FamGuyToday by Aunty Fox

Herman Cain, who denied any knowledge of a sexual harassment suit, and continually swore it NEVER happened, suddenly remembered it, when presented with the details, which included cash a settlement. 'Oh yeah, we paid her 2 or 3 months salary, but it wasn't everything she asked for', Herman finally recalled, when shown the facts in evidence. Hard to take someone seriously, when they tell bald faced lies, until FORCED to tell the truth. Move over Sarah, Michelle and Rick, we got a new candidate. Herman Cain, just the latest in the 'parade of clowns', to lead the Repub presidential contenders.

'Under the Banner of Heaven', and was again amazed at the writing skills of Jon Krakauer. He can take a controversial subject, and through a series of well researched, scupulously documented historical facts, give the reader an overview that explains how and why things 'happened'. As a skilled author, his published works have been featured in Smithsonian, National Geographic Magazine, Rolling Stone, and Architectural Digest, as well as having several best selling books. His writing scares some small minds, especially when he writes about one his favorite subjects, organized religion, because it forces them to face facts they don't like, SO, they just deny, and belittle the messenger, who, in the case of Jon Krakauer spent over FOUR years researching this book. Again, I am not making a judgement on personal spiritual belief, because nobody can prove it either way, BUT, he and I have a problem when spirituality is packaged, along with a liberal amount of 'miracles...

based on lies about WMD, then signed agreements guaranteeing removal of American troops by the end of 2011, 10 Americans were killed in a suicide bombing yesterday, and Rick Santorum, in a typical example of Repub thinking, blamed those deaths on..... Obama, of course. Because Obama agreed to honor an agreement signed by Bush, removing troops after ONLY 8 1/2 years, he is OBVIOUSLY responsible for the bombing, in the strange world inhabited by Republican presidential candidates, who also blame Obama for the economy that just happened to implode after 7 years of George Bush at the helm. Strange world they live in, but the sheep eat it up.

(pic from 2008, I think) it's opening weekend of elk season, and I'm not hunting, in the mountains. Nate, Matt and Hunter are, though, and hopefully they're having a great hunt. Weather's perfect, which is always nice. Hopefully next weekend will be spent turning lean, organic protein into little white packages of burger, stew meat and loin. Does seem kind of strange not to be up there, but hopefully I'll draw next year, as I'll have a 'preference point'. If things are on schedule, this afternoon they'll be listening to the Bronco game while they fill coolers with a few hundred pounds of boneless meat. Hope they remember how to do it without me...

I can't imagine a better team to win the World Series. Got a bunch of buddies in the St Loius area, and the Cards deserve the win after pulling out one of the greatest games in the history of sports, last might. The fact they beat Bush's Texans is just icing on the cake.

'Under the Banner of Heaven', he explains how the Utah Supreme Court had to throw out the conviction of Ron Lafferty, although he brutally murdered a mother and her 15 month old daughter, after 'talking with God', and he admitted it. However, they ran into legal problems, whether he was sane or not, when they decided to re-try the case. Krakauer notes:  "This, after all, is a country lead by a born-again Christian, President George W. Bush, who believes he is an instrument of God and characterizes international relations as a biblical clash between forces of good and evil.  The highest law officer in the land, Attorney General John Ashcroft is…a follower of a fundamentalist Christian sect – the Pentecostal Assemblies of God- who begins each day at the Justice Department with a devotional prayer meeting for his staff, periodically has himself anointed with sacred oil, and subscribes to a vividly apocalyptic worldview that has much in common with key millenarian be...

'Under the Banner of Heaven', after reading 'Where Men Win Glory', the Pat Tillman story, I realize I'm gonna have to go back to fiction for a while, or at least take a break before reading 'Into Thin Air', or 'Into the Wild', because his books kind of bother me, knowing they are true, and truth is kind of hard to handle, sometimes. Some people though, however, just deny what they don't like to hear, and make snarky comments. Hopefully, I'll never sink to that level.

