Bush's New Approval Rating: A Size 10

Too bad it didn't actually hit him, or better yet, something more useful than a shoe. But nevertheless, it's about time someone demonstrated to Bush how much we can't stand him. Will he take the hint? I don't know.
And why the hell does he smile like an idiot?
Check out this game:Sock And Awe

You know what Bush should get for Christmas? The shoes of every innocent Iraqi killed by our troops, the shoes of our troops needlessly killed for a war that should never have started, the shoes of the insurgents, the shoes of innocent Arab people in America attacked because of prejudice, and the shoes of all the Americans suffering under 8 years of hell for the variety of reasons, from money problems, job loss, killings, Katrina, you name it. All those shoes should be wrapped in a huge box, and stuck in the front yard under some pine tree in front of the White House. That is Bush's final Christmas present from America and the World.

More about the shoe thrower

Things I wish guys would stop doing online

Fatal Online Dating Errors-Women
Fatal Online Dating Errors-Men

So I'd looked at both of these articles this blogger wrote, and while agree, I feel there is some things he missed on the men's side. Now notice on these entries women have 14 fatal mistakes while men only have 10. I find that impossible.

Some good points I find true for some of my female friends, not necessarily me.

7. Don't be so self-absorbed. I've seen many women's profiles that say, "I want a man to be this," "I want a man to do that," "I want a man to cherish me," "I want a man to adore me"... You list all your "I wants" without listing what YOU will bring to the relationship. So you end up looking like you're a taker and not a giver. No man wants to be with a taker; he wants to be with someone who's equally willing to give and to receive.

8. Don't list your financial desires like you're posting a want ad. I've seen too many women write, "I'm looking for a man who will spoil me, buy me great things, and take me on great trips." You come across as a gold digger. Instead say, "I like the finer things in life to share with somebody," so you don't come across so harsh.

10. Stop listing all your rules. Don't write things like "A perfect first date MUST be dinner" or "The man I date HAS to wear suits." Women tend to list rules in their profiles. Be open to a different kind of first date, or the kind of guy who wears jeans to work.

11. Stop sending winks. When is the last time you went to the supermarket, saw a cute guy and winked at him? Winks went out of style when "Happy Days" went off the air. You don't like it when men send you a wink. You think it makes him seem lazy and like he didn't read your profile. We think the same thing! So stop winking and start typing.

12. If you write to a man and he doesn't write you back, don't write a nasty follow-up email and ask him why he didn't write you back. If a man doesn't respond to you, it's the same thing as when you don't write a man back. It means that he is not interested. Don't get angry, just find another person.

13. We know you're looking at us, because we see that you've viewed our profile every day. Say "hello!" We're not going to bite. Lob that email in.

Take a chance and send an email to the guy to whom you're most attracted.

Take a chance and send an email to the guy to whom you're most attracted. You never know what might happen!

14. If a guy who you're interested in writes to you, stop playing games and write him back right away. Don't make him wait four days. He may find someone else in the time you wait to write him back. Keep the momentum going!

I have found when online dating that if you're honest about who you are, and you get back to people immediately, you'll get the date faster and avoid all the back and forth games that go on. Now go change that profile!

I will agree that I don't have a lot of updated good pics, so I may put up picks that are older that make me look good. (Number One blunder-women)

Some good men's points:

1. Don't ask her how much she weighs or what her measurements are. You might as well just tell her you only want to sleep with her and you have no interest in getting to know her, because that's what she's going to think if you ask her this.

2. Don't email her seven times asking her why she hasn't responded to your first email. Women get far more email than men do, so you need to be patient.

Instead of harassing her, relax and be confident that she's going to respond to you.

Instead of harassing her, relax and be confident that she's going to respond to you.

3. Don't ask her how many other dates she's been on from Yahoo! Personals. How many other dates someone has been on is not important. What is important is finding out whether the two of you click when you hang out.

4. Don't send her a nasty email if she hasn't responded to you after several emails. It's her prerogative whether or not she desires to be in contact with you. If she doesn't want to meet you, why get angry and nasty? There are plenty of other women out there who you can contact.

5. Don't ask her if she wants to have sex with you on the second email exchange, and don't send her dirty pictures of you. Women are all about connecting with their minds. Just because you're looking for a quick fling, that doesn't mean she's going to respond.

6. If she gives you her phone number, don't wait a week to call her. By extension, if you do wait a week to call her and she doesn't call you back, don't be shocked. Women have many options online. If she gives you her phone number, I suggest calling her that day. It keeps the momentum going.

7. When asking for more pictures, do so without any references to "Can you please send me a picture so I can see your body?"

Ask her if she'd like to exchange more pictures

Ask her if she'd like to exchange more pictures, which means you send some and she sends some. Several women have complained to me that men ask them to send pictures of themselves in bikinis or other such things, so that men can see their body. Men, don't do this!

8. Don't get offended if she doesn't want to talk to you on the phone right away and/or wants to talk to you via email first to get to know you. You need to be flexible and open to her suggestions. Sometimes you may need to email back and forth for a week, and sometimes she'll give you her phone number right away. Either way, don't be rude.

9. Do not email-stalk her. Many of my clients who are single women have complained to me about men who will email them several times a day for three weeks, until they are forced to block emails from those men. Men, she got your email the very first time. She just may have chosen not to open it. By sending emails several times a day, not only are you turning her off, you're freaking her out! You've become an online stalker. That's a guarantee she'll never go out with you.

10. Don't send cut-and-paste emails. When connecting with her for the very first time, don't cut and paste an email message in July that you've been sending out for six months with a tagline that says, "I love the holidays." By doing that, she knows you didn't read her profile - and that you're really, really lazy!

Just a few of my points to add:

• Stop with the penis pics. If I date you and think you're a good catch, I will see your penis eventually I'm sure.
• The email thing applies to Myspace, if I read your message and you know it and I don't get back to you right away, don't get offended. I got your message, relax. I'm not dead.
• When writing an ad, don't say your only looking for a specific body type. It pisses me off and makes you look narrow minded. Saying shit like "sorry not into big girls" or "must be athletic" makes you look like a fool. Give the rest of us a chance.
• The same applies to race. "Looking for Asian girl". Well then, good luck. Why don't you go to Asia you may have better luck. Just because a girl isn't Asian doesn't make her not attractive to you. Surprise yourself and try Indian, or White or Hispanic or something.
• Don't say it's your first time doing this (posting an ad). First of all, it's a load of bullshit, or even if it is, I don't need to see your insecurities. Point out the good parts about you.
• Being too specific on what your looking for in general. I'm not going to find a perfect guy, you're not going to find a perfect girl.

If I remember or see anything else that pisses me off that guys do I will post here. And with the Top 10 for Men that this writer posted, has happened to me. I had guys stalk me, demand sex, the picture nonsense and what have you. So kudos to David Wygant.

Foreign Accent Syndrome

Obama Obama (Lil Wayne )

GObama!

Shock jocks prank Sarah Palin

Frickin' hilarious. Just to show how Sarah Palin is stupid once again.

