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1. <?xml version='1.0' encoding='UTF-8'?><rss xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" xmlns:openSearch="http://a9.com/-/spec/opensearchrss/1.0/" xmlns:blogger="http://schemas.google.com/blogger/2008" xmlns:georss="http://www.georss.org/georss" xmlns:gd="http://schemas.google.com/g/2005" xmlns:thr="http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0" version="2.0"><channel><atom:id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7000332560270263936</atom:id><lastBuildDate>Wed, 13 Mar 2024 18:03:20 +0000</lastBuildDate><category>Funny</category><category>Video</category><category>Opinion</category><category>Society</category><category>Animals</category><category>News</category><category>Picture</category><category>Computer</category><category>Travel</category><category>Weird</category><category>Government</category><category>Internet</category><category>How To</category><category>Music</category><category>Review</category><category>Software</category><category>Technology</category><category>Television</category><category>Science</category><category>Sports</category><category>Blog Admin</category><category>Business Ops</category><category>Education</category><category>Food</category><category>Games</category><category>Social Media</category><category>Architecture</category><category>Audio</category><category>Blogging</category><category>Dance</category><category>Economy</category><category>Health</category><category>Politics</category><category>Radio</category><category>Religion</category><category>Sports. Soundbyte</category><category>Taxes</category><title>The Grumpy Old Limey</title><description>Got too many opinions for my own good and no one to listen to them so here we are! Plus random musings on the world through the eyes of a grumpy old limey, things that just plain interest me and a bit of actual knowledge here and there.</description><link>http://blog.thegrumpyoldlimey.com/</link><managingEditor>noreply@blogger.com (The Grumpy Old Limey)</managingEditor><generator>Blogger</generator><openSearch:totalResults>60</openSearch:totalResults><openSearch:startIndex>1</openSearch:startIndex><openSearch:itemsPerPage>25</openSearch:itemsPerPage><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7000332560270263936.post-490180476387373526</guid><pubDate>Tue, 01 Jan 2013 17:47:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2013-01-01T11:47:41.378-06:00</atom:updated><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Funny</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Picture</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Travel</category><title>Damn! I Knew Those Tickets Were Too Cheap!</title><description>I thought I grabbed this image a few days ago from a website collidingworlds.com but it seems I cannot find that site now so if this is your image let me know so I can provide apropriate attribution - thanks.&lt;br /&gt;
2. <br />
3. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: left;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.thegrumpyoldlimey.com/images/blog/20120920_colliding_worlds.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; i$=&quot;true&quot; src=&quot;http://www.thegrumpyoldlimey.com/images/blog/20120920_colliding_worlds_small.jpg&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</description><link>http://blog.thegrumpyoldlimey.com/2013/01/damn-i-knew-those-tickets-were-too-cheap.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (The Grumpy Old Limey)</author><thr:total>0</thr:total></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7000332560270263936.post-1964012687754318991</guid><pubDate>Thu, 22 Nov 2012 01:50:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2012-11-21T19:54:42.906-06:00</atom:updated><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Funny</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Picture</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Travel</category><title>This Is What Happens When You Fart In A Smart Car</title><description>The picture says it all! This picture is all over the place with many sites adding their own logo and tag lines implying they are the originator. Me; I have no idea where it came from - if you know let me know so I can provide proper attribution. Thanks&lt;br /&gt;
4. <br />
5. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: left;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.thegrumpyoldlimey.com/images/blog/this-is-what-happens-when-you-fart-in-a-smart-car.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; i$=&quot;true&quot; src=&quot;http://www.thegrumpyoldlimey.com/images/blog/this-is-what-happens-when-you-fart-in-a-smart-car-small.jpg&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</description><link>http://blog.thegrumpyoldlimey.com/2012/11/this-is-what-happens-when-you-fart-in.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (The Grumpy Old Limey)</author><thr:total>1</thr:total></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7000332560270263936.post-592693547254784973</guid><pubDate>Sat, 21 Jul 2012 00:26:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2012-07-20T20:01:02.534-05:00</atom:updated><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">News</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Opinion</category><title>Tragic, Horrific, Creepy - Final Destination?</title><description>&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;We live in a society plagued by gun crime and the tragedy that goes along with it. We all remember &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Columbine_High_School_massacre&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Columbine&lt;/a&gt;; most of us will likely have used and have certainly heard the expression &quot;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Going_postal&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Going Postal&lt;/a&gt;&quot; which derives from a series of gun related incidents. There are those who suggest if we all had guns these things would not happen - I heard it on the radio today - I disagree and feel if we simply stopped making them for the &quot;market place&quot; and restricted them to military and law enforcement we would be better off [I am a Brit and used to even the cops not being armed as a matter of course]. However this is not a discussion of the pros and cons of guns - that is a discussion for another time.&lt;br /&gt;
6. <br />
7. On June 2nd there was a <a href="http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/article/1205308--eaton-centre-shooting-victim-mourned-as-police-launch-massive-search-for-gunman" target="_blank">shooting incident</a> at the <a href="http://www.torontoeatoncentre.com/EN/Pages/default.aspx" target="_blank">Eaton Center Mall</a> in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toronto" target="_blank">Toronto</a>. A gunman opened fire in the mall; one victim was instantly killed, a second died a couple of days later. The "suspect" awaits trial on murder charges. A tragic and horrific event but likely one that many have not heard of; it is distant and not of sufficient magnitude to "cover the airwaves".<br />
8. <br />
9. Jessica Redfield was a young sports broadcaster and blogger from Texas. By all accounts she was a charismatic individual described by her brother Justin this way:<br />
10. <br />
11. "<em>She conveyed passion and inspired people to do great things. … She wanted to help, and that's the type of heart she had. That's the type of person she was.</em>"<br />
12. <br />
13. On June 2nd fate placed Jessica and the Eaton Center on a collision course. Jessica was not hurt physically though I am sure anyone close to tragedy must have their perspective on things altered in some  way. I hope I never find out whether that is true or not. In a haunting blog post titled "<a href="http://jessicaredfield.wordpress.com/2012/06/05/late-night-thoughts-on-the-eaton-center-shooting/" target="_blank">Late Night Thoughts on the Eaton Center Shooting</a>" Jessica shared a little of her experience.<br />
14. <br />
15. "<em>I can’t get this odd feeling out of my chest. This empty, almost sickening feeling won’t go away. I noticed this feeling when I was in the Eaton Center in Toronto just seconds before someone opened fire in the food court. An odd feeling which led me to go outside and unknowingly out of harm‘s way. It’s hard for me to wrap my mind around how a weird feeling saved me from being in the middle of a deadly shooting.</em>"<br />
16. <br />
17. Jessica was in the mall seeking out Sushi but then she changed her mind:<br />
18. <br />
19. "<em>I found out after seeing a map of the scene, that minutes later a man was standing in the same spot I just ate at and opened fire in the food court full of people. Had I had sushi, I would’ve been in the same place where one of the victims was found.</em>"<br />
20. <br />
21. Jessica ends her thoughts with this:<br />
22. <br />
23. "<em>I feel like I am overreacting about what I experienced. But I can’t help but be thankful for whatever caused me to make the choices that I made that day. My mind keeps replaying what I saw over in my head. I hope the victims make a full recovery. I wish I could shake this odd feeling from my chest. The feeling that’s reminding me how blessed I am. The same feeling that made me leave the Eaton Center. The feeling that may have potentially saved my life.</em><br />
24. <br />
25. Most of us will have seen one or more of the movies of "<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Final_Destination_(film_series)" target="_blank">Final Destination</a>" movie franchise. The movies are themed around the premise that when it is your time it is your time. If you escape that escape will only be temporary. The movies always start with one character having some sort of vision of imminent disaster; as a result they and a small group of friends or colleagues escape their pre-destined demise. However the reaper is not done with them and the movie plays out the theme that their death was only delayed, that their fate is simply inescapable.<br />
26. <br />
27. Jessica does not profess to have had a vision; she does however talk of an uncomfortable feeling, a feeling that caused her to go outside, to change her plan and as result of that plan she was somewhere else, out of harm's way when the gunman struck. Creepy and very reminiscent of the opening act in the movies.<br />
28. <br />
29. Move the timeline to yesterday. The horrific, sickening and tragic events in an Aurora, Colorado movie theater; a theater only about 15 miles from Columbine. No chance of anyone not hearing of this monstrous act with 12 dead and dozens injured. And yes; young Jessica Redfield was one of the victims. That a person should experience one such event in their life is awful; two is just insane, tragic - there really are not the words. Read Jessica's words again; think about her story. It is tragic, a waste of a young life, a trauma that will forever haunt those left behind - at the same time Jessica's story is a little chilling, just a tad creepy.<br />
30. <br />
31. My deepest sympathies go to the victims and their families, to those who had to deal with the aftermath, to the workers who will likely have nightmares and may struggle to go back to work at the scene of such devastation. I am not a particularly feeling man [my wife would attest to that] but I even feel for the family of the gunman. How would one handle the fact that a family member could do this. I have no children so I cannot imagine the loss of a child; for the gunman's parents to lose a child to life in prison because he commited such a heinous act of barbarism - perhaps that might be worse that losing a child to death itself.<br />
32. <br />
33. So - to everyone impacted in any way by this awful and disturbing incident - I feel deep sorrow for what happened and I hope that somehow you eventually find the strength to make peace with what has happened and, no doubt sometime in the future, find a way to make a return to at least an approximation of a normal life.<br />
34. <br />
35. To the gunman; I hope you rot in hell - if ever there was a case for the death penalty this is it; there should no excuses, no "he had a hard childhood", no "he was disturbed" or "he did not know what he was doing" - others suffer such things and choose not to turn into animals - frankly such an animal does not deserve to be on the face of this planet.<br />
36. &lt;/div&gt;</description><link>http://blog.thegrumpyoldlimey.com/2012/07/tragic-horrific-creepy-final-destination.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (The Grumpy Old Limey)</author><thr:total>0</thr:total></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7000332560270263936.post-3654123137523254930</guid><pubDate>Thu, 02 Feb 2012 12:25:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2012-11-21T19:52:35.209-06:00</atom:updated><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Computer</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Games</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Software</category><title>TES V | Skyrim &amp; Kleptomaniacs - Weapons &amp; Apparel List, Stats, Tracker &amp; More</title><description>&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004HYIAPM/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il?ie=UTF8&amp;amp;tag=thgrolli-20&amp;amp;linkCode=as2&amp;amp;camp=217145&amp;amp;creative=399373&amp;amp;creativeASIN=B004HYIAPM&quot; style=&quot;clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; src=&quot;http://ws.assoc-amazon.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&amp;amp;Format=_SL160_&amp;amp;ASIN=B004HYIAPM&amp;amp;MarketPlace=US&amp;amp;ID=AsinImage&amp;amp;WS=1&amp;amp;tag=thgrolli-20&amp;amp;ServiceVersion=20070822&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;1px&quot; src=&quot;http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thgrolli-20&amp;amp;l=as2&amp;amp;o=1&amp;amp;a=B004HYIAPM&amp;amp;camp=217145&amp;amp;creative=399373&quot; style=&quot;border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0px;&quot; width=&quot;1px&quot; /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
