Obama Will Not Meet With Netanyahu During Trip To Washington

A White House spokesperson indicated that President Barack Obama would not be meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu when he addresses a joint session of Congress this March. Click on link above for more of the story.

Other Related Links

 

Netanyahu snubs Obama, shocks the Jews and gambles on Iran and the elections- Haaretz.com

 

Netanyahu basks in Congress invitation, but may shake U.S. ties-Reuters.com

 

Boehner snubs WH, invites Netanyahu to address Congress- usatoday

 

Netanyahu Sets Address to U.S. Congress, Roiling Israeli Election-wsj.com

 

 

 

 

Failure is simply pages of excuses. RJ Intindola – 1983

 

Remember, people want you to fail. It makes them feel better about themselves to see others fail. So disappoint them by succeeding. R.J. Intindola–1981

My Story

For nearly 34 years, I smoked cigarettes and sometimes cigars. I tried on several occasions to stop smoking but to no avail. As an aid, I tried every conceivable product on the market, including gum, patches, inhalers, nose spray and three years ago my doctor prescribed Chantix. That also failed and I refused to try other prescription remedies. As I do with most everything in my life, when I embark upon something new I conduct extensive research. Although too easily, I gave up once again, always telling myself the time wasn’t right. No method helped reduce the urge especially when drinking a cup of coffee, or going out with friends for a drink.

After two consecutive bouts with bronchial pneumonia in 2012, I was beginning to have difficulty breathing. When my doctor prescribed an inhaler and Advair to help me breathe better, I reluctantly filled the prescriptions.  I knew my condition was only going to get worse. In late September 2012, I was in Deerfield Beach Florida spending a few days with my cousin. He was busy one evening so I made the one block walk to the beach that has numerous bars and restaurants in a two block area. I was to meet three friends. On the way to meet them I stopped in a drugstore and purchased a single pack of cigarettes. The price with tax was $6.95. Most states were beginning to increase cigarette taxes dramatically as a method to obtain revenue because they knew smokers are addicted to the nicotine and would buy them regardless of the cost. And they were right.

On the short walk to meet my friends, I mentally calculated the monthly cost of cigarettes.  When I repeated the number mentally for the second time, my brain made me stop walking. Yes, I had calculated the cost before and always promised myself I would quit. But now coupled with my recent illnesses that were only going to get worse and also have additional costs, it was time for me to get more serious. A few minutes later, I saw two of my friend standing in the alley outside the bar and approached only to find one of them puffing on some weird contraption and teasingly bulling the aroma of hemp oil toward me. Another friend was blowing out smoke of what appeared to be a cigarette that contained no smoke. Both of these individuals had were heavy smokers for years.

They were describing their electric cigarettes to me when Greg, another friend appeared from the bar. He too was puffing on one of these devices. You too, I said.   Tomorrow will be two months, since I smoked a cigarette, he proudly pronounced. And I started when I was 17, he added. He then pointed to Frank and said he quit over two weeks ago.

I pivoted toward my third friend David, and asked, what about you? I’m not ready to quit, he said, but I reduced the amount I smoked a day from two packs down to one pack. He went on to explain that half of the time he smoked each day was with electric cigarettes.

Five weeks later on October 26, 2012, I quit smoking by using electric cigarettes and haven’t smoked since. Currently, I am at the lowest level of nicotine. More on this continuing story will be posted next week. However, having participated in several trials of testing electric cigarettes, in my opinion the best one is V2cigs. Here is a link to obtain more information.

 

The easiest way to quit smoking

Part II

On a few occasions over the next week, Frank and I spoke regarding the research he conducted when he decided to quit smoking. He also had tried various methods including prescription medications. He indicated that he tried several different e-cig brands at various retail stores and suggested I do the same. He further recommended against using Blu e-cigs as they had the worst taste.

When I asked if he did any research on the Internet, he indicated a very little because he didn’t have the time. Over the next week, I conducted nearly 20 hours of research on the Internet and tried three different brands I purchased from various retail stores. I learned a lot from the research of what one should consider when purchasing an e-cig.

Most of what I learned is described in part three and four of this paper. The reader can also refer to the bottom of this report for links related to further information on e-cigs.

I thoroughly went through reviews on several different websites and made a list of 20 brands. In a form letter I emailed the 20 different companies requesting one or two samples of their menthol cigarette. I explained the attempt to utilize them in order to quit smoking. Four companies did not respond however, within three weeks I received 16 different samples. Of the four that did not respond, I never heard back from two and the other two indicated they would give me a 50% discount. Believe it or not, two with these four companies are no longer in business.

