Tuesday, April 29, 2014

2014 Tony Award Nominees Announced

Today (Tuesday, April 29, 2014) the 2014 Tony Award nominees were announced.

Here's what I predict...

Most Likely To Win For Best Musical:
"Beautiful - The Carole King Musical"



However this is the one that I really wish would win because I always favor
musicals that don't sound like some sort of rehashed concert performance from the past



Best Revival of a Musical: "Les Misérables"
There's no way the musical scores of "Hedwig and the Angry Inch" or "Violet" stand a chance. I'd be surprised if "Violet" (my second choice) would win, as much as I like Sutton Foster.


Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre: "If/Then"
First off, it stars Idina Menzel. Second, if there's any justice in the world this is the musical that deserves to be the winner in this category While I give a thumbs up to the music in "Aladdin" it's no way in hell an "original score".

As far as the rest of the nominations I must confess I've not seen any of these musicals (other the original performance of Les Misérables on Broadway). So I wouldn't even want to hazard a guess who the other winners might be.

As far as spending some loot going to see a show here's the one that interest the wife and I the most right now. This because it's musical scores and dance numbers are the closest thing to being the way music writers always intended them to be performed. Broadway should not ever become a concert venue for old rock musicians and their songs.

About "Bullets Over Broadway"



A Small Teaser Video
"


Monday, April 28, 2014

Opinions Are Like Anuses...

     ... everybody got one

Point Of Observation
I was watching various daytime cable news programs today. These folks get up to several hundreds of thousands dollar$ a year to bloviate. This made me wonder what makes someone's opinion on a cable news show more valuable then yours or mine?

It also makes me feel rather insignificant when you consider I do this for nothing and everything I have in my 401k is far less they get in one year alone for doing the same thing. This is all I have to live on for the rest of my life. Make no mistake about it.. in most cases their opinions carry no more weight or expertise to them then do mine or yours.

What a racket they have going for them !!!

Sunday, April 27, 2014

Muhlenberg College- Another Year In The Bag

Thursday, May 1st is the last day of classes at Muhlenberg college. Exams begin on Monday, May 5th, 2014. So why not throw one last great big blow out!

The house was a rockin'!
Last night (Saturday, April 26, 2014) the scholars next door hosted yet another party. This one for about 90 of their closest friends. Even though they finally killed the blaring stereo at exactly 4:13am, the party lasted until about 4:30am.

Now you may ask why didn't we call campus security or the police? Well I'll tell you why. Neither of them cited anyone who attended any of the parties that we called in for years. No one was cited for noise. No one was checked for underage drinking. Since there's no price to pay for their behavior I interpret this as a kind of implied consent which further encourages this kind of behavior. In addition, since this is the end of the year what the hell do they care. Their classes are already nearly in the bag and soon they'll be heading home.

Paybacks can be a bitch!
Paybacks can be the kind of risks I'm not willing to take because we were watching our 7 month twin grand daughters overnight while their mother worked. In short these kids don't give a shit. Because they've never been held accountable and having a few weeks left one can only imagine what kind of antics they could come up with.

Our twin homes have a common sunroom porch roof. In the past a dozen or so were sitting outside our bedroom window raising hell well beyond midnight. My cameras caught them urinating and puking off the roof, backyard and their front porch in the past. Ten or twenty stomp their feet on the floor next door at the same time for some stupid reason or another. Screaming and yelling as loud as they can is the norm at these parties. If all of these were the norm can you only imagine what would happen if they got a bug up their ass because we aggravated them the last two or three weeks before the end of the school year while we are babysitting the twins two or three days a week !

The police haven't cited them for either noise or underage drinking. The college nor the landlord clamped down on them over the last 24 years or so either. So what kind of message are they sending? That's it's Ok to act like assholes? How many more responsible residents does the city government of Allentown intend to force out by ignoring them?

AND..
Don't give me that shit about moving close to the college. We live over a block away from campus in what once was a extremely quite neighborhood. When we bought this home the one next door to ours was not a rental. We spent nearly all our assets with the intention of making this our final home purchase to retire in. Meaning we can't afford to get out of this trap based on what's left of my 401k + social security checks. How the hell were we supposed to know two years after buying ours a investor would come along and buy next door and rent it to so-called college students some 24 years ago!

What pisses me off the most is thinking about the attitude these kids have regarding these homes. To them it's just a stop along the way. A place to party and hang out for four years without regard to respecting neither Allentown nor it's residents. They then move on leaving the place a mess in their wake. Four of my immediate neighbors are also retirees. They also worked their whole lives to reach this standard of living. Then come along these little snots who treat these homes as if they are some sort of tenement housing units.

Trust me, they look down on us and the city of Allentown as fools and could care less about any of us. They've demonstrated this time and again. We neighbors once mowed their lawn which they ignored. Took out the bags of trash they stacked outside their back porch. Picked up the beer cups blown on our lawns after their noisy/rowdy all night parties. Ignored them urinating (even in daylight) on our flowerbeds. Driving over lawns. Illegal parking. No one ever reported them for not recycling one damned bin of any sort for almost 24 years. We also shoveled sidewalks when it snowed. All in the hopes of setting an example to them. In return they've demonstrated by their actions they thought somehow it was owed to them and were above it all.

