The Love Of A Brother

Yesterday, my five year old daughter lost her first tooth. Having two older brothers she knew all about the tooth fairy and that she could get a little bit of money if she stuck her tooth under her pillow. She took her tooth and stuck it in a ziploc bag and then stuck it under her pillow.

I got the kids up for school, and like usual, they were a little groggy, but I woke them up and told them it was time for school. So while the kids were getting ready for school I decided to make breakfast. I was making eggs with sausage and potatoes and such, when my 13 year old came out to see what I was doing. I had asked him to go check on his sister and brother and make sure that they were getting up for school. He left and then came back a few minutes later. After I was done cooking breakfast, I went and checked on the other two once again.

My daughter was awake and she hadn't forgot about her tooth at all. She immediately looked under her pillow and found a dollar. Not much, but to a five year old, a dollar is like a million bucks. She was so excited. I was thinking in my head that I was grateful that my wife had remembered to put a dollar under her pillow because I had forgotten all about her tooth. Typical guy thing to forget about that type of stuff.

I went back into the kitchen and started making breakfast burrito's with the food that I had cooked. A few minutes later, my 13 year old came up to me and said, "Here dad". He laid something on the counter, but there was a pot in the way and I couldn't see it. I looked around the pot and still didn't see it. I asked him what it was and he picked it up and said, "It's Harley's tooth". I looked at him and said, "How in the world did you end up with her tooth?" Then he told me that when he went into her room to wake her up he looked under her pillow and noticed that my wife and I had both forgotten to replace the tooth with some money. So he told me that he got some of his own money and replaced the tooth with it. When I heard that he had done this, I immediately got all choked up and began to tear up. I gave him the biggest hug ever and thanked him.

It just amazes me how much our children take care of their brothers and sisters and even bail out their parents when their parents forget. We all forget at sometimes, and it's the best feeling in the world to know that we have children looking out for us! God bless the children of this world.

Will there ever be another Michael Phelps?

History has been made.  Michael Phelps has gotten 8 Gold Metals in the 2008 Summer Olympics.  Something that no other person in Olympics History has ever done before. 

But here is the real question, will this ever happen again?  Is there anybody out there that can match the feat of 8 Gold Metals in a single Olympics?  I have been hearing that what Michael Phelps has done may never happen again.  I have also heard that it WILL NEVER happen again.  But how can they be so sure?  Even though it has been 36 years since Mark Spitz received 7 Gold Metals in a single Olympics, it was finally surpassed by Michael Phelps.  Many thought that Mark Spitz's record could not be broken.  Obviously that is not the case.  So can another swimmer match the accomplishment of Michael Phelps?  Sure.  I mean, why not?

On May 6th, 1954, Roger Bannister did what the "experts" said could not be done.  Bannister ran a mile in under 4 minutes.  For years the "experts" said that this could not be done.  Many had tried and many had come only seconds short, but none had succeeded in breaking the 4 minute mile.  Because no one was able to do it, people just assumed that it was impossible. 

Even more incredible than that was that just 46 days after Bannister broke the 4 minute mile, another man by the name of John Landy, of Australia, broke Bannisters record.

On August 7, at the 1954 British Empire and Commonwealth Games in Vancouver, B.C., Bannister competed against Landy for the first time in a race billed as "The Miracle Mile". They were the only two men in the world to have broken the 4-minute barrier, with Landy still holding the world record. Landy led for most of the race, building a lead of 10 yards in the third lap (of four), but was overtaken on the last bend, and Bannister won in 3 min 58.8 s, with Landy 0.8 s behind in 3 min 59.6 s. Bannister and Landy have both pointed out that the crucial moment of the race was that at the moment when Bannister decided to try to pass Landy, Landy looked over his left shoulder to gauge Bannister's position and Bannister burst past him on the right, never relinquishing the lead.

As more and more people knew it was possible to break the 4 minute mile, more and more people trained to break it and break the records of Landy and Bannister.  Within 10 years after Bannister broke the 4 minute mile, 336 other people had broken the 4 minute mile as well.  If you look at today's runners, more and more of them are breaking the 4 minute mile as well.  Most runners who run a mile in the Olympics as fast as they can are able to break the 4 minute mile.  The difference is not dramatic between runners, but the fastest person to ever run the mile was Hicham El Guerrouj of Morocco in 1999 at a time of 3:43.13.

My point is simple.  People can match what Michael Phelps has done with a pure determination to do so.  All it takes is a little bit of effort.  Michael Phelps had the determination to get 8 Gold Metals in a single Olympics and surpass Mark Spitz and he did.  If there is another swimmer out there with as much determination or even more determination than Michael Phelps, then the impossible becomes possible.

