The Other View

The race is closer than most think....!!

After listening to Obama at his convention and then last night listening to McCain..... I have to tell you that if we went to the polls today I wouldn't  know who would get my vote  until  actually pulling the lever.....  Obama comes off as a salesman with a lot of smooth talk telling everybody what they want to hear .... Although I don't agree with everything that McCain says his  sincerity is real and one can tell that he totally loves this country with all his heart..... He is the total opposite of Dubya.... It is so close that  that the big guns will be coming out and the mud will be flying....... I  don't  trust the parties anymore............

Do you think there is a clear leader.....??

A little love goes a long way.

 When somebody has a tragedy in their lives a little love and comfort is the most important thing that they could experience...... Even if you are at a loss of words a card or just the words I'm so sorry is so  comforting to the ones in mourning.... Sending a card or signing the guest book and just being there is very important for the last thing someone needs is to be alone when mourning..... Prayers are somehow heard even if you are thousands of miles away..... I have been recieving cards and calls from people that I almost forgot  existed and was instantly reminded of the great close friendship that we once and obviously still have....  Now I have a new list of people that  needs calling and am wanting to visit with..... It seems as we age that some friendships drift apart but never die.......

Have you any friends you've almost forgot..?? 

With modern  technology what is to come...??

I think the first Sci Fi shows I can remember would be the Outer Limits and the Twilight Zone...... I have always loved a good Science Fiction movie..... Logans Run and Soylent Green were a couple that have stuck in my head over the years because they are actually things that could happen in the future world...... A lot of hidden meaning as to the future of mankind..... We all loved E T.....  Independance Day and there are still a lot of Trekies left in the world...... With the age of computer enhancement I am expecting unique new creations to come out in the next few years...... So what would make a great Sci Fi......What would you recommend to rent that I might have missed....??

What was your favorite Science Fiction movie of all time.....??

What are some of your favorites from the past...??

Simple oversight can be costly...!!

1. Insurance
According to Missouri driving laws all drivers in the state are required to maintain a liability policy, and you must carry proof of insurance with you at all times while driving. If you are stopped by an officer of the law and cannot show him or her proof of insurance, your license will be suspended for sixty days for the first offense, for one year for the second offense, and for two years for any subsequent offenses.

Just noticed the other day that my insurance card in my truck was expired and remembered that the new one was still on my desk with the rest of my important mail..... If pulled over I might have been at a great disadvantage with the current law that is on the books....  Living in the modern world of computers you would think that a cop could find out if you have insurance instantly when they run your plates.... Or maybe they already can and this is a cash generator.... They know everything else about you when they do... There are so many things that you can get a ticket for these days that I wonder how I have gone all these years without getting pulled over.... Rolling Stops.... Right on Red without coming to a complete stop.... The dreaded weaving..... Is weaving against the law..?? I have been stopped for it before..... Tail light out.... How are we supposed to know that..??  Don't forget the open container.... Empty beer can or not if it's open and even if it's laying in your back floorboard they can get away with giving you a ticket and will have cause to give you a field sobriety test.... So get that aluminum out of your car..... Make sure you have that insurance card for it can be a costly item if caught without it.......

Think maybe they are running the ship too tight ?

What ya gonna do on a rainy day....?? 

Wash the car.... Fire up the grill..... A good game of softball.... Mow the grass..... Paint the shed..... Looks like these are going to be on hold f or a few days...... With the forecast, (and we all know that Glenn is never wrong)  the activities are going to be under roof for a few days..... I'm looking for suggestions for I have the day off with nothing to do until I bowl tonight..... The link below is a site that has some ideas for Rainy Day Blues.......

http://www.rainydays.uk-days-out.co.uk/p>

What do you do on a rainy day....??

Even on cool days, dehydration can seriously damage your performance. 

Symptoms of Dehydration

If all food and fluids (nutrition and hydration) are removed from a person -- whether that person is a healthy Olympic athlete who takes food and fluids by mouth or a frail, disabled person who receives them by a feeding tube -- death is inevitable.  That death will occur because of dehydration.

