Grandma's House

This is getting ridiculous! These enviro-nazis are trying to turn the kids against us!

Launched today with large colour ads in the Sundays, it appeals directly to children, urging them to enlist as “climate cops”, to root out “climate crimes“, and thus “save the planet”.

In a luridly-designed website, mimicking the style of “yoof” cartoons, it offers a bundle of downloads, including a pack of “climate crime cards“, urging its recruits to spy on families, friends and relatives, inviting each of them to build up a “climate crime case file” in order to help them ensure their putative criminals do not “commit those crimes again (or else)!”

Let's all be a little more vigilant, and make sure this kind of garbage doesn't make its way across the pond to our country.

Hey, kids! Are ya thirsty?? How about a big ole glass of unagi nobori?

The fizzy, yellow-colored drink contains extracts from the head and bones of eel and five vitamins — A, B1, B2, D and E — contained in the fish.

Um... I think I'll pass.

There was a time, a few days ago, when I would have said that Obama was no flip-flopper, because to be one you had to have sides, and that's something he doesn't have. But I was wrong. Back in 2006, Mr. and Mrs. Obama went to Kenya, to see his ancestors' homeland. While they were there, the village named their school after him, and he promised to help them improve their lives.

At that historic homecoming in August 2006 Obama was greeted as a hero with thousands lining the dirt streets of Kogelo. He visited the Senator Obama Kogelo Secondary School built on land donated by his paternal grandfather. After addressing the pupils, a third of whom are orphans, and dancing with them as they sang songs in his honour, he was shown a school with four dilapidated classrooms that lacked even basic resources such as water, sanitation and electricity.

He told the assembled press, local politicians (who included current Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga), and students: "Hopefully I can provide some assistance in the future to this school and all that it can be." He then turned to the school's principal, Yuanita Obiero, and assured her and her teachers: "I know you are working very hard and struggling to bring up this school, but I have said I will assist the school and I will do so."

To this day, he's not lifted a pinky finger to do anything for those people, and this includes his own family that lives there.

But don't lose hope. Baldilocks has started raising funds to help these people, since her family also hails from that particular region in Kenya. If you can help in any way, be it financial or moral support, go on over and let her know. Spread the word and let's help these kids. Somebody should.

So far, so good. Classes started again yesterday. The history class is going to be pretty easy, I think. After all, most of it has happened in my lifetime. Plus, the instructor seems fairly laid-back. The "behavioral science" class, which should just be called psychology class, not gonna be quite as easy. The instructor wants all assignments in APA format, even the assignments that are only 100-200 words. What a pain in the butt. Oh, well. Gotta get through it and move on.

Okay, fellas, I know you can all relate to this one. A man in Milwaukee, allegedly intoxicated, was having trouble getting his lawn mower to start. So he went into the house, got his sawed-off shotgun, and shot the lawn mower. I've been tempted to do that a few times. Of course, he got into trouble because his gun was illegal, but still...

Folks, I'm no big fan of John McCain. He definitely was not on my list of candidates this cycle. But the GOP thinks he can win, and if Obama keeps screwing up, they're probably right. Of course, he is getting endorsements from convicted murderers, just before they get the needle. Obama graduated to a larger plane, and rather than using the American Flag like every other governmental member, had it replaced with his own logo. This multi-national tour of his is embarrassing to say the least. He totally disrespected the Jewish people of all nations by allowing people to hang campaign banners at the Wailing Wall (pictures here). He flies up to Germany to speak at the foot of a monument closely related to Adolf Hitler to speak to a crowd of between 20,000 and 200,000 people, hiding the fact that right before his speech there was a free rock concert complete with free beer (story here). Then to top it all off, he totally disrespects our wounded soldiers by refusing to visit them. Of course, the campaign tried to say that was because it would look like campaigning (duh!). When they were questioned about that, they decided the reason they couldn't go was because the Pentagon blocked them. The real reason came out later: the campaign workers and the media were blocked, but the Senator and his staff were more than welcome (story here). This is pathetic.

Like I said, I'm no fan of John McCain, but I will NEVER cast a vote for Barack Obama. I want to be able to look my grandchildren in the face and tell them I didn't sell out. I couldn't care less if he were pink and purple with green and orange polka dots and stripes, if he were the right man for the job I'd vote for him. But he's not.

It's time again for Phriday Phideaux. This week, a magical puppy:



Now, an extra phideaux, this one for by boy, Anthony. Happy birthday, big guy!

Oh, come on!

