knogood's blog: "MrKnoGood's Blog"

I was walking around in a store. I saw a ashier hand this little boy his money back saying "I'm sorry, but you don't have enough money to buy this doll." Then the little boy turned to the old woman next to him: ''Granny, are you sure I don't have enough money?'' The old lady replied: ''You know that you don't have enough money to buy this doll, my dear.'' Then she asked him to stay there for 5 minutes while she went to look around. She left quickly.The little boy was still holding the doll in his hand.Finally, I walked toward him and I asked him who he wished to give this doll to."It's the doll that my sister loved most and wanted so much for this Christmas.She was so sure that Santa Claus would bring it to her." I replied to him that maybe Santa Claus will bring it to her after all, and not to worry. But he replied to me sadly. "No, Santa Claus can't bring it to her where she is now. I have to give the doll to my mommy so that she can give it to my sister when she goes there." His eyes were so sad while saying this. "My sister has gone to be with God. Daddy says that Mommy is going to see God very soon too, so I thought that she could take the doll with her to give it to my sister.'' My heart nearly stopped. The little boy looked up at me and said: "I told daddy to tell mommy not to go yet. I need her to wait until I come back from the mall." Then he showed me a very nice photo of him where he was laughing. He then told me "I want mommy to take my picture with her so she won't forget me." "I love my mommy and I wish she doesn't have to leave me, but daddy says that she has to go to be with my little sister." Then he looked again at the doll with sad eyes, very quietly. I quickly reached for my wallet and said to the boy. "What if we checked again, just in case you do have enough money?'' "OK" he said "I hope that I have enough." I added some of my money to his without him seeing and we started to count it. There was enough for the doll and even some spare money. The little boy said: "Thank you God for giving me enough money!" Then he looked at me and added "I asked yesterday before I slept for God to make sure I have enough money to buy this doll so that mommy can give it to my sister. He heard me!'' "I also wanted to have enough money to buy a white rose for my mommy, but I didn't dare to ask God for too much. But He gave me enough to buy the doll and a white rose.'' "My mommy loves white roses." A few minutes later, the old lady came again and I left with my basket. I finished my shopping in a totally different state from when I started. I couldn't get the little boy out of my mind. Then I remembered a local newspaper article 2 days ago, which mentioned of a drunk man in a truck, who hit a car, where there was one young lady and a little girl. The little girl died right away, and the mother was left in a critical state. The family had to decide whether to pull the plug on the life-assisting machine, because the young lady would not be able to recover from the coma. Was this the family of the little boy? Two days after this encounter with the little boy, I read in the newspaper that the young lady had passed away. I couldn't stop myself as I bought a bunch of white roses and I went to the funeral home where the body of the young woman was exposed for people to see and make last wishes before burial. She was there, in her coffin, holding a beautiful white rose in her hand with the photo of the little boy and the doll placed over her chest. I left the place, teary-eyed, feeling that my life had been changed forever. The love that this little boy had for his mother and his sister is still, to this day, hard to imagine. And in a fraction of a second,a drunk driver had taken all this away from him. Now you have 2 choices: 1) Repost this message. 2) Ignore it

1. If you are over forty, and you have a washboard stomach, you are gay. It means you haven't sucked back enough beer with the boys and have spent the rest of your free time doing sit-ups, aerobics, and doing the Oprah diet. 2. If you have a cat, you are a Flaaaaming homo. A cat is like a dog, but gay -- it grooms itself constantly but never scratches itself, has a delicate touch except when it uses its nails, and whines to be fed. And just think about how you call a dog... "Killer, come here! I said get your ass over here, Killer!" Now think about how you call a cat..."Bun-bun, come to daddy, snookums!" Jeeezus, you're fit to be framed, you're so gay. 3. If you suck on lollipops, Ring-Pops, baby pacifiers, or any such nonsense, rest assured, you are a Gaylord. A straight man only sucks on bar-B-que ribs, crab claws, raw oysters, crawfish guts, pickled pigs feet, or tits. Anything else and you are in training and undeniably a fag. 4. If you refuse to take a dump in a public bathroom or piss in a parking lot, you crave a deep homosexual relationship. A man's world is his bathroom; he defecates and urinates where he pleases. 5. If you drink anything other than regular coffee. A straight man will never be heard ordering a "Decaf Soy Latte". If you've put a Decaf Soy Latte to your lips, you've had a man there, too. 6. If you know more than six names of non standard colors or four different types of dessert other than ice cream and pie, you might as well be handing out free ass passes. A real man doesn't have memory space in his brain to remember all of that crap. If you can pick out chartreuse or you know what a "fressier" is you're gay. And if you can name ANY type of textile other than cotton or denim, you are faggadocious. 7. If you drive with both hands on the wheel, forget it, you're dying to tune a meat whistle. A man only puts both hands on the wheel to honk at a slow-ass driver or to cut the jerk off. The rest of the time he needs that hand to change the radio station, eat a hamburger, or hold his beer. 8. If you do not send this off to all the males on your email list because you are afraid of hurting their feelings then you are definitely on the verge on being a fudgepacker.

