Paris, France 2008

My wife and I just got back from a 1 week vacation to Paris, France. I figured with the French election of President Sarkozy, now was as good a time to go as any. I booked this vacation about 6 months ago, so the costs were all locked with a better exchange rate. With the dollar being down against the Euro, I thought for sure there wouldn't be very many Americans there, but I was wrong. There were literally tons of Americans everywhere we went.

We had an awesome time. We found the French people to be polite, kind and very helpful. I took 3 years of French in school, but had forgotten most of it during the past couple (ahem) of years, so I bought a CD set to refresh my memory. I knew enough French to get around, order at the restaurant, etc, and found that as long as you tried to speak their language, they were more than happy to switch to English when I struggled.

The monuments and attractions we saw were all incredible. We started the trip with a visit to the Eiffel tower. After waiting in line for over 90 minutes, I actually got my wife to ride the elevator to the top. Approximately 990 feet in the air. That high up, the view of Paris was incredible.

Next, we wandered around the Isle de Cite and found Notre Dame. It's quite impressive being inside this place of Christian worship. We were lucky enough to get there as they were wrapping up a night time Mass. I can still smell the incense being burned.

We also spent about 5 hours in the Louvre. To tell the truth, the last 2 hours of that time was just spent trying to find the exit. My wife finally found the door to the outside world. That place is fricking huge! The "Mona Lisa" was actually a disappointment. The painting is kinda small, and it is in a room jam packed with people, pushing and shoving to try to see it. After being impaled by about a thousand elbows, I shot a quick picture and left, not getting to really appreciate the painting. We also got to see the "Venus de Milo", "Winged Victory" and Michelangelo's "Dying Slave" and "Rebellious Slave".

We also visited Montmartre, which is a Paris neighborhood. This area contains a hill that is the highest point of land in Paris. On it's peak, is a beautiful church, the Basilica Sacre Coeur.

The best part of the trip was a tour of the Normandy Beach landing sites. My grandfather landed there on D-day, and fortunately made it home safely after the war. It was awesome (in the original sense of the word) to stand in the same spot he stood decades before. The American cemetery is breathtaking. And at Point du Hoc, there are still hundreds of craters from the American battleships' guns. Grass and flowers have grown over them, but if you close your eyes, you can still hear the explosions.



The food ranged from awesome (a Moroccan place called "404") to mediocre(cafe on the street). You could buy an entire bottle of wine for the cost of about 2 Cokes. We had snails (actually quite tasty when drowned in garlic butter), lamb, duck, quail and crepes. I liked the bread, with it's hard outer crust.

I brought a pedometer with us because I knew we would be walking quite a bit. Not counting the travel days, we walked 14.14 miles. Our feet hurt at the end of each day, but no pain, no gain, they say. We also heavily used the Paris Metro, which is clean and easy to use.

This was our second trip to Europe. The first was a guided tour in Italy. This trip was on our own. There are pros and cons to each method, so it's really hard to say which is the best way to go. However, overall, this trip was worth every Euro we paid.

Update on Ohio Supreme Court Justice DUI

The Supreme Court of Ohio justice Alice Resnick apparently pled Guilty to her DUI charges from a few years ago. She was sentenced to 3 days in either jail or a treatment facility. She wisely chose treatment.

On January 1, 2007, she stepped down from the Court, having decided that she would not attempt to run for another term.

I wish her the best in her recovery, but I'm glad she's no longer on the bench.

Is Health Care a Right?

Here's the conundrum for people who view health care as a right, especially if they support the idea of government controlled "universal health care". A "right" is something to which a person is entitled to just because they exist. It is nothing they can earn. It applies to all people equally, no matter their color, religion, sex, age, economic status or number of extremities. It is nothing that can lawfully be taken away.

The only way you can have universal health care is for the government to provide it. However, the only way a governmental system can regulate health care is to enact limits on access. This leads to rationing of services. If health care is my "right", then the government can NOT limit my access to health care. Just like they can not infringe on my right to life, liberty or the pursuit of happiness.

Can you say Catch-22? More to come...

What are the liberals to do?

Global warming is supposedly destroying our planet, and one of the "best" solutions is ethanol, right? By replacing oil with the corn-derived fuel, we will save the world for future generations. Except for the fact that ethanol production, besides being very energy intensive, is driving up the cost of food everywhere.

As more corn is being grown for ethanol, less land is used for other food crops. That means less wheat is being grown. Which makes bread more expensive. Fewer soybeans being harvested means more costly "mystery meat" burgers in schools. In addition, the price of corn is at all time highs. That raises the prices of everything, including milk, cheese, pork and beef.

In a world where liberals see everything as half empty, the world's poor are starving to death. We must lower the cost of food for their sakes. But we must raise the price of fuel for Mother Earth's sake. What are liberals to do?

The girl who cries wolf

Apparently, presidential candidate and New York Senator Hillary Clinton has a habit of "misspeaking", and the vast right wing conspiracy (which now suprisingly includes CNN) has an unfortunate habit of pointing this out.

Recently, it has been shown that Mrs Clinton lied when she talked about coming under sniper fire in Bosnia while she was First Lady. More recently, Mrs Clinton has been telling the story of a poor pregnant woman with no insurance who died after delivery of her infant. According to the presidential candidate, the woman's death was because the hospital refused to treat her since she had no insurance. Well, it turns out, suprise-suprise-suprise, that the story is not true. While the woman in question did indeed die weeks after the delivery of her stillborn baby, she was never denied treatment, and she had insurance.

Oh well. Never let the truth get in the way, I suppose.

Global Warming, eventually

I really feel sorry for Nobel prize winner Al Gore. Once again, the right wing UN is attacking Mr Gore's baby, global warming. This year is going to be cooler because of La Nina. La Nina is possibly responsible for the coldest winter on record in China and increased rains in Australia.

If, God forbid, this tragedy takes place, the global temperature will NOT have risen since 1998. That was when an evil, conservative, George Bush-loving El Nino caused the world temperature to skyrocket.

Of course, more level headed scientists are telling us to calm down, and that very soon, global warming will pick back up and turn us all in to cannibals.

And we can only pray to Gore that this hurricane season will FINALLY be as bad as the global warming alarmists say it will!

p.s. And don't forget, last years drought was caused by global warming. I'm sure this years excessive rainfall is also the fault of global warming.

Great Music

My wife and I went to see Michael Buble perform the other night. His live show is awesome. One of the best concerts I have ever seen. He has one of the best voiced I've ever heard. He's very interactive with the audience. At one point, he noticed in the second or third row a group of young girls singing along with him. He started talking with them, saying how thrilled he was that 12 & 13 year olds were loving the songs he was singing. Then he jumped off stage, went over to where they were sitting and spent about 5 minutes taking pictures with these girls. Every few songs, he'd stop, pick somebody out of the audience and talk to them. If you get the chance to see him live, don't pass up the opportunity.

His opening act was incredible as well. Naturally 7 is a group from New York that performs "vocal play". That's acapella music, but they don't just sing. Every instrument sound that is heard while they perform comes from their own voices. We got to meet them after the show, and they seemed really humble.

Another sign I'm getting older...

I read with some sadness today in the Wall Street Journal Online than Gary Gygax recently passed away. Most people probably don't know who he was; he was one of the creators of the game Dungeons & Dragons. D&D lead the revolution in fantasy role playing games, with hundreds of imitators. Even today, despite the proliferation of computer versions of similar games (PC, Wii, Playstation, etc), thousands of people still get together to roll multi-sided dice and pretend that they were heroes (or villains) out saving the world from evil dragons, vampires and trolls.

I have fond memories of being a teenager, staying awake with some friends for hours on end exploring various dungeons in pursuit of treasure and strength. Some of those guys I still talk to today.

Yes, some people became obsessed with the game, but no more so than University of Memphis basketball or University of Tennessee football fans. None of us sold our souls to the Devil; we didn't actually harm anyone (except ourselves--I drank tons of Mountain Dew and ate waay too many Little Debbie snack cakes during those adventures!) But we had a lot of fun.

RIP, Gary Gygax.

Waaah! I want a do-over..

The Democrats, not satisfied with the way real life is turning out, are crying for a "do-over" in the Michigan and Florida primaries. The states of Michigan and Florida chose to move up their primary dates, and that ticked off the Democratic party officials, so they "voided" their votes. Now that the race is waaaaay closer than anybody thought, some of those same Democrat officials want to allow Michigan and Florida to re-vote. This seems rather juvenile, and quite embarrassing, to me.

