Get ready for the Solstice, full moon and eclipse! Staring in a sky near you Tuesday.
Is all the shopping done? Has everything arrived?
Legislation still going on…what next?
Will the Koreans light up the sky or will we have peace on earth, good will toward men?
My dining room looks like a bakery. Played the “Wrapping Ferry” for a friend yesterday.
The shopping I’ve done was for my presents from my mom and hubby. Still waiting for one order to be delivered. Ordered one gift last week one charge went through and there’s was a second hold for the same order on my account for 5 days. This is
Accidently posted before finished…..
This is NOT the time of year to hold someone’s account for a few hundred bucks. Especially after the order was already charged and delivered. Grrr!
Did anyone see “60 Minutes” last night? Steve Kroft had an excellent report on the financial woes of state and local government. Guess what – the rating agencies are failing us again, and the local politicians and bureaucrats are lying. The report was not about Prince William County specifically, but I kept seeing Corey Stewart and Melissa Peacor in my mind while watching it. The link to the story is below.
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/12/19/60minutes/main7166220.shtml?tag=contentMain;cbsCarousel
Recall that the rating agencies told us that bonds backed by sub-prime mortgages were “AAA” before the housing market crash led us into the biggest economic downturn since the Great Depression.
In the “60 Minutes” report, Meredith Whitney, one of the most highly regarded financial analysts in the US and one of the few people who saw the collapse coming said that the impending crisis in municipal finance is second in severity only to what we experienced in the mortgage and housing markets.
I know that someone locally has been working behind the scenes for a few months on analyzing the PWC financial/economic situation, including the “gentleman’s” bond rating that Moody’s and Fitch gave Corey Stewart and Melissa Peacor.
Are you sitting down? Corey Stewart and Melissa Peacor have been lying and misrepresenting the facts about our economic situation in Prince William County. Or, maybe, that’s not such a big surprise.
Much, much more to come in the New Year on this.
I don’t think any plans to import cheap, price controlled drugs from Canada is going to work. They are running out.
http://www.smalldeadanimals.com/archives/015616.html
I’m scared. Anytime the Senate unanimously agrees on ANYTHING, its going to be bad. The “Food Safety” bill was attached to the budget continuing resolution. Knowing how clueless theses Senators can be, I believe that many of them did not realize it was attached.
It has now passed the Senate.
The FDA will now be able to act on “reason to believe” instead of actual evidence.
Here’s what natural food proponents think about this:
http://www.naturalnews.com/030587_Senate_Bill_510_Food_Safety.html#ixzz18cJXdanv
@Lafayette
No kidding! Call them and raise hell.
Cargo, are you against the safe food bill?
Whats in it good and what is bad?
@Moon-howler
I’m very concerned because the hold actually deducted the amount from bank account. I must make sure that the money was placed back into my account. I went to “our bank” last week about this. They told me I could do NOTHING until the charge went through, then they could do a fraud claim. Hello!! It’s my money and I don’t want that second charge to go through. They will be seeing my not so smiling face today. I might need reinforcement. Are you available? 😉
http://www.theonion.com/articles/glenn-beck-the-lone-voice-or-reason-in-an-age-of-h,18612/
The lone voice of reason in an age of hysteria. Bwahahaha!! GB is a hysterical crybaby. imho
I agree with some of what he says, but the guy is just a big clown at the end of the day.
Big Dog, I am speechless. Was that satire?
@Moon-howler
<Moon, I covered my objections in a previous thread. Its not worth it to go find my sources again. Besides, when I showed them, you decided that those sources were biased with an agenda. Just want to point out that it was passed with no objections.
Its just another overreaching bill that gives the FDA too much power at a micro-control level, giving unelected, politically connected, bureaucrats more power. Big Agriculture will be fine. Smaller farms will be micro-controlled to death. More private autonomy will be lost.
We don't have a crisis that depends upon more governmental expansion.
The Onion is always satire…
Thanks Andy. I thought it was but that sounded genuine. Had me fooled.
@need to know: what exactly are locals lying about?
