“There’s no question about it. Wall Street got drunk,” Bush said at a private event in Houston on Friday. “It got drunk and now it’s got a hangover. The question is, how long will it sober up and not try to do all these fancy financial instruments?” (MSNBC)By the way, there's no housing slump in Houston or Dallas because his wife is now there buying a house. Yep, that says it all.
The good news is...
If you live in Los Angeles and your child skips school, you will be criminally charged "with one count of contributing to the delinquency of a minor and one count of violating the state education code," KTLA reports. Under CA state law, full time education is mandatory from kindergarten to grade 12. What a novel idea!
Research has led the LA authorities and educators to conclude that kids that skip school are likely to join gangs. Perhaps this is true for LA, but that isn't the only place where truancy is a problem, and the laws are different everywhere. In NY, for instance, the law requires full time school only up to age 16. Once a kid turns 16, it is up to the school whether that kid will be allowed to attend. Ages 16-18 is a proverbial black hole.
What are the education laws where you live? Does your area have a truancy problem?
I'll tell you straight up - I don't understand racism. I just don't. It's not logical, it's not right, and it certainly isn't just. What racism really is, what fundamental human flaw it highlights, is judgementalism.
I bring this up today because of yet another article of supposed news we can't live without about more of what Jesse Jackson said about Barak Obama, behind the scenes, off-air, during a break in taping an interview. Jackson used the forbidden reference: "Jackson is reported to have said Obama was talking down to black people, and referred to blacks with the N-word when he said Obama was telling them how to behave."
Of course, what he actually said is still not fully revealed, even though it must be on tape for prosperity's sake. Yet once again, we hear about this little incident, as though it is new news.
The implications and insinuations become more clear when you take into account that the point of Jackson's Rainbow/PUSH Coalition, a civil rights organization, is to rally the entertainment industries and the public to discourage and boycott the use of the N-word across the board. True morals and values wouldn't allow room or energy for this lip-flapping, tongue-wagging hypocrisy. It just wouldn't be a part of a person's way of being. Mr. Jackson, you are a hypocrite.
Contrast this to the words of Bill Cosby, who has been vocal about his interpretation of black people's role in furthering the concept of racism. According to Cosby, it is poor educational achievement, sexual irresponsibility, lack of parental control, lack of respect, and lack of personal responsibility that is behind the perpetuation of racial inequality. Is this obvious difference between the two public figures only because Cosby is a comedian and Jackson a reverend? Cosby lives what he preaches.
What we have here, ladies and gentlemen, at the root of it all, is the difference between sheep and herders; neither of which is all that preferable. Sheep blindly follow the crowd, do what everyone else does, like what everyone else likes and build their lives without a sole thought of their own. Herders follow the crowd, do what everyone else does, like what everyone else likes, but through a random thought here and there, climb to the top of the heap to become the trend setters. It is all shallow and superficial and juvenile - and the root of judgementalism.
What we need to promote is abstract, analytical, critical thinking across the board. Define right and wrong and cause and effect.
And, we need to think about this now, today, without delay. As soon as Obama takes the White House, the US and the rest of the world will sink into yet another of mankind's Holy Wars if we fail in this task. What an oxymoron, this concept of "holy" war. Yet, this is where we are headed, people.
We all have the personal responsibility to change - before it's too late.
Meet Champ
Just look at those beautiful eyes! How could you not fall in love with a pair of eyes like that? Champ is a Palomino Appaloosa, he's 2 years old, he's broke to ride and has the sweetest temperament you could ever wish for. Champ is about as perfect a horse as you can get. In fact, his sire was the one used by Breyer as the pattern for one of their model horses.
Champ can be yours today, for free.
Yes, you heard me right. He can be yours for nada, zip, zilch, zero! You come get him or have him hauled to you, and he's yours. Actually, if you don't take him, he will be "put down." Yep. This beautiful, perfect horse is on his way to be euthanized, destroyed, put to sleep, killed.
But, Why?
I'm so glad you asked! It's not an easy thing to accept, and it's not any easier to talk about. You see, Champ has a genetic disease called HYPP. This genetically dominant disease is well known in the Quarter Horse world and is directly traced to a specific sire called Impressive. Impressive was the most sought after sire for those breeding Halter Show horses, and the line is well known for perfect conformation and heavy musculature.
However, all that perfection with muscles caused an anomaly in the way the horse's system rids itself of excess potassium. It collects in the muscles and causes seizures and paralysis, and this can happen at any time for no reason. When a horse seizes or becomes paralyzed, it literally drops to the ground and goes into a full body seizure or just doesn't move. If the episode of paralysis includes the lungs or heart, the horse dies. Just like that.
Because of the sudden, unpredictable nature of the disease and the lack of a cure or treatment, it is very risky handling a horse with HYPP. A 1200 pound horse seizing and falling down on top of you, whether you are walking beside it or riding it, means you are likely to become very injured - or dead. This beautiful horse is very dangerous to be around. What's worse, he could be found dead one day, just like that. It's heartbreaking.
The current owner bought this horse two weeks ago, and was told the reason he was available was because the horse was not registered. After a few rides, there was a noticeable roar to the colt's breathing, and you could watch the muscles over the rib cage spasm. The colt was taken to the vet and tested for HYPP, and the results came back P/P. This means that both parents were positive for HYPP, and the two were knowingly bred anyway. It also means that this colt is "hot" and definitely has active HYPP.
Knowing all this, if you still want him, he is yours.
This post is a direct result of the intense discussion about the ban on horse slaughter in the US going on right now on A Different Menu at the Olympics.
Olympic attendees can expect to be discouraged from ordering dishes made from dog meat, the "fragrant meat" eaten in China, a short AP article today reports. If a restaurant is designated as an official Olympic eatery, then the servers will "patiently suggest other options to diners who order dog." Dog is eaten in Korea, Vietnam, the Philippines and Laos, to name a few. This little warning is prudent considering the recent US ban on horse slaughter that effectively shut down the export of horse meat to those same countries.
OPEC's president, Chakib Khelil sealed the fate of the price of oil today by saying that the price will never decline for several reasons. It has "nothing to do with supply and demand," he said, and a lot more to do with the devalued dollar as a result of lowered interest rates in the US.
Oil has gained 50 percent, "driven partly by the tensions over Iran's nuclear program, plus expectations that global oil supplies will not cope in the long term with strong demand growth from newly industrializing China and India."
Where it's at is where it will stay.
Sometimes, what comes into my Inbox is just too good not to share. Though this one may be past its prime, it does highlight the ways a few select words can change the meaning behind a story. Enjoy.
Judy Wallman, a professional genealogical researcher, discovered that Hillary Clinton's great-great uncle, Remus Rodham, was hanged for horse stealing and train robbery in Montana in 1889.
The only known photograph of Remus shows him standing on the gallows. On the back of the picture is this inscription: 'Remus Rodham; horse thief, sent to Montana Territorial Prison 1883, escaped 1887, robbed the Montana Flyer six times. Caught by Pinkerton detectives, convicted, and hanged in 1889.'
Judy e-mailed Hillary Clinton for comments and Hillary's staff sent back the following biographical sketch:
"Remus Rodham was a famous cowboy in the Montana Territory. His business empire grew to include acquisition of valuable equestrian assets and intimate dealings with the Montana railroad.
Beginning in 1883, he devoted several years of his life to service at a government facility, finally taking leave in 1887 to resume his dealings with the railroad. Subsequently, he was a key player in a vital investigation run by the renowned Pinkerton Detective Agency. In 1889, Remus passed away during an important civic function held in his honor, when the platform on which he was standing collapsed.'
And that is how it's done, folks!
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