He's surprised?

“I have to say I’m surprised by the controversy surrounding my statement, because I think it was a pretty straightforward commentary that you probably don’t need to handcuff a guy — a middle-aged man who uses a cane who was in his own home,” Obama said in an ABC News interview Thursday night


And exactly how tall does one have to be to walk back into his house and get a gun and shoot someone? Police handcuff all suspects, male, female, white, black, old, young, and all other discriptions as a matter of policy. They even handcuff prisoners while they process the paperwork when the prisoner is being released.

So now, is Obama going to detate police procedures and make it improper to handcuff old people using a cane or just black college professor's? What if the professor had only been a part time teacher at Randolph cimmunity College? Would it have been proper to handcuff him then?

Maybe we just put healtj insurance reform legislation on hold while Obama works out all the details of who can and cannot be handcuffed. Maybe it would be better if all future burlary in process calls be ignored if the suspect is determined to be a black male.

Personally I have encountered some black males who were too ready to accused me of being racists. One example occured when I worked at a convenience store. It was a slow day, a rare and welcomed event. A black male pulled up to pump number 5, inserted his credit card and proceeded to pump his gas. About a minute later a car pulled up to pump number nine (the pump most people choose if they are going to drive off without paying) A young woman (hot, may I add without being accused of being sexist)dressed only in a tiny bikini, started pumping gas without either using a credit or debit card or without prepaying.

Now who exactly do you think I was looking at (being a red blooded straight American male). Guess what happened? No, I didn't get a date with the girl but the man came into the store and accused me of watching him and of being a racist.

Another time while working at my regular job I was talking with a customer when a black male came up to the customer and accused him of being a racist and very upset because "you keep watching me without cause." I explainned to the man thast no one was watching him. The person I was talking to had no reason to watch him as he was just a customer.

I could cite example after example but I believe you have the proper picture. I'm not saying racist doesn't occur. I know it does. On my former blog I always posted stories of people, manly black men, who were released from prison after being wrongly accused and convicted of crimes.

I've heard the professors version and I've heard the officer's version and having watched hours and hours of cop shows, I would tend to believe the cop. I have seen instances of cops bullying suspects. A perfect example is on one episode, the sheriif's department in Davidson County was featured. There wasn't enough real crime so a prostitution sting was set up. The local cops grabbed a fat man and drug the dazed and confused man to the pavement and handcuffed him. I honestly believe they (the cops) were trying to act tough for the cameras. I also believe that if they has asked the man to step out of his vehicle, he would have done so. In most situations, the cops just issued the john a citation. There was no need for brute force just like there is no need for Obama to be running off at the mouth.

Master of Deception

When fishing in brown water, use brown colored bait. When fishing in green water, using green colored bait. The idea is not to stand out but to blend in, to disguise as much as possible the deception of free food for the fish.

I didn't like Obamas ideas when he was a candidate for his parties nomination, I didn't like his ideas when he was the Democratic choice, and I haven't cared at all for his ideas since taking office. After his "stupidly" comment, I'm beginning to dislike him personally. But still, I'll have to give him credit for being the best at what he does. He is the master of Deception.

He promised that under his administration pork barre ll legislation would be eliminated yet on one piece of legislation there were 55 add-ons for pet projects and the vast majority of them were requested by Barrack Obama himself. He said he would accept no new legislation that increased the national debt yet his own budget puts the USA into a $1.8 billion deficit in one year alone.

He proposed a August 1 deadline for passing his health care plan and yet on TV he claimed it wasn't his deadline but the deadline of the American people.

I'm sorry, I could go on and on but I'm getting nauseous.

Racial bias President

I am almost positive that the President of the United States has not received a detailed report of what happened between Officer Crowley and professor Gates and spoke how he felt in his heart and not from any special knowledge of the facts that is not know to the general public.

The President said what he meant when he called the Cambridge police stupidily acting and his aides attempt to "quailfy" what the President meant is just a sorry attempt of damage control of a racially charged, prejudical statement that clearly indicates he is not willing to give all races a fair shake.

The police have a tough enough time doing their job without the President of the United States indermining their ability to do their job. If Officer Crowley acted improperly then he should be dealt with in the appropriate manner but the President has no business jumping to conclusions about who was right or wrong or to offer up a blanket charge of stupidity against the entire police force.

Are we going to have to go the route of havng only black police officers arrest black people and white officers arrest only white people? Do we need to require police officers to take the word of everyone who may appear to be doing something wrong? Maybe we can hire only officers that can neither see nor hear so that they cannot tell whom they are arresting?

Or maybe we should elect people to the office of President of the United States that will back up our police officers and not judge the right or wrong of a situation based on the color of the officer's or victims skin.

Racial profiling

A well know author speaking on a talk radio show made the comment that everyone was racist and if you denied that you were a liar. I, for one, totally disagree with that statement and I don;t believe that makes me a liar. I have stated many times that everyone is prejudiced and I will admit that I am but that doesn't make me a racist.

To me, predudice means that one has preconceived notions that may or not be true or one shows favoritism towards one over another. Racism means that one acts with malious towards another just because of that person's skin color.

In the case of the Harvard Professor, the Cambridge police officer was accused of being a racist or of racial profiling but I totally disagree with that assessment. First, the policement didn't stop the professor because he was black. The officer responded to a call by a neighbor to the resisdence of a possible breakin. Just because the professor was famous in certain circles doesn't mean that everyone knew who he was. I saw his picture posted and he looked just like many other people to be, no one that I would recognize. Even after seeing his picture, I still wouldn't know who he was if he walked into my work place.

Most people carry their ID with them so when the police officer asked him for his ID (which he should have-the officer doesn't know that he was the owner of the house-after all. a neighbor just claimed the man was breaking in) and he wanted to walk into another room to get his ID, the policeman has no idea what the man is really in search of. It could be an escape route, a weapon of some sort, or his ID. If you are in a dwelling with a man a neighbor just claimed was being broken into, would you trust the man that was there with your life?

Black Mountain

There is a nice nostalgic article in "Our State" magazine, August, 2009, issue on Black Mountain. If anyone happens to read the article or has visited that area and has an urge to build a mountain home near there Iknow where an acre of land is for sale. You can call David Patneaude for details or visit his website.

The land includes a portion of a nice creek and has a section of a nice deck built near the creek.

David Patneaude
828 442 8316
david@catawbaproperties.com

Increasing taxes, fees, etc is cerainly fair

I am just a poor working man doing the best I can to psy my bills, obey the laws, keep my home and yard clean, neat, and presentable, and maybe put s little aside for emergency and old age. Life is tough and it's hard to save. I could do okay if others would just be responsible too.

Would not it be nice if we had the same control over our financies that the government has over thiers and some businesses have? Next time I pay a bill, I'd like to be able to only pay 97.5% of it since my employer is working me 39 hours per week instead of 40. Wouldn;t it have been nie to have charged your boss a fuel surcharge to come to work when gas prices shot up to over $4.00 per gallon?

Airlines are charging fees for things that once were free, government is placing taxes on things that once were tax free, and companies are reducing work hours and/or benefits that once were taken for granted.

Government officials, needing money for pet projects, take money from social security and leave an IOU. If a company set up a retirement benefit fund for its employees and then raided that account for special projects it would be considered illegal.

Maybe it is time we change the way our government operates and give it a stedy job with a steady income like most people have. If the government has a predetermined income every year then it would be forced to live within that budget, just like you and I do. There has to be a way to stop the madness that is the US government.

The Courier law log

Yes, I am a subscriper to the Asheboro paper. I read the law log every morning at breakfast as I like to know the bad stuff that is happening in real life that could affect me but more than that, I have been looking for the time my neighbor's name would appear.

Today was the day! I thought maybe it would be for larceny, shoplifting, or b & e but it was for drugs: three felony counts.

Working on my book Queen of Southgate (now just Southgate available at Lulu.com ) has given me a sixth sense about certain kinds of people. I had that feeling about my neighbor.

Not for the common man

I just finished an article on work place etiquette which of course centered on behaviour at the office. What if I don't work in an office? Million of people work in retail and in manufacturing. Are we not important enough to write about? I work with a few that sure could benefit from some good work place etiquette (or if the writer thinks we aren't smart enough to understand that word, just call it common sense manners).

How about a good article for the poor fellow whose struggling in everyday life at the factory and hasn't a clue how to invest that $10,000 nest egg in his 401K.

I would write those articles myself but no one reads my stuff.

first 150 days

Observations of the President's 1st Five Months..............
He has.....

1. Offended the Queen of England .

2. Bowed to the King of Saudi Arabia .

3. Praised the Marxist Daniel Ortega.

4. Kissed Hugo Chavez on the cheek.

5. Endorsed the Socialist Evo Morales of Bolivia .

6. Announced we would meet with Iranians with no pre-conditions.

7. Gave away billions to AIG also without pre-conditions.

8. Expanded the bailouts.

9. Insulted everyone who has ever loved a Special Olympian.

10. Doubled our national debt..

11. Announced a termination of the space defense system the day after the North Koreans launched an ICBM.

12. Despite the urgings of his own CIA director and the prior 4 CIA directors, released information on intelligence gathering.

