Revised blog - invitation to critique

This is an invitation to family members to examine my revised blog* and make suggestions/comments. This revision was accomplished over the weekend with help from Patrick. I am working on a mailing list to accompany the blog but I am not there yet. Patrick has set up the mechanics for the list, but, as usual, the devil is in the details. You may create a shortcut to this blog for your desktop so you can return from time to time. I would be interested in knowing if anyone in the family other than me and Patrick has a blog going. Many people put a lot of personal stuff on their blog but mine is tends to be less so.

My web site remains on-line at www.archibald99.com.

*Blog is short for weblog. A weblog is a journal (or newsletter) that is frequently updated and intended for general public consumption. Blogs generally represent the personality of the author or the Web site. www.bytowninternet.com/glossary

Repair or replace: a decision made

My all-in-one printer, scanner, copier (Epson Stylus Photo RX600), bought in April 2004, (you guessed it, warranty exhausted) broke last week and I tried the Problem Solving suggestions in the owner’s manual several times. The black and light cyan ink cartridges would not respond when I tried to print, and there were color variations in copying. This week I called Epson service and paid $9.95 for (flat-rate) technical assistance, plus the phone call charges. (A phone number in California was routed to a woman outside Toronto, Canada.) After almost 23 minutes of re-doing what I had been doing on my own nickel without resolving the problem, she gave me the names and numbers of two authorized repair shops, both more than 100 miles distance from Charleston, S.C. The first shop in Savannah, Georgia, had a customer-friendly rep that walked me through the costs of shipping each way (undetermined), assessing ($50, applied to repairs – if made), and repairing the machine (labor $90 per hour, plus parts). We talked over the low cost of a new all-in-one, improvements in the technology since 2004, and the uncertainty of final repair costs. “The numbers aren’t with you,” he said, “but you decide.” I’m going to get a new all-in-one (HP Photosmart 3210).

The Epson will be re-cycled to a local charity which has a special shop for computers and related gear. They keep a couple of workers on payroll who fix such items up and sell them. Maybe they will have good-luck with this all-in-one.

Movie Diplomacy

Has anyone else noticed that when Germans elect a new Chancellor and he/she makes the obligatory diplomatic call on the occupant of the White House, some American movie channel shows uncut, uncensored and uninterrupted re-runs of The Longest Day and Patton?

Remaking Blog Page

This is a remake of my blog page done on January 22,2006. The Archives on the right of this page cannot be search by the blogger search in the upper left-hand corner as they are from an earlier period when they were not entirely saved on this blogger.com server. They can, however, be examined by clicking on one of the monthly periods. You can return to this page by clicking on the Back button.

Dress Nice

I just saw the Presidents of Iran and Syria standing side-by-side at an airport. The best thing which could be done for these two is to send them on an all-expense paid trip to London or Rome and get them a tailor. Their suits are an embarrassment to management everywhere.
Have a nice day, and dress nice.
#262 (06-02)

The Hollywood Cowboy

Despite talk of Oscars for Brokeback Mountain and its actors, I believe that for millions of people like myself the lasting image of the Hollywood cowboy will be John Wayne sitting astride a big horse, six-gun on his hip, rifle laying at the ready across his saddle, pushing a herd of cows across the plain - not two lightweights on a sheep farm falling in love with each other.
#262 (06-01)

Syriana

If anyone can figure out how all the sub-plots and connivances in the movie Syriana fit together let me know. I saw it last night and did not understand it. This is an anti-CIA movie because you have the Agency targeting and killing a forward thinking Saudi prince just to keep an incompetent prince in power and protect the interests of American oil companies. The Agency would not do this. It would take too many case officers and technicians and the story would leak in a heartbeat.
#261 (05-52)

Note: This is the last posting for 2005.

"No" to Arnold

California voters said "No" to their Governor, Arnold Schwarznegger, by defeating four initiatives he had promoted and put seveal million dollars of his own money behind, in voting on November 8, 2005. The voters made it clear they would not dump on teachers and unions, nor did they trust any Governor to trim the state budget unilaterally or three retired judges to carve up the legislative districts. This ought to put an end to the talk of amending the U.S. Constitution so Arnold, born in Austria, would be able to run for President. He will face a tough re-election bid next time out.
#260 (05-51)

J. Palmer Gaillard Jr.

On the evening of October 19, a native Charlestonian, World War II naval aviator, successful businessman and former mayor of the city spoke at the Friends of the Berkeley Library meeting in Goose Creek.
See J. Palmer Gaillard Jr. under Columns Current - above - for a full report on this entertaining speaker.
#259 (05-50)

Q#1

Is Ben Bernanke's checkbook balanced?
#258 (05-49)

Quick off the mark

The Iraqis have fullfilled George Bush's dream. They learned, all too quick, about voting. Two days after the Nationwide vote to decided the future of a proposed constitution inquires are underway in several districts where the vote was 99% favorable. Such a vote would have made Boss Tweed and Mayor Daley cry in their beer. Only Stalin had a greater percentage of victory.
#257 (05-48)
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Time to move on

Ok, it is time to move on to other subjects. The Red Sox are out of the playoffs.
The new questions: Where is the Bush administration master plan for rebuilding New Orleans? It was promised in that speech in the curtained off square in NO by Himself.
Will we let countries who practice censorship and thought control have any say-so in running the Internet? This is under discussion in the United Nations, and China, Iran and Saudi Arabia are lining up to have a major say.
Why do we have more than 2,000 young people locked up in prisons for life, something only two or three other nations do? Some of these people were sentenced when they were only 13 years old.
#286 (05-47)
Comment to: archinsc@knology.net

Red Sox in playoffs

The Red Sox split the weekend games with the Yankees and got into the playoffs as the fourth team. Yanks won on Saturday, Sox on Sunday. Cleveland lost to Chicago both days. It is now Red Sox and White Sox and Yankees Vs Angels.
#285 (05-46)
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It is down to two

Red Sox won last night and are even with the Yankees on the season. Today and tomorrow will tell the story.
#284 (05-45)
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It is down to three

The Red Sox and the Yankees begin a three-game set tonight in Fenway Park which will decide the Division race for the year. Yanks have good pitching and hitting at this time and the Sox have mediocre pitching and no so consistent hitting. None the less, hopes run high in the Red Sox Nation. It will be written in the wind by Sunday night.
#283 (05-44)
Comment to: archinsc@knology.net

