Palm Sunday Cardinal
I don't know if you can tell from the photo, but it was snowing like heck that day. I was shooting the picture through the screen door of my front porch.
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Saturday, April 11, 2009
This is Adventures in Laughter. Paul tagged me for this meme. If your name is at the bottom, consider yourself tagged and, on your blog, post six funny things about other people.
1. Here’s one about a cat. We had a grey cat named Christmas, who would come into our back porch every so often. Our back porch, if you walked straight in, opened into our kitchen. If you turned left, you went down our basement stairs. Since that’s where we all shed our shoes on our way into the house, Christmas usually found plenty of shoestrings to bat at, when he was a kitten. One day, when he was a grown cat, he came in and was reliving his childhood by enthusiastically batting at the shoestrings on one of my husband’s big work boots. He looked up and saw me watching him and he decided to take one of the strings in his mouth and take leave of his audience. Of course, the boot followed the string and startled him, so he started to run, but didn’t let go of the string in his mouth. He headed down the basement steps with the boot bouncing after him, so he sped up, but in his wild eyed panic, he hung on tight to the boot string, so the boot “chased” him down the stairs, kicking him in the butt all the way. When they reached the bottom step, he hissed and spat at it, which finally made him let go of the string. He gave it one more good, open clawed swat, just to make sure it stayed “dead” and strolled away, trying to keep his dignity intact.
2. Most of you know I work a check out line at a grocery store. I’ve posted this before, so feel free to skip it if you’ve already read this one. One day, a couple of Rednecks came through my line. They were classics: they wore camouflage zip front hoodies, overalls, baseball caps, and Tingly buckle front boots. They bought two big T-bones, two baking potatoes, a container of sour cream and a case of beer. They split the bill right down the middle. When the second man handed me his money, I counted it and came up 4 cents short. “I need four more cents. Do you have four pennies?” I asked him.
The first man answered for him, “Hell, yes, he’s got 4 cents. He’s always loaded with pennies.”
The second man said, “Yeah, but YOU don’t ever have no sense.”
3. I overheard a conversation between two young women and one was telling the other a story about something that had scared her. As the story progressed, she became more animated and talked faster and faster as she related the story of her frightful experience. She finished by saying, “I got so scared, it made me kneak in the wees!”
4. This one may or may not be true, but I still get a chuckle out of it. Legend has it that, during a formal dinner, Winston Churchill turned to Lady Astor and said, “Madam, you are quite ugly.”
Lady Astor replied, “You, sir, are drunk!”
“Yes,” he conceded. “But in the morning, I’ll be sober, but you’ll still be ugly.”
5. On his first day at work, the young man who was bagging groceries at my check-out station was very politely (just as he had been trained to do) asking each customer, “Would you like me to bag your milk?” and “Would you like some help out to your car with your groceries?” During the final hour of his shift, the repetition of it got the better of him and his mouth went into autopilot. He asked the next lady, “Would you like me to milk your bag?” He shook his head, trying to recover and said, “Would you like some car with your groceries?”
6. Marj, and old friend of mine told me this: One day, she walked to her local post office with a handful of letters to purchase stamps for. When she got there, she got lost in a conversation with someone in the lobby. When the other person left, Marj went stepped up to the window to buy stamps, but found only the letters in her hand and not her purse. She walked all the way back home – only to find her purse tucked under her arm. Her son-in-law was in the room with us when she related the incident to me and he said, “Geez, I wouldn’t even be telling anyone that story!”
And extra one at no extra charge.
This is about me – this is a meme after all. A while back, my pickup was in the shop and I had to use my husband’s car to get around. I made several stops in town and the last one was at the grocery store. It took an extra long time, because I ran into an old friend and ended up chatting for about half the time I was in there. I finally reached the check out line and reloaded my cart and headed out into the parking lot, trying to remember where I had parked my pickup. I wandered the lot for about ten minutes and was about to go back inside and ask someone to call the police to report a stolen pickup when I spotted my husband’s car. I thought, “There’s Randy’s car! What in the heck is he doing here!?”
Okay; Myrna, Sue, Shirley/Bob, Shelby, Joe, and Marla - you're up!
1. Here’s one about a cat. We had a grey cat named Christmas, who would come into our back porch every so often. Our back porch, if you walked straight in, opened into our kitchen. If you turned left, you went down our basement stairs. Since that’s where we all shed our shoes on our way into the house, Christmas usually found plenty of shoestrings to bat at, when he was a kitten. One day, when he was a grown cat, he came in and was reliving his childhood by enthusiastically batting at the shoestrings on one of my husband’s big work boots. He looked up and saw me watching him and he decided to take one of the strings in his mouth and take leave of his audience. Of course, the boot followed the string and startled him, so he started to run, but didn’t let go of the string in his mouth. He headed down the basement steps with the boot bouncing after him, so he sped up, but in his wild eyed panic, he hung on tight to the boot string, so the boot “chased” him down the stairs, kicking him in the butt all the way. When they reached the bottom step, he hissed and spat at it, which finally made him let go of the string. He gave it one more good, open clawed swat, just to make sure it stayed “dead” and strolled away, trying to keep his dignity intact.
2. Most of you know I work a check out line at a grocery store. I’ve posted this before, so feel free to skip it if you’ve already read this one. One day, a couple of Rednecks came through my line. They were classics: they wore camouflage zip front hoodies, overalls, baseball caps, and Tingly buckle front boots. They bought two big T-bones, two baking potatoes, a container of sour cream and a case of beer. They split the bill right down the middle. When the second man handed me his money, I counted it and came up 4 cents short. “I need four more cents. Do you have four pennies?” I asked him.
The first man answered for him, “Hell, yes, he’s got 4 cents. He’s always loaded with pennies.”
The second man said, “Yeah, but YOU don’t ever have no sense.”
3. I overheard a conversation between two young women and one was telling the other a story about something that had scared her. As the story progressed, she became more animated and talked faster and faster as she related the story of her frightful experience. She finished by saying, “I got so scared, it made me kneak in the wees!”
4. This one may or may not be true, but I still get a chuckle out of it. Legend has it that, during a formal dinner, Winston Churchill turned to Lady Astor and said, “Madam, you are quite ugly.”
Lady Astor replied, “You, sir, are drunk!”
“Yes,” he conceded. “But in the morning, I’ll be sober, but you’ll still be ugly.”
5. On his first day at work, the young man who was bagging groceries at my check-out station was very politely (just as he had been trained to do) asking each customer, “Would you like me to bag your milk?” and “Would you like some help out to your car with your groceries?” During the final hour of his shift, the repetition of it got the better of him and his mouth went into autopilot. He asked the next lady, “Would you like me to milk your bag?” He shook his head, trying to recover and said, “Would you like some car with your groceries?”
6. Marj, and old friend of mine told me this: One day, she walked to her local post office with a handful of letters to purchase stamps for. When she got there, she got lost in a conversation with someone in the lobby. When the other person left, Marj went stepped up to the window to buy stamps, but found only the letters in her hand and not her purse. She walked all the way back home – only to find her purse tucked under her arm. Her son-in-law was in the room with us when she related the incident to me and he said, “Geez, I wouldn’t even be telling anyone that story!”
And extra one at no extra charge.
This is about me – this is a meme after all. A while back, my pickup was in the shop and I had to use my husband’s car to get around. I made several stops in town and the last one was at the grocery store. It took an extra long time, because I ran into an old friend and ended up chatting for about half the time I was in there. I finally reached the check out line and reloaded my cart and headed out into the parking lot, trying to remember where I had parked my pickup. I wandered the lot for about ten minutes and was about to go back inside and ask someone to call the police to report a stolen pickup when I spotted my husband’s car. I thought, “There’s Randy’s car! What in the heck is he doing here!?”
Okay; Myrna, Sue, Shirley/Bob, Shelby, Joe, and Marla - you're up!
Friday, March 27, 2009
Saturday, March 21, 2009
POTUS and TOTUS
Teleprompter Of The United States...
Guys, this blog is hilarious. Barack's Teleprompter Blog. Everyone made fun of 43 (That's the most recent Bush for you Obama voters and Obama is 44) and his speaking ability and how "stupid" he was. I'll even admit his communication skills were not the best but it didn't make him stupid. I don't think Obama is stupid either, but his policies are way to the left! At any rate, I am going to go on a rant here.
There are a lot of articles out there on how Obama uses and is highly dependent on his Teleprompter. He even thanked himself for throwing a party on St. Patrick's Day. Well, apparently ToTUS has a blog of his own (her own for you feminists). I found a bunch more links on via google, good reading.
The great orator Freezes...
Teleprompter President...
I'd Like to President Obama, wait a minute... that's me...
Obama's Safety Net....
Have a great weekend!
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
A Daytrip
I've been taking my brother, who lives in a nursing home, on short daytrips to some local historic sites and small museums. He really enjoys getting out. Just don't ask him next week about where we went last week - he'll say, "I don't remember..."
Here we are in Bancroft, Nebraska at the John G. Neihardt Center.
