I like Twitter

...but getting this message sucks. 



What's my twitter name?
  @JohnAbuzz
 of course!








In all fairness, it doesn't happen too often.

Who painted the moon black?

It was too cloudy here to view the lunar eclipse.  Were you able to see it?  



Happy Solstice!

They just wanted to show their national pride

I saw this on CNN's Fareed Zakaria GPS this morning and couldn't resist sharing.  The 2010 Asian Games have recently ended, and so have the patriotic swimsuits of one team.  Singapore's information ministry rebukes the water polo team's swimsuits as "inappropriate."  



 Perhaps the Singaporean government has embarrassed the country more than that pair of swimming trunks ever could. 

Illinois to be sixth state to allow civil unions

Illinois Senate approves civil unions; bill headed to governor - Springfield, IL - The State Journal-Register

The bill becomes law on June 1, 2011, even if the Governor does not sign the bill.  Governor Quinn made a campaign promise to sign the bill into law, so I expect he will follow through.  I'm still in shock that this bill passed!  
~ John

Medical Marijuana snuffed out at Illinois Capitol

Medical marijuana bill stalls in Illinois House - Springfield, IL - The State Journal-Register

Had it passed, Illinois would have became the 16th state to legalize medical marijuana, but if fell short by just seven votes.

Our very own local State Representative in the 97th district, Jim Watson was one of legislators who voted "no." Thanks Jim for giving us another reason not to re-elect you, when the time comes.

Even though the Illinois senate passed the bill last year, the Illinois house voted it down today. It needed sixty votes to pass an only got fifty three. Click the link above for full story and how local legislators voted.

Supporters of the failed bill even brought in former talk show host Montel Williams to lobby for legalizing medical marijuana. Williams says he uses medical marijuana to help ease the pain caused by multiple sclerosis. Montel left Springfield and headed to New York a little disappointed. (source).

Here is one of State Rep. Lou Lang's passionate pleas on the house floor for medical marijuana in Illinois. The awesome speech is under four minutes and worth watching. Educate yourselves!

TSA Humor

Funny Skit, but sad that American travel really has come down to this.

Jacksonville City Council member hoping for civil unions in Illinois

Jacksonville's gay alderman is cautiously optimistic about the possibility of civil unions in Illinois by year’s end... (click the shared link for full story).

Jacksonville City Council member hoping for civil unions in Illinois | The New WLDS.com and WEAI.com

This is a local news story, but of interest to many Illinois citizens. Will candidate Quinn say anything to get elected? It wouldn't be the first time that we have been deceived by a candidate for high office.

For example, Obama swore an oath before God that he would DEFEND the Constitution. He has called DADT unconstitutional, yet he defends it. That's just one example (don't even get me started).

~ John

Update on John abuzz blog domain

I just wanted to let everyone know that I still have not had a chance to switch over to my new domain name. I had planned to do it over the long Columbus Day weekend, but too many things came up. At this point I am still planning to make the switch (which involves a lot more than simply forwarding to the new domain name). It will occur sometime soon and probably over a weekend. If you try to access the blog and get a DNS error, then you will know the conversion is in process. Thank you for your patience!

~ John

John abuzz blog may be down a few days

...as I attempt to switch to a new domain name (minus the blogspot). During the switchover, if you try to access this blog, it may result in a DNS error message.

The process can take up to four days (wish me luck). I had a local "so-called" self-employed computer tech tell me it could not be done, but I think I have learned how to do it on my own. We shall see. After the switch over, I will ask you to start using the new domain name.

Hopefully I will do this in the next day or two. If it works, I will SURELY make more blog posts! Please forgive me for not being as engaged in blogging lately.

I would love to hear what you like about the blog and what you don't, and any suggestions you may have. One thing I already know, is that I will leave all politics off this blog in the future and devote another blog just to that topic.

Thank you to my readers...all twelve of you (just kidding!--I hope)!

