Posts

Showing posts from January, 2012

Had a really good Tuesday,

as we met Don and Cyndi at 'The Dark Horse' for lunch, then, saw the new 'Mission Impossible 3', cuz it had really good reviews. Well, there's a reason it had good reviews. An amazing, big time, well done flick, with nary a dull moment. Crazy action and a great cast. Good job, Mr Cruise, after a great lunch with good friends. Need more days like this....

Must really suck,

to be a Repub these days. The good news? Romney won FL.  The bad news? Mitt's gonna be your guy against Obama. Good luck....

USA Today says, The Dark Horse,

Image
in Boulder, has 'burgers worthy of paradise', SO it's time to give 'em a try, again. Since 1975, one of Boulder's institutions, and home to 'The Dark Horse Open', one of the hardest golf tourneys to get into, cuz it's been full 'forever' and if a team ever quits, there's a huge waiting list, cuz it's FUN.

One of my fav riddles

3 guys check into hotel room and split the $30 price, $10/ea. The mgr tells the clerk the room was advertised for $25 and to refund the difference. Figuring they wouldn't know anyway, the clerk puts $2 in his pocket and gives each guy back a dollar, meaning they actually paid $9 ea, 3x9=$27, with $2 in the clerks pocket, for a total of $29 . Where's the missing dollar? Silly, but kinda interesting.

Direct quote from FOX, today,

Image
the 'Fair and Balanced' network', reporting. What we need is a new president and a new Senate, and we need to give the country a very specific plan, a set of ideas of how we're going to solve these problems and let the country choose in November what they want America to become. Also, don't miss the article by convicted felon, and FOXNews correspondent, Oliver North, who explains how Obama is 'failing in his most important duties'. More "Fair and Balanced' reporting.

Several articles lately,

Image
about the ten's of billions of 'missing' Iraq funds. I have an idea, look in the pockets of the Bush buddies who got the 'no-bid' contracts to re-build Iraq, after his other buddies got the 'defense' contracts to blow it up, based on his lies, that just 'happened' to make the Bush/Cheney oil businesses explode in value. Just a thought..

Something I've often wondered

Image
Does the FOXNews crowd really believe the swill and think they are getting real news, OR, are they so far down the rabbit hole that they just don't care and revel in the comaraderie of fellow sheep?  Just like the KKK guy turning to his white-robed buddy and saying, 'Hey, aren't we lucky to hear the Grand Wizard share his smarts?'

The Muppets know,

Image
when something is fake, and they came out swinging after being dissed by FOXNews, for their 'political' views. Kermit was kind of subtle in his criticism, but Miss Piggy was more combative, adding that the charge was "almost as laughable as accusing Fox News of being news." "Boy that's going to be all over the internet," Kermit remarked. Again, seems I'm not the only only one who laughs at the thought of FOX being considered 'news'. What a joke, unless you're one of the sheep, then it's just sad.

Hadn't watched much golf lately,

but today they were at Torrey Pines, which is beautiful, and saw Kyle Stanley with a 3 stroke lead on the last hole, after leading for 4 days. Bottom line, he had a triple bogey on #18 and got beat on the 2nd hole of sudden death. Golf is a cruel game, but fun. Now watching the Nuggets in a great game with the Clippers. Could go either way....

Just watched a good show,

Image
on the San Andreas Fault, that runs through California. It is the most studied fault in the world, and over the last 6000 years has had a MAJOR event approx every 150 years. The last one was in 1857, when a 7.9, known as The Great California Earthquake rocked the area that is now Los Angeles. In 1857 there were approx 3 residents per sq mile, but there are more than that, now. I worked the Northridge quake in 1994, which was pretty major, but nothing like what Southern California is 'overdue' for. Although I consider myself retired now, concerning hurricanes, etc, I think I might come out of retirement, if there is a major quake in the next few years. They're gonna need the help. Just thinking out loud, after watching the TV show...

From Steven Weber's blog ( Remember 'Wings'?)

