Merry Christmas & Happy New Year

by Maxi

Man Strides Whale During Shark Feeding Frenzy

Telegraph.co.uk
Published: GMT 11 Dec 2009

Leon Deschamps, 32, said he wants to show that the sharks are not merely blood-thirsty killing machines and was prepared to put his own life at risk to prove it.

The conservationist from Shark Bay in Western Australia said: people perceive all sharks to be the same and that tiger sharks are victims as a result.

“We fear sharks because we do not understand them,” he said.

“They are lumped into the same group as great whites and bull sharks, just because they are a type of shark, but their feeding and predation habits are completely different.

“We must be more species specific when we talk about sharks.

“I want to bring the animals into the public arena, educate people so they know they are not blood-thirsty killing machines.

“Tiger sharks are not constantly aggressive. And now people can see that, after I threw myself into the middle of a feeding frenzy.”

He added: “Feeding is a time when they are supposed to be at their most ferocious. But I think they quite enjoyed me stroking their noses.

They are like a pet dog. You can share beautiful, incredible interaction with them, but if you do not show them respect, even a pit bull can rip you to shreds.”

Deschamps insists the stunt was spur-of-the-moment and strongly warns people not to attempt the same feat.

He said: “I heard about the whale carcass from fishermen coming back to shore. Me and some friends traveled through the night on a Catamaran and arrived early the next day. We were the first to arrive and saw the sharks in an eating frenzy.

“It was totally spur-of-the-moment, but I knew it was safe. It was because it was not a planned event that made it so special.

“You must remember that the whale was grounded, beached in about one meter of water. I was stable. Great whites can jump and do so to get their prey. Tiger sharks don’t.

“It was the safest time I would ever get to touch these animals during feeding.

“I wasn’t scared because I have educated myself about the animal.

“It was an amazing experience, a once in a lifetime opportunity, and wild horses would not have stopped me from doing it.”

A spokesman for Australia’s Department of Environment and Conservation warned that touching whales was illegal and people were not to interfere with sharks because of the risk of attack.

He said of the stunt: “This is highly irresponsible and dangerous and puts people’s lives at risk.”

________________________

Enjoyed having their noses stroked … do you think they noticed?

Like a pet dog … do you suppose they come if you whistle?

May Your Glass Always Be Half Full

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When Polar Bears Attack

by Unknown Original Author

Bear attack in Churchill, Manitoba, Canada.

These are pictures of an actual polar bear attack.

The pictures were taken while people watched and could do nothing to stop the attack.

Reports from the local newspaper say that the victim will make a full recovery.

Someone has a sense of humor.

May Your Glass Always Be Half Full

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Texting: New World Sport

by Maxi

Do you text? I don’t, but there is no doubt that it’s fast and fun. More people text today than make phone calls.

Can you believe that the number of text messages is expected to surpass 5.6 trillion by 2012? Yes, that’s with a T.

Are we surprised that this has led to national contests? That it has led to world-wide competition? Would you like to be the “World Texting Champion?”

Be careful what you wish for. Remember Kate Moore, National Texting Champion? She had the glory of winning: had the trophy, the spotlight, the money, smart new phone… Kate also had to endure the heartache of being ridiculed by her peers, misquoted in newspapers, mocked on a well-known TV show and having her parents branded as “The World’s Worst Parents” on national television.

One thing about Kate Moore: she truly is a champion … she’ll be back.

I thought of someone else as I was writing this: Tiger Woods. Wasn’t it tracing a text message that got him into trouble?

May Your Glass Always Be Half Full

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Maxi Is In Quarantine

by Maxi

First off, let me say that I hope you had a great Thanksgiving. It was quiet for David and me … not one of our best. Nor our daughter, Bernadette; she sliced her finger making a sandwich the day after Thanksgiving and ended up in the emergency room.

My ears are ringing, I can hear you saying: I remember the time…

Well, recovery from the rotator cuff surgery is really slow. The pain is a little less each day, but I gotta tell ya therapy is tough. Days I don’t go to therapy there are exercises to inflict pain. Thing is: if I don’t do all this, the shoulder tightens up and doesn’t heal right, the pain becomes worse…

Remember the time you went to the doctor and knew that shot was coming, the really big one that burns like crazy when the medicine is going in? You try to relax but can’t, which only makes it worse. This is kind of like that times one thousand.

Does that get me some sympathy?

In the middle of all this I got the flu … twice. Matter of fact, I’m fighting it for the second time right now. I’m in quarantine, still contagious. The doctor put me on Tamiflu. Have you ever taken it? David says there has been some controversy about Tamiflu, yet I wouldn’t be at the keyboard without it.

C’mon now, that should get me some mercy.

All kidding aside, I apologize for things being so messed up lately and hope to be back to normal next week. If you have any interesting Thanksgiving stories you want to share, you can send them to my personal e-mail box: maxi8@cfl.rr.com or maxi.malone8@gmail.com

May Your Glass Always Be Half Full

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Giving Thanks

by Maxi

Be back Monday!

Something to Think About

Perception << Bits of Wisdom

Something to think about…

Washington, DC Metro Station on a cold January morning in 2007. The man with a violin played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time approximately 2 thousand people went through the station, most of them on the way to work. After 3 minutes a middle-aged man noticed there was a musician playing. He slowed his pace and stopped for a few seconds, then turned to meet his schedule.

4 minutes later:
The violinist received his first dollar: a woman threw the money in the hat, and without stopping, continued to walk.

6 minutes:
A young man leaned against the wall to listen to him, then looked at his watch and started to walk again.

10 minutes:
A 3-year-old boy stopped but his mother tugged him along hurriedly. The kid stopped to look at the violinist again, but the mother pushed hard and the child continued to walk, turning his head all the time. This action was repeated by several other children. Every parent, without exception, forced their children to move on quickly. (bold emphasis is mine)

45 minutes:
The musician played continuously. Only 6 people stopped and listened for a short while. About 20 gave money but continued to walk at their normal pace. The man collected a total of $32.

1 hour:
He finished playing and silence took over. No one noticed. No one applauded, nor was there any recognition.

No one knew this, but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the greatest musicians in the world. He played one of the most intricate pieces ever written, with a violin worth $3.5 million dollars. Two days before Joshua Bell sold out a theater in Boston where the seats averaged $100.

This is a true story. Joshua Bell playing incognito in the metro station was organized by the Washington Post as part of a social experiment about perception, taste and people’s priorities.

The questions raised:

• In a common place environment at an inappropriate hour, do we perceive beauty?
• Do we stop to appreciate it?
• Do we recognize talent in an unexpected context?

One possible conclusion reached from this experiment could be this:
If we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world, playing some of the finest music ever written, with one of the most beautiful instruments ever made:

How many other things are we missing?

Comment I left:
Two things come to mind:  the children noticed; stop and smell the roses

May Your Glass Always Be Half Full

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Maxi’s House Goes from Crazy to Insane

by Maxi

You are probably wondering what the heck is going on? Let me tell ya it has gone from crazy to insane at Maxi’s house. You know in my last post when I said I was going to bed? Well, I did and couldn’t get up … for 7 days.

Now I have had the flu, stayed in bed, yada yada but never have I been sooo sick. Don’t you hate staying in bed? Me too. Have never stayed in bed that long. My husband, David, knows there is only one way I stay in bed … can’t get up. He had to drag me to the doctor for shots and meds.

There I am in my sick bed a pitiful mess but not to worry. I’m up now and on the road to recovery. Only problem is … come Tuesday it’s time for surgery and I will be in the hospital. Oooh no!

Oh yes. My arm will be in a sling for about a week, months of therapy. I beg your patience; I don’t intend to shut down my blog. It will be one-handed typing and maybe two posts a week for awhile, that’s all.

Thanks for being faithful — you’re the best.

May Your Glass Always Be Half Full

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It Is Crazy at Maxi’s House

by Maxi

I’m behind in my posting and I apologize but you see … it is crazy at my house. First, Saturday, Oct. 24th, my husband was waxing the roof of his Dodge Ram truck and went to get off the back, lost his footing, fell onto the concrete driveway and hurt his neck. I had to call the ambulance. He is still hurting. Here he is in the driveway with Tutu; you can see part of the truck.

Friday, Oct.30th, we picked up granddaughter Brittany (Tutu to us) at her Prek school. She seemed fine; we went to McDonalds for our little ritual like always, lunch and playtime in the tunnel. Saturday, Brittany was a little stuffy with a runny nose but still her playful self. Definitely ready for trick or treat when we took her home. I know I’m partial but that’s a little cutie in her Halloween pajamas.

Sunday I woke up sick. Here’s the problem: I have a full rotator cuff tear and need surgery. I also have a frozen shoulder. Sooo, I’m going for therapy three times a week to loosen up the shoulder. The looser going into surgery, the less pain afterward. This is what the surgery will look like — it’s graphic so it’s up to you: http://twitpic.com/photos/maxi8

That’s my story and I’m stickin’ to it. Oh yeah, just for some added sugar. We were at Walmart Saturday, went to leave and the car wouldn’t start. That’s another story. Also, there was a mix-up at hospital and they refused to file insurance papers, took all week to get it straightened out. Waaaah! Thanks for listening and understanding.

BTW surgery is Nov.17th.

(Right now, I’m posting this, going to therapy, coming home and going to bed.)

May Your Glass Always Be Half Full

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Shiloh Pepin: Mermaid Girl Is Gone

by Maxi

You see that smile? It was always there. Oh, I remember a time or two when Shiloh was upset as I watched her on TV, but it was rare. In spite of not being able to walk, being fed through a tube, taking medications that blew her up, etc. she always had that radiant smile…

Watching Shiloh with her parents it was easy to see where she got her spirit. There was no doom and gloom in their house; it was filled with fun and laughter. They also didn’t treat Shiloh as if she were an invalid. She was encouraged to reach for her goals.

It was stunning at her young age that she never faltered for a second about separating her legs. No, no, aaand no. It wasn’t worth the risk. There were too many complications, too dangerous. Yet, when she wanted to learn to swim Shiloh hesitated, she was scared. It took a lot of courage but she did it.

This wonderful girl who gave inspiration to so many passed away on October 23, 2009 at ten-years-old. Her name is Shiloh Pepin, yet she will always be known as “the mermaid girl.” Can you imagine not having an identity? Not being known as _________?

Still, she smiles.

May Your Glass Always Be Half Full

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This Is Great

by Maxi

Happy New Year!

Welcome to All About People. The focus of this blog: things that people say and do.

Lots of tidbits and stories will be revealed on these pages. What about you?
Have a story to tell?  maxi.malone8@gmail.com is the place to send it. Please, no bad language and nothing hateful.

If you have come over from the Soup2Nuts Blog, thank you for following. If you are new, thank you for stopping.

This is great – can’t wait to read your tales and tidbits.

May Your Glass Always Be Half Full

Sick Resolutions

by Maxi

How many of you are saying this is the year you stick to your “New Year’s Resolutions?” You mean it this time – this is it. Just to show you’re not foolin’ around you take a magic marker and make a list, post it on the fridge. Maybe it looks something like this:

Lose weight
Exercise
Save more
Watch less TV
Call mom more
Eat healthier
Quit smoking

Three months down the road you feel sick because nothing on the list is happening for you. Take a good look at the list, same ol’ – same ol’. Why not try something new? Like this list:

Use stairs more
Start change jar
Read book a month
Special day to call mom
Add one fruit to diet

You now have gone from negative to positive.

May Your Glass Always Be Half Full

Did Jett Travolta Take Medication?

by Maxi

As someone who suffers from seizures, I know how important it is to take the prescribed medication. What I have is called focal epilepsy, the seizures are partial. These are some of my symptoms:

Falling
Twitching
Flushed Face
Abdominal Pain
Picking at clothes
Feeling of ants crawling on skin

One report states that  it’s unclear whether or not Jett Travolta was taking medication. A spokeswoman for Rand Memorial Hospital in Freeport, where the sixteen-year-old was taken, said she could not release any information because of privacy concerns.

It’s extremely dangerous for anyone with a seizure disorder not to take the recommended medication.

One reason some people don’t want to take these pills is the side effects. Usually they don’t last very long, with one exception, fatigue.

If you or anyone you know need this medication, take it, please.

May Your Glass Always Be Half Full

What Killed Travolta’s Son?

by Maxi

Living fifty miles Southeast of Orlando, we get a steady feed about the Travolta’s. We love this family, they are close-knit and loving, kind and generous. There are complaints from time to time about John’s planes but we believe it’s only to generate a story.

We were stunned and saddened when the news broke about Jett. What happened? Did he have a seizure? Was this one too much for him? Did the seizure cause him to fall and hit his head? Is that what killed him?

Or was it the medication that caused his death? Actually, it’s the effect of the medication on our organs that can cause a problem. I take Tegretol for seizures. At first my blood was tested twice a year, now it’s every three months.

Travolta’s lawyer told Radar Online: They gave him an anti-seizure medication, Depakote, for over a year. It extended the seizures out to over twenty-one days. But ultimately the attacks got closer and closer, they had to give him more and more medication, and it started to cause organ damage so they stopped.

Jett Travolta will have an autopsy Monday. Every organ will be tested; the pathologist will know. Do you think the results will be released to the public?

May Your Glass Always Be Half Full

Orlando’s O.J.?

by Maxi

The angry neighbor grasped a poster with the blazing title: Orlando’s O.J. A child sat at her mother’s feet holding a sign that read: How Can You Kill A Baby Like Me?

The people are fed up. Neighbors told reporters they wanted Casey Anthony to know the community is unhappy with her. That was before the Medical Examiner reported the body in the woods belonged to little Caylee. And that her death was a homicide. One has to wonder what emotions are boiling now.

The brother, Lee Anthony has hired an attorney; the parents have hired an attorney. Why?

Cindy Anthony, Casey’s mother, said in a televised interview: “Our investigators have proved that everything Casey has told us is true.” That means the police are lying, their investigators are lying, Casey’s friends are lying, Casey’s former fiancé is lying. In other words, everyone is lying—but Casey.

José Baez, Casey’s attorney, said his client maintains her innocence.

“You really don’t know half of this story. You don’t,” Baez said. “And you will find out in court.”

Would you sit in jail when you could tell the whole story and be free?

May Your Glass Always Be Half Full

Father Checking Text Messages, Son Dies

by Maxi

“Nobody did anything crazy.” These are the words of Gail Moore, grandmother of two-year-old Jackson Moore of Franklin County, Missouri.

It’s Saturday, January 3, as Nicholas Moore is cruising the ATV slowly through the woods with his son Jackson on his lap, and his brother Tony strolling alongside.

Later, in one of those fast-as-lightning incidents, Moore is checking his text messages when his son hit the throttle; the thrust knocks Moore to the ground and sends the vehicle flying into a tree.

Tony Moore, who is a paramedic, performs CPR. His nephew is not wearing a helmet. A short time later the boy is pronounced dead at St. John’s Mercy Hospital in Washington.

Nicholas Moore told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that his son had fired a .22 caliber rifle for the first time at a friend’s farm earlier that day. The father questioned his decision to allow his son on the ATV, to be distracted by his phone, but says he was being careful.

The toddler’s grandmother says the crash was a freak accident.

What do you say?

May Your Glass Always Be Half Full

Overwhelming Evidence: Casey Guilty

by Maxi

It stopped me cold as I was changing channels last night and heard the words: No accident. Repeat, no accident. Casey Anthony intentionally murdered Caylee and she acted alone.

The entomologists and botanists report show that Caylee was killed on June 16th, spent two days in the trunk of her mother’s car, then dumped in the woods until she was found on Dec. 11, 2008. Her mouth covered in duct tape.

