Archbishop quits hospital board over Sheryl Crow

Archbishop quits hospital board over Sheryl Crow

I generally don't agree with the St. Louis Arch bishop, but I actually do on this issue. It's a catholic hospital, and should uphold catholic values.

Muse Fashion Show (at Stephen's College)

Kudos to the girls at Stephens for putting on the awesome fashion show last weekend. There were many neat designs displayed, including my sisters which are pictured above.

how to get to paris

• Go to Google.com


• Click on Maps.


• Click on get Directions.


• From St. Louis, Missouri


• To Paris, France.


• And read line # 23.

Sully Doodle, 2000-2007

Please Pray for Fr. Vince

I know that no one who reads my blog has any clue who Fr. Vince, but please pray for him anyway. He is a very close friend of my fathers, he was the pastor at the church where my parents attended when they first moved to Columbia (Sacred Heart) and was the priest who baptized me when I was 27 days old. My earliest memories of him are showing up unannounced at our home bring ice cream for us kids. Vince had surgery to remove esophagus cancer last fall. Below is a report from his sister:

"He has said for over a month that he has not felt well. Last Friday he had a test run and found that he had gall stones. As of today we had not heard what the treatment was to be. That is until this afternoon (March 19). We received a call from Bob Heinz telling us that Vince had called him around noon telling him that he was in severe pain and vomiting. Bob went over and was going to take him to the hospital but Vince was unable to walk to the car, so they called for an ambulance.

Tests were run and found that he had a twisted intestine. Vince called bob around 3:00PM to say he was going to surgery and while on the phone they came for him.We were on the phone with family and the hospital and asked the doctor to call when he finished surgery. Thank God it was Dr. Starke who did the surgery since he did the other one and knows Vince’s insides.

Dr. Starke called about 8:00PM and this is the report: Vince got through surgery okay. He had a bowel obstruction from adhesions, which he said are common for one having had stomach surgery. While in there he took out the gall bladder. Vince has been on blood thinner and they had to reverse that before doing surgery. There was no sign of further cancer. The big concern is Vince’s level of strength.

Update 4:30 A.M. – Dr. Starke called to say that Vince is not doing too well. They had to put him back on the ventilator. His blood pressure is down. He said his condition is not irreversible. So it is definitely up to prayers now."

New Logo:

I just noticed the other night that La Quinta Inn has updated their logo. I think it's an improvement, which isn't always the case with the recent hotel logo redesigns (see post from last July).

St. Louis Survey

This is a silly survey I got off myspace, but it is kind of interested too. I have lived in St. Louis since August 2001...and I think I've done more than some St. Louis natives!

In St. Louis I have seen/been to/experienced:

1. The Adams Mark Hotel -- never stayed in it but I have been inside. My dad stayed at it for a conference when I was a kid and then when we came to St. Louis as a family a couple years later he insisted on taking us inside to show us the big horse statue in the lobby!
2. The Old Spaghetti Factory -- many times
3. Driven over the MLK bridge -- yup
4. Driven Over the J.B. Bridge -- yup (well not me in the drivers seat but I've been over it in the car)
   
5. Driven over the Poplar Street Bridge -- yup
6. Been to Pops -- no
7. Been to The Oz -- no
8. Been to Westport -- yes, not a big fan
9. Been to Mardi Gras -- no I think it's just silly to get a huge crowd of people together in the streets to drink. I'd rather drink comfortably at home.
10. Gone to the top of The Arch -- yes but not since I moved here
11. Ridden Metrolink -- many times
12. Shopped at Plaza Frontenac -- no..because I prefer to shop where I can actually afford things.
13. Eaten at Imo's Pizza -- not in the restaurant, but I've had the pizza and it's yucky.
14. Shopped at South County -- yes, only a couple times, it's out of the way.
    
