Design #1115

What can I say about cherries other than I love them. Who doesn’t? I would guess my favorite cherry would be the one on top of of a triple scoop hot fudge sundae. You know the one, bright red and setting atop a mound of fluffy whip cream. It’s sweet juices running down the the cream mountain like lava from a volcano. Ok, I’m getting carried away somewhat but you get the picture.

Next on my list of favorite cherries would be the ones that pop up side by side on a one arm bandit after tugging on it’s handle. The kind that carry with them the clinking sound of coins hitting the bottom of the metal tray along with flashing lights and sirens. Yeah, I love cherries and Vegas.

Design #1002

The Outer Banks of North Carolina is home to the tallest lighthouse in the United States. Located just outside the town of Buxton, the Hatteras lighthouse helps guides mariners around the treacherous Diamond Shoals in the area known as the graveyard of the Atlantic.

Constructed of over one and a quarter million bricks, the light stands 210 feet above sea level and is marked by it’s distinctive black and white spiral stripes. There are 268 steps leading up to two 1000 watt lamps that cast a beam of light that can be seen for more that 20 nautical miles.

The lighthouse was recently moved 2870 feet inland in an effort to save it from the encroaching sea. The lighthouse and the surrounding area has been designated as a National Park and is open for tours from the third Friday in April to Columbus Day.

Design #1057

Sometimes being the hostess can be an unappreciated undertaking, especially if your husband and kids are used to you doing everything for them. They do love you, they just need a little reminder. Let them know it’s alright to “Kiss the Chef”. This button with it’s lipstick kiss is just right for dropping the subtle hint. Get yours today.

Design #1108

Are you the Grill Sergeant of backyard BBQ? Do you rule the grill with an iron spatula, swatting anyone who tries to interfere or make suggestions on how to run your outfit? If so, the Grill Sergeant button is made specially for you. Don’t wait, let the troops know who’s in charge by getting your button today.

Design #1114

This one cracks me up. Most guys know that a push button on some machines such as motorcycles, snowmobiles and some lawnmowers is used to cut the power to it’s engine and is typically called a kill button. That is what I picture when I think of a kill button, so when I see a pin back button with the word “kill” on it, it takes my brain a few seconds to figure out that it is in fact a “kill button” but not what I’m used to. I’m easily amused I guess.

Design #1064

I’m amazed anytime I see a kid playing the video game Guitar Hero on television or Youtube. What a waste of time! If you’re in this boat I say to you… don’t waste your time learning to strum and fret plastic buttons on a plastic guitar. Get a real axe. They’re cheap, go to any pawn shop and you can pick one up for less than you paid for your Guitar Hero video game. You will find it much, much more rewarding and challenging. It’s easy to play along with your favorite rock and roll tunes. Just learn the 5 standard box positions and how to move these boxes up and down the fretboard to change the key your playing in. Then, by knowing the key of the song you want to play along with, any note you play in that key will sound good and you will have a blast jamming. Don’t be someone who has colored buttons on their guitar.

Design #1113

In 2003 the world woke up to discover a game called Texas no limit hold’em when an accountant from Tennessee won 2.5 million dollars in the World Series of Poker. Chris Moneymaker single-handedly brought the game into the lime light. The invention of online poker software along with Moneymakers win was the catalyst that created a poker boom where everyone and his brother began to play the game online. A game that was once only seen in the backrooms of bars and the casinos of Las Vegas had emerged as a sport that you could now watch on television daily. Televised tournaments were making Vegas poker pros famous overnight. The explosion was out of control and a new player that took the time to learn good poker strategy could go online, play a little poker and actually make money.