This is why you can't find a date online

Matt's Listing on Craigslist
hello their
i am matt, indipendent smart funnie guy from west mass i quit high school when my tracktor mecanic said that learning is for wussys and gays .i aint gay .i have been here all my life and i have no plans to move i don't like travel as i can only speak american .i am manly man and i got my own place next to moms bedroom she dont want no rent but still i will pay when i get a job or a girlfriend.
i want the thinnest girl for love , beer and rent for mom. i can cuddle and sit on couch all day so you found the right man let us go out for a few drinks and sex first and see where it goes. (his version)

" Hello there. (Which I can't spell) Hi, I'm Matt that can't capitalize my own name or the first letter of a sentence. I think I am smart, funny, and independent, but I can't spell any of these words, except for smart. It is obvious I quit high school, and I'm even surprised that I even made it that far considering I write like a second grader. I quit because I'm a loser and listened to a loser tractor mechanic, by which I can't spell those words either. Learning is for smart people, which means that I am not smart. I'm not gay, but I am homophobic instead. I won't travel because I didn't bother to learn any language other than English. I also won't move because I'm afraid I can't speak Southern or Western English. I do not know the difference between the language of English and American as being born, raised or living in America. I consider myself manly because I live next to my mom's bedroom because I finally grew out of the crib. However, even though I have my own bedroom, I still sleep in my mom's bed. I can't pay rent because I have no job and my mom is a crack dealer that is why she doesn't need money from me. I want a stupid broad who has a job and is willing to have sex with my ugly ass, pay my rent and keep me from going to AA meetings by supporting my beer habit. I am a couch potato and expect you to pay for our beer and condoms for our first date. I pray that you don't leave me because of my overgrown hair that hasn't been cut since 1985 and a mullet that should've never been in style." (my version)

Dude, if this is a serious request, you have a serious problem. Let's get the creeps off Craigslist.

"You Can Vote However You Like, Yea"

Obama on the left
McCain on the right
We can talk politics all night
And you can vote however you like
You can vote however you like, yeah

Democratic left
Republican right
November 4th we decide
And you can vote however you like
You can vote however you like, yeah

(McCain supporters)
McCain's the best candidate
With Palin as his running mate
They'll fight for gun rights, pro life,
The conservative right
Our future is bright
Better economy in site
And all the world will feel our military might

(Obama supporters)
But McCain and Bush are real close right
They vote alike and keep it tight
Obama's new, he's younger too
The Middle Class he will help you
He'll bring a change, he's got the brains
McCain and Bush are just the same
You are to blame, Iraq's a shame
Four more years would be insane

Lower your Taxes - you know Obama Won't
PROTECT THE LOWER CLASS - You know McCain won't!
Have enough experience - you know that they don't
STOP GLOBAL WARMING - you know that you won't

I want Obama
FORGET OBAMA
Stick with McCain and you're going to have some drama
We need it
HE'LL BRING IT
He'll be it
YOU'LL SEE IT
We'll do it
GET TO IT
Let's move it
DO IT!

Obama on the left
McCain on the right
We can talk politics all night
And you can vote however you like
You can vote however you like, yeah

Democratic left
Republican right
November 4th we decide
And you can vote however you like, I said
You can vote however you like, yeah

I'm talking big pipe lines, and low gas prices
Below $2.00 that would be nice

But to do it right we gotta start today
Finding renewable ways that are here to stay

I want Obama
FORGET OBAMA,
Stick wit McCain you gone have some drama
MORE WAR IN IRAQ
Iran he will attack
CAN'T BRING OUR TROOPS BACK
We gotta vote Barack!

Obama on the left
McCain on the right
We can talk politics all night
And you can vote however you like, I said
You can vote however you like, yeah

Democratic left
Republican right
November 4th we decide
And you can vote however you like, I said
You can vote however you like, yeah

So Not Christian

Tracy Kerlee is supporting McCain because of Barack Obama's name.

What bullshit is this?

Now I am a Christian supporting Barack Obama. I support him because I think he would do a better job than McCain. I applaud McCain in some areas for his devotion and stopping racist people, such as Tracy, during his campaign. While he didn't stop all the terrible statements against Barack Obama, he did step in when a lady said that Barack is a Muslim and McCain took the microphone away from her and said "No, Barack Obama is a good family man. We just differ in opinions."

What I am most fearful for, even though I don't like McCain, I think he's better than Bush, however, if he dies, and Palin takes over, then I am scared for our country. Sarah Palin was trying to pass a bill that would make people who are raped to buy their own kits, and fired an official who opposed her bill.

New York Times Article: Sarah Palin

She also splits with McCain when it comes to gay issues. She wants gay marriages to be banned nationwide, while McCain feels it should be up to the state.

She is also against abortion, and if abortion becomes illegal, then the woman who had an abortion and possibly the people who helped her go to jail. But, Sarah Palin during an interview with Katie Couric says that she wouldn't want women to go to jail.

But, Sarah Palin, if you pass a law making it illegal to for women to have an abortion, then they are breaking a law right? If they break a law, like others have with drug trafficking, rape, shootings, stealing, what have you, then they go to jail right? Unless they are proven innocent? So what does that tell you Palin?

I won't get into much about my beliefs about abortion, while I feel women shouldn't have the right to go willy nilly on getting an abortion; I do feel, in cases where a womens life is in danger, or rape or incest, then surely the woman has the right to choose. I may discuss my beliefs on that at another time. But why should woman who have been raped or involved with incest should go through more hell than they already have? I'm sorry, but counseling is not the "cure-all" to all situations.



I hate listening to her. To quote someone from another blog I read "Palin is Bush with tits". Got that fucking right. She doesn't read but watches movies, which I read in another blog based off an interview. Well then. Movies aren't always real. Books and newspapers are things which educated people have that you don't seem to do. Who the fuck made you VP candidate? Oh, that's right, an idiot.

Now, back to Tracy Kerlee. If you are a true Christian, Tracy, do you not recall a song I'm sure most people have heard in the church calls "Jesus Loves The Little Children"?

Jesus loves the little children
all the children of the world
Red and Yellow, Black and White
They are precious in His sight
Jesus loves the little children of the world

Jesus loves ALL the children, and as you learn in church, Tracy, we are all God's children. Now, the song goes, red (Native Americans, Indians) yellow (Asians), Black and White. Which is all the races (for the most part) So if Jesus loves all the children no matter what race, then why are you, Tracy, racist of Barack Obama? Is that the Christian motto? I think not.

You look like some crazed psychopath that needs to be put away. I hope to God for your sake and your husband's that the two of you divorce or you don't kill him if he votes for Obama. You obviously, Tracy Kerlee, need to read more than just your Bible and right winged misinformed see what you want to see opinions. This is a diverse country. We need someone who is diverse in his views, who really helps all types of people not just people like you, and so forth. Take a class in diversity. Make friends with people different from you. As Christians, we are supposed to be "the salt of the earth", so if you feel, Tracy, that you are a true Christian, then you my dear "friend" need to read the Bible more carefully, and "salt" the earth with an open mind and facts in the brain.

By the way, if you ever decide to study Islamic points of view, while they may not be as "accurate" to our points of view, Christianity and Muslim are parallel to each other, meaning it holds similar values to what we believe in. Take a class, in a college, a public college with a shitload of black people and other races that may make you shit your pants, Tracy.

Shhh, Tracy, shhh. I dare you to run around the country with a Confederate flag and see how fast your ass gets shot.

Oh, I'm sure there are more blog entries on this to come.

Voting is not Free

This is my second Presidential Election. In 2004, when I was 19, I voted and worked at the local polling station. I was a supervisor, and was paid $110 for a 15 hr day. I thought voting was free. Apparently, only if you physically show up. I thought I had a right to vote, but apparently at some kind of cost.

I am outraged. About two weeks ago, I received my absentee ballot. I already know who I am voting for. I looked through the ballot and I had to stick my ballot in two envelopes. Why two? I don't know. One had to be signed by two witnesses or by a notary public. The other was to mail both the ballot and the signature envelope in the one big envelope.

Like there was enough space on the back of the ballot, they could've added lines for signatures or a notary, instead of an extra weighty envelope. And have they ever heard of security envelopes? Why don't we just use those instead of double envelopes that cost more money? What a waste.

So I filled out my ballot and last night got my two witnesses via my coworkers. As I pulled out the envelope, I noticed it said "Put Postage Here". Excuse me? I have to pay for postage? What fucking bullshit is this?

So wait, if I was home, and had to vote, all I have to do is walk across the street, which is free, and vote. But, if I'm away, I have to pay for postage for my vote to count? Excuse me? No.

