Time to pay, but 10,500 lack bills for property tax

That is the headline of the article in the Houston Chronicle and on Chron.com. It seems to me that if we want to get our point about property taxes being to high, protesting your appraisal value is one way. It is also probably the easiest since you do not have to deal with the up to 15 taxing entities that could have "claim" on your property. Not that being said, most people do not have the time to protest their taxes by themselves, so I would suggest using one of the companies that will protest your taxes for a percentage of what you would save. It cost you nothing up front and can save you large amounts in the end. I'll use my home as the example. My pre protest value was going to be $116,800, by protesting it it was reduced to $105,000 that is a savings of $11,800 which is a 10.2% decrease in my taxable value. Now if you figure that my tax rate including homestead exemption is around say $3.50 per 100 in valuation I just saved around $450 in taxes this year. Not a huge amount but it makes a huge difference if you start to look at things on a say school district level.

XYZ ISD has say 100,000 homes in it and say 20 % of the homes protest their value and all of them get their appraised value reduced by oh let's say 5%, the result is dramatic. We will assume that the average value of the homes is $100,000 and the district tax rate is $1.75 per 100 in valuation look at the numbers

100,000 homes times ( 1000 x 1.75) = $175,000,000 in tax revenue. Yes 175 Million in tax revenue. No on to the appraisal protest

Ok

80,000 homes with the same appraisal values and tax rates. - 80,000 x(1000x1.75) = $140,000,000

20,000 homes with appraisal values 5% less and the same tax rate. 20,000x(950x1.75)=$33,250,000

Which ends up with a reduction to $173,250,000 it is only a 2 million dollar reduction but that $2million is more than most people think. It can send a message to the leaders of the district that the residents are going to whatever they can to keep their wallets from overflowing. The key for all good tax conscious people is to help spread the word to your neighbors to help to by protesting their appraisal value, and explain to them that their mortgage payments can come down because of this small effort on their part, and in the worst case it cost them nothing if their appraisal value does not go down.

Read the Article and spread the word. Conservative ideas are spread best by word of mouth, and from one friend to another. We are our most powerful when we work at the neighborhood level and expand out from there.

RIP President Ford

We have lost another member of the community of historical figures today. President Gerald R. Ford passed away at the age of 93 in California.

His passing is being covered by every media outlet out there. From ESPN to CNN and everything in between.

Here are some small pieces from a couple of the articles about this great man.

Gerald R. Ford, who picked up the pieces of Richard Nixon's scandal-shattered White House as the 38th and only unelected president in America's history

"His life was filled with love of God, his family and his country."

He was the longest living president, followed by Ronald Reagan, who also died at 93.

Ford's death marks the second loss for the Michigan football community this year. Legendary coach Bo Schembechler died last month, a day before Michigan played arch rival Ohio State. "At Michigan we have lost a legendary figure who represented the highest ideals of the 'Michigan Man' -- a gentleman who was integrity personified," said Michigan coach Lloyd Carr. "We love him and we will miss him, but we are compensated by the knowledge that his spirit and his love for the University of Michigan will endure."

President Bush called Ford a "great man" who was a "true gentleman." "He assumed power in a period of great division and turmoil," Bush said. "For a nation that needed healing and for an office that needed a calm and steady hand, Gerald Ford came along when we needed him most."

Jimmy Carter, who said Ford "frequently rose above politics by emphasizing the need for bipartisanship and seeking common ground on issues critical to our nation."
"I will always cherish the personal friendship we shared," said the former Georgia governor.

After playing football at the University of Michigan and serving on an aircraft carrier in the Navy during World War II, Ford was elected to the U.S. House in 1948 as a Republican, representing a district that included his hometown of Grand Rapids. He spent 25 years in Congress, working his way up to minority leader in 1965.
In October 1973, Vice President Spiro Agnew resigned after pleading no contest to tax evasion. President Nixon, ensnared in the rising Watergate scandal, asked the well-respected Ford to leave Congress to replace Agnew, and he accepted.

According to AP, Ford was the last surviving member of the Warren Commission, which investigated the assassination of President Kennedy in 1963 and concluded that Lee Harvey Oswald was the lone assassin.

In September 1974, Ford granted Nixon a pardon, sparing the former president the prospect of going to prison. The public and political backlash was angry and bitter, with Ford accused of making a tawdry deal with Nixon to secure the White House for himself.
Ford always denied that any deal had been struck. But the pardon colored the rest of his presidency.
"It was a tough decision," Ford told USA Today in an interview in 2000. "We needed to get the matter off my desk. ... so I could concentrate on the problems of 260 million Americans and not have to worry about the problems of one man."

Love him or hate him, agree with his decisions or not. I challenge anyone who is on either side of the debate to say that Gerald Ford was a man of integrity and courage who after his time in public service was over, turned to more enjoyable pursuits including golf, and skiing, as well as supporting charitable organizations, and kept his political views to himself.

He will be missed may he rest in peace.

Craddick to have challenger for speaker position

GOP rival threatens Craddick's House rule.... that is the headline in the paper on Christmas Eve. The big question is why would the chronicle run this story now? Well it is simply a matter of looking for news. Seems the feel good legislation mentality is seeping down into the Texas House.

State Rep. Brian McCall, R-Plano, is expected to formally announce his candidacy against Craddick as early as the middle of this week, several lawmakers said Saturday.
McCall has a reputation of getting along (see this as playing nice with the opposition) with different factions. If elected, he is expected to bring a more even-handed approach ( which means those out of power or disagree will cause more problems) to the role, allowing members to vote the interests of their districts, rather than succumb to the dictates of the speaker. (I always thought that the speaker was supposed to work to push the agenda and corresponding legislation of the majority party through the process)

We see that there are people who do not like Craddick nor his tactics and his dealings are being compared to Tom Delay.

Craddick, of Midland, has drawn criticism from most Democrats and some Republicans(Rinos) for his strong-armed rule.
The House speaker, who is chosen by 149 other state representatives at the beginning of every legislative session, wields considerable power because he or she appoints legislative committees and influences which bills come to the floor for debate — and which die in the legislative hopper.
Craddick was a major force behind measures that limited lawsuits in Texas and a new business tax designed to reduce school property taxes.
He also is a strong supporter of school vouchers and favors strict anti-abortion legislation.
Democrats also blame Craddick's heavy hand in the controversial congressional redistricting dispute in 2003 that escalated bad feelings in the House as Craddick sponsored then-U.S. House Majority Leader Tom DeLay's plan to carve out more GOP seats.

Read the article and see that the majority of the people who are speaking out are democrats who would gain from a more moderate person as speaker.

Just my POV but it really is sad that people are looking for this sort of crap to sling during the holiday season

FW: MAN RULES!!

At last a guy has taken the time to write this all down

Finally, the guys' side of the story. (I must admit, it's pretty good.)We always hear "the rules" From the female side.

Now here are the rules from the male side. These are our rules!
Please note... these are all numbered "1" ON PURPOSE!
1. Men are NOT mind readers.
1. Learn to work the toilet seat. You're a big girl. If it's up, put it down. We need it up, you need it down. You don't hear us complaining about you leaving it down.
1. Sunday sports. It's like the full moon or the changing of the tides. Let it be.
1. Shopping is NOT a sport. And no, we are never going to think of it that way.
1. Crying is blackmail.

1. Ask for what you want. Let us be clear on this one: Subtle hints do not work! Strong hints do not work! Obvious hints do not work! Just say it!
1. Yes and No are perfectly acceptable answers to almost every question.
1. Come to us with a problem only if you want help solving it. That's what we do. Sympathy is what your girlfriends are for.

