AND THEY DON'T SMOKE

January 26, 2007 - Children growing up alongside freeways risk having their lung development impaired, which can increase their likelihood of serious respiratory disease later in life. Other studies have shown that children living next to highways are more likely to develop respiratory problems such as asthma. But the report in the journal the Lancet is the first to show that long exposure to car and truck exhaust actually affects the growth of lungs and, as a result, their capacity. Researchers add reduced lung capacity is a known risk factor for cardiovascular disease and respiratory diseases such as emphysema. (I couldn't find the link for this. It sounds like a big city newspaper or a superficial medical site. I didn't mean The Lancet, the most respected British Medical Journal in the world.) There is an excellent book about this, called Lives Per Gallon. You may want to read it.

MEGAKILL AND CLINTON

megakill n. During slow news days or imploding public scandals, the amount of coverage CNN and Fox News will assign to a news story, often non-stop and very similar to being inside an infinite loop in a computer.From the Revised Devils Dictionary.com Dear Mr. Ex President Clinton: I recently saw a bumper sticker that said, "Thank me, I voted for Clinton-Gore." So, I sat down and reflected on that, and I am sending my "Thank you" for what you have done, specifically: 1. Thank you for introducing us to Jennifer Flowers, Paula Jones, Monica Lewinsky, Dolly Kyle Browning, Kathleen Willey, and Juanita Broderick. Did I leave anyone out? 2. Thank you for teaching my 8-year-old about oral sex. I had really planned to wait until he was a little older to discuss it with him, but now he knows more about it than I did as a senior in college. 3. Thank you for showing us that sexual harassment in the work place (especially the White House) and on the job is OK, and all you have to know is what the meaning of "it" is. It really is great to know that certain sexual acts are not sex, and one person may have sex while the other one does not have sex. 4. Thank you for reintroducing the concept of impeachment to a new generation and demonstrating that the ridiculous plot of the movie "Wag the Dog" could be plausible after all. 5. Thanks for making Jimmy Carter look competent, Gerald Ford look graceful, Richard Nixon look honest, Lyndon Johnson look truthful, and John Kennedy look moral. 6. Thank you for the 73 House and Senate witnesses who have pled the 5th Amendment and 17 witnesses who have fled the country to avoid testifying about Democratic campaign fund raising. 7. Thank you, for the 19 charges, 8 convictions, and 4 imprisonment's from the Whitewater "mess" and the 55 criminal charges and 32 criminal convictions (so far) in the other "Clinton" scandals. 8. Thanks also for reducing our military by half, "gutting" much of our foreign policy, and flying all over the world on "vacations" carefully disguised as necessary trips. 9 Thank you, also, for "finding" millions of dollars (I really didn't need it in the first place, and I can't think of a more deserving group of recipients for my hard-earned tax dollars) for all of your globe-trotting. I understand you, the family and your cronies have logged in more time aboard Air Force One than any other administration. 10. Now that you've left the White House, thanks for the 140 pardons of convicted felons and indicted felons-in-exile. We will love to have them rejoin society. (Not to mention the scores you pardoned while Governor of Arkansas) 11. Thanks also for removing the White House silverware. I'm sure that Laura Bush didn't like the pattern anyway. Also, enjoy the housewarming gifts you've received from your "friends." 12. Thanks to you and your staff in the West Wing of the White House for vandalizing and destroying government property on the way out. I also appreciate removing all of that excess weight (China, silverware, linen, towels, ash trays, soap, pens, magnetic compass, flight manuals, etc.) out of Air Force 1. The weight savings means burning less fuel, thus less tax dollars spent on jet fuel. Thank you! 13. And finally, please ensure that Hillary enjoys the $8 million dollar advance for her "tell-all" book and you, Bill, the $10 million advance for your memoirs. Who says crime doesn't pay! 14. The last and most important point - thank you for forcing Israel to let Mohammed Atta go free. Terrorist pilot Mohammed Atta blew up a bus in Israel in 1986. The Israelis captured, tried and imprisoned him. As part of the Oslo agreement with the Palestinians in 1993, Israel had to agree to release so-called "political prisoners". However, the Israelis would not release any with blood on their hands. The American President at the time, Bill Clinton, and his Secretary of State, Warren Christopher, "insisted" that all prisoners be released. Thus Mohammed Atta was freed and eventually thanked the US by flying an airplane into Tower One of the World Trade Center. This was reported by many of the American TV networks at the time that the terrorists were first identified. It was censored in the US from all later reports. Why shouldn't Americans know the real truth? What a guy!! And finally, thank you for reminding me of the things to consider now that Hillary is running for president. Sincerely, An American Citizen

