Mercury Rising!!

Recently on the evening news, there was a scene of breaking news. They were reporting on a mercury spill, and the aerial view from the news helicopter showed hazmat vehicles, men in white body suits, and an evacuation was underway. I was looking for the trainload of mercury that was spilled, but then they broke the devastating news. A standard mercury-filled thermometer had broken and created a world of hooplah!

Opting Out

Are you tired of unwanted "junk mail" showing up in your mailbox every day? Well I used to be. That was until I was looking over my credit report and at the end of the report, it list the different companies that they had sold my information to. I couldn't believe it! The companies that we hold with our sacred personal credit information, are selling our names, phone numbers and addresses. Chances are, it has happened to you also. You can stop this from happening by opting out. All you need to do is go to https://www.optoutprescreen.com and follow the direction and you will be opted out of all the reporting agencies.

Binky Brats

What is the first thing you think of when you see and older kid, aged 3 or older, walking around with a pacifier in his/her mouth? What about a blanket? Well, it gets on my nerves. These children are normally misbehaved, and lack discipline. The parents are to blame for these bratty kids. Having three kids of my own, I know all about the binkies and what not. I know how difficult it can be to wean these kids off of their security items,but I would say that it is normally more the parents not wanting to deal with a crying child, than the separation of the child and pacifier.

School Levies

More and more schools are going to the people asking for more money. They cite the state has cut funding and cannot afford to operate with the current level of funding. I'm sure this is true, the federal government cuts spending, the state government must cut spending, the company I work for has been making drastic cuts as well. As a result, I get paid less and I have to make cuts in my household. It seems to me the only people that don't seem to be making cuts are the schools. My son came home with a list explaining all the drastic cuts that will be made if new levies will not be passed. I am sure there are many cuts the schools can make and make a difference, before they have to eliminate bussing, libraries, sports, etc.

Blogspot Blogs Part II

As I go from blog to blog, I am finding my self more and more having to go back, then forward again to get to another blog because that person has decided to either remove their button entirely, or put one of those ignorant end hunger banners over it. I really wish the programmers of blogspot would create a search filter so that I don't have to deal with this, as well as all the foreign language, and all the teeny-bop-I love everything-la-de-dah crap.

Amtrack

Yet another case of government waste. Every year tons of money gets poured into Amtrack. How much exactly? I don't have a clue. I'm sure it's a bunch. I don't know anyone who even rides it. It may have been a good thing 50 years ago, but I think the time to do away with it is now. Let's privatize it!

Give and inch, take a mile

The feds are looking in to whether or not Martha Stewart violated her house arrest agreement. As far as I know, she is allowed to leave her home for 48 hours a week for work purposes only. Appearantly, she has been going out on the town, as well as attending parties and other social events. I guess she believes that showing her face is considered actual work. Obviously, opinions vary.

I got junk in the trunk!

Well, my wife had been watching the clearance rack at our local Target store, they had been marking down Memorex karaoke machines. They were normally around $110 and they were down to $83.99 so we went for it. When I got the unit home, we tested it out and the monitor was shot. Several days later, I took it back and got another one. Like the previous one, the box did not appear to have been opened and the unit used, so we got another one. After we got home and tested it, it appeared to work. We planned a fun Karaoke party with our young children and they were really looking forward to it. When we fired it up the next day, the monitor crapped out. We took this one back and decided that we would not go with the Memorex next time around. We went back and all they had were memorex brand machines. We decided the third time might be the charm. We opened the box in the store and plugged it in. (We were beyond caring about making a scene) Guess what, the monitor might have worked but there was an obvious mechanical defect with the monitor tilt mechanism! We went to another store and bought a KaraokeVision and it is nice!

You Decide 2008

I have set up a new blog site that will be talking about the 2008 Presidential election. I am currently looking for contributors for it. The site is www.youdecide2008.blogspot.com. If you would like to become a contributor(Democrat or Republican), Click Here To Write Me

Why are so many kids fat?

