To let all of you know that read Mom and Dad's Blog that they were involved in a fairly serious traffic accident on Thursday night. They were hit by a drunk driver in their hometown here.
Luckly they were in the Suburban and were not injured severely. Mom was the worst, breaking 3 ribs and injuring her left leg.
Dad broke his left wrist and was badly shaken up. They are both home and resting and trying to heal.
They wanted everyone to know why they have not blogged of recent days.
Derek
Monday, October 22, 2007
Monday, October 8, 2007
Empty Nest
Husband and I talked this weekend if we really HAVE empty nest syndrome or not. Number 1 son married 2 years ago and Number 2 son left for college in September. Someone HAD to ask if it was bothering us. We looked at each other and what do you say. "Hell NO we are having the time of our lives and doing things we only thought of doing before?" or do we look sad and say "Yes, it is just terrible and such a loss!"
I will admit the telephone ringing less (much less) and actually being able to USE it and having it be for us without our cell phones ringing is unique. Being able to shower in the morning without having the water go bare assed cold in the middle is also unique. Not having to run here and go there at the slightest whim of Number 2 son because his car broke down again because he insists on having a COOL car he can fix himself is definitely on MY top 10 list of things I don't miss and neither does husband. (we took turns) and the husband and number 2 son's conversations of "While you in our house you WILL adhere to our rules (which husband made up as he went) are not conversations I miss. Or the rushing in the door and leaving it open "were you born in a barn…..jeez" and the rolling of his eyes as he goes back and shuts it with a resounding SLAM! Are also not things we miss.
What DID we used to do before we had kids? Do you remember? Not sure I do.
Ok so does my mother of the year award suffer because I don't miss those things? Did I miss the point of motherhood? We are supposed to be wandering around in a huge house, lost and unable to function? Maybe they haven't been gone long enough? Why did we have so much fun this last weekend at the coast? Hmmmmmmm…………………………..
So when does this empty nest syndrome kick in?
I will admit the telephone ringing less (much less) and actually being able to USE it and having it be for us without our cell phones ringing is unique. Being able to shower in the morning without having the water go bare assed cold in the middle is also unique. Not having to run here and go there at the slightest whim of Number 2 son because his car broke down again because he insists on having a COOL car he can fix himself is definitely on MY top 10 list of things I don't miss and neither does husband. (we took turns) and the husband and number 2 son's conversations of "While you in our house you WILL adhere to our rules (which husband made up as he went) are not conversations I miss. Or the rushing in the door and leaving it open "were you born in a barn…..jeez" and the rolling of his eyes as he goes back and shuts it with a resounding SLAM! Are also not things we miss.
What DID we used to do before we had kids? Do you remember? Not sure I do.
Ok so does my mother of the year award suffer because I don't miss those things? Did I miss the point of motherhood? We are supposed to be wandering around in a huge house, lost and unable to function? Maybe they haven't been gone long enough? Why did we have so much fun this last weekend at the coast? Hmmmmmmm…………………………..
So when does this empty nest syndrome kick in?
Wednesday, October 3, 2007
Have You Eaten Your Genetically Modified Food Today?
Monsanto, the real and symbolic leader in genetically modified crops, is a company that environmental groups love to hate. A “Monsanto +antichrist” Google search turns up 53,000 hits. The virtual hate carries over into the real world, too. Last month, Monsanto claimed that activists damaged 65 percent of its test fields in 2006. And yet, in the last 5 years, Monsanto’s stock price is up over 700 percent, and the company’s directors keep snapping up more shares.
But Americans don’t eat GE specialty crops, which include vegetables and fruit. As a 2004 USDA workshop found:
Relatively few GE specialty crop varieties have been submitted to regulatory agencies for clearance, and most of those that have been approved are not available in the marketplace today…The number of products in development… is approaching zero.
In August 2006, the Center for Food Safety released a fact sheet that stated, "the depth of market rejection of GE foods is arguably unparalleled by any other consumer product." It’s hard to square these statements with Monsanto's $689,000,000 in net income during 2006.
There are two parts to the explanation of this seeming paradox. One is that American public opinion is not nearly as hard-edged as the CFS statement suggests. Scores of polls and surveys by both sides can be reduced to three simple ideas. One, American consumers know just about nothing about genetic engineering, more than ten years after its introduction into the market. Two, American consumers intuit that they don't really want their food genetically modified. Three, that belief is not very strong for most people, i.e., one study found that only 2 percent of respondents had done something or "taken action" because of their concerns over biotechnology.
The other part of the explanation is that US consumer attitudes don't actually matter very much to the current GM food business. All Monsanto needs is for you to love Twinkies and Coca-Cola, the food machinery of this country does the rest. Monsanto’s model is business-to-business (B2B), like server sales or logistics. Monsanto is more like Oracle than Apple. To the average consumer, GM crops are invisible, especially because you don’t have to label them in the US. The attitudes towards GMO that matter to Monsanto are those held by big agribusiness seed buyers and corporate farmers, not Joe Six Pack. And the IT managers of the farming world love Monsanto. The chart is of US GE crop adoption of their big three products, corn, soybeans, and cotton, which just happen to compose 75 percent of the revenue generated from non-fruit and vegetable cash crops.
If you’re an opponent of GM foods, here comes the scary punchline. A big chunk of all that genetically modified corn and soy go right into our processed foods and into feed for the animals we eat. So chances are, unless you are a raw or organic foodista, you ate a GM food derivative this very day.
Monsanto, the real and symbolic leader in genetically modified crops, is a company that environmental groups love to hate. A “Monsanto +antichrist” Google search turns up 53,000 hits. The virtual hate carries over into the real world, too. Last month, Monsanto claimed that activists damaged 65 percent of its test fields in 2006. And yet, in the last 5 years, Monsanto’s stock price is up over 700 percent, and the company’s directors keep snapping up more shares.
But Americans don’t eat GE specialty crops, which include vegetables and fruit. As a 2004 USDA workshop found:
Relatively few GE specialty crop varieties have been submitted to regulatory agencies for clearance, and most of those that have been approved are not available in the marketplace today…The number of products in development… is approaching zero.
In August 2006, the Center for Food Safety released a fact sheet that stated, "the depth of market rejection of GE foods is arguably unparalleled by any other consumer product." It’s hard to square these statements with Monsanto's $689,000,000 in net income during 2006.
There are two parts to the explanation of this seeming paradox. One is that American public opinion is not nearly as hard-edged as the CFS statement suggests. Scores of polls and surveys by both sides can be reduced to three simple ideas. One, American consumers know just about nothing about genetic engineering, more than ten years after its introduction into the market. Two, American consumers intuit that they don't really want their food genetically modified. Three, that belief is not very strong for most people, i.e., one study found that only 2 percent of respondents had done something or "taken action" because of their concerns over biotechnology.
The other part of the explanation is that US consumer attitudes don't actually matter very much to the current GM food business. All Monsanto needs is for you to love Twinkies and Coca-Cola, the food machinery of this country does the rest. Monsanto’s model is business-to-business (B2B), like server sales or logistics. Monsanto is more like Oracle than Apple. To the average consumer, GM crops are invisible, especially because you don’t have to label them in the US. The attitudes towards GMO that matter to Monsanto are those held by big agribusiness seed buyers and corporate farmers, not Joe Six Pack. And the IT managers of the farming world love Monsanto. The chart is of US GE crop adoption of their big three products, corn, soybeans, and cotton, which just happen to compose 75 percent of the revenue generated from non-fruit and vegetable cash crops.
If you’re an opponent of GM foods, here comes the scary punchline. A big chunk of all that genetically modified corn and soy go right into our processed foods and into feed for the animals we eat. So chances are, unless you are a raw or organic foodista, you ate a GM food derivative this very day.
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
9-11-07
Rememberance to the 343 Firefighters that lost their lives and the 3,009 people who lives we gone in a tragic second:
Agnello, Joseph
Ahern, Brian
Allen, Eric
Allen, Richard
Amato, James
Anaya Jr., Calixto
Angelini Sr., Joseph
Angelini Jr., Joseph
Apostol Jr., Faustino
Arce, David
Arena, Louis
Asaro, Carl
Atlas, Gregg
Atwood, Gerald
-
Barnes, Matthew
Baptiste, Gerald
Barbara, Gerard
Barry, Arthur
Bates, Steven
Bedigian, Carl
Belson, Stephen
Bergin, John
Beyer, Paul
Biefeld, Peter
Bilcher, Brian
Bini, Carl
Blackwell, Christopher
Bocchino, Michael
Bonomo, Frank
Box, Gary
Boyle, Michael
Bracken, Kevin
Brennan, Michael
Brennan, Peter
Brethel, Daniel
Brown, Patrick
Brunton, Vincent
Burke Jr., William
Brunn, Andrew
Bucca, Ronald
Buck, Greg
Burns, Donald
Burnside, John
Butler, Thomas
Byrne, Patrick
-
Cain, George
Calabro, Salvatore
Callahan, Frank
Cammarata, Michael
Cannizzaro, Brian
Cardinale, David
Carey, Dennis
Carlo, Michael
Carroll, Michael
Carroll, Peter
Casoria, Thomas
Cawley, Michael
Cherry, Vernon
Chiofalo, Nicholas
Chipura, John
Clarke, Michael
Coakley, Steven
Coleman, Tarel
Collins, John
Cordicce, Robert
Correa, Ruben
Corrigan, James J.
Coyle, James
Crawford, Robert
Crisci, John
Cross, Dennis A.
