Right As Usual

Over at Time Goes By -- What it's really like to get older , Ronni Bennett is asking "where are the older people in advertising?" Well, to some extent, she's right. Too often, elders are seen only advertising incontinence aids, OTCs, nututional supplements, and other products targeted to the elderly. If they are used in commercials aimed at a more general market, they are often used to represent the "old-fashioned" ways - out of touch with the way things are done today. I thought I'd add some photos showing elders interacting with technology, carrying on in demanding jobs, despite some health issues, and clearly relating to people of all ages.

I never remember encountering this word until sometime in the 60s. According to Wikipedia, a mandate is a: traditional Chinese concept of legitimacy used to support the rule of the kings of the Zhou Dynasty and later the Emperors of China. Heaven would bless the authority of a just ruler, but Heaven would be displeased with an unwise ruler and give the Mandate to someone else. The Mandate has no time limitations, but a performance standard. Since that time, Americans have used that word to justify changing the executive branch, if necessary, by force. This is contrary to our American system - unlike the Chinese system (and most other political systems on the planet), we regularly change governmental horses. We don't have to find some astrological portents to signal that a change is needed. Every 2-4 years, we get a chance to voice our dissatisfaction with the people in charge. In the American system, revolution is seldom needed or justified. Use of this inappropriate and dum...

I really like the David Limbaugh blog . His guest blogger, Tom Scerbo, skewers the self-righteous Democrats who feel entitled to savage Bush, Cheney, and all the conservatives as quasi-Hitlers, but react with outraged indignation when even mild rebuke is given - however civil: Precisely what did Dick Cheney -- the public servant who Democrats may, with impunity, stoop to any depths to slander -- say to make House Speaker Nancy Pelosi so indignant? Well, he issued his assessment of the Democrats' legislative proposals to emasculate our current offensive in Iraq. Cheney said, "Al Qaeda functions on the basis that they think they can break our will ... " and cause us to "quit and go home. ... That's their fundamental underlying strategy. ... If we adopt the Pelosi policy ... we will validate the strategy of Al Qaeda. I said it, and I meant it." What's wrong with that statement? If Cheney believes the Democrats' cut and run policies will benefit Al-Qae...

I am a Baby Boomer (I really hate that phrase - it doesn't quite fit the grey hair). In my 20s, like many of my generation, I signed petitions, attended mass rallies to end the war, and generally postured and lectured my elders about the need to end war forever. Then the war actually did end. And into the vacuum of resistance, the Viet Cong poured. And slaughtered innocent civilians. And destroyed the South's economy. And imposed "re-education", a euphemism for "tortured until you would have shot your own mother as a traitor". Initially, I interpreted the take-over as vindication of my pacifist beliefs. If the South couldn't hold out by themselves, they didn't deserve to rule. Then, things happened. I changed. I grew, as my experience deepened. Eventually, I came to recognize my part in the betrayal of democratic ideals in Vietnam. For that, no apology can ever make up for my actions. The only thing that can help is to speak the truth, lou...

Sutton Withheld Exculpatory Evidence In Border Patrol Trial By Darnell McGavock of Independent Conservative As far as major finds in how badly the case of former US Border Patrol agents Ignacio Ramos and Jose Compean was not only messed up, but intentionally tipped towards their conviction, legal experts say this is the biggest! The defense says that a document from the Department of Homeland Security confirms that two supervisors were on the scene the day an illegal immigrant drug smuggler claims he was shot in the butt . The defense is just finding out about this document, that US Attorney Johnny Sutton’s office had and did not reveal to them during the trial. This was all reported on CNN show Lou Dobbs Tonight last night. I’ve YouTubed the video and you can watch it below. Why did Sutton’s office withhold exculpatory information? Ramos and Compean said they never filed a report because supervisors were there. Sutton claimed otherwise in court. Their version of the story has now ...

There's a certain word that I have long hated - it's a word that's often used to describe women, that begins with "B". Many, many young people have used it in everyday conversation - funnily enough, it's as often used against males as females by them. Ace of Spades has a very funny story about a store that uses the word - appropriately, as it happens. For, I have little trouble with the word used for its original purpose - to describe a female dog. It reminds me of a precious moment in 2nd grade, when my best friend used it correctly, but to swooning by the teacher. She was showing pictures of the latest offspring of her beloved dog, a cocker spaniel she referred to as "a sweet little ------".

Some of the complaints from the ROP (Religion of Peace) have another agenda. Check out the story on Little Green Footballs for an example of what I'm talking about. The stated motivations and the real motivations are not the same.

