What do they all have in common?

This....

Another new “logo” for Barack Obama….

This time originating in Pennsylvania and being released in select towns across the state today.

It stems from this...

Texas law outlaws firearms on school campuses "unless pursuant to the written regulations or written authorization of the institution."

Read the story

HERE


Bravo to the Harrold Independent School District, of the Lone Star State. 

At least they had the fortitude to take the steps to think out of the box.

At least they are taking steps to prevent what may happen if some psychotic or evil person decides to bring their own weapon(s) of choice into their schools and harm their town's children. 

At least they will have some defense weapons in the schools to fight back without waiting for police to show up.

While the story in and of itself is interesting, it was the comment left by a reader that attracted me to the story.

I'm a gardener, of both vegetables and flowers, including wildflowers.  I don't know if you are aware, but the bee population has seriously dwindled.  It's worrisome.

The comment?

I guess that solves that mystery of where all the honeybees disappeared to.
bobscofield

The story:

HERE




Italian honey bee

In California....

That nasty cancer-causing chemical acrylamide will be no more in potato chips.  No longer in fries and tater tots, either.  And companies will pay, including Heinz and Frito-Lay. 

The settlement requires the potato chip producers to reduce acrylamide to 275 parts per billion in three years, a low enough level to avoid a Prop. 65 warning label. That amounts to a 20 percent reduction for Frito-Lay and an 87 percent reduction for Kettle Chips, Brown's office said. Little or no reduction will be needed for most Cape Cod chips, but one product, Cape Cod Robust Russets, will require a warning label, the attorney general said."

So why aren't there nationwide restrictions?

Read complete article HERE

(click banner for audio)

For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
August 2, 2008

President's Radio Address

THE PRESIDENT: Good morning. This weekend marks the beginning of August, the month when many Americans take their summer vacation. This year, however, the high price of gas is taking a toll on summer travelers. Congress is now taking a month-long recess of its own. Unfortunately, Democratic leaders are leaving town without taking any action to ease the burden of high gas prices on families across America.

The fundamental source of high gas prices is the fact that supply is not keeping pace with demand. To reduce pressure on prices, we need to increase the supply of oil, especially oil produced here at home. So in June, I called on Congress to lift the legislative ban that prevents offshore exploration of parts of the Outer Continental Shelf, or OCS. But the leaders of the Democratic Congress have refused to allow a vote.

Lifting the ban on this offshore exploration would benefit our economy in two important ways.

First, lifting the ban would allow our Nation to take advantage of a large and reliable source of domestic oil. Experts believe that these restricted areas could eventually produce about 18 billion barrels of oil. That's almost 10 years worth of America's current oil production.

Second, lifting the ban would create new opportunities for American workers and businesses. On Tuesday, I visited the Lincoln Electric Company in Cleveland, Ohio, a business that produces welding products used for offshore exploration. If Congress were to permit this exploration, it would mean new jobs at businesses like Lincoln Electric. American drivers are counting on Congress to lift the ban on offshore exploration, and so are American workers.

Bringing these resources online will take time, and that means that the need for congressional action is urgent. I've lifted the executive restrictions on offshore exploration. This means that the only thing now standing between the American people and these vast oil resources is the United States Congress. The sooner Congress lifts the ban, the sooner we can get this oil from beneath the ocean floor to your gas tank.

We also need to take other essential steps to strengthen domestic oil production. Congress needs to pass legislation that allows us to tap the extraordinary potential of oil shale, permits exploration in currently restricted areas of northern Alaska, and enables the expansion of America's domestic refining capacity.

It appears that the leaders of the Democratically-controlled Congress will let the entire summer pass without voting on any of these vital steps to help reduce pressure on gas prices. This failure to act is unacceptable to me and unacceptable to the American people. So when they return from their summer break, Democratic leaders should show that they've heard the frustration of the American people by allowing a vote on offshore exploration. If Congress does not act, they will owe families across America an explanation for why they're ignoring their concerns.

I know that high energy prices are making this a difficult time for many of our citizens, but it is important to remember that these high prices were not inevitable. They are partially the result of policy choices that have been made over the years by the United States Congress. Now Congress has an opportunity to begin reversing that damage. By opening up new resources at home we can help bring energy costs down. And that will help ensure that our economy remains the strongest, most vibrant, and most hopeful in the world.

Thank you for listening.

For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
July 31, 2008 

President Bush Discusses Iraq

THE PRESIDENT: Good morning. This has been a month of encouraging news from Iraq. Violence is down to its lowest level since the spring of 2004, and we're now in our third consecutive month with reduced violence levels holding steady. General Petraeus and Ambassador Crocker caution that the progress is still reversible, but they report that there now appears to be a "degree of durability" to the gains we have made.

A significant reason for this sustained progress is the success of the surge. Another is the increasing capability of the Iraqi forces. Iraqi forces now have 192 combat battalions in the fight -- and more than 110 of these battalions are taking the lead in combat operations against terrorists and extremists.

