images-4Good morning everyone. We hope that this will be the place you come to when you wake up early before you leave for work. The place you visit when you wake up late or just a place to meet and chat in between breaks from serious topics and discussions.

Feel free to talk about your interesting news story finds, your funny stories, photos or a slice of your lives. This is your space, come here to relax and unload. We welcome you with open arms. Enjoy.

BTW this blog is open to one and all, not only the early risers. It will be moved to “Speakers Corner” at 9 am EST every day and return to the front page every morning at 5 am EST.

Bearing in mind that weekends are a time for catching up with family matters and a long awaited extra hour or so under the warm bedcovers, I’ve decided that “Morning Blog” will run on weekdays from Mondays through Fridays at the same time as stated above. Thanks a bunch.

Because of time zones and other tiny things, I can’t put this MB on the Home Page, forgive me, you know where to find me, right?

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Emerald1943
Member

Good morning, all you beautiful PlanetPeople!

Jeeebus, it’s cold! 12 degrees here right now with high winds. Chill factors are clearly in the “minus” department! My furnace is running non-stop! Dog, I hate to see the gas bill this month!

Just a mention…I am so proud of my son! He lives in east Tennessee, definitely NOT a democratic stronghold. He received a piece of email from one of his less-liberal friends that is nothing but pure rethug propaganda about social security. He wrote the guy a scathing retort, something about “republican bullshit” that is not based on facts.

I know this is not an important story, but you must understand…my son usually gives me the “Mom, you can’t do a damned thing about it” line when I try to discuss politics with him. His attitude is that his blood pressure goes up every time he thinks about it and he just doesn’t want to discuss it…whatever “it” happens to be at the time. This was a HUGE departure from his usual attitude! I am such a proud mama! 🙂 I’ve raised a “commie pinko”, liberal, socialist, Marxist, communist son! (wipes a tear of joy!)

I trust you all are well and happy! Now, what’s up this morning??

abby4ever
Guest

Hi Emerald. What a happy, chirpy little post you have done!

Emerald1943
Member

Good mornin’, Abby! Glad to see you! I guess my “chirpy-ness” is a bit of a departure from my usual bitchin’ and moanin’ about the gub-mint! It’s just that my son’s email to his friend was just so spot-on!
I probably should copy the original email and post it…stuff about illegal aliens collecting SS checks, and how we are going to be taxed, etc., etc. Same ol’ sh*t, different day!

There was a quotation, credited to Thomas Jefferson, at the end of that email.

“If the government is large enough to give you everything you want, they are powerful enough to take everything you have.”

I’ve not researched this one…never seen it before now. You?

abby4ever
Guest

No I haven’t seen it before, it’s clever. Yes, post your son’s email to his friend if he doesn’t mind.

It’s quiet right now. Just getting ready to go do some shopping (just food), waiting for hubby to get home. When it’s early morning/mid-day(UK time) this site is like a tomb.

So your happy posts are most welcome!

{{{chirp-chirp}}}

Emerald1943
Member

I cannot imagine going out the door today. It is bitter cold here. The wind is howling and the chill factor is waaaay below zero! How about picking me up some bread and milk while you’re out?? 🙂

abby4ever
Guest

We’re up in Gretna now, we always spend the tail end of our Christmas holidays up here. My husband’s grandmother has a cottage here that is a proper little English cottage like the kind you see in books, thatched roof, etc. There is supposed to be 10 inches of snow tonight but they always lie. I mean the weather people. Still, the sky looks to be that milky grey color that happens right before snow. It’s about 24 degrees here. And outside the front window, the ground is covered with blackbirds, they are everywhere and we don’t know why.

javaz
Member

For any football fans that might be out there this morning, what do you think about coaches that pull their key players from games to avoid injury for the play-offs?
The Colts had a winning season, but the decision to pull Manning and other key players to save them for the play-offs ended the Colts’ streak.
Yesterday, the coaches for the Cardinals pulled Warner and others from the game for the same reason, which led to an embarrassing defeat.
I can understand the reasons for pulling the star players, but once a team does that, the game is not worth watching.
I wonder how the fans who fork over big bucks to see their team play feel about watching a blood-bath?
Why even bother playing at that point?

Looks like NFL Commissioner, Roger Goodell, is questioning this practice, too.

http://www.businessinsider.com/henry-blodget-nfl-to-investigate-colts-for-tanking-game-against-jets-2010-1

abby4ever
Guest

Hi javas. I think it’s one of the greatest dilemmas a coach could ever find himself in. You could call it the Cry Now/Play Later,Play Now/Cry Later, dilemma.

