OBAMA MEETS THE POPE

In a  gift exchange with the Pope, Obama presented him with a leather pouch containing seeds from the White House garden.  You can't make this shit up!

Time for the Jack and the Beanstalk jokes.....

NCAA BRACKET WINNERS - MADNESS, INDEED

IT'S ONLY MONEY! TAXPAYER MONEY!

The title of the article in the UK Guardian is...

Barack Obama's first visit to Brussels to cost Belgium more than €10m 

Barack Obama's first visit to Brussels to cost Belgium more than €10m Obama will arrive with 900-strong entourage, including 45 vehicles and three planes, and attend EU and Nato summits.

The president will arrive on Tuesday night with a 900-strong entourage, including 45 vehicles and three cargo planes. [Air Force One is NOT a cargo plane, so add that to the list]Advance security teams orchestrating every last detail have combed Brussels already, checking the sewers and the major hospitals, while American military helicopters were last week given the green light for overflights. The city hosts at least four EU summits a year, with each of these gatherings costing €500,000 in extra police, military and transport expenses. "But this time round, you can multiply that figure by 20," said Brussels mayor, Yvan Mayeur.

NINE HUNDRED IN OBAMA'S ENTOURAGE! NINE HUNDRED!!!!!

I've been to Belgium - you can drive through it on a morning drive. It's only slightly larger than Maryland. NINE HUNDRED? And Michelle is not even WITH him! She is still in China with her apparently obnoxious 'Queen Mother' causing a stink everywhere they go.

I'm embarrassed at the complete ostentation of this display. Jesus Christ himself wouldn't require this. It's about time we taxpayers drew a red line in the sand to curtail this president's spending.

NINE HUNDRED!

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/mar/24/barack-obama-visit-brussels-cost-belgium-10m

NCAA ON DIRECTV - GO TARHEELS!

(ACC teams highlighted, of course!!!!!)

Pittsburgh #9 S vs. Florida #1                     Saturday, March 22       12:15 pm       CBS

Saint Louis #5 MW vs. Louisville #4                Saturday, March 22     2:45 pm         CBS

Texas #7 MW vs. Michigan #2                       Saturday, March 22     5:15 pm         CBS

No. Dak. St. #12 W vs. San Diego St #4         Saturday, March 22     6:10 pm         245

Dayton #11 S vs. Syracuse #3                     Saturday, March 22      7:10 pm         247

Oregon #7 W vs. Wisconsin #2                      Saturday, March 22     7:45 pm         CBS

Harvard #12 E vs. Michigan St. #4                 Saturday, March 22    8:40 pm      245

Connecticut #7 E vs. Villanova #2                  Saturday, March 22     9:40 pm         247

Stanford #10 S vs. Kansas #2                       Sunday, March 23    12:15 pm         CBS

Kentucky #8 MW vs. Wichita St. #1              Sunday, March 23    2:45 pm           CBS

N. Carolina #6 E vs. Iowa St. #3                  Sunday, March 23      5:15 pm           CBS

Mercer #14 MW vs. Tennessee #11               Sunday, March 23      6:10 pm           245

SF Austin #12 S vs. UCLA #4                        Sunday, March 23     7:10 pm           247

Baylor #6 W vs. Creighton #3                       Sunday, March 23      7:45 pm           246

Memphis #8 E vs. Virginia #1                      Sunday, March 23     8:40 pm           245

Gonzaga #8 W vs. Arizona #1                       Sunday, March 23      9:40 pm           247


AND THIS IS 'RIGHT'....... Obama's NCAA Brackets!

FLIGHT 370.... UPDATED

After nearly two weeks of wall-to-wall coverage of this missing airliner on every news channel around, we are no closer to solving the mystery than we were the day it disappeared.

I have a question.... and while it's hard to believe I could have missed the answer, I would love an answer.

In the first 48 hours, it was reported that the pilot's wife and children moved out of their home in a 'gated' community.

Where did they go?  Why did they go?  HAS ANYONE QUESTIONED THE PILOT'S WIFE?  Maybe I'm nuts, but I would think 1) that's a suspicious action and 2) she should be at the top of the list of people to talk to.  The authorities have confiscated all the pilot's computer simulators, etc.  Why haven't they tracked down his wife and interviewed HER?

