Diary: Alone on Earth Update

As many who follow this blog know, I have a blog-novel called Diary: Alone on Earth
. I finished this novel last June. Since that time, I have been looking at various ways of possibly getting this story published. I originally thought of going the self-publishing route. That still may happen. I like the idea of maintaining control and rights to this story. I have checked out about five different self-publishing companies. Each had its positives and negatives. I narrowed it down to two different companies. I was debating on which one to choose when the unexpected happened.

I received an email from someone who said I should submit a query form to a literary agency that is looking for new talent online. Knowing that literary agents deal strictly with the traditional publishing firms (such as Doubleday and Random House), I was hesitant to do so. But, I received encouragement, from the person who sent the email, to at least submit the query form. The query form wanted to know more about me personally, and, of course, about my story. It took about three hours to complete. But, I sent it off and didn't expect to hear back. So, I continued talking to the two self-publishing firms when I received an email from that literary agency that wanted more information from me and wanted to see the rest of my work. I had submitted the prologue and a couple of entries. The query form I filled out stated they would contact you if they felt you had talent and whether or not your story was marketable. So, I consider this a good sign. I'm torn on which way to go now. But, at least, there are professionals out there that think the story may be marketable. I'll keep everyone up to date of what happens.

U.S. Unemployment May Be 16%

In a statement released yesterday, U.S. Unemployment may be as high as 165 when you factor in people who have dropped out of the labor poor and those who are not working as much as they would like. Atlanta Fed chief Dennis Lockhart indicated that these were his own views. The latest official estimate of unemployment is 9.4%. Mr. Lockhart is the first federal official to imply unemployment during this recession was on par with unemployment during the Great Depression. He indicated he thinks the recession is ending, but that the economy is still wobbling. He further stated he expects a high protracted unemployment rate for the foreseeable future.

I have to admit, I never considered the number of people who had given up trying to find work when figuring up the unemployment numbers. I had always thought that number of people was included in the official unemployment report. Taken with the number of people who are not getting enough work, that 16% unemployment number is astounding. I can remember, just in my local area, employers were begging for workers just recently as a year ago. Now, just trying to find a minimum wage job is nearly impossible. Businesses continue to close and unemployment in my area continues to rise despite that new Thyssenkrupp steel mill that will open up next year. They are supposed to hire about 1500 permanent workers. But, that will only ease unemployment only slightly. It appears that high unemployment, nationwide, is going to be with us for at least another year or possibly longer.

A Few Noteworthy News Items

Of course, the big news of yesterday was the death of Senator Ted Kennedy [article link]. He was to liberals what President Ronald Reagan was to conservatives. Ted Kennedy's life was dedicated to seeking a government funded healthcare bill that is now raging across the nation. It will be interesting to see if his death invigorates the proponents of this issue. My opinion, the OMB report earlier this week of a 9 trillion dollar deficit over the next ten years was the death knell for any type of healthcare bill being passed, especially in its present form.

Americans fleeing London [article link] due to the high tax rate. If you think London is bad, just wait a while and come home to the good old USA. You'll be streaming back across the pond in no time at all. Taxes are going to go up and go up for the middle class despite what President Obama says. There is no way in hell he can pay for his Cap and Trade, healthcare bill without a tax increase.

Finally, a homeless man in Lancaster, Ohio [article link] burst into flames after being tasered by police. Daniel Wood had been sniffing gas from an aerosol can when started running though traffic. When he started resisting arrest, he was tasered and then burst into flames. Police had to drop their weapons in an attempt to put out the flames while the homeless man kicked at them and tried to bite them. That story alone is enough to reinforce something I always knew; no way in hell I could have ever become a cop.

Nature Wednesday

This week, we have a pic of a running deer (a doe), ducks in a pond and a squirrel doing what squirrels do most; eat. Not much more relaxing than sitting in a park watching ducks in a pond.