Posting directly to this blog

Today I discovered how to post directly to this blog using the Google taskbar. This discovery came from reading a Google Friends Newsletter.
#282 (05-43)

Hurricane Names

CNN said on its web site today:
"The largest number of named storms ever recorded was 21 in 1933, a record that will be broken if just seven more storms develop in the next 12 weeks. And if that happens, the hurricane center will run out of names...
"The letters Q, U, X, Y and Z aren't used, because few names begin with those letters, so the 21st and last name on this year's hurricane list is Wilma."
How about Quentin (as in Tarantino), Ulysses (S. Grant), Xavier (Cugat), Yogi (Bera) and Zeus, (the youngest son of Cronus and Rhea, he was the supreme ruler of Mount Olympus and of the Pantheon of gods who resided there.)
See there, simple.
#281 (05-42)
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Waiting for a Leader

Editorial - The New York Times

Published: September 1, 2005

George W. Bush gave one of the worst speeches of his life yesterday, especially given the level of national distress and the need for words of consolation and wisdom. In what seems to be a ritual in this administration, the president appeared a day later than he was needed. He then read an address of a quality more appropriate for an Arbor Day celebration: a long laundry list of pounds of ice, generators and blankets delivered to the stricken Gulf Coast. He advised the public that anybody who wanted to help should send cash, grinned, and promised that everything would work out in the end.
#280 (05-41)
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The Great Raid

Last night Mary and I enjoyed The Great Raid, the based-on-actual-events story of the greatest rescue in American Army history. In January 1945, 511 American POWs were rescued by Army Rangers aided by Pilipino guerrillas before they could be killed by the Japanese who had already burned to death more than 200 POWs in another camp. When this murder of prisoners occurs in the movie I had a "they deserved the atom bomb" moment but later remembered it wasn't the guys who did the killing who were in Hiroshima. The story of the Raid is told in an understated way and is devoid of any individual heroics so often seen in war movies (e.g. Rambo). We highly recommend this one.
#279 (05-40)
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Peter Jennings

Early this morning as I was finishing the night's sleep I had a dream. In it Peter Jennings was walking on a platform or patio that I was on. He was wearing a photographer's vest and had a couple of camera lens sticking in the pockets. He had a camera in his hand. He was signaling to another man to come over because he wanted to do some close-ups. He looked young, good head of hair. I spoke to him and said he was the favorite evening newsman for my wife and I. I told him we had been watching him for years. He thanked me and in a friendly way said he would be back on the air when his voice got better. This remark struck me, because it was the same thing I said to our parish pastor several years ago when he asked me to resume lectoring after I had carotid surgery. Peter turned to take a picture and stepped on my toe and I said, "You're on my foot." "Sorry," Peter said, and then he was gone and I awoke. A short time later I got my morning newspaper and learned he had died yesterday from cancer.

Later this morning I told this to my grandson, Steven Archibald, and he wrote in an e-mail, "Maybe since you were a loyal fan he came to visit you."

I will miss Peter Jennings, he was on each evening and over the years became to be looked on as a member of the family.
#278 (05-39)

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Pre-bridge opening gala

They had their fun and games in Charleston last month with all the festivities incident to opening the Arthur Ravenel Bridge, or as it is sometimes known: The Awendaw Connector. (For pictures see http://www.PLApix.com/) The new bridge in Charleston, the longest cable stayed bridge in North America, connects Charleston to Mt. Pleasant.
Not to be outdone, Hanahan last night had its pre-bridge opening gala celebrating the longest bridge on Murray Avenue which connects two parts of the city. Although slightly smaller than the 50,000 or so who participated in all the goings on in downtown Charleston and the Ravenel Bridge, the alcohol free crowd of about 1,200 in Hanahan had a grand time. There was a band, including Mike Davis, owner of the music supply house in Yeamans Hall Plaza, local public officials, including the Mayor and some members of council, the High School cheerleaders and high school band boosters who were selling hot dogs, chips, drinks, etc. None of that haughty stuff like Charleston with its $200 a person dinner on top of the Ravenel where the wind blew small people over.
The oldest person on hand was Doris Segrest, our neighbor, who will be 99 (that's right 99 years old) in December. We, Mary and yours truly, parked at the high school and walked the two blocks to the concrete bridge and walked across it. (Traffic barricades were still in place on the west side.) Just as the Ravenel has sidewalks so pedestrians and bicyclists can cross it and view the wide expanse of the Cooper River and the giant ocean-going ships, the new bridge on Murray Avenue has its sidewalk for use by pedestrians and cyclists to view the narrow expanse of Turkey Creek (best viewed at high tide) and the occasional kayak. In fact, there were several people on bikes there last night as well as roller skates and skate boards. One of the skateboarders, a young boy, made a loud noise with his board and a policeman urged him to pick up his board and go home. (What a downer).
Many people bought their dogs, including (our daughter) Martha Archibald, manager of the McAlister-Smith funeral home in Goose Creek, who had Charlie on a leash. McAlister-Smith gave away free water in the sweltering, humid, evening atmosphere and when they learned the band boosters were selling water they put a donation bucket on their table to help the band and minimize the competition. Some of the party-goers came in formal dress. One member of City Council had his tux shirt, tie and jacket on, along with his walking shorts. All in all it was a good time and we saw so many old friends that I am glad when I cleaned up after dinner I trimmed my nose hairs.
#277 (05-38)
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Soviet Humor - Too Rich for the Masses

Tiny Revolutions in Russia: Twentieth-Century Soviet and Russian History in Anecdotes By Bruce Adams, Publ: RoutledgeCurzon, 173 Pages. $97 is probably one of the better collections of humor in the Soviet Union and, in later days, Russia, but at $97 a copy it is obviously too rich for the masses.
#276 (05-37)

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Letter to the Editor

Excited, captivated
After walking in awe with thousands of other excited and captivated men, women and children across the Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge this past weekend, I can truly say I believe this is the best expenditure of taxpayers' dollars since the government started paying my pension.
FRANCIS X. ARCHIBALD 1128 John Rutledge Ave. Hanahan SC

Published in The Post and Courier, Charleston, SC, July 16, 2005
#275 (05-36)
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Fireworks at Ravenel Bridge

