ljh3134's Blog

A co-worker's daughter went to confession the other day at school for the very first time. 

While discussing it, it made me think of my daughter and her friend, when they were both about 7 years old.  They both thought the concession stand at the park was really a confession stand!

My son and his little friend went to the Rec-Plex for a Saturday swim.  When they both got out of the pool, they had to go to the Jacuzzi to get the "nicotine" off their bodies.  

My granddaughter, soon to be four is sooo excited.  I am making her a quilt.  I bought all the material and was showing it to her piece by piece.  Her response was, Oh, MawMaw, I LOVE my new bacterial! 

How sweet they are!  What comments do you remember from a little one?

How do we file for permission?  Horrigan seems to be on to something! lol  What do you think?

bank, banking, loans, recovery By Kevin Horrigan ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH 11/16/2008

Good morning. I have a brief announcement: As of today, I am a bank.

Now I'll take your questions.

What do you mean, you're a bank? You're a newspaper schlub.

Not any more. I have filed for permission to reclassify myself as a bank. Or a bank holding company. I haven't decided, mainly because I'm not sure what the difference is.

You can't be a bank. You don't have any money.

Why do you think I've decided to become a bank? If you're a bank, you can get free money from the feds. I quote the Tuesday edition of The New York Times:

"Under the terms of the $250 billion capital purchase program announced last month, cash infusions are available to 'qualifying U.S. banks, savings associations and certain bank and savings and loan holding companies, engaged only in financial activities. That definition has grown to include private banks and insurers like Allstate and MetLife, which own savings and loans. It may also encompass industrial lenders like GE Capital and GMAC, the financing arm of General Motors, provided they win approval to reclassify themselves as a bank or savings and loan holding company."

See, Allstate and MetLife changed themselves into banks. GE Capital and GMAC turned themselves into banks. American Express turned itself into a bank holding company. Therefore, I, too, am a bank.

But you're not "engaged only in financial activities" like it says in The Times.

I could be. In fact, I am, now that I'm a bank. I write for money, which makes writing a financial activity. Therefore, I see no reason why I shouldn't be classified as a bank.

Since you're a bank, could I get a loan?

No.

Aren't banks supposed to make loans?

Where have you been? The reason the economy is so sluggish is that banks won't make loans any more. Loans are, like, so totally last year. Banks sit on their money, which is what I plan to do as soon as I get my $500 million or so from the feds. I'm going to sit on it, or possibly invest in curios from the Franklin Mint.

Will you be issuing credit cards?

You bet. Credit cards are like gold. I borrow money from the feds at 1 to 2 percent; I give you a credit card at 22 percent. Even if you default after a few months, I'm way ahead. You bet. Credit cards are part of my plan.

What about debit cards?

Sure, no problem. It lets you have easy access to your money, and lets me have $2 or so every time you want it. Also, should you happen to overdraw your account, I can easily fine you $35 or so and take it right out of your account. Same with checking. You give me your dough, I pay you squat and I make a fortune in fines.

Here's another thing I'll do: I'll put your balance online, but I'll hold back all your ATM transactions until I'm pretty sure you don't know that you're about to be overdrawn, and then I'll sequence them so that I can get a $35 overdraft charge for each one. Banking is about the fees, man.

Will you have a lobby with friendly tellers?

Not if I can help it. Real estate and tellers are expensive. No, I'm going with machines, which I will buy with my money from the feds, only I won't pay cash. I'll have a few people around — computer guys, credit card harassment people — but I want to avoid people as much as possible.

You're going to need customers.

No, I just need their money. I don't see banking as a people business. I'm not going to be one of those "have a free toaster" kind of banks. You want a calendar, go to Office Depot.

What about shareholders?

Let them be their own banks. I don't need investors, I've got Hank Paulson, the Treasury secretary, and the guys at TARP, the Troubled Assets Recovery Program. I've got Congress and President Bush and President-elect Obama. They're counting on me, and I won't let them down.

So you'll be re-working mortgages?

Mortgages? Mortgages are loans, and I don't make loans. You saw what happened when banks made mortgage loans. No, I'm a safe, conservative bank. I sit on my money.

If you get money from TARP, they may expect you to make loans.

Not based on what I've seen so far.

Fine. You're a bank. May I keep this pen?

