Time to Blog!
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February 28, 2005
I left work early today to see my Doctor. He wasn't available, so I saw another MD at the office. He didn't tell me anything I didn't already know. My lungs are not working at 100% capacity. I had chest X-rays, and did this breath test where I blew in and out into a tube that measured my intake and out take. The out take was crap. So, I am scheduled to see a specialist at the main facility on April 6, 2005. I have to laugh the way Western Medicine works. By April 6, I could be dead from whatever it is that is interferring with my ability to breath properly. The chest X-rays will be sent, I imagine, to the same place where I will get the testing done.
In the meantime, I have to get serious about working out again. I haven't got a choice in the matter. It is move forward, or slip backwards. There are a number of Yoga exercises that focus on the lungs, so that is where I will begin again. I've said it before, "Physician, heal thyself."
I don't really want to die just yet. I haven't had a great deal of success in this life. I have tried my best, but to tell you the truth, I have failed in a great many areas. I don't have friends who call me. I haven't been told by anyone lately, "I care about you." I haven't been able to find a line of work I can call a career. I turn on the news, or log onto the Internet only to see the world is a horroble place filled with hate and misery.
I feel a responsibility to make the world I am living in a better place for myself and others. That is hard to do when you are struggling to just survive emotionally and financially. Now that I can't breath, I am having a crisis of the spirit. I have to find a path of physical exercise I can live with. One thing I learned in the martial arts is this, you have to find a way. Failure is not an option.
February 24, 2005
Some of these are funny. I need a good laugh. It's Friday, and another week of putting up with morons has got me feeling a little down. The thought of going back Monday isn't helping to cheer me up.
38 Things You'd Love To Say at Work But Can't
1. I can see your point, but I still think you're full of shi*.
2. I don't know what your problem is, but I'll bet it's hard to pronounce.
3. How about never? Is never good for you?
4. I see you've set aside this special time to humiliate yourself in public.
5. I'm really easy to get along with once you people learn to worship me.
6. I'll try being nicer if you'll try being smarter.
7. I'm out of my mind, but feel free to leave a message...
8. I don't work here. I'm a consultant.
9. It sounds like English, but I can't understand a word you're saying.
10. Ahhh... I see the f***-up fairy has visited us again..
11. I like you. You remind me of when I was young and stupid.
12. You are validating my inherent mistrust of strangers.
13. I have plenty of talent and vision. I just don't give a damn.
14. I'm already visualizing the duct tape over your mouth.
15. I will always cherish the initial misconceptions I had about you.
16. Thank you. We're all refreshed and challenged by your unique point of view.
17. The fact that no one understands you doesn't mean you're an artist.
18. Any connection between your reality and mine is purely coincidental.
19. What am I? Flypaper for freaks!?
20. I'm not being rude. You're just insignificant.
21. It's a thankless job, but I've got a lot of Karma to burn off.
22. Yes, I am an agent of Satan, but my duties are largely ceremonial.
23. And your cry-baby whiny-assed opinion would be...?
24. Do I look like a people person?
25. This isn't an office. It's Hell with fluorescent lighting.
26. I started out with nothing & still have most of it left.
27. Sarcasm is just one more service we offer.
28. If I throw a stick, will you leave?
29. Errors have been made. Others will be blamed.
30. Whatever kind of look you were going for, you missed.
31. I'm trying to imagine you with a personality.
32. A cubicle is just a padded cell without a door.
33. Can I trade this job for what's behind door #1?
34. Too many freaks, not enough circuses.
35. Nice perfume. Must you marinate in it?
36. Chaos, panic, & disorder - my work here is done.
37. How do I set a laser printer to stun?
38. I thought I wanted a career, turns out I just wanted paychecks.
February 24, 2005
I know, but I can't help it. Things like this are just the indicators a person needs. People can't deal with the stress. Lives are breaking down. The next thing you know, the evening news is broadcasting the horror world wide. You can't hide from it any more.
I am giving myself one month to get back in shape, and one month after that to begin building my fitness program. I need it. This is the one thing I really do care about. The reason I stopped was because I stopped caring. I stopped caring about a lot of things. It happens.
I'm not going to fit in somewhere working the next 15 years. I have to work for myself. If I don't have something going come Spring, I will crack just like this poor slob. I don't think I'd kill anyone. If I did, it would be myself. That isn't a viable option. Maybe 30 or 40 years from now after I've accomplished all I can, I'll wander out into the Wisconsin winterland, and make my peace. But as of today, I have way too much to do.
