It's a bird, it's a plane..........it's a missile

China and Russia - expletive times ten.

UN weighs sanctions on North Korea

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Japan, backed by the United States and Britain, called on Wednesday for a U.N. Security Council resolution imposing sanctions on North Korea for its series of missile launches.

But Russia and China, after an emergency council meeting, made clear they would oppose any sanctions. Both nations, who have veto power, favor a weaker council statement.

Saying Russia had "serious concerns" about North Korea's actions, Ambassador Vitali Churkin said he opposed sanctions and favored a diplomatic solution.

Leiberman go home.

First Aid for Firework Nights ?????????

My tired old butt is going to watch fireworks from my house.

The neighbors will set them off at 9:30.

There is a lot of land here but I can't help but feel the need to tether my son to my side and carry the garden hose with me; that is if I dare get within fifty yards of these people.

You will understand my concern when I tell you that the people setting off these fireworks are husband and wife team, a sculptor and a cartoon artist respectively and I'm certain they haven't taken classes in firework production.

These are the “not legal in your state" kind of fireworks.

These are "The Big Ones".

Now I'm frightening myself.

Have a good one.

While I go google "first aid for fireworks".

Happy July 1st

Have a great weekend.

I hope it's extended.

Happy Weekend

Happy July 1st - 2006.

Have a great weekend.

Madness

Horrible rain,many roads flooded.

We lost electricity for a few hours yesterday and I think a couple hours today while we were working.

Madness I say, Madness.

Rainy weekend.

Raining like cats and dogs. Golf plans shot to hell too.

Can't do yard work.

We wanted to see "Leonard Cohen: I'm Your Man" but the release is limited and not playing anywhere local.

W'ere going to opt for "Click".

Through a needle's eye
JooAng Daily Opinion

Despite all the hardships that occur in everyday life, occasions like this make it all worthwhile.

The world's richest person, Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates, announced that he would step down from day-to-day control at the company he founded to devote more time to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

Out of his estimated personal wealth of $50 billion, he has announced that "only" $10 million will be set aside for his family, with the rest to be used for charity. We can easily understand how difficult the decision must have been to leave work at 51, at the peak of his career.

Mr. Gates said at a press conference that he had decided to change his priority from work to charity. He said he had an obligation to return his wealth to society in the best way possible.

This is a breath of fresh air to Koreans, who have been accustomed to seeing the wealthy using dirty methods to hand over their riches to their offspring as long as they can get away with it.

Through Mr. Gates, we are able to learn that wealth can truly be a wonderful medium. He made human life more convenient by developing computer software and, thanks to his charity efforts, the whole world will become a brighter and more comfortable one.

The Bible says that it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of God.

The world will lose one of its best entrepreneurs, but at the same time it has gained a great person to respect. It seems fitting to present Mr. Gates with the nickname, "The Great Gates."

We hope that his recent decision sets an example all of the rich people in the world and imposes an ethical burden on them.

It must have taken some mind searing thought to come to the decision that his family could live off of ten billion dollars.

Good for him despite it all. Now maybe someone can come up with a really good Widows Platform.

I've finally gotten off my ass and added a few links, links I may read. Most of them are stolen from Miss Alice because she has good links and doesn't fall into a trap of linking everyone who comes along or linking the most popular blogs. The only expcetion she made is joining that cult.

I added the librarian guy even though he looks like James Dean and may have to eventually give up and add the Wombat even though the amount of attention that boy gets from those women
is enough to stir up that little green monster.

Weekend Gone

Opponents Make Progress Toward Referendum


Lawmakers: Early Voting Rights Will Boost Ballot Numbers

In a year where Dems are only keeping their fingers crossed with very little hope of taking district eight and district six from Republican incumbants Erlich is doing his Republican best to make sure it doesn't happen.

Father's Day weekend was great, I ended up having to work a few hours, got in a round of golf and wathed Phil Mickelson blow one of the surest wins in the history of golf.

Father's Day

History/ Faather's Day / wikipedia

United States

In the United States, the driving force behind the establishment of the celebration of Father's Day was Mrs. Sonora Smart Dodd, born in Creston, Washington. Her father, the Civil War veteran William Jackson Smart, as a single parent raised his six children in Spokane, Washington. She was inspired by Anna Jarvis's efforts to establish Mother's Day. Although she initially suggested June 5, the anniversary of her father's death, she did not provide the organizers with enough time to make arrangements, and the celebration was deferred to the third Sunday of June. The first Father's Day was celebrated on June 19, 1910, in Spokane.

