Next quarter's offer

Have you made your $3 donation for a chance to have dinner with President Obama?
The campaign pulled out all the stops to bring in more donors.
What can they offer in the next three months?
Maybe a shopping trip with Michelle at Target. She obviously knows where the bargains are.

We got the power

Fishersville and surrounding areas lost power for over two hours Friday evening.
I called my brother in Baltimore but didn't get much sympathy - his power was out for six days after Hurricane Irene passed through.
His theory with the power outage - our area didn't vote for President Obama.
Could be.
But if the Obama campaign fails to meet its September 30 fundraising deadline, it can blame our power outage. They always need a fresh excuse.

Bush's military killed another bad guy

How come it's still Bush's economy, but killing another terrorist is something Obama gets credit for?

Weekend watchdog

Are you ready for some baseball? Not so fast, Red Sox and Braves.
The 2011 postseason opens Friday on TBS with the American League playoffs. The Yankees, with the best record in the league, play Detroit at 8:37 p.m. Tampa Bay, winners of the wild card berth in the final inning on the final day of the season, head to Texas at 5 p.m.
The two National League series begin Saturday. The Diamondbacks visit Milwaukee at 2 p.m., then St. Louis heads to Philadelphia at 5:30 p.m. The second games of the American League series happen Saturday (7:30 on TNT from Texas and 8:30 p.m. from TBS in New York), then it's off until Monday for Game 3.
Game 2 for the National League series are on Sunday - 4:30 p.m. in Milwaukee and 8 p.m. in Philadelphia - then back for Game 3 Tuesday.
October also means top college teams stop feasting on cupcakes and battle some real competition. ABC brings Nebraska's Big Ten debut at Wisconsin Saturday at 8 p.m., while Virginia Tech meets unbeaten Clemson on ESPN2 at 6 p.m.
The weekend begins Friday at 8 p.m., when it's the battle of Utah as Utah State hosts Brigham Young.
CBS has a big Saturday of football, starting at noon with Air Force visiting Navy. The SEC afternoon slot goes to Auburn's meeting with South Carolina, and Alabama has a prime-time battle with Florida.
ABC has three choices in the late afternoon slot, with ESPN showing a second choice among Georgia Tech-N.C. State, Michigan State at Ohio State or Baylor against Kansas State.
ESPN starts the day with an future SEC matchup - Texas A&M vs. Arkansas - at noon while ESPN2 shows Northwestern at Illinois. In primetime, Notre Dame heads to Purdue on ESPN while ESPN2 follows the Hokies with Mississippi at Fresno State.
Comcast goes from coast to coast to show four games Saturday. The day begins at noon with Texas Tech heading to Kansas, then Maryland tries to bounce back against in-state rival Towson. Washington heads to Utah in a Pac-12 contest at 7 p.m., and UCLA-Stanford will be joined in progress at 11 p.m.
Boise State plays Nevada at 2:30 p.m. on Versus.
Which Ravens' team will show up Sunday? The home crowd hopes for a reprise of the opener on the NBC stage, with the Jets visiting at 8:15 p.m. Monday night, the Colts try for their first win of the season at Tampa Bay on ESPN.
The Redskins try to bounce back at St. Louis Sunday at 1 p.m. on FOX, while CBS has the doubleheader. Most of the country gets Pittsburgh-Houston at 1 p.m., followed by the Broncos' visit to Green Bay.
Tony Stewart takes his points lead to Dover for the third race in NASCAR's Chase for the Cup. ESPN has coverage Sunday at 2 p.m., after the Nationwide racers take the track Saturday at 3:30 p.m. on ESPN2.
The Indy Car racers roll into Kentucky Sunday at 2 p.m. on Versus.
The WNBA opens its championship series Sunday at 8:30 p.m., with Minnesota at Atlanta.
D.C. United and Philadelphia take their battle for an MLS playoff berth to ESPN2 Thursday at 8 p.m. Comcast offers ACC men's soccer Friday at 7 p.m. when Virginia goes to Clemson. For soccer across the pond, ESPN2 shows Real Madrid vs. Espanyol at 3:55 p.m.
There's college volleyball Sunday at 2 p.m. as Michigan meets Nebraska on ESPN2.

