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By Janet Evans
Wednesday, Jul 23 2008, 06:40 AM
You hear a lot about families with troubled kids. Kids dropping out of school, joining up with gangs, doing violent crimes. Eventually someone gets hurt or someone gets killed. Then blame is handed out. There is always a lot of blame. It isn’t very often that the blame takes a full circle and comes back to the parents, though. Usually the parents are blaming everyone else instead.
In Cleveland, Ohio there is a small group of woman who are on the streets trying to be moms. That’s because they’ve lost their real children…killed on the streets. Instead of taking the easy way out and blaming everyone else, they are taking the responsibility. They know their sons were "tearing up the community." They’re telling people it’s time “to take the blinders off.”
These mothers are working against youth violence in Cleveland
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Ever have the urge to be a guest blogger?
Now’s your chance × here
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By Janet Evans
Tuesday, Jul 22 2008, 05:44 PM
But…
While I certainly have nothing against a kilt, nothing at all, mind you…I believe it has its time and place.
I believe kilts do belong on this Irish pipe band
And also, on this fine Scotsman
And especially on the Prince of Wales
But, there is no way that I want to open my door or drive down the street and see this
Do you????
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Ever have the urge to be a guest blogger?
Now’s your chance × here
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By Janet Evans
Tuesday, Jul 22 2008, 11:51 AM
Sometimes I drive out towards 27th Street and go past a home that has a lawn that gets mowed by a teenager. There have been times I wished I had my camera with me because I swear I would stop and take the guy's picture and put it up here for you to see. He actually mows the lawn with his pants down below his rear end...his entire butt hanging out, with boxers showing. I can't understand how he is doing it. Pushing the lawn mower up and down the slight hill when he can barely walk. I wonder if it is his way of getting back at his parents for making him mow the lawn...saying "I'll show you, if you're going to make me mow the lawn, I'm going to do it looking like this"...and he literally makes an ass of himself (in my opinion anyway).
Well, this fashion trend...pants hanging below the butt...I don't understand it, but I'm not meant to understand everything.
Many cities across the country are passing ordinances against wearing pants that way...and I'm not sure how they are getting those laws passed, but they are. New York, Flint, and Chicago are among them.
MARCIN SZCZEPANSKI/DFP
Flint Police Chief David Dicks pats down a man who was stopped
Monday in Flint for his sagging pants.
The man was warned and released.
Dicks said his officers would start arresting people wearing saggy pants that
expose skivvies, boxer shorts or bare bottoms
It's The Law: No sagging pants in Chicago
Are your Jeans Sagging? Go Directly To Jail
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By Janet Evans
Sunday, Jul 20 2008, 05:32 PM
Duane Keiser
So, there’s a reason we feed our prisoners better that a simple diet of bread and water. Maybe that’s all some of them deserve…especially those who murder, or those who harm children, or those who deal drugs. But we treat prisoners better.
Let’s keep a better eye on the underweight ones now, too.
Yahoo News/AP í here
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Ever have the urge to be a guest blogger?
Now’s your chance × here
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By Janet Evans
Thursday, Jul 17 2008, 05:30 PM
So it’s the third day with oil prices tumbling…yes, I said it, tumbling below $130 a barrel…in over a month. A year ago that would have been an inconceivable thought. Right now I’ll go with it.
Since July 4th natural gas prices are down 20 percent and just since Monday, oil prices have dropped 10 percent cheaper a barrel.
Whoo-hoo!
So is this a trend?
Or just something temporary?
We’ll have to wait and see, now won’t we?
But we can enjoy it for the weekend.
Read one story at MSNBC å here
But you’ll be hearing more about this for awhile.
By Adam Schreck
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By Janet Evans
Thursday, Jul 17 2008, 07:02 AM
By Janet Evans
Wednesday, Jul 16 2008, 06:45 AM
In New York, parents of young school children are having trouble with “New Math.” So that makes me wonder if something has changed. Or has the use of the calculator finally dumbed down a generation?
