Hot and muggy and we are in the midst of a violent thunderstorm. Just like Florida lately.
01. *Child Immigrants .. Not in Westminster!
Probably because of the negative reaction to a possible site in Westminster for the border children, HHS turned down the site. Representative Andy Harris, Commissioner Frazier, Commissioner Rothschild and Commissioner Shoemaker were all negative about the site. Would it have been positive rather than negative if these 4 had lived up to the Christian values they claim to adhere to?
02. *Child Immigrants .. Me Generation
In an op ed piece, Jim Lee of the Carroll County Times says: "... in the current Congress we are blessed with products of the Me Generation. Their only care is to get what they want for themselves...they wrap themselves in the flag or the Constitution and declare their 'right' to have it their way... they neglect the simple fact that everyone else is also entitled to those same rights..."
One can relate this to the border children situation as well. Aren't they entitled to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness like our so-called "legal" children, or do we send them back to a life of poverty and gangs?
03. *Child Immigrants .. True Texas Christians
Over 800 South Texans have transformed a church hall into a support center for child immigrants crossing into the U.S. One lady said: "I put myself in their position...how would I want to be treated..." Also helping are Catholic Charities, Salvation Army, Baptists, Methodists and Episcopalians. The facility volunteers help immigrants get bathed, clothed and transported to other destinations where they will remain with friends or family until their cases are heard in court.
04. *Corporations .. Al Lewis' Wisdom
Today was Al Lewis' last column for the Wall Street Journal, and Al thinks that Conservative readers will be glad to see him go. Al left some bits of wisdom for us to ponder over. Here are a few items that I agree with:
a. Wherever there is money, there will be someone trying to steal it.
b. Corporations wield more power than individuals. (Why should they?)
c. Crime should be punished irrespective of the wealth of the perpetrator.
d. There really is a sucker born every minute. Don't be one.
05. Peace .. Common Ground on the Hill
McDaniel College had classes as part of their Common Ground on the Hill celebration. David Braune attended a couple of them and was impressed:
Imagining a World Without War
Non-violent Problem Solving
David had a letter to the editor published today. Dave is heavily involved with the AARP Tax Aide Program, and has received awards for his work. I will be trying to get him to speak about taxes to our NARFE group.
06. *Boehner's Lawsuit .. Another View
Gordon Jenkins writes to the Carroll County Times that he disagrees with Tom Zirpoli's recent column about Executive Orders. Gordon feels that many of the President's Executive Orders are unconstitutional, especially those involved with the implementation of Obamacare. He says that Boehner's lawsuit relates to the President usurping the legislative powers of Congress. Yes, Gordon, but if Congress doesn't do their legislative job, somebody has to, don't you agree?
07. Super Woman Thanks to Super Donor
Debra Long, 55, of Westminster, Maryland, has had numerous medical problems in the last few years and has had to have the following transplants....pancreas, liver, small intestines, stomach and duodenum! And she also has had a double mastectomy (sp?). There is a picture of how she looks today smiling and happy thanks to an organ donor she will never meet. In a little while she will have another transplant.. a kidney donated by her son.
08. *Voter Suppression?
Republicans are trying to win black votes in North Carolina.. and one of the persons they are trying to woo recently said: "You want to take away my health care, unemployment compensation and voting rights, but you want me to think you are my friend?"
09. Plug me in!
The Pentagon has contracted with UCLA and the University of Pennsylvania for a four year effort to develop a device that can be surgically installed in the brain to help people form, store, and recall memories. Such a device cold help victims of traumatic brain injury and maybe later, help ordinary people.
10. Little Hedgehog
A fossil hedgehog has been found in British Columbia after 52 million years. Silvacola acares (no, not a soft drink) which means "tiny forest dweller" is only 2 inches long, yet is fully grown.
11. The Weather Report
The weather people expect cooler weather next week because of Japan's Typhoon Neoguri, which has set in motion a chain reaction that will affect the path of the jet stream, causing warm, moist tropical air to push over the North Pacific. and that in turn will... blah blah blah blah...remember the saying about a butterfly flapping its wings on the equator and it eventually causes hurricanes?? Bottom line.. weather is global.
12. All the News that's Fit..
I started getting the New York Times (DC edition) Sunday newspaper delivered for a few weeks. One big difference between Baltimore Area papers and the NY Times is in its monied ads..
For instance: NYTIMESStore.Com advertises:
a. Pele signed soccer ball = $375.
b. Vintage Rolex watches = starting at $3,700.
c. Antique Map of the U.S. = $1,050.
d. Night Shift book signed by Stephen King = $1,800.
Get the picture?
.....................................................................................
Sunday, July 13, 2014
Saturday, July 12, 2014
Common Core; Child Immigrants; Cigarettes; Drones; Vacation Bible School; Hobby Lobby; Sentencing Delayed; Plant Intelligence; Boehner Lawsuit; Poncho Night; Harding
Hot, muggy day. Right now, we are surrounded by black clouds, so don't be surprised if I stop suddenly because of a storm.
Lately, people have been following people and events on Twitter by using "hashtags" #) .. which word even spellcheckers don't recognize yet. Since I often repeat myself on topics or add to something I've said before, I will give myself a symbol to show that I have talked about this subject before.. or I will be saying more in the future. That way, I can more easily sort and search for my subjects... maybe.
01. *Common Core .. Low Math Scores in Maryland
Math scores in Maryland State Assessment tests for Carroll County have dropped since last year and Leslie Wilson, former head of testing for Maryland says that some students may have been tested on concepts they have not been taught yet. The Carroll County Math statistics point directly to certain schools and that should be investigated, in my opinion.
02. *Child Immigrants .. Housing in Westminster?
The Administration is looking at several Maryland locations in which to house some of the thousands of children who are clogging our border stations. One of the sites under consideration is on Malcolm Drive in Maryland. Formerly used by the Government.. it is now vacant.
Three of our "enlightened" County Commissioners held an emergency session and voted "overwhelmingly" not to let the Government bring any of these kids here. The three, constituting a majority of the board, included two of the weirdest of the lot: Frazier and Rothschild. Richard Rothschild (Mr. Conservative) said: "Carroll County will not become a repository for Obama's failed immigration policies." Hey, Mr. C., I seem to recall that the reason we are having to deal with these kids is because your hero, W. Bush, said that we had to help all children who come across our borders to match up with relatives or caretakers. And, as for Immigration... you can look to a do-nothing Congress of Conservatives... without consciences.
By the way, if lots of children are housed in Westminster.. won't they have to eat? Where will they get their food? From Westminster stores which will make a lot of money supplying the Government? Then we would see a different attitude. Money, as usual, talks.
03. Smoke, Smoke, Smoke that Cigarette!
In spite of graphic health warnings and campaigns, the United States remains the second biggest tobacco market in the World... after China, of course.
I can remember when representatives of the tobacco companies would wait outside of my High School, passing out free packages of cigarettes to any teen-ager that would accept them. Get 'em addicted!
04. *Drones .. 30 minute Delivery!
Jeff Bezos wants to be able to deliver packages in 30 minutes or less as part of his planned "Prime Air" program. Amazon.com is trying to get permission from regulators to begin drone tests very soon in the Seattle area.
05. *Vacation Bible Schools .. More Catchy Names
Three more churches in the Westminster, Maryland area have named their upcoming Vacation Bible Schools with words designed to "catch" more students:
Imagine and Build With God
Agency DC, Workshop of Wonders
Red Carpet Awards: Lights, Camera, Action
06. *Hobby Lobby .. Criticism
Federal Judge Richard Kopf strongly criticized the Hobby Lobby decision in his blog: "Hercules and the Umpire". He ended his rant with the phrase: "As the kids say, it is time for the (Supreme) Court to STFU."
This supposed obscenity angered a lot of people who feel that jurists should not be involved in the blogosphere ("that often places high value on quick analysis and provocative comments.")
Wait a minute... isn't an appointed Federal judge allowed free speech? Oh.. that's right, he's not a corporation.
07. Justice Deferred
A Mt. Airy, Maryland man was just sentenced (July 2014) for a crime that took place in July 2013! A whole year to come to trial? Why? Can a backlog be that large?
08. Interfaith Breakthrough?
Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me (WWDTM) folks mentioned that the Germans have built some kind of edifice that will be used as a combined Church, Mosque, and Synagogue. It will be called the House of One. Sounds like a good idea.
Paula Poundstone thinks that there one might be able to get a Communion wafer from a vending machine.
She also thinks that they may have a bench outside for Atheists.
09. *Plant Intelligence .. My Aspidistra can Hear!
WWDTM reports that tests with recorders have shown that plants can hear and react. For instance, scientists have played the sound of a munching butterfly near a leaf, and the plant released some kind of protective coating that would deter butterflies. We know plants are smart, we've been talking to ours for years.
10. *Boehner's Lawsuit .. Because of only one reason?
Some NPR reporter said today that the gist of Speaker Boehner's lawsuit against President Obama contained only one reason for the suit... that the President delayed one part of the Affordable Care Act. Come on, John...based on what you and your Tea Party friends have been saying.. you could only come up with that? Very sad!
11. Poncho Night or Klan Rally?
The White Sox management had a "Poncho Night" on which they gave everyone a hooded poncho. During the game, it started to rain and folks had to pull up their hoods to protect their hairdos... unfortunately, each hood was white and pointed.
............................................................................................................
! Skip the next one if you don't want to hear about naughty stuff!
12. *President Harding .. Staff of Chief.. I mean.. Chief of Staff
As mentioned before, our most corrupt and also handsomest President had a mistress to whom he penned hundreds of love letters and notes. These have now been released to the public and in most of them, the President talks about "Jerry".. in phrases like "Jerry misses you" and others of that kind.. who is this Jerry? Harding's son? No, you innocent thing you, he's talking about an item of his anatomy. No wonder he wanted his letters destroyed.
................................................................
Lately, people have been following people and events on Twitter by using "hashtags" #) .. which word even spellcheckers don't recognize yet. Since I often repeat myself on topics or add to something I've said before, I will give myself a symbol to show that I have talked about this subject before.. or I will be saying more in the future. That way, I can more easily sort and search for my subjects... maybe.
01. *Common Core .. Low Math Scores in Maryland
Math scores in Maryland State Assessment tests for Carroll County have dropped since last year and Leslie Wilson, former head of testing for Maryland says that some students may have been tested on concepts they have not been taught yet. The Carroll County Math statistics point directly to certain schools and that should be investigated, in my opinion.
02. *Child Immigrants .. Housing in Westminster?
The Administration is looking at several Maryland locations in which to house some of the thousands of children who are clogging our border stations. One of the sites under consideration is on Malcolm Drive in Maryland. Formerly used by the Government.. it is now vacant.
Three of our "enlightened" County Commissioners held an emergency session and voted "overwhelmingly" not to let the Government bring any of these kids here. The three, constituting a majority of the board, included two of the weirdest of the lot: Frazier and Rothschild. Richard Rothschild (Mr. Conservative) said: "Carroll County will not become a repository for Obama's failed immigration policies." Hey, Mr. C., I seem to recall that the reason we are having to deal with these kids is because your hero, W. Bush, said that we had to help all children who come across our borders to match up with relatives or caretakers. And, as for Immigration... you can look to a do-nothing Congress of Conservatives... without consciences.
By the way, if lots of children are housed in Westminster.. won't they have to eat? Where will they get their food? From Westminster stores which will make a lot of money supplying the Government? Then we would see a different attitude. Money, as usual, talks.
03. Smoke, Smoke, Smoke that Cigarette!
In spite of graphic health warnings and campaigns, the United States remains the second biggest tobacco market in the World... after China, of course.
I can remember when representatives of the tobacco companies would wait outside of my High School, passing out free packages of cigarettes to any teen-ager that would accept them. Get 'em addicted!
04. *Drones .. 30 minute Delivery!
Jeff Bezos wants to be able to deliver packages in 30 minutes or less as part of his planned "Prime Air" program. Amazon.com is trying to get permission from regulators to begin drone tests very soon in the Seattle area.
05. *Vacation Bible Schools .. More Catchy Names
Three more churches in the Westminster, Maryland area have named their upcoming Vacation Bible Schools with words designed to "catch" more students:
Imagine and Build With God
Agency DC, Workshop of Wonders
Red Carpet Awards: Lights, Camera, Action
06. *Hobby Lobby .. Criticism
Federal Judge Richard Kopf strongly criticized the Hobby Lobby decision in his blog: "Hercules and the Umpire". He ended his rant with the phrase: "As the kids say, it is time for the (Supreme) Court to STFU."
This supposed obscenity angered a lot of people who feel that jurists should not be involved in the blogosphere ("that often places high value on quick analysis and provocative comments.")
Wait a minute... isn't an appointed Federal judge allowed free speech? Oh.. that's right, he's not a corporation.
07. Justice Deferred
A Mt. Airy, Maryland man was just sentenced (July 2014) for a crime that took place in July 2013! A whole year to come to trial? Why? Can a backlog be that large?
08. Interfaith Breakthrough?
Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me (WWDTM) folks mentioned that the Germans have built some kind of edifice that will be used as a combined Church, Mosque, and Synagogue. It will be called the House of One. Sounds like a good idea.
Paula Poundstone thinks that there one might be able to get a Communion wafer from a vending machine.
She also thinks that they may have a bench outside for Atheists.
09. *Plant Intelligence .. My Aspidistra can Hear!
WWDTM reports that tests with recorders have shown that plants can hear and react. For instance, scientists have played the sound of a munching butterfly near a leaf, and the plant released some kind of protective coating that would deter butterflies. We know plants are smart, we've been talking to ours for years.
10. *Boehner's Lawsuit .. Because of only one reason?
Some NPR reporter said today that the gist of Speaker Boehner's lawsuit against President Obama contained only one reason for the suit... that the President delayed one part of the Affordable Care Act. Come on, John...based on what you and your Tea Party friends have been saying.. you could only come up with that? Very sad!
11. Poncho Night or Klan Rally?
The White Sox management had a "Poncho Night" on which they gave everyone a hooded poncho. During the game, it started to rain and folks had to pull up their hoods to protect their hairdos... unfortunately, each hood was white and pointed.
............................................................................................................
! Skip the next one if you don't want to hear about naughty stuff!
12. *President Harding .. Staff of Chief.. I mean.. Chief of Staff
As mentioned before, our most corrupt and also handsomest President had a mistress to whom he penned hundreds of love letters and notes. These have now been released to the public and in most of them, the President talks about "Jerry".. in phrases like "Jerry misses you" and others of that kind.. who is this Jerry? Harding's son? No, you innocent thing you, he's talking about an item of his anatomy. No wonder he wanted his letters destroyed.
................................................................
Friday, July 11, 2014
Shrinking; Whaler; Hogan; Waterslide; Big Cities; Guns; Jail; Fact Checking; Parking Spaces for sale; Corporations; Plastic; Meetings
Another hot, muggy Summer day. AARP meeting at the Elks Lodge in Westminster, Maryland. I'll include the joke I told somewhere in this blog entry.
01. Little Joe
A picture of our NARFE Chapter Officers showed up in today's Carroll County Times. This time I wasn't clipped out of the picture. I see that I am now the shortest male officer. I keep shrinking. If I live another ten years, I will probably be about 4 feet tall and considered a "little person." I think that I have now lost 4 inches (and I wasn't that damn tall to begin with) while some of my friends, including Norman at AARP who seems to be growing taller... he is now age 90 and 6'8" tall! I guess its all in your genes.
02. Morgan
My cousins, Allen and Diana Vaughan sent me a postcard from the visit to New Bedford, Massachusetts of the re-rigged Charles W. Morgan.. the last whaling ship to come back to New Bedford with barrels of whale oil. Shortsightedly, the City did not want to keep the ship in its harbor, so they moved it to Colonel Green's estate in Dartmouth, where it was observed by spies from Mystic, Connecticut, who reported back to their bosses that it would be a money-maker for the planned Mystic Seaport attraction.
It has been berthed in Mystic for years and now has been re-fitted as it was in the early 1900's and made seaworthy again. It was nice of Mystic to let the ship sail into New Bedford, its old port, for a few days. Maybe Mystic would sell it back if the price were right. Otherwise, NB should arrange to have a replica made.
Incidentally, Hettie Green (Colonel Green's mother and the richest woman in the world for years) made the bulk of her fortune with the Charles W. Morgan and its excellent record of whale oil recovery.
03. More Larry Hogan Confusion
The newspaper reports: "Maryland election officials have determined that Republican candidate for Maryland Governor, Larry Hogan, broke no laws in converting his Charge Maryland advocacy organization into a campaign organization. Change Maryland was set up by Hogan in 2011 as a limited liability corporation, owned solely by him. As such, its donations and expenditures are exempt from public scrutiny and campaign finance laws."
