Currently in the News

Why does everything have to be about political party affiliation?

gina_alfani@yahoo.com (Gina Alfani) — Wed, 19 Jan 2011 00:52:00 +0000

I'm sick of all of them . . . Republicans, Democrats, Independents, Conservative, Liberal, Moderate, Tea Party . . .

Aren't we all Americans who enjoy living in a free country, where we used to feel safe walking out the door of our house?

The latest round of finger pointing over the shooting in Arizona has put the nail in the political coffin for me.

Don't we have a country that is getting more screwed up with more insanity by the day that needs to be fixed?

Shootings in the street, at the grocery store, in the parking lot of a Walmart, carjacking at a drive thru at McDonalds, in our schools . . . all becoming routine. When I was growing up, it would have shocked us. We aren't shocked anymore . . . we have accepted this behavior as normal insanity that happens every day.

I'm sick of beggars making a living in the medians of our streets, making me feel extremely uncomfortable to even stop at the traffic lights.

Insurance companies have made many of us "insurance poor" . . . and when we need to use their service, like to simply go to the doctor to take care of a health problem . . . "oh sorry, we can't pay for that, it is a pre-existing condition . . ."

How many of us can still afford to carry homeowners insurance? And if you do have it, try collecting on it in your time of need . . .

Don't get me started on the economy and unemployment, the catalyst of even more crime because those who can't find employment are turning into criminals in order to survive. Or is that just an excuse for those individuals?

I wish those we elected to represent us would do what they are supposed to do and stop making excuses and pointing fingers! Fix our country already!

That is my rant for the day . . .

The American Dream

gina_alfani@yahoo.com (Gina Alfani) — Mon, 03 Jan 2011 02:52:00 +0000

Maybe I'm sick of politics, but The Captain lives and breathes politics . . . and he makes awesome videos.

Here is his latest . . .

No political news . . .

gina_alfani@yahoo.com (Gina Alfani) — Tue, 16 Nov 2010 03:57:00 +0000

I'm officially sick of it all . . . the political news has been turned off, at least for now.

The political season burned me out completely and I am thoroughly disgusted with the state of our country. The economic implications are everywhere I turn . . . can't escape it. Never did I think that the "land of opportunity" would come to this place.

Enough said . . .

Voting machine rigging?

gina_alfani@yahoo.com (Gina Alfani) — Wed, 27 Oct 2010 22:20:00 +0000

Several voting mishaps have been reported across the country, including in Harry Reid's state of Nevada where voters are complaining that Harry Reid's name is checked before they even vote. It's possibly a fluke - but it's happened to several people AND voting machine technical issues are being handled by SEIU union workers. ( Transcript, Insider Audio) Get the full story HERE.

Source: Glenn Beck's newsletter

***

I'm so sick of it all already! No wonder we don't have awesome choices for candidates . . . most decent people do not want to be drug through the mud and get down and dirty just to "get a job" working for a corrupt system. Don't get me wrong . . . not that all politicians are scumbags, I'm sure the decent ones still exist, however they have become rarities . . . don't you think?

Just today I heard so many different stories of absentee ballot fraud, voting machine rigging and voter intimidation at the polls . . . it makes me sick that we are becoming no better than a third world nation. Visions of contested elections, lawyers and courtrooms on the news agenda horizon . . . grrrrrrr!!

Good Lord . . . what have we become as a nation . . . and as a society, how did we let it all come to this? This is the very reason why I turn off the news and must turn a blind eye to politics when it gets to me so badly . . . but none of us can afford to do that! Politics has always been a nasty business, but it seems to be escalating at a fevered pitch.

I want the elections to be over with . . . I'll be heading to the polls as I hold my nose and vote for no one I really think is even good for the job.

No real choices except for the lesser of the evils . . . I'm really disgusted today! Don't get me started on the attack television ads . . .

I'm back . . . again

gina_alfani@yahoo.com (Gina Alfani) — Sat, 23 Oct 2010 20:03:00 +0000

Too much going on with too much to say about it all . . . the blog is officially open again!

Political labels

gina_alfani@yahoo.com (Gina Alfani) — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 16:33:00 +0000

It has actually been intellectually refreshing to purposely stay away from political news and ponder life in general instead. I can't believe that I can honestly say that I have a vague idea of Sarah Palin's resignation . . . no details . . . and I don't want them. Actually, I am itching to get back into what's happening in political news, but way too happy personally to bring myself down with it!

Can you relate? We really can't afford to bury our heads in the sand and hope the bad news will go away, we need to facilitate change in political business as usual . . .

One of the political conclusions I have recently come to is that I am severely conflicted as to what political label to affix myself to . . . or does it even matter anymore?

Seems to me that the political world has gone absolutely wacko and even those proudly wearing those political labels are confused at best. Everything is about the money anymore . . . greed drives politics . . . corporations actually own US politics, so it doesn't matter how many protest signs are waved and how many people are waving them.

Put your protest signs away and pick up your phone . . . bombard your political representatives with your views and opinions on how they are doing. The ultimate message happens at the voting booth and don't think they don't pay attention to those phone calls . . .

There is strength in numbers . . . let your voice be heard and get out to vote . . . in the end, that is what counts.

