How's that again?

I was watching the news crawl on Channel 8 from Dallas the other day. I saw something on there that made me wait for it to come back around for a second reading, because I couldn't believe I had really seen what I thought I saw. Here's what it said: "Sotherby's is efforting to resolve the situation with sub-contractors."

What news writer came up with that one? I realize the story must be told as succinctly as possible in a crawl, but give me a break! Let's at least use nouns as nouns and verbs as verbs and refrain from making up words! What's wrong with the old tried and true "trying"? It would take up less space than "efforting," and as an added bonus, it's a real verb!

And this being my last post for 2008, may I say to you, "Effort to have a prosperous and Happy New Year!"

Is there a pill for that?

Have you heard about the scientists who want people to take pills to make them smarter? Martha Farah of the University of Pennsylvania says, "Almost everybody is going to want to use it," referring to brain-boosting pills in development as well as other pills (such as Ritalin, Adderal, and Provigil) already in use.

These scientists say that using these pills is no different than eating right or getting a good night's sleep. I beg to differ. Almost if not all of these drugs are addictive. They can be beneficial when used for their approved purposes, but I cannot believe that a nation of addicts will be a good thing. So why would supposedly smart people come up with such a harebrained idea? Well, at least some of them involved in the study are paid by the pharmaceutical industry. Just follow the money!

"Wider use of stimulants backed." The Dallas Morning News; December 9, 2008; p. 6A.

What a topsy-turvy world!

I wrote in an earlier post about the plaque placed by the atheists next to the nativity scene in our nation's capitol. They have the right to do that, but a judge has ruled that people in South Carolina do not have the right to have a cross on their license plates.

The specialty plates have a cross and the words "I believe." How can that violate religious beliefs when no one has to display the plates on their vehicles? In fact, those who do wish to display them must pay extra. U.S. District Judge Cameron McGowan Currie issued a temporary injunction barring the Department of Motor Vehicles from taking orders for the plates. However, he did not bar the Department from continuing to issue the "Secular Humanists of the Low Country" plates which bear the slogan, "In reason we trust."

What a topsy-turvy world!

http://www.thenewspaper.com/news/24/2409.asp
"Judge says S.C. must halt plates that bear cross." The Dallas Morning News; December 12, 2008; p. 10A.

Media Bias

I was cleaning out my newspaper file and came across this one from the week of the Presidential election. Relegated to page 16 was a little 2-paragraph item in the "Briefs" column. Hours after the election was decided, a church made up of a predominantly black congregation was destroyed by arson in Springfield, Massachusetts. Officials said there was no evidence it was a hate crime. Here's how the same story would have been reported had the church been in, say, Paris, Texas:

Newspaper Page 1 Headline: Racists in NE Texas Burn Black Church!

CNN crawl: The racist town of Paris, Texas, "dragged" another black church down today in retaliation for the nation electing a black President.

Report in The Chicago Tribune: Investigators say a fire that destroyed a church being constructed for a black congregation was set by racist whites. However, the racist DA refused to acknowledge it was a hate crime, and he will not prosecute because the defendants are white. The New Black Panthers will rally for justice on the courthouse lawn tomorrow at 4 p.m.

But there is no bias in the media!

"Arson blamed in fire at black church." The Dallas Morning News; November 9, 2008; p. 16A.

Diversity Training - what an insult!

The Paris News recently reported on a diversity training seminar for our police department. If someone suggests I need diversity training, I take it as an insult. What they are really saying is that I am a racist. That is not the case. I look at and treat people according to the way they behave, not according to the color of their skin. Perhaps I am perceived to be a racist because I don't excuse bad behaviour from anyone, no matter the color of his skin or where he lives.

The diversity expert from this seminar was black. Have you ever noticed they all seem to be black? I think we may need to provide some diversity training for the diversity training folks. He said that police officers should offer encouragement to people "even if it's just a smile." I told Mr. Essie May that the next time I get arrested for dealing drugs, that policeman better darn well smile when he says, "Spread 'em! You have the right to remain silent . . ." I want to know that my diversity training dollars were well-spent!

At any rate, I really started this to encourage the newspaper to provide some abbreviation training for their staff. It seems the Police Department's Corporal John Berry, who was quoted in the article, has been promoted to "Col. John Berry." I know he will be pleased!

