DJ Devine RL Wife of DJ Texas Tornado's blog: "Serious Concerns"

You just have to read this article as posted on the online version of the Austin American Statesman today. It is one of the most heartwarming stories that you might have read in a very long time...... ENJOY!! :D **************************************** Austin 'Makeover' family goes prime time 'I had to go outside to cry a little,' mom says before TV debut. By Andrea Ball and Patrick George AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF Monday, February 19, 2007 Despite covering more than 4,600 square feet, the O'Donnell family's new "Extreme Makeover" home was tight on elbow room Sunday night as more than 70 friends, family members and teachers gathered to watch the episode on ABC. Laughs, cheers and tears filled two rooms of the custom-designed house as Jeanette and Patrick O'Donnell, five of whose six children have some form of autism, recounted the experience that has changed their lives and drawn a stream of strangers bearing both cameras and gifts. "I've been nervous for a while," Jeanette O'Donnell said as she got ready to watch herself on national TV. "I had to go outside to cry a little." Silence took over the living room as the episode opened with Ty Pennington, the show's star, riding a horse across a Texas plain. "Mom, Mom!" shouted Erin O'Donnell, 10. "Look, it's Ty!" In December, the O'Donnells were chosen to appear on "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition," in which crews provide a family with a much-needed new home. Over the course of five days, the "Makeover" team packed up the O'Donnells' belongings and spearheaded the construction of a seven-bedroom house. Central Texas custom home builder Jimmy Jacobs built the house for free. More than 300 companies donated everything from food to furniture. When the O'Donnells returned in a week to see their new home, the trappings of their old life — clothes, toys, furniture, dishes, cleaning supplies, toiletries — were gone. "They even packed empty Halls cough drop wrappers," Jeanette said. Most of their old possessions will be donated to charity or sold at garage sales, she said. Patrick O'Donnell usually describes the "Makeover" experience in four words: amazing, overwhelming, indescribable and humbling. When the show came to town, it didn't just build a house. It mobilized a feel-good, grass-roots effort involving hundreds of volunteers and thousands of dollars in donations. But at first, accepting that kindness wasn't easy for Patrick. A little help is one thing, he said. But to have a TV show swoop in, demolish his house and give his family thousands of dollars in gifts made Patrick — who works as a production supervisor at a mail center and a softball umpire for the City of Austin — question himself as a husband, father and provider. "My ego took a bit of a hit," he said. "I had to ask myself, was I not pulling my weight? Was I not doing enough? What more could I have done?" The community's generosity eventually won him over, he said. "It renewed my sense of hope in humanity," said Patrick, 41. "To have all these people give up their time, their energy, and do stuff for us without even knowing us, then thank us for letting them do it? That's humbling." When the O'Donnells and their friends watched the episode Sunday, they cheered as the old house was demolished and laughed at the signature "Move that bus!" scene, where the show's bus rolls away so the family can see the new home — that took about 15 takes, Jeanette recalled. Since the Makeover crew left in December, the O'Donnell house has taken on a celebrity status. "Every day, at least 10 people take pictures, usually out of the car window," Jeanette said. "Sometimes they get out, and they pose their kids out front. It's almost like they're at the state Capitol." Several strangers have peered though the windows. One wandered into their backyard. Last week, two people knocked on the door and said they were there for the (nonexistent) open house. Finally, the family posted a sign on the front door asking people to respect their privacy. Meanwhile, some people have eyed the makeover with skepticism. One big question the family routinely faces: Is the house well-built? Absolutely, the O'Donnells say. Yes, the "Makeover" team built the house in 106 hours. And yes, there were minor glitches when they moved in. But since December, contractors have finished jobs such as curing the tub in the master bedroom, sealing the windows, painting the walls and repairing the video camera system the family uses to monitor their children from other rooms in the house. The home has a one-year warranty. And Jeanette said the Jimmy Jacobs people have been very responsive when she has a problem. "Every time I call them, they are so sweet," she said. The other question the family hears: How can you afford to keep this house? Simple, the family says. It's a free house. Patrick's paychecks can cover the taxes and utilities. Also, because the "Makeover" team officially rented the O'Donnell home during the renovation, the house and its contents are not subject to income tax, Jeanette said. The "Makeover" team paid off the O'Donnells' old mortgage. It paid off their car loan. And, judging from January's bills, the O'Donnells say, the utilities for the new house are cheaper because of better insulation and new energy-efficient appliances. Meanwhile, an anonymous donor has pledged to pay the family's upcoming property taxes, Jeanette said. Restaurants including Fuddruckers and Texas Roadhouse pledged free meals for a year. Someone gave them a Pontiac Montana. And on and on. "The community has been very very giving," Jeanette said. "It didn't stop with the house. Since we've been home, we've gotten something every day, (from) a flower on the door to a gift certificate for free food." The financial help has changed their family. For years, Jeanette juggled bills, haggled with creditors and worried about losing their house. Patrick, meanwhile, said he closed himself off because of the stress. He isolated himself and mostly let Jeanette deal with the kids, he said. Now, neither has to worry about stretching the family budget. "I don't have to assume this big burden and worry if I'm strong enough to handle it," Patrick said. "I can be a better father to my children. I can be a better friend to my wife because I don't have this burden." Friends and teachers said Sunday that the children have adapted well to their new surroundings, which isn't always easy for children with autism. "Kiernan has done really well," said Christina Baez, one of his special education teachers. "I like that each room is suited to the kids' needs, because autism is so diverse. It's amazing." But while some things have changed, others have not. Earlier in the week, Kiernan tried to play in the toilet. Caitlin announced that she would not attend the "Makeover" party. And Meaghan threw a screaming, crying, going-for-broke tantrum over her immediate need for Wite-Out. "Everything is the same in that way," Jeanette said. "We're still raising six kids. Anyone want to help with that? We need to get on 'Supernanny.' " aball@statesman.com; 912-2506 http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/02/19/19makeover.html

