Notable Deaths in 2007

Yvonne De Carlo (actress) -- Died January 8, 2007. Lily Munster
Art Buchwald (columnist) -- Kidney failure. Died January 17, 2007.
Sidney Sheldon (writer/producer) -- Pneumonia. Died January 30, 2007.
Molly Ivins (writer) -- Breast cancer. Died January 31, 2007.
Frankie Laine (singer) -- Died February 6, 2007. Theme songs to Rawhide and Blazing Saddles.
Anna Nicole Smith (model) -- Died February 8, 2007.
John Inman (actor) -- Died March 8, 2007. Mr. Humphries on Are You Being Served.
Brad Delp (musician) -- Died March 9, 2007. Boston, lead singer.
Richard Jeni (comedian) -- Died March 10, 2007. Stand-up comic.
Luther Ingram (singer/songwriter) -- Died March 19, 2007.
Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. (writer, teacher) --Died April 11, 2007. Slaughterhouse Five
Don Ho (entertainer) -- Died April 14, 2007. "Tiny Bubbles".
Kitty Carlisle Hart (actress/game show participant) -- Died April 17, 2007. Regular on To Tell the Truth.
Boris Yeltsin (former Russian president) -- Died April 23, 2007.
Bobby "Boris" Pickett (singer/songwriter) -- Died April 25, 2007. "Monster Mash".
Jack Valenti (former MPAA chief) -- Died April 26, 2007.
Tommy Newsom (saxophonist/arranger) -- Died April 28, 2007.
Tom Poston (actor/comic) -- Died April 30, 2007.
Walter Schirra, Jr. (astronaut/businessman) -- Died May 3, 2007.
Charles Nelson Reilly (director/comedian) -- Died May 25, 2007.
Kurt Waldheim (U. N. chief/Austrian president) -- Died June 14, 2007. Led the U. N. from 1972 to 1982.
Liz Claiborne (fashion designer) -- Died June 26, 2007.
Joel Siegel (movie critic) -- Died June 29, 2007.
Beverly Sills (opera singer/chair of the Met) -- Died July 2, 2007. Soprano with the New York City Opera .
Boots Randolph (saxophonist) -- Died July 3, 2007.
Tom Snyder (Talk show host) -- Died July 29, 2007. Tomorrow Show, The Late, Late Show.
Ingmar Bergman (director) -- Died July 30, 2007.
Merv Griffin (singer/producer) -- Died August 12, 2007.
Phil Rizzutto (sportscaster/baseball player) -- Died August 13, 2007. Yankee shortstop and MVP.
Leona Helmsley (businesswoman/ex-con) -- Died August 20, 2007.
Steve Fossett (pilot/aviation record-holder) -- Died September 3, 2007.
Luciano Pavarotti (opera star) -- Died 2007-09-06.
Jane Wyman (actress) -- Died September 10, 2007. Ex-wife of Ronald Reagan.
Brett Somers (actress) -- Died September 15, 2007.
Alice Ghostley (actress) -- Died September 21, 2007.
Marcel Marceau (mime) -- Died September 22, 2007. French mime.
Joey Bishop (comedian) -- Died October 17, 2007. Last surviving Rat Packer.
Porter Wagoner (country singer) -- Died October 28, 2007.
Robert Goulet (singer/actor) -- Died October 30, 2007. Born November 26, 1933.
Paul Tibbets (pilot) -- Died November 1, 2007. Served as a pilot throughout World War II, best-known for piloting the Enola Gay which dropped the first A-bomb on Hiroshima.
Norman Mailer (writer) -- Died November 10, 2007.
Ira Levin (writer) -- Died November 13, 2007. Wrote Rosemary's Baby, The Stepford Wives. Dick Wilson (actor) -- Died November 18, 2007. IMDb Obituary Mr. Whipple in the Charmin commercials.
Evel Knievel (Daredevil) -- Died November 30, 2007. December
Ike Turner (singer/songwriter) -- Died December 12, 2007.
Floyd "Red Crow" Westerman (musician/actor) -- Died December 13, 2007.
Dan Fogelberg (singer/songwriter) --Died December 16, 2007. Sang and wrote classic pop, like "Leader of the Band", "Longer" and "Same Auld Lang Syne".
Benazir Bhutto (politician) -- Died December 27, 2007.

Teddy Roosevelt

"It is not the critic who counts: not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes up short again and again ... who spends himself in a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows in the end, the triumph of high achievement and who at the worst if he fails, at least he fails by daring greatly."

The Axis of Idiots

J.D. Pendry is a retired Army Command Sergeant Major who writes for Random House.

Jimmy Carter, you're the father of the Islamic Nazi movement. You threw the Shah under the bus, welcomed the Ayatollah home, and then lacked the spine to confront the terrorists when they took our embassy and our people hostage. You're the runner-in-chief.

Bill Clinton, you played ring around the Lewinsky while the te rrorists were at war with us. You got us into a fight with them in Somalia and then you ran from it. Your weak-willed responses to the U.S.S. Cole and the First Trade Center Bombing and Our Embassy Bombings emboldened the killers. Each time you failed to respond adequately, they grew bolder, until 9/11.

John Kerry , dishonesty is your most prominent attribute. You lied about American Soldiers in Vietnam. Your military service, like your life, is more fiction than fact. You've accused our Soldiers of terrorizing women and children in Iraq. You called Iraq the wrong war, wrong place, wrong time, the same words you used to describe Vietnam. You're a fake. You want to run from Iraq and abandon the Iraqis to murderers just as you did the Vietnamese. Iraq, like Vietnam, is another war that you were for, before you were against it.

John Murtha, you said our military was broken. You said we can't win militarily in Iraq. You accused United States Marines of cold-blooded murder without proof. and said we should redeploy to Okinawa. Okinawa, John? And the Democrats call you their military expert! Are you sure you didn't suffer a traumatic brain injury while you were off building your war hero resume? You're a sad, pitiable, corrupt and washed up politician. You're not a Marine, sir. You wouldn't amount to a good pimple on a real Marine's ass. You're a phony and a disgrace. Run away, John.

Dick Durbin, you accused our Soldiers at Guantanamo of being Nazis, tenders of Soviet style gulags and as bad as the regime of Pol Pot, who murdered two million of his own people after your party abandoned Southeast Asia to the Communists. Now you want to abandon the Iraqis to the same fate. History was not a good teacher for you, was it? Lord help us! See Dick run.

Ted Kennedy, for days on end you held poster-sized pictures from Abu Grhaib in front of any available television camera. Al Jazeera quoted you saying that Iraqi's torture chambers were open under new management. Did you see the news, Teddy? The Islamic Nazis demonstrate real torture for you again. If you truly supported our troops, you'd show the world poster-sized pictures of that atrocity and demand the annihilation of it. Your legislation stripping support from the South Vietnamese led to a communist victory there. You're a bloated, drunken fool bent on repeating the same historical blunder that turned freedom-seeking people over to homicidal, genocidal maniacs. To paraphrase John Murtha, all while sitting on your wide, gin-soaked rear-end in Washington.