Overwhelming evidence means there is strong proof of Casey Anthony at the crime scene. Also, we know the prosecution never reveals everything. We won’t find out all the evidence until the trial.

Police investigators who wanted to believe this was an accident now agree that Casey Anthony is guilty. It’s hard because she looks young for her age, seems so human, so innocent. Why would she hurt her little girl?

Well, a reporter at WKMG is certain that ex-boyfriend, Tony Lazaro will be a big part of the case when it comes to motive. Look at his statements to the police: I was never interested in having female children. I wanted to have male children. Remember Susan Smith?

It’s heartbreaking this little angel is lying in a box in a back room at the funeral home. People all across the country are sending money to help Casey, yet no funeral is scheduled for little Caylee.

May Your Glass Always Be Half Full

Noah’s Ark Found!!

by Maxi

This isn’t the article I was going to write today, but when I opened my e-mail and saw this from my girlfriend, well … you decide.

Thanks and credit to: Weji Thomson of Merritt Island, Fl., good friend, great mom, and grand at passing on heartfelt messages.

Man builds  replica of Noah’s Ark(scale in Bible) in Schagen, Netherlands.

Mammoth door opened for crowd of townsfolk by builder Johan Huibers.

Ark is two-thirds the length of a football field and three stories high.

Life-size models of giraffes, elephants, other animals greet arriving visitors.

A contractor, Huibers built the ark of cedar and pine.

Huibers did work with his hands, modern tools and help from son Roy.

Visitors are stunned. “It’s beyond comprehension.”

Enough space in keel for 50-seat theater; kids watch video of “Noah & Ark.”

This just fills me up, touches me so much. Guess I’ll get out of my jammies now.

May Your Glass Always Be Half Full

Mom Drowns Baby In Toilet

by Maxi

Sixteen may be young but … it takes a certain type person to do something like this.

Her name is Lauryn Last and she lives in the Seattle, Wash. area. It was Dec. ‘08 when she went into labor. Now this girl had to be terrified for sure, so it’s understandable if she stayed in the bathroom and had the baby alone. There are no words for what she did next.

In an affidavit Lauryn Last said: “… put her baby face down into a toilet and let it drown for several minutes until it died. Then she threw her son into a trash can outside in a plastic garbage bag.” Police found the body at the dump and Last has been charged with murder.

The AP article didn’t say anything about her mother, but implicated that her father helped her get rid of the baby.

If her dad was going to help, maybe he could have found a way to the emergency room. I’m just sayin’.  You can leave babies at hospitals now, no questions asked, can’t you?

Makes me wonder how she could call the baby “her son.”

May Your Glass Always Be Half Full

Can’t Believe Your Eyes

by Maxi

“Where the rubber meets the road” has new meaning the first time you see this picture. Matter of fact, if you’re like me, you have to take a second look.

What in the world? I thought. Then her story follows and your heart just bursts at the guts and grit of this child.

Some of you may have heard of ten-year-old Qian Hongyan, but this story needs a second telling. She lost her legs in a car accident when she was three; her family couldn’t afford prosthetics—so the basketball. She uses wooden props, the kind bricklayers work with, for balance.

Qian is determined to compete in the 2012 Paralympics and swims close to 2000 meters a day. She was confronted with a lot of challenges at first, but this girl is feisty and won’t give up her dream.

She has those prosthetics now, but occasionally Qian uses the basketball that got her started.

May Your Glass Always Be Half Full
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Hand Instantly Ripped Off

by Maxi

How many times have I told you to keep your hands inside the car? I can still hear that one in my head.

No doubt 19-year-old Evan Reynolds wished he had his hand inside the car instead of resting on the window ledge that night in 2006.

He and his friend had been out for the day and were on the way home. Evan was in the passenger seat when they passed a wooden post and just that quick—his hand is gone.

Fast forward to 2008

… and the invention of the i-Limb. It’s a bionic hand that is controlled by myoelectrics-muscle signals-from the remaining part of the limb. Evan’s brother, Richard sees it on TV and starts making phone calls. Evan is now the second person in Britain to be fitted with the i-Limb.

“I put it on and within minutes I was using it as well as I can today,” Evan said.

“People always ask how it changed my life, but there’s no specific thing. It’s the hundreds of everyday things you take for granted, which I can do again, like peeling a potato, catching a ball, holding a bottle of water.”

Talk about your second chances and lady luck – here’s raisin’ that bottle of water to ya Evan!

May Your Glass Always Be Half Full

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Secrets For Writers—Bloggers Included

by Maxi

There Are Three Secrets Inside This Book

1. Insider Knowledge: The author takes you inside the publishing world; shows you how magazine, book editors and literary agents work.

2. Writing Skills: Terry Whalin hands you the tools to create writing that will get you noticed as never before.

3. Storytelling: Jumpstart teaches you the technique of telling great stories.

You have probably read some publishing books just like me, but I promise you none compare to Jumpstart. This book starts before you put a word on the paper-and keeps going till you’re published. Aaand it’s not boring. I swear.

Bloggers, be ready to be surprised. I have read so much on blogging, but … there is some real news in here. Free stuff too. Right in the middle of Page 250 for example. Lots more pages for those of us who hassle over how and what to put on our posts. Besides, EVERTHING in Jumpstart will help anyone who writes, whether it’s magazine articles, short stories, novels, non-fiction—or blogs.

Find out more: jumpstartyourpublishingdreams.com

May Your Glass Always Be Half Full

Casey Anthony’s Dad Ready To Die

by Maxi

We all have a breaking point and George Anthony is there.

He is supposed to be at the house on Jan.22 to meet with the attorney. The family is there waiting … and waiting. George doesn’t show. Instead, they get text messages saying he doesn’t want to live anymore. Ohmygod!!!

The police track him down using GPS and pings from his cell phone. Little Caylee’s grandpa is at the Hawaii Motel on South Ridgewood Avenue. There is  beer, pills, and pages of a suicide note in the room. The note blames Casey’s friends for the death of his granddaughter. Well, wouldn’t any dad say that?

George is admitted to Halifax Hospital under the Baker Act. In Florida that means if you’re not acting rational they can keep you without your consent.

Poor guy, he used to be with the police. The day Casey’s car was found he said it had the stench of a dead body. He knew. Only he can’t turn his back on his daughter. It’s called a Catch 22.

May Your Glass Always Be Half Full

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Beer Improves Brain Cells

by Maxi

The Theory of Intellingence

“Well you see, Norm, it’s like this … a herd of buffalo can only move as fast as the slowest buffalo. And when the herd is hunted it is the slowest and weakest ones at the back that  are killed first. This natural selection is good for the herd as a whole, because the general speed and health of the whole group keeps improving by the regular killing of the weakest members.

In much the same way the human brain can only operate as fast as the slowest brain cells. Now, as we know, excessive intake of alcohol kills brain cells. But naturally, it attacks the slowest and weakest brain cells first. In this way, regular consumption of beer eliminates the weaker brain cells, making the brain a faster and more efficient machine. And that, Norm, is why you always feel smarter after a few beers.”

May Your Glass Always Be Half Full

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Do You Know Who Said…

by Maxi

It’s those small happenings that make life so spectacular

The best classroom in the world is at the feet of an elderly person

When you’re in love, it shows

One person saying to me, “You’ve made my day,” makes my day

Having a child fall asleep in your arms is one of the most peaceful feelings in the world

Being kind is more important than being right

You should never say no to a gift from a child

I can always pray for someone when I don’t have the strength to help him in some other way

No matter how serious life requires you to be, everyone needs a friend to act goofy with

Sometimes all a person needs is a hand to hold and a heart to understand

Simple walks with my father around the block on summer nights did wonders for me as an adult

Life is like a roll of toilet paper; the closer it get to the end the faster it goes

We should be glad that God doesn’t give us everything we ask for

Money doesn’t buy class

Under everyone’s hard shell is someone who wants to be loved and appreciated

To ignore the facts doesn’t change the facts

When you plan to get even with someone, you are only letting that person continue to hurt you

Love, not time, heals all wounds

The easiest way for me to grow as a person is to surround myself with people smarter than I am

Everyone you meet deserves to be greeted with a smile

No one you meet is perfect, until you fall in love with them

Life is tough, but I’m tougher

Opportunities are never lost, someone will take the ones you miss

When you harbor bitterness, happiness will dock elsewhere

Wish I could have told my mom that I loved her one more time before she passed away

One should keep his words both soft and tender, because tomorrow he may have to eat them

A smile is an inexpensive way to improve your looks

When your grandchild holds your little finger in his fist, you’re hooked for life

Everyone wants to live at the top of the mountain, but all the happiness and growth occurs while climbing it

The less time I have to work with, the more things I get done

My girlfriend e-mailed this to me. Said she really likes them but it doesn’t sound like Andy Rooney to her. I love the one about the toilet paper.

May Your Glass Always Be Half Full

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The Day The Music Died

by Maxi

“It’s about drugs.” That’s what my daughter thought the song “American Pie” is about. The family was sitting at the dining room table and somehow the subject  came up.

“Oh no, honey, it’s about a plane crash. The day Buddy Holly, The Big Bopper and … and … ” I can’t believe it. My mind went blank. Geez, I grew up with rock and rock.

Buddy Holly would belt out “Peggy Sue” with a hic cup in his voice and you couldn’t keep your feet still. Every time Ritchie Valens gazed into the crowd and crooned “Donna” we replaced the name with our own. And “Chantilly Lace” by The Big Bopper would crank us up; he was our big lovable teddy bear.

A lot of people don’t know that Ricky Nelson was supposed to be on that plane. Only he switched places with one of the others, can’t remember which one.

What I do remember is: The Day The Music Died – February 3, 1959. Everywhere you went people were crying, young and old, all across the country. Not only here, other countries too. Imagine your three most favorite performers dying in a plane crash. On the same plane.

*It was Waylon Jennings who was suppose to be on the plane.

May Your Glass Always Be Half Full

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What Are These People Thinking?

by Maxi

$887 billion $925 billion

Stimulus: something that rouses to activity - according to Webster

Pelosi and Company weren’t thinking of activity like, you know, jobs when they put this Stimulus Bill together. ‘Cause this $887 billion monster is spend, spend, spend. And where do think they’re gettin’ the money folks?

Take a look at this:

$1.1 billion for Amtrak
$300 million for AmeriCorps
$1 billion for Census
$400 million to buy green buses

$650 million to give Digital-to-Analog box coupons
$600 million for the acquisition of green cars
$7.7 billion for the Federal Buildings Fund

$600 million for new cars for federal government
$7 billion to modernize federal buildings

Massive Welfare Additions:

$36 billion expanded unemployment
$20 billion food stamps
$83 billion earned income credit for those who don’t pay income tax
$81 billion Medicaid

President Obama said: “There will be no more earmarks”   Really?

$50 million for National Endowment for the Arts
$400 million for climate change research
$200 million for contraception
$200 million to plant sod on the National Mall
$150 for honey bee insurance

And so on

This Bill can’t possibly stimulate anything but bigger government and bigger debt. For us, our kids, and our grandkids.

Only $90 billion creates growth in the economy. Aaaand less than 5% of that is for fixing bridges and highways.

WHERE ARE THE JOBS?

May Your Glass Always Be Half Full

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Michael Phelps: Serious Mistakes

by Maxi

“I recognize the seriousness of this mistake. I’ve learned from this mistake and will continue learning from this mistake for the rest of my life.” Michael Phelps

Talks to press December 29, 2004. He was picked up for drunk driving
after the first Olympics and received a sentence of community service.

In the Playboy Club at the Palms Casino on Sept.5, 2008

This is the girl he brought home to meet his mother on Thanksgiving Nov. 28, 2008. She poses for photos on risque web sites.

Jan. 31, 2009  “You could tell Michael had smoked before … he grabbed the bong and a lighter and knew exactly what to do.”

Lessons Learned?

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Grow Your Blog

by Maxi

ProBlogger is the best, in my humble opinion, when it comes to bloggin’. I mean, he makes the big bucks blogging so that’s all the proof we need. Right?
Anyway, I subscribe to his Newsletter, tips, etc. and this is a recent list from ProBlogger you might be interested in.

21 Ways to Write Posts That Are Guaranteed to Grow Your Blog:

1.   Write something useful
2.   Write something unique
3.   Write something newsworthy
4.   Write something first
5.   Write something that makes those who read it smarter
6.   Write something controversial
7.   Write something insightful
8.   Write something that taps into a fear people have
9.   Write something that helps people achieve
10. Write something that elicit a response
11. Write something that gives a sense of belonging
12. Write something passionately
13. Write something that interprets or translates news for people
14. Write something inspirational
15. Write something that tells a story
16. Write something that solves a problem
17. Write something that gets a laugh
18. Write something that saves people time or money
19. Write something opinionated
20. Write something that is a resource
21. Write something about something ‘cool’

May Your Glass Always Be Half Full

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America Is Becoming Old Russia

by Maxi

For a long time now I’ve been telling my husband that America is turning into the Old Russia. We are losing our rights day by day.

For years we had to wear a helmet when riding a motorcycle. I was always against that law. When the seat belt law came along I refused to wear one at first it made me so mad. We should not be forced to wear these.

Now we have the Food Police. Fast food places are not allowed to use certain kinds of fats. Do they think we don’t know fast foods are fattening? Those fats make the food taste good and we should have the right to eat them if we want.

Don’t even get me started about smoking. I quit smoking nine years ago, but will fight for smoker’s rights. Do you know if you own a business you’re not allowed to let the customers smoke in your place? What’s up with that? Is the government paying your bills?

This one really gets me riled. By 2012 the round incandescent light bulb will be phased out and the ugly curly fluorescent must take its place. Says who? The United States Government. This is America and the government dictates what light bulb I have to use? I mean, we’re talking a *#~%& light bulb.

There have been stories on the news here in Florida  about people ending up in the emergency room with headaches because of these new bulbs. Besides, these bulbs contain mercury even if it’s a little. Mercury is toxic to every living thing.

Problems of improper disposal have already begun. In Portland, Oregon a company wrongly dumped over 8,000 pounds of broken fluorescent bulbs.

Pay attention folks—the government is now moving at warp speed to take control of our lives. This is no joke!

May Your Glass Always Be Half Full

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Founder of Muslim TV Beheads Wife

by Maxi

Have you heard of Bridges TV? Me neither. This story gave me hope, broke my heart, and turned my stomach.

There’s a network called Bridges TV: it’s all about building bridges to improve the image of Muslims in the United States. A husband and wife, Aasiya and Muzzammil Hassan, started the project.

Assiya came up with the idea. When she first told her husband he said: “Honey, that is one of the greatest ideas I’ve ever heard.” What wasn’t so great was their marriage. Muzzammil is harsh and abusive. Aasiya filed for divorce. Uh oh, U.S. image not looking good to Muzzammil.

It is he who walks into the police station and tells them that his wife is dead. Her body lay in the hallway of the TV station … she has been decapitated. Muzzammil is the only suspect. He has been arrested for murder.

Improving the image of Muslims in the United States.

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Disaster Strikes My Family

by Maxi

They never saw it coming. Bernadette and Dave, my daughter and son-in-law, were working and taking care of their daughter, Brittany. It was hard, but the bills were paid and they had food on the table … then Dave got laid off. Next, Bernadette lost her job.

Now, Dave is here in Florida working for his friend’s dad. Bernadette and Brittany are still in  West Virginia. They are packing up the house and getting ready to make the move down here. They will stay with us till Dave can find a place for them. Fortunately, we are only thirty miles from where he is staying.

