420FL versus NFL

I resemble that remark: "Nice work N.F.L., now you’ve given every dog and pony show blog a reason to show the offensive logo." HERE


SOURCE : The NFL has sent a cease and desist letter to the 420 Football League because their logo looks a little too much like the original.

According to the letter, the 420 FL logo will “tarnish the image of the NFL … and dilutes the strength and value of the NFL trademark.”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iaSE4YV1RLs

In case you don’t get it, the 420FL has to do with smoking weed. There’s a rapper you’ve never heard of involved and you advance the ball a yard for every second you hold in a “hit” of “pot.” Is there really a ball? Um, no.

Illegal Aliens :: North KOREA and Beyond

North Korea Sentences American Reporters to 12 Years Hard Labor
Laura Ling, the sister of former The View co-host Lisa Ling, and fellow Current TV journalist Euna Lee have been sentenced to twelve years in a labor camp by a North Korean court for crossing that country's border.

Calling it a "grave crime they committed against the Korean nation and their illegal border crossing," the Central Court of North Korea convicted and sentenced the two reporters in a trial that began last Thursday. The U.S. State Department said that outside observers were not allowed to witness the trial's proceedings.

Friends and family of Ling and Lee insist that their border crossing was accidental and have been publicly pleading with the North Koreans for mercy in recent days. Reports CNN:

"When the girls left the United States, they never intended to cross into North Korean soil. And if they did at any point, we apologize," Lisa Ling, Laura Ling's sister, said on "Anderson Cooper 360" on Wednesday.
"And we know that they are very, very sorry. And we ask that you show mercy today," added Lisa Ling, a special correspondent for CNN.
Despite the limited communication, the families say they've heard enough to know the women are "terrified" and "extremely scared."
Current TV employees, including company Chairman Al Gore, had been ordered by their legal team to remain quiet about the situation with Ling and Lee, a stance that they held fast to both individually and as a company, despite some public outcry.

Obviously, this whole thing is a situation fraught with horrendous peril, not only for Ling and Lee, but for the United States in general. One can't escape the feeling that the convictions of Ling and Lee are less about North Korean law and more just another example of provocation by a renegade country led by a mad man. What Kim Jong Il and North Korea hope to gain by this situation is anyone's guess, but one can only imagine what sort of horrors take place inside a North Korean labor camp, and we certainly feel that it's time for the former two-term vice president of the United States to break his silence and start throwing his weight around to crack some serious skulls if he has to in order to get Ling and Lee freed. The Current TV strategy of silence has not worked up to this point and will only continue to reflect poorly on them and Gore going forward.

In the meantime, our thoughts are with Laura Ling and Euna Lee and their traumatized families.

Reporters Get 12-Year Terms in N. Korea [CNN]
Pic via Getty


David Smith "Let's compare the U.S.A. with some of the dictatorial regimes!
If you cross the North Korean border illegally you will get 12
years of hard labour.If you cross the Iranian border illegally you will be detained
indefinitely and/or declared a spy.If you cross the Afghan border illegally you are shot.
Check out the website ...
IF YOU CROSS THE NORTH KOREAN BORDER ILLEGALLY YOU GET 12 YEARS HARD LABOR.
IF YOU CROSS THE IRANIAN BORDER ILLEGALLY YOU ARE DETAINED INDEFINITELY.
IF YOU CROSS THE AFGHAN BORDER ILLEGALLY, YOU GET SHOT.
IF YOU CROSS THE SAUDI ARABIAN BORDER ILLEGALLY YOU WILL BE JAILED.
IF YOU CROSS THE CHINESE BORDER ILLEGALLY YOU MAY NEVER BE HEARD FROM AGAIN.
IF YOU CROSS THE VENEZUELAN BORDER ILLEGALLY YOU WILL BE BRANDED A SPY AND YOUR FATE WILL BE SEALED.
IF YOU CROSS THE CUBAN BORDER ILLEGALLY YOU WILL BE THROWN INTO
POLITICAL PRISON TO ROT.
IF YOU CROSS THE U.S. BORDER ILLEGALLY YOU GET :
* A JOB,
* A DRIVERS LICENSE,
* SOCIAL SECURITY CARD,
* WELFARE,
* FOOD STAMPS,
* CREDIT CARDS,
* SUBSIDIZED RENT OR A LOAN TO BUY A HOUSE,
* FREE EDUCATION,
* FREE HEALTH CARE,
* A LOBBYIST IN WASHINGTON
* BILLIONS OF DOLLARS WORTH OF PUBLIC DOCUMENTS PRINTED IN YOUR
LANGUAGE
* THE RIGHT TO CARRY YOUR COUNTRY’S FLAG WHILE YOU PROTEST THAT YOU DON’T GET ENOUGH RESPECT
Calling an illegal alien an undocumented immigrant is like calling a drug dealer an umlicensed pharmacist.

