DEEP THOUGHTS: Okay, some not so deep. But sometimes a muse comes upon and the immenseness of the thoughts must be preserved
The Science and Creativity of Being Organized
Introduction- Why even Bother?
"Does anyone here bother with a list when going to the grocery?" the message stated. Before even clicking open the post in the cooking newsgroup I had to pause.
No list when going to the grocery? How does one know what to buy?
"I just peruse the aisles, choosing hither and yon," one post began.
"I remember the time we kept buying jugs of catsup, always thinking we were out only to discover two more jugs in the pantry," yet another post proudly proclaimed.
"Sometimes I forget the aluminum foil and have to run back out," a third poster giggled.
Why, I was appalled.
Here are perfectly sane people admitting to spending more money than required and wasting more time than wise.
Even for the list-impaired I 'd think a scribbled notation on the barest of paper scraps to be almost mandatory for a grocery trip.
I, of course, have my grocery list on my Palm Pilot, sorted in aisle order and carefully itemized to include sizes required and sale items upon. My plastic bags are quickly pulled down from the hook and their container used as tote to return them to the store for recycling. In a pocket of the tote I stick a paper-clipped bound sheaf of green grocery tapes to stuff into the grocery store receptacle for same, said tapes allowing my high school to purchase computers and such. Yes, my grocery list indicates I should do these things first before scanning the aisles.
I'm in and out of there within a half hour, deli waits and all.
If the mood of the moment compels me to linger, than I can linger. It's small matter to quickly fold up that Palm Pilot and take mine time.
The other way I figure, there's no choice. It's glide down all grocery aisles to have memory jogged or risk forgetting a needed item. Even then needed items are forgotten and un-needed ones purchased.
This was a cooking newsgroup, of course. Participants in this forum could reasonably be expected to actually enjoy time spent in the grocery so such crimes against even this minimalist form of organization might be understandable.
Consider my neighbor, a fine woman and teacher of our county's children. Hardly a casual porch moment goes by that I don't see this wildly unorganized woman running up and down her sidewalk in a hurry going to and from somewhere.
"I forgot to get olives," she shouted out a hasty explanation to my sitting and garden-gazing self who didn't require an explanation as it is still a free country after all. If this woman wants to spend her life forever running out for a forgotten purchase, it is, of course, her choice.
"Pat, you never seem in a hurry. I'm really jealous. Me, I've got kids, a job, a husband and two dogs ..." at which point her tirade ended as she entered her vehicle. As I watched her pull from the driveway I tried to control my umbrage. It so happened at that time in my life I had no children living at home. I did, however, have a husband, eight cats and two dogs. And there were times in my life when I've had three constantly hungry teenagers and as I recall I still wasn't spending the better part of my life chasing errands. As for a job, well I had one too and my uncharitable umbrage couldn't quell my disdain that THIS woman's job allowed her to be home for the entire summer.
Put simply, NO. My porch times were not lucky events, the result of a life unfettered with bosses and husbands and deadlines. My porch times were carefully planned, a respite time without which my inner self would whither and die. Surely my neighbor had respite times even if not my choice of quiet garden gazing. A good book, maybe. A long bath, perhaps. Whatever, the woman certainly wasn't getting much of it as the constant errands had to be impinging upon the quiet time we all need.
Had the woman included a simple notation of 'olives' on her grocery list she'd have time for that book or bath is what I'm saying here. The act of grabbing the purse and sweater, locking the house, running to the car, driving to the grocery , searching for the olives, checking out and returning home probably cost her at a minimum one half hour of time. A half an hour for the novel and scented-oil bath, I figure. Add the half hours this woman probably wastes in a day and whew, I figure she could likely read War and Peace as the skin on her toes shrivels from the aromatic bath waters.
I often consider the uncharitable folks who poke fun at organized persons such as myself. They would never be slaves to schedules, I've heard them exclaim. To plan one's life so scrupulously eliminates the spontaneity, they argue. There's more to life than lists, they proclaim.
My organizational skills have led to a job teaching businesses this same art. Along with this full time business, I write novels and essays. Almost every Christmas I design, make and distribute my gifts. I regularly cook gourmet meals and share them with colleagues. I daily pet my cats and dogs, commune physically and mentally with my spouse, read and ruminate on national politics, give lectures on Backyard Wildlife Habitats, plant and plan the many gardens on my large lot, design and engineer the rehabilitation of the old house in which I live and yes, I love to curl up with a good book, reading as many as five a week.
It's a fine life and goodness, I still have to learn origami, master the art of the hand-made noodle and till my dying days figure out how to turn out a handsome loaf of home-made bread.
It is not to the posters of the food newsgroup for whom I write this book though I want to shake them silly that wouldn't they rather spend their time in the kitchen than in the grocery? And it's not to scatter-brained neighbors to whom I preach, unless, of course, they fall in the category of those who wish they had more time but know not where to begin. For the chosen, this book is but a compendium of suggestions on getting organized. More than this, the words within are designed to direct one to an organized lifestyle, starting with the impetus to get there.
It's like a diet. It might be well and good to starve and suffer a few weeks to shed a few unwanted pounds. But until one's eating lifestyle is changed by attitude, the pounds will come back. And so it is with the terminally unorganized. It's a day by day process, requiring both foresight and hindsight until the lifestyle is ingrained and no longer requiring constant monitoring.
Read on those who want control over your lives. For being organized is a state of mind and only related to labels and lists as a hammer is to a carpenter. Such as lists, labels and hammers are merely tools. And shoving a hammer into any outstretched hand does not a carpenter make. Nor will a pretty list make a disjointed human an organized marvel of humanity.
It comes from within and if willing, read on and give it a try.
Chapter 1-Start With the Little Things
My in-laws are about the most practical folks one might meet; solid, prairie-hardy Midwesterners who would never be involved in any action considered foolish. Yet, for the past ten years, they have had their kitchen trash can directly in front of their back door and so far I've been able to refrain from shouts of idiocy. Every time one wanted to exit the back door, the trash can had to be moved.
Some might argue it's small problem to push the thing out of the way and given an unusual circumstance requiring the rubbish can to sit in front of the door, it would be true. But in the routine natural order of things? Pushing the thing around some two to three times a day for almost a life time?
Now about that can opener.
Where is yours?
There are, of course, many types and designs of can openers. If yours is electric and sitting upon your counter, fine. If yours is a 'swingaway' hanging type, fine again. Assuming both of the aforementioned types are easily accessible, no problem. How about those of us with hand can openers? The kind that have to be pulled from a drawer for use? For whatever reason, many choose this type of opener.
It's no mind the type of can opener except that the darn thing is instantly accessible! For how many times a day must we open a can? Anyone out there who opens at least one can a day (and I'm betting most of us open far more than one in any given day) should look and see where their can opener is. If it's not within arm's reach (not in a drawer
or closet) of the area where we open the cans then we are stupid. After five years of wrestling my hand can opener out of a drawer full of gadgets I finally got a clue, pounded a nail somewhere unobtrusive and hung the thing over the nail by its crotch. I figure I've saved maybe five minutes a day fishing for the thing, which adds up to over a half an hour a week until we're getting close to a full day a year just pulling out a drawer, wrestling out a can opener, squeezing it back in the drawer and slamming it shut!
Which is the point. Don't be stupid. Begin a life of creative organization at the lowest denominator. Sit down and write a list of all the utensils, tools, implements and gadgets that you use at least once every day. Then go find that item and note if it is within easy access to the locale where it must be used.
If you dry your hair every day with a hair dryer, than the thing should be within arm's reach of where you usually dry your hair. At times aesthetics and taste might require some items to be behind closed doors. Which is fine but bear in mind that the closed door should still be somewhere within arm's reach and it might be time to re-visit your sense of aesthetics if a greater portion of your days are spent opening and closing drawers or closets. Plenty of hair dryers hang on wall brackets and look perfectly nice is what I'm saying here.
Car keys, goodness how many days a year do you suppose we spend looking for them, digging them out of purses, stuffing them back in, ad nauseam? Finally I got myself a big solid ring, rigged up my keys to hang securely from the thing, and looped the strap of my pocketbook through the ring. Now my keys hang directly from my pocketbook and always right there when I need them most. Sure they jangle around when I walk but so far as I know I don't offend anyone. No one's going to get those keys unless they steal the purse and if they were stealing my purse with the keys hanging outside they'd likely try to swipe the thing with the keys inside so either way I'd be without my purse or keys.
I liked this idea so much I shopped around and found me an inexpensive wallet with a velcro closure. All of my credit and bank cards are tucked carefully within its folds and I'll put a few dollars in the billfold. The thing came with a sturdy key ring sewn in so I attached it to my key ring hanging on the strap of my purse. Now I don't even have to search through my purse for my wallet! Just reach right on down and boom, credit cards and bank card are right there. I have a smaller change purse inside my pocketbook for those rare occasions when I might have more cash to carry then $20. Don't want some pick-pocket loosening up that velcro closure and helping themselves to easy pickings. Again, a purse snatcher would get these items whether or not they were hanging from my strap or not, so why not make it convenient for me at no increased risk?
Then there's the morning coffee. Or the morning whatever. Or the daily whatever. Let's stick to the time-honored American tradition of morning coffee. In your case it might be afternoon tea or some other ritual but the repetitiveness of it is the key here.
For many years I kept the canned coffee here, the coffee filters there, the cream, sugar and sweet and low in pretty containers over there. Spoons for stirring were in the drawer, naturally. One day I thought, why am I going all over the kitchen to prepare for a morning ritual that I do every day of my life?
I gathered the decorative creamer, sugar and sweet and low containers all together. I pulled the coffee filters from the low drawer as well as a can of coffee. I pulled down a plastic cup from the cupboard and got a spoon from the cutlery drawer.
It took some thought and creativity, but I dare say I have one of the most efficient coffee preparation areas as most anyone.
First, I looked around for a spot to handily store all of the items to prepare the coffee. And right there, directly above the coffee pot, was the cupboard containing my, well, my coffee cups. Though husband and I generally drink out of the same coffee cup every day I still had an entire cupboard full of cups that I rarely used. Quick as a flash I cleared all cups from the bottom shelf of that cupboard and put them in another cupboard, up in a high spot which was fine for things used seldom SHOULD be in the high spots. With that cleared shelf, I placed the creamer, sugar and sweet and low container, filled the plastic cup with clean water and stuck the spoon inside the cup of water. Close the cupboard and voila.....no mess in sight BUT....
"So where's the sugar?" husband sleepily asks the next morning.
"All sugar and creamer are in that cupboard."
"Which cupboard?"
"The cupboard directly above the coffee pot, right where it should be."
"This cupboard?" husband asks, pointing to the cabinet in an incredulous manner. For this was a kitchen cabinet which should hold dishes and such.
In disbelief he opens the cabinet and sure enough, all coffee condiments are on the lower shelf, in handy reach. After pouring sugar and cream in his cup, he pulls out the silverware drawer for a spoon.
"There's a spoon ready for stirring in the same cupboard," I stop him.
He peers in the cupboard again, curious.
"Right in the blue cup," I nudge him.
Husband pulls the spoon out of the cup, stirs his coffee, then starts to throw the spoon into the sink.
"Put the spoon back into the blue cup," I stop him again. "The cup has clean water in it. When we're done with coffee stuff for the day, I'll rinse out the cup and refill it again with clean water. This way we use ONE spoon all week to stir our coffee."
Of course, it's small matter to refill the cup with clean water because at the same time I am filling up the coffee pot for the following morning's coffee to begin with a touch of the switch.
With the individual coffee preparations now easily accessible, I had to figure out a way to prepare the entire pot of coffee with the same ease. First, I would need the filters handy. Then I would need the coffee can handy to dig out the scoops of coffee. I decided I didn't want to have to go digging, EVERY day, for coffee filters, the coffee scoop and the coffee can.
It made sense to scoop out coffee grounds and fill the filters once a week. This way I'd be availing myself of economies of scale by scooping from the can and filling the filter once a week for all seven days of the week.
What to store the prepared filters in, I pondered.
An old round ice bucket fit the bill perfectly. I spray painted it a pretty color to match my kitchen decor. Then I nailed a coat hook at the side of the cabinet under which the coffee pot sat and hung the ice bucket on it.
At days end I clean out the coffee pot and empty the used grounds. I then pull down the ice bucket, fish out a prepared filter and place it in the coffee basket. The coffee pot is filled to the appropriate line and the water poured into the coffee maker. While the water is running to fill the coffee pot, the cup of water is retrieved from the cabinet, rinsed clean along with the spoon. The cup is filled with fresh water and put back in the cupboard. A few seconds and coffee and all of the preparations are ready to go for the following day's busy morning. Since I was adding hooks, I put up two more to hold husband's and my favorite coffee cups, hung there after a rinsing along with the spoon-holding cup. They too are rinsed out during preparations for coffee the following morning.
I estimate I'm saving two to three days a year in coffee making preparation. Add another day for the can opener placement and already I've got an extra four days a year.
Begin the journey to creative organization this way. Get a jump on gaining the extra time the organizers promise by listing the daily tasks and rituals. Decide on a better way (and YES you can) to bring it all into focus, into one area, within one arm's reach. You'll quickly pick up extra time and be inspired to carry your creative organizational skills to higher levels.
Tuesday
Quotes/Notes: Guns and Doctors... more
It's Notable, Quotable, Ponderable and Worth the Thought
Consider the Following Statistic Carefully
John McCaslin’s “Inside the Beltway,” 11/19/04
Quote Word Game Challenge
I figured it out but it took a few minutes. The answer is a hoot.
- Rich Galen’s “Mullings,” 11/19/04M
Enough Said
- Columnist Ron Marr
A Little Reminder
In view of last week’s shooting by a hunter denied his blind, the following reminder of the facts is apropos.
Consider the Following Statistic Carefully
"Of the 3,153 counties in this country, Mr. Bush carried 2,542, while his Democratic opponent, Sen. John Kerry, carried only 611."
John McCaslin’s “Inside the Beltway,” 11/19/04
Quote Word Game Challenge
I figured it out but it took a few minutes. The answer is a hoot.
KING OF PARSE
“In an interview with ABC News Clinton is quoted as having said he never ‘lied to the American people about my job.’ The man is a parsing genius. Extra Credit Assignment: Pick a word -- describing the movement of air -- which, if inserted between ‘my’ and ‘job,’ renders Mr. Clinton's statement wholly inaccurate.”
- Rich Galen’s “Mullings,” 11/19/04M
Enough Said
"Rather than admit that the Democratic party is controlled by a lunatic fringe of actors, Marxists, traitors, environmental nut-jobs and all shape, size and color of deviants, bigots and vegetarian bi-polar power freaks in hemp underwear, the lib leaders curse Middle America for their own failure. . . . These vast numbers of rigid, Bible-wielding, totalitarian Christian fundamentalists are non-existent save in the minds of the liberal left, the network anchors and a goodly portion of newspaper editors."
- Columnist Ron Marr
A Little Reminder
In view of last week’s shooting by a hunter denied his blind, the following reminder of the facts is apropos.
Guns and Doctors
Doctors:
(A) The number of physicians in the U.S. is 700,000.
(B) Accidental deaths caused by Physicians per year is 120,000.
