Who's better dancer, george W or Pres. Obama?

Here is george, dear god, make him stop dancing with African performers.  And here is Pres Obama on the Ellen show dancing, after he throws a right overhand.

Ok, Obama's got my vote. he sings the blues, "sweet home chicago,"

Romney sings America the Beautiful (all the verses) and Santorum sings.....god only knows...but Obama sings the blues, "Sweet Home Chicago."  and "Let's Stay together" the al Green song.  And, he shoots long jump shots too

this guy is Thomas jefferson, we are in for the 21st century Era of Good Feelings, he will be followed by Madison and Monroe,  the Republicans have nothing on this guy.  

will the real Rick Santorum please stand Up???? Republican culture wars are back!

Ok from the top: rick santorum in high school disguised as "McLovin."  Rick preaching in a turtle neck and sports coat.  Rick in his sweater vest - smoking'    and finally, Rick as a radical hippie college student (not really, the beard and long hair thing was popular with the babes).  so who do we get?  McLovin?  the hip roman catholic priest in a turtle neck?  Mr. Sweater vest, or Mr. frat from Animal House?

One thing Rick has taught Romney and Obama: its not about the economy, nor is it about jobs.  its about culture.  rick has brought back the culture wars of the George W. years.  Remember?  It was all about culture, not about iraq war, wall street, mortgage back securities and housing price inflation, not about the deficit, not even about mis management of Iraq and Afghanistan military action ---- it was about morality, culture.  Bush's cowboy boots, his phoney southern accent, his phoney shallow right wing born again brain injured pseudo faith (his mother DID drop him on his head as a child, true story).

so here we are: Obama isnt a Christian, obama wants amniocentesis funded by health care reform act so more mothers can abort their genetically deformed children (yes, Obama is looking for ways to increase abortions and have the american people pay for it with deficit spending), - all this culture stuff, even the sweater vest is culture statement.  

Leaving for Nicaragua in 4 days

I will be in Nicaragua for about 10 days over spring break, doing health assessment in Managua and some rural areas.  we are mostly undergrads, with myself and another 2nd degree nursing student, and several faculty.  We are staying in a hotel in managua for most of the time.  We get at least part of one day on a beach, so it won't be all work.  I am looking forward to this:  i have never been in a 3rd world country before, and this is something i think i want to do in the future: international nursing.

Here is daniel Ortega, current PM of Nicaragua

He was elected once before, then the US tried to overthrow him by supporting a right wing contra army.  US congress eventually shut off funding they didnt like overthrowing constitutional democracies in latin america, i mean whats the alternative?  Somoza family dictatorship that ran Nicaragua like a plantation system?  Controlled by American fruit companies?  So Reagan decided to fund the Contra's by selling surface to air missiles to Iran during the Iran-Iraq war (we were supporting both sides, selling arms to both sides, fuck em all i guess) and then taking the profits, laundering the money, and sending it to the contras.  Ah, democracy.

So Ortega held another election, lost, became the opposition, and he won election again, as a new, recycled candidate (how American!)  here are some murals, very cool:

I am leaving my two che Guevara t shirts home, i dont want to wear them in Nicaragua, might give wrong idea about Pittsburgh catholic nursing students.  But i am looking forward to this adventure.

I am going to Sams Club today to buy boxes of multi vitamins, and childrens shoes and clothes.  I plan to pack both my suitcases with extra nursing supplies contributed by my fellow nursing students and shoes and clothes.

I keep thinking about Fielding Mellish in the movie Bananas.......might i end up like him?????

Or like this guy?

Sarah Palin: tanned, rested and ready for the GOP Convention

above is sarah palin with her husband's dog sled team.  She is the real deal, I mean, she dog sleds in Alaska.  Hunts Elk, bear.  Ok, she also hunts wolves from a helicopter (I think wolves should be armed if they are going to be hunted from the air, at least make it a sporting event).  here is sarah announcing sports earlier in her career. She is a good shot:

she really does fire automatic weapons, but this is not a real photo.  could be though.  So i have this strange attraction to Sarah Palin.  Maybe it lies deep in my childhood, some traumatic event, who knows.  But the latest news is that she thinks the GOP convention maybe brokered: that means, no one will have a majority of delegates, so there will be more than one vote.  Kinda like the GOP convention of 1860, where Lincoln eventually won after his supporters "sold" cabinet positions for votes.  Anyway, she doesnt rule out a future run for office.  Does this mean she is throwing in her hat for President at a brokered convention?  Could she be the next GOP president to deal with a "team of rivals" like Lincoln had to deal with?  Hey, we all know how that turned out: "Other than that, Mrs. Lincoln, how was the play?"  Ok, sick joke.