Cullen III, Thomas
Curatolo, Robert
-
D'Atri, Edward
Dauria, Michael
Davidson, Scott
Day, Edward
DeAngelis, Thomas
Delvalle, Manuel
Demeo, Martin
Derubbio, David
Desperito, Andrew
Devlin, Dennis
Dewan, Gerard
Dipasquale, George
Donnelly, Kevin
Dowdell, Kevin
Downey, Ray
Duffy, Gerald
-
Eagan Jr., Martin
Elferis, Michael
Esposito, Francis
Esposito, Michael
Evans, Robert
-
Fanning, Jack
Farino, Thomas
Farrell, Terrance
Farrelly, Joseph
Feehan, William
Fehling, Lee
Feinberg, Alan
Fiore, Frank
Fiore, Michael
Fischner, John
Fletcher, Andre
Florio, John
Fodor, Michael
Foley, Thomas
Fontana, David
Foti, Robert
Fredricks, Andrew
Freund, Peter
-
Gambino Jr., Thomas
Ganci Jr., Peter
Garbarini, Charles
Gardner, Thomas
Garner, Thomas
Garvey, Matthew
Gary, Bruce
Geidel, Gary
Geraghty, Edward
Germain, Denis
Giberson, James
Gies, Ronnie
Gill, Paul
Giammona, Vincent
Ginley, John
Giordano, Jeffery
Giordano, John
Glascoe, Keith
Gray, James
Grzelak, Joe
Guadalupe, Jose
Guja, Geoffrey
Gullickson, Joseph
-
Halderman, David
Halloran, Vincent
Hamilton, Robert
Hanley, Sean
Hannafin, Thomas
Hannon, Dana
Harlin, Daniel
Harrell, Harvey
Harrell, Stephen
Haskell Jr.,Thomas Haskell, Timothy
Halloran, Vincent
Hatton, Terry
Haub, Michael
Hayes, Phillip
Healey, Mike
Heffernan, John
Henderson, Ronnie
Henry, Joseph
Henry, William
Hetzel, Thomas
Hickey, Brian
Higgins, Tim
Hohmann, John
Holohan, Thomas
Hunter, Joseph
Hynes, Walter
-
Ielpi, Jonathan
Ill Jr., Fredrick
-
Johnston, William
Jordan, Andrew
Joseph, Karl
Jovic, Anthony
Juarbe Jr., Angel
Judge, Mychal
Kane, Vincent
Kasper, Charles
Keating, Paul
Kelly, Thomas
Kelly, Tom
Kelly Jr., Richie
Kennedy, Thomas
Kerwin, Ronald T.
Kiefer, Michael
King Jr., Robert
Krukowski, William
Kopytko, Scott
Kumpel, Kenneth
Kuveikis, Thomas
-
Laforge, David
Lake, William
Lane, Robert
Langone, Peter
Larsen, Scott
Leavey, Joseph G.
Leavy, Neil
Libretti, Daniel
Lillo, Carlos
Linnane, Robert
Lynch, Michael
Lynch, Mike
Lyons, Michael
Lyons, Patrick
-
Maffeo, Joseph
Mahoney, William
Maloney, Joseph
Marino, Kenneth
Margiotta, Charles
Marchbanks Jr.,Joseph Marshell, John
Martin, Peter
Martini, Paul
Mascali, Joseph
Maynard, Keithroy
Mcaleese, Brian
Mcavoy, John
McCann, Thomas
McGinn, William
McGovern, William
Mchugh, Dennis
McMahon, Robert
McPadden, Robert
McShane, Terence
McSweeney, Timothy McWilliams, Martin Meisenheimer, Raymond Mendez, Charles
Mercado, Steve
Miller, Douglas
Miller Jr., Henry
Minara, Robert
Mitchell, Paul
Mingione, Thomas
Modafferi, Louis
Mojica, Dennis
Mojica, Manuel
Molinaro, Carl
Montesi, Michael
Moody, Thomas
Morello, Vincent
Moran, John
Mozzillo, Christopher Muldowney Jr.,Richard Mullan, Michael
Mulligan, Dennis
Murphy, Raymond
-
Nagle, Bob
Napolitano, John
Nelson, Peter
Nevins, Gerard
-
O'Berg, Dennis
Oblschlager, Douglas O'Callaghan, Daniel
Ogren, Joseph
Oitice, Samuel
O’Keefe, Patrick
O'Keefe, William
Olsen, Eric
Olsen, Jeffery
Olsen, Steven
O'Rourke, Kevin
-
Palazzo, Jeffery
Palmer, Orio J.
Palombo, Frank
Pansini, Paul
Paolillo, John
Pappageorge, James
Parro, Robert
Pearsall, Durrell
Perry, Glenn
Petti, Philip
Pfeiffer, Kevin
Pickford, Christopher
Phelan, Kenneth
Powell, Shawn
Princiotta, Vincent
Prior, Kevin
Prunty, Richard
-
Quappe, Lincoln
Quilty, Michael
Orourke, Kevin
Otten, Michael
Quinn, Ricardo
-
Ragaglia, Leonard
Ragusa, Michael
Rall, Edward
Rand, Adam
Regan, Donald
Regan, Robert
Regenhard, Christian Richard, Vernon
Riches, James
Rivelli Jr., Joseph
Reilly, Kevin
Roberts, Michael
Roberts, Mike
Rocco Jr., Anthony
Rodriquez, Anthony
Rogan, Matthew
Rossomando, Nicholas
Rubach, Paul
Russell, Stephen
Russo, Michael T.
Ryan, Matthew L.
-
Sabella, Thomas
Santora, Christopher
Santore, John
Saucedo, Gregory
Scauso, Dennis
Schardt, John
Scheffold, Fred
Schoales, Thomas
Schrang, Gerard
Sikorsky, Gregory
Siller, Stephen
Smagala Jr., Stanely
Smith, Kevin
Smith Jr., Leon
Spear Jr., Robert
Spor, Joseph
Stack, Lawrence
Stackpole, Timothy
Stajk, Gregory
Stark, Jeffery
Suarez, Benjamin
Suhr, Daniel
Sullivan, Christopher
Sweeney, Brian
-
Tallon, Sean
Tarasiewicz, Allen
Tegtmeirer, Paul
Tierney, John
Tipping II, John
Tirado Jr., Hector
-
VanHine, Richard
Vaskis, Francis
Vega, Peter
Veling, Lawrence
Vigiano II, John
Villanueva, Sergio
Virgilio, Lawrence
-
Wallace, Robert
Walz, Jeffery
Warchola, Michael
Waters, Patrick
Watson, Kenneth
Weinberg, Michael
Weiss, David
Welty, Timothy
Whelan, Eugene
White, Edward
Whitford, Mark
Weinberg, Michael
Wilkinson, Glenn
Williamson, John
Wren, William
Wooley,David
-
York, Raymond
SAYING GOODBYE ( A Tribute Poem to those who were lost)
Yesterday was just a normal day...
You smiled... said "I love you" and said goodbye...
Told me to remember to pick up milk.....
And said you would see me tonight....
Well yesterday has come and gone
and many things have changed...
For ever since 9/11/01 my life has been rearranged...
No more smiles...
no more kisses good bye.....
No more "I love you's" as you walk out the door...
Now I see your face only in my dreams....
And know you are gone forevermore...
I love you, I miss you and my heart still breaks....
But I know that one day in heaven....
We will smile and say I love you and look into each others eyes..
And never forget 9/11/01 and those who lost their lives....
GOD BLESS ALL THOSE WHO LOST THEIR LIVES ON 9/11/01 AND THOSE WHO
SURVIVED...
Written by Liza Schejtman-Bach
Sunday, August 26, 2007
Smokee the Bear
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Kev speaks
You know the old story of sometimes you eat the bear and sometimes the bear eats you? Well, that story came to life at work this last couple of months and some might remember from the old blog the story of me catching this 800 pd black bear and releasing him up further on the mountain, however he seems to have found his way back!
Now this guy was a bugger to catch in the first place, it took us about 60 days to get him into a trap the first time and NOW he wasn't about to go in that trap for anything and he certainly was harassing campers and rummaging for food. He is also very sneaky. Not to many have actually SEEN him just the remments of what was once a weekend food supply.
Most people tend to leave foodstuffs in coolers and Bags in vehicles or there tent. He has also shredded a screen on a campers RV and had himself a field day.
So all this means that we have to catch him before he actually hurts someone who think that he can fend off a bear. Never challenge a Bear. Move away slowly (upwind if possible) and avoid direct eye contact or anything a bear can interrupt as aggressive. If you have food on you try throwing it on the trail (not at the bear) or an article of clothing so as to distract said bear. Move away slowly and leave them alone. NEVER lay down and play dead as you soon will be with a bear.
So as I am driving toward where the last sighting has been I stop and get myself coffee and an a apple filled bear claw (no pun intended)……….and as I am driving away from the store a thought hits me. (believe it or not I do have them from time to time)
Why not use donuts as a lure into the bear cage? So I drive back and get a dozen of the biggest freshest smelling gooey donuts I can get. Drove me crazy for the 25 miles I had to go into the woods and to say the WHOLE dozen made it to the site would mean I could trip over my nose when I said it!
So at the site I explain the idea to the crew who by now think I have completely lost my mind. We really cover up the trap with all kinds of downed tree limbs and branches, put what was left of the dozen donuts in the cage and spray cover spray all the way back to our vehicles. The sugary smell was intoxicating even in the woods.
Then we all left and went to check on a few other things and came back only to find said donuts had been scooped out of the trap and gone…….RATS!
About an hour later on of the crew calls and said "HEY Guys come over hear, you never going to believe this!" So off we all went and this is what we came upon. The bear upside down, paws in the air asleep!
We were all laughing and I loaded up the dart rifle and we tranquilized this poor guy and drug him into the cage.
This time we took him up around Mt. Rainer to let him go and if he finds his way back this time? Good question!
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
Of Birthdays and Life Lessons
From my best friend Suzanne's blog who turned 48 today. To the next 20 years of freindship! Happy Birthday Babe! VIRGO'S RULE!
1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.
2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.
3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.
4. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
5. Pay off your credit cards every month.
6. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.
8. It's OK to get angry with God. He can take it.
9. Save for retirement, starting with your first paycheck.
10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.
11. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.
12. It's OK to let your children see you cry.
13. Don't compare your life to others'. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it.
15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye, but don't worry, God never blinks.
16. Life is too short for long pity parties. Get busy living or get busy dying.
17. You can get through anything, if you stay put in today.
18. A writer writes. If you want to be a writer, write.
19. It's never too late to have a happy childhood, but the second one is up to you and no one else.
20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer.
21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don't save it for a special occasion. Today is special.
22. Over prepare then go with the flow.
23. Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.
24. The most important sex organ is the brain.
25. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.
26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words: "In five years, will this matter?"
27. Always choose life.
28. Forgive everyone everything.
29. What other people think of you is none of your business.
30. Time heals almost everything. Give time time.
31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
32. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch.
33. Believe in miracles.
34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn't do.
35. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.
36. Growing old beats the alternative .
37. Your children get only one childhood. Make it memorable.
38. Read the Psalms. They cover every human emotion.
39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.
40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'd grab ours back.
41. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.
42. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.
43. All that truly matters, in the end, is that you loved.
44. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
45. The best is yet to come.
46. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
47. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.
48. If you don't ask, you don't get.
49. Yield.
50. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift.
1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.
2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.
3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.
4. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
5. Pay off your credit cards every month.
6. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.
8. It's OK to get angry with God. He can take it.
9. Save for retirement, starting with your first paycheck.
10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.
11. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.
12. It's OK to let your children see you cry.
13. Don't compare your life to others'. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it.
15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye, but don't worry, God never blinks.