(C) Accidental deaths per physician are 0.171. Statistics courtesy of
U.S. Dept. of Health Human Services.
Guns:
(A) The number of gun owners in the U.S. is 80,000,000. Yes, that is 80 million.
(B) The number of accidental gun deaths per year, all age groups, is 1,500.
(C) The number of accidental deaths per gun owner is 0.000188.
Statistically, doctors are approximately
9,000 times more dangerous than gun owners.
Remember, "Guns don't kill people, doctors do."
Fact: NOT EVERYONE HAS A GUN, BUT ALMOST EVERYONE HAS AT LEAST ONE
DOCTOR.
Please alert your friends to this alarming threat.
We must ban doctors before this gets completely out of hand.
Out of concern for the public at large,
I have withheld the statistics on lawyers
for fear the shock would cause people to panic and seek
medical attention.
Sunday
Week/Passed:Ukraine, Assassination, and PEST
The Week Just Passed: Notes of important events from the week prior as Grandmother has determined, not the Old Media. With, as expected, Grandmother's input
The Biggest Story This Week Nobody Knows About
...Has got to be the election fiasco in the Ukraine. Which The Wise I has studied via various media and still struggles to grasp it all.
Let's shorten it to a synopsis for catch up. A candidate for President, YV, is buddies with Russian premier Putin. His opposition candidate, YS, is considered, wrongly perhaps, to be pro- western, pro-NATO, pro-EU.
According to most that I've read, YV won the election fraudulently. "Exit polls" was used as proof but I'm skeptical. Exit polls were totally wrong in the most recent US elections. However, when there are only 200,000 residents in a city and 350,000 of them show up to vote, this is suspicious.
As of this writing in this year of our Lord, there is a standoff at the Ukraine Parliament, with YS voters by the hundreds of thousands awaiting outside. Interestingly, Russian troops are being brought in and fitted with Ukraine security service outfits. Russian troops have no business in the Ukraine no more than if Russian troops were stationed in Ohio this past American election cycle.
Watch for more to hit the radar on this situation this coming week. Because sooner or later those disguised Russian troops are going to open fire on that huge crowd. OR that crowd is going to storm the parliament building.
People are going to die but the Ukrainian people were once part of the Soviet Union and it seems they don't want to be part of Putin's vision of a new USSR. For whatever reason, there's little coverage of all of this on The Old Media. Only the Bloggers seem to be covering it.
President Bush-Whatta Cowboy, huh?
John Kerry called his SS agent an SOB when the man accidently bumped into him on the ski slopes. Dubya went in and pulled his SS agent detained by Chilean guards right out of the hassle. Allegedly Bush told the scrappers that the SS man was with him and if he doesn't go in, then Bush doesn't go in.
In addition, scuttlebutt has it that there was a sloppy assassination attempt on Bush's life during this recent visit to South America. Couple this with the airplane that crashed on a Texas highway en route to pick up the elder Bush for a trip to South American, well, I'm just pointing this out.
That Strange Intelligence Bill
The Wise I struggles to understand all the brouhaha over the attempt to pass the Intelligence Overhaul bill this past week. This bill was recommended by the 9/11 commission and would provide for ONE person to be recipient of intelligence from all of the intelligence sources.
Supposedly Dubya wants the bill passed but I have my doubts about this.
Anyway, why is this thing being pushed through a lame duck congress anyway? Any fool can see the CIA is being overhauled on this day of our Lord so what's the rush? Then all week I see those partisans on the 9/11 commission out and about pushing this thing and again I am suspicious.
Everyone seems to be beating on the two house members who had issues with the bill. James Sensenbrenner Jr. is one of those opposed to the bill and I happened to listen to this very intelligent, well-spoken man on the Rush Limbaugh show last week. He stated that it was very stupid to pass this bill without there being some new and rigid standards on the granting of drivers' licenses by the states.
He's right. There is so much fraud and corruption across this country for driver's licenses. And obtaining a fraudulent driver's license is the ticket to unquestioned airline tickets, entry to the voting booth, and general recognition of citizenship. What good is it to overhaul our intelligence structure and leave this, the BIGGEST problem as regards terrorists and illegals in our midst, unaddressed?
As for President Bush, for whatever reason and although it's reported he is in favor of passage of the bill, The Wise I suspects not. First, he wasn't in favor of it before the election, why would he be now? I also hear the military has major problems with the concept of ONE national intelligence director. The military has intelligence operatives in the field and active during military operations. What a mess for the army, which has to move quickly, to sit and wait for one Grand poobah intelligent guru to pass the word that hey, right there, is a hostage house in Fallujah.
Finally, the Democrats desperately want this bill and for sure they don't want anyone messing with driver's licenses what with so many Democratic voters coming from the fraudulent licenses issues. This alone makes me think we should take our time and allow the new, lawfully elected congress debate the issue.
The Poor Children of Palestine
The Israel News reports the following:
So sad that these animals keep killing their own children in their hatred of Israel. The old saying is that the nation of Palestine will prosper when the Palestinians love their children more than they hate the Israelis.
Democrats Calling in the Shrinks
The news just keeps getting badder for the Democrats who can't accept their recent loss. Below another blow as, gasp, a federal judge thought the notion that two candidates who received less than a percent of the whole damn vote should hold up the proper processing of Ohio's election results. I bet those two Libertarian candidates got Democrat money for this stupid endeavor but that's just me.
Speaking of Democrats Who Can't Give It Up...
....The American Health Association (AHA) has proclaimed a new mental disorder: The Post Election Selection Truama.
Anything to put money in their pocket The Wise I says.
From the I Told You So Department
Below an excerpt from Andrea Peyser on Clinton's LIEbrary: Refer to my own missive on this very subject.. from last week's Week Just Passed missive
- New York Post columnist Andrea Peyser
The Biggest Story This Week Nobody Knows About
...Has got to be the election fiasco in the Ukraine. Which The Wise I has studied via various media and still struggles to grasp it all.
Let's shorten it to a synopsis for catch up. A candidate for President, YV, is buddies with Russian premier Putin. His opposition candidate, YS, is considered, wrongly perhaps, to be pro- western, pro-NATO, pro-EU.
According to most that I've read, YV won the election fraudulently. "Exit polls" was used as proof but I'm skeptical. Exit polls were totally wrong in the most recent US elections. However, when there are only 200,000 residents in a city and 350,000 of them show up to vote, this is suspicious.
As of this writing in this year of our Lord, there is a standoff at the Ukraine Parliament, with YS voters by the hundreds of thousands awaiting outside. Interestingly, Russian troops are being brought in and fitted with Ukraine security service outfits. Russian troops have no business in the Ukraine no more than if Russian troops were stationed in Ohio this past American election cycle.
Watch for more to hit the radar on this situation this coming week. Because sooner or later those disguised Russian troops are going to open fire on that huge crowd. OR that crowd is going to storm the parliament building.
People are going to die but the Ukrainian people were once part of the Soviet Union and it seems they don't want to be part of Putin's vision of a new USSR. For whatever reason, there's little coverage of all of this on The Old Media. Only the Bloggers seem to be covering it.
President Bush-Whatta Cowboy, huh?
John Kerry called his SS agent an SOB when the man accidently bumped into him on the ski slopes. Dubya went in and pulled his SS agent detained by Chilean guards right out of the hassle. Allegedly Bush told the scrappers that the SS man was with him and if he doesn't go in, then Bush doesn't go in.
In addition, scuttlebutt has it that there was a sloppy assassination attempt on Bush's life during this recent visit to South America. Couple this with the airplane that crashed on a Texas highway en route to pick up the elder Bush for a trip to South American, well, I'm just pointing this out.
President Bush stepped into the middle of a confrontation and pulled his lead Secret Service agent away from Chilean security officials who barred his bodyguards from entering an elegant dinner for 21 world leaders Saturday night.
Several Chilean and American agents got into a pushing and shoving match outside the cultural center where the dinner was held. The incident happened after Bush and his wife, Laura, had just posed for pictures on a red carpet with the host of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit, Chilean President Ricardo Lagos and his wife, Luisa Duran.
As Bush stepped inside, Chilean agents closed ranks at the door, blocking the president's agents from following. Stopping for more pictures, Bush noticed the fracas and turned back. He reached through the dispute and pulled his agent from the scrum and into the building.
The president, looking irritated, straightened his shirt cuffs as he went into the dinner. The incident was shown on APEC television.
"Chilean security tried to stop the president's Secret Service from accompanying him," said White House deputy press secretary Claire Buchan. "He told them they were with him and the issue was resolved."
That Strange Intelligence Bill
The Wise I struggles to understand all the brouhaha over the attempt to pass the Intelligence Overhaul bill this past week. This bill was recommended by the 9/11 commission and would provide for ONE person to be recipient of intelligence from all of the intelligence sources.
Supposedly Dubya wants the bill passed but I have my doubts about this.
Anyway, why is this thing being pushed through a lame duck congress anyway? Any fool can see the CIA is being overhauled on this day of our Lord so what's the rush? Then all week I see those partisans on the 9/11 commission out and about pushing this thing and again I am suspicious.
Everyone seems to be beating on the two house members who had issues with the bill. James Sensenbrenner Jr. is one of those opposed to the bill and I happened to listen to this very intelligent, well-spoken man on the Rush Limbaugh show last week. He stated that it was very stupid to pass this bill without there being some new and rigid standards on the granting of drivers' licenses by the states.
He's right. There is so much fraud and corruption across this country for driver's licenses. And obtaining a fraudulent driver's license is the ticket to unquestioned airline tickets, entry to the voting booth, and general recognition of citizenship. What good is it to overhaul our intelligence structure and leave this, the BIGGEST problem as regards terrorists and illegals in our midst, unaddressed?
As for President Bush, for whatever reason and although it's reported he is in favor of passage of the bill, The Wise I suspects not. First, he wasn't in favor of it before the election, why would he be now? I also hear the military has major problems with the concept of ONE national intelligence director. The military has intelligence operatives in the field and active during military operations. What a mess for the army, which has to move quickly, to sit and wait for one Grand poobah intelligent guru to pass the word that hey, right there, is a hostage house in Fallujah.
Finally, the Democrats desperately want this bill and for sure they don't want anyone messing with driver's licenses what with so many Democratic voters coming from the fraudulent licenses issues. This alone makes me think we should take our time and allow the new, lawfully elected congress debate the issue.
House Judiciary Committee Chairman James Sensenbrenner Jr. actively opposed passage of the compromise bill, saying that reforming U.S. intelligence without making it harder for illegal aliens to get legal ID cards was pointless. Sensenbrenner was subjected to a lot of arm-twisting over the weekend, urging him to go along to get along and cave in on the ILLEGAL immigration aspects of the bill...including a call from the president.
The Poor Children of Palestine
The Israel News reports the following:
Golani soldiers won special recognition for saving an innocent Arab child who was sent to provoke IDF soldiers into shooting him.
The two Golani soldiers recently were manning a check post near Gush Katif when a 10-year-old boy suddenly ran towards them. Despite fears that the child was carrying explosives, the soldiers did not fire.
"The child fell into the arms of one of the soldiers," said the troops' officer. "He hugged him to make sure he was not carrying a bomb. The child apparently received a few shekels to run towards the soldiers and provoke them into shooting."
So sad that these animals keep killing their own children in their hatred of Israel. The old saying is that the nation of Palestine will prosper when the Palestinians love their children more than they hate the Israelis.
Democrats Calling in the Shrinks
The news just keeps getting badder for the Democrats who can't accept their recent loss. Below another blow as, gasp, a federal judge thought the notion that two candidates who received less than a percent of the whole damn vote should hold up the proper processing of Ohio's election results. I bet those two Libertarian candidates got Democrat money for this stupid endeavor but that's just me.
A federal judge on Tuesday denied a request by third-party presidential candidates who wanted to force a recount of Ohio ballots even before the official count was finished.
U.S. District Judge James G. Carr in Toledo ruled that the candidates have a right under Ohio law to a recount, but they have not shown "that they will be harmed irreparably if the recount is not completed by the time Ohio's electors to the Electoral College must be certified."
The judge said Green Party presidential candidate David Cobb and Libertarian presidential candidate Michael Badnarik could not credibly claim that they did or could garner enough votes to have Ohio's presidential electors cast their votes for them.
Speaking of Democrats Who Can't Give It Up...
....The American Health Association (AHA) has proclaimed a new mental disorder: The Post Election Selection Truama.
Rob Gordon, the AHA executive director,
said these PESTs are like "the canaries in the mine shaft.
There could be thousands of others, even Republicans, who
need to be in therapy over this election."
Anything to put money in their pocket The Wise I says.
From the I Told You So Department
Below an excerpt from Andrea Peyser on Clinton's LIEbrary: Refer to my own missive on this very subject.. from last week's Week Just Passed missive
"On the first day real people not titled president or named Bono were allowed inside, I traveled to this land of delusion for an up-close peek at the William Jefferson Clinton Presidential Library - the ex-prez's glass-and-concrete personal acid trip. Now I get it.
"This jumbled tribute to history, Clinton-style, is not a museum in the classic sense. It tells deliberate lies. It tries too hard to be noticed. To be loved. Above all, to get in the last word. Which means Bill Clinton spent $165 million of other people's money for a glitzy homage to Madame Tussaud's - where he can smooth out the wrinkles, Wite-out the warts, and paint moustaches on those who defied him."
- New York Post columnist Andrea Peyser
Web Site of Week: The National ID Card
WebSite of the Week-Quirky, Interesting, Funny…When Creativity is Unleashed With No Censorship, You Never Know What You'll Get
Big Brother
It was a creative person who came up with this innovative web site of the week. Who knows, the scene enacted might possibly be the norm in Kaitlyn Mae’s adult life.
The National ID Card Comes of Age
Big Brother
It was a creative person who came up with this innovative web site of the week. Who knows, the scene enacted might possibly be the norm in Kaitlyn Mae’s adult life.
The National ID Card Comes of Age
TV/Week: Nanny 9-11, Rudolph, and Dr. House
The TV is mostly background noise to Grandmother but at times there may be a show actually worth attention.
TV Kicks off the Christmas Season
And there's lots to watch including a children's Christmas tale that will always fascinate little folks like Kaitlyn Mae.
On Monday, Nov. 29, Animal Planet presents an all new edition of "Pet Star". Check in on this show all pet owners and animal lovers. For the "tricks" these pets do are often, well, strange. But hey, I have a dacshund what can cha-cha and a Belgian Malinois that does an awesome slow dance. Not to mention that same big galoot shepherd dog will let me play the keyboards and drums right on her back.
On that same night, NBC will feature a special on Princess Di at 10 pm. Does anyone really care about her anymore? According to the promos, this show features "never before seen tapes" , something I cannot imagine possible. Ah, Princess Diana, the epitome of our naive lives before September 11, 2001.
On Tuesday, Nov. 30, at 8 pm, Fox premiers a new show titled simply "House" Who is evidently a physician of some sort. The promo blurb goes as follows:"Medical, Mystery, Occam's Razor A collegian collapses after raucous sex with his girlfriend, and Dr. House and his team scramble to figure out why.."
On Wednesday, Dec. 1, at 8pm, CBS is featuring the cartoon "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer. Hey, it's a classic. Must remind Kaitlyn's parents to tune in.
