In the Race

"JDI"

2008-12-03T17:44:07Z

That's text messaging short hand for "Just Do It."

And just do it is what a doctor volunteering in the Congo did when he performed a very complex amputation by receiving his instructions via text message.

GR8 job doctor!

"A doctor volunteering in war-torn Congo performed a complex amputation to save a boy’s life by following instructions sent by text message from a colleague in London.

David Nott, 52, a vascular surgeon, was working for a Medicins Sans Frontieres hospital in the eastern town of Rutshuru, an area ravaged by bloody battles between Congolese and rebel troops.
Among the hundreds of wounded soldiers and civilians brought into the hospital in October was a 16-year-old boy who had been caught in the midst of a gun fight between advancing combatants in a forest in the Nyanzale region. "

Click to continue

Meet This Alderman In St. Louis With A Gun To Fight Crime

2008-12-03T12:45:00Z

Alderman Charles Quincy Troupe wants his community to be vigilantes. He doesn't feel the police can take care of the citizens so he's telling them to go out and arm themselves with guns.

"Alderman Charles Quincy Troupe said police are ineffective, outnumbered or don't care about the increase in crime in his north St. Louis ward. St. Louis has had 157 homicides in 2008, 33 more than last year at this time.

"The community has to be ready to defend itself, because it's clear the economy is going to get worse, and criminals are getting more bold," Troupe, 72, said Tuesday."

I'm not for gun control but this Alderman is a bit off the wall. Telling everyone to go out and get a gun isn't going to solve the problem in St. Louis. I think Alderman Troupe and the rest of his city council need to work with their police department and not brush the problem under the rug.

Click to read the article

Why Were The Pirates Laughing?

2008-12-03T00:10:00Z

Why isn't Maritime security working against the pirates in the Gulf of Aden?

Check out Wired

HERE

And read my Righty Blog for the latest update on what happened today against an American cruise ship

HERE

Fraser Fir With Ornaments From All Around The U.S. For The Blue Room

2008-12-02T17:40:00Z

For Immediate Release
Office of the First Lady
November 30, 2008

Mrs. Bush's Remarks During the Presentation of the White House Christmas Tree
North Lawn

1:54 A.M. EST

MRS. BUSH: Well, here we are once again. This is the eighth time we've waited for the very first event of the holiday season, and that's when the big tree is brought. This is the Fraser fir for the Blue Room. It'll be the great big tree that this year will be decorated with ornaments from all around the United States, decorated by artists from all around the United States.

But this tree is from North Carolina. And I want to recognize the Christmas Tree growers from River Ridge Farms, Crumpler, North Carolina -- Jessie Davis and Russell Estes. They are both growers and they were picked by the National Christmas Tree Growing Association -- Growers Association, and they're represented here, as well, with Mark Steelhammer from the Christmas Tree Growers Association, the National Association.

So this is the first event of the holiday season, and as you all know there are many more to follow later this week. We'll announce what the theme is when I give you a tour of this year's decorations. I will have to say -- just a sneak preview -- that this is the perfect theme for this year. So I think you'll like it when we get to see it later this week.

So happy holidays. Thanks, everybody.

Sue Harman drives a horse-drawn carriage delivering the official White House Christmas tree Sunday, Nov. 30, 2008,
to the North Portico of the White House. The Fraser Fir tree, from River Ridge Farms in Crumpler, N.C., will be on
display in the Blue Room of the White House for the 2008 Christmas season. White House photo by Joyce N. Boghosian

Sue Harman drives a horse-drawn carriage delivering the official White House Christmas tree Sunday, Nov. 30, 2008,
to the North Portico of the White House. The Fraser Fir tree, from River Ridge Farms in Crumpler, N.C., will be on
display in the Blue Room of the White House for the 2008 Christmas season. White House photo by Chris Greenberg

Mrs. Laura Bush delivers remarks as she stands with the White House Christmas tree Sunday, Nov. 30, 2008, in
front of the North Portico of the White House. The Fraser Fir tree, from River Ridge Farms in Crumpler, N.C.,
will be on display in the Blue Room of the White House for the 2008 Christmas season. White House photo
by Joyce N. Boghosian

Barack, Michelle, and Some Bling

2008-12-02T12:50:00Z

Before the election, I heard many people talk about how Michelle Obama was "down to earth" in the way she dressed, especially during the $150,000 clothing allowance issue with Sarah Palin. I just laughed because I thought that was ridiculous. She makes good money and buys nice things. And, personally, I didn't see anything wrong with it. I wouldn't expect her to be shopping at thrift shops.

