Sure, it's been a while, but....

Read the first few months worth of posts on this blog last night. Quite liked some of them. Might have to get back to doing this a bit more. It'd be a big help to whoever sits down to write my biography someday.

I have a blog

I haven't written on it as much lately, but it's still there. It's called "Someday I Will" (title inspired by the song) Go read some of the 1,200 posts I wrote dating back to August 2007.

It's at http://noternie.blogspot.com

If you live long enough....

You see things like a dog in the drive through at a Dunkin'...with its ear pierced. Zoom in on thw photo if you have to. It's there.

Android

Testing Blogger app for Android.

someday i will

Tough, but important to watch

Could homelessness among children in America reach 25%? It's already coming close in some areas.

"The table is tilted. The game is rigged."

Ladies and gentlemen, I give you George Carlin.

Radiohead

If you care, go beyond a Facebook status

I don't have 1000 wishes for Christmas. And I find that most others don't either. The wishes we do have are often ones of luxury, not need. So instead of posting something to Facebook or buying someone something they might not remember 10 days later, make a donation; to a hospital, to a medical research fund, to a local shelter or food pantry. Or take that sentiment and turn it into actual good by volunteering. Then post that to Facebook and challenge others to do their part.

My post on holiday greetings

I say Happy Holidays, not Merry Christmas.

Why? Because I want you to have a happy holiday season, no matter which holidays you celebrate, even if only New Year's.

To me, insisting on saying Merry Christmas no matter what others might celebrate, is akin to wishing someone a happy birthday or happy anniversary on your own birthday or anniversary because that's what "you" celebrate.

Why do people bitch about "Happy Holidays" anyway? Shouldn't they just be happy to receive good wishes from someone else?

I...gulp...respect the Steelers

There's no many teams out there that trash talk and play on the edge of the rules than the Steelers. Pittsburgh and the Baltimore Ravens are kind of 1-2 on that front. It's easy to dislike teams that talk more than they need to and often don't admit when they've simply been beaten. You'll recall the Steelers losing the AFC Championship on their home field and then having their quarterback claim that "sometimes the best team doesn't win." He only barely shut up when his team got its ass more thoroughly kicked in the next season's opening game.

But last night I found myself respecting the Steelers. Not all of them, but at least some of the folks making decisions. Why? Because they kept Hines Ward out of the game.

Ward took a shot in the area of his head and neck while trying to make a catch in the first half. He lay on the field while the telecast went to commercial. But when they returned, they showed Ward stumbling off the field with help.

On the sidelines Ward was looked at and tested by 3 or 4 doctor's or trainers who then had a conversation amongst themselves. Despite the Steelers playing a little cute and someone maybe trying to buy time by classifying it as a "neck" injury and calling his return "questionable," Ward never did return to the field.

It clearly wasn't Ward's call.

“I know who I am and how I am and how I respond to hits,’’ Ward said. “I’ve been doing it for 13 years. I’ve been hit a lot worse. I’ve had concussions.

“I mean, how many concussions does it take to cause all the problems they say they cause? Is it one or three or five? Until you give me some real stats . . . I felt like I was fine to get back in there. The doctor saw me stumbling and thought otherwise.”

Though he holds a degree from the University of Georgia in Consumer Economics, Hines Ward is clearly no doctor. I'm glad there are some more qualified folks making decisions in Pittsburgh and around the NFL.

from DOWNtown

5

Elizabeth Shue
Jennifer Anniston
Jessica Beil
Diane Lane
Halle Berry
---------------
Maura Tierney
Natalie Portman
Juliana Margulies
Natalie Coughlin
Gwenyth Paltrow
Jamie Gertz
Michelle Pfieffer
Wynonna Rider
Shania Twain

Song of the Day: New York City's Killing Me

From his new album, "God Willin' & the Creek Don't Rise" which is just out, here's NH native Ray Lamontagne. Excellent album. Only nine songs, but there's isn't a bad one in the bunch.

Occasional reminder needed?

It's worth actually watching Fonzie jumping the shark on water skis every once in a while to remind you why it spawned a phrase that is symbolic of someone beginning to pick up speed on the other side of their peak.

Learn about the funding behind the Ground 0 Mosque

Any right thinking American should be OUTraged by this. Can we legally prevent a company from doing business? Because the company wrapped up in this should no longer legally be able to operate in the United States of America.