On the same night, at 9 pm, Fox is premiering a new show titled "Nanny, 9-11". The premise of this series is that families with a need of help with the children can call in an expert, the Nanny I must assume, and I would suppose there's a big finale "reveal" that features new, improved and happier children. Hey, it's a stretch but this week's show features a couple with Quadruplets. I can imagine a couple with quadruplets might need a Nanny.
On Friday, Dec. 3, at 9 pm, CBS is featuring "The Ice Wars" described as "USA vs the World". Well how can I not watch this? Beside having a fondness for ice skating, this sport presenting a visual that, okay, maybe women like it more.
On Saturday, Dec. 4, at 8 pm, NBC will show the movie "A Perfect Storm". Not being one to attend theaters, I welcome this much praised movie. Get your popcorn and check it out.
TV Kicks off the Christmas Season
And there's lots to watch including a children's Christmas tale that will always fascinate little folks like Kaitlyn Mae.
On Monday, Nov. 29, Animal Planet presents an all new edition of "Pet Star". Check in on this show all pet owners and animal lovers. For the "tricks" these pets do are often, well, strange. But hey, I have a dacshund what can cha-cha and a Belgian Malinois that does an awesome slow dance. Not to mention that same big galoot shepherd dog will let me play the keyboards and drums right on her back.
On that same night, NBC will feature a special on Princess Di at 10 pm. Does anyone really care about her anymore? According to the promos, this show features "never before seen tapes" , something I cannot imagine possible. Ah, Princess Diana, the epitome of our naive lives before September 11, 2001.
On Tuesday, Nov. 30, at 8 pm, Fox premiers a new show titled simply "House" Who is evidently a physician of some sort. The promo blurb goes as follows:"Medical, Mystery, Occam's Razor A collegian collapses after raucous sex with his girlfriend, and Dr. House and his team scramble to figure out why.."
On Wednesday, Dec. 1, at 8pm, CBS is featuring the cartoon "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer. Hey, it's a classic. Must remind Kaitlyn's parents to tune in.
On the same night, at 9 pm, Fox is premiering a new show titled "Nanny, 9-11". The premise of this series is that families with a need of help with the children can call in an expert, the Nanny I must assume, and I would suppose there's a big finale "reveal" that features new, improved and happier children. Hey, it's a stretch but this week's show features a couple with Quadruplets. I can imagine a couple with quadruplets might need a Nanny.
On Friday, Dec. 3, at 9 pm, CBS is featuring "The Ice Wars" described as "USA vs the World". Well how can I not watch this? Beside having a fondness for ice skating, this sport presenting a visual that, okay, maybe women like it more.
On Saturday, Dec. 4, at 8 pm, NBC will show the movie "A Perfect Storm". Not being one to attend theaters, I welcome this much praised movie. Get your popcorn and check it out.
Saturday
Grandmother Deep Thoughts: The Tidy Nest-Part 2
Okay, some not so deep. But sometimes a muse comes upon and the immenseness of the thoughts must be preserved
The Tidy Nest-Part 2
I refer yon reader to part 1of this missive where The Wise I illustrates, using the birds of my backyard, why the male of most species cannot be charged with designing and maintaining the nest, such as it may be.
Now I ask that sweet Kaityn, as well as yon reader, pay attention to the cleaning wisdom about to blossom before amazed eyes.
There will be no espousal of particular cleaning products as there are no such advertisers on the Blog. Although some cleaning products might deserve mention but only if Grandmother has uses it, approves it, and recommends same to sweet Granddaughter. Not, understand, based on advertising revenues and not the sort of gentle cleaning advice one might receive from the more dignified ladies’ magazine journals.
Because first thing, Kaitlyn Mae, before beginning any plan as regards regular cleaning and maintenance of any living abode, there should be a distinct plan. Which should start before the purchase and placement of any objects, either useful or decorative, in the living areas.
What I’m saying here is that certain objects and designs tend to attract dust and dirt more than others not to mention their very placement in the house can affect future effort as concerns the time spent cleaning them.
Dried flowers, for instance, or those ubiquitous twiggy things so popular with the decorators, are magnets for any dust or debris floating in the air. Which is not to disdain these objects if one so admires, but adapt a proper cleaning attitude about these things before any impromptu purchase.
Grandmother has learned this lesson the hard way throughout her years. There was a time when I loved froufrou and gadgets spread across the walls or placed artfully on the coffee tables. I would always choose the most scrolled or decorative handles of course as part of the wooden curlicued furniture I tended to be drawn to. With the purchase of my more modern home and after a thirteen year stint in the Adams Family house, I applied my hard-earned lessons that I not spend my nights and weekends Q-tips in hand to remove the grease and dust from the nooks and crannies of my elegantly carved furniture.
As a result my new home, one that also required an almost full house purchase of new furniture that old junk not be transported across state lines, has taken on a more sleek and lean look of late.
Not that it was my choice to eschew any sort of knob on the kitchen cabinets as the previous owners built the place to their personal specifications without consulting with me. But if I had any advice to give to any young women with a choice about such things, I’d always recommend elimination of knobs on the kitchen cabinets.
Now Grandmother understands that specific sensibilities would require proper knobs on the kitchen cabinets so this is where that attitude thing kicks in. Because nothing gathers greasy dust more than the knobs on the kitchen cabinets and if one has a choice and if one so chooses, be prepared to spend many minutes each week delicately cleaning the objects.
Same rule applies given any choice in the building and decorating of the abode. Give the time required to clean the object equal weight with the decorative or practical value of the object. After such thought, adjust the attitude to match the choice so equitably made.
Froufrou requires more cleaning attention, Kaitlyn Mae, and there’s no easier way to put it.
Yes Grandmother has seen many elegant houses in the rotogravure and on the home decorating shows. Grand vases sit proudly sprouting pussy willow branches, gleaming white rugs embrace handsomely polished hardwood floors and fine collections line perfectly polished shelves.
These people have someone come in and clean for them, Kaitlyn Mae. Not that there’s anything wrong with that but it’s a foregone conclusion that the more space in the house, the more area to clean and the more froufrou the more dust and dirt all about. Anyone with five thousand square foot of living space can afford cleaning help is what I’m saying here.
Most of us clean our own homes and most times it’s the female in charge of such a thing. Thus by including cleaning needs as consideration before all purchase and placement, some of the cleaning tasks can be avoided in the future.
Now we must come up with a cleaning plan, Kaitlyn Mae, and the plan should consider all things to include time budget allowed for such tasks, sensibilities offended by certain sorts of dirt and clutter and , well, just how clean do you want it?
Grandmother doesn’t consider the cleaning task all that much fun although, like most women, when the dirt starts to shout and scream too much then such as wiping and mopping are much like finally waging a much needed war.
Once a month, I decided, one entire day could be devoted to cleaning and the task could be effectively completed.
While I liked the idea of doing all cleaning task in one day of the month to have about 30 other days to do important things like compose my Blog, this scenario didn’t work out for Grandmother.
Goodness, Kaitlyn, the mere fact that there are six cats and two dogs living in this house adds to the cleaning burden and keep this factoid in mind sweet Granddaughter before obtaining pets willy-nilly.
The floors kept filling with debris brought in from the dogs after their romp in the yard. The toilet bowls, even with the addition of vaunted blue and bleach chemicals, didn’t make it through the month without a distinct and ugly ring. And huge piles of cat hair would fall like black raindrops against the beige carpet defying another vacuum until the scheduled monthly time.
Still there was no dismay on Grandmother’s part. It took some time and thought, but Grandmother came up with a cleaning plan that kept her sensibilities unoffended while keeping time spent cleaning to a minimum. Every female should spend some time on such thought as the house will always get dusty again, the grease will land on the counter tops and the pets will shed endlessly unless they are all hairless.
Thus the bathrooms are now cleaned bi-weekly. The tile floors are swept thoroughly once a week and the vacuum runs through, also once a week.
During the monthly clean up, the vacuum also goes behind and under all furniture, the broom gets at the dust bunnies hidden under the dog feeding table and the rims under the toilets get a thorough cleaning along with the bowl. In other words, Kaitlyn, we get along with a lick and a promise until the time when we will more thoroughly clean those areas that can remain not quite so clean without offending our sensibilities.
But Grandmother took it further than this. Such as the ceiling fans tend to slice the dust right out of the air as they spin through the air. Cat litter pans, even though emptied daily, get yucky and icky given enough time. Light fixtures give off less light as the bulbs get coated with a thin layer of grease.
Thus we have quarterly cleaning sessions that require attention to these details along with the more mundane.
As for the cleaning products used, Kaitlyn, Grandmother has tried them all. To include magic erasing sponges, specially designed wands that would clean windows with a mere swipe and one cleaning product called, I’m not making this up, Mean Green.
All you need, Kaitlyn, is some ordinary household cleaning ammonia.
Okay, throw in a bottle of Windex but even then, in a pinch, the cleaning ammonia will do the trick.
Indeed, Grandmother buys cleaning ammonia by the gallon and has a slew of spray devices, some purchased for that purpose alone and one being that empty bottle of Mean Green. Fill the container up about 25% with the cleaning ammonia and fill the rest with plain tap water, Kaitlyn Mae.
Boom. Spray this mixture on anything requiring a removal of grease and dirt and wipe with a paper towel or wet rag.
Of course one must have a decent broom and dust pan. A handy feather duster is nice. A supply of clean rags, some scouring pads and plenty of paper towels. That’s it, Kaitlyn Mae. A decent vacuum and if you have pets and carpet, consider a carpet cleaning machine.
Forget the Endust thing. A naked feather duster does just as well and besides, if one dusts before vacuuming and sweeping, the dust from the furniture and fixtures will fall to the floor to be collected in vacuum bag or dust pan.. Oh, and get a dust pan with a long handle, Kaitlyn Mae. It’s one of the wisest investments you’ll ever make.
So there you have it, sweet Granddaughter. How to live your life with a plan for some semblance of cleanliness without sacrificing time and more desirable pursuits for the time spent cleaning.
Give some plan to the design and decor as regards the cleaning required. Calculate the amount of time the ceiling fan whirls until the accumulated dust on the blades stops it completely. Figure out your personal sensibilities and adjust cleaning time accordingly. Be skeptical of manufacturer claims of effortless cleaning should one use their product.
Come up with a scheme and a cleaning plan to match your lifestyle, Kaitlyn, then get on with your happening life.
MONDAY: It was a creative person who came up with this innovative web site of the week. Who knows, the scene enacted might possibly be the norm in Kaitlyn Mae’s adult life.
Be sure to review The Week Just Passed. President saves SS man, Dan Rather gone, and what is PEST?
Also, TV picks of the week, posted early in the day.
The Tidy Nest-Part 2
I refer yon reader to part 1of this missive where The Wise I illustrates, using the birds of my backyard, why the male of most species cannot be charged with designing and maintaining the nest, such as it may be.
Now I ask that sweet Kaityn, as well as yon reader, pay attention to the cleaning wisdom about to blossom before amazed eyes.
There will be no espousal of particular cleaning products as there are no such advertisers on the Blog. Although some cleaning products might deserve mention but only if Grandmother has uses it, approves it, and recommends same to sweet Granddaughter. Not, understand, based on advertising revenues and not the sort of gentle cleaning advice one might receive from the more dignified ladies’ magazine journals.
Because first thing, Kaitlyn Mae, before beginning any plan as regards regular cleaning and maintenance of any living abode, there should be a distinct plan. Which should start before the purchase and placement of any objects, either useful or decorative, in the living areas.
What I’m saying here is that certain objects and designs tend to attract dust and dirt more than others not to mention their very placement in the house can affect future effort as concerns the time spent cleaning them.
Dried flowers, for instance, or those ubiquitous twiggy things so popular with the decorators, are magnets for any dust or debris floating in the air. Which is not to disdain these objects if one so admires, but adapt a proper cleaning attitude about these things before any impromptu purchase.
Grandmother has learned this lesson the hard way throughout her years. There was a time when I loved froufrou and gadgets spread across the walls or placed artfully on the coffee tables. I would always choose the most scrolled or decorative handles of course as part of the wooden curlicued furniture I tended to be drawn to. With the purchase of my more modern home and after a thirteen year stint in the Adams Family house, I applied my hard-earned lessons that I not spend my nights and weekends Q-tips in hand to remove the grease and dust from the nooks and crannies of my elegantly carved furniture.
As a result my new home, one that also required an almost full house purchase of new furniture that old junk not be transported across state lines, has taken on a more sleek and lean look of late.
Not that it was my choice to eschew any sort of knob on the kitchen cabinets as the previous owners built the place to their personal specifications without consulting with me. But if I had any advice to give to any young women with a choice about such things, I’d always recommend elimination of knobs on the kitchen cabinets.
Now Grandmother understands that specific sensibilities would require proper knobs on the kitchen cabinets so this is where that attitude thing kicks in. Because nothing gathers greasy dust more than the knobs on the kitchen cabinets and if one has a choice and if one so chooses, be prepared to spend many minutes each week delicately cleaning the objects.
Same rule applies given any choice in the building and decorating of the abode. Give the time required to clean the object equal weight with the decorative or practical value of the object. After such thought, adjust the attitude to match the choice so equitably made.
Froufrou requires more cleaning attention, Kaitlyn Mae, and there’s no easier way to put it.
Yes Grandmother has seen many elegant houses in the rotogravure and on the home decorating shows. Grand vases sit proudly sprouting pussy willow branches, gleaming white rugs embrace handsomely polished hardwood floors and fine collections line perfectly polished shelves.
These people have someone come in and clean for them, Kaitlyn Mae. Not that there’s anything wrong with that but it’s a foregone conclusion that the more space in the house, the more area to clean and the more froufrou the more dust and dirt all about. Anyone with five thousand square foot of living space can afford cleaning help is what I’m saying here.
Most of us clean our own homes and most times it’s the female in charge of such a thing. Thus by including cleaning needs as consideration before all purchase and placement, some of the cleaning tasks can be avoided in the future.
Now we must come up with a cleaning plan, Kaitlyn Mae, and the plan should consider all things to include time budget allowed for such tasks, sensibilities offended by certain sorts of dirt and clutter and , well, just how clean do you want it?
Grandmother doesn’t consider the cleaning task all that much fun although, like most women, when the dirt starts to shout and scream too much then such as wiping and mopping are much like finally waging a much needed war.
Once a month, I decided, one entire day could be devoted to cleaning and the task could be effectively completed.
While I liked the idea of doing all cleaning task in one day of the month to have about 30 other days to do important things like compose my Blog, this scenario didn’t work out for Grandmother.
Goodness, Kaitlyn, the mere fact that there are six cats and two dogs living in this house adds to the cleaning burden and keep this factoid in mind sweet Granddaughter before obtaining pets willy-nilly.
The floors kept filling with debris brought in from the dogs after their romp in the yard. The toilet bowls, even with the addition of vaunted blue and bleach chemicals, didn’t make it through the month without a distinct and ugly ring. And huge piles of cat hair would fall like black raindrops against the beige carpet defying another vacuum until the scheduled monthly time.
Still there was no dismay on Grandmother’s part. It took some time and thought, but Grandmother came up with a cleaning plan that kept her sensibilities unoffended while keeping time spent cleaning to a minimum. Every female should spend some time on such thought as the house will always get dusty again, the grease will land on the counter tops and the pets will shed endlessly unless they are all hairless.