Neihardt was Nebraska's Poet Laureate. He wrote a lot of Epic poems, but is probably most well known for Black Elk Speaks and When the Tree Flowered, both biographies of American Indians. I've read all his stuff, but my favorite of all his works are the two volumes of his autobiography; All is But a Beginning and Patterns and Coincidences.
Here is Neihardt's Study in Bancroft, where he wrote his epic poems:
It was a nice day when we were there, but we will be going back to see the Sioux Prayer Garden in late spring, when evrything is in bloom.
Winter's Last Hurrah
Which one do you like better? The one taken through the trees, or without the trees?
These were taken two weeks ago. Yesterday, it was 70 degrees. Winter in the Husker Nation... First day of spring: March 20. WOOHOO!
I've been taking my brother, who lives in a nursing home, on short daytrips to some local historic sites and small museums. He really enjoys getting out. Just don't ask him next week about where we went last week - he'll say, "I don't remember..."
Here we are in Bancroft, Nebraska at the John G. Neihardt Center.
Neihardt was Nebraska's Poet Laureate. He wrote a lot of Epic poems, but is probably most well known for Black Elk Speaks and When the Tree Flowered, both biographies of American Indians. I've read all his stuff, but my favorite of all his works are the two volumes of his autobiography; All is But a Beginning and Patterns and Coincidences.
Here is Neihardt's Study in Bancroft, where he wrote his epic poems:
It was a nice day when we were there, but we will be going back to see the Sioux Prayer Garden in late spring, when evrything is in bloom.
Winter's Last Hurrah
Which one do you like better? The one taken through the trees, or without the trees?
These were taken two weeks ago. Yesterday, it was 70 degrees. Winter in the Husker Nation... First day of spring: March 20. WOOHOO!
Friday, March 13, 2009
Here is the Youtube address of one of the cleverest songs I’ve heard in a long while:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EmqIsnIp5uc
It’s a happy sounding tune but it provides the background for the angriest betrayed wife in the Western Hemisphere. The video features Rory + Joey. This husband and wife team were contestants on a show called “Can you Duet?” I don’t watch the show, but lemme tell you, “Yes, Rory & Joey CAN duet!” If you like good, new, classy Country Music in the traditional style, visit their website http://www.joeyandrory.com/ .
Now, the only thing I can find wrong with Cheater Cheater it is that it’s too short, so I thought we might try adding a few verses of our own here at OSM.
Here are the original words, in italics, followed by my own addition:
Cheater Cheater
By Rory Feeks and Joey Martin Feeks. The copyright is all their’s.
This is all just for fun, not for profit or publication elsewhere.
Cheater, cheater where’d you meet her? Down at Ernie’s Bar?
Did she smile your way, twirl her hair and say how cute your dimples are?
Did she use that line you’re place or mine while you danced with her real slow?
Tell me, cheater, cheater, where’d you meet that no good white trash ‘ho?
Liar, liar did you buy her whiskey all night long?
Did you hide your ring in the pocket of your jeans or did you just keep it on?
When the deed was done and you had your fun, did you think I wouldn’t know?
Cheater, cheater, where’d you meet that no good white trash ‘ho?
Loser, loser, hope you lover her ‘cuz you’re stuck with her now
So take your sorry butt and load up all your stuff and get the hell out of my house
But I just wish you’d tell me this one thing before you go,
Cheater, cheater, where’d you meet that no good white trash ‘ho?
Now I’m not one to judge someone that I ain’t never met
But to lay your hands on a married man’s about as low as a gal can get
And I wish her well as she rots in hell and you can tell her I said so.
Cheater, cheater, where’d you meet that no good white trash ‘ho?
Cheater, cheater where’d you meet that low-down, uptown,
Slept with every guy, around pressed on eyelash, no good white trash ‘ho?
New verses:
Redneck, roughneck, where in the heck was your common sense?
Did you just get drunk, like a dirty skunk, and throw caution to the winds?
Well, I hope she was worth all you lost on Earth. But I’d still like to know;
Tell me, cheater, cheater, where’d you meet that no good white trash ‘ho?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EmqIsnIp5uc
It’s a happy sounding tune but it provides the background for the angriest betrayed wife in the Western Hemisphere. The video features Rory + Joey. This husband and wife team were contestants on a show called “Can you Duet?” I don’t watch the show, but lemme tell you, “Yes, Rory & Joey CAN duet!” If you like good, new, classy Country Music in the traditional style, visit their website http://www.joeyandrory.com/ .
Now, the only thing I can find wrong with Cheater Cheater it is that it’s too short, so I thought we might try adding a few verses of our own here at OSM.
Here are the original words, in italics, followed by my own addition:
Cheater Cheater
By Rory Feeks and Joey Martin Feeks. The copyright is all their’s.
This is all just for fun, not for profit or publication elsewhere.
Cheater, cheater where’d you meet her? Down at Ernie’s Bar?
Did she smile your way, twirl her hair and say how cute your dimples are?
Did she use that line you’re place or mine while you danced with her real slow?
Tell me, cheater, cheater, where’d you meet that no good white trash ‘ho?
Liar, liar did you buy her whiskey all night long?
Did you hide your ring in the pocket of your jeans or did you just keep it on?
When the deed was done and you had your fun, did you think I wouldn’t know?
Cheater, cheater, where’d you meet that no good white trash ‘ho?
Loser, loser, hope you lover her ‘cuz you’re stuck with her now
So take your sorry butt and load up all your stuff and get the hell out of my house
But I just wish you’d tell me this one thing before you go,
Cheater, cheater, where’d you meet that no good white trash ‘ho?
Now I’m not one to judge someone that I ain’t never met
But to lay your hands on a married man’s about as low as a gal can get
And I wish her well as she rots in hell and you can tell her I said so.
Cheater, cheater, where’d you meet that no good white trash ‘ho?
Cheater, cheater where’d you meet that low-down, uptown,
Slept with every guy, around pressed on eyelash, no good white trash ‘ho?
New verses:
Redneck, roughneck, where in the heck was your common sense?
Did you just get drunk, like a dirty skunk, and throw caution to the winds?
Well, I hope she was worth all you lost on Earth. But I’d still like to know;
Tell me, cheater, cheater, where’d you meet that no good white trash ‘ho?
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
A Phrase Creates Stories
This is a rerun from 2006, when I first got interested in blogging (Thank you, LaDawn!) Since I’ve had neither time nor inspiration lately and Shelby is tired of me not posting new stuff, I thought I’d put up a few reruns, especially for those of you who didn’t join me until later in my Life as a Blogospherian.
I and my kids, Jack, Em, are all writers. We used to do an exercise where one of us would challenge the others with a phrase on Saturday and the rest of us had to come up with a story before the following Friday. Here are a couple of winners:
Sometimes the Dragon Wins
By Jack Carson.
There’s a story out there, no one really knows who told it first, but it’s been around for long time. Anyway, it goes a little like this. There’s this village, a quaint little anywhere place, that just so happens to be in the vicinity of a ferocious dragon. As you can imagine, being terrorized by a dragon on a regular basis is not very pleasant.
So along comes this knight. Resplendent in his armor, astride his white stallion, his sword sharp, his lance long, his head empty. Anyway, this knight goes to slay the dragon. Cinch, right? Well, the knight doesn’t return for about a week, and finally the villagers send somebody to see if he’s completed his task. All this guy finds are the bones of his horse and a fused lump of melted metal, with all that’s left of the knight rattling around inside as crumbled bits of charcoal.
The guy goes back to the village and all he has to say is, “Sometimes the Dragon Wins.”
Sometimes the Dragon Wins
by Emily Carson
He sits poring over the police report, the crime scene photographs, the coroner’s reports, and the tentative timeline. His name is Don Glasser and he is a profiler for the FBI. It is his job to analyze crime scenes and provide a profile of a possible suspect. As he has so many times before, he allows himself to imagine the crime as it happened.
Sarah Breckner tucks her four year old son, Stevie, in for the night. It’s a little chilly, so she shuts the window above his bed. Or tries to; it sticks and she can’t quite get it all the way down. She settles for shutting the blinds and giving Stevie an extra blanket. Sarah goes downstairs. She has trouble getting to sleep most nights; as is her habit, she turns on the television and lays down on the couch. It isn’t long before the droning noise has lulled her into a doze.
Outside, an intruder cuts through the screen of a living room window. He uses a hammer and a screwdriver to break the lock. Sarah stirs in her sleep, but it’s been a long day. She doesn’t awaken.
Quietly, the intruder climbs inside the house. He leaves footprints in the mud beneath the window, as well as a track on the floor. No fingerprints; he’s wearing gloves. He approaches Sarah, quietly, so quietly. She mutters in her sleep. Quickly he bends over her and clamps his hand over her mouth. She awakens, struggles, bites her lip, drawing blood.
Don takes a sip of coffee and grimaces. It’s from the bottom of the pot, thick as mud and bitter as death. This is the part that frightens him most; it’s easier to figure out what happened at the crime scene than it is to read the mind of the criminal. Yet that is what he is expected to do, it’s what he’s been trained for, to analyze the behavior of a suspect and provide a personality. What was this assailant thinking?
