Good Morning Readers a very somber and sober Leprechaun here~

I know some of you are are looking at the banner above and thinking: ‘Sept 11th Memorial Issue?? Its LABOR DAY! Poor Lethal, its finally happened, the strain of Impish’s antics and running D.L.E.. final became too much for him and the poor ole Leprechaun has slid off his Shamrock, slipped a solid gold sprocket, suffered a cranial B.S.o.D., and gone stark raving nucking futz.. Best we change his name to The Librium Leprechaun give him a nice green straight jacket and set him someplace quiet where he can’t hurt himself or anyone’s credit’

Sorry to disappoint you all on two fronts;

I DO know the day and which holiday it is, but we decided that Labor Day was hardly worth a special holiday issue as it has lost most of its meaning and is now more of an end of summer last hurrah marking the retiring of those summer white fashions. Besides we wanted to get this special out early as it has information about memorial observances, dedications and demonstrations of support for the survivors and families of the victims.

SO as you can see there is method in my apparent madness and I am not toddling off round the bend to the gibbering idiots asylum. NOT mind you, that Impish isn’t enough to drive me there usually. In fact most days he wouldn’t even have to drive me there, half an hour around him and nutz is a ‘gimme putt’ in distance away!

As to the second disappointment I mentioned, you might have had out of this issue so far are likely the last ones you’ll be having for the issue. Today’s issue is probably the most serious and intense posting I have ever authored. Is is of a surety the most depressing and painful I have ever researched and assembled as well as the nearest and most dear to my closely warded and guarded heart. In truth this issue took me almost 7 days of working on on and off because I just not stand to deal with the subject for any great length of time even now 10 years later without a wellspring of deeply buried emotions surging up and over taking me.

A few of you long time readers that have been with us since the Yahoogroups days might remember why September 11th is so personal to me. for the rest of you undoubtedly this will be new and insight into the Leprechaun and his murky pasts.

The reason this is so personal to me is not only because I am numbered among the twenty percent of Americans who knew a victim of the Sept 11th attacks (in fact I knew victims in two locations), additionally but for the grace of God and an act of kindness to those taking me to the airport on my part in the form of taking a later flight than the one I preferred, I might well have been one of the victims myself.

ON the morning September 11, 2001, I was scheduled to fly out of Bradley Field in Windsor Locks, Ct at 10:30. My flight path would have taken me through the NYC air corridor along the exact same flight path in route to my final destination of Houston.

I did in fact fly 4 days later through that same air corridor, accompanied by a fully laden attack fighter escorting us from the ‘kill position’ above and behind us in formation so close that his shadow covered most of the right side of the cabin from tail to right wing and half that wing too.

The smoke plum from the still smoldering ruins of the World Trade center could be clearly seen roughly five miles off our right wing and towered even higher than we were flying at that time. Soot, ash, fine particulate debris was so heavy and thick in the air that even at our roughly twenty thousand foot altitude. we could clearly see it passing the windows as we flew like some grey fog made of black pepper.

Our passage thru NYC was accomplished in silence as the Captain requested we observe such out of respect for the dead until the plum was gone from view. In truth i think we were all speechless at the first person viewing of something we had been removed from to a semi comfortable distance by television.

This issue however is not about me or my recollections of either day. It is about seeing that this day, This tragedy, its victims and their families are never forgotten. That this terrorist act is never forgotten or forgiven until the terrorist group(s) responsible are eradicated, radical fundamentalist Islam is ground out of existence and the last full measure of justice, revenge and retribution has been had. It’s about calling BULLSHIT! On those who would allow a Ground Zero Mosque and/or make concessions to Islamic traditions and religious customs in the US.

“Lethal! That sounds a bit bitter, angry and bloodthirsty!’ you say? YOU’RE TOO BLOODY DAMNED RIGHT! What is being done to America both in the attempted Islamicization of it and to down play September 11th and its memory, as well as Islam’s role in it is enough to piss off the Buddha himself and make him reach for a weapon while cussing a blue streak profane and long enough to make a Marine Drill Sergeant shed a tear of pride.

Usually we begin our issues with some variation on theme “Let’s Laugh”. Since this issue is largely devoid of humor this does not seem fitting. so please join me in honoring one of the heroes of Sept 11th, Todd Beamer of United Airlines Flight 93 as I open this issue with his final words before he and several others attempted to take control of the plane away from the terrorist or at least prevent them from achieving their mission by crashing it…

 

”Are You guys ready?… Let’s Roll!”

 

I Believe – A 9/11 Tribute

 

Would That I Could Believe As Well

 

 

To  my knowledge this commercial aired exactly ONE time only.

 

White House Issues Guides on Sept. 11 Observances

You may have thought as a regular American citizen you were capable of marking the upcoming 10th anniversary of the deadly 9/11 attacks in your own quiet, sad way as you and your family choose.

However, in its infinite federal ‘wisdom’ and one~size~fits~all philosophy, the Obama White House has drafted a set of detailed orders for how it wants the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks observed, both at home and abroad.

I’m not kidding:

Obama administration issued talking points for commemorations of the 9/11 attacks at home and around the world.

By THOM SHANKER and ERIC SCHMITT Published: August 29, 2011

WASHINGTON — The White House has issued detailed guidelines to government officials on how to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks, with instructions to honor the memory of those who died on American soil but also to recall that Al Qaeda and other extremist groups have since carried out attacks elsewhere in the world, from Mumbai to Manila.

The White House in recent days has quietly disseminated two sets of documents. One is framed for overseas allies and their citizens and was sent to American embassies and consulates around the globe. The other includes themes for Americans here and underscores the importance of national service and what the government has done to prevent another major attack in the United States. That single-page document was issued to all federal agencies, officials said.

After weeks of internal debate, White House officials adopted the communications documents to shape public events and official statements, and they sought to strike a delicate balance between messages designed for these two very important but very different audiences on a day when the world’s attention will be focused on President Obama, his leadership team and his nation.

The guidelines list what themes to underscore — and, just as important, what tone to set. Officials are instructed to memorialize those who died in the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks and thank those in the military, law enforcement, intelligence or homeland security for their contributions since.

“A chief goal of our communications is to present a positive, forward-looking narrative,” the foreign guidelines state.

Copies of the internal documents were provided to The New York Times by officials in several agencies involved in planning the anniversary commemorations. “The important theme is to show the world how much we realize that 9/11 — the attacks themselves and violent extremism writ large — is not ‘just about us,’ ” said one official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to describe internal White House planning.

Some senior Obama administration leaders had advocated a lengthy program of speeches and events to mark the anniversary, but the final decision was for lower-key appearances by Mr.. Obama and other senior leaders only on the days leading up to the anniversary and on Sept. 11 itself.

Mr.. Obama in his weekly address on Saturday said that this year’s anniversary will be one of “service and remembrance.”

“We need to make sure we’re speaking to a very broad set of audiences who will be affected by the anniversary,” Benjamin J. Rhodes, a deputy national security adviser, said in a telephone interview on Friday.

That may be, but some American counterterrorism and intelligence officials are complaining that the White House missed out on tying together the 10th anniversary with recently announced strategies to combat terrorism and violent extremism into a more coherent, longer-term plan. “They don’t do that kind of long-term planning,” said a senior counterterrorism official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to avoid disciplinary measures from the White House. Mr.. Rhodes rejected that criticism, saying these themes have threaded through many of Mr.. Obama’s speeches in recent months.

As the White House sharpens its messages for the commemorations, officials say they have also stepped up efforts to spot signs of foreign or domestic terrorist plots timed around the anniversary. So far, they said, they had not detected any specific plots or an increase in threats.

Officials interviewed at several federal departments said they would consult the White House guidelines, but had been given broad leeway to hold commemorative events at their agencies.

One significant new theme is in both sets of documents: Government officials are to warn that Americans must be prepared for another attack — and must, in response, be resilient in recovering from the loss.

“Resilience takes many forms, including the dedication and courage to move forward,” according to the guidelines for foreign audiences. “While we must never forget those who we lost, we must do more than simply remember them —we must sustain our resilience and remain united to prevent new attacks and new victims.”

At the same time, Obama administration officials caution that public commemorations here should not cast the United States as the sole victim of terrorism, an argument underscored by killings and maiming from extremist attacks overseas.

Some senior administration officials involved in the discussions noted that the tone set on this Sept. 11 should be shaped by a recognition that the outpouring of worldwide support for the United States in the weeks after the attacks turned to anger at some American policies adopted in the name of fighting terror — on detention, on interrogation, and the decision to invade Iraq.

So the guidelines aimed at foreign audiences also call on American officials to praise overseas partners and their citizens, who have joined the worldwide effort to combat violent extremism.

“As we commemorate the citizens of over 90 countries who perished in the 9/11 attacks, we honor all victims of terrorism, in every nation around the world,” the overseas guidelines state. “We honor and celebrate the resilience of individuals, families, and communities on every continent, whether in New York or Nairobi, Bali or Belfast, Mumbai or Manila, or Lahore or London.”

The death of Osama bin Laden was viewed as reason for officials to “minimize references to Al Qaeda.” While terrorists affiliated with Bin Laden’s network “still have the ability to inflict harm,” the guidelines say, officials are to make the point that “Al Qaeda and its adherents have become increasingly irrelevant.”

The guidelines say the absence of Al Qaeda playing any significant role in the “Arab Spring” uprisings against longtime autocrats in the Middle East and North Africa should be cited as evidence that Bin Laden’s organization “represents the past,” while peaceful street protesters in Egypt and Tunisia “represent the future.” Left unsaid was that many of the deposed leaders were close American allies and partners in counterterrorism operations.

Resilience is a repeated theme of the communications. “We celebrate the resilience of communities across the globe,” the foreign guidelines state.

Or, as Mr.. Rhodes put it in the interview: “It’s a statement of strength that the United States can outlast our adversaries. We’re stronger than the terrorists’ ability to frighten us.”

The domestic guidelines, entitled “9/11 Anniversary Planning,” are shorter and less prescriptive than the talking points created for overseas audiences. For example, they note that the ceremonies will honor Americans killed in the Sept. 11 attacks but also “all victims of terrorism, including those who had been targeted by Al Qaeda and other groups around the globe.”

But these guidelines also acknowledge that Americans will expect government leaders to explain what steps have been taken to prevent another 9/11-style attack and to encourage Americans to volunteer in their communities this Sept. 11.

The domestic guidelines also ask something of Americans that has been lacking in Washington: “We will also draw on the spirit of unity that prevailed in the immediate aftermath of the attacks.”

Please join with me in rendering President Lickspittle a salute that, while one he may not be accustom to, is certainly appropriate for the Muslim loving Obamanation Presidency; its chief sycophant and collaborator in this travesty, The Mayor of the City of New York the dishonorable Michael R. Bloomberg and clearly demonstrates our opinion of his directives!

What could his dishonor the Mayor of New York possibly have done with regard to this day you ask to warrant such ire from me? See for yourself:

9/11 10th Anniversary Is a Day for Remembering, Not Forgetting

OPINION From FATHER EDWARD L. BECK C.P. Aug. 30, 2011

One of the first responders at the World Trade Center on 9/11 was Father Mychal Judge.

The mayor of New York, Rudy Giuliani, asked the priest to offer prayers for the victims of the unfolding catastrophic event. Judge was in the North Tower doing just that when the South Tower collapsed, spewing debris that killed him, the first recorded victim of the attack.

Who can forget the firefighters carrying his cruciform body out of the rubble, an image that some have called an American Pieta?

One person who has seemingly forgotten is the present mayor, Michael Bloomberg, who essentially has banned priests and all clergy from the 10th anniversary commemoration of 9/11.

His excuse for doing so is to keep speeches to a minimum.

The more hidden agenda seems to be an attempt not to offend any one religion by banning them all.

Some have suggested that a related underlying issue is the fear of inviting an Imam or other representative of Islam, thus sparking more unwanted controversy.

Once again, this is misguided political correctness gone terribly awry. We cannot ignore that the horrific events of Sept. 11 had their genesis in myopic and fanatical religious views.

The 10th anniversary of 9/11 is a day to remember who we were and who we have become — the majority of us are people of faith. It is not a day to pretend that we are nihilistic agnostics.

It is true that in these 10 years the religious issues dividing us have only intensified, but now is the time to recall that we are more than our differences.

Clergy need not give eloquent speeches or grandstand at the anniversary commemoration. Rather, they might simply lift us up in a united faith in the one God whom together we still struggle to understand and embrace.

Read more here: http://abcnews.go.com/US/September_11/911-10th-anniversary-day-remembering-forgetting/story?id=14389005

 

Park51 developers apply for $5M federal grant, outraging opponents of mosque near Ground Zero

 

BY BILL HUTCHINSON DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER Monday, November 22, 2010

Developers of a mosque near Ground Zero are fanning a new flame of controversy by applying for a $5 million federal grant reserved for the redevelopment of lower Manhattan.

“I think it’s an insult to the 9/11 families. It’s another smack in the face,” said retired FDNY Deputy Chief Jim Riches, whose 29-year-old son, Jim, a firefighter, was killed on 9/11.

“I think it’s becoming more and more comical,” he said of the latest twist over the proposed 13-story Islamic community center and mosque. “Now we’re going to have to pay for it.”

Ground Zero mosque developers apply for federal grant: report

NY POST STAFF REPORT Last Updated: 2:19 PM, November 22, 2010

The developers behind the proposed Ground Zero mosque have applied for about $5 million in federal grant money set aside for redeveloping downtown Manhattan after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, according to a new report.

The application was submitted as a “community and cultural enhancement” grant, which is a program run by the Lower Manhattan Redevelopment Corp.

Developer Sharif El-Gamal discussed the grant proposal in recent closed-door meetings, according to The Daily Beast.

The revelation that the developers have asked for this grant could reignite outrage about the mosque’s proposed location

“If Imam Feisal and his retinue want know why they’re not trusted, here’s yet another reason,” Irshad Manji, author of “The Trouble with Islam” and director of the Moral Courage Project at NYU, told The Daily Beast. “The New Yorkers I speak with have questions about Park51. Requesting money from public coffers without engaging the public shows a staggering lack of empathy—especially from a man who says he’s all about dialogue.”

The site of the proposed mosque and cultural center, two blocks from the Trade Center, already has seen frequent protests. National figures including Sarah Palin have spoken out against it.

Some have called the project an exercise in triumphalism, intended to plant Islam’s flag at the scene of the attacks and deliberately provoke Americans. Others say they are against the center because they don’t want to see any growth of Islam in the U.S.

Rauf told “60 Minutes” in September that to reduce fears that terror organizations would contribute to the project, he’ll ask US officials to approve the sources of funding.

Rauf added that the mosque and Islamic cultural center will have a board of directors that will include Muslims, Christians and Jews.

Yeah? Over the dead bodies of me and about 2 million of my veteran brothers to say nothing of the emergency services personnel of New York, and every construction union there too Achmed! We’ll fight you until hell freezes over and then meet you hand to hand on the frozen fires of hell itself to keep this from happening. Keep pushing it and you’re likely to experience this next song for real.

 

I’m going a bit out on a limb here by including this at the last minute and trusting that the person that sent it to me knows of which he speaks as what little time I could devote to researching this turned up nothing current on this nor any signs of it being out of date or an urban legend. If its true it has to be stopped dead in its tracks and nipped in the bud.

+ + Petitions will be presented to City Officials.

Grassfire Nation and the Patriot Action Network are taking part in a major rally in New York City on 9/11 to honor
those who have fallen and oppose this new version of the Ground Zero Mosque.
During these events, we will be delivering petitions and presenting our 9/11 Remembrance lapel pin to first
responders and family members of victims as a special gift from fellow Americans.
If you want to be included in this petition presentation to honor those who
have fallen and oppose this new version of the Ground Zero Mosque, please go here:
http://www.grassfire.net/r.asp?u=49437&PID=26115527
We are finalizing preparations for next week’s delivery and need to hear from you as soon as possible.
Once again, organizers of the Ground Zero Mosque are openly seeking $5 million in grants from a federally funded program.
They are using the 9/11 event to raise millions more for their cause.
If you want your voice to be heard, please sign the petition and notify your friends.

 

‘Muslim Family Day’ will spread peace at Six Flags

By ABE LEVY, STAFF WRITER Updated 12:42 a.m., Saturday, September 3, 2011

Seriously? SERIOUSLY?! You’ve GOT to be kidding me! OK let me make my first two points here graphically and save my tired typing fingers a couple lines worth of ire and disgust.

SAN ANTONIO – Up to 3,000 Muslims from around the state are expected to converge Sunday on Six Flags Fiesta Texas for “Muslim Family Day” to celebrate the end of Ramadan and spread the post-9/11 message that most Muslims are peaceful and mainstream.

[BULL SHIT! What they are is undermining and subversive disrespectful and intolerant of the laws and customs of their host countries, seeking and demanding Sharia Law be instituted to suit them. They demand a separate set of standards, to disregard our non-discrimination laws and that we change to suit them instead of their assimilating into our culture. They deliberately harass their neighbors using their religious beliefs and customs as an excuse to push them away so that they may bring more Muslims to live there until they take over an area and then just declare that Sharia Law governs that area in flagrant disregard for the laws of your country. They protest our actions against terrorist and terrorist harboring governments.]