Two new comedy shows worth checking out

"Ma's Roadhouse" is one of my favorite new shows! It comes on the tru channel (formerly CourtTV) on Wednesday nights. Here's a trailer to wet your appetite, but if you don't get that channel someone has posted the show on YouTube! Let me know what you think!

"Raising Hope"debuted last week on FOX, and I found it hilarious! It has a great cast, including Cloris Leachman. Check it out on Tuesday nights.

9/11 Tribute

Never forget.

Time is running out to get your Chocolate covered Bacon

Would you try this "food?"

If you are pregnant and the photo or thought of this food make you sick, I'm sorry! Where can you get such a delicacy? You can find it and other odd foods at the Illinois State Fair, of course! You better hurry though, because the fair ends Sunday! (State Journal-Register)

It's Caturday!

Thinking of "TheMom" with fond memories.

These and other funny cat photos, videos, and so much more can be found at ICanHasCheezBurger.com

Joe the Plumber making the rounds in Illinois

He is Joe the Plumber and was actually in my little town tonight. We don't see a whole lot of celebrities in these parts. If you're lucky, Joe will be in your town next! According to various sources, "Joe will have drink and hors devours - everyone will get a chance to speak personally with Joe and learn about his life since meeting President Barack Obama."

For only $50 you too could have been at his little shindig! Joe was at nearby Pittfield last night, and will be in Springfield tomorrow night speaking at Take Back Illinois 912 meetings. After that, I don't know where he will be (and I don't care).

According to their official website for Take Back Illinois 912, it is "an organization for conservative minded individuals that are worried about the direction and..." (blahblahblah). That quote came from a badge on their site that you can get and put on your site and it really does end with the dot dot dot. I have no idea what really goes after the dot dot dot.

It is such a comprehensive website with a very long and rather confusing mission statement and "The Plan," by Glenn Beck. I suppose it gives the conservatives around here something to do. I hope they keep Mama Grizzly Palin as their most polarizing candidate in the next presidential election!

I saw no newspaper advertisement, but this flyer was circulated all over town--too funny! It doesn't say the cost for this once in a lifetime event, but the local website, shows the cost for the event at $50.00 per person. That site has been updated already and shows that ten people attended! WooHoo!

And Joe, wasn't your fifteen minutes of fame over in 2008?

(Click Image to Enlarge)

Sarah Palin rolls her eyes at a teacher

I don't know about you, but I think teachers deserve a lot more respect than this.

I saw this on the early morning news and would like to share it with those of you that missed it. I'm sure it is VIRAL on the Internet by now though! Watch daughter Bristol, thirty seconds in to it put her two cents worth in and say "she represents the United States!" Uhm...no you don't! There is a hilarious version of this video on YouTube, but embedding is disabled on it. If you have time search for the other one, as it has captions and shows her rolling her eyes and head a lot and shows her asking over and over "What do you do?" And the lady tells her, "I'm a teacher." And it all happened during the filming of Palin's reality show! I'm sure it won't be on that though. Pathetic!

With Time, One Learns

With Time, One Learns...

After some time, one learns the subtle difference between holding hands and enter-twining souls,
And one learns that love doesn't mean laying together,
And that company doesn't mean safety,

And one begins to learn...
That kisses are not contracts and gifts are not promises,
And one begins to accept his failures with head held high,
And with open eyes, one learns to lay out his paths today,
Because the terrain of tomorrow is too unsure for plans...
And the future has a way of falling apart.
And after some time, one learns that if it is too much, even the heat of the sun will burn.
So one plants his own garden and adorns his own soul, instead of waiting for someone to bring him flowers.
And one learns that he really can endure, that he really is strong, that he really is worth something,

And one learns and learns... and with each day, brings more lessons.
With time, you learn that being with someone because they offer you a good future means that sooner or later, you will long to return to your past.
With time, you understand that, only a person who is capable of loving you with all your defects, without trying to change you, loves you un-conditionally.
With time, you realize that if you are at the side of that person just to accompany your loneliness, you will inevitably end up alone.
With time, you understand that true friends are numbered, and that he who does not fight for them sooner or later will see himself surrounded only by false friendships.
With time, you learn that words said in a moment of rage can continue to hurt the one you wounded, for an entire lifetime.
With time, you learn that anyone can apologize, but only those with great souls are able to forgive.
With time, you learn that if you have hurt a friend badly, the friendship will likely never be the same again.
With time, you realize that although you are happy with your friends, some day you will cry for those that you let go.