37. So multi-tasking is a talent we all have but to differing degrees. Seems that it is a "requirement" for most jobs these days though I sometimes think the end result is that more things get done badly rather than fewer things getting done well. Anyway I like to think I am pretty strong when it comes to multi-tasking BUT that does not mean it is what I choose to do.</div><br />
38. <div style="text-align: justify;">Case in point - 11/11/11 - man is that three months ago now - saw the launch of TESV - Skyrim - the much publicized fifth chapter of the Elder Scrolls Franchise. Did it live up to all of the hype? I am sure there are many opinions but for me the answer is a resounding yes. The proof - well since 11/11/11 what have I done? I have played Skyrim! Now sure I have eaten, slept and gone to work and so on but it was winter and so there was no yard work and the website, this blog, the Strange, Weird, Wonderful and Cool Buildings blog - well no updates there - I have been playing Skyrim.</div><br />
39. <div style="text-align: justify;">That of course has to change, I have to multi-task, an hour on the website, an hour on Skyrim, soon it will be spring and yard work time again [love having a yard but hate the work - oh well what can you do?]. I will work on that. In the meantime one thing we all have to do is recognize what we are - when it comes to single player RPG's I am, among other things, a total kleptomaniac. Many players will immediately abandon the trusty Orcish Sword of Embers that has served them so well when they finally find a Daedric Sword or quickly don their new Elven Helmet and toss aside the old Steel one without a second thought - not I. I collect, sure I wear the best gear possible but the old gear, I store it [my wife would say "what's new?" you do that in real life but that's a thought for another day] and I record it and I look for the things I don't own - kind of like a virtual stamp collector - the purpose of having the items is to have the collection - to get more - to get complete sets - owning is happiness.</div><br />
40. <div style="text-align: justify;">Now you might think that is simply insane; you may be right but then perhaps sanity is a vastly over rated quality anyway. Or you might actually have a similar passion to mine! "There can only be one" the Highlander once said - I cannot believe there can only be one like me - not because I am special, just the opposite, because I am so ordinary [turning to the wife once more - she would probably say absolutely there is only one of you and thank goodness for that]. So if you happen to be one of the few others like me and you are also a rabid collector of all manner of weapons and apparel in Skyrim then this might be the tool for you.</div><br />
41. <div style="text-align: justify;">The Skyrim Apparel & Weapon Tracker is basically a database [in Excel] of Weapons and Apparel - it currently lists 4725 items from the vanilla game and features the following:</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Record for each item contains:</div><ul><li><div style="text-align: justify;">Name, Source, Class, Category, Type, Rating, "Owned" Flag, "Favorite" Flag, Storage Location, Enchantment, Notes <a href="http://www.thegrumpyoldlimey.com/Skyrim/Equip_Records.jpg" target="_blank">[Image]</a></div></li>
42. <li><div style="text-align: justify;">All records are editable and there is a find function that allows them to be quickly located for reference or editing <a href="http://www.thegrumpyoldlimey.com/Skyrim/Equip_Find.jpg" target="_blank">[Image]</a></div></li>
43. <li><div style="text-align: justify;">New items can be easily added <a href="http://www.thegrumpyoldlimey.com/Skyrim/Equip_Add.jpg" target="_blank">[Image]</a></div></li>
44. <li><div style="text-align: justify;">Several pre set sort options <a href="http://www.thegrumpyoldlimey.com/Skyrim/Equip_Pre_Sets.jpg" target="_blank">[Image]</a></div></li>
45. <li><div style="text-align: justify;">Several pre set filter options, some detailed filter settings and fully customizable filtering using the Excel auto filter functionality <a href="http://www.thegrumpyoldlimey.com/Skyrim/Equip_Filter_Detail.jpg" target="_blank">[Image]</a></div></li>
46. <li><div style="text-align: justify;">Simple one click clear function for setting up for a new game or profile <a href="http://www.thegrumpyoldlimey.com/Skyrim/Equip_Clear.jpg" target="_blank">[Image]</a></div></li>
47. </ul><div style="text-align: justify;">If you like it and find it of use that's great - if not that's cool too - we are all different and while it matches the game experience I want you might just think "what a heap of garbage". It was built for me and if no one ever uses it that is fine, it still served its purpose but I figured I may as well put it out there just in case it was of use to anyone else.</div><br />
48. <div style="text-align: justify;">If you do happen to be at all interested watch for more - there will be additions for Locations, Quests, Ingredients & Recipes, Shouts and more - if it can be tracked I will be adding it. You can download from my site <a href="https://www.onlinefilefolder.com/2sj6viu5PCnfRJ" target="_blank">here</a> or you can find it on the <a href="http://skyrim.nexusmods.com/downloads/file.php?id=7578" target="_blank">Skyrim Nexus</a> [the home of Skyrim modding and resources].</div><br />
49. &lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;Have a good one and check back soon for more additions and updates here and on &quot;Buildings&quot; - going to try to spread the wealth a little more, a little gaming, a little blogging, a little TV, some work and so on instead of the single minded &quot;I play Skyrim&quot; approach to life - might be hard but I am going to try.&lt;/div&gt;</description><link>http://blog.thegrumpyoldlimey.com/2012/02/tes-v-skyrim-kleptomaniacs-weapons.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (The Grumpy Old Limey)</author><thr:total>1</thr:total></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7000332560270263936.post-8288813373526593893</guid><pubDate>Thu, 02 Feb 2012 12:06:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2012-11-21T19:52:17.069-06:00</atom:updated><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">News</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Picture</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Science</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Weird</category><title>Who Stole Downtown Dallas</title><description>&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;Saw a really cool and somewhat eerie effect with the weather, downtown Dallas and some low clouds while I was driving into work yesterday morning. It looked like someone had simply spirited downtown Dallas away. The shots are from Eastbound I-30 heading towards Dallas and from the feeder from Eastbound I-30 to Northbound I-35E.&lt;br /&gt;
50. <br />
51. When I first noticed the low cloud I could still see the top of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bank_of_America_Plaza_(Dallas)" target="_blank">Bank of America Plaza</a> peeking out of the clouds [right in the center of the picture]:<br />
52. <br />
53. <a href="http://www.thegrumpyoldlimey.com/images/blog/IMG_0242.JPG" target="_blank"><img alt="Downtown Dallas From I-30 020112" src="http://www.thegrumpyoldlimey.com/images/blog/IMG_0242_Small.JPG" /></a><br />
54. <br />
55. Just a little further along the road even that was no longer visible and there was simply no downtown Dallas. Take a look at the image taken from Google Maps Street View to see what the skyline normally looks like from there:<br />
56. <br />
57. <a href="http://www.thegrumpyoldlimey.com/images/blog/IMG_0245.JPG" target="_blank"><img alt="Downtown Dallas From I-30 020112" src="http://www.thegrumpyoldlimey.com/images/blog/IMG_0245_Small.JPG" /></a><br />
58. <br />
59. <a href="http://www.thegrumpyoldlimey.com/images/blog/IMG_0245_Google.JPG" target="_blank"><img alt="Downtown Dallas From I-30 020112 G/Maps" src="http://www.thegrumpyoldlimey.com/images/blog/IMG_0245_Google_Small.JPG" /></a><br />
60. <br />
61. Driving on a little further and heading round to I-35E you could just make out <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reunion_Tower" target="_blank">Reunion Tower</a> but the rest of the downtown skyline was still hidden and at that point downtown is pretty darn close. Again there is a grab from Google Maps for comparison:<br />
62. <br />
63. <a href="http://www.thegrumpyoldlimey.com/images/blog/IMG_0253.JPG" target="_blank"><img alt="Downtown Dallas From I-30 020112" src="http://www.thegrumpyoldlimey.com/images/blog/IMG_0253_Small.JPG" /></a><br />
64. <br />
65. <a href="http://www.thegrumpyoldlimey.com/images/blog/IMG_0253_Google.JPG" target="_blank"><img alt="Downtown Dallas From I-30 020112 G/Maps" src="http://www.thegrumpyoldlimey.com/images/blog/IMG_0253_Google_Small.JPG" /></a><br />
66. &lt;/div&gt;</description><link>http://blog.thegrumpyoldlimey.com/2012/02/who-stole-downtown-dallas.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (The Grumpy Old Limey)</author><thr:total>1</thr:total></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7000332560270263936.post-5255118834575912899</guid><pubDate>Sun, 04 Sep 2011 11:40:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2011-09-04T06:40:48.296-05:00</atom:updated><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Economy</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Government</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">News</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Opinion</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Politics</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Society</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Taxes</category><title>Politicians, Taxes &amp; The Economy by Charley Reese</title><description>My wife forwarded this to me. Retiring journalist Charley Reese&#39;s Final Column for the Orlando Sentinel. I don&#39;t feel like I need to add anything - he says it all - and he says it so well.&lt;br /&gt;
67. <br />
68. By Charles Reese - March 31, 2011<br />
69. He has been a journalist for 49 years.<br />
70. He is retiring and this is HIS LAST COLUMN.<br />
71. <br />
72. Be sure to read the Tax List at the end.<br />
73. <br />
74. This is about as clear and easy to understand as it can be.. The article <br />
75. below is completely neutral, neither anti-republican or democrat. Charlie <br />
76. Reese, a soon-to-be- retired reporter for the Orlando Sentinel, has hit the <br />
77. nail directly on the head, defining clearly who it is that in the final <br />
78. analysis must assume responsibility for the judgments made that impact each <br />
79. one of us every day. It's a short but good read. Worth the time. Worth <br />
80. remembering!<br />
81. <br />
82. 545 vs. 300,000,000 People - By Charlie Reese<br />
83. <br />
84. Politicians are the only people in the world who create problems and then <br />
85. campaign against them.<br />
86. <br />
87. Have you ever wondered, if both the Democrats and the Republicans are <br />
88. against deficits, WHY do we have deficits?<br />
89. <br />
90. Have you ever wondered, if all the politicians are against inflation and <br />
91. high taxes, WHY do we have inflation and high taxes?<br />
92. <br />
93. You and I don't propose a federal budget. The President does.<br />
94. <br />
95. You and I don't have the Constitutional authority to vote on appropriations. <br />
96. The House of Representatives does.<br />
97. <br />
98. You and I don't write the tax code, Congress does.<br />
99. <br />
100. You and I don't set fiscal policy, Congress does.<br />
101. <br />
102. You and I don't control monetary policy, the Federal Reserve Bank does.<br />
103. <br />
104. One hundred senators, 435 congressmen, one President, and nine Supreme Court <br />
105. justices equates to 545 human beings out of the 300 million are directly, <br />
106. legally, morally, and individually responsible for the domestic problems <br />
107. that plague this country.<br />
108. <br />
109. I excluded the members of the Federal Reserve Board because that problem was <br />
110. created by the Congress. In 1913, Congress delegated its Constitutional duty <br />
111. to provide a sound currency to a federally chartered, but private, central <br />
112. bank.<br />
113. <br />
114. I excluded all the special interests and lobbyists for a sound reason. They <br />
115. have no legal authority. They have no ability to coerce a senator, a <br />
116. congressman, or a President to do one cotton-picking thing. I don't care if <br />
117. they offer a politician $1 million dollars in cash. The politician has the <br />
118. power to accept or reject it. No matter what the lobbyist promises, it is <br />
119. the legislator's responsibility to determine how he votes.<br />
120. <br />
121. Those 545 human beings spend much of their energy convincing you that what <br />
