Amazing Pencil Lead Sculpting

Benjamin Franklin gets it right again.

"I am for doing good to the poor, but I differ in opinion of the means. I think the best way of doing good to the poor, is not making them easy in poverty, but leading or driving them out of it. In my youth I travelled much, and I observed in different countries, that the more public provisions were made for the poor, the less they provided for themselves, and of course became poorer. And, on the contrary, the less was done for them, the more they did for themselves, and became richer." --Benjamin Franklin

Feel Good Stuff

1. Happy News
Did you hear about the pizza deliveryman who saved a life? How about the Haitian dancer who was given a prosthetic leg after hers was lost in the earthquake?
These stories and many others are often lost in the flood of sad/frightening/depressing/violent news that proliferate the internet. Culled from popular news sites and submitted by citizen journalists, the stories on Happy News are just that.
The site's credo says it all: "We believe virtue, goodwill and heroism are hot news. That's why we bring you up-to-the-minute news, geared to lift spirits and inspire lives."
2. Gives Me Hope
Along the lines of popular sites like FMyLife, but about 65,000 times more uplifting, Gives Me Hope (GMH) offers user-submitted true stories of kindness and generosity. The stories are sentimental and, at times, almost heartbreakingly sweet.
"It was my first day back to school after being hospitalized for chemo," one user writes. "I had lost all of my hair, and was embarrassed. When I walked in, everyone was bald -- the popular kids, people I didn't know, my friends, the teachers. Everyone. Their kindness GMH."
How can you not love the world after reading that?
3. 1000 Awesome Things
1000 Awesome Things is a blog, updated every weekday, that enumerates the little things in life that make us happy. It's a reminder that even the smallest of feats, like "#936 Perfect parallel-parking on the first try" or "#572 Learning a new keyboard shortcut" are a reason to smile.
The site was launched in June 2008 and has been counting down from 1,000 ever since. Now at post number 449, the site is so popular that creator Neil Pasricha even released "The Book of Awesome Things" in April. When asked what will occur when he reaches number 1, Pasricha said, "Something very awesome will happen."
4. PostSecret
This secret-sharing site might be the perfect outlet to release that secret you've been harboring. Every Sunday founder Frank Warren posts a handful of secrets that people have anonymously mailed him on postcards.
Sometimes it can do a world of good to know someone shares your fears, dreams, hopes and failures. PostSecret inspired a reader from England to write, "Your site is truly inspirational. I'm left feeling full of compassion for my fellow human beings -- we're the same the world over."
The secrets range from touching ("I'm not that tough. My parents just couldn't pay for medical insurance"), to cryptic ("Law school changed me"), to downright shocking ("Everyone who knew me before 9/11 believes I'm dead.").
Warren uses the site as as a platform to support Hopeline, an organization that fights suicide.
5. Cute Baby Fix
We've seen a lot of baby videos in our day. Maybe too many. But goshdarnit, they still leave us grinning every time. This site is dedicated to cute baby videos and pictures and will let you watch a breakdancing baby take down celeb-baby Justin Bieber or marvel at how even a lame picture of baby feet is so freaking cute.
But if a site full of bug-eyed newborns is too much for you, stick with these classic YouTube videos: 3-year-old Ha Youngwoong strumming his guitar while singing "Hey Jude" or this toddler laughing hysterically at torn-up newspaper.
6. Christian the Lion
OK, so this isn't a website. But it's a video so amazing it'll have you believing anything is possible. The backstory: John Rendall and Anthony Bourke bought Christian, a lion cub, from Harrods in 1969 and raised him in their London home. Several years later, they set the lion free to live in the wilds of Africa.
A year later, against the advice of experts, the pair was determined to locate Christian. They traveled to Kenya to find him, and their reunion was recorded on film. Really, you just have to watch it -- it's truly inspirational. (If you want to see the video with Whitney Houston singing in the background, click this link instead.)
You can read the full story at the Born Free Foundation site.
7. Today's Big Thing
Make Today's Big Thing your new home page and you won't be inundated with depressing stories. Instead, you'll see the latest funny videos and creative pictures the internet has to offer in arts, entertainment, sports and more -- the real "news" people will be talking about at work tomorrow.
Don't be the last person to see this old man dancing to Lady Gaga or watch Zach Anner's hilarious Oprah audition tape, because even though it's no Russian spy ring, it's still news. Kind of.
8. ZooBorns
Already know about the puppies of cuteoverload.com, the kitten in a bottle at thingsthatmakeyougoaahh.com or the LOL cats at I can has cheez burger?

Yes, it's true -- nothing gives you that warm and fuzzy feeling quite like pictures of baby animals. The site is an ongoing collection of animal births at zoos and aquariums around the world. You'll feel like a 12-year-old girl when you find yourself forwarding pics of a yawning orangutan (OMG so cute!!!!).

