Working for Peanuts

Registered yesterday for the Marine Corp Marathon

Great training site http://www.jeffgalloway.com/

U.S. veteran returns to Xerox

U.S. veteran returns to Xerox after four-year tour of duty in Iraq

For the past six years, one of our very own Xerox colleagues, Colonel Christian Klinefelter has been serving in the U.S. Army. Last week, he came back to Xerox as a product specialist, and received a warm welcome from his team in the Ohio Valley/Michigan CBU.

“We’re honored to have Christian back on board with us,” said Brian Leedy, vice president for Ohio/ Michigan CBU. “While risking his life to serve and protect our country, he learned many new ways to work with people, and is a real asset to his peers and the company.”

When Colonel Klinefelter was mobilized in January 2003 to train U.S. troops for battle, he didn’t hesitate. Generations of his family fought in active battles – his father was a World War II tank company commander, his grandfather served in World War I, that man’s grandfather served in the Civil War and one of his great grandfathers served in the Revolutionary War. While Colonel Klinefelter was commissioned when he was 21, he was never presented with the opportunity to serve in battle until the Iraq war.

Following his two-year, U.S.-based training mission, Colonel Klinefelter was deployed to Iraq. He spent four years in a variety of influential roles from training 3,000 Iraqi soldiers and deploying them into the Battle of Fallujah, to being a key leader with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in Baghdad managing $15 billion of Iraqi reconstruction projects.

“Overall, it is good to be home. I am looking forward to taking the skills I developed in the field and using them in my new role,” said Colonel Klinefelter. “I’ve interacted with people from so many backgrounds and held various training and advisor positions in Iraq. This will help me better understand and work with team members and clients. Having a world view on foreign affairs and the global business climate will also allow me to better counsel customers on how Xerox can position their company for success.”

Colonel Klinefelter has been honored with two Bronze Star Medals, two Meritorious Service Medals, a Bronze deFleury Medal, and a Legion of Merit. For the servicemen and women still serving, Colonel Klinefelter says his thoughts are with them and that he’s proud of their ongoing dedication to serving the country.

He has been married to Katherine for 33 years and has four children that are 18, 20, 24 and 26 years old. His youngest son, Christian, is hoping to carry on the family tradition of serving in the U.S. military by joining the Army ROTC program at University of Toledo this fall.

Abraham Lincoln

Great USA Local Newspaper Site

Click on the Map

One of the most interesting sites. Just put your mouse on a city anywhere in the world and the newspaper headlines pop up... Double click and the page gets larger....

What a Full Moon

This is a full moon over Jupiter Lighthouse.
If the full moon looks unusually large, it is not your imagination – it was the biggest and brightest full moon to be seen for 15 years.

Our Grandmother on my fathers side Jane (Coyne) Tobin with my father Charles L. Tobin born 25 July 1901 in Manchester N.H.

Family Tree Picture week #8

Sandhill Cranes

While golfing last week we were accompanied at one hole by two beautiful Sandhill Cranes.
Adults are gray overall; during breeding, the plumage is usually much worn and stained, particularly in the migratory populations.
They have a red forehead, white cheeks and a long dark pointed bill. They have long dark legs which trail behind in flight and a long neck that is kept straight in flight. Immature birds have reddish brown upperparts and gray underparts.



Photo by Laurel Valchuis

Bottled Water

Two hours in a meeting or a work out and a lifetime in the Landfill. Fill the bottle from the tap at home.

What a "Dope"

Required Minimum Distributions Waived

Great news for retirees: The Worker, Retiree, and Employer Recovery Act of 2008, which was signed into law in late December, suspended the minimum required distribution rules for traditional IRAs and qualified retirement plans for the 2009 tax year. That means seniors who are 70 ½ or older are not required to withdraw money from their retirement accounts this year.

Not only will seniors avoid having to pay taxes on the withdrawal, but they can also keep their retirement account intact so it's better poised to recover when the market does. Plus, withdrawing money now could be detrimental to a retiree's nest egg over the long term: Tapping your savings in a year when the market underperforms could deplete your savings much sooner than expected.

There’s one caveat to consider regarding the required minimum distribution rules. Seniors who turned 70 ½ in 2008 and who have until April 1, 2009, to make their minimum required distribution still need to do so. Although it may feel like a 2009 withdrawal, it’s technically for 2008 and the MRD rules are still in effect for last year.

High Fives all around

John P. Tobin Memorial Children's Book Collection

Recently at the Hanson Public Library

The John P. Tobin Memorial Children's Book Collection was unveiled with a reception for invited guests. Family and friends who contributed to the library fund in Mr. Tobin's memory gathered to see the current collection. We expect to expand the selection as time goes on.

John Tobin enjoyed using the library frequently, and this generous legacy, envisioned by his wife Marjorie, will hopefully encourage youngsters to appreciate what the library has to offer them, and also become life-long library patrons.

Pictured are members of the Tobin family around a display created to showcase some of the volumes in the collection

Help The Post 911 Fundation

I have been asked by a military friend of this organization to help get out the word. Please provide any support you can to this worthwhile cause. Thanks

Post 9/11 Foundation Mission

The Post 9/11 Foundation is a Non-Profit Organization dedicated to honoring and assisting first responders and veterans who have served our nation in the aftermath of 9/11. We endeavor to create grass roots awareness, community support, and tangible assistance for those who have served in the Military, Government, Police, and Firefighter communities, as well as other great Americans who have answered the call to duty since the attacks of September 11, 2001.

Please click on the picture

Walking update as promised two weeks ago today.

