Murphies

Tuesday, February 24, 2009

President Obama just said

that every 30 seconds, someone files for bankruptcy due to health care costs. That's 120 per hour, 2880 per day, and 1,051,000 per year.

According to this article, there were 1,060,000 bankruptcies (due to ANY cause) in 2008. So all but 9,000 bankruptcies in 2008 were due to health care costs? Something doesn't add up.

Maybe he took it from the studies that count all dependents as separate filers, so that instead of ~1 million bankruptcies per year, there's ~2 million. 'Cause you gotta count all the kids as separate filers. But either way, there's some number confusion going on.

"Every X seconds, someone X" statistics really get under my skin.

He also just bemoaned the fact that half of US students who enter college don't graduate, and suggested that we need to increase that percentage. I agree. But he wants to keep them in college. I think they shouldn't be going there in the first place, and as a country we're becoming obsessed with the idea that every 18 year old needs to spend 4 years in college.

Friday, February 20, 2009

Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Here, kitty, kitty, kitty!

Meow.

Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Muslim Honor Killing in Buffalo

http://canadafreepress.com/index.php/article/8463

"Muzzammil “Mo” HASSAN, the founder and chief executive officer of Bridges TV, a Buffalo, NY based Islamic television Network he helped pioneer in 2004 amid hopes that it would help portray Muslims in a more positive light, reportedly admitted to police that he beheaded his wife at the television station yesterday afternoon."

So does anybody now see Muslims "in a more positive light?"

Friday, February 13, 2009

Grandpa Frey's family

Top row: Dick Frey, Teresa Frey, Rosanne Frey Clancy, Grandpa Frey
Middle row: Mary Frey Krebs, my Grandpa Frey, my Grandma Frey, Jim Frey
Bottom row: Kay Frey Canty, Tom Frey, Gerry Frey Recktenwald

Gerry, the youngest, was 14 years older than I am and looks maybe 7 or 8 in this picture, so I am guessing it was taken sometime in the late 1940s. It is spooky to me how much my Uncle Dick looks like my cousin Stevie (his son -- you would not be able to tell them apart at that age) and can you see your Uncle Ned in my Uncle Jim? And, for that matter, maybe a little bit of Luke in Uncle Jim, around the eyes?

I miss my Grandma.

Thursday, February 12, 2009

Geert Wilders Banned From UK

Well, if you haven't heard about this one, be prepared for a shock:

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/politics/article5712737.ece

That article was from earlier this morning, and since then Wilders first had his ticket canceled by the airline British Midlands before he was able to somehow board a different plane to London:

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/article2231290.ece

Now I certainly don't agree with Wilders that the Koran should be banned, but the fact that the Netherlands is planning to try him for "hate speech" and then the UK is not going to allow him entry into their country is an absolute disgrace. This, from the nation that use to sing these lyrics...

Thee haughty tyrants ne'er shall tame:
All their attempts to bend thee down,
Will but arouse thy generous flame;
But work their woe, and thy renown.
"Rule, Britannia! rule the waves:
"Britons never will be slaves."

Really, what's going on in Britain nowadays is just too tragic.