Thursday, November 22, 2012

Memories of Past Thanksgivings - November 20012

NOTE: This Post near top Thur-Sun – Scroll below this post for latest Posting
Memories of Past Thanksgivings
I did this short story a few years back to bring back memories in my family of those good old days when we were all so young and the family was everything. Today I wish to share this story with you and those overseas doing this country so proud. Hope it helps bring back in you some of those good OLD memories about some of your past Thanksgivings with your loved ones...
God bless and Happy Thanksgiving to all of you...
AubreyJ.........
.Photo of my Grandparents house - Now owned by Aunt Martha Ree - Photo taken in 2001 by Aunt Louise.

And so my story begins... from the eyes of an older country boy... ME!!!.

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.In this short story, I tried to bring back those good old days at Thanksgiving time. All that good cooking and eating that went on.... It's like them days had happened just yesterday!!!.
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I can remember dad driving up to the Big House and all of us kids jumping out of the car and making a dash for the porch. Just to be pulled back to help unload the car of all the food offerings that we had brought for the Thanksgiving feast.
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As we walk into the house, we're greeted by hugs and kisses from the Aunts and warm hellos from the Uncles. Smile at Papaw as we walk by and on to the kitchen and out to the back porch we go. After unloading all the food on the tables outside, it's time to go and get a big hug and kiss from Mamaw. Naturally we would always get the yes ma'am... no ma'am drill from her and after that all of us kids would take off in our own directions.
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Now as for me- I usually ran for Uncle Buddy and would jump up into his arms. We'd have a short man to man chat... and then it was off to Papaw. Oh yeah... That short dash, backward flip to a tail slide across the arm of the chair topped off with a good 10 point landing- down between the side of Papaw and the arm of the chair. Such perfection- I'd even managed to miss that big old cigar that was always in Papaw's mouth.
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"Hey Papaw.... Got you any wolves this week!!!" I sure did love getting up in that chair with Papaw. All the small talk that went on between us that only Papaws and their grandchildren can have and the smell of Papaw's cigar- Now how can any of us forget that!!!.After a short visit with Papaw, I would run through the house to see what all the cousins were up to. Shoot- It always seemed that by the time we could all get together and get some kind of game started, all through the house you would hear Mamaw calling... "Everyone come to the table- it's time to eat." Now you would think that all us kids would come a running!!! Well some of us would, yet some of us would not...
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Yes sir, some of us kids were a little hard headed. Figure that!!! We would give ourselves them excuses like- "If we hurry up- we can finish this game and then go eat." This never did work out, no matter what we were playing... A few minutes would pass by, then someone would come for us bringing major threats from our parents. Hard headed are not, we knew for our own self preservation it would be best to make a dash for the tables about this time...
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Now... Where you got to sit down and eat was all up to how old you was. When you came of age, you got to eat at the big tables. If not of age yet, you had to eat in the kitchen or on the back porch. (I thought on this for a little bit and came to this conclusion... If we were to have a family reunion this Thanksgiving... and everyone showed up, I'd still end up on the back porch or at best in the kitchen. Some things never change... Oh well...)
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After everyone got settled down in their chairs it would start to get real quit. That's because before we could all start eating we had to have prayer. There was always some praying going on but it was more on the lines of: "Lord, please don't let Aunt Alice say the prayer this year." Mother would have the food cold by the time she got done with the Thanksgiving Blessings. Yes sir... That woman could sure do some praying at the table!!!
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Anyway- after a good 5 minutes of quit time, we finally got to eat. A-Men!!! There's no need in going over the list of food again because we had it all and then some... I'd eat so much that there was no way in the world I was going anywhere near that dessert table. Well not for an hour or two...
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After the feast, all us kids would take off to play and the adults would clean up and then head for the living room to visit and watch football. Uncle J.P. and Dad would go outside and have them a smoke while Uncle Jack and Uncle R.V. headed for the back bedrooms for a short nap. After a while dad and Uncle J.P. would catch up with the men and us kids knew to play very quietly around this time. If we had awakened any of the men we would have all been dead meat!!!
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I could go on and on with this story but I think I'll end it here. Besides, I have so many fond memories about this time of the year that I'd have to write a small book to cover them all...
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Anyway, I truly hope that this short story has sparked a few fond memories in all of you and I'll end with this wish... May you and yours have a wonderful and memorable Thanksgiving and for god’s sake… don't burn the rolls up this year!!!
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Story by: AubreyJ.........
Aubrey J. Fawcett
Written back on November 15, 2002
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HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE!
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Wednesday, November 14, 2012