Families from as far as Corpus Christi, Austin and Waco have committed to attending the event, sponsored by local chapters of the Muslim American Society and the Council on American-Islamic Relations.

[AH I see! The Council on American Islamic Relations is it! What a coincidence that one of the prime movers behind the push for a Ground Zero Mosque and cultural center should be  instigating a Muslim celebration party which just “accidentally” happens to be scheduled on the Tenth Anniversary of September 11th!]

Fiesta Texas will be open to the public that day as scheduled, a spokeswoman said. She stressed that the event is not sponsored by Six Flags.

The two groups are selling discounted tickets and parking passes for an event that aims to give Muslim families a festive way to mark Ramadan’s end while sharing their culture and challenging stereotypes as the 10th anniversary of 9/11 nears.

Activities will include Muslim prayers, entertainment, socializing and meals in keeping with the faith’s dietary laws.

[ Well so much for the concept of “hey we’re just like you and doing our best to assimilate and become part of American culture, we’re really not so different or so bad.” We’ll just take over your amusement park with special tickets only for us funded by an Islamic origination bent on disrespecting America’s feelings over September 11th while making them change things and pander to our cultural needs in an effort to rub salt in a ten year old would on the exact day it happens]

The public is welcome to buy meal tickets for international cuisine from local Muslim restaurateurs, event planners said.

The interaction with the general public at a popular, high-traffic amusement park will go far in reducing anxieties between Muslims and the larger community, said Sarwat Husain, CAIR’s local president.

[You wanna bet on that? One of the last weekend of the amusement park season and you over run the park and on top of it on such a sensitive day? I’ll be shocked and surprised if there are no acts of violence and police are not called to the park]

“It’s our community, too, and we are mainstream just like anybody else,” she said. “It’s also giving a boost to the Muslims for what they have been going through. The 10th anniversary of 9/11 is coming up, and already there is much fear going on. We have to get out of that. It’s been 10 years.”

The event reflects the gradual acceptance of local Muslims, said the Rev. Paul Ziese, a Lutheran minister active in interfaith work and past board president of the San Antonio Community of Congregations.

“I know for years many amusement parks have had special events for Christmas and other Christian holidays,” he said.

[ Well DUH Rev Paul! This is a nation FOUNDED on Christian principles and values populated by people by and large that practice or observe the customs of some flavor of Christianity. As for Christmas and special events the holiday has been usurped by the mainstream so much as to only superficially be “a Christian holiday” and is more largely a commercial holiday now so the fact that businesses would schedule such events is hardly a surprise.]

“I think it’s appropriate that a Muslim event be recognized. Muslims still feel a little bit on the fringe even though many groups are starting to welcome them.”

  You want a Muslim event for Muslims and Muslim traditions, fine ok by me, but:

1. Find your own venue to do it do NOT take over an American Icon and change it into “Islam World” for the day.
2. Have it on a date that is not offensive to mainstream Americans and insist its a ‘goodwill  get to know us we are not so bad” gesture!
3.   have it underwritten by an organization bent on belittling America’s feelings over September 11th or demeaning the memory of those who died by placing a shrine to the religion responsible for the attack so close to Ground Zero!

A Little Optional Reading On The Damage Our Islamic “Friends and Neighbors Who Are Just Like US” Are Trying To Covertly Inflict On Us

Top ten reasons why sharia is bad for all societies

By James Arlandson  July 28 2011

Traditional Muslims who understand the Quran and the hadith believe that sharia (Islamic law) expresses the highest and best goals for all societies. It is the will of Allah.

But is Islam just in its laws that Muhammad himself practiced and invented?

This article says no for ten verifiable reasons.

http://www.americanthinker.com/2005/08/top_ten_reasons_why_sharia_is.html

Pamela Geller: In Her Own Words

Published: October 8, 2010

The following are excerpts from an interview with Pamela Geller, a conservative blogger who has been vocal in opposition to the Islamic center and mosque to be built near ground zero. Anne Barnard and Alan Feuer interviewed Ms. Geller on Sept. 28, 2010  https://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/10/nyregion/10gellerb.html?ref=islam

Trading cape for the burqa

Andrea Peyser Posted: 5:18 AM, October 11, 2010

Hide your face and grab the kids. Coming soon to a TV in your child’s bedroom is a posse of righteous, Sharia-com pliant Muslim superheroes — including one who fights crime hidden head-to-toe by a burqa.

These Islamic butt-kickers are ready to bring truth, justice and indoctrination to impressionable Western minds.

Scheduled for release on the new network The Hub — formerly Discovery Kids — which launches today (Time Warner and DirecTV carry it in the city), is a cartoon beloved in the Arab world and received timidly in Britain last year, “The 99.”

The program chronicles the adventures of 99 superheroes, each of whom embodies an attribute of Allah.

Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/trading_cape_for_the_burqa_SVLKS5gF1HlJugmRPFJepL#ixzz1X10wHqeO

The USA could and Should take lessons on dealing with the covert attempt at US Islamicization from the Netherlands:

Speech Geert Wilders in Berlin, 3 September 2011 (English version)

Saturday, 03 September 2011

http://www.geertwilders.nl/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1763&Itemid=1

(excerpted)

The reason why we reject Islam is exactly Islam’s violent nature. We believe in democracy. We fight with the force of our conviction, but we never use violence. Our commitment to truth, human dignity and a just and honourable defense of the West does not allow us to use violence nor to give in to cynicism and despair. We cherish the tradition of Aleksander Solzhenitsyn, Jelena Bonner, Lech Walesa and Ronald Reagan. These heroes defeated a totalitarian ideology by the power of their conviction and without firing a single shot. As the ex-Muslim and Islam-critic Ali Sina said in a reaction to the Oslo atrocity: “We don’t raise a sword against darkness; we lit a light.”
So it is. We lit the light of the truth. And the truth will set us free.
The truth is that Islam can be successfully fought with democratic means. We do so in the Netherlands. You can do so, too, in Germany! Let me tell you what we have achieved in the Netherlands since my last visit to Berlin, less than one year ago. It will encourage you. What can be done in the Netherlands can also be done in Germany.
My party, the Party for Freedom, which has 24 seats of the 150 seats in parliament, supports a minority government of Liberals and Christian-Democrats. We do this in return for measures to restrict immigration, roll back crime, counter cultural relativism, and restore our traditional Western freedoms, such as freedom of speech.
The Party for Freedom has been in this position for less than a year, but we are achieving great things. We have achieved that the Netherlands will soon ban the face-covering Islamic burqas and the niqabs!
We will restrict immigration from non-Western countries by up to 50% in the next four years! We are going to strip criminals who have a double nationality and who repeatedly commit serious crimes, of their Dutch nationality!
The Party for Freedom is bringing a message of hope to the Netherlands. The new policies will place more demands on immigrants. Integration will not be tailored to different groups anymore. There will be a tougher approach to immigrants who disobey the law. Those who lower their chances of employment by the way they dress, will see their access to welfare payments diminished.
We have also achieved that anti-Israeli activities will no longer be funded with Dutch taxes. So-called humanitarian aid organizations that directly or indirectly support anti-Israel boycotts, divestments and sanctions and that deny Israel’s right to exist will no longer get government funding.
The Dutch government will boycott the United Nation’s Durban III meeting against racial discrimination because it has been transformed into a tribunal for accusations against Israel. The government will strengthen our political and economic relations with Israel. Investment rather than divestment will be our policies towards Israel.
We stand with Israel. We love Israel. Israel is the only democracy in the Middle East. Israel is part of our civilization.
My friends, what the Party for Freedom has achieved, shows that it can be done. To borrow a phrase from President Obama: Yes, we can! We can stop the islamization of our societies. The Dutch example shows that we can win. David can defeat Goliath!
Last July, the Dutch government even did something which not a single nation has dared to do before. It spoke out firmly against the Organization of Islamic Cooperation. The OIC is an international organization of 57 Islamic countries, most of them barbaric tyrannies. This OIC constitutes the largest voting bloc in the United Nation. It had criticized the fact that Dutch judges had acquitted me of all charges of group insult and incitement to hatred and discrimination. But the Dutch government made it clear to the OIC that freedom of speech will not be muzzled in the Netherlands. It told the OIC very bluntly: “The Dutch government dissociates itself fully from the request to silence a politician.” – end of quote. We will never submit to the Islamic OIC bullies!
As you probably know, for almost two years I went through the ordeal of being a suspect in a criminal case. I was dragged to court in Amsterdam on the accusation of hate speech crimes. Last June, this legal charade ended with a full acquittal.
The Dutch people learned through my acquittal that political debate has not been stifled in their country.
My acquittal was a victory for freedom of speech. The Dutch people also learned that they are allowed to speak critically about Islam. They learned that resistance against Islamization is not a crime. They learned that there is hope and that liberation is near.
My acquittal marks the turning of the tide. Not only in the Netherlands, but in the whole of Europe. It is the first breach of the dyke. We have started the roll-back operation. We have sent a message to the ideologues of Islam: Don’t tread on us!
My acquittal has a significance which far surpasses the Netherlands. It has a meaning for the whole of Europe and the free world. My acquittal marks the end of an evolution whereby our civil liberties in Europe are constantly being restricted in order not to offend Islam and anger Islamic fanatics.
My acquittal legitimizes criticism of Islam. It does so also in Germany and everywhere else.

and now for an opposing PC Liberal point of view:

The Myth of Sharia Law in America

Amy Sullivan Posted: 6/15/11 10:29 AM ET

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/amy-sullivan/sharia-myth-america_b_876965.html

Fears of Sharia Law in America Grow Among Conservatives

By Brian Montopoli October 13, 2010 6:00 AM

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-20019405-503544.html

I leave it up to you to decide for yourself if they are the harmless misunderstood people they claim to be or a subversive cancerous canker hiding behind beards, burqas and a false “religion of peace”.

 

 

 

The Plan for September 11th Observance

We have less than a week to get the word out all across this great land and into every community in the United States of America.

THE PROGRAM:

In the United States, Patriot Day occurs on September 11 of each year, designated in memory of the 2,977 killed in the September 11, 2001 attacks. Many Americans who were affected by the events that day refer to the day as “Nine-Eleven (9/11)”, “September Eleventh”, or some variation thereof. Initially, the day was called the Prayer and Remembrance for the Victims of the Terrorist Attacks on September 11, 2001.

U.S. House of Representatives Joint Resolution 71 was approved by a vote of 407–0 on October 25, 2001. It requested that the President designate September 11 of each year as “Patriot Day”. President George W. Bush signed the resolution into law on December 18, 2001 (as Public Law 107-89[1]). It is a discretionary day of remembrance. On September 4, 2002, President Bush used his authority created by the resolution and proclaimed September 11, 2002 as Patriot Day.

On this day, the President directs that the American flag be flown at half-staff at individual American homes, at the White House, and on all U.S. government buildings and establishments, home and abroad. The President also asks Americans to observe a moment of silence beginning at 8:46 A.M. (Eastern Daylight Time), the time the first plane struck the North Tower of the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001.

On Sunday September 11th, 2011, everyone needs to display the flag of these United States of America!!!

On Sunday, September 11th, 2011, an American flag should be displayed outside every home, apartment, office, and store in the United States. Every individual should make it their duty to display an American flag on this tenth anniversary of one of our country’s worst tragedies. We do this to honor those who lost their lives on 9/11, their families, friends and loved ones who continue to endure the pain, and those who today are fighting at home and abroad to preserve
our cherished freedoms.

In the days, weeks and months following 9/11, our country was bathed in American flags as citizens mourned the incredible losses and stood shoulder-to-shoulder against terrorism. Sadly, those flags have all but disappeared. Our patriotism pulled us through some tough times and it shouldn’t take another attack to galvanize us in solidarity. Our American flag is the fabric of our country and together we can prevail over terrorism of all kinds.

Action Plan:

So, here’s what we need you to do.

(1) Forward this to everyone you know, we need to send a clear message to those who say it never happened (the same two faced Pakistani rat bastards that said Osama was not in their country how many times) or want to play kissy face and have a mosque near to Ground Zero defiling its meaning and the memory of those who died there or are still dying because of it.

(2) Fly an American flag of any size on 9/11…even if its only a window cling.

(3) Openly defy President Muslim Suck Up’s guidelines and render a Bronx cheer for Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg by attending a Memorial observation and publicly praying, for the victims of Sept 1tth, for their families, for our country, for an end to fanatical ideological terrorism and for an end to the reign of these politicians who would sell us down the river at every turn in the name of political correctness and appeasement.

Here let me help you with your open defiance by posting this RELIGIOUS tribute to the Victims of September 11th:

(4) A list of Memorial Events can be found here: http://www.9-11healingandremembrance.org/ovc/Events/Default.aspx  as well as I am sure, one your local newspaper or Television Stations web site. Attend one.

Our Personal DragonLaffs Sept 11th Observance Contribution

You’ve all heard us talking about the possibility of DragonLaffs swag as a fund raising means instead of periodic begging and as a way to get more exposure for the blog. I have been diligently searching and reviewing the myriad of sites that would allow us to do this. Recently with the aid of my wife Molly I came across one that seems the most reasonable and fee friendly. As a trial test we have created a Limited Edition Sept 1tth Memorial Mug << (click to go to our point of purchase).

We receive 25% of the price of the mug and 50% of our ‘profits’ will be donated in the name of DragonLaffs readers to the best non profit organization we can find dealing with Sept. 11th. We’d like your help in determining which organization that is. Please post your suggestions in the comments section for us to review. Preference will be given to organizations which are helping the survivors and/or their families over those building memorials.

 This is a Limited Edition mug. <{link!) It will only be on sale from now until October 11th or until 500 copies are sold which ever comes first. At that time I will be withdrawing it from sale and destroying the set up file on the vendor’s site and artwork I created for it on my system.

Take a moment to think back to how you felt on 9/11 and let those sentiments guide you.

As of the moment this is our current front runner for receiving the proceeds from this sale:

Thank you for your participation… God Bless You and God Bless America!

Alan Jackson – Where Were You

 

10th anniversary of 9/11 – Where We Are Where We Have Yet To Go

Looking back and moving forward

by Winnie Furnari, RDH, MS, FAADH

  When our 35th president was killed by an assassin’s bullet as his motorcade wound through Dallas in 1963, we were told we would always remember where we were when we heard the news. To this day, those of us who witnessed the event can say, “I remember.”

The same holds true for the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. Those of us who witnessed this event will remember the exact moment in time, where we were, and many things after that. This is called episodic memory, and is not fully developed until around four years of age. It is different from other types of memory because it is accompanied by a feeling of remembering and attachment, as opposed to factual remembering.1 Like many of you that morning, I was scaling teeth, a procedure integral to our existence and a familiar start to that horrific episodic memory.

Does time change our memories? Not as much in this modern age, because we have videos and pictures to remind us of exactly how events unfolded. As we age, many people claim that short-term memory starts to fade, but we can recall events that occurred years and years ago quite clearly. In this instance, it is good to know that in our lifetime we will never forget. What about those in this country who were babies, and those born after Sept. 11, 2001? Their knowledge is not a memory, but what they have been told and what they have seen. It may have been a good thing that fate spared them from witnessing the horror, yet they should not be spared the stories we have to tell. This is the goal of the Sept. 11th Education Program, a curriculum designed for schools about teaching 9/11. Students are asked to interview family and friends about the event, and are assigned to get firsthand accounts. The program has developed a curriculum and website where teachers can discuss plans and successes on incorporating 9/11 into lesson plans or as a separate learning experience.2 Learn more about the 9/11 Education Foundation and Education Program at www.LearnAbout911.org.

Many events in history are kept alive through memorials, statues, holidays, and site tours. The Sept. 11, 2001, event also has memorials, movies, articles, books, and new onsite memorials in New York, on the grounds of the Pentagon, and in Shanksville, Pa. These provide a means for closure, for easing our hurt, and certainly as a way to help deal with the loss. Dealing with these tragedies has not been easy for many people. Statistics show that incidents of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) increased dramatically after Sept. 11th.3 It is recognized as a real illness. People can experience PTSD after living through or seeing a traumatic event. People become stressed and afraid after danger is over and the lives of the victims and people around them are affected. Psychological and physical symptoms can be mild to severe, and can occur years after an event

 

As 10th Anniversary Nears, 9/11 Families Can’t Get Answers on Trial

By Catherine Herridge Published August 30, 2011 | FoxNews.com

Ten years after the worst terrorist attack on U.S. soil, there is still no public timetable for the trial of the suspects at Guantanamo Bay, according to a Defense Department letter obtained by Fox News

Sent to the families of Sept. 11 victims by the Office of Military Commissions, the Aug. 26 letter reads in part: “Although we are not able to give you a more precise answer on when to expect a decision by the Convening Authority (the body that oversees the military trials), we will continue to provide updates.”

