Stuff BluZepher stumbled Upon

10 Invincible Gifts for the Cubicle Warrior

bluzepher_1 — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 11:23:11 GMT

Prepare for Battle!

When cutthroat office politics make quiet diplomacy infeasible, it's time to declare war. These minimally destructive gift ideas will give you (or the cubicle-bound combatant in your life) an edge in the ever-escalating struggle for workplace supremacy.

Robert Strohmeyer, PC World

Army general is nation's first four-star woman

bluzepher_1 — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 23:04:04 GMT

An Army lieutenant general has become the first woman in U.S. military history to get four stars. The military on Friday promoted Lt. Gen. Ann E. Dunwoody, who has served in several command positions in her 33-year Army career.

She will command Army Materiel Command, responsible for equipping, arming and outfitting soldiers. "There is no one more surprised than I," she said of her promotion at a ceremony on Friday. She had planned on a two-year enlistment upon leaving college, she said, and planned on being a physical education teacher. Dunwoody, 55, hailed those who had helped her throughout her career and pledged to do the same for those she now leads. "The Army nurtured me and mentored me, and today the Army offers me the chance to return the favor," she said. She'll command 133,000 personnel around the globe. "She is recognized as one of the foremost military logisticians in her generation," said Defense Secretary Robert Gates.

Dunwoody, a native of New York, was commissioned as a second lieutenant in 1975 after her graduation from the State University of New York in Cortland. She also holds graduate degrees in national resource strategy and logistics management.

She became the Army's top-ranking woman in 2005 when she received her third star and became deputy chief of staff for Army logistics. Her promotion highlights the growing role of women in the U.S. military over the years. Fifty-seven active-duty women and 47 female reservists hold the rank of general or its Navy equivalent, according to the American Forces Press Service.

The Pentagon has said that more than 193,400 women have deployed in support of U.S. operations since September 11, 2001 -- the day the United States was attacked by al Qaeda. Dunwoody was nominated by President Bush for her fourth star in June. The nomination then went to the Senate for confirmation.

Your Kid Driving You Nuts??

bluzepher_1 — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 22:57:04 GMT

Nebraska fears rush to drop off kids before haven law change.

Nebraska officials said they're concerned about an apparent rush by parents to drop their teenage children off at hospitals before lawmakers change the state's troubled "safe haven" law.

Four children have been dropped off at Nebraska hospitals in the last two days. The latest cases came on the eve of a special session of the Legislature on Friday to add an age limit to the law. On Thursday, a boy, 14, and his 17-year-old sister were dropped off at an Omaha hospital; the girl ran away from the hospital, officials said. A 5-year-old boy was left by his mother at a different hospital, officials said. The day before, a father flew in from Miami, Florida, to leave his teenage son at a hospital, officials said. "Please don't bring your teenager to Nebraska," Gov. Dave Heineman told CNN. "Think of what you are saying. You are saying you no longer support them. You no longer love them."

Nebraska's safe haven law was intended to allow parents to hand over an infant anonymously to a hospital without being prosecuted. Of the 34 children who have been dropped off at hospitals, officials said not one has been an infant. All but six have been older than 10, according to a Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services analysis. State officials said because of legislative procedures it will take at least a week to change the language of the safe haven law, creating a window where more parents could try to take advantage of the loophole in the statute. "We are ready and prepared that that situation occurs," said Todd Landry of the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services. "We want people to understand that this is not the right way of getting the service for your child, your teenager or your family."

Entire Story

Band of Sisters

bluzepher_1 — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 16:01:29 GMT

Book tells of women who served by men in Iraq

Her face bleeding and jaw broken from an inch-and-a-half piece of shrapnel striking her head, Gunnery Sgt. Rosie Noel just wanted to get back to her Marines.

Less than 48 hours after getting knocked down by a rocket-propelled grenade, Noel returned to Al Asad Air Base in Iraq, where she was stationed, from Balad Air Base, where she received medical treatment for her wounds.

The new book, “Band of Sisters: American Women at War in Iraq,” released Wednesday, tells the stories of Noel and other military women serving alongside men in a war without a defined front line.

“Wherever you are in Iraq, you are on the battlefield,” she said. “And, so far the consensus is, women are doing it, and they are doing a good job.”