122. they did is not their fault. They cooperate in this common con regardless of <br />
123. party.<br />
124. <br />
125. What separates a politician from a normal human being is an excessive amount <br />
126. of gall. No normal human being would have the gall of a Speaker, who stood <br />
127. up and criticized the President for creating deficits. The President can <br />
128. only propose a budget. He cannot force the Congress to accept it.<br />
129. <br />
130. The Constitution, which is the supreme law of the land, gives sole <br />
131. responsibility to the House of Representatives for originating and approving <br />
132. appropriations and taxes. Who is the speaker of the House? John Boehner. He <br />
133. is the leader of the majority party. He and fellow House members, not the <br />
134. President, can approve any budget they want. If the President vetoes it, <br />
135. they can pass it over his veto if they agree to.<br />
136. <br />
137. It seems inconceivable to me that a nation of 300 million cannot replace 545 <br />
138. people who stand convicted -- by present facts -- of incompetence and <br />
139. irresponsibility. I can't think of a single domestic problem that is not <br />
140. traceable directly to those 545 people. When you fully grasp the plain truth <br />
141. that 545 people exercise the power of the federal government, then it must <br />
142. follow that what exists is what they want to exist.<br />
143. <br />
144. If the tax code is unfair, it's because they want it unfair.<br />
145. <br />
146. If the budget is in the red, it's because they want it in the red.<br />
147. <br />
148. If the Army & Marines are in Iraq and Afghanistan it's because they want <br />
149. them in Iraq and Afghanistan .<br />
150. <br />
151. If they do not receive social security but are on an elite retirement plan <br />
152. not available to the people, it's because they want it that way.<br />
153. <br />
154. There are no insoluble government problems.<br />
155. <br />
156. Do not let these 545 people shift the blame to bureaucrats, whom they hire <br />
157. and whose jobs they can abolish; to lobbyists, whose gifts and advice they <br />
158. can reject; to regulators, to whom they give the power to regulate and from <br />
159. whom they can take this power. Above all, do not let them con you into the <br />
160. belief that there exists disembodied mystical forces like "the economy," <br />
161. "inflation," or "politics" that prevent them from doing what they take an <br />
162. oath to do.<br />
163. <br />
164. Those 545 people, and they alone, are responsible.<br />
165. <br />
166. They and they alone, have the power.<br />
167. <br />
168. They and they alone, should be held accountable by the people who are their <br />
169. bosses.<br />
170. <br />
171. Provided the voters have the gumption to manage their own employees.<br />
172. <br />
173. We should vote all of them out of office and clean up their mess!<br />
174. <br />
175. What you do with this article now that you have read it... is up to you.<br />
176. <br />
177. This might be funny if it weren't so sad & true.<br />
178. <br />
179. Be sure to read all the way to the end:<br />
180. <br />
181. Tax his land,<br />
182. Tax his bed,<br />
183. Tax the table, at which he's fed.<br />
184. Tax his tractor,<br />
185. Tax his mule,<br />
186. Teach him as a child that taxes are the rule!<br />
187. Tax his work,<br />
188. Tax his pay,<br />
189. Tax his cow,<br />
190. Tax his goat,<br />
191. Tax his pants,<br />
192. Tax his coat,<br />
193. Tax his ties,<br />
194. Tax his shirt,<br />
195. Tax his work,<br />
196. Tax his dirt,<br />
197. Tax his tobacco,<br />
198. Tax his drink,<br />
199. Tax him if he tries to think.<br />
200. Tax his cigars,<br />
201. Tax his beers,<br />
202. If he cries tax his tears.<br />
203. <br />
204. Tax his car,<br />
205. Tax his gas,<br />
206. Find other ways to tax his ass.<br />
207. Tax all he has then let him know that you won't be done till he has no <br />
208. dough.<br />
209. <br />
210. When he screams and hollers;<br />
211. Then tax him some more, tax him till he's good and sore.<br />
212. Then tax his coffin,<br />
213. Tax his grave,<br />
214. Tax the sod in which he's laid...<br />
215. Put these words upon his tomb,<br />
216. 'Taxes drove me to my doom..'<br />
217. When he's gone, do not relax,<br />
218. Its Time to Apply The Inheritance Tax!!!<br />
219. <br />
220. Accounts Receivable Tax,<br />
221. Building Permit Tax,<br />
222. CDL license Tax,<br />
223. Cigarette Tax,<br />
224. Corporate Income Tax,<br />
225. Dog License Tax,<br />
226. Excise Taxes,<br />
227. Federal Income Tax,<br />
228. Federal Unemployment Tax (FUTA),<br />
229. Fishing License tax,<br />
230. Food License Tax,<br />
231. Fuel Permit Tax,<br />
232. Gasoline Tax (currently 44.75 cents per gallon in Florida , could be higher <br />
233. in your area),<br />
234. Gross Receipts Tax,<br />
235. Hunting License Tax,<br />
236. Inheritance Tax,<br />
237. Inventory Tax,<br />
238. IRS Interest Charges on Tax,<br />
239. IRS Penalties (tax on top of tax),<br />
240. Liquor Tax,<br />
241. Luxury Taxes,<br />
242. Marriage License Tax,<br />
243. Medicare Tax,<br />
244. Personal Property Tax,<br />
245. Property Tax,<br />
246. Real Estate Tax,<br />
247. Service Charge Tax,<br />
248. Social Security Tax,<br />
249. Road Usage Tax,<br />
250. Recreational Vehicle Tax,<br />
251. Sales Tax,<br />
252. School Tax,<br />
253. State Income Tax,<br />
254. State Unemployment Tax (SUTA),<br />
255. Telephone Federal Excise Tax,<br />
256. Telephone Federal Universal Service Fee Tax,<br />
257. Telephone Federal, State and Local Surcharge Taxes,<br />
258. Telephone Minimum Usage Surcharge Tax,<br />
259. Telephone Recurring and Nonrecurring Charges Tax,<br />
260. Telephone State and Local Tax,<br />
261. Telephone Usage Charge Tax,<br />
262. Utility Taxes,<br />
263. Vehicle License Registration Tax,<br />
264. Vehicle Sales Tax,<br />
265. Watercraft Registration Tax,<br />
266. Well Permit Tax,<br />
267. Workers Compensation Tax...<br />
268. <br />
269. STILL THINK THIS IS FUNNY?<br />
270. <br />
271. Not one of these taxes existed 100 years ago & our nation was the most <br />
272. prosperous in the world. We had absolutely no national debt, had the largest <br />
273. middle class in the world, and Mom stayed home to raise the kids.<br />
274. <br />
275. What in the heck happened? Can you spell 'politicians'?<br />
276. <br />
277. I hope this goes around THE USA at least 545 times!!! YOU can help it get <br />
278. there!!!<br />
279. <br />
280. GO AHEAD. . . BE AN AMERICAN FORWARD IT!!!</description><link>http://blog.thegrumpyoldlimey.com/2011/09/politicians-taxes-economy-by-charley.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (The Grumpy Old Limey)</author><thr:total>0</thr:total></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7000332560270263936.post-7198682901436441611</guid><pubDate>Fri, 02 Sep 2011 13:41:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2011-09-02T08:41:09.743-05:00</atom:updated><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Computer</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Funny</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Internet</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Opinion</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Society</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Software</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Technology</category><title>So I Am Not Dumb After All?</title><description>&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;At the beginning of the month I &lt;a href=&quot;http://blog.thegrumpyoldlimey.com/2011/08/so-i-am-of-below-average-intelligence.html&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;wrote&lt;/a&gt; about a survey which had conluded that I, along with the majority of people, as an Internet Explorer user was of &quot;below average intelligence&quot;. Despite being carried by many major media outlets including CNN, the BBC, CNET, Forbes and Mashable to name but a few it turns out that the report was in fact a hoax. Among the many reports that the report was a hoax the Sophos &quot;&lt;a href=&quot;http://nakedsecurity.sophos.com/2011/08/03/media-hoax-internet-explorer-users-dumb-research/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Naked Security&lt;/a&gt;&quot; blog explains it best.&lt;br /&gt;
281. <br />
282. The paradox here is that while I postulated that I was not in fact a dumb *** and was not convinced that the report was valid the very fact that I was taken in by the hoax in and of itself could be seen to challenge my intelligence and that of everyone else taken in by the reported survey. So arguing that I was not a dumb *** proved that I was? Go figure!<br />
283. &lt;/div&gt;</description><link>http://blog.thegrumpyoldlimey.com/2011/09/so-i-am-not-dumb-after-all.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (The Grumpy Old Limey)</author><thr:total>0</thr:total></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7000332560270263936.post-3575679244694160970</guid><pubDate>Fri, 02 Sep 2011 13:14:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2011-09-02T08:39:43.281-05:00</atom:updated><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Sports</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Video</category><title>Surfing With Flare - Red Bull Minor Threat [Video]</title><description>&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;Surfing has always looked to be an exhilarating passtime to me - most likely I would not be able to keep ny feet if I tried of course and at my age; well what do they say - you can&#39;t teach an old dog new tricks [who in the heck are &quot;they&quot; anyway and how come &quot;they&quot; know everything.&lt;br /&gt;
284. <br />
285. Anyway check out this video of the Red Bull Minor Threat - whatever you think of surfing and whatever the eco implications of the stunt are [are there any? I have no idea what or how much a flare puts out] it sure does make for a stunning and cool visual.</div><br />
286. &lt;iframe width=&quot;510&quot; height=&quot;316&quot; src=&quot;http://www.youtube.com/embed/f2HoZ4cU1r4&quot; frameborder=&quot;0&quot; allowfullscreen&gt;&lt;/iframe&gt;</description><link>http://blog.thegrumpyoldlimey.com/2011/09/surfing-with-flare-red-bull-minor.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (The Grumpy Old Limey)</author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/f2HoZ4cU1r4/default.jpg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>0</thr:total></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7000332560270263936.post-4464406727772235448</guid><pubDate>Fri, 19 Aug 2011 01:21:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2011-08-18T20:55:51.378-05:00</atom:updated><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Funny</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Music</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Opinion</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Review</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Society</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Video</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Weird</category><title>British &quot;Arts&quot; &amp; &quot;Culture&quot; - Simply The Best</title><description>&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;I have never had the greatest affinity for the classical arts and &quot;culture&quot;. I do however find that the odd operatic performance can be quite moving; a top rate performance of &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nessun_dorma&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Nessun Dorma&lt;/a&gt; would be a great example. &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Potts&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Paul Potts&lt;/a&gt; BGT audition version on &lt;a href=&quot;http://youtu.be/1k08yxu57NA&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;YouTube&lt;/a&gt; has over 80 million hits so I guess I am not alone there though I have to say personally I prefer &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pavarotti&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Pavarotti&lt;/a&gt; with a mere 12 million hits [but man oh man is the maestro badly in need of a trip to the barber shop]; check out the tone in his voice at a minute 26 and the power and duration of the final notes. You might want to check out his &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ellens_dritter_Gesang&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Ave Maria&lt;/a&gt; as well once the video ends.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
287. <iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="412" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/RdTBml4oOZ8" width="510"></iframe><br />
288. <br />
289. <div style="text-align: justify;">Having said that the idea of sitting though a whole opera puts me in mind of sitting on the back patio and watching the weeds grow - there are things I would prefer to do. Ballet does nothing for me; I can accept that the dancers are probably supreme athletes but honestly, effeminate men in tights prancing about like nancy boys and heavily muscled women that would be more at home in a music box. I don't think so. Perhaps the symphony, not really. Like opera there are snippets of classical music that can be very stirring but in my world music is for listening to while doing something else not for watching [anyone for the back patio again]. Maybe art galleries; heck no. The art world is a complete mystery to me; paintings that look like the subject I can appreciate at times but get into <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pablo_Picasso" target="_blank">Picasso</a> like stuff that a chimp could have done or the "modern art" world of piles of bricks or plastic water bottles and you have lost me completely.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
