We’re spending every dime we have right now on a guy that barely improves the team, is as overrated a shooter as there is in the NBA, and has as inflated a reputation for clutch heroics as Chauncey Billups.

In the next few years, whether we have success (and that success can only be a championship now, and nothing else) or withering, horrible defeat, this decision will be one we look back on. It will be the one where we say, “Wow, he thought ahead of us and made the move to make us a title-winner,” or, if we lose, many of us will be justified, saying, “This terribly short-sighted move just cost the team a championship. Every move that he made up to now means nothing. He made a deal that Bob Whitsitt would have shaken his head at.”

In the name of quick potential improvement, we may have just sold out our long-time goals. We signed a player that will stunt the growth of Nicolas Batum and Rudy Fernandaz, guys whose potential is much higher than Hedo Turkoglu could ever dream. We signed a declining player who can’t play defense in a contract year just because he had a good postseason performance. This could be the decision that may undo the team in the long run and keep us from getting over the top. Hopefully I’m wrong.

But for now, I’m feeling Pritch-slapped.

Well that was a gorgeous location for the wedding and that was proof that weddings can be quick unlike that godawful EJ and Nicole wedding that seemed like it would never end. Were the seagulls as captivated by Owen as I am? Sure I still have some suspicions after all he didn’t sign a prenup but you never know since it could be the real deal. I’ll just enjoy watching the pretty and how cute was that little car type thing he drove down the beach with Nick calling for his mommy. Dude let it go you’re a grown man so act like it. Oh wait you are by this family’s standards since he’s just acting like his brother Boob. Watch it boy or I might give you a Boob name too. I’m just not sure what to go with.

Oops because of Bridget’s fascination with that book she discovered that Owen was planning a wedding which led to her spilling the beans. So much for the lei thing which happens to be Nick’s favorite word only with different spelling of course. Thanks for the plural lesson dude. So according to him you just say lei with no s needed. This is the strangest honeymoon ever. It would have been funny if one of those seagulls circled above him and took a crap on him. Okay my brain is just strange like that.

I know it’s been a while but I’m pretty sure when you go swimming you actually get wet. So them claiming to swim was just dumb because they didn’t have towels and the hair wasn’t wet. Did they go through the door and magically get unwet or something. Of course they want their parents together since they’re the kids and a lot of kids want them to be together after all look at Sami for all those years wanting her parents back together. So they aren’t exactly the best ones to ask and Boobess is such a loser for taking the guy back. Why doesn’t he just go to the guesthouse and figure out what the hell he wants. Can’t he be alone longer than five seconds?

Stephanie went over to see Brooke again. Careful Stephanie I think you’re starting to like her. Now it seems the blame has shifted to Brooke instead of Rick. So I guess she doesn’t think Rick is the devil after all. I think Stephanie thinks that if Boob goes back to  Boobess that the whole Rick and Steffy thing will end. Sorry but I don’t think so because guess what they just might be in love. No one seems to even consider that possibility because people are too busy saying how evil Rick is.

There was something mysterious
about him. We saw the heights
and lows his life took.

Fame is two-sided. Few realize
that fact until it’s too late.

There’s a price to be paid
for fame. You must give-up
something, lot, for it.

Sometimes, it’s too
costly.

Along the rode to his
dream, fame, he gave-up
his child-hood.

As result, we saw the
darker side of this giant
talent.

A talent that knew no
boundaries. One which
could have reached any
star.

Only, sexual abuse allegations
against children scarred his
reputation. Although, they
were unproven.

The years of longing for a
child-hood, loneliness,
and illness took its toll
on him.

It seems to be the norm
to fill the hands of
our talented, giants,
and icons with
drugs in any form.

He, too, fell into
the trap.

One that is under
the influence of
chemical substances
can’t say, “No!”

Who speaks for one
that is under? Whose
fault is his death?

Or, blame can’t be
placed?

The pop icon was worshipped
in different cultures. He paved
the way for others.

The man created a home
children would adore.

He wanted his child-hood
back, but life doesn’t
work that way.

You can’t change an
instance in life, mis-spoken
word, or re-live your
child-hood.