Barack Obama wants to thank his wife for her support throughout the two year campaign. He's thanked many of his campaign workers with extra cash. He's not going to give her that. She can buy her own outfit I suppose. I guess she doesn't want a puppy, too. You can always say thank you with flowers. Shouldn't that be enough?

No, Michelle Obama is getting something rare from her husband. A ring made of black gold (rhodium).

"Michelle Obama is to receive this £20,000 thank you from her husband for her support during the election.

The Harmony ring is made of rhodium - the world's most expensive metal --and encrusted with diamonds. It is being hastily made by Italian designer Giovanni Bosco in time for January's inauguration ceremony.

Only about 25 tons of rhodium are mined each year, mostly in South Africa, and as a result its price is typically around £5,000 an ounce. "

Click to Continue Article

Photo - Daily Mail

You, Too, Can Have A Prestigous Mailing Address

2008-12-02T02:05:00Z

Well, we all could if we chose to move to a place such as Malibu or Paris, but we are living in Wisconsin right now. We might choose to vacation in once of those places, though. We've fowarded telephone calls before. Why not mail?

I suppose there are are some people that want people to believe they've already got "it" even when they don't. So they might want to hand out cards with their well-to-do address on them; and then pray no one drops in on them unexpectedly.

"Earth Class Mail wants to manage your mail for you. Just have it sent to one of the addresses the Seattle company provides, and it will put electronic scans of the mail you receive online. Then you log on and see what mail you've gotten, and you can ask them to open it or send it to you (or shred it, as the case may be).
Today, Earth Class Mail opens a store in West Hollywood. That means all you jet-setters and jet-setter wannabes can have your mail sent to 8605 Santa Monica Blvd., and Earth Class Mail will do its job. Non-jet-setters and people who want to avoid the post office can also use the store to send and shred mail."

Click to continue article

Picture It...3-D In Your Living Room

2008-12-01T17:56:36Z

Oh…I would love it for science and nature programs. Or science fiction! But I know those of you out there would be thrilled to have it for sports. Well, the possibility is not that far off in the future. And it’s out there without having to wear those freaky glasses, too.

"3D will change everything and it is not that far away from being reality."

[David] Hill is among those who believe that 3D television that does not require viewers to don awkward 1950s-style glasses, will be on the market within a few years.

He has already begun experimenting with 3D broadcasts, renting the cameras from Titanic director James Cameron, who has been leading the Hollywood charge to 3D.

"The results have been fantastic," he says.
"For instance, I think it is going to save the sport of boxing. We did a very ordinary bout from one of the Indian casinos (in California) and it was unbelievable. You are right in there in the ring with these guys."

Check out the entire article on msnbc HERE

Careful Where You Stick Your Neck Out

2008-12-01T12:40:00Z

Rafetus swinhoei Photo ATCN

Especially if you are endangered and only one of four Shanghai soft-shell turtles. Beware of flooding, too.

A rare Vietnamese turtle, one of just four believed left in the world, was swept away by a flood, taken hostage by an enterprising fisherman and nearly ended up in a soup pot. Instead, the 150-pound animal returned to its lake Wednesday and conservationists celebrated their deal with the fisherman — the turtle's freedom in exchange for about $200 and two new fishing nets.

Douglas Hendrie and other conservationists had been trying to find the turtle for two weeks after floods washed the animal out of Dong Mo Lake near Hanoi.

Continued HERE

Have You Been Good Or Bad? It Doesn't Matter For These Toy Letters

2008-11-30T21:43:55Z

The 66th annual Santa Train makes its way through Kentucky David Stephenson / Lexington Herald-Leader via Zuma

Santa will be coming to town. You’ll be seeing commercials for every new toy on television. They’ve started already. There’s one way to keep your child from seeing the commercials. Turn off the T.V. Another way? DVR, Tivo, or only show DVDs. There is one last resort, make a plea to toy companies to stop running ads for toys.

