Mrs. Bush Steals Show at Reporters' Dinner

By ELIZABETH WOLFE, Associated Press Writer
1 hour, 38 minutes ago



WASHINGTON - First lady Laura Bush stole the show with a surprise comedy routine that ripped President Bush and brought an audience that included much of official Washington and a dash of Hollywood to a standing ovation at a dinner honoring award-winning journalists.

The president began a speech late Saturday at the 91st annual White House Correspondents' Association dinner, but was quickly "interrupted" by his wife in an obviously planned ploy.

"Not that old joke, not again," she said to the delight of the audience. "I've been attending these dinners for years and just quietly sitting there. I've got a few things I want to say for a change."

The president sat down and she proceeded to note that he is "usually in bed by now" and said she told him recently, "If you really want to end tyranny in the world, you're going to have to stay up later. "

She outlined a typical evening: "Nine o'clock, Mr. Excitement here is sound asleep and I'm watching `Desperate Housewives'." Comedic pause. "With Lynne Cheney. Ladies and gentlemen, I am a desperate housewife."

The line earned particularly rambunctious applause from the area of the Hilton Washington hotel ballroom where actor James Denton from the hit ABC show sat.

Laura Bush added that she and her husband obviously were destined to be together as a couple because "I was the librarian who spent 12 hours a day in the library and yet somehow I met George."

The guest professional comedian, Cedric the Entertainer, next came to the microphone to deliver one-liners, but not before conceding the first lady was a hard act to follow.

Joining the Bushes were Vice President Dick Cheney and wife, Lynne. News organizations hosted show business and sports stars such as Goldie Hawn, Richard Gere, Jane Fonda, Mary Tyler Moore, tennis sisters Venus and Serena Williams and a few supermodels.

Award winners announced earlier this month:

_Ron Fournier of The Associated Press, the Merriman Smith Award for presidential coverage under deadline pressure for his stories on Bush's victory over John Kerry.

_Susan Page of USA Today, the Aldo Beckman Award for her stories on the presidency and the presidential campaign.

_Mark Fainaru-Wada and Lance Williams of the San Francisco Chronicle, the Edgar A. Poe Award for a series of stories on athletes' steroid use.

Presidents since Calvin Coolidge have attended the dinner hosted by the association, which was established in 1914 as a bridge between the press corps and the White House.

___

On the Net:

White House Correspondents' Association:

Poodle Site of the Day

A Tale of 3 Poos a great picture page

Mother Charged in Stabbing Deaths of Kids

OMG...ok this is horrible, those poor little kids, I'm sorry I'm a Mom, and I can not even EVER think about doing something like this, why would I...? ....

Read the story, very bad Karma happening here....poor little kids, Someone do me a Fav, and Frag her psycho-Ass...

Just my opinion, do not take this post as a real message to harm someone, no matter how freaking psycho she is, let the courts deal with this...

RHUBARB LATTICE PIE WITH CARDAMOM AND ORANGE

This looks really good.....someone come over and make it for me....

Crust
2 cups all purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes, frozen 15 minutes
7 tablespoons (about) ice water
Filling
10 cups 1-inch pieces rhubarb (about 2 1/2 pounds)
2/3 cup plus 2 teaspoons sugar
1/4 cup orange juice
2 1/2 teaspoons grated orange peel
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/4 cup strawberry preserves

1 tablespoon whipping cream

Vanilla ice cream


For crust:
Blend flour, sugar, and salt in processor 5 seconds. Add butter. Using on/off turns, blend until coarse meal forms. Add 6 tablespoons ice water. Using on/off turns, blend until moist clumps form, adding more ice water by 1/2 tablespoonfuls if dough is dry. Gather dough into ball. Divide into 2 pieces, 1 slightly larger than the other. Flatten into disks. Wrap and chill at least 1 hour and up to 1 day.
For filling:
Combine rhubarb, 2/3 cup sugar, orange juice, orange peel, and cardamom in large deep skillet. Toss over medium-high heat until liquid starts to bubble. Reduce heat to medium. Cover and simmer until rhubarb is almost tender, stirring very gently occasionally to keep rhubarb intact, about 8 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer rhubarb to colander set over bowl. Drain well. Add syrup from bowl to skillet. Boil until juices in skillet are thick and reduced to 2/3 cup, adding any additional drained syrup from bowl, about 7 minutes. Mix in preserves. Cool mixture in skillet 15 minutes. Very gently fold in rhubarb (do not overmix or rhubarb will fall apart).

Preheat oven to 375°F. Roll out larger dough disk on lightly floured surface to 12-inch round. Transfer to 9-inch glass pie dish. Roll out smaller dough disk to 11-inch round; cut into 1/2-inch-wide strips. Spoon filling into pie dish. Arrange 6 dough strips atop filling, spacing evenly apart. Arrange 5 dough strips atop filling in opposite direction, forming lattice. Seal strip ends to crust edge. Stir cream and 2 teaspoons sugar in small bowl to blend. Brush over lattice, but not crust edge.

Bake pie until filling bubbles thickly and crust is golden, covering edge with foil if browning too quickly, about 55 minutes. Cool pie completely. Cut into wedges; serve with ice cream.

Test-kitchen tip: To protect the pie edge from overbrowning, fold a yard-long piece of foli lengthwise into a four-inch-wide strip. Stand the strip around the pie like a fence, securing the overlapping portion with a paper clip.

Ankor Wat

This would be a neat place to see someday.

Barbados

Well I have been here twice...Nice place , very hot temperatures being so close to the equator.

Things to see: Sam Lord's Castle :Pirate, bad guy:), The Animal Flower caves, Oystens Fishing Market, Bridgetown,lots of restaurants and Clubs, I couldn't name many because

it was 1971 & 1972 when I was there:) a wee child:)

Oh Yeah My Mum and Dad went to the Gov General's Ball and My Dad Danced with Princess Margaret ( the Queen's sister ..she is dead now), that was cool, he said she was tipsy and mean........

Idol Bo's Blow Bust

Ya Know What?....We don't care:), we like Bo, he is cool, and we vote for him....so:NNYYYAAAHHHH:sticking out tougne...

Pam Cries Foul at KFC

The Complete Works of William Shakespeare

Everyone should read this and learn from it...

Doomsayers Say Benedict Fits World End Prophecy

Great...That's all we need, more signs of the apocalypse...

Warning: Migraine....

Sorry , not posting much , I have a migraine going on right now...have meds , just hard to see the screen, so not online much...

Conn. Fire Department Gets Pet Smoke Masks

This is a good thing, about time....

When I am Old---this is me...

When I am Old...

I shall wear Turquoise and soft gray sweatshirts...

and a bandana over my silver hair...

and I shall spend my Social
Security Checks on Exotic Fruit Juice
and My Dogs...

and sit in my house on my well-worn
chair, and listen to my dog's breathing.

I will sneak out in the middle of a warm Summer
night and take my dogs for a run,

if my old bones will allow...

and when people come to call,

I will smile and nod as I show them my dogs...

and talk of them and about them...

The Ones so Beloved of the Past

and the Ones so Beloved of
Today....

I still will work hard cleaning after them and
mopping and feeding them and
whispering their names in a soft, loving way.

I will wear their gleaming
drool on my throat like a jewel,

and I will be
an embarrassment to all,
and my family...

who have not yet found the peace
in being free to have dogs as your Best Friends....

These friends who always wait, at any hour, for
your foot fall....

and eagerly jump to their feet out of a sound
sleep, to greet you as if you are a God.

With warm eyes full of adoring love and hope
that you will stay and hug
their big, strong necks...

and kiss their dear
sweet heads....

and whisper
to them of your love and the beautiful pleasure of
their very special
company....

I look in the Mirror...

and see I am getting old....

this is the kind of woman
I am...and have always been.

Loving dogs is easy, they are part of me,
accept me for who I am. My dogs appreciate my
presence in their lives...

When I am old this will be important to me...
you will understand when you
are old.... and if you have dogs to love too.

(Author Unknown)

10 Easy Ways to Recycle Leftovers

The term leftovers, when applied to food, has
somehow become associated with
adjectives like bland, tasteless and unpleasant.
Just utter the word and
watch your children roll their eyes or stick
their tongues out in disgust.
Well, according to Tawra Kellam, there are plenty
of creative and fun ways
to turn yesterday's meal into something your
whole family will enjoy —
again! Here are the ten most interesting ways to
jazz up a meal the second
time around.


10. Cut leftover meatloaf into chunks and add
them to a jar of spaghetti
sauce to make speedy spaghetti and meatballs.


9. Spread margarine on leftover hamburger and hot
dog buns. Broil. Serve
with jelly for a different toast. You could also
spread with garlic butter
and/or Parmesan cheese and broil.


8. Hearty Chili Pie. Pour 4 cups extra chili in a
deep pie dish. (Add one
can corn if you have a little less than 4 cups.)
Prepare cornbread recipe
according to directions. Drip batter over chili.
Bake at 375 degrees for 30
minutes or until the cornbread is done. Sprinkle
with shredded cheddar
cheese.