No.

We as American's ARE spoiled brats!  Craig Smith's article seemed to sum it up pretty good in November, 2006, read on:   

"Made in the USA: Spoiled brats"

The Newsweek poll alleges that 67 percent of Americans are unhappy with the direction the country is headed and 69 percent of the country is unhappy with the performance of the president. In essence 2/3s of the citizenry just ain't happy and want a change.

So being the knuckle dragger I am, I starting thinking, ''What we are so unhappy about?''

Is it that we have electricity and running water 24 hours a day, 7 days a week? Is our unhappiness the result of having air conditioning in the summer and heating in the winter? Could it be that 95.4 percent of these unhappy folks have a job? Maybe it is the ability to walk into a grocery store at any time and see more food in moments than Darfur has seen in the last year?

Maybe it is the ability to drive from the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic Ocean without having to present identification papers as we move through each state? Or possibly the hundreds of clean and safe motels we would find along the way that can provide temporary shelter? I guess having thousands of restaurants with varying cuisine from around the world is just not good enough. Or could it be that when we wreck our car, emergency workers show up and provide services to help all involved. Whether you are rich or poor they treat your wounds and even, if necessary, send a helicopter to take you to the hospital.

Perhaps you are one of the 70 percent of Americans who own a home, you may be upset with knowing that in the unfortunate case of having a fire, a group of trained firefighters will appear in moments and use top notch equipment to extinguish the flames thus saving you, your family and your belongings. Or if, while at home watching one of your many flat screen TVs, a burglar or prowler intrudes; an officer equipped with a gun and a bullet-proof vest will come to defend you and your family against attack or loss. This all in the backdrop of a neighborhood free of bombs or militias raping and pillaging the residents. Neighborhoods where 90 percent of teenagers own cell phones and computers.

How about the complete religious, social and political freedoms we enjoy that are the envy of everyone in the world? Maybe that is what has 67 percent of you folks unhappy.

Fact is, we are the largest group of ungrateful, spoiled brats the world has ever seen. No wonder the world loves the U.S. yet has a great disdain for its citizens. They see us for what we are. The most blessed people in the world who do nothing but complain about what we don't have and what we hate about the country instead of thanking the good Lord we live here.

I know, I know. What about the president who took us into war and has no plan to get us out? The president who has a measly 31 percent approval rating? Is this the same president who guided the nation in the dark days after 9/11? The president that cut taxes to bring an economy out of recession? Could this be the same guy who has been called every name in the book for succeeding in keeping all the spoiled brats safe from terrorist attacks? The commander in chief of an all-volunteer army that is out there defending you and me?

Make no mistake about it. The troops in Iraq and Afghanistan have volunteered to serve, and in many cases have died for your freedom. There is currently no draft in this country. They didn't have to go. They are able to refuse to go and end up with either a ''general'' discharge, an ''other than honorable'' discharge or, worst case scenario, a ''dishonorable'' discharge after a few days in the brig.

So why then the flat out discontentment in the minds of 69 percent of Americans? Say what you want but I blame it on the media. If it bleeds it leads and they specialize in bad news. Everybody will watch a car crash with blood and guts. How many will watch kids selling lemonade at the corner? The media knows this and media outlets are for-profit corporations. They offer what sells. Just ask why they are going to allow a murderer like O.J. Simpson to write a book and do a TV special about how he didn't kill his wife but if he did … insane!

Stop buying the negative venom you are fed everyday by the media. Shut off the TV, burn Newsweek, and use the New York Times for the bottom of your bird cage. Then start being grateful for all we have as a country. There is exponentially more good than bad.

I close with one of my favorite quotes from B.C. Forbes in 1953:

I suggest this Thanksgiving we sit back and count our blessings for all we have. If we don't, what we have will be taken away. Then we will have to explain to future generations why we squandered such blessing and abundance. If we are not careful this generation will be known as the ''greediest and most ungrateful generation.'' A far cry from the proud Americans of the ''greatest generation'' who left us an untarnished legacy.

Not much has changed in two years has it? 

Yesterday, while on NB I-55 approaching the Arnold exit, doing the 60 mile an hour speed limit, the idiot in front of me decided he had waited too long and was going to miss his exit so slammed on his brakes and then drove at approximately 40 mph to get behind another car that was exiting, all without a blinker! 

