The Ultimate Vampire Resource and Directory

I have said many times that it might have been helpful if George Bush had paid more attention to history while he was a student. I wish he would have brushed up on his history , before he sought to be president. Things might have turned out differently.



Yesterday, I went to an used bookstore and picked up a copy of Arthur M Schlesinger Jr's biography of Robert Kennedy. I had been wanting to read it for quite awhile.



There is an entire chapter devoted to his father, Joseph P Kennedy. There were many who felt that Joe Kennedy had political ambitions of his own. Some have thought that it was the little pissing contest he got into it with FDR when he was ambassador to Great Britain that hurt his chances. Maybe so. I can honestly say from what I have read that that is possible, but noone can be one hundred percent sure. Kennedy was not gung-ho about getting involved in World War 2. It was not because he was a facist or anti-semitic like many of his detractors said. There are many things that are not so nice that could be said about Joe Kennedy that are probably true. It would have been nice if his detractors had stayed with the facts.



Kennedy said something that seems almost prophetic after our little foray into Iraq. Bush should have read about Joseph P Kennedy. I would bet good money he has never read Arthur Schlesinger's book. Here is what Joe Kennedy said:



"Democracy cannot be imposed by force or otherwise. It would not last even if we able to present (other nations) with the most up-to-date constitutional system. In our very attempt at this colossal crusade we would end in failure and disgrace abroad, in disillusionment and bankruptcy at home."



Another warning from the past that has been either overlooked or ignored by today's leaders. The price tag for the Iraqi war keeps getting more expensive and many abroad are questioning the United States. How many in this country are tired of the Iraqi war and the policies that keep our serviceman and women in the Middle East? Quite a few from what I can gather. It appears Mr Kennedy knew what he was talking about.

No matter how many times I get on my soapbox about Bush and his bothche presidency, I still have the ulitimate respect for the men and woman in uniform who are risking their lives in Iraq. I also have the hightest respect for their families. They are suffering as well. RedQueen informed me that this war has the highest rate of divorce than any other war in US history. So, even if the serviceman or woman makes it back to American soil, their life and the lives of their family have forever been change by Georgie-boy's little war.



Here are some of the names of those who have lost their lives. I wish I could put this list in Georgie-Boy's hands. His daughter, Jenna , is engaged to be married. While I am happy for her and her intended groom, I want to ask Bush if any of those on this list may have been engaged and now have lost the chance to marry the person they loved.



Joan J Duran , 24.Roxbury Mass, survived by his fiancee Andrea Silvia of Woburn .



Blackwell. Justin R, 27, Blackwell is at least the 13th soldier from West Tennessee to be killed in the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and the third from Henry County, according to The Jackson Sun's archives and The Associated Press..



Braden J Long, 19, Spc Braden Long was born Aug 7, 1987 in Grand Prairie,TX.



Forshey, Curtis J. 22 Hollidaysburg, Pa.; died in Homburg, Germany, of a non-combat related illness; assigned to the 129th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, 101st Sustainment Brigade, 101st Airborne Division, Fort Campbell, Ky.,



Army Sgt. John E. Allen- John E. Allen was remembered for doing backflips over the neighborhood wall, climbing light poles, carrying cherry Chapstick everywhere and his ability to play piano. "John was known for being there for anybody. If he saw you coming home from the grocery, he'd be the first one to help carry the packages," said longtime friend, Mandy Montgomery. Allen, 25, of Palmdale, Calif., was killed March 17 by a roadside bomb in Baghdad. He was a 1999 high school graduate and was assigned to Fort Bliss. He spent four years in the Navy before enlisting in the Army. "He was a daredevil," said his mother, Kellie Allen. "He loved to snowboard; he scuba-dived, skydived. He wouldn't say no to anything the first time." He also is survived by his wife, Aspen. A baritone who liked spiritual and classical choral music, Allen also had a passion for drawing. "The last thing he was working on was a picture of his wife," Montgomery said. "He was just a very outgoing person, active, very much living his life. He was not one to sit around watching television. He was out and about all the time," said his father, Richard Allen.