AZ Rep Threatens Birther Lawsuit

Just when you think this birther nonsense had died down, Arizona Rep. Trent Franks hints of legal action [article link] over President Obama's birth certificate. At issue, of course, is the conspiracy group who believes President Obama is not really an American citizen. Rep. Franks said "...there was not enough evidence that Obama is not an American citizen." But, at the same time, Rep. Franks said there was conflicting evidence of President Obama's citizenship. Thus far, most, if not all, similar lawsuits have been thrown out of court. This is the first time a U.S. Representative has threatened legal action.

You know, if these people would have brought this out as soon as Obama won the Democratic nomination, last summer, I might be in their corner. Obama wants to proclaim a transparent government. Fine. Produce the original birth certificate and shut these people up, once and for all! However, the time to fight this fight has come and gone. We have too many other battles to worry about with this threat of socialized medicine being the #1 fight right now. Sadly, this borders on the same level with those nuts who claim the 911 terror attacks, on the WTC, were an inside government job. On the left and right, there are fringe elements that I'm sure Democrats and Republicans wish would just go away.

Lockerbie Bomber Released

Abdel Baset al-Megrahi, the only person tried and convicted over the downing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, was released from prison last week. al-Megrahi was released due to "humanitarian reasons," according to Scottish officials. The convicted terrorist has prostate cancer and is not expected to live much longer.

What was galling to people was the warm embrace by Libyan leader Colonel Gaddafi. It was as if he were giving this murderer a hero's welcome home. This man was responsible for murdering 270 innocent people. But, perhaps what has set anger at new levels is the statement by Libyan officials "... that the release of the bomber was linked explicitly to trade deals benefiting Britain." I simply can't imagine that happening. The majority of the people killed were Americans. I can't believe England would risk angering such a close ally with some backroom deal. The British government has strongly denied there was any link to the release of al-Megrahi and business dealings. I simply can't believe England would do this. But, if this allegation gains legs, there are going to be some very upset people on both sides of the pond.

Google Redirect Virus/Trojan

Last Saturday, I clicked on Google in my favorites list on Firefox. I was taken to Amazon.com! Thinking it was just a temporary blip, I clicked on Google again. This time it took me to some "How to make money on the internet" site. Now, I was puzzled. I tried again and this time it took me to Google. After I found what I was searching for, I clicked on a link. The link took me to a porn site. Now, I realized I had a virus. But, I had no idea what it was.

After some research, I realized I had the Google Redirect Virus. I tried all the spyware and antivirus programs you can imagine. I used Spyware Doctor, SpySweeper, McAfee Antivius, and all the free antispyware programs you can think of such as MalwareBytes, Combofix, Spybot Search and Destroy and so on. Most did not even recognize I had a virus. I found one free antispyware program called Norman Malware Cleaner. It DID recognize the Google Redirect Virus in safe mode. And it deleted it. But, the virus/trojan came right back! I have been trying for five days to get rid of this thing. No luck thus far. I do a little computer maintenance on the side as a hobby. And I thought I could get rid of any type of virus, trojan or spyware around. But, this one has beat me thus far.

Has anyone ever had this Google Redirect Virus? If so, please tell me what you did. I have tried all the manual fixes online and none have worked thus far. NONE of the antispyware programs will completely get rid of it.

Cash for Clunkers is a Clunker

I went with a friend of mine recently to the Chevrolet dealer near my home. He has an old Oldsmobile 98 he has driven in and around town forever. So, with the idea of getting $4500 for it thanks to Uncle Sam's Cash for Clunkers program, he decided to inquire. To make a long story short, the dealer made it known that the federal government has reinbursed only 5% of the dealers in our state (Alabama). That being the case, he was going to be required to sign a document holding him responsible for that $4500 if the feds don't come up with the money. Of course, we both laughed at the salesman. But, it seems this is a problem nationwide. In the state of New York [article link] alone, the federal government has only paid about 2% of the clunker deals. Furthermore, about half of the 425 dealers participating in Cash for Clunkers have left due to non-payment. According to the report (that is linked), many of the dealers are fearful of not being paid at all.