Listened briefly . . .

gina_alfani@yahoo.com (Gina Alfani) — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 19:19:00 +0000

I'm sick of hearing how our fearless leader accepts criticism of this great country from the world . . . who take our military assistance when they need it and greedily take our money although they "hate" us. What I hate is having someone represent "me" who agrees with the world and loves to join the chorus of bashing the United States and everything we have stood for.

As is with anything, I try to see the other side. I understand the theory of "trying something different" since not dealing with the thugs of the world has seemingly brought on animosity. However, doesn't agreeing with them make us the weak loser and empower them . . . rationalize their warped thinking? A different approach is one thing, but bashing our country isn't acceptable to me.

I'll stop before I lose the euphoric feelings I've been experiencing from the reality of blossoming love in my life . . . the radio has once again been turned off.

This news junkie is burned out way beyond charred . . .

Are we living in the end times?

gina_alfani@yahoo.com (Gina Alfani) — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 17:35:00 +0000

Those who have hated the United States had their week when the "chickens came home to roost" with President Obama apologizing to world about who "we" are. Not since Jimmy Carter running around the world criticizing the US . . . Richard Nixon with his deceptive ways and Bill Clinton with his sleazy ways have I been so ashamed of one of my leaders.

Didn't we get a clue of the Obama mentality when Michelle made the statement during the campaign that "this is the first time I'm proud of my country" . . . I will always remember this past week as the time President Obama trashed his presidency in my eyes. As a proud American, I accepted him as my president and had so much hope that he would be the one to get it right and make the appropriate changes necessary to bring us back. I was wrong . . . he wants to change the US into something we will not recognize . . . it is already foreign to me.

This mentality is very difficult for me to digest since I am not a liberal . . . for that matter, I'm not really a true conservative either . . . no matter, I'm trying to understand since this is the new reality of the United States . . . we have changed as a country, almost over night. I'm having a very hard time dealing with this . . .

I have somewhat dismissed the religious hype of a "one world government" . . . in many ways it concerns me, mainly because I'm a bible believing Christian and the book of Revelations is my least favorite. After this week, it is becoming clear to me that the political agenda is not one that is regional . . . it is of one world.

And I have laughed at Rush Limbaugh calling President Obama "the Messiah" . . . I'm not laughing today, I'm genuinely concerned.

I didn't listen to the news all weekend, enjoying music and my happy content mood. As I listened to Sean Hannity yesterday, it all started to hit me . . . after Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh today, I'm almost convinced that we are at the edge of the end times.

What is sad to me . . . there is not a politician out there who speaks for me . . . that voice died with Ronald Reagan . . .

Scumbag of the week

gina_alfani@yahoo.com (Gina Alfani) — Sat, 04 Apr 2009 21:35:00 +0000

Levi Johnston got his 15 minutes of fame this week blabbing about his sex life with Gov. Sarah Palin's daughter, Bristol.

First of all . . . Tyra Banks lost my respect with this one. I always held her in high esteem as a classy lady with so much going for her . . . now she has drug herself through the mud and is no better than having a tabloid trash talk show . . . step aside Jerry Springer . . . here comes Tyra to dish the dirt on celebrities.

At one time it was my opinion that her talk show was really credible, exposing who we are as a society. The show that really sticks in my mind had Tyra dressing up in a fat suit to show how society reacts to those unfortunate enough to have a weight problem.

She's sold out to the seedy side of society, dishing out trash talk that is no one's business. And this guy . . . what girl in her right mind would want to date this weasel after showing that he has absolutely no class at all? Didn't he think about that before he went on television for his 15 minutes of scumbag fame?

Back to the sexual content of the conversation being no one's business . . . is this what it takes to entertain us now? Have we become that bored and perverted as a society that we have to snoop into the intimate sexual details of celebrities? Is this what we want to watch on television? Haven't we gone too far as to what we think is acceptible?

The deterioration of our society continues . . . here is a clip of Tyra Banks' segment with the scumbag . . .

The "Good" Nuclear Country

gina_alfani@yahoo.com (Gina Alfani) — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 13:45:00 +0000

Iran has confounded the world with its refusal to back down from its nuclear ambitions as intelligence analysts around the world warn that it may use its power plant in order to develop nuclear weapons.

While the U.S. and UN have imposed sanctions on Iran, America is also boosting another Persian Gulf country as a model for responsible use of nuclear power—the United Arab Emirates.

According to the Wall Street Journal, dozens of American engineers, lawyers, and businessmen have traveled to Abu Dhabi to jump start the country's plan to build its first nuclear-power program by 2017.

A senior White House official told the Journal that it sees the UAE's plan, which includes an agreement to buy nuclear fuel from abroad rather than enrich its own potentially weapons-grade material, as a "model for the world."

Source: The Daily Beast

While I'm an advocate for new technology and making life better . . . technology that holds "good and evil" in the wrong hands is subject for concern, no matter who it is. Last year at this time who would have thought that an American president would have the power to "fire" the CEO of one of the world's largest corporations? Seems like these "political" world situations can change over night.

Why does this make me so nervous? Today the UAE is seen as a "model for the world" . . . but what about tomorrow?

Remember Iran under the leadership of the Shah? Weren't they a "model for the world" . . . a democracy? This was within my lifetime.

I feel like I've slept for a year and woke up on another planet . . .

