The Economic Stimulus Check.

The economic stimulus checks are to be sent out soon. We're expecting ours to be deposited into our account any day now.
The question arises, just what show we do with the money? The cartoon below offers a suggestion:

Computer Generated Photo.

I snatched the photo on the left from pixologic.com . Although it looks very realistic, it is actually a computer generated image created with ZBrush.
I have been looking around for software like this but I'm afraid it's a bit pricey for me.
As I mentioned yesterday, I'm goofing on a scammer.... trying to recreate the success I had last year with Fred, Misty and the others.At that time, I needed a fake ID to send to a scammer......I found one online and edited it for Misty's ID.








I wanted to have a few more "faces" for the IDs........as I said, ZBrush is out of my range, but the Pixologic web site has plenty of samples I can "borrow" for the fake IDs.
Unfortunately (for art's sake, anyway) I did not have these images when I sent the latest scammer Fred Sanford's ID. The one I had was good enough for the scammer, but next time Fred will look like the old guy you see here.

Coming Attractions.

Anyone who has read my posts from last August and September will remember some of my episodes with scammers.There was the Song Li Lee scams and the ones from Ann Smith.
In those posts, I wrote how I had answered scam emails while posing as characters as Misty Meaner, Fred Sanford and Lucy Ricardo.
I'm at it again. I have reawakened Misty and Fred and they are in communications with a scammer.
I don't want to go into too many details until it's more fully developed. Hopefully, I'll have something more in a few days.

Florida Senate Tries To Ban Fake Bull Testicles On Trucks.

Who said there weren't any rednecks in Florida?
I had no idea that, so called, "Truck Nutz" existed until I came across an article about a bill being passed in the Florida state Senate to have them banned.
Truck Nutz, for those of you who still don't know, are "fake bull testicles that dangle from the trailer hitches of [many] trucks and cars." ( see photo above )
The Florida Senate voted last week to add the ban to a transportation bill. The ban is not included in any Florida House bill and is unlikely to become law.
Of course, this item can be purchased on the Internet with several sites selling them. One site even gives this warning:
"NOTICE TO THE PUBLIC
Bumpernuts are for static display only.
The end user is responsible for displaying them on moving objects.
WHEN USING THE HITCH HANGER, IT IS BEST TO USE A THREADLOCKER ADHESIVE, PEOPLE WILL STEAL YOUR BALLS.
WE ARE NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY THEFT. AS STATED OUR HITCH LOCK AND RECIEVER ARE A PREVENTATIVE MEASURE. BUT PLEASE USE SOME GLUE ON THE BOLTS SO THAT SOME JERK CANT COME ALONG AND USE SOME TOOLS AND LEAVE YOU WITH THE HANGER AND THE LOCK. HANG AT YOUR OWN RISK."

They come in a wide variety of colors and sell from $15 to $40.
I'm not quite sure why anyone would want a set for his (or her?) pick up.
I don't know how popular Truck Nutz are outside the Sunshine state......but I should be careful about making comments about the intelligence of Floridians. That's a Georgia Bulldog on the tag of that pickup in the photo.

Thousands to be paid to avoid unsafe sex.

An $1.8 million test will be conducted in southern Tanzania some time this year.
3,000 men and women aged 15-30 will be receive cash payments equal to approximately one quarter of their yearly salaries, provided they do not test positive for any STD during the three year testing period.The scheme will be jointly funded by the World Bank, the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, the Population Reference Bureau and the Spanish Impact Evaluation Fund.
It's hoped that cash incentives will work better than just telling someone not to have unsafe sex.

I guess the fear of AIDS isn't enough for some people......you've got to bribe them with a few of the elusive spondulicks.

The study will be conducted by the Ifakara Health Research and Development Centre in Tanzania, in conjunction with researchers from the University of California, Berkeley, the University of California, San Francisco and the World Bank.
I should have known two California groups would have their hands in this.

By the way; "one quarter of their yearly salaries" comes to about $45.

source: FT.com

Planned Parenthood Has Racist Agenda.

