Friday, May 29, 2009

Voter Violation Charges Against Three Black Panthers Dropped by Obama's Justice Department

It's been awhile since November's elections but I remember the big deal in the media over some alleged voter intimidation by three Black Panthers at polling places, one holding a nightstick. They were charged with violating the voter rights act by using coercion, threats and intimidation. Here is what has been said about it:

"...were accused of trying to threaten voters and block poll and campaign workers by the threat of force - one even brandishing what prosecutors call a deadly weapon."

"...violating the voter rights act by using coercion, threats and intimidation. Shabazz allegedly held a nightstick or baton that prosecutors said he pointed at people and menacingly taped it. "

"...they hurled racial slurs at both blacks and whites."

Democrat Bartle Bull, who worked as a civil rights lawyer in the south in the 1960's, said it was the most blatant form of voter intimidation he had ever seen. In his affidavit, Bull wrote "I watched the two uniformed men confront voters and attempt to intimidate voters. They were positioned in a location that forced every voter to pass in close proximity to them. The weapon was openly displayed and brandished in plain sight of voters." He also said they tried to "interfere with the work of other poll observers ... whom the uniformed men apparently believed did not share their preferences politically," noting that one of the panthers turned toward the white poll observers and said "you are about to be ruled by the black man, cracker."

The charges that had been filed for these violations were recently dropped by Obama's Justice Department.

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Monday, May 25, 2009

A New Laurell K. Hamilton Book - Anita Blake Vampire Hunter Series Hits the Shelves Tomorrow

If y'all are Laurell K. Hamilton and Anita Blake fans, book #16 in the Anita Blake series, Blood Noir (Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter), comes out tomorrow in paperback and THEN...what we've all been waiting for...

Book #17: Skin Trade (Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter)

Skin Trade hits bookstores on June 2, 2009!

I put my name in at the library to get it. I'll probably get put on a waiting list a mile long and have to buy it instead but we shall see. I love Laurell K. Hamilton books!

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Saturday, May 23, 2009

Twilight Fans: How TwiHard are you?


Are you a diehard Twilight fan? I am and I'm not even a kid! I guess the new term for that is Twilight + Diehard = TwiHard. Huh. Maybe you have to be a kid to use the term and not sound like an idiot. I just took the quiz that says I am TwiHard so there!

The new movie, New Moon, hits theatres November 20, 2009.



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Hello Ross!



If you watch television, you've likely seen Ross (Matthews) on different talk shows day or night. He was on The Tonight Show last night and will hit Chelsea Lately June 4th. I happen to like both of those shows though not sure how I am going to feel about Jay not being on the Tonight Show anymore. I prefer Jay over Dave. My Craig (Ferguson) is still on late night though so I'll be ok. I love watching Craig Ferguson!

Ross keeps his Hello Ross! blog pretty well updated so if you're looking for him, you can find him here (hmm...methinks he should move his blog to his own domain name (http://www.helloross.com/). It forwards to it but still. It's not hard to do, Ross!

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Friday, May 22, 2009

Computer Hassles

I am having a problem with my laptop computer and I can't figure out what is wrong with it. Every time I use video making software, the fan goes on high and then it shuts my computer down (my computer is overheating). This laptop was supposed to be for media so I shouldn't be having this problem. It is so frustrating. I hope I am not going to need a new laptop computer but if I can't figure this out, I will need one. With all the things I do with photos and videos, it's a necessity.

I wish I could figure out why my computer keeps overheating every time I try to make a video. There are times when I seriously want to toss it out a window.

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Books, Books & More Books

I am going to start a new blog soon about books. I've been thinking about it for awhile now. I read constantly. I am forever looking for available books at my library or pricing Amazon books online to get the best price. I am considered a bookworm in my family. I think that is ok though. I do not mind. I love reading too much to be insulted.

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Thursday, May 21, 2009

Powered Vehicles for Kids

My youngest daughter turns four years old on Monday (oops, just realized I forgot to order the birthday cake for this weekend...having thryoid biopsy a few days ago kind of put me off schedule). I can't believe I don't have anymore babies in the house!