This may not had been a problem had traffic not been behind him.  An 18 wheeler behind me was doing his speed limit as well, so obviously, he had to slam on his brakes, a little tougher task.  I watched in horror the truck getting closer, then suddenly finding a break in the next lane to swerve around me, thank God he was successful.

With the touch of death passing, those in our vehicle discussed the close call and decided the headlines in the next day's paper and the intro on the nightly news would have started with "Another fatal tractor trailor accident kills 7, inattention/cell phone/distraction thought to be a factor".  Not the case at all!

Truck drivers are not always at fault!!!  If this truck had hit us, it certainly would not have been his fault.  Any driver has a responsibility to those around them. 

If you are that close to missing your exit, don't risk the lives of others! Take the next exit and turn around, or better yet, pay attention to where your going and what your doing in the first place.  

I have no doubt that had the accident behind you played out as it almost did, you would have exited anyway and never given YOUR victims as second thought.  Thank God, the trucker WAS paying attention.   

Not many people understand the woes of mental illness and believe a person who is afflicted with it can just will it away.  ANYONE at ANYTIME can suddenly experience mentally illness.  Like cancer or heart disease, it could be sitting dormant in your body and suddenly is triggered into action……by what, no one is certain. 

 The more we know about mental illness, the more we can help those afflicted with it seek the medical attention they need without the stigma. 

The following was taken from a mental health website.  The article seems to cover a little of everything. Please take the time to read. 

                                             What is Mental Illness?

  A health condition, much like heart disease or diabetes.

•  No one's fault -- not the person's, nor the family's.

There are many causes of Mental Illness, including:

• birth trauma  
• chemical imbalances in the brain
• other biological, environmental, social and cultural factors.

     Why Learn About Mental Illnesses? Because they affect millions of people! Yet most people know little about mental illnesses. People with a mental illness need your understanding and support -- just as people with other health conditions do.

Mental illnesses are treatable. With proper treatment, many people with a mental illness get well and lead productive lives. At some point in your life, mental illness may affect you or someone you know. Learn more...

  Depression. It's more than feeling sad from time to time. Depression is a lasting feeling of great sadness of helplessness.

• A Person with Depression:  
  • finds it hard to get pleasure from life  
  • may sleep a lot or very little  
  • lacks energy  
  • feels worthless  
  • may think a lot about death and suicide a person with suicidal thoughts should get help right away  
• Possible Causes of Depression include biological illness, a chemical imbalance in the brain, heredity, stress and other factors.
• Bipolar Disorder. It's also called manic-depressive illness. The person has extreme mood swings (highs and lows).  
• • A Person with Bipolar Disorder has periods of:  
    • mania (a lot of energy, wild behavior, racing thoughts, less need of sleep, overconfidence).  
    • normal energy and feelings  
    • depression  
    • Each period may last days or months.  
  • Possible Causes of Bipolar Disorder include biological illness, a chemical imbalance in the brain, heredity, stress and other factors.   
• Schizophrenia is a group of disorders marked by unusual thoughts, actions and emotions. It's not the same as 'split' or 'dual' personality.  
  • A Person with Schizophrenia:  
    • often can't get along with others  
    • may be unable to take care of him- or herself  
    • may not make sense when talking  
    • may have strong fears, hallucinations (experiences of visions or voices), obsessions and delusions (false beliefs)  
    • often withdraws from everyday life  
  • Possible Causes of Schizophrenia include a chemical or hormonal imbalance, genetic abnormalities of the brain, infections and other factors.
• Anxiety Disorders result from fear or anxiety that is severe or lasting. They include:  
  • General Anxiety - tension or irritability that lasts a month or more.  
  •             Phobia - strong fears about an object, place or situation (for       example, fear of heights)  
    • Panic Attacks - sudden fear or terror, which causes heart flutters, dizziness, sweating, etc.  
    • Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder - thoughts, images or actions that are constantly repeated.  
  • Possible Causes of Anxiety Disorders include many factors, such as the brain's inability to chemically control anxiety.
• Some Other Types of Mental Illnesses:  
  • alcoholism and other drug dependencies  
  • dementia (such as Alzheimer's disease)  
  • personality disorders  
  • eating disorders (such as bulimia and anorexia nervosa)  
  • post-traumatic stress disorders  
  • psychoses and conduct disorders  
• The Warning Signs of Mental Illness usually occur gradually, and are lasting or severe. These signs may indicate other physical problems besides mental illness. If warning signs are lasting or severe, seek professional help.They include:  
• • Changes in Daily Routine (such as sleeping or eating more, or unexplained physical problems)  
  • Confused Thinking or Speech  
  • Delusions  
  • Denial (refusing to admit there may be a problem, or to seek help)  
  • Abuse of Alcohol or other drugs  
  • Lasting Depression  
  • Hallucinations  
  • Inability to Cope with daily activities  
  • Mood Swings  
  • Excessive Fears worries or anxiety  
  • Strong Feelings of anger  
  • Suicidal Thoughts or threats  
  • Withdrawal from family life, friends, and usual activities.

