Friday, May 31, 2013

Naughty Words

Revealed: Hundreds of words to avoid using online if you don't want the government spying on you (and they include 'pork', 'cloud' and 'Mexico')


Revealing: A list of keywords used by government analysts to scour the internet for evidence of threats to the U.S. has been released under the Freedom of Information Act
The Department of Homeland Security has been forced to release a list of keywords and phrases it uses to monitor social networking sites and online media for signs of terrorist or other threats against the U.S.
The intriguing the list includes obvious choices such as 'attack', 'Al Qaeda', 'terrorism' and 'dirty bomb' alongside dozens of seemingly innocent words like 'pork', 'cloud', 'team' and 'Mexico'.
Released under a freedom of information request, the information sheds new light on how government analysts are instructed to patrol the internet searching for domestic and external threats.
The words are included in the department's 2011 'Analyst's Desktop Binder' used by workers at their National Operations Center which instructs workers to identify 'media reports that reflect adversely on DHS and response activities'.
Department chiefs were forced to release the manual following a House hearing over documents obtained through a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit which revealed how analysts monitor social networks and media organisations for comments that 'reflect adversely' on the government.
However they insisted the practice was aimed not at policing the internet for disparaging remarks about the government and signs of general dissent, but to provide awareness of any potential threats.

words will get you spied upon   (click for full story)
                                                        from the London Daily Mail....)

Fun Wedding


A photo which shows a bridal party of 16 guests being chased out of a wedding ceremony by a terrifyingly awesome Tyrannosaurus Rex is going viral after it was posted to Facebook with the caption: "Things got real crazy at the Lowder wedding last night."
Quinn Miller, 22, who created the photo posted it to his business's Facebook page on Monday. According to the Huffington Post, it was posted to Reddit on Wednesday by the bride's sorority sister and it went viral immediately.
io9 reports that Miller took the photo, which is being widely hailed on Reddit as the "best wedding photo ever," at the wedding of Katie Young, 23, of St. Francisville, La., and James Lowder, 21, of Shreveport, La. The wedding took place at the "haunted" Myrtles Plantation in St. Francisville, on Sunday.
Miller said he had known the groom for a long time and knew he "loved" dinosaurs, so he suggested the idea of a dinosaur gatecrashing at his wedding ceremony and he "thought it would be a fun thing to do."


Delicious Burger

                   Black Bean-Corn Burger

yield: Makes 4 servings
This veggie-licious burger provides 12 grams of filling fiber, nearly half of your recommended daily intake. Cool beans!

Ingredients

  • 1 can (15 ounce) low-sodium black beans, rinsed and drained
  • 3/4 cup corn, thawed if frozen
  • 1/2 red bell pepper, cut into 1/4-inch dice
  • 1/4 cup whole-wheat breadcrumbs
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
  • 3 large egg whites, lightly beaten
  • 1 tablespoon chopped chipotle chile in adobo
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon olive oil, divided
  • 8 cups baby spinach
  • Pinch of nutmeg
  • 1/2 avocado, mashed
  • 1/3 cup reduced-fat sour cream
  • 1 teaspoon fresh lime juice
  • 4 whole-wheat hamburger buns, split

Wisdom of the Elders



Here is your belly laugh to start the weekend off right!

The IRS Audit

The IRS decides to audit Grandpa, and summons him to the IRS office. The IRS auditor was not surprised when Grandpa showed up with his attorney.
...
The auditor said, 'Well, sir, you have an extravagant lifestyle and no full-time employment, which you explain by saying that you win money gambling. I'm not sure the IRS finds that believable.'

I'm a great gambler, and I can prove it says Grandpa. 'How about a
demonstration?'

The auditor thinks for a moment and said, 'Okay. Go ahead.'

Grandpa says, 'I'll bet you a thousand dollars that I can bite my own eye.'

The auditor thinks a moment and says, 'It's a bet.'

Grandpa removes his glass eye and bites it.

The auditor's jaw drops.

Grandpa says, 'Now, I'll bet you two thousand dollars that I can
bite my other eye.'

Now the auditor can tell Grandpa isn't blind, so he takes the bet.

Grandpa removes his dentures and bites his good eye.

The stunned auditor now realizes he has wagered and lost three grand, with Grandpa's attorney as a witness. He starts to get nervous.

