I just wanted to pass on an opportunity for any “Band of Gypsys” fans out there….. Billy Cox and Buddy Miles have released a new album called “The Band of Gypsys Return”….. It’s a CD+DVD package and for a limited time from Authentic Hendrix website you can get an autographed copy by Billy Cox for the same price as the unsigned one….. Click this link for track details and order info….. Looks great and only $16.95 plus S&H….. I ordered one….. Sorry ’bout the blatant commercial but it is limited and there are a lot of musicians on this blog…..

In a recent thread we talked about the Iranian “yellow badge” story that ended up being a fake.

The man who disseminated this fakery has now been invited to the White House as an “expert” on Iraq.

These are most certainly the most corrupt, dishonest and incompetent people ever to run this county. Let us hope we survive the next 2-1/2 years without them breaking it irrepairably.

Seems that men were the first to wear high heels, although I don’t think they were four inch stilettos. Who and why did

these men wear high heels? Five extra points for the color of the shoes.

“Well, I pulled outta Pittsburgh, Rollin’ down the Eastern seaboard, I got my diesel wound-up and she’s rollin’ like never before”….. (a little quote from “Six Days on the Road”)….. J.J. claimed he had some truck drivin’ stories, and I’m sure all of us have a story or two concerning encounters of the eighteen wheel kind on the road, so here’s your chance…… I bring this up because I was looking for a job in Sunday’s classifieds and there was like page after page of truck driving opportunities – big full color ads…… Are they really that short-handed on drivers?…… With as many trucks as I see on the road I can’t image if there would be room for my car if there were fully staffed…… I’ve had more than one close call with a Big Mack or a “Pedro”built, but, all-in-all, most truckers I been associated with are safe and courteous drivers, although, speed limits and riding your back bumper doesn’t seem to be on their list….. I thought a little about becoming a truck driver, but, I think there are enough yo-yo’s on the road now….. Maybe J.J. would let me take a test run with him one of these days……

Heres wishing all of you a safe and enjoyable Memorial Day weekend. If you are finding you and your families on the highways and byways this weekend be safe and remember that looby in front of you has a family also and most states enforce the death penalty for vehicular homicide. HaHaHa. (20,000 comedians out of a job and I’m here)
But Please remember the reason for this holiday the Men and Women who gave the ultimate sacrifice for this country. If you know someone who has lost a loved one in the service Please go to them and thank them for their ultimate sacrifice and ask them to share their story, or take a few minutes to go to your local cemetery and pay your respects to our brave servicemen and Women. Remember if it was not for them and all those who served we would not be able to have this forum.

How could a government agency allow a person to “take-home” the personal records of 26.5 million veterans on a personal computer?…… One of which was probably mine, knowing my luck……. I guess they were going to do an “all-nighter” if they were going to process 26.5 million records in one night!….. But then, the personal computer was stolen in a burglary, so the person couldn’t been working too hard if they were not even around…… The V.A. saw fit to put this person on “Administrative Leave”?…… Give me a break, this person compromises the personal information of 26.5 million veterans by illegally taking “home” these records and is severely punished by being put on “Administrative Leave”!….. There are more holes in this story than a sieve and there is a lot more to the story than the government is telling the public….. I think it is time to wake-up and start voting out of office every politician now serving…… The unfortunate thing is that those who are really responsible aren’t elected, but appointed or hired and have enough power and/or hold over those who appointed or elected them that they are untouchable…… So, what do you do?…… I’m at a loss and it seems we are on a steep downhill slide in this country….

Since the Blog went up over a year ago, we have been getting a small amount of spam comments from anonymous sources…… A few of these got onto the Blog at first so we had to go to a moderation system, whereas, if the poster was not logged-on, the comment would be held in moderation for approval before being posted on the Blog….. Unfortunately, over the last week or so, the amount of spam comments have exploded!…… Over a hundred a day!……. I have to sort though each one and delete it and then delete the same number of e-mail alerts on moderated comments…… It’s become a royal pain in the neck…… So-o-o, as of today, you have to be a REGISTERED USER and LOGGED-ON to post a post or a comment……. We didn’t want to close-off the odd comment from someone that wasn’t a registered user, but alas, I see no other way to stop the barrage of spam…… What is it with these people anyway?……

Belladonna (Deadly Nightshade) in Italian means “beautiful lady”. How did it come by this name?

The answer to

last weeks question “WHAT FAMOUS PHILOSOPHER SAID THAT WORMS ARE THE BOWELS OF THE EARTH”…………..ARISTOTLE.

I’m re-reading the book before I see the movie…… I found that the thing that interests me most about the book isn’t the plot, but all of the historical trivia spread throughout the book….. It’s packed with Anon-isms like the origin of Friday the 13th, the wind rose which is the symbol on maps that indicate direction, and The Divine Proportion ratio called PHI – One-point-six-one-eight to one – 1.618, which is a measurement ratio found in all living things on Earth…… Interesting to say the least…… I looked to see if Anon was the co-writer, but, alas, didn’t find any credits….. I wonder whether the movie will come anywhere close to the book?…… Guess I’ll find out this week-end…..

A detailed summary of how Apple won can be found here.

In our previous immigration discussion, Godwin’s Law was invoked.