The woman pictured is a former Miss Canada. She was working on her first record release, when she took a detour. Nazanin Afshin-Jam, the woman in the picture, took up the cause of another Nazanin - that one Nazanin Fatehi is the woman originally condemned to death for stabbing a man trying to rape her. Yeah. It puts the issues of sexual harassment in proper perspective, doesn't it? Afshin-Jam used her influence with the Iranian government to win Fatehi's release. But, you probably didn't see her in the headlines. I doubt she even rated a footnote in the press. They were busy with more important celebrities. Story courtesy of Kathryn Jean Lopez of National Review.

I was updating my blog. As the page was loading, I caught a glimpse of the memorial above. We all try to keep children out of harm's way. We may spank them for dashing into the street, but that's our way of trying to ensure that they couple the spanking with the danger of streets. We immunize them against common childhood illnesses. We make them stay inside when it's too cold, and feed them vitamins to keep them healthy. We even bring up difficult subjects - such as not talking to strangers, and "good" touches" vs. "bad" touches. Sometimes, its hard to anticipate all the dangers that an unwary child may encounter. But, generally, in the arms of parents, they can rest easy. Not Dana Falkenberg. Her parents couldn't have anticipated that a short plane ride would be the last of her young life. Their side: kill an innocent, and think it of no consequence. Our side: serve and protect. To the end.

The above photo was brought to my attention by Cinnamon Stillwell , who is a founding member of the 911 Neocon Group . Sort of sad to see that some foreigners can be more loving of America than some of the natives.

Via Classical Values I found a video that tackles the topic of: The Worst Job in America It isn't what you think. Warning: The subject is important, and is treated in a serious way, but the language is, at times, raw. You are warned: NSFW.

Perry, and MANY others, are still wrongly calling the HPV vaccine a "cancer" vaccine. That's like calling sunblock a "cancer" cure - after all, it stops sunburn, which CAN lead to skin cancers, doesn't it? FoxNews.com reports "When a company comes to me and says we have a cure for cancer, Well, no, that's a POSSIBLE preventive of SOME cancers. Assuming it works. Yeah, I know, the 411 is that it stops women from being infected with HPV strains that cause 70% of cervical cancers. But, I'm a little suspicious. There's a big difference between theoretical effectiveness and real-use effectiveness. For example: There's the widely known adage that nature abhors a vacuum. In scientist's lingo, an empty niche must be filled. Will another virus slip into the open slot? Will the targeted viruses do what many viruses do, and mutate? Therefore rendering said protection invalid. Will boosters be needed? Most vaccines need to be periodical...

In our family, we have always celebrated Mardi Gras. It's a holiday that allows us to indulge our appetites, as a preparation for the denials of Lent. This year, I feel the absence of my husband more than ever. I enjoyed the extra candy bar, a few drinks, and clearing out the fridge of high-calorie stuff. But it wasn't the same without him. Fortunately, he'll be here next Sunday, for good. He'll be retired by then, and able to work in SC. We're both working to clear up loose ends before the reunion. Maybe next year, we'll go to LA to see what the real Mardi Gras is like. It's not that far that we can't do it.

This ship was built using scrap steel from the World Trade Center. The above quote comes from PC Free Zone , where I also found the photo. The ship's motto? "Never Forget"

Today is the weekly Buard the Borders Blogburst. I have to mention the enormous amount of work that Heidi puts in to make this weekly event possible. If you enjoy these, please take the time to go to Heidi's site, and tell her how much you appreciate her hard work. The Border Patrol Case: Who’s Pulling The Strings? By Heidi Thiess of Euphoric Reality Mexico. That’s who. Yes, you read that right. The latest information has uncovered the undue political pressure that Mexico put on our government, and how the White House easily caved. They didn’t even ask questions it seems. Here’s what happened: After Aldrete-Davila was shot, he complained to someone who brought the “crime” to light (not his mommy, as Sutton has previously told us). That person contacted the Mexican government, which is currently in overdrive trying to portray a situation wherein the poor downtrodden people of Mexico are being brutally shot by cruel, evil Americans at the border - when all they want is a better li...

Ellen Goodman is solidly lined up with the Global Warming Cult - a group of conspiracy theorists that believe that only a dark conspiracy against "the truth about global warming" prevents the world from bowing down to the blackmail, completely trashing our economy, and frantically beating our chests in a liberal version of the old Catholic "mea culpa, mea culpa". Her "proof"? (thanks to Doug Patten, writing for Human Events - I initially forgot that citation - sorry, Doug). Goodman refers to the gaps between what she calls "Republican science and Democratic science," and is amazed that "23 percent of college-educated Republicans believe the warming is due to humans, while 75 percent of college-educated Democrats believe it." Well, I hate to bring up facts in a good red-state, blue-state rant, but has she considered that the college-educated Democrats are MUCH less likely to have majored in math, science, and engineering? And, theref...