Read more: http://www.city-data.com/forum/illegal-immigration/863263-if-you-cross-border.html#ixzz0n6hlUZOw

Smith For U.S. House of Representatives
www.dsmithforcongress.com
content
___________________
Chris Thornton Enter Mexico illegally you get 2 years for first offense. 10 years for the second offense. Should be the same here in America.
Yesterday at 10:21pm
___________________
Patrick Darnell (from the LINK) As in USA when you cross the border; one gets --
-a job (pseudo-slavery)
-a drivers license?
-a social security card?
-welfare at the taxpayers expense
-subsidized rent, or even a loan to buy a house
-free education, often in your native tongue
-free health care, again, at the taxpayers expense
-a lobbyist in Washington D.C
-billions of dollars worth of public documents printed in your native language
-the right to carry your own country's flag while you protest --that you do not get enough respect in the country that you are in illegally.

some of this is questionable... to me.. SS Card? for real?

Illegal Immigration is a sick joke, and has very little credence as a "term"... my point is "if it is so commonplace, how then is it such an issue?" Yes, and no one is laughing.

The purpose of being a "Legal Alien" is to be something that can be taxed... nickel and dimes are needed from the millions of "illegal aliens" to pay for their overburdens... eh?

Hey Illegals -- if you want to hang with us Homies in this land of plenty, you have to pay the tolls just like we do. That's all this is about. Lost revenue... I say get the dough, Mr Smith. And I have best wishes for you in your campaign.
Yesterday at 10:26pm ·
___________________
David Smith Yes, You do and can get a SSN. The Gov always want them to pay their share. The thing is, they can be here for years and never pay taxes and turn around and draw Social Security. I wish I could do that!
Yesterday at 10:32pm
___________________
Jenna Marie Hughes Me, too!
about an hour ago

___________________
It is tough to make it in this country even if you are a patriot's son, or daughter. But not one of us was here "first." Not even the American Indians, if the fossil record is telling us the truth these days. We are all immigrants in this land. Shoot, man, if I am accurately reading birth certificates posted all over -- Barry our Prez is an illegal alien...

Welcome to Modern nastiness... the illegal alien in Texas does all the shitty jobs. Small business Owners, city Employers cannot compete without the immigrant filling a spot on chain gangs, sweat shops, or in the field point-repairing sewers, like bonded slaves.

... gravy train, government cheese, a Cadillac in every carport ... why is the sewer all backed up? How come we have to ration water in New Mexico cities?

Hey: today, right now, Make everyone already here "legal" and make everyone pay their taxes. Pay or get a year in Leavenworth for tax evasion.

I sure get weary reading everyday some half-bent slippery slope argument about [wtf] "illegal aliens" -- what is this -- the GAZA strip? All this is about sealing fate of immigrants.

Here's another solution: Extend the American Indian territories to the Mexican-US border and let our Sioux, Comanche, and Apache brothers police the border ...

I hear a lot of complaining, but seldom do I hear any solution... why is that?
____________________
David Smith See, I have been offering. Just no one wants to listen. So I'm tired of the bitching and complaining. Feel free to make comments, but I would hope people would start paying attention.

http://www.dsmithforcongress.com/Immigration.php

Might I also mention, of all the Candidates and Current congressmen (Water walkers), I seem to be the ONLY one making any offers!

____________________
MooPig
I have read the processes you are suggesting there Dave. Believe me I agree with the process, only it will put a strain on prisons, creating a monster paper trail, for a country -- Mexico, -- who has no way of keeping a paper trail.

And I do understand you have a campaign to run, but this is fBook and in here if something pricks a finger, it is a possible source of viral mandates... the Houston Mayor won her election by being in fBook all during the campaign.

So essentially we are two people who just met on the street... And I don't even know who you are. So good luck with all that testing the waters in here. And I am sure I am not in your district...