It's Wednesday April 23, 2008 and the first thing that I want to talk about is these 6 girls in Indiana who cops are calling the copycats girls. These are 6 girls that decided to copy the 6 girls in Florida by pretending to be cool with another girl and then beating the crap out of her. Like the 6 girls in Florida, these girls also videotaped the beating of the one girl, the only difference is that these girls actually were able to get their video onto You Tube before getting busted by police. My question is why in the world did these girls decide to do this? I mean, didn't they see that the Florida girls got busted for doing such a thing? You didn't even hear of the Florida girls until after they got busted. Who in their right mind says, "I want to be just like the girls in Florida and get 5 of my best friends and beat the crap out of some other girl just to get my 15 minutes of fame"?

So there is this video of a guy on You Tube and he's calling himself "The Trashman". He claims to have had sex with over 1500 women and given them AIDS on purpose. He has this list of names that he reads off that he claims are names of the women that he has slept with. Several of the girls are like 16 and 17 years old so he claims. So this guy is admitting that he has given women AIDS on purpose and slept with underage girls. Doesn't this guy realize that police can trace back to the exact computer that this video on You Tube was uploaded from?

So what's going on this week on You Tube? Is it like dumb criminals week? Everybody that has done a retarted crime decides to admit it by posting it on You Tube?

Now this story is really sad, and I don't mean to poke fun at it, but it just sounds a bit off. This guy in Minnesota takes his 9 year old son out hunting with him, and while there out there his father shoots his son right in the chest. The boy dies from the wound, but when police arrive, he claims that he shot his son because he thought that his son was a turkey. First of all, I can understand a person taking their son out hunting with them, but who lets their son walk off in the middle of the woods by themself when they get there? Did he not notice that his son wasn't there or did he just let him wonder off. Then when he shoots his son, he shoots him right in the chest. You mean to tell me that he couldn't tell that wasn't a turkey. The difference between a nine year old boy and a turkey is outstanding.

Have you heard about this new cup of coffee that Delonghi? It's called the Cafe Raro and it's an amazing $100 a cup or $290 per pound. However you might be just a little bit turned off when you find out how they get the coffee beans to make the Cafe Raro. The makers of the Cafe Raro let a Japanese cat known as a Civet eat the coffee beans and then wait until the cat passes them out the other end. Then the beans are taken out, cleaned, packaged up, and shipped off. Now I bet that makes for one great tasting cup of Cappuccino. Or should we say, "cat poo ccino"?

Finally I just want to say one more thing about the Susan Crane incident that happened at the University of Maine. I have been hearing a lot of people say that Susan Crane had a right to do what she did. That's not true. According to the US Code, Title 18, Part 1, Chapter 33, Section 700 she does not have the right to do what she did. Nobody has a right to do what they want to to the American Flag. Look it up yourself if you don't believe me. Messing with the American Flag can cost you a year in jail, it can cause you to be fined, or both. So please stop saying that Susan Crane had a right to deface the American flag, because she didn't.

Meanest Mom On The Planet

Jane Hambleton has dubbed herself the "Meanest mom on the planet." However, I'm not so sure that I wouldn't have done the same thing as she did to her son if I was in her situation.

Her son, who is 19, was found to have alcohol in his car. So what did the mother do as punishment? She sold his car, but not in the most conventional way. Sure she put an add in the local paper advertising the sale of the car, but here is exactly how it read:

"OLDS 1999 Intrigue. Totally uncool parents who obviously don't love teenage son, selling his car. Only driven for three weeks before snoopy mom who needs to get a life found booze under front seat. $3,700/offer. Call meanest mom on the planet."

When Mrs. Hambleton bought the car for her son around Thanksgiving, she says that she set two ground rules for her son. 1.) No Booze and 2.) Always keep your doors locked. Obviously the son never heard the first rule.

"The ad cost a fortune, but you know what? I'm telling people what happened here," Hambleton says. "It's overwhelming the number of calls I've gotten from people saying 'Thank you, it's nice to see a responsible parent.' So far there are no calls from anyone saying, 'You're really strict. You're real overboard, lady."

The only critic is her son, who Hambleton says is "very, very unhappy" with the ad and claims the alcohol was left by a passenger. So why didn't he just throw it out. He knew his moms rules. Well, maybe he really didn't hear the first rule about no booze. Whatever the case, I'm sure that he is going to be bitter for a long time. I say tough cookies. You should have known better.

