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Showing posts from April, 2010

After Katrina,

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I lived, for several months, at Bob's Bayou Black Marina, outside Houma, LA. The end of the road, where swamp meets the gulf, and fishermen and oil workers head out to open water, through about 30 miles of bayous and swamp. These people are gonna suffer, and they have suffered enough, already. Shrimpers, oystermen, fisherman and oil workers, all working together, and in trouble. 'Fraid it's gonna get ugly... (Pic is capped oil well)

I keep thinking,

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that I am gonna get away from my political rants, cuz I can't do anything about it, anyway. THEN, I see FOXNews bullshit, with that super-bitch Ann Coulter saying this whole disaster is a plot by the libs to 'dis' big oil, and they're gonna use pics of 'poor birds' to bash the oil companies, like they're doing to Wall St, and I can't help myself. There are a lot of good people out there, who actually believe their crap, and it just drives me crazy. Bottom line, there is news, and there is opinion. FOX packages opinion as news. Just drives me crazy....

As I clicked thru the channels,

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this morning, trying to wake up, I came across Martha on FOXNews interviewing an expert on oil drilling rigs. The whole gist of the piece was that she was implying that it looked like 'sabotage' from left wing libs, in blowing up a rig, just as Obama OK'd limited offshore drilling. 'Twas funny as she led him, trying to get an answer she could twist. He basically said, 'Impossible', and she said 'looks like it could be'. Typical FOX bullshit.

Don't know if you saw it,

but there was an article on FOXNews, http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2010/04/27/noahs-ark-found-turkey-ararat/ , complete with at least one picture, of the new Noah's arc discovery on Mt Arrarat. OR, as I would rather call it, a gullibility test. I'm sure the 'news' is still out there and some people believe it. Some people will believe anything. AND, there are those who take advantage of them....

Sure gonna miss Steve from Texas,

who occasionally comments on my blog. I may have pissed him off. SO, we probably won't get any more pearls of wisdom, like: 'Follow the money', is good advice in politics, BUT, not for Bush/Cheney and oil $, because, 'No mature adult' could believe they used their office to raise the price of oil. RRIIIGHTTTT... Texas didn't profit from the 7-fold spike in oil prices, (with ALL their wells, refineries, etc.), and the price of oil had NOTHING to do with demise of Detroit. (when filling you tank went from under $20, to over $80). RRRIIIGHTTT.... The US had nothing to do with Saddam rising to power in Iraq. (Just hundreds of millions of dollars in weapons and cash and intelligence.), BUT pre-emptive war, based on lies, (not Bush's fault) was the right thing to do. FOXNews is the only agency you can trust to be Fair and Balanced. The current recession/depression is the fault of Dems/Obama, NOT Bush and the Repubs who had power from 2000-2008. Bush was unfairly h

Special day, today

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Went with the Coal Creek Men's Club, to play at Pelican Lakes, an amazing course in Windsor, CO. Billed as the golf course with the most shoreline in the US, and I bet it is for real. It is all lakes and rivers, with an AMAZING view of the mountains, from nearly every hole. Finished in 2nd place, which ain't bad, for a bunch of guys. Also, had a good time with Earnie, a new friend. Life is good, today.

For those of you,

who can't figure out how to Google the price of oil, during the Bush/Cheney years, I have included the following link. (Hint- look at 2000-2008) For you Texans, and other slow learners, just put your cursor on it, and click twice. Voila! http://www.mongabay.com/images/commodities/charts/crude_oil.html PS. Another 'coincidence'. Although the price of oil went up 7-fold, Halliburton (Cheney's company), did even better, with oil, MRE's, food for the military (yup, they manufacture them) and no-bid contracts to rebuild what they blew up (they make missles and bombs) Who woulda thunk?

Was looking at the roof repair,

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today, at Birds of Prey, when John brought in four baby Great Horned Owls, from near Greeley. Helped him take them into Nina, the brood owl mother, who has been there since '86, and was amazed by how big the baby owls looked, BUT, when you hold them, they are all fluffy down. Huge eyes, beaks and talons, but very docile, for owls. About the size of a large football. Nina immediately adopted them, and will feed them. Pretty cool.

Again, the Repubs line up,

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against the people. No health care reform! No regulation of Wall St or big banks! Even as they bankrupt the govt as they get bailed out, THEN give themselves HUGE bonuses. Ok w/the Repubs. Unbelievable but consistent for these A-holes. Hopefully the voters remember, BUT, they are notoriously stupid, so who knows.

