Life, the universe and everything

Government Mortgage Assistance Program Epic Fail

2009-12-10T20:13:00.004-05:00

There are numerous things about this report that amazes me. The biggest of which is that people that need help cant get their asses in gear to get the proper paperwork to the agency to complete the process. Let me see if I understand. The home owner needs help because they cant afford their mortgage. They get into a temporary program and all they have to do is make their payments on time and get their documents to the government to get permanent relief. Based on the Treasury Department the majority of the applicants cant keep up with the payments and get documents done. The other issue is of the people that do get the paper work complete dont have income to support even the assisted plan. To me this means they are the same people that should have never been given the mortgage in the first place and should have known they couldnt afford the house they were buying.
Full Story

This is very similar to what with on the job. I doing billing/collections for an anesthesia practice. Many of the people say they have medical cards (embarrassed to say they are on Medicaid) and all they have to do is give me the ID number. Dont forget they have been mailed many bills and letters from my law office. They still want to argue, curse at you and take months to get the information to us. And to think it cost them ZERO for their care and they are to lazy to give the correct info to pay the bill.

Harry Reid -Health Care -CNN where are you?

2009-12-07T19:55:00.000-05:00

I checked the CNN link to the special page following the Health Care in America and the last story in the latest news section is from November 30th. I guess it must not be important enough to report on the debate that has been going on for 7 days straight. Fox News report and below ABC report

Now for the Reid remarks on the Senate floor from the ABC report. Not only were his remarks just plain wrong they were historically wrong.

Instead of joining us on the right side of history, all Republicans have come up with is this slow down, stop everything, let's start over," said Reid. "You think you've heard these same excuses before, you're right. When this country belatedly recognized the wrongs of slavery, there were those who dug in their heels and said, slow down, it's too early. Let's wait. Things aren't bad enough. When women spoke up for the right to speak up, they wanted to vote, some insisted slow down, there will be a better day to do that. The day isn't quite right. When this body was on the verge of guaranteeing equal civil rights to everyone, regardless of the color of their skin, some senators resorted to the same filibuster threats that we hear today. More recently, when chairman Chris Dodd of Connecticut, one of the people who will go down as a chief champion of the bill before us today, said that Americans should be able to take care of their families without fear of losing their jobs, you heard the same old excuses. seven years of fighting and more than one presidential veto, it was slow down, stop everything, start over. History is repeating itself before our eyes. There are now those who don't think it is the right time to reform health care. If not now, when, madam president? But the reality for many that feel that way, it will never, never be a good time to reform health care."

Democrats have consistently tried to paint their efforts to extend health insurance to all Americans as historic. Senators said that was also the thrust of President Obama's pep talk to Democratic lawmakers on Capitol Hill Sunday. But comparing opposition to health reform with opposition to the end of slavery is a new riff on the argument.

Republicans, when asked about the comments, said Reid was inappropriate today. At a press conference, Republican Sens. Tom Coburn of Oklahoma, John Thune of South Dakota and Saxby Chambliss of Georgia said Reid was infusing the issue of race into the health reform debate. Thune called the remarks "inflammatory."

Inflammatory or not, Reid's comments do have the benefit pointing out how both parties have found themselves on the wrong side of history.

It was a Republican President that freed the slaves. And former Republican Theodore Roosevelt's Bull Moose party (not the Democrats or the Republicans) was the first major national party to support women's suffrage.

The fight against the Civil rights movement in the last century had more to do with regionalism than political party. It was Sen. Robert Byrd, D-WV, who is now the longest serving Senator, who filibustered the Civil Rights Act for 14 hours in 1964. 44 Democrats and 27 Republicans voted to end that filibuster. 23 Democrats and 6 Republicans voted to sustain it. The Democrat's Majority Leader, Richard Russell, opposed the bill. The Republican Minority Leader, Everett Dirksen, was one of the Republicans who joined with Democrats to end the filibuster after the Civil Rights Act had been on the Senate floor for 57 days. Both men now have Senate office buildings names after them.