By the way, despite what the Democrats in Florida are saying, it was a DEMOCRAT in the state government, not a Republican, who originated the bill to move their primary forward, and the Democrats voted unanimously to do so, knowing full well the consequences. I forgot about that amendment to the Constitution that allows for a Mulligan when things don't go your way...

I memorized Holy Grail really well

Just in case you haven't seen this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xEzGIuY7kw
(Youtube won't let this be embedded, anymore.)

Funniest Man in America

My wife, some friends and I went to see comedian James Gregory last night. If you've never seen him, he's pretty dang funny. I don't know if he's truly the funniest man in America, but he's pretty close. His opening act, Steve Mingolla, was hilarious as well. Both were fairly clean in their act, with only an occasional "damn" being uttered; no sexual jokes or innuendo.

If they come to your area, go see them.

Barack was broke

According to the National Review Online,2/29/08, in a speech given recently in Zanesville, Ohio, by Senator Barack Obama's wife Michelle, she addressed a group of women at a day care center. Apparently, the median household income in this area is only $37,192.00, which I think everyone can agree is not a lot of money. Mrs Obama was encourageing these people and their children to go in to a life of service, and avoid corporate America.

Mrs Obama stated "The salaries don’t keep up with the cost of paying off the debt, so you’re in your 40s, still paying off your debt at a time when you have to save for your kids." Here's what galls me. She then had the nerve to say, "“Barack and I were in that position. The only reason we’re not in that position is that Barack wrote two best-selling books… It was like Jack and his magic beans. But up until a few years ago,we were struggling to figure out how we would save for our kids.”

What a bunch of crap. Mrs Obama was a high priced lawyer who worked for the University of Chicago hospital system. She was making $121910.00 in 2004. In 2005, her salary jumped to $316962.00, the year after her husband was elected to the U.S. Senate. This is just her salary. That's a 260% raise in one year. How many of those hard working women she was addressing got that kind of raise? And this is not counting her husbands salary.

So if she wants America to believe that she and her hubby were just a poor, struggling family, she gonna have to try a lot harder than that.

Global .....cooling

Crap. Just when Al Gore was settling down from his Nobel Peace Prize high, the world seems to be cooling. China has had it's coldest winter in over 100 years. Baghdad saw snow for the first time in, well, ever. North America hasn't had this much snow in over 50 years.

According to DailyTech.com, the amount of cooling that occurred during the past year is enough to almost completely negate any warming we've had over the past 100 years.

I guess I need to cut down all those trees I planted.

My thoughts on the 2 leading candidates for President

This will probably change during the coming months. Things may be added, or taken away.


Why I like Obama


1. He’s young, fresh, hip.
2. He’s an excellent orator. He can really inspire people with his rhetoric.
3. He is willing to lift the embargo on Cuba. Honestly, all these years of refusal to deal with the communist regime in Cuba hasn’t done much other than keep the people of Cuba poor. The only thing that took down Castro was father Time.
4. He supports the death penalty in cases of egregious crimes.
5. He supports tax credits for college expenses if the person performs community service. Up to $4000 in tax credits (which is much better than a deduction) for 100 hours of service. People today just don’t seem to understand the importance of helping out their fellow man and their community.
6. Voted for a border fence. He recognizes that you have to first stop people from coming in to this country ILLEGALLY, before you can really adequately deal with the ones who are here. Supports English proficiency for people who want to stay here legally.
7. Wants to eliminate tax-filling requirements for older workers who make less than $50k/year. Depending on what he defines as “older”, I feel we should help out the elderly in this country in any way we can.




Why I dislike Obama


1. He’s young, fresh, hip.
2. He’s an excellent orator. I’m not sure that being “young, fresh and hip” and a good speech maker are really important qualification for commander in chief.
3. He’s for abortion on demand. Criticized the Supreme Courts decision to allow a ban on partial birth abortion. Also known as a dilatation and extraction. As a physician, I can promise you that there is NEVER a situation where turning the baby around to the breech position, delivering everything but the baby’s head, and jamming a pair of scissors into its skull so you can later suck out its brains, is safer than a delivery. If you can deliver everything down to the head, you can deliver the head. Then work on saving the mothers life.
4. He has radically changed his stand on campaign financing. Last year when he was trailing in the polls, he pledged to only accept public financing and its spending limits. Now that he’s the Democrat front runner, he seems to want to accept the unlimited special interest money.
5. He wants to give teachers more pay, but not have it tied to standardized test scores. How else can you tell the difference between a good teacher and a worthless slug?
6. He supports law suits against gun manufacturers for crimes committed by violent criminals. You cannot hold the maker of a product liable for what a customer does with it. That leads us down the road to suing fast food places for making people fat or auto makers for making a car driven by a drunk driver.
7. Supports raising taxes on the “rich” to pay for his numerous plans. The problem here is that the amount of money it takes to be rich changes from day to day. At first it was $500k/year, then $250k, then $200k; before too long, you’ll be rich if you make minimum wage. He wants to raise taxes on capital gains. He apparently thinks only rich people have money in 401k’s, IRA’s, etc. He wants to raise corporate taxes. Who in the world does he think employs all those young people he is courting? If you raise their taxes, all they will do is pass on the increase to their customers, thus hurting the poor even more. They will probably eliminate jobs as well to make up for increased costs.
8. Supports the idea of socialized health care. Wants mandates for health insurance. Health coverage does not equate with access to health care. That headache that you have had for 2 weeks? Well, it’s caused by a tumor, but since you’ll have to wait 6 months to get the MRI (instead of the 2 or 3 days it takes now), you’ll probably die from it before we even know it’s there. The knee replacement that you can now get in 1 or 2 weeks? Try waiting 18 months for it like they do in Canada. Wants to add people up to age 25 to the SCHIP program (the “C” is supposed to stand for “children”. I don’t think 25 year olds should qualify for this program, even if they are still living at home with mommy).
9. Wants to bring home all our troops in the Middle East. Feels that we’ve been there too long fighting an illegal war. Yes, we’ve been there for what, 5 years? How long have our troops been in Japan? Korea? Germany? Kosovo?
10. Supports embryonic stem cell research. There is absolutely no need to destroy an embryo when we have ample access to stem cells from placentas, umbilical cords, fat cells, etc.
11. Opposed to drilling in ANWAR and costal waters. How are we really supposed to become energy independent if we can’t tap what resources we have? Yes, private industry will eventually perfect alternative sources of energy, but we need oil now.
12. Supports a mandatory carbon “cap-and-trade” system to reduce global warming. This will just be another bureaucratic mess with companies cooking their books in an effort to look good to the environmental whacko’s out there.
13. Wants to create a $10 billion dollar fund to bail out homeowners who are going in to foreclosure. Why should taxpayer money be spent to bail out people who bought more house than they could afford? I realize that some people may have been bamboozled, but the majority of people out there are smart enough to realize that they cannot have a 4000 square foot McMansion when they make less than $50,000 per year. Why stop there? Why not bail out all the morons who are driving around in Escalades they can’t afford. Or the idiot who gambled his way to the poorhouse. Or pay off my credit card bill after my European vacation? One of the things this country was founded on was the principle of honoring a contract. If you do “X” for me, I’ll do “Y” for you. If we start voiding contracts, there will be no trust between parties. The very fabric of our society will start to crumble.





Why I like McCain

1. Opposes abortion on demand. Believes (rightly so) that nowhere in the Constitution is there a “right” to abortion. He would not, however, seek a constitutional amendment banning the procedure. He would leave it up to the states, as it should be.
2. He is for lifting the embargo on Cuba once U.S. is "confident that the transition to a free and open democracy is being made." Other than restricting our access to Cuban cigars, Castro didn’t feel a thing. Father Time is what took him out of office.
3. Supports the death penalty in cases of egregious crimes
4. Wants to lower corporate tax rates. That will allow more investment in business, creating more jobs, growing the economy, and ultimately increasing tax revenues due to increased capital gains.
5. Favors parental choice of schools in elementary and high school. Parents should have the right to take their kids out of failing schools and put them in ones that succeed.
6. Voted to shield gun manufactures from civil suits involving crimes committed by people using their product.
7. Wants to give a tax credit, up to $5000, to cover the cost of health insurance. Opposes governmental mandates for coverage. Believes the free market will control health costs.
8. He supports free trade and free market capitalism.
9. Supports strict constructionist judges to the federal court system. That means a judge who will follow the law, not make up her own to suite her political agenda. I loved John Roberts reply to the senators on the Supreme Court confirmation committee when he was asked if he would support the “little guy” over the “big guy” in court. The democrat (I believe it has Joe Biden, D-Del) was trying to see if John Roberts would let emotion and feeling guide his judgments. Now Chief Justice Roberts replied “if the Constitution says that the little guy should win, the little guy's going to win in court before me, ... But if the Constitution says that the big guy should win, well, then the big guy's going to win.”
10. Supports limits on government takings of private property (eminent domain). The Kelo decision by the Supreme Court was a travesty. Allowing the government to take private property purely for economic development is diametrically opposed to our Founding Fathers beliefs on the subject. The United States of America is supposed to be one of the few places on earth where your home is your castle. Private ownership of property is what defines our country. It’s why, to this day, people die trying to get here.


