ANOTHER LOOK AT IRRITATING COMMERCIALS

That almost seems as though I'm being over-the-top since almost all commercials (except the State Farm ones) are irritating.

Here's a suggestion to all advertising agencies - especially the ones working for Sears and KMart - using shrill, childlike voices in all your commercials is guaranteed to turn off listeners because the sound is offensive to our ears! In fact, and this may be a touch of hyperbole, it's likely in my opinion that Sears' and KMart's woes this Christmas season could be traced to those irritating commercials. And thank goodness the Toys 'R Us commercial deluge is over - the voice over in that commercial nearly had me screeching in fury! I have perfect pitch and bad sounds really get on my nerves.

In the "You get what you pay for" category - WalMart must have paid upwards of $1.98 for their commercials this year, so stupid were they! Thank goodness I DVR most everything I watch so I was able to sprint through the stupidity! Or does WalMart think that everyone who shops there is pretty much a lamebrain?

The fiber commercial where the wife opines that her husband needs more fiber in his diet, he whines that fiber makes him sad and then - rudely - snatches her fiber bar from her hand - that commercial just offends me on so many levels I cannot even count them.

The singers in some commercials are so bad that you know in your heart you will never buy the product.

Flo in the Progressive insurance commercials is getting irritating and I wouldn't buy insurance from them anyway, leftwing ownership being the deciding factor.

The Geico gecko is starting to wear a tad thin and they aren't that good an insurer anyway, or so I've been told.

I've been with Nationwide for years and intend to continue that practice, even though they are changing my agent to someone I don't know. At least I HAVE an agent.

Finally, there is the doofus who is going to "power wash" his deck sending his long-suffering wife to the Excedrin bottle. That pretentious, pompous ass would be divorced so fast he wouldn't know what hit him and his "not just washed but power washed" crap! It doesn't take a rocket scientist to know that when the table on the deck is set for guests, you don't blow the table settings to hell and gone!

There are certain buzzwords being over-used in commercials - "discreet" shipping (sometimes more than twice in any given commercial), "clinical proof" (or variations thereof). Don't these advertising writers have any access to a thesaurus?

So what commercials are driving you nuts this holiday season? Share folks!

UPDATE: "That's for babies" is back too! The most annoying and spoiled child on Planet Earth? Possibility!

THE IOWA CAUCUS AND OTHER FANTASIES

Why are these peculiar proceedings considered to be so crucial to a campaign for the nomination of the Republican Party? They don't even represent the votes of all Iowa Republican voters, but rather the votes of a selected, albeit an admittedly active bunch!

I think that the press, reluctant to think for themselves as they are, need something to tell them which way the wind is blowing!

Well take note of this lamestream media - it ain't blowing from Iowa and Mitt Romney is not liked by most Republican voters.

We need to stop being ashamed of who we are, we need to kick the butts of those mandarins at the RNC and tell them that they aren't representing our needs, wishes and beliefs and start standing up for the conservative views of most ground level Republicans. The basic views of conservatives are that we are proud to be Americans, proud of our history (overall), proud of our independence and self-reliance. We aren't ashamed to work hard and achieve. We aren't ashamed that we hold serious moral values, we aren't ashamed that we value life and we aren't embarrassed that we aren't freaking Europe!

Ron Paul is a lunatic when it comes to foreign policy. Mitt Romney is a willow reed, blowing whichever way he thinks will get him the nomination - not a man of principles and courage. Newt Gingrich, with all his flaws, may be our best candidate.

And what's with all this "endorsing" by fellow Republicans. What's that crap? It was once an article of faith that during the primaries, no Republican endorsed another Republican because in the end, that would only harm the entire party?

Apparently that is considered old-fashioned values these days and that is a big doggone shame!

I'm still sticking with Newt. He is not ashamed to stand up for what he believes in and as flawed as he is - he's one hell of a lot more competent than any of the other candidates!

BET YOU DIDN'T SEE THIS ONE ON NATIONAL TV!

NOT ORIGINAL WITH ME BUT SENT BY COUSIN STU IN MEXICO

Lesson # 1

Why the U.S. credit rating was downgraded.