The salesman was sympathetic about the whole deal. He said privately, if it was him, he wouldn't sign that document either requiring the buyer to pay the $4500 if the feds don't come up with the money after a certain length of time. When the program gave out of money within 4 days of its inception, that should have been a clue that the people who initiated this program gave no forethought to what might happen. With slow and non-payment to the car dealers, it is no wonder the Cash for Clunkers program is a clunker in and of itself. And these are the people that want to takeover our health care? LOL!!!

Nature Wednesday

Continuing the Africa theme from last week, we have three of the more ubiquitous animals from that region. The Wild Dog has always fascinated me due to their stamina. They are relentless in their pursuit of a meal. The hippo is as dangerous or more so than any other animal in Africa. Of course, the crocodile has to be brought up in an discussion of dangerous animals.

President Obama Supporters

Yesterday, I made a post about the President backing down on his public option in his healthcare initiative. I said then I thought that was an important first step and still think so. I am still uneasy on whether this could be just a ruse to still get the federal government involved in taking over healthcare. But, that's not the point of this post today.

I participate on Twitter quite a bit. I also have a Twitter feed that sends all my posts directly to Twitter. It seems that three people on Twitter were not that happy with my post. I don't recall making any undue criticism of the President in that post. I simply pointed out that President Obama had backed down on his government option. But, those Twitter members were enraged by the post regardless. So, to show me their outrage, they "unfollowed" me! All three stated they were "President Obama supporters." Well, I'm happy for them. But, they should be able to take criticism of their fearless leader. Anyone that has followed this blog knows that there weren't many who were more critical of George W. Bush than I was. I felt all along he was a Republican in name only. Bush was under constant attack by those on the left, independents and Republicans as well. If nothing else, Bush showed he had a very thick skin. One can't say that for President Obama or his supporters.

Imagine for just a minute if George W. Bush had set up a special email account to report American citizens who disagreed with his Iraq policy. The firestorm would still be reverberating today. Yet, when President Obama does this, very little is said outside of the Republican Party. Even those stalwarts of the U. S. Constitution, the ACLU, whined only slightly about this invasion of privacy of American citizens. Not one person from the Obama cult said anything about this email account to the White House. Obama took down the email account yesterday. But, one has to ask, WHY did it take him so long to do this? If that offends any of you "President Obama Supporters," then you can "unfollow" me also. I don't give a damn.

Obama Backs Down

So, with all the heat generated by the heated Town Hall wars, blue dog Democrats on the verge of revolt and the polls showing the public losing faith in his healthcare initiatives, President Obama backed down [article link] from the government public option. This is good news. There are other issues to overcome in the healthcare bill, but this is an important first step. This is a loss for the President any way you look at it. He is on record in 2003 saying a single payer government option was his preference. But, the heat has become too much for him and his administration.

The talk now is for non-profit co-ops to replace the government public option. I'm not sure how that will cover the Democrat reported 50 million (depending upon what mood the demos are in, that can change) uninsured. I'm sure the utltra left-wing of the Democratic Party is furious. How will socialist Nancy Pelosi respond to this latest news? Mrs. Barbara "call me senator" Boxer will be upset. I look for the Democratic Party to implode over the President backing down from a single payer government option. The biggest winners are going to be the taxpaying citizens of this country.

Another Little Orphan

I posted this past March about a little black puppy [post link] that showed up at my back door. He was cold, wet and appeared very hungry. So, I got an old towel, dried him off and gave him some of Ralph's (my beagle) dog food. He was famished and ate it all. Of course, Ralph was not happy with the mixed breed (with a heavy dose of Lab mixed in) puppy being in his house! I didn't know what to do with the puppy. I knew I wasn't going to set him out to a cold, wet world that day. So, what to do? He eventually was given to a relative that had just lost a Lab due to old age. I'm happy to report "Andy" is doing well and has settled in with my cousin and her children.

