Bonnie Prince Charlie is now a grumpy 60-year-old

Prince Charles's grandfather was King George VI, who was on the throne during World War II, was 56 years old at the time of his death.

Charles (pictured) is brooding because he is older than the age at which his grandfather died after reigning as King for 14 years.

Prince Charles is still waiting to begin his reign. He is now the longest-serving king-in-waiting in British history.

If Queen Elizabeth II lives as long as her mother, Prince Charles will be 80 before he gets his first day as King. No matter how long she lives, he must wait for her death to begin his life’s work!

No wonder he is grumpy and brooding.

More of the story here.

Hillary for Sec of State? Really?

There is a report at the link below adding credence to the rumor that Hillary Clinton (pictured) may be asked to be the Secretary of State in the Obama administration.

President-elect Barack Obama met with Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., Thursday in Chicago to discuss the possibility of the senator becoming secretary of state.

This was reportedly not a firm offer, but Obama took a big step toward Hillary.

They were both cautious but again took a big step toward her. She reciprocated.

Obama does not want to be seen as being rejected by her, but it is “hers to turn down,” one source put it.

They have an agreement to have another meeting or phone conversation about this very soon.

Actually, Hillary would probably be better than Madeleine Albright who was secretary of state in the Bill Clinton administration.

Link

Anyone have the time?

People walking past clocks on a plaza at the Canary Wharf economic center in London.

Everyone gets the munchies now and then

Stop me if you’ve heard this one before…

This guy walked in a bar with an alligator on a lease...

At Johnny's Saloon in Orange County, California, it was no joke.

Authorities say a man walked into the bar early Saturday with a one-meter pet gator on a leash.

But by the time police and animal control officers arrived, the gator was in the man's vehicle in the parking lot. So officers followed the man to his home, where another alligator was found.

The gators were impounded for investigation by the Department of Fish and Game.

Alligators are not native to California and it is illegal to keep them as pets.

Link

Ready Set Shake! California earthquake drill

More than 5 million people are took part in what was billed as the nation's largest-ever earthquake drill.

The Great Southern California ShakeOut was designed to create earthquake awareness.



The photo above was taken in Northridge, California January 17, 1994 showing earthquake damage to the parking structure on the campus of California State University. The bowed columns are of reinforced concrete.

Public safety experts hope the Great Southern California ShakeOut will erase any complacency about preparing for the region's seismic dangers.

“ Californians need to be prepared to take care of themselves for at least 72 hours after an earthquake,” said Greg Renick of the state Office of Emergency Services.

More of the ShakeOut story here.

Unusual Sbarro Aero motorcycle

This is the Sbarro Aero by Franco Sbarro, promotes the upcoming Essen Motor Show in Essen, Germany. Some 550 exhibitors from 19 countries will showcase their products from Nov. 29 to Dec. 7.

Thanksgiving must be just around the corner

It’s easy to tell when it is time to think about Thanksgiving.

That’s when Paula Deen’s airbrushed photos are on magazine covers promoting holiday cooking and baking.

Paula looks 20 years younger than her actual age and the stuff she cooks and bakes looks absolutely scrumptious.

Yup, the Good Housekeeping cover shown here is our signal to begin thinking about the holidays.

Gun sales surging after Obama election

Weapons dealers in much of the United States are reporting sharply higher sales since Barack Obama won the presidency.

Bernie Conatser, a gun shop owner in Virginia, has never seen business this good.

“I have been in business for 12 years, and I was here for Y2K, September 11, Katrina,” Conatser said, as a steady stream of customers browsed what remained of his stock. “And all of those were big events, and we did notice a spike in business, but nothing on the order of what we are seeing right now.”



Buyers and sellers attribute the surge to worries that Obama and a Democratic-controlled Congress will move to restrict firearm ownership.

There is also fear that Obama and a Democratic-controlled Congress will raise taxes on gun sales and restrict the sale of certain types of ammunition.

The eventual fear is strict nationwide gun control where the only people with guns would be the military, law enforcement personnel and criminals. It would be the end of game hunting and sport shooting.

