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| Shop By Era: Victorian and Edwardian Fashion 1920s & 1930s Fashion 1940s & 1950s Fashion
1960s & 70s Fashion Vintage Designer Fashion
Shop By Garment: Vintage Dresses & Gowns Vintage Skirts, Sweaters, Blouses & Swimwear
Vintage Dress Suits Vintage Coats, Jackets & Capes Vintage Hats, Purse & Shoes Vintage Hair Combs
Vintage Menswear
|Formerly known as the Accessories department, here is where you will find all our hats, shoes, gloves, purses, shawls, shoes and even the odd parasol. If we have stockings, they will be here, too!
Order #MB555
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| Victorian 1850s - 1860s Bone Handle Carriage Parasol in Green and Tan Plaid
We offered a blue parasol recently, now we have a green plaid. This is a classic folding carriage parasol, with carved bone handle, wood rod, brass slide, and intricate bone finial with loop. The ribs appear to be whalebone. They aren't metal or wood. The cover is a silk in forest green, golden tan and black plaid with two layers of silk fringe at the edge and top.
Label: none
Size: Length when extended: 24", 16" Across
Condition: Very Good, with one small split as shown. The hook end of the handle screw on and off, but will not screw all the way down leaving a gap as shown. Perhaps the metal screw needs to be shortened or the bone drilled out a bit? Or just a ribbon tied around it? I do not recommend opening this all the way. The silk will not take the stress.
Price: $195
Order #MB571
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| Huge Vintage 1910s Black Straw Teens Hat with Ostrich Plumes and Red Roses
There was a time hats this big were called tea table sized! This one is c. 1912 -13, and it is quite large. Worthy of the Ascot scene in My Fair Lady. The hat is a fine black straw with an over sized flat top crown. It has the original lining. The extravagant ostrich plumes are black and sweep round the brim. The two red roses are set on the brim and crown. Quite the statement hat.
Label: none
Size: Crown: 20", Brim Overall: 19" X 18"
Condition: When we received this, the feathers were unattached. We have put them back as best we can tell. The roses were still in place. The lining is original. There is one break in the brim as shown, and a chip to the edge near the rose.
Order #H857
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|1920s Rhinestone and Metallic Braid Flapper Vintage Bandeau
We have had a few 1920s bandeaus over the years- velvet, celluloid, fabric. This one is the sparkliest in prong set rhinestones and brass tone metallic braid. The front has three diamond shapes with a row of stones straight across. The metal loop ends are intact, and we have replaced the missing elastic to make this wearable. There was a shred of the original remaining, and it was indeed white.
Label: none
Size: Adjustable due to elastic. 1.5" Wide at Front, metallic braid portion is 13".
Condition: all stones present, metal braid intact but with patina. Elastic is new.
Order #SH286
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| 1920s Vintage Silver Lamé Bar Strap Evening Shoes
We found these recently in an unlikely spot, and that always makes us Happy. They are 1920s silver lame bar trap pumps with a Cuban heel. The straps has a small pearl button. The soles are leather of course. These are labeled inside, but it's very hard to read.
Label: Handmade Turns Sta?? Shank on one insole, ??-plex Shoes label on other
Size: Approx. a 6. Length: 9.5", Width on outside: 2.75" wide.
Heel: 2 .5"
Condition: solid, with wear to sole as shown and light wear to edging bindings. There is one small break to the weft on the back of one heel.
Price: $85
Order #SH284
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|Early 1960s Vintage Italian Made Mod Tan & Brown Two Tone Pumps with Square Kitten Heels
These stylish early 1960s shoes have an extreme heel: kitten height, with a very pinched spool heel. But Square at the tip! Very distinctive. The uppers are tan doeskin and brown leather, with a leather bow at the instep. Very sporty. They are Italian made, and I believe the style name is Colati. Stewart's was a fine old Louisville department store. These have a long pointed toe, so the length measurement is a bit extreme for the size.
Labels - Amalfi Rangoni made in Florence Italy, Colati, Stewart's
Size: Approx. a 6. Length: 10", Width: 2.75", Heel: 2".
Condition: Wear to the sole as shown, one small dark scuff at the right toe as shown.
Price: $25
Order #MB556
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| 1920s Vintage Brown Straw Cloche Hat with Couched Trims
This stylish deep crown cloche hat is c. 1918 - 1922. It's modified bicorne style, in brown straw with a deep brim that hugs the crown front and back .The brim is covered n burnt orange silk with gold tube braid and black trim with coiled iridescent celluloid (?) in squiggles overall. There is also horsehair braid edging the brims to soften the line. The crown is seamed with contrast piping. The black silk lining is original.
Label: CD Co. Clar-Davi Hats Columbus New York
Size: Crown: 22", Overall: 10" X 8"
Condition: Wear to the piping as shown, and losses to the coils of celluloid.
Price: $155
Order #H849
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| 1940s Gold Lame and Black Velvet Vintage Hat a NY Creation
This early 1940s evening hat is in a bonnet style with draped and pleated gold lame and black velvet. The bonnet look had a revival in the 1940s, and I am told this is an uncommon example.It sits far back on the head with black velvet cords as ties. The hat is lined in taffeta and has a grosgrain band.
Label: a New York Creation
Size: adjustable, overall: 6" X 8"
Condition: Excellent, no spots, stains, repairs or holes.
Order #H848
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| 1940s Slate Blue Felt Tilt Hat with Feathers & Veil
This 1940s slate blue wool felt hat has a rakish tilt in a brimless style with a wide elasticized back band to hold it at just the right angle. The front of the shaped toque has a wide band of blue and wine fathers under a soft veiling. This veiling has a lovely feminine floral motif.
Label: Loveman's Inc. McHenry's Hat Nashville and Consumers Protection Label
Size: Crown: 21.25", labeled a 23
Condition: Excellent, no spots or holes there is soil along the interior grosgrain at the front.
Order #H858
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|1950s Beaded Cocktail or Evening Hat in Copper and Chocolate
Wonderful 1950s hat has a felt base and is covered with copper beads in a swirling pattern. The 3 dimensional front swirl is covered with copper bugle beads. Frank M Benson was apparently a Dallas based millinery company.
Label: Frank M. Benson
Size: Crown: 19.5"
Condition: Excellent, no spots, stains, repairs or holes.
Order #H857
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| Vintage Paris Made 1950s Solange de Fabry Coffee Brown Hat
We have such a nice lot of hats from a local estate. This one is by Solange de Fabry, a Parisian milliner. It's 1950s, with a soft bucket shape and a pale blue pleated velvet band caught with rhinestone trim. The crown telescopes a bit, while the interior is finished with a black grosgrain band.
Label: Solange de Fabry 33 Rue de Ponthieu Paris
Size: crown: 19"
Condition: Excellent. No stains holes or mends. The velvet ha slight soiling at the edges of the pleats.
Price: $35
Order #H851
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|Vintage 1960s Magenta Red Velvet Hat or Beret
This dramatic 1960s magenta velvet draped and gathered hat has a band, so I'm calling it a beret! I suppose it is also a toque. And there is certainly a little turban feel to the draping. This is soft, but has shape. It is lined in taffeta.
Label: Webron Model
Size: Crown: 21.5"
Condition: Excellent, no holes, stains.
Price: $45
Order #H862
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| 1960s Vintage Mod French Faux Fur Visor Cap
This stylish Mod visor cap was brought over to the USA in the 60s by the original owner. The cap is a deep pile, soft faux fur in dark chocolate while the visor is a lighter brown vinyl. The lining is cream satin.
Label: Société Néodaim Acrylic Coton 20% Marque Deposée Made in France
Size: Crown: 20.5"
Condition: Very good with a mark on the vinyl visor as shown, some shiny streaks son the visor under brim
Price: $22
Order #A14
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| 1920s Whiting & Davis Enamel Mesh Art Deco Style Vintage Purse in Gold
The lovely 1920s metal mesh bag has a deco style frame, chain handle and zigzag edge. The enamel pattern is geometric with Deco Influence. The colors are an aqua blue, rust brown, yellow gold on a gold metal ground.
Label: Whiting & Davis Mesh Bag metal tag
Size: Body of purse is 4" Wide X 6.5" Long, Overall Length with chain: 12.5"
Condition: Excellent, very light loss to gold plating on frame - see close-up.
Price: $100
Order #H861
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| 1940s Wide Brim Straw Garden Party Vintage Hat
A lovely classic garden party summer hat in a fine natural Milan straw braid with black velvet ribbon draped band and bow. I believe this is 40s, but this is a classic hat style that was popular form the late 30s to the early 50s. The brim has been set on the crown to angle it up at the back, where a black velvet bow rests under the brim. The brim is soft and the shape depends very much upon where it is worn on the head. An a big thank you to Barbara of Rue de la Paix for help with dating this one!
Label: none
Size: Crown: 21.5", Overall: 17.5" X 15"
Condition: excellent but for a stretched out elastic. This can be replaced if desired.
Price: $45
Order #H853
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| Vintage 1940s Peach Floral and Green Ribbon Hat with Snood
This sweet 1940s peach silk georgette hat has a cap crown with pink flowers and a georgette snood accented with olive grosgrain ribbon bows. This can be worn tilted forward, but it raises the back drape up a bit. When worn a bit further back on the head, the drape seems to fall better.
Label: Jenny Lind Louisville
Size: Cap overall 5" X 5.5", CB length of drape from edge of cap: 8.5"
Condition: Excellent.
Price: $85
Order #A538
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|Vintage 1950s Copper Beaded Purse Hand Bag
Copper or Bronze? It's how you look at it I suppose. This 1950s purse is encrusted with glass beads, completely covered from the bottom to the handle. The top opens with a hinged metal tension frame and is lined in satin with a small mirror pocket. No zipper or other clasp.
