12) Surprise? Not!!

29 April, 2007 -

The link I've posted this time- http://news.tbo.com/news/metro/MGBOMUQI11F.html - is a must read article; another single mother household injuring, and nearly killing, the custodial child! I hope that Mr. Clary has the resolve to go the distance; research and data confirm his concern is concrete. Children are, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 24 times more likely to be killed in single mother households than they are in single father households, yet the Family Law Industry continues to award mothers primary custody 90% of the time. Seems the Industry remains more interested in Dad's income (Read- Child Support) than they are in the mythical "best interest of the child"....
And what about this chick, Linda Nowak, in this post's photo? On 5 February, 2007 this mother/idiot was arrested in Orlando, Florida, and subsequently charged with the attempted "kidnapping" of U.S. Air Force Captain Colleen Shipman. If Nowak had been a Dad, she'd be incarcerated pending trial on attempted murder charges. Nowak was released on bail, pleaded "not guilty" to the charges and requested a jury trial. Nowak's assignment to the space agency as an astronaut was terminated by NASA effective March 8, 2007 yet she is working full time at NASA's Corpus Christi, Texas facility! If there are any Virgina Tech alum employed down there, why aren't they demanding she be removed and or detained? Mark my words; this chick/mom/idiot is a time bomb!

11) Damn it!

28 April, 2007 -

The civilian in this picture has just had the bracelets put on as a result of yet another "sting" to round up "Deadbeat Dads" who are behind in their child support payments. But guess what? Not only is this guy "Deadbroke" he isn't the biological father!

..........Below in quotes, is a tiny excerpt from a February 25, 2007 letter written by Dr. Stephen Baskerville and printed in the Fargo Forum in response to a one sided article the Forum had published. As nearly always, Dr. Baskerville's words say it all: "Forcing parents to part with their children and then charging them with exorbitant “debts” they have done nothing to incur, on pain of incarceration, is not solving a problem; it is creating one. The unsurprising fact that ever-more invasive measures result in higher collections for the government hardly means that the system is “working.” "

10) Huh??

27 April, 2007 -

Wondering how many divorced Dads are dealing with personal nightmares today; thinking of you all. Michael Jordan, Sir Paul McCartney, Rudy Giuliani and all the other high profile dudes, wish you'd go public with your experiences, perspectives, and opinions on the Family Law Industry pit.

The guy pictured shooting over the Laker's Lucius Allen during the 74-75 season was my man, "Pistol" Pete Maravich (DoB: 6/22/47 DoD: 1/5/88) He remains the all-time NCAA scoring leader despite the fact that Freshman were ineligible to play varsity ball and there was no three point shot during his college career; good thing for all the UCLA haters too as it would have meant at least another two titles for Coach Wooden had Freshman been eligible. A "bad white boy" Pete was, maybe the baddest though Rick Barry could possibly argue. During a time frame when black players justifiably dominated this style of play, in my opinion Pete was one of the few white guys who could hang with the style in the 70's when "Showtime" type basketball was beginning to gain mainstream popularity. Not to mention, he was a big 6'5". The Anglo European players of today, or Americans for that matter, with all due respect couldn't hold the proverbial candle to guys like Pete, Jerry West, or Rick Barry. Simply put; the white players who enjoyed the Showtime style were better then in my opinion.....Ankle more and more colorful....Where are the comments on my bolgsterette?

Peace........

9) And so?

26 April, 2007 -

To date, I've failed to mention what in my opinion is the finest non-human companion known to mankind; the Irish Terrier a fine example of which is pictured here. My dear Irish Terrier, Terry would have been fourteen years old now; a rare blood based tumor on his liver took him down far too young. The diva loved him, and as she used to call him, he was the true "Irish Rogue"; he loved his beer, women, and music - really! While this picture is not of Terry, it is very close to what he looked like, except Terry's tail was a wee bit shorter than the fine pooch in this example.

My ankle is getting nice and purplish, a veritable rainbow of color it is with increased mobility returning a bit at a time.

A piece in the news today says that Larry Birkhead is now free to move about the country with he and Anna Nicole's baby. Typically, I do not ingest tabloid fodder but hey, he's a single Dad! Do you think if Mr. Birkhead had passed away, Ms. Smith would have had to submit to a DNA test to determine who the father was? Or that any of the recurring hoopla would have been initiated simply because a dad passed away? Understanding that Anna Nicole was a celeb and Mr. Birkhead was/isn't; the disparity between fathers and mothers in these scenarios continues to fly under the radar of general consciousness; it's bullshit actually. Dads should count too!

8) Ouch!

25 April, 2007 -

I knew I was starting to "get up there" when last September a young guy I was working with didn't know who the gal in this picture was; Yikes!