Israel: On Ground Updates - November 14, 2012

Scroll DOWN for the latest Updates...
Israel: On Ground Updates
New Israeli Operation begins, ‘Operation Pillar of Defense’ - Hamas Military Chief Jabari has been Killed - Long-Range Rockets Destroyed - Infantry Units moved South - Israeli Reservists now being called up
Original post date:
Wednesday, November 14, 2012
IDF File Photo
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* YNews.com gets us started off today with the following report… Israel killed the military commander of Hamas in an airstrike on the Gaza Strip Wednesday, bringing the two sides to the brink of a possible new war… The attack came despite signs that Egypt had managed to broker a truce between Israel and Palestinian militants after a five day surge of violence which saw more than 100 missiles fired out of Gaza and repeated Israeli strikes on the enclave…
Read the rest at link below…
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* The New York Times has this take on the news out of Israel today and it starts off like this… Israel on Wednesday launched one of the most ferocious assaults on Gaza since its invasion four years ago, hitting at least 20 targets in aerial attacks that killed the top military commander of Hamas, drew strong condemnation from Egypt and escalated the risks of a new war in the Middle East… The Israelis coupled the intensity of the airstrikes with warnings to all Hamas leaders in Gaza to stay out of sight or risk the same fate as the Hamas military commander, Ahmed al-Jabari, who was killed in a pinpoint airstrike as he was traveling by car down a Gaza street. “We recommend that no Hamas operatives, whether low level or senior leaders, show their faces above ground in the days ahead,” the Israel Defense Forces said in a Twitter message…
Read this report in full at link below…
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* YNetNews.com had this report Tuesday and it start s off like this…  Egypt's powerful Muslim Brotherhood sharply criticized Israeli leaders on Tuesday over airstrikes in the Gaza Strip, accusing them of heating up the conflict to score political points ahead of elections… The latest round of violence began Saturday, with rocket attacks from Gaza militants and Israeli airstrikes on the Strip. More than 100 rockets have exploded in Israel since the weekend. The exchanges appeared to die down on Tuesday… Also, Israeli tanks struck a Syrian artillery launcher Monday after a mortar shell flew into Israel-held territory, fueling concerns that Israel could be dragged into the Syrian civil war… In its statement, the Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party referred to Israel as a "Zionist occupier" and a "racist state," placing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman on the "fringes" of the "far right."…
Read the rest at link below
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* The Independent had the following report posted on their website Tuesday afternoon and it starts off like this… Israel has threatened to slap sanctions on the Palestinian Authority if the PLO goes ahead with plans to seek an upgrade in its UN status to “non-member state” but Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas seems determined - not least because he knows that Israel now considers the Palestinian Authority too crucial to fail… Mr. Abbas told Arab League ministers meeting in Cairo this week that the application will be brought to a vote on November 29, the 65th anniversary of the 1947 UN partition vote that recommended the creation of two states in Palestine… Israel fears that the Palestinians, bolstered by the diplomatic victory that seems assured by majority support in the 193-member UN General Assembly, will use their new status to haul Israel before the International Criminal Court in The Hague for alleged crimes…
Read this report in full at link below
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POST UPDATE:
Thursday, November 15, 2012
.Above Image from IDF file photos
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* CBS News brings us the following report this Thursday afternoon and it starts off like this… Palestinian militants barraged Israel with more than 200 rockets on Thursday, killing three people as Israel pressed a punishing campaign of airstrikes on militant targets across the Gaza Strip. Three rockets targeted the densely populated Tel Aviv area, setting off air raid sirens in brazen attacks that threatened to trigger an Israeli ground invasion of Gaza… Late in the day, Israel signaled a ground operation may be imminent as forces moved toward the border area with Gaza. At least 12 trucks were seen transporting tanks and armored personnel carriers, and a number of buses carrying soldiers arrived. Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak said he had authorized the army to call-up additional reservists for possible action. The army said it was prepared to draft up to 30,000 additional troops…
Read this report in full at link below…
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* REUTERS has the following report and it starts off like this…
Two rockets fired from the Gaza Strip targeted Tel Aviv on Thursday in the first attack on Israel's commercial capital in 20 years, raising the stakes in a showdown between Israel and the Palestinians that is moving towards all-out war…
Read the rest at link below…
[Part of the above report by Reuters went like this The conflict, launched by Israel with the killing of Hamas's military chief, pours oil on the fire of a Middle East already ablaze with two years of revolution and an out-of-control civil war in Syria. It wasn't started by Israel. Give me a break!!! The Hamas Military Chief had been bragging, taking credit for the already hundreds of rocket attacks Israel had been experiencing over the last so many days and was strongly warned to stopped the attacks. He/they did not, so he/they paid the price. And so will many others if they keep it up. It’s on them now… Israel is all kinds of ready to lay down some serious hurt… AJ]
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* The Wall Street Journal has Report, News Video, Slides and more at link below…
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POST UPDATE
Israeli Military forced News Crews away from Gaza Strip Border Signaling probable Ground Incursion - Air Raid Sirens Sound Off in Jerusalem for First Time as Long Range Rockets Land Nearby
Friday, November 16, 2012
IAF file photo
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* CBS NEWS brings us the following report early this Friday morning and it starts off like this… Israel seemed to be preparing to step up its military operation against Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip on Friday, as air raid sirens wailed in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv and media reported another rocket had fallen near the Tel Aviv… CBS News correspondent Allen Pizzey and his team were forced by the Israeli military -- along with other news crews -- to move away from the border with the Gaza Strip on Friday morning, another signal pointing to a possible ground incursion into the tiny Palestinian territory
Read this report in full at link below…
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* JPost.com is reporting the following troubling news…
Two rockets landed outside of Jerusalem Friday evening as sirens rang out, causing no injuries or damage. Police reported that there was "no indication" that rockets landed in the city, stating that "most likely, the rockets landed in an open area outside of Jerusalem."… Hamas took credit for the attack, claiming to have shot "an improved Kassam," which it called an M-75, towards Jerusalem. The launch represents the first Hamas rocket attack aimed at Jerusalem…
