wishing all of you a happy new year

i am staying home this year with my daughter and her boyfrien. champagne is on ice, assorted hors d'oeuvres savoury and sweet will be consumed. i don't know if i will make it to the bells!
what are you doing?

i hope you all had a lovely christmas

and were able to see your loved ones. i spent christmas at my brother's with his lovely wife, my parents, her parents, and our spawn. my sister and her husband were also able to join the festivities.
i got the all clear from the surgeon today, so am back to typing and job searching! he said all went well - next stop - therapy

the moment is upon us!

this time tomorrow i will be under the knife to repair my torn rotator cuff. as i am not supposed to type for two weeks I will probably not be posting for that time. but we will see. i am always amazed at how well i can use my left hand!

do it for the family! please!

processing doubts
Althouse has a bit part of the latest obummer tellyfest.

Hearing that, what stunned me was the way Obama processed the question in terms of his personal life with Michelle and seemed to reveal that he's not enjoying life as President and that Michelle isn't happy about it. Then he yanks himself out of that personal brooding and plugs in the appropriate, conventional, and utterly bland assertion that he's doing important things for people. And even that appropriate statement involves Michelle. Michelle and the "people out there."

i quite agree

a belated happy anniversary

on the 8th of December, my blogging father Tim Blair celebrated his 10th anniversary of blogging. i, however did not discover him until 2005 (or was it 2006?). i had been reading newspapers from different countries to get a more global picture, and travelled off to Oz - the Australian to be exact.
i believe it was in the opinion section that some one opined on his nasty right wing views, so naturally i had to check him out. i was hooked. his writings and the jovial and intelligent comments were a drink of water in a desert.
after he moved his blog to the Telegraph, it became monitored for comments and thus ended the realtime comments that had a true party atmosphere. due to to the 13 hour time difference, comments from the east coast USA had to wait to be monitored. while it changed the bacchanalian nature of the comments, it did not change him.
it was also at that time some commenters started their own blogs. Paco Enterprises and Kae inspired me to start mine.
here's to Tim and the great thoughts he puts into words so eloquently - may we have him around for another few decades!

go Army! beat Navy!

On Brave old Army Team
http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.west-point.org%2Fusers%2Fusma1989%2F46256%2Fsounds%2FOnBraveO.MP3&h=nAQFj_oivAQHgFQ-y33rxc4VgedMnKqeP3keiuG5339iW9A
(sorry i couldnt upload it)
UPDATE:
navy wins 27-21

miss red finally muses

i dont let anyone get to know who i really am.. took me a long time to figure that out. i keep my thoughts to myself.
but come what may
i have just realized i don't know who i am
this past week, since my layoff, i have just been ambling and not really thinking
i think maybe i maybe a chameleon - if the leaf is green , then i am green. yet in the autumn i may be red, and when i fall to the ground i do not die, i become mulch. then with the mulch i give birth to the spring. but am i really different?
there are friends who see me as strong as thunder.
there are friends who see me with my heart on my sleeve
there are people who know me and are afraid
there are those who see me as frail
who knows how my family sees me
do any of my friends (who will never see this blog) see me as all of the above?
i am just pieces of who i am to whomever
i am just pieces to those who who †hink †hey know me,
i am just pieces to me
all of these thoughts are new to me in my new musings.
this is what happens when you find yourself without a net
stay with me my friends

a date which will live in infamy

deja vu

once again, I am victim to a RIF. too bad. i really loved my job and thought i had two of the best bosses in the world!
oh well. i suppose i won't have any excuses for not posting more

happy st andrews day

i will be celebrating in style - hope you do as well!