BUDAPEST, Hungry - A python that apparently was smuggled into the Budapest Zoo has killed three rare Kea parrots, officials said Friday. It was unclear whether a visitor released the tiger python into the Keas' cage or whether someone released the 6-foot, 6-inch snake elsewhere in the zoo and it found the cage by itself, zoo spokesman Zoltan Hanga said. Hanga said the zoo owned several pythons, but they had implanted microchips and all had been accounted for The Kea is a sharp-beaked parrot native to the high country of New Zealand's South Island. It is considered a vulnerable species — an estimated 1,000-5,000 survive in the wild and another 140 in zoos. The Keas — a female and two males — were very playful birds and came to Budapest from zoos in Austria and Germany. They were each valued at $7,800. The zoo reported the incident to the police in the hope of finding the python's owner.

Is Love Painful? “The pain associated with relationships has more to do with fear, than love.” Who hasn't experienced the pain of love? Or is it the pain of rejection? The pain of self doubt? The pain of fear? It's important to distinguish between love and totally separate feelings. When it comes to pain surrounding love, we're more likely referring to the “add-ons” of love. The love baggage, we might call it. For some reason, many people assume negative emotions are a part or element of love. But experientially we know this isn't true. Love is not painful, it feels incredible. The pain and hurt we feel doesn’t come from love, it comes from our doubts, fears, anxiety, perceived rejections, broken trusts, anger, jealousy, envy, etc. So why do we as a culture lump all those other feelings in with love? Perhaps its because we feel these uncomfortable emotions most often in association with our love relationships. Our primary relationships are important to us, so we assume these doubts and fears are all part of the loving experience. But is this really true? When we are fearful, angry, anxious, unhappy, or jealous, are we truly experiencing a state of love? They sure feel different, don't they? Love feels warm, open, joyous and filled with a deep sense of appreciation. Pain steps into a love relationship when you switch it from a "wanted relationship," into a "needed relationship." You don't NEED any one relationship. Want? Yes. Need? No. If you go into a relationship not feeling terribly good about yourself, you're more likely to become dependent on your partner to help you feel good about yourself. If we felt empty before they appeared in our lives, we fear the emptiness returning if they leave, so their staying with us becomes paramount. That dependency can create all kinds of fear and unhappiness when there's a perceived threat to you staying together. If we aren’t giving ourselves the acceptance we crave, we look to those around us to provide it for us. Again, none of this has a thing to do with the love you feel, but everything to do with the fear you feel. If you really want to remove the love baggage of fear and unhappiness, the first step is to improve your self awareness and self acceptance. *************************************************** The Name - Mercedes A. Terzol a.k.a www.myspace.com/MsAuthor7 The Book - 999 Ways 2 Say No 2 A "No-Good Man" The Site - CLICK HERE 4 MORE INFORMATION. THANK YOU!