15. Shopped at West County -- yes, they don't have many stores I like
    
16. Shopped at Galleria -- yes, nice mall, will be interesting to see what happens when hwy 40 is closed tho
    
17. Shopped at Union Station -- yes, tourist mall, I used to see movies out there riding metro down from the UMSL dorms my freshman year though
    
18. Shopped at The Mills --yes, they don't have many stores I care for
19. Been to Pink Galleon (any location) -- yes, I hate smokey bars though.
20. Gone to Octoberfest in Hermann -- I think we drove out there once or twice when I was a kid.
21. Been to Ted Drewes -- yes, and I even had some at a department meeting this afternoon!
22. Walked along the Riverfront -- yes
23. Been to the Art Museum -- yes - was going every semester while I was in school for art history classes
24. Been to Six Flags -- yes, at least once a year for the last 5 years or so
25. Been to the St. Louis Zoo -- yes, one of my favorite St. Louis spots!
26. Been to Ronnies Theatre -- no, but I don't think I'm missing anything
    
27. Been to the Muny -- yes
28. Been to Silo X -- I am seriously afraid of haunted houses...but I want to go to a REAL haunted house with real ghosts and spirits and such
29. Been to Forest Park -- yes, it's really quite nice
30. Been to Fast Eddies -- nope
31. Been to the car show at the Edward Jones Dome -- no but I had to pay extra for my parking when I was working downtown and it was going on!
32. Been to a reception at Orlando Gardens -- no but I visited to see about having our wedding reception there.
33. Been to The Hill -- yes
34. Been to (old) Busch Stadium -- yup
35. Been to Busch Stadium II -- yup
36. Been to The Checkerdome -- just learned that this is the old arena, and the answer is no because they tore it down before I moved here.
37. Been to The Keil Center/Savvis Center/Scottrade Center -- I saw Pope John Paul II there back in 1998 (it was Keil then)
38. Been to a concert at Riverport/UMB Pavillion -- yes
39. Skied at Hidden Valley -- nope
40. Been to Hacienda on Manchester -- yes, I love me some mexican food
41. Flown out of Lambert Airport -- yes
42. Been to St. Anthony's Hospital -- no
43. Eaten at Eat Rite -- ha no but I consider it whenever I drive by
44. Been to The Tivoli theatre -- no
45. Eaten at Cecil Whittaker's Pizza -- nope
46. Been to the "'Revolving Restaurant" downtown? -- no
47. Eaten at Crown Candy Kitchen -- yes
48. Been to the V.P. Fair -- yes, loved it, trying to forget about the ride home on metro
    
49. Been to Dogtown for the Hibernian's St. Patty's Day Celebration -- nope
50. Been to Ameristar -- no
51. Been to Harrahs -- no
52. Been to Casino Queen -- no
53. Been to Fairmount Park for horse-race betting -- no
54. Been to Dave & Buster's in Earth City -- yes
55. Gone Bowling at Brentwood Lanes -- no
56. Sat on that big Tortoise in Forest Park -- yes
57. Seen the hot air balloon race at Forest Park -- not the race, but I have seen the glow twice
58. Been to the Lemp Mansion -- no but it is supposedly haunted so I want to check it out
59. Been to Grant's Farm -- yes, I love to feed the goats from the baby bottles!
60. Met Marshall Faulk in person -- no and I wouldn't know him if I saw him
61. Met Nelly in person -- no
62. Met Ozzie Smith in person -- no
63. Eaten at Cunnetto house of Pasta -- yes
64. Ridden in the Moon Light Ramble -- no
65. Eaten at Helen Fitzgerald's -- no
66. Been to the Old Cathedral -- yes
67. Hung out on Delmar -- yes, one of the first places I went with people from the dorm when I moved here.
68. Been to Meramec Caverns -- no, surprisingly
    
69. Taken classes at Meramec/Forest Park/Flo. Valley -- nope
70. Been to the notorious East Side -- ha no!
71. Have you ever been asked what high school you go to -- Yes and I tell them Hickman and they look at me like "huh?" Then I explain that I didn't grow up in St. Louis
72. Gassed up your car at the giant Amoco sign at the Highest Pointe in St. Louis -- I honestly can't remember. I know I've met up with people at that station
73. Eaten at Blueberry Hill? -- yes
74. Gone down a slide at the City Museum? -- they are so much fun!
75. Gone sledding at Art Hill? -- no
76. Gone ice skating at Steinberg rink? -- yes
77. Been to Dirt Cheap Cigarettes and Liquor? -- yes
78. Mentioned Buckley? -- LOL NO
79. Been to the science center? -- yes
80. Been on the AB brewery tour? -- no but I have been on Schfley's tour at the Bottleworks!
81. Been to Tower Grove Park? -- no
82. Been to Laumier Sculpture Park? -- yes, I love it there
83. Left St. Louis via the AmShack? -- ha no
84. Moved away and come back? -- nope

Wii have something to play tonight!