7. Add leftover cooked rice to pancake butter.
They make a hearty breakfast.
Top with butter and syrup.


6. Dice leftover chicken and mixed vegetable and
toss with a well-seasoned
white sauce. Enclose mounds of the mixture in
flattened refrigerator
biscuits and bake to make delicious turnovers.


5. Use leftover pork and beans to make an
open-faced sandwich. Put the bean
mixture on hamburger bun halves or bread, top
each with a slice of American
cheese and broil until the cheese is melted and
bubbly.


4. Grind up 1 serving of leftovers and use as
baby food. If you don't use
them right away, freeze in ice cube trays. When
frozen, transfer to a
freezer bag.


3. Fried Meatloaf. Sauté 1 large sliced onion in
a frying pan. Add one
8-ounce can of tomato sauce, along with leftover
meatloaf cut into bite-size
pieces, plus a can of peas. Heat through.


2. Leftover melted chocolate from making candies?
Pour into a small
non-stick cake pan, smooth it into an even layer
and refrigerate until
hardened. Then 'pop' it out onto a cutting board,
chop it into small chunks
and store it in the refrigerator to be used later
in any recipe that calls
for chocolate chips.



1. Hash is an excellent and delicious way to use
extra onions, peppers and
hamburger. Here's a good Hash recipe:
1/2 lb. ground beef
1 large onion, chopped
1 large green pepper, chopped
1 (16 oz.) can tomatoes, cut
1/2 cup regular rice, uncooked
2 tsp. chili powder
2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
In large skillet, brown beef, onion, and green
pepper. Drain fat. Add
tomatoes, rice, chili powder, salt and pepper.
Heat through. Pour into
2-quart casserole. Cover and bake 1 hour at 350°.




Tawra Kellam is the author of Dining On A Dime
Cookbook:1,000 Money Saving
Recipes and Tips. (formerly Not Just Beans)
Dining On A Dime will help you
shop smarter, by cooking simpler meals and by
making your own basic cleaning
products and beauty aids.

The Magnificent Medieval Women Quiz

Test your knowledge of extraordinary women of the Middle Ages

They were nuns and queens, writers and saints, princesses and pawns. They fought and led men into battle; they healed the sick and held their families together in times of trouble. They patronized the arts, founded convents and dynasties, and influenced and inspired thousands.

They were Magnificent Medieval Women!

In honor of Women's History Month, here is a quiz to test your knowledge of which extraordinary lady achieved what in the Middle Ages. The quiz will display your score for you as you go.

At the end of the quiz, you can find out more about the women listed in the answers section by checking out the links provided. If you'd rather, you can visit the links before you try the quiz; but if you think you know your stuff, jump right in!

Enter the Quiz

Clovis-c. 466-511-

The founder of the Merovingian dynasty of Frankish kings, Clovis defeated the last Roman ruler in Gaul and conquered various Germanic peoples in what is today France. His conversion to Catholicism (instead of the Arian form of Christianity practiced by many Germanic peoples) would prove a landmark development for the Frankish nation.

Clovis was the son of the Frankish king Childeric and the Thuringian queen Basina; he succeeded his father as ruler of the Salian Franks in 481. At this time he also had control of other Frankish groups around present-day Belgium. By the time of his death he had consolidated all the Franks under his rule. He took control of the Roman province of Belgica Secunda in 486, the territories of the Alemanni in 496, the lands of the Burgundians in 500, and portions of Visigothic territory in 507.

Although his Catholic wife Clotilda ultimately convinced Clovis to convert to Catholicism, he was interested for a time in Arian Christianity and was sympathetic to it. His own conversion to Catholicism was personal and not a mass conversion of his peoples (many of whom were already Catholic), but the event had a profound influence on the nation and its relationship to the papacy. Clovis convoked a national Church council at Orléans, in which he participated significantly.

The Law of the Salian Franks (Pactus Legis Salicae) was a written code that most likely originated during the reign of Clovis. It combined customary law, Roman law and royal edicts, and it followed Christian ideals. Salic Law would influence French and European law for centuries.

The life and reign of Clovis was chronicled by Bishop Gregory of Tours more than half a century after the death of the king. Recent scholarship has revealed some errors in Gregory's account, but it still stands as an important history and biography of the great Frankish leader.

The name Clovis would later evolve into the name "Louis," the most popular name for French kings.

What Kind of Animal are You?

Results for Bluewolfess,Your Animal is: Bumble Bee

You are a Bumble Bee! A beautiful insect that is good at working with teams and produces something many want: honey! A bumble bee commands great respect, and will respond to a bad situation with a quick sting! Bumble bees are serious and very wise.

Poor Guy...:)

The Evil Hilary stikes again....

What Summer is like in Montana

The Unknown Soldiers

Here Rests In Honored Glory An American Soldier Known But To God.

So reads the inscription etched into the white granite tomb that marks the resting place of America's official unknown soldiers. The Tomb of the Unknowns remains one of the United States' most revered sites, a permanent reminder of this country's commitment to honor those who died fighting for its freedom. Last week, that commitment was upheld in a way some people might not have even noticed or even thought about.

When practically every government employee in Washington was beating a hasty retreat to avoid the aftereffects of Hurricane Isabel, a small group of men decided their commitment to duty, honor and country was more important than personal safety or comfort.

Tomb Guard Sentinels, the elite soldiers of the 3rd U.S. Infantry regiment chosen to act as guards at the Tomb, opted to sustain their constant vigil at the Tomb of the Unknowns rather than flee the oncoming bad weather. To them it was a matter of honoring their personal and professional obligations to the men and women who served before them and who serve now - and obviously do not have the luxury of serving their country only when skies are blue and the sun shines down upon them.

Although the Tomb of the Unknowns is watched over by Tomb Guards 24 hours a day, 365 days a year regardless of weather conditions, to have soldiers so duty-bound as to ignore their own personal well-being is an example of real patriotism and a real reminder of the sacrifices made to secure the principles of liberty.

Birdwell Salute from President Bush---TRUE STORY

As you may know, the President and Mrs. Bush visited the Washington Burn Center on Friday 14 September. Among those they visited was LTC Brian Birdwell, who was badly burned in the Pentagon attack.
Mrs. Bush went into Brian's room, spoke to him for about a minute, all the time as if they had been long acquaintances. She then turned to Brian's wife Mel, who at this time had been at the hospital for probably 2 1/2 days, and apparently, according to Mel herself, was dirty, grimy and had blood on her shirt.

Mrs. Bush hugged Mel for what Mel said seemed like an eternity, just as if Mel were one of her closest family members.

Mrs. Bush then told Brian and Mel that there was "someone" there to see him.

The President then walked in, stood by Brian's bedside, asked Brian how he was doing, told him that he was very proud of them both and that they were his heroes.

The President then saluted Brian. Now, at this point in time, Brian is bandaged up pretty well. His hands are burned very badly as well as the back of him from the head down. His movements were very restricted.

Upon seeing the President saluting him, Brian began to slowly return the salute, taking, from the accounts so far, about 15-20 seconds to get his hand up to his head.

During all of this, 15-20 seconds, President Bush never moved, never dropped his salute. The President dropped his salute only when Brian was finished with his, and then gave Mel a huge hug for what also probably seemed like an eternity.

Pray for our leadership. Thank God for what we are, have, and will be.

As a note to those of you who might not be familiar with military protocol, the subordinate normally initiates a salute and will hold it until the superior officer returns the salute.

Old and Obscure Words

1. Allure - The attractive appeal possessed by
somebody or something, often a glamorous and sometimes
rather danger- ous one. Fifteenth century. From Anglo-Norman
alurer, Old French aloirrier, aleurier, literally "to bring
to the bait," from leure "bait."

2. Woo - To court; to seek the attention or
love of a woman. From Old English wogian, of unknown
origin.

3. Smitten - Infatuated with somebody. Old
English smitan "to smear, pollute," from prehistoric Germanic.

4. Dulcinea - Sweetheart; a woman who is the
object of somebody's love, especially one who is idealized.
Mid-17th century. From Dulcinea, the name of Don Quixote's
love.

5. Congenial - Compatible in tastes,
interests, attitudes, or backgrounds. Early 17th century. Formed from Latin con- + genial.
-
6. Dalliance - An amorous episode or affair.
Fourteenth century. Coined from dally + ance.

7. Sentient - Sensitive; capable of feeling
and percept- ion. Mid-17th century. From Latin sentient-,
present participle stem of sentire "to feel."

8. Myrtle - A symbol of love. Directly or via
Old French from medieval Latin myrtilla.

9. Fervent - Showing ardent or extremely
passionate enthusiasm. Fourteenth century. Via Old French
from, ultimately, Latin fervere "to boil."

10. Blandishment - The use of flattery and
enticements to persuade somebody to do something. Via the Old
French stem blandiss- from, ultimately, Latin blandus
"smooth, flattering."

11. Fidelity - Constancy and faithfulness to a
sexual partner, especially a husband or wife. Fifteenth
century. Directly or via French from Latin fidelitas
"faithfulness" from, ultimately, fides "faith."