Dateline, on TV right now,

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is SO right on, about the 'sheep' complex in people. How the weak, among us, just follow, what they think is a higher, smarter, governmental authority, even though there is NO evidence of it. Great show, so far. Explains a lot, as we are taught to follow, without questioning, as children. Some people never grow out of it. Hence, FOXNews followers. Amazing... (Later) Watched how volunteers administered (fake) shocks to people, cuz an authority figure said it was OK, til the people (supposedly) died. Just like 'shock and awe', where Bush/Cheney, and the church, said these people, (incl innocent women and children) deserve to die, cuz they're different, and they got fried. And a BUNCH of you people had NO problem, just cuz they were caught under Saddam, who the US put into power. Unbelievable, but true. A certain segment of 'sheep' out there, just shut down their brains, and have no problem w/it. Amazing, but true....

As a result,

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of reading 'Crossers', and just returning from a visit with friends in Arizona, I have a definite opinion on the new AZ immigration law that was passed by the state, but is being called 'racist', by many. Of course it's racist. It's gotta be. There's one particular race that's 'recolonizing' the Southwest. The book is historical fiction (with a LOT of facts), of a 20 mile section of the US/Mexican border, and the ranchers who have worked and fought for generations to claim, build and defend their land, on both sides of the border. After 4 generations, the Erskines, who are trying to raise cattle, are in a war with immigrants, 'coyotes', drug runners and crooked Federales and politicians who have a vested interest in keeping the traffic moving. Interesting, but violent reading. Life is cheap on the border. Also, spoke extensively with friends north of Phoenix who have defiite opinions on the subject, and, I gotta say, I'm ditching the

Great article on AOL,

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about the price of gas and energy. Does anyone remember the price of a gallon of gas before G W Bush? Was about $1.25/gal. No shit. That was before Bush/Cheney and their agenda. The largest transfer of wealth in the history of our country. We, as a society have gotten used to it, after they took it to over $4.00/gal, THEN, backed off to more than DOUBLE the price, we paid before Bush/Cheney, the energy guys. Think about it. It's BILLIONS of dollars for the Big Oil guys. Every time you fill up, thank W and Cheney, for paying TWICE what you used to pay. BILLIONS of $$$'s, that go into the Big Oil pockets, and kill our economy. Thanks, George, and your Repub cohorts, for wrecking our country, to make your contributors VERY rich. Please, show me where I'm wrong.

Thought the ski season was over,

but, NO. The mntns are getting hammered, and will be prime skiing next week. Plan to take advantage of this late season bonanza, with fresh snow and clear blue skies. Gotta love Colorado!

There's obviously a bunch,

of right wing idiots out there, BUT, WTF is with the 'birthers' that refuse to admit Obama was born in the US, even though the newspapers of the day have his birth announcement? I know these 'Red State' yokels don't have a clue, but puh-leese, at least pick an issue that has a bit of credence. Just because you can't handle the fact that a black man is WAY smarter than you, don't be SO obvious in your ignorance. There IS a reason that the top ten education/income states are ALL blue, and the bottom ten are ALL red. You can't make this stuff up, BUT, it is SO true. Get a life, you redneck idiots.

Lazy day.

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as it is rainy, windy and cold, BUT, warm inside. It is SO nasty out there, that Bailey went outside, got wet and cold, and hasn't asked to do it again. 41 degrees, with a frosty wind chill. Good day to watch all the 'Deadliest Catch' episodes I have recorded, in front of the fireplace. As I write, it just turned to heavy, wet snow. Nice day to be inside, and watch a movie. Have wanted to watch 'The Man From Snowy River', for a long time. Perhaps today... (Later), Saw it, and now know why it's a classic. Excellent cowboy movie, from "down under".

Whoa, what did I get into?

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The Birds of Prey facility has decided to redo the roof on the eagle cage, which is an old mess of 2x4 framing, and cobbled together 2x6 beams, with mesh fencing nailed over it. It's old, warped and sagging, (sounds like me), and the recent snow about brought it down. The tough part? It's a 24 x 36 ft building, with a 12 ft ceiling, over very uneven ground. Can't safely get on top to dismantle it, so will have to build up w/scaffolding, planks and ladders. Then, go back w/new rafters, beams, supports and 1x2 cedar lattice on the top. Pretty big job, for an old fart volunteer, but Heidi named me project mgr and says lots of labor is available, in the form of court ordered 'work release' and community service sentences. Yikes....

kinda different 'round here,

while Carol is in Chicago visiting her sister and playing with her grand-neice and nephews. Carol has been 'Home Alone' a LOT over the years, as I worked various storms across the country, but this is pretty unusual for me. If I can just keep Bailey alive, I think she will be happy. Find myself listening to more music and watching more movies. Eating and drinking less, making 'to do' lists, and actually doing stuff on them. Still golf about every day, but was too cold/rainy this morning. I miss her and we talk every day, but I do think I can survive. As for now I'm off to 'Birds of Prey', to check on the eagle cage, after a call from Heidi. Later...