Tom got me a Wii!!! We've been looking whenever we are in a store that sells this exciting new game system, but hadn't found one in stock yet until today. More to come later...

Why I love craigslist...

Examples of why I love craigslist, here are two posted today:

2 to 3 foot female boa constrictor for trade:
very healthy snake. around 2 to 3 foot female guyana red tail boa. also a 20 gallon tank.will trade for a ps2,go carts,pocket bikes and other interesting trades. also looking for a registered female pitbull.i also have more high end boas i might consider trading.

Free somewhat busted lamp & bookshelf:
I just ditched a somewhat busted bookshelf (the little pegs that hold up one of the movable shelves are missing) and a somewhat busted 3-bulb stand-up lamp (the kind that normally has a long tubular papery shade over it, but the shade got torn up by my darling little cat, and it turns out I hate the lamp anyway) by one of the dumpsters behind the 6600 block of Washington Ave in U City (just south of the loop). So if you want some slightly busted furniture, by all means....

It's a girl!

Find out all the details on the St. Louis Zoo website!
(image from stlzoo.org)

sick

i am sick.
throat hurts.
nose running.
sinuses swelled.
ears popped.

St. Louis Barbie

I saw this on stltoday.com today and found it hillarious. Turns out they have a similar list floating around the internet for most major US cities...still funny when it's personalized just for you though!

"Clayton/Ladue Barbie"
This princess Barbie is sold only at Plaza Frontenac & the Galleria. She comes with an assortment of Kate Spade, Prada and LV Handbags, Rolex watch a Lexus SUV, a long-haired foreign dog named Honey and a 25,000 sq ft. patio home. Available with or without tummy tuck and face lift. Workaholic Ken sold only in conjunction with the augmented version.

"Webster Barbie"
The modern day homemaker Barbie is available with Ford Wind star Minivan and matching gym outfit. She gets lost easily and has no full-time occupation. Traffic jamming cell phone sold separately.

"East St. Louis Barbie"
This recently paroled Barbie comes with a 9mm handgun, a Ray Lewis knife, a Chevy with dark tinted windows, and a Meth Lab Kit. This model is only available after dark and must be paid for in cash (preferably small, untraceable bills) ..unless you are a cop, then we don't know what you are talking about.

"Chesterfield Barbie"
This yuppie Barbie comes with your choice of Rolls Royce convertible or Hummer H2. Included are her own Starbucks cup, credit card and country club membership. Also available for this set are Shallow Ken and Private School Skipper. You won't be able to afford any of them.

"Jeffco Barbie"
This pale model comes dressed in her own Wrangler jeans two sizes too small, a NASCAR t-shirt and tweety bird tattoo on her shoulder. She has a six-pack of Bud light and a Hank Williams Jr. CD set. She can spit over 5 feet and kick mullet-haired Ken's butt when she is drunk. Purchase her pickup truck separately and get a confederate flag bumper sticker absolutely free.

"Downtown Barbie"
This collagen injected, rhino plastic Barbie wears a leopard print outfit and drinks cosmopolitans while entertaining friends. Percocet prescription available as well as warehouse conversion condo.

"That one trailer park in Frontenac Barbie"
This tobacco-chewing, brassy-haired Barbie has a pair of her own high-heeled sandals with one broken heel from the time she chased beer-gutted Ken out of Wentzville Barbie's house. Her ensemble includes low-rise acid-washed jeans, fake fingernails, and a see-through halter-top. Also available with a mobile home.

"Central West End Barbie"
This doll is made of actual tofu. She has long straight brown hair, arch-less feet, hairy armpits, no makeup and Birkenstocks with white socks. She prefers that you call her Willow . She does not want or need a Ken doll, but if you purchase two Central West End Barbies and the optional Subaru wagon, you get a rainbow flag bumper sticker for free.

"Ferguson Barbie"
This Barbie now comes with a stroller and infant doll. Optional accessories include a GED and bus pass. Gangsta Ken and his 1979 Caddy were available, but are now very difficult to find since the addition of the infant.

The end of viral marketing?