Lee and Eunice Hanson, who lost their son, daughter-in-law and granddaughter at Ground Zero, say the letter confirms what they told Fox News in February — there may not be a trial in their lifetimes.

“I don’t know how many years I’ve got left,” Eunice Hanson said with her husband by her side. “I would like to see some justice before I pass on and it’s just not happening, it’s not happening. “

“We look pretty weak in that we can’t bring these people to trial,” Lee Hanson added.

Al and Maureen Santora, who lost their son Christopher, a New York City fire fighter in the attack on the World Trade Center, told Fox News that as the anniversary approaches, it’s painful that justice has not even started.

“What a terrible message we are giving people of the free world and what a message we are giving to those who are out to harm us. We will wait as we have no other choice but we wonder why,” he said. “What else is more important.”

In November 2009, Attorney General Eric Holder said the five suspects would be tried in a New York City federal court. After fierce opposition from area residents and from a bipartisan coalition in Congress, Holder reversed the decision in April and sent the case back to the military justice system at Guantanamo Bay.

“We simply cannot allow a trial to be delayed any longer for the victims of the 9/11 attacks or for their family members who have waited for nearly a decade for justice,” Holder told reporters at a Justice Department news conference at the time.

Those who follow the Sept. 11 prosecution say the hold-up is unfortunate but maybe in the best interests of the case. Before the trial begins, defense teams are being asked to explain why it should not be a death penalty case.

“This approach although it takes a long darn time, takes off the table many appellate issues that could result in the case being overturned a decade from now which would bring them right back to today,” former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Detainee Affairs Cully Stimson, now a scholar at the conservative Heritage Foundation, told Fox News.

One relative of a Sept. 11 victim said she wanted to scream when she read the latest letter about the delay because — she never imagined that a decade after the attacks — there would still be no trial — given the suspects tried to plead guilty in December 2008.

When asked whether they had anything to add to the letter, a spokesman for the Office of Military Commissions did not immediately respond.

Pakistanis in denial 10 years after 9/11

ABBOTTABAD: The young Pakistani officer sighs when he thinks about what happened to Osama bin Laden. “Was he really here?” he says. “All that, it’s like 9/11, we don’t even know if it really happened.”

Sitting at the end of the track leading to the compound where US Navy SEALs killed the Al-Qaeda leader on May 2, Abdullah prefers to enjoy the fresh air blowing down from the Himalayas than relive his country’s darkest hour.

“This is a holiday compared to Mathani or Charsaddah,” he added, referring to parts of the northwest where Taliban bomb attacks and shootings have killed so many of his colleagues.

Abdullah is just one of millions in Pakistan who doubt that bin Laden was behind the 9/11 attacks.

Wahab Khan Maseeb, 20, leaves his lectures at the medical faculty in Abbottabad. A young Pakistani-American in jeans and a T-shirt, he was in school in Brooklyn on that fateful day 10 years ago. He saw the ash cover everything.

But was it an militant attack? Wahab hesitates. Like others, he saw the “Loose Change” series of documentary films, which accused elements of the US government of carrying out the 9/11 attacks.

“It was pretty convincing,” he says.  In a country awash with anti-Americanism and anti-Semitism, Pakistani newspapers peddled totally unsubstantiated claims that 4,000 Jews didn’t turn up to work in New York that day, so the attacks were somehow a Zionist plot.

Diplomatically, the United States has never been more frustrated with Pakistan for refusing to, or being incapable of, rounding up Al-Qaeda allies in the northwestern tribal belt.

US troops say the Haqqani network, whose leadership is based in North Waziristan, poses the biggest threat to security in Afghanistan, yet Pakistani intelligence agents are known to have close ties to the group.

“The wave of intolerance sweeping the country is also due substantially to the conspiracy theories put about by the ruling establishment and their allies in the media,” wrote Ahmed Rashid this summer in the New Republic magazine.

One popular narrative —that Washington is in cahoots with India and Israel to destroy Pakistan’s nuclear weapons and the Muslim world —papers over inadequacies of corruption and inefficiency closer to home.

After the May 2 bin Laden raid, for example, Pakistan denounced the violation of sovereignty rather than elaborate on how and why the Al-Qaeda leader managed to live for years near the country’s top military academy.

(excerpted from): http://www.dawn.com/2011/08/25/pakistanis-in-denial-10-years-after-911.html

We give them HOW MUCH in foreign aid and get this shit in return? CUT THEM LOOSE! Time to side with India against Pakistan and send them a clear message about playing us two faced and the consequences of not joining the rest of the world in a whole hearted eradication of terrorists!

 

US Guards Against Terrorist Attacks Before 9-11 Anniversary

By States Times Monitoring Desk – Sat Sep 03, 2:30 am

http://www.statestimes.net/2012/09/us-guards-against-terrorist-attacks-before-9-11-anniversary/

U.S. security officials are increasing efforts to thwart possible acts if terrorism in advance of the 10th anniversary of the September 11th, 2001, terror attacks. While the U.S. Department of Homeland Security has not issued specific alerts, law enforcement agencies асrοѕѕ thе country hаνе heightened security tο prevent аn assault bу al-Qaida аnԁ іtѕ affiliates οr bу people acting οn thеіr οwn.

U.S. law enforcement agencies аrе enhancing security іn places thаt mіɡht bе terrorist targets. In Nеw York City, a police patrol boat, аbƖе tο notice a nuclear weapon, monitors shipping аnԁ officers inspect bottom thе Brooklyn Bridge.  WhіƖе thеrе hаνе bееn nο specific threats, police take thеѕе patrols seriously.
“It іѕ absolutely nοt a joke аnԁ thе threat іѕ very real,” a Nеw York police officer ѕаіԁ.
Thе increased security measures come аѕ thе nation remembers the10th anniversary οf thе September 11tterrorist attacks. WhіƖе thе Department οf Homeland Security ѕауѕ thеrе іѕ nο specific evidence οf аn al-Qaida рƖοt, thе group’s late leader Osama bin Laden reportedly wanted operatives tο ɡƖіԁе a small plane іntο a sporting event around thе anniversary.
“Wе hаνе ѕο many small airports аnԁ уου саn ɡƖіԁе below radar, (ѕο) thаt іѕ possibly doable,” ѕаіԁ  Brad Garrett, a former FBI counteract-terrorism agent.
Al-Qaida’s nеw leader, Ayman al-Zawahiri,  аƖѕο appeared іn numerous videos calling fοr attacks against U.S. targets аnԁ urging Muslims tο support hіѕ cause.
“Thіѕ іѕ nοt thе time tο bе converted іntο complacent. In fact, іn thіѕ window thаt al-Qaida іѕ trying tο exploit, wе (thе United States) ѕhουƖԁ bе exploiting аnԁ trying tο prevent аnԁ preempt thе next attack,” ѕаіԁ Frank Cilluffo, thе director οf thе Homeland Security Policy Institute аt George Washington University. Hе ѕауѕ al-Qaida affiliates іn Yemen аnԁ Somalia сουƖԁ play a role іn аn attack οn U.S. soil. 
“Wіth al-Qaida іn thе Arabian peninsula (based іn Yemen) аnԁ  al-Shabaab, (based іn Somalia) уου hаνе a number οf U.S. foreign fighters whο hаνе traveled tο Yemen, whο hаνе traveled tο Somalia аnԁ thіѕ іѕ obviously a concern frοm a security standpoint,” hе ѕаіԁ.

From movies to sports, coming to terms with 9/11

By Todd Leopold, CNN September 2, 2011 12:31 p.m. EDT

(CNN) — In the days after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, you heard the comment constantly: “It was like a movie.”

Except it wasn’t. Real people don’t die in movies. If planes crash into skyscrapers, if buildings collapse and fall, it’s all special effects, created on computers or rendered on models.

And it’s over in two hours and we can all go back to normal life.

Not this time. There was no easy return to “normal life.”

How do you come to terms with that?

Over the past 10 years, artists of all stripes have grappled with the question. To some extent, the expressions of emotion mirrored Elisabeth Kubler-Ross’ famed stages of grief.

First there was denial, as the twin towers were digitally removed from films and the painful subject generally avoided on television. (Indeed, not long after the attack, news networks such as CNN refrained from showing the most troubling images — a restraint that, in general, continues to this day.) Then came anger, with revenge fantasies and defiantly heroic tales carrying the day.

As the day of the terrorist attacks has receded from view, authors, filmmakers, musicians and performers continue to sort out What It All Means. To some, the attacks have been an opportunity to examine the psyche of a terrorist. For others, 9/11 is a jumping-off point for looking at geopolitics, consumerism, cultural clashes and reaction under stress.

Yet, particularly in recent years, it’s simply become part of the scenery, shorthand for a dividing line between Before and After, part of a historical continuum that includes the Hiroshima bombing, the Kennedy assassination and the fall of the Berlin Wall.

As Slate’s Dana Stevens noted in her review of last summer’s “Transformers: Dark of the Moon,” it’s even become a special effect. Chicago skyscrapers are destroyed in a way that evokes the collapse of the twin towers, complete with pieces of paper flying out the windows like dust.

Just like a movie.

 

 

 

 

As if it was not enough of a travesty and insult that even with the help of such notables as Rudy Guliani, Denis Leary, Jon Stewart and Gary Sinise, it took a scant 2 months shy of the tenth anniversary for Washington to finally get around to the passage of a bill to help and all the courageous first responders to the World Trade Center, then when they did, they conveniently left out those with the greatest need for the aid, who would cost the government and the Medical Insurance Companies the most money! I’m speaking of the ones that developed cancer from the toxic cloud at Ground Zero.

Some 9/11 first responders get help – and some don’t

By Parija Kavilanz @CNNMoney September 2, 2011: 8:17 AM ET

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) — Ralph and Barbara Geidel have spent close to $100,000 on his medical treatment since 2003, when the former fireman and 9/11 first responder was first diagnosed with tongue and neck cancer.

“We’ve already used up all of our savings,” said his wife, Barbara. “We’re now living paycheck to paycheck.”

The Geidels were hoping to finally get some health insurance help with their mounting medical bills, when President Obama earlier this year signed into law the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act.

The Zadroga Act, also known as the First Responders Bill, sets aside $1.5 billion in federal and New York City funds to cover all costs for treating certain 9/11-related illnesses, and $2.7 billion in compensation for victims who suffered economic hardship as a result of the attacks.

But the law hasn’t done a thing for the Geidels when it comes to filling the health insurance gap, because cancer is not one of the medical conditions currently approved to be covered by the fund.

Illnesses that are eligible for full coverage include asthma, lung disease, chronic cough syndrome, laryngitis, sleep apnea, sinusitis, digestive disorders, depression, post traumatic stress disorder and substance abuse.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, which is administering the fund, there isn’t enough scientific evidence linking cancer in first responders to their exposure to toxic substances from the 9/11 attacks.

The fund took effect on July 1, and since then it has received 86 applications, enrolled 25 people and paid out just over $1 million dollars in claims.

“This bill was rushed. It should have included coverage for cancer,” said Barbara Geidel, expressing a view widely held by cancer stricken first responders and their families.

New research

A new study released Thursday by The Lancet medical journal examines the link between the incidence of cancer and exposure to 9/11 related substances, and seems to support her point.

It tracked 9,853 firefighters and found that those who were exposed to substances at Ground Zero are 19% more likely to develop cancer than firefighters who were not exposed.

Firefighters responding to 9/11 at increased cancer risk

Ralph Geidel, 54, retired from the FDNY in 1985 and moved to California to mine for gold. It was there that he met his wife Barbara. He returned to New York on Sept. 14, 2001, to rejoin his former unit Rescue Co. 1 and search for his brother Gary, also a firefighter who was in the World Trade Center on Sept. 11.

He’s currently on a cross-country trip from California to Ground Zero on his Harley-Davidson, which is his way to honor his brother and find closure.

Ralph worked 36 straight hours when he first got to New York three days after 9/11, and then for months after that at Ground Zero.

Hounded by bill collectors

He has health insurance through the FDNY. But after his cancer diagnosis, he returned to California and was treated by specialists who were out of network and therefore not covered by his insurance.

That meant the Geidels had to pay much more out of pocket for Ralph’s cancer treatments, including radiation and surgeries.

Although his doctors haven’t clearly established the link between exposure to 9/11 toxins and his cancer, Barbara said one specialist did tell the couple that the toxins were probably what caused his type of cancer to show up at a much younger age than it typically does.

“His oncologist said this type of cancer is seen in a 60 -70 year old who’s a heavy smoker and drinker,” she said, adding that her husband was diagnosed at 44 and is neither a heavy drinker or smoker.

“Look, we’re tired of begging for help. We’re hounded by bill collectors. We’re not asking for a handout. We’re asking for a hand,” said Barbara.

It’s a different story for Chris Doran, 42, a first responder and former New York City police officer who called the Zadroga Act a huge relief.

In the 10 years since the terror attacks, Doran has suffered many sleepless nights thanks to his injuries and his medical bills.

But now, he says, “the government is paying for all of my therapy and medications.”

Prior to the Zadroga Act, Doran was struggling to pay the steep out-of-pocket costs for treating post-traumatic stress disorder and a sinus condition so severe that it has required five sinus operations.

“I went there on Sept. 14 but I didn’t last very long,” said Doran. After 14 hours at Ground Zero, his blood pressure shot up and he couldn’t breathe.

He didn’t return to Ground Zero after that. Three years later, Doran retired from the New York Police Department, moved to Texas and hasn’t worked since.

Fortunately, Doran continued to get health insurance through the NYPD. But because his income dropped substantially after retiring, he too struggled to pay his out-of-pocket medical costs.

“I was paying $7,000 a year for medications. I had to file for bankruptcy,” he said. Doran has also attempted suicide twice.

Under the Zadroga Act, all of Doran’s medical costs will be paid for by the government because his illnesses are approved for coverage by the fund.

The bill isn’t perfect, said John Feal, a first responder who founded the first responder advocacy group Feal Good Foundation in 2005, but at least it’s a start.

“When this bill passed, my first words were ‘This is good,'” he said. “But I give it a six out of 10.”

Feal hopes that an amendment is made to the Act soon to cover cancer, and the agency has said it will continue to review its policy on cancer coverage as new research and findings are released. Such a review is expected early to mid-2012.

“These first responders are heroic people who are financially devastated because of their illnesses,” he said.

  

Firefighters responding to 9/11 at increased cancer risk

By Stephanie Smith, CNN Medical producer September 2, 2011 5:22 a.m. EDT

Tune in: Dr. Sanjay Gupta investigates 9/11’s toxic dust — what it felt like to breathe it, be enveloped by it, and what the experience means for the next time disaster strikes, in “Terror in the Dust,” Wednesday, 11 p.m. ET

New York (CNN) — Firefighters exposed to toxic dust and fumes clogging the air after the World Trade Center towers collapsed 10 years ago are more likely to develop cancer, according to a new study.

When compared with firefighters who did not work at ground zero, firefighters working the pile were 19% more likely to get a cancer diagnosis.

According to the research, published Thursday in the Lancet medical journal, the increase occurred during the first seven years after 9/11.

“We excluded cancers that might have been diagnosed early (that may have existed before the attack) … and we still see a 19% increase,” said Dr. David Prezant, chief medical officer at the New York City Fire Department and the study’s lead author, in a recent interview with CNN. “When we put those cancers back in, we see a 32% increase.”

It is an unexpected finding considering that for most cancers, the latency period — the time between exposure to a carcinogen and expression of disease — tends to span decades.

“My initial bias was that for the first 10 or 15 years we would not see an increase,” said Prezant. “That’s another reason I think our findings are so strong, because I actually thought we would find the opposite.”

One theory about how cancer might develop so soon among responders is that the unique characteristics of ground zero dust, and the sheer number of chemicals contained in it, may have accelerated disease in responders.

Read more here

 

 

Finally as if all this is not enough, comes the final slap in the face for the First Responders:

9/11 First Responders Not Invited To 10th Anniversary Ceremony At Ground Zero

NEW YORK (1010 WINS) – First responders will not be invited to this year’s 9/11 ceremony at Ground Zero. That’s the word from city officials who say there isn’t enough room for the tens of thousands of firefighters, police and other rescue workers.

According to a report by the Daily News, security issues and making sure that all of the victims’ families will be able to participate in the 10th anniversary of 9/11, contributed to first responders not being invited to the ceremony.

Phil, a construction worker at Ground Zero, says the city needs to figure out a way to have first responders at this anniversary.

“I think that they should be allowed to go because too many of their brothers and sisters lost their lives and they should be the first ones that are included,” he said. “They should make it happen. I’m sure there are going to be a lot of people here who shouldn’t be here.”

First responders will be given a separate ceremony at a later date.

Both President Barack Obama and former president George W. Bush will be at this year’s ceremony as well as former mayor Rudy Giuliani and other dignitaries, meaning extra security will be on hand.

In addition, only a limited number of lawmakers from the Tri-state area will be allowed to attend.

On Friday, House Speaker Rep. John Boehner said the government would be paying for representatives from New York, New Jersey and Connecticut to attend the ceremony.