I worked with two sisters who dealt cards in Vegas. They were crazy. One was a sex maniac. She fit right in to the Vegas system, and slept her way into a lucrative Casino dealing job. Her sister married this one bone head dealer who thought he was some sort of a superior life form. I never figured out where he got that notion. He was just that stupid. Pitifull to see things like that. The two sisters were from Tyler, Texas.
Texas Gunman Kills 2 Outside Courthouse
TYLER, Texas - A man with a high-powered rifle opened fire Thursday in the town square near the courthouse, killing two people and wounding two law officers and one other person, authorities said. The gunman fled the scene but was shot and later arrested; he was being treated at a hospital.
A Smith County Sheriff's deputy, a Tyler police officer and a civilian were wounded, police spokesman Don Martin said. A man and a woman were killed. "He had a rifle, and he was shooting at the back of the courthouse and he shot some glass out, shot a deputy sheriff there and two other civilians," said Deputy U.S. Marshal John Walker.
Walker said he believed the gunman was upset about a court case.
Witnesses described a bloody scene after the rampage.
"I saw people lying everywhere that had been shot," Nathan Hoffman, an attorney who works across the street from the courthouse, told the Tyler Morning-Telegraph. Hoffman said he locked the front door of his office and crawled on the floor, urging co-workers to get down.
"We ran to the window and saw him shooting over and over and over again," said Julie Carnahan, a 57-year-old court clerk who was returning from lunch at the time of the shooting. "It was the most horrible things I ever saw."
A spokeswoman at the East Texas Medical Center said one law enforcement officer was in critical condition and another was in good condition. Another man was in fair condition.
Tyler is about 95 miles east of Dallas.
February 23, 2005
I gave the main page a face lift today. It's amazing what you can do with a few pics and some different music. It's my temple to the Almighty Dollar. That driving force will be the death of us. From greed blossoms all vice. In a way I'm being cynical. I talk about peace and love, and at the same time, my mind is riddled with poison. Physician, heal thy self ... please.
(A little schtick Henny Youngman 1906-1998
style. If you don't know who Henny Youngman is, you are missing out on a good laugh.
Click on the link. Here's a sample ... "If my mother knew I did this for a living, she'd kill me. She thinks I'm selling dope.)
Back to webstonne.com I like the look and the feel of the front page. Face it, we know we need the stuff, or we are screwed. That is why it commands respect. Wealth is getting harder to accumulate. Privledge in this country is based on wealth, and it has been since the ink was wet on the US Constituion. I sometimes think of myself as a "born again capitalist". I laugh because deep down in my gut, I do believe that money is the root of all evil. It's poison. It brings out the worst in people. And yet, I am facinated by the possibility of acquiring large sums of it. Can I remain spiritually centered? Will I ever be faced with that decision? What a laugh. I'm a few paychecks from the curb. If I don't win a piece of the lottery, I'm afraid I'll end living in a tent, crapping outside, and wiping my ass with McDonalds complimentary napkins.
February 22, 2005
Reggie Roby desrves to have his picture here. He was from Iowa. He was a great punter. I remember him playing with the Miami Dolphins back in the early 1980's. Here are his punting stats from the Miami Dolphins history archive:
Reggie Roby played with Miami Dolphins 1983-1992
He punted the ball 555 times, for a total of 24,035 yards. That averages to 43.306 yards per punt.
Against the Green Bay Packers, Reggie kicked the ball 7 times, for a total of 359 yards. That averages to 52.7 yards.
He performed this feat on 9/22/91.
Throught his life, he tried to make a difference in the lives of other people. That is why his picture is here. And to be honest, that is why I put particular photographs on this site. Johnny, Rodney, Thompson, Web, all these people have touched my life in one way or another. They deserve to be honered for what they have created. People create hope. Without those special people, the world is an unhappy place. The Dali Lama comes to mind. It is too easy to hate. It takes effort to live a positive day, every day, without fail. And to keep that mind set a lifetime is beyond most of us.
Former Dolphins Punter Reggie Roby Dies Of Unknown Causes
The family of Reggie Roby 43 has announced that the former NFL punter died earlier today of unknown causes. He was 43 years old.
Roby, a native of Waterloo, IA, was found by his wife, Melissa, this morning in their Nashville home unconscious and without a pulse. After CPR measures were administered at his home, in the ambulance and in the Emergency Department, he was pronounced dead at Saint Thomas Emergency Department at 8:35 a.m.
