Another Political Commentary

Warning:

This is a political commentary by me. If you wish to bury your head in the sand while your country takes a drastic turn, then please stop reading and close out of this blog.

As always, if you elect to read today's post and wish to comment, all comments are welcome as long as no obscenities are used.

Enter at your own risk.

As a business owner who is almost out of business, I have grown weary of the stimulus after stimulus bills that are urgent to be passed without time for anyone to read them.

Now that they have been passed, the country is being told it is going to be a long time before the economy gets better.

Our financial house is on fire, and our leaders have yet to unveil a plan to deal with the banking crisis.

The buzz words I keep hearing are "the way to make the economy stable and moving is to fund education, green technology and health care."

The list of causes of the collapse of the financial system does not include the absence of universal health care, let alone computerized medical records, nor the absence of an industry-killing cap-and-trade carbon levy, nor the lack of college graduates.

Health, education and energy are not the cause of our financial collapse and they are not the cure.

You may remember the following statement, “You never want a serious crisis to go to waste,” said Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel. “This crisis provides the opportunity for us to do things that you could not do before.”

That said, I wonder how many of my readers have noticed this latest little jewel to be proposed.

Green Bank Act of 2009 Introduced in US House

Washington, D.C., United States [RenewableEnergyWorld.com]
U.S. Congressman Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) this week introduced the Green Bank Act of 2009.

If passed, the legislation would create the Green Bank as an independent, tax-exempt, wholly owned corporation of the United States. The Bank's mandate would be to provide a range of financing support to qualified renewable energy and energy efficiency projects within the territorial United States.

"By creating the Green Bank, we will accelerate the development, deployment and production of clean energy and energy efficiency technologies across the country."

-- Rep. Chris Van Hollen

The Green Bank Act of 2009 would provide the Green Bank with an initial capitalization of US $10 billion through the issuance of Green Bonds by the U.S. Department of Treasury, with a maximum authorized limit of $50 billion in Green Bonds outstanding at any one time.

“Energy independence is central to our security, our economy and our environment. By creating the Green Bank, we will accelerate the development, deployment and production of clean energy and energy efficiency technologies across the country,” Rep. Van Hollen said. “Last week, I introduced the National Home Energy Savings Revolving Fund Act, which will enable over one million households across the country to save money and make their homes more energy efficient. Today, with the introduction of the Green Bank Act of 2009, we are taking another step towards America’s clean energy future.”

We have embarked on the wooded path that has a slippery slope at the end.

The Government is now in the banking and automobile business. One has to wonder which businesses they have their eye on next.



Tonight is another late shift at my second job so there will be no new post tomorrow.

Fogged Mind

Yawn...

Corduroy pillows are making headlines!



Daylight savings.





I have kleptomania,
but when it gets bad,
I take something for it.



I have always wondered....

Why does mineral water that has trickled through
mountains for centuries
have a use by date?


I remember as a young lad before there was such a thing as an expiration date, I was told wine was always better if it was aged.

I remember I kept a bottle of Ripple for 5 years and I sure had to disagree with the wine connoisseurs because aging didn't help.


I love cooking with wine.
Sometimes I even put it in the food.



Summer is coming on so I ran out to my favorite store and picked up a new barbecue.




If you like it and would like to get one for yourself you can find them at any one of the following stores:

A&P, Albertsons,Central Market,Dan's,Dollar Store,Food Lion,Fry's,H E B,Kroger,Big Lots,Brookshire's,Minyard's,Pigly Wigly,Publix,Sak-N-Sav,Safeway,Sam's Club,Target,Vons,Trader Joe's,Wal-Mart,Winn-Dixie just to name a few.

I especially like the higher rack - which can be used for keeping things warm! Just make sure to get a metal one...the plastic ones don't do so well.


OK OK so I don't have much today as the night shift interfered with the creative juices of my mind.

Be fearful - my mind is a terrible thing to waste.

Wag's Pork Spending Bill

Anyone that knows me or has read some past posts I have put on here will recall hearing me talk about a water grid across the United States.

The politicians can talk and sell solar and wind power all day long to replace gas and coal, but as I have previously stated that is a waste of money.

