ShowMeBlog

Smoking or gays?

“WASHINGTON (CNN) -- You've seen the iconic picture of a soldier with a cigarette dangling from his mouth, but that could soon be a thing of the past.

A new study commissioned by the Pentagon and the Department of Veterans Affairs recommends a complete ban on tobacco, which would end tobacco sales on military bases and prohibit smoking by anyone in uniform, not even combat troops in the thick of battle.

According to the study, tobacco use impairs military readiness in the short term. Over the long term, it can cause serious health problems, including lung cancer and cardiovascular disease. The study also says smokeless tobacco use can lead to oral and pancreatic cancer.

The Defense Department's top health officials are studying the report's suggestions and will make recommendations to the Pentagon's policy team and Defense Secretary Robert Gates.

The study recommends phasing out tobacco products such as cigarettes and cigars over a five- to 10-year period…”

    The CNN story goes on to say that many in the military object to a ban on smoking.  

    The military is so upset with the idea of gays in the military, and we know that about 10% of the military is gay, I think we should offer a deal …It could be you can smoke if you agree to gays in the military.  Smile
   

Zoo May Close, Kill Animals

“BOSTON -- The Franklin Park Zoo, the only Boston institution of its kind, may be forced to close and euthanize some of its animals, zoo officials said Friday.

Without more state funding, zoo officials said that they will run out of money within months and have to close both Franklin Park and the Stone Zoo in Stoneham.

The zoos would be forced to lay off most of their 165 employees and attempt to find new homes for more than 1,000 animals.

Zoo officials estimated 20 percent of the animals would not find homes and could be euthanized…”

  This is just more more thing that we have to thank President Bush and the GOP for doing for the nation…All over the United States cities and states do not have money to pay for basic services.  It is the same here in Miami and in all of FL. 
  Part of the blame for this goes back to the start of the no tax movement.  It started, if I remember correct, in CA.  I knew at the time that it was a bad idea but it was very popular and spread all across the United States and it still has major support.  It also became part of the GOP platform and movement.  It has been bad for the United States.
  Now tax reform was needed and government did need some controls and changes put on it…but the entire movement just became an anti-government right wing fuck the system revolt. 
  CA, where it started, has been suffering for years and right now CA is giving people they should be paying IOUs.  Many of those businesses will go under and then they will not be paying taxes and the employees will not be paying taxes and will need help from the state.  It is just one sad fucked up mess that we can thank the right wing Republicans for giving us.
  Now it looks like they will be the cause of killing zoo animals.  Just one more reason that President Bush is the worst president of all time and that fewer and fewer people now say they are a Republican.
 
  We have got to stop letting people get our vote by not talking about issues and by not being honest with us.  The Republicans had this system down pat.  They just used buzz words and said the things that would get them elected and it worked for a time.  We are paying for it now.  Looks like little fuzzy zoo animals will pay for it now.

Amazon selling Windows 7

  I just got an email that Amazon is now selling Windows 7.  You get 50% off if you order now.  Supply is limited and release date is October 22, 2009.
  I have not read all the details yet I just got the email.  It looks like the three below are the full retail price.

  Now those prices are if you are  not up-grading.  Here is the prices and details if you are doing an up-grade. One of them is a dis-count of 58%.

  I am using Windows 7 RC right now and it is excellent.  My feeling is that this is the first version of Windows that works. I started out using DOS and have used OS/2 and Windows from the start.
  I have never used Apple OS.

Taking Vicodin and Percocet off the marktet?

  On ShowMeBlog on July 1st I posted about a panel voting to do away with Vicodin and Percocet.  That was is here.  We got a couple of comments from people that say they need those medications for pain relief.
  I been following the discussions of the issue on the news.
  The way I understand it now is that people could still get the pain medication that they need now…but it would not contain acetaminophen.  Vicodin and Percocet is a mix of two medications and one is the pain medication and the other is acetaminophen. 
  Now acetaminophen is very hard on the liver.
  What the panel wants is to take out the acetaminophen and then the doctor and patient can decide just how much, if any, of the acetaminophen they should take.
  So if they still call say Vicodin by that name you would take it and you could then take with it Tylenol, NyQuil, Pamprin or Allerest with it.
  That sounds like a very good idea to me.
  However I am not sure if it is the same panel or a different group they want to reduce the strength in the acetaminophen that you can buy over the counter without a Rx from a doctor.
  Like right now you can buy Tylenol Acetaminophen Extra Strength (500 mg) over the counter.  Due to the damage that acetaminophen does to the liver I suspect they want to reduce the strength.

Federal Police Officers!!!! – Run… for your life..

Story Highlights

Plainclothes investigators test security at 10 federal buildings in 4 U.S. cities

GAO agents able to assemble components in restrooms, freely enter offices

GAO's report questions effectiveness of the Federal Protective Service

Sen. Susan Collins: Security lapses show "poor training, lax management" at FPS

    You can read the CNN story but I just got to put in my two-cents on the subject.  At one time federal buildings were guarded by private contract guards from services like Pinkerton, Burns and others.
     The contract company would bid on the contract and the lowest bidder would get the contract.  In a couple of years the contract would come up again and often one of the other guard services would bid less and get the contract. 
     What took place most of the time is the guard working for the one company would just quit and go to work for the other company that got the contract.  So it would be new company and same guards.
     The contract guards got higher pay because the government as part of the contract said that a certain percent of the money had to go to the officers.
      The guard company would say that they gave their guards training but in fact they gave none.  I know I worked for years for them as a second job on my days off from my full time job.  I worked for Burns, Pinkerton, Well-Fargo and many others.  I also owned stock in a couple of them and I would see their report to stockholders and they would show photos and stacks of books and videos that they said they gave to employees as training.  It never happened.  One company showed me a 15 minute slide show one time and that was it.
      

