Spring Cleanup

Sunday was a beautiful day in the mid-40's.Time to bust out the bamboo lawn rake and have at the Winter snow mold and plowing-tossed debris on the front yard.
My arms and shoulders are going to be sore tomorrow!
Ta-Da! Front LipsYard done. (back LipsYard still has snow piles in the shade)
Debris put in the compost bin in the LipsYard garden. Now that the long Republican Congressional Winter is over, there's a little cleaning up going on in Washington.
Congressional Hearings are popping up all over. Iraq, Veterans' Hospitals, that pesky Dick Cheney CIA leak...
The Fired Federal Prosecutors (Karl Rove, it's hammer time) the Federal Communications Commission, heck, we're ready to have a hearing for just about everybody. It's about time.

White Deer on the loose

White White-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus)

My parents have been talking about a 'white deer' roaming through their neighborhood, and we all thought they had been hitting the Mogen David or needed their meds adjusted, but they finally have captured the beast with a camera, and it's real!

In the Arthurian legends, the white hart or white stag is a mystical beast pursued by the Knights of the Round Table.
Sir Sagremor pursues a white hart in Les Merveilles de Rigomer, another is hunted in the Forest of Adventure in Chrétien's Erec and Enid, Floriant chases one to the castle of his foster mother Morgan Le Fay in Floriant et Florete, Percival cuts off the head of a white stag in the Didot Perceval, and Sir Gawain quests afer the white hart in book three of Malory's Le Morte d'Arthur.
It has been conjectured that the White Hart of Arthurian lore may have been drawn from Celtic myths, in which the stag was considered a sacred animal, or may be related to ancient Celtic stag cults known to have existed in early Britain.

Click here if this kind of thing excites you and you want to know more


In doing a Google search on white deer, I was amazed at the bandwidth devoted to these creatures. Here's a site the explains how white deer get to be white deer. It claims that 1 in 30,000 deer are absent of color.

Wisconsin seems to have a perpensity towards white beasts of lore, as shown in this photo of "Miracle" the white Buffalo, born in Janesville in 2006.


White Buffalo (Syncerus Caffer)

Any way you look at it, a white deer is good luck, so we'll take what we can get and leave it at that.

Green Thursday: Oh Poo!

Dye confirms problem with ballpark sewers (from Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)

"At least one sanitary sewer pipe from bathrooms at Miller Park could be misconnected to a storm sewer draining a stadium parking lot, allowing human fecal bacteria to flow into the Menomonee River...Colored dye poured into sinks inside the stadium was observed in a storm sewer about 10:21 a.m. Tuesday, said Peter R. Topczewski, water quality protection manager for the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District. Prior to that time, bathrooms inside a Milwaukee Police Department office in the basement of the stadium and a private suite on an upper level had been tested. By noon, the dye was seen flowing out of a storm sewer pipe that discharges to the river east of the stadium and south of I-94."

If they don't get this fixed by Brewers Opening Day (April 2) it'll mean porta potties at Miller Park.

Aren't there inspectors on these construction projects that sign-off on different stages? Is this my tax money hard at work? We had to have several inspections on our house remodel. Heck, the guy wouldn't even let us move back in because we didn't have locks on the bathroom doors.

You can do some testing yourself, check out this website.

Just pour the color down the toilet and wait for it to show up 'who knows where?' You can also dye test the rain run-off from your gutters.

Every Green Thursday, LipsYard will deal with an issue vital to our global environment.

March Madness

I'm missing the sports gene. Nothing could interest me less than plopping down on the couch for 36 holes of golf, or 2 halves of basketball, or however many innings they play in baseball. NASCAR? It's WWE wrasslin on wheels to me.

I do peruse the front page of the sports section so I can hold my own in cocktail conversation that may turn to sports (but I do need to move to someone else after two sentences.)

March Madness is upon us, and I can't think of another sporting event (it lasts HOW LONG?) that permeates all levels of society, especially in the workplace. "Have you made your picks?" "Do you want in on this pool?" "You put them in the final four?"

The cost to employers in lost productivity could exceed $1.2 billion over the course of the 19-day event, as they circulate pool entries, speculate around the water cooler, and watch games on-demand online. Lord knows how much will be wagered around the world.

