State Map Test - Third Grade - You Try It

Photo Sharing - Upload Video - Video Sharing - Share Photos OK…let’s have some educational fun. I thought this would be no big deal…WHOA…It’s harder than it looks. This was a test given third graders before passing into the fourth grade. See how quickly you can “drag & drop” each state to its appropriate spot on the map of the USA. I found it a bit embarrassing that I struggled on a few, actually…I struggled pretty hard on a few. I think you are all probably very smart though and will fair nicely. It’s fun, and if you have children of the third to fourth grade, bookmark the site, it’s a fun way to learn geography and you could incorporate naming the capital city as you place each one. Good luck! CLICK HERE TO TAKE THE STATE MAP TEST…

Swim Suits For All - Even Me!

It’s that time of year again to begin anticipating spring and summer. Last year we bought a boat, and this year a new travel trailer. So, it’s off to the lake soon for lots of swimming and fishing fun in the sun. That means great beach parties and summer vacation memories. It’s also time to buy a new swimsuit (ugghh). I hate shopping for swimwear in the mall. They never have much to choose from, and I always feel subconscious about looking them all over with so many people around. I found a great selection of womens swimsuits at SwimsuitsForAll.com. I can shop from home, and the return policy is very fair in case I choose the wrong one :) These folks also have a nice inventory of swimsuits for men, kids, and plus sizes. Go buy a new swimsuit and make that man in your life take you for a tropical vacation :)

Gotta Love the Veterans!

Photo Sharing - Upload Video - Video Sharing - Share Photos Gotta love those veterans. This photo was taken as Ted Kennedy addressed the Veterans of Foreign Wars. I agree with him totally :)

Bank of America - Guilty of Treason

Photo Sharing - Upload Video - Video Sharing - Share Photos BANK OF AMERICA - GUILTY OF TREASON...(as posted at America's Victory '08) NO SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER REQUIRED FOR BOFA CREDIT CARD…TARGETING TERRORISTS AND ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS… Bank of America has committed treason in my opinion. According to Merriam-Webster: TREASON: 1. The betrayal of a trust – treachery – a traitor 2. The offense of attempting by overt acts to overthrow the government of the state to which the offender owes allegiance or to kill or personally injure the sovereign or the sovereign’s family. TRAITOR: One who betrays another’s trust or is false to an obligation or duty TREACHERY: Violation of allegiance or of faith and confidence – treason Bank of America has decided to take their relatively new “Judgmental Lending” policy nationwide, because it was so “successful” in Los Angeles, California where it was initiated last year. “Judgmental Lending” means that you do NOT have to produce any proof of legal residency, you do NOT have to provide a social security number, nor do you have to do much of ANYTHING legal in order to receive a BOFA (Bank of America) credit card. And if it’s NOT ENOUGH that BOFA is providing terrorists and illegal aliens with credit cards, they are screwing their eyes out in the process. There is an annual fee in most instances, the interest rate is 21%, and the only requirement to gain such access to global commercialism and deceit is that you have maintained a banking account with BOFA for at least three months without any overdrafts. This new program was launched in Los Angeles County, home of the most illegal immigrants in the nation. Why, you might ask, do I consider in my opinion for this to be a treasonous act on the part of BOFA? Well, from a true conservative standpoint, I will explain in simple layman’s terms why Bank of America is not only promoting illegal behavior to continue on a mass scale, but they are also placing the national security of a sovereign nation at great risk. A risk, seemingly so minor, yet so great in the possibility of catastrophic damage, that it is conceivable that in the hands of the wrong people, this judgmental lending practice could cause overt acts that could lead to the overthrow of a government or of the state to which BOFA owes allegiance. It could injure the sovereign, or the sovereign’s family. After spending 20 years in the casino industry both from the position of a dealer, but also in positions of management; I came to follow “money laws” and financial practices very closely from the standpoint of security and fiduciary threat. 1. No need for a social security number for a credit card…only a bank account. Well, if BOFA is not requiring a social security number for the credit card, they must not be requiring one to open the bank account that must be in place for three months prior to applying for credit… 2. If no proof of legal residency, or any social security number is required to have a bank account in this joint, then what is to stop drug lords, terrorists, foreign mafia types, or anybody else from depositing ill-gained funds into this bank, or withdrawing them for illegal purposes. Sure, a person that does live here legally can still do the same, but many criminals are caught based upon their bank transaction records, and without any real identifiable information available within their banking transactions or accounts; the deceiver becomes much more “invisible”, and harder to track down…making their crimes easier to commit, and easier to launch in larger scale. 3. The wonderful World Wide Web…the internet. Aahhh, with the flick of a button, or a click of a mouse, in moments individuals may purchase just about anything online, from just about any place on the globe that has an electrical outlet and a telephone line. We all know that terrorists create explosives and weapons of mass destruction from everyday household ingredients all the time. With no real traceable evidence of proven identity linking them to their credit cards, any immoral tyrant could easily purchase a small quantity of this, and that, online from all over the place, and no one would trace the intentions of terror. 4. Credit cards have become a very liquid form of commerce. I rarely EVER carry cash around anymore. With the VISA logo on my debit card, with a photo on my credit card, with an ATM machine on every corner, and my handy PIN number…I don’t need cash…ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD. Neither will terrorists and illegal immigrants. With no social security number necessary to acquire a credit card, one could hop over the border, open a BOFA bank account, have no overdrafts within three months, come back and get a credit card, and then travel the world withdrawing US funds off their account to do whatever they wish with. Deposits are easily made by mail, or wire transfer. 5. If no social security card is required to gain access to a full fledged bank account, who’s to say that the person that presents a card for use is actually the person named on the card? Photo ID’s are easily faked, and also available online IF you have a valid credit card. 6. This slippery system of new commerce will make money laundering much easier to pull off. Usually, the average layperson considers money laundering to mean huge amounts of money and large denominations of cash, not always the case. When you have millions of illegals in this country, each exercising in shady deals daily for a few bucks here and a few bucks there, one can easily see how the commercial damage can run into the BILLIONS within a very short period of time. 7. It is no secret that most illegal aliens work “under the table”. This means that NO TAXES are paid on their earnings. Millions and millions of dollars will now be flowing through the Bank of America vaults that will be untraceable, and never taxed. Who will make up for the billions of free money these people will earn and now run through banks? You and I will. Our taxes will go up, and these criminal people will enjoy the lifestyles that you and I do without ever having to pay a dime in taxes. 8. Yes, banks DO report deposits to IRS, so one must be careful about depositing more money into a bank account than they claim on their income tax form. Oh…but wait…that’s those of us that DO have a social security number attached to our bank accounts and credit cards. These people DON’T…so they WON’T BE FILING ANY TAX RETURN…DUH!!! They live here with free medical benefits through county hospitals, and have checking accounts and credit cards on tax free money. How nice of us. You can see where this is going. I could come up with a mile long list of reasons this is a very dangerous practice. I could come up with another mile long list of the dangerous “trickle down” effect this will have on so many facets of our world of commerce. I am so outraged that greed and political correctness has led the leaders of global corporations like Bank of America to disregard the responsibility they have to their honest and tax paying customers. The CFO, or CEO, or whatever the head honcho of BOFA calls himself has a duty to protect the commerce of this nation and its trusting clients from illegal persons, bad trade practices, and possible terrorism. I find this new policy atrocious in nature, and a sure bombshell for economic success to any entity other than themselves.As of today, I went through all of my business and personal credit cards and accounts, and I am sending a letter of cancellation to Bank of America. I will no longer do business with this treacherous company with no moral backbone, and a hyper-affinity for greed. I feel like they have total disregard for my financial condition. I remember over a decade ago when I was a struggling single mother, new in town, and barely enough money to get by on. Bank of America declined to open an account for me because I had no real credit history, and not enough money to be considered “acceptable” in their eyes. Now today, they value an illegal alien and a terrorist more than an American woman just trying to succeed and raise a family. You may say that a boycott of BOFA and their products won’t make a difference. Well, I am one woman. I am a small business owner in the high desert of Nevada. However, between our few accounts, we easily spent about $5,000 per month through BOFA. Maybe they won’t miss my $60,000 per year, since they will have billions in illegal tax free money, but I think if each of us collectively start demanding of our companies that we trade with that they work BY THE PEOPLE AND FOR THE PEOPLE (the legal ones)…then one day a difference will be made, one citizen at a time. Remember, there was the first illegal alien, and the first terrorists. They now reign on mass scale one criminal at a time, and we let them. I find it on the side of sad irony that the bank that is to be the front runner for the demise of American economy and commerce is actually named Bank of America. They should change their name to the Bank of Aiding and Abetting. I certainly hope that you as citizens will voice your outrage. Demand that the Federal Reserve Board STOP allowing illegals and criminals to use our system to their advantage. If we don’t, we will allow the evil to take over, and then we will be held hostage by our unwillingness to force righteous change, and held hostage by a new and evil society to where we have no freedoms and no choices. The silent moral majority will be taken over by a smaller, louder immoral minority, and the USA will cease to be the greatest free nation on earth.