If you love the sight of fireworks high in the night sky then check out www.patrickarchibald.com This is my son's web site and he has recorded the largest display of fireworks ever seen in South Carolina. The event took place last night on the site of the Ravenel Bridge, to be dedicated on Saturday and opened to traffic late that day. This is the largest cable stayed bridge in North America.
If you want a copy of any picture note the enlarged number of the photo in the index of photos at the bottom of your screen and send an e-mail to pla@patrickarchibald.com.
Have a nice summer.
#274 (05-35)
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Enjoy the gulag

I received a con-job spam e-mail yesterday from a Yugoslavian woman (allegedly a former secretary to a big dog in Russia who is now in trouble - he's doing nine years in the joint) offering to cut me in on $423 million deposited in a Gibraltar bank that belongs to her old boss in Russia. All I have to do is give this woman my bank information and keep all this deathly quiet so we can profit. In my reply yesterday I said, "I am forwarding this to the FBI in America and the SRV in Russia where I am sure they will have an interest in your shenanigans. Enjoy the gulag."
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New York Times supports my suspicions

In an editorial today, The New York Times wrote, "John Bolton was a destructive presence in the State Department under Mr. (Colin) Powell, and his administration fans were lobbying to see him promoted to the No. 2 job. Ms. (Condoleezza) Rice avoided that disastrous possibility by backing Mr. Bolton instead for the job of ambassador to the United Nations. She chose the far more stable and grounded-in-reality Robert Zoellick, the former trade representative, as her deputy. Granted, siccing Mr. Bolton on the rest of the world at the United Nations isn't exactly the best way to sideline him, but at least he has been removed from dangerous areas like North Korea policy."

This echoes my view expressed in a blog on May 10, 2005, when I wrote "SecState Condie Rice wants him gone from Foggy Bottom where he is like a bull in a china shop." See Archives for May 2005.
#272 (05-33)

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Making of a Patriot

Thirty years ago I took three of my five young children to a theater in West Ashley that has long since closed to see "All the President's Men." I am sure they would have liked to see something more attuned to their age at the time, but my wife and I had followed the Watergate story from beginning to end and believed it was important in the course of American history.

The Post and Courier editorial June 3 supporting the contribution Mark Felt made to directing Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein in the right direction in their investigation emphasizes that importance. I believe now, as I did then, that "Deep Throat" performed a great service to America despite his personal misgivings, inner turmoil and anguish.

Today, we continue to enjoy the freedom envisioned by our founding fathers because a free press keeps the spotlight on government and because in a time of turmoil and testing, the heartland of America always seems to produce a patriot like Mark Felt. (The Post & Courier, June 10, 2005, Letters to the Editor)
#271 (05-32)

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I love David

Yesterday, June 2, 2005, in Fenway Park, David Ortiz, in the bottom of the ninth inning against a Baltimore team leading 4-3, and with two on and two out and the count 3-2, smashed a three-run walk off home run into the centerfield seats thereby winning the game for Boston 6-4.
#270 (05-31)
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Felt is a hero

In the last 48 hours a few voices have been raised criticizing Mark Felt, former #2 man at the FBI, for his actions during the Watergate period which earned him the sobriquet "Deep Throat". The criticisms, from those who should know better, say Felt should not have gone to a reporter but to his seniors. His immediate boss, Acting FBI Director L. Patrick Gray, was throwing evidence off the bridge and into the Potomac, the Attorney General approved the breakins, the White House counsel was in on the coverups, the President was involved up to his ears, Congressional committees were not formed and investigating. Who the hell was Felt supposed to turn to?
#269 (05-30)
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Social Security Reform: Q&A
Today I looked in at www.gao.gov/new.items/d05193sp.pdf and viewed the General Accountability Office's 77-page monograph on Social Security Reform: Answers to Key Questions. Like most government writings it lacks drama, suspense and sex, but it is the ultimate source to understanding Social Security, past, present and future.
#268 (05-29)
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Remember...
On this Memorial Day, let us pause to remember those men and women who served our country well and who gave their lives that we might be free. It is the least we can do.
#266 (05-27)
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Pains in the ass get promoted, loyalists stay at their looms
I believe John Bolton was nominated for the post at the United Nations because SecState Condie Rice wants him gone from Foggy Bottom where he is like a bull in a china shop, giving rise once again to the theory that a government employee who is a pain the ass gets promoted and the plucky, hard working loyalist stays at his loom.
#265 (05-26)
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National Identity Card (Part II) - An opposite view point
A reader offers these opposing views on National Identity Cards (see #263 (05-24, below.)
"I'm afraid this is an issue on which I must respectfully disagree. In fact, rather than having the notoriously inefficient states upgrade drivers license application procedures on their own to require real proof of identity, I'd like to see the federal government simply move to national id cards for all citizens and legal aliens.

"Admittedly, I do not think that such a card would lead to the catching of many, perhaps any, terrorists directly. However, it would make their evil purposes much harder if they were unable to purchase plane tickets and establish bank accounts and get drivers licenses. Such a card, which might well replace traditional passports, would also make it much easier for those who travel legitimately to cross our borders, while deterring terrorists.

"The border crossing issue would be a great benefit of such a card. For too long I have listened to politicians, primarily Republicans, speak of securing our borders against terrorists and illegal immigrants. The simple truth is that they have seen to it that border security remains under funded and inefficient to provide a source of cheap labor for their businesses. Requiring a national id card to work, combined with real penalties for businesses that did not comply, would be a great step toward ending this problem. I admit that some lessening of profits and cost adjustments would occur as we moved toward a minimum wage on which legal workers could actually live but these might well be accompanied by a lessening of the tax burden legal workers and their employers, large and small, now pay to subsidize the illegals and their employers. Some of the savings might even be diverted to actually adequate border surveillance and catching some terrorists..

"I realize that many, particularly those with memories of World War Two and the ways of the "Iron Curtain" states, have very negative feelings on the matter of national id cards here. The simple fact is that we have long had them, as financial institutions and state and local agencies have forced our social security cards to become something they were never intended to be. In our technological age, a real id card would lessen our liberties no more but provide the benefits I have mentioned."