Not to be a party pooper, I usually submit my entry fee and willy-nilly selected brackets, only to check back after round one to find out I'm dead last. One year I was beat by a housecat.

A couple of years ago, I tried a new strategy, mascots. Could a Badger beat a Razorback? How about a Blue Devil? My system provided better results than in the past! One time I used the numeric value of the letters in the team's nickname, the higher the better: A = 1, B = 2, C=3 etc BADGERS = 56. Not very accurate.

Rob Amen of the Pittsburg Trib has some other creative choice systems, including:

Graduation rates: Every year, Richard Lapchick of the University of Central Florida compiles the graduation rates of teams competing in the tournament. The schools with the worst rates? Pick 'em.

Party on: Texas tops the Princeton Review's list of best party schools. The Longhorns know how to celebrate, which means they must win a lot. Other notables: WVU, Wisconsin, Florida, Indiana, Arizona and Maryland.

The Big Dance: Wisconsin, Illinois, Iowa and BYU all have solid dance programs. Coincidence? Not likely.

Considering this is LipsYard, I should take the state flower of each team and figure out a way for them to compete. Too much work, and flowers don't fight much.

Perhaps with Greendale's Police chief on a gambling crackdown (remember the small prize bingo bust?) I should just skip the NCAA this year.

Hey, who jacked up gas prices?

While we weren’t looking, there’s been a slow, steady climb in the price at the pump. The latest Lundberg Survey reports the average price of a gallon of regular unleaded, nationally, is now $2.55 a gallon. That's up 20 cents a gallon over just the last two weeks, and is the highest prices we’ve seen since September. Sadly, we have become complacent and desensitized to high prices and have gotten used to paying more for gas. Even $3 a gallon would be palatable, as long as we don’t get there too fast. That’s why the slow bleed method of rising prices (up 20 cents, down 15, up another 20, down 15, lather-rinse-repeat) is a winner for Big Oil.

Milwaukee gas prices are in a stable pattern right now, but are predicted to keep rising into summer. These price increases have been made a part of the spring ritual, as predictable as the emergence of crocuses.

(Crocus imperati)

Here’s a website to help you find the lowest prices around our area

Supply and demand drive the price of any commodity, and there’s always more than one reason given for a limited gasoline supply: Planned maintenance and repairs to refineries, blend switchovers, a refinery fire, overseas political unrest disturbing crude supply, and the Bush administration’s answer for an energy policy, longer Daylight Savings Time. (Yes, it is actually raising demand.) It’s like there’s a rolodex of reasons that just keep getting thumbed through.

What we need is more refining capacity, but it’s been 30 years since a new refinery was built. The oil companies say they want to, but are held back by environmentalists. As long as that standoff continues, gas prices will be vulnerable to any little ripple in the supply chain. When a huge disruption, like Hurricane Katrina, comes around, we really see the weakness of the system. All of this is just fine with Big Oil. Too much supply and the price would drop.

While unemployment is up, wages are down and benefits are nonexistent. The gas prices are killing the lower and middle class that are making lower wages. This shouldn’t be a shock to anyone. We elected (sort-of: don’t get me started on that rant,) oil men for president and vice president for eight years.

Why we really changed the time early

Did all your Daylight Savings Time changes work, or were you late for church? Here in the LipsYard household, 15 clocks (including 2 cars) had to be changed manually, 2 clocks have DST buttons on them, and our computer running Windows XP made the jump thanks to a patch sent out by Microsoft last week.

Congress and the Bush administration would have us believe the early change now, and the late switch back in November, will save the country lots of energy. Michael Downing, author of Spring Forward: The Annual Madness of Daylight Saving Time believes the extension of daylight-savings time is designed to help manufacturers and retailers.

Over the years, Congress has repeatedly studied the effects of Daylight Savings Time, and every time it turns out we haven’t saved anything. The best study is from the Nixon era when he went on a desperate attempt of year round Daylight Savings as a result of the Opec oil embargo and he came up with no savings at all.

Downing says that Daylight Savings pushes Americans out of the house at the end of the day. We go to the ballpark, or the mall, but we don’t walk there, we get in our cars and drive. The oil industry has known since 1930 that Daylight Savings increases gasoline consumption.