(I’ve heard it called worse but I can’t repeat it here…LOL !!!)

Emerald1943
Member

Hey javaz! I am a rabid NFL fan! Don’t even try to talk to me on Sunday afternoons or Monday nights! I always go through extreme withdrawal after the Super Bowl every year!

I can see both sides of this issue. The game has grown into a very violent contact sport, much more so than in years past. The players are bigger, heavier, faster, and stronger. The hits they give and take are incredibly powerful. Sometimes I wonder how these guys are able to get up after some of the hits they take.

I can hardly blame any coach for pulling his $40 million quarterback in a game that will have no meaning. I don’t like to see it either, but I believe that preventing a potentially serious injury today will give us a better game next week. It would be terrible to see a Tom Brady or a Peyton Manning seriously injured in a meaningless game, perhaps even ending their careers. It has happened, unfortunately, more than once! However, I don’t think it’s right to almost completely replace all the linemen, offensive or defensive. Those guys are more used to taking the hits. I really don’t see them in as much danger as the quarterbacks.

As much as we bitch and carp about it, it’s still all about the money! We will just have to put up with it.

And talking about a bloodbath, I am no Bengals fan but I actually felt sorry for them against the Jets! That was terrible!

Pepe Lepew
Member

I think the Cincinnati Bengals not only pulled their starters — I think they intentionally lost.

I also think it completely screws up my football pool! 😀

[Seriously, there was a *heated* discussion this morning among my pool members about whether all bets should be off for Week 17.]

javaz
Member

Good morning.
Well, the new year has an interesting start –

In Plains, Georgia, home to Jimmy Carter, an Obama doll was hung in effigy and the Secret Service are investigating.

In New Mexico, and around the nation, there were anti-tax teabaggers protesting and the teabaggers were encouraged to bring their guns, which several did.

A retired US general is urging all Muslim men between certain ages be strip searched at airports.

http://www.rawstory.com/

Tiger99
Guest

Good Morning javaz!!! The tea bagger vid was disturbingly funny…

Here is anothe link to a Station in NM’s coverage… The harmless lil ole lady says ” I think there is a lot of people, myself included until about a “year ago that basiclly just trusted our Government and believed they were actually doing what was best for us”…

Translation: ” I never thought they would ever elect a Black Man as President in my lifetime”…
http://www.kob.com/article/stories/S1341045.shtml?cat=504

bito
Member

I still haven’t heard them state what they are FOR at their gatherings.

Tiger99
Guest

Haven’t you heard? They are gonna take “their” Country back…

Where it went I have no clue…

javaz
Member

Morning, b’ito and everyone!
They aren’t protesting FOR anything, but AGAINST Democrats/Liberals and a black man in the WH.

Pepe Lepew
Member

TRP, true story. In 2004, I moved into a rental house in Oregon on Penn Ave. The day I moved in, I got a robocall for John Kerry. It was from Sean Penn! 😀

bito
Member

Some more history for this day:
1968–“The bloodiest year of the war comes to an end. At year’s end, 536,040 American servicemen were stationed in Vietnam, an increase of over 50,000 from 1967.”
“Allied losses were also up: 27,915 South Vietnamese, 14,584 Americans (a 56 percent increase over 1967), and 979 South Koreans, Australians, New Zealanders, and Thais were reported killed during 1968”

This was the year of the Tet Offensive. Still can’t figure out why I didn’t join. /sarc

http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history.do?action=Article&id=1583

SueInCa
Member

Well, all you good people, I wish you all the very best New Year no matter how or when you celebrate it. I reluctantly have to close down for today to get some much neglected work done around here and to buy my grandson KFC for dinner tonight. We will have the roasted pieces, he will have crispy LOl. Anyway you all have a wonderful day and night.

bito
Member

Happy New Year, Sue! Take care!
Keep in touch with yourself.
bito

abby4ever
Guest

Thanks,Sue, and a lovely New Year to you and yours. KFC with the grandchild, what fun.

:]

bito
Member

WOW! This day in history: 1946–President Truman officially proclaimed the end of hostilities in World War II.

Wonder he he strutted around on an aircraft carrier with a “Mission Accomplished” banner flying?