"Diversity seminar stresses communication." The Paris News; December 21, 2008; p. 1.

We should be so lucky!

While many Americans probably cut back on Christmas this year due to uncertain economic times, the approximately 600 bank executives we bailed out most likely didn't have to take those measures. Most of them seem to be doing quite well financially, and they don't feel there's any need for them to account to the people who are supporting them for what they spend.

Last year, when it was becoming quite obvious these institutions were in trouble, their top executives were still rewarded to the tune of $1.6 billion in salaries, bonuses, and other compensation such as chauffeurs, the use of private jets, country club memberships, and home security systems. That's about $2.67 million each. One executive, John Thain, who was hired at the beginning of December 2007 by Merrill Lynch, pocketed $83 million for his one month of service. Admittedly, $68 million of that was stock options which probably aren't worth anything anymore, but that still leaves a tidy little sum for one month of work. Heck, it's a tidy little sum for 100 years of work for most people!

You would suppose that with all the publicity, these executives would feel at least a little bit of shame. That doesn't seem to be the case. They're still flying around on their fleets of private jets. It costs about $20,000 every time one of those jets makes a cross-country trip. Just out of curiosity, I checked American Airlines for a round trip flight next week from New York to Los Angeles. Prices range from $694 to $1294. They could fly 13 executives out on American and put them up in a posh hotel for what it takes to fly a corporate jet out one time. And I seriously doubt they have 13 executives on board at any one time. As long as the taxpayer is supporting these greedy you-know-whats, they should have no private jets, no chauffeurs, no country club memberships, no home security, and NO multi-million dollar salaries!

"Bailout execs paid $1.6B." The Dallas Morning News; December 22, 2008; p. 1A.
"Execs still flying pricey corporate jets." The Dallas Morning News; December 22, 2008; p. 12A.

Merry Christmas!

Essie May wishes a very Merry Christmas to all her readers! May you and your families be blessed, and may we remember the reason for the season and His wonderful goodness to us!

How much more brainwashed can we become?

Have you ever thought of a tax as being a "breakthrough"? Well New York Governor David Paterson is being hailed by New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof as instituting a "breakthrough" with his 18% sales tax on soft drinks.

According to Kristof, people who drink soft drinks are obese, and this tax will decrease their consumption which will make them healthier which will improve the state budget. He says the biggest health care breakthrough in the past 40 years was not heart bypass surgery or the MRI or the CAT scan or new cancer treatment. It was -- are you ready for this -- the tax on cigarettes! The most promising cure for lung cancer, he says, came not from researchers but from politicians. Likewise, this tax on soft drinks may just cure obesity.

Kristof admits that other things besides soft drinks can cause obesity, so he supports taxing Twinkies as well. I can think of many other things that should be added to the "breakthrough" list -- ladders (people fall off them), stairs (people fall down them), bathtubs (people fall in them), automobiles (people have wrecks), skateboards (people crash on them), sewing needles (people jab their thumbs with them), pots and pans (people burn themselves when they cook), dogs and cats (they bite and scratch people), brooms and rakes (people trip over them in their garages and storage rooms), electricity (people shock themselves), rocking chairs (people stub their toes), shoes (people rub blisters on their feet), . . . . and ad infinitum. Maybe what we should really tax is Kristof's newspaper so people can save their eyesight by not reading his drivel.

"The Miracle Cola Diet." The Dallas Morning News; December 20, 2008; p. 17A.

SURPRISE! The taxpayers have been had!

When questioned about what they've done with the billions in taxpayer bailout money, the banks and financial institutions who have received this largesse pretty much said, "It's none of your business."

"We've lent some of it. We've not lent some of it. We've not given any accounting of, 'Here's how we're doing it,'" said Thomas Kelly, a spokesman for JPMorgan Chase, which received $25 billion in emergency bailout money. "We have not disclosed that to the public. We're declining to."

SURPRISE!

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081222/ap_on_bi_ge/meltdown_secrets

It's that darn global warming!

Successive waves of winter weather gripped much of the USA this past weekend, interrupting power for thousands of people. Some of those people were already without power as a result of ice storms from several days ago.

