Benedict Arnolds in the U.S. Senate

Lamar Alexander (R-TN)
John Cornyn (R-TX)
Kelly Ayotte (R-NH)
Lindsey Graham (R-SC)
John Barrasso (R-WY)
John Hoeven (R-ND)
Roy Blunt (R-MO)
Johnny Isakson (R-GA)
John Boozman (R-AR)
Mike Johanns (R-NE)
Richard Burr (R-NC)
Ron Johnson (R-WI)
Saxby Chambliss (R-GA)
Mark Kirk (R-IL)
Jeff Chiesa (R-NJ)
John McCain (R-AZ)
Dan Coats (R-IN)
Mitch McConnell (R-KY)
Tom Coburn (R-OK)
Lisa Murkowksi (R-AK)
Thad Cochran (R-MS)
John Thune (R-SD)
Susan Collins (R-ME)
Roger Wicker (R-MS)
Bob Corker (R-TN)

McDonalds in India

While India is one of the biggest markets in the World, it is also the only Country in the World, where McDonald’s doesn’t serve any beef or pork in any form, in ANY of their 123 outlets (and counting) across the country!

Instead of ground beef and pork patties, the McDonald’s Menu in India features Indian burgers that are 100 percent vegetarian – burger look-a-likes of potatoes, peas, and carrots, with a little Indian spice thrown in. So what most Indian kids grow up to know as a hamburger, isn’t really a hamburger.

Diets in India have been impacted by the many different religions in India for centuries now. Hindus don’t eat beef. Hindu believers consider the cow sacred and holy, so harming a cow…let alone eating its meat is considered a grave sin. Since a majority of the population are followers of Hinduism, there is no beef on the McDonalds’ menu in India. Hindu’s and Muslims (also a prominent religion in India), don’t eat pork, so the McDonalds Corporation in India is quick to point out on their website (mcdonaldsinindia.com) that not only is there no beef, there is no pork or pork byproducts in any McDonalds restaurant in India.

That’s not to say that McDonald’s doesn’t serve any non-vegetarian products in their Indian restaurants. They do serve chicken burgers and still have the one Fish Burger…but if you’re a meat eater..then you’ll be outnumbered with their vegetarian options.

Safety Tips from a Cop

1. Tip from Tae Kwon Do :The elbow is the strongest point on your body. If you are close enough to use it, do!

2. Learned this from a tourist guide. If a robber asks for your wallet and/or purse, DO NOT HAND IT TO HIM. Toss it away from you... Chances are that he is more interested in your wallet and/or purse than you, and he will go for the wallet/purse. RUN LIKE MAD IN THE OTHER DIRECTION!

3. If you are ever thrown into the trunk of a car, kick out the back tail lights and stick your arm out the hole and start waving like crazy.. The driver won't see you, but everybody else will. This has saved lives.

4. Women have a tendency to get into their cars after shopping, eating, working, etc., and just sit (doing their checkbook, or making a list, etc. DON'T DO THIS! The predator will be watching you, and this is the perfect opportunity for him to get in on the passenger side, put a gun to your head, and tell you where to go. AS SOON AS YOU GET INTO YOUR CAR, LOCK THE DOORS AND LEAVE..

If someone is in the car with a gun to your head DO NOT DRIVE OFF, Repeat: DO NOT DRIVE OFF! Instead gun the engine and speed into anything, wrecking the car. Your Air Bag will save you. If the person is in the back seat they will get the worst of it. As soon as the car crashes bail out and run. It is better than having them find your body in a remote location.

5. A few notes about getting into your car in a parking lot, or parking garage:
A.) Be aware:look around you, look into your car, at the passenger side floor, and in the back seat.
B.) If you are parked next to a big van, enter your car from the passenger door. Most serial killers attack their victims by pulling them into their vans while the women are attempting to get into their cars.
C.) Look at the car parked on the driver's side of your vehicle, and the passenger side.. If a male is sitting alone in the seat nearest your car, you may want to walk back into the mall, or work, and get a guard/policeman to walk you back out. IT IS ALWAYS BETTER TO BE SAFE THAN SORRY. (And better paranoid than dead.)

6. ALWAYS take the elevator instead of the stairs. Stairwells are horrible places to be alone and the perfect crime spot. This is especially true at NIGHT!)

7. If the predator has a gun and you are not under his control, ALWAYS RUN! The predator will only hit you (a running target) 4 in 100 times; and even then, it most likely WILL NOT be a vital organ. RUN, Preferably in a zig -zag pattern!

8. As women, we are always trying to be sympathetic: STOP It may get you raped, or killed. Ted Bundy, the serial killer, was a good-looking, well educated man, who ALWAYS played on the sympathies of unsuspecting women. He walked with a cane, or a limp, and often asked 'for help' into his vehicle or with his vehicle, which is when he abducted his next victim.