Yes, my small mind does not understand all of this and how it relates to the over $2 million, that Hogan will be getting for his campaign from a fund for that purpose. ???
04. Crazy!
Indeed! The new 169 foot long water slide is called Verrucht (insane in German) and it includes a plunge at 50 mph. This was newly built for the Schlitterbahn Water Park in Kansas City, Kansas. (Ist das nicht ein Schlitterbahn?) A few years ago, my grandkids got me to go on a ride in Disneyland with them.. in which I "plunged" for what seemed to be miles at breakneck speed.. it was the scariest thing I have ever done.. and I will never do it again. It didn't seem to bother my little granddaughters in the least, and they enjoyed a big laugh on their Grandfather Chicken.
05. Man, is it getting crowded!
The United Nation reports that 3 1/2 billion people live in cities. The biggest cities.. those with ten million inhabitants or more are: Tokyo, Delhi, Shanghai, Mexico City, Mumbai, and Sao Paolo
06. More Guns
Spring, Texas.. last week saw the murder of four children and their parents. And over the July 4th weekend, 80 people were shot and 16 of them were killed in Chicago. (When... when.... when will WE learn?)
07. Put 'em all in Jail!
Why does the United States have more people in jail than Russia?
One reason is that prosecutors' performance ratings are based on the number of convictions they obtain.
Why shouldn't non-violent criminals who have paid their debts to society have their rights restored?
08. Check those facts first!
The fact-checking site PUNDITFACT reports that 60% of the comments made on Fox News are false. They also report that 46% of the comments made on MSNBC are false.
My observation is that 100% of the political comments that I have forwarded to me by well-meaning friends and relatives is false.
09. How much for a nice parking place downtown?
The Monkey Parking APP users advertise parking spaces they are about to vacate. Bidding begins at
$5. (Unbelievable... but clever if they get away with it.)
The City of Baltimore decided that too many people were using handicap stickers that were not issued to them.. stolen or purchased.. so they have done away with all handicap parking spaces. Formerly, those with handicap stickers were not required to fill parking meters and could stay parked there all day for nothing. (Yes.. its all about money again.)
10. Corporations
I can't remember who commented this way, but I agree with what was said.
"Wait a minute... I've been studying recent Supreme Court Rulings and I have this question: Where in the Constitution are the words: Corporation or Money?
11. Plastic Ingestion?
Scientists report that the plastic floating around the ocean has been disappearing lately faster than it should be according to biodegrading rules. Some suspect that fish are nibbling on it and ingesting it little by little. Unfortunately, that means that when humans eat the fish, they too ingest plastic.. that can't be good. Other scientists think that some microbes in the ocean are attaching themselves to plastic, weighing it down so that it sinks to the bottom of the ocean. That can't be good either.
12. Let's go out to eat, boys.
At today's AARP luncheon, the four Elderly Brothers gave a barbershop concert. These guys are Senior Citizens, but they are full of life and spunk. I had a turn at giving the group a joke, and I brought the Elderly Brothers into the story I told.
Every ten years the Elderly Brothers would meet to eat and celebrate their singing success.
When the Elderly Brothers were in their 40's, they decided to meet at Mikes because of the beautiful waitresses and cold beer.
When the Elderly Brothers were in their 50's, they decided to meet at Mikes because the food and wine were good.
When the Elderly Brothers were in their 60's, they decided to meet at Mikes because the place was quiet and smoke free.
When the Elderly Brothers were in their 70's, they decided to meet at Mikes because it was wheel-chair accessible and had an elevator.
When the Elderly Brothers were in their 80's they decided to meet at Mikes because they had never been there before.
......................................................................
01. Little Joe
A picture of our NARFE Chapter Officers showed up in today's Carroll County Times. This time I wasn't clipped out of the picture. I see that I am now the shortest male officer. I keep shrinking. If I live another ten years, I will probably be about 4 feet tall and considered a "little person." I think that I have now lost 4 inches (and I wasn't that damn tall to begin with) while some of my friends, including Norman at AARP who seems to be growing taller... he is now age 90 and 6'8" tall! I guess its all in your genes.
02. Morgan
My cousins, Allen and Diana Vaughan sent me a postcard from the visit to New Bedford, Massachusetts of the re-rigged Charles W. Morgan.. the last whaling ship to come back to New Bedford with barrels of whale oil. Shortsightedly, the City did not want to keep the ship in its harbor, so they moved it to Colonel Green's estate in Dartmouth, where it was observed by spies from Mystic, Connecticut, who reported back to their bosses that it would be a money-maker for the planned Mystic Seaport attraction.
It has been berthed in Mystic for years and now has been re-fitted as it was in the early 1900's and made seaworthy again. It was nice of Mystic to let the ship sail into New Bedford, its old port, for a few days. Maybe Mystic would sell it back if the price were right. Otherwise, NB should arrange to have a replica made.
Incidentally, Hettie Green (Colonel Green's mother and the richest woman in the world for years) made the bulk of her fortune with the Charles W. Morgan and its excellent record of whale oil recovery.
03. More Larry Hogan Confusion
The newspaper reports: "Maryland election officials have determined that Republican candidate for Maryland Governor, Larry Hogan, broke no laws in converting his Charge Maryland advocacy organization into a campaign organization. Change Maryland was set up by Hogan in 2011 as a limited liability corporation, owned solely by him. As such, its donations and expenditures are exempt from public scrutiny and campaign finance laws."
Yes, my small mind does not understand all of this and how it relates to the over $2 million, that Hogan will be getting for his campaign from a fund for that purpose. ???
04. Crazy!
Indeed! The new 169 foot long water slide is called Verrucht (insane in German) and it includes a plunge at 50 mph. This was newly built for the Schlitterbahn Water Park in Kansas City, Kansas. (Ist das nicht ein Schlitterbahn?) A few years ago, my grandkids got me to go on a ride in Disneyland with them.. in which I "plunged" for what seemed to be miles at breakneck speed.. it was the scariest thing I have ever done.. and I will never do it again. It didn't seem to bother my little granddaughters in the least, and they enjoyed a big laugh on their Grandfather Chicken.
05. Man, is it getting crowded!
The United Nation reports that 3 1/2 billion people live in cities. The biggest cities.. those with ten million inhabitants or more are: Tokyo, Delhi, Shanghai, Mexico City, Mumbai, and Sao Paolo
06. More Guns
Spring, Texas.. last week saw the murder of four children and their parents. And over the July 4th weekend, 80 people were shot and 16 of them were killed in Chicago. (When... when.... when will WE learn?)
07. Put 'em all in Jail!
Why does the United States have more people in jail than Russia?
One reason is that prosecutors' performance ratings are based on the number of convictions they obtain.
Why shouldn't non-violent criminals who have paid their debts to society have their rights restored?
08. Check those facts first!
The fact-checking site PUNDITFACT reports that 60% of the comments made on Fox News are false. They also report that 46% of the comments made on MSNBC are false.
My observation is that 100% of the political comments that I have forwarded to me by well-meaning friends and relatives is false.
09. How much for a nice parking place downtown?
The Monkey Parking APP users advertise parking spaces they are about to vacate. Bidding begins at
$5. (Unbelievable... but clever if they get away with it.)
The City of Baltimore decided that too many people were using handicap stickers that were not issued to them.. stolen or purchased.. so they have done away with all handicap parking spaces. Formerly, those with handicap stickers were not required to fill parking meters and could stay parked there all day for nothing. (Yes.. its all about money again.)
10. Corporations
I can't remember who commented this way, but I agree with what was said.
"Wait a minute... I've been studying recent Supreme Court Rulings and I have this question: Where in the Constitution are the words: Corporation or Money?
11. Plastic Ingestion?
Scientists report that the plastic floating around the ocean has been disappearing lately faster than it should be according to biodegrading rules. Some suspect that fish are nibbling on it and ingesting it little by little. Unfortunately, that means that when humans eat the fish, they too ingest plastic.. that can't be good. Other scientists think that some microbes in the ocean are attaching themselves to plastic, weighing it down so that it sinks to the bottom of the ocean. That can't be good either.
12. Let's go out to eat, boys.
At today's AARP luncheon, the four Elderly Brothers gave a barbershop concert. These guys are Senior Citizens, but they are full of life and spunk. I had a turn at giving the group a joke, and I brought the Elderly Brothers into the story I told.
Every ten years the Elderly Brothers would meet to eat and celebrate their singing success.
When the Elderly Brothers were in their 40's, they decided to meet at Mikes because of the beautiful waitresses and cold beer.
When the Elderly Brothers were in their 50's, they decided to meet at Mikes because the food and wine were good.
When the Elderly Brothers were in their 60's, they decided to meet at Mikes because the place was quiet and smoke free.
When the Elderly Brothers were in their 70's, they decided to meet at Mikes because it was wheel-chair accessible and had an elevator.
When the Elderly Brothers were in their 80's they decided to meet at Mikes because they had never been there before.
......................................................................
Thursday, July 10, 2014
Storms; Campaign Finance; Satellite Communication; Email; Gas; Greed; Jealousy; Common Core; World Cup Horn; Shock Jocks; Tattoo Elimination
Nice and sunny, hot and humid in the am.. about to rain in the pm.. 10 am AARP board mtg; 11:30 NARFE picnic in Woodbine, Maryland. Beautiful location at the Detweilers.
The Carroll County Times was very thin today.. it seems to be getting thinner every day since its takeover by the Baltimore Sun. But I need to see local news.. so I need to keep subscribing.
01. Stormy Weather
The storms of the day before yesterday are still causing problems. Lots of downed lines, and of course, the sad story of a 12 year old boy who was killed by a falling tree.
Elaine and I are still trying to dry out from our soaking in yesterday's storm. The weather report warns that we may get another storm sometime today.
02. Candidate money
The newspaper reports that Republican candidate for Governor of Maryland, Larry Hogan, will avail himself of the $2.6 million of public campaign financing for his run in November. This will deplete the fund. I have no knowledge as to how this money is allocated, nor where it comes from... I'll have to do my homework.
03. Bye Bye IC3.
When Jimmie Carter was President, an Earth satellite was launched, named IC3. Its job was to send important data back to Earth, which it did; but then it stopped data transmission. However, it was still circling. For some time now, a group of "nerds" has been trying to "wake up" the data transmission, but they failed. In their attempt, they had tried to interact with "old" technology, but technology has changed a lot since then and new stuff did not work in communicating with the old stuff.
04. Chew on that, buddy!
An NPR reporter reminded us today that we eat a lot of cellulose in our food. Companies add it to give "body" to their products. It is ground up wood! Scientists say that it doesn't hurt us and we should worry about the salt and sugar in products instead of worrying about how much cellulose we consume. (I wonder.)
05. Night, Night, Mama
The Mother Jones magazine people tell us that by 2015, the number of mobile devices will exceed the number of people on earth, and if they are used as they are today, 50% of the users will be checking their email while they are in bed.
A year ago, I had 900 "junk" email messages that I had not looked at. Over the year, I have gotten rid of all of them, and not just by deleting them. Concentrating on "junk" has allowed me to garner 900 "inbox" email messages that I need to look at. I think I need to work out an email action plan.
Well, at least I don't check my email when I'm in bed.
06. Save Gas says Mama
Mother Jones magazine also lists some tips from Wayne Gerdes on how to save on gas. He gets 59 MPH in an old Honda Civic.
a. Don't break so often. Coast when you can. (Like I did when I was courting my late wife who lived a few hills away from me... I would coast downhill with the key off and start up again to get to the top of the hills.. even though gas was only 16 cents a gallon then)
b. Don't speed. (You know that us old dudes never speed.)
c. Keep your tires inflated.
d. Try not to idle. Turn off the motor if you have to wait for something.
07. Sad Modern Family Story
Gordon Wilder lost his son, Ramon, in a burglary and robbery. Last week, police pinned the murder on his son, Brandon. Brandon is charged with killing his brother for clothes, cellphone and a rental car! To read the whole story, one gets very depressed about the disintegration of this family.
08. Recycling?
a. Heintz uses 2 million pounds of tomatoes a year to make ketchup.
b. The Ford Escape dashboard is made out of 10 pounds of recycled bluejeans, shirts and sweaters.
c. Ford is looking into turning dandelion pulp into some kind of rubber.
09. Common Core
The NEA is holding their convention shortly and they will be talking about the Common Core Agenda which was developed in a bipartisan air of cooperation and is meeting opposition all over the United States. Maybe they can resolve some of the problems people find with it. However, no matter what is done, I believe that the Tea Party will still raise hell about any attempts to mandate standards for students, even though such students aren't leaving High School with anything approaching knowledge these days... in my humble opinion.
10. What was that thing called?
During the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, a long horn was used to blow loud and obnoxious sounds during the games. I bought one of those to use as a funnel.. it worked great. However, I can't remember the name. Maybe I'll think of it during one of my dreams.
11. Shock Jocks?
The Baltimore Sun mentioned that "Sirius XM Shock Jock" Anthony Cumia was fired because of insensitive talk. I never heard him, but I think he had a large following.
The only Shock Jock I know of is Howard Stern. I heard one of his shows a few years ago.. at least 5 minutes of it and shut it off in disgust. However, I have now seen him on America's Got Talent and he seems to be kind of normal there.. and I also have detected a little empathy with some people doing auditions. Good.
12. Tattoo Go Away!
After our youths mature, some of them start to understand how stupid it was of them to get ugly tattoos slathered all over their bodies. Now, Dr. John Pescetti, a graduate of Hopkins Medical school has gone into the Tattoo Removal Business. But its only a part-time business.. one evening a month for the past 11 years. John estimates that he has removed up to 1,200 tattoos, all for free if the patients, ages 15 to 25, perform community service, and "keep clean." It's a time consuming painful process, but worth it to those youths who want to get a decent job and whose tattoos are holding them back.
.................................................
The Carroll County Times was very thin today.. it seems to be getting thinner every day since its takeover by the Baltimore Sun. But I need to see local news.. so I need to keep subscribing.
01. Stormy Weather
The storms of the day before yesterday are still causing problems. Lots of downed lines, and of course, the sad story of a 12 year old boy who was killed by a falling tree.
Elaine and I are still trying to dry out from our soaking in yesterday's storm. The weather report warns that we may get another storm sometime today.
02. Candidate money
The newspaper reports that Republican candidate for Governor of Maryland, Larry Hogan, will avail himself of the $2.6 million of public campaign financing for his run in November. This will deplete the fund. I have no knowledge as to how this money is allocated, nor where it comes from... I'll have to do my homework.
03. Bye Bye IC3.
When Jimmie Carter was President, an Earth satellite was launched, named IC3. Its job was to send important data back to Earth, which it did; but then it stopped data transmission. However, it was still circling. For some time now, a group of "nerds" has been trying to "wake up" the data transmission, but they failed. In their attempt, they had tried to interact with "old" technology, but technology has changed a lot since then and new stuff did not work in communicating with the old stuff.
04. Chew on that, buddy!
An NPR reporter reminded us today that we eat a lot of cellulose in our food. Companies add it to give "body" to their products. It is ground up wood! Scientists say that it doesn't hurt us and we should worry about the salt and sugar in products instead of worrying about how much cellulose we consume. (I wonder.)
05. Night, Night, Mama
The Mother Jones magazine people tell us that by 2015, the number of mobile devices will exceed the number of people on earth, and if they are used as they are today, 50% of the users will be checking their email while they are in bed.
A year ago, I had 900 "junk" email messages that I had not looked at. Over the year, I have gotten rid of all of them, and not just by deleting them. Concentrating on "junk" has allowed me to garner 900 "inbox" email messages that I need to look at. I think I need to work out an email action plan.
Well, at least I don't check my email when I'm in bed.
06. Save Gas says Mama
Mother Jones magazine also lists some tips from Wayne Gerdes on how to save on gas. He gets 59 MPH in an old Honda Civic.
a. Don't break so often. Coast when you can. (Like I did when I was courting my late wife who lived a few hills away from me... I would coast downhill with the key off and start up again to get to the top of the hills.. even though gas was only 16 cents a gallon then)
b. Don't speed. (You know that us old dudes never speed.)
c. Keep your tires inflated.
d. Try not to idle. Turn off the motor if you have to wait for something.
07. Sad Modern Family Story
Gordon Wilder lost his son, Ramon, in a burglary and robbery. Last week, police pinned the murder on his son, Brandon. Brandon is charged with killing his brother for clothes, cellphone and a rental car! To read the whole story, one gets very depressed about the disintegration of this family.
08. Recycling?
a. Heintz uses 2 million pounds of tomatoes a year to make ketchup.
b. The Ford Escape dashboard is made out of 10 pounds of recycled bluejeans, shirts and sweaters.
c. Ford is looking into turning dandelion pulp into some kind of rubber.
09. Common Core
The NEA is holding their convention shortly and they will be talking about the Common Core Agenda which was developed in a bipartisan air of cooperation and is meeting opposition all over the United States. Maybe they can resolve some of the problems people find with it. However, no matter what is done, I believe that the Tea Party will still raise hell about any attempts to mandate standards for students, even though such students aren't leaving High School with anything approaching knowledge these days... in my humble opinion.
10. What was that thing called?
During the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, a long horn was used to blow loud and obnoxious sounds during the games. I bought one of those to use as a funnel.. it worked great. However, I can't remember the name. Maybe I'll think of it during one of my dreams.
11. Shock Jocks?
The Baltimore Sun mentioned that "Sirius XM Shock Jock" Anthony Cumia was fired because of insensitive talk. I never heard him, but I think he had a large following.
The only Shock Jock I know of is Howard Stern. I heard one of his shows a few years ago.. at least 5 minutes of it and shut it off in disgust. However, I have now seen him on America's Got Talent and he seems to be kind of normal there.. and I also have detected a little empathy with some people doing auditions. Good.
12. Tattoo Go Away!
After our youths mature, some of them start to understand how stupid it was of them to get ugly tattoos slathered all over their bodies. Now, Dr. John Pescetti, a graduate of Hopkins Medical school has gone into the Tattoo Removal Business. But its only a part-time business.. one evening a month for the past 11 years. John estimates that he has removed up to 1,200 tattoos, all for free if the patients, ages 15 to 25, perform community service, and "keep clean." It's a time consuming painful process, but worth it to those youths who want to get a decent job and whose tattoos are holding them back.
.................................................
Wednesday, July 09, 2014
Summer Storms; Old Fools; Bigger Signs; Political Cartoon; War Hawks; Drug Dealers; Jail Meetings; Work Scam; Numbers; Boehner's Lawsuit; Minimum Wage; Goat Patch; A Warrant
Very hot day for a trip on Village bus to the Gettysburg, PA, outlets. Exactly 10 seconds before Elaine and I got off the bus at home, the sky exploded with more rain, thunder, and lightning than we have had poured upon us for many moons. Yesterday saw a storm like this one also.. but that storm blew over a tree that landed on a young boy and killed him. Very sad.
01. Stupid acts are not limited to the young
A 69 year old Hampstead, Maryland man pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting a 92 year old woman on several occasions. The judge decided that since the man was a caregiver for his invalid wife, he would not have to serve any time.
02. Oh.. let them have bigger signs if they want them
The Mount Airy, Maryland Council is about to consider and probably approve a regulation amendment allowing much larger political signs to be displayed in some parts of town. I guess they are hoping that this action will please "Mr. Conservative" Richard Rothschild.
Also, the Mount Airy Council will consider adjusting its recall process so that a recall can be started without stating a cause. Huh?! Is this related to so-called "fishing expeditions?"
03. Well, its about time
The Carroll County Times finally has published an editorial cartoon that pokes fun at the do-nothing Speaker of the House, John Boehner, rather than at President Obama. It will be real interesting to read the wording on Boehner's upcoming lawsuit. (see Mr. Zirpoli's comments in this blog entry.)
04. Why do our youths have to die?
John Culleton wrote in his monthly column about "not letting the war hawks prevail..." His comments are "spot on" as Mel B says. Why should we let our youths die and our coffers get depleted by getting involved in tribal warfare that will probably go on for another thousand years?
05. Hick town?
A Carroll County informant notified police that some New York drug dealers were invading Westminster, Maryland. Drug-sniffing dogs helped the police arrest two drug peddlers.
Why do drug dealers come to Westminster?
a. They think that Westminster is a hick town that probably has a police force consisting of Andy and Barney Pfife. (Well.. surprise, surprise.)
b. They probably figure that Baltimore residents like to come to country towns like Westminster to buy their drugs. (They do.)
06. Did the foxes run the hen house?
The Baltimore Sun reports that the upper management of the Baltimore City Jail held eleven "town hall meetings" with leaders of the Black Gorilla Family (BGF) to get tips on how to better operate the Institution. It was also reported that BGF leaders were allowed to "frisk" new prisoners and keep anything they found, because then the new-comers would understand that they had to behave themselves in the jail or answer to the BGF.
Some folks believe that Baltimore made a big mistake in locating its jail "in the hood" and then populating the guard force with people who lived there and were brought up with prisoners they were being paid to watch over. What do you think?
07. Work and Culture Scam in Turkey?
This was reported by L.A. from Oakland, in a letter to the Southern Poverty Law Center.
"Some students from Istanbul said that they had paid for a Summer "Work Abroad" program in America, and instead, ended up working full time at a McDonalds, 30 miles outside of Las Vegas. They worked for no pay in high heat and were housed in a shared small room.. and there were no cultural activities for them to participate in for miles and miles."
08. Grandpa and the Afro-American
Elaine and I were wondering if the Baltimore Afro-American newspaper was still being printed. I think so. As we talked, I was reminded of the following:
When I was a kid, people loved to play the "numbers" in Massachusetts.. they probably still do. It gave a little hope to drab lives. I've written about this before.. there were two places to see what number "came out".. The Boston Record and the Baltimore Afro-American. These were my Grandfather's favorite newspapers. Since it would take a rather long walk to get the Record, he subscribed to the Afro.. and might have been one of very few white dudes to get that paper delivered west of New Bedford's Cottage Street.
Every day, maybe even Sunday, a little old bent-over African American man would shuffle up the mile-long uphill walk to our house to deliver the paper to his buddy, my Grandfather. And, every day, my Grandfather would give the old guy whatever change he had to be put on his favorite lucky number... 437 .. now, the secret is out... with that number, my grandfather won enough money to keep him in 5 cent beers every day. I hope he gave the old guy a tip when he won. I really felt sorry for him trudging all that way up hill... of course, he had an easier time going down the hill.
Later, when I drove a cab in New Bedford, I learned that the number collectors did not always turn bets in.. they knew that if a person won and the money had not been bet, the collector could get enough somewhere else to cover the "win." We are not talking big money here. Sometimes my grandfather's big win was around ten dollars. Once in a while he hit it "big" but not often. He never did get "stiffed" though.
09. Executive Orders and Signing Statements
Tom Zirpoli writes in his monthly column that Speaker John Boehner wants to bring his lawsuit against President Obama because of Obama's excessive use of executive orders and signing statements. But Mr. Zirpoli cites the fact that beloved Republican President Reagan issued 250 signing statements over 8 years while Obama has issued a grand total of 27 since he took office, and says: "Obama has issued fewer executive orders and signing statements compared to other presidents in the last century"
Presidential executive orders tell Federal Agencies how to do their business.
Signing statements are written objections by the President to bills or parts of bills, that he does not agree with, even though he has to sign such legally passed bills.
10. High minimum wage; low unemployment.
A CSPAN interviewee says that places like San Francisco and Seattle, where they pay high minimum wages have the lowest level of unemployment in the Country.
Remember that the largest group of persons receiving food stamp subsidies, are WalMart workers.
11. Horsin' Around Goats
A local lady named Hope Holland writes a pleasant column about her experiences with horses and farm issues. One story she told a while ago was about goats:
One of her friend's goats injured its eye and needed to wear an eye patch for a few days while the eye healed. Problem: the patch kept falling off. A patch-holding device had to be able to loop over the horns, snap around the goat's head and have a large-enough area to hold the bandage over the goat's injured eye.
Being a woman.. she found the perfect device.. a bra. Plenty of snaps, loops for the horns and the (eye) cup size was just right!
12. Horsin' Around the Farm
Hope likes to tell this story:
An officious Government agent stopped at a rural farm. He told the farmer: "I have a warrant to inspect your farm for illegally grown drugs."
The old farmer said, "Okay, but don't go in that field there."
The Government official yelled, "Mister, I have the authority of the Federal Government with me. And he showed the farmer his warrant.
"See this warrant? This warrant allows me to go wherever I want to go on your farm, no questions asked. Do you understand?!"
The old farmer nodded politely and went about his chores.
Later, the farmer heard loud screams and saw the Government official running for his life, with the farmer's bull close behind.
The old farmer quickly ran to the fence and yelled at the top of his lungs:
"Quick, Mister.. show him your warrant!"
............................................................................
01. Stupid acts are not limited to the young
A 69 year old Hampstead, Maryland man pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting a 92 year old woman on several occasions. The judge decided that since the man was a caregiver for his invalid wife, he would not have to serve any time.
02. Oh.. let them have bigger signs if they want them
The Mount Airy, Maryland Council is about to consider and probably approve a regulation amendment allowing much larger political signs to be displayed in some parts of town. I guess they are hoping that this action will please "Mr. Conservative" Richard Rothschild.
Also, the Mount Airy Council will consider adjusting its recall process so that a recall can be started without stating a cause. Huh?! Is this related to so-called "fishing expeditions?"
03. Well, its about time
The Carroll County Times finally has published an editorial cartoon that pokes fun at the do-nothing Speaker of the House, John Boehner, rather than at President Obama. It will be real interesting to read the wording on Boehner's upcoming lawsuit. (see Mr. Zirpoli's comments in this blog entry.)
04. Why do our youths have to die?
John Culleton wrote in his monthly column about "not letting the war hawks prevail..." His comments are "spot on" as Mel B says. Why should we let our youths die and our coffers get depleted by getting involved in tribal warfare that will probably go on for another thousand years?
05. Hick town?
A Carroll County informant notified police that some New York drug dealers were invading Westminster, Maryland. Drug-sniffing dogs helped the police arrest two drug peddlers.
Why do drug dealers come to Westminster?
a. They think that Westminster is a hick town that probably has a police force consisting of Andy and Barney Pfife. (Well.. surprise, surprise.)
b. They probably figure that Baltimore residents like to come to country towns like Westminster to buy their drugs. (They do.)
06. Did the foxes run the hen house?
The Baltimore Sun reports that the upper management of the Baltimore City Jail held eleven "town hall meetings" with leaders of the Black Gorilla Family (BGF) to get tips on how to better operate the Institution. It was also reported that BGF leaders were allowed to "frisk" new prisoners and keep anything they found, because then the new-comers would understand that they had to behave themselves in the jail or answer to the BGF.
Some folks believe that Baltimore made a big mistake in locating its jail "in the hood" and then populating the guard force with people who lived there and were brought up with prisoners they were being paid to watch over. What do you think?
07. Work and Culture Scam in Turkey?
This was reported by L.A. from Oakland, in a letter to the Southern Poverty Law Center.
"Some students from Istanbul said that they had paid for a Summer "Work Abroad" program in America, and instead, ended up working full time at a McDonalds, 30 miles outside of Las Vegas. They worked for no pay in high heat and were housed in a shared small room.. and there were no cultural activities for them to participate in for miles and miles."
08. Grandpa and the Afro-American
Elaine and I were wondering if the Baltimore Afro-American newspaper was still being printed. I think so. As we talked, I was reminded of the following:
When I was a kid, people loved to play the "numbers" in Massachusetts.. they probably still do. It gave a little hope to drab lives. I've written about this before.. there were two places to see what number "came out".. The Boston Record and the Baltimore Afro-American. These were my Grandfather's favorite newspapers. Since it would take a rather long walk to get the Record, he subscribed to the Afro.. and might have been one of very few white dudes to get that paper delivered west of New Bedford's Cottage Street.
Every day, maybe even Sunday, a little old bent-over African American man would shuffle up the mile-long uphill walk to our house to deliver the paper to his buddy, my Grandfather. And, every day, my Grandfather would give the old guy whatever change he had to be put on his favorite lucky number... 437 .. now, the secret is out... with that number, my grandfather won enough money to keep him in 5 cent beers every day. I hope he gave the old guy a tip when he won. I really felt sorry for him trudging all that way up hill... of course, he had an easier time going down the hill.
Later, when I drove a cab in New Bedford, I learned that the number collectors did not always turn bets in.. they knew that if a person won and the money had not been bet, the collector could get enough somewhere else to cover the "win." We are not talking big money here. Sometimes my grandfather's big win was around ten dollars. Once in a while he hit it "big" but not often. He never did get "stiffed" though.
09. Executive Orders and Signing Statements
Tom Zirpoli writes in his monthly column that Speaker John Boehner wants to bring his lawsuit against President Obama because of Obama's excessive use of executive orders and signing statements. But Mr. Zirpoli cites the fact that beloved Republican President Reagan issued 250 signing statements over 8 years while Obama has issued a grand total of 27 since he took office, and says: "Obama has issued fewer executive orders and signing statements compared to other presidents in the last century"
Presidential executive orders tell Federal Agencies how to do their business.
Signing statements are written objections by the President to bills or parts of bills, that he does not agree with, even though he has to sign such legally passed bills.
10. High minimum wage; low unemployment.
A CSPAN interviewee says that places like San Francisco and Seattle, where they pay high minimum wages have the lowest level of unemployment in the Country.
Remember that the largest group of persons receiving food stamp subsidies, are WalMart workers.
11. Horsin' Around Goats
A local lady named Hope Holland writes a pleasant column about her experiences with horses and farm issues. One story she told a while ago was about goats:
One of her friend's goats injured its eye and needed to wear an eye patch for a few days while the eye healed. Problem: the patch kept falling off. A patch-holding device had to be able to loop over the horns, snap around the goat's head and have a large-enough area to hold the bandage over the goat's injured eye.
Being a woman.. she found the perfect device.. a bra. Plenty of snaps, loops for the horns and the (eye) cup size was just right!
12. Horsin' Around the Farm
Hope likes to tell this story:
An officious Government agent stopped at a rural farm. He told the farmer: "I have a warrant to inspect your farm for illegally grown drugs."
The old farmer said, "Okay, but don't go in that field there."
The Government official yelled, "Mister, I have the authority of the Federal Government with me. And he showed the farmer his warrant.
"See this warrant? This warrant allows me to go wherever I want to go on your farm, no questions asked. Do you understand?!"
The old farmer nodded politely and went about his chores.
Later, the farmer heard loud screams and saw the Government official running for his life, with the farmer's bull close behind.
The old farmer quickly ran to the fence and yelled at the top of his lungs:
"Quick, Mister.. show him your warrant!"
............................................................................
Tuesday, July 08, 2014
Special Christmas in July Shopping Aid
Its 90 plus degrees, muggy and sunny... time for CHRISTMAS IN JULY!
At Christmas time in December, I usually publish my picks for presents to give to friends and family. Last Christmas, I was medically unable to do so... so, to make up for that, and to celebrate Christmas in July!, I offer the following picks from a special catalog with the title:
Things You Never Knew Existed (and other items you can't possibly live without )... if interested, you can visit them at www.thingsyouneverknew.com
Gift 01: For your little kid or your big kid
Monster water cannon on a tripod.. this gem shoots a stream of water 100 feet, and can be yours for only $49.98.
Gift 02: For the young man in your life
Cosmetic teeth: plastic teeth that snap over your own ugly, deformed, cavity-ridden choppers. They are guaranteed to produce a beautiful smile and attract pretty girls. (Are you listening, Turtleman?)
Only $34.98.
Gift 03: For the other young man in your life
ATV-shaped hair shaver. It "wheels" over your hairy dome, and you'll soon be looking like that sexy Howie Mandell. ($19.98)
Gift 04: For the special other young man in your life
Tattoo Concealer: Is your young man getting ready for a job interview? He can cover up his swastikas and Chinese characters by wiping on some of this special salve and no one will ever be the wiser. (It'll come off later with a little soap and water.) Just $19.98.
Gift 05: For that other young man who wants to be your friend
Instant Dragon Tattoo Sleeve: If he is disgusted with the high price of tattoos, he can slip on this colorful and realistic nylon mesh sleeve that looks exactly like a high-priced dragon tattoo. In fact, it comes as a pair, one for each arm.. or leg. (A bargain at $7.98 for the set.)
Gift 06: For a homeowner
Solar powered brown wolf light. Guaranteed to scare off any and all prowlers. Never needs batteries. So realistic, you will be expecting it to howl at the moon. ($16.98)
Gift 07: For "real" men
Hairy feet slippers: everybody will mistake you for Bigfoot! (Only $15.98)
Gift 08: For Dirty Young Men
The Perverted Garden Gnome: adults only! Scares away evil bugs and helps gardens grow.