I'm sick of viral marketing. It's a good idea, but it has been way too over done. Remember a year or so ago in St. Louis where the cardinals billboards were allegedly "vandalized" and one morning and the whole city was talking about the missing birds from the billboards. Well that was one thing...now in Boston an entire city is up in arms because a viral campaign was mistaken for a terrorist attack. Find out more here.

This is the dumbest thing I've ever heard of. Seriously people, the feds have to take things seriously. If they hadn't taken it seriously, and it ended up being the work of a terrorist, who would be laughing then? There's a line between viral... between funny... between witty... between smart... between genius design and going too far and this was too far. It would have been completely different had the feds been notified, maybe the Mass. department of transportation (seeing as they were affixed to bridges). Let people know so there isn't a mass panic, and people can discover and enjoy your marketing. The funniest part of all is that the agency responsible for this stunt, Interference Inc, has taken down their website. I'd hate to be one of their other clients right about now.

The path from AT&T to...well...AT&T

I don't watch The Colbert Report much, or Comedy Central for that matter, but I found this video clip to be absolutely hilarious...and mostly because it's true. Check it out now on YouTube!

Stephen Colbert explains the evolution of AT&T starting in the 1980s to the AT&T we have today - and not much has changed except their logo (as shown below thanks to the Colbert Report):


I guess the lowercase letters in their logo are supposed to make them look more friendly and approachable.

Safe Driver Test

Remember that written test you had to take before getting your learners permit? Do you still remember the answers to those tricky questions like which way your wheels should be turned when you park on a hill? Find out now!

Take the Safe Driver Test by GMAC insurance. According to their website, 1 in 11 licensed drivers would fail a written drivers test if taken again today. To "pass" you must get a 70%. I'd be curious how many would pass the actual driving test if they had to take it again today...

I scored an 80%.

Sayonara Sears

Our dryer died the week before Christmas. Being a busy week we decided to pick out and purchase a dryer after the holiday when we had a week off. We figured we could buy it and get it delivered all while we were off work. Wishful thinking.

Tuesday, December 19, 2006:
I wash and dry a load of laundry. I go downstairs to put a second load in the dryer and it won't go on. Tom takes a look at it and confirms that it isn't working.

Friday, December 22, 2006:
Tom takes the dryer apart to try and figure out the problem. While he had fun deciphering the wiring diagram conveniently included inside the dryer panel, the dryer either had a dead motor or a dead timer. We decided to just buy a new dryer instead of repairing a 25 year old dryer that could require more repairs in the coming months.

Tuesday, December 26, 2006:
Me, Tom and Tom's father visit the near buy Sears hardware store and choose a moderately priced dryer with all the features that we wanted. Tom's parents offered to purchase the dryer for us as part of our Christmas present, and we graciously agreed (thanks again!). That evening Tom tried calling the Sears information line that they told us to call if we had any questions. We wanted to find out if the 25 year old setup down in the basement was still code by today's standards for a gas dryer. All Tom could get out of the recording on the phone was when it was going to be delivered.

Wednesday, December 27, 2006:
Tom calls St. Louis County to find out if our copper gas line meets county code. They say yes, it does you should be fine.

Friday, December 29, 2006:
The new dryer is delivered. However, the delivery guys refused to unhook the old dryer from the gas line because of the copper line. They tell us to have the gas company out, and once the line is replaced with a black pipe, then they will come out and haul away the old dryer and hook up the new one.

Wednesday, January 3, 2006:
Tom takes a day off work to stay at home and wait for Laclede Gas to come out and switch out the gas line.

Saturday, January 6, 2007:
Sears comes back out to haul away the old dryer and hook up the new one.....except that their order form from the store doesn't say anything about hooking up the new one. They haul the old one away and assure us that someone will be out later in the day to hook up the new one.

Tom spends the entire afternoon on the phone with Sears, and gets different stories from each person he talks to. Some say that it should have been hooked up. Some say that the ticket was written out wrong and they should have hooked it up anyway. Some say that the "customer refused hook-up." After 4 hours of getting no answers Tom tells Sears we are returning the dryer, that this is ridiculous and we aren't putting up with their crap.

Sunday, January 7, 2007:
Sears guys come to the house to hook up the dryer. Tom tells them that he's returning it, and once again calls their customer service to return the dryer. We are offered a $50 Sears gift card for our troubles if only we do not return the dryer ($50 to spend EVEN more money at a place that can't get their shit together...)

