First it was Al Gore with his books and documentary and now it’s Obama winning the Nobel Peace Prize after being nominated when he was in office less than two weeks (nominations closed in February). And Obama hadn’t even done anything yet – he won because he INTENDED to work for world peace.
That’s it for me – the Nobel Peace Prize is now officially a joke. I have zero respect for that award now. I lost most of my respect for it when Al Gore got it last year (although at least he DID something – and even then, he still had to share the honor), but this just takes the cake. Even Obama admits he probably doesn’t deserve it.
Hey, I INTEND to do great world-changing things, too. Why not give me one? I bet I can do some good things without taking billions in taxpayer money to accomplish it. And I promise I won’t scare people half to death by flying Air Force One over NYC unannounced or go out for a lavish evening on the town for “date night” with my spouse – plus the required entourage of security agents. Table for 14, anyone?
We can say Obama has done something these past nine months he’s been in office – he’s in the process of systematically dismantling the pillars upon which this country was built. He’s sticking his nose into issues he has no business interfering with (buying GM and regulating bonuses for private company executives, for example). When did those activities become part of the job description for the President?
Obama had just been dealt an embarrassing blow by going to the Olympics Committee and pitching Chicago to be the host of the 2016 Olympics, and failing miserably when the votes were counted. Apparently, the IOC wasn’t impressed with him then, and now he’s a standing joke to the world.
I’m just disgusted more by the day.
Tags: politics, undeserved accolades
I have two cats, and they are endlessly entertaining. Since I live alone, they provide me with companionship, conversation and entertainment on a regular basis. I have two cats, because the one cat I originally had was getting bored and looking kind of depressed, so I got the other one as a playmate for him. It’s worked out very well — they’re complete opposites in appearance, temperament and behavior, but somehow it works.
Moose and Nugget
Nugget is the one I had first. He’s smart as a whip and very athletic. He can get into almost any drawer or cabinet in the house, and if he sees me put something inside one of the places he can get into, sooner or later he will attempt to get inside to see what it was. Nothing gets by him!
Moose is the newcomer (as of last Christmas). He’s HUGE — almost 20 pounds. He’s a laid-back lover, who follows me around the house constantly. He has a fascination with the lights reflected on the walls by passing cars, and will sit for many minutes at a time, waiting for the next car to pass so he can pounce at the lights.
The oddest thing about Moose is that he sucks his thumb (or he would, if he had one!). When he’s really content, he will flop down, begin purring loudly, and start nursing the toes of his left front foot, making loud smacking sounds. It’s always the toes on the LEFT foot, never the right. He’ll do this for a minute or so, and then he’s done. I’ve never seen that behavior in any cat I’ve ever owned, so that makes Moose unique!
They get along well most of the time — they usually lie near one another, but rarely curl up together. Sometimes they can go from leisurely washing each other’s faces to a full-blown wrestling match or slap-fight in a matter of seconds. But then after it’s all over, they go right back to being buddies again. Boys will be boys, I suppose, and they must have their rough-and-tumble time!
My plan for Moose to occupy Nugget’s time has worked to the advantage of both cats, I think. When Moose arrived, he didn’t have much muscle tone, and after about six months of running and playing with Nugget, I’ve noticed a vast improvement. His thighs have big, hard muscles, and under all that skin and fur, he has some tight abs! Nugget is lean and solid muscle, too — I call him Moose’s personal trainer, since he made such a radical change in Moose’s physique.
Caring for two cats isn’t much different that taking care of one, except that I now buy cat food and kitty litter in big bags. I also had to buy a bigger litter pan (it looks like a bathtub, and holds 30 pounds of cat litter!). I check out websites about caring for cats occasionally, to keep on top of issues pertaining to their health.
Both of these lovely animals came from local animal shelters. If you’re thinking about getting a pet, please rescue one from a shelter!
Tags: relationships
Obama campaigned on a platform of hope and change – well, he’s definitely following through on the “change” part, anyway. He’s changing the foundations of this country in a headlong rush that can’t possibly be good – such a huge undertaking should be given serious thought and planning, since it will affect so many people and their livelihoods.
That hasn’t happened. Obama’s determination to ramrod his programs through as quickly as possible and from all angles, so as to overwhelm and confuse the public and the members of Congress, is irresponsible and ill-conceived. I’m so afraid that unless it stops soon, it will be too late to mend the damage done.
It seems that every day there is a new industry Obama wants to “reform” – the economy, the banking system, the auto industry, the housing market, the healthcare and health insurance industry.
There’s even a “snitch” post on the official White House blog that encouraged people to call and report “fishy” information about health care reform legislation. Check out this excerpt:
…rumors often travel just below the surface via chain emails or through casual conversation. Since we can’t keep track of all of them here at the White House, we’re asking for your help. If you get an email or see something on the web about health insurance reform that seems fishy, send it to flag@whitehouse.gov.
How “Big Brother” is that? Coincidentally, I had just finished reading George Orwell’s 1984, and I have to say that this gave me chills. I imagine many people replied to that “snitch” address with reports of the administration’s “fishy” activities! I wonder if their e-mails were in turn flagged as belonging to potential troublemakers?
And what about all the “czars” Obama has appointed to oversee various aspects of the economy? There must be over a dozen by now – none of which have to be elected, confirmed, or (apparently) have had their backgrounds thoroughly checked. How much power and influence will they have on elected officials and the implementation of policy? Nobody knows.
All this, and Obama hasn’t even been in power for a year yet – where will we be by the end of his term? I’m not sure we can survive it.