as the practice is called, involves having the 'Satanic' gov't of the US, pay for Fundamentalist Mormon upkeep, and is considered virtuous, by the practioners. Colorado City, AZ, which is nearly exclusively Fundamentalist Mormon, last year, had over 4,000 residents that were enrolled in state health care, reportedly costing the state about $8 million a year. An in-depth report published in the Daily Courier notes that about half of the fundamentalists in Colorado City receive food stamps, compared to five percent statewide, costing just over $3 million a year. The report continues, noting that a mere five years ago there were no Colorado City children getting child care assistance, but last year the number stood at about 200 – which cost the state another $600,000. These benefits are paid to care-providers who are related to the children, so sometimes one wife can get paid for taking care of another wife’s kids. In all, Colorado City gets back about eight dollars in benef...

was published, the main Fundamentalist sect of Mormons, known as the First Ward, had just lost heir leader, Rulon Jeffs, (dead at 92, though he had been prophesied to be immortal), and his son Warren had taken over. After meeting him while researching his book, Krakauer opined that he didn't think he'd last, because he was too strict, with no charisma, which is imperative for Mormon leaders. Seems he was right. Jeffs is currently serving 'life plus twenty', for a variey of crimes, including sexual assault on children.

from Anthony Storr's, 'Feet of Clay'. Quoted in 'Under the Banner of Heaven', by Jon Krakauer Religious faith is an answer to the problem of life. . . . The majority of mankind want or need some all-embracing belief system which purports to provide an answer to life’s mysteries, and are not necessarily dismayed by the discovery that their belief system, which they proclaim as “the truth,” is incompatible with the beliefs of other people. One man’s faith is another man’s delusion. . . Whether a belief is considered to be a delusion or not depends partly upon the intensity with which it is defended, and partly upon the numbers of people subscribing to it. ANTHONY STORR, FEET OF CLAY At least I think it's interesting.

in my own life (which gets me accused of 'bragging'), for my rocking chair diary, I also have a theme of calling 'bullshit' when I see those in authority taking advantage of the goodness, or naivety (gullibility) in people. Whether it is FOXNews pretending to be a 'real' news channel when they are nothing but the propaganda wing of the Repub party, or Fundamentalist Mormon leaders taking advantage of young girls, and other members of their 'flock', by promising eternal damnation if they don't submit, it just bothers me, and I write about it. Everything I write is, or can be, documented. I don't just 'make it up', like those that I rail against. If you don't like it, fine, don't read me. I really don't care.

but I do watch some sports on TV, when I can't find something better to do. Part of it is cuz I can relate to the intensity and combination individual and team effort needed to win. Not that winning is EVERYTHING, but it sure beats losing. That said, this week had two of the most amazing games I've ever seen. First, the Broncos won, after being down 15-0, with less than 3 minutes left in the game. NEVER happened before, in the long history of the NFL. Last night, the Cards beat the Rangers in the best, most exciting baseball game that I have ever seen. After being close all the way, in a game that could end the series if St Louis loses, the Cardinals had two outs and two strikes, and were two runs down, in the bottom of the ninth, when Freese hit a triple to score two and send it to extra innings, where Texas scored two in the top of the tenth, and St Louis was again down, with two outs and two strikes. They came through again, to send it to the 11th, where home...

had a field day, when a tiny number of scientists' e-mails had a bit of a problem, with some global warming facts. Less than 1%, but that didn't stop FOX and the Koch Bros, from jumping all over it, and the bros financed a huge study/campaign to debunk it. SURPRISE, the study showed global warming is real, to the surprise of NO ONE who actually pays attention to facts. Did FOXNews back off or admit anything? Of course not. These idiots play upon other idiots, and part of the plan is not to admit being wrong. FOXNews, nothing if not consistent, when lying to the sheep, who swallow, without question.

I had heard about the 'Mountain Meadow Massacre', where a war party of Mormons, along with some Paiute Indians, slaughtered 120 men, women and children. wiping out an emigrant wagon train traveling to California, in the spring of 1857. I always figured it was a religious war, which it partly was, but after plagues of crickets and an extended drought, the Mormons were in dire need of supplies and money. The leaders heard about the Baker-Fancher wagon train, that was rumored to be the richest group of that size to ever travel west, with vast herds of prize cattle, horses and a strongbox loaded with gold.  Gentiles, or non-Mormons, were considered evil, therefor fair game, for the 'Saints', which the Mormon leaders called the sheep. Bottom line, there was a 5 day seige and massacre that was originally blamed on the Indians, but was later proven to be the work of the 'Saints' from Salt Lake City. The seige ended when the Mormons of...

about Mormons and Mormonism, is that Steve Young, of the San Francisco 49'ers, is the great-great-great-grandson of Brigham Young, who took the reins of the Mormon church after Joseph Smith was killed by a mob of men, when it was discovered what he was doing to several of their young daughters. I just never put the 'Young' names together, though I knew Steve was the QB at BYU.