What? No toy ads? Are parents crazy? How do parents expect toy companies to sell their merchandise if they don’t show toy ads to kids so the kids beg their parents, aunts, uncles, grandparents, and also write their letter to Santa telling him how good they’ve been? That’s insanity! Or is it?

"In a season that inspires earnest letters about toys, one notable batch is being sent not by kids to Santa's workshop but by parents to the executive suites of real-world toy makers.

The message: Please, in these days of economic angst, cut back on marketing your products directly to our children.

The letter-writing initiative was launched by the Boston-based Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood, which says roughly 1,400 of its members and supporters have contacted 24 leading toy companies and retailers to express concern about ads aimed at kids."

Continued HERE

"Milk" Keeping It Real

2008-11-30T16:50:00Z

Harvey Bernard Milk, Politician and Gay Activist

"The research for "Milk" was an unusually productive example of how archives and scholarship can influence Hollywood and popular culture, participants said."

The movie, starring Sean Penn, is timely, with Prop 8 in the news of late and gay activism at a high.

It will no doubt be controversial, but it will be based on fact, right down to the suit San Francisco Supervisor Harvey Milk was wearing when he was gunned down, assassinated, in 1978.

"Reporting from San Francisco -- The sight may be a little shocking, Paul Boneberg warned a visitor. And it was.

There, removed from tissue-paper wrappings in a storage box, were the wingtip shoes, striped suit and white shirt that gay activist and San Francisco Supervisor Harvey Milk wore Nov. 27, 1978, the day he was assassinated. Dark bloodstains remained visible around the shirt collar, and small holes -- from bullets -- could be seen in the suit's blue and gray material."

Read the article from the Los Angeles Times," A Picture Full of Milk" HERE

My Sunday Morning Funny

2008-11-30T15:27:47Z

It’s just too cute to pass up.
I can’t help it.
Sometimes I need reminders of when my kids were this age.
It’s been a long, long time.

You've gotta love Joey...

From 1972. Kermit the Frog tries to sing the alphabet song with a little girl named Joey, but she keeps teasing him by singing "Cookie Monster" instead of various letters. One of the many segments with The Muppets interacting with children.

H/T: Teeny Manolo

No Skates, No Puck, Just A Broom and Ball

2008-11-30T03:09:00Z

Have you ever heard of "broomball?"

I never did before. Another discovery from looking around Vermont.

The following video clip is from the 1980s and is a championship match - I believe Australia /Canada. I thought it best showed what broomball could be. It seriously is wearing shoes and using a stick with a flat plastic-like broom.

But all types of people play broomball...indoors and outdoors. Adults, teens and kids.

Here's an adult mens outdoor game.

Even women play broomball

The Central Vermont Women's Broomball
League took to the ice at the Central Vermont
Memorial Civic Center Sunday night. Broomball
isn't for the timid. It's a tough, competitive sport
that brings a whole new meaning to the word "broom."
Kyle Martel/Times Argus

MONTPELIER – The only cleaning up these ladies use brooms for is sweeping up the competition.

They play broomball, eight teams of women who use a hockey-stick-like "broom" to bash a hard leather or plastic ball down the ice and into a goal. They don't skate; they run in shoes with rubber soles that grip the ice, occasionally falling to their knees and sliding into a play.

Broomball is rough. Broomball is competitive. Broomball is not for the faint of heart.

Click to Continue

Guess what? We have a broomball association in Wisconsin that plays in Pleasant Prairie. Check it out here if you are interested:

Wisconsin-Illinois Broomball

An Old Bag and Shine On

2008-11-29T15:21:37Z

An extravehicular activity (EVA) tool bag drifts away from the International Space Station during the
mission's first scheduled spacewalk for STS-126. Credit: NASA

We've all heard that every item used in the Space program has a huge price mark up, haven't we? And then there's the price of a toilet for the space station; $15 million? Well, when you've gotta go, you've gotta go. Plus, we don't want surprises floating around in space like that tool bag that recently was lost in space. That tool bag, which is now an old bag, cost $100,000. Well, I'm all for the space program to continue; especially now that we've sat for 40 years and let everyone else start catching up to us. It's just that there are some people somewhere making an awful lot of big bucks out there, and I know it isn't my son, who is an aerospace engineer. It's kind of like when you're in the hospital and they won't let you take your regular medications from home. You later find out that the same pill that costs $1dollar costs $8 dollars a day in the hospital. But I digress.