13. Accepted without public comment the fact that five of his cabinet members cheated on their taxes and two others withdrew after they couldn't take the heat.

14. Appointed a Homeland Security Chief who quickly identified as "dangers to the nation", groups including veterans of the military, and opponents to abortion on demand, and who ordered that the word "terrorism" no longer be used but instead referred to such acts as "man made disasters".

15. Circled the globe so he could openly apologize for America's greatness.

16. Told Mexicans the violence in their country was because of us.

17. Politicized the census by moving it into the White House from its Department of Commerce origins..

18. Appointed as Attorney General the man who orchestrated the forced removal and expulsion from America to Cuba of a nine-year old whose mother died trying to bring him to a life of freedom in the United States and approved the pardon of Marc Rich so Clinton could let the felon go free.

19. Salutes as heroes three Navy SEALS who took down three terrorists who threatened one American life and the next day announces members of the Bush administration will likely stand trial for "torturing" a terrorist, who had played a part in killing 3000 Americans, by pouring water up their nose.

20. Flew Air Force One over New York City causing panic at a cost of $400,000 to get a photo you can make with Photo Shop for less than a dollar.

21. Sent his National Defense Advisor to Europe to assure Europe that the US will no longer treat Israel in a special manner and they might be on their own with the Muslims

22.Began the process of nationalizing the Auto Industry and the Insurance industry.

23 Announced that for intent and purposes the Health Insurance Industry will be nationalized.

24 Sided with Hugo Chavez instead of the Rule of Law as Honduras legally deposed Zelaya and installed Roberto Micheletti as President. It must be noted that the army did so following a lawful order of the Honduras Supreme Court.

Joyce DeWitt a k a Janet Wood

Joyce Dewitt played Janet Wood on "Three's Company". She was the perky dark-hairred cutie. Now 60, she looked anything but cute after her DUI arrest.

fixing health care

All I wanted from this broken health care system of ours is a requirement that if I lost my job (even if I quit) that I would be entitled to carry my existing health coverage at the same rate until I was employed again. I don't want to pay for the health care of people to lazy to work or to cheap to provide for their family memebers even if my paying came by hidden taxes. After all, I'm already paying to feed them, house them, and to fix the damage they cause when they wreck uninsured motor vehicles.

I certainly don't believe that the US government will be able to pay for it either and not make me pay for it as Obama said would be the case. Cigarettes already cost more than a dollar more a pack (which could be a good thing except that it is proof of a lie).

Obama's personal stimulus of $13.00 a week is a joke. One has to have a job to get it and 1 in 10 workers no longer have a job and the thirteen dollars a week for those who do go to pay tax increases from local, state and federal governments, and for increased cost of goods from struggling businesses.

What I find so really bizarre is any kind of tax increase during a recession. Too bad individuals can't do what government and busisnesses can do. Wouldn't it be nice to go to the grocery store and buy $150.00 and give the cashier %145.50 and said that because of increaed cost to live, you are forced to tax the store on your purchases or to tell your boss that you will be charging $18.50 an hour instead of the $17.25 you had been making because your ARM just increased.

We can't do that. All we can do is vote. Pay attention and vote wisely next election.

Child's play

Teacher sorry for mock wedding to 4th grader
Parents at Maine school raise concerns over playground ceremony

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updated 11:06 a.m. ET, Tues., July 7, 2009
PORTLAND, Maine - A fourth-grade teacher has apologized for playing the groom in a mock wedding to a student.

The Portland Press Herald reported that Paul Rosenblum agreed to participate after the girl proposed and his class at the Plummer-Motz School in Falmouth, Maine, cajoled him.

At the brief playground ceremony, Rosenblum wore a black graduation gown and a clown tie. The girl had a sheet draped around her clothes for a gown.

Story continues below ↓
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There was no kiss but the newspaper reported the teacher took the student's hand and they ran down a gazebo ramp at the end of the ceremony.

The school later received several phone calls about it.

'Sick with regret'
In a letter sent to parents, Rosenblum said he was only intending to indulge "a little girl's game of dress-up and make-believe." He said he is remorseful and "sick with regret."

"The fact that an adult would consent to 'marry' one of his students, however light the intended context, shows a serious lapse in judgment," he added.

Superintendent Barbara Powers wouldn't say whether any disciplinary action was taken.

"I think it was just lots of class joking around — and crushes and things like that — and the kids thinking it would be a cheerful, fun thing to do for the end of the year," Powers told the newspaper. "The teacher agreed to go along with it, just not thinking it through."

I see nothing to get upset about. If this had been a scene in a movie, I think the audience would have been moved in a positive way.

Queen of Southgate

The shorter version of The Queen of Southgate, entitled simply "Southgate" is available on Lulu.com for $6.96.

Bold, Riveting, and Compelling, November 24, 2006
By Richard R. Blake (Bridgman, Michigan) - See all my reviews


This review is from: Queen of Southgate (Paperback)
This is a story of homeless people, prostitutes, pimps, dealers, and hustlers. Sperling asks the tough questions: How do these people survive? How do they avoid arrest? And, how do we prevent the next child from becoming one of the street people?

After reading a newspaper account of a local fire, in which three year old Tyler suffocated, Dale Sperling became consumed with the question of what really happened. As he researched news reports and internet records of the three adults sleeping in the house, at the time of the fire, he found himself drawn into to a tangled web of deceit, crime, and the human drama of life on the streets of the Southgate District.

Dale decided to find an individual who had experienced drug and alcohol abuse, prostituted their body, and risen above this life to choose personal growth and fulfillment. He then wanted to write their story. Tammy James (TJ) was approached to become the "success" of his book. The book, and Tammy James, became a passion as Dale interviewed dozens of street people, dealers, and prostitutes. He soon became involved in an unusual, intricate relationship with Tammy as friend, protector, and benefactor.

As he traces the steps of Tammy's spiraling descent into the use of crack cocaine Sperling describes in detail the risks of street life. He shows profound insights into Tammy's personality. "I was beginning to understand her motivation better now. TJ wanted the same things we all want: acceptance, friendship, and respect. She also wanted her independence and the chance to express herself. At Southgate, she had all, that she felt, she needed to be happy."

"The more I learned, the more I came to realize that I could not help Tammy. To seek recovery was a decision she had to make on her own. I became an observer and expanded my research to include the total environment."

The environment, pleasure and values of a person influence the risk of addiction. As Dale continued to write he concluded that being a street prostitute was not all about money, nor was it all about drugs. "There was something far more sinister at work in these women's lives."

As work on the book progressed, Sperling continued the focus of alerting others to the dangers caused by using illegal drugs, abusing alcohol and of the effect this has on others, family, friends, and relationships. He reiterates how your influence on others impacts the direction of their lives. This thought provoking account is haunting and heartbreaking. It is a reminder that the choices we make have long range consequences.

Sperling demonstrated spiritual understanding and compassion as he sacrificed of himself to bring this story to fruition. It is a remarkable work well worth reading and passing along to others facing these issues personally or through loved ones caught up in a web of crime and degradation.

Credit card myth

If a family has $125.00 per month left over after paying all necessary bills and living expenses and they find they want a new big screen TV, chances are they will purchase that TV using a credit card. The week after they purchase said TV they have car trouble and are forced to charge that repair bill on their credit card.

Now, and forever they no longer have $125.00 a month left over and will be forced to live paycheck to paycheck. A layoff or even a couple of short weeks at work can force that family into homelessness. Now had they chose to save and/or invest that $125.00 per month, they would have had to do without that big screen TV for four or five months but even after purchasing it, they would still have had enough to cover the emergency repair bill and would have still had the $125.00 or month left over at the end of each month.

If they never had to touch that savings, in twenty years they would have saved $30,000 but would have accrued interest on that. They then could have withdrawn $125.00 a month forever without ever touching the money that had been saved.

Credit cards only stimulate the economy by the amount of debt a family racks up using them and willcause the economy to shrink by at least that amount when a user cannot pay.

The problem most people have is their inability to save their disposable income. People will purchase the most car they can based on their income or buy the biggest house, or the best clothes they think they can afford. If they would pay themselves first, and then spent the rest, they would discover that life would be so much easier and in the long run they will have a much better life that the Joneses ever dreamed of having.

Change you don't recognize

The President ran for office with the slogan "Change you can believe in>' I have no idea what that was supposed to mean but many people embraced it. But as time goes by, what is changing is more than most people recognize. Obama has proven to be a man of action on the home front even as he remains clueless on foreign policy. Unfortunately, to date none of his actions have produced any good fruit.

What I fear is that when is all said and done by this administration we will have been lead down a path to no where and one from which we will find it impossible to reverse course or to espcape from.

What's to think about?