Reggie Roby was Marketing & Development Director for Backfield in Motion, a non-profit organization that combines athletics and academics to inspire inner-city boys to reach their maximum potential and become significant contributors to society.
Roby, a University of Iowa graduate, spent 16 years playing in the NFL, including ten years with the Miami Dolphins and stints with the Washington Redskins, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Houston Oilers, Tennessee Titans and San Francisco 49ers before retiring in 2002.
During his football career, Reggie spent much of his free time speaking to kids about the importance of education and character. When he learned about Backfield in Motion’s innovative programs, he immediately signed on, citing the ability to make a difference.
February 21, 2005
Welcome to webstonne's wall of death. If your picture shows up on this site, there is a strong probability that you are deceased. Or, you're ass is in a jam, and you might either go to prison, or end up on Death Row. I have to chuckle at that. It wasn't intentional.
Thompson was a warrior writer. He called the shots. For those of you who might not know this, Thompson invented the fax machine. He came up with this device he called his "mojo". This thing would send transcripts over the phone lines of what he had written. He didn't have to go down to the office and turn his assignments in. And by doing it electronically, he could wait till the last minute to turn them in. This would drive the editors crazy, and Thompson laughed all the way to the bank. He gave up the rights to his mojo. I would have to do some research on this. I know for a fact he gave the thing away. He could have made millions. He didn't. I believe later on, Thompson would declare that he was "ripped off" while in a drug/alcohol induced state. The only problem being, Thompson was always in a drug/alcohol induced state, so he didn't have any legal legs to stand on. In fact, I think Rolling Stone magazine had it's greedy hand in this somehow.
Anyway, men like Hunter S. Thompson come only once in a generation. I was shocked to learn of the suicide.
ASPEN, Colo. - Hunter S. Thompson, the hard-living writer who inserted himself into his accounts of America's underbelly and popularized a first-person form of journalism in books such as "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas," has committed suicide.
Thompson was found dead Sunday in his Aspen-area home of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound, sheriff's officials said. He was 67. Thompson's wife, Anita, had gone out before the shooting and was not home at the time.
Besides the 1972 classic about Thompson's visit to Las Vegas, he also wrote "Fear and Loathing: On the Campaign Trail '72." The central character in those wild, sprawling satires was "Dr. Thompson," a snarling, drug- and alcohol-crazed observer and participant.
Thompson is credited alongside Tom Wolfe and Gay Talese with helping pioneer New Journalism — or, as he dubbed his version, "gonzo journalism" — in which the writer made himself an essential component of the story.
Thompson, whose early writings mostly appeared in Rolling Stone magazine, often portrayed himself as wildly intoxicated as he reported on such figures as Jimmy Carter, Richard Nixon and Bill Clinton (news - web sites).
"Fiction is based on reality unless you're a fairy-tale artist," Thompson told The Associated Press in 2003. "You have to get your knowledge of life from somewhere. You have to know the material you're writing about before you alter it."
Thompson also wrote such collections as "Generation of Swine" and "Songs of the Doomed." His first ever novel, "The Rum Diary," written in 1959, was first published in 1998.
Thompson was a counterculture icon at the height of the Watergate era, and once said Nixon represented "that dark, venal, and incurably violent side of the American character."
Thompson also was the model for Garry Trudeau's balding "Uncle Duke" in the comic strip "Doonesbury." He was portrayed on screen by Bill Murray in "Where The Buffalo Roam" and Johnny Depp in a film adaptation of "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas."
That book, perhaps Thompson's most famous, begins: "We were somewhere around Barstow on the edge of the desert when the drugs began to take hold."
Other books include "The Great Shark Hunt," "Hell's Angels" and "The Proud Highway."
His most recent effort was "Hey Rube: Blood Sport, the Bush Doctrine, and the Downward Spiral of Dumbness."
"He may have died relatively young but he made up for it in quality if not quantity of years," Paul Krassner, the veteran radical journalist and one of Thompson's former editors, told The Associated Press by phone from his Southern California home.
"It was hard to say sometimes whether he was being provocative for its own sake or if he was just being drunk and stoned and irresponsible," quipped Krassner, founder of the leftist publication The Realist and co-founder of the Youth International (YIPPIE) party.
"But every editor that I know, myself included, was willing to accept a certain prima donna journalism in the demands he would make to cover a particular story," he said. "They were willing to risk all of his irresponsible behavior in order to share his talent with their readers."
