FamGuyToday by Aunty Fox

but occasionally, I make a good meal, like tonight. I did some boneless chicken thighs, ka-bobs, with Teriaki and BBQ sauce, glazed w'butter, to make the edges crispy, but the inside was still juicy. Served with split zucchini, on the grill and coleslaw. Really good, if I gotta say so, myself. Tasty and healthy. Yummmm.

Check out this 10 second clip-- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E2JZqNVssnA&feature=player_embedded

has to contain big money, power, or both, be on a large stage, and be somewhat believable. While researching an investment I came across some interesting facts. Porter Stansberry is a 'gold bug' investor who has been predicting the collapse of the US economy since gold was under $400/oz and silver $5. Part of his doom and gloom scenario includes the IMF wanting to remove the dollar as the world's 'reserve currency' which it has been, since WWII. As it is, oil and all major commodities are linked to the dollar, and every nation is locked into the US dollar for it's imports and exports. Many powerful nations don't like this, esp since the US has been fabricating $ out of thin air, to buy the bonds that support the gov't, SO, there have been secret meetings, ( read it here--http://www.saloforum.com/index.php?threads/arab-states-make-secret-moves-with-france-russia-and-china-to-dump-dollar.615 )  involving Russia, China, the Arab Nations and France, to chan

another holiday filled with rhapsodies by politicians and citizens alike about the sacrifices of American military personnel. But if these summer patriots really cared about their neighbors in uniform, they would stop putting servicemen and women at risk for frivolous reasons. America was born in war. The existence of evil means that war may always be an ugly necessity. But these days most of Washington's conflicts (Korea, Viet Nam, Afg., Iraq) are wars of choice, military interventions for almost any reason other than protecting vital American interests. Indeed, wars initiated by the U.S. are more likely to threaten than protect U.S. liberty and security. In Afghanistan Americans are dying for no good reason. The U.S. has been at war for a decade, long after achieving its initial aims of disrupting al Qaeda, which managed the September 11 terrorist attacks, and ousting the Taliban government, which hosted al Qaeda. Iraq was deadlier and less justified than Afghanistan. Every

from the Boulder Creek Festival, with nearly a thousand vendors, the day before the "Bolder Boulder', the largest citizens run in the country. Yup, with 54,000 runners last year, (something a southern couch potato couldn't relate to) bigger than the Boston Marathon. Amazing place to 'people watch', as nearly a half million people wander along Boulder Creek, over 3 days, with booths of arts, crafts, commercial ventures, food and drink. I enjoyed it even more, thinking of the right wing rube, who would be 'shocked' by the young people expressing themselves with occasional tattoos, and showing some skin, AND, there was live rock music, which he says caused the collapse of western civilization. Laughable/pathetic, when you think of those stuck in their little 'pockets of poverty' whose life, like chastity, (that old 60's poster) is it's own punishment, as they feel the need to pass judgement on others, in this world they can't understand, or

 For Repub candidates, that would save them lots of time. Just plug in any of their names... "I hate earmarks! And love war! And I support things passionately right up until I learn those things are part of the Democratic Party platform, and then I hate those things! Why doesn't anyone tell me that these are the positions of other people who I don't like?

from Google. If you are interested in Rick Santorum, you can 'do the Google' on Santorum, and learn something. What a lovely mental picture...

in the Denver area, with the cops beating the crap out of people, usually for 'resisting arrest', and getting away with it, UNLESS the victim happens to be the relative of another cop, which has happened a few times, lately. Then, the city's gotta pay out huge sums of money, cuz they are 'self-insured'. I know, most cops are good, but like any group, they got their bad apples, and I have run across more than my share, unfortunately. Good editorial comment in the Post this morning. How about paying these lawsuits out of the cops' pension plan? That'd stop 'em wailing on people, when their fellow officers realized they were actually getting penalized, for the actions of a few bad ones. One of those ideas that makes a lot of sense, but will never happen. Why not?

on this Memorial Day, that 18 vets per day take their own lives? After Bush's war, based on LIES, these people are paying the price, after his buddies got rich. Being a storm/catastrophe adjuster, I can kinda relate to being in an extreme situation, and I started to get real stressed after a few months. BUT, I was in America, making good money, and I could leave when things got too weird. Those poor soldiers, who couldn't find a job, cuz Bush wrecked the economy, joined the military, and were exposed to conditions we can't imagine, day after day, with their compatriates and 'enemies' (who were defending their homeland) getting killed and wounded, as they lived in constant anxiety, far from home and family. When they get home, they are denied mental health counseling, but given copious amounts of drugs. Thanks again, George. You are the gift that keeps on giving, as lives continue to be ruined, after your 'big adventure' in Iraq.