The real issue facing different states at different times is too much water and the lack of water.

There are several states that have large storage lakes that need to be replenished because due to droughts they are low on water.

There are other states that have unused water in their rivers and some of those rivers will from time to time have flooding.

Today the headline: North Dakota Braces for Record Flooding



My thought process is a water transmission grid connecting the states could reduce the size of floods that follow a river similar to the Red River in North Dakota and benefit other states that need more water.

To some this may sound like a preposterous idea due to logistics and management, but hear me out.

History teaches us which rivers have more water than is used between the start and the end of the river. History also teaches us which rivers are prone to flooding.

During normal times I would propose pumping stations in key areas of the rivers pump the unused amount water out of the rivers and send it through a pipeline grid to lakes and reservoirs that have room.

During the flooding season, I would propose the pumping stations pump more water to reduce the level of the river prior to the actual flood condition so that when the water started to flow, the low level of the river would allow more room for the additional water thus reducing the overflowing conditions that produce the flooding of cities.

The technology of pipelines and pumping is nothing new as currently there are pipelines sending gasoline, natural gas and oil all across America. Some of those routes were established at a time that future development was not a consideration which at times now creates conflicts.

I would recommend the water pipeline grid could follow an established route along our freeway system across the United States thus minimizing potential conflicts.

To appease the idiots that think wind farms are the answer to producing electricity, I would suggest double duty for the massive amount of land that is required for a wind farm.

I would propose creating a lake on that land to store the water pumped from the rivers and construct the towers above the water as is done on the ocean.

If done correctly the tower of power lakes could actually become a tourist stop and help stimulate the local economy.

But then again what do I know. I'm uneducated and I pay my taxes.

Say What

Quotable Quotes:

"The budget should be balanced, the Treasury should be refilled, public debt should be reduced, the arrogance of officialdom should be tempered and controlled, and the assistance to foreign lands should be curtailed lest Rome become bankrupt. People must again learn to work, instead of living on public assistance." ~ Cicero -55 BC


'Paying taxes is voluntary.'
- Sen. Harry Reid 'Those rumors are false .... I believe in the sanctity of marriage.'
- John Edwards


'You don't need God anymore, you have us democrats.'
- Nancy Pelosi (2006)


”As long as the nation is obsessed with historic milestones, is no one going to remark on what a great country it is where a mentally retarded woman can become speaker of the house?
-Unknown

I Don't Need Sex
The Government Screws me Everyday
- WagOK now how bad is this next story?

At a time when the federal government is spending billions of stimulus dollars to stem the tide of U.S. layoffs, should that same government put even more Americans out of work by buying cheaper foreign products?

In this case, Chinese condoms.

That's right 300 jobs in the United States lost because our very own government is not buying American made condoms.

In fact, the government is close to accepting condoms from two offshore companies: Unidus Corp., which makes condoms in South Korea, and Qingdao Double Butterfly Group, which makes them in China.

The reasons for the change included lower prices (2 cents versus more than 5 cents for U.S.-made condoms) and the fact that Congress dropped “buy American language” in a recent appropriations bill.

The switch comes despite implied assurances over the years that the agency would continue to buy American whenever possible.

So the government saves 3 cents but loses because the 300 unemployed people will pay less taxes and draw unemployment.

Oh yes and when the company folds the Government won't be collecting the outrageous 35% corporate tax.

A Little More Trivia

I am going to cheat a little as I got a call and had to work a short shift last night and time got away from me.

So a quiz is always a good filler.

Did you know the following:

Alaska
More than half of the coastline of the entire United States is in Alaska.

Amazon
The Amazon rainforest produces more than 20% the world's oxygen supply. The Amazon River pushes so much water into the Atlantic Ocean that more than one hundred miles at sea off the mouth of the river, one can dip fresh water out of the ocean. The volume of water in the Amazon river is greater than the next eight largest rivers in the world combined and three times the
flow of all rivers in the United States.

Antarctica
Antarctica is the only land on our planet that is not owned by any country. Ninety percent of the world's ice covers Antarctica. This ice also represents 70% of all the fresh water in the world. As strange as it sounds, however, Antarctica is essentially a desert. The average yearly total precipitation is about two inches. Although covered with ice (all but 0.4% of it, i.e.), Antarctica is the driest place on the planet, with an absolute humidity lower than the Gobi desert.