Unofficial support from such figures as William Jennings Bryan was immediate and widespread. President Woodrow Wilson was personally so feted by his family in 1916. President Calvin Coolidge recommended it as a national holiday in 1924. In 1966, President Lyndon Johnson made Father's Day a holiday to be celebrated on the third Sunday of June. The holiday was not officially recognized until 1972, during the presidency of Richard Nixon.

For me it s a day where I will get to eat food never usually found in this vegetarian encalve.

No Time for Blogging Just Reading

I won't have a lot of time for blogging this week I'm putting together a couple of proposals for a joint business venture I hope to become involved in soon.

I'm reading a few blogs here and there so I am staying on top of the blog reading.

I have been establishing a home office and this has been beneficial to my family, and believe it or not, I get more work done at home than I do in the city.

I live it what was once considered rural around here.
No longer rural but still a little way from the mainstream I enjoy spending office hours looking at birds out of the large window of my home office. I also get to spend countless hours with my son so call me what you will I’m having a good time.

Opinions - and changing template

Currently playing with template and switching to blogrolling so links may disappear for some time.


Nothing like a day off in the middle of the week and golf from seven till noon to put me in good spirits.

Michelle Wie did not make the cut and frankly at age sixteen it is probably a good thing. She did hang tough until yesterday I give her that.

I agree in some respects with this assessment from Sports Fan Magazine.

Before I get all the nasty e-mails, I am not a "Michelle Wie hater". I think she is a prodigious talent for a 16 year old; I would not argue if someone were to say she is the best golfer in the world of high school age; I think she shows poise and grace playing the game; I think she should become an outstanding professional golfer if she does not succumb to the monetary temptations outside the game that take time away from her game. I also think she is reaching way beyond her current capabilities in trying to play - and make the cut - on the men's PGA Tour. Maybe some day, but not yet. Right now, it would really be worth something to put some substance behind all the hype that is her created image - such as to win a tournament somewhere against players of some stature greater than high school students or amateurs in Hawaii. It's really been a while since she's won a tournament of any kind let alone one of any import. It's getting to be that time when one draws comparisons between her and Anna Kournikova. We're not there yet, but we're getting close...

Except having watched her play I think there is more substance and I don't see any indication that she will go the way of Kournikova, and besides that who can blame Anna for succumbing to the monetary temptations which were there without her having to work twelve hours a day in the hot sun on a hard court.

Alice opines on the Rolling Stone /Duke Lacrosse article.
She questions the articles intentions and hopes that it is mere parody.
Sadly I think no parody exists in this case.

This just makes me want to yell.

Heck with it all.

June 3 (Bloomberg) -- President George W. Bush, calling marriage the ``most enduring and important human institution,'' urged Congress to pass a constitutional amendment that would ban same-sex marriage in the U.S.

``Ages of experience have taught us that the commitment of a husband and a wife to love and to serve one another promotes the welfare of children and the stability of society,'' Bush said in his weekly radio address. ``Government, by recognizing and protecting marriage, serves the interests of all.''

The Senate Judiciary Committee last month approved, along party lines, a proposed constitutional amendment to define marriage as a union between a man and woman. The Republican- controlled Senate might vote on the measure as soon as next week. It has little chance of passage because it would require a two- thirds majority, and Republicans have just 55 of the 100 seats.

Ridiculous enough to drive me mad.

Please tell me how this is going to help any in this country?

Aren't they supposed to be passsing laws that will increase our abilty or get healthcare and a decent education?

The universe is falling apart sir and this is what you concentrate on?

The Purpose of Memorial Day

The purpose in all its simplicity is not to support anything in particular or to go on a three day shopping binge.


The purpose of Memorial Day is to honor our war dead and reflect upon the sacrifices they, and their families, made for our country.

That is where my thoughts are today.

I'm adding a link to a post at BIO which is heartbreaking.

I'm going to edit this because Pia has a beautiful post up and cooper has a funny dis against " right wing rock list " and American Idol that I think are worth noting for all the ten people visting this blog each day.

Holiday Approaching

I don't care about the Clinton marriage one way or the other. Are we not just a little too concerned about things that really don't affect us and not nearly concerned enough about things that should.