She's made it very clear that she wants a Power Wheels Barbie Jeep for her birthday. She came to this conclusion after the neighbor next door received his own powered vehicle a few months ago (not Barbie of course). They ride around in it together, holding hands (yes, holding hands).

Because she has such a resourceful mom, she might just get one. After much research online, and calling around to local stores to match prices, I found it at a local store who will match an online price I found and knock off a chunk of change (and many, many bills) if we will go get it tomorrow morning.

She is going to be thrilled!

Next month is my younger son's birthday and the following month is my teenage stepson's birthday. Yeah for my bank account! Oh my.

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Glenn Beck on The View: Whoopi is SO Professional...not.

Look at .07 - .09 seconds into this video...Whoopi just acts SO professional.




You don't invite guests onto the show and then act like that! I don't get this show anymore. I used to like watching The View.

Here's the first part of the video if you're interested in seeing all of it:



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FOX News Ratings: Bill O'Reilly, Hannity & Glenn Beck

I've seen a lot of slamming of FOX News with comments left on different forums about how bad their ratings are, yada yada yada. People have their definite opinions about Glenn Beck, Bill O'Reilly, & Hannity.

So I thought I'd do a little research to see just what was up with all the slamming. Looks like it's pure jealousy or people just not tolerating opinions that differ from their own. According to everything I've found, FOX News is blowing their competition right out of the water. Are the other cable news networks even in the game anymore? I think not. In fact, as of an article I found from February 2009 (and not at FOX), they were the top-rated cable news network for 86 months in a row. If that is accurate, YEAH for them.





Go FOX!

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Wednesday, May 20, 2009

News Today: Nags, Catholic Scandal, Meaty Sludge Shaped Like a Hot Dog & Missing Link

The View & Glenn Beck:

I heard that Glenn Beck got ripped into on The View. It doesn't surprise me. I am a woman so I don't say this lightly about the women of The View - a bunch of criticizing nags harping all at once so you can't understand a word they say. They probably brought him on just to rip into him for their ratings. Seriously, what was the point on arguing over who approached who to talk to in the past? Didn't they have anything better to ask him about with all that is going on in this world? Oh, that's right, they don't want to hear opposing views which is why they only have one co-host who has opposing views to theirs and they've been known to rip into her as well.

They really need to even it out on that stage. It is one against the rest of them. They need to make it a more even playing field. All that harping just turns me off of their show.

The Catholic Church:

I was raised Catholic though I don't consider myself Catholic anymore. The church has a lot to fix. I remember the church I attended as a child, the priest ran off with his secretary (who was married!). With all the child abuse accusations the past several years, and now the report coming out about serial abuse in Ireland by Catholic run organizations, it's another black eye.

For me, religion (I prefer "faith") is personal. The Catholic Church seemed more like business than a place for a religious experience for me personally. My faith isn't about a large brick building or confessing sins to somebody else. I feel closer to Deity walking through the woods with a one-on-one relationship - no go betweens for me. I don't want a church official telling me that somebody else's religion is wrong (like I heard while attending the Catholic Church...and others after that). Nobody's religion is "wrong" if it is right for them. I don't think I have the right to say what is wrong and what is right for other people or dictate what they should believe in or what they should or shouldn't do. I don't have the right to try to convert others. It's a personal choice. I, personally, wouldn't allow my son unsupervised by me in a Catholic Church at this point, however, I also don't allow them unsupervised with any adults that I don't know, not just priests. I know they all aren't riddled with scandal but I don't take chances with my kids' well-being. The scandal aside, Catholicism wasn't right for me personally. It is right for others and that's their choice.

Missing Link:

I've read the story about the 47 million year old fossil being found, about the size of a cat, that is being called the missing link by some. I've also read that some people are saying it's not. From what I've read so far, I don't believe so either. It's a great find, don't get me wrong, but I don't think it's the missing link.

Oscar Meyer:

Oscar Meyer is giving away up to one million in hot dogs today. Really gross. I can down a hot dog now and then but not regularly. I'd yak. If you'd like a coupon for free meaty sludge shaped like a hot dog, click here. They'll mail you a coupon after you register.