With time, you realize that every experience with every person is unrepeatable.
With time, you realize that he who humiliates or degrades a human being sooner or later will suffer the same humiliation or degradation four-fold.
With time, you understand that hurrying things or forcing them to happen will result in them not turning out how you hoped.
With time, you realize that in reality, the best thing was not the future, but the moment you were living right at that instant.
With time, you will see that although you are happy with those by your side, you will grieve for those who were with you yesterday but have now left.
With time, you will learn that trying to forgive someone or ask forgiveness from someone, saying you love someone, saying you miss someone, saying you need someone, saying you want someone standing before their grave, is too late and no longer makes sense.

But unfortunately, only with time... One Learns.


--author unknown

The Future of Proposition 8

AssociatedPress | August 05, 2010

The judge's ruling on California's gay marriage ban was harsh yet carefully worded. One some say would be tough to overturn as the landmark legal debate goes to the appeals court and possibly to the U.S. Supreme Court. (Aug. 5)

I figured the blogs and news would be burning up with this story in the past few days, so I thought I would wait and let it sink in. Or maybe I had to wait and pinch myself to see if it were actually true (maybe I was dreaming). No, it really is true! Needless to say, I am personally very happy about a federal judge's decision to overturn Prop 8.

It will be interesting to hear what President Obama has to say. Recently he has said things like we can't have fifty different states with fifty different illegal immigration laws. (I'm not quoting him, but you know it's out there). So why is it alright then to have fifty different states with fifty different laws regarding same sex marriage? It must be that ridiculous law known as the Defense of Marriage Act, which by the way...

According to Wikipedia, President Barack Obama's political platform included full repeal of DOMA.^[16][17] On June 12, 2009, the Department of Justice issued a brief defending the constitutionality of DOMA in the case of Smelt v. United States of America in line with its constitutional duty to enforce and defend federal laws.^[18] This action drew scorn from some organizations in favor of same-sex marriage, such as the Human Rights Campaign and the Empowering Spirits Foundation, with a heavy focus on the brief's specific arguments.^[19][20] On June 15, 2009, Human Rights Campaign President Joe Solmonese sent a four page letter to President Barack Obama in response to the Department of Justice brief, in which he laid out the case of LGBT people as equal human beings and urged, "We call on you to put your principles into action and send legislation repealing DOMA to Congress. (Wikipedia)

Well, whatdaya know, I didn't have to search very hard to find out what the President has to say about this issue. But who knows what he will say today, tomorrow, and in the future. Please don't flame me, because what I found is from Fox News, (it really is a great article), but I found it interesting and wanted to share (be sure to read the comments:

In His Own Words: President Obama's Nuanced View on Gay Marriage

Shameful Thieves of the Day

...Alleged, of course! Things that come to mind... hmmmm: Desperate, thieves, pathetic, thieves, steals, thief, theft, larceny, shoplifters, thieves, pilferer, disgusting, shameless thieves!

btw...I can't stand a thief!

Death of a Great Blogger

This is the saddest and most difficult blog post that I have ever written. My friend and fellow blogger, Marie Jackson-Bonenberger, age 58, also known as "TheMom" of Attentive Aphorist passed away this past Saturday night. Marie and I were Facebook friends as well as blogger buddies and her daughter posted the sad news Sunday on Facebook. I have already commented my sympathy on Facebook, but again, my deepest sympathy goes out to her family.