That is a load of bullshit. And it wasn't like I paid normal postage of 42 cents. Oh no. I paid a fucking dollar for it. Why am I paying a dollar to vote? Since when is there a sticker price on voting?

Absentee Ballots

When mailing election materials to my state or territory, do I have to pay postage?

When mailed from any U.S. post office, U.S. embassy or consulate, or APO/FPO mail facility, the hardcopy voter registration/absentee ballot form is postage-paid. In order to receive free postage, the online version of the form must be mailed in our postage-paid envelope. You may mail the completed form in an envelope with proper postage affixed. Ensure that your form is postmarked (see postmarking instructions below) and sent before your state's specific deadline. You must pay postage if the materials are mailed from a non-U.S. postal facility.

Oh so military doesn't have to pay but the average citizen does? What the fuck?

Some of my medical bills I don't pay postage. A survey sent to me by some random company doesn't make me pay for postage for my opinion on their product. A questionaire about the latest procedure done to me to make sure I got quality care doesn't make me pay for it. So why am I paying for my right to vote? Isn't that unconstitutional?

Apparently in New York residents get prepaid envelopes. I don't understand why every state doesn't do that. I am also bothered how every state has different polling machines. That annoys me too. I remember when I was younger and went with my mom to the polling stations, they went behind booths and pulled levers. Some states still do that. My state has then changed to a ballot that requires a pencil and draw a line to connect arrows, and then put through a machine. Can't we just have standardized voting materials? I think if each state has the same voting rules and regulations, and polling machines or what have you, there would be less loss of votes and recalling votes and other nonsense.

Other states are running articles in the paper warning people to make sure they have enough postage on their ballots. Why? Again why are we paying for our right to vote? Don't we pay enough with gas, and the recent economy crisis, like shit do we get a break?

The irony behind this was today during class, we started talking about young people voting. One of the guys in my class, JR, said that his friend noticed yesterday how he had to pay for postage. My teacher goes "Really?" and I quickly whipped out my absentee ballot I had ready to send right after class. I showed the class the huge envelope with the place that I had to pay for postage. Like that deters voters. If people had to pay to vote, then no wonder we have such a low turnout with the young voters. Most young people my age are in college, and want to vote. But they get their absentee ballots and look that they have to pay, that's ludicrous. Students already pay credit card bills, books, fees for labs and classes and college tuition, do we need to take on more financial strain?

When I went to the post office to have it weighed, I mentioned to the clerk how I have to pay for my ballot. She goes "Well, someone has to pay for it." Excuse me bitch, drop the attitude. The government wants my vote, then they should fucking pay for it. Not me. I pay enough tax dollars, I don't need to add to it.

I know it's only a dollar, but to some students a dollar is a lot. That's money that's not going to other necessities.

I say let's vote to have all absentee ballots prepaid for all elections from now on in all states.

Can I use my postage as a tax deduction? What if the person I elected for office doesn't get in, do I get my money refunded? Jesus Christ!

Well then, I voted. Go Obama, or GObama.

Someone please stop the insanity.

Irate Worker is Back!!!

I have an update with an explanation on Irate Worker. Here is the link:

Irate Worker

Sorry about that.

DID-Dissociative Indentity Disorder

This is why you can't call my life normal.

A few days ago, I went out to eat, and my friend gave me her money to pay for her portion of the meal. When I got back to my dorm room, I found an AIM screen name printed on one of the dollar bills. For fun, I decided to IM this person. Mind you, I got this dollar bill in Springfield, MA.

Danny is a 19 yr old from Warwick, RI and studies psychology at the University of RI. He minors in peace studies. Danny unfortunately comes from an abusive home, his mother died in recent years, and his father is in prison for abuse, tentatively coming out this month.

Danny has a twin brother named Dave, and a boyfriend also named Dave. He plans to move to Europe at some point and do his grad studies there.

For the past few days, Dan and I have been talking on and off. I learned something very unique about Dan, besides him being gay and having a rough life, and having a very sweet boyfriend. No, there's more to him than that.

I met Adam. Adam is one of Danny's 15 personalities. Danny and I had just finished discussing his disorder, DID or Dissociative Identity Disorder. This disorder can have as little as two different personalities to infinity. People with this disorder get this from a repeated abuse and get no counseling or help, so without the issues being dealt with, there is a likelihood of someone getting this disorder. It knows no age or sex. It can happen to anyone who is constantly abused/disrupted in a bad manner. It can be curable through years of therapy, but it is not certain. There is no drug or anything else that can be done about it.

While Danny and I were talking, he says "I'm getting spacey. Usually when this happens another person comes out." I said "Danny stay with me." The next response was "No".

So I asked "Who is this?" "Adam" was the response. I had just finished writing down and saving the conversation as Danny told me most of the personalities that come out when he changes. I looked at my list. Adam is a 9 yr old boy who likes to talk. I can deal with that.

Never having dealt with this before, I treated this conversation like I was really dealing with a 9 year old boy.

I asked him how he was doing, and he asked me who I was. I told him. So he goes "Hi!" Next thing I know he asks me if I liked to color. I told him yes, and asked if he did. He says yes. Then there is nothing. Worried that something bad was going to happen, I said "Hello?" Adam tells me he was distracted by the TV. I asked him what he was watching, and he didn't know. Then I asked him where Danny was. He said "Danny was membring." Danny had told me earlier if this happened if I tried using his name should be able to come back to me. I took as Adam saying "Danny was membering" meaning that Danny was coming back. Then there was silence.

I said hello again. I get a "Sorry". I ask who it is, and he goes "Dan". I got Dan to snap out of it. He told me he was embarrassed and I told him it was okay, not to worry, at least I knew about it. I was glad he told me before this happened, otherwise I would've been clueless. He told me he should go to bed, because he still is "spacey" and the likelihood of another personality coming out is great. I told him to go ahead.

From now on, I am going to make myself aware of who I am talking to when I talk to Dan. Adam and Nick are similar, just Nick is a six year old. Then there is Ephrem, who is scared and hides away a lot. Brandon knows everything. Alex is 16 and flirts with everyone. Mike and Rick are the ones I have to watch out for. They are the angry personalities. Mike can be reasonable if you're nice to him, and Rick is out of control, but this only happens if Dan is really upset. Then there is Allison who is shy but talks. James is sad and introverted. Dave is outspoken. Melanie is creative, but she doesn't come out much. Steve isn't much of a distinct character, he's just calm. There are more personalities, but he doesn't remember who they are. The first five are the more common personalities, all which are ones I can deal with.

I thought there was a connection between the names and Dan's past. There isn't. This is a sad disorder. Dan seems like a really cool guy, and I hope to meet him (and possibly all of him) someday, since he's from my state. DID only recently got it's name, and is a fairly new disorder, as far as knowledge goes. Danny plans in the future to speak to people who have this disorder. I give him kudos.

DID

More on DID

Nigeria or Scam-area?

Nigeria Scams

Please read the article first.

I don't understand how you can blame the victims. First of all, not everyone in the United States (or any other parts of the world) is technology savvy. Some of the victims could've easily been using the computer for the first time and have no idea about these scams. From things I've seen, either scammers use inheritance (I've gotten many of those emails) and how do you know the person receiving these emails isn't really Nigerian, and really think that they might have inheritance? Some of the scammers use sob stories about how their family isn't do well or what have you and ask for help, and people think that they really are helping someone across the world. Other situations as far as relationships, people use the internet everyday to find true love. Whether or not you believe love exists over the internet, it is quite possible to meet someone to fall in love with, and people have out there.