1. A headache that lasts for 17 months is a Problem. See a doctor.
1. Anything we said 6 months ago is inadmissible in an argument. In fact, all comments become null and void after 7 Days.
1. If you won't dress like the Victoria's Secret girls, don't Expect us to act like soap opera guys.
1. If you think you're fat, you probably are. Don't ask us.
1. If something we said can be interpreted two ways and one of them makes you sad or angry, then we meant the other one
1. You can either ask us to do something Or tell us how you want it done. Not both. If you already know best how to do it, just do it yourself.
1. Whenever possible, Please say whatever you have to say during commercials.
1. Christopher Columbus did NOT need directions and neither do we.
1. ALL men see in only 16 colors, like Windows default settings. Peach, for example, is a fruit, not A color. Pumpkin is also a fruit. We have no idea what mauve is.
1. If it itches, it will be scratched. We do that.
1. If we ask what is wrong and you say "nothing," We will act like nothing's wrong.
We know you are lying, but it is just not worth the hassle, besides we know you will bring it up again later.
1. If you ask a question you don't want an answer to, Expect an answer you don't want to hear.
1. When we have to go somewhere, absolutely anything you wear is fine...Really.
1. Don't ask us what we're thinking about unless you are prepared to discuss such topics as baseball, the shotgun formation, or golf.
1. You have enough clothes.
1. You have too many shoes.
1. I am in shape. Round IS a shape!
1. Thank you for reading this. Yes, I know, I have to sleep on the couch tonight;

But did you know men really don't mind that? It's like camping.

Pass this to as many men as you can - to give them a laugh.

Pass this to as many women as you can - to give them a bigger laugh

Funny Videos: Stupid Karate Guy

Funny Videos: This so called karate expert gets owned by a piece of wood. Then he blames everyone but himself.

This guy is the Freaking Funniest Guy Ever

For all of those fishermen out there...

humour blonde

Funny Blonde Video

State of the Texans and 2006 Draft Report Card.

Well we are 12 games into the Texan's season and we are sitting on a 4-8 record with wins over Jacksonville (twice), Miami, and Oakland. Of those the two against Jacksonville are the most pleasant surprise. However at the same time we have lost a Washington team that we should have beaten, as well as 2 close loses to the Giants and Buffalo that could have very well been wins. So the question that is sitting out there is this team better than last years joke of a team? In a word yes, how much better is up for discussion. The two things that I have seen that are an improvement over last year, are the fact that the defense is better, and as a team they are not giving up if they are down. Other than that this team has both a lot of question marks as well as holes in it, and if the season were to end today they would have the 5th pick in the NFL Draft, and as of this posting there is speculation that they would take Adrian Peterson the Oklahoma RB in the first round. But enough of this dreaming, I intend to take a look at the 2006 Draft, as well as how certain individuals have played.

Starting off with the draft, I would for the most part give the class an incomplete grade. There are several reasons for that. First of the players drafted half of them are out with injuries. Second it sometimes takes a couple of years to have some players develop. That being said on an individual basis here are the grades for the Texans 2006 Draft Class.

Rnd 1 Mario Williams C+: He has shown at times that he can be as good as Julius Peppers, and at other times he looks like Dr. Pepper. Granted he is young but he is also shown a great amount of talent and athletic ability. He is the one who tipped the game tying 2 point conversion away in the Miami victory. He is a keeper and will benefit from a full off season of conditioning and training.

Rdn 2 DeMeco Ryans A+: This guy is a player, plain and simple. He started out on the outside and moved inside and has started from day 1. He is with out a doubt the Defensive Rookie of the Year, and hopefully the QB for the defense for a long time.

Rnd 3 Charles Spencer Inc: Broken leg ended his season early. Showed a nasty streak and some skills in the early part of the season. Look forward to seeing him be able to play the full year.

Rnd 3 Eric Winston C: This grade would have been an Incomplete if not for the injury to Weigert which has forced him into playing time.

Rnd 4 Owen Daniels B-: has taken over as the starter at TE, would like to see him get a little bit stronger, but other than that he is a good talent. He runs good routes and just about catches everything thrown his way.

Rnd 6 Wali Lundy D: he has shown moments of promise then has reverted to a timid back. He may well become the third down back if the Texans do get Peterson in the draft.

Rnd 7 David Anderson Inc: was supposed to be the 4th wr and return man, has not seen much time other than on special teams, so cannot say what his value is or going to be.

Now as far as the team, I am happy with the progress that I have seen with the defense, They are playing better, their biggest problem is the lack of play makers. They have a solid group but out side of Ryans, Robinson, Weaver, and Williams they do not have enough people that the other team fears. We are close but need 1 or 2 more star level players to make this defensive unit a top 10 unit.

The offense on the other hand still has so many holes it looks like Swiss cheese. Part of the problem is the fact that it seems that the offensive line breaks like a frozen candy bar. If Winston, Hodgdon, and Pitts can play together for the rest of the year and stay healthy we could be onto something. Add Spencer back next year and draft a couple of young nasties to try to work in we could have a solid offensive line. That being said then we can look at seeing what a real running back can do to both help David Carr, and make defenses play a more honest scheme, which will open things up for Andre, Owen Daniels, Eric Moulds, and crew..

This year so far has been a step in the right direction, however we need to see how things progress over the final 4 games and how free agency and the draft are handled before I will say they are on the right track. But right now things look promising.

Amendment to Pakistan's Rape Statute Becomes Law

Just read the article and make your own conclusion about Islamic law and what these people really want as well as what they think about women.

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — Despite nationwide protests by
hard-liners, President Gen. Pervez Musharraf on Friday signed into law an amendment to the country's controversial rape statute to make it easier to prosecute sexual assault cases.
Human rights activists have long condemned Pakistan's old law for punishing — instead of protecting — rape victims while providing legal safeguards for their attackers.
The new legislation, known as the Protection of Women Bill, was supported by Musharraf's government as part of efforts by Islamabad to soften the country's hard-line Islamic image and appease moderates and human rights groups who opposed the old law.
The changes take effect immediately, Federal Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Sher Afghan said during a nationally televised broadcast.
"It has been done to safeguard the rights of women," Afghan said.
The law was enacted even as thousands of religious conservatives rallied against the changes at several protests around the country.
Islamists gathered by the hundreds at separate events in the southwestern city of Quetta, the eastern city of Lahore and the city of Rawalpindi, just south the capital Islamabad.
Under the new law, which was approved last week by Parliament, judges can choose whether a rape case should be tried in a criminal court — where the four-witness rule would not apply — or under the old Islamic law, known as the Hudood Ordinance.
It also drops the death penalty for sex outside of marriage. The offense would now be punishable with five years in prison or a fine of $165.
International and local calls for change intensified after the 2002 gang-rape of a woman who was assaulted after a tribal council in her eastern Punjab village ordered the rape as punishment for her 13-year-old brother's alleged affair with a woman of a higher caste.
Hundreds of opposition supporters have rallied against amending the old laws, which were introduced by late President Gen. Zia ul-Haq to make Pakistani legislation more Islamic.
Opposition leader Senator Khurshid Ahmed, from a six-party coalition of Islamic groups known as the Mutahida Majlis-e-Amal, or United Action Forum, has condemned the changes as "an attempt to promote an alien culture and secularism in Pakistan."

A picture that is worth a thousand words.

I was walking through Wal-Mart, the great retail Satan the day before Thanksgiving and what do I see in the middle of the isle at in the video section but a pallet display of the Al Gore, environ drama.
But that is not all, the video is packaged as a bundle but instead of some other video we get a florescent light bulb as a goodies with your purchase.
I guess the marketing folks did not have to think to hard on this baby....
Also notice the cover of the DVD and the not so subtle message that it is sending.

Citizenship test being dumbed down now

Well I guess it was only a matter of time before the feelgood education bureaucracy got its claws on the federal citizenship test and started to dumb it down. The story in the Chronicle today as well as the links to the sample tests show that the liberal feel good, no accountability mindset is still strong in the federal government. There is a quiz online at the Chronicle website to test your knowledge see how well you do. I scored 100% my first time around also there is a link to the web page that has the pilot program

A couple of bits from the story first to pass the test you now only have to get 60% of the questions correct.

Immigration officials released 144 sample questions Thursday. On the civics portion of the citizens examination, applicants will be asked 10 questions drawn from a master list of 100. As now, applicants will need to answer six correctly.

Also there will not be simple right and wrong answers

Rather than being asked to simply list the three branches of government (executive, legislative and judicial), citizenship applicants could be asked to explain why there are three branches (so no branch is too powerful; to separate the power of government.)
Instead of being asked "Who was Martin Luther King Jr.?" (A civil rights leader), applicants could be asked "Martin Luther King Jr. had a dream for America. What was his dream?"Acceptable answers include: "Civil rights for all" or "Equality for all Americans."