• Mental Illnesses are Treatable. Treatment methods usually include a combination of:  
  • Psychotherapy. This includes individual, family and group therapy. Psychotherapy can help people:  
    • understand the illness  
    • learn how to deal with any problems the illness causes  
    • make positive changes in their lives  
  • Medication. Many mental illnesses and their symptoms can be treated with medications. Medication can help correct chemical imbalances, enabling most people who receive treatment to stop suffering and lead productive lives. Ask your health-care provider or mental health professional about all risks and benefits. To ensure proper treatment, have a professional diagnosis and a medical checkup.  

Some Q&A

Do most people with mental illnesses have to be hospitalized?
No. Most people with mental illnesses are treated as outpatients. However, for some, hospitalization is an effective part of a treatment plan.

What if someone I know has a mental illness?
Spend time with the person, and maintain your relationship. Let the person know that he or she can count on your love and support. Advise the person to seek professional help.

What can I do in my community to help?
Be a volunteer -- support educational programs, fundraising efforts, etc. Also, help remove the stigma from mental illness by NOT using labels such as 'crazy.' Replace ridicule with compassion.

>>More information is available through the National Alliance on Mental Illness’ (NAMI) website at  www.nami.org.  Check out the “Grade the States” section, you will be appalled, if you aren’t, you should be…….

First, don't get me wrong.....I love money probably more than the next guy, but like most people, I won't be stimulating the economy.....probably paying bills and buying groceries and oh, let's not forget, buying gasoline.

What I would love to see happen is those young adults, like my 20 year old full-time college student, part-time employed (making over $3,000 but way less than $75.000) paying taxes and his own college tuition with loans be able to stimulate the economy! Or at least fill up his gas tank!

Yep, that's right, those in that category don't quality, the government says maybe next year. He doesn't qualify because he was a dependent on our tax return, but since he is over 17, we won't quality to receive it either!

At the age of 18 a kid can join the military, vote and becomes responsible for his own debt, yet the government excludes these young adults from their $300.00 rebate.

A single teenage parent living with another family member, can work 10 hours a week making minimum wage, collect food stamps, medical insurance, free day care, the earned income credit AND a rebate!

Is something wrong with this picture?

The numbers are out!  Statistics in St. Louis City show the rate of crime has DROPPED!!!!!   That is awesome.  BUT, the number of homicides have increased??

According to the "experts", this is not the usual trend and they can't figure it out. 

Could it be some of the criminals are killing the other criminals thus making the streets and neighborhoods of St. Louis safer?  

I am not stating that there are no innocent law abiding citizens being killed for being in the wrong place at the wrong time, but how can crime go down if murders are up?   

Until my daughter and son-in-law introduced me to pitbulls, I was one of those who let the media and news reports sway my opinion of these animals.  I have since learned that these dogs are the biggest lap dogs that you will ever come across and can and do make wonderful pets.

Okay Fox 2,  help us out.  There is sooo much bad news regarding pitbulls, can we do a few stories about the good of these animals?  Let's start with an undercover story and see how many people really know a pitbull when they see one, lets bring to light the statistics on dog bites in Missouri and which dogs bite or hurt the most.  Let's bring to light how a pitbull (or any other animal) can become vicious and what is being done to stop that.  