We are getting our daily dose of afternoon thunderstorms in my area. It is an every day occurrence. About 2PM, like clockwork, the clouds roll in and we get rain for 30-60 minutes each day. Yesterday, the storm was even worse than normal. Our power went out about 2:30. So, me and Ralph just sat there and looked at each other in the living room. It is a game we have called the "stare game." Whoever looks away first loses. Whenever Ralph looks away first, he gets mad and barks about it. Just as we started our game, we heard whining from the back door. I thought, "Oh, this can't be what I think it is." Sure enough, I had another little stray dog at my back door. He was shaking, wet and scared. I just couldn't believe it. Of all the houses in the neighborhood, why me? So, I brought him in, dried him up as much as possible just like I did Andy about five months ago. Once again, Ralph was not pleased and I had to put him up in an adjacent room away from this little dog. It appeared to be a Scottish Terrier. So, once I fed him, put him on a soft cushion to sleep, I started calling around in the neighborhood to see if anyone was missing their dog.

I had no luck. After the rain stopped, I checked around to see if anyone was missing a Scottish Terrier. No one knew anyone with a dog like that. So, I'm once again in a dilemma as to what to do with a little dog that came to my house. I've got to believe he belongs to somebody. I'll put out an advertisement in the local newspaper to see if that works. But, for some reason, I am not optimistic. It appears Ralph may, once again, have him a brother if I can't get someone to adopt him. I will not take him to a shelter.

Town Hall Chaos

I've stated previously I am 100% against a federal government takeover of healthcare. I feel it is intrusive in that it is taking away rights that we as Americans have always enjoyed. I do believe in healthcare reform. I believe that pharmaceutical companies have made money hand over fist for far too long. Same thing for insurance companies. There should be reformation of both. However, a single-payer public option costing 1-2 trillion dollars is not the answer. Throwing money at a problem is not always the answer, contrary to what quite a few Democrats may believe. There has to be another way. Americans are turning against "Obamacare" more each week as they are able to read what is actually in the bill. We can do better than this.

Having said all this, I am disgusted with what is going on at one of the iconic symbols of freedom in this country; townhall meetings across the nation. I mean this for both opponents and advocates of healthcare reform. The screaming, interruptions and belligerent behavior by those who oppose Obamacare (as I do) only hurts their cause. This is not what a townhall meeting is about. It is an exchange of ideas. It is about listening to the other side. It is voicing your opinion, your position. I realize a lot of the anger is due to fear. There is fear that we are losing some of our rights to an overbearing federal government. It is a fear that Medicare is going to be drastically reduced, cut and slashed by President Obama. There may be some merit to those fears. The money to pay for his healthcare reform has to come from somewhere.

Just as disgusting, if not more so, are the union thugs of SEIU, the vote fraud specialists from ACORN bullying people at the townhalls meetings. There were no acts of violence until SEIU and ACORN showed up at these meetings. These people are an impediment to freedom of speech, something that should be condemned by the President of the United States. Yet, he seems strangely silent on these thugs from SEIU and ACORN. That is very, very disturbing. By ensuring the townhall meetings are filled with advocates of healthcare reform, they are making it appear as if there are as many, if not more, people who support the President's plan. It is a fabrication of the worst kind, much like President Obama's "townhall meeting" in New Hampshire.

We are all Americans (well, most of us, anyway). Trying to stifle freedom of speech is not now or ever will work in this country. Shouting down a U.S. Senator or Representative is not going to make people more attune to what you advocate. Bullying and physically attacking innocent people isn't going to work either. Both examples are an ugly side of an America I did not expect to see in this discussion. Both groups should be ashamed. Even more shame should be placed on Congressional "leaders" who have exacerbated the situation with name calling and innuendo. It's a sad time in America.

Nature Wednesday

Today I thought I would take this Nature Wednesday to Africa. I'm sure you have always seen those helpless Wildebeest trying to cross a river filled with crocodiles. I can almost feel their fear...almost. And a pic of a couple of lion cubs and a pic of what will be their archenemy someday; the hyena.

A Couple of Odd News Items

In London, men will soon be able to have an "ice cream viagra" [article link]called the "Sex Pistol." It contains ingredients guaranteed to get the blood pumping, according to Matt O'Connor, founder of The Icecreamists. This "concoction" will be available to all men over the age of 18 starting September 10. No word on whether or not you should get medical attention if you are still feeling the "effects" four hours later. I'm not sure I'll say much more about this. It speaks for itself.