It may be said of them they are young and foolish, but what excuse does the college or the city of Allentown have for their failure to enforce their own rules and ordinances? I don't know who I should be more pissed with. Them or the city? How about both?

It's a damned shame the city of Allentown doesn't take a greater interest in retaining what few decent folks remain who pay their taxes and don't cause trouble. Instead Allentown seems to think it can attract a better class of people w/o first supporting the few left that it already has. How hard would be (over the last 24 years) to send a message that Allentown won't tolerate those who drift through our city, whether it be students or adults, who have no interests in the betterment of our community?

Here's one guarantee that I will make. It may not be the next party or the one after, but one day one of them will result in a death from drinking or some sort of violence. It's not a matter of if, but rather a matter of when. It isn't like the college nor city police weren't contacted by we or one of our neighbors. No matter how they may pretend they weren't aware of it, this most certainly is not the case.

In the meantime I fear for our twin baby granddaughters that none of these should happen while we are tending them for our daughter while she has to work. This is not the way I want it to be for either my wife, myself or they having to live next to these assholes renting aside of us, The danger with having 90 irresponsible kids drinking, smoking all night long till 4:30am and who don't care about any of that is a constant fear. So is living in a city and with a college that basically ignores those concerns as if there's no foundation for them. Hell even nuisance bars in Allentown with far fewer patrons got more attention.

Saturday, April 26, 2014

Think Gov't Unfair To Bundy?

Wait till you hear about the Dann sisters..




COMMENTARY
I said in a prior post I agree that there are some legitimate issues Cliven Bundy raised concerning government policies when it comes to federal land, Now after listening to Cenk I feel even more strongly that Cliven raised very legitimate concerns about government taking land.. I still hold that position. However I also said Sean Hannity was backing the wrong horse..

Cliven has no documented poof of his ancestors ever living before his father purchased a couple of dozen acres in 1946. Census records taken in 1930 or 1940 indicated a Bundy never lived there before that time. Even ignoring Bundy's most recent words, he's proved himself a shady character. Talk is cheap. You can't just go out and say something is so without having documentation. He knows he doesn't have any or he would have presented them previously in one of his several court appeals or presented them to the media.

Therefore I still stand by my words when it comes to questioning the possible unfair dealings the government demonstrates concerning federal lands. I still give Cliven credit for bringing the matter of fees and grazing rights to the nation's attention, but very little beyond that. In my opinion the best that can be said of Cliven, he's exploiting this for his own selfish personal gain. Further in my opinion, at worse he knows he's giving everyone a snow job. I further feel Cliven's not the sharpest tool in the shed.

In short... 'Right church. Wrong pew' Sean.



Friday, April 25, 2014

As If Fracking Wasn't Bad Enough Already!

Second radioactive oil waste site found in North Dakota
"North Dakota this week confirmed the discovery of a new radioactive dump of waste from oil drilling – and separately a company hired to clean up similar waste, found in February at another location, said it had removed double the amount of radioactive material originally estimated to be there...

Rocks deep in the Earth contain naturally radioactive material, and when those rocks are drilled for oil and gas the drilling equipment and water can become slightly irradiated. As more drilling occurs across the nation, experts warn of a brewing crisis of leftover radioactive materials."


2014 Midterm Outlook For House Republicans

Thursday, April 24, 2014 Bloomberg's Business Week- Politics & Policy..
     "John Boehner Says So Long to His Friends"
"So far, 25 GOP House members have said they’re leaving at year’s end. Like Boehner, many are party-line Republicans who argue Democratic policies are wrongheaded but are frustrated with the obstinacy of Tea Partiers who attack fellow Republicans and equate the give and take of legislating with betrayal."
COMMENTARY
Democrats can take this as either bad or good news. I tend to think most voters politics are somewhere in the middle. Voters favor neither extreme views to the left nor to the right. If what remains of future candidates seeking office are those too far to right this is not a good sign for the GOP.

Couple that with what 'The Washington Post' is reporting-- "The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee raised $8.1 million in March, while the National Republican Senatorial Committee raised about $6.3 million."

This pretty much reflects campaign contributions going towards candidates running for the house as well. According to "Christian Science Monitor' (04/21/2014), "The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee raised more money than its GOP counterpart in the first quarter of 2014. The DCCC, which focuses on funding for House candidates, pulled in $23.6 million from January through March, while the National Republican Congressional Committee took in $21.2 million, according to Federal Election Commission records. That leaves the DCCC with a cash-on-hand pile of about $40 million, clear of debt. The NRCC has about $31 million ready for use in its bank accounts."

Given that 25 GOP seats will be opening up and with the Democrats having a bit more loot, 2014 doesn't look like a banner year for Republicans. Republican hopes for overtaking both sides of congress for the moment doesn't look too peachy. Things can change. Elections are still seven months away. However having 25 GOP moderates leaving the house doesn't exactly inspire confidence that voters will tip the balance in favor of conservatives come the fall elections.

