LOTTOMIKE's Blog

i've had a few people aske me why i don't post as much lately.i hate to be a whiner,moaner or complainer so don't take this as something of that sort.my heart just hasn't been into playing as much since the government dropped the bomb on the online gaming industry.i've lost a lot of money due to this law being passed.more positive types here swore up and down nothing would change and i knew better from the get go.i knew the whole thing was going down the drain the night the law passed.i made plans right then to adjust and it hasn't been easy.i added around 7,000 or so dollars just from playing pick 4 online and that is a lot of money to someone who already don't make a lot.it made my life a whole lot easier but it is too bad i got on the very tail end of the deal before the whole thing fell apart.sure a few people here are still able to play but there are quite a lot who have been denied or quit.i have a pretty good talent for sniffing out pick 4 numbers in certain states and i would rather do this than mop floors at wal-mart.nothing made me feel better than to be able to win a few thousand at the click of mouse while sitting in the comfort of my own house.well my daughter just got approved for SSI due to bad hearing loss so that most certainly helped matters when the tide was sinking the boat.any other time i would've been too proud but i was told to take it and i wasn't going to deny any income when it was needed.just a routine doctor visit showed she had bad hearing like me and i got a letter saying she qualified for benefits so i took it because it was badly needed.i'll be glad when george bush is out of office.the man has passed all these dumb laws including the internet gambling bill.my best friend is fighting a useless war in iraq because of this idiot.i can't wait for november 2008 to get here fast enough.maybe someone else can undo the damage this evil careless man has wrought.

WASHINGTON (AP) - The Iraqi government is achieving only spotty military and political progress, the Bush administration conceded Thursday in an assessment that war critics quickly seized on as confirmation of their dire warnings. Within hours, the House voted to withdraw U.S. troops by spring.

The House measure passed 223-201 in the Democratic-controlled chamber despite a veto threat from President Bush, who has ruled out any change in war policy before September.

"The security situation in Iraq remains complex and extremely challenging," the administration report concluded. The economic picture is uneven, it added, and the government has not yet enacted vital political reconciliation legislation.

As many as 80 suicide bombers per month cross into the country from Syria, said the interim assessment, which is to be followed by a fuller accounting in September from Gen. David Petraeus, the top U.S. military commander in the region.

"I believe we can succeed in Iraq, and I know we must," Bush said at a White House news conference at which he stressed the interim nature of the report.

Describing a document produced by his administration at Congress' insistence, he said there was satisfactory progress by the Iraqi government toward meeting eight of 18 so-called benchmarks, unsatisfactory progress on eight more and mixed results on the rest.

To his critics - including an increasing number of Republicans - he said bluntly, "I don't think Congress ought to be running the war. I think they ought to be funding the troops."

Democrats saw it differently.

A few hours after Bush's remarks, Democratic leaders engineered passage of legislation requiring the withdrawal of U.S. combat troops to begin within 120 days, and to be completed by April 1, 2008. The measure envisions a limited residual force to train Iraqis, protect U.S. assets and fight al-Qaida and other terrorists.

The vote generally followed party lines: 219 Democrats and four Republicans in favor, and 191 Republicans and 10 Democrats opposed.

Rep. Jo Ann Emerson, R-Mo., voted for troop withdrawals for the first time, contending that while she still opposes a swift pullout, "staying in Iraq indefinitely is equally unacceptable."

"The report makes clear that not even the White House can conclude there has been significant progress," said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.

To Bush and others who seek more time for the administration's policy to work, she said, "We have already waited too long."

Republicans sided with Bush - at least for now. The bill "undermines Gen. Petraeus, undermines the mission he has to make America and Iraq safe," said the House GOP leader, Rep. John Boehner of Ohio. "What we have here is not leadership, it's negligence."

The 25-page administration report was issued in the fifth year of a war that has claimed the lives of more than 3,600 U.S. troops and is costing U.S. taxpayers an estimated $10 billion a month.

Bush announced last winter he was ordering thousands of additional troops to the war zone, but the full complement has only arrived in recent weeks. "The full surge in this respect has only just begun," the report said.

It warned of "tough fighting" during the summer as U.S. and Iraqi forces "seek to seize the initiative from early gains and shape conditions of longer-term stabilization."

The president sampled the report at his nationally televised session with reporters.

"Iraqis have provided the three brigades they promised for operations in and around Baghdad. And the Iraqi government is spending nearly $7.3 billion from its own funds this year to train, equip and modernize its forces," he said.

But in other areas, he added, they "have much more work to do. For example, they've not done enough to prepare for local elections or pass a law to share oil revenues."

The report was blunt at points and more opaque at others.