This is so hard on Brittany; she has never been separated from her daddy and doesn’t understand. It will be more confusing when she and her mommy move here and they are living with us. She won’t understand why her daddy doesn’t live here, that it’s too far from his job. She’s only four-years-old.

Brittany Nicole Rivers – 11 mos.

Our little model – 2 yrs.

The good witch – 4 yrs.

Rivers Family Christmas 2008

May Your Glass Always Be Half Full

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Circuit City Dirty Dealing

by Maxi

This is as low as it gets in my book. A Circuit City in Boston is having a close-out sale on some big ticket items. It looks like a good deal, so Gina Reis hurries herself on down and spends $1,100 for a big screen Samsung TV.

Only once she gets home and opens the box what she has is a shattered piece of garbage. A very upset Gina takes the TV back to Circuit City and you won’t believe what they tell her: “Sorry, your problem, not ours.” Not only that, they refuse to help her at all.

Sure, there are signs that read: Final Sales. But like Reis says, she expects a TV that is working. Besides, there are no signs that say the merchandise will be defective. Also, customers are not allowed to open merchandise until it’s paid for.

Here’s the real kicker. Samsung won’t help her either. They say the TV is damaged not defective and not their concern.

Looks as if our poor Gina girl is out $1,100 …

Except for one thing—she went to the local TV station about all this. It was reported on TV and in the paper. When they found out she put the purchase on her credit card they got the bank to give her a full refund.

May Your Glass Always Be Half Full

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Out of the Future

by Maxi

When in the world did this come out? I’m not much of a car person but I can’t peel my eyes away. Where did it come from? Who designed it? When?

Well, I’m here to tell ya, it’s Rust Heinz of the ketchup fortune. It’s true. He started designing cars in Pasadena, California with one called the Comet, a delivery vehicle for the Heinz Company.

There’s no doubt he had the future in mind when he designed this one—the Phantom Corsair—in the 1930s. That aerodynamic body has no running boards or separate fenders aaand can reach speeds of 120 miles per hour. It has a custom interior with a padded dash and climate control. I mean, 120 miles folks.

The Phantom Corsair, love that name, had a role in the movie “Young at Heart” and Heinz was going to sell them for $12,500. Whew! Lot of money for those days. How sad that his dream didn’t come true … he died in a car accident in July 1939.

May Your Glass Always Be Half Full

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The People Are Gouged Again

by Maxi

Wait just a minute here. I’m old enough to remember when buying a TV was pretty simple. You went to the store and picked out a TV, selected an antenna, and you were good to go.

Then technology advanced to the point where everything went digital. Still no problem, it was time for a new TV anyway.

But along comes the government aaaand—the people are gouged again. When I first saw the image above it made me realize something, everybody bought their own antennas, why not their own converter boxes?

In that Stimulus Bill signed by the president: $650 million to give Digital-to-Analog box coupons. Why? Guess who’s footin’ the bill? Does taxpayer sound familiar?

The original bill for this conversion was mandated way back in 2005. Plenty of time for the stores to stock up.

May Your Glass Always Be Half Full

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Need More Children?

Permalink: http://m8malone.wordpress.com/2009/03/07/need-more-childrenneed-more-children/

This subject isn’t  something I intended to write about but I ran across an article that changed my mind. It was the interview of Nadya Suleman with Ann Curry.

My father was a musician. He worked nights and slept days, so my mother was pretty much on her own. There are seven of us kids and there was always some kind of chaos.

Having grown up as one of seven kids here’s what I know:

• Someone always needed Mom for something
• Mom was always cooking and doing laundry
• Mom had to constantly break up the fighting
• Someone was always screaming for Mom
• Mom had a job getting everyone to take a bath
• It was a hassle for Mom to get everyone dressed
• Mom had a battle to gather everyone to go anywhere
• Mom was always looking for one of us
• Mom did a lot of yelling
• Mom was always tired

What do you think? Would this woman need more children?

May Your Glass Always Be Half Full

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Sexting: Image or Attitude

She couldn’t take the pain anymore … so Jessica Logan hung herself in her bedroom, cell phone in the middle of the floor. It ripped my heart out; this girl was only eighteen. Why would she do such a thing?

As a writer, most of my time is spent at the computer in my home office. Still, I know what goes on in the world. I used to tell my girls that men are no different than we are. If they really care — the phone will be ringing, they will be on your doorstep, and nothing will stop them from trying to see you.

Over the years, society has gone down this slippery slope that has progressed into an attitude that anything we want to do is okay. Guys call girls up in the middle of the night for a “booty call,” oral sex isn’t sex, twelve-year-olds are committing suicide because they can’t handle the bullying, teens video brutal beatings just to put it on youtube … and girls are sexting “hot images” of themselves to their boyfriends.

Why do you suppose that is?

May Your Glass Always Be Half Full

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Artist Funo Never Out of Work

What a lucky guy … this Artist Fluno. Here you have so many people begging for work and this dude just breezes around selling his art all over the place.

Here’s the thing that makes you scratch your head. He ain’t no beauty. Fluno wears a too-tight suit with his belly poochin’ out. And he’s short, with this huge frizzed out Afro and sneakers. He hangs out at every art show and dance party chattin’ it up with anyone who will listen.

And he has this dance … calls it the “Wet Kitty.” I’m at loss for words, folks. I mean he’s dancing and talking. Never stops with the gab.

Thing is Fluno isn’t real, he’s an avatar. He is brought to life by Jeffry Lipsky on Second Life. Kinda like an online puppet. On Second Life all these avatars exist in a miniature world—live just like we do—sex and all.

May Your Glass Always Be Half Full

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Twitter in the Courtroom

It’s no surprise really … just came sooner than I thought. Sure wish I could be the Twitter bird in Judge Marten’s courtroom.

There’s a trial going on in Wichita, Kansas and the judge let Ron Sylvester, a reporter for the Wichita Eagle, use Twitter to update folks on what’s going on in a racketeering case. The reporter has been doing this for about a year, but not in a federal courtroom — aaand not in a criminal trial.

A couple of the lawyers are whinin’ about it, said a juror might take a looksee at the online site. The judge declared that jurors are warned to avoid newspapers, broadcasts, etc.

“You either trust your jurors to live with the admonishment or you don’t,” he said.

Here are some of Sylvester’s tweets:

• Judge Marten is talking to reluctant witness in chambers with a court reporter
  transcribing conversation
• The witness who was yelling in the hallway earlier has not returned to the courthouse
• Defendants are chatting and laughing among themselves
• Exhibits are shown electronically. Every juror has a monitor in the box. There is a monitor at each lawyer’s table and one for the gallery.

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Google Exes Create Likaholix

… is the latest goody out of the box on the Internet. It’s kinda like a box of chocolates, only the candy is substituted with all the stuff you really like.

Once you lift the lid, you can babble about all the marvelous things inside— books, art work, favorite food — with friends and family. ‘Cause they’re the ones who won’t hold back. They will tell ya how it really it is. You know, if your stuff is really any good or not.

Likaholix was founded by Bindu Reddy and Arvind Sundararajan, former key employees at Google. Let’s see if this little honey can take off and make us pay attention.

Sure would appreciate some feedback on this readers; thankin’ ya ahead of time.

May Your Glass Always Be Half Full

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Michigan Couple Capture Albino Deer

These albino deer capture your heart…

Behind the Gray Rock Café in Grayling, Michigan Tim
Gillette made the deer feeder with the ‘Browning’ logo

These twin albinos have been coming into the back
of Gray Rock Café since they were fawns in 2006

We have been trying to capture a digital picture of them for
awhile, but they arrive at dusk and the photos don’t turn out

They finally arrive about 10am. It’s a beautiful
morning, they know it’s time for their photo op

May Your Glass Always Be Half Full

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New York Doc Sick of Bureaucracy

Dr. Muney of New York is only charging his patients $79 … and they can come as many times as they want.

He was on TV recently and I couldn’t believe what he said … that his patients pay 60% of their premiums for paper work, bureaucracy, etc. That’s right, 60%. We all know it’s true. In many situations it’s run as many tests as possible, do as may surgeries, etc. Let’s keep the costs escalating.

Well, this angel in a white coat got sick of it and decided to charge less and do his own paper work. Aaawright. Way to go, doc.

Wrong—a letter comes from the State saying if he does this he is doing insurance business. So, he’s not allowed. Oh, really!

Our angel appears on TV and the State agrees to compromise. He can charge the $79, but also has to charge $33 for actual sick visits. Dr. Muney says he doesn’t need it, but agrees.

Why do you suppose the government can’t stand to give the people a break?

May Your Glass Always Be Half Full

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Conflict Between Anthony and Baez?

Will the public ever know how Casey Anthony
is paying for her defense?

March 25, 2009

It took me back a little to see Casey Anthony sitting at the table. She
looks older, has gained weight — ain’t the cocky, young-looking kid that strutted into the courtroom the first time we saw her.

Cindy and George Anthony are there but no sign of brother Lee. Dad is smiling, maybe he’s coming around from his depression.

Prosecutor Jeff Ashton is arguing with the judge that he should be
checking out Anthony’s finances. Says if she’s convicted and there’s a
dispute between her and Baez it could lead to the case being redone.

The judge took Casey and the lawyers behind closed doors with a court reporter. When they came back out Casey Anthony raised her hand and swore there were no deals between her and Baez for “her story.”

Do you suppose she’s gettin’ money from someone else? Can inmates make book deals in prison?

May Your Glass Always Be Half Full

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Jason Earles Discusses TV Sister Hannah Montana

Interview on WZAP Radio

Not only does Miley Cyrus have the best of both worlds;
she is the best of both worlds – Jason Earles

Earles talks about a day on the set as Jackson Stewart alongside Miley Cyrus.

“She’s sorta like hangin’ out with a dude.”

Jason said he hoped that Miley didn’t take that the wrong way…

“You can’t say anything to shock her. We spend most of our time burping and
farting around each other on the set. I think people would be shocked with
how non-shockable she is.” Well there ya have it, two buds hangin’ out.

“She’s also cool to just joke around with. We play a lot of Guitar Hero in her
dressing room. When we have breaks, we run out and get sushi together.”

It’s almost sorta like brother and sister – except that Jason will be 32 next
month. Nothing wrong with that in my book; more power to him when you can
look nineteen and play Hannah Montana’s brother on TV.

Jason says: “Ten years from now when we look back at ‘Hannah Montana, ‘ I
hope it’s viewed in a positive way.”

Don’t think he has to worry about that, do you? My little granddaughter, Brittany, is four … and she loooves Hannah Montana.

May Your Glass Always Be Half Full

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Lips, Hips and Belly Fat: Implantation, Augmentation, Liposuction

Have you seen those monster lips pasted on Angelina Jolie? And the belly fat ads … they’re all over the Internet. Then there’s the line that says: Thin lips are ugly on anyone. Sez who?

This line is my personal favorite: I murdered my wrinkles. Well, I’m here to tell ya. Not me. Mine are still here. Yup, the thin lips too. Not stickin’ any needles in these lips. Now, there is a little cheating going on I’ll admit. People ask all the time if I’ve had anything done to my skin. Nope. It’s “Publix Advanced Healing Lotion” in the white container with blue text. After eight weeks, voila. You must use it every day. No promises, but it works for me.

BTW – did try some of that expensive stuff, like Genisphere and a couple of others, save your bucks they do not work.

Think of the person you like, admire, respect most in this world-is it because of their lips, hips or belly?

May Your Glass Always Be Half Full

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Duck Outfoxes Eagle: Man on Tailgate Misses Rare Event

The man sitting on the tailgate of his pickup is unaware of the rare event.

The little duck watches as the Eagle speeds straight at him at about 40 mph.

With perfect timing, the duck dives and escapes, then pops to the surface when the Eagle passes.

A second Eagle joins the attack! The duck keeps diving “just in time,” so the Eagles begin to dive into the water after him.

After several minutes the Eagles get frustrated and begin to attack each other. They soon begin to dive vertically, level out, and attack head-on in a good old-fashioned game of high-speed “Chicken”.

A terrible miscalculation! A lucky shot catches this 100 mph head-on collision between two Bald Eagles.

One Eagle stays aloft and flies away, the other lies motionless in a crumpled heap on the water. The lucky duck survives to live another day.

It’s sad to watch an Eagle drown. He wiggles, flaps and struggles, finally gets his head above water and with great difficulty manages to go airborne. Kinda reminds of us of what our country is going through.

The bedraggled Eagle circles once – then lights atop a nearby fir tree – his six-foot wingspread looks mighty angry.

The wait is rewarded with this marvelous sight. He flies away, almost as good as new. May America recover this well.

May Your Glass Always Be Half Full

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Nadya Suleman: wages, inheritance paid for in vitro

This story is so confusing there is no way to make sense of it … but I’m trying.

Nadya says she used money from an inheritance and overtime wages as a psychiatric technician(?)to pay the $24,000 for the in vitro procedure for the first four babies.

Then her aunt dies and leaves her $30,000 and she uses part of that money to have the twins. There are some left over eggs from this in vitro procedure and she has them frozen.

The single mom doesn’t give financial details about the octuplets, buuut in vitro is cheaper using frozen eggs.

Sounds like a plan to me. What do you think?

May Your Glass Always Be Half Full

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Casey Anthony Case: Dad says she’s a good lady

Whaaat … that’s right. In an interview with WKMG-Channel 6 George Anthony talks about his daughter’s character:“Casey’s a good lady, a good mother, good woman. I think what she’s going through is unfair.”

There had been a huge buildup to this interview—it’s going to be very exclusive—the first candid interview since learning of his granddaughter’s death. George Anthony said he hasn’t worked since November, his new mission is finding missing children, aaand didn’t mention suicide attempt.

“I think about Casey every single day, she’s my daughter. I’m going to support her no matter what. I’m not giving up on her.”

Cindy Anthony didn’t want to appear on TV but said that within the next month they plan “a big announcement as they get their Caylee Foundation up and running.” Nice advertisement grandma.

BTW, grandpa did say he thinks about Caylee every day too.

Help me out here. I’m at a loss for words.

May Your Glass Always Be Half Full

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Woman Killed by Laptop

You ain’t gonna believe it but…

Marilyn Storey, holding the laptop that apparently killed her daughter, warns others to avoid similar preventable events. (Meera Bains/CBC)

Police in Surrey, B.C., are warning people to secure their belongings while driving after a young woman was apparently killed by her laptop last month.

Heather Storey, 25, of Delta died after the small car she was driving was hit by a tow truck turning left.

When investigators looked into the incident, however, they concluded she would have survived if not for her laptop computer.

Storey was on her way out of town for work at the time of the accident and usually kept her laptop in a backpack in the backseat, according to her brother Michael Pratt.

“What we believe happened [was] that she was struck in the back of her head and neck with this laptop computer,” RCMP Sgt. Roger Morrow said Wednesday morning at the Surrey detachment, east of Vancouver.

“She simply didn’t have it secured within the confines of her car, and ultimately it has been the instrument of her death,” he said.

Her brother and mother also spoke at the detachment, warning others to take precautions to avoid similar preventable accidents.

“We miss Heather a lot. There is a whole lot to talk about, but I think mainly we’re just trying to address the issue of, maybe, try not to keep stuff that can get airborne or hit you, just because your family, and people that care about you, really will miss you when you’re gone,” said Pratt.

Where do you keep your laptop when traveling?

May Your Glass Always Be Half Full

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Throw Away Worries!

This wonderful post is from Najma, a friend in the  Blog Catalog community.