O'Reilly on Letterman

gina_alfani@yahoo.com (Gina Alfani) — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 21:49:00 +0000

I love the way David Letterman was rendered speechless several times . . . I must say, I'm WAY partial . . . Bill O'Reilly is one of my heroes, although I really like David Letterman too, as an entertainer :-) This proves that entertainers need to stay out of politics . . . or so it seems to me.

The cable news king, Bill O'Reilly, made an appearance on Letterman last night to promote his 100th consecutive month as the #1 cable news show and Bill gave a spirited defense of Glenn and Rush that, at times left Letterman speechless. When Letterman asked about a line in the Times article, O'Reilly hit it spot on----solid stuff from 'The Factor' host. Source: Glenn Beck's newsletter

The blog is back . . .

gina_alfani@yahoo.com (Gina Alfani) — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 14:07:00 +0000

A while back I shut down my "current events" blog because I didn't want to be political online . . . my thought on politics is that I am one person, my opinions won't change the world, so I opted to not write about anything controversial.

However, the world is rapidly changing and it bothers me. It is not my intent to be critical and partisan about current events. I could care less about the labels . . . but I do care about my personal freedom and have enjoyed living in a free country as I've known it.

I'm torn about the bailouts, but common sense tells me that failing businesses should be allowed to fail, just like individuals have to fail and start over again.

Many of those of the conservative persuasion disagree with the government dictating what these companies can and can't do, or decide if an executive needs to go . . . but I believe that if taxpayer dollars are running that business and they would be out of business otherwise, all bets are off and they no longer have "capitalist freedoms" until they pay the government loans back.

There has been one voice that is really speaking to me . . . his name is Glenn Beck. Love him or hate him . . . he has common sense and just about everything he says makes sense to me.

The New York Times did an article on Glenn Beck . . . click here to read the article.

Much more to come on Glenn Beck and some projects and philosophies to think about . . . in particular, the attitude we had on September 12 . . . what happened to it? We have all but forgotten how we felt on that day . . .

The Cyber Mafia . . . hackers and computer security

gina_alfani@yahoo.com (Gina Alfani) — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 20:44:00 +0000

President Obama announced an immediate review of how the federal government handles computer security.

In light of recent news of security breaches, the review will concentrate on what the government is doing to protect essential domestic networks . . . including electrical distribution control systems, banking networks, and travel back-ends like air traffic control systems . . . not just government-run systems like Pentagon file servers.

It is scary when you think of the implications . . .

Tragic society

gina_alfani@yahoo.com (Gina Alfani) — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 03:05:00 +0000

The news of more and more foreclosures, rising unemployment and general financial disasters has made me wonder when things would start getting really crazy as society becomes so distraught, feeling like they are pushed against the wall with nowhere to go.

It occurred to me tonight that the tragedies have begun and we need to be aware of those close to us . . . you never know what a person or a family is going through.

In recent news I read of a man who froze to death in his home . . . his electricity had been turned off. Didn't anyone know he was in that situation? An act of kindness as simple as a ride to a local shelter so he could sleep in a warm room and the man would be alive today. It reminded me of a news story I heard a year or two ago where a man was dead in his house for months, maybe even a year . . . and no one knew . . .

Another story hit me as so tragic today . . . a man and his wife both lost their jobs . . . they were found shot to death in their home, along with their children . . . murder/suicide. The story of why was faxed to the local television station before the deaths occurred.

It is tragic desperation . . . I don't believe in the government bailing out corporations, the world and society when the only people footing the bill are those who have a job. We, as a society, must start helping each other in little ways that will make a difference.

There is always a way out of a situation . . . time and faith . . . death is not the way, although sometimes I think the ones not having to go through the type of struggles our society is embarking upon are the peaceful souls as we are entering into a time in our world that is a form of hell on earth. We will soon hear these stories with daily frequency and become more desensitized than we already are.

While I can understand the mentality of being distraught, I also know that if we take a moment at a time, think about the situation, reach out to each other, draw closer together . . . there is nothing we can't do as a society.

"The smallest acts of kindness, can be the largest acts of love"

Ultimate revenge

gina_alfani@yahoo.com (Gina Alfani) — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 20:40:00 +0000

"Give me my kidney back . . . or a gazillion dollars" . . . sounds like a joke, but in this bizarre world that we live in, a husband who gave his wife one of his kidneys wants it back since they are divorcing. Apparently, she left him for another man. This has got to top any divorce dispute ever . . .

My head is still spinning from all the corporate welfare going around . . . when is Uncle Sam gonna bail out "the people" since he apparently has those fabulous trees that grows money like leaves. Now I know that my dad was telling a tall tale when he told us that money didn't grow on trees and you had to earn it . . . hmmmm . . . wonder where I can buy some of those seeds . . .

I'm disturbed at the lack of accountibility . . . is the corporate world learning the lessons of how they got there to begin with? I'm further disturbed at the industries coming out of the woodwork wanting money from the government . . . the latest . . . the adult/porn/sex industry. OMG . . . what next?

Corporate welfare is becoming a bottomless pit . . . what about the people who need money to buy what these corporations are selling to get their business healthy again?