This doesn't necessarily mean Democrats may end up controlling Congress. But if I were a bookie in Vegas, handicapping the score, the odds aren't in the Republicans favor right now (at least in the house).

BTW:
There are 15 Republican and 21 seats currently held by Democrats coming up for vote in fall for the Senate. About 16 of them could be up for grabs. The others most likely will remain with their respective parties.

Thursday, April 24, 2014

Hannity's Support Of Cattle Rancher Bundy

(Monday, April 21, 2014) The L.A. Times-- "The battle lines are hardening in Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy's so-called range war against the federal government over his right to graze cattle on public lands."

COMMENTARY
Sean Hannity may have a few legitimate questions to address with his talking points. For instance: (1) Is it right that the federal government controls over 245 million acres and can tell states in which they located what they can do and not do? (2) Should the government collect fees for land that they don't even pay to maintain? (3) Does the armed government enforcement officers have the authority to confront Bundy for his taxes?

The first two questions are subjective policies. These can be challenged and possibly changed either by the agency resetting the regulations or by court action. Bundy failed in both these efforts. While I may agree with the right to ask questions 1 & 2, I have no doubts regarding the answer to question #3. Yes, absolutely.

Whether one considers them right or wrong, the government does have the authority. Hannity always likes harkening back to the early days of government knit picking through only the history that suits his purpose. What Sean hasn't brought up in his conversations with Cliven Bundy was a little thing called 'The Whiskey Rebellion'.

It took place right here in Pennsylvania in 1794. According to Wikipedia-- "Before troops could be raised, the Militia Act of 1792 required a justice of the United States Supreme Court to certify that law enforcement was beyond the control of local authorities. On 4 August 1794, Justice James Wilson delivered his opinion that western Pennsylvania was in a state of rebellion. On 7 August, Washington issued a presidential proclamation announcing, with "the deepest regret", that the militia would be called out to suppress the rebellion. He commanded insurgents in western Pennsylvania to disperse by September 1" Leading the charge into Western Pennsylvania was none other then George Washington himself who had 13,000 men under him.

Further more Hannity implies Bundy is some sort of patriot. Here's where things start to go off the rails. On Thursday, April 24, 2014 'The Washington Post' reported "Cliven Bundy wonders if black people were “better off as slaves”. Hell Cliven doesn't even recognize the federal government as having the right exist in Nevada.

Bundy basis for his argument is on him having ancestral rights. Whoa there Bundy, what about the Indians who were there before his family got off the boat? Even this argument has more holes in then swiss cheese. Documents show his father bought the ranch from another couple on January 5, 1946. This was two years before Cliven was even born. On top of that neither the 1930 nor 1940 census shows a Bundy living there.

Hannity is backing the wrong horse
An argument can be made for legislators changing laws regarding regulatory powers over the issue of federal lands. Indeed we should revisit these. In that I'll agree. However no one, neither Hannity, Bundy or any of us have the right to pick and choose which laws to follow.

This started out as an issue over whether current grazing regulations are right or wrong. I'm all for making the public aware of someone's cause. I'm all for hundreds or even thousands of people coming together to pressure Washington. However when it comes to a crazy ass shootout you lost my support.,, BIG TIME!

If Hannity wishes to pursue what he considers an injustice, go for it. However using Cliven Bundy as a spokesman has just got to be the worst possible person he could have used. Every time Cliven opens his mouth on Sean's program it makes them both look less credible then the time before.

Whether Sean believes it or not, if anything bad happens he played a part in it. Not once did Sean suggest to Bundy he should bag the armed militia idea. Sean may not have suggested an armed conflict, but he sure as hell didn't discourage it either. Seems to me he sent a whole bunch of cameras down there to pick up on all the action if it should occur. The question we should ask ourselves, by his continuing coverage, is Sean exploiting this for himself or truly concerned about the Bundys?


SUMMARIZING
Spotlighting someone like Bundy, who doesn't even have a legally valid claim going back to the 1700's (as he falsely asserted) indicates to me the appeal courts got it right. There's a right way and a wrong way to go about possible government overreach. Ramping up armed militia extremists with their call to arms sure as hell isn't one of them.

Wednesday, April 23, 2014

Career Mistake- Making Yourself Too Valuable

There's some things you never get over. This is one of them for me. When I applied for a production job I made it clear I wanted to be a maintenance mechanic. At the time the company was hiring 15-20 people a week for several months. At the time they needed warm bodies as quickly as possible to work entry levels in production.

They explained I could be hired the same day if I agreed to these super boring repetitive jobs. Otherwise my prospects were doubtful. The person doing the hiring said why not take one of these. Then once in I would stand a better chance at becoming a mechanic

Well I paid my dues. For two years I did what had to be the most mind numbing job on Earth. Within those first two years my supervisor gave me a pouch with tools in it. He explained he didn't want the mechanic assigned to my production line equipment touching them since I did a better job doing light repairs on them. In the meantime I continued to bug Rubin, the mechanic supervisor. Eventually he agreed that I should be made a mechanic because of the skills I demonstrated. At last I proved myself!

