So my big personal update

I've recently caught up with some old pals from waaay back in the day, and probably should update them on the latest and greatest happening in my life: Marcela. We've been going out for about a year and a half, and we get married on 23 January, just over a week from now! Here is the invite and a pix of us.
For those of you that can't make the wedding, we'll post pix and video of it when they are back.

Have a brilliant day!
Charlie

Tsunami Relief -- January '05 Contributions Deductible on 2004 Tax Returns

Tsunami Relief -- January '05 Contributions Deductible on 2004 Tax Returns


A new law allows taxpayers who itemize to deduct on their 2004 tax returns certain contributions to charities to aid the victims of the tsunami even if the contribution was made during January 2005.

Nice, about time the IRS got into the act... 8-) Get those donations going!

Go HERE for a list of Charities

My Pal Al's Tunes baby...

Some sweet beats by my pal AlRazor... Chex dem out. 8-)

Before and After Images of the Tsunami

This is amazing... shows how nature is the ultimate force to be reconed with. No matter how "high and mighty" man is, the earth is still our master. Keep that in mind when you drive your huge SUV around guzzlin' gas...

Very kool...

10x10™ ('ten by ten') is an interactive exploration of the words and pictures that define the time. The result is an often moving, sometimes shocking, occasionally frivolous, but always fitting snapshot of our world. Every hour, 10x10 collects the 100 words and pictures that matter most on a global scale, and presents them as a single image, taken to encapsulate that moment in time. Over the course of days, months, and years, 10x10 leaves a trail of these hourly statements which, stitched together side by side, form a continuous patchwork tapestry of human life.

10x10 is ever-changing, ever-growing, quietly observing the ways in which we live. It records our wars and crises, our triumphs and tragedies, our mistakes and milestones. When we make history, or at least the headlines, 10x10 takes note and remembers.

Low Carb Beer Comparison Chart - 'Nuff Said

Nice, now we know... 8-) from the Low Carb Beer Comparison Chart

Among the Good:
    Aspen Edge 2.6 grams per
   Michelob Ultra 2.6 grams
   Miller Lite 3.2 grams

Among the Bad:
   Guiness 17.6 grams
   Bud Lite 6.6 grams
   Sam Adams Light 9.7 grams

So Wrong: Bush pays for positive comments

From the "This is SO wrong" Department:

Seeking to build support among black families for its education reform law, the Bush administration paid a prominent black pundit $240,000 to promote the law on his nationally syndicated television show and to urge other black journalists to do the same.
...part of an effort to promote No Child Left Behind (NCLB), required commentator Armstrong Williams "to regularly comment on NCLB during the course of his broadcasts," and to interview Education Secretary Rod Paige for TV and radio spots that aired during the show in 2004.

Williams' contract was part of a $1 million deal with Ketchum that produced "video news releases" designed to look like news reports. The Bush administration used similar releases last year to promote its Medicare prescription drug plan, prompting a scolding from the Government Accountability Office, which called them an illegal use of taxpayers' dollars.

Williams, 45, a former aide to U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, is one of the top black conservative voices in the nation. He hosts The Right Side on TV and radio, and writes op-ed pieces for newspapers, including USA TODAY, while running a public relations firm, Graham Williams Group.

After Retreat, G.O.P. Changes House Ethics Rule Anyway

I can't believe this... have they no shame?

House Republicans crossed over to the wrong side of the ethical divide last November when they rewrote their own rules in a misguided effort to safeguard Rep. Tom DeLay.

DeLay was admonished twice by the House ethics committee in 2004 and is threatened by a grand jury investigation in his home state of Texas.

The idea of rewriting the House ethics rules for someone who's already under investigation for allegedly bending other rules is beyond the pale.

What the HELL is this all about?!?!

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Bush administration is preparing plans for possible lifetime detention of suspected terrorists, including hundreds whom the government does not have enough evidence to charge in courts, The Washington Post reported Sunday.

What the hell are they thinking? How can they think they can ignore this little Amendment 6 of the Bill of Rights?

In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the State and district wherein the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the Assistance of Counsel for his defence.

ChooseTheBlue.com - Nice!

ChooseTheBlue.com compiles information from third party sources primarily to show certain reported spending by political action committees connected with a corporation* and by that corporation's employees as political contributions, in each case related to recent federal elections.

Lots of good companies that contributed to Dem's cause vs Rep's. Surprisingly, Fox and Fox news gave more to Dems? Check out the lower right column for the fox breakdown.