9. Another Safety Point: Someone just told me that her friend heard a crying baby on her porch the night before last, and she called the police because it was late and she thought it was weird.. The police told her 'Whatever you do, DO NOT open the door..' The lady then said that it sounded like the baby had crawled near a window, and she was worried that it would crawl to the street and get run over. The policeman said, 'We already have a unit on the way, whatever you do, DO NOT open the door.' He told her that they think a serial killer has a baby's cry recorded and uses it to coax women out of their homes thinking that someone dropped off a baby.. He said they have not verified it, but have had several calls by women saying that they hear baby's cries outside their doors when they're home alone at night.

10. Water scam! If you wake up in the middle of the night to hear all your taps outside running or what you think is a burst pipe, DO NOT GO OUT TO INVESTIGATE! These people turn on all your outside taps full blast so that you will go out to investigate and then attack.

Stay alert, keep safe, and look out for your neighbors!

Vietnam Brothers Reunion

B Company Reunion

KAREL’S FRACTURED NURSERY RHYMES

Peter, Peter, Pumpkin Eater
Had a wife and couldn’t keep her.
Obama gave them Section Eight;
They still have no cash, but are livin’ great!





Twinkle, twinkle, little car,
What a gas guz-zel-er you are!
Your days are few, your grave’s been dug,
‘Cause new cars will need an electric plug.





Old Mother Hubbard went to the cupboard
To find some food to eat.
A voice called, “Hey, Mama, it’s your pal Obama!
These link cards just can’t be beat!”





Little Jack Horner sat in a corner,
Eating a burger and fries.
Obama yelled, “Jack - enjoy that Big Mac,
‘Cause my health care reform is all lies!”





There was an old woman who lived in a shoe
‘Cause her home was foreclosed on, and dollars were few.
So since she had shelter laced over her head,
Barack just gave her a cellphone instead.





Little Miss Muffet sat on a tuffet
Preparing her res-u-me’.
She thought, “Oh, what the heck - the job market’s a wreck;
Let Obama keep paying my way!”





Little Bo Peep keeps counting her sheep
While tossing and turning in bed.
She thinks of her fears as “Obamacare” nears
And exclaims, “ I’ll be better off dead!!”





Tom, Tom the pauper’s son
Stole a gun and away he run!
Knowing crime laws don’t work, and gun laws abound,
Tom will fill HIS new toy with one extra round!





Jack and Jill went up the hill
To attend the public schools.
Their teachers get paid - though they can’t make the grade,
Leaving taxpayers feeling like fools.





Mary, Mary, quite contrary,
How does your garden grow?
“The Department of Ag made my life such a drag,
Now my garden’s just grass that I mow.”





Hey, Diddle Diddle, the “Class in the Middle”
Heard, “good times are soon on the way.”
Now, they look in their purse and find times have got worse
‘Cause their government still screws them each day!





Old MacDonald had a farm,
E-I-E-I-O.
And on his farm he raised his crops,
E-I-E-I-O:
Soybeans, oats, and hay and corn,
Calves and chickens there were born.
Old MacDonald had a farm,
E-I-E-I-O.
Old MacDonald died one day,
E-I-E-I-O.
So, now tax time was on its way,
E-I-E-I-O:
County, fed’ral, state, and death -
His land then drew ITS final breath.
Old MacDonald HAD a farm.
EEE! - I!- EEE! - I! - OOOOHH!!!





Little Boy Blue, quit blowing your horn,
You’re just one of many who’s mad and forlorn.
Those elitists in Washington have all of the clout.
It’s time that the people just run ‘em all out!





The Farmer in the Dell
Was doing very well,
Then along came the EPA
And his business went to hell!




Humpty Dumpty sat on Wall Street;
He "cracked" as he watched his funds fall and deplete.
"Egged" on by advisors, he was now "broke" and poor;
He - and his cash - should've stayed in the fridge door.




Georgie, Porgie, Puddin' and Pie,
Is it Washington's antics that make you cry?
'Cause they do as they please and won't follow the rules,
But then view all their people back home as the fools?!



A tisket, a tasket
I bought myself a casket
'Twas cheaper than Obamacare
For when I "blow a gasket"!


Baa Baa Ba-rack,
Have you any will?
"No sir, no sir;
I don't have the skill".

You've ruined our e-co-no-my,
And jobs have left for good;
You've turned your back on pointless crimes
By gangstas in the 'hood.

Our allies are afraid of you;
They don't trust what you say.
Your words embolden all our foes
With their plans to play and fray.