But it sounds true, because all satire has some elements of truth to it…….
So, what parts ARE true?
And all propoganda is built on slivers of truth. It just that it gets twisted.
The Repeal Amendment. Virginia is leading the way to freedom again. What do you guys think?
“Under the proposed “repeal amendment,” any federal law or regulation could be repealed if the legislatures of two-thirds of the states voted to do so.
The idea has been propelled by the wave of Republican victories in the midterm elections. First promoted by Virginia lawmakers and Tea Party groups, it has the support of legislative leaders in 12 states. It also won the backing of the incoming House majority leader, Representative Eric Cantor, when it was introduced this month in Congress. ”
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/20/us/politics/20states.html?_r=1&emc=eta1
http://www.repealamendment.org/
“Any provision of law or regulation of the United States may be repealed by the several states, and such repeal shall be effective when the legislatures of two-thirds of the several states approve resolutions for this purpose that particularly describe the same provision or provisions of law or regulation to be repealed.”
living near a highway may cause autism!
http://healthland.time.com/2010/12/17/study-living-near-a-highway-may-contribute-to-autism-risk/?hpt=Sbin
The longest night and shortest day of the year also ushers in the move toward spring. From now until the Summer Solstice, the days will start to get longer and the nights shorter. Hurray–Welcome Yule!
My wife and I attend the Christmas Revels each year–a celebration of Christmas and the Winter Solstice. The Revels always ends with this Mummers’ Carole from Sussex, England. The las t verse says:
God bless your house, your children, too
Your cattle and your store,
The Lord increase you day by day, and
Send you more and more, and
Send you more and more.
This is our wish to you this Yuletide season.
Osbourn HS Teacher and one of the school security officers arrested for drugs. Security Officer not to be confused with the MCPD School Security Officers.
http://www2.insidenova.com/news/2010/dec/20/osbourn-teacher-school-security-officer-arrested-d-ar-727440/
Wonderful sentiments, George. Thanks for sharing with us.
Where are the Christmas Revels held?
Here is my favorite Mummers Dance:
This is a very female focused video.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sztgD0v67fc
Cargo, great link on the Food bill info. Whenever Congress ‘works together’ the little guy gets screwed.
I’m torn on the Repeal Amendment and I guess I want to know more about it before I go one way or the other on it. I’m torn because I think that Congress has the constitutional ability to pass federal laws and that the represenatives of the people and of the states are those passing them. In a perfect world that’s how it should work but in the world we live in where bills aren’t even read by the same legislators passing them.. maybe we should push a states right arguement and make it so that the states have a check on the federales.
I haven’t given this one too much thought but I think I’ll fire up the google-machine.
What are you calling the repeal amendment?
I believe you all were just born in the wrong century.
MH, see #18 for Repeal Amendment.
CARGOSQUID FOR SENATE !!! I think “SENATOR SQUID” sounds very teabaggerish don’t ya think?
I’ve already had a run at the Presidency!
http://www.inews3.com/topstory.php?id=7c436172676f5371756964
NTK, I was reading this and thought about your post above.
Would be nice to see a few cities get crushed. http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2010/dec/20/debt-crisis-threatens-us-cities
Senator Squid in the flesh: http://vimeo.com/4444007
Nice interview, Cargo. i wanted to tell all those people in the background to shut up so we could hear you better though.
That’s me, in all my glory. I’m much better looking than that, though. Especially when the lights are down. Autograph line forms to the….right, of course…..
That was taken a couple of years ago at the Military Blogger’s conference in DC.
One PWC Delegate wants to ban gays in the Va. National Guard.