of good pics on our golf outing at Sanctuary, but am picking this one, for my diary (blog), cuz it's a beautiful, 180 yd par 3, with a scary green, and it was my best shot of the day, sticking a few feet from the pin. Rocking chair day....

every weekday, with CNBC Business news. There are a lot of talking heads out there, but Mark Haynes (with Erin Burnett) would tell it like it is, and hold someone's feet to the fire when he caught them BS'ing, which was quite often. At 65, he'd been around and, along with Art Cashin, I really respected his opinion. Erin got bumped upstairs, to CNN and Mark died unexpectedly, at 65 this week. At one time, that would have seemed old. Now, it just reminds me that 'you never know'. Gonna miss him and his dry wit. Also, it forced me to look for a new financial show and I tried FOX Business, which made me sick, when I saw how even (especially) in the business news, they are 'all propaganda, all the time', with some business news, surrounded by opinion, disguised as facts.

(from AOL News) on Roger Ailes, the heart and soul of FOXNews, whose views and opinions are followed, without question, by the Fox faithful. Ailes, who hooked up with like-minded, multi-billionaire Rupert Murdoch, spent much of his youth in convalescence. A sickly child – hemophilia forced him to sit out recess at school – he had to learn to walk again after getting hit by a car at age eight. His mother worked outside the home, so he was raised in equal measure by his grandmother and TV. "Television and I grew up together," he later wrote. In many ways, Ailes remains a creature of that earlier era, who never developed normal family reationships. His 1950s manners and unreconstructed sexism give the feeling, says one intimate, "like you’re talking to someone who’s been under a rock for a couple of decades." The 71-year-old Ailes presents the classic figure of a cinematic villain: bald and obese, with dainty hands, Hitchcockian jowls and a lumbering gait. But Ailes is

I have to grudgingly respect their brilliance. NEVER, have so few, (since Hitler's time) been able to hijack the political soul of a country, as they fooled so many people, who actually think they are a legitimate news organization. And never, has such an initial investment paid off so well, unless it was the big oil contributions to George W Bush's campaign, but, there IS an overlap, there.

grew so large, so fast? In the normal course of business, cable outfits like Time Warner pay content providers like CNN or MTV for the right to air their programs, AFTER they pay their dues, by building a legitimate news organization. But Murdoch turned the business model on its head. He didn’t just give Fox News away – he paid the cable companies to air it. To get Fox News' propaganda into 25 million homes, Murdoch paid cable companies as much as $20 a subscriber. “Murdoch’s offer shocked the industry,” writes biographer Neil Chenoweth. “He was prepared to shell out half a billion dollars just to buy an outlet for his views.” Even before it took to the air, Fox News was guaranteed access to a mass audience, bought and paid for, for his 'Fair and Balanced' propaganda.  According to the University of Maryland, Fox News viewers are the most misinformed of all news consumers. They are 30 percentage points more likely to say that scientists dispute global warming, and 31 poi

How Roger Ailes Built the Fox News Fear Factory-The onetime Nixon operative has created the most profitable propaganda machine in history. Inside America's Unfair and Imbalanced Network To watch even a day of Fox News – the anger, the bombast, the virulent paranoid streak, the unending appeals to white resentment, the reporting that’s held to the same standard of evidence as a late-­October attack ad – is to see a refraction of its founder, one of the most skilled and fearsome operatives in the history of the Republican Party. As a political consultant, Ailes repackaged Richard Nixon for television in 1968, papered over Ronald Reagan’s budding Alzheimer’s in 1984, shamelessly stoked racial fears to elect George H.W. Bush in 1988, and waged a secret campaign on behalf of Big Tobacco to derail health care reform in 1993, and without whom George W Bush would never have reached the White House. Take it from Rush Limbaugh, a "dear friend" of Ailes. "One man has establi

cuz I read the whole thing, (didn't really like it, but I finished it) with it's pro-capitalist, anti-religious message, but, obviously the religious right couldn't be bothered by such a ponderous tome. Chuck Colson, who DID read it, said," it's hard to imagine a world view more antithetical to Christianity." So what is Colson talking about? A week before his statement, American Values Network released a damning memo with a large number of Rand quotes where she says she is out to destroy the Church and Judeo-Christian morality. She argued that people had to choose between following her teachings or those of Christianity and other religious traditions. Rand said religion was "evil," called the message of John 3:16 "monstrous," argued that the weak are beyond love and undeserving of it, that loving your neighbor was immoral and impossible and that she was out to undermine the idea that charity was a moral duty and virtue. So what was the