During the time I was waiting for the samples, I reviewed various sites, including one that addressed the subject of testing the cigarettes. Anyone pursuing this method to quit smoking should do the same. Just think of the challenge of sampling 16 different products and trying to decipher your top three or four candidates. It would be like testing 16 different tomato soup brands.

Again, this subject is more thoroughly described in part three and four and there are some key characteristics you should consider when attempting to determine which product to purchase. One principle which is understandable was to wait and conduct the testing of all of the brands at one time. This is not to say you cannot conduct several different tests but each one should include a sample of all brands being considered.

In the end, I narrowed the brands down to three although a fourth was close. These included V2-cigs, Green Smoke and South Beach. I emailed each company to tell them the process was undertaking and was interested in obtaining the largest discount possible in order to consider using their brand. Both V2 and South Beach gave me a 50% discount and through in some free products. Green Smoke on the other hand, gave me a 20% discount and no additional products. I made the purchase anyway because they had ranked first on three of the eighth separate tests I conducted. After two weeks, during which I did not spoke a single regular cigarette, I chose V2 and Green Smoke. They both slightly edged out South Beach and I could not select clear winner. After utilizing these two brands for approximately 4 months, I decided to utilize only the V2 brand. First, they were comparable in taste and performance Green Smoke and also 20% cheaper. They further had the best customer service.

In part three, I explain and provide a visible picture regarding the components of an electric cigarettes and how they function. In part four, I provide a comprehensive description on how you should make your selection and conduct your own personalized test.

 

V2 Cigarettes

Other Links

Electronic Cigarettes- What are They and How They Work

Articles and links on Electric Cigarettes

Below is a letter by Mayor, Joy Cooper of Hallandale Beach Florida concerning Commissioner Anthony Sanders. I have known Commissioner Sanders for 30 years and believe he has all of the personality traits that we as citizens should respect and admire in our elected officials. First and foremost, he is obligated to no one, speaks his own mind and votes in the interest of the community instead of outside influences.  Despite what some opponents may state, I have known him to be an honest reputable individual, who is concerned with the plight of senior citizens and the common man. In contemporary times, it is difficult to find elected officials whom you can respect as human beings and Anthony Sanders is one of those rare people. I humbly recommend you vote for Commissioner Anthony Sanders.

R.J. Intindola

Former Hallandale Beach City Manager

Dear friend,

It is my pleasure to serve as your Mayor of the great City of Hallandale Beach.  As we continue to make significant progress as a city; Working to lower your taxes, increasing level of services while not increasing fees and addressing infrastructure demands  can only be done with positive passionate colleagues serving as a team.

Commissioner Anthony Sanders has been instrumental in our progress city-wide. As the current Commissioner for Seat #1, Sanders is running for re-election. He has worked very diligently to bring resources, economic development, and job creation to our city.

Since being elected in 2008, Commissioner Sanders has attained several accomplishments, including introducing several  like the Historical Marker Program, our city’s National Day of Prayer, the One Hallandale Initiative unifying every corner of our city, our nationally awarded Community Benefit Program and Civil Citation program for at risk children. He is a great leader and advocate for our city – our residents and our businesses.

The City of Hallandale Beach deserves a leader that will fight for all of us. One who will protect and improve our quality of life. Commissioner Anthony Sanders does that and will continue to do so. I am honored to call him my friend and I support his re-election but he needs your support as well. I am asking that you VOTE for Anthony SANDERS, SEAT #1 on November 4th!

Commissioner Sanders has been endorsed by the PBA, AFSME , HISPANIC VOTE. Most importantly he needs your vote!

Lets keep our city moving forward!!
Mayor Joy Cooper

The Best way to stop smoking but feel like you are smoking

Three Republicans are walking on the beach. The lead Republican trips over a lamp. He picks it up and dusts it off. Smoke appears and a genie pops out and says “I grant you three wishes.” The first Republican whips out his gun, twirls it and shoots it in the air. He said. “I’ve been in politics now for twenty years. I have so much knowledge and now I want to become extremely educated on government issues I couldn’t see before. I wish I was 100 times smarter than I am now.” The genie points his finger and POOF! the man is 100 times smarter than before. The second Republican whips out his gun, twirls it and points it in the air and fires off a shot. He says to the genie “You know what? I’ve been in politics now for thirty years and I have so much knowledge to give. I wish I was a 1000 times smarter than the man in front of me.” The genie points his finger and POOF! the man is 1000 times smarter than the Republican in front of him. The last man is standing there thinkin’ for a minute. He whips out his gun, twirls it and points it in the air and fires off a shot. He says to the genie “You know what? I’ve been in politics now for forty years and I have so much knowledge than both of them combined. For the final wish I want to be 10,000 times smarter than the Republican in front of me!!!” The genie cocks back his finger and shoots him with a glorious ray of light and POOF! the man turns into a Democrat.