THE TONGUE Your words, your dreams, and your thoughts have power to create conditions in your life. What you speak about, you can bring about. If you keep saying you can't stand your job, you might lose your job. If you keep saying you can't stand your body, your body can become sick. If you keep saying you can't stand your car, your car could be stolen or just stop operating. If you keep saying you're broke, guess what? You'll always be broke. If you keep saying you can't trust a man or trust a woman, you will always find someone in your life to hurt and betray you. If you keep saying you can't find a job, you will remain unemployed. If you keep saying you can't find someone to love you or believe in you, your very thought will attract more experiences to confirm your beliefs. If you keep talking about a divorce or break up in a relationship, then you might end up with it. Turn your thoughts and conversations around to be more positive and power packed with faith, hope, love and action. Don't be afraid to believe that you can have what you want and deserve. Watch your Thoughts, they become words. Watch your words, they become actions. Watch your actions, they become habits. Watch your Habits, they become character. Watch your Character, for it becomes your Destiny The minute you settle for less than you deserve, you get even less than you settle for.

GET A PENCIL AND PAPER BEFORE YOU START THIS 1. You've ever used an album cover for a dustpan. (5 points) 2. If you've ever run a race barefoot in the middle of the street. (10 points) 3. You had a candy lady in your neighborhood. (5 + 5 extra points if your house was the candy lady) 4. If you ever had to pick your own switch or belt. (3 points for each) 5. If you have ever had to walk to school or walked home from school. (2 points) 6. If If you have ever had to walk to school or walked home from school. (2 points) 7. If you ever mixed Kool-Aid one glass at a time because you got tired of other people drinking up the Kool-Aid you just made. (5 points) 8. If you have ever played any of the following games: hide and go seek, freeze, tag, Momma may I? or red light/green light. (2 points each) 9. If your neighborhood had an ice cream man. (2 points + 2 if he rang a bell) 10. If you refer to "Now and Later" candies as "Nighladers". (5 points) 11. If you've ever run from the police on foot. (5 points + 5 if you got away) 12. If you've ever had reusable bacon grease in a container on your stove. (5 points + 15 if you still do it) 13. The batteries in your remote control ever been held in by a piece of tape. (5 points) 14. If you have ever worn any of the following fragrances Brute, Hai Karate, Jean Nate, Old Spice, Chloe, English Leather, Stetson, Charlie, or Faberge. (1 point each): 15. You've ever used Tussy Deodorant. (5 points) 16. You've never been to the dentist. (15 points) 17. If you have a friend or family member whose nickname is one word said twice: dee-dee, fee-fee, man-man, Kay-Kay, lee-lee, ree-ree, ray-ray, nay-nay, tee-tee etc. (10 points) 18. You have ever paged yourself for any reason. (3 points) 19. You've ever worn house shoes outside of the house. (2 points) 20. You add "ED" or "T" to the end of words already in the past tense (e.g. Tooked, Light-Skinneded, kilt, ruint, etc.) (5 points) 21. You use 'n'em to describe a certain group of people ( for example Craig'n'em or Momma 'n'em). (5 points) 22. You've ever driven on a donut more than 2 weeks after your flat. (5 points) 23. You have ever slept in a chair to avoid messing up your hair. (10 points) 24. You've ever left a social gathering with a plate. (2 points) 25. You can't hold a glass because of the length of your nails. (5 points) 26. The gold teeth in your mouth spell words. (10 points) 27. You don't have your own place but your child has a leather coat and a pair of Jordan 's. (15 points) 28. You constantly hit *69 and ask, "Did you just call here?" (10 points) 29. You think Tupac is still alive. (20 points) 30. If you are going to have to use a calculator to add your points. (25points) -- Now the totals... 0 - 50 points - I guess you were raised in the suburbs 51 - 75 points - A bonafide ex-hood rat 76 - 150 points - Spent a little time in the projects, huh? 150 points or more - Still there, huh? FORWARD AND PUT YOUR SCORE IN THE SUBJECT BOX SO PEOPLE CAN SEE HOW How Much Hood YOU REALLY IS!!!