16. Life is too short for long pity parties. Get busy living or get busy dying.
17. You can get through anything, if you stay put in today.
18. A writer writes. If you want to be a writer, write.
19. It's never too late to have a happy childhood, but the second one is up to you and no one else.
20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer.
21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don't save it for a special occasion. Today is special.
22. Over prepare then go with the flow.
23. Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.
24. The most important sex organ is the brain.
25. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.
26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words: "In five years, will this matter?"
27. Always choose life.
28. Forgive everyone everything.
29. What other people think of you is none of your business.
30. Time heals almost everything. Give time time.
31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
32. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch.
33. Believe in miracles.
34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn't do.
35. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.
36. Growing old beats the alternative .
37. Your children get only one childhood. Make it memorable.
38. Read the Psalms. They cover every human emotion.
39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.
40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'd grab ours back.
41. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.
42. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.
43. All that truly matters, in the end, is that you loved.
44. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
45. The best is yet to come.
46. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
47. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.
48. If you don't ask, you don't get.
49. Yield.
50. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift.
Thursday, August 16, 2007
Stunned......................
Not sure I know why a man molests children. I think it is without a doubt the most vile thing on the face of this earth to hurt a child or an animal. But for a man to have sex with a 14 year child goes completely off my "BUT" chart.
I can stand the 'but' word for a lot of things on this earth 'but cause she came on to me" just somehow effects my sense of wanting to murder someone only stopping because I refuse to go to jail for the bastard.
So can someone explain this to me in a form I can possibly understand? That there is some underlying set of circumstances of why that happens to someone you have known quite well for over 20 years and up until this point you have no clue there is an issue? Even with his own kids which now we are kind of wondering about as well. Model husband, loving father, straight arrow kind of guy.
What thought process tell them this is OK? That because she had on short shorts and wanted to kiss him this was OK because a child of 14 knows what she is doing at that age and its just sex so………
This makes it OK? I am shocked, sicken and appalled all in one breath and I have nothing else…………………………
I can stand the 'but' word for a lot of things on this earth 'but cause she came on to me" just somehow effects my sense of wanting to murder someone only stopping because I refuse to go to jail for the bastard.
So can someone explain this to me in a form I can possibly understand? That there is some underlying set of circumstances of why that happens to someone you have known quite well for over 20 years and up until this point you have no clue there is an issue? Even with his own kids which now we are kind of wondering about as well. Model husband, loving father, straight arrow kind of guy.
What thought process tell them this is OK? That because she had on short shorts and wanted to kiss him this was OK because a child of 14 knows what she is doing at that age and its just sex so………
This makes it OK? I am shocked, sicken and appalled all in one breath and I have nothing else…………………………
Tuesday, August 7, 2007
Idiot Sightings
IDIOT SIGHTING: Hubby and I had to have the garage door repaired. The Sears repairman told us that one of our problems was that we did not have a "large enough" motor on the opener. I thought for a minute, and said that we had the largest one Sears made at that time, a 1/2 horsepower. He shook his head and said, "Lady, you need a 1/4 horsepower." I responded that 1/2 was larger than 1/4. He said, "NO, it's not. Four is larger than two." We haven't used Sears repair since. _____________________________________________________________________ IDIOT SIGHTING: I live in a semi rural area. We recently had a new neighbor call the local township administrative office to request the removal of the Deer Crossing sign on our road. The reason: "Too many deer are being hit by cars out here! I don't think this is a good place for them to cross anymore ______________________________________________________ IDIOTS IN FOOD SERVICE: My daughter went to a local Taco Bell and ordered a taco. She asked the person behind the counter for "minimal lettuce." He said he was sorry, but they only had iceberg. He was a Chef
______________________________________________________ IDIOT SIGHTING: I was at the airport, checking in at the gate when an airport employee asked, "Has anyone put anything in your baggage without your knowledge?" To which I replied, "If it was without my knowledge, how would I know?" ?He smiled knowingly and nodded, "That's why we ask."
______________________________________________________ IDIOT SIGHTING: The stoplight on the corner buzzes when its safe to cross the street. I was crossing with an intellectually challenged coworker of mine. She asked if I knew what the buzzer was for. I explained that it signals blind people when the light is red. Appalled, she responded, "What on earth are blind people doing driving!" She was a probation officer
_______________________________________________________ IDIOT SIGHTING: At a good-bye luncheon for an old and dear coworker: She was leaving the company due to "downsizing." Our manager commented cheerfully, "This is fun. We should do this more often." Not another word was spoken. We all just looked at each other with that deer-in-the-headlights stare.
IDIOT SIGHTING: I work with an individual who plugged her power strip back into itself and couldn't understand why her system would not turn on. A deputy with the Dallas County Sheriffs office no less. _____________________________________________________
IDIOT SIGHTING: When my husband and I arrived at an automobile dealership to pick up our car, we were told the keys had been locked in it. We went to the service department and found a mechanic working feverishly to unlock the driver's side door. As I watched from the passenger side, I instinctively tried the door handle and discovered that it was unlocked. "Hey," I announced to the technician, "Its open!" His reply, "I know ,I already got that side."
"Never argue with an idiot; they'll drag you down to their level and beat you with experience." ~ anonymous
______________________________________________________ IDIOT SIGHTING: I was at the airport, checking in at the gate when an airport employee asked, "Has anyone put anything in your baggage without your knowledge?" To which I replied, "If it was without my knowledge, how would I know?" ?He smiled knowingly and nodded, "That's why we ask."
______________________________________________________ IDIOT SIGHTING: The stoplight on the corner buzzes when its safe to cross the street. I was crossing with an intellectually challenged coworker of mine. She asked if I knew what the buzzer was for. I explained that it signals blind people when the light is red. Appalled, she responded, "What on earth are blind people doing driving!" She was a probation officer
_______________________________________________________ IDIOT SIGHTING: At a good-bye luncheon for an old and dear coworker: She was leaving the company due to "downsizing." Our manager commented cheerfully, "This is fun. We should do this more often." Not another word was spoken. We all just looked at each other with that deer-in-the-headlights stare.
IDIOT SIGHTING: I work with an individual who plugged her power strip back into itself and couldn't understand why her system would not turn on. A deputy with the Dallas County Sheriffs office no less. _____________________________________________________
IDIOT SIGHTING: When my husband and I arrived at an automobile dealership to pick up our car, we were told the keys had been locked in it. We went to the service department and found a mechanic working feverishly to unlock the driver's side door. As I watched from the passenger side, I instinctively tried the door handle and discovered that it was unlocked. "Hey," I announced to the technician, "Its open!" His reply, "I know ,I already got that side."
"Never argue with an idiot; they'll drag you down to their level and beat you with experience." ~ anonymous
Monday, August 6, 2007
Yup......gonna be a Bear
In this life I'm a woman.
In my next life, I'd like to come back as a bear.
When you're a bear, you get to hibernate.
You do nothing but sleep for six months. I could deal with that.
Before you hibernate, you're supposed to eat yourself stupid. I could deal with that, too.
When you're a girl bear, you birth your children (who are the size of walnuts) while you're sleeping and wake to partially grown, cute, cuddly cubs. I could definitely deal with that.
If you're mama bear, everyone knows you mean business.
You swat anyone who bothers your cubs.
If your cubs get out of line, you swat them, too. I could deal with that.
If you're a bear, your mate EXPECTS you to wake up growling.
He EXPECTS that you will have hairy legs and excess body fat.
Yup, gonna be a bear!
In my next life, I'd like to come back as a bear.
When you're a bear, you get to hibernate.
You do nothing but sleep for six months. I could deal with that.
Before you hibernate, you're supposed to eat yourself stupid. I could deal with that, too.
When you're a girl bear, you birth your children (who are the size of walnuts) while you're sleeping and wake to partially grown, cute, cuddly cubs. I could definitely deal with that.
If you're mama bear, everyone knows you mean business.
You swat anyone who bothers your cubs.
If your cubs get out of line, you swat them, too. I could deal with that.
If you're a bear, your mate EXPECTS you to wake up growling.
He EXPECTS that you will have hairy legs and excess body fat.
Yup, gonna be a bear!
Friday, August 3, 2007
Boxers, Briefs or ?
Kev speak:
It's come to my attention that there are some men out there—even a few friends of mine—who've not yet switched to boxer briefs. These are otherwise intelligent guys who, either through ignorance or recalcitrance, begin each day by pulling on (shudder) traditional boxers or (double-shudder) briefs. I feel great pity for these men. Because the irrefutable truth is that boxer briefs—a knit, mid-thigh-length compromise between boxer and brief—are the ultimate male wear. The sooner you accept this, the happier your crotch will be.
It's not too late to change. We humans have a terrific capacity for adapting to new underpants. I know, because I've switched styles twice now. Consider my first (though ultimately misguided) underwear revelation:
Billowy boxers were meant to look anachronistic and silly. But this joke was lost on me. Compared to my briefs—which revealed my pale and scrawny pre-teen upper thighs—those modest, roomy boxers looked positively dignified. And cutting-edge, too: My father didn't wear them, thus by definition they were modern and stylish. (I didn't realize at the time that baby-boomer men had switched to briefs in large part to tack away from their own boxers-wearing fathers.)
Soon after, I made the leap. And by the end of high school, every teen I knew was wearing woven cotton boxers. (Often carefully showcased—allowed to peek out below the hem of a pair of shorts.) It's still not clear what sparked this large-scale boxer rebellion. Theory: Since underwear is concealed in day-to-day life, and we can't see what our neighbors and co-workers are wearing, we have only pop culture to give us our cues.) Nonetheless, boxers remained the near-universal choice of my generation throughout college and into the years beyond.
I now realize, of course, that those were wasted years, groin-comfort-wise. All that time, a better option had awaited. Although by 1993 those iconic Mark Wahlberg print ads for Calvin Klein boxer briefs were in heavy rotation, the famous query put to Bill Clinton in 1994 ("boxers or briefs?") didn't even acknowledge a third possibility. I was aware that the boxer brief existed, yet my naive understanding held that it was a choice open only to European men.
It wasn't until a forward-thinking friend clued me in ("It's the best of both worlds," he enthused) that I was made aware of the cut's functional superiority. Soon enough, I switched again—this time for good. After just a few days, I could see the boxer brief's profound advantages:
Support. The obvious, yet oft-unspoken flaw with traditional boxers is their lack of cuppage. They are useless for athletic events, and can even be a hindrance. (An acquaintance refers to the "tunnel" created by wearing boxers under soccer shorts. Via this tunnel, one's testicles can gain sudden and direct access to the world outside.) Boxer briefs hold your goods in place and out of sight.