I found this quiz at Rhianna's. I took the " Retro Runway " quiz on gURL.com My fashion is inspired by... the '20s Are you more tomboy than full out fashionista? Do you have a favorite pair of jeans that factor into every outfit? If so, the 1920s is the era for you. Known for shortened hemlines, wild times and a rebellious freedom, this decade shook up many general assumptions about gender. Read more ... Which fashion era do you belong in?

This YouTube video is in German, I believe. It is don't-be-drinking-anything-while-watching-it funny. It answers the question: What did Tech Support do during earlier change-overs of operating systems? Found on The Ironic Catholic . They've earned a spot on the blogroll, I think.

On Tammy Bruce's website , I found a video from Rep. Tom Tancredo, urging people to send a message of support to the jailed Border Patrol agents. Browse through the many old posts I have regarding their conviction, and make your own judgement about whether they should be freed. I hadn't really started looking at candidates for President in 2008 yet, but this video persuades me that this man deserves a look. If you go to his website, you can not only send a supportive message, but also take a look at the ONLY candidate who will go on record about illegal immigration.

I did something this week I've always wanted to, but never have. In a phone call to my sister, who is in Cleveland, and suffering from the infamous Lake Effect Snow, I said: The spring blossoms are just appearing here this week (in South Carolina) It's a lot of fun doing that - the recipients of that information WANT to kill you, but are too far away to make any threats credible. Here's a video from YouTube, showing the effects of the Valentine's Day Blizzard , which closed the schools and much of the city for several days. The heavy breathing on the video is due to the effort involved in lifting the snow. Each flake is relatively light, but, collectively, they are painfully heavy (particularly if it's what is called a "wet snow"). My husband took most of the day on Thursday, just trying to get his van free enough to get out of the driveway. That's the part of the North I REALLY don't miss.

I found this YouTube video , which takes the song "Fighting Words" by Trace Adkins, and puts it to pictures of soldiers. I don't normally listen to country music, but I enjoyed this . I especially liked the ending, where Trace says: Son, the 1st Amendment protects you from the government, not from me That's a fact about the Constitution that many have forgotten. If the owner of a media outlet declines to let you spew your drivel on HIS dime, you lose. You can't compel a private entity to let you "express yourself". Similarly, the government can't force you to shut up. However, the average citizen doesn't have to listen to you, respect you, or endure your theatrical posings. We have the right to walk away, thinking you a fool. We even have the right to use OUR 1st Amendment rights to call you a fool.

I've been skimming the headlines about the recent shooting in a Salt Lake City mall, and am gradually coming to many of the same conclusions as Thomas Fleming, of Hard Right! . A short excerpt: Political liberty cannot survive in a country in which public “debate” consists of statements made by dishonest law enforcement agencies, a lying and ignorant press corps, and the self-abusing white trash who infest the blogosphere. In the days of the late Soviet Empire, they had a national newspaper, Pravda - the name meant Truth. The name, of course, was a joke - it was the official "truth" that the Soviet government wanted to spread - what we in the US call propaganda. Too often, we are surrounded by - not news - but propaganda. Contrary to the Soviet experience, it is LESS likely that the propaganda is promoted by government. It is more often the role of newspapers, various TV media outlets, and all-too-many in the blogosphere to spread these slanted version of "truth...

Despite the frightening appearance of his feet, and the fact that they were totally numb for the first 24 hours, my grandson is home and recovering. It seems that he will be fine. Thanks to everyone who added their prayers for his recovery.

I can't sleep. My grandson has been admitted to the hospital, with frostbite in his feet. The school's bus was very late, leaving kids stranded in the cold. To make it worse, they failed to get him medical attention all day. AND, they never called the parents to let them know he was injured. I've been searching the web, looking for information on frostbite. It's serious - he has no feeling in his feet. But, it's a case where they have to wait and see what the outcome will be. There's really no way to predict what will happen.

I really don't know quite how I feel about this . The idea is that, for $40 a month, people can connect with an orphan online, yet allow their birth country to keep the children there, as opposed to leaving, as did Madonna's adopted child. I suppose the idea is no stranger than the "adoption" of orphans, who then correspond with the sponsor once a month. And, because the orphan will have some regular contact with the person, via computer video hook-up, it may be of some benefit, as they will gain the chance to practice their English (a VERY useful skill in many 3rd World countries). I tried Googling the group, but got little information - I'm a little skeptical of a high-tech solution that has no web presence. I'll check back on this in a few months - it may be that this effort is in the early stages. If I can't find any more about it in a few months - don't waste your money. I can't imagine that they would be legit.

