Scranton, PA

This has to be the most unusual winter I have ever seen.

My sister lives in Scranton, Pa where we practice real estate. Usually she gets some horrendous storms and snow accumulation. Without fail every time I go up there it snows. Grrrr. This year they are well below their annual average.

• In my part of Virginia, near Fredericksburg, we usually see one snow fall, maybe two per season. Typically it snows one day and melts the next. Our accumulation is hardly worth mentioning.

This year Mother Nature must really be on drugs. As of early last week the Washington DC area was already up on their annual snow count by 2/3. This past weekend another huge snow rolled in and some parts of Washington got between 28 - 40". My sister got zero.

• We have so much snow that strip centers and stores are obscured from the road, by the snow piled up in their parking lots. Night crews are scooping snow from the sides of the roads, putting it in dump trucks and hauling it away.

Today I heard Vancouver is trucking and flying in snow for the Winter Olympics. Geez, they should have held them in Washington DC.

We are expecting anywhere from 6 - 20" more starting today through Wednesday. The radar map shows another storm forming for the weekend.

Enough already!

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It was just announced that John Murtha (D Pa) died today.

You may know that he was one of the most controversial Congressmen in Washington.

• He was responsible for those 3 Seals being Court Marshaled over the BlackWater capture.

• He has been filmed ignoring votes in Congress and passing laws without majority vote.

• He has made the list of the top 10 most corrupt politicians in Washington year after year.

Numerous Democrats have indicated they would not seek re-election. Now this strongly held seat in the Johnston area of Pa will be added to those up for grabs.

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Today is one of those days best devoted to staying home and watching movies.

We are experiencing the largest snow storm in recent history.

• I caught a movie I had seen a few years ago. "Men of Honor" starring Cuba Gooding Jr and Robert De Niro. I had seen it once before and really enjoyed it.

This is the true story of Carl Brashear. He has the distinction of being the first Negro diver in the U.S. Navy during the 1950's. The story chronicles his challenges even to enter this prestigious group of Navy divers. Discrimination against Negroes in the service was common place at that time.

• An accident retrieving an atom bomb lost at sea caused him to lose his leg. He fought to rehabilitate himself in the days when prosthetic devices were not an high tech as they are today. He eventually was restored to full duty and allowed to dive again. Not without struggle and obstacles.

The determination to achieve against all odds makes this a truly a remarkable story.

If you get a chance to see it on cable it is a worthwhile movie.

Men of Honor

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The DNA of your newborn child is being collected by the government.

Parents are unaware that these tests are taking place.

Parents find out accidentally when their Pediatrician calls them to notify them of some aliment or disease, their child either has or may be prone to.

• "We were appalled when we found out," says Brown, who's a registered nurse. "Why do they need to store my baby's DNA indefinitely? Something on there could affect her ability to get a job later on, or get health insurance."

Art Caplan, a bioethicist at the University of Pennsylvania, says he understands why states don't first ask permission to screen babies for genetic diseases. "It's paternalistic, but the state has an overriding interest in protecting these babies," he says.

• Welcome to the Brave New World folks.

Did you know or did anyone ask your permission to test your child? That's your baby. He or she belongs to you - not the State or Federal Government. This raises serious questions of where that data will be stored and what it might be used for later.

• You should be aware of this point as well. If your insurance company or the State pays for these tests YOU DO NOT OWN THEM.

Read the full article here: <!--endclickprintexclude-->

It was announced today the Premier of the Province of Newfoundland, Danny Williams is coming to the U.S.for heart surgery.

• In an interview he cited, among other things, a wait of 182 days for any kind of surgical procedure.
  
• A huge majority of women's cancer tests came back with inaccurate results in his Province.
  
• He indicated he did not trust the competency of the surgeons in his country to perform the surgery.
  
• He felt his survival was at risk.

A Province is equivalent to a State. Population density varies from Province to Province as it does in this country, state by state. Access to services and the quality of those services varies as well.

The Premier certainly could have access to the best his country had to offer, no matter where in the country that service was located.

He did chose the BEST - THE UNITED STATES HEALTH CARE SYSTEM!!

• For those who want to look towards Canada as a shinning example of Socialized Medicine - Get Some Glasses!!

Yesterday Obama was in New Hampshire telling everyone how he was going to PUNCH THE HEALTH CARE BILL THROUGH!

• Obama gets the message from the American people alright. They do not want substandard health care like Canada has.

He does not care. He is only concerned with his agenda - not what is best for ALL of our citizens.

Is this the response of a President, or one of a Dictator?

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