I received an email today with a link to a FoxNews.com story....that link is here. The headline to the story reads;
"Pastors Accuse Planned Parenthood for 'Genocide' on Blacks".
A group of pastors and activists held a press conference in front of a Planned Parenthood clinic in Washington, D.C. because the group was upset by the results of recent undercover inquiries into several Planned Parenthood clinics across the country. The investigation, undertaken by students from the UCLA newspaper, The Advocate, revealed the responses from Planned Parenthood staffers when asked by an actor, posing as a “donor,” if he could earmark his contribution for abortions for “black babies” only.
Anyone familiar with Margaret Sanger knows she was an advocate of eugenics.
The niece of the late Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.,Dr. Alveda King was quoted by cnsnews.com as saying,
"Planned Parenthood is definitely a racist organization - they have a racist agenda. Since 1970, there has been something like 50 million abortions. About 17 million of those have been blacks. It's black genocide. They are killing our people and fooling us."
There is an article on www.blackgenocide.org entitled "The Truth about Margaret Sanger; How Planned Parenthood Duped America.", that is well worth the read.
The Advocate website has links to two of their videos on YouTube and I've embedded the videos here. I have also, downloaded the videos with Real Player because there is the very real possibility that Planned Parenthood will have these videos removed from YouTube as they did with an earlier video by The Advocate concerning Planned Parenthood covering up statutory rape cases.

Update: Oct. 29, 2008
I discovered today that the YouTube videos are no longer viewable.....so I've uploaded the copies I downloaded earlier.
There's always the possibility that I'll be forced to remove them eventually.

Al Gore's Solar War.

It has come to my attention that former U.S. Vice President Al Gore has announced that he has learned that the sun affects global temperatures and is asking the United Nations to declare war on the Sun and invade ASAP.

The story can be found on the I.N.N. web site.....Al Gore's Solar War.

The War to End All Wars.

Referring to global warming, www.konsk.co.uk has this;
"The new temperatures and atmosphere may not, for example, sustain mammalian life.
This then would be the end of the world for us and a really large number of other species."
From helium.com we have;
"Will global warming mean the end of the world? For us maybe, along with other species, but it's certain the world can get along just fine without us."
and from dir.salon.com ,we learn;
"A study by 19 researchers from seven countries published in the journal Nature predicted that rising temperatures could doom more than one-third of the planets' species to extinction by 2050."
The general consensus,then, from the doomsday predictors, is that human life .......along with a number of other species will be extinct very soon .Thanks to global warming.
The most recent scare comes from telegraph.co.uk;
" Climate change 'may put world at war' "
and
"Climate change could cause global conflicts as large as the two world wars but lasting for centuries unless the problem is controlled, a leading defense think tank has warned."
My question is, if the human race is gone by 2050, how then, can we carry on a global war for centuries?
I guess, the war will be carried on by our ethanol-powered robots.

Lead Us Not Into Temptation.

Give us today our daily bread;
and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors;
and do not subject us to the final test, but deliver us from the evil one.
If you forgive others their transgressions, your heavenly Father will forgive you.
But if you do not forgive others, neither will your Father forgive your transgressions.
Matthew 6 :11-15

Often,it is very difficult to forgive someone who has harmed you,particularly when that person was a close friend who betrayed you.However, we are called upon to forgive - even when the other person has not "repented" or sought your forgiveness,for that matter.
Temptations can be difficult to resist,especially when a strong emotional feeling is involved.
I recently came across a bit of information about an former friend who had betrayed me;someone who had taken advantage of my generosity and used me.It has been more than five years since I've had any contact with this person but, I've come to learn that this person is reaping the seeds she has sown and is not happy with her current situation.(one hint:happily married Filipinas do not describe their relationship on Friendster as "it's complicated"....that's code for "I'm married but not happy".) There are other tell-tale signs which I won't go into.
The temptation, for me, was to contact this person via email and rub salt in her wounds.I certainly have the ammunition.
But, I won't.
99.99% of the people reading this don't know the person I'm referring to; those that do aren't likely to be reading this anyway. The person that I'm writing about will not know what I know. She will also not know that I have forgiven her and have moved on.

Ethanol Addiction.

Google the words "grain shortage" and you'll find news articles from the world over that shows that we are in the mist of a serious shortage.

There's,obviously, more than one cause. droughts in some areas....floods in another. The rise in meat consumption in China.
Using food grains to produce ethanol may not be the only villain but it's not helping the situation.

An article in physorg.com reports,
"In terms of energy output compared with energy input for ethanol production, [the study found that]:
-- corn requires 29 percent more fossil energy than the fuel produced;
-- switch grass requires 45 percent more fossil energy than the fuel produced; and
-- wood biomass requires 57 percent more fossil energy than the fuel produced."
"Ethanol production requires large fossil energy input, and therefore, it is contributing to oil and natural gas imports and U.S. deficits."

We're wasting energy to produce ethanol.
"The government spends more than $3 billion a year to subsidize ethanol production when it does not provide a net energy balance or gain, is not a renewable energy source or an economical fuel."

We're wasting money to produce ethanol.
As I wrote in an earlier post ,
"According to official data, from March of 2007 to March of 2008 the price of wheat increased by 130%, soya by 87%, rice by 74%, and maize by 31%."