"Lawyer: Rowe deciding whether to seek custody"
July 2, 2009, 3:27 PM EST

Michael Jackson was a great entertainer, I suppose (I can't say for sure since I never saw any of his work) but he was weird. A grown man living in a place he called "Neverland" hanging out with pre-teen kids, particularly boys, sharing his bed with them, and getting himself sued and arrested over the practice. And if that wasn't bad enough, he proved himself to be an equally weird father what with dangling his baby over the railings while standing on a balcony.

So given his less than normal behaviour with children, including his own, what mother in her right mind would have her child raised by such a man and what court would have given him custody? And now the mother of two od his children has to "think" about trying to gain custody of her children now that Jackson has died. If she has to think about it then she should be denied from the get-go. The time to have thought about whether or not to raise your children was before you had them , lady. Afterwards, it should be a lifetime commitment.

I don't have much power or influence in this world but I do have my principles and if the way a person lives their life violates my strongest principles then I will not support that person. An actor was caught on tape having sex with a minor. Even though he is a great actor and has done several films I would have liked to have seen, I will not view them. Call me passive-agressive but it is just my way of dealing with people who engage in criminal or disgusting behaviour.

Perhaps the only principals Miss Rowe is exercising in trying to decide whether to seek custody of her children are monetary ones. If it will cost her more to gain custody of her children and raise them than she will gain from having them she will no seek custody but if she stands to make a handsome profit, she'll go forward with the custody suit. It's apparent she isn't motivated by a mother's love.

Backyard deversions

I took time away from blogging to work on a new novel then I found a house I liked, moved into it, and busied myself with turning the house into something that is truly me.

My wife enjoys her bird feeder, I enjoy my fish and we like to relax around the pond. We caught a yellow finch trying to peck a seed from a sunflower and the koi were in a feeding frenzy, even jumping out of the water to grab a piece of food.

Hulu

What does that mean?

President Barack Obama said the U.S. is ready to cope with "any contingencies"

The above was said in response to Kim Il's threat to consider boarding a North Korean ship an act of war. When I step out my back door the birds on the bird feeder fly away. Ready to cope is political double-speak for "I don't know what the hell I will do but I'll convince the American public that even if I'm frozen in fear it was the "right thing to do" and "change you can believe in."

I just wonder is pulling the troops from one war zone to another war zone will allow the one zone's fire to flare up again and put us in the position of fighting two unwinnable wars. Maybe we should just declare bin Laden legally dead since he hasn't been seen in seven years. The only way to prove he isn't is to appear live and in person to the masses and then we can kill him for sure.

Maybe the campaign slogan for the next President can be "a person you can trust." I certainly don't trust this one.

Heating up the planer

Wouldn't this account for gloal warming?





20 Things You Didn't Know About ... the Summer Solstice
Why Galileo wasn't in a partying mood during the 1633 solstice, and more

By Dean Christopher
Provided by Discover Magazine

18. And the Sun keeps getting brighter. Models of stellar evolution estimate that the Sun is about 40 percent more luminous today than it was when the Earth formed 4.5 billion years ago.

Murder on Iron Mountain

Nice title for a murder mystery but there wasn't exactly a murder. The scenario was a substitute mail carrier was attached by three men and shot. His house was later found to have been involved in an arson. The wife of the victim was out of town.

One possibility is that she hired three men to kill her husband and to destroy the house because it may have had evidence linking her to the crime and she can always collect the insurance money. What's your opinion?

The Doctor Visit

She was thin and wheelchair bound but each was equally sweet and interesting. I would have liked to have had more time to talk with her but it wasn't to be. I had taken my mother to see her doctor and chated with an older lady. I thought she was there to see her doctor but she said she was only there for her mother.

I expressed my surprise and when I asked how old her mother was, the lady replied
99 When the almost centurian was wheeled out into the waiting room, I jusmped up to meet her. I wasn't sure at first if she was the ladies mother because she didn't look near her age. I told her she had a very nice daughter. She asked me who I was as she was surprised to have theis stranger taking to her. I said I was no body.

She had a very nice family and I know in my heart that she is truly a special person. I was happy to have met her.

Local news

The paper is thin but that's okay. My letters get printed and coverage of local stories is excellent--like the purse snatching incident in Randleman or the prostitution arrest in Asheboro. I saw the women just minutes before she was picked up. She looked to be about thirteen at first glance. I had just purchased a peach tree was was heading home when I saw her. She was just walking but somehow one just knew why.

My wife works at the store where the purse snatching incident took place. Just think, if you lived in New York City or Los Angelas, Asheoro would just be a small neighborhood and Randleman would be a sparesly population city block. One would probably not read such stories in thewir local papers.

Fish Killer

At first it seemed absurd that someone would face legal santions for killing a fish but after carefully thinking the situation through, it seems that punishment is justified. I've kept aquariums at home before (I once owned several pet stores) and I now have an outdoor pond with four koi.

Aquariums and koi ponds are not natural environments for fish and they (the fish) depend on us to provide a liveable environment for them. If we are to keep them as pets it is our responsibility to do so properly. I believe to intentionally harm ones pets, even a lowly fish, in such a situation is a criminal act.

While we are talking about criminal acts, one was attempted last night at work that I found to be comical. It was getting late, a little after eight and was rather slow. Graduation ceremonies had taken many families out of the grocery stores into restaraunts so there were not the usual number of customers.

A young male (I hestitate to use the term man) who appeared to be in the twenties asked me if we had any Ribeyes. I pointed out where those steaks could be found and he said thanks. There wasn't anything unusual about that exchsnge. What was suspicious about the person was his use of a shopping cart.

He was a tall fellow who was wearing a red and white striped pull-over t-shirt type garmet, had unkempt blonde hair and dirty scuffed shoes. he wasn't wearing a wedding band either. He lacked social graces and tact. People like him don't use shopping carts, especially late at night.

I minute or two later he wheeled his cart off. he had placed 10 or 12 packs of steaks in the buggy. I alerted security.

The person then went to cusromer service and asked for two cartons of cigaretttes, then buggied on down to the beer department for a couple of cases of brw, then over to the paper aisle for a pack of toliet paper to cover his merchandise with. He thinks he has a clear shot for a quick exit.

He might have had a better change of getting away with his attempy if he had just come on in to the store holding up a sign that said in bold letters "shoplifter". Or maybe he could have just went to the office and asked for the manager and told him what he was up to. He wasn't the brightest of theives.

Vile Tempers

Some people are so righteous that any attempt to give suggestions only results in their turning their vile temper on the person who cares and only wanted to help. Knowing the outcome before hand makes one really hesitant to say anything, even if it isn't meant to criticize but to offer support and help.

"You are so vain you probably think this is about you.'

The Obama Nation

In the socialist utopian world, we find stories like Lisbeth Koelster convicted of killing a fish in Denmark. She is a TV anchorman who placed shampoo in a goldfish aquarium bowl four years ago in a demonstration for her audience.







Lisbeth Koelster, Convicted Guppy Murderer



In such a society where people cede virtually all power to the state, the government will wickedly begin to decide everything for you. Big Brother will decide how much money CEOs should make, which cars should be made, and who should go to jail for flushing a fish. So it is in Denmark. Beware, dear citizens, the socialists currently squatting in Washington for change is a-coming.


So now we have Danish TV anchor Lisbeth Koelster who was doing a reasonable presentation on television in 2004. She added 3 ounces of Obama Shampoo to a goldfish bowl as a scientific experiment to show that the shampoo (Terva brand, actually) was a tad toxic. Sure enough, within three short days most of the poor guppies had perished. A good consumer awareness report if there ever was one.

Sensing a new power opportunity for the state, Denmark launched a fish rescue plan by prosecuting the maligned Lisbeth Koelster, who was just doing her job as a consumer reporter. She was eventually convicted for animal cruelty. You can read the full report in native tongue here.

So when the car companies are finally saved by the ruling princes, and we are all driving tin Obamobiles, what is to become of us insignificant pet owners and the fishes? Curious to hear reader comments about Lisbeth Koelster, convicted of killing guppies, and the long arm of a socialist state.

credit: http://www.rightpundits.com/?p=3951

A rose by any other name is still a rose

Women and men and those that are neither (or both, depending on how one views them) have been advertiseing on Craigslist under erotic services. Those services can be legal message but more often than not were ads for on-line prostitution. Now that Craigslist has agreed to eliminate this section, many feared prostitution would be driven back onto the streets were these women would be forced into more dangerous situations and would have to work side by side with less wholesome mentally-ll and/or addicted street girls. Not to worry. They are adults.

As adults, these people have the right to advertise in the new "adult" section. The new section doesn't allow the code words, or even hints at what th people, mostly women, are advertising, but most ads post pictures and there is little doubt that what is being advertised und the adult section is the same thing that was under erotic. Same pictures are on the new site.

Response to Courier Tribune article

"If you are not cheating, you're not trying hard enough" Kipp C Schauble

That is not his quote but a quote from his column in the Asheboro, NC paper on Friday May 15, 2009 in which he suggests that using performnace enchancing drugs in college to help one pull a cram study session in order to improve ones grades is justified and acceptable behavior if the end result is a better job in the future.