I’m pretty sure we are talking about the same New Math that was introduced to me as a kid…So what’s going on?
"They call it the Math Wars: The debate, at times acrimonious, over which way is best to teach kids math. In its most black-and-white form, it pits schools hoping to prepare kids for a new world against reluctant parents, who feel the traditional way is best and their kids are being shortchanged.
But there are lots of parents who fall into a grayer area: They're willing to accept that their kids are learning things differently. They just want to be able to help them with their homework. And very often, they can't."
"Rebels!" Parents find New Math daunting Ã
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By Janet Evans
Friday, Jul 11 2008, 11:45 AM
"Our favorite characters on "Grey's Anatomy" may be able to get away with outrageous behavior on the job, but in real life medical authorities are saying enough. The Joint Commission, an agency that evaluates and accredits more than 15,000 healthcare organizations nationwide, issued a bulletin Wednesday saying that rude, hostile and disruptive behavior among doctors, nurses, pharmacists, therapists, support staff and administrators will no longer be tolerated."
Have you ever experienced "rude, hostile, or disruptive behavior from any in the medical profession? I have experienced "rude" behavior. Nothing more. It is a customer service job. Some people just aren't cut out for it. But obviously, people have had worse experiences or this bulletin wouldn't have been issued. I'd be curious to know what's really going on. Here's the full article from the LA Times ç here
In the meantime...medical shows like Grey's Anatomy have always been popular...Calling Dr. Kildare.
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By Janet Evans
Thursday, Jul 10 2008, 11:47 AM
I don't know how many times I have driven through road construction sites and have seen husky, burly men working on the roads with women right alongside them, and "Men At Work" signs next to the road and have never thought anything of it.
As a woman, the actual sign is the last thing I could care less about.
The important thing is that I give both the men and the women credit for doing the hot, and dangerous work out on the roads.
But here we go, we have to have Atlanta-based PINK magazine editor, Cynthia Good make a PINK stink over the fact that the signs only say "MEN" at work.
Who the hell cares?
She allegedly goes out and paints a "WO" in front of the MEN.
Now in Atlanta the signs are being replaced with "Workers Ahead."
"We're calling on the rest of the nation to follow suit and make a statement that we will not accept these subtle forms of discrimination," said Good, 48.
Don't we have better things to do with our tax money ?
Like repair our roads?
Read the story from AJC.com
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By Janet Evans
Thursday, Jul 10 2008, 06:25 AM
That and The Boy Who Cried Wolf...
How many other "stories" can we link to the salmonella crisis running amok?
Over 1000 people sickened now and still no confirmation as to where the origination of the bacteria is coming from?
Could there be a carrier harboring the strain?
This is now the worst foodborne outbreak in a decade.
A decade!
And the CDC doesn't have a clue?
Last week we were told raw tomatoes were okay again.
They are back in restaurants and stores.
And today, again, we hear certain ones are suspicious.
Also, raw jalapeños are dangerous.
Maybe this isn't the food at all and it is deliberate and that's why they can't find the cause.
"The CDC acknowledges that for every case of salmonella confirmed to the government, there may be 30 to 40 others that go undiagnosed or unreported. "The outbreak could actually be tens of thousands of people rather than 1,000 people," agreed Caroline Smith DeWaal of the consumer advocacy Center for Science in the Public Interest. "It's certainly a disturbing event to have this many illnesses spanning this many months."
Disturbing? That's an understatement. from My Way the full article Salmonella Infects Over 1,000; Peppers Now Eyed
and revisit It's Always Something
and from a past Righty Blog About That Salsa
So how's your garden doing?
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By Janet Evans
Wednesday, Jul 9 2008, 11:10 AM
And this is no Empire State Building, which is why it may be easier to scale the New York Times building, since it is covered with slats.
Two men attempted that today, one reaching the top.
