I.M.O

Well, the Iowa parade has come and gone and we have the "top" three winners from the GOP establishment. Cruz, Trump and Rubio - with all the polls and discussion going around I can honestly tell you that to me Iowa doesn't matter and neither does New Hampshire. Based on delegates both Iowa and New Hampshire have pretty low numbers to make a difference. The only reason why these two states even matter is because they both vote earlier then any other state; that's it. What I do appreciate from the campaigns visiting the states and their towns/cities is that in brings in a large amount of money that in true nature is an influx in revenue. Speaking with my wife we both agree that the two states look forward to this every four years because to them is like a Black Friday of sorts. Winning Iowa doesn't guarantee a win for president - Ronald Reagan lost the Iowa Caucus and ended up becoming our 40th POTUS. Like every four years i'm going to sit back and evaluate the field and see where my logic and heart falls when it get closer to the primary.

We must remember...

As most of you may have heard, there have been some amazing breakthroughs this past month in linking certain genes to Alzheimer's, but there is still a lot of work to be done. This year, the first of the Boomer Generation turns 65. To bring urgently-needed attention to the risk facing the Boomers, Alzheimer's Association released a groundbreaking study, Generation Alzheimer's: The Defining Disease of the Baby Boomers.

The information you read is just the beginning of what has been discovered. Please take a few minutes of your time and do some homework on the ever growing problem of Alzheimer's.

Going Under...

Fresno, California - A story that will not amaze me now or ever, this man has done what most homeless people haven't thought of yet. Bruce Stacy a homeless carpenter has dug himself a home underground where he lives and spends his time away from the elements. Apparently he has built himself a few of these before in the past. Although the video below doesn't mention where they are or what has happened to them it looks like Mr. Stacy has improved his work where he even has an escape tunnel when ever some one approaches that is of the unfamiliar kind. The percentage of homeless people is rising at a record pace, we need to help those in need until they are able to get back on their feet financially and spiritually.
VIDEO on CNN

Justice or Street Justice?

This post is one that will go down as one that will keep us wondering why not build a moat. A man fleeing from police near Miami, Florida, jumped in a pond and was eaten by a large alligator. Now I don't know if the man was a native to the area but I guess the sign you see to the right was not seen by the gentleman. I would call this justice served, would you consider it street justice or just justice? Either way this should be a story for all crooks to remember - always plan your route before attempting to rob someone or some place. What an idiot, he should taken his chances with the cops instead of taking a short cut.
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A Good Concert...

My wife and I were honored to attend and support our youngest child at her second chorus concet at Bowsher High School. She and her group performed very well, the songs they chose were sung excellently. In case you're wondering which one is my kid - she's on the top row she's the third one from right to left. Their performance was very well put together and you can tell that they had a good time performing. As most of you might already know my wife is a very emotional person especially when it comes to watching her youngest perform on stage, well she had a few tears escape hence causing her to cry during the event. I'm proud of you Aubrey and I hope to see many more performances from you and your group.

Volunteers to honor...

While watching the news last night and again tonight online I want to send a special thank you to the couple that have taken the time to take the course and passing it with such a passion for the safety of their fellow neighbor and stranger. That couple is none other than Rick and Lynn Melchert. Thank you for taking the time to help the police force by offering your time and energy. What we need here in Toledo is something similar to what they have done but with the police vehicle problem we have this wonderful program won't work all that good here, but it would be nice for Toledo to look into it.

Stop Scammers...

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I got this little FYI from a co-worker that I consider a good friend, read it and please watch out for scammers...

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NEW CREDIT CARD SCAM

The Holiday Season is just a little bit down the road and the bad guys are
already trying to get free stuff by using your credit.

This one is pretty slick since they provide YOU with all the information,
except the one piece they want.  Note, the callers do not ask for your card
number; they already have it.

This information is worth reading.  By understanding how the VISA and
MasterCard Telephone Credit Card Scam works, you'll be better prepared to
protect yourself.

One of our employees was called on Wednesday from 'VISA', and I was called
on Thursday from 'Master Card'.  The scam works like this: Person calling
says, 'This is (name), and I'm calling from the Security and Fraud
Department at VISA.  My badge number is 12460.  Your card has been flagged
for an unusual purchase pattern, and I'm calling to verify.  This would be
on your VISA card which was issued by ( name of bank).  Did you purchase an
Anti-Telemarketing Device for $497.99 from a Marketing company based in
Arizona ?' ........