It was 2 degrees in Ft. Wayne, Indiana, and ice and snow covered the ground. Iowa public safety officials reported winds of 35 mph, dropping windchills to -25 degrees. Spokane, Washington, basked in -18 degree weather -- that's the actual temperature, not a windchill. They expected 6 more inches of snow to add to the 25 inches they've already received. The Northeast suffered air traffic delays as they had snow added to the ice they already have. In Illinois, ice-jammed rivers threaten to cause flooding.

Must be that darn global warming!

"A chilling effect on the nation." The Dallas Morning News; December 21, 2008; p. 10A.

But there's a moral one!

Florida's Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Cindy Lederman ruled last month that a Florida law that blocks gay people from adopting children is unconstitutional. She declared there was no legal or scientific reason for sexual orientation alone to prohibit anyone from adopting. Maybe not, but there's a moral reason! She says in her ruling, "There is no rational basis to prohibit gay parents from adopting." Maybe not, but there's a moral basis!

We need to pray every day that God will raise up judges who are not afraid to make rulings based not only on the rule of law, but on sound moral principles!

"Judge rules against gay adoption ban." The Dallas Morning News; November 26, 2008; p. 4A.

All we want is tolerance! Yeah, right.

I guess you've heard the brouhaha over Obama's selection of Rick Warren to offer the prayer in the inaugural ceremonies. All the gays are quite upset. Rick Warren should not be allowed to participate in such a historic occasion, they say. What could Obama have been thinking? Who in his right mind would ask a Christian who believes the Bible to say a prayer?

I did tell Mr. Essie May that if Obama does not back down on this, he will gain a millimeter in my estimation. If he does back down, he won't lose much in my estimation, because there's not much in my estimation to lose!

We're in deep doo-doo!

The headline in yesterday's paper says Obama's stimulus plan may cost $850 billion. And you know how the government is -- if they say $850 billion, you can count on at least 50% more than that. The plan, Obama's aides say, is necessary to "jolt" the economy back to life. It is at least as much as what was spent during the Great Depression. Folks, though things look bad, we are NOT yet in Great Depression times. No one I know is going to bed with an empty stomach. No one I know is wearing rags. No one I know has been thrown out on the streets. In Great Depression times, everyone knew someone in those circumstances.

The plan is a "blend of new jobs, middle-class tax relief and expanded aid for the poor and the unemployed. " That sounds great, but Obama's middle-class shrinks everytime someone in his camp opens his mouth. It originally was anyone making less than $300,000. Then it was anyone making less than $250,000. Then it was anyone making less than $200,000. The last I heard, it was down to $150,000. Those are the people who will be hit with exorbitant taxes. Again, that sounds good, but think about where jobs come from. They are not created by poor people -- they are created by people who have money to invest in businesses. You take away their money, you take away some poor person's job. So let's look at the figures. Approximately four million people filed tax returns last year with adjusted gross incomes of $200,000 or over. If you divide the cost of Obama's plan among them, their taxes will have to be raised $225,000 each to cover it. Doesn't sound very reasonable, does it?

Ah, you say, but the government will be providing jobs. When have you ever known the federal government to efficiently run a business? Look at Medicare, Social Security, and cost overruns on every project they ever attempted. Remember $1000 toilet seats and $150 hammers? And I'm sorry to say that people today are not like the people in the Great Depression. The vast majority of those people wanted to work. The vast majority of today's "unemployed" have no intention of working. They just want the government dole. I'll be surprised if Obama's "rebuilding the infrastructure" plan can find enough people to work on it.

Then there comes the "expanded aid for the poor and unemployed." Our "poor" already get greatly reduced or free housing, food, and medical care. Why should we give them more? Most of them are poor because they're having multiple babies out of wedlock while deadbeat dad is standing on the corner selling drugs or is being supported by the taxpayer in a prison somewhere. I promise you, when we "expand aid for the poor and unemployed," we'll expand the number of "poor and unemployed" as more and more worthless people get in line for their share.

Yes, my friends, I'm afraid that instead of "jolting" the economy back to life, Obama's plan may just be the shock that kills it.

"Stimulus plan may cost $850B." The Dallas Morning News; December 18, 2008; p. 1A.

What do the critics see?

Essie May did some prognosticating yesterday about Oscar award winners. Why do critics pick the movies, musicals, and plays they do? What makes them better judges than the viewing public of what's good and what's not?