Monday, January 8, 2007:
Message on the answering machine when we get home from work from the local Sears Hardware store manager saying that she hears we had a "situation" over the weekend.

Tuesday, January 9, 2007:
Tom returns the call to Sears. The manager is one of the rudest people Tom has spoken to yet about the "situation" and tells Tom that he had not given them the opportunity to fix the situation before returning the dryer, and that he had called the wrong people on Saturday (so apparently the Sears store is separate from Sears customer service and Sears delivery....I think not!). Tom tells the manager there is nothing she can do, the damage has been done...Sears already had a chance to try to make amends.

That night we went to the Maytag store where we purchased a much cheaper dryer (with all the same features) from a very knowledgeable and friendly salesman. That dryer will be delivered and hooked up this Saturday. Maybe they will arrive at the same time as the Sears people arrive to take out the one we are returning.

We'll keep you posted on how Saturday goes!

The Cost of Higher Education

"In 1981, most students could earn two-thirds of the cost of a year of college by working full time at a minimum-wage job during the summer. Today, students would have to work full time for an entire year to cover the cost of one year at a public university..."

An interesting article from the Columbia Missourian, A penny saved is a degree earned.

I'd have to say that I definately missed out on a lot of stuff offered by my university because I had to work to get through college. Each year for the 4 years I was in school the tuition was raised, I think by 14% one year from the year before.

Recap of 2006

This survey is about the year 2006. Answer the questions thinking about the past year. My answers are below:

1. Overall, have you had a good year? It's a good thing we got married this year....otherwise the entire year would have sucked.
   
2. What has been your biggest achievement? getting married
   
3. Did you take any exams, pass? nope nope I is done with school
   
4. Have you been on a vacation (list where and when)? Jamaica in June for the honeymoon, and then Chicago in July to go to Six Flags and Chicago again in October to help some friends move (I don't know if that one counts as a vacation)
   
5. Have you bought anything expensive? a new car - 2004 Honda Civic
   
6. Have you had a job? yes, been there 1 year and 3 months now
   
7. Made any big decisions? I said "I do"
8. Lost a friend or loved one? In the emotional sense, not the physical (as in she didn't die or anything....)
9. Met anyone amazing? That's pretty hard to live up to...someone AMAZING...not sure.
   
10. Made new friends? yes, some new people at work and friends of friends
    
11. Moved house? nope
12. Changed College? done with college
    
13. Tried something new? being married - LOL
    
14. Been more happy or sad? happy
15. Made any enemies? not on purpose...
    
16. What music will you remember from this year? I haven't bought a CD in ages...music sucks right now.
    
17. What movies have you seen at the cinema this year? Believe it or not, I have not seen ANY movies in the theater this year...but I did join netflix
    
18. What was your best night out? My wedding day
19. What was your worst night out? I don't go out much
20. Best day? my wedding day
21. Worst day? when our chinchilla Teddy died
22. Best month? June
23. Worst month? November
24. Was summer a gooden'? summer's always good
25. Have you made better friends with anyone? yes and very glad for it
26. Lost any friends? yes...it makes me sad
27. Made any plans for next year? not really
28. How many hair colours have you had? just brown
29. Got pierced? no...still too scared of needles
30. Got inked? never!
31. Changed your image? nope
32. Missed anyone? yes
33. Know what you want in the future? yup
34. Regret anything? yes, but who never does anything they regret?
35. Have you had any relationships this year? with my husband!
36. Been to church? yes, I try to go every week but sometimes I can't get out of bed early enough.
    
37. Cried yet? yeah....it happens once in awhile
    
38. Been on a diet? I *thought* about going on a diet but never got past that point
    
39. Pulled an all nighter? no...I like my sleep
    
40. Drank Starbucks? yucky-0
41. Went Camping? no but I hope too next year
    
42. Bought something(s)? lots of things
    
43. Met someone special? everyone is special
    
44. Been out of state? out of the country in fact
    
45. Gone Snowboarding? no...but we got a lot of snow this week and I probably could have.
    
46. Gotten in a car accident? well not me...but I was in the car
    
47. Gone over your cell phone bill? yes because I had to make sure that we weren't going over our minutes
    

Gift Card Purchases

I got this warning via email and verified that it is true on snopes.com:

Well the crooks have found a way to rob you of your gift card balance. If you buy Gift Cards from a display rack that has various store cards you may become a victim of theft. Crooks are now jotting down the card numbers in the store and then wait a few days and call to see how much
of a balance THEY have on the card. Once they find the card is "activated", and then they go online and start shopping. You may want to purchase your card from a customer service person, where they do not have the Gift Cards viewable to the public. Please share this with all your family and friends...