Alain Robert climbed in the name of global warming, which he states is "killing more people each week than 9/11."
The second climber today was climbing for malaria awareness.
Two other men have attempted climbing the same building in recent weeks.
"Only in New York. This is why I live in New York," said 29-year-old Emily Perschetz, who watched the second climber for about 20 minutes. "You've got to respect them for trying," she added."
I checked…full moon isn’t until July 18th….
Read the story from the USA Today í here
Taggart for News
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By Janet Evans
Wednesday, Jul 9 2008, 06:40 AM
Peer-to-Peer file sharing networks such as LimeWire or Napster allow computer users to share data, music, or movie files between computers. You have to remember, copyrighted material is not legal to share with these programs, which severely limits file sharing.
I would think the average person is going to "file share" from home. First of all, while most computer connections are now faster with cable, it still takes time and bandwidth to do so. Plus you are allowing someone to link to your computer when you "share."
"Sometime late last year, an employee of a McLean investment firm decided to trade some music, or maybe a movie, with like-minded users of the online file-sharing network LimeWire while using a company computer. In doing so, he inadvertently opened the private files of his firm, Wagner Resource Group, to the public.
That exposed the names, dates of birth and Social Security numbers of about 2,000 of the firm's clients, including a number of high-powered lawyers and Supreme Court Justice Stephen G. Breyer.
The breach was not discovered for nearly six months. A reader of washingtonpost.com's Security Fix blog found the information while searching LimeWire in June."
Like I said in my title...I could see a teenager doing this...
Read the article from the Washington Post
Justice Breyer Is Among Victims in Data Breach Caused by File Sharing Justice Breyer
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By Janet Evans
Tuesday, Jul 1 2008, 11:15 AM
(Shrugging my shoulders and smirking as I write the title of this blog)
With the price of gas at the highest levels we’ve ever seen, and truckers especially feeling the pain at the pumps, their “profession,” if you will, has really been suffering.
Well, another profession, the “world’s oldest profession,” that is, is also feeling the pain. With the price of oil going up, their business has dropped. And truckers are a large part of that business, especially in Nevada.
Hardest hit are independent truckers, who must pay for their own fuel, said George Flint, a lobbyist for the brothel owners' association.
"So there goes your disposable income to have a little fun," Flint told the Reno Gazette-Journal.
Since January, the number of long-haul trucks based in Nevada has dropped by 4,100, or 12 percent, said Paul Eons of the Nevada Motor Transport Association.
Arnold predicted the industry would weather the slowdown."The customers won't be spending as much, but the brothels will still be there," he said.
"After food, the most important activity, at least for men, is sex. Sex is not going away."
The downturn also has affected brothels by leading to an increase in the number of women seeking jobs as legal prostitutes, [Geoffrey] Arnold, [president of Nevada Brothel Owner’s Association] added.
Read the article from CNN
So what does that mean?
Will truckers start finding legitimate girlfriends? Kind of like old-time sailors…“A girlfriend in every port?”
With the price of oil going up…so is the price of plastics…so that blow-up doll is probably out.
Poor guys…
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By Janet Evans
Tuesday, Jul 1 2008, 06:50 AM
I blogged in May about a Naval Reserve Station in LaCrosse, WI that had a 2000 lb. anchor that went missing, most likely at the hands of thieves who turned it in for scrap metal. Who knows how much money that anchor was worth?
With some people tight on funds, instead of picking up cans for recycling for a few extra dollars, the lowest of the low have found a way to make bigger bucks. They’re doing it in none other than cemeteries.
From Chicago to Florida, to Arizona and Texas, they haven’t yet become grave robbers, per se, but they might as well be. They’ve started with ornaments, such as vases. Some just flimsy and decorative, but others more heavy and ornamental.
The stakes are higher in Scottsdale [AZ], according to Jim Welch, director of family services for Green Acres Mortuary & Cemetery.
