Bi-Polar Suicide Risk

"Researchers at Johns Hopkins university say they've identified a gene variant that makes people with bipolar disorder more likely to attempt suicide.

The scientists looked at DNA from about 2,700 people with bipolar disorder where about half had attempted suicide and half had not. They found that the people whose DNA had a particular gene variant were from 1.4 to 3 times as likely to have attempted suicide, depending on how many copies of the variant were present. Studying additional DNA from over 3,000 more people with bipolar disorder confirmed these findings."

Info here

This Day in History

On May 7, 1945, Germany signed an unconditional surrender at Allied headquarters in Rheims, France, to take effect the following day, ending the European conflict of World War II.

Mental Health Month

Stupid Comment of the Month

ABC News: Do you think he (Ted Cruz) represents most Hispanics with his politics?

Bill Richardson: “No, no. He’s anti-immigration. Almost every Hispanic in the country wants to see immigration reform. No, I don’t think he should be defined as a Hispanic. He’s a politician from Texas. A conservative state. And I respect Texas’ choice. But what I don’t like is… when you try to get things done, it’s okay to be strong and state your views, your ideology. But I’ve seen him demean the office, be rude to other senators, not be part of, I think, the civility that is really needed in Washington.”

3 Reasons Why Biden Won't Win in 2016

Biden will turn 74 years old 12 days after Election Day, which would make him the oldest newly elected president to take the oath of office.

Hillary will run and she's popular with 65% of Democrat voters.

Biden makes too many gaffes.

Bones

Humans have 206 bones; cats have 244.

This Date in History

In 1937, the hydrogen-filled German dirigible Hindenburg burned and crashed in Lakehurst, N.J., killing 36 of the 97 people on board.

New Definition of the Middle Class

The middle class are those who keep up with bills, do not get too buried in debt, and do not lose their jobs.

Derby Bets

Here's my Kentucky Derby bets which I placed at the local off track betting parlor:

Win bets:
#5 Normandy Invasion, #6 Mylute, #10 Palace Malice, #19 Java's War

Exactas:
#14 Verrazano on top with #5,#6,#10,#16, and #19
#16 Orb on top with #5,#6,#10, #14, #16, and #19
Box #5 Normandy Invasion with #19 Java's War

Trifectas:
#14 Verrazano/ #16 Orb/ over #5/#19
#16 Orb/#14 Verrazano/ over #5/#19

Don't miss the 2 most exciting minutes in sports. Good Luck!!!

Triple Crown

The Triple Crown is a trio of races held in May and June every year for 3-year-old Thoroughbreds and represents one of the greatest achievements in horse racing today. To earn the Triple Crown title, a horse must win each leg of the three-race series: the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness Stakes and the Belmont Stakes. And each year, a new crop of 3-year-olds excites the nation with the prospect of a Triple Crown winner.

Winning the Triple Crown has been accomplished just 11 times in its long history, with the latest winner, Affirmed, completing the elusive trifecta over 30 years ago in 1978. Eighteen horses have come close since then, winning two of three races. The most recent near miss came in 2008, when Big Brown won the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes but did not finish the Belmont Stakes – a race aptly known as the “Test of the Champion” because of its 1 ½ mile distance. Competing in three races in just over a month is difficult enough. But with the recent trend of trainers entering fresh horses in the Preakness Stakes and the Belmont Stakes to compete against the Kentucky Derby winner, winning the Triple Crown will be an incredible feat.

This year, the 2013 Kentucky Derby will be held at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky., on May 4th. The 2013 Preakness Stakes will take place at Pimlico Racecourse in Baltimore, Md., on May 18th. And the 2013 Belmont Stakes will be hosted by Belmont Park in Elmont, NY., on June 8th.

Why Terrorism Will Not Go Away

According to a new study of Muslims around Asia and Africa conducted by the Washington-based Pew Forum, over 75% of those Muslims want sharia to rule over family issues and at least 25% of Muslims are in favor of suicide terrorist bombings.

My Kentucky Derby Picks

# 19 Java's War 15-1
# 5 Normandy Invasion 12-1
# 14 Verrazano 4-1
# 6 Mylute 15-1
# 10 Palace Malice 20-1

Happy Birthday, Anna Marie Jarvis (1864-1948)

Two years after her mother's death, Anna Marie Jarvis held a memorial to her mother and embarked on a campaign to make Mother's Day a recognized holiday. She later soured on the commercialization of the holiday and campaigned against it.

"A printed card means nothing except that you are too lazy to write to the woman who has done more for you than anyone in the world. And candy! You take a box to Mother—and then eat most of it yourself. A pretty sentiment." - Anna Jarvis.

What is Psychology?

I was taught that the goals of psychology were to understand, predict, and control human behavior.

What is psychology?

Psychology is the scientific study of human behavior and mental processes; the reason why we think and feel various thoughts and emotions. It also focuses on the study and treatment of mental health disorders.

Psychology is a complex field with numerous subspecialties:

Biological psychology – The biology behind behavior and mental processes
Clinical psychology –Prevention of psychological dysfunction in patients (individuals, families, couples or small groups)
Cognitive psychology – How people think, perceive, remember and learn
Comparative psychology – The similarities and differences in behavior and mental processes in human and animals
Development psychology – The development of the human mind throughout the life span
Education psychology – How humans learn
Social psychology – How humans relate to one another

What is a psychologist and what do they do?

Psychologists seek to diagnose and treat mental health disorders. Psychologists treat patients through “talk therapy,” and observing, interpreting, and recording their patient’s behavior and mental processes; their thoughts, experiences and responses. They typically look for patterns in human behavior in order to diagnose conditions. Psychologists treat individuals (adults and children), couples and families, as well as patients in small groups. They may treat patients in a clinical environment (hospital), or in private practice. If a patient requires medication for a mental health disorder, a psychologist may refer a patient to a psychiatrist; psychiatrists are medical doctors who can write prescriptions for a variety of mental health disorders such as depression, anxiety, ADD/ADHD, psychosis and more.

Illinois Speed Limits

"On April 23, the Senate approved legislation I sponsored with Transportation Committee Chairman Martin Sandoval (D-Cicero) that will increase Illinois’ speed limit to 70 miles per hour (mph) on tollways and interstate highways. This change will bring Illinois in line with most of the rest of the country. The interstates were designed for a higher rate of speed, and currently, there are 34 states with speed limits of 70 mph or higher. All of Illinois’ neighboring states, except Wisconsin, have speed limits of 70 mph. Fifteen states have speed limits of 75 mph and one state has a speed limit of 85 mph." - Illinois State Senator Oberweis

Benefits of Quitting Facebook

Union Leader article

The Law and Faith

"The Law requires that we perform something for God. Faith does not require our doing; it requires that we believe the promise of God and accept something from Him. Therefore the function of the Law, at its highest level, is to work, just as that of faith is to assent. Thus the Law provides doing, and faith provides believing; for faith is faith in the promise, and the work is the work of the Law."

Luther, M. (1999, c1963). Vol. 26: Luther's works, vol. 26 : Lectures on Galatians, 1535, Chapters 1-4 (J. J. Pelikan, H. C. Oswald & H. T. Lehmann, Ed.). Luther's Works (26:272). Saint Louis: Concordia Publishing House.