Wirefly Offers Pre-Paid Cell Phone Plans For You

We are most definitely in the cell phone age. Cell phones for teens are a MUST nowadays. However, teenagers tend to lose them, break them, constantly want to upgrade them, etc. Perhaps many of you have found that a standardized calling plan just isn’t the best choice for you. Maybe you don’t want a two year contract. Perhaps you are unsure how the cell phone will work out for your teenager, and don’t know how many minutes they will log in a month. Afraid of the “horrible surprise bill” that can break your monthly budget? Keep the kids in line with PREPAID cell phone options. Pre-pay for the amount of minutes you can afford, and limit the text messaging with pre-paid options. Single parents that may not have enough credit to qualify for a reasonable cell phone plan can still “reach out and touch on the go” with a good pre-paid cell phone plan. Check out all the options at Wirefly.com and find a solution that will keep you up to date and a member of the wireless world. They are one of the number one solutions for cell phone needs. They offer a vast array of cell phones and cell phone plans. This post sponsored by Wirefly.com

Lock Bumping - Protect Yourself From Thieves!

Lock Bumping: I had not seen nor heard of such a thing as lock bumping until a friend was kind enough to share this video with me. I am most definitely going to reconsider the “lock situation” around our home, and most likely make some changes. I had no idea how easy it is for a person to gain entrance into your home in such a tiny amount of time. This news station did an in depth study on the growing problem of the crime of lock bumping, and found that even a child can gain entrance into a home in seconds. Take the time to watch this video. It’s about three minutes long, but could save you thousands in what you could lose during a burglary. Protect yourself from the thieving criminals just waiting to prey on the unsuspecting.

Get Paid To Blog!

Get Paid to Blog! More and more big money opps are coming in all the time as this new “privatized advertising” idea is catching on. Bloggers get to talk about products and services they like and know a lot about, and the advertisers are beginning to pay BIG BUCKS. With the new segmentation system, bloggers with high traffic can make as much as $1000 for a single sponsored post! Also, PayPerPost.com helps out the advertisers by charging only a 35% service fee, as opposed to the likes of ReviewMe, that requires 100% markup to advertisers. With PPP, there is more money left over for your pocket! PPP makes perfect sense for bloggers with high traffic, and those with low traffic as well. Disclosure is required for all bloggers, so no wool is ever pulled over anyone’s eyes. Get involved today and get paid to blog, and start earning back some of those dollars spent running your blog, or earn money for a pet project. I’ve earned $209.80 toward my son’s upcoming student ambassador trip this summer. Click on the PayPerPost Logo on my right side bar and you too can begin to earn money while talking about what you like. PPP also offers the ability to give all the money you earn to charity if you like. Help your favorite cause by blogging!