V2 Smoke-free Cigs-Will help you stop smoking

Over the past several years, we have all read, heard and most likely had conversations about Walmart and their impact on the American taxpayer. But in conducting research on the subject, there are many things we have not heard unless we specifically take the time to intently study the company. There are issues involving Walmart that I do not believe we as a society, should simply let pass what the typical apathy response, that nothing we can do will make a difference. And this is an issue, that both Democrats and Republicans can collectively address. We will present some of our ideas, but first some facts and statistics that may be a reiteration to some of you and unknown others.

According to Forbes, the Waltons are the richest American family, with a net worth of $144.7 billion. (http://www.forbes.com/forbes-400/)Even more significant is that, in 2012 it was estimated that three major family members who receive dividends in the amount of $3.1 billion for the interest in the company. Astonishingly, when you add their entire wealth, the Walton’s earned more money than 42% of all American families. Wealth and UC Berkley stated the following in their article:

Last December I put the wealth held by those on the Forbes 400 list and the subset of Waltons into some perspective (here). In 2007 the total wealth of the Forbes 400 equaled the wealth of the bottom 50% of families in the U.S; wealth held by the Walton-six was equal to that of the bottom 30.5%. In 2010, the cumulative wealth of the Top 400 ($1.35 trillion) and the share held by the Waltons ($89.5 billion) equaled the entire bottom 56% and 41.5% of families, respectively. The ever increasing concentration of wealth at the top continued over this period.

Common Phrases Explained

It’s Raining cats and dogs

Meaning: It is pouring rain

There are a few theories behind the history of this saying. One of these states that a few hundred years ago, homes were made with thatched roofs. It was very common for the family pets to hang out on the roof nestled into the nooks and crannies. Well, when it rained really hard, these animals would fall through the tops of these homes to appear as if it was indeed raining cats and dogs. The other more popular theory is that dogs and cats would pass away along roadways and in the make-shift sewer shafts. When it rained really hard, these dead animals would wash up into the streets making it seem as though cats and dogs fell from the heavens.

 

Meaning: To tell a secret or reveal something confidential

This saying started in Ancient Greece. When candidates of the time period, wanted to enter into an organization, beans were used for voting. Each candidate had a container that was set out before the group members. These veterans to the group would place a white bean in the container if they approved of the candidate and a black bean if they did not. Once in awhile a voter would accidentally knock over the container. This of course would reveal all of the beans in the can and allow everyone to see the otherwise confidential votes.

 

Meaning: To reveal one’s real self/ true nature

As part of naval history, warships used to fly multiple flags as to create confusion for opposing ships. However, the rules of warfare stated that a ship had to hoist its true flag before firing upon another ship. So, the captain would wait until the enemy was close enough to shoot upon and then quickly display his country’s true colors before firing weapons.

 

Meaning: To be caught in the act of doing something wrong/ committing a crime

This saying originated because of a law back in the 15th century. In Scotland, it was determined that if someone butchered an animal that didn’t belong to him, he had to be caught with the animal’s blood on his hands to be convicted. Being caught after the fact, say with freshly cut meat, did not make the person guilty. So, if not caught with bloody hands, there was no chance of charging someone with the crime.

 

Meaning: Good luck to someone who is about to perform

This phrase originates in theater, which is full of superstitions. One of which, was the thinking that telling someone good luck would actually cause them bad luck. So, instead they started saying “break a leg” as a way of wishing good luck before a performance hoping that the opposite would happen.

Meaning: falling down drunk/extremely intoxicated

This phrase started with sailors who had their own lingo regarding drinking, all of which related, of course, to the ship. This one in particular, refers to the sheets which hold down the sails on the boat. There were three sheets to tie down each sail. If all three sheets were lose, then the sail would flap around in the wind like a drunken sailor. Who knew?

 

Meaning: To falsely accuse somebody of something/ a mistaken accusation

Hunters once relied on their dogs for a little extra help to track or find animals. Hunting dogs were trained to stop at a tree to bark when there was an animal there for the taking. Occasionally though, the dog was wrong because of a distraction, thus barking up the wrong tree.

 

Meaning: to give someone or something your complete self without distractions

The word pay is derived from the Latin word “pax” meaning, “to appease” or ” create peace”. This Latin word has given English numerous spin-off words such as peace, appease, and pacify. So, the idea behind all of this payment is one of duty, not a tangible money debt. To pay attention encompasses the idea that you “owe” someone your attention or respect, or it is your “duty” to give your full attention to them.

