Spencer & Barbara Dance Team - He's 25 - She's 84

Well, just when you think you have seen it all! Check out this dance team, dancing to “The Hardest Part” by Coldplay. He, Spencer is 25 years old, SHE, Barbara is 84 YEARS OLD. Amazing stuff. As the person that sent this to me said, “Should she be congratulated or institutionalized :)” Way to go Barbara! I am amazed by people that keep age just a number. She is an inspiration.

Kitchen Oil Fire

What is the proper way to react if you have a pan with oil catch on fire in your kitchen? This 34 second video might save your life :) Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing - Photo Books

William F. Buckley Jr. Dies at 82

A great American died today. William F. Buckley Jr. WAS the Conservative movement. His wit, intelligence, and plain old common sense changed the thinking processes of generations. He molded a movement that was smart, workable, and still alive today. He founded The National Review. He will be missed by millions. Conservatives often mention Ronald Reagan as “The Conservative”. Well, William F. Buckley inspired Reagan :)

Wednesday Hero - Navy Seal Michael Koch

Navy Chief Special Warfare Operator (SEAL) Michael E. Koch 29 years old from State College, Pennsylvania East Coast-based SEAL team February 4, 2008 "There are only approximately 2,500 SEALs in the Navy and they really are a brotherhood," said Naval Special Warfare spokesman Lt. David Luckett. "This is another unfortunate reminder of the risks and sacrifices these amazing warriors and their families make on a daily basis." Koch leaves behind his parents and a fiancee. He enlisted in July 1998 and entered SEAL training in January 1999, according to The Virginian-Pilot of Norfolk. He received the Bronze Star, Joint Service Commendation Medal and three Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medals. Navy SEAL Michael E. Koch died Feb. 4 after being wounded by small-arms fire during combat operations in Iraq alongside fellow SEAL Nathan Hardy, who was profiled last week. These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives so that others may enjoy the freedoms we get to enjoy everyday. For that, I am proud to call them Hero. We Should Not Only Mourn These Men And Women Who Died, We Should Also Thank God That Such People Lived This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your site, you can go here.

Reno NHP Officer Kara Kelly Borgagnone Dies - Tribal Officer Denise Phoenix Dies - Reno Mourns More Death

Unnecessary death of undeserving people continues in Reno. We have lost two more of Reno’s finest lately, and both police officers. Our city continues to mourn, heal, and grow together while we remember those who should have lived longer. Nevada Highway Patrol officer Kara Kelly Borgagnone, 33 was tragically taken from us in a fatal car crash while racing to a bomb threat scare out in Spanish Springs at a convenience store. With lights and sirens blazing, she was struck at an intersection as she sped to the scene. I feel like Osama Bin Laden and Al Qaeda took her, as prior to 9-11, a 2’x3’ plastic ice cooler found in a parking lot of a convenience store wouldn’t have mattered to more than someone turning it into lost and found. This cooler, with the word TEST written on its top resulted in multiple evacuations, and was later discovered to hold cement core samples, not something that should have cost an honored police officer her life. Kara Kelly Borgagnone was given a Medal of Valor a few years back when as a Parole & Probation officer, one of her parolees tested positive for methamphetamine use, and upon attempted arrest with another officer, the convicted felon resisted arrest, and she found herself in a struggle with him for her own gun. In the struggle, the other officer tried to detain the criminal, but the criminal managed to disable the officer’s radio, leaving him with no way to call for help. After Kara shot him in the head, the other officer ran for help. The crazed parolee still came at Borgagnone, and she was forced to shoot him three more times before he was eventually declared dead. Kara Kelly Borgagnone leaves behind a family, two daughters 3 & 13, and a brother who has been an NHP trooper for 14 years. While we all still fly blue ribbons on our cars for recently murdered Brianna Denison, it’s suggested that we should add a black ribbon in honor of fallen officer Kara Kelly Borgagnone. Local police officers and even school busses are driving with headlights on in honor of her service. Even in death, Kara remains a hero. Her lifeless body will not come back, but because she is an organ donor, she remains on life support possibly for two more days until suitable matches can be found to receive her organs and others will live on. Rest in peace Kara, and thank you for your service to our community. May your family find peace and solace in these hard days. Also recently fallen in the line of duty was Denise Phoenix, 42, a Tribal Officer for the Paiute Indians at Pyramid Lake. Denise Phoenix at the time of her death was serving a community in Montana. After the death of her two children Shasta Suraco, 6, and Justin Suraco, 8, her brother Ronald, and the driver of the other car in the fatal car crash (Lafayette Lee) of 2000; Denise dedicated her life to law enforcement. Denise Phoenix’s Father served this community as a Pyramid Lake Ranger, Reno Sparks Tribal Police Officer, Chief at Carson City’s Bureau of Indian Affairs, and a BIA Criminal Investigator in Montana. She followed in his footsteps after the tragic death of her children and brother. Ms. Phoenix served in the past as an officer for the Elko County Juvenile Detention Center. It was not uncommon for her to buy lunch for people she had arrested on their way to jail. She would often volunteer her off time and bring in items to cook pies and stews for juvenile inmates, just to show them someone still cared. Four months prior to her death, Denise Phoenix answered the call of duty to investigate a child abuse case. Upon entering the home, she discovered a methamphetamine lab. While collecting evidence, she had no idea the dangers of the substances she had come in contact with. It was not until JUST THE NEXT DAY, when she went for help that she realized the magnitude of her exposure. In ONE DAY, she was speaking in a whisper, and the skin had begun to peel off all her fingers. Four months later, while lying in wait for a double lung transplant, she succumbed to her fatal chemical exposure. Ironic, isn’t it? Given but a few days time, one Reno hero lies in a hospital lifeless waiting to give her organs to a deserving recipient, while another local hero dies because organs cannot be found. Even though Denise Phoenix didn’t live in this area any longer, the line was long as the cars traveled to her native land and burial site from Reno to Nixon, NV. She died on Valentine’s Day. May the spirits of Earth, Water, Wind, and Fire lead you to peace. Our community mourns your passing, yet praises your dedication to the service of others. You will be sorely missed. Two BEAUTIFUL people...taken from us...they both served us well...