And, many will avoid you due to the campaign... and not voice their opinions for what ever reason. But if you are going to be subversive to your opponents' mediocrity, and propose a track for illegals to become legals, remember you have to sell that one to the Mexican senators and police, as well as taxpayers like me..

After two paragraphs I can tell you this is too complicated for the average Mexican laborer trying to work in US.

Mexico has no rule of law, and it looks like in the fifty years I have been neighbors with Mexico, seems that they never intend to improve their system. So, heck no to imprisoning illegal aliens over here, I won't stand for that.

Now for instance:
Mexican Labor: Who do you think had last hand in the blow-out override system in the recent oil spill in the Gulf? Do you think NASA rocket scientists prepared the pipe and valves that go into that blowout preventer? Who do you think drove the Lull to pick up the valve, and who held the spigot that sandblasted the unit, and who powder coated that son of a gun? Who loaded it on the barge? It is done by the lowest bid contractors... who employ illegal aliens, period.

No? it is Mexican labor, legal or illegal... I know this first hand or I wouldn't bring it up. Having been supervisor of illegals, in and around all types of nutty situations... scooped day laborers off the curb in three states... Illinois, MO and Tx... yep

...And I can't get past the first two points of your "what you propose" as this twelve steps to become a legal... ?

So I get to point two: capture illegal using our military base personnel... finger print, photo, and buy them a ticket back to Yucatan, or Guatemala City... that's my tax dollars you are using there. I won't stand for that. My military -- until further notice -- is not a police force.

Why not just treat the border creepers like Loggerhead turtles... collar them, epoxy a GPS trans-ceiver on their backs, let them loose and use the data to empirically set up capture-free zones for staging claims. No more anchor babies? Try to put that one past the Loggerheads...!

I agree, but like all our laws today... the detention and release program is not something I am volunteering my paycheck to cover, Sorry.

That's why you turn it over to a third party, an agency, privatize this game... forggedda'bout using my cherished army folks, or any other Federal thing I pay through the nose for.
You are welcome for my comments.

AMERICANA

How's This For Nostalgia?

All the girls had ugly gym uniforms?

It took three minutes for the TV to warm up?

Nobody owned a purebred dog?


When a quarter was a decent allowance?

You'd reach into a muddy gutter for a penny?


Your Mom wore nylons that came in two pieces?


You got your windshield cleaned, oil checked, and gas pumped, without asking, all for free, every time? And you didn't pay for air? And, you got trading stamps to boot?


Laundry detergent had free glasses, dishes or towels hidden inside the box?


It was considered a great privilege to be taken out to dinner at a real restaurant with your parents?


They threatened to keep kids back a grade if they failed. . and they did it!


When a 57 Chevy was everyone's dream car...to cruise, peel out, lay rubber or watch submarine races, and people went steady?


No one ever asked where the car keys were because they were always in the car, in the ignition, and the doors were never locked?


Lying on your back in the grass with your friends?
and saying things like, 'That cloud looks like a... '?

Playing baseball with no adults to help kids with the rules of the game?

Stuff from the store came without safety caps and hermetic seals because no one had yet tried to poison a perfect stranger?


And with all our progress, don't you just wish, just once, you could slip back in time and savor the slower pace, and share it with the children of today.


When being sent to the principal's office was nothing compared to the fate that awaited the student at home?

Basically we were in fear for our lives, but it wasn't because of drive-by shootings, drugs, gangs, etc. Our parents and grandparents were a much bigger threat! But we survived because their love was greater than the threat.

.. .as well as summers filled with bike rides, Hula Hoops, and visits to the pool, and eating Kool-Aid powder with sugar.
Didn't that feel good, just to go back and say, 'Yeah, I remember that'?


I am sharing this with you today because it ended with a Double Dog Dare to pass it on. To remember what a Double Dog Dare is, read on. And remember that the perfect age is somewhere between old enough to know better and too young to care.

Send this on to someone who can still remember Howdy Doody andThe Peanut Gallery, the Lone Ranger, The Shadow knows, Nellie Bell, Roy and Dale, Trigger and Buttermilk.

How Many Of These Do You Remember?
Candy cigarettes

Wax Coke-shaped bottles with colored sugar water inside.


Soda pop machines that dispensed glass bottles.

Coffee shops with Table Side Jukeboxes.

Blackjack, Clove and Teaberry chewing gum.

Home milk delivery in glass bottles with cardboard stoppers.


Newsreels before the movie.

Telephone numbers with a word prefix...( Yukon 2-601). Party lines.


