Obama appoints Clinton and Gates to his cabinet

The pieces of the puzzle are falling into place as Obama firms up his administration. I wonder what kind of impact Bill Clinton will have now that his wife is back in the limelight?

He's been told to clean up his act with his Presidential Library and foundation so it doesn't reflect badly on Hillary.

I view Hillary's appointment much like I view what Lincoln did when he appointed his enemies to positions so that he could keep an eye on them.

Obama has the same idea. Gates was probably a good pick for the short term, to give continuity to our efforts in Iran and Afghanistan.

There's nothing like a heater on a cold Japanese day

These ring-tailed lemurs are warming themselves at the Monkey Center in Inuyama, Aichi Perfecture (state), central Japan.

Looking Like Christmas at Nana and Papa's house!

It was the last week of November, and all through the house, Nana and Papa were getting ready for some Christmas fun.

In 25 days there will be five grandchildren, and the rest of our family, here at our house which must be transformed before then to a place of wonder for children and adults alike!

In a slow, but steady stream, Christmas lights have slithered out from normally sealed red and green plastic crates throughout the household these past four days.

Stuffed Santa's and Angels have climbed out of their storage spaces, while the two, 3-foot-tall tin Nutcracker Kings, took up their positions on either side of the fresh pine sweet Christmas tree (still bare but waiting patiently for adornments sure to come).

The front porch glitters like a thousand stars when it's dark outside now with white and colored lights blinking in greeting to all visitors. Christmas ivy forms wreathes around the windows, inside and out, adding to the already colorful seasonal display.

Mrs Claus and elves are busy at work in one corner while Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer lights the way to a Nativity scene on one counter. The scents of the holiday dance throughout the room, a pleasant combination of odors for the visitor's delight.

This is what it's like in Nana's and Papa's tonight...

The high cost of low price: Wal-Mart Christmas in the T-S

The cost of doing business with Wal-Mart is another nail in American manufacturers/workers coffins.

There's a reason why they sell for less.

 Perhaps even more troubling is the response this year to shopping specials at Wal-Mart - one man dead (trampled to death by crazy shoppers) and others injured.

 Do Americans really want a deal that badly? Are the deals at Wal-Mart worth dying for?

As It Stands, in today's Time-Standard I look at Wal-Mart with a critical eye, and a deep suspicion they have contributed to this country's financial woes by their business practices.

 Click Here to read today's column.

Check out this blog by Josh Richmond of the Political Blotter

This is a sampling of political writer Josh Richman's blog, The Political Blotter. Read more and post comments at www.ibabuzz.com/politics.

Nov. 19

Oakland-based Americans for Safe Access, a medical marijuana advocacy group, sued the California Department of Motor Vehicles today on behalf of Rose Johnson, 53, of Atwater. The Merced County Superior Court lawsuit claims that despite Johnson's clean driving record — not having caused an accident in 37 years of driving — the DMV refused to renew her license in July after finding she's a medical-marijuana user and deeming that she had an "addiction to, or habitual use of, [a] drug" that renders her unable to safely operate a car.

"The only evidence introduced by the DMV to support this conclusion is the fact of Johnson's medical marijuana use pursuant to state law," the lawsuit says. "The DMV abused its discretion by suspending Johnson's license on this basis."

ASA Chief Counsel Joe Elford issued a statement this afternoon saying when California voters passed Proposition 215, the Compassionate Use Act of 1996, "they never intended to authorize the DMV to strip medical marijuana patients of their drivers' licenses. The DMV should not be in the business of revoking the licenses of drivers like Ms. Johnson simply because she is a medical marijuana patient."

And ASA says this isn't an isolated incident.

The DMV has suspended or revoked licenses of medical-marijuana patients in other counties, including Alameda, Butte, Contra Costa, Glenn, Merced, Placer, Sacramento, and Sonoma.

Johnson's case seems particularly ironic because Merced County, where she lives, this past year instructed its sheriff's deputies to respect state law and not cite medical marijuana patients or seize their medicine. Yet Johnson, never accused of driving while under the influence of marijuana or anything else, was denied her license renewal by a state agency for an activity allowed by state law.

And as I write this item, having just finished an article on the state Supreme Court's impending review of Proposition 8, I wonder how much longer we'll have to keep litigating and re-litigating the effects of a medical-marijuana initiative approved by voters 12 years ago. It seems California just can't find a way to stop stepping on its own toes.

Aphrodisiac from Ants: Man executed for massive investor scam!

Chinese authorities announced that they executed the leader of a scheme to swindle investors out of their money by making aphrodisiacs from ants. Wang Zhendong, was put to death in the northeastern province of Liaoning, according to Xinhua News Agency (China's official news source).

Wang managed to steal about 3 billion yuan ($439 million) from numerous investors. One of the investor's even committed suicide when he discovered he'd been ripped off. China does not mess with crime like this. If they catch you, that's it. You're dead. Needless to say, not many people try it.

Can you imagine if we did that here in the United States? Hmmmmm....as a matter of fact that's not a bad idea! That would help deplete the overcrowded prisons. Of course, we would have to start off by executing all the mass murders, serial killers, and just plain old murderers first. And we all know that'll never happen. Oh well...just a thought.

Lakers beat Mavericks to extend their record to 13-1

 

I know the game was Friday night, but as a Laker fan since the early 1960s, I just wanted to crow about their NBA best record so far.

The Lakers have been dismantling opponents this season by an average of 14 points a game!

Left, Trevor Aziza gets a tough rebound against two Dallas players, and on the right - Pau Gasol makes life miserable for Antoine Wright driving to the basket.

What's a Wal-Mart Christmas Mean? See Sunday Times-Standard

As It Stands takes a look at what Wal-Mart's business practices and what they have done to help destroy American manufacturers who can't keep up with the giant retailer.

How desperate are people this year to get a good deal?

How about desperate enough to kill?

That's what happened in Valley Stream, New York, on Friday when shoppers trampled a Wal-Mart contract worker to death!

Where does it end when getting a great deal is worth this? See Sundays Time-Standard's Opinion Page and see where the wages of greed have taken us.

Police look at video tapes to see who killed Wal-Mart worker

Police are looking at surveillance cameras from Friday morning, when an unruly crowd of shoppers burst through the front door of a New York Wal-Mart store and trampled a worker to death. The store was back open hours later. The sales had to go on! Click here for full story.

Wal-Mart Worker Trampled To Death by Mob of Shoppers!

It really is Black Friday for one family in New York. A 34-year-old man New York man was knocked down when (according to Nassau police) "an unruly shoppers physically broke down the front door to rush inside." The man was taken to a hospital and pronounced dead this morning at 6:00 a.m. A pregnant woman shopper was also injured and taken to the hospital. her condition is still unknown at this time.

To me, this is a sad reflection of the desperate times we live in financially. Pundits have called this day Black Friday in reference to businesses coming out in "the black" this holiday shopping season. Still, I find it hard to believe that people wanted a "good deal" that badly, where they felt they had to actually break into the store! These are hard times in more ways than one.

My sympathies go out this Friday morning to the family of that poor man who died while working in Wal-Mart. The whole situation makes me feel sick.

I already hate Wal-Mart's business practices and have even wrote a column that is going in this Sunday's Times-Standard about Wal-mart's affect on the economy. Especially this season. Little did I know something like this would happen to put a punctuation mark on the price of doing business.  CLICK HERE to read more.