I've written earlier about Rowlett High School's decision to perform "Rent," a Tony-winning musical, and about North Lamar High School's decision to perform "Urinetown," another Tony-winning musical. In both instances, people who opposed those selections based on their messages were ridiculed as backwoods, uncultured, and ignorant. "Why, you've not even seen it," the proponents argued. "This is a Tony winning musical," they shouted. "Are you going to argue with the critics?"

So what do the critics see in these third-rate musicals that we don't? My contention is that the critics pick those plays for the same reason decent folks oppose them -- their messages. "Urinetown" presses the message of the haves vs. the have-nots and stirs up class envy. Of course, the haves are crooked, terrible people, and the have-nots are virtuous and brave. "Urinetown" presses the global warming message -- a theory that is about as goofy as evolution but is being shoved down our throats. "Rent" presses the homosexuals are just like you and me and we should accept them as they are message. "Rent" presses the judge not message. I am so tired of hearing people pull that scripture out to justify sin. They can't quote you anything else from the Bible, but they run around yelling "Judge not" everytime someone points out sin. God never intended us to accept sin under the guise of "judge not"!

Anyway, what got me started on this was a letter to the editor about "Rent." Grant Creeger of Plano sees that the emperor has no clothes. He said he was surprised that no one writing letters (mostly supporting the production) had mentioned seeing the musical. He says he paid top-dollar to see it performed by the primary touring company in Los Angeles. He says the professional company did not "disguise the fact that this is a third- or fourth-tier musical with one or two decent songs." "I barely made it through to the end," he says. Three cheers for one of the backwoods, uncultured, ignoramuses with enough courage to stand up and tell it like it is!

"'Rent' a yawner." The Dallas Morning News; December 16, 2008; p. 18A.

Essie May, the Prognisticator

Back a month or so ago, I told Mr. Essie May that I could tell him the winners of the next Oscars for Best Picture, Best Director and Best Actor. The envelope, please. And the winners are Milk, Gus Van Sant, and Sean Penn.

How do I know this? Simple. It's a movie about a homosexual. It's a given that any movie glorifying a homosexual will be an Oscar contender. Sure enough, when the reviews came out, they were glowing. Very few movies get an "A" rating in The Dallas Morning News, but this one did. "A compelling film full of great performances." "Mr. Van Sant succeeds in making a film in which everyone, heroes and villains, is real, human and sympathetic." "Sean Penn's performance is extraordinary, sealing his standing as the greatest actor of his generation." Give me a break -- Sean Penn is the greatest actor of his generation? What has this guy been smoking?!!

And one more little note -- I've written before about how the homosexual agenda tries to subtly ensnare us into accepting their deviant behavior. Here are a couple of quotes about the movie from Tom Maurstad. "The way Mr. Van Sant introduces us to Milk is also familiar and yet so subtly transgressive that we scarcely notice the boundaries being pushed." "And for the rest of the movie, that's what Harvey Milk does: win over people who don't want to be won over, who have already decided they won't be, and who then find themselves disarmed and charmed by a man who will keep taking no for an answer until he finally gets a yes." I think this proves that Essie May is not paranoid!

"Compelling tale is well-told." The Dallas Morning News; November 26, 2008; p. 1E.
"A man, a movement." The Dallas Morning News; November 28, 2008; p. 1E.

When you think you've heard it all . . .

Don't like getting a foreigner you can't understand and who can't understand you when you call tech support? Dell computers has a deal for you! If you'll pay them $13 a month extra on your tech support contract, you can talk to someone who speaks English.

A Dell spokesman says this new plan demonstrates Dell's commitment to customer choice. "We've heard from customers that it's hard to understand a particular accent and that they couldn't understand the instructions they were getting."

So, Dell is catering to your choice -- unless you want to pony up the extra $13 a month, you're still going to be talking to someone in India or the Philippines who barely speaks English. Is it just me, or does it seem the whole world has lost its common sense?

"Plainer English for a fee." The Dallas Morning News; December 14, 2008; p. 4D.

Duh!

A recent study by the Rand Corporation, described as "ground-breaking research," reveals that pregnancy rates are much higher among teens who watch a lot of TV with sexual dialogue and behavior than among those who don't. Well, Duh! Wonder how many of our taxpayer dollars funded grants for this "research"?