Thus the bathrooms are now cleaned bi-weekly. The tile floors are swept thoroughly once a week and the vacuum runs through, also once a week.
During the monthly clean up, the vacuum also goes behind and under all furniture, the broom gets at the dust bunnies hidden under the dog feeding table and the rims under the toilets get a thorough cleaning along with the bowl. In other words, Kaitlyn, we get along with a lick and a promise until the time when we will more thoroughly clean those areas that can remain not quite so clean without offending our sensibilities.
But Grandmother took it further than this. Such as the ceiling fans tend to slice the dust right out of the air as they spin through the air. Cat litter pans, even though emptied daily, get yucky and icky given enough time. Light fixtures give off less light as the bulbs get coated with a thin layer of grease.
Thus we have quarterly cleaning sessions that require attention to these details along with the more mundane.
As for the cleaning products used, Kaitlyn, Grandmother has tried them all. To include magic erasing sponges, specially designed wands that would clean windows with a mere swipe and one cleaning product called, I’m not making this up, Mean Green.
All you need, Kaitlyn, is some ordinary household cleaning ammonia.
Okay, throw in a bottle of Windex but even then, in a pinch, the cleaning ammonia will do the trick.
Indeed, Grandmother buys cleaning ammonia by the gallon and has a slew of spray devices, some purchased for that purpose alone and one being that empty bottle of Mean Green. Fill the container up about 25% with the cleaning ammonia and fill the rest with plain tap water, Kaitlyn Mae.
Boom. Spray this mixture on anything requiring a removal of grease and dirt and wipe with a paper towel or wet rag.
Of course one must have a decent broom and dust pan. A handy feather duster is nice. A supply of clean rags, some scouring pads and plenty of paper towels. That’s it, Kaitlyn Mae. A decent vacuum and if you have pets and carpet, consider a carpet cleaning machine.
Forget the Endust thing. A naked feather duster does just as well and besides, if one dusts before vacuuming and sweeping, the dust from the furniture and fixtures will fall to the floor to be collected in vacuum bag or dust pan.. Oh, and get a dust pan with a long handle, Kaitlyn Mae. It’s one of the wisest investments you’ll ever make.
So there you have it, sweet Granddaughter. How to live your life with a plan for some semblance of cleanliness without sacrificing time and more desirable pursuits for the time spent cleaning.
Give some plan to the design and decor as regards the cleaning required. Calculate the amount of time the ceiling fan whirls until the accumulated dust on the blades stops it completely. Figure out your personal sensibilities and adjust cleaning time accordingly. Be skeptical of manufacturer claims of effortless cleaning should one use their product.
Come up with a scheme and a cleaning plan to match your lifestyle, Kaitlyn, then get on with your happening life.
MONDAY: It was a creative person who came up with this innovative web site of the week. Who knows, the scene enacted might possibly be the norm in Kaitlyn Mae’s adult life.
Be sure to review The Week Just Passed. President saves SS man, Dan Rather gone, and what is PEST?
Also, TV picks of the week, posted early in the day.
Friday
Gossip: A New Hunk, US Governor Donates Possibly Tainted Blood
The NEW Hunk in American Pop Culture. 
A Little Gossip and Speculation is Worth Some Time for Rumination
POP CULTURE STORY OF THE WEEK!
The Marlboro Man Joins the Military!
And he still smokes!
The picture of this young army fellow has captured the loins of young (and old) women across the country.
What’s even more interesting is that cigarette dangling from his hardened, handsome lips. The liberals have to be losing sleep. And yet for the all the punditry the past few weeks since this picture surfaced, I’ve yet to hear complaints from those who would rip our cigarettes from our mouths, throw them upon the ground and stomp them furiously for our stupidity.
I guess even the liberals understand when you’re in a dangerous place like this fellow, more than likely a bullet will kill you before the cigarette.
Star Jones Gets Married
Photos -
Goodness, what on earth is Hillary doing there? Must be part of her re-election campaign. As for us idiots out here in la-la land, we’re glad it’s over. We await the divorce.
Rap Awards Show Ends in Violence.
We’d like to see this sort of thing at the Emmys and Oscars.
MSNBC
The Celebrities Advise Us Again
Beginning with Linda Ronstadt of the breathy vapid singing voice, expert on domestic policy, as she explains the comparisons between the Third Reich and the Bush Administration. According to the National Review:
Now we don’t think allowing innocent animals to fight to an awful death for the visual benefit of humans to be a good thing. Nature’s tough enough without forcing the animals to entertain us with their death.
But the thought of Pamela Anderson taking up the fight against cock fighting just makes us smile. Who knows how many “cockfights” Pamela’s caused? But I’ll shut up now.
Bill Maher Hit With Palimony Suit
Smirk, smirk, smirk. Grandmother really dislikes this guy. Thus, his troubles make me smile.
From the Smoking Gun:
Asked and Guessed. Blind Item Fun
Who is Typhoid Mary?
We offer two guesses to this item. Mara Liasson is always coughing and sneezing when she works as a pundit on Fox’s Brit Hume’s daily news show. Or, just throwing something out there, Andrea Mitchell?
UN Advises Swarm Victims to Eat Locusts
We can always count on the UN to do its job as that vaunted international body we come to rely on in situations of mass famine and Aids epidemics.
Here we have information about the great UN cookbook for…tada…LOCUSTS!
If you can’t beat them, eat them. Perhaps the UN should have strung up Saddam and roasted him on a spit.
This “Gossip” Should Be a Crime
That famous “Gay American”, New Jersey Governor Jim McGreevy, who has now resigned in disgrace, evidently put his public image ahead of public safety. NOT for being homosexual, mind you. There’s that little matter of appointing unqualified lovers as NJ’s Director of Homeland Security. A heterosexual would be drummed out of office for the same thing.
I did some snooping and discover that Governor McGreevy participated in a state-wide blood donor campaign in 2003. The Red Cross specifically requires potential blood donors sign a document stating that they have not engaged in any “risky” behavior, which would include homosexual sex at a time when Aids was very much a reality.
This little story is circulating around the Internet and there’s proof that indeed, Jim McGreevy DID donate blood right when he was hot and heavy in that affair with his Israeli Director of NJ Homeland Security. However, and this is interesting, the actual web site of the Governor DOES document McGreevy’s blood donation, BUT they have removed the picture of the Governor giving his possibly tainted blood.
HERE at the NJ Governor’s own web site.
A Little Gossip and Speculation is Worth Some Time for Rumination
POP CULTURE STORY OF THE WEEK!
The Marlboro Man Joins the Military!
And he still smokes!
The picture of this young army fellow has captured the loins of young (and old) women across the country.
What’s even more interesting is that cigarette dangling from his hardened, handsome lips. The liberals have to be losing sleep. And yet for the all the punditry the past few weeks since this picture surfaced, I’ve yet to hear complaints from those who would rip our cigarettes from our mouths, throw them upon the ground and stomp them furiously for our stupidity.
I guess even the liberals understand when you’re in a dangerous place like this fellow, more than likely a bullet will kill you before the cigarette.
Star Jones Gets Married
Photos -
Goodness, what on earth is Hillary doing there? Must be part of her re-election campaign. As for us idiots out here in la-la land, we’re glad it’s over. We await the divorce.
NEW YORK - Star Jones, co-host of ABC's "The View," married banker Al Reynolds in a star-studded Park Avenue bash.
Notables ranging from Spike Lee to Sen. Hillary Clinton packed into St.
Bartholomew's Church Saturday to watch Jones, 42, who wore a a designer
strapless wedding dress with a 27-foot train, exchange vows with Reynolds.
"The train was so long it took about seven people to carry it," said friend and
guest Valerie Simpson, songwriter and half of the R&B duo Ashford and Simpson.
With songstress Patti LaBelle performing, and a bridal party including Natalie
Cole, Vivica A. Fox and Holly Robinson Peete, the storybook wedding lasted
until 8 p.m. before moving to the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel for an equally
celebrity-heavy reception.
"I smiled a lot," said Jones' "The View" co-host Barbara Walters. "I was happy
for her. She had the biggest smile I've ever seen."
Rap Awards Show Ends in Violence.
We’d like to see this sort of thing at the Emmys and Oscars.
MSNBC
People began shoving, chairs were thrown and punches flew. Some in the audience of about 1,000 scurried for the exits. Alicia Keys, the night’s top winner with awards for artist of the year and best R&B song, was among those who fled.
The Celebrities Advise Us Again
Beginning with Linda Ronstadt of the breathy vapid singing voice, expert on domestic policy, as she explains the comparisons between the Third Reich and the Bush Administration. According to the National Review:
Singer Ronstadt says of Bush's reelection: "It’s like Germany, before Hitler took over. The economy was bad and people felt kicked around. They looked for a scapegoat. Now we’ve got a new bunch of Hitlers.”
Now we don’t think allowing innocent animals to fight to an awful death for the visual benefit of humans to be a good thing. Nature’s tough enough without forcing the animals to entertain us with their death.
But the thought of Pamela Anderson taking up the fight against cock fighting just makes us smile. Who knows how many “cockfights” Pamela’s caused? But I’ll shut up now.
Pamela Anderson Weighs in on N.M. Cockfighting
Albuquerque Journal | 11/14/04 | The Associated Press
SANTA FE — Actress Pamela Anderson has asked Gov. Bill Richardson to outlaw cockfighting in New Mexico, one of only two states that still allows it.
"The whole country is watching, especially Hollywood, which your office actively courts for the film business," Anderson wrote in a letter released by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.
Richardson's office did not immediately return a call Tuesday from The Associated Press seeking comment. Richardson could ask the legislative session that begins in January to outlaw the practice.
Bill Maher Hit With Palimony Suit
Smirk, smirk, smirk. Grandmother really dislikes this guy. Thus, his troubles make me smile.
From the Smoking Gun:
NOVEMBER 11--Comedian Bill Maher was slapped yesterday with a $9
>>>million palimony suit by an ex-girlfriend who alleges that the HBO star
>>>subjected her to physical and verbal abuse, including "insulting,
>>>humiliating and degrading racial comments." In the below Los Angeles
>>>Superior Court complaint, Nancy Johnson, a centerfold model and former
>>>flight attendant also known as Coco Johnsen, alleges that Maher, 48,
>>>reneged on promises to pay her expenses and purchase a Beverly Hills
>>>home. Johnson, who says she dated Maher for 17 months before splitting
>>>from him in May, also contends that the performer promised to marry her
>>>and have children. Johnson, pictured at right, does not detail the
>>>degrading racial comments allegedly made by Maher, and recounts only one
>>>episode of supposed physical abuse by the host of HBO's "Real Time." She
>>>charges that Maher pulled her arm and shook her at one party, causing
>>>"injuries to her back and neck," and later that evening warned he'd hit
>>>her on the head with a hammer if she was unfaithful.
Asked and Guessed. Blind Item Fun
Who is Typhoid Mary?
WHICH on-air news commentator was known as the "Typhoid Mary" of President Bush's campaign plane? The talking head coughed and sneezed so much, one newsproducer finally confronted her and told her to cover her mouth — but it wastoo late and a lot of other reporters got sick . . .
We offer two guesses to this item. Mara Liasson is always coughing and sneezing when she works as a pundit on Fox’s Brit Hume’s daily news show. Or, just throwing something out there, Andrea Mitchell?
UN Advises Swarm Victims to Eat Locusts
We can always count on the UN to do its job as that vaunted international body we come to rely on in situations of mass famine and Aids epidemics.
Here we have information about the great UN cookbook for…tada…LOCUSTS!
If you can’t beat them, eat them. Perhaps the UN should have strung up Saddam and roasted him on a spit.
Did Kofi turn to bible for recipes? Uncharacteristically mum since the re-election of President George W. Bush, United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan seems to have been spending his time peeking into the Bible.
How else to explain how Cypriot farmers, beset with a plague of locusts, are being advised on a UN website to eat them?
Reminding farmers that locusts are protein rich, UN rubes advise that you can boil, stir-fry or roast them. Recipes for making the locusts a dinner plate item are available by logging on to the UN’s Rome-based Food and Cultural Organization (FCO).
This “Gossip” Should Be a Crime
That famous “Gay American”, New Jersey Governor Jim McGreevy, who has now resigned in disgrace, evidently put his public image ahead of public safety. NOT for being homosexual, mind you. There’s that little matter of appointing unqualified lovers as NJ’s Director of Homeland Security. A heterosexual would be drummed out of office for the same thing.
I did some snooping and discover that Governor McGreevy participated in a state-wide blood donor campaign in 2003. The Red Cross specifically requires potential blood donors sign a document stating that they have not engaged in any “risky” behavior, which would include homosexual sex at a time when Aids was very much a reality.
This little story is circulating around the Internet and there’s proof that indeed, Jim McGreevy DID donate blood right when he was hot and heavy in that affair with his Israeli Director of NJ Homeland Security. However, and this is interesting, the actual web site of the Governor DOES document McGreevy’s blood donation, BUT they have removed the picture of the Governor giving his possibly tainted blood.
HERE at the NJ Governor’s own web site.
An electronic photo of the Governor giving blood is available upon request.
Pic of Week: The Lie About "Blue" America
Let's Take a Closer Look at "Blue" America, shall we?
When the so-called "Blue States" are further regarded on a county and city basis, well things look a bit different I would argue.
We should thank our founding fathers for having the foresight to enact an electoral college. Because if they hadn't, all of America would be governed by the homeless and recipients of government handouts that populate our big cities and Indian reservations.
When the so-called "Blue States" are further regarded on a county and city basis, well things look a bit different I would argue.
We should thank our founding fathers for having the foresight to enact an electoral college. Because if they hadn't, all of America would be governed by the homeless and recipients of government handouts that populate our big cities and Indian reservations.
Guest Editorial: Gasp. Does the National Org. of Women Really LIE?
At times, others are wise too
Glenn Sacks offers a realistic look at the NOW (National Organization of Women) assertion that mothers are losing custody of their children to a vast paternal conspiracy.
Grandmother was once a proud member of this organization. Only to discover in these later years, that this organization used my good intentions as a front for a bunch of man-hating lesbians.
NOW’s lying assertion that women are having their children ripped from them by the American court system is yet another lie.
Here to read the rest.
Glenn Sacks offers a realistic look at the NOW (National Organization of Women) assertion that mothers are losing custody of their children to a vast paternal conspiracy.
Grandmother was once a proud member of this organization. Only to discover in these later years, that this organization used my good intentions as a front for a bunch of man-hating lesbians.
NOW’s lying assertion that women are having their children ripped from them by the American court system is yet another lie.
NOW's report sounds the alarm on women's "loss of custody through gender bias" but the vacuity of this claim can be demonstrated by examining how rarely courts grant custody to fathers in contested cases.
Here to read the rest.
Thursday
The Wise I Asks-What's Going on at the CIA?
An Editorial by the Imperial Pundit: The Wise I.
What’s Going on at the CIA?
The election of 2004 is over and I now find that I must constantly mind changed cabinet appointments, the State Department and to my complete surprise, no less than the CIA.
It’s a big job but somebody’s got to do it.