Gift 09: For Young Men who want to learn how to please Women
Informational T-Shirt: The shirt says: How to Please a Woman
1. Love her
2. Die for her
3. Take her to Dinner
4. Miss the game for her
5. Buy her jewelry
6. Be interested in what she says
It also tells how to please a man"
1. Show up naked
2. Bring beer
All this for $14.98.
Gift 10: Gift for the more mature man
Insta-slim shirt that hides your beer belly. Great Spandex feature takes up to 5 inches off your middle, or so they say. Also, it is very cool (both ways). Only $29.98)
Gift 11: Another gift for the more mature man
The Ankle Genie Compression Stocking: Just use the built-in zipper to get those damned tight stockings around those fat legs! ($12.98)
Gift 12: Gift for the Much older Man
T-Shirt message #1: Am I getting older, or is the supermarket playing great music?
T-Shirt message #2: I never step on the scale because the scale doesn't measure SEXY.
(Your pick for only $14.98)
.........................................
I hope that this has helped you in your gift shopping.
At Christmas time in December, I usually publish my picks for presents to give to friends and family. Last Christmas, I was medically unable to do so... so, to make up for that, and to celebrate Christmas in July!, I offer the following picks from a special catalog with the title:
Things You Never Knew Existed (and other items you can't possibly live without )... if interested, you can visit them at www.thingsyouneverknew.com
Gift 01: For your little kid or your big kid
Monster water cannon on a tripod.. this gem shoots a stream of water 100 feet, and can be yours for only $49.98.
Gift 02: For the young man in your life
Cosmetic teeth: plastic teeth that snap over your own ugly, deformed, cavity-ridden choppers. They are guaranteed to produce a beautiful smile and attract pretty girls. (Are you listening, Turtleman?)
Only $34.98.
Gift 03: For the other young man in your life
ATV-shaped hair shaver. It "wheels" over your hairy dome, and you'll soon be looking like that sexy Howie Mandell. ($19.98)
Gift 04: For the special other young man in your life
Tattoo Concealer: Is your young man getting ready for a job interview? He can cover up his swastikas and Chinese characters by wiping on some of this special salve and no one will ever be the wiser. (It'll come off later with a little soap and water.) Just $19.98.
Gift 05: For that other young man who wants to be your friend
Instant Dragon Tattoo Sleeve: If he is disgusted with the high price of tattoos, he can slip on this colorful and realistic nylon mesh sleeve that looks exactly like a high-priced dragon tattoo. In fact, it comes as a pair, one for each arm.. or leg. (A bargain at $7.98 for the set.)
Gift 06: For a homeowner
Solar powered brown wolf light. Guaranteed to scare off any and all prowlers. Never needs batteries. So realistic, you will be expecting it to howl at the moon. ($16.98)
Gift 07: For "real" men
Hairy feet slippers: everybody will mistake you for Bigfoot! (Only $15.98)
Gift 08: For Dirty Young Men
The Perverted Garden Gnome: adults only! Scares away evil bugs and helps gardens grow.
Gift 09: For Young Men who want to learn how to please Women
Informational T-Shirt: The shirt says: How to Please a Woman
1. Love her
2. Die for her
3. Take her to Dinner
4. Miss the game for her
5. Buy her jewelry
6. Be interested in what she says
It also tells how to please a man"
1. Show up naked
2. Bring beer
All this for $14.98.
Gift 10: Gift for the more mature man
Insta-slim shirt that hides your beer belly. Great Spandex feature takes up to 5 inches off your middle, or so they say. Also, it is very cool (both ways). Only $29.98)
Gift 11: Another gift for the more mature man
The Ankle Genie Compression Stocking: Just use the built-in zipper to get those damned tight stockings around those fat legs! ($12.98)
Gift 12: Gift for the Much older Man
T-Shirt message #1: Am I getting older, or is the supermarket playing great music?
T-Shirt message #2: I never step on the scale because the scale doesn't measure SEXY.
(Your pick for only $14.98)
.........................................
I hope that this has helped you in your gift shopping.
Monday, July 07, 2014
JV Fan Club; Herzogenaurach; Mausdorf; Write-Ins; Grammar Lesson; Wheaton Again; Civil War; Signs; Dog Killing; Ad; Pres Harding; Andy Harris; Genealogy; Turtle Race
Nice 88 degree, kind of humid Summer day, with lots and lots of sun. I bought two more tomato plants.. cherry type, with a bonus.. they already have red tomatoes. My daughter, Diane says she has gotten carrots and green beans already, but she is mad that her tomatoes are not yet red.
Diane's husband won $3,000, as I might have mentioned.. so today he called and said that since I had bought him the winning ticket, he will be my number one advocate for the Joe Vaughan Fan Club.
Today I asked that the Lost and Find file for the local Giant Food Store be examined to see if someone found the pen that I lost there recently. I told the clerk that it was a valuable heirloom.. actually, it was a Joe Vaughan Fan Club pen... and of course, it is very valuable to me.
01. German Towns
Well, what do you know.. the mayor of Herzogenaurach, Germany is named German Hacker and a person writing to #2600 Hacker Magazine likes that. I do too, and also because Herzogenaurach was where I was stationed for 18 months of my stay in Germany.. many many many years ago.
Herzogenaurach housed a famous Luftwaffe (German Air Force) Base during World War II, and when I was there, it was a U.S. Army Base, home of Radio Free Europe. Lots of entertainers on the base, some of whom would burst into song and dance uninvited at a moment's notice.
The Army let us Air Force guys use part of their billets.. real nice quarters too. I had a separate room with a nice bed and a recliner.. and for a while.. a hand carved Schrank. A Schrank is a closet outside of a closet.. like a cabinet.. in which you hung your clothes. I really liked mine.. it had carved deer and trees and other wild life and was made of beautiful wood. A work of art.
And then... one day a directive came down saying that we had to empty our Schranks and lay them out in the parade ground in a pile... we did so, and just as we suspected, they were set on fire and destroyed. Meanwhile, trucks rolled up with replacements.. tin-like battleship gray tiny containers that we had to put together with screwdrivers. I could not understand why we had to destroy beauty and replace it with ugliness. But, I guess it was because some General's brother needed to make a bunch of money in Army procurements.
At the beginning of each day, us Air Force guys would hop into the back of a 4x4 truck and travel 20 miles to a small village with an appropriate name: Mausdorf (yes: Mouse Village). There we had a secret base known only to a few hundred thousand East and West Germans. But.. that is another story for another time.
02. Losers May Try Again
The Carroll County Times reports that some of the losers in the recent primary elections may try write-in campaigns for the main election in November. Barbara Biller lost to Richard Rothschild in Mt. Airy 2,206 to 1,559. She might have a good chance with a write-in vote. There are a lot of Democrats who would like to see someone else in the Commissioner's seat.
Jerry Barnes was defeated for State's Attorney. He isn't talking about a write-in campaign. I think he is still smarting over his unexpected defeat. (It happened to Eric Cantor too, Jerry.)
Robin Frazier may or may not...She mentioned that she had not intended to seek public office until she received a call from God to run for County Commissioner in 1998. (Did he call on land line or cell phone, Robin?)
03. Me or I?
Bill Kennedy wrote about grammar and syntax in his monthly column and he mentioned an easy way to know when to use "I" or "me". He says that you must break the sentence apart, as in the following example: John and (me or I) went to the show.
Broken, half of the sentence would be either Me went to the show. or I went to the show. So, which one is right... I example.. so the correct sentence would be John and I went to the show.
04. More on Wheaton College
Wesley Lowery of the Washington Post writes: "The majority of the justices ruled that Wheaton College... does not have to comply with the OBama Administration requirement that it fill out a form to register religious objections to providing some types of contraceptive coverage mandated by the Affordable Care Act."
"... Some colleges and religious organizations say that signing the form authorizes third parties to provide contraceptive coverage, which, they say, still makes them compliant in actions that offend their religious beliefs"
Once again, a lawyer's convoluted dream case, in my humble opinion.
05. Civil War Wisdom
Catherine Switzer says: "The couple that re-enacts together, stays together.:
06. Campaign Signs Again
Richard Rothschild, as well as 3 other candidates, were asked by Mt. Airy to remove outsized political signs that violated the town's regulations. As would be expected, Mr. Rothschild argued that the sign size regulation was unconstitutional because it put a restriction on political speech.
07. Dog Killed
A State Trooper shot and killed a pit bull that was attacking its owner. Will this get the publicity that earlier dog killings did? (Time will tell.)
08. Eye catching Ad
Big letters: BIRDS STOPPED CHIRPING?
Maybe its time to get your hearing checked. (Connect Hearing Company Ad)
09. Ohio President
President Warren Gamiel Harding wrote around 900 letters to his mistress over the years. They are being made available after a 50 year court-ordered sealing.
You remember President Harding don't you? He founded the "money pit" form of government. He had a big pit dug in the yard of a DC row house, and lobbyists and other seekers of favors would casually stroll by and drop money into that hole where Harding's henchmen would recover it for him.
Warren Harding was considered to be the most handsome and the most corrupt President... (wait a minute! What about Richard Nixon, who ran a Mafia type organization out of his oval office?)
10. Andy Harris vs. the District of Columbia
Republican Representative Andy Harris, whose ridiculously Gerrymandered district stretches across Maryland from Ocean City, wants to usurp DC's right to make its own regulations. DC wants to legalize pot; Dr. Andy doesn't want them to and has attached an amendment to a 2015 spending bill preventing DC from decriminalizing marijuana.
A Baltimore Sun article says " In Annapolis, Dr. Harris was mostly a preening pest who made sanctimonious speeches on the Senate floor that annoyed even his GOP colleagues. In Washington, he's among enough like-minded right-wing zealots to cause real trouble."
11. Genealogy Tips
At this month's Genealogy Gang meeting at Carroll Lutheran Village, Bill Amos, ace genealogist, laid out 5 tips to help both budding genealogists and those that are experienced.
a. Brainstorm (consider lots of ideas; etc.)
b. Sidestep (look through corollary lines, neighbor information, etc)
c. Use Sources (also contact all family members; etc.)
d. Know what is available (Find A Grave; Family Search; Snippet Tool, etc.)
e. Dive into times and places (historical dates; local history; local maps; plats, etc.)
12. Squirt Wins it Big
A speedy little turtle named Squirt, won the July 4th Turtle Race in Bel Air, Maryland's Shamrock Park. Squirt's owner, being an animal-friendly young man, let the turtle return to its natural habitat after the race.
..........................................
Diane's husband won $3,000, as I might have mentioned.. so today he called and said that since I had bought him the winning ticket, he will be my number one advocate for the Joe Vaughan Fan Club.
Today I asked that the Lost and Find file for the local Giant Food Store be examined to see if someone found the pen that I lost there recently. I told the clerk that it was a valuable heirloom.. actually, it was a Joe Vaughan Fan Club pen... and of course, it is very valuable to me.
01. German Towns
Well, what do you know.. the mayor of Herzogenaurach, Germany is named German Hacker and a person writing to #2600 Hacker Magazine likes that. I do too, and also because Herzogenaurach was where I was stationed for 18 months of my stay in Germany.. many many many years ago.
Herzogenaurach housed a famous Luftwaffe (German Air Force) Base during World War II, and when I was there, it was a U.S. Army Base, home of Radio Free Europe. Lots of entertainers on the base, some of whom would burst into song and dance uninvited at a moment's notice.
The Army let us Air Force guys use part of their billets.. real nice quarters too. I had a separate room with a nice bed and a recliner.. and for a while.. a hand carved Schrank. A Schrank is a closet outside of a closet.. like a cabinet.. in which you hung your clothes. I really liked mine.. it had carved deer and trees and other wild life and was made of beautiful wood. A work of art.
And then... one day a directive came down saying that we had to empty our Schranks and lay them out in the parade ground in a pile... we did so, and just as we suspected, they were set on fire and destroyed. Meanwhile, trucks rolled up with replacements.. tin-like battleship gray tiny containers that we had to put together with screwdrivers. I could not understand why we had to destroy beauty and replace it with ugliness. But, I guess it was because some General's brother needed to make a bunch of money in Army procurements.
At the beginning of each day, us Air Force guys would hop into the back of a 4x4 truck and travel 20 miles to a small village with an appropriate name: Mausdorf (yes: Mouse Village). There we had a secret base known only to a few hundred thousand East and West Germans. But.. that is another story for another time.
02. Losers May Try Again
The Carroll County Times reports that some of the losers in the recent primary elections may try write-in campaigns for the main election in November. Barbara Biller lost to Richard Rothschild in Mt. Airy 2,206 to 1,559. She might have a good chance with a write-in vote. There are a lot of Democrats who would like to see someone else in the Commissioner's seat.
Jerry Barnes was defeated for State's Attorney. He isn't talking about a write-in campaign. I think he is still smarting over his unexpected defeat. (It happened to Eric Cantor too, Jerry.)
Robin Frazier may or may not...She mentioned that she had not intended to seek public office until she received a call from God to run for County Commissioner in 1998. (Did he call on land line or cell phone, Robin?)
03. Me or I?
Bill Kennedy wrote about grammar and syntax in his monthly column and he mentioned an easy way to know when to use "I" or "me". He says that you must break the sentence apart, as in the following example: John and (me or I) went to the show.
Broken, half of the sentence would be either Me went to the show. or I went to the show. So, which one is right... I example.. so the correct sentence would be John and I went to the show.
04. More on Wheaton College
Wesley Lowery of the Washington Post writes: "The majority of the justices ruled that Wheaton College... does not have to comply with the OBama Administration requirement that it fill out a form to register religious objections to providing some types of contraceptive coverage mandated by the Affordable Care Act."
"... Some colleges and religious organizations say that signing the form authorizes third parties to provide contraceptive coverage, which, they say, still makes them compliant in actions that offend their religious beliefs"
Once again, a lawyer's convoluted dream case, in my humble opinion.
05. Civil War Wisdom
Catherine Switzer says: "The couple that re-enacts together, stays together.:
06. Campaign Signs Again
Richard Rothschild, as well as 3 other candidates, were asked by Mt. Airy to remove outsized political signs that violated the town's regulations. As would be expected, Mr. Rothschild argued that the sign size regulation was unconstitutional because it put a restriction on political speech.
07. Dog Killed
A State Trooper shot and killed a pit bull that was attacking its owner. Will this get the publicity that earlier dog killings did? (Time will tell.)
08. Eye catching Ad
Big letters: BIRDS STOPPED CHIRPING?
Maybe its time to get your hearing checked. (Connect Hearing Company Ad)
09. Ohio President
President Warren Gamiel Harding wrote around 900 letters to his mistress over the years. They are being made available after a 50 year court-ordered sealing.
You remember President Harding don't you? He founded the "money pit" form of government. He had a big pit dug in the yard of a DC row house, and lobbyists and other seekers of favors would casually stroll by and drop money into that hole where Harding's henchmen would recover it for him.
Warren Harding was considered to be the most handsome and the most corrupt President... (wait a minute! What about Richard Nixon, who ran a Mafia type organization out of his oval office?)
10. Andy Harris vs. the District of Columbia
Republican Representative Andy Harris, whose ridiculously Gerrymandered district stretches across Maryland from Ocean City, wants to usurp DC's right to make its own regulations. DC wants to legalize pot; Dr. Andy doesn't want them to and has attached an amendment to a 2015 spending bill preventing DC from decriminalizing marijuana.
A Baltimore Sun article says " In Annapolis, Dr. Harris was mostly a preening pest who made sanctimonious speeches on the Senate floor that annoyed even his GOP colleagues. In Washington, he's among enough like-minded right-wing zealots to cause real trouble."
11. Genealogy Tips
At this month's Genealogy Gang meeting at Carroll Lutheran Village, Bill Amos, ace genealogist, laid out 5 tips to help both budding genealogists and those that are experienced.
a. Brainstorm (consider lots of ideas; etc.)
b. Sidestep (look through corollary lines, neighbor information, etc)
c. Use Sources (also contact all family members; etc.)
d. Know what is available (Find A Grave; Family Search; Snippet Tool, etc.)
e. Dive into times and places (historical dates; local history; local maps; plats, etc.)
12. Squirt Wins it Big
A speedy little turtle named Squirt, won the July 4th Turtle Race in Bel Air, Maryland's Shamrock Park. Squirt's owner, being an animal-friendly young man, let the turtle return to its natural habitat after the race.
..........................................
Sunday, July 06, 2014
Dead White Men; Corporations; Newsweek; Death in Hot Cars; Circus; Wheaton; Retirement; Wine and Veggies; Bigotry; Guns; Barking Dogs; Nickels; Dimes
Sunny, kind of dry and not too hot. A nice 6th of July. All of my daughter Diane's plants have new homes now and it is time to buy a few more before it is too late for them to produce.