Sincerely,
JRH Garden City Beach SC
#264 (05-25)
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National Identity Card
The New York Times this morning has a major story about the administration's push to take over the drivers' license programs in the individual states by mandating requirements that states obtain proof of residence and citizenship of applicants before issuing a license which in itself must meet new federal standards. Critics charge such federal mandates will cost the states more than $500 million, to say nothing of the intrusion into personal liberties. The resulting data base of the nation's drivers will be subject to theft of identities, social security numbers and other personal data. This is the first step to a national identify card, usually required by oppressive rulers and dictatorships. Is there anyone out there who thinks all of this will stop a dedicated terrorist from getting a driver's license?
We need some balance in the equation between national security and personal liberties, the latter being the cornerstone of our Republic.
#263 (05-24)
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Charleston Photos and a work in progress
In the left column (and on the links page) there are links to a budding photographer's work in and around Charleston, SC, including homes, public buildings, events and the like. A proud father invites you to visit and view some of these fine pictures taken by my son.
#262 (05-23)
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Passport Paranoia
The Wall Street Journal (April 18, 2005) correctly editorialized against the Homeland Security plan to require passports of all citizens crossing the Canadian and Mexican borders starting in 2006. Millions cross daily according to the Journal and President Bush, who was, after all, the Governor of Texas. The editorial quoted President Bush: "I thought there was a better way to expedite the legal flow of traffic and people." The Journal went on to say the passport thing was a bureaucratic burden on law abiding Americans, it lets officials cover their butts, and is another "needless" cost and hassle.
#261 (05-22)
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Pope dies
Today Pope John Paul II died in Rome. I saw the Pope three times: once in Columbia, SC, in 1987 and twice during Easter Week in Rome in 1995. The occasions in Rome left the strongest feelings. They were both in St. Peter's amid thousands of worshippers. As he processed down the aisle a large gathering of young people from Poland cheered and called his name. He smiled, reached out to them and moved on. It was obvious how well he was loved. When he was shot in 1981 I told David Kern, a UPI reporter, that "God will take care of the Pope, I worry about Poland." Pope John Paul II will be remembered as one of the greatest men ever to serve as Pope.
#260 (05-21)
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Comments received

"Unless there is oil in Sudan our government will not make any real effort to help. Perhaps if we weren't so occupied in Iraq we could actually defend humanity." (From MA in SC)
"We saw this (Hotel Rwanda) last week. Awesome movie. Hard to believe humans can be so cruel to each other." (From HC in SC)
#259 (05-20)
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Sometimes in April

Watching this HBO original movie was like eating light at a buffet where you pick out a single dish from the many offered. This well-done film plucks one man’s story out of the totality of the 1994 Rwanda experience, and in the process tries to explain how this black holocaust started and why one part of a nation turned on another and massacred an estimated 800,000 men, women and children. In the Nazi era in Germany, and especially the Stalin era in the Soviet Union, there were those ordinary citizens who silently participated through “many forms of collaboration and compromise,” whereas in Rwanda, Hutu extremists and government personnel (including military) wielded machetes and fired guns on Tutsis and moderate Hutus – their brothers and sisters. “Sometimes in April” does a better job of exploring the inactivity of the west through several scenes of American political and military officials meeting, discussing and in the end doing nothing. This is a black mark on the Clinton foreign policy record. Similarly, another African nation, the Sudan, will be a black mark on the Bush foreign policy record unless action occurs immediately to end the current conflict. A UN peacekeeping force (proposed by a pending U.S. resolution) will be a useless gesture unless it takes on a peacemaking role to help end the conflict that has forced more than 2 million in the Darfur region of Sudan to flee their homes.
#258 (05-19)
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Hotel Rwanda

Hotel Rwanda is a must see movie for those who ignored the plight of Tutsis and Hutus in that Central African country in 1994 when almost a million were slaughtered by Hutu extremists with the connivance of the French-backed Hutu government. "Those who ignored" means pretty much all of the civilized world, including the United States. The Hutu government in Rwanda was chafing at a United Nations supervised agreement that they share power with a Tutsi rebel group. I thought the performances by Don Cheadle and Sophie Okonedo outstanding. My regret is that I did not see the film earlier than yesterday (March 17, 2005).
HBO will enter this arena on Saturday, March 19, with "Sometimes in April," another reminder of this black holocaust.
#257 (05-18)
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'tis an Irish Blessing

...for St. Patrick's Day
May those who love us, love us
And those that don’t love us,
May God turn their hearts;
And if He doesn’t turn their hearts
May He turn their ankles
So we’ll know them by their limping.
#256 (05-17)
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Great news for Packer fans
Brett Favre will return for his 14th season as the quarterback for the Green Bay Packers - great news for Packers and their fans, not so good news for the rest of the league.
#255 (05-16)
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Nixon sightings?
Has anyone reported any Nixon sightings lately? Reply by e-mail.
#254 (05-15)
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Searching this web site

Blogger suggests allowing readers to search a site by adding the Google search bar but doesn't explain how to do that. The blogger bar searches your whole computer; not something you want everyone to be able to do.
#253 (05-14)
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Condolences to families of slain RCMP
We send our condolences and thoughtful prayers out to the families of the four RCMP officers slain this week in Alberta, Canada, while investigating an illegal marijuana site.
#252 (05-13)
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Comments on Aviator review
"Well good for you! (When I'm wrong, I mutter and scurry furtively out of sight!)" (X- A minister in South Carolina)
"I haven't seen 'Aviator' yet, but I def-will. Nancy has and enjoyed it immensely. Good to read of your contrition. [lol]" (Dave in New England)
"An honest man! How rare! Thank you. I enjoyed the film too. Everyone sez it's a shoo-in for Best Picture, but I'm thinking maybe Million Dollar Baby (which I haven't seen!)." (John in South Carolina.)
#251 (05-12)
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Aviator
Some weeks ago I expressed an adverse opinion about the film Aviator without having seen the film. I did not believe that Leonardo de Caprio could carry off the role of Howard Hughes because I consider him to be too young and baby-faced. Yesterday, we saw the film and it is obvious why I am not a Hollywood producer of epic films. My casting skills suck. de Caprio does a great job and he carries the film from beginning to end. Having grown up during the Hughes era, reading about him and seeing him in newsreels in my youth affords me a perspective to appreciate how accurate the film story line is with regard to Hughes and his accomplishments. It may not win the Oscar tonight, but it will be a worthy contender. Cate Blanchett's portrayal of Kathryn Hepburn is also right on target and she is a delight to watch
Five stars.
#250 (05-11)
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Master Cheat
This third novel by Jack Miller features a lead character drawn from a composite of different cheaters operating in the glitz and greed of Las Vegas. The methods employed and the scams run by the cheaters are based on actual events. Their successes as well as the precautions taken by casinos to protect themselves are both complex and simple. Miller was a senior agent of the Nevada State Gaming Control Board for eleven years and writes from first-hand experience. His book may be obtained on-line through Mystic Publishers (www.mysticpublishers.com).
#249 (05-10)