12. Enamored - Filled with love or passion.
Thirteenth century. From Old French enamourer, from en- "to
cause to" + amour "love."

13. Tryst - An arrangement to meet, especially
one made privately or secretly by lovers. Fourteenth
century. From Old French triste "place to lie in wait," of
prehistoric Germanic origin.

14. Uuxorious - Excessively devoted or
submissive to one's wife. Late sixteenth century. Formed from
Latin uxoriosus, from uxor "wife."

15. Coquette - A flirtatious woman. Mid-17th
century. From French; the feminine form of coquet.

16. Concord - In harmony, friendly relations.
Thirteenth century. Via Old French from, ultimately, Latin
concord-, the stem of concors, literally "of one heart,"
from cor "heart."

17. Indelible - Impossible to remove and
therefore remaining forever. Fifteenth century. Directly or
via French indelebile from Latin indelebilis,
literally "not defaceable," from delere "to blot out, deface."

18. Lothario - A man who seduces women.
Mid-18th century. The name of such a character in The Fair
Penitent, a tragedy by Nicholas Rowe.

19. Pine - To yearn for somebody or something,
especially someone or something unattainable. Pre-12th
century. Origin uncertain: probably from, ultimately, Latin poena
"penalty."

20. Oscular - Pertaining to the mouth or
activities of the mouth, e.g., kissing. Early 19th century.
Formed from Latin osculum.

Pat Tillman Foundation

The Pat Tillman Foundation seeks to carry forward his legacy by inspiring and supporting others striving to promote positive change in themselves and the world around them.

Inspired by Pat's passion, the Leadership Through Action™ program enhances young people's leadership skills, helps them use their skills to develop solutions to today's problems, and ultimately funds those projects that have merit. Further, the program creates a forum and a network for current leaders to give back and help shape the leaders of tomorrow.

A special site

Welcome to "At the End of the Day".

a cool site by a very talented Artist...

Mrs. Laura Bush

I just watched Mrs. Bush on Jay Leno:)

Once again I am reminded of what a True lady she is...the programs that she is overseeing , to help the youth of America and her efforts with the women in Iraq are truly commendable...

A Good BellyDance Link

This is a great site for beginning to learn to dance, Costuming and everything you need to know.

I am a Intermediate dancer lets say, not a beginner, but not an expert dancer YET!!!

ODE TO THE LOTUS

Lotus, Lotus, floating free
Open your petals just for me.
Glowing, shimmering upon the water,
Let me have your oil, attir...adorn my hair
Decorate my table while we feast.


Fill the air with your aromas
Spread your beauty over
The Halls where people
Dance and Sing
Drop your petals oil in my drink


I will bath in oil and arrange
Upon my skin a gown of
Your "blue spears"
And let my lover undress me..
Petal by petal with his lips.


And when I die
Wrap me not in linen
But you, dear Lotus Blossom,
So I may open my petals
In Eternity...

Ixia Ouraya

*****************************

The Egyptian Lotus is not really a lotus at all, but a water lily
native to the Nile area, Nymphaea. According to the SSEA
(Society for the Study of Egyptian Antiquities) journal.

"Herbalists correctly identified the lotus (early in the 19th century)
as a poisonous plant which should be used
under medical supervision. Its crude aklaloid,
nupharine, has been fractionated into four separate
substances with similiar pharmacological properities.

In small does these drugs induce a feeling of well being,
drowsiness, giddiness and double vision.
In larger doses they induce hallucinations
and/or stuporous sleep with vivid dreams....

The alkaloids are found only in the blossom and the rhizome.
These compounds are alcohol soluble but not soluable in water.
The raw rhizome is poisonous, but safe to eat after boiling...
The stalk and leaves are innocuous...The seeds are edible
and are considered a good natural food.

The lotus is the single most frequently
used ingredient in Ancient Egyptian remedies.

By merely placing a lotus blossom into a jar of wine
and leaving it for some weeks/months
it will produce a narcotic-laced wine......
One may also squeeze a bit of the petal's juice
into wine when served.

This narcotic effect was used in Ancient Egyptian
religious cults .....and as a aphrodisiac...."

ODE TO NEFERTITI

"She looks like the rising morning star,
At the start of a happy year,
Shining bright, fair of skin,
Lovely the look of her eyes,
Sweet the speech of her lips...
With graceful step she treads the ground,
Captures my heart by her movements,
She causes all men's necks
To turn about to see her:
Joy has he whom she embraces,
He is like the first of men!

What is your Papal Name --No disrespect intended.

Your Papal Name is Pope Adeodatus II

You would continue the Conservative traditions of recent years and continue the work of John Paul II... In fact, are you sure you aren't Cardinal Ratzinger?

Get your own name at What's My Papal Name?

Pets and Poisons

a Good page to read if you are a pet owner,

you could prevent or save your pets life....

A hairy dog story

Behind the scenes at the Westminster Kennel Club show
February 15, 1996
Web posted at: 7:15 a.m EST

From Correspondent Jeanne Moos

NEW YORK (CNN) -- He's the top dog in the canine world. Brady, or Ch. Clussexx Country Sunrise, trotted home with the best-in-show honors Tuesday night at the Westminster Kennel Club's 120th Annual Show. But the 4 year-old white and tan-spotted clumber spaniel wasn't the only pooch putting on the dog. If you're a poodle, the Westminster show can be hair raising.


They may look like society ladies caught in curlers but they are the super models of the dog world. They get the same treatment top hairdressers give their clients; from the perfect trim to clouds of hair spray and yes, even make-up.

"(Poodles are) a very glamorous dog," says a groomer at the show. Yeah? Tell that to the boxer who stared as if he'd spotted an alien when he ran into Rosie the poodle at the dog show restroom.

Poodles are perched everywhere in various phases of primping. Some even had little bundled baggies all over their heads to keep the dog's mounds of hair out of their mouths and prevent the hair from breaking. Bet Cindy Crawford doesn't use those.

And the glamour doesn't end with the poodles. Even a down to Earth basset hound gets to wear sequined ear gear.

The poodles are judged in three size categories: toy, miniature and standard.

What sets the poodles apart is their haircut, the two main cuts being the English saddle and the continental.

And when handlers, groomers and owners talk of these poofy creatures, they use some fairly unusual jargon possibly tossed around at a General Motors plant. One poodle had "a pretty rear end assembly," one woman observed.


The fur puffs on the legs are known as bracelets and the ones on the rear are known as rosettes. And the ball on the end of one poodle's tail stands at attention because "he's trained to keep it up."

Of course, the poodles aren't the only strange looking creatures at the Westminster Dog Show. The Chinese Crested is pretty weird, too. But poodle owners are used to people shaking their heads and saying, "Oh my God why did you do that dog that way?"

The answer is you have to if you want to show them, though the haircut is enough to cause confusion about which end is which.

And what does Rosie look like when she's just lounging around the house? "Like an unmade bed," her owner says.


Getting the hair organized is half the battle. Though the use of a foreign substance such as hairspray is technically not allowed, it is a rule everybody ignores.

And spray they do. Often. One groomer confesses that she spends three days grooming her dog and 10 minutes grooming herself.

And after all of that fluffing, arranging, and spraying, it's showtime. Just before they spring out onto the course, paws are sprayed so that the poodles won't slip on the carpet.

Rosie brought in best-in-breed and was promptly doused with more hairspray to prep her for her for the official photograph. But she's got that look in her eye. One that says, "Boy, I can't wait to get home and roll in the yard."

BLOGDOGS

House-Wife Tip of the Day!!

How to Clean your toilet:

1. Put both lids of the toilet up and add 1/8 cup of pet shampoo to the water in the bowl.

2. Pick up the cat and soothe him while you carry him towards the bathroom.

3. In one smooth movement, put the cat in the toilet and close both lids. You may need to stand on the lid.

4. The cat will self agitate and make ample suds. Never mind the noises that come from the toilet, the cat is actually enjoying this.

5. Flush the toilet three or four times. This provides a "power-wash" and "rinse".

6. Have someone open the front door of your home. Be sure that there are no people between the bathroom and the front door.

7. Stand behind the toilet as far as you can, and quickly lift both lids.

8. The cat will rocket out of the toilet, streak through the bathroom, and run outside where he will dry himself off.

9. Both the commode and the cat will be sparkling clean.

Sincerely, The Dog

Poodle Site of the Day

a Poodle Breeder site, looks like an interesting place....

THE BALLAD OF JOSHUA L. CHAMBERLAIN

Listen my children, and hear again
Of Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain,

And learn -- if such learning still may be,

There may still be a place for gallantry.



A professor when the war began,

He declined to be an inactive man;

When his college failed to humor him

He took leave of absence, and followed his whim.



That whim then led him such a course

As few can have followed, for better or worse,

And now gave the untried Chamberlain

Command in the untried 20th Maine.

At Fredericksburg, before the wall,

He saw hundreds of his fellows fall ---

And slept in the cold among the dead,

A corpse's greatcoat over his head.