Gun clubs offering skeet and trap shooting as well as target practice would be a thing of the past.

With a liberal Congress and a liberal in the White House it will be more about control than simply being against firearms.

Link

How to steal a Senate seat in Minnesota

Republican Norm Coleman was re-elected to the US Senate by 725 votes. With such a narrow victory, a recount is scheduled.

However, even before the official recount, several mysterious votes keep turning up for Democrat Al Franken.

It seems as though he Democrat Farm Labor Party (Democratic Party in Minnesota) knows the votes are not there for their man Al Franken and intends to steal an election even before the official recount.

The Minnesota Secretary of State is Democrat Farm Labor party activist Mark Ritchie who seems to be aiding and abetting the effort to steal the Senatorial election for Al Franken.

Just as Secretary of State Mark Ritchie was explaining to reporters the recount process in one of the narrowest elections in Minnesota history, an aide rushed in with news: Pine County's Partridge Township had revised its vote total upward -- another 100 votes for Democratic candidate Al Franken, putting him within .011 percentage points of Republican U.S. Sen. Norm Coleman.

Then a precinct in Mountain Iron, St. Louis County, mysteriously updated its vote total to add 100 new votes--all 100 for Al Franken.

There was even talk of 32 absentee ballots found in a car trunk - all for Al Franken.

The video below is a discussion of the Minnesota Senate race irregularities on the TV program Hannity and Colmes.

(click on picture to see video)

The video below shows Democratic activist and Minnesota Secretary of State Mark Ritchie talking out of both sides of his mouth - depending on who is listening.

(click on picture to see video)

Link

Our Canadian friends have a sense of humor

(click on picture to enlarge)

The welcome sign speaks volumes. Proof that a picture is worth a thousand words.

An attempt to Quaylize Sarah Palin revealed

A report at the link below is titled, MSNBC retracts false Palin story.

MSNBC was the victim of a hoax when it reported that an adviser to John McCain had identified himself as the source of an embarrassing story about former vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin, the network said Wednesday.

David Shuster, an anchor for the cable news network, said on air Monday that Martin Eisenstadt, a McCain policy adviser, had come forth and identified himself as the source of a Fox News Channel story saying Palin had mistakenly believed Africa was a country instead of a continent.

Sarah Palin (pictured) was not only slandered by a media intent on electing Barack Obama, we now find she was demonized by a McCain policy advisor.

Eisenstadt identifies himself on a blog as a senior fellow at the Harding Institute for Freedom and Democracy. Yet neither he nor the institute exist; each is part of a hoax dreamed up by a filmmaker named Eitan Gorlin and his partner, Dan Mirvish, the New York Times reported Wednesday.

The Eisenstadt claim had mistakenly been delivered to Shuster by a producer and was used in a political discussion Monday afternoon, MSNBC said.

Link

Prince Charles urged to step aside for William

A Daily Mail report at the link below says that Camilla has 60 small, highly personal gifts for her husband Prince Charles (upper picture) when he turns 60 on Friday.

Alas, the one present she can't give him is what he wants most: the crown.

Charles, who is not famed for his sunny disposition, will be only too aware that this milestone could be a millstone.

The birthday is sure to reignite debate about the pros and cons of Charles III. And, even worse, Queen Camilla.

If Queen Elizabeth II lives as long as her mother, Prince Charles will be 80 before he gets his first day as King.

Waiting for your mother to die until you can begin your life's work is a uniquely infantilising role.

Why shouldn’t Prince Charles step aside and let Wills (Prince William - lower picture) on the throne when the Queen dies?

Wills is very popular while Charles is stodgy and a bit of a bore. Actually, he is a big bore.

Traditionalists tell us there is no choice. A hereditary monarchy is not a popularity contest.

If Charles rather than Wills ascends to the throne it may be much more difficult to defend the high annual cost of maintaining the monarchy in the eyes of younger Britons.