I am sick to death of all these efforts to disrupt the foundations of our country, and am fearful of what the future holds for America. The only thing that is giving me hope for a turnaround is the conservative backlash against this insanity, evident in the frustration expressed in many “town hall” meetings and Tea Party protests across the country. The huge gathering of protesters in Washington DC on September 12th (some estimates put the attendance equal to the number at Obama’s inauguration) is evidence that the Democrat party is not the only voice in this country. The people are mad as hell, and (hopefully) not going to take it anymore.
Power to the people! Tea, anyone???
Jimmy Carter’s determination that Congressman Joe Wilson’s outburst of “You lie!” last week has racial undertones is so far-fetched and manufactured as to be laughable. Since when is the objection to someone’s untrue remark a comment on their race? I’ll tell you when – it’s when the administration is losing the argument over healthcare and other issues, and needs to create an uproar to divert attention from their struggles.
Granted, Wilson’s remark was out of line, but only because ANY outburst in that setting is outside the rules of protocol in the halls of Congress. If he had shouted “I love you!” he would have been equally out of line. The President’s race was immaterial – Wilson’s outburst was an emotional reaction to Obama’s words, not the color of his skin.
Wilson acknowledged he was in the wrong and apologized to Obama. That should have ended the matter. Instead, he has been “rebuked” by Congress, which is overkill, in my opinion.
Wilson is running for re-election this fall, and his opponent bragged that his campaign has received an large influx of donations because of anger over Wilson’s statement. A news report a few days later stated that his opponent has received $1.5 million dollars recently. However, the same report states that Wilson has received $2 million. Apparently, more people support Wilson (at least with their contribution dollars) than are angry with him.
The shameful thing, and the thing that makes it seem like an orchestrated diversion, is the media frenzy that has kept this minor infraction in the headlines for the past week. The press leapt on this incident with rabid enthusiasm from the start, and now Carter’s recent remarks have mixed a completely unrelated issue into it. Can you say “tempest in a teapot”? Some people may indeed oppose Obama because of his race, but Wilson’s remarks have absolutely no connection to those sentiments – that’s a totally separate issue.
Whatever happened to Obama’s early promise that his administration would be “transparent” and give legislators and the public at least five days to read and discuss bills before they were voted on? One bill was over 1,000 pages, and was released only one day before the vote, as I recall.
Did the President lie, about that and more? I think he did. Good on ya, Joe, for speaking up!
Tags: politics
For the past six weeks or so, I’ve had the most annoying cough. I think I got it from my co-worker (at least he’s a convenient scapegoat, although it’s probably true). It started out as a relentless cough that wouldn’t allow me to get any rest, since it kept me awake at night with fits of coughing about every ten minutes. All during this time, I never really felt sick — just the cough.
Somewhere around the second week, it changed. It wasn’t as frequent, and it turned into this strange, choking kind of cough. When I had a coughing fit, I felt like I couldn’t breathe and like I had asthma (which I don’t). My throat and chest felt like they were spasming, and I made this awful wheezing sound as I forced myself to breathe in and out. The first time it happened, it was more than a little scary!
Right after the spasmodic episode, the next phase kicks in. During this time, I can’t talk (instant laryngitis) and it feels like when you get strangled by accidentally getting water down your windpipe. I need to constantly clear my throat for a few minutes, and my vocal cords feel like they’re coated in a sticky mucus. That goes away in a short time, and everything is OK until the next round.
The episodes have reduced to just a handful per day, but it’s very perplexing and it’s not going away, either. I’ve searched more than one health forum, but haven’t yet seen any similar cases. My co-worker, who got sick a couple of weeks before I did, is still having the same choking-type cough, so I guess until he stops, I won’t either. I’m tired of it, and hope it will finally just wear itself out and go away for good.
Tags: health
For the first time in about eight years, I feel like I’ve turned a corner in a good way. I’m performing well in a job situated in a relatively good market niche (no talk of layoffs or market loss at our company so far). My job pays a reasonable wage, gives regular raises and has good benefits – and I really like what I do and the people I work with, so the overall working situation is comfortable and positive.
My general health is fairly good – I had a mammogram, colonoscopy and heart scan recently, with good results. However, my cholesterol and blood sugar levels are a bit precarious, which gives me cause for concern. Mobility issues have been helped by the use of foot/ankle braces and a handicap parking permit. The company I work for even created a new handicap parking place right outside my office door, especially for my use.
Weight continues to be an issue – if I lost a considerable amount, it would help all the issues mentioned above. I’m almost at the point where I’m motivated to try (again) to drop some weight. It’s very difficult for me to find the discipline to do it, since I don’t really answer to anyone but myself. However, it’s quickly rising toward the top of the to-do list.
The best news of late is on the financial front. I’ve cut costs and pinched pennies (most of the time) for years, and I think the current economic crunch has actually improved my situation – at least, relative to many other people who have suffered big losses lately. I had no money at all in the stock market, so I dodged that plummeting catastrophe altogether.
Due to a special housing program related to the current economic crunch, I refinanced my house a few months ago, dropping my interest rate almost two percent and saving over $100/month. I’ve also been obsessively paying my bills on time for a long time, which (along with making more money the last couple of years) has improved my credit score to the point where I was able to get a low-interest loan to refinance my car and pay off a loan, reducing my payments another $200/month.
Those changes, along with a recent raise, will allow me to FINALLY start making a significant dent in my credit card debt. I’ve mapped out a plan of attack, prioritizing the cards I want to pay off first. I’m also putting more money aside for an emergency fund (which I’ve never had, really) that will cover deductibles or other emergencies, if necessary.
Even though it’s only been a week or two since some of those changes have been made, I’m already breathing a little easier and am more hopeful about my future – especially my financial future. It’s been a long time coming, and it’s a nice feeling.
