When you are making out your Christmas card list this year, please include the following:
A Recovering American Soldier
c/o Walter Reed Army Medical Center
6900 Georgia Avenue, NW
Washington, D.C. 20307-5001
If you approve of the idea, please pass it along to your e-mail list.
Well, don’t.
It’s a great idea, but unfortunately if you send something addressed this way, it won’t be delivered. So please, don’t forward this email.
The U.S. Postal Service will not deliver any letter, post card, or package that is not addressed to a specific individual. Anything sent to “A Recovering Soldier,” “Any Wounded Soldier,” or “Any Service Member” is unacceptable.
“We cannot accept any mail that is not specifically addressed to an individual or an organization at the medical center,” says Deputy Public Affairs Officer Terry Goodman.
Sometimes one of these letters will make it through to the medical center. If that happens, it is returned to sender.
Lots of bona fide alternatives at the end of the article.
…for a shot at YANKEES vs BOSUX tickets !! Holy CRAP!
Labs4rescue is pleased to announce its 2007 New York Yankees vs. Boston Red Sox Raffle. Here’s your chance to win:
Four FAN!tastic field box seats to a 2007 regular season New York Yankees vs. Boston Red Sox baseball game at Yankee Stadium! (The winner will work with the Yankee’s office to select the game.) This incredible game day package includes: V.I.P. parking, behind-the-scenes stadium tour, personalized scoreboard message, official photograph of scoreboard message, an amazing goodie bag for each guest, lunch or dinner, and an up close and personal opportunity to view batting practice.
Only $10 per raffle ticket! The drawing will be held during the 2007 Yankees opening home series.
To order your raffle tickets please send a check or money order payable to Labs4rescue and a self-addressed stamped envelope to Labs4rescue, P.O. Box 955, Killingworth, CT 06419. Please do NOT send cash in the mail; Labs4rescue WILL NOT be responsible for payments lost in the mail. All orders must be received by Friday, March 30, 2007.
(Credit card junkies can email them at raffle-at-labs4rescue.com for info how to do it that way.) They’re a virtual steal at TEN BUCKS a PIECE, so BeauBeau (who’s a Labs4Rescue wabbadork himself) and his cousin Claude say:
“Get yer raffle tickets right here!
….OOOO! Cookie!“
…OR in the setting on your time pieces this weekend.
Except the snooty toots in East Hampton…
…The East Hampton Town Board will meet tomorrow to mull lifting its longtime ban on live music in restaurants. But there will be plenty of restrictions if the proposal gets the green light. The music will have to end by 11 p.m., and eateries will be prohibited from clearing tables and chairs to make room for dancing, the East Hampton Star reports.
So where are footloose and fancy free Hamptonians supposed to go when the Bonjangles mood strikes, huh?
Everybody knows there’s sharks in the sound…
…Mr. Sunshine.
…It’s one thing to arrive an hour late for church on the first day of daylight saving. It’s another for a security system to log the wrong time of crucial events, for pilots to misunderstand their takeoff times or international communications components to stop synchronizing. But such scenarios are possible without the fix to vast numbers of the nation’s technical systems .
As IBM notes on its Web site: “Any time-sensitive functions could be impacted by this change. . . . It is important for users to assess their environments and develop appropriate plans for applying the necessary changes.”
…”After building bunkers in the desert for Y2K, we’re not even talking about this, and it’s happening in less than two months,” said Matthew Kozak, an information technology specialist at Rutgers University who monitors numerous sites and discussion groups.
Even in the banking industry, where ATMs time-stamp every customer transaction, awareness of the March 11 change is limited.
“I haven’t heard about it,” said Barry Koling, spokesman for Atlanta-based SunTrust Banks. “It seems to me, we managed to get through Y2K. If we can accomplish the change of the millennium, we can handle a change in daylight saving time.”
‘Spring forward’ will be sprung March 11 this year, vice the time honored April date.
I hadn’t heard.
I’m hoping my computer, cell phone, cable, credit union, et al…has.