Two weeks went past. Then three. I approached Rubin and said what's the hold up? He said well Jim, your supervisor, went above his head to the superintendent both which agreed not to release me. WTF!!

I walked off the line and got right up into Jim's face saying he knew how bad I wanted that job. Jim more or less said too bad. If he released me he would lose me to another department which meant he'd end up with the mechanic he didn't want touching my machines. So in other words I screwed myself by doing too good a job.

As a result I figured I'd get even with Jim by bidding out of his damned department. To add insult to injury it took two people to replace the job I once did. Neither which had to repair the equipment like I had to. No hard feeling right? WRONG!

Even though I left that department the superintendent was still around five more years. Being the kind of egotist he was, he never forgot how a skirted around them both. Therefore for 8 years I never could become a mechanic. Finally a new superintendent was moved in his place after he left. The new 'super' immediately setup a new policy for mechanics. Those mechanics who did not have a certificate from an accredited school, even if they were there for 8 years, were bumped down to production. My fate was sealed!

They only hired young graduates from the outside after that. Despite that for 33 years I carried a small tool box around because many of those hired were no better then some of them had been before. Yes there was some really good mechanics, but unless you could snag one of them to work on your production machines you were better off tweaking the equipment yourself unless the job was too big to handle.

As a result for 33 years I received about 25% less pay then I would have otherwise. That works out to $100,000's more I could have earned when overtime is factored in.

Over those years you would have thought I learned my lessons. Alas I must be a slow learner because I always tried my best. Call me an ass, but that's just the way I am. No matter which department I went I was assigned to the most sophisticated equipment even though all operators were paid the same.

Working against me on the other end was my seniority. For every 10 moves I made up the list, 11 were eliminated by automation. I started out 630 on the sonority list of 1100. By the end of 33 years (before I retired) I was number 310 down from the top of the list. Unfortunately the list was down to only 610. In essence I ended up with less seniority then I started out with. Over the last 4 or 5 years I couldn't even hold day shift more less able to bid on any dayshift job above that of general labor. That's when I finally decided to bag it.

So what's the lesson, boys and girls?
Huge corporations' hierarchy cannot be trusted. If I had it to do all over again I would never have agreed to touch the equipment unless I was promoted to the position they all knew I wanted. I was too eager to impress ungrateful uncaring selfish bosses. I was too trusting in those above me would do the right thing. I did not realize at the time they got their jobs not by hard work but by being more selfishly slick then those who held the best interest of the company over that of their own. By the way, the guy in human resources who hired me quit three years after I was hired. He personally told me he could no longer stomach the shenanigans upper level management wanted of him. That was, shall we say, to be 'economical with the truth'. This explains to this day my distrust with companies and their management.

So here's my advice. (1) Never compromise or settle on your goals if what you are doing is not working out after a few months. (2) All the dedicated, honesty and hard work in the world means nothing if others don't show their appreciation. These are people you don't want in your life. (3) Then comes the hardest part. Move on without them. Try a different direction.

My grandson hooked up with a electrician who hired him because he was a lot like I was back then. The difference is this guy not only appreciates his work but offered to pay for his education to become a licensed electrician. Too bad I didn't move on. Who knows how things may have turned out differently if I had?

I've come to the point in my life where I don't give a shit whether others acknowledge or appreciate my efforts or not. Fortunately for me, now that I'm retired, I don't have to. No I'm not bitter, but I'm a hell of a lot wiser. I've been burned too many times by bullshits artists whose actions don't match their words. For me to be otherwise would be the same as building a house before it has a good foundation.

Here's some of the similar kind of equipment I operated..

Up to 5 Palletizers at a time



Depalletizer



We Used Drop Case Packers



Labeller (up tp 550 bottles a minute)



I did these along with dozens more. Including a cooking process involving 8-14,000lb blenders, custom 500lb cheese cookers (500lbs every 3 minutes), dual 250 horsepower cheese grinders, 300 jars per minute fillers and a whole lot more. Including operating forklifts that required ticketing, scanning and warehousing into 3 high racks some 300 pallets per shift. All of them very boring, noisy and very redundant. But hey.. it paid the bills.

Tuesday, April 22, 2014

Oklahoma's Contribution To 'Earth Day'

On Monday, April 21, 2014 , S.B. 1456 passed the Oklahoma state House 83-5 after no debate."Oklahoma residents who produce their own energy through solar panels or small wind turbines on their property will now be charged an additional fee, the result of a new bill passed by the state legislature and expected to be signed into law by Gov. Mary Fallin (R)."

COMMENTARY
One of the greatest things about solar energy is it's there when you need it the most. Here in the United States throughout the summer on the hottest days we suffer from brown-outs. This is when our electrical grids are strained to their max. However these are the optimum conditions for pollution free solar panels at which time they perform at their best.