Facebook readers, watch here: http://is.gd/eB2Ok

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
The Parent Company Trap
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Tea Party

Song of the Day: Jefferson Jericho Blues

No, as a matter of fact it doesn't appear that Tom Petty will ever stop making good music.

This from his recently released album...

Song of the Day: Shine a Light

Shine a Light, by the Rolling Stones, from Exile on Main Street.

We contribute, then report, then you decide

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
News Corp. Gives Money to Republicans
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Tea Party

Song of the Day: Country Honk

The Rolling Stones, from Let it Bleed.

Song of the Day: Ghost of Tom Joad

Morello blows it out of the building. Reminded me of Hendrix. I'm not saying he's anywhere near as good as Hendrix, but listen to Morello's solo near the end and see if you don't understand what I'm talking about.

Oh yeah, Sprinsteen and his band play along. This is from the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame's 25th Anniversary Hoo-Ha.

Dispatch from the outpost

Have you ever had ice cream that is at the same time cold and warm? Try the Apple Pie flavor at Smugglers in Dennis. The blend of apples and cinnamon fill your nose with the scent and warmth of a nice slice of warm apple pie from grandma's kitchen counter.* I had it last night in a hot fudge sunday (no whipped cream, but with nuts and a cherry).

Big kudos to Smugglers for making a REASONABLE sized hot fudge sunday; one that can be finished without feeling like Lard Ass from Stand By Me. It's obnoxious how much food is passed of as a serving these days. No wonder we're a fat, jiggling nation.

Since my first vacation here in Dennis four years ago I have been waiting to have their blueberry ice cream. I'm a big fan of blueberries and the ice cream was exquisite. But alas, it was a special that has not returned. I'm not sure it was better than the Blueberry Pie flavor regularly available at Somerset Creamery, but why quibble?

Good solid day at Mayflower Beach today. A big part of a successful day at the beach for me these days is coming home with roughly the same pale skin with which I arrived.

Think we're headed to Chapin's for dinner. Always a solid meal.

A good first full day to a lazy week, beachside.