Where should these folks live?

This random couple in New York have turned to the internet to decide where they should live after they get married. They chose 250 towns across the continental United States and want people to vote for where they should live. You can vote as many times as you’d like for any combination of towns you like. Once a town receives 1,000,000 votes, they are going to move to that town for at least one year (and update the world on what they think of the town they end up in). Personally I think they should have narrowed it down some - 250 towns is way too many, but I guess they wanted the media hype in all those towns across the country. They probably should have worked a little harder on their website design as well ... but then, I'm just picky about things like that.

So where do you think they should live. I have submitted several votes for my hometown of Columbia, MO (which is currently number 33 of 250). Below is the top 10, just to give you an idea of where things stand.

So cast your vote!

The Scream

Here is the infuz rendition of The Scream by Edvard Munch.

The evolution of an AOL logo...

AOL recently changed their logo...again. The company has only existed for 15 (or so) years and already has had 3 different logo designs. I guess they have to constantly reinvent themselves to keep their company afloat.

The November 7th Election

I realized the other night that while I knew how I was going to vote on the big issues that will be on the November ballot (US Senator, Amendment 2, Amendment 3, Parkway's Proposition R), I didn't know about all the other issues that are not as widely known, but still important. Here is a list of what people in my area will be voting on. To find out what people will be voting on in your area of St. Louis county, click here. In this particular post, I am not endorsing any particular candidate, I'm just informing people what they will be voting on so they can make an informed decision. The important thing is that you GET OUT AND VOTE (after you read up on the issues and make an informed decision)!

US Senator:
Jim Talent (republican)
Claire McCaskill (democrat)
Frank Gilmour (libertarian)
Lydia Lewis (progressive)

State Auditor:
Sandra Thomas (republican)
Susan Montee (democrat)
Charles W. Baum (libertarian)
Terry Bunker (progressive)

US Representative - District 2:
Todd Akin (republican)
George D. Weber (democrat)
Tamara A. Millay (libertarian)

State Representative - District 92:
Charles R. Portwood (republican)
Beverly White (democrat)

County Executive:
Joe Passanise (republican)
Charlie A. Dooley (democrat)
Theo "Ted" Brown, Sr (libertarian)

Prosecuting Attorney:
Robert P. McCulloch (republican)

County Council - District 7:
Greg Quinn (republican)
Steven Biggs (democrat)

Supreme Court Judges:
William Ray Price
Mary Rhodes Russell
Stephen N. Limbaugh, Jr.

Court of Appeals Judges:
Kenneth M. Romines
Nannette A. Baker

Constitutional Amendment - No. 2
Shall the Missouri Constitution be amended to allow
and set limitations on stem cell research, therapies,
and cures which will:

• ensure Missouri patients have access to any therapies and cures, and allow Missouri researchers to conduct any research, permitted under federal law;
• ban human cloning or attempted cloning;
• require expert medical and public oversight and annual reports on the nature and purpose of stem cell research;
• impose criminal and civil penalties for any violations;
  and
• prohibit state or local governments from preventing
  or discouraging lawful stem cell research, therapies
  and cures?

The proposed constitutional amendment would have an estimated annual fiscal impact on state and local governments of $0-$68,916.

Constitutional Amendment - No. 3
Shall the Missouri Constitution be amended to create
a Healthy Future Trust Fund which will:

1. be used to reduce and prevent tobacco use, to
   increase funding for health care access and treatment
   for eligible low-income individuals and Medicaid
   recipients, and to cover administrative costs;
2. be funded by a tax of four cents per cigarette and
   twenty percent on other tobacco products; and
3. be kept separate from general revenue and annually audited?

