Framing the Dialogue

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Life Unlock

A snapshop paints a thousand words this one of Yahoo tells you what the mainstream media wants you to read

This story about identity theft sounds about as exciting the next story about identity theft except that the perpetrator was not interested in stealing money or assets. Zach Edwards has been accused and arrested for attempting to steal the identity of Matt Schultz. This is still not titillating for you? Here is the headline from the story from the Des Moines Register:

Iowa Secretary of State Matt Schultz Targeted for Identity Theft by Former Obama Staffer

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Looking Forward to Lite Summer Blends

I’ll bet this image caught your eye!

No I am no talking about fashion.  If you ever saw me dress you’d know that I do not follow current trends.  The blends that I am talking about are “designer” gasoline blends that are required depending on where you live.  First some background from the General Accounting Office,

“The Clean Air Act, as amended, requires some areas with especially poor air quality to use a “special gasoline blend” designed to reduce emissions”

“when different octane grades and other factors are considered, there were at least 45 different kinds of gasoline produced in the United States during all of 2004.”

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As The Debt Turns

For those of us that lean fiscally conservative the following headline was meant to give solace to the frighteningly steep rise in our nation’s debt;

House votes to deny Obama more borrowing authority

The borrowing refers to the need to yet again raise our debt ceiling and allow politicians the ability to spend more by borrowing more.  I, unlike the article’s author, used the term “politicians” rather than just Obama when referring to the one(s) doing the borrowing.  This story is should be primer on how the political class (both right and left and middle) play the game to ensure that they stay in power while seeming to play to their bases.

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Then We Came To The End

I don’t want to suggest that you need to work in a cube city office to enjoy this book.  I don’t want to suggest that you have to have endured a series of layoffs at your work to enjoy this book.  I don’t want to suggest that you have to work for an advertising agency to enjoy this book.  I do suggest that the more of these experiences you have the more you’ll enjoy Then We Came to the End and I consider myself somewhat an authority since I’ve experienced two of the three.

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MLK, Jr. Was a Republican

Many times as I read an article I find a few sentences that capture the essence of the piece. In “Phrase-e-ology” I’ll post some thought followed by key phrases. As always I’ll have a link (in blue) to the original article.

A few years ago Human Events posted an article about Martin Luther King, Jr. and the fact that he was in fact a Republican and generally, and contrary to the fiction taught and put forward by media, the Democrats fought AGAINST rights for blacks.  It is appropriate to review the FACTS (not the liberal narrative) about Mr. King, Jr., the Democrats, and the civil rights movement.

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Keeping Up With The Barbies

I should probably check this story on Smoking Gun.  Reuters is reporting that Mattel is going to come out with new Barbies fashioned after the Kardashian sisters.  I remember buying one of my daughters “Paleontologist Barbie” and the brand is famous for some of the career choices available for Barbie, including President of the United States.  Why on earth would Mattel risk the wholesome Barbie brand by featuring Kim, Kourtney, and Khloe?

Top Ten Reasons Why Mattel Will Offer a Kardashian Barbie

  1. They figured they could make a lot of money on clothing by using less fabric and charging the same amount
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As We Forgive Those Who Trespass Against Us

Sometimes I need help explaining what appears to be inexplicable…

Our local chapter of the “Occupy” movement (though they really don’t move all that much) has been occupying a local, privately owned park in the downtown area of Pittsburgh.  The owner, BNY New York, had been allowing the occupation, but recently figured out that placating stooges who hate you won’t make them like you.  In fact they lose respect for you, feel like they can push you around, and seek more.  That’s the whole “Occupy” movement.

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The King of Torts

The next time I am watching television and one of those commercials comes on asking if I took a certain drug and now suffer one of a hundred or so maladies I’ll have a better understanding of the lawyers behind the ad. The King of Torts traces the meteoric rise of a struggling public defender to the “king of torts.” John Grisham spins a legal tale that includes greed, selfishness, waste, cheating, illegality, and jealousy and that’s just the lawyers.  Class action suits are shown to be the sleazy, ambulance-chasing profession that it is. 

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The Ten Cannots

There was a news item a few days ago that got very little attention yet was perhaps the story of 2012 less than two weeks into the new year.  It should have been front page above the fold with a bold, red headline.  The total debt of the United States now exceeds our Gross Domestic Product, or

“The 100% mark means that your entire debt is as big as everything you’re producing in your country.”

“Economist Mark Zandi of Moody’s Analytics says reaching the 100% mark shows ‘the grave need to address our long-term fiscal problems.”

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My 10,000 Steps

Perhaps not as widely used as “drinking 8 glasses of water each day” or “an apple a day…”, the belief that taking ten thousand steps each day will pave the way towards total health is almost as well known.  On many levels that makes sense to me.  I have a relatively new position where I work that entails a fair amount of walking 2-3 times per week with some climbing slopes included.  I had been doing this for a few months and I noticed something weird.  I was able to tighten one more belt hole, my pants got a little bigger, and I didn’t gasp for air when I strode up a steep slope.

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