Label: none
Size: Width: 6",Length: 9", Depth: 3.5" (not including handle).
Condition: Excellent
Price: $45
Order #H855
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|Vintage 1950s Hattie Carnegie Two Tone Straw Hat
Such a different hat from Madame Carnegie! We show it worn two ways: one as marked in the hat which shows as a turban style, and the other as a cap with the black section as a brim. It's pretty soft, it could work either way. The black straw panel and bow are very fine and have a gloss to them. This contrasts well with the fancy textured woven braid in natural and cream colors. There is no lining just a black grosgrain band.
Label: Hattie Carnegie Original
Size: crown: 22.25"
Condition: Excellent. No stains holes or mends.
Price: $55
Order #H856
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| Vintage Paris Made 1950s Solange de Fabry White Hat
We have such a nice lot of hats from a local estate. This one is by Solange de Fabry, a Parisian milliner. It's 1950s, with a soft shape and very lightweight construction with what appears to be white veiling over a net and wire base. There is a deep gold velvet bow tat the right side back.
Label: Solange de Fabry 33 Rue de Ponthieu Paris
Size: crown: 22.5", Overall: 11" X 10"
Condition: Excellent. No stains holes or mends.
Price: $45
Order #H845
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| 1880s Victorian Beaded Black Net Bonnet with Red Flowers
This sweet bonnet is a wire confection in net and beading, with both black and red flowers. Plus wired tremblers with beads and dangles. Most likely this was a evening or formal bonnet, and probably a married woman's. This style was popular for a long time from the late 1880s, into the 1890s and up to 1900.
Label: None
Size: Width: 7", Length: 9"
Condition: the netting is fragile, but intact. The tremblers are missing some beads.
Price: $75
Order #H850
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|1950s Pale Yellow Straw Beret with Multi-color Ribbon Streamers
This sweet hat is essentially a straw beret in a very soft yellow. The long streamers are grosgrain ribbons in navy, yellow, red, and brown. At the crown, the ends are left free to form what would be the little stem on a wool tam. The interior has a yellow grosgrain ribbon band and a black elastic cord back band.
Label: paper tag: 1624
Size: Crown: 21".
Condition: Excellent. No spots, stains or signs of wear.
Price: $20
Order #H846
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| 1960s Vintage Christian Dior Red, White and Black Straw Turban
This high style hat from Christian Dior is a high,rounded turban style in red, white and black straw braid in a spiral pattern. The crown is finished with a solid red edging to match the red circle at the tip. Plus there is a matching tri-tone bow in front. The hat is lined in net. The front is pleated and scrunched up at the center for shape.
Label: Christian Dior Chapeaux Paris-New York
Size: Crown: 22"
Condition: Excellent, with no spots, stains or holes.
Order #MB528
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|1850s - 1860s Victorian Era Navy Blue Wool Bonnet
This soft, unstructured bonnet is mid 19th Century, most likely 1850s - 1860s. It has a soft crown in blue wool, with a gathered bavolet fringed in wool yarn as well. The fringe looks like wisteria. The face edge is heavily gathered and edged with pinked ruffles. There are two silk faille bows, one at the back and one at the center front. The front face ruffles are shaped into a 'V' at the forehead. There is a silk ribbon to tie.
Label: none
Size: One size, 19" from front of bonnet over head to end of fringe
Condition: There is surface damage to the wool at the back - apparently from moths as shown.
Price: $60
Order #H839
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| 1960s Jack McConnell Turban with Rhinestones Red Feather Label
I do like a classy turban. This Jack McConnell creation has the red feather label, signifying a McConnell designed, custom made, one of a kind hat. The quality is lovely. The black silk is pleated at the back over the lightweight base, then expertly draped around the sides. The front inset is covered in rhinestone studs in two sizes.
Label: Styled by Jack McConnell New York
Size: Crown: 22"
Condition: Excellent. No spots, or holes.
Order #A386
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| Antique 1910s Teens Silver Compact Purse
These small purses from the Teens are such pretty little baubles. This one would hold a few bills, some coins, and face powder in the mirror compartment. On the backside of the mirror is a celluloid inset for writing notes in pencil. A dance card, I suspect. That's' about it. The front is pebble textures with an monogrammed oval cartouche. The back is plain. The small chain handle has long, rectangular links. I believe this to be good silver-plate as it is not marked sterling anywhere. E.A.M is for Elgin American Manufacturing.
Marks: Monogram: LTJ. Mark E.A.M. with arrow, plus numerals 869, and 345868
Size: Body of purse is 3.5" X 2 3/8"
Condition: Very good, with some scratches on back and some darkening to plating on inside
Order #MB529
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|1950s Vintage Lilly Dache New Look Hat in Amber Braid
This is an astounding hat form Lilly Dache. It's all hand sewn horsehair braid. Rows and rows of braid. The amount and quality of the labor is amazing. This is a soft and light hat - all braid and some wire, with a soft crown and a tan veiling overlay. The tulle is pleated over the under brim except at the front, where it switches and cover a triangle of the upper brim , with the point coming to the horsehair braid bow. The color is somewhat changeable - a dark amber in low light, and a glowing one in bright electric light.
There is no lining.
Label: Lilly Dache Paris 78 East 56th St New York
Size: Crown: 20",Brim overall: 20" X 20"
Condition: Excellent, the veiling is a bit frayed around the brim edge as shown.
Price: $150
Order #MB534
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| Victorian 1870s Mens Cotton Canvas Envelope Wallet
This c. 1875 tan cotton canvas accordion style envelope wallet has leather binding, four accordion pockets and one pocket inside the flap. The hand inked interior has red and black calligraphy with German? or English lettering. I think I read it as F A Gardh. Or J.A. Hardh. There are stamped names on the inside slide pockets on the flap as well. But it's illegible, at least to me! The wallet is stitched in red to match the calligraphy.
Label: none
Size: 8.5" Long, 4.5" Wide when folded
Condition: Wear and soiling to the exterior as shown, with some wear to leather edges and what a line of dark stains on the flap. Interior is clean.
Price: $35
Order #A101
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| 1910s Edwardian Beaded Purse in Red, Blue and Yellow with Filigree Frame
We are happy to offer this great little 1910s beaded bag in red, yellow, slate blue, white and black. The pattern is somewhat abstract leaf shapes with a white bottom. The frame is a filigree type with chain. The blue silk lining is original and is in good condition. The purse is the same front and back. This is a charming and even useable example of a 1910s ladies bag.
Label: none
Size:5.5" X 6", not including chain
Condition: Excellent. The filigree has lost most of its silvering. There is a brown spot on the base as shown. The lining is in very good condition. The beads are intact. The color is strong and not faded.
Price: $95


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Federal appeals court reverses key ruling, keeps secrecy for FISA court records
ACLU of Massachusetts criticizes blow against openness.
Victory! Cambridge says NO to ICE detainers
Unanimous vote follows Somerville's ending of the practice through executive order.
Federal judge requires government provide bond hearings to dozens of ACLU immigrant clients
Class action lawsuit argued federal government wrongly incarcerated dozens in Massachusetts jails under "mandatory detention" provision.
State lawmakers include Password Protection Act in budget package
ACLU-backed proposal now under consideration would protect social media from snooping employers.
Westfield Mayor accepts federal court ruling that he violated opponents' First Amendment rights
Property owner and politicians sued Mayor Daniel Knapik for ordering campaign signs removed just before municipal elections decided by fewer than 30 votes. Parties agree Knapik to pay $53,000 for attorneys fees.

subset: commoncrawl


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Brad & John: Podcasts
Patriot's Day
Maj. Jason Vose, KISM and you worked toether to make this saturday's Patriot's Day in Concrete happen!
Camels in B'ham
B&J find out all about camels in Bellingham!
McCartney in concert!
B&J review the legendary Paul McCartney show at Safeco field friday night
I Can't Believe it's News 7/19 late
A man's bed bugs halt a court hearing…a Pittsburgh cop is in trouble for posing for a pic with a porn star…and a couple gets married then has sex in a park!
I Can't Believe it's News 7/19 early
2 girls show up handcuffed to each other at the fire station…a bizarre arrest on Seattle's capitol hill…and a mom tries to help her virgin son on craigslist!
The Trash 7/19
Martina Hingis is a serial cheater according to her ex…and was RG3 sexting naked pix to a Hooter's girl on his wedding night???
The 9:30 Knucklehead of the Week
The tv station who read the wrong pilots names for the airline crash
Getting ready for Paul McCartney!
Tony Pereira is the director of operations at Safeco field as they get ready for the first concert ever at the stadium tonight with Sir Paul McCartney
I Can't Believe it's News 7/18 late
A Burger King employee left his pot pipe in a kid's meal…a cop rescues a dog on a roof…and a man blames Joe Biden for his arrest!
I Can't Believe it's News 7/18 early
Australia is destroying a million bottles of wine…a dead man was found with rattlesnakes in his backpack…and a man REALLY wanted a 3X tanktop!


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Home » Hillbilly Jim » Pajama
Hillbilly Jim
Real Name
James Morris
Date of Birth
July 5, 1952
Place of Birth
A rather interesting picture surfaced on Instagram lately. It is a candidate image of Tara and Sarita, each of whom is wearing a pajama in the shape fo a dinosaur. Sarita recently celebrated her birthday by visiting Tara in Chicago.
March 13, 2014
A video of Roddy Piper, Howard Finkel, Hillbilly Jim and Jimmy Hart playing tennis on an episode of WWE Legends House.