Next, you're gonna tell me pigs are flying.  TIm Pawlenty actually said the obvious, in Repub farm state. Wow.  What's next, Repubs saying the oil co's shouldn't get subsidized, in Texas?  Nah, and even so, they'll say anything to get elected, but once in power, that's all forgotten. Still, to tell the truth about ethanol, in Iowa, is pretty amazing for a Repub politician. Obviously, he doesn't stand a chance. From the Denver Post, today Ethanol is an environmental, economic and energy loser. From seed to distillery, making ethanol consumes more energy than it produces. The subsidies have done nothing to trim our oil imports or clean our air. Growing corn in quantities necessary to make ethanol plentiful demands huge amounts of fuel, fertilizer and other chemicals that pollute the air, land and water. And repurposing corn from food to fuel raises the price of groceries, both for middle class Americans and for poverty-stricken peoples all over the world.

Sarah Palin, a Repub favorite, (but has NO CHANCE of becoming prez, cuz thankfully, most people have a brain), is back on the campaign trail. Puh-lease, Sarah, run, girl, run. It will be so funny to watch you trying to put forth intelligent answers to the questions you will be asked. Alas, it won't happen, no matter how much I would love it. She, like 'The Donald', is just in it for the money and the publicity. BUT, along the way, they suck in a lot of the Repub base, who can't recognize a shill when they see one. Please, Sarah, GO FOR IT!

you'd be all upset how the NSF (Nat'l Science Foundation), and those damned scientists, wasted tax dollars, (that could have gone to well deserving oil companies). They have been showing shrimp on a treadmill, proving how the left wastes tax dollars. BUT, if you look up the' rest of the story', behind the FOX bullshit, you see that this was a well designed method to test the health of the shrimp, during a large study on pollution, AND, it was done in 2006, under the Bush admin. Clever fellows, those (anti-science) sleazeballs at FOX, just not real honest.

Carol got some catnip to plant in the garden cuz Bailey really likes it. Well, Bailey found it, on the table, and ate most of it. Not sure if there's enough left to plant.

that Chris Christie would be the Repub candidate, cuz that's who FOX wants, and the Repub sheep follow FOX like rats follow a piper. SO, today I wasn't too surprised to see this article on AOL. Chris Christie, a wealthy, well-educated lawyer from New Jersey, is suddenly not willing to say whether or not he believes in biological evolution. Christie went to a very good public high school and he's a mainstream American Catholic, not an evangelical Protestant, so I am going to guess that he does believe in evolution, if he ever even gives the idiotic question any thought. I'd also guess that believing in evolution is not particularly controversial among New Jersey Republicans, who are not exactly Kansas Republicans. So why hedge? Well, someday -- maybe someday soon -- he may want the support of Kansas Republicans. And sometimes, successful Republican politicians begin debasing themselves to win the votes of far-right rubes well before they begin forming exploratory commi

yesterday, at Sanctuary Golf Course. Consistently rated in the top courses in the country, it is VERY private, and by far, the best course I have ever played. Built by Dave Liniger, who owns Re-Max Realty, 14 of 18 t-boxes are elevated, with the most amazing views imaginable, as the course winds through mountain valleys with streams and waterfalls. Thanks again Tori, for a truly memorable day, with Nate, DeShane and you.

I feel like I need to restate something. I am definitely not qualifed to state, for certain, one way or another, anything about spiritual matters. Any opinions I have, are in a constant state of flux, but I realize that I can't claim to KNOW anything for sure (unlike some people) about 'higher powers'. I would love to think that there is a loving God watching out for me and would pull strings in my favor. I do know, that just cuz I can't prove it to myself, I  shouldn't close my mind to the possiblity. I know I have 'believed' during my life, and those have been some of the best times, but, was it because I 'wanted' to believe? I don't know, but definitely possible. As far as the Bible, it is a holy book that I don't understand, and don't claim to. There's lots of 'good' in it, but also a lot that is obviously wrong. Hopefully, some day it will all become clear, but 'til then, I just don't know for sure, in my frail hu

cuz we had some movie coupons. If you've seen the other "Pirates', you knowwhat this one is about. Did notice how much Johnny Depp and Penelope Cruz look like each other. Not great, not terrible, but very predicatable, with good scenery and special effects.