Seems like "the people" are the only ones accountible for their mistake of basically living beyond their means. Now everyone must suffer . . . even those who already have money are watching it vanish into thin air. The middle class is being downsized at the workplace with tons of people applying for the same jobs that are few and far between.

All I can think of is the escalation of rampant crime as a result of more and more people not having money to live on . . . as I search for a job with the rest of them . . .

We are living in such scary times that I'm beginning to think that the survivalists from back in the day may have had a point . . .

Socialism . . . lots to think about

gina_alfani@yahoo.com (Gina Alfani) — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 20:58:00 +0000

It seems to me that life as we know it in the United States is changing by the day . . . I hear from my friends around the world that the economic problems are being felt as well . . . but I'm talking about our mentality about socialism.

The following is an excerpt from Glenn Beck's radio show . . . I listen to his radio show every chance I get . . . he makes so much sense to me . . . his website link is listed in my links section, check out some of this other transcripts, or better yet, listen to his radio show.

GLENN: From WSC in South Carolina, man, it is always good to be in the South. Welcome to the program. We're glad you're here. We just had a guy call. Dan, do you remember where he was calling from? What city was he calling from? Does anybody know, Sarah?

STU: Cincinnati. He was in Cincinnati but he was actually over the river, Glenn. He was over the river and he was in Kentucky. He was a few miles away from Cincinnati. He just wanted to make sure you knew that, he wasn't in Cincinnati.

GLENN: Yeah, he had to point that out to me. All right. So he's south of the Mason-Dixon line. He's in Kentucky, and he said "Your theory of capitalism is flawed." And I said, how's that? He said, "Well, because in your theory even if, if we play this all out to the extreme," he said, "Even if everybody works as hard as they possibly can, gets all the education that they can, there will still be people working at McDonald's." Whoa. Well, first of all, let me say this. I'm sorry that working at McDonald's is so bad. I'm sorry that honest labor now in this country is so bad. I'm sorry -- I hope this guy never eats at McDonald's because you're taking advantage of the disadvantaged. If you believe that, then by working -- by buying anything at McDonald's, you are helping apparently what is slave labor. You're just furthering the evil clown.

Let me ask you this question: If everybody had the most education and everybody worked hard and there were still people working at McDonald's, should we just then have the government go in and abolish McDonald's? Should there only be Ruth's Chris steakhouses? And even if there were Ruth's Chris steakhouses, wouldn't there still have to be people that wait those tables? This is the insanity of people who embrace socialism.

Gang, I told you a year ago that you were going to wake up one day and your country's going to be different. The country is different. Socialism is there. They have suspended any kind of sanity. They are intentionally now trashing our dollar. There's no way else to explain what's going on. Let me -- for those of you who think that it's so unfair that we have to have people that work at McDonald's, let me ask you this: How many people in this country have started behind the counter at McDonald's? I washed pots and pans; I'm rich now. God bless America. There's nothing wrong with that. There's nothing wrong with it. Only in this country can you become rich and come from nothing. That's the American dream, that you can pursue your dream. Not that you get your dream.

You know, the scariest thing my daughter has ever, ever said to me, and she said this to me and it scared the living daylights out of me because it's what I said. It's one of the reasons why I was an alcoholic and quite honestly a loser for a lot of my life. She said to me, "Dad, I don't think my life is going to work out how I had it planned." I broke into tears. I said, "Honey, you're right. It's not. But that's a good thing. Life never works out the way you planned. It's a journey. It's being able to look at the things that have happened to you and being able to flip them upside down and see them in the proper perspective. There is no bad. There is only things that happen to you, and you choose to make them bad or you choose to grow from there. You choose to learn from your mistakes."

As a guy who refused to learn from my mistakes over and over an over again, you can get so bitter, "Oh, well, I'll never get out. Oh, well, these people are always..." those are loser statements. "They always are trying to keep me down." The only ones that are ever trying to keep you down are not the ones who are saying "Cut the crap." Take everybody out of the path. Let me succeed or fail on my own. Anybody who tries to say, "Oh, well, you need me to help you," that's an enabler. "Oh, you need me."

You know when we really succeed is when we don't need anyone. We choose to engage with others because we know that, man, if I combine my talents with your talents, my self-awareness with your self-awareness, we can really do great things. But when somebody's in a relationship where the other one's like, "Okay, well, you're just too stupid" or you're just whatever, and they are constantly telling you -- remember, what this government is doing is telling you, they are convincing you that you can't do it. That is an abusive relationship! That's mental abuse. If this was a relationship, a husband and a wife and you were the husband or you were the wife and the government was the other spouse and you went to a counselor and you would say to the counselor, "Well, these are the things that my spouse keeps telling me, that I can't do it without them, that I need them, that they'll protect me, that I'm too weak, that I need bailing out, that they'll clear the path," at some point the counselor would look to your spouse and say, "You're abusing them. You are weakening them. You are intentionally implanting that message in their head over and over again constantly 24/7 and you are crippling them." Then the counselor would look to you and say, "Well, now that you know the truth, what are you going to do." And unfortunately, because I see it over and over and over again, the abused always says, "Well, they really do love me and I'm sure they'll change. And they don't mean it that way. And, well, I just don't want to start all over again. Well, I don't know if I can make it on my own. I... I'm better off where I'm at." You know why that happens? People don't like change. No matter how bad it is, they are more afraid of the unknown than the abuse. Don't be afraid of the unknown. That is -- I have to tell you, that's the point, that's the message in the Christmas Sweater, and I see this on a personal level with almost every single person I meet. The people who are not successful are always the ones standing in their own way of success. I meet people -- and I mean this. Every day I meet somebody, whether they are in my industry or somebody else's industry and I meet them and I think to myself, that person is a multimillionaire. Why? Why are they not successful? Why are they struggling? And if I take the time to talk to them, I can see it. They don't believe or they're engaged in some sort of self-destructive behavior. Everybody puts a limit on themselves, and nine out of ten times it's because of arrogance or it's fear. They just think that they're so great, they treat others like garbage. That was my problem for years and years and years, arrogance. But my problem also had the other side: Fear. I was so arrogant because I was so afraid that there wasn't anything real inside of me, and I think most people are like this. They don't think that there's anything really inside of them. They don't think that, "Well, they have these dreams, but those are stupid dreams and I can't talk to anybody about those. I made so many mistakes, I'll never get back, and I'm afraid everybody's going to figure out that I'm really a fraud." All of that stuff is stopping you! And it's all stuff that allows others to have power over you. Don't care anymore. The secret is don't care.