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Death of a good friend
Today I will be a pallbearer for my good friend Fred Matthews who died on Saturday after a brief illness. Fred was 83 years old and I knew him for 41 years. He could always be counted on to help anyone in our neighborhood with any project and he was a font of knowledge on many everyday things. I will miss my friend.
#248 (05-09)
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Trip over -short circuited
Our trip to SE Asia was cut short after my wife took a cold and was unable to shake it. We felt it was better we journey home than traispe around SE Asia with one of the party - as they say - 'sick as a dog.'
#247 (05-08)
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On a trip to SE Asia
On January 20, I will leave on a trip to SE Asia with planned stops in Kuala Lumpur, Ho Chi Minh City, Three Gorges in China, Bangkok, New Delhi and other points in the area. Two months have been allocated for this overseas adventure, my first since visiting South Africa from January to March 2003.
#246 (05-07)
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The Economist and Einstein
Dear James,
I cannot express adequately how glad I am that you turned me on to The Economist a couple of years ago. I often enjoy reading their diverse essays and commentaries and marvel at how much my mind has been expanded and knowledge increased. So it was especially so this week as I ploughed into the three page Science and Technology essay which celebrates the 100 years of Einstein and where the editors "attempt to elucidate" on Einstein's theories about (1) atoms, (2) relativity, and (3) quantum physics. Being, however, a social science major who matriculated in mid-life, I have no f****** idea what the hell they or Einstein are talking about. I thought I would share this with you. I did enjoy Lord Scarman's obituary, although the world is poorer for his passing.
Dad
#245 (05-06)
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One vote against bathing
A long time good friend wrote: "Believe it or not, I knew a woman who died in a bathtub; her doctor husband electrocuted her by dropping a radio into the water and trying to make it look accidental. He was caught."
#244 (05-05)
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Reasons to stop bathing or gambling
Your lifetime odds of dying in a bathtub are 1 in 11,469; the odds of winning the Powerball lottery are 1 in 120, 526,770. (Source: David Wessel, The Wall Street Journal, Jan.6, 2005, pg 2.)
#243 (05-04)
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Readers comments on automated phone systems

(1) The main utility in New York City, Con Edison, has a diabolical voice mail. If you hit "0”, a cheery voice says "thank you for calling Con Edison" and disconnects the line. The only way to get a real live person is to punch the code for reporting a gas emergency.

(2)My mother who had trouble with her eyes could not see well enough to press those numbers and had to take the phone from her ear to look at the numbers so she could press whatever button she needed. Sometimes it would disconnect her before she could push the right button. She would get so frustrated and call me to help. I think this is a sorry situation for all of us but especially for our elders who might have trouble hearing and seeing.

(3) I too have encountered some automated business call systems that made me want to drive right over and change my account or service to another company. However, I have encountered some that were both easy to use and led me to an answer quicker than an employee in a busy office could have helped me alone. The technical difference is simply in the programming. The human difference is, I suspect, in whether anybody high enough up in the company that they really ought to making decisions affecting their customers' satisfaction ever sat down and actually tried the new service experience before its installation.

(4) Oh, you cannot know the meaning of aggravation until you have tried to reach the good folks at AT&T. I asked the young lady in Bombay (and I'm not complaining that I was talking to someone in India) to please fwd my concern as high as she could that it was ironic to see this giant of American communications technology reduced to an impenetrable voice messaging system.

(5) Amen--and there are many more companies and businesses that provide the same "automated" service!
242 (05-03)
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Credit Union Telephone Service
It is a new year and time to strike back at those systems and things that aggravate a man's soul. We were not put on this earth to be abused by businesses that won't put a human being on the phone when we call. I understand efficiency, but I also learned almost sixty years ago that the customer is number one - or ought to be. Herewith my opening salvo in this year's first crusade. If you have similar or dissimilar thoughts send them to me for posting on my blog.

January 5, 2005

Chairman, Supervisory Committee
SC Federal Credit Union
PO Box 190012
North Charleston 29419-9012

Dear Sir,

Again today, I had to call the Credit Union to tell them that we could not access our iTeller statements after receiving e-mail messages that the statements were available. The computer system was not responding for statements until after 12:30 in the day.

The main thrust of this letter is to express my aggravation at the automated telephone answering system in use by the Credit Union. This system may be the cat’s meow to some employee technical geek who thinks he or she has brought the Credit Union into the 21st century but from a user’s standpoint, it is a blood pressure raising aggravation designed to increase the frustration level. The voice recording the messages is an irritation and the number of buttons you have to press to get anything done is ridiculous.

I do not call the credit union much anymore because you cannot talk to an individual unless you wade through the automated system. It occurs to me that if the next time I have to call the system is not improved, then my family will be better served by moving our accounts elsewhere.

Cordially,

Francis X. Archibald
#241 (05-02)

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Doctors Without Borders
DWB are rendering emergency aid throughout the stricken SE Asia area and elsewhere in Sudan, particularly the Darfur Region. If you can, make a contribution today at www.doctorswithoutborders.org . It will give you a good feeling throughout your body and soul.
#240 (05-01)
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Christmas Spirit
A new Christmas is upon us but somehow it seems like recent Christmas' past: a suicide bomber in Mosul blew up an Army mess tent and killed or injured almost 100; President Bush is going to renominate 20 judicial candidates who have not passed earlier muster - (Democrats say they approved 240 of the President's nominations and sacked only 10); the market is having a Christmas upswing, but the dollar has fallen against the Euro and a it takes almost two dollars to get a British pound. Happy New Year!
#239 (04-88)
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And we thought Democrats could spend
Last night the Republican controlled Congress approved passage of the debt ceiling increase. The government's borrowing limit has climbed by $2.23 trillion since President Bush took office with Republicans in control of Congress: by $450 billion in 2002, by a record $984 billion in 2003 and by $800 billion this year. The increase in the debt ceiling alone over the past three years is nearly 2 1/2 times the entire federal debt accumulated between 1776 and 1980.