Image
The simmering acrimony of the right wing, directed at the president, from Joe Wilson's "You lie!" to virtually every reptilian utterance by Boehner and McConnell to stall an Obama presidency; to Eric Cantor's almost comically hate-filled glare during the State of the Union; to the talk-radio hate speak (which is almost redundant, as talk-radio has become synonymous with seething vitriol aimed squarely at Obama and Family). It's spewed every day into the culture, the stream of easily refuted garbage that's churned up in the Fox newsroom all for confusion's sake, to whip the masses into such a froth of sniping and distrust and fear that the perfect atmosphere for the nefarious to seize power is achieved. How difficult is it to keep your head straight when you're paranoid, terrified, threatened? Oh, very. SO, obviously I'm not the only one who's not a big fan of FOXNews.

Occasionally,

Image
the sun will hit the granite countertop in the kitchen, just right, and I am again amazed at the color. Usually it just looks kinda blue-green. Click on it to enlarge. Amazing.

Finally, what was really said (click to enlarge)

Image

Had another good snow day,

and it was coming down HUGE, for a while, as we have gotten about 4 ft this year. It doesn't last, cuz it's gonnna be about 60 tomorrow, again, but is fun to watch while it comes down. Bella, Bailey and Baxter, (the kitties, and rabbit), played indooors, and so did we, as Carol made some great soup and cupcakes. Good times....

Interesting story on NBC news, tonight.

Pontiac, Michigan used to be a prosperous US city, before the Bush administration, when the price of oil went from under $14/bbl, to over $140. W's contributors made huge fortunes, as did Cheney's Halliburton buddies, BUT, Michigan residents, 'not so much', as the US auto industry crashed, with the rest of our economy. Just one of the many casualties of the Bush years, as  Pontiac is just a shadow of it's former self. Damn lamestream media. Don't they know, it's Obama's fault?

Today's Headline, from the 'Fairly Unbalanced' network

'After 3 years It's Time to Admit Obama Has Failed' There ya' go, more news, that's truly 'Fair and Balanced'.

I read a good article today,

about Scott Olsen, the Iraq vet who was shot in the head during an 'Occupy' demonstration in Oakland. He joined the military, cuz there was nothing else availailabe, and he wanted money for college. He realized, after it was too late, as he listened to FOXNews, which was the only TV available to the 'grunts', that there was a huge disconnect between what was being reported, and what he saw. He and his buddies were laid off, to save money, by private contractors who made 3 times as much. This was after 'private contractors' were paid over $360 mil, to upgrade the computers on ONE ship, that he was on. Wanna guess why the Repubs like perpetual war? Not even counting the MASSIVE amounts of oil money to fuel the military. Never mind, if you don't understand by now, you never will. It's HUGE money, and the Pubs get most of it, just like Viet Nam. Some things never change.

In an effort to inform

Image
those who can't stand to look at FOXNews, here's a quote from their lead headline about the upcoming State of the Union speech, today.  (Obama's) policies thus far have failed and the speech is no more than a campaign stump for four more years. There ya' go. Another newsflash from the 'Fair and Balanced' network, after months of anti-Obama rhetoric from the Repub candidates. Any questions?

Only in 'The South'

Seems some judge in Georgia is trying to get Obama to appear in his court to refute 'birther' charges, made against him by a fellow southerner. According to these yokels the prez should appear in court and 'prove' that he was born in the US. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/23/obama-birther-case-georgia_n_1225304.html?icid=maing-grid10%7Chtmlws-main-bb%7Cdl1%7Csec3_lnk1%26pLid%3D129790  UNbelievable, but typical of the mentality and ignorance in that part of the world.

In an effort to make it SO simple,

even SLOW people can understand. 1. 2000, Bush the Big Oil guy, and the Pubs inherit great economy and surplus budget. 2. 8 yrs later, economy is wrecked, 2 of 3 car mfgrs bankrupt, oil 10 times higher, housing crashing, wars (based on lies) raging, country is trillions in debt, but not TOTALLY crashed yet, as Bush writes over $800 bil in checks, to his big money pals. 3.Now, Pubs wanna be back in charge, cuz Obama didn't fix it fast enough. WTF? Can it be any simpler, even for the SLOW people. Nope, they listen and believe FOX. It's Obama's fault.