Current Composition of U.S. House, Senate, Governors

(Senate - 53 D*, 47 R)

(House - 232 R, 200 D, 3 V)

(Governor - 29 R, 20 D, 1 I)

* = 2 Independents caucus with the democrats

Had Lunch with These Fine Ladies Today

Today's Speed Picks

race 1 Belmont #7 (3/1)
race 5 Belmont #2 (3/1)
race 6 Belmont #2 (8/5)
race 9 Belmont #11 (10/1)
race 4 Charles Town #2 (9/2)
race 6 Fairmount #4 (2/1)
race 9 Fonner #10 (6/1)
race 1 Hollywood #1 (9/5)
race 5 Hollywood #1 (4/1)
race 3 Indiana #7 (9/2)
race 3 Los Alamitos #1 (5/2)
race 7 Mountaineer #7 (5/1)
race 3 Pimlico #1 (7/2)
race 4 Prairie Meadows #7 (4/1)
race 8 Sun Ray #4 (5/2)
race 5 Woodbine #8 (3/1)

Obama's Religious Beliefs

Click Here

John Paul II to be Canonized

"It is still premature to talk about dates for the canonization, but the rapidity with which the examination of the miracle process is happening still leaves open the possibility of celebrating it on Sunday October 20th, very close to the liturgical holiday assigned to the blessed Wojtyla, which is on October 22nd."

-from The Vatican Insider

How Illinois Can Turn its Economy Around

According to Governor Rick Perry of Texas, here is the blueprint for success:

1. Keep the tax burden as light as possible, and still maintain the services the people require

2. Have a regulatory climate that is fair and predictable

3. Develop a legal system that doesn't allow for over-suing

4. Maintain accountability in your public schools to assure a skilled workforce

5. Get out of the way and let the private sector do what the private sector does best, which is create job, which, in turn, creates wealth that flows into the coffers of the government.

Conspiracy Theory of Marathon Bombers

Were they double agents?

Debka File

Sunday Luther

"...someone will say: “But the Law is divine and holy.” Let the Law have its glory. But no Law, no matter how divine or holy, has the right to tell me that I obtain justification and life through it. I will grant that it can teach me that I should love God and my neighbor, and live in chastity, patience, etc.; but it is in no position to show me how to be delivered from sin, the devil, death, and hell. For this I must consult the Gospel and listen to the Gospel, which does not teach me what I should do—for that is the proper function of the Law—but what someone else has done for me, namely, that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, has suffered and died to deliver me from sin and death. The Gospel commands me to accept and believe this, and this is what is called “the truth of the Gospel.” It is also the main doctrine of Christianity, in which the knowledge of all godliness is comprehended. It is, therefore, extremely necessary that we come to know this doctrine well and constantly inculcate it."

Luther, M. (1999, c1963). Vol. 26: Luther's works, vol. 26 : Lectures on Galatians, 1535, Chapters 1-4 (J. J. Pelikan, H. C. Oswald & H. T. Lehmann, Ed.). Luther's Works (26:91). Saint Louis: Concordia Publishing House.

20 Questions for Liberals

1) A few days ago, we were hearing that the Boston Marathon bombers COULD BE conservative, which proved that the Right is evil. Now, when we know that the terrorists are Muslims, how can the same liberals be saying that it means nothing?

2) If you believe we have a "right" to things like health care, food, shelter and a good education, then doesn't that also mean you believe we also have a right to force other people to unwillingly provide those things at gunpoint?

3) How can you simultaneously want a big government that will make decisions that have an enormous impact on the lives of every American while also saying that the character and morals of our politicians don't matter?

4) What exactly is the "fair share" of someone's income that he’s earned that he should be able to keep?

5) Why is it that time and time again, revenue paid to the treasury has GONE UP after we've cut taxes?

6) Are you pro-choice or pro-abortion? If it's pro-choice, do you feel people should be able to choose to have an assault weapon, what kind of light bulb they use in their house or whether they'd like to put their Social Security funds into a private retirement account?

7) If corporations are so awful, greedy and bad for the country, then shouldn't we be celebrating when they decide to close their plants here and move overseas?

8) How can liberal economists like Paul Krugman be right when they claim that our economy isn't doing well because we aren't spending enough money when we're already running massive, unsustainable deficits and spending is going up every year?

9) If Republicans don’t care about the poor, why do studies consistently show that they give more to charity than Democrats do?

10) Give us a ballpark estimate: If something doesn't change dramatically, how long do you think it will be until we have an economic crash in this country similar to the one we're seeing in Greece or Cyprus?

11) Since we "all agree" with the idea that our level of deficit spending is "unsustainable," what would be wrong with permanently freezing federal spending at the current level until we balance the budget by increasing revenue, cutting spending or some combination thereof?

12) If we change God's definition of marriage to make gay marriage legal, then what's the logical argument against polygamy or even adult siblings supposed to be?

13) In a world where people can easily change states and can, with a bit more difficulty, permanently move to other roughly comparable parts of the globe, do you really think it's feasible over the long haul to have a tax system where 86% of the income taxes are paid by the top 25% of the income earners?

14) If you win a lawsuit that's filed against you, why should you have to pay huge legal bills when you did nothing wrong while the person who filed the suit pays no penalty for wrongly accusing you?

15) How can you oppose putting murderers to death and be fine with killing innocent children via abortion?

16) A minimum wage raises salaries for some workers at the cost of putting other workers out of jobs entirely. What's the acceptable ratio for that? For every 10 people who get a higher salary, how many are you willing to see lose their jobs?

17) The earth has been warming and cooling for thousands of years with temperature drops and increases that are much larger than the ones we've seen over the last century. Since we can't adequately explain or model those changes, what makes us think we can say with any sort of confidence that global warming is being caused by man?

18) We live in a world where people have more choices than ever before in music, entertainment, careers, news sources and what to do with their time. Shouldn't government mirror that trend by moving towards federalism and states’ rights instead of centralizing more and more power in Washington, DC?

19) If people in the middle class aren't willing to pay enough in taxes to cover the government services that they use because they don't think it's worth the money, shouldn't we prune back government to a level people do feel comfortable paying for in taxes?

20) If firms can get by with paying women 72 cents on the dollar for the same quality of work as men, then why don't we see any firms with all female labor forces using those lower costs to dominate the marketplace?

-from FREE REPUBLIC

Thoroughbred Handicapping 4-19-13

3 Aqueduct #2 (2/1)

8 Fairmount #1 (8/1)

3 Golden Gate #6 (2/1)
5 Golden Gate #1 (3/1)
6 Golden Gate #5 (6/5)

5 Hawthorne #4 (9/2)
9 Hawthorne #1A (5/1)

2 Keeneland #5 (6/1)
4 Keeneland #4 (7/2)
8 Keeneland #8 (9/2)

2 Oaklawn #1 (2/1)

1 Pimlico #2 (7/5)
10 Pimlico #2 (2/1)

1 Santa Anita #5 (1/1)
7 Santa Anita #2 (5/2)

Social Security

"As of now, Social Security has enough money to pay benefits in full through 2033, after which time recipients will receive only about three-quarters of what they should. Currently, 56 million Americans receive Social Security payments. That includes senior citizens, people with disabilities, and children whose working parents have died.

