Hillary Clinton, Dealing with the Devil

Hillary Clinton appeared on Five Sunday Morning TV Talk Shows today. I presume her purpose was to reassure Americans, Israelis, and other Middle East nations that everything is going to OK in Egypt. I saw her on three of those appearances and she said almost the same thing on each program. It’s what she did not say that is of concern. She did not tell the audience of any contingency plans if Egyptians are killed in the streets by police or soldiers. She did not tell of any plans if Islamic extremists take control of Egypt. She did not discuss the possible revocation of the Egypt-Israel peace treaty that has been in place for 30 years.

In other words, no one, outside of the American government, knows what plans have been made to confront the possible consequences of the ouster of Hosni Mubarak as president of Egypt.

The troubling fact is that Egyptian soldiers stood in their U.S. made Abrams tanks as people protest in Tahrir Square in Cairo. Police used U.S. made tear gas to quell the crowds. Is it just possible that Egyptians will remember who provided the military ammunition and hardware that has sustained a 30 year dictator?

The United States keeps making deals with despots and dictators as long as they support America’s point of view. In other words American administrations make deals with devils and hope those devils will not attempt to collect. Does America really support the idea of real democracy everywhere in the world? Probably not. The United States wants nations who will support American interests.

Proof That The World Is Nuts

In Lebanon , men are legally allowed to have sex with animals, but the animals must be female. Having sexual relations with a male animal is punishable by death.

(Like THAT makes sense.)

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In Bahrain , a male doctor may legally examine a woman’s genitals, but is prohibited from looking directly at them during the examination. He may only see their reflection in a mirror.

(Do they look different reversed?)

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Muslims are banned from looking at the genitals of a corpse. This also applies to undertakers. The sex organs of the deceased must be covered with a brick or piece of wood at all times.

(A brick?)

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The penalty for masturbation in Indonesia is decapitation.

(Much worse than ‘going blind!’)

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There are men in Guam whose full-time job is to travel the countryside and deflower young virgins,who pay them for the privilege of having sex for the first time

Reason: under Guam law, it is expressly forbidden for virgins to marry.

(Let’s just think for a minute; is there

any job anywhere else in the world that even comes close to this?)

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In Hong Kong , a betrayed wife is legally allowed to kill her adulterous husband, but may only do so with her bare hands.

The husband’s illicit lover, on the other hand, may be killed in any manner desired.

(Ah! Justice!)

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Topless saleswomen are legal in Liverpool , England – but only in tropical fish stores.

(But of course!)

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In Cali , Colombia , a woman may only have sex with her husband, and the first time this happens, her mother must be in the room to witness the act.

(Makes one shudder at the thought.)

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In Santa Cruz , Bolivia , it is illegal for a man to have sex with a woman and her daughter at the same time.

(I presume this was a big enough problem that they had to pass this law?)

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In Maryland , it is illegal to sell condoms from vending machines with one exception: Prophylactics may be dispensed from a vending machine only in places where alcoholic beverages are sold for consumption on the premises.’

(Is this a great country or what?

Well,…. not as great as Guam !)

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Banging your head against a wall uses 150 calories an hour.

(Who volunteers for these tests?)

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The ant can lift 50 times its own weight, can pull 30 times its own weight and always falls over on its right side when intoxicated.

(From drinking little bottles of ???)

(Did our government pay for this research??)

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Butterflies taste with their feet..

(Ah, geez.)

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An ostrich’s eye is bigger than its brain.

(I know some people like that.)

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Starfish don’t have brains.

(I know some people like that, too.)

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And, the best for last?

Turtles can breathe through their butts.

(And I thought I had bad breath in the morning!)

Thank you all for reading this.

If you need to reach me in the future, I will be in Guam !!!!!!

They Changed My Zodiac Sign

After all these years of believing that I am an Aries it now turns out that I am a Pisces. I also notice that there was an error on my birth certificate. It is a pre-printed form that a clerk completes. The certificate is dated one year prior to my birth. If only my birth was shown to be one year later I could be president of the United States. Maybe that is the president’s problem.

According to ABC News my chances of not having a car accident are relatively good. These new Zodiac sign dates were provided by the same ABC News and Allstate statistics.

My wife refuses to honor the new sign and I don’t care.

Here is the line up

Virgo old dates: Aug 23 – Sept 22 new dates: Virgo: Sept. 16- Oct. 30

Leo old dates: July 23 – Aug 22 new dates: Leo: Aug. 10- Sept. 16

Taurus old dates: Apr 20 – May 20 new dates: Taurus: May 13- June 21

Pisces old dates: Feb 19 – March 20 new dates: March 11- April 18

Sagittarius old dates: Nov 22 – Dec 21 new dates: Dec. 17- Jan. 20

Gemini old dates: May 21 – June 20 new dates: Gemini: June 21- July 20

Capricorn old dates: Dec 22 – Jan 19 new dates: Jan. 20 – Feb. 16

Aries old dates: Mar 21 – Apr 19 new dates: April 18- May 13

Libra old dates: Sept 23 – Oct 22 new dates: Oct. 30- Nov. 23

Aquarius old dates: Jan 20 – Feb 18 new dates: Feb. 16 – March 11

Cancer old dates: June 21 – July 22 new dates: Cancer: July 20- Aug. 10

Ophiuchus: the new zodiac Nov. 29- Dec. 17

Scorpio old dates: Oct 23 – Nov 21 new dates: Nov 23 – Nov. 29

The Price of Democracy

Egyptian anti-government activists

It is astonishing that a wave of public demand for freedom is spreading across the Arabic world. First starting in Tunisia and spreading to Yemen and Egypt. There is talk on CNN that this public uprising could spread to many other Arabic nations. This is a situation that President George W. Bush publicly promoted.