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Father's Day Gifts - A Great Giveaway from Blogaways


Father's day is just around the corner. Have you decided what to give your husband for being such a wonderful father? Usually, mine has his own gift picked out himself by this time but I think he's undecided at this point. (I get off easy at gift-giving time usually because he always has an "I want..." list going on at any given time.)

With the economy the way it is, how nice would it be to WIN a beautiful gift for the father of your children (or your own father)? Blogaways has this great jewelry giveaway going on right now that includes a chain and bracelet from Titanium Jewelry.






I love a man in jewelry. My husband wears it and I think he looks F-I-N-E in it. Male celebrities wear it well too. LL Cool J has a F-I-N-E classiness to his look too. Some men just wear jewelry well.

It's definitely worth checking out. If not for the man in your life, then for yourself. It really is pretty jewelry.

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Monday, May 18, 2009

Daughter wants to know about kissing...

My 12-year-old has a boyfriend. They are "going out." Yeah, going where? LOL.

He's come over here and she's gone for walks with him and her friends but that's the extent of their "going out" relationship. Her dad and I are still struggling a bit with the concept that she has a boyfriend and is holding hands with him. My husbands response when I told him about the holding hands stuff: "HELL NO."

This morning she comes to me before school and asks, "What happens if we kiss and our braces get stuck together?"

Just put me out of my misery now because the teenage years aren't going to get better! I can tell.

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Saturday, May 16, 2009

Flea Season is Here!!

Summer is on its way. Have you protected your pets from fleas yet? We have, thankfully, not had a problem with them the last several years (*knock on wood*) and I really hope there isn't a flea problem this year too. My son and I are allergic to their bites so we break out all over and are just miserable. My stepson is also allergic so when we did get them in the house, you can bet we heard from his mother about it (like we put the fleas in our house on purpose...or like she could even prove they came from OUR house). Since they are so hard to get rid of once they get into the carpets and furnishings, I want to avoid them completely. When we use Frontline for our dogs, it keeps them away. It seems to work so why mess with a good thing?

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Friday, May 15, 2009

Video Singing Love Story by Taylor Swift

I'm double posting this because I'm biased and happen to think my kid is adorable (they all are), lol.

This is my second grade daughter singing for the first time in front of other people for her school's talent show audition. She sang Love Story by Taylor Swift. She was very nervous. I cried because I'm such a sap.




She made it!! She'll be in the talent show.

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Thursday, May 14, 2009

Oh How Maternity Clothes Have Changed!


Over 13 years ago, when I started having children, maternity clothes were like tents. I had a really hard time finding casual clothes that were feminine, unless you count the big bow on the belly as being feminine, which I didn't. Finding work clothes that were professional was next to impossible way back then.

Now they are making maternity clothes that are more form fitting and offering more of a variety - it seems this generation of pregnant women can be pregnant and sexy too. No more tents to hide behind!

With a comfortable pair of white shorts and some strappy little sandals, this outfit here seems comfortable for casual summer days. It almost gives me that little urge to have another baby.

I just heard that Heidi Klum is pregnant again. I've seen pictures of her pregnant and she rocks the pregnant look! Much better than I did. She also seems like she has a wonderful family with Seal.

Actually, the little baby next door gives me a little urge for another baby. If we ever decided to add to our already large family, I'd get a whole new stylish maternity wardrobe because, thankfully, all the old tent-like maternity clothes are long gone.

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Chrysler Closing Almost 800 Dealerships

The list came out today of dealerships that Chrysler wants to close, filed in a motion in Bankruptcy Court. They have about 3,200 dealerships but they plan to close 789 of them (39 in my home state of Michigan). That's about 25%. The planned date to have them closed by is June 9th. That's only a few weeks away. The court has to approve Chrysler's motion still, which is slated for June 3. Because of that, I've seen it written that some dealerships, who received the letter today telling them whether their dealership would be closed or not, are only considering this a temporary list.

