Iraq

I wanted to do this post in typical Rosie fashion (in Haiku) but I decided that would be too much of an effort on a President who needs to move along.

Is anyone else disturbed by the latest hostage offering? Granted, Jill Carroll is in Iraq under her own volition. She is a freelance journalist for the Christian Science Monitor. She didn't have to be there. She thought she could go and make a difference......to document the good things that were happening in Iraq. She is now the latest in a list of hostages that have been snatched since this "war" started.

Should we dare consider ourselves lucky that we haven't had more American hostages taken? I can't help but to look at the latest video offered by Al-Jeezera and feel increased disdain on why we are still there. Why does Jill Carroll have to be the latest victim? She is obviously no threat to the terrorist agenda. The pure agony on her face is enough for anyone to think..........what happens next? Would they dare behead her on television? They have done it before it grand style.

We are less than thirty minutes away from the State of the Union Address. The President is seeing the lowest approval numbers than any President in history and his speech will surely reflect some of the same sentiment as the last 5 years. Betcha he will speak for all of us tonight in his speech. "America remains strong and we will hold our ground and not back down to terrorists".

Will Jill Carroll pay the ultimate price for GW's speech tonight? Will she be just one of many Americans who have died at the hands of a terroristic band of thugs? Can you imagine what it would be like to have your entire life in someone else's hands? She has hopes and dreams just like any other Twentysomething. She deserves to fulfill some of those dreams.

No matter what happens...........you cannot stop time. With each tick of the clock, time is slowly chipping away at GW's presidency. The American people are not buying the rhetoric anymore. Mr. President, we want you to keep this country safe. Its time that the troops come home and begin protecting the USA.

I survived!

Well......I survived turning 40. After a busy busy weekend ringing it in I have had a non-stop busy week to ring it out with!

A couple of reflections on some current events.........

• Cheer up Oprah. You aren't the first person to review and support a disceptive story. We have had to endure President Bush for the last five years. Now there's a book!
• We now know who will play in Superbowl 40. Go Seahawks! Reviewing the Steelers film over the last couple of weeks should give you some tips to win. Pssst.......it's all about the knees.
• "Miss Scarlett, Miss Scarlett! The Republicans are running Washington like a plantation!" Hmmmm......come to think of it.....the White House does look like Tara. Thanks Hillary!
• What was I listening to before Sirius??
• The Army is stretched too thin. Rumsfeld denies report. Bush agrees with Rumsfeld. Condeleeza nods politely. Business as usual.

I think you can consider yourself caught up.

Satellite Radio

After weeks of researching the two main satellite radio services (XM & Sirius), I bought my first radio and installed it in my truck today. I had heard good things about satellite radio service but up until a couple of weeks ago I didn't actually sit down and investigate the options.

I guess what you are thinking is "Why pay for radio?". Well....depending on what city you live in, the variety of music stations and talk stations vary greatly. Satellite provides a broader scope and more music format choices. I am no longer limited to what is available in Cincinnati. This is a conservative town and the liberal voices and opinions just aren't available.

After reviewing the formats offered by both XM Radio and Sirius, I chose Sirius. Now.....to be honest....XM is number one in this industry. They do offer a few more music choices as well as MLB, Nascar, NHL and the PGA Tour. While I play golf myself, I get a little frightened by the notion that someone is actually listening to a PGA golf broadcast on the radio.

Sirius offered a couple of compelling stations that I just couldn't live without. The main one being the NFL channels. Imagine it........any NFL game playing at any time. Moreover, I can now listen to my favorite NFL team when I leave Cincinnati and continue to listen to it while I cross the countryside. No static and no station fade. Now that is fabulous.

They also offer more liberal broadcasting alternatives than XM. OutQ is solely aimed at the gay and lesbian audience. I was listening to it this afternoon and I must say I found it quite addicting. With approximately 100 stations available.........how could I ever be bored with radio again?

They also have the standard music choices......70's, 80's, Hip Hop, Rap, Country, Rock etc. You can't go wrong with a station dedicated only to Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band and one station dedicated to Elvis. Thank ya, thank ya vera much.

Technology is a grand thing and I love being submersed in the latest and greatest!

Ta Ta!

Tick tock, tick tock

That is the sound of the Aging Clock.

In one week, I reach the first milestone in the aging process. I am turning 40. Not 40 cartwheels......just 40. Now for some of my friends......its not about the number.....its all about the way you feel.

Well......I feel like I am 22. Can I do some of the things I could do when I was 22? No. Do I want to do some of the things that I did at 22? Heck no! One would hope that with age comes a bit of maturity. Hope is the keyword there for some people I have known in my lifetime.

Forty years is a long time. It's approximately the half way mark of the average lifespan of women in the United States. So this gives me the pause to reflect on this landmark birthday.