Why I dislike McCain

1. McCain-Feingold. Pure and simple, this is an unconstitutional law that illegally restricts free speech. However, in a hypocritical fashion, he turned down federal matching funds so he could spend unlimited money during the primaries.
2. Wanted to give illegal immigrants amnesty. Then, when the public outcry was too much even for him to ignore, decided that maybe we should defend our borders first.
3. Supports embryonic stem cell research. There is absolutely no need to destroy an embryo when we have ample access to stem cells from placentas, umbilical cords, fat cells, etc.
4. Initially opposed the Bush tax cuts. Now that he needs the conservative base support, he says he wants to make them permanent. Maybe this shows his ability to see where he was wrong initially and to correct his mistake. Maybe he’s just pandering.
5. Opposed to drilling in ANWAR and costal waters. How are we really supposed to become energy independent if we can’t tap what resources we have? Yes, private industry will eventually perfect alternative sources of energy, but we need oil now.
6. Supports a mandatory carbon “cap-and-trade” system to reduce global warming. This will just be another bureaucratic mess with companies cooking their books in an effort to look good to the environmental whacko’s out there





Sources: 1. http://www.usatoday.com/news/politics/2008-02-22-333536288_x.htm
2. http://www.2decide.com/table.htm
3. http://politics.nytimes.com/election-guide/2008/issues/index.html#/context=index/issue=economy

Single Payer Healthcare is the bomb...

Check out this true story about the wonderful Canadian health care system. I realize that this is just ONE story. But, if this was you or your beloved family member, one is all it would take.

The snowball is getting bigger...

Not content with just controlling when and where you can smoke a cancer stick, talk on your cell phone, or what your kids can bring to school for lunch, Big Brother is now attempting to set the temperature in your house!

The State of California wants to be able to remotely controll the thermostats in new housing and "substantially modified" buildings and homes. That way, when THEY feel that you should be using less energy to heat or cool your domicile, THEY can just do it. At will. Apparently, customers can override the beurocratic setting, but in cases of "Emergencies" the government will override you. And guess who will get to define what an emergency is???

What the crap?

If I want to keep my house a cool 68 degrees during the summer, I should be able to do so. But I'll pay for it with a higher utility bill. If you really want to controll how much electricity we use, raise the price and usage will eventually go down. Did the morons who wrote this policy skip general Economics 101?

This country was founded on the ideas of individual rights and private property ownership. Day after day, our government is chipping away at these principles. It's like boiling a frog. By slowly turning up the heat, the frog doesn't realize he's about to die until it's too late. Right now, the temperature is pretty warm. Will we realize the danger we are in before we meet the frog's fate???

Latest on the Adoption...

NOTHING!

No new good news. Everytime we get contacted by our agency, they keep telling us that it is going to be longer and longer. The wait time for China to process the adoptions in now over 2 years, and we are being told that it may stretch to 4 years. That means 2009 or later, now. CRAP!

If you're reading this...

This song by Tim McGraw tears me up every time I hear it. John 15:13 quotes Jesus Christ in saying, "Greater love than this no man hath, that a man lay down his life for his friends." And in this case, his enemies.

Lord, please help me help my stupid self...

One of my favorite songs, by country artist Rodney Adkins. It's called "Watching You."

Global Warming Consensus

Al Gore would have us all believe that Global Warming is sound science. It's not. I've said it before and I'll say it again, science is NOT decided by consensus. Consensus is how you decide what schools need to be repaired, or where a new road should be built.

Now, over 400 scientists from around the world have come to their own consensus-that global warming is far from completely settled and that fear mongering by the left is driving this with a definite agenda.

In the way that liberals do best, they try to vilify anyone who doesn't agree with them. Al Gore called global warming skeptics members of "the flat earth society". He impugns their integrity and their research. If progressives can't win an argument with facts, they resort to emotional outbursts. I can just see Mr Gore now: "Play by my rules or I'm gonna tell my mommy on you!"

What is the Senate doing...

With all the dangers in the world today, for some reason a Senate panel has decided to waste tax payer money by investigating whether or not preachers are making too much money.

They are investigating 6 separate "Christian" ministries. The burning question is, are these specific preachers " complying with IRS rules that bar excessive personal gain through tax-exempt work. "

The ministers in question (Benny Hinn,Joyce Meyer,Eddie Long, Randy & Paula White,and Kenneth and Gloria Copeland) are all advocates of the "Health and Wealth Gospel, or Word of Faith." Personally, I think they are frauds and preach a mutated & warped version of Biblical truth. I will not be upset on the day that they are all thrown in prison for fraud, embezzlement, or whatever else evil they may have performed.

But, what business is it of the Senate? Leave it to the IRS. After all, it was really the IRS, and NOT the senate, that brought down the mobster bosses of the 20's and 30's. If the senate can investigate "preachers", then what is to stop them from investigating other professions? Maybe corporate CEO's that created mutibillion dollar industries "on the backs of the people." Maybe Moguls that "have too much control of the media." Or the movie star who makes $20 million per picture? Or the teacher who makes extra money by staying after school and tutoring struggling students.

Senate, stay out of our checkbooks. You have written enough tax code to rape us on a regular basis. Let the IRS investigate those TV preachers, and instead maybe you should actually work on something that will be good for America (like a constitutional amendment correcting the Kelo v City of New London eminent domain case)

The Middle "Rich" Class

The democrat candidates for president all seem united on one thing: raising taxes on the so called rich. But they don't agree on who's really rich. Some say $500,000 per year. Some $250,000. Some are saying $150,000.

However, in one of the Meccas of socialism, Denmark, the rich apparently make a whopping 360,000 Danish kroner, which sounds like a lot until you convert it. That's roughly only $70,000/year. At what tax rate do those greedy,filthy rich pay? A ginormous 63%!

So listen up, America. When your favorite leftist politician says he or she will only raise taxes on the "rich", you'd better understand that to mean "middle class".

The wonderful British Health Service

Whenever liberals talk about health care reform, they almost always talk about 2 Utopian societies: Canada and Great Britain.

Well, apparently the British Health Service has decided that a 108 year old woman deserves a new hearing aid. BUT, she has to wait 18 months before she will qualify for it. I guess in the grand scheme of things, 18 months is nothing for a woman who has lived thru 1296+ months!!!!!

This really sounds like something to which we as Americans should aspire.

As reported in The Guardian, July 30th, 2007.

Another thing that gets on my nerves...

Another concept that really gets on my nerves is the current trend of replacing the terms "A.D." and "B.C" with "CE" and "BCE". AD stands for "anno domini" and BC for "before Christ." CE is "common era" and BCE is "before common era."

The progressive establishment doesn't like the idea that Jesus Christ is used to determine which year it is, so they hope that by replacing the old terminology with more politically correct versions, people won't be offended by the mere thought of His name.

But they forget one thing. The change from BCE to CE still takes place at the same time as the change from BC to AD. Therefore, Jesus Christ is still the reference point! Yes, it's true that we don't really know what year Christ was born, but that doesn't change the fact that 2007 AD is 2007 AD. If they really want to wipe out the memory of Christ, they should pick another historic reference point, and make that the changing point. Like maybe the birth of a non-religious, progressive idol; such as Mao, Stalin, Pot or Hitler.

(The image is Raphael's "The Granduca Madonna", painted in 1505)

Renewable sources of energy...

If you've ever read any of my rants, you know I am not a tree-hugger. But I really like the idea of curtailing our oil addiction. I have no problem at all with the idea of "renewable" sources of energy.

But the term "renewable" gets on my nerves. There is NOTHING renewable about solar or wind energy. We cannot do a danged thing to renew sunlight or the wind. Ethanol is renewable. We can replant corn or switch grass or whatever, year after year. We can't affect by one little bit the fusion taking place on the sun.

They used to call non-petroleum sources of fuel "alternative energy." I don't know why that term became politically incorrect. But in my mind, it's a much better choice of words.