Why don't they find out the reason why Nigeria is the home of internet scamming, particularly, like a ring leader or something? I don't know much about the different countries in Africa, besides of the fact most of them are third world countries. I even wonder how people there get access to computers when children are starving and medical needs aren't met. I don't know if Nigeria is one of those areas that flourish better than other countries in Africa. But the point being is that this person is blaming the victims rather than finding the source. And how can you call a bunch of people greedy for falling for these traps when maybe they need just as much money to get by like the people in Africa do? I'm saying the victim may not be greedy, but scammers aren't stupid either. They know to hit someone really rich and stupid, or find someone poor and desperate and see this supposed money as a break.

I think they need to pay attention to their own people and work out issues there instead of playing mind games with the victims.

Anthony Lunghi's Business Card

How to Survive a shitty economy thanks to George Bush Part Two *updated*

I have some fun and easy ways to earn and save money.

For shopping:
Bring your own bags, as now a lot of places are giving 5 cents off for every bag you bring in and use. Coupons, coupons, coupons. Did I stress coupons? Sometimes free community papers have them or you get them in the mail. Have a lot you don't use? Try coupon swapping, there are websites or even set up something on Craigslist where you trade coupons. While it's illegal to sell coupons, there's nothing wrong with swapping a coupon for cat litter when you don't have a cat, to someone who does have a cat and has a coupon that you can use. If you live in or near a state that does bottle deposits, it doesn't hurt to bring the cans/bottles/glass back for money. Some stores may limit how much you can get in a day, but at the Stop and Shop I work at, people can get up to $6 cash back. Some liquor stores are lenient, so they may be your best bet. Also, shop with a friend and split food together. Buy a big package of meat or a multipack of something you both use and save money that way. Also, be wary of produce prices. If a particular fruit or veggie isn't on sale, watch the price tag. I've noticed that in one day, green peppers went from $1.69/lb to $3.99/lb. Prices of produce fluctuate daily, so be wary of produce that isn't on sale. You may pay one price today, and another one tomorrow. Also, if you have places like Shoprite or Pricerite nearby, shop there first. The produce is usually good, but it can have it's days where everything looks bad. I wouldn't buy meat there unless it's prepackaged stuff. But, there are name brands and even store brands are cheaper there. I can buy steak sauce for 99 cents, and it's just as good as A1 or Stop and Shop brand. Cilantro is 99 cents per bunch, as to Stop and Shop price of $1.49 per bunch. The only drawback is that you need to bring bags or buy bags at 10 cents each, but its worth it. Plus, you need a quarter for a carriage, which is used so that carriages don't get stolen off the lot. You do get the quarter back. And if you spy a carriage sitting there in the lot, chances are there is still a quarter in it, so get the carriage and earn an extra quarter in your pocket. It happens often enough.

Pick up as many samples of different things as you can, either at the store, from a magazine, or online. Samples usually come with coupons, and if you stock up on different samples, you won't have to buy that product you need right away. Face wash, soap and other things would be good to keep in the house and last longer if you use it according to the directions. Have special places for trial size items so they are in plain view when you need them.

Before you go to the store, check out circulars online so you don't waste gas going if there's nothing you need there, or so you know what things are on sale, and check for coupons and stick them in your wallet or purse before you leave. Some stores also have other special coupons online, so sign up for their weekly newsletters as well if they have them.

Stop and Shop takes competitor coupons only if it says something like "$5 off purchase of $50 or more". Other shops too, such as Bed, Bath and Beyond. Find out if your grocery or other stores take competitor coupons. Bed Bath and Beyond takes their expired coupons too, so even if that 20% coupon expired last month, they will take it anyways. That is also similar for other things like car repairs as well. If you need something fixed on your car that doesn't need to be done right away but needs to get done, get quotes from different shops. Some shops will price match and beat it by a percentage as well. I had needed new tires soon, and Firestone was going to charge me one price. I went to Town Fair Tire across the way, and they would match that price plus beat it by 15%.

If you do go to get your car replaced, avoid the following places, as I and other people have had really terrible experiences and/or are overpriced: Pepboys (they ruined the entire steering column and they weren't supposed to touch it) and Firestone are the top two places to avoid like the plague. Try to stay away from a dealership since they tend to be overpriced too.

If you can, find a mechanic who is willing to do work on the side and you buy your own parts. My last car needed brakes, and instead of paying $500 for it to be done by Speedy by Monroe, I bought the brakes myself and had paid a mechanic to do it for $50 an hr. I spent $300 total. When you do get your car repaired at the shop, pay attention to how much an hour it costs. Most dealerships make you pay $75-100 an hr, so you may pay more for labor than the part itself! Shop around for cheaper people, but know what is worth to shell out and what isn't. I can tell you right now anything with a transmission problem is a huge problem, and if that's the case, you are better off getting a new car. There are websites like Ask A Mechanic, who can help you with your issues. They will give you advice as to what could be wrong, best case and worst case scenarios. They might not be able to fully diagnose the problem, but they can direct you to the right path.

Also, shop around for better car insurance. Like the commercial says, "you may be paying more for car insurance." Avoid Nationwide as well, I had a coworker who got into in accident, and they wanted her to take the car to them. That's not right. The insurance company has to send someone to wherever your car is, you don't bring it to them. And check out the state laws about insurance, in Rhode Island insurance companies cannot force you to choose one of their repair shops; you can choose whatever repair shop you want. Check out your local government website about that.

Fun ways to get money:
Number one rule for this is, set up a separate email for the next few things. Only because doing this will clog up your email so fast it's not funny. But it's worth it.

www.mypoints.com is a website that you can have emails sent to you a few times a day, or whatever you choose. You get five points for every email you read (meaning you have to click the ad or whatever it is displayed in the email.) Once you click on the offer, if you don't want to do it, just exit out and delete the email. If you want the offer, go ahead as you will earn more points. Sometimes they do surveys too. I already got a gas card, and you can get gift cards to many places or get subscriptions to magazines or whatnot. They have a credit card if you want to earn more points that way, it's up to you. The points workout because you can get useful things.

www.Sendearnings.com is similar to Mypoints, but it takes longer to earn. Once you earn at least $30, you can get a check sent to your house. Also once you hit $30, you automatically become a gold member, so you earn more money. It earns a few cents at a time, but you do get a $5 head start. For this one it takes a little more work, but click on the ad, then click on where it says Read Email and then exit out unless you want to complete the offer. I recommend for this one and the other one prior is to just delete these messages once you are done with these offers. Unlike MyPoints, you get money rather than gift cards.

Anyone a Coca Cola fan? www.mycokerewards.com allows you to redeem caps for points. You can enter contests, get subscriptions to magazines, toy figurines, airplane tickets and more! A bottle cap is worth 3 points, and the 12 pack is worth 10 points. Sometimes they double points too on certain days. If your not a Coke fan, Pepsi does have stuff too, but I'm not sure about their program.

This by far is the best thing I use. It's called ShoppersHotline, and it's a good program. Basically, you go shopping like you normally do, and scan your groceries into a scanner they provide for you for free. You must have a phone jack in your house for this, as well as internet. You plug the scanner in the phone jack, and when you scan your items, the information is transferred over to the company. (Don't worry, your information is safe with them.) You earn 40 pts per scanning session. You can scan anything you ever buy. If it's not able to scan, they do provide you with other means to let them know how much you spend. Once you get to a certain amount of points, you can earn money on a black debit card they send you. But there's no pin number, so you have to use this card like a credit card. The smallest amount you can retrieve is $10, and you can earn it pretty quickly. Not only do you earn points by the scanner, but on their website, you can do surveys, and add a program on you computer, which every 3 months you earn $5 on your debit card. But you have to at least turn on your computer once a week. Also, you can enter in prescriptions, which earn you additional points. I believe you need 625 points for a $10 debit card. You keep the card to earn more money. Not only do you earn money, but each time you scan or do a survey or enter a prescription, you are entered into a monthly drawing for money as well. It's a pretty easy program, and if anyone wants to sign up, email me at sportygal785@yahoo.com and I can provide you with a phone number to get you started through my referral program. You can sign up yourself on the website, but it's a bit harder to do. You do have to be 18, not living in Hawaii or Alaska (US citizens only, sorry) and it's one person per household that is in control. If anyone has questions, you can call this number too. 1-877-999-2949 or again email me. It's pretty simple. And if you go on vacation, there's a setting for that too. I've used it for a couple years and it's awesome.

