Translation, Anyone???

Well, of course I Googled myself. Eventually everyone breaks down and does it. Try to Google a name like Dania Goode-Jones, though, why don't you? Please don't...I can't believe Michelle used that picture from high school for our web site.
Hell, try any variation of Goode-Jones~you'll just scare a search engine...and then try Dania. It's fun when you do a Google of Dania and Goddess. There's a bunch of pages of Dania and Goddess on the web...nothing that I was responsible for...I think. Actually, my name Dania is a variation of the letters of my mother's name, Diana. The Goode-Jones is the (legally changed) combination of my father's and step-father's last names. I could never blame anything I did on another Dania Goode-Jones. As for the Dania Goddess part, well...hey, I didn't start it, but it sounds good. Dania Elizabeth Goode-Jones Goddess. Goddess Dania...I can't decide which I like better...
Back to my original quest...although you can't fault a girl for Goddess dreaming. My Google search. There are dozens of images of "Dania" and variations of Dania on the web...none of Dania Goode-Jones,, alas...but I kinda like all the BADANIA ones. Sounds kinda wicked-like...in a Bad Santa way...Bad Dania.
I guess we all have a desire to be famous in some way. We all get a little bit of a thrill when we see our names somewhere. It's kinda cool to see Dania Goode-Jones show up on a web search, even if I do have to see that goofy high school picture along with it. And I kinda like that there's a beach town named Dania, my name...I can look at a map and see it in print. And even if it isn't me, it's pretty neat to see DANIA and BADANIA emblazoned across images on the internet. Finally I get to see something with MY name on it! I know I damn sure never found a keychain with my name on it at any store when I was growing up. I so envied all the girls named Beth and Stacy and Christy...now I get my own weird foreign books.
Of course, BADDANIA probably translates into something like "Double Thick Nylon Hose" or something just as unfortunate. Come to think of it, some of those other books could be Titles saying something like "Cooking Great Roadkill" and "Kill All Apples" for all I know. Guess I need to brush up on my...you know, I don't even have a clue what language that is. Guess I'm back off to my search for the Goddess Dania and her Support Hose. Who knows what I'll find. Maybe there IS another Dania Goode-Jones out there and I can finally prove she's the one who spray painted her name on Parish Road 17 in Epps, Louisiana back in 7th grade. Master criminal that she was.

DANIA GOODE-JONES DAVIS FOR GODDESS

NEWS ALERT!!! APB!!!ALL HANDS!!!

Dania Goode-Jones-Davis Stages Coup.

New Dynasty OF DaniaSpeak Begins.

And in other news...
The High Exhalted Goddess of All Dania Goode-Jones-Davis will now speak to her faithful subjects.

Ok, I'm a little cranky and caffeine-high...but I'm once again in a little snit.
Our mayoral race is beginning to start up, as are other local elections. This is usually about the time when my close friends start loading their tranquilizer dart guns and start stalking me. I can't blame them...if I weren't so @*?^#* frustrated with politics and politicians I would probably want to have me sedated during EVERY campaign - local and national.
I suppose my frustration lies not just with the politicians, but with us as the people responsible for putting these people in their positions of power and authority. IF we're lucky and it's a clean campaign without nasty, useless mud-slinging, a candidate spends his time telling us what he "will" do if elected and what good he's accomplished up to this point in time.
That's great. That's fine. And that's also nothing but rhetoric, promises and then information a 10 year old could Google.
I want to know if we're about to put someone in who has a clue. And I don't give a flying rat's ass if a presidential candidate who has never held a national office before doesn't know who the King of Syria's step-brother's cousin's prom date was. I have a few other questions I think might be a better prerequisite for our next slew of presidential candidates. They want to run our country, I think they should know a few things about it. AND have some common sense.
By the way...it's PASS/FAIL guys.



1. How much is our federal budget?
About $2 trillion.

2. What percentage of our federal budget is for non-military/discretionary spending?
Only 20% (I'm sure our troops are enjoying their $500.00 hammers and $2000.00 toilet
seats...not so sure about the Hummers that keep getting riddled with bullets, though.)

3. Roughly, what's the population of the United States? Around 290 million.
What's the population of the world? Just over 6 billion.
(Which makes us just 5% of the total package people.)
Wonder whatever happened to "Walk softly and carry a big stick"


4. How many people died in the terrorist attacks on 9/11? Of course there is no moral
comparison, but roughly how many Americans die each year in auto accidents? From heart
disease each year?
Approximately 3000 Americans died in the 9/11 attacks.
40,000 Americans die each year from auto accidents.
700,000 Americans die each year from heart disease.
(I'm a seat belt freak...please wear yours. And the frosted vanilla mini wheats are really
tasty... there, my good deed for the year.)

and finally...

5. Given the not too distant past of our electoral college fiasco, certainly candidates must
be familiar with the electoral process. In theory, what is the smallest number of
ACTUAL VOTES a candidate could receive and still be elected President of the United
States of America?

11 votes. Yep. You read that right. 11 votes. The Electoral College is set up in such a way that, quite literally, 11 regular Jane and Joe Smith voters could elect the President of the United States.
If California, Texas, New York, Florida and the other 7 states with the largest
electoral votes each had a turnout of only 1 voter in each state who voted for
Candidate X, and the other 39 states had every registered voter show up and vote
for Candidate Y (tens of millions of votes), Candidate X would still win because
he would have won the most electoral votes.*

Scary isn't it?




Until next time.

"What I cannot create, I do not understand." - Richard Feynman

*credit where credit is due~
thank you to Dr. Paulos, professor of mathematics and journalism
(Check out his book "Innumeracy")

Going to Sleep Now...

Me and Tippi...nothing going on. This weekend is going to be non-stop. Samantha's birthday (she made it to 22 ~ WOW) and party to follow. I should be asleep right now. About to sign off. Found a graduate level post 1800's literature class I could duck in and out of Monday nights at ULM this fall. I think MSU is offering one of the programming classes I wanted through the Corp of Engineering here this summer...have to wait and see. At some point I'm going to have taken every class ever offered. That's kind of sad in a way. Anyway, I'm wicked tired and heading to bed with a wolf at my heels. Nite.

Say Hi to Tippi

Yep, she's a wolf. Now who could not love that face?
This is pretty much what I get everytime I try to eat in the living room. She won't beg. She just looks...and sighs. And those eyes. God. Ever see a wolf smile? It's no wonder I don't eat right. She's had a bag of dog food that's lasted for 6 months. She knows the people at the McDonald's drive-thru by name, I think. They definitely know her. This is probably why I'll never have children. My dog is too high-maintainance...I can barely afford her! LOL. Of course, just look at that face...she's worth it. Spoiled but worth it.