Still, it’s no denying
his robust energy, the thrill
he gave audiences, and joy
he projected from the stage.

The eleven-year-old kid that
splashed on stage grew
into a prince, institution.

He left a global star.
One achievement was to
open main-stream music
for Blacks. They, now, show-
case their tunes to the main-
stream in music, and doing
well.

Michael Jackson showered
the world with his unique
flavor, style. Now, he rests.

When did the last “Ice Age” begin and end?

It’s a very important question. I’ll give you a hint… In the 13th century the Norse were able to set up a string of stageing camps throughout the North Atlantic because the entire North Atlantic was completely free of ice. These camps were abandoned because the North Atlantic began to fill with ice making it impossible for the Norse with their open longboats to make the crossing.

What? You didn’t know that? Amazing.

Okay, I’ll take pitty on you. The last “Ice Age” lasted from approximately 1200AD through 1900AD. It is usually referred to as the “Little Ice Age” because it’s duration was not long enough for new glaciers to form, but it did have significant impact on both the Northern and Southern hemisphers.

So, what does this have to do with “Global Warming”? Actually, quite a bit… The earth is not yet finished warming from it’s previous Ice Age (there’s still Ice in the North Atlantic) so of course the earth is warming. And if you really want to blame humans for the majority of impact, you are going to have to explain how the earth was actually warmer prior to 1200AD than it is today… after all, there weren’t any coal power plants or automobiles in 1180AD.

By the way, according to research linking global climate shifts to solar activity as well as core activity, the current cycles have allowed climatologists to predict the next ice age beginning around 2100AD and lasting through 12000AD. What this means is that we have about 90 years to pump enough greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere to compensate for heat loss or all humanity will die. Something to think about. What you think ?

When John first played the Rods for me I was blown away….then he tells me that the lead singer David Feinstein is a cousin of Ronnie James Dio…and played in the band Elf with him I was sold!  What you get from the Rods is hard heavy New York style Rawk and Roll.  Their sound is simple, almost similar to a garage band, but there music is stellar.

And to add some cheese to that dish….they are back together and touring!   Mmmmmmm…that’s one tasty dish of metal.

Patriotic Tattoos

With the celebration of American Independence Day upon us, it’s fun to take a look at a couple of tattoos made for that very purpose.

You have the famous Captain America, who was made to embody the ideals of America, as well as the flag-draped pretty woman, always part of the culture we live in.

Happy fourth of July or Independence Day to everyone it relates to!

Patriotic Tattoos

A Message by George Carlin:

The paradox of our time in history is that we have taller buildings but shorter tempers, wider Freeways?,but narrower viewpoints. We spend more, but have less, we buy more, but enjoy less. We have bigger houses and smaller families, more conveniences, but less time. We have more degrees but less sense, more knowledge, but less judgment, more experts, yet more problems, more medicine, but less wellness.

We drink too much, smoke too much, spend too recklessly, laugh too little, drive too fast, get too angry, stay up too late, get up too tired, read too little, watch TV too much, and pray too seldom.?

Retail Trends

With Transformers on everyone’s minds, Nike has taken that reality and transformed that into three new shoes based on the characters Megatron, Soundwave and Bumblebee.

As you can see from the photos included, these shoes look sharp and have great color. Any fan of Transformers will immediately identify what shoe corresponds with which Transformer.

You’ll notice that they’re based on the classic version of Transformers and not the digital Michael Bay version.

Retail Trends

Lately many women are finding themselves in the tough position of having to go back to work due to economical hardship. If you are like me, a stay-at-home mom for the last 18 years, that needs to go back to work, you are now faced with a terrible problem. Figuring out what you are qualified to do?  Like me you might have worked on and off during those years but put together it really amounts to little; especially if what you need are the big bucks coming in, not just a supplement to the household income.

Requirement number one for finding a job is to have a good and strong curriculum right? It’s defiantly your first selling point before the endless interviews and document verification; but your first contact with your potential employer is your résumé.

While starting to type mine, I got to thinking about my experience. What do I know but have no way to prove, no diploma or certificate to back it up; and this is what I came up with:

Note: these descriptions were found in different websites listing needed qualifications to apply for each job, I have cut many of them down or simplified them.