Stability. Traditional boxers never sit still. They are forever riding up above the waistband of your pants, or slipping down below it. That loose fabric tends to twist, and bunch, and wedgify. Constant realignments are required. (This is especially true with the "bubble-butt" cut of boxer, which uses a spinnaker-like central back panel. The idea is to avoid having any seams line up with the butt-crack, but all that extra cloth just crawls up in there anyway, to disastrous effect.) Also the thought of exiting my truck in pursuit of some crafty criminal type and having to rearrange the goods and pull the extra out would allow said criminal to beat a hasty and laughing retreat all the way to Timbuktu.
Containment. That simple slit of a fly on traditional boxers encourages a phenomenon I will term "flop-out." Some boxer shorts seek to rectify this with a button enclosure, but a button is the last thing you care to deal with when you urgently need to urinate. Boxer briefs use the much more effective and user-friendly Y-front.
Aesthetics. My unscientific polling suggests that ladies dig 'em. While it has all the comfort, support, and fit of a knit brief, the boxer brief's full-cut thigh lends it the modesty of a traditional boxer. And that thigh is functional, too—its snug, ribbed cuff serves to hold the garment in place. This prevents the boxer brief from riding up or (worse) burrowing into one's posterior cleavage. (The Calvin Klein boxer brief is particularly well-tailored, and is my personal choice. I own one pair of boxer briefs from 2(x)ist, bought at the little store in my gym when I forgot to bring a change of underwear, but I find they take an overly presentational approach to the genitalia. Sort of a push-up effect.)
I'm confident there's really nothing the boxer brief can't do better. But just to make sure, I recently revisited the other underwear alternatives, to see if I was missing something.
Step 1 in my research was to buy a pair of Brooks Brothers briefs in a lovely, mercerized white cotton for $14.99. When I first slipped them on, I found them incredibly comfortable. And even a bit stylish, with that racy curve tracing the cup of the buttock. But all the old problems pertained. I felt naked, and also like a 7-year-old. I could tell that the bright white cotton would quickly dull to beige. Worst of all, the briefs crept way up over the course of a long day. Verdict: Too tighty, and too soon not-whitey.
Next, I picked up a pair of plaid boxers from Burberry's for $45. I felt as dapper as anyone can feel when dressed only in underwear. But the boxers simply wouldn't remain in place under my pants, always migrating 30 degrees around my waist in one direction or the other. The leg-openings would ride up and accordion, leaving weird marks on my thighs. And while Burberry's model prevented "flop-out" with a button enclosure, I found myself leaving the button undone. Who wants the bother? Verdict: Classic preppie choice—looks sharp, underachieves.
I've also tried trunks. There seems to be some disagreement as to what this term means, but my understanding is that trunks have an abbreviated thigh-length and no fly opening at all. I bought two pairs that qualify while traveling last year. (I'd run out of clean underwear. The vast majority of men's underwear purchases, I suspect, are born of desperate and immediate need.) Trunks have many of the same benefits as boxer briefs, but I can't understand the lack of a fly opening. Standing at a urinal, you're forced to reach through the fly of your trousers and pry the trunks' elastic waistband down with your thumb. Should you lose your purchase on the waistband, it will snap back violently—with messy and painful results.
Some men endorse going commando. I find it thoroughly unhygienic. Also rife with potential for injury. No dice.
I couldn't bring myself to try on a thong. I realize this is a viable choice for some men these days (perhaps even some straight men), but it's just not for me. I have no need to prevent panty lines. And, more fundamentally: Half of what I'm looking for from underwear is wedgie avoidance. What is the thong if not a permanent wedgie? No doubt, future generations of men will adopt the thong as a comfortable, minimalist alternative and will urge me to ditch my fusty old boxer briefs.
Until then, I beseech you: Make the boxer-briefs switch. You, and your groin, will not be sorry.
It's come to my attention that there are some men out there—even a few friends of mine—who've not yet switched to boxer briefs. These are otherwise intelligent guys who, either through ignorance or recalcitrance, begin each day by pulling on (shudder) traditional boxers or (double-shudder) briefs. I feel great pity for these men. Because the irrefutable truth is that boxer briefs—a knit, mid-thigh-length compromise between boxer and brief—are the ultimate male wear. The sooner you accept this, the happier your crotch will be.
It's not too late to change. We humans have a terrific capacity for adapting to new underpants. I know, because I've switched styles twice now. Consider my first (though ultimately misguided) underwear revelation:
Billowy boxers were meant to look anachronistic and silly. But this joke was lost on me. Compared to my briefs—which revealed my pale and scrawny pre-teen upper thighs—those modest, roomy boxers looked positively dignified. And cutting-edge, too: My father didn't wear them, thus by definition they were modern and stylish. (I didn't realize at the time that baby-boomer men had switched to briefs in large part to tack away from their own boxers-wearing fathers.)
Soon after, I made the leap. And by the end of high school, every teen I knew was wearing woven cotton boxers. (Often carefully showcased—allowed to peek out below the hem of a pair of shorts.) It's still not clear what sparked this large-scale boxer rebellion. Theory: Since underwear is concealed in day-to-day life, and we can't see what our neighbors and co-workers are wearing, we have only pop culture to give us our cues.) Nonetheless, boxers remained the near-universal choice of my generation throughout college and into the years beyond.
I now realize, of course, that those were wasted years, groin-comfort-wise. All that time, a better option had awaited. Although by 1993 those iconic Mark Wahlberg print ads for Calvin Klein boxer briefs were in heavy rotation, the famous query put to Bill Clinton in 1994 ("boxers or briefs?") didn't even acknowledge a third possibility. I was aware that the boxer brief existed, yet my naive understanding held that it was a choice open only to European men.
It wasn't until a forward-thinking friend clued me in ("It's the best of both worlds," he enthused) that I was made aware of the cut's functional superiority. Soon enough, I switched again—this time for good. After just a few days, I could see the boxer brief's profound advantages:
Support. The obvious, yet oft-unspoken flaw with traditional boxers is their lack of cuppage. They are useless for athletic events, and can even be a hindrance. (An acquaintance refers to the "tunnel" created by wearing boxers under soccer shorts. Via this tunnel, one's testicles can gain sudden and direct access to the world outside.) Boxer briefs hold your goods in place and out of sight.
Stability. Traditional boxers never sit still. They are forever riding up above the waistband of your pants, or slipping down below it. That loose fabric tends to twist, and bunch, and wedgify. Constant realignments are required. (This is especially true with the "bubble-butt" cut of boxer, which uses a spinnaker-like central back panel. The idea is to avoid having any seams line up with the butt-crack, but all that extra cloth just crawls up in there anyway, to disastrous effect.) Also the thought of exiting my truck in pursuit of some crafty criminal type and having to rearrange the goods and pull the extra out would allow said criminal to beat a hasty and laughing retreat all the way to Timbuktu.
Containment. That simple slit of a fly on traditional boxers encourages a phenomenon I will term "flop-out." Some boxer shorts seek to rectify this with a button enclosure, but a button is the last thing you care to deal with when you urgently need to urinate. Boxer briefs use the much more effective and user-friendly Y-front.
Aesthetics. My unscientific polling suggests that ladies dig 'em. While it has all the comfort, support, and fit of a knit brief, the boxer brief's full-cut thigh lends it the modesty of a traditional boxer. And that thigh is functional, too—its snug, ribbed cuff serves to hold the garment in place. This prevents the boxer brief from riding up or (worse) burrowing into one's posterior cleavage. (The Calvin Klein boxer brief is particularly well-tailored, and is my personal choice. I own one pair of boxer briefs from 2(x)ist, bought at the little store in my gym when I forgot to bring a change of underwear, but I find they take an overly presentational approach to the genitalia. Sort of a push-up effect.)
I'm confident there's really nothing the boxer brief can't do better. But just to make sure, I recently revisited the other underwear alternatives, to see if I was missing something.
Step 1 in my research was to buy a pair of Brooks Brothers briefs in a lovely, mercerized white cotton for $14.99. When I first slipped them on, I found them incredibly comfortable. And even a bit stylish, with that racy curve tracing the cup of the buttock. But all the old problems pertained. I felt naked, and also like a 7-year-old. I could tell that the bright white cotton would quickly dull to beige. Worst of all, the briefs crept way up over the course of a long day. Verdict: Too tighty, and too soon not-whitey.
Next, I picked up a pair of plaid boxers from Burberry's for $45. I felt as dapper as anyone can feel when dressed only in underwear. But the boxers simply wouldn't remain in place under my pants, always migrating 30 degrees around my waist in one direction or the other. The leg-openings would ride up and accordion, leaving weird marks on my thighs. And while Burberry's model prevented "flop-out" with a button enclosure, I found myself leaving the button undone. Who wants the bother? Verdict: Classic preppie choice—looks sharp, underachieves.
I've also tried trunks. There seems to be some disagreement as to what this term means, but my understanding is that trunks have an abbreviated thigh-length and no fly opening at all. I bought two pairs that qualify while traveling last year. (I'd run out of clean underwear. The vast majority of men's underwear purchases, I suspect, are born of desperate and immediate need.) Trunks have many of the same benefits as boxer briefs, but I can't understand the lack of a fly opening. Standing at a urinal, you're forced to reach through the fly of your trousers and pry the trunks' elastic waistband down with your thumb. Should you lose your purchase on the waistband, it will snap back violently—with messy and painful results.
Some men endorse going commando. I find it thoroughly unhygienic. Also rife with potential for injury. No dice.
I couldn't bring myself to try on a thong. I realize this is a viable choice for some men these days (perhaps even some straight men), but it's just not for me. I have no need to prevent panty lines. And, more fundamentally: Half of what I'm looking for from underwear is wedgie avoidance. What is the thong if not a permanent wedgie? No doubt, future generations of men will adopt the thong as a comfortable, minimalist alternative and will urge me to ditch my fusty old boxer briefs.
Until then, I beseech you: Make the boxer-briefs switch. You, and your groin, will not be sorry.
Thursday, August 2, 2007
The Federal Reserve Bank in Layman's Terms
What is the Federal Reserve Bank (FED) and why do we have it?
The FED is a central bank. Central banks are supposed to implement a country's fiscal policies. They monitor commercial banks to ensure that they maintain sufficient assets, like cash, so as to remain solvent and stable. Central banks also do business, such as currency exchanges and gold transactions, with other central banks.
In theory, a central bank should be good for a country, and they might be if it wasn't for the fact that they are not owned or controlled by the government of the country they are serving. Private central banks, including our FED, operate not in the interest of the public good but for profit.
There have been three central banks in our nation's history. The first two, while deceptive and fraudulent, pale in comparison to the scope and size of the fraud being perpetrated by our current FED. What they all have in common is an insidious practice known as "fractional banking”.