Peashooters.

Howdy Doody.

Hi-Fi's & 45 RPM records.


78 RPM records!


Green Stamps.


Mimeograph paper.

The Fort Apache Play Set.

Do You Remember a Time When..
Decisions were made by going 'eeny-meeny-miney-moe'?
Mistakes were corrected by simply exclaiming, 'Do Over!'?
'Race issue' meant arguing about who ran the fastest?


Catching The Fireflies Could Happily Occupy An Entire Evening?



It wasn't odd to have two or three 'Best Friends'?



Having a Weapon in School meant being caught with a Slingshot?

Saturday morning cartoons weren't 30-minute commercials for action figures?


'Oly-oly-oxen-free' made perfect sense?

Spinning around, getting dizzy, and falling down was cause for giggles?

The Worst Embarrassment was being picked last for a team?

War was a card game?


Baseball cards in the spokes transformed any bike into a motorcycle?

Taking drugs meant orange - flavored chewable aspirin?


Water balloons were the ultimate weapon?


If you can remember most or all of these, Then You Have Lived!!!!!!!

Ziaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa !!

"Get to Work !!!"

by Pat2

Marinella Ruggiero Darnell, Supervisor 

"FA~MOKKKKKKKKKKKKKK !!!!!!!"

How to Find Meaning In Your Work
Patrick Darnell Feb 21, 2010, 12:06 am
I've got it! Less Meaning :: More Work !


VIDEO: Tiger Woods Apologizes For Cheating Scandal; Wife Elin Not At His Side
Patrick Darnell Feb 20, 2010, 11:01 pm
IDEA Generator:: "Use Tiger Woods' Speech as a Template in your future Dag-nab'bit Apologies for Latent Lasciviousness"
Patrick Darnell Feb 21, 2010, 12:01 am
HINT:: "Tiger -- get a Life ..."


Bankers Spent Big Bucks on Scott Brown Campaign
Patrick Darnell Feb 20, 2010, 11:58 pm
Scott Brown the 41st vote ... very cool ... how will it play out?



McChrystal: Taliban Could Play Role In Afghanistan Peace
Patrick Darnell Feb 20, 2010, 11:48 pm
when people say Taliban I always think of that song Banana Boat ... you know BeetleJuice .. oh well
Comment - Like


$1.2 Trillion of $1.4 Trillion Deficit was Already Projected Before Bush Left Office
Patrick Darnell Feb 20, 2010, 11:47 pm
Johnathon T -- uh, could you please rephrase all that in 1.2 trillion words or less ?


Ghost Marriage: Not Even Death Can Stop You from Getting Married
Patrick Darnell Feb 20, 2010, 11:44 pm
China people are cool ...



American Idol Recap: Say Good-bye to Hollywood Week
Patrick Darnell Feb 20, 2010, 11:43 pm
that show has more seasons than my old gray mare...
Comment - Like


White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs Joins Twitter!
Patrick Darnell Feb 20, 2010, 11:42 pm
i think the question is "Who is Media-ite?"



Battle Of The Blondes: Who Is Weirdest Blond In Hollywood?
Patrick Darnell Feb 20, 2010, 11:37 pm
what do you get when you stand fifteen blondes on their heads?



Boehner: How Dare Obama Televise the Health Care Debate After I Demanded He Televise the Health Care Debate!
Patrick Darnell Feb 20, 2010, 11:36 pm
Somebody, please, resurrect Abraham Lincoln... quickly ... so he can explain to us what was really happening around him in 1865 that got him murdered ... I think it is still going on.



Beck loses 103 sponsors as his UK television broadcast runs for five days straight without any ads.
Patrick Darnell Feb 20, 2010, 11:25 pm
HINT :: Next time you go to " ... Allstate Insurance, Anheuser-Busch, Idaho Potato Commission, Marriott International, Volkswagen, and Western Union" to pitch them your blog for advertising space... do not -- repeat -- DO NOT mention comparative Bombast of Glenn Beck... you're welcome. PD



What If The iPad Had Arrived Before The iPhone?
Patrick Darnell Feb 20, 2010, 11:20 pm
they've all been recalled ...



Palin Unqualified To Be President, Says Vast Majority Of America
Patrick Darnell Feb 20, 2010, 11:18 pm
OOps, I almost said McCallin ! ... but Steven, I wouldn't mind havin' a little Tea Party with the warm Arctic Missus... I think my wife and kids would go along with me on that. Eh? MsPallin Sarah sort of brings that ambergris into the room. You know, Festival of the Fresh Water Squid, City of Saints and Madmen thingy.