Saturday, April 11, 2009

Believe it or not the prime emotion of this world is worry. Everybody is worried about something. And some worry about everything. It is such a pity. People lose a lot of time and energy worrying. Worrying about things that may go wrong is the funniest thing people do. People phantomize even minor obstacles and become their own enemies. This funniest thing pushes many into such depressing thoughts that lead people to commit suicide, etc.

This is very annoying. It hurts me to see people sacrificing their own lives to the demons of worry created by their own minds. But those who have lived past their worries and faced the situation know that it was not at bad as they thought. Reality seldom is different from our imaginary difficulties.

Sheep – Ray of Hope

Life is like that. We will live through many things. We live past broken relationships, we live after going through bankruptcy. Yes, we still live. Moral—We still somehow live through it. Mankind is blessed with many good emotions like willpower, determination, etc. So we will survive, provided we face our worries and look through them. Stay there tight and let it pass. It will soon be over. Whenever worries creep into my mind I just ask myself, okay what next will I do if this worst-case scenario happens? I just keep a few options open. Like if this thing happens can I salvage anything from the situation? If not, how bad it’s going to be and how I can handle that. That’s it. When I see my answers to above questions most of my worries look light. This is one way of throwing worries away.

Another way is by changing our perspective of any given situation. A change in perspective leaves us with many open doors to explore. Endless solutions spring in if we could look at the object of our worry in different angles. I do not say that we should not worry at all. I definitely hate the lazy, carefree person, so-called worry free stinking stereo types. Worry is good if it pushes us into construction action. But we should not get obsessed with worrying. That is the catch. Worrying makes us look at our problems with a magnifying glass. If we stop doing it our problems would look manageable. That will give us confidence in finding a solution to the problem. Worries stand in the way of our progress, throw them away. Walking uphill with a ton of stones is much easier than facing problems with worries.

You May also like: Winning-over-tragedies and Happy-people, stress-free-life

Posted by Najma
Labels: Peace, self-improvement

You can visit Najma’s site, “Live life 100 per cent” from my blogroll at left.

State Department Sends Twitter Rep to Iraq

It’s obvious that I love Twitter and WordPress, but this move by the people in the State Department makes no sense. They have sent representatives of YouTube, WordPress, Twitter and other tech companies to “explore new opportunities in Iraq’s new media industry.”

Huh?

Our State Department wants to: provide some real vision, promote true guidelines for accountability, build upon a civil society, etc. by providing for network building.

Sounds great … except we are talking about a country where only 5% of Iraqi’s have access to the Internet. (Unless I’m wrong and you have a blogger buddy  over there.)

Why should we care? Once again, guess who is footin’ the bill for this insanity?

The US Taxpayer!

May Your Glass Always Be Half Full

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Cindy Anthony Contemplates Suicide

Early Show Interview…

Did you watch the “Early Show” interview with George and Cindy Anthony? Me neither. Well, I did a partial actually … left me shaking my head.

Cindy says she considered suicide at the end of July and August, actually wrote suicide notes. Excuse me, isn’t that when she was screaming for all the world to hear that Caylee was still alive?

Casey actually kept her from going through with it, she says. Is this the same daughter she made the 911 about? The one she wanted arrested?

The Anthonys say they are standing by their daughter … no matter what.

Who is standing by little Caylee?

May Your Glass Alway Be Half Full

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Apple Approves ‘Baby Shaker’ Game for iPhone

This incident really riles me…

Apple must approve any outside software that developers make available in their stores. So, it is they who had to apologize for “Baby Shaker,” a 99-cent iPhone game. The game asks players to see how long they can endure a baby’s cries and then shake the phone to stop the wailing.

A spokeswoman for Apple said: the game is “deeply offensive” and should not have been approved for sale.

“We sincerely apologize for this mistake.”

No. A mistake is when something is done accidentally. This was done on purpose for the almighty dollar. And now Apple is playing innocent by calling it a “mistake.”

How do you feel about this? Do you share the outrage?

May Your Glass Always Be Half Full

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Lawmakers to Legalize Sexting

This one is a no-brainer…

… at least for me.

Right now it’s illegal for anyone under 18 to send “hot photos” of themselves to their girlfriends and boyfriends. Anyone who does can be prosecuted as a sex offender.

Say what? Oh, yes. Marked for life.

Sexting is the paparazzi of the teen world. “It’s there in like thirty seconds; the world can know about anything,” says one high school senior.

We’re not just talking nude photos either. There are pictures of drunk people, others using drugs, engaging in illegal activities, etc.

Here’s the greater problem: Is anyone talking to the kids about what they’re doing?

How about you? Where do you stand on this one?

May Your Glass Always Be Half Full

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Read first chapter of Over the Edge at: maximalone.com

Country’s Problems and 545 People

545 People by Charlie Reese

Politicians are the only people in the world who create problems and then campaign against them.

Have you ever wondered, if both the Democrats and the Republicans are against deficits, WHY do we have deficits?

Have you ever wondered, if all the politicians are against inflation and high taxes, WHY do we have inflation and high taxes?

You and I don’t propose a federal budget. The president does.

You and I don’t have the Constitutional authority to vote on appropriations. The House of Representatives does.

You and I don’t write the tax code, Congress does.

You and I don’t set fiscal policy, Congress does.

You and I don’t control monetary policy, the Federal Reserve Bank does.

One hundred senators, 435 congressmen, one president, and nine Supreme Court justices … 545 human beings out of 300 million are directly, legally, morally, and individually responsible for the domestic problems that plague this country.

I excluded the members of the Federal Reserve Board because that problem was created by the Congress. In 1913, Congress delegated its Constitutional duty to provide a sound currency to a federally chartered, but private, central bank.

I excluded all the special interests and lobbyists for a sound reason. They have no legal authority. They have no ability to coerce a senator, a congressman, or a president to do one cotton-picking thing. I don’t care if they offer a politician $1 million dollars in cash. The politician has the power to reject it. No matter what the lobbyist promises, it is the legislator’s responsibility to determine how he votes.

Those 545 human beings spend much of their energy convincing you that what they did was not their fault. They cooperate in this common con regardless of  party.

What separates a politician from a normal human being is an excessive amount of gall. No normal human being would have the gall of a Speaker, who stood up and criticized the president for creating deficits. The president can only propose a budget. He can not force the Congress to accept it.

If the tax code is unfair, it’s because they want it unfair.

If the budget is in the red, it’s because they want it in the red.

If the Army & Marines are in Iraq, it’s because they want them in Iraq.

If they do not receive Social Security but are on an elite retirement plan not available to the people, it’s because they want it that way.

There are no insoluble government problems.

Do not let these 545 people shift the blame to bureaucrats, whom they hire and whose jobs they can abolish … Above all, do not let them con you into the belief that there exists disembodied mystical forces like “the economy, inflation, or politics” that prevent them from doing what they take an oath to do.

These 545 people alone are responsible.

Charlie Reese has been a journalist for 49 years.

May Your Glass Always Be Half Full

You Can Tell Your Story – leave it at: maxi.malone8@gmail.com

Read the first chapter of Over the Edge at: maximalone.com

Drew Peterson Indicted in Third Wife’s Death

By Associated Press/ Friday, May 8, 2009

Bolingbrook, Ill  —  Authorities say former Illinois police sergeant, Drew Peterson, has been indicted on a murder charge in the death of his third wife.

The Will County state’s attorney’s office says the indictment was issued Thursday in the death of Kathleen Savio. It did not immediately give details but scheduled a news conference for later Thursday.

Mr. Peterson is also a suspect in the October 2007 disappearance of his young wife, Stacy. He has denied any wrongdoing.

Bolingbrook police say Illinois State Police arrested Mr. Peterson on Thursday. A state police spokesman did not immediately return phone messages from the Associated Press.

Mr. Peterson’s attorney, Joel Brodsky, says in an e-mail that he’s on his way to New York and referred messages to Mr. Peterson’s publicist, Glenn Selig. Mr. Selig says he couldn’t confirm Peterson’s arrest.

Meanwhile HBO says there’s no chance Mr. Peterson will appear on “Cathouse,” its reality show set in a Nevada brothel.

In fact, HBO spokeswoman Tobe Becker says the network would cancel the show before allowing the former suburban Chicago police officer to appear.

Mr. Selig said Wednesday that his client was weighing an offer from the owner of the Moonlight Bunny Ranch outside Carson City.

Mr. Becker calls that a “stunt” that HBO does not condone.

Mr. Selig did not immediately comment Thursday. However, a spokeswoman for the Bunny Ranch says they’re still talking to Mr. Peterson.

Tell me something … What do you think about all this?

May Your Glass Always Be Half Full

Your story can be told here … leave it at: maxi.malone8@gmail.com

Read the first chapter of Over the Edge at: maximalone.com

Drew Peterson: Ex-Cop Arrested in Death of Third Wife

by Maxi

Kathleen Savio

As someone who loves forensic shows, watches them nightly, I remember this case well. Remember the outrage after sitting through the entire program only to have it ruled an accident.

I was yelling at the TV, “Are you nuts? This man is guilty as sin … his buddies are covering up for him.”

Here are the facts: the bathtub is dry; there is a gash on the back of Kathleen Savio’s head; there are marks on her stomach where her body lay across the sliding door track; the police were in and out the crime scene in a matter of minutes.

Most of all I remember the female officer reaching into the tub with a frown on her face and remarking that the tub is dry. No one hears—she isn’t ‘one of the boys.’

Do you feel as I do … that hopefully there will be justice for these families?

May Your Glass Always Be Half Full

Tell your story – leave it at: maxi.malone8@gmail.com

Read the first chapter of Over the Edge at: maximalone.com

Women Fight Off Disease Better

The truth is out ladies … we are the stronger sex … at least when it comes to fighting infection.

Research by the McGill University in Canada suggests that estrogen, the female sex hormone, gives women’s immune system extra umph at fighting off infection.

There is an enzyme called Caspase-12 which slows the inflammatory process, this is the body’s first line of defense against bacteria and viruses.

The human Caspase-12 gene was implanted into a group of male and female mice, but only the males became more prone to infection.

This is what researchers wrote in the medical journal: “A question remains: will men be amenable to the idea of being treated with an exclusively female hormone?”

What do you think folks?

May Your Glass Always Be Half Full

Tell Your Story Here – leave it at: maxi.malone8@gmail.com

Read the first chapter of Over the Edge at: maximalone.com

Dr. Seuss-Style Book Teaches About Money

When I ran across this article yesterday I thought, “Everyone must know someone who needs this book.”

There is a message in “The Cash in the Hat” for EVERYONE. As an author myself, occasionally I come across a book that inspires me and this is one. Aaand, I haven’t even bought it yet.

Mitch Anthony, financial planner and author, had taken part in a panel at Texas Tech when someone mentioned the 1950s and Dr. Seuss. And so, “The Cash in the Hat.”

There are sprightly illustrations and lines like: What is debt? You will ask. You ask your dog. You ask your cat. But if you’re smart you’ll ask your hat.

Anthony says the book’s message is: One, our eyes get bigger than our wallet; two, credit is too easy to get and too hard to turn off; three, a good life doesn’t mean it’s filled with stuff that puts you under stress.

You gotta see this video: The Cash in the Hat @ www.financialifeplanning.com

“The Cash in the Hat” will make a great gift for a birthday …

May Your Glass Always Be Half Full

Tell Your Story – leave it at: maxi.malone8@gmail.com

Read first chapter of Over the Edge at: maximalone.com

Maxi Malone’s Family Moves to Florida

My son-in-law Dave, daughter Bernadette, and 4yr. old granddaughter Brittany had been living in W. Virginia until recently. That’s them above, The Rivers Family.

All was well until Dave was laid off and Bernadette lost her job. So, they packed up the house and moved to Florida. They stayed with us until they found a place near Dave’s work in Melbourne, which is about thirty miles from us. We live in Cocoa not too far from the beach.

These are some photos of Tutu(Brittany) while she was at Grandmommy and Grandpapa’s house.

How about this picture?

A quick ride before breakfast

This is more fun than playing with toys

In between Mom’s aquarium and my “Timmy Turtle”

Easter egg hunt after church

May Your Glass Always Be Half Full

Tell Your Story at: maxi.malone8@gmail.com

Second chapter of Over the Edge coming soon at: maximalone.com

Daniel Hauser, Hodgkin’s Lymphoma Victim on the Run

Daniel Hauser, Hodgkin’s Lymphoma victim

This is such a gut-wrenching story…

Daniel Hauser is thirteen; he has Hodgkin’s lymphoma, doctors say with chemotherapy and radiation his cancer is highly curable, a 90 per cent chance of survival. Only Daniel quit chemo after a single treatment.

Daniel and his mother, Colleen Hauser, belong to the Nemenhah Band, a Missouri-based religious group that believes in natural healing methods.

They have disappeared and Daniel’s father has testified that he doesn’t know where they are. Judge John Rodenberg has issued an arrest warrant for Colleen Hauser and ordered the boy placed in foster care.

Is this boy’s mother only going along with her son’s wishes? Or is it the group that has the influence? Should a parent allow a child of thirteen to make a life-threatening decision?

What do you think? How do you feel about this mother’s decision to leave with her son?

May Your Glass Always Be Half Full

Reveal Your Own Story – leave it at: maxi.malone8@gmail.com

Coming soon Chapter Two of Over the Edge at: maximalone.com

Maxi Malone Reveals Chapter in New Novel

Dear Readers:

Lance Legouri is devastated when Isabella ends their affair and turns to his best friend. Marci Wentworth hides her own heartache as she advises him to leave.

In his months away on the Pacific Island of Yanga, Lance slowly recovers. Only his separation from Marci brings about a new discovery … she is the one he truly loves. It is Marci who holds the key to his heart, she always has.

Lance writes her a letter, but Marci has just accepted André’s proposal. She has been under a lot of stress lately and this news is more than she can handle; the Wentworth twin disappears. When Marci is found she has lost her memory…

Read Chapter Two of Over the Edge @ maximalone.com

May Your Glass Always Be Half Full

Tell your own story here – leave it at: maxi.malone8@gmail.com

Will Drew Peterson Finally Be Tried?

Is Drew Peterson finally going to face the music…

He has been charged with first-degree murder in the death of Kathleen Savio. This means the prosecutors must have some pretty strong evidence against him. I can’t imagine he would be held on $20 million bond otherwise.

Also, Peterson told a policeman friend before Kathleen’s body was found his life would be easier “if she was just dead.”

Prosecutor Glasgow said Peterson told an officer that a divorce would ruin him financially. Guess being a cop Peterson thought that he was above the law … even when it comes to murder.

Maybe some of you feel he’s innocent. If so, I would love to hear your comments. And any others.

May Your Glass Always Be Half Full

Tell your own story – leave it at: maxi.malone8@gmail.com

Chapter two of Over the Edge is up @ maximalone.com

Nerds Considered Slick

Katie Bohrer and Kira Simpson

Memories came flooding back…

This picture was taken Monday, May 25, 2009 at the annual picnic for the Scripps National Spelling Bee. When I saw the girls it brought back memories. It was me, such a nerd when I was young. What am I saying, some still consider me dorky.

A few of the kids stayed at the hotel to study but most never miss the picnic. They say it’s the one place and time where they fit in. “It’s really nice to be among people who actually get your jokes.”

They can be cool, at least for now. Someone wearing a T-shirt that says “I love nerds” is considered slick.

Were you ever a nerd? Are you still?

May Your Glass Always Be Half Full

Tell your story here – leave it @ maxi.malone8gmail.com

Chapter two of Over the Edge is ready @ maximalone.com

Daniel, Colleen Hauser Return to Minnesota

By Maxi

Was it a mother’s love that brought them back…

Her son has cancer, only Colleen Hauser doesn’t believe in conventional medicine. She and son Daniel belong to a group called the Nemenhah Band, which practices natural healing.