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Wednesday, May 13, 2009

Bling for my Horse

I went on a little shopping spree over the weekend buying pet supplies for my horse, JeeNee. She needed a new leather headstall. I was undecided whether to go for bling or function on the headstall but I think I made the right choice. She is also getting new reins and a new bit. Once I decide on her colors and get the saddle pad, she'll be one stylin' spotted draft.

What is the best colors for a black and white mare? Pink? Purple? Red? Orange? I am sure some of you are wondering what the heck it matters but if you know me well, you know I have this thing about matching. Obviously, it has extended beyond myself and my kids to my horse too.

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Tuesday, May 12, 2009

Hostgator Down. I'll stick with GoDaddy.

Yikes! The internet news says Hostgator is down. Thankfully, I don't have any of my web sites at Hostgator. I use GoDaddy. They've never gone down on me so I think I'll just stick with GoDaddy no matter how many ads I see for Hostgator floating around the internet.

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How to Use the Neti Pot

I was chatting on Facebook today with an old school friend who is having allergy problems. I remembered hearing about that pot they use to rinse with but I couldn't remember the name of it even though I've heard all good things about it. I called it the Nelly pot (like Nellie, the bratty blond on Little House on the Prairie). It's called the Neti Pot! I've seen it spelled nettie pot and netty pot as well but I really think it is supposed to be NETI POT.

I've been afraid to attempt this. It just seemed uncomfortable when people tried to explain the "how to" of how to use the Neti pot. I just found this Neti Pot "how to" video on YouTube though which makes it seem easier than I imagined.

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Mark Landon, Michael Landon's Son, Found Dead

I loved Michael Landon as a child, watching him for years on Little House on the Prairie, and was saddened when he passed in 1991. Now, at the age of 60, his son, Mark Landon, passes as well. Mark Landon was found dead in his home in Los Angeles yesterday. There is no evidence of foul play. He was 60 years old.

Here is the article in the L.A. Times.

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Sunday, May 10, 2009

Neil Sedaka has another top selling CD

...and it's probably not what you think.

He made a CD for children and it's a top seller. With songs like "Waking Up Is Hard To Do, Where the Toys Are, Dinosaur Pet, Lunch Will Keep Us Together" and more, young kids will love it.


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A New Blog

I have a new blog. Since my thyroid disease had been such a problem for me for eight years, I've decided to devote a blog to not only my problems with it but as a way to post information that I come across that may be helpful as well.

Check out my new blog:

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Friday, May 8, 2009

Pokemon Fan?

My son is a huge Pokemon fan. I just saw that there are two new releases (Pokemon Heart Gold and Pokemon Soul Silver) for the Nintendo DS. It's going to be released this Fall in Japan so the U.S. should watch for it afterward (Japan gets all the releases first. When my husband was in Japan, he would come back and tell us about all the newest technology they had...we'd see it months after that.)

We bought a Nintendo DS for my daughter this past christmas. I wish I'd known the Nintendo DSi was coming out. I think we would have waited. Seems like a bit of competition for the PSP.



(It comes in Matte Blue too.)

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Thursday, May 7, 2009

The Buzz Today - 5/7/09

The Buzz for Thursday, May 7, 2009:



  • Today is the National Day of Prayer. There's a controversy about President Obama doing away with the tradition Former President George W. Bush made of the day with a service at the White House. About the only time you'll see me agreeing with President Obama thus far during his term will be on this issue. I don't believe the government and religion should mix. A private service for the President, should he feel the need or desire to do so, is appropriate in my opinion. Religion and faith are private, not federal.

  • Maybe not the best place to put this following information about the National Day of Prayer, but there's supposedly racy photos of Carrie Prejean (Miss California of the Perez Hilton controvery the last couple of weeks) floating around. Do I care? Not really. I guess she may lose her crown over it and if those are the rules then I guess if you are going to be a part of pageants who have this rule, then you should abide by the rules. Personally, I don't really care. I don't watch pageants.

