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8 years ago (2/17/05)
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Wedding BellsWent to my first wedding of the summer yesterday. Two of my best friends Zack shadowdrgon and Sarah unicorn_3 got married yesterday. The bride was gorgeous, the wedding was beautiful, the reception was a blast, and Zack well he was Zack :op (what can I say he's like a brother to me). I couldn't be happier for the both of them. So do me a favor and go spam the hell outta both of their pages while they are gone on their honeymoon.
And Happy Mother's Day to all you moms out there.
Peace Love and Flames
Phoenix
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A Sad Day In Racing“She went out in glory. She went out as a champion.â€
That’s how Larry Jones, trainer of Eight Belles, tearfully summed up the accident that claimed the 3-year-old filly’s life a quarter mile past the finish line in the Kentucky Derby, when she simultaneously broke both her front ankles just seconds after finishing a game second to winner Big Brown.
At a news conference several hours after the accident, a still distraught Jones said he had no explanation for the catastrophic breakdown.
“It was the best she had ever come into a race and she ran the race of her life,†he said.
Dr. Larry Bramlage, the on-call veterinarian for the race, said the simultaneous snapping of both front ankles, which occurred as the filly was galloping out after the race, was an incident the like of which he had never seen in decades of veterinary practice. Eight Belles was euthanized moments later.
“In my years in racing, I have never seen this happen,†he said. “... There was no possible way to save her.â€
While such an injury on only one leg might have given her a fighting chance to survive, “She didn’t have a front leg to stand on to be splinted and hauled off in the ambulance, so she was immediately euthanized,â Bramlage said.
Jockey Gabriel Saez, who was thrown when the filly went down, was not injured.
Jones, who a day earlier celebrated winning the Kentucky Oaks with Eight Belles’ stablemate, Proud Spell, said he and the filly’s owner, Richard Porter of Hobe Sound, Fla., who races as Fox Hill Farms, had no idea that Eight Belles’ had been hurt as they made their way to the track after watching her gallop out of sight around the turn.
He said it took several minutes to wade through the Derby day crowd. When they got to the track and didn’t see Eight Belles, he said he figured his assistants had already unsaddled her and were taking her to the post-race barn
Then, he recalled, he saw Saez riding on the back of the pony that NBC Sports broadcaster Donna Brothers used for on-track coverage.
“He was as shook up and I was going to be later,†Jones said. “He just jumped off and gave me a hug and said they put her down.â€
Jones said he couldn’t believe his ears. He ran across the track and caught a ride on an equine ambulance to the backstretch, where he was able to examine Eight Belles’ injury. As soon as he saw the extent of the damage, he said he agreed with the decision to put her down.
“It had to be done,†he said. “She had no way of being spared.â€
He said owner Porter was “taking it hard and second-guessing himself.â€
But the trainer defended the decision to run the filly against males for the first time in one of the sport’s most demanding races, saying that the injury was not a result of her being overmatched.
“She ran the race of her life. She put it out there,†Jones said. “If she had been under distress finishing and was losing ground, I would really have second-guessed ourselves severely and kicked myself in the pants all the way. But this filly hit the ground running and after the wire was galloping out well.â€
Bramlage agreed, noting that fillies and mares compete against male horses regularly with no adverse consequences . “One injury is not an epidemic,†he said. “As bad as it seems right now, it’s one incident.â€
The death of the filly moments after she had run a tremendous race to be second to Big Brown cast a pall over the stunning victory.
Rick Dutrow Jr. and Kent Desormeaux, trainer and rider of Big Brown, respectively, extended their regrets to Eight Belles’ connections at their post-race victory conference.