This is all being done under the command of Emilio Gonzalez, director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, and his reasoning is as follows:

"Our goal is to inspire immigrants to learn about the civic values of this nation so that after they take the oath of citizenship they will participate fully in our great democracy.
Gonzales said the current exam, which includes such questions as "What colors are the stripes on the flag?" (red and white ) and "Who wrote The Star-Spangled Banner?" (Francis Scott Key)," encourages applicants to memorize facts just to pass a test.
"That doesn't guarantee that they understand the meaning behind the question," he said.

Who cares if they understand the meaning, the objective is to make sure that those that want citizenship know about the country, how it works, and the history behind it. Not do they understand the meaning behind the question. For crying out loud, this makes me sick.

The other thing that makes this change a pile of crap is that because there are no singular right or wrong answers everything is dependant upon the examiner to determine the correctness of the answer, a perfect example...

Magali Candler, a Houston immigration lawyer who heads the regional chapter of the American Immigration Lawyers Association, predicted the new test may produce a higher failure rate for some immigrants, particularly the elderly — in part because even immigrants with good English skills sometimes have difficulty expressing broad concepts orally.

But she said immigrants likely will rise to the challenge. "I have always thought that my clients studying for naturalization knew more about American civics than many of my friends and neighbors who were born here," she said.

Whether the test will be more educational or meaningful could depend upon how flexible examiners are on accepting immigrants' answers, she said.
On the draft question "What does freedom of religion mean?", for example, "there are a lot of different right answers," she said.
Even on the current test, she said, a client had trouble answering a question about the important benefits of becoming a naturalized citizen .
The examiner was seeking a response like, "You get to vote," but Candler's client answered, "You can't get deported."
"That's a great answer," she said. "And it's true."

Then there is the cost

The estimated cost of the test revamp is $6.5 million, which includes launching the pilot project, studying the results, narrowing the list of questions to 100 and implementing the new test nationwide.

Why not use that money to do something about border control, or maybe deporting some of the 12 million illegals that are already here. You know that 6.5 Million would make a nice deposit on the border fence. But then that is not what the jokers in Washington really want. They want a cheap, uneducated workforce that depends upon government handouts to survive, as well as free or reduced rate services like medical and school lunches. While those of us who have lived here our whole lives and are honest hard working tax paying citizens get bent over the barrel and taken to the woodshed. We need to start to let these goons in DC know that we will not put up with this sort of crap anymore.

Stories from around the world

Drunken driver bites officer trying to take his keys

Records show jurors got 'giggly' while sequestered

Protest Violence From India's Low-Caste Groups Kills 2, Wounds 40

Guacamole lawsuit: Where's the avocado?

Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack Announces 2008 Presidential Bid

Civilian Employee, Salesman Admit to Scamming Army of $429K for Personal Equipment

Groups Sue Arizona County Over Anti-Smuggling Immigration Law

Wal-Mart Announces First Same-Store Sales Decline in 10 Years; December Outlook Dim

Britney Spears Parties With Paris Hilton, Leaves Underwear at Home

Illinois High School Students Expelled After Planning Fight on MySpace

Kuwaiti emir warns against U.S. pullout from Iraq

Memo to the cut and run Democrats and all of the critics of the current policy in Iraq. Read this and take it for what it is, the truth about us leaving Iraq in the current state that it is in.

Kuwaiti emir warns against U.S. pullout from Iraq

PARIS — A U.S. pullout from Iraq would prompt a civil war with global repercussions, the emir of neighboring Kuwait warned in an interview published today.
Sheik Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah urged U.S. forces to pull out of Iraqi cities and occupy their periphery instead, a proposal he said he has frequently discussed with President Bush. The tiny Persian Gulf emirate of about 1 million people is a strong U.S. ally.
"In the current circumstances, an American withdrawal would in no way help bring back stability," Sheik Sabah, who is on a state visit to France on his first trip to Europe as ruler, told the daily Le Figaro.
"On the contrary, the situation would get worse, and we would experience a civil war of great intensity that the whole world would pay the price for," he said. His country would be among those to suffer from such a civil war, he added.
Sheikh Sabah, who became leader of Kuwait in January, was meeting with French President Jacques Chirac on Thursday as part of a visit expected to focus on economic ties and renewed tensions in the Middle East.
French officials said the two nations were expected to update a bilateral defense pact in place since 1993, two years after the Gulf War, which liberated Kuwait from a seven-month Iraqi occupation. France was a key ally in the U.S.-led coalition that fought the war — but Paris strongly opposed the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in 2003.
Economic ties were also on the emir's agenda. French firms are looking for increased business in the aerospace, infrastructure, oil and public works sectors in Kuwait.

See there it is from one of the regional leaders. We need to stay there and make sure that when we leave the government is stable. He also proposes a smart idea about getting the US troops out of the cities and have them help secure the borders and clean things up that way. Not a bad bit of common sense from a leader of a country.

Got to love the Brittish sense of humor...

You have to love Brittish Humor.

Dumb Blonde 2

Dumb Blonde1

Just plain Dumb

Watch "Kristina"

Cool video of a super-hot contortionists. She doesn't speak much English and she's pretty and flexible, what else do you need?

Watch "Official Ghost Rider Movie Teaser"

Lets see if this Marvel Comic comes to the big screen as well as some of the others.

The Turtles are back and we are going back to the 80's

Now all we need is Back to the Future IV

HOA Drops Threat of fine for Wreath

Colorado Homeowners Group Backs off Threats Over Peace-Sign Wreath

There was a discussion about Homeowners Associations over on another blog and this event was mentioned as a reason for eliminating all HOA's. Now while I am not an advocate for that, I do believe that between this and the insane actions that cost Winona Blevins her home, there needs to be several things done.

First educate people about what a Home Owners Association is and what they can and should be doing.

Second if you have an issue with your HOA and cannot get it resolved you need to get involved. PLAIN AND SIMPLE. Either run for a board position at the next annual meeting, or start showing up at the monthly meetings and participating in the process.

Third, make it difficult for HOA's to arbitrarily conduct business that deals with foreclosure. I do not think that the option of foreclosure should be eliminated but it should only be allowed after every other option has been tried, and then through a civil court, not JP or some other function.

I say this and I have been a member of my HOA Board for 9 years now and will continue to server as long as I live in my neighborhood.


here is the link to the original article

Colorado Homeowners Association Bans Christmas Wreath With Peace Sign

This is PC out of control

Chicago Christmas Festival Nixes 'Nativity Story' Ads Over Fears of Offending Non-Christians

When I first read the title of this story is thought here we go again. Then I went from disgust to anger and finally to complete outrage at the fact that there are so many spineless people in the world today. I mean being afraid to offend non-Christians when advertising a Christmas festival? For the total lack of sanity, Christmas is a CHRISTAIN holiday, and any non Christian who is offended should then be prepared to have your holidays placed in the same crucible of censorship. But we all know that this will never happen because that would be offensive to sit down and eliminate mention of Ramadan, or Kwanzaa, for fear of hurting these poor peoples feelings and intruding in their freedom of religion, not to mention their free speech rights. The US was the last I looked started by Christians but now despite still being the single largest religion in the country we are forced to subjugate our faith, and holidays for the sake of inclusiveness.

CHICAGO — A public Christmas festival is no place for the Christmas story, the
city says. Officials have asked organizers of a downtown Christmas festival, the
German Christkindlmarket, to reconsider using a movie studio as a sponsor
because it is worried ads for its film "The Nativity Story" might offend non-Christians.
New Line Cinema, which said it was dropped, had planned to play a loop of the new film on televisions at the event. The decision had both the studio and a prominent Christian group shaking their heads.
"The last time I checked, the first six letters of Christmas still spell out Christ," said Paul Braoudakis, spokesman for the Barrington, Ill.-based Willow Creek Association, a group of more than 11,000 churches of various denominations.
"It's tantamount to celebrating Lincoln's birthday without talking about Abraham Lincoln."
He also said that there is a nativity scene in Daley Plaza — and that some vendors at the festival sell items related to the nativity.
The city does not want to appear to endorse one religion over another, said Cindy
Gatziolis, a spokeswoman for the Mayor's Office of Special Events. She acknowledged there is a nativity scene, but also said there will be representations of other faiths, including a Jewish menorah, all put up by private groups. She stressed that the city did not order organizers to drop the studio as a sponsor.
"Our guidance was that this very prominently placed advertisement would not only be insensitive to the many people of different faiths who come to enjoy the market for its food and unique gifts, but also it would be contrary to acceptable advertising standards suggested to the many festivals holding events on Daley Plaza," Jim Law, executive director of the office, said in a statement.
Officials with the German American Chamber of Commerce of the Midwest, which has organized the event for several years, did not immediately return calls for comment. The festival started Thursday.
An executive vice president with New Line Cinema, Christina Kounelias, said the
studio's plan to spend $12,000 in Chicago was part of an advertising campaign
around the country. Kounelias said that as far as she knew, the Chicago festival
was the only instance where the studio was turned down.
Kounelias said she finds it hard to believe that non-Christians who attended something called Christkindlmarket would be surprised or offended by the presence of posters, brochures and other advertisements of the movie.
"One would assume that if (people) were to go to Christkindlmarket, they'd know it is about Christmas," she said.

