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Greetings, Quotaholics:
DNA testing has changed
the world of forensic science forever. Now just microscopic amounts
of genetic material can establish a match with virtual certainty, and
can exculpate someone 100% if there is no match at all. We see
many uses for it, but sometimes society lags behind technology.
Take, for example,
the case of Ray Thomas of Houston, Texas. According to KHOU.com,
in 1986 a woman he was dating had a baby and told Thomas it was his.
He thought so too until the little girl’s hair turned red. He
tried unsuccessfully to get the courts to intervene, and has since wound
up in debt to the tune of $52,000 in back child support — with $13,000
of that being interest.
He and the girl, now
an adult, jointly paid $450 for a DNA test that shows him with 0% likelihood
of being the father. 0% is pretty conclusive, but it didn’t matter
to the courts. Even though this year, the Texas Legislature unanimously
voted to change the law. It is already on the books. DNA
proof can reverse parental rights, but the case is too old and isn’t
covered retroactively.
So Thomas is stuck
with huge bills for a child that was never his, even though the same
DNA tests used to exonerate those wrongly convicted of crimes show that
he cannot be the father, it simply doesn’t matter.
"I don’t understand
the judge can just give you a baby that ain’t yours and don’t try to
try you, and I don’t understand it," Thomas said.
Is this justice in
any way? Is it just simpler to let the little guy pay than to
confront the larger issue of fairness? How would the men out there
feel if you were faced with the same situation? It seems there’s
nothing that Thomas can do but pay until he dies, have his paychecks
garnished and tax refunds confiscated. Do you think he has grounds
to file some sort of lawsuit against the girl’s mother for fraud if
nothing else?
Paternalistically,
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| Today’s
Quotes |
Remember, Ginger Rogers did everything Fred Astaire did, but backwards
and in high heels. - Faith Whittlesey
Many of our fears are tissue-paper-thin, and a single courageous step
would carry us clear through them. - Brendan Francis
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| Today’s
Chuckle |
Fishing…
[Thanks dEE]
A
game warden noticed how a particular fellow named Sam consistently caught
more fish than anyone else, whereas the other guys would only catch
three or four a day. Sam would come in off the lake with a boat full.
Stringer after stringer was always packed with freshly caught trout.
The warden, curious, asked Sam his secret. The successful fisherman
invited the game warden to accompany him and observe. So the next morning
the two met at the dock and took off in Sam’s boat. When they got to
the middle of the lake, Sam stopped the boat, and the warden sat back
to see how it was done.
Sam’s approach was simple. He took out a stick of dynamite, lit it,
and threw it in the water. The explosion rocked the lake with such a
force that dead fish immediately began to surface. Sam took out a net
and started scooping them up. Well, you can imagine the reaction of
the game warden. When he recovered from the shock of it all, he began
yelling at Sam. “You can’t do this! I’ll put you in jail, buddy! You
will be paying every fine there is in the book!”
Sam, meanwhile, set his net down and took out another stick of dynamite.
He lit it and tossed it in the lap of the game warden with these words,
“Are you going to sit there all day complaining, or are you going to
fish?”
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| Life
Sentences |
A woman is never sexier than when she is comfortable in her clothes.
Fashion offers no greater challenge than finding what works for night
without looking like you are wearing a costume.
It’s a remarkable exercise to sit and look at your own work over the
years. – all from Vera Wang, American fashion designer, born on this
day in 1949
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| Image’n
That! |
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Before
He Discovered Alternative Energy
Bruce Tried His Hand At Alternative Transportation
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| My
Most Embarrassing Moment
My Scariest Moment |
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Speak right up!
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| Cliff’s
Notes
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Wishes
Well, I made it back, safe & sound, for anyone who may have been concerned.
It was the almost the most tiring and arduous geocaching activity I have
encountered. I say almost because I have done some geocaching at individual
caches that were quite the challenge alone, but this ranks right up there.
Friday we took off for the 5 hour trip and arrived in Nashville, Tennessee
at an event where the who mechanism of the geocaching experience is set
up in a maze. It was awesome. You take a “scorecard” and must traverse
the maze looking for display areas that describe various parts of geocaching.
Of course, the first display area highlighted the GPS (Global Positioning
System) satellites and how the GPS receivers use them to triangulate where
it is you are.
Other displays highlight things you may encounter, things you should have
with you like most hikers, and other aspects of geocaching, like the various
containers you may discover as you traverse the globe playing the high-tech
hide-n-seek game.
We spent the rest of the afternoon leisurely collecting geocaches in the
Nashville area. We collected a total of 14 caches in the process. Then
we got a hotel room where we took a “power nap” for a few hours to rest
before we began out 24 hour challenge. We got up, had a good meal, then
began our efforts at the first peal of the midnight bell, grabbing a few
easy caches around where we were.
After those caches, we hit a series of “power trails”, which are not trails
at all, but, instead, are just roads where someone has placed easy to
get geocaches along guard rails or at bases of highway signs. There were
anywhere from 30 to 100 caches on each trail, which were connected at
small towns. We would do a trail, then collect the caches in the town,
then continue on the other trail, repeating as often as possible. Our
initial goal was to get 200 or more caches in 24 hours, which is a challenge
since the most any of us had found in 24 hours was 111. Our ultimate hope
was to get 300 or more, but we weren’t sure if we could do that or not.