Just curious.....  this could be as simple as a man distraught over the breakup of his marriage.... suicide by airplane.... no less tragic than the current theories... but I just heard on the 'latest' news that the pilot made a phone call to someone just before takeoff... to his wife maybe?

UPDATE:  MARCH 24, 2014:

The Mail [The UK Daily Mail] on Sunday also reported that it has learned the investigators were now poised to question Zaharie’s [the pilot] wife in detail.

“They have waited two weeks out of respect, but will now begin formally interviewing Faizah Khan following pressure from FBI agents assisting the inquiry,” added the report.

It further quoted a source as saying: “Faizah has  been spoken to gently by officers but she has not been questioned in detail to establish her husband’s behaviour and state of mind in the days leading to the incident.”

“This is partly for cultural reasons. It is not considered appropriate in Malaysia to subject people in situations of terrible bereavement to the stress of intensive questioning.” 

http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2014/03/23/spotlight-on-pilots-mystery-caller-and-wife/

THIS IS FROM SUNDAY, MARCH 23….. AND THIS IS CRIMINAL NEGLIGENCE AND AN EXCEPTION SHOULD HAVE BEEN MADE!  I THINK THIS PILOT’S WIFE SHOULD HAVE BEEN QUESTIONED IMMEDIATELY!

OBAMA IMPOSES SANCTIONS ON RUSSIA FOR CRIMEA INVASION

Obama has imposed sanctions on Russia for Putin's 'invasion' and takeover of the Crimea.

This impacts 11 wealthy Russians, who have money in U.S. financial institutions.

The Obama administration hit 11 Russian and Ukrainian officials with sanctions today as punishment for Russia’s support of Crimea’s referendum. Among them: aides to President Vladimir Putin, a top government official, senior lawmakers, Crimean officials, the ousted president of Ukraine, and a Ukrainian politician and businessman allegedly tied to violence against protesters in Kiev.

http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/headlines/2014/03/russian-deputy-pm-laughs-at-obamas-sanctions/ 

"This is a humiliating response..." said Charles Krauthammer.  In my opinion, Charles is being far too kind.

NO RESPONSE would have been better than THIS response.  Putin has probably peed in his pants laughing at Obama.  The entire Twitter/Russia is tweeting their laughter and disdain at the United States.

In my mind, Obama's response is not surprising, because he has no balls and no clue about international affairs.  What this reveals, and what should scare the hell out of every American, is that Obama has SURROUNDED HIMSELF WITH PEOPLE WHO WOULD LET HIM DO THIS!!!!!  W!   T!   F!

A DOG'S LIFE....

• My dog sleeps about 20 hours a day.
• He has his food prepared for him and served every day.
• These meals are provided at no cost to him.
• He visits the doctor once a year for his checkup, and again during the year, if any medical needs arise.  For this he pays nothing.
• He lives in a nice neighborhood in a house that is much larger than he needs, but he is not required to do any upkeep.
• If he makes a mess, someone else cleans it up.
• He has his choice of luxurious places to sleep.
• He receives these accommodations absolutely free.
• He is living like a king, and has absolutely no expenses whatsoever.
• All of his costs are picked up by others who earn a living.

I was just thinking about all this, and suddenly it hit me like a brick.... My dog is a CONGRESSMAN

(from an email)

REMEMBER WHEN COMEDIANS AND POLITICIANS HAD CLASS?

PRODUCT REVIEW: GE DISHWASHER

GDF520PGD0BB - GE  $499 +/-

Here goes.... This dishwasher is a piece of krap.

I should end this review here but in all fairness (and particularly after reading reviews by other purchasers) I'll 'splain, Lucy.

Backstory:  What used to be a miniscule kitchen in the old part of my house that had a dishwasher - is now a wet bar, as we have added to the house and I now have the kitchen of my dreams.  So this 'bar' dishwasher is run every other day with 4 coffee cups, coffee pot parts, a few spoons, and four wineglasses.  Sometimes when entertaining, I will put the overflow in the bar dishwasher if my GE Profile in the kitchen is full. (The Profile line doesn't suck.)

