Ronald McDonald's Blog

Fishin' with Nana...Watts Bar Lake, Oak Ridge Tn. Circa 1964

2012-01-27T14:38:00.000-05:00

More KiwiMagic 2012 by Joe Maggard

2012-01-27T14:29:00.000-05:00

New Zealand 2012 by Joe Maggard

2012-01-27T14:18:00.001-05:00

Clint Eastwood Rules..RAWHIDE!

2012-01-27T14:16:00.000-05:00

Kiwi Magic 2012 by Joe Maggard

2012-01-18T14:00:00.000-05:00

Annual Summertime in New Zealand-Give it a Go!

2012-01-18T13:55:00.000-05:00

Goodtime Pjoe

2012-01-18T13:54:00.000-05:00

Please Help the Homeless...

2012-01-18T13:50:00.002-05:00

...if it can happen to him, it can happen to YOU! Please keep these folks in your thoughts and prayers. Help Others-Help Yourself

Castanets: The Swingin' Johnsons

2012-01-11T13:00:00.000-05:00

These Boys Rock! I'm Lovin' it!

The Missing Link?

2012-01-11T12:19:00.000-05:00

Look at the eyes...a great looking primate, if I do say so myself. HA!

...or the Film

2012-01-11T12:14:00.000-05:00

Although not a smoker, I have been called on to smoke for different roles. I don't condone smoking and urge You PLEASE DON'T SMOKE!

The Play is the Thing...

2012-01-10T17:00:00.000-05:00

Rattlesnake in a Cooler-Webisode 6

2012-01-09T11:47:00.000-05:00

INCOMING!

2012-01-09T11:43:00.000-05:00

Happy Birthday Elvis!

2012-01-08T13:47:00.002-05:00

TCB!

Please Protect the Wildlife

2012-01-08T11:17:00.000-05:00

A Gift

2012-01-07T18:08:00.000-05:00

Ronald's ServSafe Certification

2012-01-07T13:54:00.000-05:00

Talkin the talk...Walkin the walk!

TarHeels Rule!

2012-01-06T19:03:00.000-05:00

HAHAHA! Gotta love this!

Evolution of Obesity?

2012-01-06T18:44:00.000-05:00

We can make a difference, one pound at a time!

The Wisdom of Abe

2012-01-06T18:37:00.001-05:00

Honest and Faithful Service

2012-01-05T16:08:00.000-05:00

USArmy 1974-76...Honorable Discharge

The Early Bird gets the Firm

2012-01-05T15:51:00.000-05:00

Rattlesnake in a Cooler- Webisode 5

2012-01-02T13:12:00.000-05:00

Welcome 2012!

2012-01-02T13:10:00.000-05:00

Here's Wishing You and Your Family a wonderful and prosperous 2012!

WE THE PEOPLE ARE COMING...

2011-12-30T11:29:00.000-05:00

GOD BLESS AMERICA!

Have a Happy New Year!

2011-12-30T11:18:00.000-05:00

Please Remember...DON'T DRINK AND DRIVE...The life you save may be your own!

Coming Soon...

2011-12-26T13:17:00.003-05:00

The Final Draft is almost finished! Look for it in the new year, at Bookstores everywhere!

GOD BLESS US EVERY ONE!

2011-12-23T13:44:00.002-05:00

Happy Hanukkah!

2011-12-22T12:21:00.000-05:00

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-20T10:12:00.002-05:00

Peace on Earth...

2011-12-18T12:07:00.000-05:00

Goodwill toward Man!

This Holiday Season--PLEASE...

2011-12-16T10:49:00.000-05:00

McFunnies

2011-12-16T10:39:00.002-05:00

Happy Holidays!

2011-12-15T15:30:00.000-05:00

A little Christmas Jig?

Seasons Greetings

2011-12-13T10:51:00.000-05:00

Always remember, the Reason for the Season!

Always Fighting Obesity

2011-12-13T10:49:00.002-05:00

A Joyful Noise...by Joe Maggard

2011-12-05T13:48:00.001-05:00

Music is a gift from GOD, and I sure do thank HIM for it! So here's me doin a little pickin and singin. The second song Mama's Song, I wrote for my Mother because I love her so very very much. Hope you like it.