As I watch the news, and read the newspaper and other online resources, I am hearing more and more about the child obesity epidemic. Many people ask why, but I don't think you need to. Just take a look around. When a child wakes up in the morning, what do they have for breakfast? Are they having the wheat bagel like their parents? Orange Juice? Probably not. In fact, my guess would be they are eating some sort of commercialized candy in a breakfast wrapper. This candy could be in the form of cold cereal or Pop-Tarts or something else of the like. Any more, at school, the children have many choices about what they can have for lunch. I can assure you, they are not eating their vegetables. No, more like pizza. Your child could probably eat pizza every day for lunch and would not raise any red flags. Who is teaching our children about healthy eating? After school, it's snacks. After dinner, dessert. Before bed, snacks. I would encourage everyone to rent and watch the move "Super Size Me!". It is very eye opening about fast foods. Also a good site to visit with your children is http://www.kidshealth.org

Stamps going up again

It might be about time to throttle up on the stamp buying, because in about a year the Post Office is raising rates again. Word is, probably around two cents. I think it's about time the government got out of the mail business. I have to wonder how much an outfit like UPS would need to charge to send a first class letter?

Free Coupons

Free Coupons
I went to this Blog site, and they were promoting free $100 gift certificates for participating in a promotion. After giving up my information, I had to complete a survey. I then realized that I have been sucked into this one before, and I got HAMMERED with SPAM. Stay away from this kind of garbage.

PBS

Yet another government expense we could do without. Granted, they do have a lot of informative programs, most of the "grown up" programs come out of England. I know they take a lot of public contributions, but I think that if the government is funding a big chunk of their programming, it should be American. They even broadcast BBC news. Maybe I'm just ranting, but I think it needs to stop.

Coming soon to a pet store near you!

I you liked my post FatCats, The you'll really love this one. The animal rights extremists have decided that getting your dog "fixed" is not fair to the animal, and soon you will be able to buy Doggie Condoms. According to the website, one drawback is that the human needs to put it on for them. What will they think of next?!?!?!

Subscribe

You can now subscribe to my blog! Put in your email address on the right, and you will get a daily overview of updates so you never miss out! I tested this out myself and does not produce any SPAM.

NAMBLA Keeping it clean

It was reported n the Chicago Tribune that the North American Man Boy Love (NAMBLA), a pro-pedophile group has adopted a portion of Illinois highway. The picture above is a fake, but the story is still under investigation. To me, if it's still unknown if it's true or not, means that it is true. How hard could it be to figure out?

Made in China

During the Clinton Era, there were several things that seemed to be worth noting(for some). Gays in the military, NAFTA, and opening up trade with China. The first two are good topic ideas for future blogs, but I think opening up trade with China was perhaps the biggest mistake of the Clinton administration. I am not a Clinton basher, and I am sure the intent was good. All those billions of people over there, buying up American goods. That, in part, is how it panned out. The problem is, they are buying up wood and many other raw materials and selling back to us steel and just about anything else you can think of. The average American s not helping matters at all. While we gripe and complain about jobs going overseas, this would not happen if we all bought American made products! So next time you are shopping at Walmart, count the items in your cart that are Made in China.

Death Penalty

The debate of the death penalty is slowly coming back to life in America. The problem with this debate is that there is a lot of middle ground here. Yes you have a lot of people who are completely against it, and you have those with the "juice 'em" attitude, many are like myself. I believe that the death penalty is appropriate for people like serial killers and those types. I don't think that someone should be put to death after a single incident. This, of course, is up for debate.

Say AHHHHH!!!

Beginning May 18th, a new law goes into effect in Ohio requiring all felons and probationers to submit an oral DNA swab. Their DNA will be added to a national database. Probationers who refuse the test will be treated as being in violation of probation.

Tire Discounters

This week I went to Tire Discounters to get a couple of tires. My situation required that I get one tire put on a rim, then return with my vehicle to get the other one done. The guy explained to me that it would take 45 minutes to do an alignment, and advised me of the closing time. When I returned, he informed me I needed a new outer tie rod replaced before the alignment could be done, and that it would take 45 minutes. Long story short, they had everything done in 45 minutes. Why should I be charged for 1 1/2 hours labor?