“While thefts are fewer, stolen bronze vases weigh about 4 pounds and cost $495 apiece. The cemetery foots the bill for replacements.
"We had a theft in January," Welch said. "They took two vases. We haven't had any incidents since then."
Welch said groundskeepers placed replacement vases the same day and families weren't contacted.
"It's very saddening that thieves are preying on cemeteries and grave sites," Welch said. "I don't know what to say that it's come to this, to steal from cemeteries.
We have to put an end to the problem. Police and scrap metal dealers are aware, and we're getting cooperation from them.
"We are open to the public. We can't really close our gates. A cemetery is known to be accessible to families. You don't want to stymie that activity."
View the entire article from Red Orbit
E.V. Scrap Metal Thieves Turn Attention to Robbing Graves
That’s just an example, and it’s happening all across the country. So, what used to be elegant and long-lasting as a monument for loved ones, will soon end up being plastic as another sign of the times. What these thieves don't realize as they make their quick buck is that when a loved one comes back to a cemetery and sees a monument or vase for their loved one missing, they've pillaged part of a heart or memory, too.
I guess that’s why the Egyptians sealed their tombs. But alas, that didn’t work either.
Tomb Robbers!
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By Janet Evans
Sunday, Jun 29 2008, 08:35 AM
So, I went to pay my AT&T Bill online and this popped up….
AT&T online Billing Site
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My first reaction?
Kind of odd that AT&T is mocking the class-action lawsuit brought against them by the EFF on behalf of customers. They are accused of violating customers' rights by illegally assisting the National Security Agency in widespread domestic surveillance.
Yeah, the average American has nothing to hide. So what?
This isn't about the lawsuit. This is about the ad. I think the ad fails if it was meant to try and make people feel better about AT&T.
Boy, AT&T....
What a stupid ad.
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By Janet Evans
Thursday, Jun 26 2008, 04:15 PM
For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
June 26, 2008
Termination of the Exercise of Authorities Under the Trading with the Enemy Act with Enemy Act with Respect to North Korea
A Proclamation by the President of the United States of America
I, GEORGE W. BUSH, President of the United States of America, by the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, including section 101(b) of Public Law 95-223 (91 Stat. 1625; 50 U.S.C. App. 5(b) note), hereby find that the continuation of the exercise of authorities under the Trading With the Enemy Act (50 U.S.C. App. 1 et seq.) (TWEA) with respect to North Korea, as authorized in Proclamation 2914 of December 16, 1950, most recently continued under Presidential Determination 2007-32 of September 13, 2007 (72 FR 53407), and implemented by the regulations set forth below, is no longer in the national interest of the United States.
Section 1. The exercise of TWEA authorities with respect to North Korea, which were implemented by the Foreign Assets Control Regulations, 31 C.F.R. part 500, and the Transaction Control Regulations, 31 C.F.R. part 505, and that were continued by Presidential Determination 2007-32 of September 13, 2007, is terminated, and Presidential Determination 2007-32 is rescinded with respect to North Korea.
Sec. 2. The Secretary of the Treasury is authorized and directed to take all appropriate measures within the Secretary's authority to give effect to this proclamation.
Sec. 3. This proclamation is not intended to, and does not, create any right, benefit, or privilege, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity, by any party against the United States, its departments, agencies, instrumentalities, or entities, its officers or employees, or any other person.
Sec. 4. This proclamation is effective at 12:01 a.m. eastern daylight time on June 27, 2008.
WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty-sixth day of June, in the year of our Lord two thousand eight, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-second.
GEORGE W. BUSH
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By Janet Evans
Tuesday, Jun 24 2008, 06:45 AM
Ellen Carrington Miss Tennessee.org
The newly crowned Miss Tennessee, Ellen Carrington, has formed a special bond with her dad and says he has been the greatest influence in her life. Many strong, intelligent women have good relationships with their fathers. Sharing hobbies together can help with that. Ellen and her father share a common interest.
