Sheriff Ed Takes A Stand!

The following was taken from a Facebook post by an acquaintance, Sheriff Ed Motley of Edgar County, Illinois. It's rare to hear of someone in his position speaking his mind. Sheriff Ed:

I, Edward B. Motley having been elected to the office of County Sheriff in the County of Edgar aforesaid, DO SOLEMNLY SWEAR, that I will support the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of the State of Illinois, and that I will faithfully discharge the duties of the office of Edgar County Sheriff to the best of my ability.
-Why is it that there are politicians who want to prevent law abiding citizens from protecting themselves or their families against threats of violence
-Why are we not holding those accountable for the evil they do with the same vigor they go after gun right advocates?

The Second Amendment reads: “A well-regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a Free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.” These words have generated much controversy as part of the debate over gun control. Supporters of stricter controls generally argue that the amendment was only meant to protect the combined rights of states in maintaining a militia. Their opponents counter that the amendment was intended to protect an individual right to protect their life and their family. On June 26, 2008 the United States Supreme Court issued an opinion in the case of District of Columbia et al. v. Heller. In that decision, the Court's majority stated "Putting all of these textual elements together, we find that they guarantee the individual right to possess and carry weapons in case of confrontation."

Citizens shouldn't have to carry guns to protect themselves. However, criminals don’t follow rules or abide by the law when it comes to carrying a firearm in their commission of a felony or threatening your life. “The Sheriff is the ultimate law enforcement authority in his county and in this country. He is not a bureaucrat and does not answer to one. He answers to his boss, the citizens. The Sheriff is the employee of the people and exists to serve and protect them in all matters.” As Sheriff and an Illinois gun owner, I still support the concealment and carrying of legal firearms and will not enforce any Executive Order or law that is unconstitutional regarding legal firearms.

Monday Foto - Kina Tavarozi

Kina Tavarozi

Let's wrap up January with a splash! Well, maybe not with a splash, but with nifty little picture of Kina Tavarozi. Guys, Kina is pronounced, KEY-nuh.

She's a 23 year old model living in Las Vegas pursuing her doctorate in Quantum Physics. She obviously likes guys who drive old pickup trucks that are falling apart. I am told that the raw materials seen in this picture are 100% God-given.

Click the image for the full effect and have a great week!

(Oh, I made up the part about the Quantum Physics.)

Illinois Credit Rating: The Worst of all 50!

It finally happened! My adopted home state of Illinois now has the worst credit rating of all 50 states!

The official reason is that in Illinois, we have trouble with the pensions that we pay to our retired public servants. They say that this problem has been building for years. What about budgeting for these expenses? DUH! If you know that you're going to have an expense (mortgage, car payment, utility bill) you budget for it. Cash is set aside! The real reason that Illinois has the worst credit rating of any state in the USA is because it is run by crooks. Crooks who were elected by crooked machine politics. How many of our former governors need to land in the Federal Penitentiary before we learn something?

The poor credit rating is going to cost Illinois additional millions, each year, as we continue to borrow money. Do you think we budgeted for that?

Wednesday Foto - Priscilla Caripan

Priscilla Caripan

It's the middle of the week, again and time for the Wednesday Foto. 

There's something about this picture. Either the pose, the girl or maybe the wardrobe....or all three?

Priscilla Caripan is a Canadian girl who says she would like to work in TV as either an entertainment anchor or a producer.

I'd watch.

 Click the picture to get the full effect and have a great remainder of the week!

Wes Welker's Wife's Facebook Rant at Ray Lewis

Anna Burns Welker

On Sunday, the Baltimore Ravens defeated the New England Patriots, 28 - 13, to win the NFL AFC Championship and the right to face San Francisco in the Super Bowl. Wes Welker plays for the Patriots and his wife, Anna Burns Welker, has a Facebook account. She lashed out against Ray Lewis, bringing up some dirt. Here's what she wrote, "Proud of my husband and the Pats. By the way, if anyone is bored, please go to Ray Lewis' Wikipedia page. 6 kids 4 wives. Acquitted for murder. Paid a family off. Yay! What a hall of fame player! A true role model!"

For the record, Ray Lewis has never been married.  Wilipedia can be inaccurate.

Mrs. Welker has since apologized.

Below is a bad picture of the Facebook post...

4 Day Work Week For Gambia's Public Sector

President Yahya Jammeh

Gambia's public sector workers will soon be enjoying a 4 day work week. President Yahya Jammeh has decreed a four-day working week, effective February 1, for public officials, making Friday a day of rest to allow residents in the small West African state more time for prayer, social activities and agriculture.