as the same people who deny global warming, (the right-wing, Conservative Christians) praise God for saving their lives, as record numbers of their neighbors are killed by tornadoes, (sinners?), because of global weather change. Can't be explained, with any logical thinking, but that has nothing to do, with them. Nothing new, here, as natural forces play upon the earth, and people who can't understand it, try to explain it.

who wouldn't touch the subsidies to big oil, the (temporary) tax break for multi-miilionaires, and multibillion dollar giveaways to an ethanol industry that consumes more energy than it produces, have found a place to swing their budget axe. At hungry pre-schoolers and victims of world-wide disasters. No shit. You can't make this stuff up. WASHINGTON -- House Republicans are targeting domestic nutrition programs and international food assistance as they try to control spending in next year's budget.In a bill released Monday, Republicans proposed cutting $832 million – or 12 percent – from this year's budget for the federal nutrition program that provides food for low-income mothers and children. The 2012 budget proposal for food programs also includes a decrease of almost $457 million, or 31 percent, from an international food assistance program that provides emergency aid and agricultural development dollars to poor countries after natural disasters. Wow. Just when

'Rush Limbaugh's ratings have fallen sharply in recent months, according to a new report by Arbitron. Limbaugh's audience has dropped by 33 percent since October. And he's not the only one--Sean Hannity's ratings have also slipped by 28 percent' Wow. I guess my blog has more power that I thought.

but care to, how we got into this HUGE economic mess we are in, just watch 'Too Big to Fail', as it is explained, how the big financial firms, under Repub deregulation, wrecked our, and the world's, economy. It explains how some firms, without sufficient political suck, like Merrill Lynch, Bear Stearns and Lehman Bros, got thrown under the bus, while Goldman Sachs, Citi, B of A, and esp AIG, got paid 100 cents on the dollar, for their part in wrecking the world. Thanks, Bush and buddies. Here we are, over 3 years later, and it still isn't fixed, and doesn't look like it will be anytime soon. Watch this this movie, if you can stand it, as it is explained, in layman's terms. Sickening, but real, as Bush and buddies wrote hundreds of billions of dollars of checks, (some repaid, as the execs paid themselves billions in bonuses) as W slithered out of town, and left Obama and the Dems holding the bag. Now, the Repubs scream about deficits, as the hypocrites, and the u

where my brain screams, after being subjected to another 'rapture' prediction. I don't believe the Biblical story of (7 day) creation, the age of the earth, Adam and Eve, (with the talking snake and the apple) the first people, who's son was kicked out, and joined another tribe (?), Noah's Ark, the bear and the bald man (2nd Kings, 22), Jonah, and a whole bunch of ancient stories, (one of the worst being stopping the sun {duh, it's the earth that spins, and could you imagine what would happen if it stopped for awhile?} so a big slaughter could happen, in the Lord's name), as an ancient collection of myths (and nice stories) attempts to explain history and science, to a totally uneducated crowd, a couple thousand years ago. And now 'the book' is held up as infallible? Sorry, to those it hurts, but it's not even close to being factual, these days. Not even close.Took me many years to admit it, and am not gonna pretend any more. Can't believe in

an overlap between the 'rapture' crowd and the GWBush supporters and am beginning to understand it better. If there was ever one person who pushed us closer to economic chaos, and therefore the end of the world, it was W. Nobody else even comes close. SO, if you believe that stuff and are in a hurry to leave the planet, you gotta love him.

was about 13 and 14 yr olds working in the fields, at min wage. Big deal. I worked in the fields at that age, and I knew a lot of kids who did. Ideal? No, but, it is part of life. You work, earn and save, then you grow from there.  It's called 'real life'.

how the Bush admin bungled the info that that showed 9-11 was gonna happen, THEN covered it up. Thin-Thread, (code name for program that worked), vs Trailblazer, the one that the Bushies authorized, for BILLIONS of $'s, that went into their buddies pockets, but didn't work. Sickening, but typical. If you didn't see 60 Minutes, is too complicated to explain, but, botttom line, we had the info in advance, and it was ignored, cuz some people were making big money to ignore it. Watch the Thomas Drake trial, next month, to understand it.

on '60 Minutes' tonight, about Lance Armstrong, and doping in cycling. After this story, he sure seems gulity, and he wouldn't comment. Tyler Hamilton, an Olympic Gold Medal winner from Boulder, turned in his gold medal this week, and implicated Armstrong. Will be real interesting, how Rick Reilly, the Sports Illustrated, and ESPN writer, who waged a campaign against Barry Bonds, for steroid use, BUT, was/is a personal friend of Lance, will handle this story. Seems like the French, who kept saying, 'he's doping', were right, after all. Sad....