Rattlesnake in a Cooler - Webisode 4

2011-12-04T19:25:00.000-05:00

My Thoughts on Coal Mining and Mountaintop Mining

2011-12-03T13:36:00.001-05:00

First, let me just say that my Grandpaw Hiram Maggard, whom I loved and miss dearly, was a coal miner and fed his children on the wages of a coal miner. Grandpaw would crawl on his hands and knees into a hole in the earth and dig coal with a pick and a shovel, load it onto a wagon and a little pony would pull it outside. As you can imagine, this was backbreaking work and I have many, many relatives alive and gone who are coal miners to this day. I say this because I SUPPORT COAL MINERS! But I think there is a big difference between digging a hole/mine down into the earth and harvesting coal and taking dynamite and blowing off the top of a mountain to get the coal. What I DO NOT SUPPORT is when all the rocks, sludge and debris from blowing up the top of the mountain destroy every tree, every stream, every creek that runs off of that mountain. One can argue that those creeks and streams that are destroyed and filled with debris feed the rivers. Also, those big nasty sludge ponds that are created often burst and pollute and contaminate the rivers and streams. My question is this: is the electricity that the coal provides worth ruining the water? I say NO, you're gonna need that water, your children and their children's children are gonna need that water. So, if there's a question of electricity and water...well just go a day or two without power and go a day or two without water and see which hurts the most. Without electricity you will be inconvenienced--without water you will DIE!
In my humble opinion there is a big difference between the two types of coal mining. Feel free to call me a tree hugger, actually I consider it a compliment. I'm writing this because I have hurt the feelings of some people that I love because of my stand against Mountaintop Mining and I just felt the need to explain my position and why. Back in the 70's I went to Kentucky and walked a picket line WITH THE COAL MINERS to show my support for them. So anybody who thinks that I am anti-coal miner is simply wrong. I am ANTI-MOUNTAINTOP COAL REMOVAL, there is a difference in my humble opinion. My cousin Reece Maggard and his brother Ronnie are like brothers to me and I love them and their families dearly, and both work in the coal business and have raised their children on coal money.
It's a tough situation, people must feed their children, buy them clothes and send them to school; so if coal mining is the only job around it's a no brainer what these folks have to do and where they have to work to make a living. I just have a big problem with this NEW type of coal mining that is raping the Mountains to get to the coal. What's the answer? I don't know, but if you think about the water issue I brought up earlier you might have the same questions I do. I'm just writing this to try and explain my position to some people that I care deeply about. Plain and simple! Sincerely, Joe Maggard

A McThought

2011-12-03T12:37:00.000-05:00

Have a Lovely Weekend and Remember...

2011-12-02T12:32:00.000-05:00

Ronaldism

2011-12-02T12:23:00.001-05:00

This Holiday Season...One Christmas

2011-12-01T23:13:00.004-05:00

I'm very honored and proud to have appeared in Ms. Hepburn's last film.Check your local listings...

Please Keep This GODLY Man in your thoughts and Prayers

2011-12-01T19:10:00.000-05:00

Politically Correct Ways To Describe a Man

2011-12-01T15:24:00.003-05:00

1. He is not short, he is vertically challenged.
2. He is not balding; he is in advanced follicle regression.
3. He does not have a whopping great big beer belly; he has developed a
portable liquid malt and hops storage facility.
4. He is not quiet; he is a conversational minimalist.
5. He is not stupid; he suffers from minimal cranial development.
6. He does not get lost; he just discovers alternative destinations.
7. He does not hog the blankets; he is thermally unappreciative.
8. He is not unsophisticated; he is suffering from distinct social malformation.
9. He is not a total A##hole; he inadvertently developed a case of RCI- Rectal-Cranial Inversion.
10. He is not a male chauvinist pig; he has grunt-hog empathy.

A Little Trip...Please Support Ronald McDonald House Charities

2011-11-30T22:13:00.000-05:00

Lets take a little trip...In a town somewhere in America there is a family. The Dad's name is Jim, Mom is Sandy and they have three small children, April, Adam and baby Sarah. On this particular night the family is in a strange town because Sarah is very sick and in the hospital. Sarah needed to come to this town because this hospital treats the illness that she has. Jim and Sandy both work jobs but as you can imagine money is tight for this new family. The family is scared and worried about baby Sarah, but that's not their only problem. The family of course needs a place to stay while they are here. Hotel rooms for this family are going to run around $60-$100 a night, not counting food and gas while they are here. Adding to the problem of Sarah being ill, Jim and Sandy simply don't have the money to live in this town while their baby girl is being treated at the hospital. They don't have anyone to turn to for help in this situation. Or do they? A very kind nurse named Jill at the Hospital tells them they need to check out the local Ronald McDonald House. An answered prayer! Jim, Sandy and the kids visit the Ronald McDonald House and are welcomed with open arms. They are given a nice clean room to sleep in and even a kitchen to fix food in while they are here; all at no cost to them. The hospitality is warm and inviting, there are other folks here in the same situation who provide support to Jim, Sandy and the kids. They are able to stay and visit Sarah without having to worry about paying for a hotel room, which is a blessing sent directly from Above! When you buy a Happy Meal part of the price goes directly to support the Ronald McDonald House Charities. When you visit your local McDonald's and toss a few coins into one of those cannisters every penny goes to the RMHC. I thank You for your support, and you know what? I bet Jim, Sandy and the kids thank you too! My Very Best, Ronald