The spoils of victory are such that the victor can appoint his or her own people. We all understand that, except for the liberals.
And with experience, it makes sense that President Bush would know who’s good, who’s a slacker and surely he knows that Colin Powell has the NY Times on speed dial in his Blackberry.
Thus the cabinet gets a shake up and Colin’s gone.
The premise of the re-shuffling, as The Wise I understands it, is that too many operatives of all statures, positions and congressional seats have been a little too anti-administration. More, these same statures, positions and congressional seats spent a lot of time this past election cycle trying to unseat the President.
So why keep them around having proved such nefarious goals?
If any one of us had been in that same situation in the more normal world of our work life we’d be cleaning house toot de sweet.
Yes, before my unbelieving eyes I saw Joe Wilson write a book full of lies, claiming persecution by the administration. This diplomat and husband of CIA employee Valerie Plame got her to use her influence to send him on a search mission in Nigeria in pursuit of weapon materials purchased by Saddam Hussein. Ole Joe sipped some plantation tea, the Nigerians denied any such purchases by Saddam and that, ladies and germs, was that.
Joe reported his “findings” back at the White House. The administration applied incredible pressure on this poor soul and did not include his research as part of our national argument for invading Iraq. In fact, alleged Joe, the administration referred to Nigeria as having verified Saddam’s purchase of yellow cake uranium, a component of any decent nuke. When, tada, right there in front of tea and crumpets the Nigerians denied it all. Not that the Nigerians would lie or anything, damn, having all those bank accounts they try to have me invest in via email spam.
The whole nonsense episode concocted from assignment of Joe Wilson’s trip to his eventual book was planned and fermented by employees of the CIA and state department with a little help from the DNC. Loving wife Valerie, was ‘outed’ by somebody and was the cause of another nonsense furor what with the administration revealing her CIA secretarial position and everything.
While this lying drama played out on the national stage, Richard Clarke looms upon the national scene. He too wrote a book, exposing an administration so utterly clueless as to pay no attention to his endless skill as the former Clinton czar of terrorism. Although he’d held that position for eight years under Clinton and Willie J. sure didn’t catch Osama even with a whole lot more opportunities than Bush had. Clarke’s terrorism expertise was in the field of cyberspace at any rate when right now the problem is insurgents and renegade airplanes.
Which is to say that I was not oblivious to the many leaks and what seemed to be direct hits to the sitting administration by, who? Let me get this right, a bureaucracy? A bureaucracy designed to SERVE the country via the job assigned to it?
Now let’s suppose that Verizon’s accounts payable department decides it wants to set company policy. The fine and dedicated employees in that famous business department that pays the bills think that Verizon should offer a better pricing plan than is currently offered. How should this be handled?
Because surely some, if not most via the employee stock ownership plan, own stock in Verizon. As a stockholder individual employees could attend the Board meetings and make a motion. At the time of the annual employee review again, individual employees could make such a suggestion. Speaking of, most companies have some sort of suggestion plan, some method of communicating ideas upward.
Or should Verizon’s loyal accounts payable department simply refuse to pay the bills, thereby stopping vital supplies to various Verizon entities. The offices would not be cleaned, telephones would go silent, eventually there would be no electricity at Verizon nationwide.
Or perhaps various employees should leak to local business papers that Verizon is in serious shape and stock is about to fall. Or maybe write a piece vilifying the executives at Verizon as stupid buffoons and Accounts Payable should be consulted for the real scoop.
The President of Verizon might be kicked out on his ear had he allowed such a thing to happen. But the top executive at Verizon did everything he could to keep his thumb in the dyke and managed to avoid a total shutdown before a new contract gave him the freedom to fire the whole bunch of AP employees, from top supervisor on down.
Our state department and CIA are functions of our GOVERNMENT. As such, they should be neutral, do the jobs as assigned, and pursue personal policy goals in the more appropriate arena. These bureaucracies are the payroll, accounts payable and accounts receivable departments of our government. If they want to be managers they should run for an elected office.
I’ve never been a great believer that so many are followers of an ideology to the exclusion of everything else in their lives.
Follow the money is what I’m saying here.
This week, we have one Michael Scheuer.
Here’s what a recent Google search turned up on this man.
Much as The Wise I hates to admit it, this is a book that didn’t cross my radar this past election cycle. So this CIA guy writes a book but under the nom de plume of “anonymous” and with full approval of The Agency?
We’ll forego comparisons to Verizon’s Accounts Payable employees and their book and take a closer look at this fellow.
Because, hey, he’s been a CIA operative for 22 years. With the advent of Porter Goss the man is out the door and now free to use his real name. But The Wise I must always keep a portion of her brain open to ideas and it could be this man knows something I don’t.
Not that he hasn’t been on every talk show across the wide world of punditry of late, an action that tends to increase book sales. So I listened closely.
First thing I noticed on this past Sunday’s Meet the Press is the man constantly called Tim Russert “sir”. He did the same thing on another talk show on which he was a guest.
Second thing I noticed, the man hates Jews. The third thing I noticed is that he called Osama Bin Laden a ‘great’ man, justifying the appellation by asserting that when a person changes history he must be considered ‘great’.
From that same Google search, I find this:
The Wise I must elaborate. According to Michael Scheuer, Osama hates us because we support Israel, because we plunder Arabian oil on the cheap for our own industrialized comfort, because of our military presence on the Arabian peninsula and now our presence in Iraq, and because of America’s support for tyrannical Arab governments.
This bothers Osama, does it?
All of this brouhaha from the CIA and this is all Mr. Scheuer can come up with? And if Mr. Scheuer alleges this to be how Osama REALLY feels than what does he think the administration should do about it?
We should give up our support for Israel, our only ally and the only legitimate democracy in the region? What on earth good would that do? Except to cause Israel to be totally eliminated, baboom, from the planet. Would this somehow make the despots and dictators of the Mideast happier, make their citizens more productive? As for oil prices, well we buy it as cheap as we can get it here in America, which is why Wal-Mart is so popular here. If we paid more money for oil this would be better? More money for the Arabian poor excuses for leaders to carouse the western obscene culture with.
As for our military presence, damn, the Saudis can’t risk having any sort of army to protect its endless oil wells. But that country does sit on over a third of the planet’s oil supply and any extreme damage to them would affect countries across this planet far worse than the United States of America. So the U.S. helps defend the oil fields, particularly when the kind Saddam lived right next store and wouldn’t mind having all that oil.
But hey, Mr. Scheuer, you were right when you said the U.S. supported tyrannical governments in the Midest. Not that we had any choice or anything. Because the leader of a country is the leader of a country even if he or she is a genetic dumb bell as in the case of the Sauds or a mob boss as in the case of Egypt’s Mubarak. Hey, America didn’t elect those people!
Talk about your Catch-22. Finally a President decides it’s time to do something about those Mideast leaders because in an effort to deflect criticism from their own horrible selves their citizens have taken it into their heads to come over here, destroy our legally built buildings and murder our law-abiding citizens.
Now the world and all liberals in general rise up in horror at the notion when, according to Michael Scheuer, we are finally doing what the great Osama wants.
I’ve listened to Mr. Scheuer enough and I still wonder, what on earth is in this all for him? What’s driving him, indeed, driven him even when he had a full-time job? Like The Wise I has stated, I tend to be skeptical when an ideological explanation is given for this sort of behavior.
For Michael Scheuer, indeed many in the CIA and state department, wanted to keep Saddam in power via the American ballot box. It was too late by election 2004 to keep their hero in power but they sure wanted the person in charge of the administration to take it easy on the Arabs and go hard on the Jews.
Like not investigate that pesky UN Oil for Food scandal too closely.
The Wise I tentatively concludes, hey I’ll throw it out there, that a whole bunch of these people are somehow and in some way, very involved in this soon-to-explode scandal. With Scheuer it could be as simple as proceeds from a book. Follow the money.
Remember Scott Ritter? Another Saddam apologist who turned out to be a child molester and did get some money from an alleged Iraqi documentary “producer”.
There’s more to all of this than ideology is what I’m saying here.
This administration is very evidently desperately trying to keep this food-for-oil scandal under the radar until the new Iraqi government is elected.
THEN both Saddamn and the UN will go on trial with the plaintiff being the Iraqi government. I predict there will be some American blood in that mess.
What’s Going on at the CIA?
The election of 2004 is over and I now find that I must constantly mind changed cabinet appointments, the State Department and to my complete surprise, no less than the CIA.
It’s a big job but somebody’s got to do it.
The spoils of victory are such that the victor can appoint his or her own people. We all understand that, except for the liberals.
And with experience, it makes sense that President Bush would know who’s good, who’s a slacker and surely he knows that Colin Powell has the NY Times on speed dial in his Blackberry.
Thus the cabinet gets a shake up and Colin’s gone.
The premise of the re-shuffling, as The Wise I understands it, is that too many operatives of all statures, positions and congressional seats have been a little too anti-administration. More, these same statures, positions and congressional seats spent a lot of time this past election cycle trying to unseat the President.
So why keep them around having proved such nefarious goals?
If any one of us had been in that same situation in the more normal world of our work life we’d be cleaning house toot de sweet.
Yes, before my unbelieving eyes I saw Joe Wilson write a book full of lies, claiming persecution by the administration. This diplomat and husband of CIA employee Valerie Plame got her to use her influence to send him on a search mission in Nigeria in pursuit of weapon materials purchased by Saddam Hussein. Ole Joe sipped some plantation tea, the Nigerians denied any such purchases by Saddam and that, ladies and germs, was that.
Joe reported his “findings” back at the White House. The administration applied incredible pressure on this poor soul and did not include his research as part of our national argument for invading Iraq. In fact, alleged Joe, the administration referred to Nigeria as having verified Saddam’s purchase of yellow cake uranium, a component of any decent nuke. When, tada, right there in front of tea and crumpets the Nigerians denied it all. Not that the Nigerians would lie or anything, damn, having all those bank accounts they try to have me invest in via email spam.
The whole nonsense episode concocted from assignment of Joe Wilson’s trip to his eventual book was planned and fermented by employees of the CIA and state department with a little help from the DNC. Loving wife Valerie, was ‘outed’ by somebody and was the cause of another nonsense furor what with the administration revealing her CIA secretarial position and everything.
While this lying drama played out on the national stage, Richard Clarke looms upon the national scene. He too wrote a book, exposing an administration so utterly clueless as to pay no attention to his endless skill as the former Clinton czar of terrorism. Although he’d held that position for eight years under Clinton and Willie J. sure didn’t catch Osama even with a whole lot more opportunities than Bush had. Clarke’s terrorism expertise was in the field of cyberspace at any rate when right now the problem is insurgents and renegade airplanes.
Which is to say that I was not oblivious to the many leaks and what seemed to be direct hits to the sitting administration by, who? Let me get this right, a bureaucracy? A bureaucracy designed to SERVE the country via the job assigned to it?
Now let’s suppose that Verizon’s accounts payable department decides it wants to set company policy. The fine and dedicated employees in that famous business department that pays the bills think that Verizon should offer a better pricing plan than is currently offered. How should this be handled?
Because surely some, if not most via the employee stock ownership plan, own stock in Verizon. As a stockholder individual employees could attend the Board meetings and make a motion. At the time of the annual employee review again, individual employees could make such a suggestion. Speaking of, most companies have some sort of suggestion plan, some method of communicating ideas upward.
Or should Verizon’s loyal accounts payable department simply refuse to pay the bills, thereby stopping vital supplies to various Verizon entities. The offices would not be cleaned, telephones would go silent, eventually there would be no electricity at Verizon nationwide.
Or perhaps various employees should leak to local business papers that Verizon is in serious shape and stock is about to fall. Or maybe write a piece vilifying the executives at Verizon as stupid buffoons and Accounts Payable should be consulted for the real scoop.
The President of Verizon might be kicked out on his ear had he allowed such a thing to happen. But the top executive at Verizon did everything he could to keep his thumb in the dyke and managed to avoid a total shutdown before a new contract gave him the freedom to fire the whole bunch of AP employees, from top supervisor on down.
Our state department and CIA are functions of our GOVERNMENT. As such, they should be neutral, do the jobs as assigned, and pursue personal policy goals in the more appropriate arena. These bureaucracies are the payroll, accounts payable and accounts receivable departments of our government. If they want to be managers they should run for an elected office.
I’ve never been a great believer that so many are followers of an ideology to the exclusion of everything else in their lives.
Follow the money is what I’m saying here.
This week, we have one Michael Scheuer.
Here’s what a recent Google search turned up on this man.
Michael Scheuer is a 22-year CIA veteran. He served as the Chief of the Bin Laden Unit at the Counterterrorist Center from 1996-1999. He resigned from the CIA in 2004.
According to the Boston Phoenix, Scheuer is the anonymous author responsible for Through Our Enemies' Eyes: Osama bin Laden, Radical Islam, and the Future of America and Imperial Hubris: Why the West is Losing the War on Terror.
Much as The Wise I hates to admit it, this is a book that didn’t cross my radar this past election cycle. So this CIA guy writes a book but under the nom de plume of “anonymous” and with full approval of The Agency?
We’ll forego comparisons to Verizon’s Accounts Payable employees and their book and take a closer look at this fellow.
Because, hey, he’s been a CIA operative for 22 years. With the advent of Porter Goss the man is out the door and now free to use his real name. But The Wise I must always keep a portion of her brain open to ideas and it could be this man knows something I don’t.
Not that he hasn’t been on every talk show across the wide world of punditry of late, an action that tends to increase book sales. So I listened closely.
First thing I noticed on this past Sunday’s Meet the Press is the man constantly called Tim Russert “sir”. He did the same thing on another talk show on which he was a guest.
Second thing I noticed, the man hates Jews. The third thing I noticed is that he called Osama Bin Laden a ‘great’ man, justifying the appellation by asserting that when a person changes history he must be considered ‘great’.
From that same Google search, I find this:
He alleges our actions that created Muslims who hate us.
…unqualified support for Isreal
…lower oil prices
…presences in Arabian peninsula
…presences in Iraq, etc.
…supports tyrannical governments
The Wise I must elaborate. According to Michael Scheuer, Osama hates us because we support Israel, because we plunder Arabian oil on the cheap for our own industrialized comfort, because of our military presence on the Arabian peninsula and now our presence in Iraq, and because of America’s support for tyrannical Arab governments.
This bothers Osama, does it?
All of this brouhaha from the CIA and this is all Mr. Scheuer can come up with? And if Mr. Scheuer alleges this to be how Osama REALLY feels than what does he think the administration should do about it?
We should give up our support for Israel, our only ally and the only legitimate democracy in the region? What on earth good would that do? Except to cause Israel to be totally eliminated, baboom, from the planet. Would this somehow make the despots and dictators of the Mideast happier, make their citizens more productive? As for oil prices, well we buy it as cheap as we can get it here in America, which is why Wal-Mart is so popular here. If we paid more money for oil this would be better? More money for the Arabian poor excuses for leaders to carouse the western obscene culture with.
As for our military presence, damn, the Saudis can’t risk having any sort of army to protect its endless oil wells. But that country does sit on over a third of the planet’s oil supply and any extreme damage to them would affect countries across this planet far worse than the United States of America. So the U.S. helps defend the oil fields, particularly when the kind Saddam lived right next store and wouldn’t mind having all that oil.