290. </div><div style="text-align: justify;">So is there a cultural or "arts" medium that can melt the philistine heart of the Grumpy Old Limey? Despite being a British expat I cannot say there is anything from the old country that I genuinely miss but if I was forced to pick a few things I could get into then I have to confess I would probably return to my roots for some real "culture".</div><br />
291. What could I possibly be referring to - check it out after the jump!<br />
292. <br />
293. <a name='more'></a><br />
294. <div style="text-align: justify;">Well for example, what about <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wellie_wanging" target="_blank">Welly Wanging</a> [<a href="http://youtu.be/Ujf6tGvB9tQ" target="_blank">Youtube</a>]. Maybe a blast from the past with the now illegal Lancashire originated "<a href="http://www.wordiq.com/definition/Purring" target="_blank">purring</a>" which is described this way on the website <a href="http://www.historic-uk.com/CultureUK/ClogDancing.htm" target="_blank">Culture UK</a>.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
295. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><em>"The age of the clog also added a new dimension to brawling. In the illegal clog fighting or ‘purring’, men would wear clogs on their feet and violently kick each other, while otherwise being entirely naked! This would be to try and settle disagreements once and for all."</em></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
296. </div><div style="text-align: justify;">We could talk about "<a href="http://www.thisisstaffordshire.co.uk/set-brush-hedgehog-rollers/story-12496866-detail/story.html" target="_blank">Hedgehog Rolling</a>" in Grindon, Staffordshire [and before the animal lovers out there put the hate on me I too love our furry friends and they are not real 'hogs] or we might perhaps consider attending the annual <a href="http://www.barleymowbonsall.co.uk/default.aspx?tabid=259" target="_blank">Hen Races</a> at the Barley Mow in Bonsall, Derbyshire [<a href="http://youtu.be/1V6g8uE3V6s" target="_blank">Youtube</a>]. And there is more - some of the greatest athletes in the world compete annually in the World <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toe_wrestling" target="_blank">Toe Wrestling</a> Championships at the <a href="http://www.bentleybrookinn.co.uk/page14.html" target="_blank">Bentley Brook Inn</a> in Fenny Bentley, Derbyshire - heck in 2003 even the mighty <a href="http://articles.cnn.com/2003-06-22/world/offbeat.uk.toes_1_canadian-tourist-sport-british-triumph?_s=PM:WORLD" target="_blank">CNN</a> reported on the event. If you feel like mounting an international challenge the World Toe Wrestling Organization's rules can be found <a href="http://www.bentleybrookinn.co.uk/Rules%20for%20Toe%20Wrestling.pdf" target="_blank">here</a>. As always you can rely on YouTube to get a firsthand look:</div><br />
297. <iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="412" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/jpeF8-dXHsI" width="510"></iframe><br />
298. <br />
299. <div style="text-align: justify;">And then there is the Royal Shrovetide Football Match in Ashbourne, Derbyshire played on Shrove Tuesday and Ash Wednesday each year. Few events could boast the history of this one; it has been played since at least the 12th century, yes you heard right - nearly 1000 years. Played over two days with goals three miles apart and hundreds of players there is no "football" match quite like it. The rules of the game appear to be simple enough and are quoted this way on <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Shrovetide_Football" target="_blank">Wikipedia</a>.</div><br />
300. • Committing murder or manslaughter is prohibited. Unnecessary violence is frowned upon<br />
301. • The ball may not be carried in a motorized vehicle<br />
302. • The ball may not be hidden in a bag, coat or rucksack etc<br />
303. • Cemeteries, churchyards and the town memorial gardens are strictly out of bounds<br />
304. • Playing after 10 pm is forbidden<br />
305. • To Score a Goal the ball must be tapped 3 times in the area of the Goal<br />
306. <br />
307. <div style="text-align: justify;">Check it out on at <a href="http://www.ashbourne-town.com/events/football.html" target="_blank">Ashbourne Town.com</a> where you will find information, history, stats and videos including this one from the 2009 event:</div><br />
308. <iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="412" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/nKDjFEtLV88" width="510"></iframe><br />
309. <br />
310. <div style="text-align: justify;">And finally a new one to me - thanks to Elizabeth Hennesy who posted this on Facebook - she prompted me to reminisce and then write about these great English traditions - man have we limey's got it going on! Anyway to the new [to me at least] event - the <a href="http://www.kettlewellscarecrowfestival.co.uk/" target="_blank">Kettlewell Scarecrow Festival</a>. Essentially the festival involves everyone putting up scarecrows everywhere for a couple of weeks in August - could not be more straightforward eh? A relative newcomer but sure to be the start of another storied English tradition the festival dates only from 1994. Taking place in August each year [and going on right now] the festival generates huge media coverage; <a href="http://uk.news.yahoo.com/photos/in-pictures-kettlewell-scarecrow-festival-1313496415-slideshow/" target="_blank">Yahoo News</a>, the <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-york-north-yorkshire-14521444" target="_blank">BBC</a>, the <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/picturegalleries/uknews/8701966/The-2011-Kettlewell-Scarecrow-Festival-in-the-Yorkshire-Dales.html" target="_blank">Daily Telegraph</a> and the <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/culture/gallery/2011/aug/14/muston-scarecrow-festival-yorkshire-pictures" target="_blank">Guardian</a> amongst others. I grabbed a few pics [all under <a href="http://www.flickr.com/creativecommons/" target="_blank">creative commons</a> license on Flickr - click the images for a larger original size view and source attribution] and if you cannot live without more there is a large gallery on <a href="http://www.flickr.com/search/?q=kettlewell%20scarecrow%20festival&w=all" target="_blank">Flickr</a>.</div><br />
311. So - I say hats off to us limeys - when it comes to culture we just can't be beat. makes me proud of the old country. Either that or we're all just bloody barmy.<br />
312. <table><tbody>
313. <tr><td colspan="2"><br />
314. <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/wadds/3821636988/sizes/z/in/photostream/" target="_blank"><img alt="Kettlewell Scarecrow Fesitval" height="351" src="http://www.thegrumpyoldlimey.com/images/blog/scarecrow1.jpg" width="525" /></a></td></tr>
315. <tr><td><br />
316. <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/gavinandrewstewart/220184912/sizes/m/in/photostream/" target="_blank"><img alt="Kettlewell Scarecrow Fesitval" height="190" src="http://www.thegrumpyoldlimey.com/images/blog/500x375-scarecrow2.jpg" width="254" /></a></td><td><br />
317. <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/gavinandrewstewart/220185546/sizes/m/in/photostream/" target="_blank"><img alt="Kettlewell Scarecrow Fesitval" height="190" src="http://www.thegrumpyoldlimey.com/images/blog/500x375-scarecrow3.jpg" width="254" /></a></td></tr>
318. <tr><td><br />
319. <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/gavinandrewstewart/220183738/sizes/m/in/photostream/" target="_blank"><img alt="Kettlewell Scarecrow Fesitval" height="190" src="http://www.thegrumpyoldlimey.com/images/blog/500x375-scarecrow4.jpg" width="254" /></a></td><td><br />
320. <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/gavinandrewstewart/220185266/sizes/m/in/photostream/" target="_blank"><img alt="Kettlewell Scarecrow Fesitval" height="190" src="http://www.thegrumpyoldlimey.com/images/blog/500x375-scarecrow5.jpg" width="254" /></a></td></tr>
321. <tr><td><br />
322. <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/funkymagic/4908523542/sizes/m/in/photostream/" target="_blank"><img alt="Kettlewell Scarecrow Fesitval" height="190" src="http://www.thegrumpyoldlimey.com/images/blog/500x375-scarecrow8.jpg" width="254" /></a></td><td><br />
323. <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/funkymagic/4908583954/sizes/m/in/photostream/" target="_blank"><img alt="Kettlewell Scarecrow Fesitval" height="190" src="http://www.thegrumpyoldlimey.com/images/blog/500x375-scarecrow9.jpg" width="254" /></a></td></tr>
324. <tr><td><br />
325. <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/gavinandrewstewart/220185802/sizes/m/in/photostream/" target="_blank"><img alt="Kettlewell Scarecrow Fesitval" height="339" src="http://www.thegrumpyoldlimey.com/images/blog/scarecrow6.jpg" width="254" /></a></td><td><br />
326. <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/gavinandrewstewart/220184512/sizes/m/in/photostream/" target="_blank"><img alt="Kettlewell Scarecrow Fesitval" height="339" src="http://www.thegrumpyoldlimey.com/images/blog/scarecrow7.jpg" width="254" /></a></td></tr>
327. &lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;</description><link>http://blog.thegrumpyoldlimey.com/2011/08/british-arts-culture-simply-best.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (The Grumpy Old Limey)</author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/RdTBml4oOZ8/default.jpg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>0</thr:total></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7000332560270263936.post-3155874756417415126</guid><pubDate>Wed, 03 Aug 2011 12:35:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2011-08-06T06:00:22.135-05:00</atom:updated><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Business Ops</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Internet</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Opinion</category><title>MLM &amp; My Calculated &quot;Gamble&quot;</title><description>&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;
328. So are you a gambler? Do you work the odds? Do you gamble sometimes and not others? Do you take gambles occasionally but only calculated ones?</div>
329. <br />
330. <div style="text-align: justify;">
331. If the answer is you NEVER gamble then this is not the article for you but most of us do from time to time if the circumstances are right or we just want to be entertained and for you I would recommend you read this.</div>
332. <br />
333. <div style="text-align: justify;">
334. <strong><u>First as the TV industry likes to call them "the up fronts"</u></strong></div>
335. <br />
336. <div style="text-align: justify;">
337. You have all seen the hype around multiple internet marketing schemes. Make $10,000 a month for life with no recruiting. Work an hour a week from the beach and never work for the man again and so on. There is an old saying "if it is too good to be true it probably is" and the old saying is true. I am not going to tell you any of that. I am not even going to use the word investment. What I am going to do is tell you about a "gamble" I just made, why I made that gamble and then leave it up to you.</div>
338. <br />
339. <div style="text-align: justify;">
340. This is not a hard sell. Is it me telling you you might - note MIGHT – be able to benefit from this? Yes it is - I will talk about MY decision and the simple math and logic behind it - not the company hype - and then I leave you too it.</div>
341. <br />
342. <div style="text-align: justify;">
343. People always say do not work with friends or family, don't sell cars to them and so on - it can cause too much grief. I am telling those I know about this; I am also going to suggest my wife does the same [she may or may not do so - that is her decision to make]. Do I have a vested interest - honestly yes - BUT and I stress this - they are right about family and friends SO - if I did not think MY math was correct I would not be putting this out to the people I know.</div>
344. <br />
345. <div style="text-align: justify;">
346. This is will be a fairly long post and maybe no one will ever read it but the reason is simple - I want to explain, something most of the internet opportunities do not do. So if you have no interest have a good one; if you are wondering about this or just curious then:<br />
347. <br />
348. <a name='more'></a></div>
349. <br />
350. <div style="text-align: justify;">
351. <strong><u>The Background</u></strong></div>
352. <br />
353. <div style="text-align: justify;">
354. You have all heard of Ponzi Schemes and you have all heard of Multi Level Marketing. They are actually quite similar - both depend on a few people recruiting a lot of people and supplementing the income of those at the top with the money coming in from those further down. There are however also two crucial differences.</div>
355. <ul>
356. <li><div style="text-align: justify;">
357. Multi Level Marketing is legal and Ponzi Schemes are not.</div>
358. </li>
359. <li><div style="text-align: justify;">