Qualified as a Nanny:

• ·         Feeding
• ·         Dressing
• ·         Bathing
• ·         Playing
• ·         Reading
• ·         Social activities (examples birthday parties, play groups)
• ·         Carpooling

Qualified as a basic housekeeper:

• Laundry
• Shopping and errands
• Simple meal preparation
• Loading/emptying dishwasher
• Tidying up at end of day

Qualified as a specialized housekeeper:

• ·         Sweeps, dusts, mops, scrubs, washes, vacuums, waxes, and polishes building floors, walls, woodwork, windows, furniture, equipment, and hardware.
• ·         Cleans and sanitizes laboratories, washrooms, and bedrooms, keeps washrooms supplied with paper, towels, and soap.
• ·         Collects and disposes of trash and garbage; moves equipment and furniture such as beds, tables, and chairs.
• ·         Performs sanitary inspections. (Look under those beds)
• ·         Orders and distributes custodial supplies; maintains inventory.
• ·         Observes and reports safety violations. (Such as toys in the staircase)
• ·         Assists in training and continued education of lower level workers. (My children)
• ·         Plans, assigns, and supervises all functions of a housekeeping department. (Try to anyway)
• ·         Inspects quarters for maintenance of proper housekeeping standards. (Bedrooms)
• ·         Establishes housekeeping standards; assists with policy planning; prepares departmental budget request. (Chore chart for the family and rewards)

Qualified as a Teacher Aide

• ·         Provide instructional reinforcement to children, under the direction and guidance of teachers.
• ·         Work with students individually or in small groups—listening while students read, reviewing or reinforcing class lessons, or helping them find information for reports
• ·         Prepare materials for instruction (have materials available at all times; scissors, boards, index cards, glue, color, markers, books and internet search engines with parental control)
• ·         Check homework.

Qualified as a Executive Secretary

• ·         Serve as information and communication manager. (phone calls that come in for husband and teenagers, though it has slowed down, kids get their own cell phones now)
• ·         Plan and schedule meetings and appointments. (between teachers and acquaintances and friends and coworkers and volunteer jobs)
• ·         Organize and maintain paper and electronic files. (Can you find the receipt for the game your child wants to trade for the new version? Then you know what I’m talking about)
• ·         Manage projects. (Afterschool activities, parties, PTA meetings, school plays etc.)
• ·         Conduct research. (Finding better and cheaper options for services and products)
• ·         Disseminate information by using the telephone, mail services, Web sites, and e-mail. (Keeping in touch with family and friends and sending those Xmas cards and invites to parties)
• ·         Handle travel and guest arrangements. (Family vacations all inclusive for 5 within budget)

Qualified as a Negotiator

• ·         Know some psychology and sociology. (To be able to work out disputes over toys and TV rights and who takes a shower first)
• ·         Get a thick skin and don’t let things bother you. (Example when you are dragging your crying son out of the store for throwing a fit in the ice cream isle while screaming that you are mean and you are still smiling)
• ·         Know how to listen, be very patient, and know how to talk. (To children, adolescents and then young adults, husband’s too, oh and in-laws and extended family)

Qualified as a PR

• ·         Communication skills, oral and written ability. (For all social events required, RSVP’s, thank you notes, decline invites etc.)
• ·         Able to get your point across in an effective, concise, appealing and tactful way. (When dealing with committees, volunteering groups or homeroom moms)

Anyway this is just an example of what a stay-at-home mom does day in and day out that no certification of diploma could ever hope to validate.

It’s a hard decision having to leave your house for money but it’s one that must be taken for the sake of the family. So, in my case, I will have to get serious and bring my brilliant blogging career to a halt (or maybe just slow it down and multitask some more) and get myself a job.

If you are interested in a more in-depth article regarding this subject, I’m finishing it and hope that Associated Content will publish it soon. Link is in My Blogs @ Associated Content  

Update:

All moved out of the old place 30th June 2009

We’re now settling in to the new place:

tons of boxes to unpack,

and allergy-inducing dust mites to fight,

… but at least we’ve got internet connectivity again!