Michelle Obama Escalates War on Childhood Obesity
Patrick Darnell Feb 20, 2010, 11:13 pm
Fat Cats ... I've had a belly full ... what's the longest word in the English language... smiles -- there's a mile between the two "S's"
Patrick Darnell Feb 20, 2010, 11:14 pm
one request I have -- take the sugar and HGH out of the foods ... we won't pay dividends with our health.



Report: Toyota recalling 8,000 2010 Tacoma 4WD pickups over driveshaft defect
Patrick Darnell Feb 20, 2010, 11:11 pm
Nice comments all -- But... has anyone ever been near a 4WD when one of the drive shafts comes loose? or have you ever tried to hold a Morgan Stallion who is near your seasoning Mare?



James Cameron Talks Avatar 2, Terminator 5 & 6, Spider-Man Reboot, Batman Movies, How Hollywood is Getting 3D Wrong, and His Oscar Changes
Patrick Darnell Feb 20, 2010, 11:04 pm
who again is James Cameron?
Patrick Darnell Feb 20, 2010, 11:07 pm
... sorry that was not how I meant it... nice of you to post and I wish all could see AVATAR with their children.



Is the Most Interesting Event at the Olympics Already Over?
Patrick Darnell Feb 20, 2010, 11:03 pm
:: if I see another poor rich kid on a snowboard ever again [life expectancy 91] it will be "another" too many... air time and fluff... low budget TV coverages, eat up announcers. Eau CANADA....



MooPig Speech Templates :: "I was Wrong and Foolish -- I felt Entitled...." Love, Tiger
Patrick Darnell posted an article on MooPig Wisdom - Feb 20, 2010, 5:11 pm
[PICTURE Credit] Use Tiger Woods' Speech as a Prompter Template in your Dag-nab'bit Apology for Latent Lasciviousness Retrieved HERE by Pat Darnell VIDEO HERE, ... and following i...



Topless tobogganing divides German town
Patrick Darnell Feb 19, 2010, 9:58 pm
how far is that from Dubai?
Patrick Darnell Feb 20, 2010, 3:44 pm
a full sail is the trick ... eh?



4 incidents that ruined my morning
Patrick Darnell Feb 19, 2010, 9:23 pm
Okay.. I get it. INFERENCE -- leadership is agile at avoiding issues... trying as they do through media and publicity to divert attention away from their surroundings; such as Iran Leader talking about Global partners... with disdain.
A Solution: give a digital camera to every child and woman and out cast man and provide an optimum safe place for them to upload to media what they see in a day, every day. No?
Patrick Darnell Feb 19, 2010, 10:00 pm
... yes, and it makes the "leader" or authority figure look like he is on the side of the predators, those criminals who are total social "misfits."
Patrick Darnell Feb 19, 2010, 10:04 pm
If every "victim" had a way to provide positive proof, like a DNA sample of their attacker... or like I said a photograph of the creep who steals from them.. then soon the leader would shift support to the side of the victims...



Got the Travel Bug ?? Try Oberwiesenthal, Germany
Patrick Darnell posted an article on MooPig Wisdom - Feb 19, 2010, 9:56 pm
Topless tobogganing divides German town by Kraig Becker (RSS feed) on Feb 16th 2010 "... That rowdy crowd lined the slopes of a resort in the Harz mountains to watch young slide down the mountain ...



MTV Drops the Music: Changes Logo, First Time In 30 Years
Patrick Darnell Feb 19, 2010, 9:28 pm
MTV -- Must Take Valium [ ...to watch]



Say AAAHHHH to Michigan ....
Patrick Darnell posted an article on MooPig Wisdom - Feb 19, 2010, 9:14 pm
Smitten by the Mitten retrieved by Pat Darnell MICHIGAN – Police pull over a woman who was wearing nothing but a bikini, and covered in Jello. She had a wrestling match at Dino�...



Penelope Cruz in talks for Pirates of the Caribbean 4
Patrick Darnell Feb 19, 2010, 8:47 pm
bummer



Britney Spears Spent $700,000 on Renovations for Her Home
Patrick Darnell Feb 19, 2010, 8:47 pm
which one is Britney?