When Americans go out of the house they spend money. Daylight Savings may not be an effective energy policy, but it is a tremendously effective spending policy. The first and most persistent lobby for Daylight Savings is the chamber of commerce. In the 1986 Congressional hearings (which gave us an extra month back then,) the Golf industry reported that one additional month of Daylight Savings was worth $200 million in additional sales of equipment and greens fees. The BBQ industry earned $100 million in additional sales of grills and briquettes.

Another big industry that gets a push is candy manufacturers. This year, for the first time, Halloween will have an extra hour of daylight, and they figure that small kids will stay out longer, thus collecting more candy, which we have to buy.

Congress has set aside $150 million to study the effects of this latest change, and I’m sure they’ll find out (again!) that Daylight Savings Time is good for business, not so much for energy savings.

Wow, I share a birthday with whom?

Saturday, March 10 is my birthday, and it's always fun to see who shares your special day.

American Idol Carrie Underwood-24

Actress Sharon Stone-49

(oops) Terrorist on the run Osama bin Laden-50

Martial arts star Chuck Norris-67

Click here to find out who share's your birthday

Click here for perhaps the best version of Happy Birthday ever

Green Thursday: Turn down the heat and up your savings

Winter's not over yet, so there's still time to dial down your home's thermostat and save big money. The LipsYard home is currently at 64. Sound too cold? Put on a sweater Not only does this reduce the amount of fuel we're using, its cutting greenhouse gas emisions. Not buying into the global warming thing? There's also the greed factor, so popular with the conservative movement. We're saving money like mad. In fact, our energy bill monthly payment plan just took a dip for the coming year. Seems obvious, doesn't it? Check out the chart to see how much you can save.

Here's another reason to lower your thermostat setting: Your plants are healthier in the cooler air. You'll be healthier in the cooler air, too. Your body will burn a few more calories keeping you warm, helping you to lose weight and improve your general health.

Every Green Thursday, LipsYard will deal with an issue vital to our global environment.

What's in a Nickname?

Mine is "Lips," and I've had it since I attended Luther College. When people ask how I got mine, I reply "It's a college thing" and leave it at that, because it's really a boring story. It stems from a guy I was working with at KWLC radio, Ted Jacobsen, not understanding me when I introduced myself. He though I said "Lips" instead of "Jim."

Nicknames go back as far as the middle ages, orginating with the Vikings. Don't even ask about "Thor!"

Nicknames for people can fall into many categories:
Sarcastic, or simply ironic; like "Curly" for someone with straight hair (or no hair at all.
Physical characteristics; such as "Stretch" for a tall person.
A nickname can also originate from your real name; "Dubya" for President George W. Bush.
They can also reflect your personality or talents; "Einstein" for someone who's intelligent.
Or for the way you act; "Scooter" for someone who moved quickly around their crib.

Now where have we heard that name before? Oh, that's right, Lewis "Scooter" Libby, who has been found guilty of trying to block a CIA leak investigation, one of the highest-ranking White House officials ever to stand criminal trial. He faces a maximum sentence of 25 years in a federal facility where he would almost certainly be given a new nickname.

He was enmeshed in the inquiry into the leaking of the identity of a CIA operative - who happened to be the wife of a prominent critic of White House Iraq policy.

As chief aide to Vice-President Dick Cheney, Mr Libby had been involved in almost every major decision made by the Bush administration.

"Scooter" played a key role in compiling the White House's allegations over Iraq's weapons of mass destruction. Critics eyebrows were also raised after reports that he had met Pentagon officials before a substantial contract to repair Iraq's oil fields was awarded to Halliburton - Mr Cheney's old firm.

So where did his nickname, "Scooter," come from?

One story tells us his father watched him crawling in his crib and joked, "He's a scooter!"
Another story traces the moniker to New York Yankees shortstop Phil "Scooter" Rizzuto, but Libby intimated to an interviewer that "I had the range, but not the arm."

In one of the first questions at the March 5, 2004 grand jury session, special counsel Patrick Fitzgerald asked Libby to explain how he had received his nickname "Scooter." Libby replied with a small joke: "Are we classified in here? It's--my family is from the South and it's less uncommon than it is up here." That was all he said--he didn't answer the question. You can listen to the actual testimony by clicking HERE!

