North Korea Must Be REALLY Scared

North Korea has been busy lately, testing nuclear weapons and missles.  This is in direct violation of UN resolutions that they stop developing nuclear weapons.  So, what is the UN response?  You guessed it - another resolution!  It's as if the UN actually believes the N. Koreans will obey this time.

Gitmo to remain open for business (or terrorists)

Apparently, the same Democrats who for 5 or 6 years have been eager to close Gitmo have had a change of heart now that they are in power. With Obama's determination to make good on a campaign promise to close the prison, Dems in Congress have now decided that the place is acceptable. Now, both Obama and Congress can have it both ways: Obama can claim he made good on his promise, but was thwarted by Congress (and will leave out "Democrat-controlled") and Dems in Congress will claim they were keeping America's security in the forefront. And no one will ask about all those times the Dems insisted that the facilty be closed. Nope. Can't question the Dems about doing an about-face on one of their campaign themes from 2006 and 2008. That might mean questioning the Dems true intent of their campaign themes.

You're From Houston If . . .

Okay, so I wasn't born and raised in Houston. I wasn't even born in Texas. But I think I've lived here long enough that I'm beginning to understand this area. So here are MY takes on living in Houston. Not all of these apply to everyone. Traffic:

• You know what a ‘Texas exit’ is . . . and have done it.
• You allot 20 extra minutes to drive somewhere in case of traffic, even if the trip is only 5 miles.
• You think ‘Speed Limit’ is merely a suggestion.

Entertainment:

• Your church cancels services for ‘Go Texan’ day.
• The rodeo features Clint Black, Carrie Underwood, Toby Keith, Beyonce’, ZZ Top, Snoop Dogg, Black Eyed Peas, and Dave Matthews . . . and that’s just for the first week.
• You get to root for 3 losing professional teams all at once, no matter what time of year.

Weather:

• You think 6 inches of rain in a day is ‘a little bit’.
• A threat of snow 200 miles to the north is enough to have special coverage on the evening news.
• A hurricane somewhere in the world is all that’s needed to throw a Hurricane Party.
• You think 70 degrees is ‘just right’; 60 is ‘a little chilly’; 50 is ‘sweater weather’; and 40 is ‘time for the parka’.
• You think there are two seasons: ‘Summer’ and ‘Really Hot’
• You get warm water out of the Cold tap.
• Your rose bushes are in full bloom . . . in January.
• You name street intersections by the amount of floodwater they hold, as in “Saw an 18 wheeler floating in Ten Foot Gulch today” (i.e. I-10 and Beltway 8).
• You light up the fireplace when it’s 50 degrees outside.

Outdoors:

• Your biggest outdoor exercise fear is laying unconscious on the asphalt and cooking to death.
• Someone tells you there’s an alligator in the neighborhood swimming pool, and your response is “Again??”
• You know at least one person who’s lost a pet to an alligator.
• You know of someone who was knocked off their bike by a wild hog.
• Other areas have songbirds, but all you have are grackles.

Living:

• You pay dues to a homeowners’ association (HOA) but can’t figure out what it does.
• Gaining approval from your HOA to plant a single rose bush in the front yard requires more paperwork than your tax return.
• You lost your pet to an alligator and your HOA sends you a letter reminding you about the deed restrictions on not feeding wild animals.
• Your HOA deed restrictions carry more weight than state law.
• The county Mosquito Control department sprays year-round . . . and from airplanes.
• Your garage is bigger than your backyard.
• You can easily name 20 people who work in the Oil & Gas industry, not counting yourself and your children.
• There are 3 Wal-Marts all within 20 minutes from your house (okay, 40 with traffic).

Immigration:

• You’re unquestionably in favor of immediate deportation of all illegal immigrants . . . except for your lawn care guys.
• You think Spanglish is a real language.
• You have at least one friend of Mexican-Vietnamese heritage (Mexinese).
• You are surprised when the person behind the fast food counter actually knows English.
• You think Tex-Mex is a fusion cuisine.
• You see nothing unusual about a Mexican cook working at a Chinese restaurant.
• English is no longer the first language option on your bank’s ATM.

Economists & Weathermen

I am convinced that the only people who can get it wrong time and again and still get paid to give advice are economists and weathermen. Okay, add baseball players to that too (where else can you fail 7 out of 10 times and still be praised and paid millions for being a .300 hitter!). The news today is that economists once again got it wrong when it comes to the state of our economy. It appears that the "experts" are surprised that Americans are pulling back on their spending in light of employment uncertainty. Well, DUH!