'Tis the season?

I preface this by stating that I am not being anti-Semitic with my rant today. The occasion is purely coincidental.

I have a niece who is learning-disabled. She attends both individual and group therapy sessions every month.


The other day, she came home with the calendar of events for December. Aside from the usual times and dates for group sessions and special outing (like a trip to Radio City for the Rockettes), a few things leapt out from the page:

December 7 - Hanukkah Begins
December 15 - Hanukkah Ends
December 26 - Kwanzaa Begins

Hmmmm,.......missing a few things? Well, read on, dear friends:

December 24 - Good Friday
December 25 - Holiday - Nothing Scheduled

NOTHING SCHEDULED????

I will let on to you that she attends these sessions in a suburban town that typifies Blue Stater Hell and the Neo-Socialist movement, so it shouldn't come as a big surprise that they, like most Neo-Socs, are systematically trying to eliminate any religious behavior in this country, in favor of a humanist society. Specifically, the Neo-Socs are going after Christmas because its a major symbol of Christianity and Christianity is (still) the largest religious element in this country.

As for me? Well, I'm putting on Trans-Siberian Orchestra's "Christmas Eve Sarajevo."

Bu-u-u-rpp!!

OK,...I gotta say it:

"I can believe I ate the whole thing!"

Actually, several tasty surprises this year. The sister-in-law made a corn pudding and a pumpkin cheese cake that elevates your cholesterol just by being near you!

Plus, a pumpkin/chocolate-chip bread, cranberry/walnut bread, and cranberry sauce based on Merlot wine.

Mmmmmm,...

Of course, nature takes its course and today I am a walking Haz-Mat incident [those who know what that means should get it! ;-) ]

Finally,....what is probably the best part of Thanksgiving dinner:

LEFTOVERS!!!!

BTW - No, I am not so shallow as to forget the true meaning of the day. I have my health and the health of my family. I have relatives and friends over in Iraq who have, so far, managed to keep out of harm's way (prayer works). I have a job and roof over my head. I still have a God-given talent to help the injured. And finally, I have to common sense enough to stay away from the mega-malls (at least until tomorrow).

A UN Scandal? Whodathunkit?

It appears that the son of Secretary-General Kofi Annan made a small fortune in the Iraqi food-for-oil sanction/scam.

According to published reports, Kojo Annan continued to receive payments for services rendered for 4 years longer than the program itself existed!

Of course, a UN spokesman states that all of this was legal. According to Fred Eckhard, Kojo Annan was "under an open-ended, no-compete contract." The payments assured that Kojo would not leave the company and seek employment with a competing firm.

And people look at our problems with Halliburton and cry "foul?"

Ah, well,...off to MataHarley's blog to see if she's onto this story yet!

Tradition!

Its Thanksgiving and I'll be off to my brother's house, facing an annual onslaught of caloric bliss!

As always, my sister-in-law, her sister and 90-year old mother will have made enough food to feed a small town.

The list includes:
Italian Wedding Soup (probably because we're...)
Turkey (natch)
Bread Stuffing with sausage and veggies
Mashed Potatoes
Sweet Potatoes with apples
Corn
Creamed Onions (urrgghh)
Brussell Sprouts (there's another kidney stone forming)
Cranberry Sauce, homemade
Sweet Breads,...like pumpkin, apple-cinnamon, cranberry/blueberry,..etc

And for dessert,...

Apple Pie
Pumpkin Pie
Sweet Potato Pie (courtesy of their next door neighbor)
Mincemeat Pie
Chocolate Roll (formerly made by my mother, now made by me)

Fruits and Nuts
Maalox Shooters

Random Thoughts on Turkey Day

Be very wary of a made-for-TV movie underwritten or sponsored by Tylenol.

Just how many ways can spammers come up with to spell "Cialis??"

Tryptophan,...or trip to the bathroom?

63 degrees on Thanksgiving? Damn,..God must really hate Democrats!

Even Less Respect

So,....Ron Artest appears on the Today Show this morning.

Its his first chance to tell his side of the brawl last Friday, right?

Silly me,....he's there to hawk his new rap CD! (see yesterday's rant)

Well,..I guess a season-long suspension (should be a life-long) will give him plenty of time to plan for concerts and public appearances.

And speaking of rap concerts and all the benevolence that goes with them,...yet ANOTHER Philly HS student was gunned down yesterday. Yes, he was actually the intended target and not a random victim.

The M.O. being offered by the Philly PD?

Competing elements from an upcoming rap contest.