Emerald1943
Member

You have to remember that Harry Truman was no great, brave combat pilot like the Shrub (snark, snark). And then there’s that other little fact that the Japanese sank most all our carriers at Pearl Harbor. Harry didn’t have one handy…no place to hang the banner! What a pity! He could have confirmed his legacy right then and there! 🙂

SueInCa
Member

You mean the Shrub who transferred out of Texas National Guard because he was a lame duck and only appeared in Alabama or Georgia to go to a dentist appointment, you mean that Shrub?

SueInCa
Member

Yeah, he did but instead of San Diego, he performed his feat in Newport News VA…………..and his was legitimate LOL

TheRarestPatriot
Member

Hey all! I just got a phone call from a Republican think-tank (oxymoron)trying to scare the hell out of Americans over the ‘Pelosi-run, Democrat healthcare take over.’ He asked if I thought it was ‘fair’ to have this illegal bill forced down our throats!(whereupon a I made a witty reference to a Federally paid ENT doc to take a look at our throats after) The remark tripped up the script reader for a moment and then he proceeded with the GOP talking points. He finished by reminding me that the GOP only needed 40 seats to ‘right the wrongs’ of the last Democrat stolen election (I kid you not!) Then down to brass tax…literally. He asked if he could count on my $40 donation (that’s $1 a seat) to their party to get the ‘Right’ party back in office! I, of course, wished him well on his calls, but would be declining the ‘offer’ to buy back the seats.
Has anyone else got this call today? I am rather impressed with the GOP to get the word AND the fear out so early! Boy, we Libs really need to take an aggressive page from the GOP playbook for almost threatening our listeners into submission. Haha~
They are out already, gang….it’s only going to get worse from here on out. Yet, I was gracious and refrained from:

A: Laughing hysterically considering I lose ALL of my health insurance TOMORROW!
B: Reciting my life events over the past year to this poor fellow.
C: Screaming “Fcuck OFF!” at the top of my lungs.
D: Cleverly insinuating that I was ‘very’ attracted to his strong Republican male voice….

Anyway gang, LOL….that’s my weird news for the day! I hope you all come up with better more witty responses than I did with these callers if they ring you up….LOL~

Pepe Lepew
Member

You did better than me when I was 18 and a senior in high school, I got harassing phone calls literally every week from military recruiters. Finally, after about the 30th phone call from these guys, I lost my cool and screamed at the recruiter, “Look, I’m not getting my ass shot off in El Salvador for Ronald Reagan … I NEVER EVEN REGISTERED FOR THE DRAFT!!!!”

Sure enough, two weeks later, I got a nasty letter from the Selective Service telling me that if I did not register immediately, I would be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law, etc, etc. I never did, and they never came after me. 🙂

bito
Member

Pepe, Wow, during Nam we had to show our draft card to cash a check and get into dance clubs!

Pepe Lepew
Member

They didn’t really enforce it in the 80s. Seriously, I never heard about it again. Now, I understand they will hold up your student loans or Pell grants if you don’t register.

SueInCa
Member

Why have a Selective Service when there is no draft? I guess in the event they institute an emergency draft, it would be easier to have the names on board already. I also wonder do women have to now sign up since they can serve same as the men?

Tiger99
Guest

Nope…
“The exclusion of women from the registration process was challenged in the courts. A lawsuit brought by several men resulted in a 1980 U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania decision that the MSSA

SueInCa
Member

Wow, you sure have alot of data at your fingertips. Thanks for the answer. I also perused your Babylon, love the name on the side where you can read all about the “usual suspects”. Thanks

Pepe Lepew
Member

I’m pretty sure just men have to sign up. Women are still off the hook. What do those Israelis know? 🙂

I honestly don’t think there will be ever be a draft again … not unless something pretty extraordinary happened. But in the early 80s, it looked like a real possibility. It looked like St. Ronnie was going to invade El Salvador and/or Nicaragua.

TheRarestPatriot
Member

I got chewed out while signing UP for Selective Service because I asked which box to tick to “Selectively choose NOT to Serve”…..

SueInCa
Member

Now that is something I would do. When I was getting married, back in the 70’s I went to WFB to make changes to my accounts. The branch manager started the paper work and asked what my new name would be. I looked her straight in the eye and said, my husband will be taking my last name……..she was stunned and asked if that was legal. I just laughed and said, I guess so, I don’t know any law about last names. I then took the paperwork home to fill it out and did not return it to her to process. I wanted to leave her confused.