An estimated 91,000 police, firefighters and other first responders helped with the search and rescue efforts in the wake of the September 11th attacks.

Don’t even get me started on what a political crock of shit play this is by President Lickspittle and his sycophant the dishonorable Mayor Bloomberg. How coincidentally convenient that this will preclude any televised coverage of any of the people not covered under the Zadroga Act and dying of cancer rendering honors to their 343 fallen brothers or the victims and thereby making our ungrateful government look like a bunch of shitheels with an election year right around the corner!

In typical New Yorker ‘we don’t need nobody we’re New Yorkers, we’ll take care of ourselves” independence see here how the FDNY is responding to the slight In a Class Fashion :

 

NEW YORK CITY FIRE MUSEUM HOLDS SEPTEMBER 11^TH MEMORIAL SERVICE

FDNY Chaplain Mychal Judge’s Bunker Coat and Helmet to be dedicated to the Fire Museum

The New York City Fire Museum will mark the tenth anniversary of the September 11^th attacks on the World Trade Center with a memorial service commemorating the supreme sacrifice made by 343 members of the FDNY.  At the ceremony, FDNY Chaplain Mychal Judge, who was killed at the World Trade Center, will have the bunker coat and helmet he was wearing that day dedicated to the Fire Museum.  The bunker coat and helmet will be permanently housed in a case constructed by firefighters from Engine 73/Ladder 42 in the Bronx, which was the site of Father Judge’s last mass and homily on September 10^th, 2001.
The New York City Fire Museum is the official museum of the FDNY.  Occupying a renovated 1904 Beaux‐Arts firehouse at 278 Spring Street in SoHo, the museum is home to a renowned collection of fire‐related art and artifacts from the 18th century to the present; including hand‐pumped fire engines, horse‐drawn vehicles, early motorized apparatus and firefighting tools and equipment.
In addition, the New York City Fire Museum contains the first permanent memorial to the 343 FDNY members who lost their lives on September 11, 2001.  Housed in two adjoining rooms, this solemn sky‐lit tribute includes a black marble and tile memorial with pictures of the FDNY members lost in the attacks; cases displaying tools used and items recovered from the Ground Zero recovery effort; a video and interactive computer station where visitors can digitally browse profiles and photographs of the fallen, newspaper coverage of the attacks and images of nationwide tributes to the FDNY; and a wall‐size timeline chronicling that day’s tragic events.
The New York City Fire Museum will have extended viewing hours from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. on September 11^th.
WHO: Fire Commissioner Salvatore J. Cassano, Chief of Department Edward Kilduff, New York City Fire Museum Director Damon Campagna, many active and retired FDNY members
WHERE: New York City Fire Museum 278 Spring Street – Between Hudson and Varick Streets
WHEN: Sunday, September 11 – 1 p.m.

 

 

 

The Pentagon Memorial

 

The Pentagon Memorial is designed so that the nation may remember and reflect on the events that occurred on September 11, 2001. The Memorial will be free and open to the public seven days a week. Groups and individuals are welcome in the Memorial each day but guided tours are not offered; the Memorial is meant to be experienced on a more personal level.

The Pentagon Memorial is located at 1 Rotary Road on the Pentagon Reservation in Arlington, Virginia

The grooved, gray concrete wall rising from a few inches to a few feet seems to be solely for blocking the noise from the nearby highway, but like many parts of the new Pentagon memorial, there is more to the wall than meets the eye.

Seven years after the September 11 attack on the Pentagon, the wall is designed to remind visitors of the youngest and oldest victims, wrapping the memorial in symbolic imagery.

It stands 3 inches tall at its beginning, representing the youngest person killed there — 3-year-old Dana Falkenberg — and continues to a height of 71 inches, corresponding to the oldest victim, retired U.S. Navy Capt. John D. Yamnicky Sr.

“The Pentagon memorial will stand as an everlasting tribute to 184 innocent souls who perished on these grounds,” Bush said. “A memorial can never replace what those of you mourning a loved one have lost. We pray that you will find some comfort amid the peace of these grounds. We pray that you’ll find strength in knowing that our nation will always grieve with you.”

Donald Rumsfeld, who was defense secretary when the Pentagon was attacked, said, “We will never forget the way this huge building shook. We will not forget our colleagues and friends who were taken from us and their families. And we will not forget what that deadly attack has meant for our nation.”

The symbolism inside begins for visitors as they first step into the memorial.

As they enter the cenotaph, they pass over etched stone that reads, “September 11, 2001 — 9:37 a.m.,” the exact moment of the attack on the Pentagon.

The stone in which that infamous date is carved was recovered from the smoldering ruins of the Pentagon, still stained with the burn marks from the explosion and fire from Flight 77 slamming into the building.

Across the memorial grounds, 184 bench-like structures, each one dedicated to a victim, are clustered in what seems like an uneven and unsettling array throughout the main grounds of the memorial.

A brief look at the  Flight 93 National Memorial in Shanksville, to be dedicated on Sept 11th 2011.

 

 

To the Struggle Against World Terrorism: A History

The artist, Zurab Tsereteli, was in his home in Moscow on the morning of September 11^th. The television was on as he was getting ready for work and Zurab, like the rest of the world, was glued to coverage of the attacks on the Twin Towers. He watched the towers collapse on TV and was moved to tears.

That day, he went to work at the Academy of Art driving on a route that takes him past the American Embassy. People were gathered outside the embassy gates to pay sympathies, to be together, and to mourn. He saw a mass of crying people and decided to use the image of a tear in a memorial.

He set to work that day on a proper and appropriate form through which to express his feelings over the attack. He went through many various sketches and ‘forms’ (all of which are chronicled in the yellow book) until finally deciding on the current monument’s form.

Zurab traveled to NY shortly after the September 11^th and went to ground zero. The ruins were still steaming. He decided that he wanted to create a memorial to the victims; but that wouldn’t want to build on top of the bones of the dead on the ground zero site. He began to look for an appropriate and fitting site on which to erect the memorial.

Zurab spoke with friends and colleagues who were in NY during the attacks. He heard stories about how boats and ferries were used to shuttle survivors away from the Twin Towers. He also learned about the New Jersey residents who worked in the towers. Zurab decided to look for a site in New Jersey, where the monument could be on the waterfront and settled on a never before seen area of the peninsula at Bayonne. Here, the World Trade Center was the backdrop to the waterfront, and so, the backdrop of life. The site had been a military instillation, and the town had decided to convert the land into public park-space.

From this vantage point, the Twin Towers looked almost as if they were in fact one building. His bronze monument reflects that image with a jagged tear through the center, and a 4-ton nickel tear hanging from the top. The tear represents not only the sadness and grief over the loss of life on 9/11 and previous attacks on the World Trade Center, but also hope for a future free from terror.

The monument has several reflective elements, so that the visitor becomes part of the memorial. The nickel tear is shiny and mirror like. The granite name plates which make up the stand for the monument, and on which the names of the victims are etched, is also shiny and reflective.

The monument was dedicated on September 11th 2006, the fifth anniversary of the attacks.

See it here:http://www.911monument.com/gallery.cfm?gallery=monument

After years of hard work and construction , Project Rebirth at ground zero is beginning to take form.

 

http://www.911memorial.org/

Obama speech to close 9/11 commemoration at National Cathedral

By the CNN Wire Staff September 2, 2011 10:42 a.m. EDT

(CNN) — President Barack Obama plans to speak at the Washington National Cathedral on the evening of September 11 to commemorate the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, event organizers said Tuesday.

The three-day event, entitled “A Call to Compassion,” is designed to “honor the memories of those lost, heal the wounds caused by terrorism and war, and gain new hope to move forward as a nation,” a news release said.

It will begin on Friday, September 9, with Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta speaking at “A Concert to Honor,” a memorial concert dedicated to the victims of 9/11 as well as the more than 6,000 troops who have died in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

On Saturday, September 10, families are invited to attend a free public concert, organizers said. This event will be called “A Concert to Heal.”

The day will begin with an interfaith vigil where religious leaders will gather in prayer as the cathedral tolls its 12-ton funeral bell to mark the moments when airplanes struck the North and South Towers of the World Trade Center, hit the Pentagon, and crashed in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, said organizers.

Obama also plans to visit all three memorial sites on the morning of September 11, the cathedral said. Later in the evening, he and first lady Michelle Obama will attend “A Concert for Hope,” where the president will deliver his speech.

“It is our hope that the Cathedral’s commemoration, especially with President Obama’s participation in it, will move us further down the path toward healing,” said Cathedral Dean Samuel T. Lloyd III.

The Washington National Cathedral joined with the National September 11 Memorial & Museum, the Pentagon Memorial Fund, and the Flight 93 National Memorial to present the event.

 

A 10-year anniversary tribute to 9/11.

 

 

 

 

Ten years ago on September 11th 2001, The United States of America was attacked by a terrorist organization (al~Qaeda) led by Osama bin Laden. The terrorist hijacked four planes. Two of those planes American Airlines Flight 11 and United Airlines Flight 175 were purposely crashed into the World Trade Center towers. A third, American Airlines Flight 77 struck the Pentagon and the last, Flight United 93 crashed into a PA field in Shanksville. instead of it’s intended target, either the Capitol or the White House, due to the heroic efforts of the passengers on board.

Ten years later, the mastermind behind the attacks was killed by our Special Forces (our unknown heroes) on May 2, 2011 after storming his hidden, yet exposed compound in some damn place in Pakistan.

Although, as of right now the “War” in the Middle~East regions continue to rage on since March 20, 2003, We as an American People feel a satisfactory of justice of bin Laden’s death, since the tragic day of Sept 11th. A “closed chapter” in the generation’s time whom lived to see America get attacked, on a day that we will never forget and always remember!

  Thanks to all firefighters, police, average citizens, rescue parties/teams/organizations who risked their lives to save others from the top to the rumble of what remained of the WTC and from the Pentagon as well as those unsung heroes, the medical men and women who toiled hard and incessantly to identify as much of the remains as possible so they might be returned to the victims families so that they might have some small measure of closure.

  
 “You can break the foundation of a building, but you can’t break the foundation of our freedom!”

I AM the Lethal Leprechaun and I say, “Life, Liberty and the unceasing Pursuit of any and all who would threaten it or us, be they Despot, enemy combatant, terrorist or fanatical religious leader, to the deepest cave in the farthest reaches of the world, up to and including the very plains of hell itself.

IF you harm the least of us then, you harm and threaten us ALL. Harm just one of us and we will hunt you down and come for you. We will have our due from you and everyone associated with you, regardless what the costs or what lengths are required. Our reach is long and our memory even longer.”

Sept 11th 2001 Losses

New York, N.Y.
W.T.C. – 2016 Dead
A.A. Flt. 11 – 92 Dead
U.A. Flt. 175 – 65 Dead
FDNY – 343 Dead
NYPD – 23 Dead
PANYNJ – 37 dead

Washington D.C.
The Pentagon – 125 Dead
A.A. Flt 77 – 64 Dead

Shanksville, PA.
U.A. Flt. 93 – 44 Dead

It is an Irish~American custom, largely in New York and New Jersey true, but to some extent where there is an Irish expat community that at wakes, funerals and memorials the song “Oh Danny Boy” is sung. Oft this is also true of Police and Fireman. Generally this is done acapella, badly, and off key by the men who are either too emotional to do it justice or too far in their cups in pursuit of solace.

Occasionally however it gets done right, perfect, true and worthy of an occasion such as this. Please join me now is standing in a moment of silence as “Oh Danny Boy” is preformed in memory of the victims of September 11th 2001 and those who the tragedy has continued to claim since then. While they may be gone from our sight and our daily lives, let them nare be gone from our hearts or our memories, for if we keep them there then they are never truly gone, just momentarily inaccessible to us.

 

 

Death leaves a heartache
No one can heal;
Love leaves a memory
No one can steal

Words, however kind,
can’t mend your heartache:
but those who care and
share your loss wish you,
comfort and peace of mind.,

May you find strength,
in the love of family,
and in the warm embrace,
of friends.

Deepest Sympathy

God Bless Us All and Watch Over Us and God Bless America

Lethal Leprechaun

Good Morning Campers… Welcome to Saturday!

We’ve got an especially good issue for you today.  Lots to read and laugh about.  Lots to ponder and think about.

Plus, as an added bonus, I want to give just a little hint at a special issue that is coming up this Monday, Labor Day, in preparation for the day of Remembrance that will be September 11th.  The 10th anniversary of the cowardly attack of our country.  We have something very special planned and a unique way for all of us to help out.

But enough of that…. for now, let’s get on with the day! 

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This is a classic…if you ain’t laughing, you ain’t payin’ attention!

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DONATING CLOTHING

I just had a call from a Charity asking me to
donate some of my clothes to the starving people throughout the world.

I told them to kiss my ass. Anybody who fits into my clothes ain’t starving.

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Only a mild warning for this one from our dear camper friend Zack.  This one is almost good!

Q: What do you get when you cross an elephant and a skin doctor?
A: A pachydermatologist.

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We have received a special request from Sue, one of our regular camper contributors.  Please do your best to help her out with this:

Prayer Request

I have a prayer request. There’s a lady I’ve known forever. She’s very sick. On top of that, she’s being abused by those to whom she has given everything.. Lies about her abound, and seem to come from all sides. Just breaks my heart. Seems there’s nothing I can do alone. But maybe, if we join in and lift her up together we can heal her. She’s well over 200 years old, but way too young to die. Her name is* America* … and I love her.

Right there with you Sue!

Governor Cuomo’s car in Margaretville, NY.

One of the few American elms remaining in New York City was downed in Brooklyn.

Here’s another classic. The amazing part is, that there isn’t one dirty word in it, yet, it will have you laughing hysterically. 

The Smiths were unable to conceive children and decided to use a surrogate father to start their family. On the day the proxy father was to arrive, Mr. Smith kissed his wife goodbye and said, ‘Well, I’m off now. The man should be here soon.’

Half an hour later, just by chance, a door-to-door baby photographer happened to ring the doorbell, hoping to make a sale. ‘Good morning, Ma’am’, he said, ‘I’ve come to…’

‘Oh, no need to explain,’ Mrs. Smith cut in, embarrassed, ‘I’ve been expecting you.’

‘Have you really?’ said the photographer. ‘Well, that’s good. Did you know babies are my specialty?’

‘Well that’s what my husband and I had hoped. Please come in and have a seat !.

After a moment she asked, blushing, ‘Well, where do we start?’

‘Leave everything to me. I usually try two in the bathtub, one on the couch, and perhaps a couple on the bed. And sometimes the living room floor is fun. You can really spread out there.’

‘Bathtub, living room floor? No wonder it didn’t work out for Harry and me!’

‘Well, Ma’am, none of us can guarantee a good one every time. But if we try several different positions and I shoot from six or seven angles, I’m sure you’ll be pleased with the results.’

‘My, that’s a lot!’, gasped Mrs. Smith.

‘Ma’am, in my line of work a man has to take his time. I’d love to be In and out in five minutes, but I’m sure you’d be disappointed with that.’

‘Don’t I know it,’ said Mrs. Smith quietly.

The photographer opened his briefcase and pulled out a portfolio of his baby pictures. ‘This was done on the top of a bus,’ he said.

‘Oh, my Gosh!’ Mrs. Smith exclaimed, grasping at her throat.

‘And these twins turned out exceptionally well – when you consider their mother was so difficult to work with.’

‘She was difficult?’ asked Mrs. Smith.

‘Yes, I’m afraid so. I finally had to take her to the park to get the job done right. People were crowding around four and five deep to get a good look’

‘Four and five deep?’ said Mrs. Smith, her eyes wide with amazement.

‘Yes’, the photographer replied. ‘And for more than three hours, too. The mother was constantly squealing and yelling – I could hardly concentrate, and when darkness approached I had to rush my shots.. Finally, when the squirrels began nibbling on my equipment, I just had to pack it all in.’

Mrs. Smith leaned forward. ‘Do you mean they actually chewed on your, uh…equipment?’

‘It’s true, Ma’am, yes.. Well, if you’re ready, I’ll set-up my tripod and we can get to work right away.’

‘Tripod?’

‘Oh yes, Ma’am. I need to use a tripod to rest my Canon on. It’s much too big to be held in the hand very long.’

It was then Mrs. Smith fainted.

 

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Barack Obama got out of the shower and was drying 
off when he looked in the mirror.
He noticed that he was white from the neck to the 
top of his head. In a sheer panic and 
fearing he was turning white all over, he called 
his doctor and told him what had happened.
The doctor advised him to come to his office 
immediately. After an examination, the doctor 
mixed a concoction of brown liquid, gave it to 
Barack, and told him to drink it all.
Barack drank the concoction and said, 
that tasted like “bull shit!”
“It was.” the doctor replied, 
“You were a quart low.

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This is a concept I have been developing over the past several years and wanted to get your impressions as am sure  it applies to others besides me.

One of my favorite “Old Man” jokes…

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Another great video…

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Today’s Last Word…The problems we face today are there because the people who work for a living are outnumbered by those who vote for a living.