01. Zombies?
The Carroll County Times reports that the Children's Choir of Carroll County has returned from a 10 day tour of Europe. I liked what their director, Diane Jones, said: "...all of the famous dead white men went through Vienna..." I'm glad that some of the County Children now have a taste of European culture.. and I hope they remember the names of those dead white men.
02. Corporations Again
Jim Lee wrote an op-ed piece mildly chastising the GOP. I think that he has it right when he says:
"If the Conservative Right wants less government, it has to stop coddling corporations that are taking the biggest advantage of us and start standing up for the people who are just trying to get by."
03 Parting Shot?
Normally liberal Newsweek Magazine published its last issue this week and included a nasty, error filled article lambasting the President. I had a hard time believing they were saying what they were saying.. didn't they fact check? I visited www.newsweek.com and found out that they may have published that article as a counterpoint to a supposedly equally nasty article on Mitt Romney that they published recently. I don't know about that.. I have not read Newsweek since my last Doctor's Office Visit, so I am not acquainted with that article.
However, Newsweek representatives said that they did not have enough money in their coffers to fact check. Well, some folks did do the job for them and we will be hearing more about all of this in the near future. Meanwhile, I think that Karl Rove is smiling a lot, now that someone has done his job for him. This is, of course, my opinion, Karl.
04. A National Tragedy
Since 1998, an average of 38 children have died each year in hot cars. 70% were two years old or younger. (When.. when.. when will they learn?)
05. The Circus
Someone once wrote: "Damn everything but the circus!" but I can't remember who.
I love the circus and for years I attended everyone that came to town, even though I had nightmares about three events that occurred in the same year, on today's date, in 1944.
a. A boy the same age as me, hitching a ride on the junction rod between circus wagons, fell off during the circus parade, and was crushed to death, near where I was standing, in New Bedford, Massachusetts.
b. In the same parade, I saw what I thought was a glaring Toto, the Ringling Brothers gorilla. I must have looked him in the eyes and angered him. I had never been that scared before, in my early life.
c. The next week, the Ringling Brothers, Barnum and Bailey Circus was under tent in nearby Hartford, Connecticut, when a fire broke out, killing 168 people.
I eventually overcame my fear and became a temporary worker whenever the circus came to town. I got paid one shiny half dollar from the tent boss for helping raise the tent, and later that night, got another half dollar for helping take the tent down. It was a combined effort with men and boys and elephants working together to manipulate this enormous piece of canvas. Dangerous too.
I also worked all the circuses and sports that were held near my home at a place called Sargent Field. Because I sold more peanuts and soda than the other kids, I got a higher commission than they did. And when I worked in the ring toss tent, I learned that the peg with the 6 on it, could be construed to be a 9, the 16, when held upside down, could become 91... this is how the "carnies" cheat the kids.
Part of the fun in working the circuses was the titillation factor as the female "artistes" would walk by as they dressed or undressed for their acts. Remember, this was when I was ten or eleven years old.
One thing bothered me very much though. On the grounds there was an iron lung set up, with stairs going up and down, where you could look eye to eye through a mirror at "The Girl in the Iron Lung!" This presentation garnered lots of donations.
One night, when I was working after the audiences had departed, I heard a loud creaking, and the iron lung suddenly opened and the girl (lady) inside got out and rapidly walked away. There were lots of lessons for me to learn at the circus.
06. Wheaton College Clarification
I was confused about the Supreme Court's action concerning Wheaton College. The confusion was dissipated by one sentence of David Savage:
"The fight (about contraceptives) flared again Thursday when the majority (of the Supreme Court)... agreed to give Wheaton College in Illinois a temporary religious exemption from the birth control mandate."
07. Retirement Failure
Friend and neighbor, Hermine Saunders writes in her monthly column today, that because she has multiple obligations in senior issue organizations, she has, in a sense, "failed" retirement. Hermine, I know how you feel.. get used to it.. I retired in 1995 and I haven't really "retired" yet. But, its fun to keep busy.
08. Fellow Wino?
Neighbor Ralph Reise was written up in the newspaper today as a guy who keeps a fantastic garden every year, even while living at Carroll Lutheran Village. He utilizes one of two large areas of plowed and prepared land that is made available to us. He says he has fresh veggies all season long and even has enough to give to his neighbors.
Ralph also says that in his home before the Village, he would make up to 15 gallons of wine a year. Well, Ralph, while I didn't make quite that much, I did make some.. in fact, I still have a couple of bottles of my infamous PeaPod Wine. Its been aging since 1976, but it still tastes lousy. I've only found one person that liked it and she has moved out of my wine range.
09. Corporations Again and Again
Al Lewis writes: "Free speech? Freedom of religion? What cherished human right will our Supreme Court bestow upon corporations next? The right to bear arms?"
Some of the "Occupy Wall Street" protestors carried signs that read: "I'll believe corporations are people when Texas executes one."
10. Bigotry Veiled
Comedian Dave Chappelle mentions in the New Yorker Magazine what sounds like a great skit that he did on his Comedy Central program Chappelle's Show. He played a blind white supremacist who doesn't realize that he's black and sits on the porch, "like a refugee from 'Deliverance'", making derogatory remarks about black people. I tried to get to see it on YouTube, but it was blocked because of copyright issues.
11. Gun Wisdom
Billy Collins, who I think was poet laureate, has written a great poem with the title: "Another Reason Why I Don't Keep a Gun in the House."
A poem about a constantly barking dog and Beethoven music.. and a person who is almost at his wit's end as I was in 2 similar situations a few years ago.
a. When we lived in Randallstown, Maryland in a neighborhood with closely packed back yards, one of the neighbors had a German Shepherd that barked all the time, night and day.. the neighbor ignored everyone's complaints. One night, when I needed to get some sleep, I had it.. after yelling at the dog to shut up and not getting the required response, I picked up a large solid round rock and threw it across three or four back yards until it landed right on the dog's nose. It shut him up for a few hours... I felt terrible.. I climbed fences so I could check to make sure he was ok.. I think he was just insulted.. he looked ok and was able to resume, as I said, after a couple of hours. Soon after that, all of the neighbors got together and forced the owner to keep the dog indoors when it wasn't outside with him.
b. When we lived in Gamber, Maryland, my late wife was very ill and needed to sleep. However, the Beagle next door didn't like it when his owners went to work and he would howl every 2 minutes all of the time that they were gone. After a while, I decided that something had to be done, so I called the owner at work and made him come home and do something to quiet the dog down. The owner did not like the fact that I had gotten to call him at work, because his boss had answered the phone. Any way, the owner heard from other neighbors as well, and finally decided to sell the dog to a hunter.. which is where the dog should have been anyway. In its place, he bought a German Shepherd which was a barker, but with a bark that one could live with.
12. Another Nickel
Almost every day I receive either a nickel or dime from some non-profit organization asking for a donation. Sounds like a good gimmick. I keep this small change for my bank account. I give donations whenever I can and I don't like being given guilt trips by small coins in my junk mail. So, I will keep anything that I get free in the mail, like XMAS cards, calculators, pens, jewelry, and coins.
..................................
01. Zombies?
The Carroll County Times reports that the Children's Choir of Carroll County has returned from a 10 day tour of Europe. I liked what their director, Diane Jones, said: "...all of the famous dead white men went through Vienna..." I'm glad that some of the County Children now have a taste of European culture.. and I hope they remember the names of those dead white men.
02. Corporations Again
Jim Lee wrote an op-ed piece mildly chastising the GOP. I think that he has it right when he says:
"If the Conservative Right wants less government, it has to stop coddling corporations that are taking the biggest advantage of us and start standing up for the people who are just trying to get by."
03 Parting Shot?
Normally liberal Newsweek Magazine published its last issue this week and included a nasty, error filled article lambasting the President. I had a hard time believing they were saying what they were saying.. didn't they fact check? I visited www.newsweek.com and found out that they may have published that article as a counterpoint to a supposedly equally nasty article on Mitt Romney that they published recently. I don't know about that.. I have not read Newsweek since my last Doctor's Office Visit, so I am not acquainted with that article.
However, Newsweek representatives said that they did not have enough money in their coffers to fact check. Well, some folks did do the job for them and we will be hearing more about all of this in the near future. Meanwhile, I think that Karl Rove is smiling a lot, now that someone has done his job for him. This is, of course, my opinion, Karl.
04. A National Tragedy
Since 1998, an average of 38 children have died each year in hot cars. 70% were two years old or younger. (When.. when.. when will they learn?)
05. The Circus
Someone once wrote: "Damn everything but the circus!" but I can't remember who.
I love the circus and for years I attended everyone that came to town, even though I had nightmares about three events that occurred in the same year, on today's date, in 1944.
a. A boy the same age as me, hitching a ride on the junction rod between circus wagons, fell off during the circus parade, and was crushed to death, near where I was standing, in New Bedford, Massachusetts.
b. In the same parade, I saw what I thought was a glaring Toto, the Ringling Brothers gorilla. I must have looked him in the eyes and angered him. I had never been that scared before, in my early life.
c. The next week, the Ringling Brothers, Barnum and Bailey Circus was under tent in nearby Hartford, Connecticut, when a fire broke out, killing 168 people.
I eventually overcame my fear and became a temporary worker whenever the circus came to town. I got paid one shiny half dollar from the tent boss for helping raise the tent, and later that night, got another half dollar for helping take the tent down. It was a combined effort with men and boys and elephants working together to manipulate this enormous piece of canvas. Dangerous too.
I also worked all the circuses and sports that were held near my home at a place called Sargent Field. Because I sold more peanuts and soda than the other kids, I got a higher commission than they did. And when I worked in the ring toss tent, I learned that the peg with the 6 on it, could be construed to be a 9, the 16, when held upside down, could become 91... this is how the "carnies" cheat the kids.
Part of the fun in working the circuses was the titillation factor as the female "artistes" would walk by as they dressed or undressed for their acts. Remember, this was when I was ten or eleven years old.
One thing bothered me very much though. On the grounds there was an iron lung set up, with stairs going up and down, where you could look eye to eye through a mirror at "The Girl in the Iron Lung!" This presentation garnered lots of donations.
One night, when I was working after the audiences had departed, I heard a loud creaking, and the iron lung suddenly opened and the girl (lady) inside got out and rapidly walked away. There were lots of lessons for me to learn at the circus.
06. Wheaton College Clarification
I was confused about the Supreme Court's action concerning Wheaton College. The confusion was dissipated by one sentence of David Savage:
"The fight (about contraceptives) flared again Thursday when the majority (of the Supreme Court)... agreed to give Wheaton College in Illinois a temporary religious exemption from the birth control mandate."
07. Retirement Failure
Friend and neighbor, Hermine Saunders writes in her monthly column today, that because she has multiple obligations in senior issue organizations, she has, in a sense, "failed" retirement. Hermine, I know how you feel.. get used to it.. I retired in 1995 and I haven't really "retired" yet. But, its fun to keep busy.
08. Fellow Wino?
Neighbor Ralph Reise was written up in the newspaper today as a guy who keeps a fantastic garden every year, even while living at Carroll Lutheran Village. He utilizes one of two large areas of plowed and prepared land that is made available to us. He says he has fresh veggies all season long and even has enough to give to his neighbors.
Ralph also says that in his home before the Village, he would make up to 15 gallons of wine a year. Well, Ralph, while I didn't make quite that much, I did make some.. in fact, I still have a couple of bottles of my infamous PeaPod Wine. Its been aging since 1976, but it still tastes lousy. I've only found one person that liked it and she has moved out of my wine range.
09. Corporations Again and Again
Al Lewis writes: "Free speech? Freedom of religion? What cherished human right will our Supreme Court bestow upon corporations next? The right to bear arms?"
Some of the "Occupy Wall Street" protestors carried signs that read: "I'll believe corporations are people when Texas executes one."
10. Bigotry Veiled
Comedian Dave Chappelle mentions in the New Yorker Magazine what sounds like a great skit that he did on his Comedy Central program Chappelle's Show. He played a blind white supremacist who doesn't realize that he's black and sits on the porch, "like a refugee from 'Deliverance'", making derogatory remarks about black people. I tried to get to see it on YouTube, but it was blocked because of copyright issues.
11. Gun Wisdom
Billy Collins, who I think was poet laureate, has written a great poem with the title: "Another Reason Why I Don't Keep a Gun in the House."
A poem about a constantly barking dog and Beethoven music.. and a person who is almost at his wit's end as I was in 2 similar situations a few years ago.
a. When we lived in Randallstown, Maryland in a neighborhood with closely packed back yards, one of the neighbors had a German Shepherd that barked all the time, night and day.. the neighbor ignored everyone's complaints. One night, when I needed to get some sleep, I had it.. after yelling at the dog to shut up and not getting the required response, I picked up a large solid round rock and threw it across three or four back yards until it landed right on the dog's nose. It shut him up for a few hours... I felt terrible.. I climbed fences so I could check to make sure he was ok.. I think he was just insulted.. he looked ok and was able to resume, as I said, after a couple of hours. Soon after that, all of the neighbors got together and forced the owner to keep the dog indoors when it wasn't outside with him.
b. When we lived in Gamber, Maryland, my late wife was very ill and needed to sleep. However, the Beagle next door didn't like it when his owners went to work and he would howl every 2 minutes all of the time that they were gone. After a while, I decided that something had to be done, so I called the owner at work and made him come home and do something to quiet the dog down. The owner did not like the fact that I had gotten to call him at work, because his boss had answered the phone. Any way, the owner heard from other neighbors as well, and finally decided to sell the dog to a hunter.. which is where the dog should have been anyway. In its place, he bought a German Shepherd which was a barker, but with a bark that one could live with.
12. Another Nickel
Almost every day I receive either a nickel or dime from some non-profit organization asking for a donation. Sounds like a good gimmick. I keep this small change for my bank account. I give donations whenever I can and I don't like being given guilt trips by small coins in my junk mail. So, I will keep anything that I get free in the mail, like XMAS cards, calculators, pens, jewelry, and coins.
..................................
Saturday, July 05, 2014
Cucumbers; Newspapers; Campaign Signs; Weiners; Presidents; Malls; VBS; Free Will; Warship; Royalty; Revenge; Eucharist; ShaPoopie; Shipoopi
A nice 5th of July... low 70's, low humidity and sun. It got me motivated enough to plant my two cucumber plants in earthboxes. I will need to fertilize them profusely, since I did not completely clean up their new homes.
01. Newspapers
Today, as I looked at my digital edition of the Baltimore Sun, I noticed that the stories and the pictures were exactly the same as those in the Carroll County Times. Luckily, I realized that before and have made arrangements to have the New York Times delivered. Hopefully, I will also be able to access their digital edition. (Time will tell.)
02. Campaign Signs
It looks like we will have to live with ugly campaign signs littering the by-ways. In Carroll County, Maryland it is legal for such signs to remain up on storefronts and lawns for as long as the property owner wishes. The signs can even be for persons who lost in the latest election.
03. Burp!
Joey Chestnut (30) won his 8th consecutive hot dog eating contest at Coney Island in New York. He ate 61 wieners and buns in 10 minutes. The women's winner, Miki Sido (28) managed to down 34 hot dogs. The contest was sponsored once again by Nathan's.
04. Presidential Respect?
The Carroll County Times displayed another cartoon bashing President Obama, showing him as a crybaby. The cartoon is by "Lisa" from the Washington Post Writers Group. I think that we should be encouraging him, rather than be constantly knocking him down. I know. We bashed George W. too and perhaps even more mercilessly... but then, he deserved it for any number of reasons, one of which was by getting us into a war with Iraq for false reasons. Obama's goal has always been the good of the nation, especially our young people, the disabled, and senior citizens.
05. Not getting Malled any more.
Bloomberg writer, James Greiff writes about the disappearance of malls in the United States. He mentions that the "second biggest mall in the US is The Mall of America in Minnesota." Wait a minute... I thought that the Mall of America was the biggest mall in the world. Wrong, dumbbell!
The biggest malls in the world are in China and the Phillipines. The Mall of America comes in 21st, beaten out by the King of Prussia mall in Pennsylvania! My illusions are shattered.
06. Vacation Bible School
I remember Vacation Bible School (VBS) from my youth and I thought that they lasted all Summer. There are 5 of them advertising in the paper today, and the time frame is 5 to 6 days only. I remember VBS as a time to play and have fun.. I don't remember anything about the Bible teaching. But, what I learned is probably hidden in the deep dark recesses of my heathen brain.