As a person dies from lack of food and fluids, his or her

• Mouth would dry out and become caked or coated with thick material.
• Lips would become parched and cracked.
• Tongue would swell, and might crack.
• Eyes would recede back into their orbits.
• Cheeks would become hollow.
• Lining of the nose might crack and cause the nose to bleed.
• Skin would hang loose on the body and become dry and scaly.
• Urine would become highly concentrated, leading to burning of the bladder.
• Lining of the stomach would dry out and he or she would experience dry heaves and vomiting.
• Body temperature would become very high.
• Brain cells would dry out, causing convulsions.
• Respiratory tract would dry out, and the thick secretions that would result could plug the lungs and cause death.

At some point within five days to three weeks, the person's major organs, including the lungs, heart, and brain, would give out and death would occur.

[Source: Brophy v. New England Sinai Hosp., 398 Mass. 417, 444 n.2, 497 N.E.2d 626, 641 n.2 (1986) (Nolan, J., dissenting).

Did you know that a hangover is nothing more than being extremely dehydrated..... If you want to improve your mental and physical performance try drinking the proper amount of fluids for a couple of weeks and cut back on the things that will dry you out.... Did you know that water can actually make you high.........

Are you getting enough.....??

Most people could not answer correctly...!!

Labor Day Quiz

Take the quiz before you read the article below....

Eleven-year-old Peter McGuire sold papers on the street in New York City. He shined shoes and cleaned stores and later ran errands. It was 1863 and his father, a poor Irish immigrant, had just enlisted to fight in the Civil War. Peter had to help support his mother and six brothers and sisters.

Many immigrants settled in New York City in the nineteenth century. They found that living conditions were not as wonderful as they had dreamed. Often there were six families crowded into a house made for one family. Thousands of children had to go to work. Working conditions were even worse. Immigrant men, women and children worked in factories for ten to twelve hours a day, stopping only for a short time to eat. They came to work even if they were tired or sick because if they didn't, they might be fired. Thousands of people were waiting to take their places.

When Peter was 17, he began an apprenticeship in a piano shop. This job was better than his others, for he was learning a trade, but he still worked long hours with low pay. At night he went to meetings and classes in economics and social issues of the day. One of the main issues of concern pertained to labor conditions. Workers were tired of long hours, low pay and uncertain jobs. They spoke of organizing themselves into a union of laborers to improve their working conditions. In the spring of 1872, Peter McGuire and 100,000 workers went on strike and marched through the streets, demanding a decrease in the long working day.

This event convinced Peter that an organized labor movement was important for the future of workers' rights. He spent the next year speaking to crowds of workers and unemployed people, lobbying the city government for jobs and relief money. It was not an easy road for Peter McGuire. He became known as a "disturber of the public peace." The city government ignored his demands. Peter himself could not find a job in his trade. He began to travel up and down the east coast to speak to laborers about unionizing. In 1881, he moved to St. Louis, Missouri, and began to organize carpenters there. He organized a convention of carpenters in Chicago, and it was there that a national union of carpenters was founded. He became General Secretary of the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America.

The idea of organizing workers according to their trades spread around the country. Factory workers, dock workers and toolmakers all began to demand and get their rights to an eight-hour workday, a secure job and a future in their trades. Peter McGuire and laborers in other cities planned a holiday for workers on the first Monday in September, halfway between Independence Day and Thanksgiving Day.

On September 5, 1882 the first Labor Day parade was held in New York City. Twenty thousand workers marched in a parade up Broadway. They carried banners that read "LABOR CREATES ALL WEALTH," and "EIGHT HOURS FOR WORK, EIGHT HOURS FOR REST, EIGHT HOURS FOR RECREATION!" After the parade there were picnics all around the city. Workers and celebrants ate Irish stew, homemade bread and apple pie. At night, fireworks were set off. Within the next few years, the idea spread from coast to coast, and all states celebrated Labor Day. In 1894, Congress voted it a federal holiday.

