New Grandson

I have a new grandson, born early this morning. All the weight of new responsibilities has hit me. The need to provide shelter and care...need to get a job!!!! Yikes. Wait, I have already been there and done that. Never mind. Maybe his father will feel all this instead...hahahahahahaha.

4 Triilion Debt Reduction - Reprise

I commented that I liked the idea in an earlier post. After further thought I would like the idea if, after reducing the deficit, congress enacted a balanced budget requirement to at least slow down their spending.

Who's Who in Washington

Here is a good website if you want to know who is who in nearly any capacity in D.C.

DMV Not Responsible

I was renewing one of our vehicle licenses and chose to use the NC DMV website...which they encourage. They, however, had a disclaimer that once you got through the lawyer legalize said "Under no circumstance (will)...the North Carolina Division of Motor Vehicles be liable for damages of any kind occurring from the use of this website or any information, goods, or services obtained on this website."

Nice.

4 Triilion Debt Reduction

The president's commission to reduce the federal deficit has come out with their recommendations. I think it is excellent. I don't like it, liberals don't like it and soon conservatives will condemn it. It has something for everyone to hate so it must be good.

Is He a Bigoted Gay?

I just watched Anderson Cooper interview Andrew Shirvell, an assistant attorney general for the state of Michigan. Shirvall has waged an internet campaign against college student Chris Armstrong, the openly gay student assembly president at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.

On a number of posts on the blog there are photoshopped pictures of Armstrong with gay symbols like rainbow flags and swastikas. Shirvell is a bigoted cyberbully and totally refuses to acknowledge that he is waging a hate campaign.

After watching Anderson Cooper I am seriously betting that Shirvall is also a homosexual. Check out the interview here http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/09/28/michigan.justice.blog/index.html

Andrew Shirvell is the poster child for Alliance Defense Fund. Got time to watch their video? https://www.alliancedefensefund.org/Blackstone?referral=I2010BLF2
It is organizations like this that are the most serious threat to Christianity and religion.

DMV License Renewel

I haven't blogged for sometime but find Facebook and Twitter to be to banal. You are unable to write in sufficient depth on any subject to totally bore the reader. So I've been thinking about blogging more so here I am for the duration...maybe, or, probably not.

As I sat down at the computer this morning I saw the renewal form for the car. I have had it on my desk for a couple weeks and yesterday got around to writing a check. Before writing the check, however, I actually stopped and read some of the directions that said I had to include a $1.00 processing fee. Seems they want you to go online and pay via credit card (without the processing fee). In so doing they can pay $.85 or so. Oh well, it is the government and instead of writing a law to put you in jail for two years for writing bad checks, they'd rather spend $.85. Works for me.

Anyhow, I wasn't really writing about that. What I wanted to mention that I decided to go online to renew and found out that the car had to be inspected (smogged). That's fine but I didn't know that from their form. What almost happened but didn't is I'd write a check with the extra $1.00 processing fee and send it in. They, after a month or so, would then notify me the car had to be inspected. So now I understand why they charge the extra $1.00.

They do not say anything on the form about the car needing inspection prior to renewal like California did (California is sooo efficient). Now that is My Government at work, yea. Oh, and there is a deadline for renewal so if I'd waited until shortly before the deadline, I would have been violating the law to drive the car without a current sticker while waiting for them to tell me it had to be be inspected and the resultant time delay.

Have I bored you yet? See how Facebook fails?

"A billboard created by an Iowa tea party group comparing President Barack Obama to Adolf Hitler and Vladimir Lenin has been removed." Thank God.

Some tea party members criticized the sign as well they should. Perhaps as we get further removed from the evil atrocities of Hitler during WWII people may think it okay to compare someone to Hitler. I think it is totally reprehensible no matter your politics or the person(s) involved to compare someone to Hitler.

It is a savage slanderous attack which has no justification. It destroys any positive images of the people making the attack - in this case the Tea Party, and shows them as being small minded angry bigoted ugly rednecks. You don't have to be from the south to be a redneck.

Anorther Brilliant Journalist

CBS News has an article that starts "White House spokesman Robert Gibbs on Tuesday walked back earlier statements that Republicans could "no doubt" win control of the House this November..." What is "walked back." Do they mean he retracted his statement? He didn't, in fact he just said he "stated the obvious" but felt democrats would retain majority.

You can say he qualified his statement but "Walked back?" Stephanie Condon wrote the article so we can expect great things from her - she might end up being another talking head. She should, however, change her name to condom.

Date Your Article

They say that whatever goes on the internet stays on the internet. That is too true and aside from the emabrrassing pictures or whatever is the lack of timely information. One of my pet peeves is trying to research somthing and finding undated articles. It then becomes impossible to decide whether the information is timely. I wish this issues received from attention.