April 19, 2014
A poster of the upcoming Legends House show, which is expected to be one of the centerpiece series on the new WWE Network. It features Jim Duggan, Tony Atlas, Pat Patterson, Howard Finkel, Jimmy Hart, Hillbilly Jim, Roddy Piper and Mean Gene Okerlund.
March 19, 2014
At Wrestlemania 2, Andre the Giant won a 20 man battle royal that featured several NFL stars and WWE stars, including Tony Atlas, Hillbilly Jim, Pedro Morales, Dan Spivey, Jim Neidhart and Bret Hart. Andre won the match by eliminating the Hart Foundation at the end.
April 7, 1986


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I am looking for the ancestors of Elmer Sylvester Lamphier, b. 1859, Clayton Co, IA, d, 1962, Audabon Co, IA. He married Margaret Ann Luanna Settlemire (b.1859, Fayette Co, IA, d. 1890. Volga, Clayton Co, IA). Must be related to Norman Lamphier family of Clayton Co, IA. Would appreciate any help.
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Home | Ayr Advertiser
News »
25 Nov 2014 16:23
A PEADOPHILE pensioner was caged last week after molesting two girls and offering them hush money.
Man dies after house fire in Minishant
25 Nov 2014 09:30 • Eddie Harbinson
A MAN has died after a house fire in Minishant.
24 Nov 2014 16:14
THE COCA-COLA Christmas truck will pull up in Ayr on Sunday.
Council sells off buildings to raise cash
24 Nov 2014 16:00 • Sarah Hilley
COUNCIL bosses are resorting to selling off properties in a bid to raise desperately needed cash.
Ayr electric car chargers rarely work
23 Nov 2014 13:15 • Sarah Hilley
A GREEN car owner is fed up with Ayr's futuristic electric charging points rarely working.
Drug overdose patient steals from hospital
22 Nov 2014 09:30
A DRUG overdose patient has been jailed after nicking medical supplies from hospital.
Recent Stories
Trump believes Ryanair will be back at Prestwick in 'big way'
Sport »
Ayr clash with Peterhead to be replayed
AYR United's home clash with Peterhead is to be replayed after the northern side fielded an ineligible player. At a disciplinary hearing on Monday, the SPFL Board charged Peterhead Football Club for playing Reece Donaldson in a league match whilst he was serving a Scottish FA suspension.
25 Nov 2014 09:30
Clan coach looks to bounce back
23 Nov 2014 09:30
DETERMINED Braehead Clan head coach Ryan Finnerty says there is work to be done as he reflected on a double weekend loss - but he's got Sheffield Steelers in his sights next week.
Roberts hopeful fortunes can change
22 Nov 2014 09:30
UNDER-pressure Ayr United boss Mark Roberts insists his team can turn the club's fortunes around, despite slumping to a fifth successive home league defeat.
Seasiders celebrate first league wihn
21 Nov 2014 09:30
JUBILANT TROON FC assistant boss Gordon Burns saluted his team on Saturday as they finally chalked up their first win in the Super League Premier Division.
Former Ayr ace relishes international test
20 Nov 2014 09:30
SATURDAY is a landmark day with the first ever tier one international rugby game being played on an artificial surface and the first Scotland rugby fixture ever played in Ayrshire
20 Nov 2014 09:30
PRESSURE is mounting on Ayr United boss Mark Roberts after the Honest Men suffered a fifth straight home league defeat against Peterhead on Saturday.


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Welcome to the city of Baltimore, Maryland and into the life of Elise Roberts. Elise lives the life of a pampered princess. Designer clothes, expensive cars and fancy parties are the center of her world. She is a woman who has everything she ever wanted until she meets Lukas Weiss. Faced for the first...
In the small southern town of Perry, Mississippi, an unlikely pair get much more than they bargained for when they fall madly in love.
Some people are born to survive...others are forced to. But the thing that makes someone a survivor is what their surviving for. Is it love, hope, or the bonds we make. In Nava's case it's none of the above, she just hasn't found anything to die for.
Kyle Hemsworth is your average New York teenager, until Minnie King comes to town. She is bold and full of fire that all southern belles have. She completely through him off of his game and has him doing things that others may find crazy or creepy...
Camille Jackson was rejected since birth over her dark skin complexion. She has grown a tough skin and doesn't get attached to anyone because of how some people have viewed her without even getting to know her. However Camille opens her heart to a baby in need and for the first six months...
NANOWRIMO Project Willow Carter is a plus size girl with lots of attitude and very little self esteem. When her mother and older sister force her to jog to slim down for her sister's wedding, she is attacked by a madman and rescued by a savior. But just because a man saves your life...
Elle always played it safe. She was used to being in control. Every accomplishment in her life was meticulously planned. The only thing she didn't have reign over was her stale love life. When an old flame from a past complicated relationship comes back into her life, she soon finds out everything...
Megan Nicole "Nikki" Smith is in her final year of grad school at the prestigious School of Visual Arts hoping to further pursue her illustration career. Nikki feels that there aren't enough black female book and graphic novel illustrators and wants to break that wall in the industry...
Akira. The perfect daughter. The perfect wife. On the outside everything seems that way, but inside is different. Blood is thicker than water, or is it?
Sally McDonald is not who anyone thinks. Her life is filled with secrets. Some she doesn't even know about. But when Storm Monsello sees the terrified girl one night, he never expects how much her secrets interweaves with his life, and dark secrets of the people he trusted the most.
Calvin Zegers whole life swarms around his best friend and crush Corrie...
Lance was a man who had it all and lost it all. He was down and out and was ready to give up because he had nothing to live for. Nina was a woman who had enough of being used and was trying to start her life over in a new city. When these two meet will Lance have something to live for? Or will he continue...
Tara does something she never thought she'd do, save one of the living dead. Now she's being hunted by the Authority. Eric is the only one who can protect her-that's if she agrees to give him what he wants in return. Takes place during S4E9 Let's Get Out of Here. JUICY LEMONS! Tara/Eric...
The Redtips Wolf clan wrongfully accused of hunting humans on Vampire Lord Jye's land; must give the only maiden of their pack,Sarason as concubine, to save...
She joined Citrus because she was once weak, she wanted to stop evil and the ruthless of man that was so prevalent in this world. Her only dream was to make a difference. He joined Citrus because he was powerful. He was Citrus's secret weapon. What happens when two people from warring factions...
They were drowning in debt and three days from eviction when a blessing fell into their laps.
Members: pekkles, RAPTUSMIND, Yoyoma
Unique Visitors: 6,050
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Certainly not our usual numbers, but the site was only operational for 3 days in October on our new server, so not too shabby after all!
Rated: 17 and older [Reviews - 158]
After a rough Summer Alisha Easterly believes that it can only get better with the beginning of her Junior Year of high school... unfortunately sometimes what you want and what you get don't always coincide...
Category: Original Fiction
Characters: None
Classification: None
Genre: None
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Pairings: None
Warnings: Adult Situations, Extreme Language, Original Characters, Sexual Content , Work in Progress
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Chapters: 16
Completed: No
Word count: 36862
Read count: 34836
Published: 02/03/10
Updated: 01/14/14
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Rated: 17 and older [Reviews - 21]
Riley Daniels is a career driven lawyer that believes in upholding the law no matter what. Morally driven all her life she finally gets the opportunity of a lifetime when she lands a job with the FBI. But when her personal life becomes entangled in a case she starts to see that maybe nothing is as black and white as she thought... not even the man she's in love with...
Troy Donovan is a professional soccer player on his way to stardom. He's cocky, sexy and has money to burn. He seems not to have a care in the world... that is until the demons of his past threaten to destroy all that he has built.
How do you build a future with someone when you can't even tell them who you really are?
Category: Original Fiction
Characters: None
Classification: None
Genre: Action-Adventure , Drama, Romance, Suspense
Story Status: None
Pairings: None
Warnings: Adult Situations, Extreme Language, Graphic Violence, Original Characters, Strong Sexual Content , Work in Progress
Challenge: None
Series: None
Chapters: 5
Completed: No
Word count: 9024
Read count: 4882
Published: 01/18/11
Updated: 02/08/11
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Rated: Teen or Above [Reviews - 41]
When the time comes and you find yourself at a crossroad... who will you be... what will you do?
Category: One Life to Live, Daytime Television
Characters: Evangeline Williamson
Classification: Alternate Universe
Genre: Drama
Story Status: None
Pairings: Tangeline (One Life to Live)
Warnings: Work in Progress
Challenge: None
Series: None
Chapters: 4
Completed: No
Word count: 6804
Read count: 10533
Published: 01/21/09
Updated: 03/30/10
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Rated: Teen or Above [Reviews - 13]
Category: General Hospital, One Life to Live
Characters: Evangeline Williamson
Classification: Crossover
Genre: Drama, Mystery
Story Status: None
Pairings: Tangeline (One Life to Live)
Warnings: Work in Progress
Challenge: None
Series: None
Chapters: 4
Completed: No
Word count: 4871
Read count: 6560
Published: 09/30/09
Updated: 12/21/09
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Rated: All Ages [Reviews - 4]
A one shot conversation between Todd and Evangeline if she ever wakes up from her coma. Repost with paragraph breaks.
Category: Daytime Television, One Life to Live
Characters: Evangeline Williamson
Classification: General
Genre: Drama, Friendship
Story Status: None
Pairings: Tangeline (One Life to Live)
Warnings: None
Challenge: None
Series: None
Chapters: 1
Completed: Yes
Word count: 2890
Read count: 1455
Published: 02/09/09
Updated: 02/09/09
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Friday, November 7, 2014
Understanding How Things Work
The adage, "You get what you pay for," never seems more apropos to me than when politicians pontificate about how "things" should work, meaning the economy, thereby displaying their ignorance of the economic system that has been the engine of America's success and produced the highest standard of living in the world for over 200 years.