Viva la McDifference

2011-11-30T12:19:00.001-05:00

1. A man will pay $2 for a $1 item he wants, a woman will pay $1 for a $2 item she doesn't want.
2. A woman worries about the future until she gets a husband, A man never worries about the future until he gets a wife.
3. A successful man is one who makes more money than his wife can spend, a successful woman is one who can find such a man.
4. To be happy with a man you must love him a lot and understand him a little, to be happy with a woman you must love her a lot and try not to understand her at all.
5. Any married man should forget his mistakes--there's no use in two people remembering the same thing.
6. A woman marries a man expecting he will change, but he doesn't. A man marries a woman expecting she won't change and she does.
7. A woman has the last word in any argument, any word the man says after that starts a new argument.
8. There are two times when a man doesn't understand a woman--before marriage and after marriage.
9. Married men live a lot longer than single men, but married men are a lot more willing to die.
10. Men wake up as good looking as when they went to bed, women somehow deteriorate during the night.

The Before and After of falling in Love

2011-11-29T12:02:00.000-05:00

BEFORE--PASSION
AFTER--RATION
BEFORE--DON'T STOP
AFTER--DON'T START
BEFORE--TURBOCHARGED
AFTER--JUMP-START
BEFORE--SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER
AFTER--MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL
BEFORE--IDOL
AFTER--IDLE
BEFORE--OYSTERS
AFTER--FISHSTICKS
BEFORE--IS THAT ALL YOU'RE HAVING?
AFTER--MAYBE YOU SHOULD JUST HAVE A SALAD HONEY!
BEFORE--IT'S LIKE I'M LIVING IN A DREAM
AFTER--IT'S LIKE HE'S LIVING IN A DORM
BEFORE--WE AGREE ON EVERYTHING
AFTER--DOESN'T SHE HAVE A MIND OF HER OWN?
BEFORE--CHARMING AND NOBLE
AFTER--CHERNOBYL
BEFORE--I LOVE A WOMAN WITH CURVES
AFTER--I NEVER SAID YOU WERE FAT!
BEFORE--SHE SAYS SHE LOVES THE WAY I TAKE CONTROL OF A SITUATION
AFTER--SHE CALLS ME CONTROLLING, MANIPULATIVE AND EGOMANICAL
BEFORE--YOU TAKE MY BREATH AWAY
AFTER--I FEEL LIKE I'M SUFFOCATING
BEFORE--I CAN HARDLY BELIEVE WE FOUND EACH OTHER?
AFTER--I CAN'T BELIEVE I ENDED UP WITH SOMEONE LIKE YOU!
BEFORE--TIME STOOD STILL
AFTER--THIS RELATIONSHIP IS GOING NOWHERE
BEFORE--ONCE UPON A TIME...
AFTER--THE END

Amen Senator Bernie Sanders

2011-11-28T23:10:00.002-05:00

A most succinct and accurate statement! I'm Lovin it! Every Word!

Confucius say...

2011-11-28T12:47:00.000-05:00

1. Crowed elevator smell different to midget.
2. War doesn't determine who's right, War determines who's left.
3. Man with one chopstick go hungry.
4. Man who run in front of car get tired.
5. Man who run behind car get exhausted.
6. Man who drive like hell bound to get there.
7. Man who eat many prunes get good run for money.
8. Never play leapfrog with a unicorn.
9. Be nice to your kids, they'll choose your nursing home
10. He who laughs last, thinks slowest.

Grateful Thoughts

2011-11-26T18:41:00.002-05:00

A grateful thought toward Heaven is in itself a prayer.

Me, McDonald's and the Screen Actors Guild

2011-11-25T21:06:00.001-05:00

My Prayer for You All

2011-11-25T20:59:00.001-05:00

A Divine Light

2011-11-25T20:42:00.000-05:00

Reported by ABC News’ Kimberly Launier:

It was an overcast day in Newport, N.H., when a simple “20/20″ shoot turned into something that made me wonder about life after death.

I was filming soldier Justin Rollin’s parents Skip and Rhonda playing with their dog Hero, whose rescue from the Iraq War zone where Justin died was nothing short of a miracle.

Sometimes when Rhonda hugged Hero she would softly pet her face and coo, “Justin, are you in there?” It was Rhonda’s gentle way of remembering their son and his last living connection to Hero. At one point, Hero wandered off and took a stroll in the backyard. All of a sudden, the clouds broke and a light began to solidify in a beam directly down on Hero — a kind of vertical halo.

(Kimberly Launier/ABC News)

As this dramatic ray of light was shining on Hero she turned to look at me, and it was all I could do to hold the camera steady and not drop it in astonishment. It was an unforgettable moment, and made me wonder if in fact Justin was in there. Then the light vanished.