Harry Reid, Nancy Pelosi, Carl Levine, Barbara Boxer, Diane Feinstein, Russ Feingold, Hillary Clinton, Pat Leahy, Chuck Schumer, the Hollywood Leftist morons, et al, ad nauseam: Every time you stand in front of television cameras and broadcast to the Islamic Nazis that we went to war because our President lied, that the war is wrong and our Soldiers are torturers, that we should leave Iraq, you give the Islamic butchers - the same ones that tortured and mutilated American Soldiers - cause to think that we'll run away again, and all they have to do is hang on a little longer.

American news media, the New YorkTimes particularly: Each time you publish stories about national defense secrets and our intelligence gathering methods, you become one United with
the sub-human pieces of camel dung that torture and mutilate the bodies of American Soldiers. You can't strike up the courage to publish cartoons, but you can help Al Qaeda destroy my country. Actually, you are more dangerous to us than Al Qaeda is. Think about that each time you face Mecca to admire your Pulitzer.

You are America's "AXIS OF IDIOTS". Your Collective Stupidity will destroy us. Self-serving politics and terrorist-abetting news scoops are more important to you than our national security or the lives of innocent civilians and Soldiers. It bothers you that defending ourselves gets in the way of your elitist sport of politics and your ignorant editorializing. There is as much blood on your hands as is on the hands of murdering terrorists. Don't ever doubt that. Your frolics will only serve to extend this war as they extended Vietnam. If you want our Soldiers home, as you claim, knock off the crap and try supporting your country ahead of supporting your silly political aims and aiding our enemies.

Yes, I'm questioning your patriotism. Your loyalty ends with self. I'm also questioning why you're stealing air that decent Americans could be breathing. You don't deserve the protection of our men and women in uniform. You need to run away from this war, this country. Leave the war to the people who have the will to see it through and the country to people who are willing to defend it.

No, Mr. President, you don't get off the hook, either. Our country has two enemies: Those who want to destroy us from the outside and those who attempt it from within. Your Soldiers are dealing with the outside force. It's your obligation to support them by confronting the AXIS OF IDIOTS.America must hear it from you that these self-centered people are harming our country, abetting the enemy and endangering our safety. Well up a little anger, please, and channel it toward the appropriate target. You must prosecute those who leak national security secrets to the media. You must prosecute those in the media who knowingly publish those secrets.

Our Soldiers need you to confront the enemy that they cannot. They need you to do it now.
J. D. Pendry Semper Fi,

So that's how they make soft serve!

I am the flag of the United States of America.

My name is Old Glory.

I fly atop the world's tallest buildings.

I stand watch in America's halls of justice.

I fly majestically over institutions of learning.

I stand guard with power in the world.

Look up and see me.

I stand for peace, honor, truth and justice.

I stand for freedom.

I am confident.

I am arrogant.

I am proud.

When I am flown with my fellow banners,

My head is a little higher,

My colors a little truer.

I bow to no one!

I am recognized all over the world.

I am worshipped - I am saluted. I am loved - I am revered.

I am respected - and I am feared.

I have fought in many battles for more then 200 years.

I was flown at Valley Forge, Gettysburg, Shiloh and Appomattox.

I was there at San Juan Hill, the trenches of France,

in the Argonne Forest, Anzio, Rome and the beaches of Normandy.

Guam, Okinawa, Korea and KheSan, Saigon, Vietnam know me.

I'm presently in the mountains of Afganistan and the hot and

dusty deserts of Iraq and wherever freedom is needed.

I led my troops, I was dirty, battleworn and tired,

But my soldiers cheered me and I was proud.

I have been burned, torn and trampled on the

streets of countries I have helped set free.

It does not hurt for I am invincible.

I have been soiled upon, burned, torn and trampled in the streets

of my country. And when it's done by those whom I've served in battle -

it hurts. But I shall overcome - for I am strong.

I have slipped the bonds of Earth and stood watch over the uncharted frontiers

of space from my vantage point on the moon.

I have borne silent witness to all of America's finest hours.

My finest hours are yet to come.

When I am torn into strips and used as bandages for my wounded comrades

on the battlefield. When I am flown at half-mast to honor my fallen soldier,

Or when I lie in the trembling arms of a grieving parent

at the grave of their fallen son or daughter,

I am proud.

Their has never been one like me and there will never be again.

God Bless America

John Lennon

"You make your own dream. That's the Beatles' story, isn't it? That's Yoko's story. That's what I'm saying now. Produce your own dream. If you want to save Peru, go save Peru. It's quite possible to do anything, but not to put it on the leaders and the parking meters. Don't expect Jimmy Carter or Ronald Reagan or John Lennon or Yoko Ono or Bob Dylan or Jesus Christ to come and do it for you. You have to do it yourself. That's what the great masters and mistresses have been saying ever since time began. They can point the way, leave signposts and little instructions in various books that are now called holy and worshiped for the cover of the book and not for what it says, but the instructions are all there for all to see, have always been and always will be. There's nothing new under the sun. All the roads lead to Rome. And people cannot provide it for you. I can't wake you up. You can wake you up. I can't cure you. You can cure you."

In Memory - John Lennon - 12/08/80

Chapman called out, "Mr. Lennon!" As Lennon turned around, Chapman dropped into a "combat stance"and shot at Lennon five times with hollow point bullets from a Charter Arms 38 revolver. One shot missed, passing over Lennon's head and hitting a window of the Dakota building. Two shots struck Lennon in the left side of his back and two more in his left shoulder. All four wounds caused serious internal damage, and at least one of them fatally pierced Lennon's aorta. Lennon staggered up four steps to the security/reception area, said, "I'm shot," and collapsed. Concierge Jay Hastings first thought it was a joke, but soon realized that Lennon was dying before his eyes. He summoned police by hitting a silent alarm button and ran out from behind his desk to comfort Lennon and try to keep him focused. Chapman calmly sat down on the sidewalk and waited for the police to arrive. Doorman Pedermo shouted at Chapman, "Do you know what you've done?" before kicking the revolver across the sidewalk. Chapman calmly replied, "I just shot John Lennon."

SCHOOL 1977 vs. SCHOOL 2007

Scenario: Jack goes quail hunting before school, pulls into school parking lot with shotgun in gun rack.
1977 - Vice principal comes over, looks at Jack's shotgun, goes to his car and gets his own shotgun to show Jack.
2007 - School goes into lockdown, the SWAT Team is called, Jack is hauled off to jail and never sees his truck or gun again. Counselors are called in to assist traumatized students and teachers.

Scenario: Johnny and Mark get into a fistfight after school.
1977 - Crowd gathers. Mark wins. Johnny and Mark shake hands and end up buddies.
2007 - Police are called, SWAT team arrives and arrests Johnny and Mark. They are charged with assault and both are expelled even though Johnny started it.

Scenario: Jeffrey won't sit still in class, disrupts other students.
1977 - Jeffrey is sent to the principal's office and given a good paddling. Returns to class, sits still and does not disrupt class again.
2007 - Jeffrey is given huge doses of Ritalin. Becomes a zombie. Tested for ADD. School gets extra provincial funding because Jeffrey has a disability.

Scenario: Billy breaks a window in his neighbour's car and his Dad gives him a whipping with his belt.
1977 - Billy is more careful next time, grows up normal, goes to college, and becomes a successful businessman.
2007 - Billy's dad is arrested for child abuse. Billy is removed to foster care and joins a gang. State psychologist tells Billy's sister that she remembers being abused herself and their dad goes to prison. Billy's mom has an affair with the psychologist.