He jumps on Sarah, straddling her, pinning her down. Sarah is a strong woman; she runs nearly every day and swims three times a week. Fear makes her stronger, fear for her child and herself. She fights him, scratching his face. He hits her, sending the back of her head against a lamp. Her nightgown twists around her body as she struggles, leaving chafe marks on her neck and armpits. She backhands him, leaving bruises on her knuckles. Her struggle enrages him; he hits her again and again, breaking her nose, blacking an eye.
The assailant brings out his knife. It’s a hunting knife, made to dress deer and other game. He stabs Sarah through the right forearm, the knife going between the radius and ulna bones. Sarah screams. The noise finally wakes Stevie. He runs to the top of the stairs but doesn’t go down.
The assailant stabs Sarah four more times, two mortally. One punctures a lung, the other slashes the aorta.
“Mommy!” The intruder looks up. He didn’t expect a child. He runs out.
Sarah gets up. As her life is ebbing away, she knows she has to call for help. She staggers toward the kitchen and the telephone. It’s so far and she is so weak. So much blood . . .
Stevie runs down the stairs. He is crying hard now, and he wants his mother to be OK. He clings to her leg as she tries to get to the kitchen. Her blood drips down on his hair and inside his pajama top.
She’s almost there. “Please,” she gasps, not sure who she is entreating. She can feel the strength leaving her legs. Her knees buckle as she grasps the phone. She collapses on the floor, spent. Stevie huddles beside her, still crying as his mother breathes her last . . .
Don rubs his temples. One of his migraines is coming on, making his left eye water and left hand feel weak. He shuffles the papers in front of him, trying to piece the suspect together. From the footprints, he was about 6’4’’, weighing between 260 and 300 lbs. Sarah had his DNA under her fingernails, but this is either a first offense, or the perp has been careful till now, because they haven’t got a match from criminal records. Don thinks it’s more likely that the UNSUB, or unidentified subject, has been careful. Most criminals don’t start out breaking in and attacking. If the UNSUB had any record, it would be for window peeping or breaking and entering.
Since the man ran after he saw Stevie, Don doesn’t think he was stalking Sarah. A stalker would’ve expected the child. Sarah was well-off and attractive. It’s possible the man only had robbery on his mind, but got other ideas when he saw Sarah asleep on the couch. Entering, the UNSUB was organized. He had the knife and the tools. When he couldn’t control Sarah, he became disorganized. He left the tools under the window and the knife on the living room floor. This tells Don that he hasn’t attacked anyone before; any further crimes will begin blitz-style, with the UNSUB using maximum force to subdue his victims. He’ll have learned from this failure.
No fingerprints, no composite sketch. One witness, a traumatized four-year-old. Don writes his profile, but isn’t hopeful. Unless this man attacks again, or is arrested on an unrelated charge, it’s not likely he’ll be found. Stranger crimes, ones with no connection between the victim and the perp, are among the hardest to solve. By all accounts, no one who knew Sarah Breckner wished her ill. It appears she was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Don lets out a frustrated growl, shoving some of the paperwork off his desk. He makes a promise then, one to Stevie and his mother, that he will not give up. He will keep fighting and looking for clues. Despite this, something one of his mentors at Quantico once said runs through his head: “Sometimes the dragon wins.”
And Janell’s “Sometimes the Dragon Wins” story? I’m ashamed to say, it was started, but never finished.
Maybe next time…
Do you have one to share? Remember, “Sometimes, the Dragon Wins…”
This is a rerun from 2006, when I first got interested in blogging (Thank you, LaDawn!) Since I’ve had neither time nor inspiration lately and Shelby is tired of me not posting new stuff, I thought I’d put up a few reruns, especially for those of you who didn’t join me until later in my Life as a Blogospherian.
I and my kids, Jack, Em, are all writers. We used to do an exercise where one of us would challenge the others with a phrase on Saturday and the rest of us had to come up with a story before the following Friday. Here are a couple of winners:
Sometimes the Dragon Wins
By Jack Carson.
There’s a story out there, no one really knows who told it first, but it’s been around for long time. Anyway, it goes a little like this. There’s this village, a quaint little anywhere place, that just so happens to be in the vicinity of a ferocious dragon. As you can imagine, being terrorized by a dragon on a regular basis is not very pleasant.
So along comes this knight. Resplendent in his armor, astride his white stallion, his sword sharp, his lance long, his head empty. Anyway, this knight goes to slay the dragon. Cinch, right? Well, the knight doesn’t return for about a week, and finally the villagers send somebody to see if he’s completed his task. All this guy finds are the bones of his horse and a fused lump of melted metal, with all that’s left of the knight rattling around inside as crumbled bits of charcoal.
The guy goes back to the village and all he has to say is, “Sometimes the Dragon Wins.”
Sometimes the Dragon Wins
by Emily Carson
He sits poring over the police report, the crime scene photographs, the coroner’s reports, and the tentative timeline. His name is Don Glasser and he is a profiler for the FBI. It is his job to analyze crime scenes and provide a profile of a possible suspect. As he has so many times before, he allows himself to imagine the crime as it happened.
Sarah Breckner tucks her four year old son, Stevie, in for the night. It’s a little chilly, so she shuts the window above his bed. Or tries to; it sticks and she can’t quite get it all the way down. She settles for shutting the blinds and giving Stevie an extra blanket. Sarah goes downstairs. She has trouble getting to sleep most nights; as is her habit, she turns on the television and lays down on the couch. It isn’t long before the droning noise has lulled her into a doze.
Outside, an intruder cuts through the screen of a living room window. He uses a hammer and a screwdriver to break the lock. Sarah stirs in her sleep, but it’s been a long day. She doesn’t awaken.
Quietly, the intruder climbs inside the house. He leaves footprints in the mud beneath the window, as well as a track on the floor. No fingerprints; he’s wearing gloves. He approaches Sarah, quietly, so quietly. She mutters in her sleep. Quickly he bends over her and clamps his hand over her mouth. She awakens, struggles, bites her lip, drawing blood.
Don takes a sip of coffee and grimaces. It’s from the bottom of the pot, thick as mud and bitter as death. This is the part that frightens him most; it’s easier to figure out what happened at the crime scene than it is to read the mind of the criminal. Yet that is what he is expected to do, it’s what he’s been trained for, to analyze the behavior of a suspect and provide a personality. What was this assailant thinking?
He jumps on Sarah, straddling her, pinning her down. Sarah is a strong woman; she runs nearly every day and swims three times a week. Fear makes her stronger, fear for her child and herself. She fights him, scratching his face. He hits her, sending the back of her head against a lamp. Her nightgown twists around her body as she struggles, leaving chafe marks on her neck and armpits. She backhands him, leaving bruises on her knuckles. Her struggle enrages him; he hits her again and again, breaking her nose, blacking an eye.
The assailant brings out his knife. It’s a hunting knife, made to dress deer and other game. He stabs Sarah through the right forearm, the knife going between the radius and ulna bones. Sarah screams. The noise finally wakes Stevie. He runs to the top of the stairs but doesn’t go down.
The assailant stabs Sarah four more times, two mortally. One punctures a lung, the other slashes the aorta.
“Mommy!” The intruder looks up. He didn’t expect a child. He runs out.
Sarah gets up. As her life is ebbing away, she knows she has to call for help. She staggers toward the kitchen and the telephone. It’s so far and she is so weak. So much blood . . .
Stevie runs down the stairs. He is crying hard now, and he wants his mother to be OK. He clings to her leg as she tries to get to the kitchen. Her blood drips down on his hair and inside his pajama top.
She’s almost there. “Please,” she gasps, not sure who she is entreating. She can feel the strength leaving her legs. Her knees buckle as she grasps the phone. She collapses on the floor, spent. Stevie huddles beside her, still crying as his mother breathes her last . . .
Don rubs his temples. One of his migraines is coming on, making his left eye water and left hand feel weak. He shuffles the papers in front of him, trying to piece the suspect together. From the footprints, he was about 6’4’’, weighing between 260 and 300 lbs. Sarah had his DNA under her fingernails, but this is either a first offense, or the perp has been careful till now, because they haven’t got a match from criminal records. Don thinks it’s more likely that the UNSUB, or unidentified subject, has been careful. Most criminals don’t start out breaking in and attacking. If the UNSUB had any record, it would be for window peeping or breaking and entering.
Since the man ran after he saw Stevie, Don doesn’t think he was stalking Sarah. A stalker would’ve expected the child. Sarah was well-off and attractive. It’s possible the man only had robbery on his mind, but got other ideas when he saw Sarah asleep on the couch. Entering, the UNSUB was organized. He had the knife and the tools. When he couldn’t control Sarah, he became disorganized. He left the tools under the window and the knife on the living room floor. This tells Don that he hasn’t attacked anyone before; any further crimes will begin blitz-style, with the UNSUB using maximum force to subdue his victims. He’ll have learned from this failure.
No fingerprints, no composite sketch. One witness, a traumatized four-year-old. Don writes his profile, but isn’t hopeful. Unless this man attacks again, or is arrested on an unrelated charge, it’s not likely he’ll be found. Stranger crimes, ones with no connection between the victim and the perp, are among the hardest to solve. By all accounts, no one who knew Sarah Breckner wished her ill. It appears she was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Don lets out a frustrated growl, shoving some of the paperwork off his desk. He makes a promise then, one to Stevie and his mother, that he will not give up. He will keep fighting and looking for clues. Despite this, something one of his mentors at Quantico once said runs through his head: “Sometimes the dragon wins.”