My Happy Valentine's Day

HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY EVERYONE…I am loved today…so are you :) I’m such a lucky girl! I am blessed to have three wonderful men in my life, and they each gave me their own little touch of love today. I left for work this morning to find a little surprise waiting for me in the door handle of my SUV; a beautiful long stemmed rose with a special note from my youngest son Quaid. Photo Sharing - Upload Video - Video Sharing - Share Photos I opened the door to get in my car, and Quaid had also left Mom a little bag of treats on the front seat. It’s funny how the smallest things can warm your heart and make you giggle. For as many years as I can remember with both my kids…I’ve always stolen Smarties candy from them. I used to tickle them when they were small and rob their trick or treat bags of all available Smarties. When they grew older, it just became a family joke that any time there was a “candy” occasion at school, or at Halloween, they automatically came home and gave me the Smarties. It gave me a warm chuckle to get a whole bag of them on the seat of my car today. Photo Sharing - Upload Video - Video Sharing - Share Photos When I arrived at work, my son Clayton had my desk arranged with his little burst of love. I had a bag of Hershey’s kisses with almonds (yum yum), and a beautiful little wooden box with hearts and love on it filled with more goodies and a Happy Valentine’s Day balloon on it. I just love little knick knacks like this, and as all you mothers out there know…when it comes to a gift from one of your babies…this little red box will live safely perched somewhere visible in my home for the rest of my life. Photo Sharing - Upload Video - Video Sharing - Share Photos Sitting on my desk next to my son’s gift was a brand new special delivered Vermont Teddy Bear from my husband Kevin. I eagerly opened him to see which of the several hundred bears was to be mine. Since I’m from Texas, my husband graciously sent a new cowboy into my life. He is too cute with silk heart boxers, a bandana around his neck, a cowboy hat on his little furry head, and rompin’ stompin’ boots on his feet. He will live happily ever after with the other small collection of bears that have come to live with me over the years. If you’ve never received a Vermont Teddy Bear…half the fun is the box it comes in. This company cracks me up…there’s all kinds of crazy nutty stuff printed on the inside of the box. Great marketing scheme, and inexpensive for the corporation too I’ll bet. Photo Sharing - Upload Video - Video Sharing - Share Photos I cannot stop with my Valentine’s Day tales…I also had too much fun watching my boys get spoiled by their significant other wonderful ladies. I got home very late last night, so my guys were already in bed. Quaid’s girlfriend had already snuck over to the house to proclaim her Valentine admiration for him so that he would awake to something special. I had to grab the camera and go out into the street and snap the photos. Aahhh, young love! These are the moments that make me miss high school and that once in a lifetime joy of youth (of course…it’s not until you’re older that you realize how wonderful youth truly was :) ) Photo Sharing - Upload Video - Video Sharing - Share Photos Photo Sharing - Upload Video - Video Sharing - Share Photos Photo Sharing - Upload Video - Video Sharing - Share Photos Clayton’s girlfriend left him a special surprise on his desk that she created and made herself. He has an affinity for blow pops (I never knew that and I’m his Mom) she says… so she created the blow pop bouquet and painted the pot, complete with the cute phrase, “I’m a sucker 4 U”. Everybody here is having a lovely “love day”, and hope that all of you are too. Photo Sharing - Upload Video - Video Sharing - Share Photos And…to the bitch I heard on the radio complaining about only getting 6 roses, and how dare her husband do such a thing on Valentine’s Day (as she was swearing to get even on his birthday by intending to give him half a pair of shoes)…I hope your six roses wilt and die and you prick all your fingers with the thorns. To everyone else…hugs and kisses!

Akiane - The REAL Deal

Akiane…a true miracle in today’s plastic world of disbelief. We are all so often bombarded with things either TOO evil to fathom, or TOO good to be true…that it sometimes becomes difficult to know WHEN we actually see or hear something REAL. I believe God is REAL. He’s VERY REAL, and although I no longer regularly attend church, or go around being “all religious and thump the Bible”… I am very spiritual in my private life and quiet thoughts. I am often very disappointed that those around me don’t ever take the time in a simple moment to realize when they’ve been touched. In the simplest moments of day to day life, often tiny circumstances present themselves that deem the term “blessing”. I’m also disappointed that in today’s plastic world, miracles and people that should be recognized for a talent so obviously given to them by a Higher Power for a specific purpose often go completely unnoticed. Akiane should NOT go unnoticed. While she seems a bit naive and a bit TOO purist at first glance…a bit of observance and an open mind will show you that she is most definitely the REAL DEAL. This young woman began to paint “from visions” at the age of six. Her mother was a proclaimed atheist. She was not only shocked at her daughter’s obvious extreme talent, but also taken aback by her tales of Godly visions and visits to heaven in the spiritual sense. One look at her paintings, and given the facts of her age and background…it can only be explained by a divine intervention. Her story was told on CNN, and the video is available above. The link to her name will also take you to her website. I could not help but be touched by this young woman; I hope you will take three minutes to observe her story first hand.

Anna Nicole Smith Death Tape

Oh for Pete’s sake…will the real father please stand up? Goodness, gracious, I certainly hope something worthwhile happens in the world immediately so that my television isn’t bombarded on every channel with the “NOT” news of the dead drama queen slut Anna Nicole Smith. Somebody paid $500,000 for the video embedded at the top of this story. Now, there’s a good waste of enough money to feed hundreds of starving children for a very long time. Autopsy results today revealed nothing substantial (I’m shocked), and it will be three to five weeks until final results are released pending toxicology findings. She’s been terminally stoned and wasted every time I’ve seen her on television for as many years as I can remember. Around our house, we call that condition “Perma-Fried”. Anna Nicole can now join the ranks of other Perma-Fried celebrities such as Bob Dylan, Dean Martin, Ted Kennedy, Paris Hilton, and others. If all the bad publicity surrounding this dead diva hasn’t been enough in recent weeks, now Zsa Zsa Gabor’s husband Prince Frederick von Anhalt says he had a lengthy and torrid affair with the psycho bombshell and thinks HE may be the father of infant daughter Dannielynn Hope Marshall Stark (gotta’ get ALL the appropriate last names in there for effect). The ONLY SAD and disturbing thing coming from all this is the little girl Dannielynn. She had no hope for any kind of a future with a nut job mother like Anna Nicole, and in my opinion (which this whole post is…just my ignorant opinion)…that creepy wanna-be celeb lawyer Howard K. Stern is no choice for a role model either. Hopefully, when all the dust settles, poor baby Dannielynn will be placed with loving people who will raise her in a good and decent home. It’s never the kids’ fault, and it is a true shame that repugnantly hopeless people like Anna Nicole Smith are even allowed to reproduce, and if I were any of the multitudes of men that claim to have donated sperm, I certainly wouldn’t admit to screwing a classless woman like Anna Nicole. Good luck Dannielynn, may you find hope, grace, and love in your future…and may your life NOT be clouded with haunts of paparazzi.