When you say 'No', the caller continues with, 'Then we will be issuing a
credit to your account.  This is a company we have been watching and the
charges range from $297 to $497, just under the $500 purchase pattern that
flags most cards. Before your next statement, the credit will be sent to
(gives you your address), is that correct?' You say 'yes'.......

The caller continues - 'I will be starting a Fraud investigation.  If you
have any questions, you should call the 1- 800 number listed on the back of
your card (1-800-VISA) and ask for Security. You will need to refer to this
Control Number.  The caller then gives you a 6 digit number. 'Do you need me
to read it again?'

Here's the IMPORTANT part on how the scam works.  The caller then says, 'I
need to verify you are in possession of your card.' He'll ask you to 'turn
your card over and look for some numbers.' There are 7 numbers; the first 4
are part of your card number, the next 3 are the security Numbers' that
verify you are the possessor of the card.  These are the numbers you
sometimes use to make Internet purchases to prove you have the card.....

The caller will ask you to read the 3 numbers to him.  After you tell the
caller the 3 numbers, he'll say, 'That is correct, I just needed to verify
that the card has not been lost or stolen, and that you still have your
card.  Do you have any other questions?' After you say, 'No,' the caller
then thanks you and states, 'Don't hesitate to call back if you do', and
hangs up. ....

You actually say very little, and they never ask for or tell you the Card
number.  But after we were called on Wednesday, we called back within 20
minutes to ask a question.  Are we glad we did! The REAL VISA security
Department told us it was a scam and in the last 15 minutes a new purchase
of $497.99 was charged to our card.

Long story - short - we made a real fraud report and closed the VISA
account.  VISA is reissuing us a new number.  What the scammers want is the
3-digit PIN number on the back of the card. Don't give it to them. Instead,
tell them you'll call VISA or Master card directly for verification of their
conversation.

The real VISA told us that they will never ask for anything on the card as
they already know the information since they issued the card!  If you give
the scammers your 3 Digit PIN Number, you think you're receiving a credit.
However, by the time you get your statement you'll see charges for purchases
you didn't make, and by then it's almost too late and/or more difficult to
actually file a fraud report.

What makes this more remarkable is that on Thursday, I got a call from a
'Jason Richardson of Master Card' with a word-for-word repeat of the VISA
scam.  This time I didn't let him finish. I hung up! We filed a police
report, as instructed by VISA.  The police said they are taking several of
these reports daily!  They also urged us to tell everybody we know that this
scam is happening. Please pass this on to all your family and friends.  By
informing each other, we protect each other.

Rush on top of things...

Philanthropist Betty Casey won the Harry Reid "phony soldiers" smear letter with a $2,100,100 donation to the Marine Corps-Law Enforcement Foundation (MC-LEF.org). Rush matched that donation with $2,100,100 of his own money. The Democrats donated $0 to the children of our fallen heroes. I was hoping to see Harry himself throw in some cash for the cause but of course he would much rather try to make it look like he and Rush were in on this the whole time by asking those who were listening to him to participate in the bid because after all it was for the kids. What a loser.

Back to the past or maybe the future...

I just saw one of the famous DeLoreans go by me when I came back from lunch. Apparently one of the employees next door owns one, his is in really good shape considering the age of the car. Well when I got back to my desk I did a Google search on the car and found the video below. It turns out that they have a huge warehouse full of parts from fenders to engines. Check out the video and see for yourself what the history was on this little puppy.

Today in history...

This Day in History:
1789 - 1st presidential tour-George Washington in New England
1860 - 11 year-old Grace Bedell writes to Lincoln, tells him to grow a beard & he does.
1863 - American Civil War: The first submarine to sink a ship, and first to sink an enemy warship, CSS H. L. Hunley sinks during a test, killing its inventor, Horace L. Hunley.
1892 - The U.S. government announced that the land in the western Montana was open to settlers. The 1.8 million acres were bought from the Crow Indians for 50 cents per acre
1917 - WW I: Dutch dancer Mata Hari is executed by firing squad for spying for Germany.
1923 - NY Yankees 1st World Series win beating NY Giants, 4 games to 2(World Series #20)
1928 - The airship, the Graf Zeppelin completed its first trans-Atlantic flight, landing at Lakehurst, New Jersey, USA.
1933 - Philadelphia Eagles play 1st NFL game, lose to NY Giants 56-0
1940 - Commandant Tom Holcomb issued orders to mobilize the Marine Reserve for WW II.
1945 - WW II: The former premier of France Pierre Laval is shot by a firing squad for treason.
As you can see the info mentioned above is from a site that I found to be of interest to me especially since it deals with historical facts. I try to keep a sharp mind on the history events and facts. I'm not saying that I'm a whiz on history it's just that I'm fascinated with history.

