Wednesday, May 31, 2006

Humor Du Jour...

Yes, I laughed out loud....



Tuesday, May 30, 2006

American Ingenuity at Work....

I came across this story and it really struck me at the determination of your average American. What also struck me was the ignorance, greed, and lethargy of the 'company management' and of the local authorities invovled ( or not involved to be precise).


I have a friend who is president of his homeowner's association down in Washington. They are having a terrible problem with trash on the side of the road that is around his association's homes. The reason according to Wallace (my friend) is, there is being built just next to them, six new homes.....big ones!

Wallace said the trash is coming from the Mexican work crews working at the construction sites. (McDonald Bags, Burger King trash, etc). He has pleaded with the site supervisors and the general contractor to no avail, called the City,County, the Police and got no help.

So..................guess what some people in his community did?

They organized about twenty folks, named themselves The "Inner Neighborhood Services" to go out at lunch time and "police" the trash themselves. It is what they did while picking up the trash that is hilarious.

They got some navy blue baseball caps and had the initials "INS" in gold put on the caps. It doesn't take a rocket scientist, however, to understand what they hoped people would think it means.

Well the day after their first pick up detail, with them wearing their caps and some carrying cameras; 46 out of 68, of the construction workers did not show up for work the next morning!!!!!!!!.............and haven't come back yet!!!!! It has been ten days.

Now the General Contractor, I understand is madder than hell, but can't say anything publicly, because he could be busted for hiring "illegal aliens". Wallace and his bunch can't be accused of impersonating INS folks, because they have it on their home owner association records the vote to form the new committee within their association, plus they informed the INS about what they were doing in advance, and the INS said basically according to Wallace.............."have at it"!

Tuesday, May 23, 2006

Pete The Pirate

Connor wrote a story with pictures.
It is a little big for the blog, so I put it on my other website.

Click on this link to see his artwork and read his story:

Pete The Pirate

Here is a teaser:


"Avast, me hearties! I'm Pete the Pirate and this is my pirate ship and crew."


Quote Du Jour...

Obviously did not do well in economics class....

''I'd rather have a small following of really cool people than people who have a five disc changer and like Reba McEntire.'' Dixie Chick statement read on air by E.D. Hill

Advice Du Jour

The advice for today is:

STAY OUT OF BALTIMORE

or more specifically:

DON'T ASK BALTIMORE POLICE FOR HELP

Lost couple arrested after seeking help

BALTIMORE, May 19 (UPI) -- Baltimore police were investigating claims from a Virginia couple that they were arrested and jailed for asking an officer for directions.
Joshua Kelly and Lara Brook of Chantilly, Va., told WBAL-TV, Baltimore, they got lost after watching the Orioles play Saturday and stopped to ask a police officer for directions. She arrested them for trespassing on a public street and threw them in jail.
"In jail for eight hours -- sleeping on a concrete floor next to a toilet," Kelly said.
"It was a nightmare," added Brook. "I was in there thinking I was just dreaming and waiting to wake up."
The couple told WBAL the first officer they sought directions from refused to help, saying, "You found your own way in here, you can find your own way out."
So they flagged down another cruiser but the first officer jumped between them and said her partner was not going to "step in front of me and tell you directions if I'm not," Kelly said. They were ordered out of their car, cuffed and hauled downtown on a charge of trespassing on a public street. After spending the night in jail, Collins and Kelly were released without charges. But Collins when he picked up his impounded car, several items had been stolen, including CDs, sunglasses and a phone charger, he told the TV station. [More]

Wednesday, May 17, 2006

Quote Du Jour...

As we ramble on down this interminable road of major change, Michele and I have been practicing a number of stress managment strategies (yes, red wine counts).

In my my constant endeaver to avoid working on my dissertation, I came across these quotes which I thought were particularly relevant given our present stage in life.