Death Tax Extended

2009-12-03T23:15:00.000-05:00

The 45% tax on a persons assets has been extended. It does not affect but the top 1% of the people in the country. Congress has to vote on it almost every year. This year they wanted it to be reduced from 3.5mil to 1mil in assets to receive the 45% tax.This would affect many small business' , farmers and persons with life insurance and large 401k plans.

The problem I see is that if 2 people make exactly the same amount of money their entire life. One chooses to spend it all or give it to family through out his life and the other saves it. The one that spent it all does not have to pay the tax and the other gets nailed with a 45% tax.

Got to love this Congressman's quote

"In America, it's not a sin to be rich nor is it a crime to die rich," said Rep. Jared Polis, D-Colo. "This bill gives our nation's wealthiest families the ability to know exactly what their obligation to the nation that fostered their wealth will be, and it is fair and it is just."

Fair and just , really? Pay income tax, pay sales tax and pay property tax then pay tax on all the assets from the already taxed money

ARTICLE

Napolitano Toughens Language on Domestic Terrorism

2009-12-03T20:53:00.001-05:00

Did someone show the Obama administration a dictionary. Of course it is terrorism if is on US soil or anywhere in the world. Napolitano actually used the word in her speech

n. The unlawful use or threatened use of force or violence by a person or an organized group against people or property with the intention of intimidating or coercing societies or governments, often for ideological or political reasons.

Jon Stewart -Global Warming

2009-12-03T17:35:00.002-05:00

Global Warming debunked by the same internet that Al Gore invented ..lol
Fox News Report and video

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart

Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c

Scientists Hide Global Warming Data

www.thedailyshow.com

Daily Show
Full Episodes

Political Humor

Health Care Crisis

Daugher of former GM boss blasts GM on facebook

2009-12-03T14:09:00.000-05:00

GM's dismisses her as a "child" and doesnt know what she is talking about. But seems she has some choice words for GM.

Baltimore mayor guilty of embezzlement

2009-12-02T08:01:00.001-05:00

With all the recent news reports on politicians and criminal acts, one has to ask, is it the type of person that goes into politics or the power of being in politics that makes people do stupid acts. I am confused how this mayor was not found guilty of felony theft and especially misconduct in office. I could see if the gift cards were laying around and she took them but she blantantly asked for specific store cards to be delivered to her office. Full Article

Microsoft Windows 7- Black Screen of Death

2009-12-01T11:35:00.000-05:00

I have been very happy with Windows 7 and surprised that I have not experienced any problems. But knew it was to good to be true. In this article it is pointed out that this problem has been around for years and affects all Microsoft OS. Maybe it really is time to buy a Macbook Pro

Politician's lost job for not coming to work

2009-11-30T08:09:00.000-05:00

If a person fails to attent Parliment 3 times in a row you lose your job. I think this is a great idea and should be implemented in the US Congess. It would ensure Congess is actually seated or why they were not seated.

albinos in hiding after attacks

2009-11-29T23:58:00.003-05:00

This is a crazy story

ThinkGeek :: Crayola Executive Pen

2009-11-29T16:05:00.001-05:00

ThinkGeek :: Crayola Executive Pen

Posted using ShareThis

Fannie Mae- Govt at its finest

2009-11-29T11:02:00.003-05:00

I cant believe it took Fannie Mae 3 years to change their policy of lending to people with such a low credit score and they act suprised at the high rate of defauts on these mortgages. Yet another example of a government run program that run so crappy

Cuban's land at FL Nuclear power plant

2009-11-29T10:46:00.000-05:00

I find a few things worng with this report about Cuban's landing at the Turkey Point Nuclear Power Plant
1. How did the get so close
2. How did they have the number for the control room of plant
3. Are there no security cameras