And Janell’s “Sometimes the Dragon Wins” story? I’m ashamed to say, it was started, but never finished.
Maybe next time…
Do you have one to share? Remember, “Sometimes, the Dragon Wins…”
Friday, March 06, 2009
Little Joe Loves You Tube and...
Hey, little Joe has an enfatuation with Planes. Probably because I am always on them. At any rate, I bought him two model 747's. And recently, in an effort to entertain him without watching CARs or NEMO or Madagascar, I turned to the net. I was astounded by what I found. I think you will get a kick out of these... they are endless.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zAfQwDizpRo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=feGZ4l5fk4Q
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bKqO6gdJIz8 - I did a landing similar to this last April.
I love flying, and my frequency of flying boosts my confidence in aviation and aviation safety. You'd be amazed if you saw what passenger jets could really do. Check out the links above and they will lead you to many others! Enjoy, and its addicting.
By the way, this is also interesting...
http://www.pagetutor.com/trillion/index.html
Hey, little Joe has an enfatuation with Planes. Probably because I am always on them. At any rate, I bought him two model 747's. And recently, in an effort to entertain him without watching CARs or NEMO or Madagascar, I turned to the net. I was astounded by what I found. I think you will get a kick out of these... they are endless.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zAfQwDizpRo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=feGZ4l5fk4Q
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bKqO6gdJIz8 - I did a landing similar to this last April.
I love flying, and my frequency of flying boosts my confidence in aviation and aviation safety. You'd be amazed if you saw what passenger jets could really do. Check out the links above and they will lead you to many others! Enjoy, and its addicting.
By the way, this is also interesting...
http://www.pagetutor.com/trillion/index.html
Monday, February 23, 2009
Here is an imagined conversation:
Me: Dear God, I’m trading in my Armor of God for the "Suit of Secularism." The Armor of God is too much for me. I can’t do it. So, instead of girding my loins with the Belt of Truth, I’m swapping for the "Thong of Lies." You recognize the Thong of Lies, don’t you? That’s the one that says, “Go ahead and satisfy your lusts. It doesn’t matter. No one will ever know. You can get away with it.”
God: You will know.
And I will know.
Me: And, instead of the Breastplate of Righteousness, I’m going to start wearing the “T-Shirt of Instant Gratification.” This T-shirt will help me to remain guilt-free while I am pursuing the fulfillment of all my earthly desires.
God: This is not really a very good idea. But you are always free to choose. I guaranteed that from the very Beginning.
Me: While I am at it, I am going to exchange my Shoes of the Gospel of Peace for the “Slippers of Contention.” Now, I can complain, gossip and criticize to my heart’s content.
God: That won’t make your heart content.
Me: I’ve had enough of trying to carry around this Shield of Faith. It’s heavy and cumbersome and a lot of people look at me like I’m crazy when they see me carrying it. So I’m going to put it down and take up this "Suitcase of Doubt." Everyone recognizes it and I don’t have to try and explain difficult questions.
God: Wow, if you thought the Shield of Faith was heavy, I can’t wait to see what happens when you pick up that "Suitcase of Doubt!"
Me: Uff Dah! That is a heavy son of a so-and-so! I think I’ll just put it down and leave it here while I finish getting dressed. I need to find my hat. Here it is – I’m taking off the Helmet of Salvation and from now on, I’ll wear the “Beanie of Good Works.” Wait a minute, it doesn’t fit very well, does it?
God: You will never be able to find one big enough to cover all of your transgressions. That’s why I sent my Son to the Cross. Trust me on this one.
Me: You know what else? I’m getting rid of this Sword of the Spirit. It hurts people’s feelings and it would be much easier and I could be a lot more popular if I went around with the “Weapon of Mass Reconstruction.” The one that rewrites history, so that the thoughts and ideas of the people from the past get in line with our modern, progressive views on personal choice and the ‘fine line’ between good and evil.
God: Well… good luck with that. But it seems to me that it shows a tremendous amount of disrespect towards the people who designed and financed the monuments that represent those historical, “old fashioned” notions.
Me: Okay, well, it looks like I’m all dressed and ready to go. You know, this "Thong of Lies" is pretty uncomfortable… it’s riding up on me and, well, that’s all you need to know about that. And this "T-Shirt of Instant Gratification" is covered with stains and has gotten holes in it already. It’s way too small. And look how threadbare it is. I don’t think it’s going last much longer. These "Slippers of Contention" fit me pretty well, but they are kind of ugly, aren’t they? This "Suitcase of Doubt" is really heavy. So is the "Weapon of Mass Reconstruction." I don’t think I can carry both of them. I’ll have to leave one of them here and come back for it when I get where I’m going.
God: So… where are you going, all dressed up like that?
Me: That’s a good question…. This particular outfit came without a map.
Based on Ephesians 6:11-17
Me: Dear God, I’m trading in my Armor of God for the "Suit of Secularism." The Armor of God is too much for me. I can’t do it. So, instead of girding my loins with the Belt of Truth, I’m swapping for the "Thong of Lies." You recognize the Thong of Lies, don’t you? That’s the one that says, “Go ahead and satisfy your lusts. It doesn’t matter. No one will ever know. You can get away with it.”
God: You will know.
And I will know.
Me: And, instead of the Breastplate of Righteousness, I’m going to start wearing the “T-Shirt of Instant Gratification.” This T-shirt will help me to remain guilt-free while I am pursuing the fulfillment of all my earthly desires.
God: This is not really a very good idea. But you are always free to choose. I guaranteed that from the very Beginning.
Me: While I am at it, I am going to exchange my Shoes of the Gospel of Peace for the “Slippers of Contention.” Now, I can complain, gossip and criticize to my heart’s content.
God: That won’t make your heart content.
Me: I’ve had enough of trying to carry around this Shield of Faith. It’s heavy and cumbersome and a lot of people look at me like I’m crazy when they see me carrying it. So I’m going to put it down and take up this "Suitcase of Doubt." Everyone recognizes it and I don’t have to try and explain difficult questions.
God: Wow, if you thought the Shield of Faith was heavy, I can’t wait to see what happens when you pick up that "Suitcase of Doubt!"
Me: Uff Dah! That is a heavy son of a so-and-so! I think I’ll just put it down and leave it here while I finish getting dressed. I need to find my hat. Here it is – I’m taking off the Helmet of Salvation and from now on, I’ll wear the “Beanie of Good Works.” Wait a minute, it doesn’t fit very well, does it?
God: You will never be able to find one big enough to cover all of your transgressions. That’s why I sent my Son to the Cross. Trust me on this one.
Me: You know what else? I’m getting rid of this Sword of the Spirit. It hurts people’s feelings and it would be much easier and I could be a lot more popular if I went around with the “Weapon of Mass Reconstruction.” The one that rewrites history, so that the thoughts and ideas of the people from the past get in line with our modern, progressive views on personal choice and the ‘fine line’ between good and evil.
God: Well… good luck with that. But it seems to me that it shows a tremendous amount of disrespect towards the people who designed and financed the monuments that represent those historical, “old fashioned” notions.
Me: Okay, well, it looks like I’m all dressed and ready to go. You know, this "Thong of Lies" is pretty uncomfortable… it’s riding up on me and, well, that’s all you need to know about that. And this "T-Shirt of Instant Gratification" is covered with stains and has gotten holes in it already. It’s way too small. And look how threadbare it is. I don’t think it’s going last much longer. These "Slippers of Contention" fit me pretty well, but they are kind of ugly, aren’t they? This "Suitcase of Doubt" is really heavy. So is the "Weapon of Mass Reconstruction." I don’t think I can carry both of them. I’ll have to leave one of them here and come back for it when I get where I’m going.
God: So… where are you going, all dressed up like that?
Me: That’s a good question…. This particular outfit came without a map.
Based on Ephesians 6:11-17
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Random Thoughts...
I am working on a post about my trip to China.. there is more to that place than the great wall, but I haven't gotten all my pictures downloaded yet (been busy working). But there is a very ugly side to the country, makes me un-comfortable..
In the mean time, a couple of cool links... Very interesting stuff to watch.. Is this the beginning of the silent majority come back?
Revolution in Chicago
I am working on a post about my trip to China.. there is more to that place than the great wall, but I haven't gotten all my pictures downloaded yet (been busy working). But there is a very ugly side to the country, makes me un-comfortable..
In the mean time, a couple of cool links... Very interesting stuff to watch.. Is this the beginning of the silent majority come back?
Revolution in Chicago
- I am not a MSNBC fan, but love CNBC (Sorry FBN). I especially love Kramer's Mad Money Show. I don't watch it during the day, but gotta love the guy in this video.
- http://www.cnbc.com/id/15840232?video=1039849853
This is going to piss the PETA off!
- I have to admit, its kind of funny and somewhat related to a post I am working on re: China
- http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2009/02/090218-extinct-bird-photo.html
For the National Security Crowd...