*I can not remember, ever, a time when either of my parent's mother's made or served me apple pie from their kitchen counter. I have an aunt on my father's side who makes a great apple pie from scratch and I can only assume that she learned it from her mother, my Memere. But I do not remember eating one from my Memere, unfortunately.

~~~~~~
Someday I Will
noternie.blogspot.com

Song of the Day: The Gambler

Song of the Day: Rockin' Robin

Rockin' Robin, by Bobby Day.

You Tube fun

Watch all the way to the end. Good pay-off.

Song of the Day: Billionaire

Grown up talk on the campaign trail?

This came to my Inbox, from the Governor. Yeah, we're tight.

Dear Friend,

Yesterday, we saw another example of the clear choice the Commonwealth faces in this election.

I signed a budget that faces our fiscal challenges squarely and directly. For the fourth consecutive year, our budget is responsible, balanced, on time, and accountable to taxpayers. To achieve that, over the last couple of years we have had to cut many worthy programs and services, eliminate thousands of state jobs, impose furloughs, reach agreement with employee unions on contract concessions, and otherwise find ways to share the burden of the economic crisis. But we have continued to move forward, with first-in-the-nation results in student achievement, health care, energy efficiency and job recovery.

The budget decisions have been painful, but we have faced up to them. Because we have been realistic and responsible in our approach, our high bond rating has been reaffirmed three times by all the independent rating agencies. And because we have focused on economic recovery and job growth as our long term strategy, we have seen 45,000 new jobs created on the last four months, business confidence improving, and home sales and retail leasing surging, so that our Commonwealth is coming out of this recession stronger and faster than much of the US and people are seeing a way forward again for themselves and their families.

Listening to some of the campaign rhetoric of my opponent yesterday, former Health Insurance CEO Charlie Baker, just makes the contrast between us even sharper. The simple difference is that he has not been straight with the public.

In particular, Baker proposes over $2 billion in additional tax cuts, on top of the budget cuts we have already made. Yet he refuses to explain what he would cut from the state's budget to make up for that lost revenue.

This goes beyond thoughtlessness: it's reckless.

You and I know what is behind Baker's cuts. It's teachers. It's firefighters. It's police. It's services for our most vulnerable. It's the strength of our communities. Baker is ignoring that reality. But governors have to confront reality, and the fact is Baker cannot cut an additional $2 Billion or more from this budget without devastating our schools and our health care, or jeopardizing the job growth and economic recovery that has begun to take hold.

You know how strongly I feel about generational responsibility, the notion that we owe the next generation every effort to leave a better, stronger Commonwealth than we found. That requires us to face our hard choices honestly, to make them wisely, and that we keep our eye on the horizon. Hope for the best AND work for it. That's what you can count on from me. And that's a difference.

Sincerely,
Deval L. Patrick

New frontiers in pretzel logic of Catholics

So according to the Catholic Church, “the gays” are bad. Really bad. They’ve always been pretty upfront about that, haven’t they?

A big part of that, perhaps, is that “the gays” are waaaaay more into porn than the Adam and Eve-ers. That’s what one bonehead who’s respected enough to have a regular column in the Catholic Pravda thinks is the reason children of “the gays” should not be allowed in Catholic schools. He thinks porny stuffs “go along with the same-sex lifestyle, which — as not being related to procreation — is inherently eroticized and pornographic.’’

Let’s see if that proclamation leads to massive behavior changes among homophobes and deflates the largest business on the intranets: PORN; the subject material of which is most often men having sex with women. If you were a homophobe hetero, wouldn’t you stop watching porn—even straight porn—if someone told you it was “gay”?

But if you don’t have a stake in the interests of “the gays” maybe you know someone who has adopted a child. Nice of folks to do that kind of thing. The believers often encourage adoption as an alternative to allowing women to think and act on their own when it comes to their bodies. Still, they might put those kind folks in a lesser class than, you know, actual parents.

Not so.

Dingbat Barnicle-wannabe sort-of apologized* for his “the gays love porn way more than ‘normal’ people” statements. But according to the Boston Globe, he’s standing by other statements he wrote in the column, including that “gay parents should not be called “parents’’ unless they are biologically related to their children.”

Grab a Latin thesaurus, we need a new word! Maybe “Civil caretakers?”

I guess it’s no surprise that this dumb-dumb doesn’t think the children of civil caretakers who are gay should be allowed into catholic schools. In addition to probably bringing in porn, he thinks it would open the door for paren…sorry, civil caretakers, to “advocate” for their “lifestyle.” He thinks they’re looking for an ‘in’ to recruit!! If you could recruit people into “gaydom” wouldn’t a free sample of gay sex being given by the trusted parish priest be something the church would’ve wanted to avoid?

Ah, but I ramble. The Catholic Church and a good number of their members think “the gays” are bad. Really, really bad. Is this news in ANY way?

----------------------------------
*“I think I probably would not make that point again, and I can see how it would be offensive,” is not an apology. It’s not even close. An apology isn’t even “I’m sorry if anyone felt offended by this,” which the paper said. An apology is “These statements were offensive and I/we apologize for writing/publishing them.”

The Scott Brown, Murkowski thing explained...

Brown goes for profit over protection

The following was written by Scott Brown* and published in the Cape Cod Times to explain his opposition to environmental protection regulations being considered in Washington.

While many of my colleagues have argued that giving the EPA the ability to regulate greenhouse gas emissions would help protect the environment, agree. This action would prevent companies from polluting. But we should let them do whatever they want. Profits are at stake, people!

Americans trying to protect the environment say that this resolution is an attack on the Clean Air Act. The EPA is looking to use newer, effective methods to get better results in meeting its mission. But that is bad. The bottom line is that we can't have every person on the planet worried about the planet. This is why I am supporting Sen. Lisa Murkowski's resolution to oppose these badly needed new EPA regulations.

As I continue doing public appearances, business owners all say the same thing: "We need money, not a planet to live on." For that to happen, America's businesses need the confidence to pollute freely. What Bay State businesses don't need is the federal government protecting the environment with regulations that would dramatically restrict their potential to repeat BPs recent achievements.

Our national unemployment rate is hovering near double digits and Massachusetts energy prices keep going up. That's how supply and demand works. No matter how you feel about the Gulf Coast, there is no arguing that oil-free oceans comes at a high premium. The billions of dollars in extra costs to clean up oopsies like that should be passed on to Massachusetts ratepayers. Now is the time to further increase pollution, add to resulting long-term health costs for businesses, and create massive new layers in the lower economic class.

*These aren't exactly the words Scott Brown used. Though he did use quite a few of the same words, he didn't use all of them. And he put them in a bit of a different order. This organization of some words he used may not exactly express the intent of his word organization. If you want to read his dumb version, follow the CCTimes link, above. But I don't recommend it. You've already wasted a bunch of time reading this.