More than 40 percent of people 65 and older would live below the federal poverty line of $11,490 were it not for Social Security payments, according to estimates from the left-leaning Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. As of June 2012, the average monthly retirement check was $1,234 a month. For one-quarter of elderly Social Security recipients, that check represents their lone source of income.

Really, there are only two ways to tweak the Social Security program, says Henry Aaron, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution: “Raise the rate of payroll taxes, or cut benefits and decide for whom and how much.”

Article

GDP Growth

"Looking at the economy in 10-year increments starting from 1948 (when declines from wartime spending had ended), averaging GDP’s annual growth percentage shows the following:

1948-57: 3.80%
1958-67: 4.28%
1968-77: 3.18%
1978-87: 3.15%
1988-97: 3.05%
1998-2007: 2.99%
2008-2013: 0.73%

Even if 2008 (-0.3%) and 2009’s (-3.1%) negative annual GDP percentages are dropped (something undone for the other periods) and only the 2010-13 period is averaged, the result is just 1.95% – still over a full percentage point below the previous decade’s."

Forbes

Today's Picks

5 Fonner #2 (2-1)
2 Hawthorne #2 (2/1)
5 Hawthorne #1 (3/1)
6 Hawthorne #3 (5/2)
8 Keeneland #7 (3/1)
9 Keeneland #5 (3/5)
10 Keeneland #6 (3/1)
11 Sunland #11 (12/1)

Today's Thoroughbred Picks

Race 2 Aqueduct #1 (8/5)
Race 3 Aqueduct #6 (9/5)
Race 4 Aqueduct #2 (5/2)

Race 4 Keeneland #8 (2/1)
Race 8 Keeneland #6 (7/5)

Race 2 Pimlico #2 (8/5)
Race 6 Pimlico #5 (6/1)

Hospital Consolidation Rising

The highest level of healthcare consolidation since the turn of the millennium occurred during 2012 and it is expected to continue - if not accelerate - going forward, a new report from Chicago-based Fitch Ratings contends.

The main spark for the new wave of consolidation is healthcare reform, report author Adam Kates told Healthcare Finance News. Eyeing reimbursement reductions and a changing business model that places more risk on the provider sector, healthcare organizations are looking to gain leverage from combining assets, staff and resources, he said.

"Hospital executives are seeing the fabric of operations changing from a fee-for-service format that rewards patient volume to a managed system that rewards patient outcomes," said Kates, director of Fitch's public finance group. "It is a very significant change in their operations and there is going to be a difficult period when they will have to operate in both worlds."

Fitch's study focused on not-for-profit hospitals, but Kates said consolidation has been active in the for-profit hospital and physician sectors as well. In spending more than a year conducting his market study, Kates said he has identified a definite trend of hospitals taking steps to build economies of scale to better withstand the revenue pressures they expect with the advent of the Affordable Care Act.

Ben Rooks, founder of San Francisco-based ST Advisors, said the wave of hospital mergers is a logical response to the value-based purchasing business model touted by the ACA.

"It's a numbers game," he said. "To effectively take on the financial risk providers are being told to assume, they need a certain amount of critical mass. The bigger you are, the more the numbers work to your advantage."

When two hospitals that previously competed in one region suddenly join forces, they not only gain economies of scale and double their market share, experts agree they also gain valuable leverage in negotiating for insurance contracts, product pricing and talent recruiting as well as assuming more control over emerging accountable care organizations.

-from Healthcare Finance News

88K Jobs

Only 88,000 new jobs were created in the month of March. The real news was that the decline in the unemployment rate was explained by the separation of nearly half a million people from the workforce, so that labor-force participation shrunk from about 67.3 percent in early 2000 to about 63.3 percent today.

Early Experiments with Telepathy

We've made progress.

"In a lab at Harvard Medical School, a man is using his mind to wag a rat’s tail. To send his command, he merely glances at a strobe light flickering on a computer screen, and a set of electrodes stuck to his scalp detects the activity triggered in his brain. A computer processes and relays the electrodes’ signal to an ultrasound machine poised over the rat’s head. The machine delivers a train of low-energy ultrasound pulses into the rat’s brain, stimulating its motor cortex – the area that governs its movements. The pulses are aimed purposely at a rice-grain-sized area that controls the rat’s tail. It starts to wag.

This link-up is the brainchild of Seung-Schik Yoo, and it works more than 94% of the time. Whenever a human looks at the flickering lights, the rat’s tail almost always starts to wag just over a second later. The connection between them is undeniably simple. The volunteer is basically flicking a switch in the rat’s brain between two positions – move tail, and don’t move tail. But it is still an impressive early example of something we will see more of in coming years – a way to connect between two living brains."

BBC story CLICK HERE

Candidate Chelsea Clinton?

Oh, spare me.

"Former first daughter Chelsea Clinton said Monday she would consider running for office if she could make a "meaningful" impact on the country.

'Right now, I’m grateful to live in a city and a state and a country where I strongly support my mayor, my governor, my president and my senators and my representative,' Clinton, who lives in New York City, said on NBC’s “Today.” 'If at some point that weren’t true and I thought I could make a meaningful and measurably greater impact, you know, I’d have to ask and answer that question.'"


Chelsea Clinton

Wrestlemania 29 Results

John Cena pinned The Rock to regain the WWE championship
Triple H defeated Brock Lesnar in a No Holds Barred Match
The Undertaker defeated CM Punk
Alberto Del Rio defeated Jack Swagger via submission to retain the WWE WHC
Fandango defeated Chris Jericho
Team Hell No retained the WWE world tag team titles defeating Dolph Ziggler and Big E. Langston
Mark Henry defeated Ryback
The Shield defeated Randy Orton, Sheamus, and The Big Show
The Miz defeated Wade Barrett to win the WWE I-C title

"Iron Lady" Passes Away

Former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, the "Iron Lady" who led a conservative resurgence in her home country and forged a legendary partnership with President Ronald Reagan, died Monday following a stroke, her spokesman said. She was 87.

Thatcher led Britain from 1979 to 1990, the first woman to hold the job and longest-serving prime minister of the postwar era.

Today's Thoroughbred Picks

Race 9 Aqueduct #13 Bizarroworld (3/1)
Race 7 Golden Gate #3 Classic Crusader (9/5)
Race 8 Keeneland #10 Adriani (4/1)
Race 5 Oaklawn #4 Stay Foolish (6/1)
Race 9 Sunland #6 Grand Slam Andre 4/1)
Race 9 Turf Paradise #9 Tpsi magic (5/2)

Today's Thoroughbred Picks

Race 4: Aqueduct #4 Funnys Approval (7/2)
Race 7 Aqueduct #14 Beyond Empire (6/5)
Race 10 Aqueduct #4 Sahara Sky (2/1)
Race 7 Beulah #1 Significant Bling (2/5)
Race 8 Golden Gate #8 Bourbon Boy (3/1)
Race 5 Keeneland #8 Winning Cause #8 (7/2)
Racce 6 Oaklawn #11 Rattlesnake Holler (15-1)
Race 8 Oaklawn #5 Rhetorical (5/2)
Race 9 Oaklawn #2 Bobcat Jim (4/1)
Race 5 Santa Anita #6 Beholder (3/5)
Race 8 Santa Anita #6 Scarlet Strike (7/2)
Race 6 Turf Paradise #3 Lady Jila (2/1)

Home Prices

U.S. home prices jumped in February by the largest amount in seven years, evidence that the housing recovery strengthened ahead of the all-important spring-buying season.