- http://www.worldtribune.com/worldtribune/WTARC/2009/ss_syria0140_02_17.asp
- Simply amazing, a state sponsor of terror and we are helping them out. Nice!
Amazing Video's from Iraq. These are real videos, some warning on graphic.
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TEzBd31fBnc
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Iz5MwPsfyo
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-eD_Lo61rAw
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jXvEy8leKpM
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CY8Aw_DVrmQ - this one's kinda funny
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nAYc-wFV2cQ
The China post I am putting together is related to its infrastructure, restaurant menu's and productivity.
Happy Friday!
Friday, February 13, 2009
Yes We Can!!...Pass a $787 Billion Dollar "Stimulus" (Pork) Package...
Sorry for the long post..
John Boehner, House Minority Leader Today on the floor of the house...
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CvnwOjDjnH4
- You have to see this Youtube Video
Democrats Delay Bill Release to Conceal Details (via Drudge)
- http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=30700
- How about this for Transparency....I support Stimulus, but this is not Stimulus.. For those of you who want to stay informed and hear the hype and platitudes of BHO.
- Not even the President himself knows what's in this Bill... They are claiming transparency, how can they be transparent when they finalize a Bill literally under cover of darkness and release it with little debate.
http://appropriations.house.gov/
- Link to the House appropriations's comittee website, unlike BHO's website which is still in campaign/propaganda mode this website is purely 100% factual and updated by congressional comittee
Highlights...But of course to Blind BHO Supporters, I am just being a racist right wing hate monger...
- There’s $2 billion for impeached Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s FutureGen near-zero emissions power plant project
- $300 million for “green” golf carts for government workers
- $30 million for “smart appliances”
- $65 million for digital TV coupons
- $9 billion for school construction was added back in (originally cut )
- $5 billion was added to the state fiscal stabilization fund (originally cut)
- $1 billion was added back for Prevention & Wellness Programs, including STD education
- $2 billion for neighborhood stabilization program
- “Neighborhood stabilization” according to Michelle Malkin is "slush fund money [that] will end up in the pockets of left-wing shakedown artists such as ACORN and the Massachusetts-based Neighborhood Assistance Corporation of America (NACA), led by self-proclaimed “bank terrorist” Bruce Marks"
- There’s an additional $3.25 billion in HUD grants and Community Development Block Grants
- $2 billion for the National Parks Service
The good news is, not a single Republican in the house voted for the Bill. In FACT, 7 Dems voted No. So again, opposition to the bill was actually bi-partisan, Support was not...But annointed President will get credit, somehow, for being bi-partisan. Almost all the Senate Republican's voted NO except for a couple of turn coats (Collins, Snow and Specter). When this Bill fails to stimulate the economy, and it will fail, this can be 100% hung around the dems necks.
- http://appropriations.house.gov/pdf/PressSummary01-28-09.pdf - This is a copy of the Executive Summary. Much easier read, funniest part. Last bullet in Section I of page 2 under "Unprescedented Accountability" says... "There are no earmarks in this Bill". If you read the whole section, you will see there is no accountability. But the title sounds good! When you add up the last section of page 2 under "Modernize, Roads Bridges and Water Ways" we are only spending $93 Billion in infrastructure, that's about 11% for you Obama Supporters. Wasn't infrastructure the purpose of the bill? It would have been $94B, but they cut $1B yesterday.
- http://www.rules.house.gov/111/LegText/111_hr1_text.pdf - This is an oder version of the Bill, its only 647 pages. I reckon if you read about 5 pages you are probably more informed than the average member of congress.
- Anything good in the Bill, I'll give it some credit. There's about 8 Billion for DOD facilities, but some of that is pork. Funding for Child Support Enforcement (not sure if $1B is needed, but its there). $4B to support hiring of state and local law enforcement, about 13,000 cops for 3 years. Bad News, locale has to pay for fourth year before paying 100% of cost or they can lay them off...
For anyone thinking I am just sour grapes, I opposed Bush's Stim Bill back in May 2008 (approximately $145 Billion) and opposed TARP (1 and 2 were both disasters). There is no urgency here, this is not the Great Depression. We are not even close to the recession of 1981. That was double digit unemployment, inflation and 25% Interest rates. Reagan just took office from Carter. The irony here is...the economy will probably recover on its own within the next 12 months, we are predicting upswings at my company by early 2010. In all of our forecasts, we don't take into account the Govt.! Let me steal one of the Liberal Anti-war terms used last year and especially 2007. I Support the President, but not his policies (remember: I support the Troops, but not the mission)
$787,000,000,000.00
OH YEAH.. ALMOST FORGOT... HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!
f-Stop Friday Special for Valentine's Day
New Families:
Just in case you didn’t know…
St. Valentine was a priest who lived and served the church during the two-year reign of Claudius II (268-270 AD). Emperor Claudius was of the opinion that single men made better soldiers, so he outlawed marriage. Is it any wonder that he was only emperor for 2 years?
Father Valentine, who had more respect for God’s Laws than for Claudius’, got caught performing marriages in secret and was imprisoned for his “crime.” And sentenced to death. While in jail, it is said he fell in love with the jailor’s daughter. He wrote to her faithfully and signed his letters, “From Your Valentine.”
Above picture is the family of our friends, Jim and Kelli. We were privileged to attend their wedding (the second marriage for both) back in December. It was a beautiful wedding and I had the great fun of being able to videotape it for them.
My daughter, Emily was a bridesmaid in a wedding last December. It was one of the nicest weddings I have ever seen.
The bridesmaids all wore the same color (Regency Purple), but the bride was gracious enough to let each one choose her own style. They all looked absolutely lovely! (Especially Emily… well, duh!)
Sarah chose five of her friends to be bridesmaids and Randy had three groomsmen: his dad served as Best Man, his brother and Sarah’s brother were the other Groomsmen. Here is the wedding party:
A note of explanation: Yes, Randy is shorter than his bride because his leg growth is stunted by brittle bone disease and he spends most of his time in a wheel chair. He was, however, able to achieve his goal of walking to the altar. The facts of this condition are irrelevant to Sarah. When the Pastor said, “I now pronounce you husband and wife,” Sarah actually jumped up and down for joy! It was an awesome thing to see.
The night before the wedding, Emily stopped my heart when she came to me and said, “Will you be able to help me with my hair tomorrow?” Now, folks; I own one comb and a blow dryer, so you know hair styling is NOT one of my God-given talents. I made an emergency call to my friend Joani, who graciously carved out an hour or so to fix Em’s hair. Don’t you think she looks beautiful?
Here she is with Randy and his First Wife:
Happy Valentine’s Day to all of you and your Valentines!!!
New Families:
Just in case you didn’t know…
St. Valentine was a priest who lived and served the church during the two-year reign of Claudius II (268-270 AD). Emperor Claudius was of the opinion that single men made better soldiers, so he outlawed marriage. Is it any wonder that he was only emperor for 2 years?
Father Valentine, who had more respect for God’s Laws than for Claudius’, got caught performing marriages in secret and was imprisoned for his “crime.” And sentenced to death. While in jail, it is said he fell in love with the jailor’s daughter. He wrote to her faithfully and signed his letters, “From Your Valentine.”
Above picture is the family of our friends, Jim and Kelli. We were privileged to attend their wedding (the second marriage for both) back in December. It was a beautiful wedding and I had the great fun of being able to videotape it for them.
My daughter, Emily was a bridesmaid in a wedding last December. It was one of the nicest weddings I have ever seen.
The bridesmaids all wore the same color (Regency Purple), but the bride was gracious enough to let each one choose her own style. They all looked absolutely lovely! (Especially Emily… well, duh!)
Sarah chose five of her friends to be bridesmaids and Randy had three groomsmen: his dad served as Best Man, his brother and Sarah’s brother were the other Groomsmen. Here is the wedding party:
A note of explanation: Yes, Randy is shorter than his bride because his leg growth is stunted by brittle bone disease and he spends most of his time in a wheel chair. He was, however, able to achieve his goal of walking to the altar. The facts of this condition are irrelevant to Sarah. When the Pastor said, “I now pronounce you husband and wife,” Sarah actually jumped up and down for joy! It was an awesome thing to see.
The night before the wedding, Emily stopped my heart when she came to me and said, “Will you be able to help me with my hair tomorrow?” Now, folks; I own one comb and a blow dryer, so you know hair styling is NOT one of my God-given talents. I made an emergency call to my friend Joani, who graciously carved out an hour or so to fix Em’s hair. Don’t you think she looks beautiful?
Here she is with Randy and his First Wife:
Happy Valentine’s Day to all of you and your Valentines!!!
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
New Great Wall Photo's...
Its 6 am Wednesday and I've been up for two hours. Got back from China about 4:30 pm central. I was tired enough to fall asleep at 11:30 pm. But I was stupid not to take an adjusting sleeping pill despite my fatigue. Result, wide awake at 4 am.
These pics are better than my camera phone pics. Janell, it was great talking to you.