happy Thanksgiving

may your day be filled with thanks and blessings

my 2nd grand niece

born yesterday morning - welcome to the world Daphne Barbara

why did you choose your profession
i may have it wrong. but as i read stacy's prose on his profession i thought about a story of my own. when i was 20 i moved to LA for no other reason than it felt right for me at the time. i originally made the decision because one of my roommates was going and she was worried about going on her own. ever the one for an experience i said i would go with her. well as things developed over the next few months, i ended up going on my own, moving in with someone who, through my work, i didnt know. she needed a roommate and i needed a place to live. and it was all the interior design business. i got through my first few years on that dime.
during that time i happened to meet people in show business. of course, it is LA. i joined a small theatre group, christians all of them. i took all the courses they provided, and was enjoying the experience. then one day i was cast the lead role in a simple christian outreach play that would play for a group of college students on retreat in santa barbara. i was chosen simply because i had that innocent looking face, no other reason.
well the sh*t hit the fan on that one. i was inexperienced, a no name, not serious about a career in show business. those making the complaint were other actresses who were not involved in the class from which the entire troupe was cast. no one else from the cast was objectived. i was asked by the board to ask the original actress to take the part. she would have no part of it... it was my turn she said and make it wonderful. and i did, and when the cast heard about this they rallied behind me. it was a wonderful experience. and i decided at that moment that if a christian theatre group could turn against you, what and who would support me in the real world. the theatre was not for me.
so i say all this to say this
no matter what your profession there are those who don't want you to succeed.

political madness, i say insanity

its all here
Like all other human beings, the modern liberal reveals his true character, including his madness, in what he values and devalues, in what he articulates with passion. Of special interest, however, are the many values about which the modern liberal mind is not passionate: his agenda does not insist that the individual is the ultimate economic, social and political unit; it does not idealize individual liberty and the structure of law and order essential to it; it does not defend the basic rights of property and contract; it does not aspire to ideals of authentic autonomy and mutuality; it does not preach an ethic of self-reliance and self-determination; it does not praise courage, forbearance or resilience; it does not celebrate the ethics of consent or the blessings of voluntary cooperation. It does not advocate moral rectitude or understand the critical role of morality in human relating. The liberal agenda does not comprehend an identity of competence, appreciate its importance, or analyze the developmental conditions and social institutions that promote its achievement. The liberal agenda does not understand or recognize personal sovereignty or impose strict limits on coercion by the state. It does not celebrate the genuine altruism of private charity. It does not learn history’s lessons on the evils of collectivism.

What the liberal mind is passionate about is a world filled with pity, sorrow, neediness, misfortune, poverty, suspicion, mistrust, anger, exploitation, discrimination, victimization, alienation and injustice. Those who occupy this world are “workers,” “minorities,” “the little guy,” “women,” and the “unemployed.” They are poor, weak, sick, wronged, cheated, oppressed, disenfranchised, exploited and victimized. They bear no responsibility for their problems. None of their agonies are attributable to faults or failings of their own: not to poor choices, bad habits, faulty judgment, wishful thinking, lack of ambition, low frustration tolerance, mental illness or defects in character. None of the victims’ plight is caused by failure to plan for the future or learn from experience. Instead, the “root causes” of all this pain lie in faulty social conditions: poverty, disease, war, ignorance, unemployment, racial prejudice, ethnic and gender discrimination, modern technology, capitalism, globalization and imperialism. In the radical liberal mind, this suffering is inflicted on the innocent by various predators and persecutors: “Big Business,” “Big Corporations,” “greedy capitalists,” U.S. Imperialists,” “the oppressors,” “the rich,” “the wealthy,” “the powerful” and “the selfish.”

some lovely music

timeless

in just one month today ....

i will be going for arthroscopic surgery for my torn rotator cuff. my dear surgeon said i did maximum damage, as only i can do ;)
just another scar to add to my past surgeries, #4 it is.

he told me that i cannot drive or type for two weeks, fair enough. however he also said he will have me out of the sling doing some movement (to be determined) the day after surgery. i will be in therapy for a year. i trust him.

europe according to....

more here


thanks to my daughter's boyfriend for this!

a belated tribute for veterans day

pictured seated: my great grandfather
standing from L to R: my great uncle, my father, my grandfather.
young boy on the right joined the army
not yet a twinkle in my father's eye would be my brother, who joined the navy.
thank you all who have sacrificed to keep our freedoms and our lives safe - past, present and future

the most laughable quote of the day

The White House on Friday all but refused to turn over the documents House Republicans have subpoenaed on bankrupt solar firm Solyndra, firing off a letter saying the request would put an “unreasonable burden on the president’s ability to meet his constitutional duties.”
oh my side hurts! stop it

michelle malkin

silent monks

stolen from the coalition of the swilling

happy birthday to me

idiot scrungers

how dare you disprupt my dinner
you do that in a place where i am having dinner, i will have just as much right as to have you thrown out before you laid your beer back on the bar, jerk

thanks gateway

ok my bit about qhaddafi

or however you spell his name. the devil is now your master in hell. now where is megrabhi?

