Another Friday And Broke Again

It's another Friday here in Delaware County and I only have one job to do. My cell phones were turned off due to non payment. (Thanks Nextel). Why didn't I pay it? Well you see I am owed over $14,000.00 from various clients that feel they can string you along for months. Much like most of us try with the credit card companies. The difference is, with C.C. companies, you end up losing. I believe that both them and the banks are in cahoots with the credit bureaus such as TransUnion, Equifax, and others. Late on a payment? Your at their mercy. Even utility companies are joining in. So here I sit, sick with the uncertainty that I will ever see the money. It's difficult being self- employed in America. You can't afford healthcare for your family, yet make too much to ask for assistance. You spend over 40% on materials for the jobs at hand, and then what you do have left goes to the feds. Now if I were an illegal alien, I could get healthcare. Am I correct? I'm sure I am. The price of Gasoline is going to be $3.00 + by July. Should I raise my labor rate? Hardly. I'd lose clients. Maybe the best thing to do is to go and work for a large corporation. You know, 40 hrs. a week, minimal benefits if at all, and be a slave. Welcome To America..

Erin Go Braugh (Ireland Forever)

Or for all you sicko's, Erin Go Braless lol.. Seriously, I hope everyone is having a happy and safe St.Patrick's weekend both here in Delaware County and elsewhere. I watched the St.Paddy's day parade this morning on the boob tube. It was a fine parade. I've haven't been down there in quite a few years now but still enjoy the dancers and music and the togetherness from afar none the less.

I see that my good friend Tommy Moffit is still going strong doing the officiating/announcing. Im proud to be Irish and proud to know/known so many talented musicians growing up such as Kevin McGillian, Mary McGillian, Pat Collins, Vince Gallagher, and a slew of others whom I met through my father.

I still have many cassette and reel to reel tapes of these people in sessions at various places. My Pop loved his music, and as I sit here typing this I can still hear him and others playing an old Joe Burke tune.. Long live Irish Traditional Music and R.I.P. Dad.

I just had to add this picture of Siobhan Boyle.

She's a local woman who is an avid (rabid) fan of BLACKTHORN.

And when I come across a fine Irish lass like she is on the net I just have to give her a thumbs up. More pictures of Siobhan can be found here. Note to self: I must get out more..

Never heard of Blackthorn you say?Well Blackthorn is a local Irish rock band that got it's roots around 1990.

In fact, my Cousin Patsy Ward and Johnny Boyce (He's the Guy ducking in the picture above) were in a band called the "Atlantic Connection", in the late eighties before Patsy had to return to Ireland. John went on to be one of the original members. They have added many tunes since then and are working on yet another album to add to their musical accomplishments. Note: At the same time in 87' I was in a band called "Fallen Timber". No lie! We played at Travers a few times and had a wild time.. (I was the guitarist). More about my band-days later..

Anyway, enough of this bullocks. Just be sure to tune in on Thursday morning on 610 WIP at 6:00 AM to listen to these guys live at Brownies 23 East. Should be a hoot! And for more of the beautiful and multi talented Siobhan, Click Here.

And finally, here's to the band called Causeway that my cousin is in, along with Pat Close, Bill Binkley, Gerry Clark, and the lovely Karen Boyce!

Here's a pic.

and a better one here..

Causeway's official web site can be accessed here. Be damn sure to sign their guestbook too! And although they are not in the area as of this post, they will be at JD McGillicuddy's, West Chester Pike, Kirklyn, Upper Darby, PA. on April 1st! It has a Brand new Irish bar, was formerly known at O'Malley's. A hop, skip and jump away from the "BIG L" Llannerch Diner.You know, the Llanarch, the place to go to at 4:00 AM and git your bacon and eggs I prefer the Big O myself

Advertizements and other annoying things

Quick note: I added a Fredricks of Hollywood Banner on my blog so that all of you can click on it, buy lots of stuff for yourself and significant other, and make me filthy rich. I then can just sit here in front of my puter' every day instead of doing real work and drink beer and eat pizza and become a fat slob. Seriously, I hate ads of all sorts (Except the FOH ones that have hot looking women in them.) Another thing I would like to mention that when I am on the Yahoo groups like in my Chemtrail Evidence Group and such, this ad pops up for balding men. Another one for dating. Over and over. It used to be that Kramer guy (Who could use a head of hair himself.) Anyway I found this funny at first, until I was tipped off by an article about web beacons. You see, when you join Yahoo you agree to let them implant these beacons into your computers. Then they track you everywhere you go, and every site you visit. Far more accurate than a web cookie, they then can match what ads to show you in an instant. The good thing is that you can opt out of them. The bad thing is that they only opt you out of the specific computer, not by your user ID. They also let other companies use their web beacons on you. They even use them in html formatted email messages. So just where can you go on the net without being tracked? I'm afraid nowhere. Even my site has cookies, put there by my advertizers. There is a program that is called the "Proxomitron." It is a wonderful program that can do the following. (Taken from their site) Stop windows that pop-up, pop-under, or pop-over Stop those un-closable endless banner chains Stop pop-up JavaScript message boxes Remove web-branding and other scripts tacked on by "free" web providers. Convert most ads and banner pictures into simple text links Freeze all animated gifs Make blinking text appear as bold instead Remove slow web counters Stop web pages from "auto-refreshing" Prevent pages from changing fonts Get rid of or replace web page background images Protect against getting "trapped" inside someone else's frames! Make all frames resizable Close top or bottom frame banner windows Protect against getting "trapped" inside someone else's frames! Make background MIDI songs play only when you choose. Remove status bar scroll-texts Remove "dynamic" HTML from pages Disguise your browser's identity and version from JavaScripts Remove style sheets Un-hide URLs when the mouse is over a link Disable frames or tables altogether Change or delete cookies Change your browser's user-agent and other identifying fields Hide where you've been previously from inquisitive web servers I tried it, and after a bit of tinkering, got it to work. The only problem was, when veiwing my own web site, it blocked all of my ads. This made my site look like crappola. But I still recommend it. Check it out here.