Annual Salary of House/Senate …………………..$174,00​0 FOR LIFE
Annual Salary of Speaker of the House …………$223,500 FOR LIFE
Annual Salary of Majority/Minority Leaders …… $193,400 FOR LIFE
Annual Average Salary of a teacher ………………… $40,065
Annual Average Salary DEPLOYED Military Member in AFGHANISTAN $38,000

A spacecraft orbits the planet in order to spy on the strange creatures who live there.

“Are you sure we’ll be able to listen and see what’s going on down there?”

“Yes Commander!  These creatures use a primitive form of light ray manipulation, up and down the spectrum, to communicate to one another.  Since we know that these waves travel in all directions, we can tap into their broadcasts and communications.  They are especially fond of these few bands here and here,”  he indicates several dials and gauges on his instrument panel that seem to expand for easier viewing as he touches them. “And with those we can watch their broadcasts and hear their voices.”

“Well, let’s get started then.  As you are well aware, we don’t have much time before the main fleet passes through this part of the galaxy and as this is the only intelligent life form found, we have to determine if they can be welcomed into the greater Union of Peoples.”  The commander smiles at her companion, “and as nice as it’s been exploring these planets with you and the sharing of body and spirit we’ve partaken of,” her faces loses some of it’s brightness, “I’m about ready to join up with the rest of the fleet.  I find I hunger for the love and companionship of the larger family.”

“I agree ma’am.  Not that I haven’t had a wonderful time slaving away in the heroic attempts at satisfying your every desire.” His hands stray to her hips and begin to caress their supple muscles.  She playfully smiles and slaps his hands away. “But, I too find I miss the others.  Humans were not meant to be such solitary figures.  We are at our best when surrounded by family and friends.”

The adjutant goes back to adjusting dials and knobs.  A picture builds up in the view screen and suddenly strange babbling emits from the speakers. 

“Dammit number 2, turn that down!  Can’t you get the translator on line?  What is this we’re watching?”

“Well, according to their own reference material.  All of these people here, sitting in the arena, are engaged in watching these others in some sort of sporting event.”

“All of them are just watching?” she said incredulously.  “And these few that are actually participating, they are just playing a game?  Are they children?”

“No.  They are all adult forms.  They are playing for the other’s entertainment.”

“Oh I see.” The commander gave an enlightened smile.  “They must be incredibly wealthy and put on this display and paid the others to come and watch.  We all know that games are for children and adults only play in for their own satisfaction.”   

The second continued to read his displays, “Well, not quite.  According to this you were correct in that they are all quite wealthy, but it’s because they others are paying them to play and for the experience of watching.”

“Watching?  I don’t understand.  These people would rather watch than do? This must be an anomaly, find something else.”

A new picture appeared in the viewer, an adult in the front of the room with obviously younger beings sitting behind tables.  “Ah, now here is what is clearly a school.  These must be the true leaders of the society.  Passing on the wisdom of their experiences to the younger …”

“Um… excuse me for interrupting you ma’am, but according to my information, these ‘teachers’ aren’t passing on wizened instruction.  They can’t be.  According to these figures they are only worth about 1% or even less of what the people playing games were worth.”

“What?  That’s preposterous!  Keep looking.  There!  What are those?  In the strange uniforms?”

“Those are examples of soldiers, sailors, police officers, members who put out fires, it says here they are called ‘servicemen’ and ‘servicewomen’.  And…no…this must be a mistake, or this planet is completely backwards.  It says that these people are worth less than even the teachers.  In fact, they seem to be some of the least compensated of all.”  The man seemed lost in thought.  Suddenly he smiled.  “Perhaps, they are so independently wealthy and civic minded that their pay is just an honorarium to their giving spirit and …. no.  That can’t be correct.  It says here that many of them must also do additional duties, second professions, in order to just support their own families.”

The commander was flushed and angry.  “And next you are going to tell me that…that… that the politicians are actually paid, and paid better and longer than these ‘service people’ instead of being charged by the people for the dirty pleasure of politics.” She started laughing.  “And that, the people actually listen to these politicians.”

The second began laughing too.  “Yeah, right.  And that they actually pay the lawyers, too.  Instead of hunting them into extinction.”

The commander reached out and hugged the man close to her.  “Thank you for that great laugh.  Let’s head back.  I think we can safely say that there is no intelligent life on this backwards little planet.  What did you call it?” 

The man looked into his files.  “Well, we have it as designator Alpha 2116 C.  But the denizens call it…let me see…ah Earth.”

“Okay,” the commander said, “break orbit, set up return coordinates to the fleet, transmit our final report.  There is no intelligent life on Earth.” 

OK folks the Laptop has gone off to Tennessee for repair. It should have arrived there Monday. Things are going to be a little off until it returns. I’m hopeful that will be before next Wednesday however to get it back to the point it was before it left is going to be at least a solid weeks spare time work as well as the point it was at represented 7 months of playing and tweaking. I have managed to back up save or migrate everything on to an ancient desktop but not everything works or looks the same which is making things publishing wise a little difficult.

We had a single day’s break in our 100 degree days run which I think stopped ay 29 and are now back to it with a vengeance. Since Friday last week our daily forecasted temp has been 103 or better. Currently we are 20 inches short on rainfall this year to date. Put another way we could have taken all that Irene dumped on New York swallows and still been below average rainfall for the year!

Now on behalf of all of you readers who have been shaken by the East Coast Quake, drowned like rats by Irene or like me boiling under oppressive and dangerous heat level…

LET’S MAKE WITH THE LAUGHING!

What? Its Espresso Coffee Ice Cream thinned down with more Espresso! It counts as coffee, just extremely Iced Coffee. Needs ground chocolate covered Espresso beans on top though.

Woot! New additions to dictionary reflect today’s culture

By Phil Gast, CNN August 21, 2011 1:05 a.m. EDT

http://www.cnn.com/2011/LIVING/08/21/dictionary.new.words/index.html?eref=rss_us&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+rss%2Fcnn_us+%28RSS%3A+U.S.%29&utm_content=Google+Feedfetcher

(CNN) — Don’t be a denialist. Instead put on your jeggings (breathe in) or mankini (be careful) and retweet this article.

After all, it’s hip to be in the know on the 400 new words and phrases in the 12th edition of Concise Oxford English Dictionary, the abridged version of the Oxford English Dictionary. The smaller dictionary is meant to “cover the language of its own time.”

Beware: Not all words are built to last, wrote dictionary editor Angus Stevenson in a blog posting last week.

“Sadly, the new edition has no room for tremendous words like brabble ‘paltry noisy quarrel’ and growlery ‘place to growl in, private room, den’ — what we might call a man cave these days,” Stevenson wrote on a blog.

Some of the new words:

— cyberbullying: n. the use of electronic communication to bully a person, typically by sending messages of an intimidating or threatening nature.

— denialist: n. a person who refuses to admit the truth of a concept or proposition that is supported by the majority of scientific or historical evidence.

— jeggings: pl. n. tight-fitting stretch trousers for women, styled to resemble a pair of denim jeans.

— mankini: n. (pl. mankinis) a brief one-piece bathing garment for men, with a T-back.

— retweet: v. (on the social networking service Twitter) repost or forward (a message posted by another user). n. a reposted or forwarded message on Twitter.

— sexting: n. informal the sending of sexually explicit photographs or messages via mobile phone.

— woot: exclaim. informal (especially in electronic communication) used to express elation, enthusiasm, or triumph.

The dictionary also adds new definitions of familiar words.

Thought a cougar was just an ornery old cat you might encounter in the American West? By now you know a cougar also is “an older woman seeking a sexual relationship with a younger man.”

Here is a picture of a notorious California cougar with it’s prey

 

 

12 Secrets the Beverage Industry Doesn’t Want You to Know

I’m sure its no surprise to anyone that 90% of what we buy and eat is not any good for us or that we cannot trust the FDA to protect us from potentially health endangering chemicals in your food and drinks. What is news is just how bad some of these things we deem “healthier choices” are for us. Here are some shocking highlights:

Secret #2: Ocean Spray

Ocean Spray doesn’t want you to know that its line of cranberry juice blends contains more sugar than fruit.  You might be surprised to learn that many of them contain as little as 20 percent real juice. What’s more, none of Ocean Spray’s stable of hybrid “juices” earns few than 73 percent of its calories from added sugar, and most have sugar loads closer to 85 percent. That amounts to about as much sugar as two scoops of ice cream stuffed into each 8-ounce cup of juice.

Secret #4: The Diet Soda Industry

The diet soda industry doesn’t want you to know that artificial sweeteners can make you fat. Sure, diet sodas are a step up from regular sodas, but here’s where things get thorny: Although it’s essentially calorie free, diet soda can drive your appetite and push you to overconsume calories. One theory put forth by researchers is that giving the body a rush of sugar with no calories might push it to actively seek out sources of energy. And how does your body do that? By switching your appetite into overdrive.

Secret #5: The Cocktail Industry

The cocktail industry doesn’t want you to know that high-fructose corn syrup is the primary ingredient in your libation. Tom Collins. Whiskey sour. Pina colada. What do they have in common? A massive load of sweetness waiting to highjack your blood sugar and send your body into fat-storage overdrive. From Manhattan to Margaritaville, your favorite cocktail mixer is probably saddled with twice as much sugar as your favorite soda

Secret #7: The Coffee Industry

The coffee industry doesn’t want you to know that the average latte is worse than a double-scoop ice cream cone. No source of sugar is more stealth than the caffeine kicks dished out at coffee shops across America. Even an unflavored 16-ounce latte has close to 200 calories, and for the average person that represents nearly 10 percent of your daily energy requirements. Starbucks alone sells about two dozen drinks with more than 500 calories apiece. (And that’s not even counting the absurdly indulgent and overwrought Frappucinos.) Drink something like that once a day, and you’re facing at least an extra 50 pounds of flab each year!

Secret #8: Glaceau

Glaceau doesn’t want you to know that a bottle of Vitaminwater has more sugar than a Snickers bar. And yet, through ingenious marketing, they’ve managed to pass off their product as good for you! As if the 32.5 grams of sugar they stuff into each bottle—8 teaspoons’ worth—was somehow going to improve your health. What Glaceau really wants you to think is that the sugar is negligible (it isn’t), and that the flurry of vitamins it drizzles into its bottles will improve your well-being (that’s up for debate).  If your diet is even remotely close to healthy, then you’re probably already getting all the vitamins you need. 

Secret #9: The Beer and Soda Industries

The beer and soda industries don’t want you to know that aluminum cans are lined with a toxic plastic. Bisphenol A, otherwise known as BPA, is a chemical found in plastics that has been idenitifed as a threat to your health. One study found that low doses of BPA  can suppress a hormone that protects against diabetes and obesity in human tissue. Another study discovered that BPA disrupts brain function and leads to mood disorder in monkeys. Further evidence has show it to lower sperm counts, up your risk of heart disease, and increase the risk of breast, prostate, and testicular cancers. Products containing BPA are everywhere, but do your best to avoid them.

Disrupts brain function? Hmm…from the “Beer Summit” we know Obama drinks beer. Could this explain the travesty that is his Presidency?

Secret #12: Bottled Water

The bottled water industry doesn’t want you to know that its product isn’t any better than the water that comes from your tap, which has passed strict state, federal, and local guidelines. Not to mention, it’s free. Sure, bottled water is convenient, trendy, and may well be just as pure as what comes out of your tap, but it’s hardly a smart investment for your pocketbook, your body, or our planet. With  Dasani, a Coca-Cola product, the water is simply purified tap water that’s had minerals added back in. In fact, about 40 percent of all bottled water is taken from municipal water sources, including Pepsi’s Aquafina. What’s more, in a 4-year review that included testing 1,000 bottles of water, the Natural Resources Defense Council found that “about one-third of the brands we tested contained, in at least one sample, chemical contaminants at levels above strict state health limits.” So fill up at home rather than buying into the hype.

Spend roughly $45 on a counter top water filter that attaches via a diverter to the spigot. Mine filters 3000 gallons or is good for 6 months for a cost of about $7 for the filter cartridge. While we occasionally DO buy bottled water and keep some on hand in our hurricane supplies we reuse the bottles for several weeks refilling them and placing them in a tray in the refrigerator. At roughly $3.50 for a case of twenty four 16 oz. bottles (3 gallons) verses my 3000 gallons for $7 which comes out to less than $0.01 for the same 3 gallons the filter pays for itself in no time.

Read the rest of the eye opening article here:

12 Secrets the Beverage Industry Doesn’t Want You to Know

The English language has some wonderfully anthropomorphic collective nouns for the various groups of animals.
We are all familiar with a Herd of cows, a Flock of chickens, a School of fish and a Gaggle of geese.
However, less widely known is a Pride of lions, a Murder of crows (as well as their cousins the rooks and ravens), an Exaltation of doves and, presumably, because they look so wise, a Parliament of owls.
Now consider a gathering of Baboons. They are the loudest, most dangerous, most obnoxious, most viciously aggressive and least intelligent of all primates.
And what is the proper collective noun for a group of baboons?
Believe it or not ……. a Congress!
I guess that pretty much explains the things that come out of Washington!

Free Firefox Add-on Makes Your Browsing Safer

Posted: 12 Aug 2011 12:55 AM PDT

Using the more secure Internet protocol HTTPS adds a layer of security to Internet connections. If you use the Firefox browser, you can install a free extension from the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) that will ensure the more secure type of connection for a variety of websites. https://www.eff.org/https-everywhere

The plugin currently works for:

• Google Search
• Wikipedia
• Twitter
• Facebook
• bit.ly
• GMX
• WordPress.com blogs
• The New York Times
• Paypal
• EFF
• Tor
• Ixquick
• and many other sites!

 

 

FOX NEWS BOWS TO THE PRESSURE:

Fox is already cowering down to the President.

In response to President Obama’s complaint that FOX News doesn’t show enough Black and Hispanic people on their network :

FOX has announced that they will now air ” America ‘s Most Wanted” TWICE a week.

I don’t care who you are, that’s funny!

Well I promised some summer crockpot recipes to help keep things cooler inside but still provide good eats. Took a couple weeks longer than I had wanted but here are a dozen plus which are largely good any time of the year and require no more than 20 minutes prep time.

Slow- Cooker Chicken Cacciatore

    Prep Time: 20 mins
    Cook Time: 8 hrs 0 mins
    Total Time: 8 hrs 20 mins
    Serves: 8
 

BONELESS, SKINLESS CHICKEN THIGHS BECOME MOIST AND TENDER IN THE SLOW COOKER, AND THEY ELIMINATE THE NEED TO FISH OUT STRAY BONES THAT CAN SEPARATE FROM CHICKEN PARTS DURING COOKING.

Ingredients

    2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, each cut into quarters
    1 medium yellow onion, coarsely chopped
    1 large red bell pepper, coarsely chopped
    1 cup white mushrooms, halved
    1 can (28 ounces) crushed tomatoes
    1 can (6 ounces) tomato paste
    1 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
    1/2 cup red wine
    3 cloves garlic, minced
    1 bay leaf
    2 tablespoons fresh or 2 teaspoons dried parsley
    2 teaspoons salt-free Italian seasoning

    1/2 teaspoon salt
    1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
    12 ounces rotini or linguine pasta

Directions
1. COMBINE the chicken, onion, bell pepper, mushrooms, crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, broth, wine, garlic, bay leaf, parsley, seasoning, salt, and black pepper in a large slow cooker. Cover and cook on high for 3 hours. Remove the lid and cook for 1 hour longer to thicken the sauce. Alternatively, cook on low for 8 hours, remove the lid, and cook for 2 hours longer.
2. PREPARE the pasta according to package directions approximately 30 minutes before serving.
3. REMOVE the bay leaf from the chicken mixture and serve the chicken and sauce over the pasta.

Slow cooker Italian beef for sandwiches

    Prep Time: 15 mins
    Cook Time: 12 hrs 0 mins
    Total Time: 12 hrs 15 mins
    Serves: 10
   

This makes a sandwich similar to one I used to get at a local restaurant when I lived in a suburb of Chicago. My all time favorite! Serve on crusty rolls with roasted sweet or hot peppers.

Ingredients

    3 cup(s) water
    1 teaspoon(s) salt
    1 teaspoon(s) ground black pepper
    1 teaspoon(s) dried oregano
    1 teaspoon(s) dried basil
    1 teaspoon(s) onion salt
    1 teaspoon(s) dried parsley
    1 teaspoon(s) garlic powder
    1 bay leaf
    1 package dry italian-style salad dressing mix
    5 pound(s) rump roast

Directions
1. Combine water with salt, ground black pepper, oregano, basil, onion salt, parsley, garlic powder, bay leaf, and salad dressing mix in a saucepan. Stir well, and bring to a boil.
2. Place roast in slow cooker, and pour salad dressing mixture over the meat.
3. Cover, and cook on low for 10 to 12 hours, or on high for 4 to 5 hours. When done, remove bay leaf, and shred meat with a fork.