Pfizer Fires Dr. Jarvik From Lipitor Commercial

Pfizer drug giant bends over at the mere suggestion of impropriety by nitwit House Democrats. This is a prime example of our government butting in where they have no business. After the liberal media MSNBC reporter Robert Bazell wrote an article in March, 2007 suggesting that Dr. Robert Jarvik did not have the credentials to be the spokesperson for Pfizer’s mega-drug Lipitor, a ball started rolling that would eventually roll up Jarvik’s back and take off his head. And, after House Democrats Bart Stupak and John Dingell “put out the contract for the hit”, Pfizer (that originally thought Jarvik was a cool guy) just said, “Uh…OK…Duh, we didn’t mean to put an idiot on TV.” Well, let’s explain this from a Conservative point of view, a view that doesn’t need our government interfering in our television commercials (that we usually fast forward through anyway). Dr. Robert Jarvik attended medical school. He did not pursue the typical internship or residency that practicing Drs do. He later received a medical degree, and also has a Masters degree in medical engineering. Even on his website, he declares that he is a medical scientist that has been in the field of artificial hearts for 36 years, and does not practice clinical medicine or treat patients in a private practice. GEE, he ONLY invented the artificial heart. EVERYBODY KNOWS that an artificial heart is at best a temporary life sustainer until VERY sick people might be able to get a donor heart, or to prolong the life of patients that cannot get a donor heart due to their age. Computers have proven that an artificial brain is possible, so if artificial hearts could last for many years, we could have androids. Jarvik’s heart is an amazing discovery. It has helped a lot of people. Some patients lasted only 12 hours, some as much as 620 days, even though miserable days. But for those that want or need to tie up loose ends, wait for a possible donor, the technology is amazing. Even the gory details of the artificial heart are a better alternative than certain immediate death. Why isn’t Dr. Jarvik the perfect spokesperson for a TV commercial on cholesterol lowering drugs? By the way, when Michael Jackson (the child molester) was advertising Pepsi…did you drink Pepsi because you thought after drinking it you could “Moon Walk”, or did you like the soda? Nobody that takes Lipitor keeps swallowing the pills because Mr. Robert Jarvik said to do so. Only your Democratic liberals that want to be in control of you want you to think that. Did you think when you saw one of the Slutkateers Paris Hilton biting into a Carl’s Jr. hamburger that you might get a date if you went through the drive through and purchased one? NO…you like the $6 Dollar Burger (that doesn’t cost $6), and THAT’S why you buy them. Where’s the outrage coming from House democrats stating that “the government must hold an investigation” to keep child molesters and whorelike people from advertising our products that we consume into our bodies? There aren’t any. As there should have been none in this case with Lipitor and Dr. Jarvik. Pfizer aristocrats are Pfussies! They should have told the libs to back off and deal with problems more suited for Congress. Leave medicine to people with degrees in medicine. I’d rather have Dr. Jarvik representing any medication I’m taking before I’d worry about the opinion of a Democrat in the House of Representatives whose salary by the way is paid with MY TAX DOLLAR.

Gennifer Flowers To Auction Off Clinton Recordings

Remember Gennifer Flowers? She was Bill Clinton’s “other mistress”. Well, the taped recordings of their 12 year affair and phone conversations are about to hit the auction block. Asked about the timing of her announcement coming out as Hillary Clinton continues to slide in her presidential bid, “I don’t need to hurt Hillary. She is doing a fine job of that herself, along with her idiot husband. Karma is an interesting thing. If these two don’t get elected, and they are a team, it will be karma coming back to visit them. It's about time." Oh...Karma is truly a bitch isn’t she. A Japanese collector in the 90’s offered her 5 Million dollars for them, so I don’t think I can afford to bid on these 10 years later, so would whoever buys them shoot me a copy please? Thanks.

Sawed In Half Trick - Kevin James

Do we ever get too old for a good magic trick? Even the "Idol" judges loved this one. It's short and sweet, but WOW! The best Saw In Half trick I've ever seen. Take a look :)

Vote For Hillary BECAUSE She's A Woman

Many women this election season will vote for Hilary Clinton just because she is a woman. Those women are sadly brainwashed, mis-or-non-informed, and no kind of woman I want to meet or be associated with. I wouldn’t vote for Hilary Clinton under ANY circumstance, but her being a woman would have not one thing to do with that choice. I just know that she would make a horrible President. When I vote, I vote for the person. I have found enough good in the worst of the evils so far since 1980 to at least “vote the Party” since I was old enough to do so in 1980. I have always vowed though, that I would always vote the person first, and the Party in as a second high regard thereafter, and that I would never VOTE THE PARTY because of any lame reason such as race, gender, or religion, yet the culmination of every facet of a person that would make them great or at least tolerable as President. This year, I’m still HUGELY undecided. However, when I look at a candidate, I truly see NO race. I see NO gender. I see NO religion, unless that person might be radically fanatical about a particular religion. I would vote for Condoleezza Rice in a heartbeat. I don’t see her as black or female, just a very highly intelligent person capable of leading our country. THIS ARTICLE, that was very well written by Rhonda Chriss Lokeman came out, and it is a good one based on how women SHOULD NOT vote for Hilary Clinton just because she’s a woman. Another WOMAN friend shared it with me; I didn’t find it on my own. I’ve heard more than once now since I shared it with others, “what do you expect? a black woman, or a black democrat wrote that. I think that’s pretty silly. See, WOMEN come in all shapes and sizes. We come from all religious backgrounds, and we give birth to and raise to adulthood both men and other women of all colors. We don’t need anyone to tell us who to vote for; we are quite capable of making that decision on our own, REAL women that is. It may take us time and careful consideration, but in the end, a REAL woman will put all the scenarios to numbers, LISTEN to what a candidate says, measure quite carefully as within a recipe how this person, if elected will affect those we love most, both old and young, and possibly lastly, consider how we ourselves might be affected, and then…on election day, we punch. We the people, the women people cast a vote. Sometimes, it is a sad decision between who will hurt us all less than the other, but we decide, and do so with careful thought. I personally can’t see how ANY woman, (even if based on just the womanhood factor) would vote for Hilary. I find Hilary a disgrace to our gender as a woman and a disgrace to our nation when I try to fathom her becoming President. But millions of women vote for her, and it’s their right to choose. But, if ANY woman is voting for her JUST BECAUSE she’s FEMALE, that particular woman needs to wake up and get just a wee bit more involved in the process.

