Jesus on the Wall

Jesus on the Wall

As far back as I can remember, the picture hung on my grandmother's wall in her living room. Jesus holds a little lamb in one arm, and a shepherd’s crook in the other hand. Sheep gather around, and one looks up at Jesus (Like he knows him and trusts him?). My first...

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Sam’s Houston Press Articles – 2023

  Sam Byrd is a freelance contributor to the Houston Press who loves to take in all of Houston’s sights, sounds, food and fun. He also loves helping others to discover Houston’s rich culture. PS - Sam also contributes to Outsmart October 5, 2023 – Houston Chamber...

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Sam’s Houston Press Articles – 2019

  Sam Byrd is a freelance contributor to the Houston Press who loves to take in all of Houston’s sights, sounds, food and fun. He also loves helping others to discover Houston’s rich culture. PS - Sam also contributes to Outsmart December 31, 2019 – Tony DeSare...

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Sam’s Houston Press Articles – 2017

  Sam Byrd is a freelance contributor to the Houston Press who loves to take in all of Houston’s sights, sounds, food and fun. He also loves helping others to discover Houston’s rich culture. PS - Sam also contributes to Outsmart December 26, 2017 – Sounds of the...

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Sam’s Houston Press Articles – 2016

  Sam Byrd is a freelance contributor to the Houston Press who loves to take in all of Houston’s sights, sounds, food and fun. He also loves helping others to discover Houston’s rich culture. PS - Sam also contributes to Outsmart November 29, 2016 – World AIDS...

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Sam’s Houston Press Articles – 2017

  Sam Byrd is a freelance contributor to the Houston Press who loves to take in all of Houston’s sights, sounds, food and fun. He also loves helping others to discover Houston’s rich culture. PS - Sam also contributes to Outsmart December 26, 2017 – Sounds of the...

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Sam’s Houston Press Articles – 2017

  Sam Byrd is a freelance contributor to the Houston Press who loves to take in all of Houston’s sights, sounds, food and fun. He also loves helping others to discover Houston’s rich culture. PS - Sam also contributes to Outsmart December 26, 2017 – Sounds of the...

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Quarter Beer Night

Quarter Beer Night

Most of us have heard at one time or another a hair-raising tale about an event which was so harrowing that it caused the storyteller’s “whole life to flash before” him. I’m not sure I’ve ever had such a “flash before me” experience; at least not one which involved my...

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Sam’s Houston Press Articles – 2020

  Sam Byrd is a freelance contributor to the Houston Press who loves to take in all of Houston’s sights, sounds, food and fun. He also loves helping others to discover Houston’s rich culture. PS - Sam also contributes to Outsmart...

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Sam’s Houston Press Articles – 2023

  Sam Byrd is a freelance contributor to the Houston Press who loves to take in all of Houston’s sights, sounds, food and fun. He also loves helping others to discover Houston’s rich culture. PS - Sam also contributes to Outsmart October 5, 2023 – Houston Chamber...

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Sam’s Houston Press Article – 2022

  Sam Byrd is a freelance contributor to the Houston Press who loves to take in all of Houston’s sights, sounds, food and fun. He also loves helping others to discover Houston’s rich culture. PS - Sam also contributes to Outsmart December 28, 2022 – ECHO...

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Jack & Jane with Stanley Forbes

Jack & Jane with Stanley Forbes

Uncle Jack, Aunt Jane, and their first son Stanley. That is most likely Vicky Millican on the right.I don't recognize that pick-up truck behind the swing set, but that Ford looks like Uncle Clyde Kuykendall's. That swing set looks like one we had in our backyard on...

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Billie, Vicky and Betty

Billie, Vicky and Betty

We often referred to them as "The Girls."  I believe they may have referred to us as "The Boys." Three sisters, Billie, Vicky, and Betty. Oh, how we love these cousins of ours.We're still trying to figure out where this picture was taken and when. We know the date...

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Who Is Tommy Moore?

Who Is Tommy Moore?

 An unusual springtime snowfall canceled Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s plans for a March 22, 1968 protest. More than 16 inches fell: the second largest snowfall in Memphis history, and well beyond the city’s yearly snowfall average of 5.6 inches. But Thomas Moore, an...

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Quarter Beer Night

Quarter Beer Night

Most of us have heard at one time or another a hair-raising tale about an event which was so harrowing that it caused the storyteller’s “whole life to flash before” him. I’m not sure I’ve ever had such a “flash before me” experience; at least not one which involved my...

