Energy

To make any product requires energy. To transport any product requires energy. To buy any product requires energy.

P.O. has proposed to raise energy costs via a tax on Carbon. The Congress (House of Reps) has passed this monstrosity (with 8 republicans including an IL congressman Kirk who was our rep until a redistricting a couple of years back). The only thing standing between raising gas prices (50-75%), electric rates (50%-100%), food prices (use energy mainly oil fuels to raise / transport / buy), etc. is our extremely liberal Senate (which just got a filibuster proof Dem majority today [that joke Al Franken was declared the winner in MN]).

We can afford the rise in prices since our needs are not that great; it would mean cutting back on making some "fun / unnecessary" purchases; but there are many people on fixed incomes who will not be able to afford it. This bill will also cost jobs. When companies are faced with higher costs for electricity and other energy costs plus selling fewer widgets they will reduce their workforce especially with people reducing their purchases of other items.

It will be a disaster for our nation; but it will reduce our carbon footprint by 5-7% (or more as people can not afford to use energy). However, China & India will not reduce their use of energy and will take away more jobs!

My mother believes that P.O. is smart. To me this bill proves just the opposite!

“There is not the slightest indication that energy will ever be obtainable from the atom” Albert Einstein

“Love is like energy. It can never be created nor destroyed...it is just always there. You just have to realize that fact and you have to learn that as soon as you stopped loving him in the way you did that love left to somewhere else. Now all you have to do is find out where that love went. That love went to whoever the next person in your life will be. That next person could be one of your friends or someone you might dislike, you just have to find that out.” Ian Philpot

“It's a waste of energy to be angry with a man who behaves badly, just as it is to be angry with a car that won't go” Bertrand Russell

ELECTRICITY, (n) The power that causes all natural phenomena not known to be caused by something else. It is the same thing as lightning, and its famous attempt to strike Dr. Franklin is one of the most picturesque incidents in that great and good man's career. The memory of Dr. Franklin is justly held in great reverence, particularly in France, where a waxen effigy of him was recently on exhibition, bearing the following touching account of his life and services to science:

        "Monsieur Franqulin, inventor of electricity.  This
 illustrious savant, after having made several voyages around the
 world, died on the Sandwich Islands and was devoured by savages,
 of whom not a single fragment was ever recovered."

Electricity seems destined to play a most important part in the arts and industries. The question of its economical application to some purposes is still unsettled, but experiment has already proved that it will propel a street car better than a gas jet and give more light than a horse. (DD)

Shorts

I like to wear shorts. Probably because they are comfortable & I have OK legs (probably my best physical quality).

I like shorts that are "short"; to me shorts that go to the ankles or lower than the knees are not shorts but longs! I wonder why people like longs since it is getting harder & harder to get shorts. Why not wear long pants & get it over with. Another problem is what I call the elephant legs; shorts that would fit around my waist at the bottom. I sometimes buy shorts on line & have ended up with semi-elephant leg shorts.

Of course being an old fogey, I think that pants that fall below the butt crack are ridiculous also but that is another story.

Success sometimes can really bite you in the shorts Donny Osmond


It's a dog-eat-dog world, and I'm wearing Milk Bone shorts. Kelly Allen


You only have to look around on a hot day to see ancient ladies in short shorts, and you'll realise that many women are extraordinarily - inexplicably - confident about their bodies. If anything we should hold back a little bit. Sian Phillips


shorts (n) short pants that reach only to the thighs or knees

Ms.

My daughter sent me a lovely Father's Day card. We (& I assume her) get a lot of address stickers; it seems that every Charity in the world send them out & since many Charities exchange mailing lists; we get more than enough address labels.

What stuck me was that my daughter's label was Ms. then her name. My wife does not particularly like the term "Ms." & I was wondering if my daughter noticed the name. If she is like me, I look & look for labels with just my name or both our names or some other combination (since we have so many each with different variations of our names) and can only find ones with my wife's name or other incorrect combination.

For us "Baby boomers", Ms. has a very women's lib meaning. If you are liberal & a feminist then Ms is a badge of honor; but not necessarily for happily married women like my daughter & wife.

“If Miss means respectably unmarried, and Mrs. respectably married, then Ms. means nudge, nudge, wink, wink.” Angela Carter

“Modern life is confusing - no "Ms take" about it.” Geraldine A. Ferraro

Ms. (n) a title used before the surname or full name of any woman regardless of her marital status (a neutral alternative to Mrs. or Miss)
• humorous used before an invented surname to imply that someone has a particular characteristic
ORIGIN 1950s: combination of Mrs. and miss

TANSTAAFL

Robert A. Heinlein was one of my favorite authors when I was younger. Some of later books were just strange & not fun like his earlier ones. He won 3 SciFi Hugo Awards (best SciFi novels).