They ran away when the courts said Daniel was too young at thirteen to
make the decision not to have chemotherapy.

The doctors warned that the boy would definitely get worse, that the
tumor would grow and the outcome would not be good.

In her heart did this mother realize that her son could die? Is her love for
her son stronger than the influence of the group?

May Your Glass Always Be Half Full

Would you like to tell your story – leave it at: maxi.malone8@gmail.com

Chapter two of Over the Edge is ready at: maximalone.com

(have not been able to post images since Wednesday – don’t know why)

Susan Boyle Not a Winner?

                                                                     

 

 

                            

When I first watched this woman I was enchanted with her personality. She was cute, sassy and unafraid … not the least bit intimidated.

Yet, in the end it seemed to be the pressure of her peers that became her undoing.

Susan Boyle was deprived of oxygen when she was born—there will always be problems.

Hopefully, when she leaves the London clinic, where she was taken with nervous exhaustion, this lovely soul can return home to her cat.

Susan Boyle is surely a winner in my eyes.

May Your Glass Always Be Half Full

Tell your story – leave it @ maxi.malone8@gmail.com

Read Chapter Two  of Over the Edge @ maximalone.com

Statue of Libertry Crown Reopens

                                                                                                            

 

                                                                                                                   

 

 

On July 4th “Our Lady” will once again allow a panoramic view of New York from her crown.

The Statue of Liberty was a gift from France. Different reasons have been
given for this present: It was at time when both countries were going
through a Revolution, the United States and France shared a close relation.

One bit of information many people don’t know is that France has a small
replica of the Statue of Liberty. Also, it was created by the Eiffel brothers.
That’s right, the same people who created the Eiffel Tower.

 Wish I could see New York from the ‘Crown’ only living in Florida…

 May Your Glass Always Be Half Full

 

Share your story – leave it at: maxi.malone8@gmail.com

 

Read Chapter Two of Over the Edge at: maximalone.com

Blogger Jailed for Contempt

                                                                                             

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This news really got my attention, a blogger sentenced to jail…

It comes down to this. Lyndal Harrington went on a blog site and made some outlandish remarks about Virgie Arthur, mother of Anna Nicole Smith.

Arthur sued her for defamation.

When Harrington went to court the judge ordered her to turn over her computer, which is evidence. She said it had been stolen. The judge accused her of lying and ordered her to jail.

We need to be careful, our words are out there for the world to see, yet it was stunning to realize that someone actually went to jail for what they said on a blog.

 May Your Glass Always Be Half Full

 

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Like suspense romance? Read Over the Edge: maximalone.com

Recover Laptop for Free

Kim Komando(her real name) is not only a digital goddess, she is a great person. I listen to her every Saturday on the radio. When she first began some said she would never make it. Her show is now on 460 stations nationwide, she has more than 10 million listeners per week, writes two columns for Florida Today, etc.

This advice came from a recent Newsletter, Tip of the Day, etc.

Q. You recently mentioned Adeona. It is a free program that helps you recover a stolen laptop. My daughter’s laptop was recently stolen. So, I want to install it on all my children’s laptops. However, the site does not seem to be working. Are there free alternatives?

A. It appears that the site is experiencing back-end issues. This is causing
reliability problems.

Adeona is striving to fix these problems. You’ll need to find an alternative in the meantime.

For instance, there is LocatePC. It is designed to run undetected. There will be no pop-ups, icons or saved e-mail. That way, a thief won’t know that the program is running. Further, the process name is obscure. This makes it more difficult to detect in Task Manager.

When a laptop is stolen, the e-mail keeps coming. Hopefully, the police can track it with the IP address.

Let me know what you think of Kim’s web site if you go there. I’m not paid, just a fan.

May Your Glass Always Be Half Full

Tell your story – Guest post – leave it here: maxi.malone8@gmail.com

Enjoy suspense romance? Read Over the Edge @ maximalone.com

Get Rid of Safecount

Daily Tips by Kim Komando:

Q. I continually receive pop-ups from Safecount.net. They usually come when I’m surfing on eBay. I’ve searched the Web. Apparently, Safecount shows up on a lot of Web pages. However, nobody seems to know much about it. Can you show me how to stop these pop-ups?
—Paul in Windsor, Ontario, listening on CKLW 8:00am

A. Safecount is a tool used by advertisers and marketers. It lets them see how effective their campaigns are.

It accomplishes this by presenting visitors with a survey. Completing the survey is optional. In addition, Safecount tracks you while you surf.

Safecount says it isn’t trying to record personal data. According to its site, it only collects non-personally identifiable data. You may be asked to provide an e-mail address, though. That is, if you decide to complete the survey.

As you note, Safecount appears on many sites. For example, it isn’t uncommon to see it on eBay. You’ll also find it on tech sites.

As best I can tell, Safecount is a legitimate marketing company. The pop-ups are not keyed to anything it places on your computer. In fact, it says it does not use cookies or beacons.

Like you, I couldn’t care less about Safecount clients’ marketing effectiveness. The pop-ups are an intrusion and annoyance. And I certainly don’t want Safecount tracking my surfing.

However, Safecount says you can stop it by installing a cookie. I hate that; why should I have to install its cookie? Nonetheless, that may be the only way to block it.

The cookie must remain on your computer. If you delete it, Safecount will return. Also, the cookie must be installed on any machine you use. You can install the cookie at the following site: www.safecount.net. You’ll see a link to opt-out. Simply click it.

Finally, you can have Safecount delete your data. Send and e-mail to: privacy @safecount.net.

Check out Kim Komando(her real name) at komando.com … know that you will be as impressed as I am.

May Your Glass Always Be Half Full

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Enjoy suspense romance? Read Over the Edge @ maximalone.com

Cat Killer Terrifies South Florida

I’m not a cat lover but this story hurts me…

One of these cats was a victim

There is a cat killer on the loose in the Miami-Dade area. All types of cats
are being found mutilated and skinned. It’s not just those running loose
in the neighborhood either, the privately owned cats have been victims also.

Investigators are checking out more than two dozen deaths and have enough evidence to prosecute at least 15 cases.

Police spokeswoman Rebeca Perez said the manner of death indicates a
person killed the animals.

A poster taped to street sign reads: “Be aware that there is a psychopathic coward killing cats.”

Louis B. Schlesinger, professor of forensic psychology, said it was believed that the “Boston Strangler” shot cats with arrows.

“This should be taken as seriously as possible,” he stated.

Local authorities urge that owners keep their pets inside.

May Your Glass Always Be Half Full

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Miami-Dade Cat Killer Arrested

This must be gut-wrenching for Tyler Weinman’s mother…

The neighbor across the street, Robert Ehrman, stated that she is a lovely
person, only he doesn’t know the boy very well. Those who do know Tyler
say the 5ft. 7in. teen is quiet and well-spoken.

Tyler Weinman was arrested twice as a juvenile only the police cannot give
any details. He has now been charged with 19 counts of animal cruelty, 19
counts of improperly disposing of an animal body and four counts of burglary.

Four of the harmless cats were killed on the street where he lives.

His attorney, David Macey, swears he is innocent of these charges.

“Tyler welcomes his day in court, so that he will be completely vindicated,”
Macey said.

Hmmm. What do you think?

May Your Glass Always Be Half Full

Do you have a story to tell? Leave it here – maxi.malone8@gmail.com

Enjoy suspense romance? Read Over the Edge – maximalone.com

Facebook Claims Online Stampede of 5M

Here’s what happened…

Friday night was a dogfight, everyone wanted to win, had to beat out the other guy to get that personal nickname being offered on Facebook.

The mad scramble started at midnight, it was first come-first serve … three
minutes later 200,000 user names were registered.

Scarcely an hour had passed when Facebook claimed 1 million personal URLs. Through Sunday, more than 5M user names had been assigned.  Facebook stated the process went smoothly.

The Media World was blasting the headlines about who won and who lost. Facebook users either locked-in their names of choice or lost out to others with the same name.

Still, it’s being said that the social networking site has a ways to go.

Do you think that’s true? What say you about all this hoopla?

May Your Glass Always Be Half Full

Enjoy suspense romance? Read Over the Edge: maximalone.com

Have a story to tell? Leave it here: maxi.malone8@gmail.com

Microsoft’s New Search Engine Growing

San Francisco, June 17(Xinhua) — Microsoft continued to increase its position in the U.S. Internet search market during the second week after its new search engine Bing was launched, Internet marketing research firm comScore said on Wednesday.

A new comScore study showed that average daily penetration of Microsoft sites among U.S searchers, a measure of how many people are being reached, climbed to 16.7 percent during the period of June 8-12, up from 15.8 percent in the first week of Bing’s debut and 13.7 percent in the week prior to Bing’s introduction.

According to the study, Microsoft’s share of search result pages in the United States, a proxy for overall search intensity, reached 12.1 percent during the work week of June 8 – 12, also increasing from 11.3 percent a week earlier and 9.1 percent in the week before Bing’s launch.

“It appears that Microsoft Bing has continued to generate interest from the market for the second consecutive week,” Mike Hurt, comScore’s senior vice president, said in a statement.

“These early data reflect a continued positive market reaction to Bing in the initial stages of its launch,” he added.

Microsoft started to roll out Bing at the beginning of June and the new search service was fully deployed worldwide on June 3.

May Your Glass Always Be Half Full

Read Chapter Two of Over the Edge: maximalone.com

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Texting Champion was Destined to Win

What you get in life depends on how bad you want it…

…and Kate Moore desperately wanted to win the LG U.S. National Texting Championship trophy.

The 15-year-old already had a habit of 14,000 texts-per-month. Kinda addicted, one could say. Another thing, this was her first cell phone, only had it eight months. Still, the competition was fierce.

The teen had to be lightning fast, text blindfolded while moving through an obstacle course. And then, she had to text three looong phrases without mistakes on the required abbreviations, capitalization or punctuation. Wheew!

When the competition was over the girl from Des Moines, Iowa had reached her goal. She won! Yea, the $50,000 was great and all that publicity and that really cool new cell phone. Yet nothing compared to being the winner… standing there in front of millions of people on national TV holding the “U.S. National Texting Championship trophy.”

May Your Glass Always Be Half Full

Enjoy suspense romance? Read Over the Edge: maximalone.com

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George Anthony: This Could Have Been Avoided

“You know if we had only gotten custody… instead of just talking about it.”

Do those words surprise you? They did me. That’s what George Anthony confessed to his son’s former roommate.

Cindy Anthony slipped up with an Internet reporter, said that Casey was the reason that Caylee was gone. When the reporter asked if she believed that Casey murdered Caylee, Cindy became quiet. Gotta say that did not surprise me.

Do you watch forensic shows? I do. Medical Examiner Jan Garavaglia is my favorite, watch her show every week. She is caring, thorough and professional. During an autopsy she stays in close touch with the family, will go to the nth degree to bring them closure.

The Medical Examiner determined little Caylee’s death a homicide because “the skull indicated that the duct tape was placed in position prior to the  decomposition of the body… root tendrils growing into the vertebrae of the skeleton and into the bags indicated that the body had been placed in area long before the remains were found.”

That is some of the data in the documents. Do you have more interesting facts?

May Your Glass Always Be Half Full

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FTC: Bloggers New Watchdog

Bloggers worry that innocent posts will get them in trouble.

Here’s the problem: Some bloggers write reviews for products or services—and get paid—with cash or gifts. Some will tell us that they have been compensated by the company, some won’t.

This procedure is so widespread that the Federal Trade Commission has stepped into the picture. Rules exist banning unfair business practices … but the FTC wants to specifically include us bloggers. Sooo, new guidelines will be introduced this summer.

If approved, bloggers have to back up claims and reveal if they are being compensated. The FTC could order violators to stop, pay restitution to customers, and ask the Justice Department to sue for civil penalties.

What do you think? Does this upset you? Should bloggers be allowed to police their own?

First thing I do is look at consumer comments when I shop online. Am I being naive? Help!!

May Your Glass Always Be Half Full

Enjoy suspense romance? Read Over the Edge: maximalone.com

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Boyfriend Feared Neda Soltan Would Be Shot

“… each individual can make an impact.” Neda Soltan

Caspian Makan, a 37-year-old photojournalist, knew the protest in Tehran would be huge. He also knew it would be extremely dangerous and did not want his girlfriend to go.

He said he had asked her not to go … feared she would be arrested … or shot.

Neda Soltan, a 27-year-old music student, went anyway.

The couple had met only a few short months ago, still, we all know how close hearts can become no matter the time. During their weeks together Neda had revealed to Caspian her belief: “Iranians don’t always have to fight and quarrel and be violent and have death. In the past and today Iranians believe there’s only one thing they must fight and that’s ignorance.”

Caspian also declared that Neda said: “She wanted only one thing; she wanted democracy and freedom for the people of Iran.”

Neda told Caspian, “Our attendance would be worthwhile even if a bullet hits my heart.”

The “green-wave” movement has crossed the world in her honor;I am part of it.

May Your Glass Always Be Half Full

Enjoy suspense romance? Read Over the Edge: maximalone.com

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Jon-Kate = Heartbroken Eight

Reality shows … who asks the children?

Last night, June 28, I was channel surfing and stopped at TLC out of curiosity because of all the hoopla. It was a rerun of “Jon & Kate Plus 8.” I lasted all of five minutes. Just not a fan of reality shows.

Still, it’s understandable how upset some of you must be because of Jon and Kate’s separation. Especially those who are true to the show and never miss an episode. Imagine how heartbroken and confused those little angels must feel.

Recently there was an incident that really bothered me. Stepping from my home office into the dining/living room area, the TV was on yet my husband was nowhere in sight. On the screen, Kate and the children were sitting on a tan sofa all dressed up for photos.

One of the girls was hot and thirsty, pleading for water. Kate asked for water and someone handed her a bottle. What happened next totally shocked me. The girl’s mother took a sip of water, replaced the cap, and set the bottle alongside the sofa … leaving the little girl hurt and still thirsty … her punishment for being fussy.

Maybe it’s me but I don’t get it. What are your thoughts about this?

May Your Glass Always Be Half Full

Enjoy Suspense Romance? Read Over the Edge: maximalone.com

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Michael Jackson’s Come Back as Movie Star

“He really wanted a film career.” Rusty Lemorande, friend of 25 years

That was the shocking surprise yesterday in the transcripts of interviews that I receive from BlogTalkRadio.

Michael Jackson’s friend, Rusty Lemorande, is a producer and told BlogTalk that it was actually going to happen. There were two films he wanted Michael to remake: 7 Faces of Dr. Lao with Tony Randall and Angels with Dirty Faces.

Have you ever heard of James Cagney? Always played the tough guy? He starred in Angels with Dirty Faces, Michael Jackson adored him.

“Michael loved both projects,” said Rusty. “Part of it was the way I explained it to him, talked him through it. We had sketches done and creatures made – you had to turn it into the toy version.”

“On Dr. Lao, we had set miniatures built of the circus and he committed to both, which was a major event at the time.”

Michael Jackson’s only big-screen appearance was:
Scarecrow in 1978’s “The Wiz.”

This would be different. This was his big chance. These films were going to make Michael Jackson a movie star.

Then the first scandal hit…

You know what I’m talking about, accusations of child
abuse. It was over before it began.

May Your Glass Always Be Half Full

Enjoy suspense romance? Read Over the Edge:
maximalone.com

Have a story to tell? Leave it here:
maxi.malone8@gmail.com

Are You Addicted to Twitter?

How long can you go without tweeting?

