AubreyJ.org

Israel: On Ground Updates - Saturday 5/04/13

2013-05-04T14:37:00.003-05:00

IAF file photo

* IsraelDefense.com brings us the following report… According to US media reports, a shipment of missiles intended for Hezbollah was attacked in Syria. Israel is neither confirming nor denying…

Read this short report at link below…

IAF Attacked Syrian Weapon Stockpile

* YNetNews.com gets us up to date with the following reports below…

Hours after the first reports of an Israeli strike in Syria, details about the mysterious attack continue to emerge… The [New York Times] reported Saturday that the airstrike was directed at a shipment of advanced surface-to-surface missiles from Iran that Israel believed was intended for Hezbollah, according to American officials…

Read YNet’s report in full at link below…

Report: Syria strike conducted from Lebanon

Also from YNetNews.com:

Analysis: Attack into Syria - message to Iran

Israel says hit Hezbollah-bound missiles

US official: Israel conducted airstrike in Syria

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Israel Conducts Airstrikes in Syria

Originally posted Friday evening, May 3rd, 2013

This CNN News Video Posted on YouTube by Les Grossman

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Good work goes out to our friends in Israel!

AubreyJ………

Photo for the Day - April 30, 2013

2013-04-30T12:34:00.000-05:00

President Barack Obama greets Jack Hoffman, 7, of Atkinson, Neb., in the Oval Office, April 29, 2013. Hoffman, who is battling pediatric brain cancer, gained national attention after he ran for a 69-yard touchdown during a Nebraska Cornhuskers spring football game. Hoffman holds a football that the President signed for him.

Official White House Photo by Pete Souza

…

See YouTube Video below...

Jack Hoffman with a 69 yard touchdown

in the 2013 Nebraska Spring Game

This video posted on YouTube by HuskerAthletics

………..……

AubreyJ………

Boston Marathon 2013 Explosion

2013-04-20T17:04:00.001-05:00

Many thanks to my friend Amy Proctor for letting us know about this video

Boston Terrorist Attack? - At Least Two Dead, Dozens Injured After Two Bombs Explode At Boston Marathon Finish Line

2013-04-15T16:36:00.000-05:00

Monday, April 15, 2013

Video Image Pull

* Fox News brings us the following DEVELOPING NEWS and their report starts off like this… At least two people are dead and dozens injured – including up to 10 with amputated limbs – after at least two bombs tore through the finish line of the Boston Marathon, according to the Boston Police Department… The simultaneous explosions, and reports of two other unexploded devices found near the scene raised suspicions that the blasts, just before 3 p.m., could be part of a terrorist attack…

Read this report in full at link below…

At least 2 dead, dozens injured after two bombs explode at Boston Marathon
.

* MyFoxBoston.com has the latest updates HERE

Above link will regularly update with latest news as new info becomes available…

……………………………………

POST UPDATE:

Thursday evening – April 18, 2013

This Thursday afternoon the FBI releases photos and a video of two suspects in connection to the Boston Marathon Bombing asking for the public's help in identifying them

FBI Image

FOX NEWS has much more on this at link below…

FBI releases video, photos of Boston Marathon bombing suspects

…

FBI Released Surveillance Video Related to Boston Bombings

This video posted on YouTube by FBI

Anyone who recognizes these men should call 1-800-CALL-FBI or go to the bureau's website at FBI.gov

……………………………………

POST UPDATE:

Friday morning - April 19, 2013

Top image- Suspects in-crowd - FBI Image.

Middle image- Suspect 2 Behind Lady - FBI Image

Bottom image- Suspect 2, Dzhokar Tsarnaev, age 19 - FBI Image

* FOX News brings us the following BREAKING NEWS… Police were donning bullet-proof vests and going door-to-door as a perimeter tightened in the Watertown section of Boston, where the second Boston Marathon bomber could be hiding… Earlier, gunfire was heard in the area, a bullet -riddled SUV was recovered and multiple explosions echoed from inside a house in the area, following a chaotic night of mayhem that included the murder of a Massachusetts Institute of Technology police officer and a shootout with police, authorities said early Friday…

Read the full report at link below

Police going door-to-door in hunt for second marathon bomb suspect

- Keep up with the latest at MyFoxBoston.com

* CBS News has this report… A federal law enforcement source tells CBS News investigators are working to determine whether the suspects in the Boston Marathon bombings, brothers Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, have links to other terrorist cells, foreign or domestic… Officials are trying to determine whether the brothers, who lived for at least a short period near Russia's restive Chechnya region, were acting independently or directed by a broader conspiracy. The source told CBS News producer Pat Milton that investigators and the intelligence community are pressing to determine if the two men were directed by a central player or directed by someone overseas…

Read this report in full at link below…

Boston bombers radicalized on U.S. soil?

* FOX News reports it this way…

FBI investigating possible overseas travel by Boston suspects, source says
……………………………………

POST UPDATE:

Friday evening - April 19, 2013
SUSPECT DOWN

Around 6pm CDT, 20 to 30 shots were reported heard behind a home in Watertown and Suspect #2, Dzhokar Tsarnaev, age 19 was reported down and at this moment is surrounded, in a boat, under canopy and still alive and moving around…

* MyFoxBoston.com has the latest updates HERE

Above link will regularly update with latest news as new info becomes available…

(More to come as this developing news unfolds this evening…)

……………………………………

POST UPDATE:

Friday evening - April 19, 2013

7:44pm CDT

Suspect #2, Dzhokar Tsarnaev

*** NOW IN CUSTODY ***

And ALIVE!