He got the order on Gettysburg field

That this wooded hill-top must be held --

Held the end of the line to the final round,

Then bade the bayonet take the ground.

For he saw his defensive line forced back --

It was be overwhelmed now, or attack --

It was then Lee's plan met Chamberlain

And the bayonet charge of the 20th Maine.



At Petersburg, ahead of his troops,

He took a bullet through both hips,

But stood, to urge his soldiers on,

And collapsed when the last of them had gone.

When Grant heard Chamberlain was shot

He made him a general on the spot --

They took him up from the blood-soaked ground;

But Death would not dress his terrible wound.



For the last campaigning he was back --

A bullet came through his horse's neck,

Hit a brass-bound glass over Chamberlain's heart,

Ricocheted, knocked his aide clear into the dirt.

Then General Griffin came riding on,

And said: "My dear General, you are gone!"

"Yes", replied Joshua Chamberlain,

And rose up to rally his wavering men.



He fought on his horse till, weak from its wound,

It stood exhausted, nosing the ground --

Dismounted, fought, found horse, rode on;

There still was fighting to be done.



But later, looking over that day,

And the dead on both sides, he had his say:

"Was it God's command we heard, or

His forgiveness we must forever implore?"



At Appomattox, he was there

To witness the silence in the air --

And was vested with Grant's authority

To accept the surrender of Lee's army.



And there he saw a deeper need,

And there he did his most gallant deed,

Without leave or excuse but that he was fired

To honor the manhood he admired.

General Gordon rode at the head,

Erect, but chin down, all glory dead --

But he raised his eyes at the sound of command;

The North was saluting his ragged band!



He wheeled, drew saber, swept point to boot,

And gave the order to march at salute;

And so they came on, not as foe to foe,

But as honor to honor before they'd go.



And though some will refuse the grace of Heaven,

And some refused then to be forgiven,

Surely some rancor that day died

When honor saluted and honor replied?

But Chamberlain went home from the war,

Went home to Maine, became Governor --

And later, when called upon to rule,

Became the president of his school.



And when faction raised its head again

To contend the governorship of Maine

He took the militia and held the peace

Till the courts should settle the rights of the case.

A younger person of the town

Met old Chamberlain, rain coming down,

And wondered if it would ever cease --

"My experience is that it always has".

Go to the town of Brunswick, Maine,

And visit the grave of Chamberlain,

And stop and think before you go on

How valor and decency are one.

An original poem by Denis Corish,
Professor of Philosophy, Bowdoin College

OUTLAWS!!!!!!

Stupid Canadian Link of the Day

Sigh.....:shaking head.......

David H. Hackworth

The Hackster, this guy is totally cool , we never missed his commentary during the war, we think he is great, a good man.

Unusual Phenomena Listing

WooooooooWWWWWWW, the FBI they are real.......

How To Tell If Your Head's About To Blow Up- I feel like this alot...

From the WEEKLY WORLD NEWS, May 24, 1994

MOSCOW -- Doctors are blaming a rare electrical imbalance in the brain for the bizarre death of a chess player whose head literally exploded in the middle of a championship game!

No one else was hurt in the fatal explosion but four players and three officials at the Moscow Candidate Masters' Chess Championships were sprayed with blood and brain matter when Nikolai Titov's head suddenly blew apart. Experts say he suffered from a condition called Hyper-Cerebral Electrosis or HCE.

"He was deep in concentration with his eyes focused on the board," says Titov's opponent, Vladimir Dobrynin. "All of a sudden his hands flew to his temples and he screamed in pain. Everyone looked up from their games, startled by the noise. Then, as if someone had put a bomb in his cranium, his head popped like a firecracker."

Incredibly, Titiov's is not the first case in which a person's head has spontaneously exploded. Five people are known to have died of HCE in the last 25 years. The most recent death occurred just three years ago in 1991, when European psychic Barbara Nicole's skull burst. Miss Nicole's story was reported by newspapers worldwide, including WWN. "HCE is an extremely rare physical imbalance," said Dr. Anatoly Martinenko, famed neurologist and expert on the human brain who did the autopsy on the brilliant chess expert. "It is a condition in which the circuits of the brain become overloaded by the body's own electricity. The explosions happen during periods of intense mental activity when lots of current is surging through the brain. Victims are highly intelligent people with great powers of concentration. Both Miss Nicole and Mr. Titov were intense people who tended to keep those cerebral circuits overloaded. In a way it could be said they were literally too smart for their own good."

Although Dr. Martinenko says there are probably many undiagnosed cases, he hastens to add that very few people will die from HCE. "Most people who have it will never know. At this point, medical science still doesn't know much about HCE. And since fatalities are so rare it will probably be years before research money becomes available."

In the meantime, the doctor urges people to take it easy and not think too hard for long periods of time. "Take frequent relaxation breaks when you're doing things that take lots of mental focus," he recommends.

Although HCE is very rare, it can kill. Dr. Martinenko says knowing you have the condition can greatly improve your odds of surviving it. A "yes" answer to any three of the following seven questions could mean that you have HCE:

Does your head sometimes ache when you think too hard? (Head pain can indicate overloaded brain circuits.)
Do you ever hear a faint ringing or humming sound in your ears? (It could be the sound of electricity in the skull cavity.)
Do you sometimes find yourself unable to get a thought out of your head? (This is a possible sign of too much electrical activity in the cerebral cortex.)
Do you spend more than five hours a day reading, balancing your checkbook, or other thoughtful activity? (A common symptom of HCE is a tendency to over-use the brain.)
When you get angry or frustrated do you feel pressure in your temples? (Friends of people who died of HCE say the victims often complained of head pressure in times of strong emotion.)
Do you ever overeat on ice cream, doughnuts and other sweets? (A craving for sugar is typical of people with too much electrical pressure in the cranium.)
Do you tend to analyze yourself too much? (HCE sufferers are often introspective, "over-thinking" their lives.)

A Dog My HUSBAND would prefer...

Chinese Crested Dog-Longhaired

This is what the chinese crested looks like with hair. there are two varieties of this dog , long haired and Powderpuff, and when you see them some what "naked" they have ususally been clipped like that for show...

Chinese Crested Dog

Nice Picture, very cute dog, maybe we'll have one someday:)

OBSCURE AND UNUSUAL WORDS

1) arriere-pensee

arree air pon say (noun)
: a mental reservation
: an unspoken intention

Early 19th century. From French, literally
"behind- thought," from the concealing of the thought.

2) betise
bay teez (noun)
: mildly ridiculous action or remark

Early 19th century. From French, from bete
"foolish,"from Old French beste "beast."

Loose Lips ,Sink Ships

Today I have for you the origin of
the phrase
"loose lips sink ships." This phrase means to
keep a secret
or else a price will be paid. Here's the origin:

Popularized by US military propaganda during
World War II,
this phrase was meant as a reminder that
classified informa-
tion was never to be discussed with anyone
without proper
clearance and a need to know.

Specifically the phrase means that disclosing a
military
secret to the enemy could result in large loses,
such as the
sinking of an entire ship.

Quick-and-Easy Streusel Cake

Prep Time: 20 min
Total Time: 50 min
Makes: 16 servings

1 pkg. (2-layer size) yellow cake mix
3 eggs
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1-1/3 cups orange juice
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 cup POST HONEY BUNCHES OF OATS With Almonds Cereal
1/2 cup chopped dried cherries

PREHEAT oven to 350°F. Beat cake mix with eggs, oil and orange juice with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended. Pour into greased 13x9-in. baking pan.
MIX brown sugar and cinnamon in medium bowl. Stir in cereal and dried fruit; sprinkle evenly over batter in pan.
BAKE 30 min. or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool completely on wire rack.

Easy Cleanup
For easy cleanup, line the pan with foil and spray with cooking spray before filling with batter.

I LOVE MY JOB

My Good Friend Anita found this and sent it to me, pretty funny..

Rob is a commercial saturation diver for Global Divers in Louisiana. He performs underwater repairs on offshore drilling rigs. Below is an E-mail he sent to his sister. She then sent it to radio station 103.2 on FM dial in Ft. Wayne, Indiana, who was sponsoring a worst job experience contest. Needless to say, she won.

Hi Sue:



Just another note from your bottom-dwelling brother.



Last week I had a bad day at the office. I know you've been feeling down lately at work, so I thought I would share my dilemma with you to make you realize it's not so bad after all. Before I can tell you what happened to me, I first must bore you with a few technicalities of my job.



As you know, my office lies at the bottom of the sea. I wear a suit to the office. It's a wet suit. This time of year the water is quite cool. So what we do to keep warm is this: We have a diesel powered industrial water heater. This $20,000 piece of equipment sucks the water out of the sea. It heats it to a delightful temperature. It then pumps it down to the diver through a garden hose, which is taped to the air hose.



Now this sounds like a darn good plan, and I've used it several times with no complaints. What I do, when I get to the bottom and start working, is take the hose and stuff it down the back of my wet suit. This floods my whole suit with warm water. It's like working in a Jacuzzi.