 

Meaning: no more messing around, time to start taking things seriously

Originating from a very long time ago, this saying was first noted as being used during the game of marbles, a very popular activity for young people back then. To start the game it had to be established whether you were playing for fun or playing for keeps. If playing for keeps that meant that when a player’s marble hit an opposing player’s marble, they could keep it, thus having more at stake.

 

Meaning: Stop being nosy and mind your own business

There are two closely related theories as to where this phrase got its start. A long time ago in the pubs of Great Britain this was a saying that bartenders would use. One theory is that tallies were kept for tabs according to how many beer pints (P’s) and quarts (Q’s) that a patron would drink. So, the bartender would say to mind your P’s and Q’s to let you know it was time to pay up. The second, and more closely related version is that when the pub started to get a little rowdy, the bartender would yell out, “Mind your P’s and Q’s” to the group to remind them to focus on their drinks and not the commotion.

 

 

 

 

Meaning: You got close to your goal, but still didn’t achieve it.

A long time ago carnivals used to hand out cigars as prizes for winning those ever-so frustrating games. So, if you didn’t win it was common for the Carnie to say, “You got close, but no cigar.” Over time it has evolved to mean falling short of an achievement.

Meaning: When hung over your should drink what it was that got you that way to help you feel better

This medieval saying stemmed from the idea at the time that when someone was bitten by a rabid dog, the cure for it was the application of that same dog’s hair onto the bite wound. A bit later there came the idea that this might also work for hangovers??? Uh, huh? Well, in 1546 the first written evidence of this new application was found as written by John Heyward in one of his essays. He simply explained that a hangover could be cured just by drinking the same thing that got you drunk in the first place. Talk about putting off the inevitable.

 

Meaning: To be ecstatic or very happy

This one is probably why there are so many people out there who are scared of puppets. This saying is based on a 17th century puppet show for children called, “Punch and Judy”. It featured a puppet named Punch who would was a serial killer. The act of killing brought him pleasure, so he felt excited and pleased with himself afterwards. Thus, the phrase came about. Apparently, there were no ratings assigned to shows for children back then!

 

Meaning: Of a different subject matter/off topic

When horses are registered, their color and other characteristics must be recorded. Although, when ownership changes there are times when the color on the registration document does not match the actual color. As a horse ages, there is a slight change in hair color, much like humans. However, most of the time the horse they got is simply not the horse on the registration document. Ooops!

 

Meaning: On a path of self-destruction, headed for disaster

Get ready… this one is kind of gross! Back in the time of the guillotine, they used handbaskets to catch the decapitated heads. As sick as it is to us nowadays, it was how the people of that time period dealt with their most brutal criminals, much like our death row today. So this phrase was used to refer to a criminal that was destined for the guillotine, and obviously did not live a life worthy of heaven’s gates.

 

Meaning: To be called forward when accused of a wrongdoing

Starting out as a military term, this phrase comes from a time when the upper military ranks had offices with carpet, signifying a certain stature. So, when an officer was “called to the carpet”, that meant he or she was going to the office of their superior to be admonished for an offense. Not long after its military use was it translated into the business world, used in the same sense.

Meaning: To be dressed better than most, dressed especially well

As the stories are told, tailors of old had to use nine yards of fabric to make a high quality suit. The reason for this is because in order for the fabric to be cut in the same direction of the warp, there had to be a lot to cut from. Of course this led to a lot of wasted fabric, but if you are rich what does it matter? The huge amount of fabric is why it was so very expensive to have a suit made of this quality. In present time, the phrase refers to any man or woman who is dressed in expensive looking clothes.

 

Meaning: To be embarrassed

This is one of the more literal references on the list. If you were part of high society of old being served soft yolk eggs in little fancy egg cups, it was easy to get the yellow gooey parts in your beard or mustache. Males had to be careful of this little mishap, as it would cause a huge amount of embarrassment if seen in public with yellow egg on your face.

Meaning: to be surprised by something unexpected or to express disbelief

This phrase is a direct reference to the theory of evolution as written by Charles Darwin. When he first published his theory, it was not well received by the mainstream population. So this saying was used sarcastically to mock this new idea, and show how outrageous they thought it was.

Meaning: To take credit for something that wasn’t your idea/benefit from another’s invention by claiming ownership

In the 1700’s a playwright named John Dennis created a sound effect resembling thunder that he used in one of his plays. Being there were several methods for making this sound, he prided himself on having a new, more authentic way of creating it. Unfortunately, the play was short lived, as was this new sound effect, so he thought. Not long after, As Mr. Dennis watched a production of Macbeth; he realized they had stolen his idea for the thunder sound effect. It was then that he said, “Those villains will not let my play run, but they will steal my thunder.”  Thus, the phrase began.

 

Andria Intindola Binns