We are using food to produce ethanol and food prices are going through the roof.
At the root of all this, is the panic caused by environmentalists who blame oil for the destruction of the planet and the twin idea that there is an oil shortage.
We're not going to solve our "oil crisis" by using ethanol. We're only adding another problem that needs to be taken care of.

Urth Day 2008.

Today is Earth Day and I almost missed it.Where was my head? How could I have neglected writing about how we humans are destroying the planet.
I actually Googled the words "destroying the planet" and came up several different ways our way of life is (allegedly) killing Mother Earth.
Natural News.com tells us that the planet can't support our carnivorous lifestyle.The idea is that it takes a great deal of land to grow the crops to feed the chickens, pigs and cows that we love to eat. We have to cut down oodles of rain forest to find the farmland needed. Next, we have to deal with the large amounts of animal poop finding it's way into the water.Oh, and I can't forget to mention that the methane in cow farts are much worst than the exhaust from your SUV.
An article in News Science Tech tells us that YOU are destroying the planet, at this very minute, by using the Internet.
Worst of all, naturally, are the dreaded Americans. We are the worst offenders.It says so at common dreams .org. Fortunately, the article on that web site lists a number of suggestions for things you non Americans can do to get us thoughtless Americans to change our ways.
"First...get personal...man-to-man. Let Americans you meet hear your outrage. Violate our comfort zone."
This one won't work. We've heard you complain about the USA so often that we simply tune it out......like the guy who's been married to a nag for 25 years, now can't even heard a word she says.
"Next...boycott American goods and services."
What goods and services? We don't produce anything....except food. With the current world grain shortage, it's unlikely you'll boycott the only thing we have to export.
"And...for the final and third strategy...foreign nations and individuals can sue America."
That will only work if America recognizes the court you use to sue us.Lots of luck.
Finally, common dreams .org says,
"If these strategies don't work, the case for violence will be made."
Do I really need to comment on that suggestion?
Nobody wants a dirty planet.Nobody wants to destroy the Earth.I just have trouble taking some of your claims seriously. It's difficult for me to take much stock in "global warming" when we have so many stories, such as;
1) Winter weather sets several records
2) Wintry blast cools global warming fervour
3) Record snowfall provokes 'snow rage' in Canada
4) China freeze 'has cost billions'
We've been told that global warming will cause the ice caps to melt.......but if global warming causes record snow then I don't understand the problem.
Problem is.....global warming is said to be the cause of every climate change and weather phenomenon that comes up. And, of course we humans.....more especially we Americans, are the ones to blame.

How America Thinks.

This past weekend was an especially busy one for this blog.
When I first checked the Google Analytics, I couldn't believe the number of hits on Friday. The #1 post was Video Of Surgery Could Put Philippine Doctor's Future At Risk.
I was only one of several million who heard Rush's broadcast Thursday and lots of folks hit the search engines looking for the Youtube video.Having pasted a good deal of Limbaugh's transcript onto my post, my blog had all the keywords and ranked high using several combinations.
Now, we know how American thinks.......give them bizarre videos.

The Pope's Message to the U.S.

The Opus Dei web site has posted the addresses and homilies of Benedict XVI during his visit to the United States. I've provided a link here.

J.P.'s First Kite.

He's only 2 1/2 years old and not capable of getting a kite into the air by himself, but, it was a nice day and the weather was perfect for kite flying.
The kite is a very simple one......it cost all of $1.00 at Walmart; it's worth a lot more than that to me.
It has Sponge Bob Squarepants on it. What else for J.P.'s first kite? Sponge Bob is his favorite.

Enhancing your Scientific Performance.

In a post from March [Was Moses a Dopehead?]
we learn of "scientist" Benny Shanon, (a professor of cognitive psychology at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem) who admitted to having taken the Amazonian hallucinogenic concoction ayahuasca hundreds of times.
So, it shouldn't have come as a surprise to me to learn that in a recent survey more than 60% of scientists admitted to using Ritalin and/or Provigil to enhance performance. The most popular drug was Ritalin, used by 62% of responders. Provigil was the drug of choice for 44% .
In another article it was reported that scientists who try to enhance their performance with beer didn't do so well. It appears that the more beer a scientist drinks, the less likely that scientist is to publish a paper or to have a paper cited by another researcher.
My favorite quote comes from Matthew Symonds, "an evolutionary biologist at the University of Melbourne who has also studied factors affecting scientific productivity,[who] called the results remarkable."
“It’s rather devastating to be told we should drink less beer in order to increase our scientific performance,” Dr. Symonds said.

