Day: March 28, 2005

In November I started trying to do my taxes. Every week since then I’ve thought about it and stressed over it at least twice in the week. April is here and NOTHING has been done on the taxes.

Their real headlines vs my made-up headlines.

These are actually headlines taken from Google News at roughly 12:37pm GMT-5.

Them: Quake strikes off Indonesia coast
Me Earth splitting apart. Democrats rush to the side with the most trees.

Them: Space Station Empty as Crew Takes a Space Walk
Me: Emergency Shuttle Launch Prepared. Space Station Crew Locked Out!

Yuri says, “Perhaps comrade we could get one of those hollow, fake magnetic, meteorites with spare key outside.”

Them: Jacko Case Focuses on Past Allegations
Me: Prosecution loses confidence in themselves; returns to familiar ground.

Them: Terri Schiavo Receives Easter Communion and Morphine for Pain
Me: This is the body and whoooppeee!

Them: Crowded House Drummer Hester Found Dead
Me: House Less Crowded

Them: Hail and Heavy Rain Pounds the Southeast
Me: Apparently I don’t live in the Southeast like I thought I did.

Them: Court Considers Foreigners Rights in US Death Penalty Cases
Me: Foreigners may be exempt from dying.

Them: Supreme Court to Decide P2P Legality
Me: Supreme Court finds answer to sharing all those volumes of legal pleadings with other courts while avoiding royalties and copyrights.

Them: SunGard agrees to $11.3B buyout
Me: SunGard Board of Directors Very Happy. As are their children. And their grandchildren. And their great grand children. And what will be their great, great grand children. And…

Them: Mandela gives me strength – Jackson
Me: Criminals Bond

Them: Jennifer Aniston and Brad Pitt Officially Split
Me: Movie to be “Siamese Fraternal Twins” Cancelled
Me: We’ve gotten all the publicity this relationship can muster, let’s move on.

Them: Irish show jumper stripped of Olympic Gold Medal
Me: When asked “So did you eat grass?” the horse replied “Nay.”

Them: Nepal’s Police Detain 16 More Anti-Monarchy Protesters
Me: Napal allows protesting but only one person can do it.

Them: New Hope for Cat Allergy Sufferers
Me: Help put an end to cat sneezes…because its really cute and distracting.

Them: Zimbabwe Ruling Party Blasts Archbishop
Me: UN Steps in and requests Zimbabwe turn down the music

I received my email that my Adagio Tea is on its way!

I just posted that “It doesn’t take much effort to make a difference.” A few simple phone calls I have made which led to a difference: I’ve had speed limit signs with “children playing” posted at each entrance of the neighborhood. I’ve had knocked down road markers replaced. I’ve moved bus stops. There are more but I need to return to programming. The point is you can get things done if you are willing to make “a little” effort.

What can the American people do but belief they are watching legitimate news?

The Bush administration, rejecting an opinion from the Government Accountability Office, said last week that it is legal for federal agencies to feed TV stations prepackaged news stories that do not disclose the government’s role in producing them.

Is this legal? In a contradictory memo on February 17 Comptroller General David M. Walker wrote:

such stories — designed to resemble independently reported broadcast news stories so that TV stations can run them without editing — violate provisions in annual appropriations laws that ban covert propaganda.

As a citizen it is your right and obligation to step up to the plate and protect your rights and freedoms. When you see information like this that disturbs you, contact your state representative or congressman. They all accept emails, phone calls, letters and faxes. It doesn’t take much effort to make a difference.

It took me an hour to draw myself from bed but I’m up at the hour I like to rise and I’m working!