My response follows:

A Prescription For Cheating: A Reply

While this column is not an out and out endorcement of cheating via taking performance enhancing drugs, it does leave one with the impression that doing so in an effort to secure better employment opportunities for ones future is acceptable behavior. I seriously doubt that the retention of information gleamed from drug aided all-nighters is long lasting.

I believe the best method of learning is repetition. Physical activities are enhanced by repetition and so are mental activities. We learned the multiplication table by repeating it over and over. I learned my colors, writing, and most everything I know today by this method. Little of what I learned in cram sessions is retained in my brain.

I once had an economics professor who had never had a student earn an A in his class and he had been teaching for decades. I wanted to be the first. I started at the library and found books on how to study. I followed the formula in one of those books and in the end I got that A. The Dean of the college called me into his office. He congratulated me, remarking he “didn't realize I was that smart.” Proper study techniques trump cram sessions in both the amount of information retained and the length of retention.

I can't accept the argument that illegally taking medication compares equally with drinking too much coffee. Neither can I accept the premise that cheating via performance enhancing medications that are not prescribed to the student is acceptable or justified if the end results in a better job for that person.
For every person who obtains a job as a result of cheating, there is another person who is denied employment that may have deserved that job.

I would rather see a physician that actually learned his medicine than one who received good grades aided by illegally dispensed medications. I hope that cop that pulls me over actually knows what he is doing and is not using performance enhancing, mind altering drugs to help him get that promotion he wants. I hope that whenever I'm faced with a life and death situation on the highway that I have a clear head and know exactly what to do to give me the best chance to live. I just won't have time to pop a pill and read the driver's manual.

Maybe mandatory drug testing should be required of all students making an A on a final exam.

Hope for America

Obama promised to bring change to America, He was billed as the candidate of hope.

For the first time in American history, the percentage of people claiming to be believers has declined, we accept abortion as a right, many are wanting to legal gay unions (it's just a matter of time), and marijuna is now being touted as the one thing that can turn the US economy around.

True, America has changed and is countinuing to change. My question: is there still hope?

swine flu and pork

Believe it or not, people have quit buying pork because they are afraid of the swine flu. Will they quick buying chicken if we have a bird flu outbreak?

People are so silly.

Saving versus spending

Purchasing things gives us a sense of power and especially when we use a credit card to make those buys. You walk into a retail store with $52.00 in your wallet, $364.00in checking, and $1,070.00 in savings and walk out with the exact amount of money plus whatever items or items you "just had to have" from the vendor.

You have a great rate on your credit card and the minimum monthly payment is low at 2%. With an interest rate of only ten percent, it would take one 50 years to pay off the balance at minimum if no interest was added but the balance will double every ten years (actually much less since there a probably fees involved like annual fees and special transaction fees).

You find saving money hard because for every dollar saved you have once less dollar to spend. Are yoiu forever stuck in this determintal financial lifestyle?

We spend money we never see but force ourselves to open our wallets in order to save. If we could reverse this process, saving would be much easier. We can.

I have a jug at home and each payday I put $10.00 in my jug. On the next payday, I put another $10.00 plus all the money I have left in my wallet goes into that jug. All my spare change goes into another container on a daily bases. When I can actually see and feel the money I've saved I feel better and I find it addictive, I soon begin to l,ook for ways to spend less.

Since I don't use credut cards, I have to actually open my wallet everytime I want to make a purchase. I don't use my bank card to make purchases either as that still makes one have the feeling that its not real money being spent.

Sometimes I wish I had a credit card so I can buy the things I want when I want them but that would only serve to reduce future income (by an amount much greater than the cost of the item bought) and if I can't live off what I make now or don't have any extra to save, then I certainly don't have any extra to spend.

Each week my money is deposited directly into my checking account. I stop by the bank and make a withdrawal of my allowance each payday. A certain percentage of my pay is saved in my retirement account before I get paid and a certain percentage is saved in a money market account after I get paid. If I spend all my money before next payday then I do without. I have to make spending decisions wisely.

If there is something I need and have to have it now, like a car repair, then I can take it out of the money market. If it is sometime I need but it doesn't have to be right now, I can budget for it or find alternative means. An example would be if my lawnmower quit, I could hire someone for a few weeks to cut my grass or I could just use the push mower, or I could borrow a mower from a friend or neighbor.

If one follows a sound savings and spending policy, then one doesn't need credit cards, even for an emergency. That may have been a good excuse back when we had to write checks but it certainly isn't an excuse today. The truth is, it wasn't a good excuse way back when. During my college days, I had gone to visit a friend of mine and found my the unfortunate victim of a muggler. (This was the days before most banks used computers and the smaller banks which did rented computer time from bigger banks). I went to a local Western Union and had them wire my bank for emergency funds. In a few hours I was good to go again. No credit card needed: only a good savings plan.

Changing times and righteous statements

Another blogger and I were once close and I was a strong supporter in that bloggers cause but I'm not important enough to hang with, especially after I tested a friend of that bloggers and found that friend wanting. The Asheboro paper is that bloggers second most hated publication so I'm sure the letter to the editor by Mr. Overton was missed. Too bad. That was one righteous statement he made.

747 buzzes New York

http://blog.trutv.com/dumb_as_a_blog/2009/04/air-force-dumb.html

Idol bigotry

I was reading some comments that the American Idol TV show is bigoted because so few of its contestants and finalists were black. African-Americans make up 15% of the population of the USA. Three out of the last seven winners (Jordon Sparks, Fantasia, and Ruben) were black. Just because Lil Rounds was unceremoniously eliminated wasn't because she was black. Her leaving has been a forgone conclusion . Who could American Idol stand her up with and created suspense about which one was going home?

Really?

Innovation

Lately, companies have been getting very innovative. Normally that would be a good thing but remember it was innovative financing schemes that put the world in such a financial mess. Because of the financial crisis and declining revenues, the creative juices are now flowing but instead of bringing us new products, more efficient products, or less expensive products, companies are finding innovative ways for us to pay more for the products and services we are already using.

An example of this is the new service plan for my phone. Instead of the straight 10 cents a minute phone rate, I now have to pay a $6.99 per month service charge. Another example is I reveived an e-mail that had an attachment from Kodak but in order to view the pictures Kodak required that I join their photo club. It was also true that Kodak is now requiring a certain dollar amount of their products and services be purchased by club memebers in order to continue to use their service.

I guess the big one was Time-Warner wanting to charge people by their bandwith usage. Lots of people were really mad about that one.

Is this what America has come too? Companies finding new ways to rip off their customers is not the way they should be doing business. I miss the old Mom and Pop stores were advice was free, help was plentiful, and clerks knew what they were talking about. Sure, thing seemed to cost a little more and one had to search a little harder to find what they needed, but what we have given up in order to get convenience and cheaper prices has cost us more that most of us will ever know.

Two spouses working in the same family meant only that ones kids were finally grown and life was probably getting boring. Now its necessary for survival. Think about it. Have all our innovations really improved our lives? it just doesn't sem so anymore.

Electric roads

Instead on electric cars, wouldn't it be cheaper and safer to make electric roads. Sort of like bumper cars?

Susan Boyle

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RxPZh4AnWyk&NR=1 (cut and paste)


You've got to listen to this. WOW!

more pain

Writing with crippled hands is hard enough. Now I have tendonitus in my right shoulder. ouch!

credit card myths

I think it is absolutely preposterous to believe that the solution for this ailing economy is to begin using our credit cards again. Somnehow we have been sold a bill of goods that the way our fathers lived (pay as you go) keep this country from growing and we have accumulatyed so many things now because we purchase on credit.

I believe we have less because we purchase on credit. Someone else has more but not us. Really.

For example, let's say I make have a take home paycheck of $400.00 per week. I just purchased a new home and now I have to cut the grass everyweek. It's hard with a push lawn mower so I want to buy a riding mower but the one I want cost $1,200.00. I can either save for it or buy it now on credit. The hardware store has a deal on it. Get their crdit card and save $10.00 and buy the mower for just $48.00 a month. (You figure it out-if I make just the minimum payment at 16% interest, just how much is that mower going to cost me when I get it paid for?)

I also want a china cabinet yo display my beautiful dishes. I find a great bargin for only $1389.00 so I put it on my Visa (13.9% interest) and only have to pay %59.00 per month. I also charge the labor to install a water pond in my back yard since i don't feel like digging the big hole. The $800.00 bill goes on my Discovery card.

I could have waited a year or so and saved up the money and paid cash. The drawbacks to that is the price may have increased, I might have missed a once-in-a-lifetime sale, and I have lose the interest I would have made if that money had remained in the bank.

What if instead I took out a whole life insurance policy with the idea that I wanted a huge reserve to to borrow money from not not for the death benefits. I would draw interest on the face value of the policy even if I borrowed the cash value so I would not lose the interest, I would have a savings plan that would allow me to take advantage of those once-in-a lifetime deals, I can buy it now and I would also know the income accumulating in my policy was tax free income.