Barack Obama strode onto the world stage on Tuesday with trademark audacity, or as his political enemies would have it, a dearth of humility, in the symbolic shadow of Jordan's Temple of Hercules.
As he tries to convince Americans he will keep them safe, the White House hopeful held his first major press conference abroad as presumptive Democratic nominee near ancient Roman ruins and a shrine to the mighty Greek mythic hero.

He's about as close to Hercules as I am. Do they not have a shred of humility in his 300+ staff of advisors?

Hypocrisy, thy name is the Democratic National Convention.

The committee hosting the Democratic National Convention has used the city's gas pumps to fill up and apparently avoided paying state and federal fuel taxes.

The practice, which began four months ago, may have ended hours after its disclosure. An aide to Mayor John Hickenlooper released a statement Tuesday evening saying that Denver 2008 Host Committee members would pay market prices for fuel and would also be liable for all applicable taxes.

However, Public Works spokeswoman Christine Downs told City Council members just hours before that host committee members were fueling up at the city pumps. The city does not pay taxes on the fuel for its fleet, and Downs said the host committee would not either.

I don't know what to say to that. Feel free to vent in the comments.

There is a very lucky man in New Joisey tonight. He destroyed 80% of his apartment, and caused damage to the apartment above his, all because he didn't have the sense God gave a goose. Who in their right mind uses flammable liquids to exterminate bugs in their apartment without making sure all the pilot lights were out? I mean, really!

I got an email from my OLDEST sister (her words) about the day I was born. I decided, rather than paraphrase, I would immortalize her words by posting them verbatim:

Ok, I named you Monkeedo, I also hit Elaine with the phone. I was the oldest and she was supposed to let me answer. She deserved it. I also named Dallas, Dooley, and your husband Sir Mugley. Lets give credit where credit is due. Lol
Your OLDEST sister
Judy
Feel free to print a retraction.
I think it was because of a toy monkee you had. I can still see it in my mind

And there you have it. Now you know two of my sisters' names as well. Just one thing though: who the heck is Dooley? I don't remember that one.

By the way, sis, is it okay with you if I occasionally post one of your poems?

I saved the cereal! You're probably thinking, "Why are you eating cereal at 2:00 in the morning?" That's easy. I eat a bowl of dry cereal instead of potato chips or cookies. Less sugar, no cholesterol and low carbs. Doc thinks it's a good idea.

Anyway, on to the news. I'm sure you've all heard that President Bush lifted the executive order banning off-shore drilling and asked Congress to do the same (fat chance). In addition, the administration has opened almost four million acres in Alaska for drilling. In other news, in the past week, oil prices have dropped from almost $148 a barrel to slightly more than $128 a barrel. In one week! Of course, we all know that's just a coincidence, right?

Wow! This is wild! I just noticed that my ranking in the TTLB Ecosystem has jumped from wiggly worm to slithering reptile! Just in the past week or so! I just love exclamation marks!! Thank you to everyone who has come to visit and/or link to my humble website. Tell your friends. It's a great way to waste a couple of minutes. I've still got another week before classes start again so I'll probably be posting regularly until then. These next classes should be easier, so posting won't be so erratic during school as well.

I have to go now. Bandit wants to eat my cereal. I'd rather do it myself.

I've been thinking about The Mole, and I'm not sure now that Mark is the mole. The reason I say that is because of the barrels at the vineyard. One barrel the camera focused on was marked N20 HL70. When I Googled that set of numbers, it came up as a couple of color pigments, orange and yellow. Now I'm thinking that may have been a clue, and maybe Clay is the mole. Does that make sense? They're both still in the game. We'll see.

After having an email conversation with TwoDogs, I realized I've never talked about how I got my nickname, Monkeedo.

My family is a blended family. My mom had five children by her first husband, and my dad was divorced with no kids. Actually, his wife had him convinced he couldn't have any. I thank God she was such a witch; it made him appreciate Mom that much more. Anyway, they were fairly certain there wouldn't be any more children when they married. Surprise!! Nine months, 3 hours and 36 minutes later, hello world!!

My sisters were thrilled to be getting a baby sister to take care of. Actually, when Dad called home to let them know I was here, they got into a fight over who was going to answer the phone. I can't remember who won, but I think one of them hit the other with the receiver. And phones were pretty darn heavy back then.

Well, times passes and I become a toddler. With two teenage sisters. Naturally, I wanted to go everywhere they went and do everything they did. Monkey see, monkey do. Get it? Of course you do.

So I became monkeydo. Later, after the Monkees became popular, I started spelling it monkeedo. I've always liked that name.