I'll just shake my head in disgust and listen to some Butterfly Boucher.

Fox in the Hen House?

So,...as I'm sitting down to dinner, I'm seeing that Dan Blather is going to retire from CBS news early next year.

Ahhhh,....my appetite grows.

Then I hear he's going to concentrate on "investigative stories" for 60 Minutes!!!

HAHAHAHA,...Irish Stew all over the kitchen!

Wait! Isn't this the same Dan Blather that took a bunch of bogus military documents about GWB and ran with it faster than a robber being chased by the cops (to use a Rather-ism) instead of,..ummm,..what's the word for it?.......Oh, yeah,..he should have "INVESTIGATED" the story before airing it!

Wow! Nice career move, Dan!

Why don't you go write a book about the survivors of D-Day instead? Oh, wait,..been there, done that!

(PLEASE! Do not imply any belittlement of "our finest generation!" I have family in the military right now.)

R-E-S-P-E-C-T?

OK,..I'm not going to bash the whole basketbrawl all over again. However,.....

Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't this the same Ron Artest who wouldn't start playing this year until he was done recording his rap album?

Where's his respect for the coaching staff?

What bothers me more is the underlying degradation of black society as a whole.

Look at some of the recent events:

At the American Music Awards, some rapper didn't get a single award, despite 5 nominations, and raised a ruckus backstage.

Two recent football games, (Cleveland-Pittsburgh) and (Clemson-S.Carolina) erupted into animalistic brawls.

It seems every time there's a Soul Train or Vibe Awards, some sort of melee and mayhem ensue.

And always, the culprit is a "lack of respect."

Define "respect." You aren't given it, you earn it. Generally, not with fists, knives, and guns.

And these people are in the public eye. Their thoughts, words, and deeds trickle down to the general public.

Maybe this explains why you can't get two groups of kids from "rival" housing projects into the same school cafeteria without a major incident breaking out and 12, 15, 20 students getting arrested.

Is 'respect' just becoming another word?

Words

A cup of hot Irish Breakfast tea and life slowly seeps back into my body,.....

Today's word is "Hubris."

Like many Latin words, it has evolved over the centuries through contact with other cultures and the various raping, pillaging, and foreign occupations that occurred through history.

Through that,.."hubris" evolved into "huevudos," a colloquial Spanish term for "balls."

Mayor Street has hubris. A lot of hubris. In fact, if hubris were brains, he'd be the leader for the Mensa Society. ( All apologies to any real Mensa members)

Just when you think he couldn't get more ballsy, Mayor Street announced that he would like to re-name one of Philly's MANY housing projects after his buddy, and almost-convicted felon, the late Ron White.

Jeez,..can somebody loan me about $50K so I can move out of here???

And Where's The Outcry???

Let's see,...4 years ago, GWB named Colin Powell as Secretary of State, thereby placing a man of color into a place of prominence in our government.

Certain "blacktivists" derisively called him "a 21st-Century Uncle Tom."

Now, Dr. Condeleeza Rice has been named as his successor.

A WHITE radio personality called her "Bush's Aunt Jemima!"

Where's the hue and cry of racism from the NAASAA (nee NAACP)?? Where's the Rev Jesse Jackson?

Oh,...that's right? Dr. Rice is a conservative, so I guess taking pot shots at her is OK by them.

Revisiting Dante's Inferno (Revisted)

Confused yet?

Well, I get that way when I'm subjected to 8 hrs of Christmas music all day (MIKE!!!!!!)

Anyway, after Brian Check from Sunny 104.5 earned his spot in hell (not only for programming it, but suggesting that if I didn't like it, I could go to Clear Channel's teeny-pop/rap station in Philly W-Lo-IQ,...I mean, WIOQ - Q102),.....

Now comes WBEB (B-101). They're competing with Sunny 104.5!!!

ARRGGGHHHH!!!!

The pain,..the god-awful pain,.....

Make it go away,.......

Mayor Street Strikes Again!

Well, Philadelphia Mayor John Street (he of the infamous "brothas and sistas are in charge'" speech) has done it again. The Philadelphia Fire Department was only one of two major unions in Philly not to support him in last year's election. So, Mayor Street first tried to get his revenge on the PFD by moving companies around and creating phony manpower needs to justify eliminating companies. That didn't work after several city councilmen and the IAFF Local 22 raised a ruckus and won an injunction.

Now, comes Round 2 - outright layoffs. And who will bear the brunt of this? Yep, the PFD! (The Philly PD will also get some axe cuts, too).