  • Clayton Homes has introduced their iHouse (or iHome)...supposed to be 30% more efficient than the traditional houses built, reducing the carbon footprint.
  • Censorshipbook.com: The Threat to Silence Talk Radio



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Wednesday, May 6, 2009

Twitter, For Sale, & The View




Do you Twitter? It's the new thing to do, gaining momentum everyday, which is actually a big surprise to me.

On The View today (you know that show where most of the women gang up on one and argue - oops, I mean, debate - so much so that you can't hear what any of them are talking about. Like a bunch of angry birds squawking at each other...hey, they're twittering at each other. OK, bad joke.

Back to The View, Biz Stone, a co-founder of Twitter, told audiences today that Twitter is not for sale. Apparently, rumors abound that Google, Microsoft, and others are wanting to buy them. That's right. Hang onto it long enough, Biz, so the price goes up nice and high and then you can retire young. Good going, Twitter owners! With the popularity of Twitter increasing, the sale price can only go up, at least for now. Boy, I wish I had the knowledge to do something like this.

If you'd like to follow me on Twitter, follow me and send me a tweet!




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Healthy Eating So Far

So far today, I've had green tea and fruit for breakfast and a turkey sandwich for lunch. Not a lot right? I actually don't overeat on a daily basis so I shouldn't need to lose 30 pounds! How depressing.

A normal diet wouldn't work for me because I don't need to eat less. I don't need an herbal appetite suppressant or anything like that so far. I don't sit down with a bag of chips and eat them all in one sitting. I don't eat pies, cakes, etc. every day. I don't have biscuits and gravy for breakfast or fried chicken for dinner. Maybe it's in the combination of foods that I'm eating?

I'm not sure what is for dinner yet but I doubt it'll be enough to justify this extra weight I'm carrying around!

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Nikki Catsouras Accident Scene Photos

It's all over the 'net today about the photos from a very bad accident that this teenaged girl, Nikki Catsouras, was in (she was driving her dad's Porsche, which she'd been forbidden to drive, driving 100 mph when she crashed so you can imagine how horrific the accident was). The accident killed this 18-year-old three years ago and the photos are being leaked on the Internet. How horrid. Why would people post pictures like that? Why would people do that to the family of this girl? I think it's disgusting. The Internet is full of information but being morbid and cruel shouldn't be a part of it.

Somebody actually emailed these photos to the parents. What kind of sicko does that?

So, if you came here looking for the photos of a young woman almost decapitated, you won't find them here. Get a life and a hell of a lot of counseling!

I feel so bad for the family. Losing a child would be devastating but to be harassed by sick individuals sending photos from the scene of their deceased child, the person or people who did this must be mental.

I've lost loved ones in traffic accidents - three times actually. It's devastating and horrific. Loved ones left behind in grief shouldn't be faced with sick individuals taunting them after the fact.

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Smoke/Fire Alarm Safety Tips

A big worry of mine is a fire occurring in our home while we slept. With bedrooms on two levels, I worry that we couldn't get to all of the kids in time. With the electrical problems we had this past year, almost causing a fire, I am more neurotic about it than ever. I worry about how many smoke alarms is enough and where to place them. So I am looking over smoke alarm tips and thought I'd post a couple here.

  • Smoke alarms should be on every level of your home, including the basement. (We've done this.)
  • Smoke alarms should be placed outside of every separate sleeping area. (We have one in each bedroom plus one in the hall downstairs; one in each bedroom upstairs and one near the hall as well.)
  • Don't install smoke alarms near windows, doors or ducts where a draft can interfere.
  • Don't paint them (it can interfere with operation). If they don't match your decor, well, live with it.
  • Smoke alarms can be interconnected on the house's electrical current so when one goes off in one part of the house, they all go off. What a great idea!!! If anybody in your house sleeps with their bedroom door closed, this is a must. I really like this idea. I wonder how much it costs to have an electrician do this.

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Computer in Kids Room

We are putting an old computer in my son's room. It won't have internet access. It will just be for playing around with the Microsoft software (they like to make slideshows with them) and computer games. I don't believe children should have internet access in their bedrooms. In fact, I don't believe they should be on the internet right now unless I'm standing right there with them.