Everything was going well until all of a sudden, my butt started to itch. So, of course, I scratched it. This only made things worse. Within a few seconds my butt started to burn horribly. I pulled the hose out from my back, but the damage was done.



In agony I realized what had happened. The hot water machine had sucked up a jellyfish and pumped it into my suit. Now, since I don't have any hair on my back, the jellyfish couldn't stick to it. However, the crack of my butt was not as fortunate. When I scratched what I thought was an itch, I was actually grinding the jellyfish into the crack of my butt. I informed the dive supervisor of my dilemma over the communicator. (ok, I was screaming). His instructions were unclear due to the fact that he, along with five other divers, were all laughing hysterically. Needless to say I aborted the dive. I was instructed to make three agonizing in-water decompression stops totaling thirty-five minutes before I could reach the surface to begin my chamber dry decompression. When I arrived at the surface, I was wearing nothing but my brass helmet. As I climbed out of the water, the medic, with tears of laughter running down his face, handed me a tube of cream and told me to rub it on my butt as soon as I got in the chamber. The cream put the fire out, but I couldn't poop for two days because my butt was swollen shut. So, next time you're having a bad day at work, think about how much worse it would be if you had a jellyfish shoved up your ass.



Now repeat to yourself, "I love my job, I love my job, I love my job"

Phyllis Diller Recuperating From Surgery

LOS ANGELES - Phyllis Diller has undergone surgery for fractures in her neck sustained when she fell out of bed at her Brentwood mansion last week.



The 87-year-old Diller's "prognosis is great" after surgery Saturday to insert pins in her neck, manager Milt Suchin said Monday. She was recuperating at the hospital and hoped to return home by the end of the week, he said.


"She's in great spirits and looks forward to going back to work," Suchin said.


Diller even was cracking jokes heading into surgery, he said.


"Going into the operation, honest to God with the surgeon, she looked up at him and said, `You haven't been drinking, have you?'" Suchin said.


Diller's new book about her life is titled, "Like a Lampshade in a Whorehouse."

The Pacifier

Action/Adventure, Comedy and Kids/Family
1 hr. 31 min.

Vin Diesel stars as Navy SEAL Shane Wolfe who, as an elite member of the world's fiercest and most highly trained force, thought he was prepared to take on any duty no matter how perilous or impossible...until he tried baby-sitting. Assigned to protect the five out-of-control children of an assassinated scientist working on vital government secrets, Shane is suddenly faced with juggling two outrageously incompatible jobs: fighting the bad guys while keeping house. Replacing his usual arsenal of wetsuits and weapons with diapers and juice boxes, Shane not only must battle a deceptive enemy but wrangle teen rebel Zoe (Brittany Snow), sullen 14-year-old Seth (Max Theriot), 8-year-old Ninja-wanna-be Lulu (Morgan York), as well as 3 year-old Peter and baby Tyler - not to mention their off-beat Romanian Nanny (Carol Kane).

PECAN PRALINE TRELLIS

Looks good may have to try this...

U.S. Clears Soldiers in Italian Agent's Iraq Death

By Will Dunham

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. investigators have found that American troops who shot dead an Italian agent after he secured the release of an abducted journalist did nothing wrong and will not be disciplined, an Army official said on Monday.

But Italy disagrees with findings in the preliminary report by the U.S. military investigators and has balked at endorsing it, added the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.


U.S. troops accidentally killed Italian intelligence officer Nicola Calipari when they opened fire on a car heading for Baghdad airport in which he was escorting Italian journalist Giuliana Sgrena, who had just been released.


The friendly fire incident has caused tension between the United States and Italy, one of Washington's staunchest allies in Iraq. Calipari, hailed as an Italian national hero, was fatally wounded as he threw his body over Sgrena to protect her from a hail of bullets.

Sgrena, an award-winning journalist, was held hostage by insurgents for a month before Calipari masterminded her release. She was wounded but survived.


The Army official said Italy was disputing two factual issues in the report: the car's speed as it approached the checkpoint; and the nature of communications between the Italians and U.S. forces before the incident.


"The soldiers were only complying with the standard operating procedures for those checkpoints, so therefore are not culpable to dereliction of duty (charges)," the Army official said.

Weird Poodle thing of the day

Poodle Site of the Day 2

This is just gorgeous, be nice to have some day.

POODLE EASTER ISLAND

Check this out very cool....

Cute Poodle pic of the day:)

Looks like she could be Coal's GREAT-GREAT-GREAT-GREAT Grand mother :)

Word of the day

Word of the Day

Information provided by Petersons.com

Interlocutor

DEFINITION: (noun) someone taking part in a dialogue or conversation

EXAMPLE: Annoyed by the constant questions from someone in the crowd, the speaker challenged his interlocutor to offer a better plan

SYNONYMS: arbiter, debater, speaker

Ignorant Jerk Link of the day

My Step daughter works at a fast food place and has to put up with crap like this all the time...

Stupid Quebecoise(Canadian) link of the day

Long-Married Couple Die on Same Day

This is very sad , but also very sweet...

Colonoscopy Humor

[A physician claims these are actual comments
from his
patients made while he was performing
colonoscopies.]

• 1. "Take it easy, Doc, you're boldly going where
  no man has
  gone before."
  
  2. "Find Amelia Earhart yet?"
  
  3. "Can you hear me NOW?"
  
  4. "Oh boy, that was sphincterrific!"
  
  5. "Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Are we
  there yet?"
  
  6. "You know, in Arkansas, we're now legally
  married."
  
  7. "Any sign of the trapped miners, Chief?"
  
  8. "You put your left hand in, you take your left
  hand out.
  You do the Hokey Pokey...."
  
  9. "Hey! Now I know how a Muppet feels!"
  
  10. "If your hand doesn't fit, you must acquit!"
  
  11. "Hey, Doc, let me know if you find my
  dignity."
  
  12. "You used to be an executive at Enron, didn't
  you?"
  
  13. "Could you write me a note for my wife,
  saying that my
  head is not, in fact, up there?"
  
  

SPICE-ROASTED PORTERHOUSE STEAKS

All that these steaks need is about 30 minutes in a very hot oven: no browning, no sauce, no fuss. Improv: Try the same seasonings on two whole chickens, a pork roast, or three racks of lamb.

Two 2-inch-thick porterhouse steaks
Olive oil
1 1/2 tablespoons Coriander-Herb Spice Rub

Place two 2-inch-thick porterhouse steaks on a heavy rimmed baking sheet. Brush both sides with a full-flavored olive oil, then rub 1 1/2 tablespoons of the Coriander-Herb Spice Rub into each side of each steak.

Preheat the oven to 450°F. Roast steaks until a meat thermometer inserted into the center registers 125°F for rare, about 25 minutes. Transfer the steaks to a cutting board, cover loosely with foil, and let rest 10 minutes. To serve, cut the 2 whole pieces of meat (known as the loin and the fillet) from each steak, and slice. Give each guest a few slices of the loin and the fillet.

CORIANDER-HERB SPICE RUB
Homemade rubs are a quick way to transform roasted meat, poultry, and vegetables into something special. Use this one on both steak and potatoes. Improv: Fennel, cumin, or caraway seeds can replace the coriander; intense, earthy herbs like oregano and sage can stand in for the thyme and rosemary.

2 tablespoons coriander seeds
2 tablespoons whole peppercorns
3 tablespoons fresh thyme, chopped
3 tablespoons fresh rosemary, chopped
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt

Toast coriander seeds in a heavy small skillet over medium heat until aromatic, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a mortar or spice mill. Add peppercorns and crush until broken into coarse pieces. Mix crushed spices in a small bowl with thyme, rosemary, and salt. Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Poodle Site of the Day

Poodle collectables, very nice site....cute!

Stupid Canadian Link of the Day

Official Canadian Temperature Conversion Chart

50° Fahrenheit (10° C)
Californians shiver uncontrollably.
Canadians plant gardens

35° Fahrenheit (1.6° C)
Italian Cars won't start
Canadians drive with the windows down

32° Fahrenheit (0 ° C)
American water freezes
Canadian water get thicker.

0° Fahrenheit (-17.8° C)
New York City landlords finally turn on the heat.
Canadians have the last cookout of the season.

-60° Fahrenheit (-51° C)
Mt. St. Helens freezes.
Canadian Girl Guides sell cookies door-to-door

-100° Fahrenheit (-73° C)
Santa Claus abandons the North Pole.
Canadians pull down their ear flaps.

-173° Fahrenheit (-114° C)
Ethyl alcohol Freezes.
Canadians get frustrated when they can't thaw the keg.

-460° Fahrenheit (-273° C)
Absolute zero; all atomic motion stops.
Canadians start saying "cold, eh?"

-500° Fahrenheit (-295° C)
Hell freezes over.
Toronto Maple Leafs win the Stanley Cup.

Letter from a Marine

Letter from a Marine

Dear Dad,

A funny thing happened to me yesterday at Camp Bondsteel (Bosnia): A French army officer walked up to me in the PX, and told me he thought we (Americans) were a bunch of cowboys and were going to provoke a war in Iraq. He said if such a thing happens, we wouldn't be able to count on the support of France. I told him that it didn't surprise me. Since we had come to France's rescue in World War I, World War II, Vietnam, and the Cold War, their ingratitude and jealousy was due to surface at some point in the near future anyway.