I hope to be properly back online next week.

In the meantime, here’s wishing y’all a great weekend, and for those who celebrate it, have a great 4th of July!

loading zone by garann

All moved out of the old place 30th June 2009

We’re now settling in to the new place:

tons of boxes to unpack,

and allergy-inducing dust mites to fight,

… but at least we’ve got internet connectivity again!

I hope to be properly back online next week.

In the meantime, here’s wishing y’all a great weekend, and for those who celebrate it, have a great 4th of July!

The Instrument Unit was in constant communication to the command and control centers. Telemetry data was continuously transmitted that reported to the controllers all of the activity taking place within the complex systems of the Saturn V rocket. The tracking system transmitted vehicle coordinates and angles to the Mission Ground Station and the radio command system was used by the Mission Ground Station to send commands to the various instruments and systems in the spacecraft.

Over 200 parameters were continuously updated by the communications system and sent to the ground, such items included vehicle speed, angle velocity, temperatures, flow rates, pressures, voltage readings, and sensor signals. This data was used to verify that commands were performed as well as to monitor for any potential issues. Data was also maintained for post-flight analysis.

The communication and telemetry systems operated on 28 sub carrier frequencies in the FM band. C-band transponders provided the telemetry and were single pulse and were in the 5.4 to 5.9 GHZ frequency range. 210.8 MHZ was the frequency that carried the radio digital data transmissions that carried all of the system commands. Commands were issued from Mission Control in Houston, TX and then were dispersed through the NASA ground network to be transmitted from the appropriate Earth station that was within the range of the spacecraft.

Antenna arrays included one single directional for transmit and receive and two omni-directionals for transmit and receive. This entire communications system consumed an enormous amount of power and it was powered by four silver-zinc batteries at 28volts each with power supplies to convert the power to 56 volts for the multiple systems.

Celebrity Trends

While most thoughts that come to your mind when thinking of Ashton Kutcher are unconvential, funny, and a little odd, he can offer up a serious and dramatic side, as his role in The Butterfly Effect shows.

Kutcher first made his mark in acting on the sitcom ‘That 70s Show,’ and was on the show for the duration, although the last season because of scheduling conflicts he was only included in a guest role, although he made an appearance in the series’ finale.

But all that aside, Kutcher now seems to be a practical prankster, and is doing more with reality TV humor than anything else, which works good with his use of Internet tools to keep his name in the limelight among his core fan base.

His more popular and successful film roles, along with The Butterfly Effect are Dude, Where’s My Car?, The Guardian, What Happens in Vegas and Just Married.

He has also had a lot of success on TV with shows like Punk’d, and created and produces Room 401, Opportunity Knocks, The Real Wedding Crashers, Adventures in Hollyhood and Beauty and the Geek.

It seems Ashton Kutcher is a kid that doesn’t want to grow up, and is having a blast putting together all these goofy and fun shows his fans like to watch.

It’s kind of nice to see an unpretentious actor who doesn’t take himself too seriously.

Celebrity Trends

“We do not see things as they are; we see things as we are.”

Talmud

Have you had that sort of realization moment in your life yet? I know that I have had quite a few! I think that it is very important to know that you do go through phases in your life! One day one situation may cause you to cry, while another day it may make you feel empowered and strong willed. The older that you get and the more you experience the more your responses change to typical situations.

When you were 14 and your parents grounded you retaliated by yelling or pouting or slamming doors. Now you obviously cannot be grounded, but if your boss tells you that you are on probation for whatever reason you respond much different, however, it is a lot like being grounded isn’t it? You are being punished for a decision you made by someone with a higher rank than yourself. When you get older you just learn that acting certain ways is just not acceptable. I know that sometimes certain people seem like they never get that common sense or common decency part of their maturity, I don’t really know how to how that happens. (more…)

This book is comprised exclusively of letters, which begin in 1946.  Thirty something author Juliet Ashton has been writing a column under a pseudonymn and has been feeling apathetic about her success, which has been tremendous, when she receives a letter from one of the founding members (Dawsey Adams) of a literary society in Guernsey, an island in the English Channel that was occupied by Nazi forces during World War II. Juliet sees this as a way to break out of her coverage of the sunny side of a really awful war and jumps on the opportunity to break out of her previously sunny coverage of the War. As a result, Juliet begins corresponding with Dawsey and other members of the literary society as a means to research her next project.  During these letter writing campaigns, she comes to know and love the writers and the island of Guernsey and admires how the islanders used literature and reading to bond and forget the stresses and troubles of occupation, even though it was only for a few hours.

