I've known people in life who have seemed to have no hope. No hope for a better future, no hope of happiness, and no hope of a wonderful eternity spent with God. To me that is one of the saddest things on earth...to have no hope. I pray today for people who have no hope.

Today I am thankful for:

• the rain during the night Tuesday night...our yard and tomatoes needed it so badly. We water but I don't like to. It is so much better when it comes naturally!
  
• a home to live in. When I worked in the mental health field I saw so many homeless people. At a shelter one time, I saw a whole homeless family including a beautiful little girl. How sad is that? I often take our home for granted but try not to.
• great authors so I have something to read. I truly admire their talent for finding the right words.
  

What are you thankful for today? Head over to visit Iris for more thankful people. Just click on the icon.

The interviews are via email and will be published online at OhmyNews International and/or elsewhere as well as here on New Writing International and on the blog, Conversations with Writers.

If you are a writer, a playwright or a poet and would like to take part. Please email Ambrose Musiyiwa for a list of the questions we are currently asking.

When I finish my PhD, I shall try and remember to Wordle it, and then I shall get it framed and hang it on my wall.

Speaking of silly, I've made it to my 11th day straight of work and I'm feeling a little giddy.  I get the WHOLE day off tomorrow.  Woo-hoo!  Par-tay!  I'm going to celebrate by first doing the laundry (hold on, it gets better), then I'm going to buy paint and wood stain for my next house projects!  I may even sneak in a nap.  Good times. 

Wishing all of you out there in blogland a very happy Thursday.  Thanks for hitting on me.

Friends, family, and examiners will all know how much I like Russian Livejournal. There, recently posted: "Anna Politkovskaya - Seven Years on the Front Line". (http://tapirr.livejournal.com/1469219.html - link opens in a new window)

Sending this to everyone by email is so slow and conspiratorial... plus, this way, all my pals can be interested or not as they like, when they like, without my clogging up their inboxes.

Tags, RSS, and Global Voice... Toto, I don't think we're on Open Diary anymore!

Ok, I'm sitting here appologizing for writing something, but it's just me being scared I pissed my man off, which I hope I didn't cause I couldn't bare that!

1. Caleb Campbell, whose obligation to the US Army comes before football. He should have gone to another school if he thought football was more important than serving his country.

2. David and Kathy Bain, who should not have adopted nine kids six months before they bought a house they couldn't afford on one salary. Good deeds don't cancel out stupidity.

3. Divorcee Tricia Walsh-Smith, who whined like a spoiled three year old on YouTube and, as a result, lost her divorce case against her hubby. Prenups are a bitch, Tricia, just like you.

4. Gloria Nunaz and her family, for complaining about being poor and hungry while getting fat off the tax dollars of others.

5. Katie Holmes, who let herself come under the spell of this freaky leprechaun.

6. This vile anti-war protestor, who, by spitting on an Iraq War veteran, proved that she is as ugly on the inside as she is on the outside. And I am questioning her patriotism. And hygiene.

7. Elizabeth Edwards, who, not being a stupid woman, somehow missed this part of her man's life. Or ignored it. Either way, I don't feel sorry for her.

8. Neil, who constantly laments about his lack of sex female companionship but has a literal bevy of attractive women lusting after worshiping him in his comments section every day. To paraphrase Bill Clinton, "I wish I could feel his pain." (I love ya man!)

9. The New York Times and the rest of the liberal press, who are losing money and readers at a faster rate every day. Hey, that's what happens when you alienate half the country with liberal opinion pieces instead of objective news. When you're gone no one will miss you.

I promise I'll keep it simple. That really is the first rule that I suggest you stick to!

A simple blog posting allows you to get your message across and ensures that your readers will be able to follow your post through to the end!

When writing a new post for your blog however, your main objective is to engross the reader!

Keep them interested or chances are they certainly won't be coming back for more!

This isn't as easy as it seems to be. I'll be honest I'm not even sure I've got this technique down yet! Feel free to let me know what you think in the comments section.

The simplest way that I can 'teach' you to be interesting is for you to write about the things that interest you most!

This may sound like foolish advice if you are blogging about something that you actually have little interest in!

Thankfully for me I do find the internet marketing and online business world interesting. I also enjoy to share my experiences with others in the hope that it may inspire and assist others in their search for online business success.

With this in mind, if you are writing a blog about something you don't find that interesting, merge your writings with a subject you ARE interested in!