Your conscience should be laden
With embarrassment and guilt;
You're destroying a great nation
Our forefathers proudly built.

So, please go back from whence you came -
Chicago thinks you're wiser;
But better yet, Kenya could use
A community organizer!

Hickory Dickory Dock,
Iused to punch a time clock.
And 'cause I'm unemployed, I get so annoyed
When the bill collectors knock.




Old King Cole was a merry old soul
And an ally to the U.S.A.
He knew getting along would make both countries strong
If an enemy came our way.

He was good to the States and made frequent dates
For visits, with issues to solve.
He knew we could lead to face any need
If problems would ever evolve.

The American people showed up to the polls
To elect their first potentate -
His agenda was scary, and the allies were wary
Of Barack Obama’s slate.

His words and decisions would do flips and flops,
And King Cole feared his country’s demise -
Saying, “This Kenyan cad is nothin’ but bad,
And I’ve caught him in several big lies.”

America’s losing support from its friends
‘Cause its actions, they cannot condone;
While the bad guys still play the al-Queda way,
“The U.S. can stand there alone.”






This little piggy went to market
With a link card from Uncle Sam.
The little piggy got roast beef and shrimp
While she shopped without giving a damn.

The other little piggy, well, he stayed home
Watching game shows and soaps every day.
The jerk would not work - he enjoyed the perk
Of someone else paying his way.

The other folks in the neighborhood -
Little piggies - they were NOT;
They worked hard to the max, and paid their tax,
So they couldn’t afford a lot.

The workers would scoff while filling the trough,
Crying, “This is such a scam!
If we were smart, we’d stop pulling the cart
And turn piggies into bacon and ham!”





Jack, be nimble! Jack, be quick!
Al-Queda’s weapons are oh, so slick;
You hear the deadly boom and bam
While Obama doesn’t give a damn.

Jack’s overseas without a plan,
But he keeps on fightin’ as best he can.
Obama thinks this is just a game,
‘Cause to him you have no face, no name.

Obama doesn’t seem to care
What’s truly happenin’ over there.
And another thing he doesn’t learn
Is to pray each day for your safe return.

The folks back home appreciate
The flag Jack serves - because it’s great;
But Obama has chosen to carve away
At funds to ensure he’ll be okay.

And saddest yet; once home, Jack gets
New troubling, disrespectful threats;
‘Cause his needs aren’t met and he feels the snub
While Obama swings another golf club.

He claims to be “Commander-in-Chief”
But ignores requests for Jack’s relief.
Washington’s war on our troops has to quit
And Barack Obama should start givin’ a shit!






Jack Sprat could eat no fat;
His wife could eat no lean.
The first lady gave them a diet plan
With the strangest food list they’ve seen.

Michelle said, “You folks must eat this stuff
‘Cause I know what’s good for you;
If I catch you cheatin’ and junk food eatin’
I’ll call in the food police crew.”

The Sprats vainly struggled for several long days
To comply with this odd tasteless fare.
They knew if they failed, they’d surely get nailed
And turned down for Obama-care.

Later, the Sprats concluded,
“This first lady is some kind of nut!
She’s playing the “nanny”, but should check her own fanny!”
Then they headed for Pizza Hut.





Sing a Song of Sixpence;
It’s such a small amount;
‘Cause Obama and his cronies
Cleaned out my bank account.
I went to cash my paycheck,
And when I did, I found;
That - unabashed, they’ve seized my cash
And spread it all around.

Obama’s in the White House
Counting all the money;
His wife is in her garden
Looking dumb and funny.
The Chief of Staff lets out a laugh
At all the mess they’ve made,
But the working stiff falls off the cliff
‘Cause his bills cannot be paid.

The I.R.S. loves scare-ing
The working, middle class
With audits and collection,
So many lose their ass.
The Fed Reserve Chair grins at
The phony interest rates;
He doesn’t care, for they don’t bear
An impact on Bill Gates!

I sing this silly nursery rhyme -
It’s all I can afford;
My boss has cut my hours
So I get a trifle bored.
Is this the kind of “hope” and “change”
The voters truly crave?
While Washington and Madison
Are rolling in the grave?!

Life Under Hitler

She Survived Hitler and Wants to Warn America

Hispanic Heritage Month

Hispanic Heritage month is celebrated across America from September 15 to October 15. September 15 was chosen as the starting point for the celebration because it is the anniversary of independence of five Latin American countries: Costa Rico, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua. In addition, Mexico and Chile celebrate their independence days on Sept. 16 and Sept. 18 respectively.

The Hispanic population of the United States as of July 1, 2011 was 52 million, making people of Hispanic origin the nation's largest ethnic or race minority Hispanics constituted 16.7 percent of the nation's total population.