� U.S. Tax revenue: $2,170,000,000,000

� Fed budget: $3,820,000,000,000

� New debt: $ 1,650,000,000,000

� National debt: $14,271,000,000,000

� Recent budget cuts: $ 38,500,000,000

Let's now remove 8 zeros and pretend it's a household budget:

� Annual family income: $21,700

� Money the family spent: $38,200

� New debt on the credit card: $16,500

� Outstanding balance on the credit card: $142,710

� Total budget cuts: $385

Got it?

OK. Here's another way to look at the Debt Ceiling...

Lesson # 2

Let's say, You come home from work and find there has been a sewer backup in your neighborhood....and your home has sewage all the way up to your ceilings. What do you think you should do? Raise the Ceilings, or pump out the sewage?

Your Choice is coming November 2012 for all incumbents

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL!

I'm going to refrain from posting to this blog until after Christmas Day unless something egregious happens, in which case, all bets are off.

In the interim, please have a very Merry Christmas and a most safe, sane and prosperous New Year, despite the moron in the White House!

CAN OUR PRESIDENT READ?

Apparently he hasn't read the Constitution. Or he doesn't care. Constitutional lawyer my Aunt Fanny! He is warning legislators - a trifling bunch of asshats to be sure - not to go home before passing the tax cut renewal.

"Congress should not and cannot go on vacation before they have made sure that working families aren't seeing their taxes go up by $1,000 and those who are out there looking for work don't see their unemployment insurance expire," Obama said.

What part of three separate and co-equal branches of government does this boob not understand? He doesn't give them orders! They are equal to him with separate responsibilities and powers. And as badly as they perform their duties, they aren't any worse than him!

GRAND PRIX OF FIGURE SKATING FINAL

First, sincere condolences to Mao Asada of Japan. She worked really hard to qualify for this competition, only to have to return to Japan on Thursday to rush to the bedside of her dying mother. Unfortunately, she was too late and her 48-year-old mother was deceased before she could get there. Those of us who have lost our mothers - at any age - all feel for this tiny little person of enormous talent!

Ice Dancing: Notice how I'm restraining myself, kids! YES! Davis and White put on a magnificent pair of programs, both the short dance and the free dance and won the gold medal over their training partners AND rivals, Scott Moir and Tessa Virtue. The technical content of the Davis/White duo was absolutely stunning! Not that Virtue and Moir are stumble bums by any means! It was a good night for ice dancing.Now it's on to the various national competitions in January and then on to the World's in Nice, France (nice venue if you can get it) in February or March.

Men's: Canada's world champion withstood a fall on a triple Lutz and other missteps in his free skate to defend the Grand Prix Final title he won last season. "My training really helped me today," he said. "I had difficulty at the start of the program, and that is where training kicks in. You have to stay concentrated on your plan."Daisuke Takahashi had his finest free skate in recent memory to climb to second after placing fifth in the short. The Japanese skater just edged out Spain's (!) Javier Fernandez, who hit two different quads in his free skate and won bronze and was, in a word, spectacular! And quite adorable.

Pairs: Savchenko and Szolkowy and Volsozhar and Trankov gave the judges very little to choose between, since they both hit every jump, twist lift and throw in their programs, while performing with remarkable intensity and style. In the end, the German pair (and two-time World Champions) won, while the Russians took the silver and the Chinese settled for the bronze. The winning margin between gold and silver was 3/10s of a point! I doubt I was the only one who gasped at that!

Ladies: Carolina Kostner deservedly won the gold medal with an equally worthy Akiko Suzuki coming in second. Alissa Czizny of the U.S. was skating on an ankle that had been injured in the pre-competition practices. It was the "landing" leg ankle and the pain she was experiencing was evident in both her skating and her lovely face. Two Russian ladies were also in the final - both of them skated sloppily as the Russians frequently do. They think drama outweighs technical excellence over there. It doesn't.

HE MAY BE AN S.O.B., BUT . . .

He's OUR s.o.b.! That used to be the Republican Party mantra and it has mostly always been the position of the Dumbocrats!