Each year I am involved with some form of advocacies to help make this world a better place. Last year, some of you may know, I participated in the SafePlace Walk (2006). In Austin alone, 1/3 of the homicides were due to domestic violence. We are all striving to change that. These are some of the photos I took of those who were part of the SafePlace Walk (2006).
| View Show | Create Your Own I am looking forward to participating in the SafePlace Walk (2007) and have begun recruiting my team as well as have registered to help with various aspects of the walk. If you feel like you can help in some way, please visit my SafePlace Walk 2007 site.

(received in an email a bit back, in 2005) Question 1: If you knew a woman who was pregnant, who had 8 kids already, three who were deaf, two who were blind, one mentally retarded, and she had syphilis, would you recommend that she have an abortion? Read the next question before looking at the response for this one. Question 2: It is time to elect a new world leader, and only your vote counts. Here are the facts about the three candidates. Candidate A. Associates with crooked politicians, and consults with astrologist. He's had two mistresses. He also chain smokes and drinks 8 to 10 martinis a day. Candidate B. He was kicked out of office twice, sleeps until noon, used opium in college and drinks a quart of whiskey every evening. Candidate C He is a decorated war hero. He's a vegetarian, doesn't smoke, drinks an occasional beer and never cheated on his wife. Which of these candidates would be your choice? Decide first... no peeking, then scroll down for the response. ------------------------------------------------------------- Candidate A is Franklin D. Roosevelt. Candidate B is Winston Churchill. Candidate C is Adolph Hitler. And, by the way, on your answer to the abortion question: If you said YES, you just killed Beethoven. Pretty interesting isn't it? Makes a person think before judging someone. Wait till you see the end of this note! Keep reading.. Never be afraid to try something new. Remember: Amateurs...built the ark. Professionals...built the Titanic And Finally, can you imagine working for a company that has a little more than 500 employees and has the following statistics: * 29 have been accused of spousal abuse * 7 have been arrested for fraud * 19 have been accused of writing bad checks * 117 have directly or indirectly bankrupted at least 2 businesses * 3 have done time for assault * 71 cannot get a credit card due to bad credit * 14 have been arrested on drug-related charges * 8 have been arrested for shoplifting * 21 are currently defendants in lawsuits * 84 have been arrested for drunk driving in the last year... Can you guess which organization this is? Give up yet? It's the 535 members of the United States Congress. The same group that crank out hundreds of new laws each year designed to keep the rest of us in line. You gotta pass this on....