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The Mayor and I

The Mayor and I

There once was a county clerk in Memphis, by the name of Dick Hackett. He was a hard line fundamentalist right winger who required female employees to wear bras. I wrote him and volunteered to be the county bra “inspector.” Needless to say, I didn’t get the job.His...

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Vicky, Anita, Billie, Norma & Betty

Vicky, Anita, Billie, Norma & Betty

The Millican girls and two of the Kuykendall girls pose at this family gathering. Betty says she believes it was taken in Daddy Forbes's back yard.  The date stamp on the photo reads "July 1959."

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Scanning Family Photos

Scanning Family Photos

March 30, 2021: My cousin, Betty Millican Barnes, sent a packet of old family photos. I’ve been scanning them and trying to figure out who’s who. To see what we’ve scanned so far, click on the “Family Photos” link in the menu above; or click here.I’ve created blog...

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Bigger Group Picture of Backyard Gathering

Bigger Group Picture of Backyard Gathering

More from a gathering in the back yard in Munford. Sam Byrd; unidentified woman (perhaps Vicky Millican?); Solomon Harris Forbes (Daddy Forbes) with back turned; two unidentified women seated on glider (Perhaps the one on the right is Jane Forbes.); woman in white...

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Forbes Family Gathering

Forbes Family Gathering

Sam & Billy Byrd; Jane & Stanley Forbes. Solomon Harris "Hap" Forbes; and maybe Jack Forbes with back turned?To view larger image, click here. 

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Our Move to Houston

Our Move to Houston

ack in 1998, we were invited by Houston Baptist University to come to Houston.1998She received her call on Monday, June 29, and they flew the two of us down on Wednesday, July 1, 1998. They made their offer to hire on...

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Sam & Bill Byrd; Jane and Daddy Forbes – July 1959

Sam & Bill Byrd; Jane and Daddy Forbes – July 1959

A gathering of the Forbes Family, believed by Betty Millican Barnes to be in Daddy Forbes's back yard. She also indicated she believed it was a birthday gathering for Uncle Joe. An obituary, though, indicates that Uncle Joe died in June, 1959. The picture is dated by...

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Trump vs Puerto Rico

Trump vs Puerto Rico

ccording to "The Lancet," Trump and his administration exhibited open and relentless "hostility toward Puerto Ricans.""The Trump administration’s unremitting hostility toward Puerto Ricans was also reflected in its 2019 proposal to cut “excessive...

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Border Crisis

Border Crisis

id the increase of children arriving at the border start under Trump or Biden? Answer:  Under Trump. Biden had nothing to do with it. The fact-checkers had a look. https://tinyurl.com/34em9ytv  ...

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Rioters and Money Problems

Rioters and Money Problems

ashington Post investigators found that nearly 60 percent of Trump's insurrectionists "had prior money troubles, including bankruptcies, bad debts and tax liens." https://tinyurl.com/38bfj2sv    

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Kavanaugh Was Not Exonerated

Kavanaugh Was Not Exonerated

says it's a LIE that her witnesses refuted her allegation.  "WASHINGTON (AP) — Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh and his Senate supporters misrepresented the record when they stated that three witnesses refuted Christine Blasey Ford’s...

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Trump Depleted Vaccine Reserve for Biden

Trump Depleted Vaccine Reserve for Biden

According to Kate Riga and Josh Kovensky of Talking Points Memo, Trump’s Health and Human Services Secretary Azar gave “health officials the impression that their stockpiles would grow and allow them to dramatically expand the vaccination effort. ““That promise turned...

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Lancet Commission on Public Health

Lancet Commission on Public Health

rom "The Lancet" - The premier British medical journal examined Trump's conduct. The  Lancet Commission on Public Policy and Health examined Trump's actions and assessed their impact on public health. Among the actions by Trump cited by the...

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LBJ’s Voting Rights Speech

LBJ’s Voting Rights Speech

ydon Johnson's address to Congress in support of voting rights should be required reading for all Americans today. ________________ “And We Shall Overcome”: President Lyndon B. Johnson’s Special Message to Congress Forward by someone at GMU:...

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Sam’s Houston Press Articles – 2021

  Sam Byrd is a freelance contributor to the Houston Press who loves to take in all of Houston’s sights, sounds, food and fun. He also loves helping others to discover Houston’s rich culture. PS - Sam also contributes to Outsmart December 14, 2021 – Behind The...

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Sam’s Houston Press Articles – 2021

  Sam Byrd is a freelance contributor to the Houston Press who loves to take in all of Houston’s sights, sounds, food and fun. He also loves helping others to discover Houston’s rich culture. PS - Sam also contributes to Outsmart December 14, 2021 – Behind The...