One of the best examples of this that I know of can be found here;

http://www.ultimateonlinebusinessguide.com/?cat=41

It may seem a bit haphazard however it allows you to gain an insight into the mind of the writer; (something that your posts should do - they should give your readers a sense of who you are and where you've come from)!

Check it out. Even though I am aware that the creator of this blog does find the world of online business interesting, they have still found a way to merge their writings with their other main interests of sports and music. In this post they have compared the superstars of the sports and music world to the 'superstars' of the internet marketing and online business world.

Finally - (I told you I was going to keep it simple) - make sure; (I mean be absolutely positive) that you are writing about a subject that people will want to read about.

What's the point of writing about a subject that you know no-one will want to read. That's just a wasted effort!

Alrite guys, I hope you enjoyed reading this brief post about the art of successful blogging. Making sure you follow these simple guidelines should boost your blogs' popularity no-end.

Also, remember to check out 'The SuperStars Of The Internet Business Universe' post from The Ultimate Online Business Guide.

This should give you a better idea of what I'm going on about here.

The books in question are “Shout” by Phillip Norman, a journalist and novelist by trade and “The Love You Make” by Peter Brown with Steven Gaines. I had read “The Love You Make” a number of years ago and always liked it. Recently though I found a newly updated “Shout” and began to read it, figuring that there is always something more to learn about the Beatles and the fascinating time of the 1960’s. I was right on both counts.

Both books cover the same period of course. The Beatles became the most popular and influential musical group in the ‘60’s. for good or for bad. In some ways their influence is felt today; though in muted form.

Each book has a different emphasis. Peter Brown was connected with the Beatles and worked for them during their time as the most popular rock group. His portrait is more intimate in many ways compared to Phillip Norman’s book. In ‘Shout” however, Norman researched the development of the Beatles and covered their early days in great detail. Norman also went into greater detail concerning the business end of the Beatle Empire and covered the struggle for control of the Beatle management after the death of Brian Epstein.

Yes, both books are good. Peter Brown’s book is more sympathetic to the Beatles than Phillip Norman’s. Norman tends to criticize some of the Beatle music, while Brown tends to romanticize it. Perhaps, since both books were written around the same time, the two authors could have gotten together and worked with each other, they could have written the most complete book on the Beatles that could ever be written. I guess you will have to buy both books, if you want a complete look at the Beatles

Anyways, here's a short Associated Press video of Barack Obama in Germany...

At the very least, 100,000 Germans are looking forward to Barack Obama's speech at the famous Brandenburg Gate today. Many are upset that a presidential hopeful is being allowed to make his speech at this place. Well, I think there's a very good reason as to why he is being allowed. Last night when I was doing some phone-banking with local Democrats, I talked with a US soldier in my area who has been back from Iraq for 2 years now. He told me it was upsetting that Barack Obama was making his speech at the Brandenberg Gate. I asked him, "Well, doesn't that tell you something about Barack Obama, the last eight years under George Bush, and how the world is looking at Obama? Compared to John McCain, Barack Obama is THE beacon of light the world is looking for. Do you see that?". He thought for a second and then agreed it is kind of historic to say the least.

Has our planet ever known a time in recent years when it was so starved for a sane American president? Good gawd...we're a bunch of starving birdies in the nest. :-)

probably the best entertainment part of the cruise or even best part of the whole bleeding cruise was a concert we got to see the second night of the cruise.  the nelson twins concert tribute to their dad, ricky nelson.  yeah, gunnar and matthew nelson.  the dudes can play.  stellar stuff.  damn straight.

then of course there's their dad, ricky.  ok.  the first music video guy.  ever.  thanks to ozzie, his dad.  a bleeding genius.  way before his time.

then there was ricky.  at some point or another he eclipsed the king, elvis.  yeah, sir paul mac, the beatle, even says this on film during the tribute.  damn straight.  say what you want, ricky nelson was rock 'n' roll's god at one point or another.  probably several points.  if you can't understand this then well, i feel sorry for you. 

ok.  he wasn't robert johnson, muddy waters, albert king, or buddy guy.  but he was at one point more popular than elvis, the king.  at any rate, during the show lots of nice film of ricky and his ground breaking videos from the old ozzie and harriet show. 

ricky was good but his band was better.  yeah, well.  ozzie knew stuff.  a number one hit maker in his own right.  ricky as well.  gunnar and matthew too.  three generations of number one songs from the same damn family.  a guinness record. 