Sen. Biden Blames Illegal Immigration on Mexico's 'Corrupt System'

Sen. Biden Blames Illegal Immigration on Mexico's 'Corrupt System' Does this sound like someone who is trying to capture the middle ground, or at lease move away from the liberal left? It sure sounds like something that a conservative candidate would say, but in putting the wheels to the road.. What will be done with regards to this issue. We can only wait and see.

COLUMBIA, S.C. — Sen. Joe Biden, the Senate Foreign Relations
Committee's incoming chairman, wants to get tough with Mexico, calling it an
"erstwhile democracy" with a "corrupt system" responsible for illegal
immigration and drug problems in the U.S.
Biden, D-Del., was in Columbia on Monday in his first postelection trip to
this first-in-the-South presidential primary state as he continues to line up
support for his presidential bid.
During a question-and-answer session before more than 230 Columbia Rotary Club members, Biden was asked about immigration problems.
Biden, who favors tightening the U.S.-Mexico border with fences, said immigration is driven by money in low-wage Mexico.
"Mexico is a country that is an erstwhile democracy where they have the greatest disparity of wealth," Biden said. "It is one of the wealthiest countries in the hemisphere and because of a corrupt system that exists in Mexico, there is the 1 percent of the population at the top, a very small middle class and the rest is abject
poverty."
Unless the political dynamics change in Mexico and U.S. employers who hire illegal immigrants are punished, illegal immigration won't stop. "All the rest is window dressing," he said.
An even bigger problem are illegal drugs "coming up through corrupt Mexico," he said. "People are driving across that border with tons, tons — hear me — tons of everything from byproducts for methamphetamines, to cocaine, to heroine."
Covering a variety of topics, Biden kept most of the crowd in their seats for an hour — twice as long as scheduled.
"I warn all of you, all of you making more than a million bucks — I hope you all are — I'm taking away your tax cut," Biden said. "I'm not joking."
The extra revenue would generate $75 billion a year and pay for a backlog in national security and local law enforcement programs, Biden said.
Biden's appeal for bipartisanship captured Bruce Rippeteau, a former Rotary president who says he's in the Genghis Khan wing of the Republican Party.
He "was saying some important things in a nonpolitical way," Rippeteau said.
"I want to compliment him about what he didn't say," Wilson said. "He never one time mentioned weapons of mass destruction."
Biden will lead the Foreign Relations panel because Republicans around the nation lost seats in the Nov. 7 elections. That tide didn't reach Republican-dominated South Carolina, where the GOP maintained its four U.S. House seats and Democrats kept their two.

FW: Terroists training terrorists no real shocker

A terrorist group that warred with Israel this summer has been training militants in Iraq and in Lebanon, raising fears of destabilization in a divided Iraq, officials said on Tuesday.

Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed group in Lebanon, has been aiding Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr's militia, senior intelligence officials confirmed, following a New York Times report that some 1,000 to 2,000 Shiites had been trained.

Click here to view the New York Times article.

"The Iranians and the Syrians should help — not destabilize — this young democracy," said President Bush, who is in Europe to attend a NATO summit.

Hezbollah on Tuesday denied the charges.

"These accusations are hollow and worthless. They reflect the American occupation's impasse in Iraq, where it is trying to blame others for its defeat," said Hussein Rahhal, Hezbollah's media chief.

The intelligence official quoted in the Times story said Iran was facilitating the connection between Hezbollah and the Mahdi Army, which has been accused in sectarian killings in Iraq.

The report came as U.S. officials are stepping up their accusations that Iran and Syria, which also backs Hezbollah, are fueling Iraq's spiraling violence by backing militants.

In Lebanon, Hezbollah is challenging U.S.-backed Prime Minister Fuad Saniora, demanding it and its allies be given more power in the ruling coalition or else they will bring down his government.

Henrietta Fore, U.S. Department of State undersecretary for management, met Tuesday with Saniora and underlined Washington's support for his government.

"I reaffirmed the strong support of the United States to work with the government of Lebanon and the Lebanese people to realize their aspirations for a peaceful and prosperous, sovereign and secure country," she said.

In other comments at the NATO summit, Bush expressed his administration's reluctance to talk with Syria and Iran and on the grounds that the two nations have been unhelpful in efforts to achieve Middle East peace.

Bush added that the United States will only deal with Iran when it suspends its program of enriching uranium, which could be used in a nuclear weapons arsenal.

Iran, the top U.S. rival in the region, has reached out to Iraq and Syria in recent days — an attempt viewed as a bid to assert its role as a powerbroker in Iraq, according to U.S. officials.

Officials said this latest revelation about Hezbollah comes after months of reports that Iran was "stirring up trouble" in Iraq by providing military logistics, financing and other assistance

U.S. Officials: Hezbollah Training Iraqi Shiite Militia Group

U.S. Officials: Hezbollah Training Iraqi Shiite Militia Group
Tuesday, November 28, 2006

A terrorist group that warred with Israel this summer has been training militants in Iraq and in Lebanon, raising fears of destabilization in a divided Iraq, officials said on Tuesday.

Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed group in Lebanon, has been aiding Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr's militia, senior intelligence officials confirmed, following a New York Times report that some 1,000 to 2,000 Shiites had been trained.

Click here to view the New York Times article.

"The Iranians and the Syrians should help — not destabilize — this young democracy," said President Bush, who is in Europe to attend a NATO summit.

Hezbollah on Tuesday denied the charges.

"These accusations are hollow and worthless. They reflect the American occupation's impasse in Iraq, where it is trying to blame others for its defeat," said Hussein Rahhal, Hezbollah's media chief.

The intelligence official quoted in the Times story said Iran was facilitating the connection between Hezbollah and the Mahdi Army, which has been accused in sectarian killings in Iraq.

The report came as U.S. officials are stepping up their accusations that Iran and Syria, which also backs Hezbollah, are fueling Iraq's spiraling violence by backing militants.

In Lebanon, Hezbollah is challenging U.S.-backed Prime Minister Fuad Saniora, demanding it and its allies be given more power in the ruling coalition or else they will bring down his government.

Henrietta Fore, U.S. Department of State undersecretary for management, met Tuesday with Saniora and underlined Washington's support for his government.

"I reaffirmed the strong support of the United States to work with the government of Lebanon and the Lebanese people to realize their aspirations for a peaceful and prosperous, sovereign and secure country," she said.

In other comments at the NATO summit, Bush expressed his administration's reluctance to talk with Syria and Iran and on the grounds that the two nations have been unhelpful in efforts to achieve Middle East peace.

Bush added that the United States will only deal with Iran when it suspends its program of enriching uranium, which could be used in a nuclear weapons arsenal.

Iran, the top U.S. rival in the region, has reached out to Iraq and Syria in recent days — an attempt viewed as a bid to assert its role as a powerbroker in Iraq, according to U.S. officials.

Officials said this latest revelation about Hezbollah comes after months of reports that Iran was "stirring up trouble" in Iraq by providing military logistics, financing and other assistance.

FOX News' Brett Baier and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Hat tip foxnews.com

Headlines and Comments for Today

Airline merger may not take off

As green energy grows, so do the jobs

Texans bomb off Broadway against Jets

Astros pick up slugger, pitcher

Elton John leaves stage, returns to tell fans he vomited

Indiana Jones-style adventure, 2 comedies bow this week

The Librarian- Return to King Solomons Mine

Schools still big issue at Capitol

Schools still big issue at Capitol, that is the headline of the article in the City-State section of the Chronicle. It does not surprise me that this is coming back up since it was a major issue in the governor's race. What will be interesting is how things are handled, so in the meantime let us take a look at this story and see if there is meaningful context or simply more political smoke being blown up our collective skirts.