Anyone love gaming? Pogo and Slingo are two places I go to play games for free and earn points too. Earn points and you can enter into daily, weekly, and monthly drawings for cash. Also, there are jackpot games, where you can win money just by finishing a game. I tend to split up my points between the different drawings to up my chances. There are paid upgrades if you want to win double money and get special features, but it's not necessary.

Everything I listed is free, no hidden fees or any crap. There are more sites, which I will add as time goes on and I discover them. Keep posted for more ways to save money in the future. Feel free to pass this info along, and to comment.

*Update* http://online-sweepstakes.com
is another site I use often to enter in many different types of sweepstakes, from cash to cars, one time only to every day entering. This website was one I read about in Womens World a few years back. It's pretty useful, and you never know if you don't try to win by entering.

How to Survive a shitty economy thanks to George Bush

*First and foremost, I want to apologize to my readers. It's been a crazy month or so since I last wrote, between leaving to go home for the summer, and then my father passing away.*

You start noticing a lot of changes now. The news is always bleak, how the economy is sucking right now, and how many people's lifestyles have changed. Houses getting cheaper, and foreclosures on the rise, gas prices are killing everyone, it's an absolute nightmare.

As a cashier, and as a person who pays attention to everything going around me, I see that Americans are taking a really bad hit, and I would not be surprised if we had another Great Depression. People with low income housing are now homeless, and people who were middle class are now hitting the food banks. I watch people putting back essentials because it's now too damn expensive. You can't even buy a box of pasta for $1, although recently Stop and Shop has a sale for a $1 on pasta, but still. I remember getting boxes of pasta 3 for a$1 as of a few months ago, that's how bad our economy is. It really sickens me.

As someone who was once middle class, and became lower class since my parents divorce, we are struggling. However, there are things to make this situation better. I'm a person who looks out for the cheapest ways, and despite everything, we are getting by. So I want to share things I do to make other people's lives easier.

As far as driving goes:
Keep your tires filled, and don't over fill them. At Walmart, there are tire gauges that you can put on each individual tire and it tells you the tire pressure. It's easy and only a few bucks. I would also invest in this 3 in 1 thing where it fills your tires, is a flash light and it has a radio or something in it. It would be good if your tires get low on the run, but can't find a gas station with a working air hose. It's about $20-25 and small enough to stick in your trunk or backseat. And I think it's battery run but also can be used by plugging it into the car cigarette lighter. I know that the Hess near my has free air and the newer ones have a gauge so it beeps when it's done filling. The average tire fills at 35, unless you have a truck or big car. General rule of thumb.

I would also use dry gas or something to the equivalent about every few weeks. I've used the dollar store's dry gas and never had a problem. Take out the extra weight too. It adds to the gas mileage. For every 50lbs you have in the car, you lose 1% of your fuel. If you really don't need to take your kids or husband with you either, don't. And if you are a big person like me, losing a few pounds may save you gas money. At least once a week sweep out unnecessary stuff from your car. And, for your car's sake, keep your keys and keychains light. Too much weight can ruin your ignition. The weight tugs on the mechanics of it, causing it to warp.

As far as gas goes, pick the cheapest name brand, and try not to use too many different types of gas stations. Try to stick to at least one or two gas stations, like say Exxon and Hess, unless you are absolutely desperate for gas. Try to avoid cheap gas stations that have no name brand, because what it is it's a gas station the picks the cheapest gas company, and the gas may be bad. I'd rather pay a little extra on gas than shell out money for a new car or car part because it got ruined by bad gas. That has already happened once to me

Speaking of gas stations, here's a few helpful hints to get decent gas. For people who live in New England, Stop and Shop is doing a new gas thing now. No more gas coupons, but rather, for every $50 you spend on food, you get 10 cents off a gallon of gas just by using your card. Now it doesn't sound a lot, but, it accumulates. So you no longer have to spend $50 in one transaction to get a coupon. I have people who already have 200 points ($200) which is 40 cents off a gallon. That doesn't include the automatic 5 cents you get off just from using your card at the pump. No gas station nearby? Check out www.stopandshop.com for the closest ones, and then look for other things to do nearby. So your not just going out there for gas, you can do other things as well. See if there is a movie theater or a mall or stores you don't really get to go to often. Make it one big trip so your not wasting gas to get gas. If you really want, save up as much as you can, I already had one guy save $1.60 per gallon, so if you do your math right, you can probably get your gas practically free. Now for people who live in other parts of the US, Stop and Shop is sister company of Giant, Super Giant, Tops, and Martin's, so check out your local supermarkets' website. Also at Stop and Shop, you can use your gift card towards gas as well. Also, for people who live near Super Walmart's you can also save. When you use your credit card or Walmart gift card, you save an extra 3 cents off per gallon. I know that's not much, but it all helps. So if you don't want a Walmart credit card, just put the amount you want to put into your gas tank (such as $25 for example) on a gift card and save 3 cents off a gallon at the pump. Save your gift card too, as it's reloadable.

Google places where you want to go to, and look for short cuts and places where you can avoid lights. Sometimes there are shorter ways to get to places that you normally travel. Avoid street driving as much as possible, especially roads where you know that has a lot of lights. Idling uses up gas, and that rule applies to drive thru as well. If you are going to eat a place that is still open, choose to go in rather than drive thru.

More tips on saving money to come....

I-N-D-E-P-E-N-D-E-N-T Do You Know What That Means?

What would happen if parents were no longer the main source of income for college students? If parents stopped being the main source of income for college students to go to school, it would be much easier for college students to become independent. The government could also help by making it so that one didn’t have to depend on a parent or guardian to go to school. I believe students would also appreciate their educational goals better if they could do everything themselves. When students fill out Free Application for Federal Student Aid or the FAFSA to go to college, a student needs a signature from a parent or guardian and tax forms, and there’s been times where friends of mine don’t go to college because the parents refuse to sign such documents, even though a FAFSA is free. Also, many students don’t fill out the FAFSA in fear that they don’t qualify for anything because their parents make too much money.



How many times have you seen commercials for signing up for Upromise’s College plan, or the Gerber Baby Plan? You’re watching your favorite TV show, and this commercial tells you to start saving for your child’s education; and show the percentage rates of how much those companies help you earn money for your child’s college fund. I find that atrocious. When you are eighteen years old, the US considers you an adult. So do parents or most parents at least treat you like an adult at eighteen years old. I understand that parents love to still take care of their adult children and offer them a bright future. But why at eighteen years old is it the responsibility on the parents’ hands? When you are eighteen, you should be able to take care of yourself. You get to decide whether or not if you want to go to college. Some parents as soon as a child is born start saving for their college education. But what if your child decides not to go to college? What if they are that child star, the one who is so good that gets into Hollywood or play in the NFL? Or what if they feel they don’t need or want to go to college? You spent eighteen years of your life saving money for a child who doesn’t need or want that kind of life and you could’ve saved that money for retirement or for a bigger house. How about the fact that sometimes your child isn’t an angel, and squanders your money by failing out of school? Shouldn’t that be on their heads, not yours?



