Monday, October 26, 2009

Oprah's ancestral home, LIBERIA



I didn't know that Liberia is Oprah's ancestral home. But it is according to this video. So I checked it out on the web, and sure enough it's true.

New DNA test results trace Oprah Winfrey's ancestry to Liberia

Maybe that's why Liberian President President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf appeared on the Oprah Winfrey show in 2006.

Saturday, October 24, 2009

Amazing

Check out this video. It is just amazing. It's called "What Engineers Do When They Retire."

To see the video, click here.

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Jose Feliciano live at White House - Latin Fiesta 2009 for Barack Obama



This is the legendary Joe Feliciano preforming last night at the White House for President and Mrs. Obama and their guests.

President Obama has hosted a lot of different kinds of music at the White House. Last night's Latin Fiesta was great. In August Obama held a country music concert, and next on the agenda is classical music. (Link)

Monday, October 19, 2009

Should we send more troops to Afghanistan?

President Obama faces some tough choices on Afghanistan. Should we send more troops there or not? What is the solution to what seems like our never ending commitment to that country? Is the Taliban a direct threat to the United States or not? If we continue to go after Al Qaeda in Afghanistan, will they simply retreat to the safety of the tribal areas on the other side of the border in Pakistan?

Those are some of the questions that we have to face, and in my opinion there is no easy answer. One thing is clear however. The American people do not have unlimited patience. Simply staying on the present course probably is not going to cut it. However, like so many other things, it is easier to say what is not working that to say what might work.

Our main concern should be the safety and well being of the American people. We can't allow Afghanistan to again become a safe haven for terrorists. But yet on the other hand, history has shown many times before that it is very hard for a foreign army to fight an indigenous insurgency. Just ask both the Russians and British about that. Both were forced to withdraw from Afghanistan after having spent many lives and much treasure. Will it be any different for the forces of the USA and NATO? Only time will tell.

Afghanistan is not Iraq. A similar surge strategy which succeeded to a certain extent in Iraq might not have the same results in Afghanistan. Sending more troops to Afghanistan might not be the answer, but if that is true then what is the answer?

I don't envy President Obama one bit. He faces a situation for which there just might not be a good solution. Yet he has to do something. Everyone agrees that the status quo in Afghanistan is not good enough.

Our troops are fighting over there with bravery. But just how long can we expect our brave troops to keep this up? We have already been over there for eight years and counting. Yet if we just pull out there might be a bloodbath. And terrorists might again have a free reign there.

I pray that President Obama and his team will find the wisdom to come up with some effective answers to this seeming incorrigible problem.

Thursday, October 15, 2009

Will there be a public option?

As I mentioned in a previous article on this blog, the health care reform bill that recently came out of the Senate Finance Committee does not include a public option. Instead, it appears to be a bonanza for the big insurance companies and pharmaceutic companies, both of whom have spent literally millions of dollars to lobby against meaningful health care reform.

As usually is the case in politics, money talks. Some of the biggest recipients of donations from these industries are you guessed it, members of that Senate committee. Senator Max Baucus, chairman of the committee, received the most contributions of all. (Link) Excuse me if I'm not surprised by that. Baucus is bought and paid for and this is what we get from his committee, a watered down reform bill that will in no way make the big health insurance companies honest.

Without a public option, there will be no legitimate way to force the insurance companies to treat their customers fairly. If they had to compete against a government run plan, then that would be different. But thanks to Baucus and the boys, that seems less likely.

But all is not lost. Many progressive members of both houses of Congress will continue to press hard for a public option. President Obama has recently said that he continues to support a public option.

We the American people have got to make it clear to our elected representatives that nothing less than a public option is acceptable. Our senators and congresspeople have got to decide whether they are going to support the special interests that are trying to protect their obscene profits, of if they are going to stand up for the best interests of the American people. America will be watching.