The younger, more popular Wills would have a greater chance to maintain enthusiasm for the monarchy. Enthusiasm that will rapidly wane with a King Charles III and a Queen Camilla.

Link

The change Obama promised

Pelosi pushes automaker rescue - Paulson says not so fast

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid are pushing for sweeping financial assistance for the ailing U.S. auto industry.

Pelosi said Tuesday she was confident that lawmakers meeting next week in a lameduck session would consider “emergency and limited financial assistance” for the auto industry under the $700 billion bailout measure that passed Congress in October.

Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson called autos a “critical industry in this country” but said the government's $700 billion financial rescue program wasn't designed to help automakers.

Paulson said Congress could try to make funding more available to the auto industry as part of a $25 billion loan program approved in September to develop fuel-efficient vehicles.

The Bush administration has concluded that the bailout bill that passed earlier does not allow loans to the auto industry.

The Bush administration has said the companies had made business decisions “over the years that have led to this situation, but we have gone as far as we can with the authority Congress has given in order to help industries.”

More of the story here.

Texas councilman: pull up those saggy pants

Dallas Councilman Dwaine Caraway is on a crusade against saggy pants.

As part of his ongoing campaign against saggy, underwear-exposing pants, the mayor pro tem held a summit Saturday. More than 100 adults, children, students, ministers, law enforcement officers and representatives from local organizations attended the hours-long derriere affair.

Local youth counselor Calvin Glover even brought a contingent of saggy bottom teens. The group piled into two elevators and made its way to the council chamber. Saggy britches, big belt buckles and untucked T-shirts were in abundance.

One 16-year-old, in defense of saggy pants said, “It's just a style. It looks good like that.”

A former saggy pants wearer said, “Come on, man, I don't want to see your dirty boxers that you've had on for two or three days. I mean, really.”

Link

Someone in UK gets it! It’s the Obama cult

Sometimes it takes an outsider to see us for what we really are. We are often too close to the forest to see the trees.

Peter Hitchens can see us more clearly from across the pond. His Daily Mail article at the link below is titled, The night we waved goodbye to America ... our last best hope on Earth. It refers to the consequences of our presidential election.

Hitchens writes:

The swooning frenzy over the choice of Barack Obama (pictured) as President of the United States must be one of the most absurd waves of self-deception and swirling fantasy ever to sweep through an advanced civilization.

At least Mandela-worship – its nearest equivalent – is focused on a man who actually did something.

He certainly got that right! Obama’s accomplishments that have been made known (we actually know very little about him) consist of voting “present” during his stint as an Illinois state Senator and four years as a mostly absentee U.S. Senator. Much of that time he was out campaigning rather than tending to the nations business, the job for which he was elected.

Back to the Hitchens article:

I really don’t see how the Obama devotees can ever in future mock the Moonies, the Scientologists or people who claim to have been abducted in flying saucers. This is a cult like the one which grew up around Princess Diana, bereft of reason and hostile to facts.

It already has all the signs of such a thing. The newspapers which recorded Obama’s victory have become valuable relics. You may buy Obama picture books and Obama calendars and if there isn’t yet a children’s picture version of his story, there soon will be.

His cliché-stuffed, PC clunker of an acceptance speech suffered badly from nerves. It was what you would expect from someone who knew he’d promised too much and that from now on the easy bit was over.

And it was interesting how the President-elect failed to lift his admiring audience by repeated – but rather hesitant – invocations of the brainless slogan he was forced by his minders to adopt against his will – ‘Yes, we can’. They were supposed to thunder ‘Yes, we can!’ back at him, but they just wouldn’t join in. No wonder.

Yes we can what exactly? Go home and keep a close eye on the tax rate, is my advice. He’d have been better off bursting into ‘I’d like to teach the world to sing in perfect harmony’ which contains roughly the same message and might have attracted some valuable commercial sponsorship.

Yes, it’s the cult of Obama that outsiders can see plainly. It won’t be long before most will be able to see it here in America as well. By then all that will be left for those who voted for him will be buyers remorse.