The new work week will be Mondays to Thursdays from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Jammeh muscled his way into power with a bloodless coup in 1994. He says that his people will be healthier and wealthier if they grow their own food - using their extra day off.

Ya know, if this doesn't work, he can always "...let 'em eat cake."

Pamela's Tax Problems

Pamela owes

This has been going on for quite a while. It seems that Pamela Anderson's tax problems are continuing to grow.

Earlier this month, Anderson’s hometown of Ladysmith issued a tax certificate claiming she owes $31,000 in property taxes and penalties on a five-acre waterfront property she once hoped to develop. 

Anderson also has unpaid taxes in the U.S., where celebrity news website TMZ reported she owes more than $370,000 to the Internal Revenue Service and the state of California for the 2011 tax year.

In 2009, a lien was filed against Anderson for $1.7 million, putting her on California’s list of the “Top 500 Delinquent Tax Payers.”

She's such a trendsetter!

The iNotePad/NotPad

This is a special product for your boss. You know, the guy who calls the shots, but really hasn't taken the time to learn about the technical advances of the past two decades. From Shed Simove comes the iNotePad, renamed the NotPad. This is an actual item and is for sale.

Here's a description and link: The iNotePad / NotPad is a sixty page paper notepad with an acetate front sheet and hardboard back. It features three styles of page: vertical lined, horizontal lined and blank. This means the iNotePad can be used in all orientations...and is widely compatible with all kinds of hardware, including: pen, pencil, and crayon.   http://www.shedsimove.com/content/inotepad-0

Yo, READ THIS!

Bill Cosby

This has been around for a while. Please read:

They're standing on the corner and they can't speak English. I can't even talk the way these people talk: Why you ain't, Where you is, What he drive, Where he stay, Where he work, Who you be... And I blamed the kid until I heard the mother talk. And then I heard the father talk. Everybody knows it's important to speak English except these knuckleheads. You can't be a doctor with that kind of crap coming out of your mouth. In fact you will never get any kind of job making a decent living. People marched and were hit in the face with rocks to get an Education, and now we've got these knuckleheads walking around. The lower economic people are not holding up their end in this deal. These people are not parenting. They are buying things for kids. $500 sneakers for what? And they won't spend $200 for Hooked on Phonics. I am talking about these people who cry when their son is standing there in an orange suit. Where were you when he was 2? Where were you when he was 12? Where were you when he was 18 and how come you didn't know that he had a pistol? And where is the father? Or who is his father? People putting their clothes on backward: Isn't that a sign of something gone wrong? People with their hats on backward, pants down around the crack, isn't that a sign of something? Isn't it a sign of something when she has her dress all the way up and got all type of needles [piercing] going through her body? What part of Africa did this come from?? We are not Africans. Those people are not Africans; they don't know a thing about Africa ..... I say this all of the time. It would be like white people saying they are European-American. That is totally stupid. I was born here, and so were my parents and grand parents and, very likely my great grandparents. I don't have any connection to Africa, no more than white Americans have to Germany , Scotland , England , Ireland , or the Netherlands . The same applies to 99 percent of all the black Americans as regards to Africa . So stop, already! ! ! With names like Shaniqua, Taliqua and Mohammed and all of that crap ......... And all of them are in jail. Brown or black versus the Board of Education is no longer the white person's problem. We have got to take the neighborhood back. People used to be ashamed. Today a woman has eight children with eight different 'husbands' -- or men or whatever you call them now. We have millionaire football players who cannot read. We have million-dollar basketball players who can't write two paragraphs. We, as black folks have to do a better job. Someone working at Wal-Mart with seven kids, you are hurting us. We have to start holding each other to a higher standard.. We cannot blame the white people any longer.'

Dr.. William Henry 'Bill' Cosby, Jr., Ed..D.

Monday Foto - Sasha Bonilova

Sasha Bonilova

This week's Monday Foto is a young lady from Ukraine who has settled in Los Angeles. Her name is Sasha Bonilova.

 She has done some work for Playboy. Sasha says that she is in a relationship. I believe her.

For the full effect, click the image and have a great week!

Tom Brady

Tom Brady

I was thinking that there was no way that Tom Brady and the New England Patriots could lose, at home, to the Baltimore Ravens.

Then, a friend points out the Bridget Moynahan Curse! Tom Brady is still without a Super Bowl win since dumping his pregnant girlfriend for Gisele.

 Karma.

Wrong Maple Leaf on $20 Bill?

In Canada there's some confusion about the maple leaf on their new $20 bill.

Some botanists say that the leaf on the new money is a Norwegian Maple. The Canadian Maple, appears on the Canadian flag and is said to differ from that on the currency. (See Below)

Canadian treasury officials deny the controversy.