ok. the show.  the kids played dad's music to a tee.  wonderful stuff. interspersed with video clips of dad, sir paul the beatle and john fogerty, etal, telling everyone what a talent ricky was.  well, he was.  then the kids dealt it out.  fine stuff of their own backed by cruise ship musicians.  the sax player in particular, a gentleman from the ukraine, was inspired and reminded me of bobby keyes.  

gunnar and matthew are fine musicians.  best live music i've seen in a long time.  ex g/f and i were lucky enough to get to the venue way early and we sat up in the back of the place and got to watch the sound check.  mostly gunnar kicking out some fine guitar jams.  lovely stuff.  after which we moved down front.

point?  gunnar and matthew nelson are a product of two generations of number one hit makers.  themselves making it a third.  stellar shit.  on all fronts.  their current single is a tribute to pop and the stone canyon band.  rickey's last band.  country western gone cosmic, thanks bubba.  and thanks, gram. 

pure american music.  nothing is better.  the nelson kids seem to understand this.  as well they should.  they come from musical royalty.  yep.  the kids can kick out the jams.  trust me.  i was blown away by the whole thing.  pure and simple.  bloody amazing music.

after the show the boys were out in the back of the hall dealing out glad hands, cds, and autographs.  i went their way.  i had to.  ex g/f went the less traveled route.  fine. 

the line was long and slow.  terminally slow.  i was beginning to sober up.  just an endless line.  i finally got close and yelled, 'gentlemen.   your dad, gram parsons, and you.'  i only speak the truth.  ok, mostly.

matthew was taken aback.  recovered nicely and said, 'wow. what a nice thing to say.  thank you.  i wish we could have played with james burton'.  sweet.  the boys rock regardless.  i threw them a thumbs up and like exited stage right.  still to far back and coming down hard off the vodka/vino high.  still high on the music. 

next day.  juneau, alaska.  in port.  ex and i get off the ship to wander around before our scheduled shore excursion.  we did a few photos and some shopping then sat on a bench.  matthew and family passed by. 

dude.

hey, how's it going?

oh,shit.  i need me a photo. 

getting up and telling ex, photo, please.

excuse me. can i get a photo?  ah, i was the guy that yelled at you guys after the show last night.

sure.  yeah, i know.  smiling.

ok. so here's like the photo.  me, a deer in the headlights and matthew looking good and may i say gram parsons would have been very proud of what matthew was wearing.  rock 'n' country roll.

my deer in the headlights photo ain't the first.  i have another with myself and rick bayliss, the famouos pbs chef, at his fine restaurant in chicago.  what can i say?  awe struck in the presence of artistic genius is what it is i guess.  cooking or playing music.

the nelsons, gunnar and matthew, have come to accept their dad's musical history.  good for them..  ricky and the stone canyon band.  gram parsons.  gunnar and matthew.  gentleman, a musical legacy to be built upon.  just do it.  damn, i hope you do.  please.  i need me some more cosmic country.

the nelson kids are playing the tribute concert around the country this summer.  if you get a chance you should go see it.  the kicker is you might even be lucky enough to see them play with dad's last band, the stone canyon band of old.  music doesn't get much better.

jmh

PROTON CARS

Pahang, Kelantan MBs back Terengganu over Perdana car maintenance cost

KUANTAN, July 24 - The menteris besar of Pahang and Kelantan today came to the defence of Terengganu Menteri Besar Datuk Ahmad Said over his insistence that Proton Perdana V6 Executive cars incur high maintenance costs.  

Both Datuk Adnan Yaakob and Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat agreed with Ahmad that it was costly to maintain the national cars.

Ahmad had said that the high maintenance cost had driven the Terengganu government to decide on the purchase of 14 Mercedes Benz E200 Kompressor cars at a cost of RM3.43 million to replace the Perdana cars of its state executive councillors and senior government officers.

However, Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng said the Terengganu government's purchase of the Mercedes Benz cars was not right at a time of economic uncertainty, and that it should have settled for a cheaper car such as a Toyota.

Adnan said his Mercedes Benz car, which had been in use for years since the time of Tun Khalil Yaakob as the menteri besar, ran up a maintenance cost of RM42,000 last year while a Perdana used by a state executive councillor had cost RM57,500 to maintain.

"The Terengganu menteri besar is basically right when he said the maintenance cost of the Proton Perdana V6 Executive is higher than that of the Mercedes Benz," he told reporters after the presentation of cheques to Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) students, here.