I forgot what this section of the wall was called, something like Mui Tang Yu (Phonetic Spelling). Its about an hour ride NW of Beijing, I took a car there Sunday Morning (Sat night US) Feb 8th. Once there you take a ski lift about 500 feet up to the wall, once there you are free to walk about 4 miles in either direction. I chose to walk West, since I did East on my first visit. The wall is very steep at some points, the pics barely capture that. One point was more like a ladder than a wall. Once you are ready to leave, you have three choices. You can walk down, take the lift down or toboggan. I chose the toboggan run. What a blast, its very quiet up there sur-real and beautiful. Makes you think about home. Once you are off the wall, that all goes away quickly. The local vendors are very very pushy. I bought very little there because they are so pushy, I'd rather pay and can afford higher prices some where else. This is all relative, higher prices mean $4 rather than $2 for certain souvenirs. All in all, a productive business trip. The wall was a bonus.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
OSM readers get two-fers today. The first is from Joe:
Is this the Change we can believe in?
Yes we can? While in China, I am unable to make posts to OSM. Its probably due to the Chinese censoring. At any rate, couple of interesting stories. So I emailed this to Janell and she is posting it for me. (Note from Janell: I can't seem to get Joe's live links to post, although I was able to download the texts of the stimulous package and the TARP bill from his eamil. Your really ought to track them down and have a look.)
1. Obama Bumps head on Marine One. Remember when Bush did this? Remember the media Frenzy and the so called analysts and die hard liberals saying that this was just another sign of how stupid Bush is? How out of touch he is and how he is in his own little world, so much so that he doesn't think he can bump his head? Now, Obama bumps his little old head and you barely hear a peep from the news. Enjoy!
http://www.breitbart.tv/?p=276103
http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D96896B00&show_article=1
2. Speaking of Obama and headache's, I assume all of you have heard something about the so called "Stimulus Bill". I've been able to follow it closely, especially with extra time on my hands. Have any of you ever read a version of a senate or House Bill? Well, if you never have allow me to help. I found the bill and actually downloaded it. Thought I would post here on OSM for all of you to read. Send it to all of your friends. The file is not that large, despite being 785 pages! Open it up and browse it, here is what I found. I literally could not stop reading this thing, its amazing how dumb it reads! Below is the table of contents (for any Obama voters reading this, those are Roman Numerals before each title). You have to read how some of the money is being sent. Its crazy!. This is not a stimulus package! As you read the table of contents below or the actual document itself, you'll notice billions upon billions of dollars appear to be going to existing programs. Most I never heard of. If we are simply maintaining a program, how is this stimulus? This is spending $800 Billion dollars of your tax money! Oh yeah, and while I was at it, just for fun, I looked up the TARP bill. Its also attached (that's even crazier than the 09 Stimulus Bill)
TITLE I—AGRICULTURE, RURAL DEVELOPMENT, FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION, AND RELATED AGENCIES
TITLE II—COMMERCE, JUSTICE, SCIENCE, AND RELATED AGENCIES
TITLE III—DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
TITLE IV—ENERGY AND WATER DEVELOPMENT
TITLE V—FINANCIAL SERVICES AND GENERAL GOVERNMENT
TITLE VI—DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY
TITLE VII—INTERIOR, ENVIRONMENT, AND RELATED AGENCIES
TITLE VIII—DEPARTMENTS OF LABOR, HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, AND EDUCATION, AND RELATED AGENCIES
TITLE IX—LEGISLATIVE BRANCH
TITLE X—MILITARY CONSTRUCTION AND VETERANS AFFAIRS AND RELATED AGENCIES
TITLE XI—STATE, FOREIGN OPERATIONS, AND RELATED PROGRAMS
TITLE XII—TRANSPORTATION, HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT, AND RELATED AGENCIES
TITLE XIII—HEALTH INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
TITLE XIV—STATE FISCAL STABILIZATION
TITLE XV—RECOVERY ACCOUNTABILITY AND TRANSPARENCY BOARD AND RECOVERY INDEPENDENT ADVISORY PANEL
TITLE XVI—GENERAL PROVISIONS—THIS ACT DIVISION B—TAX, UNEMPLOYMENT, HEALTH, STATE FISCAL RELIEF, AND OTHER PROVISIONS
TITLE I—TAX PROVISIONS
TITLE II—ASSISTANCE FOR UNEMPLOYED WORKERS AND STRUGGLING FAMILIES
TITLE III—HEALTH INSURANCE ASSISTANCE
TITLE IV—HEALTH INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
TITLE V—STATE FISCAL RELIEF
2008 TARP Bill.pdf (590KB)
2009 Stimulus Bill.pdf (1301KB)
On Thursday or Friday will post more wonderful pics from Great wall and describe my visit to Beijing!
And here's your Ruby Tuesday offering from Janell:
I don't have grandchildren, but I do have several greatnieces and greatnephews.
This is my greatnephew, Brooks, having a football lesson from my niece,Kim. Aren't they cute?
Catch it, Brooks!
They were here for Thanksgiving.
(No, he didn't catch it that time, but he came awfully darn close!)
Is this the Change we can believe in?
Yes we can? While in China, I am unable to make posts to OSM. Its probably due to the Chinese censoring. At any rate, couple of interesting stories. So I emailed this to Janell and she is posting it for me. (Note from Janell: I can't seem to get Joe's live links to post, although I was able to download the texts of the stimulous package and the TARP bill from his eamil. Your really ought to track them down and have a look.)
1. Obama Bumps head on Marine One. Remember when Bush did this? Remember the media Frenzy and the so called analysts and die hard liberals saying that this was just another sign of how stupid Bush is? How out of touch he is and how he is in his own little world, so much so that he doesn't think he can bump his head? Now, Obama bumps his little old head and you barely hear a peep from the news. Enjoy!
http://www.breitbart.tv/?p=276103
http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D96896B00&show_article=1
2. Speaking of Obama and headache's, I assume all of you have heard something about the so called "Stimulus Bill". I've been able to follow it closely, especially with extra time on my hands. Have any of you ever read a version of a senate or House Bill? Well, if you never have allow me to help. I found the bill and actually downloaded it. Thought I would post here on OSM for all of you to read. Send it to all of your friends. The file is not that large, despite being 785 pages! Open it up and browse it, here is what I found. I literally could not stop reading this thing, its amazing how dumb it reads! Below is the table of contents (for any Obama voters reading this, those are Roman Numerals before each title). You have to read how some of the money is being sent. Its crazy!. This is not a stimulus package! As you read the table of contents below or the actual document itself, you'll notice billions upon billions of dollars appear to be going to existing programs. Most I never heard of. If we are simply maintaining a program, how is this stimulus? This is spending $800 Billion dollars of your tax money! Oh yeah, and while I was at it, just for fun, I looked up the TARP bill. Its also attached (that's even crazier than the 09 Stimulus Bill)
TITLE I—AGRICULTURE, RURAL DEVELOPMENT, FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION, AND RELATED AGENCIES
TITLE II—COMMERCE, JUSTICE, SCIENCE, AND RELATED AGENCIES
TITLE III—DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
TITLE IV—ENERGY AND WATER DEVELOPMENT
TITLE V—FINANCIAL SERVICES AND GENERAL GOVERNMENT
TITLE VI—DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY
TITLE VII—INTERIOR, ENVIRONMENT, AND RELATED AGENCIES
TITLE VIII—DEPARTMENTS OF LABOR, HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, AND EDUCATION, AND RELATED AGENCIES
TITLE IX—LEGISLATIVE BRANCH
TITLE X—MILITARY CONSTRUCTION AND VETERANS AFFAIRS AND RELATED AGENCIES
TITLE XI—STATE, FOREIGN OPERATIONS, AND RELATED PROGRAMS
TITLE XII—TRANSPORTATION, HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT, AND RELATED AGENCIES
TITLE XIII—HEALTH INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
TITLE XIV—STATE FISCAL STABILIZATION
TITLE XV—RECOVERY ACCOUNTABILITY AND TRANSPARENCY BOARD AND RECOVERY INDEPENDENT ADVISORY PANEL
TITLE XVI—GENERAL PROVISIONS—THIS ACT DIVISION B—TAX, UNEMPLOYMENT, HEALTH, STATE FISCAL RELIEF, AND OTHER PROVISIONS
TITLE I—TAX PROVISIONS
TITLE II—ASSISTANCE FOR UNEMPLOYED WORKERS AND STRUGGLING FAMILIES
TITLE III—HEALTH INSURANCE ASSISTANCE
TITLE IV—HEALTH INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
TITLE V—STATE FISCAL RELIEF
2008 TARP Bill.pdf (590KB)
2009 Stimulus Bill.pdf (1301KB)
On Thursday or Friday will post more wonderful pics from Great wall and describe my visit to Beijing!
And here's your Ruby Tuesday offering from Janell:
I don't have grandchildren, but I do have several greatnieces and greatnephews.
This is my greatnephew, Brooks, having a football lesson from my niece,Kim. Aren't they cute?
Catch it, Brooks!
They were here for Thanksgiving.
(No, he didn't catch it that time, but he came awfully darn close!)
Saturday, February 07, 2009
Happy Birthday, Joe!!!
