Aunty (anti) FOX

I've seen some disappointing losses, but not many worse than this one, today against the Lakers. In the last 3 minutes the Nugs went 0 for 3 from the line, and 0 for 7 from the field, including a missed dunk and a missed lay-up, as they got beat by three. True, there were some bad calls, but, they beat themselves. Really sad. The good news? They play AT Denver tomorrow. We'll see...

about how life gets better, in many ways, as you get older. I sorta realized it last night, as we were at the annual 'Newmas Party' (combo ChristMAS NEW Year)with a bunch of our 'older' friends, many of whom we've been with for many decades. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/wendy-lustbader/ten-ways-life-gets-better_b_1167462.html?icid=maing-grid10%7Chtmlws-main-bb%7Cdl8%7Csec3_lnk1%26pLid%3D123617 Getting old has it's problems, obviously, but it's not all bad.

Reports about the end of the war in Iraq routinely describe the toll on the U.S. military the way the Pentagon does: 4,487 dead, and 32,226 wounded, but today this article came out. The death count is accurate. But the wounded figure wildly understates the number of American servicemembers who have come back from Iraq less than whole. The true number of military personnel injured over the course of our nine-year-long fiasco in Iraq is in the hundreds of thousands -- maybe even more than half a million -- if you take into account all the men and women who returned from their deployments with traumatic brain injuries, post-traumatic stress, depression, hearing loss, breathing disorders, diseases, and other long-term health problems, that will require decades of expensive care. See the real numbers here: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dan-froomkin/iraq-soldiers-wounded_b_1176276.html

that his father would release his tax returns (which he hasn't done) when Obama releases his birth certificate. Oh really? Sounds like Mitt, much like GHW Bush, has a little problem with a kid who 'doesn't have a clue.'

that little state gets a LOT of attention. Why? Because it's first, but it's not representative. Iowa and Mississippi, are the only states to have never elected a woman for gov or to Congress. A culturally challenged landscape where, according to an Iowa professor, "Those who stay in rural Iowa are often the elderly waiting to die, those too timid (or lacking in education) to peer around the bend for better opportunities.' Over half the Reps don't believe in evolution or global warming. Their main political concern is to keep receiving the ethanol subsidies, which allows the farmers to sell their corn for more than it's worth, at a huge cost to the rest of the country in taxes and higher food prices, BUT, it does keep the Repub farm states 'in the fold', and voting Repub. Bottom line, as soon as this Iowa fiasco is over, where a total of 150,000 voters have a huge 'fifteen minutes of fame', the sooner the country can get on with real business. B...

where Ft Collins Det Jim Broderick made up a case against Tim Masters, and lied about the facts to get a conviction, that he felt 'in his gut', sorta like W, and his war. The lying SOB, who happened to be a cop, did a Bushie case, where he put all the evidence he wanted, out there, and withheld all the evidence he didn't want seen. Bottom line, Masters did 11 years for a crime he didn't commit, as the cop lied about many relevant facts. We finally learned what really happened, as a local pervert was overlooked, cuz the cop in charge framed a 15 year old kid. That's what happens when someone 'in charge', is allowed to manipulate the facts. Sorta like the war in Iraq. Will the true criminals ever be prosecuted? I doubt it. Doesn't mean they shouldn't be....

this blog isn't about making friends or enemies. It's my diary that I will enjoy in my 'rocking chair' years , and now have over 5 yrs worth, and hope to have many more. I will be the guy in the old folks home, with a computer on my lap, and a smile on my face.

it is so funny to watch the clowns fight for the rubes, in Iowa. The only viable candidate, Huntsman, is out of the the running with the Christian Conservatives, who suck up to the Tea Party, that doesn't have a chance, in the real world. Ron Paul, who has real world ideas, will never 'connect' with the base. Fun to watch, for those who view the Repubs as a circus sideshow. Can the 1 % control the rest? We'll see...

last night, we went out for dinner, and were shocked to find our local Red Lobster was closed, 'out of business'. Really? I had no idea Red Lobster's ever went out of business, and esp this one, cuz it was always busy. BUT, it was closed, so we had to go somewhere else. Decided on 'Mimi's'. What a great choice. Had the fish and chips and the shrimp, with corn chowder and their fantastic bread with flights of wine. Bottom line? Don't miss Red Lobster at all. Fantastic fish and chips (haddock), and all that goes with it. There's a reason the RL went out of business. Gotta love capitalism....

started a new job, a couple of weeks ago, and they needed someone to take Zee, their beautiful Springer Spaniel, on a walk, in the middle of the day. When I heard they were gonna hire a 'service' I gladly volunteered. Today, we took off through the deep snow, for a walk on the golf course, and Zee started barking, growling and looking up the fairway, at a Snowman! It took quite a while, with Zee doing lots of running, jumping, circling and barking, but I finally got him to sniff it. It was wearing a big hat and scarf, along with eyes and a pipe. I bet the carrot nose had been eaten. He finally settled down as I broke peices off and threw snow at him, but it was pretty funny. Great workout, walking through the snow.....