Norwegian on the left, Canadian on the right

Batmobile Sells

Batmobile in action.

The original Batmobile sold, this weekend for a cool $4.2 million. Rick Champagne, an Arizona businessman bought it at auction. The car had been owned by George Barris. He bought the car in 1965 for $1 from The Ford.Motor Company.  It was a 1955 Lincoln Futura, a prototype, built in Italy.  Like so many prototypes, it never went into production. The studio approached Barris and wanted a Batmobile. Barris had a budget of $15,000 and less than 3 weeks to complete the project. The car was "a hit" on the series which ran from 1966 to 1968. As a teenager, I watched the TV show on a regular basis. The car was the best thing about the show. Everything else was either too childish or sophisticated beyond my comprehension.

Anyway, cool car, with a new home.

Taylor Swift

She's everywhere! I came across this picture and I thought you might enjoy it...

Gun Control For Dummies

I am not a "gun guy." While I have fired guns often, I don't own one.
The following is meant to illustrate what the evolution of gun control may become:

Beer For Sandy

Beer to benefit the rescue... 

From a small brewery comes a cool idea to help the victims of the definitely uncool Hurricane Sandy.

Flying Fish Brewery, based in New Jersey, is producing a special brew, with the proceeds going directly to an unspecified local charity. The special brew is called "FU Sandy." FU, FYI stands for "Forever Unloved." (of course!) It has been described as, "a beautiful, tropical nose of mangoes and guavas."
They expect to make 100 kegs and raise $50,000 and to sell the stuff at taverns in New Jersey and Philadelphia.

Inauguration(s)

President and Mrs. Obama

Just thought that you may want to know that President Obama was sworn in, today, to a second term as President of the United States.

It was a low key ceremony in the Blue Room of the White House. In recent history, January 20th has been the date for the U.S. Presidential Inaugurations.

Fasten your seat belt for tomorrow's public version of President Obama's Second Inauguration. Starting figures are $13,637,000. The actual cost is expected to be much higher. This pales in comparison with the original, four years ago when we dropped $170,000,000.

I mention this because we are broke. That's right, broke - actually $16,000,000,000 beyond being broke.

Lance Armstrong

Armstrong

You may have noticed that I haven't mentioned anything about the recent developments regarding Lance Armstrong. I'm talking about his confession to Oprah Winfrey about doping.

I don't care about his motivation, his triumphs nor his failures. To me, he is no role model.
To cancer patients, he may be a god.

So, why am I devoting time and space to this guy? There's only one reason. That's because he has become a phenom. He's has done a lot of stuff. Good stuff and bad stuff. Did you know that he once considered running for Governor of Texas? If taking drugs could help him in politics, he may have run!

Since he has a history of lying, it's difficult to believe anything that comes out of his mouth. I find it interesting that he owns a couple of businesses in Austin, Texas. He apparently has a sense of humor. He has a coffee shop called "Juan Pelota Cafe". The name is a reference to his testicular cancer, with the name "Juan" being a homophone for "one" and "Pelota" being the Spanish word for "ball". In the same building, Armstrong owns and operates a bike shop named "Mellow Johnny’s", after another nickname of his derived from the Tour term "maillot jaune", which is French for "yellow jersey". The Tour de France winner is given a Yellow Jersey.

Conference Championship Picks 1/20/13

Atlanta Cheerleader

Today, we have the conference championship games.

These games are usually more exciting than the actual Super Bowl.

Earning the right to participate in the "Big Game" are San Francisco and Atlanta and Baltimore and New England.

Each game could go either way.
Here are my picks:

SAN FRANCISCO at atlanta

baltimore at NEW ENGLAND

HOT Ticket

Hot ticket!

So, Monday is the inauguration of President Obama for his second term. Ticket scalpers have entered into the picture! The tickets are supposed to be FREE - given away by our members of Congress - usually through a lottery system.

 Until recently, you could buy a ticket on eBay or Craig's list for up to $4,300. Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y. who chairs the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies, announced Thursday that his office would be working with eBay and Craigslist to remove listings for black market tickets.

Let's see if I have this straight. I win a ticket to the inauguration. It becomes my property. Can't I sell something that has become my property?

Going a step further, if enough people want to fork over big bucks to stand in the cold to see this bit of history, why not? I call this FREE ENTERPRISE.

Schumer is probably upset that any profits from the sale of these tickets will not be taxed. Politicians hate to miss an opportunity to tax the "little people." eBay says they have removed listings for inauguration tickets.
Thank you, Sen. Chuck...while we're talking about money, could you possibly work on paying down the national debt?

