$13 Trillion Debt

Gary Varvel is a political cartoonist at the Indianapolis Star. Click here to visit his blog. Here's his spin on our nation's debt:

Friday Foto - Bobbie Sue Luther

Bobbie Sue Luther

Sometimes, I amaze myself! 

This week's Friday Foto is from Annapolis, Maryland. She's 32 year old actress, model, film producer and production manager, Bobbie Sue Luther. She was the host of TLC's Junkyard Mega Wars.

Again, to get the full effect, click the picture...have a nice weekend!

Banned In Britain

The sad part about this story is that the ice cream is probably delicious! Antonio Federici is running an ice cream ad in Great Britain. Regulators have banned it saying that it is offensive to Catholics. (Click the picture to view a larger image) Well, depending on which Catholic you talk to, yeah, it's kinda offensive. I wouldn't threaten to kill anyone over it - that wouldn't be the Christian thing to do, would it?

A lot of Catholics mistake the meaning of "Immaculate Conception!" I should point out that the Immaculate Conception is the belief that Mary, the mother of Christ, was conceived and born FREE of Original Sin. It has nothing to do with her pregnancy.

So before you act like you are offended, it may be a good idea to get your facts straight. It's still a stupid ad.

Urine Or You're Out

There's a cute little thing going around on the Internet about the need for welfare recipients to take a drug test. Here's the gist of it:

I have a job. I work, they pay me. I pay my taxes & the government distributes my taxes as it sees fit.

In order to get that paycheck, in my case, I am required to pass a random urine test (with which I have no problem).

What I do have a problem with is the distribution of my taxes to people who don't have to pass a urine test.

So, here is my question: Shouldn't one have to pass a urine test to get a welfare check because I have to pass one to earn it for them?

Please understand, I have no problem with helping people get back on their feet. I do, on the other hand, have a problem with helping someone sitting on their BUTT----doing drugs while I work.

Can you imagine how much money each country would save if people had to pass a urine test to get a welfare check?

I guess we could call the program "URINE OR YOU'RE OUT"!

Pass this along if you agree, or simply delete if you don't. Hope you all will pass it along, though. Something has to change in this country - AND SOON!

P.S. Just a thought, all politicians should have to pass a urine test too!

This will never happen as it would be political suicide for any politician to suggest "Urine Or You're Out!"

Spike TV - Get More...Commercials!

Spike is the cable/satellite tv channel (or network, as they like to be called)that is geared for men. Well, recently, during their broadcast of HBO's Entourage, they were airing commercial breaks as long as ten minutes! Imagine, 20 thirty second commercials in a row. This is unfair to the viewer and, you may not have thought of this, unfair to the advertiser. In commercial broadcasting, there is a catch 22, of sorts. If a TV stations audience is small, they must charge less money for commercials. With less money per commercial, they must air more commercials. If they air too many commercials, nobody will watch. Lots of guys dvr their shows and fast forward through the commercials. That's why cable/satellite stations will promote upcoming programs, on the screen, while we are trying to watch a show.

How's this for an idea, Spike? Promote a "Commercial Free October!" build up your audience and quadruple your ad rates and run 1/3 the amount of commercials, in November, that you previously ran!

Result: More money, more viewers!
You're welcome.

T-Rac's New Diet!

The NFL's Tennessee Titans have a mascot named T-Rac. It's a person inside a large Raccoon costume. You see, the Raccoon is the state animal of Tennessee. Well, this season, T-Rac is bigger than usual and if the link is still active for this YouTube video, you'll see why T-Rac is bigger than he used to be. It has something to do with his diet.

Jets Being Investigated

Ines Sainz

Remember when football was football? I mean the sport meant scoring touchdowns, kicking field goals, running, blocking and stuff like that?

Well the New York Jets are being investigated of allegations that they acted badly when a pretty reporter was interviewing their quarterback. The reports that came out Sunday, which Roger Goodell and the Jets are now investigating, involve Ines Sainz, a former Miss Spain who is a reporter for TV Azteca in Mexico. She was at the Jets' facility in Florham Park on Saturday to interview Mark Sanchez and reportedly was being harassed by catcalls, whistling and extended stares by the players. The Association of Women In Sports Media has asked the NFL to investigate.

The former Miss Spain interviewing Mark Sanchez? I must say that I find her professional wardrobe....interesting. I'm sure that when she's dressed like that, she attracts a lotta interviews. Dressing like that can also attract catcalls, whistling and extended stares. Is this a groundbreaking development?