Poll: Americans Don't Think Palin Is Qualified to Be President -- But Some Would Vote for Her Anyway
Patrick Darnell Feb 19, 2010, 8:46 pm
oops my right hand says NO -- but my left hand says YES ... better check my left foot.

la Befana 2010

la Befana 2010

[[Click to Help]]

Project Global Cooling, by David Darnell

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March 2, 2008
Jamsheed Hakiim
Final entry: Project Global Cooling

When this project was born, the Shah was still in power and Iran was destined to become the model of the Mideast. My family was comprised of many engineers, geologists and petroleum geophysicists. They were mainly educated in Moscow, Beirut and even one young man, Dafya, went to Loyola College in Baltimore. He was the visionary and guiding light of the project, working diligently and pulling many strings to get to the U.S. to go to school. Dafya also, during this time, became a believer in Jesus and was baptized at the school chapel. Also while he was in Baltimore he discovered the charms of American women, one of them being my mother. Actually, they dated, fell in love and were married by a Jesuit priest. He was called back to Iran, under the pretenses of having an ill relative. When he arrived he was whisked away to one of the research compounds in Bushehr. He was working on his doctorate in computer aided seismography and physics.

After the Shah died, the Ayatollahs began pulling the veil over Iran and shutting them off completely from outside influences. They began using great oil-wealth to finance clandestine Islamic extremist goals all around the globe. Students abroad were coerced back into Iran, by any means necessary. What the world didn’t and still doesn’t know is that the shallow oilfields are not only close to the surface but the reservoirs are shallow and inconsistent themselves. The oil wealth is an illusion. Subsurface fault lines have caused the oil to pool beneath mountains of jack-knifed granite at depths of 5000 to 7000 feet. The great pools are out of easy reach. The Ayatollahs have turned away all of the major oil companies, who have the technology and capability to recover it. Many of my family have been locked –up for years in various compounds by the regime to try and find an answer to the dilemma. Maybe you have read, Japan is very interested in the Azaadegan region, pouring yens and technology here to try and find the oil.

With the international dialog about Iran’s nuclear reactor development, the perceived reason is for them to build a bomb. However, in reality they need the reactors to generate electricity. My dad, Dafya Jamsheed, has become a top developer of the Iran Project Global Cooling. His ticket back to the U. S. is tied to his ability to bring to fruition a nuclear power plant.

I recently received an e-mail which read: Dear Jamsheed, Our chance to meet in Baltimore seems to be not much of a chance at all, unless we are able to procure more funds and re-new our passports. The exit fees from Iran have become quite high and unreasonable. If you could open a bank account in your grandfather’s name, you know Grand-pa Raymond (Raymond had become our code word for uranium) However, it would be best if you took the funds from the Jamsheed Trust fund account and pay the penalty for early withdrawal and use the Visa Card in the safe deposit box. The card is in the trustees name and you have the security code. (We don’t have a trust fund, safe deposit or trustee). Once you have the card and funds, put the card back in the safe deposit. Contact your cousins in Fort Murray, Canada right outside of Alberta. There will be a truck there loaded with some artifacts and booty from Grand-pa Raymond’s warehouse. These are from some of the early days of traveling back and forth to Iran. (I knew from other communications that the researchers needed 1000 kilos of uranium hexafluoride to finish an important stage of enriching the uranium. Some smugglers had it in Canada.) Go and purchase what you need and bring the truck to Baltimore. Check with my Physics professor, he now owns La Dolce Vita Amusement Center near the Harbor Freeway. He will arrange a buyer for the rugs and artifacts. (La Dolce Vita was a hang-out for gamblers and nefarious characters). That should furnish enough funds to take care of my exit papers.”

I was able to make myself inconspicuous around the various registers in Nordstrom’s at Towson Town Center. I waited and shopped like all mall rats do, milling around the areas where women shop. My opportunity arose when you checked out with a leather jacket and gloves. I was behind you talking on my cell phone as you took out your card to pay and I snapped a photo of your card. Actually, I was shooting a video of your transaction. Your bad luck and my enabling providence to be a thief was that you require ID, so you also took out your drivers’ license, which showed up quite nicely on the video. The fumbling with your purse and wallet gave me time to really focus. I sent everything to my computer which had appraisal district software, state police files and typical rosters of residents and soon I had accessed some files from a transaction for a car loan at Bank of America. An inadvertent disclosure of social security got me in the system.