Today, I'm hoping to get positive word on a job that I interviewed for last week; the interview was very positive as I may have alluded to previously and I can step right in and contribute which is a good feeling. The hiring manager is a recent transplant (She arrived 9/06) to So Cal from Kansas and we had some things in common. So, if she is as genuine as she appeared and sounded at the interview, in respect to wanting me there, I'm in; we shall see. Yesterday was spent trying to get my Achilles healed up ASAP. Iced it nearly all day then went to a friend's jacuzzi; this morning it does feel a bit better and more flexible. I haven't had a "real" vacation (I know, many of you out there haven't) since the mid 90's and if it weren't for the nightmare that is my ex-wife number 2, I'd be really enjoying this time off and scrutinizing my job search for the proverbial Holy Grail of employment; if such a thing exists for a fifty year old without a degree and who's line of work for most of his life has been super highly specialized aircraft work. Oh well, not to whine, things definitely could be worse.

If you have a chance, click on the link from my post on 23 April, 2007. That article has sparked a tremendous amount of debate (As all articles on child support seem to do) in the "comments" section of the publisher; I love it! Anything that raises awareness of the Divorce and Child Support Regimes I'm all for; time to vote em out............Have a good day!

7) Oops

23 April, 2007 -

Here is a piece on the WBIR website in Tennessee that is worth a look. Poor Mommy, has to pay $25.00 now: http://www.wbir.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=44424&provider=rss

Well my 50th Birthday party was a huge success and special and heartfelt thanks to my Mom, brother, and sister-in-law for hosting an exceptional event; many old friends of mine were there, several I've known since kindergarten and hadn't seen in years. We played basketball for a time in the mid morning on Saturday as my Mom and brother rented a gym at a local park. Unfortunately for me, I ruptured my Achilles Tendon; talk about ouch! Luckily I was mobil enough to enjoy the party. I suppose it is to be taken as yet another indicator of age progression, not to mention zero stretching of ligaments and tendons prior to getting on the court. (Read - stupid!) Anyway, it is swollen and sore but thankfully not as bad as I expected it to be by now.

Twenty-one year old Australian (If you ask me, he looks more like fourteen), Casey Stoner on a Ducati won the Turkish Moto GP race in rare fashion as he was something like five seconds ahead at the finish; monstrous at this level. Usually these guys are right on top of each other, and in fact, the rest of the competition better get it figured out quick as Ducatis were 1st & 3rd. My guy, Honda rider and American Nicky Hayden continues to struggle three races into the season; he finished seventh getting nipped for sixth on the final turn for the checkered flag by fellow American John Hopkins on a Suzuki. For today, it's going to be ice on the ankle region, then tomorrow I'll start the cold/heat regimen....Peace

6) Party Day

21 April, 2007 -

Well, up early to head to San Pedro to assist with final preparations for my 50th Birthday Bash! In Moto GP, the Ducati's had been one - two in Friday's day one practice sessions. But in qualifying this morning, "The Doctor" #46 - Valentino Rossi on the Yamaha showed once more why he is the best in the world, snatching the Pole Position for tomorrow's Moto GP Gran Prix of Istanbul. His American teammate, Collin Edwards is second on the starting grid.....4/22/2007 - 2:00 PM Pacific - Speed Channel.....I love this Sport!

5) Party, Music, Family, and Friends

20 April, 2007 -

Ah, Tull back in the day, untouchable during performance!

Final preparations are underway for my big 50th Birthday Party to be held tomorrow in San Pedro, CA. I was really looking forward to Mariachis' but things change; don't they?....And so it goes.....Rain in L.A. today; hoping forecast for clear day tomorrow holds true.

4) Moto GP

19 April, 2007 -

From the proverbial for-what-it's-worth department anyone out there who is a motor racing fan but has yet to discover Moto GP you have GOT to check these guy's out; it makes TV viewing of any other form of motor sport like watching paint dry! These monster machines weigh just 350 lbs yet crank out 240 horsepower! The races are broadcast on The Speed Channel and they are a must for anyone who loves motor sport; eat your heart out NASCAR, this is real racing. These guys simply smoke! Rarely, if ever, mentioned in the American media the Moto GP Series features four Americans; defending World Champion, Nicky Hayden (pictured) is from Kentucky and was one of People Magazine's 50 Most Eligible Bachelors for 2006. The seven-time world champion, Italian Valentino Rossi (Leading in the current season points standings as of this post), is earning in excess of $31 million dollars this year! You heard me, THIRTY ONE MILLION; rock star lifestyle personified!

3) Wind in L.A.

