In 1492 Columbus sailed the ocean blue…

I think that we all remember that line from elementary school.

Christopher Columbus, from Italy was granted funding from the Queen of Spain to find a shorter trade route to the Indies.

These were America’s first Immigrants and boy did we take over. (I wonder if the Native American’s granted them Visas or green cards or demanded they speak their languages?)

I’m tired of hearing about illegal immigrants and what they are doing to our country. If I’m not mistaken, unless you are Native American you are a descendant of an immigrant whether it be legal or not.

I wonder if we would be having the same debates if Mexicans were white and spoke English? Even though we do have a black President, I think this country is still a “white” man’s country club. The higher echelon of corporate America is still mostly white and predominantly male. They are afraid that this country is shifting to something other then white and they will no longer be the majority and they can’t have that.

The Arizona law is going to bring about racial profiling. My question is, are they going to be stopping people of all colors? There are illegal aliens in this country from all over, including Canada. I don’t hear a lot out cry to send them back home or building a wall along the Canadian border.

Let’s just call like it is, the only immigrant that we’re afraid of is of Latin decent.

I do have to be honest with you by stating that I’m not really sure how I feel about immigration and what the solution is. But as usual the only solution the government can come up with is to be blame the other party!

I do however find it funny that if it wasn’t for a Spanish speaking country, this country might never have been found.

Well, that’s about it, as usual your comments are welcome. And remember to stop, take a look around, and enjoy your view!

I was watching "The View" yesterday and they had a very interesting segment which really caused a heated debate.
Apparently there is a couple that had made an agreement (I'm not sure if it was written or not) that neither one of them wanted children from this relationship.
The girl did get pregnant and had an abortion. She then proceeded to get pregnant a second time and she decided she wanted to keep this baby, her boyfriend did not. She now wants him to help take care of this child.
Three out of the four ladies, Sheri, Elizabeth and even Joy, felt that he was responsible and if he didn't want to have children he should have had a vasectomy after the first pregnancy.
Whoopi on the other hand felt that there was an agreement in place, which she broke and that he should not be held responsible for her choice to keep the child.
I tend to agree with Whoopi!
I'm going to go out on a limb and speak of something which I have no experience (it won't be the first time and besides isn't that what blogging is about?)
First of all I'm in my 50's and have no children and will not be having any, anytime soon, so here I go. It seems to me that men have no rights when it comes to unwanted pregnancies. It is the women's choice what to do with the child and I will fight tooth and nail for her to have that choice. She can choose to keep it, abort it or give it up for adoption. Well, if you get pregnant and you have made a mutual agreement with the father not to have children, then I'm sorry it's now totally your responsibility. It’s your choice, your responsibility.
And it’s just my opinion.
As always your comments are welcome and remember to stop, take a look around and enjoy your view!

365 Days later
7300 Cigarettes later
$1825.00 later
20lbs…alright 25lbs later

Wednesday May 13,2009. I was getting over what I thought was a cold but I couldn’t seem to kick a nagging cough and my voice thought it wanted to be Harvey Fierstein. So, I decided to go see my Doctor. Once he established I was a smoker he really put the fear of God in me. He gave me a lecture about what I was burning in my throat and lungs, diagnosed me with Asthmatic Bronchitis, gave me a stack of prescriptions and sent me on my way.

That night, as I was using an inhaler for the first time I made a decision, one more day of smoking and then as of midnight on the 14th I would smoke my last cigarette…once again.

I had been a smoker since I turned 16 in the fall of 1973. I had tried unsuccessfully a few times including quite recently but, I just loved to smoke. I felt ostracized by my close friends, none of whom smoked and kept watching the price of a pack of cigarettes go up and up. But I kept on smoking.

So, what finally worked for me? Let me tell you the Scott Miller method of how I quit smoking and changed my life.