One of President George W. Bush’s stated reasons for starting the war in Iraq was to bring democracy to that country. He stated in December 2006 that “[We] are committed to a strategic goal of a free Iraq that is democratic, that can govern itself, defend itself and sustain itself.” More broadly, the Bush Administration had viewed democracy promotion as an instrument for combating terrorism.

It was the United States that supported free elections in Gaza. The consequence is a government that has as its primary goal the destruction of Israel.

The United States has historically wanted to support democracy around the world but simultaneously has partnered with dictators that have given themselves the title of president. It’s a title that dictators believe gives them legitimacy and the prestige of public support.

What will America’s view of democracy in other nations be if Arabic nations overthrow their dictators and kings and replace them with Islamic governments that oppose our positions and views?

WTF Does Not Mean “Winning the Future”

Is Sarah Palin trying to be funny? Does she know the meaning of WTF? As someone who never uses the F word, I did not know the meaning of WTF. I had to Google the meaning. For her to use those letters says she does know. Wait, she also used the words “blood libel” just last week in her defense of targeting the people she opposes in Congress. Does she know the history related to those words?

Listen carefully to her words. She thinks that the USSR won the space race. We all know that the Russians were first into space but it was the United States that put men on the moon. Where was Sarah Palin? She rambled on about the right of the people to petition the government which had nothing to do with the question asked about civility in government.

The Republican Party cannot be taking this fool seriously. Maybe I don’t understand. Perhaps the party would prefer losing the next presidential election.

Kodak, a Company That Lost It’s Way

Eastman Kodak 4Q Profits for 2010 fell 95%. This is the company that started the age of hobbyist photography.

Camera’s date back to 1817 but it was George Eastman who developed a simple box camera with a fixed-focus lens and single shutter speed, which along with its relatively low price appealed to the average consumer.

No matter what brand of film camera you owned most of the film was produced by Eastman Kodak. Most people simply referred to the film as Kodak Film.

Way back in 1975 — when Kodachrome color slides and Kodak Instamatics were all the rage — Kodak researcher Steve Sasson built the first digicam, cobbled together from spare parts and leading edge digital technology. More details here.

The management at Kodak foolishly did not see the future. Other companies did see the future in digital photography. Kodak clung to film cameras too long and relied on the income the film provided too long and was left behind.

This is not the first famous company to disappear. Remember RCA, Zenith, Montgomery Ward, and Woolworth’s? Someone has compiled a list at http://www.walletpop.com/photos/companies-that-have-vanished/.

You Know

I like Kathleen Parker, the Washington Post columnist, but she is not a good speaker. She was interviewed on CNN’s John King’s USA program just prior to the president’s State of the Union speech. In that interview she used the words “you know” at least five times. The interview lasted about three minutes. Compare her speaking skills with John King, Eliot Spitzer, or any of the guests on Parker Spitzer and you quickly realize she needs some help.

“You know” is one of the most commonly used phrases when a speaker is trying to decide what the next words she wants to say. In other words, these are filler words. Other common fillers are “UM…ER…AH…”

The solution to this dilemma is participation in Toastmasters. This international organization will help you to become a better speaker. You could become an outstanding speaker. Toastmasters chapters are in cities throughout the world. This isn’t just a male thing. Consider Sarah Palin and Michelle Bachmann as examples of women who are outstanding speakers. The best speaker I know is a woman with a serious hearing loss. Linnaea Mallette holds an advanced certification from Toastmasters. Her Read My Lips Tips for Success web site is in my Blogroll.

Kathleen Parker! Do you hear me!

Cruise Ships Canceling Mazatlan Stop, Citing Crime

This report from the Associated Press supports my contention that travel to Mexico is not safe. See “Mexico Vacation Awareness What the travel industry doesn’t want you to know” on Blogroll to the right.

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MEXICO CITY (AP) — Some cruise ship companies are canceling stops in the Mexican Pacific port of Mazatlan and others are considering it due to crime against tourists.

Disney Wonder has dropped calls to Mazatlan from its seven-night Mexican Riviera tour and replaced them with an additional stop in Cabo San Lucas on the Baja California peninsula.

“Safety is very important to us and we believe this change is necessary to provide the best family vacation experience for our guests,” Company spokeswoman Christi Erwin Donnan said in an e-mail Wednesday.

Read the rest of this report here.

A Sputnik Moment

The president may have called this A Sputnik Moment but his speech did not reflect that feeling. There was no call to a vision that inspires Americans to dream of a new day or a new goal. Sputnik inspired America to new achievements. Nothing the president said in his state of the union address prompted that kind of inspiration. There was no vision of the future. Nothing was inspiring.

At least the president should have told us about his ideas to invigorate the economy in a way that would re-employ the 7 million people that were employed before this recession started. His words were “innovation” and “education.” Neither of those events will re-employ the 6 million people who have used their 99 weeks of extended unemployment benefits.

Re-organizing the government, reducing tax incentives for oil companies, vetoing laws that have earmarks, and reducing tax breaks for the wealthiest Americans will not bring the American economy back to life.

Republicans contemplating running for the presidency will be motivated to enter the coming primaries.

#1	90	firearms per 100 people	U.S.A.
#2	61	firearms per 100 people	Yemen
#3	46	firearms per 100 people	Switzerland
#13	31	firearms per 100 people	Canada
#42	15	firearms per 100 people	Mexico
#88	6	firearms per 100 people	U.K.