Additional taxes of four cents per cigarette and twenty percent of the manufacturers invoice price on other tobacco products generates an estimated $351- $499 million annually for tobacco control programs, health care or low income Missourians, and payments for services provided to Missouri Medicaid beneficiaries and uninsured Missourians. Local governmental fiscal impact is unknown.

Constitutional Amendment - No. 6
Shall the Missouri Constitution be amended to include a tax exemption for real and personal property that is used or held exclusively for nonprofit purposes or activities of veterans' organizations?

It is estimated this proposal will have a minimal cost to state government. The estimated costs to local governmental entities range from zero to approximately $45,000.

Constitutional Amendment - No. 7
Shall Article XIII, Section 3 of the Constitution be amended to require that legislators, statewide elected officials, and judges forfeit state pensions upon felony conviction, removal from office following impeachment or for misconduct, and to require that compensation for such persons be set by a citizens' commission subject to voter referendum?

It is estimated this proposal will have no costs to state or local governments.

Statutory Measure - Proposition B
Shall Missouri Statutes be amended to increase the state minimum wage rate to $6.50 per hour, or to the level of the federal minimum wage if that is higher, and thereafter adjust the state minimum wage annually based on changes in the Consumer Price Index?

The proposed revisions to Missouri’s wage rate laws generates an estimated $3.3 million to $4.3 million annually in state revenue. The impact on local government is unknown.

Parkway School District - Proposition R
Shall the school board of the Parkway C-2 School District be authorized to increase the operating tax levy for purposes of lowering class size, purchasing textbooks, equipment and supplies, improving technology, and managing the increased costs of educational programs by thirty-seven cents ($0.37) per one hundred dollars of assessed valuation? If this proposition is approved, the adjusted operating levy of the school district is estimated to be three dollars and fifty-three cents ($3.53) per one hundred dollars of assessed valuation.

Special School District - Proposition S
Shall the School Board of the Special School District of St. Louis County, Missouri, be authorized to increase the operating levy for the purposes of educating students with disabilities, providing
screening and diagnostics testing and providing technical education to students in St. Louis County by eighteen cents (18¢) per one hundred dollars ($100.00) of assessed valuation?

If this Proposition is approved by the voters, the adjusted operating levy of the Special School District is estimated to be one dollar ($1.00) per one hundred dollars ($100.00) of assessed valuation.

Silly Blogger!

I switched my blog over to the blogger/google beta version and now aparently I cannot post on anyones blog that has not been switched, and anyone without a google accout (just a blogger account) cannot post on mine. This is really annoying, so feel free to post annonymously and just put your name in the post message if it won't let you post like normal.

To Clone or not to clone?

Missouri is trying a bait and switch tactic on its voters to try and get amendment 2 passed - and if voters don't pay attention they will fall for it.

The language on the ballot and the language in the actual constitutional amendment are different. Here's what you will see on the ballot with the myths unveiled (in red):

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Shall the Missouri Constitution be amended to allow and set limitations on stem cell research, therapies, and cures which will: TRUTH: Amendment 2 doesn't set any new limitations on stem cell research that isn't already in federal law.

• ensure Missouri patients have access to any therapies and cures, and allow Missouri researchers to conduct any research, permitted under federal law; TRUTH: All US citizens (including Missourians) ALREADY have the same access to medical breakthroughs, and there is currently no laws keeping Missouri scientists from conducting research that the federal law allows now.
  
• ban human cloning or attempted cloning; TRUTH: Amendment 2's fine print defines cloning as resulting in a fully grown human baby, but does not consider cloning for research to be cloning.
  
• require expert medical and public oversight and annual reports on the nature and purpose of stem cell research; TRUTH: According to the full text of Amendment 2, this "oversight" would consist of the human-clone researchers policing themselves.
  
• impose criminal and civil penalties for any violations; and
  
• prohibit state or local governments from preventing or discouraging lawful stem cell research, therapies and cures? TRUTH: because "lawful stem cell research" described in amendment 2 requires human cloning, this means your tax dollars will be used to fund this research, and no state, county or local government will have the power to say no.
  

The proposed constitutional amendment would have an estimated annual fiscal impact on state and local governments of $0-$68,916.

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For more information see 2tricky.org or moroundtable.org.

UNPROVEN, UNNECESSARY, UNETHICAL: Embryonic Stem Cell Research

It worries me how many people are FOR embryonic stem cell research and ammendment 2. Please read the following and consider it before you vote on November 7. PLEASE NOTE: I am not against stem cell research using adult stem cells...only research that uses embryonic stem cells.