Any guesses? 😉
http://www2.insidenova.com/news/2010/dec/20/pwc-delegate-wants-gays-banned-va-national-guard-ar-728099/
Once again the nation’s commitment to service members proves to be nothing more than convenient lip-service. The Pentagon convened a group of 50 military and civilian experts to assess whether cognitive therapy is an effective treatment for service members suffering from traumatic brain injuries (often as a result of surviving an explosion) and after the experts vote 50-0 that it is effective (treatment costs about $50k per patient) the Pentagon hires a single contractor that had already questioned cognitive therapy to do a reassessment and guess what … the contractor said it is not an effective treatment, therefore, Tricare won’t cover the cost.
http://www.propublica.org/article/pentagon-health-plan-wont-cover-brain-damage-therapy-for-troops Those willing to bring the government to its knees if millionaires didn’t get a tax break should show the same determined resolve to ensure service members get the best treatment for their service-connected injuries. They should show the same commitment to the 9/11 first responders, too. Senator Jon Kyl said it is disrespectful to make Senators work on Christmas … tell that to the service members and first responders who are pulling duty over the holidays … and can’t even get the medical treatment they earned.
Thanks for sharing that information, Moe. So all that flag wrapping is for show?
Many people don’t get to spend Christmas with their families and have to work. The senator needs to suck it up and realize he has it ever so much better than some poor slob stuck in Afghanistan for the holidays.
Another whiner.
Government healthcare is the BEST!
If that passes something tells me that the Va National Guard will lose Federal funding. He needs to direct his homophobia toward the Va Militia instead.
dog gives birth to 17 puppies!
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20101220/ap_on_fe_st/eu_germany_puppies
So did anyone see that one of the security officers at Osbourn High got arrested for possession of marijuana? It’s in today’s local news. Crazy!
Cute puppies, thanks for posting that.
Oh, i see Raymond already posted that.
When there are serious discussions about legalizing marijuana, I don’t think it is all that shocking that thirty somethings are users. I don’t know why they would sit outside in a car to do it rather than in the privacy of their home. That was dumb.
Yes, they were pretty stupid to get caught!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GkHNNPM7pJA
A little bit of Christmas cheer in the digital age. Enjoy.
GR, I agree. It makes no sense do to something that puts you at risk out in someone’s car. DOH.
http://hamptonroads.com/2012/12/all-jacked
Cheers.
Government intervention in my understanding of health and food options caused me to be fat! It’s the government’s fault!! JOY!!
http://articles.latimes.com/2010/dec/20/health/la-he-carbs-20101220
Americans, on average, eat 250 to 300 grams of carbs a day, accounting for about 55% of their caloric intake. The most conservative recommendations say they should eat half that amount. Consumption of carbohydrates has increased over the years with the help of a 30-year-old, government-mandated message to cut fat.
And the nation’s levels of obesity, Type 2 diabetes and heart disease have risen. “The country’s big low-fat message backfired,” says Dr. Frank Hu, professor of nutrition and epidemiology at the Harvard School of Public Health. “The overemphasis on reducing fat caused the consumption of carbohydrates and sugar in our diets to soar. That shift may be linked to the biggest health problems in America today.”
But….but…Marinm, THEY KNOW BEST! Are you telling me that the FDA and the gov’t didn’t know what they were talking about?
But fructose is better for you than sugar. Just ask’em. Look how happy all of those corn farmers are! We have to put fructose in everything otherwise nobody would eat…..Our parents starved to death, don’t you know?
@Moon-howler
Christmas Revels are held by the Washington DC Revels Group–there are 15 such groups around the country. They’re generally held in early December at the Lisner Auditorium, GWU. The website is: http://www.revelsdc.org
SweetSurprise.com
It is important that consumers recognize added sugars in the diet. Despite its confusing name, high fructose corn syrup is simply corn sugar – or an added sugar in the diet. It is not high in fructose as its name would suggest. High fructose corn syrup is composed of the same two simple sugars (fructose and glucose) as table sugar, honey and maple syrup.
There has been much confusion about this natural sweetener made from corn. We want to clear up this confusion by calling this ingredient what it is: corn sugar. And that is why we are asking the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to allow for an alternate name for this ingredient on food and beverage labels.
See. The government IS looking out for me and know’s best. Darn you Cargo for not agreeing with g-men. After all, they hire the best and brightest to tell us (err.. encourage us) to do what’s good and best for “the greater good”.
I say we all get fat so that when ObamaCare goes live we can all get government lapbands and bankrupt the system. 🙂