Marine leader convicted of murdering Iraqi Soldier faces life for killing civilian after fruitless efforts to find insurgent Updated: 4:49 p.m. ET Aug. 2, 2007 CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. - A Marine Corps squad leader was convicted Thursday of murdering an Iraqi man during a frustrated search for an insurgent. Sgt. Lawrence G. Hutchins III, 23, also was convicted of conspiracy to commit murder, making a false official statement and larceny. He was acquitted of kidnapping, assault and housebreaking. Hutchins, of Plymouth, Mass., could be sentenced to life in prison without parole. He had been charged with premeditated murder but the military jury struck the premeditation element from the verdict. Hutchins stood rigidly and stared straight ahead in the silent courtroom as the verdict was read. A few minutes later he answered a procedural question with a loud and clear, "Yes, sir." Prosecutors said that during a nighttime patrol in Hamdania, Iraq, in April 2006, Hutchins' squad hatched a plan to kidnap and kill a suspected insurgent from his house. When they couldn't find him, they instead kidnapped a man from a neighboring house, dragged him to a hole and shot him. Allegedly tried to cover up murder Prosecutors said squad members tried to cover up the killing of Hashim Ibrahim Awad by planting a shovel and AK-47 by his body to make it look like he was an insurgent planting a bomb. Several witnesses testified the plot was born out of frustration after suspected insurgents kept evading prosecution. The squad was pulled from the battlefield after the slaying. Lawyers for Hutchins argued that he participated in the plot because his own officers had set a poor leadership example and given approval for Marines to use violence in capturing and interrogating suspected insurgents. In another base courtroom Thursday, a sentencing hearing was under way for a member of the squad convicted Wednesday of conspiracy and lesser crimes but acquitted of premeditated murder and kidnapping. Cpl. Marshall Magincalda, 24, of Manteca, faced up to life in prison. He was also found guilty of larceny and housebreaking, and cleared of making a false official statement

DOWNERS GROVE, Ill. - Sara Lee Corp. is recalling 27 whole wheat bread products because they could contain small metal pieces, the company said Friday. A recent routine inspection of a bakery in Meridian, Miss., uncovered problems with a flour sifting screen, said company spokesman Mark Goldman. The machine was "not up to our specification and raised the possibility some metal could have dislodged," Goldman said. The problem was isolated to the Meridian bakery, which continued production using bagged flour that did not require the sifting system, Goldman said. The recall involves EarthGrains, Publix, Sara Lee Delightful, Sara Lee Hearty & Delicious and several other brands that were stamped "best if purchased by" between the dates of July 25, 2007, and Aug. 7, 2007 and included the code "222." The recall includes 27 products that are made under 13 brands. The products were sold in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri and Tennessee. Consumers can return the bread to the store where it was purchased for a refund, Downers Grove, Ill.-based Sara Lee said.