When I saw the article about Maria Barbu being electrocuted in the bathtub it stunned me … she was only 17.

There she is sitting in a tub full of water laptop propped on her knees—in the middle of a fantastic twitter session—and the battery goes dead. Damn. In a hurry, not thinking, hands wet, she fumbles to plug in the cord and…

Is that you? Have you ever tweeted in the tub? Where do you tweet? How often do you tweet? How long can you go without tweeting?

Are you addicted to Twitter?

May Your Glass Always Be Half Full

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Can You Afford New Carbon Credit Tax?

The government will soon limit our energy use…

Oh yes, you read it right. A few years ago I stumbled  onto a web site that asked these questions: What model car do you drive? How far do you drive each day? What kind of energy do you use? How much energy do you use per month?

When the survey was done I was informed that my energy use was over the limit and I should purchase carbon credits to compensate for the difference.

I was then advised to sign a contract and be billed monthly for carbon credits. The money would be used for research, etc. I had to laugh … who would fall for such a scam?

These questions will now be asked by your census taker. We are going to pay a new tax. It’s called a national energy tax, in reality it’s a carbon credit tax.

The Bill passed the House by a handful of votes and is on the way or in the Senate. It’s the biggest tax in American history. President Obama said: “Electricity rates would necessarily skyrocket.”

This tax will force companies that produce electricity, gas, heat, etc. to raise rates on the American people beyond their ability to pay … the government will then blame it on the “greedy industry.”

It will also put millions of Americans out of work or force them overseas.

Let’s see, no one making less than $250,000 a year will get a tax increase. Riiight. Unless we use electricity, gas, heat…

This is an outrage! Where do you think the money will go? Do you know your “carbon footprint?”

This post will be up until Monday, please, show it to everyone you know.

May Your Glass Always Be Half Full

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Parents of 16 Children Killed in Florida Panhandle

“We are anxious to share this story, it’s going to be a humdinger…” Sheriff David Morgan

How often do you hear of genuine people actually sharing the wealth? Well, Melanie and Byrd Billings truly opened their hearts and their home to children with disabilities and problems , although they each had children of their own from previous marriages.

They restructured the house to accommodate the needs of the children with cameras installed in every room, the driveway was extended to keep the kids from running into the street, and the swimming pool behind the house was gated for safety.

Yet, there was no protection for the parents when Wayne Colidron and Leonard Gonzalez Jr. broke into the house and shot them to death … as the children slept in their beds.

This past week end, July 11, 2009, Leonard Gonzalez Sr. waited in a red van outside as his son and Coldiron broke into the Billing’s home to commit robbery. Only something went horribly wrong and robbery turned to murder.

Two more senseless killings … all in the name of greed … and sixteen children are left without their parents.

What are your feelings? How should these men be punished?

May Your Glass Always Be Half Full

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Couple End Life at “Suicide Clinic”

If the end is near and life is hard should we be able to make the call?

Zurich clinic run by group Dignitas

Edward Downes and his wife Joan did just that. Assisted suicide isn’t legal in Britain so they traveled to a clinic in Zurich and did something that my husband and I have talked about more than once. They took the liquid, lay down next to one another, closed their eyes and held hands … it was over.

They had been married 54 years. Edward was a world-renowned conductor; he became Sir Edward when he was knighted by Queen Elizabeth. Joan was a dancer, choreographer and television producer.

When Joan was diagnosed with terminal cancer they made “the decision.” Sure Edward could have survived without her but why? He was nearly blind and growing deaf not to mention the unbearable heartache.

Here’s the catch: If Assisted Suicide or Euthanasia is legal…

When does the line become blurred? Who decides if we have outlived our usefulness? What if your Mom or Dad is lying in that hospital bed and…

I’m just sayin.’ What do you think?

May Your Glass Always Be Half Full

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Home Videos Lead to Arrests in Fla. Slayings

The crooks had trained for thirty days…

…and then forgot to turn off the surveillance system. It was used to monitor the children. The cameras captured the ninja-dressed thieves sneaking in and out of the house.

When they carried that safe from the wealthy home those crooks just knew they had hit the mother lode. Don’t you think?

Sheriff David Morgan wouldn’t give up what was in the safe or what else had been lifted from the house. Authorities claim that robbery was the main motive for the break-in, yet hint there could have been other reasons.

These monsters covered the nine-bedroom house in four minutes; they knew exactly what they were looking for. What they didn’t expect was the parents of 17 children … so they killed them.

Melanie and Byrd Billings will be buried today.

May Your Glass Always Be Half Full

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National Healthcare Could Kill Americans

by Maxi Malone

Who Is Going To Pay For This Healthcare?

Anyone making more than one million dollars a year, that’s who. Sounds good, right? Yea, make those rich people pay for Healthcare.

What if that millionaire is your boss? Aaand he only has six or seven employees and can’t afford the new tax? You may lose your job. Many small businesses will shut down altogether. Healthcare will result in thousands of jobs being lost nationwide.

The government also wants to take away any little crumbs we use that give us a tax break, like mortgage interests and charitable donations. How about that?

Besides, we have National Healthcare—it’s called Medicaid—it’s for anyone who can’t afford health insurance. All you have to do is sign up. It’s been around for years. Surprised?

You won’t believe this one.  At a town hall meeting at the Whitehouse in June a woman told the president that her mother couldn’t get a pacemaker the first go round ’cause she was too old. Then the heart specialist saw how vibrant she was and reversed the decision. The 105 year-old is still going strong.

The daughter had a question for the president: Whatever new healthcare system that he and Congress devised will there be room in it for the kinds of medical decisions that saved her mother’s life?

The president skirted around the issue and quickly remarked that … sometimes people will just have to forego a medical procedure and take a pain pill instead. Say whaaat?

My question for President Obama and Congress is this: Will you and your families be using National Healthcare?

What is your question?

May Your Glass Always Be Half Full

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Will Terrorists Kill American Soldier?

by Maxi Malone

The name and rank are clearly visible on a Taliban web site…

He is Private 1st Class Bowe Bergdahl, a twenty-three-year old Army paratrooper from Idaho. It shakes you up a bit to learn that he joined the service just a year ago and was captured on his first deployment to Afghanistan.

There is a video shown on a Taliban web site where Bowe looked fine and healthy … so far. He obviously was forced to repeat the words of his captors—then uttered these heartfelt words of his own:

“I have my girlfriend, I have my grandma and my grandpas. I have a very, very good family that I love back home in America. And I miss them every day when I am gone. I miss them and I’m afraid that I might not ever see them again and that I’ll never be able to tell them that I love them again and I’ll never be able to hug them.”

As a grandmother, his words slammed me right in the heart. We must cherish our role as grandparents … we never know how much it means to our grandchildren.

Hopefully, that love will carry Bowe home.

May Your Glass Always Be Half Full

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Daytona, Fla. Teen Dies from Bullet in Face

by Maxi Malone

Lloyd Robinson, Jr. should not have…

…answered the door. Only the 13 year-old couldn’t imagine that the woman on the other side would mean him any harm. She said she was looking for someone, he replied that person didn’t live there.

Lloyd Sr. then came to the door and told her the same.

Suddenly—without warning—a man rushed from the side of the house and fired two shots through the glass sliding doors. One bullet slid across the dad’s arm; Jr. wasn’t so lucky. He dropped where he stood … a bullet in the face.

“Just the slightest glimpse at his picture … you know, his smell on his clothes, and you know, it’s a total, total breakdown for me,” says his dad. “No parent should have to bury his child.”

Is this the world we live in today? Can our children not even answer the door? Must we have peepholes everywhere?

Lloyd Jr. was a good, sweet, loving child … must the good always die young?

May Your Glass Always Be Half Full

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Acorn: No Free Speech in Baton Rouge

by Maxi Malone

Police enforce censorship at Healthcare conference…

A private citizen used her video camera to shoot this incident after a scheduled press in Baton Rouge last week.

“You can’t go over there,” stated the camerawoman.

“Why not?” asked the woman in the black and white shirt, as she continued to walk, passing between an Acorn representative and a Baton Rouge police officer. As she neared a group outside the federal building the officer called her back.

“Why can’t she be there? She’s just drinking her water, not doing anything wrong,” questioned the camerawoman. “What’s the problem?”

“The problem is we’re not letting anyone interact,” replied the BRPD officer.

The women moved on and ran into resident in favor of the Healthcare plan. During a friendly debate the man was approached by the same officer and warned that he could not interact … talk to the media, he said.

The camerawoman was then approached by a security guard and informed that she must obey an officer or she was guilty of resisting.

“Even if he’s breaking the law?” she shot back. “He’s telling us that we can’t talk.”

Is this free speech? Is this our America? Is it slipping away?

May Your Glass Always Be Half Full

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Identity Theft Victim Saved After 35 Years

by Maxi Malone

“It’s like I’ve been released from prison…

…says Tom Lesh of Coos Bay, Oregon. This all came about when his brother was drinking with a friend and the man moaned that he had drunk driving charges in California and needed a new identity.

It wasn’t long before the company personnel department informed Lesh that someone was using his Social Security number.

The nightmare had begun … the IRS tried to get him to pay $10,000 in back taxes that he didn’t owe; he was denied a car loan because of bad debt incurred in his name; bankruptcy was filed in his name, and on and on. Lesh said he knew all along that his brother’s friend has stolen his identity.

Tom Lesh spent thousands of hours writing letters to credit card companies, banks, insurance companies and government agencies trying to clear his name. No one would listen until this year an insurance fraud investigator took up the case and passed it on to  the Social Security Administration. Special Agent, Matt Lavelle, tracked down suspect Clark Mower and arrested him.

Here’s what really bothers me in all this. After years of suffering to Mr. Lesh and his family the identity thief faces only a minimum sentence of two years in prison and up to  five years if convicted. He was released Thursday on electric home monitoring pending trial.

I just have to ask. How would you feel in his shoes? What do you think of this sentence?

May Your Glass Always Be Half Full

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Contract Hit on Slain Fla. Couple?

by Maxi Malone

Greg Marcille of the Escambia County  Office of the State Attorney did not deny that investigators were considering a contract hit…

Melanie and Byrd Billings were murdered in the bedroom of their home on July 8th during a home robbery. Only we are now hearing that may not have been the only reason.

Someone is talking … Sheriff Morgan is listening. He declared: We are, in fact, looking at this. We want to ensure the citizens of Escambia County that we are not in any way, shape or form of the imagination taking that possibility or probability off the table in the conduct of the Billings’ murder.”

It has also been reported there was a second safe that contained at least $100,000. It’s always about the money, isn’t it?

One of the older girls, Ashley, will move back into the home to care for the others. She told the younger ones about their parents … mom always said that heaven is a  wonderful place.

A wonderful place for two wonderful people!

May Your Glass Always Be Half Full

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No-Name Kids Recover in North Carolina

by Maxi Malone

They come from a world of terror into a land of fairy tales…

This is 17-year-old Zamad Rashid, guardian angel of the no-name kids. He came to America in 2007 for sinus surgery; returning again for soft palate surgery that was botched in Pakistan. Many more would follow.

It’s his third summer in North Carolina. “He puts things in perspective for us,” says host mother, Carole McCay. “He’s a wonderful child; he’s our son.”

The kind young man helps the incoming children like a big brother. His main goal is their well-being. Following his lead, the children decided among themselves to use first names only. Back home surnames cause serious problems, violence … even death. No last names has created a more comfortable, caring atmosphere. In North Carolina they can recover some of their lost childhood.

When the children were aboard the plane back to Afghanistan, Zamad asked for this note to be read: “Don’t think who’s Shia, who’s Sunni. We are all brothers,” he declared. “We should love each other and we should start from here.”

Don’t you just love this young man … so wise beyond his years.

May Your Glass Always Be Half Full

Yes! Chapter Three of Over the Edge is here: maximalone.com

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Maxi Malone Books: Over the Edge

Chapter Three is ready…

Lance Legouri is devastated when Isabella ends their affair and turns to his best friend. Marci Wentworth hides her own heartache as she advises Lance to leave.

In his months away on the Pacific Island of Yanga, Lance slowly recovers. Only his separation from Marci brings about a new discovery … she is the one he truly loves. It is Marci who holds the key to his heart, she always has.

Lance writes her a letter, only Marci has just accepted André’s proposal. She has been under a lot of stress lately and this news is more than she can handle; the Wentworth twin disappears. When Marci is found she has lost her memory…

Chapter Three

If you have been following Over the Edge than you have read the first two chapters where Marci is discovered in a nearby town and her best friend, Audrey, convinces her to return home. As Marci is about to come face to face with her twin Madi, she vanishes once again. Why?

Find out at: maximalone.com

May Your Glass Always Be Half Full

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Up Close and Personal

by Maxi Malone

When I first started this blog my intention was to draw you to my web site so you could read my books. Only it could not be that alone … that is too cold and impersonal. I want us to talk to one another. Yet, that is not happening enough.

Problem is I’m a writer, not a blogger. So, I’m going to try something different with a slight change in the theme.

I want you to benefit from this blog and that will take some help from you, the reader. No one can judge what makes you happy better than you.

When you return the post will be about “breaking free—not always following the norm.” Maybe you will see yourself.

May Your Glass Always Be Half Full

Chapter Three of Over the Edge is at: maximalone.com

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Family First Always

by Maxi Malone

First off, let me apologize for being gone so long. We got a call Monday night from our daughter about the little angel you see above. Her name is Brittany—Tutu to us, her grandmommy and grandpapa.

Usually we have her on Wednesday and Thursday but there was an emergency and we had to pick her up on Tuesday morning. We live in Cocoa, Florida and our daughter lives thirty three miles away in Melbourne.

Everything centers around Tutu when she is with us; she is the sunshine of our life. She will be five in December so it’s hard to keep up … buuut … in the blink of an eye Tutu will be a teenager and it will be over.

Now you know where I’ve been. Taking care of Tutu, we spent a day at the zoo, also went to the Open House at her PreK  school.

It’s family first always. Right?

May Your Glass Always Be Half Full

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Do You Feel Like a Robot?

by Maxi

You get up in the morning take a shower, grab a cup of coffee and a piece of toast, leave for work, come home, eat dinner, watch a little TV and it’s off to bed. Then start it all over again the next day. Sound familiar?

You don’t have to feel like a robot … break free of the norm.

Try these:

• Drive a different way to work
• Eat at park instead of lunchroom or desk
• Put some health bars in your pocket, go for walk at lunch
• Post a Newsletter – even at a small company
• Take a shower at night instead of morning
• If single, eat with family or friend once a week
• If you don’t read—start—one page a day
• Change the day you do laundry
• Smile, smile, smile it will make you feel better

Stay-at-home moms have the hardest job on the planet. Yet my granddaughter showed me that you’re never too old to be a playmate. Brittany was in her lil’ pool and said: “Grandmommy, you can get in even if you do have your clothes on.” I did.

Things we do:

• Play in the hose and sprinklers
• Have a computer – check out disney.go.com or pbs.org
• Put stuffed animals in umbrella stroller for walks
• Make pictures with glitter glue – this is a favorite
• Post pics on fridge or make scrapbook with three-ring binder
• Play hairstylist with tangle spray – loves this one
• Pitch trash in can – must look directly at can or basket
• Kids help make rules and consequences for ALL – post on fridge
• Smile, smile, smile it will make you feel better – kids too

Once you start you will think of many things on your own. Happy Freedom!

May Your Glass Always Be Half Full

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To Anyone Who Lives Here

by Maxi

Do you look at the house, apartment, garage or office and think: It’s too much; I don’t even know where to start? Or you resent the fact that you didn’t create the mess in the first place? And not only that, if you do get it cleaned it won’t stay that way?