Brazil
Brazil got its name from the nut, not the other way around.

Canada
Canada has more lakes than the rest of the world combined. Canada is an Indian word meaning 'Big Village.'

Chicago
Next to Warsaw , Chicago has the largest Polish population in the world.

Detroit
Woodward Avenue in Detroit, Michigan carries the designation M-1, so named because it was the first paved road anywhere.

Damascus , Syria
Damascus, Syria, was flourishing a couple of thousand years before Rome was founded in 753 BC, making it the oldest continuously inhabited city in existence.

Istanbul , Turkey
Istanbul (AKA Constantinople), Turkey , is the only city in the world located on two continents.

Los Angeles
Los Angeles' full name is El Pueblo de Nuestra Senora la Reina de Los Angeles de Porciuncula -- and can be abbreviated to 3.63% of its size: L.A.

New York City
The term 'The Big Apple' was coined by touring jazz musicians of the 1930's who used the slang expression 'apple' for any town or city. Therefore, to play New York City is to play the big time - The Big Apple. There are more Irish in New York City than in Dublin, Ireland; more Italians in New York City than in Rome, Italy; and more Jews in New York City than in Tel Aviv, Israel.

Ohio
There are no natural lakes in the state of Ohio , every one is man made.

Pitcairn Island
The smallest island with country status is Pitcairn in Polynesia , at just 1.75 sq. Miles.

Rome
The first city to reach a population of 1 million people was Rome , Italy in 133 B.C. There is a city called Rome on every continent.

Siberia
Siberia contains more than 25% of the world's forests.

S.M.O.M
The actual smallest sovereign entity in the world is the Sovereign Military Order of Malta (S.MO.M.). It is located in the city of Rome, Italy, has an area of two tennis courts, and as of 2001 has a population of 80, 20 less people than the Vatican. It is a sovereign entity under international law, just as the Vatican is.

Sahara Desert
In the Sahara Desert, there is a town named Tidikelt, which did not receive a drop of rain for ten years. Technically though, the driest place on Earth is in the valleys of the Antarctic near Ross Island. There has been no rainfall there for two million years.

Spain
SPAIN literally means 'the land of rabbits.'

St. Paul, Minnesota
St. Paul, Minnesota , was originally called Pig's Eye after a man named Pierre 'Pig's Eye' Parrant who set up the first business there.

Roads
Chances that a road is unpaved in the U.S.A: 1%, in Canada : 75%.

Texas
The deepest hole ever made in the world is in Texas. It is as deep as 20 empire state buildings but only 3 inches wide.

United States
The Interstate System requires that one-mile in every five must be straight. These straight sections are usable as airstrips in times of war or other emergencies.

Waterfalls
The water of Angel Falls (the World's highest) in Venezuela drops 3,212 feet. It is 15 times higher than Niagara Falls.

I've been out of school for a few, well for many, years so that is all I can remember for now.



Oh I remembered one more thing, in case you haven't looked at the right side of my blog lately there are a few new additions.

Sadness

Due to a modem that is dying a slow death, there will be no post today. Nor will there be one tomorrow as I will once again be having a late night tonight. Please check back on Wednesday.

Work Time

I received a call asking me to work last night so there won't be any great words of wisdom on here today.

I will share some knowledge with you though so you can plan ahead.

Mark your calender and clear your schedule so you will be awake during an historic moment in our lifetime.

At five minutes and six seconds after 4 AM on the 8th of July this year, the time and date will be 04:05:06 07/08/09.

This will never happen again.

Political Comentary

If you are a regular reader, you will notice that other than when I talk about Harry Reid, I have not often been real political.

But now a couple of things that are going on are bothering me.

How many of you know this?

Did anyone notice a direction President Obama came up with regarding our veterans.

President Obama's plan to require private insurance carriers to reimburse the Department of Veterans Affairs for the treatment of troops injured in service has angered veterans groups who say the government has a moral obligation to pay for service-related medical care.

The argument about the government's moral obligation to treat wounded soldiers, sailors and Marines fell on deaf ears during the meeting.