Emerald1943
Member

You are a barrel of laughs! I can just imagine the look on her face! 🙂

Tiger99
Guest

I went through that recently with my 2 sons… Recruiters would call and ask “What are your son’s plans for the future?” I always responded ” Not being a Bullet Catcher in Iraq. Any more questions”?
I never got another one…

I angers me that recruiters are given all the kids private info from the public school system…

Pepe Lepew
Member

Yup. I agree.

bito
Member

My father was good at these calls. I think his record was 45+ minutes. He wold string them along and sound so interested in their spiel. He would just ask them some outlandish but serious sounding questions. He would be so agreeable sounding. Just as they thought they were ready to set the hook on him, he would come out with “well, I’ll have to ask the wife, she handles all the money.”
We wold sit there just trying to not laugh out loud, tears in our eyes.
He would say “well, that’s 10 other people he didn’t get to call!”
lol

SueInCa
Member

What a great idea. I usually tell them and especially Tom McClintock to “fuck off” but you know, I am going to try the other stuff from now on.

Emerald1943
Member

Hey TRP! I could not have held my cool like you did. I got a call last year before the election from the rethuglicans, and I will admit that I went ballistic! I cussed that man with as many obscenities as I could think of! For the sake of the civility of this site, I will not repeat them!! 🙂

After that, I registered with the “NO CALL” list. So far, it’s working! Now, if I could only do something about the spam company that wants to send me 250 free business cards!

boomer1949
Member

Good Evening Kalima,

Thank you for the photos. I especially like slide #4, “Good Riddance Day” in New York City. If only bad memories of bad people could be removed as easily as shredding paper — poof!

Slide #7, the woman looking at the colorful scarves in the street market is beautiful. It would make a fine wall hanging.

Thinking good thoughts — 2010 is just around the corner and all of us will have a clean slate and fresh start. 🙂

TheBlovicator
Member
TheBlovicator

Good Morning,

this is the Blovicator – my first post.

Yes, I know the word is bloviate, but my wife (AlphaBitch) says that I am the king of malaprops. At least, I try for difficult words…

Glad to be here on this excellent blog!

javaz
Member

Good morning TheBlovicator and welcome to the Planet POV!
Happy New Year to you and your Mrs. AlphaB!
(she’s a treasure)

nellie
Member

Welcome! Looking forward to reading many of your blovications!

escribacat
Member

Welcome, Blov. I eagerly await your “blovications!”

Emerald1943
Member

Well hello there, blov! And a hearty welcome to the Planet! Happy New Year to you and AB! She is such an asset to our small-but-growing group! I’m sure you will be too!

We anxiously await all your difficult words! 🙂

AlphaBitch
Member
AlphaBitch

Hold up there, Em! He’s come up with some real winners – like “exsqueeshiated” (not sure about the spelling).

Anyone care to venture what THAT one means? (Hint: it had to do with cattle)

I love TheBlovicator with all my heart; we have been (mostly) happily married for almost 28 years. He is my best friend, my true mate.

But some of his malaprops have made coffee/water/soda come out of orifices I didn’t even know I had!

Blov is off with the boys – BestBuy, the mall. We’re off to a fun party tonight. I spent two hours with one of the boys, while he had 4 different MRIs taken of his feet (suspicion is some tendon/ligament damage due to soccer, and he will need surgery next week). Never a dull moment with those two….Next week it ends, and my house will return to its calm, peaceful state. I’ll miss them horribly. Is this like REAL parenthood?????

Tiger99
Guest

How was the

AlphaBitch
Member
AlphaBitch

Hey there Tiger. The boolani was actually very good. They are like empanadas, or pocket sandwiches I guess. One was filled with leeks only, the other with potato only, and one with a combo of the two. You fry them in oil. TheBlov was terribly afraid of the leeks (he has onionphobia), and kept asking me if it was going to be like an “onion pie” (we live in Texas, and enjoy Frito pie, so everything to us is pie). But he actually enjoyed them greatly and even ate two of them.

And the guys even did most of the clean up. Amazing lads.

If we ever have a Planet get together, I’ll try and nab one of the guys to make their signature dish! Wouldn’t that be fun?

Tiger99
Guest

Those sound great!!!
Being an Okie I know that anything “Pie” is Food of The Gods…

Funny you should metion Onion Pie cause I subsitute Vadalias or Big Texas Sweets when they are in season into my Apple Pie recipe…

AlphaBitch
Member
AlphaBitch

Yum! I’ve had onion pie as well with the Texas 1015s or the Vidalia sweets. Good stuff, that!