Marie's blog was one of the first to appear on my blogroll and was one of my favorites. I liked her outspoken, tell it like it is rants! I also loved how she mixed it up and would update her blog, sometimes several times a day and just let us know what she was up to, and it was never boring. "TheMom" had many interesting things to say about "TheDaughter," "TheGrandson," and "TheSon," who were all regular features on her blog, and of course her neighbors! Many times, before her "TheMom" signature, she would say, "I shall return!" She especially loved using those exclamation marks too! I think it was one way of expressing her happiness with life.

Marie was a loyal follower of my blog and passed on several MeMe awards to me and of course left probably more comments than anyone. I was also surprised at nearly every holiday to receive an e-card from her. She also sent me e-cards "just because" with no special occasions. That little gesture meant a lot to me. I think we had a special connection, because we had so many things in common.

If you read her blog often then you really got to know her, as she was practically famous for her many MeMe's--especially her "Sunday Stealings," which I don't know why, but she sometimes apologized for having so many MeMe's. Each time she did that I would leave a comment telling her not to apologize, and that reading them let us get to know her even more intimately.

Last summer she had wrote about "TheGrandson" and his Mickey Mouse watch and I commented that I loved it and had one too that I bought from Nickelodeon, but it didn't work any more. It just needed a new battery, but no store would install one. The stores made excuses that they might damage the watch in the process of removing the back.

That same day I got an email from her telling me that she had worked many years in jewelry and she would be happy to get my watch working again! She had all the necessary tools to remove the back, install a battery and make sure it worked properly! I was so excited and asked her if she would also do the same with an expensive watch I had bought many years ago from the now closed Sharper Image. She said sure, she would be happy to get any of my watches working again, gave me her mailing address and said to send them and we'd work out the details later. She had big plans coming up, so I put it off.

She had been so excited to take "TheDaughter" and "TheGrandson" to Virginia Beach for vacation, so I waited before I mailed the watches. Then I waited a little longer to give her some time to rest up after vacation. It wasn't long after that and she was first hospitalized with heart problems. I didn't want to burden her after that, as I knew she needed rest and less or no stress. I say "no stress," because she had mentioned in December that she was going to refrain from some of her blogging rants about certain Republicans and a certain Faux News Channel. She could get herself really worked up just thinking about those things!

I don't know if her blog will remain up, but I hope so. It will remain on my blogroll though. There are so many archives and I have not read all of her posts yet. I didn't always leave a comment, because I would read blogs so late at night that if I left a comment then with the time stamp people would wonder if I ever slept! Of course, she said not to worry about that! She didn't worry about petty things like that and if somebody didn't like what she did, said or thought, then too bad! With Marie, what you see IS what you get, and she lived life to the fullest with very few regrets. She was not afraid to let her opinion be known and I loved that about her. She was a very strong willed woman that I admired greatly. I always hoped to meet her in person, but I am thankful for the interaction I had with her online.

As a tribute to her, I am going to carry on her tradition of her Saturday "Caturday" posts. Mine won't be as good, I already know that! Marie had to spend a lot of time looking for those funny postings for us cat lovers. I am planning to have something though to do with cats every Saturday, if possible. This will help me to keep her memory alive. Rest in Peace, Marie.

"TheMom" is gone, but won't be forgotten.

Rep. Aaron Schock isn't gay...not that there's anything wrong with it

via

I Should Be Laughing

I saw this picture on a several blogs today and since the congressman is from my district, I thought it should also be here (after all he said himself that the photo has gone viral).

Please, please, please click the link above the photo for a well written blog post at I Should Be Laughing (one of my favorite blogs). And leave a comment there letting Bob know that John abuzz sent you!

It's a MUST READ!

Question of the day: WHO ARE YOU?

Congressman Bob Etheridge Assaults Student Journalist

Who are you?!

(LOL--so paranoid)!

In all fairness...

NC congressman apologizes for behavior on video

By MARTHA WAGGO

NER, Associated Press Writer – Mon Jun 14, 7:05 pm ET

RALEIGH, N.C. – A Democratic congressman apologized Monday after video posted online showed him swatting at a video camera and demanding that two men taping him identify themselves. (AP) -please click for the full story.