Subway's 11" Footlong



Photo: Matt Corby/Facebook

I don't care for franchise fast food. In my mind, it reduces us to "sheep" as the individuality in lunchtime choices is basically the same if you are in Brooklyn, Atlanta or Denver or anywhere.  Let's face it, a Big Mac is tasty, but boring. It hasn't changed in more than 40 years!

This story deals with the hip & healthy fast fooder, Subway. Matt Corby is from Australia. He posted this picture to Subway's Facebook page and has gathered some attention. For me, this is just another reason to steer clear of the fast food hype. I think it's fake food. This is why I prefer to eat at locally owned and operated restaurants.

The problem is that not enough restaurants are owned by chefs. Instead, they are owned by wealthy businessmen who think it's OK to cheat their customers of an entire inch of their product.

Wouldn't it be a much better story if someone discovered that Subway's Footlong measured 13 inches?

MEN THEN AND MEN NOW.......

Just wondering...

Ronen Goldman

This is a photo from Ronen Goldman.

He's a photographer from Israel who was recently featured on CNN. I don't watch CNN, but I saw some of his work on Facebook, did a Google search and found this.

UPDATE:  I heard from Ronen Goldman. (see comments)  This is NOT one of his photographs.  I encourage you to take a look at his work by visiting here:  http://on.fb.me/g5kiOH 
I think you will agree that his work is both interesting and unique!

Bad Joke Monday

Dear whoever stole my copy of Microsoft Office –
 I will track you down.
 You have my Word.

Monday Foto - Carlye Denise

Carlye Denise - Photo by Jose Luis

Monday and back to work for many of us.

Here's a little motivation. Her name is Carlye Denise. She's 21 years old and is from Dallas, Texas and has done some work for Playboy.

The raw material in the adjoining photograph is all natural.

She is especially fond of guys who read obscure blogs. Looks like you may be her kind of guy!

Click the picture to get the full effect and have a great week!

Pretty Bird

Woodpecker

I am not much of a "nature person." When I was in basic training at Ft. Dix, a buddy had a university degree in "Birds" (or something like that) from Rutgers and as we marched through the woods of Southern New Jersey, he could identify the species of all the birds.

Admittedly, I had to look up the variety of this bird. It's a woodpecker. Very pretty, if they would only keep from making that horrible noise! I am told that the Woodpecker can be found in most of the United States and Canada.

For some reason, I suddenly feel an urge to wash my car.

Miss America - Pretty (&) Cool

Miss America 2013 Mallory Hagen - "Careful with that pin!"

I heard a local, female, radio DJ remark that "smart people" are generally not very good looking. I think she was slamming pretty people, inferring that they are bimbos.

 While this may have been true, within my immediate circle, when I was single....wait...I wanted to talk about Miss America.

They had their little show, last night. It was live from Vegas. I should mention that I am completely turned off by lifelong beauty pageant contestants. So - last night, Miss New York wins the top prize. A $50,000 scholarship, a tiara and three pictures on General Tom's Blog!

Her name is Mallory Hagen, a 23 year old who lives in Park Slope,Brooklyn. Until she was 18, she lived in Alabama. (Don't all of those southern girls have three names?) Her talent act was tap dancing to James Brown's tune, "Get Up Off of That Thing." She raised the issue of child sexual abuse in her contestant platform and gave an excellent answer to the question: Should schools hire armed guards in the wake of the Newtown, Conn. shooting? Her response, "I don't think the proper way to fight violence is with violence. I think the proper way is to educate people on guns and the ways we can use them properly. We can lock them up, we can have gun safety classes, we can have a longer waiting period."

Mallory Hagen in an evening gown.

Mallory Hagen - "Showing Off!"

Hagen is the first Miss New York to win the crown since Vanessa Williams did it in '84.

The Moon - Lookin' Good!

Blog's New Look

After 2,500 posts and 8 1/2 years, I figured that I would modernize the blog's format.

 Blogger has been offering this particular option for a while and I thought I'd try it out.

YOU can customize the way that you see the blog ON THE LEFT SIDE of this page. If you "mouse" over the word "Classic," a drop down menu will allow you to view the blog in different formats.

All of this for no extra cost!

Let me know what you think.....

NFL Playoff Picks - 1/12-13/13

Laura:  Real-life Green Bay Packer fan
Image courtesy of Tim Clark / Athlon Sports

Last week, I went one out of four in the Wild Card games. Injured quarterbacks apparently make a difference. Who would've thought?

This week, I think I'll do better, but then, of course, anything can happen.