So what is this about?  I know:  LOW RATINGS for ROGER AILES cable news shows!  Yes, sarah is a paid media celebrity, and the more controversy she can generate the more people watch FOX news.  This is the ultimate is bullshit journalism (which is all we have lately) - not only do the networks MANUFACTURE news, but they hire politicians as reporters-celebrities, and then instruct them how to make news to increase ratings, sell more advertising, make more money.

So what is politics in the USA today?  A way of making lots of money.  Its not unlike third world nations that have no real economy other than foreign investment and foreign aid and UN relief money:  you run for office, get elected, and divide up the loot.  I mean Richard cheney did that as VP- he was our first contractor who was in the Executive Branch.  You can make alot of money when you control the contracts.  Did cheney get paid by contractors while VP?  Kinda.  he had blind investments that benefited from his policies.  But he obviously made money after his stint as Sec of Defense - hes making lot of money now too.  I listened to a patients heart with a pump valve like cheney's - thump whooosh, thump whooosh.......the guy literally has a strange heartbeat, of course, we knew that about cheney even before his operation.

Ok, Sarah, make your money.  You can spend it all in the next life, right?

latest news: Romney DIDNT win Maine, Ron Paul won

Now we know that Romney didnt win Iowa, Santorum did (he surged from behind). Believe it or not, breaking news is that Romney now didnt win Maine, Ron Paul did!  Unbelievable.  We dont know who wins these damn dumb primaries until weeks later.  Dont you love voting in a democracy?  Trouble is, we dont know how to count votes.  Maybe Castro should send some Cuban electoral watchers here to make sure our elections are fair, and the votes are counted properly!   (Castro volunteered to send observers to Florida in 2000 to help oversee the vote recount, to make sure it was fair - funny!)  

this is BS - the purple states are Obama states

this horse race crap has got to end.  Dan rather was on the news, yes he is still out there, and was covering the republican primaries like horse races.  most have no delegates at stake so they are beauty contests and meaningless in terms of nominating convention.  Dan is known for his horse race analogies for presidential elections:  once he used a metaphor about a hot texas night in a parking lot.....i cant remember, it was way over the top.  I mean, we need excitement here, people.  So the above map shows a dead heat!  a neck and neck horse race to the finish line! give  me a break.  Obama will get re elected unless......he is found in bed with a dead girl or a live boy.    those purple states are obama states.  the republicans are doing everything they can to self destruct.  Santorum is the next Reagan;  we thought George W was the next Reagan.  the republicans are looking for their next Reagan, fact is, Reagan is dead, he had one crappy term, his second term was scandelous.  remember the savings and loan fiasco?  George HW Bush bailed us out of that.  then we put up with George W and the housing inflation loosey goosey wall street bundling of mortgage backed securities (junk bonds in disguise, they were sold with insurance policies!!!).  I think we are entering a period of the Era of Good Feeling II:  like the one after Jefferson.  We'll get madison, monroe, and then....John Quincy?  well at least madison and monroe.  thats 16 years after Obama's second term.  maybe there is hope after all.  So contribute money to Santorum ( he is surging!) or to Gingrich, pour gas on the fire.

US Marines recruiting video - funny but very effective ! do you like pistachios?

US Marines recruiting video, not used.  With some editing i think it would be very effective.  very funny but it gets creepy with the jessica lynch stuff.  but i can see lots of guys wanting to serve with Jupiter Jones. he cool.

i think the actor is Ricky Lomax, who supposedly is a real US marine veteran.  He is member of screen actors guild, listed as a veteran.  he is very convincing.   

Memphis Tenn, 2nd dangerous, 12 th most miserable city in the US

Way to go School of urban Affairs, univ of Memphis !!!
2nd most dangerous city
12 the most miserable city.