Surviving the Circus

Who do YOU hate? McCain or Obama or both? Newsflash! You don't have to hate one candidate just because you "love" another candidate. We're not in grammar school any more. Please, if you do hate one of them, I do NOT really want to know. I'm so frustrated from reading posts by bloggers, who rather than discussing actual political issues have instead decided to jump on every tiny little fault or mistake of the candidate they " hate " and proceed to " trash " them defiantly and with great delight. Why do people feel they have to hate the "other" candidate? I'm beginning to worry and wonder about the mental and emotional stability of our citizens when hatred becomes the motivation to campaign for your candidate of choice. ALL candidates deserve our respect. It certainly is not easy to run for office these days. Think I'll browse some calmer blog categories for awhile. All this hatred is depressing.

Remember that song "Manic Monday" by the Bangles? The year was 1986 and the Bangles were an all female band. It's still one of my favorite songs and so I've decided to devote today and maybe future Mondays to Manic Monday - fun things to go along with my frazzled, manic mind on Mondays. You can read the lyrics at http://www.lyrics007.com/The%20Bangles%20Lyrics/Manic%20Monday%20Lyrics.html I stumbled across this one over at The Esoterical Journey. List your top six fears, necessities or hardships... What better way to spend Monday than analyzing what I fear? Hopefully during the analysis I can get rid of the fears, or at least minimize them by replacing them with better more postive thoughts. First you'll see my fears, then in quotes you will see my replacement strategy. Homelessness - Yes, I am at times afraid of becoming homeless. Then again, sometimes I think it would be a relief to not have to worry about utility bills, lot rent, etc. Maybe living in the car...

Idea supplied by Unconscious Mutterings at http://subliminal.lunanina.com/ I say ... and you think ... ? Loneliness :: sadness Luckily, I'm not lonely. Too few people, especailly our young people, don't enjoy spending time alone. How can you know who you are if you are never alone with your thoughts? Traffic :: idiots I live in a resort area, but the idiots often times are the locals. You have to drive slower during the summer to accomodate the tourists who aren't sure where they're going. Oh wait, some of the motorcyclists are idiots who think we are all in their way and that they shouldn't have to tolerate those of us who drive in "real" cars. Chaos :: noise Too much noise equates to chaos, in my mind. Burp :: rude If you're not family, keep it to yourself. 500 :: dollars That would pay the rest of my bills this month. Movie :: drama I usually wait until they come on TV. Coma :: lost Where are they? Hopefully, those in comas are being en...

How to place an Entrecard Inbox feed into your blog's sidebar. Several sites are offering use of their widgets to create a "you drop, I link" feature for entrecard droppers. I have found a site that does it free, without forcing you to link to their site. I am using the "classic" wordpress theme, so these instructions are for actually editing the html of my template. If you are using the new blogger, you can just follow the directions on adding a javascript widget after you get the code. The "You drop, I link" feature of this can be misleading, because the links in the feed are coming directly from your inbox at Entrecard and will change according to droppers each day. Here's how to do it... First, go to Feed2JS... This link will open in a new window... http://itde.vccs.edu/rss2js/build.php Now, go to your Entrecard website and click on "Dashboard." At the top of the page you will see images of the websites in your inbox. To the right, yo...

The modern day "gold rush" is the "oil rush" because it is believed that 25% of the world's oil is beneath the ice in the Arctic Ocean, and it is also believed that the North Pole could melt very soon leaving access to the oil wide open. Several countries are trying to stake their claim. Last September, the Northwest Passage was actually clear briefly, due to the big melt. Scientists now agree that there is a 50/50 chance that it open again this year, much quicker than the original natural global warming trend forecast. It is also believed that the human contribution to global warming has sped up the process. There is a division of the United Nations which controls what can happen in this territory. It belongs to no single nation because it is beyond the 200 mile mark of jurisdiction. The Arctic Ocean's seabed may hold billions of gallons of oil and natural gas—up to 25 percent of the world's undiscovered reserves, according to U.S. Geological Survey est...