Will Washington's Failures Lead To Second American Revolution?

Will Washington's Failures Lead To Second American Revolution?

By ERNEST S. CHRISTIAN AND GARY A ROBBINS Posted 06:30 PM ET

The Internet is a large-scale version of the "Committees of Correspondence" that led to the first American Revolution — and with Washington's failings now so obvious and awful, it may lead to another.

People are asking, "Is the government doing us more harm than good? Should we change what it does and the way it does it?"

Pruning the power of government begins with the imperial presidency.

Too many overreaching laws give the president too much discretion to make too many open-ended rules controlling too many aspects of our lives. There's no end to the harm an out-of-control president can do.

Bill Clinton lowered the culture, moral tone and strength of the nation — and left America vulnerable to attack. When it came, George W. Bush stood up for America, albeit sometimes clumsily.

Barack Obama, however, has pulled off the ultimate switcheroo: He's diminishing America from within — so far, successfully.

He may soon bankrupt us and replace our big merit-based capitalist economy with a small government-directed one of his own design.

He is undermining our constitutional traditions: The rule of law and our Anglo-Saxon concepts of private property hang in the balance. Obama may be the most "consequential" president ever.

The Wall Street Journal's steadfast Dorothy Rabinowitz wrote that Barack Obama is "an alien in the White House."

His bullying and offenses against the economy and job creation are so outrageous that CEOs in the Business Roundtable finally mustered the courage to call him "anti-business." Veteran Democrat Sen. Max Baucus blurted out that Obama is engineering the biggest government-forced "redistribution of income" in history.

Fear and uncertainty stalk the land. Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke says America's financial future is "unusually uncertain."

A Wall Street "fear gauge" based on predicted market volatility is flashing long-term panic. New data on the federal budget confirm that record-setting deficits in the $1.4 trillion range are now endemic.

Obama is building an imperium of public debt and crushing taxes, contrary to George Washington's wise farewell admonition: "cherish public credit ... use it as sparingly as possible ... avoiding likewise the accumulation of debt ... bear in mind, that towards the payment of debts there must be Revenue, that to have Revenue there must be taxes; that no taxes can be devised, which are not ... inconvenient and unpleasant ... ."

Opinion polls suggest that in the November mid-term elections, voters will replace the present Democratic majority in Congress with opposition Republicans — but that will not necessarily stop Obama.

A President Obama intent on achieving his transformative goals despite the disagreement of the American people has powerful weapons within reach. In one hand, he will have a veto pen to stop a new Republican Congress from repealing ObamaCare and the Dodd-Frank takeover of banks.

In the other, he will have a fistful of executive orders, regulations and Obama-made fiats that have the force of law.

Under ObamaCare, he can issue new rules and regulations so insidiously powerful in their effect that higher-priced, lower-quality and rationed health care will quickly become ingrained, leaving a permanent stain.

Under Dodd-Frank, he and his agents will control all credit and financial transactions, rewarding friends and punishing opponents, discriminating on the basis of race, gender and political affiliation. Credit and liquidity may be choked by bureaucracy and politics — and the economy will suffer.

He and the EPA may try to impose by "regulatory" fiats many parts of the cap-and-trade and other climate legislation that failed in the Congress.

And by executive orders and the in terrorem effect of an industrywide "boot on the neck" policy, he can continue to diminish energy production in the United States.

By the trick of letting current-law tax rates "expire," he can impose a $3.5 trillion 10-year tax increase that damages job-creating capital investment in an economy struggling to recover. And by failing to enforce the law and leaving America's borders open, he can continue to repopulate America with unfortunate illegals whose skill and education levels are low and whose political attitudes are often not congenial to American-style democracy.

A wounded rampaging president can do much damage — and, like Caesar, the evil he does will live long after he leaves office, whenever that may be.

The overgrown, un-pruned power of the presidency to reward, punish and intimidate may now be so overwhelming that his re-election in 2012 is already assured — Chicago-style.

• Christian, an attorney, was a deputy assistant secretary of the Treasury in the Ford administration.

• Robbins, an economist, served at the Treasury Department in the Reagan administration.

Walter

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THE NEW 2011 GM CAR

THE NEW 2011 GM CAR   GM (Government Motors)  Proudly Introduces  The 2011 Obummer This car runs on hot air, bullcrap, and broken promises.   It has three wheels that speed the vehicle through tight left turns. It comes complete with two Tele-Prompters programmed to help the occupants talk their way out of any violations.  The transparent canopy reveals the plastic smiles still on the faces of all the happy owners. Comes in S, M, L, XL and 2XL.      It won't get you to work, but hey, there aren't any jobs anyway!