I loved this book. It was utterly charming and I finished it wanting to go to Guernsey to see what the fuss was all about! The authors did a masterful job in writing the letters in the voices of different characters and weaving them together to tell an amazing story of perserverance and survival, while never losing the voices of the characters describing the events. It was absolutely astounding to read and to partake in.  I found myself growing fond of the characters as I got through the book (with a few exceptions of course, but to explain more would be to give away plotlines that are best discovered by the reader!!). This book is deceptively easy to read.  You’ll be tempted to fly through it unless you remind yourself to slow down and savor it.  But don’t be deceived because it covers some pretty somber material - occupation by the Nazis and concentration camps and sending island children away to be spared the occupation are no easy subjects to write about, let alone read about and they come up often enough in this novel. The writing flowed very well, even though the letters were usually no longer then a few pages.  It didn’t feel jerky at all and the plot seemed to move along well.  The characters were wonderful and developed very well.  Each seemed to have revelations that were reasonable for them given their personalities and their circumstances. It is also obvious that the authors have a tremendous love of people, history and literature. That love was conveyed in this novel.  I would highly recommend this hopeful, beautiful and memorable novel to anyone and everyone.  It’s one that you will remember, love and cherish throughout your entire life.

Book 45/100

 Suzumiya Haruhi No Yuutsu

Original Creator: Nagaru Tanigawa, Noizi Ito

Director: Tetsuya Ishihara

Total Episodes: 14

Vintage: 2006-04-02 to 2006-07-02

Production Group: Kyoto Animation

Summary: First day of School, as the students introduce themselves, a young girl, by the name of Haruhi Suzumiya introduces as having “no interest in ordinary humans”. She then continues with the comment “if there are any aliens, Time travelers, espers, please come and join me”. As she ends her introduction, Kyon the bystandar who sits in front of Haruhi starts to wonder. Kyon then became the only person who would speak with Haruhi, he unwittingly gave the idea of her starting her own school club. Then from there the Save our world by Overloading it with fun Suzumiya Haruhi’s Brigade (the S.O.S. Brigade for short) is formed. Kyon and others soon become a part of Suzumiya Haruhi’s world.

                                       Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuutsu, more known as Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya became like a symbol in the world of Otaku or Anime. Just that type of character displays so much and affects the otaku culture in so many ways. The way the story is told is by Kyon(bystandar), the main male role in this series, is narrorating through the episodes and being the Tsukomi character it really serves  a great way to interest the viewers. Haruhi, as I mentioned above, really has no interest in ordinary human and she then unkowingly is claimed as a ‘god’ and is watched by espers, time travelers, and aliens. Nagato Yuki(alien) is a humanoid interface created by the Data Integration Thought Entity, whose responsibilities is to keep an eye on Haruhi and investigate the unexplained “explosion of data” three years prior to the present year. She possesses an ability to manipulate her surrounding environment. Asahina Mikuru(time traveler) from the future who is assigned to investigate the reason behind the inability to travel to any point in time before three years prior to the present story. Koizumi Itsuki(esper) who is also another member who is investigating Haruhi, and has the ability to explore Closed Spaces and destroy the Celestials, created by the anger of Haruhi. As these characters go on about investigating Haruhi’s life and going through day by day events that Haruhi proposes. They go through events such as movie making, field baseball tournaments, searching for aliens, and much more.

                                       The Visual of the series is very beautifully done, Kyoto Animation is probably one of the most recognized animation production group, that displays a great visual for all the other animations they have created. Their style of animation art, really puts a Moe feel to the characters, the simplistic, loosy, drawings really gives the animation a great sense of style that you dont really see in any other animations. The use of the vibrant and light colors really makes the characters and the scenery really stand out.