No other words need right now…

For the rest of the night keep up with the latest at link above.

…………………

- NOTE: This post now CLOSED -

Click out Posts above this one for latest updates on this still developing story

Our thoughts and prayers go out to the dead and wounded, along with all their loved ones

AubreyJ………

Margaret Thatcher Dead At 87

2013-04-08T09:38:00.004-05:00

April 08, 2013

Another one of the World’s great ones has passed away this morning… Britain’s very on… “Iron Lady” Margaret Thatcher. She was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from May, 1979 - November, 1990. Mrs. Thatcher was 87 years old.

In memory of…

She will be missed.

AubreyJ………

.

Image Credit: Margaret Thatcher Foundation

He Is Risen... Worship Him

2013-03-28T15:08:00.001-05:00

He Is Risen... Worship Him

* HAPPY EASTER EVERYONE *

To all my Christian friends out there... I wish you all a very Happy Easter... And to all my Jewish friends... hope you and yours have/had a very blessed Passover.

AubreyJ……

*****************************

Syria Today: On Ground Updates - March 19, 2013

2013-03-19T14:35:00.001-05:00

Wednesday, March 19, 2013

Today’s news of a possible chemical attack out of Syria is a big question mark right now but no matter how we look at it, it is some very troubling news. Here’s what some in the MSM are reporting this early Tuesday afternoon…

...............................

Image Credit: Iran's Press TV website

* CBS NEWS brings us the following report and it starts off like this…

The Syrian government accused rebels of firing a chemical weapon for the first time on Tuesday in the north of the country, killing at least 25 people in the war-torn Aleppo province. Rebels quickly denied the report and accused regime forces of firing a chemical weapon on a long-range missile… Neither of the accusations could immediately be verified, and a chemical weapons expert in the U.K. told CBSNews.com there was very little evidence to suggest any actual chemical weapons had been deployed…

Read the rest at link below…

Syriarebels, regime blame each other for first alleged chemical weapons attack

* USA Today has this report… The Obama administration has no evidence to back up a claim by Syrian President Bashar Assad's regime that the U.S.-backed Syrian rebels used chemical weapons, the White House said Tuesday… A U.S. official told the AP there was no evidence either side had used such weapons Tuesday in an attack in northern Syria, disputing a competing claim by rebels that it was regime forces who fired the chemical weapon… The origin of the attack is still unclear…

Read the full report at link below…

U.S.:No evidence of chemical weapons use in Syria

* The Guardian reports it this way…

Syria's information minister, Omran al-Zoabi, says Syrian rebels fired rockets containing chemical agents on Tuesday. He says the attack breaches international law, and says President Bashar al-Assad's forces would never use chemical weapons. The pro-opposition Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says at least 26 people died in the attack near Aleppo, but the use of chemical weapons has not been confirmed…

Click it out at link below…

Syriacondemns rebels' 'chemical weapon attack' – video

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My bet’s on it didn’t go down as reported… Or in other words, it wasn't a chemical attack…

AubreyJ………

Emil Inc. - "Man On The Throne" - HD

2013-03-06T19:31:00.001-06:00

Syria Today: On Ground Updates - March 06, 2013

2013-03-06T13:46:00.002-06:00

Wednesday, March 06, 2013

The last time I looked and according to the United Nations, more than 70,000 souls have been killed over the last two years during the revolt against Syrian President Al-Assad.

Nearly two years ago it all started with peaceful protesters on the streets but it wasn't soon after that Assad’s murderous forces cracked down hard on the demonstrators and started murdering them by the 1,ooo’s.

The senseless murder by President Al-Assad’s forces on the innocence continues today… not to be left out the million Syrians who have fled their war-ravaged country and are seeking assistance in other countries…

AubreyJ………

………………………………

Image Credit: Iran's Press TV website

* BBC had the following report, with news video, Tuesday afternoon and it goes in part like this. …Unverified video footage purported to show at least two explosions hitting the city centre square, shortly after crowds had toppled a statue of former Syrian President Hafez al-Assad… People were seen fleeing in panic, with casualties scattered on the ground…The cameraman is heard to say: "War plane shelling... God is greater than you, Bashar [al-Assad]... The injured have fallen."…

Click out the rest at link below…

Syria crisis: Warplanes'bomb Raqqa after rebel gains'

* The Huffington Post had this report posted on their website Tuesday afternoon and it starts off like this… Secretary of State John Kerry said Tuesday the Obama administration is confident that the vast majority of weapons being supplied to Syrian rebels by U.S. allies are going to moderates and not finding their way to extremists…

Read this report in full at link below…

Kerry Confident Syria Arms From U.S. Allies Are Going To Moderate Rebels

* The New York Times had the following report posted on their website this Wednesday afternoon and it starts off like this… Syria’s civil war entangled the United Nations peacekeeping operation in the disputed Golan Heights area between Syria and Israel on Wednesday, when 30 armed fighters for the insurgency detained a group of 20 peacekeepers investigating a damaged observation post, the United Nations said… It was the first time that members of the Golan peacekeeping mission, officially known as the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force, had been detained by any of the combatants in the Syrian conflict, although the Golan region has been periodically affected by armed clashes and occasional artillery or mortar bombardments that have become a source of concern to Israel…

