I am a die-hard Dave Matthews Band fan so I was saddened to hear that Leroi Moore had an ATV accident on his farm in Virginia on Monday, June 30th.  Thankfully, he has been upgraded from critical to fair condition. 

 From DMBand.com

An Update on LeRoi  07/01/2008
LeRoi’s condition has been upgraded from serious to fair.  We would like to thank everyone for the generous outpouring of well wishes and support that LeRoi has received.  To send an email/ecard directly to LeRoi at the UVA hospital, please click here.  Mail may also be sent to LeRoi at the following address:  Post Office Box 1467, Charlottesville, VA  22902 or to fanmail@davematthewsband.com.

Get Well Leroi!!!!!

 On Sunday, June 22 we lost George Carlin. 

He will be greatly missed but thankfully we can still read and watch his incredible mind at work as he shows us that nothing horrible happens when you speak your mind.  He knew that deliverance meant everything and if you don’t use your mind, you’re missing out on so much!  I’m sure that he is looking back on his life with a lot of laughter and no regrets.

Thanks George!  We’ll miss you but you will live on through your comedic insights into our world.

People are complaining about and opting out of the body scanners in lieu of having a stranger pat you down during the screening process.  Don’t people realize that under our clothes everyone is naked?  Anyone with half an imagination can imagine what we look like under these clothes (which can sometimes be used as a diet aid!) so I honestly don’t know what their issue is.  It’s not like the screeners are asking you to strip search and it’s not like they’re posting the pictures on a giant screen in the airport, although that would amuse the many who are sitting for hours waiting for their plane.

Don’t these people realize that there are so many things to complain about when it comes to flying?
Think about it…
You’ve got airline fleets with 40 year-old wiring and gas lines and cracks in various parts of the plane which are crucial, like wings and tails and doors!
Pilots who are alcohol and drug users (not all but some) and are stretched so thin that they’re flying more hours than what I’m sure is recommended.  And recently one was caught actually sleeping on the job!!  The Air Traffic Controller was trying to wake him up!!
Air Traffic Controllers who were caught playing chicken with planes and reporting that they’re hiring them and putting them on duty before they’re even fully trained!
Prices that keep going up and service that keeps going down!  You don’t even get peanuts on some flights now which are awesome to keep your ears from popping on take-off!
Having to pay extra if you plan on bringing anything with you like luggage and soon if you’re overweight you might feel like a deli-meat as they’re considering making you pay more if you’re overweight!
And then just consider how some maniac will eventually try to duplicate 9/11 in order to get into the history books!!

I used to fly all of the time, but I figure that there are enough signs why NOT to fly that it would be silly NOT to listen!!

OK, I know that yesterday I was talking about the hypothetical love lives of the candidates but today I’m feeling bad for Hillary now that it looks as though she won’t be the Democrat Nominee.  I believe that Hillary was born with the desire to be a political leader right out of the womb and now it looks as though she’ll have to wait at least 4 years to try again. 

On top of that, Vanity Fair has published an article naming yet another of Bill’s indiscretions.  In “The Comeback Id”, Bill’s called a skirt chaser among other things and was linked to fire-ball actress Gina Gershon who vehemently denies the accusations and is suing Vanity Fair.

Hillary should have listened to her inner gut back when she was refusing Bill’s marriage proposals!!  <Why don’t we listen when God is trying to tell us something?  Why do we think that we’re smarter? >

I wonder how she would be perceived if she didn’t quietly take his bullshit.  Would she be more of a hero, more successful if she had kicked him to the curb?  Could she be the Democratic nominee if she stood up for herself instead of doing what is expected of a politician?  I mean…come on!   We don’t expect much from politicians anyway! 

I also wonder if she were more feminine would she have won?  Maybe if she didn’t wear a pantsuit constantly?  I was just saying to my husband that the first thing I think of when I see Hillary’s wardrobe is Ellen Degeneres!  Ellen wouldn’t wear a dress because it’s not who she is, so is Hillary doing the same?  <just pondering> And in all honestly, if Hillary was gay, I would respect her a lot more for coming out and standing up for herself.  I’m not saying she is but…

It boils down to this though.  Whether you like her or not, she is a human-being, a fellow Child who has a dream and makes choices good and bad.  She has feelings and a heart and a chart and because of that I feel for her.  I wouldn’t vote for her for anything but that won’t stop me from wishing her well.  I know that I bust her nuggets but that’s just my childish human side.  Deep down I’m a real softy.