The writer's compound in Woody Creek, not far from Aspen, was almost as legendary as Thompson. He prized peacocks and weapons; in 2000, he accidentally shot and slightly wounded his assistant trying to chase a bear off his property.
He also is survived by his son, Juan Thompson.
Born July 18, 1937, in Kentucky, Hunter Stocton Thompson served two years in the Air Force, where he was a newspaper sports editor. He later became a proud member of the National Rifle Association and almost was elected sheriff in Aspen in 1970 under the Freak Power Party banner.
Thompson's heyday came in the 1970s, when his larger-than-life persona was gobbled up by magazines. His pieces were of legendary length and so was his appetite for adventure and trouble; his purported fights with Rolling Stone editor Jann Wenner were rumored in many cases to hinge on expense accounts for stories that didn't materialize.
It was the content that raised eyebrows and tempers. His book on the 1972 presidential campaign involving, among others, Edmund Muskie, Hubert Humphrey and Nixon was famous for its scathing opinion.
Working for Muskie, Thompson wrote, "was something like being locked in a rolling box car with a vicious 200-pound water rat." Nixon and his "Barbie doll" family were "America's answer to the monstrous Mr. Hyde. He speaks for the werewolf in us."
Humphrey? Of him, Thompson wrote: "There is no way to grasp what a shallow, contemptible and hopelessly dishonest old hack Hubert Humphrey is until you've followed him around for a while."
The approach won him praise among the masses as well as critical acclaim. Writing in The New York Times in 1973, Christopher Lehmann-Haupt worried Thompson might someday "lapse into good taste."
"That would be a shame, for while he doesn't see America as Grandma Moses depicted it, or the way they painted it for us in civics class, he does in his own mad way betray a profound democratic concern for the polity," he wrote. "And in its own mad way, it's damned refreshing."
February 19, 2005
A picture is woth a thousand words. This says it all; wealth, power, privledge. With these commodities come culture, education, stability.
If you haven't got the big boys in your pocket, it is just harder. It isn't impossible.
There is still opportunity in this country. The pie is smaller. You have to be better. I have to be better.
Some interesting trivia about these High End Notes from thecurrencyhouse.com.
One thing it doesn't mention is this.
On the backs of these bills, it does not say, "In God We Trust".
"All small size $500, $1,000, $5,000 and $10,000 notes were
printed only in the 1928, 1934, 1934 A, 1934 B, or 1934 C series.
Although all these High Denomination notes are rare, the 34 B and 34 C series are extremely
rare with none having been seen.
The 1928 series were "Redeemable in Gold on demand." The 1934 A, B and C series were the last High Denomination notes
printed in 1945.
On July 14, 1969 the Department of the Treasury and the Federal
Reserve system announced that due to lack of use, the High Denomination notes
would be discontinued immediately. All High Denomination notes that are turned
into banks are forwarded to the Federal Reserve and destroyed.
Only a fraction of the notes printed are still in existence."
William McKinley (25th President) is on the $500
Grover Cleveland (22nd and 24th President) is on the $1,000
James Madison (4th President) is on the $5,000
Salmon Chase (Treasury Secretary under Lincoln) is on the $10,000
February 18, 2005
Hate to see this, but it happens. The dude is 27, and LA is his oyster. Seven years later, things change. You have to go with the flow. He's not the "bad boy", anymore. He's just a stone's throw from turning into a Hollywood looser, denerate. If he's riding, that's a bad sign too. He should know better than to be wacking on some guys head in a nightclub. Those days are gone. If the guy is open handed, and he isn't swinging at you first, you can't do jack anymore. If he's being rude, you're nuts to get emotionally involved in it. It doesn't pay.
You have to ask yourself why. He isn't the golden boy of LA. He had a great ride; making a truck load of money, boinking Pam, hit records, fame. Now, that might be fading. A guy feels bad about that. Wacking some moron in the head is a great way to inflate your warped sense of insecurity. But in the present state of affairs, that option isn't on the table. The only option left is to rise above it.
Kid Rock is stagnated. He needs something. I hope he finds it.
Kid Rock arrest over 'club fight'
US rapper Kid Rock has been arrested for allegedly punching a DJ in a strip club in Nashville, Tennessee.
Police said Mr Rock, 34, hit Jerry Campos, 30, at Christy's Cabaret in the early hours of Wednesday but escaped.
Shortly after, he was pulled over by an officer who got an autograph but did not do a breath test despite smelling alcohol. The officer has been fired.
The star was eventually arrested a few hours later, taken to the night court and released on $3,000 (£1,600) bail.