I bought this dishwasher shown above to replace a bottom of the line WORKING dishwasher, mostly because I wanted a black one and I wanted one with controls that didn't 'dial' to turn on.  Got it from the local Lowe's and they delivered it.  Had my plumber install it.

The first time I ran it, it was noisy as hell when it drained, and the drain system cut off and on and off and on and off and on.  I have a riding lawn mower that is quieter.  And I was not happy with how the dishes were (not) cleaned. 

The second time I ran it, I couldn't hear any water splashing around so I opened the door 15 minutes into the first cycle... and the water on the dishes was cold - even tho I made certain that our (really hot) hot water was at the sink before hitting START.  That is when I learned that the 'pre-wash' cycle runs for 15+ minutes AND USES THE WATER THAT WAS LEFT IN THE BOTTOM OF THE MACHINE FROM THE LAST WASH!  Can you say BARF!)  I got the same loud noise when it drained....and drained....and drained.  Got the same sorta not-so-clean dishes at the end of the cycle.

I called Lowe's and told them it was not working properly and to bring me another one.... they said it would take three weeks..... I said it sure as hell better not!  They were able to locate one and deliver it three days later.  I had to buy their 'installation and delivery' warranty package for $139 but that got me delivery (50 miles away) and the Lowe's guy installed it and took away the other one.  [As an aside, I drove 100 miles round trip to Lowe's to buy the first dishwasher.  I had to buy the REPLACEMENT and then wait for them to credit the return of the first one.  And they wouldn't do this, or sell me the warranty package over the phone, so I had to drive another 100 mile round trip.... ask me if I was a happy customer!]

Ran the new one.  SAME SHIT!  Noisy as hell and dirty, spotty dishes. (Yes - I used a rinse agent in the dispenser and a quality DW liquid).  Seems I'm stuck with this thing until it dies.  The only thing that seems to help it get the dishes usably clean is, when I hear it start to drain, I make a mad dash to the bar sink and run the hot water, so that when it fills for the next cycle the water will be hot.  I REFUSE to run it on the Sani-cycle or the heat-boost cycle for so few dishes.  After all, this is supposed to be THE latest in energy saving technology in dishwashers!

But in addition to these things, there are a few other things about this particular model I dislike.

Since it's a bar dishwasher, I run it on the LIGHT cycle.  That cycle lasts 90 minutes!  WTF?  Also, it has NO rinse/hold feature.  Thirdly, since I have the black model, the control panel is also black.  And the engineer who designed the control panel has obviously never operated a BLACK dishwasher or he would NOT have put the START button right next to the DELAY START button.  You guessed it - pressed the wrong button, it lit up, and I walked away - came back 3 hours later and it hadn't run.

I HATE THIS DISHWASHER!  I am back to handwashing my wine glasses so they won't be spotty, and some days I just hand wash the rest of the stuff (which doesn't even fill the top rack) by hand.  Then I kick the dishwasher in the shin!

Hope this helps you if you're in the market for a mid-range (price) dishwasher.  I wouldn't have another one of these if it were free!

THIS HAS LEFT ME SPEECHLESS... AND THAT IS NOT AN EASY TASK!

SAN FRANCISCO (CBS/AP) — An independent commission led by a former U.S. surgeon general has concluded there “is no compelling medical reason” for the U.S. armed forces to prohibit transgender Americans from serving and that President Barack Obama could lift the decades-old ban without approval from Congress, according to a report being released Thursday.

The ban also appears based on the assumption that providing hormone treatment and sex reassignment surgeries would be too difficult, disruptive and expensive. But the commission rejected those notions as inconsistent with modern medical practice and the scope of health care services routinely provided to non-transgender military personnel. 

Ok - let me see if I have this right.

This administration has reduced military benefits, including pay increases for retired military, combat pay, medical benefits for wounded warriors, medical benefits for retirees, and is after the PX/BX stores and commissaries in order to cut the budget..... TO GET MORE MONEY TO POUR INTO SOCIAL PROGRAMS [read that as more money to buy votes] yet THE MILITARY CAN AFFORD ALL THE MEDICAL BAGGAGE THAT TRANSGENDER G.I.'S WOULD BRING TO THE JOB!!!!!!!!!! 