Watching the news tonight,

as Southerner's 'thank the lord', as tornados wreck their houses for the 2nd year in a row, without insurance. Wow, kinda hard to get into that frame of mind. No matter what happens, thank you  Jesus.

This is a cool website,

where you can put in an address, and get an aerial view, along with the names and addesses of all your neighbors. http://neighbors.whitepages.com/    It was a little slow around here, today, so I looked up some buddy's addresses, from our high school class website, with all our addresses. Surprise! The first 3 guys I looked up (Nelson, Cole, Heller), all lived on golf courses. Who'd a thunk?

You gotta be kiddin',

but Newt is running as a Washington 'outsider', and the Pubs are eating it up. Former congressman, fined hundreds of thousands for ethics violations, (how bad you gotta be in that nest of vipers to get caught and 'fined'), and 'historian', (NOT lobbyist, according to him), that was paid $1.6 mil by Freddie Mac. UNbelievable, but SO Republican.

This is crazy

Watch the surprise these roofers get. It goes on and on and on..... http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/22/miami-roofers-bats_n_1221915.html?ref=miami&icid=maing-grid10%7Chtmlws-main-bb%7Cdl2%7Csec3_lnk2%26pLid%3D129497

The 'Lead Story', on FOXNews?

Image
Obama's State of the Union speech, is 'pathetic'. http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012/01/22/boehner-obama-state-union-proposals-sound-pathetic/ Mind you, this is before the speech is even given. SO typical of FOX, propanda arm of the Repub sleaze machine. Yup, 'Fair and Balanced'. I don't know who's worse, FOX, or their disciples....

Had the neighbors over for dinner,

so I bought Dave his favorite beer, Bud Lite, and we had several left over. I know it's the best selling beer in the country, but my question is, WHY? If I ever want to stop drinking, my plan is to have only Bud Lite available, SO, I'm not tempted. I'm obviously in the minority, as it IS the best seller, but, come on, if you're gonna drink beer, why not drink something that tastes like beer?

Never claimed to be

un-biased in this, or any election, and am NOT a Democrat, but, compared to the sleaze merchants in the Repub Party, the Dems are definitely the lesser of the two evils. The Pubs kowtow to the largest voting bloc in the nation, conservative Christians, to get their agenda of perpetual war, Big Oil dominance and tax breaks and legislation for the 1%. Their anti-science and elite-bashing agenda appeals to the Bible thumpers and 'disaffected' masses who can no longer climb the economic ladder, but refuse to recognize that today's economy was wrecked by the last administration who spent record amounts of money, while slashing taxes, mostly for the rich, and wrecking America's image in the world by lying to start 'another' war. The uninformed masses, fed sound bites by FOXNews, love to claim 'it's Obama's economy now', although NO ONE could have fixed the mess he inherited, esp with a Repub Congress who is only interested in obstructing his every move

Just when I think

FOXNews can't get any sleazier, they prove me wrong. One of the lead stories today? Keith Ablow, a 'noted' psychiatrist, according to FOX, says Newt would make a 'better president', because of his infidelity. Can't make up shit like this. Google it. That's the kinda crap FOX reports, as 'news'.

I know it's 'Anyone but Romney',

Image
for the Repubs, and they have gone through a bunch of losers, but Newt Gingrich? OMG, you gotta be kidding. Newt as prez of the United States? Gotta love them goobers from South Carolina, and the standing ovation when he jumped all over the 'lamestream media' for asking about his open marriage. The only problem? Obama would LOVE to face Newt in the election, SO, the media needs to get in line. Unbelievable, but SO Republican, as they scrape the bottom of the barrel, and come up with....NEWT!

Speaking of UNbelievable,

who woulda thought that the Supreme Court, would have approved a system where anonymous corporations and unidentified billionaires would be able to give unlimited and untraceble money to 'Super Pacs', to buy political elections. But it happened, and it's 'The Law', after the 5 Repub 'Supremes', ruled that HUGE money, with no accountability, can be used to buy votes. Just when you think the Repubs can't get any sleazier, our country is shoved down the slippery slope of 'Big Money' being able to buy politicians to vote for their agenda. Sickening, but very real.