I would strongly suggest that Republicans remember the ultimate goal - unseating the Usurper in November 2012. Quit savaging each other with highly inflammatory advertising and speech and concentrate on attacking Obama!

Clearly, Mitt Romney has finally figured out that a lot of Republicans do not like him. His self-adulation apparently is so ingrained that it has taken him 6 years of running for president to figure that out! Not too swift, are we Mittens?

Incendiary ads recently released dissing Newt's flaws and past errors in judgment in his personal life doesn't do YOU or the Party any favor, Mitt. It just makes me dislike you more and I'm pretty average in my reactions, so it's probably true that I'm not the only one!

Newt Gingrich has a ton of baggage and pummeling him with his past sins is a fruitless endeavor. We all know Newt's flaws, chief among them an unchecked libido (in the past, one would hope - we don't need another Clinton in the White House), and an inability to actually govern (we can only hope that the very strong woman to whom he is now married will keep him focused a little more thoroughly but given the reported disarray in his campaign staff, some of the issues still remain). Nevertheless, he is still preferable to that Robotic Nerd, Romney. Fair disclosure. Newt has been a friend of one of my family members for a long time and if he can tolerate this particular person as well as he does, he'll be able to keep his cool in the White House.

IS THIS STILL AMERICA?

When I was growing up, back in "the olden days" there were certain things that were sacrosanct. For example, people were deemed innocent until proven guilty. Then the Sam Shepherd case came along and all that went out the window (I grew up in Cleveland so that was my first experience of a trial that was highly political and publicized).

Today, I was watching The Talk on CBS. I don't watch it often because although I like Sharon Osbourne, I dislike Julie Chen (she strikes me as phony and very cold). Last season I enjoyed the interplay between the women on the show but do not enjoy it so much with Leah and Holly gone. Sheryl Underwood is okay; she has grown on me. Aisha Tyler is also just okay but neither of these two woman make the contribution of Leah and Holly.

Now to today's show. The first topic of conversation was Jerry Sandusky. Now granted, the charges against him appear to be pretty horrific. But he hasn't been convicted of anything in a court of law so why is it acceptable for these five women - none of them attorneys and none of them residents of Pennsylvania or familiar with the laws of Pennsylvania - to talk about the man as though he is guilty as charged. He isn't. This country still runs on "innocent until proven guilty" and that hasn't changed unless The Anointed One has done something of which I am unaware!

I lived in Los Angeles (if you can call it living) during the time of the McMartin hysteria. Those people were even convicted and subsequently, the charges were proven to be bogus and their names were cleared. Sam Shepherd was convicted and his conviction was reversed because of prejudicial pre-trial publicity. I was a reporter covering his second trial and well remember the restrictions and pressures exerted on all of us vis-a-vis our coverage. He was acquitted during the second trial although privately I have always believed in my heart that he knew plenty more than he was saying about the murder of his wife. I also witnessed an incident in a restaurant during the trial which convinced me that the man had a strong tendency to use violence toward women.

Getting back to "The Talk" - they further went on to discuss Michelle Bachmann's interplay with a small boy who was clearly being coached by his mother. She was right to dismiss the child because he was being used but the ladies didn't see it that way. Their reasoning was because Michelle Bachmann is anti-gay-marriage, she has no right to ignore a child obviously being used to entrap her.

This is STILL America folks. ALL OPINIONS are worthy of respect - even ones with which you do not agree and ALL accused of crime are innocent until proven guilty. When anything else becomes acceptable, it will be a sad and tragic day for America.

IS IT POSSIBLE?

Obama has scheduled himself another 17-day vacation in Asia - sorry, Hawaii! Am I being cynical when I say that we're better off with him tucked away somewhere away from D.C.

HOW MUCH LONGER ARE WE GOING TO PUT UP WITH THE DEMS' NONSENSE?

Herman Cain has apparently abandoned his run for the White House and once again, by innuendo and deceitful accusations, the Democrats have destroyed a black man who "strayed off the reservation" and ran as a conservative Republican. The first time they did this was when they buried Clarence Thomas in a hail of accusations from the lip gloss queen, the clearly needy and unstable Anita Hill.