about 'The End of the World', today, on AOL. "I can see the attraction of this kind of thinking. If the believer white-knuckles it and holds the line, then God will come and break into the world, relieve their suffering, bring justice to an unjust world, and lift those who believed into an exalted role in the new creation. The more I think about the people who are placing their hope in the current end-of-the-world scheme, the less I want to laugh at them and the more I feel compassion for them. My guess is that people who put their trust in these movements have a sense of powerlessness, and they need to believe in a radical solution to their current situation. While the rich and powerful make fun, the rapture believers are largely working-class people who feel that they have less and less of a voice or place in this world. Like buying a lottery ticket, they are placing bets on a instant transformation of their personal situation where the last will become first, and the

had a great 'End of the World' show, where she talked about the 89 yr old preacher, whose followers have enriched him to the tune of over $70 million. She mentioned that she, like myself, have gone easy on this story, cuz she has a lot of family who believes in this kinda stuff. I totally understand. She finished the show by making a 'end of time' cocktail, that looked really good, but has some strange ingredients. Maybe I'll round them up and my friends and I will toast the next prediction for the rapture. You know there'll be another one soon, cuz there's lots of people in that boat.

as Bella and Bailey were in the backyard when a flock of about 8 (Canadian) geese came strolling toward them, on the golf course. They sorta hid, down in the grass, then, getting courage from each other, decided to stalk these huge birds, as Dave and Rhonda, Carol and I watched. I think they were showing off, for us, but, when they got about ten ft from the flock, the two closest geese attacked, honking loudly, with wings waving. The kitties high-tailed it, as fast as they could, to the nearest tree, with the geese at the base honking. 'Twas way funny, but I didn't get a pic 'til the geese had moved away and Bailey had come down.

Roger Ailes and I would agree on something, but we do. He also thinks Sarah Palin is an idiot. "He thinks things are going in a bad direction," another Republican close to Ailes told [Sherman]. "Roger is worried about the future of the country. He thinks Palin is an idiot. He thinks she's stupid. He helped boost her up. People like Sarah Palin haven't elevated the conservative movement." See it all, here: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/22/roger-ailes-palin-stupid-fox-news-new-york_n_865117.html?icid=main%7Chtmlws-main-n%7Cdl1%7Csec1_lnk3%7C213925

of snow, 23 ft deep, about 50 miles from here, in Rocky Mountain Nat'l Park. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/22/us/22snow.html?_r=1&nl=todaysheadlines&emc=tha23

after the 'rapture' that didn't happen, AGAIN, we can't help but look at those who hope that the world WILL end, cuz then their belief system will be validated.  IF it happened, they could say, 'I told you so', but it didn't, and it won't. So, they will be left, here on earth, with no clue, or resources, for their old age, and we taxpayers will have to support them, after they aren't magically transported off the earth, as they end up in diapers. By the time they are proven wrong, it's too late for them, but, for many, they WILL get old, with not enough money, and we will have to feed them. Nothing new here, but, is brought to light, occasionally, when another Bible thumper, like the 89 yr old in California, deceives a bunch of gullible followers, with his false prophesy, and they have to face the 'day after', looking like fools.  A good book out there, 'When Prophecy Fails', explains this phenomenon, for those gullible believers,

as we take care of Bella and Baxter, for the next couple o' weeks, while Kari and Ted work in Vienna for a while, then do the tourista thing in Barcelona and Paris. Did read, this morning, about protests in the major cities of  Spain. Hope Kari doesn't have to kick any butt, while they're in Barcelona. Hope to visit there, sometime, as it seems like a really interesting place, with a nice beach on the Mediterranean.

to all of you who are gonna get 'raptured' tomorrow. I guess your 'retirement' plan is finally gonna kick in. The rest of us will try to get by, without you. Saw a good joke I may do. Leaving a set of clothes, including shoes, laying on the sidewalk, in the form of a body. Others are charging for a pet care service, cash in advance, for believers' pets. Some people will believe anything, which is proven every day, by the FOX crowd. Bye bye....