Scenario: Mark gets a headache and takes some Aspirin to school.
1977 - Mark shares Aspirin with the school principal out on the smoking dock.
2007 - Police are called and Mark is expelled from school for drug violations. His car is searched for drugs and weapons.

Scenario: Pedro fails high-school English.
1977 - Pedro goes to summer school, passes English, goes to college.
2007 - Pedro's cause is taken up by local human rights group. Newspaper articles appear nationally explaining that making English a requirement for graduation is racist. American Civil Liberties Union files class action lawsuit against the school system and Pedro's English teacher. English is banned from core curriculum. Pedro is given his diploma anyway but ends up mowing lawns for a living because he cannot speak English.

Scenario: Johnny takes apart leftover July 4th firecrackers, puts them in a model airplane paint bottle and blows up an anthill.
1977 - Ants die.
2007 - The ATF and the SWAT Team are called and Johnny is charged with domestic terrorism. DCFS investigates parents, siblings are removed from the home, computers are confiscated, and Johnny's dad goes on a terror watch list and is never allowed to fly again.

Scenario: Johnny falls during recess and scrapes his knee. His teacher, Mary, finds him crying, and gives him a hug to comfort him.
1977 - Johnny soon feels better and goes back to playing.
2007 - Mary is accused of being a sexual predator and loses her job. She faces three years in federal prison. Johnny undergoes five years of therapy

ONLY IN AMERICA!

A Charlotte, NC, lawyer purchased a box ofvery rare and expensive cigars then insured them against fire among other things. Within a month having smoked his entirestockpile of these great cigars and without yet having made even his first premium payment on the policy, the lawyer filed a claim against the insurance company. In his claim, the lawyer stated the cigars were lost "in series of small fires." The insurance company refused to pay, citing the obvious reason: that the man had consumed the cigars in the normal fashion. The lawyer sued....and won!


In delivering the ruling the judge agreed with the insurance company that the claim was frivolous. The Judge stated nevertheless, that the lawyer held a policy from the company in which it had warranted that the cigars were insurable and alsoguaranteed that it would insure them against fire, without defining what isconsidered to be unacceptable fire," and was obligated to pay the claim. Rather than endure lengthy and costly appeal process, the insurance company acceptedthe ruling and paid $15,000.00 to the lawyer for his loss of the rare cigarslost in the "fires."


NOW FOR THE BEST PART... After the lawyer cashed the check, the insurance company had him arrested on 24 counts of ARSON!!!! With his own insurance claim and testimony from the previous case being used againsthim, the lawyer was convicted of intentionally burning his insured property and Was sentenced to 24 months in jail and a $24,000.00 fine.


This is a true story and was the 1st place winner in the recent Criminal Lawyers Award Contest.

Ben Stein

I am a Jew, and every single one of my ancestors was Jewish. And it does not bother me even a little bit when people call those beautiful lit up, bejeweled trees Christmas trees. I don't feel threatened. I don't feel discriminated against. That's what they are: Christmas trees.

It doesn't bother me a bit when people say, "Merry Christmas" to me. I don't think they are slighting me or getting ready to put me in a ghetto. In fact, I kind of like it. It shows that we are all brothers and sisters celebrating this happy time of year. It doesn't bother me at all that there is a manger scene on display at a key intersection near my beach house in Malibu. If people want a creche, it's just as fine with me as is the Menorah a few hundred yards away.

I don't like getting pushed around for being a Jew, and I don't think Christians like getting pushed around for being Christians. I think people who believe in God are sick and tired of getting pushed around, period. I have no idea where the concept came from that America is an explicitly atheist country. I can't find it in the Constitution, and I don't like it being shoved down my throat.

Or maybe I can put it another way: where did the idea come from that we should worship Nick and Jessica and we aren't allowed to worship God as we understand Him?

I guess that's a sign that I'm getting old, too.

But there are a lot of us who are wondering where Nick and Jessica came from and where the America we knew went to.

In light of the many jokes we send to one another for a laugh, this is a little different: This is not intended to be a joke; it's not funny, it's intended to get you thinking.

Billy Graham's daughter was interviewed on the Early Show and Jane Clayson asked her "How could God let something lik e this Happen?" (regarding Katrina)

Anne Graham gave an extremely profound and insightful response.

She said, "I believe God is deeply saddened by this, just as we are, but for years we've been telling God to get out of our schools, to get out of our government and to get out of our lives. And being the gentleman He is, I believe He has calmly backed out. How can we expect God to give us His blessing and His protection if we demand He leave us alone?" (She said the same thing when interviewed after 9-11)

In light of recent events...terrorists attack, school shootings, etc. I think it started when Madeleine Murray O'Hare (she was murdered, her body found recently) complained she didn't want praye r in our schools, and we said OK. Then someone said you better not read the Bible in school. the Bible says thou shalt not kill, thou shalt not steal, and love your neighbor as yourself. And we said OK.

Then Dr. Benjamin Spock said we shouldn't spank our children when they misbehave because their little personalities would be warped and we might damage their self-esteem (Dr. Spock's son committed suicide). We said an expert should know what he's talking about. And we said OK.

Now we're asking ourselves why our children have no conscience, why they don't know right from wrong, and why it doesn't bother them to kill strangers, their classmates, and themselves.

Probably, if we think about it long and hard enough, we can figure it out. I think it has a great deal to do with "WE REAP WHAT WE SOW."

Funny how simple it is for people to trash God and then wonder why the world's going to hell.

Funny how we believe what the newspapers say, but question what the Bible says.

Funny how you can send 'jokes' through e-mail and they spread like wildfire but when you start sending messages regarding the Lord, people think twice about sharing.

Funny how lewd, crude, vulgar and obscene articles pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion of God is suppressed in the school and workplace.

Are you laughing?

Funny how when you forward this message, you will not send it to many on your address list because you're not sure what they believe, or what they will think of you for sending it.

Funny how we can be more worried about what other people think of us than what God thinks of us.

Pass it on if you think it has merit. If not then just discard it... no one will know you did. But, if you discard this thought process, don't sit back and complain about what bad shape the world is in.

My Best Regards. honestly and respectfully, Ben Stein

A U.S. Navy Admiral was attending a naval conference that included Admirals
from the U.S., English, Canadian, Australian and French Navies. At a cocktail
reception, he found himself standing with a large group of Officers that
included personnel from most of those countries. Everyone was chatting away in
English as they sipped their drinks but a French admiral suddenly complained
that, 'whereas Europeans learn many languages, Americans learn only English.'
He then asked, 'Why is it that we always have to speak English in these
conferences rather than speaking French?'

Without hesitating, the American Admiral replied 'Maybe it's because the Brits,
Canadians, Aussies and Americans arranged it so you wouldn't have to speak
German.'

