Hosni Mubarak - What part of "Go Away" do you not understand?

Tonight Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak made a recorded speech to the Egyptian people and the world. What he had to say was just not acceptable. He did announce he was handing over some of his powers to his vice president Omar Suleiman, but basically said Mubarak would be staying on until elections in September.

Protesters in Cairo's central Tahrir Square, hoping he would announce his resignation outright, watched in stunned silence to his speech, slapping their hands to their foreheads in anger, some crying or waving their shoes in the air in a sign of contempt. After he finished, they resumed their chants of "Leave! Leave! Leave!"

Seventeen days of protests have not gotten the message across to Mubarak. Strikes have brought the economy to its knees. Yet Hosni Mubarak continues to cling to power. It is going to take a crowbar to get him out of power.

Concerns are for tomorrow as the crowd grows angrier by the minute. Shock. Disbelief. Anger. Those are the emotions in Tahrir Square and those eotions are expected to spill over when daylight comes. Will the people continue to support the military? Will the military continue to stand by? If either of those conditions erode then it could be quite ugly. So all eyes continue to be on Egypt as they struggle to move forward. Everyday that goes by without resolution moves Egypt closer to a crisis.

The Basics of Rockhounding

Rockhounding can be very rewarding for both the serious collector as well as the hobbyist. I think everybody has a little rockhound in us. The thrill of the hunt.  The yearning for "treasure".  I can remember the times when I was a little kid searching around my grandmothers creekbed finding fossils and having a blast all by myself.

Read about Rockhounding in West Texas!

Every collector, regardless of how serious they are, will need to know a few basic tools. Everyone needs a geologists hammer (geopick). The geopick is a hammer which is flat on one end and comes wither to a point or chisel on the other. If you are more serious about your collecting you can invest in a crack hammer, pry bar, chisels and wedges to aid in your collecting.

The Do's and Dont's of Rockhounding
The Do's
1. carry lots of water
2. communicate with others where you are going
3. watch for snakes, cactus or other dangerous plants or animals
4. be careful with fires
5. watch the weather
6. carry sun lotion & wear a hat

The Dont's
1. go anywhere alone
2. drive where your vehicle cannot
3. leave trash behind
4. trespass
5. collect more than you need

For some wonderful rockhounding and treasure hunting articles check out TexanTreks. 

Ohio State President gives senile view of BCS

So the Ohio State President E Gordon Gee went off and flapped his guns the other day saying how Boise State and TCU do not deserve a shot at the national title over a 1 loss Ohio State claiming their schedules are not strong enough. First I will respond to the schedule issue.

Let's look at the Ohio State schedule for this year.....Hmmmm....Marshall, Ohio, Eastern Michigan, Indiana, Purdue, Minnesota, Illinois. A murderers row for sure. In fact, Ohio State will have played exactly two teams that are ranked by the end of the season and they will have lost one of those two (Iowa). One win. Boise State will have played two and TCU will have played one. So throw that schedule issue out the window.

Here are some exerpts the response from TCU AD Chris Del Conte from his interview on ESPN radio:
1. TCU is 16-3 against BCS schools over the last decade.
2. We know we've arrived when the president of a major university makes these kinds of comments, you know we are on a national stage when this happens
3. Buckeyes vs. Horned Frogs -- anytime, any place -- we'll tee it up!
4. On teams who haven't played us and don't know us yet...."When they get their teeth knocked in, they'll know who we are"....

Here is the response from the Boise State President Chadd Cripe:
1. "Presidents who stand up and talk about values and trust and fairness and access and equity speak with forked tongue when it comes to athletics — and it makes no sense to me how they can be so absolutely wrong and know it and yet stand up as the pillars of moral rectitude."

What a joke. Both TCU and Boise would blast Ohio State this year head to head. Too bad Ohio State would never schedule either school as they are too busy with a nonconference schedule of Marshall, Ohio and Eastern Michigan.

Some interesting statistics regarding ObamaCare

A recent "Investor's Business Daily" article provided very interesting statistics from a survey by the United Nations International Health Organization. The article included a survey comparing the US healthcare system with the socialized healthcare systems in Canada and England which ObamaCare moves the nation towards.