Y'know,..maybe the City should just seize the bank accounts of thieves like Ron White (who died before getting a trail for racketeering) and Faridah Ali (see my earlier posts on her). Hell, I'm sure there's plenty of my 3.5% wage tax SOMEWHERE in their accounts.

Gas Pains

No,..it's not from wannabe-medic Mike's chili recipe (Sorry, Caryn,..)

It seems that in Philadelphia, the gas company wants to shut off the gas in over 22,000 homes because they haven't paid their bills in quite a while.

Today, the local news is all over the bleeding-heart, neo-Socialists who picketed outside a PGW maintenance station.

I'd like to see the local news put that much coverage into the homes of these people who don't pay their bills. If its anything like I've seen when the fire department has to hand out smoke detectors after a fatal fire, I betcha we'd see the following:

- The house has a 50-inch TV (prob HDTV)
- Full-package digital cable to go along with it (and probably not paying for that, either)
- A new Cadillac Escalade, BMW, Beemer, or Chrysler 300 in front of the house


This is not fiction. I've seen it for years when I worked as a medic for a private service. Beautiful homes in what were tonier neighborhoods years ago now look like someone tried to make a silk purse from a sow's ear.

So, the lesson today friends? Prioritize! That HDTV and HBO ain't gonna keep you warm this winter!

All the News That Fits?

I normally don't reference the Philadelphia Inkwaster (not to be confused with the Philly Fishwrapper), but an editorial yesterday on the Scott Peterson trial and 24-hour news coverage got me thinking,...

This morning, as I was watching CNN, I saw a news blurb in the crawl about a man from Oregon who killed HIS pregnant wife, AND his three children. He received a life sentence for the crimes. Now, I don't know much about this case and any readers, please feel free to update me via the comments.

I was just wondering, what made this case (pardon the phrase) so boring, while the Scott Peterson trial was parsed and debated and commented upon ad nauseum for nearly two years?

So to dovetail this into the editorial, the Inkwaster staff posed this scenario:
In the time of the Peterson trial, genocide has been committed in the Sudan, the AIDS epidemic is spreading, phony elections are propping up third-world governments,...and the list went on.

Makes you wonder,...why aren't the 24-hr news channels like CNN and MSNBC devoting the kind of time, talent and energy to these stories that they do to run-of-the-mill crimes?

Could it be that, if they dig enough, the ultimate answer will be that such coverage will expose the UN for the inept, incompetent, and impotent body that it is?

And these were the people that were to administer Kerry's "global test?"

As a old friend of mine says (very often),.."Its all bread and circuses!"

E-A-G-L-E-S!!!

Hehehe! This is for Da Iggles "Gang Green," wherever they are,...

Fly, Eagles, Fly!
On the Road to Vic-tor-y!
Cry, Cowboys, Cry!
You Got Spanked on A-B-C!
Hit 'em High,...
Hit 'em Low,...
You Can't Stop That Guy T.O.!
Oh, Fly, Eagles, Fly!
On the Road to Vic-tor-y!


E-A-G-L-E-S

EAGLES!!!

Hey, Coach Bill "Forrest Gump" Parcells, can you sit down without it hurting, yet?

News,...Lite

For those wondering about the "liberal media agenda," here's something to ponder:

On Wednesday, Yasser Arafat passed away. Thursday morning, the 24-hours news channels were all over the story. I awoke to CNN, MSNBC, and FNC debating the political ramifications of Arafat's death and were the "road map to peace" was going in the future.

Meanwhile, over on the Today show, we have Katie Couric. I believe Ann Coulter once called her "an affable Eva Braun."

So, anyway, Miss Katie of the velvet, knee-high boots (camera angle - you couldn't MISS them) is interviewing the survivor of a hostage incident in La-La Land. She asked such hard-ball questions as "What was it like, being dragged down the street with a gun to your head?"

What was Katie expecting for a reply??? The poor woman, several months pregnant and not used to the glaring lights of TV, looked like a deer in the headlights.

Personally, I think a quip like "Well, you know, Katie,..it was just like another day back home in Tijuana!" (Not stereotyping here) I would have loved the look on Katie's face.

No wonder she gets cast as an animated fish in "Shark's Tale!"

BTW - Recommended reading:

"Weapons of Mass Distortion: The Coming Meltdown of the Liberal Media"
by L. Brent Bozell.