On being released, he said: "Everything is wonderful. It was a beautiful night." He must return to court on 30 March and could face a year in jail if convicted.
Kid Rock aka Robert James Ritchie, he had sung at the funeral of country songwriter Merle Kilgore on Tuesday.
Police said that night's altercation began when Mr Campos exchanged words with someone in the club. Kid Rock said his friend had been insulted and demanded an apology.
But he left by a back door when police arrived and was eventually apprehended at a friend's house, saying he had wanted to sober up first.
He was watched by reporters as he was arrested and taken to court. Police said he was "extremely friendly and co-operative".
The rock-rapper and ex-fiance of actress Pamela Anderson has enjoyed fame since 1998 with hits including Bawitdaba, Cowboy, American Bad Ass and Picture.
February 16, 2005
In the days of the Roman Empire, the masses were entertained at the Colliseum. Here they could watch warriors fight to the death. It was possible to witness wild animals tearing people from limb to limb. I think most of us would agree that this type of entertainment is brutal and savage. But how many people would think that "American Idol" isn't much different? Not many I would assume. No, reality TV is our modern Colliseum. All we have to do is turn on the boob tube, and watch innocent people get ridiculed and humiliated. We can watch their hopes and dreams get crushed. And this makes us feel good? The stress of making it and becoming a success is getting blown way out of proportion. People with talent and hope are being told they can't be successful or happy. They are being told they aren't good enough to follow their dreams. People are being led to believe their lives have no meaning because some ass is putting them down in order to generate ratings. They are creating hype at people's expense. Maybe this reality TV thing has crossed the line of good taste and common sense. It may have even cost this young man his life.
PHILADELPHIA - A promising young boxer who got the break of a lifetime when he was selected by NBC's upcoming reality TV program, "The Contender," committed suicide.
Police said 23-year-old Najai Turpin shot himself in the head at 4 a.m. Monday while sitting with his girlfriend in a parked car outside the West Philadelphia gym where he trained. Investigators were unsure why he took his life.
An NBC spokeswoman said the producers, cast and crew of "The Contender" were shocked and saddened by Turpin's death. The program, scheduled to debut March 7, will go on as planned.
Produced by reality TV mogul Mark Burnett, "The Contender" will follow the lives of 16 boxers competing against each other for a chance at a million-dollar purse.
The episodes involving Turpin had already been taped.
Percy "Buster" Custus, a trainer who had worked with him since Turpin was 12, said the boxer had enjoyed his experiences with the show but seemed troubled in recent weeks. He said Turpin abruptly left a training camp in the Poconos and returned home to Philadelphia, saying he missed his family.
"None of us really know what brought this about," Custus said Tuesday. "You just want to see the boys come out of the neighborhood. From the time they're young kids, you really want to see them make it. And he was right there."
Turpin had a 13-1 record and had won a city Recreation Department title before he was picked for "The Contender."
A biography on the show's Web site called him an "extremely soft-spoken" but focused fighter who worked two day jobs to support his family. He had a 2-year-old daughter.
"You would never know he was a fighter," Custus said. "He was a tough guy in the ring. He was a vicious fighter. But outside the ring he was a different man."
Police said they didn't know where Turpin got the gun. He was not licensed to carry a handgun and the weapon was not registered to him.
NBC released a statement from Burnett in which he called Turpin a "great fighter with tremendous heart and courage."
"The episode in which he was most depicted will stand as a wonderful testament to who he was. It will not be changed," Burnett wrote.
A tribute to Turpin will be added to the show. Viewers will also be offered a chance to donate money to a trust fund set up to support Turpin's child.
NBC spokeswoman Rebecca Marks declined to say how Turpin had fared in the show, which is to conclude with a live championship bout between two finalists in May. She said, however, that the show will not need to be overhauled because of Turpin's death.
Every contestant was being paid $1,500 per week to stay in training pending the finale.
Turpin worked out at the James Shuler Memorial Gym, a haven for serious fighters from a rough and impoverished neighborhood.
Tybius Flowers, another boxer at the gym, was murdered last year shortly before he was to appear as a key witness in a murder trial.
February 14, 2005
I loved watching the PBA. I watched from 1960's to the 1990's. I even fancied the idea of going professional. I never carried more than a 185 league average. For those of you who bowl league, you know that is a good average. It isn't professional. I bowled 279. These guys are the best. Dick Weber was a good guy. He didn't let fame change who he was. I respected Dick Weber. His story belongs here. He is an example of a person doing what he loved.