if it had been my daughters school

hell would have to pay
did the parents know about this beforehand? i doubt it
and if my daughters school had done this.. they know they would have heard from me

where did the NASA satellite land?

really

i have a large tear of that shoulder thingy

i hope this is not my future
but if it is i will somehow deal with it. but who is going to help me put my bra on?

what is wrong with this picture?

oh dear, stupid is as stupid does

ok, i am always the first to laugh at my errors, but this one is absurd. i have a stair landing light that, almost a year ago, would not respond to new light bulbs. so i finally got around to calling the electrician. for the price of looking at it, he would also replace the ugly fixture with a new one, so i went out a bought a nice one. turns out the only thing wrong with it was one of the switches, hidden behind a bookcase, was stuck in the "neutral" position. hahaha i never checked that switch, because i rarely use it. after all it is hidden behind a bookcase. *laughing* it is ok, my new light fixture is much prettier, and brighter.

its not just evil.. its unconstitutional

this should never even be considered

her name was happy

i was privledged to have met her. she was an amazing woman with spirit and it obviously showed in her lifestyle.

In an article printed in Germany’s Der Spiegel a year ago, Reichert stated she hated “salads, vegetables, getting up early and just about everything that has to do with a healthy lifestyle.
“She loves rare hamburgers, chocolate, cocktails and nightlife in New York: all the exotic restaurants, Broadway shows, movie theaters — where she recently saw “Iron Man 2″ — and the Metropolitan Opera,” the article states./a>

happy
her husband with others founded the american college of cardiology in 1949. i was privileged to work there for 17 years. from what i remember she was the secretary for the college in the early years. it was an amazing organization when i joined the ranks

this ought to knock the air out of those truthers!

al qaeda says knock it off, dinnerjacket
i guess they cannot continue to "blame bush" for this too. oh wait - they will say al qaeda is only joking!

happy birthday marvin lee aday

couldnt have said it better
i wont do that


thanks pig for reminding me

its really not that difficult

union jobs killing manufacturing
why should they stay here when union demands and federal taxes cut into profitability. and no, profitability is not a dirty word.

the dog lion

This is the true story of a farmer in Saskatchewan (VIC ROGERS) who gave his dog a haircut. He was sick and tired of thugs breaking into his farm house to steal tools, etc.
So he came up with this idea to give his "Woofter" a haircut. He put the word out that
he had a new Saskatchewan Lion that would attack anyone that tried to break in, or climb his fence. Would-be thieves saw the "Lion" from a distance and fled the scene.