AUSTIN — State legislators will consider getting rid of the TAKS test when they return to a regular legislative session in a few weeks. And some warn they must increase funding for new schools to head off another finance lawsuit.

Just because lawmakers passed major education bills last spring doesn't mean an easy agenda lies ahead when they return to the Capitol on Jan. 9.

"You never stop discussing education. It's got to be every session, and it's got to be major — every session," Senate Education Chair Florence Shapiro, R-Plano, said.

Public education directly affects more than 4.5 million Texas students,
their parents and about 600,000 teachers and staff.

It all depends upon what is done, and if it makes things easier for TEACHERS TO TEACH, and not have to worry about some joke of a test, that is anywhere from 1 to 3 years below the grade of those being tested.

Shapiro is among those who believe the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills
test "has worn out its welcome," particularly for high school and middle school grades. She will push for "end-of-course" exams for the upper grades.

She also wants to review the state's assessment process and minimum standards for student performance. Currently, schools earn "acceptable" status with a 25 percent passing rating.

"Nobody believes that 25 percent passing is acceptable," Shapiro said. "We've got to change that and make (school grades) meaningful and not something to snicker at because that's what we're doing right now."

Here are some good ideas, however as along as there is no separation of skill level, then both the upper and lower level students will be getting the short end of the stick.

It took lawmakers three special sessions to reform the state's property tax system for funding public education, motivated by a Texas Supreme Court deadline for doing so.

But lawmakers did not address funding inequities for school facilities. Continuing failure to do so will trigger another lawsuit, said Sen. Leticia Van de Putte, D-San Antonio, a member of the Senate Education Committee.

Funding for new schools and renovation of older buildings is a problem facing districts both in property-poor areas and busting-at-the-seams suburbs.

"We may not get to the tipping point of doing a massive new school facilities finance
program, but we know, sooner or later, someone's going to take us to court on that," she said.

She also wants the state, along with districts, to be more efficient in the planning of new schools. It doesn't make sense, for example, to hire 500 architects for 500 schools, she said.

"Why can't a school district have a template and save money on architects, on design, on construction practices?" she asked.

Lawmakers last year passed legislation pushing students to take an extra year of science, which will require schools to add laboratories, Shapiro said. The state did not provide funding.

Several billion dollars are needed for school buildings across Texas, but no one seems to know the exact cost, she said.

"We don't project out what our needs are. We just go a year at a time, and that is
absolutely nuts," said Shapiro.

The problem with projections is if the data that they are based upon is flawed then the projections will be flawed as well.

Rep. Harold Dutton, a longtime member of the House Public Education Committee,
is not optimistic lawmakers will significantly improve education.

"We'll probably talk about facility funds, but when you talk about facility funding, you're talking about money, and who's going to put more money into public education?" the Houston Democrat said.

Dutton, who is starting his 12th House term, contends the state's public education system "is simply not working for the masses of students out there, particularly those of color. I don't know how to say it any louder or clearer."

Well the race card has been laid out there. How about the fact that the upper 10% of the student body in Texas is being taught at a level about 2 to 3 years behind where they actually can perform. The idea that teaching to a single common level, and test is the biggest disservice that can be placed upon all students, but there are not enough people who have realized that to get rid of it, and start to go back to the old days when students were placed in classes with piers who had the same skill set and ability.

Some folks want lawmakers to review a provision in last year's school funding bill requiring districts to get voter approval for any effective tax increase exceeding 4 cents per $100 property valuation.

And who are these people? I would bet that these are the same board members that are now limited by this legislation and are going to make hard decisions, like if the district can afford a $80 Million sports facility.

Lawmakers probably won't make major changes to the school finance bill
they just approved last spring, said Rep. Rob Eissler, R-The Woodlands,
a member of the House Public Education Committee. But he agrees with Shapiro
that end-of-course exams should replace the TAKS test.

And it will probably take "some intensive study" before lawmakers change funding formulas for transportation, bilingual education and low-income students, said
Eissler, who spent 18 years on the Conroe Independent School Board before moving to the Legislature.

This is the voice of a career education beurocracy advocate. Take what is says with a grain of salt, anyone who spends 18 yrs on a school district board either is blind to the issues or simply is unwilling to make hard decisions.

Eissler expects less rancorous debate over public education and other issues because House Republicans lost six seats last year, reducing their majority to 81-69.

"I think the voters aren't real enamored of very strong partisanship. They want to see results more than they want to see fights," he said.

That is the one thing in this article that is 100% true. Discussion about issues and working to provide a solution is what we want. If they cannot come to a workable solution then they need to get the hell out of the way

Michigan v Ohio State - Post Game

Well that game was one for the ages... I don't care who say otherwise. It actually lived up to the hype, two heavyweight college football programs standing toe to toe slugging it out for the full 60 minutes. It was a great display of leadership, determination, and the refusal to give up even when things looked like they were going south.

Despite a solid victory of their arch-rivals there are now several other questions for Ohio State. First who are they going to play on Jan 8th. How good is this team, granted they have gone 12-0 so far, and that alone is an impressive stat, the question of how good is more of, if they win their bowl game where will they rank among all the previous national champions. How good is Troy Smith, he has been a fantastic leader and quarterback over the past 3 years and I will not deny that he has had Michigan's number, the question is how well will he do at the next level? I for one think he will be a successful QB provided he is drafted by a team that understands that he is neither Vince Young nor Michael Vick. Kirk Hierbstreet said it best he is more like Drew Brees, simply a very good quarterback who knows how to lead and win, which are more important skills than anything that he brings to the table athletically.

Now on to the game. I was correct in my assumption that it would be the role players on the team that would make the most difference. Yes Ted Ginn had a touchdown, but it was the fact that Smith completed more passes to his 3rd, 4th and 5th receivers than Ginn and Gonzales, and the fact that the first big play of the game was made by a freshman reserve running back. Am I sad that Michigan lost, yes, but the fact that they did not lose the game, OSU won it by making the big plays, and doing the little things that they needed to do to win, like converting 4 3rd downs on the their FIRST Drive of the game. Michigan came into the game allowing only 25% 3rd down conversion rate, OSU converted on over 60% of them. OSU was able to keep Michigan from scoring more than 10 points off of their 3 turnovers, and OSU had more plays of over 20 yards, including 3 touchdowns of 40+ yards. That alone is enough to win most games.

I am proud of this Michigan team more than any other I have followed for the simple reason, over the course of this year they have played hard, played smart, and have proven that the 7-5 season of last year was not what is to be expected of Michigan football. They overcame injuries to a couple of key players during the season, but had others step up and make contributions in their absence. Then on top of that hearing about the death of Bo Schembechler, less than 24 hours before kick off. The worst thing that can happen now is Michigan goes to the Rose Bowl, Not a ban consolation prize after playing one of the best games in College football in the past 20 years.

So for all of those who thought Lloyd Carr was done, and thought that he could not coach, I say shut up and go support Sparty where they have more problems than just not having a coach.

GO BLUE I am proud of you

Why do we reward Divas?

Why do we reward divas, for their petulant behavior? I mean where in the world do they get off acting the way they do? Those are questions that people are always asking, and it is not only the "DIVA" divas like Naomi Campbell, that it is asked about but also the plethora of sports divas that are around. This article looks at some of the more prominant sports divas and some of their actions.. Sports Divas It talks about Barry Bonds, T.O, and others. The sad thing is most of these people who are in this story are placed up on such a high pedastle that they seem to think their crap does not stink. I really like Charles Barkley's thought that he should not be a role model, nor should he be. The sad thing about society today is that we take people who happen to have magnificiant levels of GOD GIVEN TALLENT, and make them icons, and alot of the time it is done BEFORE they have achieved anything worth being recognized for. Randy Moss is a perfect example of someone who has become a diva because of his natural ability, but is unwilling to put the effort in to do more than he needs to do to simply get by. I sit here and am critical of these people and their behavior but there are plenty of athletes and stars that you can admire, and respect because they have worked hard and do not go searching for the spotlight, but simply accept the position and do everything that they can to be the best that they can at their own profession. Some examples Derek Jeter, Craig Biggio, Peyton Manning, the late Reggie White, LaBron James, Yao Ming, Andre Johnson, Clint Eastwood, Sean Connery, and there are others, that I would list, but I have other things I need to do.