Panckes in a Can

2009-11-29T10:25:00.000-05:00

Just for fun news

Pancakes in a can

Man jailed for mureder but police say the Moose did it

Jesus image in an iron

WTF, 50k a year on disability

Sen Rockefeller -Obama Care

2009-11-24T23:45:00.001-05:00

I sent a very long letter to Sen Rockefeller and asked very specific questions about the Reid plan. I got a very generic BS response:

Dear Kevin,

Thank you for contacting me to share your thoughts about health reform. This is such an important issue, and I'm glad you've been in touch. I am proud to see so many West Virginians participating in the conversation about moving our country's health care system forward. Right now, we have a profound opportunity to fix our broken health care system, rein in runaway health care costs, and make life better for hundreds of thousands of West Virginians.

When I first began my career in public service, I learned a valuable lesson: health care is a right and should not merely be a privilege. Today, it is an undeniable fact that thousands of families in our state carry the burden of failed health care policies and unmet promises. Roughly 17 percent of West Virginians have decided at one point or another not to visit a doctor because they could not afford it. More than 75 percent of people who cited medical expenses in their bankruptcy claims actually had health insurance, and most of them had jobs. The growing and deeply felt insecurity of being one step removed from disaster runs like a common thread throughout our entire health care system. With more than 46 million uninsured people in this country, and 25 million more who are underinsured, I feel more strongly than ever that we must not lose sight of the moral imperative to extend health care coverage that is affordable and meaningful to every West Virginian and to all Americans.

Health care reform is about the many hard-working West Virginians who have shared their concerns with me about rising health care costs and eroding coverage. It is about the more than 250,000 uninsured West Virginians - and tens of thousands more who are underinsured in our state and one step away from medical and financial disaster. Health care reform is about providing tangible health care solutions that make a difference in our day-to-day lives, through good times and bad. It is about giving our children a healthy start in life and improving the stability of health insurance coverage for working families. It is about providing our seniors with the benefits they need, while protecting the Medicare trust fund for many years to come. With so much at stake, people's needs and expectations are high, and so are mine.

I am proud of the progress that Congress has achieved thus far. All five Congressional committees with jurisdiction over health care have passed health reform legislation, including the Senate Finance Committee, of which I am a member and where I serve as the Chairman of the Subcommittee on Health Care. During the Senate Finance Committee's consideration of S. 1796, the America's Healthy Future Act, we considered scores of amendments and engaged in hours of debate. Ultimately, we passed this legislation out of the Finance Committee by a vote of 14-9. You can find more information about the America's Healthy Future Act - including the text of the bill, hearing testimony, list of amendments, and vote results - at the Finance Committee's website at: http://finance.senate.gov/sitepages/Americas_Healthy_Future_Act.html. If you do not have a computer available in your home, you can visit your local library and access the Internet free of charge.

While I have made no secret of the fact that I believe some parts of the Finance Committee proposal falls short of the stated goals of comprehensive health reform, there were some significant successes. We defended the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) to protect the health coverage of millions of children, including nearly 40,000 in West Virginia. We protected the health benefits of retirees and workers in high-risk professions - like coal miners and firefighters - West Virginians who risk their lives in dangerous jobs that take a toll on their health. We expanded Medicaid to cover an additional 14 million vulnerable Americans, and reduced the number of uninsured Americans by 29 million people overall. We included critical insurance market reforms to make sure that the coverage you have today and in the future is adequate and reliable - so that it meets your health care needs.

Not only do I believe we can build on these improvements moving forward, but I also believe that the status quo is far worse, which is why I voted to report the America's Healthy Future Act out of the Senate Finance Committee. My vote was recognition of the fact that the status quo is simply unacceptable and unsustainable. You may be interested to know, however, that I submitted 13 pages of additional views on the America's Healthy Future Act, which outline the key issues that I believe Congress must address going forward - in order to expand the availability of health coverage, lower costs to increase the affordability of coverage, and require greater accountability on the part of health insurance companies. You can read my additional views by going to my website at: http://rockefeller.senate.gov/press/record.cfm?id=319140. I am committed to fighting for meaningful health reform every step of the way - on the Senate floor and in conference with the House of Representatives. Please visit my website for continuous updates: http://rockefeller.senate.gov/issues/health/healthcarereform.cfm.