First of all, the main news to report is that Shawn Hornbeck is doing alright!
Secondly, want to thank Craig Cheatham and the KMOV News Team for following up on the Shawn Hornbeck story. 
Thank You!

You are doing more of a service than you first thought, I’m sure, as it became obvious to you after your first article on May 8th entitled “News 4 Investigates:  Sylvia Browne Real Or Fake” broke open the gates of believers and non-believers including those who were once in Sylvia Browne’s inner circle.  I could tell by our phone conversation that you were amazed at the response and excited about the future follow-ups.  What a blast having such an interesting, timely subject that has more dirt than the city dump to sink your teeth in! 
<I sense an award in someones future >

Not only does it give hope to others who are in the horrible storm of losing a loved one in this way but it also warns others who are in a similar situations of how they too can become a victim. 
Sometimes life leaves us desperate for answers.  Desperate enough to believe in claims of others’ abilities who profess to give you resolution.  And, unfortunately there are people who prey on the desperate, any level of desperation.  The more people that hear about people like Sylvia Browne who preys on the victims families, the fewer will conned at their moment of desperation.

On Thursday, May 15 2008 Craig Cheatham and the KMOV Investigative News Team presented a follow up on the Shawn Hornbeck story in the KMOV Daily Briefing “Responding To Sylvia Browne.  

The video is astounding!  I really give a standing ovation to the news team who put this piece together.  It was fair and balanced and it has all of the information necessary that if someone had never heard the story , they’d have all of the information they needed.

There are a few things I would like to point out about the video which you can watch HERE:

 Sylvia claims to never take money from those asking for her assistance who have criminal or missing person cases.  Craig Aken specifically states that when he and his wife Pam appeared on the Montel Williams Show they were hoping to bring the story to a national level and they also wanted a one-on-one with Sylvia Browne and she said that she would charge them the going rate which was $750!

 After Shawn and Ben Ornsbey were found alive, Sylvia made NO attempt to apologize or anything to the  Aker family.  A simple “Oops” might have warded off all of this and Sylvia could still be the Queen of Whatever.

 DID YOU SEE THE SIZE OF THAT FREAKING LIMOUSINE?  Enough said cause I’ll be cursing up a storm and I don’t do that in public…not even really in private unless I’m angry WHICH I AM!!!! 

Jesus Christ!  My friends and I were so gullible!  We wanted to believe! 

Anyway…in the Article Craig Cheatham writes:

“During my previous story, I reported that Craig Akers, Shawn Hornbeck’s step-father, politely declined to be interviewed about Ms. Browne or her claims about Shawn, which was true. However, I knew that he was still angry about his experience with her on the Montel Williams Show four years ago.
He simply didn’t want to make his views on-the-record, at least not then.

On Saturday, he changed his mind.  What happened?
First, Mr. Akers apparently had scheduling problems and wasn’t available to talk with us. However, he had also seen our story about Ms. Browne on Thursday night and it seemed to spark the emotions he had tried so hard to supress.

On Saturday, our Supervising Producer Steve Perron learned that the Akers would be attending an event sponsored by the St. Louis school district. Sean would be there too. They were helping parents create identification kits for their children.

Steve decided to go and see if Mr. Akers would talk about Ms. Browne. And, as you know, that’s exactly what he did.”

You can read the entire article at KMOV and here are the links:
Craig Cheatham’s Blog “Responding to Sylvia”
KMOV News Report Video

And Have a Nice Day!

I don’t typically like to get political but the last few days have really impressed me!

First, Hillary wins W. Virginia and looks as though she’s on top of the world but the very next day Obama is handed all of John Edward’s delegates!  It’s as if they’ve forgotten that they’re in the same party and you know Obama had that in his pocket the whole time because he was so casual about everyone saying that she has last Tuesday in her pocket!

And then, I caught John McCain’s speech this morning and it blew even Obama’s well-written speeches out of the water!  I loved it!!  Of course I’m biased as I’m Republican since I grew up but you’ll see by the links on my sidebar that I am at least fair and balanced.