I couldn’t wait to check my camera’s playback to see if it caught the stunning beam. When I saw that it did, I was so happy that I burst out dancing. It was a great moment to share with Justin’s parents. We all laughed together, and wondered if perhaps this had been a sign from Justin.

Ronald's Favorite Bumpersnickers

2011-11-24T11:51:00.000-05:00

1. If money could talk, it would say "Goodbye"
2. My other wife is beautiful.
3. Just when You think you've won the rat race, along comes a faster rat.
4. If it's too loud, You're too old.
5. Sorry, I don't date outside my species.
6. The more people I meet, the more I love my dog.
7. When you're in love. you're at the mercy of a stranger.
8. Is there life before coffee?
9. I is a college student.
10. It's lonely at the top, but you eat better!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

2011-11-24T11:35:00.000-05:00

Quick..Hide!

2011-11-23T17:14:00.002-05:00

Please Help the Homeless...

2011-11-21T23:23:00.001-05:00

If it can happen to Him, it can happen to You! Please this holiday season be reminded that when You Help Others, You Help Yourself!
GOD BLESS, Best Ronald

I Will Resist the Blonde jokes...

2011-11-21T23:18:00.000-05:00

Art by Amanda Newman with Model Rachel Wright

2011-11-21T02:04:00.000-05:00

You know sometimes we "artists" can't seem to leave well enough alone. This was the case when a friend of mine sent me a pic I loved for this website. The Artist who took the pic is Amanda Newman and the Model is Rachel Wright. Well I should have just left the photo just as it was taken by the Artist Amanda Newman. Very simply, it's perfect the way it is...but I had to monkey around with the image and that was wrong...not only to the Artist but the Model as well. This is the way the shot was taken and the way it should be displayed. I do love this pic, it says so many things on so many levels. Anyway, I'm Lovin it! Just the way it is! Enjoy the image! I do! Best, Ronald

At One Time During the early 80's...

2011-11-19T21:14:00.001-05:00

funny with what's going on now with the Leland NC Police Dept.....As the Deputy Sheriff for the northern section of Brunswick County...I WAS THE LELAND POLICE DEPT! TO PROTECT AND SERVE JOE MAGGARD

They're-American GI's-are still there...still fighting...NEVER..

2011-11-19T18:41:00.000-05:00

Never forget them in your thoughts and prayers, they live in harms way daily for US...GOD BLESS THEM EVERY ONE! So very proud to have been one of them...They deserve our support...GOD BLESS AMERICA! GOD BLESS HER TROOPS! May everyone single one come home safe. Ronald

A Heart

2011-11-17T11:54:00.001-05:00

A heart in love with beauty never grows old.

I Love Mountains

2011-11-17T11:45:00.000-05:00

Dear Joe,

Today Virginians who live at the base of Ison Rock Ridge, a mountain threatened by a pending mountaintop removal permit, have been joined by hundreds from across the region for Virginia Rising: The Rally to Keep Ison Rock Ridge Standing. Today at noon, they will gather at the headquarters of the Environmental Protection Agency and ask that the agency deny the proposed mine which would destroy 1200 acres and bury three miles of headwater streams above several Appalachian communities.
They need your help! Please add your voice and let EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson and the White House know that Ison Rock Ridge should be protected. Click here.
More than 500 mountains have been destroyed due to mountaintop removal and we will not stand by and let Ison Rock Ridge be the next.

To date, over 8,000 comments have been sent to the EPA in defense of this mountain and the communities surrounding it, yet any day Lisa Jackson could make a decision on the permit. Please join with the hundreds gathered in DC by taking action today. Together we can demonstrate that people from across the country echo the concerns raised by these Virginians and that in fact thatAmerica is Rising.

For the Mountains,
Matt Wasson
iLoveMountains.org

This Holiday Season...

2011-11-16T11:36:00.000-05:00

Rattlesnake in a Cooler - Webisode 3

2011-11-16T11:26:00.000-05:00

Britney Honey, Lay off those fries!

2011-11-16T11:24:00.000-05:00

Soon, Very Soon...I'M LOVIN IT!

2011-11-16T11:19:00.000-05:00

My Puppy

2011-11-15T20:56:00.000-05:00

Lunch Time Melody by The Artist Metin

2011-11-15T20:50:00.000-05:00

I'm Lovin it!

Cuzin Eddie's Wedded Bliss

2011-11-15T11:58:00.000-05:00

1. I married Ms. Right! I just didn't know her name was ALWAYS!
2. Marriage is a 3 Ring Circus--Engagement RING, Wedding RING AND SufferRING!
3.I haven't spoken to my wife in 18 Months--I Don't like to interrupt her!
4.All wives are alike, they just have different faces so you can tell them apart!
5.Bigamy is having one wife too many, Some same monogamy is the same!

A Secret For You...