You know, when I'm out on these book signings, I try so hard to listen to the spirit, I try so hard. I look, I try to at least, I look at everybody in the eye. When you come to meet me, we only usually have about five seconds, but I try to really look you in the eye for as long as I can and I can feel it. People break their eye contact from me so fast, and I wish I could just say, "You, go stand on the other side." When they come by, I can see it. They break their eye contact. Some people don't even make contact. They will glance up real quick, but they won't really make eye contact. And I just want to say to them, "You, go stand behind me. I'm going to spend 15 minutes with you afterwards." Because I can tell the ones that don't believe in themselves or are hurt or something is going on inside of them that they don't want to look because they know. It's like they -- whether it's subconscious or not, they can't handle somebody looking in their eye because they know that that person, they think that person's going to be able to see who they really are, and who they really are is not very good. And that's a lie! I can see it in people's eyes. I can see it when they come by and they are the first ones that they are looking at me in the eye before I am and they are walking away and they are turning their body and they are still walking away and they are still looking me in the eye. That person has what they need. But they are afraid. Most people are afraid, and I know. Because you don't know what it is that's inside of you.

Let me tell you what's inside of you: Peace. Happiness. There may not be success in the worldly sense, but that's what's so screwed up about our country right now.
Jeez, didn't we learn this on September 11th?
Success wasn't money. It wasn't a bigger house. It wasn't a bigger television. Success was happiness. Success was family. The big thing I struggle with, the hardest thing for me to do is to be with my children. It really is. I don't know how to be a good dad. I don't. I struggle with it every single day. But let me tell you something: I'm gonna do it. I spend time with my kids, and my kids know it.

I'm back . . . stop the madness

gina_alfani@yahoo.com (Gina Alfani) — Sun, 07 Dec 2008 21:00:00 +0000

It was nice to watch cable television again while I was at my mom's house . . . can't wait to have a steady paycheck again so I can hook up with my favorite addiction . . . Fox News. Since I was working 12 to 14-hour days and would have to beg my mom to watch the news, I just got a taste to feed the addiction.

There is lots of news going on with the continuation of the Obama frenzy, the financial devastation of the world, the demise of major corporations, industries and our changing society . . . I've pretty much kept up with the news by listening to talk radio 24/7 while I'm at home and visiting my favorite news websites and blogs. In my opinion, cable news is so much better and I miss it so much!

Anyway . . . something in the news is still bothering me and I need to vent about it . . .

The Black Friday stampede . . . the death of a temp worker who was opening the doors of a WalMart Store in Long Island . . . what does that say about us as a society? What is wrong with us? Are we reverting back to the days of cave men with this savage-like behavior?

Was it all worth the death of a fellow human being just doing his job? How about the employees who attempted to come to his aid and were rewarded with being stampeded as well?

Usually I'm rolling my eyes at the aspect of yet another lawsuit, but when I heard that the family of the poor guy suing WalMart, I had mixed feelings . . . I don't place the blame on WalMart. It will be interesting to see how our judicial system and the media handles this situation.

I blame our society in general . . . but how do you legislate and punish the desensitized society who craves entertainment loaded with blood, guts and murder. The "best of television" is a series that gives criminal minds scientific revelations of how not to get caught through forensics . . . video games that have made a sport out of murdering humans popular entertainment . . . song lyrics that glorify murder and mayhem . . . we have become the society who is not shocked by anything . . . we have seen it all.

Reality has become something out of a horror movie . . .

What makes me so very sad is that we are at the tip of the iceburg of this economic crisis which will make the cave man mentality the norm . . . it will bring crime to the forefront of survival . . . I pray that I'm wrong.

Does anyone care about anything other than themselves anymore?

The other thing on my mind is the audacity of the bigwigs of the big three auto corps who flew into DC in their private jets the first time around . . . almost as much cajones as the bigwigs of AIG who treated the upper echelon of their corporation with a very expensive weekend at a posh resort after "we the people of the US" bailed their sorry asses out of financial ruin.