There's no doubt in my mind that I would probably do the same thing to my own son if he had alcohol in his car as well. I have already told myself that if any of my kids even get as much as a speeding ticket, they'll never drive again until they are out of my house. I may not sell their car for that type of infraction, but who knows.

Who Is It Hurting

The debate over the words "Under God" is thriving. One of the most famous people leading this debate is a man named Michael Newdow. Newdow is an avid atheist and wants the words "Under God" removed from the Pledge and on all US Currency.

My question is, "Is it really that big of an issue? Is it really that big of deal?" Is there more important things in this world that he can be focusing? I mean really, when is the last time that we actually looked at those words on the bills anyway. Honestly? We all know that the words "In God We Trust" are on every dollar bill and coin made by the US Mint, but without looking, do you actually know where those words are located? I bet that Mr. Newdow can't name half of the text printed on the dollar bills printed in the US.

Mr. Newdow is a very smart man. He's not only a doctor, but a lawyer as well. If Mr. Newdow spent as much time and effort on current issues as he did on trying to remove a couple of words from the Pledge and US Currency, this world might be a better place for all of us. I mean, why not talk about or do things that will have a lasting impact?

This country was based on religion. Religion is everywhere you go in Washington DC. It's on every building such as the Washington Monument. It's all over the Capital Building. If you have ever been to Washington DC, then you know what I am talking about. I have no doubt that our Forefathers are rolling over in their graves right now just in complete disbelief in how this country has turned out to be.

We should all thank Newdow for giving us a reason to hope that one day, in the not-too-distant future, we will return to the America of September 10, 2001. To return to those days when we had nothing better to do than bicker over really critical issues like which politician is the most patriotic, or who has the biggest flag on the block. Thanks to Newdow's lawsuit charging the Pledge of Allegiance is unconstitutional (due to that "under God" phrase), we've become reacquainted with that comforting place where flag-waving carries no sorrowful undertones, only simple pride or defiance.

Candy Or Not Candy

If you haven't heard about this, narcotics police in Philadelphia are having a tough time figuring out if people are trying to get high or just freshen their breath. Police claim Hershey's Ice Breakers Pacs look too much like the heat-sealed bags of illegal drugs such as heroin or crack. Philadelphia Police Chief Inspector William Blackburn said he has been a narcotics officer for most of his career and mistook the candy pouches for the real thing.

The Hershey Company, makers of the Ice Breakers Candy, defended the product, saying in part, it is clearly labeled with product identification. Sure, in part. Now I saw pictures of the drugs and the candy side by side and I couldn't tell a difference. So I am guessing that the "in part" labeling is that of the actual package that the breath strips come in.I'm just wondering why Hershey is being so defensive against their candy. If I were the CEO of Hershey, I would help out the Law of the Land by making the candy a little bit more convincing that it is candy. Is it really that big of deal to change the actual candy or make the actual strip say Hershey or Ice Breakers on it? What is the cost to help get drugs off the street?

Where The Law Fails

Have you heard the story about Megan Meier from St. Charles County in Missouri? Megan was a 13 year old girl that committed suicide last year after being dumped by "Josh," a boy created under the direction of Lori Drew. Drew is the mother of one of Megan's former friends. Apparently Drew thought that Megan was talking about her daughter so she, with the help of some other kids, made up an on-line profile on myspace. Drew wanted to know what Megan was saying about her daughter online.

So they create this made up character and named him "Josh". They started talking to Megan to find out what she would say about Drew's daughter. Soon after, "Josh" started talking down to Megan. Bulletins were being posted about her, saying things like, "Megan Meier is a slut. Megan Meier is fat." Eventually, the harassing got to be to much and Megan hung herself.

The kicker is that nothing can be done about it. Law enforcement officials have said the case does not fit into any law. St. Charles County Prosecutor Jack Banas said statements from the neighbor and two teens who participated in the fictitious account couldn't meet criminal standards for the state's statutes on harassment, stalking or endangering the welfare of a child.

"There's no dispute that Mrs. Drew was aware of the creation of this MySpace," Banas said. "It was done by a young person that was in the employ of her — an 18-year-old girl along with her younger daughter — and the sole purpose by all parties that were involved in this was has been to find out what Megan was saying about this 13-year-old daughter of Mrs. Drew."

Megan's mother, Tina Meier, said last month she didn't think anyone involved intended for her daughter to kill herself.

"But when adults are involved and continue to screw with a 13-year-old, with or without mental problems, it is absolutely vile," Tina Meier said in a statement.