Video Of Surgery Could Put Philippines' Doctor's Future At Risk

I heard about this on Rush Limbaugh's radio show yesterday and I'm linking to the transcript for anyone who wants to read it first hand.
Rush was telling the story with a recording of Klaus Nomi singing a bizarre version of the Lesley Gore hit You Don't Own Me playing in the background.
As Rush tells it,
"Controversy has erupted over a YouTube video, ladies and gentlemen, showing Philippine doctors laughing while removing an object, a canister from the rectum of a patient. This video may lead to charges against the surgeons and cost them their medical license. It's a three minute video, noisy operating room, doctors and nurses laughing. "At one point, a hand appears with a cellphone camera taking a close-up picture of the surgery. As a doctor gingerly pulled out a 15cm long canister from the male patient's rectum, someone shouted, 'Baby out!'" and then they start spraying each other with the aerosol that's inside the can, it's all viewable on YouTube. If you're going, ewwwww, so am I. "
"The late great Klaus Nomi, ladies and gentlemen. Yes! And You Don't Know Me. It's our Gay Community Update Theme. Now, we're not through with this story. Because I'm sure you're wondering, okay, we got the YouTube video, it's at a Philippine hospital, it's in Manila, and the doctors pull this canister out of the rear end of a guy, and they take pictures of it, and they start spraying the aerosol can all over the place. The doctor that removes the canister cap sprays the contents toward the crowd of nurses and doctors. It remains unclear who shot the video and who posted it on YouTube, but the person who did post it, removed it from the website yesterday. The video has angered the unidentified patient. The patient found out about this and plans to press charges, according to his lawyer. Dr. Emmanuel Gines said that more than ten people were involved, including staff and medical and nursing students from a nearby operating room. I imagine that this guy came in and the word spread through the ER pretty quick and said, "Hey, guess what we've got here? We got a guy with a six-inch canister up the rear end. You want to see us take this out?"
"So everybody pours in there, camera -- (laughing) -- well, I don't know what the spray was. (interruption) It was a body spray. (laughing) It's not Cheez Whiz. (interruption) See, this is why the staff does not have a microphone. Gee whiz, don't do this to me. Cheez Whiz. (interruption) It's not Silly String. It was body lotion. (interruption) Would you let me finish the story? (laughing) I'm trying to provide as journalistically as possible the details. I keep being interrupted by some sick members of my own staff. Now, "Dr. Jose Sabili, president of the Philippine Medical Association, told the Associated Press on Wednesday the group will conduct an investigation if a formal complaint is filed and doctors found violating medical ethics could be suspended or expelled from the association, which would result in the suspension or termination of their state health insurance accreditation. The results of the investigation could also be used by the Professional Regulations Commission to suspend or revoke their licenses, Sabili said. Health Undersecretary Alexander Padilla said the Health Department will conduct a separate investigation. The 39-year-old patient received surgery on Jan. 3, three days after a New Year's drinking spree and a 'one-night stand' with a male partner, Ceniza, the lawyer, told the AP. He said his client was too drunk to remember how the body spray canister ended up," in his rear end."
The original source for the story comes from allheadlinenews.com which puts the incident in Cebu rather than Manila as Rush says.Otherwise Rush's version seems to be pretty accurate.

[UPDATE: When this post was first published, the Youtube video of the incident had been taken down. Some one else has put it back onto Youtube though it cannot be embedded. I have the link to the video, but I have not idea it will remain online. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eaMITF1gP6M ]

Brigitte Bardot on Trial.

Former 1960s sex symbol and animal rights activist Brigitte Bardot is on trial in France once again for allegedly 'inciting racial hatred' for her comments on Muslims and their Eid ul-Adha festival, which involves the slaughter of sheep.

Bardot made the remarks in a letter to the French president Nicholas Sarkozy which was later published on the Brigitte Bardot Foundation website.

I searched the website and couldn't find the letter in question; news sources report her as having written,
"I am fed up with being under the thumb of this population which is destroying us, destroying our country and imposing its acts."

News reports went on to say,
"It is the fifth time that Bardot has been charged with inciting racial hatred. She has previously railed against what she termed 'the Islamisation of France' and claimed that the nation was being invaded by 'sheep-slaughtering Muslims', comments that have led to her being fined four times since 1997."

That particular comment seems a bit mild to me.........did she write something even more inflammatory that isn't being published? That seems unlikely; had she said something worst than that it would be in the report.

From what I gather, Bardot's biggest complaint is the slaughtering of the sheep.
I'm not certain how I feel about that.
The thought of sacrificing animals in a religious festive seems barbaric but, is it any different than slaughtering the animal strictly for food? The sacrificed sleep is eaten and I don't have a problem with using animals for food.

How tolerant are we to be towards other's religious practices? Everyone agrees that we won't tolerate humans being abused in the name of religious freedom (as in the case of the Texas polygamist compound case. ) but what about animals?

I'm not quite sure.

President Bush Welcomes His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI to White House

PRESIDENT BUSH: Holy Father, Laura and I are privileged to have you here at the White House. We welcome you with the ancient words commended by Saint Augustine: "Pax Tecum." Peace be with you.

You've chosen to visit America on your birthday. Well, birthdays are traditionally spent with close friends, so our entire nation is moved and honored that you've decided to share this special day with us. We wish you much health and happiness -- today and for many years to come. (Applause.)

This is your first trip to the United States since you ascended to the Chair of Saint Peter. You will visit two of our greatest cities and meet countless Americans, including many who have traveled from across the country to see with you and to share in the joy of this visit. Here in America you'll find a nation of prayer. Each day millions of our citizens approach our Maker on bended knee, seeking His grace and giving thanks for the many blessings He bestows upon us. Millions of Americans have been praying for your visit, and millions look forward to praying with you this week.

Here in America you'll find a nation of compassion. Americans believe that the measure of a free society is how we treat the weakest and most vulnerable among us. So each day citizens across America answer the universal call to feed the hungry and comfort the sick and care for the infirm. Each day across the world the United States is working to eradicate disease, alleviate poverty, promote peace and bring the light of hope to places still mired in the darkness of tyranny and despair.

Here in America you'll find a nation that welcomes the role of faith in the public square. When our Founders declared our nation's independence, they rested their case on an appeal to the "laws of nature, and of nature's God." We believe in religious liberty. We also believe that a love for freedom and a common moral law are written into every human heart, and that these constitute the firm foundation on which any successful free society must be built.

Here in America, you'll find a nation that is fully modern, yet guided by ancient and eternal truths. The United States is the most innovative, creative and dynamic country on earth -- it is also among the most religious. In our nation, faith and reason coexist in harmony. This is one of our country's greatest strengths, and one of the reasons that our land remains a beacon of hope and opportunity for millions across the world.

Most of all, Holy Father, you will find in America people whose hearts are open to your message of hope. And America and the world need this message. In a world where some invoke the name of God to justify acts of terror and murder and hate, we need your message that "God is love." And embracing this love is the surest way to save men from "falling prey to the teaching of fanaticism and terrorism."

In a world where some treat life as something to be debased and discarded, we need your message that all human life is sacred, and that "each of us is willed, each of us is loved" -- (applause) -- and your message that "each of us is willed, each of us is loved, and each of us is necessary."

In a world where some no longer believe that we can distinguish between simple right and wrong, we need your message to reject this "dictatorship of relativism," and embrace a culture of justice and truth. (Applause.)

In a world where some see freedom as simply the right to do as they wish, we need your message that true liberty requires us to live our freedom not just for ourselves, but "in a spirit of mutual support."

Holy Father, thank you for making this journey to America. Our nation welcomes you. We appreciate the example you set for the world, and we ask that you always keep us in your prayers. (Applause.)

POPE BENEDICT XVI: Mr. President, thank you for your gracious words of welcome on behalf of the people of the United States of America. I deeply appreciate your invitation to visit this great country. My visit coincides with an important moment in the life of the Catholic community in America: the celebration of the 200th anniversary of elevation of the country's first Diocese -- Baltimore -- to a metropolitan Archdiocese and the establishment of the Sees of New York, Boston, Philadelphia and Louisville.

Yet I am happy to be here as a guest of all Americans. I come as a friend, a preacher of the Gospel, and one with great respect for this vast pluralistic society. America's Catholics have made, and continue to make, an excellent contribution to the life of their country. As I begin my visit, I trust that my presence will be a source of renewal and hope for the Church in the United States, and strengthen the resolve of Catholics to contribute ever more responsibly to the life of this nation, of which they are proud to be citizens.

From the dawn of the Republic, America's quest for freedom has been guided by the conviction that the principles governing political and social life are intimately linked to a moral order based on the dominion of God the Creator. The framers of this nation's founding documents drew upon this conviction when they proclaimed the self-evident truth that all men are created equal and endowed with inalienable rights grounded in the laws of nature and of nature's God.

The course of American history demonstrates the difficulties, the struggles, and the great intellectual and moral resolve which were demanded to shape a society which faithfully embodied these noble principles. In that process, which forged the soul of the nation, religious beliefs were a constant inspiration and driving force, as for example in the struggle against slavery and in the civil rights movement. In our time, too, particularly in moments of crisis, Americans continue to find their strength in a commitment to this patrimony of shared ideas and aspirations.