Read this report in full at link below…
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* YNetNews.com has this take on the news out of Israel… Shortly after the air raid siren sounded in Jerusalem, Hamas' military wing, the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, claimed responsibility for the rocket fired at the capital area. According to the organization, it fired a homemade rocket called Qassam M76… The rocket Hamas fired at Tel Aviv is nicknamed Qassam M75… Shortly before the rocket hit the Jerusalem area, Hamas' military wing promised "a surprise in a short while."…
Read this report in full at link below…
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Lots of raw video footage and more at link above
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Israel's Gaza Ceasefire Fails
Israel's Airforce has launched an attack on the home of a Hamas commander, despite a temporary halting of military action due to a visit to Gaza by Egypt's Prime Minister Hisham Qandil… The strike is retaliation for rockets being fired at southern Israel… Tel Aviv had announced that it would suspend its military operation during the visit, but there are reports of an Israeli air strike on a house in the Jabalia refugee camp in northern Gaza… An Interior Ministry building belonging to Hamas has also been hit by a missile, reducing a large part of it to rubble…
This Video posted on YouTube by Euronews - Published on Nov 16, 2012
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IAF Disperses Warning Leaflets
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    This morning the IAF dispersed leaflets in various locations around Gaza Strip. The proclamations call for civilians to stay away from terrorist target areas and emphasize that Hamas is responsible for the situation in Gaza. "For your own safety, take responsibility for your life and abstain from approaching terrorist organizations"
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IAF Website
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    Skyhawk airplanes of the "Flying Tiger" Squadron dispersed proclamation leaflets over various locations in the Gaza Strip. The proclamations are directed towards citizens of the strip, warning them to stay far from Hamas operative points and other terror organizations that risk their lives and safety. The proclamations emphasize Hamas's responsibility for the escalations in the area and that the IDF will take all measures in order to insure the safety of all Israeli civilians.
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    The text translates as follows: “An important message to the residents of the Gaza Strip -- for your own safety, take control of your fate and avoid approaching Hamas activists, facilities or other terrorist organization centers that risk your safety. Hamas is yet again dragging the area into an escalation and bloodshed. The IDF is determined to protect Israeli civilians. This warning is valid until quiet is restored to the area. The Israeli Defense Forces Command
Taken from an IAF Press Release - November 15, 2012
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POST UPDATE:
Sunday, November 18, 2012
-- IDF file photo –
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Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu says Israel prepared to Widen Gaza Offensive Significantly - Raw Video Footage of Israeli Surgical Air Strikes of Hamas Operational Communication Infrastructure - More than 900 rockets have been fired at Israel since Saturday, (Nov 10th) almost 800 of which were fired since the start of Operation Pillar of Defense (Nov 14th), landing in the south and in the greater Tel Aviv area - Much more in today’s updates…
* This Sunday evening, DEBKAfile had the following informative report posted on their website and it starts off like this… Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Ehud Barak and Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman conferred urgently Sunday night, Nov. 18 - Day 5 of the Gaza offensive - on how to respond to US President Barack Obama’s insistent demand that they delay a major IDF ground operation in the Gaza Strip… DEBKAfile’s sources disclose that when Obama spoke to Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi Friday, Nov. 16 - after receiving an update from Netanyahu - he gave him a 48-hour window for talking Hamas around to a ceasefire… Not only has the Egyptian president failed in this task, his bid made matters worse: Hamas understood the US president was leaning hard on Israel to refrain from sending troops into the Gaza Strip and took advantage of the respite to redouble its missile barrage on a dozen Israeli locations in the last three days, including Tel Aviv and Jerusalem… Following his talks with Morsi and Netanyahu, Obama referred in Bangkok Sunday to “the next 24, 36, 48 hours as crucial; Israel responded to his request to send two senior envoys to Cairo – a high-ranking military officer and an intelligence official - take part in the ceasefire negotiations… However, Hamas turned down all the truce proposals on the table, leaving Israel with three options: …
Read this report in full at link below…
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* JPost.com reports
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* NBC News has the following report and it starts off like this… Israel was prepared to substantially broaden its operation in the Gaza strip, the country's prime minister said on Sunday as its military planes continued to bomb targets in Gaza City… "The Israel Defense Forces have attacked more than 1,000 terror targets in the Gaza Strip," Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said at a cabinet meeting. "We are exacting a heavy price from Hamas and the terrorist organizations and the Israel Defence Forces are prepared for a significant expansion of the operation."… He gave no specifics and made no mention of the possibility of a ground offensive…
Read the full report at link below…
(Above link has a 2 some odd minute News Video)
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PM Netanyahu: Israel Prepared for 'Expansion' of Gaza Offensive
About Video: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Israel is prepared to widen its Gaza offensive significantly - Plus… Raw Video Footage of Israeli Surgical Air Strikes of Hamas Operational Communication Infrastructure
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POST UPDATE:
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Israel-Hamas
CEASEFIRE
Now
In Effect
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Wednesday, November 21, 2012
Ceasefire brokered by Egypt, U.S., went into effect at 9:00 p.m. but Hamas keeps on firing rockets. Barak said this is to be expected… He also said Hamas, Islamic Jihad has received painful blow - Netanyahu: Give ceasefire a chance - As truce with terrorists in Gaza goes into effect, PM tells reporters in Jerusalem he will cooperate with Obama to stop arms smuggling to Hamas-ruled territory
* IsraelNationalNews.com gets us up to date with the following report...
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* YNetNews.com had the following report...
Israel-Hamas Ceasefire: Hillary Clinton's Statement
This Video posted on YouTube by ABCNews
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Latest Updates from IDF/IAF/MFA can be found at links below:

- MFA.gov: Israel strikes terror targets in Gaza

And more from MFA…
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This post now closed as of 11/21/12 - I will start a new post if new news breaks and/or CEASEFIRE falls apart for some reason
AubreyJ………

Sunday, November 11, 2012

Happy Veterans Day - November 11, 2012


- Happy Veterans Day -
About Photo: Scenes from Veterans Day 2011 at Arlington National Cemetery. President Obama at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier
On November 11th of each year we have Veterans Day in which we honor and thank all who have served in the United States Armed Forces remembering that many gave the ultimate sacrifice.
Happy Veterans Day
AubreyJ………
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Tuesday, November 06, 2012

Election Day 2012 - November 06, 2012

ELECTION DAY 2012
Today’s the DAY…
VOTE!!!
Tuesday, November 06, 2012
MITT ROMNEY
The next President of the United States!!!
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10:55pm CST
Well Crap
President Obama gets 4 more years
But with no mandate… no CHANGE coming
Just 4 more years of the same!
CRAP!!!
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Image courtesy of Romney Campaign
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POST UPDATE:
Thursday, November 08, 2012
12:30pm CST
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Like the GREAT ONE, Rush Limbaugh said Wednesday, and I’m paraphrasing here… ‘How the hell can the Republican Party compete against Santa Clause?’
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In other words, how will the republicans ever compete against the Democrat Party that has become the Party of free giveaways off the backs of the successful, off the backs of the rich off the massive Debt of this Country?
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How do you compete against Santa Claus when so many of the 47% say give me… give me… give me MORE! And the Dems keep on giving and GIVING… And they keep on giving even MORE knowing good and well that this great Country of ours can no longer afford it.

How the heck can the Republicans ever run against Santa Claus!!!?
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What’s your take on it?
AubreyJ………
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More to come so check back!
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