But hey, Mr. Scheuer, you were right when you said the U.S. supported tyrannical governments in the Midest. Not that we had any choice or anything. Because the leader of a country is the leader of a country even if he or she is a genetic dumb bell as in the case of the Sauds or a mob boss as in the case of Egypt’s Mubarak. Hey, America didn’t elect those people!
Talk about your Catch-22. Finally a President decides it’s time to do something about those Mideast leaders because in an effort to deflect criticism from their own horrible selves their citizens have taken it into their heads to come over here, destroy our legally built buildings and murder our law-abiding citizens.
Now the world and all liberals in general rise up in horror at the notion when, according to Michael Scheuer, we are finally doing what the great Osama wants.
I’ve listened to Mr. Scheuer enough and I still wonder, what on earth is in this all for him? What’s driving him, indeed, driven him even when he had a full-time job? Like The Wise I has stated, I tend to be skeptical when an ideological explanation is given for this sort of behavior.
For Michael Scheuer, indeed many in the CIA and state department, wanted to keep Saddam in power via the American ballot box. It was too late by election 2004 to keep their hero in power but they sure wanted the person in charge of the administration to take it easy on the Arabs and go hard on the Jews.
Like not investigate that pesky UN Oil for Food scandal too closely.
The Wise I tentatively concludes, hey I’ll throw it out there, that a whole bunch of these people are somehow and in some way, very involved in this soon-to-explode scandal. With Scheuer it could be as simple as proceeds from a book. Follow the money.
Remember Scott Ritter? Another Saddam apologist who turned out to be a child molester and did get some money from an alleged Iraqi documentary “producer”.
There’s more to all of this than ideology is what I’m saying here.
This administration is very evidently desperately trying to keep this food-for-oil scandal under the radar until the new Iraqi government is elected.
THEN both Saddamn and the UN will go on trial with the plaintiff being the Iraqi government. I predict there will be some American blood in that mess.
Comments: Let's Revisit That F-5 Key
Comments, Responses and Further Info.
Re-Visiting the F-5 and Help Keys
In a recent missive to young Kaitlyn, Grandmother made a little bit of a mis-statement. It wasn’t exactly an error in that I did know all about the correction, as corrected.
A Freeper named dinasour corrected my wording as follows:
Dinasour says: “Actually, menu items are always selectable, unless they are "greyed out".
The underline indicates that you can combine the underlined letter with the alt key to select the item using the keybord only
For example, for Help, the "keyboard shortcut" would be Alt-H
Grandmother thanks Dinasour for this correction as my original text was misleading. If a letter in a menu word is underlined, it means that the menu item can be accessed by hitting the alt key and the underlined letter together. This keeps hands from leaving the keyboard as hey, you really don’t have to use the mouse to get to the sub-menus. Such actions slow one down.
This minor correction doesn’t change the point of my missive to young Kaitlyn in that too few of us avail ourselves of such as handy help menus. And we used to complain about having to find the software’s manual, go on.
I couldn’t resist Dinasour’s follow up to my profuse thanks. One must smile.
Re-Visiting the F-5 and Help Keys
In a recent missive to young Kaitlyn, Grandmother made a little bit of a mis-statement. It wasn’t exactly an error in that I did know all about the correction, as corrected.
A Freeper named dinasour corrected my wording as follows:
Underlined words in the world of Microsoft, Kaitlyn, mean the word can be clicked to obtain more information.
Dinasour says: “Actually, menu items are always selectable, unless they are "greyed out".
The underline indicates that you can combine the underlined letter with the alt key to select the item using the keybord only
For example, for Help, the "keyboard shortcut" would be Alt-H
Grandmother thanks Dinasour for this correction as my original text was misleading. If a letter in a menu word is underlined, it means that the menu item can be accessed by hitting the alt key and the underlined letter together. This keeps hands from leaving the keyboard as hey, you really don’t have to use the mouse to get to the sub-menus. Such actions slow one down.
This minor correction doesn’t change the point of my missive to young Kaitlyn in that too few of us avail ourselves of such as handy help menus. And we used to complain about having to find the software’s manual, go on.
I couldn’t resist Dinasour’s follow up to my profuse thanks. One must smile.
Thanks for being so gracious.
No error, no matter out obscure, gets past the fact checkers of the FreeRepublic.
Just ask Dan Rather.
Wednesday
Another Delaware Liberal Lamebrain Idea
Delaware-Three Electoral Votes and Ready to Rumble
In yesterday’s promo blurb for this entry I asserted that absolutely nothing was going on in the state of Delaware. Okay, so maybe there’s SOMETHING going on in this small state of my adoption. But not much. Forthwith:
Slam Dunk Canceled
I have been reading about this issue in the Delaware locals for the past few weeks and remain puzzled. Seems a fellow named Jacobs, a fellow evidently not known for prompt repayment of debt, is the promoter behind this county basketball event. The local businesses in Sussex county are moaning and groaning about lost business due to the cancellation of this event.
Which causes me to ask-what good is this business if payment is not forthcoming?
Another Lamebrain Delaware Liberal Waste of Money
This little blurb almost passed my jaded eyes until I saw the stupid, silly and lamebrain idea about that “energy exploratorium”.
The arguments might rage over the placement of this visitor center not to mention that little matter about losing federal money. But if the Rehoboth and Dewey Beach Chamber of Commerce thinks folks heading to the beach are going to stop at some dopey “ hands-on collection of exhibits designed to familiarize visitors with energy conservation and alternate energy sources” they all need to find some clues. These visitors have beach balls and pounding waves on their minds, not energy alternatives. I got to tell you people everything?
PROMOTE YOUR BEACH, FOOLS!
Egregious Behavior in Dewey Beach
The genius’ at Dewey Beach are at it again. I have no idea what it all means except feuding businesses are using the town council to resolve their differences.
Like I said, absolutely nothing happened in Delaware last week.
In yesterday’s promo blurb for this entry I asserted that absolutely nothing was going on in the state of Delaware. Okay, so maybe there’s SOMETHING going on in this small state of my adoption. But not much. Forthwith:
Slam Dunk Canceled
I have been reading about this issue in the Delaware locals for the past few weeks and remain puzzled. Seems a fellow named Jacobs, a fellow evidently not known for prompt repayment of debt, is the promoter behind this county basketball event. The local businesses in Sussex county are moaning and groaning about lost business due to the cancellation of this event.
Which causes me to ask-what good is this business if payment is not forthcoming?
In 2000, Jacobs came under scrutiny for accepting state money to fund Slam Dunk and then not handing out scholarships to participating schools as promised.
Several local business owners have alleged that Jacobs owes them money from previous tournaments. Chris Quillen of Grand Rental Station in Rehoboth said Jacobs recently paid off a debt of "a couple thousand dollars." "It took a year, but I got it back," Quillen said. "I informed (Jacobs) that if I got the Rental Association of Delaware involved, he'd be looking at a criminal offense as opposed to a civil offense."
Another basketball tournament run by Jacobs, The War at the Shore, scheduled for Nov. 19-21 in Milford, has also been canceled.
Another Lamebrain Delaware Liberal Waste of Money
This little blurb almost passed my jaded eyes until I saw the stupid, silly and lamebrain idea about that “energy exploratorium”.
The arguments might rage over the placement of this visitor center not to mention that little matter about losing federal money. But if the Rehoboth and Dewey Beach Chamber of Commerce thinks folks heading to the beach are going to stop at some dopey “ hands-on collection of exhibits designed to familiarize visitors with energy conservation and alternate energy sources” they all need to find some clues. These visitors have beach balls and pounding waves on their minds, not energy alternatives. I got to tell you people everything?
PROMOTE YOUR BEACH, FOOLS!
By Dennis Friedel
Coast Press News Editor
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Rehoboth Beach-Dewey Beach Chamber of Commerce unveiled plans Friday for a $12 million visitor and transit center which will be combined with an energy exploratorium to draw more visitors to coastal Sussex County.
However, the location of the site, planned adjacent to DART's Park 'n Ride lot on Route 1, next to County Bank, has some state legislators questioning its logic -- a move which could jeopardize state funding.
"I support the concept but I have trouble with the location. At a time when we're trying to reduce congestion on Route 1, this will cause more congestion," state Sen. George Bunting said Monday.
Noticeably absent from Friday's announcement ceremonies, Bunting said he purposely chose to attend a different meeting. "I didn't want to attend and make it look like we were in support of this," he said.
Plans for the facility, called Destination Station Center, call for a service area, a lobby, a snack bar, a souvenir shop and restrooms in addition to the energy exploratorium. The plans call for at least a 50,000-square-foot building, according to Carol Everhart, the chamber's president.
The energy exploratorium, according to Everhart, is basically a hands-on collection of exhibits designed to familiarize visitors with energy conservation and alternate energy sources.
Called a "green building," project chairman Kay Wheatley said the project "will all take place in an environmentally friendly building" whose purpose would be to educate and entertain visitors about energy conservation principles.
E-mail Dennis Friedel at dwfriedel@gannett.com.
Originally published Wednesday, November 17, 2004
Coast Press News Editor ennis Friedel contributed
Egregious Behavior in Dewey Beach
The genius’ at Dewey Beach are at it again. I have no idea what it all means except feuding businesses are using the town council to resolve their differences.
A long-standing feud between a Dewey Beach commissioner and the owners of the Ruddertowne complex and the Bottle & Cork nightclub took a new twist this week when attorneys asked town officials to intervene.
As a result, a special meeting of Dewey's Ethics Board has been scheduled Dec. 9 to hear complaints against Dewey Commissioner Courtney Riordan lodged by attorneys representing Highway One L.L.P., which owns several properties in Dewey including Ruddertowne and the Bottle & Cork.
Highway One is asking officials in Dewey Beach to investigate Riordan for what they call inappropriate and egregious behavior.
Like I said, absolutely nothing happened in Delaware last week.
Fish Giggles: Laughs Right Out of the Air
Everyone Needs a Laugh; Giggles that crossed Grandmother's path and worthy of note
Even in the Midst of Stress There's Laughter to be Found
Air traffic controllers have a most stressful job. And yet, well there's comedians and wiseacres everywhere, even in the sky.
The following are accounts of actual exchanges between airline pilots and
control towers around the world. Remember that the conversations are heard
by all pilots on that frequency in that area.
====================================================
Tower: "Delta 351, you have traffic at 10 o'clock, 6 miles!"
Delta 351: "Give us another hint! We have digital watches!"
============================================================
"TWA 2341, for noise abatement turn right 45 Degrees."
"Centre, we are at 35,000 feet. How much noise can we make up here?"
"Sir, have you ever heard the noise a 747 makes when it hits a 727?"
======================================================
From an unknown aircraft waiting in a very long takeoff queue: "I'm
f...ing bored!"
Ground Traffic Control: "Last aircraft transmitting, identify yourself
immediately!"
Unknown aircraft: "I said I was f...ing bored, not f...ing stupid!"
============================================================
O'Hare Approach Control to a 747: "United 329 heavy, your traffic is a
Fokker, one o'clock, three miles, Eastbound."
United 329: "Approach, I've always wanted to say this... I've got the
little Fokker in sight."
============================================================
A student became lost during a solo cross-country flight.
While attempting to locate the aircraft on radar, ATC asked, "What was
your last known position?"
Student: "When I was number one for takeoff."
============================================================
A DC-10 had come in a little hot and thus had an exceedingly long roll
out after touching down.
San Jose Tower Noted: "American 751, make a hard right turn at the end
of the runway, if you are able.
If you are not able, take the Guadeloupe exit off Highway 101, make a
right at the lights and return to the airport."
============================================================
There's a story about the military pilot calling for a priority
landing because his single-engine jet fighter was running "a bit
peaked."
Air Traffic Control told the fighter jock that he was number two,
behind a B-52 that had one engine shut down.
"Ah," the fighter pilot remarked, "The dreaded seven-engine approach."
============================================================
Taxiing down the tarmac, a DC-10 abruptly stopped, turned around and
returned to the gate.
After an hour-long wait, it finally took off.
A concerned passenger asked the flight attendant, "What, exactly, was
the problem?"
"The pilot was bothered by a noise he heard in the engine," explained
the flight attendant. "It took us a while to find a new pilot."
============================================================
A Pan Am 727 flight waiting for start clearance in Munich overheard the
following: Lufthansa (in German): "Ground, what is our start clearance
time?"
Ground (in English): "If you want an answer you must speak in English."
Lufthansa (in English): "I am a German, flying a German airplane, in
Germany. Why must I speak English?"
Unknown voice from another plane (in a beautiful British accent):
"Because you lost the bloody war."
============================================================
Tower: "Eastern 702, cleared for takeoff, contact Departure on
frequency 124.7"
Eastern 702: "Tower, Eastern 702 switching to Departure. By the way,
after we lifted off we saw some kind of dead animal on the far end of
the runway."
Tower: "Continental 635, cleared for takeoff behind Eastern 702, contact
Departure on frequency 124.7. Did you copy that report from Eastern 702?"
Continental 635: "Continental 635, cleared for takeoff, roger; and yes,
we copied Eastern... we've already notified our caterers."
=========================================================
One day the pilot of a Cherokee 180 was told by the tower to hold
short of the active runway while a DC-8 landed. The DC-8 landed, rolled
out, turned around, and taxied back past the Cherokee.
Some quick-witted comedian in the DC-8 crew got on the radio and said,
"What a cute little plane. Did you make it all by yourself?"
The Cherokee pilot, not about to let the insult go by, came back with a
real zinger: "I made it out of DC-8 parts. Another landing like yours and
I'll have enough parts for another one."
============================================================
The German air controllers at Frankfurt Airport are renowned as a
short-tempered lot. They not only expect one to know one's gate parking
location, but how to get there without any assistance from them.
So it was with some amusement that we (a Pan Am 747) listened to the
following exchange between Frankfurt ground control and a British Airways
747, call sign Speedbird 206.
Speedbird 206: "Frankfurt, Speedbird 206 clear of active runway."
Ground: "Speedbird 206. Taxi to gate Alpha One-Seven."
The PA 747 pulled onto the main taxiway and slowed to a stop.
Ground: "Speedbird, do you not know where you are going?"
Speedbird 206: "Stand by, Ground, I'm looking up our gate location now."
Ground (with quite arrogant impatience): "Speedbird 206, have you not
been to Frankfurt before?"
Speedbird 206 (coolly): "Yes, twice in 1944, but it was dark, -- And I
didn't land."
============================================================
Funniest Funny This Week
While taxiing at London's Gatwick Airport, the crew of a US Air flight
departing for Ft. Lauderdale made a wrong turn and came nose to nose with
a United 727.
An irate female ground controller lashed out at the US Air crew,
screaming: "US Air 2771, where the hell are you going?! I told you to
turn right onto Charlie taxiway! You turned right on Delta! Stop right
there. I know it's difficult for you to tell the difference between C
and D, but get it right!"
Continuing her rage to the embarrassed crew, she was now shouting
hysterically: "God! Now you've screwed everything up! It'll take forever
to sort this out! You stay right there and don't move till I tell you to!
You can expect progressive taxi instructions in about half an hour, and
I want you to go exactly where I tell you, when I tell you, and how I
tell you! You got that, US Air 2771?"