In the next few days, I look forward to meeting not only with America's Catholic community, but with other Christian communities and representatives of the many religious traditions present in this country. Historically, not only Catholics, but all believers have found here the freedom to worship God in accordance with the dictates of their conscience, while at the same time being accepted as part of a commonwealth in which each individual group can make its voice heard.

As the nation faces the increasingly complex political and ethical issues of our time, I am confident that the American people will find in their religious beliefs a precious source of insight and an inspiration to pursue reasoned, responsible and respectful dialogue in the effort to build a more human and free society.

Freedom is not only a gift, but also a summons to personal responsibility. Americans know this from experience -- almost every town in this country has its monuments honoring those who sacrificed their lives in defense of freedom, both at home and abroad. The preservation of freedom calls for the cultivation of virtue, self-discipline, sacrifice for the common good, and a sense of responsibility towards the less fortunate. It also demands the courage to engage in civic life and to bring one's deepest beliefs and values to reasoned public debate.

In a word, freedom is ever new. It is a challenge held out to each generation, and it must constantly be won over for the cause of good. Few have understood this as clearly as the late Pope John Paul II. In reflecting on the spiritual victory of freedom over totalitarianism in his native Poland and in Eastern Europe, he reminded us that history shows time and again that "in a world without truth, freedom loses its foundation," and a democracy without values can lose its very soul. Those prophetic words in some sense echo the conviction of President Washington, expressed in his Farewell Address, that religion and morality represent "indispensable supports" of political prosperity.

The Church, for her part, wishes to contribute to building a world ever more worthy of the human person, created in the image and likeness of God. She is convinced that faith sheds new light on all things, and that the Gospel reveals the noble vocation and sublime destiny of every man and woman. Faith also gives us the strength to respond to our high calling and to hope that inspires us to work for an ever more just and fraternal society. Democracy can only flourish, as your founding fathers realized, when political leaders and those whom they represent are guided by truth and bring the wisdom born of firm moral principle to decisions affecting the life and future of the nation.

For well over a century, the United States of America has played an important role in the international community. On Friday, God willing, I will have the honor of addressing the United Nations organization, where I hope to encourage the efforts underway to make that institution an ever more effective voice for the legitimate aspirations of all the world's peoples.

On this, the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the need for global solidarity is as urgent as ever, if all people are to live in a way worthy of their dignity -- as brothers and sisters dwelling in the same house and around that table which God's bounty has set for all his children. America has traditionally shown herself generous in meeting immediate human needs, fostering development and offering relief to the victims of natural catastrophes. I am confident that this concern for the greater human family will continue to find expression in support for the patient efforts of international diplomacy to resolve conflicts and promote progress. In this way, coming generations will be able to live in a world where truth, freedom and justice can flourish -- a world where the God-given dignity and the rights of every man, women and child are cherished, protected and effectively advanced.

Mr. President, dear friends, as I begin my visit to the United States, I express once more my gratitude for your invitation, my joy to be in your midst, and my fervent prayers that Almighty God will confirm this nation and its people in the ways of justice, prosperity and peace. God bless America. (Applause.)

Surprise !!!!!

For those who haven't figured it out,I'm being sarcastic in titling this post "Surprise !!!!!".
Is anybody surprised that Bruce Springsteen has endorsed Barack Obama for president? We all know Hell would freeze over before he'd endorse a Republican. My guess is, he was just sitting on the fence until the Democrat nomination was pretty much sewn up before committing.
Does anyone decide which candidate to vote for based on celebrity endorsements? What sort of idiot would let a Rock musician be their guide in choosing the President of The United States?
On the bright side, Springsteen's endorsement is unlikely to pick up any new votes for Obama....anyone dumb enough to listen to Springsteen's political advice would have already picked Obama as their candidate.

The Rising Price of Food reaching its Political and Moral Limits.

We've decided that the price of oil is much too high.....we blame the greedy Arabs or the greedy corporations or uncaring governments.

We're not going to cut down on our driving.The idea that you can live and work in the same city is obviously an alien concept to a lot of folks.You say there's no good paying job close to your home? So, rather than move closer to work you drive 20, 25 or 30 miles one way every day.
The price of gasoline isn't going to go down. So, why not use ethanol to take the place of gas? We can grew corn.

This may have sounded like a great idea, but it has caused the price of grain to skyrocket.
Cereal grain prices are higher. It costs more to feed humans and livestock.

From AsiaNews.it;
"More than 100 million people in poor countries risk falling back into misery, on account of the rapid rise in staple food prices. Robert Zoellick, head of the World Bank, is raising the alarm and proposing immediate intervention and a long-term plan to foster agricultural production.