                                       “Bouken de-show de-show” the Opening theme song  for this anime series, has a nice upbeat that really catches on to the viewer, bringing the livelyness to characters and displays a great use of vector graphics thats flow throughout the song. The Ending song “Hare Hare Yukai” must be the most influencial song ever in the history of Anime. The song consists of in and out screen caps, and occasioanly scenes of the characters dancing, by the end of the song all the characters would be doing full dance sequences, which became one hella popular dance steps in the world of Otaku. If you go to anime conventions or just youtubing, you can find great amounts of people dancing the steps from the song. Very interesting indeed.

                                     Suzumiya Haruhi  no Yuutsu, is definetly a must watch for anime fans out there, some may think its overrated, but thats just their oppinion and their just missing out. If you have a chance definetly check it out, I assure you you wont get dissapointed.

                                      For those who have already watched Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuutsu,  you may already know, but SHnY has a Second season which is currently airing right now and it is airing episodes that are from the light novel of SHnY.

““““““““““““““““““““

Ratings:

Story: A

Animation:A

Art: A

Music:A

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Youtube video of the OP/ED will be posted, so please go and watch them if you are interested.

Thanks again for reading and if there are any suggestion/comments/questions, please feel free to ask.

Jya~ne see ya later

 ~O-tak-U

Hollywood Reporter says a huge bidding war recently ended for…Asteroid. Asteroid? This might sound like a big-budget disaster film, end-of-the-world and all that, but no. This bidding frenzy was for the rights to the old Atari video game of the same name.

Atari. How many of you actually remember those Jurassic Era games? T-Rex is more current than Atari. But then, T-Rex has been getting a lot of work in Hollywood these days

How desperate is Hollywood for new material, anyway?

Don’t get me wrong. I’m a huge fan of those special-effects laden megabucks summer blockbusters. I like the edge-of-your-seat white-knuckle thrill rides. In the past, I’ve taken offense to the artsy-fartsy crowd who claim these films are dumbing down the filmgoing public. I go to movies for the escapism. If I want reality, I’ll watch the evening news.

But come on now…Asteroid, of all things. What’s next? Donkey Kong? How about Pac-Man Meets Ms. Pac-Man? How desperate is Hollywood for new material, anyway?

There are so many good novels out there that could be adapted to film. There are countless struggling screenwriters who’d give their firstborn to get one of their screenplays produced–or even optioned. Hollywood doesn’t have to resort to this kind of Crapfest. They pass on well-written material and shy away from topics that might be too controversial or–shudder–politically incorrect. Before Mel Gibson took it upon himself to make The Passion of the Christ, the “J word” (Jesus) was taboo in the film capital.

I fully expected to turn on CNN one day and get the following “Breaking News” story: “Everyone was stunned when a massive meteor struck Hollywood last night, leaving nothing of the film capital but a huge charred crater and some curious-looking pillars of salt….”

It seems motorcycles are very big with the Hollywood set. It isn’t unheard of to see Orlando Bloom, Keanu Reeves or any number of others riding around the city of Los Angeles on their motorcycles. Another one of those you might see is forty-five year old actor Brad Pitt.

He was out riding in Los Angeles on Thursday when his bike decided to break down just outside Franklin Village. Instead of waiting for help to arrive, the actor asked some of the paparazzi that constantly follow his every move for a lift. They were more than willing to help the actor out.

Earlier this week, Brad’s main squeeze was named Hollywood’s top earning actress for the past twelve months with $27 million in earnings. This beat out Brad’s ex Jennifer Aniston. Next up for Pitt is Inglorious Basterds. His next project, Moneyball, was axed recently, and it looks like the people of New Orleans want the actor to run for mayor of their city. The actor is always busy. Check out the latest international trailer for Inglorious Basterds below. The flick hit theaters in August.

 

What in the world is going on these days in Afghanistan?  This story released the same day the US announces plans to conduct a massive assault against the Taliban.  Related Miami Herald article

More unnecessary war related world death tragedies…

The British Ministry of Defense has released information that top-ranking 40 year old Lt. Rupert Thorneloe was killed Wednesday in Afghanistan; also killed was 18 year old trooper Joshua Hammond.  They had been traveling to hostile area to check on the welfare of the 1000 men Thorneloe oversaw.  The deaths were caused by a roadside bomb.  The two were in an armored vehicle when the bomb killed them.  They were in Helmand Province, Afghanistan.