I like the names that the advertisers have given to their sessions in order to get more business than the others:
1. Wilderness Escape - Where God Guides and Provides (Has a nice ring to it.)
2. Weird Animals.. ending each day with the Tail End.
3. International Spy Academy Agents of the One True God.
4. Son Treasure Island.
5. Workshop for Wonders: Imagine and Build With God.
This one-upsmanship reminds me of a story of ancient China.. where farmers needed scarce manure to fertilize their fields. They would set up elaborate outhouses on the edges of their properties, close to the by-ways. They tried to make their free conveniences look better than their neighbors' and that way get more deposits.
I suppose the VBS's rely on free-will donations to cover their expenses, although one charges $10 per child (with a "special" of $25 for all the kids in a family.)
07. Theodicy?
Neighbor, Reverend Lou Piel published his monthly religious column today, which causes me to ask: "Lou, why is there evil in the world, if God is all powerful?" I think Lou would respond: "God gave us free will, so we alone are responsible for the evil in the world." Nice try, Lou, but I think its a "cop out." Sorry.. but I will "think on it" some more.
08. Useful Champagne
If you were the Queen of all Britain, what would you expect the biggest warship built to date to be called: Of course: HMS Queen Elizabeth. Christened in Scotland last Friday.
09. A Likeness? No way!
Prince William had his royal visage painted recently, and it has made royalty lovers in Britain angry, because it is not a good likeness. I agree. William kind of likes it, or says he does. I think that Henry VIII would have locked the artist up in the Tower of London for this "wreck of art."
10. Revenge!
Palestinians attending the funeral of the 16 year old that may have been murdered to avenge the three murdered Israeli teen agers, shouted: "They killed our friend, and now they have to pay for it!" It goes on and on and on and on. (When.. when.. when will they ever learn!)
11. Freudian?
I think I heard a church person on NPR.. announce "The Feast of the Holy Uterus".. I must have heard that wrong.. could it have been the Holy Eucharist? .. You see.. I'm not a Catholic so I don't know about these religious things.
12. Tony's Brother
Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me had a repeat of their interview with Tony Shalhoub.. you remember: Mr. Monk. This was the show where he owned up to having a brother named Dan, who invented the ShaPoopie. The ShaPoopie is a telescoping dog poop catcher that sells for $24.95. A great invention for those afraid of being arrested by the poop police.
This is not to be confused with the song Shipoopi for the Music Man musical by Meredith Wilson.
A Shipoopi is a girl who only will allow a kiss on the third date. (The word was coined to be something that would appeal to the naughty minds of eleven year olds.)
.................................................................................
01. Newspapers
Today, as I looked at my digital edition of the Baltimore Sun, I noticed that the stories and the pictures were exactly the same as those in the Carroll County Times. Luckily, I realized that before and have made arrangements to have the New York Times delivered. Hopefully, I will also be able to access their digital edition. (Time will tell.)
02. Campaign Signs
It looks like we will have to live with ugly campaign signs littering the by-ways. In Carroll County, Maryland it is legal for such signs to remain up on storefronts and lawns for as long as the property owner wishes. The signs can even be for persons who lost in the latest election.
03. Burp!
Joey Chestnut (30) won his 8th consecutive hot dog eating contest at Coney Island in New York. He ate 61 wieners and buns in 10 minutes. The women's winner, Miki Sido (28) managed to down 34 hot dogs. The contest was sponsored once again by Nathan's.
04. Presidential Respect?
The Carroll County Times displayed another cartoon bashing President Obama, showing him as a crybaby. The cartoon is by "Lisa" from the Washington Post Writers Group. I think that we should be encouraging him, rather than be constantly knocking him down. I know. We bashed George W. too and perhaps even more mercilessly... but then, he deserved it for any number of reasons, one of which was by getting us into a war with Iraq for false reasons. Obama's goal has always been the good of the nation, especially our young people, the disabled, and senior citizens.
05. Not getting Malled any more.
Bloomberg writer, James Greiff writes about the disappearance of malls in the United States. He mentions that the "second biggest mall in the US is The Mall of America in Minnesota." Wait a minute... I thought that the Mall of America was the biggest mall in the world. Wrong, dumbbell!
The biggest malls in the world are in China and the Phillipines. The Mall of America comes in 21st, beaten out by the King of Prussia mall in Pennsylvania! My illusions are shattered.
06. Vacation Bible School
I remember Vacation Bible School (VBS) from my youth and I thought that they lasted all Summer. There are 5 of them advertising in the paper today, and the time frame is 5 to 6 days only. I remember VBS as a time to play and have fun.. I don't remember anything about the Bible teaching. But, what I learned is probably hidden in the deep dark recesses of my heathen brain.
I like the names that the advertisers have given to their sessions in order to get more business than the others:
1. Wilderness Escape - Where God Guides and Provides (Has a nice ring to it.)
2. Weird Animals.. ending each day with the Tail End.
3. International Spy Academy Agents of the One True God.
4. Son Treasure Island.
5. Workshop for Wonders: Imagine and Build With God.
This one-upsmanship reminds me of a story of ancient China.. where farmers needed scarce manure to fertilize their fields. They would set up elaborate outhouses on the edges of their properties, close to the by-ways. They tried to make their free conveniences look better than their neighbors' and that way get more deposits.
I suppose the VBS's rely on free-will donations to cover their expenses, although one charges $10 per child (with a "special" of $25 for all the kids in a family.)
07. Theodicy?
Neighbor, Reverend Lou Piel published his monthly religious column today, which causes me to ask: "Lou, why is there evil in the world, if God is all powerful?" I think Lou would respond: "God gave us free will, so we alone are responsible for the evil in the world." Nice try, Lou, but I think its a "cop out." Sorry.. but I will "think on it" some more.
08. Useful Champagne
If you were the Queen of all Britain, what would you expect the biggest warship built to date to be called: Of course: HMS Queen Elizabeth. Christened in Scotland last Friday.
09. A Likeness? No way!
Prince William had his royal visage painted recently, and it has made royalty lovers in Britain angry, because it is not a good likeness. I agree. William kind of likes it, or says he does. I think that Henry VIII would have locked the artist up in the Tower of London for this "wreck of art."
10. Revenge!
Palestinians attending the funeral of the 16 year old that may have been murdered to avenge the three murdered Israeli teen agers, shouted: "They killed our friend, and now they have to pay for it!" It goes on and on and on and on. (When.. when.. when will they ever learn!)
11. Freudian?
I think I heard a church person on NPR.. announce "The Feast of the Holy Uterus".. I must have heard that wrong.. could it have been the Holy Eucharist? .. You see.. I'm not a Catholic so I don't know about these religious things.
12. Tony's Brother
Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me had a repeat of their interview with Tony Shalhoub.. you remember: Mr. Monk. This was the show where he owned up to having a brother named Dan, who invented the ShaPoopie. The ShaPoopie is a telescoping dog poop catcher that sells for $24.95. A great invention for those afraid of being arrested by the poop police.
This is not to be confused with the song Shipoopi for the Music Man musical by Meredith Wilson.
A Shipoopi is a girl who only will allow a kiss on the third date. (The word was coined to be something that would appeal to the naughty minds of eleven year olds.)
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Friday, July 04, 2014
Gun Fire; Finding Bodies; Brutal Friends; Karnak; Dow Jones; Child Killer; IRS; Obamacare; Car Doors; DC and Andy; Postum; Trust
Nice sunny Fourth of July .. our flag is proudly flowing .. we each just got through eating three jumbo crabs washed down with a couple of beers... we can see flowers everywhere outside our windows and doors.. green tomatoes are growing on our plants .. the cat is contentedly snoring.. all is right with the world... at least here... however, around the U.S. people are shooting each other.. Chicago especially. What a way to celebrate the fourth. It's supposed to be fireworks not gun fire. (When.. when.. when.. when will they ever learn?)
01. Finding bodies
Another dead body has been found in Westminster, Maryland, our home town. Second in a week. But this one might just be from acute alcoholism.. maybe. (Time will tell.)
02. With Friends like that...
Two 18 year olds have been arrested after they beat and robbed their "friend" of money from an automobile sale. According to the report, two other teen agers may have also been in on the beating and robbery. The victim had $1,000 hidden in his socks, but his "friends" found it and took it away.
Sounds like more drug-related crime. (Time will tell.)
03. The Great Karnak Questions Answers
Answer: The Fifth of July
Question: What do you drink on the Fourth of July?
04. Happy Stock Market
The Dow Jones Average was able to close over 17,000 yesterday and the unemployment rate of 6.1% is almost back down to what it was before the Recession. Will economic conditions continue to improve? (Time will tell.)
05. Is this an evil manifestation?
Was it murder when a father in Georgia allowed his 22 month old child to die in an overheated car? Circumstantial evidence points that way. (Time will tell.)
06. I'm looking for Clarity
A critic of the IRS reported on NPR that the IRS publishes what is called a simplified guide to features of the Internal Revenue Code. It is 94 pages long! And a document written with suggestions to make the Code easier to understand is 794 pages long!
07. No Clarity here
Maybe I'm just too old to understand some things. An article from the Tribune Washington Bureau seemed to say that the Administration offered some kind of position for religiously affiliated nonprofit employers who would not have to pay directly for contraceptives, but the Supreme Court granted Wheaton College permission to not comply. Wheaton says its religion precepts forebid it from paying for the Morning After Pill, so they will not sign a form. Huh! What the hell does that mean?
It seems to me that the person who wrote the article could have maybe been a little clearer on this. I also heard an NPR newsperson attempt to talk about this so that it could be understood.. with no success. So.. I'll just have to wait and read about it in The Week magazine or The Nation.
08. Lock your damn car doors!
Once again, car thieves are targeting cars with unlocked doors in the Sykesville, Maryland area. (When.. when.. when will they ever learn.)
09. Andy, Andy! Give it up!
As I mentioned before, Maryland's only Republican Representative Andy Harris is amending House Bills to try to sabotage DC's attempts to decriminalize Marijuana. DC folks are calling for a boycott of Ocean City, which is in his gerrymandered legislative district. To fuel the fire, Representative Harris says: "We don't have the crime problem that DC has." Harris wants to head the Republican Study Committee and I feel he is now trying to show just how Conservative one can be, even when one lives in a Democratic State.
10. Give up Caffeine?
The current Vermont Country Store catalog announces: "Postum Lovers, Rejoice! Your beloved Healthful Coffee Alternative is Back."
Years ago, coffee was making me shaky, so I switched to Postum, a drink that I remembered from Summers at my Aunt Ella's home in the Country. That's all they drank, and it tasted a little like coffee. It was a grain drink developed by Mr. Post (Post Cereals) and advertised as a vibrant health drink.
When I bought it, the price was about 59 cents, a lot less than for an equivalent amount of coffee. At some point, the coffee growers decided that they were not making enough money and suddenly coffee became scarce and the price went sky-high. Guess what.. even though Postum was not even coffee, and even though it had always cost less than coffee.. it's price shot up too and became the same price as coffee. I thought that this was "dirty pool" and gave the drink up.
The Vermont store ad says that Postum died in 2007. But now its back! They say: "You're sure to perk (!) up now that its original formula is available again." And the price now: Almost ten dollars for 8 ounces of non-coffee. Forget it!
11. Never Trust a Millionaire
Nick Paumgaten writes in the New Yorker about a Chinese millionaire who staged a lavish self-promotion at the Boathouse in Central Park for 200 homeless New Yorkers and then failed to fulfill a promise he had made to give each of them $300 in cash.
12. Never Trust a Lover
When confronted with the finding of the bodies of two women in his suitcases, a former policeman said that he accidentally killed them during sexual activity.
...........................................................................................
01. Finding bodies
Another dead body has been found in Westminster, Maryland, our home town. Second in a week. But this one might just be from acute alcoholism.. maybe. (Time will tell.)
02. With Friends like that...
Two 18 year olds have been arrested after they beat and robbed their "friend" of money from an automobile sale. According to the report, two other teen agers may have also been in on the beating and robbery. The victim had $1,000 hidden in his socks, but his "friends" found it and took it away.
Sounds like more drug-related crime. (Time will tell.)
03. The Great Karnak Questions Answers
Answer: The Fifth of July
Question: What do you drink on the Fourth of July?
04. Happy Stock Market
The Dow Jones Average was able to close over 17,000 yesterday and the unemployment rate of 6.1% is almost back down to what it was before the Recession. Will economic conditions continue to improve? (Time will tell.)
05. Is this an evil manifestation?
Was it murder when a father in Georgia allowed his 22 month old child to die in an overheated car? Circumstantial evidence points that way. (Time will tell.)
06. I'm looking for Clarity
A critic of the IRS reported on NPR that the IRS publishes what is called a simplified guide to features of the Internal Revenue Code. It is 94 pages long! And a document written with suggestions to make the Code easier to understand is 794 pages long!
07. No Clarity here
Maybe I'm just too old to understand some things. An article from the Tribune Washington Bureau seemed to say that the Administration offered some kind of position for religiously affiliated nonprofit employers who would not have to pay directly for contraceptives, but the Supreme Court granted Wheaton College permission to not comply. Wheaton says its religion precepts forebid it from paying for the Morning After Pill, so they will not sign a form. Huh! What the hell does that mean?
It seems to me that the person who wrote the article could have maybe been a little clearer on this. I also heard an NPR newsperson attempt to talk about this so that it could be understood.. with no success. So.. I'll just have to wait and read about it in The Week magazine or The Nation.
08. Lock your damn car doors!
Once again, car thieves are targeting cars with unlocked doors in the Sykesville, Maryland area. (When.. when.. when will they ever learn.)
09. Andy, Andy! Give it up!
As I mentioned before, Maryland's only Republican Representative Andy Harris is amending House Bills to try to sabotage DC's attempts to decriminalize Marijuana. DC folks are calling for a boycott of Ocean City, which is in his gerrymandered legislative district. To fuel the fire, Representative Harris says: "We don't have the crime problem that DC has." Harris wants to head the Republican Study Committee and I feel he is now trying to show just how Conservative one can be, even when one lives in a Democratic State.
10. Give up Caffeine?
The current Vermont Country Store catalog announces: "Postum Lovers, Rejoice! Your beloved Healthful Coffee Alternative is Back."
Years ago, coffee was making me shaky, so I switched to Postum, a drink that I remembered from Summers at my Aunt Ella's home in the Country. That's all they drank, and it tasted a little like coffee. It was a grain drink developed by Mr. Post (Post Cereals) and advertised as a vibrant health drink.
When I bought it, the price was about 59 cents, a lot less than for an equivalent amount of coffee. At some point, the coffee growers decided that they were not making enough money and suddenly coffee became scarce and the price went sky-high. Guess what.. even though Postum was not even coffee, and even though it had always cost less than coffee.. it's price shot up too and became the same price as coffee. I thought that this was "dirty pool" and gave the drink up.
The Vermont store ad says that Postum died in 2007. But now its back! They say: "You're sure to perk (!) up now that its original formula is available again." And the price now: Almost ten dollars for 8 ounces of non-coffee. Forget it!
11. Never Trust a Millionaire
Nick Paumgaten writes in the New Yorker about a Chinese millionaire who staged a lavish self-promotion at the Boathouse in Central Park for 200 homeless New Yorkers and then failed to fulfill a promise he had made to give each of them $300 in cash.
12. Never Trust a Lover
When confronted with the finding of the bodies of two women in his suitcases, a former policeman said that he accidentally killed them during sexual activity.
...........................................................................................
Thursday, July 03, 2014
Arthur; Target Guns; Dow Jones; Hairy Burglers; Poor Crooks; Revenge; Healthy Howard; Auto Deaths; Gun Deaths; Tea Party; Newspapers; Hobby Lobby
Well, today started out as a sunny 85 degree summer day... but at 3:45 pm, all hell broke loose. Wind and heavy rain.. not Hurricane Arthur though. Lots of thunder and lightning hitting nearby. A good day to stay inside and not risk getting zapped by a big bolt, like two of my relatives, years ago.
Lots of stuff to think about though.
01. Don't Take Your Gun to Town Son...
Target has asked shoppers not to bring guns into their stores. However, Texas gun nuts are saying they will exercise their right to carry arms in public and will take them where ever they want to. Some fast food places are echoing Target, but WalMart is weaseling on this one.
Can't you see where this is leading? People killed in shoot-outs in McDonald's or WalMart. Even the NRA sided with Target until they got lots of emails from the most rabid gun nuts and caved.
(When.. When.. When... ???)
02. The Magic Number has been Reached
The Dow Jones Average sailed over the 17,000 mark early this afternoon.. I'm rich!