Unfortunately, the American people are not getting what we are paying for in our political leaders.
What we should be getting is people who understand how the free market system works, that the less it is regulated (restricted) by government, the better it works.
However, what we are getting is politicians and political leaders who have no clue about capitalism and believe it is their responsibility to pass legislation that causes the government to intrude on the free market, in effect defining the rules by which it should function.
Currently, the lead player in this scenario, of course, is Obama, who has never run anything or held a job, yet seems to believe that he knows better than everyone else how the system should work. The problem is that his notion of "the system" is not the free market but socialism.
No government in history has ever created prosperity by managing the economy. The most notable example, at least in the last century was the U.S.S.R., which failed to the point of collapse in about 90 years.
But, hope springs eternal. Each succeeding generation seems to believe that they have the answer, that they know how to "run" the economy better than the "free market."
To some extent, this is reflected by the percentage of presidential cabinet members who had any business background and/or experience.
Following are the percentages of past presidential cabinet members who had worked in the private business sector prior to their appointment to the cabinet. (The private business sector is a real-life business, not a government job.)
Here are the percentages:
President (1901-1909): Theodore (Teddy) Roosevelt 38%
President (1909-1913): William Howard Taft 40%
President (1913-1921): Woodrow Wilson 52%
President (1921-1923): Warren G. Harding 49%
President (1923-1929): Calvin Coolidge 48%
President (1929-1933): Herbert Hoover 42%
President (1933-1945): Franklin Delano Roosevelt 50%
President (1945-1953): Harry S. Truman 50%
President (1953-1961): Dwight D. Eisenhower 57%
President (1961-1963): John F. Kennedy 30%
President (1963-1969): Lyndon B. Johnson 47%
President (1969-1974): Richard M. Nixon 53%
President (1974-1977): Gerald R. Ford 42%
President (1976-1980): Jimmy Carter 32%
President (1981-1989): Ronald W. Reagan 56%
President (1988-1992): George H.W. Bush 51%
President (1993-2001): William Jefferson Clinton 39%
President (2000-2001): George W. Bush 55%
Note that during the 100 year period covered by the foregoing list, the lowest percentage of cabinet members who had business experience was 30%, during John F. Kennedy's presidency, and the highest percentage was 56%, during Ronald Reagan's term in office.
© 2014 Harris R. Sherline, All Rights Reserved
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Friday, November 7, 2014
Pass a Law, Fix the Problem
How many laws do we pass to fix problems, only to find out that they don't fix anything and often make things worse? Sometimes laws are passed for political purposes, sometimes to bestow some benefit on a particular group or individual, sometimes simply out of ignorance. Whatever the case, the more they pile up, the worse things get.
Logic and reason have no effect on those who support many of the actions that are taken by our political leaders. They do it for a reason, albeit often wrong, but the bigger problem is the lack of knowledge of the electorate who support many of these laws.
Does anyone ever stop to consider the number of laws that are passed?
In a 2010 article, "Too many crimes – a function of too many laws," former U.S. Attorney General Edwin W. Meese III makes the case that "America is in the throes of over criminalization.
He supports his assertion by citing a number of cases that are noted in a new book, "One Nation Under Arrest":
A 12-year old girl arrested and handcuffed for eating a single french fry on the Washington subway system.
A cancer-ridden grandmother arrested and criminally charged for refusing to trim her hedges the way officials in Palo Alto, CA, mandated.
A former high-school science whiz kid sent to prison after initially being arrested by FBI agents clad in SWAT gear for failing to affix a federal sticker to his otherwise legal UPS package.
A 67-year-old retired husband and grandfather imprisoned because some of the paperwork for his home-based orchid business did not satisfy an international treaty.
One of the major problems in America today is that there are too many laws and too much regulation. There are a seemingly endless number of examples of legislators who either have no sense or somehow lose it in the exalted halls of government. For instance, Kentucky law mandates that people must bathe once a year.
Not to pick on Kentucky, but like most states, they have a number of crazy laws: Throwing eggs at a public speaker is punishable by up to one year in jail; it is illegal to dye or color a baby chick, duckling or rabbit unless six or more are for sale at the same time; or if a horse dies in front of a residence, the owner (of the horse, that is) must remove the dead animal within 12 hours.
If it is not done, then it becomes the homeowner's responsibility. That may have made sense in the 1800s, but it hardly seems necessary today. One city had an ordinance that required the sheriff to shoot dogs whose owners did not pay a local tax on their animals.
Consider the number of jurisdictions with boards, councils or commissions that legislate and the number of laws they adopt annually. There are over 3,000 counties in the U.S., ranging in size from 41.6 square miles (Arlington, VA) to 141,398 square miles in the North Slope Borough of Alaska, along with almost 19,500 municipalities, in addition to the 50 states. That adds up to roughly 22,500 entities in addition to the Federal government, all putting laws on the books, presumably to correct problems or to influence or regulate behavior. In California, the legislature adds upwards of 5,000 laws to the state's code books every year.
As Will Rogers said, "Congress met. I was afraid they would."
Obviously, a certain amount of this is necessary. For example, local ordinances for such purposes as regulating traffic, land use, or taxation. Or, advances in technology bring new problems and with them the need for new laws. The rapid development of computers and the Internet has created new opportunities for mischief with them, such as Internet fraud and identity theft. And bio-technology is presenting society with moral and ethical challenges that never would have occurred to earlier generations.
However, people's wants are insatiable, and legislators respond to special interest groups that want to impose their particular need or desire on the rest of society, which results in thousands of laws and regulations.
The latest example of excessive regulation was noted in a January 1, 2014 Sacramento Bee article, "California's new laws: What changes in 2014."
The article lists about 30 new laws or modifications of existing laws that became effective in the new year.
Many of them amount to nothing more than housekeeping measures, clarifying or expanding existing laws that are already on the books, such as Immigration, prohibiting employers from punishing or retaliating against workers on the basis of their immigration status, Hydraulic Fracturing for oil drilling, banning lead ammunition because of the health risk to wildlife, Abortion, Pharmacists, Transgender students, Domestic Workers, Prevailing Wage, various gun laws, Paparazzi, Limo Safety, Texting while driving, Food Stamps, Mattress Recycling, Distillery Tastings, and Residential Plumbing.
However, notwithstanding the necessity for the laundry list of bills outlined in the article, one in particular got my attention, because it illustrates the absolute foolishness of bureaucrats and legislators, who seem to think they can craft an answer to every problem. This is a new law that requires "cars to stay at least 3 feet away from bicyclists…"
I'm not sure how this will actually work, because my experience is that it's generally impossible to move three feet away from someone on a bike, even when they are in a lane dedicated to bike riders. In the area where my wife and I live, in order to give a bike rider a three-foot clearance, it is necessary to move into oncoming traffic. I presume this rule will also apply when driving on the highways (freeways), which generally do not have a bike lane, in which case it may become necessary for a driver to pull out in front of fast-moving traffic coming up from behind.
I strikes me that this is just another example of "do good" legislation being passed by legislators who all too often seem to be disconnected from reality.
It's also worth noting, I think, that America has more lawyers than the rest of the world combined, and our society is suffering the consequences."
For example, we can be prosecuted for breaking laws we don't even know exist. "Ignorance of the law is no excuse" has always been a traditional mantra, but it has been reported that Americans are now subject to over five million laws. How can anyone possibly know and obey them all? And, they keep piling up. Every legislative body, municipal, county, state and Federal, is constantly making new laws, and nothing ever seems to be taken off the books. CNN recently reported, "40,000 new laws take effect in 2014."
So, if ignorance of the law is really no excuse, then we are all charged with specific knowledge of the millions of laws that regulate us. That's impossible and is undoubtedly one of the reasons why many Americans have become increasingly cynical about the law and justice in this country.
And, if five million laws are not enough, there are also hundreds of thousands, perhaps millions, of rules that are superimposed on top of them – by OSHA, EPA, HUD, EEOC and a host of other
agencies, including everyone's favorite villain, the Internal Revenue Service.
Legal precedent has also added to the burden of excessive control and regulation that are strangling our society. Hundreds of thousands of court cases are litigated to interpret the laws, which comprise entire libraries of additional rules we are expected to abide by in our daily lives. The sheer weight and complexity of all this breeds contempt for the law, evasion and deliberate
law breaking.
As Ronald Reagan said, "I have wondered at times about what the Ten Commandments would have looked like if Moses had run them through the U.S. Congress?"
© 2014 Harris R. Sherline, All Rights Reserved
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Wednesday, October 8, 2014
"A Billion Here and A Billion There"
During the Watergate hearings in the mid 1970s, Senator Everett Dirksen, said, "A billion here and a billion there, and pretty soon you're talking real money."
His humor made headlines back then, but we seldom heard anyone talk about another aspect of his observation. That is, just how much money is a billion dollars?
Today, we hear the word constantly. Government budgets in the multi-billions are debated and approved all the time, and we seem to think nothing of it. Hardly a flicker from anyone.
As a matter of fact, it's more often the opposite. What we usually see is "pork" being piled onto appropriations bills as if the economy were a bottomless pit for our politicians, who ignore the public good for private benefit. California is a prime example of unrestrained political excess gone astray, to the point of bankruptcy.
I can remember a time when the idea of a billion dollars was a source of wonder at the sheer scope of that amount of money. It no longer seems to elicit any response at all, except perhaps boredom.
But, a billion dollars does add up to "real money," especially when you look closely at what it can buy.
With that in mind, consider the following illustrations of just how much money a billion dollars really is:
The U.S. median (half above, half below) annual salary is $68,947 for men and $53,123 for women, it would support over 11,000 families for one year. Or, in the nation's capital, it would pay the salaries of the entire Congress plus those of the complete Congressional staff and their combined office expense budgets for one year, with money left over. Which is the better buy?