That “old bag” tool bag? There’s a lot of space junk flying around this planet. But that shiny tool bag isn't as lost as we may have thought it was.

I've always been interested in space, and there are many space enthusiasts out there, young and old. They've been tracking the tool bag since it left the space station.

"After sunset on Nov. 22, Edward Light, using 10 x 50 binoculars, spotted the bag in space while he scanned the sky from his backyard in Lakewood, N.J., Spaceweather.com reported. On the same night, Keven Fetter of Brockville, Ontario, video-recorded the bag as it passed by the star Eta Pisces in the constellation Pisces.

More bag-viewing opportunities are expected.

The tool bag can be seen through binoculars, a few minutes ahead of the space station's orbit. The satellite tracker predicts that the bag will be visible through binoculars from Europe and western North America during a series of passes this week. By late next week, the tool bag should appear in the evening skies over most of North America.

Like other space debris, the tool bag's show will have a fiery end. "We currently predict that the errant tool bag will fall back to Earth in June of next year," said Nicholas Johnson, chief scientist for orbital debris at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston. "The date is dependent upon solar activity, so an earlier or later date is possible. As the reentry date draws nearer, a more accurate prediction can be made."

Read the complete article at Space.com HERE (scroll to bottom of page)

There's more exciting space news and it has to do with shining planets! This Monday, December 1st, look into southwest night sky and you will be able to see the moon, Venus and Jupiter shining brightly...but use your binoculars for a better view.

Look to the southwest after sunset on Dec. 1 for a close conjunction between three bright solar
system objects: the moon, Venus and Jupiter. If you have binoculars, you might even be able
to fit all three of them in the field of view. Between now and then, you can see Jupiter and Venus
getting closer together each evening.

Read all about it on msnbc HERE

The Worst Movies of The Year

2008-11-28T20:56:00Z

Wired has a list of what they believe are the 20 worst film and T.V. "Turkeys" of the year. I didn't see any of them, so I couldn't tell you. I guess none of them sounded good to me.

You can look at that list

HERE

It got me thinking, though. What was the worst movie of all time that I believe I have seen. I'm a big fan of comedy. But I'll tell you something, I like "suspense" movies, but I deplore those movies of the "slasher" type. I guess I'm not going to get into my reasoning on why I can't stand them. It would be like a major political discussion and it would probably never end.

In the 70s there seemed to be a turning point regarding movies. The Exorcist and the Texas Chainsaw Massacre came out. Back then, just to sit in the theater with your eyes shut and listen to the sound on the Exorcist was enough to send chills up your spine. Now, it's nothing. I still can't think about watching The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and don't know how I managed to make it through that original movie. I think it is only because we were out with friends that I sat through the entire showing. I can still picture certain scenes in my mind...from all those years ago.

Which brings me to what I think is the worst movie I have ever seen. And I have to say I didn't give it much of a chance. It was the early 70s and my husband and I would go to movies inside the theater at Southridge Mall, outside at Mayfair, or at one of the two theaters on HWY 100 near Big Boy restaurant. This was an afternoon showing at a HWY 100 theater on a chilly day this time of year. The movie was Black Christmas and starred Olivia Hussey and Margot Kidder. We started watching and I swear, I only saw what seemed to be five minutes of the movie and that was it...it has to be one of the only movies in my life that I have ever left. I didn't care...we were out of there.

On Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho, you see the knife, and that's all you need to see. And then you see the body afterwords. I don't need any more than that. In a good Bette Davis "B" suspense movie, she was scary enough, and a good old Twilight Zone packed with science fiction and wonder can put that twinge of worry into your mind.

I know what's out there now, what's evolved since Black Christmas. Maybe people compare it to a roller coaster ride? Wanting to watch that stuff? I don't know.

Bette Davis and Joan Crawford in "Whatever Happened To Baby Jane?" 1962

Hmm..I wonder if that would have been a "Turkey" of the year? But I like watching the movie.

Stocking Stuffer Abortions Hoosier Style

2008-11-28T17:01:48Z

Don't you just love peeking into your Christmas stocking? Can't you just imagine what might be waiting for you in there?

Okay...The economy is taking a downward turn. People will be thrifty in their Christmas purchases. They will be more thoughtful. You may have been warned about Gift Cards...be careful of where you purchase them. A business may go "out of business." If you want to get someone a Gift Certificate for that stocking, perhaps you want it to be useful, something very practical.