Slow cooker smothered beef and rice

    Prep Time: 20 mins
    Cook Time: 6 hrs 0 mins
    Total Time: 6 hrs 20 mins
    Serves: 6
 
Ingredients

    2 pound(s) beef tenderloin
    1 can/jar(s) 10.75 oz reduced fat cream of mushroom soup
    1 can/jar(s) 15 oz reduced fat/sodium veggie broth
    2 tablespoon(s) whole wheat flour
    4 ounce(s) water
    1 teaspoon(s) salt/pepper/garlic to taste

Directions
1. Place thawed beef tenderloin in slow cooker. Make sure you spray the cooker pot with cooking spray first. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and garlic.
2. In a mixing bowl mix together cream of mushroom soup and veggie broth. Blend well. Pour mixture over the beef.
3. Cook 4-6 hours on low. Twenty minutes before serving mix flour and water and add to the cooker to thicken.

Serve over rice with Stir fried or steamed Broccoli

Slow cooker ratatouille

    Prep Time: 15 mins
    Cook Time: 45 mins
    Total Time: 1 hrs 0 mins
    Serves: 8
 

Just like the traditional peasant stew but prepared in a slow cooker. My daughter says “that’s not how they make it in the movie”.

Ingredients

    2 tablespoon(s) butter
    3 piece(s) (cloves) garlic minced
    2 cup(s) yellow onions thin sliced
    1 pound(s) zucchini diced large
    1 pound(s) eggplant peeled and diced large
    2 tablespoon(s) flour
    2 cup(s) red peppers cut in strips
    1 pound(s) cherry tomatoes
    2 tablespoon(s) salt
    1 teaspoon(s) pepper
    1 tablespoon(s) honey

Directions
1.
Place a heavy bottom pan on a burner melt the butter and saute the garlic and onions for about 8 minutes until they are almost caramelized.
2. Add this mixture to the slow cooker. Sprinkle zucchini ahd eggplant with flour. Place half of the zucchini eggplant and red peppers in the cooker. Cover and cook 20 minutes stir occasionally. As mixture softens add the rest of the zucchini, eggplant, and peppers. Season with the salt, pepper and honey then add in the tomatoes. Cook for about 20 more minutes. Should make a stew that looks and tastes like ratatouille.

Slow cooker stuffed salsa peppers

    Prep Time: 15 mins
    Cook Time: 6 hrs 0 mins
    Total Time: 6 hrs 15 mins
    Serves: 6
   

Southwestern flavored stuffed bell peppers cook up slow and tasty in the crockpot. Fast to prep and ready when you are. Just in time for dinner!
Ingredients

    1 pound(s) lean ground chicken
    1 cup(s) uncooked rice
    3 ounce(s) pepper jack cheese, chopped
    3 scalllions, chopped
    1/2 teaspoon(s) salt
    2 teaspoon(s) salt free extra spicy or southwest seasoning
    6 large green bell peppers
    2 can/jar(s) 14.5 oz salt-free or low sodium diced tomatoes
    1 jalapeno chili pepper, finely chopped
    1 can/jar(s) 14.5 oz low sodium low fat chicken broth
    1 can/jar(s) 6 oz no salt added or low sodium tomato paste

Directions
1. In a large bowl mix ground meat, rice, cheese, scallions, salt and 1 1/2 tsp seasoning blend. Set aside.
2. Wash and dry the bell peppers. Slice off the tops and set them aside. Remove seeds and pulp from each pepper and place on a dish. Stuff peppers and place in the crockpot add rest of the ingredients. Cook on low till done. Baste as needed.

Santa Fe Chicken

    Prep Time: 10 mins
    Cook Time: 4 hrs 0 mins
    Total Time: 4 hrs 10 mins
    Serves: 4
   

Ingredients

    1 can (15 ounces) no-salt-added black beans, rinsed and drained
    1 jar (16 ounces) fresh salsa, from the supermarket
    1 teaspoon dried oregano
    3/4 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, cut to 3-ounce portions
    1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
    1/4 cup chopped cilantro
    1 cup shredded reduced-fat monterey jack cheese

Directions
1. Combine the beans, salsa, and oregano in a 3-to 6-quart slow cooker. Top with the chicken breasts and sprinkle with the cumin. Cover and cook on high for 3 1/2 to 4 hours or on low for 7 to 8 hours.
2. Place 1 chicken portion on each of 4 plates. Stir the cilantro into the bean mixture. Divide over the chicken and sprinkle with the cheese.

Mediterranean Lentil Stew

    Prep Time: 25 mins
    Cook Time: 6 hrs 40 mins
    Total Time: 7 hrs 5 mins
    Serves: 6
  

This legume stew tastes as robust as any prepared with meat. A crispy mixed green salad with creamy Parmesan dressing is a fast and tasty side dish.

Ingredients

    4 cups vegetable broth
    1 pound dry lentils, rinsed and drained
    3/4 cup chopped onion
    3/4 cup bagged baby carrots, quartered
    3/4 cup chopped celery
    1/4 cup olive oil (preferably extra-virgin)
    1 1/2 tablespoons preminced oil-packed garlic
    1 1/2 teaspoons italian seasoning
    1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
    1/4 teaspoon salt
    balsamic vinegar
    pregrated Romano cheese

Directions
1. Coat the inside of a 3 1/2-quart slow cooker pot with cooking spray.
2. Add the broth, lentils, onion, carrots, celery, oil, garlic, Italian seasoning, pepper, and salt to the pot. Stir to combine. Cover and cook on the low-heat setting for 7 to 8 hours.
3. Drizzle each serving with vinegar and sprinkle with cheese to taste.
4. Note: Mediterranean Lentil Stew can be cooked on the high-heat setting for 3 1/2 to 4 hours.

Braised Vegetables With Polenta Dumplings

    Prep Time: 12 mins
    Cook Time: 5 hrs 0 mins
    Total Time: 5 hrs 12 mins
    Serves: 6

This is one of those lazy meals to make on a weekend afternoon when you’re at home. The slow cooker does most of the work. All you have to do is stirfry the broccoli just before serving so it keeps its bright color and crisp texture.
Ingredients

    1 can (15 ounces) Italian-seasoned tomato sauce
    1/2 cup dry red wine
    3 tablespoons flour
    1 1/2 teaspoons dried rosemary
    3/4 teaspoon salt
    3/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
    2 large sweet potatoes (1 1/4 pounds), cut into large chunks
    1 bag (1 pound) frozen pearl onions
    1 package (10 ounces) small brown mushrooms
    2 tablespoons olive oil
    2 bags (8 ounces each) broccoli florets, cut into walnut-size chunks
    1 tube (1 pound) refrigerated basil-garlic polenta, cut into 1″ chunks

Directions
1. Coat the inside of a 3 1/2-quart slow-cooker pot with cooking spray.
2. Combine the tomato sauce, wine, flour, rosemary, salt, and pepper in the pot. Whisk until smooth. Add the sweet potatoes, onions, and mushrooms. Stir to coat evenly with the sauce. Cover and cook on the low-heat setting for 5 to 6 hours.
3. In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the broccoli. Toss. Cover and cook, tossing occasionally, for 2 to 3 minutes, or until the broccoli is crisp-tender. Add the slow cooker mixture. Stir to combine. Place the polenta pieces over the skillet mixture. Cover and simmer over medium heat for about 8 minutes, or until the polenta is heated through.
4. Note: To use the high-heat setting, cook for 2 1/2 to 3 hours.

Un- Stuffed Cabbage

    Prep Time: 5 mins
    Cook Time: 5 hrs 0 mins
    Total Time: 5 hrs 5 mins
    Serves: 6
  

Meat-and-rice-stuffed cabbage leaves can make a wonderful homey meal, but it requires time and patience to stuff and wrap each leaf separately. This dish
retains all those robust ingredients but takes a mere 5 minutes of hands-on time to prepare.
Ingredients

    1 can (14 ounces) diced pepper-onion-seasoned tomatoes
    2 tablespoons tomato paste
    1 tablespoon preminced oil-packed garlic
    1 teaspoon salt
    1 1/2 teaspoons ground black pepper
    2 bags (10 ounces each) preshredded green cabbage
    1 1/4 pounds garlic turkey-sausage patties or links, broken into walnut-size chunks
    1 cup prechopped onion
    1/2 cup instant brown rice
    1 cup chopped fresh parsley

Directions
1. Coat the inside of a 5- to 6-quart slow cooker pot with cooking spray.
2. Combine the tomatoes, tomato paste, garlic, salt, and pepper in the pot. Stir to mix. Add the cabbage, sausage, onion, and rice. Stir to mix. Cover and cook on the low-heat setting for 5 to 6 hours. Add the parsley.
3. Note: Mild Italian turkey sausage can replace the garlic turkey sausage. Un-Stuffed Cabbage can be cooked on the high-heat setting for 2 1/2 to 3 hours.

Cabbage and Sausage Stew With Rice

    Prep Time: 10 mins
    Cook Time: 5 hrs 0 mins
    Total Time: 5 hrs 10 mins
    Serves: 6
   

Ingredients

    1 can (14.5 oz) seasoned diced tomatoes
    2 tbsp tomato paste
    1 tbsp minced garlic
    1 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
    1 cup chopped onion
    2 bags (10 oz each) shredded green cabbage
    1 1/4 lb turkey sausage links or patties, cut into 1″ chunks
    1/2 cup instant brown rice
    1 cup chopped parsley

Directions
1. Coat 4-quart or larger slow cooker with cooking spray. Add tomatoes, tomato paste, garlic, and pepper. Stir to combine.
2. Add onion, cabbage, sausage, and rice. Mix well.
3. Cover. Cook on low 5 to 6 hours or on high 2 1/2 to 3 hours. Stir in parsley and serve.

Change this up by using broccoli slaw instead of package Cole’s Slaw mix or shredded cabbage

Turkey- Sausage Cassoulet

    Prep Time: 10 mins
    Cook Time: 7 hrs 0 mins
    Total Time: 7 hrs 10 mins
    Serves: 6
   

The genuine bean-and-mixed-meat casserole of southwestern France is truly a labor of love. With this no-work version, the love stays in, but the labor
evaporates.
Ingredients

    1 cup pchopped onion
    3/4 cup bagged baby carrots, halved
    1/4 cup olive oil (preferably extra-virgin)
    2 tablespoons preminced oil-packed garlic
    1 1/4 pounds Italian turkey sausage, cut into 2″ lengths
    1 can (15 ounces) tomato sauce
    2 teaspoons herbes de Provence
    1 teaspoon ground black pepper
    2 cans (15 ounces each) great Northern beans, rinsed and drained
    1/2 cup (2 ounces) bagged precooked crumbled bacon

Directions
1.
In an 8″ x 8″ microwaveable baking dish, combine the onion, carrots, oil, and garlic. Cover with plastic wrap, leaving a small corner vent. Microwave on high power for 4 minutes, or until sizzling. Set aside.
2.
Coat the inside of a 3 1/2-quart slow cooker pot with cooking spray. Add the sausage, tomato sauce, herbes, pepper, and the reserved onion mixture. Stir to combine. Cover and cook on the low-heat setting for 7 to 8 hours. Add the beans to the pot in the last hour of cooking. Stir gently to combine.
3.
Place the bacon on a microwaveable plate. Microwave on high power for 1 minute, or until sizzling. Sprinkle on each serving.
4.
Note: To use the high-heat setting, cook for 3 1/2 to 4 hours.

Jammin’ Jambalaya

    Prep Time: 10 mins
    Cook Time: 8 hrs 0 mins
    Total Time: 8 hrs 10 mins
    Serves: 6
   

This notoriously spicy Creole dish combines meat, seafood, poultry, rice, and whatever vegetables happen to be lying around the kitchen. Our extra satisfying version uses turkey sausage (instead of pork) to lower the fat content by about 16 grams per link and brown rice to add 4 more grams of fiber to the pot. This hefty dose of satiating protein and healthy whole grains will keep you from heading back to the fridge for a midnight snack.
Ingredients

    1 large onion, peeled and diced
    3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
    2 stalks celery, diced
    2 carrots, diced
    2 medium size sweet red peppers
    1 can (15 oz) crushed tomatoes
    1 C long grain brown rice
    1 package (12 oz) andouille turkey (or chicken) sausage, cut into 1/2 inch thick rounds
    1 tsp hot sauce
    2 tbsp fresh thyme, minced (or 2 tsp dried)
    1 tsp sea salt
    1/2 tsp ground black pepper
    2 C water
    3 tbsp fresh parsley, minced
    1 lb shrimp, peeled and deveined

Directions
1. Place onion, garlic, celery, carrots, peppers, tomatoes, rice, and sausage in the crockpot in that order.
2. Add hot sauce, thyme, salt, pepper, and water.
3. Cover and cook on low for 8 to 9 hours.
4. One hour before it’s finished cooking, toss in parsley and shrimp. Stir until well combined, adding more water if needed.

Autumn Harvest Minestrone

    Prep Time: 20 mins
    Cook Time: 9 hrs 0 mins
    Total Time: 9 hrs 20 mins
    Serves: 6

Ingredients

    2 cans (15 oz each) cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
    2 cans (14 1/2 oz each) fat free, reduced sodium chicken broth
    3 C (1/2″ chunks) butternut squash (1 lb)
    1 can (14 1/2 oz) diced tomatoes
    2 med turnips, peeled and cut into 1/2″ chunks
    1 med parsnip, peeled, quartered, and sliced 1/4″ thick
    2 C bagged coleslaw mix
    1 lg leek (white and light green parts), sliced
    1 tbsp minced garlic
    1 C (packed) fresh basil
    1/3 C fresh parsley
    1/4 C grated Parmesan cheese
    3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
    1/4 tsp salt
    1/4 tsp black pepper
    2 tbsp water

Directions
1. In 4 quart or larger slow cooker mix beans, broth, squash, tomatoes (with juice), turnips, parsnip, coleslaw, leek, and 1 1/2 teaspoons of the garlic. Cover and cook on low 7 to 9 hours or until vegetables are tender.
2. In blender, mix basil, parsley, cheese, oil, salt, pepper, water, and remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons garlic until smooth. Scrape into small bowl and refrigerate.
3. To serve, ladle soup into serving bowls and top with a heaping tablespoon of basil sauce.

Tuscan lamb shanks

    Prep Time: 15 mins
    Cook Time: 6 hrs 0 mins
    Total Time: 6 hrs 15 mins
    Serves: 4
   

This often overlooked combination of lamb shanks slow cooked with tomatoes, olives, garlic, artichokes and white beans and a savory sauce for dunking, is a Tuscan specialty.

Ingredients

    4 lamb shanks, 3/4 to 1 pound each
    1/4 teaspoon(s) each salt and pepper
    1 tablespoon(s) olive oil
    1 tablespoon(s) minced or grated garlic
    1 can/jar(s) 28 oz plum tomatoes with juices
    1 cup(s) chicken broth
    1 cup(s) sliced sun-dried tomatoes
    1/2 cup(s) kalamata olives
    1 tablespoon(s) chopped rosemary
    1 can/jar(s) 15 oz cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
    1 can/jar(s) 12 oz marinated artichokes, well drained
    1 cup(s) frozen green peas
    1/4 cup(s) chopped fresh parsley

Directions
1. Season lamb with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a heavy skillet over medium-high heat and add shanks, 2 at a time, Cook until brown on both sides. Transfer to a slow cooker.
2. Add garlic, plum tomatoes, broth, sun-dried tomatoes, olives and rosemary to the lamb, breaking up plum tomatoes with a spoon. Cover and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours or until lamb is tender. Stir in drained beans, drained artichokes and peas. Cover and cook for another 15 minutes.
3. Serve in wide bowls with a loaf of crusty Italian bread for dunking.

I see no reason why beef shanks could not be used either or short ribs. Granted that might not be authentic Tuscan but I promise your taste buds and stomach won’t mind.

French Pot Roast

    Prep Time: 12 mins
    Cook Time: 4 hrs 6 mins
    Total Time: 4 hrs 18 mins
    Serves: 4
 

Every culture has its version of pot roast, that amazing slow-cooked amalgamation of hearty meat and vegetable chunks and flavorful broth. When it comes to picking the best rendition, I have to side with Julia Child, who believed the French boeuf bourguignonne was the world’s finest pot roast. Here’s an easy, healthy version to tackle.

Ingredients

    2 strips bacon, cut into 1/2″ pieces
    1/4 cup flour
    salt and black pepper to taste
    2 lb chuck roast, excess fat removed, cut into 1″ pieces
    1/2 bottle dry red wine
    2 cups low-sodium beef broth
    2 tbsp tomato paste
    2 bay leaves
    2 cups frozen pearl onions
    1/2 lb button mushrooms, stems removed
    1 cup frozen peas

Directions
1. Preheat a large skillet or nonstick saute pan over medium-high heat. Cook the bacon until the fat is rendered and the bacon is crisp. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels; set aside. Leave the pan on the heat.
2. Combine the flour and plenty of salt and pepper in a sealable plastic bag. Working in batches, add the beef and shake until the pieces are lightly covered; remove the beef from the bag and shake off the excess flour. Add the pieces to the hot pan and cook until all sides are golden brown.
3. Remove the beef and add to a slow cooker. When all the beef has been browned, add 1 cup wine to the hot pan and scrape up any brown bits from the bottom with a wooden spoon. Pour over the beef, along with the rest of the wine, the tomato paste, bay leaves, and bacon pieces.
4.  Set the slow cooker to high and cook for 4 hours, until the beef is tender and falls apart with pressure from a fork. In the last 30 minutes of cooking, add the pearl onions and mushrooms. Right before serving, add the peas and simmer for a few minutes to cook through. Discard the bay leaves.
5. Serve the stew by itself or over mashed potatoes or buttered egg noodles with a good ladle of the cooking broth.