Here goes:

baltimore at DENVER
GREEN BAY at san francisco

seattle at ATLANTA
houston at NEW ENGLAND

By the way, this is my 2,500th post.  I am celebrating by cooking myself a monterey jack 2 egg omelet!  Do I know how to live or what!

Rate the Poortrait of Kate

Her Dutchessness, Kate

There's been a lot of talk about the recent portrait of The Duchess of Cambridge. We know her as Kate. Paul Emsley is the artist. Some people say that he made her look like a vampire. Her eyes are bland and it looks like she has something in her mouth.  The portrait makes her look older than she really is and that she hasn't slept in a week.  If Emsley was trying to go for a "Mona Lisa" style smile, he missed it.  We probably should not expect a glamorous Hollywood style portrait, but this one is horrid.

It's so hard to get good help nowadays...

If you click the image, you'll see a larger version - if that's what you want.

Friday Foto - Shelby Chesnes

Friday Photo: Shelby Chesnes

It has been a busy week for General Tom. Not to get into specifics, but I am glad that the weekend is here!

 This week's Friday Foto features a young lady from Jupiter, Florida, Shelby Chesnes.

You can't tell it from the picture, but Shelby is only 5'3' tall. I guess the key is that everything is in the proper proportion.

Shelby has done some work for Playboy and looks for a future in the modeling business. She has her own website.

Click the image to get the full effect and, of course, have a great weekend!

Monday Foto - Carol Goldnerova

 Carol Goldnerova

Today is the first Monday of 2013!

Let's get the week and the year kicked off with something special! Our Monday Foto is 33 year old Carol Goldnerova.

 Carol comes to us from the Czech Republic. During the course of her career, she has used several names, like, Katy Gold, Paula Summers, Carol Masters and Carol Gold.
Why so many names? She could have 5 different careers, right? Whatever the reason, I am told that what you see is 100% natural, right down to her size 8 1/2 feet.

Click the image to get the full effect and have a great week!

Screwy Story

William Marotta

William Marotta is a mechanic, living in Topeka, Kansas. Back in '09 he sees, on Craig's List, that a lesbian couple needs a sperm donor.

 He provides, a doctor is not used for the artificial insemination, papers are signed and voila! A baby is born to Jennifer Schreiner and her girlfriend Angela Bauer. Marotta has little or no contact with the child, per the paperwork. After a while, the two lesbians split. Angela Bauer had been supporting the child but she gets sick and can't work. Schreiner, the birth mother, goes on welfare, getting $189/month for the baby until a $6,000 medical bill pops up for the child. State of Kansas goes after Marotta for child support.

Angela Bauer and Jennifer Schreiner

There are several ways to look at this. Sure, his blood is pumping through the baby girl's veins...and that could mean something to some people. BUT, the lesbian parents made a deal that he would be "out of the picture!"

 My take on this? (You knew this was coming, right?) I don't care if there are two mommies, here and no daddy.  My preference, if I were the child, would be to have two different genders (one of each) heading the household. The physical laws of nature don't agree with homosexual reproduction, but screw nature! Marotta is a victim, here. He should be let off the hook...even if he is a white male. The main issue is that the little girl should not be the victim! The mommies should have had insurance! That would have been the responsible route.  They also should have used a doctor and a standard legal document.  This would have eliminated any possible liability for Mr. Marotta.  The state of Kansas has no proof that Marotta and Schreiner were or were not lovers!

It's interesting, I discovered this story at CNN's web site. They did not mention the women's names, at all!

I wonder why?

NFL Picks - Wild Card Weekend 1/5 & 6, 2013

Wild Card Pics

It all comes down to this...as they say. These four games, this weekend, really mean something.

 To the teams, it means a chance to proceed in the playoffs in the direction of the Super Bowl.
 For individual players, it is a chance to validate their resumes.

 Each of the four games could easily go either way.
 It's time to make some selections.

 Keep in mind that I am picking the teams that I think will win. These are not necessarily the teams for which I will be rooting.

Saturday:
CINCINNATI at houston
MINNESOTA at green bay

Sunday:
 colts at BALTIMORE
seattle at WASHINGTON

Hefner Hitched

Hugh and Crystal Harris Hefner

Isaw this coming and I may have mentioned this a few weeks ago, but Hugh Hefner and Crystal Harris had plans to tie the knot on New Year's Eve.

 Well, they did! You may remember that Crystal developed "cold feet" in a previous engagement to Hef, putting on the brakes just days before saying "I do."

 Well, apparently, things went on without a "hitch" as these crazy kids got "hitched.." For the statisticians, he's 86, she's 26.

We wish the happy couple many days of bliss.