360. Multi Level Marketing involves a product that is paid for and Ponzi Schemes do not.</div>
361. </li>
362. </ul>
363. <div style="text-align: justify;">
364. In essence a Ponzi scheme says give me some money and I will pay you interest on it. That interest comes from the next person who joins and so on. Eventually there are not enough new people to join to pay those already in the scheme and so it collapses - remember Bernie Madoff. With a Multi Level Marketing program there is a product that people buy. In addition you recruit people to not only buy the product but also to recruit other "sellers". Everyone makes money on the sales of those below them. That may sound like a scam but there are actually highly successful and well respected Multi Level Marketing companies out there - anyone ever seen one of those hideous pink Mary Kay cars?</div>
365. <br />
366. <div style="text-align: justify;">
367. The bottom line is Multi Level Marketing is legal, it is not [in principle at least] a scam and people do make money at it.</div>
368. <br />
369. <div style="text-align: justify;">
370. <a href="http://www.thegrumpyoldlimey.com/images/blog/matrix.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="MLM Matrix" border="0" height="433" m$="true" src="http://www.thegrumpyoldlimey.com/images/blog/matrix.jpg" width="249" /></a><strong><u>How Does Multi Level Marketing Work?</u></strong></div>
371. <br />
372. <div style="text-align: justify;">
373. Basically all schemes are built on a single common principle; a matrix is the normal term used but you can call it a tree, a pyramid or whatever you like. The picture illustrates what a matrix would look like with the company at the top and then expanding down through the levels. Note the numbers and how they grow from very small numbers to very big numbers. That is crucial and you will see in a little bit why that is what this is all about.</div>
374. <br />
375. <div style="text-align: justify;">
376. <strong><u>Multi Level Marketing On The Internet</u></strong></div>
377. <br />
378. <div style="text-align: justify;">
379. There are several ways to make money out of the internet. Come up with Facebook or Google - OK that's been done - unless you happen upon the next mega idea that probably will not happen for you. Make money from writing and content, I do that in a very small way [and I do mean SMALL] though I hope to grow it over time and you are not likely to get rich doing that. Make money out of Multi Level Marketing - there is a new Multi Level Marketing program every month or two on the web if not more often. FACT - if NOONE ever made any money they would not keep cropping up - ergo - people do make money - but who and how? The answer is locked up in that matrix we just looked at and in timing. You have probably heard the phrase “timing is everything”; in this case it is the whole basis for my decision; it is the reason I have taken the gamble I have and it is the reason I am telling you about it.</div>
380. <br />
381. <div style="text-align: justify;">
382. Consider the matrix and its levels. It needs only 1023 people to fill it down to Level 10, to get to level 17 you are looking at over 130,000. Multi Level Marketing programs will pay you a commission on your down line, they are all different but in the case of this example they pay to 12 levels [14 if you buy an annual subscription but more on that in a little bit]. So to get the maximum payout you need to fill your "matrix" that means thinking of your position wherever that may be a being the top of the matrix and then building a pyramid under yourself. Easy - not at all - I know a few who have done it, one in particular [our up line and team partner in this gamble] gave up "working for the man" in 2001 and has made a fine living since then with just this sort of program. However most of us are not equipped with the nature or tenacity to recruit huge numbers of people and so we never fill a matrix and never make the big bucks. And anyway if I join after 130,000 people have already joined then we need a quarter million to populate the next level and pretty soon we need more people than there actually are on the planet. The best Multi level marketing programs might get close to a million members but certainly not more and more commonly they are lucky to reach half a million. What does that tell you - timing timing timing - what if I am in the first few hundred, what if I am even higher than that - look at the matrix again and the numbers higher up - now maybe there a chance to come close to filling your matrix and making the big bucks. </div>
383. <br />
384. <div style="text-align: justify;">
385. I have joined and worked to one extent or another many of these programs over the years. Here and there I have a made a little money but mostly not. In the end I figured this math and decided that the only way was to be in right at the beginning when the numbers were small enough to give you a fighting chance - it was the only way the math would work. Then along came the chance I had been waiting for - I heard of a new program and was able to get in on the first day!</div>
386. <br />
387. <div style="text-align: justify;">
388. But even so I hear you say – all you have to do now is recruit thousands of people right?. Well actually - no - that's because of a little thing called spillover:</div>
389. <br />
390. <div style="text-align: justify;">
391. <a href="http://www.thegrumpyoldlimey.com/images/blog/spillover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="MLM Spillover" border="0" height="146" m$="true" src="http://www.thegrumpyoldlimey.com/images/blog/spillover.jpg" width="249" /></a><strong><u>What Is Spillover & How Does It Help Me?</u></strong></div>
392. <br />
393. <div style="text-align: justify;">
394. Take a look at this diagram. Pinks [sorry yucky color out of Excel – did not notice until I had generated and uploaded the image and I could not be bothered to go back and do it again] are filled positions and greens are vacant. At the top of the tree is #1, the big honcho, el grande heffe; he is the master recruiter but hmmmm - he can only have two people directly underneath him - what happens when he recruits someone else - the answer is simple - they get placed in the highest available position in their enrollers matrix - in this case position 5. But look what happened for the person in position 2 - they just got a recruit - but they did not recruit them. Number three recruits someone - the only place they can be put is in position 13 also benefitting position 6. What happens if #1 recruits another 6 people - now #5 has both his spots immediately under him filled but he did nothing. Now Multi level Marketing companies have always talked about spillover; most will tell you can make all the money you need without recruiting because of it - but think about it - you are in level 17 - there are a quarter million spots in the next level - how much spillover will you really get - timing timing timing - we just looked at the top where the numbers are small and my math says that there at the top spillover does work - the math says so - if you have the luck and timing to be in the top few levels math says it really is possible [note possible not definite] that your matrix could be filled with little or no recruiting by yourself.</div>
395. <br />
396. <div style="text-align: justify;">
397. <strong><u>What Is A Powerline?</u></strong></div>
398. <br />
399. <div style="text-align: justify;">
400. Companies will use the concept of a Powerline to woo people to join as paid members - all a Powerline is a list of people in the order in which they tried out the site or joined the program, it means nothing and pays nothing, it’s a recruiting gimmick in a way though it does lock in the order in which people are moved to the matrix. Then at a predetermined time those who "joined" are allocated spots in the matrix based on the rules we already discussed effectively leap-frogging over people who tried out but did not yet join. They get join at the higher levels and we have talked about what that means. The rule of thumb needs to be this - if you are going to do it now is the time - if you are not - no biggie - it is your decision to make.</div>
401. <br />
402. <div style="text-align: justify;">
403. <strong><u>The Calculated Gamble</u></strong></div>
404. <br />
405. <div style="text-align: justify;">
406. As I said earlier having spent several years believing my math and logic is sound and that the only real way to make money out of a Mutli Level Marketing program was to be in at the start I finally got that opportunity and I took it. Partly because I do believe the math and that I will make some money [might only be a little, might be a lot - it is a CALCULATED gamble not an investment] and partly simply to validate my math and logic - prove myself right or not if you like.</div>
407. <br />
408. <div style="text-align: justify;">
409. What I do know is this - this is the best chance I have ever had – if I make no money this time from Multi Level Marketing I never will. The outlay is relatively small - $50 and $10 a month [or $140 up front which gets you paid two levels further down the matrix and saves you $30 on the full year]. Is it a sure thing - no - is it a gamble - sure - but it is a well thought out and mathematically viable gamble. How many of you visit a casino every now and again - they did not build casinos on winners. Do you go out to eat once a week or so - that money adds up? The outlay is, I say again, relatively small when set against the POSSIBLE return. The program I just joined pays $8000 a month on a full matrix for an annual enrollment, $2000 for a monthly. Is that what I expect to make, no, but it is possible based on logic and some sound math - in two weeks time it will not be - there are a couple of thousand paid up members in the first week or so, those numbers will grow and fill the viable levels quickly. What I do expect though is this – I genuinely 100% EXPECT to make at least my stake money back along with a little more – I DO NOT expect to be out of pocket. Having said that note this – like all gambling [and in my view true “investments” also] you should use ONLY money you can afford to do without. I will not be in trouble if I lose the $140 – might be unhappy but I will not suffer.</div>
410. <br />
411. <div style="text-align: justify;">
412. If you have no interest in this possibility at all then thanks for reading, think me a fool if you so choose and have a great day. If you feel like joining me in my calculated gamble <a href="http://camragirl.stiforprotator.com/" target="_blank">this is where to go</a>. You should note we talked about the Powerline and the cut off when people are assigned matrix spots - the FIRST cut off for this program is this coming Friday - if you fancy taking the chance your odds are at their best by Friday - after that the numbers just get harder. If you have a little interest but are unsure and have questions feel free to get in touch with me through Facebook, the <a href="http://blog.thegrumpyoldlimey.com/p/contact_6593.html">Contact Form Page</a>, or <a href="mailto:limey@thegrumpyoldlimey.com">email me</a>. You could also take a look at the support <a href="http://www.facebook.com/#!/groups/133718783349435/?ap=1" target="_blank">Facebook Group</a> where questions are asked and answered sometimes more quickly than emails can be answered; the group’s membership includes the top recruiters, trainers and motivators associated with this program.</div>
413. <br />
414. <div style="text-align: justify;">
415. Take a chance or not - up to you - out of interest I will post here from time to time [likely the first time will be this coming weekend after the matrix assignments] with updates on how it went and whether my mathematical theory and logic that caused me to take this chance was correct or whether I need to go back to school.</div>
416. </description><link>http://blog.thegrumpyoldlimey.com/2011/08/mlm-my-calculated-gamble.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (The Grumpy Old Limey)</author><thr:total>1</thr:total></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7000332560270263936.post-5084580723079987874</guid><pubDate>Tue, 02 Aug 2011 03:12:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2011-08-01T22:14:48.562-05:00</atom:updated><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Animals</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Funny</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Video</category><title>Dressed Up Dogs &amp; Eating Broccoli? [Video]</title><description>&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;A couple of fun animal videos I came across. The first is just a compilation of dressed up dogs. Don&#39;t choose to do it to our dogs and frankly some look plain miserable about the whole thing but, after all that, I have to say some of them are prettyb darn funny. And the second video. Well lets just say I don&#39;t eat broccoli a whole lot but when I do I definately don&#39;;t eat it like that. Enjoy. Oh and there&#39;s a new cat themed video over on the Stange Youtube Videos page. I am just all about animals today it seems but I hope you noticed - no cows!&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
417. <br />
418. <iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="412" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/dYj_jX-ZpKA" width="510"></iframe><br />
419. <br />
420. <br />
