And they want more?

The CEOs of the big three automakers flew to the nation's capital yesterday in private luxurious jets to make their case to Washington that the auto industry is running out of cash and needs $25 billion in taxpayer money to avoid bankruptcy.

ABC News: Big Three CEOs Flew Private Jets to Plead for Public Funds

This is a clear example of the excesses that have created so much of the “crisis” we are experiencing — and it is such ingrained behavior that, even in bad times, they just cannot stop. It is a good thing, though … as with all cycles, this one is coming around and we will become somewhat more frugal until the “crisis” is over … and then the next cycle of excesses will slowly start. Until our world breaks away from a mentality of “having more” to one of “being/doing more” we will see this again.

Dolphin plays bubble rings

Checked out true on Snopes.

Dolphin Rings

Where do candidates stand on the issues?

Here is a wonderful website that makes a serious attempt to put each candidate's view, side by side, so that we can all make an informed decision this November:

2008 Election - ProCon.org

Urine Tests

From an email I received:

I HAVE TO PASS A URINE TEST FOR MY JOB... SO I AGREE 100%

Like a lot of folks in this state, I have a job. I work, they pay me. I pay my taxes and the government distributes my taxes as it sees fit. In order to get that paycheck, I am required to pass a random urine test with which I have no problem. What I do have a problem with is the distribution of my taxes to people who don't have to pass a urine test.

Shouldn't one have to pass a urine test to get a welfare check because I have to pass one to earn it for them? Please understand, I have no problem with helping people get back on their feet. I do, on the other hand, have a problem with helping someone sitting on their ASS, doing drugs, while I work. . . . Can you imagine how much money the state would save if people had to pass a urine test to get a public assistance check?

Pass this along if you agree or simply delete if you don't. Hope you all will pass it along, though . . . Something has to change in this country -- and soon!!!!!!!

I guess we could title that program, 'Urine or You're Out'. Just a thought.

Mom (1929-2008)

My Mom passed away a few days ago. I have been meaning to write about it but just have had no time for writing.

I would be negligent if I did not thank my surrogate sister, Melody, for all her help prior to and after Mom's passing.

I will write more about Mom here in the very near future.

The Magic of Vinegar

Ideal Bite - Cleaning with Vinegar

Since when? The absurdity of conservative censorship

The kids and I were driving back home today and we were listening to Steve FM. On comes one of our favorite songs, one that Tracey loved, and we were immediately singing to Nickelback's "Rock Star" lyrics. Much to my surprise, I noticed that the words "drug" and "drugs" were censored! Since when those two words became obscene? Oh my God … the conservative censorship machine is going to ban all words in the English language! How moronic is this?

Maybe we will be able to freely express ourselves in Spanish or other languages.

So … the following is dedicated to all the idiotic conservative censorship organizations:

drug … drugs … drug … drugs … drug … drugs … drug … drugs … drug … drugs … drug … drugs

I hope all those in the conservative censorship machinery had a stroke reading those horrible obscene words!

I am sure the pharmaceutical industry is having a hard time with this ultra-conservative society … after all, they are the biggest drug pushers ever! Oh my ... I used the word drug again … oh sheesh, here I go again using that bad, bad word. It is not that I support illegal drugs (ooops!) — quite the opposite! But I also cannot understand censorship of this magnitude.

Some things need no words

Twin baby moose in sprinkler

Finding Gas Prices

This web page allows you to find gas prices near you (by Zip Code):

Gas Prices - MSN Autos

The Paradox of Our Time

The Paradox of Our Time In History - The Complete Version!

Four signs of a stroke

STROKE: remember the first three letters: S.T.R.

A neurologist says that if he can get to a stroke victim within 3 hours he can totally reverse the effects of a stroke...totally. He said the trick was getting a stroke recognized, diagnosed, and then getting the patient medically cared for within 3 hours, which is tough.

Recognizing A Stroke
Sometimes symptoms of a stroke are difficult to identify. Unfortunately, the lack of awareness spells disaster. The stroke victim may suffer severe brain damage when people nearby fail to recognize the symptoms of a stroke. Now doctors say a bystander can recognize a stroke by asking three simple questions:

S *Ask the individual to SMILE.

T *Ask the person to TALK and SPEAK A SIMPLE SENTENCE (Coherently) (i.e. It is sunny out today)

R *Ask him or her to RAISE BOTH ARMS.

If he or she has trouble with ANY ONE of these tasks, call 999/911 immediately and describe the symptoms to the dispatcher.

New Sign of a Stroke: Stick out Your Tongue

Another 'sign' of a stroke is this: Ask the person to 'stick' out his tongue.. If the tongue is 'crooked', if it goes to one side or the other,that is also an indication of a stroke.

Thoughts on Aging

Do you realize that the only time in our lives when we like to get old is when we're kids? If you're less than 10 years old, you’re so excited about aging that you think in fractions.

"How old are you?" "I'm four and a half!" You’re never thirty-six and a half. You're four and a half, going on five! That's the key.

You get into your teens, now they can't hold you back. You jump to the next number, or even a few ahead.

"How old are you?" "I'm gonna be 16!" You could be 13, but hey, you're gonna be 16! And then the greatest day of your life . . . You become 21. Even the words sound like a ceremony. YOU BECOME 21. YESSSS!!!