It's Flag Day in the U.S.A.

In the United States, Flag Day is celebrated on June 14. It commemorates the adoption of the flag of the United States, which happened that day by resolution of the Second Continental Congress in 1777.(Wikipedia)

With all that's happening in the news--oil disaster in the gulf, World Cup, self admitted murderer Joran Vandersloot, Gary Coleman's death, ipad security breach, Tony awards, and so much more, there hasn't been much, if any coverage of Flag Day. It's not an official federal holiday, but parades and other commemorative events are held each year on this day in cities and towns all across the United States.

The towns in my area go all out and have the U.S.A. flag everywhere you look, even on light posts. And I know there are so many better photos of the flag than mine above, but I wanted to post a photo that I had taken. It was actually taken from quite a distance (my neighbor's across the highway) using 4x optical zoom. My neighbor goes all out with the flag protocol. His flag is huge and lit up at night.

I usually have one in my front lawn, but it was tattered and Flag etiquette and standards of respect state that if it is so worn then it is not fit to serve as a symbol of our country. It will be taken to a place such as the local American Legion Hall, where they will destroy the flag by burning in a dignified manner.

If you are not familiar with Flag Rules and Regulations, you might find this website interesting. It shows many flag code violations that made the news, including my favorite--a photo from September 11, 2006, President Bush and the first lady stand on a carpet of the American flag at Ground Zero in Manhattan. Section 8b of the Flag Code reads, "The flag should never touch anything beneath it, such as the ground..."(source) You would think an American President would know these things.

Another interesting site is called the American Flag Wall of Shame, which shows lots of "no-no's."

And if you think I am too late in posting about Flag Day...WRONG! The entire week of June 14 is designated as "National Flag Week." During National Flag Week, the president will issue a proclamation urging U.S. citizens to fly the American flag for the duration of that week.(Wikipedia)

I think most of us that fly the flag will continue to fly it long after the week is over!

As Mark Twain once said...

"The reports of my death

have been greatly exaggerated."

I just love Mark Twain, so I couldn't resist using that famous quote! I bet you didn't know Mark Twain's hometown of Hannibal, Missouri is only a couple of hours from here, did you? I have been there many times and absolutely love it there. If you ever get a chance, then go visit that charming little river town. There is so much to see and do there.

No, my blog isn't dead yet either! Life has been a little hectic and thrown me off schedule. I apologize to the few of you that may actually read this blog from time to time! I never intended to let it go for so long, so I am sorry. Wow, time sure does fly. Now it is going to be a REAL challenge to get back to posting on the blog. I hope I won't let you down.

~ John

Daniel got an ipad

I love Tosh.0 on Comedy Central! I meant to post this before the ipad came out! Did any of you readers get an ipad???????? I want one! (I want a lot of things though and just leave it at that--want, not need and not going in to debt for one)! Maybe one of these days, when I'm debt free and the price goes down and there is free wi-fi everywhere!

~ John

Obama's Stimulus Package

Get your mind out of the gutter!

Ricky Martin is gay? Who knew?!

Ricky Martin: I am a homosexual man -

Miami-Dade Breaking News

- MiamiHerald.com

So Ricky Martin is GAY? Really? You're kidding right? Oh yeah, and the sky is blue. Seriously, YAY for Ricky for FINALLY coming out! Now I might (I said MIGHT) just buy your music! And Ricky, I hope you can REALLY live "La Vida Loca" now!

~ John

You know, no straight man dances like Ricky! DUH! Looking GOOD Ricky!

It's Over!

Finally, I got my income taxes done! I told myself that I would not be blogging until I got that done. If you know me, then you know I am a procrastinator! I do my own taxes, and this year was a real bear. Ugh, I don't even want to go in to the details, but it was a stressful little mini-nightmare LOL! I am so used to not blogging now that I probably won't be blogging as much now! I will do what I can, but I must admit I spend a lot of time on Facebook and I share news links there, much like I have done here on the blog. I don't want to have a lot of duplicate content, you know?