In many third-world countries, where the average annual income is about $1,000, it would provide for a million families for one year.
At $8,400 per student, it would pay the costs of schooling for almost 119,000 children (K-12) for one year; or for the entire college education of over 9,300 students (at, say, $26,700 per year each).
At a median salary, nationwide, of about $52,100 a year, it could pay for more than 19,000 secondary school teachers for one year.
Five million doctor visits at $200 per visit adds up to $1 billion. That's a lot of patients. Or, at an average Rx expense of $200 a month, one billion dollars would pay the prescription costs for over 416,000 people for one year.
For apartment dwellers, at $2,000 a month rent, a billion dollars would provide shelter for over 41,000 families for one year.
For the investment minded, the earnings on one billion dollars, at 5% per annum, would be $50 million a year. Think you can retire on that?
Looking at it from the viewpoint of seniors who receive Social Security, with the average retiree receiving about $1,230 a month, one billion dollars would provide annual retirement payments to about 67,700 people. If a one billion dollar endowment fund were invested at 5%, the $50 million investment income it would earn would help support almost 3,400 seniors with the equivalent of their Social Security payments, without dipping into the principal.
Isn't that how Social Security should work, instead of as some type of "Ponzi scheme," which would be illegal if it were not the government doing it?
Are we getting our money's worth from government? Or, is too much of it being wasted?
Like the man said, "A billion here and a billion there, and pretty soon you're talking real money."
© 2013-2014 Harris R. Sherline, All Rights Reserved
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Wednesday, October 8, 2014
The Tyranny of The Majority
When I was in high school in the 1940s, we were taught to believe that majority rule was best, that the function of government was to help us, that our system
of justice was intended to be a "search for the truth." These ideas were widely accepted as immutable truths. Today, almost 70 years later, to my eye, they
are no longer as true as we once thought. The cause may be directly attributable to our treasured democracy in action.
A brief examination of four major issues helps illustrate how the rule of a simple majority has been impacting our rights as American citizens: taxes, tobacco,
health care and property rights.
Taxes: Everyone should pay their "fair share," especially the rich. But, who are the rich? How many people do you know who think they are rich?
According to IRS figures, 50% of all taxpayers pay only about 3% of the total Federal income tax burden, while the top 10% pay around 66% of the bill.
Almost half of all those who file Federal returns pay no tax at all, the top 25% contribute 86% of the total, and the top 1% pay about 39% of all income
taxes collected. Is that fair enough? Or, should the "rich" pay even more? Remember, the definition of rich probably includes you, no matter how you view
yourself, since taxpayers with Adjusted Gross Incomes around $55,000 are in the top 25% of taxpayers. So, is the "fair share" concept really fair?
Tobacco: The tyranny of the majority is also seen in matters involving the tobacco industry. Tobacco companies have been cast in the role of villains and
should be punished for selling a legal product but lying to the public about the effects of smoking on their health. The power of the government has been used
to levy a massive tax on the industry through litigation and settlement of court cases, in spite of the fact that cigarette packaging and advertising have carried
warning labels for 25 years. Whatever you may think about the tobacco companies, we should question the actions of Federal and state governments
extracting money from any industry by this means and using it to fund pet projects that could not gain the necessary public support to increase taxes to pay
for them. If they can do this to the tobacco industry and get away with it, who will be next?
Health Care: Government intervention in health care has become a major focus. It is no longer possible to escape the consequences of Big Brother's
involvement in health care. Driven by the votes of a growing elderly population, the "tyranny of the majority" continues to expand government intervention
in our lives with cries for government funding of health care for all Americans.
Property Rights: Here too, the "tyranny of the majority" is at work. Do you actually own your real property? Your home? The apartment complex or
commercial building you bought as an investment? Your ranch or farm? If you think you do, consider just some of the following limitations on your ownership:
The government can take your property if they want it for some public purpose (eminent domain).
Even if your property is paid for, you still have to pay a form of rent - forever (in the guise of property taxes and assessments) - to keep it. If you fail to pay,
the state will eventually take it from you and sell it at public auction.
Limitations on the use of your land can be forced on you for such purposes as riding trails, access to the beach, power lines, view corridors, roads and highways, maintenance of public areas, zoning laws tell you what you can build - how to build it and what it must look like, how much you can charge tenants (rent control),
and a host of other restrictions too numerous to include here.
The answer to the question, "Who owns your property?" is – you don't! Not really. You may have title, but your control is limited.
It's important to note that a majority is only "one" over half. One vote more than 50% is enough to win an election. One is enough to rule. And, that "one"
often delivers the power to dictate to the other half. One-half plus one can truly be a tyrannical majority in every key aspect of life in America: taxation, gun
control, abortion, education and school choice, defense, Social Security, health care, property rights and land use, you name it.
Perhaps a "super majority," say 60% or 65%, should be required to pass certain types of legislation, such as tax increases, bond issues, and major programs, etc.
© 2009-2014 Harris R. Sherline, All Rights Reserved
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Wednesday, September 24, 2014
George Orwell's Predictions Come True
George Orwell wrote two books almost 70 years ago in which he predicted the future of society with remarkable prescience: "Animal Farm" and "1984".
Many of his observations can easily be applied to the political situation in America today. Consider the following quotes from "Animal Farm," which was
written in 1945:
"If liberty means anything at all, it means the right to tell people what they do not want to hear."
"To see what is in front of one's nose needs a constant struggle."
NOTE: This has become increasingly difficult in America today because of the failure of our media to meet its responsibility of "speaking truth to power"
rather than submitting to it.
"Speaking the Truth in times of universal deceit is a revolutionary act."
NOTE the growing trend in today's America to label people as un-American when they disagree over policy.
"The great enemy of clear language is insincerity."
NOTE: We need only to listen to the representations of our politicians today to recognize the truth of this observation.
"Every generation imagines itself to be more intelligent than the one that went before it, and wiser than the one that comes after it." (Including the current
generation of Americans).
"All animals are equal but some animals are more equal than others." When the animals take over the farm, they think it is the start of a better life. Their
dream is of a world where all animals are equal and all property is shared. But soon the pigs take control and one of them, Napoleon, becomes the leader
of all the animals. One by one the principles of the revolution are abandoned, until the animals have even less freedom than before.
NOTE how this applies to the situation in America today.
"The quickest way of ending a war is to lose it."
NOTE: Iraq and Afghanistan are current examples of this observation.
"Political language. . . is designed to make lies sound truthful and murder respectable, and to give an appearance of solidity to pure wind."
NOTE how this applies to the political class in America today, who increasingly talk with the appearance of authority yet say nothing of any significance
or meaning.
"Sometimes the first duty of intelligent men is the restatement of the obvious."
"Power is not a means, it is an end. One does not establish a dictatorship in order to safeguard a revolution; one makes the revolution in order to establish
the dictatorship. The object of persecution is persecution. The object of torture is torture. The object of power is power." NOTE the naked pursuit of
power by politicians at all levels in America today.
"War is a way of shattering to pieces, or pouring into the stratosphere, or sinking in the depths of the sea, materials which might otherwise be used to make
the masses too comfortable, and hence, in the long run, too intelligent." Consider the waste of resources that is taking place in America today.
Following are some of the many cogent observations that George Orwell made in his second book, "1984":
"Big Brother is watching you."
NOTE the massive intrusion of government in our lives today. This is perhaps best exemplified by the federal income tax code (now estimated to require
over 72,000 pages to document) and the power of the IRS to define and enforce tax regulations and collect taxes.
"The best books . . . are those that tell you what you know already."
"Until they become conscious they will never rebel, and until after they have rebelled they cannot become conscious."
"But the proles (the people), if only they could somehow become conscious of their own strength, would have no need to conspire. They needed only to
rise up and shake themselves like a horse shaking off flies. If they chose they could blow the Party to pieces tomorrow morning. Surely sooner or later it
must occur to them to do it? And yet -----!" NOTE the fierce, largely spontaneous resistance that has recently developed to the massive deficit spending
and expansion of government in the lives of Americans.
"If you want a picture of the future, imagine a boot stamping on a human face -- forever." NOTE: As the size and reach of government continues to grow
beyond all expectations, the power of the United States' government has become increasingly oppressive. As Lord Acton (1834-1902) famously said,
"Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely."
George Orwell's observations about the future of society were made 67 years ago, and they are proving to be remarkably accurate in today's America.
It's more than a little scary to contemplate. My fear is that if the American people do not take their government back from their politicians, our nation's
future will look increasingly like Orwell's "1984."
You can read "1984" at:
Read "Animal Farm" at:
© 2012-2014 Harris R. Sherline, All Rights Reserved
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Monday, September 8, 2014
9/11: A Perspective, Thirteen Years Later
Contemplating the thirteenth anniversary of the 9/11 Islamofascist attack on America, I continue to wonder why our nation is so divided about the War on Terror?
I was in high school during WWII, and I don't remember any major disagreements between Americans about the war, whether we should be fighting it at all, or if we brought the Pearl Harbor attack on ourselves, or whether we should take the fight to the Japanese. It was abundantly clear that to allow them to hit us again on our own turf was unthinkable.
FDR famously memorialized December 7, 1941 as "a date which will live in infamy". There was no hesitation about what our response should be, nor do I remember any equivocation during the conduct of the war, which did not end until after we dropped A-bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945. Everyone understood that we were in a fight for our very existence. A fight we did not start and for which we were not prepared, but surely one we had to finish, or we would have ceased to exist as a nation. It was a simple proposition: They win, we lose, live or die. That's the nature of wars. You can't fight wars in a half-hearted or politically correct way. For all the talk about the Geneva Convention, they are not regulated by some sort of Marquis of Queensbury rules, and everyone understood that.
