Back to current events tomorrow

Just to break up the routine this blog is starting to form I’m offering you…….

The World's Easiest Looking Quiz

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(Answers at the bottom. Hey - NO Cheating!)

1) How long did the Hundred Years War last?

2) Which country makes Panama hats?

3) From which animal do we get catgut?

4) In which month do Russians celebrate the October Revolution?

5) What is a camel's hair brush made of?

6) The Canary Islands in the Atlantic are named after what
animal?

7) What was King George VI's first name?

8) What color is a purple finch?

9) Where are Chinese gooseberries from?

10) How long did the Thirty Years War last

Answers To The Quiz

1) How long did the Hundred Years War last? 116 years, from 1337 to 1453.

2) Which country makes Panama hats? Ecuador.

3) From which animal do we get catgut? From sheep and horses.

4) In which month do Russians celebrate the October Revolution?
November. The Russian calendar was 13 days behind ours.

5) What is a camel's hair brush made of? Squirrel fur.

6) The Canary Islands in the Atlantic are named after what animal?
The Latin name was Insularia Canaria - Island of the Dogs.

7) What was King George VI's first name?
Albert. When he came to the throne in 1936, he respected the
wish of Queen Victoria that no future king should ever be
called Albert.

8) What color is a purple finch? Distinctively crimson.

9) Where are Chinese gooseberries from? New Zealand.

10) How long did the Thirty Years War last?
Thirty years, of course. From 1618 to 1648.

It's amazing how the simple is not so simple and the obvious is not so obvious.

Also, when you've been wrong nine times, you don't trust yourself anymore and even when truth is presented to you, because of past failures, you doubt the obvious

...you doubt you.

Don't let past failures convince you that you can't be right, that you can't do it, that success isn't destined for you.

We don't fail because we don't succeed,

we fail because we quit,

believing that we can't win.

Thought of the Day

 

 

If beans are vegetables, and coffee comes from a bean, are Starbucks patrons vegetarians?

I overheard.......

 

…….a conversation today that made me think.  The only voice I heard was that of a young lady. I’d say about 25 years old.  She was commenting on Bush’s State of the Union speech last night.  She started off by saying “I am a liberal, I am about as extreme a liberal as you can get.”  “I mean I just hate Bush.” “I watched the speech last night just to count the number of times he would stutter.”  She went on and on, but she just kept re-stating that she hated Bush.  I just sat and thought about my blog entry a few days ago where I talked about a party in decline.  This young lady had no desire to talk about issues and ideals.  You could just tell she had a “hate” within her that I thought would not quit.  Her attitude of hate is why the liberals will not gain more power than they already have.  Hate doesn’t win elections, and you have to win elections to set policy.  Being a conservative, I quietly hope the liberals never quit hating like that, but the thinker in me hopes that they will actually enter into fruitful debate.  Maybe then we can all come up with lasting solutions to our problems.  I finally had to say something, so I turned to her, extended my hand, and said “I am your political antithesis, I hope we can still be friends.”  She shook my hand and smiled, but it wasn’t genuine.  That’s too bad.

I thought 5.6% was bad

European Economies: German Jobless Rise to Record (Update3)

Feb. 2 (Bloomberg) -- German unemployment jumped to the highest since World War II as new rules added welfare recipients to the jobless register, clouding the outlook for Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder in elections this month.

The number of people out of work in January rose by 227,000 to 4.71 million in seasonally adjusted terms, including 230,000 new jobless claimants, the Nuremberg-based Federal Labor Agency said today. The adjusted unemployment rate rose to 11.4 percent

And I thought everyone was complaining that Bush was a terrible President because he “caused a 5.6% unemployment rate?  I guess socialism doesn’t work, so why do the liberals keep trying to take the USA there?

 

 

Freedom of Speech and College Professors

Amendment I, Constitution of the United States of America

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.

I don't want to write about that Professor from the University of Colorado and his inflamatory comments. There is enough coverage out there to bore anyone to tears.

What I do want to do is ask you to read the 1st amendment carefully, and think about whether the professor had his rights infringed upon. Then I want you to decide whether the University has the right or obligation to fire this man. Why or why not? Feel free to leave a comment.

Differences

One of the things that really glares at me is how the two political parties act in different situations.  I think these differences give the Democrats an advantage that the Republicans could take away if they would act.  When the Democrats are in the majority of either house in Congress, they act as if they own the house.  They enforce what they want and to hell with what ever anyone else thinks.  When they are in the minority, they act as if they are still in a position of power.  They use that power to control the direction of debate and still manage to put the Republicans in a defensive posture.  They also simply refuse to admit that they really are the minority. 

 

The Republicans on the other hand, always act as if they are the minority party.  They are afraid to assert any power that is theirs for the taking as the majority party.  When the Republicans are in the minority they simply act as if they belong there and are just along for the ride.  Come on guys, YOU CONTROL THE ENTIRE CONGRESS! PASS YOUR AGENDA! Or you will lose that power to the guys who act as if they still have it.  Perception is reality to the common voter.

Third Rail in the Spotlight

Looks like the good ol' 3rd rail of politics is heating up again (or did it ever cool down). Social Security is in the spotlight for the State of the Union Address on Wednesday night. We all need this change. I have been putting thousands of dollars into a system that I have known since I was 12 would be insolvent by the time I qualified for benefits. Around half of our income tax goes to Social Security. Look at your paystub if you don't believe me. If I could opt out of the system and not receive benefits I would take it in a heartbeat. Even if I spent the money immediately and did not save a dime, I would be better off. Deep down inside everyone knows that social security is on a course for self destruction.

Word on the street has it that several Republican House members are threatening not support this idea because they are worried about re-election. If they would support the bill it looks like a win-win situation to me. If the bill passes and we get private accounts for a portion of our contributions, that is GREAT. Then if the Republicans lose control of the House but keep the Senate, government spending will decrease because it will be gridlock all over again. Gridlock is good for taxpayers that are concerned about their pocketbook, it usually stops loads of spending bills. Anytime there is gridlock government becomes paralyzed which means they cannot pass laws, fewer laws is a good thing!

If there are no changes made to SS and it goes bankrupt and gets desolved soon the better off we are.

What a bittersweet response

Reuters indicates that 72% of registered Iraqi's turned out to vote with 3 hours to go before polls closed. That is wonderful! That is the voice of freedom speaking loud and clear. It's not a perfect election, but we can't even have one here. I say it is bittersweet because it is so sweet to see so many Iraqi's show up to vote to move their country forward, but bitter when I think that we are lucky to get a 50% turnout for a presidential election WITHOUT threats of death if we vote in America.

Every beginning has a consequence-every beginning ends something. Paul Valery, 1871-1945