Wow, are you serious...

This story through me for a loop. A pissed off one that is. After reading the article I found myself really disappointed in how the Pentagon is demanding a return on the bonuses given to the men and women who served our country. The idea of doing such a thing is beyond insanity. How many of you reading this post have asked yourself the following - (College loans are being erased/forgiven - why not this as well). I definitely thought of that the moment I read the first paragraph in the story. If the recruiters failed to distribute the funds properly then it should be identified and corrected if such an event like this were to ever occur once more. Check out the article here and let me know what your comments are below.

SMH

roman

One of many...

Ok, sorry for the blank day there. I was catching up with work and stuff around the house. Well it looks like tonight is the first Presidential Debate on FOX. How many of you here will be tuned in to watch and see how it turns out?.......................................
Ok not sure if you guys might but I wanted to let you guys know that I will be watching part of it to see where they stand on our still increasing unemployment figures. Some of you might find this boring and choose to watch something else. The beauty of that is that you have the freedom to do so. :)
I will chime in some more tonight - going to do some quick reading on the ins and outs for today's news.
cya
Roman

We must remember...

As most of you may have heard, there have been some amazing breakthroughs this past month in linking certain genes to Alzheimer's, but there is still a lot of work to be done. This year, the first of the Boomer Generation turns 65. To bring urgently-needed attention to the risk facing the Boomers, Alzheimer's Association released a groundbreaking study, Generation Alzheimer's: The Defining Disease of the Baby Boomers.

The information you read is just the beginning of what has been discovered. Please take a few minutes of your time and do some homework on the ever growing problem of Alzheimer's.

Head to head with each other...

"I brought them in together and had them understand why we made the decision and how important it is for them to continue to push each other and compete,"
Great words from the man in charge Mike Singletary. I would be happy with either quarterback running the team I love dearly. In an article at ArcaMax Sports/UPI that I read today they point out that Shaun Hill brought home 5 wins of the last 6 encounters towards the end of the season. Nothing against Alex Smith because I think he's great as well but let's use Hill for now and see where we stand by the end of November. I am really looking forward to watching my team play and kick some butt - game day for me starts when they have their opener against 08's NFC Champs the Cardinals. So whether we have Hill or Smith running things on the grid iron I just want others out there know that this season will be one to watch and one to watch closely.

Keep them coming...

BOSTON - J.D. Drew produced both runs Sunday in the Boston Red Sox' 2-1 decision over the Seattle Mariners.

His solo homer broke a 1-1 tie with no outs in the bottom of the sixth inning.

The veteran right-fielder pushed the other run across the plate when he was hit by pitch from Seattle starting pitcher Erik Bedard with the bases loaded and two outs in the third.

Five players had one hit for the Red Sox, who have won five of their last six games overall and 15 of their last 16 at Fenway Park.

Winner Justin Masterson (3-0) gave up an earned run and just three hits in six innings. Closer Jonathan Papelbon recorded his 18th save this season.

Seattle's run scored on a fielder's choice groundout by Yuniesky Betancourt in the top of the second.

The Mariners managed five hits in the sixth loss in their last seven games.

The losing pitcher was reliever Sean Green (1-2).

Boston's Manny Ramirez extended his hitting streak to 13 games.

Are you a "Nervous Wreck"?

MADISON, Wis. - U.S. scientists announced the discovery of a gene they call "nervous wreck" that is essential to the proper development of nerve cells in the fruit fly.

The gene governs the size of a synapse -- the junction between nerve cell endings. University of Wisconsin scientists said the gene prevents synapses from overgrowing by damping the effects of a pro-growth signal. Mutations in a human version of the "nervous wreck" gene have been linked to a severe genetic developmental disability

The 100 billion nerve cells in the human make trillions of synaptic connections to neurons, muscle cells and other cell types. Malfunctions at synapses are believed to be among the many factors leading to various neurological disorders.

Kate O'Connor-Giles, a postdoctoral fellow who led the study, said, "We really need to have a deep understanding of how all the factors involved are working together to develop rational treatments for neurological disorders associated with aberrant synaptic growth."

The researchers say their findings might speed the development of treatments for neurological disorders.

The study appears in the journal Neuron.

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After reading the article above I have learned that the many friends in my past may have had this infamous gene. Heck half of the baseball team might of been affected by this. Go figure.
:)

NFL Draft Day Baby!

NEW YORK (UPI) -- The NFL Draft begins Saturday with all the suspense concerning the No. 1 pick having been wiped out by Miami's signing of offensive tackle Jake Long.

First-round trades have been forecast during the days leading up to the draft, but barring any moves at the top of the selection process, Miami will be followed by St. Louis, Atlanta, Oakland and Kansas City.