While Iraq has begun to show progress in providing services, "citizens nationwide complain about government corruption and the lack of essential services, such as electricity, fuel supply, sewer, water, health and sanitation."

At another point, it added, "The prerequisites for a successful militia disarmament program are not present."

In addition to citing a Syrian connection for terrorists, it also said Iran has continued to foster instability in Iraq.

It cited measured progress on the economic front. "Unemployment has eased slightly and inflation is currently abating," the report said. It omitted mention of a June 1 Pentagon report estimating an annual inflation rate at 33 percent and the Iraqi government estimate of joblessness at 17 percent.

In an evident jab at critics of Bush's war policies, the report also said progress toward political reconciliation was hampered by "increasing concern among Iraqi political leaders that the United States may not have a long term-commitment to Iraq."

Despite rising pressure from Republicans in Congress for a change in course, Bush was adamant.

"When we start drawing down our forces in Iraq, it will (be) because our military commanders say the conditions on the ground are right, not because pollsters say it'll be good politics," he said.

Before Thursday's House vote, GOP aides said they hoped to suffer only a few party defections, but the administration faced a more volatile situation in the Senate. There, three Republicans have already said they intend to vote for a separate withdrawal measure, and several others have signed on as supporters of a bipartisan bill to implement a series of changes recommended last winter by the Iraqi Study Group.

Sen. Pete Domenici, R-N.M., who announced his intention to seek a change in policy last week, issued a statement that said the administration's most recent assessment "confirms my worst fears that while the Iraqi government is making some progress on some benchmarks, it's not moving fast enough to make meaningful or lasting progress."

Even so, it appears the president's allies have the support to block a final Senate vote in a showdown expected next week.

If the report changed any minds in Congress, it was not immediately apparent.

"It is time for the president to listen to the American people and do what is necessary to protect this nation. That means admitting his Iraq policy has failed, working with the Democrats and Republicans in Congress on crafting a new way forward in Iraq and refocusing our collective efforts on defeating al-Qaida," said Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev.

But Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the Republican leader, said Congress has already decided it will be September before the administration's strategy can be evaluated properly. "Certainly the young soldiers and Marines risking their lives today on the streets of Baghdad and Ramadi would agree - and they deserve our patience."

AP

by Eric King
Memphis, TN (WHBQ FOX13 myfoxmemphis.com)  --  Right now, a bill going through the United States House of Representatives asks the federal government to formally apologize to African-Americans for slavery.

 

Men and women, old and young were ranked with horses, sheep, and swine, all holding the same rank in the scale of being.

 

“More than 130 years ago, Fredrick Douglass described the bloody plight of African-Americans enslaved for more than two centuries,” said State Representative Steve Cohen of Memphis, who is a sponsor of the bill.

 

When we talk in terms of time, years run together.  Centuries are easier to count. So, now more than three centuries after the first slaves were chained, the United States government stands on the verge of apologizing.

 

“It would be an apology by the government for having the institution of slavery and the jim crow laws that followed for another hundred years,” said Cohen, who says there's a bill going through congress that would acknowledge the mistakes of the past, and formally say, as a government, “we're sorry.”

 

But how will the rhetoric of a written apology translate into reality?

 

“I think it's certainly a nice gesture,” said Tomeka Hart, of the Memphis Urban League.  “For some people i think it will make them feel better if the government is saying they're sorry, but the apology is nothing if we're not still looking at the realities people live in and what do we do the help change the mindset.”

 

While words are used to make apologies, “I don't think a verbal apology would help out with much,” said Derek Sheridon.

 

The efficacy of an apology may be measured by action.  “It's nice to give that gesture to acknowledge a wrong that has happened, but how do we move forward,” said Hart.

 

Formal apologies for slavery aren't unheard of.  In fact, several states including Arkansas and Alabama neighbors have them on the books.

 

But should this bill pass, it would be the first time such legislation has appeared on the national level.

omega 3 fish oil,coenzyme q10 plus a multivitamin.i thought this might be a good way to start on vitamins.anyone here follow a specific regimen?

cops here killed a 12 year old black boy because they thought he had a gun.it was a fake toy pistol.there are threats being phoned in against the police in west memphis.the citizens are really concerned right now and jesse jackson and al sharpton are here.the black mayor willie herenton and i quote said these words last night on live television..."its the same self righteous bigots that wore ku klux klan robes,the same self righteous bigots that racialy segregated blacks,forced us to drink out of seperate water fountains." he then lashed out against the "white controlled media".he says there are people trying to run him out of office mainly white business men.i took my kids out to eat and mcdonalds just a few minutes ago and while eating in the van in the parking lot i see a bunch of cop cars come screaming up and with pistols drawn they ran into the restaurant throwing a black man onto the floor.the next thing i did was hightail it out of there fast.do yourself a favor don't ever ever move to memphis,tennessee.this place is a keg bomb waiting to explode.

all american football league?

the NFL and college football have the market covered.i don't think i'd be interested in watching a bunch of fourth string college rejects play uninspired football.it seems like once every decade a new league comes along.the WFL,USFL,XFL,etc.

now i liked the USFL in the 80's because they had a lot of NFL talent playing plus we had the memphis showboats here featuring reggie white.i went to the last ever game they played on july 6,1985.

anybody know anything about this vitamin?  anyone taking it?