Michigan v Ohio State 2006 Edition

It is being called the game of the century. It is being called the national championship game. It has been hyped up since the middle of October, as the showdown. But to any true Michigan or Ohio State fan, it is simply "The Game".

When you talk to anyone in either state, and it does not matter if their first loyalties lie with OSU or Michigan, college football fans in both states openly admit that this game is the one that can make or break a season. The only difference is this is the first time in nearly 30 years both teams are undefeated going into the game. That one fact that it has taken nearly all of my life time for both schools to come into this week without a loss says something about both the changes in the Big Ten, College football, as well as the fact that both teams have had their share of ups and downs. Now the big issue I have is the fact that this game could very well end up just like all the hype and hoopla that ABC and ESPN have piled upon it, or it could end up as a brutal and ugly game like some of the old Bo v Woody games. Either way the true fans of both Michigan and Ohio State will enjoy it.

I can sit here and debate who is better, who has more talent, does Jim Tressel have Lloyd Carr's number like Carr did john Cooper, as well as many other aspects of the game. The list is huge, and the opinions run the gamut. But this is a rivalry game first, it is for the Big Ten Title, and a BCS Bid second. Woody Hayes said it best when he said, it would not matter if both teams were 0-10 going into this game the intensity and emotion would be the same. Neither teams season is considered a complete success unless they beat the other. And it is for those reasons alone that this game like every one before it will come down to some very simple guidelines.

• Who will play better football for a full 60 minutes.
• Who makes the fewest mistakes.
• Who runs the ball better.
• Which quarter back handles the pressure of a big game better.
• Which special teams does a better job of getting good field position.
• And which player on the supporting cast comes up with the most big plays.

Despite the fact that every "expert" on the face of the earth has sorted out the who, what, and how. I really believe that it will not be the stars on either team that will be the difference on Saturday. It is going to come down to which of the supporting cast stands out. Will it be Anthony Gonzalez, Tyler Ecker, Antonio Smith, Garrett Rivas, or some other player who steps up in what could be the biggest game they ever play in their lives and does something outstanding to change the game. Both teams have many players who are listed as having NFL caliber talent, however very few of those will ever again play in a game with as much hype, passion, history, love, hate, as well as what is at stake, The OUTRIGHT Big Ten Title, the Big Ten's automatic spot in the BCS, one of the 2 spots in the National title game on January 8th, and the continuation of a perfect season. All that being said, I am looking forward to a great football game that will be talked about for days and months in the future.

Links to UM-OSU articles and some Michigan memories. There are more than I can post here but enjoy the game.

And finally my prediction.... Michigan 20 Ohio State 17 with Michigan wining on a score in the last 3 minutes to either break the tie or come from behind.

http://www.ufer.org/sounds/Woody_Hayes_Poem.mp3
http://www.ufer.org/sounds/Billy_Taylor.mp3
http://www.ufer.org
http://msn.foxsports.com/cfb/story/6179946
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/columns/story?columnist=forde_pat&id=2664956
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/columns/story?columnist=wojciechowski_gene&id=2661402
http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/columns/story?columnist=davie&id=2663536
http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?page=Michigan-OhioState2K6
http://msn.foxsports.com/cfb/story/6166680
http://msn.foxsports.com/cfb/story/6179542

Ted Turner opens mouth again and inserts foot one more time

Ted Turner needs to shut up and go away...

Look at the latest from our favorite communist.

"There is one person I don't like," he said of Murdoch.
"He gives nothing to charity," said Turner
"I had better luck with the Soviet Union than with one of America's largest
and leading companies," he told an audience

A little bit of info on Murdoch and Turner

• Turner donated $1 billion over the past nine years to the United Nations to promote world peace. ( and it has not done a damn bit of good)
• Murdoch - whose net worth is $7.7 billion,
• Turner's net worth is estimated at $1.9 billion.
• CU president Hank Brown presented Turner with the 2006 Investment in Excellence Award for his public service.
• Turner said living by the golden rule (he who has the gold makes the rules)served him well in his business career until it came to Time Warner. .
• He told the audience he was most proud of CNN,
• "I'm curious. That is why I started CNN," he said. "Then I let my friends in on it."
• Turner's ranches host 45,000 bison, the meat of which he serves at his restaurants.
  Hickenlooper tried to grill Turner on the seeming contradiction of an ardent conservationist raising buffalo for consumption, but he didn't get far. "They keep increasing - that is why we eat them," said Turner, drawing laughter.

All in all Turner sounds like a bitter old man who now regrets some of his previous decisions in life... You be the judge here is the link to the whole story

Scientists: Pollution could combat global warming

Scientists: Pollution could combat global warming Yeah Right....just a few brief bits from this article...

In Nairobi, meanwhile, hundreds of delegates were wrapping up a two-week conference expected to only slowly advance efforts to rein in greenhouse gases blamed for much of the 0.6-degree-Celsius (1-degree-Fahrenheit) rise in global temperatures in the past century. The 1997 Kyoto Protocol requires modest emission cutbacks by industrial countries -- but not the United States, the biggest emitter of carbon dioxide and other heat-trapping gases, because it rejected Kyoto. Talks on what to do after Kyoto expires in 2012 are all but bogged down.

And why are they bogged down, because the US basically told them to get stuffed, and that we were not going to fix problems that the rest of the world claims is ours but is really theirs.

The Dutch climatologist, awarded a 1995 Nobel in chemistry for his work uncovering the threat to Earth's atmospheric ozone layer, suggested that balloons bearing heavy guns be used to carry sulfates high aloft and fire them into the stratosphere.
Wigley ran scenarios of stratospheric sulfate injection -- on the scale of Pinatubo's estimated 10 million tons of sulfur -- through supercomputer models of the climate, and reported that Crutzen's idea would, indeed, seem to work. Even half that amount per year would help, he wrote. A massive dissemination of pollutants would be needed every year or two, as the sulfates precipitate from the atmosphere in acid rain

So they want to exchange global warming for global acid rain really smart there people..

But "if human beings take it upon themselves to carry out something as massive and drastic as this, we need to be absolutely sure there are no side effects," Pachauri said.

Yes let's make sure that there are no mutations due to the fact that the atmospehere of the world will in 1 fell swoop will be borderline toxic...

Leave it to the sky is falling crowd to overreact again....

Lawyer argues sex with dead deer not crime

I am going to apologize to everyone in advance but this story is to good to pass up..... I'll leave the comments to your own sick minds....

Prosecution of a Douglas County case involving alleged sexual contact with a dead deer may hinge on the legal definition of the word “animal.”

Bryan James Hathaway, 20, of Superior faces a misdemeanor charge of sexual gratification with an animal. He is accused of having sex with a dead deer he saw beside Stinson Avenue on Oct. 11.

A motion filed last week by his attorney, public defender Fredric Anderson, argued that because the deer was dead, it was not considered an animal and the charge should be dismissed.

“The statute does not prohibit one from having sex with a carcass,” Anderson wrote.

Judge Michael Lucci heard the motion Tuesday.

“I’m a little surprised this issue hasn’t been tackled before in another case,” Lucci said.

The Webster’s dictionary defines “animal” as “any of a kingdom of living beings,” Anderson said. If you include carcasses in that definition, he said, “you really go down a slippery slope with absurd results.” Anderson argued: When does a turkey cease to be an animal? When it is dead? When it is wrapped in plastic packaging in the freezer? When it is served, fully cooked?

A judge should decide what the Legislature intended “animal” to mean in the statute, he said. “And the only clear point to draw the line in that definition, I believe, is the point of death.”

Assistant District Attorney James Boughner said the court can use a dictionary to
determine the meaning of the word, but it doesn’t have to. “The common and
ordinary meaning of a word can be found in how people actually use the word,”
Boughner wrote in his response to the motion.

When a person’s pet dog dies, he told Lucci, the person still refers to the dog as his or her dog, not a carcass. “It stays a dog for some time,” Boughner said.

He referred to the criminal complaint, in which Hathaway told police he saw the dead deer in the ditch and moved it into the woods. Hathaway called it a dead deer, Boughner said, not a carcass.