Adnan, however, said he did not want to support or oppose the decision of the Terengganu government to buy the 14 Mercedes Benz cars, adding that all decisions now had to take into consideration the current situation and needs of the people.

"The people now prefer to travel in a Kancil car or even a motorcycle if it is over a short distance," he said.

Adnan said the Pahang government would adhere to the directive and decision of the federal government on the use of the national car though the matter could be disputed.

In KOTA BAHARU, Menteri besar Datuk Haji  Nik AbdulAziz  Nik Mat said the Kelantan government also found the maintenance cost of the Perdana V6 to be higher than that of imported cars and that the national car became faulty often.

Nevertheless, he said, the state government had no plan to change its official cars to other makes, including imported models.

"In the Kelantan government, we also use the Perdana besides the older Mercedes Benz. We give some relaxation. This is because, like the Terengganu menteri besar said, the Perdana has this maintenance problem," he said after opening the Taqaddum Ilmi mosque at the the Sekolah Menengah Agama Taqaddum Ilmi, Ketereh.

In PENANG, Lim asked the Terengganu government to reconsider its decision to buy the Mercedes Benz cars, saying it was improper for the leaders to drive luxury cars when the people were suffering.

Lim, who is DAP secretary-general, said the Penang government had cancelled the purchase of Perdana cars booked by the previous state government as a cost-saving measure.

In IPOH, Perak Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin said the cost of maintenance would definitely be high for cars used often for long-distance travel but the maintenance cost of Perak's official cars were not as high as that of Terengganu.

Terengganu Menteri Besar Ahmad had said in a statement on Tuesday that the maintenance cost of two of the state's Perdana cars since 2004 was RM175,229.97 and RM132,357.76. - Bernama

Many stimulants, like caffeine, Adderall, and Ritalin, are taken to increase focus -- one recent poll found that nearly twenty percent of scientists and researchers regularly took prescription drugs to "enhance concentration" -- but, accordingly to Jung-Beeman and Kounios, drugs may actually make insights less likely, by sharpening the spotlight of attention and discouraging mental rambles.

It talks about scientific research that is underway to understand what happens at the neurological level to cause people have these Eureka moments. I for one would be interested in knowing what causes spurts in writing or blogging? This is my third post today! I wonder what happened in my nuerons that today I have the urge to make regular blog posts, while I slumber through weeks not being able to make even one!  

Reply to this blog post with...

• First name
• School
• Grades taught
• What you plan to do with the blogging / podcasting skills we talk about today

Social Bookmarks:

So... what do you think? Any ideas?

I can't promise I'll definitely take you up on your thoughts - I mean, this is a big change, people! But I think other people's perspectives might be interesting.

Oh, and just in case I freak out about this post, I may delete it later and pretend I never mentioned anything about asking my lovely blog readers to suggest new names for me!

Who's the star of this blog?

Maggie of course.

After Mags squatted in the comments section many many posts ago (I think 23 comments on one post ... about dogs ... was some kind of strange record) I now have requests from readers for Maggie's photo.

Here you go fans.

Oh yeh ... Maggie is on the left! The other star - John Joe - is on the right.

And ... save my sanity and don't start going all goo goo ga ga about the dog ... ok ... just a little.

Mags is one of the funniest, kindest & soundest people I have ever met and it's great craic having her as a friend.

Looking forward to the party on Saturday Mags.

Please forward all Maggie fan mail to the Ballinamore Post Office.

signed

Liz (Maggie's friend).

KUALA LUMPUR, July 24 — Many individuals and groups have abused the name of God and religion to justify violence and terrorism, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said today.

The prime minister said such extremism had been observed many times in the course of history and in each instance, the virtuous teachings of religion had been twisted and manipulated on behalf of one's religion, for the sake of political gain or personal profit.

"In our own time, we have witnessed many injustices committed in the name of religion, including the occupation of someone else's land and the dispossession that ensues from it. This is surely an affront to the dignity of the person, and a blemish upon the freedom that is a human being's birthright."

The prime minister was speaking at the opening of the International Conference on Religion in The Quest for Global Justice and Peace here today.

"The phenomenon of religious extremism should compel most of us, especially religious scholars and intellectuals, to engage with the wider public in order for them to play a vital role in combating ignorance and the perversion of religion," Abdullah said.

He said it was not enough for scholars to produce intellectual works and present papers at scholarly meetings, nor to lock themselves in their ivory towers.