Read the full report at link below…

U.N. Peacekeepers Held by Syrian Insurgents in Golan Region

* The Huffington Post has the following report/news video for us today, click it out below…

The number of Syrians who have fled their war-ravaged country and are seeking assistance has now topped the 1 million mark, the U.N. refugee agency said Wednesday, warning that Syria is heading toward a "full-scale disaster." The announcement came as government troops and rebels fought street battles in Syria's strategic northern city of Raqqa. The Syrian military dispatched reinforcements in an attempt to push out opposition gunmen who now control most of the city, activists said…

Read the rest, with the video, at link below…

Syrian Refugee Figure Hits 1 Million, UN Says

Venezuela President Hugo Chavez Dead at 58

2013-03-05T16:22:00.001-06:00

Venezuela’s 58-year-old President Hugo Chavez has been confirmed dead this afternoon. Chavez made a surprise homecoming two weeks ago with none of the celebration that accompanied previous returns from treatment in Havana… He hasn't appeared in public since.

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No lost tears here…

AubreyJ………

Image credit: Marcello Casal Jr./Abr

Photo for the Day - March 03, 2013

2013-03-03T22:30:00.000-06:00

-- Happy Berth Day --

SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft berthed* to the International Space Station at approximately 8:56 a.m. EST Sunday, installed onto the Earth-facing port of the Harmony module. Dragon arrived to station with over 2,300 pounds of cargo and packaging to ensure safe travel, and during the next 22 days, astronauts will unload and then load cargo, including materials to support critical science experiments. Dragon will return to Earth with over 3,000 pounds of cargo, and has a targeted splashdown in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Baja, Calif. on March 25. Dragon is the only spacecraft in the world today capable of returning significant amounts of cargo to Earth.

Keep up with the latest at link below:

https://spacex.com/updates.php

Or at

National Aeronautics and Space Administration - NASA

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Have a safe and successful mission SpaceX!

AubreyJ………

All info/images from SpaceX website

House Speaker John Boehner Tells Senate, Get Off Your Ass

2013-02-26T16:04:00.000-06:00

John Boehner Official Portrait

Posted by Speaker Boehner Press Office

February 26, 2013

WASHINGTON, DC - At a press conference with Republican leaders today, House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) called on the president to stop using the military as a campaign prop to demand more tax hikes and start working with his own Democratic-controlled Senate to act on a credible plan to avert his sequester. Following are Speaker Boehner’s remarks:

“You know, Republicans have voted twice to replace the sequester. The president, as you’re all aware, insisted that he not have to deal with the debt ceiling twice and insisted that the backstop for the work of the super committee be the sequester.

“But I don’t think the president’s focused on trying to find a solution to the sequester. The president has been traveling all over the country and today going down to Newport News in order to use our military men and women as a prop in yet another campaign rally to support his tax hikes.

“Now the American people know if the president gets more money they’re just going to spend it. The fact is that he’s gotten his tax hikes. It’s time to focus on the real problem here in Washington and that is spending.

“The president has known for 16 months that the sequester was looming out there when the super committee failed to come to an agreement. And so for 16 months the president’s been traveling all over the country holding rallies instead of sitting down with Senate leaders in order to try to forge an agreement over there in order to move a bill. We have moved a bill in the House twice, we should not have to move a third bill before the Senate gets off their ass and begins to do something.”

Posted by Speaker Boehner Press Office

……………………

The Huffington Post had this report today and it goes in part like this… "The president has known for 16 months that this sequester was looming out there when the super committee failed to come to an agreement," Boehner told reporters on Capitol Hill. "And so for 16 months, the president has been traveling all over the country holding rallies instead of sitting down with Senate leaders in order to try to forge an agreement over there in order to move a bill… "We have moved a bill in the House twice. We should not have to move a third bill before the Senate gets off their ass and begins to do something," Boehner added…

Read the story/watch the video at link below…

John Boehner: Sequester Requires Senate To Get 'Off Their Ass'

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Personally, I think they ALL need to get off their asses!

AubreyJ………

Dr Benjamin Carson Gives Keynote Address at Annual National Prayer Breakfast

2013-02-07T13:09:00.005-06:00

Cropped-File White House photo by Shealah Craighead

Thursday, February 07, 2013

This morning at the annual National Prayer Breakfast that is held in Washington, D.C. every year… best-selling author and a world-renowned pediatric neurosurgeon at the Johns Hopkins Hospital, Dr. Ben Carson delivered the keynote address and what a GREAT speech it was. Lol… had President Obama looking down, around and with a frown at the end too!

Click it out below…

(Note: the best part of his speech to me was after about 17-18 minutes into his speech, Taxes and healthcare… Powerful stuff so check it out!)

- Carson’s Keynote Speech in full -

This video courtesy of C-SPAN – Just under 27 minutes long

……......………

AubreyJ………

Algeria Hostage Crisis Updates - January 22, 2013

2013-01-22T16:11:00.002-06:00

Tuesday, January 22, 2013

* Fox News had the following report posted up on their website this past Friday evening and it starts off like this… Earlier Friday, the State Department confirmed there are still American hostages being held by an Al Qaeda-linked group at the gas plant, deep in the Saharan desert. When asked about a report that the group wants to trade hostages for terror figures jailed in the United States, spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said: “The United States does not negotiate with terrorists.”…

Read this report in full at link below…

One American dead in hostage siege in Algeria
.