As if I didn't read a lot before... Have finished 'Lord of the Flies', which is kinda depressing, and most people have already read. Am in the process of reading "Ancient Rome, From the Earliest Times' and 'Mysterious Stranger' by Mark Twain, both of which were free downloads from the local library (online). Really interesting history of ancient Rome, and the stranger is Satan, who appears in a small town and encourages witch burning, raising money to buy people out of Purgatory and many other Christian rituals. I'm guessing Mark Twain was a non-believer. Also reading more Barry Eisler, one of my new favorites, and downloading audio books. You can also do newspapers and magazines. Nice toy to have, as we've been getting so much rain (over 5"), in the last couple o' weeks. I can see why Barnes and Noble said this last month was the first in which they sold more 'on-line', than paper, books. SO much more convenient. Our 'Sanctuary

when you read.... While reading my new Kindle, about the history of Rome, I came across this. Some things never change. The rich land-owners, on the other hand, increased their wealth by "farming" the public revenues; i.e. the state would let out to them, for a stipulated sum, the privilege of collecting all import and other duties. These, in turn (called in later times Publicans), would extort all they could from the tax-payers, thus enriching themselves unlawfully.  SO, when this condition was RE-created, they were called RE-Publicans. As in defense contractors and Big Oil. (PS, see Iraq War) You can't make up this stuff...

This week saw the meeting of two of the most opposing voices on television: Fox News' Bill O'Reilly and "The Daily Show"'s Jon Stewart. Unfortunately, the debate was over something of a non-issue (Rap artist Common visiting the White House for a poetry reading) but it was a tense discussion nonetheless. But let's get down to brass tacks: who really won the debate? If you wander over to Bill O'Reilly's website and click on the poll results for the debate, you might be surprised at what you see. According to O'Reilly's own visitors, Stewart crushed him with a whopping 79% of the vote. And this is from O'Reilly's website. Overall, it would be well over 95% that would say Stewart, the thinking person's newsman, crushed the FOX shill. Not a big surprise. What is a surprise is that O'Reilly would debate over such a stupid issue. FOX took lyrics out of context, then complained when someone noticed it. This same result could be repeat

Posted May 18, 2011, 5:18 pmSo much for GOP’s “laser-like focus” on jobsBy Denver Post Opinions The Republicans ran in 2010, promising a “laser-like focus” on jobs. Since then, they have instead focused on President Obama’s birth certificate, Planned Parenthood, releasing the Osama bin Laden photos, the rapper Common getting invited to the White House and so on … everything but jobs. The Republican plan is the same as their plan under President Bush, when they controlled everything — tax cuts for corporations and the rich and let Wall Street regulate itself.So how did that work out? The Republicans took the largest budget surplus America ever had and turned it into the largest deficit. Letting Wall Street police itself led directly to the financial meltdown and the recession. So, please, Republicans, focus on President Obama’s college papers, high school transcripts, whatever, I don’t care. Just stay away from your “laser-like focus” on jobs. America can’t afford it again.

The U.S. Secret Service issued an apology on Wednesday after an eyebrow-raising tweet went out on the agency's official Twitter account (@SecretService), which was just activated last week. The tweet, which stirred buzz despite swiftly being taken down, read: “Had to monitor Fox for a story. Can’t. Deal. With. The. Blathering.”

they would, the Repubs in the Senate killed a bill to remove the subsidies and tax breaks for big oil, whose obscene profits continue to kill the economy. If there was ever a doubt, after extending the (temporary) tax cut for the top 2%, that the Repubs are in it for the gazillionaires, over the average working American, this should prove it. BUT, I'm sure FOX (owned by a gazillionaire) will explain it away and the sheep will swallow the swill, as they always do. Sickening, but consistent.

what's going on with the Repubs? All the big guns, Huckabee, Palin, Trump, etc, can make much more $, which is the end-all game, for them, by just being FOXNews or TV 'personalities', instead of being a real candidate, which means taking stands on issues. Who can't see thru this crap?

The gov't regulators raised the margin requirements FIVE TIMES, in just a few days, to knock the biggest players out of the silver market, and get a handle on commodities, as the dollar continues to lose value. Will be interesting to see how/where this all settles out. I'm sure a lot of people, like me, sold some silver, to lock in profits, but at some point you gotta think, nothing's fundamentally changed, the economy is still WAY screwed up and they're printing money like there's no tomorrow. But, there WILL be a tomorrow and a next year, etc. What would you rather face the future with, hard assets or paper money? Will be very interesting....

about the Repub agenda, just watch as they fight to keep the tax breaks and subsidies for the big oil companies. Just as they did to keep the (temporary) tax breaks for the richest 2%, as the budget imploded. These guys aren't even subtle. This comes after 8 years of their 'reign of error', which killed the surplus they inherited in 2000, created a massive deficit and threw us into the worst recession since the 30's. How can people be so blind? Oh yeah, they just watch (and believe) FOXNews.

for the great B-day party. Always love getting together with my family and playing with my lovely grandaughter. Looking forward to my new Kindle, loaded with books, w/coupons for more, and my new shirt from Sanctuary. Thanks again, to a fantastic family, and glad we got a picture. I am not worthy....