Instead, they should be prepared to educate the public on the great issues that currently faced mankind.

"Our thinkers and researchers must be prepared to play their part in broadening public understanding of religion, and its role in promoting justice and peace," he said.

Outlining four important measures to tackle the problems, Abdullah said the religious curricula in schools and universities must be given a closer look, where it should emphasise the values and principles enshrined in the respective religions.

"Our religious education should convince us that the dignity and integrity of all human beings is worthy of our respect. Religion should inculcate a truly universal and inclusive outlook, not a mentality that is narrow, exclusive and parochial," he added.

Thirdly, he said, there was the need to amplify the role of the media in promoting a universal and inclusive dimension of religion that focused upon justice and peace.

"Journalists and media practitioners in general should deepen and broaden their understanding of religion, in order to play a more effective role in advancing the universal values of justice, peace and compassion which lie at the heart of our great religious philosophies."

Fourthly, he said, society must be prepared to implement positive religious values in the governance of our institutions, from the government all the way down to the basic family unit.

"We must combat the prevailing public mood which is sometimes prejudiced against religion, and often views religion as fundamentally divisive, " he said, adding that it was one of the main reasons the approach of Islam Hadhari was put forward when he became prime minister almost five years ago.

"I believe that when we strive to govern our institutions based on the positive values founded in the approach of Islam Hadhari, we can truly dispel the negative prejudices against religion and foster greater justice and peace," he said.

On another note, Abdullah indicated the importance of adopting the “middle path” concept, whereby people were enjoined to live lives in moderation.

Disclosing that the approach which was consistent with the “middle path” concept was used for development in Malaysia to ensure the fruits of development were shared by all, Abdullah said the same concept could also be used in tackling contemporary challenges, such as the enviromental and food crises faced by humanity today.

"Faith and religion teaches us that we should develop a harmonious relationship with the environment. Surely if we took heed of this approach towards managing the environment, we would not be faced with the problems of global warming and various other environmental issues," he said.

The two-day conference, organised by Universiti Sains Malaysia and Centre for Policy Research and International Study (CenPRIS), will, among others, discuss papers including on “International and External Impediments in Religion's Quest for Global Justice and Peace”, “Religious Values and Principles that Conduce Towards the Struggle for Global Justice and Peace” and “Religious Communities Working Together for Global Justice and Peace”.  — Bernama

After years of covering the arts in print, Charlotte Higgins is taking on the challenge of becoming a full-time blogger.

Here are some comments on her decision:

My advice, seriously, would be to keep it impersonal. I don’t think there is any need for another warts and all, revelatory pseudo-confessional self indulgent blog. But it could of course be very interesting if it was objective and detached and had a specific focus rather than being too encompassing and risking vague lack of focus. “Cast a cold eye on life, on death”, as W.B. Yeats put it.

I rather like the idea of critics’ comments saying more about themselves than they do about the work they’re reviewing. Maybe, then, the blog could be about you, using your responses to the work you’re seeing as ways of illustrating who and what you are?

There is a real role for this kind of digital journalism to advocate for the quality of work produced through local authority funded projects across the United Kingdom. The Arts Council is pulling its hair out trying to get praise for their funding partners at Local Authority level. National media engagement with a project genuinely allays anxieties from local authorities that contemporary art is the emperor’s new outfit. So engagement with regional arts, especially those that sit slightly below the radar and outside of a local authorities comfort zone would be really, really useful. Not necessarily good reviews, just engagement.

What else can you do? Have good content. Involve yourself in the debate. Moderate comments in a timely fashion, and weed out the trolls and trash. Good luck.

Bout Life Or Garbage.

I'm kidding but you have to admit. It makes sense actually. People go around blogging about their lives, the lives of others or absolutely random nonsense.

I wonder how people write interesting blog post which engage other people. This question is one of which puzzles me the most. I read blogs and I can bet you do too. Some are good, some are okay and some can use work. I always try to remember the most important thing my English teacher tells me before I write an essay, any essay wheather  it is a narrative, a report, an article or a letter. She would say ' Remember who your audience is' and she would go on to explain.

I really never thought I would ever be quoting her but then she has a point. Audience is important. I like to think that I am writing to the general public. Sometimes I'm addressing specific groups of people. I always try and remember my audience when I am blogging. It makes it easier to use the appropriate wording and sentence structure ( I'm sounding so much like my English teacher now). Some groups of people like teens need things told to them straight forward. Some adults prefer it that way too. Others may like to read formal entries. At the same time, some people prefer reading informal and casual posts. With so many different styles of writing, which do you pick? Well, pick the style of writing you are used to. If you enjoy writing in a formal manner, then do so. If you enjoy informal and casual, then go ahead. Your blog, your style.