We're becoming the biggest a-holes in the world by allowing fossil fuel interests to hold us back in the steam age while the rest of the world moves forward.Saudi Arabia to invest $109 billion in solar energy-- "The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has announced plans to invest $109 billion to produce 41 gigawatts (GW) of solar energy by 2032, almost 30 percent of its total energy requirement."So here you have the second largest oil producer in the world who in less then 18 years expects about 30% of their electric to come from the sun. Even they favor solar over the continuation of burning dirty fossilized crud coming from holes in the ground. They are not alone. The United States ranks 5th in total solar energy output behind Germany, China, Italy and Japan. Three of which are far smaller nations then we.

While other nations are moving forward here we are fighting over a pipeline and (possible earthquake prone) fracking. As if that weren't bad enough here we are attempting to stifle solar technology's progress. This while in the meantime the world's second largest oil producer, the government of Saudi Arabia is pouring $109 billion of it's own money. This will not only extend the life of their oil fields, but also extend other nations' dependency on them further into the future.

It's not just about energy, pollution nor even scientific progress
Why do you think Russia invaded Crimea?
(The answer may not be for the reasons you think)
Atlantic.com-- "The peninsula also sits atop vast underwater gas basins in the Black Sea, estimated to contain between 4 and 13 trillion cubic meters of natural gas. As Ukraine's southernmost territory, the peninsula has the highest solar-energy potential in the country and already featured one of Europe's largest photovoltaic parks. Its mountainous coastline holds strong wind-energy potential, with seven wind plants already built there and more planned before the crisis. But all of that infrastructure and investment now rests in Russian hands."Additionally Ukraine's nuclear power plants supply almost 50% of it's electric that rely almost entirely on Russia for it's supply of uranium to power them.

So what's that to us?
In January 2014 the U.S. imported 287,188,000 barrels of crude oil products. No matter how you slice and dice it when it comes to foreign policy it makes the U.S. dependent to the whims of foreign nations. Nations who can hold us hostage to their demands for our continued military support and set political and economic policies with them.

Currently the United States depends on other nations to supply roughly 30% of our petroleum needs. Unless we plan on fracking and drilling every few miles on both land and sea, we're pretty much in the same boat. I don't know about anyone else but creating earthquakes, polluting our water and air is one hellva' lousy plan for solving our growing energy needs.

If we truly want to be not only energy independent and free from foreign governments dictating our polices we need energies like those that come from solar and wind devices. Making laws that stifle these is not only ignorant policy, but can be dangerous as well.

Monday, April 21, 2014

Humans Making Themselves Extinct?




I realize the following may seem at first like crazy talk. Bear with me for a moment.


As I watched the videos of Honda's 'ASIMO' it made me wonder...

* If one day these robots could begin manufacturing themselves without our intervention. Even going so far as to increase their intellectual software capacities beyond our abilities in the manufacture of them?

* If this were so, could we be wasting our time searching the universe for other of our similar life forms? Imagine for a moment that humans like us living on another planet somehow became extinct via environmental conditions, war or a virus and robots were able to survive. Robots need neither food, water, air and can survive in other extreme conditions that would be impossible for biological species such as ourselves. For them travel through space would be a snap. The time limitations to travel from one place to another in a human's lifespan would not be a factor. Neither would be supplies other then a few spare parts. As far as the needed electrical energy, they could power down till the ship came across a solar source to recharge them no matter how long it took.

What makes humans inferior
They require food, air, a narrow range of temperatures, sanitary facilities, sleep, exercise and a need to occupy their minds constantly to avoid going stare crazy and medicines. In the process we generate huge amounts of trash and pollution in our fish bowl we call Earth. Robots can live outside of the fishbowl. We cannot! Humans are currently at the top of evolution on this planet. Could it just be unwittingly we're inventing our own replacements in the ever evolving universe?

Is what I say a possibility or have I watched too many episodes of 'Battlestar Galactica'?

It can't happen. We'll always have the stop button. Sure about that?
Where I worked we had big red emergency stop buttons located in various areas on each production line. They were supposed to shut every piece of equipment down both inside and outside the production room. One day someone got tangled up and people started hitting the big red emergency buttons. They didn't work.. not any of them!

Seems the ladder logic programmed into the line was faulty. The buttons were unintentionally bypassed by earlier running software excluding them from the circuits that followed. Fortunately for us we were able to run over to the giant fuse panels and pull the big levers disconnecting the power to them. Just suppose a fault in the code would allow robots to continue running. In their case there would be no fuse panels to run to.

CNet Published this on Apr 16, 2014


Here's a longer video published in a article at 'Wire.com'


Sunday, April 20, 2014

LVCI's Version Of Easter Services

Like many, later today we'll have our 'traditional' family Easter dinner. Unlike many, I've been inclined to observe Easter in my own way. Rather then attending traditional religious services I find these videos to be of greater use to me.

After going to church with it's repetitious dogma year after year I personally felt no progress what-so-ever was made to a closer understanding of such things. If it only took a thousand sips of wine and wafers I'd have been good to go already after all these years. These will bring no one closer to understanding. Neither will reading a thousand times the same scripture we've heard time after boring time. If God just wanted a bunch of robots he would have instead preprogrammed our minds, given us batteries, a box of wafers and a few dozen jugs of wine.