"Study links racy TV to youths' choices." The Dallas Morning News; November 3, 2008; p. 6A.

How about some of that old Christmas spirit?

I've been thinking about a lot of the old Christmas songs and the way they have of evoking such a happy, warm Christmas spirit. Just think of the melodies and the words to songs like:

"Chestnuts roasting on an open fire, Jack Frost nipping at your nose, yuletide carols being sung by a choir, and folks dressed up like Eskimoes. . . . Although it's been said many times, many ways, Merry Christmas, Merry Christmas to you."

"City sidewalks, busy sidewalks, dressed in holiday style. In the air there's a feeling of Christmas. Children laughing, people passing, meeting smile after smile, And on every street corner you hear: Silver bells, silver bells, It's Christmas time in the city. Ring-a-ling, hear them ring, soon it will be Christmas day."

"I'm dreaming of a white Christmas, just like the ones I used to know. Where the treetops glisten and children listen, to hear sleighbells in the snow. . ."

"Have yourself a merry little Christmas, Let your heart be light. From now on, our troubles will be out of sight. Have yourself a merry little Christmas. Make the Yuletide gay. From now on, our troubles will be miles away."

"I'll be home for Christmas. You can count on me. Please have snow and mistletoe and presents on the tree. Christmas Eve will find me where the love light gleams. I'll be home for Christmas if only in my dreams."

And hundreds of others. Where and when did society at large lose the true meaning and spirit of Christmas? I don't think the people who wrote those songs ever envisioned a day when Wal-Mart employees would be trampled to death by greedy shoppers who then refused to leave the store for the investigation because they'd been standing in line for hours. Maybe we lost Christmas when society decided "Merry Christmas" was too un-pc and opted to go for "Happy Holidays" instead. Maybe we lost it when society decided to take Christ out of Christmas.

I just want what you have . . . part 2

Back in July, I wrote about the Dallas Housing Authority building townhome projects in affluent neighborhoods. It is their contention that putting poor people on the dole in the midst of people who work for a living will improve the standards of the "poor people" on the dole. My contention is that the "poor people" are what make the area blighted -- You can take the "poor person" out of the slum, but you can't take the slum out of the "poor person."

Granted, the projects I'm about to tell you about are not in an affluent neighborhood, but I think they prove my point. In 2005, Dallas tore down the blighted Frazier Courts public housing complex in South Dallas. That area is now covered with bright new townhome style residences -- "the new face of public housing." The complex is now called Frazier Wahoo.

The newspaper reports that on a recent afternoon, they observed "residents scurried inside when a group of young men congregated on a front porch to gamble with dice. They shouted expletives menacingly, while loud music from their car made neighbors' windows rattle."

Residents complain of rodent infestation. Alpha-Barnes Real Estate Management, under contract to DHA to run the place, says the rodents are a result of filth on the part of the residents. Residents also complain about shoddy carpet -- again, a result of filth on their part according to Alpha-Barnes. The conclusion of The Dallas Morning News editorial is that "If Frazier Wahoo goes bad, it will drag the surrounding neighborhood with it."

Isn't that what people in affluent areas have been saying about these projects all along?

"New Face, Old Problems." The Dallas Morning News; November 28, 2008; p. 22A.

Update on "Rent"

Hooray for the parents of Rowlett for taking a moral stand and making a difference! They applied enough pressure that the school's drama director decided to cancel its production of "Rent."

A mother of one of the students who had a starring role said she was concerned for students because some opponents had "gotten out of control . . ." I don't think it was the opponents who got out of control. I think it is a society that thinks it's OK to show on a high school stage a bunch of people in bed who've been having sex that's out of control. I think it's a society that thinks homosexuality is OK that's out of control. I think it's a society that thinks if a person's circumstances are bad enough, it's OK to steal that's out of control. I think it's a society that denigrates people who hold high moral standards that's out of control.

A letter to the editor earlier in the week decried the "narrow-minded hypocrites" opposing the production. Terry Murphy of Addison said he would provide an auditorium or theater for them to do the musical and that his offer was serious. More power to you, sir. Now you can put your money where you mouth is.