I found out the real reason James Dobson attacked Obama's speech... and I quote from that speech by Obama... Even if we did have only Christians in our midst, if we expelled every non-Christian from the United States of America, whose Christianity would we teach in the schools? Would it be James Dobson's or Al Sharpton's? From WashingtonMonthly.com Obama certainly is proving his wisdom regarding faith and government. I haven't declared my support for either candidate yet. Still waiting... James Dobson Doesn't Speak for Me .com

How long will Christians continue to listen to utter nonsense voiced by self-professed leaders such as James Dobson? Apparently, and HOPEFULLY , not much longer. This week, James Dobson attacked a speech made by Obama in 2006. Dobson claimed that Obama "deliberately" distorted the Bible "to fit his own worldview -- his own confused theology." HOGWASH! Frank Schaeffer, a former "partner" of Dobson's who believed in the "cause," believes that Dobson's attack on Obama will actually "HELP" him. Dobson is one of the Evangelical religious right old guard. He's to the right what Nader is to the left. ...Many evangelicals still fear him and so won't denounce his posturing power-plays but they also despise him. ... they say unequivocally that Dobson's time has passed. Schaeffer's editorial... The church, which to Christians means the "body of Christ" is NOT following the teachings of Christ. The church, at lea...

Finally, McCain shows not only some interest in the economy, specifically the high price of gas, but he is actually coming up with some incentives to help move us out of this horrible era in the history of oil... PHOENIX (Reuters) - John McCain will push on Monday for car makers to build more environmentally friendly vehicles, threatening new legislation if they do not comply and proposing tax breaks to encourage consumers to buy "cleaner" cars. Read the Full Story here.

First off, regarding AVG Free Edition... Those of you who use AVG free may have noticed that they want you to pay for the upgrade to version 8. However, there is a way around it. You must uninstall the old version before downloading the new free version. But wait... I stumbled onto a great blogger who has covered literally ALL of the ups and downs, and pros and cons, of using AVG. You might want to look at his blog before deciding what to do. He also has listed options for other free antivirus software programs. Needless to say, I have bookmarked this great blog! Grand Stream Dreams - written by Claus Valca - Windows sysadmin and project manager.

The other day as I was driving, I tuned into Neal Boortz' radio show - for a few minutes. That's all I could take of him. Boortz, a libertarian who doesn't believe in global warming, has a call-in show. A listener called in to ask Boortz what was wrong with people believing in global warming? In other words, what harm does it do even if Boortz and those who think it's a scam, are right? Boortz' reply was simply - "Because ignorance scares me." Hmmm. Let's try that again. The listener asked again and got the same reply, which was not an answer to his question. Too often these days, when you "get" a egotistical, always right, know-it-all person with a question they actually have no rational response to, they just insult someone or make a totally childish comment delivered quite profoundly to hopefully shut up the non-thinking world of listeners who form their opinions based on what they hear on the radio or through other media. Boortz is good a...

Teen girls today seem to be dangerously lacking in self-esteem and love. Here's proof.. Gloucester, Massachusetts reports that several girls aged 16 and under have made a pact to get pregnant and raise their babies together. Normally, the high school has about 4 pregnancies a year. Now they have 17 according to Principal Sullivan. Some of the girls reacted to the news they were pregnant with high fives and plans for baby showers, Sullivan said. One of the fathers "is a 24-year-old homeless guy," Sullivan told the magazine. Personally, I advocate smaller schools to create a sense of community and accountability, obviously something these girls have created for themselves. They feel unloved and lost, and they decided to do something about it. Why are we surprised? They are children. They do not have the wisdom to see the folly of their decisions. I am not surprised by their actions. Teachers are so overwhelmed with red tape and paperwork that they don't have time to c...