I also told him that is why France is a third-rate military power with a socialist economy and a bunch of faggots for soldiers. I additionally told him that America, being a nation of deeds and action, not words, would do whatever it had to do, and France's support was only for show anyway.

Just like in ALL NATO exercises, the US would shoulder 85% of the burden, as evidenced by the fact that this French officer was shopping in the American PX, and not the other way around.

He began to get belligerent at that point, and I told him if he would like to, I would meet him outside in front of the Burger King and whip his ass in front of the entire Multi-National Brigade East, thus demonstrating that even the smallest American had more fight in him than the average Frenchman.

He called me a barbarian cowboy and walked away in a huff. With friends like these, who needs enemies?


Tell Mom I love her.
Your loving daughter,
Mary Beth Johnson LtCol, USMC

Why not French?

An officer in the Marine Corps was attending a conference that included admirals in both the US and the French navies. At a cocktail reception, my friend found himself in a small group that included an admiral from each of the two navies. The French admiral started complaining that whereas Europeans learned many languages, Americans only learned English.

He then asked. "Why is it that we have to speak English in these conferences rather than you having to speak French?"

Without even hesitating, the American admiral replied. "Maybe it is because we arranged it so that you did not have to speak German."

The group became silent.

Hollywood 1940 vs 2003

Hollywood 1940 vs 2003

The Entertainers of 2003 have been in all of the news media lately. it seems newspaper, television and radio have been more than ready to put them and their message before the public.

I would like to remind the people of what the entertainers of 1943 were doing, (60 years ago).

Most of these brave men have since passed on.

Alec Guinness (Star Wars) operated a British Royal Navy landing
craft on D-day.

James Doohan ("Scotty" on Star Trek) landed in Normandy with
the US Army on D-day.

Donald Pleasance (The Great Escape) really was a RAF pilot who
was shot down, held prisoner and tortured by the Germans.

David Niven was a Sandhurst graduate and Lt. Colonel of the
British Commandos in Normandy.

James Stewart flew 20 missions as a B-24 pilot in Europe.

Clark Gable (Mega-Movie Star when war broke out) was a waist
gunner flying missions on a B-17 in Europe.

Charlton Heston was an Army Air Corps Sergeant in Kodiak.

Ernest Borgnine was a US Navy Gunners Mate 1935-1945.

Charles Durning was a US Army Ranger at Normandy.

Charles Bronson was a tail gunner in the Army Air Corps.

George C. Scott was a US Marine.

Eddie Albert (Green Acres TV) was awarded a Bronze Star for his
heroic action as a US Naval officer aiding Marines at the horrific battle on the island of Tarawa in the Pacific Nov. 1943.

Brian Keith served as a Marine rear gunner in several actions against the Japanese on Rabal in the Pacific.

Lee Marvin was a Marine on Saipan when he was wounded. He served with a fellow Marine we came to know later as Captain Kangaroo a.k.a. Bob Keeshan.

John Russell was a Marine on Guadalcanal.

Robert Ryan was a US Marine who served with the O. S. S. in Yugoslavia.

Tyrone Power (an established movie star when Pearl Harbor was bombed)
joined the Marines, was a pilot flying supplies into, and wounded Marines out of Iwo Jima and Okinawa.

Audie Murphy, little guy from Texas, Most Decorated serviceman of WWII.

I wish I had room to tell you more about Actor Sterling Hayden and an
actor by the name of Peter J. Ortiz (Twelve O'clock High, Rio Grande and The Wings of Eagles), but this would turn into a book.

There is quite a huge gap between the heroics and patriotism in 1943 and the cowardly despicable posturing of the Hollywood crowd of today . . . many of which smack of sedition and treason.

Useful Military Warnings

Useful Military Warnings

"Aim towards the Enemy."
- Instruction printed on US Rocket Launcher

"When the pin is pulled, Mr. Grenade is not our friend."
- U.S. Army

"Cluster bombing from B-52s is very, very accurate. The bombs are guaranteed to always hit the ground."
- U.S.A.F. Ammo Troop

"If the enemy is in range, so are you."
- Infantry Journal

"A slipping gear could let your M203 grenade launcher fire when you least expect it. That would make you quite unpopular in what's left of your unit."
- Army's magazine of preventive maintenance.

"It is generally inadvisable to eject directly over the area you just bombed."
- U.S. Air Force Manual

"Try to look unimportant; they may be low on ammo."
- Infantry Journal

"Tracers work both ways."
- U.S. Army Ordnance

"Five-second fuses only last three seconds."
- Infantry Journal

"Bravery is being the only one who knows you're afraid."
- Col. David Hackworth

"If your attack is going too well, you're probably walking into an ambush."
- Infantry Journal

"No combat-ready unit has ever passed inspection."
- Joe Gay

"Any ship can be a minesweeper ... once."
- Anon

"Never tell the Platoon Sergeant you have nothing to do."
- Unknown Army Recruit

"Don't draw fire; it irritates the people around you."
- Your Buddies

(And lastly) "If you see a bomb technician running, try to keep up with him."
-- U.S.A. Ammo

How to survive a Nuclear War -Survival Skills

Here is something everybody should read at least once, you never know....

The Reality Clock Site

The Reality Clock offers a broad range of real-time statistics that reflect the issues facing society and the world today, from the most serious to the mundane and the absurd.

Phyllis Diller Injures Head, Neck in Fall

LOS ANGELES - Comedian Phyllis Diller injured her head and neck after falling out of bed at her Brentwood mansion, her manager said Thursday.

"She has a big bruise on her forehead," Milt Suchin said. "I think she blacked out. ... She just awoke and a housekeeper came in and found her on the floor."

Diller, 87, was hospitalized after the accident early Monday, Suchin said. She was undergoing diagnostic tests, including tests on her pacemaker that was inserted in 1999.


Diller recently released a book about her life called "Like a Lampshade in a Whorehouse."

Cojocaru Discusses Transplant on Oprah

A Law Dogs Would Write, if They Were Lawyers...

ROME (Reuters) - Dog owners in Turin will be fined up to 500 euros ($650) if they don't walk their pets at least three times a day, under a new law from the city's council.



People will also be banned from dyeing their pets' fur or "any form of animal mutilation" for merely aesthetic motives such as docking dogs' tails, under the law about to be passed in the northern Italian city.

"In Turin it will be illegal to turn one's dog into a ridiculous fluffy toy," the city's La Stampa daily reported.


Italians can already be fined up to 10,000 euros and spend a year in prison if found guilty of torturing or abandoning their pets, but Turin's new rules go into much greater detail.


Dogs may be led for walks by people on bicycles, the rules say, "but not in a way that would tire the animal too much."

Italy considers itself an animal-loving nation and in many cities stray cats are protected by law. Still some 150,000 pet dogs and 200,000 cats are abandoned in Italy every year, according to animal rights groups.


To enforce the law, Turin police would rely largely on the help of tipsters spotting cruel treatment by their neighbors, La Stampa reported.


It said the 20-page rulebook gives Turin the most stringent animal protection rules in the country. It even bans fairgrounds from giving away goldfish in plastic bags.

Triumph -The Insult Comic Dog

the Official site of the one and only Triumph.....But of course I Keed....

>Triumph goes to Visit Jane Fonda, arrives at her house ,goes into her fancy living room, proceeds to sit on the expensive couch...."why Thank you Jane for having me in your Home it's Perfect...FOR ME TO POOP ON!!!!!

Things Only Gothics Will Have To Worry About In Old Age

• 
  

1. Children joking at funny (yet attractive) senior fashions, though hip in our times.
2. Vampire Teeth Dentures
3. The demented stories we tell our grandchildren for a cheap kick.
4. Relatives will have us commited to senior homes as disturbed individuals early on.
5. The interesting conversations with McDonalds cashiers whilst ordering Senior Citizen Discount Coffee. "In my days we actually had a rebel yell."
6. Gothics on Rascals (scooter thingys, gonna have to draw that out one day).
7. Mortician and relatives trying to figure out what was your favorite outfit.
8. Radio stations playing the classics (And now here's a blast from the past, Testure by the Skinny Puppy) as if.
9. At Halloween children will call our house "the house where the mean old witch lives."
10. Explaining what those tatoos where suppose to be. (Take pictures now)

The GOTH NET

A good place to check out, if you are thinking of going GOTH , or you are a Creature of the Night!!!!!>..oh,what beautiful music they make....

Militants Say Downed Iraq Helicopter

OMG, in the words of Starbuck: "FRACKING ANIMALS", My husband sent this to me, and he had some words too, but I'm not gonna post those here, or just use your imagination and change some letters in FRACK ,um ok...