13 THINGS PMS STANDS FOR:

1. PASS MY SHOTGUN
2. PSYCHOTIC MOOD SWING
3. PERPETUAL MUNCHING SPREE
4. PUFFY MID-SECTION
5. PEOPLE MAKE me SICK
6. PROVIDE ME with SWEETS
7. PARDON MY SOBBING
8. PIMPLES MAY SURFACE
9. PASS MY SWEATS
10. PISSY MOOD SYNDROME
11. POOR MEN SUCK
12. PACK MY STUFF
13. POTENTIAL MURDER SUSPECT

Then there was a conference in France where a number of international engineers were taking part, including French and American. During a break one of the French engineers came back into the room saying "Have you heard the latest dumb stunt Bush has done? He has sent an aircraft carrier to Indonesia to help the tsunami victims. What does he intended to do, bomb
them?"

A Boeing engineer stood up and replied quietly: "Our carriers have three hospitals on board that can treat several hundred people; they are nuclear powered and can supply emergency electrical power to shore facilities; they have three cafeterias with the capacity to feed 3,000 people three meals a day, they can produce several thousand gallons of fresh water from sea water each day, and they carry half a dozen helicopters for use in transporting victims and injured to and from their flight deck.. We have eleven such ships; how many does France have?"

Once again, dead silence.

From My Daughter

THE HORMONE HOSTAGE
THE HORMONE HOSTAGE KNOWS THAT THERE ARE DAYS IN THE MONTH WHEN ALL A MAN HAS TO DO IS OPEN HIS MOUTH & HE TAKES HIS LIFE INTO HIS OWN HANDS! THIS IS A HANDY GUIDE THAT SHOULD BE AS COMMON AS A DRIVER'S LICENSE IN THE WALLET OF EVERY HUSBAND, BOYFRIEND, CO-WORKER, OR SIGNIFICANT OTHER!
*********
DANGEROUS:

WHAT'S FOR DINNER?
SAFER:

CAN I HELP YOU WITH DINNER?
SAFEST:

WHERE WOULD YOU LIKE TO GO FOR DINNER?
ULTRA SAFE:
HERE, HAVE SOME WINE.

*********

DANGEROUS:

ARE YOU WEARING THAT?

SAFER:
WOW, YOU SURE LOOK GOOD IN BROWN!
SAFEST:

WOW! LOOK AT YOU!

ULTRA SAFE:
HERE, HAVE SOME WINE.
*********

DANGEROUS:

WHAT ARE YOU SO WORKED UP ABOUT?
SAFER:

COULD WE BE OVERREACTING?

SAFEST:
HERE'S MY PAYCHECK.

ULTRA SAFE:
HERE, HAVE SOME WINE.
*********

DANGEROUS:
SHOULD YOU BE EATING THAT?

SAFER:
YOU KNOW, THERE ARE A LOT OF APPLES LEFT.

SAFEST:
CAN I GET YOU A PIECE OF CHOCOLATE WITH THAT?
ULTRA SAFE:
HERE, HAVE SOME WINE.
*********

DANGEROUS:

WHAT DID YOU DO ALL DAY?

SAFER:
I HOPE YOU DIDN'T OVER-DO IT TODAY.

SAFEST:
I'VE ALWAYS LOVED YOU IN THAT ROBE!

ULTRA SAFE:
HERE, HAVE SOME MORE WINE.

When in England at a fairly large conference, Colin Powell was asked by the
Archbishop of Canterbury if our plans for Iraq were just an example of 'empire
building' by George Bush.

He answered by saying, "Over the years, the United States has sent many of its
fine young men and women into great peril to fight for freedom beyond our
borders. The only amount of land we have ever asked for in return is enough to
bury those that did not return."

It became very quiet in the room.

Signs that Your Getting OLD

1. You're asleep, but others worry that you're dead.

2. Your back goes out more than you do.

3. You quit trying to hold your stomach in, no matter who walks into the room.

4. You buy a compass for the dash of your car/truck.

5. You are proud of your lawn mower.

6. Your best friend is dating someone half their age, and isn't breaking any laws.

7. Your arms are almost too short to read the newspaper.

8. You sing along with the elevator music.

9. You would rather go to work than stay home sick.

10. You enjoy hearing about other people's operations.

11. You no longer think of speed limits as a challenge.

12. People call at 9:00 p.m. and ask, "Did I wake you?"

13. You answer a question with, "Because I said so."

14. You send money to PBS.

15. The end of your tie doesn't come anywhere near the top of your pants.

16. You take a metal detector to the beach.

17. You know what the word "equity" means.

18. You can't remember the last time you laid on the floor to watch television.

19. Your ears are hairier than your head.

20. You talk about "good grass" and you're referring to someone's lawn.

21. You get into a heated argument about pension plans.

22. You got cable for The Weather Channel.

23. You can go bowling without drinking.

24. You have a party and the neighbors don't even realize it.

25. People send you this list.

Congratulations Tigers

LSU 41 Alabama 34

Never Forget

The Origination of the Marathon

The Athenians had won at Marathon but they certainly had not destroyed the Persian army. They had made plans before the battle that if they won, they would get word back to Athens as soon as possible because they knew that the Persian fleet was sure to sail around Attica and attempt to take the city while it was undefended. The citizens were to man the walls and make it appear that Athens was strongly defended. Miltiades sent a young soldier to take word back to Athens. He ran the entire distance, 42.192 kms, shouted "We have won!" and fell dead of exhaustion. In memory of this event the Marathon Run was included among the contests since the first contemporary Olympic Games.

L.S.U. - Daily Reveille

Saban's got the ring; Miles has the class / Brian Hill / Issue date: 11/2/07 Section: Sports

Don't believe the hype. Saturday's game between LSU and Alabama is important because both teams are tied for the lead in the Southeastern Conference Western Division. Not because LSU coach Les Miles will be matched up against his predecessor Nick Saban.

Saban won a BCS title at LSU, and Tiger fans will always wonder how many more ADT crystal trophies would be in Baton Rouge had he stayed.Miles' 29-5 record at LSU is appreciated, but some say he won't measure up to Saban until he wins a title of his own. For the Tigers, the road to that title goes through Tuscaloosa, Ala., this year. And for Miles, it's the perfect opportunity to show he is the better coach. He's already proven it in other ways. Both coaches are considered tough guys, but because Miles has certain qualities his predecessor lacks - manners, loyalty and a cordial relationship with the media - he is painted as being softer than Saban.

Saban is known for his psychopath demeanor, but when LSU junior safety Curtis Taylor was penalized for a helmet-to-helmet hit on an Auburn receiver, Miles berated the referee in a way that made Saban look like Mr. Rogers. It was like watching Chicago Cubs manager Lou Pinella scream in the face of an umpire - and it was beautiful. It was also beautiful when Saban made former USC Trojan Manuel Wright cry in Dolphins training camp in 2005, but that was before the coach joined LSU's most despised rival. But I'm glad Saban is at Alabama. It will be that much sweeter to see him break the hearts of Bama fans when he rolls like the tide out of Tuscaloosa for a second chance to prove himself with another NFL team and a richer contract. The only place Miles may leave Baton Rouge for is Ann Arbor, Mich., but such a move would take a Saban-like lack of appreciation for how great it is to be at LSU and at the top of college football.