Big & Rich Reno - Obama's Movement - Old Folks Meet Kids - Rap Meets Country

Please read this post through it’s entirety, and WATCH the videos. I’m on the soap box tonight, but glad to be so. For tonight, we all just got along. Tonight I saw the best of everybody, and read between the lines to see that there is really no BETWEEN, there really IS just one straight line, and we are all part of it. I realized something tonight. NO, I didn’t JUST realize it, IT was something I’ve seen coming on for some time, but tonight, I witnessed its fruition. There IS a movement going on. There ARE factions on BOTH sides that try to stop it. There ARE folks on TWO SIDES of a fence that live amongst each other. However, we are ALL REALLY beginning to LIKE EACH OTHER. Big & Rich are opposites but the same, Cowboy Troy is opposite and the same within one man. Truly, our country is really not seeing color or demands, we just all want to work together for common good, through whatever means necessary. In our current political race, I think it’s fair and obvious to say that we will have a Democrat in office until 2012. I’m a Republican, but even I know that not any side always wins. In 2008, the Democrats will win. BUT, what’s really amazing to me is that for once, “for ONCE IN MY ADULT LIFE” it seems that I am again PROUD of my country. There has NEVER been any doubt of my patriotism, but I am again seeing THE PEOPLE beginning to stir, and stir as a blend not as a beat. For the men or the slow, that’s a cooking analogy. Blend ALWAYS leads to a smoother pudding than if you BEAT the pudding. I think Barack Obama will, if elected make some really dumb moves and create some havoc in policy or procedure. Much worse, would Hilary Clinton…and John McCain is a mediocre conservative. So KNOWING that ALL of our choices might be bad, what about the one thing no one can deny?…Mr. Obama is at least MOVING the people. AT LEAST HE’S MOVING THE PEOPLE. Nobody in so long has moved the people. We’ve all been wallowing in a quagmire of WTF for so long we can’t even remember the last time we were truly inspired or moved. 9-11 shook us all up, and after that tragedy for a short time we were united as a nation. Sadly, most folks are over 9-11 and back to the same old same old run of the mill DUH and DOLDRUMS. However, believe in Obama’s abilities, policies, ideas, or not…he’s moving a nation. BEFORE Barack Obama, a new and up and coming band called (brilliantly named) Big and Rich came onto the music scene. I had never heard of them before. One day, I heard THIS SONG Holy Water on the radio. I was so moved, I was so touched, but I was busy. It just so happened that I was about to catch a plane to go HOME to Texas in a day or two for the first time in years. When I got home, my sister Melody and I hugged and laughed, and enjoyed each other’s company for hours. Her cell phone rang. The “ring tone” was this really catchy tune that said, “Save a Horse, Ride a Cowboy”. We giggled, and I said, “WHO is that band…that’s a really cool song!” She told me that it was a fairly new band called Big and Rich. After my trip was over, I came home and went to my computer to research Big and Rich. I Googled “Save a Horse & Ride a Cowboy”, and discovered in the same search that they also sang “Holy Water”. I was so amazed that the same band could have sung both songs. I was an instant fan. I have kidded for a few years now that if “they” ever came to Reno I WOULD have tickets. Well they came tonight, and I had 2nd row, fairly centered tickets. IT WAS AMAZING! Not only are THEY amazing, the whole movement they represent is FREAKING AMAZING! And, I never realized if you have 2nd row tickets, the speakers cause the music to LITERALLY MOVE your hair, your shirt, your skin, and your spirit! Perhaps next time (although this was amazing), my ears are still ringing and I might opt for 5th or 6th row seats next time :) I’m 45, and I have sons 24 & 18. There is an age old battle between parents and their kid’s music. However, I try to be a cool parent, but I just can’t put my arms around Rap. It’s so vile, and violent, and LOUD and HARD to hear. Well, Big and Rich bridges that gap seamlessly. Rap is very tolerable coming from cowboys that are jamming to the percussion beat of conservative values and common sense as it’s resounding inside your brain, and yet you can see with a naked eye that one or two of the band are probably liberals. Thank GOD that I heard their song Holy Water (a ballad) BEFORE I ever heard any of their more progressive music. My husband even knows how reserved I can be, and there is NO RESERVATION at a Big and Rich concert. It’s balls out redneck rap, ballads, support the troops, kick some ass rock & roll, and anything you could want in between! It amazed me to see looking around the crowd how many of us “older folk” were there. I think there were more “OLD folks” than there were younger folks. I TRIED to invite my kids, but they weren’t into it, THEY JUST DON’T KNOW WHAT THEY MISSED. Big & Rich is like “Old Folks Finally Meet Their Kids”. They are a movement. There’s this one guy that looks and dresses like Tom Petty, rocks out like a Who or a Rolling Stone, and another guy that’s a TOTAL cowboy and dresses and looks like Clint Black, Garth Brooks, or George Strait. Big and Rich are the Yen & Yang, they are the Old School & the New School. They mix rock, rap, and country into the most perfect biscuits and gravy you’ve ever tasted. And…let’s NOT LEAVE OUT Cowboy Troy! Cowboy Troy opens for them and he is as about as Rap as it comes. However, he’s a very handsome black man dressed to the nines in blue jeans, in a starched and creased button up western shirt, sporting a HUGE “rodeo style champion” belt buckle, and a die hard black felt 10X (or more) cowboy hat. He walks cowboy, he talks cowboy, he IS cowboy…and then he performs. He is rap, he is hip hop, his words though are normal. He “jives” to a beat and a movement that stirs old people :) Cowboy Troy ROCKS! One of my favorites he sang tonight was “Hick Chicks”. I AM a hick chick. I am a redneck. Now, while in this video I’m embedding, THESE girls are a little racy (didn’t see any of those tonight…amazing…there are usually A LOT of them at a concert, just not tonight) And get THIS, people always talk about