* The New York Times reports… With more than 60 hostages still missing and many feared dead, Prime Minister David Cameron told Parliament on Friday that the Qaeda-linked attack on a remote Algerian gas installation demonstrated the need for Britain and its western allies, including the United States, to direct more of their diplomatic, military and intelligence resources to the intensifying threat emanating from “the ungoverned space” of the North African desert, treating it with as much concern as the terrorist challenge in Pakistan and Afghanistan…

Read the full report at link below…

British Leader Sees Wider Threat in Algeria Attack

* BBC had the following report posted up on their website Sunday evening and it starts off like this… At least 48 hostages are now thought to have died in a four-day siege at an Algerian gas plant, as reports say that 25 bodies found at the complex on Sunday were all those of captives… It had initially been unclear whether the bodies found were those of hostage-takers or staff at the facility… A day earlier, Algerian officials reported the deaths of 23 hostages, saying many more were unaccounted for… Five suspected Islamist attackers were reportedly arrested on Sunday… The Algerian authorities had said on Saturday that all 32 hostage-takers had been killed… The siege was ended in a raid by troops on Saturday. Officials say a definitive death toll will be released later…

Read this report in full at link below…

Algeria crisis: Hostage death toll 'rises to 48'

* CBSNews.com has the following News report/Video…

Grim task of identifying Algeria hostage crisis victims begins in Italy

* CNN.com has this good read, (with lots of links to other great reads,) posted on their website this Tuesday afternoon and it starts off like this…

All eyes are on Algeria following the hostage crisis at a BP gas facility that left at least 37 hostages -- and dozens of militants -- dead. And while we're uncovering details of what happened at the remote desert complex at In Amenas and why, we must also scrutinize what this crisis tells us about security in North Africa, or the Maghreb…

Read the rest at link below…

Algeria hostage crisis shows jihadists on rise

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Yeah, Obama… you really got them Terrorist on the run,

shaking to death in their flip-flops...

AubreyJ………

Obama says Fewer Troops in Afghanistan this spring setting New Mission Goal to Train, Advise and Assist Afghan Troops only

2013-01-12T16:09:00.006-06:00

This News Video by PBS News Hour: President Obama sat down with Afghan President Hamid Karzai to discuss the future role of U.S. troops in Afghanistan. While combat forces are scheduled to exit the region in 2014, the two leaders met to talk over a range of troop level options and responsibilities. Judy Woodruff reports.

Originally posted on Friday, January 11, 2012

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AubreyJ………

Road Trip Coming For NASA's Mars Rover

2012-12-29T16:56:00.001-06:00

Image Credit NASA

* MSNBC.com brings us the following AP report that has this to say in part… Curiosity is being prepared for its first drilling operation, and then in mid-February it's off to Mount Sharp…

Read the full report at link below...

Road trip on tap for NASA's Mars rover in the New Year

…

- More information about Curiosity can be found online at

http://www.nasa.gov/msl and http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl/

- You can follow the mission on FaceBook at: http://www.facebook.com/marscuriosity

and on Twitter at:

http://www.twitter.com/marscuriosity.

….……..

AubreyJ

Retired General Norman Schwarzkopf Past Today At The Age Of 78

2012-12-27T21:57:00.000-06:00

General Norman Schwarzkopf official DoD file photo

Retired General Norman Schwarzkopf died today, Thursday, December 27, 2012, in Tampa, Fla., at the age of 78. It’s reported he past away from pneumonia complications.

Many remember him still today as ‘Stormin Norman’, the fierce, steadfast Desert Storm Commander.

We thank you General Schwarzkopf for your decorated service in Vietnam and your history breaking liberation of Kuwait. We thank you for all that you have done over the years for this great country of ours.

America has lost another great one today… He will be so missed.

AubreyJ………

Holiday Wishes 2012

2012-12-22T16:08:00.005-06:00

* Holiday Wishes *

Note: This Post on TOP till after first of year - Happy Holidays!
.

.
“Christmas Past”

Christmas up at my Grandparents House over the years…

Enjoy!

…

Click link below for some of my Christmas stories I wrote over the years, plus photos, videos and MUCH more!!!

* AubreyJ’s Holidays *

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!!!

AubreyJ………

NBC News Team Freed In Syria Five Days After Being Kidnapped

2012-12-18T15:11:00.005-06:00

Tuesday, December 18, 2012

Image Credit Iran's Press TV website

* Reuters brings us the following report and it starts off like this… An NBC news team was freed in Syria during a firefight at an Islamic rebel checkpoint five days after being ambushed and kidnapped by 15 heavily armed gunmen, correspondent Richard Engel said on Tuesday… Engel, 39, who along with production crew members Ghazi Balkiz and John Kooistra disappeared after crossing into northwestern Syria from Turkey on Thursday, said their kidnappers were members of a militia loyal to President Bashar al-Assad…

Read this report in full at link below…

NBC news team freed in Syria after firefight

* The Sydney Morning Herald has this take on the news… NBC's chief foreign correspondent Richard Engel said on Tuesday he and members of his network crew escaped unharmed after five days of captivity in Syria, where more than a dozen pro-regime gunmen dragged them from their car, killed one of their rebel escorts and subjected them to mock executions…