Do you speak Yankee or Dixie

This is a great quiz to take. It's worth the 5 or so minutes it takes to complete.

Click here, y'all!

The ultimate Progressive song...

"The Trees"

Words by Neil Peart, music by Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson





There is unrest in the forest
There is trouble with the trees
For the maples want more sunlight
And the oaks ignore their pleas

The trouble with the maples
(And they're quite convinced they're right)
They say the oaks are just too lofty
And they grab up all the light
But the oaks can't help their feelings
If they like the way they're made
And they wonder why the maples
Can't be happy in their shade

There is trouble in the forest
And the creatures all have fled
As the maples scream 'Oppression!'
And the oaks just shake their heads

So the maples formed a union
And demanded equal rights
'The oaks are just too greedy
We will make them give us light'
Now there's no more oak oppression
For they passed a noble law
And the trees are all kept equal
By hatchet, axe and saw

Good news for Fatty's like me...

According to the holy temple of secular humanism (ie, the government) being fat ain't so bad. A study by the CDC and the National Cancer Institute found that people who are overweight DO NOT DIE at greater rates than skinny people. In fact, being overweight (BMI of 25-30) actually causes 138,281 fewer deaths! Only for the obese (BMI >35) did the rate of death increase; even then ,only in the rates of death from heart disease and cancer increased. All other causes of death were stable or decreased in that group.

The authors of this study, Katherine Flegal, found that 95,422 deaths were attributable to severe obesity. BUT, she also found that 46,398 deaths were attributable to people who were TOO THIN!!!!! That's just under half the deaths compared to the gravimetrically gifted!!


Why wasn't this front page, breaking news? Because it's against the media's agenda. And because no one has yet figured out who to sue for skinny people.

Slippery Slope

We are travelling down a very dangerous road with a very slippery slope, now, when it comes to the very ideas on which this country was founded. One of the things that separates this country from the rest of the world is our security in the notion that we cannot be forced to do something we find to be against our conscience. I remember a saying I heard growing up, "this is a free country, ain't it?".

That may be changing. There is a growing trend in this country to force people to do certain things "for the public good." The latest controversy involves the medical use of estrogen and progesterone. The "morning after" pills in question are high dose hormone pills that keep a fertilized egg from attaching to the wall of the uterus. If this newly fertilized egg( called a blastocyst) cannot attach to the wall of the uterus, it will not be able to further divide and ultimately become a viable pregnancy.

Many people, rightly or wrongly, find this to be tantamount to abortion. In Washington state, a law was passed to FORCE pharmacists to dispense this medication to women, regardless of their personal moral beliefs.

Those who wish to force the issue are concerned that, if pharmacists can refuse to deal with "morning after" pills, what's to stop them from refusing other medication, like birth control in general or Viagra to single men?

This is the slippery slope I'm concerned about. Personally, I believe that an independent,private individual MUST have the right to refuse to perform an action they hold to be morally objectionable. If he (or she) can be forced to do this one, small thing, I'm afraid the government will snowball this. What else can the government force us to do, in the name of the "public good?"

In my state of Tennessee, they passed a law making it illegal to smoke in public buildings. On the surface of it, I love this law. I hate the smell of cigarette smoke. I've heard people say on the radio here that that's as far as the ban can possibly go. "They" could never come into our homes to ban smoking. Well, in California, it's now illegal in many places to smoke in your own apartment. In New Jersey, they are proposing making it illegal to smoke in your car. Again, I like the concept of this law, especially when it comes to small children.

But where will these laws end? What else will the bureaucrats in Washington, or Nashville, or Sacramento, or Trenton, be able to make us do???????

A great interview with the sensational Paul Potts.

Real American Hero

No matter what you think of him, you've got to admit that John McCain is a real American hero!!!

2007 the worst hurricane season ever...

At least it was the worst season ever for the Global Warming ideologues. For the second year in a row, the Chicken Littles of the world were wrong in their forecasts. This year was going to be one of the worst hurricane seasons ever. Global warming was churning up the seas of destruction. Whole coastal cities would be wiped of the map. But it didn't happen.

Apparently, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) can't accurately predict the weather just a few weeks or months away. So why does Al Gore think they can predict 100 years from now????

Atlas Shrugged

I'm currently reading the novel Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand. I'm only about 1/4 of the way thru it right now (it's 1000+ pages), but I can't help but be impressed by Ms Rand's prognostic ability. For those of you who have never heard of the book, I will begin with a very brief, and probably very bad, summary of the book.

It's about a world in which "moochers" and "looters" rule over everybody with an iron fist. Private property is routinely taken by the government in the name of public good. The productive members of society have had enough, and go on strike, thus bringing the world to it's knees.

It was published back in 1957. This year is the 50th anniversary of the book. What amazes me is how many of Ms Rand's ideas have come true. The socialists of the day are constantly calling themselves and their ideas "progressive." They pass laws making it illegal to be "too successful." They try to regulate the oil industry with taxes and legislation, leading to nation-wide fuel shortages. And they frequently use guilt as a means to destroy the productive. They are advocates of taking from the successful and giving to the needy because the needy are unable to earn for themselves.

Ms Rand's philosophy, Objectivism, has a lot I don't agree with, but the majority of it's precepts seem spot on to me.

R.I.P. Robert Jordan

After struggling with a disease called Amyloidosis, author Robert Jordan (real name James Oliver Rigney, Jr) died on September 16th, 2007. He was (and still is) one of my favorite writers. I loved his Wheel of Time series. The series was about a young man, Rand, who suddenly found himself at the center of the ultimate battle between Good and Evil. Ever the reluctant hero, Rand and his friends grew with each installment, with the penultimate book being the last one Mr Jordan was able to write.

He will be greatly missed. His influence in the world of Fantasy fiction will be felt for generations to come.

(The above picture was found at the website Dragonmount.com.)

Andy McKee

If you like the sound of a guitar, this guy is awesome. I don't know what you call his playing style, but it's incredible to listen to.

skidela-beebop-weebop-scoobie-doo

In case you are feeling down today, check this out!

Universal Health Care Scam

Whenever I hear people talking about “Universal Health Care (UHC)”, my skin begins to crawl. The repeated canard that the American system is far inferior to the socialist systems of the UK or Canada just falls flat on its face when faced with the facts. UHC doesn’t lead to access to the doctor, it just leads to access to waiting lists.

According to CBSnews.com on March 20th, 2005, in Canada, it takes about 3 months to get an electrocardiogram (commonly known as an EKG). Three months. For a test that takes FIVE MINUTES to perform, and even quicker to be interpreted. It takes 3 years to have surgery to correct torn knee ligaments.

In an effort to try to improve waiting times, the Canadian government has come up with some “guidelines” for acceptable waits. To get your knee replaced, you should only have to wait 26 weeks. And if you need cardiac bypass surgery, the most you should wait is, again, only 26 weeks. And these are the government supported wait times. A US citizen would sue their doctor and everyone else in the room if they were told they had to wait 26 days for bypass.

Another common myth about socialized medicine is that it is free. In the same article by CBSNews.com, it is revealed that Canadians pay 48% income tax. That means that if you make $40,000.00 a year, you have to pay $19,200.00 in taxes. Thus you only actually get to have $20,800.00 to pay for EVERYTHING you want to buy, including your mortgage. I don’t think people fully comprehend this fact.

Yet another myth is that Emergency Room visits would be decreased if only the USA had universal health care. It is assumed by the media that being uninsured increases the usage of ERs. However, according to the Canadian Institute for Health Information, one out of five people in Ontario went to the ER at least once within a twelve month period. That’s 20 percent. And, nearly half of all infants (48%) were seen in the ER during 2003-2004. Of this multitude of visits, over half were for NON-EMERGENT conditions like chronic back pain and sore throats.

Another blow to socialized medicine...

While our presidential candidates are all coming up with ways to socialize medicine here in the USA, the "great" Canadian system is showing us why socialized medicine doesn't work. A liberal Canadian politician, Belinda Stronach, had to come to the United States for surgery to treat her breast cancer. I'm thrilled that this lady was able to get the best treatment available. But if the Canadian system is sooo good, why would she need to travel here?

Dave Ramsey is my hero...

Our central heating and air system died yesterday. It was 99 degrees upstairs last night when our son tried to go to sleep. Thanks to years of being brainwashed by Dave Ramsey, we have an emergency fund in the bank. We are getting a new American Standard unit installed today, and it's paid for with cash. What a concept!!

Thanks Dave!!!