After starting out, we were met by the local sheriff deputies not once,
not twice, nor even only three times, but seven times within a 2-hour
period somewhere about 2 to 4 a.m. At the 3rd such encounter, I asked
the officer to radio his compatriots and let them know we were benign
and were in the area. I know he did just that because the 7th officer
said he had heard of us on the radio. I think officer #4 through #7 heard
about us and just wanted to see what four crazy Yankees looked like, as
one of them asked, “And you folks came here all the way from Ohio for
THIS?”
Well, to make a long story shorter, at the 10th hour, we had met our primary
goal of 200, and at the 19th hour, we had our 300th find. By this time
we had run out of the readily available caches on the power trails and
we were scrambling through neighborhood shopping centers and such to find
caches to fill in the remaining time. We ended up finding another 44 caches
that way, bringing our total to 344. At midnight, we sought out another
hotel and crashed. Our odyssey was complete, and our wildest dreams fulfilled!
Here’s your quiz:
Have you ever had everything go just perfectly for some event or activity?
Have you ever completed something quicker than you expected that you had
to find something else to do?
Have you ever spent 24 hours, fully awake and active, with a group of
friends in some kind of activity?
Wishes - Sometimes They Do Come True
Cliff (the High-Tech Redneck who doesn’t rate a
fancy ’signature pic’) 
Comment
on this article
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| Ranina’s
Ruminations |
I wonder why I am hearing almost nothing about the robbery that has
been perpetrated upon the taxpayers of this country.
For decades, the federal government has raided the money collected
from the public in FICA taxes for SSI and Medicare to offset the crushing
budget debt and to spend on pet projects favored by legislators. Yet,
no one seems to notice.
I listen to a lot of talk radio, a lot of legitimate news, and I read
online to try and keep myself informed about many things. So now I
wonder where the media is. Why are they mostly silent on this topic?
Where is the crushing finger of doom that they like to point at silly
things like stupid legislators sending inappropriate pictures of themselves
in stupid tweets? Why is there no exposure and no outrage that our
money has literally been stolen from us?
Talk to a right-wing person about this and here’s what you get: “People
who were too stupid to put aside a nest egg for their own retirement
deserve nothing.” But why is it alright to steal taxpayer money
that was given to the government to set aside to fund taxpayer retirements,
then do whatever you want with it? “No one should be stupid enough
to depend on anyone else, especially government, for their retirement
funds or medical needs during retirement.” Rich talk-show hosts are
especially fond of this sentiment.
Talk to a left-wing person about this and here’s what you get: “Retirement?
FICA taxes? All is well and all will be well. Everyone will be taken
care of.” But why is it alright to steal taxpayer money that was
given to the government to set aside to fund taxpayer retirements,
then do whatever you want with it? “Let me divert your attention
for a moment. Look at those pretty birdies over there. Look at that
one with a broken wing. Now we can give it Health Care. See? All is
well, and that’s why we need you to pay more taxes.”
I have actually heard people express true anger toward people getting
the retirement and Medicare benefits they deserve, saying, “What makes
all these old people think that we should give them anything for free?”
I am incredulous and amazed that there are so many people out there
who are so ignorant that they do not know what that FICA tax on everyone’s
pay stub is supposed to be for.
Legislators say that we must all suffer the consequences of this current
economic disaster. How do our legislators suffer? They made this disaster.
They vote themselves raises, while enjoying the finest healthcare
available. They have bodyguards, drivers, errand boys and girls. And
that’s just a tiny tip of the iceberg of legislative perks they receive.
They are not suffering. Many of them no longer know how an average
person lives anymore. They are completely out of touch with the reality
that most of us face.
I say that they should all be terminated when they fail to produce
satisfactory results, just like any other worker. No balanced budget?
You don’t get to take off for vacation without doing your job. You
are fired and replaced. Can’t come to an agreement on spending reductions,
rather than raising taxes in an economy where many, many people are
already struggling just to eat, pay rent and pay bills? Fired. Cannot
agree on a budget to keep the federal government open? Fired.
I also believe that each of them should have to live as we all do,
like average, everyday people. Drive our roads yourself. Live your
life based on your income alone, balance your check book, and learn
how to budget. Experience what happens when you do not do these things
well. Do your own shopping. (Look at those prices!) Buy your own gasoline.
(Prices!) Commute to work in rush-hour traffic on our roads. Work
all day, then come home and cook, clean and wash clothes. I could
think of much more, but I’m sure you get the picture just from this.
Where is everybody??
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Kirsten’s
Krazy Kaleidoscope |
Kirsten
was sick. Hope you get to feeling better soon!
Comment
On This Article |
| Lucille’s
Lunacy |
TJ the Golden Retriever was getting a bit gamey. He loves to roll in
grass, and other dogs like to give him interesting things to roll in.
What it boiled down to was that he stank, which is not something you
want your bed mate to do.