A Big Gain in Gov't Jobs & Massive Loss in Private Sector Jobs

Another Stimulus

Sometime this year,  we taxpayers will again receive another 'Economic Stimulus' payment.


This is indeed a very exciting program,  and I'll explain it by using a Q & A format:


    Q. What is an Economic Stimulus payment ?

    A.  It is money that the federal government will send to taxpayers.


    Q..  Where will the government get this money ?

    A.  From taxpayers.


    Q.  So the government is giving me back my own money ?

    A.  Only a smidgen of it.


    Q.  What is the purpose of this payment ?

    A.  The plan is for you to use the money to purchase a high-definition TV set,  thus stimulating the economy.


    Q.  But isn't that stimulating the economy of China ?

    A.  Shut up.


    Below is some helpful advice on how to best help the U.S. economy by spending your stimulus check wisely:     
            
          *  If you spend the stimulus money at Wal-Mart,  the money will go to China or Sri Lanka .


        *  If you spend it on gasoline,  your money will go to the Arabs.


        *  If you purchase a computer,  it will go to India , Taiwan or China .

     

        *  If you purchase fruit and vegetables,  it will go to Mexico, Honduras and Guatemala ..

     

        *  If you buy an efficient  car,  it will go to Japan or Korea .


   

        *  If  you purchase useless stuff,  it will go to Taiwan .

   

        *  If you pay your credit cards off, or buy stock,  it will go to management bonuses and they will hide it offshore.


    Instead,  keep the money in America by:


    1)  Spending it at yard sales,  or   

    2)  Going to ball games,  or 

    3)  Spending it on prostitutes,  or   

    4)  Beer or   

    5) Tattoos.


  (These are the only American businesses still operating in the U.S. )



    Conclusion:

    Go to a ball game with a tattooed prostitute that you met at a yard sale and drink beer all day !


    No need to thank me,  I'm just glad I could be of help.

Arizona Boycott

         Sacramento, California City Councilors:

 

As a long time Arizonan, I take great offense at your decision to boycott the state of Arizona.  It's ironic that you decided to take such a misguided action in the same week that 3,500 acres of our Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge has been closed to us citizens because of the dangers from illegal drug and human smugglers.  Have you actually thought through the point of your actions?  Who will you help: who will you harm and at what cost?  In fact, it is nothing but political grandstanding.

 

Have you even read the bill before taking this action; or, are you passing judgment as Eric Holder and Janet Napolitano did?  If you want to research it now, there are actually two bills.  You should also boycott the federal government since you cannot violate our state law without also violating the federal law.

 

Actions do have consequences.  I'm not much for boycotting, however, when I am being boycotted, I will return the favor.  I visit California several times each year and have always enjoyed your city.  I have a cousin who lives there and many friends I visit when in the Napa Valley.  Sacramento and that area will now be off my list.  I also will not buy any wine or any other products from the area while the boycott of our great state is in place.  I have a small business with approximately 120 employees and I will encourage all of them and all others that I know to do the same.

 

Your actions were irresponsible and no doubt, based on ignorance.  It is difficult to believe there is nothing better for the Sacramento City Council to do than take such foolish action.  Your citizens deserve better.

 

Regards,

Ken Hand

Tempe, AZ 

 

Sent to: 'rtretheway@cityofsacramento.org'; 'ssheedy@cityofsacramento.org'; 'rkfong@cityofsacramento.org'; 'lhammond@cityofsacramento.org'; 'scohn@cityofsacramento.org'; 'KMcCarty@cityofsacramento.org'; 'rwaters@cityofsacramento.org'; 'bpannell@cityofsacramento.org' 

Arizona Boycott

Burlington, Vermont City Councilors:

As a long time Arizonan, I take great offense at your decision to boycott the state of Arizona.  Being located at the opposite end of the country, how could you possibly understand the situation we face in our great state?  Have you even read the bill; or, are you passing judgment as Eric Holder and Janet Napolitano did?  If you want to research it now, there are actually two bills.  You should also boycott the federal government since you cannot violate our state law without also violating the federal law.

Actions do have consequences.  I'm not much for boycotting, however, when I am being boycotted, I will return the favor.  I was considering visiting the New England area this summer.  Vermont will be off the list.  I also will not buy any maple syrup or Vermont Teddy Bears or Ben & Jerry's ice cream while the boycott of our great state is in place.  I will not visit or buy anything from Vermont and will encourage all others that I know to do the same.

Your actions were irresponsible and no doubt, based on ignorance.  It is difficult to believe there is nothing better for the Burlington City Council to do than take such foolish action.  Your citizens deserve better.