Wow. I can have it now, not accumulate debt, and still make interest on my investments.

Go ahead, Get yourself another card. I like my way better.

dtwd

Don't text while driving (please).




"Shasta County prosecutor Stephanie Bridgett said the 49-year-old woman had paid several bills by cell phone in the moments before the crash.

She was in the middle of one of those transactions when she struck a vehicle that burst into flames, killing 46-year-old Petra Winn.

Defense attorney Jeffrey Stotter said he will appeal."



I think if a lawyer appeals a conviction and loses, the client should receive a longer sentence and.or the attorney should forfeit pay. Some appeals should be automatic to ensure proper procedures were followed but to tie up the court system just because one doesn't like the outcome is getting out of hand. I'm sure, in this case, the dead woman would like a do over too but her fate is final.

firefox

I tried firefox and was pleased by the limited number of adware added to my computer but was irratated to have to enter my info to log into my e-mail every time I wanted to check my mail. If they could fix that problem I would use firefox but it was too much of an irratant. On a happier note, somebody finally beat Villanova.

Pet Peeves

This is the time I like to take to rant about things that bug me. I have been keeping this rant under my hat for quite a while because some of my co-workers read my old blog so I wasn't free to express myself. You see, this rant involves them.

I take pride in my work, striving to produce the best quality I can while still doing my best to be a productive employee. One of my co-workers believes his value to the company lies in the fact that he can out-produce everyone else. He does that by using methods that makes things harder on his fellow co-workers, producing inferior products, and skirting company policies on dating.

A good example of this is in the making of some of our specialty items. I take the time to measure the ingredients according to the recipes provided us while the other guy eyeballs his ingredients. I could write twenty or thirty pages on the irritating things this guy does and the short cuts he takes just so he can brag about how fast he is but I won't. sometimes I get so frustrated with some of the things this man does wish I could afford to quit.

In case one of you may be thinking I am just expressing my dislikes because he is the number one guy and I am his back-up, suffice it to be know that all of my co-workers feel the same about his work as I do and everyone assistant that has come through our market (we are the training store so that number is quite substantial) has attempted to talk the manager into making me the number one guy. No "because the other guy is faster" is the reply.

I suppose the way the manager looks at things, he is the more profitable cutter.

Suppose he cuts $2000 worth of product of which 10% gets marked down and I cut $1600.00 worth of product of which only 4% gets marked down, I actually made more net profit for the company but he put more dollars through on the sales side and our bonuses are figured on % of sales and not profit dollars.

I guess he cuts enough passable meat so everyone can find a descent piece for their family and the bagin hunters can always get their discount. But I look at the long range picture and believe the key to building a business is customer satisfaction and doing a good job consistently.

Cop prevented RB from being with dying relativeAssociated Press

A traffic cop sees a SUV pull through a red light so he decides to pull the vehicle over and determine what is going on. The passenger jumps out of the vehicle. The officer has no idea if she is a danger to him or not so he asks her to get back in the vehicle. She refuses and runs off. He then asks the driver for his proof of insurance and the man says "Get it yourself. My mother-in-law is dying and you are wasting my time."

I've seen enough episodes of "Cops" to know that sometimes policemen unsnap their guns when approaching a vehicle and almost always unholster their weapons when an occupant of a stopped car becomes belligerent and uncooperative.

Had the woman and man followed proper protocol and remained calm, apologized for running the red light and explained why, I'm sure the officer would have understood.

The headlines seem to indict the officer as to doing something intention to prevent the family from being with a dying relative. Shame on the Associated Press for such a biased headline.

EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. - An F-22A Raptor, the Air Force's top-of-the line fighter jet, crashed Wednesday in a remote area of the Mojave Desert, killing a test pilot for prime contractor Lockheed Martin Corp.

"We are deeply saddened by the loss of David and our concerns, thoughts and prayers at this time are with his family," the statement said.


Contrast that last sentence with the opening sentence and then compare this article with the story on Jose Tabita.

I will admit the news value of this story is about the plane crash but I still disagree that it should be.

A women, posing as an immigration official, talked a Mexican couple into handing over their baby to her after informing them that they were under surveillance for possible deportation. The women, 43, is married to a 20 year old hot baseball prospect who started with the Yankees but is now with the Pirate organization.

The story was mainly about her husbands baseball career and few facts were mentioned about her. Her story was the lead in but the body of the article was about him.

It is a similar attitude that caused the reporter to write these articles after the same fashion as those about the missing men on the capsized boat. Only three men were routinely mentioned in those articles. One only because he survived and two others because their played in the NFL. The fourth was relegated to a possible mention in the last sentence in the articles.

There is another story floating about in the news. Some football player was drinking and driving and speeding when he struck and killed a man walking across the street. He may not be charged because the man might have been jay walking. The football player seemed to have had enough time to toot his horn but not to apply his brakes. His chosen career should not be a mitigating factor in determining if he was guilty of a crime or not but it sure seems to be.

Somehow, the emphasis placed on the events or the particular people in the stories seems more based on cash value rather than human worth. That just doesn't seem right to me.

Hindsight versus wisdom

http://drjshousecalls.blogspot.com/2009/03/natasha-richardson-medical-blogosphere.html

Dr. J, wise lady that she is, had the perfect combination of wisdom and common sense to answer those people who believed they could have saved Natasha Richardson's life had they been there. The truth is, they weren't.

The most famous shot in NCAA basketball was one made by Christian Latiner (not sure of the spelling of his last name and too lazy to look it up). It wasn't a shot that hadn't been made before by other college kids, high school kids, and even my brother in junior high. It wasn't necessarily the shot itself but the number of people who witnessed the shot and the importance of the shot. Any number of other players could have made that shot but only Christian had that chance. Of all the people who believe that they could have saved Ms. Richardson's life, none had the opportunity.

What they do have is the opportunity to make a difference in the life of someone else. Just like there are thousands of basketball games ever year and millions of points scored, there are millions of opportunities to do some good. The truth is, it isn't making baskets in losing basketball games that kids dream about but making that once in a lifetime shot that wins the biggiest game and brings them a lifetime of glory.

I dare say if that had been one of Greensboro's crack addicted prostitutes who had been mugged and needed that once in a lifetime miracle in order to live, most, if not all, of those who could have saved Ms. Richardson would have just passed on by.

One of the greatest stories ever told was that of the "Good Samaritan" Know what was missing from that story? The name of the hero. He didn't do it for glory. He did it because it was the right thing to do.

Rhetoric

When George Bush raised taxes after he uttered "Read my lips-no new taxes" he was called a liar as where most politicians who failed to keep campaign promises. However, that seems not to be the case with Obama. He is referred to as coming to grips with reality.

Does the media love this guy or what?

Love is never having to say you are sorry.

"...the president (Obama) told host Jay Leno he'd been practicing at the White House's bowling alley but wasn't happy with his score of 129. Then he remarked: "It was like the Special Olympics or something."

Sometimes it is better to think before you speak. Sometimes saying sorry just isn't enough. Ask ismus.

Rumors

Wal-mart in Randleman is the victim of a rumor about a mexican gang initiation taking place tonight in which three employees, three women and three children are supposed to be murdered. Randleman police are on scene to provide protection but things could still go down if the rumors turn out not to be rumors at all.

Missing at sea

Two NFL football players and two college players went on a fishing trip. There was one survivor after their boat capsized and he has told several versions of what happened. Is he telling the truth about what happened?

It could very well be he doesn't know the truth. I read the horrifying account of a US Navy vessel lost at sea during WWII and from the accounts of the survivors of that tradgedy, the mind plays horrible tricks.

Death of a icon

The Seattle Post-Intelligencer will publish its final paper tomorrow. One reporter said "The P-I has its strengths and weaknesses but it always strove for a noble cause, which was to give voice to those without power and scrutiny of those with power.”

Wish we could say the same for the major paper in this area.

Get your ESP testing kit for only $19.99

Someone is selling ESP testing kits via TV ads and even throwing in a Dream Solutions book for free. Some fool will buy this kit. Probably a lot of somebodies.

Obama eyes reaching out to moderate Taliban

Moderate Taliban? Isn't that like negotiating with a moderate killer, one who has killed only three or four versus six or more? or maybe a moderate drug dealer who sells to adults but refuses to sell to junior high students.

One has to talk to them all or to none of them.

Analysis: Obama's economic style is unnerving

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29575082/

Most people I talk to are uneasy about what is going on and are more uneasy about where Obama is leading this country. I think it is to a bad place.

It's the person, not his skin color.

Deep down we know that's true but why is it that the one black family in the neighborhood always seems to copy the sterotype> I live in a neighborhood with room for 41 families. One property is still undeveloped and two homes are unoccupied.

In the house where the black (African-American, if you must) live twp vehicles come and go. One is a mid-size car like the Chevy Cavalier but I don't know what kind it really is. The other is a Blazer but the to cars are never there at the same time. Every afternoon four men stand on the front porch chugging their 40 oz Colt 45's.