Remember there is an election coming up in 2010. Those Blue Dogs and other obstructionists had better watch out or they might be thrown out on their ears in 2010 in favor of candidates who would be willing to pass legitimate and effective health care reform in spite of pressures from the monied interests.

Monday, October 12, 2009

Dangreous situations

Talk about dangerous situations. My favorite is the nuclear explosion. I think if I saw that I'd make an immediate U turn.




Thursday, October 8, 2009

A bit of humor

A friend sent this to me.
John invited his mother over for dinner. During the meal, his mother couldn't help noticing how handsome John's roommate was. She had long been suspicious of Johns' sexual orientation and this only made her more curious.

Over the course of the evening, while watching the two interact, she started to wonder if there was more between John and the roommate than met the eye.

Reading his mom's thoughts, John volunteered, "I know what you must be thinking, but I assure you, Mark and I are just roommates."

About a week later, Mark came to John and said, "Ever since your mother came to dinner, I've been unable to find the beautiful silver gravy ladle. You don't suppose she took it, do you?"

John said, "Well, I doubt it, but I'll write her a letter just to be sure." So he sat down and wrote: "Dear Mother, I'm not saying you 'did' take a gravy ladle from my house, and I'm not saying you 'did not' take a gravy ladle. But the fact remains that one has been missing ever since you were here for dinner."

Several days later, John received a letter from his mother which read: "Dear Son, I'm not saying that you 'do' sleep with Mark, and I'm not saying that you 'do not' sleep with Mark. But the fact remains that if he was sleeping in his own bed, he would have found the gravy ladle by now. Love, Mom."

Very funny.

Monday, October 5, 2009

Deals on the Net

Ask.com has a new service out today which allows Net surfers to search for online deals and coupons all in one place. Just go to the Ask.com homepage and click on the "deal$" link, then type in whatever you are looking for and you will get a list of bargains.

For instance, if you are shopping for a Lenovo computer, just search for "Lenovo" and you will be presented with a long list of online coupons which you can use to save money when purchasing a select list of Lenovo products. One coupon offered 35% off on a Lenovo Thinkpad T400 laptop. I checked the Lenovo web site, and sure enough, that same laptop was offered there for the price that Ask.com quoted before the 35% was taken off.

You can get similar deals on almost everything else, although not all deals are as good as the deal on the T400, but you get the idea.

How many times have you shopped for something online only to come to the checkout screen and be presented with an ecoupon field? But you don't have an ecoupon. Well, what you do is you open Ask.com in a new tab or browser window and then with a couple of mouse clicks you can find out if there is a money saving coupon available. And if there is then you can apply the coupon and save money right there on the spot.

As with anything else, you need to be careful. Make sure that the price offered before the discount is legitimate. Don't let them jack the price up only to turn around and bring the price back down with a coupon. After investigating this new Ask.com service I was under the impression that most if not all deals offered there were legitimate, but nevertheless it doesn't hurt to check. Do a search for the same item you want to buy at several different shopping websites if possible. Also, make sure that the item you want to buy is not offered for a cheaper price at a brick and mortar store near you. Also, take into consideration whether or not the item you are buying online is offered with free shipping. That can make a big difference.

Happy shopping everyone!

Friday, October 2, 2009

The economy is so bad that...

A friend emailed me this and I decided to share it here. Hopefully someone will get someone laughs from this.
I got a pre-declined credit card in the mail.

I ordered a burger at McDonalds and the kid behind the counter asked, "Can you afford fries with that?"

CEO's are now playing miniature golf.

If the bank returns your check marked "Insufficient Funds," you call them and ask if they meant you or them.

Hot Wheels and Matchbox stocks are trading higher than GM.

McDonalds is selling the 1/4 ouncer.

Parents in Beverly Hills fired their nannies and learned their children's names.

A truckload of Americans was caught sneaking into Mexico .

Dick Cheney took his stockbroker hunting.

Motel Six can't afford to leave the light on anymore.

The Mafia is laying off judges.

Exxon-Mobil laid off 25 Congressmen.

LOL.