My Blog partner Joe B, is celebrating his 36th birthday on the Great Wall. Guess what he had for supper? Yup - Mandarin food.
Joe, when you come to see us in Nebraska, we'll make you a proper Redneck birthday party with smoked brisket, scalloped potatoes, chocolate cake and home made ice cream.
And margaritas... or the spirits of your choice.
My Blog partner Joe B, is celebrating his 36th birthday on the Great Wall. Guess what he had for supper? Yup - Mandarin food.
Joe, when you come to see us in Nebraska, we'll make you a proper Redneck birthday party with smoked brisket, scalloped potatoes, chocolate cake and home made ice cream.
And margaritas... or the spirits of your choice.
Wednesday, February 04, 2009
Here's one for Shelby:
She came to see what I had for Ruby Tuesday yesterday, and I let her down. So I'm posting one of my favorites from my personal collection. This is Bubba (on the left) and his mother, Jasmine in '99 or so. Today (Feb 4) is the anniversary of the day I had to have Jasmine euthanized, so I was thinking about her today. Here is a poem by Stanley Garrison that I like:
Somewhere, somewhere, in time's own space,
There must be some sweet pastured place.
Where creeks sing on and soft winds blow,
Some Paradise, where horses go.
For by the love that guides my pen,
I know great horses live again.
PS Make sure you scroll down and see Joe's post for today, too!
She came to see what I had for Ruby Tuesday yesterday, and I let her down. So I'm posting one of my favorites from my personal collection. This is Bubba (on the left) and his mother, Jasmine in '99 or so. Today (Feb 4) is the anniversary of the day I had to have Jasmine euthanized, so I was thinking about her today. Here is a poem by Stanley Garrison that I like:
Somewhere, somewhere, in time's own space,
There must be some sweet pastured place.
Where creeks sing on and soft winds blow,
Some Paradise, where horses go.
For by the love that guides my pen,
I know great horses live again.
PS Make sure you scroll down and see Joe's post for today, too!
Catchin Up!
Personal & Economic...
How have you all been? Let's catch up shall we? Janell & gang I miss you. I really do! Thanks Giving, Christmas and New Year were great. There is nothing more beutiful than seeing a 2 year old open his christmas gifts. We've been having so much fun with little Joe, its great.
I have been working like crazy since Nov. Basically, I've been deeply involved in restructuing activities. Specifically in Europe and China. This means we have to get our cost in control, the biggest cost is people (and they are expensive over there). I am not proud of it, but if we are top heavy we are top heavy. Lots of people had to go, so that the company can stay afloat. Most were Europeans, so atleast they won't have to worry about Healthcare.
I love it when people say, we need to do the right thing and not lay anyone off. I'll never know how close I came to losing my own job, but I was prepared for it. We also laid off a few folks in North America, I can't profile people who got let go. But there does seem to be less Obama bumper stickers in the parking lot... he he. Don't worry, he'll save them! I can't tell any of you directly what company I work for, but any of you that know Janell can ask via email. Has the economy impacted many of you, I can say it impacted me. I am not happy about it. In December my company announced no raises in 2008 (I know I would have gotten one based on my performance) and no 401K match. This amounts to a 4% Pay cut, really sucks! Bonuses, Gonzo! Tough to get a bonus when you lose a couple hundred million dollars as a division. Some people in our company got / will get their bonuses. Deservingly so I might add, even within companies that lose money there are people that earned bonuses based on their contributions. Hey, atleast we are not using bailout money.
Leaving for Beijing Wednesday, feb 4th. Going for a week, going to really miss little Joe and Heather. Completely un-related note, I got a great bumper sticker for my Hummer. It reads "Carbon Neutral" on the back. Speaking of which, is it cold or what. Somebody call Al Gore, we need some of that warming!
Politics - Ahhh... the juicy stuff.
In case you were wondering, my disappearance was not a direct result of the election. I've been dying to post on all the stuff going on. So much has happened I forgot stuff I wanted to share... How do you all think the annointed one is doin as prez? Am I being racist by making fun of him? Its easy to critisize the man at the top, but its not so easy once you are there! "But give him some time, we should respeect him for atleast 100 days"... Its tradition! I didn't start following politics until after the 2000 election (I voted Gore) and was shocked how people tried to destroy Bush from Day 1. I am not 43's #1 fan, but he was a decent Prez. I am unhappy with him because he went real soft at the end there and paved the way for 44 to nationalize and socialize.
Couple of observations, I am sure you've heard them before...
The Transition:
Bill Richardson had to withdraw his nomination as commerce secretary because of a "Pay for Play Scandal" very similar to Govener (former) Blagojevich. Obama's education nominee cannot speak proper grammar. The Treasury nominee doesn't pay taxes. The nominee for attorney general worked in the pardon office under President Clinton and admits/claims he didn't know anything about pardons of terrorists. Obama's top terrorism advisor was involved in a security breach (Sandy Berger). Our new Secretary of State's husband, wild Bill, received dubious monies from the chinese and Saudi's.
The administration in Power:...
By authorizing the closure of Gitmo, we grant terrorists more rights than we gave the Governor of Illinois (I am not defending him here, but the point is valid). That very same day, Obama moved to take away the rights of the unborn by funding abortions overseas. So I guess we value terrorists more than unborn children. Nice! We nominate and confirm a Treasury Secretary who doesn't pay taxes, only to be followed by a Health and Human Services Secretary who evaded his taxes(Daschle) He withdraws under pressure. Then Obama's Chief Performance Officer, whatever that is, withdraws her nomination because she forgot to pay taxes. He pushes a "bi-partisan stimulous package" which is really a pork bill. The $850 infrasturcure bill is only about 10% infrastructure and the rest is pork. It passes the house, but the word "bi-Partisan is mis-leading." Every republican, along with 12 democrats voted against the bill and only Democrats passed the bill. So the bi-partisanship was against the bill not for it!
The president actually said in an interview, that "now is not a time for profits!" He specifically chastizes Rush Limbaugh and comments on a company that spent $1.2 million on a bathroom. What people don't know is that bathroom was actually paid for in Jan of 2008, before the company failed and received any TARP money. Oh by the way, the Obama's hired the same decorator as Merill Lynch to re-decorate the White House. Companies that took government bailouts, Automakers and Banks alike, are all shocked that the Federal government is telling them they can't hand out bonuses and buy jets. I know that sounds crazy to a lot of people, but this is the exact reason we should have let them run into the ground, GM included! So you people that want "free" healthcare, look at the example here. Government "gives" you something, don't think it won't have strings attached!
Congress:
Nancy Pelosi says that "Family Planning Services" ... Uggh.. Abortions.. actually help control costs. They manage to pass, and Obama signs into law, the new SChip Bill. Makes people feel good, because we are giving free healthcare to "Children". Well, dirty little secret is.. We expanded the definition of Children to 23 Years of age and don't require ID's and illegals can take advanage of the program. We funded this of course by raising the cigarette tax, we all know who this has the biggest impact on. The poor! Did I forget to mention that Barney Frank, House Finance Comittee Chair, said that "free markets don't work". Nice.
I feel better, got a load off with that rant. Will post pictures from China this week. How are you all doing? Sorry I didn't spell check, its late.
Personal & Economic...
How have you all been? Let's catch up shall we? Janell & gang I miss you. I really do! Thanks Giving, Christmas and New Year were great. There is nothing more beutiful than seeing a 2 year old open his christmas gifts. We've been having so much fun with little Joe, its great.
I have been working like crazy since Nov. Basically, I've been deeply involved in restructuing activities. Specifically in Europe and China. This means we have to get our cost in control, the biggest cost is people (and they are expensive over there). I am not proud of it, but if we are top heavy we are top heavy. Lots of people had to go, so that the company can stay afloat. Most were Europeans, so atleast they won't have to worry about Healthcare.
I love it when people say, we need to do the right thing and not lay anyone off. I'll never know how close I came to losing my own job, but I was prepared for it. We also laid off a few folks in North America, I can't profile people who got let go. But there does seem to be less Obama bumper stickers in the parking lot... he he. Don't worry, he'll save them! I can't tell any of you directly what company I work for, but any of you that know Janell can ask via email. Has the economy impacted many of you, I can say it impacted me. I am not happy about it. In December my company announced no raises in 2008 (I know I would have gotten one based on my performance) and no 401K match. This amounts to a 4% Pay cut, really sucks! Bonuses, Gonzo! Tough to get a bonus when you lose a couple hundred million dollars as a division. Some people in our company got / will get their bonuses. Deservingly so I might add, even within companies that lose money there are people that earned bonuses based on their contributions. Hey, atleast we are not using bailout money.
Leaving for Beijing Wednesday, feb 4th. Going for a week, going to really miss little Joe and Heather. Completely un-related note, I got a great bumper sticker for my Hummer. It reads "Carbon Neutral" on the back. Speaking of which, is it cold or what. Somebody call Al Gore, we need some of that warming!
Politics - Ahhh... the juicy stuff.