Last night I was startled awake by a heavy booming sound. It kept a steady beat like eater dripping except it was all bass. After twenty minutes of this I got up and looked out the window. Sure enough their was a "ride" parked in front of the black families house with parking lights on playing rap music. It's two oclock in the a.m. in a neighborhood for heaven's sake.

It was at that moment that I wished I had a big spotlight like the kind used at airports or in lighthouses. I would have lit that sucker up until he casme over to complain.

I wish this was just an isolated incident but I grew up during segregation and lived in a quiet neighborhood. There were numerous families with kids but the kids were seldom seen outside except at the park. The first family of blacks that moved in had two kids that were older teenagers or adults, one boy and one girl. The female, the oder of the two, had a job but no car and the boy had a car but no job. It seems he sold drugs, ot at least that what his arrest record claimed, and he had numerous friends come by to see him but none stayed more than a few minutes. Of course, everythime a car came or went it blared rap from his pricy speakers.

Poll: Obama's rating at all-time high

Like the man but not his policies. I believe we heard that story before when Bush was President. I wonder if Obama will be as dogmatic about his policies as W was about his. Americans fought Bush on everything but it seems Americans are letting Obama lead them around by the ring in their nose.


























































































ead them around by the ring in their nose.

Criticize properly

LOS ALAMITOS, Calif. - The mayor of a California city says he will resign after being criticized for sharing an e-mail picture depicting the White House lawn planted with watermelons under the title "No Easter egg hunt this year."

I don't like our new President. He believes he has an annointing to spend us out of recession and that all his ideas are wanted and needed by the American people. I believe his policies are dangerous for the present, disasterous for the near future and fatal for the long haul.

The color of the mans skin has nothing to do with that opinion and I think it is way past time that we stop with the racial jokes and attitudes. The white race isn't superior to any other race. Look what Americans did to each other during the civil war: there is nothing to be proud of in the picture.

How can the same people that act appalled at the human rights record of China feel good about themselves for their racial attitudes agaisnt fellow Americans. I think it is time to get real.

Soup

I started with black beans and added some chopped onions and about six tomatoes from my garden -big ones (frozen of course). Cilantro and oregano along with black pepper and garlic added some spice. A teaspoon or two of Italian salad dressing, some chopped jalapenos and plenty of Texas Pete to warm the brew up added the finishing touches to this warm and satisfying concoction.

Maybe this isn't to your taste but it sure satisfied me.

San Francisco man faces fallout from `Wife Swap'

Reminds me a little of a local affair: Johnson/Cone.http://tv.msn.com/tv/article.aspx?news=353464&gt1=28103

Quote of the week

Banking institutions are more dangerous to our liberties than standing armies. If the American people ever allow private banks to control the issue of their currency, first by inflation, then by deflation, the banks and corporations that will grow up around the banks will deprive the people of all property until their children wake-up homeless on the continent their fathers conquered.

Thomas Jefferson

I don't buy the Posts explanation of this cartoon and for once I have to agree with Al Sharpton that this is an insensitive and racist cartoon. What is your opinion?

Born again American

visit http://www.bornagainamerican.org/


This country has not always been straight with its citizens or its principals. For a hundred years the USA allowed many of its citizens to be bought and sold and for another hundred years it forced them to live separately from the rest. For centuries the USA condemned behaviours of other governments while practicing the same behaviours here.

Even so, the American people had a strong pride in themselves, a self-sufficiency, a will to succeed, a strong belief in God and a deep caring about their fellow man. Fifty years ago American began to change. The government lied constantly to the American people in an attempt to deceive us about the truth of Vietnam. Illegal drugs were gaining in popularity, and Americans were losing their faith in God and country.

Now we find it shocking only when the government tells the truth, someone who has never used illegal drugs is a rarity, and a Christian who lives and acknowledges their faith in public even rarer still. People seemed to be motivated by greed and self interest and the era of self-reliant hard-working loyal Americans seems to have come to a close.

Instead of being appreciated for their service and hailed as heroes Vietnam era Vets were despised and treated as traitors of the American people. Now, we falsely claim to support our troops but only if we can send them to war for a week or two and no one gets hurt. This country could no longer win a WWI or a WWII. We haven't the will.

America has become just the place I live and not who I am.

Times sure have changed

10/01/2008: Instead of leaving her wedding ceremony with her new husband, a 21-year-old Portuguese woman left with police officers, who suspected that the marriage was a sham. Officers working on an operation to prevent illegal immigration into the UK arrested the bride and her 37-year-old Nigerian groom, who were allegedly not living together before the wedding.

Isn't that something: not living with your spouse before evidence can be used against you in a court of law as proof that your marriage is illegal.

Useful Website

I needed some maintenance on one of my vehicles and had no idea how much it would cost. I found a website http://repairpal.com/estimator/results. The site gave me a price range for repair shops close to my home, a list of those repair shops and a map showing me how to get there.

Neat.

The truth about Uncle Tom

Uncle Tom is a character from "Uncle Tom's Cabin" by Harriet Beecher Stowe, a book that was the world's first best seller and rumored to have started the American Civil War. Uncle Tom wasn't the only character in the book to become a common term in American speech as the name Simeon Legree is used to reference a mean spirited miser.

To verify my understanding of the common usage of the name "Uncle Tom" I asked several people to define the term for me. The term is used to mean a black man who began his intentions to benefit others of his own race but then turned his back on them for his own benefit.

I can understand how someone may arrive at that conclusion. Uncle Tom was a slave that was dedicated to his slave master, loyal to his people,i.e., other blacks in slavery, and consecrated to his Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. It was his faith that guided all his decisions in life, caused his eventual death, and earned him his place in immortality as a traitor to his people. It is a reputation that is not justified.

The situation he found himself in was as a slave to the powerful and abusive Simeon Legree. Uncle Tom was purchased with the intent of making him an overseer of other slaves which earned him the dislike of the two overseers already working under Simeon Legree. When Uncle Tom refused to raise his hand against another slave Legree had him whipped until he was almost dead. He was nursed by a slave woman who had lived in the main house until she showed her displeasure at Legree bringing home another slave girl to live in the main house.

The woman, Cassey, moved back into the house with the purpose of protecting Tom and the new slave girl. One day she came to Tom with an idea. She had spiked Legrees drinks and he was in a deep stupor and she wished Tom to come to the house and kill Simeon with an ax. As a Christian he refused.

It was this refusal that earned him is reputation as a traitor to his people. A reputation that was, and is, totally undeserved. I would be proud to have the character of Uncle Tom.

Cassie and the other slave girl hatched an elaborate plan to escape and when Legree thought that they had been able to pull that plan off, he sought out Tom. He asked Tom if he knew what became of the two females, Tom admitted that he did but he also refused to tell. Legree beat him so bad that it was evident that Tom could not survive. While laying down to die, he lead the two overseers to a faith in Christ, the two women were able to make good their escape, and Simeon Legree died within a month or two from his weaken condition due to abuse of alcohol.

No one can say what would have happened if Tom had succomed to the temptation to kill Legree but chances are that Tom might have been lynched, his testimony would certainly have been destroyed, and perhaps all the other slaves would have been hunted down like dogs once Legrees death had been discovered.

No, Uncle Tom, wasn't a traitor to his people but a shinning example of a life well lived that all people would do well to follow.

Unconventional Wisdom

One may question my sanity in purchasing a house in this uncertain times but I have learned two things in life: one never succeeds unless he takes a chance and most people are idiots. Now you may think I am being unfairly judgemental in my last statement but chances are very good that you would be better off ignoring what the majority do and even do the opposite. Just think of all the problems that could have been avoided if people were not idiots.

Who in their right mind is going to offer a complete stranger twice as much money as he needs at a ridiculosly low interest rate to purchase a piece of property he doesn't need and you know he can't afford and then not even attempt to qualify that person for the loan. What person is going to accept a loan to purchase a piece of property he knows he can't afford just because someone is going to loan him the money?

Well, for you people, I want you to know that my Dad died and left me 2.225 milion dollars but I can't touch it because the government will cease it but if you will send me your banking information and an additional $5,000.00 in transfer fees, I'll give you 10% of that money.

Last year the government gave you a stimulas check but some saved it . Now, 50% of tax professionals and 1 out of 6 other tax filers have tried to pay income tax on that stimulas check. There will be time enough to pay taxes after the Obama plan has to chance to put us and this country so deeply in debt that our great grand children will have to work two jobs to pay it off.

Anyway, the guy that purchased a $100,000 house for $120,000 and then couldn't afford the payments when his ARM doubled and now has lost his job because his foreclosure has caused the economy to shrink had to sell me his house for half its value and I got a great interest rate and even though the banks aren't lending money now (so the media says) I had no trouble securing a loan the day I applied because my wife and I have excellent credit because we don;t abuse credit and credit cards as many people do.

I do suppose idiots was too strong a word to use. Many foolish would have been a better choice.