Our life is what our thoughts make it.
-Marcu Aurelius


He who has a why to live can bear with almost any how.
-Nietzsche


Most folks are about as happy as they choose to be.
-Abraham Lincoln


We are not what we think we are; but, what we think, we are.
-Norman Vincent Peale


Garbage in, Garbage out.
-My computer


You can't teach a person anything, you can only help them to find it within themselves.
-Galileo Galilei




Saturday, May 13, 2006

Priceless (look at MARY)


Friday, May 12, 2006

Growing Up


Here is Emily's Poem:

Growing Up
By
Emily Schmidt


What do I want to be?
Doctor
Lawyer
Writer
Artist
Teacher
Scientist
I want to be an Egyptologist!
Mummies, Treasure, Oh what Treasure!
All the Egyptian Gods. AAhhh.
Coooolll!!
Big Pyramids, Big, Big
The Sphynx!
Oh, an Egyptologist!



Sharks

Not to be outdone, Connor puts forth an effort:


Sharks
By
Connor Schmidt


You might look out when you are at the sea.
Sharks are approaching!
And you might be eaten!
And LOOK OUT!!!
And beware, you are in the ocean.
The hammerhead, tigershark, and more
in the ocean.


Connor and Nicholas last August at the HorsePark:


A Circle of Love


Mary wrote a poem in school today. Here it is:


A Circle of Love
By
Mary Schmidt


I point to a circle
Like a snowflake
It is love for Rhayna,
Aubrey, and Noah at school.


It is love on Sundays
At home for
Daddy, Emily, Nicholas
Mom and Connor.

Mary is almost 3-1/2 years old.
Here she is at the end of last summer:



Wednesday, May 10, 2006

U.S. Tipping Mexico to Location of Minuteman Patrols

This is just unbelievable. I am at a loss for words for now...

U.S. tipping Mexico to Minuteman patrols

By Sara A. Carter, Staff Writer

While Minuteman civilian patrols are keeping an eye out for illegal border crossers, the U.S. border Patrol is keeping an eye out for Minutemen -- and telling the Mexican government where they are.

According to three documents on the Mexican Secretary of Foreign Relations Web site, the U.S. Border Patrol is to notify the Mexican government as to the location of Minutemen and other civilian border patrol groups when they participate in apprehending illegal immigrants -- and if and when violence is used against border crossers.

A U.S. Customs and Border Protection spokesman confirmed the notification process, describing it as a standard procedure meant to reassure the Mexican government that migrants' rights are being observed. "It's not a secret where the Minuteman volunteers are going to be," Mario Martinez said Monday.

"This ... simply makes two basic statements -- that we will not allow any lawlessness of any type, and that if an alien is encountered by a Minuteman or arrested by the Minuteman, then we will allow that government to interview the person."

Minuteman members were not so sanguine about the arrangement, however, saying that reporting their location to Mexican officials nullifies their effectiveness along the border and could endanger their lives.

"Now we know why it seemed like Mexican officials knew where we were all the time," said Chris Simcox, founder of the Minuteman Civil Defense Corps. "It's unbelievable that our own government agency is sending intelligence to another country. They are sending intelligence to a nation where corruption runs rampant, and that could be getting into the hands of criminal cartels.

"They just basically endangered the lives of American people."

Officials with the Mexican consulate in Washington, D.C., could not be reached for comment Monday. Martinez said reporting the location of immigrant apprehensions to consulate representatives is common practice if an illegal immigrant requests counsel or believes they have been mistreated.

"Once an illegal alien is apprehended, they can request counsel," he said. "We have to give their counsel the information about their apprehension, and that includes where they are apprehended, whether a Minuteman volunteer spotted them or a citizen." Martinez said Mexico's official perception of the civilian groups is that they are vigilantes, a belief the Border Patrol hoped to allay by entering into the cooperative agreement.

One of the documents on the Web site, "Actions of the Mexican Government in Relation to the Activities of Vigilante Groups," states that Mexican consulate representatives stay in close contact with Border Patrol chiefs to ensure the safety of migrants trying to enter the U.S., those being detained and the actions of all "vigilantes" along the border.