Prices rose in 47 of 50 states and in all but four of the nation's 100 largest metro areas. Delaware, Alabama and Illinois were the only states to report price declines.

Reading Books

According to the Codex Group, just 19 percent of Americans do 79 percent of all non-required book reading.

Belief in the Resurrection

A study released by the Rasmussen Reports polling firm on Good Friday found that 64% of Americans believe that Jesus Christ rose from the dead.

While Americans who believe in the resurrection remain in the majority, that number is down significantly when compared to a Rasmussen Poll that asked the same question, released a year ago.

On April 7th, 2012 Rasmussen released a poll finding that 77% of Americans believed the resurrection of Christ to be historical fact.

States with Highest Unemployment

According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, Illinois was among six states with the highest unemployment rate in February 2013. California, Mississippi and Nevada tied at 9.6, Illinois came in next with 9.5. Rhode Island and North Carolina came in at 9.4 and New Jersey at 9.3. March's number will come out April 19, 2013.

Aim of Psychotherapy

The aim of psychotherapy is three-fold:

· To illuminate behaviors and the thoughts and emotions which trigger them

· To understand behaviors are goal-oriented and serve a purpose

· To maximize the client’s choices in the conduct of her life

The goal is not to indiscriminately enlarge the individual’s choices but to enlarge his/her choices by enhancing his/her knowledge of herself, others and the world around him/her and his/her skills in dealing with the important people in his/her life, his/her thoughts, emotions and behaviors.

The concept of "mental illness" undermines personal responsibility and precludes an inquiring attitude toward conflicts which his/her symptoms at once conceal and reveal.

The Council of Trent

or why I am not a Catholic...

First session of Trent

Scripture and tradition were to be of equal authority - this denied the fundamental Protestant belief that the Bible alone was the basis of Christian belief.

The Catholic Church was to have the sole right in interpreting the Bible and the authority of the Vulgate was asserted. (The Vulgate was the ancient Latin version of the Scriptures produced by St. Jerome in the 4th Century).

Good works were upheld.

The seven sacraments were "absolutely necessary channels of divine salvation."

Communion in both kinds was forbidden except by express permission of the pope.


Second Session of Trent

Pilgrimages and penances were to be upheld.

The doctrine of transubstantiation was affirmed.

Communion in both kinds was condemned as were other aspects of the Protestant view of the Eucharist.


Third Session of Trent

Clerical celibacy was upheld.

Communion in one kind for the laity was upheld.

The veneration of images and relics was upheld.

Bishops were to ordain only suitable men to holy orders and to supervise their moral life.

Clergy were to reside in their parishes and to perform regular duties.

A seminary was to be established in every diocese

My Favorite News Story of the Day

BURRELL TOWNSHIP (KDKA) – An Indiana County man is facing several charges, after wildlife officials say he went deer hunting in a Walmart parking lot.

The Pennsylvania Game Commission says 40-year-old Arcangelo Bianco Jr., fired several rounds from a handgun at a 10-point white-tailed deer from within the Burrell Township store’s parking lot, and then bagged the animal near Old William Penn Highway.

The alleged shooting happened last November, while Bianco was shopping at the store, and then saw the buck in the parking lot.

According to charging documents, the deer ran around a corner of the store, and Bianco hopped out of his truck, gun in hand, and “began firing multiple rounds at the deer.”

Bianco faces a misdemeanor count of reckless endangerment, as well as several hunting violations, including hunting without a license, shooting on or across highways and unlawful killing or taking of big game.

A preliminary hearing has been scheduled for May 1.

Another Filibuster Coming?

Senators Rand Paul, Ted Cruz and Mike Lee are threatening to filibuster gun-control legislation, according to a letter they plan to hand-deliver to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid’s office on Tuesday.

“We will oppose the motion to proceed to any legislation that will serve as a vehicle for any additional gun restrictions,” the three conservatives wrote.

Monumental Case at the U.S. Supreme Court

At issue in today's Supreme Court argument is California’s Proposition 8, the state constitutional amendment enacted by voters in 2008 which bans same-sex marriage. Proposition 8 was passed by 52% of the voters after the California Supreme Court granted same-sex couples the right to marry. After Prop. 8 passed, a federal court followed by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals said Prop. 8 was unconstitutional.

The high court could decide to uphold Proposition 8 or it could decide to not only strike it down but to invalidate any state law that limits marriage to one man and one woman.

In recent years, nine states, either through court rulings, legislation, or ballot measures, have redefined marriage to include same-sex couples. But 41 states have laws or constitutional provisions that define marriage as the union of one man and one woman.

On Wednesday the court will hear oral arguments in a challenge to one section of the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act, which for purposes of federal regulations and benefits, defines marriage as "a legal union between one man and one woman as husband and wife."

Charles Cooper, who served in the Reagan administration as assistant attorney general in charge of the Office of Legal Counsel, will be arguing the case Tuesday for supporters of Proposition 8.

Solicitor General Donald Verrilli will be arguing for the Obama administration, as a friend of the court, in opposition to Proposition 8.

The decision from the high court is likely by the end of its term sometime in late June.

Unusual Photo

The above photo and the preceeding ones were taken at the Tinker House in Rockford, Illinois.

Tinker Swiss Cottage Museum is a treasure trove of a time gone by. Rockford, Illinois businessman Robert Hall Tinker built the home in 1865, perching it high on a limestone bluff overlooking Kent Creek. His inspiration came from an 1862 tour of Europe where he fell in love with the architecture of Switzerland. Today the Cottage is one of only a handful of Swiss-style homes remaining in the United States from the 1800s. The Cottage is filled with Victorian Era furnishings and artifacts, all part of the Collection left by the Tinker family to the nonprofit organization. The Museum campus contains an Indian Burial Mound, a Victorian Rose Garden, a suspension bridge that crosses Kent Creek and connects the Museum campus with Tinker's Railroad Gardens and the founding site of Rockford in 1834 by Germanicus Kent, Thatcher Blake and Lewis Lemon. The Tinker House is believed to be haunted.

Today's Thoroughbred Picks

Race 3 GULFSTREAM #3 (8/1)

Race 6 HAWTHORNE #1 (2/1)

Race 8 TURF PARADISE #5 (3-1)

Colorado Shooter Now a Muslim

You won't see this story get much play in the Mainstream Media.

"James Holmes, the gunman who massacred 12 people and left 58 others wounded in Aurora, Colorado last July 20, has decided he is now a Muslim so he can justify his barbarous assault. One prison source said, 'He has brainwashed himself into believing he was on his own personal jihad and that his victims were infidels.'"