We'll be doing some entertaining this weekend which means we don't have to travel.

Friends and family from out of town and one day of complete peace is looking good right now.

I don't have much to write because , face it, I am a boring writer. I am a consultent for a Marketing firm and I do that well but writing in this blog well some would say"man that's just wrong"; not just some, my brother said it just the other day when I showed it to him.

My brother is one of those people who suggests thing like classes on firewalking classes for entertianment.

There are still a lot of people out there who do not read blogs. There are even more who read them but do not have them.

I think a campaign to the world to entice everyone in this country to blog would be great.

Post Preakness Blues.

I went to my first Derby this year and decided to go to the Preakness.
As many have already heard I'm sure it was a sad situation that occured when the Kentcuky Derby winner broke his leg. The last line of this article is true.

Regardless of Barbaro's ultimate fate, many fans in 2006 will have the same reaction as their counterparts in 1975. They will find it difficult to watch a Thoroughbred race or muster enthusiasm for the sport for a long, long time.

The place was madenss for sometime afterward. There were even a few threatened arrests of a news team froma local NBC affiliate.

I don't know that much about horse racing. A gentelman next to me said something about this case scenario beibg a hazard of running three year olds. This , I guess means that they are young and the anticiaption of the race and the adremilin produced there of nothandled as well by a three year old.

Another thing someone told me and which I was unaware is that a three year old horse is actually often closer to two years old in human bio terms.

The whole thing was horrifying.

Nice day out and I am not dealing with grubs today.

Hope you are all having a great weekend.

Thursday Rant.

What ever happened to this guy?

Listened to the general this morning sorry I am not convinced.

I may be the only one but that's the way it is.

Will Gay Marriage Sway Election?

Can we not just let people live their own lives and get on with real legislation.
Something that will help out the average American and something that really needs to be addressed.

EDUCATION -- COLLEGE GRADS FACE BURDENSOME STUDENT DEBT: While the USA Today reports some good news that college graduates are entering the best hiring market in the past few years, the Christian Science Monitor notes that those same students will be burdened by massive student debt. "Student-loan debt encumbers almost two-thirds of the Class of 2006, according to federal statistics. With tuition costs continuing to rise far faster than inflation and interest rates on federal student loans about to increase, the debt load for future graduates is set to become so heavy that it's likely to turn more students away from low-paying occupations like teaching." As the Center for American Progress recently reported, the growing student debt is hurting American families. The debt of the typical American family earning about $45,000 a year rose 33.1 percent from 2001 to 2004, primarily due to the increasing costs of education, housing, and health care. But as "60 Minutes" documented recently, the debt crunch for students has provided great business for federal loan providers. Federal student loans are now a $62 billion industry, according to the College Board. "With rates rising and tuition outpacing inflation, there is no end in sight to the student debt escalator."

Mother's Day Thoughts on Blogs.

I’ve gotten away from the pox for a few minutes.

I’m going to try not to mention grubs or my lawn.

It has been rainy on and off, and cold so that won’t be hard.

It was a pox ridden weekend but it wasn’t bad. He has a mild case due to vaccination and he seems to be no worse for wear.

I’m going with something different tonight in the few minutes I have online.

First let's start with Darfur, something I knew very little about until on reading
political notio , sometime last summer, I started to read comments from a girl called Alice, from wonderland or not and consequently began reading her blog.

My full intention was to read mainly political blogs, a fair share which are on my newsreader. Alice had more of a mixture and she was a younger blogger than those I had planned to be reading. Nevertheless I started to read and was capitivated.

It wasn't a political blog per say it was a personal blog but it was full of politics and humor and an intelligent and sometimes raw banter which I enjoyed and would not have expected to find from a twenty year old.

Alice's is where I first heard about Darfur and lately the talk about Darfur on the web and otherwise has been heading in a direction leaning more toward the real solution instead of the pretense of being concerned. I feel a real solution is something that is going to be difficult to arrive at but if it is keep in the news we surely will have to try. I thank Alice for bringing Darfur to my attention and for also thinking about it and making posts beyond the basic humanitarian effort.

She started a new blog devoted totally to Darfur and so far my favorite post there is
Considerations on Darfur: Is it Genocide? Again and of course the Darfur: Happy Mother's Day post hit home, pictures always do.