Was planning to go elk hunting, leaving tomorrow morning, even though I hadn't drawn a tag this year. Was gonna be the odd man out, of the pop-up that only sleeps 3, so I was gonna sleep in the back of my SUV, since I had earlier said I wasn't going, then I was, etc. Sorta doing a Mitt Romney. However, after actually rolling out my bedroll/pad, in the back of my MDX, and trying to get comfortable, I realized that it was gonna be a long, cold, uncomfortable place to spend 3 nights in the mountains, without even having the fun of a 'hunt', during the day. SO, I bailed out. Am already having 2nd thoughts, that will probably get worse, but good news/bad news, am not going elk hunting for the first time since I moved to Colorado in the early 70's. Good luck, guys.

in today's' news', the corporate shills came out in defense of the bloated military-industrial complex, that has made hundreds of billions of dollars at the expense of taxpayers and massive casualties. 'Defense secretary reportedly ready to slash up to $260 billion over five years — a move sure to cut deep into the defense industry at a time when job creation is critical to the U.S. economic turnaround.'  THE FOX article goes on to say how bad it will be for the economy, as the Bush wars, and military spending, winds down. Yup, we need those bomb making jobs REAL bad, for the economy. Not like it's a new argument. I grew up during a time when thousands were being killed and wounded in Viet Nam, but corporate America was loving the profits. Some things never change, thanks to the shills at FOXNews, and their ilk, the war profiteers.

GWBush and the Iraq war, as always, just follow the money. AOLnews, today, shows an entirely new way to fight a war (and steal $), as the Bushies sent 363 tons of US currency into Iraq, ($40 Billion in cash, mostly 100 dollar bills) and SURPRISE, a whole bunch of it is 'missing'. Check it out, here. http://www.cnbc.com/id/45031100

that I really feel strongly about, how Mormonism and other religions, warp reality and reason for their own ends, has struck a chord. My blog hits are again over a hundred per day, with many coming from Germany. Who'd a thunk?

Anonymous, the loose-knit web "hacktavist" group that has been associated with taking down MasterCard.com and attacking the Church of Scientology, is apparently planning on launching a coordinated attack on the Fox News website because of the way the network has covered the Occupy Wall Street movement, according to a video posted on YouTube."Anonymous intends on destroying the Fox News website because their continued right wing conservative propaganda can no longer be tolerated," a computer-generated voice says in the video. "They use words such as "filthy," "disgusting" and "dirty" to describe the protesters. Since they will not stop belittling the occupiers, we will simply shut them down." Supposed to happen on Nov 5. Will be interesting. Shouldn't have warned them.

Mormons, who regularly 'speak with God', I realize how many different religions, also regularly 'speak with God', but He obviously tells them totally different things. Why does God do that?  Muslims, Jews, Hindus, Mormons and Evangelicals, as well as many other cults/sects all hear what they want to hear, and are absolutely SURE they have the 'one and only' true religion and everyone else is WRONG. If you don't believe it, just ask one of them. What would this suggest to a reasonable human being? (Though religious fanatics don't fall within this group.) I have had it explained to me, more than once by one fanatic, that to understand his religion, I had to 'turn off my brain'. Really. And that is how he lives his life. Kind of hard to have a dialog, at this point, but it makes perfect sense to him, cuz he's a 'spiritual warrior'. Then there are those of us who, when they hear that little voice in their head, credit it to the continua...

each young man is required to go on a 'mission', for two years, where they are subjected to a continual stream of abuse and rejection. Depending on which figures you believe, each missionary 'converts' from 2-4 people per year, which doesn't seem like much, BUT, when you consider their prodigious procreation, AND this geometric progression, you can see how they continue to grow. If you knock on enough doors, you're gonna find some lost sheep, who are 'down', and looking for a way out. Just simple math. Another fact. Provo is the most Mormon city in the most Mormon state. It is also the most Republican city in the country, in the most Republican state. Baaaaa....