Nessun Dorma: No one sleeps

In case anyone was wondering about an English translation of Nessun Dorma, the song that won the world over to Paul Potts, here are the words in both Italian and English:



Nessun dorma
Nessun dorma,
nessun dorma ...
Tu pure, o Principessa,
Nella tua fredda stanza,
Guardi le stelle
Che tremano d'amore
E di speranza.

Ma il mio mistero è chiuso in me,
Il nome mio nessun saprà, no, no,
Sulla tua bocca,
io lo dirò
Quando la luce
splenderà.

Ed il mio bacio scioglierà il silenzio
Che ti fa mia.

Il nome suo nessun saprà
E noi dovrem, ahimè, morir, morir...

Dilegua, notte!
Tramontate, stelle!
Tramontate, stelle!
All'alba vincerò!
Vincerò!
Vincerò!


Giacomo Puccini
(1858-1924)


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

No One Sleeps
English Version of "Nessun Dorma"


No one sleeps!
No one sleeps!
Even you, oh princess,
in your cold room,
look at the stars
that tremble with love
and hope!

But my mystery
it is locked in me.
And my name,
no one will know!
No, no!

On your mouth
I will say it,
when the light
will shine!

And my kiss will break the silence,
that makes you mine!

choir:
His name no one will know...
And we shall have, alas, to die, to die...!

Disperse, o night!
Vanish, oh stars!
Vanish, oh stars!

At daybreak, I will win!
I will win!
I will win!

Pavarotti è guasto

Pavarotti died today. His family was able to be there with him at the time. God Bless you, Pavarotti!!!

Pavarotti is very ill

In light of my recent discovery of Paul Potts, I was saddened to read today about the serious illness of one of the greatest voices in the history of man - Luciano Pavarotti.

He has been ill for some time now, suffering from pancreatic cancer and its complications. Apparently now he is in a coma from kidney failure.

We are only on this planet for a short time, but the world was made a better place by the man known around the world simply by his last name: Pavarotti.

Paul Potts

I can't believe I've just now heard this guy sing. His name is Paul Potts, and he was the winner of 2007's "Britain's Got Talent."

Even if you are not a fan of opera, you will be brought to tears by his amazing voice. This may not be the best version of "Nessun Dorma", but it's up there!

His story is very touching as well. Of course, the world if full of people who hate to see anybody succeed. There are already people out there saying that he isn't genuine. Let those sad, sad critics cry themselves to sleep. You will love this guy!!!

Carbon Offsets

On September 2, 2007, the LA Times ran an interesting article about the effectiveness of (or lack of ) buying carbon offsets. The LA Times is hardly a bastion of right wing extremism.

In short, carbon offsets provide no real offset at all, at least for the next decade. It is a good way, though, for people to get rich off other people's guilt.

In addition, the August 4, 2007, issue of World magazine uses a great term for people's reliance on this concept: "checkbook environmentalism."

Don't get me wrong. I love the idea of getting power from ANYTHING besides mid-east oil. But I don't buy for one minute that my giving some company a couple of hundred bucks in any way will decrease global warming.

Misc

A couple of things in the news today caught my eye.

The first is the resignation of White House press secretary Tony Snow. I like this guy. I admire the way he has faced his cancer. I love the fact that he knows he is a role model for other cancer patients in the world. He is intelligent, funny, and telegenic. However, the reason he gave for leaving office sorta bothers me. He stated that he was leaving because he was "running out of money." I googled the Press Secretary's salary, and it was $161,000.00 back in 2005. I know he lives in the DC area and it's expensive there. But surely 161-K/year is enough money.

Second, the attorney who was involved with the Duke University Lacrosse rape case is dirty. He lied during the trial, and he almost destroyed those innocent boys' lives. He is a scumbag and deserved to get his license revoked. However, today he was sentenced to a whopping 1 day in jail!! One whole day. For being purposefully deceitful. Maybe he'll get to read the same Bible that Michael Vick and Paris Hilton got to use. Come on!!!

Bad news on the adoption front

We got a call today from our adoption agency (Children's Hope International). They were just calling to touch base with us and see if we needed anything. Unfortunately, they also had some bad news. It looks like it's taking longer and longer for China to process the adoptions. The wait time when we filed our paperwork was 15 months. It's now 21 months, and they anticipate it may get to 30-36 months. Which means that all of our paperwork will expire waaaaay before we get to go to China. We'll have to repeat almost all of it, and of course it'll cost us a couple of grand more.

CRAP!

Dolphins in the news again

A species of dolphin thought previously extinct has been spotten in China. I guess it didn't get the memo about leaving the planet!!

...thanks for all the fish

Scientists are concerned about the dolphin population in the north Atlantic's Bay of Biscay. Apparently, over the past year, the witnessed dolphin population has dropped by 80%.

These scientists are frantic over this dilemma. They think the mammals might be getting accidentally killed by commercial fishermen. Or maybe it's because we are destroying the fish population by overfishing.

However, they seem to be missing the most obvious cause. As diligently reported by Douglas Adams over 20 years ago, they dolphins have simply left the planet.

If you haven't read the "Hitchhiker" books, pick up the entire series and read them now, before it's too late. And don't forget your towel!!!

I knew it would happen.

I knew it would happen. When Google Earth announced it was using satellite imaging to map the entire planet, liberals everywhere shouted for glee. When it was discovered that not only could you see your "house from here", you could count the hairs on your neighbors back, very few people seemed alarmed. Especially that bastion of liberal hope, the ACLU.

But God forbid, when the government decides to use that technology to fight terrorism, the ACLU is back!

The New York Times is reporting today that the ACLU and its ilk are concerned that the agencies using this technology "could not be trusted to supervise themselves." But GOOGLE could???

Now, don't get me wrong. I do NOT like even GOOGLE looking at my house, much less Big Brother. I don't want anyone to have this technology. But it's here none-the-less. Besides, I actually trust that the government won't allow public access to images like this.

Global Warming Mania

Why are so many people in our society so convinced that global warming is the end of the world? Why do they just scream and holler when they are confronted with evidence against man-made warming? They'd rather insult you and your mother than actually debate you on facts. It's fairly typical of the liberal left..."If you don't agree with me, then you are a big, mean dummy!!!"

On July 26th, 2007, Fox News.com ran an article about Nevada having record high temperatures. They even quoted a Stephen Rowland, Professor of Geology at University of Nevada, Las Vegas. He is reported as saying, "the scientific evidence of global warming is incontrovertible, and Nevada is feeling the heat more intensely than most of the rest of the U.S." However, a quick check of the NOAA website shows quite clearly that the average high temperatures were higher in the 1940's than they have been since then. Does that mean that Man was emitting more carbon 60 years ago than she is today? And, just as a side note, the population of Clark County Nevada was about 100 times less back then than it is now.

Also, you may have heard that 1998 was the warmest year on record. Probably the warmist year in 1 million years!!! Well, folks, that was wrong. While the media blasted that info over the airwaves, they don't seem to be giving the correction much air time. It seems that NASA miscalculated their numbers a while back. Actually, 1998 was the SECOND warmest ever. In reality, the warmest year on record was 1934. Wasn't that just a bit before the SUV's were taking over the universe? And the third warmest year must have been after 1998,right? Wrong. Try 1921. In fact, 5 of the 10 warmest years on record now all occur before the Second World War.

And, while I admit that this does not disprove global warming, it sure is a blow to all the global warming alarminsts out there.

Scooter "Pardon"

First of all, Scooter Libby was not pardoned. His sentence was commuted. While Mr Obama and others on the Left may claim this is the type of politics that we much change, it is enshrined in our constitution that the Chief executive can commute sentences, in addition to straight pardons. And lest we forget, the superhero of the left, President Clinton, pardoned plenty of scumbags. See the official Department of Justice website for his list.

Autism & Vaccines

Here we go again. Parents of children with autism are asking judges to decide whether or not vaccines are the cause of autism. Now don't get me wrong. I really feel for these parents. Autism in it's extreme forms can be incredibly difficult to deal with. But study after study after study have NOT found any correlation between thimerosal and autism.

So, much like global warming and the other liberal causes-de-jour, if you can't prove it via science, let the courts decide. After all, a judge did go to law school, right? Which of course makes him or her imminently qualified to decide delicate scientific distinctions.

Global Cooling

A new ice age is upon us. Where's AlGore now? Why isn't this information plastered on the front pages of every newspaper and newscast in the country?

It seems that the month of April, 2007, was the 47th coolest in 113 years!!! A massive 0.3 degrees F colder than the average for the entire 20th century!!! If only I could find a way to display a completely distorted graph or pie chart (like the rest of the media does) to stress the importance of this information!!