Another thing my English teacher would tell us is to remember our tone. Again, there are many kinds of tones. You can be funny, sarcastic, neutral, casual etc. etc. However, some of these are traits. If you aren't naturally funny and you try and be funny, sometimes you over do it and the comedy in your post is lost. Sometimes being too sarcastic can seem harsh. Neutral can be mistaken for no sympathy. You need a balance. You need to try and be funny but your wild sense of humor down. You can be sarcastic but not too often and neutral in certain issues. Usually, the casual tone works because you have sarcasm, comedy and everything else together. The best tone, really, is your tone. I am very dramatic and passionate and I'm not sure if that shows through my writing. Be yourself when it comes to tone. Your readers will figure you out, eventually.

Spelling and grammar is very, very important.  Haha. My English teacher keeps stressing on this. She says that you need to always be careful with your words. There are often words people will misspell. My advice: use SPELL CHECK and even after spell check, you should read through your post again.  There will definitely be mistakes either in your grammar, sentence structure or wording of phases. Sometimes, when you read back, you come up with better ways to express yourself too.

Well, that's all for basic language. What about topics or subjects to write about?

Basically, you can blog about anything under the sun. I have noticed that many people tend to write a lot about politics. I think that is maybe it is because politics have a very big impact on people's lives. You don't have to blog about politics tho, if you don't want to. It is up to you, really. I mainly blog about things that inspire me or things that are on my mind and I feel that I really need to voice them out. I usually try and find an interesting occurence in my day and blog about it. Prephas you would like to take this up too.

You don't have to blog immediately after you create a blog ( although a lot of people do). Take your time to build up your blog. Don't go for major or wide topic. Start with an introduction ( another wise words from my English teacher). Wordpress.com offers bloggers with an About Page. Other sites may not. It doesn't matter. Start your blog off with an introduction. That should be one of the first things you should do first. You don't have to say your full name (unless you want to). Do include your age or age group so that your readers get a better idea about you. You might just surprise them with your blog. Let your readers know where you stay. I'm not telling you to put your full address down, just your country and state. Everything else can remain private. After all this basic information, you can inform your readers about your interest and your personality. You can quote books and pharses to help you. You can always go back and edit your About Page.

You are almost there. Now about the topics.  Like I said previously, you can blog about anything under that big, old sun. Politics are popular and so is news. DON'T, please, blog and bitch about people who irritate the heck out of you. People may not be very interested. They have their own problems to worry about too. You can ask for advice on something you need help in. That is perfectly fine. Just remember to blank out names. Use fake names or alphabets instead. Also, don't tell secrets you shouldn't be telling. I don't think it would be very decent if your aunt found out you blogged about her addiction to smoking. Another thing to watch out for is to becareful what you put up. in some countries, discrimination and defaming people and organisations is illegal. Your word can hurt.

Thats all for now folks.

I hope you learnt something.

I really hope I can practise what ever I preached.

and y'all are here:

thanks for answering my ROLL CALL ~ i always ask for a reason!

did i miss anyone?

images made at pininthemap.com

One of those type of things.

Having just checked my stats for the day, I discover much to my dismay, only 36 people had come by and I am for some reason, beside myself, I cannot figure it out.  Am I writing this thing for 36 people?  It is eating me alive.  I think about all these poor desperate souls on the internet lamenting the fact that no one ever comments on their stuff, that absolutely no one ever stops by their site.

Have I, by some bizarre twist of fate, become one of them?

A chill runs up my spine, the hair on the back of my neck gets stiff.  Which is a quirky thing in itself, because that is about the only place I still have left that grows hair and also gets ......... I digress.

So I roll it over and over in my mind.  I have this epiphany about it (my kid calls them brain farts), I distinctly remember all those tiny little red dots on my global map, and I say to myself, "No wait a minute, if I have all those red dots on the map, that HAS TO BE more than 36 people." Suddenly, faster than a Hong Kong second, my faith in my abilities and mankind is restored.

My eggs and bacon arrive, she refills my coffee cup and all is well with my world.  I am now free to pontificate in my particular dogmatic and often pompous way.

Life is good.