“It did not lose its essence as a deer, an animal, when it died,” he said.
Anderson argued that the statute, which falls under the heading “crimes against sexual morality,” was meant to protect animals. That would be unnecessary in the case of a dead animal. “If you look at the other crimes that are in this subsection, they all protect against something other than simply things we don’t like or things we find disgusting,” he said. Other crimes in that subsection include incest, bigamy, public fornication and lewd and lascivious behavior. Boughner said the focus of the statute was on punishing the human behavior, not protecting animals.

“It does not seem to draw a line between the living and the dead,” he said. Interpreting the statute to exclude dead animals would also exclude freshly killed animals, Boughner said. That, he said, could lead to people who commit such acts with animals to kill them. Lucci said he would render a decision by Hathaway’s next court appearance on Dec. 1.

The misdemeanor charge carries a maximum penalty of nine months in jail and a fine of up to $10,000. If convicted, Hathaway could serve a prison term of up to two years because of a previous conviction. In April 2005, Hathaway pleaded no contest to one felony charge of mistreatment of an animal for the shooting death of Bambrick, a 26-year-old horse, to have sex with the animal

Sex with Dead Bambi's

Leave it to the Dems to Cut and Run.

The headlines say it all

Kucinich Calls for Cutting Off Iraq War Funds
"That’s the only way we’re going to end this war."

But then that is not a big surprise, coming from someone who has over the course of his political career has been more interested in "getting along" with those who have sworn to destroy both us and our allies. here are some of the comments from this fool..

And we’re going to have to help reconstruct Iraq. We’re going to make sure the
people have to have real control over their oil. You know, our insistence on
grabbing oil has led us into this war, and it’s led us to the threshold of
conflict with Iran. We have to get Iran and Syria in a solution to help us get
out of Iraq. This is a new world. It's time that we started acting like it. It’s
time that we reflected new thinking --

What in the hell is he saying. Get the 2 countries that have the most to lose from a democratic, and free Iraq involved? Wake up, they are all ready involved and it is the people that they are supporting that are committing the, mass murders, kidnappings, and road side bombings.

Now, what we need to do in Iraq is this: first of all, we need to get out. And
we need to get out through cutting off funds. Once we determine to cut off
funds, the money is in the pipeline for an orderly withdrawal. Simultaneously,
we have to work through the UN and all the nations in the region, particularly
the Arab nations, to help form a transition phase to create some stability with
the Iraqi people.

Of course his answer is the UN, it always is because he does not have the backbone to stand up and fight for something. He would rather we were part of the EU, and one world government. He does not want have the responsibility of making hard decisions so he would rather just get out.

Well, I supported the Murtha plan, but I have to tell you that I think we're
going to have to go beyond that. I think we’re going to have to really go to a
cutoff of funds, because until you cut off funds, the administration is free to
deploy the troops anywhere they want, the administration is free to keep the
troops there, as the President has stated again and again he's going to do. Let
no one misunderstand what the White House has said: the White House is prepared
to stay in Iraq through the end of its term.
And we, as Democrats, have to
come up with a new direction. And that new direction must be out. It has to be
“UN in, US out.” We need to work with the world community to enable an orderly
transition, but we cannot determine to stay there. And the only way to
definitively end this discussion about whether we stay or go is to cut off
funds. And that is the direction that I am pursuing. Anyone who needs more
information, just go to my website at kucinich.us.

Proof again that the liberals would rather have the UN run this country, and determine world policy. I am sorry but when it comes to the US, I will die before I let the French, or Iran, or Tunisia, or Indonesia, or Nigeria, or any other country tell us how to do things. The problem is 95% of the world is jealous of the US and what we are capable of doing at any one time. Why do you think that they want us to look foolish, and to fail, then their shortcomings are not as obvious. I mean look at the obvious examples..

Boeing versus Airbus. Boeing is going to have it's next generation of jets available ON TIME Airbus... well let's see they just recently announced that their new jet is going to be 2 years late.

Airbus Delays.

how about Auto Makers, with the exception of Chrysler, the US And Japanese Auto Makers are kicking the European ones all over the place. If the US method of business and politics is so bad then why is Japan such a power in so many industries these days, and why does China, India, Vietnam, and others love to sell their goods in the US. Because we do things right, and we have the freedom to push the envelope.

Check out the whole interview and see how Joshua Muravchik, resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, held his own and the moment, Rep. Dennis Kucinich , and George McGovern, started to be proven wrong, they returned to the old ploy of arguing and spouting the same talking points that have been thrown against the wall since day 1 of the Iraqi conflict.

http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=06/11/15/1459243
http://kucinich.us/

Citigroup-led group wins China bank bid, Readers Digest is sold

US Bank leads purchase of Chinese bank group, the move is labeled controversial.

BEIJING — An investment group led by Citigroup Inc., the biggest U.S.
financial institution, has won a yearlong bidding war by overseas suitors with a
$3.1 billion offer for a stake in China's Guangdong Development Bank, a
Citigroup official said Thursday.
Guangdong Development Bank named the
Citigroup consortium the preferred bidder to buy the stake and operate the
mid-sized lender, said Robert Morse, chief executive of Citigroup Corporate
Investment banking for Asia.
A consortium led by the U.S. banking giant will
pay $3.1 billion for an 85.6 percent stake in Guangdong Development Bank,
according to a statement issued at a signing ceremony in Guangzhou, the capital
of Guangdong province.
Citigroup itself will have a 20 percent share of the
bank, which is owned by the provincial government, the statement said. This
complies with a 25 percent cap on foreign ownership in the banking
sector.
Its partners in the bidding group include several Chinese
companies.
Citigroup had been competing with a consortium led by Societe
Generale SA of France for control of the 500-branch bank.
The group now has
to apply with the China Banking Regulatory Commission for permission to have a
new shareholder.
As Beijing gradually opens the banking industry to foreign
competition, Chinese banks have sought out international lenders as strategic
investors to draw in both money and management skills.
Bidding for the
Guangdong bank had been unusually heated because a takeover would offer a rare
opportunity for a foreign investor to win management control of a mid-size
Chinese bank. But the idea of a foreign-led consortium taking majority control
of a Chinese bank is controversial.

Then the second part of the headline, with another company going private.

NEW YORK — Magazine publisher Reader's Digest Association Inc. said Thursday it
has agreed to be bought for about $1.61 billion in cash by an investment group
led by private equity firm Ripplewood Holdings LLC.
Ripplewood offered $17
for each share. Based on the almost 95 million shares the company had
outstanding as of Sept. 30, that puts the amount being offered at $1.61 billion.
The offer represents a premium of 10 percent over the stock's closing price
Wednesday of $15.51.
The private equity group will also assume Reader's
Digest's debt. In its filing with regulators for the quarter ended Sept. 30, the
company said long-term debt totaled $776.3 million.
Reader's Digest,
publisher of the eponymous general interest magazine, has been spending heavily
in an attempt to boost the circulation of the Reader's Digest magazine, as well
as the successful launch of the "Everyday with Rachel Ray" magazine and other
new offerings.
The company said it expects the sale to close in the first
quarter of 2007, subject to shareholder approval and other customary conditions.
Reader's Digest was advised by Goldman Sachs and Michael R. Lynch.
The
Ripplewood-led investment group includes J. Rothschild Group, GoldenTree Asset
Management, GSO Capital Partners, Merrill Lynch Capital Corp. and Magnetar
Capital.

US Airways Makes $8 Billion Bid to Acquire Delta Airlines

Well if this goes down, it could be the first in a series of mergers, the question would be who would be joining with whom. The only thing I do know is that if it goes to far, airline ticket prices could get way out of reach, because there are so few choices. On the other hand Southwest and Jet Blue and the other low cost carriers will probably grow because of it. We can only wait and see.

ATLANTA — US Airways Group Inc. (LCC) said Wednesday it has made an $8 billion cash and stock bid for Delta Air Lines Inc. in a deal that would create one of the world's largest carriers. The move came despite Delta's repeated statements it isn't interested in a merger.

The offer to buy Delta once the Atlanta-based airline emerges from bankruptcy protection by the middle of 2007 would give Delta's unsecured creditors $4 billion in cash and 78.5 million shares of US Airways stock.

As it stands now, Delta's common shares are likely to end up worthless when it exits bankruptcy. In most bankruptcy cases, the debtholders usually end up with new shares of the company.

Doug Parker, chief executive of Tempe, Ariz.-based US Airways, said in a telephone interview that he is aware of the comments made by Delta's management in recent months, but he believes this is a fair offer and that ultimately Delta's creditors will see that.

