case something happens, chances are several of you reading this are going to need Hard Drive Recovery at some point in time or face the loss of all of the information on your computer. Deciding if a failure happens that this is something that you should attempt on your own is not a wise decision, unless of course you really want to take the additional risk of completely losing all of the data your pc holds secret.

The right way to do Hard Drive Recovery is through an expert, preferably one who uses a class 100 clean room. If you don't know what a class 100 clean room is? Then you definitely don't want to attempt to open up your hard drive yourself. I consider myself pretty handy when it comes to computer repair but even I know that I don't have the experience, the skills or the training needed to attempt to do the repairs necessary for a successful Hard Drive Recovery or to be able to do data recovery if a repair is not possible.

While most times it's possible to recover data when you go to someone who is experienced, sometimes it's not and some places charge you the same fee whether they are successful or not. One of the reasons that people turn to DTI is they offer up front pricing quotes for Hard Drive Recovery. It goes without saying that they also have a class 100 clean room. Also of note DTI is authorized by ALL major Hard Disk Drive Manufacturers and they offer helpful information on their website so that the inexperienced computer user doesn't feel overwhelmed as far as not knowing if they need repair or recovery. DTI puts this in plain English, and having done tech support, how you communicate to the customer demonstrates your commitment to quality.

Internet connection in Myanmar cut...

CNN is reporting the Internet connection in Myanmar was cut Friday which leads to increasing concerns about what is happening. I also read earlier that satellite photos would be used to be able to track some of what has been happening, that while it would be difficult to point out individuals it would be possible to see if there was violence against the crowds of protesters.

Moonpies...

Probably because I've been on the road back to a normal diet after having to go through the whole bland diet phase, I've found myself craving things from my earlier years. Like Moonpies...It's surprising the number of people out there who have not experienced one and now of course there are more flavors than before. Chocolate, Vanilla, Banana, Orange, Lemon and Strawberry. While the Strawberry is not my favorite flavor, previous experience has taught me it's also not the favorite flavor of those who live here, which means it increases the chances of there still being one in the house when I want one...I haven't tried the Lemon ones yet, but it sounds appealing...