My grandmother was the strongest woman I’ve ever met. She lived in Vandergrift, PA - a steeltown that subsequently struggled after WWII. Depression, war, house fire - life was NOT easy with three daughters after her husband collapsed and died on the steps of the steel plant after a sunday shift. She went on. I always admired her humor and her iron will, which I saw clearly in my mother. She was such a survivor. I’m certain her spirit lives on.

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Posted by macguiguru as Musings, Poetry at 11:32 PM MST No Comments 

One of Robert Service’s greatest works, IMHO

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Posted by macguiguru as Musings, Poetry at 11:26 PM MST No Comments 

If you’ve never heard this song by the man who made the song ‘Convoy’ famous, you’re in for a treat. Same ’storyteller’ style but very fast, complicated ‘lyrics’ (it doesn’t really rhyme) and hilarious story. Get a copy of the MP3 from somewhere, then sit down and TRY to follow along. I dare ya. How he managed to remember this entire saga is a feat unto itself. Definitely transcends the typical Country/Western genre.

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Posted by macguiguru as Musings, Poetry at 11:21 PM MST No Comments 

In a recent post I related how my cousin Joe had suggested a way of dealing with the violence in Iraq.

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Posted by macguiguru as Discuss!, Religion at 9:07 PM MST No Comments 

From Powell and Associates website:

http://www.rrpassociates.com/press.html

PRESS RELEASE FOR NOVEMBER 24^TH, 2006

The Law Offices Of Robert R. Powell will be holding a press conference at 6:30 p.m. on November 27^th, 2006, at the Clarion Hotel, located at 1355 North Fourth Street, in San Jose, California regarding the death of Jamie Ceballos while in foster care with Monterey County on November 27^th, 2005. The Law Offices Of Robert R. Powell will be filing a complaint in the U.S. District Court of Northern California (San Jose) on the 27^th of November, seeking damages for the wrongful death of Jamie on behalf of Megan Allen, Jamie’s mother. The complaint also alleges the unlawful removal of Jamie and his three siblings from Ms. Allen by Monterey County Child Protection Services social workers.

At two years of age, Jamie and his siblings were removed from their mother after Ms. Allen contacted the police to make a report about allegations by daughter that she had been molested in some manner by a family relative. There were no allegations of abuse by mother of any kind.

After the children’s removal by Monterey CPS, they were placed in a foster home, where Jamie was later found deceased in a hallway of the home on November 27^th, 2005. At the time of his death, Jamie had multiple bruises all over his body, a depression of his skull from some unknown blunt force trauma, and had suffered a series of blows to his abdominal area, with one or more blows delivered with enough force to tear his colon and rupture other internal organs. He died a slow agonizing death, without receiving any medical treatment. Amazingly, the Monterey County Sheriff concluded the death was “accidental.”

Jamies sister had been removed from the home not long prior to Jamie’s death for alleged abuse against her by the foster parents which was deemed “substantiated,” and CPS had received numerous complaints of abuse of the children, not only from the mother, to whom the children reported abuse during visitations and revealed visible marks of their injuries to visitation supervisors, but also from third party witnesses, including neighbors of the foster family.

In addition, Jamie and his siblings were placed in a foster home that was carrying more than the allowable number of children under state law, and was not properly licensed and/or qualified for providing services to “special needs” children, a description Monterey CPS executives have claimed fit Jamie at the time of his death.

When Jamie was found in the hallway of the foster family’s home early on the morning of November 27^th, 2005, no attempts were made to resuscitate the child.

Refreshments and copies of the complaint available at the press conference.

Posted by macguiguru as Discuss! at 2:21 PM MST No Comments 

During a discussion with my cousin Joe I asked him what steps he would take to end the war in Iraq. His response (after qualifying that I might not like it) was that we should simply ‘dust’ people at funerals.

I submit this as evidence that such tactics usually don’t lead to peace:

–

http://politics.guardian.co.uk/northernirelandassembly/story/0,,1956753,00.html

Uproar at Stormont as loyalist killer with bomb tries to storm assembly

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Posted by macguiguru as Discuss!, Politics at 1:03 PM MST No Comments 

All watches should be built this way. If I’m hit by an asteroid, at least my watch will survive.

Posted by macguiguru as Photos, iSightz at 1:15 AM MST 1 Comment 

Toughest cellphone I’ve ever seen. Period. Been dropped, thrown, dunked, baked, frozen and laundered. Simply refuses to die. Keep yer razorphones, this one WORKS. Every time.

Posted by macguiguru as Photos, iSightz at 1:01 AM MST 1 Comment 

Just a bit to the left…

Posted by macguiguru as Photos, iSightz at 12:49 AM MST 1 Comment