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Sam’s Houston Press Articles – 2020

  Sam Byrd is a freelance contributor to the Houston Press who loves to take in all of Houston’s sights, sounds, food and fun. He also loves helping others to discover Houston’s rich culture. PS - Sam also contributes to Outsmart November 20, 2020 – Houston...

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“Loneliness”

“Loneliness”

Is There a Medical Cure for Loneliness ?  With older Americans at higher risk for social isolation, science may have a treatment  From AARP - The Magazine Genomics Researcher Steve Cole had never really thought much about loneliness and the pain it causes until he...

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“Portable Man”

“Portable Man”

  My friend, Delmark Goldfarb, wrote and produced this CD. I was living in Conway, Arkansas at the time, I visited Memphis to lay down some overdubs at Keith Sykes studio. In some quarters, you will see my harp parts credited to John Sebastian. When I first heard...

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GoDaddy Back-Ups

GoDaddy Back-Ups

1) Log-in2) Sherrybyrd.com >>> Manage3) Sherrybyrd.com >>> Manage Hosting4) Sherrybyrd.com (Web Hosting with CPanel)5) cPanel 

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Patrick Hall Moves on to Epiphany

Patrick Hall Moves on to Epiphany

ews from your Missioner This is the letter Patrick Hall sent to Autry House congregants - announcing his answering the call from Church of the Epiphany.________________________________________ Dear Autry House, It has been...

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Volkswagen Bug

Volkswagen Bug

One of my favorite memories of driving a "Bug." Running out of gas, but then coasting into the next gas station. One of my WORST memories of driving a "Bug." Stepping on the brake only to find the entire pedal assembly falling over like a line of dominoes......  ...

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Sam’s Houston Press Articles – 2019

  Sam Byrd is a freelance contributor to the Houston Press who loves to take in all of Houston’s sights, sounds, food and fun. He also loves helping others to discover Houston’s rich culture. PS - Sam also contributes to Outsmart December 31, 2019 – Tony DeSare...

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Where Is Todd’s Creek?

Where Is Todd’s Creek?

Greetings from River City!   I grew up literally on the bank of a bayou back in Memphis, Tennessee. Of course, we didn’t call it a “bayou.” We called it “The Ditch.”  It’s real name was “Todd’s Creek,” which I sometimes call just “Todd Creek” (leaving out the...

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The Magician’s Assistant

The Magician’s Assistant

Once, at a Gridiron Show cast party, the magician’s assistant made a play for me. I wasn’t interested and tried to dodge her. She persisted.One of the other acts was a lady barbershop quartet. They saw what was going on. They liked me too; but weren’t at all...

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Hindman’s Ferry Road

Hindman’s Ferry Road

  My brother, Dwayne, my Nephew, Jeff, and I have been having a discussion about Hindman's Ferry Road. We're not sure which of today's roads (if any) was Hindman's Ferry. Jeff decided to ask Vance Lauderdale, Contributing Editor of Memphis Magazine, about it....

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Reaper Bookmarks

Reaper Bookmarks

Some bookmarks I've collected. Most have to do with Reaper (Digital Audio Work Station).     Recording from Scratch Getting Started Drum Loops Bass Guitar Acoustic & Electric Guitars Virtual Instruments Vocals Mixing from Scratch The Static Mix Mix Buss...

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Nice Recording

Nice Recording

I like this sound; recorded on the TASCAM DP008EX.   https://youtu.be/GIjUTMyAWeo?t=1m30s ________________________________________   "Southern Nights"   I use an 8 track digital recorder that is no larger than a cigar box. While it has 8 separate tracks...

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$350 Studio?

$350 Studio?

https://youtu.be/XLXSqan3Jcs?t=49s Not sure about this; and I know the items are pricier now than when this guy recorded this; but for what it's worth, here it is. Audio interface: Focusrite Scarlett Solo:  $99 (Has 1 Mic Preamp. and 2nd Input for guitar, keyboard,...

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Sam’s Houston Press Articles – 2018

  Sam Byrd is a freelance contributor to the Houston Press who loves to take in all of Houston’s sights, sounds, food and fun. He also loves helping others to discover Houston’s rich culture. PS - Sam also contributes to Outsmart December 20, 2018 – Decorations...

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Dodging the Flood

Randal Byrd | August 31, 2017 | Storytelling We dodged a bullet! This picture was sent to us at 9:00 a.m. on Sunday morning (August 27, 2017). It was taken by our across the street neighbors. Our neighborhood became a river and a lake. Not one drop of water, though,...

