Weather is the big story today as was yesterday. Saw a picture of what's happening in California and

it is God-awful and my heart goes out to the people there. Phyllis Kunz

merry christmas and happy new year to the blog family:-) may we have many interesting news events to view, read and comment on in 2011, with our stellar guides, the nightly news family, leading the way:-)

still waiting to hear how the bird migration went in the states affected by the oil spill. still thinking of new orleans every time i have my shrimp with cocktail sauce, crosse and blackwell brand, this time around, courtesy of the grocery store's sale. saw the article in the middle of the night about the horses in ireland, nyt john burns. i hope the dublin society for cruelty to animals welfare center gets funding from abroad and that the horses out on that hill get hay. a couple of american women veterinarians were helping out. glad that portland isn't frozen like europe and hope it stays that way. patience is the only thing to get you through and i hope somebody takes pity on the stranded travellers and provides good food, tasty bowls of delicious soup and yummy sandwiches with hot tea and hot cocoa! europe needs some serious sunshine and no freeze so that the snow melts and doesn't just become black ice the next day!

my little granddaughter has a cold, so maybe no zoolites, but i still get to play hide-and-seek in the apartment when i get to portland, going through the los angeles airport:-)

best, anna martina

Kill theZadroga Bill!! I like to to expose the 911 First Responder Bill is nothing more than a Federally funded social welfare bill for NYS Trade Unions of all kinds. This is being used by both NYS Senators and Mayor Bloomberg as down payments for their future political elections (the latter will run for NYS Governor in 4 years). This is nothing more than a political MOB tax that politicians trying to fleece on American Tax payers. Fact #1: All the first responders (particularly all Trade Union Workers) have gotten a stretch of extremely well compensated time for their works during 911 (1-1/2 times overtime and double pay for Sunday). Everyone involved had gotten very fat paid checks while the Nation grief. Fact # 2: NYS Pensions system favors the first responders that they could cash 80% of last year’s salaries as their permanent pension payment. There were many, many first responders made over $ 200k in one year after 911 and they retired. Now, through their unions, they wanted the tax payers to pay for their healthcares so that Unions do not need to carry such a burden, since the Trade Unions in NYS are broke and soon to be broke!!! America!! You are being fooled again, by the Liberals and by the Unions again! Wake up.

Common sense politics you have a good point with the money received but not given to the responders. It was sad to see the Mayor and even the Salvation Army lead by Mrs. Dole keep the millions given to help the suffering. But I took a different view when visiting a hospital in New York that a family member was having surgery. I got to talk to a dying responder as he had only a short time to live. Watching a brave man leave this world because no one help and leaders stole the money is heartbreaking. But for me I didn't dwell on the bad people but on the man who risked his life for others. We can be angry but those who took from the responders will not be happy or do well in life. When you live long enough you learn the answers as you watch the greedy evil lives unfold of those who did wrong. All the money in the World can't save a life or even make you healthy but what the vote for medical help did is just maybe make a person's life a little better before they die and that's just a little of what this money will do.