WINDOWS MEMORY DIAGNOSTIC

I found a great tool on the Microsoft web site. It's the Windows Memory Diagnostic Tool. I printed the instructions and used it. WOW! My computer is back to where it was before I had all these programs on it. Be sure to follow the instructions and take your time. You can get it from Microsoft or www.majorgeeks.com. May have to change my mind about Micro$oft being strictly a money-grubber.

MONEY MAKER FOR US

It seems one of our state legislators feels the city of Albuquerque has installed "money-making traps" at some of our traffic signals. He lives here in Albuquerque. And he introduced state legislation to force the city to put up "flashing yellow beacons" wherever there are cameras designed to take pictures of red light runners. You know, the people who cause many, many accidents in our city. He said that if the beacons were flashing, it would alert motorists that the traffic light would turn red before they got through the intersection. And all this time I had thought that was what the middle light (you know, the amber one) on the signal was for. So much for Driver's ed in high school. Like all cities, we have certain intersections that have extremely high accident rates. The cameras were put up in order to give us all more safety. So the city makes a few bucks and plows that money back into traffic safety. So what? Our police chief cites the reduced accidents at these intersections as proof that the cameras are doing their job. Our Mayor (good ole Marty) says the dough made is funneled back into the program. Imagine me agreeing with them! He also pointed out that speeders are paying for the cameras, not the taxpayers. My belief is that this state senator has gotten caught and found out that his license plate has not prevented him from getting a ticket or two. He has also failed to grasp that a flashing light will probably also have speeders goosing the accelerator more to get through the light. Bang, smash. More accidents, more injured and dead citizens. Further, a flashing yellow beacon will not improve the driver's already divided attention with his/her cell phone. In fact, it will likely just be one more distraction in our already distracted time behind the wheel.

CELL PHONE LAWS ARE HERE

Albuquerque has a new ordinance on the books. A city wide rule now bans drivers from using a hand held cell phone while driving. Break the law and get caught: $100 fine, $200 for repeat violations. . The old fogies on our City Council finally recognized that if a driver's attention is diverted from the job of driving, there is likely to be a smash up. It took a couple of them to be involved in near misses to get any kind of action. The problem is that the law is not well thought out. Apparently, they decided that if the cell was not hand held it would not divert a driver's attention. I have no idea who, nor why, this was decided. We need to inform them that the issue is really mental diversion, not hand diversion. There are some exceptions, also. You won't get a fine if: you're a policeman, firefighter, or other "public safety official" if your call is work related. ROFL. Oh, one of the sponsors said that the law "is a message you need to exercise a higher level of attention while driving." And then, "police can use discretion in deciding when to cite people." One of the Councillors pointed out that using a hands free device is no safer than holding the phone to your ear. Apparently her comment was ignored. The British Medical Journal found that it didn't matter which method of communication was used. Drivers using cell phones in any manner were four times more likely to get into a crash that could cause serious injuries to people. A friend suggested that we already have too many people in this country and I should keep my opinions about traffic safety to myself.

SOMETIMES YOU WANT TO CRY

There are times when just shaking your head isn't enough. The new budget requests are available. Seems that Dubya's budget wants to cut funding for Medicare and Medicaid. There are good and bad ways to try and balance the budget. However, some ugly facts raise their heads from time to time. Fact one: Seniors affected by this are being strapped now trying to pay their medical bills. Fact two: We taxpayers are being asked to spend at least $240 billions of our dollars to give aid to a foreign country that doesn't want us in its borders, won't spend enough of its own income to live the way we want them to (we know best, apparently), appears not to be able to control its own internal problems, is making megabucks peddling oil around the world and seems to make very little effort to strengthen and improve its own military. Fact three: The United States has absolutely no right to try to change the way these people look at God (shades of the Crusades and the Spanish invasions forcing religion on people). Fact four: America already has problems with the exorbitant cost of health care for Americans and forcing the public to pay more and more is not realistic. Fact five: What will happen is that the 30% plus of our citizens (and the illegals) who need the care but cannot afford it, will be using the free medical services every state has in place. Guess who's going to pay for that?