We saw the capability of those forces earlier this year, when the Iraqi government launched successful military operations against Shia extremist groups in Basra, Amarah, and the Sadr City area of Baghdad. Because of these operations, extremists who once terrorized the citizens of these communities have been driven from their strongholds. As a result, our Ambassador to Iraq, Ryan Crocker, was able to walk the streets of Sadr City last Wednesday, as something that would not have been possible just a few months ago.

This week, the Iraqi government is launching a new offensive in parts of the Diyala province that contain some of al Qaeda's few remaining safe havens in the country. This operation is Iraqi-led; our forces are playing a supporting role. And in the moments -- in the months ahead, the Iraqis will continue taking the lead in more military operations across the country.

As security in Iraq has improved, the Iraqi government has made political progress as well. The Iraqi Council of Representatives has passed several major pieces of legislation this year, and Iraqi leaders are preparing for provincial elections. And Prime Minister Maliki recently returned from a successful visit to Europe, where he held important diplomatic discussions with Chancellor Merkel, Prime Minister Berlusconi, and His Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI.

The progress in Iraq has allowed us to continue our policy of "return on success." We now have brought home all five of the combat brigades and the three Marine units that were sent to Iraq as part of the surge. The last of these surge brigades returned home this month. And later this year, General Petraeus will present me his recommendations on future troop levels -- including further reductions in our combat forces as conditions permit.

As part of the "return on success" policy, we are also reducing the length of combat tours in Iraq. Beginning tomorrow, troops deploying to Iraq will serve 12-month tours instead of 15-month tours. This will ease the burden on our forces -- and it will make life easier for our wonderful military families.

We're also making progress in our discussion with Prime Minister Maliki's government on a strategic framework agreement. This agreement will serve as the foundation for America's presence in Iraq once the United Nations resolution authorizing the multinational forces there expires on December the 31st.

We remain a nation at war. Al Qaeda is on the run in Iraq -- but the terrorists remain dangerous, and they are determined to strike our country and our allies again. In this time of war, America is grateful to all the men and women who have stepped forward to defend us. They understand that we have no greater responsibility than to stop the terrorists before they launch another attack on our homeland. And every day they make great sacrifices to keep the American people safe here at home. We owe our thanks to all those who wear the uniform -- and their families who support them in their vital work. And the best way to honor them is to support their mission -- and bring them home with victory.

Thank you very much.

Edgar Mitchell, the sixth man to walk on the moon, says aliens have been visiting the earth for the past sixty years.
 

It began in rural school district's around the country as a cost saving measure....

Four day school weeks.

Parent objections may be heard at first because of child care concerns, but as with any change, they eventually get used to it.

Will it be a an expanding trend? 

Just think of the savings in a city school district. 

Enormous in transportation costs alone; then add in energy and substitute teaching costs? 

Savings really start to add up.

Facing a crippling increase in fuel costs, some rural U.S. schools are mulling a solution born of the '70s oil crisis: a four-day week.

Cutting out one day of school has been the key to preserving educational programs and staff in parts of Kentucky, New Mexico and Minnesota, outweighing some parents' concerns about finding day-care for the day off.

.

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger





Holy Cow!

I don't know who will pay the price if this happens...

The Governor?  Only those stalling on the budget?  All of them?

Because all state employees will suffer from the pay cuts...and they won't forget at election time.

"Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is considering an order that would slash the paychecks of hundreds of thousands of state workers to the federal minimum wage until the state budget impasse is resolved.

The workers would be entitled to recover the difference between their salaries and the minimum wage - $6.55 an hour - once the state enacts a budget and appropriates the money, under an executive order that the governor's office has drafted and that he is considering signing next week.

But the delay would help the state through an immediate cash crunch, as well as add pressure to legislators who failed to resolve their differences and pass a budget, as required, by the July 1 start of the fiscal year.

[...]

Sometimes I drive out towards 27th Street and go past a home that has a lawn that gets mowed by a teenager.  There have been times I wished I had my camera with me because I swear I would stop and take the guy's picture and put it up here for you to see.  He actually mows the lawn with his pants down below his rear end...his entire butt hanging out, with boxers showing.  I can't understand how he is doing it.  Pushing the lawn mower up and down the slight hill when he can barely walk.  I wonder if it is his way of getting back at his parents for making him mow the lawn...saying "I'll show you, if you're going to make me mow the lawn, I'm going to do it looking like this"...and he literally makes an ass of himself (in my opinion anyway).

Well, this fashion trend...pants hanging below the butt...I don't understand it, but I'm not meant to understand everything.

Many cities across the country are passing ordinances against wearing pants that way...and I'm not sure how they are getting those laws passed, but they are.  New York, Flint, and Chicago are among them.




MARCIN SZCZEPANSKI/DFP
Flint Police Chief David Dicks pats down a man who was stopped
Monday in Flint for his sagging pants.

The man was warned and released.
Dicks said his officers would start arresting people wearing saggy pants that
expose skivvies, boxer shorts or bare bottoms 

It's The Law:  No sagging pants in Chicago



Are your Jeans Sagging?  Go Directly To Jail