to keep him in power, Joseph Smith would have been just another power mad, sexual predator, BUT, he seized upon the innate human desire, present in many, to follow a leader and to perceive a divine purpose to their lives. Whenever his will came into conflict with common sense and reason, he conveniently had a revelation from God, written down as 'Doctrine and Covenenants', explaining and sanctifying his actions and appetites, and the sheep said, 'amen'. He eventually took over 40 wives, many of them in their early teens, threatening them and their families with eternal damnation if they balked. Looking at him historically, it is hard to believe that people would actually believe and follow such an obvous fraud, but that is the nature of a cult, and whenever he ran into problems, as when he decided he wanted the wife of a man named William Law, who happened to own the local newspaper, The Nauvoo Expositor, Smith called the sheep to a...

'Under the Banner of Heaven', I continue to learn more about the history of the Mormon church, as the book is very revealing, well researched and scupulously documented. Seems Joseph Smith, the charismatic founder of Mormonism, who 'found' the golden tablets, before he lost them, was quite the ladies man. Following a beating and 'tar and feathering' after he was caught in bed with the very young daughter of an influential land owner, he decided that there is no way God would want him to be deprived of objects of his lust, so he shared the 'word of God' that not only allowed polygamy, but demanded it. The sheep didn't buy it, at first, and he had problems with the fathers of young girls with whom God had commanded him to have sexual relations with. SO, to get the fathers out of the way, FAR away, the Mormon 'mission' was established, to send them away and 'herd in more sheep', at peril of losing their, and their family's, immortal ...

and you 'get it', or you don't, and watch FOXNews, (though I imagine many do 'neither') I can't imagine there's much cross-over. Last night Jon Stewart put together a great montage of just plain 'crazy' talk from the crowd of Repub contenders. Lots to choose from, when even Pat 'Gays Cause Hurricanes' Robertson is telling them they have to tone down the 'crazy talk', or they won't get elected, you know there's something to it. Must be tough, being a serious Repub, and just having these clowns to choose from, and the voice of reason coming from a guy who said the Haitians deserved the earthquake they got, cuz of their 'pact with the devil' to get their independence, long ago.

AND he was not afraid to say what he thought, as shown in this quote from his autobiography, that just came out. Why he was having dinner with Rupert Murdoch, I have no idea, but this is what Jobs told him. You're blowing it with Fox News," Jobs told him over dinner. "The axis today is not liberal and conservative, the axis is constructive-destructive, and you've cast your lot with the destructive people. Fox has become an incredibly destructive force in our society. You can be better, and this is going to be your legacy." Steve Jobs, an intelligent, inciteful person who wasn't afraid to 'tell it like it is', and he told Murdoch to his face what he thought of him, and FOX.

and Broomfield is the center of the bullseye. http://www.broomfieldenterprise.com/broomfield-news/ci_19196745?source=rss  Woke up to 8" on the ground, and snowing, and no electricity. Luckily the gas log fireplace still worked. Looks like we lost one big aspen tree and others are bent WAY over, cuz they still have leaves and it's heavy, wet snow. Supposed to snow all day. WOW, all of a sudden it's winter. Very pretty, but not sure I'm ready for it.

about a bunch of people who DIED, in a sweat lodge, at a retreat where they paid $10,000 for one week, where they would supposedly have a life changing religious experience. Well, they had one, cuz a bunch of them died, when they believed some yahoo, James Ray, who promised spiritual awakening, through a week of suffering. Part of me feels sorry for those who cooked themselves, rather than listen to their survival instincts, BUT I think they are good candidates for Darwin Awards, where our society is culled, when those who don't use their brains aren't around to reproduce. It's called evolution amd it's real.

about some Mormon killers, has some interesting quotes, in the context of Mormonism, but aren't restricted to them. 'All religious belief is a function of non-rational "faith" and is impervious to intellectual arguement or academic criticism', and 'the line between religion and superstition is indistinct'. The difference being, if it's YOUR religion, or someone else's. That said, how anyone could believe the stories of Fundamental Mormonsim, is beyond me, but then again, there's a bunch of Bible stories that are just as unlikely.