Get out your parkas!!!

Democracy Inaction

This is embarrassing. Our fair city of Jackson, TN, just has the first election for a new City Mayor in almost 20 years when no incumbent was running. Everything was up for grabs. And, I just heard on WNWS, 101.5 FM, that less than 20 percent of the voters turned out. I don't know if that number is final, but it sure stinks.

Even the FRENCH turn out more voters. Over 80% of their potential voters showed up to vote for a new President. Now, mind you, a presidential election gets out more people that a small town Mayor. BUT COME ON PEOPLE!!! Don't complain when you don't like what Jerry Gist is doing if you didn't bother to take 20 minutes to vote!!!

Honeybees

Anyone else out there concerned about the sudden disappearance of the honey bees? What am I talking about?

In addition to making that honey that Winnie-the-Pooh loves so much, a significant source of our food comes from the pollination provided by those little stingers. A problem known as Colony Collapse Disorder seems to be causing the bee population to die off. It seems to have begun in the Eastern United States, but seems to be spreading to Europe as well.

The Mid-Atlantic Apiculture Research and Extension Consortium (that's a mouthful, I know) has some interesting, but technical information on this problem.

The cause, who knows. Some people blame cell phones. Others say parasites or pathogens. And I'm sure a significant portion of people out there blame Karl Rove & Dubya.

What ever the cause, the impact of this could be HUGE!

China adoption

To all our friends and well-wishers, I'm going to try to update our adoption process. We've gotten official confirmation from the government of China that they have accepted our paperwork. It took 6 months just to get to this point in the adoption process.

All we can do right now is pray & wait. The wait times now are 15-18 months, but those numbers change almost daily. As many of you may be aware, the government of China is making changes in their adoption policy in attempt to limit the number of children that are adopted out of country. With official acknowledgement from them on a "log in date", we are supposed to be unaffected by any changes made from that day forth. But who really knows.

Danger, Will Robinson

That wacky North Korean cat, Kim Jun-be-illin, has said "Piss off" to the rest of the world and has tested a nuclear weapon this morning. This proves that he lied to President Clinton, Jimmy Carter and the rest of the world a few years back when Mr. Carter was awarded that whole "Peace Prize" thing. President Kim Jung-Il has had his minions down in their labs all along making purified plutonium like Sam Malone made cocktails.

The world is in DANGER if a mad man like this actually has a nuclear weapon. And I predict that the "international community" will do nothing about it but whine. China, who sits right on North Koreas door step should be preparing for an all out invasion right now. Japan should be ready for annihilation. And the big brother of the world, the USofA, has too many frickin troops in the Middle East to be able to launch any significant campaign.

Danger, Will Robinson, danger.

Middle East Crisis

Everywhere I turn I'm hearing about the violence in the middle east. Bombs and missiles flying day and night. Hundreds of innocent civilians on both sides are being hurt in the mayhem.

However, what seems to be sticking out like a sore thumb in the reporting is the whining people are doing. Marines have landed in Beirut to help evacuate the American citizens who are vacationing in Lebanon. What the crap are people doing vacationing in a part of the world where school buses full of children are being blown up by homicide bombers?

And to top it off, they are complaining about the rescue effort! According to the website Myway.com, these spoiled Americans think the rescue effort is unorganized and too slow. I've read where these refugees think the cruise ships aren't comfortable enough. Too crowded, the food is "inadequate."

Usually when you decide to travel, you have to actually foot the bill. However, if I'm not mistaken, these people are being "rescued" at taxpayer expense. So this will be, and should be, a no-frills operation. BYOB. So shut up and get in line.

Thank "nothing" for the MPAA

The Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) has for years been rating films based on violence, language, and content to give us, the peasants, a guide to movies (G, PG, PG-13, R, etc). Now , in their infinite wisdom, they have come up with a new criteria.

The film "Facing the Giants" has been given the rating of PG. Because of fart jokes and sexual innuendo? Nope. Apparently, the makers of this film had the audacity to be openly Christian. How dare they?!?!?!?

Apparently faith in God is now being equated by the MPAA with curse words and potty humor.

Global Warming

I'm tired of listening to AlGore say that all scientists agree with his position on the cause of global warming. According to CanadaFreePress.com on June 12, 2006, the vast majority of AlGore's "experts" are not climate change experts at all. And they are basing their decisions on computer models that are wrong more than they are right. Just watch your local TV meteorologist to see an example of this.

Not many people deny that the planet may be warming up, but "all scientists" do not agree that it is fossil fuels that are doing it. We are in the middle of a cycle that will repeat itself long after we are dead and gone and the roaches rule the world!

Feminist hysterics

Feminists are apparently up in arms about the fact that Elizibeth Vargas has stepped down from the anchor position at ABC News to raise her family. According to Newsmax.com on June 2, 2006, Eleanor Smeal, of the group Feminist Majorityy Foundation, sees this as "a demotion."

I hate to disagree with Ms Smeal, but being a full time mother is NOT a demotion from anything. Taking the time to raise your child is the most honorable occupation one can undertake. I guess Ms Smeal defines her life based on how much money she brings in, and not on how much she influences the future thru her children.

New York City trip

I surprised my wife with a trip to New York City for mother's day, and we had a great time! We flew in via Northwest airlines into LaGuardia. No delays at all. We were met by a Limo driver named Vladimir. He was a Russian immigrant (who came in legally) and has lived in the US for 25 years. He was very polite and a good driver. He dropped us off at the Marriott Marquis.

This is really a nice hotel, but the elevator system kinda sucks. It's confusing. When you walk up to the elevator, you type in your floor number (check in is on the 8th floor) and the panel tells you which elevator to get in. There are no buttons on the inside of the elevators, and the lights on the interior do tell you which floor the doors will be opening at, but there are no indicator lights on the outside of the elevator to give you an idea of when your particular elevator is going to open. We waited as long as 15 minutes on more than one occasion. That is our only complaint about the Hotel. We had a view of Times Square, which was incredible from our 41st floor room.

After checking in, we decided to walk around Times Square. Just next to the hotel was an Italian restaurant called Sophia's where we had a decent lunch, not excellent, but not bad either. I had a "hollow spaghetti" dish with proscutto and tomato sauce. Tess had a pasta dish with proscutto and a cream sauce. Their house Chianti was the best part of the meal. I've forgotten its name.

After walking around Times Square for a couple of hours, we went back to our room and got ready for the show "Wicked". It's an awesome story of how the Wicked Witch of the West became who she is. Very entertaining. After the play, we ate at Bubba Gumps. Good fried shrimp. We have this little tradition where we eat at a BG's if there is one in town. So far, we've eaten at one in NYC; Monterey, CA; and Oahu, HI.

The next day, we walked over to 5th avenue and walked thru many, many stores. Actually bought some stuff, but I had to tell Tess "no" when she wanted a fur coat from Sax Fifth Avenue-it was just a bit over our budget ($43,500.00!!!!!)

After lots of walking north, we turned around and walked thru part of the southern side of Central Park and got some Ice Cream. We then ate lunch at O'Brian's Irish Pub. To tell the truth, we were disappointed there. The Shepard's pie was good, and Tess got a tasty turkey club, but the atmosphere wasn't Irish at all. They played modern pop music the whole time. However, the Guinness was good!

We then retreated to our rooms to get ready for "Lion King." There were no surprises there-the story paralled the Disney movie, but the singing, music and costumes were incredible! Our son would have loved it! If it's ever in your town, it's worth the money.

After it was over, we ate sushi at Ruby Foos on Times Square. It was incredible sushi. Every bit as good as the stuff I got in Hawaii. It was very crowded though. We only had to wait 10 minutes for a seat, but felt like a sardine.

The third day we took a cab up to the Met. This place is incredible. We spent 4 hours there and were too exhausted to go on...we'd probably only seen 1/3 of the exhibits. The next time we go, we'll just spend a couple of hours at a time looking at specific exhibits.

Dinner that night was the best of all. Molyvos Greek restaurant between 55th & 56th and 7th was awesome. The appetizers were incredible (hummus and a yogurt paste). I had 2 glasses of ouzo (sp?)-it tasted like licorice and burned going down, but I never even felt tipsy. Of course I a roast of lamb that was to die for with an orzo/vegetable medley. And their Baklava is great. Tess had some of the best chicken we've ever tasted.

For the trip home, Vladimir again met us for our leisurely drive back to the airport. And again, our flight from LaGuardia to Memphis left on time and landed about 10 minutes early.