(received this email back in 2005. It was about a "Blood" Gang Initiation weekend that was coming up in September. It is scary to think that something that you think might be doing someone a favor may just end up setting yourself up for danger. I have no idea as to whether or not the initiation practice still goes on, but, as the email says, it is often to err on the side of caution and a bit of awareness. IF YOU DO FIND SOMEONE HAS TURNED AROUND ON YOU AFTER YOUR FLASHING YOUR LIGHTS, PLEASE OH PLEASE CALL 911, GET YOURSELF IN A PUBLIC PLACE, AND (IF AT ALL POSSIBLE) DRIVE DIRECTLY TOWARDS A POLICE STATION.) Subject: Fw: Please read it is important.......... "blood" initiation week end. Date: Tue, 20 Sep 2005 21:48:04 -0500 I am not sure how true this is. It was from a co-worker who would not make things like this up. I have asked another friend of mine who has a cop for a husband (who is very familiar with gang activity) to get their opinion. I just figured that it's better safe than sorry, Charlotte -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sent: Tuesday, September 20, 2005 3:26 PM Subject: FW: Please read it is important.......... "blood" initiation week end. Ladies, My brother is a Police Officer in Shreveport, and he's told me that same thing. Don't flash your lights at anyone that doesn't have their headlights on. I normally don't forward, but your lives are important to many many people, and I wouldn't want to see anything happen to you! Debbie DO NOT FLASH YOUR LIGHTS AT THEM!!!!!! Police Depts across the nation are being warned that September 23rd and 24th is the "blood" initiation weekend. Police officers working with the DARE program has issued this warning: If you are driving after dark and see an on-coming car with no headlights on, DO NOT FLASH YOUR LIGHTS AT THEM! This is a common Bloods gang member "initiation game" that goes like this: The new gang member under initiation drives along with no headlights, and the first car to flash their headlights at him is now is "target". He is now required to turn around and chase that car, then shoot and kill every individual in the vehicle in order to complete his initiation requirements. Police Depts. across the nation are being warned that September 23rd and 24th is the "blood" initiation weekend. Their intent is to have all the new bloods nationwide drive around on Friday and Saturday nights with their headlights off. In order to be accepted into the gang, they have to shoot and kill all individuals in the first auto that does a courtesy flash to warn them that their lights are off. Make sure you share this information with all the drivers in your family! Please Forward this message to all your friends and family members to inform them about this initiation ritual. You can save someone's life if you heed to this warning.

Groundbreaking Research Provides Clear Evidence That Technology is Taking Teen Dating Abuse to Disturbing New Levels, Yet Abuse Remains Hidden From Parents? Thursday February 8, 9:00 am ET WASHINGTON, Feb. 8 /PRNewswire/ -- A new survey on teens and dating abuse released today reveals that an alarming number of teens in dating relationships are being controlled, threatened and humiliated through cell phones and the Internet with unimaginable frequency. The research also reveals disturbing data that a significant majority of parents are completely unaware of this type of dating abuse and the dangers facing their teens. Among the many findings: Teens report dating abuse via technology is a serious problem * 71% of teens regard boyfriends/girlfriends spreading rumors about them on cellphones and social networking sites as a serious problem. * 68% of teens say boyfriends/girlfriends sharing private or embarrassing pictures/videos on cell phones and computers is a serious problem. Cell phone calls and texting at unimaginable frequency mean constant control day and night * Nearly one in four teens in a relationship (24%) communicated with their partner via cellphone or texting HOURLY between midnight and 5:00am. * One in three teens (30%) say they are text messaged 10, 20, 30 times an hour by a partner inquiring where they are, what they're doing, or who they're with. For the complete article go to: http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/070208/nyth044.html?.v=82 **NEW RESOURCE New National Teen Dating Abuse Helpline to Provide Urgent Support For Teens Loveisrespect.org is the online home of the National Teen Dating Abuse Helpline. http://www.loveisrespect.com/ ** A teen initiative TEAR, stands for Teens Experiencing Abusive Relationships. Founded by teen survivors of abusive relationships, it is an organization fully run by teens. http://www.teensagainstabuse.org/index.php ** Info on dating violence en español For those of you interested in doing outreach in Spanish, this 2006 press release (that includes some teen dating violence stats) is also available in Spanish. Unprecedented Levels of Teen Dating Violence and Abuse Uncovered 13% of Hispanic Teens View Physical Abuse as Acceptable Compared With 4% National Average /www.hispanicprwire.com/news.php?l=in&id=6015&cha=6> /www.hispanicprwire.com/news.php?l=es&id=6015&cha=6>