The president's avowed purpose in doing this is to "make the insurance companies pay their fair share."

The president's plan would increase premiums, make insurance unaffordable for veterans and impose a massive hardship on military families.

It could also prevent small businesses from hiring veterans who have large health care needs.

Funny how it is OK to throw money at everything from failing automakers, the Detroit school system that has a history of fraud and banks to name a few, but now we want to abandon our veterans.

This really bothers me. Does it bother anyone else reading this?


Now let's talk about about our President's new climate czar, Carol Browner, who is a former leader in the Socialist International group, a group that advocates one world government.

Of course when it comes to her job, since our country has never had that position, no one really knows what the climate czar does.

I don't either, but I do know one thing she wants to do, and I'll tell you my friends, you better start worrying.

Czar Browner says, "I think first of all that the science has just become incredibly clear that the impacts are real, that they will be real and we need to do something right away."

"We need to make sure that we're moving electricity in the smartest way and using the most cost effective electricity at the right time of day."

"Eventually we can get to a system where an electric company will be able to hold back some of the power so that your air conditioner won't operate at its peak."

You may think it will be a long time before technology exists for your air conditioner to be controlled.

Not true, during the late 1980's and early 1990's while I was employed by Nevada Power I was part of a voluntary test program testing a unit that did exactly that.

During a specified time of day the air conditioner was shut off for 15 minutes every 2 hours.

This was simply done via the airwaves to a controller attached to my air conditioning unit. Because it was just a test, the times were set so you knew when it was off. However there were times the power company shut down units to curtail load.

The purpose of the power company having these units was to shed load in time of an emergency during a system overload condition that would cause a city-wide black out.

An emergency condition is considerably different than the government telling me a smart way to use my air conditioner when it is 120 degrees outside.

You may like socialism where government knows better than you, but I for one do not.

He leadeth us to the well and maketh us drink the poison water.

Knowledge

My computer and printer decided to have issues so today's post will be a short one.

The wife Vicki suggested something the other day that I thought was kind of silly. She said, "Let's walk around the block."

"Why?" I said. "We are already here."

Needless to say I can't put the next thing she said on here or I would be censored.



You know I was just wondering,

Is there a special Braille for people who are color blind?


Did you know,

No word in the English language rhymes with month , orange, silver, or purple.


'Stewardesses' is the longest word typed with only the left hand.


And 'lollipop'is the longest word typed with your right hand.


'Dreamt' is the only English word that ends in the letters 'mt'.


In the last 4,000 years, no new animals have been domesticated.


Now you know.

Information highway

I have been writing this blog since May of 2006 and the other day someone asked why I keep writing it since no one reads it.

I explained to them,

"Knowledge is of little value unless shared with others."

So I figure if at least one person happens to read this blog I have done my job.

Due to a 4 to midnight shift tonight there will be no post tomorrow.

Sign Of The Times

How true is that?



The banking dilemma is hitting other countries as well as the United States. Take Japan for instance:

The Origami Bank has folded.

The Sumo Bank has gone belly up.

The Bonsi Bank is planing to cut off some of its branches.

The Karaoke Bank is going for a song.

The staff at the Karate Bank got the chop.

Analysts report there is something fishy going on at Sushi Bank and the workers there are afraid they may get a raw deal.

Bad times for sure.


Speaking of bad times, what is this?

DQ charging for nuts, whip cream.

Dairy Queen charges 40 cents each for nuts and whip cream on a sundae.

Suddenly a $2.29 sundae is more than $3.

I may be confused, but a sundae without nuts and whipped cream is just a dish of ice cream isn't it?

I hope this is not a trend where places charge extra for salt on french fries, a bun on your burger or, perish the thought, an up charge for ketchup.



Paper, paper, get your paper:

I always read the obituaries in the newspaper first just to make sure I'm not in there. The other day the second thing I read was the following ad:

Talk about hard times. I know when we get older no one has a need for us, but this is just plain frightening.


Speaking of the newspaper, as I was reading through the stories the following lead story caught my eye:

The largest police bust In History:




I never did find the rest of the story.