On November 18, 2009, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid proposed the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. This legislation not only merges the components of the health reform bills reported out of the two Senate committees with jurisdiction over health care - the Finance Committee and the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee - it also substantially improves the health reform proposals included in each bill. Many of the improvements made by Senator Reid incorporate the provisions that I have promoted as vital to comprehensive health reform, including: the preservation of CHIP for children, the establishment of the Independent Medicare Advisory Board to improve the solvency and quality of Medicare, additional insurance market reforms to stop health insurance companies from denying care to people who need it, and a public health insurance option to drive down costs and keep health insurance companies honest. You can find more information about the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act - including the text of the bill, a section-by-section bill summary, descriptions of specific provisions, and an implementation timeline - at the Democratic Policy Committee's website at: http://dpc.senate.gov/dpcdoc-sen_health_care_bill.cfm.

On Saturday, November 21, more than 72 hours after the bill was first proposed and the full legislative language was posted online, the Senate voted on a motion to proceed to H.R. 3590, the legislative vehicle for consideration of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. The motion to proceed passed the Senate by a vote of 60 to 39, and floor debate on the bill will begin immediately after Thanksgiving. I will keep your views clearly in mind as the health reform debate moves forward.

I firmly believe the time is now for Congress to submit a plan to the President that achieves comprehensive health care reform. We simply cannot afford to wait. There are real people in West Virginia with lives hanging in the balance.

Thank you again for writing. It is always good to hear from my fellow West Virginians about matters of importance. Best wishes.

With Warm Regards,

Jay Rockefeller

Obama , Stimulus and Health Care Reform

2009-11-19T23:42:00.003-05:00

I have been politico/news junkie for years. This year has supplied an endless supply of topics to debate or just get plain frustrated. Just having to seeing and hearing Nancy Pelosi on tv is about enough to make me want to hurl.

This past week, with the release of the errors in the stimulus and Reid's Bill, has put me over the edge with everyone in Washington. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Acthas doled out 173 billion of the 787 billion and only 47 billion has been reported back it results. Of that 47bil, millions has been reported incorrectly. In Arizona, 73mil was reported to create 30 jobs in District 15. There is only 8 districts in Arizona. Also, 1.27 mil per job created. REALLY? I want one of those jobs. They have been working on the highway by my house for years. Suddenly one of those recovery act signs appeared. Tell me how that saved or created jobs on an existing and almost complete construction job? It was so blatant that they put up the sign to say " see what we are doing with the money".

I do support a reform of the health care in our country but not in the manner Washington is trying to shove down our throats. I have a few very important questions about the actually out of pocket cost to individuals if this Bill is passed. I currently pay $240 a month for 90% coverage and 10% out of pocket insurance. Reid has said several times that the cap will be $5000 for individuals. Why would I want to pay $2000 more a year for an UNKNOWN plan if my company decided it is cheaper to pay the tax penalty and drop our company insurance.

I am now partners in a medical billing/collection company for about a 45 days . I have had to deal with medicaid and private companies. When calling a private company it is so simple to get answers and paid for a claim. Most of the claims that have been filed have been paid within 7-10 days. Dealing with medicaid (WV, OH and KY) I have left numerous messages for case workers, faxed and mailed claims and had patients leave messages to call our office. Zero of those claims have been paid and 90% have not even responded to the claims in any manner. This is who we want in charge?

