Stephen Curry vs. Wisconsin - Sweet 16 Highlights

One of the greatest performances in NCAA history.

Check out the last play in this trailer.

Charitable Conservatives

I read this in the Enquirer this morning

George Will's column of March 27 ("Not just red-blue: We're split between religious givers, secular non-givers") cites statistics to show that conservatives are more charitable than liberals. I wonder, though, how those statistics would change if contributions to churches were excluded.

Religious conservatives do indeed give a lot of money to their own churches - money that goes to maintain their buildings and pay their staff. Little of that money goes to feed the hungry, clothe the poor or shelter the homeless - it goes to provide services to the donors themselves. The difference between "blue" and "red" is that most liberals give (and vote) to benefit others, while most conservatives give (and vote) to benefit themselves.

Shirlie Briggs

Finneytown

Actually Shirlie, conservatives give more to non church charities than liberals do; above and beyond their church tithes. If you were to read the article, you would know that.

But just to give Shirlie and all the atheistic liberals out there a taste of what churches do with their money, let me share an email (press release) I received from my church, Crossroads Community Church, a mega church here in Cincinnati.

CINCINNATI - March 26, 2008 -- The Ohio Supreme Court released a decision today clearing the way for the development of a new social service center in Cincinnati's West End. By declining to hear an appeal of a 2007 Ohio First District Court of Appeals ruling that upheld CityLink's original Zoning Certificate of Compliance, the Supreme Court removed final barriers that delayed the Bank Street development.

CityLink is a new kind of resource where care is integrated into one location to serve the city's poor, with a wide range of services to improve their lives.

"We're pleased with the decision and excited about moving forward with a new strategy for combating poverty in Cincinnati," said Tim Senff, board chairman for CityLink.

Though Cincinnati now nearly tops the list of poorest cities in America, supporters say CityLink can help break cycles that keep so many trapped in generational poverty. CityLink was organized by local churches and Christian social service providers and is modeled after a growing nationwide trend of integrated service centers. Such integrated centers can be found in Atlanta, Los Angeles, Miami and San Antonio, for example.

Senff puts the scope of Cincinnati's poverty problem on par with some of the most significant issues in the city's history. According to a U.S. Census Bureau survey released last August, 28% of Cincinnatians live below the poverty line, making it the third poorest city in the nation and the poorest city in Ohio. Even those not living in poverty are affected by these statistics. Negative perceptions of the city impact tourism and economic development dollars for the entire region.

Yet CityLink leaders believe their facility and its services can positively impact not only those in poverty, but also CityLink neighbors and the entire city.

"Our research has shown that property values have increased for real estate near co-located integrated service centers, and that crime has decreased when vacant buildings are replaced by new development,." Senff said. CityLink Center will be constructed on the site of a long-vacant former slaughterhouse facility in Cincinnati's West End.

Once complete, the center at 800 Bank Street will incorporate the services of the founding faith-based agencies plus additional social service organizations. CityLink will provide holistic services centered in four primary categories: health and wellness; basic life skills; employment and education; and therapeutic fitness. It will also provide a multi-month transitional housing program for people who have committed to making a change in their lives. While faith-based, CityLink is open to anyone regardless of their religious beliefs.

"The fight against poverty in Cincinnati is about to widen," said Jim Strayhorn, pastor of Bright Star Baptist Church in the West End. "I am thankful CityLink is making its multi-million dollar investment in our neighborhood, and very proud that healing for thousands of Cincinnatians will begin here with the support of my church and many other churches in our neighborhood."
# # #


More on CityLink Initiatives
While the development for CityLink Center is still in process, CityLink-the movement-is now. Join one of several current initiatives, all facilitated by OneCity (www.onecity.org).

* The Outlet at City Gospel Mission - Saturday morning games and relationship-building with homeless individuals; to get involved, e-mail us at outlet@crossroads.net.

* StepUp Prison Mentoring - helping residents at River City Correctional Facility pursue a fresh start; to get involved, e-mail us at stepup@crossroads.net.

