Capt. Steve, are you telling me you've already opened a "Help Desk" for the checkin'? lmao!!!

woo woooooooooooooo!!!

Anton Shred - I have heard of Doppler but never seen him. I have been a member here longer than most but don't post as frequently as most. I don't have anything that interesting to say most of the time. Not sure if you have seen Joe more than me or not. Good for you if you have. I guess I have seen him 15 times and met him on 12 of those occasions. But i am not star struck nor do i really care too much about numbers. I agree though that its always a pleasure to see him.

Ronnie

ps I like Canadians. Married one once.

Interview with joe phoning from US to Birmingham Uk today. It's 2 hours in to the Paul Franks radio show and lasts about 15 / 20 mins. It is streamed just for the next few hours and you have to keep clicking on forward 15 min to get to it.

melzie

wow andy of uk, thanks VERY much for that cool link...I'm listening to Joe's interview now.... :D And I really loved what Joe had to say about the song "Ten Words". Very moving....

Study finds Wal-Mart contributes to poverty

A study focused on the effects of Wal-Mart stores on poverty rates found that an estimated 20,000 families nationwide have fallen below the official poverty line as a result of the chain's expansion.

Wal-Mart Stores Inc., based in Bentonville, Ark., ranked No. 5 on the St. Louis Business Journal's most recent list of the area's largest employers. As of Dec. 31, Wal-Mart employed 13,005 people in the St. Louis metro area.

The study -- Wal-Mart and County-Wide Poverty -- written by Stephan Goetz, a professor of agricultural and regional economics at Pennsylvania State University, and Hema Swaminathan for the International Center for Research on Women, was published in the latest issue of Social Science Quarterly.

Authors, Goetz and Swaminathan write that the presence of Wal-Mart was "unequivocally associated" with smaller reductions in family-poverty rates in counties nationwide during the 1990s relative to places that had no stores.

During the last decade, dependence on the food stamp program nationwide increased by 8 percent, while in counties with Wal-Mart stores the increase was almost twice as large at 15.3 percent, according to the study. Although Wal-Mart employs many people living in its communities, for most, the hours worked and the wages paid do not help these families transition out of poverty, the study said.

The study, which sought to identify the independent effect of Wal-Mart stores on changes in U.S. family-poverty rates at the county level, found that one of the greatest effects of a Wal-Mart opening is the closing of mom-and-pop-type operations.

The authors state in the study that "by displacing the local class of entrepreneurs, the Wal-Mart chain also destroys local leadership capacity."

Poverty rates will rise if retail workers displaced from existing mom-and pop-type operations work for Wal-Mart at lower wages because they have no alternatives, all else equal, according to the study.

The demise of mom-and-pop stores leads to the closing of local businesses that supplied those stores, such as wholesalers, transporters, logistics providers, accountants, lawyers and others. Many of these are higher-paying jobs. The study concludes that it is likely that these more highly-educated individuals depart from the rural community in pursuit of better opportunities elsewhere, contributing to the rural-to-urban exodus over the last decade, leaving behind those with fewer opportunities and raising the poverty rate by reducing the number of nonpoor households in the denominator.

Wal-Mart is estimated to employ no more than 2 percent of the average county's work force. The share of Wal-Mart's employment in total county retail jobs is substantially greater than only 2 percent. In addition, the Wal-Mart jobs may be part time as opposed to full time, leading to lower family incomes, all else equal, the study said.

A spokesperson for Wal-Mart was unavailable to comment for this story.

THIRSTY?

Anheuser-Busch to Buy Rolling Rock Brand

ST. LOUIS - Anheuser-Busch Cos. Inc., citing consumers' need for variety in beer, said Friday it will pay $82 million to purchase the Rolling Rock beer brand from InBev USA, the U.S. subsidiary of Belgian-Brazilian brewer InBev SA.

TGIF and there's nothing like a little comedy to start the weekend off right.

These are actual newspaper ads:

FREE YORKSHIRE TERRIER. 8 years old. Hateful little bitch. Bites

FREE PUPPIES: 1/2 Cocker Spaniel, 1/2 sneaky neighbor's dog.

FREE PUPPIES.. Part German Shepherd, part stupid dog

FREE GERMAN SHEPHERD 85 lbs. Neutered. Speaks German.

FOUND DIRTY WHITE DOG. Looks like a rat ... been out a while. Better be a reward for this nasty little thing.

COWS, CALVES: NEVER BRED.. Also 1 gay bull for sale.

NORDIC TRACK $300 Hardly used, call Chubby

GEORGIA PEACHES, California grown - 89 cents lb.

JOINING NUDIST COLONY! Must sell washer and dryer $300

WEDDING DRESS FOR SALE. WORN ONCE BY MISTAKE. Call Stephanie.

(AND THE BEST ONE)

FOR SALE BY OWNER: Complete set of Encyclopedia Britannica. 45 volumes. Excellent condition $1,000 or best offer. No longer needed, got married last month. Wife knows everything......Ouch ! ! ! That's Cindy slappin' me up side me head ....lol....

One More For The Ditch......