Fractional banking or fractional lending is the ability to create money from nothing, lend it to the government or someone else and charge interest to boot. The practice evolved before banks existed.
Goldsmiths rented out space in their vaults to individuals and merchants for storage of their gold or silver. The goldsmiths gave these "depositors" a certificate that showed the amount of gold stored. These certificates were then used to conduct business.
In time the goldsmiths noticed that the gold in their vaults was rarely withdrawn. Small amounts would move in and out but the large majority never moved. Sensing a profit opportunity, the goldsmiths issued double receipts for the gold, in effect creating money (certificates) from nothing and then lending those certificates (creating debt) to depositors and charging them interest as well.
Since the certificates represented more gold than actually existed, the certificates were "fractionally" backed by gold. Eventually some of these vault operations were transformed into banks and the practice of fractional banking continued.
Keep that fractional banking concept in mind as we examine our first central bank, the First Bank of the United States (BUS). It was created, after bitter dissent in the Congress, in 1791 and chartered for 20 years. A scam not unlike the current FED, the BUS used its control of the currency to defraud the public and establish a legal form of usury.
This bank practiced fractional lending at a 10:1 rate, ten dollars of loans for each dollar they had on deposit. This misuse and abuse of their public charter continued for the entire 20 years of their
existence. Public outrage over these abuses was such that the charter was not renewed and the bank ceased to exist in 1811.
The war of 1812 left the country in economic chaos, seen by bankers as another opportunity for easy profits. They influenced Congress to charter the second central bank, the Second Bank of the United States (SBUS), in 1816.
The SBUS was more expansive than the BUS. The SBUS sold franchises and literally doubled the number of banks in a short period of time.
The country began to boom and move westward, which required money. Using fractional lending at the 10:1 rate, the central bank and their franchisees created the debt/money for the expansion.
Things boomed for a while, then the banks decided to shut off the debt/money, citing the need to control inflation. This action on the part of the SBUS caused bankruptcies and foreclosures. The banks then took control of the assets that were used as security against the loans.
Closely examine how the SBUS engineered this cycle of prosperity and depression. The central bank caused inflation by creating debt/money for loans and credit and making these funds readily available. The economy boomed. Then they used the inflation which they created as an excuse to shut off the loans/credit/money.
The resulting shortage of cash caused the economy to falter or slow dramatically and large numbers of business and personal bankruptcies resulted. The central bank then seized the assets used as security for the loans. The wealth created by the borrowers during the boom was then transferred to the central bank during the bust. And you always wondered how the big guys ended up with all the marbles.
Now, who do you think is responsible for all of the ups and downs in our economy over the last 85 years? Think about the depression of the late '20s and all through the '30s. The FED could have pumped lots of debt/money into the market to stimulate the economy and get the country back on track, but did they? No; in fact, they restricted the money supply quite severely. We all know the results that occurred from that action, don't we?
Why would the FED do this? During that period asset values and stocks were at rock bottom prices. Who do you think was buying everything at 10 cents on the dollar? I believe that it is referred to as consolidating the wealth. How many times have they already done this in the last 85 years?
Do you think they will do it again? Just as an aside at this point, look at today's economy. Things are booming. Why? Because the FED has been very liberal with its debt/credit/money. The market is hyper inflated. Who creates inflation? The FED. How does the FED deal with inflation? They restrict the debt/credit/money. What happens when they do that? The market collapses.
Several months back, after certain central banks said they would be selling large quantities of gold, the price of gold fell to a 25-year low of about $260 per ounce. The central banks then bought gold.
After buying at the bottom, a group of 15 central banks announced that they would be restricting the amount of gold released into the market for the next five years. The price of gold went up $75.00 per ounce in just a few days. How many hundreds of billions of dollars did the central banks make with those two press releases?
Gold is generally considered to be a hedge against more severe economic conditions. Do you think that the private banking families that own the FED are buying or selling equities at this time?
(Remember: buy low, sell high.) How much more money do you think these FED owners will make when they restrict the money supply at the top of this current cycle?
Alan Greenspan has said publicly on several occasions that he thinks the market is overvalued, or words to that effect. Just a hint that he will raise interest rates (restrict the money supply), and equity markets have a negative reaction. Governments and politicians do not rule central banks, central banks rule governments and politicians. President Andrew Jackson won the presidency in 1828 with the promise to end the national debt and eliminate the SBUS. During his second term President Jackson withdrew all government funds from the bank and on January 8, 1835, paid off the national debt. He is the only president in history to have this distinction. The charter of the SBUS expired in 1836.
Without a central bank to manipulate the supply of money, the United States experienced unprecedented growth for 60 or 70 years, and the resulting wealth was too much for bankers to endure. They had to get back into the game. So, in 1910 Senator Nelson Aldrich, then Chairman of the National Monetary Commission, in collusion with representatives of the European central banks, devised a plan to pressure and deceive Congress into enacting legislation that would covertly establish a private central bank.
This bank would assume control over the American economy by controlling the issuance of its money. After a huge public relations campaign, engineered by the foreign central banks, the Federal Reserve Act of 1913 was slipped through Congress during the Christmas recess, with many members of the Congress absent. President Woodrow Wilson, pressured by his political and financial backers, signed it on December 23, 1913.
The act created the Federal Reserve System, a name carefully selected and designed to deceive. "Federal" would lead one to believe that this is a government organization. "Reserve" would lead one to believe that the currency is being backed by gold and silver. "System" was used in lieu of the word "bank" so that one would not conclude that a new central bank had been created. In reality, the act created a private, for profit, central banking corporation owned by a cartel of private banks. Who owns the FED? The Rothschilds of London and Berlin; Lazard Brothers of Paris; Israel Moses Seif of Italy; Kuhn, Loeb and Warburg of Germany; and the Lehman Brothers, Goldman, Sachs and the Rockefeller families of New York.
Did you know that the FED is the only for-profit corporation in America that is exempt from both federal and state taxes? The FED takes in about one trillion dollars per year tax free! The banking families listed above get all that money.
Almost everyone thinks that the money they pay in taxes goes to the US Treasury to pay for the expenses of the government. Do you want to know where your tax dollars really go? If you look at the back of any check made payable to the IRS you will see that it has been endorsed as "Pay Any F.R.B. Branch or Gen. Depository for Credit U.S. Treas. This is in Payment of U.S. Oblig." Yes, that's right, every dime you pay in income taxes is given to those private banking families, commonly known as the FED, tax free. Like many of you, I had some difficulty with the concept of creating money from nothing. You may have heard the term "monetizing the debt," which is kind of the same thing. As an example, if the US Government wants to borrow $1 million ó the government does borrow every dollar it spends ó they go to the FED to borrow the money. The FED calls the Treasury and says print 10,000 Federal Reserve Notes (FRN) in units of one hundred dollars.
The Treasury charges the FED 2.3 cents for each note, for a total of $230 for the 10,000 FRNs. The FED then lends the $1 million to the government at face value plus interest. To add insult to injury, the government has to create a bond for $1 million as security for the loan. And the rich get richer. The above was just an example, because in reality the FED does not even print the money; it's just a computer entry in their accounting system. To put this on a more personal level, let's use another example.
Today's banks are members of the Federal Reserve Banking System. This membership makes it legal for them to create money from nothing and lend it to you. Today's banks, like the goldsmiths of old, realize that only a small fraction of the money deposited in their banks is ever actually withdrawn in the form of cash. Only about 4 percent of all the money that exists is in the form of currency. The rest of it is simply a computer entry.
Let's say you're approved to borrow $10,000 to do some home improvements. You know that the bank didn't actually take $10,000 from its pile of cash and put it into your pile? They simply went to their computer and input an entry of $10,000 into your account. They created, from thin air, a debt which you have to secure with an asset and repay with interest. The bank is allowed to create and lend as much debt as they want as long as they do not exceed the 10:1 ratio imposed by the FED.
It sort of puts a new slant on how you view your friendly bank, doesn't it? How about those loan committees that scrutinize you with a microscope before approving the loan they created from thin air.
What a hoot! They make it complex for a reason. They don't want you to understand what they are doing. People fear what they do not understand. You are easier to delude and control when you are ignorant and afraid.
Now to put the frosting on this cake. When was the income tax created? If you guessed 1913, the same year that the FED was created, you get a gold star. Coincidence? What are the odds? If you are going to use the FED to create debt, who is going to repay that debt? The income tax was created to complete the illusion that real money had been lent and therefore real money had to be repaid. And you thought Houdini was good.
So, what can be done? My father taught me that you should always stand up for what is right, even if you have to stand up alone. If "We the People" don't take some action now, there may come a time when "We the People" are no more. You should write a letter or send an email to each of your elected representatives. Many of our elected representatives do not understand the FED. Once informed they will not be able to plead ignorance and remain silent.
Article 1, Section 8 of the US Constitution specifically says that Congress is the only body that can "coin money and regulate the value thereof." The US Constitution has never been amended to allow anyone other than Congress to coin and regulate currency.
Ask your representative, in light of that information, how it is possible for the Federal Reserve Act of 1913, and the Federal Reserve Bank that it created, to be constitutional. Ask them why this private banking cartel is allowed to reap trillions of dollars in profits without paying taxes. Insist on an answer.
Thomas Jefferson said, "If the America people ever allow private banks to control the issuance of their currencies, first by inflation and then by deflation, the banks and corporations that will grow up around them will deprive the people of all their prosperity until their children will wake up homeless on the continent their fathers conquered."
Jefferson saw it coming 150 years ago. The question is, "Can you now see what is in store for us if we allow the FED to continue controlling our country?"
The FED is a central bank. Central banks are supposed to implement a country's fiscal policies. They monitor commercial banks to ensure that they maintain sufficient assets, like cash, so as to remain solvent and stable. Central banks also do business, such as currency exchanges and gold transactions, with other central banks.
In theory, a central bank should be good for a country, and they might be if it wasn't for the fact that they are not owned or controlled by the government of the country they are serving. Private central banks, including our FED, operate not in the interest of the public good but for profit.
There have been three central banks in our nation's history. The first two, while deceptive and fraudulent, pale in comparison to the scope and size of the fraud being perpetrated by our current FED. What they all have in common is an insidious practice known as "fractional banking”.
Fractional banking or fractional lending is the ability to create money from nothing, lend it to the government or someone else and charge interest to boot. The practice evolved before banks existed.
Goldsmiths rented out space in their vaults to individuals and merchants for storage of their gold or silver. The goldsmiths gave these "depositors" a certificate that showed the amount of gold stored. These certificates were then used to conduct business.
In time the goldsmiths noticed that the gold in their vaults was rarely withdrawn. Small amounts would move in and out but the large majority never moved. Sensing a profit opportunity, the goldsmiths issued double receipts for the gold, in effect creating money (certificates) from nothing and then lending those certificates (creating debt) to depositors and charging them interest as well.