1. What is the out of pocket per month for public option
2. What is the percent plan will pay
3. What is the income levels for the different costs f public option
4. Who will manage the plan
5. How will the prevent fraud (medicare loses BILLIONS to fraud every year)
6. Why no tort reform included

I wrote my 2 Senators , House Rep , Pelosi and Reid asking the same questions. I received one response from my Rep. All he sent me was a summary of the Bill. With the questions I asked and what I wrote clearly showed I have read the Bill and wanted answers not a summary of the Bill

Seriously, WASHINGTON NEEDS TO WAKE UP !!!

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2009-01-10T18:44:00.002-05:00

Tofu, who knew

2009-01-04T17:42:00.001-05:00

I recently found the joys and ease of cooking with tofu. I was needing to change my diet due to recently having high blood pressure. I have tried to make a few dishes with tofu over the years but never had any luck.
Did a little searching online for some recipes and trying some others and using tofu in place of meat (ie bourbon tofu). After a week or so, I can now make a great meal in minutes.

Elephants and Dogs OH MY !!

2009-01-04T10:17:00.003-05:00

This is a really cool story about an elephant and a dog being best friends. They live at the elephant sanctuary in Tennessee

See Video HERE

You can also read about and support the Sanctuary HERE

Bill Clinton

2008-09-03T14:27:00.003-05:00

I went and saw Bill speak and after seeing him in person, he is an amazing speaker. He spoke to almost two hours and did not have a single piece of paper or teleprompter. The most shocking thing he said was about how the President has no power to control gas prices. That was a shocker to hear from a former President.
I was truly impressed with the over speech, minus the normal rhetoric about socialized medicine and how every American should have the same insurance as Congress. Seems that should have been done when he was in office.

my first home

2008-02-27T00:05:00.008-05:00

Here are a few pictures of my new home. It is a 3/2 new construction and all new appliances. I also purchased the lot next to is so I'll have no close neighbor on one side.
The closing in March 14 and all I have to do is sign and move in!!!!

US Congress: Intellectual property law violations

2007-12-09T10:09:00.000-05:00

The US Congress is attempting to pass a bill on intellectual property violations. The problem is that they want to pass the punishment before they define the crime. If you are really interested in reading the whole Bill and click here to contact your Congressman.

just bored

2007-12-04T19:59:00.000-05:00

I have not been here in sometime so here is a short and sweet request. Click all the Google adds on my blog and give me some $$$ or use the Google search at the bottom of the page.

Well, I am looking forward to the possibility of getting out of S. Florida. We have an office in WV. Before you say why would you want to go to WV, I will be making the same salary but can buy a house for around 60k with a nice size property. That means I would have a mortgage payment that is $700 less a month than I am paying for a 2/2 in Florida. That is a nice raise in my book. Get back to the country and fish go hiking and ride mountain bikes. I hope this comes to fruition.

I am riding 150 miles for MS : Please donate

2007-10-17T22:35:00.000-05:00

I am riding in a 150 mile bike ride for Multiple Sclerosis. I rode my first ride in 1988 and have either donated or rode every years since. Here is a link to my donation page . You can donate as little as $5. Every dollar counts. Thank you for you help.

Vince neil (motley Crew) Concert

2007-09-23T09:38:00.000-05:00

Last night, after the Mets/Marlins game, Vince Neil (motley crew fame) and Quiet Riot played. They actually still played damm good. The funniest part was all us late 30's to mid 40's rockin out and all the kids looking at us saying "WTF are they listening too".
Here is one video and on BlipTv there are 3 more songs.