Because I study criminal justice, these article just fascinate me at times. Tell me what you think about the article.... Kat Lawmakers look to revamp criminal justice system Rehab, treatment programs could expand By Mike Ward AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF Thursday, February 08, 2007 Billed as the biggest shift for Texas corrections policy in years, proposals to greatly expand rehabilitation and treatment for convicts have made headlines for months as legislative leaders grapple for a way to avoid building expensive new prisons. A month into the legislative session, the massive reform bills have yet to be filed. And they probably won't be either, say lawmakers pushing the changes. "Most of the changes we want are already allowed in current law," explains House Corrections Committee Chairman Jerry Madden, a Plano Republican. "We're going to do most of (the reforms) this time through (the) Appropriations (Committee)." For the first time in decades, a drastic cultural change in the way Texas deals with its nonviolent lawbreakers could soon come about, not as a result of inches-thick legislation or boisterous public policy hearings, but in quiet, behind-the-scenes budget discussions. Reform by decimal point, some lawmakers are calling it. Madden and his Senate counterpart, Criminal Justice Committee Chairman John Whitmire, D-Houston, said a few reform bills that might soon emerge will address such topics as expanded drug-court procedures, progressive punishment levels, even tweaks to the current parole rules. The more substanitive changes will be made when Appropriations Committee members start to allocate state dollars. In recent days, the focus of legislative attention on the reforms has shifted from the House and Senate committees that oversee corrections policy to the Senate Finance Committee and House Appropriations Committee, where the budget decisions are made. Senate and House leaders agree the attention will mostly stay there throughout the legislative session that ends in May. Whitmire said, "We need to change the way we're operating our criminal justice system . . .You don't need to write a lot of new laws to fix that." In their reform blueprint, Whitmire and Madden want to expand: •In-prison therapeutic drug programs by 1,500 beds; •Transitional-treatment centers by 1,400; •Parole counseling by 1,800; •Specialized drug-treatment programs by 1,800; and •halfway houses by 900. All are existing programs, all allowed by current law. The total cost will be $149.5 million. By contrast, prison officials in their budget request last summer asked for $440.6 million for three new prisons, $173.9 million to lease bunks in county jails and private lockups and another $284.8 million for additional operations and for construction projects. They also sought additional funding for treatmentprograms, with fewer additional beds. Total cost for the construction and leased beds alone: An additional $889 million. In recent weeks, as Senate and Housel leaders appeared to support the Whitmire-Madden plan, prison officials have seemed open to implementing many of the changes, sooner rather than later. On Wednesday, they confirmed plans to double the amount of faith-based rehabilitation programs in the prison system in coming months, the latest of several signals that the prison system once known for its tough-on-criminals punishment reputation — chain gangs, no air conditioning, solitary confinement, scant programs — was beginning to soften to embrace therapy and counseling, job training, addiction treatment, even after-care programs to help convicts adjust to civilian life once they get out. Even Gov. Rick Perry, who two years ago vetoed probation reforms that were designed to accomplish much of what the current reforms will do, seemed open to the policy shift. In his State of the State speech to the Legislature on Tuesday, Perry, sounding much kinder and gentler than before, suggested a new "approach to crime that is both tough and smart." "There are thousands of nonviolent offenders in the system whose future we cannot ignore," Perry said. "Let's focus more resources on rehabilitating those offenders so we can ultimately spend less money locking them up again." In his proposed budget, Perry proposed spending $125.8 million for two new medium-security lockups to add 1,000 beds, and converting a Texas Youth Commission lockup to a prison for adults to add 600 more. Whitmire and Madden earlier proposed much the same, using all those beds for treatment programs. Perry also proposed $14 million in additional spending for rehabilitation and parole placement programs — which help ex-cons get jobs and housing — for as many as 5,000 prisoners during the next two years. Ditto from Madden and Whitmire, essentially. For his part, Whitmire, who spearheaded an overhaul of Texas' criminal code in 1993 and has chaired the criminal justice committee for a decade, insists the reforms are not about overhauling the system as much as fine-tuning it. "It's about how we spend our money, where we spend our money," he said. "We can't continue building new prisons and expect to ever solve the problems we're facing. "This is about spending our money more wisely."