and now it's starting to drizzle, which is supposed to turn into snow, soon. 10-20 inches around here they say, but who knows. Seems about right, cuz we leave for elk hunting in a couple of days, and it always seems to happen about the same time. Am getting too old for this stuff, as it seems more like work every year, (just try hauling an elk uphill at 12,000 ft), but can't imagine actually NOT going,even though that was my plan until just a few days ago. Good excuse to get out of the house and spend quality time w/Nate, Matt and, for the first time, Hunter, Matt's son.  Always seems to be some kind of 'rocking chair memory' involved, and hopefully it's GOOD memories again this year. Never seems to be boring, though.

http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/graphics_at3.shtml?5-daynl#contents shows it coming ashore in the Yucatan peninsula, right in our favorite part of the world. Bullseye looks like right where Ted and Kri were married and where we end up each winter. The good news? These places have been hit before and the 'fix up' crews do an amazing job, but it can really take a toll on the beaches. Then, it gets real interesting as the models show it courving north and east, right into the tip of Florida. We'll see.

of lists, but this list of 'How to Speak Republican', is so good, and accurate, that I have to pass it on. Check out the definitions for words like, deficit, compromise, Bible, elitist, extremist, gut and yes, among many others. Talk about 'nailing it'! http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jonathan-bines/republican-dictionary_b_1028841.html?ir=Politics

A National Geographic sponsored Gallup poll set out to find the happiest people in America, based on a wide range of criteria. The winner, Boulder, CO, was no surprise to the people who live around here. If you can't be happy here, just pack it in. With a combination of weather, scenery, employment, recreation, health, education and income, Boulder topped the list again. Nice area to have settled and built in, when you look at the article that was right beside it, showing how many people, in other areas, are 'underwater' (owing more than it's worth), with their property.

that the Repubs would back ANYTHING that would help the American people, if it could be seen as also helping Obama? Not even close. These corporate-owned shills have one agenda, that they have admitted to. Job one is to defeat Obama, and if it hurts the economy, it helps them. Just the facts, and it sucks, to see what American politics have become. Sickening, but real.

as Geraldo Rivera, representing FOXNews, tried to do a live report from 'Occupy Wallstreet'. He was shouted down by chants of 'Fox Lies', and was forced to retreat. Yup, speaking for the 99%, these people don't want a shill like him, representing a joke of a network, to interfere with their message. Funny, but there was a time long ago, before his time with FOX, that he was a somewhat legitimate newsperson. But that was long ago.

'Under the Banner of Heaven'. Faith is the very antithesis of reason, and when religious fanaticism replaces reason, ANYTHING can happen, and does. Common sense is no match for 'the voice of God' which is routinely heard by the religious fanatic.

In the book I'm currently reading, 'Under the Banner of God', I read about Mark Hofman, a former Mormon and master forger, who made a fortune by fabricating, 'old' historical documents that were intended to discredit Joseph Smith. The Mormon Church, thinking they were real, spent huge sums to buy them and squirrel them away and keep them from the public eye. What a great scam.

                           Tim, with his 'rookie' haircut. were looking forward to Tim Tebow's first start, in Miami today, but with under 3 mins left it wasn't looking too good, Denver being down 15-0. BUT, the Tebow era started today with a little magic, as Denver got 2 TD's and a 2 pt conversion to tie it up. Then they came back with a fumble recovery, a march down the field, and a 52 yd field goal for a win in the same stadium that Denver had Never won in, but Timmie boy had won championships in high school and college. An amazing finish after watching the Donkees suck for the first 95% of the game. Hey, whatever it takes, as the Tebow era begins. Hard not to like the guy.