The way I see it, God wanted humans to start out from scratch with new ideas and expressions not even God had or has yet to conceive of. God also endowed us the ability to understand our relationship with our creator if we so chose to make the effort. Chasing our own tails around every weekend doing the same thing over and over doesn't accomplish that.

The following two speakers are not questioning the existence of God or promoting a secular belief. Instead they are attempting to motivate listeners into developing a deeper understanding of our true essence. Keeping that in mind, I began my Easter weekend by watching a bunch of Rupert Spira videos which can be found HERE.

Below is one of them I found more interesting then some of the others. It ask the question...

What is Awareness?


The other set I watched was the 23 part series entitled "The Rabbit Hole" by Deepak Chopra.


SOURCE:
'The Chopra Well'


Friday, April 18, 2014

Why We Moved To Allentown's West End

Friday, April 18, 2004- Lehigh Valley Live.com-- "Police Capt. Glen Dorney said officers served the arrest warrant at 529 N. New St., between West Allen and Liberty streets, at 9:30 p.m., found evidence of a drug operation and arrested 13 people inside the single family home."

COMMENTARY
This house is located less then two blocks from where we once lived nearly 25 years ago. At that time you could already see drug houses being boarded up on 11th street in this area. Even the hairdresser I went to moved after she saw what was starting to happen to the neighborhood.

Things weren't always that way when we moved in years before. Most of the neighbors, like we, took down their fences and communed freely out back with one another. The homes were occupied by families like ourselves, but mostly occupied by older retirees. One by one as the retirees either left voluntarily or died, homes started to be occupied by questionable characters.

A woman who's husband was in jail at the time moved in two doors down. She had a daughter who constantly would sneak her minority boyfriend into her bedroom on the second floor. Two or three times a week in the morning this jackass would run along the porch roofs like they were his personal sidewalks past our and other neighbor's bedroom windows. He would shimmy up & down a wrought iron pole at the end of the block to come and go

A fella bought a home across the street from a senior through HUD. Within months he ended up in jail and the home was sold once again through HUD.

Please believe me I have nothing against minorities, but these are not the kind of minorities anyone would want to live around. Cars started being broken into (unlike before). Where once we all helped each other shovel the streets so we could get out in snow storms. These new incoming homeowners didn't lift a finger to even shovel their own walks. You name it. Arson, burglary any other crimes started happening where none occurred before.

We sold and risked our financial well being
There's no way in hell I could afford to move to the West End. On the other hand, there was no way in hell I could afford not to. Here's why.

In less then five years after we left, home prices dropped on that street. About a half a dozen of our former neighbors who waited too long couldn't sell them even at half the price we sold ours for. Most of the oldsters were gone by then. Jack (our wonderful mailman) applied for a different route. No longer was old Harry cleaning the sidewalk & curb in front of his house every morning. Even he & his wife left for the safety a high-rise apartment could provide them.

What remains of our old home are rotted and removed window flower boxes that I built. The canvas porch awning and the second & third floor aluminum window awnings are now gone. The new porch post and rails I put in are now rotted and peeled.

Gone are the days we sat out back with the neighbors enjoying a few beers and listening to the Phillies on the radio. It's now been replaced by the loud thumping of bass coming from blaring speakers intermingled with sirens. Gone is the 'New Street Theatre' with it's loyal patrons who'd walk up to see a movie. Gone is the old bakery on New Street. Gone are the Greeks, Italians and the Irish that once made up the neighborhood. Gone is the pride and investment in improvements that we made to our homes which I can see are now deteriorating when I drive past that block.

Think what you will. I'm not trying to get down on other cultures, but the old neighborhood doesn't speak well for the new residents who now occupy that area. Too bad if the truth hurts.

Blighted Properties In Allentown

Back on April 9, 2012 'Lehigh Valley Business.com' reported,"U.S. Rep. Charlie Dent, R-15th District, and other officials gathered in Allentown's Old Fairgrounds Neighborhood today to announce a high-impact project aimed at cleaning up blight and increasing homeownership in center city....

Dent announced details of a $1.175-million plan by Housing Association & Development Corporation (HADC) to rehabilitate seven vacant and blighted houses clustered along three blocks of the N. Sixth Street corridor running through the heart of the Old Fairgrounds Historic District.

The completed houses will be sold to first-time home buyers with household income in the low- to moderate-income range...

The project's addresses are 427, 453, 508, 615 and 616 N. Sixth Street, 533 Liberty Street and 536 Allen Street."
It's been two years since this was announced. Apparently things didn't go as planned.

(Thursday, April 17, 2014)
Bo Koltnow @ WFMZ-TV69 reported--
No work is being done on housing project years after awarding of grant
video platformvideo managementvideo solutionsvideo player

h/t to Bo Koltnow for his follow up report.


Thursday, April 17, 2014

Pennsylvania Casinos: Good News/Bad News

According to a report in the 'Philadelphia Inquirer' table games at Pennsylvania casinos brought in $67.93 million last month.