421. &lt;iframe allowfullscreen=&quot;&quot; frameborder=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;412&quot; src=&quot;http://www.youtube.com/embed/9mCIgmIflqg&quot; width=&quot;510&quot;&gt;&lt;/iframe&gt;</description><link>http://blog.thegrumpyoldlimey.com/2011/08/dressed-up-dogs-eating-broccoli-video.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (The Grumpy Old Limey)</author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/dYj_jX-ZpKA/default.jpg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>0</thr:total></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7000332560270263936.post-1039429252534815451</guid><pubDate>Tue, 02 Aug 2011 02:47:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2011-08-01T21:48:15.504-05:00</atom:updated><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Computer</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Internet</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">News</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Opinion</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Society</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Technology</category><title>So I Am Of &quot;Below Average&quot; Intelligence!</title><description>&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;
422. <a href="http://www.thegrumpyoldlimey.com/images/blog/iqtest.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="The IQ Brain View" border="0" height="268" m$="true" src="http://www.thegrumpyoldlimey.com/images/blog/iqtest.jpg" width="222" /></a>So the <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/internet/8674678/Internet-Explorer-users-have-below-average-IQ.html" target="_blank">Daily Telegraph</a> a UK daily reports on a <a href="http://www.pcworld.com/article/236944/internet_explorer_users_are_kinda_stupid_study_suggests.html" target="_blank">PC World</a> report on a survey that concludes Internet Explorer users have "below average" IQ. <a href="http://www.aptiquant.com/news/is-internet-explorer-for-the-dumb-a-new-study-suggests-exactly-that/" target="_blank">The study</a> was conducted by a Vancouver based Psychometric Consulting company, <a href="http://www.aptiquant.com/" target="_blank">AptiQuant</a>.</div>
423. <div style="text-align: justify;">
424. <br /></div>
425. <div style="text-align: justify;">
426. The AptiQuant homepage has this to say about themselves - puff that chest up why don't you:</div>
427. <div style="text-align: justify;">
428. <br /></div>
429. <div style="text-align: justify;">
430. "<em>At AptiQuant we help you select the right people. Our consultants help thousands of organizations worldwide make evaluations using scientifically validated psychometric tests. Use our personality and aptitude tests to objectively assess applicants and employees."</em></div>
431. <div style="text-align: justify;">
432. <br /></div>
433. <div style="text-align: justify;">
434. Now as an Internet Explorer user I am clearly a dumb *** so I really have no business commenting on this story but, you know me, I feel an irresistible urge to do just that.</div>
435. <div style="text-align: justify;">
436. <br /></div>
437. <div style="text-align: justify;">
438. So point number one:</div>
439. <div style="text-align: justify;">
440. <br /></div>
441. <div style="text-align: justify;">
442. Despite being a dumb *** I find fault [sight unseen] in whatever mathematical methodology was the basis for the conclusion that IE users have "below average" intelligence. While its market share has seen declines IE is still the dominant browser. If the majority of people use it then are we saying the MAJORITY of people have "below average" intelligence - seems like that makes no sense unless they used one of the less meaningful mathematical definitions of average of which there are many. To simple little me however it seems well - simple. The majority of people are probably average and smaller numbers are above and below average.</div>
443. <div style="text-align: justify;">
444. <br /></div>
445. <div style="text-align: justify;">
446. Moving on:</div>
447. <div style="text-align: justify;">
448. <br /></div>
449. <div style="text-align: justify;">
450. The results were derived from having people do intelligence tests online and then analyzing what browsers they used to do the tests. So here's the deal - I figure for the most part the people who take intelligence tests are likely to be the ones who are quite intelligent and want to prove it to themselves. Mr. Average ain't sitting there answering obscure questions [and I have taken such tests - the questions are often very obscure] just so he can find out what he already knew - he is Mr. Average. So the study is flawed. Any study that is to base its conclusions on what the "average" is must of necessity have a sample base of average people. This study clearly did not.</div>
451. <div style="text-align: justify;">
452. <br /></div>
453. <div style="text-align: justify;">
454. Yes there is more:</div>
455. <div style="text-align: justify;">
456. <br /></div>
457. <div style="text-align: justify;">
458. The study postulates that since IE is preinstalled on most PC's that the less intelligent among us don't change and the more intelligent do. Now I have tried other browsers, there is frankly little difference unless you are a cutting edge web developer trying to find ways to kill our bandwidth even more. So the question is why would changing to another browser be an indication of intelligence. In fact I would go so far as to hypothesize that the opposite is actually true and that changing to another browser is actually the indication of below average intelligence. What's the old saying" "If it ain't broke don't fix it!"</div>
459. <div style="text-align: justify;">
460. <br /></div>
461. <div style="text-align: justify;">
462. And finally:</div>
463. <div style="text-align: justify;">
464. <br /></div>
465. <div style="text-align: justify;">
466. Thankfully with my restaurant management days being a dim and distant memory [why in the heck would anyone choose to do that job] I no longer do any hiring. If I did I sure as heck would not use AptiQuant to do my Psychometric Consulting since they have proven with this study that they are of "less than average" intelligence - and in any case what on earth is wrong with the traditional interview?</div>
467. </description><link>http://blog.thegrumpyoldlimey.com/2011/08/so-i-am-of-below-average-intelligence.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (The Grumpy Old Limey)</author><thr:total>0</thr:total></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7000332560270263936.post-1996238161464474459</guid><pubDate>Mon, 25 Jul 2011 20:09:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2011-07-25T15:09:14.267-05:00</atom:updated><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Funny</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">News</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Video</category><title>One Man&#39;s Very Very Very Lucky Day [Video]</title><description>&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;And on a lighter note check out this guy. Talk about having a guardian angel looking over your shoulder. I figure he had the whole heavenly host working on his behalf this day. It&#39;s a military funeral [Polish I think] and he is one of the soldiers firing off the gun salute. He is standing on the front row of two, third from the left in the front row. The guy in the back behind him aims a little low and actually shoots the hat off his head. Talk about a close call.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
468. &lt;iframe allowfullscreen=&quot;&quot; frameborder=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;412&quot; src=&quot;http://www.youtube.com/embed/hYtmljjSnCY?rel=0&quot; width=&quot;510&quot;&gt;&lt;/iframe&gt;</description><link>http://blog.thegrumpyoldlimey.com/2011/07/one-mans-very-very-very-lucky-day-video.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (The Grumpy Old Limey)</author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/hYtmljjSnCY/default.jpg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>0</thr:total></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7000332560270263936.post-3265455859200548603</guid><pubDate>Mon, 25 Jul 2011 19:52:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2011-07-25T14:52:59.724-05:00</atom:updated><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Opinion</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Society</category><title>The Grumpy Old Limey&#39;s Birthday Sermon</title><description>&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;
469. <a href="http://www.thegrumpyoldlimey.com/images/blog/cupcake.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="Cupcake" border="0" m$="true" src="http://www.thegrumpyoldlimey.com/images/blog/cupcake.png" /></a>So at whatever was the precise time of my birth today [well today 53 years ago] I had been around 53 years or 636 months or 19245 days or 464280 hours or 27856800 minutes [taking no account of leap years - and it is my birthday so I can be lazy].</div>
470. <div style="text-align: justify;">
471. <br /></div>
472. <div style="text-align: justify;">
473. So what has an old fart like me learned in all of those years?</div>
474. <div style="text-align: justify;">
475. <br /></div>
476. <div style="text-align: justify;">
477. Well for one thing life ain't easy but then I have never seen a rule book or anything else that said it should be. No one ever said it was fun either. At times it can be very trying and very stressful. However if you apply a few simple rules to your day to day thinking life can actually be enjoyable and fun.</div>
478. <div style="text-align: justify;">
479. <br /></div>
480. <div style="text-align: justify;">
481. If you care read on after the break.</div>
482. <div style="text-align: justify;">
483. <br /></div>
484. <div style="text-align: justify;">
485. <a name='more'></a></div>
486. <div style="text-align: justify;">
487. <br /></div>
488. <div style="text-align: justify;">
489. 1. Don't dwell on the past. It is dead, gone and buried. There may be good in your past, there may be bad - for most of us there is both. It matters not - there is not a thing any of us can do, no matter how much we might want to, about something that happened a second ago, a day ago, years ago or any time in the past. All there is is now and the future. I have often said "worry about the things you can do something about; don't worry about the things you can do nothing about." The past definitely falls into the latter category. It is just so much baggage and, whilst there are sometimes lessons to be learnt - they [who the heck are "they" anyway?] say that "mistakes make great teachers" - those lessons can only be of value if they are used as a POSITIVE to improve YOUR life going forward. The mistakes others made, the wrongs you think you suffered; consign them to where they belong - the past, the dead, the buried.</div>
490. <div style="text-align: justify;">
491. <br /></div>
492. <div style="text-align: justify;">
493. 2. Don't get too caught up in the "now". I hear people say [including my wonderful wife] that if they plan for the future they might not be alive to see it. That may very well be true but unless you are on death's door and extremely old [I am not quite there yet] the truth is tomorrow probably WILL come. If you live only for the "now" and eschew any planning for the future you could quite simply find yourself screwed beyond belief when the future becomes the "now" and I am willing to bet that at that point a little regret - why didn't I plan - might creep into your mind. It is a balancing act; living and enjoying the now has to be balanced with a sense of responsibility [yes I know that's boring] and recognition that you need to do a little forward planning as well.</div>
494. <div style="text-align: justify;">
495. <br /></div>
496. <div style="text-align: justify;">
497. 3. Get married, choose a life partner or whatever your own predilection dictates ONLY when the person is right. You KNOW when the person is right; you are not unsure or having to convince yourself. Those who live in happy and long time relationships did that. Those who go through divorce and acrimony did not. People will say that people change - to an extent that is true. However when you find the "RIGHT" person that never changes. Those who grow out of relationships do so because the person was not the "right" one in the first place.</div>
498. <div style="text-align: justify;">
499. <br /></div>
500. <div style="text-align: justify;">
501. 4. Expect nothing from others and you will not be disappointed. None of us have a right to anything. Like it or not [and yes sometimes it sucks] but life is all about going out and earning the things you want. I am not, never have been and certainly now never will be a parent. I have however been around enough parents that tell their kids "you are special" and "you can be anything you want to be" and "you can do anything you want to do". Sad and untrue - they are just creating people with unreasonable expectations and an entitlement attitude to life. They are not special, we are all pretty much the same. They cannot do anything they want - perhaps a small minority can - but most of us are limited by intelligence or character or looks or whatever and will never be in that position. There is nothing wrong with that; hard work and a good ethic will get you by, get you the things you want [within reason] and allow you to live a happy, fulfilled life.</div>
502. <div style="text-align: justify;">
503. <br /></div>
504. <div style="text-align: justify;">
505. and above all</div>
506. <div style="text-align: justify;">
507. <br /></div>
508. <div style="text-align: justify;">