Emerald1943
Member

Hey AB! I haven’t a clue what “exsqueeshiated” means. It sounds to me like he “malipulated” that one!

When he gets home, ask him if he regularly “malipulates” or whether it only occurs under stress! LOL

Glad you’re having a good time with your boys! Sounds like fun! 🙂 But I’ll pass on the onion pie! Give me sweet taters any day!

AlphaBitch
Member
AlphaBitch

I’ll ask. Truthfully, I thought “to blovicate” sounded like some sort of intestinal distress caused by too much onion pie!

I’ll explain exqueeshiated soon. It’s an uncommon occurence…thank God!

Tiger99
Guest

Welcome Blovicator…
“but my wife (AlphaBitch) says that I am”
Kinda funny when you take it out of context…

Heh Heh Heh

boomer1949
Member

Welcome to the Planet! We enjoy big words, little words, made up words, all kinds of words; tests our mental acuity.

AdLib
Admin

A very warm welcome to The Planet, Blovicator! Great to have someone skilled at malapropisms.

It’s like mucous to my ears.

Hopeington
Member
Hopeington

Hey Blovicator,you’ve, already, got me going to the dictionary!! I didn’t know about Mrs. Malaprops!!!
I just love new words, real or invented.
Welcome aboard, you’ve brought us one more closer to the goal of 200 members.

bito
Member

Good day Kalima, So sorry to hear about your theft, Dear One. There is a special place in hell for thieves. Or reincarnated in a really low life form.
Hope you dragons are behaving to today. We need to find you a dragon slayer.

Bernard Marx
Member

Hmmm. So the planet has degenerated into a site for sharing cute kitten videos.

Pepe Lepew
Member

Too many kittens …
with camcorders in their hands…

KQµårk 死神
Member

Just to drive you crazy a picture of the get well card my wife gave me today.

kitty

Bernard Marx
Member

LOL. Ok, my heart melted. That is cute.

I hope you have a speedy recovery KQuark.

PatsyT
Member

KQ, totally hilarious! LOL
Your wife has great taste.
Please get well soon,
All the best to you both!

whatsthatsound
Member

A meeowntain climbing accident, no doubt.

escribacat
Member

Way too cute!!!!

Pepe Lepew
Member

Cat videos?
We’re posting cat videos now?
This is the best cat video ever.

Hopeington
Member
Hopeington

Noooo
Please stop now!!!!

Pepe Lepew
Member

I’m trying to win a nomination for funniest cat video because I’m not getting hardly any others…

Hopeington
Member
Hopeington

Hey, I nominated you for special mention!!
For Why I blog, at least.
It was tough choosing.
But you’ll have to try a little harder for the coveted title of funniest cat video….the poor little kitty was…in a word, sick.

Pepe Lepew
Member

Oh, kitties do that. It’s natural. Just like human babies.

Hopeington
Member
Hopeington

I know, I was just funnin’ around.

escribacat
Member

You have to nominate yourself for something!

Pepe Lepew
Member

That’s a sin. Pope Roethlisberger won’t let me in heaven.

Emerald1943
Member

Hey, Pepe! Kevin is going to have a full-blown sixteen-cylinder meltdown! LOL

Emerald1943
Member

Oops! My bad! Should have typed “Keven”! Sorry, dude!

Hopeington
Member
Hopeington

My thoughts exactly, wish I could find my favorite kitty vids, just for the fun of it.
We need some fun sometimes,.
This politic stuff can make my head feel like a little ping pong ball is bouncing around in there.

boomer1949
Member

Did you know they make videos just for cats to watch? Chirping birds at a feeder, mice, squirrels — and thy actually sit and watch them. What a hoot!

Emerald1943
Member

Hey boom! You are correct! My daughter has two fat cats and ordered the video for the big flat-screen. I believe it’s called “Video Catnip”. Her two cats are mesmerized watching it. When the TV is off, they will go and paw at the screen, wanting to watch it again. Insanity!

boomer1949
Member

Em,

While the cat is away, the mice must play! Meow…

escribacat
Member

Mrowwww!!

whatsthatsound
Member

He LIKES those!

escribacat
Member

Another adorable cute kitten video:

boomer1949
Member

giggle!

BigDogMom
Member
BigDogMom

e’cat I like your kitty video the best…LOL!!!

Pepe Lepew
Member

LOL!!! 😀

moongal6
Member

Couldn’t stop laughing. Far toooo much!
Thanks.