Breitbart News

Today's Handicapping Picks

Race 8 AQUEDUCT #1 (7/5)

Race 5 SANTA ANITA #5 (5/2)

Race 7 SANTA ANITA #4 (5/2)

NCAA Final Four Prediction

Duke, New Mexico, VCU, Indiana

Fight the Democrats

"Fight them on every front, fight them in every state, fight them on television and in print and on the airwaves. Confront them at every opportunity, seek out and embrace conflict, and fear not bullies like Chuck Schumer (the living embodiment of the Lefty Sneer), Dick Durbin, and passive-aggressive corruptocrats like Harry Reid. Don’t make nice with them, don’t play fair with them, don’t reach across the aisle and above all, treat them and their ideas with exactly the same amount of respect with which they treat yours: none. Contempt is the only language they understand." - Michael Walsh

The New Pope's Coat of Arms

Pope Francis has decided to keep his coat front, chosen from his episcopal consecration and characterized by a linear simplicity.

The blue shield is surmounted by symbols of papal dignity, the same as those taken by his predecessor Benedict XVI (miter placed between crossed keys of gold and silver, bound by a red cord). At the top, stands the emblem of the order of origin of the Pope, the Society of Jesus, a radiant sun and flamboyant loaded from the letters in red IHS monogram of Christ. The letter H is surmounted by a cross, at the tip, the three nails in black.

Below, are the star and the flower of nard. The star, according to the ancient heraldic tradition, symbolizes the Virgin Mary, Mother of Christ and of the Church, while the flower of nard shows St. Joseph, patron of the universal Church. In the iconographic tradition Hispanic, in fact, St. Joseph is depicted holding a branch of spikenard. By placing these images in his shield, the Pope wanted to express his particular devotion to the Blessed Virgin and St. Joseph.

Taking North Korea Seriously

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Pentagon announced Friday it will spend $1 billion to add 14 interceptors to a West Coast-based missile defense system, responding to what it called faster-than-anticipated North Korean progress on nuclear weapons and missiles...

...The Pentagon intends to add the 14 interceptors to 26 already in place at Fort Greely, Alaska. That will expand the system's ability to shoot down long-range missiles in flight before they could reach U.S. territory. In addition to those at Greely, the U.S. also has four missile interceptors at Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif.

Hagel said the 14 extras should be in place by September 2017 but will not be deployed until they have been adequately tested.

Obama Sends His Regards to New Pope

The White House announced that Joe Biden and Nancy Pelosi will be representing America at the pope's inaugural mass. Both Biden and Pelosi are Catholics and pro-abortion.

Hello, Obamacare !

I had my doctor's appointment today. Anti-cholesterol drugs are doing their job. My doctor discussed the effects of Obamacare and is pessimistic about the future of medicine. He noted the consolidation of hospitals and stated that doctors are being forced out of private practice. He said that he didn't know where he would be in a year. My doctor related that physicians were required to pay $15,000 for a "module" to complete electronic records. He also stated that "everything" about the patient goes to computer data bases.

My Favorite Senator

Texas Senator Ted Cruz (R)

Black Smoke, White Smoke

For black smoke, the Vatican Information Service said, the compound blends potassium perchlorate, anthracene and sulfur. White smoke heralding a new pope comes from a mixture of potassium chlorate, lactose and rosin, “a natural amber resin obtained from conifers.”

Before 2005, the black smoke was “obtained by using smoke black or pitch and the white smoke by using wet straw,” the Vatican said.

Meet the New Pope

Newly elected Pope Francis I waves to the waiting crowd from the central balcony of St Peter's Basilica on March 13, 2013 in Vatican City, Vatican. Argentinian Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio was elected as the 266th Pontiff and will lead the world's 1.2 billion Catholics.

The Conclave

The word "conclave" comes from the Latin meaning "with key". It is a church tradition that began in 1268 when local officials became so fed up with the lack of a decision among cardinals — they had deliberated for more than two years — that they locked them away with limited food and water to encourage a result.

No conclave has lasted more than five days in the past century, with most finishing within two or three days.

77 Votes

"Black smoke" is expected from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel tomorrow indicating that God has not made up his mind yet as to who should be his representative on Earth until the Messiah returns. With the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI, the College of Cardinals, the men in the funny hats, must vote for his successor. 77 votes are necessary, a two-thirds majority of the 115 votes, to elect the next Pope.

World interest in this pick should be at a fever pitch given that the Prophecy of St. Malachy predicts that this will be the final Pope. In religious circles, the selecting of the next Pontifex Maximus combines the excitement of the NCAA Basketball Tournament, World Series, Stanley Cup, and Superbowl.

The politics of the process is fascinating. It's supposed to be super secret and anyone divulging what's going on is subject to getting ex-communicated, literally kicked out of the Catholic Church and being denied admission to Heaven.

Here's the scoop as I understand it: There are two camps, the status quo (AKA the "Romanists") and the reformers. The Romanists want to carry on business as usual and they are associated with running the Vatican via the Roman Curia, the administrative apparatus of the Holy See and the central governing body of the entire Catholic Church, together with the Pope.

Recent scandals in the Catholic Church have reached this level at the Vatican. Note the leaking of documents by the Pope's butler. The Pope Emeritus, the Pope who just resigned, commissioned an investigation and the results of the investigation will be given to the next Pope. There are rumors of financial improprities and even a gay sex ring in the Vatican. Given that the church has been dealing with child sexual abuse for some time, this could be explosive.

The next Pope is going to have to deal with this. Are there any Martin Luthers among the Cardinals who can reform this corrupt church? Does St. Malachy's Prophecy have any merit? Inquiring minds want to know. My hunch pick for the next guy to wear the big ring and funny hat is Cardinal Odilo Scherer.

Year of the Comet

Click here

Papal Conclave Trivia

- AVERAGE AGE 71-72. There are eight cardinals who have either just turned eighty or will turn eighty this year.


- KASPER IS THE OLDEST CARDINAL AND THOTTUNKAL IS THE YOUNGEST. The German Walter Kasper turned 80 on 5 March, before the start of the Conclave but after the start of the sede vacante period. Cardinals are eligible to vote up until the age of 80. Severino Poletto and Juan Sandoval Iniguez turn 80 this March. The youngest cardinal elector is the Indian Baselio Cleemis Thottunkal who turns 54 in June. Filipino cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle’s birthday is also in June but he will turn 56. There are three more cardinals under the age of 60: two Germans and one Dutchman.

- OVER HALF OF THE CARDINAL ELECTORS ARE EUROPEANS. There are 60 electors representing the Old Continent, followed by Latin America with 19 representatives and North America with 14 (so 33 in total), Africa with 11 and Asia with 10. There is also one Australian, George Pell.

- ITALY HAS THE MOST MEMBERS, FOLLOWED BY THE U.S. Italy is the most represented country in the Conclave, with 28 cardinals. It is followed by the United States, which has 11 cardinal electors and Germany with 6. Spain and Brazil will have five cardinals each representing them in the Sistine Chapel.

- 67 OF THE CARDINAL ELECTORS HAVE BEEN CHOSEN BY THE POPE EMERITUS. The majority, 58%, were created cardinals by Benedict XVI. The other 48 were created byJohn Paul II. Paul VI created two of the members of the College of Cardinals but they are over 80 years old so cannot vote in the Conclave.