So, what's different now, some 73 years later?
For starters, our politics:
We continue to be divided over whether the War on Terror is a real war or some sort of regional conflict or if, in fact, it's a war at all, as opposed to criminal activity that more properly falls within the purview of the justice system.
A clear understanding of who the enemy is:
In past wars, everyone knew who the enemy was. That was still true during the "Cold War" with the Soviet Union and communism in general. But today, not everyone seems to fully appreciate or agree that we are fighting an enemy that transcends national boundaries and whose motivation is based on their religious beliefs, that their ultimate goal is to convert or subjugate entire world to their religion or kill all those who refuse. Islamic Fundamentalists are waging war on a wide variety of fronts, Boko Haram, ISIS, Al-Qaeda, The Taliban, Islamic Jihad, is a partial list.
Letting the military run the war:
During WWII, we let our military make the essential decisions about how the war should be fought. MacArthur was given a free hand to wage the fight in the Pacific. And, it was pretty much the same for Eisenhower in Europe. We lost Vietnam because our political leaders interfered with the conduct of the war, with disastrous consequences.
Acceptance of the nature of war:
Recognizing that war is brutal, that no quarter is given and that it cannot be conducted in a politically correct way. During WWII, Americans did not question the necessity of fighting with no holds barred. The objective in past wars has always been to bring the enemy to their knees, striking against centers of production and destroying their ability to produce weapons. That invariably caused civilian casualties. As terrible as that may have been, it was generally accepted as necessary. London and many Russian cities were almost totally destroyed by the Germans, and many German cities were almost bombed out of existence by the allies. Loss of life on both sides, both military and civilian, was massive, totaling in the millions.
Agreement on the meaning of the term, "giving aid and comfort to the enemy:"
Supporting our enemies during times of war has always been considered treasonous. We went astray during the Vietnam War, as exemplified by the Chicago Seven and the likes of Jane Fonda. But, during WWII there was no doubt what the term meant. Today, there don't seem to be any limitations on the behavior of American citizens or media, including releasing classified information to the public.
Wars are messy:
For all the strategic and tactical planning that goes on during wars, the fact is that both sides are constantly maneuvering to gain the advantage, and their moves are always changing. Dwight Eisenhower, the Commander of Allied Forces in Europe said, "In preparing for battle I have always found that plans are useless, but planning is indispensable."
Recognizing that wars often last for many years:
Many Americans are showing signs of fatigue in the process of what promises to be a fight that could last for a generation. The Brits didn't pull their troops out of Northern Ireland for almost 40 years of fighting with Irish terrorists. Many Americans appear to have the mistaken impression that wars are waged in the time span of a T.V. show or a movie, while the reality is that they may last for decades.
America has not been placed on a "war-time" footing:
In general, we don't seem to be deprived of anything because we are at war. For many Americans, there has been little or no direct consequence affecting their personal lifestyles, careers, education or other aspect of their lives: no significant shortages, no rationing, no military draft. Indirectly, of course, everyone has been affected by massive government spending to finance the effort. And, although our individual freedoms have been curtailed somewhat by the Patriot Act, it doesn't appear to be unreasonably limiting them. There are those, of course, such as the ACLU, who argue otherwise, but I don't believe it's possible for us to protect ourselves adequately without also limiting our rights to some degree. Unlimited freedoms are simply not possible in wartime.
As we approached the sixth Anniversary of 9/11, Cal Thomas wrote in Townhall.com, "'Why didn't we see 9/11 coming' was a question frequently asked in the aftermath of that terrorist attack. And the answer should be, because we forgot the attacks preceding that one, or brushed them off as inconsequential aberrations so we could get back to watching the stock market go up and obsess about Bill Clinton's pants coming down. By not remembering those earlier attacks, the reasons behind them and the intentions of the terrorists and those who trained and incited them, we put ourselves in further jeopardy…Not to remember 9/11, is to forget what brought it about. That can lead to a lowering of our guard and a false sense of security…".
That's what concerns me most as I contemplate another anniversary of 9/11, that the attack has not become a battle cry, like "Remember the Alamo," exhorting Americans to never forget that we are at war, that we must not only remain vigilant but that we must respond directly to the threat of Islamofacists everywhere, at home and abroad, or we risk becoming just another footnote to history.
© 2013-2014 Harris R. Sherline, All Rights Reserved
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Thursday, August 28, 2014
John Kerry, Patriot or Fraud?
"On February 1, 2013, John Kerry was sworn in as the 68
Secretary of State of the United States. The Secretary of State, appointed by the President with the advice and consent of the Senate, is the President's chief foreign affairs advisor.
The Secretary carries out the President's foreign policies through the State Department, which includes the Foreign Service, Civil Service, and U.S. Agency for International Development." (Source: The U.S. Department of State website.)
On the surface, Senator Kerry appears to be highly qualified for this important post, but appearances can be deceptive, and there is at least one consideration that I believe should have given the President reason to re-think his appointment.
So, you may ask, what's the problem?
Think about this: in the past John Kerry has told blatant lies under oath.
So what, you may ask. What politician hasn't done that?
However, consider the following commentary by a U.S. Marine:
John Kerry said, "You know education, if you make the most of it, you study hard, you do your homework, and you make an effort to be smart, you can do well, and if you don't, you get stuck in Iraq."
As a candidate for lieutenant governor in 1982, John Kerry assured the voters of Massachusetts that he wasn't seeking the position as a mere "stepping-stone" to higher office. But just one year into his four-year term, he announced his candidacy for
the US Senate seat that Paul Tsongas was vacating because of illness.
Few people held Kerry's broken commitment against him. In part that was because nobody had believed it in the first place (
candidates for lieutenant governor seek the position as a stepping-stone). But it was also because everyone knew what Kerry
knew: If he passed up the chance to run for the position Tsongas was relinquishing, it might be years before it opened up again. So Kerry jumped into the Senate race and won. Sure enough, the seat has been occupied ever since.
For nearly 28 years Kerry had been a senator, and in all that time no Massachusetts Democrat has ever seriously challenged him in a primary. (He faced token opposition from a little-known Gloucester lawyer in 2008). Yet once speculation began that
President Obama might name Kerry to a Cabinet post, three Democratic congressmen — Edward Markey, Michael Capuano, and Stephen Lynch — quickly let it be known that they were interested in taking his place, raising the likelihood of a knock-down
A Senate bid by any of them would undoubtedly trigger in turn a lively primary fight for the House seat (or seats) being vacated. Otherwise, none is likely to face more than weak opposition for his party's re-nomination — especially not from incumbents lower
down on the food chain, hoping someday to move up. The last time a member of the Massachusetts congressional delegation lost a primary battle was 20 years ago, when Marty Meehan of Lowell ousted Concord's Chet Atkins. Before that it hadn't happened
since 1970.
Ours isn't the only part of the country where incumbency-worship runs deep. West Virginia sent Robert Byrd to the US Senate for 51 years, and Daniel Inouye represented Hawaii in Congress since it became a state in 1959. Charleston, S.C., has had the same
mayor since 1975. No matter how unpopular Congress is said to be, more than 90 percent of House members seeking re-election generally keep their seats; in that respect Nov. 6, 2013 was typical.
Yet American politicians didn't always assume that incumbency was meant to be for life. Most of Kerry's Senate predecessors served one or two terms and moved on; the endless reigns of senators like Ted Kennedy (46 years) and Henry Cabot Lodge (31 years)
were historical anomalies. Yes, there is always the possibility of electing someone so exceptional that his talents and experience make him irreplaceable. But the odds are overwhelmingly against it. Far better for officials to come and go, serving a spell in government,
then heading back to real life.
"Representatives ought to return home and mix with the people," Connecticut's Roger Sherman argued during the Constitutional Convention in 1787. "By remaining at the seat of government, they would acquire the habits of the place, which might differ from those
of their constituents."
George Washington could have been president for life, but he voluntarily stepped down after two terms. He could be trusted with power precisely because he could let it go. Most of today's politicians can't bear the thought of giving up the authority with which we
trust them. And we, to our discredit, are rarely willing to take it away.
In popular wisdom, one-time presidential runner-up Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) was nominated by President Barack Obama for Secretary of Secretary of State. But a group that was credited with helping to thwart his presidential bid considered re-organizing to
take him down once again.
The Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, a group formed of military veterans who served alongside Kerry, worked to bring attention to the senator's anti-war activities following his military service and to raise doubts about the truth of Kerry's own accounts of his
conduct during the war and his overall portrayal of events in Vietnam.
Dozens of vets who, like Kerry, served aboard swift boats in Vietnam, prodded the then-presidential candidate to release his complete military records.
And they castigated him for giving testimony to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in 1971
about American war crimes in Vietnam – "glorification of body counts," destruction of villages, and numerous atrocities – all of which, the veterans said, were exaggerated or falsified.
While the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth officially disbanded as a political organization in 2008, former members say they were furious at the prospect of Kerry as Defense Secretary.
The organization's co-founder and spokesman John O'Neill, a swift boat veteran who authored the bestselling Kerry expose "Unfit for Command," hedged at questions on the subject from Sean Hannity of Fox News.
"To make (Kerry) secretary of Defense or secretary of State would be a disaster to our national security," O'Neill said on the Nov. 15 show. "It really would be a total forfeiture of the loyalty that we owe the troops in the field."
When Hannity asked if the Swift Boat Veterans would reunite, O'Neill said, "we will do the very best that we can."
Weymouth Symmes, former national treasurer for the group and biographer of its founder, Rear Adm. Roy Hoffmann, told Human Events that any political activity was still in the planning stages.
"There's nothing formal," he said. "There's been a lot of discussions. But nothing official, nothing as a group."