Maine man

Who's the only person in New England not to comment on the failure of the Red Sox to make the playoffs? DaTech Guy, hanging out in Maine without his laptop.
But he left some thoughts to consider during his trip. Including
You know you’re a geek when you can watch The Big Bang Theory and say “hey, they’re playing that game wrong!"

More traffic than cash

Checking Sitemeter, I've had some traffic with this post from last week.
People wanting to donate to President Obama get sidetracked coming to my blog - sweet.
The Other McCain and many others have posts about the Obama push for money before the next reporting deadline.
Things must look bad for the Obama crew. If there's not a great pile of money coming in the last three months, the goal of a $1 billion raised may fall short. And failure to meet that goal may mean failure to meet their goal of voters in November, 2012.

Song for the coming campaign

Thinking about the 2012 presidential election, I think I came upon the perfect song to capture the likely theme.
From Johnny Hates Jazz, it's "Shattered Dreams."


I thought about doing an Obama parody based on the song, but the lyrics sum up the unhappiness of both parties with the present administration.
The left had great hopes for what Obama could do.
He's failed.
The right doesn't want to see more shattered dreams.
See for yourself.

So much for your promises They died the day you let me go
Caught up in a web of lies But it was just too late to know
I thought it was you who would stand by my side
And now you've given me, given me
Nothing but shattered dreams, shattered dreams
Feel like I could run away, run away
From this empty heart
You said you'd die for me
Woke up to reality And found the future not so bright
I dreamt the impossible That maybe things could work out right
I thought it was you who would do me no wrong
And now you've given me, given me
Nothing but shattered dreams, shattered dreams
Feel like I could run away, run away
From this empty heart
You've given me, given me
Nothing but shattered dreams, shattered dreams
Feel like I could run away, run away
From this empty heart
From this empty heart
I thought it was you who said you'd die for love
And now you've given me, given me
Nothing but shattered dreams, shattered dreams
Feel like I could run away, run away
From this empty heart
You've given me, given me
Nothing but shattered dreams, shattered dreams
Feel like I could run away, run away
From this empty heart
You said you'd die for me

An Orioles finale matters

Usually, there's very few SportsCenter highlights of the Baltimore Orioles in September. Who care about a losing team?
But tonight, the AL wild-card goes through Baltimore. An Orioles win could knock the Red Sox out of the playoffs.
Four games will determine the two wild-card slots tonight, while four other games set the second and third seeds.
An hour before gametime on the final day of the season, and only one team knows the date and time of its first playoff game. Should be an interesting night.

Let's throw money at this guy

I wonder if anybody from the Obama Energy Department has seen this Geico ad?


They probably thought "What a great green technology.
"I bet he could use $100 million in guaranteed government loans.
"We could train guinea pigs to say "row" in four months with our government help."
I know, don't give them any ideas.

Let the Lilys bloom

Fishersville's Daylily festival will continue next summer, while the Augusta County Chamber of Commerce adds a new event to its calendar.
There's always lots of traffic headed to the Viette farm for that festival. It should be big for years to come.

And so it goes in Oktoberfest

Want to know about Oktoberfest? Pat has all the answers, and more.

Let's go Caps; stop this crap

The viral column of the day goes to Washington Capitals owner Ted Leonsis - Obama supporter but not a fan of "class warfare."
Economic Success has somehow become the new boogie man; some in the Democratic party are now casting about for enemies and business leaders and anyone who has achieved success in terms of rank or fiscal success is being cast as a bad guy in a black hat. This is counter to the American Dream and is really turning off so many people that love American and basically carry our country on their back by paying taxes and by employing people and creating GDP.
If you've seen the prices to attend a Capitals' game, you'd know it takes rich people to pay the freight for tickets.
Leonsis knows his fan base.
If only Obama knew his country.

He's back

Smitty returned from Afghanistan today.
Democrats don't stand a chance.