                                           Click to enlarge who can't understand why he can't gain any traction with the American people, is voicing his displeasure with the withdrawal of the remaining U.S. forces from Iraq by year's end, saying it was a decision based on either "politics" or "ineptitude." Talk about 'out of touch'. And this guy wonders why his party's main point of agreement is ABR, 'Anybody But Romney', even if it means supporting a pizza guy with absolutely ZERO politcal experience?  If Mitt could get his way, he would extend W's war for a few more years and waste even more lives, not to mention the cost. Just what we need, another Repub idiot running our foreign policy.

had Obama announced the troop removal from Iraq, than the Repub chickenhawks, who never met a war they didn't like, began to second guess the decision and bitch about the withdrawal. Obama, who was elected on a platform of ending Bush's war, and is supported by an overwhelming majority of the people, had to expect criticism from the same clowns who bitched about his Libya policy, that dumped Quaddaffi, in favor of the slash and burn, shock and awe that the Repub faithful espouse. Bottom line, if the Repub clowns are complaining about something, like ending W's War, after ONLY 8 1/2 years, you can be assured it's a policy that's in the interests of the American public, and this is no different. The Iraq war, like Viet Nam, was a colossal domestic and international disaster, and the mountainous lies and deception that the Bush administration used to get and keep the U.S. in Iraq will be a permanent mark of historical disgrace and shame on the Bush legacy.

of Bill O'Reilly, sort of, when word came out that US troops were burning the 'Pinheads and Patriots' books that were being shipped to them. Colbert, in his ever serious tone, said that was a waste. The troops should have used them for toilet paper. I totally agree. A much better message for Bill and his minions....

when disgraced former governor Mark Sanford, So. Carolina, was in the news. He had lied about hiking the Appalachian trail, then about his affair, while he was a married office holder, visiting his mistress. What happens to someone who lies publicly and loses his credibility? He goes to FOXNews, of course, where 'birds of a feather, flock together'. He should feel right at home, among others who have no qualms about making a career of lying to the public. (Pic shows yet another instance of 'Fox Lying')

and Piper just continues to get cuter. Here, she's just finishig up a fruit chew, one of her favorites. Looks like one of those little Dutch girls, from Amsterdam.

IF the mission was to jack up the price of oil, and reward the defense contractors. Finally 8 years after the start of W's Big Adventure, based on lies, Obama is keeping his campaign promise to get us out of Iraq. After over a trillion dollars, thousands of American lives, tens of  thousands of wounded soldiers, not to mention the carnage to Iraqis, Iraq and our our world reputation, Bush's war is coming to a close. No WMD's and no part in the 911 attacks, BUT, it did bump the price of oil WAY UP. GWBush. Not as stupid as he seems, but STILL a disaster for our country, that has hardly begun to recover from the damage he did, 3 years later. At least the Iraq withdrawal is a start.

the Repub Party has gotten exactly what they deserve. Their nominating process, controlled by the religious warriors and anti-government agitators who dominate straw polls, has reached its logical conclusion: The hottest candidate in the field is Herman Cain, a fast-food tycoon who never heard of neoconservatism, has never held office, has no foreign policy and a three-digit number for a domestic policy, and likes to joke about electrocuting illegal immigrants. By contrast, Jon Huntsman, governor, ambassador, the man who in a normal political environment would be the most qualified and formidable candidate in the race, wasn’t even on the stage.A system that rejects a Jon Huntsman in favor of a Herman Cain isn’t a primary process, it is a primal scream, and what happens when a political party gets hijacked by the radical, right-wing Christian conservatives. The Dems, who are nearly as bad, gotta be loving it.

I bought a bushel of roasted green chilis (Big Jim's), that I split with Denny. Carol and I peeled 'em, pulled off the stems, took out the seeds and froze several packages. Yesterday, I cooked a pork roast, defrosted a package and got the ingredients for my green chili sauce. WHOA! I put in the normal amount of chilis, but had forgotten how HOT they were, this year, SO, I had to figure out to settle it down a bit. And I did, with a secret ingredient that's gonna be part of my recipe, forever. Best I ever made, BUT, after tasting and adjusting it all day, then having a BUNCH for dinner, may be a tough night/tomorrow, for the ol' intestinal tract. Never seem to learn....