In Melbourne, FL, Janet Schulte [article link] was "duped" into changing the diaper of a 40+ year old man. That's right, a 40+ year old man. She was told by phone that the man was disabled, needed to be bottle fed and needed diaper changing. Kate had placed an ad on Craig's List stating her services for child care. Being the good Samaritan, Kate thought she would be caregiver for this alleged disabled man. She was told on the phone the "disabled man" could come to her house on his own. After finding out she had been duped, Kate said she had been "violated, and disgusted." Well, I guess so. The police even said they are not sure a crime was committed. Oh, but there was a crime committed. One crime of utter stupidity, the other of deviant behavior. I'll let you figure out which is which.

Stranded in Death Valley

An 11 year old Las Vegas boy died [article link] of apparent dehydration after his mother's Jeep got stuck in sand for five days in Death Valley. The mother said they were going to Death Valley on a "camping trip." She also had a flat tire on the way to the camping trip, put the spare on and continued. Shortly after the flat, she got stuck in sand. She did bring 24 16oz water bottles. They ran out of that quickly. Unfortunately, the mother failed to bring maps.

I have some questions about this tragedy. First and foremost, what the hell was she doing going to Death Valley on a camping trip in the first place? That place is a death trap for even the most seasoned camper. It averages over a 100 degrees F. She was alone with her 11 year old boy. How could she neglect to bring maps? She obviously didn't have a clue where she was stranded. When she had the flat tire, why didn't she turn back then? You don't go into a remote area like that without a spare. Also, why didn't she try to ration her water. I know it's hard not to drink when it's that hot. But, it could possibly have saved her son's life by rationing out the water during the day, no drinking at night.

I just fail to understand people like the mother of this child. Something called common sense has to come into play somewhere. You don't place yourself in an untenable position as she did. The mother did survive as she was airlifted out of there. She is going to face some mighty tough questions over the next couple of weeks as she recovers.

City Shuts Down Lemonade Stand

Eight-year-old Daniela Earnest [article link] wants to go to Disney Land in California. She wanted to go very bad. So, like any eight-year old during the summer, she opened up a lemonade stand at a busy intersection in Tulare, CA. But, before she could even sell the first glass of lemonade, a "code enforcement officer" shut down the stand and the entrepreneurial spirit of the eight-year old. The officer told her she was at an intersection that was not safe and she "did not have a business license" to run the lemonade stand. I don't even know how to respond to that. Well...yes, yes I do. Is it safe for beggars at these dangerous intersections holding up "Will work for food" signs? Probably not. How about people collecting money for charities, such as a policeman's fund, just as an example? Probably not. The officer was probably right in that it was not a safe area. It was a busy area and a "business" will naturally gravitate to where there are potential customers. So, I can't argue too much that Daniela was not in a safe area, although her step-mother was right there with her.

What I find preposterous is that she was told she needed a damn business license for a lemonade stand. There is something un-American about requiring a kid to have a license to sell lemonade during the summer for some reason. I am happy to report a radio station in Tulare said they would give Daniella and her family tickets to Disney Land in exchange for 30 cups of lemonade. That was great for Daniella and family, not to mention some great publicity for the radio station. As far as I can tell, the IRS hasn't said they were going to storm Daniella's business for not paying taxes on that lemonade sold to the radio station. But, I can't say that would surprise me in this day and time when a kid needs a license to have a lemonade stand.

Big Brother in USA?

In Nazi Germany, neighbor turned in neighbor to Hitler's brown shirts if they felt they were subversive to the cause of Adolf Hitler. Brown shirts would come in the middle of the night, take away people who were never seen again. Fascism was the root of all evil in Germany.

Obama's director of new media, Macon Phillips, has asked the public [article link] to report any and all questionable claims made about President Obama's healthcare plan. He further stated, ""There is a lot of disinformation about health insurance reform out there, spanning from control of personal finances to end of life care. ..."Since we can?t keep track of all of them here at the White House, we're asking for your help. If you get an email or see something on the web about health insurance reform that seems fishy..." And he goes on to give an email address to report any adverse reaction to our Dear Leader's socialized medicine.

