Too Bad Tim Dinh...

I've never met you, and I'm quite positive you don't want to meet me.

For, you see, Tim, I'm not the gracious generous person you thought I was.

I am not sending you the new laptop you fraudulently paid for using an online account of mine. I'm not sure how you made it through, but bravo. That kind of energy redirected could bring about life changing moments for you.

Sadly, Tim, this is not one of those moments. I will be getting every last penny that you tried to take from me. You'll move on to other unsuspecting victims to try, once again, to obtain something for nothing.

So, if this post serves nothing more than a warning to my friends, family, and followers, so be it.

My advice to all of you? Go change the passwords to your critical accounts. You know which ones they are. Let me ask this rhetorical question...How many of those passwords are similar because it's convenient??

Not anymore, right? Be ever vigilant. Set a schedule. Every xx days, change your passwords. Make a point to look at your credit card and bank statements two to three times a week. It's a fact that if you commit three weeks to something, it becomes a habit. I'd love to say I'm a habitual password changer. I hope to get there someday.

Check your credit report often and please, please DO NOT go to freecreditreport.com. It is anything but free!!

Most of you in the metro ATL area have heard of Clark Howard. Second only to the Queen (aka my personal Certified Financial Panther) I refer to his site often for information and advice. Click here and it describes how to get your truly free credit report.

Don't let this happen to you. Don't rely on someone else to keep their eyes on your money. They didn't work for it....you did! Guard it fiercely!!

Sorry, Tim, go find someone else's day to ruin. This one is locked down...

Alysheba 3/3/84 - 3/27/09

“AMERICA’S HORSE” ALYSHEBA EUTHANIZED

Kentucky Horse Park Loses Thoroughbred Great

LEXINGTON, KY (March 28, 2009) The great Alysheba, Kentucky Derby winner and Horse of the Year recipient, was humanely euthanized at 11:13 pm Friday at the Hagyard Equine Medical Institute in Lexington, Kentucky. The 25-year-old stallion was buried this morning at the Hall of Champions, across from the grave of the legendary John Henry.

Alysheba fell in his stall on Friday afternoon and was not able to get up. Dr. Nathan Slovis was immediately called to the Kentucky Horse Park, and an equine ambulance transported Alysheba to the Hagyard Equine Medical Institute directly across the road from the park. Dr. Slovis and his team treated Alysheba and evaluated his condition. By evening, it was clear that he had sustained an insurmountable injury.

“Due to a chronic degenerative spinal condition that led to ataxia and instability, Alysheba fell in his stall yesterday injuring his right hind femur,” said Kathy Hopkins, Kentucky Horse Park Director of Equine Operations. “Complicated by his advanced age, this trauma resulted in severe pain that did not respond to analgesic therapy. The resulting pain and suffering, and the inability to stand unaided, led to a joint decision for euthanasia. This very difficult decision was made by the veterinary staff of Hagyard Medical, the veterinary staff of His Majesty King Abdullah, and those who loved and cared for him at the Kentucky Horse Park.”

“Alysheba had just become part of the Kentucky Horse Park family last fall and we were looking forward to having him for many years to come,” said John Nicholson, Executive Director of the Kentucky Horse Park. “Discussions with Dr. Slovis and King Abdullah’s team, however, led us to conclude that this was the right thing to do for Alysheba, and Hagyard’s staff performed admirably in such a difficult situation. I am grateful to His Majesty for giving us the opportunity to enjoy this special horse and share him again with his many fans, and I am happy that his last days were spent here on his native soil.”

Frank McGovern, General Manager of King Abdullah’s stables in Saudi Arabia, participated in the decision and thanked the park staff for trying to save Alysheba. He stated “his injury is one of those incidents that is not uncommon in older horses, and, unfortunately, nothing can ever be done. I am glad that he was back home and enjoying the first shoots of Spring before this happened.” He added his thanks to the Kentucky Horse Park team “for their work in making Alysheba a star again.”

Before coming to the Kentucky Horse Park, Alysheba spent the previous eight years of his life in the royal stables of His Majesty King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia, after standing his first years at stud at William S. Farish's Lane's End Farm in Versailles, Kentucky. Known on the track as “America’s horse,” he was sent to the Kentucky Horse Park as a gift to the American people in October 2008.

Bred by Preston Madden at Hamburg Place in Lexington, Alysheba (Alydar-Bel Sheba, by Lt. Stevens) was sold as a yearling to Dorothy and Pam Scharbauer for $500,000. They campaigned him under the guidance of Hall of Fame trainer, Jack Van Berg, who said, “He stuck out like a diamond in a rock pile.” Later, Van Berg observed, “He was so smart he knew what he was doing all the time.”

Alysheba won the 1987 Kentucky Derby (G1), Preakness Stakes (G1), Super Derby (G1), and an Eclipse Award as Champion 3-year-old colt. As a 4-year-old, he was even better, winning six Grade 1 stakes: the Strub Stakes, Santa Anita Handicap, Iselin Handicap, Woodward Stakes, Meadowlands Cup and the Breeders’ Cup Classic. He was ridden in 17 consecutive starts by Hall of Fame Jockey, Chris McCarron. Alysheba is listed at #42 on The Blood-Horse magazine’s list of the Top 100 U.S. Racehorses of the 20th Century, one notch above another Kentucky Derby-winner, Northern Dancer.

His career highlights also included Horse of the Year honors and track records for 1 1/4 miles at Belmont and The Meadowlands. Along the way, he defeated Risen Star, Forty Niner, Bet Twice, Seeking the Gold, and another Kentucky Derby-winner, the ill-fated Ferdinand. Until two-time Horse of the Year Cigar came along, Alysheba was the world’s richest Thoroughbred, with earnings of $6,679,242.

A memorial service for Alysheba will be planned at a later date.

The First Saturday in May....

Ahhh....May. The sun is shining. The flowers are in bloom. Life is flourishing and the Run for the Roses draws near.

I'm going out on a limb here, albeit a pretty solid one at that. I'm making my prediction for the Kentucky Derby and I'm pulling for The Pamplemousse.

I really love his high stepping gallop and his gangly stride. Kind of like the awkward kid in kickball, not really sure what he's doing, but somehow, someway, he's doing it right.

The 'Mousse is breaking from the #8 spot

He's such a monster. If he gets to the lead early watch out. You're not going to real in this runaway freight train. Beyond that, I'm pulling for his jockey, Alex Solis. A Derby win would all but guarantee his appointment to the Hall of Fame where he belongs.

I do have to have a second pick and that is Friesan Fire. He's the #9 horse:

I like the connections behind this horse. Larry Jones, the trainer, is ending is career this year. For those of you that don't know, Larry was the trainer for Eight Belles, the filly that gave Big Brown a strong run in the Derby last year. She beat 19 of the 20 colts that day. In the run out after the race, Eight Belles broke down, breaking both ankles. Sadly, she was euthanized that day. There was a whirlwind of events following this tragic moment, many of them completely and udderly ludicrous. Seriously, why, WHY, does the federal government feel they need to intervene in every single freakin' event. I can think of way too many things they should be doing instead of sticking their noses in the horse racing industry. Sorry, there is no place for that rant in this post. Larry Jones is one of the great trainers and if the 'Mousse doesn't win, I sure hope Friesan Fire finds his way to winner's circle.

Friday's Fact.....

NAVAL LINT

Navel lint, or more commonly belly button lint or navel fluff, is an accumulation of fluffy fibres in one's navel. Many people find that, at the beginning and end of the day, a small lump of fluff has appeared in the navelcavity. The reasons for this have been the subject of idle speculation for many years but in 2001, Dr. Karl Kruszelnicki of the University of Sydney, Australia, undertook a systematic survey to determine the ins and outs of navel lint. His primary findings were as follows: Navel lint consists primarily of stray fibers from one's clothing, mixed with some dead skin cells and strands of body hair. Contrary to expectations, navel lint appears to migrate upwards from underwear rather than downwards from shirts or tops. The migration process is the result of the frictional drag of body hair on underwear, which drags stray fibers up into the navel.Women experience less navel lint because of their finer and shorter body hairs. Conversely, older men experience it more because of their coarser and more numerous hairs. Navel lint's characteristic blue-gray tint is likely the averaging of the colors of fibers present in clothing; the same color as clothes dryer lint. The existence of navel lint is entirely harmless, and requires no corrective action. Dr. Kruszelnicki was awarded the Ig Nobel Prize for Interdisciplinary Research in 2002.

Hey Toast, something else to be proud about!




cited from: http://users.marshall.edu/~jacobs11/