2011-11-13T13:12:00.000-05:00

"The whole secret to existence is to have no fear. Never fear what will become of you."--Siddharta Guatama c. 550BC

BOC THIS MONTH ON TNT with Joe Maggard

2011-11-13T13:06:00.000-05:00

It was an honor and a privilege to be directed by Ms. Angelica Huston(her first directing gig btw). I saw exactly what Jack saw, an intelligent funny engaging woman. Thanks for the memories!

Please Support RMHC!

2011-11-12T12:05:00.000-05:00

You know folks, we can debate childhood obesity till we're all blue in the face and in my humble opinion it will always and forever come down to healthy choices made by Mom and Dad. But what we can NEVER debate is the good that is done by the Ronald McDonald House Charities. Quite simply, folks who need help at a critical time are provided a warm loving place to lay their heads while their children are ill. That my friends can be and is a blessing sent from Above by way of McDonald's, and more importantly YOU and your support for the RMHC. Every time you buy a Happy Meal part of the price goes to support Ronald McDonald Houses. Also, every time you toss a few coins into one of those cannisters at your local McDonald's every red cent goes to RMHC. I'm just so very proud of the wonderful and honorable things done by the Ronald McDonald House's. I think that's one thing we can all agree on! RMHC--I'M LOVIN IT! GOD BLESS and thanks again for your support! My Very Best, Ronald

Ronaldism

2011-11-12T11:58:00.000-05:00

A drop of ink may make a million think!

America's Finest--I HONOR THEM ALL

2011-11-11T18:44:00.003-05:00

‘You get used to being shot at’

By Natalie Sherman
Friday, November 11, 2011 - Updated 7 hours ago

E-mail Print (48) Comments Text size Share

America’s combat veterans say they want the nation they served to pause today, Veterans Day, to reflect on the heroes who walk among us and those for whom walking is no longer possible. They want us to remember the men and women that remain in harm’s way, still on the field of battle.
Lance Cpl. Evan Reichenthal, 20, of Princeton had dreamed of being a Marine since the seventh grade. He enlisted in July 2009 and by December 2010, he was in Helmand Province, Afghanistan, with 3rd Battalion, 9th Marines. This is his story:
“It’s a third-world country, very basic. It’s extremely hot during the day and cold at night. It’s deserts, emptiness, the occasional farmland.

“I was an infantryman. Our mission was to clear out the Taliban, hold what we’d gained and build infrastructure. Clear, hold, build. We’d get intel and we’d go out and get Taliban ... You get used to being shot at. You just adapt.”
On Jan. 5, 2011, on patrol with his 12-man squad in Marjah, Reichenthal was thrown in the air when an improvised bomb exploded under his feet.
“I stepped on it and somehow I didn’t lose consciousness. I was conscious the entire time. I hit the ground 20 feet away. I landed and lifted my head up and my right leg was gone and on my left, the skin was hanging off the bone. My right arm was bent behind me and the skin was hanging off my shoulder ... I knew I wasn’t OK.”
As Reichenthal screamed, his squad ran to help.
“They came over to me and they took one look at me and it felt like they froze, but it was only a few seconds. They dragged me to the helicopter and they kept knocking me on the face. They knew if I were to go unconscious, I’d probably be dead.
“It puts life into perspective when you almost die—when you really almost die, not just your cell phone is out of service or something. When I walked again, it was the best feeling ever.
“Not a lot of people know what goes on anymore. They have no concept of it ... They need to be reminded of what we do and remember what we do ... There’s some guy out there, laying down, dragging his buddy to a helicopter.”
Reichenthal spent six months at Bethesda Naval Medical Center and has undergone 26 surgeries. He took his first steps in May, and as part of his rehab at Brockton Veterans Affairs hospital, he’s learning how to snowboard. He hopes to start college next fall, and someday would like to teach history. Yesterday, he was honored by Boston’s Semper Fidelis Society on the Marine Corps’ 236th birthday. In a quiet moment, he pointed with pride at the Combat Action Ribbon and the Purple Heart on his chest.
“These I earned with blood.”

Veterans Day 11-11-11

2011-11-11T13:36:00.000-05:00

Another Proud Veteran

2011-11-11T13:34:00.000-05:00

The Most Noble Thing I've Ever Done

2011-11-11T13:33:00.000-05:00

My Top Ideas for Country Songs

2011-11-11T13:30:00.000-05:00

1. Her teeth were stained but her heart was pure.
2.I'm just a bug on the windshield of life!
3.You're the reason our kids are so ugly.
4.Git Your tongue outta my mouth cause I'm kissin you goodbye.
5.How can I miss you if you won't go away?
6 I'd rather have a bottle in front of me than a frontal lobotomy
7.I don't know what came all over me, when I came all over you.
8. I hate every bone in your body except mine.

All rights reserved by ME!.....lol

Rattlesnake in a Cooler - Webisode 2

2011-11-10T11:46:00.000-05:00

US Policy?