The President even screws up the time

On August 8, 2005, President George W. Bush signed the Energy Policy Act of 2005. This Act changed the time change dates for Daylight Savings Time in the U.S. Beginning this year, DST will begin on the second Sunday in March (this coming weekend) and end the first Sunday in November. (unless you live in Arizona, or Indiana, or Hawaii, who think it's a bunch of hooey.)

The Secretary of Energy is going to conduct a study of the impact of this change to Congress, who can then decide (Ha! Like they can decide anything) to keep the new dates, or go back to the old.

The idea behind this is that we'll save energy by not needing lights on in the evening, the rub comes that it's going to be darker in the morning for an extra 3 weeks, so if you get up early, you have to turn on a light. Duh.

However, the Fire Department still wants you to change the batteries in your smoke detectors and your carbon monoxide detectors. They suggest that every time we change our clocks, we change our batteries.

This time change reeks havoc on automated systems that do the time change themselves. Microsoft warns that for the three weeks this March and April, users of its calendar programs "should view any appointments ... as suspect until they communicate with all meeting invitees." Actually, it's a potential problem in any software that was programmed before the 2005 law was passed. The result is a glitch reminiscent of the Y2K bug, when cataclysmic crashes were feared if computers interpreted the year 2000 as 1900 and couldn't reconcile time appearing to move backward. This is much less threatening, but could cause head-scratching episodes when some computers are an hour off.

Make sure you have the latest updates for Microsoft Windows and for your computer, PDA and smart phone. And if you have a Macintosh make sure you have the Apple updates. I'm told you should also have your security software up to date because the change in your computer could open you up to identity theft and financial losses.

The problem won't show up only in computers, of course. It will affect plenty of non-networked devices that store the time and automatically adjust for daylight saving, like some digital watches and clocks. It could force financial transactions occurring within one hour of midnight to be recorded on the wrong day.

The idea of daylight saving was first conceived by Benjamin Franklin during his sojourn as an American delegate in Paris in 1784, in an essay, "An Economical Project."

Cookie Mania

It's a sure sign that Spring's just around the corner when you get your Girl Scout Cookies. My personal favorite has always been the 'Thin Mint,' (especially frozen!) with 'Shortbreads' right behind. I can do without all the other flavors. I recently found a box in my desk of some kind of cookie that had odd strawberry flavored goo in them. No wonder they lasted so long, they were horrible. This year all those cookies come nearly free of harmful trans fats.

For 90 years they've been selling them, although recently, I think more are sold by parents pressuring their co-workers, or putting order forms up in the office, than by the actual girls themselves. I've bought thin mints from girls I've never even met, and probably never will, which is too bad.

Here comes the lefty in me; It's not just the amount you sell, part of the process should be on developing good interpersonal skills, expecially with adults. Kids are aloof enough, here's a great chance to bridge that divide. I've decided that next year, I'm only going to buy cookies when solicitied and delivered by an actual Girl Scout.

Here's a link to get more cookies

Happy Birthday to One Cool Cat

In the late 50’s, the "Dick and Jane" books used to teach reading were considered dull and uninspiring. Challenged by a publishing executive to write a story that "first-graders wouldn't be able to put down," Theodore Geisel, “Dr. Seuss,” created "The Cat in the Hat." It’s the tale of a crazy cat who brings a cheerful, exotic and exuberant form of chaos to a household of two young children one rainy day while their mother is out.

From a writers standpoint, the book is a feat of skill, simultaneously maintaining a strict triple meter (anapestic tetrameter a style common to Dr. Seuss,) uses a tiny vocabulary ( only 236 different easy-to-read words,) and tells an entertaining tale.

While the world’s problems swirl around us this weekend, literally here with blowing snow, and in global hot-spots ignited by neo-con bravado, take some time to escape reality and have a little fun reading.

Here’s the official website with everything you need

Green Thursday: Build a Better Tomorrow

One of my favorite Saturday morning indulgences is making pancakes and watching "This Old House." (See my other TV addictions in the list in the left column of LipsYard.)