It’s not even just those things that bug me, but student loans as well. They are called student loans for a reason. Why do most private companies still rely on having parents sign those as well? On those commercials you see for Sallie Mae or Astrive, they tell you that “you may get a better rate if you apply with a cosigner”. I found myself in situations with different loan companies that you need a cosigner to even get a loan, because I don’t have any or sufficient credit history or I don’t make enough money. Then my mom had to put her Social Security number on the loan application, which then the company checks not only mine but now my mother’s credit history. Every time a credit report is run through your Social Security number, it lowers your credit score. Again parents are pulled in to put in their credit background, possibly ruining it by constantly reapplying for student loans because many times you still get denied for one reason or another. Then you are forced to try another loan company and may face the same results. With today’s economy in shambles, many older adults have their own credit history in shambles with foreclosures and bankruptcies rising on a daily basis. How can companies expect the student’s parents’ to have good enough credit history or money when they themselves have their own crisis?
The FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) is also a problem. The FAFSA is a form that can be filled out by anyone going to college, so that students can receive financial assistance and/or loans from the government. Not only do parents have to sign the paperwork (unless you are of age 24 and older, and then you are considered independent), but they must put their income on the form as well. Why? In most cases students that are eighteen or older either help pay for things in the household if they are still living with their parents, or pay for their own shelter and food. I think it is very unnecessary to have parents put their financial information in, especially if very little income, if any, is going to go towards college tuition or other needs. The decision should be based off solely the students’ income, if any. This is why many students or parents avoid even filling out the FAFSA, feeling that they aren’t qualified for anything or only a little bit of funding. Most students need more then they actually get in aid. Also, a parents’ income doesn’t show how much debt they’re in or any financial struggles that may alter the actual income versus output of the income. I feel that if a student is old enough to have car insurance in their own name or get credit of their own, or vote, then FAFSA should let the student be solely on the form and no one else.
I also feel that if students were more independent they would be more appreciative of their education. Here at Springfield College I don’t feel like most students here appreciate the stuff given to them by their parents, and I don’t feel the people who really need the aid get it either. My first year here my ex-roommate said that she didn’t want to be a PE major, and that she wanted to go to beauty school. That annoyed me, because she is an adult, she could’ve easily told her parents “No, I don’t want to be a PE major” and go to beauty school like she wanted to. She is one of those people that waste their parents’ money, because I know she is doing something she hates, and will never do what her parents want her to do. Another girl here who graduated last year told me she wanted to be a trophy wife, and that is why she came here. Both those students I can tell don’t care about the education, just rewards they may benefit or pleasing someone else.
Another encounter was when I was sitting waiting for class, and I listened to this girl who complained that she didn’t get enough aid and her father had to pay $20,000 to the school. While it is unfortunate for her father to have to do that, she could’ve taken the initiative to help her father or apply for the FAFSA (it sounded like she didn’t do it) or look for scholarships and grants. I also wanted to rip into her that she is fortunate to have a parent whose income can be suffice for that. I pay for college solely on my own, I don’t get the aid I need, and I am in debt as of current date $45,000, and approximately $60,000 in debt as of next year. My family has never seen even $10,000 in a bank account, never mind $20,000. I know I am not the only one who is in this same boat, yet I know people just like the girls I mentioned who get aid or have parents who are fortunate to help, but financial aid or the government aid doesn’t seem to see that I need aid when I apply for assistance, and nothing that I deserve.
These reasons and much more are reasons why FAFSA and the student aid offices need to make it easier for students to receive money. It is hard on some parents, and really hard on the students. The news always shows stories of unemployment rates and rising crime, and some of that is a result of lack of education. If the government can ensure that more students get aid, people can get off the streets and into classrooms. Parents shouldn’t have to rely on programs to pay for their child’s education and the government should stop seeking parents’ assistance. If a child is old enough to vote, they should be old enough to get assistance for college, regardless.

Gerber Baby Plan
Sallie Mae
Upromise
FAFSA

The Cons of shopping in a small mall on a Saturday

Since the weather outside was shitty today, I decided since I got some of my tax returns to spend a little on myself today. I needed a new pair of jeans, and I was looking for some cool ones, and I knew of a few places at the mall I could get some. I do really need jeans as one of my is wearing out and I'm finding some of my jeans to be getting tight. I planned to spend a little extra on other things as well. I set aside a certain amount of money...aka $100.

I got to the mall, and my first stop was Old Navy. I can fit either a women's 20 or 22, and I also know that Old Navy gets returns from online purchases no longer wanted, so I went in there. Well, I didn't find any jeans my size, and the jeans I did find were too small or too big. So I head on the other side of the mall, and went into DEB's. I love DEB's normally, but it was really busy with girls trying to get ready for prom. I grabbed different jeans, prices ranging from $15-25. Tried on several pairs. Pockets were too short, I have to be able to at least fit my entire hand in it to even consider it. Next pair, can't get them on. Another one I got on but it was stretch and felt weird. This process continued for like an hr, I gave up.

Next stop, Rainbow. I love Rainbow too, and there were some nice shirts and dresses I actually would consider wearing with jeans or leggings, for a change in style. But my first priority was jeans. Well there was like, none. At all. Like there were jeans, I picked them up, tried it on and found out they were skinny jeans. I'm sorry, but who the hell in their right mind at a plus size level wear skinny jeans? What the fuck is wrong with this picture? They fit but, I don't know how to feel about this. I bend over and unzip the ankle part of it, there was a little zipper section in the ankles. Uh, no. I don't do skinny jeans. Skinny jeans are for the anorexic type. Or for the ghetto girls who wear their "Apple Bottom Jeans, boots with the fur." I don't wear boots or any type of shoes over my pants, so I'm all set. No thanks.

There was a really cool pair, but the size was too big. It had colorful writing, dark jeans with words such as "couture" and "baby girl" written in script, and it was nice. But too big, and naturally they didn't have it any other size. So I asked this girl for help, I told her my size. I bring two pairs of jeans, and as I'm trying on the second pair, this girl flies open the door and goes "Are you almost done?" I turn around, my ass baring at the door, and naturally today I picked flamingo pink underwear to wear today. I covered myself with the jeans but my ass still baring towards the door, and the girl goes "I'm sorry" and slowly shuts the door.



Like what the fuck? First of all, you knock on the door, or talk outside the door. You don't just fling open a changing room door. Secondly, if you made a booboo like that in public, slam that fucking door shut immediately. It's embarrassing enough you saw me undressed, don't give the rest of the world time too look. I could've killed her.

It is also the damn stores fault for not having locks on that shit. I hate stores that don't have locks on the inside of a changing room. It's because things like that happen and it's embarrassing. And God help me if that was a dude that opened that door. My God.

The other jeans didn't fit well, so I gave up. I passed that bitch on the way out, and I was half tempted to say shit to her, but I didn't. I went next to JC Penny Outlet, and went straight upstairs. I found a bunch of jeans on sale for $12.99. I found some basic Levis. I didn't care what I got at this point, I needed jeans. So I grabbed a few pairs and hit the changing room. At least this one has got a damn lock.

One fit okay, the other ones fit better, so I got two of the same Levi's. I needed it anyways. I checked out and headed to EbLens. I was actually looking for these particular hats, but I found shoes instead. I actually needed those too, so I can switch between two pairs of sneakers. I had a choice of getting some cool Pastry sneakers (from the daughters of Rev. Run, Run's House!) for $40, or I saw some black and white Fubu's for $25. I went for the Fubu's. But it took me forever to get their attention for the shoes, because I don't know, do you people feel like I don't belong there or something? I was ignored for a good 5 minutes while these two workers conversed. I stared at them until I got their attention. But they were mad rude to me. He gave me like an attitude and even the people up front were terrible. Now I've been there before like what bull shit is this? Like because I'm a big white girl I can't rock Tims and buy aviator shades and a baseball cap from Eblens? Damn...like do I look a prep girl to you trying to dress urban? I'm from the hood son. Son!




I went and bought a gyro (pronounced "Hero") and a soda, and then went through Macy's. After a crazy afternoon, I deserved to buy something I wanted, so I got a perfume set of David Cool Water with a free handbag I didn't know I was getting and she threw in some samples. I bounced. What a day.