Sorpranos "real" ending

2007-09-17T20:53:00.000-05:00

Vaction Photos and Videos

2007-09-15T18:50:00.000-05:00

I took over 1000 pictures(wish i could post them all) and made a short video of my vacation to the Oregon, Washington and California. I landed in Portland and made my way to Eugene for a few days. I meet some really cool people and drank many Steelhead Beers.The city has some really cool statues around the city (see above)and was the home of Ken Kesey.
I took a short day trip to the coast and went to the Sea lion Caves in Florence Or.Driving down Hwy 101 is just beautiful
From Eugene I made my way to Crater Lake NP. The Lake is so Blue! While hiking around the lake, I discovered that either the altitude or I am just out of shape. I'm going with the latter. lol
I made my way down to southern Or to Klamath Falls and back over to the coast into California to Redwood NF which was, for a lack of words, Incredible!! I continued down the PCH all the way to San Francisco. This was the most beautiful drive I have taken in my life.
On my way to SanFran, I stopped at Beringer Winery for a few glasses of wine before going to Infineon Speedway and to the Golden Gate Park and Pier 39. Going to San Fran was not part of my original trip, so I decided to go East to Sacramento. I visited the Capital building and got to go in the Govenators office. Behind the Capital is Capital Park with many memorials to firemen, policemen and Veterans of wars.
I started making my way back to Portland and stopping to take some photos along the way. Like this one of Mt Shasta from over 50 miles away. It is huge!
I continued to Mt Hood and stopped to do some hiking jsut to say i hiked on Mt Hood.lol. I drover all the way around it and at one point I didn't have to touch the gas for almost 10 miles. This lead me to the Lewis and Clark Museum and on to Washington to Mt St. Helens
Before I reached Portland I saw a bunch of cars at Multnomah Falls so I stopped and it turned out to be one of the best stops of the trip. I hiked from 120 ft. to over 4400 ft. in 4 miles. Then onto another stop not planned. The Bonneville Lock and Dam and fish hatchery.
I arrived in Portland and spent my last 4 days there. I started my tour by going to downtown and just wander around and see what there was to do. And again an unplanned stop was to the Portland Art Museum.They had the Rembrandt and other Dutch artist collection from the Rijks Museum in Amsterdam on display. I really loved the exhibit and was really impressed with the museums whole collection. I would definitely recommend going to the Museum. The next day i was off to the Oregon Zoo in Washington Park. After the Zoo I went to the Japanese Gardens and the Rose Gardens. Yet another surprise. They have music in the park every Friday and this week was a Jazz band. The park was great. So many things to do and see.
I went back downtown and went to happy hour at Jax Bar. This turned into another adventure. I meet a few guys watching the JETS pre-season game that were there for their wives 20 year HS reunion on the roof top bar. After many hours of drinking they asked if I would like to crash the reunion. We did and it turned out to be hell of a night for me.
My last day I went to the Chinese Gardens and China Town. I spent to rest of the day walking the city and checking out various spots. One really cool spot is the smallest state park, Mills End Park. It is only about 1 sq foot.
This was the best vacation I have ever taken and now I only have 5 states (Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico and Arizona) to visit and I will have been to all the lower 48. Maybe next year.

Crater Lake Oregon

2007-08-12T08:41:00.000-05:00

Today I left Eugene Oregon and drove to Crater Lake National Park. This was the most amazing drive I have ever done in my life. The mountains, rivers and lakes along the way were spectacular. When i arrived at the park from the North entrance, the "rim" road kind of scared me. There is barley a road never mind enough room for a guardrail.
Today I am leaving Medford Or. and driving to Redwood National Forest. My dad told me that it is amazing beyond words. Here is a video and some picks of my journey so far.

Vacation!!!!!

2007-08-05T07:36:00.000-05:00

I am taking my first vacation in Two years! I have Never called in sick since I started working here 4 years ago in September. This trip is taking me to the Pacific NW. Including,but not limited too, Seattle, Portland, Eugene and BC. The plan is really not having a plan. I am going to rent a car and go for 14 days starting August 9th. Lots of pictures to follow.

Big Brother 8 addiction

2007-07-01T12:43:00.000-05:00

It is that time of the year again. I am talking about the Big Brother addiction. Staying up late watching the feeds while in the Jokers chat, and now this year they are going to have 3 hours of feeds on Showtime every night from midnight to 3 AM. I dot know what it is about this damm show, maybe because it is not summer reruns or just fun watching people make fools of themselves. either way, it is going to be a long summer of late nights.