So the Police are saying that there is no law, but Banas is saying that there is a law, but the case doesn't fit the current law's profile. So my question is does there really have to be a law to punish those that are harassing another person? Can't one just be made up on the spot? We all know that what they have done to Megan was wrong. There's no doubt about it. But to let these people go scott free is just wrong. Shouldn't they have some sort of punishment? Does there really have to be a law in place when we know that these people harassed this young girl over and over again on some made up person that never existed? Was it not just the intention of Mrs. Drew to find out if Megan was talking about her daughter, but also to degrade and defile this young girl? What was said about Megan by Mrs. Drew and her co-conspirators is wrong and we all know it. Just because there is no law in place shouldn't mean that they can get away with what they have done. Why are laws only created after a crime has been committed? We all know what they were doing was wrong. A law has now been put in place about cyber-bullying and harassment, but only after Megan's case has been under investigation. So Mrs. Drew has a free ticket out of this one.

To me this is completely bull. Mrs. Drew should be punished. Just because there was no specific law or the current law isn't vague enough, doesn't mean that she should be set free automatically.

So, what say you? Am I wrong?

The Million Dollar Bill

Ok first click on this link here.

Now anybody who is anybody knows that the US Mint doesn't make a million dollar bill. Especially those who work at a bank. Yet if you look at the link that I just gave you, you'll notice that there are pen marks on the bill from banks when they use their "counterfeit" pens to tell whether or not the bill is fake. You mean to tell me that the personnel at the bank didn't know automatically that the bill was fake? Was it really that hard to tell that you had to use the counterfeit pen on the bill three times? The first time wasn't convincing enough? If you work at a bank then you should know that there is no such thing!

So why did they even pen the bill in the first place. That's right, because someone actually tried to open a bank account with the bill. Yep, not exactly smart. Alexander D. Smith, 31, was charged with disorderly conduct and two counts of forgery after he walked into the bank and tried to open an account by depositing the fake $1 million bill. So did he really act disorderly when they didn't deposit his money? Did he really believe that he would get the money?

My problem is that he was charged with forgery. The definition of forgery is, "the production of a spurious work that is claimed to be genuine, such as a coin, a painting, or the like." Since he did not make it, more on that in a minute, can he be charged with forgery? Here's the real kicker, Police say that it was a fake $1 million dollar bill, but since there is no such thing as a real $1 million dollar bill, can he be charged with forgery?

A little history on the Million Dollar Bill.

The million dollar bill was started by Ron Comfort and The Great News Network, a network dedicated in teaching people about Jesus Christ. The Great News Network were asking people if they were going to Heaven or not, calling it the "million dollar question". They decided to make a million dollar bill and put a short statement around the bill that would remind people that the question of Salvation is a million dollar question.

But even the Secret Service apparently has problems with the Million dollar bill as well. Last month the Secret Service raided the offices of the Great News Network and seized 8300 of the bills. Apparently, the Secret Service felt they looked a little bit too much like real currency for comfort. Is it really that hard to tell the difference? Of coarse back in 1992, the studio of J.S.G. Boggs was raided by the Secret Service. J.S.G. Boggs creates counterfeit currency as art, though his bills are single-sided, so they're not likely to be mistaken for actual money. The Secret Service seized thousands of his works, and haven't returned them to this day.

According to the US Treasury’s own policy it is illegal to duplicate and make copies that are comparable to existing currency with the intent to commit fraud. Since there is no such thing as a Million Dollar bill in circulation, it is obviously not illegal to create, print and or distribute one. In other words, how do you counterfeit something that doesn’t exist? In fact, you can purchase all the million dollar bills you want from various novelty retailers throughout the US. If it is such a big deal, why not make the production of all bills not printed by the US Mint illegal.

I just don't see why this is such a big deal. Someone please help me to understand.

Yeah Right

You know, some people come up with the dumbest things to say.



Have you heard about this story? Wendell C. Sinn Jr. has been charged with second-degree murder, or first-degree manslaughter, in the Nov. 24 dragging death of Jerid Sturman-Camyn. According to Sinn and some other witnesses, Sturman-Camyn, a 20-year-old martial arts enthusiast, became violent and out of control at a northeastern Washington hunting camp. No reason has been given as to why they say that he was "out of control". So what does Sinn do? He tied a rope to the truck's trailer hitch and placed a noose around the neck of Sturman-Camyn when he was distracted. Then he tells his 17 year old son, Justin, to drive away. Whether or not Sinn Sr. was in the truck or not is not made clear. According to Sheriff's Deputy Tony Ingram, Justin Sinn apparently was not aware he was dragging Sturman-Camyn, a 20-year-old Eastern Washington University student, when he sped away.