Texas gave preliminary approval this week to wind generation, which is certainly a positive step forward in our energy situation.  PUC Commissioner Paul Hudson said Texas now leads the nation in wind power, and that with this deal, Texas "will add more wind than the 14 states following Texas combined."  As with everything in America, this is not going to be free, not by a long shot.  It will cost consumers on the average about $4 a month more on their electric bills to fund the $4.9 million dollar project.  The wind is "free" but the rest of it, well, ya'll (Texas Term of endearment) have to pay for thet."

Pass me another bowl of hairballs and grease.  Mississippi, Alabama and Tennessee lead the nation when it comes to obesity.  Or at least they're "owning up to it" --- Oklahoma could fit in there somewhere, but is more than likely being quiet about it.  We have our fair share of corn fed heifers and good ol' pot bellied-boys here in Sooner Land.  I myself have been prone to purchase a "FBXLG" T-shirt from time to time.  (Full Belly Xtra Large)

Last time I checked, we were rated the 47^th most unhealthy place to live and were leading the nation in heart disease and a few other ugly nasty things that HMO's just hate. You know what HMO stands for?  "Hand Over Your Money Or Die."

Local Malcontent is getting married ... Nobody warned me, so I am not warning you!  Hah!  Congratulations are in order.  Just one thing to remember ...  A successful man is one who makes more money than his wife can spend. A successful woman is one who can find such a man.

Si Habla this. I have been ranting and raving for months about it, now finally some relief.

A trucker was issued a $500 ticket for not speaking English well.  Believe it or not, Federal Law requires that anyone with a commercial driver's license speak English well enough to talk with police.  Evidently this guy didn't possess that skill and was issued a citation.  His attorney (your usual ACLU you just gotta love ‘em too death barrister) says that he is proficient in English on a "third grade" level.  So I guess this would be tantamount to a toddler operating a 80,000+ Semi on the Interstate.  You can read all about it here.

All this stuff going around about the late Heath Ledger and his performance (as the joker) in this movie currently out, the buzz about it possibly receiving an Oscar for the departed actor (suicide in New York a couple of months ago) well, that is just downright creepy.

Here is another one for the "Don't Be A Dick Files."

Andy Dick was arrested this week outside a bar in Murrieta, California after he pulled down a teenager's top, police said.  A 17-year old girl told police that Dick, 42, "grabbed her tank top and bra and pulled them down and exposed her breasts."  Police said that they found marijuana and Xanax in the comedian's pockets and he is now facing charges of drug use and sexual battery.

Now what is a 17-year old girl doing in a bar in California anyway?

One more and then I am outta here.  A grand jury has indicted State Senator John Cowdery on bribery and conspiracy in an outgoing federal investigation.  The Alaska Senator has been involved with three former Alaska lawmakers and two oil executives.

Federal prosecutors allege Cowdery, 78, an Anchorage Republican, conspired with executives of the oil company, VECO, to bribe another unnamed senator with $25,0000 for votes to support oil and gas legislation in that state.  Cowdery's lawyer, said his client has not been arrested.

Which is kind of strange when you stop to consider it.  "If you are not arrested, then why do you need a lawyer?"

78 years old, he should have known better.  Arrested or not we do understand he has lost his "head of the line privileges at Star Bucks" this type of political chicanery cannot go unpunished.

There you go, "all the news that is fit for print, or causes fits in print."

Oh yeah, this post today, marks a visible milepost for this blog, this is #301 for this year, a minor milestone or marker in time.  it doesn't seem that long, that it was just post #1 and setting out on a brand new adventure ...  Thanks so much for droppin' by to share it with me.

000

As many of you know, I took an extended break from blogging and online life last year and it was my intention at that time not to blog again. However, you should never say never ;) and earlier this year I made the decision to come back. I was quite anxious about it to be honest and it took me a while to pluck up the courage to start posting again, but I've had such a lovely welcome back from everyone that I have absolutely no regrets about my decision. So, I want to say a big thank you to Andrea, Romy, Carol, Sally and Nicola (hope I haven't missed anybody!) for these awards, I'm thrilled and flattered that you think my blog worthy of them, as you are all such wonderful inspiring stitchers yourselves. I've given it a lot of thought and instead of picking names for the different awards, I'd like to dedicate both of them to all of you who have made my return so much easier by your support, by visiting me in my new "home" and by leaving such lovely comments. Thank you all :)

Eyelet update to follow later - I think it might be sorted! :)