03. Hairy Burglers
A couple of supposedly homeless jerks took advantage of some persons being out of town and broke into a camper parked in their driveway. They must have had a ball therein because lots of stored food was used and glassware was broken. They must have also needed some dessert, because they then broke into the empty house to get some. After the owners came home and reported the theft and damage, it took the police a very short period of time to catch these guys based on hair samples they left behind. (Just like CSI?)
04. Poor Narcotics Seller?
Police stopped a guy for speeding on one of Westminster's country-like roads and found that he had lots of narcotics ready to be sold. They also found that he had a grand total of $58. cash in his pocket. What! This is the first time that I have read where a narcotics seller had such a small amount of cash in their possession. Usually, these guys have thousands of dollars in their pockets. Was this guy a lousy salesman, or had he just started out for the day, and this was "chump change?"
05. Tit for tat
Hamas reports that the Israelis kidnapped and killed a 17 year-old Palestinian, in retaliation for the kidnapping and murder of three Israeli youths last week. Hamas swears revenge, just as Israel swore revenge. Here we go again.. both sides escalating violence. (When.. When.. When.. ??)
06. Arthur
Hurricane Arthur was aiming at North Carolina and evacuations were underway earlier today.. I hope that Arthur decided to hurry out to sea after meeting a strong cold front. I'm reading Dan Rather's book where he talks about his work at Galveston, Texas, where the germ of the current hurricane warning system was nurtured and the use of which has borne great fruit in the last few decades. It's a shame we did not have a warning system for the 1938 Hurricane that I lived through in Massachusetts.
07. Healthy Howard
Howard County (Maryland) Executive Ken Ulman has issued an executive order banning sugary drinks and junk food in County buildings and at County-sponsored events. The ban is for non-diet sodas and certain high-calorie packaged snacks. Sweetened cold beverages can contain no more than 40 calories and sodium content of food sold must be 200 mg or less.
As expected, some letters to the Baltimore Sun by readers express a little anger over this directive.
08. Baltimore Pedestrian Deaths by Automobile
There were 700 pedestrian deaths and injuries inflicted on Baltimoreans in 2013. This is three times the homicide rate and two times the national average for cities the size of Baltimore.
09. Baltimore Citizen Deaths by Gun Fire
There have been 97 homicides in Baltimore for the first half of this year. That is the lowest figure since 1983, when the half year total was 94.
Dan Rodricks advises us not to be too happy about this statistic, because in 1983, Baltimore had 150,000 more inhabitants than it does today. So.. Baltimore is therefore more violent than in 1983. And... why are there so many fewer people living in the city? Where are all those empty houses?
10. Tea Party Rant
Mississippi Tea Party backed State Senator Chris McDaniel is not going lightly into the loser's column. He blames his defeat for the U.S. Senate in the recent Primary Election directly on the Democrats. Who else? He claims that they voted illegally for his opponent. He's now asking for cash donations so he can sue.
11. Newspaper Content
Now that the Carroll County Times has been sold to the Baltimore Sun, a close comparison can be seen in articles appearing in both newspapers. I guess I should have expected that. For example, this morning early, I read articles in the Times, that were repeated, word for word, in my online version of the Sun. Luckily, this week, I ordered home delivery of the New York Times so that I can get a slightly different slant on National and World events. I hope that the Carroll County Times continues to cover local news.
12. Hobby Lobby Lawyers
Susan Reimer writes that The Alliance Defending Freedom (defending Hobby Lobby in the recent Supreme Court appearance) was founded by Civilian Right leader James Dobson, whose goal is to "keep the door open for the spread of the Gospel by transforming the legal system." They want to create a "Christendomic" State in the U.S. As stated, they were involved in the Hobby Lobby case and suits against Planned Parenthood. They fund the Blackstone Legal Fellowship, which trains "sleeper lawyers" and places them in high level places.
.......................................................................
Lots of stuff to think about though.
01. Don't Take Your Gun to Town Son...
Target has asked shoppers not to bring guns into their stores. However, Texas gun nuts are saying they will exercise their right to carry arms in public and will take them where ever they want to. Some fast food places are echoing Target, but WalMart is weaseling on this one.
Can't you see where this is leading? People killed in shoot-outs in McDonald's or WalMart. Even the NRA sided with Target until they got lots of emails from the most rabid gun nuts and caved.
(When.. When.. When... ???)
02. The Magic Number has been Reached
The Dow Jones Average sailed over the 17,000 mark early this afternoon.. I'm rich!
03. Hairy Burglers
A couple of supposedly homeless jerks took advantage of some persons being out of town and broke into a camper parked in their driveway. They must have had a ball therein because lots of stored food was used and glassware was broken. They must have also needed some dessert, because they then broke into the empty house to get some. After the owners came home and reported the theft and damage, it took the police a very short period of time to catch these guys based on hair samples they left behind. (Just like CSI?)
04. Poor Narcotics Seller?
Police stopped a guy for speeding on one of Westminster's country-like roads and found that he had lots of narcotics ready to be sold. They also found that he had a grand total of $58. cash in his pocket. What! This is the first time that I have read where a narcotics seller had such a small amount of cash in their possession. Usually, these guys have thousands of dollars in their pockets. Was this guy a lousy salesman, or had he just started out for the day, and this was "chump change?"
05. Tit for tat
Hamas reports that the Israelis kidnapped and killed a 17 year-old Palestinian, in retaliation for the kidnapping and murder of three Israeli youths last week. Hamas swears revenge, just as Israel swore revenge. Here we go again.. both sides escalating violence. (When.. When.. When.. ??)
06. Arthur
Hurricane Arthur was aiming at North Carolina and evacuations were underway earlier today.. I hope that Arthur decided to hurry out to sea after meeting a strong cold front. I'm reading Dan Rather's book where he talks about his work at Galveston, Texas, where the germ of the current hurricane warning system was nurtured and the use of which has borne great fruit in the last few decades. It's a shame we did not have a warning system for the 1938 Hurricane that I lived through in Massachusetts.
07. Healthy Howard
Howard County (Maryland) Executive Ken Ulman has issued an executive order banning sugary drinks and junk food in County buildings and at County-sponsored events. The ban is for non-diet sodas and certain high-calorie packaged snacks. Sweetened cold beverages can contain no more than 40 calories and sodium content of food sold must be 200 mg or less.
As expected, some letters to the Baltimore Sun by readers express a little anger over this directive.
08. Baltimore Pedestrian Deaths by Automobile
There were 700 pedestrian deaths and injuries inflicted on Baltimoreans in 2013. This is three times the homicide rate and two times the national average for cities the size of Baltimore.
09. Baltimore Citizen Deaths by Gun Fire
There have been 97 homicides in Baltimore for the first half of this year. That is the lowest figure since 1983, when the half year total was 94.
Dan Rodricks advises us not to be too happy about this statistic, because in 1983, Baltimore had 150,000 more inhabitants than it does today. So.. Baltimore is therefore more violent than in 1983. And... why are there so many fewer people living in the city? Where are all those empty houses?
10. Tea Party Rant
Mississippi Tea Party backed State Senator Chris McDaniel is not going lightly into the loser's column. He blames his defeat for the U.S. Senate in the recent Primary Election directly on the Democrats. Who else? He claims that they voted illegally for his opponent. He's now asking for cash donations so he can sue.
11. Newspaper Content
Now that the Carroll County Times has been sold to the Baltimore Sun, a close comparison can be seen in articles appearing in both newspapers. I guess I should have expected that. For example, this morning early, I read articles in the Times, that were repeated, word for word, in my online version of the Sun. Luckily, this week, I ordered home delivery of the New York Times so that I can get a slightly different slant on National and World events. I hope that the Carroll County Times continues to cover local news.
12. Hobby Lobby Lawyers
Susan Reimer writes that The Alliance Defending Freedom (defending Hobby Lobby in the recent Supreme Court appearance) was founded by Civilian Right leader James Dobson, whose goal is to "keep the door open for the spread of the Gospel by transforming the legal system." They want to create a "Christendomic" State in the U.S. As stated, they were involved in the Hobby Lobby case and suits against Planned Parenthood. They fund the Blackstone Legal Fellowship, which trains "sleeper lawyers" and places them in high level places.
.......................................................................
Wednesday, July 02, 2014
Happiness; Corbit; Arthur; Dow Jones; Russian Obscenity; Sarkozy; UBER; AIRBnB; Dandelions; Grocery Delivery; Civil Rights; Dove; Cosmos; Cheers
Kind of rainy day at 94 degrees.
"The world is so full of a number of things,
I'm sure we should all be as happy as kings."
Robert Louis Stevenson
01. Corbit's Charge
Stalwarts of the Pipe Creek Civil War Roundtable put on their uniforms and performed at the annual reenactment of Corbit's Charge, last week. Some of these good folks look exactly as they would have looked in 1863, especially Ned Landis.
Captain Corbit and his Delaware Regulars engaged Jeb Stuart's men in Westminster, Maryland, and caused them to be late in reaching Gettysburg to help General Lee. The brave but costly delaying tactic helped the North achieve victory in that battle. Bullet holes from that encounter can be seen here and there in one of the buildings that is still standing.
02. Hurricane Arthur
The first hurricane of the season is getting ready to hit North Carolina and people are evacuating.
03. The Dow Jones Average
The Dow Jones Average is once again nudging the 17,000 mark. Within 50 points of reaching that target.
04. Nyet, Tovarich!
On Tuesday, Russia instituted a ban on swearing in films, plays and books. I guess they will never get to see an American movie again. "Films with filthy language will be banned from 'wide release' and books containing swear words will be sold in sealed packages containing warning labels."
Once, when I was taking a spoken Russian class, I had to recite a story I had made up. I wanted to spice it up, but I didn't know any Russian swear words. I still don't.. and now I never will.
05. Hey, Nick!
Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy is back in the news. He's being investigated for influence paddling and other election time crimes. (I wonder if he is still summering in New England?)
06. Uber Alles
Diane Rheem hosted people talking about UBER, AIRBnB, and other APPS, and new ways to do things in this Cyber Age we are in. UBER takes over from taxi service.. one can use one's cell phone to access UBER to get a vehicle of your desire to come to your home, pick you up, and take you where you want to go. AIRBnB allows you to look through files of thousands to find someone who would like to either rent a room from you, or swap locations with you, or move into your house while you are on vacation. Elaine's daughter and her family are doing this right now. They are vacationing in Canada, while another family is renting their home so they can vacation in Baltimore.
They like this peer-to-peer activity, either with new friends or with people they already know.
This kind of activity doesn't work with old folks who have lived through the Great Depression. We know what it is to not have many possessions, and so, we don't want non-family folks living in our houses and perhaps damaging our hard-earned "stuff."
UBER is probably a great enhancement of city living.
Some drawbacks:
Some people lie on questionaires and applications.
The picture you see, may not be your renter's picture on his application.
There may be problems in handicapped accessability.
There may be insurance problems.
etc.
07. More Dandelions
On the radio, someone said they couldn't decide on whether to buy red dandelions or green dandelions. Huh? I thought that all dandelion leaves are green and all dandelion flowers are yellow, and all dandelion seeds are white. What a beautiful flower!
08. Grocery Delivery
On DC's Kojo show today, they discussed organic food in the DC area. In that venue, people go crazy for kind-of hard to get organic food, while we in Carroll County, Maryland, have lots of it, for sale at small tables in farm driveways. We are lucky that we have such good food in our neck of the woods. That reminds me of the equality of things... like ice...
Rich folks have ice in the Summer
Poor folks have ice in the Winter.
DC people are rich, so they can buy organic food in any season and they don't even have to leave home. They can use an APP to order food and have it delivered. Soon by Google and Amazon.. on drones.
09. Equality for 50 years?
Today was the 50th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act. It's funny, but Congress was quite different then than it is today.
In 1964, Southern Democrats were dead-set against this legislation.
Today, Democrats think it was a good thing and don't want it to be chipped at.
In 1964, Republicans were still "the party of Lincoln" and wanted the legislation passed.
Today, Republicans are working overtime to weaken voting and other civil rights.
10. Dove for your Skin
My daughter, Diane, gave Elaine a coupon for a Dove "beauty session." (Read: day at the spa?)
The coupon had a code and instructions to go online and submit the code. I did so.. but nothing happened. I waited a little while and called their 800 number. They had no record of me entering the code, and the time period was closing that very day. After they listened to my crying and whining, they gave me another code and told me to submit it around June 30th. However, in the website, there was no place to key in the code.
So, I called them up today, and of course, they told me that the ending date was June 30th. I explained that I had tried 20 times to key in that code in the last little while... and now they did find a record of my email address and somehow knew that I did try to submit the code. They told me that they would do me a favor and let me try to enter the code again, but the "beauty session" would now be reduced to just a "facial" and it would have to take place in Walkersville, Maryland, wherever that is. I told the nice lady to forget it. I'll pay for Elaine to have a "beauty session" somewhere around where we live.
Why am I telling you all this... because, even though this cannot be called a "scam", what you have to go through to redeem a coupon, in this case, is a super pain in the ass!
11. The New Cosmos
Astronomer Neil deGrasse Tyson is the host of the new relative of Carl Sagan's Cosmos series. The show will have 13 episodes, on the Fox Channel, of all places. Rob Patterson, noted Texan reviewer writes about the new show and Atheism. He says: "It in no way disputes atheism, and the weight of the atheist accent on verifiable and provable facts about our existence is a welcome force against the all but childishly moronic belief that the Bible, a book ridden with contradictions, is all actual fact and composed by the inerrant hand of God. Cosmos basically explains what is and why and how within that as we can best ascertain or theorize through use of the scientific method."
12. Cheer Wisdom
"Hey, what's goin' down, Mr. Peterson?"
"My cheeks on this bar stool."
................................................
"The world is so full of a number of things,
I'm sure we should all be as happy as kings."
Robert Louis Stevenson
01. Corbit's Charge
Stalwarts of the Pipe Creek Civil War Roundtable put on their uniforms and performed at the annual reenactment of Corbit's Charge, last week. Some of these good folks look exactly as they would have looked in 1863, especially Ned Landis.
Captain Corbit and his Delaware Regulars engaged Jeb Stuart's men in Westminster, Maryland, and caused them to be late in reaching Gettysburg to help General Lee. The brave but costly delaying tactic helped the North achieve victory in that battle. Bullet holes from that encounter can be seen here and there in one of the buildings that is still standing.
02. Hurricane Arthur
The first hurricane of the season is getting ready to hit North Carolina and people are evacuating.
03. The Dow Jones Average
The Dow Jones Average is once again nudging the 17,000 mark. Within 50 points of reaching that target.
04. Nyet, Tovarich!
On Tuesday, Russia instituted a ban on swearing in films, plays and books. I guess they will never get to see an American movie again. "Films with filthy language will be banned from 'wide release' and books containing swear words will be sold in sealed packages containing warning labels."
Once, when I was taking a spoken Russian class, I had to recite a story I had made up. I wanted to spice it up, but I didn't know any Russian swear words. I still don't.. and now I never will.
05. Hey, Nick!
Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy is back in the news. He's being investigated for influence paddling and other election time crimes. (I wonder if he is still summering in New England?)
06. Uber Alles
Diane Rheem hosted people talking about UBER, AIRBnB, and other APPS, and new ways to do things in this Cyber Age we are in. UBER takes over from taxi service.. one can use one's cell phone to access UBER to get a vehicle of your desire to come to your home, pick you up, and take you where you want to go. AIRBnB allows you to look through files of thousands to find someone who would like to either rent a room from you, or swap locations with you, or move into your house while you are on vacation. Elaine's daughter and her family are doing this right now. They are vacationing in Canada, while another family is renting their home so they can vacation in Baltimore.
They like this peer-to-peer activity, either with new friends or with people they already know.
This kind of activity doesn't work with old folks who have lived through the Great Depression. We know what it is to not have many possessions, and so, we don't want non-family folks living in our houses and perhaps damaging our hard-earned "stuff."
UBER is probably a great enhancement of city living.
Some drawbacks:
Some people lie on questionaires and applications.
The picture you see, may not be your renter's picture on his application.
There may be problems in handicapped accessability.
There may be insurance problems.
etc.
07. More Dandelions
On the radio, someone said they couldn't decide on whether to buy red dandelions or green dandelions. Huh? I thought that all dandelion leaves are green and all dandelion flowers are yellow, and all dandelion seeds are white. What a beautiful flower!
08. Grocery Delivery
On DC's Kojo show today, they discussed organic food in the DC area. In that venue, people go crazy for kind-of hard to get organic food, while we in Carroll County, Maryland, have lots of it, for sale at small tables in farm driveways. We are lucky that we have such good food in our neck of the woods. That reminds me of the equality of things... like ice...