Link

Guinness record longest running TV commercial

A delightful commercial showing a little old lady throwing a tire through a tire store window was declared the longest running TV commercial by Guinness in 2004.

Joining the ranks of Charmin's Mr. Whipple, Wendy's affable founder Dave Thomas and the Lonely Maytag Repairman, is the little old lady from the Discount Tire ad, which has just earned the company a place in Guinness World Records as the Longest Running TV Commercial.

(click on picture to see video)

Link

McCain claims Palin did not damage ticket

The old walrus finally tells the nation that Sarah Palin (pictured) did not damage the ticket. Why did he wait so long and then choose a late night TV show?

John McCain said Tuesday that Sarah Palin did not damage his presidential bid, and he dismissed as typical campaign sniping anonymous criticism aimed at her following their crushing defeat.

“I'm so proud of her and I'm very grateful she agreed to run with me. She inspired people, she still does,” McCain told Jay Leno during an Tonight Show interview taped for broadcast Tuesday night. “I couldn't be happier with Sarah Palin.”

Asked by Leno about griping about Palin from unidentified McCain operatives in the days following the election, the Arizona senator said, “These things happen in campaigns.”

Yes, those things do happen in campaigns - in poorly run campaigns.

Sarah Palin drew much larger crowds than Joe Biden. Her appearances were before many thousands in large venues while Biden often appeared before less than 2,500 (sometimes only a few hundred) in High School gymnasiums.

Sarah Palin was not a drag on the ticket. McCain was the drag. As one wag wrote, “she carried Yosemite Sam on her back while wearing heels the whole distance.”

Link

Study shows media favored Obama campaign

This is another study showing political bias in the media.

Comments made by sources, voters, reporters and anchors that aired on ABC, CBS and NBC evening newscasts over the past two months reflected positively on Obama in 65 percent of cases, compared to 31 percent of cases with regards to McCain, according to the Center for Media and Public Affairs.

Link

Will attempts to prevent free speech resume after Jan 20?

The Obama campaign attempted to use Missouri law enforcement to intimidate people in order to suppress free speech.

They assembled a “truth squad” of law enforcement officials to intimidate Obama critics from speaking out against the Democratic presidential candidate.

It was so blatant that Missouri Governor Matt Blunt posted this on his official web site:

Obama and the leader of his Missouri campaign Senator Claire McCaskill have attached the stench of police state tactics to the Obama-Biden campaign.

“What Senator Obama and his helpers are doing is scandalous beyond words, the party that claims to be the party of Thomas Jefferson is abusing the justice system and offices of public trust to silence political criticism with threats of prosecution and criminal punishment.

“This abuse of the law for intimidation insults the most sacred principles and ideals of Jefferson. I can think of nothing more offensive to Jefferson’s thinking than using the power of the state to deprive Americans of their civil rights.

What will happen to those who speak out against Obama after he is in the White House?

Link

No Holliday for Rockies or Cardinals

A possible deal to send premier slugger Matt Holliday (pictured) to the St. Louis Cardinals did not materialize. However, the deal to send Holliday from the Colorado Rockies to the Oakland A’s seems to be final.

Holliday, 28, is a three-time Major League all-star outfielder. He finished second to Philadelphia's Jimmy Rollins in the 2007 National League MVP race, when the Rockies won the pennant and went to the World Series for the first time in franchise history.

Rockies fans aren't happy about the news. Holliday is a home-grown talent who has become one of the best players in the league and a fan favorite.

The perception is that Rockies ownership doesn't care about winning because they can't pay all-star players to stay in Colorado.

Link

Veterans Day 2008

As a proud veteran, it is an honor and a privilege to salute everyone who served in the United States Military on this Veterans Day 2008.

Proudly remembering my military service on this Veterans Day

Operating a telegraph key at Camp Moore, near Keio University, Hiyoshi, Japan as Chief Radio Operator, 40th Anti-Aircraft Artillery Brigade.

Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway profit falls 77%

Billionaire Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway Inc. saw third-quarter net income decreased 77 percent.