Read the full report at link below…

'They made us choose which one of us would be shot first ': TV reporter kidnapped in Syria escapes after firefight

**********************

NBC News Crew Unharmed After Kidnapping

This video posted on YouTube by AssociatedPress

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AubreyJ………

Taking a Moment to Honor our Fallen Heroes

2012-12-11T11:36:00.003-06:00

Since that tragic day on 9-11-2001… many of our bravest have given their all while fighting for this great country of ours. Please take a moment to thank them, in your own way, for all they have done and were willing to do for you -- me and this great country of ours. May God bless each and every one of these fallen Heroes, all of those who have been wounded, all of their families, friends, loved ones and their comrades in arms who were at their side.

Never forget those that protect us -- Each and every day...

AubreyJ.........

…

Memories of Past Thanksgivings - November 20012

2012-11-22T12:10:00.004-06:00

NOTE: This Post near top Thur-Sun – Scroll below this post for latest Posting

Memories of Past Thanksgivings

I did this short story a few years back to bring back memories in my family of those good old days when we were all so young and the family was everything. Today I wish to share this story with you and those overseas doing this country so proud. Hope it helps bring back in you some of those good OLD memories about some of your past Thanksgivings with your loved ones...

God bless and Happy Thanksgiving to all of you...
AubreyJ.........

.Photo of my Grandparents house - Now owned by Aunt Martha Ree - Photo taken in 2001 by Aunt Louise.

And so my story begins... from the eyes of an older country boy... ME!!!.

***********************

.In this short story, I tried to bring back those good old days at Thanksgiving time. All that good cooking and eating that went on.... It's like them days had happened just yesterday!!!.

I can remember dad driving up to the Big House and all of us kids jumping out of the car and making a dash for the porch. Just to be pulled back to help unload the car of all the food offerings that we had brought for the Thanksgiving feast.

As we walk into the house, we're greeted by hugs and kisses from the Aunts and warm hellos from the Uncles. Smile at Papaw as we walk by and on to the kitchen and out to the back porch we go. After unloading all the food on the tables outside, it's time to go and get a big hug and kiss from Mamaw. Naturally we would always get the yes ma'am... no ma'am drill from her and after that all of us kids would take off in our own directions.

Now as for me- I usually ran for Uncle Buddy and would jump up into his arms. We'd have a short man to man chat... and then it was off to Papaw. Oh yeah... That short dash, backward flip to a tail slide across the arm of the chair topped off with a good 10 point landing- down between the side of Papaw and the arm of the chair. Such perfection- I'd even managed to miss that big old cigar that was always in Papaw's mouth.

"Hey Papaw.... Got you any wolves this week!!!" I sure did love getting up in that chair with Papaw. All the small talk that went on between us that only Papaws and their grandchildren can have and the smell of Papaw's cigar- Now how can any of us forget that!!!.After a short visit with Papaw, I would run through the house to see what all the cousins were up to. Shoot- It always seemed that by the time we could all get together and get some kind of game started, all through the house you would hear Mamaw calling... "Everyone come to the table- it's time to eat." Now you would think that all us kids would come a running!!! Well some of us would, yet some of us would not...

Yes sir, some of us kids were a little hard headed. Figure that!!! We would give ourselves them excuses like- "If we hurry up- we can finish this game and then go eat." This never did work out, no matter what we were playing... A few minutes would pass by, then someone would come for us bringing major threats from our parents. Hard headed are not, we knew for our own self preservation it would be best to make a dash for the tables about this time...

Now... Where you got to sit down and eat was all up to how old you was. When you came of age, you got to eat at the big tables. If not of age yet, you had to eat in the kitchen or on the back porch. (I thought on this for a little bit and came to this conclusion... If we were to have a family reunion this Thanksgiving... and everyone showed up, I'd still end up on the back porch or at best in the kitchen. Some things never change... Oh well...)

After everyone got settled down in their chairs it would start to get real quit. That's because before we could all start eating we had to have prayer. There was always some praying going on but it was more on the lines of: "Lord, please don't let Aunt Alice say the prayer this year." Mother would have the food cold by the time she got done with the Thanksgiving Blessings. Yes sir... That woman could sure do some praying at the table!!!

Anyway- after a good 5 minutes of quit time, we finally got to eat. A-Men!!! There's no need in going over the list of food again because we had it all and then some... I'd eat so much that there was no way in the world I was going anywhere near that dessert table. Well not for an hour or two...

After the feast, all us kids would take off to play and the adults would clean up and then head for the living room to visit and watch football. Uncle J.P. and Dad would go outside and have them a smoke while Uncle Jack and Uncle R.V. headed for the back bedrooms for a short nap. After a while dad and Uncle J.P. would catch up with the men and us kids knew to play very quietly around this time. If we had awakened any of the men we would have all been dead meat!!!

I could go on and on with this story but I think I'll end it here. Besides, I have so many fond memories about this time of the year that I'd have to write a small book to cover them all...

Anyway, I truly hope that this short story has sparked a few fond memories in all of you and I'll end with this wish... May you and yours have a wonderful and memorable Thanksgiving and for god’s sake… don't burn the rolls up this year!!!

Story by: AubreyJ.........