The author, Kirsten Holmstedt, said she wanted her book to avoid politics, since women have the subject of negative news stories on women in combat.

Band of Sisters Video

Full Article

Bhutan's turn to celebrate with crowning of young king

bluzepher_1 — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 13:34:00 GMT

HIMPHU (AFP) — The isolated Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan crowned a new king Thursday, placing a charismatic Oxford-educated bachelor as head of state of the world's newest democracy. With the rest of the world gripped by the historic US election win for Barack Obama, all eyes in Bhutan were on 28-year-old Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, now the world's youngest reigning monarch. In an ancient Buddhist ritual in the white-walled palace overlooking the picturesque Thimphu valley, Wangchuck was handed Bhutan's Raven Crown by his father.
"It's a wonderful day, there is no cloud in the sky. The gods are here. It will be remembered as an event which unifies the Bhutanese people," Prime Minister Jigmi Thinley told reporters. The country now goes into three days and nights of festivities, and has even shut down its mobile telephone network for the occasion. Complete Article

Bhutan crowns a new King

The United States was not the only country to name a new leader this week. In Bhutan, an insular nation of about 600,000 people located high in the Himalayas, a new king was crowned. 28-year-old Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, an Oxford-educated bachelor, was crowned as Bhutan's fifth king - now the world's youngest reigning monarch. Bhutan also has the distinction of being the world's youngest democracy - having held parliamentary elections last March for the first time ever. The young ruler vows to maintain a stance of protection against the worst aspects of globalization, maintaining the "Gross National Happiness", a measurement of national progress that places a high value on spiritual development. Gross National Happiness is a term invented by, and proudly embraced by Bhutanese since 1972.

More Photos

Marine Cha Cha

bluzepher_1 — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 13:11:17 GMT

Had this video emailed to me on Veterans day. These guys are very funny.

Marine Cha Cha

Scenes from Antarctica

bluzepher_1 — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 12:40:24 GMT

Down in Antarctica, November marks the end of spring, the beginning of austral summer, and the beginning of Antarctica's cruise season. The Sun just rose for the first time in 6 months on September 22nd, and is now visible in the sky all the time. Recent studies in Antarctica have brought new insights into the origins of deep sea octopus species (a 30 million-year-old ancestor from Antarctic waters), volcanic contributions to disappearing antarctic ice, and the effects of increasing numbers of icebergs scouring the seafloor. Collected here are 32 photographs of Antarctica from the past several years.

30 more Photos

A Love Letter to Our Veterans

bluzepher_1 — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 12:07:35 GMT

Dear Veterans of the United States of America,

Thank you. Thank you will all my heart. I honor you with all that I am. I am endlessly grateful for your service to this nation. Thank you.

I am often driven to tears when I think about the cost of serving this great country under arms.
You will see your friends killed in battle, and you go on.
You are vilified not only in enemy nations, but by your own fellow country men, and you go on.
You come home injured visibly and invisibly, and you go on.
You put up with the often silly beaurocracy of the military, and you continue to honor your country anyway.

Complete Letter

Thank You for All that You Do for our Country !

Veteran's Day !!

bluzepher_1 — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 12:02:04 GMT

Roll call Great Story

I was sitting in the VA Clinic in the western suburbs of Chicago with my dad. He was there for a regular blood test, something that’s part of his regular checkups. There were a dozen of us in the room, older men, wives, me. The appointment was for 9:30 am, but if you arrive early, Dad said, you don’t have to wait long.

The door to the medical space opened and two nurses appeared at the door. One called one name, and then the other, witha giggle in her voice started calling names: “Mr A, Mr. B, Mr. C…”a list of 6-7 names.

The men stand and slowly fall into line. One with a walker, one who can only shuffle, a couple standing at attention, others just quietly complying. They follow the nurses and, though I can’t remember what he said, I heard my dad making some funny remark.

Mr is what they are called now, but the service that qualified them for this service never showed them such politeness, nor smiled as they came nor waited patiently. These are men who paid for this attention with time and with blood. They gave up the ability to sleep without nightmares, some of them, and the ability to tell stories of significant chunks of their lives to their grandchildren. For them, shots still are about blood, but this time they are giving small amounts for testing. The previous shots, at least in one case I know of, nearly cost them life.