Since the certificates represented more gold than actually existed, the certificates were "fractionally" backed by gold. Eventually some of these vault operations were transformed into banks and the practice of fractional banking continued.
Keep that fractional banking concept in mind as we examine our first central bank, the First Bank of the United States (BUS). It was created, after bitter dissent in the Congress, in 1791 and chartered for 20 years. A scam not unlike the current FED, the BUS used its control of the currency to defraud the public and establish a legal form of usury.
This bank practiced fractional lending at a 10:1 rate, ten dollars of loans for each dollar they had on deposit. This misuse and abuse of their public charter continued for the entire 20 years of their
existence. Public outrage over these abuses was such that the charter was not renewed and the bank ceased to exist in 1811.
The war of 1812 left the country in economic chaos, seen by bankers as another opportunity for easy profits. They influenced Congress to charter the second central bank, the Second Bank of the United States (SBUS), in 1816.
The SBUS was more expansive than the BUS. The SBUS sold franchises and literally doubled the number of banks in a short period of time.
The country began to boom and move westward, which required money. Using fractional lending at the 10:1 rate, the central bank and their franchisees created the debt/money for the expansion.
Things boomed for a while, then the banks decided to shut off the debt/money, citing the need to control inflation. This action on the part of the SBUS caused bankruptcies and foreclosures. The banks then took control of the assets that were used as security against the loans.
Closely examine how the SBUS engineered this cycle of prosperity and depression. The central bank caused inflation by creating debt/money for loans and credit and making these funds readily available. The economy boomed. Then they used the inflation which they created as an excuse to shut off the loans/credit/money.
The resulting shortage of cash caused the economy to falter or slow dramatically and large numbers of business and personal bankruptcies resulted. The central bank then seized the assets used as security for the loans. The wealth created by the borrowers during the boom was then transferred to the central bank during the bust. And you always wondered how the big guys ended up with all the marbles.
Now, who do you think is responsible for all of the ups and downs in our economy over the last 85 years? Think about the depression of the late '20s and all through the '30s. The FED could have pumped lots of debt/money into the market to stimulate the economy and get the country back on track, but did they? No; in fact, they restricted the money supply quite severely. We all know the results that occurred from that action, don't we?
Why would the FED do this? During that period asset values and stocks were at rock bottom prices. Who do you think was buying everything at 10 cents on the dollar? I believe that it is referred to as consolidating the wealth. How many times have they already done this in the last 85 years?
Do you think they will do it again? Just as an aside at this point, look at today's economy. Things are booming. Why? Because the FED has been very liberal with its debt/credit/money. The market is hyper inflated. Who creates inflation? The FED. How does the FED deal with inflation? They restrict the debt/credit/money. What happens when they do that? The market collapses.
Several months back, after certain central banks said they would be selling large quantities of gold, the price of gold fell to a 25-year low of about $260 per ounce. The central banks then bought gold.
After buying at the bottom, a group of 15 central banks announced that they would be restricting the amount of gold released into the market for the next five years. The price of gold went up $75.00 per ounce in just a few days. How many hundreds of billions of dollars did the central banks make with those two press releases?
Gold is generally considered to be a hedge against more severe economic conditions. Do you think that the private banking families that own the FED are buying or selling equities at this time?
(Remember: buy low, sell high.) How much more money do you think these FED owners will make when they restrict the money supply at the top of this current cycle?
Alan Greenspan has said publicly on several occasions that he thinks the market is overvalued, or words to that effect. Just a hint that he will raise interest rates (restrict the money supply), and equity markets have a negative reaction. Governments and politicians do not rule central banks, central banks rule governments and politicians. President Andrew Jackson won the presidency in 1828 with the promise to end the national debt and eliminate the SBUS. During his second term President Jackson withdrew all government funds from the bank and on January 8, 1835, paid off the national debt. He is the only president in history to have this distinction. The charter of the SBUS expired in 1836.
Without a central bank to manipulate the supply of money, the United States experienced unprecedented growth for 60 or 70 years, and the resulting wealth was too much for bankers to endure. They had to get back into the game. So, in 1910 Senator Nelson Aldrich, then Chairman of the National Monetary Commission, in collusion with representatives of the European central banks, devised a plan to pressure and deceive Congress into enacting legislation that would covertly establish a private central bank.
This bank would assume control over the American economy by controlling the issuance of its money. After a huge public relations campaign, engineered by the foreign central banks, the Federal Reserve Act of 1913 was slipped through Congress during the Christmas recess, with many members of the Congress absent. President Woodrow Wilson, pressured by his political and financial backers, signed it on December 23, 1913.
The act created the Federal Reserve System, a name carefully selected and designed to deceive. "Federal" would lead one to believe that this is a government organization. "Reserve" would lead one to believe that the currency is being backed by gold and silver. "System" was used in lieu of the word "bank" so that one would not conclude that a new central bank had been created. In reality, the act created a private, for profit, central banking corporation owned by a cartel of private banks. Who owns the FED? The Rothschilds of London and Berlin; Lazard Brothers of Paris; Israel Moses Seif of Italy; Kuhn, Loeb and Warburg of Germany; and the Lehman Brothers, Goldman, Sachs and the Rockefeller families of New York.
Did you know that the FED is the only for-profit corporation in America that is exempt from both federal and state taxes? The FED takes in about one trillion dollars per year tax free! The banking families listed above get all that money.
Almost everyone thinks that the money they pay in taxes goes to the US Treasury to pay for the expenses of the government. Do you want to know where your tax dollars really go? If you look at the back of any check made payable to the IRS you will see that it has been endorsed as "Pay Any F.R.B. Branch or Gen. Depository for Credit U.S. Treas. This is in Payment of U.S. Oblig." Yes, that's right, every dime you pay in income taxes is given to those private banking families, commonly known as the FED, tax free. Like many of you, I had some difficulty with the concept of creating money from nothing. You may have heard the term "monetizing the debt," which is kind of the same thing. As an example, if the US Government wants to borrow $1 million ó the government does borrow every dollar it spends ó they go to the FED to borrow the money. The FED calls the Treasury and says print 10,000 Federal Reserve Notes (FRN) in units of one hundred dollars.
The Treasury charges the FED 2.3 cents for each note, for a total of $230 for the 10,000 FRNs. The FED then lends the $1 million to the government at face value plus interest. To add insult to injury, the government has to create a bond for $1 million as security for the loan. And the rich get richer. The above was just an example, because in reality the FED does not even print the money; it's just a computer entry in their accounting system. To put this on a more personal level, let's use another example.
Today's banks are members of the Federal Reserve Banking System. This membership makes it legal for them to create money from nothing and lend it to you. Today's banks, like the goldsmiths of old, realize that only a small fraction of the money deposited in their banks is ever actually withdrawn in the form of cash. Only about 4 percent of all the money that exists is in the form of currency. The rest of it is simply a computer entry.
Let's say you're approved to borrow $10,000 to do some home improvements. You know that the bank didn't actually take $10,000 from its pile of cash and put it into your pile? They simply went to their computer and input an entry of $10,000 into your account. They created, from thin air, a debt which you have to secure with an asset and repay with interest. The bank is allowed to create and lend as much debt as they want as long as they do not exceed the 10:1 ratio imposed by the FED.
It sort of puts a new slant on how you view your friendly bank, doesn't it? How about those loan committees that scrutinize you with a microscope before approving the loan they created from thin air.
What a hoot! They make it complex for a reason. They don't want you to understand what they are doing. People fear what they do not understand. You are easier to delude and control when you are ignorant and afraid.
Now to put the frosting on this cake. When was the income tax created? If you guessed 1913, the same year that the FED was created, you get a gold star. Coincidence? What are the odds? If you are going to use the FED to create debt, who is going to repay that debt? The income tax was created to complete the illusion that real money had been lent and therefore real money had to be repaid. And you thought Houdini was good.
So, what can be done? My father taught me that you should always stand up for what is right, even if you have to stand up alone. If "We the People" don't take some action now, there may come a time when "We the People" are no more. You should write a letter or send an email to each of your elected representatives. Many of our elected representatives do not understand the FED. Once informed they will not be able to plead ignorance and remain silent.
Article 1, Section 8 of the US Constitution specifically says that Congress is the only body that can "coin money and regulate the value thereof." The US Constitution has never been amended to allow anyone other than Congress to coin and regulate currency.
Ask your representative, in light of that information, how it is possible for the Federal Reserve Act of 1913, and the Federal Reserve Bank that it created, to be constitutional. Ask them why this private banking cartel is allowed to reap trillions of dollars in profits without paying taxes. Insist on an answer.
Thomas Jefferson said, "If the America people ever allow private banks to control the issuance of their currencies, first by inflation and then by deflation, the banks and corporations that will grow up around them will deprive the people of all their prosperity until their children will wake up homeless on the continent their fathers conquered."
Jefferson saw it coming 150 years ago. The question is, "Can you now see what is in store for us if we allow the FED to continue controlling our country?"
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
An ax murder?
well it certainly seemed like it at the time. Never a dull moment around here. Last night the dogs are playing with a stick and this is one of those things you SEE is going to happen but it happens so fast you can't even get anything out of your mouth before it does.So we are finishing up some yard work and two of the dogs had a stick there were both carrying at the same time. The Bulldog Kashi runs over and tried to grab the stick away from them and Suzie (the hound mix) grabs him in the end of the ear. Split down the middle. He screamed and took off running with husband in hot pursuit. Now husband is physically fit and light on his feet but trying to catch a screaming Bulldog is quite the chore even for him. I ran and opened the back door hoping he would run inside and then I got the food dish and rattled the food.
SUCCESS! Here he comes running for me with husband in hot pursuit. Now lets remember that we have 2 ½ acres fenced for the us and the dogs so this is a huge area. So up the back stairs and into his crate. Husband scooped him up and we put him on the grooming table. He has a tear in his ear about ½ inch deep but the sides are still intact so I think to myself I can solve this by gluing it together and keeping him quiet. OK let me tell you from now personal experience. If you have dog with an ear split, skip over the next procedures and go directly to the emergency vet.
I figured I had the expertise to do this and it might have worked IF he would not have kept shaking his bloody head! I would glue it and get the bleeding stop, he would shake and fling the scab off. Each time this happened…..oh say 12 times there was enough blood to cover the earth. Shaking of the head produces a LOT of blood so there was blood all over us, all over the walls, all over the floor and anything else within 20 meters. Now this is our dog/laundry room and we have just remodeled a lot of stuff and BLOOD was not necessarily a color I had considered. We had painted the walls white for the time being until I decided.
