MANY THANKS - to all the people who planned the Riverside Film Festival and made it work and who attended any of the showings. Many fine movies were shown. Let's hope more people attend next year. It's a wonderful event.
The Coffee Klatch (or "clutch" depending on your preference, says SPARTY ) met and were making proud about the interesting people who attend these gatherings. Diverse and funny and opinionated, as well as talented.
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Some Notes about Some of our Friends. GIGI - has been heard singing, "I wanna hold your Tooth" to someone she loves. Then, she giggles.
FELIX - reports a horrendous run of bad luck which includes expensive repairs to a truck, having to replace a computer, power outages, and other misfortunes. Your sympathy is truly appreciated.
MARY - is loving her time off work. Who knew you can be so busy without a job?
BILL FROM WNNCO - Sometimes celebrities show up at the races Bill is in, but he tends to avoid them. He says: "I usually don't spend too much time with these guys are they usually want my autograph and speed secrets."
MARSHA - is on her way to Michigan.
SANDY - and her tour (ex: LEN, BARB, SUE, and MIKE T.) are home from Central Europe where they crossed paths with lots of crazy Europe2008 crowds from all over, who were dressed in their soccer finery, especially in Vienna, one of the stadium cities. One of SANDY'S most moving days, the Berlin Wall and the Monument to the Jewish holocaust victims.
PAT W. - are those golfing lessons paying off at all?
SPARTY - ditto.
MARGARET - happy belated birthday (Sunday).
PAT W. - heading for a brief vacation "up north" as we say around here.
BRENDA and STEVE - off on a wine buying mission to Northeast Michigan wineries, and then to Cedar Point. No connection actually between these two things.
ALICE and GIGI - report that prayers have been answered. Those who are believers, take note. Those who are not, well, hmm.......
SCOT - Busy planning his brother's bachelor party.
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What They're reading and/or commenting about: DASHMANN - A column from Mitch Albom on the gun control decision of the Supreme Court
CLICK ---and also, this from the Onion:
CLICK ALICE - "The mystery story of the Maya slowly reveals new twists"
CLICK =====
Some gags from our friends: JERRY -
Electile Dysfunction : The inability to become aroused over any of the
choices for President put forth by either party in the 2008 election year
JOE - (who doesn't read my blog)
A Catholic priest and a nun were taking a rare afternoon off
and enjoying a round of golf.
The priest stepped up to the first tee and took a mighty swing.
He missed the ball entirely and said 'S - - - , I missed.' The good Sister told him to watch his language.
On his next swing, he missed again. 'S - - - , I missed.'
'Father, I'm not going to play with you if you keep swearing,'
the nun said tartly. The priest promised to do better and the round continued.
On the 4th tee, he misses again. The usual comment followed. Sister is really mad now and says, 'Father John, God is going to strike you dead if you key keep swearing like that.'
On the next tee, Father John swings and misses again.
'S - - - , I missed.'
A terrible rumble is heard and a gigantic bolt of lightning comes out of the sky and strikes Sister Marie dead in her tracks. And from the sky comes a booming voice: "Oh Shit! I missed!"
JERRY - This about the Iowa Flood: TEN BIG QUESTIONS:
1. Where are all of the Hollywood celebrities holding telethons asking for help in restoring Iowa and helping the folks affected by the floods?
2. Where is all the media asking the tough questions about why the federal government hasn't solved the problem?
3.Why isn't the federal government relocating Iowa people to free hotels in Chicago?
4. When will Spike Lee say that the federal government blew up the levees that failed in Des Moines?
5. Where are Sean Penn and the Dixie Chicks?
6. Where are all the looters stealing high-end tennis shoes and big screen television sets?
7. When will we hear Governor Chet Culver say that he wants to rebuild a "vanilla" Iowa, because that's the way God wants it?
8. Where is the hysterical 24/7 media coverage complete with reports of looters shooting at rescuers?
9. Where are the people declaring that George Bush hates white, rural people?
10. How come in 2 weeks, you will never hear about the Iowa flooding ever again?
BILL FROM WNNCO -
Two stories today about the conditions of the oceans indicate the importance of more research and more thought in how to protect what we have. 
Lots of folks are really busy with summer comings and goings, trips, outdoor recreation, and the 4th of July. The fact is, BIRCHES readership is down these days, and folks are not as communicative. A blogster can get lonely and feel unappreciated. (sob)
MANY THANKS - to all the people who planned the Riverside Film Festival and made it work and who attended any of the showings. Many fine movies were shown. Let's hope more people attend next year. It's a wonderful event. 
"Sickening to see Hillary and Obama act like high school sweethearts, eh ???? [I] also wish he hadn’t caved in on the flag pin and voting for immunity for the communications companies."
VERNE TROYER - a "person of slight stature" or, ahem, midget, whom most of you will have seen on TV or in the movies ("Mini-Me"). He had the indiscretion of making a sex tape with a past girlfriend. Now, I won't speculate as to the motives of a young lady who has herself filmed shagging a little person, use your own imagination, although it's certainly a spectacle I would like to see. However, now he is suing the guys who made that tape public. For $20 million dollars! Hmm that gives me an idea .... 
Thanks to JERRY for sending along this cartoon. We don't know who made it, nor where it might have been originally featured, but it's pretty funny all right. It has the advantage of making fun of Hillary and reminding us of Bill's peccadilloes all in one delicious little bundle. 
Liberals have been claiming for generations that the Second Amendment to the Constitution did not mean that every citizen had the right to own a handgun. 
Among the top breeds of killer dogs, is one listed as "mixed breed, non-specific." 
Riding your bike more often these days? 
