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A Long Way Gone

Ishmael Beah wrote best-selling "A Long Way Gone," about Sierra Leone war

Some observers question Beah's timeline

Beah: I "stand by" my memories

See CNN Story

 

NEW YORK (AP) -- Ishmael Beah, author of a best-selling memoir about his time as a boy soldier in Sierra Leone, disputes newspaper reports that he had exaggerated his war service, telling The Associated Press on Wednesday that he will "stand by" what he wrote.

  I saw Ishmael Beah on CSpan BookTV and was spell bound by his story.  I did wonder  how he could be so normal and well balanced after everything that he had seen and done. 

"...During his time in the government army, Beah says he killed "too many people to count." He and other soldiers smoked marijuana and sniffed amphetamines and "brown-brown", a mix of cocaine and gunpowder. He blames the addictions for his violence^[2] and cites the addictions and the pressures of the army as reasons for his inability to escape on his own: "If you left, it was as good as being dead...."

The following is from Wikipedia:

"...In 2008, the newspaper The Australian reported that aspects of Beah's account of his life story did not match other evidence. The report claimed that Beah was 15 (rather than 13) when his village was destroyed, and that given the more compressed time frame, he could not have been a soldier for more than a couple of months, rather than the years that he describes in his book.^[7] These claims were subsequently denied in a statement issued by Beah, in which he called into question the reliability of the sources quoted by The Australian, and reaffirmed the validity of the dates, quoting two Sierra Leonean sources who corroborated the chronology of events given in his book.^[8] However, the publisher was forced to amend this statement after it was pointed out that it seriously misrepresented The Australian's report and that the sources cited were in fact quoted by The Australian, and did not validate Beah's chronology. However, the publisher stood by the accuracy of the book.^[9] As of January 26, 2008, The Australian stands by its previous report^[10] and has further reported that another prominent child soldier does not believe that Beah became involved in the conflict until 1995, not 1993 as he claimed.^[11] The paper claims that local journalists and relief workers can find no evidence of a 1996 fight in a rehabilitation camp that allegedly killed 6 people and "are confident the incident described by Beah did not occur..."

The 2008 Bloggies Award

"Honor. Prestige. Wealth. These are some of the things that a Bloggie won't bring you. But that won't stop the Web from voting, because this is the annual non-profit competition that determines which blogs are the best of the best. Get ready to find out who the 2008 Weblog Awards are going to."

Pharmacy Costs

  I think we have too many laws and regulations in the United States now.  I think a lot of the regulations harm more than help.  (No I am not a right wing Republican or supporter of Ron Paul.)
  I switched from the Any Any Any insurance plan to the AvMed insurance plan at the first of this year.  I have not seen the new plan doctor so I could not get my medications paid for by the new insurance company.  So I decided to skip taking my CoregCR heart/blood pressure medication because it cost $108.34 for 30 day supply and that is $3.61 each capsule. 
  Well it has been a couple of weeks, I think, and my heart pain is bad.  I woke up today with heart pain and pain in my left arm (yes I know I know..I worked hospital security for 30 years and I was an EMT in Missouri plus a CPR instructor so I know). 
  Now a heart attack is not a bad way to go IF you do go right away with it. 
  But I decided to go ahead and buy 8 CoregCR capsules  because I will see my new doctor in 8 days and he can write a Rx for me and then the new insurance company will pay for most of the medication.
  So I call in the order to CVS and tell the it will be for 8 capsules and that I will be paying cash for it.  I went to pick it up.
  Now what would you expect me to pay for the 8 capsules?

John Edwards Ended His Campaign to be President

  I was an early supporter of John Edwards but I voted on Tuesday, here in FL, for Hillary Clinton.  Now John Edwards has ended his campaign to be president.  When we elect Obama or Clinton as president I hope that John Edwards will be the vice president but if not I hope they find a place for him in the administration.

  I never vote for a Republican and if you wonder why just take a look at the United States today after a Republican president and congress.
  John McCain is a good and decent man and I hope the Republicans pick him.  But he is too old and he is a Republican.  I think he also has some issues that would not make him a good president. 
 
  Giuliani is a low life scum and thank God he is out of the race to be the Republican presidential candidate.

  The Federal Reserve cut the key short term interest rate again.  The more they do things to make is feel better the more I start to worry.  It looks like they are sitting there out of control.  All this interest rate cutting does not make me think things are going to get better. 
  But then I can't get my check book to balance.