Bill O'reilly

Once upon a time I would look forward to watching Bill O'reilly on the Fox News channel. Then as time progreesed, I got tired of hearing him constantly complain about the Mexican border and Jesse Jackson. You can name about five items that he constantly talks about. I don't think he is left or right, but he has struck a nerve with me.

Let him go

This morning I read in the paper that Pat Tillman's parents were making a big stink about how his death was handled. I really don't want to sound insensitive, but to all the world and media-get over it. Don't get me wrong, I am a veteran and feel badly about any soldier killed in action. What bothers me is all the attention paid to Pat Tillman. Just beause he was a football player makes him no more a hero than any other soldier serving in the armed forces. They have Pat Tillman wristbands, memorials, etc. What about the other 2000 people killed the last couple of years?

She's got a bun in the oven!!

Well, she finally came out and admitted it. Britney Spears is prego. In a few years I wonder if we will be seeing all the semi nude pictures of her stretch marks and low hanging breasts.

Drill Away!!!!

This week congress passed legislation that will make it easier for the Bush administration to open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge up for drilling for oil. While supporters claim that this is the lions share of oil, and will answer the need to back away from foreign petrolium dependancy, opponents of the issue claim this will have little to no impact on our energy crisis. My guess is that we will end up somewhee in the middle. I would see prices coming down a bit, along with a few choice Texans getting a little bit richer.

Blogspot Blogs

I really enjoy posting my blogs, researching for my blogs, and occassionally checking out other people's blogs. I normally do this by clicking the "next blog" button in the upper right hand corner. There is a major drawback to this, that would be great if it were to be resolved. I waste a lot of time on blogs that I can't read becasue they are in Spanish, Chinese or some other foreign language. How about we get this fixed?!?!

Flood Car

This month, thousands of cars ruined in the Florida hurricanes will be put on the market. I hope you aren't one of the unlucky buyers. These cars are considered totalled when they have been sitting in water for two days, and they are normally still drivable. People buy them from salvage yards and resell them, usually out of state. If you are going to buy a used car, make sure you look for signs of water and mud in unusual places (glove compartment, spare tire, etc). You can also get a carfax vehicle history report.

Walkathon - (Re-post)

I just wanted everyone to know that Samantha (My lovely wife) and I have volunteered to do a cancer walk-a-thon and it will be in the June timeframe. We take pledges and it’s that sort of thing. If you would like to pledge(flat rate), you can either Email me, or you can go to the website and pledge online! No pressure, but thanks to anyone who participates!

Mail in Re-bait

Best Buy has made a major announcement that is sending shockwaves throughout the electronics retail industry. They announced that they will no longer offer mail in rebates within two years. This comes after the FTC stepped in and is beginning to enforce the rebate programs. Other major retailers, such as Circuit City and CompUSA are expected to follow suit. I would expect prices to be somewhat lower as a result.

Picture Day

Today my son brought home his student pictures. They take them twice a year now. They are no longer the standard picture with blue background, they have all sorts of neat backgrounds. Brandon's had trees in the background. What prompted me to blog about this is because not only did we get the pictures we ordered, as well as a bunch of others that we have to send in more money to keep. This low rate tactic reminds me of the old days of my Columbia House subscription, where they mail you CD's and if you didn't send them back, you bought them. I would expect this from record companies, but not sending them home with the kids.

VeriChip

The FDA has recently approved the VeriChip for medical applications and should start popping up around the country. While I am not going to be in the front of the line to get this implant, I probably won't be the last either. This chip is the size of the point of a ballpoint pen, and is inserted into your arm. With a simple scan, medical personnel will be able to access a 16 digit number, and then retrieve medical information about you. With identity thefts on the rise, this may be a growing possibility in the future. Where will it end? Will all your credit cards and banking items be stored in your arm? Probably. Bring it on.

Support our Troops

After we started seeing these yellow "support our troops" magnets popping up all over town, my wife and I decided that we should get some for our vehicles. I found that I could buy them at the local fire department, but I bought them from a friend who is a member of the VFW. They use the proceeds to send care packages to our troops in Iraq and Afghanastan. Since then, I have seen them for sale at Krogers and Walmart. I have to wonder if they are actually using the money they make to "support our troops", or if they are supporting their wallets.