Master Carpenter Norm Abram and the gang are in Austin, TX adding a second floor to a bungalow. The twist is, they're doing as much "Green Renovation" as they can, that is, using as many renewable products and procedures as possible.

Am I the only one who sees the irony of using President Bush's back yard to move the "Green Movement" forward, when his administration barely recognizes global warming?

How can we build green for a better tomorrow here in Wisconsin? Check out the Wisconsin Green Building Alliance website to access a database containing information about green building, a resource directory, with members, services and materials, and case studies showcasing a variety of green building ideas and techniques.

Every Green Thursday, LipsYard will deal with an issue vital to our global environment.

In Support of the Arts

Caught a wonderful show last night, “They Came From Way Out There,” at the Milwaukee Rep’s Stackner Cabaret. It’s about the five most ambitious candidates for president of the Paranormal Society, set to present a musical comedy show reenacting actual paranormal events that have happened to them. Personal friction, a limited budget, and the fact that they are amateur performers take this meeting to other-worldly levels of fun.

Here’s a link to a video clip

“Way Out There” runs through March 10.

I love live performance, and I’ll take it over movies and TV anytime. There’s no do-overs, no stunt doubles, and anything can and does happen. Those are some of the many reasons I sing with Midwest Vocal Express.

Live performance takes a little more input from the audience, but the investment really pays off. It’s a communal experience you don’t get in front of a TV. Live performance also needs something else, money. It’s not cheap to stage a production, and ticket prices rarely cover the costs. That’s why outside funding is so critical. Our trip to the Stackner was courtesy of our bank, M&I, which is a huge supporter of the arts.

In Milwaukee, UPAF, the United Performing Arts Fund, subsidizes 36 organizations, like the orchestra, ballet, and the Rep.

As a nation, the National Endowment for the Arts provides funding. Righties cringe when you say that. All they can think of are the wildly outlandish, way-out-there stuff that received NEA funding in the past. Art isn’t always pretty, and you’re not expected to like everything, how boring would that be? in 1996, the Republican-led Congress, apparently happy with boring, effectively gutted the NEA, reducing a budget that peaked at $175 million in 1992 to $99.5 million, and 40% of that was set aside as block grants for states.

The NEA regrouped, and focused their attention on the erosion of arts education in our public schools. It's a remarkable turnaround for an agency whose mere name was once enough to get Newt Gingrich and other social conservatives foaming at the mouth.

Now led by Dana Gioia, funding has slowly climbed to $124.4 million in the current fiscal year, and President Bush's budget proposal sent to Congress recently would hike the budget to $128.4 million.

"I don't believe the arts are about right or left," Gioia said. "If we want to create the communities we want to live in, and if we want our schools to produce the best educations for our children, we need the arts. This is not a partisan issue. This is civic common sense."

See you at the show!

A Puzzling Addiction

I have a confession to make: I love Sudoku.

In its third year as a come-from-nowhere fad in the United States, the fill-in-the-numbers game that looks like a bad marriage between a crossword and a 1040 tax form is still growing. I dare you to open a newspaper comics section and not find one. Every flight I take, there’s one in the seat-pocket airline magazine. There are workplaces that have banned it because of its power as an addictive time-waster.

My obsession with Sudoku began on a Cape Cod vacation in 2005, where the owner of the B&B where we stay was printing them on his computer for guests to play. I’ve since turned my Dad onto the craze, too.

Sudoku has the characteristics of a successful puzzle; accessibility, simplicity and the ability to engage people intellectually without regard to their education. Some people, put off by numbers (math-phobics,) prefer Sudoku puzzles that use letters of the alphabet, colors, shapes, or celebrities.

Click Paris Hilton to play Celebrity Sudoku

Or if Hollywood is too scary these head-shavin’ days, try Spongebob Sudoku

The puzzle is deceptively simple. It's like a checkerboard, nine across and nine down, sub-divided into nine squares of nine each, three across and three down. Each puzzle starts with certain numbers filled in various spots across the grid, either randomly or sometimes in a pattern that's unrelated to the game's solution. Using those filled-in numbers and the game's only three rules, the puzzle solver must fill in every square in the grid with a number from one to nine.