I have to find my son a desk that is less than 45" long so it will fit in the one spot in his room that it can go. I can't find a decent desk for the right price. I've seen tv stands everywhere so I think they've limited their desks in-store to make room for the tv stands. I guess I'll continue my desk shopping online to see what I can find.

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Post 2: Somebody Stole My Bank Card Number

The bank messed up. They told me they'd canceled my card when I called them the other day. I even went down there after I called them and asked them again and they confirmed my card was canceled it. Imagine how surprised I was when I go to check the account activity and the hackers had charged about $400 more onto the card!

I went back to the bank yesterday and the manager canceled the card. Unfortunately, it messed up my online account access so now I can't even check my account activity online. Geez! I was able to dispute about half the charges yesterday and will go back tomorrow to dispute the rest (had to wait until they moved from "pending").

I've tried going to the police department twice in the last two days to file a police report. Both times, there was nobody there. I don't just mean the officers were out on patrol. The building was locked and NOBODY was there. I walked down to city hall and they called around. Apparently, they didn't have ANYBODY on duty. Huh? Serve and protect eh? So who is watching our town then? I want to work there! I don't ever have to show up apparently.

What a pain.

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My week has not gone well so far

In the past week, I've been to two different doctors and the hospital for tests. Being who I am, meaning I hate going to the doctors, it's been a stressful week. In a couple weeks, I have a few more doctor appointments to attend. What a fun month for me! With all the running around, not feeling well in general because of my thyroid, and being upset with one of my doctors, I have been in a rotten mood.

Anyway, while at the pharmacy to pick up some prescriptions from one of these visits, I stopped at the nutrition and dietary aisle in the store to browse. I found one product that I might have considered until I looked at the price tag! Trying to get healthy sure seems expensive. They were definitely out of my price range so I need to look for discount supplements more in line with our small budget.

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Monday, May 4, 2009

Part 1: Somebody Stole My Bank Card Number!

Apparently, somebody is having one helluva good time in Great Britain and California with my bank account. I just went online to check balances today. Imagine my surprise (horror!) to find that our bank account is over a thousand dollars in the hole!!

I called our bank. They said it looks like you've been traveling all over having a good time. Yeah, I wish!

I have to go up to our bank in about a half hour to sign the forms to dispute all the charges. What a mess. Now I'm wondering where/how they stole it, if I need to cancel regular credit cards, if my social security number is safe, etc. I will have to look up later how to go about checking on other items for identity theft right away. I'll have to keep in mind to contact the credit agencies too regularly over the next several months and see if they've stolen anything else from me. What a pain.

Damn thieves!!

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Sunday, May 3, 2009

Egypt's Pig Slaughter

There is a massive pig cull going on in Egypt right now. At first, it was said to be because of the swine flu (of which there are no cases in Egypt as of yet) and then later said to be done as a general health measure. It's expected to take about a month to kill the 300,000 pigs they plan to kill.


  • The UN calls this measure a mistake and unnecessary.
  • Pig-farming and consumption in Egypt is done by the 10% christian population. Huh, is it a health measure or a religious matter? My first thought when I read this point was that I hoped it wasn't being done because they're christians.
  • Egyptian government is being criticized for doing this.


The swine flu, a mix of pig, bird, and human. Is there going to be a massive bird cull too? Perhaps the terrorists can use this too as an excuse for their murder and terror around the world against humans - human culling.

To keep up-to-date on the status in the United Stated, the stats, and other information, are here. The TIME article is here.

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Saturday, May 2, 2009

Disability Insurance

It seems like it's difficult for some people to get social security benefits when they need it. I recently took a course in insurance, which included learning about disability insurance. There is a lot more that goes into it than I used to think. It's confusing too.

If you need a little help with this subject yourself, Allsup can help you. Here's some information that may be of interest to you:

  • Allsup is a leader in their industry for providing the necessary services for those with disabilities. If you've not had success with getting the services you need, Allsup has a 98% success rate. That's really high!

Check Allsup out. You might just find that they can make the process much faster for you.

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