Guinness- Braised Short Ribs

    Prep Time: 13 mins
    Cook Time: 4 hrs 12 mins
    Total Time: 4 hrs 25 mins
    Serves: 4
    Average Rating: 4/5

Beer and beef make a masterful match in this easy, hearty, slow-cooker stew.
Works equally well with beef shanks or any tougher cut of beef

Ingredients

    2 lb boneless beef short ribs
    salt and black pepper
    1 tbsp canola oil
    2 cans or bottles Guinness Draught
    2 cups beef broth
    3 large carrots, peeled and cut into large chunks
    2 onions, quartered
    2 celery stalks, cut into large chunks
    8 garlic cloves, peeled
    2 bay leaves
    Gremolata, optional *(see below)

Directions
1.
Season the short ribs with salt and pepper, and add the oil to a large saute pan over high heat. When the oil is hot, add the ribs; cook them, turning occasionally, until they’re browned all over, about 10 minutes total. Transfer the ribs to a slow cooker.
2.
While the pan is still hot, deglaze it by pouring in the beer and scraping up any brown bits. Then pour the beer and bits over the ribs in the slow cooker.
3.
Add the remaining ingredients to the slow cooker and turn it on high. Cook the ribs until they’re nearly falling apart, about 4 hours. Serve the stew over soft polenta or mashed potatoes; sprinkle with gremolata if you like.

*Gremolata: A Burst of Flavor

Gremolata is a combination of lemon zest, garlic, parsley, and olive oil. Traditionally an addition to Osso Bucco (braised veal shanks), it is also great as a garnish on grilled or roasted lamb, pork chops, beef, and even roasted potatoes. Gremolata is best made fresh, it doesn’t keep for more than a day, but is also best if it has an hour or so before serving for the flavors to meld. Fortunately it only takes about 5 minutes to make.

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 5 minutes
Ingredients:

    Zest of one large lemon*
    1 lg. or 2 sm. cloves garlic; crushed
    2 Tbsp. finely chopped parsley
    1 tsp. olive oil
    1/2 tsp. salt
    1/4 tsp. ground black pepper

Preparation:

Thoroughly combine all in ingredients in a small bowl, cover with plastic, and refrigerate for an hour.

*Note: Lemon zest is the outer yellow peel of a lemon. When zesting a lemon, be careful not to include any of the white pith below the skin because it’s bitter. You can use a vegetable peeler to cut strips of peel and then finely chop them, but the best tool for the job is a  grater.

Picante Chicken

    Prep Time: 10 mins
    Cook Time: 3 hrs 0 mins
    Total Time: 3 hrs 10 mins
    Serves: 4
   

Throw together this zesty dish before heading out for the day and you’ll come home to a warm, delicious meal. Serve with baked corn chips as an alternative to the rice.

Ingredients

    1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips
    8 ounces sliced mushrooms
    1 can (2.25 ounces) sliced black olives, drained
    1 jar (8 ounces) picante sauce
    2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
    2 tablespoons yellow mustard
    2 cups hot cooked long-grain brown rice

Directions
1. Place the chicken, mushrooms, olives, sauce, broth, and mustard in a 3- to 6-quart slow cooker and stir to combine. Cook on high for 3 to 4 hours or on low for 6 to 8 hours. Serve over the rice.

An old Irish farmer’s dog goes missing and he’s inconsolable.
His wife says “Why don’t you put an advert in the paper?”
He does, but two weeks later the dog is still missing.
“What did you put in the paper?” his wife asks.
“Here boy” he replies.

Paddy’s in jail. Guard looks in his cell and sees him hanging by his feet.
“What the hell you doing?” he asks.
“Hanging myself” Paddy replies.
“It should be around your neck” says the Guard.
“I know” says Paddy “but I couldn’t breathe”.

 
An answer I can understand. An American tourist asks an Irishman: “Why do Scuba divers always fall backwards off their boats?”
To which the Irishman replies: “If they fell forwards, they’d still be in the bloody boat.”

 

As a man ages, it is natural that his hair starts thinning.
It is a well-known fact that when a man is bald at the front
of his head, it’s because he’s a great thinker.
Also, when a man is bald at the back of his head, it’s
because he’s sexy.
Unfortunately, when a man is bald both front and back, he
only thinks he’s sexy…

“Have you heard of the new book entitled “1001 Sex Secrets Men Should Know?”

It contains comments from 1001 different women on how men can be better
in bed. I think that women would actually settle for three:

Slow down, Turn off the TV, and Call out the right name.”

10 Ways to Eat Your Caffeine

Put down that Red Bull! With caffeinated foods you no longer have to suffer the horrid taste of many energy drinks to get your daily buzz

NEW YORK (MainStreet) — While energy drinks keep coming to stores in all shapes and sizes, sluggish consumers can be forgiven for not being able to stomach the strange sweetness of yet another Red Bull Lite or five-hour energy drink.

Thankfully the world of caffeinated consumables has evolved way beyond the energy drink in the past few years. Nowadays, you can get simple snack foods such as popcorn and beef jerky laced with caffeine, or any number of sweets and candies with a built-in energy boost.

The point is that you don’t need to drop $5 on a latte every day for a short-lived burst of caffeine. Read on to find out about 10 products you can eat that will get you the caffeine boost you need. We have included caffeine counts for each one.

For reference, the U.S. Department of Agriculture gives an average caffeine content of 95 mg per 8-ounce cup of brewed drip coffee.

As you’ll see, some of these foods blow that cup of coffee clear out of the water.

http://business-news.thestreet.com/new-haven-register/story/10-ways-to-eat-your-caffeine/11224181?nstrack=sid:5925538|met:100|cat:3226255|order:2

This guy goes to Amsterdam to videotape a presentation. While
staying in his hotel he finds an awesome porn channel on the TV,
but, alas, he has no VCR or way to record it.
With a flash of inspiration, he sets up his video camera, points it
at the TV, and tapes a few hours of hard core video.
On arriving home, he tells his best friend about the trip. The
conversation gets around to the porn tape and the man lends his
friend the tape.
A couple of days later, the friend returns the tape. “Did, ahh, did
you watch your tape?”
“No. I was watching the original. Wasn’t any need to see the
tape.”
“Well, uhh, before you lend it out again, maybe you should watch
it,” the friend advises.
The guy did as he was advised. And never lent out the tape again.
You see, the fella had forgotten to take into account the
*reflective* nature of a television screen . . .

A man with a involuntary winking problem is applying for a position as a sales representative for a large firm. The interviewer looks over his papers and says, “This is phenomenal. You’ve graduated from the best schools; your recommendations are wonderful, and your experience is unparalleled.

Normally, we’d hire you without a second thought. However, a sales representative has a highly visible position, and we’re afraid that your constant winking will scare off potential customers. I’m sorry…. we can’t hire you.”

“But wait,” the man says. “If I take two aspirin, I’ll stop winking!”

“Really? Great! Show me!”

So the applicant reaches into his jacket pocket and begins pulling out all sorts of condoms: red condoms, blue condoms, ribbed condoms, flavored condoms; finally, at the bottom, he finds a packet of aspirin. He tears it open, swallows the pills, and stops winking.

“Well,” said the interviewer, “that’s all well and good, but this is a respectable company, and we will not have our employees womanizing all over the country!”

“Womanizing? What do you mean? I’m a happily married man!”

“Well then, how do you explain all these condoms?”

“Oh, that,” he sighed. “Have you ever walked into a pharmacy, winking, and asked for aspirin?”

Three Irishmen, drunk as can be, come staggering down the street
singing Danny Boy at the top of their lungs. They stopped in front
of Flaherty’s house still singing. After a few minutes, the window
flies open and Mrs. Flaherty yells out, “Why don’t you drunken sots
go somewhere else?!” “Are you Mrs. Flaherty?” asks one of the
drunks. “You know damn well I am,” she says. “Well, can you tell
us which one of us is your husband so the other two of us can go
home?”

Did you hear about the Arab baker?
Every morning at 6:00 a.m. he’d bow to the yeast.

Little Bobby comes running into the house from playing outside yelling, “Mommy, Mommy, I just screwed Mary Jane.”
His mother is mortified, she tells him, “Bobby, that’s not very nice, here’s a cookie go on outside and play.”
About 15 minutes later same thing happens. Again the mother tells Bobby that he should not talk like that. Gives him another cookie and sends him back out to play.
Well, 15 minutes later Bobby comes in again yelling, “Mommy, I just screwed Mary Jane.”
The father has been reading the paper in the Den jumps up and runs into the kitchen to grab a frying pan. The mother says, “Bob, don’t hit him, he’s just a little boy.”
The father says, “Hit him, Hit him? Hell, I’m going to fry him some bacon and eggs. He can’t screw all day on cookies!”

Impish & Lethal were discussing life in general over drinks one night.

“Me granddad lived to be 96.” allowed Lethal

“Ninety-six? What finally got him?” asked Impish

“Liquor and women. ‘Twas very sad all around.”

“Well, that just goes to show ya,” snickered Impish, “both will get you in the end.”

“Well actually, no, it’s nae what ya be thinkin’. Towards the end, Grandda couldn’t get either one, so he just laid down and died.”

This morning on I-45, I looked over to my left and there was a woman in a brand new LEXIS doing 65 mph with her face up next to her rear view mirror putting on her eyeliner.

I looked away for a couple seconds and when I looked back she was halfway over in my lane, still working on that makeup.

As a man, I don’t scare easily. But she scared me so much, I dropped my electric shaver, which knocked the donut out of my other hand.

In all the confusion of trying to straighten out the car using my knees against the steering wheel, it knocked my cell phone away from my ear which fell into the coffee between my legs, splashed, and burned me Shillelagh and McGoogles, ruined the damn phone, soaked my trousers, and disconnected an important call.

Damn women drivers!

 

Three Day Silence

My wife has not spoken to me in three days.

I think it has something to do with what happened on Sunday night when she thought she heard a noise downstairs.

She nudged me and whispered, “Wake up, wake up!”

“What’s the matter”? I asked.

“There are burglars in the kitchen. I think they’re eating the tuna casserole I made tonight.”

“That’ll teach them!” I replied.

Well I had ta bloody well think o’ something, ‘twas self preservation! See, Molly doesn’t cook in our house I do!

 

Ice Man Cometh

During the summers in the early 1940’s, my uncle Harry, a young man working his way through college, was working as an ice man and drove an ice truck up and down the streets and alleys on the north side of Chicago looking for the “Ice Cards” hung on the screen doors and windows of the residents who wished to purchase ice for their ice boxes.

The cards usually had 4 settings; 25 lbs, 50 lbs, 75 lbs and 100 lbs.

It was a poor time, the country just coming out of the depression and facing the start of WW II.

There were two spinster sisters that lived alone on the second floor of a frame wooden house on our block and they sometimes would display their ice card in the window for 25 lbs.

My uncle, knew they could never scrape together the money to pay their bill but he always stopped and took all the broken ice pieces off his truck and carried it up to their place and packed it in their small wooden ice box.

One day, towards the end of summer, after he had packed their box, one of the sisters stepped out on the back porch and asked to speak to him. She seemed a bit shy and seemed flushed in embarrassment, “Young man, my sister and I know you have helped us this summer with the ice, even when knowing we could not pay. We’ve read in books recently that sometimes women offer their bodies for sex in exchange for favors. Well, since we have not been able to raise any money, we decided to do that for you and since I am the youngest I am offering myself.”

Well, my uncle always claimed that he tried to convince her that it wasn’t necessary, but knowing him, that’s highly doubtful. He said after she insisted, he finally gave in, and then they supposedly went at it with youthful fervor.

Afterwards, he thanked the woman and dressed, took out his receipt book and wrote “Paid In Full” and handed it to the sister.

“Now, look here young man, we got that ice a little piece at a time and we damn well intend paying for it the same way!”

The teacher was telling the kids about the birds and the bees. She explained that when a man and a woman meet and fall in love, nine months later, the stork usually brings them a little baby from its nest.

Little Johnny — at the back of the class — put his hand up and asks the teacher, “Are you
sure about the stork, miss? I think you’re getting your birds mixed up. “My big sister just got a little baby and she said it came from a black pecker at the beach!”

 

The most functional English word

Well, it’s shit … that’s right, shit!

 

Shit may just be the most functional word in the English language.

You can smoke shit, buy shit, sell shit, lose shit, find shit, forget shit, and tell others to eat shit.

Some people know their shit, while others can’t tell the difference between shit and shineola.

There are lucky shits, dumb shits, and crazy shits. There is bull shit, horse shit, and chicken shit.

You can throw shit, sling shit, catch shit, shoot the shit, or duck when the shit hits the fan.

You can give a shit or serve shit on a shingle.

You can find yourself in deep shit or be happier than a pig in shit.

Some days are colder than shit, some days are hotter than shit, and some days are just plain shitty.

Some music sounds like shit, things can look like shit, and there are times when you feel like shit.

You can have too much shit, not enough shit, the right shit, the wrong shit or a lot of weird shit.

You can carry shit, have a mountain of shit, or find yourself up shit creek without a paddle.

Sometimes everything you touch turns to shit and other times you fall in a bucket of shit and come out smelling like a rose.

When you stop to consider all the facts, it’s the basic building block of the English language.

And remember, once you know your shit, you don’t need to know anything else!!

You could pass this along, if you give a shit; or not do so if you don’t give a shit!

Well, Shit, it’s time for me to go. Just wanted you to know that I do give a shit and hope you had a nice day, without a bunch of shit. But, if you happened to catch a load of shit from some shit-head……….

Well, Shit Happens!!!

 

Good Morning Campers… Some of our campers back east had a bit of excitement this week…a 5.8 (or 5.9 depending on who you listen to) earthquake struck Virginia.  It seemed to be centered in a little cemetery outside of Washington, DC.  Scientist believe that the actual cause appears to be all our founding fathers rolling over in their graves.
According to one of our campers, who happened to be on the scene of a press conference immediately after the earthquake with president Obama at the golf course on Martha’s Vineyard, the quake actually occurred on a little known line that runs right through the middle of Virginia called the Bush’s Fault.
And now this news report seems to put all those theories together and add yet another:

BREAKING NEWS: The Weather Channel says yesterday’s east coast earthquake was caused by an unknown fault line running under D.C. and through Virginia. It is now being called Obama’s Fault, although Obama will undoubtedly say it’s really Bush’s Fault. Other theories are that the disturbance was caused by our founding fathers rolling over in their graves and/or that the earthquake was actually the effect of a 14.6 trillion dollar check bouncing in Washington.

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I don’t write this stuff campers, I just pass it on, but this is too good to pass up.  And yes, for those of you of the democratic persuasion, this is a little more, old fashioned, Obama bashing…..but only because he makes it so easy!

I know this is supposed to be the smartest administration ever, but if I were running a presidential campaign with a fairly unpopular incumbent, the last thing I’d do is have a reelection slogan whose initials were WTF!

 

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Impish Dragon and Lethal Leprechaun were in the gym working out when this sweet young thing walked in.

Impish turns to Lethal and asks, “Hey LL, what machine in here do you think I should use to impress that sweet thing over there?”

The Leprechaun looked him up and down and said, “I’d try the ATM in the lobby.”

Holy cow! 

What an incredibly strong statement to our government:

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A real classic, this one. 

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So this one is really well done!

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In the wake of Bin Laden’s death, Radical Muslims are planning to go on a rampage in Southern California, from Los Angeles south to the Mexican border, killing anyone who is a legal US citizen.

Police fear the death toll could be as high as 23.

We will keep you posted on future developments.

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Today’s Last Word… is more of a serious plea.  Hurricane Irene is going to strike the East Coast of the United States, by the time you read this, probably some of you campers out there might be camping for real.  Let’s all be really careful.  Nothing you own is worth your life.  Protect family and friends first.  Property second.  If you are at all hesitant to ride it out, then evacuate.  Go some place safe. 

My hope and wish and prayers are for all my east coast brothers and sisters, friends and families, to be well and be safe.

 

Or Tuesdays or Wednesdays or any other day with a ‘Y’ in it.

Well as Chucky would say..”I’m baaaackkkk!”  Been a tumultuous nearly two weeks since I last posted and very busy.

Finding new digs for our offices (see the snap shot for where I’m forced to work out of now) after I dutifully closed down most of DLE Headquarters  and sublet them as well as  finding staff has been extremely challenging as Impish mentioned.  Also, somewhat foolishly I severed several cyber Bridges shortly after Impish decided we were done by deleting a bunch of links and subscriptions. I think I have them all back now. Good thing for the moment this is a once a week thing or I never would have been able to get them all back in time.