Berkshire Hathaway posted a fourth straight profit drop, the longest streak of quarterly declines in more than a decade, as hurricanes hurt returns at insurance operations and investments lost value.

The 78-year-old Buffett (pictured) committed more than $28 billion this year to acquire companies, finance buyouts and purchase securities as prices fall and competitors have limited cash and even more limited access to credit.

More of the story here. A list of the Berkshire Hathaway holdings can be found here.

Two masks are better than one for South Carolina robber

A burglar wore two masks when he robbed a house in South Carolina.

Authorities said a man wore not one, but two masks when he broke into a house in Beaufort on Wednesday.

The Beaufort Gazette reported the suspect got away with a woman's purse and several other items.

He was draped in a sheet, but when the victim's son chased the burglar and tore the sheet off his head, it revealed only a white-faced mask similar to the one worn by the villain in the movie "Scream."

Link

Congressman warns of Obama dictatorship

Rep. Paul Broun (R-GA) said he fears that President-elect Obama will establish a Gestapo-like security force to impose a Marxist or fascist dictatorship.

“It may sound a bit crazy and off base, but the thing is, he's the one who proposed this national security force,” Rep. Paul Broun (pictured) said of Obama in an interview Monday with The Associated Press. “I'm just trying to bring attention to the fact that we may — may not, I hope not — but we may have a problem with that type of philosophy of radical socialism or Marxism.”

Congressman Broun referred to a July speech by Obama that has circulated on the Internet in which the then-Democratic presidential candidate called for a civilian force to take some of the national security burden off the military.

“That's exactly what Hitler did in Nazi Germany and it's exactly what the Soviet Union did,” Broun said. “When he's proposing to have a national security force that's answering to him, that is as strong as the U.S. military, he's showing me signs of being Marxist.”

“We can't be lulled into complacency,” Broun said. “You have to remember that Adolf Hitler was elected in a democratic Germany. I'm not comparing him to Adolf Hitler. What I'm saying is there is the potential.”

Look for others voicing similar fears in the coming months.

Link

What’s cookin’ at the Culinary Olympics?

(click on picture to enlarge)

Nearly 1,600 chefs from all over the world converge on Erfurt, Germany for the 23rd International Exhibition of Culinary Art, a.k.a. the Culinary Olympics.

Biden booed at Eagles-Giants football game

Vice President-elect Joe Biden (pictured) got the same reception as Dallas Cowboy fans and any visiting team football fans at the game Sunday between the Philadelphia Eagles and the New York Giants.

He got booed.

As Eagles fans watched their team lose to the New York Giants Sunday night, a shot of Biden on the big screen elicited boos from the notoriously tough home crowd.

Biden sat in Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie's box, taking in the game during his first weekend off since Tuesday's election.

Link

More arrogant than Nixon or LBJ

We have seen arrogant men elected to the highest office of the land.

Lyndon Baines Johnson, Richard Millhouse Nixon and William Jefferson Clinton come to mind. They are wimps compared to Barack Hussein Obama.



This picture was taken during his first press conference in Chicago following his election victory.

Do you recall any of them using a lectern sign saying, The Office of the PRESIDENT ELECT?

Obama to use executive orders for immediate impact

It is not uncommon for a new president to use executive orders when he assumes command.

John Podesta (pictured), Obama's transition chief, said Obama is planning to use executive orders of his own.

John Podesta said Obama is reviewing President Bush's executive orders on those issues and others as he works to undo policies enacted during eight years of Republican rule. He said the president can use such orders to move quickly on his own.

"There's a lot that the president can do using his executive authority without waiting for congressional action, and I think we'll see the president do that,” Podesta said. “I think that he feels like he has a real mandate for change. We need to get off the course that the Bush administration has set.”

Link

Fuzzy math on new car mileage stickers

If you have been looking at cars in dealers showrooms recently, you may have noticed that new car “window sticker” mileage ratings are lower than they were before September 2007.