(forwarded to me in 05 from a friend of mine...) A friends clothes dryer went out. The guy that fixes things went in to the dryer pulled out the lint filter. It was clean. We always clean the lint from the filter after every load of clothes. He told us that he wanted to show us something. He took the filter over to the sink, ran hot water over it. Now, the lint filter is made of a mesh material - I'm sure you know what your dryer's lint filter looks like. WELL......the hot water just sat on top of the mesh!!! It didn't go through it at all!!! He told us that dryer sheets cause a film over that mesh that's what burns out the heating unit. You can't SEE the film, but it's there. This is also what causes dryer units to catch fire potentially burn your house down with it! He said the best way to keep your dryer working for a very long time (and to keep your electric bill lower) is to take that filter out and wash it with hot soapy water and an old toothbrush (or other brush) at least every six months. He said that makes the life of the dryer at least twice as long! How about that???!!!! Learn something new everyday! I certainly didn't know dryer sheets would do that. So, I thought I'd share! Note: I went to my dryer and tested my screen by running water on it. The water ran through a little bit but mostly collected all the water in the mesh screen. I washed it with warm soapy water and a nylon brush in about 30 seconds. Then when I rinsed it, the water ran right through the screen! There wasn't any puddling at all! That repairman knew what he was talking about! PLEASE PASS THIS ON TO OTHER PEOPLE IN YOUR ADDRESS BOOK. NOT ONLY COULD IT SAVE SOMEONE'S HOME, BUT IT COULD SAVE SOMEONE'S LIFE!!!!

I have a friend in Nevada that has a daughter, 18yo, that is facing Hodgkins Lymphodema Disease. Here is the information that my friend shared with me to get to the support website. If you have any experience with Cancer, either directly or indirectly, I am sure that they could use all the encouraging words possible.... From Sheryl: I created a CaringBridge site to keep you up to date on Heather McShane. CaringBridge is a nonprofit organization that helps friends and families stay connected. You can visit Heather's CaringBridge site at http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/heathermcshane. If your e-mail program does not allow you to click on the above link, just copy and paste the address into your web browser's address (or URL) location. Please visit our CaringBridge site anytime. You can use the site to check in on Heather, read the journal entries and send us messages by signing our guestbook. When you register with CaringBridge and sign our guestbook, you will automatically receive e-mail notifications each time our journal is updated. Or, you can subscribe to receive these notifications even before you sign the guestbook. (Of course, you can unsubscribe from these e-mail updates at any time.) Please print and save this e-mail for future reference. CaringBridge is a free, nonprofit web service that connects family and friends to share information, love and support during a health care crisis, treatment and recovery. www.caringbridge.org You can let them know that Kathryn shared the information with you.

You must view this YouTube video. It is a powerful program wiht one of our own CT members THE MARC KLAAS PROJECT

@ CherryTAP at its helm. I sincerely believe that we can all work to make the CT a safe place, not only protecting the children by not allowing them on this site to begin with, but also the members of CT as much as we can. No watchdog group is perfect; however, better a watchdog group (like the KOT group) than none at all.