Army Spc. Javier Villanueva, 25, Temple, Texas; died in Asad of injuries sustained Nov. 23 in Hit when an explosive detonated near his patrol; 2nd Squadron, 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment, Fort Irwin, Calif.



Army Sgt. Jonathan P. C. Kingman, 21, Nankin, Ohio, killed near Baji when his vehicle struck an explosive; assigned to the 41st Engineer Company, 1st Engineer Battalion, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, Fort Riley, Kan.



Marine Cpl. Darrel J. Morris, 21, Spokane, Wash., killed in Anbar province; assigned to 2nd Battalion, 10th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.



That is all I can stand to look at this time. I will make another entry later. Mr Villanueva is the cousin of a friend of mine. I will never forget the day she called me and told me her cousin was gone. I had the chance to met this young man once. He was a nice guy who loved his little girl.

JERUSALEM (CNN) -- Israel on Sunday rejected 50 Africans -- most of them reportedly from Sudan's Darfur region -- who had illegally entered the country from Egypt, a government official said.



The move angered many Israeli lawmakers and human rights advocates because of reports that some Sudanese refugees are being killed or mistreated by authorities in Egypt.



Israel has been struggling with how to cope with an increasing number of Africans, including some from Darfur, who enter the country through Israel's southern border with Egypt.



According to Israel's Haaretz newspaper, the refugees were arrested Friday evening as they tried to cross from Egypt into Israel. They were held at a military base in southern Israel before being driven back to Egypt on Sunday, the newspaper reported.



The nationalities of the 50 sent back Sunday were not released, but the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, citing figures from the Israeli military, said nearly all of them had escaped the genocide in Darfur.



Speaking to CNN, Israeli government spokesman David Baker described them as "economic refugees from Africa."



Baker told The Associated Press that Darfurians would not be immune from Israel's ban on unauthorized immigrants.



Israeli law denies asylum to anyone from an enemy state, AP reports. Sudan's Muslim government is hostile to Israel and has no diplomatic ties with the Jewish state.



Eytan Schwartz, an advocate for Darfur refugees in Israel, told AP that about 400 have entered Israel in recent years. Baker said they would be allowed to live in Israel, and that the ban applied to new arrivals.



Dozens of Israeli lawmakers recently signed a petition urging the government not to deport Sudanese refugees.



Arab militias supported by Sudan's government have committed numerous human rights atrocities, U.N. officials say, including the slaughter and gang rape of civilians, destruction of water sources, looting and burning of buildings and crops.



Earlier this month, Israel's Channel 10 interviewed Israeli soldiers who said they had witnessed Egyptian security officers executing several Darfur refugees.



According to Channel 10, their testimonies were backed up by Israeli military security cameras that showed Egyptian soldiers shooting and killing several asylum-seekers.



Channel 10 did not air the video.



According to Haaretz, one of the asylum-seekers "jumped on the wire fence in an attempt to make it over to the Israeli side, but was reportedly dragged back and bludgeoned to death by the Egyptians."



Responding to the report, Human Rights Watch called on Egypt to investigate the reported deaths.



There has been no public response from the Egyptian government.



An Israeli government official told Reuters that Israel had received " Since the beginning of the year, nearly 3,000 Africans have crossed from Egypt into Israel -- nearly half of them from Sudan, many traveling on foot.



Many Sudanese refugees end up in Israeli prisons waiting for the government to decide what to do with them. Israeli volunteers -- outraged at the incarcerations -- have helped many Sudanese find work in Israel's agricultural communities and temporarily live in family homes across Israel.



"This whole issue of people crossing over from Sinai, people from Africa, to come to Israel is a new issue," Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Mark Regev said. "And it's taken a while to get the government to respond correctly." E-mail to a friend E-mail to a friendcommitments" that refugees from Darfur would not be returned to Sudan.