Today we celebrate Labor Day with a little less fanfare on the first Monday of September. Some cities have parades and community picnics. Many politicians "kick off' their political campaigns by holding rallies on the holiday. Most Americans consider Labor Day the end of the summer, and the beaches and other popular resort areas are packed with people enjoying one last three-day weekend.

How could anybody in good conscious fly an American flag made in China on this holiday....??

I would love to see her bank shot.....!!

Yoga and pool..... Two great ways to get some recreation..... So why not kill two birds with one stone.......... Look inside for a few more incredible feats..... If you know any cool ones then please add them.....

How flexible are you...??

How many ways can we be fleeced....??

Have you ever thought of an obituary to be classified as an advertisement ? .....  Growing up I always read an obit and considered it to be news and a small tribute to ones life here on earth ...... Well these days the "" (Community)"" newspapers seem to look at it to be an inconvienience and if you want any more than a name and time of service posted in the paper you are going to have to pay a hefty sum....... The Journal has just jumped on to this trend and will charge you $ 150 to print an obit..... I was told the Post charges as much as $ 500 if you want a photo included ...... I wonder if they will follow suit and start charging for other community services that are supposed to be free such as wedding announcements and birth announcements..... Will blood drives have to go under paid advertisements ......  If you go to the papers web site and look up an obit on line you will still find it under the news tab ..... Should it not be under classifieds ...... If you are wondering what the bottom of your pockets look like all you have to do is give them a little time and you'll find out ....... The world needs some new ideas........... What should they start charging for next......??

We have all had a few true friends....!!

A true friend in life is a rare opportunity...... We are all blessed with a few and some of us are given the opportunity to have more than others..... A true friend always looks out for you..... Will help you out when you get in a jam..... Knows right from wrong and will make sure that you walk on the right side of life and speaks out when you don't...... Instills values in you and sets examples by deeds and actions..... Always has time to spend with you and keeps your time occupied......  And no matter how strong the dissagreement will always love you and be willing to forgive you....... Well last night I lost such a friend..... The man that taught me how to hunt and fish...... How to work on cars...... How to farm....... The importance of God....... And the most important thing in life....(Manners)......  The values of one great man will live on in nine kids and many grandkids and great grandkids..... Dad would have been 84 in December.....

May he rest in peace.......

I thought I used to park here....!!

Have you seen your garage latey ? ..... Can you remember what the floor of your basememt looks like ? ....... Do you know how far it is to the back wall in your shed ? ..... Would you consider your house neat as a pin, lived in, or totally cluttered ? ......  I've  been selling houses for around 15 years and  have seen many examples of all three .....  In some cases it's quite obvious that we are mammals and related to  animals that like to collect things ...... Some would call us pack rats ...... I would  classify myself to be in the lived in catagory ..... Love to have my tools and my toys but  try to keep them dusted off and somewhat organized ........ Never did like a place too neat and never could really tolerate clutter........ But if you go to the link below you will see a garage that was put to a  different and bizarre use ...... This guy has to get the unique garage award and probably the neatest old guy ever to all the kids...... Click on this link.....

http://mfile.akamai.com/10676/wmv/ondemandwm.chumtv
.co
m/conventional/barrie/achannel/2008/01/jan2808-rinkhs.a

sx

How much junk  is in your trunk and how many toys are in the attic.....??

Some things you can't live without....!!

Today has proved to be one of the most educational days I have ever lived..... As most know I have dealt with chest pain and numbness in my arm and neck for some time now.....  Today I went in to have a Cardio  Cath test performed......  It is the test of all tests when it comes to the heart..... It is a scarry procedure but not too bad as far as pain..... It takes a camera through the groin and into the main blood stream inside your heart and closely examines all of the bloodlines.. The only real discomfort is when they shoot the dye inside your heart....It makes your ears very hot...  I am happy to report that I have no blockage and the doctor said that my heart is beating strong..... The fellow that was in the  room before me was not as lucky..... He was taken off the table and sent straight to surgery for open heart surgery..... But God was actually smiling on him today for this saved his life since the ticking time bomb was detected in time..... Then after my procedure  in recovery  I recieved a call that a friend that I had just sat and talked to yesterday while enjoying a glass of wine was found dead this morning in his garden..... I am assuming that he had a heart attack...... Then I started to wonder if this test might have saved his life...... Had he  any symptons that he may have ignored ?.... There are so many walking around that are getting warnings and are in denial...... The heart is something that needs to be checked if there is any doubt...... The life you save will be your own........