An Interrupted Plan...

By looking at the image to the right simply disturbs me because for this kid to have this much arsenal and then having the mom being found responsible for purchasing some of the weaponry which includes a 9mm rifle and allowing her son to actually have gun powder in the home. Call me an out of the box thinker here but didn't she get a clue or an insight or heck even a hint that her son was a bit out there. What kid collects guns as a hobby, why I say that - because it would not surprise me if she pleads not guilty due to her thinking it was a collection that he had and that it didn't have any other meaning to it other then that. I need to meet the friend that brought this to the attention of the police because that person needs to be honored for preventing a possible horror.
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Thank goodness...

'Bridge to nowhere' abandoned

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That title just makes me feel great. There's nothing that feels better then having something stopped that wasn't going to serve any purpose to anyone.

"We went through political hot water -- tons of it -- and not just nationally but internationally," Ketchikan-Gateway Borough Mayor Joe Williams said. "We have nothing to show for it."

Here in Ohio we beefed up our ferry lines to Put-in-Bay with our new Jet Express service. The bad boys pick up some serious speed and they get you to the fun in no time at all. I believe they should resubmit their proposal but instead of going for the bridge aspect they should go for completely new docks at each of the locations with state of the art accommodations and services. I know what it feels like to have a project in your hands (southwyke) that will be great for the community and then have someone else (Dillards) from the outside throw a monkey wrench into the works. The reason why I'm not for this particular project is because it costs way too much. We have been spending money as a country like there's no tomorrow and this project did not need to be born.

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Only in Toledo...

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About a month or so ago our mayor was caught leaving his dog in his car with the windows up with about an inch or two of an opening for air to come in. He refused to admit that what he did was wrong and went about his business. A few days later he attends a gathering at UT where he once again left his dog in the car with the heat being unbearable, if you get the audio copy of that days event you can actually hear the dog in the background yelping. With the previous neglect and then this one you would of thought that the humane society would of done something but because they did not have any of their people there to witness it first hand they were unable to do anything. Well now of course to make things all good again the mayor has decided to do a PSA and inform people of what not to do when having your furry companion with you and you are unable to take the animal inside with you. Correct me if I'm wrong, didn't he do this twice before getting the hint? Only in Toledo Baby...

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Common Sense that's all...

Watching this video I couldn't help but remember the post I did awhile ago about a man getting shanked with a twelve inch horn in his leg. This kid although very talented or in my opinion very stupid is facing a pissed-off bull while learning the steps as a bull fighter. You know that's great to have the sense of fear be stripped away and the sense of control takes over your complete body but when that bull decides to give you an extra hole you didn't have before don't come complaining to the trainers that it hurts.

Let's legalize it...

The statement above is one that many of my coworkers believe should be done through out the US when it comes to marijuana. I can agree to a point, yes legalizing it and then taxing the heck out of it would bring some extra money maybe some added crime as well. My only problem with the legalizing of it is that even though it is such a highly used product many of the customers buy it in secrecy because the last thing they want is for someone to know that they are smoking it. The argument stood at that beer and alcohol has just as much of an impairment as marijuana and those seem to sell pretty easy. My only answer to that was that the two beverages have been in the system for so long now that when you see a coworker or even your boss walk out with a case of beer or even a brown bagged liquor bottle you don't necessarily deem them a danger, you automatically assume they are going to either have a party or just a small social meeting with some friends. I can assure that even if it was legalized not many people will quickly head out to buy some for the fact that they don't want to run into some friends that might think of them as one of those people. If you legalize it make sure that it follows the same standards as cigarettes and cigars, actually let me correct that make sure you don't smoke them anywhere except your home - Why? Because having a smoke break at work with smokes is not the same as having a smoke break at work with a joint. Ah heck keep the darn thing illegal because the last thing you want is some knuckle head come in to a convenience store and ask where it came from then have the clerk not know and god forbid someone buys something homegrown.
:)

Not Old School at all...

90-year-old Estelle Rees-Arroyo is one of Sacramento State's new students, she's also the University's oldest student.

All I can say is that for a woman of her age still wanting to continue her education is something that has to be respected and honored. My question is with her being 90 years old can she input some data on her past that might add to the class lessons. I would be more then honored to have her in my class, I would definitely ask her some questions regarding what her past was like and did she come across anyone that might of influenced her in the slightest bit. My hat goes off to her for continueing her education especially at her age.

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Just some help...

After talking to my wife today she and I agree that some companies do not know what such a thing is or how it works. It seems that companies would inform you of cetain details but in actuality they are merely trying to get you suckered, (ie) Purchase a brand new PC from any retail store, go home install it enjoy it for about a week. You then notice that certain programs aren't cooperating with the OS (operating system). You've got yourself a new PC but are unable to run the basic programs. Well being the concerned consumer that you are you would call the manufacture's number to find a resolution to your problem. Well the first thing you get is the oh so familiar run-around on the automated voice prompts. After about an hour on hold you get someone that after trying to help you informs you that the model you bought has a few "bugs" in it and that a correction model was created to eliminate the problem. So you tell yourself sweet I just bought this one so I have at least a one year manufacturer's warranty. That's when the idiot on the phone adds that the warranty on that model is voided due to the fact that it's obsolete, but they'll be more that happy to issue a certificate that only covers for about a third of the supposed "New and Improved" PC. The answer to this whole bs experience is to
A) ask before buying if the product is capable of operating on its own after it leaves the store or
B) have the manufacturers keep all current known issues available to all of their vendors so that a bad one does not get sold before being removed from the shelf.

This happened to a co-worker of mine yesterday - let's just say he's still upset.

Added note:
This was bought as a package deal which those of you who have bought package deals before it usually has an extra detail that once opened it cannot be returned - kind of like the if you open a cd/dvd you can't return it.

Napolean's Parts...

The title is some what weird and awkward but it is true.

Exiled emperor Napoleon Bonaparte died on May 5, 1821. The following day, doctors conducted an autopsy, which was reportedly witnessed by many people, including a priest named Ange Vignali.

Though the body was said to be largely intact at the time of the undertaking, it seems the priest took home a souvenir. In 1916, Vignali's heirs sold a collection of Napoleonic artifacts, including what they claim to be the emperor's penis.

While no one knows for sure if it really is Napoleon's, uh, manhood, people have paid good money for the penis. Currently, it's in the possession of an American urologist.

This snip it (no pun intended) is just one of a few that are located on this article at CNN's site today. I have mentioned on my other blog about a museum that I would love to visit the next time I'm on the east coast, The Museum of Health and Medicine in Washington, D.C. -
Here is the link to the post on my other blog. If any of you reading this either live in D.C. or are visiting can you please tell Mr. Steven Solomon I said what's up.

Man of Steel?

There's no other way to talk about this other then this guy is truly lucky he wasn't completely smashed by that north bound train. Man of steel or part of it... In case you didn't know a gentleman by the name of Zach Smith was walking across some tracks when he noticed a south bound train coming so he stopped, after that train went by he put his head down looking at his cell phone and continued to cross the tracks. That's when the south bound train struck the man and knocked him out. Not only was this man not seriously hurt but when he came to he asked witnesses what had happened. All I can say is he had someone looking out for him and the next time you decide to cross some tracks please wait for the lights to shut off and the bars to go back up before crossing.
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A careful strategy...

I was a victim to the bully system back during my elementary years. My problem was that I didn't tell anyone - I just kept it in and decided that I will handle it when the time came. I was pushed around for about a year before I snapped and managed to get this bulling individual to a location where I knew the school was not going to be involved. I laid such a beating on this guy that I did not see him for about two weeks, I'm not saying that violence is the answer but for my situation it was the only option I had. With that being said I just got done reading an article that I believe will help out a lot of kids out there that don't want to go to an adult because of their fear of being exposed as a coward to the rest of the school and neighborhood. While I respect the first amendment and free speech, I still believe that certain words shouldn't be said regardless to free speech. A young lady has committed suicide due to threats, that young lady had a right to live and a right to enjoy life 'free' of harassment. There are kids that believe that they can run other peoples lives, to those kids I say - Be careful who you push because you never know who's going to snap.