I first started with the nicotine patch. I used it for the first 2 weeks but then came Memorial Day weekend. I thought let me see if I can make it through the weekend without a patch and I did! Then Tuesday came, as did work. Work is a horse of a different color, it comes with stress! Patch back on. This bothered me because with the patch I was still feeding my nicotine addiction and the sooner I got the nicotine out of my system the faster I would be monkey free. From then on it was gone.

The patch wasn’t the only tool I had in my box. I would just like to say two words “Tootsie Pops.” They helped me with the oral and physical aspect of my withdrawal. Besides I figured I can replace my teeth but not my lungs. They were great for driving and watching TV because they gave me something to do with my hands and something in my mouth. I went through about 2 bags of them. That crutch is also gone.

The last item is also the best motivator you can use. I decided from the day I started I would put away 5 dollars for every day I quit. I was smoking a pack a day and I wanted to see how much of my own money was literally going up in smoke for a year. I also decided that if I went back to smoking, I would have to donate any of the money I had saved to an organization I dislike. (This, in itself, was a mind game for me.) My organization was the Republican National Committee(it would have made my dad happy though). But now that I reached my one year mark, I will admit that I probably would have given it to Stray Cat Blues.

So, here I am 365 days smoke free, 7300 cigarettes still at the store, about 25 lbs heavier (the only downfall) ,no longer stinking of cigarette smoke…did I really smell that bad? And $1825.00 richer.

And the best part of my tale is that 5 weeks from today, I will be leaving along with 5 great friends on my dream vacation to Disneyworld, all paid for with money that would have gone up in smoke had I not made the right decision and quit smoking.

I know this was more of a book then a blog but I wanted to let you know my story in hopes that maybe it will inspire or help others to quit a habit which is one of the hardest things to do. If you have a friend that is trying to quit be there for them. As I told people it was like saying goodbye to your best friend that was always there for you no matter what. But, as it turns out they really are your worst enemy, but you know that already.

As always comments are welcomed and remember to stop, look around and for today take a deep breath and enjoy your view.

I hope you were all able to catch Betty White this past Saturday on SNL. Her opening monologue was so funny but so true when she talked about facebook being a big waste of time. It's true but for some reason I just can't stay away from it.

Today a friend posted a very funny video on Facebook that really cracked me up and here it is!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pn45jEQ5H8Y

Hope you like it and as always comments are welcome and don't forget to stop, look around and enjoy your view!

I have just learned that Football Hall of Famer Lawrence Taylor has been charged with rape. Taylor seems to have an extremely checkered past with drugs and prostitutes. He also did a stint on Dancing with the Stars.

Taylor is just another example of a professional athlete gone wrong. Whether its rape, dog fights, shooting, or drugs professional athletes and performers just can’t seem to stay out of trouble. I tend to think part of the problem is that for most of us there would not be any previous experience that can prepare you for Fame and Fortune!”

My solution would be a very simple one. When an athlete signs the contract to go pro, there should be an outside firm that has nothing to do with the team come in and give them an orientation on Fame. They should talk to them about the ups and downs and pitfalls of being famous. Warn them about how drugs, sex and getting into clubs and parties are going to be directly at their finger tips, probably shoved in their faces. Is this person trying to get close to me because of who I am or because of WHO I am? They should also teach them how to manage their money and prepare them for what happens after it all ends. The athletes and performers do have their entourages’ of agents, managers etc. but these are the leeches in the business and are there to blow smoke up their you know whats!

That’s it for now, and as always your comments are welcome. (Is anyone really reading this?) And remember to stop, take a look around and enjoy Your View!

Goodbye to my Pamela Anderson on DWTS. I don't know there is something sweet yes, I called Pamela Anderson the sex symbol "nice" and really likable about her. I enjoyed her performances every week, especially her Marilyn Monroe. I knew she wouldn't make it till the end and I guess it was her time to go, but who will I vote for next week? I don't know maybe...Erin? I think her fan base needs a boost!

As usual comments are welcome and remember to stop, look around and enjoy your view!