The rules are as basic as you can get:

No column (a vertical line of squares) can have the same number more than once;

no row (a horizontal line of squares) can have the same number more than once;

and no sub-grid can have the same number more than once.

That's it, but it can be a challenging game that exercises your brain and patience. And it’s good for you! Studies have shown puzzles, like Sudoku and crosswords, keep the mind nimble and potentially ward off dementia.

It’s even inspired Australian Peter Levy to write a song. Listen here.

A brief history of Sudoku.

Based on the Viennese square, a mathematical construct by the 18th-century Swiss mathematician Leonhard Euler, Sudoku, originally called Number Place, was invented in 1979 by Indianapolis man Howard Garns, who, like Rubik of Rubik's cube fame, was an architect. It was published in a puzzle magazine, but it didn't catch on. In the 1980s, a Japanese publisher took the idea, modified it slightly and popularized it under a lengthy Japanese name, suuji wa dokushin ni kagiru, meaning roughly “each ofthe numbers must occur only once,” shortened to Sudoku. In 1997, retired New Zealander Wayne Gould noticed a Japanese Sudoku book and was intrigued. He developed a computer program to create Sudoku puzzles and pitched it to the Times of London which began printing them in 2004. By 2005, both the United Kingdom and the United States were fully infected with Sudoku fever.

A listing from the 100 most annoying things about 2006

Though millions enjoy this crazy fill in the numbers game ever day, they're blissfully unaware that it's the Japanese word for "Puzzle Substitute For Friends."

Here’s my online fix for Sudoku, I’m currently solving ‘hard’ puzzles in 12 minutes or less.

Add it to your 'Favorites' list today. It's one of the few things that can distract me from the hijinks in politics.

A Taxing Question

Over the weekend we had our taxes done, and near the end of our appointment, we asked, "So what is OUR tax rate?"

Vicki (our preparer) replied, "For the first $15,100 it's 10%, for the next $45,000 it's 15%, for the next..." I stopped her, "So if we're in the 25% tax bracket (determined by your taxable income,) not all our income is taxed at 25%?" "That's right," Vicki replied.

I had been under the impression that your ultimate tax rate was applied to all your income equally, but it turns out that everyone is taxed the same. So much for the right's rantings that the rich are overtaxed.

Big Weekend Numbers

There's a lot of numbers to be considered this weekend:

8 - 12 Inches of snowfall predicted for Southeast Wisconsin

Several thousand dollars if I get bumped into Alternative Minimum Tax again this year. We'll find out from the accountant on Saturday. Here's a shot of our IRS papertrail.

$2,000,000,000,000 (trillion) The cost of the War in Iraq. Here's a link to Nobel Prize winner in Economics Joseph Stiglitz' calculations.

$6,639.30 The cost of the War in Iraq for every man, woman, child, and immigrant in the United States as this is written.

Green Thursday: New Light Down Under

Australia's going to become the first country to completely phase out the incandescent light bulb. By replacing the common bulb with energy efficient compact fluorescents, Australians will cut their greenhouse gas emissions by 4 million tons a year.

(Heck, we can't even get the White House to believe their own scientists' reports on global warming.)

That's the equivalent of taking more than a million cars off the roads down under.

(Milwaukee County Chief Executive Scott Walker wouldn't like that last part; his mass transportation plans promise a car in every garage. Read here.)

We've made the change to compact fluorescents in the LipsYard basement, but are still using the naughty 'Edision era' bulbs upstairs until dimmable CPFs are perfected.

Every Green Thursday, LipsYard will deal with an issue vital to our global environment.

A nod to the President from Jack Bauer

So I'm treadmilling in the basement watching "24" from Monday night when it hits me; Jack Bauer says "New'-Cue-Ler" just like President George W. Bush does, as opposed to 99.999999999999999% of the rest of the world who pronounce it "New'-Clee-Ur." You'll hear it at the end of this clip.








Maybe it's an edict from the West Wing, um...Fox network that everyone on the show pronounce it that way? Nope. From President Wayne Palmer, to the Islamic terrorists, down to Chloe's tortured hubby, Miles O'Brien, it's "New'-Clee-Ur" "New'-Clee-Ur." "New'-Clee-Ur."