Since the beginning of the year, nearly 3,000 Africans have crossed from Egypt into Israel -- nearly half of them from Sudan, many traveling on foot.



Many Sudanese refugees end up in Israeli prisons waiting for the government to decide what to do with them. Israeli volunteers -- outraged at the incarcerations -- have helped many Sudanese find work in Israel's agricultural communities and temporarily live in family homes across Israel.



"This whole issue of people crossing over from Sinai, people from Africa, to come to Israel is a new issue," Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Mark Regev said. "And it's taken a while to get the government to respond correctly."



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First of all, I want to make it clear that I do not hate Israel and that I recognize its right to extist as a country. Those like the current leader of Iran are nutcases and should be treated as such.



Now as much as I love the country of Israel, I will not uphold them in wrongdoing. Ask any friend of mine. I do not do that in my personal life. While I understand that Israel is in a vunerable place geographically and has many enemies, including the offical government of Sudan, I do not understand the grandchildren of those who survived the Holocaust turning other human beings over to their death.



Israel's own soliders and many of their leaders are informing the government that if turned back, these people will be killed by the Egyptians. Videotape does not lie. If these people are sent home, they are also as good as dead.



Now, if the bands of Arabs are killing people in their own country and are allowed to continue, logic only follows that sooner or later they will go to killing others they deem not fit for life. Since the Sudanese government has been accused of being in cahoots with these Arab murderers, logic also follows that they will someday soon strike out against the people of Israel. The government is not currently enjoying any type of friendship with Israel, so it is not far-fetched to say that Israel may be on their hit list. I hope Israel is not expecting their good buddy the United States to ride to the rescue. We have done little to nothing about the stituation in Dafur. It seems like the United States is more concerned about countries that has huge deposits of oil. Perhaps if Israel goes to mining for oil and makes a huge find, we will drop what we are doing in Iraq and give them a hand. Of course, the US military is so stresesd out and recuritment is down. IF I was Israel I would help the refugees and find out from them all I can about the Arab bands that are killing everyone in their wake. I would not hold my breath wanting for Uncle Sam to help.

I do not call many people on the phone. In fact, I just sat down and went through the list of people I do call on the phone that is not business related and realized the number was under ten.



This is one of the reasons that a phone call with a good friend of mine pissed me off. I called and got the voice mail. Now, I would think if you are paying for voice mail you would use it. I have an answering machine that came with my cordless phone. If I did not use it (which I do), I would still get use out of the phone. Plus, I am not paying a monthly charge for something I do not check.



Anyway, I left a message that would let anyone under the age of ten know it is not important. Said friend was just waking up. They know they have an issue with everyone in the known universe when they first wake up. They know I will chat with them. I talk a lot only to the people I like and respect. Anyone else will not hear from me. This person gets istupid when I try to explain to them how this could have been avoided. I was not upset at that point and was trying to help them. I ended up hanging up on them. I was calling to check on my friend and her husband in the first place. They are smokers. They needed my help with that the other night. I was going to ask if they needed smokes , before I got off the phone. I will not anytime today.



I was not perfect in this stituation. I got more irate when my roommate informed me they have told her I talk all the time and am crazy. A co-worker at my last job tried that with my other co-workers. At the end of the day, the other co-workers liked me and thought I was quite intelligent. It always backfires when you talk about other'a bad points and try to make them appear negative to others. Smart people and the ones who are worth it will see through what you are doing. My roommate is far from perfect and has admitted to such. She always knew it, but does not easily admit to those she does not trust. She has had people in the past use that against her.



I am still friends with the person I was on the phone with. I just cannot talk to them for a few days. My roommate wanted to know how this person would react if others treated them like they treated others. I hope they never receive that and have to react to it.



Oh by the way I have times I am quiet. Times that I talk .This particular friend and her spouse have not caught on that I talk a lot to those I like. If I get quiet around those people someone could get hurt and not see it coming. They should ask a fellow I was in the navy with about that.