…in the debit. Disclosure: I’ve never used mine ~ never felt the need to and, as time goes on, really look askance at the whole concept. The Red Tape fellow points out more things I wasn’t aware of. In the comments about the smarmy world of debit card fees there are tons of know-it-all “don’t spend more than you have/try balancing a checkbook/duh-keep track of your transactions/learn to add” one liners. They ARE common sense in a checkbook world, but they’re really not applicable to debit carding, because of what you don’t know is going on in the electronic hell energized when you swipeth.
Your running bank balance ~ however scrupulously calculated on your part ~ is rendered moot by a dirty little trick gas stations in our neck of the woods use. When you tender your debit card for purchases, they authorize a larger sum, which is NOT reflected by your receipt, or what eventually posts to your account. You THINK you’ve bought $20 worth of petrol, but they’ve authorized $35+, which stands until the ACTUAL charges have been paid. Now, that’s an additional $15 out of your account that you have no clue has been temporarily debited. So, like our starving college student Ebola did, knowing you’d only spent $20, you go buy a movie ticket or swipe your card at the Winn-Dixie and you’re overdrawn. And going INSANE trying to figure it out. And HAMMERED for the additional $30 friendly overdraft, which never REALLY was one to begin with. Over and over again. It wasn’t until a short piece our local news ran exposing and explaining the practice that we had a clue. And cold comfort to his poor wallet hundreds of dollars later, not to mention all the abuse he took from us about “Jesus, how hard can it be to keep track of?!”
I’ve also started run across this from different institutions when, as an artist, I’ve run a customer’s debit card. They’ll call me in a panic because, after checking in a day or two, the transaction has posted TWICE on their online screen. I’ve only run it through once. Their BANK posted it twice. It quietly goes away AFTERwards. But, if they hadn’t checked… And at least their bank posted both, instead of ~ like Navy Federal in Ebola’s case, for instance ~ just posting the transaction amount, not the authorized deduction.
I think that all should be illegal. It’s certainly unethical. If I’m to be penalized for an overdraft, I think I should KNOW that I’ve actually BEEN overdrawn. Gas stations (or whatEVER businesses do something this foul) should be forced to put signs on the pumps with a disclaimer that the authorized amount for your purchase with a debit card will temporarily be increased by whatever over the actual purchase, for ‘this time period’.
Where else is charging someone for services NOT rendered/delivered, with no warning ~ especially with the potential for such dire consequences for the unknowing victim ~ legal?
…of Lounge Lizard fantasies, remember to bring a spare if things go wrong.
Mozart, an iguana with an erection that has lasted for over a week, will have his penis amputated in the next couple of days.
Veterinarians at Antwerp’s Aquatopia had sought to treat the animal’s problem, but decided removal was the only solution because of the risk of infection. The good news for Mozart and his mates is that male iguanas have two penises.
Mozart, sitting on the shoulders of his keeper as camera crews focused on his red, swollen erection, seemed unperturbed by the news.
“It doesn’t bother him. He doesn’t know what amputation means,” said vet Luc Lambrecht, adding that Mozart’s sexual activity should be undimmed by the operation.
“I don’t think so. That’s all in his head.“
I think that’s true of males in general.
A warm Swill welcome to the blogroll for Boston Herald writer and far more importantly frequent Tim Blair commenter Jules Crittendon. Go check it out. He has a fantastic story up on a survivor of Ia Drang.
Proposed Constitutional Amendment No.8
Ballot Title:EMINENT DOMAIN
Ballot Summary:Proposing an amendment to the State Constitution to prohibit the transfer of private property taken by eminent domain to a natural person or private entity; providing that the Legislature may by general law passed by a three-fifths vote of the membership of each house of the Legislature permit exceptions allowing the transfer of such private property; and providing that this prohibition on the transfer of private property taken by eminent domain is applicable if the petitionof taking that initiated the condemnation proceeding was filed on or after January 2, 2007.
Full Text:ARTICLE XMISCELLANEOUSSECTION
6. Eminent domain.—
(a) No private property shall be taken except for a public purpose and with full compensation therefor paid to each owner or secured by deposit in the registry of the court and available to the owner.