the US officially hit the debt ceiling. The various agencies can wiggle and squirm for a while, but there's gonna have to be some compromising in the next couple of months to keep the checks flowing. The same Repubs who took a healthy surplus in 2000 and ran our economy into the ground, and failed to repeal the 'temporary' Bush tax cuts for the wealthy, now say any tax increases are 'off the table'. Should be interesting to see what kind of real ideas these hypocrites have. Same as always, I bet, just a bunch of hot air, with no real solutions. If they can't even remove subsidies to the oil companies, and to farmers who waste valuable cropland growing corn for ethanol, that takes more energy to create than it produces, what chance do we have?

Denver mayoral candidates. With religious zealots taking over politics across the country, was nice to hear Hancock and Romer agree, when replying as to whether evolution or 'creationism' should be taught in the school system. Both said that religion has no business in the classroom and they'd stick with evolution. What a difference, to live in a state that actually embraces science/education, instead of running from it, to get votes from the fringe groups.

I lived, and did claims, out in the boonies, near Houma, Louisisana. We then got hit by Rita, while I was there. Got to know a bunch of good people while I lived there for several months, many of them 'genuine' Cajuns. Since then, they've been hit with another hurricane, the BP oil spill, and now, the intentional flooding of the Atchaflaya River basin, to take the pressure off downstream Mississippi RIver towns. These are tough people, but hey, enough already. Can't imagine what it's like down there, as this latest, slow motion tragedy unfolds. Seems like they just recover from disaster and BOOM, here comes another. May have to head down there, later this year, to see how they're doing, and help out a bit.

The Broomfield Assessor's office sent out our property valuations, for tax purposes, and again, it seems like we are the only neighborhood in the country who isn't affected by the national real estate problems. Riiiiight. Sent in the form to dispute their figures, cuz it just doesn't make sense. We'll see....

from John Stewart, on The Daily Show, when he was makin' fun of FOXNews getting in such an uproar over the prez inviting 'Common', the tamest rapper in existence, to the White House with other poets, for a reading. Hannity was all kerfuffled, cuz he found a part in a song about strapping on a piece and goin' after a cop, BUT, it was in a context of what NOT to do. Then, Stewart had a LONG litany of drugs and fightin' and shootin' and killin' lyrics from a 'gangster' that Bush had entertained. I was really wondering who this bad-ass was gonna be. Got a good laugh when I saw W, shaking the hand of Johnny Cash.

but someone's messin' w/my blog. Deleting and changing stuff. Weird...

that FOXNews and Glenn Beck are bottom feeders, but, they still manage to shock, as they did yesterday. ORIGINAL STORY: Cindy McCain lashed out at Glenn Beck after he mimed vomiting over her daughter Meghan's recent skin cancer PSA. McCain was only one of the women featured in the ad, which compared not wearing sunscreen to being naked, and which showed McCain seemingly naked.On Beck's Wednesday show, he and his co-hosts spent over eight minutes mocking McCain. Beck pretended to vomit repeatedly (with detailed sound effects) while looking at McCain's ad or even hearing her name. "Put some extra clothes on," he said. "Like, lots of extra clothes...has she thought about a burqa, just to be extra safe?" McCain's mother, who has suffered from skin cancer, was not happy. Here's the ad that made 'fat boy', so upset. And these are all Repubs.... http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/12/cindy-mccain-glenn-beck-meghan-mccain_n_860933.html?i

aren't dealing with snow today, but we are. Not big snow, but pretty good precip. Really nice day to kick back and enjoy late winter. Decided to re-watch 'Game of Thrones', cuz it was fun. This is near record breaking stuff, but not that unusual. I love it, as we watch the snow/rain mix go back and forth. Gotta love Colorado...

I like to pass along good, local financial news. This is CROX, that a former crony tried to talk me out of, but my buddy Denny Funkhauser, explained why they were a good company, cuz he worked for them. Check out this chart, how they've come back. http://finance.yahoo.com/echarts?s=CROX+Interactive#symbol=crox;range=2y;compare=;indicator=volume;charttype=area;crosshair=on;ohlcvalues=0;logscale=off;source =;

see another Bill Maher show, you gotta see this one. This is the week he has dreamed of. Obama birth certificate, presidential business (floods, correspondence dinner, Trump, etc), then killing Bin Laden, as FOX made fun of him. A classic Bill Maher, 'In Your Face' Repub slapdown. Doesn't get any better, with the hypocrites getting it up the kazoo. I LOVE it....