We had an awesome time, and would love to go back again with our 6 year old soon.

Immigration Bill

What the people who are pouring into the streets to protest the proposed new Immigraion Bill do not seem to understand is that this concept is not "anti-immigrant" or "anti-Mexican" or "anti-hispanic."



It is anti-ILLEGAL-immigrant.




Please come to this country. Bring your families. Work hard. Be successful. But, come here LEGALLY!

Another Stem Cell breakthru...

Yet again, scientists have shown that destroying human embryos is unnecessary when it comes to stem cell research. Reuters reported on March 24th, 2006, that German scientists have shown that they can harvest stem cells from mice testicles; and after injecting them into mouse embryos, those stem cells showed pluripotent effects.

Adult stem cells are the way to the future in curing disease. Time and time again, adult stem cells have given results. Embryonic stem cells fail in comparison (unless you are falsifying your data--ie, South Korea!).

Katrina Myths

For a great exposé of the myths about Hurricane Katrina that are being propagated by the leftist media, pick up the March 2006 issue of Popular Mechanics .

It lists 7 of the most egregiouss falsehoods about the aftermath of the tragic hurricane, and point-by-point, breaks them down and corrects them.

Topics covered include why the Federal response to Katrina may actually be the BEST response to date by a governmental agency. It also points out that, by the time Katrina hit land, it wasn't really the "Storm from Hell," as it dropped from a huge monster Cat5 to a smaller (but still a monster) Cat3. And how all the murder and mayhem never really took place in the Superdome.

The magazine never denies that Katrina is one of the worst, if not the worst, disasters to hit the USA; they never deny the tragedy that is still the Gulf Coast.

BUT, once again, the media has taken a false idea and run with it.

The latest "Republican" Scandal

All the major networks keep reporting on the Jack Abramoff scandal as if it was a Republican-only problem. According to Newsmax.Com, 40 of the Democrats 45 Senators took tainted money as well:



• Senator Max Baucus (D-MT), who received at least $22,500 in Abramoff-linked cash.
• Senator Evan Bayh (D-IN), who received at least $6,500 in Abramoff-linked cash.

• Senator Joseph Biden (D-DE), who received at least $1,250 in Abramoff-linked cash.

• Senator Jeff Bingaman (D-NM), who received at least $2,000 in Abramoff-linked cash.

• Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA), who received at least $20,250 in Abramoff-linked cash.


• Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA), who received at least $21,765 in Abramoff-linked cash.
• Senator Tom Carper (D-DE), who received at least $7,500 in Abramoff-linked cash.

• Senator Hillary Clinton (D-NY), who received at least $12,950 in Abramoff-linked cash.

• Senator Kent Conrad (D-ND), who received at least $8,000 in Abramoff-linked cash.

• Senator Jon Corzine (D-NJ), who received at least $7,500 in Abramoff-linked cash.

• Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT), who received at least $14,792 in Abramoff-linked cash.

• Senator Byron Dorgan (D-ND), who received at least $79,300 in Abramoff-linked cash.

• Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), who received at least $14,000 in Abramoff-linked cash.

• Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), who received at least $2,000 in Abramoff-linked cash.

• Senator Russ Feingold (D-WI), who received at least $1,250 in Abramoff-linked cash.

• Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA), who received at least $45,750 in Abramoff-linked cash.

• Senator Daniel Inouye (D-HI), who received at least $9,000 in Abramoff-linked cash.

• Senator Jim Jeffords (I-VT), who received at least $2,000 in Abramoff-linked cash.

• Senator Tim Johnson (D-SD), who received at least $14,250 in Abramoff-linked cash.

• Senator Ted Kennedy (D-MA), who received at least $3,300 in Abramoff-linked cash.

• Senator John Kerry (D-MA), who received at least $98,550 in Abramoff-linked cash.

• Senator Mary Landrieu (D-LA), who received at least $28,000 in Abramoff-linked cash.

• Senator Pat Leahy (D-VT), who received at least $4,000 in Abramoff-linked cash.

• Senator Carl Levin (D-MI), who received at least $6,000 in Abramoff-linked cash.


• Senator Joe Lieberman (D-CT), who received at least $29,830 in Abramoff-linked cash.

• Senator Blanche Lincoln (D-AR) Received At Least $14,891 in Abramoff-linked cash.

• Senator Barbara Mikulski (D-MD), who received at least $10,550 in Abramoff-linked cash.

• Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), who received at least $78,991 in Abramoff-linked cash.

• Senator Bill Nelson (D-FL), who received at least $20,168 in Abramoff-linked cash.


• Senator Ben Nelson (D-NE) Received At Least $5,200 in Abramoff-linked cash.

• Senator Barack Obama (D-IL), who received at least $7,500 in Abramoff-linked cash.

• Senator Mark Pryor (D-AR), who received at least $2,300 in Abramoff-linked cash.

• Senator Jack Reed (D-RI), who received at least $3,500 in Abramoff-linked cash.

• Senator Harry Reid (D-NV), who received at least $68,941 in Abramoff-linked cash.


• Senator John Rockefeller (D-WV), who received at least $4,000 in Abramoff-linked cash.

• Senator Ken Salazar (D-CO), who received at least $4,500 in Abramoff-linked cash.

• Senator Paul Sarbanes (D-MD), who received at least $4,300 in Abramoff-linked cash.

• Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY), who received at least $29,550 in Abramoff-linked cash.


• Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), who received at least $6,250 in Abramoff-linked cash.

• Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR), who received at least $6,250 in Abramoff-linked cash.


That's just the Senate side of Congress.



I guess it's not just a "Republican" Scandal after all.

Merry Christmas

Wishing all a very Merry Christmas and a happy New Year!

The Truth Behind Embryonic Stem Cells

The biggest leap forward in embryonic stem cell research, the work by South Korean researcher Hwang Woo-suk, crumbled beneath the feet of it's supporters recently.

Apparently, Mr Woo-suk LIED about his results in an effort to outshine the successes of ADULT stem cell researchers. Why was he compelled to fabricate data? Was he concerned that experiments with Adult stem cells (those obtained from umbilical cords, fat cells, nasal mucosa, etc) would prove that destroying fertilized embryos was unnecessary?

NSA spying

Personally, I don't like the idea that the government can listen in on my private conversations with my mommy or the pizza place, but, I'm tired of all the hypocritical liberals lambasting the President for this, as if he's the only one who ever ordered a wire tap without a warrant.

Feb 9, 1995, Executive Order 12949. President Clinton authorizes the Attorney General to "approve physical searches, without a court order, to acquire foreign intelligence information for periods of up to one year"

July 14, 1994,. Deputy Attorney General Jamie Gorelick testified before the Senate Intelligence Committee that "the president has inherent authority to conduct warrantless physical searches for foreign intelligence purposes."

May 23, 1979, Executive Order 12139. President Carter authorized the Attorney General "to approve electronic surveillance to acquire foreign intelligence information without a court order."


So do NOT blame this event on a corrupt Republican administration. I didn't hear the lefties whining on 2/9/95, 7/14/94 or 5/23/79.

Infant Euthanasia

It could happen here before we realize it.

The Netherlands have set up a "commission to regulate the practice of ending the lives of 'seriously suffering' newborn babies."

Between 1997-2004, 22 newborn babies were killed there because they had spina bifida, a birth defect of the spinal column. I guess they never met the physician who was a 3rd year resident when I was an intern. If this doctor had been born in the Netherlands, he never would have been allowed to live to teach me how to insert central venous lines into dying patients in order to save their lives.

Adult Stem Cells strike again!

Once again, researchers have proven that ADULT stem cells are providing cures that the proponents of embryonic stem cells are only dreaming about.

Scientists at the Imperial College of London, England, have shown that by injecting adult stem cells into the blood stream of patients with liver failure, these patients can repair their own liver. The stem cells were derived from the patients' own blood.

Why does the mainstream media continue to ignore these successes and refuse to acknowledge the superiority of adult stem cells over embryonic cells???

Category 5 Hurricanes

The website Weathermatrix.net has compiled a list of all Category 5 Hurricanes in the Atlantic Ocean since records began to be kept back in 1886. Including Hurricane Rita, there have only been 27 of these storms. Only 9 of them were Cat 5 when they made landfall, and only 3 of those hit the US mainland.

The Left will do anything to win...

Responding to the revelation that 2 of it's senior staffers illegally obtained Maryland Lt. Gov. Michael S. Steele's credit report, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) stated that "the DSCC did not authorize the employees to access Mr. Steele's credit report".