Yeah right. Justin's story just sounds fishy. Your going to sit there and tell me that Justin never had any clue that he was dragging another human being? He never saw his dad noose this guy or tie the rope to the bumper and wonder what his dad was doing? Wouldn't he have liked to know what he was dragging and what he was dragging it for? He never saw a struggle between his dad and this other guy? You know, when you drag something in a truck by a rope or chain, you can pretty much know that you have something there. There is no doubt about that. And I wonder, did Justin just drive 13 miles for no reason? Did he just drive because his dad told him to? Did he ever wonder where he was driving to and for what reason?

What makes this case even more stupid is the lawyer that is representing them! No offence to lawyers out there, but some lawyers say some pretty stupid things. Sinn's lawyer, John P. Nollette, has said that evidence will show his client acted in self-defense and to protect the others at the campsite from Sturman-Camyn. I want to know how a kid can be so dangerous that it requires you to tie a noose around his neck, tie the rope to the back of a truck, and then drag him 13 miles to his death? How is this self defense? Is that really protecting others? I mean Sturman-Camyn is just one person. There were multiple people at the campsite. Your telling me that a whole bunch of people could not subdue him until police arrived? Obviously he was subdued long enough for Sinn Sr. to get a noose around his neck and then tie it to the back of his truck. Was Sturman-Camyn knocked out cold or what? I just can't believe that Nollette is willing to take on this case because it looks to me like a loose-loose case. But I guess if you can spill coffee on yourself and sue McDonald's and win because you were unaware that the coffee was "hot", then you can win just about anything no matter how ridiculous it sounds.

What's Wrong With NFL.com

So tonight was the biggest, most talked about games in the NFL this season. The Dallas Cowboys vs. the Green Bay Packers. Everybody is talking about it. So what is the problem? At least 60% of America could not watch the game. You had to have NFL ticket to watch the game. Are you serious? Why, yes I am! Unfortunately, I am one of those 60%.

So NFL.com puts out an advertisement that states that they have tried unsuccessfully to get cable companies to air the football game. I really wonder how hard they tried. I'm sure that ABC, CBS, and NBC would have been more than willing to cancel one of their programs so that the biggest season could be watched. I'm sure that their airing of this particular game would have drawn in millions of viewers. So how hard did they try, really?

The advertisement also said that they would be airing the game on NFL.com/live for free. I thought that was awesome. But did they? Sure for a few minutes at a time. Most of the game was done by two guys just talking about the teams and the players and the factors of the game. More time was spent watching these two guys talk than watching a live game. I couldn't believe that NFL.com would tell people that they would air the game for free and then not do it. This was a chance for the NFL to make so major bucks. How? Let's look.

If NFL.com had done what it said that it was going to do, then next year more people would have bought the NFL Ticket. NFL Ticket is a program that you can order from your local cable company that shows every single game of the season so you won't miss a game. One like Dallas vs. Green Bay. The NFL could have boosted sales next season. Instead, NFL.com deceives people and more than likely, the NFL fan base is so disgusted with this lie that they put out there, that next season, I'll put money on it that the NFL Ticket will go down. It always happens that way. When people trust what you say, then your sales go up. When they think that you have deceived them or they know that you have deceived them, then your sales go down. What's bad about deceiving people is that when you tick people off, they tell everybody what a big jerk you are and then their friends don't want to have anything to do with you either. That's the way the world works. If you provide good service to your fan base, chances are they are not going to tell anyone. But if you screw them over, then the will tell everybody they can, even people that they don't know.

So way to go NFL.com. I'm sure that you have royally pissed off more than half of the NFL fan base. Personally, out of any major sport out there, the NFL fans are the ones that I would not want to piss off! I'm sure that your sales will be thriving next year and I say that in the most sarcastic way possible! Keep up the good work.

Oh My Gosh

Did you hear about this guy named Sampson Parker? He's a farmer in South Carolina.

So recently he's just doing the farm thing and he notices a piece of cornstalk stuck in one of his machines. He tried to release the cornstalk from the machine, however, when he did so his hand got stuck in the machine. So this guy is just yelling his lungs out for help, but help never comes. After about an hour or so his whole hand goes numb. So what does he do? He takes out his pocket knife and starts to cut off his fingers so that he can be free. Yeah, gross I know but that's not even the worst of it.