Karaoke In Delaware County

Tonight I had to go to my favourite Wawa and get some eggs and cigs for tomorrow. Next door at Thomas'Cafe, it was Karaoke Night. Being the ham I am I just had to go in. Buster the bartender was busy as the place was packed. I ordered my usual, an ive cold Budweiser and a shot of black bucca. There was a Marine recruiter up on the improvised stage, singing a song called "American Soldier". I watched him and listened to him. He was great! I never heard the song before (It is a country song), but hell yeah it broke my heart. I acually had chills up my spine as I thought about all the men & women in Iraq and hell, EVERYWHERE else that are in the service. I'm sure they have chills up their spines also, but not from listening to a song. You see, I've become attached to these people, in a weird way. They are our brothers & sisters, Americans. As they took thier oaths at the recruting centers across the country, each and every one of them had their reasons for doing so. So as I listened to "Big Dog" singing his song I wondered just how he felt about the current clusterfuck going on. I hope to see him again next week. To all out there who read this? Just pause one moment a day, only if for a moment, and visualize yourself in the service right now. To any Servicemen & Women who may stumble across this post? Were with you, more than the Chickenhawks in Washington. Amen.

They don't deliver on Sundays

A little something to give you a wry smile on a Sunday morning. Childbirth A married couple went to the hospital to have their baby delivered. Upon their arrival, the doctor said he had invented a new machine that would transfer a portion of the mother's labor pain to the baby's father. He asked if they were willing to try it out. They were both very much in favor of it. The doctor set the pain transfer to 10% for starters, explaining that even 10% was probably more pain than the father had ever experienced before. However, as the labor progressed, the husband felt fine and asked the doctor to go ahead and kick it up a notch. The doctor then adjusted the machine to 20% pain transfer. The husband was still feeling fine. The doctor checked the husband's blood pressure and was amazed at how well he was doing. At this point, they decided to try for 50%. The husband continued to feel quite well. Since the pain transfer was obviously helping out the wife considerably, the husband encouraged the doctor to transfer ALL the pain to him. The wife delivered a healthy baby with virtually no pain. She and her husband were ecstatic. When they got home, the mailman was dead on the porch. Har Har.

BOO! BIN LADEN IS BACK (And it ain't even Halloween)

I just saw Mr.Bush on the tube talking about this mysterious Bin Laden fellow. Mr.Bush insisted the so-far unsuccessful hunt for the al-Qaida founder is "keeping the pressure on." Really? How about this quote? "The most important thing is for us to find Osama bin Laden. It is our number one priority and we will not rest until we find him." 9/13/01.And then this one, only six months later? "I don't know where bin Laden is. I have no idea and really don't care. It's not that important. It's not our priority."3/13/02. It seems to me that Mr. Bush is the one doing the flip-flopping. But who really cares anymore? Usama or Osama Bin Laden is dead as far as I am concerned.. Only the news media, specifically Aljazerra, (Recently bought by what do you know, Fox News owner a.k.a Ruppert Murdoch, continues to publish everything that the "MASTERMIND of 911" has in mind. Who tells these reporters and these web sites this? Free announcements for the bin bumbling contacts here in the U.S.? Wouldn't it be illegal to publish information that could aid known terrorists in the United States? I remember the Nick Berg beheading, and the eerie presence of a $ 5.00 K Mart white lawn chair. So I say to Mr. Bush. If you REALLY want to prove that you are THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, and not some puppet, is to dismember and destroy web sites and Radio/TV stations in the middle east that put out information that could jeopardize our troops there and in other areas of the world.

Upper Darby School District - What's going on?

A few things that have been on my mind over the last few days are detailed below. Drexel Hill Middle School teachers take notice: I do not like what I am hearing from my sons about what is going on in your school. In a nutshell, To give a kid a five day suspension for defending him/herself from other kids without even listening or caring about what transpired, only because of race, is wrong. Several other students witnessed what transpired a few weeks ago between my son and a black girl in the lunchroom.

 She took his five dollars, He asked for it back, You (the teacher in question) told him to shut up and sit down, the Girl denies taking the money, then you give him detentions while she laughs and then throws the five right at him in front of you, then walks away scott free. This kind of race baiting is wrong and sends the wrong message to both the white and black students in D.H. It tells them that if your black, you can get away with intimidation, laugh at the school dress policy, and even physically attack others with no fear of retribution. God knows what goes on in the High School. I hear that there is an Upper Darby P.O.who patrols the hall on a mountain bike.