Me? I'm listening to Gavin DeGraw

Dante's Inferno (Revisited)

As you all know from yesterday's posting, there's a special level in hell for people like Yasser Arafat, Saddam Hussein, and Osama bin Laden alongside Adolf Hitler, Josef Stalin and Pol Pot. But just a few levels above that, I am reserving a spot for the program director at WSNI 104.5 FM.
That's www.sunny1045.com/feedback.html

ARRRGGHH!!

For God's sake, people, its not even Thanksgiving and you've gone to Christmas songs 24/7!!!
My ears are still bleeding!

And right next to the programming director in that special spot in Hell, I will send my partner and paramedic-wannabee, Mike!
He played Sunny 104.5 in the ambulance ALL DAY LONG!!

Arrggggghhhh!!!!

Truly Sad News :-(

It is with great sadness to relate that Medic 251, my baby, has been put out to pasture....

Medic 251 started life as the original Medic 201 and served at the East Station beginning in 1996. In 1998, it was nearly totalled in a highway accident and had its box remounted on a new chassis.
In 2001, its air conditioning unit caught fire, damaging the patient care area. After being rebuilt yet again, it returned to service as Medic 251, faithfully serving for another 2 years.

Unfortunately, with new ownership comes new priorities and the repairs needed to its transmission and suspension outweigh its worth. It was removed from service today and will be sold off to another local ambulance squad.

Medic 251 leaves no spouse or children, but will be sadly missed by those who need serious psychotropic therapy.

And, "NO!" Mike, I'm not moving to a &^@%$!$ van!!!

Yasser,..He's Dead

Buh-bye.

And that spinning sound you hear? It's his ass turning slowly on a spit down at Satan's BBQ Shack.

Paging Mr. Fellini!!

Ok,..on a lighter note. A few of my friends and I are into model railroading. Currently, we're building an HO layout in the basement of a friend's house.

On Sunday, after working on the layout for awhile (to keep our minds of the ^%@%#$%@ Eagles!) we broke for some TV.

Oddly enough, right after the red lingerie scene in "Desperate Housewives," one of my friends decided to go back to the layout to work on the tunnel!

Hmmm,....

Someone's Freudian slip is showing!

Hehehe!

:-)

Oh, Canada?

OK,..so all of the tree-hugging, Neo-Socialist Kerry-ites want to run away and move to Canada?

OK,...Bye! Don't let the gate at the border crossing hit you in the ass!

All you're doing by running away is allowing us "rednecks, illiterates, and fascists" (Kerry-ites' opinion of GWB supporters) have a bigger say in 2008 (when Hillary Clinton will get creamed, too).

E-A-G-L-,...yeah, whatever,....

ARRRRGGHHHH!!!!!!!!!


God Damn, guys! 27-3??? How hard could it be to prepare? Big, black guy named Jerome Bettis. Goes by the nickname "The Bus!" Why isn't this guy in the hospital with a dislocated knee? And they started a rookie QB! Why isn't Roethlisberger OOS with a serious concussion from all the sacks The Freak shoulda laid on him???

Remember,..we've got the Cowgirlies next week, on NATIONAL &@^%@%#$ TV!!

DoubleStandard?dradnatSelbuoD

Think somebody's out to screw the US? Let's take a look:

Last week, 9 French soldiers, on a UN peace-keeping mission in the Ivory Coast, were killed. The French have since sent in reinforcements. Kofi Annan, Secretary-General of the UN, have given the French military carte-blanche (hey, we're talking the French here, OK?) to use whatever force is necessary to get the situation under control.

Meanwhile, as the US, British, and Iraqi military prepare to re-take Fallujah, the same Kofi Annan sends letters to President Bush, Primer Minister Blair of the UK, and Prime Minister Allawi of Iraq warning them not to take military action in Fallujah.

Am I missing the plot here???

Oh, yeah, that's right. We didn't ASK the Untied Nations for permission to defend ourselves.

Makes you wonder: if 1000 US fatalities in Iraq makes it a quagmire for us, how many dead French troops before we have to go bail them out?

More on this later,...

Weekly Wrap for 11/7/04

Well,....

WE WON!!

Now President Bush must move forward and not give into the temptation to gloat. (4 more Senate seats and a 52-53% mandate,..hmmm) The Democrats need to give themselves a harsh look in the mirror. This is the key to any harmonious bipartisan agenda.

The Phillies have hired a new manager, Charlie Manuel. ( I called this one a week ago) He's not too terribly liked, according to public opinion in the Daily Fishwrapper, but I like him (natch). Hopefully, he won't be another Ed Wade puppet.