The only law on the books regarding online poker at this point was antiquated legislation created in 1961 called the Wire Act. It made placing a wager over a telephone line illegal. If you ask anyone form the Justice Department today if it is legal to play online poker, you more than likely will be told no and this would be based on the Wire Act, but to date the Justice Department has not charged, brought to trial, convicted, or sentenced anyone for playing poker online. So, the amazing growth of poker continued unrestrained until the fall of 2006 when Congressman Robert Goodlatte(R) Bill Frist(R) and Jon Kyl(R) in a sinister fashion, managed to attach legislation placing restrictions on internet gambling to the Ports Security Bill which was passed at midnight on the day Congress adjourned for the 2006 elections. This legislation known as the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIEA) does not make playing poker online illegal, but it does make it illegal for a U.S bank to process a payment from any poker site. Kind of makes it hard for a player to get his winnings in hand.

Be advised that the above discussion does not take into consideration any State or local laws that might make online poker illegal for you, but the question above asking if online poker is a crime might be answered soon. There is legislation pending in Washington, that is designed to exempt online poker from the UIEGA as well as set up a system that would tax and regulate online poker. Let’s just hope the politicians for once, pull their heads out and give us back one of our lost freedoms. Go ahead and buy one of the featured buttons and let others know that a friendly poker game online should not be a crime.

Design #1112

Not much more I can say about this button, It speaks for itself. It’s summertime, have some fun tonight. Don’t turn that oven on, Grill it!

Design #1044

With President Obama pushing his heath care plan to congress with the goal of passing this bill by the end of August, one has to wonder if rushing such a complicated problem through the process is wise. There is no doubt that health care needs reform. Claims are that close to 50 million Americans are without insurance, I say claims because I don’t know whether to believe anything I hear on television anymore. I do know that a large percentage of the country are but one layoff away from being uninsured and those with insurance are having a difficult time paying the premiums and deductibles while the number of procedures that their policy covers dwindles. The cost of medications for some citizens in this country is hundreds of dollars a month and that’s with so called “insurance”. This while the drug companies continue to make record profits.

I question whether the government is capable of creating a system to handle the heath care needs of this country in such a short period of time. A mistake at this point could be the straw that breaks the camels back in regard to our long term economy. It seems we have piled enough of a tax burden on the backs of our children, but only time will tell. I have no choice but to have faith in our politicians. They have kids and grandchildren as well and I can only hope they will make the right decisions.

One thing I know for sure is that we have to start looking at health care in a different way, which brings me to the point of this post. Doctors and health care specialists need to work towards reducing disease by promoting preventative medicine through education. No more letting the drug companies control health care in this country, it’s much more cost efficient to work towards preventing diabeties and cancer rather than padding the pockets of drug companies by treating patients after they have developed these diseases.

We need to get back to basics, our bodies are not garbage disposals in which we should dump Big Macs, fries and sugary soda’s into on a daily basis. Our kids need nutritious, well rounded meals to fuel their bodies, not the crap they are serving in school lunch rooms these days. Pizza, cheeseburgers and preprocessed foods are not going to turn our children into healthy adults. I even think it might be time to tax these unhealthy food options and provide food subsidies for healthy foods like fresh fruits and vegetables so that average consumers can afford to buy them. Watch any struggling single mom at the grocery store and her purchases are not made by what might be the healthiest choice but more likely by what she can afford. Same thing with fast food, it’s not just popular because it’s fast, but because it’s cheap. Education and making healthy choices available to all is a big factor in reducing health care costs in the long term.

Last and by no means least is for this nation needs to get off the couch. Exercise goes hand and hand with nutrition in keeping a human being healthy. Instead of insurance companies paying for someone’s anti-depression medication, maybe they should be sent to a gym where they could receive supervised exercise program. Something as simple as putting walking partners together or having a exercise coach motivating a patient could provide a relief from depression while increasing their overall health without the risk of long term drug addiction. So, if your reading this and you’re wondering how you can decrease your health costs, ask your doctor if getting off your ass is right for you.

Design #1111

If you were grew up in North Carolina as I did, you not only love BBQ but you were raised on it. As a kid I can remember dad taking us to Skinner and Daniels on Friday night for a plate of barbecue, coleslaw and hushpuppies. Those were the days. Unfortunately the days of family run BBQ joints look to be short lived. The Skinner and Daniels restaurant that I enjoyed as a kid was torn down to put up a Walmart.