ST. LOUIS --- Dick Weber, one of bowling's first national stars and a three-time bowler of the year, died. He was 75.
Weber died Sunday night in his sleep at his home in the St. Louis area, said Steve James, retired executive director of the American Bowling Congress Hall of Fame. A cause of death was not immediately known.
Weber had just returned from the opening of the congress' championships in Baton Rouge, La. James said he spent Sunday morning with Weber, who gave no indication he was ill.
In an e-mail to the Bowlers Journal, Weber's wife, Juanita, said Weber began having breathing problems Sunday night. Paramedics were unable to revive him.
"He was a lot bigger than the tour," James said Monday. "He was probably the best-known bowler worldwide."
Weber was one of bowling's first national TV stars, at a time when ABC broadcast bowling events on Saturday afternoons. He initially drew attention as a member of the Budweisers, a five-member St. Louis bowling team that held the record for highest team score for decades.
In 1958, he was a founding member of the Professional Bowlers Association, and he went on to win 26 PBA Tour events and six Senior Tour events. He was national bowler of the year three times, in 1961, 1963 and 1965.
"He's well-known and well-loved," said Jim Baltz, curator of the International Bowling Hall of Fame in St. Louis. "Everyone who knows him loves him. In competition, he's been amazingly successful. I don't think his contribution to the sport can be underestimated."
February 11, 2005
Every once in a blue moon, the odd's makers will miss the boat. This last Super Bowl was a lock if you took The Eagles +7.5. I know I liked it. But I have no place to go and place a sport's wager, so I just watched the game and enjoyed it for the spectacle. If I would have had the farm riding on the outcome, it would have hightened my intrest. As Super Bowls go, it was OK.
Wisconsin has to have the worst state quarter in the Nation. Just look at this thing. No one in this state wanted this ridiculous farm theme fiasco of a commemorative coin. The choice the people of the state voted for never made it to the Mint because the governor thought it might upset Native Americans. The scene depicted some early settlers in Wisconsin with some "Indians". The truth of the matter is, the Native Americans in Wisconsin are rolling in cash because of their casino operations. The state of Wisconsin has made agreements with them concerning payments to the state from their enormous casino revenues. If the state issued a coin with an "Indian" on the back, the casino cash might not make it into the right pockets. Anyway, the governor vetoed the nice looking quarter, and OK'd this hideous, hillbilly looking thing. I mean a cow, a wedge of cheese, and an ear of corn? So at the risk of stereotyping the Native Americans, the governor though best to stereotype all the residents of Wisconsin. Everyone calls us cheese heads. I don't like the connotations personally. It's like saying I have a wedge of cheese for a brain. Well, it's official now. Wisconsin is a state of hillbillies.
A quarter worth more than $1,000
Coin collectors go ga-ga over an irregular minting of the new 25-cent piece honoring Wisconsin.
The Wisconsin quarter
NEW YORK --- A mistake in the minting process for some quarters issued last year is putting coin collectors in a frenzy. Speculators are bidding up prices for the recently discovered pieces from their 25-cent face value to nearly $1,500.
The coin in question is the Wisconsin quarter, part of the U.S. Mint's ongoing "50 State Quarters" commemorative series. Minted in 2004, it bears the image of a cow, a wheel of cheese, and a half-husked ear of corn.
Last month, the trade publication Coin World reported, numismatists in Arizona noticed something peculiar about the cheesehead coins: they weren't all uniform. At least two versions had been minted with noticeable -- if ever-so-slight -- variations from the official engraving.
The variation involves the placement of the leaves surrounding the coin's ear of corn. A few quarters that rolled out of the U.S. Mint's Denver production facility appear to have too much husk on them.
"Hobbyists have identified two 'varieties,' generally described as 'Extra Leaf Up' or "Extra Leaf Down.'" Coin World noted. "The unusual coins have raised lines along the left side of the ear of corn on the reverse that some say resemble 'leaves.'"
Those are the kinds of rare distinctions that collectors often love.
In January, a few coin dealers in Tucson reported the discovery of the errant coins, prompting interest within the numismatic community. Since then, publicity surrounding the pieces has drawn attention from a wider circle.
By February 9, Coin World reported, Arizona coin dealers were offering as much as $1,499 to obtain a perfect specimen of the imperfect quarter.
The U.S. Mint, the arm of the Treasury Department responsible for minting coins, does not yet know how the variant coins made it into circulation. An internal investigation is underway to determine whether the mistakes were inadvertent or intentional.