The Pope's Bold Fashion Statements

The tall folded hat worn by popes and other bishops is called a mitre, and is an ancient symbol of priestly authority. Mitre's come in several styles: simplex or simple, made of white linen or silk; pretiosa or precious, adorned in precious stones; and auriphrygiata or gold (seen here) made of gold cloth or white cloth with a gold fringe, typically worn during celebrations. Benedict was known for wearing mitres that were taller and often more colorful taller than his predecessor John Paul II.

The pallium is a thin woolen shawl worn during mass and on special occasions. It covers the pope's shoulders and extends down the length of his body. In the West, the pallium has typically been symmetrical, running down the center of the popes body. Benedict, however, occasionally wore an asymmetrical Eastern-style pallium, which some interpreted as a symbol of his efforts to mend relations with Eastern Orthodox churches.

Another once-forgotten vestment Benedict dug up from the back of the papal closet is a red-velvet cap with white ermine fringe called a camauro. Reminiscent of Santa's hat, the camauro is worn only by the pope and only in the winter, in place of the typical zucchetto skull cap worn by bishops and cardinals. Like the mortarboard caps worn by graduates, hats similar to the camauro were once also worn by medieval academics.

Most senior clergy wear a short elbow length cape called a mozzetta, but the pope has five distinct styles that only he can wear. Like most vestments, only the pope can wear white mozzettas, and only his come trimmed with ermine fur in the winter.

The pope historically wore red shoes festooned with a large gold cross or gold buckle when walking outside, all the better for kissing. Following Vatican II, Pope Paul XVI kept the red shoes but ditched the buckles in the 1960s and ultimately nixed foot kissing altogether. All successive popes wore red shoes but one, John Paul II, who wore brown shoes. Benedict XVI reinstated the red shoes, getting his loafers made by a Peruvian-born shoemaker in Rome named Antonio Arellano.

From the eighth century to the middle of the 20th, popes were coronated wearing an ornate three-tiered crown called a tiara. Like many of the finer vestments, tiaras went out of style following Vatican II and a decree by Paul VI. Paul actually renounced a special tiara made especially for him by the city of Milan, which he wore only once briefly at his coronation. The last tiara was auctioned, and purchased by American Catholics and is on display at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. No popes have worn a tiara since 1963, but the new pope could restore the tradition.

SNAP's "Dirty Dozen"

SNAP (Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests) has identified a "Dirty Dozen" cardinals who are contenders for pope that they consider "to be the worst choices in terms of protecting kids, healing victims, and exposing corruption."

The members of the "Dirty Dozen" cardinals, according to SNAP, are: Oscar Andres Rodriguez Maradiaga (Honduras), Norberto Rivera (Mexico), Marc Ouellet (Canada), Peter Turkson (Ghana), George Pell (Australia), Tarcisio Bertone (Italy), Angelo Scola (Italy), Leonardo Sandri (Argentina), Dominik Duka (Czech Republic), Sean O'Malley (United States), Timothy Dolan (United States), and Donald Wuerl (United States).

Secrets of the Papal Conclave

A new Pope for the Catholic church will be selected this month since Pope Benedict XVI resigned for reason of declining health. Here are some facts about the conclave that will select his successor:

The Cardinals who vote must be under 80 years old.

By Church law, two physicians are to be on hand throughout the conclave to respond to possible medical emergencies.

One of the first acts of the conclave is to select by lot three “Infirmarians”; their responsibility is to collect ballots in a secure lockbox from those cardinal electors who have arrived in Vatican City but are prevented by illness from being present to vote in the Sistine Chapel.

The Chapel and adjacent areas are to be swept by professionals to ensure that they have not been bugged with recording or transmitting devices.

All cardinal electors and the staff that assist them must promise to refrain from using cellphone cameras, etc. and must swear “absolute and perpetual secrecy” about the voting.

The cardinal electors are expected to listen to “two well-prepared meditations on the problems facing the Church at the time and on the need for careful discernment in choosing the new Pope” that are presented to them by “two ecclesiastics [not necessarily electors] known for their sound doctrine, wisdom and moral authority”.

Billionaires

Forbes magazine recently released their 2013 Billionaire List. By their estimation, there are 1,426 billionaires in the world (including 442 in the United States) with a combined net worth of $5.4 trillion, less than a third of our national debt! Don't believe Washington when they say it's impossible to trim 2.4% of the federal budget.

2014 U.S. Senate Elections

There are 14 Senate Republicans up for re-election and Senate Democrats try to hold onto 21 seats. The Democrats currently have a 55-45 edge in the Senate.

Coptic Christianity

The word "Copt" means Egyptian and is derived from the Greek word "Agyptos" meaning Egyptian. Following the Arab conquest of Egypt in 642 AD, the term "Copt" came to designate only the Christians of Egypt.

Doctrine, Practice, and Spirituality

Hello in Chinese

The literal translation of nǐ hǎo (nee how) - 你好 is "you good". Nǐ - 你 means "you" and hǎo - 好 means "good".

Nǐ - 你 is the informal form of "you" and is used for greeting friends and associates. The formal form of "hello" is ►nín hǎo (neen how) - 您好. Notice that the formal "you" is nín - 您.

Use nín hǎo - 您好 when speaking to:
Superiors
People in authority
Elders

Use nǐ hǎo - 你好 when speaking to:
Friends
Colleagues
Children

China & Taiwan
The use of nín hǎo - 您好 is more common in Mainland China than in Taiwan. The informal nǐ hǎo - 你好 is the most common greeting in Taiwan, no matter what the rank of the person you are addressing.

Quotes from Andrew Newberg

Our brains are instinctually prone to reject information that does not conform to our prior experience and knowledge. Simply put, old beliefs, like habits, die hard.

I would argue that much of human communication is primarily concerned with getting other people to think, believe, and behave as we do and vice versa.

Anger interrupts the functioning of your frontal lobes. Not only do you lose the ability to be rational, you lose the awareness that you''re acting in an irrational way. When your frontal lobes shut down, it''s impossible to listen to the other person, let alone feel empathy or compassion. Instead, you are likely to feel self-justified and self-righteous, and when that happens the communication process falls apart. Anger also releases a cascade of neurochemicals that actually destroy those parts of the brain that control emotional reactivity.

When you intensely and consistently focus on your spiritual values and goals, you increase the blood flow to your frontal lobes and anterior cingulate, which causes the activity in emotional centers of the brain to decrease. Conscious intention is the key, and the more you focus on your inner values, the more you can take charge of your life.

When you intensely meditate on a specific goal over an extended period of time, your brain begins to relate to your idea as if it were an actual object in the world by increasing activity in the thalamus, part of the reality-making process of the brain. The concept begins to feel more obtainable and real, and this is the first step in motivating other parts of the brain to take deliberate action in the world.

The brain is a collection of physical structures that gather and process sensory, cognitive, and emotional data; the mind is the phenomenon of thoughts, memories, and emotions that arise from the perceptual processes of the brain.