the “race card”, with all of us “normal folk” there IS NO race card, but we realize some of us are of a different color. Imagine in a crowd of mostly rodeo rednecks, more people wearing cowboy hats than not, AFTER hearing 45 minutes of Cowboy Troy rap, jive, and wiggle his ever so cowboy ass, we hear Big & Rich quote, “How ‘bout that big black guy Cowboy Troy?” The crowd rose to their feet and went nuts! See…although there IS color (we’re not BLIND), there REALLY IS NO COLOR among like minded. Just IMAGINE A CROWD EXPERIENCING Rap, Hip Hop, Country, and Americana…THEN you can imagine a Big & Rich concert, and just possibly you can then again imagine the movement that is Barack Obama. I’m sorry for the hate mail I’m getting lately saying “I’m a traitor, I’m turning Democrat”…I’M NOT! But I can see a real movement. If a Republican candidate gave me chill bumps in a speech, I’d ramble about them too, none are. I KNOW Hillary Clinton would have had a “look” on her face if she would have been present at tonight’s concert, and I KNOW John McCain just wouldn’t subject himself to something so “fun or modern”, anyway…he’s too old to stay up that late. Huckabee does play the guitar, he might have enjoyed it, but being a preacher he might not have allowed himself to do so (I never noticed any dirty words though in the presentation tonight)… Here’s another thing about concerts. People drink too much; they crowd the stage, etc. Overly drunk people irritate the hell out of you, and given slight what if’s, it can turn bad. However, REDNECKS, COUNTRY people can get drunk, be out of line, and still have manners. Perhaps I should rephrase that to mean that like minded united liberals and conservatives can get drunk and still have manners. I have a husband with a very short fuse. He tends to overprotect me (the tough chick that doesn’t need to be protected), but I too have manners. I cringed a couple of times tonight hoping that he would not try to overprotect me in a crowd of several thousand people that thought just like me. Tonight on the 2nd row, as people overcrowded, and I WANTED TO SEE… (I was sitting on the isle) I would occasionally gently tap a guy in a cowboy hat in the isle on his butt, and gently motion for him to stand back. EVERY TIME and without question, they all did. Even the chicks, I would also tap them on their butts and gently motion for them to move back, and they did. That’s the way country folk are, we may push the envelope sometimes, but when the envelope pushes back and you know you are on the wrong side of the envelope, you nod and graciously abide to common courtesy. BUT WE WERE AT A COUNTRY & RAP CONCERT…AMAZING! Big & Rich are like Barack Obama, they can move the masses in positive ways. This political season is a strange one for me. I am more involved this year than any in my life. It’s too funny that it looks like me and my brother in Texas are both going to end up delegates in conventions this year and I’m a Republican and he’s a Democrat. I live in Nevada and he lives in Texas. Both states are “Wild Wild West”, and we both speak of each other among friends and co-workers, and yet we both get along just fine. Our friends and co-workers often comment to us both, “So…you guys don’t argue?” NO we DON’T…we discuss. We debate the important and meet in the middle for results that would be for the common good. But, we are just delegates, we can’t help what your elected officials on either side do to detriment your lives. Perhaps we are both more Independent that “either/or”, but it’s a good time. My brother took his kids out of school to attend the Barack Obama rally in the Dallas TX area. Reunion Arena seats 19,000 people, and “given the poll results” it was thought that 15,000 people would show up, so Reunion Arena was a safe bet. Well, 19,000 people showed up, and hundreds or maybe even thousands more were turned away. But, fair is fair, and the other candidates were also in town. Chelsea Clinton faired a modest crowd at the University of North Texas in what looked like a large cafeteria, and Mike Huckabee managed a few onlookers at a local community college. I’m not trying to slam either of the other two candidates, but if a “movement” was happening in their camps, there would have been a deluge at UNT, or the community college, but there WASN’T! Dallas TX is a smorgasbord of America, about 4,000,000 of them in the general area. There are highly educated people of all walks of life there. Not ALL 19000 people were delusional, there is a movement going on in this country, and it’s by the people and for the people. I tell my brother that when in office, if it happens, we’ll probably be disappointed in Mr. Obama, but nobody else is moving the people in this way, so let’s maybe give him a shot. I’d rather a highly inspiring Democrat disappoint the country than I would sell out my party and vote for John McCain who I know will make as many mistakes, just in monotone deliverance, and God forbid Hillary Clinton powered by “her machine” even try to be the first woman in office. I’d like to see a woman in office someday, but let’s keep that word WOMAN in context. Hillary is not a woman, she’s a beast. In my brother’s photos that he sent me, (all were taken with a cell phone), this one spoke to me loudly and hard. I commented to him on the phone that this photo spoke chapters, and even he said “Really?, why? It’s just the boys”. Well, as with the Big & Rich rap / country concert I saw tonight, this photo says it all. His boys were just bored, just running around a tree or pole while standing in line for several hours to see what Dad took them to see. But, there was a young beautiful black girl leaning against it, and no one saw color. My brother didn’t even see color. I just saw the amazing photo of no color in brilliant color. I saw young people just having fun and realizing that their parents were responsible enough to take them to see something amazing. I don’t even have any video of tonight’s concert, or the jeers and cheers that went on, but it was spiritual. This video is not of viewing HD quality, but you aren’t SUPPOSED to see anything, just listen. A movement is happening, and this is what it sounds like. Be very afraid media Mongols, be very afraid power Wanna be’s…THIS…IS THE PEOPLE SPEAKING!