for Europe, we got a call from Skip (Mashaan Guy, above, ordering dinner, in French), saying that he had been been talking to Tammie, and that we might be in Paris at the same time, as he and his wife Jackie, were going to the south of France for a wedding. Well, seems we WERE there at the same time and, after a few texts, we managed to get together for dinner one evening near the Sorbonne, where it was great to hear his fluent French, dealing with the waiter. Skip, with whom we used to play volleyball, softball and party, and was real close with our kids, had taken a couple months off for a trip, about 25 years ago, which had taken 19 months, and he went around the world. We'd stayed in touch, but hadn't seen him very often, in the interim, although he had stayed with us, when he came through Denver, and did come back for Tammie's 50th. Long story short(er), he'd married Jackie, a lovely banker, and they had two boys, just now beco...

we came across a carnival that was set up beside the lake. Full of rides, food and gaming booths and lots of the local teenagers cruising the night life. Gotta say, as for a people, the Swiss are uncommonly good looking, as a group. Would have to be rich, too, to pay those prices.

includes beer, brat and bread. When in Rome....

how a thatched roof is able to be waterproof. After seeing this one up close, and seeing how thick it is, now I know. Many of the houses in the Black Forest area are built into the side of a mountain, and the goats can step on to the roof, and graze on the grass that grows there. The thatch also provides great insulation. Notice the wooden gutter on the side of the eave.

how the Repubs blast Obama for 'being political,' while they CONTINUALLY blast him and the Dems in their debates, BUT, Obama shouldn't say anything political, as he tries to run the country, while EVERYTHING he tries to fix the economy, is shot down by the Repubs. Let's get real, and recognize who wrecked our economy. Yup, W and the Repubs, in case you're keeping track....

Zeus, a Maine Coon cat, who lives in Pinebrook Hills, outside of Boulder, where I used to build, is casually looking at a big kitty, in a local news program. Kinda like Bailey, who doesn't get real excited, when dealing with the local wildlife. I love Maine Coons...

in looking at my blog readership stats, that I have been getting a high number of hits from Malaysia and Indonesia, lately, ahead of Canada and the UK, which is unusual. I'm wondering if Angie or Karen, or maybe the pharmacist and his wife, may have come across my blog and are reading and or looking at pics from our trip. They were interesting, intelligent people, (cute, too) who spoke great English, that we finally got to know toward the end of our trip. We had immediate 'common ground' when they laughed when I asked if they had FOXNews in their homeland. Found out a lot about a part of the world I knew nothing about. Since I began posting pics and narrative about our trip, my international readership has gone way up, as well as getting hits from the same old crowd. Is only within the last year that I realized I could click on 'Stats' and "Audience' on my blog homepage, and see some interesting stuff. I had no idea who, and how many, ( about a hundred per ...

keep replying to the Repub attacks about his unsuccessful presidency by saying he killed Bin Laden, WRONG. The military, a mostly non-partisan force, (except when Bush used them to start two wars, based on lies, after 15 Saudis, and 4 Afghans attacked the US) killed Bin Laden. Will be interesting to see what the Dems do, to resurrect the Obama campaign, after he has disappointed so much of his base. I think his main message has GOT to be 'Don't reinstate the clowns who wrecked our economy', and hammer it home, taking credit for keeping the economy from TOTALLY tanking, after the Bush years.

 has become a showcase of evangelical anti-intellectualism. Herman Cain, Rick Perry and Michele Bachmann deny that climate change is real and caused by humans. Mr. Perry and Mrs. Bachmann dismiss evolution as an unproven theory. The two candidates who espouse the greatest support for science, Mitt Romney and Jon M. Huntsman Jr., happen to be Mormons, a faith regarded with mistrust by many Christians. The rejection of science seems to be part of a politically monolithic red-state fundamentalism, textbook evidence of an unyielding ignorance on the part of the religious. As one fundamentalist slogan puts it, “The Bible says it, I believe it, that settles it.” Evangelical Christianity is defined by the simplistic theology, cultural isolationism and stubborn anti-intellectualism that most of the Republican candidates have embraced. This anti-science' ideology may have worked a hundred years ago, and may still work with an uneducated minority, but will never carry the day as the maj...

these people that it's just a waste of time and money. From AOL News today. As global warming melts the polar ice sheet, shipping, fishing and mining interests, from many countries are looking to take advantage of the newly accessible Arctic Ocean. Because, according to FOXNews, global warming is just a plot from the left, because they are so 'anti-business', and all these new shipping lanes opening up in the Arctic obviously really aren't there. FOXNews, the 'news' source for people who don't really want news.