“Next January, the political leadership of the United States will change significantly.  If I’m elected President, the era of the permanent campaign will end.  The era of problem solving will begin.”
 - John McCain

To read the entire speech or watch it on video

A new article is up on StopSylviaBrowne.com regarding the KMOV TV’s exposé on Sylvia Browne!  In “An  Ex-Minister in Sylvia Browne’s Church Gives Her Thoughts on a TV Exposé”, Robert shares with us a  response to Craig Cheatham’s blog about Sylvia Browne written by Cheri Davis, another ex-Minister from the Society of Novus Spiritus Church.  I absolutely loved her letter and I hope that everyone gets a chance to read it. 

She [Cheri] says what many of us who campaign against Sylvia feel.  We know how those who still believe in Sylvia feel because we were once on her side, too!  We defended that woman [Sylvia] daily and it was necessary to do it, which should be a red flag for anyone!  If Sylvia’s claims are real, then there shouldn’t be so many contradictions and holes in her stories!  Why, if she has done so much good for others, is there NO solid proof of it…no emails stating facts that Sylvia Browne has indeed proven her abilities and that her intentions are genuine.  Why would we have to defend her if there is nothing to defend? 

Cheri knows what it is like just as I do as well as Nancy Williams, Rob Samuels and Ian Wilson, (ALL former Ministers of the Society of Novus Spiritus) do.  We’ve all felt the anger that people like those who posted in response to KMOV’s Report feel.  But, we [Cheri, Rob, Nancy and Ian and Myself] are armed now with first-hand experienced knowledge of Sylvia’s Corporation and Business Tactics (Fraud and Deceptive Trade Practices?) and now with the same fury that we used to use to teach others about Sylvia’s books or church, we now try to protect others from making the same mistake we did.

We are NOT saying that the concepts are wrong  <I can’t stand that people ignore that fact> as they are ancient and not newly found in the last 20 years by Sylvia Browne.  We are NOT saying that the self-help aspect in Sylvia’s books are bad but they are believed to be lifted from other self-help books and NOT obtained through imagined trances with her spirit guide.  Most of us who have disassociated with Sylvia Browne and her church still believe in the spiritual aspect but we’ve allowed our one-on-one connection with God and our logic to see that we’ve been had.

We ARE saying that when you need a spiritual mentor or a book to help you through a rough time, choose one who’s not out to drain your bank account in order to get through it.  Anyone who truly works for God will not charge you exorbitant fees to help you through a rough time or to find answers for you.  Sylvia Browne is not worth $850 for 20 minutes and her son, Chris is not worth $500.  (YES, the rates have gone up!)  These people [Sylvia] saw the laws of supply and demand and did what any get-rich-quick schemer would do.  They took advantage of it.  She’s done it before…she pled no contest to securities fraud and was indicted on grand larceny in Santa Clara County, California on May 26, 1992 and had to do 200 hours of community service while Dal, her husband at the time, did 4 months in jail!  This is nothing new to Sylvia.

So, hop on over to StopSylviaBrowne.com and check out Cheri Davis’ letter and then check out the responses to Craig Cheatham’s blog.  Heather Brown of GoSylviaBrowne.com who is Sylvia’s son Paul’s girlfriend wrote a response to Craig’s blog and apparently it hasn’t been approved by the staff yet.  I talked to Craig last week and he said that he has nothing to do with the incoming responses as there is a whole other department that handles that.  It’s a business…not a one-man show but she has as much a right as anyone to state her mind…

There is also a discussion on the JREF Forum if you’d like to read that.  I love reading the forums there.  I am known as TruthBeTold there but I don’t post anymore…

In closing I say this…If people out there do not like the lop-sidedness of all of this, provide information to balance it out!

Peace

My thoughts and prayers go out to the thousands who are affected by this very active tornado season.  I cannot imagine the devastation of having your life ripped apart like that.  Well, actually I can which is why I’m writing this and I am genuine about my offering of thoughts and prayers.  If there is more I can do such as donations, I’m sure I will be led that way.