Political Notio is where I found people could actually discuss politics and not yell it or ram it down my throat. Womderland or Not is where I found out that there is hope for the future as there is wit and brilliance and humanity there and not all twenty - year old spend all day watching MTV or shopping and when they do it is funny.




In case you missed Al Gore on SNL.








I'm going to leave this Sunday night with one opinion and I know that there is a lot of wavering on this. I think Bush should be impeached but not only impeached but possibly hanged.

The Pox

NEWS OF THE WEIRD
By Chuck Shepherd

LEAD STORY

A Texas jury decided in 1991 that Steven Kenneth Staley, now 43, should be put to death for killing a restaurant manager, but three days before his February 2006 date with destiny, psychologists testified that he is mentally ill, and the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that a mentally ill person cannot be executed. The solution, declared state judge Wayne Salvant in April, is for the state to inject Staley with enough psychotropic medicine to make him sufficiently sane to understand why he is going to die, at which point he can be killed. (In similar cases, drugs improved Charles Singleton enough for his 2004 execution in Arkansas, but have failed since 1999 to restore Texan Emanuel Kemp's competency.)

Justice is totally messed up in this country.


My son has The Chicken Pox.

My wife has a conference for which she left with much prodding on my part. I was planning to work at home all weekend anyway. Sixty percent of my work is done at my home office because most of it is consulting.


Chicken Pox is visually quite and ugly condition even when mild. My son has a mild case. I am guessing it is because he was vaccinated.

I wish you all a good weekend and a Happy Mother's Day.

Post Kentucky Derby and Killing Grubs.

The Baltimore Orioles stayed in the game with four home runs and then got a much-needed win with a soft single. Coming off a road trip on which they went 0-5 and were outscored 35-12, the Orioles rallied three times for a 7-6 victory over the Detroit Tigers on Tuesday night.

Yea, they needed it.

The Derby was a very interesting affair. The weather was excellent and I drank a lot. The horses were spectacular to look at. It was nice to get away from it all and do something different. The winner boards in Maryland. I think I’ll be heading to the Preakness this year.



I keep meaning to expand the base of blogs I read on a daily basis but for some reason by the time I get through with the ones I do read I never have time.
Cooper has a interesting read at Darfur: An Unforgivable Hell on Earth. The girl does think. She also refuses to pontificate on Virgin Pledges at Wonderland or Not but makes us laugh anyway. MJ is doing something different with his blog as well by mixing it up and I like it.

Shayna is alive and well after a close call and
Patriotic Cowgirl just returned from the Derby as well and Pia at Courting Destiny does what she does best. Write

I've got to deal with a lawn that appears to have some grub problems. See you all later.

Post Kentucky Derby and Killing Grubs.

The Baltimore Orioles stayed in the game with four home runs and then got a much-needed win with a soft single. Coming off a road trip on which they went 0-5 and were outscored 35-12, the Orioles rallied three times for a 7-6 victory over the Detroit Tigers on Tuesday night.

Yea, they needed it.

The Derby was a very interesting affair. The weather was excellent and I drank a lot. The horses were spectacular to look at. It was nice to get away from it all and do something different. The winner boards in Maryland. I think I’ll be heading to the Preakness this year.



I keep meaning to expand the base of blogs I read on a daily basis but for some reason by the time I get through with the ones I do read I never have time.
Cooper has a interesting read at Darfur: An Unforgivable Hell on Earth. The girl does think. She also refuses to pontificate on Virgin Pledges at Wonderland or Not but makes us laugh anyway. MJ is doing something different with his blog as well by mixing it up and I like it.

Shayna is alive and well after a close call and
Patriotic Cowgirl just returned from the Derby as well and Pia at Courting Destiny does what she does best. Write

I've got to deal with a lawn that appears to have some grub problems. See you all later.

The first of May.

Things have been busy and I have time to comment but nothing very elaborate to write.

Spring here is gorgeous and it is in full bloom.

Looks like Shayna got interviewed over at Political Notio.
It is a great interview if you haven't seen it.

Cooper has been at a rally in DC for Darfur.

She also reminds us of May Day in it's various forms.

We have been invited to the Kentucky Derby. Never having been and not being a horse person I'm not sure if we are going but I hear it is festive and fun and we have childcare for the day and evening.

I might just be headng down to Kentucky this weekend.