Lists of Best-Selling Books

WALL STREET JOURNAL BESTSELLERS



FICTION


1. "True Believer" by Nicholas Sparks (Warner Books)


2. "The Mermaid Chair" by Monk Kidd (Viking)


3. "A Stroke of Midnight" by Laurell K. Hamilton (Ballantine Books)


4. "The Da Vinci Code" by Dan Brown (Doubleday)


5. "Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith" by Matthew Stover (Del Rey)


6. "Artemis Fowl: The Opal Deception" by Eoin Colfer (Hyperion Miramax Books)


7. "No Place Like Home" by Mary Higgins Clark (Simon & Schuster)


8. "Maximum Ride: The Angel Experiment" by James Patterson (Little, Brown)


9. "Ya-Yas in Bloom" by Rebecca Wells (HarperCollins)


10. "Saturday" by Ian McEwan (Doubleday)


11. "Two-Dollar Bill" by Stuart Woods (Putnam)


12. "Honeymoon" by James Patterson, Howard Roughan (Little, Brown)


13. "Five People You Meet in Heaven" by Mitch Albom (Hyperion)


14. "The Broker" by John Grisham (Doubleday)


15. "With No One As Witness" by Elizabeth George (HarperCollins)





NONFICTION

1. "Winning" by Jack Welch and Suzy Welch (HarperBusiness)

2. "And One More Thing Before You Go" by Maria Shriver (Free Press)

3. "The World Is Flat: A Brief History of the Twenty-first Century" by Thomas L. Friedman (Farrar, Straus and Giroux)

4. "Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking" by Malcolm Gladwell (Little, Brown)

5. "The Purpose-Driven Life" by Rick Warren (Zondervan)

6. "My Life So Far" by Jane Fonda (Random House)

7. "Slim and Sexy Forever" by Suzanne Somers (Crown)

8. "Your Best Life Now" by Joel Osteen (Warner Faith)

9. "On Bull" by Harry G. Frankfurt (Princeton University Press)

10. "Freakonomics" by Steven D. Levitt, Stephen J. Dubner (William Morrow)

11. "Liberalism is a Mental Disorder" by Michael Savage (Nelson Current)

12. "South Beach Diet" by Arthur Agatston, M.D. (Rodale Press)

13. "Everyday Italian: 125 Simple and Delicious Recipes" by Giada De Laurentiis (Clarkson Potter)

14. "One Solider's Story" by Bob Dole (HarperCollins)

15. "The Money Book for the Young, Fabulous and Broke" by Suze Orman (Riverhead)

The Wall Street Journal's list reflects nationwide sales of hardcover books during the week ended last Saturday at more than 2,500 Barnes & Noble, B. Dalton, Bookland, Books-a-Million, Books & Co., Bookstar, Bookstop, Borders, Brentano's, Coles, Coopersmith, Doubleday, Scribners and Waldenbooks stores, as well as sales from online retailers Amazon.com and barnesandnoble.com.

USA TODAY BESTSELLERS

Key: F-Fiction; NF-Nonfiction; H-Hardcover; P-Paperback

1. "True Believer" by Nicholas Sparks (Warner Books) (F-H)

2. "The Purpose-Driven Life" by Rick Warren (Zondervan) (NF-H)

3. "And One More Thing Before You Go" by Maria Shriver (Free Press) (NF-H)

4. "The Mermaid Chair" by Monk Kidd (Viking) (F-H)

5. "Winning" by Jack Welch and Suzy Welch (HarperBusiness) (NF-H)

6. "A Stroke of Midnight" by Laurell K. Hamilton (Ballantine Books) (F-H)

7. "The Kite Runner" by Khaled Hosseini (Riverhead) (F-P)

8. "The World Is Flat: A Brief History of the Twenty-first Century" by Thomas L. Friedman (Farrar, Straus and Giroux) (NF-H)

9. "Star Wars Revenge of the Sith" by Matthew Woodring Stover ( Del Rey) (F-H)

10. "Nighttime Is My Time" by Mary Higgins Clark (Simon & Schuster) (F-P)

11. "The Da Vinci Code" by Dan Brown (Doubleday) (F-H)

12. "Angels & Demons" by Dan Brown (Pocket Star) (F-P)

13. "Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking" by Malcolm Gladwell (Little, Brown) (NF-H)

14. "Artemis Fowl: The Opal Deception" by Eoin Colfer (Hyperion Miramax Books) (F-H)

15. "No Place Like Home" by Mary Higgins Clark (Simon & Schuster) (F-H)

16. "Your Best Life Now" by Joel Osteen (Warner Faith) (NF-H)

17. "My Life So Far" by Jane Fonda (Random House) (NF-H)

18. "R Is For Ricochet" by Sue Grafton (Putnam) (F-P)

19. "Full Bloom" by Janet Evanovich Charlotte Hughes (St. Martin's Paperbacks) (F-P)

20. "Blind Alley" by Iris Johansen (Bantam ) (F-P)

21. "Therapy " by Jonathan Kellerman (Ballantine Books) (F-P)

22. "Maximum Ride: The Angel Experiment" by James Patterson (Little, Brown) (F-H)

23. "Slim and Sexy Forever" by Suzanne Somers (Crown) (NF-H)

24. "Star Wars: Episode III: Revenge of the Sith" by Patricia C. Wrede (Scholastic) (F-P)

25. "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" by Douglas Adams (Del Rey) (F-P)

26. "My Sister's Keeper" by Jodi Picoult (Washington Square Press) (F-P)

27. "The Secret Life of Bees" by Sue Monk Kidd (Penguin) (F-P)

28. "The Last Juror" by John Grisham (Dell) (F-P)

29. "The Codex" by Douglas Preston (Forge Books) (F-P)

30. "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time" by Mark Haddon (Vintage) (F-P)

31. "Almost a Bride" by Jane Feather (Bantam ) (F-P)

32. "The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference" by Malcolm Gladwell (Back Bay Books) (NF-P)

33. "Ya-Yas in Bloom" by Rebecca Wells (HarperCollins)(F-H)

34. "The Notebook" by Nicholas Sparks (Warner Books) (F-P)

35. "Saturday" by Ian McEwan (Nan A. Talese) (F-H)

36. "The Paid Companion" by Amanda Quick (Putnam) (F-P)

37. "On Bull" by Harry G. Frankfurt (Princeton University Press) (NF-H)

38. "Liberalism is a Mental Disorder" by Michael Savage (Nelson Current) (NF-H)

39. "Because of Winn-Dixie" by Kate DiCamillo (Candlewick Press) (F-P)

40. "The South Beach Diet" by Arthur Agatston (Rodale) (NF-H)

41. "Runny Babbit: A Billy Sook" by Shel Silverstein (HarperCollins) (F-H)

42. "Two-Dollar Bill" by Stuart Woods (Putnam) (F-H)

43. "Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith: The Visual Dictionary" by James Luceno (DK Publishing) (F-H)

44. "Approval Addiction: Overcoming Your Need to Please Everyone " by Joyce Meyer (Joyce Meyer Trade) (NF-H)

45. "The Ultimate Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" by Douglas Adams (Del Rey) (F-P)

46. "Freakonomics" by Steven D. Levitt, Stephen J. Dubner (William Morrow) (NF-H)

47. "Deception Point" by Dan Brown (Pocket) (F-P)

48. "The Five People You Meet in Heaven" by Mitch Albom (Hyperion) (F-H)

49. "French Women Don't Get Fat" by Mireille Guiliano (Knopf) (NF-H)

50. "Honeymoon" by James Patterson, Howard Roughan (Little, Brown)(F-H)

Contributing Booksellers: Barnes & Noble Inc., Books-A-Million and Bookland, Books & Co. (Dayton, Ohio), Borders Books & Music, Bookstar, Bookstop, Brentano's, Crown Books, Davis Kidd Booksellers (Tennessee), Doubleday Book Shops, Hawley-Cooke Booksellers (Louisville), Joseph-Beth Booksellers (Lexington, Ky.; Cincinnati), Little Professor Book Centers, Powell's Books (Portland, Ore.), Ruminator Books (St. Paul, Minn.), Scribner's Bookstores, Tattered Cover Book Store (Denver), Waldenbooks, Wal-Mart, Amazon.com, B. Dalton Bookseller, Barnes & Noble.com.