Aubrey J. Fawcett

Written back on November 15, 2002

.....................

HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE!

...

Israel: On Ground Updates - November 14, 2012

2012-11-14T15:51:00.001-06:00

Scroll DOWN for the latest Updates...
Israel: On Ground Updates

New Israeli Operation begins, ‘Operation Pillar of Defense’ - Hamas Military Chief Jabari has been Killed - Long-Range Rockets Destroyed - Infantry Units moved South - Israeli Reservists now being called up

Original post date:
Wednesday, November 14, 2012

IDF File Photo

* YNews.com gets us started off today with the following report… Israel killed the military commander of Hamas in an airstrike on the Gaza Strip Wednesday, bringing the two sides to the brink of a possible new war… The attack came despite signs that Egypt had managed to broker a truce between Israel and Palestinian militants after a five day surge of violence which saw more than 100 missiles fired out of Gaza and repeated Israeli strikes on the enclave…

Read the rest at link below…

IDF kills top Hamas commander; prepares for ground offensive

* The New York Times has this take on the news out of Israel today and it starts off like this… Israel on Wednesday launched one of the most ferocious assaults on Gaza since its invasion four years ago, hitting at least 20 targets in aerial attacks that killed the top military commander of Hamas, drew strong condemnation from Egypt and escalated the risks of a new war in the Middle East… The Israelis coupled the intensity of the airstrikes with warnings to all Hamas leaders in Gaza to stay out of sight or risk the same fate as the Hamas military commander, Ahmed al-Jabari, who was killed in a pinpoint airstrike as he was traveling by car down a Gaza street. “We recommend that no Hamas operatives, whether low level or senior leaders, show their faces above ground in the days ahead,” the Israel Defense Forces said in a Twitter message…

Read this report in full at link below…

Israelis Launch Major Assault on Gaza, Killing Hamas Commander

* YNetNews.com had this report Tuesday and it start s off like this… Egypt's powerful Muslim Brotherhood sharply criticized Israeli leaders on Tuesday over airstrikes in the Gaza Strip, accusing them of heating up the conflict to score political points ahead of elections… The latest round of violence began Saturday, with rocket attacks from Gaza militants and Israeli airstrikes on the Strip. More than 100 rockets have exploded in Israel since the weekend. The exchanges appeared to die down on Tuesday… Also, Israeli tanks struck a Syrian artillery launcher Monday after a mortar shell flew into Israel-held territory, fueling concerns that Israel could be dragged into the Syrian civil war… In its statement, the Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party referred to Israel as a "Zionist occupier" and a "racist state," placing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman on the "fringes" of the "far right."…

Read the rest at link below…

Egypt's Brotherhood slams Israel over Gaza strikes

* The Independent had the following report posted on their website Tuesday afternoon and it starts off like this… Israel has threatened to slap sanctions on the Palestinian Authority if the PLO goes ahead with plans to seek an upgrade in its UN status to “non-member state” but Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas seems determined - not least because he knows that Israel now considers the Palestinian Authority too crucial to fail… Mr. Abbas told Arab League ministers meeting in Cairo this week that the application will be brought to a vote on November 29, the 65th anniversary of the 1947 UN partition vote that recommended the creation of two states in Palestine… Israel fears that the Palestinians, bolstered by the diplomatic victory that seems assured by majority support in the 193-member UN General Assembly, will use their new status to haul Israel before the International Criminal Court in The Hague for alleged crimes…

Read this report in full at link below…

Israel threatens sanctions on Palestinian Authority if it goes ahead with plans to seek UN'non-member state' status

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POST UPDATE:

Thursday, November 15, 2012

.Above Image from IDF file photos

* CBS News brings us the following report this Thursday afternoon and it starts off like this… Palestinian militants barraged Israel with more than 200 rockets on Thursday, killing three people as Israel pressed a punishing campaign of airstrikes on militant targets across the Gaza Strip. Three rockets targeted the densely populated Tel Aviv area, setting off air raid sirens in brazen attacks that threatened to trigger an Israeli ground invasion of Gaza… Late in the day, Israel signaled a ground operation may be imminent as forces moved toward the border area with Gaza. At least 12 trucks were seen transporting tanks and armored personnel carriers, and a number of buses carrying soldiers arrived. Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak said he had authorized the army to call-up additional reservists for possible action. The army said it was prepared to draft up to 30,000 additional troops…

Read this report in full at link below…

Israeli troops move toward Gaza after rockets jolt Tel Aviv area

* REUTERS has the following report and it starts off like this…

Two rockets fired from the Gaza Strip targeted Tel Aviv on Thursday in the first attack on Israel's commercial capital in 20 years, raising the stakes in a showdown between Israel and the Palestinians that is moving towards all-out war…

Read the rest at link below…

Rockets hit near Tel Aviv as Gaza death toll rises

[Part of the above report by Reuters went like this… The conflict, launched by Israel with the killing of Hamas's military chief, pours oil on the fire of a Middle East already ablaze with two years of revolution and an out-of-control civil war in Syria. It wasn't started by Israel. Give me a break!!! The Hamas Military Chief had been bragging, taking credit for the already hundreds of rocket attacks Israel had been experiencing over the last so many days and was strongly warned to stopped the attacks. He/they did not, so he/they paid the price. And so will many others if they keep it up. It’s on them now… Israel is all kinds of ready to lay down some serious hurt… AJ]