Ellen Carrington, 21, who was crowned Miss Tennessee on Saturday night, has a concealed weapons permit."I have a Smith & Wesson .40-caliber," Carrington told reporters on Sunday, "(with a) silver top and black body."
A Jackson native and senior at Union University, Carrington decided to get the permit because she was spending a lot of time traveling to and from Nashville at night. She said spending time at shooting ranges with her father, Pat, helped create an even deeper bond between the two.
Ellen’s platform is volunteerism and being a positive role model. Perhaps she would be a good influence for promoting concealed carry on college campuses. That’s something to think about.
Newly crowned Miss Tennessee packs heat í here
Protesting for Rights - The Right Way to Protest - Colorado University Boulder
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By Janet Evans
Thursday, Jun 19 2008, 10:27 PM
Promises, promises….
or should I say going back on them?
Does this make him the typical politician?
Barack Obama thinks he’s entitled . . .
Entitled to make American citizens look foolish.
Democratic Sen. Obama is going back on his promise to use public financing in his fall campaign.
"Obama's decision to skip an earlier pledge to forgo public financing for the general election if his opponent did so will probably allow the Illinois fundraising phenom to outspend John McCain 3-to-1. But it also raises questions about his keeping commitments, especially when commitments made earnestly and early on turn out to be inconvenient. This sounds like old-style political gamesmanship and calculation, not the message of change Obama had been preaching..."
Read Insights from the Kiplinger Report í here
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By Janet Evans
Tuesday, Jun 17 2008, 06:45 AM
Drugs cost enough money the way it is.
We’re all feeling the pain when it comes to insurance and medical costs.
You want to believe you are being charged the least possible price for medicines at the drug store.
Here are the latest allegations about Walgreens:
“To save taxpayer dollars, Medicaid limits how much it pays for popular forms of drugs. But it doesn’t bother to set price-ceilings on rarely used versions. Take generic Zantac, or ranitidine, for example. The antacid is a huge seller in tablet form. Medicaid limits payment to 34 cents apiece. The same drug as capsules has no price-ceiling because it was so rarely prescribed. Medicaid pays $1.25 each. Walgreens figured it could pocket millions by switching patients from tablets to capsules.”
Read the story from CBS News ç here
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And another topic...
I don’t know if you’ve ever gotten an insurance Explanation of Benefits (EOB) in the mail after visiting your doctor. Here’s what I’ve found several doctor’s offices have done in the past. They do a procedure in the office and choose a “code” to mail in to insurance. You get the EOB and it states that you had something totally different done.
I’ve had EOBs say I had surgery done at a doctor’s office. Upon calling, the doctor’s office will just say, “That’s just the code we use.” Well, that code allows them to be reimbursed for higher fees. The fact is, I never had a surgical procedure and should not be charged as if I did, and that should be reported to the insurance company. This has happened to me more than once, at different offices. I know other people who have complained of the same thing. It pays to read your doctor bills and compare them to your EOBs.
And we wonder why insurance costs are rising so much.
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By Janet Evans
Tuesday, Jun 17 2008, 12:20 AM
Meet In God We Trust....the man...not the picture.
That's right...it's official.
Back in May (below) we heard that Steve Kreuscher petitioned to have his name changed to "In God We Trust." Steve is a bus driver and artist. Now he will start signing his art work with his new name.
Hmm...I thought "In God We Trust" was already being used.....
Judge OK's Man's Name Change ç
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You can certainly change your name if you aren’t happy with it.
It’s not something that’s done only at the time of marriage or by movie stars or artists.
Steve Kreuscher, of Zion, Illinois would like to change his name.
He's petitioned a judge there to do so.
He's asking to change his name to one that is not too common, though.
It's really a phrase.
See, he's worried a popular motto will be taken away, and he'd like to keep it around....
The name he'd like to have?
First name:
"In God"
Last name:
"We Trust"
You can read about it on eNews á here
In God We Trust
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