Here’s what I know. If you’re someone who needs neatness and your place is a mess … this interferes with your happiness. It makes you cranky. You CAN change this. Post this note on fridge—make it big.

To Anyone who lives here:                                                               

• If you use it – put it away
• If you drop it – pick it up
• If you get it dirty – clean it
• If you sleep on it – make it up(best you can)
• If you wore it – put it in hamper
• Etc, etc, etc
• All agree on consequences for breaking rules

At the first opportunity:

• Talk to others in home about your goal
• Gather cleaning supplies and empty box
• Start in one room – pick up an item – toss it or keep it
• Once something goes in box – no take backs
• Clean the item and find it a place
• Do not start another project until this room is finished
• It may take time but you will finish – make it your mission

The greatest achievement you will receive from this venture is not your sparking clean surroundings … it’s that sense of accomplishment that wells up in your heart. Oh yea, those tossed items, donate them or have a garage sale.

Almost forgot—this also applies if you’re single—note and all.

May Your Glass Always Be Half Full

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It Isn’t Fair, It Isn’t Right, It Just Is

by Maxi

Have you ever helped someone and your good deed ruined the friendship? Or caused a rift in the family? And somehow you end up the bad guy?

Why you ask? How can she/he treat me this way after all I have done for her/him? I have asked myself that question many times … until recently. The answer is in the question: all you have done.

People resent it when they can’t do for themselves what you can do for them; it makes them feel powerless. It doesn’t matter how the situation came about, they take their frustration out on you.

We in turn are devastated. We don’t expect the world but a thank you would be nice. Only the person you helped isn’t thinking of gratitude or returning the favor or paying back the money, they have moved on to the next problem.

It isn’t fair, it isn’t right, it just is.

This is what I have learned:
If you do something for someone else for any reason other than you want to … it’s the wrong reason.

May Your Glass Always Be Half Full

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Where Are The Tears For Caylee?

by Maxi

Pictures and videos we have seen show that little Caylee Marie was happy living at grandma and grandpa’s house. Then her mom, Casey, got mad and they left. One month later the toddler disappeared.

Caylee vanished in June 2008, only no one reported her missing until July.

When Casey Anthony’s car is found her father said he recognized the smell of death in the trunk. He blurted: “…and as a guy who smelled the smell years ago, and you never forget it. I even stuck my nose down on it and I’m, I’m concerned.”

There are recorded tapes of Cindy Anthony calling 911 to have Casey arrested. “For stealing an auto and stealing money,” she reported. “There’s something wrong,” she told the dispatcher. “I found my daughter’s car today and it smells like there’s been a dead body in the damn car.”

We know that Caylee’s body was found in December 2008 near the Anthony home; her mouth covered in duct tape. It was ruled a homicide. Her mother is charged with her murder … the evidence is overwhelming.

Yet, on August 21, 2009 George and Cindy Anthony sat in court crying for Casey. George mouthed “I love you” as he left the witness stand. Outside Cindy gushed, “It gives me a lot of peace to see that she actually looks okay.”

Where are the tears for Caylee?

May Your Glass Always Be Half Full

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Are You A Worthy Woman?

by Maxi

There is one expression that I have never agreed with: I don’t like you but I love you. To my mind … you have to get past like to get to love.

As a young child terrible circumstances caused me to be withdrawn, shy … not worthy. As an adult I became introverted, pessimistic, negative … not worthy.

Is this you? Hiding at the computer? Or at home? Or in your cubicle at work?  Afraid to make the connection with others? Not worthy?

For years I said: “Some people are not meant to be happy and I’m one.”

It took years of hospitals and therapy before gradually I began to “get it.”

It’s up to us—we make the choice. If you can look in the mirror and like the person looking back you have chosen your destiny. It sets you free. That’s the only person you’re beholdin’ to. Until you’re responsible to that person, you can take care of no one else. It’s that person who decides your happiness. And if you like her/him … you are worthy.

Hide behind a smile; it helps me to this day.

May Your Glass Always Be Half Full

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Haleigh’s Stepmom Changes Story … Again

by Maxi

One night back in February I clicked the remote and a man’s face filled the screen, tears streaming from his eyes. “That man is in a lot of pain,” I said to my husband. It was little Haleigh’s daddy, Ronald Cummings.

We heard different versions of the same story from Misty Croslin, who was taking care of Haleigh on the night she disappeared.

According to Misty: She and Haleigh were sleeping on mattresses only a few feet apart when she got up to go to the bathroom; she didn’t use the bedroom bathroom because the kitchen light was on and when she went to turn it off she used another bathroom. When Misty returned to the bedroom Haleigh was gone. Also, the back door was propped open with a brick.

That’s pretty much the bare bones. Only sheriff’s investigators have spoken with Misty many times and say her story is “full of inconsistencies.” She also hasn’t told them what she was doing all those hours before Haleigh vanished. The police say physical evidence contradicts what Misty has told them.

When Ronald Cummings married Misty … that caught me off guard. How about you?

Haleigh’s disappearance is back in the spotlight because it’s her sixth birthday. Misty wanted to clear her name and asked to take another lie detector test—she failed. She also failed a voice analysis test, than refused the scheduled hypnosis test.

Now Misty has changed her story—swears she was badgered into taking the tests.

What do you think?

May Your Glass Always Be Half Full

Read Chapter Three of Over the Edge at: maximalone.com

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Are We Scared Yet?

by Maxi

This is my ‘91 Olds sittin’ in the garage of the home we built twenty-two years ago. There will be no more vehicles for me when she goes; my hubby will have to take me where I need to go. He has a 2001 Dodge Ram truck that I really like, especially the sound … but I ain’t drivin’ it. Too big.

We live frugally, get by on a small pension and Social Security.

And that’s the problem: the government has cut our Social Security benefits. It’s a small cost of living increase that we count on. We are told that the freeze is only for two years. Riiiight. At the same time our Medicare payments will increase. These payments were taken from my husband’s paycheck for years before he retired.

This is not the ‘change’ we were promised. This is the government looking for money at the expense of senior citizens. The loss of a few dollars here, an added expense there may be all it takes for some seniors to lose their home.

Are we scared yet? You bet. Will you or your parents be affected?

May Your Glass Always Be Half Full

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A Woman Helped This Monster

by Maxi

Wasn’t it amazing when Jaycee Dugard walked into that California police station recently and told them she had been kidnapped eighteen years ago?

Then her story unfolded and it became revolting … that she was forced to live outside with the least of necessities and that her abuser, Phillip Garrido, forced her to bear his children. Most of all, I cannot wrap my mind around the fact that a woman helped this monster to accomplish his evil deeds. It was Nancy Garrido, his wife.

A psychiatrist stated on TV that victims such as Jaycee can recover and move on with their lives. It reminded me of an interview I saw with Elizabeth Smart. A reporter asked how she would go on, what she would do. Elizabeth answered that she more or less would continue as usual. There was no mistaking her inner strength, a certain built-in defense mechanism.

As someone who was ripped away from my family at an early age and thrown into the abyss, I can tell you it’s not that way for everyone. For those of us who have been there … the road back can be a living hell.

Jaycee has already told her mother that she feels a terrible guilt for bonding with her captor. Her children have just learned that she is not their sister—she is their Mother. Is the handwriting on the wall?

Let us pray.

May Your Glass Always Be Half Full

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Lake Tahoe Truly Loves Jaycee Dugard

by Maxi

“This whole story saddens me. I live here in Tahoe where she was abducted. I went to school with her. Her home was my parents’ friend’s old house. This affected our community deeply. We have funds set up to raise money for her and her family.  There will be a parade and a concert in her benefit this week end. It is so sad how long this went on.”

Tiffany of Lake Tahoe, California made this comment on a post I wrote last week; it is a reflection of the entire community.

They held the parade Sunday, Sept. 6 … two thousand people were there. They wore Jaycee’s favorite pink color and carried signs saying: We Love You, Jaycee.

Lake Tahoe also held a march back in 2001 on the tenth anniversary of Jaycee’s abduction. There is a picture of her at age 11 in what would have been her high school year book. The town library displays a plaque in her honor that reads: As God forever embraces you in His love, I forever cherish you in my heart.

I pay tribute and honor to the town of Lake Tahoe, California. In all these years the people did not forgot Jaycee and her family; did all they could to show their love; kept the community aware, and never lost sight that one of their own was still missing.

God bless!

May Your Glass Always Be Half Full

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Facebook Makes Us Smarter; Twitter Dumber

by Maxi

Psychologist Tracy Alloway of Scotland claims that she developed a training program for slow-learning children at a school in Durham. In her opinion Facebook does wonders to improve the working memory, while Twitters steady stream of information is not healthy for short-term memory.

Dr. Alloway states: “On Twitter you receive an endless stream of information, but it’s also very succinct. You don’t have to process that information. Your attention span is being reduced and you’re not engaging your brain and improving nerve connections.”

In other words, on Facebook you can chitchat aaand play video games, look at photos, take tests, etc.

So that’s it. Being able to do a little more will make us smarter? Well, call me dumb but I have a Twitter account … no Facebook. No time.

What do think?

May Your Glass Always Be Half Full

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Never Forget…

by Maxi

September 11, 2001

Common Sense on a Billboard

by Dahlia Rideout

A series of billboards have been appearing across America with a dose of common sense about the recession. Paid for by an anonymous benefactor, the billboards capture American common sense and urge us not to panic.

The campaign entitled “Recession 101″ was designed by Florida-based designer Charlie Robb in order to remind Americans of the things that make this country great. Using ad space donated by the Outdoor Advertising Association of America (OAAA) the campaign includes billboards, bus shelters and even prominent placement in New York’s Time Square.

May Your Glass Always Be Half Full

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Killer Brothers Made a Mistake

by Maxi

Hundreds of us here in Florida watched the Alex and Derek King murder trial. Jurors and TV viewers were mesmerized by their angelic looks and soft-spoken manner. Even the judge seemed taken. Not me. Where is the sorrow?

The boys did not run away because their father was abusive; he was too strict they complained. Days later when they returned Alex and Derek were afraid of being punished. Now this is diabolical. The brothers sneak into the house where their father is asleep in a chair … and bash his head in with a baseball bat. Then set the house on fire to cover up the murder.

Alex and Derek were 12 and 13. They were charged with first degree murder. Yet, the jury was allowed to find them guilty of lesser charges and did—second degree murder—for which they could have been sentenced to 22 years to life. During the trial the brothers showed no emotion, especially remorse.

When things turned complicated the Circuit Court Judge stepped in, by the time the smoke cleared … Alex was sentenced to seven years, Derek eight.

They’re back now. Basking in front of TV cameras to give interviews and answer questions. In the future they plan to be “productive citizens.” As for the past … “they made a mistake.”

May Your Glass Always Be Half Full

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Have You Seen This Poll?

by Maxi

A friend sent me this e-mail:

Here’s your chance to let media know where the people stand on our faith in God, as a nation.

NBC is presently taking a poll on “In God We Trust” to stay on our American currency.

Please send this to every person you know so they can vote on this important subject. Please do it right away before NBC takes this off their web page.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10103521/

I don’t know if the poll is still open, these were the numbers at 4:30pm Thursday. After I voted I put the link on Twitter.

Do you know the Constitution says nothing about the separation of church and state? It declares that the government cannot create one religion that the people must adhere to.

BTW, I voted NO.

May Your Glass Always Be Half Full

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Desperate Tactic by Anthony Attorneys

by Maxi

Are Casey Anthony attorneys grasping at straws? They filed a motion Thursday seeking the dismissal of All charges. Say whaaat??

Here’s their case: evidence was not properly preserved; state deliberately misled the court and delayed formal identification of remains so it could obtain exclusive control of the crime scene; state erred by tampering with victim’s remains and excavation location before defense could bring in its own experts.

Casey’s lawyers said exculpatory evidence (defendants claim of innocence) wasn’t preserved which violated her rights.

This motion is a stunner: the only evidence suggesting a homicide are conflicting reports of where the remains were found, and without evidence, the defense cannot challenge the opinions the state is bringing to court.

Attorneys say Casey’s rights are also denied because they can’t effectively cross-examine witnesses.

I’m not a lawyer … but I am speechless. What about you?

May Your Glass Always Be Half Full

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W.H. Collecting Data Without Our Consent

by Maxi

We were promised a transparent government; a pledge to protect our privacy on the Internet. I’m skeptic by nature but kept my fingers crossed on this one.

Should have known better. The White House is collecting and storing our social media data on their networking sites … behind our backs.

The White House says it’s required to gather our data by the Presidential Records Act. That’s not so. Data intake is for “official correspondence” only.

Where is the justification to hire a private contractor to “crawl and archive” comments, tags, graphics, audio and video of private citizens without our knowledge or consent?

What if we say something critical? I believe it’s not if, but when this will be used against us.  Here’s something else that makes me suspicious. White House, spokesman, Nicholas Shapiro refused to tell when this practice started or how much the contract cost. So much for “open and transparent.”

Let’s face it. When could we ever trust the government? If the White House has nothing to hide, why all the secrecy? The government has a data collection agency, why hire a private one? Why can’t we know the cost, we’re paying the bill?  What’s going on?

May Your Glass Always Be Half Full

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John Travolta Blackmailed For $25 Million

by Maxi

We all know how much John Travolta adored his son. I knew that Jett Travolta had health problems but didn’t realize he suffered from seizures. He was also autistic.

As someone who deals with focal (partial) seizures let me explain that taking medication doesn’t prevent them. When I read how severe Jett’s seizures were and how often it didn’t surprise me that he was finally overcome.

I’m also not surprised at his parent’s outrage. Two vultures couldn’t wait to skulk from the darkness into the green. They threatened John Travolta with a document that would have released emergency responders from liability if the family refused an ambulance. John signed it because at first he wanted Jett taken to the airport instead of a hospital. Only that didn’t happen.

This man can hardly get of bed in the morning and a paramedic and former senator try to extort $25 million from his bleeding heart? I wonder how many fathers would have crossed the line.

Instead, John Travolta filed charges and testified in front of a jury in the Bahamas.

May Your Glass Always Be Half Full

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Birth to Death Tracking Missiles

by Maxi

Friday morning my husband ran into our home office and said: “Hon, the rocket is going up in thirty seconds.” I grabbed my Kodak Easyshare Z710 and ran outside. This is the photo I took from the end of our driveway which is across the river and ten miles away from Cape Canaveral.

I was out there Wednesday morning only the launch was scrubbed because of the weather. Thursday the rocket couldn’t go because of a fuel leak. Can you believe that twenty minutes before this launch there was a concern about clouds?

This rocket, a Delta 2, will deploy satellites for the Space Tracking and Surveillance System. They will be used by the U.S. Missile Defense Agency to test the “birth to death” tracking of missiles from launch to re-entry.

Still taking those steps for mankind.

May Your Glass Always Be Half Full

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A Credible Blogger

by Maxi

The last thing I do at the end of the day is check my e-mail. This is what I found waiting for me yesterday.

Submitted on 2009/09/28 at 5:37pm

Why is your title “Get rid of safecount” so misleading? Your post
simply says “just live with it” – this isn’t the definition of “get rid”.

I was tired, in pain, and didn’t want to deal with this. Still, I’m an author and learned a long time ago that … nothing is more important than your credibility.

Although I didn’t write it, I failed to post the complete article. This is embarrassing and I apologize to anyone who came to this site looking for a solution to their problem. If you go to the post “Get Rid of Safecount” you will find the complete article and Kim Komando’s solution to this problem.