“We love horses; all of us do,†Dutrow said when asked how the incident had affected him. “If you don’t love horses and you’re in this game, get out.â€
Steve Sexton, president of Churchill Downs racetrack, issued a statement saying the “entire Kentucky Derby family extends its deepest sympathy to owners Fox Hill Farms, trainer Larry Jones and jockey Gabriel Saez on the loss of such a brilliant filly. … After watching Eight Belles’ outstanding performance as the second-place finisher in Kentucky Derby 134, It was heartbreaking to see her fatally injured.â€
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Too True To Be FunnyIn this season of elections and politicians spouting how good they will be for this country maybe it's time to think about what politicians are really good for. The next time you hear a politician use the word "billion" in a casual manner, think about the manner in which you want them spending YOUR tax money. A billion is a difficult number to comprehend, but one advertising agency did a good job of putting that figure into some perspective in one of its releases. A. A billion seconds ago it was 1959. B. A billion minutes ago Jesus was alive. C. A billion hours ago our ancestors were living in the Stone Age. D. A billion days ago no-one walked on the earth on two feet. E. A billion dollars ago was only 8 hours and 20 minutes, at the rate our government is spending it. While this thought is still fresh in our brain, and since everyone seems to love talking about New Orleans let's take a look at it. It's amazing what you can learn with some simple division . . Louisiana Senator, Mary Landrieu (D), is presently asking the Congress for $250 BILLION to rebuild New Orleans . Interesting number, what does it mean? A. Well, if you are one of 484,674 residents of New Orleans (every man, woman, child), you each get $516,528. B. Or, if you have one of the 188,251 homes in New Orleans , your home gets $1,329,787. C. Or, if you are a family of four, your family gets $2,066,012. Washington , D.C .. HELLO!!! ... Are all your calculators broken?? Have you ever stopped to think what we pay taxes on?? Tax Poem:Tax his land, Tax his wage, Tax his bed in which he lays. Tax his tractor, Tax his mule, Teach him taxes are the rule. Tax his cow , Tax his goat, Tax his pants, Tax his coat. Tax his ties, Tax his shirts, Tax his work, Tax his dirt. Tax his tobacco, Tax his drink, Tax him if he tries to think. Tax his booze, Tax his beers, If he cries, Tax his tears. Tax his bills, Tax his gas, Tax his notes, Tax his cash. Tax him good and let him know That after taxes, he has no dough. If he hollers, Tax him more, Tax him until he's good and sore. Tax his coffin, Tax his grave, Tax the sod in which he lays. Put these words upon his tomb, "Taxes drove me to my doom!" An d when he's gone, We won't relax, We'll still be after the inheritance TAX!! More Taxes:Accounts Receivable Tax Building Permit Tax CDL License Tax Cigarette Tax Corporate Income Tax Dog License Tax Federal Income Tax Federal Unemploymen t Tax (FUTA) Fishing License Tax Food License Tax Fuel Perm it Tax Gasoline Tax Hunting License Tax Inheritance Tax Inventory Tax IRS Interest Charges (tax on top of tax), IRS Penalties (tax on top of tax), Liquor Tax, Luxury Tax, Marriage License Tax, Medicare Tax, Property Tax, Real Estate Tax, Service charge taxes, Social Security Tax, Road Usage Tax (Truckers), Sales Taxes, Recreational Vehicle Tax, School Tax, State Income Tax, State Unemployment Tax (SUTA), Telephone Federal Excise Tax, Telephone Federal Universal Service Fe e Tax, Telephone Federal, State and Local Surcharge Tax, Telephone Minimum Usage Surcharge Tax, Telephone Recurring and Non-recurring Charges Tax, Telephone State and Local Tax, Telephone Usage Charge Tax, Utility Tax, Vehicle License Registration Tax, Vehicle Sales Tax, Watercraft Registration Tax, Well Permit Tax, Workers Compensation Tax. Still think this is funny? Not one of these taxes existed 100 years ago, and our nation was the most prosperous in the world. We had absolutely no national debt, had the largest middle class in the world, and Mom stayed home to raise the kids. What the heck happened? What happened. Can you say politicians! Too True To Be FunnyIn this season of elections and politicians spouting how good they will be for this country maybe it's time to think about what politicians are really good for. The next time you hear a politician use the word "billion" in a casual manner, think about the manner in which you want them spending YOUR tax money. A billion is a difficult number to comprehend, but one advertising agency did a good job of putting that figure into some perspective in one of its releases. A. A billion seconds ago it was 1959. B. A billion minutes ago Jesus was alive. C. A billion hours ago our ancestors were living in the Stone Age. D. A billion