Olympians

The IOC seems to be having trouble reconciling the behavior or the most recent generation of athletes with their perception of the appropriate. First it was a snowboarder (what did they expect?). Now the Canadian Hockey team is smoking and drinking. True, 19 may be the legal age and some are 18 years old, but are we surprised that 18 year old's are drinking? Of course not, it is just that the media was around to make it scandalous.

In my mind it isn't only an issue of what is appropriate behavior but perhaps a reflection on changing attitudes toward societies idea of correct. No question that our older generation would have shocked and even caused Victorian England to experience the vapors. Maybe it is our turn to have the "vapors." I feel faint - but maybe from laughter.

CNN Headline

December 18th, 2009 CNN Headline: "‘There is no time to waste’ on climate change accord, President Obama tells U.N. Climate Change Conference."

I guess you could take this more then one way.

Tiger Woods Apology

I haven't heard Tiger's apology yet, just read CNN's text under their headline about his apology. They Say "Tiger Woods' comments today may become the most scrutinized apology in history: Was it a PR stunt? Can he do anything to restore people's faith in him? Experts dissect his apology and offer reaction."

I'd rather do with out the expert analysis. Just let me make my own decision. Seems like we now have to have a bunch of talking heads providing slanted perspective on some event. Slanted because they have agenda - always. So please shut up and let me decide for myself.

Democrats I Can Support

I fundamentally believe this set of Democrat guidelines for government are needed if the United Sates is retain/regain its economic power in the world and continue to have a viable economy. Too bad I also view them as pipe dreams.

Durham Arts

I was in Durham working on the townhouse the other day. I made the trip alone and stayed over night to finish the work. I had gone online the day previous to find some dining options and chose the Mellow Mushroom which had good reviews for their pizza. I concur.

Eating alone is boring so I always try to find something to read. Not surprisingly although for me it was, Durham, home of Duke University has a good arts scene as well as plenty of classes in the arts, fitness, and meditation. It surprised me because my outlook is of dreary work on the townhouse. Anyway, there was a newspaper stand containing a class catalog sponsored by the Durham Arts Council.

As usual is typical of such programs, there was a course in "Finding the Artist Within." It reminded me of a class I took class promising that "Everyone Can Draw." I flunked that class even though they didn't grade us. The problem is I didn't feel that inspired flow of creativity - it just seemed like laborious work trying to make marks on paper resemble something identifiable. So, I am still trying to find that inner artist, I know he/she is there but very skilled at hiding.

Perhaps I am looking in the wrong cranny. Maybe belly dancing is more my thing. The Arts Council has a class entitled "Belly Dancing for Scaredy Cats." And even better, "Shake, Rattle, and Roll with Bellydance!" The rattle part seems to fit my age. Then I thought about the other class members and realized that instead of svelte, beautiful, sultry women, the class might be populated with very large and obese women that had plenty to shake and roll.

I think I'll continue my search for my inner creative self.

American Idol

Yes, we watch it. However, the other night had me wondering whether I wanted to continue. One of the contestants was a country boy from Tennessee named Jesse. They had a little background clip on Jesse showing his rural life. I believe he grew up in poverty with limited schooling. His teeth are crooked and he had a hill billy twang. He performed as a country and western singer and was voted off.

I didn't think Jesse was a good singer but there was that moment when you remembered Kevin Skinner's first performance on "America's Got Talent." Kevin won the competition and has a rare ability to sing and communicate genuine emotion in his music. Kevin was ridiculed on the show because he, like Jesse, grew up in the back woods of America. Kevin earned his living as a chicken catcher. At least he was able to show the world what a unique and rare person he is. And, the world showed the show that they respected Kevin.

Jesse also had his dream to better his life, to pursue a passion, to change his life. He was honest and genuine, no airs and no attitude. But, he was treated miserably by the judges and by the producers of American Idol. Their behavior was reprehensible. They were insulting and arrogant. They laughed at his hopes, held him up to the country as a dumb hick undeserving of basic human respect. Jesse didn't win nor did the show.

I wish they had to live his life for just a month - with his perspective on life, his income, and his deep desire for change. These people of wealth and privilege need to learn some humility. I was angered while watching the show and still feel that anger and disgust as I write this. If you missed it I am confident they will replay Jesse's performance in their sad attempt at humor. It is sad.

Sun Room

The sun room is furnished, the heat/ac is installed and we are enjoying it immensely. The furniture has been rearranged numerous times and more is to come. We have bought a new sofa and chair which will be coming in about 8 weeks.



The TV was an early addition, we have a Samsung int eh living room and like it a lot but feared the reflections from the screen would be a problem so got a Sony instead. The screen is great and even without shades on the windows the reflections are not a real problem. Speaking of shade - still to come in mid-January we hope.