Anyone of the pitbull owners on these blogs would be more than willing to help you out as well as many animal professionals in the area.  Let's become the advocate for pitbulls and stop those who are abusing these dogs and training them to participate in the horrendous dog fighting activities that are running rampant in the St. Louis Area and across the nation!   

Received notification of this by mail today......Missouri American Water Company is proposing a "Missouri jurisdictional annual gross revenues increase of 24.8% for water and 25.7% for sewer." 

How do, WE,  the citizens that are footing these bills get on the list for this type of annual gross revenue increase?????

If you think it will do any good, there is a public hearing scheduled for June 12, 2007 at 6:00 p.m. in St. Charles Adminstration Building, 201 North Second Street, Room 116.

www.mawc.com

Michael Devlin once again pleads NOT GUILTY to additional charges....

But, he sure is looking fine with a freshly shaven face and all that weight loss......Guess he wants to make sure ALL the guys are waiting for him when he gets to the big house......

What a useless piece of crap he is.......

21 year old Nicole Allen has become another victim at the hands of a drunk driver.   Her killer......is an Illegal Mexican alien.

 Since Pedro has arrived in the United States, several things have occurred:  

 He has found a place to live.  He has found employment. 

He is driving a Lincoln Towncar (quite the ride for someone not paying taxes).   

He purchases liquor.  He is drinking and driving illegally.   

He purchases groceries, shoes and other necessities of life.   

 People who don't speak English and are of Mexican descent should be required to produce LEGAL documentation (encrypted with fingerprints and as tamperproof as possible) for ANYTHING in the United States. 

 This could be applied to EVERYTHING, including food, housing, utilities, gasoline, schooling, clothing, employment, cigarettes, vehicles, insurance or a 25-cent pack of gum.  No card, no sale. 

 Anyone caught purchasing or providing these items for an illegal should be automatically deported, or if a United States citizen, criminally charged. 

Why do we cater to these people?   Contact the Social Security Administration and the first language choice is Spanish.  This is also true of our utility companies, banks, and state agencies.   If you want to be in the United States and become a law abiding, tax-paying citizen, first priority should be to adapt to OUR language and OUR laws. 

 To those who harbored this illegal in their home or allowed him to rent your property, YOU should be held legally responsible. I welcome anyone of any descent to America.  JUST DO IT LEGALLY!!!

 For the company that employed him, YOU should be held legally responsible.

 For the owner or seller of the vehicle he used to kill someone, YOU should be held legally responsible.

 To the establishment who sold him liquor, YOU should be held legally responsible.

Welcome to America?  No problem, just do it LEGALLY!  

The following was just posted on stltoday.com.  Evidentially the officers get to keep their jobs, but not without consequences. 

Eight St. Louis police officers who used World Series tickets seized from scalpers last October will be disciplined but allowed to keep their jobs as the Police Board voted unanimously today to accept Chief Joe Mokwa's recommendation on the matter.

Police Board President Chris Goodson told reporters that the board's decision "is in the best interest of the community, the organization (Police Department) and the officers, in that order."

"This is a stern discipline...and should be considered a strong discipline," Goodson said.

Goodson was strongly rumored to be in favor of termination for the officers prior to the meeting , but he wouldn't acknowledge that. "As far as my individual perspective, I've never given my opinion (publicly) and I did not talk to (other) board members before today."

Goodson said "there was a healthy discussion" during the 1 1/2-hour closed door meeting in which the possibility of termination of the officers was discussed. He said Mokwa "did a good job presenting his case." Mayor Francis Slay, a member of the police board, told reporters that the discipline for the officers "is harsh punishment...and sends a strong message that we will not tolerate this kind of conduct."

The eight officers have been suspended without pay for two weeks and each of the them will be demoted in rank for one year, meaning a loss in pay to each of $20,000-$25,000. The demotion knocks seven of the officers down to the rank of probationary patrolman, in which they could easily be fired without the right of appeal for a misconduct offense. One of the eight is a sergeant who will lose his stripes for a year.

The names of the involved officers, who were members of the vice-narcotics unit, have not been released.

A University City police officer who had worked with those detectives on the anti-scalping detail recently resigned from his department rather than face possible dismissal, officials said.

Earlier this week, Circuit Attorney Jennifer Joyce said she would not prosecute the officers involved, saying that they were wrong to use the tickets but did nothing illegal.

It light of the fact no criminal charges can/will be filed, this seems like a very reasonable, attention getting punishment.   

This past weekend, there were news reports of a man who was shot dead trying to stop a car thief from taking his vehicle, parked in front of his home in St. Louis City.   He left behind a wife and three children.   They were a normal family, living a normal life, now the lives of those left behind have been shattered because of a senseless, no consequences crime.....AGAIN!!!!!

A child is hurt after falling due to a stolen man-hole cover!  It is likely no one will be charged.

We constantly hear of stolen vehicles being involved with hi speed chases that ultimately end with other innocent people being injured or even killed.   A slap on the wrist (if caught) and they are free to move on to their next victim. 

Drive-by shootings have taken numerous lives of innocent children.  No one ever seems to be charged or held accountable.

I for one, am SICK of it!  I plan to write to our senators and state representatives and bring to their attention, LOUDLY, the emergency situation these areas are in!  They are in power to protect and serve the people and it is high time for them to take off their blinders, eliminate the political slackers of these communities and DO SOMETHING!  We send our National Guard to Iraq to protect their people.  What about ours? 

I live outside the St. Louis area and am sick and tired of these senseless deaths and crimes against innocent people.  ARE YOU?  

Add your comments and any ideas you might have and I will forward these on as well.  

Will the madness ever stop.....Where should the line be drawn?  I have rights too and I WANT TO SHRIEK!!!!  What do you think? 

 Ride the Screamer!

(But no shrieking please)

Neighbors’ complaints spur amusement park to institute a no-noise rule SACRAMENTO, Calif. - No screaming on the Screamer!

A suburban amusement park has gotten so many complaints from neighbors about bloodcurdling screams that it has instituted a no-shrieking rule for its scary new thrill ride, the Scandia Screamer, a gigantic, windmill-like contraption that sends people plunging 16 stories to Earth at nearly 60 mph.

Riders who let out a screech — or just about any other noise — are pulled off and sent to the back of the line.

"After the first complaint, our rule was no profanity," said Steve Baddley, general manager at the Scandia Family Fun Center. "Then neighbors said it wasn't just that — it was the crazy, excessive screaming. Then they said it was really all of it, the loud laughing, everything. Eventually, we said, 'Bag it, that's it — no noise.'"

The rule was imposed March 29, nearly three weeks after the ride opened.

‘Please remain silent and enjoy the Screamer’
As passengers are strapped into the two metal baskets, the operator recites this warning: "We are required to remove you from this ride if you make any noise. If you feel you might make a noise, please cover your mouth tightly with you hand, like this (The operator then covers mouth with hand). If we hear any noise through your hand, we will remove you from the ride. So please remain silent and enjoy the Screamer."

Those who dared the ride this week said keeping quiet is harder than it sounds.

"I think we were just talking loudly. I wouldn't say it was screaming," said 15-year-old Anna Matsoyan, after she and her little sister were pulled off the ride for what sounded more like a whimper. "It's kind of a bummer. It makes you want to scream."

The ban also can be confusing for the ride's operators. Last weekend, park employees stopped the Screamer only to realize it wasn't a rider who ran afoul of the new policy, but a customer on the park's miniature golf course who howled after hitting a hole-in-one.

New kind of noise nuisance
Most of the complaints have come from residents in a pocket of neatly landscaped homes that are separated from the 30-year-old amusement park by a 12-lane freeway.

Tom Gardner and other neighbors acknowledge that living next to Interstate 80 is noisy, but say the Screamer has become an entirely new kind of nuisance. It is loud, lights up at night and gives riders a peek into backyard swimming pools, they say.

The 165-foot ride is so tall that the Federal Aviation Administration forced the amusement park to install warning lights on its rotating arms.

Gardner has moved his cigar smoking to his garage because the Screamer has marred the view from his back patio.

"I'm sure it's affected our property value," he said.

The Screamer has become the most noticeable attraction at the amusement park, which was founded in 1977 by three Scandinavian families. Relatives still operate the Sacramento-area park and two others in California.

The owners say they won't change the ride's name, even with the new policy.

"No, we can't afford a new sign," Baddley said. "Besides, it's kind of our niche now. Those who have complained have created a ton more business for the very thing they complained about."

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