COMMENTARY
The Good News Is ...
Casino revenues from table games in Pennsylvania last month were a reported $67.93 million dollars. "the highest total since table games began in July 2010"

The Bad News Is...
Gamblers in Pennsylvania last month lost a reported $67.93 million dollars at the table games. "the highest total since table games began in July 2010"



The Good News Is ...
"The state collected $9.8 million in tax revenue from table games.."

The Bad News Is...
"The state collected $9.8 million in tax revenue from table games.." and still raised taxes on gasoline, tolls, fees on vehicle/drivers registrations, etc., etc., etc.



The Good News Is ...
New York State, except for 9 owned by Native Americans, doesn't have any casinos. They only have 9 racetracks.

The Bad News Is...
Albany will soon take applications for four upstate casinos after "voters approved a state constitutional amendment to allow Las Vegas-style casinos beyond Indian land." Two casinos are already "joining forces to pursue a license in New York's Hudson Valley-Catskills region."



Ukee Washington On Sitcom Tonight

The cousin of Denzel Washington, Ukee of KYW (CBS3) Philadelphia will be appearing on 'The Crazy Ones' tonight at 9:00pm. On the show (which stars Robin Williams & Sarah Michelle Gellar) he will portray a reporter interviewing Brad Garrett. Imagine that!

This won't be a stretch for him since he actually did interview Brad Garrett a few times in the past when Brad was on 'Everybody Loves Raymond'.

It's not his first rodeo. Jeesh, talk about typecasting!

55 year old Ulysses Samuel Washington III has previously played newscaster roles for 'As The World Turns' in 2009. Also in two more popularly known films entitled 'The Happening' (2008) and 'The Manchurian Candidate' (2004). He also appeared as a news reporter in 5 episodes of the TV series "Hack' in season two (2003). A series about a Philadelphia cop who got fired and became a vigilante cab driver (2002-2004)

Except if Denzel is competing with cousin Ukee to star in the role of a newscaster, Denzel's movie career should remain intact :-)

Tuesday, April 15, 2014

Sick of Internet Comments?

Saturday, April 12, 2014
Chicago Sun-Times and suntimes.com
Sick of Internet comments? Us, too – here’s what we’re doing about it
To our readers,

Starting this weekend, the Chicago Sun-Times and the other titles in the Sun-Times Media group will temporarily cease to run comments with our articles.

The world of Internet commenting offers a marvelous opportunity for discussion and the exchange of ideas. But as anyone who has ever ventured into a comment thread can attest, these forums too often turn into a morass of negativity, racism, hate speech and general trollish behaviors that detract from the content.

In fact, the general tone and demeanor is one of the chief criticisms we hear in regard to the usability and quality of our websites and articles. Not only have we heard your criticisms, but we often find ourselves as frustrated as our readers are with the tone and quality of commentary on our pages.

To that end, we are working on development of a new commenting system we hope will not only allow for free discussion, but encourage increased quality of the commentary and help us better police the worst elements of these threads. We’ll have more in the weeks to come on this development. In the meantime, we encourage you to connect with us on Facebook and Twitter to offer your thoughts, feedback and suggestions. This is your site and your voice is an important part of how we work as a community to better serve Chicago.

Again, we are not doing away with comments. But we do want to take some time and work on the qualitative aspect of how they are handled and how we can foster a productive discussion rather than an embarrassing mishmash of fringe ranting and ill-informed, shrill bomb-throwing.

Thank you for your patience – and stay in touch (@suntimes and TheChicagoSunTimes on Facebook).

Craig M. Newman
Managing Editor
Chicago Sun-Times and suntimes.com

COMMENTARY
I'd much prefer not having a single comment if it... (1) Doesn't stay on the topic. (2) Doesn't add to the topic in some way by providing more information which can be verified by providing a link to a source. (3) Takes a personal off-topic poke or slanders someone. (4) Contains plain old useless trash talking negativity.

Do me a favor. Read over comments left at other websites and blogs. Then see how many of the comments fall under categories 1-4 above. I think you will find nearly all comments fall under one or more of the categories above. Once they are eliminated, there's very little substance left.

That's what I have done. After lamenting in the past over receiving so few comments I now consider it a blessing. The few that do come in are either spam or jibber jabber nonsense that gets taken down before most people read these posts.

Would I still like to hear from readers?
Absolutely!
(But not from those like one or more of the four above)


I'm no longer gauging the success of this blog by the number of comments. Rather I've come to realize, by the large number of readers who visit regularly, a lot of intelligent people understand they needn't babble on needlessly about everything they've read. Because of that, I am grateful this blog has attracted a higher caliber of readership. I wish to thank all who visit my little blog. It's my hope you will continue coming back and/or continue your subscriptions.

Much Thanks Again
     LVCI

SWA Flight Attendant Does Stand-Up

Preflight instructions given by Southwest Airlines flight attendant Martha "Marty" Cobb

(Uploaded On YouTube By Her- April 12, 2014)


Sunday, April 13, 2014

Not A Damn Thing Changed!