Press Release from the congress' global warming website announcing the new bill to FORCE oil companies to drill or pay. GlobalWarming.House.Gov... Friday, June 20, 2008 Two pieces of legislation to achieve this goal were introduced today: the Responsible Ownership of Public Lands Act and The Responsible Federal Oil and Gas Lease Act of 2008. Democratic Caucus, view the bill... The Responsible Ownership of Public Lands Act would assess a fee on land energy companies have leased but are not using for production. This fee will escalate if leases go unused over the course of several years. Exerpts: WASHINGTON – House Democratic Caucus Chairman Rahm Emanuel, Rep. Maurice Hinchey, Chairman Edward J. Markey and Chairman Nick Rahall today announced plans to introduce legislation that will help lower gas prices by compelling oil companies to utilize the 68 million acres onshore and offshore that are being leased by big oil companies, but not used to produce energy. The members were also j...

Here's the propaganda pitch.. Everyone is talking about drilling for more oil in North America. Most people seem to think that more land needs to be released, but that's not the whole truth. Here's the truth... The problem is that the oil companies already have leases on federal land and are NOT drilling on them. According to a hearing aired on c-span last week, and a briefly covered spot by CNN a couple of days ago, only 4,000 out of 17,000 previously released "grids" are actually being utilized in the gulf coast. Why aren't they drilling? Apparently, the oil companies want to be able to buy up the leases, and then not use them. Why should they? They're the ones benefitting from these high gas prices. Apparently, the government needs to add some conditions to these land leases before the big US oil companies are allowed to lease them. The leased land MUST be drilled for oil. Their argument is that not every "grid" will produce oil, but how w...

I just joined MyLot.com the other day and I have found it quite fun to answer some of the questions over there. You can even earn a little money if you participate regularly. You earn from referrals too. Plus, it's a good way to discover new topics for blogging. I answered a question about flirting and thought I would share it here... QUESTION: Flirt flirt flirt.... why do people flirt?? Is it because you're attracted to someone or its just being friendly? ANSWER: If a person is actually flirting, then it's because they're interested or want you to think they are. Since I'm a female, I can only respond as to how a female might flirt. Everybody is different though. Flirting is a combination of things, not just one. A smile and a wink can be flirting. Conversation is usually just being friendly unless they "enter your space." Hanging around you for no apparent reason is a clear sign they want your attention - they're flirting. Asking you silly question...

To The Great Spirit, Give us hearts to understand; Never to take from creation's beauty more than we give; never to destroy wantonly for the furtherance of greed; Never to deny to give our hands for the building of earth's beauty; never to take from her what we cannot use. Give us hearts to understand That to destroy earth's music is to create confusion; that to wreck her appearance is to blind us to beauty; That to callously pollute her fragrance is to make a house of stench; that as we care for her she will care for us. We have forgotten who we are. We have sought only our own security. We have exploited simply for our own ends. We have distorted our knowledge. We have abused our power. Great Spirit, whose dry lands thirst, Help us to find the way to refresh your lands. Great Spirit, whose waters are choked with debris and pollution, help us to find the way to cleanse your waters. Great Spirit, whose beautiful earth grows ugly with misuse, help us to find the way to resto...

"A house divided against itself cannot stand." Do you know who spoke of this idea - " divided we fail " - 150 years ago today? It was Abraham Lincoln on June 16, 1858. As of today, 300 members of Congress – far more than half – have signed the Divided We Fail pledge to work together in a bipartisan manner to deliver affordable health care and long-term economic security to all Americans. End partisan gridlock in Washington. See if your legislator has signed the pledge... Click Here.

An alphabet poem isn't really a poem, but I enjoy doing them for some reason. Each word in the poem starts with the next letter of the alphabet. Alphabet poem on the negative effects of TV and movie violence on our children... anger breeds complacent deranged evil foes going hopelessly into jail keeping love marooned never organizing peaceful quests robbing starved teens until vision weeps x-rated youthful zealots

Discovered a blog today that offers some really cool free blogger templates. Most of them are on the feminine side, but a couple of them are generic. She also has a few for sale at quite unbelievably low prices, plus she will customize for only a couple of bucks, literally. She's a new blogger, so be sure to check her out and make her feel welcomed. http://grumpy-cow.com/