from a friend

another "you know you're scottish" list

lIT'S A PURE DEAD GIVE-AWAY THAT YOU'RE SCOTTISH IF :- 1. You consider scattered showers with outbreaks of sunshine as good weather. 2. The only sausage you like is square. 3. You were forced to do Scottish country dancing every year at secondary school. 4. You have a wide vocabulary of Scottish words such as numpty, aye, aye right, auldyin, baltic... 5. You destroyed your teeth when you were young using Buchanan's toffee, Wham bars, Penny Dainties, MB Bars, Cola Cubes etc 6. You have an enormous feeling of dread whenever Scotland play a 'numpty' team like the Faroe Islands. 7. You happily engage in a conversation about the weather with someone you've never met before. 8. Even if you normally hate the Proclaimers, Runrig, Caledonia , Deacon Blue and Big Country, you still love it when you're in a club abroad and they play something Scottish. 9. You used to watch Glen Michael's Cavalcade on a Sunday afternoon with his side kick Lamp Paladin. 10. You got Oor Wullie and The Broons annuals at Xmas. 11. You can tell where another Scot is from by their accent - "Awright, pal, gonnae gies a wee swatch oa yur Sun ? Cheers, magic pal." Or "Fit ya bin up tae ? Fair few quines in the nicht, eh ?", etc 12. You see cops and hear someone shout 'Errapolis'. 13. You have participated in or watched people having a 'square go'. 14. You know that when someone asks you what school you went to they only want to know if you are catholic or protestant. 15. You have eaten lots and lots of random Scottish food like mince 'n tatties, Tunnock's Caramel Logs, oat cakes, haggis, Cullen skink, Lees Macaroon Bars, etc. 16. A jakey has asked you for money. 17. You think nothing of waiting expectantly for your 1p change from a shop keeper. 18. You know the right response to 'Ye dancing ?' is 'Y'askin?' followed by 'Ahm askin' and finally 'Then ahm dancin'. 19. Whenever you see sawdust it reminds you of pools of vomit as that's what the jannies used to chuck on it at school. 20. You lose all respect for a groom who doesn't wear a kilt. 21. You don't do shopping... you 'go the messages'. 22. You're sitting on the train or bus and a drunk man sits next to you telling you a joke - and asking 'Ahm no annoying ye ahm a?' and you respond 'Naw, not at a', yer fine. This is ma stoap, but'. 23. You can have an entire phone conversation using only the words 'awright', 'aye' and 'naw'. 24. You have experienced peer pressure to have an alcoholic drink when out - regardless of the circumstances. 25. You know that ye cannae fling yer pieces oot a 20 storey flat, and that seven hundred hungry weans'll testify tae that. Furthermore you're sure that if it's butter, cheese or jeely, or if the breid is plain or pan, the odds against it reaching earth are 99 tae wan. 26. You know that going to a party at a friend's house involves bringing your own drink. 27. Your holiday abroad is ruined if you hear there is a heatwave in Scotland while you're away. 28. Your national team goes 2-0 up again the Czechs in a qualifier in Prague and your mate says we'll end up losing 3-2 here and you think "Probably". 29. You can properly pronounce McConnochie, Ecclefechan, Milngavie, and Auchtermuchty. 30. Your favourite pizza is deep fried and battered from the chippy. 31. You're used to 4 seasons in one day. 32. You can't pass a chip shop or kebab shop, without drooling, when your drunk. 33. You can fall about drunk without spilling your drink. 34. You measure distance in minutes. 35. You can understand Rab C Nesbitt and know characters just like them in your own family. 36. You go to Saltcoats because you think it's like being at the ocean. 37. You can make a whole sentence out of just swear words. 38. You know what haggis is made with and still eat it. 39. Somebody you know used a football schedule to plan their wedding day date. 40. You've been at a wedding where the footie results were read out. 41. You aren't surprised to find curries, pizzas, kebabs, Irn Bru, nappies and fags all for sale in one shop. 42. Your seaside holiday home has Calor gas under it. 43. You know that Irn Bru is an infallible hangover cure. 44. You understand all the above and are going to send it to your pals. 45. and, finally, you are 100 per cent Scottish if you have ever used these terms - "How's it hingin'?", "clatty", "boggin", "cludgie", "dreich", "bampot", "bawheid", "baw bag" and "dubble nugget"..

stolen from a friend off facebook!

the so called arab spring

bobs musings
he is really spot on

can we turn the clock back

classroom discipline
i think we can and i think we should. this article is from the UK but i think it speaks to the US as well. regardless of parental responsibility, discipline in the schools was sacrosanct and parents did not appose it. until the litigation society took hold. we really need to reel in lawyers and civil suits. especially when it comes to schools. we say our teachers are to be commended, and almost hallowed, but how can they teach when anarchy reigns in the classroom.
it was my generation that brought about this anarchy and i say it is my generation to admit this loathsome social experiment did not work
ht to theo again
note: my daughter became unresponsive in middle school. i phoned her teacher and told him that he had full authority to deal with her as needed, and i would back him. i also told my daughter that he had full authority in the classroom and she had none. he ended up being, not only her favourite teacher, but the only one she respected. when i tried to do the same with her high school teachers, they said no.

this was scary reading

michelle obama really hates america
i thought this was scary reading until i realized it was written almost 10 months before odumer was elected. i knew he was shady and shouldnt be elected but if the MSM had done their job, maybe he wouldnt have. but then again, if mcain had been elected (not my choice but i voted against obama) we, well, who knows.
ht: theo

10 reasons NOT to travel to cuba

fodors travel guide
1 Expect public restrooms to be sketchy (bring toilet paper, and don't flush it; that's what the small trash cans in stalls are for).
2 but, alas, those coveted Cohibas and Montecristos, as well as rum, are not allowed.
i hear its quite nice there, but there was nothing in this article that compels me to go!

a simple explanation of the economy

ht: gavin

this is where i was for a few days this week

never forget

brosnachadh
ty theo

anti science?