Around The World - A Quick Read

Have you ever heard the mob phrase, "Let him sleep with the fishes?" Well maybe that is more common than we know.

Expecting Fish, Pet Store Gets Corpse

Philadelphia - Employees of a Pennsylvania pet store expecting a shipment of tropical fish and salt water got a man's dead body instead.

I wonder if he had concrete chained to his feet?



I have found my church. I'm moving to Alabama:

'Sex' Sermons Cause Stir in Rural Alabama

It's one thing for a church in a big city like Dallas or Atlanta to tackle the ticklish topic of sex. It blends in with the urban scene.

It's another thing when a small-town congregation puts up billboards with the phrase "Great sex: God's way" on rural highways to promote a sermon series. You can't even legally buy beer in Cullman County, and a preacher is talking about S-E-X on Sunday morning?

Daystar Church, whose congregation has grown dramatically under pastor Jerry Lawson, has run up against the sensibilities of a conservative north Alabama community with a month long focus on sex.

If you build it they will come:

Lawson is the lead pastor at Daystar Church, which is affiliated with the Church of God and draws about 2,000 people on Saturday nights and Sunday to its $5.7 million campus on a hilltop beside I-65. People come from as far away as the northern suburbs of Birmingham, 45 miles to the south.

The church's attendance is slightly larger than the entire population of Good Hope, which has three other churches in its town limits and five others within a stone's throw. The community is a mix of farm homes, middle-class subdivisions, mobile home parks and a few McMansions.

Daystar was a country church called Glory Hill Church of God when Lawson arrived nearly nine years ago. The church "relaunched" itself in the pattern of an urban megachurch in 2002 — there's Starbucks coffee in the lobby and video screens everywhere — and took off.
"In the next seven years 100 people became 2,000 people," said Lawson, who sports the hip, young megachurch look — short hair, a goatee and dark clothes, minus a tie.

Churches have been talking about sex and sexual purity more often. In November, the Rev. Ed Young of the Fellowship Church based in Dallas drew nationwide attention by challenging married couples to have sex for seven straight days in the name of strengthening marriages

Say hallelujah and give me that old time religion.

And remember this:
Follow Your Dreams!
Except that one where you're naked in church.




The F.B.I can't find Jimmy Hoffa's body but the Japanese found Harlan Sanders:

Colonel Sanders pulled from river after 24 years
Statue taken from KFC by crazed Japanese baseball fans after 1985 win.


Tokyo - He was covered in mud when pulled from the river, and had lost both legs and hands, not to mention his glasses. But Colonel Sanders still had his trademark smile, 24 years later.

A statue of the KFC mascot has been found in a river in Osaka, a city official said Wednesday, nearly a quarter century after being tossed in by crazed baseball fans who felt the image of restaurant founder Harland Sanders resembled a key team member.

"He was apparently found standing upright." Many fans feel the team has been plagued by the "curse of Colonel Sanders" since his effigy was submerged in 1985.

His Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurants around the globe have suffered as well since he left the scene.

KENTUCKY:
Five million people,
Fifteen last names.


Have you ever noticed how people like to emulate celebrities? Not that I consider the Octomom a celebrity though some must:

I suspect this Octomom impersonator, who bears a striking resemblance, will be appearing in Vegas soon.

May I Help You?

I was reading something today that brought back memories of how things used to be, but I think has somehow been lost at least here in Las Vegas.

We have become a fast-paced group that doesn't seem to have the time to help out our neighbors the way we once used to.

I think in some parts of the country it is the way it used to be, but not as frequent as in the past.

I'm sure some of you have heard the expression of helping with a barn raising.

For the younger readers out there, the expression came from a time when people helped out their friends and neighbors when they were building their barn.

If someone was building a barn, at a given time on a Saturday all the friends and neighbors would show up with their families to help. The kids would all go off to play, the men would all start building the barn, the women would set up tables and prepare food for the entire group to enjoy at the end of the day.

Times were hard, money tight and that was just one thing people helped people do.

People were not afraid to help people no matter how big or how small the project. Of course back then if you were helping someone, you didn't have to worry about being sued by the person you were helping.

Maybe with the way things are going in the country today we will be more inclined to go back to helping others.