• Adult stem cells have already been successfully used in human therapies for many years. As of this moment, there are 72 successful treatments/cures using adult stem cells. NO therapies in humans have ever been successfully carried out using embryonic stem cells. In fact, the ONLY reported use of embryonic stem cells in humans was an attempt to cure Parkinson's disease, and resulted in some patients actually becoming worse.
  
• Embryonic stem cells are harvested from a human embryo. During the process of harvesting the cells, the embryo is destroyed, thus destroying a human life. In adults, stem sells are obtaqined from body tissues such as bone marrow, umbrilical cord blood, fat cells, etc. There is no damage to the donor in any way.
  
• Embryonic stem cells have produced tumors in animal lab testing due to the fact that they continue to replicate themselves indefinately.
• The harvesting of embyros from women causes substantial risks to the woman donors health. Not to mention the fact that women will be paid to donate their eggs which has the likelyhood to exploit poor and uneducated women.

Brawny Academy

You might have seen the tv commercials...Brawny Paper Towels developed an online reality show where they brought in some men in need of some improvement (according to their wives and girlfriends). The men come into the show as slobs and leave as changed men - along the way learning valuable skills such as replacing a toilet. It's funny, cheesy, dorky, and overall a brillent ad campaign. Check it out for yourselves!

Brawny Academy

All I can say is WOW!

This is an incredible commercial for Sony Bravia. The first time I watched it I thought maybe it was photoshopped somehow... Well it has been color corrected, but it is actually paint, and actually buildings...

• Check out the commercial
• Check out the behind the scenes
  

It's so neat for a lot of reasons...one thing that strikes me as interesting is that the buildings they used seem to be abandoned. If you watch the behind the scenes video you will see that there are broken out windows, rusted playground equipment, graffiti covered hallways - it appears to be projects, or slums that were used as the backdrop to an amazing commercial. I can't even imagine how much it cost to produce that!

Thanks Ryan for showing me this!

Just how observant are you?

This quiz is based on U.S. info, so use all lobes of your brain. This can be more difficult than it looks - it just shows how little most of us really see! There are 25 questions about things we see every day or have known about all our lives. How many can you get right? These little simple questions may be harder than you think...

Put your thinking caps on. NO CHEATING!!! BE HONEST!!! No looking around! No getting out of your chair! No using anything on or in your desk (including your phone) or computer!

The average person gets only 7 correct. How many can you answer? Write down your answers as you go. Check your answers on the comments page, AFTER completing all the questions.

LET'S JUST SEE HOW OBSERVANT YOU REALLY ARE.

1. On a standard traffic light, is the green on the top or bottom?
   
2. How many states are there in the USA? (Don't laugh, some people don't know)
   
3. In which hand is the Statue of Liberty's torch?
4. What six colors are on the classic Campbell's soup label?
   
5. What two numbers on the telephone dial don't have letters by them?
   
6. When you walk does your left arm swing with your right or left leg? (Don't you dare get up to see!)
   
7. How many matches are in a standard pack?
   
8. On the United States flag is the top stripe red or white?
   
9. What is the lowest number on the FM dial?
   
10. Which way does water go down the drain, counter or clockwise?
    
11. Which way does a "no smoking" sign's slash run?
    
12. How many channels on a VHF TV dial?
    
13. On which side of a women's blouse are the buttons?
    
14. Which way do fans rotate?
    
15. How many sides does a stop sign have?
16. Do books have even-numbered pages on the right or left side?
    
17. How many lug nuts are on a standard car wheel?
    
18. How many sides are there on a standard pencil?
    
19. Sleepy, Happy, Sneezy, Grumpy, Dopey, Doc. Who's missing?
20. How many hot dog buns are in a standard package?
    
21. On which playing card is the card maker's trademark?
    
22. On which side of a Venetian blind is the cord that adjusts the opening between the slats?
    
23. There are 12 buttons on a touch tone phone. What 2 symbols bear no digits?
    
24. How many curves are there in the standard paper clip?
    
25. Does a merry-go-round turn counter or clockwise?
    

Raising Chinchillas

Raising Chinchillas

You must check out this commercial!!!