February 6, 2005
Just killing some time before Super Bowl XXXIX.
I hadn't looked at the spread for any college, or professional games this season.
I did check the stats on this game. Patriots were 7.5 favorites. I like the Eagles and the points.
In fact, here is the up to date line:
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 6TH (02/06/2005) - CURRENT LINE AS OF 2:00 P.M.
Stardust
Super Bowl XXXIX - Alltel Stadium - Jacksonville, FL
NEP -6.5 -7 -7 -7 -7.5
PHI
Over/Under: 47
It hasn't changed. That's a good sign that the majority of the betters are going with the Patriots. I like Philly +7.5
I believe they are going to win.
This one is for Reggie.
February 5, 2005
I couldn't help putting some things together when I wasn't uploading things to Time To Blog.
That's why there is a string of stories. I hope you find them interesting. I want Time To Blog to be somewhere you can come and read something out of the ordinary, or click onto a link that takes you someplace you haven't been to. I still think the site with Micheal Jackson's faces was one of those places you would never think of looking for. But once you see it, you are glad you are looking at it. It makes you realize the possibilities that the Internet still holds. The computer has presented all of us with the power of creating a message. The possibilitites are only limited by your own imagination. I like that.
I think things will be OK. I had an interview for the new banking contract coming to Sitel. I beleive it is PCN. I should look them up on the internet. In my gut, I don't see a future with this company. Staying at Sitel might pay the bills, but it will close the door on becoming my own man. I looked into Lakeside. It is going to cost $15,000 between school, and living expenses for six months. I will be in some serious debt starting out in a new career, but that is the American way.
There are lawyers well over $100,000 in the hole. They go forward. You put your back to the wheel, and you dedicate your life to your practice. I can be debt free in two years, tops. After that, I'm doing $45,000 plus a year free and clear. I have the opportunity to earn as much as an attorney in Wisconsin. Not a bad living for helping people. The only obstacle in my way is my own doubt. Doubt is a powerful, and evil enemy. If you want to accomplish something, crush doubt. If it arises in your consciousness, confront it and recognize it as the demon it is.
Never look back.
The big boys dealing baccarat would say this. A player would start letting it ride, ussually on the BANK hand. It doesn't take long to have a high stack of $500 chips. The moral is, the future is yours to make. If you try, and you fail, don't second guese.
Never look back.
February 2, 2005
January 31, 2005
Jackson trial begins today. You can read all about it in the newspaper or on the Internet. What you might not be able to find is this awesome website that documents his plastic surgery! Click on the cartoon.
Here is a short brief on what the first day at trial was like.
Michael Jackson arrived at a courthouse in California for the start of his trial on charges of child molestation.
About 200 fans cheered the singer.
Jackson insists he will be acquitted and vindicated.
The whole of the first week is expected to be taken up by the cross-examination of 750 prospective jurors.
More than 1,000 journalists have also registered to cover the trial.
"Gradually it was disclosed to me that the line separating good and evil passes
not through states, nor between classes, nor between political parties--but
right through every human heart--and all human hearts." -- Alexander Solzhenitsyn, "The Gulag Archipelago"
January 27, 2005
Today is the 60th aniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp. They ask, "why do they still stand? Why don't they just tear them down, and be off with it." "So we shall never forget what happened here", answers the rest.
What has happened since? Stalin, Pol Pot, Hussein, Boznia ... millions have died. We may never know the official count. The genocide continues. The quotations refer to a Twilight Zone episode. A former SS officer who escaped into civilian life visits his former camp. The ghosts there torment him. He feels all the pain that happened to every human being who died in the camp. He goes mad. They take him away to a mental hospital in an ambulance.
Pol Pot created a genocide in Cambodia that to this day is still counting the dead. No one will ever know how many people this man is responsible for killing. The name Pol Pot envokes the same horror as the name Mengele.
And as the world turns, I continue to buy lottery tickets.
The Badger 5 Jackpot was $311,000 last night. Someone got lucky. I won $2. It would have been nice. I still beleive I will win something. Put in a transfer application. A new contract is coming in, and there is a position for Trainer. I could hang in for six months where I'm at and not have to get a new job from scratch.
January 26, 2005
Tonight will be a special night in the history of the Badger 5. The jackpot is the all-time largest.
The prior Jackpot was $227,000. I thought it was bigger, but I checked. Tonight's estimated Jackpot is $264,000. There is a strong possibilty the Jackpot could hit $300,000. Big Daddy indeed.