* TeamWorks Job Mentoring - helping people move from unemployment to self-sufficiency; to get involved, e-mail us at teamworks@crossroads.net.

Check out ReachOut for more information.

Now how many atheists groups are out there are trying to do something for the poor in this magnitude. I'm going to guess that it's the same number as the SEC teams in the final eight.... a whopping zero.

I haven't been down to the City Gospel Mission since the beginning of the year but I intend to start serving the last Friday of the month starting in May. If any of you liberals actually want to put it on the line, let me know and we'll go down some Friday night.

My guess is that you really just want to thrust your projection around and not really solve anything.

Global Warming Challenge Update

The score to the global warming challenge

Warm - 94 Cold - 97.

If it wasn't for four record warm days in January. This would look like the Memphis-MSU game last night.

Liberals coming to senses?

I find it out right laughable when liberals finally come to the conclusion about The Billary that conservatives have known since 1991; They are scumbags.

Joe Conason has a take on The Billary

Over the past few months, the emotional trajectory of the Democratic presidential primary has dropped precipitously, from inspiring to enervating, turning into a chronicle of petty sniping and amplified nastiness that will harm the party, the nation and the eventual nominee. Neither side is innocent of driving the discourse downward -- and everyone observing the process knows that both sides have crossed lines of decency and decorum, whether by accident or design.

Having watched many nasty political campaigns, however, including some far worse than this one, I tend to discount the constant hysteria over "dirty tactics" that is now background noise in almost every election. But Hillary Clinton's campaign crossed a symbolic boundary this week when its operatives sent around clips from the notoriously Clinton-hating extreme-right press to denigrate Barack Obama and his advisors. It was slightly eerie to watch those items arrive in the mailbox along with photos of Sen. Clinton at an editorial meeting of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review -- where she was seated next to that newspaper's owner, a certain Richard Mellon Scaife.

Joe buddy, I'm still waiting on that column where you tell us conservative "you were right". C'mon, sound it out. I know you can say it.

NCAA

Well it was nice for the Big Ten to show and confirm their title as the most overrated sports conference in the country with those stunning performances last night.

That now gives the Bug Ten exactly one..... one.... one..... actually no teams in the final eight.

Not to feel bad, the SEC doesn't have any this year either.

Actually here's the breakdown

Big Twelve 2
Big East 1
Pac 10 1
Conference USA 1
Southern 1
ACC 1
Atlantic 10 1

One of the things that I like so much about the tournament is that it's really the only venue where teams from lesser known leagues get to play the big guys on an even playing field.

This, despite the fact that many times the teams from these leagues get screwed on their seedings (see Butler) and year after year trams show up and beat the big leagues. I just wonder how many SEC or Big Ten teams would be in the final eight if they had to start as a 10th seed. Actually we already know that now; -0-.

Go X

Who will they vote for? #12

Excerpt from this article

A boy in his mid-teens learned Wednesday afternoon that it is not a good idea to try to rob a former U.S. Marine at knifepoint, even if the former Marine is 84 years old, police said today.

Santa Rosa police Sgt. Steve Bair said that's what happened around 2 p.m. in the 1600 block of Fourth Street. The elderly man was walking with a grocery bag in each arm when the boy approached him with a large knife, Bair said.

The boy said, "Old man, give me your wallet or I'll cut you," Bair said. The man told the boy he was a former Marine who fought in three wars and had been threatened with knives and bayonets, Bair said.

The man then put his bags on the ground and told the boy that if he stepped closer he would be sorry. When the boy stepped closer, the man kicked him in the groin, knocking him to the sidewalk, Bair said. The ex-Marine picked up his grocery bags and walked home, leaving the boy doubled over, Bair said.

The man reported the attempted robbery to police 45 minutes later.

Here's the question.

Who does the 84 year old marine vote for this November?

The unifier of Hugo Chavez and Reverend Wright, Obamania.

John McCain

Ralph Nader

Part Two

Let's assume the attacker is actually 18, who does he vote for?

Just when you think you've heard it all

I just an older lady come in and this was the conversation. I couldn't make this up.

OL Is this where you drop off dogs to be buried.