Full Story

Thank You to all the Veterans, Men and Women who have and are Serving Our Country.

Yahoo Buzz Gets More Social and Continues its Assault on Digg’s Mainstream Ambitions

bluzepher_1 — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 02:46:20 GMT

Yahoo Buzz Gets More Social and Continues its Assault on Digg’s Mainstream Ambitions

Yahoo Buzz has just added a bunch of new features that make the site more social and more connected with the new Yahoo universal profiles. It also makes it look even more like Digg, but with Yahoo’s mainstream user base.
If you’ve established a contact list on Yahoo, you’ll now see the stories that those people are buzzing up in a new “Y! Updates” section on the Buzz homepage. Additionally, Buzz votes are now a part of user profiles, allowing you to see what stories a user has Buzzed up or down, and also see cumulative stats like how many times someone has been the “first Buzzer” (the original person to submit the article) and the total number of comments they’ve left on the site.

Entire Story

Here’s Why Windows Vista No Longer Matters

bluzepher_1 — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 02:38:18 GMT

According to Joe Wilcox at Microsoft Watch, anyway. The blog has posted a laundry list of facts that it says proves Vista has already become irrelevant, long before Windows 7 hits store shelves.

Among the reasons, Joe mentions the conspicuous lack of Vista sessions at the Professional Developer conference, and the recent lack of advertisements for the OS. He also talks about how reticent Microsoft has been recently regarding Vista license sales numbers and weak client income figures as indicative of diminishing Vista performance.

The post also references the growing popularity of Vista-deficient netbooks as a factor in Microsoft’s desire to give Vista a “quick death.”

Wilcox concludes that “Vista deserved better market reception than it got,” but that a number of small(ish) flaws, like its glacial startup times, have given it a bad image that it simply hasn’t been able to shake.

The article makes a pretty compelling case for Vista being headed for an early death. Check it out and let us know whether you agree after the jump.

Full Story

Obama says he didn't know aunt's illegal status

bluzepher_1 — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 19:13:10 GMT

CHICAGO (AP) — Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama says he didn't know that one of his relatives was living in the United States illegally and believes the appropriate laws should be followed.

The Associated Press found that Obama's aunt had been instructed to leave the country four years ago by an immigration judge who rejected her request for asylum from her native Kenya. The woman, Zeituni Onyango (zay-TUHN on-YANG-oh), is living in public housing in Boston and is the half-sister of Obama's late father.

A statement given to the AP by Obama's campaign Saturday says, "Senator Obama has no knowledge of her status but obviously believes that any and all appropriate laws be followed."

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Barack Obama's aunt, a Kenyan woman who has been quietly living in public housing in Boston, is in the United States illegally after an immigration judge rejected her request for asylum four years ago, The Associated Press has learned.

Read Entire Story

Peru Rocks

bluzepher_1 — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 15:45:04 GMT

The Colorado-based Love Hope Strength foundation hosted an event recently called "Peru Rocks", where 63 travelers - including musicians from The Fixx, Fastball, The Alarm and more - along with cancer survivors, and their supporters from around the world joined together to raise funds and awareness of cancer-related issues in Peru. The trip took the trekkers from Cuzco, Peru to the heights of Machu Picchu, back down to Lima, where they met with patients and doctors of INEN, Peru's main cancer center. The travelers finished their trip with a concert in Lima on October 15th. Funds raised on the trip were donated to INEN, and will be used to establish a fully staffed and equipped medical bus that will serve rural Peru, screening residents for cancer.

Check out the pics from the Peru Rocks Team. Lots of very beautiful pictures.
There are Pics from The Big Picture and also Lots of great info from the Peru
Rocks Website. For more Photo's Check out The Big Picture.

The Big Picture Photos of Peru.

Peru Rocks Website.

This is Unbelivable

bluzepher_1 — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 10:47:45 GMT

How can a school hire a drivers education teacher and he has DUI's ? Great mentor for the students.