Now,..Da Iggles! 8-0? Gotta be positive. Michael Westbrook is in, Duce Staley's out. Looking good. Gonna take the Birds at -3 and the over (44).

BTW - Shakira's "Objection Tango" is playing right now. A message from someone?

;-)

One Man, One Vote

OK,....not to beat a dead horse (that would invite a visit from Pat's Steaks in South Philly). I just have a few more things about the election I need to clean out of the mental attic:

1) Michael Moore - Hey, asshole! Grow up!

2) Sean "Puff Pastry" Combs - In the 2000 election, 17% of the eligible voters aged 18-24 voted. Now, after you and your rap ilk jumped and aped on stage with your "Vote or Die" campaign,.....17% of the eligible voters aged 18-24 voted on Tuesday. Way to go, Puffy!

3) Michael Medved - Did you really need to stoop to name-calling yesterday? Whatever happened to "freedom of speech?" Calling third parties names like "Losertarians" and "The Constipation Party" serves no good to anyone. The people who support these parties aren't mentally ill. They aren't "wasting their votes." They aren't "living on the fringes of our society," "out of touch with reality," nor are they "egomaniacs looking to draw attention to themselves!"
If people don't like the Democrats or Republicans, they have a Constitutional choice to vote for whomever they choose! You small, selfish man!

Speaking of small men,...

4) Last (at probably least) Osama bin Laden - Nice video on Friday. Didn't do dick for you, did it? On 9/11/2001, you and 20 cowards murdered 3000 people. Since then, the US has done the following:

- Held an Olympic Games on our own soil - without a terrorist attack
- Held TWO major political conventions - without a terrorist attack
- Sent the finest of our athletes halfway around the world to compete - no terrorists attacked
- On November 2nd, 2004, nearly 125 million people exercised their Constitutional right to decide the best way to deal with scum like you. AGAIN - NO TERRORIST ATTACKS!!

You've lost, Osama. Go freeze your ass off in some forbidding cave in Tora Bora. We're still here. We will find you. If we think you're still worth the effort.

"W" is for Victory!

Well,...the people have spoken. Now it can finally be said to the Neo-Socialists in Hollywood:


ELECTED, not SELECTED!

I wish I could drop my usually vindictive persona and extend the hand of peace to Kerry, but I can't. I can only offer up this: get rid of the vitriol and mud in your party, bring back the REAL Democratic ideology, and come back in 2008 and try it again. Until then, keep your mouths shut. The people truly have spoken!

And Anudder Thing!

I just couldn't let this go:

Anybody notice who took in Yasser Arafat for medical care? Yup, our old "allies," the French!

For the French (and John Kerry, too), try this song out:

Hotei Tomoyasu's "Battle Without Honor or Humanity"

I voted today. Did you??

Vote, Dammit! Vote!

It's election day! DO your civic duty and be heard.

How about those EAGLES? 7-0 baby!
(Bastards didn't beat the spread OR the over! Grr-rr-rr!)

So, I'm looking at some rap-related news report (totally by accident) and I see someone referred to as "Prodeje." Now, I'm wondering, is this an Ebonics-related perversion of "prodigy" or "protege'?'' Hmm..maybe if these rappers spent more time in school learning something instead of beating each other silly at lunch time over where they live and with whom they associate, they might (might!) be able to spell both of those words and comprehend their meaning, too!

I mean, once upon a time, the three Rs meant READING, 'RITING, and 'RITHMETIC. Nowadays, in urban public schools, the three Rs are RAPING, ROBBING, and RUNNING from the cops!

BTW - Did I tell you to VOTE today?

Anyway,...did you ever wonder what happened to the REAL Democratic party? The party of people like JFK, mostly blue-collar union guys and old-school Irish- and Italian-Catholics? I used to belong to that party, then I smartened up! ;-)
Zell Miller can't be that far off, neither can Ed Koch. Even here, in the City of Brothas and Sistas, old-school Democrats are breaking ranks and supporting Bush.
Seems these days, the party has been hijacked by neo-Socialists from Hollywood, bound on turning us into another UN puppet state. No individual thought, no innovation (only state-approved industry), and, last but not least, NO RELIGION! Hey, that leaves out the Catholics, since they have two strikes against them: being religious and being Pro-Life (totally anathema to the Democratic dogma).

BTW - Did I remind you to VOTE today?

OK,...Pavarotti's "Nessun Dorma" is done,...I've vented for the moment. After breakfast, I'll be taking my mother (and old-school Catholic Democrat) to vote with me.

OK,...one more time:


GET OUT AND VOTE!!!