So Mr. Parker is just sawing away at his fingers when the machine catches on fire. The fire starts to cover his arm so then he realizes that he is in trouble. "My skin was melting. It was dripping off my arm like plastic, plastic melting." he said. "I realized I was in trouble." So what does he do then? He decided that he'd better cut off his whole arm otherwise he may never see tomorrow. With no time to spare, Mr. Parker went straight for his arm, cutting away from the bone as fast as he could. Once he severed his arm from his body, he managed to drive himself to a road where a firefighter helped him with the injury.

Now you have got to have some huge gonads to cut off your own arm. Especially with a pocket knife. I just wonder what type of pocket knife can cut through bone that fast! Must of been one of those ones with the mini saw in it. He probable used the saw, they just don't tell you that so that the story will be more dramatic! I guess if anybody were in that situation the might do the same thing. After all, it is human nature to try and stay alive. Still, I got to give props to Mr. Parker. That was a very brave thing that he did.

Where Do They Get Their Ideas

I'm not sure if you have heard this or not but a British woman, Toni Vernelli, 35, had an abortion 10 years ago. The reason that she did it...to help save the environment. At least that's what she is claiming. Toni says that she hopes her actions would ensure her carbon footprint would be kept to a minimum. Yeah, that's right. She doesn't want her family to be carried on. Or yours for that matter. Toni is an environmental advocate. After Toni had the abortion she was sterilized. Why was she sterilized you might ask. Well according to Toni, she believes pregnancy is bad for the environment. I really would like to know where these people come up with these things.

Oh, but she's not the only one! Another woman, 31-year-old Sara Irving, also underwent sterilization because she felt "a baby would pollute the planet." Irving became an environmentalist as a teenager when she realized saving the environment was her top and foremost priority in life. After going through several boyfriends she finally found her now husband, Mark Hudson, who shares in her "no kid’s policy."

Ok, so someone please tell me where in the world having a baby makes the world a polluted place. How can that be possible. These people were once babies. Why don't they just kill themselves? After all, they are about 10 or 12 times the size of a baby. They have got to be polluting the world far more than babies are.

There are stupid people in this world, but this is three of the stupidest people on planet Earth. Come on people. Get real. If you think that having a baby is polluting the world, then come prove it to me! Until then, you should just get your head checked or something.

Frank TV

I know that most of you have heard about the new TBS Series called Frank TV. It has been on all the stations being advertised.

This past Tuesday was the first episode. While it looked funny, the very first episode was actually very boring. At least to me. Why? With all the hype about how good of a series it was going to be, the producers showed a lot of clips of the series. The only problem was that Every clip that they were showing was from the very first episode. So when I tuned in to watch the first episode, what I was really watching was the same thing that I had already seen before. I felt like I was watching a re-run. With the exception of the Clinton Library part, I had seen the entire first episode. You can say that I was a little bit disappointed.

I really wonder how long this series will last. I know that Frank can impersonate about 12 people or so, but how much material can he come up with to keep his series on top?

The Pocket Taser

If you are looking for a great laugh then click here.

I'd Like To Be Ripped Off Please

You know, the last time I checked, I thought that I lived in America. I thought that this was the best Nation on Planet Earth. Not that it isn't, I just seem to have found out that everywhere you go, people are only after one thing, and that's your money.

I ordered a box of checks, some deposit slips, and a new check book cover since mine was on the verge of breaking in half. I did this online through Bank of America. The total was like $54 dollars total. Cool right? The thing is that this order posted to my account in 3 separate transactions. What's wrong with that you might ask? Here it is.

I have been with Bank of America long enough to know how they are beginning to do their dirty work. They used to be a good bank, but over the years they have turned against their own customers and began to rip them off. So what really is wrong with the 3 transaction thing? Here's why they do it. For fee's. That's how a bank gets a good chunk of money that they bring in. And it's not from non Bank of America customers either. It's from their own customers. That's right. You see when I ordered the checks, deposit slips, and checkbook cover, the total for all was $54 dollars. My account has 3 transactions. One for the checks, one for the deposit slips, and one for the check book cover. Now, lets say that I was just plain broke. What were to happen if just one of those transactions were to put me over the limit? I would get a fee for going over my limit. Now, what would happen if I was to go over and then do two more transactions. Both additional transactions would get me a fee each. However, in this case, if I was over and this caused me to go over, I shouldn't be charged three fee's because it was one transaction, they just decided to put it on my account as three fee's.