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Murals at Palmer

Murals at Palmer

I just love these two murals by friends of ours from Palmer Memorial Episcopal Church. They are the collaborative works of Jackie Campbell, Kaytee Esser, and Kelly Bourgeois. The murals each are about 20 feet wide. What spectacular work. Thank you, Kaytee, Kelly, and...

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Statue Weary

Statue Weary

Here's a thought experiment for you. Do you have any idea what was going on in the south in 1964? Remember the 60s civil rights struggle? Remember the church bombings? Remember the police turning fire hoses on civil rights demonstrators? Then think of this. Why is it,...

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Blessing for Peggy and Steele

rom June of 1996 until July of 1998, we worshiped with the good people at St. Peter's Episcopal Church in Conway, Arkansas. After we moved to Houston, I entered into an arrangement by which the weekly sermons would be sent...

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Sam’s Houston Press Articles – 2017

  Sam Byrd is a freelance contributor to the Houston Press who loves to take in all of Houston’s sights, sounds, food and fun. He also loves helping others to discover Houston’s rich culture. PS - Sam also contributes to Outsmart December 26, 2017 – Sounds of the...

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Record Jobs Growth; Thank You, President Obama!

Record Jobs Growth; Thank You, President Obama!

Yes there are records for jobs growth. From "The Atlantic" -- November, 2016 "When Barack Obama took office, the unemployment rate was passing 8 percent on its way to 10 percent. But US unemployment has now been at 5 percent or below every month for a full year. The...

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Inform Your Face

Inform Your Face

This is a piece I wrote years ago at the behest of our rector. He challenged me to write an Evangelism article for our monthly newsletter.  I struggled for weeks, writing, rewriting, trashing my draft, and then writing again. Then, it hit me in a flash, and I dashed...

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Coming to Houston

Coming to Houston

ack in 1998, we were invited by Houston Baptist University to come to Houston.1998She received her call on Monday, June 29, and they flew the two of us down on Wednesday, July 1, 1998. They made their offer to hire on...

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Reagan Corruption

Reagan Corruption

henever someone brings up Reagan and paints him as a hero,  I like to cite this little fact from Sleepwalking Through History, by Haynes Johnson: The numbers of Reagan administration officials either...

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Who Is Tommy Moore?

An unusual springtime snowfall canceled Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s plans for a March 22, 1968 protest. More than 16 inches fell: the second largest snowfall in Memphis history, and well beyond the city's yearly snowfall average of 5.6 inches. But Thomas Moore, an...

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The Mayor and I

The Mayor and I

here once was a county clerk in Memphis, by the name of Dick Hackett. He was a hard line fundamentalist right winger who required female employees to wear bras. I wrote him and volunteered to be the county bra “inspector.” Needless to say, I didn't...

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Saturday Morning Rassling

Saturday Morning Rassling

A recent post to the Frayser High Class of 1969 website by Gary Harrison (class of ‘72) mentioned famous wrestlers, Tojo Yamamoto and Jackie Fargo. It reminded me of two other famous personalities from that same era, and I thought I’d relate this tale to my...

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More Links

More Links

Blog-Teck Links PicMonkey Tutorials Divi Child Themes Do an online magazine No gap between Modules Day of the Dead Divi Layouts Pop Art Portrait Lagniappe Shoe Laces Dying Jeans NYT – State by State

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Sunday School – 2016

Sunday School – 2016

Sunday School - Fall, 2016 Here it is - another school year!   9/11 Tom/Shannon 9/18 Shannon/Randy 9/25 Randy/Tom 10/2 Shannon/Randy 10/9 Randy/Yuko 10/16 Tom//Shannon 10/23 RETREAT 10/30 NO SUNDAY SCHOOL 11/6 Tom//Shannon 11/13 Shannon/Randy 11/20 Randy/Tom...

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New Priest

New Priest

e met our new associate rector at Palmer this past Sunday; and I do believe I have the distinction of being the first person she Communicated here.  

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Mercurochrome

ole recounts his first war injury.   "I took a grenade in hand, pulled the pin, and tossed it in the direction of the farmhouse. It wasn't a very good pitch (remember, I was used to catching passes, not throwing them)....

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WINTER TRIPS

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Phasellus eget consequat nibh. Fusce id quam aliquet, volutpat mauris aliquet, faucibus justo. Morbi in libero turpis. Praesent vestibulum leo ac lorem finibus, a scelerisque arcu ultricies. Phasellus et...

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CAMPING TIPS —

CAMPING TIPS —

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Phasellus eget consequat nibh. Fusce id quam aliquet, volutpat mauris aliquet, faucibus justo. Morbi in libero turpis. Praesent vestibulum leo ac lorem finibus, a scelerisque arcu ultricies. Phasellus et...

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ALPS SUMMIT —

ALPS SUMMIT —

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Phasellus eget consequat nibh. Fusce id quam aliquet, volutpat mauris aliquet, faucibus justo. Morbi in libero turpis. Praesent vestibulum leo ac lorem finibus, a scelerisque arcu ultricies. Phasellus et...

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On the Minimum Wage

Research suggests that a ten percent hike in the minimum wage could be expected to bring about a 1/10th of 1% hike in prices. In other words, that $100.00 cart of groceries might cost you $100.10 after giving the stock clerks a 10% raise. Those stock clerks would them...

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On the Minimum Wage

Research suggests that a ten percent hike in the minimum wage could be expected to bring about a 1/10th of 1% hike in prices. In other words, that $100.00 cart of groceries might cost you $100.10 after giving the stock clerks a 10% raise. Those stock clerks would them...

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Networks, Blacks, and the GOP

"During Robert Dole's 1996 convention speech, network camera operators could not find any actual black people to portray as delegates who were really delegates. So as a favor to Dole and the Republicans, they focused on their own employees." Eric Alterman; What...

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St. Bede’s Family Service

St. Bede’s Family Service

t 9:08 in St. Bede’s Chapel we wonder if anyone other than the core team of worship leaders will show up for the 9:15 Family Service. Then, in a matter of minutes, we have a crowd of probably 75. Babies being babies,...

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Playing for Pizza

PLAYING FOR PIZZA   I just finished reading John Grisham's "Playing for Pizza," a story about an NFL quarterback who takes a five-month contract to play minor league football in Italy.

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Vote Suppression

"Over the past several years Republican lawmakers, citing concerns of voter fraud and of electoral calculations, have introduced voting restrictions in dozens of states, limiting polling hours, requiring difficult-to-acquire forms of identification, closing polling...

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Why photo IDs?

Coors: The better question is, ''Why require a photo ID for voting when the old IDs worked just fine?'' No one can come up with an answer that will stand up to logical scrutiny. Paleriderdosset ''stricter'' means what? 4918   PM:  ...

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Government Tyranny

If we allow the govt to FORCE women to have babies, what's next?The govt forcing us to become Muslims? The govt forcing us to become libertarians?The govt forcing us to observe Lent? The govt forcing us into homosexual marriage?Forcing us to learn Spanish?No, thank...

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The Biden Rule

Editing out what Biden said doesn't erase it from the public record. No matter HOW MANY TIMES you guys take his earlier statements out of context, we will remind you of the greater context. He WELCOMED BUSH's nomination should a vacancy happen. You can't make it...

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Part D Penalty

Kaslin: If it's wrong for people to be fined under Obamacare, why is it okay for seniors on fixed incomes to be fined under Bush's Part D ?Kaslin is NOT going to say; nor will any other right winger.

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Rules or No Rules?

Reminds me of once when some of the older boys broke up a fight I was in and said, ''Let's settle it in the ring.'' So, they made us put on boxing gloves and we began to fight.....the older boys acted as referee; breaking us up when we got in a clutch, etc..... Then,...

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Doss Isn’t Afraid of Questions

Veritas:  Did you think for a second that Richweb was going to post about his political views and invite us to scrutinize those views critically?BTW -- I support unions, Democrats, teachers, voting rights, civil rights, marriage equality, environmental...

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Go Union!

You know that when even a brain dead wing nut sees the benefit of unions, the unions must be doing SOMETHING right.   5099   PM:   Mrsdeluxe   [Quote]     -- 7:46am -- Sat, Mar 5, 16 pstMaryI'm a member of the...

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How Is the Obama Economy?

How Is the Obama Economy? Let's ask some right wingers! <B>5084 PM: Dwightvol [Quote] -- 7:43am -- Sat, Mar 5, 16 pst Dwightvol Here's a shocker for you. My family business as you call it just about doubled it's income in 3 yrs.. 5609 PM: Dino [Quote] --...

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Dog-Salute

 The Daily Show with Jon StewartGet More: Daily Show Full Episodes,The Daily Show on Facebook,Daily Show Video Archive Bush Salute with Dog in Hand

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Absence of What?

2623 PM: Christians [Quote] -- 2:08pm -- Sat, Feb 27, 16 pst Christians are Good Absence of evidence does not mean evidence of absence

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Reagan and Fantasy

''One of his favorite stories, one that he told over and over again to different audiences, concerned a pilot in World War II who told his crew to bail out of their crippled B-17 bomber. When the tail gunner said he could not move because he was badly wounded, the...

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