How did our country get into this financial mess?What happened to the budget surplus the federal government had in 2000? The answer is, three main things. (according to  Nobel Prize winning economist Paul Krugman, today) First, there were the Bush tax cuts, which added roughly $2 trillion to the national debt over the last decade. Second, there were the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, which added an additional $1.1 trillion or so. And third was the Great Recession, which led both to a collapse in revenue and to a sharp rise in spending on unemployment insurance and other safety-net programs. So who was responsible for these budget busters? It wasn’t the man in the street. President George W. Bush cut taxes in the service of his party’s ideology, not in response to a groundswell of popular demand — and the bulk of the cuts went to a small, affluent minority. Similarly, Mr. Bush chose to invade Iraq because that was something he and his advisers wanted to do, not because Americans we

if you are a FOXNews exec, and you gotta do headlines after Bin Laden got killed? These guys make a living by lying to the public, BUT, it was pretty obvious what happened. Poor guys... Say it's illegal, unconstitutional, etc, BUT, the overwhelming majority of thinking Americans, (not FOX people) realize Obama and crew took him out, and it was a good thing. The *ssholes, or d*ckheads, (take your choice), gotta be hatin' their job. Never mind, that their normal clientele won't have a problem, but the rest of us, as we will be watching how they spin it, and laughing at them. Bottom line, FOXNews and friends, sucks, as always, while they spin the real news, with their propaganda.

                     (pic of NCAR, south Boulder, from SW Broomfield) by watching The Sunday Morning Show, with Charles Gibson. http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2011/05/08/sunday/main20060870.shtml Always interesting. Today they started off with a just completed Gallup Poll, with over 350,000 participants from across the country, that showed the 'happiest' town in the US, based on wide ranging criteria, was Boulder, Colorado. Not the first or last poll showing that. For many reasons, Boulderites had the highest % of well-being, compared to the rest of the country. Nothing new here, but it is nice to have it recognized. As someone who has traveled, and lived all over our great country, I can say there is no place like it, in SO many ways. From the clean, crisp air, postcard views and just plain 'higher quality' people, there's a reason this small part of the world, 'surrounded by reality', has the most contented, healthiest and best educated citizenry anywhe

Two weeks in a row, I get to cook, for our 'Survivor' group. Last week Julie, this week Andea. The bad news. I was gonna do BBQ'd pork chops, but got a leak in my propane grilll, so had to fry 'em. My sou chef, Paul, was in fine form, though, and we had a great corn/bread veggie amd a new fav, the frozen, whipped strawberry dessert. Next week? I'm thinking Dominos....

around here, cuz the baby mourning dove that Bailey caught, and brought in to show us, (seemingly unharmed, but scared) didn't make it, after a few days of eye dropper feeding. Can't blame a cat, for being a cat, but I really thought we were gonna be able to save the little bird. Too many nasty blackbirds outside to just toss it out on it's own before it could fly. Kinda sad, but we tried....

Apparently yes, as their Shep Smith called the killing of Bin Laden, 'illegal and unconstituional', on Tuesday's "Studio B." Smith is not the only Fox host to raise questions about the operation's legality. Fox Business anchor Andrew Napolitano explicitly called the killing illegal on his Monday show, saying it violated the Constitution and several treaties. Just when you think they can't get any sleazier....

just reinforces my thought, that endless war isn't the answer. SO many innocents have died, as we spent over a trilllion dollars to make the military-industrial comlex rich, after 9-11.  It's all about surgical raids. So obvious, unless you are are part of the Bush/Cheney crowd. Such bullshit, as we the people, continue to pay the price for a select few to profiit, after an attack on our country. Will our gov't learn? I doubt it. Way too much money to be made, for people in the war business.

how the jerks at FOX were gonna spin the news that we got Bin Laden. Didn't take long for them to put their 'special' view on it. On the 5:00 FOX report, they reported how this really didn't matter, in the long run, as Obama's economic policies are wrecking the US economy. OH REALLY. The economy is F***ED, cuz of what Bush did, BUT, that's how FOX spins the news. I knew they'd do something, but didn't know what. Now we know...  Typical FOX bullshit.

at this point, for the short term. Just a feeling, but when it opens up tomorrow, too many things against it. Up too high, for too long. IF it moves down, which is the only way it can move up in the long run, it may be a chance for some to get in. The only question is, how low will it go? When/if do you wanna get in? Tough questions. We'll see how it goes tomorrow when the market opens. Just been too high for too long. Gonna adjust sometime. I'm thinking sometime soon. We'll know in about 12 hours.