509. 5. Take pleasure in every day and in the little things. The world is full of wonder and if your mind is right it's a pretty darn good place to be.</div>
510. <div style="text-align: justify;">
511. <br /></div>
512. <div style="text-align: justify;">
513. Here endeth the Grumpy Old Limey's 53rd birthday sermon.</div>
514. </description><link>http://blog.thegrumpyoldlimey.com/2011/07/grumpy-old-limeys-birthday-sermon.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (The Grumpy Old Limey)</author><thr:total>1</thr:total></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7000332560270263936.post-5790507665224906605</guid><pubDate>Fri, 22 Jul 2011 02:59:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2011-07-21T21:59:25.468-05:00</atom:updated><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Animals</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Funny</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Government</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Opinion</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Picture</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Society</category><title>Another Dumb Law &amp; The Kangacoon [Picture]</title><description>&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;
515. So Virginia law contains the following:<br />
516. <br />
517. <a href="http://leg1.state.va.us/000/cod/29.1-521.HTM">http://leg1.state.va.us/000/cod/29.1-521.HTM</a><br />
518. <b>§ 29.1-521. Unlawful to hunt, trap, possess, sell or transport wild birds and wild animals except as permitted; exception; penalty. </b><br />
519. A. The following shall be unlawful:<br />
520. <em>1. To hunt or kill any wild bird or wild animal, including any nuisance species, with a gun, firearm or other weapon on Sunday, which is hereby declared a rest day for all species of wild bird and wild animal life, except raccoons, which may be hunted until 2:00 a.m. on Sunday mornings.</em><br />
521. <br />
522. <a href="http://www.thegrumpyoldlimey.com/images/blog/kangaracoon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="The Kangaccoon" border="0" height="173" m$="true" src="http://www.thegrumpyoldlimey.com/images/blog/kangaracoon.jpg" /></a>Personally I am not much for hunting; I have not the remotest idea why anyone would take pleasure in inflicting suffering on another creature human or otherwise [though if I have ever come close it is humans who would drive me to violence rather than animals]. I can understand the need to keep vermin down under some circumstances; I can also accept someone living off the land and hunting for food but killing just for the sake of it - I say wtf.<br />
523. <br />
524. But enough of that; this is not meant to be a lecture or rant about hunting though one may come one day - it is more about what the heck did the poor old Raccoon do to Virginia and what lunatic politicians with nothing better to do pen some of the ridiculous laws that are out there anyway. Oh and I think the picture above is a Raccoon - or maybe somekind of cross breed - a Kangaccoon?<br />
525. <br />
526. The State of Virginia gives a day off to animals on Sunday, they cannot be hunted. Personally if I am under threat of death I could care less what day it is. The fact that I am not going to get massacred on Sunday is not much help when I know come Monday morning they are going to be after me with a vengeance. Either allow hunting or not but to say it's OK but not on Sunday - are you sure?<br />
527. <br />
528. And then we get to the poor old Raccoon - everyone gets a break Sunday except the Raccoon - why? And what happens at 2:00 a.m. Sunday's that the rule changes - it is OK to stay up until 1:00 a.m. to attack Raccoons but at to do so at 2:15 a.m. no way - that would be a bad thing. It seems to me that allowing whoever created that law into the Virginia Legislature was also a bad thing. It would have been more appropriate to "allow" them into the local "nuthouse"<br />
529. <br />
530. At least this little guy found somewhere to hide :)<br />
531. <br />
532. <a href="http://www.thegrumpyoldlimey.com/images/blog/racoonhides.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="You Wont Find Me" src="http://www.thegrumpyoldlimey.com/images/blog/racoonhides.jpg" /></a></div>
533. </description><link>http://blog.thegrumpyoldlimey.com/2011/07/another-dumb-law-kangacoon-picture.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (The Grumpy Old Limey)</author><thr:total>0</thr:total></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7000332560270263936.post-7276851964664374833</guid><pubDate>Thu, 21 Jul 2011 03:31:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2011-07-20T22:31:37.651-05:00</atom:updated><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Funny</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Television</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Video</category><title>The Old Fella Rod Gregory AGT [Video]</title><description>&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;So while we are on the Australia&#39;s Got Talent track there is a retired farmer by the name of Rod Gregory aka &quot;The Old Fella&quot; who is still in the running to get to the Grand Final. His stand up comedy is, shall we say, a little smutty and apparently his material has been cleaned up a lot just to get it past the aussie &quot;censors&quot; but he is pretty darn funny nonetheless and the wifey thinks he is absolutely hilarious [listen for the &quot;turtle&quot; joke in the second video]. All three of his performances from Australia&#39;s Got Talent are here starting with his original audition through the semi-finals and ending up with the performance in the finals that hopefully will see him voted through to the Grand Final. This is one funny guy.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
534. <u>The Audition</u><br />
535. <br />
536. <iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="320" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/aUyZV1ZrAwU" width="510"></iframe><br />
537. <br />
538. <u>The Semi-Finals</u><br />
539. <br />
540. <iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="320" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/fCjmfpLmtXY" width="510"></iframe><br />
541. <br />
542. <u>The Finals</u><br />
543. <br />
544. &lt;iframe allowfullscreen=&quot;&quot; frameborder=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;320&quot; src=&quot;http://www.youtube.com/embed/NIJrwOfzduw&quot; width=&quot;510&quot;&gt;&lt;/iframe&gt;</description><link>http://blog.thegrumpyoldlimey.com/2011/07/old-fella-rod-gregory-agt-video.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (The Grumpy Old Limey)</author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/aUyZV1ZrAwU/default.jpg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>0</thr:total></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7000332560270263936.post-2732532786061644853</guid><pubDate>Thu, 21 Jul 2011 03:31:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2011-07-20T22:31:24.722-05:00</atom:updated><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Music</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Television</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Video</category><title>Chooka Parker - AGT Finals [Video]</title><description>&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;So Chooka got voted past the semi-finals to the next semi-finals? Well they had the semi-finals and then voted through 18 acts to go into two shows where 5 acts from each show would go on to the Grand Final. Seems to me they were the semi-finals but who knows. Anyway young Chooka was not voted through to the final show [if I was an Aussie he would have got my vote] but here is his last performance. I still think he is an absolute prodigy and that he will get a career out of his adventure on Australia&#39;s Got Talent. Check it out for yourself.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
545. &lt;iframe allowfullscreen=&quot;&quot; frameborder=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;320&quot; src=&quot;http://www.youtube.com/embed/94kRzYKpW6A&quot; width=&quot;510&quot;&gt;&lt;/iframe&gt;</description><link>http://blog.thegrumpyoldlimey.com/2011/07/chooka-parker-agt-finals-video.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (The Grumpy Old Limey)</author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/94kRzYKpW6A/default.jpg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>0</thr:total></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7000332560270263936.post-2878806022047315593</guid><pubDate>Wed, 20 Jul 2011 14:58:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2011-07-20T10:01:30.822-05:00</atom:updated><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Business Ops</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Computer</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">How To</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">News</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Review</category><title>Make Money - Online Business - Just Launched</title><description>&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;
546. I will be the first to admit that over the years I have tried many of the "get rich quick" schemes on the web. Suffice it to say I am not rich. Most require you to expend an enormous effort to recruit people and that is hard: a few manage it, I know one individual in particular who quit his job back in 2001 and has lived well on these things ever since. Not me.</div>
547. <div style="text-align: justify;">
548. <br /></div>
549. <div style="text-align: justify;">
550. All of these sites talk about no need to recruit, your matrix being filled with "spillover" and so on. The problem is by the time you get in they need way too many people to fill your matrix with spillover and everyone who is likely to join already has.</div>
551. <div style="text-align: justify;">
552. <br /></div>
553. <div style="text-align: justify;">
554. So, I stopped looking and joining. I waited for the time I could get in right at the beginning. Now I am no marketing whiz, I don't have a huge contact list and so on. What I am pretty good at is math and logic. Logic said to me that if I got in right at the start of something the math dictated that I WOULD get the spillover and that I would make some money [not get rich] by joining something if I was early enough.</div>
555. <div style="text-align: justify;">
556. <br /></div>
557. <div style="text-align: justify;">
558. That opportunity has just arrived. Still less than 24 hours old this was the one I had waited for. I am no fool; I have no expectations of a life changing income. However I do believe enough in my own logic and math to at least take a risk based on the belief that I will validate my theory and make some money along the way. Is there some risk - absolutely - I could quite simply be wrong - but the risk was worth it to me.</div>
559. <div style="text-align: justify;">
560. <br /></div>
561. <div style="text-align: justify;">
562. So; if you know me you know I am reasonably intelligent. I make no suggestion that you will get rich, I make no promise that you will not lose your investment [and that is actually how I see it]. Could you simply say goodbye to your money - yep.</div>
563. <div style="text-align: justify;">
564. <br /></div>
565. <div style="text-align: justify;">
566. But - if you ever look at the ads and wonder "is it true" or "could I really be making that money" now is the time to take the risk and try it that one time. At least you would have an answer. At least you would not have to continue wondering. You would finally know if all of the "blurb" about these "businesses" is just that "blurb" or if they have some merit.</div>
567. <div style="text-align: justify;">
568. <br /></div>
569. <div style="text-align: justify;">
570. Timing is everything; if you want to take a chance <a href="http://camragirl.stiforpbuilder.com/">here it is</a>.</div>
571. <div style="text-align: justify;">
572. <br /></div>
573. <div style="text-align: justify;">
574. If you do try let me know how you get on. I will follow up here with news as to how we do - but, if you want to take a chance don't wait for us to say "it worked" because the math says by then it will be too late.</div>
575. <div style="text-align: justify;">
576. <br /></div>
577. <div style="text-align: justify;">
578. It's a leap of faith.</div>
579. </description><link>http://blog.thegrumpyoldlimey.com/2011/07/make-money-online-business-just.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (The Grumpy Old Limey)</author><thr:total>0</thr:total></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7000332560270263936.post-2364984922882528465</guid><pubDate>Wed, 20 Jul 2011 03:30:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2011-07-19T22:30:43.801-05:00</atom:updated><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Funny</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">News</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Review</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Technology</category><title>Optimistic Weather App - Tomorrow Will Be Perfect</title><description>&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;