One thing I want to make clear ( I am sure most rave members are intelligent enough to already know this. Just in case there is one or two that may read my journal and need to hear this, I am posting it) is that when you order from any mail order company there may be a delay. One of the delays may be in manufacturing. This has hit every , I repeat every company out there at one time or another. If you are ordering something for a special occasion, order in advance.



We are having to notify customers that their notebooks may be late. Most customers are reasonable and will say I want my computer. Some are understanding, but decide to cancel. That is alright too. It is their money. However, two people thought it was a good idea to threaten the reps they were talking too and the CEO. Ok, that was not a wise decision. Now, the customer will have the FBI knocking on their door and they will not be allowed to order from Dell ever again. In this day and age, making threats is not a wise choice. Over the phone will get you in just as much trouble as in person. We cannot take that lightly. How do we know you are not the next Mark David Chapman. True, he stalked and killed John Lennon, a celebrity. However, if you are just as nuts, you may make goo d on your threat to harm someone. It may be impossible for you to get to the rep you wanted to hurt or get to the CEO. But there are many people that work for Dell and since it is a global business, we do not know for sure how close you are to finding a Dell building and doing something to someone.



Just understand that being angry or frustrated is okay. That happens to everyone. Making threats is not okay. That will bring things into your life that you may not want or need.

MySpace is one popular site. Just about everyone I know in real has a profile and has spent a lot of time sprucing it up. I am more like the entertainer Jay-Z. I do not need to be on MySpace. I am trying to create my space in the real world.



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ORANGE, Mass. -- An Orange man and his three cousins from Gardner have been charged with posing as a woman in order to lure men to be robbed.



The three men and a woman, police said, posed as an 18-year-old woman on MySpace.com, the Internet social networking site. They enticed the men they met on the site to come to a meeting.



In one case, when the victim went out to meet the fictional woman, his home was robbed while he was gone.



Another man who went to meet the woman at a park was robbed when he got there.



Police said Bryan Bowers, Thomas Lafrennie, Amanda Lafrennie and Lawrence Lafrennie have each been charged with armed robbery and assault.



They all pleaded not guilty at their arraignments.

Tips for anyone calling Dell for a computer:



1. Have good credit or a credit card handy. Or have money in the bank and a debit card without a daily spending limit.



2. Do not expect to pay 549 if the ad you saw said starting at 549. That is a basic computer and does not include taxes. Unless you are doing all your own upgrades, you will not be able to do much on your own computer. In other words, if you are into gaming , you will be screwed with that computer if you want to pay the lowest amount you can get away with.



3. You will be asked questions about what you do on the computer. The sales rep is trying to build a system that fits your needs. If you do not care to tell the sales rep you download every song ever written, you will not have enough memory or a big enough hard drive to support doing that.



4 The Dell Preferred Account is a good way to get a computer, if you have so-so to great credit. Do not expect not to pay interest. There is always a promotional deal going on that may take away the interest from anywhere to three to twelve months.

Get a service plan. It may cost more upfront, but could save you money, time and not having a computer later. Three or four years of in home service parts and labor could save you a lot of stress. Dell will send someone to your home to fix the computer free of charge. Unless you like trying to find someone to fix your computer or you just like spending money, get a service plan.



5. Get accidental damage. Do not think you will never spill liquid on your notebook or desktop. This will get you a brand new system just like the one you intially purchased the first time it is accidentally damaged. Dell replaced a notebook for a solider in Iraq that had a tank run over his computer. The accidental damage comes with lojack for a notebook. So, if your notebook is ever stolen or damaged you might get it back , because Dell can trace it. Do not think these things cannot ever happen to you. Some people have said that and had to buy another computer. Famous last words: It can never happen to me.



6 Do not call in thinking you can get a sales rep to get you a discount. Most of the systems that are on sale already have two hundred dollars off. Demanding a discount from the jump is a good way not to get one. The managers do not appreciate callers that verbally harass their sales reps.