In case you were wondering, my disappearance was not a direct result of the election. I've been dying to post on all the stuff going on. So much has happened I forgot stuff I wanted to share... How do you all think the annointed one is doin as prez? Am I being racist by making fun of him? Its easy to critisize the man at the top, but its not so easy once you are there! "But give him some time, we should respeect him for atleast 100 days"... Its tradition! I didn't start following politics until after the 2000 election (I voted Gore) and was shocked how people tried to destroy Bush from Day 1. I am not 43's #1 fan, but he was a decent Prez. I am unhappy with him because he went real soft at the end there and paved the way for 44 to nationalize and socialize.
Couple of observations, I am sure you've heard them before...
The Transition:
Bill Richardson had to withdraw his nomination as commerce secretary because of a "Pay for Play Scandal" very similar to Govener (former) Blagojevich. Obama's education nominee cannot speak proper grammar. The Treasury nominee doesn't pay taxes. The nominee for attorney general worked in the pardon office under President Clinton and admits/claims he didn't know anything about pardons of terrorists. Obama's top terrorism advisor was involved in a security breach (Sandy Berger). Our new Secretary of State's husband, wild Bill, received dubious monies from the chinese and Saudi's.
The administration in Power:...
By authorizing the closure of Gitmo, we grant terrorists more rights than we gave the Governor of Illinois (I am not defending him here, but the point is valid). That very same day, Obama moved to take away the rights of the unborn by funding abortions overseas. So I guess we value terrorists more than unborn children. Nice! We nominate and confirm a Treasury Secretary who doesn't pay taxes, only to be followed by a Health and Human Services Secretary who evaded his taxes(Daschle) He withdraws under pressure. Then Obama's Chief Performance Officer, whatever that is, withdraws her nomination because she forgot to pay taxes. He pushes a "bi-partisan stimulous package" which is really a pork bill. The $850 infrasturcure bill is only about 10% infrastructure and the rest is pork. It passes the house, but the word "bi-Partisan is mis-leading." Every republican, along with 12 democrats voted against the bill and only Democrats passed the bill. So the bi-partisanship was against the bill not for it!
The president actually said in an interview, that "now is not a time for profits!" He specifically chastizes Rush Limbaugh and comments on a company that spent $1.2 million on a bathroom. What people don't know is that bathroom was actually paid for in Jan of 2008, before the company failed and received any TARP money. Oh by the way, the Obama's hired the same decorator as Merill Lynch to re-decorate the White House. Companies that took government bailouts, Automakers and Banks alike, are all shocked that the Federal government is telling them they can't hand out bonuses and buy jets. I know that sounds crazy to a lot of people, but this is the exact reason we should have let them run into the ground, GM included! So you people that want "free" healthcare, look at the example here. Government "gives" you something, don't think it won't have strings attached!
Congress:
Nancy Pelosi says that "Family Planning Services" ... Uggh.. Abortions.. actually help control costs. They manage to pass, and Obama signs into law, the new SChip Bill. Makes people feel good, because we are giving free healthcare to "Children". Well, dirty little secret is.. We expanded the definition of Children to 23 Years of age and don't require ID's and illegals can take advanage of the program. We funded this of course by raising the cigarette tax, we all know who this has the biggest impact on. The poor! Did I forget to mention that Barney Frank, House Finance Comittee Chair, said that "free markets don't work". Nice.
I feel better, got a load off with that rant. Will post pictures from China this week. How are you all doing? Sorry I didn't spell check, its late.
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Ruby Tuesday
Pretty Dala Horses. These live on a power pole in Oakland, Nebraska. Oakland markets itself as "The Swedish Capital of Nebraska." They have a Swedish Festival every other June that's lots of fun to attend - good old Smalltown, USA type fun. The Dala Horses that decorate their main street have their origin in Sweden in the district of (duh!) Dala. I've also heard them called Viking Horses. They aren't all red, but the ones I chose for Ruby Tuesday had to be.
If it doesn't stop snowing pretty soon, I'm going to have to start doing "White Wednesdays!"
Pretty Dala Horses. These live on a power pole in Oakland, Nebraska. Oakland markets itself as "The Swedish Capital of Nebraska." They have a Swedish Festival every other June that's lots of fun to attend - good old Smalltown, USA type fun. The Dala Horses that decorate their main street have their origin in Sweden in the district of (duh!) Dala. I've also heard them called Viking Horses. They aren't all red, but the ones I chose for Ruby Tuesday had to be.
If it doesn't stop snowing pretty soon, I'm going to have to start doing "White Wednesdays!"
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Monday, January 19, 2009
What was I like in High School?
(This is for Scarlet. I was afraid it would get too long to put in her comments.)
Around these here parts, High School is grades 9-12, so I’m trying to keep it within those years (1971-1974).
I was pretty lazy when it came to school work. Most of my grades were at least a “C”. One of my science teachers mercifully gave me a “D” one year, even though I didn’t earn it. He was a good enough teacher, I just had some kind of mental block and wouldn’t allow myself to learn his subject. When I went to college in 1985, I earned an “A+” in his subject, which causes me to think that youth is not wasted on the young, but maybe education is. So I wasn’t a brain by any stretch of the imagination.
I was as much of an athlete as they allowed girls to be back then. I did very well in track at the long distances – at least until I started smoking. The longest distance a girl could compete in at that time was the 880. That was when it was still measured in yards, not meters. 880 was twice around the track and I qualified for State one year, where I came in 8th or 9th. I was also on an 880 relay team that still holds the school record. We didn’t have a girl’s basketball team at my school, but we played volleyball. We also qualified for state tournament my Sophomore year and I got to play for a few minutes. I really wasn’t tall enough to be a good spiker and I was too skinny to muster up a power serve. In the summers, I played on a fast-pitch softball team. We weren’t very good. One of the girls’ moms was the coach and I think my mom was her assistant. We mostly just showed up and played.
Another thing I enjoyed competing in was Declam. The Declam team had several categories: poetry, prose, drama, extemporaneous speaking and so on. I did readings in poetry and prose and participated in the drama. Our Declam coach was very liberal minded. We met at his basement apartment for practices and he’d let us smoke. I’m sure he would have gotten into deep trouble if we’d gotten caught.
The thing I most enjoyed was the music activities; I was in Mixed Chorus, Girls Glee, Swing Choir, marching band, pep band and concert band. For as small of a school as we were, we always managed to really kick butt when it came to music competitions. That was always a lot of fun.
I think if you asked any of the 32 people I graduated with about me, they would remember me as kind of a flake. Not really very smart, but fairly good at some things. I remember feeling lonely a lot of times. My dad died when I was 13 and I had a lot of trouble coming to terms with that. I didn’t get into a lot of trouble in High School, but that was because I was good at being sneaky and didn’t get caught.
I’d continue with this and post some of the things I’m ashamed of, but my kids read this once in a while and I’d be embarrassed to have them know certain things about my past.
SO, now it’s someone else’s turn; what were YOU like in High School?
(This is for Scarlet. I was afraid it would get too long to put in her comments.)
Around these here parts, High School is grades 9-12, so I’m trying to keep it within those years (1971-1974).
I was pretty lazy when it came to school work. Most of my grades were at least a “C”. One of my science teachers mercifully gave me a “D” one year, even though I didn’t earn it. He was a good enough teacher, I just had some kind of mental block and wouldn’t allow myself to learn his subject. When I went to college in 1985, I earned an “A+” in his subject, which causes me to think that youth is not wasted on the young, but maybe education is. So I wasn’t a brain by any stretch of the imagination.
I was as much of an athlete as they allowed girls to be back then. I did very well in track at the long distances – at least until I started smoking. The longest distance a girl could compete in at that time was the 880. That was when it was still measured in yards, not meters. 880 was twice around the track and I qualified for State one year, where I came in 8th or 9th. I was also on an 880 relay team that still holds the school record. We didn’t have a girl’s basketball team at my school, but we played volleyball. We also qualified for state tournament my Sophomore year and I got to play for a few minutes. I really wasn’t tall enough to be a good spiker and I was too skinny to muster up a power serve. In the summers, I played on a fast-pitch softball team. We weren’t very good. One of the girls’ moms was the coach and I think my mom was her assistant. We mostly just showed up and played.
Another thing I enjoyed competing in was Declam. The Declam team had several categories: poetry, prose, drama, extemporaneous speaking and so on. I did readings in poetry and prose and participated in the drama. Our Declam coach was very liberal minded. We met at his basement apartment for practices and he’d let us smoke. I’m sure he would have gotten into deep trouble if we’d gotten caught.
The thing I most enjoyed was the music activities; I was in Mixed Chorus, Girls Glee, Swing Choir, marching band, pep band and concert band. For as small of a school as we were, we always managed to really kick butt when it came to music competitions. That was always a lot of fun.
I think if you asked any of the 32 people I graduated with about me, they would remember me as kind of a flake. Not really very smart, but fairly good at some things. I remember feeling lonely a lot of times. My dad died when I was 13 and I had a lot of trouble coming to terms with that. I didn’t get into a lot of trouble in High School, but that was because I was good at being sneaky and didn’t get caught.
I’d continue with this and post some of the things I’m ashamed of, but my kids read this once in a while and I’d be embarrassed to have them know certain things about my past.
SO, now it’s someone else’s turn; what were YOU like in High School?
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