As originally posted as a bulletin by Sex Kitten

@ CherryTAP tonight (January 18, 2007): Bloggers Who Criticize Government May Face Prison
Bloggers Who Criticize Government May Face Prison Bill would allow rounding up and imprisoning of non-registered political writers Steve Watson Infowars.net Thursday, January 18, 2007 You'd be forgiven for thinking that it was some new restriction on free speech in Communist China. But it isn't. The U.S. Government wants to force bloggers and online grassroots activists to register and regularly report their activities to Congress in the latest astounding attack on the internet and the First Amendment. Richard A. Viguerie, Chairman of GrassrootsFreedom.com, a website dedicated to fighting efforts to silence grassroots movements, states: "Section 220 of S. 1, the lobbying reform bill currently before the Senate, would require grassroots causes, even bloggers, who communicate to 500 or more members of the public on policy matters, to register and report quarterly to Congress the same as the big K Street lobbyists. Section 220 would amend existing lobbying reporting law by creating the most expansive intrusion on First Amendment rights ever. For the first time in history, critics of Congress will need to register and report with Congress itself." In other words Nancy Pelosi and the Democrats may redefine the meaning of lobbying in order that political communications to and even between citizens falls under the same legislation. Under current law any 'lobbyist" who 'knowingly and willingly fails to file or report." quarterly to the government faces criminal charges including a possible jail term of up to one year. The amendment is currently on hold. This latest attack on bloggers comes hot on the heels of Republican Senator John McCain's proposal to introduce legislation that would fine blogs up to $300,000 for offensive statements, photos and videos posted by visitors on comment boards. McCain's proposal is presented under the banner of saving children from sexual predators and encourages informants to shop website owners to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, who then pass the information on to the relevant police authorities.
Despite a total lack of any evidence that children are being victimized en mass by bloggers or people who leave comments on blog sites, it seems likely that the proposal will become legislation in some form. It is well known that McCain has a distaste for his blogosphere critics, causing a definite conflict of interest where any proposal to restrict blogs on his part is concerned. In recent months, a chorus of propaganda intended to demonize the Internet and further lead it down a path of strict control has spewed forth from numerous establishment organs: During an appearance with his wife Barbara on Fox News last November, George Bush senior slammed Internet bloggers for creating an "adversarial and ugly climate." - The White House's own recently de-classified strategy for "winning the war on terror" targets Internet conspiracy theories as a recruiting ground for terrorists and threatens to "diminish" their influence. - The Pentagon recently announced its effort to infiltrate the Internet and propagandize for the war on terror. - In a speech last month, Homeland Security director Michael Chertoff identified the web as a "terror training camp," through which "disaffected people living in the United States" are developing "radical ideologies and potentially violent skills." Chertoff pledged to dispatch Homeland Security agents to local police departments in order to aid in the apprehension of domestic terrorists who use the Internet as a political tool. - A landmark legal case on behalf of the Recording Industry Association of America and other global trade organizations seeks to criminalize all Internet file sharing of any kind as copyright infringement, effectively shutting down the world wide web - and their argument is supported by the U.S. government. - A landmark legal ruling in Sydney goes further than ever before in setting the trap door for the destruction of the Internet as we know it and the end of alternative news websites and blogs by creating the precedent that simply linking to other websites is breach of copyright and piracy. - The European Union, led by former Stalinist and potential future British Prime Minister John Reid, has also vowed to shut down "terrorists" who use the Internet to spread propaganda. - The EU also recently proposed legislation that would prevent users from uploading any form of video without a license. - We have also previously exposed how moves are afoot to clamp down on internet neutrality and even to designate a highly restricted new form of the internet known as Internet 2. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Want to start your own blog or website, get the word out and support Alex Jones? Infowars.net offers high-quality webhosting services at very competitive prices, and most importantly, with infowars.net, privacy is paramount! We don't sell the names of our customers to marketing firms or the government. Click here for more info. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Make no mistake, the internet, one of the greatest outposts of free speech ever created is under constant attack by powerful people who cannot operate within a society where information flows freely and unhindered. All these moves mimic stories we hear every week out of State Controlled Communist China, where the internet is strictly regulated and virtually exists as its own entity away from the rest of the web. The phrases "Chinese government" and "Mao Zedong" have even been censored on China's official Web sites because they are "Sensitive phrases". Are we to allow our supposedly Democratic governments to implement the same type of restrictive policies here? Under section 220 of the lobbying reform bill, Infowars.net could be required to seek a license in order to bring this information to you. IF we were granted a license we would then have to report our activities to the government four times per year in order to bring you this information. Does that sound more like free speech or more like totalitarianism? *********** Take action: As well as calling the Senate you should go to GrassrootsFreedom.com which has a petition that you can sign against Section 220 of S. 1, the lobbying reform bill. Paul Joseph Watson contributed to this report.