Uncle Tom

"Has there ever been a child like Eva? Yes, there have been but their names have always been on gravestones, and their sweet smiles, their heavenly eyes, their singular words and ways, are among the buried treasures of yearning hearts. In how many families do you hear the legend that all the goodness and graces of the living are nothing to the peculair charms of one who is not. It is as heaven had a especial band of angels, whose office it was to sojourn for a season here, and to endear to them the wayward human heart, that they may bear it upward with them in their homeward flight. When you see that deep spirtual light in the eye,-when the little soul reveals itself in words sweeter and wiser than the ordinary words of children,-hope not to retain that child, for the seal of heaven is on it, and the light of immortaility looks out from its eyes."

Fallout

Michael Phelps was suspended from competition for three months by USA Swimming, the latest fallout from a photo that showed the Olympic great with a a marijuana pipe.

Michael Phelps used a bong and while doing so was photographed. Millions were shocked.

Drug usage is dangerous. One may become addicted and lose control over their life, lose respect, their freedom, and even their job. One should be extrenely cautious about using any illegal substance because one may even be elected President of the United States.

I am moving into the city of Randleman next month which means my I.Q. will increase by 10 points. Still, living in Randolph County still means I'm not nearly as intelligent as I would be if I still lived in Greensboro. If I was a Liberal Democrat who blogged and was a homeowner in Greensboro I might be able to get a job working with my brain rather than my hands.

Damn. I wish my parents had taught me this when I was younger.

Yes, that's Olympic champ Michael Phelps with a bong!

Saturday mail delivery may end.

The mailman coming is a big part of American cultureand ending Sautrday mail may seem counter-culture to some. Most businesses are closed on the weekends so they won't miss not having a Saturday mail run. Some residents will be upset at the prospect but let's be honest here. Have you really checked your mail lately?

Specials from Domino's Pizza, save $5.00 on your next oil change, set out collectibles for the Veteran's association, attend a money saving (or money-making ) seminar, ad-saver magazine, and various other articles of paper that we can just as well live without.

That personal letter from your friend or relative just doesn't come anymore unless that loved one is over eighty. If it wasn't for bills and advertising, we really wouldn't need a mailbox and to be hones, for most of us, we get all the ads we need on our computer. In fact we bank on-line, pay our bills on line and stay in contact with most of our friends and family via the internet.

Mail is so yesterday. Maybe we could go to Monday only delivery or eliminate the post office altogether.

Joe Torre writes a tell all book about the Yankees and slams A-Rod so an A-Rod insider blasts Torre. Whether Torre is telling it like it is or not doesn't matter. What A-Rod did is just cheap and petty and tends to make Torre more believable. After all, A-Rod has been the bigest failure on the Yankee team in post season play. Not just the Yankee team but his performance post season has been worse than almost any other player in the entire league. Proof enough he's a joke.

And lets not get into his personal life.

Laura Farr / Time & Life Pictures
Angie Baraquio Grey
State: Honolulu
Year: 2001

MS NBC ran a pictorial on where are former Miss America's. The above is the caption under one of the women. Think someone should let NBC know that Honolulu is not a state?

Obama flubbed his oath when he was being swore in as President, he reffered to himself as the 44th man to be sworn in as President (he is the 43rd) and he got lost in the White House heading to his office.

He may not be a god afterall.

Once upon a time when I was struggling, I would pay all my bills and lived off the remainder. It was a hard life ans I didn't save any money but I survived and paid off my debts. Last year I was driving a p/u truck that got 18 miles to the gallon and it was a struggle since I had moved to the country and now drive 40 miles a day instead of the 5 miles I once drove when I purchased the vehicle.

Gas had risen from just over a $1.00 a gallon to just a little over $4.00 a gallon so I sold the truck, bought my wife a new car and drove her little ECHO to work. Even at 41 mpg hwy, I was still spending $40.00 a week for gas.

I tried alternative routes to work until I found the shortest one, started running my errands on the way to or from work instead of on my lunch hour to reduce mileage and car expenses (like tires and oil changes) and now spend $12.00 to $15.00 a week on gas.

Each payday I stop at the bank, withdraw my weekly allowance of $100.00. When I get home, I drop $10.00 into a jug and whatever I had left over from the week before. I've saved $244.00 in eight weeks doing this.

Don't suggest I need to invest that money. In the last four weeks I've lost $1300 from my retirement account and so far I'm down $7100.00 since June. I'm not worried about that part of my financies. The less stocks are worth the more my dollars will buy and when the stock market recoveries (and it will) I'll make up for the loss. That's the audacity of hope.

Computers are great in some respects. When I need an answer, want an unusual item, or misspell a word, the computer allows me to quicklyfind the answer, purchase an item, and consult a dictionary without having to get up out of my seat, get dressed, or pick up a book. Amazing.

All men have fantasies. Women, I suppose, have them too but I can't speak for them. Most fantasies will always remain just that--harmless images running around in our heads. By the way, the fantasies of most men do not involve anything illegal-just unusual or kinky and propably embarrassing. That's why they will always remain fantasies.

The computer has allowed that to change. Some men, perverts for sure, fasntasize about kids, and took jobs that placed them around children. Sometimes it took years for a man to cultivate the trust and to manipulate a situation to his advantage in order to induldge his fantasy. With a computer, the time frame has been cut to weeks and in many cases can be done from the privacy and comfort of the home.

The computer is truly a two-edged sword.

I having a blogging friend, Dr. J, whose blog I have been reading for years. I was one of her earliest and most ardent supporters and while others were calling her "wack-job" and other uncomplimentary things, I was researching her claims and found her credible.

One of her biggest complaints has been the practice of some bloggers, especially those from Greensboro, to insult those they disagree with, even for things as small as a typo.

I can understand questioning a person's intelligence if they wrote "physical year" in reference to "fiscal year" or referred to the weight of a precious stone as a "carrot" instead of caret.

I would never send off a manuscript or file a report with typos of any description in it but I have read many a newspaper story, blog, and even published novels with typos, mistaken facts, and the wrong tense of a word used and I certainly didn't question the intelligence of the author. Mistakes happen, even under the best of circumstances, and we must learn to be tolerate of that.

Sometimes these mistakes are due to haste and sometimes that are due to efforts being put forth that a lessor person might find too difficult to attempt so one should not always be too quick to judge. It might be the post might have been written in haste or the typos could have been added for a reason (sometimes humor, sometimes a double meaning, i.e. "delikious" instead of delicious in describing a food dish to indicate the food was beyond good but licking food as in finger licking good, or licking the bowl good)

When a person makes typos, uses the wrong word of phrase, or obviously can't spell, one still needs to be shown respect. If you understand what the person is talking about then all is fine. If you don't, then point out that the ideas are not clear to you and suggest that they choose words that more properly convey the proper meaning, etc. Calling the writer derogatory names does nothing to clarify the meaning or to foster good relationships. Putting people down doesn't make one a better person.

My blogger friend. Dr. J was singing the praises of another blogger, one who had been denied a pardon by our former governor, saying what a nice person he was. I was curious about two things: First and foremost, what made this guy such a super person? and secondly, why did he need and deserve a pardon from Gov. Easley?

Over the years, Dr. J has made some enemies and had made some friends. She is outspoken and pulls few punches. No one has drawn the personal praise to the degree that this particular blogger did so I visited his site and read his story of why he wanted a pardon. I am a firm believer in giving people second changes. That's what I have been blogging about and writing about for years.

I have worked hard to get criminal charges reduced or dropped so that a person can have a chance to make good on their desire to live a descent life, to change or way of dealing with certain criminal acts so a person receives the help they need instead of being continually trapped in a vicious cycle of crime, addiction, and incarceration. I have been successful on behalf of numerous people.Unfortunately, most have failed to live up to the second chance I had worked so hard to gain for them but not all have squandered the opportunities.

I read the man's blog and wrote a quick response to it. The man didn't like my opinion, which is his right, and quickly told me so by replying to me with insults and name calling. His attacks on me were akin to turning a pit bull loose on a three year old with the clear intent to hurt my feelings and make me go away rather than explore the possibility that the way he presented himself may be the reason he didn't get his pardon.

Honestly, I don't have the high regard for this man that Dr. J does. I don't think he cares.

One should be careful who one insults though. He might have insulted the new Governor's brother. Maybe should think about that for awhile. Maybe he should should be thankful his attempt at arson failed and his arrest served to free him from his drug addiction. Think of the sweet girl from Greensboro who is serving a life sentence after she set a couch on fire as a prank. There are some really nice people in prison who could use a break. I'm sure there are some innocent in jail too. I'm sure they would love a break.

Gov. Easly pardoned no one. This man asked the Governor to forgive him of drug addiction and attempted arson. I only ask to be forgiven for a typo. Instead, I got insults.

You decide. Is the blogger a supper nice guy and one of the most descent human beings around?