Nev. Judge Throws Out Anti-Lap-Dance Law
LAS VEGAS - A Las Vegas law prohibiting strippers from fondling customers during lap dances is unconstitutionally vague, a judge ruled. District Court Judge Sally Loehrer affirmed a lower court ruling that as many as five misdemeanor criminal cases filed against Las Vegas strippers should be dismissed.
Friday's ruling affects only dancers within city limits. The Clark County Commission in 2002 limited touching between strippers and patrons during private lap dances, specifically barring strippers from touching or sitting on the customer's genital area.
But the municipal code was not as specific, saying only that strippers and their patrons should not "fondle" or "caress" each other.
City attorneys told Loehrer touching is illegal when dancers engage in contact aimed at sexually arousing the customer. But defense lawyer James Colin argued the lack of specifics makes it impossible to enforce the law.
"It's too confusing," Colin said. "No one knows."
Under Loehrer's ruling, no dancer in the city can be arrested for violating the municipal code. The city is considering an appeal.
I've found a new source of wierd news. It's called The Village Voice. I haven't figured out if they are aiming at weird, or if they are hell bent towards left wing interpretation of the First Amendment right to free press. Either way, you end up embracing wierd.
It reminds me of the Twilighht Zone where Billy Mummy played Anthony. If you didn't like Anthony, he wished you away into the "corn field" where you were never heard from again. Anthony had enslaved the town with his ability to make what ever he thought come true. He was a demon boy. Anyway, The Village Voice reminds me of Anthony. When ever Anthony did something truely evil, the towns people would tell him, "that was a good thing you did Anthony, a real good thing." When ever the Village Voice struts sexual fetish, and calls it freedom of the press, the liberals in New York say, "that was a good thing you did, a real good thing." So we have a picture of Babe Lincoln. And we have the lyrics of this terrible parody of We Are the World making fun of the tsunami victims. In fact, you can download the MP3 from the website.
There was a time when the sun was shining bright
So I went down to the beach to catch me a tan
Then the next thing I knew, a wave twenty feet high
Came and washed your country away
And all at once you could hear the screaming chinks
And no one was safe from the wave
There were Africans drowning, little Chinamen swept away
You could hear God laughing, "Swim, you bitches, swim!"
So now you're screwed, it's the tsunami
You better run or kiss your ass away, go find your mommy
I just saw her float by, a tree went through her head
and now your children will be sold to child slavery
I have to say, I like this article. I find sexual deviation refreshing. It's honest. There is more animal than man in humanity. I'd rather watch a hot, tight ass blonde bimbo with a nice rack kick some pervert in the balls than watch this insanity over in Iraq. It's not honest. It hasn't been from the start, and I think most people would have to agree with that.
The Village Voice - Savage Love
by Dan Savage
January 25th, 2005 1:00 PM
Q. I've been sleeping with this man for two months. The sex is phenomenal; he loves to eat pussy; he tosses my salad; there's some digital anal play . . . that's all good. My problem is he's into rough ball play. It turns him on when I knee him in the balls, or punch them, or squeeze them. I'm OK with doing all this, but he wants me to "pop his balls." He's a youngish doctor, so he knows that this is dangerous. I don't want to make him a eunuch, but he's hell-bent on me "destroying his manhood." Should I do it for him? He says he doesn't want to have kids, and that he doesn't care if he loses his ability to have an erection or ejaculate. Should I do this for him? I'm 23, if that helps. —RELUCTANT BALL POPPER
A. Before you destroy your boyfriend's manhood, RBP, there's one question you need to ask yourself: How will you feel if five years or, hell, five minutes after you do this for him, your boyfriend decides it was a big mistake? And I promise you, RBP, if you go through with this, your boyfriend will come to regret it—and when that day comes he will resent and/or blame you. So just say no to ball popping, OK? And while I don't think it's possible to have a healthy, long-term relationship with someone so insanely self-destructive, RBP, I can understand why you might want to keep seeing this nut job in the short term (phenomenal sex, enthusiastic cunnilingus, tossed salads, etc.). There are ways to indulge his castration fetish without destroying his balls. Buy him a male chastity device (just Google "CB-3000") and throw away the key. If that's not extreme enough for him, chemically castrate him by injecting him with Depo-Provera, a drug that sexual predators are sometimes ordered to take and one he could, I presume, prescribe to himself. Maybe after experiencing a short-term, reversible castration, your boyfriend will conclude that castration is a better fantasy than it is a reality.