"Curtain falls on 'Rent' Showing." The Dallas Morning News; December 11, 2008. P. 1B.
". . .but I'll give them a stage." The Dallas Morning News; December 10, 2008. P. 18A.

Told ya!

Remember when Essie May told you to remember the name Valerie Jarrett?

The rumor is that the federal authorities got their tip on Illinois Governor Blagojevich from Obama's Chief of Staff, Rahm Emanuel. Yesterday morning when I heard this news, I told Mr. Essie May that if that rumor is true, this is how I guarantee you it went down: Obama had someone he wanted in that seat. When his staff contacted Blagojevich to tell him who they wanted, they found out the seat wouldn't be cheap. So they turned him in, thinking Obama could get who he wanted if they got Blagojevich out of the way.

Then I read the newspaper. At one place in the tapes, Blagojevich says that Obama's people are "not going to give me anything except appreciation. (expletive) them!" If Obama's people haven't been in contact with him, how does he know they're not going to play his game?

The charges against the Governor do not identify any of the candidates by name. They are referred to as "Candidate 1," "Candidate 2," etc. But guess who was number one on the list of those being considered? None other than Valerie Jarrett. And unless the Illinois legislature calls a special election, guess who's the next Senator from Illinois?

"Arrest sets off shock waves." The Dallas Morning News; December 10, 2008; p. 1A.

Senate Seat for Sale!

Sign seen at the Illinois governor's mansion:

"Senate seat for sale. Inquire at the nearest federal penitentiary."

How far we have fallen!

Did you know that in our nation's capitol building, there is a large "disclaimer" displayed prominently in front of the nativity scene? It was placed there by the atheists, and it says. "There is only our natural world. Religion is but myth and superstition that hardens hearts and enslaves minds."

What a slap in the face to Jesus Christ in this season when we celebrate His miraculous birth! What a slap in the face to Christians! We are no longer a nation of majority rule -- we are a nation of kowtowing to the minority no matter what zany, dangerous, immoral garbage they come up with. We better get back to the basics, and some of us Christians better start hollering! God said, "Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord" Psalm 33:12. But He also said, ". . .seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children" Hosea 4:6. No wonder the once grand USA is rapidly becoming a third-rate nation!

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,461424,00.html (photo included at this site)

What's next for NLISD?

North Lamar High School just finished their production of "Urinetown." What's next for them? I predict that next year the drama instructors will pick "Rent." Rowlett High School is currently involved in a controversy over their drama department's decision to stage "Rent" this year. Those who want to do the musical claim that it is a play that "promotes love and acceptance." Ryan Clark, a Rowlett senior student said, "This society, including me, could use a lesson in acceptance." What the play promotes is acceptance of homosexuality and a deviant lifestyle. Other proponents of the production said that the high school edition of the play has less profanity than the original, and a song that was inappropriate for teens was removed. My question is, "Why do a musical that has to be edited for teenagers?"

I went out to the internet to garner some information about the musical. Draw your own conclusions.

"Rent" evolved from playwright Billy Aronson's desire to do a musical based on Puccini's opera La Boheme, but replacing Puccini's settings with the coarseness and noise of modern New York. Jonathan Larson wrote the music and lyrics. Here's a cast of characters from the play:

• Mimi Márquez, an exotic dancer with HIV
  Rodolfo, a poet
  Roger Davis, a musician who is HIV positive
  Marcello, a painter
  Mark Cohen, a filmmaker
  Musetta, a singer
  Maureen Johnson, a lesbian performance artist
  Schaunard, a musician
  Angel Dumott Schunard, a gay drag queen percussionist with AIDS
  Colline, a philosopher
  Tom Collins, a gay philosophy professor and anarchist with AIDS
  Alcindoro, a state councilor
  Joanne Jefferson, a lawyer, who is a lesbian (Also partially based on Marcello)
  Benoit, a landlord
  Benjamin 'Benny' Coffin III, the local landlord and a former roommate of Roger, Mark, Collins, and Maureen

Here are some portions lifted from the plotline:

• Angel . . .is a flamboyantly homosexual man who performs a song and dance number and sometimes wears women's clothing;
• Mimi Márquez, a nineteen-year-old junkie and S & M dancer at the Cat Scratch Club. She lives in the apartment downstairs and asks Roger to light a candle for her because her electricity and heat have also been shut off. Mimi also needs the candle to prepare her heroin, which she drops inside the loft and then employs as means to flirt with Roger.
• After leaving Life Support, Mark saves a homeless bag lady from being beaten by a police officer.
• The scene turns to a bed containing all the couples, with the implication that they are all having sex (Mark is absent), which quickly transforms into a frustrating and awkward situation for all of them.
• Collins arrives with money, revealing that he rigged a nearby ATM to dispense free cash with the PIN "A-N-G-E-L".
• Joanne catches Maureen kissing another woman and angrily stalks off
• Collins is heartbroken, and at Angel's (the flamboyant drag queen) funeral, he declares his undying love.
• She and Roger embrace, and everyone is touched and relieved as they are reminded of the fleetingness of life and reaffirm that there is "no day but today."

So from what I've read, the message is "do whatever you want, for tomorrow you die." Sounds like a really inspiring, uplifting message for today's teenagers, doesn't it? And remember, you heard the title of North Lamar's next production here first!

"Some parents want student production of 'Rent' evicted." The Dallas Morning News; December 6, 2008; p. 1B.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rent_(musical)

Let's round 'em up!

I read yesterday about a website based in California. The guy who runs it is tired of American companies flagrantly hiring illegal aliens. He researches the tips he receives on companies who break the law, forwards the tips to immigration authorities, and posts the names of the companies on the website: www.wehirealiens.com. I give this guy a great big "HOORAY!" A lot of us gripe about the situation, but few of us have gone to the trouble this guy has.

As predicted, immigration attorneys, companies on the website, and illegals aren't happy with this. One immigration attorney said, "If these folks really cared about America and safety and crime, why not put the public Internet finger on their relatives, friends and neighbors by creating sites like www.wespeed.com, www.wedrinkanddrive.com, www.webeatourwivesandkids.com." Number one, maybe this man has no acquaintances who speed, drink and drive, or beat their wives and kids. Number two, you'll notice the attorney does not say these companies are innocent -- he employs the old when one is guilty and has no defense, start pointing out the real or imaginary faults of the accuser tactic.

This little tidbit I found quite amusing. Among the companies listed on the site is General Aluminum Co. The personnel director of this company said that he was shocked to learn it was on the website, and he plans to contact an attorney. The personnel director's name? Juan.

"Web site accuses firms of hiring illegal immigrants." The Dallas Morning News; December 6, 2008; p. 1.

Maybe PISD should try more harder to teach English.

The Paris High School Fine Arts division is presenting a version of A Christmas Carol this weekend. From what I read, it's not quite the Dickens classic we all love. According to Jayna Shull, drama instructor, "The production has clowns in it, so it's quite different and fun." Clowns in A Christmas Carol? Sounds like a big improvement over the original, don't you think?

The student star of the play, says, "The more closer of a family you are the more fun and the more easier the show will be." More closer? More easier? Why not more funner? If he had done it once, I would call it a slip-up and think nothing of it. But twice indicates to me the poor child doesn't know any better. PISD needs to stop monkeying with the works of a master and start teaching basic English!

"Paris high to present 'A Christmas Carol.'" The Paris News; December 3, 2008; p. 1.

Harry Reid thinks you stink.

A new U.S. Capitol Visitor Center was opened this week. It is a 580,000 square foot complex underneath the east grounds of the Capitol. It cost $651 million -- $356 million over budget.

Senator Harry Reid (who says paying income tax is voluntary) defended the complex in his remarks at the opening celebration. Reid says they needed it, because American tourists stink. He says in the summertime, they could literally smell them coming down the hall. Now, they won't have to smell the nasty people who give them the privilege to sit in the U.S. Capitol and look down their noses at the people they're taxing into oblivion.

Mr. Essie May says they could have bought a lot of Glade plug-ins for $651 million!

http://www.cnn.com/2008/TRAVEL/12/02/capitol.visitor.center/index.html

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UP6qeBPl_HA

Are Asians really smarter?

Have you ever noticed how Asians seem to be smarter than Americans? They have the reputation for diligent study in school, winning awards, hard work, and superior intelligence. But maybe they're not quite as smart as we think.