The last time he got a bath, we took him to our local Pet Smart, and
picked him up a couple of hours later. He was soft and shiny, and, when
it came right down to it, darned expensive. Maybe it was the bows in
his hair, or the stinky perfume they sprayed on him, but he smelled
and looked like he was a French — poodle. Cute isn’t something he
does with grace. The bows came out right away, and the perfume was satisfactorily
diluted with the help of some of TJ’s fellows as soon as he had another
rolling opportunity.
Today, I gave him his beauty treatment myself. It saved me a few bucks,
and right now, that matters. The first thing I had to do was capture
him. He has perfected what I call "drive by obedience". This
is when you call the doggy, he comes, and as soon as you reach for his
collar, he takes off. He knows he can easily outrun a plump, blind middle
aged woman, and I try not to take the enthusiastic tail wagging personally.
I do have one trick up my sleeve. I had already stripped for the doggy
bath, so I guess you couldn’t say that it was a sleeve exactly. I did,
however mumble a few prayers regarding my hope that Pa Kettle wouldn’t
suddenly show up as I raced to the kitchen to grab a dog treat.
TJ is such a pig that he was easy to lure into the shower for a liver
strip. My mother sat on the stool outside the shower to help me keep
him in. She must have misunderstood me when she asked if he was ready
for prime time, because the door suddenly opened, and a dripping wet
dog rocketed out of the shower stall. There wasn’t an inch of dry in
the bathroom. Everything, human and otherwise was suddenly covered with
water and dog hair.
I tried to get him into the back yard. He shook himself off several
times as we walked to the door. I got him out one door. I stood and
waited for a few minutes. I figured he had gone to the other end of
the yard, and I turned around to go through the house to catch him.
He met me half way there, shaking himself dry all the while.
I’m apologizing to Pet Smart for ever questioning their charge for dog
bathing. It is a bargain at twice the price. And, whoever said "a
person who doesn’t know how soap tastes has never washed a dog"
was 100% right.
Comment
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| Poet-Tree |
Still laughing over these! Good job!
Next opening line…
There once was a girl with big feet…
Hints:
Here’s a great new rhyming/composition tool. http://www.writerhymes.com/
There’s also a great rhyming dictionary at http://www.rhymezone.com/
Limerick rules. http://freespace.virgin.net/merrick.sheldon/limerickrules.htm
Submit
Opening Line
Submit
Limerick
There once
was a whore who did sleep.
It usually was quite deep.
After a real busy night
In the fresh morning light
She never had to count sheep. - Skeeter |
There once
was a whore who did sleep.
Into bed she would leap.
To make lots of money,
She’d even say, "honey"
To even the lowliest creep. - Skeeter |
There
once was a whore that did sleep
and dreamt of taking dick real deep.
she was a bad girl,
gave all men a good whirl
her next job was to do a black sheep. - Cassandra in New York
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There
once was a whore who did sleep;
a sleep that was long and quite deep.
The knock on the door
by a man wanting more
had led to more counting of sheep. - ldo |
There
once was a whore who did sleep
And always dreamed she was "Bo Peep"
Her johns did delight
When her fancy took flight
And her tricks always involved a black sheep. - Bonnie |
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Reader Comments
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Re: Fat Foods
Any organization
that spends 20 years studying something as narrowly defined as yogurt
and potatoes has to be funded by a specific food seller. What about
Pizza - white bread topped with several veggies, usually raw, and
some of the fattest type meats on the planet, plus cheese? How does
THAT rank on the weight gain chart? And what about Pasta? I think
of that as white bread in shaped bits. Is it? We’ve been told that
the top comfort food in America is Mac ‘n’ Cheese. Doesn’t that tend
to add pounds? Comparing a tuber to a dairy product seems a whole
lot of nuts to me.
Any foods one eats need to be balanced by how physically active you
are anyway. I am not fat. My partner is. I do a lot of go-and-do,
always have. He doesn’t. We eat the same dinner meal every day. Doesn’t
metabolism, inherited genes, and what you are fed growing up figure
into the bigger equation some place? During the Depression a potato
might be all some folks had to eat for supper. After WWII came the
Fast Food places, including French Fries. Recent years find the Hot
Spicy Foods gaining popularity - with indigestion for dessert.
And I hate yogurt. No matter how it’s masked with sugary "fruit",
my taste buds ask me why am I eating sour milk. Pass me the cottage
cheese, please. - Nancy L in Ohio
Re:
Goals
My major goals are promoting world peace and sustainable technology,
so I have not had much to celebrate. After a successful skirmish,
I’m usually too tired and disoriented to do much more than eat well
and catch up on my sleep. Having found the business world too hostile
for benign machines, I’m trying to write something viral about the
influence that undeclared and mostly unaware bisexuals have had in
the gender debates. - Bob of the North
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Disclaimer- All quotes printed in this publication are believed to be
accurately attributed, but no guarantees are made that some incorrectly
attributed, or even outright false quotes won’t get in here from time
to time. I assure readers that I will do my best to weed out incorrect
quotes, and will print a retraction as soon as I become aware of any errors.
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