Want to go double or nothing?' Grandpa asks. I'll bet you six thousand dollars that I can stand on one side of your desk, and pee into that wastebasket on the other side, and never get a drop any where in between.'

The auditor, twice burned, is cautious now, but he looks carefully and decides there's no way this old guy could possibly manage that stunt, so he agrees again.

Grandpa stands beside the desk and unzips his pants, but although he strains mightily, he can't make the stream reach the wastebasket on the other side, so he pretty much urinates all over the auditor's desk. The auditor leaps with joy, realizing that he has just turned a major loss into a huge win.

But Grandpa's attorney moans and puts his head in his hands.

Are you okay?' the auditor asks.

Not really,' says the attorney. 'This morning, when Grandpa told me he'd been summoned for an audit, he bet me twenty-five thousand dollars that he could come in here and pee all over your desk and that you'd be happy about it.'

A Victim Speaks

Military Rape and the Culture of Retaliation

excerpted from the Huffington Post...  click to open

Thursday, May 30, 2013

Question #7 from the Interview on my life


7) Can you explain the process of the breast implant procedure?

This is actually a fairly common plastic surgery procedure in today’s society. Typically, breast augmentation procedures are done on an outpatient basis, which means that the surgery can be performed in an accredited office-based surgical center, outpatient ambulatory surgical center or a hospital. One of the most important decisions to be made between you and your doctor is perhaps the location of the incision. There are three types of incisions that may be used in breast augmentation procedures: under the crease of the breast, through the nipple or under the arm pit. Breast Implants may be placed above the pectoral muscle or below the muscle. This incision is usually done with minimal visible scarring. Another important decision is the type and size of your implants, depending on your desired breast size and shape. The most common types of implants are saline-filled and silicone-filled.

One thing I learned fairly quickly as I progressed through my physical changes----the doctors do not do this sort of thing on credit. Insurance does not generally provide any coverage for this procedure, or the subsequent sex reassignment surgery . That means you have to pay the doctor cash up front………………….. The major reason for this is that in the early days of the Sex Reassignment Surgery, there were no guidelines on who was a good candidate for procedures such as this, and there were certainly those who had such surgeries, and then decided they were nott happy as a girl. Oh, well…….. In the case of breast implants, it isn’t that complicated to remove them……but when one goes a little further, you get into a “no deposit, no return” situation.

On the day of the surgery, you normally report to the hospital outpatient surgery department and check in. You change into a gown, and the area of the incision is marked and cleaned. An IV line is inserted. Your doctor and/or anesthesiologist may come in and visit with you about the procedure. As the time for the surgery approaches, you are given an anesthetic to allow you to sleep through the procedure. The surgery lasts perhaps 30 – 45 minutes and you then are taken to the recovery room until you awaken. You then are returned to the surgical prep area where you are observed for a few hours until you are able to get up, walk on your own, and use the restroom. After 5 or 6 hours, the area is wrapped tightly with an elastic bandage of sorts which stays on 4-5 days, and you are discharged and sent home. You are normally off work for 4-5 days, the pain is minimal, but you need to be careful of your activities so as not to pull the stitches out. The normal time off work is 4-5 days, so I had my procedure done on a Wednesday to take advantage of the weekend.

In retrospect, however, I believe that most plastic surgeons overlook the psychological aspects of the surgery. The procedure itself is explained, as are any potential risks. Yet I do know that for some reason I had a major psychological shock when I took the wrapping off and looked in the mirror for the first time after the surgery. My first thoughts actually were “OMG, what did I do to myself.” I am not totally sure why I felt like that, since I knew I wanted the implants. I think it was the realization that I was now no longer going to be able to take them off anymore…….but that feeling didn’t last long. Today, I wish I would have gone with somewhat bigger implants…….not a whole lot, but enough to make them more obvious.

 

Life in the internet age



















Moral of the Porcupine

Have you ever seen a baby porcupine?







Fable of the Porcupine

It was the coldest winter ever. Many animals died because of the cold.
The porcupines, realizing the situation, decided to group together to keep warm. This way they covered and Protected themselves; but the quills of each one wounded their closest companions.
After awhile, they decided to distance themselves one from the other and they began to die, alone and frozen. So they had to make a choice: either accept the quills of their
Companions or disappear from the Earth.
Wisely, they decided to go back to being together. They learned to live with the little wounds caused by the close Relationship with their companions in order to receive the heat that came from the others. This way they were able to
survive.
The best relationship is not the one that brings together perfect people, but when each individual learns to live with the imperfections of others and can admire the other person's good qualities.