John McCain Affair With Lobbyist - Janet Huckabee at Hooters in Vegas - MORE MEDIA DIRT

Boy, ya gotta love the media huh? They’ve got their ever glaring eye on all of us. The mass media worker bees literally trip all over themselves trying to get the scoop on ANY dirt they can find or make up on people in the spotlight. Their sole intention is to try and desecrate their reputations at any cost. The media want us to find each candidate despicable! First it was the claim that Larry gave Obama a blow job a decade ago. Then, the media moguls secretly crawled inside the head of Michelle Obama and thankfully told us what she was REALLY thinking, and how she INTENTIONALLY CHOSE words that were a slam to America. Gee, I heard her comments and I didn’t interpret the statement that way, so I’m sure glad the mass media jumped right in to sway what I heard to be what was REALLY said. Today, there is more damning and life stopping news that the media knows you NEED to have right away. John McCain might have had an affair over ten years ago with a blonde lobbyist! OMG…really? That “wretched” wife of a preacher Janet Huckabee attended a boxing match in Las Vegas and had the gall to stay overnight in the Hooters Hotel/Casino. OMG! Well, will the ceiling literally fall in at the Baptist Church in Arkansas on Sunday? Get a grip mass media! You guys fill our heads with so much CRAP that all our marbles are falling out! Give the American people a little credit. We are quite capable of taking things in proper context all by ourselves. We don’t need you guys to spin every little incident to extreme proportion for us. Please remember, we are actually People, not SHEEPLE. Start printing some good news for a change, your old stuff and old ways are becoming boring, and all your negativity is a detriment to us all.

Wednesday Hero - Navy Seal Nathan H. Hardy

Navy Chief Special Warfare Operator (SEAL) Nathan H. Hardy 29 years old from Durham, New Hampshire East Coast-based SEAL team February 4, 2008 It was Hardy's fourth deployment in Iraq, according to his father, Stephen Hardy, a professor of kinesiology a the University of New Hampshire. His mother, Donna Hardy, is an administrative assistant in UNH's psychology department. Nathan Hardy grew up in Durham and was a 1997 graduate of Oyster River High School. He joined the Navy after graduation. Other family members include his wife, Mindy, and their 7-month-old son, Parker; and a brother, Ben, of Middlebury, Vt. Another brother, Josh, died in 1993 while a senior at Oyster River High School. "Our hearts go out to Steve and Donna Hardy, and their son, Ben, at this incredibly difficult time," UNH President Mark Huddleston said in a statement. "We know it was Nate's dream to become a U.S. Navy SEAL when he graduated from high school, and he pursued that dream and excelled at it. His death has stunned all who knew him, and all who know his parents, who both are so much a part of the UNH community." Navy SEAL Nathan Hardy died Feb. 4 after being wounded by small-arms fire during combat operations in Iraq. These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives so that others may enjoy the freedoms we get to enjoy everyday. For that, I am proud to call them Hero. We Should Not Only Mourn These Men And Women Who Died, We Should Also Thank God That Such People Lived This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your site, you can go here.

Animator vs. Animation

Alan Becker did some AMAZING WORK with this little piece of ART. Who knew a stick man could conquer so much ? CLICK HERE to enjoy the animation. It's short, smart, and worth the watch!

