Hey, I love my barbeque as much as anyone, but please let's remember what this day really represents. This website does a great job of reminding us of the significance of Memorial Day:

http://www.usmemorialday.org/backgrnd.html

I wish you all good health, and a meaningful Memorial Weekend!

Many of you may not have heard of this guy- trust me, he is the real deal!

Bo Diddley's condition improves

05/17/2007 8:00 PM, AP


Four days after suffering a stroke, Bo Diddley walked around the intensive-care unit at Creighton University Medical Center, and doctors were encouraged that the singer-songwriter-guitarist would be able to perform again, his manager said.

The 78-year-old Diddley told his audience that he wasn't feeling well during a show in Council Bluffs, Iowa, on Saturday night. Diddley's manager, Margo Lewis, said she had the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer taken to the hospital by ambulance when he appeared disoriented at the Omaha airport on Sunday.

Though Diddley's speech is impaired, he's made significant progress.

"We're going to get a guitar for him and put it in his lap and let him entertain people here," Lewis said from the hospital. "People think that would be good therapy for him."

Lewis said it's uncertain how long Diddley, who has a history of hypertension and diabetes, will be hospitalized in Omaha.

He played two Saturday night shows at Harrah's Horseshoe Casino in Council Bluffs. He planned to fly home to Archer, Fla., before starting a monthlong tour of the Midwest and United Kingdom on May 20 in Dallas.

Those shows are canceled, Lewis said, but she believes Diddley will sing again, even though he'll require speech therapy first.

"Singing a song is different than speaking," she said. "Even when there is a problem with speaking, or hesitancy, we've seen where people can sing perfectly."

Well, I'm finally at Level 9! I'd like to thank the Academy, and all the little people...

Have a great Monday, errbody!

redundant redundancies

re·dun·dan·cy (rî-dùn¹den-sê) noun
plural re·dun·dan·cies

1. The state of being redundant.
2. A superfluity; an excess.
3. Unnecessary repetition.

why say it twice?

  

a unique, one-in-a-lifetime opportunity

absolutely essential

absolutely necessary

ACT test

advance forward

affluent rich

always and forever

anonymous stranger 

attach together

autobiography of my life

awful bad

bad trouble

basic fundamentals

begin to proceed

boiling hot

bunny rabbit

cash money

cease and desist

Chile pepper

circulated around

close proximity

closed fist

collaborate together with

combined together

complete monopoly

completely filled

component parts

continuing on

crimson red

dark night

delete out

down under

Each and every one of you

elevate up

end result

enter into

evil villain

exactly the same

falling down

famous celebrities

Fill in the empty blank

for your FYI

free gift

full satisfaction

gather together

grand total

Greetings & Salutations

handwritten manuscript

HIV virus

hopes and aspirations

hygienic cleaning

I thought to myself

immortalized forever

individual person

inner core

jet plane

KFC chicken

kitty cat

last will and testament

LCD display

live audience

male son

merge together

my personal opinion

negative misfortune

new discovery

newborn baby

null and void

original founder

over and above

pair of twins

past experience

past tradition

Pie a la mode with ice cream

positive yes

previous history

proposed plan

protective helmet

raise up

repeat again

revert back

rising above

RSVP, please

safe sanctuary

Scotch Whisky

sharp point

sink down

small speck

solitary hermit

specific example

square box

sufficient enough

swampy marsh

temper tantrum

terrible tragedy

tiny bit

true fact

under cover

unique individual

unmarried old maid

useless and unnecessary

wall murals

Xerox copy

young child

A.M. in the morning

ABS braking system

academic scholar

added bonus

all inclusive

and etc. 

ATM machine

baby calf

bare naked

brief moment

burning hot

CAT test

chili con carne with meat

circle around

clam chowder soup

climb up

close scrutiny

cold frost 

complete stop

unanimous consensus

convicted felon

crystal clear

deja vu all over again

descend down

duplicate copy

elderly senior citizens

empty hole

empty space

final outcome

essential necessity

exact replica

extreme hazard

false illusion

favorable approval

female daughter

final farewell

first priority

foreign imports

former veteran

freezing cold

future plans

grateful thanks

hanging down

honest truth

hot water heater

I remembered back

ice cold

income coming in

initially from the beginning

it's raining outside

join together

killed dead

knowledgeable experts

latex rubber

little baby

manually by hand

mental thought

money-saving coupon

More than unique--it's practically one of a kind!

near vicinity

new innovations

oral conversation

P.I.N. number

passing fad

past history

Pizza Hut pizza 

postponed until later

previously recorded

prior history

protective armor

puppy dog

refer back

return back

Rio Grande River

round circle

safe haven

SAT test

small child

soda pop

soup du jour of the day

spinning around

still remains

surrounded on all sides

tear apart

temporary reprieve

three triplets

toys and playthings

tuna fish

two twins

unexpected surprise

unmarried bachelor

unsolved mysteries

usual custom

V.I.N. number

widow woman

youthful teenager

Happy Mother's Day, everybody!