And yeah genome web... Knock it off. Save it for the Times!/a>

Submitted by curt on Wed, 08/31/2011 - 16:20.
Yeah, According to the way I was taught science, evolution is a theory and although extrmely solid... it still does and I suppose always will have gaps in it. While I doubt I would vote for Perry, he has this one correct... Scientifically speaking. Those who think otherwise might be better off in careers where they can just make stuff up... Like liberal arts!

a website promoting the news in genome technology should stay out of politics, imho. stick to the science and don't call me ignorant because i disagree with you. that, dear ones, does not promote healthy and skeptical debate that is crucial to science.

how can there not be a God?

New research shows that bacteria developed genes for antibiotic resistance thousands of years ago, long before antibiotics came about. /

my favourite australians

inspired by paco






two of them are the real working heroes -guess

trees dancing

i am sometimes glad of where i live - far enough inland for most hurricanes to affect me. irene was one of those "most" - she was big enough to give a beautiful display of clouds all day, and into the evening, but weak enough to produce a little rain and a gorgeous winds - i love the sound of trees dancing. we didnt lose power either. my parents left williamsburg to hunker down in west virginia with my sister and her husband.
unfortunately, no pictures

off and then again

i will be back after the hurricane.. stay safe my friends

you cant make this stuff up

attention whore

double what?
post is as post does

oh what fun

scotland on a saturday night
ht/theo

if only ... however

my internet was down (again) and this time for no particular reason. we tried everything and then, miraculously, it was up again today.
so i missed posting
how to meet a husband
paco stole my post title
shaken not stirred
stacy mccain shamelessly says its
for his own children
but i have this
hurray for greece, finally
sistah toldjah
oh no you are not even close
now back to our regularly scheduled ... and time for me to catch up

a wonderful peace

a friend's daughter posted on facebook the peace of shabbat. when that daughter was just a child (and mine as well) i would spend shabbat occasionally with her mother. it was the most peacefull time and i came to realise God's reason for the day of rest. i lived with them for a while as the nanny before my daughter was born. the cleaning of the house on friday, the preparation of the shabbat meal that was put in the low temperature oven to eat on saturday. it was an exciting and purposeful time. we would spend our saturday talking about the bible/torah and of course, i would point out the contradictions of the talmud to the torah. it was also a loving time. i never felt closer to God than i did on those days
occasionally i do take that day of rest on my own. she lives in california, and i miss her when i do take those days. one doesn't need to be jewish to take the day off and contemplate the wonder of our lord.

why don't conservative films do well in the box office

because they dont play in my town
and they don't. they are given very limited release in major cities and quite frankly i am not going to spend the money to travel to see them. why aren't they being released in the theatres where the conservatives live. i live in frederick, md and it is a very conservative area, yet none of those films were shown here.
i don't know who is in charge of distribution, but they are not doing their job!
dont blame it on the people, blame it on the distributors

wake up uk

my take on the riots in the uk
benefit babies feeling that they are entitled to loot and destroy
how many of them knew the thug that ignited the situation? none.. opportunist the lot of them.. thugs .. lets destroy because we can
parents are barred from spanking their children for fear of being accused abusers and you are surprised by this behaviour? police arrest the victims of crime for trying to protect their property? and you are surprised bye this thug behaviour?
my dear friends in britain and you have lost the plot and you have reaped what you sowed

thank a blogger

thanks guys and dolls
not only do i thank those on my list, but many many others not on my list, but on my favourites. and not in any particular order.
camp of saints, coalition of the swilling, the other mccain, crusader rabbit, small dead animals, five feet of fury, blazing cat fur, steyn, michelle malkin, imao, dc crawler, legal insurrection, powerline, instapundit, and any one else i forgot.
when i am in need of a break at work, i check you all out as time permits. (except for theo and camp of saints - nsfw)
i thank you all for your insights, news, and laughs.
slainte

oh you poor poor baby

“As someone who’s been called a socialist, not born here, taking away freedoms for providing health care, I’m all for lowering the rhetoric,” Obama said./a>
good grief - what a wimp

another birthday

ok, i am a day late
vj day
ht theo

detective paco rides again!

