Pink shirt

Recently I noticed a young boy (elementary school age) wearing a pink t-shirt with "Tough guys wear pink" emblazoned across the chest.
I had to look away before I approached the kid and asked to speak with his father and/or mother.
As a young lad myself, my own father was sure of his traditional views and one of the strongest of his opinions was boys do not wear pink, and should avoid wearing red as well.
Maybe this is too traditional for some folks, maybe it is too macho, but I would never dress a son (if I had one) in a pink shirt. It is possible this old rule is going the way of the white shoes after Labor Day. I don't know much about fashion but I do agree with Kathleen Turner from that hilarious film Serial Mom on this last point.

Exit Scooter

At what age should a grown man decide he should discontinue using a nickname?
For me I would have to say anytime in your early 20's.
As far as monikers in the blog universe, well that's a completely different thing. Everyone in the blogosphere needs to maintain some anonymity.
As for Scooter and his buddies, well now that he has some free time maybe he can spend some of it considering a new nickname or just dropping the old one.

Profits for the Profiteers

Now, even as high gasoline prices continue to anger motorists and aggravate financial problems at General Motors Corp. and Ford Motor Co., the oil companies have begun to report record quarterly profit. Yesterday, British energy giant BP PLC reported a $6.53 billion third-quarter profit, up from $4.87 billion in the same period last year. And tomorrow, analysts expect Exxon Mobil Corp. to show that it earned nearly $9 billion over the past three months -- the largest corporate quarterly profit ever.

Now the ultra-wealthy can finally afford that second private jet, or yacht, or home in Hawaii.
Unfortunately for the rest of the hard-working, paycheck to paycheck citizens across this great nation it will be another bite of the open-face reality sandwich.

Quote of the day

"Some days you're the windshield, some days you're the bug."
CAPT. PHILLIP ASH, who commands Company K in the Third Battalion, Seventh Marines, which patrols central Ramadi, Iraq.

Sixty minutes plus

Wow, what a concept. A news magazine that focuses on reporting the story and pressures one advertiser to sponser the hour.
I am happy that one media outlet has the right idea and informs the advertising side of the business how it will run it's show. Kudos to the producers of 60 minutes for being the first to break the old paradigm.

Senior moment

MIAMI -- A 93-year-old Florida motorist hit a pedestrian, killing him and severing his leg, and then kept driving three miles to a toll bridge with the corpse stuck in his windshield, police said. A tollbooth attendant called authorities in St. Petersburg, and police reported that Ralph Thomas Parker "did not realize he had been involved in a crash."

Book 'em Danno

DeLay's congressional office in Washington released a statement in the afternoon saying that the former leader "looks forward to his inevitable exoneration of these ridiculous charges."

My thoughts on this are simple, if the man is guilty send him where they sent that other menace to society Martha Stewart. If he is innocent, then he has nothing to worry about.
Of course being a politician with money-laundering charges against him, the public perception is guilty until proven innocent.
We can always look forward to Delay's Apprentice on NBC sometime next fall.

Out of the spider hole

"I am not going to answer to this so-called court out of respect for the truth and the will of the Iraqi people."
SADDAM HUSSEIN

Someone please give this dictator a cup of hot coffee in the face.
Maybe that will wake him up.

Bono, Bush talks

It appears our president is willing to talk with a rock star on global issues and priorities, maybe some progressive ideas will take root.
I won't hold my breath.

Holy Toledo

TOLEDO, Oct. 15 -- A crowd protesting a white supremacists' march Saturday turned violent, throwing baseball-sized rocks at police, vandalizing vehicles and stores, and setting fire to a neighborhood bar, authorities said.

At least two dozen members of the National Socialist Movement, which calls itself "America's Nazi Party," had gathered at a city park to march under police protection. Organizers said they were demonstrating against black gangs they said were harassing white residents.

So the Nazi party had police protection to march. What city hall moron approved that tax expenditure? Well I guess everyone has a right to protest and they should have police protection so they may incite riots and political unrest.

Follow the script soldier

If the C.E.O. of a large corporation walks into an office and asks an entry-level associate what his/her challenges are on a day to day basis, should the associate read a scripted answer or should the associate respond honestly?

This is the question that comes to mind when I read this sad report from today's news.
If the Top Dog doesn't want the honest truth then why in hell does he even ask?
I'm sure there have been past Presidents that have employed this tactic, but that doesn't mean it's acceptable.

Hothouse Mother

In today's Post:

Many climatologists, along with policymakers in a number of countries, believe the rapid temperature rise over the past 50 years is heavily driven by the burning of fossil fuels and other human activities that have spewed carbon dioxide and other "greenhouse gases" into the atmosphere. A vocal minority of scientists say the warming climate is the result of a natural cycle.

Be it a manmade problem or just mother nature kicking it up a notch. Maybe someone, somewhere in the next 100 years or so will come up with a solution for this small problem. In the meantime I'll keep driving my small efficient hatchback and cutting my lawn with a pushmower and recycle of course. The next generation might thank me for my small effort.

Dementia deterrent

According to researchers, dementia (also referred to as 'old-timers') may be pre-screened with a test and can be treated prior to onset.
I'm not sure I'd choose to be medicated for a potential ailment. What if I'm writing a great sci-fi novel in my 60's and the pre-dementia is my muse?
I guess we all can look forward to the golden years.

Day Off

Today, the day after Columbus Day these old suits are not in session, have no meetings. What the heck are we paying them for?
Here's an idea to pay for some of the deficit, each of our Senators and Representatives should voluntarily take a 10% pay cut.
I'm certain they can all afford it.

Golden Goose

"The Senate voted Friday to give President Bush $50 billion more for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and U.S. military efforts against terrorism, money that would push total spending for the operations beyond $350 billion."

"Sen. Ted Stevens, R-Alaska, the chairman of the Senate defense appropriations subcommittee said the $50 billion should last through the first half of the year, but acknowledged that Congress likely will have to approve more money for wars in May or June."

Okay, so our Senators in Washington must have access to a golden goose that we the taxpayers are not aware of. What happened to the "conservative" thinking when it comes to spending like a kid in a candy store?
Maybe these geniuses should try some traditional thinking and start selling war bonds to finance the war or better yet start a Federal sales tax on cigarettes, beer and hard liquor?

N.H.L.

N.H.L. tonight. Finally, after a year off these teams can get on the ice and please the fans with some hard checking.

Red Square Salutes Lenin

"It is time to get rid of this horrible mummy."VALERIYA NOVODVORSKAYA, head of the Democratic Union party, on Lenin's remains in Red Square.

Eight decades this historical figure has been under glass, how unusual. Here in the U.S. we are just as strange, but we don't have Roosevelt, Ike, Kennedy or Reagan for that matter on display for the morbid fans. Maybe someone of Russian/Soviet descent can shed some light on this for me.

SUV Sales Down

"Consumer surveys over the past month have shown that people are more aware of prices at the pump."

No kidding! When did these guys wake up? The report also educates the dumb consumer that,

"The heyday of the giant sport utility vehicle keeps moving farther away as gasoline prices loom larger."

Fiscal Mismanagement

How sad is this? According to the Post this investigation is ongoing even though:

"In its semiannual audit, the Government Accountability Office said yesterday that Barrett spent $930,742 from October 2004 to March 2005, six years after Cisneros pleaded guilty to the charges Barrett was appointed to investigate -- and more than a year after Barrett submitted his 400-page report for final judicial review. The GAO did not indicate what Barrett has been doing since he finished his report, other than maintain staff and office expenditures that have continued to rise since the investigation ended."

Maybe someone outside the G.A.O. should remind this government office exactly what it's job is.