The show is a 'neo-con' favorite, with Rush Limbaugh it's number one fan, so a nod to 'W' wouldn't be out of the question. They like the way Jack, played by Kiefer Sutherland, wields a take-no-prisoners approach to combating terrorism, complete with remorseless killings and torture. Heck, they even have one of their own, former anchor Tony Snow, in the White House.

Perhaps it's a nod to the first president to say "New'-Cue-Ler," Jimmy Carter?









Nah, even Jack Bauer, after 2 years in a Chinese prison, wouldn't go that liberal.

Support our troops! (Vote)

10 Mourning Doves (Zenaida macroura) on the wire in the LipsYard.

If they were registered voters, only 1 would participate in today's primary (let's hope it's the blue dove.)

Lot's of American's "support our troops." I support the troops by paying taxes. I control our troops, and our democracy (it's really a republic) by voting. Only when a majority of Americans vote, will the true wishes of our nation be done. A true majority didn't elect our current Decider in Chief, and probably won't elect the next one either.

On a more local level, school board elections and referenda will determine what kind of country we have in the future, determined by what kind of education we provide today.

Be the dove that votes.

Happy Presidents Day

Presidents Day is the common name for the holiday officially designated as Washington's Birthday. It is celebrated on the third Monday of February.

Originally implemented by the federal government in 1880 as the first federal holiday to honor an American citizen, it was celebrated on Washington's actual birthday, February 22. In 1971 it was shifted to the third Monday in February.

In the late 1980s, with a push from advertisers, the term Presidents Day began its public appearance. The theme has expanded the focus of the holiday to honor another February President, Abraham Lincoln, and other Presidents of the United States, including:



The 43rd President, George W. Bush

Here Mr. Bush looks for the "Way Forward" in Iraq (those lens caps aren't helping.)

LipsYard goes daily Monday, February 19

Blog Blog Blog Blog Blog

It's all you hear everywhere you go. "Read this blog," "the blogosphere is humming with this," "find out more in my blog."


Not that my opinion matters any more than yours (get your own blog for heaven's sake,) but the people have spoken and are demanding more blogging!


Starting Monday, February 19, 2007, check LipsYard every day for new photos, links, and the occasional rant on the right. (OK, everyday.) There's a lot buried under the surface that is ready to spew!

State of the Union

Early January, and while fresh snow blankets the LipsYard, inside, we're working up a household budget plan for 2007.

Meanwhile, in our nations capitol, President George W. Bush labors over his "State of the Union" Address.

Not quite what it appears to be

Above is what Winter should look like in the LipsYard...
...but it really looks like this. When President Bush signed legislation that overhauls some postal regulations protecting our privacy, it looked like a good thing, but then he issued a "signing statement" that declared his right to open mail under emergency conditions, contrary to existing law and contradicting the bill he had just signed.
This isn't the first time he's done that. Since taking office in 2001, President Bush has issued signing statements on more than 750 new laws, declaring that he has the power to set aside the laws when they conflict with his legal interpretation of the Constitution. The federal government is instructed to follow the statements when it enforces the laws. Here are some other examples:

The law: Justice Department officials must give reports to Congress by certain dates on how the FBI is using the USA Patriot Act to search homes and secretly seize papers.
Bush's signing statement: The president can order Justice Department officials to withhold any information from Congress if he decides it could impair national security or executive branch operations.

The law: US interrogators cannot torture prisoners or otherwise subject them to cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment.
Bush's signing statement: The president, as commander in chief, can waive the torture ban if he decides that harsh interrogation techniques will assist in preventing terrorist attacks.

The law: When requested, scientific information ''prepared by government researchers and scientists shall be transmitted [to Congress] uncensored and without delay."
Bush's signing statement: The president can tell researchers to withhold any information from Congress if he decides its disclosure could impair foreign relations, national security, or the workings of the executive branch.

The law: The military cannot add to its files any illegally gathered intelligence, including information obtained about Americans in violation of the Fourth Amendment's protection against unreasonable searches.
Bush's signing statement: Only the president, as commander in chief, can tell the military whether or not it can use any specific piece of intelligence.

But don't all Presidents issue signing statements? Ronald Reagan issued 71 and Bill Clinton issued 105.