580. I have no idea what the weather is like where you are but I can tell you it is getting somewhat tiresome here. Mowing the yard at the weekends is like running on the spot in a sauna. I can work up a hefty sweat sitting on the patio at 10 o'clock at night and doing nothing more energetic than hammering another nail in my coffin by smoking a cigarette. The last water bill I got was pretty large - who knows what the next one will be but after investing time and money in the yard you can't let it die. And there seems to be little respite on the way - check out the 10 day forecast for lovely Dallas, TX [and I even got one in Celsius for all the limeys out there - darn those Europeans, when I lived back in the old country it was still Fahrenheit there too].<br />
581. <br />
582. <a href="http://www.thegrumpyoldlimey.com/images/blog/weatherf.png" target="_blank"><img alt="The Weather Sux 1" src="http://www.thegrumpyoldlimey.com/images/blog/weatherf.png" /></a><br />
583. <br />
584. <a href="http://www.thegrumpyoldlimey.com/images/blog/waetherc.png" target="_blank"><img alt="The Weather Sux 1" src="http://www.thegrumpyoldlimey.com/images/blog/waetherc.png" /></a><br />
585. <br />
586. So anyway I got to thinking how nice it will be when there is a day the weather forecaster says it’s going to only be 90 tomorrow, or that it's going to rain [and I mean more than a 10% chance], or that there is going to be a nice refreshing breeze - any change would be something to look forward to. I am not sure what I was browsing for or how I got there but I happened upon a cool weather app [for Android] that basically gives you a better weather forecast or, more accurately, flat out lies to you. Check it out <a href="https://market.android.com/details?id=air.com.nation.WeatherApp&feature=search_result" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
587. <br />
588. Now, I guess when you got to tomorrow you could be disappointed, you might even be a tad irritated and possibly the more frenzied in nature among us might feel an irresistable urge to smash that indispensable mark of our technological advancement - the cell phone. Me I think perhaps it might not actually be such a bad idea. I am going to be pissed at the weather anyway once it gets here so if I can actually have a happy 24 hours in advance looking forward to the weather I want - well; could that be such a bad thing?<br />
589. <br />
590. Obviously this app is British; the "little white lie" is that it is going to be warm and sunny tomorrow. It is for the Android market - I of course have an iPhone [and it is my employer that chooses the iPhone for us - I am actually not much of an Apple/ Mac person]. So I need some adjustments. I need an app for the iPhone and I need one that is going to forecast something like "tomorrow's high will be in the upper 70's with a light rain for a while in the afternoon and a gentle breeze all day".<br />
591. <br />
592. So - come on all you iPhone app developers - have at it - you have at least one guaranteed sale.</div>
593. </description><link>http://blog.thegrumpyoldlimey.com/2011/07/optimistic-weather-app-tomorrow-will-be.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (The Grumpy Old Limey)</author><thr:total>0</thr:total></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7000332560270263936.post-3106816093904458813</guid><pubDate>Tue, 19 Jul 2011 03:30:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2011-07-18T22:31:32.562-05:00</atom:updated><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Funny</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Video</category><title>A Few Too Many At The Wedding [Video]</title><description>&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;I have seen my fair share of drunks and, though it is distant history now, I have also had my fair share of hangovers and blurred recollections. I ran pubs back in the old country for many years and also a nightclub just outside London for a while - alcohol was the name of the game. It paid the bills but it was also the cause of every bit of trouble and stress in my life. All that pales in comparison to granny here - if ever there was a reason not to drink .. or maybe a reason not to go to weddings ... or maybe a reason not to do either ... it is this lady who is most definitely the worse for wear.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
594. &lt;iframe allowfullscreen=&quot;&quot; frameborder=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;412&quot; src=&quot;http://www.youtube.com/embed/z1Nc4TcrT3c?rel=0&quot; width=&quot;510&quot;&gt;&lt;/iframe&gt;</description><link>http://blog.thegrumpyoldlimey.com/2011/07/few-too-many-at-wedding-video.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (The Grumpy Old Limey)</author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/z1Nc4TcrT3c/default.jpg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>0</thr:total></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7000332560270263936.post-2505724023583809561</guid><pubDate>Mon, 11 Jul 2011 02:19:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2011-07-10T21:34:25.907-05:00</atom:updated><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Animals</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Funny</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Video</category><title>Epic Fail - Pug &amp; A Hard Floor [Video]</title><description>&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;Ouch - the poor Pug who made such a mess of its leap onto a table got up and seemed fine though not too interested in having another go; the breed obviously has a hard head because he/she sure hit the floor with a thump.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
595. <iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="412" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/Y_BRMHIDfUg?rel=0" width="510"></iframe><br />
596. <br />
597. <div style="text-align: justify;">And - since we are on a dog theme this evening [I know, you are all asking yourselves what happened to the cows] how about this one featuring a young enthusiastic puppy and a close encounter of the third kind with a frisbee - note doubt he/she will get the hang of it in the end. Love the slo-mo.</div><br />
598. <iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="320" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/jDoz6GH3rGE?rel=0" width="510"></iframe><br />
599. <br />
600. &lt;span style=&quot;font-size: xx-small;&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;W3N2ZTRHKGQD - Technorati Verification Code&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/span&gt;</description><link>http://blog.thegrumpyoldlimey.com/2011/07/epic-fail-pug-hard-floor.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (The Grumpy Old Limey)</author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/Y_BRMHIDfUg/default.jpg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>0</thr:total></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7000332560270263936.post-1595728642973512757</guid><pubDate>Mon, 11 Jul 2011 02:11:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2011-07-10T21:12:48.638-05:00</atom:updated><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Blog Admin</category><title>Move To thegrumpyoldlimey.com Completed</title><description>We have successfully migrated from a hosted blog on blogspot to running our own blog on our own domain. It appears everything is functional but if you notice anything broken spare a minte to go to the &lt;a href=&quot;http://blog.thegrumpyoldlimey.com/p/contact_6593.html&quot;&gt;Contact Page&lt;/a&gt; and let us know.&lt;br /&gt;
601. <br />
602. Thanks.</description><link>http://blog.thegrumpyoldlimey.com/2011/07/move-to-thegrumpyoldlimeycom-completed.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (The Grumpy Old Limey)</author><thr:total>0</thr:total></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7000332560270263936.post-1654990134977490788</guid><pubDate>Fri, 08 Jul 2011 11:57:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2011-07-08T06:58:44.572-05:00</atom:updated><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Blog Admin</category><title>Hosting Migration - Possible Outage</title><description>&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;
603. Well having just built the beast now we going to see if we can break it. Over the next day or two we will be moving this to it's own domain. Depending on how that goes there may be outages or breaks in functionality over the next couple of days. What is it they always say - if it ain't broke don't fix it. Heck I often say that but here I go.</div>
604. </description><link>http://blog.thegrumpyoldlimey.com/2011/07/hosting-migration-possible-outage.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (The Grumpy Old Limey)</author><thr:total>0</thr:total></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7000332560270263936.post-2093827080889469268</guid><pubDate>Thu, 07 Jul 2011 14:54:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2011-07-07T09:57:15.982-05:00</atom:updated><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Audio</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Funny</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Radio</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Sports. Soundbyte</category><title>Roy Williams Proposal - The Audio [Soundbyte]</title><description>&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;So Roy Williams is making the news again. Not a Cowboys fan? Roy is commonly thought of as an overpaid underperforming wide out with a penchant for putting his foot in his mouth. Me; I agree. This week he is making the news for something other than football; his sense of romanticism.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
605. </div><div style="text-align: justify;">Roy has set the tongues a wagging and tickled many a funny bone with his wedding proposal. Now men - we are all romantics yes? We all came up with that wonderful, one off and unique marriage proposal yes? Any way like all good men Roy tried to come up with his own thing. What was it? Proposal by video - heck he could not even get up the nerve to do it face to face! Apparently he says that she had been saying the mail is always bad so he figured he would send some good mail - a video marriage proposal, a $76,000 dollar ring and - get this - $5000 so she could pay her bills. Marry me for my money anyone? Roy is quite the talk of the town following this story breaking and mostly the comments are none too positive.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
606. </div><div style="text-align: justify;">Now it is not easy being grumpy. It's not I promise. You are sadly misunderstood by everyone and you just want to be a bouncing bundle of happiness and fun. Yeah right. Anyway I listen to 105.3 The Fan on the way into work and they do manage to lighten the mood of a Grumpy Old Limey sometimes. They did so today with a parody of what the Roy Williams audio might be and I thought I would share it. If you are not in the US, don't like the Cowboys or think American Football makes even less sense than cricket this may pass you by; if it does apologies. Click play and give the audio a minute to start up, takes a little to load up.</div><br />
607. <div id="0508474C9550"></div><script src="http://player.play.it/PodcastPlayer/Embed.js" type="text/javascript">
608. </script><script type="text/javascript">
609. player.render('fileUrl=http://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/nyc.podcast.play.it/media/d0/d0/d0/dY/d5/d3/dJ/Y53J_3.MP3?authtok&name=Roy Williams Proposal - Parody&artist=KRLD-FM, 105.3 The Fan&stationID=91&configFile=config.xml&buttonColor=grey&buttonOverColor=blue&backgroundColor=#FFFFFF&guid=0508474C9550');
610. &lt;/script&gt;</description><link>http://blog.thegrumpyoldlimey.com/2011/07/roy-williams-proposal-audio-soundbyte.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (The Grumpy Old Limey)</author><thr:total>0</thr:total></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7000332560270263936.post-1565569529723087365</guid><pubDate>Thu, 07 Jul 2011 03:09:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2011-07-06T22:13:47.876-05:00</atom:updated><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Animals</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Funny</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Video</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Weird</category><title>Speaking Of Cows - Again????</title><description>&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;What can I say, no matter where I go in the vast expanse of YouTube and no matter what odd search parameters I use I always seem to end up with cows. I guess destiny and fate got together and came up with some weird obscure [and perhaps a little worrying] plan for me.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
611. </div><div style="text-align: justify;">Anyway nevermind what the future might have in store for me right now for your viewing pleasure that always fascinating combination of bovines and music.</div><br />
612. <iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="412" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/zHTeT_PzkYk?rel=0" width="510"></iframe><br />
613. <br />
614. &lt;iframe allowfullscreen=&quot;&quot; frameborder=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;412&quot; src=&quot;http://www.youtube.com/embed/rsmdXLE7mRE?rel=0&quot; width=&quot;510&quot;&gt;&lt;/iframe&gt;</description><link>http://blog.thegrumpyoldlimey.com/2011/07/speaking-of-cows-again.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (The Grumpy Old Limey)</author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/zHTeT_PzkYk/default.jpg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>0</thr:total></item></channel></rss>

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