The greatest political 'coup',

Image
of all time, has to be the 'spinmeisters' who have convinced a lot of good, yet naive people, that the MAIN stream media, (named that for a reason), is biased, and the REAL news comes from a Repub propaganda outlet. Game over, for tens of millions, once they think ABC, NBC, CBS, CNN, Reuters, BBC, etc, are all lying, BUT, FOXNews is THE source of truth. UNbelievable, but true. A political party owning a network? No problem. I'd never look to MSNBC as a source of Fair and Balanced news, but that's 'different'. They're obviously biased, unlike FOX. Gotta tip my hat to Karl Rove, Murdoch and Ailes, for the biggest political hijacking of all time. Never thought it could happen, but it did.

Sad day,

Image
but I realized I'm probably not gonna use my scuba stuff anymore, (including 3 wetsuits), so I posted it on Craigslist. Was fun to get certified and dive in the tropics, but not gonna be hauling it down there any more. Good deal for someone, as it's complete and in excellent condition at way less then half new price. If I can't sell it, may dive for golf balls next summer.

What does Newt do,

Image
when his 2nd wife goes on national television and accuses him of wanting an 'open' marriage, after we already know he was cheating on her with wife #3? He attacks the 'lamestream media', of course, and the Repubs loved it. Standing ovation time. No one could ever accuse FOX of reporting negative stories about Dems. No Way! It's that damn lamestream media, picking on those poor Repubs, by reporting a true story. Sorta like that 'Gotcha' question by Katie Couric, to Sarah Palin. "What do you read?' The bastards....

Rick Perry dropped out,

of the Repub presidential race. Seems he finally understood that America doesn't want a gun-toting, intellectually challenged Texas gov for prez, AGAIN.

FYI

A while back I went to the Dr. with a very 'itchy' rash that formed in the area around and above my ankles. As soon as I showed the doc he said,'That's an easy one, like a lot of people you're allergic to fabric softener. Just quit using it.' I told Carol, she quit and the problem was solved. Now, a couple of years later, Carol started using it again. How did I know. I got the same itchy rash, again. I looked it up, and found: Description Contact dermatitis is the technical name for a reaction on the skin when it makes contact with an offending allergen, such as fabric softener. Mayo Clinic explains that the signs and symptoms of a fabric softener reaction can include a red rash or bumps, itching, pain, tenderness or a localized skin rash. Two of the chemicals in fabric softener responsible for this reaction, states the Environmental Health Association, are quanternium and imidazolidinyl, described as formaldehyde releasers; SO, if you, or anyone you know h

Maybe just wasn't in the right mood,

but can't say I liked the movie, 'The Help'. After thoroughly enjoying the book, was disappointed in the movie, on several levels, but mainly, because it left out SO much, to fit it into such a small format. Can't imagine not reading the book, then understanding the movie, cuz it is such an abbreviated version of a book that had SO much. Maybe, if they had made a series of two or three, they could have covered it, but, NO WAY, can a single movie begin to capture the feel and substance of the book. Just my opinion, but it's not even close....

There's a website

Image
where the state rates school performance and trends.  I'm especially proud of Kari, in this evaluation, because she is one of only 3 'middle school' teachers in the small mountain school, Coal Creek Canyon, and teaches classes in many subjects. The school has an A rating, is in the top 8%, and it's 'trend' which is measured, coincidentally, from the time she arrived, is an A+. Am not surprised, but very happy and proud that the experts recognize what I've always known. She's a geat person AND teacher. Congratulations, dear. http://coloradoschoolgrades.com/SchoolReportCard.aspx?sid=1730M

Is anyone else REALLY glad,

to get Tim Tebow, and the thought that God is helping him win football games, away from every newscast? Finally, some reality, as he and the Donkees got humiliated by New England and Tom Brady, after having an amazing kicker, and  great defense, win games for the Broncos, to get them into the playoffs. Crazy/stupid, but SO typical of the media, to hype a story to death, BUT, a bunch of people really believe God was up there, pulling strings for Tim and the Broncos.