While some things change, some remain frighteningly the same. We’re still in a serious drought here and beset with Killer heat, our streak of 100 plus degree days and Heat Index warnings now stretches to over 21 days.

I’m posting this to WordPress today (Monday) as my prophecy regarding the failure of my Laptop is close to coming true. The packaging for return to HP should be arriving Tuesday or Wednesday and I will be sending it back for a second warrantee repair. This means I will be with out it for some where around  two to three weeks considering repair time and shipping both ways plus then getting the Laptop back up to usable configuration and speed once its back.

I have an ancient tower from which I hope to post Leprechaun Laughs after this Wednesday, electrons & Bill Gates willing. I realize this is an inopportune time for this to be happening but I had a warrantee that was running out and in truth had exhausted all the non ‘ship it back’ fixes. Hopefully this will not interrupt Leprechaun Laughs at all.

NOW LET THE LAUGHING RESUME!

Hold the chocolate please and make it a tall boy

 

Given our 21+ day triple digit heat wave this seems totally appropriate and eerily accurate 

Dear Diary,

Just moved to Texas ! Now this is a state that knows how to live!!
Beautiful sunny days and warm balmy evenings. It is beautiful. I’ve finally
found my home.. I love it here.

June 14th:

Really heating up. Got to 100 today. Not a problem. Live in an
air-conditioned home, drive an air-conditioned car. What a pleasure to see
the sun everyday like this. I’m turning into a sun worshipper.

June 30th:

Had the backyard landscaped with western plants today. Lots of cactus and
rocks. What a breeze to maintain. No more mowing the lawn for me. Another
scorcher today, but I love it here.

July 10th:

The temperature hasn’t been below 100 all week. How do people get used to
this kind of heat? At least, it’s kind of windy though. But getting used to
the heat is taking longer than I expected.

July 15th:

Fell asleep by the community pool. Got 3rd degree burns over 60% of my body.
Missed 3 days of work. What a dumb thing to do. I learned my lesson though.
Got to respect the ol’ sun in a climate like this.

July 20th:

I missed Lomita (my cat) sneaking into the car when I left this morning. By
the time I got to the hot car at noon, Lomita had died and swollen up to the
size of a shopping bag, then popped like a water balloon. The car now smells
like Kibbles and Shits. I learned my lesson though. No more pets in this
heat. Good ol’ Mr. Sun strikes again.

July 25th:

The wind sucks. It feels like a giant freaking blow dryer!! And it’s hot as
hell. The home air-conditioner is on the fritz and the AC repairman charged
$200 just to drive by and tell me he needed to order parts.

July 30th:

Been sleeping outside on the patio for 3 nights now, $225,000 house and I
can’t even go inside. Lomita is the lucky one. Why did I ever come here?

Aug. 4th:

Its 115 degrees. Finally got the air-conditioner fixed today. It cost $500
and gets the temperature down to 85. I hate this stupid state.

Aug. 8th:

If another wise ass cracks, ‘Hot enough for you today?’ I’m going to
strangle him. Damn heat. By the time I get to work, the radiator is boiling
over, my clothes are soaking wet, and I smell like baked cat!!

Aug. 9th:

Tried to run some errands after work. Wore shorts, and when I sat on the
seats in the car, I thought my ass was on fire. My skin melted to the seat.
I lost 2 layers of flesh and all the hair on the back of my legs and ass . .
Now my car smells like burnt hair, fried ass, and baked cat.

Aug 10th:

The weather report might as well be a damn recording. Hot and sunny. Hot and
sunny. Hot and sunny. It’s been too hot to do shit for 2 damn months and the
weatherman says it might really warm up next week. Doesn’t it ever rain in
this damn state? Water rationing will be next, so my $1700 worth of cactus
will just dry up and blow over. Even the cactus can’t live in this damn
heat.

Aug. 14th:

Welcome to HELL! Temperature got to 115 today. Cactus are dead. Forgot to
crack the window and blew the damn windshield out of the car. The installer
came to fix it and guess what he asked me??? “Hot enough for you today?” My
sister had to spend $1,500 to bail me out of jail. Freaking Texas . What
kind of a sick demented idiot would want to live here?? Will write later to
let you know how the trial goes.

Peter, a well known anti-Semite, walks into a bar and is about to order a drink when he sees a guy close by with kippa, tzitzis, and payos. He doesn’t have to be an Einstein to know that this guy is Jewish. So Peter shouts over to the bartender so everyone can hear, “Drinks for everyone in here, bartender, but not for that guy over there,” pointing to the Jewish guy.

Soon after the drinks have been handed out, Peter notices that the Jewish guy is smiling, and calls to Peter and says, “Thank you.” This infuriates him and in a loud voice, he once again orders drinks for everyone except the Jewish guy. But as before, this does not seem to worry the Jewish guy who continues to smile, and again says, “Thank you.” So Peter says to the barman, “What’s the matter with that guy over there? I’ve ordered two rounds of drinks for everyone in the bar except that guy, and all he does is smile and thank me. Is something wrong with him or something?”

“Not at all,” replies the barman. “He’s the owner.”

 

Knives seem like such simple tools. Making one, however, is a different story. You won’t believe how much work goes into a high-quality knife. Watch the entire process. Since I cannot see it I’m hoping it still works.

 

Motorcycle Insurance

A young man walked into our insurance office to purchase coverage for his new motorcycle. Only one question confused him. “Do you have a lien holder on the vehicle?”

“I’ve got a kickstand,” he replied. “Is that the same thing?”

 

Burger King retires mascot ‘The King’

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — The King is dead, but the burger lives on.

Burger King Corp. on Friday said it is retiring “The King” mascot, a man with an oversized plastic head and creepy smile who in recent years has been shown in ads peeping into people’s windows and popping up next to them in bed.

“We won’t be seeing The King for a while,” Burger King spokesman BJ Monzon said Friday.

That Burger King is looking to its mascot for change is not surprising. Other restaurant chains recently have begun to use their longtime mascots less —— or ditched them completely —— to freshen up the brand.

 

Under scrutiny of its marketing to kids, McDonald’s has moved away from its emphasis on Ronald McDonald, its clown mascot festooned in red wig and shoes. And the Wendy’s chain no longer plays up in ads its Wendy character, which has red hair and matching freckles

Cohen, the marketing consultant for B-K, said a chain’s mascot should give a brand a better sense of identity by connecting it with consumers while entertaining them. The King, he said, did not do that. Cohen said others, such as Jack In the Box’s ball-headed “founder” and Jack or Chik-Fil-a’s black and white cows that encourage people to “Eat Mor Chikin,” do.

“When you think of it, the difference between the two, The King was creepy,” Cohen said. “There is a cool factor to the cow and there is a cool factor to Jack. They both come off with a wry sense of humor, which is appealing.”

Burger King has used The King mascot since 1955 when his image appeared on the sign at its first store in Miami. He’s taken various forms since then, including going animated in ads and running with a crew of other food-themed royalty like “Sir Shakes a Lot.”
This is not the first time The King has gone on hiatus. The company had him step down in 1989 to let a “Kids Club Gang” have a try. He returned in 2004 when the company hired a new advertising agency, Crispin Porter + Bogusky, which is known for its edgy work.

Since then, The King had become a more central —— and decidedly creepy —— part of ads. The mascot showed up in a variety of odd scenarios in ads, including lying next to a man in bed. But as sales fell, the company looked in a new direction.

The move is an effort by the struggling fast food chain to boost slumping sales by focusing its marketing on the freshness of its food rather than the funny-factor of its ads. It’s rolling out a new campaign on Saturday sans The King to tout its fresh ingredients and new products like its California Whopper, which has guacamole.

Gordon Bowen, chief creative officer at mcgarrybowen, said the new ads celebrate good taste and the ingredients Burger King uses. Piedra said the company and agency decided to make the ads food-centric after finding that the reason people love its brand is because of the quality of its food.

As for The King, Burger King said their mascot may not be banished from the kingdom forever. He may come back at in the future in a different form. In the meantime, the company will still carry paper crowns in stores.

 

Certainly Puts a WHOLE new slant on Emeril’s Assertion That Pork Fat Rulez! Pork The Other White Meat!

 

A simple message about life

I was sitting at a stoplight yesterday, minding my own business, waiting on it to turn green.

A carload of young, loud Muslims, shouting anti-American slogans, stopped next to me.
The light changed, the Muslims shook their fists, hit the gas & darted off ahead of me.

Suddenly an 18-wheeler came speeding thru the intersection & ran directly over their car, crushing it completely.

For several minutes I sat in my car thinking to myself, “Man, that could have been me!”

So, today, bright & early, I went out & got a job as a truck driver.

Creatively Funding Municipal Services in Small Town America

That trip to lock up now costs you $7.50 for the first 5 miles and $1.50 a mile after that. Don’t forget to tip the officer either or he won’t loosen those cuffs for you!

Texans will train Mexicans for the drug war

By CHRISTOPHER SHERMAN Associated Press Aug. 17, 2011, 4:36PM

LAREDO — U.S. law enforcement will train local and state police officers from Mexico as part of the next phase of the two countries’ joint fight against transnational drug cartels, a U.S. State Department official said Wednesday.

U.S. agencies have been training Mexican federal police on both sides of the border for several years. However, William Brownfield, assistant secretary of state for international narcotics and law enforcement affairs, said it is clear that local forces face the most concentrated violence, especially in northern Mexico, and are in the most need of training.

Brownfield was in the Texas border town of Laredo on Wednesday, signing an agreement outlining how deputies from the Webb County Sheriff’s Office could spend periods of three months, six months or more training their counterparts in Mexico.

It was the first such agreement the State Department has signed with a local law enforcement agency anywhere on the U.S.-Mexico border. Brownfield said more trainers are needed and the high rate of bilingual deputies with border experience made Webb County an attractive place to start such a program.

And the first damned thing we’re teachin’ ‘em his what a border is, what its for and how to recognize the feckin’ thing 5 out of five times!

Three women go down to Mexico one night to celebrate college graduation. They got drunk, and woke up in jail, only to find that they are to be executed in the morning, though none of them can remember what they did the night before.

The first one, a redhead, is strapped in the electric chair and is asked if she has any last words. She says: “I just graduated from Trinity Bible College and believe in the almighty power of God to intervene on the behalf of the innocent..” They throw the switch and nothing happens. They all immediately fall to the floor on their knees, beg for forgiveness and release her.

The second one, a brunette, is strapped in and gives her last words. “I just graduated from the University of Kentucky School of Law, and I believe in the power of Justice to intervene on the behalf of the innocent.” They throw the switch and again, nothing happens. Again, they all immediately fall to their knees, beg for forgiveness, and release her.

The last one, a blonde (you knew it), is strapped in and says: “Well, I’m from the University of Alabama and just graduated with a degree in Electrical Engineering, and I’ll tell ya right now, y’all ain’t gonna electrocute nobody if you don’t plug this thing in.”

America: You’re (Not) #1! (anymore)

And, sources for those of you interested:

Democracy index
Freedom of the Press index as reported by Reporters Sans Frontières
Prison Population
Corruption Perception Index, Also reported by Transparency International
Quality / efficiency of education
Health Care Rankings done by the World Health Organization (WHO)
Source – Prosebeforehos

At least A is still Apple!!!!

 

Dear Weather.Com,

First, let me just say: Good going. You know what the temperature is and are reasonably accurate at predicting what it will be in the future. So, I guess that’s cool.

But you know what’s not cool? Your optimistic and unhelpful descriptions of the day’s weather.

For example, this was the forecast the other day:

This forecast seems to suggest that the sun is out and everything is great.

But your forecast is a deception at best, because it is summertime and the sun is a predator, lying in wait like a hot, fiery ball of ninja kicks to the face.

Going outside is like walking into a trap. Once you are a sufficient distance from shelter–just far enough away from the safety and protection of air conditioning and ceiling fans–the sun will shoot you down like a sniper, using a submachine gun loaded with crippling heat to burn away your very soul.

I mean, REALLY, Weather.Com. People are dying of heatstroke out there, and all you have to say is “sunny” with a little orange circle?

The next time it’s 98 degrees and “sunny” outside, maybe you should use this image instead:

Similarly, I’m disappointed by the images and descriptions you use during more extreme weather events. Like a couple of weeks ago, when I was driving from Florida to Georgia, and you showed me this forecast:

“Light hail”? Is that anything like being “lightly” stoned to death?

Seriously? “Light”? That sounds like the most delicate hail storm ever. Why not just show me this:

Oh! I know why! Because “light hail” is serious shit, and small chunks of ice are being hurled from the sky.

Here’s how that drive went, in case you were curious.

In the future, please use this image instead.

Also, I know you’re mostly in the “weather” business, covering things like rain and sun and shit, but given the extreme events our planet has seen recently, I thought you might want to branch out a little–to stay hip and current, of course.

Just in case, I drew a few things for you. Feel free to use the following images in the event of:

Brushfires or smog

Earthquakes

And tsunamis

But even if you don’t decide to use any of the professionally designed images above, I implore you to use the following for days when the weather is perfect. The next time the forecast is 75 degrees and sunny (with a delightful, soft breeze), please use this image.

P.S.

While we’re here, can I just say that I’ve had enough of your ever-growing collection of Cute-Casts? Things like “PetCast” and “PollenCast” should be erased from your site.

And, also? This needs to stop:

I find your recommendation to use hairspray and hair ties both meddlesome and offensive. (Also, why not just one hair tie? Why do I need “hair ties”–plural? Are you recommending pig tails? Or some kind of weird tri-ponytail? Because I fail to see how those styles would make me more beautiful.)

 

This free website gives a rough estimate how long it would take a modern PC to crack a password that you have submitted. I’m not sure how accurate the estimates are but I had a lot of fun trying different combinations. If you take the results at face value some of the passwords I thought to be secure were in fact crackable and vice versa, some seemingly insecure passwords were more robust than I though. Whatever, I suggest you test out your common passwords. Some of you are in for a nasty shock.

www.howsecureismypassword.net

No Impish! You cannot have her. No more ‘Impish’s Vale of Virgins’ until you have funds to pay for their up keep!

Here’s a few short one liners.

The most famous inventor is an Irishman called Pat Pending.

Massachusetts Law- It is illegal to go to bed without first having a full bath.

The newest card game in San Francisco these days is something called pansy poker.
Queens are wild and straights don’t count.

How long a minute is, depends on what side of the bathroom door you’re on.

The trouble with bucket seats is that not everybody has the same size bucket. Just ask ole Barrel Butt the dragon if you don’t believe it!

“Fathom the hypocrisy of a Government that requires every citizen to prove
they are insured……but not everyone must prove they are a citizen”

Wife: I wish I was a newspaper, So I’d be in your hands all day.
Impish: I too wish that you were a newspaper, So I could have a new one every day.

His self written obit appears this Saturday. Opposing points of view will be published next Wednesday.

 

A priest was being honored at his retirement dinner after 25 years in the parish. A leading local politician and member of the congregation was chosen to make the presentation and to give a little speech at the dinner. However, he was delayed, so the priest decided to say his own few words while they waited. “I got my first impression of the parish from the first confession I heard here. I thought I had been assigned to a terrible place. The very first person who entered my confessional told me he had stolen a television set and, when questioned by the police, was able to lie his way out of it. He had stolen money from his parents, embezzled from his employer, had an affair with his boss’s wife, sold illegal drugs, and had passed on herpes to someone. I was appalled but as the days went on I learned that my people were not all like that and I had, indeed, come to a fine parish full of good and loving people.”
Just as the Priest finished his talk, the politician arrived full of apologies at being late. He immediately began to make the presentation and gave his talk. “I’ll never forget the first day our parish Priest arrived,” he began, “in fact, I had the honor of being the first person to go to him for confession.”
Moral: Never, never be late.

Brought to us courtesy of K~Squared who comments: 

This is good news. Now, if the ACLU would only leave things alone, even for just 10 years, this could make a meaningful difference.

One down…..49 to go!!!

Florida is the first state – Hooray for Florida

Florida is the first state that is now going to require drug testing for welfare! Some people are crying this is unconstitutional. How is this unconstitutional? It’s completely legal that every other working person had to pass a drug test in order to have a J-O-B that supports those on welfare!
Forward if you agree!! Let’s get Welfare back to the ones who NEED it, not those that WON’T get a JOB…..I AGREE!!!

http://articles.cnn.com/2011-06-05/politics/florida.welfare.drug.testing_1_drug-testing-tanf-welfare-recipients?_s=PM:POLITICS

A man entered the bus with both of his front pockets full of golf balls and sat down next to a beautiful (you guessed it) blonde.

The puzzled blonde kept looking at him and his bulging pockets.

Finally, after many such glances from her, he said, ‘It’s golf balls’.
Nevertheless, the blonde continued to look at him for a very long time, deeply thinking about what he had said.
After several minutes, not being able to contain her curiosity any longer, she asked;
‘Does it hurt as much as tennis elbow?’