Again, I apologize for this error.

May Your Glass Always Be Half Full

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New Documensts Released In Anthony Case

by Maxi

“Her Winnie the Pooh blanket is missing.” That’s what Caylee’s grandma told detectives when they came looking for evidence at her home. It was found with Caylee’s remains.

You know the duct tape that was wrapped around her little head? It was a Henkel brand, same as the duct tape stuck to a gas can at the house. And the laundry bag they found Caylee in? There was one just like it in the home, same brand.

That was in February. Now, the State Attorney’s office has released more documents.

As I read the transcript of the interview with Casey’s friend, Annie Downing, it was clear that she was reluctant to talk.  This only touches on what she had to say:
Casey told me that someone named “Eric” was Caylee’s father. He also got another woman pregnant. She said that “Eric” died in a car accident the day before or the day of Caylee’s second birthday in August 2007.

There was a point where Casey said she was having an emotional breakdown and wanted to commit herself.

Casey also said that Jesse Grund had keys to the abandoned car before it was found.

Another transcript is by witness James Thompson, who works at a computer store. I left out what he said about Casey dressing sexy and provocative and wanting to get involved with her. This is a short version of  what he had to say:

Casey was in the store with Caylee and seemed jealous when I gave her a Beanie Baby. She rolled her eyes and I distinctly heard a “guhhh” sound.

I saw them one week later and was surprised that Caylee was walking alone behind her mother. She looked angry but determined to open the heavy Walmart door by herself. I felt sorry for Caylee, wondered why her mom wasn’t helping her, looking out for her, taking care of her.

Other records that have been released deal with physical evidence.

May Your Glass Always Be Half Full

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Carpal Tunnel or Disc Problem?

by Maxi

Have you ever had pain and put off going to the doctor? Figured the problem would heal on its own? That’s what I did … biiig mistake.

There is a lot of pain in my right arm, some in the left. Now the pain has spread and it’s worse. Wearing an Ace bandage does nothing; I use Lidocaine patches and take Darvocet, neither helps.

I went to the Orthopedist who did surgery on my elbows years ago thinking the problem might be connected, it’s not. He suspected it could be carpal  tunnel or might stem from herniated discs in my neck. Wednesday I had two tests:

NCV Test: small patches attached to recording electrodes are placed on certain nerves; a double prong is used to send a small electrical current to the nerve to assess the speed. This can asses if there is any damage.

EMG Test: thin needles are inserted into
the muscles of the arm, neck, leg to test
the electrical activity.

My test results were negative.

Here’s what I know. The pain in my neck has become worse in the past few years. It’s more severe on the right than the left; just as the pain in my right arm is greater than the left.

Here’s what else I know. I have one nerve left and this problem is on it.

Have you ever dealt with this? Any suggestions?

May Your Glass Always Be Half Full

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I Can’t Be Your Facebook Friend

Tip of the Day by Kim Komando
October 6, 2009

Q. What is the polite way to decline a Facebook friend request? People I knew in high school have been contacting me. I didn’t like these people 30 years ago. Now my ex wants to be my friend. We couldn’t be friends in real life. Why should we be friends in a virtual one? And what about the coworkers I can’t stand?

A. The mechanics of declining a friend request are simple. Deciding what’s polite is more complicated. But there’s no wrong way to do this. It just depends on your perspective.

But first, let’s talk Facebook functionality. To view your entire Facebook page, other users must be your friends. And you have control over who gets that designation. That’s one of the big perks of using Facebook. Only those you choose get access.

Anyone can send you a friend request. You can confirm or ignore it. But what happens when you click ignore? Do requesters get a rejection letter? Does Facebook reach out and destroy their hopes and dreams?

Nope. When you click Ignore, nothing happens. The request is simply removed from your inbox. The requester receives nothing.

Will requesters know they’ve been rejected? Probably. When you click Confirm, requesters are notified. If that notification never shows up, they can guess what happened. But, if necessary, you could say you haven’t made a decision. Or, just play stupid.

Some people feel uncomfortable clicking Ignore. Many social niceties are lost on the Web. You’re not face-to-face at an office party. You can’t make idle chitchat and then slip away. Clicking Ignore feels like yelling, “I don’t like you!” in someone’s face.

But should you really worry about this? Think about why you’re using Facebook. Some people use it as their Web presence. They want to be visible, to collect as many friends as possible. They add everyone they’ve ever met in any context.

Others use Facebook for personal communication. They post information for friends and family. They only add real friends. This sounds more like your style.

Don’t feel bad about using Facebook in your own way. If you’re a more personal user, letting in relative strangers defeats the purpose. You’ll feel the need to censor the things you post. That’s not fun. You’ll quickly lose interest in using your profile. And the friends and family you intended to connect with lose out.

The way you handle your ex is obvious. Hit Ignore. Do the same for those high school acquaintances. Chances are they were sending friend requests to everyone they ever knew. They’re not waiting for your reply with bated breath. In a few days, they won’t even remember sending it.

What about your coworkers? You have to see these people every day. Being polite to them really is a priority. However, I’d still ignore their requests. It may come up in conversation at work. Just let them know you use your profile for more personal relationships. They’ll understand.

There is another way, if you just can’t click that Ignore button. Facebook lets you group friends into multiple Friends Lists. And each group can have different privacy settings. You can keep a group from seeing specific parts of your profile.

Click Friends at the top of your home page. Then click All Friends from the left side navigation bar. Click Create New List. Give the list a name. Click on the friends that you want included in the list. Select Save List when you’re done.

You can separate friends into lists like Family, Friends and Coworkers. On your home page, click Settings>>Privacy Settings. Go to the Profile section.

Under the Basic tab, you’ll see various elements of your profile. These include Status, Personal Info, Photos, Wall Posts and more. Click Edit Custom Settings under any heading. This will open a field labeled “Except these people.” Add any Friend Lists you want to block. These people won’t see this portion of your profile.

So, theoretically you could add everyone as a friend. Then you’d exclude some from certain elements. That way your profile can be both all-inclusive and private. It’s possible. But to be honest, it’s a lot of extra work.

In the end, remember that Facebook is just a tool. It’s not a wholesale replacement for your social life. Try thinking about it like that. The Ignore button will look a lot less menacing.

May Your Glass Always Be Half Full

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Cross My Heart

by Maxi

“Cross My Heart” Have you ever said that? You know, in making a promise or saying something to someone you cared for. You wanted them to know that what you were saying or doing was special just for them. And the moment you made the sign of the cross it was confirmed.

The cross carries a lot weight doesn’t it? Whether it’s a gesture, necklace, picture, icon, structure or a memorial … it moves us. It stirs the spirit that lives inside us.

Still, there are those who are determined to erase it from our churches, hospitals, universities, anywhere and everywhere they can.

The president of William and Mary College decided the chapel would be “more welcoming” if the 100-year-old Wren Cross was removed. Yet, symbols are part of our lives. We put them everywhere. Don’t they change a room?

Yesterday, Oct.8, 2009, there was a headline of one man who filed a lawsuit to have it removed because he is offended by the plain, 8ft. white cross in the Mojave Desert. It was erected 75 years ago, before the land became a national park, by veterans to honor their fallen friends. It has been covered for some time with a plywood box.

Even if objectors could succeed in erasing the cross from our land; the cross will never be erased from our hearts.

May Your Glass Always Be Half Full

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The Bathroom Is Unthinkable

by Maxi

Do you ever think about the bathroom? I mean, we get up in the morning, brush our teeth, jump in the shower and we’re good to go. At least, that’s my routine. Otherwise, I never give the bathroom a thought … it’s the one room in the house that’s unthinkable.

This morning I saw an article that completely turned me around. There were images of bathrooms of the future and photos of some impressive baths that are available now.

With Aquavision you can soak in the tub while watching a water proof TV. It can be installed in different positions.

Visomatic’s media center lets you access TV and the Internet. The screen is available in different sizes.

ProSun’s SunShower has 400 watts attached to a double UV filter so you can get a perfect tan. Kohler VibrAcoustic Bathtub design is pre-set. The music and color can be changed, which light up the tub.

After looking at these I thought, wait a minute, our master bath isn’t too shabby. Have a look:

Our Whirlpool tub has 6 powerful jets to sooth those tired muscles and ease an aching back. There is a niche for my 5 drawer, solid wood vanity with padded stool.

We can prop a towel behind our head and watch a favorite team or a Lifetime movie on cable TV.

This is a great set-up for two; never get in each others way. Plenty of room for our things.

I never realized how much time I have spent in this room. The sink on the right is my husband’s. I have spent many moments sitting on the top step of the tub talking with Dave while he shaves. We have mapped out plans for the future; the kids’ wedding; our retirement.

This bathroom has really changed since granddaughter Brittany came into our lives. She is here every other week end, sometimes more. See those tubby toys in the bucket? They’re always there now and fill the tub, sounds of laughter echo off the walls.

Brittany’s star glass, toothpaste and brush are over by my sink; her little stool down below. Sometime, we play hairstylist in here. Even if we used the smaller bathroom, wouldn’t matter. It’s the memories we’re building that count.

BTW, our bathroom is 22 years old.

May Your Glass Always Be Half Full

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We Support Our Troops?

by Maxi

If you have anyone close to you in the military be prepared to feel the outrage.

“We support our troops.” How many times have we heard that statement from people in Congress? However, when it came time to step up to the plate these same Senators turned their back on our military.

You know those “earmarks” we’re always hearing about? Those are  Senator’s pet projects: pay back for huge campaign contributions or something they have taken on to remain popular.

Earmarks are nothing new but this type of spending is. A study done this year showed that Senators took most of the money for their pet projects from “operations and maintenance.” These are accounts that pay for troop training, repairs, spares and supplies for vehicles, weapons, ships and planes, food and fuel.

The Senators took $2.6 Billion from the Defense Spending Bill for their own gain. Yet, it wasn’t long ago that they were in a rage about the troops not having enough body army. Well, they had a chance to make things right.

One of their choices is to erect an educational institute named after the late Senator Kennedy: cost $20 million. There’s nothing wrong with this but don’t take money that is put aside to defend this country. We need to support our troops in order to do this.

We shouldn’t be surprised … but the money for food and supplies?

May Your Glass Always Be Half Full

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Son Used For Balloon Hoax

by Maxi

Were you glued to the TV watching the silver balloon? Me too. I told my husband the boy probably fell with a basket that was attached to the balloon.

Were you as angry as me to find the dad had used his son for a hoax?  This child is only six—he had to be frightened waiting all that time alone—even if he did know it was only a trick.

This incredible stunt shut down Denver International Airport. The National Guard sent two helicopters to rescue 6-year-old Falcon Heene. I don’t know about you but my heart was in my throat watching the balloon land and … no little boy.

Supposedly, e-mails have surfaced revealing Robert Thomas, a friend of Richard Heene, discussing a similar stunt months ago.

The producer of “Wife Swap” said there was a show in development but it has been canceled due to Heene’s erratic behavior. In one incident he threw a glass of milk at another participant on the program.

Something makes me wonder about the mother’s involvement. Did Mayumi Heene go along because she’s afraid of her husband? Records show that the police have been to the Heene house twice in the past year. There also was another incident; officials tried to persuade her to take shelter at a safe house only Mayumi refused. Child protective services are now involved.

What are your thoughts of this situation?

May Your Glass Always Be Half Full

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Are You An Emotional Shopper?

by Maxi

How many times have you bought something and weeks later it’s still in the bag, hanging in the closet, or sitting a drawer?

When you bought the new make-up that just came out you knew it would look spectacular. You can’t wait to get home, drop the bags on the kitchen counter and rush to the bathroom mirror. Only to be disappointed once again … doesn’t look any better than the one you already have. You throw it in the drawer with the others that didn’t work out.

How about that new blouse? It’s the latest style; will look so hot with your new jeans. You don’t have time to try it on, so you grab the tag and look at the demo girl. No problem. The minute you’re in the house you’re tearing off your top and pulling on the blouse. Oh no! It looks terrible. You stick it on a hanger and shove it in the closet. You’ll take it back later.

This is another biggie. You’re at the jewelry counter, just looking mind you. The sales girl asks if she can help, as she’s reaching for a pair of earrings. You have a similar pair, only she swears they look beautiful on you. Aaand they’re on sale. You walk away with the earrings in your cart.

If the above apply to you, guess what? You’re an emotional shopper. Yet, you’re not alone. Millions of us are. Not just women either. Men have emotions too.

Here’s a suggestion: take a business envelope and write “shopping” on it. Prop it against your mirror. Every time you buy something, circle it and place the receipt in the envelope. At the end of a year, add the total. It will be a shock.

Oh yeah, that blouse. It’s still hanging in the closet.

May Your Glass Always Be Half Full

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Windows 7 Questions Answered

A Post by Kim Komando

Mircrosoft released Windows 7 yesterday and Kim Komando (her real name) has the answers to many of your questions. I have spoken of her before; she is the digital goddess of our times. This is what she had to say yesterday.

Normally I answer a single question in my Tip of the Day. But, this is no ordinary day. In case you didn’t know, Mircrosoft is releasing Windows 7 today! So, I’ve rounded up the most common questions and answered them.

Will I lose my data and software when I upgrade to Windows 7?
With some versions of Windows, you can do an in-place upgrade. For others, a clean installation is required; this erases your program and data. Learn if you can do an in-place upgrade.

How long will Windows 7 take to install?
Windows 7 will be a speedy upgrade for some. For others, it will take eons. Before you start, find out how long the upgrade will take.

What version of Windows 7 can I buy?
As with Vista, there are several different versions of Windows 7. You will encounter three different versions when you head to the store.

Which version of Windows 7 has media center?
Media Center is one of the best features in Vista. It is even better in Windows 7. Learn which Windows 7 versions have Media Center for managing your music and videos.

What are the requirements for Windows 7?
You must have the right hardware if you want Windows 7. But don’t fret. There’s an easy way to check Windows 7 compatibility.

Will my Vista hardware and software work in Windows 7?
You spent hundred of dollars on software and hardware. You probably don’t want to upgrade them. Find out if they will work in Windows 7.

Are machines running Windows 7 available now?
Maybe you don’t plan on upgrading your old machine. Instead, you’ll buy a new one. Learn when machines running Windows 7 hit the shelves.

What do I need to know if I’m upgrading from XP to Windows 7?
Windows XP users are especially anxious about the Windows 7 upgrade. Learn what you need to know about upgrading from XP.

*Go to komando.com and type: “windows 7 questions answered” in search bar for complete answers to these questions.

May Your Glass Always Be Half Full

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Drink ‘n Drive La-z-Boy

by Maxi

The following is based on a true story.

Dennis LeRoy of Proctor, Minnesota felt the need for a couple of brewskies, so he hopped onto his “drink ‘n drive La-z-Boy” and headed over to the neighborhood tavern.

He had worked long and hard to perfect his black and blue lounger and it cranked right up. It’s powered by  a Briggs and Stratton lawnmower engine, has superior headlights, a side mounted mirror, cup holders, CD player, speakers … aaand a drag-racer style steering wheel.

Yes indeed, anybody would be jealous of this bad boy.

Dennis enjoys hanging out with the gang at the tavern. He stayed for a while chattin’ it up like always, only soon it was time to go. He was driving home, minding his own business when … wham!

The police charged Dennis with drunk driving and plowing into a parked car.

“I would never of hit the car and made it home alright if it weren’t for this woman jumping into  my lap.”

His chair has been impounded and will be auctioned on eBay. Dennis is on two years probation.

BTW, Dennis wasn’t hurt but I bet he’s mad as hell about losing his chair.

May Your Glass Always Be Half Full

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