 To the school board, why don't you take a ride after school to the 69th terminal and wait there after school. Watch as 100's of kids get off the trolley and buses from Drexel Hill, Beverly Hill, and Upper Darby and board the El for West Philly. And you wonder why the the payers of Upper Darby see red every time you vote for a tax increase? You may ask: "Why don't you attend a board meeting"? Why should I? If I did attended, and tried even to begin to voice my opinions, I'd be thrown out.

 The Community Development Block Grant that then Mayor Sonny Kane first accepted in 1978 was the downfall of Upper Darby. In exchange for some major money, (To build a railroad walkway over Market St), etc, He allowed HUD to bring in section 8 housing. What this did is bring in the lowlifes who did not want to work, just collect welfare. It also lowered the value of the homes. Today in Stonehurst where I grew up it closely resembles a ghetto. Murders and rapes have quadrupled. Drug dealers and the homeless prowl the streets in search of buyers and victims. This is not a White on Black issue either. It's everybody's problem. So why does the public officials treat it like it is? Why do they allow black students to get away with the above? I think know the answer. They are scared. Scared of being labeled a racist. Scared of being sued.

 Do yourselves a favor. All children should be taught equally. By allowing some to dominate others is wrong on YOUR part. And to those readers who will label me a racist? Go right ahead. You haven't lived in my shoes growing up in the 60's and 70's in the Cardington/Stonehurst section.

Bushington D.C. This Has Got To Stop!

US Army pays Halliburton big bonus Bonuses? You do know that VP Cheney (Former CEO of Halliburton), has a deferred stock option as retirement? To me, this is a blatant conflict of interest, but hey, who am I? I ain't in the loop. I wouldn't lower myself to a sub human way of deceit anyway. So just how much MONEY is to be made from these cretins before they are satisfied? How many American men and women will be killed or scarred for life? When will this "Vietnam2" end? Somebody? Things are quite cozy in Bushington, D.C. And the thing is, George cannot even stand being there! He makes no "Bones" about it. He prefers Crawford TX. Here's my take on Liberals vs Consertatives. Liberals are people who want change, people who are intellegent enough to see that they are being duped. Consertatives are people who are scared enough to sit back and say "Let our leaders decide what is right for us.. Shut up about it. (O'Reilly comes to mind). Anyway, read on and have a safe weekend. Halliburton has made billions out of US military deployments The US Army has awarded defense contractor Halliburton more than $9 million in bonuses for some of its work supporting the military in Kuwait and Afghanistan. But the Army said performance-based bonuses had not been paid yet to Halliburton's Kellogg Brown and Root (KBR) unit for dining services for US troops in those countries. Military auditors have criticised those services as too costly and have asked the Texas-based company to justify its billing. Halliburton and its subsidiaries have particularly been under scrutiny for over-billing some of its military contracts in Iraq. The Pentagon has also been criticised for extending undue favours to the firm, once headed by US Vice-President Dick Cheney. "Dining facilities costs questioned by the Defence Contract Audit Agency have not been included in Award Fee Boards but are scheduled to be addressed later," an army statement said on Thursday. Army Field Support Command in Rock Island, Illinois, said award fee boards held over recent months rated KBR's performance as "excellent" to "very good" for more than a dozen "task orders" in Kuwait and Afghanistan supporting troops. Much of Halliburton's work for the US military is on a cost-plus basis, which means the company can earn up to 2% extra depending on their performance. A US Army spokesman said KBR had been awarded $9.4 million in bonus payments from its work in Kuwait and Afghanistan. Overall, KBR has earned $7.2 billion under a massive 2001 logistics contract with the US military and is set to earn more than $10 billion under that deal. It has separate deals with the government for reconstruction work in Iraq. The bulk of money paid out so far under the logistics deal - about $6.6 billion - is for work in Iraq which still must be assessed for bonuses that could amount to hundreds of millions of dollars. Army contracting officer Sylvia Youngman said the first military award fee board for KBR's Iraq task orders would begin on 28 February and would likely take many weeks. Bonuses are awarded based on, among other factors, how efficient and responsive the company is to requests from the army, Youngman said.

HTJournal

HTJournal Journal for the Haverford Blog. Enjoy.

John McCain On A Sunday Morning

Although I missed it, (I was working in Downingtown) I'm sure the viewers of the program Meet The Press were thrilled. Thrilled to see that at least one man has the backbone to stand up for what AMERICA is really about. In 2000, I remember ole' KKKarl Rove slamming and defiling Mr. McCain. Everything from saying he was a nut to that he got a black woman pregnant. Well in 2008, I will do EVERYTHING in my power to see that people know the real John. A man of compassion and integrity and devotion to his beloved county. Contrary to what many people think, John WAS a POW in NAM, while others got deferments and went A.W.O.L. Anyway, remember that John will bring back the REAL Republicans to Washington. Not the ones currently there who are only pawns of TPTB.