But then you turn 30. Oooohh, what happened there? Makes you sound like bad milk! He TURNED; we had to throw him out. There's no fun now, you're Just a sour-dumpling. What's wrong? What's changed?

You BECOME 21, you TURN 30, then you're PUSHING 40. Whoa! Put on the brakes, it's all slipping away.

Before you know it, you REACH 50

And your dreams are gone.

But wait!!! You MAKE it to 60. You didn't think you would!

So you BECOME 21, TURN 30, PUSH 40, REACH 50 and MAKE it to 60. You've built up so much speed that you HIT 70! After that it's a day-by-day thing; you HIT Wednesday!

You get into your 80's and every day is a complete cycle; you HIT lunch; you TURN 4:30; you REACH bedtime. And it doesn't end there. Into the 90's, you start going backwards; "I Was JUST 92."

Then a strange thing happens. If you make it over 100, you become a little kid again. "I'm 100 and a half!"

May you all make it to a healthy 100 and a half!!

Forget Sears!

My fridge quit working properly on Saturday night (and I did not confirm the problem until Sunday afternoon). When I tried to call Sears on Monday morning (starting at 6 AM), I kept being disconnected, transferred and then the call being dropped, or simply not able to connect to their service department at all. Twice I was able to talk to someone that could actually schedule a repair person, and they told me I had to wait seven days -- a whole week -- before someone could come to look at my fridge (a Kenmore).

The last rep I spoke with was so unresponsive to my request for more prompt service that I asked to be transferred to a supervisor. The result: my call was disconnected.

Fine … I called a local repair company and they offered to be there by 3 PM (and this was 1 PM). Because of scheduling issues, I asked them to postpone until tomorrow at Noon. They had no problem with my request. What a difference!

Another False Hope?

Fine print in housing bill mutes benefits to consumers - MarketWatch

One of the highlights of the housing bill waiting to be signed by President Bush is a tax credit of up to $7,500 for first-time home buyers. But read a little closer and it doesn't seem quite as appealing for buyers: that credit has to be paid back.

As usual, lawmakers seem to have wasted huge resources creating laws that will not benefit citizens or the country's economy. It seems to me the main beneficiaries will be banks and mortgage lenders.

Right or Happy?

How Being Right Stops You From Being Happier

Far more often than most people realize – to their great detriment – it really is an either/or proposition. Do you typically choose being right or being happy? Which of these values do your actions typically show that you hold higher?

Most people, without even being aware of it, choose being right at the expense of their happiness. And by the end of this piece you may be surprised to see how much you do, too.

Beware the Credit Card Monster

How I made peace with my plastic - MarketWatch

Now's not the time to start relying on credit cards.

In reality, it is never a good time to rely on credit cards. These financial instruments are not friends to the consumer — quite the opposite! They only server one master: the card issuer. And it is an evil master — yes, that is correct … evil.

I have one credit card in my wallet and I use it mostly as a tool to prevent fraudulent access to my funds. Here is how I handle my credit card:

• At the end of every week, I total all purchases made on the card and I schedule a payment from my bank account to the card issuer (in this case, my credit union).
• I never charge a purchase on the card that I cannot immediately pay from either checking or savings accounts.

If you treat a credit card as a short-term (no more than weekly) financial instrument, then you will avoid the finance charge trap that can sink you into financial disaster.

Here is some more credit card information we all can use:

Five Credit Card Traps Everyone Should Know About - MarketWatch

Your thoughts

Thought for the Day:

"You can make your life into a grand ever-evolving work of art. The key is your thoughts, the wondrous invisible part of you that is your spiritual soul."

Dr. Wayne Dyer

I will miss Randy Pausch

I will miss Randy Pausch. The Carnegie Mellon Computer Science professor who shook the world with his Last Lecture speech, passed away yesterday at the age of 47. Randy was a fighter, like many other cancer patients (such as my wife), and beat the time odds by many months but, far more importantly, by many meaningful events, many private, some very public. Randy's legacy goes beyond The Last Lecure. He was an innovator in ways most of us never knew. He leaves behind a great teaching tool called Alice, which is a great way for young people to learn how to program computers in a fun way. A spin-off project, Storytelling Alice, is available for younger students. As a computer programmer, I am in awe of Randy's accomplishments. As a person, I am in awe of his spirit.

Don't you just love nature?

Kim Komando’s Video of the Day » Blog Archive » Christian the Lion

The Law of the Garbage Truck

I received the following in an email yesterday:

One day I hopped in a taxi and we took off for the airport . We were driving in the right lane when suddenly a car jumped out of a parking space right in front of us. My taxi driver slammed on his breaks, skidded, and missed the other car by just inches! The driver of the other car whipped his head around and started yelling at us. My taxi driver just smiled and waved at the guy. And I mean, he was really friendly.

So I asked, 'Why did you just do that? This guy almost ruined your car and sent us to the hospital!' This is when my taxi driver taught me what I now call, 'The Law of the Garbage Truck.' He explained that many people are like garbage trucks. They run around full of garbage, full of frustration, full of anger, and full of disappointment. As their garbage piles up, they need a place to dump it and sometimes they'll dump it on you. Don't take it personally. Just smile, wave, wish them well, and move on. Don't take their garbage and spread it to other people at work, at home, or on the streets.

The bottom line is that successful people do not let garbage trucks take over their day. Life's too short to wake up in the morning with regrets, so. 'Love the people who treat you right. Pray for the ones who don't.'