2011-11-10T11:41:00.000-05:00

Bowing to universal pressure not to act unilaterally, the United States reversed course today and promised to consult with its allies before doing whatever the hell it was going to do anyway!

The Wisdom of Al

2011-11-09T11:09:00.000-05:00

"I never think of the future, it comes soon enough!"--Albert Einstein

A Question?

2011-11-08T17:01:00.000-05:00

"Sometimes I just to want to ask GOD why he allows injustice, violence and evil, when He could do something about it" asked one friend to another.
"So why don't you ask him?" the friend responded.
"I'm afraid to" he said, because he might ask me the same thing."

I Love Mountains Whether You Like it NOT!

2011-11-07T15:17:00.000-05:00

Dear Joe,

You may remember in 2008 when Bank of America stepped up and became the first bank to pass a policy about investing in mountaintop removal coal mining. Well, it turns out the devil is in the details.
At that time, Bank of America committed to "phase out financing of companies whose predominant method of extracting coal is through mountain top removal." At the time, that meant severing ties with companies like Massey Energy - an action we applauded.
But this year, Alpha Natural Resources acquired Massey Energy. In fact, Bank of America underwrote a bond to Alpha in June to help finance the Massey acquisition!
Right now, Bank of America underwrites loans to companies that are responsible for 40% of all the mountaintop removal coal that was mined in 2010.
Please sign the pledge to boycott Bank of America until they stop funding mountaintop removal coal mining (page hosted by Rainforest Action Network):
http://ran.org/boapledge

To make matters worse, Bank of America has announced it is going to charge customers $60 a year to use their debit cards at the same time that the bank is laying off 30,000 employees.
Bank of America has clearly decided that profits matter more than people or our planet. Now's your chance to let Bank of America executives know that you're ready to write them off.
Already, thousands of people across the country are taking to the streets to protest the Wall Street banks that have written us all off in the name of their own profits.
Sign the pledge to let the biggest bank in the world, Bank of America, know that you'll be closing your account if it doesn't stop trashing our environment and our economy. Don't have a Bank of America account? You can also pledge to boycott its ATMs.
For the Mountains,
Matt Wasson
iLoveMountains.org

The Wisdom of Thomas Jefferson, I just like his style!

2011-11-03T21:31:00.000-04:00

WE HOLD THESE STATEMENTS TRUE AND CORRECTHAVE PROVED ACCURATE ***
When we get piled upon one another in large cities, as in Europe, we shall become as corrupt as Europe .
    Thomas Jefferson

The democracy will cease to exist when you take away from those who are willing to work and give to those who would not.
    Thomas Jefferson

    It is incumbent on every generation to pay its own debts as it goes. A principle which if acted on would save one-half the wars of the world.
    Thomas Jefferson

    I predict future happiness for Americans if they can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people under the pretense of taking care of them.
    Thomas Jefferson

    My reading of history convinces me that most bad government results from too much government.
    Thomas Jefferson

    No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms.
    Thomas Jefferson

    The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government.
    Thomas Jefferson

    The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants.
    Thomas Jefferson

    To compel a man to subsidize with his taxes the propagation of ideas which he disbelieves and abhors is sinful and tyrannical.
    Thomas Jefferson

    Thomas Jefferson said in 1802:    I believe that banking institutions are more dangerous to our liberties than standing armies. If the American people ever allow private banks to control the issue of their currency, first by inflation, then by deflation, the banks and corporations that will grow up around the banks will deprive
the people of all property - until their children wake-up homeless on the continent their fathers conquered.

My Hero Thomas Jefferson...We Need More of HIM in America!

2011-11-03T20:44:00.000-04:00

THOMAS JEFFERSON
At 5, began studying under his cousins tutor.

At 9, studied Latin, Greek and French.

At 14, studied classical literature and additional languages.
At 16, entered the College of William and Mary.
At 19, studied Law for 5 years starting under George Wythe.
At 23, started his own law practice.
At 25, was elected to the Virginia House of Burgesses.
At 31, wrote the widely circulated "Summary View of the Rights of British America " and retired from his law practice.
At 32, was a Delegate to the Second Continental Congress.
At 33, wrote the Declaration ofIndependence .

At 33, took three years to revise Virginia s legal code and wrote a Public Education bill and a statute for Religious Freedom.

At 36, was elected the second Governor ofVirginia succeeding Patrick Henry.

At 40, served in Congress for two years.

At 41, was the American minister to Franceand negotiated commercial treaties with European nations along with Ben Franklin and John Adams.

At 46, served as the first Secretary of State under George Washington.

At 53, served as Vice President and was elected president of the American Philosophical Society.

At 55, drafted the Kentucky Resolutions and became the active head of Republican Party.

At 57, was elected the third president of the United States .