Somewhere within the 'pretzel logic'

of the Repub brain, that accuses Obama of 'Social Engineering', Rick Santorum comes up with the idea of paying people to have more children. No shit, look it up. As if a couple were going to have a child, because they could get more money, in tax refunds? UNbelievable.

When we were in Heidelberg, Germany,

Carol found a cordless mic, that WGRZ sportscaster Adam Benigni, (Channel 2, Buffalo, NY) had lost in a beer garden, when doing a Buffalo Sabres hockey game, and I tracked him down, and returned it. It surprised him, and we have stayed in touch. Just got this, from him. Hey Steve, Sorry about the Broncos last night. Foxborough can be rough on anyone. The Bills haven't won there since they built that new Stadium.Hope you had good holidays. As soon as New Era introduces its new NFL product line, I promise I'll hook up. I'm sure it will be cutting edge stuff with a bunch of different versions of team headgear.I want to thank you again for your honesty earlier this year.You went out of your way to contact us and helped to return it means a great deal. I promise to take care of you with the Broncos gear as soon as I can get my hands on it... And hope we can keep in contact on a regular basis. You win Channel 2's "good guy" of the year award. Thanks again, Adam.

You gotta love,

the Tebow crowd, who looks at a win, OR loss, as the will of God. You win, it's God's reward. You lose, it's God's way of teaching you how to handle disappointments in life. How could anyone argue? Sorta like real life, as they can always explain it, as 'God's plan', no matter what happens. Now, the Donkees are down by two TD's early, and it's not looking good.

With all the Tebow stuff out there,

Image
one of my favorites is, 'Tom Brady is the guy every teenage boy wants to be and Tim Tebow is the guy every teenage boy's mom wants him to be.' Kinda nails it...

Was listening to the radio,

on my way home from a fantastic massage (Christmas present), listening to some (sorta) rap music, and heard the line, 'everybody dies, but not everybody lives', as part of a good song. Good thought, I thought, and resolved to 'live' more. Not sure how, but that's my plan.

One of my favorite Romney stories,

Image
is the one where he put his Irish Setter, Seamus, on the roof of his station wageon, for a 12 hour journey to Canada. When his boys noticed a brownish liquid, dog diarrhea, running down the back window from the terrified dog, did Mitt relent and let him in the car? Nope, he hosed him off off and put him back up there. Totally heartless and cruel. Not exactly presidential attributes, but very Republican.

Too good not to pass on,

David Bowie meets Tim Tebow, as Tebowie, on Jimmie Fallon. Click on video, half way down. Funny. http://theclicker.today.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/01/13/10148922-david-bowie-meets-tim-tebow-for-tebowie You're welcome.

My conundrum,

is, that I am happy, but maybe that's not good, cuz 'there is no hope for the satisfied man', according to common wisdom. Is there something wrong with me, cuz I don't have a guilty feeling, for not 'doing more'? Should I feel guilty for being happy with what I have, instead of wanting more? At this point in my life, I refuse to go down that road, with guilt feelings, thinking I should do, or be what 'other' people out there, think I should. Not saying I'm not open to change, but I kinda like my life as it is, and that's not all bad, at least from my point of view, which is my favorite point of view.

For those who may have missed it,

here's Tim Tebow's 'miraculous' TD play, in overtime. http://teamcoco.com/video/peanut-players-tim-tebow

Had been looking forward

Image
to seeing 'Moneyball', since I'd read and heard it was pretty good. We watched it on DVD last night, and it was OK. Not bad, but we were a little disappointed because it had been hyped so much. A true story of the 2002 Oakland A's, who, for lack of money, built their team on a software program that rated players in several areas, mostly just 'on base percentage'. Again, not a terrible movie, but not that great either, although it was interesting because it was true, and Brad Pitt /Jonah Hill did have a good dynamic going. Have definitely seen worse, AND better.