I have a whole new respect for Hannibal and his elephants.

about the Freedom Riders. This wasn't some foreign country, it was the US, not that long ago. These extremely brave people, mostly, but not all, black and male, rode buses into the heart of the ignorant South, knowing they were gonna get the crap beat out of them, and worse. Gangs of rednecks and KKK members beat them with pipes, clubs and bats while the local authorities watched, laughed and sometimes helped. JFK and Robert Kennedy begged for local protection, to no avail as the non-violent protestors were beaten and killed. I didn't realize that the govt people from Washington, sent to help them, along with reporters, were beaten along with them, AND, when they finally reached Mississippi, they were promptly thrown in (Parchman) prison for breaking the law, and it wasn't until the prison was overflowing, with chain gangs, that the desegregation laws began to be changed. Also, remember that the men who stood up to the Southerners, JFK, RFK and Martin Luther Kin...

between FOX'News', and legitimate news agencies, just look at their coverage of Occupy Wallstreet. Instead of recognizing why the '99%' might be upset after the bankers wrecked our economy, then took bailouts and gave themselves bonuses, while they sit on the hundreds of billions they were supposed to invest in the economy and pay hundreds of millions to lobbyists for their special interests. FOX commentators call the protestors Nazis and crackheads and say they need to brush their teeth. These corporate shills, who deny global warming and support subsidies for big oil are completely predictable as they line up with the 1% vs the people, and try to portray the protest as 'anti-business, or anti-capitalism', which it is NOT. FOXNews, a total joke, but just not funny.

is spreading like wildfire. Thousands are protesting in Denver today, and I'm reading and seeing on-line about the riots/demonstrations that are happening in the same parts of London, Paris and Rome that we just visited, as well as all over the world. The '99%' are fed up with a system that allows bankers and corporations to run and loot the system while ordinary people pay for it. Bush and his crowd 'broke' our economy (although they kept it from totally imploding with hundreds of billions in checks as they slithered out of town) and the big snowball that began rolling downhill is picking up size and momentum. Talk of a 'double dip' is ridiculous as we never emerged from the first dip.Many people never realized how bad it was/is, but will now probably start to pay attention. I just don't see a good ending to this, as more people become aware what is REALLY going on.

the most impressive had to be St Peter's basilica, in Rome. Absolutely impossible to describe, but, to get an idea as to size/scale, click to enlarge pic and look at the 'windows'. Below each one, there are blurs, seen through railing WAY high up. Those are people. How man built this, so long ago, is way beyond my comprehension/understanding.

or Hadrian's Tomb, where a few dozen Swiss Guard survivors protected the pope from over a hundred thousand trying to kill/capture him, until he could be ransomed, when Rome was sacked in May of 1527. Click on this structure to see how it could happen.

why some people are Republicans. It's the other 99%, who aren't millionaires, but ARE Repubs, that I can't figure out. Why the hell would you be part of a party that just dumps on you and whose main agenda is to protect/increase the wealth of the upper 1%? If you have doubts, just look at the 'temporary' Bush tax cuts for the multimillionaires, muliBillion $ corporations that pay ZERO in taxes, and Federal subsidies for oil companies with record profits. It couldn't be MORE obvious if you actually look at it, instead of just believing FOXNews propaganda.

observation deck at the Eiffel Tower, this time, but the view from the lower one (here) is pretty amazing. Just click to enlarge and look at Paris in this direction. The Louvre is just beyond the right edge of pic.

saw this hot grandma washing her hands in a fountain. Can't remember where it was, though.

included an 'illumination tour', where our bus hit the highlights, including the Arc de Triumph, Champs Elysee and Eiffel Tower, among many other sights. At 10:00, the Tower lit up and spakled for a few minutes. Should have shot a video. Gotta be there to appreciate how tall/big it really is.Pretty amazing. The one in Vegas is supposedly 1/3 size, but doesn't seem nearly that big, maybe because it is surrounded by so many tall buildings. (Researching the size of the ET in Vegas vs the real thing, I found almost equal sites saying 1/2 and 1/3 actual size. Maybe the difference is one is based on height and one on the size of the base?) I just know the one is Paris seems WAY bigger.