PUBLISHERS WEEKLY BEST SELLERS

HARDCOVER FICTION

1. "True Believer" by Nicholas Sparks (Warner Books)

2. "The Mermaid Chair" by Monk Kidd (Viking)

3. "Star Wars Revenge of the Sith" by Matthew Stover (Del Rey/LucasBooks)

4. "The Da Vinci Code" by Dan Brown (Doubleday)

5. "A Stroke of Midnight" by Laurell K. Hamilton (Ballantine Books)

6. "No Place Like Home" by Mary Higgins Clark (Simon & Schuster)

7. "Ya-Yas in Bloom" by Rebecca Wells (HarperCollins)

8. "Saturday" by Ian McEwan (Doubleday/Talese)

9. "Two-Dollar Bill" by Stuart Woods (Putnam)

10. "The Five People You Meet in Heaven" by Mitch Albom (Hyperion)

11. "Honeymoon" by James Patterson, Howard Roughan (Little, Brown)

12. "The Broker" by John Grisham (Doubleday)

13. "With No One as Witness" by Elizabeth George (HarperCollins)

14. "Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close" by Jonathan Safran Foer (Houghton Mifflin)

15. "The Rising: Before They Were Left Behind" by Tim LaHaye, Jerry B. Jenkins (Tyndale House Publishers)

NONFICTION/GENERAL

1. "The Purpose-Driven Life" by Rick Warren (Zondervan)

2. "And One More Thing Before You Go" by Maria Shriver (Free Press)

3. "Winning" by Jack Welch and Suzy Welch (HarperBusiness)

4. "Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking" by Malcolm Gladwell (Little, Brown)

5. "The World Is Flat: A Brief History of the Twenty-first Century" by Thomas L. Friedman (Farrar, Straus and Giroux)

6. "My Life So Far" by Jane Fonda (Random House)

7. "Your Best Life Now: 7 Steps to Living at Your Full Potential" by Joel Osteen (Warner Faith)

8. "Slim and Sexy Forever" by Suzanne Somers (Crown)

9. "On Bull" by Harry G. Frankfurt (Princeton University Press)

10. "The South Beach Diet" by Arthur Agatston, M.D. (Rodale)

11. "Liberalism is a Mental Disorder" by Michael Savage (Nelson Current)

12. "Freakonomics" by Steven D. Levitt, Stephen J. Dubner (William Morrow)

13. "Star Wars Revenge of the Sith: The Visual Dictionary" by James Luceno, Robert E. Barnes, John Goodson, Alexander Ivanov (DK Children)

14. "Everyday Italian" by Giada De Laurentiis (Clarkson Potter)

15. "French Women Don't Get Fat: The Secret of Eating for Pleasure" by Mireille Guiliano (Knopf)

MASS MARKET PAPERBACKS

1. "Nighttime Is My Time" by Mary Higgins Clark (Simon & Schuster)

2. "Angels & Demons" by Dan Brown (Pocket)

3. "R Is for Ricochet" by Sue Grafton (Berkley)

4. "Therapy" by Jonathan Kellerman (Ballantine)

5. "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" by Douglas Adams (Del Rey)

6. "Full Bloom" by Janet Evanovich and Charlotte Hughes (St. Martin's)

7. "Blind Alley" by Iris Johansen (Bantam)

8. "The Codex" by Douglas Preston (Forge)

9. "The Last Juror" by John Grisham (Dell)

10. "The Paid Companion" by Amanda Quick (Jove)

11. "Almost a Bride" by Jane Feather (Bantam)

12. "The Prince of Beverly Hills" by Stuart Woods (Putnam Publishing Group)

13. "Deception Point" by Dan Brown (Pocket)

14. "The Notebook" by Nicholas Sparks (Warner)

15. "Digital Fortress" by Dan Brown (St. Martin's)

TRADE PAPERBACKS

1. "The Kite Runner" by Khaled Hosseini (Riverhead)

2. "The Secret Life of Bees" by Sue Monk Kidd (Penguin)

3. "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time" by Mark Haddon (Vintage)

4. "My Sister's Keeper" by Jodi Picoult (Washington Square Press)

5. "Can You Keep a Secret?" by Sophie Kinsella (The Dial Press)

6. "The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference" by Malcolm Gladwell (Back Bay)

7. "Good Grief" by Lolly Winston (Warner)

8. "Reading Lolita in Tehran" by Azar Nafisi (Random House)

9. "The Wedding" by Nicholas Sparks (Warner)

10. "Bad Cat: 244 Not-So-Pretty Kitties and Cats Gone Bad" by Jim Edgar (Workman)

11. "The Time Traveler's Wife" by Audrey Niffenegger (Harcourt/Harvest)

12. "The Ultimate Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" by Douglas Adams (Del Rey)

13. "30-Minute Get Real Meals: Eat Healthy Without Going to Extremes" by Rachael Ray (Clarkson Potter)

14. "Leap of Faith: Memoirs of an Unexpected Life" by Queen Noor (Miramax)

15. "Rich Dad, Poor Dad" by Robert T. Kiyosaki, Sharon L. Lechter (Warner)

Mo. Man Spits Tobacco Juice at Jane Fonda

Way to go Dude!

for further Fonda commentary check out "THE PICKLE" >in the links.....

Abdul says odd behavior not drug-related

Well that certainly explains a few things....

Exceptional Whale Fossil Found in Egyptian Desert

a fascinating read, have a look....

Experts Solve Mystery of Unpopped Popcorn

By RICK CALLAHAN, Associated Press Writer

INDIANAPOLIS - Eat your way to the bottom of almost any bag of popcorn and there they are: the rock-hard, jaw-rattling unpopped kernels known as old maids.

The nuisance kernels have kept many a dentist busy, but their days could be numbered: Scientists say they now know why some popcorn kernels resist popping into puffy white globes.


It's long been known that popcorn kernels must have a precise moisture level in their starchy center — about 15 percent — to explode. But Purdue University researchers found the key to a kernel's explosive success lies in the composition of its hull.


Unpopped kernels, it turns out, have leaky hulls that prevent the moisture pressure buildup needed for them to pop and lack the optimal hull structure that allows most kernels to explode.

"They're sort of like little pressure vessels that explode when the pressure reaches a certain point," said Bruce Hamaker, a Purdue professor of food chemistry. "But if too much moisture escapes, it loses its ability to pop and just sits there."


The findings may help popcorn breeders select the best varieties — or create new ones — with superior hulls that yield few, if any, unpopped kernels. But for now, there's no way to screen out potential old maids before they end up in bags of popcorn.


Hamaker and his associates compared the microwave popping performance of 14 Indiana-grown popcorn varieties and examined the crystalline structure of the translucent hulls of both the popped kernels and the duds.


In the varieties popped, the percentage of unpopped kernels ranged from 4 percent in premium brands to 47 percent in the cheaper ones.

The findings could be good news for people who savor the snack and those who grow the 17 billion quarts of popcorn sold each year in the United States.


Wendy Boersema Rappel, a spokeswoman for the Chicago-based Popcorn Board, said popcorn processors are always looking for ways to improve their product, including reducing the number of old maids.


"It's one of life's annoyances — it's not rocking anyone's world, but our members always like to improve their product," Rappel said.


Hamaker said two popcorn manufacturers have already expressed interest in Purdue's findings.


The research, funded by Purdue's Whistler Center for Carbohydrate Research, which Hamaker directs, has been published online and will appear in the July 11 edition of the journal BioMacromolecules.


___


On the Net:


The Popcorn Board: http://www.popcorn.org/

Geyser Microbes May Point to Mars Life - Study

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A "weird" community of microbes living in a hot, acid geyser in Wyoming's Yellowstone Park may help scientists know what to look for in seeking life on Mars and elsewhere in space, researchers said on Wednesday.



They found the new species of algae and bacteria living in a green-colored layer of sandstone in Yellowstone's Norris Geyser Basin. It was not a place where one would normally expect to find life thriving, said Norman Pace of the University of Colorado at Boulder's biology department and Center for Astrobiology.


"The pores in the rocks where these creatures live has a pH value of one, which dissolves nails," Pace said in a statement.


"This is another example that life can be robust in an environment most humans view as inhospitable."


The microbes seemed to fossilize well, and perhaps researchers could compare their fossils to rocks from Mars and elsewhere to see how much they resemble one another.


One asteroid from Mars found in Antarctica is being studied extensively to see if it carries fossilized remnants of tiny bacteria.


"Remnants of these communities could serve as 'biosignatures' and provide important clues about ancient life associated with geothermal environments on Earth or elsewhere in the Solar System," the researchers wrote in their report, published in the journal Nature.


The waters of Norris Geyser Basin, one of the hottest in the world, are rich in sulfuric acid, metals and silicates.


Similar kinds of geothermal environments may once have existed on Mars. Robotic rovers are searching the planet's surface for evidence of them.


"This is the first description of these microbial communities, which may be a good diagnostic indicator of past life on Mars because of their potential for fossil preservation," said Jeffrey Walker, who helped write the study.


"The prevalence of this type of microbial life in Yellowstone means that Martian rocks associated with former hydrothermal systems may be the best hope for finding evidence of past life there," he said.


Walker said he found the new microbe community in 2003 after breaking apart a chunk of sandstone-like rock.


"I immediately noticed a distinctive green band just beneath the surface," he said. "It was one of those 'eureka' moments."


Genetic analysis determined the green band was caused by a new species of photosynthetic Cyanidium algae.


Living among them were a new species of Mycobacterium, a group of microbes best known for causing human illnesses such as tuberculosis and leprosy, Walker said.


Other species of bacteria also living in the rock, and only a few were the "extremophile" species usually found in such environments, the researchers said.


Pace described the new life forms as "pretty weird." "It may well be a new type of lichen-like symbiosis," said Pace, who won a MacArthur Fellowship, or "genius grant," in 2001.





"It resembles a lichen, but instead of being comprised of a symbiosis between a fungus and an alga, it seems to be an association of the Mycobacterium with an alga."