Some time, I'll tell you how my brother became Uncle Turkey.

I've added several new blogs to my blogroll, because I try to read them every day and thought you might want to check them out as well. The hotlinks for each of them is already in the sidebar, so I'll just give you a list here:

First up is Cowtown cop. I do so enjoy reading blogs by my heroes, and that would be all police, fire and medical personnel. Cowtown Cop will not disappoint.

Then you have Mean Ol' Meany. The name alone should tell you a lot. The bloggers here have great stuff for ya.

Patterico's Pontifications is fully loaded with news you probably won't get on the radio or television, not even in your local newspaper.

Let's not forget The Sniper, for good reason. She's a sharp shooter whether she uses words or guns. And she does like guns, gents.

Next up we have Watts Up With That?. This blog takes a daily close look at how weather measurements are taken and how some are being manipulated in the name of "global warming" or "climate change" or "scaring people to death for nothing". He really helps you get to the bottom of the whole story.

Last but not least, I have White Coat Rants, another med-blog I really enjoy. A place to get good information and have a lot of fun.

I hope you'll all go check them out, and add them to your blogroll as well. You won't regret it, believe me.

If you are a fan of Harry Potter, as I am, you have heard the name Nicholas Flamel. Well, a wonderful Irish writer named Michael Scott is writing a series featuring Nicholas Flamel and his wife. The first book is called The Alchemist, and the second book in the series is called The Magician. Like I said, if you like Harry Potter you'll like these books. They make reference to people and places from history, mythology, literature, even Star Trek. A little something for everyone. I wouldn't recommend them for little kids, because they are written more like the later books in the HP series. If you want to read more about them, go through the Amazon link on the right and check them out. My computer is goofin' on me tonight and I can't do any hotlinks. Enjoy!!

It's time once again for Phriday Phideaux, our weekly look into the tortures we perpetrate on our beloved children of fur. First off, we have this poor baby who would rather be outside playing sicc'r we're sure:



Now, for an example of a dressed-up dog who you can tell is plotting revenge, we absolutely must turn to our favorite female blogger, Rachel Lucas, and the fun she has with her "kids"...

Here's Sunny:



And Maggie:



Can't you just feel the love? Actually, I love these two dogs almost as much as my own Bandit. Of course, they don't jump on me while I'm trying to sleep, so it's pretty easy, but I digress. Tune in next Phriday phor more phun.

Okay, here's a three-fer for you, at least one of which should get your blood boiling:

1. Last spring, John McCain went to Iraq. As he should. He wanted Obama to go with, but Obama said he'd go later. That's fine. What's not fine is how the media is dealing with it. When McCain went, it was like a brief mention in the "what else is new" section of the news. Now that Obama is going, Brian Williams, Katie Couric, and Charles Gibson are ALL planning to go with him, as well as news reporters from the top newspapers and news magazines in the country. When is the mainstream media going to stop kissing his hoozit??

2. There are five Mexican nationals on Death Row in Texas right now. One of them is scheduled for execution on August 5 (my brother's birthday) for the rape and murder of two teenage girls during a gang initiation. Now the World Court has ordered the United States to stop the executions. Perhaps in response we should simply move up the execution date to, say, Friday?

3. Governor Rod Blagojevich (man that's hard to type) thinks perhaps the Illinois National Guard should be sent to Chicago to curtail their spiralling crime rate. I'm not sure, and maybe someone who knows could inform me, but wouldn't that be in violation of Posse Commitatus? I don't believe he has that kind of authority. He hasn't even discussed it with the mayor of Chicago. Dude is seriously overstepping here, I think.

Okay, that should keep your water-cooler tongues wagging for a little while. I'm gonna go read another book. I've finished two since school let out on Monday. This is fun!

You might think the 2008 election cycle couldn't get more hilarious, but you would be wrong. The Green Party (haha) has selected Cynthia McKinney as their candidate for President. 'Scuse me while I go laugh my butt off. Is she the best they could come up with? Seriously?

You know medical insurance has got to be bad when the hospital providing the insurance for its employees refuses to accept it.

I cannot believe this! That paper I wrote for my accounting class was some of the dumbest, most disjointed bushwa I've written since I had to write book reviews in junior high school. I GOT AN A!!! My overall grade for the class was a B-. What is wrong with these teachers? Don't they read this crap? Oh, well. I wouldn't have given it above a C. But I will take my 80.55% B- and laugh all the way to my next accounting class, which is two cycles from now. I am sure I got a solid B in geology, so my GPA should at least stay the same, if not go up a little.