Ten Rules That Kids Won't Learn In School

With the start of the new school year, there's been a list of rules that kids will not learn in school. It's been attributed to Bill Gates and has been printed by countless newspapers and quoted by Paul Harvey and Ann Landers and many others.

The actual author is Charles J. Sykes. He's an interesting author - you may want to check out some of his works.

Here are the rules:

1. Life is not fair. Get used to it. The average teenager uses the phrase "It's not fair" 86 times a day.

2. The real world won't care as much about your self-esteem as your school does. This may come as a shock.

3. Sorry, but you won't make $40,000 a year right out of high school. And you won't be a vice president or have a car phone, either. You may even have to wear a uniform that doesn't have a designer label.

4. If you think your teacher is tough, wait until you get a boss.

5. Flipping burgers is not beneath dignity. Your grandparents had a different word for burger flipping. They called it opportunity.

6. It's not your parents fault if you mess up. You're responsible! This is the flip side of "It's my life" and "You're not my boss."

7. Before you were born your parents were not boring. They got that way paying your bills and listening to you.

8. Life is not divided into semesters. And you don't get summers off. Not even spring break. You are expected to show up every day for eight hours; and you don't get a new life every 10 weeks.

9. Smoking does not make you look cool. Watch an 11-year-old with a butt in his mouth. That's what you look like to anyone over 20.

10. Your school may be "outcome-based," but life is not. In some schools, you're given as many as times as you want to get the answer right. Standards are set low enough so everyone can meet them. This, of course, bears not the slightest resemblance to anything in real life—as you will find out.

Vikings, Saints Draw Big TV Numbers

It was the most watched regular season NFL game in 14 years! This is something that NBC desperately needed!

More than 27 million people watched Thursday's game. This proves that, yes, we are hungry for some football! Hungry for it and willing to watch it rather than Summer re-runs on the other networks. The game featured the Superbowl Champion Saints in a rematch of their overtime conference championship winning game over Minnesota.

This should be an exciting season, unless, of course, you live in Pittsburgh!

9/11 + 9 Years

Tomorrow is the ninth anniversary of the 9/11 Terrorist Attacks. Below is a picture taken on 9/10/10. The blue lights outline the location of the World Trade Towers. Click the image to see a larger version.

You are looking southwest. The Brooklyn Bridge and the East River are in the foreground. Beyond, is southern Manhattan.

Friday Foto - Rachel Brownsword

We have something special for you on this week's Friday Foto. 

 She's Rachel Brownsword, a 19 year old model from England.

Rachel Brownsword

To get the full effect, click the picture.
Have a nice weekend!

Sistine Chapel Art Threatened

While my appreciation of art is not exactly "fine tuned," I know what I like to look at. The Sistine Chapel has always intrigued me. This is the location where the College Of Cardinals elects the pope. It is open to the public, as it should be! Between 15,000 and 20,000 people a day, or over 4 million a year, admire its frescoes, floor mosaics and paintings. The Sistine Chapel, features priceless works by Michelangelo, Botticelli and Perugino.

The problem comes from us as we emanate sweat, breath, carbon dioxide, all sorts of dust, moved around by winds and ending up on the walls, meaning on the artwork.

I'm sure that we will think of something to preserve the artwork. After all, if we have the technology to make Justin Bieber sound like he can sing, surely we can think of a way to preserve the magnificent work in the Sistine Chapel!

NFL Picks - Week 1, 2010

Another NFL season, another season of predictions. With high hopes and very little knowledge of what I am doing, here are my picks for the first week of the season:

minnesota at NEW ORLEANS

cleveland at TAMPA BAY
MIAMI at buffalo
cincinnati at NEW ENGLAND
indianapolis at HOUSTON
DENVER at jacksonville
ATLANTA at pittsburgh
oakland at TENNESSEE
carolina at GIANTS
detroit at CHICAGO

ARIZONA at st. louis
greenbay at PHILADELPHIA
san francisco at SEATTLE

dallas at WASHINGTON

baltimore at JETS
SAN DIEGO at kansas city

That Crackpot In Florida

You know, stupid people amaze me! They amaze me and then, they piss me off. This wierdo in Florida, Terry Jones calls himself a Christian. He wants to burn copies of the Quran on Saturday, September 11. Did Christ ever burn any books, or scrolls? What did Christ tell us to do with our enemies? Don't know? Ask a real Pastor.