The Italian's New Shoes . . .

Paolo Piaia walks to work 20 blocks every day and passes a shoe store. Each day he stops and looks in the window and admires a certain pair of Bocceli leather shoes. He wants those shoes so much it's all he can think about.

After 2 months he saves $300 to buy them.

Every Friday night the Italian community gets together at a dance at the Veneto Club, so Paolo seizes the opportunity to wear his new Bocceli leather shoes to the dance.

He asks Sophia to dance, and as they dance he asks her, "Sophia, do you wear red panties tonight" ?

"Yes, Paolo, I do wear red panties tonight, but how do you know"?

Paolo replies, "I see the reflection in my new $300 Bocceli leather shoes. How do you like them"?

Next he asks Rosato dance, and after a few minutes he says to her,"Rosa, do you wear white panties tonight"?

Rosa answers, "Yes, Paolo, I do, But how do you know that"?

He answers, "I see the reflection in my new $300 Bocceli leather shoes. How do you like them"?

Now as the evening is almost over and the last song is being played, Paolo asks Maria to dance. Midway through the dance his face turns red. He says, "Maria, be stilla my heart. Pleasa tella me you wear no panties tonight, pleasa, pleasa, tella me thisa be true"!

Maria smiles coyly and answers, "Yes Paolo, I wear no panties tonight".

Paolo gasps and says, "Thanka God... I thought I had a CRACK in my new $300 Bocceli leather shoes!"

Have A Great Weekend and I hope I put a smile on your face.

Andy of UK- thanks SOOOO much for that link. It was wonderful and had me in tears

Wake up everyone, stop what you are doin', wherever you are...whatever the time...click on the link that Andy of the UK posted...(thanks Andy) so cool to hear Joe speak so eloquently about his music, especially one of my favorites, TEN WORDS...I knew it!! Such humanity in that song...Joe you are a true artist!! ....What a great song!!...Joe, this might make your heart smile a little...I had my class of 6 year old students listen to TEN WORDS again at the end of the day today...we call every Friday, Freedom Friday in my class...they were moving all around...and just feeling the spirit of your music...thanks Joe...for well...thanks for connecting us to ourselves.... http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio/aod/networks/wm/aod.shtml?wm/paul_franks

Ovation...thanks so much for appreciating my words! ...I am just stating the obvious...Joe's music is a gift...He writes what we feel and think....

Satriella, no I don't write lyrics, but thanks for appreciating my writing.....I write my mind and my heart....love writing poetry for myself...and just started writing children's books...(have to find a publisher)....Hey I have an idea!!! ....maybe one day.... this is good!!....I can write a children's book about Joe's life, and you can illustrate it...sounds like a plan...lol....hey ya never know..I read the postings about your excellent artwork...I will check it out .

Stevee T....Suffolk...so close...hey maybe we can start a "Kramer/Seinfeld" style tour of Joe's old neighborhood...lol

Well, bye all....Oh, I will leave you with a quote from another great talent below....food for thought......

JOE....you master them ALL....2 hand tapping and all that stuff...you MASTER it ALLLL.... you really do!

Joe you always put a smile on my face. I am smiling from this interveiw. I have had a smile on my face through the whole thing. Thank you for always being so wonderful.

Joe you have the most beautiful voice. i cant wait to Crowd Chant with you! Thank you SO much for being who you are. You always put a smile on my face. Just listening to you say "yeah alright" makes me smile! THANK YOU

GROWLER

ASS WIPE KNOW IT ALL .....

Whatever YOU STILL AVE THE HUMP WITH ME FOR SOME REASON.....

I couldnt give a toss... I tried to get on wiv you but stuff it why should I waste the time on a BELL BOY....

You started to get on wiv a few folks on this site and I took the time to try to reach ya so kiss my ass and get the FBI onto me or whatever. I've lived for fourty years and dont need ya. I do genuinley want to get on with you but if you cant be botherd neither can I. You think you know it all done it all but you are still a bell boy at a hotel who plays in some covers band called straight jacket.Very apt name cos you should be wearing one and bouncing up and down in a rubber room. If you think you are getting one over me you aint cos you can't beat me mentally or physically. C'MON BRING IT ON AND DO YOUR WORST YOU TOSSER...

I DO WANT TO GET ON WITH YOU BUT YOU ARE JUST BEING A PRAT.

I'm not a know it all but I've been around the block a few times.

If you can't be civil; with me this will be the last time I acknowledge you BELL BOY....

Satriella, thank you for listening!! I just play the guitar and do very-average backing vocals when we play live!! Declan Sharma (our singer) does all recorded vox duties!! Am seeing Joe in Birmingham...will be my 14th time! There used to be a character on the FAST SHOW that said, 'You ain't seen me-right?!', and in one episode, he said, 'Oy you cocker chompies'....I got the Chompy thing from that....er...if that makes any sense!??

SLANSHROOM

Cheers buddy I'll have a look at the link

BY THE WAY I'M NOT FEEDING TROLLS I'M JUST DEALING WITH THEM ON THEIR LEVEL........