"The Mexican consul in Presidio also contacted the chief of the Border Patrol in the Marfa Sector to solicit his cooperation in case they detect any activity of `vigilantes,' and was told to immediately contact the consulate if there was," according to the document. "Presidio" refers to Presidio County, Texas, which is in the Big Bend region and a gateway to northern Mexico.
The document also describes a meeting with San Diego Border Patrol sector chief Darryl Griffen.
"(Griffen) said that the Border Patrol will not permit any violence or any actions contrary to the law by the groups, and he is continuously aware of (the volunteer organizations') operations," according to the document. "Mr. Griffen reiterated to the undersecretary his promise to notify the General Consul right away when the vigilantes detain or participate in the detention of any undocumented Mexicans."

The documents specifically named the Minuteman Civil Defense Corps and its patrols, which began monitoring Arizona's southern border in April 2005, as well as Friends of the Border Patrol, a Chino-based nonprofit.

TJ Bonner, president of the National Border Patrol Council, a union representing more than 10,000 Border Patrol agents, said agents have complained for years about the Mexican consulate's influence over the agency.

"It worries me (that the Mexican government) seems to be unduly influencing our enforcement policies. That's not a legitimate role for any foreign nation," Bonner said, though he added, "It doesn't surprise me." Border Patrol agents interviewed by the Daily Bulletin said they have been asked to report to sector headquarters the location of all civilian volunteer groups, but to not file the groups' names in reports if they spot illegal immigrants.

"Last year an internal memo notified all agents not to give credit to Minuteman volunteers or others who call in sightings of illegal aliens," said one agent, who spoke on the condition he not be identified. "We were told to list it as a citizen call and leave it at that. Many times, we were told not to go out to Minuteman calls."

The document also mentions locations of field operations of Friends of the Border Patrol, which patrolled the San Diego sector from June to November 2005. Mexican officials had access to the exact location of the group founded by Andy Ramirez, which ran its patrols from the Rough Acre Ranch, a private property in McCain Valley.

Ramirez said that for safety reasons, he disclosed the location of his ranch patrol only to San Diego Border Patrol and law enforcement officials. The group did not apprehend or spot any undocumented migrants in that area.

"We did not release this information ... to the media or anyone else," Ramirez said. "We didn't want to publicize that information. But there it is, right on the Mexican government's Web site, and our government gave it to them."

Visit the Mexican Government's Secretary of Foreign Relations Web Site. Third Report on the Activities of Vigilantes. http://www.sre.gob.mx/eventos/minuteman/reporte3.htm

Thursday, May 04, 2006

Humor Du Jour...

Understanding Engineers - Take One:

Two engineering students were walking across a university campus when one said, "Where did you get such a great bike?"

The second engineer replied, "Well, I was walking along yesterday, minding my own business, when a beautiful woman rode up on this bike, threw it to the ground, took off all her clothes and said, "Take what you want."

The second engineer nodded approvingly and said, "Good choice; the clothes probably wouldn't have fit you anyway."

_____________________________________________________

Understanding Engineers - Take Two:

To the optimist, the glass is half full.

To the pessimist, the glass ishalf empty.

To the engineer, the glass is twice as big as it needs to be.
_______________________________________________________

Understanding Engineers - Take Three:

A priest, a doctor, and an engineer were waiting one morning for aparticularly slow group of golfers.
The engineer fumed, "What's with those blokes? We must have been waiting for fifteen minutes!"
The doctor chimed in, "I don't know, but I've never seen such inept golf!".
The priest said, "Here comes the greens keeper. Let's have a word with him." He said, "Hello, George! What's wrong with that group ahead of us? They're rather slow, aren't they?"
The greens keeper replied, "Oh, yes. That's a group of blind fire fighters. They lost their sight saving our clubhouse from a fire last year, so we always let them play for free anytime."

The group fell silent for a moment.

The priest said, "That's so sad. I think I willsay a special prayer for them tonight."

