In Honor of Upcoming Valentine's Day: Lovers in Love

 

(images credit: Botinok)

KBR (formerly part of Halliburton) is at it again - Gets $35 million contract from Pentagon!

TIM FLEMING, writing for OP Ed News has this tidbit about more graft in high places...

"The news is as stunning as it is disturbing. KBR (Kellogg, Brown & Root...until recently a part of Halliburton) was awarded a $35 million contract for major electrical work in Iraq, according to the Associated Press, "...even as it is under criminal investigation in the electrocution deaths of at least two U.S. soldiers in Iraq."

FOR THE WHOLE ARTICLE CLICK HERE.

Retail gasoline goes up as wholesale gasoline goes down!

The last time I looked at the price of local gas here in Humboldt it was $2.49 a gallon. Listening to the news this morning, I saw that the price of a barrel of crude oil has gone down to $36 a barrel. So how does this justify the increase? It doesn't! When will we ever be free from the greedy oil barons?

cartoon via Multinational Monitor

Capitol Hill Police arrest a man with rifle who wanted to see President Obama!

According to Politico.com...

Capitol Police spokeswoman Kimberly Schneider says the man did not make an explicit threat against the president. -- (6:35 p.m.)
More details on Capitol Hill arrest: The man walked up to a “birdcage,” one of the Capitol Police guard shacks in the driveway. When challenged for identification, the man was "talking funny," according to a CP officer. Police asked whether he had any weapons, he told them that he had a .22 caliber rifle. -- John Bresnahan (5:56 p.m.)
Capitol police have arrested a man on the Hill who said he had a delivery for President Obama and a rifle. -- Josh Gerstein (5:30 p.m.)

 

Send your Valentine a Butterfly Message of Love!

Nature Speaks in English Sometimes...
Today I stumbled upon a really fascinating little site: Butterfly Alphabet.

Meticulously sought-out and collected there by scientists and amateurs alike are the LETTERS, NUMBERS and SYMBOLS found in everyday nature patterns and particularly in butterfly wings.
Here is the Butterfly Alphabet...(right)

What's more, on this site, you can write your name, or any text in the butterfly (or other nature pattern) letters and send the card to your romantic interest for this Valentine's Day!

     

  

Some of the endearing faces found on that site. They have heart pictures, too!

Just 20 more feet Gary! I think I see a water hole ahead!

Source unknown

Whose side is Geithner really on? He's making sure the wealthy come first in the Stimulus Bill!

A wolf in sheep's clothing?

Treasury secretary Timothy Geithner, fought against putting severe limits on executive's pay for companies that are getting government aid.

He managed to prevail in his arguments with Obama's staff who wanted more accountability from the fat cats running banks, etc. I forget now, why did Obama appoint him despite his personal tax troubles?

If you have the answer to that question please tell me! Meanwhile for a comprehensive overview of the actions of Gaithner, and what he's said, click here and see what their saying over at the New York Times about all of this.

Geithner pic via Google images

 

Peanut Butter Peril: Just what type should we avoid?

The FBI is involved now. Our national peanut butter crisis is taking on the aspects of a criminal investigation.

Five people have died from salmonella poisoning and hundreds have been sickened from eating it. I love peanut butter but am afraid to eat it in any form right now, for fear that those jars of it are also tainted, regardless of what's being reported right now.

Authorities are saying the jars of peanut are okay. That's today. What about tomorrow?

The Chicago Tribune talks about the current FBI investigation here.  

Peanut pic from Google Images

Roy knew he would be lunch if caught hitchhiking but he couldn't stop himself!

Getting a free ride:
Red-winged Blackbird on top of a Red-tailed Hawk

(image via Vineri Triskaideka)

Happy Hamsters: Have you ever had one for a pet?

 

Two of my grandsons recently got a pair of hamsters (not the duo shown above). They saved up their money and bought a big plastic hamster home full of tunnels and things to play on.

When my wife and I got married in 1974, our first pet was  a hamster. We were in an apartment and both worked, so we needed a low maintenance kinda pet. We bought "Zig Zag" thinking he'd fit the bill and got him a little Ferris wheel and fancy food. But there was something not quit right about him. For starters he never stopped running on that Ferris wheel! Day and night. His every waking moment!

I entertained evil thoughts about him for awhile, and then one day I came home and my wife said he was dead. "How" I asked? She had no idea. She just found him laying limp on that damn Ferris wheel. In retrospect, I think he was an older hamster and the pet shop passed him off as a youth. It was either that, or he was just crazy and ran himself to death!

Hamster images via darkroastedblend.com archives

GOP blockheads don't care about the economy... They just want to fight and be ornery!

 Robert Parry of Consortium News talks about the Republican's attempts to derail any recovery plan for America. It's obvious the Republicans are going to take a hard partisan stance to stifle efforts to stimulate the economy, unless it's done "their way." The problem is the GOP is in the minority! Remember guys and gals?

Here's a bit from Parry's post today:

"The only thing close about the vote is whether the package can overcome a Republican filibuster and get 60 votes for “cloture.” To reach this super-majority, Democrats have been forced to accept a higher percentage of tax cuts, even if leading economists consider tax cuts one of the least effective ways of stimulating the moribund economy.

Yet, this anti-democratic fact about the GOP strategy – that it seeks to frustrate the will of the American majority, which rejected the Republicans and their policies in the last two U.S. elections – is rarely mentioned in the news."

To read the entire article click here.

GOP image via Google Images