I spent a little over $100, but not too bad. More like $110.

Show me....Robyn?

OMG! I can't believe Robyn is back. I remember "Show Me Love" and her music video and she had a few other hits that just rocked my world.

Despite the fact that when I was younger I had a crappy life, hearing 90's music, especially old rap, rock, pop and Top 40 songs of the time, it gives me pleasant memories before I got older and life got complicated. I remember Kasey Kasem on American Top 40 over the weekends and listening to her songs was peaceful and made the world seem brighter. Many of my friends make fun of me for liking old 90's music, but it gives me a sense of pleasure of the "good ol' days"

I always liked Robyn's music videos and music, and she was one of my favorite artists back then. So to see her back and see that she has an album coming out makes me excited. I hope her stuff is just as good as it was when I first heard her, her music had life and was exciting.

I was reading her new website, which in her bio explained her disappearance.

Robin Miriam Carlsson was born in Stockholm in 1979. She spent the first seven years of her life touring with her director father and actress mother in their Constructivist-inspired theatre company. At the age of 13 she was discovered by Swedish pop singer Meja when singing a sad, self-written song about her parents’ divorce in a school workshop and was immediately signed to BMG. A debut album of R&B-influenced pop in 1995 saw her paired with future Britney-hitwrangler Max Martin, and the global success of the sweet, soulful single ‘Show Me Love’ in 1997 cemented Robyn as an international pop star.
Shellshocked by the lack of artistic control offered by her label, however, Robyn migrated to Jive records for her third album, but felt disillusioned by their attempt to ship her to America to be shoehorned into the pre-fabricated Xtina template that was depressingly omnipotent in 2002.
“I think the third record I made was a big compromise,” she says. “I felt like it wasn’t fun anymore. Once you make the record and you give it to the record company, it’s not your record anymore! And I hated that situation. “I was going backwards. I wasn’t doing what I wanted to.”

In 2003, Robyn returned home, defeated, to Stockholm. Upon returning, she stumbled across a new CD by a mysterious local brother-sister duo. The CD, titled ‘Deep Cuts’, was a passionate, hallucinatory reading of pop music carved from geometric blocks of pure texture. Karin Dreijer Andersson and Olof Dreijer called themselves The Knife, and with ‘Deep Cuts’ they had sketched a blueprint for a kind of abstract future pop. “I was amazed by it,” gasps Robyn. “I thought it was the best thing I’d heard in years. I just felt like wow this is really what I’ve always been looking for – and not only was it good, it was Swedish.”
Energised by the potential atom-splitting that could occur if she harnessed her own piercingly honest pop to The Knife’s uncompromising, peculiarly Swedish energy source, Robyn approached Karin and Olof to work on a potential single.
The result was ‘Who’s That Girl’ – unquestionably one of the best pop singles of the past five years. Strapping herself into the very heart of The Knife’s towering, architectural synthpop – a shifting, interlocking grid of colour and beats, hard enough to break your fists on – Robyn emptied all of her frustration, insecurity and desperation. The lyrics, specifically, railed against her contractual purgatory, but ‘Who’s That Girl’s loaded despair resonates powerfully with anyone – any girl¬¬ – left beaten by the capriciousness of gender or image politics. In the song, Robyn soars. Her anger is rocket fuel for the titanium-strong music which encases her, projects her, makes her indestructible. Although Robyn had always written songs, this stark piece of brutalist pop should be considered The First Robyn Song.
Unbelievably, her label hated it.
“They just thought it was weird,” sighs Robyn. “They just didn’t understand it. I guess they didn’t consider it to be pop music, which I think is crazy. It’s TOTALLY pop music! Modern, inventive music – that’s what pop music should be.”

Robyn

I love you Robyn!

http://music.aol.com/video/show-me-love-sessions/robyn/2109290

25 Worst Rappers of All Time? Really?

The 25 Worst Rappers of All Time

I was reading this list, and granted I don't know every rapper or heard every part of this music, but I'm going disagree and approve some of the comments made here:

24) Bubba Sparxxx: Cut from much of the same cloth as Fred Durst, here's another earnest white boy looking to earn his street cred by exhibiting talents he doesn't actually have. You know how a kid will brag that his TV is bigger than your TV and then never get around to showing you this "Big TV"? That's kind of what a Bubba Sparxxx album is like. You keep hearing about how cool and assured he is, but you never actually hear any music that backs up the claim. Guest appearing on tracks by Limp Bizkit and Justin Timberlake should make you very nervous, despite some legit rappers claiming he's OK.

I don't know really about this one. I heard his music, and I think it's pretty good. His credibility trying to be a white rapper, well I don't know. If I knew more and actually cared and paid attention to celebrity nonsense I could say more about him. I'm assuming this writer is basing his opinion not on whether or not they can rap but also their background and other things he considers important.

20) Nelly: Whoa, Nelly! Yeah, the band-aid was a great gimmick and noting that when it gets hot, it's man's natural instinct to want to take off his clothes, well, that's priceless, too. Maybe his next album Brass Knuckles, slated for release in a few months, will show us a new side to this flat-screen rapper. Surely, he's had time to find qualified producers and to bone up on his diction to make it sound like something more than reading off of cue cards.

Yea, I can agree that his stuff that he raps isn't all original, like you can tell someone else has written it. It makes sense. I can pretty much agree for the most part on this comment. I haven't heard much from him lately so when his album comes out we'll see what happens.

18) Chingy: You know an "artist" is really hitting a nerve when they inspire an onslaught of negative reviews at every website you visit. The consensus seems to be: "This guy's beats are terrible and his lyrics are stupid, degrading and barely literate at best." And we're guessing that came from his mom. I didn't need to read all 385 one star reviews to be tipped off to just how much other people don't admire this man's talent. To think he owns houses in multiple cities, partners a restaurant in Miami and has appeared on The George Lopez Show as himself! Someone's got a bit of explaining to do.

Yea, again I agree. Some of his stuff is okay but again I have to agree with this writer here.

8) Will Smith: The people who vote in the Grammy Awards might very well be drunk when they do so. Or maybe they don't listen to the records they vote for. Now rap music wasn't really enjoyed by the "establishment" back in the 1980s, so they were primarily guessing at what the "kids" were listening to. And "Parents Just Don't Understand" was obviously a pretty "wacky" "rebellious" little number with all that clever rhyming! And Will Smith was certainly still "safe" enough to not inspire too much controversy. Which is exactly why he's a lousy rapper. And why Smith got out of there and into acting before everyone caught on.

You know, he really isn't bad. I remember listening to "Welcome to Miami" and "Men in Black" and so being a "safe" rapper is a bad thing? Many people claim rap is so bad because of lyrics and what not, so why not have some safe rap? Some safe rap I think will keep people thinking that all rap music is "satanic" and "bad" and "a bunch of nonsense". I completely disagree with this writer here. Being safe isn't a bad thing it's a good thing; it keeps people listening to this type of music and giving it a chance. While I'm not saying all rap should be fruity and always tasteful, I think it adds variety and gives positive instead of negative feedback. Does every rap record have to have a controversial piece?

7) Mr. T: Yes, I pity the fool who thought Mr. T had a career singing, rapping and wearing extremely short camouflage shorts and stretched to the knee tube socks while telling you to treat your mother right. From his instructional video Be Somebody Or Be Somebody's Fool. Why take advice from a guy who seems to have opted for the latter?

I was a kid or more like a baby when he came out, so I can't say much. But to be quite honest, what I do know of him, I can see why he is on this list.

5) Puff Daddy: P. Diddy, Puff Daddy, no matter what name you give him, his rapping doesn't improve. Sure, he's been a successful entrepreneur. Apparently, he can sell anything. He sold the idea of talking over a perfectly legitimate hit single by the Police as one of his own creations and winning a Grammy for his troubles. Again, are these people drunk when they vote?