"Delta is in bankruptcy and bankruptcy is a very open process," Parker said. "The process is designed so that the creditors get the highest possible value for their clients. Given that process, what we have done is gone public with an alternative to a standalone plan."

Delta spokeswoman Thonnia Lee seemed surprised by the announcement Wednesday morning and said she could not yet comment on it in detail. But she said Delta has consistently said that it plans "to emerge from bankruptcy as an independent airline."

Delta's chief, Gerald Grinstein, said as recently as last month that he had received "feelers" from UAL Corp.'s (UAUA) United Airlines about a possible merger 18 months ago, but that he quickly rejected them. He reiterated at the time that Delta has no plans for a merger.

US Airways also had been reported to be interested in Delta months ago, and it released letters Wednesday showing its previous communications with Delta.

Parker said a US Airways-Delta combination would have about 85,000 employees. He said he would anticipate flying with 10 percent fewer planes, but that doesn't mean job cuts.

"The plan is not predicated on any job cuts," Parker said.

Parker did not say why US Airways was moving now, but he did say the airline believes its offer is a good one.

"We expect it would prevail over any other bid if there were any," Parker said.

US Airways said it has received a financing commitment from Citigroup Inc. (C) to provide $7.2 billion in new financing for the deal.

This funding would be used to refinance Delta's debtor-in-possession credit facility, refinance US Airways' existing senior secured facility with GE Capital, and provide the funding for the $4 billion cash portion of US Airways' offer. All other allowed secured debt and administrative claims would be assumed or paid in full.

US Airways said the offer is a 25 percent premium over the current trading price of Delta's pre-petition unsecured claims as of Tuesday, and a 40 percent premium over the average trading price for Delta unsecured claims over the last 30 days.

If the deal is completed, the airline would operate under the Delta name and serve more than 350 destinations across five continents. Parker said he has not decided where the merged company would be based.

According to letters filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, Parker originally had a conversation with Grinstein about a combination of the two airlines in the spring and followed up with a letter to Grinstein on Sept. 29.

In a letter to Parker dated Oct. 17, Grinstein said he and Delta's board "believe it would not be productive to engage in the type of exploratory discussions that you proposed at the time."

US Airways, which was created after US Air emerged from bankruptcy and was acquired by America West last year, said the deal is expected to generate $1.65 billion in annual savings from optimization of the airlines' complementary networks and combining facilities in overlap airports.

The deal would reduce unprofitable flying and improve the mix of traffic, US Airways said. The company's statement did not specify which airports would be affected.

Radio Giant Clear Channel to Be Taken Private for $18.7 Billion

This is an interesting story, which begs a couple of questions. First considering the fact that the company you see today is a direct result of the FCC changes in regulations regarding media ownership, as well as the fact that they are going private. What does that say about the Bush Administrations leadership of the FCC. Second who is going to profit from this the most?

SAN ANTONIO — Clear Channel Communications Inc. (CCU), the nation's biggest radio station owner, said Thursday it has agreed to be acquired for about $18.7 billion by an investment group.
Clear Channel owns or operates 1,150 radio stations and is the largest operator of radio stations in the country.
It also owns a majority of Clear Channel Outdoor, the mammoth outdoor-advertising segment that dominates the business of billboard and bus-stop ads and sets the pricing rates within the industry.
The transaction would be one of the biggest deals in which a company has been taken private, and showcases that vast sums that buyout groups have recently been able to assemble to acquire public companies.
Clear Channel said the deal calls for a group led by the investment firms Thomas H. Lee Partners LP and Bain Capital Partners LLC to pay $37.60 in cash for each share of Clear Channel common stock. That is a 10.2 percent premium over its closing price on Wednesday.
Its shares climbed $1.89, or 5.5 percent, to $36.01 in premarket trading.
The buyers are also assuming about $8 billion in debt in the deal.
Clear Channel announced in late October that its board of directors was evaluating "strategic alternatives to enhance shareholder value."
Analysts had said taking the company private could push shares toward a price of $37 to $40 each.
Clear Channel said the company's board of directors "with the interested directors recused," unanimously approved the agreement and is recommending shareholder approval. Lowry Mays is the company's chairman of the board and his two sons, Mark and Randall, are CEO and chief financial officer, respectively.
People familiar with the matter had expected at least two bids to be submitted as the deadline for offers passed earlier this week. Another bid had been expected from Providence Equity Partners, the Blackstone Group and Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co.
In a separate announcement Thursday, Clear Channel said it plans to sell 448 of its radio stations, all located outside the top 100 media markets in the U.S., and its 42-station television group.
The deal would rank behind KKR's 1988 buyout of RJR Nabisco Inc., which still is the biggest going-private deal ever at $25.1 billion. It would also trail two other deals announced earlier this year. Those included the $21.8 billion buyout of airport development company BAA PLC and the $21.2 billion buyout of hospital company HCA Inc. (HCA)

Headlines and Comments

McCain, Former Secretary Thompson to Form Presidential Exploratory Groups Do we really want these people in the 2008 primaries?

Murtha-Hoyer Race Puts Reputations on the Line Now let's see how nice they play with each other.

AP poll voter booted for mistaking Sooners win for loss Trusting others cost him his position

Ex-Marlin Girardi, Tigers' Leyland are top managers The Marlins really look like fools today. But then they are run by an idiot.

Texas two-step: Smith wins "Dancing with the Stars" Emmitt still has the desire to compete, sad it is in something this foolish.

Government study: Internet 1 percent porn The reason they know this is because all Gov. employees have been surfing on our dime.

US Air makes $8 billion bid for Delta Is it a good idea? I really do not know but if it goes through it will mark a major shift in the airline industry.

Abizaid: No Timetable for Iraq Withdrawal, But Control Must Come Soon Dem's putting on a show and trying to get the leaders on the ground to cut and run

Palestinians pick a new prime minister Let's see where this choice leads us with regards to relations with Isreal

Senate Democrats Coose New Leadership for Next Session Let the ego trips and power struggle begin.

Panel floats idea of 5% appraisal cap, sales tax increase The chances that this goes through are slim as long as the legislature has sold it's soul to TML and other government funded lobbies.

Immigrant Protection Rules Draw Fire This is why we need to enforce our borders better, keep slime like this one from doing what he did.

Texas town considers anti-illegals bill Farmers Branch leaders have shown the courage that those in Austin and Washington have failed to do on many occasions.

News and Notes...

Ok have been to busy to really post much the past few weeks, what with personal and work issues mounting up. But now that I have had time to catch my breath, several things of note have happened.

1) Not at all surprised that the Republicans lost both houses of Congress, they deserve it after ignoring the hue and cry from the red states on issues like border security, clarification of the War on Terror, and the fact that they were acting like liberals.

2) Texas and Houston elections did not suprise me much. Came out about how I felt they would, and now we get to see if Perry, Dewhurst, and Cradick have heard the message that we are not happy campers.

3) I really think Perry's future in politics will hinge upon what happens in the next session of the Legislature. He works to get things done then he will see his stock rising, other wise he just needs to finish out his term and retire to local politics.

So on to the headlines that caught my attention over the past few days/weeks

Sega's Sonic the Hedgehog Turns 15, Still Playing Strong

Rutgers wins biggest game in schools history

Biggio to chase 3000 hits as Astro

Wal-Mart Brings Christmas Back and Cuts More Prices, Too

Miami's season of promise turns into season of pain

Licensed to marry: Gordon ties knot with model

With Political Change Coming, Build Some Flexibility Into Your Plans

Broken neck could end career of Bengals' Pollack

California College Votes to Drop Pledge of Allegiance From Meetings

'Foreign Terrorist Organization' Reaches Out to Michael Moore, Noam Chomsky

Al Qaeda Claims to Have 12,000 Fighters in Iraq

Hamas leader hints he'll bow out

Panama voted to Security Council

Jury duty is getting harder to shirk

FedEx cancels Airbus order, chooses Boeing jets

White House-And Dems-Want Kerry Apology

Men's testosterone levels declined in last 20 years Health

Al-Jazeera to start English channel

Alec Baldwin wants off Schwarzenegger documentary

Concertgoer throws drink at Streisand

There is a high-speed rail connection we are missing

Here are a sample of what has been going on. enjoy and your comments on any topic are appreciated.