Here are a  few things to ponder...                                        
                                                                            
                                                                            
                                                                            
                           What happens if someone scares you half to death twice?                        
                                                                                           
                                                                            
                                                                            
                                                                            
     Why  do you have to "put your two cents in".. but it's  only a "penny 
            for your thoughts"? Where's that extra penny going  to?         
                                                                            
                                                                            
                                                                            
                                                                            
                 Why  does a round pizza come in a square box?             
                                                                           
                                                                           
                                                                           
                  What  disease did cured ham actually have?               
                                                                           
                                                                           
                                                                           
     How  is it that we put man on the moon before we figured out it would 
                   be a  good idea to put wheels on luggage?               
                                                                           
                                                                           
                                                                           
    Why  is it that people say they "slept like a baby" when babies wake up
                             like every two hours?                         
                                                                           
                                                                           
                                                                           
     If  a deaf person has to go to court, is it still called a  hearing?  
                                                                           
                                                                           
                                                                           
    Why  are you IN a movie, but you're ON TV?                             
                                                                           
                                                                           
                                                                           
       Why  do people pay to go up tall buildings and then put money in    
                 binoculars  to look at things on the ground?              
                                                                           
                                                                           
                                                                           
     Why  do doctors leave the room while you change? They're going to see 
                              you  naked anyway.                           
                                                                           
                                                                           
                                                                           
                  Why  is "bra" singular and "panties" plural              
                                                                           
                                                                           
                                                                           
       Why  do toasters always have a setting that burns the toast to a    
            horrible  crisp, which no decent human being would eat?        
                                                                           
                                                                           
                                                                           
      If  Jimmy cracks corn and no one cares, why is there a stupid song   
                                  about  him?                              
                                                                           
                                                                           
                                                                           
          Can  a hearse carrying a corpse drive in the carpool lane?       
                                                                           
                                                                           
                                                                           
       If  the professor on Gilligan's Island can make a radio out of a    
                  coconut, why can't he fix a hole in a boat?              
                                                                           
                                                                           
                                                                           
     Why  does Goofy stand erect while Pluto remains on all fours? They're 
                                  both  dogs!                              
                                                                           
                                                                           
                                                                           
      If  Wiley E. Coyote had enough money to buy all that ACME crap, why  
                          didn't  he just buy dinner?                      
                                                                           
                                                                           
                                                                           
        If  corn oil is made from corn, and vegetable oil is made from     
                   vegetables,  what is baby oil made from?                
                                                                           
                                                                           
                                                                           
     If  electricity comes from electrons, does morality come from morons? 
                                                                           
                                                                           
                                                                           
     Do  the Alphabet song and Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star have the same  
                                     tune?                                 
                                                                           
                                                                           
                                                                           
              Why  did you just try singing the two songs above?           
                                                                           
                                                                           
                                                                           
    Why  do they call it an asteroid when it's outside the hemisphere, but 
                call  it ! a hemorrhoid when it's in your butt?            
                                                                           
                                                                           
                                                                           
    Did  you ever notice that when you blow in a dog's face, he gets mad at
     you, but when you take him for a car ride; he sticks his head out the 
                                    window?

Have a great weekend, everybody!

Test for Dementia

Below are four (4) questions and a bonus question. You have to answer them instantly. You can't take your time, answer all of them immediately OK?


Let's find out just how clever you really are....


Ready?  GO!!!  

(scroll down)

First Question:

You are participating in a race. You overtake the second person. What position are you in?

Answer: If you answered that you are first, then you are
absolutely wrong! If you overtake the second person and you take his place, you are second!

Try not to screw up next time.
Now answer the second question,
but don't take as much time as you took for the first question, OK?

Second Question:
I f you overtake the last person, then you are...?

Answer: If you answered that you are second to last, then you are wrong again. Tell me, how can you overtake the LAST Person?


You're not very good at this, are you?
 

Third Question:
Very tricky arithmetic! Note: This must be done in your head only.
Do NOT use paper and pencil or a calculator. Try it.



Take 1000 and add 40 to it. Now add another 1000 Now add 30
Add another 1000 Now add 20 Now add another 1000
Now add 10 . What is the total?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Did you Answer Nunu?
NO! Of course it isn't.
Her name is Mary. Read the question again!


Okay, now the bonus round:

A mute person goes into a shop and wants to buy a toothbrush. By
imitating the action of brushing his teeth he successfully
expresses himself to the shopkeeper and the purchase is
done.