Rich folks have ice in the Summer
Poor folks have ice in the Winter.
DC people are rich, so they can buy organic food in any season and they don't even have to leave home. They can use an APP to order food and have it delivered. Soon by Google and Amazon.. on drones.
09. Equality for 50 years?
Today was the 50th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act. It's funny, but Congress was quite different then than it is today.
In 1964, Southern Democrats were dead-set against this legislation.
Today, Democrats think it was a good thing and don't want it to be chipped at.
In 1964, Republicans were still "the party of Lincoln" and wanted the legislation passed.
Today, Republicans are working overtime to weaken voting and other civil rights.
10. Dove for your Skin
My daughter, Diane, gave Elaine a coupon for a Dove "beauty session." (Read: day at the spa?)
The coupon had a code and instructions to go online and submit the code. I did so.. but nothing happened. I waited a little while and called their 800 number. They had no record of me entering the code, and the time period was closing that very day. After they listened to my crying and whining, they gave me another code and told me to submit it around June 30th. However, in the website, there was no place to key in the code.
So, I called them up today, and of course, they told me that the ending date was June 30th. I explained that I had tried 20 times to key in that code in the last little while... and now they did find a record of my email address and somehow knew that I did try to submit the code. They told me that they would do me a favor and let me try to enter the code again, but the "beauty session" would now be reduced to just a "facial" and it would have to take place in Walkersville, Maryland, wherever that is. I told the nice lady to forget it. I'll pay for Elaine to have a "beauty session" somewhere around where we live.
Why am I telling you all this... because, even though this cannot be called a "scam", what you have to go through to redeem a coupon, in this case, is a super pain in the ass!
11. The New Cosmos
Astronomer Neil deGrasse Tyson is the host of the new relative of Carl Sagan's Cosmos series. The show will have 13 episodes, on the Fox Channel, of all places. Rob Patterson, noted Texan reviewer writes about the new show and Atheism. He says: "It in no way disputes atheism, and the weight of the atheist accent on verifiable and provable facts about our existence is a welcome force against the all but childishly moronic belief that the Bible, a book ridden with contradictions, is all actual fact and composed by the inerrant hand of God. Cosmos basically explains what is and why and how within that as we can best ascertain or theorize through use of the scientific method."
12. Cheer Wisdom
"Hey, what's goin' down, Mr. Peterson?"
"My cheeks on this bar stool."
................................................
Tuesday, July 01, 2014
Target; Tattoos; Maryland Laws; North Korea; Israel; Spying; Newspaper Format; Saint Eligius; Hobby Lobby; World Cup; Free Scam; Dandelion; Taxi
A nice 95 degree Summer day.
Before I get into the news, I want to talk about how Elaine and I spent this afternoon. First, we went to see Kim and get haircuts.. and coloring for Elaine. My hair is all white and I am not going to color it, because people expect us old dudes to have gray or white hair. However, a woman can drop 20 years off of her perceived age by getting some color, usually blond. Elaine looks quite young with her blond hair.
After seeing Kim, we went to our newly renovated Target store. It appears to me that they upped their prices for groceries to cover their renovation costs. As far as I can see, their prices are higher than Giant Food and WalMart. There is a notice on their wall that reads: "By shopping at Target you help us give 5% of our profit to the community. That's over $4 million per week."
If my math is right, that equates to a yearly profit for Target of 4 Billion 160 Million dollars!
The only community group that was shown as a recipient was the Maryland Food Bank. However, there is a website where you can go to check up on them: www.target.com/community
As I get older and more judgmental every day, I also made this observation: A beautiful blond girl, who looked to be a teen-ager, came in to shop with a person, who I assume was her mother. The girl was wearing what could be considered to be a bikini if it were worn at the beach. And on her arms and legs were black tattoos of dragons and other mythical creatures. Why oh why did her mother allow her to disfigure herself that way. Will she ever get a husband? A job? Any one to take her seriously? Perhaps she may be old enough to make her own tattoo decisions.. but obviously not old enough to foresee the outcome for her future.
OK.. I got that out of my system.. and remember, I do have a tattoo.. although it is just my late wife's initials on my arm. And of course, I was lucky that my present partner has the very same initials.
I promised Elaine that I will not be so judgmental in the future.
On with the news:
01. New Maryland State Laws
Some 200 new Maryland State laws took effect today, including a 1/2 cent gasoline tax, the right to a State-supplied attorney for poor defendants when bail is being set, preparation for raising the minimum wage to $8 (headed to $10.10), raising State Estate Tax exemption to $1.5 million (heading to $5 million), banning the selling of 95% alcohol to drinkers age 21 to 24, etc.
02. North Korea Detainees
The first American who will be tried by North Korea for acts against the State is Jeffrey Fowle, who left a Bible in his hotel room.
The second American who will be tried is Mathew Miller, who Korea said tore up his visa while yelling that he was seeking asylum.
Now, we find out that there was a third detained American. I don't know his name or what his crime was specifically, but he was a Christian evangelist sentenced to 15 years of hard labor for "trying to topple the Government."
03. Israeli Kidnapping
The three kidnapped Israeli teenagers were found murdered today. Israel will enact strong vengeance on Hamas for this act.
04. Spying Permission?
The Carroll County Times reports that the United States has long had no-spying arrangements with Britain, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. This group of Nations was called The Five Guys. However, the ACLU says that the US also has certain "certifications" that allow it to spy through companies and agencies in any entity in the world. Huh?
05. New Format
Speaking of the Carroll County Times.. they have a new format for the newspaper. It may take me a while to get used to it. I'm sure they received guidance from their new boss, The Baltimore Sun.
06. Troubled Saint?
Saint Eligius lived from 588 to 660, and is the patron saint of goldsmiths, and these days of bitcoins and litecoins.
However, Eligius Wachter, of Westminster, Maryland is not so revered. He was arrested twice yesterday for three separate incidents:
a. Disorderly conduct;
b. Pulling a fire alarm;
c. Throwing a rock through the door of a deli.
In addition, he is charged with "panhandling." Hardly lives up to his name, does he?
07. More on Hobby Lobby
Judge Alito says that the ruling addresses only the contraceptive mandate.
One can opt out only if the organization has a "sincere religious belief that life begins at conception."
Justice Anthony Kennedy, fifth vote for the majority, says that "the Administration has already found alternate ways to guarantee contraceptive coverage for women who work for explicitly religious non-profit organizations." Huh? How?
On the Diane Rheem Show this morning, Nina Totenberg (sp?) and some other notables hotly discussed the Hobby Lobby decision. Some quotes from the show:
" The decision concerns FDA approved contraception material only."
"Hobby Lobby doesn't have problems with their retirees investing in companies that create contraception material and they buy from China that abuses Christians."
"The decision will be a great money-raiser for Democrats because it is another assault on women's rights."
"Five male catholic judges decided this one."
"In the U.S., the government protects people who switch religions; in other countries, they kill you."
"What about women whose conditions mean that a pregnancy would kill them?"
"One use of IUD's is to prevent bleeding, rather than prevent pregnancies."
I could have recorded some of these comments erroneously, so don't take my writing of the quotes as exactly as spoken.
08. No Joy in Mudville
The United States team lost today in the World Cup. (As expected, but disappointing still for many.)
Will soccer become as popular now in the US as it is around the world?
09. Free Medical Equipment Scam
"Congratulations! You've been selected to receive, absolutely free, a (name of a medical device)..."
This came from Maryland telephone number: 410-123-6548. I picked it up because my "Caller ID" showed "Maryland" and that number. I thought that maybe it was a local friend calling. Instead.. it was that scam that probably everybody in Maryland is being subjected to.
First: there is no free lunch! A company might send you a free alarm system in return for either your Social Security Number or your Medicare number.. They will, in turn, submit a claim for a large amount of money to your insurance company or Medicare. This is Medicare Fraud. Don't get involved, because you will pay in the end.
10. Scam Avoidance Advice
If you do not have the following, you need to arrange to get it, and soon.. otherwise the scam artists will get you, believe me.
Get "Caller ID" placed on your phone. And make sure that your phone has an answer machine attachment, either built into the phone, or separate from it.
Now.. when someone calls, you can look at the number and decide if it is worth your time to answer the call. If you do not answer, and it is an important call from a relative or friend.. or even from the drugstore calling about a prescription... they will leave a message and you can call them back.
11. A Beautiful Yellow Flower is in Danger
Today, our development was sprayed to control weeds and kill insects and spiders. People with pets were advised to keep them inside for a while. One of the weeds that people think they need to kill is a beautiful yellow flower called the dandelion. I love this flower and made sure that I had a lot of it in my last house in Gamber. Besides being beautiful, the dandelion's green leaves make a great salad ingredient and can be cooked like spinach... in fact, during the Great Depression, one of my jobs in the early Spring was to pick bags of the plants and greens so that my Grandmother could cook it up. Sometimes, that is the only solid food we had to eat. What harm does the plant do? Let it live!
Richard Lederer wrote the following in the Mensa Bulletin in 2012:
"The English used to call the yellow, shaggy weed a 'lion's tooth' because the jagged, pointed leaves resemble the lion's snarly grin. During the early 14th century, the lion's tooth plant took on a French flavor and became the dent-de-lion, 'tooth-of-the-lion.' Then it acquired an English accent: dandelion."
12. Taxi!
A stark-naked woman jumps into a cab and gives the driver an address. The cabbie just looks at her and makes no attempt to drive.
"What are you staring at?" the woman asks. "Haven't you ever seen a naked woman before?"
"I'm not staring," he replies.
"Well, if you're not staring, what are you doing?"
"Wondering where you're keeping the money to pay me."
(Borrowed from Readers Digest.)
.....................................................................................
Before I get into the news, I want to talk about how Elaine and I spent this afternoon. First, we went to see Kim and get haircuts.. and coloring for Elaine. My hair is all white and I am not going to color it, because people expect us old dudes to have gray or white hair. However, a woman can drop 20 years off of her perceived age by getting some color, usually blond. Elaine looks quite young with her blond hair.
After seeing Kim, we went to our newly renovated Target store. It appears to me that they upped their prices for groceries to cover their renovation costs. As far as I can see, their prices are higher than Giant Food and WalMart. There is a notice on their wall that reads: "By shopping at Target you help us give 5% of our profit to the community. That's over $4 million per week."
If my math is right, that equates to a yearly profit for Target of 4 Billion 160 Million dollars!
The only community group that was shown as a recipient was the Maryland Food Bank. However, there is a website where you can go to check up on them: www.target.com/community
As I get older and more judgmental every day, I also made this observation: A beautiful blond girl, who looked to be a teen-ager, came in to shop with a person, who I assume was her mother. The girl was wearing what could be considered to be a bikini if it were worn at the beach. And on her arms and legs were black tattoos of dragons and other mythical creatures. Why oh why did her mother allow her to disfigure herself that way. Will she ever get a husband? A job? Any one to take her seriously? Perhaps she may be old enough to make her own tattoo decisions.. but obviously not old enough to foresee the outcome for her future.
OK.. I got that out of my system.. and remember, I do have a tattoo.. although it is just my late wife's initials on my arm. And of course, I was lucky that my present partner has the very same initials.
I promised Elaine that I will not be so judgmental in the future.
On with the news:
01. New Maryland State Laws
Some 200 new Maryland State laws took effect today, including a 1/2 cent gasoline tax, the right to a State-supplied attorney for poor defendants when bail is being set, preparation for raising the minimum wage to $8 (headed to $10.10), raising State Estate Tax exemption to $1.5 million (heading to $5 million), banning the selling of 95% alcohol to drinkers age 21 to 24, etc.
02. North Korea Detainees
The first American who will be tried by North Korea for acts against the State is Jeffrey Fowle, who left a Bible in his hotel room.
The second American who will be tried is Mathew Miller, who Korea said tore up his visa while yelling that he was seeking asylum.
Now, we find out that there was a third detained American. I don't know his name or what his crime was specifically, but he was a Christian evangelist sentenced to 15 years of hard labor for "trying to topple the Government."
03. Israeli Kidnapping
The three kidnapped Israeli teenagers were found murdered today. Israel will enact strong vengeance on Hamas for this act.
04. Spying Permission?
The Carroll County Times reports that the United States has long had no-spying arrangements with Britain, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. This group of Nations was called The Five Guys. However, the ACLU says that the US also has certain "certifications" that allow it to spy through companies and agencies in any entity in the world. Huh?
05. New Format
Speaking of the Carroll County Times.. they have a new format for the newspaper. It may take me a while to get used to it. I'm sure they received guidance from their new boss, The Baltimore Sun.
06. Troubled Saint?
Saint Eligius lived from 588 to 660, and is the patron saint of goldsmiths, and these days of bitcoins and litecoins.
However, Eligius Wachter, of Westminster, Maryland is not so revered. He was arrested twice yesterday for three separate incidents:
a. Disorderly conduct;
b. Pulling a fire alarm;
c. Throwing a rock through the door of a deli.
In addition, he is charged with "panhandling." Hardly lives up to his name, does he?
07. More on Hobby Lobby
Judge Alito says that the ruling addresses only the contraceptive mandate.
One can opt out only if the organization has a "sincere religious belief that life begins at conception."
Justice Anthony Kennedy, fifth vote for the majority, says that "the Administration has already found alternate ways to guarantee contraceptive coverage for women who work for explicitly religious non-profit organizations." Huh? How?
On the Diane Rheem Show this morning, Nina Totenberg (sp?) and some other notables hotly discussed the Hobby Lobby decision. Some quotes from the show:
" The decision concerns FDA approved contraception material only."
"Hobby Lobby doesn't have problems with their retirees investing in companies that create contraception material and they buy from China that abuses Christians."
"The decision will be a great money-raiser for Democrats because it is another assault on women's rights."
"Five male catholic judges decided this one."
"In the U.S., the government protects people who switch religions; in other countries, they kill you."
"What about women whose conditions mean that a pregnancy would kill them?"
"One use of IUD's is to prevent bleeding, rather than prevent pregnancies."
I could have recorded some of these comments erroneously, so don't take my writing of the quotes as exactly as spoken.
08. No Joy in Mudville
The United States team lost today in the World Cup. (As expected, but disappointing still for many.)
Will soccer become as popular now in the US as it is around the world?
09. Free Medical Equipment Scam
"Congratulations! You've been selected to receive, absolutely free, a (name of a medical device)..."
This came from Maryland telephone number: 410-123-6548. I picked it up because my "Caller ID" showed "Maryland" and that number. I thought that maybe it was a local friend calling. Instead.. it was that scam that probably everybody in Maryland is being subjected to.
First: there is no free lunch! A company might send you a free alarm system in return for either your Social Security Number or your Medicare number.. They will, in turn, submit a claim for a large amount of money to your insurance company or Medicare. This is Medicare Fraud. Don't get involved, because you will pay in the end.
10. Scam Avoidance Advice
If you do not have the following, you need to arrange to get it, and soon.. otherwise the scam artists will get you, believe me.
Get "Caller ID" placed on your phone. And make sure that your phone has an answer machine attachment, either built into the phone, or separate from it.
Now.. when someone calls, you can look at the number and decide if it is worth your time to answer the call. If you do not answer, and it is an important call from a relative or friend.. or even from the drugstore calling about a prescription... they will leave a message and you can call them back.
11. A Beautiful Yellow Flower is in Danger
Today, our development was sprayed to control weeds and kill insects and spiders. People with pets were advised to keep them inside for a while. One of the weeds that people think they need to kill is a beautiful yellow flower called the dandelion. I love this flower and made sure that I had a lot of it in my last house in Gamber. Besides being beautiful, the dandelion's green leaves make a great salad ingredient and can be cooked like spinach... in fact, during the Great Depression, one of my jobs in the early Spring was to pick bags of the plants and greens so that my Grandmother could cook it up. Sometimes, that is the only solid food we had to eat. What harm does the plant do? Let it live!
Richard Lederer wrote the following in the Mensa Bulletin in 2012:
"The English used to call the yellow, shaggy weed a 'lion's tooth' because the jagged, pointed leaves resemble the lion's snarly grin. During the early 14th century, the lion's tooth plant took on a French flavor and became the dent-de-lion, 'tooth-of-the-lion.' Then it acquired an English accent: dandelion."
12. Taxi!
A stark-naked woman jumps into a cab and gives the driver an address. The cabbie just looks at her and makes no attempt to drive.
"What are you staring at?" the woman asks. "Haven't you ever seen a naked woman before?"
"I'm not staring," he replies.
"Well, if you're not staring, what are you doing?"
"Wondering where you're keeping the money to pay me."
(Borrowed from Readers Digest.)
.....................................................................................
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