Have you had a good checkup lately......??

An oldie but a goodie....!!

What catagory do you fall under..??

Politics Explained

FEUDALISM: You have two cows. Your lord takes some of the milk.

PURE SOCIALISM: You have two cows. The government takes them and puts them in a barn with everyone else's cows. You have to take care of all of the cows. The government gives you as much milk as you need.

BUREAUCRATIC SOCIALISM: You have two cows. The government takes them and put them in a barn with everyone else's cows. They are cared for by ex-chicken farmers. You have to take care of the chickens the government took from the chicken farmers. The government gives you as much milk and eggs as the regulations say you need.

FASCISM: You have two cows. The government takes both, hires you to take care of them and sells you the milk.

PURE COMMUNISM: You have two cows. Your neighbors help you take care of them, and you all share the milk.

RUSSIAN COMMUNISM: You have two cows. You have to take care of them, but the government takes all the milk.

CAMBODIAN COMMUNISM: You have two cows. The government takes both of them and shoots you.

DICTATORSHIP: You have two cows. The government takes both and drafts you.

PURE DEMOCRACY: You have two cows. Your neighbors decide who gets the milk.

REPRESENTATIVE DEMOCRACY: You have two cows. Your neighbors pick someone to tell you who gets the milk.

BUREAUCRACY: You have two cows. At first the government regulates what you can feed them and when you can milk them. Then it pays you not to milk them. Then it takes both, shoots one, milks the other and pours the milk down the drain. Then it requires you to fill out forms accounting for the missing cows.

PURE ANARCHY: You have two cows. Either you sell the milk at a fair price or your neighbors try to take the cows and kill you.

LIBERTARIAN/ANARCHO-CAPITALISM: You have two cows. You sell one and buy a bull.

SURREALISM: You have two giraffes. The government requires you to take harmonica lessons.

(Original source unknown . . . this version expanded and Illuminated by SJ.)

People do still care......!!

Fundraisers for people in need have been going on longer than any of us have been alive...... Last night my wife and son attended a trivia contest fundraiser for a small child that had been dealt a really bad hand in life....... She won the contest and donated the prize money back to the little guy..... She did keep the two bottles of fine wine that came along with the prize.... ( atta girl )...... Last night I played a free gig at Trout Lodge for a lot of kids, family of these kids and others that also have been dealt really horrible hands in life....... But for one magic night this free weekend and party on the dock at the edge of a magnificent lake took all the cares and worries off of their faces and replaced them with smiles...... They danced the night away..... This was all made possible by 4 hard working gals that raise money year round to pay for this event..... They are what I call a true charity..... Not a big orgazination whose overhead eats up contributions ..... High paid execs are like sharks that go on a feeding frenzy once they are used to a fat paycheck paid out of donations...... I prefer to keep my charitable contributions local and to a small group..... I usually play music for 6 or 7 of these benefits per year and at each one there is this strange feeling that God is right there with us...... I will only participate in what I deem a true charity........ God will only help those who can't help themselves........

What's the biggest fundraiser you've attended..??

I wish we could bundle everything....!!

Spending a good part of my day at the cardiologist yesterday got me to thinking..... What else did I have to do sitting there in a little room waiting for a knock on the door to get a few moments of the doctors time..... This office has 8 doctors in the group and they are all heart doctors..... In the course of the next few months I get to see an eye doctor, a dermatologist, a podiatrist, get a root canal at the dentist, report back to my family doctor, and to top it off I am going to have a cardio cath test done next week....... After all that I'm sure I will need to see a psychiatrist too...... Wouldn't  it be nice if you could find all these doctors in one group and see more than one of them per visit..... Charter and ATT had a great idea about bundling......

What else in the world needs to be bundled......??