A little less than two years ago the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) decided to revise the tests it uses to determine the official fuel-economy rating for new automobiles.

It was no secret that before the revision, the actual gas mileage delivered by a new car tended to be significantly lower than what was promised by the official “window sticker” ratings.

The new EPA tests account for more realistic vehicle operation - faster driving, acceleration and deceleration and air-conditioning use.

As a result fuel-economy ratings have dropped about 12% for city driving and about 8% for highway driving. When the new tests kicked in, a 2006 Toyota Prius, for instance, went from having a 55 m.p.g. combined efficiency rating to 46 m.p.g. — overnight.

Now, when buying a new car, the “window sticker” mileage ratings won’t be as attractive but they will be more accurate.

Link

National holiday planned for Obama? It’s gotta be a joke!

According to a Topeka, Kansas newspaper web site, plans are being made to promote a national holiday for Barack Obama.

“Yes We Can” planning rallies will be at 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. every Tuesday at the downtown McDonald's restaurant, 1100 Kansas Ave., until Jan. 13. The goals are to secure a national holiday in Obama's honor, to organize celebrations around his inauguration.

At 7:30 a.m. on Inauguration Day, Obama Cake will be served at the downtown McDonald's, and a celebration is scheduled for 8 p.m. to midnight Jan. 20.

Why stop at a national holiday? How about his picture on a postage stamp? Up until now, notable people do not appear on stamps while they are still alive. Of course, Obama could change that rule by executive order after he is inaugurated.

It would be easier, and more appropriate, to put his picture on food stamps instead.

Just wondering ... will the Obama cake be black? Will people in Topeka be racist if they don't participate?

Link

Palin just couldn’t drag Mac across the finish line

(click on cartoon to enlarge)

One Internet poster said, “Yosemite Sam would not have come close without Sarah Palin dragging him along - while wearing heals no less.”

Autovolantor flying car

Inventor Paul Moller has been trying to design a successful flying car for decades.

The latest Moller attempt is based on a Ferrari 599. The drivetrain has been changed to an electric unit that is recharged by one of the car's eight rotary engines when the batteries are run down.

When ready to fly, the car is lifted off the ground and propelled forward by eight "Rotapower" rotary engines. The vehicle can theoretically fly up to 150 mph and go 40 miles on the ground on electric power only.

The company estimates that the prototype cost about $5 million, but that modest volumes of Autovolantors could be produced for $250,000 each. Given that the models in the photos appear to be modified die casts, it remains to be seen whether or not this idea will ever get off the ground.

We probably shouldn’t get too excited just yet.

There are three valid reasons why this winged Ferrari will never fly at this link.

More on the Moller Autovolantor here.

Goldy Hawn has bad hair day

This is not your father’s Democratic Party!

The political party that has now been given the power to govern this country is not your father’s Democratic party.

It is not the Democratic Party of Harry Truman nor is it the Democratic Party of John F. Kennedy.

The inauguration of the most liberal president in the history of this country will surely put an end to laissez-faire* thinking in our government in Washington.

The following events will be inevitable with Barack Obama in the White House. Some of the events listed will happen sooner and some will happen later - but they will happen:

1. Complete nationalization of the banking system. Not just the largest banks that have recently been propped up by the feds, but eventually all banks in every state.

2. Nationalization of the auto industry - General Motors, Ford and Chrysler.

3. Nationalization of the health care industry.

4. Nationalization of the oil industry.

5. Nationalization of utilities.

6. Unionization of all types of businesses no matter how small. Then it will only be a matter of time before it will be unlawful to buy or sell without the ‘union label’ (mark of the beast?) on every product or service.

When this has all been accomplished, it will be a simple matter to nationalize other businesses that will then be failing or near failure because of their required participation in top-heavy union contracts.

Barack Obama has already promised to bankrupt the coal industry as shown here.

No, this is your father’s Democratic Party!

*Laissez-faire is the practice of noninterference in the affairs of others and the belief that government should intervene as little as possible in the direction of economic affairs.