Fly the Flag With Pride

Today is Flag Day. You don't hear about it much these days. About the only thing the press seems to grab hold of for a story around Flag Day is whether or not Congress should pass an amendment banning the desecration of our Nation's colors. If you have a flag, raise it up today of all days. Honor those that have purchased our right to freedom at the highest of costs. Lets raise our millions of flags today in defiance of those that wish to taunt us with burning 'Old Glory.'

I Pledge Allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands, one Nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

Did You Remember Memorial Day?

In the midst of all the cookouts, car races, and sporting events over the weekend did you remember why we celebrate Memorial Day? It is what I like to call, an unfortunate holiday. Wouldn't it be far better to not have fallen soldiers to remember? This world does not afford us the luxury of avoiding conflicts and wars. Therefore, we must remember why we celebrate Memorial Day. Lately, it seems, Memorial Day has been presented as more of the kickoff to summer instead of a solemn day of remembering those who gave their lives for our nation's freedom.

Did you wave to the veterans in a Memorial Day parade yesterday? When the flag went by did you stand, remove your hat, and despite the heat still feel goosebumps?

Help Feed the Hungry This Saturday

The Detroit News has a reminder that this Saturday, May 13, 2006, is the 14th annual National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) Food Drive. What a simple way to help feed the hungry. Go through your cupboards and fill up a bag (or more if you like) of nonperishable food items and set it next to your mailbox. Your letter carriers and other volunteers will pick it up for you. You don't have to drive anywhere to drop your food off. It doesn't take a lot of effort on your part at all. Will you help?

Why Should You Buy a Hot Tea Maker?

I was browsing the Meijer flyer this morning and found something that made me chuckle. Sunbeam is selling a Hot Tea Maker (looks like a smallish coffee maker) for only $29. Um, yeah, I have a hot tea maker already. It's called a teakettle. Are we so lazy (or ignorant) these days that we need a machine to boil the water and pass it through the tea for us? If you can boil water, you can make tea.

The big plus I guess is that you can make up to 28 ounces of tea at a time (about four cups of tea figuring six ounces per cup). I can make four cups of tea all at once, too. I boil water in a teakettle and put a teabag in each of four cups. Done.

Whew! Maybe Martha Stewart will have me on her show so I can teach America the intricacies of making tea using a teakettle.

P.S. Someone on Amazon.com commented that they have been doing the same thing using a coffee maker for years now. I guess that makes it even more foolish to run out and buy this Hot Tea Maker. :)

In Praise of my Spam Filter

I have to give my blog's spam filter it's due. In the last 24 hours alone it has probably caught about two dozen spam comments. In case you don't know, there are actually people who created software that puts links to their (and others) websites of dubious nature in the comments of blogs. I love this blog software, Wordpress and I currently use Spam Karma 2 to catch all of that junk. It does an excellent job. I like being able to have people comment without me having to review their comments before they are posted.

Spam Karma 2 lets me do that with the piece of mind that no nasty stuff will make it through. I would like to coin a new (at least to me anyway) phrase related to Blog Spam - BLAM. Blog is short for web log and BLAM will now be known as the shortened version of blog spam.

Just send me the credit (or money :)) whenever you use the term.

Cool Slideshow From Yesterday's Tigers Game!

The Detroit Free Press has a great photo slideshow with audio from the game. I don't know how long they will keep it up, but it is a great little 4.5 minute show that gives those of us who were unable to attend opening day a taste of what it was like.