* The Wall Street Journal has Report, News Video, Slides and more at link below…

Israel, Hamas Broaden Hostilities

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POST UPDATE

Israeli Military forced News Crews away from Gaza Strip Border Signaling probable Ground Incursion - Air Raid Sirens Sound Off in Jerusalem for First Time as Long Range Rockets Land Nearby

Friday, November 16, 2012

IAF file photo

.
* CBS NEWS brings us the following report early this Friday morning and it starts off like this… Israel seemed to be preparing to step up its military operation against Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip on Friday, as air raid sirens wailed in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv and media reported another rocket had fallen near the Tel Aviv… CBS News correspondent Allen Pizzey and his team were forced by the Israeli military -- along with other news crews -- to move away from the border with the Gaza Strip on Friday morning, another signal pointing to a possible ground incursion into the tiny Palestinian territory…

Read this report in full at link below…

Israel takes steps pointing to ground incursion into Gaza Strip

* JPost.com is reporting the following troubling news…

Two rockets landed outside of Jerusalem Friday evening as sirens rang out, causing no injuries or damage. Police reported that there was "no indication" that rockets landed in the city, stating that "most likely, the rockets landed in an open area outside of Jerusalem."… Hamas took credit for the attack, claiming to have shot "an improved Kassam," which it called an M-75, towards Jerusalem. The launch represents the first Hamas rocket attack aimed at Jerusalem…

Read this report in full at link below…

Two Rockets Land outside Jerusalem following Two fired at Tel Aviv

* YNetNews.com has this take on the news out of Israel… Shortly after the air raid siren sounded in Jerusalem, Hamas' military wing, the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, claimed responsibility for the rocket fired at the capital area. According to the organization, it fired a homemade rocket called Qassam M76… The rocket Hamas fired at Tel Aviv is nicknamed Qassam M75… Shortly before the rocket hit the Jerusalem area, Hamas' military wing promised "a surprise in a short while."…

Read this report in full at link below…

Hamas fires first rockets at Jerusalem

* The Telegraph has this report… Israel and Gaza conflict: Rocket from Gaza lands near Jerusalem

Lots of raw video footage and more at link above

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Israel's Gaza Ceasefire Fails

Israel's Airforce has launched an attack on the home of a Hamas commander, despite a temporary halting of military action due to a visit to Gaza by Egypt's Prime Minister Hisham Qandil… The strike is retaliation for rockets being fired at southern Israel… Tel Aviv had announced that it would suspend its military operation during the visit, but there are reports of an Israeli air strike on a house in the Jabalia refugee camp in northern Gaza… An Interior Ministry building belonging to Hamas has also been hit by a missile, reducing a large part of it to rubble…

This Video posted on YouTube by Euronews - Published on Nov 16, 2012

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IAF Disperses Warning Leaflets

This morning the IAF dispersed leaflets in various locations around Gaza Strip. The proclamations call for civilians to stay away from terrorist target areas and emphasize that Hamas is responsible for the situation in Gaza. "For your own safety, take responsibility for your life and abstain from approaching terrorist organizations"

IAF Website

Skyhawk airplanes of the "Flying Tiger" Squadron dispersed proclamation leaflets over various locations in the Gaza Strip. The proclamations are directed towards citizens of the strip, warning them to stay far from Hamas operative points and other terror organizations that risk their lives and safety. The proclamations emphasize Hamas's responsibility for the escalations in the area and that the IDF will take all measures in order to insure the safety of all Israeli civilians.

The text translates as follows: “An important message to the residents of the Gaza Strip -- for your own safety, take control of your fate and avoid approaching Hamas activists, facilities or other terrorist organization centers that risk your safety. Hamas is yet again dragging the area into an escalation and bloodshed. The IDF is determined to protect Israeli civilians. This warning is valid until quiet is restored to the area. The Israeli Defense Forces Command”

Taken from an IAF Press Release - November 15, 2012

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POST UPDATE:

Sunday, November 18, 2012

-- IDF file photo –

Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu says Israel prepared to Widen Gaza Offensive Significantly - Raw Video Footage of Israeli Surgical Air Strikes of Hamas Operational Communication Infrastructure - More than 900 rockets have been fired at Israel since Saturday, (Nov 10th) almost 800 of which were fired since the start of Operation Pillar of Defense (Nov 14th), landing in the south and in the greater Tel Aviv area - Much more in today’s updates…

…

* This Sunday evening, DEBKAfile had the following informative report posted on their website and it starts off like this… Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Ehud Barak and Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman conferred urgently Sunday night, Nov. 18 - Day 5 of the Gaza offensive - on how to respond to US President Barack Obama’s insistent demand that they delay a major IDF ground operation in the Gaza Strip… DEBKAfile’s sources disclose that when Obama spoke to Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi Friday, Nov. 16 - after receiving an update from Netanyahu - he gave him a 48-hour window for talking Hamas around to a ceasefire… Not only has the Egyptian president failed in this task, his bid made matters worse: Hamas understood the US president was leaning hard on Israel to refrain from sending troops into the Gaza Strip and took advantage of the respite to redouble its missile barrage on a dozen Israeli locations in the last three days, including Tel Aviv and Jerusalem… Following his talks with Morsi and Netanyahu, Obama referred in Bangkok Sunday to “the next 24, 36, 48 hours as crucial; Israel responded to his request to send two senior envoys to Cairo – a high-ranking military officer and an intelligence official - take part in the ceasefire negotiations… However, Hamas turned down all the truce proposals on the table, leaving Israel with three options: …