After looking for a deal,

Image
for a long time, we finally booked Barcelo Colonial, one of our favorite 'all-inclusives', 45 miles south of Cancun. Not quite the bargain it used to be, cuz the world has found out what a great vacation it is. It used to be, 30 years ago, that we 'Norte Americanos' would be the touristas that filled the beaches. Now, it is a world-wide destination, but that's OK, as the French/Italian chicks like to go topless. Where there used to be less than 10 resorts now there are now over 50, We were the pioneers, and our daughter got married there. I LOVE it, as our family is gonna do another great vacation there, soon. Great way to escape the Colorado winter. When I get too old to do this, just chuck me in the ground and throw dirt over me, BUT, 'til then we will enjoy our time there..

Weather is always variable,

Image
but this is crazy. Living on the Front Range of Denver we have been hammered with snow, getting over a whole year's worth of snow, as of last month, BUT, the mountains, where snowfall means how much water flows toward the plains, are at 22% of normal. That's crazy. If you happen to live in Nebraska, or Phoenix, that could be a REAL problem, as a lot of things in life aren't that important, BUT, water is HUGE. Hopefully the weather/water problem will change, but don't see any change in the long-term forecasts.. Could be real interesting....

Is kinda crazy,

as I just finished the last new book on my Kindle, SO, I'm looking for another one, BUT, am still looking, and haven't found anything. Any thoughts, or suggestions, will be appreciated. Just looking for a 'good read'. There's SO much 'out there', and I just need to find it, but so far, I haven't.

WTF?

Image
Haley Barbour, former head of the National Republican Committee, and retiring gov of Mississippi, pardoned over 200 prisoners, including MANY killers, rapists and violent offenders, in his final days. Why did he do it? No one knows, cuz he ain't speaking. Victims are hiding and scared. This is outrageous behavior, even for a Republican.. WTF?

It was senior day at the movies,

Image
so Carol and I took in a flick. She always likes George Clooney, so we saw 'The Descendants'. Unlike Dragon Tatto and Hugo, I'm not singing the praises of this one, but it was kinda interesting. Was nice to spend a few hours in Hawaii, and I really enjoyed the cast, but it was pretty understated, and a bit of a downer. Bottom line, one of ways I judge a movie is, 'Did I ever look at my watch, or wonder, is it over soon?' Definitely not. AND, it makes you confront some realities of life, and death, and our mortality, which is necessary occasionally. Not a movie I'd really recommend, BUT, glad I saw it, which is kinda strange...

The original story was bad enough,

but, when a missing 62-year-old Denver father and his 9-year-old son were found shot to death in a van parked near a stretch of the Colorado River in Grand County, Colo. in a tragic murder-suicide on Dec. 17, the case became complicated by the fact that the father's gun was missing from the scene of the crime and the hand that was holding the gun had its fingers sawed off, according to The Denver Post The suspect, 29-year-old Jarod Reeves, who admiited to cutting the frozen fingers off with a hack saw, claimed, "I just did what anyone else would have done in that situation.' Oh really?

Because the Obama's had a party,

Image
that they didn't tell 'The Pig', Rush Limbaugh, about, he is FURIOUS! Limbaugh raised the subject of slavery and Jim Crow when he analyzed the Obamas' behavior in office. He said that the couple viewed their tenure as an opportunity to "live high on the hog," and that the idea that they were "owed this because of what's been done to us and our ancestors" was "part of" their thinking. Just when I think this a**hole can't get any worse, he does, because the prez had a party, when there were people suffering, in the U.S. If his pic isn't in the dictionary under 'asshole', it should be.

After Katrina,

then Hurricane Rita, I lived in Louisiana, and after Ike, in Texas, I followed LSU football, during my Sat afternoons off,which was my favorite time to drink beer with the locals. Tonight, LSU is meeting Alabama, #1 vs #2 for the 2nd time this year. Go Tigers, my 'other' home team.

Them Repubs are a strange bunch,

Image
and if you doubt it, just look at their favorite candidates. After flirting, and being in love with Palin and Trump (WOW), it was Bachmann, (OMG), then Perry, (you gotta be kidding), before it was Hermann Cain, (UNbelievable), then Santorum, (Yikes), and for a while, Newt, (need I say more), before seeming to settle on Romney (yawn, human-like), while discounting Huntsman, cuz he was an ambassador to China.  And they like to think they are 'really smart'. RIGHT......