Who knew the death of a journalist could affect me so profoundly? I have always admired Tim Russert, mainly because I felt I could trust him. I always sought out his opinion on everything that was making the headlines. He never let me down. Hearing more about him and his life, I am just awestruck that we still have, or had, men like him in these United States. His Father, now retired, was a sanitation worker in Buffalo, New York, who worked two shifts to provide for his family. Tim Russert never forgot his roots or his God. That's part of what made him special. But more importantly, he remained objective and simply delivered the information we needed to make responsible judgments. Even though he was my age, he was so much like my Father... a man of honor, integrity and true patriotism. So close to Father's Day too. How sad for us newsaholics. I will miss his face. Who will take his place? The only other journalist who has my trust is Charlie Gibson on the ABC news, unless you...

Wulong Tea or oolong tea - have you heard of it? Apparently I'm out of the loop on this one, but supposedly it can help you lose weight. It's been covered on Good Morning America and other TV shows, but I missed it. According to Angela Chang at ColonZone.com, who suggests you start with 7 to 10 cups of this healthy tea per week, studies have shown that WuLong tea can help: - Diabetes - Acne and Eczema - Allergies - Infections - Cavities - Weight Gain and Obesity - Reducing the effects of smoking - Increasing metabolism - Helping digestion - Reduce risk of heart disease According to Gary Gause of DragonWaterTea.com, A study was conducted by the University of Tokushima School of Medicine along with several other Japanese universities involving 11 Japanese women who consumed either water, green matcha tea, or oolong tea after a meal. Oolong tea appeared to increase energy expenditure by 10%, green tea by 4%, and water not at all. So while green tea is still best for fighting can...

I'm not superstitious at all, and maybe even a little rebellious when it comes to Friday the 13th. I am determined to have good luck today. No one knows for sure where the bad luck day originated. Here are a few of the legends. There were 13 steps to the guillotine. There were 13 people at the Lord's Last Supper (Judas being number 13). Jesus was killed on a Friday (some say Friday the 13th). Whatever the reason, until recent years, hotels have renamed the 13th floor either by skipping the number altogether or by using the 13th floor for something other than hotel guests. Other large buildings have done the same. Considering the bad luck weather the world has had recently, today is just another day and couldn't be any worse than what has just transpired, especially this past week in the US where the weather has claimed lives. There have been floods from Missouri to Wisconsin, California and North Carolina fires, and snow in Washington state. More than 50 tornadoes were rep...

Today I was browsing through some of my old blog posts and realized how totally unrelated most of my topics are. I have so many labels - it's ridiculous! So I guess I may be the one to blame for feeling like I live in a circus. Yeah, the world of politics, religion and media certainly facilitates this premise, but my mind seems to throw down on almost every topic in the world! Occasionally I write a post just because I have found something interesting online and I want an easy way to find it again, such as the garden in a bottle post. Bookmarks are great, but they don't let you actually post your own commentary on the bookmark. Besides, I have accumulated so many bookmarks that I rarely even look at them. I have to admit though, re-reading old posts also shows me where my mind was at the time. I like to remind myself of things that I feel passionate about, and that's an easy thing to do after blogging a couple of years. Well, back to the circus! The photo is of the lake acr...

How to Grow a Garden in a Bottle from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit A bottle can be recycled to function as a miniature greenhouse. This is a great project for class or a home craft during vacation time. It is creative, easy and fun to make. The result can make for a unique decoration and a way to keep your green thumb busy through the wintertime. Steps Select a good bottle or a jar. The bottle should be large enough to allow room for plants to grow. Clean it and allow the bottle to dry thoroughly before using it. The larger the opening, the easier it'll be to maintain the garden. Turn the bottle onto its side. This will form the base of the bottle garden. If the jar or container has a large enough opening or is not stable on its side, you can keep it facing up. Place pebbles and sand on the base of the bottle. You can use a small spoon through the mouth of the bottle to add the pebbles and sand and move them around. This will provide a good drainage base...