Okay, now here's a guy who really needs to get out of his house more often:

Police were sent out on an emergency call after an anxious resident reported a 'bright stationary object' in the sky ... which turned out to be the Moon.

I'll bet he believes in global warming, too.

Please look at this picture and tell me how anyone can take global warming seriously. For years they've been harping about how pollution is going to kill us all, and how the crap in the air is causing global warming. Now they've changed their minds on that, too:

GOODBYE air pollution and smoky chimneys, hello brighter days. That's been the trend in Europe for the past three decades - but unfortunately cleaning up the skies has allowed more of the sun's rays to pierce the atmosphere, contributing to at least half the warming that has occurred.

It seems all those aerosol cans were keeping the temperatures from skyrocketing. At least that's the theory today. In the meantime...that poor cow!

This explains a lot. Sir Mugley hates ketchup.

You Are Ketchup

You are easy going and very measured in your approach to life. Popular and well liked, you get along with everyone. Seriously, everyone loves you! Your taste tends to be pretty mainstream American. You go for the classic favorites: burgers, fries, and apple pie. You get along best with mustard and mayonnaise personalities.

Is this stupid All-Star Game ever going to end? Fourteen freakin' innings!! Come on!!

You know, if you'd seen me this afternoon, when I was about half way through my final paper for accounting, you would have seen something similar to this:



But now, it's Monday, my classes are done, all assignments turned in, and I'm free for the next two weeks!



I'm actually looking forward to my next classes. I've changed my schedule so I'm taking a history class along with my Behavioral Science Intro. That one should also be easy, since Sir Mugley got his degree in Psych. I'm sure I can borrow his notes. He never throws any of them away. Me, as soon as my classes are done, the computer files are filed away, and I never have to see them again! Anyway, I'll blog some more either tomorrow night or Wednesday. Gotta go read a book for pleasure. I think I remember how...

I only have time for a quick Phriday Phideaux post this week, because I'm working on my final projects for school. I do have one question: do universities get a kickback for every PowerPoint assignment they give out? I hate these things!! I checked my upcoming classes last night, and each class has two of those stupid things. Whatever happened to writing a paper? Hmmm??

In honor of the Phourth of July, we have special photos of our Phriday Phideaux entry. Let's see how they're spending their day today:

Looks like they're having a fun party!


And what's a Phourth of July without a cookout?


Of course, everybody enjoys the fireworks display!


You're right, little guy. Phreedom and independence is beautiful! Let's never forget it.

as always, kudos to ihasahotdog.com for the great photos of our canine pals.

And the hits just keep on comin'. We were supposed to go to a family reunion at Sissy Dawg's house up north today, and I can't go. While I was shopping for food yesterday, my sciatic nerve flared up. Man, I hate that. Feels like my butt's on fire, and hurts down both legs. Takes a few days to get rid of it. I'll probably wind up spending the day in bed. I'll still have to do my homework; we don't get a holiday when you go to school online. I can do that if I take a break and lay down. Can't lay down and drive a car now, can I? Hopefully, they will forgive me and give me a raincheck. I'll show up at her house one of these days and we'll go to lunch...or she'll have me for lunch. Either way, we'll get to visit.

What Your These Fireworks Say About You

You are a rather reserved person in day to day life. However, you do have a few topics that truly excite you. When you become impassioned, it's a surprise to everyone around you. But if they blink, they'll miss it, because you get back to being calm very quickly.

Just a couple of personal notes here:

I'm seriously thinking of changing majors. Accounting has always been something I thought I would enjoy, but lately it's just like trying to pull a car up a muddy hill with nothing but dental floss. Seriously. I'm dreading my next set of classes. I'm thinking of switching to something like History. I enjoy learning about historical stuff. Okay, family, any ideas? Advice?

Got an email from daughter today. She is thinking of having a ceremony with her current boyfriend in a couple of years called a handfasting. I looked it up and it's a pagan joining ceremony. It involves strands of string and binding their hands together. Ach! I just don't get it. It's meaningless. They're already playing house, why pretend... Prayers for guidance would be appreciated. I'm too old and tired to fight.

I've been taking the statins for my high cholesterol for about a week now. The only difference I can feel is a definite desire to eat more, especially when I first wake up. I open my eyes and my tummy is growling. That's not good. I need to lose about 60 pounds already. Keep the fingers crossed.

Well, we made it through the first half of the year. Six more months, and we can start all over again. Whoopee!!