"Yes, ma'am," the humbled crew responded.
Naturally, the ground control communications frequency fell terribly
silent after the verbal bashing of US Air 2771. Nobody wanted to chance
engaging the irate ground controller in her current state of mind.
Tension in every cockpit out around Gatwick was definitely running high.
Just then an unknown pilot broke the silence and keyed his microphone,
asking: "Wasn't I married to you once?"
Even in the Midst of Stress There's Laughter to be Found
Air traffic controllers have a most stressful job. And yet, well there's comedians and wiseacres everywhere, even in the sky.
The following are accounts of actual exchanges between airline pilots and
control towers around the world. Remember that the conversations are heard
by all pilots on that frequency in that area.
====================================================
Tower: "Delta 351, you have traffic at 10 o'clock, 6 miles!"
Delta 351: "Give us another hint! We have digital watches!"
============================================================
"TWA 2341, for noise abatement turn right 45 Degrees."
"Centre, we are at 35,000 feet. How much noise can we make up here?"
"Sir, have you ever heard the noise a 747 makes when it hits a 727?"
======================================================
From an unknown aircraft waiting in a very long takeoff queue: "I'm
f...ing bored!"
Ground Traffic Control: "Last aircraft transmitting, identify yourself
immediately!"
Unknown aircraft: "I said I was f...ing bored, not f...ing stupid!"
============================================================
O'Hare Approach Control to a 747: "United 329 heavy, your traffic is a
Fokker, one o'clock, three miles, Eastbound."
United 329: "Approach, I've always wanted to say this... I've got the
little Fokker in sight."
============================================================
A student became lost during a solo cross-country flight.
While attempting to locate the aircraft on radar, ATC asked, "What was
your last known position?"
Student: "When I was number one for takeoff."
============================================================
A DC-10 had come in a little hot and thus had an exceedingly long roll
out after touching down.
San Jose Tower Noted: "American 751, make a hard right turn at the end
of the runway, if you are able.
If you are not able, take the Guadeloupe exit off Highway 101, make a
right at the lights and return to the airport."
============================================================
There's a story about the military pilot calling for a priority
landing because his single-engine jet fighter was running "a bit
peaked."
Air Traffic Control told the fighter jock that he was number two,
behind a B-52 that had one engine shut down.
"Ah," the fighter pilot remarked, "The dreaded seven-engine approach."
============================================================
Taxiing down the tarmac, a DC-10 abruptly stopped, turned around and
returned to the gate.
After an hour-long wait, it finally took off.
A concerned passenger asked the flight attendant, "What, exactly, was
the problem?"
"The pilot was bothered by a noise he heard in the engine," explained
the flight attendant. "It took us a while to find a new pilot."
============================================================
A Pan Am 727 flight waiting for start clearance in Munich overheard the
following: Lufthansa (in German): "Ground, what is our start clearance
time?"
Ground (in English): "If you want an answer you must speak in English."
Lufthansa (in English): "I am a German, flying a German airplane, in
Germany. Why must I speak English?"
Unknown voice from another plane (in a beautiful British accent):
"Because you lost the bloody war."
============================================================
Tower: "Eastern 702, cleared for takeoff, contact Departure on
frequency 124.7"
Eastern 702: "Tower, Eastern 702 switching to Departure. By the way,
after we lifted off we saw some kind of dead animal on the far end of
the runway."
Tower: "Continental 635, cleared for takeoff behind Eastern 702, contact
Departure on frequency 124.7. Did you copy that report from Eastern 702?"
Continental 635: "Continental 635, cleared for takeoff, roger; and yes,
we copied Eastern... we've already notified our caterers."
=========================================================
One day the pilot of a Cherokee 180 was told by the tower to hold
short of the active runway while a DC-8 landed. The DC-8 landed, rolled
out, turned around, and taxied back past the Cherokee.
Some quick-witted comedian in the DC-8 crew got on the radio and said,
"What a cute little plane. Did you make it all by yourself?"
The Cherokee pilot, not about to let the insult go by, came back with a
real zinger: "I made it out of DC-8 parts. Another landing like yours and
I'll have enough parts for another one."
============================================================
The German air controllers at Frankfurt Airport are renowned as a
short-tempered lot. They not only expect one to know one's gate parking
location, but how to get there without any assistance from them.
So it was with some amusement that we (a Pan Am 747) listened to the
following exchange between Frankfurt ground control and a British Airways
747, call sign Speedbird 206.
Speedbird 206: "Frankfurt, Speedbird 206 clear of active runway."
Ground: "Speedbird 206. Taxi to gate Alpha One-Seven."
The PA 747 pulled onto the main taxiway and slowed to a stop.
Ground: "Speedbird, do you not know where you are going?"
Speedbird 206: "Stand by, Ground, I'm looking up our gate location now."
Ground (with quite arrogant impatience): "Speedbird 206, have you not
been to Frankfurt before?"
Speedbird 206 (coolly): "Yes, twice in 1944, but it was dark, -- And I
didn't land."
============================================================
Funniest Funny This Week
While taxiing at London's Gatwick Airport, the crew of a US Air flight
departing for Ft. Lauderdale made a wrong turn and came nose to nose with
a United 727.
An irate female ground controller lashed out at the US Air crew,
screaming: "US Air 2771, where the hell are you going?! I told you to
turn right onto Charlie taxiway! You turned right on Delta! Stop right
there. I know it's difficult for you to tell the difference between C
and D, but get it right!"
Continuing her rage to the embarrassed crew, she was now shouting
hysterically: "God! Now you've screwed everything up! It'll take forever
to sort this out! You stay right there and don't move till I tell you to!
You can expect progressive taxi instructions in about half an hour, and
I want you to go exactly where I tell you, when I tell you, and how I
tell you! You got that, US Air 2771?"
"Yes, ma'am," the humbled crew responded.
Naturally, the ground control communications frequency fell terribly
silent after the verbal bashing of US Air 2771. Nobody wanted to chance
engaging the irate ground controller in her current state of mind.
Tension in every cockpit out around Gatwick was definitely running high.
Just then an unknown pilot broke the silence and keyed his microphone,
asking: "Wasn't I married to you once?"
Tuesday
Cleaning the Nest: Household Hints Definitely Not from Heloise
Tidying the Nest
Okay, Kaitlyn, listen up. For Grandmother is about to pen a missive sort of tome that will set you straight about all things dusting, cleaning, scouring, wiping, shining and waxing.
This is not the stuff of Ladies Home Journal and indeed, at times, I may eschew those products so hyped in their rotogravure from their advertisers.
It is the words of one woman who is pretty ordinary in terms of cleanliness and housekeeping ability. Most of my "nests" were also of the most ordinary variety attracting the most ordinary of types of dust and dirt. As with every other woman on the planet, it was, through four husbands, my job to cleanse the nest. If I wasn't actually cleansing the nest I was in charge of getting spouse to help cleanse it by giving him specific instructions and pointing out the obvious to his oblivious masculine eyes.
Thus it will be with you sweet Granddaughter and right here Grandmother does you a favor by not misleading you. For some time during Grandmother's life time there was a massive feminine revolution that allegedly removed the responsibility of the more mundane chores of life from the shoulders of the female soldiers and placed at least half of it on her male partner.
Only it didn't turn out that way, Kaitlyn Mae, this as Grandmother admits to having once been a participant in that feminine revolution that leaves her in solid middle-age return to how it always was and always will be.
It was the Wren that convinced me. Or perhaps the Starling, that ugliest and most maligned of the yard birds. Then again the Robin gives me pause, that architect of the most intricate nests on the planet.
In none of the above bird cases, does the male ever participate in the actual design and maintenance of the nest structure although he does labor by bringing in various twigs and yard debris to the head architect, which would be his female mate.
A male Wren will throw a couple of twigs anywhere and everywhere in his self-designated territory. Once he lures an interested female with his fine song, he will show her all of his "nests" with the pride of a conquering male.
She, of course, begins to methodically toss the ugly and inappropriate twigs all about, cursing him in bird talk while spitting his choices of building materials to the ground in disdain. This after completely dismissing many of his fine "nests" that were totally inappropriate in terms of location, exposure and danger from prey.
Males can't handle this sort of thing, Kaitlyn, and the female wren knows it.
As does the Starling of my memory. They were a handsome pair of Starlings as those trashy birds go. Both male and female were busy in the early spring, building a massive twig affair high in the oak tree adjacent to my porch. The male would fly a piece of building material up to the female. The female was distracted and busy designing the framing for her precious nursery and had no time for kindness to her mate.
Starlings are noisy birds and their chatter confused me. First I would notice a piece of tin foil drift down from high in the tree. Then the male Starling would descend, retrieve the foil piece and fly it right back up high in the tree. Soon that same piece of foil, it looked to be like a piece of a cigarette pack, would drift back down. Soon again, the male Starling would come back and retrieve it.
This saga continued for some time until I figured out that the silly male Starling was bringing this to his mate to add to the nest design and SHE was giving him her opinion of the design by tossing it out into the great beyond.
That female Starling was not going to have cigarette pack foil built into her nest design and I certainly understood. Your Grandfather, Kaitlyn, once wanted to paint our living room dark blue and affix shiny paper stars to the ceiling.
Of course it is the female who must maintain some sort of sanity in such things and of course I tossed that man's shiny paper stars along with the dark blue paint right out the window.
A Robin's nest is a bit more of a complicated affair. These birds use mud to mold straw and other soft material into a cup-type nest designed to nestle into odd spots like rain gutters and hanging plant pots. It was just such a rain gutter spout nest that allowed me to view the Robin action closely.
The male Robin would bring bits of straw and dried grass to his mate. He would also bring gobs of mud. The female would take the straw and mud and by using her breast, go round and round until that nest became the proper Robin nest shape when the mud dried and molded it firm.
Although the female Robin too had issues with her mate's design choices and throughout this entire nest building process pieces of rejected straw and strange bits of string would come falling down from the rain gutter, rejections by the female Robin of the building offerings of her mate.
The area below that Robin nest was quite messy with the rejections, something that was my job to tidy up as my husband would never even notice such a thing.
Which is the whole point of this exercise, Kaitlyn Mae. Grandmother thinks you should sidestep all the male/female nonsense that I plowed through in my earlier years and accept that the female of the species is in charge of the nest. Period.
Now I've done spent so much space on my bird stories that I will have to resort to Part 2 of this missive to detail Grandmother's method to keeping a tidy nest, how to avoid dirt to begin with, what cleaning products are useless, which ones are the most valuable.
It's an intriguing observation, Kaitlyn, and if you trust Grandmother at all you will accept that only your female self has sensibilities that will be offended by clutter, dirt and nasty smells. The love of your life can have a number of male blind spots but he will have blind spots, Kaitlyn, from the very act of being a man.
However, there is a way to get your mate to help out handily come time to clean the nest, Kaitlyn, and Grandmother will offer these hints as well. In time, if you're lucky, your chosen love will come to actually prefer a clean and neat abode, get used to it a certain way, as it were.
For now and until Part 2, Kaitlyn Mae, accept the lesson of the birds and know that as the female generally raises the young it is the female who knows intuitively what the young need.
Don't let your husband put cigarette foil paper on your walls is what I'm saying here, Kaitlyn.
For Part 2 of this missive click here
Okay, Kaitlyn, listen up. For Grandmother is about to pen a missive sort of tome that will set you straight about all things dusting, cleaning, scouring, wiping, shining and waxing.
This is not the stuff of Ladies Home Journal and indeed, at times, I may eschew those products so hyped in their rotogravure from their advertisers.
It is the words of one woman who is pretty ordinary in terms of cleanliness and housekeeping ability. Most of my "nests" were also of the most ordinary variety attracting the most ordinary of types of dust and dirt. As with every other woman on the planet, it was, through four husbands, my job to cleanse the nest. If I wasn't actually cleansing the nest I was in charge of getting spouse to help cleanse it by giving him specific instructions and pointing out the obvious to his oblivious masculine eyes.
Thus it will be with you sweet Granddaughter and right here Grandmother does you a favor by not misleading you. For some time during Grandmother's life time there was a massive feminine revolution that allegedly removed the responsibility of the more mundane chores of life from the shoulders of the female soldiers and placed at least half of it on her male partner.
Only it didn't turn out that way, Kaitlyn Mae, this as Grandmother admits to having once been a participant in that feminine revolution that leaves her in solid middle-age return to how it always was and always will be.
It was the Wren that convinced me. Or perhaps the Starling, that ugliest and most maligned of the yard birds. Then again the Robin gives me pause, that architect of the most intricate nests on the planet.
In none of the above bird cases, does the male ever participate in the actual design and maintenance of the nest structure although he does labor by bringing in various twigs and yard debris to the head architect, which would be his female mate.
A male Wren will throw a couple of twigs anywhere and everywhere in his self-designated territory. Once he lures an interested female with his fine song, he will show her all of his "nests" with the pride of a conquering male.
She, of course, begins to methodically toss the ugly and inappropriate twigs all about, cursing him in bird talk while spitting his choices of building materials to the ground in disdain. This after completely dismissing many of his fine "nests" that were totally inappropriate in terms of location, exposure and danger from prey.
Males can't handle this sort of thing, Kaitlyn, and the female wren knows it.
As does the Starling of my memory. They were a handsome pair of Starlings as those trashy birds go. Both male and female were busy in the early spring, building a massive twig affair high in the oak tree adjacent to my porch. The male would fly a piece of building material up to the female. The female was distracted and busy designing the framing for her precious nursery and had no time for kindness to her mate.
Starlings are noisy birds and their chatter confused me. First I would notice a piece of tin foil drift down from high in the tree. Then the male Starling would descend, retrieve the foil piece and fly it right back up high in the tree. Soon that same piece of foil, it looked to be like a piece of a cigarette pack, would drift back down. Soon again, the male Starling would come back and retrieve it.
This saga continued for some time until I figured out that the silly male Starling was bringing this to his mate to add to the nest design and SHE was giving him her opinion of the design by tossing it out into the great beyond.
That female Starling was not going to have cigarette pack foil built into her nest design and I certainly understood. Your Grandfather, Kaitlyn, once wanted to paint our living room dark blue and affix shiny paper stars to the ceiling.
Of course it is the female who must maintain some sort of sanity in such things and of course I tossed that man's shiny paper stars along with the dark blue paint right out the window.
A Robin's nest is a bit more of a complicated affair. These birds use mud to mold straw and other soft material into a cup-type nest designed to nestle into odd spots like rain gutters and hanging plant pots. It was just such a rain gutter spout nest that allowed me to view the Robin action closely.
The male Robin would bring bits of straw and dried grass to his mate. He would also bring gobs of mud. The female would take the straw and mud and by using her breast, go round and round until that nest became the proper Robin nest shape when the mud dried and molded it firm.
Although the female Robin too had issues with her mate's design choices and throughout this entire nest building process pieces of rejected straw and strange bits of string would come falling down from the rain gutter, rejections by the female Robin of the building offerings of her mate.
The area below that Robin nest was quite messy with the rejections, something that was my job to tidy up as my husband would never even notice such a thing.
Which is the whole point of this exercise, Kaitlyn Mae. Grandmother thinks you should sidestep all the male/female nonsense that I plowed through in my earlier years and accept that the female of the species is in charge of the nest. Period.