In Hokkaido, Japan, zoo keepers have been trying to get polar bears Tsuyoshi and Kurumi to mate. The bears have been enclosed together at the Kushiro Municipal Zoo since June. It appeared there was just no chemistry between them. Last Wednesday, zoo officials announced the reason for the lack of romance. Tsuyoshi and Kurumi are both females. Duh! Kind of throws that "Asians are smarter" myth out the window, doesn't it?

"Zoo solves mystery of why bears didn't mate." The Dallas Morning News; November 27, 2008; p. 18A.

Foreclosure Myths

Steven Malanga is an editor for RealClearMarkets and a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute. He has done some study on the foreclosure crisis. His conclusion is that there are lots of foreclosure myths out there -- the stories you hear on the news are not representative of the situation as a whole.

How many news stories have you seen of the family beset by a medical crisis or a job loss who, because of the impact on their income, is losing their home? Mr. Malanga says that while instances of this happen in any economy, this is not the typical scenario in our current situation. Professor Stan J. Liebowitz of the University of Texas at Dallas says this crisis began in mid-2006 when the unemployment rate was holding steady at a low 4.6 percent. Job loss can't be blamed. So what is the typical scenario?

It is that of the investor -- the buyer who purchased properties he never intended to live in. He got caught in the "flip this house" syndrome. Liebowitz says that the number of defaults on these deals is so large that they could explain all or most of the increases in foreclosures. Many of these speculators walked away from their mortgages at the first sign of falling home prices. In March 2007, The Miami Herald ran a story about how local real estate lawyers were besieged with speculators wanting to get out of their mortgage contracts because home prices had bottomed in Florida. One lawyer said, "These are not people who have been wronged. These are flippers who wouldn't be saying anything if the market was going well." Dr. Liebowitz says the flippers are a big chunk of the nationwide problem -- defaults in only two states, California and Florida, accounted for 42% of the subprime ARM defaults nationwide in the second quarter of 2008.

So why do we have the myth that most of the people suffering the foreclosure crisis are hardworking families just like yours who happened upon hard times? Malanga's theory is that the media call social service agencies when they want to do a foreclosure story, and they naturally are steered to those people who have sought help. The speculators aren't really willing to air their dirty laundry on TV or the front page. Besides, who would want to bail out a slick flipper who risked his money in the wrong place?

"Foreclosure Myths." The Dallas Morning News; November 30, 2008; p. 6P.

Why would you care?

Larry and Yvonne Meadows are suing the Lake Travis School District. The district's security program includes screening adult visitors to the school through a registered sex offender database. Sounds like a good idea to me -- who wants registered sex offenders wandering around the halls in the public schools?

But Larry and Yvonne claim that this process violates their right to privacy and other rights. I can think of only one reason a person would care whether or not they were checked through the database. I suspect Larry's and Yvonne's photos just might pop up if you ran their names through it.

"Parents sue school over sex offender check system." The Paris News; December 1, 2008; p. 5.

This shouldn't be news!

I was quite impressed by two items I saw in the newspaper last week. It is this type of story that restores one's faith in mankind.

The first story was about Moisei Baraniuc who is 17 years old. Moisei works as a grocery bagger in Federal Way, Washington. He earns minimum wage which he uses to pay for his high school costs, gas, and other expenses. Moisei found a bag in the supermarket restroom with $10,000 in it. He turned it in, and it was restored to its owner. Moisei says, "My dad is always telling us in this life you've got to work for yourself. If you take what doesn't belong to you, it will catch up to you." Moisie, whose nickname is Moses, teaches 10-year-olds at his First Ukrainian Baptist Church. "I can't be teaching little kids not to do it if I'm doing it," he said. What a great role model for his young students!

The second story was about J. P. Hayes. Hayes is a golfer. He was just about to earn his PGA card in qualifying school. Alas, he realized that by accident, he had used an unapproved golf ball. He was the only one who knew, and he did not intentionally violate the rules. He reported himself, delaying by at least a year his chances in professional golf. Character is what you do when no one is watching!

Both of these men are to be commended. They set a wonderful example. Isn't it a shame, though, that such acts are so rare they end up in the newspaper?

"Teen's honesty pays off." The Dallas Morning News; November 28, 2008; p. 11A.
"Would the rese of us have been so honest?" The Dallas Morning News; November 29, 2008; p. 20A.