Facebook?

Several people have asked why I don't do Facebook. The easy quick answer? I'm afraid I'd OVERDO it, and am avoiding it as a big timewaster. Will probably end up doing it someday, but for now, am avoiding it like porn and drugs. Don't want to be tempted to waste too much time.

Took this test,

and found I was slightly left, and slightly Libertarian, but just barely. Check it out for yourself. Pretty good test. it seems. http://www.politicalcompass.org/test

Wouldn't it be sweet,

if real life were like writing a blog? When you wake up in the morning, and read what you wrote last night, you can say, 'WTF?', and DELETE it, or at least edit it. Wouldn't that feature be cool in 'real life'? Would have a lot more friends and relationships. Oh well, we live in 'real life', and deal with the consequences.

Did y'all see,

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the crowds at 4:20, on 4/20, at the CU campus? Not sure of the numbers, but the crowd looked HUGE, to me, on the 'tease' they just put on the local news. And the crowd at the Civic Center, in Denver, was about as large. Looked like big picnics, or something. Not sure. Wasn't there. Seemed to be foggy conditions, though, from the video.

Over two thirds

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of the country, as we struggle with the current recession/depression, is in favor of financial reform and regulations, for Wall St and large banks, after the bailouts and billions of dollars in bonuses, BUT the Repubs on Capitol Hill are 100% against it. Not one has signed on, and are fighting it at every step. Keep it up guys. You are SO obvious, and the American people won't forget.

How did it happen?

is the question, after the HUGE economic crash, that threw us into the recession/depression we are in. Well, the answers are coming out. Bernie Madoff, and the hedge funds were able to rip us off, BECAUSE, the Bush administration gutted the SEC, the rules enforcers of the financial world. Cut their budget by OVER 75%, with HUGE layoffs of enforcers. Google it if you don't believe me. The Repub mantra has been de-regulation. Worked GREAT for the big boys, who worked the system, just like they did under Bush 1, to gut the Savings and Loans, and nearly wrecked us in the late 1980's. The Bush's go after the BIG $, and they are REALLY good at it, looting the S&L's, taking oil from under $20 to over $140/bbl, starting wars, and manipulating Wall St. In a perverted way, I admire them, cuz they can steal on such a HUGE scale, that most would never consider. Look at the facts! They make Dillinger and Capone look like rookies....

Funerals are,

a chance to confront something we really don't want to face. We are mortal. Wow. It hits you right in the gut. So many thoughts and memories that turn into tears. I shoulda/woulda/coulda, done some stuff, but I didn't. Matt had a msg right at me. Just cause you don't know what to do, or how to say it, doesn't mean you shouldn't say/do something. I am guilty. That's me. I did learn a life lesson. Am sure it's not gonna be the last funeral where I wish I would have been a better person, but am hoping I learned something. Make the effort. Reach out and let those you love, know they are loved. Basic life lesson...

Don't know why,

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I thought of it, (early onsetAlzheimer's?) but flashed back to a time, as a very young kid, when my best friend, Randy Britton, (who moved to AZ when we were kids, and later won the 100 yd. dash there, in high school), were talking about how to spell "poop". I said poup, cause I knew how to spell soup. He said that would be pow'p. We couldn't ask anyone, cause it was too nasty. I later found out he was right, but we never settled it, cause he moved, BUT, what I remember was, he never said good bye, as he was in the car, and he was crying, but didn't want me to see. We were like, 2nd graders. (As a side bar, my new friend, Jon Cole, won the NE 100 yd dash). Stupid story, but true, and have NO idea why it came to me....

Won't go into the whole story,

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but I used the term 'Swift-Boated' the other day, and the young man didn't understand the connotation. In a nutshell, it means to reverse the facts, as in the 2004 presidential campaign, when the Swiftboat 'captains', (old men dressed like captains, hired by Karl Rove, for a TV commercial), turned Sen. John Kerry, who served in Vietnam, into a virtual war deserter in an effort to support the re-election of President George W. Bush, who it all but turned into a war hero despite his never stepping out of the Texas National Guard. P.T. Barnum would appreciate and approve, and a new lexicon evolved. Dirty, despicable? Yes, but it won the election for W, because, for a BUNCH of ignorant, naive people, facts just don't matter.

This week's 'Survivor' dinner,

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was WAY good, with Kathy making green chili, to go with Cindy's burritos. Throw in some guacamole and fixin's, and we had a real feast. Courtney is gone, but she looked like she was close to starving to death anyway, and for once, I wasn't on the losing team. Good times with good friends. Works for me.