Sports Illustrated Swim-Babe Valentine

I can already hear the sighs coming from men who dread the “duties” of Valentine’s Day. Well, cheer up guys…February 14th is a day with something in store for you too. SPORTS ILLUSTRATED’S SWIMSUIT EDITION comes out on this day too. This February 14th will mark the 43rd release of this famous magazine edition. From its inception in 1964, Sports Illustrated magazine has been making millions each year with its famous and always highly anticipated swimsuit edition. From the first “issue” that was concealed within the regular issue and sparked huge controversy, to the multi-million dollar juggernaut issues of recent years; there is no doubt that men from all walks of life can tell you about an SI swimsuit edition, and can most likely name at least one model made famous by it. Old men sneak a peek, and young and burgeoning puberty stricken teenaged boys can be found with the SI swim babes under the covers with a flashlight. In addition to the popular reading of this year’s issue, Sports Illustrated is offering all you men the opportunity to see your favorite swim-babe anytime. At http://www.simobileswimsuit.com, you may download your favorite model in the form of cell phone wallpaper, attain video clips directly from the video shoots, or get ring tones complete with video clips. These goodies are available for a mere $1.99 and over 50 of the famous SI supermodels are featured here. Just imagine guys, you can set up your cell phone so that when the nagging wife calls, you can look at your phone and see Victoria’s Secret babe Heidi Klum instead. When you don’t want to talk to your mother either, look at the likes of Marisa Miller, Ana Beatriz Barror, tennis great Maria Sharapova, Molly Sims, or 2005’s cover girl Carolyn Murphy instead as you let the phone ring and ring:) Animated screensavers are available as well. Have a blast from the past with wallpaper from former swimsuit divas like Elle Macpherson (’87, ’88, ’94), or Kathy Ireland (’92, ’94).

Stupid Criminal Files Drew My Name!

My funny friends over at Stupid Criminal Files just celebrated their 2nd Blog birthday recently. Their site is dedicated to sharing with all of us the antics and bad attempts at crime by some of the world’s most accomplished morons. I enjoy reading there, and never come away without a laugh. As part of their birthday celebration, they had a give-away for their loyal readers, fans, and subscribers. THEY DREW MY NAME and I won a $15 gift certificate to Amazon.com. I am proud to say I will use this certificate to pre-order the new Harry Potter book (Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Book 7) that will release July 21, 2007. Thanks guys! It’s a pleasure to be a fan. Congratulations on your 2nd birthday, and kudos to you for having over 2 MILLION HITS to date. You have a great site and do a good job keeping us all entertained. Keep up the good work.

E-Greetings.com - Risque & Funny E-Cards

Admit it…everybody likes to receive an E-Card…especially when it cracks you up and keeps you laughing all day when you think of it. EGreetings.com is a fantastic site for a wide assortment of FREE funny birthday or Valentine’s Day e-cards, and a vast array of e-cards for any occasion or category possible. E-Greetings.com offers a large inventory of risqué and off-the-wall e-cards full of hilarious animations and funny messages. All cards can be personalized with messages and pictures. Anyone can sign up for a 30 day free trial membership in which unlimited e-cards may be sent. For $13.99 per year, a full membership offers the ability to choose and personalize e-cards at any time and choose the date in which they will arrive to your special someone. E-cards beat the heck out of having to drive to a store and purchase cards, envelopes, and postage. Click on the links below the images below to check out some of the most popular birthday and Valentine’s Day cards now available at E-Greetings.com. Send someone a special laugh today, or send a sexy birthday eCard! CLICK HERE to see "Cupid's Pick-Up Lines" CLICK HERE to see "Birthday Cleavage" CLICK HERE to see "Valentine's Chins"