His saying "TANSTAAFL" is very appropriate now a days. It basically means that "there is no free lunch" when the lunch is free the drinks are more expensive, etc. P.O. who promised no one making less than $250K will pay more in taxes; however, with Trade & Cap will raise energy prices for everyone; "free" medical care will cost between $1-4,000,000,000,000 over 10 years.

TANSTAAFL!

The phrase free lunch, in U. S. literature from about 1870 to 1920, refers to a tradition once common in saloons in many places in the United States. These establishments included a "free" lunch, varying from rudimentary to quite elaborate, with the purchase of at least one drink. These free lunches were typically worth far more than the price of a single drink.[1] The saloon-keeper relied on the expectation that most customers would buy more than one drink, and that the practice would build patronage for other times of day.

Sometimes, free food or drink is supplied today, often by gambling establishments.

The saying "there ain't no such thing as a free lunch", often abbeviated to TANSTAAFL, refers to this custom, meaning that things which appear to be free are always paid for in some way.

Congrats Pens!

I wanted to wait to give the PIT Pens congrats until after Sunday since my son said in his blog that he had to record the game.

The Pens did what you have to do to beat my Redwings : great goaltending & a max defensive effort. The RW's put a lot of pressure on the Pens in the last period but Fleury was up to the task.

The NBA finals also ended badly in my view. Maybe next year. Pens had a good young team whereas, the RW's are older; so it will be a upward struggle!

victory (n) an act of defeating an enemy or opponent in a battle, game, or other competition
ORIGIN Middle English : from Anglo-Norman French victorie, from Latin victoria.

Hockey

Since the Redwings lost the 2 games in PIT, I got to see them play on SAT & will get to see them again at least on TUES night.

I tried to listen to the game 3, but the Cubs game overcame the signal & I only heard part of the game, I think PIT was up 3-2 then. Thurs game 4, we had choir practice so when I got home I listened on the Computer. I tuned in & it was 2-2 and after about 5 minutes later it was 4-2 PIT, so I went to bed.

Game 5, we (Redwings) got back Draper & Datsyuk. After game 4. it looked like Crosby (PIT) finally got going & Zetterberg was getting tired. So I was afraid that maybe the Pens would break thru.

It was very similar to the Blackhawk game where the BH lost their composure; the Pens starting committing stupid penalties after they were down a few goals. In general, the Redwings can be scored on, but you can not commit stupid penalties against them.

It looked to me like Datsyuk was playing well. What is amazing to me is that the Redwings' best players are also their best defensive forwards. With Datsyuk back, the Redwings have 2 players that can play Crosby; so I hope they can keep the cup.

It is interesting to me that my son is an Anti-Redwings fan & my son-in-law is a Redwings fan. It may be because my son grew up mainly in IL & S-i-l in MI.

”Last season we couldn't win at home and we were losing on the road. My failure was that I couldn't think of any place else to play.” - Harry Neale

”My former wife made me a millionaire. I used to have three million dollars.”- Bobby Hull

”The three important elements of hockey are: forecheck, backcheck and paycheck.” - Gil Perreault

The Stanley Cup (link is an ad from my son's blog), notably the oldest trophy competed for by professional athletes in North America, was donated in 1892 by Sir Frederick Arthur Stanley, Lord Stanley of Preston and son of the Earl of Derby. He purchased the trophy for 10 Guineas ($50.00 at that time) to be presented to "the championship hockey club of the Dominion of Canada." The first team ever awarded the Stanley Cup was the Montreal Amateur Athletic Association in 1893.

Since 1910, when the National Hockey Association took possession of the Stanley Cup, the trophy has been symbolic of professional hockey supremacy. Beginning in 1926, only NHL teams have competed for this prized trophy.

There have been numerous alterations to the Cup structure. In its infancy, tiered rings were added periodically to the bottom of the bowl. This was followed by long narrow bands in 1927 which were later replaced by uneven bands in 1947. Because the Cup is the only professional sports trophy where the name of every member of the winning team is inscribed, bands are often retired to make room for new champions. Retired bands, along with the original Stanley Cup bowl, are proudly displayed in Lord Stanley's Vault in the Verizon Great Hall. Currently the Cup consists of a bowl, three tiered bands, a collar, and five barrel or uniform bands. The trophy stands at 35 ¼ inches and weighs 34 ½ pounds. (complete measurement and inscription breakdown)

Each year upon presentation of the trophy to the championship team, a summer of celebration begins, as each of the organization's players and staff enjoy 24 hours with the Cup - a tradition which has no rival in any sport. In its many years of existence, the Stanley Cup has traveled around the world, including stays in Russia, Japan, and Switzerland as well as atop mountain peaks through the Rockies and inside igloos in Canada's newest territory, Nunavut. (Stanley Cup Journals & Galleries)

Abortion

While reading a Ann Coulter article, she quoted a ELCA web page talked about right of the unborn.  I looked thru the site and found it : Nor is it helpful to use the language of ‘rights’ in absolute ways that imply that no other significant moral claims intrude. A developing life in the womb does not have an absolute right to be born, nor does a pregnant woman have an absolute right to terminate a pregnancy. (Bold is the quote that Ann used).