(b) Provision may be made by law for the taking of easements, by like proceedings, for the drainage of the land of one person over or through the land of another.
(c) Private property taken by eminent domain pursuant to a petition to initiate condemnation proceedings filed on or after January 2, 2007, may not be conveyed to a natural person or private entity except as provided by general law passed by a three-fifths vote of the membership of each house of the Legislature.
I didn’t even know it was on the ballot. Dave? Any gobbledeegook involved here we should watch for? ‘Cause it sounds good on it’s face to me. My only concern is the implementation date ~ lets all those cases right now off the hook and to be sorted out in court, but I guess that’s the price you pay.
Now Hillary is making ‘corrections’ to her life story:
Years after alternative media pointed out the virtual impossibility, Sen. Hillary Clinton finally has admitted she was not named for the famous conqueror of Mount Everest, Sir Edmund Hillary.
The New York Times, which repeated the claim as fact in a story just one week ago, reported Sen. Clinton’s campaign issued a correction yesterday.
For more than a decade, Sen. Clinton’s informal biography repeated the story, and it was recounted in former President Bill Clinton’s 2004 autobiography, “My Life.”
…”It had two l’s, which is how she thought she was supposed to spell Hillary,” she said. “So when I was born, she called me Hillary, and she always told me it’s because of Sir Edmund Hillary.”
In 1947, Sir Edmund was an unknown beekeeper, but Clinton had explained her mother read about him in a publication while pregnant and liked the name.
Sir Hillary did not climb Everest until 1953, when Ms. Hillary was 6.
“In point of fact,” Hillary Clinton said, “I would like to state clearly for the record that my mother named me for Tenzig Norgay.”
She’s at the Mets play-off game.
I think the term is “nosebleed“.
UPDATE: Holy CRAP! 13 innings?!? Man, is she gonna be cranky tomorrow.
(And probably the whole city sleep deprived city, ya think?)
But they won, so woo hoo Mets.
Oh man, what a mess:
APEX, N.C. — Shifting winds forced Apex officials to expand an evacuation area early Friday to protect residents from a chemical gas plume that continued to spread from an industrial fire that has raged since late Thursday.
Town Manager Bruce Radford said a leak at the EQ North Carolina plant on Investment Boulevard sent several large plumes of chlorine gas into the air around 9 p.m. Thursday. A large fire broke out at the plant afterward, sending flames more than 100 feet into the night sky and setting off multiple explosions.
EQ is a licensed hazardous-waste facility that serves businesses.
Apex and Wake County officials declared a state of emergency early Friday and evacuated about 16,000 people — half of of Apex — within hours.
…Weatherly said the fire had spread to a nearby petroleum farm and had ignited four storage tanks containing a total of about 200,000 gallons of fuel. Officials were unsure if the fire had spread beyond that, however, he said.
They’re just going to let it burn out, and may have to evacuate more folks.
…in 2 days. 
My buddies at CAIR want everyone to use them, bless their little pointy wrapped heads.
USPS to Re-Issue ‘Eid’ Stamps
(WASHINGTON, D.C., 9/28/06) – The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) is asking members of the American Muslim community to contact local postmasters and request that they stock the stamp commemorating Eid ul-Fitr and Eid ul-Adha when it is re-issued on October 6, 2006, as part of the “Holiday Series.” In past years, there have been reports that the Eid stamp was unavailable in some post offices.
CAIR is also asking Muslims to buy and use Eid stamps for all their mailing needs.
This stamp was originally issued on September 1, 2001 (Yes, that date is right), but not without it’s own prescient little controversy…
STATEMENT BY AZEEZALY S. JAFFER, VICE PRESIDENT, PUBLIC AFFAIRS AND COMMUNICATIONS, U.S. POSTAL SERVICE
November 14, 2001
Washington, DC – “The U.S. Postal Service today is reproducing its Holiday Stamp promotional posters in local post offices in response to recent concerns raised by the American Muslim community.
Due to an oversight, an image of the Eid stamp, which commemorates two important Islamic festivals, was left off the promotional posters*.