I Love My Bar - Meet A Regular

I love MY bar… do you? I know that most of my readers are pretty straight laced, and wouldn’t know much about any bar, much less a local watering hole. However, I like to partake in a spirit or two on a fairly regular basis, and I DO KNOW the value of a good neighborhood hangout. If you do have a local hangout, you see the same folks day in and day out, and don’t think too much of it except to say, “Hi”, and acknowledge the regulars that you “know”, but don’t “really know”. That can also happen in the common workplace break room if you work for a company that has LOTS of employees. Tonight, my story is about Dan. Dan is a guy that I’ve seen in my bar for years. He’s always nice, we always shake hands and say hello, and occasionally we even buy each other, or each other’s employee’s, friends, or acquaintances a drink. Well, tonight, it just worked out in the logistical scheme of things that I was sitting by Dan, and all of our significant “others”…be it friends or colleagues were otherwise occupied. So, for the first time ever, I actually TALKED to Dan. Now I’m 44, and Dan is over 60, maybe a few-some-odd years over…, he never divulged the exact number. Dan is a nice looking man for under his age, and better looking when you know how old he actually is. But, I usually talk to my own group, my husband, or my employees and never really talk to the “others”. Tonight, I realized that it’s a real shame that we as individuals DON’T ever TALK with those that we “know”, but “don’t know”. People have fascinating stories. Every person that you pass on the freeway at rush hour, every person you find your self in line behind at a store…every person has a story. Sometimes, it’s quite intriguing to find out what the story that the “regular guy” next to you might tell. Dan had no choice as to what his parents were, or what choices they made. His father was born into a heart-land farm family not too much different than mine. His folks came from Nebraska. His father had a piece of land and as a young man in love after marrying his mother decided to sell this said parcel of land for a fair and profitable price. At this time, (somewhere around 1932, a LONG TIME AGO), he had some money, several thousand dollars, and was made aware that farm land was for sale in Cuba. His father bought TWO SECTIONS OF LAND (1280 ACRES) in Cuba for $2800.00. I don’t know about where you live, but I grew up on a farm of 160 acres (1/4 Section), and anybody then that owned only one huge parcel “section (640 acres)” was considered a land baron. Cuban law is MUCH different than ours, and at the age of 10, Dan got a job in a small engine repair shop, with the intention of cleaning the shop after school. Within a short period of time (1 yr), he was the FOREMAN of this business. He had a child at twelve, and married his child’s mother (22 years old). He was making GOOD money as a shop foreman, but had to have his wife co-sign for an apartment in which for them to live in. Dan’s family was very religious, in which many of the brothers or Uncles were pastors and religious men. Dan’s father moved his wife to Cuba, but when Dan was born, they were state-side, and he was born an American citizen. Mr. Dan owned this farm in Cuba, and made a LOT OF MONEY in Cuba as a farmer and land baron. When Fidel Castro came into power, he befriended the father, and his father even donated lots of money to the Castro “early young” empire to better the path of Cubans and to try to support the Castro philosophy that “said” it wanted to accomplish better things and a better way for the people and the country of Cuba. Well, go figure that Castro eventually threw Dan’s family OUT OF CUBA (white family), and confiscated his father’s land, all of the money he’d made that was in Cuban bank accounts, and everything this man had worked for. Dan’s family came back to America, and his father had $22 dollars in his pocket, a wife, and four children, and Dan was still a young man. Dan’s father came back home, and continued to make a living as a farmer in the heartland, but never again reached the wealth or status he had in Cuba, but learned lessons hard to swallow. Dan is now over 60, and is an accomplished pilot, businessman, and musician. He told me stories of how he learned the Bible, and how he is not particularly religious, but appreciates his learned background. He’s been married more than once, and is currently single. He shared with me the wonderous meeting of a “new lady” recently that shares his love for music and performing and stated that he is happy and very blessed in his life so far. Dan stated that his family was religious, but he was NOT. He stated that he appreciates me in my Republican beliefs, but he is NOT the conservative “religious guy”. While he considers himself Republican, he stated that when his father was raising them in Cuba, his father had him and his twin brother read the Bible through, and asked at the end of the reading which portion was their favorite part? Dan stated that his favorite part was in relation to the Devil… that it was the Devil that originally proposed the actual difference between right and wrong, and without that…why would there ever need to be any discussion of religion? If everything was perfect, and everything was clean and Godly, and no DEVIL ever showed us the “other side”, then how would we KNOW to be good? While Dan was about 7-8 at this time, he said his father never quite “swallowed” that version of “what you got out of the Bible”. I told him that whether he realizes it or not, he has religion. He is spiritual. That is the ultimate understanding of religion. Spirit has no rules. Spirit has no formal organization. Spirituality is the blessing we gain when we’ve experienced the knowledge of right and wrong, it’s the water in our eyes when something beautiful happens, on any level. Spirit is that “thing” that makes a sunset strike us in our very soul, or the acknowledgement of the beauty of a blooming weed on the side of the road. Heaven will be a compilation of all of the souls from a global picking pool. Titles and organized clichés will not matter. And, the Devil…was originally an angel that turned sour, but in retrospect, the “guy” that has saved all of our lives. I’ve never quite heard it that way, but Dan is a brilliant man…without the Devil, we would have no bar to rise above. Without the bad, there is no good to strive for. Dan will be in heaven, and I’m glad I had a moment to hear his story. It was fascinating, and I am a better person for hearing it, and now when I say, “Hi”, it will mean a little more. Take the time to get to know the people you just “recognize as familiar” a little bit more. Think about the people you can identify by look, but never bother to know by name or personal history. If we lose the ability or even the simple NEED to KNOW those around us, we are going to give away our nation, for it’s the stories that we all can tell… it’s the lives that we all collectively live… in a quagmire of generic circumstances that makes America the greatest nation on earth. Never take any ONE person you might meet for granted. After you actually TALK to someone generic that you meet, and you find they are truly generic, or bothersome… then they are part of the problem, not part of the solution. Just, don’t be so disgusted with folks in general that you cannot take the time in your busy day to tell the difference. I’m a better person tonight because I took a moment to hear part of Dan’s story.

Lookout Over Reno, NV

Recently, my friend Dave at A Bit of This – A Bit of That commented on some photos I’d taken. He said he’d like to see more photos of local stuff here in Reno. He is in England, and would like to see more of “here”. Well, I finally talked the husband into going for a drive today so I could capture some. His patience is short with such things, but I did get some photos from a prime spot in which you can see just about all of Reno, NV. This is the Lookout upon Lakeside Dr. From here you almost have a 360 degree view of our valley. Reno proper is in the valley bottom at 4500 feet above sea level. I would guess we are at about 5500 feet at the lookout. This wasn’t the best day for photo ops, as there was a “nice” inversion layer of smog on the valley floor, but the new zoom lens is working nicely…it’s just that the smog made the photos not as clear and crispy as I would have liked. Notice in the photo of the downtown casino area skyline Harrah’s Casino at the far right. Bill Harrah founded this casino. It has long been a Reno icon, and Mr. Harrah also opened the famous Harrah’s auto museum here in Reno. Since his death, many of the amazing cars have been sold, but it’s still a highlighted tourist attraction downtown. This is Ranch Harrah, the former home of Bill Harrah. In it’s hay day, and even into the early 80’s ABSOLUTELY NOTHING that you can see in the background or to the sides of Ranch Harrah even existed. Reno is currently the third fastest growing metroplex in the nation. If you will notice, the Bank of America building, and the smaller white buildings to the left of Ranch Harrah have similar architecture and the same color roofing as the ranch house. I have no doubt that this was required as the city grew around the historical landmark as to not aesthetically take away from the old ranch’s appearance. You can see Atlantis Casino in the foreground, and in the background the Grand Sierra Resort (this is about to take on a maxi-million dollar renovation to become a huge indoor water park and family style casino resort). It was the former Reno Hilton, even before that, it was Bally’s, and originally it was the MGM Grand Reno. In this photo far away, you can see the two twin towers of John Asquaga’s Nugget Casino & Resort. If you will notice in the foreground, you can see the workings of the Reno-Tahoe International Airport. The odd shape of the Nugget’s second tower was required as it sits in the immediate flight path from the airport. From our lookout spot, we caught some locals around Ranch Harrah riding their horses. The Reno valley is odd in the fact that we get very little snow in the winter. However, just a mere 30 minutes away toward Lake Tahoe, they get a lot of snow (most years…winter skipped us entirely this year so far). From the lookout here I am facing east. You can see the winter brown mountains and hills to the East. All I did in this photo was turn around in the same spot at the lookout, and you can see the ski slopes of Mt. Rose on the way to Lake Tahoe. We continued driving around the countryside a bit after leaving the lookout, and I managed to catch this old lonely tree and a black bird sitting on the rock below. When it comes to photos, I am a sucker for trees, barns, windmills, and anything old and rustic that reminds me of my country days growing up in Texas. I couldn’t resist this last photo. It’s my little stuck up Persian kitty “Poofy”. I think he wasn’t impressed that we left him on Saturday afternoon to take a drive. This was fun, perhaps I’ll find more time to capture more intimate sections of Reno on a more regular basis. Thanks Dave for the suggestion, and for getting me out of the house today with the camera :)