The doctor said, "Good idea. I'm going to contact my ophthalmologist colleague and see if there's anything he can do for them."

The engineer said, "Why can't they play at night?"
__________________________________________________________

Understanding Engineers - Take Four:

What is the difference between mechanical engineers and civil engineers?

Mechanical engineers build weapons and civil engineers build targets.

__________________________________________________________

Understanding Engineers - Take Five:

The graduate with a science degree asks, "Why does it work?"

The graduate with an engineering degree asks, "How does it work?"

The graduate with an accounting degree asks, "How much will it cost?"

The graduate with an arts political science degree asks, "Do you want fries with that?"

______________________________________________________

Understanding Engineers - Take Six

The difference between a mathematician and an engineer. An engineer and a mathematician are put in a room. At the other end of the room is a beautiful naked woman. They are told that every time a bell is rung they may move half the distance to the woman.

The mathematician: I'll never get there.

The engineer: Start ringing.

Tuesday, May 02, 2006

Taps

A friend sent me this little bit of history about the Bugle Call 'Taps.' I have since learned there are several versions of this story, but this one is the most touching.

We in the United States have all heard the haunting song, "Taps". It's the song that gives us that lump in our throats and usually tears in our eyes. But, do you know the story behind the song? If not, I think you will be interested to find out about its humble beginnings. Reportedly, it all began in 1862 during the Civil War, when Union Army Captain Robert Ellicombe was with his men near Harrison 's Landing in Virginia. The Confederate Army was on the other side of the narrow strip of land. During the night, Captain Ellicombe heard the moans of a soldier who lay severely wounded on the field. Not knowing if it was a Union or Confederate soldier, the Captain decided to risk his life and bring the stricken man back for medical attention. Crawling on his stomach through the gunfire, the Captain reached the stricken soldier and began pulling him toward his encampment. When the Captain finally reached his own lines, he discovered it was actually a Confederate soldier, but the soldier was dead.

The Captain lit a lantern and suddenly caught his breath and went numb with shock. In the dim light, he saw the face of the soldier. It was his own son. The boy had been studying music in the South when the war broke out. Without telling his father, the boy enlisted in the Confederate Army. The following morning, heartbroken, the father asked permission of his superiors to give his son a full military burial, despite his enemy status. His request was only partially granted. The Captain had asked if he could have a group of Army band members play a funeral dirge for his son at the funeral. The request was turned down since the soldier was a Confederate. But, out of respect for the father, they did say they could give him only one musician. The Captain chose a bugler. He asked the bugler to play a series of musical notes he had found on a piece of paper in the pocket of the dead youth's uniform. This wish was granted.

The haunting melody, we now know as "Taps" ... used at military funerals was born.
The words are:
Day is done..
Gone the sun.
From the lakes.
From the hills.
From the sky.
All is well.
Safely rest.
God is nigh.
Fading light.
Dims the sight.
And a star.
Gems the sky.
Gleaming bright.
From afar.
Drawing nigh.
Falls the night.
Thanks and praise.
For our days.
Neath the sun.
Neath the stars.
Neath the sky.
As we go.
This we know.
God is nigh.

I too have felt the chills while listening to "Taps" but I have never seen all the words to the song until now. I didn't even know there was more than one verse. I also never knew the story behind the song and I didn't know if you had either so I thought I'd pass it along. I now have an even deeper respect for the song than I did before.

Remember Those Lost and Harmed While Serving Their Country.


Playing echo taps are Navy veteran Morris Hickman, left, and Army veteran Tim Clement, both members of the volunteer group Bugles Across America, perform at the graveside services of Marine Sgt. Byron Norwood.
Sunday, November 21, 2004 - Photo by: R
alph Barrera AMERICAN-STATESMAN


Hello!!

Well, we are finally starting to settle down here. The house is on the market (yeahh!!). It was about two months of working just about every night on some silly thing or other. We got it done and now we wait. Everyone is doing fine, and I will start to post some more soon. Just have that pesky dissertation to wrap up now....

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