19 January 2009. Made my goal of 5 miles a day today. Actually doing 5.4 per day in under 1.5 hours. It’s a proven fact that people who listen to music while they exercise tend to workout more frequently and are less likely to quit their exercise regimen.

This weeks Airline crash puts the sign in this photo in perspective.

We tip people for bring us food at restaurants. Tip the doorman etc. Prior to doing some stunts I took this picture at one thousand feet heading east flying with my niece KMac over Martha's Vineyard. The plane was a very old Bi Plane with open cockpit. KMac and I up front and the pilot in back. We all had on old style leather helmets and wearing goggles. I did tip the pilot because he gave us a great tour of the Island with some thrilling spins, and lots of aerobatics. He was a professional and landed us safely back on earth. With this weeks crash in New York I know Professional Commercial Pilots don't expect at tip as we get off the plane, nor would they accept one if offered. The best thing we all can do at the end of our next flight is look him or her directly in the eye and say THANKS FOR A SAFE FLIGHT CAPTAIN. I do it every time I fly. Think of how disciplined and decisive captain Chesley B. "Sully" Sullenberger was with all that was going on in those three critical minutes.

Tickets go on sale Saturday 17 Jan. First game Feb 25. Red Sox 12 Mar.

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I have had enough tennis anyone.

As our government continues to hit the budget ball back and forth over the blame net. Keep this in mind as of last night every American Tax payer now owes 61,875 to pay off the debt. So keep working and get your kid's a job ASAP.

U.S. NATIONAL DEBT CLOCK

The Outstanding Public Debt as of 16 Jan 2009 at 05:53:05 PM GMT is:

The estimated population of the United States is 305,472,096 so each citizen's share of this debt is $34,740.11.

The National Debt has continued to increase an average of $3.37 billion per day since September 28, 2007!
Concerned? Then tell Congress and the White House!

The Mind

The Mind is like a parachute it only works when it's open.

The new limo

The Obamamobile: The first official photograph of Obama's new armoured limo, which he will ride in for part of the swearing-in parade, and which can withstand rocket and chemical attacks.

The Joy Movie

This was sent to me by my brother "Cape Cod Charlie" who has more faith, wisdom, patriotism , compassion and patients than all of us put together.

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Riding with Private Malone

To all the Private Malone's I flew with in Vietnam.
This song tells a story.

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And the winner is

Click the pic

Marine Corp Marathon

My niece Eileen is planning to honor her father, my brother John by doing the Marine Corp Marathon in October 2009. Pat and I are beginning to plan for this event and would like to invite any family and friends to join us. Details about the race can be found by CLICKING ON THE ABOVE PICTURE MAP. As the plan begins to take shape I will provide updates on the blog. Please feel free to use the comments section for any questions or suggestions.

Try it this way when you carve your next turkey.

Next time you are asked to carve a Turkey try carving it in this manner. Remove each breast as one piece then slice them each like a loaf of bread. I tried it this way for the first time this Christmas and everyone liked the appearance and portions. Everyone however loved the taste the most but I had nothing to do with that. The Christmas Turkey this year was prepared by our host Mara and Josh. Photo taken by Mara Lappin

Spider-Man

WASHINGTON (AP) - Spider-Man has a new sidekick: The president-elect.

Barack Obama collected Spider-Man comics as a child, so Marvel Comics wanted to give him a "shout-out back" by featuring him in a bonus story, said Joe Quesada, Marvel's editor-in-chief.

"How great is that? The commander in chief to be is actually a nerd in chief," Quesada said. "It was really, really cool to see that we had a geek in the White House. We're all thrilled with that."

The comic starts with Spider-Man's alter-ego Peter Parker taking photographs at the inauguration, before spotting two identical Obamas.

Parker decides "the future president's gonna need Spider-Man," and springs into action, using basketball to determine the real Obama and punching out the impostor.

Obama thanks him with a fist-bump.

Marvel comics have featured most presidents, but generally in walk-on roles, Quesada said.

"I think President Nixon might have appeared on the cover, but not in a good way," he said.

Obama has said that as a child, he collected Spider-Man and Conan the Barbarian comic books. His Senate Web site used to have a photo of him posing in front of a Superman statue.

The Obama story is a bonus in Marvel Comic's Amazing Spider-Man #583, available in comic book shops nationwide on Jan. 14 for $3.99 and is expected to sell out, with half the covers devoted to Obama.

Gator Nation Game Tonight

The entire State of Florida is into this game tonight. My the best TEAM win.

Click the Pic

Hogfish at the Food Shack last night

Hogfish (Lachnolaimus maximus), also known as Capitaine, are plentiful in the Florida Keys on many coral reefs and are considered to have high quality, soft and tasty flesh. The fish is a large wrasse of the western Atlantic. It has fourteen dorsal spines, eleven dorsal soft rays, eleven anal spines, and ten anal soft rays. The coloring varies but is usually brownish red with a black spot at the bottom of the dorsal fin. Their habitats are often over coral reef areas. The fishs' diet is mainly mollusks, crabs, and sea urchins. The Mexican hogfish is often a pinkish color with a fleshy bump on the males for head. The Hogfish is first a female then a male. The color pattern changes drastically between juvenile and adult.

The head of the male resembles a pig's snout.

Happy Birthday Elvis Presely

I Remember at 13 years old his records were on 45's. I was not allowed to have a pair of Engineer Boots which were the in thing to have at that time. Thank God :) :)
Click this Pic for Hound Dog.





Click this Pic to Discover Elvis.