THE TOYS List of model names and product numbers for the nearly 1 million recalled Fisher-Price toys, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission: 33662 Elmo Light Up Musical Pal 33663 Ernie Light Up Musical Pal 33664 Big Bird Light Up Musical Pal 34658 Elmo Stacking Rings 39038 Elmo Tub Sub 39054 Sesame Street Shape Sorter 87946 Elmo Keyboard 90267 Ernie Splashin’ Fun Trike 90609 Elmo Collectible 90611 Cookie Collectible 90612 Zoe Collectible 90613 Ernie Collectible 90614 Big Bird Collectible 90745 Construction Playset 93068 Elmo Boom Box 93107 Action Fire Engine 93307 Press N Go Elmo 93308 Rev & Go Cookie Monster 93492 Cookie Saxophone 93493 Elmo’s Guitar 93615 Splash Tub Puzzle 93780 Music And Lights Phone B7554 Count To Beat Elmo B7888 Shake, Giggle & Roll B7987 Elmo in the Giggle Box B7989 Silly Parts Talking Elmo B9620 Dora’s Talking House C6908 Dora, Backpack, Perrito Figure Pack C6909 Diego Figure Pack C6910 Swiper Figure Pack C6911 Boots, Tico Figure Pack G3825 Dora Talking Vamonos Van G5112 Sing With Elmo’s Greatest Hits G9717 Giggle Doodler H2943 Grow with Me Elmo Sprinkler H3343 Cousin Daisy H3344 Birthday Dora H5569 Elmo & Pals (Elmo, Cookie, Ernie) H5570 Elmo & Pals (Elmo, Zoe, Big Bird) H4187 Dora Figures in Tube H4628 Water Fun Tote H8236 Dora 3 Pack Figures in Tube H8237 Blue 3 Pack Figures in Tube H8238 Sponge Bob 3 Pack Figures in Tube H9124 Chef Dora H9125 Bedtime Dora H9186 Giggle Grabber Ernie H9188 Giggle Grabber Oscar the Grouch J0338 Diego Talking Field Journal J0343 Go Diego Go Antarctic Rescue J0344 Go Diego Go Deep Sea Rescue J0345 Go Diego Go Mountain Rescue J0346 Go Diego Go Talking Rescue 4 X 4 J5935 Giggle Grabber Soccer Elmo J5936 Giggle Grabber Chef Cookie Monster J6537 Sesame Street Giggle Toolbelt J6762 Queen Mami J6763 Royal Boots and Tico J6765 Prince Diego J7983 Sesame Street Tub Pots & Pans J9518 Sesame Street Giggle Drill J9692 Dora’s Talking Pony Place K0617 Twins Nursery K3414 Diego - Talking Gadget Belt K3571 Go Diego Go Mobile Rescue Unit K3580 Fairytale Adventure Dora K4139 Go Diego Go Dinosaur Rescue K4140 Toucan Motorcycle Rescue L0305 Dora Figure L3194 Surprise Inside Diego Eggs L3215 Sesame Street Elmo Jack-In-The-Box L3488 Sesame Street Birthday Figure Pack L3507 Sesame Street - Super Boom Box L5202 Birthday Dora L5813 Diego Tub Trike L8905 Pablo & Pals M0351 Dora Figures Dora & Kitty M0352 Dora Figures Diego & Bear M0524 Go Diego Go Talking Gadget M0527 Sesame Street Giggle Doodler M0732 Dora’s Talking House M2051 Let’s Go Rescue Center M2052 Fairytale Castle

NBC News video Fisher-Price toys from China recalled Aug. 2: Some popular toys are now considered health risks for kids. NBC's John Yang reports. Today show ConsumerMan Send Herb Weisbaum an e-mail and he may answer your issue in his upcoming column on msnbc.com. Send an e-mail | ConsumerMan home 10 Tips Got your own favorite tips? Or do you have a question? Send them to MSNBC.com columnist Laura T. Coffey. Send an e-mail | 10 Tips home Related Stories | What's this? List of toys included in Fisher-Price recall RC2 expects $4M charge in 2Q for toy recall Most Popular • Most Viewed • Top Rated • Most E-mailed Minneapolis bridge collapse recovery stalls Vets set to put down seven-legged lamb Court rules against homeowners in Katrina case Bridge collapse in Minneapolis In the shadow of justice: The Palladium murder Most viewed on MSNBC.com U.N.: Congo women face sexual atrocities Taking Aim at D.C.’s Gun Law Harry Potter: The final chapter Fisher-Price recalling almost a million toys Electrodes let brain-injured man speak again Most viewed on MSNBC.com Vets set to put down seven-legged lamb Court rules against homeowners in Katrina case Fisher-Price recalling almost a million toys Minneapolis bridge collapse recovery stalls Snowball effect helps kids' language explode Most viewed on MSNBC.com LIVE QUOTE SYMBOL LAST CHANGE % CHANGE • MAT 23.18 -0.40 -1.70% QUOTE LOOKUP Enter Company Symbol • Lookup symbol Data: MSN Money and IDC Comstock delayed 20 min. Updated: 10:14 a.m. ET Aug. 2, 2007 WASHINGTON - Toy-maker Fisher-Price is recalling 83 types of toys — including the popular Big Bird, Elmo, Dora and Diego characters — because their paint contains excessive amounts of lead. The worldwide recall being announced Thursday involves 967,000 plastic preschool toys made by a Chinese vendor and sold in the United States between May and August. It is the latest in a wave of recalls that has heightened global concern about the safety of Chinese-made products. The recall is the first for Fisher-Price Inc. and parent company Mattel Inc. involving lead paint. It is the largest for Mattel since 1998 when Fisher-Price had to yank about 10 million Power Wheels from toy stores