The moral of the story is: 



Just learn to live with the little Pricks in your life





Art From A WW2 Combat Soldier

Sketches by World War II veteran Weston Emmart.
(expand image by clicking on it)

images originally found in the Huffington Post
Courtesy Alex Emmart. 














I have to admit, the YouTube commercial is cute

Tuesday, May 28, 2013

Night Time Humor

Silly Definitions



ADULT:
A person who has stopped growing at both ends
and is now growing in the middle.


BEAUTY PARLOR:
A place where women curl up and dye.

CHICKENS:
The only animals you eat before they are born and after they are dead.

COMMITTEE:
A body that keeps minutes and wastes hours.

DUST:
Mud with the juice squeezed out.

EGOTIST:
Someone who is usually me-deep in conversation.

HANDKERCHIEF:
Cold Storage.

MOSQUITO:
An insect that makes you like flies better.

RAISIN:
A grape with a bad sunburn.

SECRET:
Something you tell to one person at a time.

SKELETON:
A bunch of bones with the person scraped off.

TOOTHACHE:
The pain that drives you to "extraction."

TOMORROW:
One of the greatest labor saving devices of today.

YAWN:
An honest opinion openly expressed.
And MY Personal Favorite!!
WRINKLES:
Something other people have,
similar to my "character lines."

GAY


Monday, May 27, 2013

Rolling Thunder 2013




Rolling Thunder has become an annual tradition in Washington, D.C. Bikers from around the country converge on the city every Memorial Day weekend to shake things up. Their cause for the past 26 years has been the POWs and MIAs going back to the Viet Nam War that were never brought home or are still unaccounted for.

I saw this on Facebook for whatever it's worth

Baked KFC Chicken

I am pretty sure that I have discovered the KFC secret recipe! It is DEAD ON! It is also baked...not fried and there isn't any skin! So you g...
et to enjoy the taste of the seasoning, instead of pulling it off because of the slimy skin!

This is super easy and you are TOTALLY going to love it!

Place thawed chicken breast tenderloin strips in a bowl of milk. Let soak for 20-30 min.

Mix in a Gallon Size Ziploc or Large Bowl:
1/2 tsp. Salt
1 T Season All
3/4 tsp Pepper
1 c. Flour
2 tsp. Paprika

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut 1/2 stick of butter into a few pieces and place in a 9x13 pan. Melt butter in pre-heated oven.

Spread melted butter around the bottom of the pan. Lightly spray the pan, if needed, to make sure that there are no dry spots.

Shake excess milk off of chicken and completely coat each piece with the seasoning mix. You can either shake the chicken in the bag, until coated, or dip each piece in the bowl until coated.
Place each piece of chicken in the pan.

Cook for 20 min. Turn each piece of chicken and continue cooking for 20 more minutes, or until cooked through.

A Duet With Elvis

NOT SURE HOW TRUE THIS STORY      (click to open link)

.....................but I like about anything Elvis..........


Elvis tells the story behind as well as sings the lyrics of the song, "Softly as I leave You". The man singing in the background is Elvis` tenor singer, Sherrill (Shaun)Nielsen. In 1977, Elvis' and Sherrill's duet of "Softly As I Leave You" was nominated for a Grammy as duet of the year.

This is truly a very sad but beautiful story sung as it should be which is, in my opinion, the best rendition and which is done by Elvis.This song and "Memories" are his most beautiful and underrated songs.

This video is a composite of three other videos found on Youtube, 2 of which are of Elvis and one with excerpts from a video of the movie, "The Notebook". I edited & spliced the 3 videos and added the lyrics. The still photos where captured from "The Notebook" video used in this video. I tried to capture the idea of a woman who misses her husband and still trying to hold back the tears as she recounts memories, even after many decades. The images of the man rowing away( figuratively crossing over the River Styx) are what her husband sees and the sadness & loneliness he feels as he passes away. The white birds flying away at the end signal his departure and guide his spirit once he reached the 'Other Side'. These were the images I saw as I imagined him as he passed away.

NEVER FORGET