Zombie Apocalypse is real!

Now you all think I'm crazy, right?   Well think about this...... how many homeless do you see wandering the streets?  Now that isn't the zombie portion.  Kind of like the standard infommercial "wait there's more! ".  So as you see these people,  sitting in the shopping centers, hanging outside of the gas stations and fast food joints saying things like "hey we're out of gas" or "I'm just hungry", know that it's probably the line of bs they chose for the day. Not all but more than half of these people are dealing with some type of addiction problem that you about to finance. In my neighborhood alone there is 20-30 of these types within a four block radius. Sure they move around a bit, but they are everywhere. The ghetto isn't the only place you see them. They hang out in a lot of places, business areas, residential, churches, stop lights and any place that there might be people with money. 

Now the zombie part is where you see them in their drug or alcohol induced stuper repeatedly looking like the zombies from all the bad movies of the 70's. Like in the movies,  they may not be eating us working folk yet,  but they are stealing from us. Items taken from our homes, money panhandled in person under the guise of hungry or homeless.   How many of you would give money if the sign or the "sales track" went like this "hey I just need another fix to get me by" or "looking for a 40 for the night"?  Then the they steal from the businesses they hit. Those losses will be passed onto the consumer.  The meth addicts steal liquor or food to trade for meth, they all steal somewhere, somehow.  If the society ever crumbles to the point that food is scarce, they will start to eat people for survival.

The social programs do not have enough funding to get them off of the street. We worry about immigration and the weight on the tax roll, what about the problem born and raised right here. Most of the illegals get jobs and become productive. I see caucasians asking for money not hispanics. I see caucasians not being productive, even for their own wellness.  Then using excuses like my childhood was bad, my dad is an ass, my mom doesn't care about me and the list goes on and on.  Guess what?  None of us had a perfect childhood.  My dad was an ass, which I apparently got some of and left my own mom's house at sixteen.  That wasn't easy, but I had some family that helped me until I finished highschool. Then I put myself through vocational school and became a productive member of society.  So it can be done without being stuck in your own baggage, violating the law and destroying yourself and those that care the most about you. 

These are the people on the street more than not. The addicts that only live and steal to feed their addiction. You can't believe a word they say, any act of kindness is temporary and only to gain a step towards the next high, trip or drunk. If you want to help them anyway, buy them something that can be eaten, not resold or returned for money, traded for drugs, etc.  I'm sure you get the picture......my position is not to forget about these people, but also not to enable the cycle to perpetuate itself.

Social Media - communication medium or maturity test

So in an era that almost everyone has a computer with Internet access and a smart phone with the same, most of those have social media on some level.   The old MySpace to Facebook to Google Circles and all the ones in between. You can tweet your lunch choice or better yet post a pic of it on Instagram!  

Everyone uses their own social media for what's important to them.  Some, usually the more responsible group, posts things of a positive or humor driven nature. They want to share their life moments with the people in their sphere of influence. Even pass on the wisdom of themselves or someone else's wisdom that they understand and appreciate. 

Then there is the group that just blurts out whatever they are doing and wherever they are. Sometimes appropriate and yet other times over the top!  While they are somewhat immature they are still adults and know the difference between right and wrong. 

The worst group I've seen yet communicates just how immature they are in life, regardless of age, with their usage of social media. They are the ones that have coined the new buzz phrase "cyber bulling". They're not just satisfied posting some negative comment about someone, they have to get their buddies to do the same thing. Or all delete someone because they were honest with one of them how they felt about one thing or two. Bullies are usually insecure people, male or female, that feel the need to lash out in anger to make themselves feel superior. When they have a poor case, they need the similar actions from other people to validate that they did the right thing. The friends of the bully do it because they aren't mature either. Then, and I love this part, they say they do it out of respect for the bully. Which is really so far from the truth. It's disrespectful to all, most of all themselves. If they had self respect they would stand up to their bully friend and tell him or her that it is wrong for them to even ask. It's disrespectful to the bully because the so called friend should be telling the bully it's wrong and just grow up. And of course it's disrespectful to the recipient of the negative behavior because they didn't do anything to the friend of the bully and usually nothing to the bully.  