Michelle Obama Finally Proud of America

Michele Obama, YOU GO GIRL! I am a Conservative Republican, I am a WOMAN, and I am a wife. I am a mother, and I own a business. DON’T LET THE MASS MEDIA get under your skin. I will admit right up front here that I posted on this blog the story of Barack getting a blow job by Bubba the disenfranchised. If it’s out there, it can, and should be said. I call it like I see it, and I don’t see any less qualities in you. I’m not ashamed that I posted that story; I don’t believe it’s true, but hey, if they post a video and someone is willing to pay $100,000 to prove it, what fish is not going to bite that bait? I’m SO ASHAMED of my conservative Fox News tonight, and my Bill O’Reilly and Sean Hannity for succumbing to such CRAP as to have to search SO FAR for “dirt” to find that your comment of (paraphrased) ,”I’m now so proud of my country after all these years” is a BAD THING. I saw that as a quite normal and positive comment… I’m also just now at my age involved heavily in this year’s election. Until becoming so involved, I NEVER realized how crazy it all is. No state plays by the same rules. Parties play by different rules. NOT FAIR! As Angela McGlowan herself said, you are educated, and you are smart enough to choose your words correctly… I think you chose your words, and I hope you stand by them. The spin on this story is UN FREAKINGLY UNBELIEVABLE. Well, Mrs. Obama (and I WANT FOLKS TO NOTICE THAT I SAID MRS. NOT MS.) I’m proud of my country today too. I am also 45 years old. I too am today proud of my country, for many and varied, and all the reasons I’ve always been proud of my country. But, I feel you Michelle Obama, I know that today, there is a feeling and a movement that makes us a little more proud of our country. In this particular election, the Republicans don’t have a hero. We DON’T have a true winner that we were allowed to vote in AS THE PEOPLE (we WISH we did, we just don’t). We, or I may or may NOT vote “the party”. I don’t believe that just because a guy is given a key to the clubhouse that he is necessarily “one of the guys”. He could have stolen the key? I know that your husband is able to speak to us in a way that we’ve all been HUNGRY for, for many years. I look at it this way… As a business owner, as a citizen, as a consumer, as a victim, as a woman, as a football fan, as a redneck, as someone who’s failed, and as someone who’s succeeded…whoever speaks to me in a way that your husband has spoken to me, I might give him a shot. He’s done through speech what NOBODY in over 40 years has been able to do. If he can speak to ME that way though, he better be able to back it up. If he cannot, he will be crushed, impeached, and brought to demise more unfairly than any level of devastation has ever been put upon another public figure. It’s maybe not fair, but if Barack Obama is truly the man, then the following will not faze him, or you. If you want to talk the talk, then walk the walk. Your husband is WAY OFF on a couple of issues, but if he TRULY WALKS THE TALK, then he’ll listen to the people, and learn from small people who balance numbers and mere success for a living. He just might bring the change that is derived from hope, somebody sure needs to! And when I say for a living, in order for ME the small business owner to make a living, I FIRST have to be DAMN SURE that 25 OTHER FAMILIES are going to make a living because I employ them. I am responsible for THEM and what’s BEST FOR THEM, for I’m not stupid. If it isn’t BEST for THEM, then I don’t have a chance. IF it’s BEST for THEM, then it’s GOOD for ME, and if allowed to by my government that doesn’t need to intervene more than necessary, we CAN ALL live our lives on a LEVEL AND BALANCED PLAYING FIELD. Then it’s a WIN WIN FOR ALL. Now I know that’s a generally considered CONSERVATIVE train of thought, but truth is truth. Numbers don’t lie, and if we can ALL add 2+2 and get 4 then we have something. I heard a man today describe hope in its truest sense. (paraphrased but true) Hope is the result of when you’ve done ALL that you can physically and mentally do to make the possible happen with NO result, and you are waiting for the the IMPOSSIBLE to come true. That is what Barack Obama has made us all think can happen. I don’t mind paying say 10% of ALL I HAVE, as long as the poorest also pay 10% of what they have. BUT, if the “poor” are “poor” due to bad choices, but are able to do better, then hey, NO has to be a WORD allowed BACK IN to our vocabulary. How is it Mrs. Michelle Obama (if I may be so rude to ask) that a redneck (Darryl’s other brother Darryl) made a video claiming that your loving husband, and the father of your children bought crack cocaine and powdered cocaine, and then accepted a blow job from your husband in the back of a limousine is HIDDEN NEWS, but yet, you made a comment on your husband’s behalf, and in the truest support of this nation is DAMMED? It was a comment made of your own educated mind, and IT IS CONSIDERED BAD AND HORRID AND IS OUR FRONT PAGE NEWS! This mere and wretched fact alone is one simple reason that Barack’s message of HOPE and CHANGE just might be possible! I’m so sick and tired of media being allowed to spin negative, and losers being allowed to win with garbage. Don’t get me wrong, if Bubba is telling the truth, then the truth must also set us all free. Truth is ugly sometimes, but at least it’s the truth! Our biggest problem in America is that truth is hidden or abominable, and bullshit is glamorized as truth, or the perception thereof. And that fact crosses both political isles, and it’s so VERY STUPID! Hillary’s husband, or Hilary (however her name is spelled) is running for PRESIDENT OF USA and her husband FOR SURE got a blow job. He denied it on national television in the “UH, I didn’t ACTUALLY have sex with that girl”, I only experienced erotica with a secretary with a CIGAR…but…UH…NO! We can't talk about that! Michelle, your husband is a great speaker, and YES, he’s