It doesn't have to be a major project like building a barn, it can be as simple as helping someone with changing a light bulb, gathering their mail while they are out of town or simply listening to them when they need to talk to someone.

Over the years I have had the opportunity to help people fix things, help them move or similar things of that nature and the funny thing is, though they appreciate the help, I feel great because I had the opportunity to in some small way help someone else.

I have always heard the expression "we are a can do country" and just figured that was penned meaning our country was a can do country.

I submit to my readers, that can do expression may have meant the people in our country not the country itself and originated from a person saying out loud "I wish I knew how to fix or build this or that" to which a friend or neighbor replied "I can do that, when do you want me to come over and help?"

I started by saying I read something that got me thinking and gave me the idea for my post today.

The following is the story I read which I would like to share.

A friend of mine grew up very poor. He remembers walking out on the front porch one day. They didn't have any dinner the night before. He walks out on the front porch. He's getting ready for school and there are groceries all stacked up right there by the doorbell -- the door after the doorbell had rang. He walks out and the neighbor lady who he's sure was the one who left those groceries, she was out by her car and he came out and he looked at all the groceries and he said, "Where did these come from?" She said, "I don't know what you're talking about." He said, "All these groceries." She said, "I don't know what you're talking about. Lord just must know that you guys have been hungry. I'd take them in, put those blessings on your counter."

I think that story illustrates that we need to take a step back and be who we really are.

My Friend Jack

The American dream has turned into a nightmare that we can't seem to wake up from.

24 million have gone from from 'thriving' to 'struggling.'

The aspirations that have defined the American dream — that those who work hard and play by the rules can get ahead, and that the next generation will have a better life than this one — have been battered by a devastating recession that shows few signs of having hit bottom.

More than 24 million Americans shifted in 2008 from lives that were "thriving" to ones that were "struggling," according to a massive study by Gallup and Healthways, a Tennessee health management company.

At the start of 2008, as the recession was beginning, slightly more people were "thriving" than "struggling." By the end of the year, after an economic meltdown that began with the subprime mortgage crisis, Americans by an overwhelming 20 percentage points were "struggling" rather than "thriving," 58%-38%.

The remaining 4% were "suffering," in more dire straits.

Among those showing the steepest drop were business owners, executives, African Americans and people who were 35-39 years old — a stage in life when many are building careers, expanding families and buying homes.

Among those with the smallest decline were seniors 65 and older, Hispanics and repair workers, whose skills suddenly may be more in demand as Americans try to make do with what they have.

Depressing for sure and in these times it's time to lean on your real friends.

I'm starting to think about inviting my friend Jack to stop by as he has always given myself and most people a shot of courage when they hang around with him.

Jack is from Tennessee but he has traveled and is well known known all around the world.

Depending on how you take him, some can become depressed, however I found he always made my world funnier and with him I'm a lot more relaxed.

Jack is one of those friends that can make you drown you sorrows, dance when you don't know how to, befriend complete strangers and for a short time take you away from all your troubles and stress.

One of the other great things about Jack is if you do something stupid you can always say you didn't know what you were doing. It was all Jack's fault.

I don't know about you, but it seems to me like this may be a good time to rekindle the old friendship with Jack.





Sometimes too much to drink isn't enough.

A Walk Down Memory Lane

One of the bad things about growing old is seeing things that you enjoyed in your youth disappear.

I remember going into antique stores with my kids in tow. I would see things I had as a kid and I would be all excited telling the boys all about them.

The boys would look at me like I must have led a boring life. Little did they know some of the things we had would take us around the world.

Now another childhood memory is headed to the antique store which brings a tear to my eye as I remember all the places I was privileged to visit courtesy of this item that was introduced in 1939.

Fisher-Price Ends View-Master of Sites

Inventor William Gruber debuted the view master scenic disks with backing from a postcard company in 1939. If you remember how scenic the penny postcards were it is no surprise why the scenic reels were so good.



The iconic reels of tourist attractions, often packaged with a clunky plastic viewer and first sold to promote 3-D photography, are ending their 70-year run after years of diminishing sales.