Regards,

Ken Hand

Tempe, AZ

Sent to:
'eadrian@comcast.net'; 'davidsframeshop@aol.com'; 'mcaldwell@ci.burlington.vt.us'; 'nckaplan@gmail.com'; 'bkeoghsr@yahoo.com'; 'kehoeforcouncil@gmail.com'; 'pdecelles@comcast.net'; 'bwkranic@yahoo.com'; 'emstanak@ci.burlington.vt.us'; 'vinewright@burlingtontelecom.net'; 'jshannon@burlingtontelecom.net'; 'paulfin@sover.net'; 'doberv@burlingtontelecom.net'

History Lesson on Your Social Security Card

 

Your Social Security Just in case some of you young whippersnappers (& some older ones) didn't know this.  It's easy to check out, if you don't believe it.  Be sure and show it to your kids.  They need a little history lesson on what's what and it doesn't matter whether you are Democrat or Republican.  Facts are Facts!!! Social Security Cards up until the 1980s expressly stated the number and card were not to be used for identification purposes.  Since nearly everyone in the United States now has a number, it became convenient to use it anyway and the message was removed.         An old Social Security card with the "NOT FOR IDENTIFICATION" message.     Our Social Security  Franklin Roosevelt, a Democrat, introduced the Social  Security (FICA) Program. He promised:  1.) That participation in the Program would be  Completely voluntary,  No longer Voluntary 2.) That the participants would only have to pay  1% of the first $1,400 of their annual  Incomes into the Program,  Now 7.65% on the first $90,000    3.) That the money the participants elected to put  into the Program would be deductible from  their income for tax purposes each year,  No longer tax deductible 4.) That the money the participants put into the  independent 'Trust Fund' rather than into the  general operating fund, and therefore, would  only be used to fund the Social Security  Retirement Program, and no other  Government program, and,  Under Johnson the money was moved to  The General Fund and Spent 5.) That the annuity payments to the retirees would never be taxed as income.  Under Clinton & Gore up to 85% of your Social Security can be Taxed Since many of us have paid into FICA for years and are  now receiving a Social Security check every month --  and then finding that we are getting taxed on 85% of  the money we paid to the Federal government to 'put  away' -- you may be interested in the following:  ------------ --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- ----  Q: Which Political Party took Social Security from the  independent 'Trust Fund' and put it into the  general fund so that Congress could spend it?  A: It was Lyndon Johnson and the democratically  controlled House and Senate.  ------------ --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- --  Q: Which Political Party eliminated the income tax  deduction for Social Security (FICA) withholding?  A: The Democratic Party.  ------------ --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- -----  Q: Which Political Party started taxing Social  Security annuities?  A: The Democratic Party, with Al Gore casting the  'tie-breaking' deciding vote as President of the  Senate, while he was Vice President of the  US  ------------ --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- -  Q: Which Political Party decided to start giving annuity payments to immigrants?  AND MY FAVORITE:  A: That's right!  Jimmy Carter and the Democratic Party.  Immigrants moved into this country, and at age 65,  began to receive Social Security payments! The  Democratic Party gave these payments to them,  even though they never paid a dime into it!  ------------ -- ------------ --------- ----- ------------ --------- ---------  Then, after violating the original contract (FICA),  the Democrats turn around and tell you that the Republicans want to take your Social Security away!  And the worst part about it is uninformed citizens believe it!  If enough people receive this, maybe a seed of  awareness will be planted and maybe changes will  evolve.  Maybe not, some Democrats are awfully  sure of what isn't so.  But it's worth a try. How many people can YOU send this to?  Actions speak louder than bumper stickers.  AND CONGRESS GIVES THEMSELVES 100% RETIREMENT FOR ONLY SERVING ONE TERM!!!

Preparation for Memorial Day

MEMORIAL DAY

It is the  VETERAN,  not the preacher,  who has given us freedom of religion.  It is the VETERAN,  not the reporter,   who has given us freedom of the press. It is the VETERAN,  not the poet, who has given us freedom of speech.     It is the VETERAN, not the campus organizer, who has given us freedom to assemble.      It is the VETERAN,  not the lawyer, who has given us the right to a fair trial.   It is the VETERAN,  not the politician, Who has given us the right to vote. It is the VETERAN who salutes the Flag, It is the VETERAN who serves under the Flag,  ETERNAL REST GRANT THEM O LORD, AND LET PERPETUAL LIGHT SHINE UPON THEM.

God 
Bless them all!!!

Makes you proud to be an AMERICAN!!!!!

width=467 height=381> ETERNAL REST GRANT THEM O LORD, AND LET PERPETUAL LIGHT SHINE UPON THEM. God Bless them all!!! Makes you proud to be an AMERICAN!!!!!     ETERNAL REST GRANT THEM O LORD, AND LET PERPETUAL LIGHT SHINE UPON  THEM God Bless them all!!! Makes you proud to be an AMERICAN!!!!!