At 60, obtained the Louisiana Purchasedoubling the nations size.

At 61, was elected to a second term as President.

At 65, retired to Monticello .

At 80, helped President Monroe shape theMonroe Doctrine.

At 81, almost single-handedly created theUniversity of Virginia and served as its first president.

At 83, died on the 50th anniversary of the Signing of the Declaration ofIndependence.

John F. Kennedy held a dinner in the white House for a group of the brightest minds in the nation at that time. He made this statement: "This is perhaps the assembly of the most intelligence ever to gather at one time in the White House with the exception of when Thomas Jefferson dined alone."

Gotta Love Cousin Eddie

2011-11-03T19:52:00.000-04:00

Ronald McDonald's Magic Red Shoe Art by Joe Maggard

2011-11-02T16:05:00.001-04:00

MY BIG RED MAGIC SHOES

2011-11-02T15:51:00.000-04:00

Alas, the life of a clown

2011-11-02T15:41:00.000-04:00

Ronaldism

2011-11-01T22:28:00.000-04:00

Fool me once, shame on you! Fool me twice...shame on me!

Inspiration even in death...Steve Jobs--A Class Act

2011-10-31T20:55:00.000-04:00

Steve Jobs' sister: 'Death didn't happen to Steve, he achieved it'

By Helena DeMoura, CNN

updated 1:04 PM EST, Mon October 31, 2011

Steve Jobs, seen above in his trademark black turtleneck, died earlier this month.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

Steve Jobs and Mona Simpson did not meet until they were adults
Jobs' birth parents gave him up for adoption at birth; his sister was born later
Simpson: "He said he was going to make something that was going to be insanely beautiful"
Jobs last words: "Oh wow. Oh wow. Oh wow. "

(CNN) -- The last minutes in the life of Steve Jobs were still filled by the epiphanies and moments of inspiration that fed his inventor's mind, according to an intimate portrait provided by Jobs' sister in a eulogy published Sunday in The New York Times.

Mona Simpson's eulogy -- originally read during Jobs' memorial service on October 16 -- is a sister's celebration of a brother she knew only later in life, and a lament of losing a best friend. It weaves in words what she believed were the foundations of Jobs' genius: his humility and hard work, his love of learning and his family.

"I want to tell you a few things I learned from Steve, during three distinct periods, over the 27 years I knew him," said Simpson in her eulogy. "They're not periods of years, but of states of being. His full life. His illness. His dying."

Simpson, a writer, and Jobs did not meet until they were adults. Their early family history was fragmented, but set the stage for what later became a deep-rooted friendship between two estranged siblings. After Jobs' birth, his parents gave him up for adoption. Simpson was born later, and the parents subsequently divorced.

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The legacy of Steve Jobs

One day, Simpson said in her eulogy, when she was living in New York and writing her first novel, a lawyer gave her a call to inform her that her "long-lost brother" was rich and famous and wanted to contact her.

"The lawyer refused to tell me my brother's name and my colleagues started a betting pool," said Simpson. "The leading candidate: John Travolta. I secretly hoped for a literary descendant of Henry James -- someone more talented than I, someone brilliant without trying," she said.

The man who came to meet her -- her brother -- was Steve Jobs.

"Even as a feminist, my whole life I'd been waiting for a man to love, who could love me. For decades, I'd thought that man would be my father. When I was 25, I met that man and he was my brother," Simpson said in the eulogy as published in the Times.

When they first met, Simpson said, she told her brother she had considered buying a computer but had waited.

"Steve told me it was a good thing I'd waited. He said he was going to make something that was going to be insanely beautiful," she said.

Jobs' life was not always a smooth ride, his sister said in her eulogy. He skidded through volatile times with Apple executives and eventually was ousted from the company he had founded.

"When he got kicked out of Apple, things were painful. He told me about a dinner at which 500 Silicon Valley leaders met the then-sitting president. Steve hadn't been invited," said Simpson.

"He was hurt but he still went to work. ... Every single day," she said.

Jobs' biographer talks to CNN's Piers Morgan

Simpson said Jobs was sentimental and he spent much time talking about love. He found a partner in life, Laurene Powell, whom he married in 1991, his sister said.

"His abiding love for Laurene sustained him. He believed that love happened all the time, everywhere," she wrote.

When Jobs' struggle with pancreatic cancer took a turn for the worse, he called his sister and asked her to hurry to his Palo Alto, California, home.

His tone, Simpson said, was "like someone whose luggage was already strapped onto the vehicle, who was already on the beginning of his journey, even as he was sorry, truly deeply sorry, to be leaving us."

Belief blog: Are we turning Steve Jobs into a saint?

Even as he struggled physically in his last hours, his sister said, "there was also sweet Steve's capacity for wonderment, the artist's belief in the ideal, the still more beautiful later."