Scenic discs are no longer a good fit for the Fisher-Price division of toy maker Mattel Inc., a spokeswoman said, and the company stopped making them in December. Fisher-Price, based in East Aurora, N.Y., will keep making better-selling reels of Shrek, Dora the Explorer and other animated characters, spokeswoman Juliette Reashor said in an e-mail to The Associated Press.

That is definitely a sad loss and unfortunate that kids will no longer be able to experience scenic pictures through a view finder.


All good things must come to an end, although Barbie just turned 50 and she is going strong.

Of course she has had breast augmentation, a tummy tuck, liposuction, botox and a tramp stamp, so the Cougar Barbie is still on top of her game.


There is a late night shift tonight so there will be no post tomorrow.

A Warming Conversation

PRESIDENT OBAMA: We will restore science to its rightful place.

I have a habit of asking the wife Vicki to make calls for me, which I might add she hates doing, however the other day she had a weak moment and the following is what took place.

Vicki, get Al Gore on the phone for me, will you?

Yes, the Al Gore that was Vice President of the United States. You know, the Nobel Peace Prize winner, Academy Award winning actor, Inconvenient Truth guy that is the expert scientist on global warming.

I really need to talk to him because our country seems to think we should throw billions / trillions of dollars at this so-called global warming, climate catastrophe thing that he is the expert on.

Well, yes it is important I talk to him because as you know three out of the five leading scientists contend that recent climate change is driven by natural cycles, not human industrial activity.

OK, did you get him on the line?

What do you mean he won't take my call? Does he know who I am? You told him and he still refused my call, oh.

OK then since this is global, get me a Japanese scientist on the line, someone with a scientific background like Al Gore's.

Let's try to get Kanya Kusano on the line. He is the program director and group leader for the Earth simulator at the Japan Agency For Marine-Earth Science and Technology. He has a doctorate of science from the University of Hiroshima.

His expertise is in simulation science, plasma physics, space physics, astrosciences, fusion science, magneto-hydrodynamics and multiscale modeling.

Yes, of course I am more than qualified to talk to him about the three-dimensional simulation study of flux rope dynamics in the solar corona.

What, he is in a state of flux and can't come to the phone right now but said to be sure and tell me Al is wrong.

This is getting harder than I thought so let's try calling the other scientist guy that also doesn't believe we are causing global warning.

No I can't remember his name. He is the head of the International Arctic Research Center in Alaska. He uses historical data to challenge the claim that the very recent temperatures represent an anomaly.

Yes I know you can't call him if I can't remember his name, but that's OK. Why would historical data have any relevance anyway. So let's try that third scientist named Akasofu.

Yes,you are right he was named as the world's most cited scientist on space physics. Right, he is the one that authored the paper on polar and magnetospheric sub storms.

What? His voice mail message states due to an overwhelming amount of calls from Al Gore chastising him for practicing science and thus restricting Al's livelihood he is no longer taking calls on the subject.

OK Vicki thanks for trying, and by the way, what else is Al doing to pay the bills these days?

In 2004, Gore co-launched Generation Investment Management, a company for which he serves as Chair. The company was a new London fund management firm that plans to create environment-friendly portfolios. Generation Investment will manage assets of institutional investors, such as pension funds, foundations and endowments, as well as those of 'high net worth individuals,' from offices in London and Washington, D.C.

Gore also became a partner in the venture capital firm, Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, heading that firm's climate change solutions group.

You know, those businesses do appear to be scientific.

24 Hours Carbon Footprint

OK, so Monday night I am watching my favorite television program "24" which is a two hour program that night.

For those of you not familiar with "24", it is about Jack Bauer, a United States Government Agent that kills and tortures the bad guys all to save the United States from harm.

Jack Bauer, some would say, is like our newly appointed Treasury secretary Timothy Geithner, the only qualified person in the United States for the job at hand.

So to continue, there the wife and I are eyes glued to the T.V. screen to see if Jack can stop an imminent attack that is going to take place somewhere in Washington D.C.

Let me tell those of you that are not familiar with this show, it is cutting edge when it comes to how bad our security is and why Jack is the only one to stop all of these attacks.

You see Jack does whatever it takes to get the job done and if a few of the bad guys are tortured or killed along the way, that is how it is because his country comes first and as far as he is concerned, the bad guys are bad guys.