Again, I have mixed feelings! There is something terribly wrong with bailing these corporations out when they blatantly continue to do the things that have perpetuated the demise of their corporations . . . and in the the case of the auto corps, the demise of their industry in the US.

Where is the accountibility?

I'm afraid it will not get any better before it reaches unbelievable proportions with the "new socialist mentality" of our country in general.

I'm moving to a cave by the beach on a deserted island and live on bananas and coconuts . . . come get me when the nightmare is over . . .

Global warming . . . another explanation

gina_alfani@yahoo.com (Gina Alfani) — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 20:15:00 +0000

Whether you buy into the concept of global warming or not, keeping an open mind and hearing other explanations brings greater depth of understanding to any controversial subject.

Below is Schnitt's Global Warming Files, one of the largest collections of articles and opinion pieces on the internet . . . many written by respected scientists, climatologists, meteorologists and professors who dispute the apocalyptic "man-made" explanation of global warming.

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What caused our economic crisis?

gina_alfani@yahoo.com (Gina Alfani) — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 16:44:00 +0000

I have never seen our current economic crisis described better than in this video . . .

Check it out!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fiXwZI_YqHY&feature=related

Weathering the storm . . . or not

gina_alfani@yahoo.com (Gina Alfani) — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 22:25:00 +0000

Every hurricane season we hear the horror stories and those of us who live in "hurricane territory" think about the "unthinkable" . . . we have had the times of staying home to weather the storm, most of us piling in friends and family to have a hurricane party.

With each passing year, it becomes more apparent to me that when the authorities advise evacuation, I'm gone . . . especially since becoming a widow and having to weather the storm alone, even though I live on high ground and not in an evacuation zone. The beautiful trees on my tree-lined property are enough to chase me away.

There are those who live in the evacuation zones who stubbornly stay, even as the authorities invoke mandatory evacuations and tell those who remain to write their social security number with permanent marker on their arm for identification purposes. Most recent stories are those of Hurricane Ike, the storm that slammed the Galveston area scattering household items and bodies for miles and leaving . . .

Here is one of those stories . . .

Gail Ettenger stumbled upon her house in Gilchrist by accident. But once she saw the site on the bay side of Bolivar Peninsula, she knew she would never leave.

Ettenger, a native of New Jersey, instilled the house with her own energy and style. The 58-year-old's garden bloomed with vibrant birds-of-paradise.

And Reba, an 11-year-old Great Dane hobbled by arthritis, was her baby. Ettenger loved to treat the dog to dinners of chicken and roast beef, recalled JoAnne Burks, Ettenger's neighbor and close friend.

Ettenger, a chemist at ExxonMobil, didn't evacuate, reasoning that her house had weathered Hurricane Rita in 2005 without a problem. She also did not want to leave Reba, who could no longer climb into Ettenger's Jeep.

Burks and her husband pleaded with Ettenger to change her mind. But she insisted.

Hours before Ike made landfall, Ettenger knew she had made the wrong choice. She called Burks and described the water pushing up under her feet, the propane tanks and other household items drifting by her windows, and wondered which would float better: her Jeep or her house.

Her voice was shaky with fear, Burks said.

Burks spent the next 10 days searching for her friend, calling local, county and state officials without success. She tried the American Red Cross, FEMA, even private investigators.

"I didn't want her to wind up like the victims of Katrina, who were never found or identified," Burks said.

Ettenger's body was found Sept. 23, tossed on a debris field in a Chambers County marsh about 10 miles from her house.

Amid the muck and remnants of homes, Burks found a pink leather collar. The name Reba was spelled out in rhinestones.

Happy Labor Day

gina_alfani@yahoo.com (Gina Alfani) — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 14:53:00 +0000

My inquiring mind had to go to the meaning of this US holiday and the symbolic end of summer. For most of us, it is a long holiday weekend, a day off of work to spend time with friends and family . . . parties, celebrations . . . but there is more to this day than that . . .

Labor Day History and Trivia

Peter McGuire is considered the Father of the Labor Day holiday. An Irish-American cabinet maker and pioneer unionist proposed a day dedicated to all who labor at a meeting of the Central Labor Union on May 18,1882 where he stated, “Let us have, a festive day during which a parade through the streets of the city would permit public tribute to American Industry.”. He is described as a red-headed, fiery, eloquent leader of the Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners.