Now, I can see some poor person or some high school student getting into trouble in this manner. I personally pay all of my bills by electronic checks. That is one of the coolest things that is out there. When I first started it, what would happen is that when ever I would send out an electronic check, it would be deducted out of my checking account right then and there. The very second that I pushed "send", it would be out of my account. Then Bank of America changed their policy. They changed it to where they would send out the check, but they wouldn't take it out of your account until the person you sent it to accepted it. If you had a company that didn't accept electronic checks but you still had Bank of America mail a check to them for you, that check had to be cashed just like a regular check. It used to no be that way as I said before. When this all started I was very confused. I could see someone getting themselves into serious trouble when this all started by not letting them know and then they think that the money was already taken out of their bank and then they see that they have a lot more money than they really do.

I have a friend that over drafted her checking account. She did it on purpose. Why? Well her dog was hit by a car. She had to take the dog to the vet and the cost was more than she had in the bank. She knew this so she wrote a check knowing that it would bounce. She thought that her bank would give her one fee. Instead her bank charged her a $35 dollar fee for everyday that she was over.

Ok, so lets look at that. One fee for everyday that she is over. If a bank charges you one fee for every day that you are over then all they are doing is helping you stay over drafted. Most jobs pay on a monthly or bi-weekly basis. Hardly do places pay weekly anymore. So depending on when this happened, it depends on when she will be able to bring her account back into the green. If she is charged a fee everyday that she is over, she may never get her account in good standing. Most people do not overdraft their account on purpose. In this case yes, but normally no. What is her bank? Washington Mutual or Wamu as some people call it.

Banks can change their policy anytime that they want to. They never have to tell you either and they don't, believe me. Why can they do this? Easy. You gave them permission to. Don't believe me? If you still have your contract with the bank when you signed up, look through it and you'll find a part in there that states very clearly that they can change their policy at anytime with or without your knowledge. If you do not have a copy of this then go to your local bank and ask for a copy. I'm sure that they would be more than happy to point that out to you. If you never agreed to that, trust me when I say that you would not be a member of their bank.

Now this goes far beyond banks. You seem to get ripped off everywhere you go. If you go to a medical facility for one reason or another, if you don't have medical insurance then your pretty much screwed. The cost of medical or dental is outright outrageous. There is no reason that it should cost as much as it does.

Pro sports is another one. Want to go see your favorite team play? Chances are your going to fork out some money if you want to see them, unless you want to see them from the furthest point in the whole arena. Even then it might cost you $30 or $40 bucks.

Movies. How much does it cost to go to a movie? $10? What if you want popcorn or a coke? $5 for a bag of small popcorn and $4 for a small 20 oz. drink! Are you kidding me?

But I can tell you why this happens. Because we as Americans allow this to happen. We just go with the flow and pretend that everything seems that of the norm. Used to if people didn't like the price of things they wouldn't but them. Over time when no one would buy them, the prices would go down. Now prices keep going up because we as a society keep paying them instead of putting our foot down. If we did, then this country would not be like it is now.

Here's something to think about. Do you think that our forefathers intended this country to be the way that it is now when the Declaration of Independence was written? I seriously doubt that. Justice for all as it says in our pledge. But where is the justice? How come some people can afford to go to the doctor and some cannot?

If everybody would just put their foot down and take a stand then this country would be a great Nation again.

Last Doesn't Really Mean Worst

I guess that each of us learn something everyday. Something that we didn't know before.

For me, it's about Gilbert Arenas. If you don't happen to know who that is, Gilbert is rated as one of the top players in the NBA. He plays for the Washington Wizards and during the '06-'07 season, ranked 4th overall in leading scorers in the NBA. He has made the NBA All Star team multiple times. That's pretty impressive right?

The thing is, that if you just saw Gilbert and the way that he plays, some people would assume that he was drafted. Well, your right. He was drafted. However, the way that I have seen it in the past, if your not in the first 10 or 12 to get drafted, your really not anybody...or at least they don't expect you to be. For some reason, that's just the way that it has seemed to work. For Gilbert Arenas, that's what some people thought of him. Gilbert wasn't even drafted in the first round. That's right. Gilbert was drafted 1st in the second round of the NBA Draft. That means that he was the 31st pick of the NBA Draft. Not really what most people pay attention to. Over the years he has picked up his game and proven that he is one of the best players in the NBA. His stats show it and everybody loves him.

That reminds me of one other player in the NBA who was drafted way down the line and is now considered one of the best in the league.

Josh Howard of the Dallas Mavericks was almost like Gilbert. Lucky for Josh, he was drafted in the first round. Think that's good? Not really. Howard and Arenas were drafted 1 spot from each other. Howard was drafted the last pick in the first round of the NBA Draft. Once again, probably someone who wasn't really looked at that closely. However, Howard has proven that he is one of the best players in the NBA. Improving in every area of the NBA every season, last season Howard became an NBA All Star as well.