Kansas City moved into the No. 5 slot through a trade with Minnesota and the Chiefs now own two first-round choices.

Having won only one game in 2007, the Dolphins need help throughout. Under the guidance of new front-office boss Bill Parcells, however, the Dolphins decided to keep the No. 1 pick and take Long -- a product of the University of Michigan who will be the first offensive tackle taken at the top of the draft since Orlando Pace went to St. Louis in 1997.

The only other offensive tackle taken at No. 1 since the draft started in 1936 was Ron Yary, who was chosen by Minnesota in 1968.

The draft will begin at 3 p.m. EDT with only two rounds scheduled to be concluded Saturday. The remaining five rounds will be conducted Sunday.

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Today is the day where I spend most of my morning watching ESPN and other sports stations just to get an even further review of what's going to possibly happen tonight. I hope San Fran. can get themselves a good player because the days of "rebuilding" should be done by now - I ready for some butt kicking.

Noah and the Bulls...

CHICAGO - Joakim Noah turned in perhaps the best outing of his rookie season Thursday with 13 points and 20 rebounds, leading the Chicago Bulls past Cleveland107-96.

The Bulls overcame a 39-point effort from LeBron James.

Luol Deng and Ben Gordon both scored 23 for Chicago, which put together a third-period run to win its second straight. The Bulls have won two in a row for the first time in almost two months and have not had a three-game winning streak all season.

Cleveland had won its three previous games, including a victory Wednesday over New York in which James scored 50 points.

James scored 26 in the first half Thursday, but was not as effective after colliding with Chicago's Kirk Hinrich early in the third quarter.

Cleveland owned a 53-49 advantage in the third before Chicago scored 17 consecutive points. The Cavaliers came no closer than eight in the fourth period and Chicago tacked on a 14-2 surge in the final quarter. Noah finished off that burst with a layup.

Trading for a future...

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. Marcus Williams, temporarily replacing Jason Kidd, scored six of his 25 points in overtime Wednesday, leading New Jersey past Chicago 110-102.

After the multi-player trade that sent Kidd to Dallas this week, the Nets plan to use newly acquired Devin Harris as their point guard. But with Harris out of action with an ankle injury, Williams filled in and produced a season-high point total. He made nine of 18 shots from the field, including three of five from three-point range. Vince Carter also delivered a season-best 33 points, helping the Nets to their fourth win in five games. Richard Jefferson added 24 points.

Chicago, losers of three out of four, was led by 17 points from Joe Smith -- one of eight Bulls to score in double figures. Carter made a free throw with 49 seconds left in the fourth period to tie it and neither team could score another point in regulation.

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Having Chicago lose by that small margin isn't too bad but it's a loss nonetheless. After the trades between Chicago and Cleveland I'm looking forward to an interesting outcome for the second half of the season. It was tough lossing Wallace but with the new guys in play maybe we can get a wave of talents together and become "The" team to beat.

Going through the motions...

SEATTLE - Joe Smith scored 25 points and the Chicago Bulls pulled away in the final 8:41 Monday to pocket a 118-108 road victory over the Seattle SuperSonics. Smith also had 10 rebounds as Chicago broke a two-game streak while ending the Sonics' three-game win streak -- their longest this season. Ben Gordon added 20 points for the Bulls.

Seattle got 21 points from Wally Szczerbiak and 20 from Kevin Durant. Chicago pretty much led from start to finish, going up 27-25 after the first quarter, 56-49 at halftime and 83-73 going into the final period. Seattle hung around and trailed just 91-84 after a Luke Ridnour three-pointer with 8:41 remaining but could pull no closer the rest of the way. With Chicago setting a pace they might keep this streak going, seeing that they're heading to Portland tomorrow to face them at 10:00pm. I hope that a win their will propel them to continue the current streak.
GO BULLS!

So far so good...

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I just got done reading an article on CNN.com that was titled 'Illegal immigrants packing up and leaving Arizona'. I want those of you reading this to understand that when I talk about illegal immigrants I'm focusing on the 'illegal' portion of it. I do not question their work abilities or their loyalty to their families, what I do question is their knowledge of the laws that surround them and all of the others that know that it's being broken but still choose to ignore it. With Arizona implementing this law it's only a matter of time before the other states that harbor illegals catch on, and all I can say is 'Good Job'.

I can tell you from experience how a Hispanic family reacts when being disrespected in their home. When entering the home of a Hispanic or any other race or nationality for that matter is that respect comes first then the greetings. If these families that chose to break the law and come here illegally then they have disrespected the most common law known to all - Do not enter my home unless invited. Come in legally and then work to your hearts content, if that's too hard to follow then you've got bigger problems aside from the illegal issue.