Won't stop the 'jeniuses',

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from spouting their FOXNews bullshit, but the Nat'l Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, clearly a bunch of left wing hacks, reported that, through a series of land and sea temperature readings, across the planet, this March was the warmest on record. Of course, this report doesn't hold a candle to those who look at a small part of one country and declare global warming as 'false science'. These 'flat earth' imbeciles are of the same ilk that persecuted Copernicus for stating that the earth wasn't the center of the universe. They will always be with us.

For those who knew her

Funeral services for Leanna Sunday 4/18 @ 11:00am Horan Mc Conathy SW Denver/Lakewood3101 S. Wadsworth Boulevard(South of Yale Avenue)Lakewood, CO 80227Ph. 303-986-9615

OMG!

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Leanna has been fighting cancer for the last few months, and couldn't make it to Carol's party on March 20th, but Matt said she was doing better, and he thought they had gotten it under control. When I got to Phoenix, I checked my e-mail and got a msg from Matt, saying the cancer was back, too aggressive to fight, and she was going to in-home hospice. We got back late last night and I e-mailed and called today,trying to set a time to see her. Too late. She died today. A blessing, in it's own way, that she went fast, but WOW, I didn't even get to say good bye. Keep the Ward's in your prayers.

Just got back,

from a golf vacation in Phoenix, where we stayed with Terri (Carol's best bud from childhood) and Dennis (who retired the same week as Carol) in their lovely house on the golf course at Trilogy at Vistancia (rated top 5 in the country, #1 in AZ, in NEW courses) , and played in a 3 day golf tourney he puts on over Masters weekend. Pretty amazing house/course/lifestyle that made me wish I was rich, too, but alas... Will post some pics and stuff, later, but lots to do today.

He hasn't even retired yet,

and the Repubs have already say they plan to block the replacement for Supreme Court justice, John Paul Stevens. On Fox, Rep Kyl-R, says plans are 'in the works' to block Obama's pick for a replacement. No shit. That's who these guys are, and what they do. Just say NO, and obstruct. We should be SO PROUD of them....

There was a time,

that there was a clear distinction between news, such as ABC, NBC, CBS, etc., and political programming. There was also CNN, as we all watched the first gulf war, who became the 'go to' news network, on an international basis. THEN, out of nowhere, came a 'bought and paid for' network, from the Repub party, with Rupert Murdoch money, and a whole different slant on 'the news'. TV news has never been the same. Instead of just reporting the facts, it has been 'politicized', with a slant, and those who don't have the time or inclination to compare, have been given an alternative to reality. Once you agree, philosophically, to get your news, from your political party, it's over. There has never been political money 'better spent', than to create an alternative to real news. Once you can convince the sheep, NOT to believe the 90% of real news out there, you have won the war, and can replace with it with FOXNews, instead. Repeat a lie, often en

Had a REAL project, today

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for some reason, after 10 years, we developed a leak at our master BR shower, and our carpet was soaked, and it took a while to find the leak, behind the wall. Called a plumber, and found out it was $230 to show up and start, then $75/hr, plus parts to fix it. SO, much as I hated it, I started the project and bought a new shower valve, that happened to be a much different size. You can see how much Mapp gas it took, (burned area) along with wrenches, to get out the old valve. THEN, I had to cut back pipes, inside a very small area, and solder the new fittings and valve into place. 6 hours later, we have a shower again. Was kinda scary, cause if it didn't work, woulda had to keep the water, to the whole house, turned off, till we got a real plumber to show up, BUT, I saved a few hundred bucks.

Was watching the news,

and saw a great quote, from a mentor, working with black, college freshmen. 'What do you HAVE to do, to do what you WANT to do'? I love that quote, because it is SO real. It gets down to the basics of life. You wanna go through the expense/hardship of 4 years of education? Or, you wanna drop out. Let me know how that "anti-education"/ FOX thing ,works for ya', in the real world, when it comes to getting a job, and actually earning a paycheck.

Hate to admit it, but,

after watching FOXNews for quite awhile, looking for things to make fun of, and disagree with, I gotta admit they make a lot of sense, on a lot of issues. I still have a bit of a problem with Rush, who comes across as a bit arrogant, but Glenn Beck really has a good message, when you get past his weepiness. And Bill O'Reilly, you have to respect, because he stands up for what is right, and is obviously very intelligent. Gotta say the same from Bill Shepherd and Sean Hannity. Right on, most of the time. Didn't think it would happen, but hey, anyone can admit they're wrong, and I gotta admit, FOXNews really is the voice of the people, with some very accurate and insightful reporting.

Did you get it?

Just check the date of the last post. April Fool's Day. Did you think my brain had turned to mush, and I would start to believe the blatant lies and propaganda of FOXNews? Are you kidding?