Percentage of men and women who survived a cancer five years after diagnosis:
U.S. 65%
England 46%
Canada 42%

Percentage of patients diagnosed with diabetes who received treatment within six months:
U.S. 93%
England 15%
Canada 43%

Percentage of seniors needing hip replacement who received it within six months:
U.S. 90%
England 15%
Canada 43%

Percentage referred to a medical specialist who see one within one month:
U.S. 77%
England 40%
Canada 43%

Number of MRI scanners (a prime diagnostic tool) per million people:
U.S. 71%
England 14%
Canada 18%

Percentage of seniors (65+), with low income, who say they are in "excellent health":
U.S. 12%
England 2%
Canada 6%

I don't know about you, but I don't want "Universal Healthcare" comparable to England or Canada.

This explains the business sense of the Obama administration

The percentage of each past president's cabinet who had worked in the private business sector prior to their appointment to the cabinet. You know what the private business sector is... a real life business, not a government job. Here are the percentages:

T. Roosevelt........ 38%
Taft...................40%
Wilson ...............52%
Harding...............49%
Coolidge............ 48%
Hoover............... 42%
F. Roosevelt........ 50%
Truman................50%
Eisenhower...........57%
Kennedy............. 30%
Johnson...............47%
Nixon................. 53%
Ford...................42%
Carter................ 32%
Reagan................56%
GH Bush.............. 51%
Clinton ............... 39%
GW Bush.............. 55%

And the winner is:
Obama................ 8%

This alone can explain the business incompetence of this administration.
Yep! That's right! Only Eight Percent! The least by far of the last 19 presidents!! And these people are trying to tell our big corporations how to run their business? They know what's best for GM...Chrysler... Wall Street... and you and me?

How can the president of a major nation and society...the one with the most successful economic system in world history..stand and talk about business when he's never worked for one?.. or about jobs when he has never really had one??! And neither has 92% of his senior staff and closest advisers! They've spent most of their time in academia, government and/or non-profit jobs....or as "community organizers" when they should have been in an employment line.

Three Cheers to Oklahoma for a great Vote!

Wow, there's seems to be a small patch of sanity left in this country out in Oklahoma. It's appears to be one of the few places in America that's still American. Last night's vote proved it. They rejected European health care, Mexican language, international law, Islamic law, and made it so only people who can prove they are Americans can vote. Three cheers for Oklahoma on a great vote!

Aren't these three measures common sense though? Seriously. Oklahoma passed a measure that states English is the state's "common and unifying language". Now what is wrong with that? This is America right?

Oklahoma also passed a measure stating that in order to vote you must produce a valid government-issued photo ID such as a social security card or drivers license. Any red blooded American will have no problem with this as well as we all have proper id.

Finally, Oklahoma passed a measure that prohibits state courts from considering international law or Islamic law when deciding cases. Well we are in America and when trying a case in America it probably should be based upon US laws.....just saying.....

So once again, Thank You Oklahoma for some common sense in your voting.

Thomas Sowell on the 2010 Election

An important message from economist Thomas Sowell:

"Most elections are about particular policies, particular scandals or particular personalities. But these issues don't mean as much this year -- not because they are not important, but because this election is a crossroads election, one that can decide what path this country will take for many years to come. Runaway 'stimulus' spending, high unemployment and ObamaCare are all legitimate and important issues. It is just that freedom and survival are more important. For all its sweeping and scary provisions, ObamaCare is not nearly as important as the way it was passed. If legislation can become laws passed without either the public or the Congress knowing what is in those laws, then the fundamental principle of a free, self-governing people is completely undermined. ... Other actions and proposals by this administration likewise represent moves in the direction of arbitrary rule, worthy of a banana republic, with only a mocking facade of freedom. These include threats against people who simply choose to express opinions counter to administration policy, such as a warning to an insurance company that there would be 'zero tolerance' for 'misinformation' when the insurance company said that ObamaCare would create costs that force up premiums. Zero tolerance for the right of free speech guaranteed by the Constitution? ... This election is a crossroads, because either [Barack Obama's] power will be curbed by depriving him of his huge Congressional majorities or he will continue on a road that jeopardizes both our freedom and our survival."