Today's Thoroughbred Picks

Santa Anita RACE 6 - SUN'S OUT #2 (2-1)

Santa Anita RACE 7 - GRUMPY SMALL MOUTH #1 (5/2)

Turf Paradise RACE 9 - INFLATABLE DREAMS #10 (7/2)

Golden Gate RACE 7 - CEE'S THE BET #6 (5-1)

Bowing in Zen Practice

"Here we come to the most ancient part of our practice, what I believe to be the heart of the discipline. When we bow we allow ourselves to stand in the second place, if only for a moment. Now women sometimes see this as one more continuation of an oppressive system, as also sometimes do people of color. Certainly, that is worth sitting with, and reflecting on. No one needs more oppression in this life.

But also, at some point, to find who we truly are; I suggest that all of us must learn to bow. Bowing is not about oppression. It is about liberation. Without at some moment in our lives taking that second place, without throwing everything we know away, without coming to that don’t know, to that beginner’s mind, we won’t find what is offered in the Zen way.

Gassho is the most distilled form of the bow. Our hands placed palm to palm, the tips of our fingers at eye level, our elbows slightly elevated; here we are offering a bow: Thank you. Hello. Goodbye. Dogen Zenji once said that as long as there is bowing there will be true dharma. Here we find the essential and the relative brought together. Here we find the way revealed."

"

How Language Shapes Thought

"Lastly, how do we think about causality and responsibility? All events that happen around us are quite complicated and require us to construe them. Often when you see something, like an apple falls off a table, it seems, "well, that's a really simple physical event. I should just have a simple way of thinking about it." But actually, we bring a huge amount of knowledge to be able to understand the event, and languages give us lots of tools for interpreting what went on.

When Dick Cheney went hunting with Harry Whittington and had an accident, and accidentally shot Whittington in the face, that was an event that took a split second. It was a really simple physical event, but there are many, many different ways that we could describe it. When the European Herald had to write about it, they wrote "Cheney Bangs Lawyer." Whittington was a lawyer, and so that gives the sense of "Oh, Cheney went out hunting for lawyers, and he got one." Of course, more prosaically we could just say, "Cheney shot Whittington." Or, take Cheney out of it a little bit, so we could say, "Whittington got shot by Cheney." We could take Cheney out of it altogether, and just say "Whittington got shot." We could say something similar to what Texas newspapers said at the time, which was, "Whittington got peppered pretty good."

Listen to what Cheney actually said. He was giving an interview in which he took full responsibility for the event, and he said, "Ultimately I'm the guy who pulled the trigger that fired the round that hit Harry." Think about how many events there are in that statement. "I'm the guy that pulled the trigger that fired the round that hit Harry." This is a split second event but he's just broken it up into all these different steps. That makes him so far removed from the eventual outcome. Bush actually did one better. Bush said, "He heard a bird flush, and he turned and pulled the trigger, and saw his friend get wounded." Now "saw his friend," that's one sentence in which Cheney transforms from agent to mere witness by the end of the sentence. It is a masterful exculpation.

These examples give you a sense of how many different ways we can frame and construe events in language. What's important is that different languages encourage different ways of framing and construing these events. In English, in fact, the kind of language that Cheney used and Bush used, we find it suspicious, this kind of linguistic wiggling. It sounds like you're trying to get out of something. It sounds evasive. It's the kind of thing that kids say and politicians say when they're trying to get out of something. In English we prefer direct causative statements. Like "He broke the vase."

But in other languages, when something is an accident, when something wasn't intentional, you wouldn't use a phrase like "He broke the vase" or "He lost the book." You would say something more like, "the vase broke" or "the book lost itself to him." Something more indirect. Something where the person involved isn't an agent. English is quite strange in that it doesn't distinguish very strongly between intentional events and accidental events. We're supposed to talk about both of them in the same way, to take responsibility for even accidental events. In some languages you can't say things like "I broke my arm" unless you're crazy and you went out trying to actually break your arm, and so you broke it."

Edge

Brain Differences in Political Beliefs

"A recent study of young adults suggests that liberals and conservatives have significantly different brain structure, with liberals showing increased gray matter volume in the anterior cingulate cortex, and conservatives showing increased gray matter volume in the in the amygdala."

Research Results Here

Vedanta philosophy

Vedanta is derived from two words Veda - Knowledge, and Anta - End. Vedanta means the end of knowledge. This ancient philosophy presents the eternal principles of life and living.

Life is a mystery characterized by constant change. There are painful realities such as pain, suffering, illness, old age, and death. Happiness depends upon peace of mind, self control, and awareness of the self.

Vedanta teaches there is an ultimate reality. Self knowledge is the goal of all goals. There are four human values: righteous conduct, acquisition of wealth, fulfillment of desires, and freedom of the soul. Freedom of the soul is attained through self knowledge and this gives meaning and purpose to the other three values.

Vedanta is the teaching of major Hindu scriptures and obtains its authority from four Vedas: Rigveda, Yajurveda, Samaveda, and Atharvaveda.

Ultimate reality is pure consciousness. It is not real but apparent. It appears as a world of matter and souls and is endowed with the activity of creation, preservation, and dissolution. Why do we see multiplicity if all is pervasive consciousness? It is due to ignorance (Avidya), absence of light to the self. In terms of religion Avidya is sin; in terms of ethics, it is immorality; in terms of aesthetics, it is ugliness; in terms of logic, it is fallacy.

The world in an ocean: the near shore which we know, and the far shore remains a mystery. Life is a journey, an attempt to cross the ocean and reach the other shore, which is immortality. No one can take us across the ocean. We must build our own rafts.

Federal Prison Population

In the US, minorities make up over 70 percent of the federal prison population.

Demographically, African-Americans - who represent 12 percent of the US population - make up 37 percent of federal prisoners.

And Latinos - who are 16 percent of the population - make up 35 percent of prisoners.

Predicting the Oscars

The Academy Awards Show is scheduled for this Sunday. To avoid being biased, I deliberately did not see any of the nominated films or actors. So these are unbiased predictions. My picks and $1.75 will get you an endless cup of coffee at Paul's Restaurant in Elgin, Illinois.

Best Picture
"Lincoln" Steven Spielberg and Kathleen Kennedy, Producers
A friend of mine who sees a lot of movies said this was the most boring picture that she had ever seen.

Directing
"Lincoln" Steven Spielberg
The best picture winner must have a director.

Actor in a Leading Role
Daniel Day-Lewis in "Lincoln"
I remember this guy from "Last of the Mohicans".

Actress in a Leading Role
Jennifer Lawrence in "Silver Linings Playbook"
Rolling Stone magazine called her "the most promising young actress in America."

Actor in a Supporting Role
Tommy Lee Jones in "Lincoln"
I like his name.

Actress in a Supporting Role
Anne Hathaway in "Les Miserables"
Big costume drama.

Coming Soon to a Billboard Near You

Shades of Burma Shave!

"'America has turned from God and has forgotten right from wrong, says WND founder Joseph Farah, who is announcing the launch a dramatic new national billboard campaign featuring the Ten Commandments to help awaken believers and non-believers alike to 'the wickedness and evil that abound in our country.'

The campaign kicks off this week with 11 major billboards – all in the heart of what some call ‘sin city', Las Vegas.”

Read More Here

Senate Perks

"Since 1997, U.S. senators and their staff members have been lining up at The Senate Hair Care barbershop in the basement of the Russell Office Building where they receive $20 haircuts and various other salon services, all on the taxpayer’s dime.