Note to self,

Image
in the 'rocking chair years'. Don't forget how exciting it was to see Tebow and the Broncos win on the first play in OT, after they stunk it up the last few weeks. No matter what happens next week against New England, the game yesterday is well worth remembering as some of the Mile High magic seems to have returned. That was fun....

Saw a great movie last night,

recommended by Kari. 'Stupid, Crazy Love', is a FUN watch, that we really enjoyed. Steve Carel does an amazing job, with the rest of the cast. Excellent...

Today was 'old farts breakfast',

at Bean and Berry, in Louisville, and Piper joined us, much to the delight of the old farts. Then, it's home to watch the Broncos against the Steelers. BTW, had a pork roast, 8 hours in the slow cooker, with saurkraut and applesauce. Yummmmm...

Just in case you are VERY naive,

and think that the Chamber of Commerce is a bunch of local businesses owners: The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, a right wing front for a consortium of corporations, has bragged on its website about outspending everyone in Washington, which is easy to do when Chevron, Goldman Sachs, and News Corp are writing you seven-figure checks. This really matters. The Chamber of Commerce spent more money on the 2010 elections than the Republican and Democratic National Committees combined, and 94% of those dollars went to climate-change deniers. That helps explain why the House voted last year to say that global warming isn’t real.It also explains why “our” representatives vote, year in and year out, for billions of dollars worth of subsidies for fossil-fuel companies. If there was ever an industry that didn’t need subsidies, it would be this one: they make more money each year than any enterprise in the history of money. The Chamber of Commerce. Fair and Balanced, like FOXNews. Ha Ha.

How many times,

have you heard from the Repub candidates, 'Let's go back to the Bush years'? Let's return to 2008! NEVER, cuz they know what that would mean. They just ignore him and that time. NO ONE, in their right mind would return to the mess that GW caused. It's taken three tough years, and we're STILL struggling. Say what you will, just let me know when the Pub candidate says, 'Let's go back to the Bush years'. HA! Ain't gonna happen, even for the hard core, right-wingnuts. They just wanna forget him, wanting to get re-elected, hoping the electorate has mass amnesia.

I know them FOXNews disciples

Image
are smart enuough to know that it's nothing but a left wing plot, BUT, there were over a hundred record highs, set today, across the country, after setting planetary heat records, the last two years, and ten of the last twelve. You gotta  give 'em credit, them liberal whackos, they sure know how to 'adjust the facts', as they deal with world wide records each year. Damn left-wingers, who screw with FOXNews talking points, 'put out there' by big business.

Sometimes I almost feel guilty

cuz we live such a good life. Today was one of those days. I had a golf coupon, for 18 holes with a cart, here at Eagle Trace, so Carol and I got a noon T-time, and hooked up with a couple of good guys and played a round of golf, in 70 degree weather, in January. Then we had cocktails on the patio, and I just fired up the BBQ, as we got in the hot tub.  Life is good. Like I said, sometimes I almost feel guilty, but then I think, 'Hey, enjoy life while you can',...

The Repubs and their propaganda machine,

are freaking out, cuz Obama made a 'recess appointment' for a position that the Pubs had obstructed for 7 months. This was Obama's 28th  recess appt. At this time in his presidency GWBush had made 61. SO, just shut up, you whiners, and realize that maybe Obama is finally standing up to your obstructionist agenda. We can only hope....

In what apppears to be

Image
the first evidence of Obama actually growing a backbone, he finally made a 'recess appointment' to head the Consumer Financial Protection Agency, which the Repubs have fought for the last 7 months. Just MAYBE Obama is finally realizing the the GOP has absolutely no intention of compromising and their main goal has been and IS, at the expense of the American people, for Obama to be a one term president. Hopefully he'll quit making a fool of himself by treating the other side of the aisle as adults who actually care what's best for the country and see them for what they are: Obstructionists who will do whatever they deem necessary to return to power and plunge the country back into the economic morass of the Bush years.