got to get to more specific in his speech before November, but hey…you guys are the “normal” Americans. YOU are a VERY RESPECTFUL LADY! I’m a good and bad girl through 45 years, I’m a successful person on the basis of vague judgment, but I wouldn’t want to compete with you! You got DISED, or is it DISSED…I don’t know, I’m 45 :) This barrage on your character is bullshit! AND, John McCain’s wife FINALLY TOOK HER HAIR DOWN? This robotic young beauty (no DIS to her either) finally took her hair DOWN only to make a rebuttal comment to you? How dare she! In the world of chicks, she scored negative points with me on that one. She’s been revolving around and around on a pedestal of silence with the same tight uptight hairdo for months, and finally brushed her hair out only to mock you? What is John McCain thinking? Chicks DON’T fault another chick for differing opinions unless it’s REALLY BAD, but when a chick OBVIOUSLY CHANGES her appearance and then pulls the “I’m the tough chick” card, but has never spoken before and then makes her first most famous comment to slam a political opponent of her husband, bad move. I don’t see her as first lady! Whatever you may think of George Bush, it’s a DUH thought to think that Laura Bush would have EVER come out to fight her husband’s battles in that manner. Laura Bush is an impeccable lady, and so are you Michelle Obama. Your comment was benign, and not in any way interpreted to fight your husband’s battles. Real men don’t need a woman to fight their battles, the same way that real women can fight their own too. You have no battle here, but the drive by media just made one for you, fight it by yourself, you can. Michelle, you carry yourself with dignity, and if you could, you would spew out your thoughts on a personal blog not unlike this one, and you would point out both sides of any struggle. If you could, and you CAN’T, if it were EVER politically correct to flip someone off, you have my OK to flip all the media mongers OFF. Now that’s saying something coming from a staunch conservative! Stand by your man… Even Hillary stands by her man, the guy that has philandered on her and lied on public TV and has done horrid things. I’d more appreciate her if she had the balls to divorce her man and go out on her own, but then…that wouldn’t benefit her financially, or career wise…sound familiar to any other women here? Hillary knows which side her bread is buttered on, and chicks won’t fault chicks I guess for liking butter. Another thing I heard tonight on TV regarding Michelle's comment, was that if someone cannot run their own household, how can they run the White House? I almost lost my own composure on my own couch. Bill on Fox said that on his show. HELLOOOO? Why is that a slam dedicated to liberals all of a sudden? I swear on my name that I continually tell failing employees, and failing managers when drama of their lives comes into play with their jobs that if you can't run your own life, you cannot possibly run any portion of my business. However, in this case...with this so NOTHING comment and more truthfully a BRILLIANT comment by Michelle Obama, I think she's running her own life just fine. Whether Barack and she can run the White House or not is a possibility yet unknown, but as true as the comment is, the CONTEXT is NOT DUE the Obama's. Perhaps someone should ask of the Clintons...if you can't run your own household, how can YOU run the White House. Perhaps the same could be asked of any of us. My household has had some rocky moments, my husband and I continually meet minds to run our businesses and our household, but we run it. We maintain it through thick and thin. We may be more proud now than ever that our household is good. We finally after all these years are proud of our household and our family. People, if you can look in your mirror…if you REALIZE your faults, your past errors, your “skeletons” and grow from them or at least keep them all in phonetic check, then you too are quite normal. You are NOT a victim, you are NOT disenfranchised, you are the accumulation of your choices minus what you cannot possibly control. Helpless need help, babies of the physical, mental, or spiritual need teaching, and if we just accept that and search out what training or building that each of us need, we’ll succeed. If we are all willing and know that it is acceptable to publicly admit our shortcomings, and we all work together to carry each other over the finish line with some rules and demands, we’ll ALL make it. If nobody NEVER tells you NO, then you will never appreciate YES. Because YES, or IT’S OK has become the NORM, is the reason we fail. With no rain, we’d never see a rainbow. Possibly we all need to know that NONE OF US could hold a public office with purity. Anyone SO PURE that no dirt could be dug up on them from a personal life experience of 35 years (I think that’s the minimum to run for president) doesn’t have the human experience to deal with the job of President of the USA, the “ruler” of several, many millions of people, and for God’s sake…the COMMANDER IN CHIEF OF THE MOST POWERFUL MILITARY ON THE GLOBE. And, for the media to sit in that chair and ridicule and point fingers at any person because some boss demands it, because of advertisers and ratings and money that dictate it is dumb. There but for the grace of God go I, don’t forget that little cliché’. We the people need to teach our advertisers that WE WON’T publish their ads for goods if THEY aren’t normal and good Americans. People, the tail is wagging the dog, and we chase the tail around in circles like little puppies and think it’s cute. IT’S ONLY CUTE WHEN A PUPPY DOES IT! So many Americans could be good leaders and even president. None of us is pure, only Christ (whatever your word for Christ is) or Karma is pure (and Karma is just math or proven numbers, the perfect circle) and the people that have NO skeletons in their closets could never lead the masses. Why am I the only one (I’m not) that sees that?