My reason for mentioning this story is that I haven't see any coverage which points out a positive result of this creep's plan. The positive result is that conservatives and liberals, the military, the FBI, all kinds of church leaders, just about everybody has reached agreement! They all agree that Jones has come up with a really bad idea. No good can come of this.

The freedoms of speech and religion come with responsibilities. You would think that a 58 year old loser of a preacher would know that. He's going to find out, soon!

Stephanie Rice Boils Over

There's little defense for being dumb or for making a dumb statement. This is especially true when you make a dumb statement on the Internet.

Stephanie Rice is an Olympic swimmer with three gold medals. The 22 year old Australian acknowledged her country's rugby win over South Africa, Saturday, on her Twitter page. She tweeted, "Suck on that faggots!"

Keep in mind that Rice is a world class athlete. She, more than we, should be highly aware of the proper reaction to winning and to losing. Slamming the opponent or making fun of the homosexual community are two counts of boorish behavior.

This is where Jaguar - the car company - comes in. Jaguar sponsors Stephanie Rice. She drives a $90,000 Jag. There's probably some other money or consideration involved, too. Today, Jaguar bailed. They no longer sponsor Stephanie Rice. Steph is walking! You see, while Rice has her freedom of speech, Jaguar has the freedom to sponsor (or to not sponsor) whomever they wish. Jaguar has set her free!

You may have noticed that this blog does not have a sponsor. (Applications are, however, being accepted!) The logos in the right hand column represent some of the products that I sell. Here, on the blog, and in real life, I don't slur any group of people. As we used to say, "That's not my style."

To sum things up, I say to Stephanie Rice, if they awarded gold medals for brains, you wouldn't have any.

Dan Hampton's Choice Of Words

Pro football Hall Of Famer Dan Hampton put his foot in his mouth this weekend. Hampton, co-host of a syndicated weekly football show, was commenting on the NFL season opener where the New Orleans Saints are hosting the Minnesota Vikings. Hampton said that the Vikings need to hit New Orleans like Katrina!

I saw the video, it was a very brief comment that stood by itself at the very end of the program. To remind you, 2000 deaths were attributed to hurricane Katrina which did an estimated $81 billion in damage.

Hampton apologized.

My reaction? Poor choice of words. Vikings will have a tough time in New Orleans. Otherwise, no big deal. Hampton wasn't making light of the tragedy. He's a jock talking about a football game! People need to grow up and get on with their lives...

Iranian Female Execution Likely

You can't believe much of the news coming from Iran. Take the case of 43 year old Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani. She was convicted of adultery. Her husband was killed in 2005. His murder has not been solved. The state has suspicions that she was responsible. Following his death, she is said to have had relations with two men. I'm not sure how you would call this adultery, but then, remember - you can't believe much of what you hear from Iran. Being a guy, I'm wondering whatever happened to the two men? Recently, a British newspaper ran a picture of Ashtiani. In the picture she was not wearing a veil. That earned her 99 lashes! One problem - the newspaper made a mistake. The picture was of another woman, not Ashtiani! (Whoops!) Iran delayed her execution during Ramadan. Apparently, these people act differently from one month to another. I've read that the form of execution would be stoning or, possibly, by hanging. I bring this story to your attention knowing that it may be real or possibly not real.

What is troubling is that it could be real and that these things are justified in Iran and are considered "business as usual." At least, for now....

Bristol Modest on DWTS

Bristol Palin has insisted that her costumes on "Dancing With The Stars" be the most modest on the show.
Pictured here is a publicity photo.
Modest? Probably.
Bristol Palin, a star? Definitely not!

NY Court Says Ladies' Night Is OK

Somewhere in New York City there is an attorney who thinks that "Ladies Night" at the local watering hole is unfair. Unfair to men who have to pay more money for their adult drinks!

Well, let's use some common sense, here. It is a promotion. If, as a man, you resent paying more than a woman for something - don't buy it! Or buy it somewhere else. The bar owner simply wants to attract more women on a particular night. When there are more women in a saloon, there is a good chance that there will be more men, eventually.

If you're gay, you probably wouldn't be going to that bar, anyway!

John Deere Tricycle

This picture comes to us from our Chief European Correspondent, Benny Brown. He suggested that the folks in the picture were headed to Wal-Mart. I agree.