Next, a blind man comes into the shop who wants to buy a pair of
sunglasses; how does HE indicate what he wants?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

He just has to open his mouth and ask..  
It's really very simple....
 


KEEP THIS GOING TO FRUSTRATE THE
SMART PEOPLE IN YOUR LIFE

She's perfect for me- cute, curvy, and she doesn't say anything unless I tell her to.

Best of all, she's under 2 thousand bucks! It's a guitar, people! (What did you think I was talking about?) Check this out!

The Fender VG Stratocaster, the result of another winning collaboration between Fender and Roland, is an incredibly versatile instrument that gives you 37 different Stratocaster, Telecaster®, humbucking, 12-string and acoustic sounds, plus five alternate tunings, all at the simple flip of a switch or twist of a knob.

It all comes in the gracefully familiar form of an American Series Stratocaster, and it's designed to deliver each sound with level, balanced tone and volume - no need to readjust your amp settings with each change in guitar sound.

It's a Strat® in every sense of the word, with a lot of extra magic, too. 

 Fender VGF Stratocaster Features

• Roland VG Circuitry
• Five Guitar Tone Banks Deliver 16 Sounds from Humbucking to Acoustic, Five Tuning Banks Allow You to Change Tunings Without Physically Retuning - You Can Use Multiple Tunings in One Song
• Parchment Knobs and Pickup Covers
• Original Headstock Shape
• Original Body Shape with Original Contour Body Decal on Headstock
• Rolled Fingerboard Edges
• H-S-H Pickup Routing

Wouldn't it be nice to flip a switch on a Stratocaster and, all of a sudden, be in an alternate tuning? Wouldn't it be nice to turn a knob on its pickguard and suddenly have a clear acoustic guitar sound, the roar of a humbucking pickup, the signature snap of a Telecaster guitar and the lush fullness of a 12-string?

That is the idea behind the VG Strat: a single, incredibly versatile instrument that delivers 37 serious Fender Stratocaster, Telecaster, humbucking, 12-string and acoustic sounds, plus five different alternate tunings, all at the simple flip of a switch or the twist of a knob - and all in the gracefully familiar form on the Stratocaster.

Man, I really want one of these bad boys- maybe if I'm on extra good behavior, my wife will buy it for me... Have a great day, errbody!

I think the moderators have forgotten about me....I'm going to die without ever reaching Level 9! I just wanna ask all my friends to remember me the way I was- not the way I'll look when they finally remember me:

Sheesh! So what do I know, huh? Have a great Monday, everybody...

I just watched Spiderman 3- what a ham-fisted, amateurish job by the writers and director! In this overstuffed installment, Spidey takes on 3, count em, 3 villians: Hobgoblin (Peter Parker's former best friend Harry Osborne, now bent on exacting revenge on Spiderman for his believed role in Harry's father's death), The Sandman (who, in a bit of revisionist hooey, is revealed to be responsible for the death of Peter's beloved uncle Ben), and Venom.

The only thing worth watching in this film are the special effects, which are incredible. The metamorphosis of The Sandman is thoroughly engrossing, as is the initial fight scene with Hobgoblin. The rest of the film, however, is a scatterbrained mess. The Peter Parker/Mary Jane romantic storyline has grown stale, and an ill-advised attempt to create a Peter/Mary Jane/Harry and a Peter/Mary Jane/Gwen Stacy love triangle (rectangle, quadrangle?) falls flat. 

Then there is the puzzling montage where Parker tries to turn pimp daddy...wha? The supposedly poignant scenes are unintentionally comic, the plot points are telegraphed, and the acting is just plain rotten throughout much of this way too long film. Most egregiously, the storylines established over the decades-long history of the Spiderman comic series have been largely jettisoned in favor of the grossly condensed and distorted versions offered by the screenwriters.

Save your money. Read the comics instead. 

 What is up? I've been stuck at Level 8 forever! I progressed through the other levels fairly quickly, but this one is taking forever, even though I've continued to do the same stuff that advanced me before.

Does it get harder after Level 7 or something? Is there a secret password I need to use? Should I offer to sleep with one of the TV.com staff? Somebody help me...

Check out this photo I recently found- crikey!

I can hardly believe it: Apparently, the Virginia Tech shooter took time between killing sprees to calmly prepare a press kit, including photographs and a rambling manifesto, and mailed it to NBC News. And here's the crazy part- THEY ACTUALLY AIRED IT! 

So now, like the Columbine killers before him, this guy gets exactly what he wanted- a free forum for him to foist his sick, twisted message on the world. I know that the media outlets will trot out their usual justification for giving this creep coverage: The public has a need to know. Well, I, for one, will not be watching. I am still sick at the thought of what he did. Why would I willingly subject myself to his measage of hatred?