Now they're flinging baseless and easily refuted charges against Herman Cain in a clear testament to their disregard for this country's future welfare AND equality amongst the races.

Herman Cain's biggest sin was in posing a threat to The Anointed One. He is and will continue to be everything that the Kenyan Wetback is not. He is intelligent, experienced, possessed of common sense and beyond all, able to articulate his ideas with clarity and without the aid of a teleprompter. In other words, he is his own man. We cannot say the same for the so-called president!

The Dems are supposed to be the party of inclusion and equality - or so they say. In reality they are a bunch of sanctimonious hypocrites who despise black people and want to keep them in thrall to their assinine social programs which foster dependancy in a modern day version of slavery! The Dems both despise and fear men like Herman Cain and their special gift is denigrating and attempting to humiliate conservative women like Michelle Bachmann or any other group they believe "belongs" to them when they happen to think clearly and for themselves. I don't happen to think Michelle is in any way qualified for the presidency, but what they have done to her, and to Sarah Palin (much more qualified) before her is shameful and despicable in every regard. The party of Asses (their symbol and well chosen) needs to be held to account by the American people and shown in no uncertain terms that their tactics and behavior are unacceptable and, what is more, un-American in the extreme!

The charges against Mr. Cain are patently false, but even if they were in any way accurate - his so-called sins are so puny in comparison to the beloved Clinton, the rapist who occupied the White House for 8 years and to great acclaim, despite his proclivity for having an intern his daughter's age suck his member in the Oval Office! Now THAT is bad behavior and yet, in Clinton's case, we repeatedly heard the inaccurate mantra that it was "Just about sex!" when in reality, he was impeached and lost his law license for 5 years because he LIED TO A GRAND JURY!

But attempting to change the narrative is a favorite trick of the Dems, in slavish imitation of the Stalin era in Russia and Hitler's reign of terror in Germany.

Dear merciful Lord, how long are we going to remain in thrall to the stupid among us who continue to vote for these idiots?

The landscape needs pruning folks; a lot of Democrats need to go and it's our job, nationwide, to accomplish that!

ANOTHER SIGNAL THAT OUR NATION'S MORAL FIBER IS SHOT TO HELL

Kourtney Kardashian is pregnant for the second time by that preening, alcoholic sycophant Scott Dissick and still unmarried. Even her grasping, money-grubbing mother is appalled by the lack of a wedding band on her daughter's hand!

When did it become chic to have children out of wedlock? In my view, it's appalling and truly despicable and stupid behavior and grossly unfair to the children! Children need TWO parents in a committed and stable relationship to give them loving guidance and disciplined support.

But what can you expect from that family. The only two worth a spit are Khloe and Robert!

ALCOHOL, DRUGS AND SELF-INDULGENCE

I have recently had a month-long visitor, someone I dearly love. One of the prior conditions of his coming to stay with me was that there was to be no drinking - I grew up in a household with an alcoholic parent and have no desire to repeat that experience. Needless to say, that rule was thoroughly ignored. My guest arrived roaring, falling-down drunk and pretty much stayed that way during his entire visit. He has now departed south for the winter and hopefully, he'll be less stewed while there.

The thing I don't get, despite years in Al-Anon (which taught me a lot about the families of alcoholics and very little about the psychology of the alcoholic him or herself), is how someone who readily admits to being an alcoholic can continue to indulge themselves in such self-destructive behavior all the while claiming that their addiction is a special case and that they can stop drinking at any time - but they never do!

This is a brilliant human being, absolutely blindingly so (again, my IQ is slightly higher but I am far less well-read and erudite) with a great deal of charm and good looks and potential. He dissipates it all, and his physical well-being, by quaffing all manner of alcoholic beverages to the point of stupidity!

My heart is sad for his pain, which he exacerbates greatly with his addiction - he cannot and will not contribute all that he can. It's tragic and heartbreaking and I'm glad he is out from under my roof because the stress on me was enormous.