And this P.O.S. in the White House can do this with his 'pen' and bypass Congress?

Yep.... didn't think it would happen, but this 'study' leaves me speechless!

Read the complete article here:

http://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2014/03/13/commission-finds-no-compelling-medical-reason-to-exclude-transgender-americans-from-military/

YOU CAN'T MAKE THIS SHIT UP!

http://freebeacon.com/sheila-jackson-lee-thinks-the-constitution-is-400-years-old/

OMG - this is the woman who asked WHERE we planted the flag on Mars!!!  Now she has no idea how old THE CONSTITUTION is!

If I lived in Houston, TX.... I would move!

There is no excuse.... none I can think of... for this woman being elected AND RE-ELECTED to the Congress of the United States of America!

NO WONDER WE ARE IN SUCH DEEP SHIT!

SCIENTISTS ANNOUNCE DISCOVERY OF A NEW ELEMENT!

Discovery Announcement ~ The densest element in the known Universe has been found!

A major research institution has just announced the discovery of the densest element yet known to science.  The new element has been named Pelosium.  Pelosium has one neutron, 12 assistant neutrons, 75 deputy neutrons, and 223 assistant deputy neutrons, giving it an atomic mass of 311.

These particles are held together by dark forces called morons, which are surrounded by vast quantities of lepton-like particles called peons. 

The symbol of Pelosium is PU. 

Pelosium's mass actually increases over time, as morons randomly interact with various elements in the atmosphere and become assistant deputy neutrons within the Pelosium molecule, leading to the formation of isoDOPES. 

This characteristic of moron-promotion leads some scientists to believe that Pelosium is formed whenever morons reach a certain quantity in voting concentration.

PELOSIUM

From an email.... fell out of my chair laughing!

PUTIN WINS....

Trust me on this one.... Putin wins!

Thanks as always, Mr. Diaz!

LOIS LERNER REDUX

Just a thought about Lois Lerner's appearance before the House Oversight Committee this morning.  She's the retired (and collecting a full government pension) IRS employee responsible for targeting conservative groups applying for 501(c)3 tax free status prior to the 2012 election.  As a side note, many of these groups are STILL waiting for approval after 2-3 YEARS of stonewalling and delay.

Lil Lois 'took the 5th' again when questioned today [3/5/2014].

For anyone not familiar with the U.S. Constitution, the Fifth Amendment [among other things] states that no person may be compelled to testify against himself …

To  ‘take the fifth’ is to refuse to answer a question on the grounds that testifying might incriminate you...

As Larry the cable guy would say - NOW THAT'S FUNNY RIGHT THERE! This woman hides behind the Constitution to avoid being JAILED for taking away the CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS of other Americans!  

I suggest Chm. Issa start giving immunity from prosecution to EVERYONE in Lerner's chain of command BELOW her.... slowly build a fire under her criminal ass and let's see what happens.  She abused her power and needs to either fall on her sword and pay the piper, OR reveal from whom she got orders for her crimes.

SPRING BREAK! YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY!

First lady Michelle Obama will travel to China this month with her daughters, Malia and Sasha, and her mother, Marian Robinson, her office announced today. 

The March 19-26 trip will include a visit with her Chinese counterpart, Peng Liyuan, who is a popular folk singer and the second wife of Chinese President Xi Jinping. 

The trip will be Michelle Obama's first to China.  [Awwwww - I've never been there either!]

The conservative watchdog group [Judicial Watch] obtained travel records from the U.S. Department of the Air Force that show the Obamas racked up $7,396,531.20 DURING JUST THREE VACATIONS 2013 – IN FLIGHT EXPENSES ONLY!!!!

In case you are keeping up with the math for PLANE TRAVEL ONLY - it costs $179,750 per HOUR to fly Air Force One.  And United AL has a non-stop flight from Dulles (D.C.) to Beijing that takes 14 hours.  That comes to $2,516,500 ONE WAY!  And we all know AF1 will cost more because the Air Force doesn't fly for profit!

It's fucking great to be QUEEN!!!

Read more about how your tax dollars are being spent for another vacation at the link below:

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/chi-michelle-obama-china-trip-20140303,0,7057163.story

WE ARE A PAPER TIGER...... GOD HELP THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA