The Texican - Just The Facts, Ma'am

Race - Hispanic / Spanish / Mexican / Latin / etc.
Age - 38
Height - 5'8"
Weight - 175 lbs.
Hair Color - black
Eye Color - brown

Born In - Mexico

Grew Up In - South Texas

Currently Living In - SW Virginia

Favorite Color - Clear

Favorite Movie - "300"

Favorite Song - "I'll Be" by Edwin McCain (sp?)

Favorite Book - "The Fountainhead" by Ayn Rand

Favorite Food - hot dogs, burned, mustard only, please. - to go!

Favorite Sexual Position - conscious!

Towtruck Turnabout's Fair Play

Oh, boo hoo! Some towing companies are threatening to sue Roanoke over the imposed price cap. NOW the real colors of towing companies shows! Normally, I'd be unbiased and unopinionated on a topic like this. Maybe I'd even be partial to towing companies thinking they're only people trying to make an honest living. NOT!

After having my vehicle break down on 81 many months ago, I gained an entirely new perspective of the greedy operations of towing companies. To make a long story short, I paid $475.00 to have my vehicle towed, worked on and eventually "released". They say "released" because it very accurately describes how your vehicle is taken hostage once it's in tow.

The fact that towing companies are there when you're at your weakest, at your most vulnerable, at your most inconvenienced time, makes it very easy for some of them to take advantage of you. Now they're suing for the unrestricted right to take advantage of people? Gimme a break!

Don't get me wrong, there are some very nice folks driving tow trucks who sincerely care about the individual they're HELPING OUT. Unfortunately, there are others who don't see their services as "motorist assistance," but instead, see a stranded vehicle as just another chunk of money waiting to be collected. It's amazing how the unethical and less-than-honest operations in our community are usually the ones to mount that soapbox when their right to operate unethically is restricted. If there should be any lawsuits involving towing companies, it should be suits against the companies themselves for unfair business practices, public endangerment, and property damage sustained by vehicles irresponsibly towed.

Want to see a list of the ridiculous charges some of these companies get away with?

Click the link to the Roanoke Times article -> Article: Roanoke Times

Company Breaks & Lunches

I do not think I am alone when it comes to the mentality that going to the bathroom during working hours should not count against break time or time allotted for lunch. Am I wrong?

If I'm pounding away at the keyboard, and I get the urge to use the bathroom, do I have to use my allotted break time to placate my bodily functions? Or can I get up and go (to go) and not worry about that time at all? What if I had other plans for my 15 minutes of "me" time? What if I wanted to get some personal banking done? What if I wanted to iPod my way through today's podcasts during my break? Hmmm... I wonder.

Things like having to go the bathroom, or drying off after being caught in a rainstorm shouldn't count against our break time or our lunch time. What do you think?

Escaped Monkey Shoots Cop's Foot

With all the shenanigans (I had to look that one up!) of our local news dry spell, I thought mixing up recent headlines would make for more interesting news. Do you have any of your own?

Recently, they found "Oops" the escaped monkey from Mill Mt. Zoo. And just yesterday, a police officer from Vinton was shot in the foot by someone he pulled over. So I figured, why not put both of those stories together? Thus my headline.

July 11 Update

Here's what's been happening in my little world:

1. I'm trying to enroll with the Art Institute Online so I can start working on my bachelor's degree for Interactive Media Design.

2. The transition from pharmacy prescriptions to mail-order medicines has not been an easy one - I left myself without meds for about a week as I tried to make the transition, and it really messed me up. Things are better now, though. I'm slowly returning to my old self, and feeling much better. There are definitely some benefits to mail-order meds.

3. I'm the scribe for our local camera club, and it's not an easy task. Keeping notes, sending emails and other scribe stuff is easy - it's participation and interaction that sucks. No wonder our last scribe resigned. I don't blame him.

More to come!

BARN CHURCH SCARES BIG CHURCH

JUNE 08, 2006

I can't help but wonder if all the fuss with this Bedford area church-in-a-barn is all about money. The more I think about it, it seems like big places of worship in the Bedford and surrounding areas don't want their collection tray totals to diminish when supporting members of their congregation choose to pray elsewhere.

It would seem those select individuals lobbying for the big area churches are nitpicking and perusing lawbooks to cite and hurl any letter-of-the-law ordinance they can find at this barn church. They just refuse to accept the fact some people would rather pray and worship in a barn and not in a big, air-conditioned, architecturally-enhanced, plush-carpeted fancy church. Could that be it?

If conditions at the barn where these folks are meeting were so intolerable, people wouldn't be gathering there to pray. To hear how people choose to pray in, of all places, a barn, is a nice reminder of how prayer and worship used to be. We lost track of the humility and sincerity of prayer and worship. Somewhere along the way, we started adding all the eye candy we associate with power and success to our places of worship. Next time you go to church, just look around.

Do we really need the stained glass windows? Do we need the felt-lined collection trays? Apparently the big churches do. The lack of bills in the collection trays is what's got the big church scared. If the "chuh-ching" isn't dropping at the big church, then it's dropping somewhere else. And that's just unacceptable to the big church. Right?

Parking On The Parkway

It seems like every year I rediscover my love for the Blue Ridge Parkway. I've yet to find another place in Virginia where I can just sit in my truck to stare out into nature and not feel like I need a thing. It's very soothing to just sit there and be completely at peace. These overlooks and parking areas are just incredible.

1999 Ford Ranger

Is anyone familiar with the workings of a 1999 Ford Ranger pick-up? I think it's haunted!


Every now and then, I'll get in my little pick-up (usually very early in the morning), put on my seatbelt, put the key in the ignition, press the clutch, turn the key and blah - nothing happens. Nothing clicks, nothing whirrs, nothing gurgles, nothing happens! I've sat there until my wrist went numb trying over and over in vain to get my truck started.


A while back when my alternator supposedly went bad, I had it replaced by a roadside towing company who thanked me for my $475.00 contribution. Man, that was a piss-off! During an oil change, I asked the guys at the downtown Firestone to see if they could see what was wrong with my truck. They gave me a long list of things, a quote for almost $2,000.00 and a smile.

"Shyeah, right. Just change my oil and gimme my keys, beeotch. "


I kept the hitlist, and fixed or replaced everything as well as I could. It took a while because I had to do one thing at a time as each paycheck would afford me. Now, with a new alternator, starter, battery, filters of all sorts and case after case of gas treatment and octane booster, my truck is starting to do that thing again.


My only guess is there's something wrong with the electrical system, but I'm clueless as to how to fix that or get that looked at. Does anyone have any ideas? Any suggestions? The number of a good exorcist?!


Monday I'm taking my truck to get the oil changed. I'll see if I can talk the mechanic down from $200 for 4 hours of labor if I let him give my truck a tune-up. Fifty bucks an hour. wow!

Would YOU Hire this Mexican?

I'm definitely "geeking out"!

This weekend I hit the java-enhanced Barnes & Noble at Tanglewood, and bought "How To Cheat In Photoshop". I gave the panicked lady at the register 60 bucks to pay for my $50 book. She asked me if I had the discount card, to which I shook my head no.

"You can save -" "No. Thank you." (Just give me my friggin' change!)

I'm sure if I was carelessly wealthy I'd want to invest a lump sum into the privilege of getting 10% off my purchases at Barnes & Noble. What a crock. Why don't you just give me the card, and keep knocking 10% off my purchases until the discounts have paid for the card itself? Okay? Would that be alright? Hmmm? I didn't think so.

Back to my book...

I bought this book and I'd wanted to get my hands on it since I first saw it about a month ago. Because of this book, I've REdiscovered Photoshop, and now I have to tear myself away from my notebook computer, my computer tablet, and the dozens of manipulated images I've made.

Now you can add "Photoshop geek" to my long list of technical specialties. Here,... I'll do it.

PHOTOSHOP GEEK - just added
DREAMWEAVER GEEK - established
FLASH MX GEEK - working on it
FRONT PAGE GEEK - established
JAVA GEEK - working on it
HTML GEEK - established
MS WORD GEEK - established
MS EXCEL GEEK - established
WEB PAGE DESIGN GEEK - established
PHOTOGRAPHY GEEK - established
DESKTOP PRINTING GEEK - established
CREATIVE WRITING GEEK - established
FICTION & EROTIC WRITING GEEK - established
DOCUMENT TRANSLATION GEEK - established
PHONE TRANSLATION GEEK - established

whew!

Come to think of it... would YOU hire this Mexican?

Expensive Fuel ala Kroger?

I'm probably the only fool who makes it a point to do my grocery shopping at the Kroger's in Vinton just so I can feel good about swiping my deck of worthless plastic cards at the roadside gas pump. I don't even know how much I'm saving!


I saved about three dollars on my groceries by using my Plus card. It says so on the receipt. How much was that bag of lettuce?! I don't know.


The price on the shelf says something, then there's another price posted, too. Which one are they charging me? What if I check myself out at the register and I forget to give myself the Kroger savings? Worse yet, what if I forget to give myself the fuel points?!


CHECK, PLEASE!!!


Back to the pumps...

What if I pump gas and forget to swipe my Kroger card? What price am I getting, anyway? The big, metal numbered thing by the road says one price, the pumps say another price, but the little numbers under the main pump display say something else.
How much did I save?
I don't know.

Saving money at Kroger's is definitely stressful.

Oh wait! I have prescriptions... Do those count? How come the pharmacist never asks to see my Kroger Plus card? And why don't they have self-checkout at the pharmacy? (Like I'd know how to use that one.)


Oh, just forget it. I'm gonna hit the drive-through at CVS and spend twelve dollars in fuel waiting to get to the window only to have them tell me my doctor hasn't called them back to authorize my refill. Sheez!

BrokeBack Shocker . . .

A friend of mine just told me how he went to All-Star video and witnessed a shocking moment in its infancy. (Or is that a "shocker-to-be"?)


An older gentleman, late 50s or early 60s, decked out in his cowboy/western gear sauntered into the place and loudly asked the clerk if they had "Walk The Line" and "BrokeBack Mountain". He sported a cowboy hat, the Wranglers, the big belt buckle and the loud-stomping cowboy boots. You could tell he was hardcore. At his side was his sweet, tiny, timid-looking wife who stood by her man as she clutched her modest purse and smiled like only a favorite grandma could.


The clerk gave them the movies, did the necessary paperwork, and wished them a good evening.


Boy, is that gonna be ONE suprised man! Geez!

Don't Eat The Fish!

Today's story (04/10/2006) about the unsafe condition of fish caught in local waters prompted me to wonder if we should be getting in these waters at all?


Will we get sick with any of these harmful chemicals if we fall into the waters that are making the fish dangerous to eat?


What about the fish we get at seafood places?


How do we know the fish we get at restaurants or local stores are safe to eat?


The quote at the end of the story was priceless, though! A man being interviewed said:

"I always fish and release. If I want to eat fish, I'll go to Red Lobster."

Roanoke Times Dream Job - gone...

Not long ago, I saw a job opportunity at the Roanoke Times. As I read more and more about the job being posted, I realized it was my dream job. I don't remember the exact title, but it involved creating video features, incorporating them into the website, and even doing blogs and blog updates. This was all up my alley! But alas, reality set in.


I'm in a cozy job now, the pay is unbelievable, the benefits are very nice, and I really like the people I work with. (Isn't that a dream job in itself?!) Oh, and get this - I even like my bosses! (I hope they're not reading this, or I'll be really red-faced.)


I never did apply for that dream job out of fear it might lead somewhere out of here. Before I leave this place, I want to get my Associate Degree in Interactive Media Design. That should give me a good spot on any company's payscale. I had no idea what an Associate Degree in ANYTHING could do to your prospective pay rate. Still, I can't help but wonder how cool it would've been to work for the Times as one of the paid daydreamers. Oh well.

Sugar-Free Chocolate Winter

The little quirks in our lives are often what define us. One of my favorite little quirks is to eat ice cream in cold weather. Better said, I like to eat ice cream while I'm WATCHING cold weather from somewhere warm and cozy.

Last week we had one of those severely cold days downtown. The temperature was thirty-something degrees, but the gusty winds made it feel severely colder. People walked around with heavy coats, scarves and earmuffs as they tried to keep their watery eyes open in the strong downtown gusts. It was one of those cold and windy days where your eyes watered, your sinuses burned when you tried to inhale, and you found it hard to swallow from the cold air assaulting your nose and lungs.

While all this happened, I sat in the corner section of the De Espresso coffee shop at the corner of Church Street, next to the downtown Fire Station.

I had ordered a hefty bowl full of sugar-free chocolate ice cream, and fired up the old HP to check emails. I hadn't noticed how people stared at me as I savored every chocolate spoonful, but I know more than a few people must have thought I was insane for having ice cream on such a cold day.

I didn't care. The temperature in the coffee shop must have been close to eighty degrees, and I took off my jacket and sweater so as not to break out in a sweat.

I know I'm not the only one who likes to eat ice cream in cold weather. I've even seen folks out on benches in cold weather as they eat ice cream. I couldn't do that. I wouldn't enjoy the ice cream as much.

Trip To Texas - Part 1

"You're So Thin! - You've Gained Weight!"

I recently visited friends and family in Texas. The long weekend in south Texas turned out to be a very enjoyable time. Despite bad weather, I spent quality time with family that I enjoyed very much, and look forward to doing again.


When you wait a year to reunite with family, you notice things about each other that only your family would dare tell you. Everyone I saw told me I was way too thin, and they swore I was ill with some deadly North American disease. Folks back home remembered me squeezing into size 38 jeans and they remembered me with a pudgy face that radiated good health. (At least, that's how good health is measured down there.)


When I told my family how my doctor had put me on a strict diet to help me control my sugar, they were relieved, but couldn't stop staring at me. I felt like the roadside fender bender people slow down to glare at as they drive by.

Of course, I returned the favor and made my own comments about how everyone had ballooned up. The stares quickly dissipated, and they were replaced with shy grins. My mother, sisters and brother had all gained significant weight since last I saw them.

I expect they'll be on a diet for a month or two before things go back to normal.


Family - you gotta love 'em.

Where is Mark Lamar???

There's some serious buzz going on out there about the condition and whereabouts of Channel 10's meteorologist - Mark Lamar. By looking at websites and media coverage, you'd think he never existed! Not cool at all.

Cartoon Hysteria

Q: When are religious satire cartoons a weapon of mass hysteria?
A: When they're waved in the face of faithless, overenthusiastic close-minded murderers with nothing better to do but embarrass the very religion they claim to hold so dear.

Nuff said!

Gay Movie Scares Closeted Straights

If you want a movie to succeed these days, just stir up enough controversy about its content, and you'll get all sorts of free publicity from so-called "good people".

Such is the case with the new movie "Brokeback Mountain." A sleeper, at best, Brokeback Mountain is described by Yahoo as "a movie where two cowboys meet and form a 'secret bond'." That's politically correct for "two married guys hook up in private." Does that sound controversial? Maybe if you lived 100 years in the past, or if you're a member of the clergy. (And that's really stretching it!)

Religious fanatics and followers of The "Little House On The Prairie" Church for Unearthly Virginity all have their panties in a bunch about this movie. Why? Because there's men in the movie hinting at this "evil lifestyle." Gimme a friggin break!

Why weren't they boycotting, holding candlelight vigils and waving their prudishness at the media with other movies like "Saving Private Ryan" or "Kingdom of Heaven"? You wanna talk about disturbing! Those were downright traumatic!

Instead of investing precious time and effort into more important issues like child abuse, hunger in our country and the widespread and uncontrolled pandemic of nail fungus, they'd rather bitch about homosexuals in movies. I got news for those self-righteous idiots, look around once in a while. If you're gonna fling Ninja-Star crucifixes, you might wanna make sure your first victims aren't your own loved ones.

It's hilarious the way people stand on soapboxes and point accusing fingers at the world with a "holier than thou" attitude. No, really. Get a life!

What these freaks don't realize is that by getting all worked up about this movie, and writing to television stations, theaters, radio stations and getting the movie banned, protested and in the news as one that's "controversial", they're giving it all the publicity it needs to succeed.

Personally, I couldn't care if they played the movie locally. In fact, I hope they do because I'll go watch it just to prove I don't care what other people think about my sexuality. If you know who you are, you have nothing to worry about. Straight or not, your life is what you make it no matter what others think of you.

You'll catch me on the picket line when we start making entertainment movies about child pornography, slave labor and child abuse. Consider this the official reminder for reprioritizing the really important troubles in life. There are worse things than two people in love.

Swinging In The Great White North

Just in time to swing in the New Year, Canada approves consensual swinging! Leave it to the Canadians to make it legal for consenting adults to "swing" in private clubs. How progressive is that? If they did something like that in the U.S., we'd be having protests, marches, candle light vigils and expert commentaries from Dr. Ruth, Monica Lewinski and our favorite good ol' boy, Bill Clinton. In the middle of all the expert commentaries, we'd be flying in counselors for our students, and Oprah would start a relief effort to help those affected by the shocking news.

From Yahoo! News on Dec. 27:

"In a landmark decision on Dec, 21, the Supreme Court of Canada lifted a ban on swingers' clubs, ruling that group sex among consenting adults is neither prostitution nor a threat to society.The ruling sparked outrage, largely in English-speaking parts of Canada, where critics said it would erode limits on indecency or obscenity, encourage prostitution and even contribute to the corruption of minors.

In the mainly French-speaking and predominantly Catholic province of Quebec, however, the decision caused barely a ripple of adverse reaction. Newspaper editorialists fumed in Toronto, but largely yawned in Montreal.

Swingers across Canada cheered the ruling, especially those in Quebec, where adherents go to clubs not only to meet others like them, but also to have sex on the premises."

Note to self: Vacation in Canada soon!

Bush Blames Self

I didn't get to hear the President's speech this past weekend, but from what the news is trumpeting in every form of media known to man, he's taking blame for taking us into war under false, misleading, or incorrect information. Maybe it's just me (what are the odds?) but it would seem regardless of our reasons, an act of war was preferrable than any of the alternatives back then.

All conspiracy theories aside, where would we be now if we hadn't gone to war? Where would we be now if we hadn't accomplished all the things we've accomplished by going to war? Would our country be better off if we had no troops in Iraq? Would our country be safer? Would we be mouring another 9-11? No one really knows. But one thing everyone knows but will rarely admit, is any of the possibilities would be significantly worse than the scenarios we're faced with today.

So blame yourself, Pres. Bush. Pound your chest, holler "Mea Culpa" and nail yourself to as many crosses as you want. The fact is, right now we're fighting a war that's got an ocean or two between us and them. Let's keep it that way.

One-Man Drama at Council Meetings

News from The Roanoke Times -Panel OKs rezoning for school stadiums: "The only tense moment occurred when city police nearly removed the same man who was carried bodily from a November council meeting.

Scholz called police to the front of the chamber after frequent city council critic Duane Howard refused to heed Scholz's admonition to stick to land use issues. Howard continued to complain about the commissioners' monthly pay of $100 each and that City Councilman Bev Fitzpatrick's son works in the city planning department, but Scholz let him finish.

Others stuck to the topic."

4 out of 5 children desperate for attention surveyed admitted the best way to get their names in the paper is to throw a dramatic hissyfit in plain view of television and newspaper cameras.

Why is this guy so desperate for attention he has to make an ass of himself to get his point across? Is this the ONLY way to make your point? If he has some legitimate points and valid observations, they all come across as stupid and foolish when brought to light by his senior citizen temper tantrums and drama queen solos. I wasn't sure how to spell his name until I read it in the paper, but after these little stunts, it might have to be changed to "D-whine Howard." Sheez!

Lose the drama, Howard, you look like a smart guy, and you'd think you could find better ways of communicating your views. But if you're intent on the theatrics, I hear the National Enquirer is hiring.

Hurry To Work So We Can Send You Home

Many of you are fortunate to work for someone independent enough to afford common sense without fear of retribution by the higher workplace powers that be. In other words, you work for people who care more about you, and not more about what their bosses will think of them for making a decision on their own.

Case in point:

I woke up at 430 am today, as usual, and I wondered what the drive in to work would be like. As I sat to eat my oatmeal, I could hear the icy rain hitting the window. I called our pre-recorded work "weather line" only to hear we were still scheduled to open at regular time. Bummer. My thirty-five minute drive to work would be interesting, to say the least.

As I got ready to leave, I called the weather line again, but this time, they'd updated the recording to state we were still opening at regular time, but "we" would keep monitoring the weather and issue an early closing if conditions warranted such a measure. They should've just saved all the wording and simplified the recording to say "Come on in, hang out for an hour or two, and we'll let you go when we're sure the roads are too dangerous for anyone to drive on."

Management mentality strikes again. You'd think for all those years of college, and all those butt-kissing years of managerial experience, they'd have grown a pair by now. Go figure.

Well, I took the proletariat initiative and decided to stay home rather than risk wrecking my vehicle on the way back home. The roads here are already slushed over, and I just couldn't bring myself to drive half an hour to wait for someone else to make up their politically correct mind about my safety. If I get any crap about staying home, I have a feeling I won't be the only one filing appeals about any reprimands.

Did anyone else out there go through the same thing? I'd love to read your comments. I'm guessing most everyone reading this had bosses who cared more for their workers than for what their own bosses thought about them.

So is anyone hiring a bilingual, computer-savvy, fed-up-with-big-management 36 y/o guy? Lemme know.

Medicare Part D

Are you calling the insurance company to ask about Part D?

Be sure to have the following information by your side.

1. Your current coverage information.
(What sort of drug coverage does your current plan have?)
(Will you still have that coverage in 2006?)

2. Have a list of the drugs you're taking to include the official name and dosage for each. Spelling is crucial here, so make sure you spell it right.
Everyone has access to an updated list of the drugs as they're covered by the insurance. Make sure your drugs are covered, and if they're not, find out for sure. The person on the phone can check for you instantly.

(www.drugstore.com will give you a price for any drug!)


3. Request the most up-to-date mailing for each company regarding Part D.
What plans does the insurance company offer you?
Why is one better than the other?


4. Forget the web! Talk to someone!
Get the name of the person on the phone, and ask for a number you can call back directly in case you think of any more questions.


5. Attend a seminar. Even if you're not taking the coverage, don't run and hide from this. You may have to take it in the future, and you're best prepared if you know about it.


Sheez!

How To Be A MudSlinger!

It's Election Day!

Now that you've voted for your favorite candidate, you're probably wondering how they got to be so popular with the crowds. Let that twinkle in your eye light your way through this brief, but effective tutorial on how to be a professional mudslinger!

YOU'LL NEED
1) Lotsa Money, Dinero, Cash, Credit, Funds, etc.
2) An extremely thorough, well-connected research team.
3) An unemployed, sobered up (at least for the moment) recently-fired tabloid writer.
4) A talented graphic design and marketing team.
5) Television and radio stations hurting for money.

Ready? Here's what you do:

A) Dig up dirt on your opponent. Don't worry about it being true, or completely accurate. Just find any negative comment in the last millenium ever said about your opponent, and feature that as the "people's opinion" so your target audience will be awed and inspired.

• USEFUL TIP #1: Raid regional newspapers and choose selected text that will read like actual comments from important people. Be sure to pick and choose ONLY the words in any article that will make your opponent look bad. You don't have to make complete sentences, just use the negative words, and fill in the rest with your own comments, introductions, dots and quotation marks. As long as you follow the comment with where you got it from, it won't matter that it's taken out of context. Try it - it's fun!

B) Give 'em Eye Candy! Use black-and-white for your opponent. Never feature them in color, or good video. Use loops of a bad video and play it in slow motion to make them seem evil and conniving. Use big, bold text to reinforce bad or negative comments you're making.

• USEFUL TIP #2: Use rich and brilliant colors when featuring yourself. Use "Glamour Shot" angles to make yourself look good in your ads, and get lots of pictures of yourself kissing babies, helping handicapped folks, smooching with old people and hanging out with minorities. Throw in a few shots of you cuddling a cute puppy to make you seem sensitive and caring. Soft, gentle and/or cheery music is essential in the background as your soft-voiced narrator goes on and on about what a great and loving person you are.

• USEFUL TIP #3: Talk with Lawsuit Lawyers for some great advertising tips - they've got it down to an art! Hire the big-voiced announcers from car commercials to shout at the world about how great you'll be as the next whatever-you're-running-for.

C) Your track record sucks. Don't even think about telling everyone about the good things you've done. Nobody cares. Just talk trash, do it often, and do it everywhere. Before you know it, you'll be out at the polls with a greasy forehead, slick hair and bleached teeth in your Sunday best. Be sure to smile a whole bunch and shake everyone's hands when you thank then "in advance" for their vote. (Don't forget the hand sanitizer - you never know where these freaks have been! Ewwww...)


For more mud-slinging tips send $19.99 plus $25.00 for shipping, handling and exploiting to:

Texican Advertising - c/o Virginians For A Mudslinging Candidate

WalMart = Bad, Americans = Good

I heard about the efforts of a dot com named Wake Up Wal-Mart. After hearing their arguments, and reading their facts, I was a bit disgusted about their fact-checking and their distorted, out-of-context data comparisons.

Just as I was going to dismiss the whole thing as ridiculous ranting, I took a look at their proposed demands for the giant retailer.

The website proposes (sounds better than demands) the following:

1 - A better living wage for Walmart employees, er... associates.

2 - Affordable health care for all their employees. (Which in turn will raise the cost of health care for all the employees and make it harder to get conditions covered due to a bigger expense for the company.) The concept here is "don't make cheap insurance available to a qualified few, but make expensive insurance available to everyone".

3 - End discrimination. I feel strongly about this one. Having worked for WalMart for a few years, I saw firsthand how women were passed up for managerial positions while less-qualified men snatched up the job.

4 - Zero tolerance for child labor. That's self-explanatory.

5 - Buy American. I like their plan to gradually phase in "Made In America" goods and slowly get away from imported goods.

6 - Respect communities. That's gonna be a tough one. Do we respect the traditionalists who would have us get rid of all those "whipper-snapper" lightpoles in our neighborhood, or do we suck up to the geek-enhanced modern visionaries who envision us pushing hovercraft shopping carts down the virtual aisles at Wally World?

I can handle these specific request for reform at Wal Mart. I just wish the website would get their facts straight, or quit making biased out-of-context comparisons to make their point.

Check it out for yourself, and let me know what you think. I'd love to hear how we stand on the latest assault on this evil giant.

-Texican

Things I've Learned From The Media

LESSON #1
Freedom of speech is a higher priority than keeping our country safe.


LESSON #2
Respect everyone and treat others kindly unless they hold a public office, they're in a position of power, or they make more money than you.


LESSON #3-A
Hate the President no matter what he does, who he is, or what he says. He is inherently evil, he is out to protect his loyal army of darkness, and he wears his hair "bushy" to cover up the glow-in-the-dark "666" on his head.


LESSON #3-B
Any politicians who support our President are crooked. They lie, cheat and steal. (Unless they're snitching to the media, then they're not called 'evil', they're called 'sources'.) We don't have to prove they're evil. They support our President, so they're inherently evil.


LESSON #4-A
War is a public relations tool and not meant to right any wrongs or protect our freedom.


LESSON #4-B
We don't go to war to help people, we go to war to bitch-slap other countries with our attitude, and we should run and hide before any of our troops get hurt or killed.


LESSON #4-C
The only real casualty count is the one with Americans in it. For example, 2000 U.S. troops have died in Iraq vs. (insert number here) Iraqis. This also applies to plane crashes. For example, 3 Americans died in the overseas plane crash. Our prayers are with their families. Oh yeah, 324 foreigners also died.


LESSON #4-D
Nothing good has come from our war in Iraq. Despite the grateful masses, the mere chance of a new government, the second chance at life for most Iraqis, and the motivated troops who willingly volunteered to serve. Nothing good came from all this - just read any of the 40+ anti-war stories put out by the AP and Reuters.


LESSON #5
"Insurgents" means "bad".


LESSON #6
Our government is a disgrace. Unlike the highly-organized, ethically pure governments from around the world, ours will never do good, it will never protect our freedom, and it will never stay out of the headlines.



MORE COMING SOON.

Who Is Killing Jack Cawley?

I read this story in the Times about Mr. Cawley and his cancer, and how the big insurance company is denying him coverage and in essence (according to the article) is killing him.

The headline and supporting headline imply big insurance is out to squash hope, and how the big companies are all drunk with power. Suddenly I'm reminded of what's-his-face with the Fahrenheit movie about Pres. Bush. Is this another cheap shot at Bush-bashing? How could Jeff Sturgeon and the Roanoke Times use these people to get their political views across? What did they tell the family? This is downright disturbing. I can handle the 24-hour bashing of our country's elected leader by every manner of conceivable media we have, but this is low even for these fools.

NOW HOW MUCH WOULD YOU PAY?

According to Jeff Sturgeon, "Anthem administers the county's self-funded employee health plan." So does that mean the company could amend their contract and say, "hey, we want to pay for this guy's ineffective medicine." Sure, the county doesn't want to play doctor, but if the insurance place is just administering the health plan, why doesn't the county grow a pair and pay for the meds? (Oh, well, I wrote the governor...) Oh puh-leez!

Red tape and chain of commands are great for documentation, but I hope we don't get to a point where I have to get a referral or prior authorization to help some old lady cross the street. I'd have no problem telling a secretary to step aside because I want to help this old lady cross the street, why doesn't the county make an effort? And more importantly, why doesn't our media highlight the plight of this family, rather than use their heart-tugging struggle as a platform to voice their political views on?

Comprende?

SO WHAT'S THE POINT?

Even though I wanted to go beat up someone at the insurance company for killing this man, or so the article would have me "feel", I forced myself to read the entire article before I put together picket signs and printed leaflets on how we should bring "the man" down.

The article ends with how Mr. Cawley quit taking the experimental drug that had been denied because it didn't work on the cancer. Now he's slowly waiting to die. I felt a big lump in my throat to imagine such a man who had been so full of life wither away and die. I know I'm not the only one who felt that way, too.

And despite all the finger-pointing, all the biased political reporting, and all the b.s. from everyone in charge, this man is still going to die. My heart sincerely goes out to his family, and I pray by some miracle of God that he recovers. But if he doesn't, I pray he passes away painlessly and surrounded by love rather than hopelessness, disappointment and anger as our media would have us believe.

Try this for a headline:

LOCAL PAPER STEPS ON DYING MAN TO VOICE POLITICAL VIEWS

My First Cellphone Blog!

This posting comes from the wonderfully incorporated technology of my
T-Mobile Sidekick II camera cellphone.

Now I don't have to wait to get home or wait to set up my notebook
computer to post to my blogs. I can blog right from my cellphone. I
just set up a FlickR photo acciunt, too, so I'll be able to send picture
blogs from there, too. If I don't want to wait to get on the web to
send in my photos, I can also email photos to my blog for posting from
my cellphone.

Technology definitely rocks! Hope you all are taking advantage of it.

Cheers!

Events Listings! (Finally.)

Tired of hearing "I'm bored..." (insert whiny noise here.)
Tell 'em to shut up, and get out there and do something.


Here's what's on the books for the Roanoke, VA area:

• 09.09.05 - Wake Forest MBA Movies in the Park "Ray" - FREE - Elmwood Park - 342-2028

• 09.09.05 - Free Friday (12-5 P.M.) - Art Museum of Western Virginia - 342-5760

• 09.09.05 - Free Friday (1-4P.M.) - History Museum of Western Virginia - 342-5770

• 09.09.05 - Free Friday (3:30-6P.M.) - Science Museum of Western Virginia - 342-5710

• 09.09.05 - Mill Mountain Theatre's Cork and Curtain - Center in the Square - 342-5740

• 09.09.05, 09.10.05, 09.11.05 - Taste of the Blue Ridge Blues and Jazz Festival - Elmwood Park, downtown Roanoke - 342-2640

• 09.10.05 - Family Day - 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. - Art Museum of Western Virginia - 342-5760

• 09.16.05 - First Friday's - Downtown Roanoke - 342-0400

• 09.23.05, 09.25.05, 09.27.05 - La traviata - Opera Roanoke - Shaftman Performance Hall at Jefferson Center - 982-2742 or www. Operaroanoke.org

• 09.23.05 - 01.15.06 - Family Matters: Thomas Eakins, Susan Macdowell Eakins, Elizabeth Macdowell Kenton, and Their Circle as Seen through the Peggy Macdowell Thomas Gift - Art Museum of Western Virginia - 342-5760

• 09.24.05 - 09.25.05 - Henry Street Festival - Elmwood Park - 345-4818

• 09.30.05 - 10.02.05 - 18th Annual Craftsman Classic Arts and Crafts Festival - Roanoke Civic Center - 853-5483

October 2005

• 10.01.05 - 10.31.05 - Process and Promise in a New Museum – Art Museum of Western Virginia – 342-5760

• 10.01.05 - 10.15.05 - Family Matters: Thomas Eakins, Susan Macdowell Eakins, Elizabeth Macdowell Kenton, and Their Circle as Seen through the Peggy Macdowell Thomas Gift – Art Museum of Western Virginia – 342-5760

• 10.01.05 - Harvest Festival on the Market – 342-2028, ext. 15

• 10.01.05 - Affair in the Square – Center in the Square – 342-5719

• 10.05.05 - October 2 18th Annual Craftsman Classic Arts and Crafts Festival – Roanoke Civic Center – 853-5483

Here's what's Salem, VA says they've got going on:

• 09.10.05 - "Olde Salem Days"September 10 - Main Street - 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. Sponsored by the Salem Jaycees with over 400 arts & crafts vendors. Food, music and children's area. (540) 772-8871. More information is available online at www.oldesalemdays.org. Food vendor, entertainment and crafter applications are also available online.
• More Info:Olde Salem Days is and annual event produced and maintained by The Salem Jaycees and hosted in the City of Salem, Virginia. Each year approximately 50-80 thousand people attend OSD in search of handcrafted gifts and hard to find antique items. Appoximately 400+ crafters attend each year to sell their goods and services to the public. Over 20+ food vendors come to sell their goods. The Roanoke Valley Car club hosts an annual car show and contest. There are 3 separate stages with various entertainment for the adults and a kids fair to entertain the young ones!
• Olde Salem Days is an Arts & Crafts festival blending quality craftsmanship of both old & new. It encompasses the recollection of days past with a blend of the present and future. The mission for Olde Salem Days is to promote community service and enhance the City of Salem. Olde Salem Days is an event of activities and fun for all!

• 09.11.05 - In Honor & Remembrance Part IV. 6:30 p.m. Lake Spring Park. A salute to America’s heroes

• 09.17.05 - September 17 - Longwood Park 10:00 a.m. To benefit the Spay Day Program at the Salem Animal Control Shelter. (540) 375-3078.

• 10.07.05 - October 7 - Salem Farmer's Market - 4:00 p.m.-8:00 p.m. German food and entertainment. To benefit the Salem/Roanoke County Chamber Foundation - (540) 387-0267.

• 10.08.05 - Children's Fall Festival - October 8 - Salem Farmer's Market - 10:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m. Carnival games, pony rides, food, and more entertainment and food - (540) 375-4046.

• 10.29.05 - Pumpkin Festival - October 29 - 5:00 p.m.-9:00 p.m. Salem Farmer's Market. Carving and costume contest, children's activities, food court and more - (540) 857-6993

• 12.02.05 - Annual Lighting of the City of Salem Christmas Tree - December 2 - 6:00 p.m. - Salem Farmer's Market.
  
  

Now get out and do something! See you out there.

Rebuilding The Danger Zone

I'll be the first to admit I'm very prone to media overload. Once I hear about something for too long, my brain automatically tunes it out and starts to process something else. That's about the only good thing about having A.D.D., and I like to think of it as a blessing.
My doctor told me about other things I should watch out for with A.D.D., but I can't remember now because I wasn't paying attention.

To my point:

I've heard how they're draining the flooded areas affected by hurricane Katrina, and how people were allowed to briefly go back to their homes and gather belongings before they were given mandatory evacuation orders. Are they planning to rebuild these devastated areas, then repopulate them? It wouldn't surprise me if that was the plan, but it would definitely disappoint me.

Anyone know?

Hiking Nekkid?

Ever seen a Texican blush?! You could have if you'd seen me out this weekend hiking on a nearby strip of the Appalachian Trail. I was on a remote part of the trail when I ran into a man and a woman who were huffing along. I wasn't shocked by the huffing. I wasn't shocked by all the gear they were toting. I was floored by the fact they were, by most definitions, naked!
The knew I was a bit freaked, but they still waved as we crossed each other. Does this happen a lot in VA ? If anyone knows, I'd love to hear from you.

Boaters Speak Out

My previous posting regarding speedboats at Smith Mountain Lake got some great fired-up comments. I just wanted to personally thank each and every one of you who took the time to leave your comments. I realize you took the time to read my thoughts, and I'm very grateful for that.

I read each of your comments and took them to heart. The comments were educational and entertainingly insulting, angry, and generally a great read. Most of all, your comments are PROOF that people really are worried about safety at the Lake despite the lack of attention this important issue receives.

It's going to be a very fine line to walk in order to preserve safety without intruding on people's reasons for being at the Lake.

Thanks a bunch, and keep the comments coming.

I FRIGGIN' LOVE THIS BLOGGING STUFF!!

Lake Claims Lives (Again)

Smith Mt Lake, VA - A few miles from my home is a wonderful manmade body of water many claim to love and enjoy. Smith Mt. Lake is rich with history, proud with accomplishment, and loved by many. Most people who speak well of the lake have invested their money into keeping a boat, a home, or both near the lake. There isn't a day that goes by I don't see someone hauling a boat to or from the lake. Unfortunately, not too long goes by I don't hear or read about someone dying at the lake.

The news today opened my eyes to the fact speedboats are allowed at the lake. I didn't know this. Say it with me - "SPEED-boats". What are they made for? Exactly! Where's the logic in allowing these machines built for speed to part the water at the lake?! Wouldn't that be like allowing race cars on 581? (Oh, we wouldn't do that!) Why not? (They'd speed! That's illegal!) The word here, folks, is - "duh!" - Google it!

Now I read there are little, if any, posted speed limits at the lake. Un-friggin-believable! Aren't we going through the same problem on the curvy roads in Bedford County? Didn't we just lose a carload of kids recently? Is it going to take the deaths of a boat full of old ladies, premature babies and hungry puppies to make this a serious matter that demands immediate attention? How many people have to die? How important does someone have to be to die at the lake and make a difference? Do we have to wait for a political official to die out there?

The deaths this weekend are senseless, stupid, and COULD HAVE BEEN AVOIDED. Unfortunately, the common consensus, (and I include myself in this) is how everyone will "feel so bad" for that couple that just died, then we'll all go about our business knowing "someone else" will take care of the problem.

I grew up by the ocean and despite the occasional drownings, I still love the beach. I've always wanted to visit the lake because I hear so many good things about it. Now that I hear the lake is nothing more than a free-for-all speedway for drugged-up drunks, my interest for this manmade puddle has turned into blatant repulsion.

PEPPERS MUST PAY TO KEEP SIGN

Roanoke, VA - Back in the days of black and white, Roanoke used to be have the largest consumption of Dr. Pepper per capita. Simply put, we drank D.P. until we puked. I guess that's something to be proud of, but for whatever reason it gained notriety, consumption dwindled, and left behind only the big, old-fashioned Dr. Pepper sign. NOW the D.P. company (Coca Cola, is it?) is going to help pay for repair of the sign by "donating" eight cents of every purchase. Oh, drop the crutches, Tiny Tim, it's beef for dinner!

Here's the catch - don't go plopping your quarters into a machine just yet. Don't throw that six pack of D.P. into your shopping basket. Big bad D.P. is generously donating eight cents from EVERY CASE we buy! Wow! Give me a freakin' break!

It's not like the sign mentions Roanoke in any way, but rather, it idolizes a freakin' soft drink. I know there's history there, I've seen it on the back of the can. But I'd still rather give all the money I'd spend to buy a case of Dr. Pepper to the people repairing the sign than have the big company painfully part with eight cents from sales of a case of Dr. Pepper. That just screams of money-hungry cheap-assed big company to me. Tsk tsk tsk.

Yesterday's Current Event

Once again I read the paper to discover another local event I missed. There's never any mention of these events in the mainstream media before they happen, but everyone is sure to hear about yesterday's "can't-miss" event a day or two after it's already passed. I understand the concept of reporting news "as it happens", but can we report "Upcoming Community Events" BEFORE they happen?!

Maybe I'm asking too much for the local media to give everyone a "heads-up" on all this stuff, but I was just under the impression the media was here to inform. Or is that just the obituaries?

Is there a site somewhere that list current events and doesn't require 100 characters of text and symbols to be typed into a web browser? How about a community events calendar that isn't posted on the blue screen of an obscure cable channel or flashed between farm reports at three in the morning? Community events are starting to get as obscure as the link to local bloggers on the front page of the Roanoke Times internet page. (I had to scroll down 8 complete pages to get to the "Local Bloggers" section. EIGHT PAGES! That's a whole website these days!)

I'm starting to get the impression the only events the media will consider worth publicizing are the ones that are going to generate an immediate and significantly large source of income for the media sources covering them. So much for community support. Where are these guys from again?

Looks like its back to the internet papers that cover the news from OUTSIDE of Virginia so I can stay on top of what's going on here at home. Television news is getting just as bad. The more I think about it, I may just ditch cable and watch Weather Channel reruns. I'm sure I'd be just as up-to-date and informed on upcoming events as the local media likes to keep me.

Oh, wait! There's a war going on?! And what's this Hurrican Emily stuff? Kuh-ray-zee!

Wet Willie Wednesday

And we're off to another fun start this Wednesday morning!

Fiesta At Your Own Risk
Mexican officials have warned U.S. citizens to "stay home". Recent deaths, attacks and kidnappings in Mexico have prompted the government to warn tourists about these hazards, and recommend they not expose themselves. With presidential and regional elections going on, the focus on tourism has been pushed to the back of the donkey.

Stiff Warnings
Overseas doctors are issuing urgent warnings to users of drugs like Viagra and Cyalis. They warn users should contact their doctors immediately if they experience vision problems during use of the drugs. The lawsuit-enhancing warning gives a whole new meaning to the old phrase "Careful, or you'll go blind."

From the "Who Cares?" Department
O.J. Simpson is back in court. This time "The Juice" was caught stealing cable satellite and was ordered by a judge to pay $25 thousand in fines. While it's not murder, you still have to wonder what channels he was snatching that racked up the big bill.

Small Town Perils

Once again a bunch of kids died in a traffic accident. They were going too fast, the kid at the wheel shouldn't have had more than 1 or 2 passengers with him because of his age, it was a dangerous curve, - whatever. They're dead.More than that, they're dead and they were local kids with parents, grandparents, brothers, sisters, cousins, and friends. Now they are no more.The headline in the paper read "Families Mourn Goodview Teens". Yeah, we kinda figured that. Let's be a bit more informative. The headline should have read "Community Mourns Goodview Teens". I think we all know why.

Having moved here from Houston, TX, I used to wonder why the news made such a big deal when someone from the area died. Local television news would actually mention a person's name, the location of the accident, they'd interview people about it, and I was shocked this was going on. The paper would mention the accident, name names and locations, and give the story it's own spot. Wow.

Back in Houston, all traffic deaths for the day before were neatly summarized into a one, or two-line sentence in the paper if they were mentioned. On television they rarely got mentioned. It took an accident of epic and delaying proportions to make news in the big city. If the accident didn't involve hazardous chemicals, blazing fires, vehicle pile-ups, and major interstate closings, then it wasn't newsworthy. Such is not the case in our community.

Last year when a friend's nephew committed suicide, I suddenly realized why seemingly common deaths get so much attention. Everyone here is family. It doesn't immediately matter how someone died. It matters that they're gone. Everyone feels the hurt. Death is death no matter where you go, but the effect it has are so much more powerful here because everyone cares about everyone else despite the bickering, political views and racial tensions.

I didn't know the four teenagers that died in the Goodview accident, but I still feel the pain from their deaths. Although I prefer no one had died, I'm glad I live in a community that cares enough to mourn the deaths of its citizens. I suppose this is one of the perils of living in a small community, but I'll gladly take my risks.

Don't Ask, Don't Spell

A couple of interesting things happened this morning when I checked the Times at 8:50 a.m.
They must have been in the middle of a web update because when the page finally came up, it was the same story in two columns. At least, it was pieces of a story in two colums, and everything was off-center and jumbled to one side. The crisis finally went away when I hit the magic green circular arrows on my browser and refreshed the page. That's when I read this morning's stories and headlines.

The lead story mentioned the "Virginia Property Rights Coalition" and they'd misspelled the word coalition. Not just in the story, but in the very bold headline. I was stunned.
The reason I was stunned was because the Times, misspellings, and I have a little history.

In the past, time permitting, I've perused through as much of the Times website and found half a dozen spelling and grammar errors. I took the time to email the editor, a few other key people, and even their web people to bring it to their attention. I was courteous and respectful about it in my email (almost ashamed) but I felt I'd done my civic duty. I had that feeling you get when you tell one of your friends his fly is open. You want them to know, but you don't want them to think you're some sort of perverted crotch-watcher.

It's a good thing I didn't hold my breath for a pat on the back, or some sort of acknowledgement to my email. I never got so much as a "Thanks!" or "We appreciate your note" or anything of the sort. I guess they were afraid I might find mistakes in their notes, too.

I wasn't trying to throw their mistakes in their face because Heaven knows I make more than my share of spelling and grammar errors. (See?) I just thought they'd like to know. Well, they fixed the errors after about 30 minutes, but I never got a note from anyone. Oh, how the true colors shine in the bright light that is humility!

So today, rather than point out their little error, I decided to keep the knowledge to myself and let the ingrates bask in their spellcheck-devoid deadline of a life. I did print the page and filed it for later when I kick back and wonder how I helped to make a difference. I'll look at it, and remind myself how sometimes it's better to let your neighbor walk around with his fly open because it may prove to be more interesting than having him close up shop.