Friday Night Miscellany

A shortened version. "The Fire" is singing it's siren song from downstairs, before the fireplace, as is a new jug of wine... I've now lost over 8 pounds on my "new and improved regimen" began nearly five weeks ago - coinciding with the start of "The Biggest Loser" on TV. LOL! The goal was to lose 10 pounds in 5 weeks. My five weeks expires officially on Monday October 20, but with 2 pounds to go I don't think I'll make it, although I may make it to 9 pounds lost. I will be starting a second cycle on October 20 with a goal of losing another 10 pounds. We'll see how close I come. As the weather gets colder it gets harder to get motivated to get out and walk my butt off (literally). For the Friday Night Miscellany: JOE THE PLUMBER I have to say that I was shocked - really! - when it was reported the day after the last debate between Obama and McCain that "Joe the Plumber" was a liar and a tax cheat. Now you know, darlings, it's probably splitting hairs that he isn't a "licensed" plumber in a state that doesn't require it, although certain municipalities within his home state do require licensing. Joe happens to work in a city where a license to be a plumber is required, therefore he is working as a plumber illegal. Just what part of illegal do the Republican hordes now idolizing Joe as a symbol of the suffering middle class abused by a liberal media not understand? And it's probably splitting hairs that Joe didn't know enough about accounting practices in running a business to realize that he, personally, would have to NET $250,000 income from his business a year to experience a tax increase under Obama's proposed tax plan. This has nothing to do with net taxable business income. I'm ignoring that Joe doesn't have the funds to buy a shoe-shine business, let alone a plumbing business that would NET him wages of $250,000 a year! It is not splitting hairs that Joe lied about being a member of the local plumbers union on his personal web space. Tsk, tsk. It is also not splitting hairs that Joe is delinquent on personal property taxes. Yeah, it can happen to anybody I suppose, but if you put yourself out there in a confrontational mode with a candidate for President of the United States, and Joe readily admits that is what he did, trying to get a "gotcha moment", then you'd best be prepared for media scrutiny. And this is a fella now being held up by John McCain and Sarah Palin as an "average" American being made a political scapegoat by the evil Democrats. If Joe the Plumber is an average American, Goddess Help Us! WHAT IS MIDDLE CLASS Since when is making $250,000 a year "middle class?" I don't have the exact figure but I know the current mean wages in the US is about $45,000 a year! That's GROSS wages, folks, not what you're left with after state and federal taxes, Medicare and Social Security deductions. And - get this - people earning $45,000 a year actually pay a higher percentage overall of their total income in such taxes and deductions than someone earning $250,000 a year, because Social Security taxes stop at $110,000. Earn more than $110,000 a year in wages and you don't pay a DIME extra in Social Security taxes. So please, John McCain, don't tell me that a "family" - in Federal speak that means a husband and wife - earning $250,000 a year GROSS are "middle class." The middle is $45,000. 345,000 YEAR OLD HUMAN FOOTPRINTS I find it fascinating that on the one hand, homo heidelbergensis is called "human" in this article, and on the other hand, Neanderthal man, whom you probably wouldn't notice cleaned up and in a suit, is NOT considered human. Scientists speaketh with forked tongues. LET'S TALK CRAP No - not about Wall Street or the Bush Administration. A book about how we "do our business", how we clean up (or not) after we "do our business," and why it's a matter of life and death. From Salon (site pass - click on Enter Salon in upper right to enter to story if the link doesn't work). WITCHCRAFT, OH, IT'S WITCHCRAFT... Really! Some evidence of practice at recently as the 1950's has cropped up in the yard of an old homestead in England. Eek! WATER WITCHING A/K/A DOWSING They don't know how it works, they just know it does more often than not...