By Heidi Thiess We are still closely watching the Border Patrol case, especially after last week's explosive news that the DHS had lied to Congressmen who were looking into the case. Close on the heels of that shocking revelation, we noted that US Attorney Johnny Sutton, the prosecutor in this case, has lied openly and repeatedly about this case to the media . In an effort to counter Sutton's lies, here is one of his favorite public statements about Border Patrol agents Ramos and Compean deconstructed: "These guys did very serious crimes and once anybody who knows all the facts of this case — the fact that they shot at an unarmed guy 15 times, lied about it, covered it up, destroyed the evidence ... it's hard for me to imagine a prosecutor would look the other way," he said. 1. It has not been proven that the drug smuggler was unarmed. Sutton has been unable to prove it, yet he states it like it's a fact. Furthermore, two of the drug smuggler's...

On the Instapundit site, I ran across this reference to Google's double standard on freedom of speech. For a full account from the British man whose videos can no longer been seen on YouTube, Click Here . The man seems to be flummoxed; he speaks hesitatingly, and, several times, flounders around for his thoughts. I have to believe that he is devastated by the corporate denial of service. For, that's what this is - a CORPORATE decision to remove his access. YouTube is NOT a public entity; they have the complete right to refuse his use of his service. Which is not to say that I'm in agreement with the Google decision - feel free to contact them to urge re-instatement of his account. But, this is NOT a case of censorship - that's a decision by a government to repress speech or writing. Other accounts of the action are at Slashdot, whose story about Google's actions is linked. I'm hoping for a free-speech advocate (or foundation) to start up an alternative to...

On Sundays, I have several destinations - church, home to clear up for the coming week, and Eternity Road , a blog that is hard to describe, but is best envisioned as a quiet chat with a philosophical friend. Fran Poretto was one of the first bloggers to encourage me to write, and is a place that I can visit, 'set' a spell, and get comfortable in my slippers. For health and work reasons, I hadn't been checking in on Sundays. So I missed some gems, including the following: A genius is a man of great intellect who can see the patterns in Nature that others miss. He is also guaranteed to be hopelessly incompetent with a hammer, a wrench, or a soldering iron. This has been proved by Science. It's an old maxim that God must surely love the common people; after all, He made so many of them. If 'twere so, then God must love cockroaches, syphilis spirochetes, and federal regulations at least as much. Perhaps the logic needs some work. When was the last time you heard anyon...

I'm sitting here crying. Yeah, crying. Not because a celebrity died. Heck, we all die. But, because, for the first time in a long time, I've come to realize how I had a part in her death. MY responsibility? Yeah. All of ours. Anna Nicole wasn't a very nice woman. She was loud, vulgar, and crude. She frantically sought the spotlight. When the attention shifted to others, she acted more and more outrageously to get the focus back on her. So, why do I care? Because I snickered and laughed at her trashy ways and booze-fueled antics. I formed a part of the audience that looked at another human being, one who was acting out her loneliness and neediness, and dismissed her. Saw right through her. Acted as though her pain was there for my amusement. I never saw that lonely, love-starved person as someone who needed to feel loved. When her son died, she reached the end of her ability to cope. Nobody cared. Not even me. Well, I shouldn't say that nobody cared. God cared...

From From Breitbart.com : GOTHENBURG, Sweden, Feb. 5 (UPI) -- A 26-year-old man in Sweden will face assault charges and abortion law violations after he allegedly slipped his pregnant girlfriend abortion pills. The Local said that the unidentified man allegedly mixed some of the prescription pills into his girlfriend's food after learning she was pregnant, leading her to nearly suffer a miscarriage. Once the woman ingested the pills, she required medical attention after becoming nauseous and starting to bleed. The paper said the man will now face the charges in Vanersborg District Court in western Sweden's Vastra Gotaland County. Just checked the archives, looking for that long-ago post - couldn't find it. Maybe I started a draft, but abandoned it. I have long had some suspicions about the potential of this to harm women. Who's to say whether the person getting the drug over the counter is not going to administer it without the agreement (or even the knowledge) of the...

I found this quiz on Dappled Things . Haven't done one of these in a long time. , you're now logged in! Below you'll find your test result. After, continue on to your homescreen to discover what we're about. continue to OkCupid homescreen > Katharine Hepburn You scored 16% grit, 33% wit, 38% flair, and 23% class! You are the fabulously quirky and independent woman of character. You go your own way, follow your own drummer, take your own lead. You stand head and shoulders next to your partner, but you are perfectly willing and able to stand alone. Others might be more classically beautiful or conventionally woman-like, but you possess a more fundamental common sense and off-kilter charm, making interesting men fall at your feet. You can pick them up or leave them there as you see fit. You share the screen with the likes of Spencer Tracy and Cary Grant, thinking men who like stro...