And perhaps that is the worst thing about alcoholism and addiction in general - okay, if you want to drown yourself in an ocean of booze, go ahead and do it. But don't take innocent bystanders down with you as most addicts generally do!

Well, I wasn't about to drown and I wasn't about to be an enabler. He's gone elsewhere now and while I love him and miss him enormously, I'm in a state of absolute relief for myself and the peace and serenity of my home.

WHATEVER HAPPENED TO AMERICAN VALUES?

It used to be that "innocent until proven guilty" was our way of life. Now people are eviscerated and destroyed in the media, even people who might, just might, be the salvation of our nation's economy and security. In other words, men like Herman Cain.

Bill Clinton got away with serial affairs and blatant falsehoods, even to the point of impeachment proceedings and yet, today he is considered an elder statesman of some sort by many (not me)! We had a rapist for a president and many seem to be okay with that! The mind boggles, seriously!

The pinhead who is now occupying the White House is a grossly unprepared and incompetent buffoon and the only reason I don't say what I truly think of him is because he occupies the office of the President, whether legitimately or not I cannot ascertain although I have my opinions. I do respect the office and thus, do not wish the man any harm. I just wish him gone - by legitimate means only! In other words, I want the voters to reject him for a second, undeserved and wholly dangerous four years!

Herman Cain may or may not have conducted a consensual affair with some woman whose morals I have to question because she knew full well he was married. I also think her claims are a load of bull, but that's my opinion based on the facial and body language of the accuser. Why didn't we hear from her when Mr. Cain first started running for the office. In fact, why on earth are all these charges only surfacing when he becomes a threat to The Anointed One? Just asking.

Maybe Newt is the best candidate after all. All his scandal is already right out there in the open and I have to say that watching Teleprompter Guy try to debate Newt would be a treat for all. Newt would mop the floor with him without even breaking an intellectual sweat. He is brilliant. I also am unsure of Newt's ability to govern and manage the office. Maybe Calista will give him some assistance with that aspect of the presidency.

In fact, anyone but Obama - if only because we'd then be spared the spectacle of the endless campaigning and vacations and golf games and whatnot!

I'd like to see someone in the office who knows that there are only 50 states (not 57) and who knows that Hawaii is NOT in Asia as the incumbent apparently believes!

And as to Herman Cain - if these various charges are all false, then he should sue the shit out of the people making the claims and get his pound of flesh that way while also serving notice that there is a downside to making false accusations!

GRAND PRIX SERIES - CUP OF CHINA

It was an interesting competition. The Russian ice dancers (they are so over the top I didn't bother to learn their names) came in first, but are totally unfit to compete on the same ice as Davis/White and Virtue/Moir. They barely defeated our own Shibutani siblings who were excellent.

The men have decided (or felt compelled) to put multiple quads into their programs. This led to a somewhat sloppy competition with a lot of butts hitting the ice and the winner, Jeremy Abbott of the U.S. ending up winning because other than his stumble on the quad at the beginning of his program, his skate was lyrical and lovely.

The Russians are making a big push to stick their toes back under the table in the pairs competition. The Chinese are finding that to be a non-starter. Good for them.

There weren't a lot of dark roots but plenty of dirty skate laces to be seen. Could my bitching be having an effect? Naw....!

SPEAKING OF THE KIM/KRIS DIVORCE!

The idea of dating someone for 6 months and then becoming engaged and married in a lavish, over-the-top wedding ceremony (3 dresses - really?) is an insult to the concept and intention of marriage. Her unwillingness to compromise her princess dreams is just a vague idea of what was wrong with the whole thing. Okay, it seems to have worked for Khloe (who has more common sense than her older sister apparently since she knows that marriage requires compromise and hard work) but just because it works for one sister, doesn't mean that her pampered, self-involved, utterly brainless older sister can do it. Kim Kardashian cannot utter a sentence without using the work "like" 20 times! She is a dumbass!

