A Personal Appeal from an Author of 549 Grant Miller Media Posts.

Ever wonder how Grant Miller Media can cover so many topics so well?

Ever since I was a girl, I've been a total nerd about Grant Miller and Grant Miller-related information. I'd bring home all sorts of trivia and fun facts related to Grant Miller. My mother wasn't too thrilled.

I've written hundreds of posts at Grant Miller Media about Grant Miller. Now multiply that by 100,000 editors. That's how Grant Miller Media got to 15 million articles about Grant Miller.

For this to keep working, we volunteers need a stable infrastructure on which to work: servers, tech staff, guidance counselors, jet-ski instructors, archivists, clergy members, geologists and geophysicists, labor relations specialists, tool-and-die makers, urban and regional planners, human guinea pigs, bait-and-switch con men named Slim, Asian masseuses, fresh-faced fraternity brothers in snappy letter sweater cardigans and a legal team to protect our independence and more.

Grant Miller Media is the #5 Grant Miller-based Website in the world, but its infrastructure is maintained by a small non-profit -- all paid for by donations, just individuals giving $5, $20 or even $50. Please pitch in.

Grant Miller Media works because their is an unspoken light inside all of us that comes from the desire to help educate, to help share knowledge and to help Grant Miller. And that's what makes Grant Miller Media so magical.

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Theresa Hewitt

Grant Miller Media author

Italy's Berlusconi Resigns After Passing Austerity Bill.

Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi resigned Tuesday after losing a governing majority in parliament and passing a crucial budget vote that will tighten government spending for years to come.

Here's a look at Italy's new austerity measures:

• Cease production of sleek high-end sports cars and focus on fuel-efficient hybrids and economy-size vehicles.
• Bring Sophia Loren out of retirement - am I right, fellas???
• Shifting its leather glove-based economy to a cheaper, knitted half-finger glove-based economy.
• Start hitting eBay hard with some of that Michelangelo crap.
• Limit romantic afternoon picnics of wine and cheese to no longer than four hours daily.
• Ayyyyy dats a very spizey global economy!!!
• End policy of unlimited breadsticks and salads.
• Eliminate strawberry from all future Neapolitan ice cream containers.
• Modernize Venice - have you seen that place? They don't even have streets....
• Fin.

And Now, a Final Moment with Andy Rooney.

Former Grant Miller Media contributor Andy Rooney submitted this, his final post, just days before he passed away on Friday.

Have you ever noticed the more expensive coffee at the supermarket always comes in a bag? It used to be that all coffee came in a can. But somewhere along the line they began putting coffee in bags.

I would say about half of all coffee sold at the supermarket comes in a bag. The other half comes in a can and then there are those bulk containers for people who like to scoop their own coffee beans. You never see anyone scooping their coffee beans. I know I don't.

Coffee bags are nice. They're smaller than a can so they fit in your cupboard. But why is it the tape on the bag never sticks once you open it? No matter how hard you press it down it comes off.

Never have that problem with cans. Once you're done with a can you can use it for holding nails or coins. Here's an old Maxwell House can I use to hold pennies. It weighs a lot - there must be at least 600 pennies in there. Here's an old Folgers can. It's smaller. Keep my rubber bands in it.

So why is it that some coffee is ground and some is whole bean? Nobody wants the whole bean, a whole coffee bean won't help you wake up in the morning. So you have to grind it. So why don't they sell only ground coffee?

Have you ever seen someone using the coffee grinder at the supermarket? If you ask me, if you have to grind your own coffee at the store they should at least give you a dollar off.

They don't drink coffee in Europe. They drink tea.

Something tells me if the queen wanted her coffee ground, she wouldn't stand around in the supermarket doing it herself.

The Best of Andy Rooney at Grant Miller Media.

Grant Miller Media was saddened by the recent passing of its longtime contributor, Andy Rooney. Mr. Rooney's final Grant Miller Media post will be published later this week.

In the meantime, here's a look back at Mr. Rooney's greatest moments at Grant Miller Media:

On the blogosphere

"It used to be if you wanted your voice heard you had to get on TV or radio or write a letter to your newspaper. Now days you hop online and start a blog, like Grant Miller Media. So now, everyone's voice is heard and everybody has a blog.

To bad no one is listening."

On slippers

"I like my slippers. I get a new pair every year and I wear them around the house. Sometimes I wear them at work, but my boss doesn't like it very much. Says it sets a bad example. Of course, he never said wearing shoes sets a good example...."

On Valentine's Day

"It's surprising how much Valentine's Day candy costs these days. So much of it is made of high fructose corn syrup and partially hydrogenated soybean oil. It's tough to find anything made with real sugar. And that's too bad...."

On taking naps

"I like late afternoons because I like to nap. You can try napping in the morning but it's not very easy. It feels more like going back to bed. If you try napping in the early afternoon you won't have much success. Someone will probably tell you to get up...."

On bubble gum

"You don't see men my age chewing bubble gum. There's something about it that looks silly once you reach a certain age. Same goes for lollipops and cotton candy...."

On eyebrows

"Not everyone's eyebrows are the same. Elizabeth Taylor's eyebrows were practically more famous than her. Groucho Marx made a career out of his. You don't see many stars now days with eyebrows like that."

On newspaper ads for women's shoes

"Here's another ad for women's shoes. I don't normally look at ads for women's shoes, but I couldn't help but notice the woman in this ad is holding the shoes, not wearing them. The least you can do if you're selling women's shoes is to show a woman wearing them. Somehow I don't think this ad was made with someone like me in mind...."

On the Super Bowl

"It used to be that only football fans would watch the Super Bowl. Of course it wasn't always called the Super Bowl. It was just the championship. But once you get enough corporate sponsors and halftime acts, I suppose you can't just call it the championship...."

On finding money

"I don't think many people give much thought to where a few extra dollars go. If you've ever found a couple dollars in an old pair of slacks it may be a nice surprise but it's hardly enough to retire on...."

On Pringles

"Pringles are the only chip that come in a can. Walk down the chip aisle of any supermarket and you won't find any chips in cans. Except Pringles. Sure, you might find shoestring potatoes in a can. But those aren't chips. At least I don't think they're chips...."

On babies in television commercials

"What about babies that sell tires? You probably didn't know babies need tires. I know I didn't. Do you really think a baby would choose one tire over another? I've never met a baby that could even tell the difference between tires and I bet you haven't either. But selling tires to worried parents is probably a little easier than selling baby food to a baby. It'll sure cost you more...."

On credit cards

"Not many people use checks anymore it seems. Even hot dog vendors accept credit cards now. Just the other day I took a cab in New York City and the driver asked if I would pay with a credit card. When I was a boy, nobody used credit cards...."

On "60 Minutes"

"How is it that '60 Minutes' has won 78 Emmys while 'America's Funniest Home Videos' hasn't won anything? I'll tell you how - everybody is scared of Mike Wallace and his slick backed hair, capped teeth and that silky smooth baritone of his...."