Fortunately Miles doesn't project himself as if LSU is lucky he is working in this town. Alabama fans probably know what that's like by now. As much as he is liked, Miles isn't perfect. He takes some heat for wearing his hat peculiarly high, but here in Baton Rouge, fans know football is not a fashion show. At least he doesn't have a fading tan left over from a two-season long spring break in Miami, and wear a cute straw hat that only Saban and somebody's grandmother would wear. As ridiculous as that hat looks, it is still better than the Bear Bryant-style houndstooth hat that Alabama fans wear like it is going out of style. Except that it is out of style - and has been that way for over 50 years now.Personal attire aside, the one thing LSU and Alabama fans have in common is a collective passion for their programs and two really good head coaches.

Winning on Saturday will not completely move Miles out of Saban's shadow, but it will be a start. When Miles wins a BCS National Title with the Tigers, he will finally get credit for being a better coach than Saban. Before that happens, delusional Alabama fans will just have to swallow their pride because Miles is going to use his much, much bigger "ones" to abuse Saban all game long Saturday night.

Uh Oh!

Goldie Hawn

'For the rest of my life,

everything I do has to be with good intentions.'

George Burns

I'd rather be a failure at something I enjoy

than a success at something I hate.

F.T.C. to Review Online Ads and Privacy

By LOUISE STORY - Published: November 1, 2007

How do you feel about having your online activities tracked so that you can be shown relevant advertising?

The Federal Trade Commission will hold meetings today and tomorrow about online privacy. The questions they will entertain include how much control people need or want over the vast trove of information that corporate America routinely collects about people as they click from site to site on the Internet.

In advance of the F.T.C. meetings, a coalition of consumer groups called yesterday for a do-not-track list that would permit people to opt out of so-called behavioral tracking programs, which use data about a consumer’s Web travels to deliver relevant ads. Separately, the AOL division of Time Warner announced that it would enhance its system that lets people remove themselves from tracking databases. Opting out does not reduce the number of ads; instead people would receive generic ones.

Most Web tracking is done anonymously, and marketing firms are typically aware only of the sites someone has visited, not their name or address. But as Web tracking technology grows more sophisticated, experts on digital privacy say it is inevitable that marketers will know not only which sites somebody has visited, but also who is doing the Web surfing.

The developments raise new questions for consumers. Do people care if advertisers follow their digital footsteps as much they care, say, about telemarketers calling them during dinner? Will public anxiety mount as customized marketing makes its way to cellphone and television screens?

With the advertising industry increasingly placing its hopes — and money — in the behavioral field, privacy advocates argue that the government needs to establish guidelines for digital privacy now. “It’s a digital data vacuum cleaner on steroids, that’s what the online ad industry has created,” said Jeff Chester, executive director of the Center for Digital Democracy. “They’re tracking where your mouse is on the page, what you put in your shopping cart, what you don’t buy. A very sophisticated commercial surveillance system has been put in place.”

Internet advertising is just the latest flashpoint in the privacy debate. It has been eight years since the F.T.C. has held a public workshop on the use of consumer data in online ads, and a lot of the hypothetical situations described then are now a widespread reality.

Many executives in the advertising industry do not see anything wrong with online targeting. They argue that the practice benefits consumers, who see more relevant ads. And they contend that for consumers, relinquishing some innocuous personal data is a small trade-off for free access to the rich content of the Internet, much of which is ad-supported.

“Why should the direct mail firms be able to target like that, and we’re not? All because it’s electronic?” said David J. Moore, chief executive of 24/7 Real Media, which is owned by the advertising conglomerate the WPP Group. “Ultimately, if you want the content to remain free on the Web, you need to at least give us the information to monetize it.”

But there is growing concern, even among online companies, about what information is being used to deliver ads to people.

“The market is getting edgier and edgier, and what is accepted in the marketplace gets dodgier and dodgier,” said Martin E. Abrams, the executive director of the Center for Information Policy Leadership at the law firm Hunton & Williams, a research organization financed by companies like Google, Microsoft and Best Buy. “We have really moved to a world where we say consumers need to police the market, and, increasingly, it is a harder world to police.”

Some observers say that many people do not really mind the targeting. Recent privacy surveys have found that younger people do not care as much about privacy as their parents do, but privacy groups say that is because people do not understand how much information is gathered.
“If people were shown all the stuff that’s been collected, I think they would be more appalled,” said Richard M. Smith, an Internet consultant who will speak on the F.T.C.’s opening panel.
Ian Ayres, a professor at Yale Law School who has written a book about data mining, said, “If a computer is scanning my X-ray at an airport, I feel differently than if a human undresses me.”
Mr. Ayres cautioned that online data could be taken too far; companies could use it to discriminate against customers or charge wealthier ones higher prices. And because the Web is less transparent than a shopping mall, those actions might go undetected.

Behavioral targeting is not the only kind used online. Some companies scan e-mail messages and search queries to figure out which ads might be relevant to people.

Facebook, the social networking site, is expected to announce an advertising policy soon that will deliver ads based on user information like college, friends, marital status and hobbies. The ad network 24/7 Real Media has been experimenting with linking offline ad databases to people’s computer addresses, though the company says it is not actually provided the names or addresses of people. Acxiom, a direct mail database company, said recently that it had begun selling such data to online companies.

Consumer groups seeking a do-not-track rule have a long wish list. They want disclosure notices saying that online ads resulted from behavioral tracking. They also want consumers to be able to view and edit the profiles the ad networks are building. Eileen Harrington, deputy director of the F.T.C.’s Bureau of Consumer Protection, said yesterday that “providing a consumer with advertising that matches their interests is something that provides a lot of value to consumers.” But, she added, “there are questions about whether it may also come with costs that consumers don’t want to pay.”

Quotation of the Day

"They’re tracking where your mouse is on the page, what you put in your shopping cart, what you don’t buy."

JEFF CHESTER, executive director of the Center for Digital Democracy, on information collected when people use the Internet.

All Souls Day

Kansas Church Liable In Marine Funeral Protest

Fundamentalists in any religion are nuts. How these people can target dead soldiers who have nothing to do with their issue is beyond me.

Kansas church liable in Marine funeral protest
Wed Oct 31, 2007 7:24pm EDT
Jon Hurdle BALTIMORE, Oct 31 (Reuters) -

A jury on Wednesday ordered an anti-gay Kansas church to pay $10.9 million in damages to relatives of a U.S. Marine who died in Iraq after church members cheered his death at his funeral. Church members said Marine Lance Cpl. Matthew Snyder's death was God's punishment of America for tolerating homosexuality, and they attended his 2006 funeral in Maryland with signs saying "You're going to hell" and "God hates you.

"The federal jury determined the Westboro Baptist Church, based in Topeka, and three of its principals invaded the privacy of the dead man's family and inflicted emotional distress. Albert Snyder, the Marine's father, testified that his son was not gay, but the church targeted the military as a symbol of America's tolerance of gays. Matthew Snyder died in combat in Iraq in March 2006.

The jury awarded Snyder's family $2.9 million in compensatory damages plus $8 million in punitive damages in the first civil suit against the church, which has demonstrated at some 300 military funerals the past two years.

The lawsuit said church Web sites vilified U.S. soldiers, accusing them of being indoctrinated by "fag propaganda." "I hope it's enough to deter them from doing this to other families. It was not about the money. It was about getting them to stop," said Snyder, of York, Pennsylvania.