Troop Surge - Letter From Iraq

My post today at America's Victory '08: I’ve done a bit of research, and I could not find any evidence that this was not a real letter. It’s been the best REAL explanation of “goings on” in Iraq that I’ve read. Unlike the biased media these days, I actually felt from reading this that I understand more of what is actually going on in Baghdad, and who the players are and what they stand for. Please read this letter and gain some true insight on our problems and possible solutions for this Iraq War. “Subject: My view of IraqFollowing the article I sent about Bush’s national address and troop increase, I thought it was a good idea to let you all know what the perspective is over here. I’m tired of hearing the media’s skewed version, the politicians squabbling over what they read in a report, and the average ill-informed American ranting about things he knows NOTHING about. I’ve been over here a couple of months now, and I’ve learned more about this country than a year’s worth of watching CNN. I’ve sat in mission briefs with Colonels, talked with village elders, had tea with Shieks, played with the kids. And I agree with the President. We need more troops and we need to take greater action. There are 3 major factions here. The Sunnis, Shiites, and Kurds. The Shiites are in the majority, but Saddam was a Sunni, so he kept the Shiites in check. Everyone hates the Kurds, who are Christian and in the vast minority. The Kurds received the brunt of Saddam’s murderous tyranny. Now that Saddam is gone, the Shiites have taken control of Baghdad . The largely peaceful Sunnis are now the victims of radical Shiite terrorism. So the young Sunni men, who can no longer go to work and support their families, do what all young men would do. They join the Sunni militia and battle the Shiites. And thus the country sits on the brink of civil war. But this war is between them. They largely do not concern themselves with the U.S. troops. The insurgents who battle the Coalition Forces are from outside the country. And the biggest problem down here isn’t the insurgents. Its the politicians. The local politicians. Even though the country is controlled by Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, downtown Baghdad is controlled by radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr. The Shiites follow al-Sadr and thus the Prime Minister does what al-Sadr says. Think of it as if a warlord controlled New York and blackmailed the President into diplomatic immunity. When 1st Cav (mainly 2/5 Cav) came here in 2004, they took downtown Baghdad (known as Sadr City ) by force. It cost many lives, but after a year, we held an iron grip on the largest insurgent breeding ground in Iraq . The insurgents were afraid of the Horse People, and rightfully so. But when 1st Cav left, al-Sadr influenced the Prime Minister to kick out the Coalition forces from that area of Baghdad . He said the Iraqi military forces could hold the city. But all that happened was al-Sadr regained control of his city, and it is now a heavily guarded fortress. A place where insurgents and terrorists can train and stockpile arms. And we cannot go back in because the Prime Minister won’t let us. Our hands are tied. So where does al-Sadr get his backing? From Iran and Syria . Iran supplies him with money and Syria supplies the terrorists. The insurgents that battle the Coalition Forces are from Syria , Somalia and dozens of other places outside of Iraq . Iraq is literally a terrorist breeding ground. They have terrorist and sniper schools here. Why not? They train by teaching them to attack the military forces here. And they have an endless supply of these training tools. They have factories in Sadr City to build bombs. Both Iran and Syria have openly proclaimed their number one goal in life is to destroy the great Western Devil and the little Western Devil ( America and Britain ). Iran wants to control Iraq to further this purpose. Al-Sadr will get to “run” the country and live like a king, but in reality Iran will pull the puppet strings. Iran will have access to thousands of radical Shiites who will do whatever al-Sadr tells them to. And Iraq will be used as a breeding ground for terrorism. Terrorism that will be targeted directly at America and Britain . The Iraq Study Group advised we should let Iran and Syria help with rebuilding? Bravo to President Bush for striking that idea down and vowing to keep those two countries out of Iraq .So how do the Iraqi people feel about everything? Of course they don’t want the Americans here. But they would far rather have us here than the Iranians. My platoon visited an average Sunni village on a patrol a few days ago. Their only source of income was to farm, as they could not go to the city to work for fear of violence. Many of the young men had already run off to join the militia for no other reason than to feed their families. They had no school or hospital near them and the community was dying. The village elder’s granddaughter was very sick and I was able to treat her. Afterwards he invited me and my Platoon Leader to sit in his house and have tea with him, and we talked about the situation. The people want peace. The Shiites kill the Sunnis because al-Sadr tells them to do so. The Sunnis fight back because they have no choice. They are glad Saddam is dead (Sunni or not), but do not want to replace him with another dictator in a politician’s clothes (which is what al-Sadr will become). And they especially don’t want Iran in charge. Many innocent Iraqis will die if this happens. These are the words that came out of the elder’s mouth: “We do not want America here, and America does not want to be here. But you cannot leave because the militias control the country. America must use the might of its giant army and sweep through, root out and destroy the militias. Then Iraq can be free and you can leave.” What appears to have happened within our diplomatic community, is that Prime Minister finally realizes that his days are numbered. If al-Sadr remains, he will be kicked to the curb. So hopefully he is about to allow us to reenter Sadr City , root out and destroy the enemy. A dramatic troop increase will allow us to do this. And the Horse People are back and ready to finish what they started over 2 years ago. If we leave now, it will be a failure for democracy. Iran will control Iraq and the end result will be more terrorist attacks on America . The American people don’t want soldiers dying over here, but its better than American civilians dying over there. Do NOT forget 9/11. They will do it again. The moment we loosen our grip on the noose, they will do it again. And the only way to root out the evil here is to stop beating around the bush, increase troops and destroy the insurgents once and for all. The Iraqi government cannot do this on their own. The Iraqi security forces are inadequate for this task. We are the only ones who can stop al-Sadr. Feel free to share this with whomever wants a real soldier’s opinion about the war. SPC “Doc” Shurley2/5 Cav, 1st CB”

HAPPY GROUNDHOG DAY!

HAPPY GROUNDHOG DAY! Well, Punxsutawney Phil DID NOT see his shadow at 7:28am this morning. It was 26 degrees with overcast skies with light snow and mist under a Full Moon. Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania was settled in 1723 by the Delaware Indians as a campsite halfway between the Allegheny and the Susquehanna Rivers. This town is 90 miles northeast of Pittsburgh. Groundhog Day is believe to have started February 2nd 1841. Punxsutawney is the Indian word for “town of the sandflies”. For even more Groundhog Day trivia, and to see the past record of shadows, CLICK HERE.