Since I am a member of a church that is an ELCA congregation, I was upset.  My church seems to quite often take stances that I disagree with.  They seem to be very wishy-washy on certain subjects; usually on subjects that the secular society feels that they have the moral superiority; showing that the secular people are more open minded & accept what to me  is abhorrent behavior.

I could not believe that a church in the footsteps of Paul, Peter, & of course Jesus could not take moral stands that might upset some members.  Remember that Jesus often upset the establishment by preaching love of even the unwashed.

Back to Abortion: I find it interesting that Pro-Abortionists don't like to be called that, they prefer Pro-choice.  Is there a problem with abortion that they don't want to be associated with it?  Also, one of the Roman Catholic Church strongest stands is against abortion; but numerous Liberal Catholic politicians are pro-abortion.

In the white house, we have the most Pro-abortion politicians in the nation.  He wants to pass the Freedom of Choice Act; which would remove all restrictions on abortions.

How come a child can not get an aspirin in school without parental permission, but can get an abortion without notifying the parents?  How come it is a crime to picket abortion clinics?  Why do pro-abortionists get upset if pictures of 1-2 month fetuses (babies) are shown?

Rather than teaching & watching their children, they want to allow abortions for the mistakes. 

I've noticed that everybody that is for abortion has already been born. ~Ronald Reagan

Only half the patients who go into an abortion clinic come out alive.

If it isn't a baby, then you aren't pregnant, so what are you aborting?

abortion (n) 1 the deliberate termination of a human pregnancy, most often performed during the first 28 weeks of pregnancy.  • the expulsion of a fetus from the uterus by natural causes before it is able to survive independently.
ORIGIN mid 16th cent.: from Latin abortio(n-), from aboriri ‘miscarry’ (see abort ).

GM

Along with my HDTV buying (looking, looking not buying), I think of buying a new car. GM had some reasonable cars with fairly good mileage. But I can't see buying a Government Motors car now. P.O. has said that he will not interfere with day to day operations (besides putting a 31 yr old law school drop out in charge of the government oversight with no automotive experience) except in important matters. He believes in small fuel efficient cars for others (remember his SUV's before the election); but in general people who have kids want something bigger. It is hard to make money on small cars but he will force GM to go there.

We have spent $50,000,000,000 in helping GM to avoid bankruptcy (well not really since they declared it). What about Ford, they did not take any government money are running fairly well now? If we buy a car, it would probably be a Ford to show that we are for the free capitalistic market.

We have some GM stock which gave us a fairly good dividend for many years. But since P.O. believes the gov & UAW deserve the stock it is now worthless. Fortunately for us we do not completely depend on GM stock for our retirement; but there are many people who used GM stock as the backbone of their retirement. I feel sorry for them; once again screwing the people who tried to play by the rules. Others bought GM bonds and even though they are supposed to be senior debt; P.O. has screwed them in favor of the UAW.

I guess my point is where has the government ever run anything efficiently?

If GM had kept up with technology like the computer industry has, we would all be driving $25 cars that got 1000 MPG Bill Gates

The fact that GM opted to cut production a lot rather than raise incentives again suggest the jig is up. The kinds of levels we`re seeing will be there, but I don`t know we`ll get incrementally higher. David Bradley

I was encouraged to hear that GM has made great progress on the hydrogen car. Albert Wynn

car (n) a road vehicle, typically with four wheels, powered by an internal combustion engine and able to carry a small number of people
ORIGIN late Middle English (in the general sense [wheeled vehicle] ): from Old Northern French carre, based on Latin carrum, carrus, of Celtic origin.

Hockey v. Baseball

I was watching the 2nd playoff game between the Redwings (good guys) & Pens (young guys) & thinking about the differences between BB & Hockey.

In Hockey, a player has his appendix out & plays in three days (Ericsson who scored a goal) in baseball if they feel a tweak they are out 15 days.  In BB over a 3 hour game there is maybe 15 minutes of action (I don't consider the pitcher looking into the catcher or them playing catch as action); in Hockey there is action all the time.  If it is raining the BB games are delayed; Hockey players play on ice!

BB players especially the pitchers are fat & look out of shape; Hockey they are fit able to move on skates at speeds that BB players would consider dangerous.  Whenever, you listen to Hockey players they are articulate; BB players are cliche machines.

Hockey is a man's game; BB is a relaxing boring game!

All hockey players are bilingual. They know English and profanity.  Gordie Howe

Baseball is the only field of endeavor where a man can succeed three times out of ten and be considered a good performer.  Ted Williams

sport (n) 1 an activity involving physical exertion and skill in which an individual or team competes against another or others for entertainment 2 informal a person who behaves in a good or specified way in response to teasing, defeat, or a similarly trying situation

ORIGIN late Middle English (in the sense [pastime, entertainment] ): shortening of disport