Gordon Some people might say yes. We do tax returns.

OL I've got a dead dog in the car and we need to get it buried... is this the place?

Gordon No. This isn't the place

OL Do you know where the place is?

Gordon Actually, I'm not sure I know of a place, I've never had to bury a dog before.

OL You're sure this isn't the place

Gordon Maam, I can assure you that I may look like a buried dead dog right now but that's not what we do here.

OL That was the dumbest dog; it died eating a chicken bone. You'd think it would know better.


I think you get the picture.

A Friday Funny

Meet Gordon

So far, this tax season has been a big success for us. Each year has been an improvement from the preceding year; telling me that we're doing something right. This year is no exception.

As a result, I'm going to do my fourth April 15th celebration.

If you are interested in meeting Gordon and having a few free rounds, put April 15th @ 6:00 on your calendar.

I'll be setting up at Willie's Sports Cafe in Kenwood for a little tax season celebration.

So meet Gordon & his posse, unless your name is Puffy Combs.... I don't want to end up like Tupac.

How charitable are "progressives"

George Will with a great post that lays out the statistics to what we already know from life lessons.

Liberals talk a big game but when it really comes to compassion, but they never back back it up with money.

Excerpt

Although liberal families' incomes average 6 percent higher than those of conservative families, conservative-headed households give, on average, 30 percent more to charity than the average liberal-headed household ($1,600 per year vs. $1,227).

Conservatives also donate more time and give more blood.

Residents of the states that voted for John Kerry in 2004 gave smaller percentages of their incomes to charity than did residents of states that voted for George Bush.

Bush carried 24 of the 25 states where charitable giving was above average.

In the 10 reddest states, in which Bush got more than 60 percent majorities, the average percentage of personal income donated to charity was 3.5. Residents of the bluest states, which gave Bush less than 40 percent, donated just 1.9 percent.

People who reject the idea that "government has a responsibility to reduce income inequality" give an average of four times more than people who accept that proposition.

So I guess we shouldn't be surprised when we see Obamania's tax returns show charitable contributions for the amount money he was able to find in his couch cushions the past year.

I'm presently working out my schedule this summer and one of the things I really want to take on is a trip to New Orleans or South Africa to do some work to help those communities.

While the boys from Plunderbund want to rip on religious types, I would like to throw this to those guys. When is the last time a pack of atheists ever did a damn thing for anyone?

I've have yet to see the Atheists for a better New Orleans group out there. Where are all these atheists that have done a Habitat for Humanity home?

The fact is you will never find one, because these guys never actually want to look at a problem. I would say "progressives" just want to cut a check and let someone else handle it but, as the facts above prove, they don't even want to do that.

It's a good thing they have fact checkers

Thank God the LA Times has a "fact checking" team. Otherwise they might have put out an crazily false article stating that Puffy Combs was responsible for the death of Tupac Shakur.

Remind me again, of what distinguishes a blogger from a "journalist".

Trivia question

Trivia question for the day

Who said this?

"If you have burned the Jews, why don't you give a piece of Europe, the United States, Canada or Alaska to Israel. Our question is, if you have committed this huge crime, why should the innocent nation of Palestine pay for this crime?"

a) Reverend Wright

b) Mahmoud Ahmedinejad

c) Louis Farrakhan

Out of curiosity, if you don't have the stones to stand up to your pastor about his teachings, how do you stand up to a nut job like Ahmedinejad.

Obamania generosity

For some time, I've been challenging the guys over at Plunderbund and other liberal blogs to give to their local school district or whatever cause they trumpet but some how they never seem willing to actually cut a check.

Why? They are democrats; They expect everyone else to do the heavy lifting.

Look at Obamania's income tax records for the past six years and you'll see why. It's nice to see Obama could scrape up $1000 bucks on an income of $259,000 in 2002. Hey Obama, I gave more than that as a college student; couldn't find some old shirts to give to good will?

I guess I now need to give Obamania a pass now on the Wright issue; it's pretty clear that Obamania never really paid attention to his sermons after all; at least those tithing sermons.

For the record, when democrats talk about greed..... it's their own. In psychological circles they call it projection.