WASHINGTON (June 28) - The Senate subpoenaed the White House and Vice President Dick Cheney's office Wednesday, demanding documents and elevating the confrontation with President Bush over the administration's warrant-free eavesdropping on Americans.

Separately, the Senate Judiciary Committee also is summoning Attorney General Alberto Gonzales to discuss the program and an array of other matters that have cost a half-dozen top Justice Department officials their jobs, committee chairman Patrick Leahy announced.

Leahy, D-Vt., raised questions about previous testimony by one of Bush's appeals court nominees and said he wouldn't let such matters pass.

"If there have been lies told to us, we'll refer it to the Department of Justice and the U.S. attorney for whatever legal action they think is appropriate," Leahy told reporters. He did just that Wednesday, referring questions about testimony by former White House aide Brett Kavanaugh, who now sits on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia.

The escalation is part of the Democrats' effort to hold the administration to account for the way it has conducted the war on terrorism since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. The subpoenas extend the probe into the private sector, demanding among other things documents on any agreements that telecommunications companies made to cooperate with the surveillance program.

The White House contends that its search for would-be terrorists is legal, necessary and effective - pointing out frequently that there have been no further attacks on American soil. Administration officials say they have given classified information - such as details about the eavesdropping program, which is now under court supervision - to the intelligence committees of both houses of Congress.

Echoing its response to previous congressional subpoenas to former administration officials Harriet Miers and Sara Taylor, the White House gave no indication that it would comply with the new ones.

"We're aware of the committee's action and will respond appropriately," White House spokesman Tony Fratto said. "It's unfortunate that congressional Democrats continue to choose the route of confrontation."

In fact, the Judiciary Committee's three most senior Republicans _ Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania, former chairman Orrin Hatch of Utah and Chuck Grassley of Iowa _ sided with Democrats on the 13-3 vote last week to give Leahy the power to issue the subpoenas.

The showdown between the White House and Congress could land in federal court.

Also named in subpoenas signed by Leahy were the Justice Department and the National Security Council. The four parties _ the White House, Cheney's office , the Justice Department and the National Security Council _ have until July 18 to comply, Leahy said. He added that, like House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers, D-Mich., he would consider pursuing contempt citations against those who refuse.

Gonzales, in Spokane, Wash., on Wednesday to discuss gang issues with local officials, said he had not seen the subpoena documents and could not comment on them directly.

"There are competing institutional interests," Gonzales said.

The Judiciary committees have issued the subpoenas as part of a look at how much influence the White House exerts over the Justice Department and its chief, Gonzales.

The probe, in its sixth month, began with an investigation into whether administration officials ordered the firings of eight federal prosecutors for political reasons. The Judiciary committees subpoenaed Miers, one-time White House legal counsel, and Taylor, a former political director, though they have yet to testify.

Now, with senators of both parties concerned about the constitutionality of the administration's efforts to root out terrorism suspects in the United States, the committee has shifted to the broader question of Gonzales' stewardship of Justice.

The issue concerning Kavanaugh, a former White House staff secretary, is whether he misled the Senate panel during his confirmation hearing last year about how much he was involved in crafting the administration's policy on enemy combatants.

The Bush administration secretly launched the eavesdropping program, run by the National Security Agency, in 2001 to monitor international phone calls and e-mails to or from the United States involving people the government suspected of having terrorist links. The program, which the administration said did not require investigators to seek warrants before conducting surveillance, was revealed in December 2005.

After the program was challenged in court, Bush put it under the supervision of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, established in 1978. The president still claims the power to order warrantless spying.

The subpoenas seek a wide array of documents from the Sept. 11 attacks to the present. Among them are any that include analysis or opinions from Justice, NSA, the Defense Department, the White House, or "any entity within the executive branch" on the legality of the electronic surveillance program.

Debate continues over whether the program violates people's civil liberties. The administration has gone to great lengths to keep it running.

Interest was raised by vivid testimony last month by former Deputy Attorney General James Comey about the extent of the White House's effort to override the Justice Department's objections to the program in 2004.