Umm, yea. I have mixed feelings with this. I like his stuff, I really do. I see him on the current show he has of "Making the Band" and there are times I completely disagree what he has his bands do and what he doesn't like. As far as quality of his music I think it's pretty good. What he does on his show, well, that's a different story. I don't think that he should have been on this list. Not for this topic anyways.

These last two I can see why, because to be totally honest, I feel that neither of them rap. What their music should be called, I don't know. I'm not saying that I don't like their songs, I just don't know if "rap" would be the category to put them under.

2) MC Hammer: "U Can't Touch This" was first described to me as someone repeatedly yelling "Stop, It's Hammer Time!" over Rick James' "Superfreak." Sounded like a bad idea. Sounded like a bad joke. Then I heard it. MC Hammer went on to sell millions of albums. Some people even took to dressing like him. Yet somehow he never managed to turn this into another marketing line, not even for glasses. That's how he ended up on reality TV, I guess.

and

1) Vanilla Ice: Whether Suge Knight ever actually dangled Robert Van Winkle, Mr. Vanilla Ice, from a balcony or not, the point intended is an important one: STOP MAKING RAP RECORDS. "Ice Ice Baby" isn't so much a bad song as simply an insult. Instead of making a low-rent porn video, Ice makes Cool As Ice, a film so bad it almost makes you wish he'd stuck to making records.

Get off My ASS!

This is to all those assholes who drive on people's asses. STOP DOING IT! A couple of days ago I had one person ride my ass, pass me by driving over the double yellow lines, stopped briefly to let a car go by and took a left on a red light. When I caught up with him he took a right and disappeared. Like really, in that much of a hurry to die?

Then today I was driving, and this Asian lady rode on my ass in her Honda minivan, swerving a few times to avoid hitting me. Don't drive so fucking fast.

On my way home from Walmart, I'm on a swerving downhill road and again someone was riding my ass. It was some stupid teenager. Like I will make you pay for my car damage and all my debt I have incurred because I won't be able to work because of your stupid ass. Let me slam the brakes and then hit me see what happens. I will make you work for the rest of your fucking life and beyond, like you're kids will be paying off your debt, not even joking.

WORD OF THE WISE, SLOW DOWN AND GET OFF MY ASS!

PS. As of earlier today(4/15/08), again I almost got rear ended! I was pulling into the other lane, there was plenty of space between me and the other car and I had my blinker on for quite a while. I pulled in and like a few seconds later this woman was on my ass and came to a dead stop. Then she pulled out to the other lane, yelled "That was almost your rear end lady!" sped off in the other lane, not even moving back. My friends laughed, and I'm like you stupid bitch you're the one who sped up and you saw my lights to move over, so why don't you get some glasses. I didn't yell but I was half tempted to. Hit my car, see what happens.

Oh No She Didn't!

I don't know much about this chick, I'm not going to lie, but what I heard last night is absurd.

The "Queen of Mean" (Title fits appropriately) was on last night on Jay Leno. I did not appreciate at all what she said. Lisa Lampanelli said some not so nice things to Kevin last night, saying both racist and Anti-Semitic (Jewish) jokes last night. While some were funny and okay, the rest were definitely out of line.

The fact that she is constantly on the Howard Stern show makes me less appreciative of her. While it's great that she made herself to be one of the few white people on BET and all that other jazz, anyone who sides with Howard Stern is a disgrace. Howard Stern is a disgusting pig who needs to die and burn in hell. He is derogative towards women, and God only knows what other grotesque things that man has said towards different types of people over the years. I am so glad he got off the public air, as he was just way over the top disgusting. I'm glad Lisa stuck herself at his level; congratulations want a biscuit bitch? Oh wait, you would like that too much...haha.

To top it off, I watched Conan O'Brien (why I don't know I hate the man's guts, he is a red head idiot on TV; I find Jay Leno more impressive and professional. If I wanted to watch a moron on tv all I have to do is go to You Tube.) and I normally like Tracey Morgan, but when he made a comment about Hillary Clinton, that was it. The comment he made was that if she had her period she would go beserk and hit the red button and destroy the country. That's not funny.

Between racist, anti-Semitic and sexist jokes, I shut the TV off before I threw something at it. It is not necessary. Poke fun at certain people, not a certain population of people. Racism and sexism won't go away if people think it's okay to joke about this stuff. It's like saying "I'm not racist, but let me tell you about this funny black joke." It's not funny. It needs to stop.

Oh and by the way Lisa, that is a terrible dress. For someone who is a plus sized celebrity I think you can afford better clothes. The clothes that you wore on your 5 second clip on your latest movie looked better on you. You make Rosie O'Donnell look good. Nice way to contribute to society; make plus sized people more of a joke then they already are. Bitch.

V to the Tenth: Vagina Monologues

This year marks the 10 year anniversary for "The Vagina Monologues". For those of you who don't know what the Vagina Monologues are, its a bunch of monologues, some funny, some on the more serious side, that talk about, well, women's vagina's. It's about women, about violence against women, about loving the womens body, it's about the body of a woman. It's to raise awareness for women who are raped, battered, sex slaved and tortured, whether in the US, or in other countries. For every school or organization that puts on the plays, they raise money to a charity of their choice, and 10% goes to The Vagina Monologue organization. This year, Springfield College finally got the monologues back. And yes, I mean, we got them back

Why? You may ask. Where did they go in the first place?

Springfield College had a problem with the word "Vagina".

Supposedly (and I put this lightly as our school's ultra-conservatism comes in play...again) that the students were confused about the monologues, and after the people who run this program had to write a 25 page documentary (and that I am not kidding about), and many week long meetings with the deans, we got the monologues back. Except, we are, of course, under deep scrutiny. We also have to watch how we advertise. It showed in the school newspaper a couple weeks ago, when it just advertised it as "The Monologues" instead of "The Vagina Monologues".

I talked to a freshman who said when she went to visit schools, and one of the schools she visited they had a real live "vagina" walking around advertising for the Vagina Monologues. We both knew, however, that it will never happen here (God fucking forbid) because it just won't fly.

(" 'Cause we care more about the fucking grass getting greener and the President tucking the money away to live in another house, when he had a house built near the campus to be "supposedly closer to the students" which is a load of bullshit, because for anyone that goes to this school, he meets with select few students throughout the year, and the only time I see the bastard is at graduation and "big" events.")

So, we have the monologues, but we have to watch our backs. How nice. I guess also the deans thought our organization didn't go to a good cause (supposedly we represented it wrong). Well, how the fuck do you want us to represent battered woman? You want us to act in the acts themselves with all the gruesome details? Or do you want some fluffy sugar coated bullshit on stage? I mean really.....

Anyways, my monologue is actually kind of gruesome. I will share with you my monologue:

NOT-SO-HAPPY-FACT "This is a not-so-happy fact found in UNICEF's 2005 Report, "Female Genital Mutilation and Cutting. A Statistical Exploration." "Female genital mutilation has been inflicted on approximately 130 million girls and young women. In the 28 countries where it is practiced, mostly in Africa, about three million young girls a year can expect the knife-or the razor or a glass shard-to cut their clitoris or remove it altogether. In a man it would range from amputation of most of the penis, to removal of all the penis. Short-term results include: tetanus, hemorrhages, cuts in the urethra, bladder and vaginal walls. Long term: chronic uterine infection, increased agony and danger during child births, and early deaths."



Isn't that lovely? I rather have the Angry Vagina or the Cunt monologue, but oh well, maybe next year.

If you would like to support the Vagina Monologues and go to Springfield College, the dates are March 28th and 29th @7pm. It's $5 to attend. 90% proceeds go to YWCA. If you do not go to SC, check out www.Vday.com or www.Vday.org and check out your local monologues or donate to such a great cause. Happy 10th! Go Vaginas!

Vagina Vday