"He was working at this, too. Death didn't happen to Steve, he achieved it."

With his family surrounding him, Simpson said, Jobs' last words were: "Oh wow. Oh wow. Oh wow. "

BOO!

2011-10-31T13:43:00.001-04:00

Please remember folks all those little ghools and gobblins out there tonite trick or treating, please keep an open eye for them on their quest for candy! Have fun, Stay Safe...Ronald

A Cross in the Mountains by Joe Maggard

2011-10-29T18:40:00.001-04:00

My Honorable Service to Uncle Walt Disney

2011-10-29T18:33:00.002-04:00

Think twice...

2011-10-29T18:26:00.000-04:00

Always Gotta be Pickin on Somebody--MCBANNED?

2011-10-27T20:58:00.000-04:00

College instructor fighting bacteria banned from McDonald's

195 commentsby Edythe Jensen - Oct. 27, 2011 12:00 AM
The Arizona Republic

Chandler resident Erin Carr Jordan got a morning surprise from McDonald's this week and there were no eggs or muffins involved. It was a 7 a.m. hand-delivered letter from a lawyer prohibiting her from setting foot in eight Valley McDonald's and threatening her with criminal trespassing charges if she did.

The mother of four, a college instructor with a doctorate in developmental psychology, is on an unrelenting national crusade to clean up fast-food play areas, claiming the pathogens she found in them threaten children's health.

The letter Carr-Jordan received

The incident she believes spurred the lawyer's letter happened during one of her repeat visits to a Gilbert McDonald's. She said she discovered antibiotic-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA, known to cause potentially life-threatening infections, in the restaurant's PlayPlace.

Carr Jordan, 36, said she told the manager what she found, approached customers with children and urged them to wash and sanitize their hands before they ate. When she observed a youngster licking the equipment, Carr Jordan said she told the manager he should close the play area.

"At that point it was dangerous. . . . I was very assertive; I put on my big-girl voice, but I did not yell. I can't imagine knowing there was MRSA and not doing anything. I make no apologies for what I did."

The letter from Phoenix attorney James Stipe lists that McDonald's at Gilbert and Baseline roads and seven others in Chandler, Gilbert and Phoenix from which she is barred. Carr Jordan said she believes one person owns the franchises for all eight, but efforts to confirm the owner's identity were unsuccessful. Stipe declined to name his client.

Dayna Proud, a McDonald's spokeswoman in Illinois, said the company has and will continue to talk with Carr Jordan "in an effort to address her concerns. We are still committed to doing this, but it appears that recent actions by Dr. Carr Jordan have become disruptive to the employees and customers within our franchisee's restaurants, which prompted the letter from his attorney. . . . We remain committed to working with an internal team on ensuring that our PlayPlaces are clean and safe for all customers."

Although the letter and its early-morning delivery Monday surprised Carr Jordan, she said it won't hinder her efforts because several of her supporters volunteered to take her place at the banned locations.

A former Arizona State University instructor who teaches at the University of Phoenix, Mesa Community College and Kaplan University, Carr Jordan started her crusade a few months ago. She was so disgusted by the condition of a Tempe McDonald's PlayPlace she visited with her children that she crawled inside the tunnels to film the grime and posted her experience on YouTube. She notified the manager, but when the play area was still dirty days later, she collected samples and paid to have them tested by a local laboratory. She was told they contained pathogens found in fecal material and mucus.

Weeks later and in combination with her summer vacations, Carr Jordan's filth-swabbing and bacteria-testing took her across six states and cost her about $5,000 for lab tests. She was the subject of articles and television shows, and she formed a non-profit corporation with a website called Kids Play Safe to spread the word and seek donations and grants for the tests and lobbying efforts.

Her goal is more government oversight of restaurant play areas, and she said she is frustrated by the lack of response when she shows agencies her lab results.

Most told her they had no jurisdiction and play areas aren't regulated by local food-handling and restaurant cleanliness rules. Lola Russell, spokeswoman for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, has said the agency has no authority over local health inspections and would step in only if a state or county asked it to or if there was a disease outbreak.

Carr Jordan filed a complaint with Maricopa County Environmental Services this month against the Gilbert McDonald's where she said she found MRSA. Johnny Dilone, spokesman for the department, said an inspector went to the site on Oct. 19 and "no evidence was found to support allegations in the complaint . . . but he discussed with the manager the importance of sanitizing the play area." The department does not swab play areas or test for pathogens.

He said that playgrounds need only appear clean to pass inspections and a dirty one is considered a minor "non-food" violation. Because Carr Jordan's campaign has received so much publicity, the county recently developed a two-page "health and hygiene practices for indoor playgrounds." Dilone said operators should have been familiar with these practices, which include hand-washing and equipment-cleaning, but the document formalizes it.

Colors of the Smokey Mountains in Fall

2011-10-26T22:41:00.000-04:00