They didn't authorize them? That sounds to me like the DSCC might authorize such illegal activity in the future; they just regret being caught at it now. As if their "authorizing" the access would have made it better.

I hope Mr Steele uses the left's favorite tool (the court system)to his full advantage.

Slick Willie at it again

This weekend, Slick Willie Clinton tried to establish his legacy as the greatest President in the history of the universe. After walking hand in hand with GHW Bush to raise money for Katrina victims, Mr Clinton goes on TV claiming that the world was a better place when he was in charge.

Supposedly, President Bush cancelled programs that were started by ex-President Clinton that were saving people from poverty.

Which programs were cancelled, specifically?

Why is it that African-American homeownership is at an all time high?

Why is it that unemployment is at record lows, even with Katrina's wrath?

Why are the federal coffers filling with more tax revenues than ever before?

Don't get me wrong. I think Dubya is spending WAY TOO MUCH MONEY. I'd like to see a smaller deficit. But I NEVER want to see a SURPLUS. That just means they've been stealing too much of our hard earned dollars.

And why is Mr Clinton criticizing Mr Bush for invading Iraq "virtually alone and before UN inspections were completed, with no real urgency." I guess that he forgot that little thing called BOSNIA!

You Hypocrite

How quickly they forget.

Sure, close to 1000 people so far have been confirmed dead, killed by the devastation wrought by Hurricane Katrina. And the European press are loving it. Headlines in European rags lead with bylines about the American South looking like a third world country. They claim that no civilized nation would let it's people down like that.

I guess they forgot about their own natural disaster of just a few short years ago. In August of 2003, Europe experienced what we in Tennessee call a "heat wave." Temperatures got as high as 104 degrees Fahrenheit (40 deg C). A total of 40,000 people were killed by the heat. FORTY THOUSAND. What kind of civilized nation would let it's people die from nothing but the heat? No wind. No floods. Just heat.

I'm not saying that 104 degree weather isn't serious. It is, for sure. BUT, it would be nice if the European press would tone down their rhetoric just a bit.



For it is written:
3"Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? 4How can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? 5You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye." Matthew 7:3-5 (NIV)

They'll never stop...

Not being satisfied at destroying a human being during the embryo stage, scientists at UC Irvine are letting the embryo develop longer until it develops specialized, neural stem cells.


I actually got a bit excited reading this article when it mentions that embryonic stem cells are " not the only type of stem cell". I thought it would acknowledge the many success stories from using Adult Stem cells derived from fat, placenta, nasal tissue, etc. But oh no. They then go on to describe the "neural stem cells". The article never once mentions adult stem cells.

Just wait until the scientists realize that if they just wait a bit longer, actual organs will be present for them to "harvest". In fact, why not just wait until 8 months or so have gone by for the "fetus" to develop even more special cells.

Why I hate "reality" TV

I can't stand these shows. "What Not to Wear." "The Batchelor." "Average Joe." "Survivor." etc.

They prey on people's insecurities, telling them that they are not acceptable the way they are. "You are pathetic and you need our help" is the message these shows send.

Well, it looks like one of these shows has finally gone too far. On September 18, 2005, the New York Daily News reports that the ABC show "Extreme Makeover" may have led to the suicide of a jilted contestant's sister.

It seems that Deleese Williams was flown to LA, promised a Hollywood makover, but on the eve of her surgery, the producer dropped her from the show because her recovery time post-operatively was predicted to be "too long." Before she was flown to LA, the producers got Ms Williams family and friends, including the sister who took her own life, to trash her viciously on camera for a dramatic effect. Shortly after Ms Williams returned home, humiliated, her sister killed herself. Ms Williams is now suing ABC.

Normally, I can't stand lawsuits, but I hope Ms Williams wins this one. That would make for some good reality TV.

New World Order

While I am not one who normally believes in conspiracies (except for the one about freemasons hiding the treasure of the Temple of Solomon under a church in NYC!), it looks like we are getting one step closer to a One World Government .


Ex-president of the US Bill Clinton looks like he is setting himself up to be president of the World. Rumors abound about his being next in line to be the Secretary General of the Useless Nations.

Wherever and whenever a neo-con-inspired disaster strikes, he's there, all smiles and thumbs up.

Now it looks like he's bringing 1000 of the world's "leading" thinkers, businessmen and politicians together for one big Clinton-a-thon in NYC, ostentatiously to talk about ending world poverty, lessening religious tensions, reduce global warming and to promote good democracies.

Just imagine the liberal utopia we could be living in, if only we would realize our own ineptitude and let Mr Clinton run our daily lives. We would all gladly work for free, donating our entire salaries to the less fortunate. We would allow the omniscient, omnipotent and benevolent government to provide for our every need. And there would be no need for private charities since big brother was watching out for us now. We would all hold hands, bow our heads and say a prayer to a greater "nothing", all the while admitting that the truest higher power resides in the governmental seat. We'd be riding to work on hydrogen powered bicycles, eating organic broccoli off of biodegradable plates that have been used a dozen or so times beforehand. And we'd all be registered Democrats.

Stem Cell Expert with "doubts"

A world renowned researcher, Professor Lord Robert Winston , has warned the world that there may be a lot of hype behind embryonic stem cell research. As reported by BBC news,Lord Winston feels that researchers have hyped outcomes just to get legislative approval and funding for their pet projects.

The vast majority of problems with embryonic stem cells could be avoided with more concentration on adult stem cells, as outlined in previous articles on this blog.

Democrats using Katrina to raise money

According to Devlin Barrett, a writer for the Associated Press, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee tried to pull a fast one by linking a letter criticizing the head of FEMA's handling of the Katrina disaster to a web page that asked for donations to the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC).

Embarrassed at being caught at this terrible abuse of a national tragedy, the DSCC disconnected the link, stating that any money raised by that website would be donated to the Red Cross.

Sure it will.

I guess we need to set un an independent investigative panel to validate the delivery of each and every dollar raised.

The Katrina Fiasco

The humanitarian disaster that followed Katrina was not the fault of any one person, department or political party.

The mayor of New Orleans was informed by the National Hurricane Director 2 days before the storm hit that an evacuation was necessary.

The Governor of Louisiana was asked by President Bush before the storm hit, to call for an evacuation.

The city and State officials asked that if people couldn't leave the city, they try to get to the Superdome. But no food or water was delivered there beforehand.

The Louisiana National Guard is under the command of the Governor. But they were not put in place until AFTER the chaos ensued.

From day 1, the news media was showing the horrific scenes from the Superdome and the Convention Center. Scenes of violence, deprivation and destruction. But, unbelievably, the Feds had no idea that people were even at the Convention Center.

How is it that Fox News was able to get reporters to the crowded overpasses, but FEMA couldn't get a water truck there?

Finally, I don't believe for a minute that the skin color of the victims had anything to do with the inadequate responses to Katrina. It had everything to do with the incompetence of those in charge.

Liberals LOVE tax increases!

Yesterday, Ms Diane Sawyer asked the President, "And I said, 'will you call for tax increases, in fact, if that's required?'" She was discussing Hurricane Katrina.

Why does the media beg and plead for tax increases?

I would suggest that one of the best ways to help out in this case would be to LOWER taxes-in particular the onerous taxes on Gasoline. That would amount to an immediate 30-50 cent decrease/gallon in prices, which would benefit not only the people who are fortunate enough to own a car, but also the people who have to buy groceries that are trucked in AND the relief agencies that are trucking down supplies now.

Liberal Bias in the Media (yet again)

During Mr Miles O'Brien's grilling of Gov. Barbour on this mornings "American Morning", Mr O'Brien repeatedly tried to get the Governor to lambast the Bush administration. Mr O'Brien repeatedly asserted that Katrina was a Cat 5 storm when it hit Florida and that the government should have been prepaired for the extreme magnitude of destruction in the Gulf coast.

Unfortunately for Mr O'Brien, his own network proves that it was indeed a Cat 1 storm as stated by the Governor.

I'm sure it was just a mistake. Not evidence of journalistic Bias. So an apology is soon to come...I'm sure.

Robert F Kennedy, Jr, going off the deep end!

The dead are still floating down Bourbon Street, but the wacko left are already out in force blaming conservatives for the tragedy.

RFK, Jr, didn't even wait for the water to level off before he started on his leftist rant. Based on his diatribe, I guess that if President Bush had only just signed the Kyoto treaty, then Katrina would have not happened.

Why would someone do this?

During the devastation and destruction of Hurricane Katrina, people found the time to STEAL other people's property!

Click here to see an example.