Kris Humphries himself said it best when he opined during one of the pre-wedding episodes, "Four years ago you were selling dresses in a shop in the Valley and now you're some kind of princess?" She sneered at his hometown in Minnesota, unwilling to even consider living like a normal human being for part of the year. And then she prattled on about her "career" (what career unless you mean posing for pictures endlessly and sticking out your big ass and flashing your big tits at the world). And then, apparently because Kris desired some kind of normal married life, she flounces off to a divorce attorney and files after 72 days of marriage! That's what I call true commitment and work ethic! Skank that she is. he's well rid of her!

DANCING WITH THE STARS - NIGHT 7

First, let me preface by saying that I dislike the competitive group dance concept with a great deal of passion.

Second, I thought all of the individual dances were fairly lackluster, including the dance of J.R. Martinez. What moron gave him (they don't choose their own music) the theme from Ghost Busters as a tango backdrop? Were they trying to sabotage him? Maybe they were trying to give Ricki Lake an edge? Regardless, we can prevent those kinds of subtle manipulations from working!

I was also impressed with Rob Kardashian's focus, given his sister's ridiculous marriage drama! He is really developing as a dancer and I applaud him for that.

I notice that the odious Hope Solo and her rude and cranky professional partner Maks are still there. May one inquire as to why? She cannot dance, she has a nasty, "entitled" disposition and she cannot have that big a fan base. Then again, people voted for Obama!

It was a shame to see David Arquette voted off.

During the results show, the dancing of the luminous young Christina Ferri was absolutely inspirational. Talk about courage and heart, not to mention some serious talent. It reminded me of when Scott Hamilton returned to the ice after his bout with testicualar cancer. When he finished his first skate with a back flip, his words were magnificently appropriate: "I won!" Ms. Ferri can say the same! And so can we, from seeing her dance so beautifully.

DANCING WITH THE STARS - NIGHT 6

First, let me reiterate - I dislike Hope Solo and think she should be voted off. She is arrogant and has an "entitled" mentality that is most unattractive.

Chaz Bono still is the hardest working dancer on the show. Unfortunately, he still seems to lumber around more than dance. But his luminous smile and complete humility are still winners!

Nancy Grace continues to amaze, Ricki Lake is very very good, I will vote again for Rob Kardashian, while J.R. Martinez remains my absolute favorite!

We'll see tonight what happens!

SKATE AMERICA RECAP

To the surprise of absolutely nobody, Davis and White, the first ever American ice dancing World Champions, won this event. However, it is the way they won it that is totally remarkable. Their two programs were impeccable and their skating was phenomenal. One of the ways in which you can determine the quality of an ice dancer's skate is the sound. Actually, it's the lack of sound that is remarkable. You see, ice dancing is a game of edges and when you are truly on your edges there is no sound - which tells the judges that you are doing it right. Davis and White are largely silent on the ice and the one point in the program where there was any sound - it was almost impossible not to make a sound because Charlie was changing edges! So congratulations on your 22 point victory!

The female champion, Alissa Czizny (of Bowling Green, Ohio) was composed, confident and excellent in both her technical and presentation values. The little girl who always looked like she wasn't sure she'd manage two programs is gone and in her place is a strong, skilled and gracefully wonderful skater who truly represents her 2011 U.S. Championship status well!

Michal Brezina of the Czech Republic won the men's title - although I think the others lost the title more accurately. His skating doesn't really do a thing for me but it's nice to see another country in the mix!

Savchenko & Szolkowy of Germany won the pairs title. Would someone please do something about her hair and get her a touch up before competitions? Her stringy, thin, fly-away hair contributes nothing, although their skating is fairly good.

Finally, my annual rant - dirty skates, dirty dirty laces, dark roots and some costumes that looked more Halloweenish than anything else! What can you say? The best outfits were sported by the Americans - Charlie White was born to wear a tux!

GADDAFI IS DEAD

An0ther repressive and brutal dictator has been 86'd by his own people, which is as it should be. For truly to remove that kind of evil from this world, the people most affected by his iron-fisted and murderous reign should be the ones to put him in the ground!

People like Saddam and Gaddafi were contemptible aberations of what leadership should be and they will not be missed, except for the equally foul creatures who supported them in power, most of whom have also gone on to their justified rewards.

Now they are in the hands of the fairest judge of all - God!