It's not clear what a Kerry swift boating sequel would even look like. With the advent of new media, advocacy is more complex and varied than it was in 2004. Moreover, the veterans' task this time would not be so much to inform the American electorate as
to strategically lobby the senators voting to confirm Kerry. That was an uphill task to begin with: most conservative senators were more concerned with preventing U.S. Ambassador Susan Rice from ascending to the top spot in the State Department than with
a Kerry nomination, and codes of collegiality generally dictate that senators confirm the nomination of one of their own.
Nevertheless, at least one veteran connected to the Swift Boat efforts is advocating the use of tactics employed in the recent election, from TV ads to SuperPACs.
"I can tell you I am personally appalled at the thought of John Kerry as secretary of defense," Symmes said. "I suspect that will be the position of the vast majority of the Swifties and POWs who were involved with (Swift Boat Veterans for the Truth) in 2004
and after."
© 2014 Harris R. Sherline, All Rights Reserved
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Thursday, August 28, 2014
This War Is For Real!
America is now facing the most serious threat to its existence since WWII.
The seriousness is compounded by the fact that there are very few Americans who think we can possibly lose the War on Terror and even fewer who realize what losing really means.
First, let's examine a few basics:
1. When did the threat start?
Many will say September 11th, 2001, but as far as the United States is concerned, the answer is 1979, 22 years prior to September 2001, with the following attacks on us:
• Iran Embassy Hostages, 1979
• Beirut, Lebanon Embassy 1983
• Beirut, Lebanon Marine Barracks 1983
• Lockerbie, Scotland Pan-Am flight to New York 1988
• First New York World Trade Center attack 1993
• Dhahran, Saudi Arabia Khobar Towers Military complex 1996
• Nairobi, Kenya US Embassy 1998
• Dares Salaam, Tanzania US Embassy 1998
• Aden, Yemen USS Cole 2000
• New York World Trade Center 2001
• Pentagon 2001.
(Note: During the period from 1981 to 2001 there were 7,581 terrorist attacks worldwide).
2. The attacks happened during the administrations of Presidents Carter, Reagan, Bush 41, Clinton, Bush 43, and now Obama.
We cannot fault either the Republicans or Democrats as there were no provocations by any of our presidents or their immediate predecessors.
In each case, the attacks on the US were carried out by Muslims, who are 25% of the world's population.
3. Hopefully, the Muslim Religion is peaceful, but that is really not material. There is no doubt that the predominately Christian population of Germany was peaceful, but under the
dictatorial leadership of Hitler (who was also Christian), that made no difference. You either went along with his administration or you were eliminated. There were 5 to 6 million
Christians killed by the Nazis for political reasons (including 7,000 Polish priests).
Almost as many Christians were killed by the Nazis as the six million Jews who were killed in the Holocaust, but we seldom heard of anything other than the Jewish atrocities.
Although Hitler kept the world focused on the Jews, he had no hesitancy about killing anyone who got in the way of his exterminating the Jews or of taking over the world, German,
Christian or any others.
It is the same with the Muslim terrorists. They focus the world on the U.S., but kill everyone who is in the way - their own people, or the Spanish, French or anyone else.
The point is that, just like the peaceful Germans were unable to protect anyone from the Nazis, no matter how many peaceful Muslims there may be, they are no protection from the
terrorist Muslim leaders and what they are fanatically bent on doing - by their own pronouncements - killing all "infidels."
I don't blame the peaceful Muslims. What would you do if the choice was shut up or die?
4. So who are we at war with?
There is no honest response that it is anyone other than Muslim terrorists. Trying to be politically correct and not acknowledging this conclusion can be fatal.
There is no way to win if we don't clearly recognize and say who you are fighting.
Given that background, there are two important questions:
1. Can we lose this war?
2. What does losing really mean?
We can definitely lose this war, and the major reason is that far too many Americans simply do not fathom the answer to the second question, "What does losing mean?"
For one thing, it means we would no longer be the premier country in the world. But, regardless, the attacks will continue.
Remember, the terrorists want us dead, not just quiet. If they just wanted us quiet, they would not have increased the number of attacks against us over the years.
I believe their plan has clearly been to attack us until we become completely submissive to them.
As a result, we would no longer receive support from other nations: for fear of reprisals and because they would see that we are impotent and cannot protect them.
In addition, they will pick off the other non-Muslim nations, one at a time, which will become increasingly easy for them.
If we lose the war, our production, income, exports and way of life will all vanish. Who would trade or deal with us, if by doing so they were threatened by the Muslims,
and if we can't stop the Muslims, how can anyone else?
The Muslims have no doubts about what is riding on this war, and therefore are completely committed to winning it.
We had better know it, too, and become committed to winning at any cost as well.
However, until we recognize the costs of losing, we cannot unite and really put 100% of our efforts into winning.
If we do not, we will defeat ourselves by refusing to recognize the enemy and their purpose, but if we are united, there is no way we can lose.
However, if we continue to be divided, there is no way we can win!
Here are a few examples of why many Americans simply don't comprehend the life and death seriousness of this situation.
Although all of the terrorist attacks were committed by Muslim men between 17 and 40 years of age, the Obama administration refuses to allow "profiling."
Does that sound like we are taking this situation seriously?
I blame those Americans who blithely assume we must always be "Politically Correct," even during times of conflict.
This does not mean that some of our politicians or media people are disloyal. It simply means that many of them are oblivious to the magnitude of the situation we are in
and the direction the Muslim terrorists have been pushing us, particularly in recent years.
Remember, the Muslim terrorists stated goal is to kill all infidels, not just in the United States, but everywhere.
America is the last bastion of defense.
We have been criticized as being 'arrogant,' a that charge is valid in at least one respect, in that we believe we are so good and powerful and smart that we can win the
hearts and minds of those who attack us, and that we can defeat any opponent, even with both hands tied behind our back.
Unfortunately, if we don't recognize this, our nation as we know it will not survive, and no other free country in the world will survive if we are defeated.
Finally, name any Muslim country throughout the world that allows freedom of speech, freedom of thought, freedom of religion, freedom of the press, equal rights for anyone
(let alone everyone), equal status for women, or that have been productive in any single way that contributes to the good of the world.
This has been a long way of saying that we must be united in this war or we will be relegated in the history books, similar to the self-inflicted fall of the Roman Empire.
That is, if Muslim leaders will allow history books to be written or read.
Democracies don't have their freedoms taken away from them by some external military force. Instead, they give them away, politically correct piece by politically correct piece.
Unfortunately, they are giving those freedoms away to those who have shown that they abhor freedom and will not allow them to continue once they are in power.
Yet, we continue to hear about the "peaceful Muslims."
It's always easy to find fault with our country, but I believe it is painfully obvious that we must UNITE!
© 2013-14 Harris R. Sherline, All Rights Reserved
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Friday, July 18, 2014
A World Without Israel
A World Without Israel President Obama's ill-considered statement that the state of Israel should return to its 1967 borders reveals his abysmal lack of knowledge about this tiny nation, which has perhaps had a greater impact on the world in general than almost any other society, particularly those of the Arab states. The stated goal of Hamas is to wipe Israel off the map and drive all the Jews into the sea. But, what would happen if Israel were destroyed and all the Jews killed? An article by Rabbi Ephraim Shore, Israel: "Defying the Odds, Amazing facts about Israel," provides some important information about this issue. Israel is the 100th smallest country, and has about 1/1000th of the world's population. It is only 62 years old, 7 million people strong (less than Virginia), and smaller in size than New Jersey, surrounded by enemies, under constant threat and possessing almost no natural resources, and yet… Relative to its population, Israel is the largest immigrant-absorbing nation on earth. It has absorbed 350% of its population in 60 years. Israel is the only country in history to have revived an unspoken language. Since the founding of the state, Israel has won more Nobel Prices per capita than any other country other than Switzerland. It has more laureates in real numbers than China, Mexico and Spain. Counting from the founding of the State of Israel in 1948, three countries (East Timor, Iceland and St. Lucia) have won one or two Prizes each but because their populations are between 170,000 to 1 million they technically have more awards per capita. Israel has received 9. Israel has the 8th longest life expectancy (80.7 years), longer than the UK, US, and Germany. Israeli films were nominated three years in a row for the Academy Award's Best Foreign Film. Environment Israel is the only country that entered the 21st century with a net gain in its number of trees, even more remarkable -- in an area that's mainly desert. The United Nations Forum on Forests, 20 April 2009, noted that during the past 50 years, Israel planted over 260 million trees, covering over 1000 square kilometers. And, the Sustainable World Capital Report, November, 2009, noted that Israel is desalinating 75% of its waste water, operating the world's largest desalinization plant. Over 90% of Israeli homes use solar energy for hot water, the highest percentage in the world. Israel will be the first country to host a national electric car network. Israel is ranked in the top five Cleantech countries of the world. Israeli companies are producing the largest solar energy production facility in the world. Science & Technology Israel leads the world in the number of scientists and technicians in the workforce, 63% more than the U.S. It also has the most physicians and engineers per capita. Israel's scientific research institutions are ranked 3rd in the world. Israel is ranked 2nd in space sciences. Israel produces the 3rd most scientific papers per capita, and the most in stem cell science. More Israeli patents are registered in the United States than from Russia, India and China combined (combined population 2.5 billion). It leads the world in patents for medical equipment. Israeli companies invented the drip irrigation system, discovered the world's most used drug for multiple sclerosis, designed the Pentium NMX Chip technology and the Pentium 4 and Centrium microprocessors, created Instant Messenger (ICQ), and Israeli cows produce more milk per cow than any other in the world! Business Israel has the 3rd highest rate of entrepreneurship among women in the world. Kansas City-based Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) and Tel Aviv University's Faculty of Management observed that for every 100 Israeli men who start new businesses, 64 Israeli women also begin a new economic enterprise. This compares to 60 in the U.S. and 51 in Canada. October, 2000. Israel has attracted the most venture capital investment per capita in the world, 30 times more than Europe. Israel has more NASDAQ-listed companies than any country besides the US -- more than all of Europe, India, China and Japan combined. In proportion to its population, Israel has the largest number of startup companies in the world. In absolute numbers, Israel has more startups than any country other than the U.S. Defying the Odds Israel is the only country whose indigenous population returned to its native land after 2,000 years of forced exile. Perhaps those who so ardently want to see Israel destroyed should be careful what they wish for. © 2014 Harris R. Sherline, All Rights Reserved