Panties Found Near Brianna Dennison's (Denison's) Body

There has been a new development in the manhunt for Brianna Denison’s killer. God forbid, let’s hope there’s not another dead woman out there somewhere. The panties in the photo above were found at the dump site near Brianna Denison’s body. Police have found the killer’s matching DNA on the panties, but the female DNA did not match Brianna’s DNA. Police are hoping that if anyone recognizes these panties and might be the owner that they will come forward. They want to know if possibly there is another victim that hasn’t yet reported a rape, if a woman might have dated someone and then later noticed the panties missing, or if the panties might have been taken in a burglary. Also, condoms like in the photo below were found at the scene of a November rape that has been linked to the abduction of Brianna Dennison. Persons with any information are asked to call Secret Witness at (775)-322-4900, or the tip line at (775)-745-3521. Let’s pray the owner of these panties is still alive and well.

Brianna Dennison Song - Brianna Denison Song

Another sun sets tonight on Reno, NV. I saw both my sons today, and in general pleasantries and conversations, we just can’t help it, Brianna Denison (Dennison) still comes up. I have done several posts on her, and I continue to (parentheses) her name…Dennison or Denison. Her correct name is Denison, however I’ve received many e-mails on her information or the lack thereof, and they all spell it Dennison. People want to know more about her and her case, and ask me why they can’t find it. More people Google this case with the spelling of Dennison than Denison, therefore, I will continue to mis-spell her name as to give those that want to care the appropriate opportunity. A new thing, a song, has surfaced. I normally appreciate the fact that paparazzi type publicity is more detrimental than helpful, but in the e-mails and voiced opinions I hear, people are genuinely saddened and genuinely more astute with this tragedy in our city. Even one of my sons thinks that we should not all talk about her so much and let the family not have to hear it all. Well…Not only has Bri been needlessly murdered, senses are being raised about a lot of other people in our city that are missing, dead, or sadly not recognized. As horrific as it is to mention these things in the open wound of Brianna’s family, it is important for them to know that in the wretched grief they feel, that so many others are feeling their same grief, and also healing with the availability of the accepted feeling of city wide grief we all feel for Bri, but also grief felt for so many others who have suffered lately in our community. People are finding, and feeling their own grief in her story, and they are healing in her beauty and the love that all feel for her. Brianna was a story brought to the headlines when so many in her situation aren’t. However, her publicity has drawn real and true feelings from each person that resides in a community of 500,000 people. We feel it for real because we live here. But so many others feel it for real and they live merely in this globe. I’m a nobody, and I’ve had over 2000 hits to my blog in just three days. I normally have about 80 hits per day. People REALLY care about Brianna and others that find her fate. As a parent, I can’t even imagine this horror. As a mother, I’ve watched my sons grow up together and now they are 24 and 18. Brianna was 19, and knew people that my youngest son knows. He lives at the University and across the way from where she was abducted. I know how my guys, my sons, “the brothers” are together. They are solid; they love beyond explanation for each other. Brianna’s younger brother Brighton wrote a song for Brianna titled “Not Time To Say Goodbye”. He collaborated with a friend Danielle DeTomaso. I cannot verify this for solid fact, but I could have sworn on tonight’s news, that it was reported that the local band Soul Jibe was also a part of this collaboration. Well, my eldest son has often turned me on to a song or two that they wrote; they are an icon of Reno. It’s an amazing song, and it was written and published very recently, but before Bri was found dead. It was a song of hope, but even after, it’s still a song that shows the love that a brother had for a sister, and the song will be true and apropos from here to eternity, as somehow, no matter whether dead or alive, the song just speaks for itself and his love and all of our love for Brianna…even those of us who never knew her but just live in her city. I cannot even fathom the pain a young man who’s a musician must endure to write and publish a song for his missing sister. Sometimes our youth centers me and brings me to know that as our generations grow, we will all be OK. However, the story doesn’t end here. I was trying to find an actual VIDEO of this song. I could only find a LINK in which you can hear this song. If you missed the link above CLICK HERE to hear Brighton’s song for Brianna. (How ironic that a brother writing a song for a beautiful sister in doom is named BRIGHTon). Karma is beautiful; Bri and Bright are forever joined in Beauty. However, in my search, I stumbled upon some other really touching videos or links. Some Person posted THIS VIDEO that wasn’t great in music quality, but the song was an OLD song from my day that remembered, but it was the photos really touched my heart. This video is really about the photos, as I don't understand why he chose "Baby, Baby Don't Get Hooked On Me" for the music, as WE ARE ALL HOOKED ON Brianna. "I'll just use you and set you free" is a main lyric of that song... and he had himself in a karaoke stance at the lower right hand corner of the screen...but we all feel her as we do, and I won't try to judge. It might have a personal meaning between them, I don't know the players... guest management software | Denver Loft | mp3 music codes THIS VIDEO LINK CLICK HERE was posted on an unlikely blog, but the young person that owns this blog lives far away and THIS POST just proves that no matter who we are, we all love each other. I tried to post the most touching video tribute to Brianna of all that I found, but Train, the band that owns it doesn’t allow embedding. It’s titled “Calling All Angels”. If you don’t click the link, the lyrics are below… And to those still searching for missing Reno resident Doug Henry, this song is for him too... Train Calling All Angels" I need a sign to let me know you're here All of these lines are being crossed over the atmosphere I need to know that things are gonna look up 'Cause I feel us drowning in a sea spilled from a cup When there is no place safe and no safe place to put my head When you feel the world shake from the words that are said [Chorus:] And I'm calling all angels I'm calling all you angels I won't give up if you don't give up I need a sign to let me know you're here 'Cause my TV set just keeps it all from being clear I want a reason for the way things have to be I need a hand to help build up some kind of hope inside of me When children have to play inside so they don't disappear While private eyes solve marriage lies cause we don't talk for years And football teams are kissing Queens and losing sight of having dreams In a world that what we want is only what we want until it's ours [Chorus:] I don’t intend to keep on and on with this story, but until the monster that killed her is caught, and until Reno has some peace and healing time with all of our young or old fallen of late (read some past posts to catch up), these things keep on my mind. Music is a great healer, and music with photos is even better. To Brianna’s family, our whole hearts are with you daily, and be patient and also someday cheerful with all of us that also heal old wounds through trying to heal with you and the loss of Bri.

Big Spring Refinery Explosion

An icon of my childhood blew up today. The oil refinery in Big Spring, TX has been a landmark and the source of many distinct memories for as long as I can remember being alive. I was shocked to turn on my news this morning and find that there had been a large explosion there. Soon after, family members began calling to report their own experiences of the news. THERE ARE SOME GREAT PHOTOS HERE. I had to laugh at news reporters that stated that Big Spring, TX sits between Dallas and El Paso! Well…yeah…I guess you could say that…but just about EVERYTHING in Texas sits between Dallas and El Paso! It more correctly sits between my home town of Colorado City, TX and Midland, TX, home of George Bush. Here’s A MAP so that the “foreigners” can better locate the small city. I also found it odd that I found reports of school closures and that administration personnel were asking parents to pick their children up as soon as possible. Weren’t Big Spring, TX schools CLOSED ANYWAY today like every other school is for President’s Day? What’s up with that? My folks for YEARS were on a bowling league at the probably dilapidated and extinct bowling alley that sat at the east outskirts of Big Spring. At least once a week as a child we would travel the 36 miles to Big Spring to bowl. It was quite a treat for us children. That bowling alley had the greatest play room for kids. Way back then at least for farm children that never got to go hardly anywhere, it was like going to Disney Land once a week :) Driving in, you could always see the billowing steam clouds coming from the massive pillars that seemed so much larger than life sitting against the flat farm landscape of that area. Leaving late at night, it was always just a beautiful amazement to see the bright lights against the night sky of West Texas. We would roll the window down and smell the pungent odors of refining oil and natural gas. There were always a few smaller pillars that would burst bright orange against the evening with a large open flame of exhaust burn. There were great noises of bustle and men at work that could be heard as you drove along the highway. It’s amazing that only five people were injured in today’s explosion. My parents and sister that still live in Colorado City, TX said that they felt the walls and windows shake at the time of the explosion, 36 miles away. My ex-in-laws that live in Ira, TX, (Knapp) to be more specific stated that they actually heard the explosion and could still see smoke billows hours later. I’d say they are at least 20 miles away. Besides the refinery and the bowling alley…Big Spring used to house a large military base. Upon its closing, that facility was later turned into a “country club” prison. There was also a famous nuthouse that was located in Big Spring. Not to mention that back in the days of more dry counties than still exist today, Big Spring was a place to drive to in order to purchase alcoholic beverages, or go to a rodeo or to a dance hall on the weekends.