The shop has consistently run annual deficits of $340,000 or more, and in 2012 the deficit rose to more than $400,000. All told, taxpayers have spent almost $5.2 million dollars paying for haircuts, shaves, hairstyles, and haircare products so our senators and their staff members can look their very best while they tighten the noose on their constituents."

Info Wars

What Happened to the 12 Apostles?

Seeing the death of Jesus and then seeing him alive again...

"Tradition holds that 11 of the Twelve Apostles were martyred. Peter, Andrew, and Philip were crucified; James the Greater and Thaddaeus fell to the sword; James the Lesser was beaten to death while praying for his attackers; Bartholomew was flayed alive and then crucified; Thomas and Matthew were speared; Matthias was stoned to death; and Simon was either crucified or sawed in half. John—the last survivor of the Twelve—likely died peaceably, possibly in Ephesus, around the year 100."

National Geographic March 2012 Issue

Who Cares?

Brad Pitt and Angela Jolie, who have owned an 1,000-acre estate with vineyards in southwestern France since 2008, will be releasing wine in the United States beginning March 15 bearing the estate's name, Miraval.

St. Valentine's Day Massacre

In 1929, the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre took place in a Chicago garage as seven rivals of Al Capone’s gang were gunned down.

Obama on Vacation Again

While unemployment stands at nearly eight percent, Obama is taking his second vacation of 2013. The year is only six weeks old.

Obama initially traveled to Hawaii in late December. He returned after a several days to work on a fiscal cliff deal, and then went back for several more days in early January after signing a bill. So this will also be the third time in less than two months that taxpayers have footed the bill for a round-trip Obama vacation.

No Mention of Benghazi

In his State of the Union address, President Barack Obama failed to mention the late Ambassador Christopher Stevens and the three other Americans who died on Sep. 11, 2012 in the terror attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi. I wonder why.

Electing a Pope

After Benedict's resignation on Feb. 28, a conclave, the meeting of the cardinals to choose the next pope, could occur as early as mid-March, according to the Guardian. Customarily, a pope's reign ends with his death, and a mourning period ensues.

Aside from the mourning period, all the same rules for succession selection are in place.

The conclave must begin between 15 and 20 days after Benedict's resignation, according to the Associated Press. Eligible cardinals under the age of 80 will place their votes in secret at the Sistine Chapel. Two votes are held each morning and two each afternoon until a new pope is chosen. The ballots are burned after each round. Black smoke means no new pope has been selected, and white smoke means someone has been selected.

Preventing Heart Attacks

Heart disease, the "silent killer", is the leading cause of death, and kills more than all cancers comined. Risk factors include high cholesterol and high blood pressure. There are two primary causes of heart attacks: sugar and fat. Too much fat in the bloodstream leads to plaque buildup in the arteries. This process involves inflamation and blistering in the arterial wall and the development of a scab which eventually bursts and causes a blockage. The location of the burst will determine whether it is a heart attack or stroke. The key is to reduce inflammation and the taking of a daily aspirin is helpful. These are other helpful things to do to prevent heart attacks: quit smoking, regular exercise, release for stress (physical, spiritual, social activities), and cut out all sugars from your diet.

Moving Patterns in the U.S.

Here's the top five states that people are leaving:

No. 1: New Jersey
No. 2: Illinois
No. 3: West Virginia
No. 4: New York
No. 5: New Mexico

The States People are Fleeing in 2013

Murder Suspect Chris Dorner's Online Manifesto About Slayings

Click here

On Benghazi

"I can can tell you that immediately upon finding out that our folks were in danger that my orders to my national security team were do whatever we need to do to make sure they’re safe. And that’s the same order that I would give anytime that I see Americans are in danger, whether they’re civilian or military, because that’s our number one priority."- President Barack Obama at his press conference Nov. 14, 2012

"Throughout history it has been the inaction of those who could have acted, the indifference of those who should have known better, the silence of the voice of justice when it mattered most, that has made it possible for evil to triumph. - Haile Selassie

Ghost Farm House Photos

The above photos were taken in rapid succession. Note there are no orbs present in the last photo.

Year of the Snake

Chinese New Year is the biggest celebration in the Chinese calendar. It is a time for family gatherings, good wishes and giving gifts, a bit like the Christmas festivities in the West. The Chinese lunar year begins with the second new moon after the winter solstice, which can fall anytime from late January until mid-February. This coming Chinese new year in 2013 Snake year, the second new moon falls on February 10th 2013.

Americans with College Degrees

Currently about 39 percent of American adults have a college degree.

Washington Post article here

More Strange Photos

These three photos were taken in succession.

First Photo - Note orb above black floor vent.
Second Photo - Unusual mist; right side of frame unaffected.
Third Photo 17 - No anomalies remain.

What Constitutes a "Good Job?"

According to the Center for Economic and Policy Research, only 24.6 percent of all American jobs are "good jobs".

They had three criteria for what a "good job" is:

#1 The job must pay at least $18.50 an hour which is the equivalent of the median hourly pay for American workers back in 1979 after you adjust for inflation.

#2 The job must provide access to employer-sponsored health insurance, and the employer must pay at least some portion of the cost of that insurance.

#3 The job must provide access to an employer-sponsored retirement plan.

Strange Photo

These photos were taken back to back in the basement of a vacant farm house.

Coping with Depression

Eat healthy foods and make time to get enough rest to physically promote improvement in your mood.
Express your feelings, either to friends, in a journal, or using art to help release some negative feelings.
Do not set difficult goals for yourself or take on a great deal of responsibility.
Break large tasks into small ones, set some priorities, and do what you can when you can.
Do not expect too much from yourself too soon, as this will only increase feelings of failure.
Try to be with other people, which is usually better than being alone.
Participate in activities that may make you feel better.
You might try exercising mildly, going to a movie or a ball game, or participating in religious or social activities.
Don't rush or overdo it. Don't get upset if your mood is not greatly improved right away. Feeling better takes time.
Do not make major life decisions, such as changing jobs or getting married or divorced without consulting others who know you well. These people often can have a more objective view of your situation. In any case, it is advisable to postpone important decisions until your depression has lifted.
Do not expect to "snap out" of your depression. People rarely do. Help yourself as much as you can, and do not blame yourself for not being up to par.
Remember, do not accept your negative thinking. It is part of the depression and will improve as your depression responds to treatment.
Plan how you would get help for yourself in an emergency -- like calling friends, family, your physical or mental health professional or a local emergency room -- if you were to develop thoughts of harming yourself or someone else.
Limit your access to things that could be used to hurt yourself or others (for example, do not keep excess medication of any kind, firearms, or other weapons in the home).

Most Dangerous place in America

What is the most dangerous place in America? Is it the mean streets of the south side of Chicago? Well, it's very dangerous there, more dangerous than Afghanistan, apparently. But no, that is not the most dangerous place in America.

Is it Detroit? No.

South Central LA? No.

Miami? No.

Is it the war zone we call our southern border? No.

Those are very dangerous places, unfortunately. But the most dangerous place to be in America is in the womb of your mother. Abortion is the leading cause of death in this country.