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Friday, July 18, 2014
It's All About Me
We've become accustomed to the ego-centric style of our President, but a December 22nd (2012) article by Daniel Halper, "Obama Uses Funeral Service to Talk About Himself," clearly illustrates the extent to which he considers himself to be the center of the Universe. Halper reported that "Obama used the funeral for Hawaii Senator Daniel Inouye to talk about himself. In the short 1,600 word speech, Obama used the word 'my' 21 times, 'me' 12 times, and 'I' 30 times." I realize that he won two elections and that he will continue to occupy the White House for another two years; but frankly, he has reached the point where his speeches are so predictable, especially his penchant for lecturing everyone else, that I no longer listen to him. Obama campaigned on bringing people together, something he has never done in his professional life. Instead he has divided us along philosophical lines, separated us, and then tried to realign America's leadership into a new and different power structure. In a December 26, 2012 article titled, "Obama Golfs for the 90th Time as President," Keith Koffler noted, "After an hour of hiking, President Obama Monday got down to the serious business at hand, heading out to golf for the second day in his first three days of vacation. He was back on the course at Marine Corps Base Hawaii." With this game, Obama reached a new milestone, having gone golfing 90 times in less than three years as president. That's about three months of golf, given that the excursions generally take about five hours, much of the useful portion of the day. "What's more, it's the 32nd time he's been on the links this year (2012), a record for the president. His 32 outings eclipse the 2010 mark of 30 and is far ahead of his 2009 tally of 28 rounds as president…" As of January 3, 2014, Obama had played 160 rounds of golf since taking office. "Aside from a man who appears to be on perpetual vacation, what else has Obama accomplished?" In a December 2011 commentary, the Boston Herald observed about Obama's interview on T.V.'s 60 Minutes: "It is amazing what ends on the floor of the cutting room. When 60 Minutes interviewed President Obama, they edited him out saying that he is the 4th best President." "He seems to think that he has accomplished so much that he ranks himself ahead of all the U.S. Presidents except Johnson, FDR and Lincoln." That means he believes that he is a better leader than George Washington, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, Harry Truman and Ronald Reagan? Who knew he was so great? "President Obama is correct that his administration will be noted in the history books, but it won't be for being one of the greatest. It will be for being an even worse President than Carter and that's not an easy accomplishment." "This is more than just a difference of opinion. It's an example of the extreme narcissism of the man who is currently leading our nation and, unfortunately, may well be recorded as the most divisive leader in our history. America has had 42 presidents since its founding, many of whom had to deal with significant challenges, but my sense is that historians in general will probably consider him to be one of the most ineffective leaders in the nation's history." "Rather than bringing people together, he has deliberately attempted to divide them in a series of attacks on those he perceives to be his political opponents during his speaking tours around the country." If that's Obama's measure of greatness, then he may indeed be the fourth greatest president, but my sense is that most Americans will come to see it differently. "Divide and conquer may be the best strategy in war, but it is certainly the wrong way to unify the nation and gain the support he needs for his policies and programs." President Obama's approval ratings may be stuck in a sand trap, but that has not deterred him from sticking to his weekly round of golf. After teeing off Saturday at the private course in Florida where the movie "Caddyshack" was filmed, Mr. Obama hit the milestone number of 150 golf rounds in less than five years in the White House. The Secret Service loaded Mr. Obama's golf bag emblazoned with the presidential seal into the motorcade Saturday morning to head to the private Grande Oaks Golf Club in Davie. Sporting a blue polo shirt, tan slacks and a cap, Mr. Obama spent five hours on the private course with former NBA star Alonzo Mourning, friend Cyrus Walker and former U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk. Mr. Obama wasn't much of a golfer before he ran for president. His regularity on the greens started April 26, 2009. He played 27 times that first year in office, including seven rounds during his vacations on Martha's Vineyard and Hawaii. In his second year as president, Mr. Obama played a little more, 31 rounds. He included a woman for only the second time when Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius joined on Oct. 10, 2010. Perhaps time on the links gave them time to discuss all the people they knew who would lose their insurance when Obamacare was implemented. Mrs. Sebelius also joined the president on the golf course on May 18. After 58 rounds in 19 months, Mr. Obama's golf game improved. At the private Mid Pacific Country Club in Kailua, Hawaii, on Dec. 28, 2010, the club's golf pro, Mark Sousa, remarked to reporters that the president's "swing looks a lot better this year." The president played even more in his third year in office — 34 rounds. Throughout his presidency, he has most frequently used courses at nearby Andrews Air Force Base and Fort Belvoir. White House trip director Marvin Nicholson, who has an eight handicap according to Golf Digest, plays with the president almost every week. The only times Mr. Nicholson is not on the course with the commander in chief is during the Christmas vacations in Hawaii. Vice President Joseph R. Biden, who had a handicap of 6.3 in 2011, according to Golf Digest, has been invited to tag along with his boss just six times in five years. (The golf magazine estimated Mr. Obama's handicap at 17 two years ago. ) Other politicians who have played with Mr. Obama during his presidency include House Speaker John A. Boehner, former President Bill Clinton (twice), New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and Virginia Gov.-elect Terry McAuliffe. Mr. Obama put aside his weekly golf outings several times while running for re-election in 2012. His annual total fell to 19 rounds, seven of which were in the two months after he won a second term. Never having to run for office again has given Mr. Obama a free pass to spend every weekend on the golf course. In 2013 he had already passed his 2011 record with a total of 39 rounds of golf. This includes his whopping 27 holes played in one day at Andrews Air Force Base on Sept. 14. © 2014 Harris R. Sherline, All Rights Reserved
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Harlem's Designer Victor de Souza Trotting Off Models On Horse-Drawn Carriages
Fashion week is getting off to a galloping start. Share
Fashion week is getting off to a galloping start. Share
A horse drawn carriage, work men and construction at East 124th Street in East Harlem, New York, on June 26th, 1913. Share
A great photograph from the turn of the century from the lifestyle publication New York Apartment House Album of a busy Riverside Drive looking north on 96th Street in West Harlem, New York, Continue Reading →
At Fourth Avenue (now Park Avenue) between 132nd and 134th Streets. New York would not be the city it is today without the comprehensive public transportation infrastructure developed during the Continue Reading →
A statue stands in the center with American flags waving on each side a top of the Our Lady of Lourdes School at 468 West 143rd Street in Harlem, NY, Continue Reading →
A great picture of the cityscape of Victorian brownstone during the mid-day on 119th Street, looking East from Seventh Avenue (renamed Adam Clayton Powell Blvd.,) in central Harlem, New York, Continue Reading →
Public School 103 with a large crowd of pedestrians and horse-drawn carriages by the side of the school, at Madison Avenue and 119th Street, in Harlem, New York, 1893. Share
Check out our Harlem resident created T-shirts and Photographs: Brownstone Gates, 122nd Street (photograph): $19.99 Share
Harlem Lane was an old road in the area that served as a popular racecourse for horse-drawn carriages in the 19th century. Share
This was the Fish Market at 656 West 125th Street on a triangle on Manhattan street (now renamed 125th Street to the right and St. Clair Street to the left) Continue Reading →
A horse-drawn delivery carriage advertising the West End Theatre (built-in 1902 by developer Meyer R. Bimberg known as "Bim the Button Man" who was a visionary and built the Yorkville, Continue Reading →


text:
November 25, 2014
April 1, 2012
The allure of a state government job was never great pay. It was benefits and pension packages usually superior to those offered for comparable work in the private sector.
Since the 2008 economic collapse, assumptions by private sector workers that sound retirement plans would guarantee their comfort and security in their autumn years have been shredded.
By the tens of thousands, Virginians who worked for big corporations and small businesses found themselves suddenly with reduced or eliminated pensions. Some lost jobs and health care, too.
Now some employees of the commonwealth and of its cities, counties and towns will feel the same pain thanks to an underfunded Virginia Retirement System and a General Assembly remedy for it that was hastily and, for the most part, privately cobbled together.
Click Here to access the online Public Inspection File
Viewers with disabilities can get assistance accessing this station's FCC Public Inspection File by contacting the station with the information listed below. Questions or concerns relating to the accessibility of the FCC's online public file system should be directed to the FCC at 888-225-5322, 888-835-5322 (TTY), or firstname.lastname@example.com.


text:
Cruise Party Wii
- Publisher: Enjoy Gaming
- Release Date: Jul 5, 2010
- Summary: Welcome aboard! Here you'll find four fabulous games to satisfy your appetite for gambling: Slot Machines, Roulette, Black Jack and "Video" Poker. Once on deck, you will be able to choose between Competition mode and Quick Play mode. If you beat a record, you'll have to enter your name in order to appear in the high scores table. Beware of bankruptcy!… Expand
- Genre(s): Gambling
- # of players: 1-4
- Cheats: On GameFAQs
- More Details and Credits »
Score distribution:
Positive: 0 out of
Mixed: 0 out of
Negative: 0 out of