days ago no-one walked on the earth on two feet. E. A billion dollars ago was only 8 hours and 20 minutes, at the rate our government is spending it. While this thought is still fresh in our brain, and since everyone seems to love talking about New Orleans let's take a look at it. It's amazing what you can learn with some simple division . . Louisiana Senator, Mary Landrieu (D), is presently asking the Congress for $250 BILLION to rebuild New Orleans . Interesting number, what does it mean? A. Well, if you are one of 484,674 residents of New Orleans (every man, woman, child), you each get $516,528. B. Or, if you have one of the 188,251 homes in New Orleans , your home gets $1,329,787. C. Or, if you are a family of four, your family gets $2,066,012. Washington , D.C .. HELLO!!! ... Are all your calculators broken?? Have you ever stopped to think what we pay taxes on?? Tax Poem:Tax his land, Tax his wage, Tax his bed in which he lays. Tax his tractor, Tax his mule, Teach him taxes are the rule. Tax his cow , Tax his goat, Tax his pants, Tax his coat. Tax his ties, Tax his shirts, Tax his work, Tax his dirt. Tax his tobacco, Tax his drink, Tax him if he tries to think. Tax his booze, Tax his beers, If he cries, Tax his tears. Tax his bills, Tax his gas, Tax his notes, Tax his cash. Tax him good and let him know That after taxes, he has no dough. If he hollers, Tax him more, Tax him until he's good and sore. Tax his coffin, Tax his grave, Tax the sod in which he lays. Put these words upon his tomb, "Taxes drove me to my doom!" An d when he's gone, We won't relax, We'll still be after the inheritance TAX!! More Taxes:Accounts Receivable Tax Building Permit Tax CDL License Tax Cigarette Tax Corporate Income Tax Dog License Tax Federal Income Tax Federal Unemploymen t Tax (FUTA) Fishing License Tax Food License Tax Fuel Perm it Tax Gasoline Tax Hunting License Tax Inheritance Tax Inventory Tax IRS Interest Charges (tax on top of tax), IRS Penalties (tax on top of tax), Liquor Tax, Luxury Tax, Marriage License Tax, Medicare Tax, Property Tax, Real Estate Tax, Service charge taxes, Social Security Tax, Road Usage Tax (Truckers), Sales Taxes, Recreational Vehicle Tax, School Tax, State Income Tax, State Unemployment Tax (SUTA), Telephone Federal Excise Tax, Telephone Federal Universal Service Fe e Tax, Telephone Federal, State and Local Surcharge Tax, Telephone Minimum Usage Surcharge Tax, Telephone Recurring and Non-recurring Charges Tax, Telephone State and Local Tax, Telephone Usage Charge Tax, Utility Tax, Vehicle License Registration Tax, Vehicle Sales Tax, Watercraft Registration Tax, Well Permit Tax, Workers Compensation Tax. Still think this is funny? Not one of these taxes existed 100 years ago, and our nation was the most prosperous in the world. We had absolutely no national debt, had the largest middle class in the world, and Mom stayed home to raise the kids. What the heck happened? What happened. Can you say politicians!
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Military IntelligenceThis is supposed to be the transcript of the actual radio conversation of a US naval
ship with Canadian authorities off the coast of Newfoundland in
October 1995. Radio conversation released by the Chief of Naval
Operations 10-10-95. Dunno if it is or not but it's still damn funny.
Canadians: Please divert your course 15 degrees the South to avoid a
collision.
Americans: Recommend you divert your course 15 degrees the North to
avoid a collision.
Canadians: Negative. You will have to divert your course 15 degrees
to the South to avoid a collision.
Americans: This is the Captain of a US Navy ship. I say again, divert
YOUR course.
Canadians: No. I say again, you divert YOUR course.
Americans: THIS IS THE AIRCRAFT CARRIER USS LINCOLN, THE SECOND
LARGEST SHIP IN THE UNITED STATES' ATLANTIC FLEET. WE ARE
ACCOMPANIED BY THREE DESTROYERS, THREE CRUISERS AND
NUMEROUS SUPPORT VESSELS. I DEMAND THAT YOU CHANGE YOUR
COURSE 15 DEGREES NORTH, I SAY AGAIN, THAT'S ONE FIVE
DEGREES NORTH, OR COUNTER-MEASURES WILL BE UNDERTAKEN TO
ENSURE THE SAFETY OF THIS SHIP.
Canadians: This is a lighthouse. Your call.
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Life is too short. It's been a while since the new year but these are my wishes for you all for 2008.
Remember, grudges are a waste of perfect happiness. Laugh when you can, apologize when you should and let go of what you can't change. Love deeply and forgive quickly, take chances, give everything and have no regrets. Life is too short to be unhappy, you have to take the good with the bad, smile when you're sad love what you've got and always remember what you had. Always forgive but never forget, learn from your mistakes but never regret them. People change and things go wrong but always remember life goes on.
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