I have people from all of these categories on my friends list. The ones that post great positive stuff, the ones that vent what they need too and most certainly the last group. If you're wondering if I'm talking about you in the last group I probably am. The ones in the other two groups won't be offended by this article. The others, let me just say "shame on you". Growup and get a life worthwhile of saying you lived it with gusto and gave it your best. We are all capable of just that. It's a choice to be a bully or thug as the case may be. It's also a choice to be responsible and contribute something positive. Which choice will you make today?

Having said all of that I think social media is both. It's a Maturity Level Communication Tool.  What's your maturity level?

Progressive sucks.....

money from everywhere.  I have been a Progrseeive customer for several years now.  Why did I go with them?  It wasn't Flo or the snappy commercials.  It was however price.  Quite honestly that's their market, the price shopper.  Now if I needed insurance for a premium situation I would have made a different choice of companies.  All I really need is basic insurance to meet California DMV's requirement for my two motorcycles.  I've now been riding for 40 years and had a motorcycle license for the last 31 years  

My Progressive rate for two motorcycles just jumped over 60 dollars for a year.  So I did some investigation with a competitor and much to my amazment it was only 80 dollars for 12 months.  Kind of a no brainer if you know what I mean right?  So I started the coverage today  I then called Progressive to cancel.  I wasn't wanting a refund for the next 27 days of prepaid coverage but thought I was entitiled to one.  When I got through eexplaining to the agent why I was cancelling and had listened to all of the amazement that they couldn't believe the price I got at the competitor, they told me I would be owing 12 dollars and change......I said what?  Theysaid yes, I said why?!  She did some research and told me that Progressive has a 30 dollar cancellation fee in California.  If I leave it in force and cancel at the end of the policy period then it doesn't apply..  Go figure  another no brainer but really?  I did inform her that I would not be returning to Progressive in the future even if they were cheaper because of this one fact. Of course she didn't care....lol  too big to care....

This is hilarious!

Trader Joe's takes a pirate to court

(CNN)

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I've often said I'd like to smother my entire body in soy sauce. But enough about my eHarmony profile. 

The truth is I'm completely smitten with one particular sauce from Trader Joe's called Island Soyaki. It's a little gift from heaven made with pineapple and ginger and garlic and sesame seeds. And if given half a chance I'm fairly certain it could ultimately lead to world peace. 

"Damn, this is delicious! Why are we even fighting?" 

"Your God is different than our God." 

"Ah, right. That." 

Perhaps it'll take more than just Island Soyaki to bring us all together. But it's a starting point. Unfortunately, however, the revolution won't begin in Canada -- because they don't have Trader Joe's. 

Instead, what they do have in Vancouver, British Columbia, is a place called Pirate Joe's, which is an "unaffiliated unauthorized re-seller of Trader Joe's products." 

Essentially, it's like an eBay store for chocolate-covered nuts. 

(I'm pretty sure there's also a place for that on Craigslist. But it's waaaaay different. So I've heard.) 

Naturally, this imposter store is now being sued. Trader Joe's, who declined to comment for this article, filed their complaint in Washington state in May. Then, earlier this month, lawyers for Pirate Joe's fought back, delivering a motion to dismiss. And that's when the whole thing finally made news all over the Web. 

It's a good old fashioned food fight! 

Basically, Trader Joe's isn't too pleased that the owner of Pirate Joe's literally crosses the border into America, purchases tons of food from their stores, hauls it all back to British Columbia, and then re-sells it for a higher price. 

Of course, Pirate Joe's doesn't feel they're doing anything legally wrong -- it's the basic principles of import/export, and their website specifically points out that they even "add Canadian compliant ingredient and nutrition facts labels." 

Calories 110 (Sorry.) 

Fat 7 g (Sorry.) 

Cholesterol 30 mg (Sorry.) 

So, as someone with six functioning brain cells and zero business sense, I have to ask: What's the problem? 

Because, really, it all seems very win-win-win. Trader Joe's sells a lot of product. Pirate Joe's makes a little money. And people in Vancouver can have soup from a box. 

Ain't life grand? Let's all get naked in a tub of Island Soyaki! 

But apparently it's not that simple, for this is about trademark infringement, false advertising and a host of other legal issues arguing that Pirate Joe's hurts the Trader Joe's brand. 