According to official data, from March of 2007 to March of 2008 the price of wheat increased by 130%, soya by 87%, rice by 74%, and maize by 31%. The causes indicated include the rise in demand, bad weather conditions in many countries, and greater use of arable land for the production of plants for biofuels. The rise in food prices in general has been 83% over three years.

These increases have caused popular protests in many countries, including Egypt, the Philippines, and Indonesia, and it is feared that these can only increase and become more violent, since the run-up in prices does not appear to be stopping. In recent months, large rice exporters (India, China, Vietnam, and Egypt) have stopped their sales abroad, to the harm of the major importers like Bangladesh, the Philippines, and Afghanistan."

From telegraph.co.uk ;
The mass diversion of the North American grain harvest into ethanol plants for fuel is reaching its political and moral limits.
'The reality is that people are dying already,' said Jacques Diouf, of the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). 'Naturally people won't be sitting dying of starvation, they will react,' he said.

The Philippines - a country with ample foreign reserves of $36bn (Britain has $27bn) - last week had to enlist its embassies to hunt for grain supplies after China withheld shipments. Washington stepped in, pledging "absolutely" to cover Philippine grain needs. A new Cold War is taking shape, around energy and food.
The world intelligentsia has been asleep at the wheel. While we rage over global warming, global hunger has swept in under the radar screen."

We'll be forced by circumstances to alter our current lifestyle. The cost of driving will be too high. There will be high unemployment and there will be nothing Clinton or Obama or McCain will be able to do to stop it.


It's going to happen and in the mean time, poor people will starve while we cling to this way of life.

Yoko Ono Travels to Taykustan.

I'm not one to toot my own horn,but I have to report that after having read my blog entry Dead Beatles reincarnate and the subsequent I.N.N. story, Lennon's widow, Yoko Ono has announced that she will travel to meet the boy claimed to be the incarnation.
You can find a link to that I.N.N. story here- Yoko To Taykustan.

A Birthday Gift.

I'll be honest with you; I've never heard Glenn Beck's radio program. I've only seen his T.V. program a handful of times and it is interesting. I don't a problem with anything I've heard him say on the show, but it's unlikely that I would have bought his book. My budget doesn't allow me to spend a great deal on new books and he wouldn't have made the cut.
That being said, I am happy to have received a copy of his book, An Inconvenient Book as a gift on my birthday.
As I write this, I've only found the time to have read about 25% of it but, I'd recommend it.
He's a typical conservative......uses common sense and humor to attack the "progressive", "politically correct" ideas so prevalent in today's world.
Too many people today are easily offended and want to silence those who say something they don't want to hear. Most "liberals" I know, (or as they like to call themselves, "progressives") will not listen to anything that contradicts their world-view. They are, by and large, the most closed-minded group of individuals you'll ever run across. They want to stifle all debate because, being the elitists they are, they believe their ideas are superior.
On the back cover of his book, Glenn has quotes from a number of progressives:
"Glenn Beck is CNN's chief corporate-fascism advocate."
_Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.
"Satan's mentally challenged younger brother."
_Stephen King
"Glenn Beck shouldn't be on [the air]."
_Al Franken

If that's not enough to recommend the book, I don't know what is.

Let Them Eat Cake.

This photo is from my birthday party, Saturday.
If you think the image looks a bit smokey......you're right. That's the smoke from all the candles on my cake.
They only had 3 packs of candles (30).
Good thing.
Imagine how much smoke there'd be if they used the right number.

Feeding Cannibals.

Created by OnePlusYou

Last week, I published an entry called Ted Turner predicts we'll all be Cannibals . Ted believes that global warming will adversely affect the growing of crops and those of us who haven't resorted to cannibalism will starve.
As a public service, I'm putting in a link to a site that can tell you just how many cannibals can live off your carcass.
I took the questionnaire and it says I can feed 10 cannibals......is that good or bad? I mean, what's the average? Is a person who could feed, say, 15 cannibals, more or less healthy that I?
Just wondering.

Dead Beatles Reincarnate.

There was a press conference held in Taykustan, yesterday, where holy man Hasunt ben Essay announced the return of dead Beatles, John Lennon and George Harrison.
Ben Essay claims that the two souls have reincarnated and that he knows their where-abouts.
As usual, I.N.N. is ahead of the curve and has the story online.
A link to the I.N.N. story can be found here. Dead Beatles Return.

Update: Yoko to Taykustan.

A Change of Pace.

Off and on, over the past year, I've been making little parody news web pages to go with this blog.I've been using the free personal web page service provided by my ISP to host these pages.....but now, that's come to a halt.
Comcast has made some changes to the PWP, with the idea that we'd be getting MORE for our money, but, as it turns out, the opposite has happened.
Although the old pages can be seen online, I cannot edit anything like before. I'm even having problems getting to the new setup.
I've been looking around and I've found a few places where I can have pages hosted for free. I'll try one and see how it works.
Hopefully, I can get back to doing the parody sites again before too long.