So many things are THE SAME too year to year. For example, last year I did some blog posts for St. Patrick's Day, Earth Day, etc. It's the same ole, same ole, and that makes it hard to come up with something new and interesting. And my life is pretty much the same too--boring! Yes, it's Spring and there will be so much beauty on the farm in the next few months. But most of it will be the same as last year! I am running out of original content! I guess I am also getting a little burnt out and need a little break every now and then.

And I am not a writer. Every time I do write some original content, it seems like I get very few comments or argumentative comments. I welcome all comments though and won't censor too many of them (unless they are purposely insulting to me or somebody I care about--and that includes other bloggers).

There are a few interesting things coming up and a few things different on the farm this year. I may or may not share them on the blog--it just depends. It's like my shared news and current events. If it is timely and I can get it published quickly, then I will share it on my blog. I don't want to say I won't be blogging as much as I used to, because you never know.

Kirstie Alley's new show

It better be good. It must be good, because she has sure been very busy promoting "Kirstie Alley's Big Ass Life," which premieres on A&E this Sunday night. For the record, I LOVE Kirstie and am looking forward to watching her show! I know it won't be as funny as her 2005 Showtime series (now available on dvd) "Fat Actress," but I think it will still be very entertaining!

A&E presents KIRSTIE ALLEYS BIG LIFE, a new real-life series that will chronicle the extraordinary life of Golden Globe and two-time Emmy winner Kirstie Alley from her journey with her weight loss program to her life as a single mother trying to raise two normal teenagers in the Hollywood spotlight. The series premieres Sunday, March 21 at 10PM ET/PT with back-to-back episodes. Time to set your dvr, tivo, vcr, or just plan to watch and enjoy!

You can't make this stuff up

So here's the deally...

Allegedly, the naked Congressman Eric Massa got poked by naked as a jaybird, Rahm Emanuel (White House Chief of Staff) in the House of Representatives gym shower. And allegedly, the congressman did not like it.

Rep. Eric Massa (D-NY) will resign Monday at 5 pm amid allegations that that he sexually harassed a male staffer. Massa denied the allegation.

Also, last night on Larry King Live, Larry asked him if he was gay, since Massa apparently groped a couple of guys. Massa never really answered and beat around the bush (no pun intended).

Here is audio of Democrat Rep. Eric Massa saying Obama's Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel is the "Son of the Devil's Spawn." He also described an encounter he had with Emanuel in the House Gym's shower, where he said Emanuel approached him while he (Massa) was "naked as a jaybird" and started yelling at him:

"I am showering, naked as a jaybird, and here comes Rahm Emanuel, not even with a towel wrapped around his tush, poking his finger in my chest, yelling at me."

"He is an individual who would sell his mother to get a vote. He would strap his children to the front end of a steam locomotive."

Corey Haim, 80’s Teen Heartthrob Dead in Suspected Drug Overdose

RIP Corey Haim, 80’s Teen Heartthrob in Suspected Drug Overdose | Newsolio

Looks like another actor has died of a drug overdose. 38 year-old Corey Haim was best known for his career as a teenheartthrob actor in the 1980’s. Corey Haim starred in various films includingLucas, Murphy’s Romance, The Lost Boys, License to Drive and Dream a Little Dream.(Newsolio)

Clips from April 2006:

As much as I like Sharon Osbourne...

I will NOT be watching Celebrity Apprentice! Two good reasons:

1) our IMPEACHED (and soon to be tried and surely convicted and sent to prison) EX-Governor Rod Blagojevich is on that show. I will not watch anything that has him on it!

2)Donald Trump (gag me)...after he was so mean about Rosie O'Donnell, even called her Fat and sloppy, (back when she was on the view) I will never watch any program that he is involved in!

So my dvr will have the three thumbs down for that show, so that it NEVER tapes as a suggestion!