Maywood instructor taught driver's ed with revoked license after 2 DUI convictions

Maywood instructor lost license in 2004, records show, yet revocation slipped through the cracks

By Jo Napolitano |Tribune reporter

11:22 PM CDT, October 31, 2008

A Maywood teacher with two convictions for driving under the influence continued to teach driver's education for two years after his license was revoked in 2004, a case that prompted the state to enact tighter screening to ensure it wouldn't happen again.

Even though Michael Caldwell, a physical education teacher, still had no driver's license, a Tribune reporter and photographer observed him driving to work last week at Proviso East High School.

"I have no comment on none of this," Caldwell, 51, said when reached by phone.

Principal Milton Patch blamed the state for failing to alert him to Caldwell's driving record closer to his 2003 DUI conviction. He said he immediately relieved Caldwell of teaching driver's ed when he found out in 2006 that he had no license.

Read Full Story

Halloween Pics

bluzepher_1 — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 00:43:56 GMT

Found some really cool Halloween Pics on the Web.
Enjoy

Happy Halloween

The Mysterious Zodiacal Light

bluzepher_1 — Sun, 26 Oct 2008 02:40:47 GMT

During the next few weeks on some clear moonless early morning, if you are fortunate to be far from any haze and bright lights, keep a close watch on the eastern horizon about two hours before sunrise. If you're lucky you might catch a glimpse of a ghostly column of light extending upward into the sky. The Zodiacal Light is caused by an enormous cloud of cosmic dust extending outward from the Sun and past the orbit of the Earth. The positions of the planets are shown for mid-November.

View Source

Eric O'Shay, Elmo and Commercials need Better Songs

bluzepher_1 — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 22:43:43 GMT

Beautiful Pictures

bluzepher_1 — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 21:22:34 GMT

Don't know who made this quote, but I like it.

" Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds . . . "

Master Card Commercial

bluzepher_1 — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 20:47:09 GMT

This is one Funny Commercial

Writer's Block: The Final Frontier

bluzepher_1 — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 20:40:13 GMT

A world without Star Trek would be a dark and terrible place.
Star Trek was/is a cool show. I love to watch the reruns.
We need shows and movies like Star Trek to open up the imagination.

Meet Rupert, The Teeny Tiny Deer

bluzepher_1 — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 20:21:41 GMT

Teeny Tiny Deer

This tiny deer was delivered by Caesarean section at a wildlife hospital after his mother

was killed by a car. Little Rupert, who is so small he can fit in an adult's hand, was born

after vets failed in their battle to save his mother.

Best Halloween Costume of the Year

bluzepher_1 — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 16:20:40 GMT

Retired Hooters !!

Thank Goodness She's Retired.
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Here We Go Again

bluzepher_1 — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 16:14:44 GMT

My wife was hinting about what she wanted for our upcoming anniversary. She said, "I want something shiny that goes from 0 to 150 in about 3 seconds." I bought her a scale. And then the fight started...
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After retiring, I went to the Social Security office to apply for Social Security. The woman behind the counter asked me for my driver's license to verify my age.. I looked in my pockets and realized I had left my wallet at home. I told the woman that I was very sorry, but I would have to go home and come back later. The woman said, 'Unbutton your shirt'. So I opened my shirt revealing my curly silver hair. She said, 'That silver hair on your chest is proof enough for me' and she processed my Social Security application. When I got home, I excitedly told my wife about my experience at the Social Security office. She said, 'you should have dropped your pants. You might have gotten disability, too.' And then the fight started...
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My wife and I were sitting at a table at my high school reunion, and I kept staring at a drunken lady swigging her drink as she sat alone at a nearby table. My wife asked, 'Do you know her?' 'Yes,' I sighed, 'She's my old girlfriend. I understand she took to drinking right after we split up those many years ago, and I hear she hasn't been sober since.' 'My God!' says my wife, 'who would think a person could go on celebrating that long?' And then the fight started... _______________________________________________

Not sure what to call my Journal

bluzepher_1 — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 15:58:39 GMT

I wanted a place to put the silly, funny, stupid jokes I find on the net. Some are worth repeating and some are worth forgetting. This is my first blog/journal. I want to learn how to design web sites. Lets see how this works. Have TweetDeck open and checking out what is going on in Tweeter Land. Maybe some day I will come up with a good name for my Journal. TTFN.
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