Now I've done spent so much space on my bird stories that I will have to resort to Part 2 of this missive to detail Grandmother's method to keeping a tidy nest, how to avoid dirt to begin with, what cleaning products are useless, which ones are the most valuable.
It's an intriguing observation, Kaitlyn, and if you trust Grandmother at all you will accept that only your female self has sensibilities that will be offended by clutter, dirt and nasty smells. The love of your life can have a number of male blind spots but he will have blind spots, Kaitlyn, from the very act of being a man.
However, there is a way to get your mate to help out handily come time to clean the nest, Kaitlyn, and Grandmother will offer these hints as well. In time, if you're lucky, your chosen love will come to actually prefer a clean and neat abode, get used to it a certain way, as it were.
For now and until Part 2, Kaitlyn Mae, accept the lesson of the birds and know that as the female generally raises the young it is the female who knows intuitively what the young need.
Don't let your husband put cigarette foil paper on your walls is what I'm saying here, Kaitlyn.
For Part 2 of this missive click here
Quoteable, Notable: Why No Vaccine?
It's Notable, Quotable, Ponderable and Worth the Thought
Why There Isn't Enough Vaccine
As always, follow the money ...
- Steve Moore, president, Club for Growth
The Quote This Week That Says It All
Liberals Stretch for Justification of Their Existence.
Wethinks Geraldine Ferraro, once a candidate for Vice-President of the United States, really stretches for this piece of nonsense.
-Geraldine Ferraro to Sean Hannity on Hannity and Colmes, November 6.
The red state would have no educational system? Damn, the Congo has an educational system and it's not a red state.
Bill Richardson-The Toad to Nowhere
Myself never liked oily Bill Richardson, current Governor of New Mexico and political opportunist of the utmost. I first knew this man when he was the US ambassador to the UN and was called upon to get none other than Monica Lewinsky a job. He jumped through Clinton hoops and sold his soul. Now he's not even a little frog in a big pond.
- Former New Mexico GOP Chairman John Dendahl
Why There Isn't Enough Vaccine
As always, follow the money ...
KILLING US WITH LAWSUITS
"In the 1960s and 1970s, the United States had 26 vaccine manufacturers. Now we are down to just four. . . . The explanation is politicians and trial lawyers. Drug companies can't make profits from producing vaccines any longer because of product liability lawsuits. . . . (T)he trial bar has destroyed a critical medical industry.
"Congress has the power to fix this crisis. Why hasn't it? The reason is the trial lawyers' massive political clout. . . . The trial lawyers are the No. 1 special interest contributor to the Democratic Party, and to many Republican candidates too. This year lawyers have donated some $100 million to federal candidates."
- Steve Moore, president, Club for Growth
The Quote This Week That Says It All
Liberals Stretch for Justification of Their Existence.
Wethinks Geraldine Ferraro, once a candidate for Vice-President of the United States, really stretches for this piece of nonsense.
"You know what? Just let me make one point. You were talking about the map before. If indeed all those blue states all got together and seceded from the union, think what would be left for those red states, nothing. There would be no educational system. You would have nothing. What would be left to you? I mean, where is all of this talent in this country? It's on both sides, the Northeast corridor."
-Geraldine Ferraro to Sean Hannity on Hannity and Colmes, November 6.
The red state would have no educational system? Damn, the Congo has an educational system and it's not a red state.
Bill Richardson-The Toad to Nowhere
Myself never liked oily Bill Richardson, current Governor of New Mexico and political opportunist of the utmost. I first knew this man when he was the US ambassador to the UN and was called upon to get none other than Monica Lewinsky a job. He jumped through Clinton hoops and sold his soul. Now he's not even a little frog in a big pond.
"Yet New Mexicans sent their electoral college votes to re-elect George W. Bush. Every Democrat leader in the country was depending on Bill Richardson...to deliver the state to Kerry. He didn't get it done. It looks to me like Richardson is political toast - the state he has been using for 25 years as his stepping stone to national office just turned into a lily pad, and it won't support a frog anywhere near his size."
- Former New Mexico GOP Chairman John Dendahl
Sunday
The Week Just Passed: Clinton Doesn't Get His Own Set of Facts
The Week Just Passed: Notes of important events from the week prior as Grandmother has determined, not the Old Media. With, as expected, Grandmother’s input
Cabinet Rocking, Rolling and Shaking
Indeed it seemed that each hour of this past week had new information on who was going to resign, who was going to replace the resignee, who was fired and who was simply not re-hired.
Grandmother’s track record as compiled when the events unfolded:
Secretary Colin Powell resigned as Secretary of State; Spencer Abraham resigned as Secretary of Energy; Ann Venemann resigned as Secretary of Agriculture; Tom Ridge resigned as Director of Homeland Security; John Ashcroft resigned as Attorney General; and Condaleeza Rice resigned as National Security Director.
Condaleeza Rice was appointed Secretary of State. Alberto Gonzales was appointed Attorney General.
The shakeup at the State Department was quite serious in that the Deputy Secretary of State-Richard Armitage, also resigned/got fired, take your pick.
We also hear that Goss is shaking things up over at the CIA, a wise missive about same already germinating in my mind for later this week.
Anyway, it all seems indicative of a re-elected President with no intention of riding out his lame-duck presidency. He’s putting his people in place and beyond thoughts on Colin Powell, it seems like nothing more than a normal shuffling of people to positions more suited to them. It’s how a good business is run.
The Department of State, along with the CIA to my surprise, seems to have worked actively and heartily against this President and his policies quite lustily during this past presidential campaign.
What right does a government agency have to campaign against a sitting President?
Now the liberals will argue that such debate is a good thing, that freedom of speech encourages this sort of thing, that we can’t have a monolithic government acting as one great body to advance the policies of one administration.
Oh yes we can.
Goodness knows the United States of America has plenty of free speech and now that even conservatives have a voice we really don’t need the help of the Department of State to tell us how to vote.
The liberals have already passed the “whistle blower” act dear Lord this should be enough. If any government employee spots ill-doing, damn, all they have to do is dash off an email to the NY Times. Toot de sweet the Times will be all ears, especially on anything that makes Bush look bad.
Besides, why should we expect the Department of State and CIA employees not to be working to advance their own agenda? An agenda that I’m beginning to get more and more suspect about.
I’ve never been a great believer in nobility to advance an ideology. Michael Moore has no ideology for which he’s fervent. He’s simply an innovative American that found a way to make money and if he managed to do it selling lies well how creative is that?
Follow the money, as the wise men say. The Wise I is beginning to sniff the beginnings of some major scandals involving these very government bureaucracies created to protect us.
Stay tuned for more on this later this week.
Another Liberal Complete Waste of Money
How many poor familes can be fed on $113,600? Would not that money make a nice down payment on a house for some family who’s never known such a thing? How many Sudan babies couldn’t be closer to a cure for Aids with the help of this money?
And yet it goes to a bogus and completely lost cause. Forthwith:
Clinton Writes His Own Legacy
There’s an old saying: “You have a right to your own opinion but you don’t have a right to your own facts.”
A truth, for sure. But William Jefferson Clinton, this past week, was honored by the Grand opening of his library and massage parlor.
Under a downpour not that anyone considered this eventuality, a lack of planning reflected in the administration of the President it honored.
I watched ole Bill with my own eyes during that interview with Peter Jennings when he warned Mr. Jennings “not to go there”. Bill’s jaw clenched in that manner he has, a visage with a hardened and determined jaw ready to tackle the world. Especially a world which would accuse him of allowing terrorist attacks go unfettered for his entire eight years as he fooled around in the peoples’ oval office.
At the moment I witnessed this pathetic man’s jaw begin its strident clench I knew this would be possibly the first US President who would burn in hell forever. Yes, I see him right down there with OJ, another moron who could never own up to his crime.
Poor honest Ken Starr did not bring you down, Willie. You did terrible things and took advantage of your position in the most disgusting manner possible.
And your little trailer home fantasy library will never change the facts, Mr. President. Because you don’t get your own set of facts.
From the very non-partisan Bruce Lindsay, we have this:
I Told You So Dept…
As predicted, more news came out this week on the two subjects I specified.
...ok, anyone could have predicted Fallujah would remain in the news. But hey, there's a whole bunch of people SHOCKED I tell you, that a soldier would actually shoot an enemy combatant....Below..
Although we shouldn’t be surprised by this either. I mean, the UN is going to investigate American abuses, damn I’m scared.
And then there’s
Specter
It was all for nought. The door mat Senator, also known as Orrin Hatch, informed the angry base that Specter was in.
We knew those lily-livered senators wouldn’t have the courage to do it. No mind Majority Leader Frist’s tough talk.
Most Under-Reported Story of the Week
House Committee on International Relations Begins Probe to UN Oil for Food Program
Henry Hyde chairs this committee. Below a quote from the committee’s statement of purpose. IF, and it’s a big IF, this committee does its job, this volcano should begin its eruption.
Cabinet Rocking, Rolling and Shaking
Indeed it seemed that each hour of this past week had new information on who was going to resign, who was going to replace the resignee, who was fired and who was simply not re-hired.
Grandmother’s track record as compiled when the events unfolded:
Secretary Colin Powell resigned as Secretary of State; Spencer Abraham resigned as Secretary of Energy; Ann Venemann resigned as Secretary of Agriculture; Tom Ridge resigned as Director of Homeland Security; John Ashcroft resigned as Attorney General; and Condaleeza Rice resigned as National Security Director.
Condaleeza Rice was appointed Secretary of State. Alberto Gonzales was appointed Attorney General.
The shakeup at the State Department was quite serious in that the Deputy Secretary of State-Richard Armitage, also resigned/got fired, take your pick.
We also hear that Goss is shaking things up over at the CIA, a wise missive about same already germinating in my mind for later this week.
Anyway, it all seems indicative of a re-elected President with no intention of riding out his lame-duck presidency. He’s putting his people in place and beyond thoughts on Colin Powell, it seems like nothing more than a normal shuffling of people to positions more suited to them. It’s how a good business is run.
The Department of State, along with the CIA to my surprise, seems to have worked actively and heartily against this President and his policies quite lustily during this past presidential campaign.
What right does a government agency have to campaign against a sitting President?
Now the liberals will argue that such debate is a good thing, that freedom of speech encourages this sort of thing, that we can’t have a monolithic government acting as one great body to advance the policies of one administration.
Oh yes we can.
Goodness knows the United States of America has plenty of free speech and now that even conservatives have a voice we really don’t need the help of the Department of State to tell us how to vote.
The liberals have already passed the “whistle blower” act dear Lord this should be enough. If any government employee spots ill-doing, damn, all they have to do is dash off an email to the NY Times. Toot de sweet the Times will be all ears, especially on anything that makes Bush look bad.
Besides, why should we expect the Department of State and CIA employees not to be working to advance their own agenda? An agenda that I’m beginning to get more and more suspect about.
I’ve never been a great believer in nobility to advance an ideology. Michael Moore has no ideology for which he’s fervent. He’s simply an innovative American that found a way to make money and if he managed to do it selling lies well how creative is that?
Follow the money, as the wise men say. The Wise I is beginning to sniff the beginnings of some major scandals involving these very government bureaucracies created to protect us.
Stay tuned for more on this later this week.
Another Liberal Complete Waste of Money
How many poor familes can be fed on $113,600? Would not that money make a nice down payment on a house for some family who’s never known such a thing? How many Sudan babies couldn’t be closer to a cure for Aids with the help of this money?
And yet it goes to a bogus and completely lost cause. Forthwith:
A statewide recount of the presidential vote appears inevitable after a pair of third-party candidates said they have collected enough money to pay for it.
The recount would be conducted after the election results are certified in early December.
Libertarian Michael Badnarik and the Green Party's David Cobb said on Monday they raised more than $150,000 in four days, mostly in small contributions.
Ohio law requires payment of $10 per precinct for a recount, or $113,600 statewide.
Badnarik and Cobb said they aren't trying to overturn President Bush's 136,000-vote victory in Ohio, but just want to ensure that all votes were counted properly in the face of concerns about Election Day irregularities.
Clinton Writes His Own Legacy
There’s an old saying: “You have a right to your own opinion but you don’t have a right to your own facts.”
A truth, for sure. But William Jefferson Clinton, this past week, was honored by the Grand opening of his library and massage parlor.
Under a downpour not that anyone considered this eventuality, a lack of planning reflected in the administration of the President it honored.
I watched ole Bill with my own eyes during that interview with Peter Jennings when he warned Mr. Jennings “not to go there”. Bill’s jaw clenched in that manner he has, a visage with a hardened and determined jaw ready to tackle the world. Especially a world which would accuse him of allowing terrorist attacks go unfettered for his entire eight years as he fooled around in the peoples’ oval office.
At the moment I witnessed this pathetic man’s jaw begin its strident clench I knew this would be possibly the first US President who would burn in hell forever. Yes, I see him right down there with OJ, another moron who could never own up to his crime.
Poor honest Ken Starr did not bring you down, Willie. You did terrible things and took advantage of your position in the most disgusting manner possible.
And your little trailer home fantasy library will never change the facts, Mr. President. Because you don’t get your own set of facts.
From the very non-partisan Bruce Lindsay, we have this:
"It's the way we believe history will record it. We have a point of view. I don't know if we have influence," longtime Clinton adviser Bruce Lindsey said.
Lindsey said Clinton wanted to include details of the attacks on his presidency but wanted to do so within the context of Republican efforts to "delegitimize" Clinton's tenure.
I Told You So Dept…
As predicted, more news came out this week on the two subjects I specified.
...ok, anyone could have predicted Fallujah would remain in the news. But hey, there's a whole bunch of people SHOCKED I tell you, that a soldier would actually shoot an enemy combatant....Below..
The United Nations has called for an investigation into a series of alleged abuses in the Iraqi city of Fallujah.
Human rights official Louise Arbour said those responsible for any violations should be brought to justice.
Controversy over the Fallujah offensive was fuelled by video footage showing a US Marine shooting dead a wounded and unarmed Iraqi.
The pictures showed some marines entering the mosque on Saturday.
Although we shouldn’t be surprised by this either. I mean, the UN is going to investigate American abuses, damn I’m scared.
And then there’s
Specter
Anti-abortion conservatives on Tuesday protested the possible elevation of Sen. Arlen Specter to Senate Judiciary Committee chairman just as the Pennsylvania senator was trying to convince his Republican colleagues that he would be a strong advocate for President Bush's judicial nominees.
It was all for nought. The door mat Senator, also known as Orrin Hatch, informed the angry base that Specter was in.
We knew those lily-livered senators wouldn’t have the courage to do it. No mind Majority Leader Frist’s tough talk.
Most Under-Reported Story of the Week
House Committee on International Relations Begins Probe to UN Oil for Food Program
Henry Hyde chairs this committee. Below a quote from the committee’s statement of purpose. IF, and it’s a big IF, this committee does its job, this volcano should begin its eruption.
Saddam Hussein corrupted every aspect of the program, and various sources indicate that he may have received help from some of our Allies, and perhaps even U.S. citizens, in doing so. This is why this issue has taken on a sense of urgency. We must determine to what extent Saddam’s corruptive influence tainted others and perhaps even those we trusted most to help us to isolate and disarm him.
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