Comey told the Judiciary Committee that Gonzales, then-White House counsel, tried to persuade Attorney General John Ashcroft to reverse course and recertify the program. At the time, Ashcroft lay in intensive care, recovering form gall bladder surgery.

Ashcroft refused, as did Comey, who temporarily held the power of the attorney general's office during his boss' illness.

The White House recertified the program unilaterally. Ashcroft, Comey, FBI Director Robert Mueller and their staffs prepared to resign. Bush ultimately relented and made changes the Justice officials had demanded, and the agency eventually recertified it.

Fratto defended the surveillance program as "lawful" and "limited."

"It's specifically designed to be effective without infringing Americans' civil liberties," Fratto said. "The program is classified for a reason - its purpose is to track down and stop terrorist planning. We remain steadfast in our commitment to keeping Americans safe from an enemy determined to use any means possible - including the latest in technology - to attack us."

By LAURIE KELLMAN,

 Led Zeppelin are reportedly about to reunite for a one-off memorial concert.

If true, it would mark the third time that the '70s legends have played since disbanding.

After the death of drummer John Bonham in 1980, founding members Robert Plant, Jimmy Page, and John Paul Jones regrouped for Live Aid in 1985 (with Phil Collins) and for Atlantic Records' 40th Anniversary concert (with Bonham's son Jason).

It is now suggested that the latter formation will play a special concert in memory of Atlantic Records founder Ahmet Ertegun in London.

A source said: "Page, Plant, and Jones spoke and agreed to do the memorial concert. They are waiting for a definite date.

"And no one can quite believe it, but during discussions about the concert they all gave the green light to a tour if it all does well and they don't all fall out.

"It has been hoped for and denied for years. But this is the closest they have ever come to a reunion tour. The feeling is that this is going to happen next year."

Ertegun died in December 2006, following a fall at a Rolling Stones concert. The likes of Eric Clapton, Neil Young, Stevie Nicks, and Crosby, Stills & Nash all played his New York memorial in April of this year.

Desperado, why don't you come to your senses?
You been out ridin' fences for so long now
Oh, you're a hard one
I know that you got your reasons
These things that are pleasin' you
Can hurt you somehow

Don't you draw the queen of diamonds, boy
She'll beat you if she's able
You know the queen of hearts is always your best bet

Now it seems to me, some fine things
Have been laid upon your table
But you only want the ones that you can't get

Desperado, oh, you ain't gettin' no younger
Your pain and your hunger, they're drivin' you home
And freedom, oh freedom well, that's just some people talkin'
Your prison is walking through this world all alone

Don't your feet get cold in the winter time?
The sky won't snow and the sun won't shine
It's hard to tell the night time from the day
You're losin' all your highs and lows
Ain't it funny how the feeling goes away?

Desperado, why don't you come to your senses?
Come down from your fences, open the gate
It may be rainin', but there's a rainbow above you
You better let somebody love you, before it's too late

Gone are the days when parents stood on the back porch and shouted for their kids.

The AmberWatch Foundation, a nonprofit group focused on preventing child abduction, announced the pending launch of a Global Positioning System software application called AmberWatch Mobile. Parents can use the application to monitor their children's movements and children can use it to send an alert to their parents notifying them of their exact location.

The software enabling the service can be downloaded to a child's GPS-enabled cellphone. It then allows parents to log on to a dedicated Web site, amberwatchmobile.com, and quickly pinpoint their child's cellphone location. The child can also zap his or her location from the GPS-compatible handset via text message or email to the parent's phone by hitting a few keys on their cellphone.

The application can also be set up to send an alert to a parent's cellphone when the child gets home from school, or strays from a designated area, creating a kind of digital fence.

Eventually, the application could also be linked to a panic button on the child's cellphone which, when pressed, emits a high-decibel sound to ward off potential abductors.

It's still unclear when the software will hit the market, and it's still being developed by WaveMarket Inc., a company that develops location-tracking technology for cellphones. The foundation says it's in talks with major wireless carriers to support the service, which users would be able to download from a Web site onto their handsets for $4.99 a month. Half of the fee would be donated to the AmberWatch Foundation. No carriers have committed yet.

The service is part of a wave of new GPS products appearing on the market, as GPS chips are built into an increasing number of handsets, partly a result of government regulations that require them for 911 purposes. Other GPS services include navigation tools and "buddy finders" that help track locations of friends.

A few companies have already developed products that keep tabs on children, such as Walt Disney  Co.'s Disney  Mobile and Sprint Nextel  Corp., which both offer similar Family Locator services that let parents look up their child's location on a Web site or cellphone.

But AmberWatch Mobile will be the first GPS application that also lets the child initiate the sending of exact GPS coordinates to parents.

gore-obama....your thoughts?