After doing this for an hour I decided to just take him in and get the things stitched up so off we ran to the vet (by this time it was 10:30 and of course we got the night rate! Then we had blood all over the truck. All over the vets office and all over the vet who Kashi was licking her glasses while she tried to put in the stitches. Nothing like trying to see to do detailed stitching while you are trying to see through your licked glasses. She said she needed windshield wipers.
So now he has stitches and a bandage over one side of his head to hold the ear flat to his head and now he is REALLY shaking his head.
So as we were driving home I told husband that I hoped none of the neighbors came by looking for us and came into the back room and saw all that blood and some on the outside of the house and the ground leading to the where the truck is usually parked. I SURE they would have been comments as to what the hell and where are they!
So today in between working and everything else I have to figure out how to get now dried blood, off the white walls and the inside of the back of my truck!
Welcome to the State of Chaos, boarded on one side by the State of Confusion and flanked on the other side by the State of Bedlam!
Monday, July 30, 2007
Life on the Farm ain't the same anymore
People ask us all the time, why are you doing this or why
are you doing that and our answer is always the same……global
warming. Now some people either don't believe it exists, are
skeptical it exists or are not sure people are causing an issue
at all.
The answer is fairly complicated because it has roots in many
things however be assured that 'humans" are a HUGE part
of why we are in the shape we are in. Some things have been
well advertised like light bulbs but there are many thing you
can do inexpensively that can help.
What we have done is:
1. Changed to accredited Green Power option in our case Wind Power
Eliminate household emissions from electricity
2. Installed energy-efficient hot water system
30% reductions in household emissions
3. Installed a triple-A rated shower-head
Up to 12% reduction in household emissions
4. Calculated our carbon footprint
Working to eliminate transport & household emissions
5. Did a workplace audit for my office in the house
30% reduction in emissions
6. Recycle EVERYTHING we can
Not only reduces the bill but keep things out of landfills
35% reduction in emissions.
7. Adjusted our thermostat
We turned down ours 3 degrees in the winter and up 3 degrees in the summer and reduced our carbon dioxide emissions by about 1,050 pounds per year.
8. We use energy-saving light bulbs
We are not convince that CFU's are the way to go since if you break one it is like a HUGE pollution issue you cannot clean up but we are using reduced wattage lighting.
9. Electronics we turn off when not in use and in some cases unplug.
Energy reliant products, especially heavy consumers such as televisions and computers.
10. Energy Star Label
Replacing our appliances as they wear out with energy efficents ones.
DID YOU KNOW?
Top 10 Surprising Results of Global Warming
Aggravated Allergies
Have those sneeze attacks and itchy eyes that plague you every spring been worsening in recent years? If so, global warming may be partly to blame. Over the past few decades, more and more Americans have started suffering from seasonal allergies and asthma. Though lifestyle changes and pollution ultimately leave people more vulnerable to the airborne allergens they breathe in, research has shown that the higher carbon dioxide levels and warmer temperatures associated with global warming are also playing a role by prodding plants to bloom earlier and produce more pollen. With more allergens produced earlier, allergy season can last longer. Get those tissues ready.
Heading for the Hills
Starting in the early 1900s, we've all had to look to slightly higher ground to spot our favorite chipmunks, mice and squirrels. Researchers found that many of these animals have moved to greater elevations, possibly due to changes in their habitat caused by global warming. Similar changes to habitats are also threatening Arctic species like polar bears, as the sea ice they dwell on gradually melts away. Do you know that science has proven that Polar Bears my be extinct in 50 years?
Arctic in Bloom
While melting in the Arctic might cause problems for plants and animals at lower latitudes, it's creating a downright sunny situation for Arctic biota. Arctic plants usually remain trapped in ice for most of the year. Nowadays, when the ice melts earlier in the spring, the plants seem to be eager to start growing. Research has found higher levels of the form of the photosynthesis product chlorophyll in modern soils than in ancient soils, showing a biological boom in the Arctic in recent decades.
Pulling the Plug
A whopping 125 lakes in the Arctic have disappeared in the past few decades, backing up the idea that global warming is working fiendishly fast nearest Earth's poles. Research into the whereabouts of the missing water points to the probability that permafrost underneath the lakes thawed out. When this normally permanently frozen ground thaws, the water in the lakes can seep through the soil, draining the lake--one researcher likened it to pulling the plug out of the bathtub. When the lakes disappear, the ecosystems they support also lose their home.
The Big Thaw
Not only is the planet's rising temperature melting massive glaciers, but it also seems to be thawing out the layer of permanently frozen soil below the ground's surface. This thawing causes the ground to shrink and occurs unevenly, so it could lead to sink holes and damage to structures such as railroad tracks, highways and houses. The destabilizing effects of melting permafrost at high altitudes, for example on mountains, could even cause rockslides and mudslides.
Survival of the Fittest
As global warming brings an earlier start to spring, the early bird might not just get the worm. It might also get its genes passed on to the next generation. Because plants bloom earlier in the year, animals that wait until their usual time to migrate might miss out on all the food. Those who can reset their internal clocks and set out earlier stand a better chance at having offspring that survive and thus pass on their genetic information, thereby ultimately changing the genetic profile of their entire population.
Speedier Satellites
A primary cause of a warmer planet--carbon dioxide emissions--is having effects that reach into space with a bizarre twist. Air in the atmosphere's outermost layer is very thin, but air molecules still create drag that slows down satellites, requiring engineers to periodically boost them back into their proper orbits. But the amount of carbon dioxide up there is increasing. And while carbon dioxide molecules in the lower atmosphere release energy as heat when they collide, thereby warming the air, the sparser molecules in the upper atmosphere collide less frequently and tend to radiate their energy away, cooling the air around them. With more carbon dioxide up there, more cooling occurs, causing the air to settle. So the atmosphere is less dense and creates less drag
Rebounding Mountains
Though the average hiker wouldn't notice, the Alps and other mountain ranges have experienced a gradual growth spurt over the past century or so thanks to the melting of the glaciers atop them. For thousands of years, the weight of these glaciers has pushed against the Earth's surface, causing it to depress. As the glaciers melt, this weight is lifting, and the surface slowly is springing back. Because global warming speeds up the melting of these glaciers, the mountains are rebounding faster.
Ruined Ruins
All over the globe, temples, ancient settlements and other artifacts stand as monuments to civilizations past that until now have withstood the tests of time. But the immediate effects of global warming may finally do them in. Rising seas and more extreme weather have the potential to damage irreplaceable sites. Floods attributed to global warming have already damaged a 600-year-old site, Sukhothai, which was once the capital of a Thai kingdom.
Forest Fire FrenzyWhile it's melting glaciers and creating more intense hurricanes, global warming also seems to be heating up forest fires in the United States. In western states over the past few decades, more wildfires have blazed across the countryside, burning more area for longer periods of time. Scientists have correlated the rampant blazes with warmer temperatures and earlier snowmelt. When spring arrives early and triggers an earlier snowmelt, forest areas become drier and stay so for longer, increasing the chance that they might ignite.
are you doing that and our answer is always the same……global
warming. Now some people either don't believe it exists, are
skeptical it exists or are not sure people are causing an issue
at all.
The answer is fairly complicated because it has roots in many
things however be assured that 'humans" are a HUGE part
of why we are in the shape we are in. Some things have been
well advertised like light bulbs but there are many thing you
can do inexpensively that can help.
What we have done is:
1. Changed to accredited Green Power option in our case Wind Power
Eliminate household emissions from electricity
2. Installed energy-efficient hot water system
30% reductions in household emissions
3. Installed a triple-A rated shower-head
Up to 12% reduction in household emissions
4. Calculated our carbon footprint
Working to eliminate transport & household emissions
5. Did a workplace audit for my office in the house
30% reduction in emissions
6. Recycle EVERYTHING we can
Not only reduces the bill but keep things out of landfills
35% reduction in emissions.
7. Adjusted our thermostat
We turned down ours 3 degrees in the winter and up 3 degrees in the summer and reduced our carbon dioxide emissions by about 1,050 pounds per year.
8. We use energy-saving light bulbs
We are not convince that CFU's are the way to go since if you break one it is like a HUGE pollution issue you cannot clean up but we are using reduced wattage lighting.
9. Electronics we turn off when not in use and in some cases unplug.
Energy reliant products, especially heavy consumers such as televisions and computers.
10. Energy Star Label
Replacing our appliances as they wear out with energy efficents ones.
DID YOU KNOW?
Top 10 Surprising Results of Global Warming
Aggravated Allergies
Have those sneeze attacks and itchy eyes that plague you every spring been worsening in recent years? If so, global warming may be partly to blame. Over the past few decades, more and more Americans have started suffering from seasonal allergies and asthma. Though lifestyle changes and pollution ultimately leave people more vulnerable to the airborne allergens they breathe in, research has shown that the higher carbon dioxide levels and warmer temperatures associated with global warming are also playing a role by prodding plants to bloom earlier and produce more pollen. With more allergens produced earlier, allergy season can last longer. Get those tissues ready.
Heading for the Hills
Starting in the early 1900s, we've all had to look to slightly higher ground to spot our favorite chipmunks, mice and squirrels. Researchers found that many of these animals have moved to greater elevations, possibly due to changes in their habitat caused by global warming. Similar changes to habitats are also threatening Arctic species like polar bears, as the sea ice they dwell on gradually melts away. Do you know that science has proven that Polar Bears my be extinct in 50 years?
Arctic in Bloom
While melting in the Arctic might cause problems for plants and animals at lower latitudes, it's creating a downright sunny situation for Arctic biota. Arctic plants usually remain trapped in ice for most of the year. Nowadays, when the ice melts earlier in the spring, the plants seem to be eager to start growing. Research has found higher levels of the form of the photosynthesis product chlorophyll in modern soils than in ancient soils, showing a biological boom in the Arctic in recent decades.
Pulling the Plug
A whopping 125 lakes in the Arctic have disappeared in the past few decades, backing up the idea that global warming is working fiendishly fast nearest Earth's poles. Research into the whereabouts of the missing water points to the probability that permafrost underneath the lakes thawed out. When this normally permanently frozen ground thaws, the water in the lakes can seep through the soil, draining the lake--one researcher likened it to pulling the plug out of the bathtub. When the lakes disappear, the ecosystems they support also lose their home.
The Big Thaw
Not only is the planet's rising temperature melting massive glaciers, but it also seems to be thawing out the layer of permanently frozen soil below the ground's surface. This thawing causes the ground to shrink and occurs unevenly, so it could lead to sink holes and damage to structures such as railroad tracks, highways and houses. The destabilizing effects of melting permafrost at high altitudes, for example on mountains, could even cause rockslides and mudslides.