All that knew the duo described two wonderful human beings that will be dearly missed by all.  Regimental Colonel to the Welsh Guards Prince Charles, who knew Thorneloe claimed to be ‘mortified’ by both deaths.  Prince Charles speaks on the topic.  Thorneloe is survived by a wife and two daughters.  Hammond leaves behind a grieving fiancé who he was planning to marry upon his return.

Total count on loss of lives of British soldiers in Afghanistan now stands at 171.  These are real people, could be your brother, uncle, father or son.  Let’s band together and fight hard for a day when these things don’t happen, it just is not necessary.

Canadian Press Article

CNN Article

BBC News

Thorneloe on video

Don’t fight against war, fight for peace!

“In a revamped health care system envisioned by senators, people would be required to carry health insurance just like motorists must get auto coverage now. The government would provide subsidies for the poor and many middle-class families, but those who still refuse to sign up would face fines of more than $1,000″

And to say that it alarms me is putting it mildly.  I don’t know about you out there, but there is no way we can afford health insurance.  And we more than likely wouldn’t qualify for any government help either, because we never seem to qualify for any government help.  THE GOVERNMENT IS FINALLY GOING TOO FAR!!!

Requiring people to have auto insurance makes sense.  Encouraging people to wear seat belts is a good thing.

– BUT –

When the government forces people to wear seat belts or get a fine (like Kentucky does),
when the government forces people to take out health insurance,

– THEN –

the government is going too far and is overstepping it’s bounds.  I THOUGHT THIS WAS A FREE DEMOCRACY?!!?  Didn’t you?  I highly encourage you to research this and learn for yourself more about what is going on, then contact your elected leaders and let them know how you feel about this.

Don’t know how to contact them?  The following link will help you out with that:

http://www.usa.gov/Contact/Elected.shtml

I saw this headline today about the Canadian unemployment rate expected to increase into 2010. This was not a very inspiring headline to read today of all days. But it would seem that our Finance Minister Jim Flaherty expects the unemployment rate to rise into 2010. This increase comes in-spite of what he calls a stabilization of the economy. It would seem that although the economy is stabilizing our labour markets are not.

I am never sure how much weight to put on information the media is sending out. So for now I will hope this is not true and focus on what I can do to get myself back to work, at least part-time.

Have a great Fourth of July! Happy reading!

Gadget Trends

This spy gadget thing seems to be almost getting out of hand, as almost weekly a new entry into the field seems to be found.

Everything from neckties to sunglasses can be used to spy on whoever’s in front of you, and now we have a button gadget you can wear as a button on your shirt which is virtually undetectable.

The Thanko button spy camera can shoot video or stills, with the photos able to come in at 1280×1024. Video can be recorded at 15fps, and can be stored on a 4GB memory card.

You also get audio recording with the button spy camera, all of which can be connected to your computer via a tiny DVR USB Drive port.

Gadget Trends

Please don’t leave me by Pink

I’m Running by Sam Roberts

Hotel Room Service by Pitbull

I do not hook up by Kelly Clarkson

I got a feeling by The black Eyed Peas

That is it , if you have better choices for the month of June I welcome them with open arms, as for the worse song for the month of June I would have to say it is

My flow so tight ( Chris Brown should get his ass kicked ) by Jump Smokers

Now I must explain my choice. The message of the song I totally agree with but the song is what I am referring to here. This track is by no means memorable or going to be a hit for the ages even if the message it send is great and accurate.

I hope that you have enjoyed my choices for the month of June even if their was not much to choose from this month and I will meet you all back here next month for another installment of My Monthly Top 5.

Just to show you that I don’t really hate my worst song pick of the month of June I am adding the video for all of you who might not have heard it to this blog so that you to might enjoy the message that this song send out.

If the rest of the album is anything like this single, we’re all in for a treat!