The church, which is unaffiliated with any major denomination, is headed by Rev. Fred Phelps, who has led a campaign against homosexuality for years. Most of the estimated 70 members of the church belong to his extended family.

"It will take the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals a few minutes to reverse this silly thing," Phelps said. His daughter and co-defendant, Shirley Phelps-Roper, vowed to continue protesting military funerals and called the court's decision a blow against free speech. Outside court on Wednesday, Phelps and his children waved placards with slogans such as "Pray for more dead kids" and "God hates fag enablers," while passing drivers and pedestrians shouted abuse at them. Defense attorney Jonathan Katz urged jurors not to award punitive damages because the $2.9 million in compensatory damages was already three times the defendants' net worth. "It's enough already to bankrupt them and financially destroy them," Katz said.

Craig Trebilcock, an attorney for Snyder, said jurors should award sufficient punitive damages to deter Westboro from repeating its actions.

Happy Halloween

Ralph Nader sues Democratic Party

Staff AP News Oct 30, 2007 17:40 EDT

Consumer advocate and 2004 independent presidential candidate Ralph Nader sued the Democratic Party on Tuesday, contending officials conspired to keep him from taking votes away from nominee John Kerry.

Nader's lawsuit, filed in District of Columbia Superior Court, also named as co-defendants Kerry's campaign, the Service Employees International Union and several so-called 527 organizations such as America Coming Together, which were created to promote voter turnout on behalf of the Democratic ticket.

The lawsuit also alleges that the Democratic National Committee conspired to force Nader off the ballot in several states.

"The Democratic Party is going after anyone who presents a credible challenge to their monopoly over their perceived voters," Nader said in a statement. "This lawsuit was filed to help advance a free and open electoral process for all candidates and voters. Candidate rights and voter rights nourish each other for more voices, choices, and a more open and competitive democracy."

Among other things, the lawsuit alleges that the DNC tried to bankrupt Nader's campaign by suing to keep him off the ballot in 18 states. It also suggests the DNC sent Kerry supporters to crash a Nader petition drive in Portland, Ore., in June 2004, preventing him from collecting enough signatures to get on the ballot.

The lawsuit seeks "compensatory damages, punitive damages and injunctive relief to enjoin the defendants from ongoing and future violations of the law."

Nader's attorney, Bruce Afran, argued that the DNC would be terrified of having the case come to trial. He said he hoped the committee would choose to settle the case and apologize.
"This is a case designed to make sure other independent and third party candidates will not be subject to the same kind of conspiracy in the future," Afran said.

Nader received 463,653 votes in the election, or 0.38% of total votes cast. DNC spokesman Luis Miranda declined comment on the suit, citing a policy on pending litigation.

Donovan Plans Meditation University

2007-10-29 12:19:59By BEN McCONVILLE Associated Press Writer

EDINBURGH, Scotland (AP) — Donovan, famous for '60s pop hits such as "Hurdy Gurdy Man" and "Mellow Yellow," has announced plans to open the Invincible Donovan University, where students will adhere to the principles of transcendental meditation.

"I know it sounds like an airy-fairy hippie dream to go on about '60s peace and love," said the 61-year-old singer, who was born Donovan Leitch in the Maryhill area of Glasgow. "But the world is ready for this now, it is clear this is the time."

He said the university will be located in either Glasgow or Edinburgh.

Donovan discovered transcendental meditation while visiting India and guru Maharishi Mahesh Yogi in 1968.

"The Maharishi told me during that 1968 visit that I should build a university in Edinburgh. I went to my room and drew a beautiful dome-shaped place of learning," he said Friday.
"I didn't know what to do because I couldn't do this on my own. But then I met David Lynch, who told me about the positive effects of TM in education. Although it's taken me 35 years, I will do what the Maharishi told me to do."

Donovan and Lynch, Oscar-nominated director of "Blue Velvet," "Mullholland Dr." and "The Elephant Man," are part of a tour to promote transcendental meditation as a means of reducing violence, crime and stress in schools and colleges.

The David Lynch Foundation has introduced TM to schools in the U.S., where the 61-year-old filmmaker claims it has transformed results and behavior.

"We have gone into some of the most deprived areas and turned around kids with violent emotional and behavioral problems," he said.

The duo said they will now contact Scottish authorities to have the institution accredited.
"For a country the size of Scotland it would take only 250 students meditating to protect Scotland from its enemies and to bring peace, to stop violence and drug abuse," Lynch said. "That is just a byproduct of the students meditating together."

The Eagles once had an album called "Hell Freezes Over", well it certainly has. The biggest rock group of the 70's has decided to sell their new album ONLY at Wal-Mart. I have nothing against Wal-Mart but this is a closing of the door for a group that set the precedant for musical independance. I realizes this album was made for the money, I realize it's a business but to freeze out the struggling independant record dealers is a tragedy. I will always love their music, I hope to see them in concert one day, but I will never look at them the same again.

BENTONVILLE, Ark., Oct. 29 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- One of the most awaited albums this year will hit shelves tomorrow at Wal-Mart, Sam's Club, and Walmart.com as the Eagles release their 20 song, two-disc album "Long Road Out of Eden." On sale Oct. 30th in Wal-Mart retail stores in the U.S., Canada and Mexico at 12:01 AM, the album is the first new music from this Rock & Roll Hall of Fame band since 1980.

"Long Road Out of Eden" reflects the band and Wal-Mart's shared commitment to environmental sustainability. The album packaging features Domtar EarthChoice(R) papers. To ensure paper is sourced from well-managed forests, EarthChoice papers are certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), publicly endorsed by the Rainforest Alliance and supported by World Wildlife Fund and Forest Ethics. This unique CD package contains 30 percent post-consumer recycled fiber, and virgin fiber from FSC Certified forests or other controlled sources.
"We're pleased that with 'Long Road out of Eden' we are able to present new music to our fans in a package that incorporates recycled fibers and is certified by the Forest Stewardship Council," said Eagles band member Don Henley. "Using recycled materials and paper products from well-managed forests has a great global impact in conserving biodiversity."

"At Wal-Mart, we're passionate about bringing customers a great value, unique music packages and products that promote sustainability; 'Long Road Out of Eden' has it all," said Gary Severson, Wal-Mart's senior vice president, entertainment. "There are many exciting aspects to this new album -- most of all, this is simply great music and we're excited to offer it on-line and through our stores to their millions of fans."

"Long Road Out of Eden" will retail at $11.88 in U.S. and Canadian stores and is also available for MP3-format download online at Walmart.com for $10.88.

The Eagles -- Glenn Frey, Don Henley, Joe, Walsh, and Timothy B. Schmit -- have sold more than 120 million albums worldwide and have won four Grammy Awards. Their "Greatest Hits 1971-1975" is the best-selling album of all time, exceeding sales of 29 million units. The band's "Hotel California" and "Their Greatest Hits Volume 2" have sold more than 16 and 11 million albums, respectively. Eagles were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1998.

Gap Vows Action After Child Labor Report

I understand what Gap say's their position is, and I undersand how they say they inspect but it does not change the fact that a newspaper uncovered this atrocity.