On Fox News they just reported that this is the deadliest tornado season in a decade…

According to the NOAA National Severe Storms Laboratory (NSSL) there are an average of 1000 tornado’s in the US a year and 60 deaths. 

According to NOAA Storm Prediction Center’s numbers, so far this year we have had 84 tornadoes, 22 of them being considered “killer tornadoes” and sadly as of May 11th, there have been 96 deaths so far.

I’m sure that there are Apocalyptic people who see this as the coming of the end.  I sometimes believe it too but I have to balance that out with logic.  But if you were to read weather statistics for as long as they’ve been keeping them, you would see that these patterns repeat every so often whether it be years or decades and in some cases, centuries.

I am astonished when I hear of people’s naivety.  I mean…look at an ancient map of the world and then a modern day map.  There is a big difference!!  Why would we think it will stay as it is now?  We seem boggled when a lake-bed dries up or a river changes course or the ocean eats up a section of land.  I don’t understand living in a region called “tornadoe alley” but I realize that there isn’t really any safe place from the weather.  It’s just that not every place has earned it’s nickname yet.

Do you ever think of what people must find when they’re going through the rubble after one of these natural disasters?  There is no good hiding places for our “personal” stuff in a tornadoe, huh?  And, it’s so cliche to say that they’re just material things that you can replace but I bet that if you look around right now while you’re sitting at your computer, you will find at least 5 things that you wouldn’t want to do without.  It’s pretty mind-blowing.

Also, I also just heard on the news that the 7.5 earthquake that hit China last night has claimed 900 children who were crushed in a school and that is all that I’ve really heard about that story so far.  I typically have the news on all day with the volume turned down so I’m bound to hear more but can you freaking imagine?!

And then you hear that in Burma/Myanmar there are people stealing the supplies and the people who need it aren’t getting it.  A lot of people in the US think we’re screwed up!  <crazy>  Aid from the US has finally gotten through and they’re waiting for the government to let the stuff get dispersed as of this morning…

There’s so much going on in the world.  When people say, ”it could be worse“, it’s true. It could be.

Thanks to Robert Lancaster for hipping me up to the latest Sylvia Browne news so that I can pass it along to you and help to get the word out.  Knowledge is Power! 

KMOV is the news station up there in St. Louis, Missouri where
Shawn Hornbeck LIVES!!  “HUH?”

News 4 Investigates: Sylvia Browne real or fake?

(KMOV) - Sylvia Browne is famous around the world, but if she is really psychic, why did she claim that Shawn Hornbeck was dead?  

News 4 Investigates Craig Cheatham examines the Sylvia Browne empire and confronts her about her most famous mistake.

Watch Craig’s report

Also Online:
The Daily Briefing
News 4 Investigates Page

<you might be asked to register…if so, it is quick and painless>

ALSO check out Harris Online, a blog belonging to Paul Harris, a (former?) radio host from the St. Louis area.  In “KMOV Gets Skeptical“ Paul Harris provides us with a link to his interview with Robert Lancaster  of StopSylviaBrowne.com.

Good Job

<Hey Sylvia!   >

Overheard during Clinton’s shower this morning…

Should I stay or should I go now?
Should I stay or should I go now?
If I go there will be trouble
An if I stay it will be double
So come on and let me know…….

JUST KIDDING!! 
<I don’t know for sure that she did, in fact, take a shower>

I do apologize!  All of this just wafted through my brain and I thought “why not share”!  Some people will think it’s funny…some won’t.  That’s life.

Actually, I don’t think she’s [Hillary] gonna give up and that’s a good thing!  Why should she give up when it’s such a close race.  I am not a fan of the Clinton’s business and personal background but she has based her entire life on this so I give her all the support I can muster…you’ve gotta admit that she’s driven!

There is no perfect candidate in my opinion and I’m not necessarily a Republican or a Democrat.  I’ll vote for the right man but my husband always says that the right man [or woman] wouldn’t take the job. <implying the job would have an affect on their morals>  And our political system needs a massive overhaul so I think we’re way off-track with all of it anyway.  So, don’t hate me because I won’t vote for Hillary.

Well, before I go running off again and in the spirit of this post I figure, I will apologize again for the following…

Thanks to The Clash for giving us that fine little diddy.