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Are you kidding me?!?

I want to send Mr. Nathan Jones a special note:
YOU'RE A MORON!!!
For those of you who have no idea what I'm talking about I would like to inform you that we have a few more idiots/morons amongst the human race. These clowns decided to dress up as VT victims. No not the survivors but the ones that died during the US's worst school shooting. They thought that this would of been something that would be acceptable for a costume party. Watching the video of this guy just made me feel some anger towards him an those who participated. I'm curious, if it was one of his friends or maybe a family member - would he have done this regardless? I say yes, I don't think this guy or any of the others have any remorse now or ever.
VIDEO

Snapping the streak...

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. (UPI) -- Andres Nocioni scored 22 points Friday and Chris Duhon hit a key three-pointer to propel the Chicago Bulls past Detroit 98-91.
The Bulls snapped the Pistons' five-game winning streak.
Luol Deng added 17 points and nine rebounds for the Bulls, who have won four of five. Detroit was within three points as the game entered the final three minutes, but Deng hit a jumper and Duhon followed with his three-point shot that gave the Bulls a 91-83 advantage. The Pistons were led by Chauncey Billups with 27 and Richard Hamilton with 24. Chicago has won both meetings between the teams this season and has beaten the Pistons five times in their last six games.

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I got to watch some of the game last night but was unable to see the entire thing. I can say that from what I saw it looked pretty good on their part. I would like to see more from Noah but I can understand that they are playing him periodically to make sure that when it's game time all the way he'll be ready. Congrats Chicago on another win.

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A day to reflect...

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Before I begin this post I would like a moment to ask those of you reading this to perform a moment of silence for those who died during that attack 66 years ago today...
Thank You

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The Japanese Attack Pearl Harbor (1941)
The Imperial Japanese Navy's surprise attack on Pearl Harbor in Oahu, Hawaii, severely damaged or demolished 19 American naval vessels, destroyed 188 aircraft, killed 2,280 American servicemen and 68 civilians, and wounded more than 1,000 military personnel. The following day, the US declared war on Japan. Pearl Harbor is now a national historic landmark; a memorial has been built over the sunken hulk of the USS Arizona.

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This year, survivors and their family members are dedicating a new memorial for the USS Oklahoma, which lost 429 sailors and Marines -- the second greatest loss of life among any of the battleships in Pearl Harbor.
About 18 of the estimated 90 living survivors who were aboard the USS Oklahoma were expected to join Oklahoma Gov. Brad Henry and other dignitaries for the dedication of the $1.2 million memorial. The monument includes 429 white marble standards, each with the name of a fallen sailor or Marine, surrounded by black granite panels etched with a silhouette of the battleship and notable quotes from World War II-era figures that were selected by some of the survivors, said retired Navy Rear Adm. Greg Slavonic, co-chair of the USS Oklahoma Memorial Committee.

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VIDEO - Casualty List

Caught under wrong terms...

(CNN) -- Debra Lafave, a former Florida middle school teacher convicted of having sex with a student, was arrested Tuesday for "inappropriate but non-sexual contact" with a teenage coworker, the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office said.
"I can only characterize this as somewhat of a bizarre and unusual violation," said Lafave's attorney, John Fitzgibbons. Lafave pleaded guilty in November 2005 to having sex with a 14-year-old boy and was sentenced to three years under house arrest and seven years of probation.

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This woman is complying with many stips and because she was talking about her crappy life to some chick in a restaurant she's arrested for violating the rules. I don't want to know the behind the scenes on this one because I don't want to know. What I do know is that if she was working at a restaurant you would think that the owner would not of hired her if there was an employee under the age of 18 or on the flip side hire a 17 year old knowing that Debra was working there. Just a little common sense folks that's all.

A different look at it...

When I watched this video I began to wonder how many restaurants here in Toledo throw away good food in order to make room for the next delivery? What Ruthy Woodring is and has been doing for quite some time now can only be seen as wonderful, not only is she helping those who aren't able gather their own food but she's doing her part to make sure these items don't end up in some landfill. I want to send a special thank you to her and her friends who take the time to make sure that food like this isn't wasted. Actually, if our city officials can talk to local businesses about their daily habit we might be able to decrease the hunger numbers by about 20 to 25 percent. When my wife and I participated in the annual Tent City in downtown Toledo I had the chance to sit down and talk to a gentleman that saw the annual event very uplifting and helpful to those who feel there is no hope for them. If you're a restaurant owner or a worker and you're reading this please take the added time to keep that extra food that you normally throw out and contact your local organization that provides food to the homeless and see if they can distribute that food to people that very same night.
To get more information on Tent City and donations please call 419.349.4969 or email them at hap@taaeh.com
VIDEO at CNN

What's wrong with the media?