Gaspirtz.com - Bizarre Cartoons

Like weird cartoons and enjoy reading comics? Oliver Gaspirtz is the man of bizarre cartoons. You may obtain lots of free cartoons at Gaspirtz.com. Gaspirtz cartoons have appeared in such publications such as National Enquirer and the Saturday Evening Post. If you enjoy dark humor and funny pictures, give the site a look.

Help Send My Student Ambassador To Europe

Last year, my son was fortunate enough to have been selected as a student ambassador to travel with the People to People organization. Thirty Five students from this area traveled together in a diplomatic delegation to China for 17 days. The learning experience for him was amazing and really a life changing experience. Dwight Eisenhower began this program 51 years ago in accordance with his hope for and belief in world peace. Every president since his reign except one has kept this program going. It was his belief that if people from foreign worlds were together for a long enough period of time, we would all realize that from one end of the globe to the other, for the most part, we are all a lot alike and share the same dreams and hopes together. My son was interviewed and selected again this year to travel as an ambassador alumni. It’s his senior year, and a trip to Europe in the summer will finish a wonderful high school experience with more world travel and learning. While it’s an honor and a privilege to be accepted into this group, it isn’t cheap at all. The trips cost $5500.00. I have had many friends and relatives inquire on how they could help Quaid attain his goal for this trip. I’ve had several blog readers state to me in e-mails that they would like to help as well. My goodness, if everyone that logged onto this blog in a few months just gave a tiny bit, my son would have most of his fund-raising done in no time at all. Because so many have been so generous to ask, I have placed a “PayPal Donate Button” on the right sidebar of this blog. Any and all donations will be gratefully appreciated, and my son has vowed to thank each of you personally. I also intend to post regular updates on his fund-raising progress, and should he be lucky enough to raise enough money for the entire trip, I will remove the donate button on his behalf. Thank you in advance for your generosity, I know I find it’s always a pleasure to help the kids. If you have a son or daughter (even in grade school) that would like to get involved in this magnificent program… PLEASE CLICK HERE for a link. I wish I would have known about this program when my son was in junior high, he could have seen so much of the world with that many years to participate. Below is the itinerary for this year’s European Discovery. Good Luck student ambassadors! Depart for France Day 1 Greet your fellow Ambassadors in your departure city before boarding your international flight to France.Paris, France Day 2Bonjour et Bienvenue en France! or a dazzling first impression of Paris, head to the top of the Eiffel Tower (899 feet), built for the 1889 World’s Fair to commemorate the French Revolution. Explore the magnificent Château de Versailles, built during the reign of Louis XIV, the Sun King, and the seat of the royal court from 1682 to 1789. Paris, France Day 3 Set out with your French guide for an orientation of the city Ernest Hemingway called “a moveable feast.” Marvel at the white Basilique du Sacré Coeur, who’s dome is the second highest point in Paris. Experience one of the most unforgettable places in Europe, the Notre Dame Cathedral, a building that took two centuries to complete. Find Point Zéro, the spot from which all road distances in France are measured, in the courtyard of Notre Dame. Visit the historic Montmartre area, a haven for artists and writers before World War I. Reims, France Day 4 Take a guided exploration of one of the most important art collections in the world, the famous Louvre. You will visit the principal parts of the museum — including a look at Leonardo Da Vinci’s masterpiece, "Mona Lisa." Au revoir Paris! Journey to Reims and spend the night. Strasbourg, France Day 5 Cross the rolling plains of the Northeast to the region of Champagne, known for some of France’s finest landscapes and its fine wines. Alsace and Lorraine, regions containing many charming medieval towns, have changed nationality four times since 1871. Explore Strasbourg with your delegation. Zurich, Switzerland Day 6 On the way to Zurich, make a stop in the medieval city of Lucerne. Stroll along the picturesque Kapellbrücke, the wooden bridge spanning Lake Lucerne, and have a look at the Lion Monument, dedicated to the Swiss soldiers who died in the French Revolution (1792). Buy some famous Swiss chocolate for your friends and family back home. Salzburg, Austria Days 7-8 Innsbruck (“Bridge over the Inn River”), the capital of the region of Tyrol and home of the 1964 and 1976 Winter Olympics, will be your next destination. Enjoy lunch at the “Villa Blanka” in Innsbruck and try baking your own dessert — the famous Austrian Apfelstrudel. Continue through scenic Austria to Salzburg, the city of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, one of the world’s greatest composers. Journey to Hallein, where you will visit the famous salt mines. Home Stay or Guesthouse, Austria Days 9-11 Visit the concentration camp Mauthausen to learn the dark side of recent European history. Head to Vienna and enjoy the Prater Amusement Park. Meet your host family to experience life in Austria, meet the locals and make lifelong friends. Vienna, Austria Day 12 Explore Vienna by bicycle. Take part in a discussion with a survivor of a concentration camp, a unique opportunity and a true honor for Student Ambassadors. Attend a concert at one of the famous concert houses of Vienna. Sirnitz, Austria Day 13 Depart for the small castle town of Friesach, once important for its key location on the Venice-Vienna trade route. Enjoy a rousing medieval lunch at the Friesach Castle and a formal welcome by the residents and town officials of Sirnitz. Jesolo, Italy Days 14-15 Before leaving Austria, stop to visit a mill and farm, and work with the local residents to gather all the necessary ingredients to make your own lunch. Continue on to Italy. Enjoy a typical Italian beach town, including a swim in the Adriatic Sea. Explore Venice: the bustling alleys, quaint bridges, narrow canals and one of life’s great pleasures, a ride in a gondola. See a demonstration of Venetian glass blowing in the factory, Veccia Murano. Montecatini, Italy Day 16 Leave Venice and journey through the Tuscan countryside to Florence. Visit the Accademia Gallery and view Michelangelo’s colossal statue, David. Leave Florence and continue your drive to Montecatini, where you’ll spend the night. Rome, Italy Day 17 Travel to Pisa and discover the Square of Miracles and the Leaning Tower. At Volterra, which offers spectacular views of the surrounding Tuscan hills, you will learn about the old tradition of Alabaster arts and the many uses of the beautiful stones. Rome, Italy Day 18 Visit the capital of Catholicism and the world’s smallest state, the Vatican. Marvel at St. Peter’s Basilica, which contains hundreds of works of art, and the Sistine chapel, containing perhaps the most amazing frescoes in the world. Attend an educational meeting with a priest who will speak about Catholicism in Italy and life in the Vatican, or with a nun who will explain her life in Rome. Have a rockin’ and rollin’ good time at the Hard Rock Café. Rome, Italy Day 19 Visit to the Roman Forum, the Colosseum and the Piazza Venezia, and explore the city center. Collect information about the Piazza Navona, the Pantheon, the Spanish Steps and the Trevi Fountain. Depart for the U.S. Day 20