I find many contests offered by some of the coolest bloggers with really great prizes, but this new one at Life is Colourful surpasses them all. (See the list of prizes below.) If you're interested in blogging and making money online, you should take a look at this site. Monthly earnings are posted so we can actually see which money making venture is paying off and how frequently it pays. There are also many webmaster tips which cover all sites, not just blogs. Take a look, and while you're there, don't forget to enter the latest contest! LINK: Contest Page LINK: Life is Colourful Home Page Here are the prizes... Colourful Blog Anniversary Contest - Win Over $3000 in Cash and Prizes Blogging Tools & Products, Webmaster Resources, Memberships - A product to help you making money: Super Affiliate Blogger and Wordpress Adsense Theme by Easywordpress ($194 value - 2 x $97) - Two-year subscription to GoStats Pro [One of the web’s leading traffic stats providers] by GoStats ...

Do you believe in unicorns? Now we possibly know the source behind the legends of the mythical unicorn. It could have been as simple as a deer with the anomaly of a horn in the center of his head, such as the one shown in the picture. ROME — A deer with a single horn in the center of its head — much like the fabled, mythical unicorn — has been spotted in a nature preserve in Italy, park officials said Wednesday. Full Story at Fox News

A couple whose children are born with kidney disease decided to abort after having one child die shortly after birth, and another child seriously ill. But the baby did not go gentle into that good night. He survived the abortion. Fortunately, his parents are overjoyed at his survival and excited that even though one of his kidneys is damaged, he should live a normal life. Talk about being called into being! This little man will definitely survive the circus of life. God Bless little Finley! Mother's anger turns to delight after her baby survives an abortion | Mail Online

Today is the last day of this year - for me, as tomorrow is my birthday. Actually, if I were in Australia, today would be my birthday. I will force myself to celebrate the day that I entered this world, because for so long I have not really thought much about birthdays. That doesn't mean I have to go out for dinner or anything, I will just remember to be in awe that the Creator called me into being for a specific purpose and I will celebrate life as a tribute to the Creator - because He doesn't make mistakes. So far today I have had to confront my limitations as a perfectionist, thanks to a very insightful blog post by Meg on perfectionism... ( Perfectionists Anonymous ) Funny how the universe sends you what you need sometimes. I needed to re-evaluate my recovery process, which is ever constant, and to focus on helping my daughter who has the same tendency. Then I read Mel's post which asked What is your idea of God? Do you believe that there is a God who created everything...

It's 4pm Eastern time and yet today has already proven to be a day of shocking extremes that have negative effects on our already declining economic situation. Oil has surged another $11 May's jobless rate spiked to 5.5%, the largest monthly spike in 20 years. Once Wall Street heard the news, the Dow sank 300 points. One very good thing happened to me today. It was the last day of school, a small high school for students throughout our county, who are planning on pursuing a degree in medicine, engineering, law, education, theatre, dance, art, or digital arts. My daughter has one of those coveted spots, but there is no bus transportation and we have been buying gas to the tune of over $100 a week. We live on child support, my seasonal part-time job, my home business of web design (sometimes), and her part-time paycheck. Obviously, we are happy for the summer break. Now we'll give that money to the light company because our heat pump has been running non-stop for nearly 48 h...

Neil Young, of Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, has correctly admitted that songs don't change the world. Young, now 62, is still singing and touring and hopefully still inspiring young minds. He had hoped to change the world with his music, but has since realized that music may inspire a few people, but it will certainly not change the world. Young has partnered with Jonathan Goodwin to convert his 1959 car to operate on an electric battery. "We're going to change the world; we're going to create a car that will allow us to stop giving our wealth to other countries for petroleum." "The technology to make a practical and affordable electric car has been around for a long time," Goodwin said. "There are all sorts of ways of doing it and all sorts of ways to work out how to make it work on a national scale." Hopefully, Young's mission to change the world will be furthered by the successful conversion of his car from gasoline fuel to power by e...

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