Tour the House

Jonathan Coultan talks about "Code Monkey"

2007-06-17T12:06:00.001-05:00

Jonathan Coulton talks about how Code Monkey became a viral hit.
The video is courtesy of the NY Times video page They have some really good videos
Copy and paste link:

http://video.on.nytimes.com/?fr_story=154422873868992388f9e6e1572d7cbc5d5754e1

guerrilla gardens

2007-06-14T22:32:00.001-05:00

I read an article about "guerrilla gardens". Richard Reynolds lives who in the United Kingdom and started midnight gardening with the purpose of beautifying urban areas. It has started to spread and cases of guerrilla gardens have been reported as far away as Vancouver BC.
Sounds fun and serves a purpose.

Here is a link to a site dedicated to guerrilla gardens

guerrilla gardens

2007-06-14T22:32:00.000-05:00

Parenting for the new generation

2007-06-02T17:59:00.000-05:00

Ok, I was eating lunch today at the mall and saw something that made me cringe. A woman ,her son, and daughter just finished eating when the mom stood u and said "lets go". The son told her "not until I finish me game" (he had a P2P. She didn't say anything and sat down for 10 more minutes while he finished.
This disrespect would never have been tolerated when I was a child. Plus, no games or TV while eating was the rule.

Elmo for adults and Dane Cook

2007-05-23T19:44:00.001-05:00

I found this guy on you tube and does an Elmo for adults skit .

And my favorite ,Dane Cook Car Alarm

This weekends wedding/ boxing match

2007-05-21T20:26:00.000-05:00

It started like any other wedding, an hour late. It continued normal from there. Two drunk married woman (there without their husbands) hitting on the single guys, the groom grabbing some ass( not his brides), a really messed up guy lights a joint on the dance floor, and then an all out brawl.
Wait, its not over yet. Lost keys to the car and house, had to break in back porch, fell over railing getting in and got concussion, and bruised shoulder.
Still not done. Lost money clip with $150.

Still more , they guy who started the fight drove off as the cops arrived, got a DUI and arrested for possession of a controlled substance.

Man do I love a good wedding.
Oh yeah, its all on tape!!!

New Trek Discovery Channel Bike

2007-05-13T15:07:00.000-05:00

I woke up today and was motivated to go and buy a new bike. I walked in and saw this Trek (pictured). It is the Discovery Channel Trek 1000. Took it for its first ride and it is fantastic, it handled the ride better than I did. I am definitely not in the same shape as I was when I was in my 20's.
Can't wait to get the indoor trainer so I can get back to doing 100 mile rides again. And as much as I paid for the bike I will stay motivated to ride it every morning.

Fire ants may have met their match

2007-05-08T19:34:00.000-05:00

Anyone that lives in Florida or Texas knows about Fire Ants. fire Ants do not have any natural predators in N. America like their S. American ants.But researchers have discovered a naturally occurring virus that controls the ants population in many colonies. They have infected colonies and found that the virus kills the whole colony within 3 months. If this can be made into a pesticide it could save about 6 billion dollars in damage a year caused by the ants
You can read the complete article here

Credit to CNN.com

Google search of "She Invented"

2007-05-06T17:10:00.000-05:00

Just some border rambling today.

Just reading through some pieces on Digg and found some humor about searching "she invented" using Google. The results come back with "Did you mean: he invented" . I did a test on different search engines a few months ago and discovered that typing search engine in Google, they are the first response on their own search. They came up 4th for the google.uk and 5th for google.com. Ask.com did have themselves at the top and Google was not in their top 10.