I guess that this just proves that the draft really doesn't matter as long as you can prove that you are worth it. Now if I could only figure out how many players that were drafted in the top 10 or 12 and who never made an impact in the NBA. Now that would be cool.

Angels and Airwaves

Ok, so if you have never heard of the band called Angels and Airwaves then you are missing out. The band was started by Tom Delonge of Blink 182. Unlike Blink 182, Angels and Airwaves have a very unique type of music. In a way they sound like U2. With all due respect to U2, who I love and have for years, Angels and Airwaves seem to have taken the U2 style of music and kicked it up a notch. There style of music is unlike any other band out there. You can go to their website and listen to a clip of music from their upcoming album I-Empire due out in October 2007. To go to their website click here. Listen and find out for yourself. You'll love it! Especially if you like bands like U2!

Erik Botta

So I'm reading this article about Army Sgt. Erik Botta. He's a reservist. He recently received orders that would place him in Iraq for the 4th time. So he's protesting that he has already served his time over there so he doesn't want to go back.

When I first read this article I was beginning to believe that he has a valid point in staying here in the U.S. After all, most tours of Iraq have been a year or longer. So why should he have to go back? He's probably served more time over there than a lot of people have in their first enlistment. At least that's what I was thinking first of all. As I continued to read the article, I realized that he hadn't even served 5 months in Iraq in 3 trips over there. Mr. Botta served a 3 month tour, a 1 month tour, and a 15 day tour and that's it. These 3 tours of duty also spanned over a period of 2 years. If that's what you call serving your time then I just don't understand your way of thinking!

Mr. Botta, there are hundreds upon hundreds of Marine, Navy, Army and Air Force personnel that have served 3 or more tours of duty in Iraq in which each tour of duty was 16 months or more. Now, why don't you go up to them and tell them that you shouldn't have to go back because you have done your time and served your country. I would be interested in hearing what they have to say to you!

Now don't get me wrong, 5 months in Iraq is fine. Mr. Botta has served his country. But to protest in the way that he is protesting is outright stupid. You can't serve 3 tours in Iraq that only totals less than 5 months over a 2 year period and then protest about going back saying that you have already served your time. If I was the judge residing over this case then I would throw it out! It wouldn't be worth my time. I would send you packing for Iraq. Plain and simple.

Have More Control

There are a ton of people that I know that have a myspace account. It's been around for years. I was debating for a while wether or not to get an account. So finally the other day I decided that I would start up my own account. I went through all the motions of getting a new account and finally was done.

As I looked for people that I knew, I realized that myspace is actually not that bad. I have been able to talk to people that I haven't seen in 10 or more yeaars. It's actually been kinda cool.

The only thing is that everytime I get new messages, they are not from my friends. They are from girls that want me to go look at their naked pictures on some other website. The first time that it happened I just thought that they were people that I went to school with. People that I just didn't remember. Then I clicked on their message and I got something totally different. I get 10 times more mail for girls that want me to look at their naked pictures than I do any of my friends.

Myspace should have better control of things like that. I could set my profile to private and take care of the junk e-mails that I get, but then the people that you want to talk to, can't see you. It's Kinda a lose-lose situation. Not that I don't enjoy the people that I have been able to talk to now, I just don't like to junk e-mails. Myspace should have better control.

Nothing to Say

I just don't have anything to say. It's just one of those days I guess. Haven't done much today. I did seem to get myself up and mow the yard today. Finally. It only took the grass to reach a record 2 feet tall before I realized that I should mow the yard. Seemed like it took forever. I had to go over it multiple times before it was to my liking. That was a real joy.

Seem to have new neighbors. Someone is in the house next door and I don't know who it is. We'll soon see I guess.

I watched the Cleveland Cavilers beat the Detroit Pistons in the Eastern Conference Finals today. What crap that was to see Detroit go down so easily. Like they just gave up or something. Kind of like the Dallas Mavericks played when they were playing the Golden State Warriors. Horrible and in shock. Just can't believe that Detroit lost. Now Cleveland will play San Antonio in the NBA Finals. The only hope that I have for Cleveland is that San Antonio never won against Cleveland this season. That's the only hope that I have for them. Hope Cleveland wins the NBA Finals though. Can't stand San Antonio. Nothing but a bunch of cheats and whiners. Always seems like the refs make calls toward their favor. I hate that team.