7 Do not wait to the last minute to call. If you are trying to get one for a college student , you will have to pay for next day shipping now. College acceptance letters start arriving in the mail in December . Do not expect sales reps to give you free next day or 2 business days shipping. If you are wanting to buy for Christmas, call now. Dell may have some deals for shipping then to help last minute shoppers, but if you wait until the last minute, there is still the chance you will have to wait until after the 25th. Don't despair. Most people getting a new computer for Christmas will be happy to wait a few extra days. IF not, they are being a little selfish and I would rethink spending that kind of money on them in the near future. Shipping and handling for normal delivery has been free. That may change. Call now for Christmas presents.

I am currently attempting to read a book called Team of Rivals. It is about Abraham Lincoln and the people who ran against him in the Republican primary. He ended up with them in his Cabinet. Some did not like him at first and were choked up when he died.



After some of the things I am seeing with the Democratic candidates for president, perhaps whoever gets the nomination should take a page out of Lincoln's book and get his or her rivals to work with them for the good of the country and the American people. All of them are intelligent and capable of helping this country fight terrorism and can help in domestic matters that ensures the safety and well-being of the public. Let's see what happens. Hopefully, the fight for the White House will not make them forget the reason they should have went into government in the first place- to serve the people of this country. If they forget that, the voters should give them retirement.

If wishing made something true than I know that no woman would ever die at the hands of a boyfriend or husband. Sometimes I wonder if love in the wrong hands is the most dangerous weapon iknown to mankind. Love is suppose to be a great thing. Love is suppose to be patient, kind , and not seek its own way. St. Paul wrote many moons ago what love is and what it is not. I quess that was too long ago and to some it is out of style. Perhaps. they should read Harry Potter. J K Rowlings talked about the power of love. It is the strongest force in the world and the only one in Heaven. Lily Potter did not save her son's life by physically attacking Lord Voldermort. That would have been foolish. His wand would have taken her out in a spilt second. The characters in this fictional story eventually learn it was love that saved Harry's life . Love was something Lord Voldernort did not understand and it lead to his downfall. I think that may have been what happened to the young man in the following story. True enough, he had some problems. Maybe of the mental variety. If you think you are crazy, because some doctor told you what your problem is and would never do what he just did, you may be saner than you ever realized.



Here is the article. I took it from CNN. Most of the new stories in my journal come from that website



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NEW YORK (CNN) -- The boyfriend of the 20-year-old college coed whose decomposed body was found over the weekend in a New York University apartment building is in police custody after trying to commit suicide, authorities say.



The man has implicated himself in the woman's death, police said.



On Tuesday, police had said they wanted to talk to Michael Cordero, 23, about the death of Boitumelo McCallum.



New York Police Department spokesman Paul Browne told CNN late Tuesday that Cordero was apprehended near a Manhattan supermarket, where he was found bleeding with slits across his wrists. Earlier, family members saw him perched on top of an apartment building a few blocks away.



According to Browne, Cordero was hospitalized at Roosevelt Hospital and in stable condition. He has made statements implicating himself in McCallum's murder.



Browne previously called the woman's death "suspicious" and said the case was being treated as a "homicide," pending a ruling by the medical examiner.



McCallum was last seen early Thursday morning hosting a party in her apartment.



It was not immediately clear when McCallum was killed, but on Sunday night a couple leasing a room in the apartment noticed a "foul odor" coming from her bedroom.



The room was locked, so the couple called police, who subsequently gained access through a balcony window.



McCallum's body was found wrapped in a sheet on the floor. She had been dead for several days.



Police Commissioner Ray Kelly told reporters there were some injuries to McCallum's head and face, including what appeared to be a fractured nose. A police source said the weekend's 90-degree weather had hastened the body's decomposition.



According to authorities, the medical examiner was scheduled to run tissue and toxicology tests. A preliminary examination showed no signs of sexual assault.



The dead woman's parents are professors at NYU.



McCallum was staying with her mother at the NYU-owned apartment building, which is usually occupied by students and faculty. She held a South African passport.