UPDATE:
I found a new free host....I redid one of the Bud Tugley pages to get started.
Bud Tugley rides again.

UPDATE:Aug.20,2008
The new "free" website host died. Here it is on the dumaguetecity.net site.
Al man wins GA loto

The new PC

The new PC has arrived and is online.
It's absolutely wonderful ! After using the dinosaur for so long it is really nice having a proper PC at home.
The scanner won't work with Vista even though I downloaded a new driver. I'll probably put the old dinosaur back online and network the two.
I'm having a problem publishing to the Comcast pwp........the fix suggested by the Comcast tech didn't work. I may be able to access the pwp page with the old XP when it gets back online. We'll see.

Ted Turner predicts we'll all be Cannibals.

Billionaire Ted Turner said in a recent interview that global temperatures will be 8 degrees higher within the next 30 or 40 years and consequently, the crops we rely on today will not grow and "Most of the people will have died and the rest of us will be cannibals."
His solution ........"stabilize the population." This is elitespeak for "We need to get rid of these over breeding undesirables living in the Third World. We need to use Planned Parenthood and abortion to cut down on world population so this will be a better place for us."
Turner is 69 and not likely to be alive 30 or 40 years from now.....global warming not withstanding.
It's unlikely that he will be remembered and his idiotic remarks will be long forgotten.

PANAT Petitions Pope Benedict XVI

A recent article in The Catholic Register tells of a group called Physicians and Nurses Against Tobacco (PANAT) who is petitioning Pope Benedict XVI to make the Vatican the first tobacco free country.
On their website, unholysmoke.org PANAT says
"Tobacco is a social evil harnessing societies the world over." [sic]
If by that , they mean "harassing", then, I couldn't agree more. Anyone who uses tobacco, in any form, is an idiot.
In a perfect world, tobacco would be illegal; but in today's world that isn't likely to happen. Governments the world over make billions in tax revenue every year and will not kill that golden egg laying goose.
I agree with PANAT that people should not smoke, but this quote from PANAT gives me concern;
" We have witnessed the effects of smoking on the health of our patients and we realize the message to 'quit' is futile. Nicotine addiction is too powerful; few smokers can definitively quit their habit. We have to band together to change public policies and positions toward the production, distribution, sale and use of tobacco. Leaders are entrusted with the care and protection of their citizens. They can no longer overlook the scientific research demonstrating the danger of tobacco."
"the message to 'quit' is futile"? "few smokers can definitively quit their habit."?
I can't agree with that. Smokers can quit.I am living proof of that. I smoked cigarettes for more than 25 years. It took years, but I was able to quit.It's been more than 15 years since I smoked....I'd say that's "definitively".
It troubles me that PANAT believes "Leaders are
entrusted with the care and protection of their citizens." to the point of having us live under a "nanny state".
We have been given free will. It's up to us make our own choices and live....or die...with the consequences of our choices.

The Refund.

Back in February, I contacted a lawyer to see if it would be possible to make modifications to my 1999 divorce agreement. He assured me that it was and outline a plan that would be to my benefit.
I won't go into great detail about what we were trying to do and I certainly won't mention his name.
As it turned out, I was completely dissatisfied with his lack of progress in this.I had paid him in advance and was expecting him to get on it right away.....but a month after receiving my check, he hadn't even written the first letter.
To make a long story short, I called his office (again) and talked to his secretary (again) last Wednesday ( March 26). I told her that I was not happy with her boss, he was a slacker and had not given me my money's worth. I told her I expected my money back.....no discussion. It was Wednesday and I told her if I did not receive a check from him by Tuesday (April 2) I'd call the Ga. Bar Association and file a complaint against him.
The check arrived at my P.O.Box Saturday (March 29). Needless to say, it was not for the full amount. He kept $100 for the little "work" he had done. Actually, I would not have been surprised had he kept $200.
With the refund, I decided to bite the bullet and by a new PC.I ordered it from Circuit city online.It's being shipped FedEx from their warehouse in Florida and is due to arrive today.I also ordered additional SDRAM to bump it up to the maximum 4GB this model can support.The memory is being shipped from California and is due to arrive Monday.
It's going to be so much nicer than the dinosaur I have now.

I.N.N. Wins Bloomfield Award.

I'm very pleased to announce that Internet News Network (I.N.N.) has won the very important Bloomfield Award for Excellence.
Of course, I.N.N. has the complete story and I've put a link to it here.
Best wishes to the fine folks at I.N.N......JOB WELL DONE.