That extra whiskey sour the night before had stopped my ears against the alarm clock the next morning

US exports chopsticks to China?

made in america
why do i laugh at this?

more birthdays

1862 Uncle Sam sticks his hand in our pocket, collects Income Tax for 1st time.
1693 Dom Perignon, patron saint of high brow adult beverage, invents champagne
h/t free state of pig
we need the champagne - taxes not so much

a birthday to celebrate

today in 1931 the star spangled banner became our national anthem
youtube doesnt allow embeding of this video
she sang it beautifully and i like they way she smiles while singing. an incredible sing

an optimist

ok a bit of a blogette crush here

the boys of summer

in the past week, the boys of summer (as i call them) had birthdays - my nephew and godson, my twin brothers, my father, my brother in law and his twin. both of my grandfathers were in the first week of august, i believe. i grew up with a bunch of male leos! (i am a scorpio, so survival was guaranteed) other nephew was born on memorial day - the start of summer - although a bit out of range, still acceptable. my sister's stepdaughter's husband was born in june. my youngest nephew (in calif so he won't be there) also in july. whew! so this saturday we will be celebrating all of their birthdays. cards only, thank heaven. it is always a great time especially when it comes to reading the cards! surprisingly, the duplicates can be counted on one hand - we have been doing this for years.
now all the women in the family pretty much have birthdays sept (my daughter is the earliest - labor day) through february. but do they throw us a girls of winter party? ha!

the death of the right wing blogger is the new black (or why i blog)

everyone is familiar with the john hawkins article about our demise so i wont bother to link. i read it and thought, oh well, so what, fiddlee dee.
i dont know why i blog, it was just something i started when tim blair went to the telegraph and sold out. just kidding tim (like he reads this). his personal blog was great fun and full of energy and creativity from commenters as well as hisoner.
so paco started his blog, then kae. i had been a contributor to tizonas, but decided to go on my own as well.
i am not a prolific blogger, and i rarely have points to make, or even the writing ability to express my views as well as others. i have my favourites and usually bounce off their favourite blogs. (keep your links up to date people, please!) for me, it is just fun and keeps me out of trouble. i think.
i was very fortunate to meet paco for lunch way back in another lifetime when i worked in dc, my daughter spent a day with kae when she was in australia. thanks to both of you. even our dear ash sent me a jar of vegemite.
i entertain myself mostly and hope some of you like what i do. if you dont, then you dont need to come back. i appreciate comments and dont mind when i dont get any. i read a lot of blogs and rarely comment.
like choosing my friends i dont have a niche - i am all over the place.


thanks
and thanks to minicapt who sent me that pic just today. how timely

in defense of the english defence league

edl

The origins of the EDL can be traced back to Luton, England in the spring of 2009, after British troops were harassed by militant Muslims. Scandinavian blogger Conservative Swede commented in April 2009 that “The police broke up a march on Monday 13/4/09 by British people wanting to reclaim their streets from Muslim fanatics. Officers said it was illegal to stage the protest in Luton where extremists were allowed only last month to shout abuse at troops home from Iraq.

like our tea party, this group has been the recipient of horrible misconceptions from the leftist, anti british, british press.

ht: gates of vienna

lovely elizabethan song

thanks minicapt, for the idea!

dog bites shark

what fun!

guess who said what

‘I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the Moon and returning him safely to Earth… If we were to go only half way or reduce our sights in the face of difficulty, it would be better not to go at all.’ His speech set America on a course that saw it achieve its goal, putting Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin on the moon in 1969.

‘I have tasked the men and women of NASA with an ambitious new mission: to break new boundaries in space exploration, ultimately sending Americans to Mars. I know they are up to the challenge – and I plan to be around to see it

spiked

when the dog bites

this was the song twirling in my head today
where does this come from. i am engrossed in my job and all of a sudden the dog bites

goosebumps

you know pat boone felt strongly every word he sang. i had this tune swirling around in my brain all day. now it's your turn

some people have to stop

being so damned sensitive

something to remember

sister toldjah remind us

minicapt sends me another reason

to think of putting BC on my travel list
lately i have been receiving lots of emails about the charms of vancouver and BC in general. time to think about broadening my horizons.

blogger

blogger wont let me delete or edit what i have done wrong. bastards

friday night music

quote of the day

The only way for Obama to stimulate the enormous private sector job growth needed to ensure Obama’s reelection is for Obama to announce he is not running for reelection, which would unleash a wave of investment and economic activity not seen since the Great Depression.