Margaret Truman Daniel Dead at 83

Margaret Truman Daniel, Harry Truman's only child, dead after brief illness

Truman was pianist, TV personality, best known later as mystery writer

Early criticism of singing led to letter from father threatening music critic

KANSAS CITY, Missouri (AP) -- "Margaret Truman, the only child of former President Harry S. Truman who became a concert singer, actress, radio and TV personality and mystery writer, died Tuesday. She was 83.

Margaret Truman Daniel was a singer, TV personality and mystery writer.

Truman, known as Margaret Truman Daniel in private life, died at a Chicago assisted living facility following a brief illness, according to a statement from the Harry S. Truman Library and Museum in Independence. She had been at the facility for the past several weeks and was on a respirator, the library said.

Her father's succession to the presidency in 1945 thrust her into the national spotlight while a college junior.

"I feel that I've lived several different lives and that was one of them," she said in 1980. "Some of it was fun, but most of it was not. It was a great view of history being made.

"The only thing I ever missed about the White House was having a car and driver," she once said..."

Falling Satellite

  As if we did not have enough to worry about...Now we have to worry about a large spy satellite falling to Earth and on top of us.  It looks like it may re-enter the North American area and it contains a toxic chemical called hydrazine. 
Right now it is 173 miles above the earth and falling at 1,640 feet a day.  In late February or early March it may hit North America. 
  I wonder if it has any nuclear materials on board.  No mention was made of that in the CNN story.
  I will keep you posted.  You may not want to wash your car on that day.
  You may want to have a  Night of the Satellite Party.
  Pick out a good spot to see the sky and start taking some photos of the sky now so you get used to taking photos.
  The sky is falling the sky is falling.

Changes to my setup

  I made some changes to my computer area here.  I removed that second computer.  I hooked up my Logitech G15 keyboard and I just moved everything around.
 
  Here is a view of my new area.

 

    I like to move things around.  Well I don't like to do it...I keep wanting to get things just right.  One reason for the moving this time was so I could hook up my scanner (radio) and have access to it.  It is behind me in this photo.

Voting in Florida

  Ken and I voted today here in Florida.  I voted for Hillary Clinton.
  I hope that McCain wins in FL for the Republicans.  I hate Giuliani.  If Giuliani does not come in number one here in FL maybe he will drop out of the race and we will not have to hear him again.

  I got my scanner today.  I hooked it up to my computer and I can control the scanner and I can enter data by using the computer.  That is much more easy.

Gov. Kathleen Sebelius for Vice President Please

NEW: Gov. Kathleen Sebelius calls on Bush to sign children's health insurance bill

NEW: "Join us" to create "green" initiatives, responsible energy policy, says Kansan

Sebelius on some VP short lists as possible Democratic running mate

Pelosi: Bush's "vision tonight may have been too small" for many challenges

  Democratic Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius made the reply for the Democrats last night.  Most of the time these speeches are not very good because the person talks to the points that the president just made. 
  But she made a great speech.  I was shocked and surprised.  I don't know anything about her but I wonder about her running as vice president this time. 

 Right now I say let's put her on the ticket to be our vice president.  Of course if Hillary Clinton runs as president that would be sort of odd.  A woman for president and a woman for vice president.
  Now if it is Barack Obama that would be good for him.  We would have a black man and a woman on the ticket. 
 
  Today I will be voting, here in FL, for Hillary Clinton.  I wonder if there is some way to write in the name of Kathleen Sebelius?  Just kidding. 

  My blood pressure is sky high.  I just took it and it was 144/67 and it is down.  It must be because I stopped taking Coreg CR.  During the Bush speech I got a reading of 191/XX last night.  I took it again and it was 174/XX and I just went to bed with my head pounding.  I got up at 0400 and just took it and it is 144/67.  I got to keep a check on it and try and not do anything that is going to get my BP up today.

  Kathleen Sebelius for Vice President

The Bush State of the Union Address 2008

  I watched all of the Bush state of the union address.  Over the seven years he has got a bit better at speaking.  Oh not much better but a little.  He still comes across as being dumb and being a fool.  He also appears to be an ass hole.  It is the looks he gets on his face which I think are smiles but just piss me off.
  I never liked President Bush.  But even I could not have guessed that he would turn out too be such a bad president.  Last night we saw the last state of the union address of the worst President of the United States. 
  I will have to give him credit for having the balls to even make the address.  If I had failed at everything I had done I would have just sent over the state of the union in written form and gone to bed early. 
  President Bush must live in his only little world.