The projected Hispanic population of the United States on July 1, 2050 is 132.8 million. Hispanics will constitute 30 percent of the nation's population by that date.

Coming Soon to a Library Near You

The Big Read project continues through Veterans Day, Nov. 11. Other programming and events related to it include a film and speaker series; The American Place Theatre’s Literature to Life performance of “The Things They Carried;” more than 25 book discussion groups; a Lao oral history project; and a special display of The Wall That Heals, a half-scale replica of the original Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., which will be on display behind city hall downtown Sept.


When: Wednesday September 18, 2013 - 10:30 AM - 12:00 PM
Where: Gail Borden Public Library at Elgin Room

For Gail Borden Public Library staff, The Big Read Committee, and The Big Read book discussion leaders:

This 45-60 minute presentation will provide you with tools to create a safe emotional environment for our Vietnam veterans so that they can share their stories, heal, and "come home" at last. Join author Deborah Grassman as she uses Vietnam veterans' stories to provide an enlightened perspective on the special needs of our Vietnam veterans. No registration.


When: Wednesday, September 18, 2013 - 2:30 PM - 4:00 PM
Where: Gail Borden Public Library at South Elgin Room

For Gail Borden Public Library staff, The Big Read Committee, and The Big Read book discussion leaders:

This 45-60 minute presentation will provide you with tools to create a safe emotional environment for our Vietnam veterans so that they can share their stories, heal, and "come home" at last. Join author Deborah Grassman as she uses Vietnam veterans' stories to provide an enlightened perspective on the special needs of our Vietnam veterans. No registration.


When: Sunday, September 29, 2013 - 1:00 PM - 4:30 PM Movie: We Were Soldiers and discussion
Where: Gail Borden Public Library at Meadows Comm. Rms. A-B-C

Discussion will follow and will be led by a Vietnam veteran or book club volunteer.

This recounting of true events during the Vietnam War is set in the Ia Drang Valley soon to be known as the Valley of Death. In a small clearing called landing zone X-Ray, Lt. Colonel Hal Moore (Mel Gibson) and 450 young soldiers, all troopers from an elite American combat division, were surrounded by 2,000 North Vietnamese soldiers. 137 minutes.


When: Tuesday, October 01, 2013 - 7:00 PM - 8:30 PM
Where: Gail Borden Public Library at Meadows Comm. Rms. A-B-C

Elgin historian Jerry Turnquist recalls Elgin during the Vietnam War as told through the newspapers of the time. Images from the Courier News Collection will illustrate Elgin during the 1960s.


When: Sunday, October 06, 2013 - 1:30 PM - 4:30 PM Movie: Platoon and discussion
Where: Gail Borden Public Library at Meadows Comm. Rms. A-B-C

Discussion will follow and will be led by a Vietnam veteran or book club volunteer.

Director Oliver Stone examines the day-to-day existence of an infantry rifle platoon in Vietnam made up of 30 guys from all walks of life. Their loyalties are split into two factions by warring sergeants Barnes and Elias, (Tom Berenger and Willem Dafoe) which results in a conflict that ends in tragedy. Starring Tom Berenger, Willem Dafoe, Charlie Sheen. 120 minute

Pumpkins

Illinois produces more pumpkins than any other state. In fact, Illinois produced twice as many pumpkins in 2012 than 2nd ranked California.

There are two types of pumpkins: the Halloween pumpkin (known in the industry as ornamental) and the prime ingredient in your Thanksgiving pie (called processing pumpkins).

Illinois harvested a record 16,200 acres of pumpkins in 2012. Most were processing pumpkins, the best type for canning and cooking. More than 90% of the nation's canning pumpkins grow in Illinois.

Pumpkins take about 120 days to grow from planting to harvest.. The sprawling plants grow and cover fields with vines up to 30 feet long. The vines contain flowers that bees pollinate to become pumpkins.

Farmers use machines to harvest processing pumpkins. One farm machine moves the pumpkins into rows, while another elevates them onto trucks. Then the crop travels to the facility to be washed, chopped, processed and canned.

Allah Akbar

Muslims often proclaim, “Allah Akbar.” Allah Akbar can be translated “God is Great”, “God is the Greatest”, or “God is Greater”. It is spelled in various ways. (This phrase is one of the most significant utterances in Islam and is called the Takbir.)

•Muslims use the phrase Allah Akbar in their prayers.
•Allah Akbar is written in the center of Iraq’s flag.
•Allah Akbar is written twenty-two times on the flag of Iran.
•Allahu Akbar is the title of Libya’s national anthem.
•Allah Akbar is shouted by Muslims engaged in Jihad.
•Allah Akbar is uttered by Muslims when fasting and while on pilgrimage.