Victory Junction Gang Camp: Make a bear donation

2007-04-28T21:40:00.000-05:00

The Victory Junction Gang Camp was started by Kyle and Pattie Petty of NASCAR. It was started after the death of their son Adam Petty during practice at the New Hampshire Raceway in 2000. The camp is open to children with serious heath problems and is fully funded by donations. There are several ways to make a donations to the camp. Each child that attends the camp gets to take home a quilt and teddy bear. You can read about how to make a donations or how to send a hand made bear to the here . This is a fantastic way to give a child a big smile. If you cant sew, you can visit the camps store or volunteer . I would like to send a bunch of bears, so if you are interested in helping please contact me.

Back To The Moon For Some Reconnaissance

2007-04-23T22:18:00.000-05:00

I was reading this article about going "back" to the moon. It is about sending a reconnaissance craft to the moon. There is a sentence that made me think why would they need this information if we have been there already. It said " The spacecraft will identify the volatile terrain so we can land safely." I have never agreed with the conspiracy theories but it just didn't sound right to me since we have already landed on the moon before,maybe?

Your Online Video May Cost you Thousands

2007-04-21T17:53:00.000-05:00

Over the past few years the music industry has been cracking down on unauthorized use of copyrighted material. With companies like Napster, Winmx and limewire, the access to d/lfree music is available world wide. Today a new issue has come to the forefront, your videos posted on Youtube. Below is part of an article about copyright infringement:
"You’ve just gotten married, and are traveling the world with your new spouse on your honeymoon. A good friend who filmed the wedding and reception has just finished putting together the footage. He has posted it on YouTube so you both can relive your wedding day on your honeymoon."

"The video is wonderful. It illuminates several moments you’d missed in the excitement of the day. Your friend has even included your song, Endless Love, as the background music for the video.

After the honeymoon, as you unpack the doorbell rings. Opening the door you find a man asking for your signature for a package. You think, "Which aunt or uncle must be sending money"? When the deliveryman smiles, hands you the package and says, "You’ve been served." you are surprise and horrified.

Confused, you tear the package open to find a lawsuit for $10,000 for copyright infringement. "

With the current lawsuit that has been filed against Youtube By Vicom for $1 billion, the possibility for lawsuit against the average person could be looming for the use of music in videos. There are solutions to this problem. The first is remove any copyrighted music form your video or use an Online Production Music Library like Tunedge.

"Most production libraries do not create music specifically for amateur videographers, but Recently, an L.A. based production music library called TunEdge Music announced it would give special licensing for web distribution. TunEdge Music is providing access to their online catalog and for as reasonable fee their music can be licensed specifically for online creations. "

Will these lawsuits ever happen? Who knows , but why take the chance.

Read the full article at Article Base
Source Articlebase.com

The Simpsons Movie

2007-04-21T00:55:00.000-05:00

I can't believe that it has been 18 years since The Simpson's first started. There has been many discussions and theories about what state Springfield exists. Is it Massachusetts because of Mayor Quimby ,is it Ohio, Missouri or one of the other 31 states? The time has come. On July 27,2007
The Simpson's Movie will give us the answer,Maybe?
Either way I can't wait to see them on the big screen.

Earth Day

2007-04-20T22:05:00.000-05:00

Many people will not even think about Earth Day on Sunday. I was introduced to it in 1990. There was a concert in Central Park,NYC that I attended. I ended up being a volunteer that day. Since than I have been more aware of things that we all can do to conserve on planet. Anyone can do there part to help. This link gives a few ideas how to save energy and this link gives some water conservation hints. I recently saw a show that pointed out that if every household used ONE roll of recycled paper towels it would save 1 million trees a year. Think about that. How hard would that be for anyone?
Also, read Silent River by Rachel Carson to see how one person can make a difference. She testified before Congress in 1963 after, JFK read her book, about the dangers of DDT.

I hope more people will take notice, not just on Earth Day, of the plight of our dear mother Earth. We all can do our part, today and everyday.

BTW, When the B-52's played Central park and 750,000 people yell "tin roof rusted" during "Love Shack", it was AMAZING !!!