A recession, a sluggish economy and five tax cuts in four years -- coupled with spending on wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and rising domestic spending -- have turned record surpluses that Bush inherited into a record deficit of $413 billion in the past fiscal year.
#238 (04-87)
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Hazardous to your health
Deep frying a Thanksgiving turkey can be hazardous; last year 15 people burned their houses down and hundreds wound up in hospital emergency rooms. Time to buy that canned ham.
#237 (04-86)
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Bond. James Bond
Super-spy James Bond is born today in 1924. After a rebellious school career, the half-Swiss/half Scots Bond attends Cambridge University before joining the Royal Navy and latterly, the British Secret Service. Although now aged 80, the unstoppable Bond shows no sign of slowing down due to his ability to magically transfer himself into the bodies of various younger men such as Sean Connery, Roger Moore or Pierce Brosnan.
#236 (04-85)
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Shooting in the night
The shooting on Election Eve into a front room window in my house was - I believe - a politically motivated hate crime. For details click on COLUMNS in the header.
#235 (04-84)
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Comment on Ordained Ministers
From a lady in Goose Creek, SC: "I firmly agree. Also, do not think churches should have political meetings. The church is there for teachings of Christ - and nothing else. If they so choose, then they should be taxed as any other operating business with a political agenda”.

From an Ordained Minister in England: “From a British perspective ....... we would always say that no minister who took seriously the claims of the Kingdom of God would ever entertain being involved in party politics ...... ‘Social action against injustice’, Yes, but party politics...never. There is no such animal as an altruistic politician. Every Blessing”

From a man in Arlington, VA: “Well said. One of my neighbors worked on his staff at the Senate. He thinks Danforth is great. But what does he know. He voted ‘against’ Bush. I tend to agree with you.”

From an Ordained Minister in SC who added: “Me either” to this unsourced quote - “…the thought does not endear me to the idea of an ordained minister serving in high office in the National government.”

From a lady in Hanahan, SC: “I agree,” (with your thoughts).
#234 (04-83)
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Ordained Ministers
There may be some others, but when I think of "ordained ministers in government, " Cardinal Richelieu (who raised taxes on those who could least afford it and antagonized just about everyone in France is his day)
http://www.nationmaster.com/encyclopedia/Cardinal-Richelieu comes to mind and the thought does not endear me to the idea of an ordained minister serving in high office in the National government. All of this is fueled by speculation in the news today in Washington that John Danforth, a former Senator, currently US Ambassador to the United Nations and an ordained minister may be in line to succeed Colin Powell as Secretary of State. Mr. Danforth may be a nice gentleman but President Bush ought to respect the historic line between National government and religion.
#233 (04-82)
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Red Sox Win...Red Sox Win
The Boston Red Sox are again World Champions, the win coming in St. Louis against the Cardinals, a great baseball team, 3-0, and comes after only 31,458 days since the last time.
#232 (04-81)
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Red Sox Win Game Three
Backed with some good fielding and hitting, Pedro Martinez shut down the Cardinals and pitched the Sox into a 3-0 lead in the World Series. This is the beginning of the end of "The curse of the Bambino."
#231 (04-80)
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Red Sox Win Game Two
Despite another night with four miserable defensive errors, the Red Sox won game two and now lead the World Series two games to none. They are going to end "The curse of the Bambino."
#230 (04-79)
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Red Sox Win Game One
Despite some pitiful defense, the Red Sox offense has them up in the first game of the series that will end forever "The curse of the Bambino." Remember you read it here.
#229 (04-78)
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Red Sox Win 7th Game and ALCS

"Other sports dream of a great rivalry like this. Now there is a new twist to the old story. The Red Sox have staged the greatest comeback in the history of postseason baseball.
"For the tormented region called Red Sox Nation, what makes this feat roughly 10 times sweeter is that they did it to the Yankees. They did it to their rivals."
(George Vecsey, The New York Times, 10/21/2004)
#228 (04-77)
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"A dead chicken"

(Letter to the editor, The Chicago Tribune, by Stuart Shea, published October 20, 2004)

"Why even bother trying to explain your endorsement of President Bush? The Tribune would endorse a dead chicken for president if it were running Republican."

#227 (04-76)
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Red Sox victory must be noted
The Red Sox victory over the Yankees last night in game six of the ALCS is a baseball milestone. No team in history ever come back from three games down in a seven game series to force the seventh game. It is a remarkable baseball event and must be noted here. A win tonight will be - for me - almost as good as winning the Powerball lottery.
#226 (04-75)
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Endorsement
The New York Times (Kerry) and The Chicago Tribune (Bush) have each endorsed a candidate for president, so it is time for me to chime in. For me it is an easy choice. I believe as Senator John Kerry does that: America is strongest when we seek out and work with allies around the world; the country was rushed to war in Iraq and had no plan (and has none) to secure the peace; parts of the Patriot Act diminsh our personal freedom and rights; Social Security ought not to be privatized and trimming the deficit is an absolute must. Also, Senator Kerry went back for and saved Jim Rassman's life in Vietnam, honoring the principle set by General Sherman who once wrote to General Grant that if he were in trouble on the battlefield he was confident Grant would come for him. This kind of courage goes a long way with me. I urge a vote for Senator Kerry on November 2.
#225 (04-74)
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Watch Charleston's Newest Bridge Grow
Curtesy of C. Frank Starmer at Medical University in Charleston, you can click on this link: http://monitor.admin.musc.edu/~cfs/bridge/ and watch the growth of Charleston's latest bridge spanning the Cooper River. A truly magnificent series of pictures which hopefully will continue until the bridge is built.
#224 (04-73)
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Google Scores Again
Today Google released its Desktop Search Engine. I have downloaded, installed and used it already. It is a remarkable (and free) product that will index the e-mail and files on your personal computer and permits you to search for anything you need. I found it to be a carbon copy of the wider known Google search program that does for your personal data what Google does for the rest of the cyberspace universe. You can get the program at www.desktop.google.com . Compared to another program I have been using, Google is light years ahead. PCWorld magazine came today and has an article on desktop search engines but does not mention this Google product. Try this before spending money.
#223 (04-72)
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Comments on the last two comments...
You are absolutely right on both. (A lady in S.C.)