If you’re a fan of Square-Enix you’ve no doubt noticed that one of their most favorite things to do is post vague countdown timers on their website, to announce brand new titles.  Well they’ve had a new one up for some time now, and it’s gone as far as the picture seen above.  The problem with the countdown this time around though, is that the secret has already been leaked.  Apparently this is to announce a new Final Fantasy title for Nintendo DS, called Final Fantasy Gaiden, but also referred to as the Four Warriors Of Light.

Rumor has it that the game focuses on a 14 year old boy and his quest to save a princess.  You’ll have three other party members, and the game will be a more traditional menu based RPG.  I’m most excited because the artwork is being designed by Yoshida, who’s previous exploits include Final Fantasy Tactics, and Final Fantasy XII.  So this is set up to be a pretty cool game, and although I’m not exactly a big fan of the DS, I’ll definitely be willing to pick up my handheld and give a completely new Final Fantasy a shot.   Especially one that’s more in the vein of previous FF adventures.

Oh sure I wake up looking that each morning. Oops I guess Hannah isn’t looking so good after last night although I’m still confused about it being daylight. So I’m not sure what time it is with the little girls at dance class and the others out drinking.

Was that the guy lying on the sidewalk that turned out to be the singer for the band? Oh Rhys was such an idiot. If you complain about that creepy guy of course Hannah’s going to go with him. Duh! She’s going a bit wild but I’m sure she’s sick of everyone thinking she’s going to break.

So Zoe has officially moved in. I thought she was leaving. I do like Zoe so I don’t mind if she stays. Of course they need to celebrate but that didn’t go very well since Nancy took off and Zoe ended up leaving too because Hannah just kept getting whatever they said? It was some weird word but I’m pretty sure it was another word for drunk. Aw Gilly being all overprotective big brother which isn’t going over too well since she says she’s off to Denmark. Maybe she wasn’t being literal. Who knows? Well that other guy did take her with him.

Oh Darren the leper in his leopard shirt. At least he has Newt although I think Steph might eventually forgive him. I do think he’s really sorry and Newt did bring up a point about the two being alike. For a guy that doesn’t dance he certainly faked it pretty well so right on for taking over the class. At least it kept his mind off his sitch for a little while at least and it looks like Lauren finally decided to talk to him.

Oh crap I must have drank from the misery cup. I don’t think Newt knows who he wants. I think he likes both girls but he’s being an idiot about things. Well if he does ask Darren for advice he should do the opposite because Darren is Darren. I wonder where Sarah was. I thought she was helping with the classes. I guess she was off with Lydia somewhere so she had Newt help her out. I’d wonder if she was pregnant but that doesn’t seem very likely.

Rhys, Hayley, Zak, and Michaela have a double date. I thought Michaela and Hayley got along now. I guess not because that was the worst date ever. They ended up leaving their dates but Michaela of course refused to leave without her pudding. What was the deal with Rhys being such an idiot to Michaela? Oh poor Zak getting that blue heel shoved into his foot. They are evil shoes but damn they make good weapons. I wonder who ended up paying.

Manchester United are poised to make a shock move for former Newcastle Striker Michael Owen.  Owen decided not to renew his contract with the club, which ran out in June, after the Toon Army was relegated from the Premier League.  Now apparently Sir Alex Ferguson figures that he can find a use for Owen, and United are willing to make an offer for the former Liverpool striker, and are likely to enjoy the fact that Owen will come as a free transfer.

Michael Owen is easily a football superstar, and one of the biggest strikers in England’s history, for what he’s given to the national team.  Owen was an absolute revelation for Liverpool in the past, and has been stoic as Newcastle’s captain for his time battling in a mid/bottom table team.  Now finally he will make the return to top flight football the way he should still be playing, with players around him that will make Owen play better, as well as his ability to connect with what’s around him.

So far it’s hard to tell whether Owen’s injury problems through the last few years will be bothersome, should he complete the move to Old Trafford, but Ferguson will have one hell of a late substitute striker with Michael Owen.  Obviously he’s not going to play 90 minutes every time at his age, or with his injury problems.  But you could do far, far worse than having Michael Owen as an ace up your sleeve ready to be unleashed at any time.