Clothing retailer Gap Inc. said Sunday that it will convene all of its Indian suppliers to "forcefully reiterate" its prohibition on child labor after a British newspaper found children as young as 10 making Gap clothes at a sweatshop in New Delhi. The Observer newspaper quoted the children as saying they had been sold to the sweatshop by their families in Indian states such as Bihar and West Bengal and would not be allowed to leave until they had repaid that fee. Some, working as long as 16 hours a day to hand-sew clothing, said they were not being paid because their employer said they were still trainees.

Gap said it first learned of the child labor allegations last week and discovered the sweatshop was being run by a subcontractor that a vendor had hired in violation of Gap's policies. The product made there will be destroyed so it cannot be sold in Gap stores, company spokesman Bill Chandler said. "We appreciate that the media identified this subcontractor, and we acted swiftly in this situation," Chandler told The Associated Press on Sunday. "Under no circumstances is it acceptable for children to produce or work on garments." The Observer quoted one boy identified only as Jivaj as saying that child employees who cried or did not work hard enough were hit with a rubber pipe or had oily cloths stuffed into their mouths. The paper said the sweatshop, or "derelict industrial unit," that it found during its investigation in New Delhi was "smeared in filth, the corridors flowing with excrement from a flooded toilet. "The Observer printed a photograph of one of the child workers, and British Broadcasting Corp. television broadcast what it said was footage of the youngsters taken at the sweatshop by an unidentified German TV crew. Gap did not immediately cut ties with the supplier it accused of improper subcontracting, but Chandler said the company was taking the breach of its child labor policies "extremely seriously." "We're willing to end relationships with vendors when they don't meet our standards," he said. The company requires its suppliers to guarantee that they will not use child labor to produce garments, Chandler said, and Gap stopped working with 23 factories last year over violations uncovered by its inspectors. The San Francisco-based company has 90 full-time inspectors who make unannounced visits around the world to ensure vendors are abiding by Gap's guidelines, he said. Gap has about 2,000 suppliers worldwide, including about 200 in India, Chandler said. The company plans to convene all of its suppliers in the India region at a summit in the coming weeks to "forcefully reiterate the prohibition on any child labor," he said. Marka Hansen, president of Gap North America, said its prohibition of child labor is non-negotiable. "While violations of our strict prohibition on child labor in factories that produce product for the company are extremely rare, we have called an urgent meeting with our suppliers in the region to reinforce our policies," Hansen said in a statement. "Gap Inc. has one of the industry's most comprehensive programs in place to fight for workers' rights overseas. Besides its chain of Gap stores, the company also owns Old Navy and Banana Republic and operates more than 3,100 stores in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, France, Ireland and Japan

Porter Wagoner

Porter Wayne Wagoner (born August 12, 1927, in West Plains, Missouri, in the Ozark Mountains, died October 28, 2007 in Nashville, Tennessee) was an American country music singer. Famous for his flashy Nudie suits and blond pompadour, Wagoner introduced a young Dolly Parton to his long-running television show. Together, "Porter and Dolly" were a well-known duet team for many years. After they split, Parton wrote the song "I Will Always Love You" about him.

His first band, The Blue Ridge Boys, performed on radio station KWPM from a butcher shop in West Plains, Missouri where Wagoner cut meat. Wagoner's big break came in 1951, when he was hired as a performer by station KWTO in Springfield, Missouri. This led to a contract with RCA Records. With lagging sales, Wagoner and his trio played schoolhouses for the gate proceeds.

In 1953, his song entitled "Trademark" became a hit for Carl Smith, followed by a few hits of his own on RCA. He was a featured performer on ABC's Ozark Mountain Jubilee and moved to Nashville and joined the Grand Ole Opry in 1957.

Porter Wagoner, the rhinestone-clad Grand Ole Opry star who helped launch the career of Dolly Parton by hiring her as his duet partner, died Sunday. He was 80.Wagoner, who had survived an abdominal aneurysm in 2006, was hospitalized again this month and his publicist disclosed he had lung cancer. He died at 8:25 p.m. CDT in a Nashville hospice, a spokeswoman for the Grand Ole Opry said."The Grand Ole Opry family is deeply saddened by the news of the passing of our dear friend, Porter Wagoner," said Pete Fisher, vice president and general manager of the Opry. "His passion for the Opry and all of country music was truly immeasurable. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family at this difficult time."

Woodstock Museum Will Open Despite Cuts

BETHEL, N.Y. (AP) — A museum dedicated to Woodstock will rock on even though the federal government pulled $1 million in funding for the memorial to the famous hippie fest.

Officially, the Woodstock museum is known as the Museum at Bethel Woods, and is due to open next year. Bethel is the upstate New York town where organizers eventually put on the three-day Woodstock Music and Art Fair in 1969.

"Our plans haven't changed," said Ellyn Solis, spokeswoman for the Bethel Woods Center for the Arts, which is developing the museum as the newest part of its 2,000-acre performing arts venue.

Last week, in a mostly party-line 52-42 vote, lawmakers voted to strip the $1 million earmark sought by New York Sens. Hillary Clinton and Chuck Schumer, both Democrats. Bethel Woods has received $15 million in state funding.

This week, Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., tried to capitalize on the brouhaha over the earmark, running a TV ad that mocks fellow presidential candidate Clinton for the spending proposal. The ads juxtapose psychedelic images with those of McCain strapped to a bed as a POW in Vietnam. McCain, a Navy pilot, was shot down in 1967 and spent 5 1/2 years in a North Vietnamese prison.

The Woodstock festival was billed as "three days of peace and love," and drew about 500,000 people to the natural amphitheater on Max Yasgur's farm. Aside from the drugs, mud and rain, there were career-defining performances by Jimi Hendrix, Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, and Janice Joplin and myriad others.

The museum is being built on top of the hill near where the stage was located. Thousands of people visit the site each year, where a stone monument is currently the only marker.

I Know It Is Mean To Say But ...

When a hurricane came up the Mississippi river and flooded a city that was below sea level costing numerous lives and when a fire in a desert burns thousands of home and water is scare I have only one question to ask ...

What Did You Think Would Happen When You Decided To Live There?

Calif. Wildfire Evacuees Face Hardships2007-10-27 04:04:07By GILLIAN FLACCUS Associated Press Writer

RAMONA, Calif. (AP) — With some of the worst wildfires dying down, many Southern Californians lucky enough to find their homes still standing could nevertheless face hardships for weeks to come, including polluted air, no electricity and no drinking water.
Power lines are down in many burned-over areas, and the smoke and ash could irritate people's lungs for as long as the blazes keep burning.
Randy and Aimee Powers returned to this mountain community in San Diego County on Friday to find their home without electricity or water, after fire trucks drained the town's reservoir.
"It's better to be at home. We're going to stick it out and do whatever we have to do up here to survive. We'll make it through," said Randy Powers, who joined a half-mile-long car caravan on Ramona's Aqua Lane.
Residents of 10,000 Ramona homes who called the water department when they found their water turned off were greeted by a recorded phone message that said: "We are in extreme water crisis situation. No water use is allowed."