19 April, 2007 -

I've about had it with the wind here in the LAX area; five days straight the crap has been blowing. I lived on the high desert (Lancaster, CA.) for seventeen years and last night the news broadcast said that the wind was currently stronger here in the South Bay than it is on the high desert; trust me, that sucks!

The picture above captured the early Skyhook: The only shot in basketball history that was, and remains, unblockable. Houston won this game by 2 points snapping UCLA's win streak at 47. Later this same year, 1968, in the NCAA Semi's the teams met again: UCLA 101 Houston 69....

My twenty-one year old has been "tanning" in a tanning bed/salon for quite sometime now despite the fact that her dad (Me) has had Melanoma twice. A few weeks ago, I forwarded this particular kid of mine a very recent statistical article that was published all over the WWW about how profoundly "tanning" increases the chance of contracting that horrific disease without any family history! Spoke to her today, she was walking into the salon to "tan" I'm thinking I'll have to find out who operates the joint and threaten them with a lawsuit; I just don't know.

2) Virginia Tech and things

17 April, 2007

As stated, yesterday was my birthday. In trying to go forward, my birth date may now always be associated with the Virginia Tech nightmare; I hope not. Heartfelt sympathy to those whose families will be forever tragically impacted by that horrific scene; the loss I simply cannot imagine....On a lighter note, April 16th is also Kareem Abdul Jabbar's birthday; the greatest basketball player of all time. If you debate that, have a look at the photo and try to imagine MJ blocking this shot; never happen! But rest assured some "Air" would have been sent into the fifth row...

Today, Glenn Sacks' (http://www.glennsacks.com/) email bulletin tells of two new articles he has contributed that are huge for people to read. One is in The Austin American-Statesman: "Texas bill to create domestic violence offender registry will harm innocent men." By Mike McCormick and Glenn Sacks - Austin American-Statesman, 4/11/07 - The other is in response to a front page Dad bashing piece in The Chicago Sun-Times 4/14/07 entitled: "The 12 Worst Dads in Illinois." Glenn did commend the fact that the Sun-Times had the balls to publish criticism of the piece which many publications will not do.

Something else Glenn Sacks pointed out, and that I hadn't thought about for some time, think about this: What if former astronaut Lisa Nowak had been a man? Remember her? She's the knucklehead who drove 9 hours to confront "the other woman" in the parking lot of a Florida airport because, despite the fact she's married with three children of her own, she suspected the other gal of nursing off of certain pieces of her secret boyfriend's anatomy that she believed were reserved for her alone! Of course being that she is a woman, she has been "reassigned" and IS WORKING FULL TIME as an instructor at Naval Air Station, Corpus Christi, TX. This is hogwash! If I'd done that I'd be locked up, no question. And if I happened to be an African-American Dad in that parking garage that night, with a sledge hammer and a locking knife with a 6" blade, I probably would have been shot and killed! TBC......Peace

1) Debut

16 April, 2007
Well, today I'm fifty years old. I feel pretty good for fifty. Especially when one considers I've survived Melanoma (twice) and Chemotherapy once; I was lucky!
I just heard a report by Elaine Kory, a Senior NPR reporter based in San Francisco that pissed me off; "California to Cut Welfare Safety Net for Parents" When is the public going to wake up and realize what is going on in this country in regard to Welfare "Reform", Gay Marriage (which I couldn't care less about) and Child Support? I mean, before they'd even broadcast the meat and potatoes of this piece I knew that the article was going to be about the struggle of poor single Moms and, of course, I was correct! See, people who know recognize that the states, California in this example, despite their statements to the contrary have a vested financial interest in creating as many single mother households as possible. Understand, the first thing the Family Law Industry does in the majority of American divorce cases involving children is remove the fathers from their children's lives. In the U.S., Mom's are awarded primary Custody in over 90% of divorce cases involving kids. In this way, Child Support commences and the counties or Collection Enforcement regimes get a percentage of dad's income perpetuating their livelihood and industry.

California alone receives well over $40 million dollars per year from The Federal Government for it's child support collection efforts. Those Federal Funds finance payroll, employee benefits, and paid vacation time for the employees of the Child Support Collection Industry. Those funds do not make their way to the lives of children of divorce or impoverished kids, they simply pay people, many of them Government officials, to police child support collection. And so you know, according to the brilliant book, Father and Child Reunion, Farrell - Putnam the only definitive study ever done on child support collection indicated that Dad's pay between 80 and 93% of their court ordered support. But when these figures became apparent Wayne Stanton, then head of the Family Support Administration in Washington, D.C., had the study cancelled. In fact, it took a formal submission to the Freedom of Information Act to retrieve the data from Stanton's agency.