FINALLY..

Who says no good news comes out of Washington? Thanks to congressional inaction, we’ve just seen the end of a 30-year boondoggle: federal subsidies for production of corn ethanol. Claims that corn ethanol was better for the environment than regular gasoline were disproved long ago, as it was proven that ethanol takes more enrgy to produce than it provides. Meanwhile, the subsidies have diverted millions of tons of corn from food uses to gas tanks, leading to food inflation in recent years.The program – which cost taxpayers an estimated $45 billion since 1980 – was hard to kill because of the clout of farm state senators and agribusiness, but, as of Jan 1, 2012, the subsidies are over. Now, we just need to kill the gov't rules which force the addition of ethanol to gasoline.

Part of the reason,

I love Colorado, is after four major snowstorms, the last one over a foot of powder, we are now in the 60's for the rest of the week, and the golf course is open and full of golfers. Sounds like a good way to start the New Year, and I think I have one coupon left.

An AOL post, today, from Iowa

Image
DES MOINES, Iowa -- The 2012 campaign officially begins on Tuesday with voting in the Iowa caucuses. But here in the Iowa Republican campaign, the most influential political figure of the last decade -- the one whose policies everyone should be taking about -- is invisible. To some, George W. Bush is the Voldemort of American politics, an evil force. Even with Republicans, he is He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, someone you dare not talk about as you try to win the votes of conservative Iowans.In events involving five of the six GOP caucus contenders here in recent days, this reporter did not hear the former president's name mentioned once. The reasons for Bush's invisibility among Iowa Republican/conservatives are obvious. He was unpopular when he left office. He started a war based on lies. He piled up more federal debt than any of his predecessors. He vastly expanded the role and reach of government. He launched but did not "win" in the War on Terror. He and the Fed baile

As an ex-jock,

I enjoy watching some televised sports, including the Denver Broncos, or Donkees, depending on the game. Tim Tebow was, or is, a national phenom because he was at the helm when they pulled some last minute wins out of the hat, although it was mainly because of a great defense, some stupid play by the other teams and an amazing field goal kicker. However, the last three games Tebow has really stunk it up, playing the entire game the same way he played in the first 90% in the games the team won. This isn't about if Tebow is a 'good guy', cuz he clearly is, but whether his performance in the last few weeks-19 of 51 for 245 yds, 1 TD, 4 interceptions and 2 fumbles, lame duck passes and stupid sacks at a time when Denver REALLY needed him, shows he isn't ready for prime time. We'll see, next week, as the boys limp into the back door of the playoffs. Any other QB would have been benched, but the coach has bought into his mystique. We''ll see if that's a good i

In keeping with his party's mantra,

of Chicken Hawks advocating 'endless war', Rick Santorum is saying he would bomb Iraq, if he were president. This is gonna win him some Repub votes, but hopefully not enough to ever put him in the White House. Maybe it's his turn to lead the clown parade as Newt is the latest to be held up to the microscope and discarded by the 'Anyone but Romney' Repubs, who are torn asunder by the Tea Party, 'pray 'em straight' Bachmann, Grover Norquist, religious nuts, Donald Trump, birthers, the Sarah Palin freakshow, another idiot from Texas, and a pizza magnate who can't pronounce foreign countries or keep his hands off women other than his wife. It IS fun to watch, though.

Although we didn't go 'out',

last night, we did stay up to welcome the New Year. During the evening, we watched a TV show that we occasionally enjoy, called 'House Hunters', (which is sometimes international). The premise includes buyers being shown 3 houses, within a certain price range, in various cities around the country (or world), and they have to choose one, for whatever reasons they think are worthy. Last night was 'Househunter's, Denver Colorado', so we watched. The first place shown was downtown Denver and the second was in Boulder. Their third choice was north Broomfield, where we live. For various reasons, that we certainly enjoy, they chose Broomfield, in a neighborhood just down the road. Was interesting, as the new owners from Pennsylvania, gushed about the views and great quality of life, when the crew came back two months later after they were all moved in. Interesting, but not surprising.