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The BBC reports that Olive Riley passed away at the age of 108 in New South Wales, Australia. Olive had posted more than 70 entries on her blog (which may not be working at this time) since 2007. On June 18th, he was moved into a nursing home with a bad cough. Regardless, she was still able to post her 73rd and 74th entries before she left this world Saturday, July 12, 2008.

For Olive's last posts, see a temporary blog that was created for Olive by a retired journalist and friend from Sydney: World's Oldest Blogger.

I bring to you today a story that is eight years old and as recent as today’s headlines. 

A foolish tale of mirth and merriment it is indeed--and for those who want a real all-American Fourth of July story, well...this one fits better than a glass slipper on Cinderella’s foot. 

The story, as you might have guessed from the headline, starts with a simple premise and ends by paraphrasing Ronald Reagan’s famous question:

Had we elected Jerry Springer in 2000 instead of George Bush the Younger, would we be better off today than we were eight years ago?

Come along for the ride, Esteemed Reader, and we shall see...

I am going to make the case that Jerry Springer would, in fact, have been the better choice by addressing four areas of Administration policy: foreign relations, legislative management, press relations, and fiscal policy.

In each of these areas I believe I can demonstrate with powerful evidence that a President Springer would have made better choices...and to show you what I mean, let’s begin with foreign relations.

""Rarely is the questioned asked: Is our children learning?" 
--President Bush, Florence, South Carolina, January 11th, 2000 

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The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel has let us know that it is offical:

As of today, Miller Brewing Co. no longer exists — other than in the hearts and minds of those who worked there, and those who drank its beer.

The company once known as Miller Brewing is now MillerCoors LLC, a joint venture of Miller Brewing and Coors Brewing Co. The new company officially begins business today, following Monday’s signing of the closing documents by executives from SABMiller Plc and Molson Coors Brewing Co., corporate parents of Miller Brewing and Coors Brewing.

I'm not sure how the rest of Wisconsin feels, but I was saddened to hear this news. Maybe I am overreacting and need to understand that buyouts and consolidations are a part of the modern global world. Maybe I am naive to think that Miller and Wisconsin are somehow synonymous and, therefore, immune to outside influence--its kind of like the Packers, no?

Check out the new MillerCoors website--if you really want. :(

I love the humor and honesty of this last piece of writing in George Carlin's book "When Will Jesus Bring The Pork Chops?"

All people are afraid.
No one knows what they’re doing.
Everything is getting worse.
Some people deserve to die.
No one is properly dressed.
At least one of your children will disappoint you.
The system is rigged.
Your house will never be completely clean.
All teachers are incompetent.
There are people who really dislike you.
Nothing is as good as it seems.
Things don’t last.
No one is paying attention.
The country is dying.
God doesn’t care.
Shhhh.

Here's a link to one his best interviews loaded with lots of things you may not know ... George was in the Air Force and brilliant at planning his life.

Over  a large part of my life, when I needed a good laugh I could turn to George Carlin. Sometimes I thought he was dead-on in his comedy, sometimes I was completely appalled by his viewpoint. But either way, I could usually count on laughing, even when it was at myself. Sadly, I won't be able to count on this any more, except in my memory.  George Carlin died at the age of 71 of heart failure last night. 

From his earlier work, which was - well, happily goofy (my daughter to this day will occasionally break out into the "you can't eat those damn grits" routine) through his more experimental and political periods, George Carlin always had something to say, and a lot of us listened. So, for a couple of minutes, listen to this: 

Coming on 8/10 to the Lagoon in Minneapolis, Piper's Alley in Chicago, and probably nowhere closer to us any time soon - A new film on the Iraq War and winner of the Special Jury Prize for Documentaries at Sundance Film Festival

No End in Sight

Click on Read More for the trailer

Tuesday, November 14--Seeley, WI
7:00 pm. Sawmill Saloon.
Peace North movie Afghan Stories Good company.  FREE
admission.  Afghan Stories is about this country that has been at
war for 24 years. The West's battle against the Taliban is only the latest of a
series of conflicts the Afghans have suffered. The filmmakers set out to gain an
understanding of how a generation of war has affected the Afghan people. They

Location(s)

UNAFF Film Festival UW LaCrosse. Various films on human rights and other topics. See attached file for the schedule.

Location(s)

Here is a pdf of the LaCrosse film series 11/12 and 11/13.

June Kjome wrote:
Hello friends, this is an annotated schedule of the films being show Nov. 12 and 13 in the auditorium of Main_Hall. They are free and open to the public. These all emphasize human rights and focus on women, war and racism.