Indiana is a down-to-earth thinking kind of state; wouldn't you say? Planned Parenthood in Indiana has come up with the perfect solution for that hard to buy for person on your list. How about a Gift Certificate? Oh, they say it can be used for any service, and by males or females. That's comforting to know. But just so Indiana residents know, yes, it will be able to be used on abortions, too.

The gift that does not keep on giving.

From Indiana Planned Parenthood.

"Some Hoosiers 24-Hour News 8 talked to asked if the gift certificates could be used toward abortions. The answer is yes. But, Planned Parenthood said that's not the purpose of the gift certificates.

Struben-Hall said, "They really are intended for preventative healthcare. We decided not to put restrictions on the gift certificates so it's for whatever people feel they need the services for most."

Read the entire article HERE

H/T Pensamientos

Thinking Of Buying A Computer This Weekend?

2008-11-28T14:48:34Z

Remember: You haven’t lived until your home computer says “hello” and asks you to “please enter a number.”

I recall my first home computer in the very early 1980s. I suppose I can only liken the excitement of opening the box and setting it up to how it must have felt when my parents got their very first television.

It didn't look like these three 1980s home computers...visit Modern Mechanix to read about them by clicking the image below.

What's Cooking For The First Family's Thanksgiving Dinner?

2008-11-27T16:05:00Z

~Thanksgiving Menu At Camp David~

Free-Range Roast Turkey

Cornbread Dressing

Cranberry Sauce

Sautéed Green Beans

Morelia Style Gazpacho with Spinach Salad

Zucchini Gratin

Whipped Maple Sweet Potatoes

Buttered Mashed Potatoes

Giblet Gravy Fresh Clover Rolls with Honey Butter

Pumpkin Pie with Whipped Topping

Apple Pie

Pumpkin Mousse Trifle

Fresh Fruit Platter

http://www.whitehouse.gov/firstlady/

Killer Horses..."We're Doing Them A Favor"

2008-11-27T13:15:00Z

What's a killer horse? Horses that aren't in the best of shape that are auctioned off, shipped, under poor conditions (such as not being fed) to Canada or Mexico...slaughtered, and then exported to Europe or Asia where the practice of eating horse meat is common place.

Why is it that when an animal is going off to be slaughtered, we allow it to be traumatized are starved?

"We're doing them a favor by buying horses that might otherwise be neglected," Barnes said. "The big misconception animal rights people have is that all horses that go to slaughter are good, useable horses or pets ... when actually they're animals you can't do much with."
Click to read the article

Just How Many Turkeys Were At The White House?

2008-11-27T12:59:56Z

White House Photo Essay

Check out the Thanksgiving at the White House photo gallery featuring the first National Thanksgiving Turkey presented to President Harry Truman. Learn more »

Pie's Done!

2008-11-27T01:19:00Z

Two Apple and Two Pumpkin...

Here's my apple baking process

Roll out crust, slice apples and mix with spices, add filling.

Roll out top crust and place on top of pie; crimp edges. Bake.

Enjoy your beautiful pies.

Not bad if I do say so myself!

I've been using the same Betty Crocker Apple Pie recipe for 30 years.

Apple Pie ~

For one pie:

1	double pie crust (homemade or store bought - your choice)

1/2	cup sugar
1/2	cup Gold Medal® all-purpose flour
1/2	teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4	teaspoon ground nutmeg
6	cups thinly sliced peeled apples (4-5 large)
1	tablespoon butter or margarine
	Milk
	Additional sugar

.	Heat oven to 425°F. If making crust, roll out half of pie crust and place in 9-inch pie plate. Trim overhanging edge of bottom pastry 1 inch from rim of plate.
.	Stir together 1/2 cup sugar, the flour, cinnamon and nutmeg in large bowl. Add apples; toss very well. Spoon into pastry-lined pie plate. Dot with butter.
	Roll remaining pastry and place on pie. Crimp edges of crust. Make slits in top. Brush lightly with milk; sprinkle lightly with additional sugar. Cover edges of pie with aluminum foil until last 15 minutes of baking time, then remove.
	Bake about 40 minutes or until crust is golden brown and juice is bubbly.

And here are my Pumpkin Pies ~