Your purchase was 1000 kilos of uranium hexafluoride; my fathers exit from Iran and hopefully someday a peaceful and maybe a little bit Christian Iran.

I stole your identification and card number and carried out this theft in order to help Iran build a nuclear reactor, hopefully for peaceful purposes.

My father made it out of Iran to Singapore and then L.A. So far no bombs have been detected but there seem to be fewer rolling black-outs across Iran.

I threw your ID in Chesapeake Bay tied to a tire tool.


> D2R2's MTC #8 article written March 1, 2008; posted on this site by moderator MooPigWisdom for author.

_____________________________
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Across the Centuries: Art is

Refer to:
Contact Bob Calvisi at membership@AustinItalians.org for more information retrieved today at http://www.austinitalians.org/index.php?module=pagemaster&PAGE_user_op=view_page&PAGE_id=2&MMN_position=4:4

Dear Mr. Calvisi:
Good Morning. What do I need to do to Charter the Bryan/College Station Italian Cultural Association? Will you help me?

Though I am as Texan as it gets my wife Marinell A. Ruggiero Darnell is the first in her family to come to the USA. She is from Foggia, Italia, and we go there to reunite the family every two or three years. Your published reasons to join are exactly why I am writing you this morning.

Reasons You Should Participate in the ICA
1. To meet and be with other Italian Americans to share old country and family traditions.

2. To participate in ongoing social and cultural activities in and around Austin.

3. To share and learn information about "things" Italian.

4. To receive an informative newsletter to let you know about ICA members and planned activities.

5. To participate in the Italian Festival – enjoy great food, great friendship and meet the families of other members.

6. To share the joy of Christmas with other ICA members at the dinner and dance party
We are looking forward to your response. Hopefully, you can guide us in our task.
With warmest regards,
Patrick Darnell
>>MooPigWisdom.blogspot.com
Italianwomanintexas.blogspot.com

Patrick:

I just recently received your email so please use this email to respond: rjcaustin@aol.com

This is going to be short story, but hopefully you will find it informative and useful.

Our group is relatively small (about 80 active members) and we are very independent. There are supposedly about 5,000 Italian-Americans living in the tri-county area, but the most we've ever had in membership is about 135 about 5 years ago, economy slowed down lot of transfers out of state and the membership has never grown. Our by-laws restrict members to a 50-mile area surrounding Austin, otherwise there is little participation.

Here is how our group started in the mid-80s. There were six gentlemen that worked at IBM - all from the NY area - and like many others who transferred to Austin from IBM they were Italian. The gathered on occasion at a local Italian restaurant, owned by an NY Italian, and decided one year to have a weekend get together inviting anyone Italian that they worked with or knew from the restaurant. Everyone contributed food and wine and they had a great time. They did it a second year and it was a great success again. One of the members had been involved with the Sons of Italy Italian Organization in NY, but this organization kept the women separate and with no voting privileges -- that wasn't going to happen in Austin -- so they decided to just start a social group with members paying $8.00 per month into a checking account. The asked all of the people who attended the two Family Festa's to join and they got a total of 14 members (7 couples) our of about 50-60 who had attended the event.

My wife and I were invited to join the ICA in 1986. It was by coincidence that our oldest daughter's best friend in high school was the daughter of one of the original members. We became friends with the restaurant owner and his wife separately, and met some other Italians at the restaurant. To our amazement when these acquaintances attended our daughter's graduation open house they all knew each other, but we were not aware of the ICA connection. So they asked us to join.

Over the next 6 - 7 years we social things together and every October we would have a Family Festa with all the members providing they food and beverages. Our children would attend, parents, close friends -- but they all had to be Italian. We used our dues money to reimburse ourselves for the Family Festa expenses.

We would meet 9 - 10 times per year at someone's house and have a meeting. I thing we debated expanding the club for three years before we took a vote. Once we approved potential expansion of the ICA we decided we needed By-laws so we got a copy from some other organization and created our own - it was still a social club and at lease one member of a couple had to have an Italian blood-line of some sort to become a member. We of course took someone's word they were Italian because we had no way to prove a blood line other than a good family heritage story.

In about 1993, most of the original members began to retire from IBM and they developed other priorities. My wife and I, as the youngest members and the only ones not from NY, decided we loved out Italian friends and if we didn't expand the ICA it would fade away because interest was declining -- the friendships were very strong, but everyone but us working folk were traveling and it was difficult to get events planned.