This morning a friend of mine brought to my attention something that is completely wrong and should be taken care of immediately. The following video links you see are two different point of views. One video you will see CNN conducting an interview with John Cena which lasts approximately 30 seconds. The other video is the same interview but it was recorded by WWE for their own purposes and it lasts for about 2 mintues and 38 seconds. When you watch the CNN version you will clearly hear Cena say that he may have used steroids but you can't prove it, while on the unedited version recorded by WWE you will hear Cena clearly say No. My question to CNN is this "What did you have to gain from this by editing his answer?"
I have talked about the steroid issue before when it was mentioned that Barry Bonds was potentially using. I simply stated that until proven dirty, he's still clean. This same comment goes for any other athlete out there, You are not guilty for improving your body in order to achieve that goal especially if you did it in a clean manner.
Here is a comment from WWE.

In a country in which the news media is highly suspect, and the quality of unbiased reporting has been thrown into the trash can, CNN has stooped to new depths. Notwithstanding the fairness, or lack therein, of CNN’s recent piece entitled “Death Grip: Inside Pro Wrestling,” perhaps the best example of how CNN misrepresents and unfairly presents their biased, if not illegal, point of view is the comparison of WWE’s unedited video above to CNN’s edited version. CNN’s depiction of John Cena as it relates to steroids is not only professionally and morally wrong, but damaging to his character.

This next comment comes from Kevin Eck, Baltimore Sun, November 12, 2007

“I don’t see how a respected news organization such as CNN – or any responsible journalist, for that matter – could omit Cena’s initial response to the question, which was a clear and direct denial to having ever taken steroids.”

Watch the following videos and see for yourself the audacity that CNN presented.
VIDEO/CNN
VIDEO/WWE

Oh well, maybe next time...

NFL: Jacksonville 24, Tampa Bay 23

TAMPA, Fla. (UPI) -- Quarterback Quinn Gray went 7-of-16 for 100 yards and a TD in his first NFL start Sunday afternoon, as the Jacksonville Jaguars beat Tampa Bay, 24-23. Fred Taylor ran for 68 yards on 24 carries and Maurice Jones-Drew rushed 10 times for 48 yards, as the Jaguars (5-2) won despite getting a mere 219 total yards total offense. Aaron Glenn returned an interception for a touchdown in the second quarter for Jacksonville.
Jeff Garcia completed 19-of-41 passes for 267 yards and a touchdown, but also threw three interceptions for the Buccaneers (4-4). Joey Galloway caught six balls for 115 yards.

I had a tough time selecting the winner of this game on Friday when I entered my picks but I did a little homework and saw that the Buccs stood a chance against the Jaguars. The game itself was pretty good and the turn out wasn't all that to be ashamed of, now for my 49ers I expected them to win but wouldn't you know it they let that game slip away from them right from the beginning - so to them I say 'Maybe next time'...

Will it end?

Watching the news coverage last night and this morning the one thing in my mind and heart was the safety of the people involved whether it's home owners, neighbors or the brave firefighters fighting this fire with all their might. They have reported that only one life was lost thus far, my hope is that it stays at that number and does not increase as time goes on. I also hope that these brave fighters are being rotated so that exhaustion doesn't partner up with this furious fire. I have posted before about how home owners can try and prevent something like this from happening by simply running a hose line over your house that would act as a sprinkler of sorts to keep the home damp while the fire rushes by. In the end a lot will be lost but the families will continue living together safe and sound.

The Niners are here...

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Linebacker Parys Haralson lit it up in Thursday’s practice during one on one pass rush drills, showing some violence, speed and variation in his pass rush repertoire.
“I’m just trying to work on my technique and I try to just react to the set I get from the lineman,” said Haralson. “You want to have different moves that you can do but what you end up using is dictated on the player you are going up against and the set you get.”
Haralson’s role has expanded since the season loss of Manny Lawson, and from the look of things in practice this week, so has his play.
“I felt like last year I was just getting going and then had the setback with the injury that ended my season,” said Haralson. “It’s really taken me a while to get back to where I feel like I’ve got a good feel for what we are doing and it’s been coming along well for me lately. I’ve got more opportunities now and I want to make sure I’m ready when I’m called upon.”

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I spent about 45 minutes reading some coverage on the team and from the sounds of the other players including Parys it looks like the niners might pull through tomorrow. All I can say is that whether they win or lose I will still stick with them until the end.