Here is what I think they should do with this person and all other future mass-murderers: give them the minimal amount of coverage possible. Name, and maybe a photo. No manifestos, no home movies, no forum for them to spread their sickness. Focus instead on the victims and their families. Focus on the brave law enforcement and emergency personnel who respond to the scenes of unimaginable carnage. Focus on the crisis counselors and others who help the survivors begin the healing process. Focus on anything but more hate.

Please join me in boycotting this kind of sensationalistic journalism. Please also join me in writing to the major news bureaus and making your feelings known.

I just heard the tragic news about the Virginia Tech shootings. What is wrong with us? I don't understand it. Who is safe anywhere anymore? School killings, workplace killings, domestic killings... and why? I just don't get it.

May I ask all who care to pray for the families of the victims, and of the shooter. Please pray for our country, that this senseless violence will cease. And, while you're at it, please pray for me.

God help us all. 

In my first ever blog, I decried the lack of inspiring topics to write about. Well, I guess I finally found something to inspire another entry: The ridiculous Redemption Two-Step we have seen played out on the public stage on a seemingly continuous basis lately.

In the interest of full disclosure, I want to let you know that I am a black male (yeah, I know, the supposedly politically correct term is African-American, but I am also 50+ years old, so either is ok with me-just please don't call me "colored"). I also happen to believe Don Imus should not have been fired.

Were his comments dumb? Yeah. Reprehensible? Yep. Rascist? Probably. I realize that Imus has said repeatedly that he is not a rascist. Do you know what that makes him? Deluded. In America in 2007, no one is totally free of preconceived notions about those who are different from us. No one. Not me, you or Don Imus. It's an unfortunate legacy that I believe all of us must strive to overcome daily. But let's not kid ourselves. The good old Redemption Two-Step is the furthest thing from an honest effort to change-it's a giant, disgraceful sham.

We all know the steps: Someone (usually a celebrity or high-profile person) says something rascist, sexist, homophobic, anti-Semitic. The media firestorm begins. Person makes hasty apology. Media firestorm intensifies and apology is deemed not heartfelt and/or comprehensive enough. Person makes more heartfelt/comprehensive apology. Media firestorm intensifies; public figures call for censure/firing/boycott of the offender. Person sets up obligatory meetings with Reverends Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson; offers to meet with representatives of the offended parties; may offer to enter formal rehabilition program for a period of soul searching. New person says something rascist, sexist, homophobic, anti-Semitic. The media firestorm begins all over. First offender breathes sigh of relief and do-si-do's out of the spotlight. It would be funny if it weren't so tragic and sadly hyprocritical.

How can anyone really believe the contrite public apologies of Mel, Michael, Isaiah and Imus, when, typically, they occur days after the offending incident, and then only after a groundswell of public outrage? And even if the apologies were genuine, what effect do they have on the national climate/attitude that spawned the hurtful statements anyway?  Don Imus has stated that he was "just trying to be funny". I don't disbelieve that statement. The sad fact of the matter is that Imus is not alone in his questionable tastes in humor. He has a huge following of people who buy his brand of belittlement as high comedy. This isn't the first patently offensive thing he has said, just the latest in a long line of insults at someone else's expense- the guy has made a living out of it!

And he is not the only one: Witness the rise in popularity of the shock jock genre, insult comedy, "punk'ed" style practical jokes. And what about the rappers, black and white, who denigrate women and gay or lesbian people in their lyrics? They supplied the ammunition that Imus used to fire his mouth off. For that matter, the infamous "n" word uttered so frequently in Michael Richards' tirade is a staple in many of those same recordings. We, the American public, have made folks like Howard Stern rich. We patronize the insult comics. We pour millions of dollars into the coffers of these rap artists. And now we're outraged? Give me a break.

So, what am I suggesting- censorship? No! these people have a right to say what they will. But I also have a right not to listen. And just because the insults are not directed against my particular race, gender or sexual orientation does not mean that I am any more tolerant of them. If one of us is not safe, then none of us is. We, the people, are the key to changing this current climate of acceptance, in the name of humor, of things that are clearly hurtful and hateful.

I said earlier that I don't believe Imus should have been fired; I would much rather have seen him stay on the air and demonstrate his new-found repentance by adopting a comedy style that doesn't exploit others. I believe that it is possible to be funny, irreverent and cutting edge without targeting people who happen to be different. Remember when comedians were funny without resorting to nastiness or mean-spiritedness?  Like this: A man walks into a bar and says, "Ouch! Man, that hurt." Now, THAT's funny!

Peace to all.