Perspective

Solders killed in Iraq (4 yrs): 3,478 (2,814 in combat)

Soldiers killed in Vietnam War (64-73): 58,200

Soldiers killed in Persian Gulf War (90-91): 382

Americans killed on 9/11/01: 2,986

Americans murdered in U.S. (1 yr) (2005): 16,692

*

46 Americans Murdered Today

Taxes

The wealthiest 1%, in 2003, earned 14% of the income and

paid 35% of all individual income taxes.

By comparison, the bottom 60% of all taxpayers earn 28% of all income and

pay just 1% of all individual income taxes.

Lott Waits for Clinton's Apology and Gets One

By Mary Ann Akers And Paul KaneThursday, October 25, 2007 - Washington Post

It's a good thing she apologized, because Sen. Trent Lott (R-Miss.) was fixin' to give Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) a piece of his mind. Lott was on the cusp of issuing a serious condemnation of the Democratic presidential front-runner for insulting the Magnolia State this week when his phone rang.

"To her credit, she called me [Tuesday] and apologized," Lott told On the Hill. Clinton chose wisely to make the quick apology after insulting Mississippians with a comment she made in an interview with Iowa's most important political reporter, the Des Moines Register's David Yepsen. Clinton was quoted expressing complete "shock" at learning that Iowa and Mississippi were the only states that have never elected a female governor or a female member of either chamber of Congress.

"How can Iowa be ranked with Mississippi?" she asked, implying the Hawkeye State is above such distinction. "That's not the quality. That's not the communitarianism, that's not the openness I see in Iowa."

Lott was furious when aides notified him of the put-down. He said he wanted to sound off right away but instead paused and waited to read the entire context of her remarks, something he said he has learned to do the hard way because of his own various guffaw-inducing statements over the years. (Those include not just his praise of the 1948 Dixiecrat presidential candidate Strom Thurmond, but also his comments after Clinton won her Senate race in 2000 that "maybe lightning will strike" her and she would die before getting sworn into the chamber.) "I understand that we sometimes say what we don't always mean to say," Lott said.
Still, he is a little disturbed that Clinton views Mississippi as politically sexist. He noted that the last two lieutenant governors have been women and that the first female jurist was recently appointed to the state's U.S. District Court.

Plus, Lott added, who is Clinton to talk? "Having lived in Arkansas, which is something of a whipping boy, too, she knows better than that," Lott said.

Joe Torre

I have a long strange relationship with Joe Torre, for years I despised him, not because he was a bad guy or did anything wrong it was because he managed the Atlanta Braves. Being a life long San Francisco Giant fan I could not embrace anyone who managed the Braves, so blinded by a dislike for the team, I disliked Torre. Only once he got to the Yankees did I really take a look at him as a team leader. I learned a deep respect for him, the way he represented his team, the way he protected his players, the way he loved his city and the people of it. Torre was and still is one of the best minds in baseball, he knows how to get the most out of his team and players. Yes, Yankee ownership has the highest payroll in baseball but that doesn't mean they had the best roster. As individuals they were loaded, but a roomful of great individuals do not always make the best team. Some Yankee fans say that with the money they spend their is no excuse for not winning every year. Torre did that, he made the playoffs every year he managed, he won more than his share of A.L.C.S. and World Series rings. The performance of the Yankees under Torre was extremely hard to do and will be extremely hard to duplicate. I am not knocking the Yankees for wanting to make a change, as business owners that is a fair decision that ownership has to make and take the responsibility for. I do have an issue with the way they did it. $5 million dollars is a lot of money, but it is a significant decrease when you were making $9 million. Is a baseball manager or player for that matter worth that kind of money, not in my book, but that is what the Yankees payed. What did the Yankee's owe Torre? Not money for sure but respect. If they didn't want him to manage or they felt they needed new blood they should have been stand up guys and said so. I believe he would have respected that and I know the fan's may not have agreed but they would have appreciated the honesty. Instead they made him an offer they knew would embaress him, they were going to put him in his place. This is not how you reward twelve years of service. Forget how large the quantity of money is, what would you do if your boss came to you and said we want you to stay but we are going to reduce your pay by 45% and then let's everyone you work with know about it. Anyone with any pride would move on, just as Torre did. Was this George's fault? Was it his son's? Doesn't matter, it is a black mark on Yankee ownership and Yankee's history. Some Yankee fan's are used to this kind of chaos and it is a hallmark of Steinbrenner's ownership. His hiring and firing and public fighting with Billy Martin and other managers in the past was usually the result of a couple of hot heads going at each other. Torre though was cut from a different cloth, he is quiet, respectful and patient man and as great as the history of the Yankees is this episode is a black mark on an otherwise storied franchise.

Which Candidate Matches You Best

Answer the questions to find the 2008 presidential candidate that best aligns with your beliefs. More than 1 million people have already filled it out. Give it a try!

http://www.vajoe.com/candidate_calculator.html

Greens To Go

This is great stuff, if you haven't tried it you should.

"a starting point… is the regular consumption of foods that are naturally high in antioxidants and other phytochemicals (fruits, vegetables…). These foods contain hundreds of biologically active constituents not present in dietary supplements…”

Nature's Antioxidant Blend:
Free radicals are believed to play a role in almost all the common diseases of aging. Consuming a wide variety of natural, plant derived antioxidants (phytonutrients) from dark greens, fruits, vegetables, bran, and teas, often called nature's "superfoods", may be the best way to provide the body with the most complete protection against free radical damage. These extracts from fruits and vegetables of all the colors are "super concentrated" to provide the highest antioxidant and broad spectrum activity possible!

Nature's Greens Blend:
The USDA says the average American needs to eat three times more greens. The chlorophyll in greens is one of nature’s great healing,alkalizing and detoxifying foods. Please note that we do not use just grass, but organic green barley juice powder, a much more nutrient dense, purer concentrate.

Nature's Garden Blend:
These blend contains a colorful variety of freeze dried, whole food organic juice powders that provide a broad base of all natural vitamins, minerals, and micronutrients not found in most antioxidant pills.

Nature's Super Fruit Blend:
This blend of 5 fruit concentrated extracts includes three "newly discovered" super fruits like mangosteen, pomegranate and acai, super rich in antioxidant benefits, plus certified organic apple and acerola cherries, rich in natural vitamin C.

Nature's Fiber Blend:
This organic blend features gluten free rice bran plus patented oat fiber, Oat Beta Glucan, which lowers cholesterol when consuming 3 gm a day.

Nature's Sea Vegetables Blend:
These provide lots of pre-vitamin A as beta-carotene and alkalizing essential trace minerals.

Nature's Super Tea Blend:

We include both green and white tea high antioxidant extracts. Few know that white tea is more powerful than green tea! And both also are rich in a special antioxidant EGCG which has been studied for its potential to promote natural weight loss without stimulants.

NATOX: Nature’s Antioxidants
ORAC stands for “Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity” and is the industry standard for evaluating the antioxidant potency of any food or supplement. Antioxidants disarm free radicals. These free radicals harm healthy cells, accelerating the aging process. The higher the ORAC value, per serving, the greater the antioxidant power benefits.

Just one travel packet serving is proven to supply the all natural antioxidant power of up to 7 servings of fruits and vegetables!*

"If these findings are borne out in further research, young and middle-aged people may be able to reduce risk of diseases of aging--including senility--simply by adding high-ORAC foods to their diets,"