Was I merely being hysterical with my Nazi analogy? Here’s an interesting look at what some prominent right-wing websites are saying about expelling immigrants:

Not only will it work, but one can easily estimate how long it would take. If it took the Germans less than four years to rid themselves of 6 million Jews, many of whom spoke German and were fully integrated into German society, it couldn’t possibly take more than eight years to deport 12 million illegal aliens, many of whom don’t speak English and are not integrated into American society.

This isn’t a fringe group at this point, they are trying to introduce this idea into the mainstream as acceptable. Citing the policies of Nazi Germany as a guide doesn’t put you in very good company.

This weeks Educational Quiz asks the question “WHAT FAMOUS PHILOSOPHER SAID THAT WORMS ARE THE BOWELS OF THE EARTH”.

Worms are a subject dear to me as I once had a worm

ranch……which I lost in a card game.

Does anyone think that the automotive manufacturers are going to offer any viable alternatives to the dinosaur-powered models on the market now?….. I don’t see anything that would make any major impact coming out in the near future….. I’m still seeing ads for big V-8’s and large SUV’s from all the manufacturers….. Granted, I’m a ex-muscle car owner and love the feel of lots of power, but I think with the price and availability of petroleum products, I’m willing to give it up for a cheaper, cleaner, and readily available alternative….. I just don’t think big business and our government is ready to end our dependence on fossil fuels….. There’s still billions out there to be made off of the general public….. I understand that cost is going to be a problem because today’s cars are a major investment for most people and getting rid of a car that is running perfectly just to get one the operates cheaper would be out of most people’s financial ability, but the manufacturers would clean-up after the initial cost of development and production costs….. I just don’t think they are ready to make that step yet…..

So-o-o, what are we going to do and when?….. Just wait until there’s no more fuel?….. Go to war (more than we already are) for the last fuel reserves?….. you tell me – if you can……

I don’t believe I have ever witnessed a regime that will influence the (mis) direction of our country as much as this one. GW has appointed not one, but two supreme court justices, which greatly influences our civil rights, moral fiber and laws. He appointed the successor to Greenspan, which greatly impacts the financial direction of this country. Now the head of the CIA? Is the FBI next or has that already happened? If he could have got by with it, he would probably have appointed the new Pope. And by the way, these are all lifetime appointments. Is it just a coincidence that all of these people got too old at the same time? Hmmm?????????What’s up Doc? And I thought Nixon was bad.

Do you agree or disagree with the court’s decision?

LONDON (AP) – Apple Computer Inc. is entitled to use the apple logo on its iTunes Music Store, a judge ruled Monday, rejecting a suit filed by Apple Corps Ltd., the guardian of The Beatles’ commercial interests.

Apple Corps, which claimed that the computer company had broken a 1991 agreement in which each side agreed not to enter into the other’s field of business, said it would appeal.

Judge Edward Mann of Britain’s High Court ruled that Apple Computer used the fruit logo in association with the store, not the music, and thus did not breach the agreement.

“I conclude that the use of the apple logo … does not suggest a relevant connection with the creative work,” Mann said in his written judgment. “I think that the use of the apple logo is a fair and reasonable use of the mark in connection with the service, which does not go further and unfairly or unreasonably suggest an additional association with the creative works themselves.”

Though Apple Computer CEO Steve Jobs said he was “glad to put this disagreement behind us,” the case appears far from over. Neil Aspinall, the manager of Apple Corps, said his company would immediately appeal.

“We felt that during the course of the trial we clearly demonstrated just how extensively Apple Computer has broken the agreement,” Aspinall said in a statement.

Apple Computer has sold more than 1 billion songs through the iTunes Music Store, which is available throughout Europe as well as in the United States, Canada, Australia and Japan. Though there are more than 3 million tracks available for purchase in the U.S. — and 2 million in Britain — there are no Beatles’ songs listed. The band’s catalog is not available on iTunes.

In his brief statement, Jobs said he hoped the ruling would help rectify that situation: “We have always loved the Beatles, and hopefully we can now work together to get them on the iTunes Music Store.”

Lawyers for Cupertino, Calif.-based Apple Computer had argued that the company was conducting its business legally and consumers are smart enough to tell the difference between the logos. Apple Corps uses a shiny green apple as its logo, while Apple Computer has a cartoon-like apple with a neat bite taken out.

Lawyers for each side tussled during the hearing over advertisements for iTunes featuring musical acts U2, Eminem and Coldplay, using the logo. The judge confessed early on that he owned an iPod.

The 1991 agreement ended previous lengthy litigation over the logo. Apple Computer told the court that it paid the Fab Four’s company $26.5 million as part of the 1991 out-of-court settlement, and in return had received “a considerably expanded field of use.” The terms of the deal were kept confidential at the time.

Mann refused Apple Computer’s application for an immediate interim payment of 1.5 million pounds ($2.8 million) from Apple Corps toward its legal costs, pending further hearings. Apple Corps faces a similar bill for its own legal expenses.

While the case may have seemed glamorous because of the litigants, it really came down to the interpretation of a contract — the 1991 agreement — said Jonathan Riley, an intellectual property lawyer with London firm Lawrence Graham.

“It was watched with interest, but also some distance, because I don’t think it’s hugely significant for either the computer industry or the music industry,” he said.

Apple Corps was started by the Beatles in 1968 and is still owned by Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, the widow of John Lennon and the estate of George Harrison. Apple Computer was formed in 1976, when college dropouts Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak filed partnership papers on April Fools’ Day.

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