George Bush - Pardon The Border Patrol Officers

Dear George Bush: PARDON YOUR DUTIFUL BORDER PATROL OFFICERS! What part of, illegal alien criminals have NO CIVIL RIGHTS do you not understand? “Your in our country illegally, you have $1,000,000 (over 700 lbs.) of marijuana in your possession and are attempting to traffic said drugs in the USA illegally, and assaulted a border patrol officer and then ran…YOU HAVE NO CIVIL RIGHTS HERE!” Signed: Malinda Campbell Legal Citizen / Nevada Osbaldo Aldrete-Davila was in this country illegally and had a million dollars worth of drugs on him. After already assaulting one officer, he ran, and officers Igancio Ramos and Jose Compean were in pursuit. The officers believed as the fleeing perpetrator ran, he turned to aim something at them, they believed he had a gun. In the foot pursuit, the officers shot at him multiple times. They say he ran back over the border, and they did not know that they had hit him. Now, the officers then picked up shell casings and failed to properly report the incident, however, according to them…there really wasn’t an incident…they did not know the man had been hit. Here’s the part that absolutely BLOWS MY MIND! The freaking DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY sent an agent TO MEXICO to find this creep and drag him back to the USA to TESTIFY AGAINST THE BORDER PATROL AGENTS. An army doctor took a bullet out of his ass and even though ballistic tests weren’t 100% conclusive, the patrol officers were tried and convicted of violating Davila’s civil rights and sentenced to 12 & 11 YEARS IN PRISON. Now, if that’s not appalling enough, the criminal was known to have been in the country again with 1000 pounds of drugs again, yet wasn’t chased down and prosecuted. He is now filing a $5 million dollar lawsuit against the government. Meanwhile, both Ramos and Compean are rotting in prison when they should have received a medal, and their families are desperately trying to survive. One family has already lost their home and both families are all without any health coverage and barely enough money to get by. It was also one month from the time of the “shooting” that criminal illegal Aldrete-Davila was “fetched” by Homeland Security to come back to the USA. Many believe that it was highly possible he was actually shot back in Mexico for not delivering his million dollar load properly. The investigation goes on while two men are in prison. Mr. Davila should have been shot in the head, but instead got shot in the butt. Perhaps the agents broke some rules and should be punished in some way, but 12 years in prison is excessive. I really hope our government WAKES UP TO SEE THE LIGHT…we need to protect our borders. Everybody knows that it’s illegal to enter this country, especially with several million dollars worth of drugs in tow. We must protect our borders and protect our citizens from drug lords and terrorists. I can’t even believe this happened. I thought Homeland Security was all about protecting the HOMELAND…NOT CODDLING THE ILLEGALS THAT VIOLATE OUR LAND. No wonder our country is going to hell in a hand basket one day and one incident like this at a time.

Blue Balls & Red Nutz - The Perfect Gift ?

I absolutely COULD NOT pass up this opportunity to post this sponsored tidbit. As my regular readers know, we own and operate a Big-Rig Truck garage, and a Pickup garage. YES… people DO ASK FOR THESE…THEY DO INQUIRE ON WHERE THEY CAN BE PURCHASED! I’ve seen them on trucks before, but we don’t sell them in our shops, and I never knew where they could be attained. Well truckers, bikers, and sand lovers…I’ve found your place. YourNutz.com is proudly encouraging folks to give blue balls or red nutz for Valentine’s Day. They have products with the Valentine theme among many other choices. I’m still cracking up at the irony that I stumbled across this site. These are available for trucks, cars, motorcycles, quads, and any other vehicle you might imagine. I suppose you could even put them on your bicycle if you wanted. Your Nutz will most definitely become a topic of conversation, and probably the result of a few honks as you breeze down the freeway “free-ballin” in the wind. Your nutz can light up, and are available in any color you wish. Go on over and give this site a look-see. Gift shipping is available. Give the perfect prank gift to your favorite jokemeister.

Cherokee Tale of Two Wolves

Photo Sharing - Upload Video - Video Sharing - Share Photos Boy, the Indian people back in their day were a very soulful people and had the right ideas on so many things. Perhaps we’d be better suited to find a really old Indian Chief to sit in the White House :) I like the following Cherokee Tale of Two Wolves. One evening an old Cherokee told his grandson about a battle that goes on inside people. He said, "My son, the battle is between two "wolves" inside us all. One is Evil. It is anger, envy, jealousy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego. The other is Good. It is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion and faith." The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather: "Which wolf wins?" The old Cherokee simply replied, "The one you feed."

My First Photos With New Camera

Lasting Winter Berries Clinging Winter Leaf Persian Sucks Thumb I have had hardly any time to really learn about the awesome camera my husband bought me for Christmas, but I managed to snap a few shots. I uploaded them to Webshots.com and lo and behold it seems that a few folks liked them too. I was so excited, 41 people have already downloaded my little photos for a screensaver or wallpaper. I can’t wait for the weather to warm up (and my other macro lens to come in) so I can get out and really get into this photography hobby more. If you click on a photo, it will get larger (I think :) )

IncParadise.com - Incorporate In Nevada

Photo Sharing - Upload Video - Video Sharing - Share Photos Many businesses are moving their corporate headquarters to the state of Nevada. We now have some very large companies located here like Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble. It’s a prime location to own a business. Why Nevada? Well, besides the fact that we have NO STATE INCOME TAX, and there is NO TAX ON INVENTORY, there are many other reasons to choose Nevada. Check out this Small Business Blog to find your reason to incorporate in Nevada. IncParadise.com makes it easy to incorporate and start your business right online. They also offer advice and news for entrepreneurs and small business owners. This post sponsored by IncParadise.com.