Survival of the Fittest
As global warming brings an earlier start to spring, the early bird might not just get the worm. It might also get its genes passed on to the next generation. Because plants bloom earlier in the year, animals that wait until their usual time to migrate might miss out on all the food. Those who can reset their internal clocks and set out earlier stand a better chance at having offspring that survive and thus pass on their genetic information, thereby ultimately changing the genetic profile of their entire population.
Speedier Satellites
A primary cause of a warmer planet--carbon dioxide emissions--is having effects that reach into space with a bizarre twist. Air in the atmosphere's outermost layer is very thin, but air molecules still create drag that slows down satellites, requiring engineers to periodically boost them back into their proper orbits. But the amount of carbon dioxide up there is increasing. And while carbon dioxide molecules in the lower atmosphere release energy as heat when they collide, thereby warming the air, the sparser molecules in the upper atmosphere collide less frequently and tend to radiate their energy away, cooling the air around them. With more carbon dioxide up there, more cooling occurs, causing the air to settle. So the atmosphere is less dense and creates less drag
Rebounding Mountains
Though the average hiker wouldn't notice, the Alps and other mountain ranges have experienced a gradual growth spurt over the past century or so thanks to the melting of the glaciers atop them. For thousands of years, the weight of these glaciers has pushed against the Earth's surface, causing it to depress. As the glaciers melt, this weight is lifting, and the surface slowly is springing back. Because global warming speeds up the melting of these glaciers, the mountains are rebounding faster.
Ruined Ruins
All over the globe, temples, ancient settlements and other artifacts stand as monuments to civilizations past that until now have withstood the tests of time. But the immediate effects of global warming may finally do them in. Rising seas and more extreme weather have the potential to damage irreplaceable sites. Floods attributed to global warming have already damaged a 600-year-old site, Sukhothai, which was once the capital of a Thai kingdom.
Forest Fire FrenzyWhile it's melting glaciers and creating more intense hurricanes, global warming also seems to be heating up forest fires in the United States. In western states over the past few decades, more wildfires have blazed across the countryside, burning more area for longer periods of time. Scientists have correlated the rampant blazes with warmer temperatures and earlier snowmelt. When spring arrives early and triggers an earlier snowmelt, forest areas become drier and stay so for longer, increasing the chance that they might ignite.
Friday, July 27, 2007
Ways to annoy your pasture mates
Kev speak,
1. A stick with a few dead leaves on it can make very scary noises. Take advantage of this fact.
2. Plastic bags can also be quite scary to other horses.
3.So can large pieces of rubber.
4. Well, Ok, pretty much anything can appear frightful when held in the mouth and shaken. It is very fun to chase around other horses using this knowledge.
5. Other horses also seem to be quite scared of loud noises.
6. A hoof against metal works quite well.
7. Coughing loudly behind an unsuspecting horse can also be quite effective.
8. Most horses do not know what to think when you stand on your hind legs for more than
9. 5 seconds at a time.
10. Most horses also do not know what to think when you climb into the salt feeder.
11. Or the grain feeder.
12. Neither do most people.
13. Any open object is meant to be climbed into. Never mind the size of the object in comparison to your size.
14. Also never mind that the object may be harder to exit than it was to enter.
15. Trailers are more fun to get into than they are to get out of. Do not consider this fact when entering the trailer; but strongly consider it when asked to get out.
16. Horse hair bears a striking resemblance to grass.
17. So does people hair when they are bent over.
18. All objects have the potential to be edible.
19. Much taste-testing and chewing is required to discover this potential.
20. Other horses make interesting noises when you nip them.
21. Especially when you nip them on the butt.
22. Especially when the horse you are nipping is a female.
23. People make interesting noises when your place your foot on theirs
24. People also make interesting noises when you buck while they are sitting on your back.
25. The higher the buck, the louder the noise.
26. If you possess a large, hangy down thing, then you *are* a stallion, no matter what the vet did to you.
27. Be sure everyone *knows* that you are a stallion.
28. Mares find stallions very attractive. Remind them of this as often as possible. Ignore any rude remarks, or respond with one of the above techniques for regaining control of the herd.
29. Food was meant to be eaten and water was meant to be drunk.
Nothing can change this fact. The more barriers in the way, the more number 26 applies.
30. Water is also meant to be splashed in.
31. and rolled in.
32. These acts are more fun when someone is sitting on your back.
33. If something is fun without an audience, it is twice as fun with an audience. the larger the audience, the greater the fun.
34. one word: flatulence.
35. bits were made to be chewed on. They were *not* made as a device to control you.
36. Ditto with halters.
37. and lead ropes.
38. "Good boy!" should be music to the ears. Respond to this phrase with pricked ears and a happy face. This phrase always applies to you.
Come to think of it, "good boy" is the *only* phrase that always applies to you.
39. "No" does not apply to you. Ever. Neither does "naughty" or any similarly negative phrase.
40. Be sure your owner knows that these phrases do not apply to you and you do not appreciate any negative attitudes.
41. "Whoa" applies to you when you are tired of moving.
42. "Giddy up" applies when you are tired of standing.
43. Under opposite circumstances, each can easily be misinterpreted as the other.
44. In fact, most phrases can easily be misinterpreted to your liking.
45. Rules were meant to be broken.
46. Unless they are rules that you wrote.
47. Then they should be applied as often as possible.
48. In as many different circumstances as possible.
49. As long as possible
50. Possibilities are endless.
Thursday, July 26, 2007
Breaking up is hard to do or IS it!
Sometimes there is no words to adequately describe how I feel and I need a few days to digest my screaming urge to whap someone upside the head.
Several things get my blood to boil but none quite so much as men who should have a brain transplant! What is it that suddenly makes otherwise intelligent men take leave of there senses and decided after many moons that they just don't want to keep house anymore. Is it stress, lack of control, lack of commitment, anxiety, want to screw around with someone else, pango pango or is it that the lack the ability to truly respect women in general.
As far as I am concerned also WHERE you tell a women she is chopped liver is just as important and maybe men should think about there choice of where and when to do that. OK there is no good way but being in a loving environment all nice and cuddly in bed with her is not the place to tell someone "OH, by the way, I am seeing someone else!" WTF?!!
What possible motive is that but possibly mental cruelty. Just come and say in a nice way that you can't handle what is happening and don't want to deal with it because you have your own issues to deal with. What is the matter with being honest. Not brutal, not cruely but with the honor and smarts I know these men posses.
Maybe they are just not smart enough to see that they could be in the exact same position someday and I truly hope someone walks on them. Maybe then they will understand the honor and commitment and respect of one another really means.
It doesn't mean you throw up your hands and say I just can't do this anymore, it means that no matter what you try to work it out no matter how stressed you are. You just don't pick up all your game pieces and go home when you aren't winning or perceive there is no end to the issues.
Although maybe the women are better off because they now know that this person cannot be trusted and the respect they THOUGHT was there simply wasn't.
Peoples lives are a lot to handle now days, it is not easy and not an easy world and it is getting worse. It is not simple and free anymore. It is complicated and difficult.
It makes me sad for the women and it makes me sorry for these men that they will never find what they are looking for and will wander aimlessly from woman to woman looking for that ever elusive something they just can't seem to grab.
Pueda mil pulgas atacan los testículos! Buenas noches
Several things get my blood to boil but none quite so much as men who should have a brain transplant! What is it that suddenly makes otherwise intelligent men take leave of there senses and decided after many moons that they just don't want to keep house anymore. Is it stress, lack of control, lack of commitment, anxiety, want to screw around with someone else, pango pango or is it that the lack the ability to truly respect women in general.
As far as I am concerned also WHERE you tell a women she is chopped liver is just as important and maybe men should think about there choice of where and when to do that. OK there is no good way but being in a loving environment all nice and cuddly in bed with her is not the place to tell someone "OH, by the way, I am seeing someone else!" WTF?!!
What possible motive is that but possibly mental cruelty. Just come and say in a nice way that you can't handle what is happening and don't want to deal with it because you have your own issues to deal with. What is the matter with being honest. Not brutal, not cruely but with the honor and smarts I know these men posses.
Maybe they are just not smart enough to see that they could be in the exact same position someday and I truly hope someone walks on them. Maybe then they will understand the honor and commitment and respect of one another really means.
It doesn't mean you throw up your hands and say I just can't do this anymore, it means that no matter what you try to work it out no matter how stressed you are. You just don't pick up all your game pieces and go home when you aren't winning or perceive there is no end to the issues.
Although maybe the women are better off because they now know that this person cannot be trusted and the respect they THOUGHT was there simply wasn't.
Peoples lives are a lot to handle now days, it is not easy and not an easy world and it is getting worse. It is not simple and free anymore. It is complicated and difficult.
It makes me sad for the women and it makes me sorry for these men that they will never find what they are looking for and will wander aimlessly from woman to woman looking for that ever elusive something they just can't seem to grab.
Pueda mil pulgas atacan los testículos! Buenas noches
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
Bee's Bee's and more.................
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So the Rhodies are all trying to bloom and the white ones are having trouble deciding if they shall be white or pink from the red one and the cross pollination from all the bee's.
Now of course at least we HAVE bee's as they are disappearing all over the world, the central hub of the bee-dom seems to be here. We have more bee's than flies this spring which is odd. Living next to a dairy, the young flies all seem to pick my back roof over the basement door and my DISH antenna to get warm on. There can be as many as 500 flies on the DISH at once on some days but only about 3 weeks of the year.
They they go wherever flies go and we never see many after that. This year the DISH is bee heaven. Bee's of all sorts, honey, bumble and yellow jackets seem to have taken up residence on the DISH chasing even the flies away. We can't find a nest (well......maybe I haven't tried hard because I don't want to piss them off)
So if scientists want to study bee's they are welcome to come study! What I wish is they would stay the hell out of my TRUCK. Now mind you they have 7 acres to do whatever bee's do but they seem to want to build a nest on the inside of my drivers door. Now WHY don't the pick on Kev's truck is bee.....yond me!
I have tried to discourage this behavior but I am allergic to the little creeps and they are quite good at defending their nest. I am trying to co-exist with the little buggers but my patience is wearing thin. When they chase me away from the truck I get a little testy. The sight of a large woman running for the hills when they all fly out and me flinging whatever I have in my hand at them, then THEY tend to get testy. Now Kev says he would gladly defend my honor (yeah right) but he doesn't to piss them off either! OK, so I see his point.
I am sure if someone had a video camera they would have a $100,000 dollar video! Kind of like the time I rode the goat down the pasture backwards but I digress.............. Whoever said it so peaceful in the country...........................BUZZZZZZZZZZZZ
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