Lose the Memory, Lose the Weight
False memories may help in avoiding fattening foods.
By Victoria Stern, PsychologyToday.com
If your mother told you raw oysters had turned your stomach a few years back, you might think twice about partaking in them again. But what if she was lying? And what if she told the same tale but replaced oysters with a fattening treat like ice cream? Evidence from two studies shows that generating false memories might be one way to diet.
Researchers at the University of St. Andrews in the United Kingdom and at the University of Windsor in Canada each found that subjects who were told that a particular food had made them sick years earlier not only believed the made-up events but also stopped craving the food. Researchers already knew that generating false memories can alter a person's beliefs, but these studies are the first to show that the practice can change behavior as well.
"Although it's not ethical to create false memories in people, making an association between eating a fattening food and getting ill may be beneficial," says Elke Geraerts, a psychologist from St. Andrews and lead author on one of the studies. "People may avoid those foods in the future."



I think lying is what nade us fat to begin with-lying to ourselves about how much we eat, the calorie content of what we eat, and other such self-destructive lies and now a learned person is suggesting we lie to ourselves to solve a problem that our lies to ourselves caused in the first place. Brillant!!

Right.

A man lay sprawled across three entire seats in the posh theatre. When the usher came by and noticed this, he whispered to the man, "Sorry, sir, but you're only allowed one seat." The man groaned but didn't budge. The usher became impatient. "Sir, if you don't get up from there I'm going to have to call the manager." Again, the man just groaned, which infuriated the usher who turned and marched briskly back up the aisle in search of his manager.In a few moments, both the usher and the manager returned and stood over the man. Together the two of them tried repeatedly to move him, but with no success. Finally, they summoned the police. The cop surveyed the situation briefly then asked, "All right buddy, what's your name?" "Sam," the man moaned. "Where ya from, Sam?" With pain in his voice Sam replied "The balcony."
A policeman was patrolling a local parking spot overlooking a golf course. He drove by a car and saw a couple inside with the dome light on. There was a young man in the driver's seat reading a computer magazine and a young lady in the back seat knitting. He stopped to investigate. He walked up to the driver's window and knocked. The young man looked up, cranked the window down, and said, "Yes Officer?""What are you doing?" the policeman asked. "What does it look like?" answered the young man. "I'm reading this magazine." Pointing towards the young lady in the back seat, the officer then asked, "And what is she doing?" The young man looked over his shoulder and replied, "What does it look like? She's knitting.""And how old are you?" the officer then asked the young man. "I'm nineteen," he replied. "And how old is she?" asked the officer. The young man looked at his watch and said, "Well, in about twelve minutes she'll be sixteen."
An eight-year-old boy went into a grocery store and picked out a large box of laundry detergent. The grocer walked over and asked the boy if he had a lot of laundry to do. "Oh, no laundry," the boy said, "I'm going to wash my dog." "But you shouldn't use this to wash your dog," said the grocer. "It's very powerful and if you wash your dog in this, he'll get sick. In fact, it might even kill him." But the boy was not to be stopped and carried the detergent to the counter and paid for it. A week later, the boy was back in the store to buy some candy. The grocer asked the boy how his dog was doing. "Oh, he died," the boy said. The grocer said he was sorry, but added, "I tried to tell you not to use that detergent on your dog." "Well, the boy replied, "I don't think it was the detergent that killed him." "Oh? What was it then?" "I think it was the spin cycle!"
A woman was trying hard to get the catsup to come out of the bottle. During her struggle the phone rang so she asked her four-year-old daughter to answer the phone. "It's the minister, Mommy," the child said to her mother. Then she added, "Mommy can't come to the phone right now. She's hitting the bottle."
While proudly showing off his new apartment to friends, a college student led the way into the den. "What is the big brass gong and hammer for?" one of his friends asked. "That is the talking clock," the man replied. "How's it work?"
"Watch," the man said and proceeded to give the gong an ear shattering pound with the hammer. Suddenly, someone screamed from the other side of the wall, "Knock it off, you idiot! It's two o'clock in the morning!"
A man comes home from an exhausting day at work, plops down on the couch in front of the television, and tells his wife, "Get me a beer before it starts." The wife sighs and gets him a beer. Fifteen minutes later, he says, "Get me another beer before it starts." She looks cross, but fetches another beer and slams it down next to him. He finishes that beer and a few minutes later says, "Quick, get me another beer, it's going to start any minute." The wife is furious. She yells at him "Is that all you're going to do tonight? Drink beer and sit in front of that TV? You're nothing but a lazy, drunken, fat slob, and furthermore ..." The man sighs and says, "It's started ..."
How about the two old men, one a retired professor of psychology and the other a retired professor of history. Their wives had talked them into a two week stay at a hotel in the Catskills. They were sitting around on the porch of the hotel watching the sun set. The history professor said to the psychology professor, "Have you read Marx?" To which the professor of psychology said, "Yes, I think it's the wicker chairs."
An artist asked the gallery owner if there had been any interest in his paintings currently on display. "I've got good news and bad news," the owner replied. "The good news is that a gentleman inquired about your work and wondered if it would appreciate in value after your death. When I told him it would, he bought all fifteen of your paintings.""That's wonderful!" the artist exclaimed, "What's the bad news?". With concern, the gallery owner replied, "The guy was your doctor."
A young bride and groom-to-be had just selected their wedding rings. As the young lady admired the plain platinum and diamond band she had chosen for herself, she suddenly looked concerned. "Tell me," she asked the rather elderly salesman, "is there anything special I'll have to do to take care of this ring?" With a fatherly smile, the salesman said, "one of the best ways to protect a wedding ring is to soak it in dishwater."
The young clerk's responsibilities included bringing the judge a hot cup of coffee at the start of every day. Each morning the judge was enraged that the coffee cup arrived two-thirds full. The clerk explained that he had to rush to get the coffee delivered while it was still hot, which caused him to spill much of it along the way.None of the judge's yelling and insults produced a full cup of coffee, until he finally threatened to cut the clerk's pay by one-third if he continued to produce one-third less than the judge wanted. The next morning he was greeted with a cup of coffee that was full to the brim, and the next morning and the morning after that.The judge couldn't resist gloating over his success and smugly complimented the clerk on his new technique. "Oh, there's not much to it," admitted the clerk happily, "I take some coffee in my mouth right outside the coffee room, and spit it back in when I get outside your office."
Two guys rob a store, they burst out the door running as they hear the sirens of cop cars coming closer. The two dive into two separate bushes hoping they won't get caught. Soon the cop cars stop near the bushes and the two robbers hearing foot steps grow more nervous. A cop then grabs one of the guys out the bush laughing "Busted". As he drags the robber off he looks back shaking his head in shame... "Come on John!!!!!!!!" he screams "They got US!"
A man is flying in a hot air balloon and realizes he is lost. He reduces height and spots a man down below. He lowers the balloon further and shouts: "Excuse me, can you help me? I promised my friend I would meet him half an hour ago, but I don't know where I am."The man below says: "Yes. You are in a hot air balloon, hovering approximately 30 feet above this field. You are between 40 and 42 degrees N. latitude, and between 58 and 60 degrees W. longitude.""You must be a Republican" says the balloonist."I am" replies the man. "How did you know.""Well" says the balloonist, "everything you have told me is technically correct, but I have no idea what to make of your information, and the fact is I am still lost."The man below says "You must be a Democrat.""I am" replies the balloonist, "but how did you know?""Well", says the man, "you don't know where you are, or where you are going. You have made a promise which you have no idea how to keep, and you expect me to solve your problem. The fact is you are in the exact same position you were in before we met, but now it is somehow my fault."

MURDER MOST FOUL


He stepped out of the vehicle and walked into the store to make the dailypick-up and just as he was leaving a man stepped in front of him. He saw the gun and the flash but he was dead before he heard the sound. His bullet-resistant vest, his gun, baton, flashlight, radio, his can of mace, or his hours of trainning did nothing to save him. The quick response time of the police department did nothing to prevent this crime. The crime left bits and pieces of flesh and blood spewed over clothes, by-standers, and concerned people trying to help, witnesses and workers in shock and some in need of thearpy, a young woman a widow and a child fatherless, a prep a little richer for awhile, and a whole community in shock.

The city council says it could do nothing to prevent this crime, the police of course will claim it is doing the best it can, and the citizens are feeling outraged and vunerable.

What could the city council and the citizens do yo prevent such crimes?

Early childhood intervention programs that are designed to find and help children who should signs of heading in the wrong direction, city government that recognizes and encourgages recail harmony and cooperation, newspapers that make bigger deals from racial cooperative achievements than incidents that divide people along racial lines, a properly managed and staffed police department, and a city council that cares more about people than remaining popular with them are a few of the things that could have changed what happened.

There are things we as citizens can do as well. Report crime, cooperate with the police in helping them solve crimes, and stop believing that using drugs is an individual choice that hurts no one.

There are many more things that can be done to reduce crime and improve the quality of life in Greensboro but pursuing individual agenda's and adopting "I believe this is the best way and if you don't agree with me you are an idiot" mentailty that I see prevails among the city leaders is not among them.