(That said, life is still pretty grand. And I'm totally game for filling up the tub.) 

Now, what makes this all so truly weird and amazing is that the owner of Pirate Joe's, Michael Hallatt, calls himself Trader Joe's "best customer," and claims to have spent more than $350,000 with them over the past two years to supply his similarly-themed shop in Vancouver. 

And Trader Joe's is basically saying, "Hey, thanks for giving us heaps of money. But go to hell." 

Because, clearly, it's not about earnings. It's about branding. 

Trader Joe's has worked hard to create a positive public image, and they certainly have every right to protect that. To Hallatt's credit, though, he has at least stopped selling perishable goods, for he says he understands that if something were to spoil, it could lead to health risks that might tarnish the reputation of Trader Joe's. 

So, he really is trying. 

But with all the legal back and forth, things are getting rather intense. So much so, in fact, that Hallatt recently dropped the "P" from the name on his store front so that it reads _IRATE JOE'S. Which is to say, he's not overjoyed about the lawsuit. 

On top of that, running his business has become increasingly difficult. Some Trader Joe's stores in the Pacific Northwest have begun asking him to leave. So he's resorted to shopping with cash while dressed in drag so as not to be noticed. 

I do it to feel pretty. 

Anyway, it's all sort of a moot point for me here in America. Trader Joe's is right down the street from my house, their shelves are always stocked with plenty of Island Soyaki, and a red, white and blue bald eagle soars over my really large tub. 

Ain't life grand? 

Sacramento to Sturgis

Hi, I'd like to share a Google Maps link with you. Link: Click Here!

All US families futures at stake!

The US government is trading your jobs and your control of your own future without even informing you. Let alone giving you a voice. We watched as NAFTA help destroy our economy, now TPP is being negotiated and the government only shares the info with 600 lobbyists and not the American people. Go to the link below and sign the petition to have some kind of voice. Or don't and find yourself and your family in a future that you could have prevented. 

http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/1034/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=9842

Stockton Teacher fired

Stockton teacher, fired over porn: 'I did make a bad decision'
Updated 4:01 PM April 18, 2013
STOCKTON, Calif.

State officials have affirmed a Northern California school district's decision to fire a 37-year-old high school teacher accused of using a school-issued laptop to help set up pornographic websites.

A three-member panel from the state Office of Administrative Hearings said it found that numerous files on the Lincoln Unified School District laptop once used by Heidi Kaeslin were pornographic, lewd, vulgar or repugnant. It also said her conduct was immoral.

The school board on Wednesday adopted the panel's March 29 ruling, The Record of Stockton reported Thursday.

Kaeslin was a special education teacher and former girls' soccer coach at Lincoln High School in Stockton when she was fired last year. The district accused Kaeslin of keeping thousands of pornographic and erotic images on her school-issued laptop, then lying about her activities when administrators questioned her.

The district said it was subject to embarrassment due to the now-defunct websites and other online references to Kaeslin's involvement with them, which officials say lasted from late 2010 until at least April 2011.

Kaeslin has said her involvement in the websites with former Stockton police officer Richard Fields, who was assigned to the high school as a resource officer, lasted only a few days.

Kaeslin told the newspaper last month that she is the victim of a vendetta by her estranged husband, who was angered by her extramarital affair with Fields.

Kaeslin said she and her husband are embroiled in divorce proceedings and share custody of their two young children. She said she used working on the websites as a pretext for spending time with Fields.

"From Day One, Rich wanted my help, and we joked about how we're business partners because that was the way that we could have our affair," Kaeslin said.

Kaeslin said she admits using the district laptop to access files containing pornographic material. But she add added she purposely did not save the files to the computer's hard drive and never realized they would nonetheless remain on the device.

Kaeslin said if she had been assisting Fields in the "hot-air balloon business," she "wouldn't be in the same spot." Fields has said the allegations against Kaeslin were overblown.

"I did make a bad decision," Kaeslin said. "When I said that I stopped, I felt like I corrected that part of my bad decision-making process."

Kaeslin said her mistakes included the affair. She added: "Yeah, I made some bad choices. Do I feel like I should be fired over it? No."

The district said Kaeslin has until April 26 to ask the state panel to reconsider its ruling, and until May 27 to appeal the decision in court.



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