Senator John Cornyn of Texas stated he has never seen at any time a sitting U.S. President asking citizens to turn in other citizens over their 1st Amendment right of free speech. As Senator Cornyn correctly pointed out, what would have been the reaction of the "progressives" among us if President Bush had advocated citizens turning in citizens over his policies. There would have been screaming from the rooftops of Capitol Hill that Bush was turning Amerika into a fascist state. And rightly so, I might add. Now, I'm going to sit back...and wait for the "progressives" (I use that since they really have disdain for that liberal label now) to scream that the opponents of healthcare have to be heard since their 1st Amendment right is as important as those who advocate the President's government run healthcare plan.

Thus far, there has been total silence about this from those on the left. Could it be that the "progressives" only believe in free speech as long as it is in agreement with their beliefs? That has been said many times of those on the left. You may say, "But, this is just one issue. You are going to the extreme here." Perhaps. But, consider when the Republicans wanted to say "government run healthcare" in their franking mail, they were stopped by...you guessed it, those "progressive" Democrats.

Somewhere, Martin Niemöller is rolling in his grave.

Nature Wednesday

This week we have some pics of a hummingbird, butterfly (who have always fascinated me for some reason) and, of course, a waterfall. As you may have gathered by now, I love waterfalls. Hope you enjoy this edition of Nature Wednesday.

Cash for Clunkers Program

As many of you are aware, the Cash for Clunkers program was nearly suspended last weekend because it had basically given out of money. It was so popular until from the time it started (July 20th, last Monday) to Thursday of last week, the fund was empty. That was amazing. In fact, I was actually considering trading in my old '95 Nissan pickup. There is nothing wrong with the old pickup outside of a few dents and the hood won't latch any longer. I just tie it down with a bungee cord now. The idea of potentially getting up to $7K for this old truck caught my attention since Chrysler was matching the government's rebate money.

As I said, I was really interested. But, then I started thinking what a hypocrite I would be. I have long blasted the government on spending taxpayer money on frivolous waste. This money, this $3500-4500 was not my money. It was going to come from someone. It was coming from the American taxpayer who pay for such wasteful spending ideas that originate in Congress and the Oval Office. I admit, I was really enthralled with the idea. It's easy to be taken in by this "free money" that the Obama Administration is doling out now. The bottom line, however, this "free money" is going to have to be paid back someday. I thought about that a lot over the weekend as I passed by dealerships that were bustling with customers. I decided I would not take part in this wasteful spending, as enticing as it was to me. So, I just tightened the bungee cord on the hood, washed the exterior and cleaned up the interior of the old truck. I'll just keep it. Some will say I'm crazy. I've been called worse. But, I'm not sure I could respect myself if I took part in this government boondoggle called Cash for Clunkers.

College Grad Sues College

Trina Thompson went to Monroe College with the idea that once she graduated, she would find a great job. That is usually the reason people go to college. However, as with most grads, it is extremely difficult to find that great job or any kind of job in this tough economy. So, now Trina wants her money back [article link] from the college because she is unable to find work. The college didn't do enough to help her get a job. So, she is suing to get her money back. Student loans are mounting up and she is facing a financial crisis.

I sympathize with Trina Thompson in the respect she is unable to find a job after getting her degree. It is tough. However, what makes her different from the thousands of other college grads, who like her, are unable to find work? Maybe their living arrangements are different. But, there are many who are in her predicament. I've never heard of a college grad suing a college because they can't find work. You are not guaranteed a job once you graduate. Surely, Trina understood this once she started school. The mere fact she is able to even file this lawsuit points up to another pet peeve of mine; tort reform. I know those two words send trial lawyers into a frenzy. But, I realized we needed tort reform when a woman was able to successfully sue McDonalds for spilling hot coffee on herself a few years back. She won almost three million dollars in that suit. I put Trina's lawsuit in the same category. Nothing in life is guaranteed, including getting a job once you graduate from college. I've been there and done that. I personally don't see where she has a leg to stand on in this lawsuit. But, I thought that McDonalds lawsuit was frivolous also. And one woman is a multi-millionaire as a result of spilling hot coffee on herself. Only in America.