Thank you for the note...you'll forgive me my impertinence by respectfully disagreeing, however. After all, but for "foreign born" still being Constitutionally barred from running for president...just think, the genius of the administration of that greatest of presidents, Richard M. Nixon (my hero)...the legendary Dr. Henry Alfred Kissinger, could one day finally get his due and finally be addressed as, "Mr. President", instead of "Your Exalted Excellency"!!! (A man in Maryland/Virginia area.)

Well, I disagree on this one -- our parents weren't born here. And I remember thinking Henry Kissinger would have made a good president, if only he could have run. But I do agree about the shopping carts! (A lady in S.C.)
#222 (04-71)
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Be born here...
If you want to be President you ought to have been born here. The current hearings in the U.S. Senate on legislation to amend the Constitution to make foreign born citizens eligible for the highest office in the land ought to go for naught. Save something for the native born.
#221 (04-70)
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Want to be....
A good Christian, Muslim or Jew? Put the damn shopping carts back in the corral in the parking lot instead of leaving them sitting around blocking parking spaces and or potentially damaging arriving autos.
#220 (04-69)
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Archibald, Gandhi and Graham Greene
We share the same birthday, October 2. I am pleased as punch to be here and hope to stay for a long time.
#219 (04-68)
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The Winner
Well, I believe John Kerry was the clear winner in the debate on September 30.
#218 (04-67)
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Pharmaceutical Companies
How true this is:
An American car company can move its factories to Mexico and claim it's a free market.
An American toy company can outsource to a Chinese subcontractor and claim it's a free market.
A major American bank can incorporate in Bermuda to avoid taxes and claim it's a free market.
We can buy HP Printers made in Mexico.
We can buy shirts made in Bangladesh.
We can purchase almost anything we want from many different countries.
BUT, heaven help the elderly who dare to buy their prescription drugs from a Canadian pharmacy.That's called un-American! You think the pharmaceutical companies don't have a powerful lobby? Think again!
#217 (04-66)
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Well wishes for President Bill Clinton
Your autographed picture hangs on the wall in our den. You hang in our heart and we wish you well with the upcoming operation. Thank you for eight great years.
#216 (04-65)
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Medicare increases - part 2

And we humbly ask why the cost of Medicare is raising 17 percent:

"The display in Rosemont, Illinois, (a five foot cutout of President Bush with a muslimsforbush.com) was funded by Muhammad Ali Hasan and his mother, Seeme, who recently created the group "Muslims for Bush." Seeme Hasan said in a phone interview that she and her husband Malik, a Colorado physician who earned his wealth in the health care industry, have donated more than $1 million to Bush and Republican causes since the 2000 campaign."

The foregoing was put on the wire today by Rachel Zoll, religion writer for the Associated Press.
#215 (04-64)

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Medicare increases
The increase in Medicare premiums, announced late in the afternoon by an administration spokesman hoping no one would notice over the holiday weekend, will not escape the attention of most senior citizens. The raise is 17 percent, or about $12 per person. For a family of two this is $24 a month; $288 a year. This increase in insurance premiums is accompanied also by an increase in the deductible seniors and others in the Medicare program will have to pay if they go into the hospital. These increases are greater than the rate of inflation. On a personal level, the increases will not turn us out of our house and force us to live under a bridge, but for millions of Medicare subscribers already living on the edge, this could be the back-breaking straw. Some will undoubtedly be forced to opt out of the program and take their chances. There are many questions; here are just a few: why are critical drugs in America priced so high? why must Americans even think of sending prescriptions off to Canada to save a little? are insurance costs for medical practitioners justified by insurance payouts? why does an aspirin in a hospital cost $5 when you can buy 100 in a bottle at Wal-Mart for less than $4?
#214 (04-63)
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Guantanamo Bay Trials
The Greatest Generation tried Hermann Goering and Rudolph Hess at Nuremburg for being co-architects (along with Hitler et.al.) of the Third Reich. The current generation is trying Salim Ahmed Hamdan at Guantanamo Bay for being Osama bin Laden’s car driver. What has happened to us?
#213 (04-62)
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A touch of class
(My e-mail to the editor of The Post & Courier, Charleston, SC, August 21, 2004)
Today, I believe The Post & Courier showed a touch of exceptional high class, character and fairness in starting prominently on the front page that well written story from the New York Times News Service about the anti-Kerry group's ties to Bush family aides. I did not expect this from a paper that consistently writes, publishes and supports the Republican view in a city and state that leans heavily Republican. The space devoted on the inside of the section also demonstrates the willingness of the publisher and editors to truly serve the reading public. Well done. Thank you.
#212 (04-61)

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Middle Class Americans Pay More in Taxes than wealthiest Americans

August 17, 2004 (Excerpted from Newsday)

President George W. Bush spouted a familiar refrain on the stump Saturday: "If you pay tax, you ought to get relief - it seems like to be the fair way to do things instead of trying to pick winners and losers," he said. But pick them or not, with the Bush tax cuts, there are winners and there are losers.

Since 2001, tax cuts have shifted the federal tax burden away from the wealthiest Americans (the winners) and to the middle class (the losers).That's not partisan, election-year spin. It's the conclusion of the respected, nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, run at the moment by Douglas Holtz-Eakin, the former chief of Bush's own Council of Economic Advisers.According to a CBO report released Friday, the top 1 percent of earners - average annual income $1.1 million - saw their combined share of federal tax payments fall to 20.1 percent this year, from 22.7 percent in 2001.

For the top 20 percent of earners - average annual income $182,700 - the decrease was to 63.5 percent this year from 65.3 percent in 2001. At the same time, middle America - average annual income $75,600 - saw its share of the federal tax burden increase from 18.5 percent to 19.5 percent.That's fundamentally unfair.