DIRTY TEXAS POLITICS: PART TWO UPDATES TO THE BORDER PATROL CASE By Heidi at Euphoric Reality All audio files pertaining to this Border Patrol update are archived at Euphoric Reality. They are interviews with Congressman Ted Poe and investigative journalist Dr. Jerome Corsi as conducted by Houston & Dallas radio talk show hosts Edd Hendee and Pat Gray for KSEV and KVEC radio. Quite a lot has been developing over the past two weeks, since GTB published a list of highly suspicious inconsistencies in the prosecution's case against Border Patrol agents Compean and Ramos. Namely, the prosecution's case is unraveling. And none too soon, since both agents have been incarcerated in federal prisons since the first week of January, one in Ohio and the other in Mississippi, far from loved ones. Before we get into the details of new evidence recently come to light, I need to submit a correction to my previous coverage , and an update. CORRECTION: First, I cited the irregu...

I just had a thought - the HPV pushers have been pointing to the INCREDIBLE incidence of HPV in the female population. According to the pro-vaccine people, about 50% of the sexually active population has been exposed. Naturally, most people reading those stats start sweating. Even if only 1% of the infected population gets cervical cancer, that's a heck of a lot of women who would die. Right? Wrong! I just checked with Wikipedia (yeah, I DO take their information with a grain of salt, but, on basic topics, they're not bad). ALL WARTS - THE KIND YOU USED TO GET ON YOUR HANDS, PLANTAR WARTS (OCCUR ON THE FOOT - I'VE GOT ONE NOW), AND ALL OTHER TYPES - THE ONES THAT OCCUR ON OLD PEOPLE - ARE CAUSED BY THE SAME HUMAN PAPILLOMA VIRUS!!!! So, basically, you can ignore MOST, if not virtually ALL, of the hype about the dreaded incidence of HPV, and how the virus will lead to a decimation of the female population, due to cervical cancer. Without breaking apart the stats into spec...

From The Washington Times Negative side effects of Gardasil, a new Merck vaccine to prevent the sexually transmitted virus that causes cervical cancer, are being reported in the District of Columbia and 20 states, including Virginia. The reactions range from loss of consciousness to seizures. "Young girls are experiencing severe headaches, dizziness, temporary loss of vision and some girls have lost consciousness during what appear to be seizures," said Vicky Debold, health policy analyst for the National Vaccine Information Center, a nonprofit watchdog organization that was created in the early 1980s to prevent vaccine injuries. Following federal approval of the vaccine in July 2006, a storm of legislation was introduced across the nation that would make the vaccine mandatory in schools. The same article is reporting lower stats than other sites – I'm generally reading 11K+ cases of invasive cervical cancer projected for 2007. That's a major jump, especially...

I've been checking out what other sites have written since I posted, previously, about the executive order by Texas Governor Perry to mandate ALL girls in Texas be given the new vaccine. First, most sites write about the "anti-cancer" vaccine. It isn't - it works against about 70% of the sexually-transmitted Human Papilloma viruses. 2 of them are suspected of causing SOME cervical cancers. Texas Governor Ignores the Zealots is the all caps heading of Truthdig - Ear to the Ground site. For a map of the US that shows where legislation has been introduced to MANDATE vaccination, click here . The legislation is being aggressively pushed by a group called Women in Government. What's really interesting is the following, from their site: Most women will have HPV, but few will develop cancer . and Only HPV that persists can lead to cancer. So, why are ALL girls in Texas being FORCED to be vaccinated?

I first thought I was on a news parody site. But it's true. MSNBC reports, that, by executive order of Texas governor Perry, Beginning in September 2008, girls entering the sixth grade — meaning, generally, girls ages 11 and 12 — will have to receive Gardasil, Merck & Co.’s new vaccine against strains of the human papillomavirus, or HPV. Perry is quoted as saying the cervical cancer vaccine is no different from the one that protects children against polio. Why did the governor mandate the vaccine? Merck is bankrolling efforts to pass state laws across the country mandating Gardasil for girls as young as 11 or 12. It doubled its lobbying budget in Texas and has funneled money through Women in Government, an advocacy group made up of female state legislators around the country. So, why are just girls being targeted? A recent study found that 90 percent of cervical cancer cases could be eliminated if boys and girls got the vaccine. If only girls get it, just more than three quar...