Tax cuts for poor people

Rich guys like Warren Buffet think tax rates should rise because they could pay more.
What about the poor people who can't pay their taxes now?
Why doesn't Buffet write a large check and tell the IRS to refund money to needy people struggling with their tax burden?
Where are the poor people writing editorials, saying their experience shows the need for lower tax rates?
Right. They are too busy working to make ends meet.
Too busy to hear politicians claim their burdens as their own, when they cause plenty of burdens on the poor and lower middle class.

Today's Tied with me

Are you paying off your credit card bill each month?
This blogger plans to pay now, not continuing to play through 2033.
Holy Calendars Batman!!!! 22 years? Aye Carumba, that is an astounding time frame. So my estimation if we were making this same payment that the effective yearly rate is about 22% and I’d end up paying in total about 500% of the initial amount on the credit line once all payments are made, pretty cool eh?
This is atrocious, and makes me wonder how folks can do this? I have a line of credit that charges me currently 4% interest and if I was a bad bank customer I guess they might charge me 8%, but the Credit Card company can charge 22% (or so)? Wow, I guess I should start my own credit card company, if I want to get rich? Yes, I know that is unlikely or illegal or both.

12 crazy people

The Obama campaign keeps gearing up for 2012, sending an email today with the number of my neighbors who have already contributed to their cause.
12.
Every area has their share of people who don't know what's really going on.

How to lose customers

The Baltimore Sun is the latest newspaper trying to monetize its website.
The plus side of joining - you could use their pictures for Rule 5 Sunday.
Minus side - there's other ways to find Baltimore and Maryland news.
My folks gave up on the paper recently. I'll see how long it takes for me to hit a monthly limit.

Unbeaten teams watch

Only three teams made it through the week 3 undefeated - Bills, Lions and Packers.
The Redskins try to join them Monday night.
Will the Bills-Patriots game be the last meeting between undefeated teams this season?
How will Buffalo fans feel if the Bills and Redskins are undefeated - when they play in Toronto Oct. 30?
Maybe the Lions and Packers will keep on winning.
That will be a real Thanksgiving Day treat.

Our facts must be accurate

AttackWatch hasn't tweeted in 12 days. Guess nothing any Republican has said since then is wrong.

Can't be fixed

Dustbury offers high-end and low-end examples of items that can't be fixed.
Does the "throw it away, buy another one" help or hurt the economy? I'm sticking with stuff that this works until it falls apart.

Fail faster

The guest speaker at church Sunday had an interesting theme - Fail Faster.
He wasn't encouraging you to fail.
But to quickly learn from the mistake.
Not to wallow in the mistake, spinning your wheels.
Has President Obama learned to Fail Faster? The new stimulus, same as the old stimulus, makes it look like he hasn't.
Will Governor Perry learn to Fail Faster? The debate performances have taken some of the luster of his candidacy. But he still has time.
He just has to learn from his mistakes.
Governor Romney seems to be learning from his mistakes.
If we don't learn, then we'll have to bail faster. As the world economy takes on water.

What the ACC didn't steal

Watching the end of ESPN's College Gameday Saturday, a brief glimpse of a sign caught my attention
"The ACC stole my other sign."
The ACC added two Big East teams last Sunday.
This afternoon, two ACC teams lost non-conference games at home.
Having more teams doesn't mean having more winning teams.

Pay your fair share

You may think it's a little, but it's a lot.

Facebook quote of the week

My father once told me that there were two kinds of people: those who do the work and those who take the credit. He told me to try to be in the first group; there was much less competition. ”

Saturday song

President Obama likes the bridge backdrop of his speech this week.
Too bad it's a bridge over troubled waters.
How about hearing Elvis sing the classic song?

Watch for falling prices

Everybody was talking when gas prices rose quickly in the winter and spring.
This week, the gas price dropped 10 cents overnight in Fishersville.
I haven't seen anything on Facebook about that. And I doubt it's because of the Facebook changes.
I'll celebrate when I see gas under $3 a gallon. Is that coming soon?