#211 (04-60)
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Where we eat
A web site for the Republican convention has dropped Rudy Giuliani's list of the top-10 NY restaurants; the owner of No. 1 was identified in court proceedings as a "made" man in the Bonanno crime family.
#210 (04-59)
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Thou shalt not steal

NEW YORK, Aug 12, 2004 (United Press International via COMTEX) -- Detectives investigating Monsignor John Woolsey of New York for fraud have uncovered bank accounts with hundreds of thousands of dollars in his name.
Woolsey, who is now the subject of a criminal investigation, is also being sued by a parishioner who alleges the priest swindled him out of a half-million dollars, some of which he used to buy a luxury condo on the New Jersey shore.
Authorities recently discovered Woolsey maintains a $200,000 balance with Citibank and $450,000 with Smith Barney, the New York Post reported. In addition, a Queens contractor told the district attorney's office he billed Woolsey's church, St. John the Martyr, for $160,000 worth of construction and labor. Woolsey reported those bills as totaling $500,000.

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Kerry saved Green Beret's life
Presidential candidate Senator John Kerry saved Jim Rassmann's life in Vietnam and Rassmann is ticked off at those who deny Kerry's heroism. For the full details see Columns on this web site and read this fascinating tale of real-life heroism in the waters of Vietnam.
#208 (04-57)
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Red Sox Nation Commentary
Well, the Red Sox traded Nomar to Chicago yesterday in a deal where they got two players I have never heard of before. That doesn't mean these two mystery (to me) men won't contribute, or they are not prime players. I am about to give up on the Sox' 2004 aspirations of a shot at the world title. It is again looking more like "some day in the next hundred years."
#207 (04-56)
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$445 billion deficit
Holy shit. I thought it was the Democrats who were the big spenders. Republicans control the White House and the Congress and have run up this deficit. Why is it when Democrats run a deficit the GOP screams that the end of the world is coming, but when they run the largest one-year deficit in the history of this country "it proves what they are trying to do is working."
#206 (04-55)
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More on donuts
On July 26, (see below) I commented on the more than a 1,000 donut shops in Boston and asked how many were in other areas. Here are some edited replies I received:

Las Vegas – Thirty-one, enough for the locals and the 50,000 tourists here daily.

Virginia – I don’t drink coffee and I don’t eat donuts. Have to meet my friends on a park bench.

Boston – I visited Atlanta a few years ago and went out in the morning to fetch some donuts, a usual thing back home. An hour later, I returned to my worried friends empty-handed. No donut shops.

South Carolina - The South Strand Krispy Kreme has been here for years and a new Dunkin' opened this spring.  Murrells Inlet remains the "Seafood Capitol of South Carolina" but I guess this makes Garden City Beach the "Donut Capitol."

South Carolina – I like a Starbucks in Hanahan…us yokels like good coffee too.

South Carolina – Do Bostonians enjoy Krispy Kreme as much as people in other parts of the country do?

South Carolina – Does Columbia still have a Dunkin’s shop? A favorite of mine years ago when traveling with the kids and the high school band.

South Carolina – I went to Myrtle Beach recently and noted many Krispy Kreme and Dunkin Donuts shops. I must have counted at least 20 and could not believe it.

South Carolina – Three in our area (North Charleston) closed…and you have to travel far to get a donut.  BTW: The Krispy Kreme shop on Rivers across from the Naval hospital was where they made all the donuts that the Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts, schools and different organizations sold to raise money.  It was a pretty good fund raiser! 
#205 (04-54) 
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Al Sharpton Impressive in DNC speech
Rev. Al Sharpton stirred up the crowd at the DNC Wednesday night with a spirited "our vote is not for sale" speech. Sharpton told the cheering crowd black Americans had been promised "40-acres and a mule" by Republicans and never got the 40-acres and never got the mule -"So we decided to ride this donkey (symbol of the Democratic Party) as far as it would take us."
#204 (04-53)
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Suicide in Russian Army
109 soldiers in the Russian Army have killed themselves in the first half of 2004, a rise of nearly 40% from last year. Every army suicide is investigated as a criminal case, since top brass themselves admit that a large portion of the suicides were driven to their drastic final step. Faced with violent hazing from their peers and indifference from their superiors, many young conscripts opt for suicide — the only choice they see when they feel their life has been destroyed.
#203 (04-52)
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Eat your heart out
There are at least 1,050 doughnut shops in Boston, one for every 5,750 residents, eight times the national average, according to The Wall Street Journal, (page 1, July 26, 2004).
#202 (04-51)
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World War II Memorial and other sites
Over the past weekend I visited the World War II Memorial on the Mall in Washington and was touched to tears at the moment. The site is splendidly done, simple and dignified. The columns representing each state allow visitors to pause and think about the men and women from that state who served in the great conflict.  I and my wife were particularly surprised and pleased to find the columns for South Carolina and Massachusetts (my original state) were side by side. The four thousand stars, each representing 100 American men and women who died in the conflict are a sad reminder of the price of freedom.
I also visited the Library of Congress and saw the Bob Hope and Gershwin displays, as well as a selection of the cartoons of Ann Telnaes. In 2001, Ms. Telnaes became the second woman ever to win the Pulitzer Prize for editorial cartooning. Another stop was The National Air and Space Museum's Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center at Dulles airport. The center currently houses more than 80 aircraft and 60 space artifacts. This will grow to more than 200 aircraft and 100 space artifacts as the ten story high building is more than adequate. Two of the many exhibits that overwhelm the visitor are the SR71 Blackbird and the Enola Gay. Two of the great airplanes of the twentieth century.
#201 (04-50) 
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The Twentieth Train

The spring of 1943 was a desperate time for Jews all over Europe. In Belgium, as elsewhere, the trains were carrying Jews to Auschwitz. This is a story told with simplicity of the courage of three men who, at the risk of their own lives, sought to rescue some of the victims. It is also the story of ordinary Belgium families - facing concentration camps and even death - who also rose to the occasion to prove once again that there are good people in this world. (The Twentieth Train, Marion Schreiber, Grove Press, New York, 2002, 308 pages, $25.00)
#200 (04-49)
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Cheney's intelligence
Either Vice-President Dick Cheney is not as smart as some people think he is or he covered up for his drug-addicted doctor for years. According to reports in The Washington Post today, Cheney knew his internist was addicted to drugs yet continued to use him as part of his medical team. Is this a double standard, stupidity or what?
#199 (04-48)
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It's Edwards


At 8:27 this morning Presidential candidate John Kerry e-mailed me and said he had selected John Edwards as his running mate. The e-mail message was sent in advance of the public announcement to approximately one million supporters and contributors on the Kerry mail list. Onward to victory in November.
#198 (04-47)
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