I have to think back to when I was 25 or so to remember conversations with other people who were turning 40. "Thank God" I thought "that's a long way off for me". Yet in a week......here it comes. It feels like those first 40 years flew by. In reality though........time is time and I didn't lose a minute in all of those years.

Sure........reflecting back.....there are things that I would have done differently. I made some mistakes.......handled some things badly..........but who hasn't? We are human after all.

So this week I am taking a look back at the last 40 while I prepare for the next 40. I am trying to keep things in perspective and look forward to the next major chapter in my lifetime.

Am I celebrating? Ohhh yes. I have a manic weekend planned to ring in the beginning of the next chapter. I can't stop time and I cannot stop the labels that the aging process brings but I can ignore the labels and move forward in grand fashion.

Here's to everyone who turns 40 this year. May it be as fun for you as it will be for me!

Cheers!

Bengals Opponents - 2006

The NFL released the matchups for 2006 today. Keep in mind there are no dates for these games as of yet. Here is how the Bengals faired.

HOME
Baltimore, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Oakland, San Diego, Atlanta, Carolina, New England

AWAY
Baltimore, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Denver, Kansas City, New Orleans, Tampa Bay, Indianapolis

Between the Uprights

Wow......where do I begin this morning? First off, congratulations is due to the Bengals and Marvin Lewis for a tremendous effort in the 2005 season. They brought many fans great joy and hope with their performance on the field and we can expect only great things next season.

Now let's take a step back to last night's game against Pittsburgh. The game was over soon after the coin toss when Carson Palmer took a hit from a Steelers player on the second play. Does anyone "want" to believe that another person would maliciously attack another individual? No.....no one "wants" to believe that, but random acts of violence happen every day in our society.

Do I believe it was a deliberate hit? Yes I do. Now......no coach or player is ever going to admit that they deliberately went after a player. How stupid would that be? They would be penalized on the field and off the field with a huge fine. Instead, the player who took Carson out just stood there and clapped his hands together as if to say "Oh gawd.....what did I do?" Pffft......please.

What you didn't see via the televised broadcast was the Steelers team jumping up and down in jubilation after the play. We found this tidbit of information in reports after the game by the fans who were in attendance.

You can watch the replays all you want. Some say that the Steelers player simply bumped into Palmer as a result of a tackle. Hmmmm.......if that was true, then why was his arm tightly around Palmer's leg? The Steelers were threatened and they responded to the threat. They knew who the backup quarterback was and they knew of his reputation..........he was beatable.

So......while I would love to believe that this incident against Carson Palmer was a fluke.......I cannot. The replays do not prove it to me and the player's remarks do not prove it to me.

As for Carson, reports after the game last night say he has a torn ACL and MCL. He will be recovering from this for the next six months.

The 2005 season is over................on to 2006!

Mining Disaster

Disaster is the keyword here.

In hindsight, we all have an opinion on this one. Clearly, the jump to jubilation of surviving miners two miles under the earth was a grievous error. This simply started a tidal wave of early celebrations by the CEO of the mining company and the Governor of West Virginia. A decision that will haunt both of these men for a long time. Will it cost either one a career? Undoubtedly, after a Congressional Inquiry and during a long gubernatorial race for which all of the safety concerns will be dredged to the surface.

The Federal Govt and the White House have already started the process for opening investigations into this incident. The WH Press Secretary stated that GW has had an aggressive mining regulation agenda filled with heavy fines and penalties based on mine safety. Hmmm...interesting. Maybe I missed that due to the other coverage that GW has received (IRAQ, Afghanistan, etc).

In any case........the emotional turmoil dumped on to the family members of these miners was unnecessary and unforgivable. Yes....mining is an ugly job and it involves great risks to human life. This is something the family members of miners live with every day of their lives. They did not ask for the additional emotional baggage brought on by the miscommunication and ineptness of this mining company.

Stay tuned..........

Resolutions

At the beginning of each year, we all ponder the ways for which we can "do better" in the coming year. Some of us choose to make concrete resolutions and some of us just ponder the idea and decide against it.

For those of us who are still pondering, I have created a suggestion list of New Year's resolutions that might be interesting to you.

In 2006, I am going to:

• go to church every Sunday
• eat more fruits and vegetables
• lose 50 pounds
• stop smoking
• take the dog on longer walks
• argue less with my next door neighbor
• work on my road rage
• eat out more so I have less dishes at home for someone else to wash
• buy a bigger outdoor grill so I can eat at home more often
• drink fewer margaritas
• hire a maid
• alleviate stress at work by sleeping in an extra hour each day
• not make any resolutions that interfere with my current "Quality of Life"!

So who says that resolutions have to be restricting? Can't they be fun? A worthwhile resolution in any form can increase everyone's QOL in 2006.

Have fun with it and relax. You have 364 more days to think up a new one!