The Postal Service deeply regrets the oversight and is reprinting the holiday posters depicting the Eid stamp image in local post offices. Eid stamps will be available for sale at post offices nationwide this Holiday season.
…and darned if I don’t think *they got it right the first time. Now, I know this is a free country and all the money goes to the Post Office and not murderous thugs or anything, but…I’ll stick to the Ben Franklin series, ’cause I tend to bristle when I read a comment like this on an Islamic blog (SEE? I’m well rounded!) announcing the glad tidings.
That is so nice, the Americans are so friendly to Muslims – it is indeed such a Great Country that they have eid stamps for Muslims. We should be happy. Our government and postal service are so very Muslim friendly.
Could you also ask the postal service, if they are also going to issue stamps celebrating the slaughter of Iraqi Muslims, Palestinian Muslims, Lebanese Muslims?
Mmm, mmm, mmm.
Would that I could find a Babelfish Arabic translation for ‘f*ckwad’.
Woo-Hoo!
Congratulations! The cheesesteaks are on me!!!
…is a good idea. But since I wasn’t sure if you all knew about it, I thought I’d throw it out there.
S 3696 (PERA), sponsored by Sen. Brownback (R-Kan), a companion bill to H.R. 2679 (PERA), sponsored by Rep. Hostetter (R-Ind.), would amend all relevant federal laws to eliminate the authority of judges to award taxpayer-paid attorney fees to the ACLU, or anyone else, in lawsuits under the Establishment of Religion Clause of the First Amendment against veterans memorials, the Boy Scouts, or the public display of the Ten Commandments of other symbols of America’s history with a religious aspect.
I’m not too worried about this latest news from NASA:
NASA delayed the planned landing of the space shuttle Atlantis by at least a day Tuesday after engineers spotted an object that may have accidentally flown out of its cargo bay.
Landing had been scheduled for Wednesday morning. But a poor weather forecast and concerns that something crucial floated out of the craft prompted the delay, space shuttle communicator Terry Virts told the crew.
The Space Mystery!
Really, it’s not that difficult to figure out folks. Given the clues over the last week about how one fumble-fingered astronaut kept dropping screws and bolts made it pretty easy to figure out which astronaut it was.
Which of course means the ‘mystery object’ can only be
Read more »
There are NO …
*%$@#
DUNKIN’ DONUTS
…in Indianapolis either.
What ever I drink this weekend, I can guarantee you it won’t be a Miller product:
This time, as demonstrators march from Chinatown to House Speaker Dennis Hastert’s (R-Ill.) Batavia office this weekend, they will have Miller Brewing Co., as a sponsor. The brewer has paid more than $30,000 for a planning convention, materials and newspaper ads publicizing the event.
The support of a major corporation for a controversial political cause shows how fierce the competition has become to woo the growing market of Latino consumers.
Michelle helpfully lists their products.
Foster’s. They’ve corrupted Foster’s.
Bastards.
And boy are my arms tired!
Looks like Sis didn’t burn the place down in my absence.
It’s great to be back in the Great Satan, and I’m offloading pics from the camera as we speak.
“Smokin'” might not refer to your processor speed.
Apple to recall 1.8 million notebook batteries
Recall is second-biggest in U.S. history involving electronics or computers
You can separate, but you can’t lift. And you can thank the baby bombers.
Authorities Warning Women Not to Wear Gel Bras As Worries of Possible Female Bombers Increase
U.S. authorities are advising women not to wear gel bras on airplanes as information developed in the foiled London plot points to an expanding role for women in smuggling explosives on to an aircraft.
Authorities at Scotland Yard are questioning a husband and wife, suspects in the London terror plot, about allegations that they were planning to use their baby’s bottle to hide a liquid bomb.
UPDATE: The ABC News website report seems to be down right now, but I just got me a screenshot. It’s in the extended section.
Read more »
So they announced it. Wonder how they got around the contract that they had with the last plant that built F-cars?
Public Service Announcement | tree hugging sister | 
December 6, 2007 12:16 pm | 
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