Hat Tip TaxprofBlog

Hey Jennifer, come and get me

A piece at NRO related to Rush's self proclaimed "Operation Chaos"

Excerpt

Rush Limbaugh has laughed in the face of legal threats today, reacting to overwrought charges that his tongue-in-cheek "Operation Chaos" — encouraging listeners to vote for Hillary — somehow violates election laws.

In Cuyahoga County, they're pledging an investigation.

In Virginia, it was a stupid idea when the GOP proposed it - and quickly abandoned it. But in Ohio, it's established law; to vote in the primary, you have to sign an affidavit pledging loyalty to the principles of the Democratic party. One caller told Rush of getting a big laugh at the polling place when he asked, "What principles?"

More....

PA gun control

The National Journal with a piece on the gun control issue in the upcoming PA primary.

Excerpt

Guns are an especially potent issue in Pennsylvania, which is home to 300,000 members of the National Rifle Association -- the highest per capita NRA membership in the country, according to Chris Cox, executive director of the NRA's Institute for Legislative Action. A 2002 Quinnipiac University poll found that 42 percent of Pennsylvania households have guns, including 54 percent of union households, a key Democratic constituency.

Gun issues also stir up passions in Pennsylvania for another very different reason. Philadelphia has experienced an epidemic of gun killings: 331 people were shot to death last year, 321 with handguns.

I decided to do a little research on all these Philly murders; here's a map of all them.

Now here's a few trivia questions

1) How many of these 400 murders in Philadelphia were committed by NRA members?

2) How is it that Philadelphia had all these murders? It's a "progressive" city, not some rural hickville. Didn't anyone tell these murderers that democrats are a people of peace, love & empathy for their suffering brother?

3) If guns are the problem, how is it that all those hillbillies in western PA don't have a murder rate equal to that of Philly?

Once again, tell me how a city run by democrats is a more attractive alternative to a republican run suburb?

We're just getting started

Spending on Medicare, the U.S. health-care program for the elderly, will reach a legal limit by 2014, requiring the next president to propose changes.

The report issued today is the second consecutive year that Medicare's trustees have pulled the so-called trigger, a law mandating that the president introduce legislation the following year to protect the program's financing.

What? Whoever drafted this report is a quack. Everyone knows Medicare is in great shape. In fact, it's in such great shape we're going to expand it to the entire country. Our honorable senators would never put together a program that resembles a Ponzi scheme.

More....

Sowell on Obamania

Thomas Sowell on Obamania.

Money Quote

While many whites may be annoyed by Jeremiah Wright's words, a year from now most of them will probably have forgotten about him. But many blacks who absorb his toxic message can still be paying for it, big-time, for decades to come.

Why should young blacks be expected to work to meet educational standards, or even behavioral standards, if they believe the message that all their problems are caused by whites, that the deck is stacked against them? That is ultimately a message of hopelessness, however much audacity it may have.

More....

Aaaaahhhhh, it's spring time

I don't care when the equinox hits. Nothing says spring is here like opening day for American baseball.... In Tokyo.

Go Reds

We need higher taxes

One in ten Ohioans receives food stamps; obviously a signal of tough times.

It is also obvious that if we want to bring back the state economy, we need an enormous state tax increase. That will be just the stimulus this area needs to bring jobs back to Ohio. Along with the tax increase, we also need some serious business regulations; like they have over there in France (or Michigan).

For instance, if Ohio shortens the required work week to 32 hours, that means employers will have to hire more employees to do the work that was done with the previous workforce.

Let's not forget things like mandatory health coverage, vacation pay, another increase in the minimum wage, mandatory union membership, etc.; those things are sure to bring about an ample supply of jobs to the area.

If we can just create an environment in this state where employers are forced to pay more to their employees, we'll solve this whole dilemma.

Duke sucks part 2

another "r" rating for profanity

Duke sucks part 1

rated "R" for foul language

Pastor

Don't ask me why but youtube won't transfer these on a timely basis. So I thought I would just leave them on.