Watching the Michael Jackson Event

  I did not think I would be watching the Michael Jackson event but I am…I wish they would kick those people out that are yelling out during the event…The brothers look strange..like they got a uniform on..got a glove on one hand?  What the fuck…
  OK OK.. I Just turned OFF the Michael Jackson event.. Al Sharpton is speaking now.  I will not listen to him and I will not watch him.  He is a low life scum.  I will not have anything to do with anyone that has anything to do with Al Sharpton.
   So my watching of the Michael Jackson show is over with…

   How people can have anything to do with a super racist like Al Sharpton I just do not understand.
   There is not one good thing about Al Sharpton.

Watch coverage of Michael Jackson Memorial?

  The following is a comment from Dick Williams:

CNN POLL
How will you watch coverage of Michael Jackson memorial?
TV 13% 17488
Web 10% 13649
Not watching 78% 108297

  A poll on CNN.com

Enough and too much. The guy was talented but left a murky and

tarnished legacy. All the negatives seem to be forgotten in the rush

to make him into a  pop hero. I don't see that he used his celebrity

as some other rich celebrities  have done -like Oprah, Bill Gates,

Angelina Jolie  - all with a string of charitable works and

gifts.   He used his money for a self indulgent lifestyle that ended

up destroying him.

Tired of Michael Jackson

  I am so tried of all the Michael Jackson news.  I see no end.  I think this is going to last for years.

  Other things are going on in the world.  There are even some little stories that should be making the news nation wide.

  Here local we have news about the accused cat killer Tyler Weinman. 
We just had a shooting down here and 12 people were shot at a birthday party.  An assault rifle was used so do not get me started on that subject.

  I just think the “reporting” about Michael Jackson has gotten crazy.  CNN is just as bad as Fox “news” and all the others.  I guess the only two that have not gone crazy is PBS and CSpan.

Happy Birthday United States of America

1976: U.S. celebrates 200th birthday

“Today marked the 200th anniversary of the signing of the declaration of independence. To recognize the event, the Declaration of Independence was publicly displayed for 76 continuous hours, ships paraded up the Hudson River for Operation Sail and bells rang throughout the country to salute the moment the Declaration was signed. Community picnics, parades, street dances and special receptions also marked the occasion.

"Break out the flags, strike up the band, light up the sky and let the whole world know that the United States of America is about to have another happy birthday, still going strong at 200, and in the words of the great Al Jolson – You ain't seen nothin' yet," declared President Ford during the opening of the Honor America Program at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.

NOTE: It was on July 4, 1776, that the Declaration of Independence was adopted by the Continental Congress in Philadelphia. The document asserted the dissolution of any allegiance to England by the 13 American colonies.”  Newspaper Archive 

    I am 68 years old and am here for another birthday of the United States.  I was not around for the first one but I was around for the 200th birthday of the United States.  I will not be here for the 300th birthday of the United States but I am here for this one.
    I am in Miami FL and there will be a lot of firework shows.  They said on TV that because of the money problems that some of the events will be smaller this year.  This 4th of July the nation is hurting.  Many people are having problems.  The un-employment rate is 9.5 and heading to 10% and I think will go higher.  We got a lot of bad times ahead of us.
    Thank God we got some people in Washington now that can think and work on the problems.  I am not sure they can fix this mess as soon as people want it fixed but I think it will get fixed.
    I  hope you all have a good 4th of July.

DEA Joins Jackson Death Investigation

KTLA News

“4:00 AM PDT, July 2, 2009

LOS ANGELES -- The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration is joining the investigation of Michael Jackson's death at the behest of the Los Angeles Police Department, according to a federal source.
The LAPD asked the DEA to come onboard as Jackson's possible abuse of prescription medications came into focus in the days following his death. Of particular use to the investigation will be the DEA's expertise when it comes to illicit prescription drugs known as "mill pills," the anonymous source said.
The DEA is equipped to look at any doctors who might have prescribed such pills to see if they were licensed by the agency. Federal drug investigators can also look into the source of any illicit prescription drugs and examine whether there might be a trafficking pattern, the source said...”

  I commented on the DEA getting in this investigation a few days ago. I got some limited training from the DEA a couple of times many years ago.  I do have a question however…When the FBI is doing an investigation if they interview you and you lie that is a crime.  I have commented on that here a few times.  I do not think it should be a crime to lie to the FBI if they come to you and ask you questions.  I hope, now, however that it is a federal crime to lie to a DEA agent if he is interviewing you.
  I do not think I am alone in wanting everyone that was getting or giving Jackson drugs to go to jail.  It sounds like some doctors will soon not be doctors anymore and it sounds like some of them may end up in a jail cell.