Is it just me?

Is it just me? Or is it not getting warm in here....I remember siting in grade school many moons ago listening to the teacher preach to us about global warming. Well, a lot of time has passed and it doesn't seems to be any warmer. We also seem to be still having record low temps in the winter. I must admit, I am not very versed on the topic. Maybe it is getting warmer in the desert somewhere. I am aware, however, the the Earth's magnetic field is collapsing and will ultimately lead to a polar shift(We'll all be dead then, don't worry about it)But I think that if there is global warming, this probably has more to do with it than me driving my polluting vehicle.

Al Sharpton in hot water?

Word is spreading around that there is an ongoing criminal probe as to whether Rev. Al Sharpton violated campaign finance laws during the 2004 Presidential election. Many feel that this will get no traction due to fear of being accused of racial Shenanigans, similar to that of the not so recent allegations of Jesse Jackson's Rainbow Push fraud investigation(or the lack thereof)

Money Mayday!!!

If you need some money to tide you over until payday, I have a loan for you!
You can get a short term, high interest loan from your neighborhood cash advance payday loan place. While some feel this is a convenient way to get cash until payday, I call it another case of preying on the weak and poor. These places have an APR of around 650% and generally leave people who do not have a lot of money even less. If you are the type who frequents these places, you might want to consider a realistic budget. If you do not have friends and family you can borrow money from, you would be better off taking out a cash advance from a credit card, or even talk with your local bank. If you don't want to go that route, go to the pawn shop. I think that these places are the worst route you can go. Even congress is now mulling the idea of clamping down on this.

Can of SPAM?

If you get deceptive SPAM email, you can forward them to the FTC SPAM division and they will add it to their database. You can emailthem at spam@uce.gov or get there from the following link.

FTC-SPAM-Home Page: " spam@uce.gov"

The fat cats

Just when you thought you've heard it all, you see now they are selling diet food for cats and dogs. I can totally nderstand though. I don't have any pets now, but I used to. The biggest problem I had with my dog, Charlie, was that he would always sneak into the cupboards and get his dog food out. I would be at work, and there he would be-sitting around the house, surfing the internet or watching tv all day, eating potato chips. What kind of person would buy diet food for their pets? I am sure it costs more than the regular.

Jane Fonda A.K.A. Hanoi Jane

Jane Fonda appears to be running low on money, and as a result she has written a book. She is making her rounds on all the talk shows, she is also "kinda" apologizing for her actions in Vietnam. She claims to have no regrets about visiting with the North Vietnamese but she does regret sitting in the AA Battery. This worthless excuse for a woman can keep her book as far as I'm concerned.

Michael Jackson

Michael had another damaging week in court this week. First a maid testified that Michael showered with kids then a former guard said that he saw him molest kids. Will the king of pop survive the big house?

Pusch's

I normally don't like to give product reviews unless they are relevent to at least a regional audience, but I will give this special treatment. We were in the Fairfield area yesterday and decided to try out the renewed Pusch's restuarant on Nilles Rd. Our first impression was that it might not be a good idea, but we went ahead and ave it a chance. There were very few people dining, and we weren't sure what to becuase there was nobody there to greet us. After we were escorted through the smoking section we were seated and we ordered our drinks. With three of us eating, we were giving two straws, and mine looked like it had been kicked around the parking lot for a few days. The food was actually pretty good, everything was nice and hot and to be fair, the waiter was trying very hard to be nice. What really chapped me of about the whole thing was, our bill was $22, and when they did a pre-auth on my check card he rang it in for $122. Like I am going to leave a 400% tip?!?!Overall, I say thumbs down to Pusch's Bitro!

Investing Pub : Investing Money Forum

If anyone enjoys discussion boards, I must recommend going to Investing Pub.com . It is a financial oriented forum but you can post just about anything. I have been posting on there since January. The forum is still very young, and you kind of get to know just about everyone on there. Anyway, just thought I'd put it out there. Hope to see you there!

Allen Concrete - Service Review

Today I got an estimate to have a concrete patio poured, including two steps. The guy was very professional and easy to deal with. I will probably have him do the work and will update with new developments.