In September 1883, New York workers staged a parade up Broadway to Union Square. Few, if any, workers got the day off. Most were warned against marching in the parade with the threat of getting fired. Despite the warning, more than 10,000 workers showed up for the march. Led by mounted police, bricklayers in white aprons paraded with a band playing “Killarney.” The marchers passed a reviewing stand crowded with Knights of Labor: a holiday was born. McGuire’s holiday moved across the country as slowly as did recognition of the rights of the working man.
Twelve years later, on June 28, 1894, President Grover Cleveland, long a foe of organized labor, but under voter pressure, signed a Labor Day holiday bill designating the first Monday in September for the holiday.
Detroit (Motor City) was at the heart of the labor movement. Thousands of men and women struck the plants and shops and marched the streets demanding a fair shake.Upon the completion of the Erie Canal in 1837, Detroit’s population had grown to 10,000. Housing boomed and overworked carpenters became some of the first Detroiters to organize into unions. On April 3, 1837, the city’s first strike broke out among the carpenters and journeymen seeking 10-hour work days and $2 pay.
In 1839, organized printers joined the movement and created the state’s first union paper, The Rat Gazette. The term “Rat” was coined to describe the nonunion workers who spied for the bosses on organizing efforts. Union organizing centered on the skilled-trades workers of Detroit. Early organizing efforts drew sharp reaction from the employers, who formed their own organization to counter unionizing activity, the Detroit Employers Association. They immediately fired and blacklisted workers identified as union organizers, calling them “unwanted undesirables.”
By 1937, sitdown strikes really changed the tide of the labor movement. Employers had been able to defeat the conventional walkout strike with replacement workers. The sitdown tactic allowed strikers to shut down production and remain protected from the weather. The arrangement also allowed the workers to develop a solidarity difficult to foster with a conventional walkout.
The sitdown wave really gained momentum after the historic victory of General Motors workers in Flint. Their 44-day occupation of the Fisher Body plant forced General Motors to sign a contract with the union on Feb. 11, 1937.
In 1937, there were 177 sitdown strikes nationwide that lasted one day or longer, involving more than 130,000 workers.
Most federal laws protecting workers were passed during the 1930s.
The National Labor Relations Act of 1935, which strengthened unions’ rights to organize and negotiate with employers, was key legislation. Unions gained power during the 1940s as America fought World War II.
Influential American labor leader, Walter Reuther's legacy strengthened the rights of the working man. When wages were frozen during the war, Reuther began negotiating for benefits such as paid vacation and sick leave.
As the Labor Day history reveals the rallies in Detroit became the launching pad for Democratic presidential candidates to announce their campaigns. Candidates Harry Truman, Adlai Stevenson, John Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson came to Detroit to jumpstart their races and woo union support.
By the mid to later 1960’s, as big labor’s leaders lost much of their clout with the rank and file, many workers spent the three-day holiday enjoying backyard barbecues, boats and summer cottages: the fruits of their victories. This explains why modern day labor day celebrations usually are about one last summer fling- be it barbecues or last minute getaways- the holiday is no longer marked by parades and marches for unionism.

Modern American labor Day Trivia & History:

The average time it takes to commute to work. 24.3 minutes
Of the 233 counties with populations of 250,000 or more, Queens (41.7 minutes), Richmond (41.3 minutes), Bronx (40.8 minutes) and Kings (39.7 minutes) -– four of the five counties that comprise New York City - experienced the longest average commute-to-work times.
The amount of time the average American spends commuting to work each year is more than 100 hours. (This exceeds the typical two weeks of vacation time taken by many U.S. workers over the course of a year.)
7.3 million workers who hold down more than one job. “Moonlighters” comprise 5 percent of the working population. Of these, 3.8 million work full time at their primary job and part time at their other job, and about 293,000 work full time at both jobs.
10.3 million workers are self-employed.
4.5 million people work at home.
20.3 million females work in educational, health and social services industries. More women work in this industry group than in any other. Manufacturing was the most popular industry among men, with 11.3 million workers.
There are an estimated 15.8 million labor union members nationwide. About 13 percent of wage and salary workers belong to unions, with New York having among the highest rates of any state - 25 percent. North Carolina has one of the lowest rates, 3 percent.

As you celebrate the labor day holiday party, remember to give a nod to all the hardworking men and women who marched in solidarity in the days where industrial labor ruled America. Union leaders worked to create the benefits of overtime and sick pay that we enjoy today. So enjoy your 3 day weekend and thanks for all your hard work!

Source: http://purpletrail.com

Loud sex . . . a crime?

gina_alfani@yahoo.com (Gina Alfani) — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 04:42:00 +0000

Man Banned From Love Nest

LONDON (Aug. 14) - A British man has been banned from visiting his girlfriend's home after neighbors complained about noisy sex!

A court barred Adam Hinton, 32, from being within 110 yards of his 29-year-old girlfriend Kerry Norris' apartment, according to Brighton and Hove City Council spokesman Mike Taggart said.

Residents of Norris's publicly owned home had been complaining since 2006 about thumping music, banging headboards and screamed obscenities, Taggart said.

"She is a classic nightmare neighbor," Taggart said, insisting the case was not about sex. "It's about allowing your neighbors to have a normal decent life without being disturbed."

The court granted the city council's request for an injunction banning Hinton from the apartment because Norris had ignored a previous court order demanding that she be more quiet, Taggart said.

Norris last week was forced to pay $560 in fines and court costs for breaking the "noise abatement order," Taggart said.

Neither Norris or Hinton could be immediately located for comment. Brighton and Hove is located in southern England.

Automatic bill pay's dark side

gina_alfani@yahoo.com (Gina Alfani) — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 07:04:00 +0000

Man's death undiscovered for two years

I wrote about a similar story last year . . . it freaked me out that a human being could be so inconsequential in this uncaring world . . . here we go again. I wonder how often this happens that is not reported . . . we are such a sad society :(

Brian Dean was a private, reclusive man, one who went to and from his Lancashire, England home by the dark of night, one who paid his bills on time, and one who obviously had a quite substantial amount of money in his bank account. Because when he died in his bed about two years ago, the automatic withdrawals kept occurring to fund his utilities and other expenses, and no one thought to knock on the door.