Read this report in full at link below…

Israeli leaders re-examine Gaza ground operation under strong Obama pressure

* JPost.com reports…

Hamas say cease-fire efforts with Israel have failed

* NBC News has the following report and it starts off like this… Israel was prepared to substantially broaden its operation in the Gaza strip, the country's prime minister said on Sunday as its military planes continued to bomb targets in Gaza City… "The Israel Defense Forces have attacked more than 1,000 terror targets in the Gaza Strip," Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said at a cabinet meeting. "We are exacting a heavy price from Hamas and the terrorist organizations and the Israel Defence Forces are prepared for a significant expansion of the operation."… He gave no specifics and made no mention of the possibility of a ground offensive…

Read the full report at link below…

Netanyahu: Israel prepared for 'significant expansion' of Gaza operation

(Above link has a 2 some odd minute News Video)

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PM Netanyahu: Israel Prepared for 'Expansion' of Gaza Offensive

About Video: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Israel is prepared to widen its Gaza offensive significantly - Plus… Raw Video Footage of Israeli Surgical Air Strikes of Hamas Operational Communication Infrastructure

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POST UPDATE:

Israel-Hamas

CEASEFIRE

Now

In Effect

Wednesday, November 21, 2012

…

Ceasefire brokered by Egypt, U.S., went into effect at 9:00 p.m. but Hamas keeps on firing rockets. Barak said this is to be expected… He also said Hamas, Islamic Jihad has received painful blow - Netanyahu: Give ceasefire a chance - As truce with terrorists in Gaza goes into effect, PM tells reporters in Jerusalem he will cooperate with Obama to stop arms smuggling to Hamas-ruled territory

…

* IsraelNationalNews.com gets us up to date with the following report...

Israel Announces Ceasefire, Hamas Keeps Firing

* YNetNews.com had the following report...

Netanyahu: Give ceasefire a chance

…

Israel-Hamas Ceasefire: Hillary Clinton's Statement

This Video posted on YouTube by ABCNews

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* JPOST Live Blog: Escalation in the South

Latest Updates from IDF/IAF/MFA can be found at links below:

- IDF Operation Pillar of Defense

- IDF.gov: Iron Dome continues to intercept rocketsfired at Israel

- Pillar of Defense: IAF Acts in Gaza

- MFA.gov: Israel strikes terror targets in Gaza

And more from MFA…

Israel under fire - November 2012

- Operation Pillar of Defense - IDF updates

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This post now closed as of 11/21/12 - I will start a new post if new news breaks and/or CEASEFIRE falls apart for some reason

AubreyJ………

Happy Veterans Day - November 11, 2012

2012-11-11T11:51:00.001-06:00

- Happy Veterans Day -

About Photo: Scenes from Veterans Day 2011 at Arlington National Cemetery. President Obama at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

Image by U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs

…

On November 11^th of each year we have Veterans Day in which we honor and thank all who have served in the United States Armed Forces remembering that many gave the ultimate sacrifice.

…

Happy Veterans Day

AubreyJ………

Election Day 2012 - November 06, 2012

2012-11-06T00:30:00.000-06:00

ELECTION DAY 2012

Today’s the DAY…

VOTE!!!

Tuesday, November 06, 2012

…MITT ROMNEY

~~The next President of the United States!!!~~

*******************************

10:55pm CST

Well Crap…

President Obama gets 4 more years

But with no mandate… no CHANGE coming

Just 4 more years of the same!

CRAP!!!

Image courtesy of Romney Campaign

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POST UPDATE:

Thursday, November 08, 2012

12:30pm CST

Like the GREAT ONE, Rush Limbaugh said Wednesday, and I’m paraphrasing here… ‘How the hell can the Republican Party compete against Santa Clause?’

In other words, how will the republicans ever compete against the Democrat Party that has become the Party of free giveaways off the backs of the successful, off the backs of the rich off the massive Debt of this Country?

How do you compete against Santa Claus when so many of the 47% say give me… give me… give me MORE! And the Dems keep on giving and GIVING… And they keep on giving even MORE knowing good and well that this great Country of ours can no longer afford it.

How the heck can the Republicans ever run against Santa Claus!!!?

What’s your take on it?

AubreyJ………

More to come so check back!

Israel a ‘Red State’… Why?

2012-11-01T18:25:00.002-05:00

* Here’s another GREAT read I ran across today, (YES, Politics all the way,) at JPost.com and it starts off like this… Poll after poll shows Israelis favor Republican candidate Mitt Romney over US President Barack Obama. This even though their American Jewish brethren hold the opposite point of view. Why? ... Were Israel America’s 51st state, it is clear - at least based on various polls in Israel over the last five months - that it would be giving its hypothetical 13 electoral votes (based on the size of its population) to Republican candidate Mitt Romney in the upcoming US elections… In other words, Israel - in American political terms - is a deep red state. Unlike the popular stereotypes of Jews, we here in Israel are Texas, Nebraska and Indiana…

Read the rest at link below…

Why Israel is a ‘red state’

………...……

AubreyJ………

ROMNEY/RYAN2012