Good end to a work week

After a rainy Friday, it's great to see the sun shining through your window right before quitting time.
Happy Friday, it's 5 o'clock now.

Weekend watchdog

It's the last weekend of the major league season - plenty of opportunities to see the teams you'll see more of next week.
The Yankees and Red Sox, closing in on postseason berths, battle Saturday on FOX and Sunday afternoon on TBS. And they will likely be playing next Friday when the American League Division Series starts.
TBS gets a second game in the late Sunday afternoon, bringing the Giants' game at Arizona at 4:10 p.m.
The Orioles face AL Central champion Detroit in a series on MASN2. The Nationals take on the Braves at home over the weekend on MASN.
The Redskins get Sunday off, facing the Cowboys Monday night on ESPN for the first road game of the year.
NFC East rivals New York and Philadelphia play Sunday at 1 p.m. on FOX, while the Packers and Bears battle in the late afternoon slot. CBS in Washington shows the Ravens' 4:05 p.m. game in St. Louis.
NBC's Sunday night game features the floundering Colts hosting the Steelers.
The college football weekend begins Friday when Central Florida goes to Brigham Young at 8 p.m. ABC has another tripleheader Saturday. Notre Dame kicks off the day by facing Pittsburgh at noon, followed by either Oklahoma State vs. Texas A&M or Colorado-Ohio State at 3:30 p.m. (the other game will be on ESPN2 in your area). The primetime matchup brings LSU to West Virginia.
CBS has a top 20 battle between Arkansas and Alabama at 3:30 p.m.
Comcast gives fans Conference USA and Virginia football Saturday. The C-USA matchup between SMU and Memphis starts the day at noon, followed by Southern Mississippi heading to Charlottesville to play the Cavaliers. At 7 p.m., James Madison visits William & Mary.
The ACC network gives fans Temple at Maryland Saturday at 12:30 p.m. What uniform combinations will the Terps wear this week?
ESPN has two ACC games in the afternoon. North Carolina goes to Georgia Tech at noon, then Florida State heads to Clemson. It's SEC in primetime with Florida meeting Kentucky, then the nightcap brings Southern Cal at Arizona State at 10:15 p.m.
ESPN2 has Eastern Michigan's contest with Penn State at noon, then Vanderbilt plays at South Carolina at 7 p.m. Oregon travels to Arizona at 10:15 p.m.
Versus offers three games Saturday, starting with Cornell-Yale at noon. Florida A&M meets Southern at 3:30 p.m., followed by Nebraska's game at Wyoming at 7:30 p.m. FX has a Big 12 (for now) game between Missouri and top-ranked Oklahoma.
Tony Stewart takes his lead in the Sprint Cup chase to New Hampshire this weekend. The race coverage starts Sunday at 2 p.m. on ESPN.
The PGA closes its FedEx playoffs with the Tour Championship this weekend on NBC. The top 30 golfers of the year - Tiger who? - compete for the title, with coverage starting at 2 p.m. Saturday and 1:30 p.m. Sunday.
The WNBA conference finals continue Sunday on ESPN2. Atlanta hosts Indiana at 3 p.m., followed by Phoenix-Minnesota at 5 p.m.
It's ACC volleyball Friday on Comcast, with North Carolina traveling to Maryland at 7 p.m.

Democrats' last gasp

Rush had lots to say about Elizabeth Warren's Democratic rant Thursday.
Warren focuses on what government does that provide the foundation for success.
And not the parts of government where the foundation is cracking.
Government schools educate your employees - and fail many of our kids.
Government protects our interest - but in same areas, you still need your own security to feel safe.
Some succeed thanks to government help.
Some struggle due to government meddling.
Progressives wish Democrats would push their line harder.
Why don't they?
It doesn't really work.
It hasn't worked since President Obama took over.
It won't be working for years to come - it's math.
Past governments promised more than future taxpayers can pay.
You can't talk about the goodies you'll give when you've given away the store already.
And using guilt won't get politicians enough to make more promises.

Look out above

The NASA satellite is looks ready to drop from the sky Friday afternoon.
No, you can't call it an early Friday to watch out for the pieces.