Police officers broke the door down and discovered his body and a huge pile of unopened mail inside his door. It wasn't reported how they were inspired to check on the 70-year-old Dean.

While this is surely an extreme example of the blind efficiency of modern conveniences -- and is an argument for being connected to one's community -- it makes me wonder if setting up automatic bill pay from an account large enough to pay bills for years isn't ultimately a bad idea. Today I discovered that my Fidelity 401(k) account could be configured to pay my bills; and it seems a little too convenient to think that I could sell some stock to pay my water bill. I've always thought that keeping investments and savings less accessible and definitely separate from your checking account was the prevailing wisdom. Are we sacrificing too much for ease-of-use?

Source
Sarah Gilbert
August 5, 2008

Obama and the Entourage

gina_alfani@yahoo.com (Gina Alfani) — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 23:09:00 +0000

Sounds like a rock group on tour . . . well, kind of?

Rock star Obama and his flock of media sheep entourage are back from their world tour. One thing I can say is that at least it provided the media with something to report other than too many missing and murdered children, natural disasters and OMG enough of Drew Petersen already. How about reporting more good news from Iraq?

By the way, I'm finding it interesting that there are more and more female suicide attackers . . . a dangerous new trend?

This has been a relatively boring political season with the exception of Hillary not getting "off the stage" and Bill's blunders which provided some comic relief, leave it to the Clintons to shake things up . . . oh yeah, don't forget the religious leaders who entertained us. No wonder the media has to create its own hype by becoming part of the story. Seems like everyone has already forgotten that Jesse used the "N" word . . . about time!

I'm still bored with relatively no choice for president. Where is Ted Nugent when you need him? Wouldn't he be an interesting candidate? Wango Tango . . .

It is no secret that I'm a Fox Fan and I guess you either love them or hate them although I don't understand why everyone does not appreciate another side of the story . . . and no, I don't think they are biased either way . . . like the hype says "fair and balanced". Maybe it just seems lopsided because of what the "norm" is . . .

It seems like Greta is also bored . . . she has become fixated on Brett Favre. Greta, we want him in Tampa . . . hype that, let the man be somewhere he is wanted. The cheesy Packers are idiots . . . chew em up and spit em out mentality . . . that is "Corporate America" for you . . . no loyalty when they are done with you. At least let him go so he can live happily ever after with us.

I've been praying for that beautiful little girl missing in Orlando . . . something bizarre is going on there . . . for some reason, this story has made me sadder than the rest.

Kudos to the powers that be at Fox News for the new weekend Fox and Friends lineup . . . they are awesome and the addition of Alyson made it perfect. They have somewhat redeemed themselves for putting Gretch on a pedestal. hmmm I'm partial toward David Briggs and strongly protest not enough Todd Connor.

hmmmm Rick Springfield . . . On The Record tonight . . . maybe Greta isn't bored, she's way smart, huh?

RIP Tony Snow . . . I'll miss you

gina_alfani@yahoo.com (Gina Alfani) — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 19:51:00 +0000

The news of Tony's death hit me as I woke up this morning. I sleep with the television on and heard what I thought was a dream . . . Tony Snow was gone. What a loss to the news world and to the world in general . . . he was such an inspiration . . .

He didn't let cancer bring him down . . . he fought to the end with a smile on his face, even when the cancer came back . . . he handled it with dignity and respect. Tony was one of those people in the news media that I respected, trusted and felt like he was the guy next door, despite his dynamic personna. Honestly, I felt as if I really knew this guy . . . I wish I did, he was one of the good guys of our time.

The way he handled his position as White House Press Secretary with the aggressive news media after him like a pack of wild coyotes . . . he never lost his cool and smiled as he put them in their place . . . commanding respect. Being the political and news junkie that I am, the White House press briefings under the direction of Tony Snow was one of those things that I looked forward to. He made them civil and enjoyable.

Rest in peace Tony . . . you fought a good fight and showed the world that we should enjoy every day that we are blessed with . . . with a smile on our face no matter what is going on in our lives. Thank you for the inspiration . . .

Some posts from his friends:

Juan Williams

Ellen Ratner

Cal Thomas

July 12, 2008, 8:30 am

Bush on Snow’s ‘Wit, Grace, Great Love of Country’

The White House issued this statement Saturday morning on the death of Tony Snow.

Laura and I are deeply saddened by the death of our dear friend, Tony Snow. Our thoughts and prayers are with his wife, Jill, and their children, Kendall, Robbie, and Kristi. The Snow family has lost a beloved husband and father. And America has lost a devoted public servant and a man of character.

Tony was one of our Nation’s finest writers and commentators. He earned a loyal following with incisive radio and television broadcasts. He was a gifted speech writer who served in my father’s Administration. And I was thrilled when he agreed to return to the White House to serve as my Press Secretary. It was a joy to watch Tony at the podium each day. He brought wit, grace, and a great love of country to his work. His colleagues will cherish memories of his energetic personality and relentless good humor.

All of us here at the White House will miss Tony, as will the millions of Americans he inspired with his brave struggle against cancer. One of the things that sustained Tony Snow was his faith - and Laura and I join people across our country in praying that this good man has now found comfort in the arms of his Creator.

Source: White House Press Office