shows that not only are wine drinkers more healthy than the general public, but when you factor in several other factors, with a large test group, over 20 years, you find that moderate drinkers are more healthy than non-drinkers. http://www.hlntv.com/article/2011/12/27/wine-study-beer-martinis-alcohol-have-some-health-benefits?hpt=hp_c1 This shouldn't be a surprise, and certainly isn't to me, because not only does an occasional drink help mentally, by relieving stress, alcohol is also a well-known solvent, and nothing is worse for the body than fat deposits, cholesterol, that builds in the blood vessels. DUH. Solvents dissolve fats. Obviously, everything in moderation, but this 'new' study seems pretty obvious.

more common, is chronicled in this article from CNN-Money, today, where the average time from a homeowner missing a payment, until the time they are actually evicted, has gone from 674 days, to over a 1000. That's nearly 3 years. http://money.cnn.com/2011/12/28/real_estate/foreclosure/index.htm?source=cnn_bin As more 'underwater' homeowners figure this out, it's only going to get worse, and home values will continue to slide. A snowball that the Bush admin pushed down the hill, with the packaged 'liar loans', sold as AAA investments, is turning into an avalanche that's growing by the month. Just don't see any way to turn it around, but hopefully, someone can figure something out. We'll see...

written every year, but not many become #1 best sellers in Europe and the US. 'The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo', was one that did, as well as the two following books by Stieg Larsson, who died way too young. Really enjoyed the books, so we went to the movie today, which wasn't an easy choice with all the good flicks out there, now, after a long drought of good movies. With Daniel Craig, Christopher Plummer, Stellan Skaarsgard and the UNbelievable Rooney Mara, filmed in Sweden, it was 'off the chart'. Hate using superlatives like 'best', but I can't remember a movie that was SO well done and intense. Was kinda long, but not a wasted or boring minute in it. So many 'Oh WOW' moments that we were able to spend our entire dinner date talking about it afterwards. Maybe a little too much sex to really catch on with the general PG-rated public, but it was necessary to the plot. I guarantee we are gonna hear a lot about this movie as 'word of mou...

I was flipping through the channels, before we head out this afternoon, and thought I had landed on CNBC, the Financial Channel, and had it on, sorta in the background, when I heard a couple of really weird statements, but wasn't really paying attention. Then, they had a guest on, that I actually respect, and they were interviewing him for his thoughts on interest/T-bill rates for the coming years. He gave a good answer, then the 'host' asked, 'Well, how about when the voters get fed up and vote in a Republican Senate and President?' I did a WTF?, and looked at the corner of screen. I was accidentally watching FOXNews Financial Network. The guest/expert gave him a great 'what kind of idiot are you?', answer, I laughed, and switched channels. FOXNews=All Propaganda-All the TIme. It never changes...

that Carol and I 'made it official', and got married. Were headed to the Colorado high country for a honeymoon, but got 'snowed in' at a Boulder motel. Darn it! Lotta people didn't think I'd have the patience and understanding to put up with Carol for this long, but I have. Wow! Forty years. I am a VERY lucky guy. Love ya, honey....

as the kids, w/their families, spent the night, after a party that started early in the afternoon and went way late. Was a lot of fun to watch Piper enjoy herself, with all her gifts, as the center of attention. What a cutie. After a day to rest up, it's off to Jen&Jess/Tori&Martin's for more family fun. What a great time of year, with fresh snow and blue skies.

doesn't like the First Lady telling him to 'eat healthy', because, according to him, (who's obese), she 'has a large posterior'. Not to be outdone, one of the FOXNews columnists, Brent Bozell said, "Obama looks like a skinny, ghetto crackhead.' Hard to keep those Repubs happy, but they sure are 'a class act'.

who controls the money, and therefore the 'people', just look at what has happened after the Repub led Supreme Court ruled that 'corporations are people', and 'people' can give as much money as want to candidates, and remain confidential. SO, the Super Pacs, can funnel hundreds of millions of dollars to their favorite candidates, and remain secret. Insane, but SO Republican, as the money goes to buying votes, with no trail to follow, as to who or why. Pretty obvious, if you know where to look, as the 1% pays to control the 99%. And now, thanks to the Repubs, it's LEGAL.

to get all the snow off the driveway, so I hit it first with a snowblower, then Carol follows up with the snowpusher, which is sorta like a shovel. We were already over the normal snow amount for the year, before this storm, so with winter starting yesterday, this could be a big snow year. Supposed to be 50 degrees in a couple days, so we'll get rid of some of it, but it does help to get in the holiday mood. There's just something about a 'White Christmas.'

who I think is very funny, had an interesting quote, yesterday. "I used to believe in God. The Christian one, that is (There are a few thousand to choose from. But I was born in a country where the dominant religion was Christianity so I believed in that one. Isn't it weird how that always happens?)," he told the magazine. " Luckily I was also interested in science and nature. And reason and logic. And honesty and truth. And equality and fairness, so I became an atheist." Isn't it weird how that happens?