In one part of the show the F.B.I had a heavily guarded bad guy in the hospital waiting for him to wake up so they could extract crucial information from him as to the exact location the attack will take place.

Along came a guy in green hospital scrubs who the F.B.I. casually look at his hospital id and then let him pass by and walk right up to the bad guy, inject him with an unknown substance, walk away, toss the syringe in the trash and continue down the hall and escape while the guy he injected flat lines and dies while the doctor is trying to save him.

Once again, here is a case of an undocumented worker in the country illegally, doing the work evidently no one else legally in the United States wanted to do.

Jack is not aware of it but the F.B.I. has determined the target of the attack is the White House.

Jack would have known before the F.B.I. did but seconds before he was finished torturing the bad guy, who was about to talk because Jack tortures good, the President of The United States had Jack arrested.

Well wouldn't you know it a group of heavily armed bad guys have broken through White House security, gone into the White House and Jack will be the only one that can save the President of The United States from the terrorists who want to kill the president.

How did the break into the White House happen you ask? Easy, they had an inside man that once again, is another case of an undocumented worker in the country illegally, doing the work evidently no one else legally in the United States wanted to do.

So as you can see this is very intense and as I said the wife and I are riveted as to how Jack will pull this off.

Then as we are waiting for the previews for the next week, there stood Jack Bauer who turns to the camera and said:

"Here at "24" we are committed to reducing our impact on climate change. We believe we can't solve this problem in 24 hours. By making energy-conscious decisions on our set, we are contributing to a solution. Please go to Fox.com to learn more about how you can join "24" in helping solve the climate problem."

Of all the dumb things I have ever seen, the most intense rogue agent in the world, is worried about his so called carbon footprint, while the president's fate is resting on his shoulders.

You're killing me Jack and I am a good guy!!!

Once again due to a late shift last night there will be no new post today.

Painless Suicide

If anyone has read about the great depression one of the things that happened was an increase in suicide.

With the way our broken economy has stripped away our employment, savings and retirements the suicide rates will climb higher and higher.

Suicide would be a lot more popular if it wasn't the biggest problem with suicide is the pain associated with it.

The sudden stop associated when jumping from a tall building, the instant pain after the pin hits the shell or the loud train whistle as the iron horse slams into you.

Now there is hope for those wanting to commit suicide, I have found a story of a man that found a painless way to die, in fact he died with a huge smile on his face.

It does require the assistance of two other people.

Russian Man Dies of Viagra Overdose.

"In the rare event of an erection lasting more than four hours, seek immediate medical help." For one Russian man, however, this disclaimer read like a challenge.

Twenty-eight year old mechanic Sergey Tuganov reportedly accepted a $4,300 bet from two women who claimed he didn't have the stamina to endure an all-day sex session with them. Twelve hours and a whole bottle of Viagra later the dirty deed was done.

Wow, to a man, the mere thought a three way for twelve hours is enough to send the heart monitor off the Richter scale. The actual opportunity obviously can be deadly but what a way to go.

The heroic grease monkey after winning his wager, was the victim of a fatal heart attack.

There are a lot of ups and downs to this story but this brings a new meaning to assisted suicide.

Surfing The Web

All of these are companies that didn't spend quite enough time
considering how their online names might appear - and be misread...

1. Who Represents is where you can find the name of the agent that
represents any celebrity.

Their Web site is www.whorepresents.com

2. Experts Exchange is a knowledge base where programmers can exchange
advice and views.

Their Web site is www.expertsexchange.com

3. Looking for a pen? Look no further than Pen Island.

Their Web site www.penisland.net

4. Need a therapist? Try Therapist Finder.

Their Web site www.therapistfinder.com

5. There's the Italian Power Generator company.

Their Web site www.powergenitalia.com

6. And don't forget the Mole Station Native Nursery in New South Wales.

Their Web site www.molestationnursery.com

7. If you're looking for IP computer software.

Their Web site www.ipanywhere.com

8. The First Cumming Methodist Church Web site.

Their Web site www.cummingfirst.com

9. And the designers at Speed of Art await you at their wacky Web site,

www.speedofart.com