ht: legal insurrection

the real sacrifices

http://biggovernment.com/publius/2011/07/04/what-july-fourth-means-to-meThe legend says that at that point a man rose and spoke. He is described as not a young man, but one who had to summon all his energy for an impassioned plea. He cited the grievances that had brought them to this moment and finally, his voice falling, he said,
“They may turn every tree into a gallows, every hole into a grave, and yet the words of that parchment can never die. To the mechanic in the workshop, they will speak hope; to the slave in the mines, freedom. Sign that parchment. Sign if the next moment the noose is around your neck, for that parchment will be the textbook of freedom, the Bible of the rights of man forever.”
He fell back exhausted. The 56 delegates, swept up by his eloquence, rushed forward and signed that document destined to be as immortal as a work of man can be. When they turned to thank him for his timely oratory, he was not to be found, nor could any be found who knew who he was or how he had come in or gone out through the locked and guarded doors.

another anniversary to celebrate

and i will bless them that bless thee and curseth him that curse thee
got this from almost everyone - sister toldjah, the other mccain and of course its source

what we must defend/what we must defend against

jihad watch
ht/ sister toldjah

happy independence day

from the great Ronald Reagan
"Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children's children what it was once like in the United States where men were free."

and to add to the bliss of the occasion here is a little humour

Five Englishmen boarded a train just behind five Scots, who, as a group had only purchased one ticket. Just before the conductor came through, all the Scots piled into the toilet stall at the back of the car.
As the conductor passed the stall, he knocked and called"Tickets, please!" and one of the Scots slid a ticket under the door. It was punched, pushed back under the door, and when it was safe all the Scots came out and took their seats.

The Englishmen were tremendously impressed by the Scots' ingenuity. On the trip back, the five Englishmen decided to try this themselves and purchased only one ticket. They noticed that, oddly, the Scots had not purchased any tickets this time.

Anyway, again, just before the conductor came through, the Scots piled into one of the toilet stalls, the Englishmen into the other. Then one of the Scots leaned out, knocked on the Englishmen's stall and called "Ticket, Please!" When the ticket slid out under the door, he picked it up and quickly closed the door.

i fixed it, and here is a little funny

who reads the papers?
thanks minicapt!

pardon the interruption

my internet is out - don't have time to figure it out until the weekend. i know a couple of things it is not, and have a good idea all i need to do is reboot vonage, but i will take care of that when i have daylight in the room.
and then i will be back with some inane postings. i.am.sure.

my favourite ncis episode .. the end

that old black magic

mm

margos maid does the roundup

fun links
however my favourite is this greatest acceptance speech

I used to be a Democrat — for decades. Was it always this bad? Was I that blind?

"this is not your daddy's democrat party"
roger simon over at pgtv has an excellent post and a few of the comments have equal merit. take the time to read his essay and the comments. i thoroughly enjoyed it
update: i am still reading the comments and thought i had already posted this
i have been a victim of a rif, as my readers will know, in oct '09.
april of 2010 i was blessed with a new job.. a billion dollar international biotech company. to date, we have had 3 rifs
all in usa
i may have more updates by the time i finish the comments
update: read it all, there are some incredibly intelligent commenters. i am going to bed

a man ahead of his time

archie tells obama a thing or two

h/t theo

the dirty laundry

now for the rest of them
why has anthony weiner been singled out when so many others, i dont care what party they belong to, are so corrupt

should we care if people dont pay their debts

first of all i will give credit to instapundit for this
yes i do care if someone doesnt pay their debts because in some way it will affect me.
jerks
when my daughter moved to california i was in a debt management program. years of raising a daughter on a single mothers budget and medical bills not covered by insurance left me with debts that were devastating me. i went into a debt management program and was put on a budget.
when she needed me to cosign for a lease, the manager told me it was between me and a man who had declared bankruptcy. at that point my credit score was crap. i told him i was a better risk for i was taking the responsible action towards my debts, and the man who declared bankruptcy was eluding his debts. i also told him i knew many people who declare bankruptcy tend to be repeat offenders and he would be likely to skip his rent if his financial situation didnt suit him.
he did not rent the apartment to my daughter
fool
since then.. 8 years ago, i have lived without a credit card and pay everything i buy with cash. i have been debt free except my mortgage for years and my credit score is excellent. and i am financially solvent. well, as long obummer doesnt take away what little capital i have left

finally some of the photos from our villa in italy

i tried to give a bit of commentary on each photo but i ended up totally wrecking things. so here they are without a caption. there is one photo that doesnt belong but too many tech thingys prevent me from figuring out which codes i can delete. my favourite is the photo of the tree where i sat every morning drinking my morning tea and looking out at the other views