Obama Focus Group

I just want some hope and change on that hot dog

Interview with Shelby Steele on Barack Obama

An excellent insight.

Jerry needs no help playing with his ball.

Hitchens on Obamamania

My favorite liberal, Chris Hitchens, on Obamamania.

Excerpt

You often hear it said, of some political or other opportunist, that he would sell his own grandmother if it would suit his interests. But you seldom, if ever, see this notorious transaction actually being performed, which is why I am slightly surprised that Obama got away with it so easily. (Yet why do I say I am surprised? He still gets away with absolutely everything.)

Looking for a moral equivalent to a professional demagogue who thinks that AIDS and drugs are the result of a conspiracy by the white man, Obama settled on an 85-year-old lady named Madelyn Dunham, who spent a good deal of her youth helping to raise him and who now lives alone and unwell in a condo in Honolulu. It would be interesting to know whether her charismatic grandson made her aware that he was about to touch her with his grace and make her famous in this way. By sheer good fortune, she, too, could be a part of it all and serve her turn in the great enhancement.

More.....

Who will he vote for? #11

Meet Ryane Ziemba. What's this little twerp in the news for?

Excerpt

Six Iraq war protesters disrupted an Easter Mass on Sunday, shouting and squirting fake blood on themselves and parishioners in a packed auditorium.

Three men and three women startled the crowd during Cardinal Francis George's homily, yelling "Even the Pope calls for peace" as they were removed from the Mass by security guards and ushers.

One Mass attendee, Mike Wainscott of Chicago, yelled at the anti-war protesters.

"Are you happy with yourselves?" he said. "There were kids in there. You scared little kids with your selfish act. Are you happy now?"

The group, which calls itself Catholic Schoolgirls Against the War, said in a statement after the arrests that they targeted the Holy Name Cathedral on Easter to reach a large audience, including Chicago's most prominent Catholic citizens and the press, which usually covers the services.

So it's time to play "Who will he vote for?"

Does this little punk vote for the racial reconciliation espoused by Obamamania and the Reverend Wright.

John McCain

Ralph Nader

But that's not perjury

Article

Criminal charges were filed today against Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick and his former Chief of Staff Christine Beatty in connection with the "text message scandal" that has enveloped the Mayor's office.

There are 12 criminal counts in all, including obstruction of justice, conspiracy, misconduct in office and perjury.

"It is perjury if there is lying, and perjury is a crime," said Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy in announcing the charges, "Even children understand that lying is wrong."

This prosecutor needs to whip out her law books. I'm pretty sure we established somewhere around 1998 that lying under oath wasn't a felony if it was about "getting you some".

I mean c'mon, surely we wouldn't have a spouse of a public official actually receiving votes for president if she supported her husband when he committed perjury for a BJ. Right?

I got my "Boss Button"

Last night. Mrs. Gekko and I went down to US bank arena for the Springsteen show.

I went whole hog on the tickets (on the floor) because, as big of a Springsteen fan I am, I've never actually seen his show. I still cringe from the 1984 tour where I had tickets but couldn't see the show as a result of The incident(s).

We were a little disappointed that the Boss didn't play some classics like Rosalita, Thunder Road, Jungleland, but he still played some classics, Born to Run, Glory days, Candy's Room, She's the One, Prove it all Night, Badlands.

Some other thoughts.

1) Bruce buddy, the average ticket was over a hundred bucks, do yourself a favor and spring for a $1.49 comb.

2) The political stuff was OK, but FISA? Bruce you are from NJ; if you're going to rail on government intrusion I think RICO is your law.

3) How is it that this county spent 1 billion dollars on stadiums and the only thing we have to host a big concert like Springsteen or and NCAA tournament game is a dump named US Bank Arena? What a shit hole. The last time I was in that arena, I swore I'd never go back. This time I mean it.

Why would anyone associate their name with that dump?

4) That girl the Boss pulled up on stage during Dancing in the Dark was a great dancer; she put Courtney Cox to shame.

5) To the Aronoff Center, you need to re book that Queen tribute band. Mrs. Gekko and I want to see it.

6) A big time hangover is no way to spend Easter Sunday.