Much to our surprise in the summer of 1994, there was an article in the local paper about someone trying to get Italians together, then there we a few that started to meet at our friend's restaurant so we visited with both groups in the fall of 1994 and found a lot of common interest. In December 1994 we hosted an open house and invited every Italian we knew or had met. The result, we ended up with about 50 people who all brought food and drink and it was a wonderful atmosphere and we met some new friends with Italian background.

In 1995, after a few more gallons of wine and conversation, it was decided that these new Italians would be invited to join the ICA since we already had an infrastructure. Over the next 3 -4 years we went from 16 members to about 70 members - there is a definite learning curve on how to get members involved and how to find places to meet without a facility. We even developed a Strategic Planning Committee that made suggestions for growth and the needs we would require. That was a great experience to participate an overall other than not finding a way to get "our own ICA home" much of what we planned has been accomplished.

In 2001, we held a widely promoted Festa Italiana! Of which we had about 2,500 attendees. It was a great event, but a lot of hard work and great financial exposure if it was rained out. In 2002, we expanded the Festa to two-day event - partial rain - lots of work and expenses, and we broke even financially at best.

In 2003 we decided to become a non-profit 501 (c) (3) charitable organization in order to expand the club, concentrate on developing some charitable ties, moving more towards a cultural organization, and making it easier to have sponsors deduct any contributions they made to the ICA. We had to change the by-laws, open membership to anyone who wanted to join and reshuffled dues so not all events (social or cultural) were fully funded by the ICA.

In 2004, we did another Festa Italiana! (One day at a new location in downtown Austin. Great location, great entertainment, great food from local Italian restaurants, and lots of beer and wine; but lots of set-up expenses since stages, tents, lighting all needed to be rented. Not promoted heavy enough and with less than 2,000 attendees we lost $2,500. The members eventually decided the financial exposure, the long hours of volunteer work, and the inability of the contracted promoters to deliver what they promised was not worth the effort so we went back to having family gatherings every August.

What we found out about these public Festa's was people who came loved them; it attracted new members, but the members typically didn't attend anything else, never volunteered, and basically were gone in about 9 months when their dues lapsed.

Over the last 3 years the executive boards, of which I have been involved in as an officer or a committee chairperson for 16 years, along with concurrence of the membership has focused a cultural/social, calendar that is comprised of:
(1) a few major events for the members and friend such as Carnivale Dinner Dance, Family Festa, and a Christmas Dinner Dance;
(2) Two Spaghetti Night events when the ICA men cook and serve an extensive buffet dinner
(3) two to three Italian Classic Movie nights - these are movies in Italian language with English subtitles for those of us who were never taught Italian by our parents.
(4) three to four wine tasting events at a restaurant or a member's home
(5) cultural day trips - Olive Oil tasting, Italian artist visit etc.
(6) Italian card games, Bocce Ball competition, and other social events
All of these events are member paid and some are subsidized by the ICA.

The average age of members is probably 60 - 62. Less than 20% of our members are under 40. Our children, most in their late 30s to early 40s have way too much on their plate with work and family to be active. They attend events and know the other member's children, but they have no desire to take an active role.

My recommendation before you move forward with trying to create your own Italian group would be to first check out some of the other Italian groups in Texas such as
(1) The Italian Federation of Houston -- there are a number of chapters that reach out beyond Houston proper - http://www.houstonitaliancenter.com/
(2) There is also The Italian Club of Dallas - www.itcd.org
(3) Check out the National Italian American Foundation - there is a local Vice President in Houston http://www.niaf.org/
(4) Check out the Son's of Italy - http://www.osia.org/
(5) There is another Italian group in Austin called "A Taste of Italy" - it is operated by a single person who sponsors cooking, language classes, and other events for a fee. This is her business.

I have included a membership packet as an example of how we have members join.

Patrick, I hope this helps you. Should you have any specific questions email me or you can reach me on my cell phone.



Bob Calvisi
ICA Cultural/Membership Committee
email: rjcaustin@aol.com
Cell: 512-657-6808
www.austinitalians.org

Dear Bob:
We are digesting all you have written. We admire your tenacity, and want to duplicate it. I promise to get back to you soon with a plan for the "Lost Italians of Brazos Valley." We will definitely base it on your successes. Dozens of ideas are bubbling up even at this very moment.

Yours, with warmest regards,
Pat Darnell, the other half of Marinella

ps. Can't thank you enough for your heartfelt response.

A Slice of Americana