Need an old school laugh this morning?

Not Hershey's!!! Don't mess with my chocolate.

Everyday I wake up I get a bit of news that is quite the surprise. The Today Show did a piece about how a blogger, who's main topic is candy, noticed that Hershey's has substituted vegetable oil in place of cocoa butter. They have neglected to let the public know that little tidbit,unless you get the magnifying glass out and peruse the label. First they they shrink the candy bars to absorb rising food costs, now they are using an inferior ingredient. In the grand scheme of things I am sure candy bars aren't really an issue when our stock market is collapsing. To me though, that is how consumers are slowly getting cheated. Hershey and all their products are part of American history. We are no longer getting the same product that our parents had, and we are paying more. Cocoa butter comes from the cocoa plant, so maybe the CIA is short on cocaine to trade to some poor country for guns. This is my question. If Hershey is using cheaper ingredients in their product, what other companies are doing likewise? How do we know our ground beef is truly beef? Just a sign of the times...

No more texting while driving the trains folks...

This story is sad, that people lost lives or were injured because the operator of their train was busy texting. We all know people that can't walk and chew gum at the same time. How many times have you had to toot your horn at the driver in front of you to let him know the light is green, because he is so busy on his cell phone? I have noticed more and more shops and stores that have signs posted that they will not wait on you if you are speaking on your cell phone. I think it is important to be focused on the task at hand, no matter what you are doing. There are enough distractions around us daily.


SAN FRANCISCO — California regulators have issued a temporary ordering banning train operators from using cell phones while on duty.

The California Public Utilities Commission unanimously passed an emergency order Thursday to ban the use of cell phones and other personal electronic devices while operating a train. It comes less than a week after a Southern California commuter train ran head-on into a freight train, killing 25 people and injuring more than 130 others.

Federal authorities confirmed that on the day of the crash, the Metrolink train engineer was text-messaging on his cell phone while on duty. Authorities say he ran a red light and slammed into the freight train in Chatsworth on Friday.

Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

What is going on in this country?

I am not the most knowledgeable person when it comes to politics and Wall Street. I do watch the news every morning however and I am pretty representative of the average Joe/Josephine. Our stock market is plummeting, people in Texas might have to wait another week for a hot meal, and all the other highlights of this mornings news. It is pretty freaking depressing. Than their is the silly news. The mom who impersonated her 15 year old daughter to join the high school cheer-leading team. What was she thinking? Is it me? I just want to live my simple, rather mundane life with peace and harmony. I want to know that my child will grow up and be able to have Social Security when he is done his working life. There are no guarantees in our lives, but I guess as Americans we have always assumed (we all know what that word means), that there would be certain givens. Retirement, SSI, some form of health care, keeping the home you worked your whole life to pay for. That our politicians will fight to keep these givens for us. I am losing faith. Maybe I should just stop watching the damn news....(never)

Rainy Day Blues, (& it's not even raining)

Got a case of the blahs and the blues....yearning for I don't know what...just have that restless, unsatisfied ache. Sometimes I secretly wish I could just grab a passport and go. Alas, responsibilities and family are binding ties and that would be selfish..Just would like to wake up and gaze out of my window and get a brand new view. The world is so vast. I sometimes think Americans are rather limited in that they think nothing else outside of the USA is worthy or interesting. I know a few people who have never ventured outside of 7 blocks of their home. Have no desire to either. I know, I know, be thankful for my blessings, things could be much worse and blah blah blah...but that thirst for adventure, the unknown, something wicked and wild, is hard to quench.

I hear the train a comin'
It's rollin' round the bend
And I ain't seen the sun shine since I don't know when...

Guess I'll take my Xanax and listen to The Man in Black...that always brightens my day...