Way back when I was a pup in the 60's, when dinosaurs roamed the Earth, there were a few issues that needing straightening out. We didn't get em' fixed back then.. and kids, ya sure as hell ain't gonna get em' fixed now either...

Pat Paulsen on Social Security, Gun Control & Healthcare (1967-1968)



Fat Cats on Wall St (1968)


"The more things change, the more they remain the same"..
That's just the way things is
:-)


Before Today's Reality TV Shows...

      There were these (to name a few)...

The Dean Martin Show



Promo For CBS Comedy Line-up For 1962-1963



Jackie Gleason



Before American Idol.. 'The Ted Mack Amateur Hour'



The Arthur Murray Dance Party 12/29/1957



The Ed Sullivan Show (Sept. 29, 1968)



The Carol Burnett Show



Reality TV or variety shows?
Which would you rather?


Springtime in Bethlehem, Pa.


Video Courtesy Of: "toplaycool21"


Saturday, April 12, 2014

LTE FOS Concerning Equal Pay For Women

On Friday, April 11, 2014 the 'Morning Call' published a letter to the editor entitled "Issue of unequal pay for women a 'pack of lies'""Anybody who tells you that women don't get the same pay for the same job as a man is either misinformed, a fraud or a liar or knows of a crime being committed. The pack of lies, repeated ad nauseam, that women make only 77 percent of what a man makes is based on earnings in total, not on specific jobs...

Substitute black or Hispanic for women in all of the above and you'd show the same results. However, everybody knows racial discrimination is illegal. Everybody should know that since the 1963 Equal Pay Act that sexual pay discrimination is illegal."
Everyone's entitled to their opinion, but they are meaningless without facts that support them. The writer then goes on to bash Obama. Writing letters to the editor calling others "misinformed, a fraud or a liar" make they themselves look like the very thing they accuse others of when facts do not support them in any way.

As far as for him calling for breaking things down by "specific jobs". If your going to start cherry picking, rather then looking at the whole, I can manipulate these stats to come out in any way I fancy. First he argues about all things being equal,"same pay for the same job as a man". Then wants to rearrange the deck chairs by skewing the numbers to make his numbers work for him by breaking things down to "specific jobs". What are the jobs men do that women don't? Apparently he wants to separate the boys from the girls when it comes to the kind of jobs each should be doing. That's no way to do an analysis

The best information we have to go on is put out by the 'Bureau Of Labor Statistics'. A table put out by the BLS indicates in 2012 the families in which both wives and husbands have earnings, only 29% of wives earn more than their husbands. It was last modified March 24th, 2014. In other words 71% of the husbands earn more then their wives.

The writer also spoke about black & Hispanic women receiving equal treatment under 1963 Equal Pay Act. Again this writer is dead wrong. Here is a chart included in the 91 page BLS October 2013 report entitled "Highlights of Women’s Earnings in 2012" (PDF)


The chart above represents all the women's median weekly earnings as of 2012. Not just the married. These are full-time wage and salary workers by sex, race, and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity. As one can plainly see overall there is no equality for women whether they are married, single or of a minority.

Look In The Mirror
Unless this letter writer has a better source then the latest BLS statistics, his whole hypothesis comes from a man whom he himself very well may be "nothing more then a man is either misinformed, a fraud or a liar." However, I would prefer not to use the same words as he did. Rather I'd prefer to say this person can be excused by his being ignorant of the facts in an attempt to get at Obama. Which I suspect was his main agenda rather then a concern over women's pay inequality.

REFERENCE SOURCE:
BLS: "Labor Force Statistics from the Current Population Survey"


Friday, April 11, 2014

Allentown Hate The Fegley's That Much?

Emily Opilo of 'The Morning Call' wrote a revealing piece concerning the Allentown golf course restaurant.

It's no secret the Fegley's have gotten under the skin of the current administration. So much so that according to the article-- "In 2012, city officials abruptly decided to rebid Brew Works' lease for the golf course restaurant, a year before it was set to expire. The Fegleys had a three-year lease for the space with two optional one-year renewals at a cost of $35,000 a year. They employed 30 people at the restaurant, and made about $1 million in revenue annually, according to Jeff Fegley, co-owner of Brew Works." Instead they awarded the contract to someone else.

"City officials paid the Notis $18,642 to close the lease, the difference between the deposit and the remainder of the unpaid rent." Allentown also paid the delinquent owner $12,000 for used restaurant equipment.

In my opinion the current administration would rather piss away taxpayers money then reward a perceived adversary. Is this how good government is supposed to operate?

One final thing must be said
As much as people complain about the local newspaper being in the bag for this administration, it's not entirely true. This is one more good reason why we need strong investigative reporting and a financially viable newspaper. Bloggers have neither the financial nor legal resources to pursue these matters.

      h/t to Emily Opilo. Good reporting!

'Queen' The Best Band Ever!

LIVE @ Wembley Stadium Saturday 12/07/1986


Wednesday, April 9, 2014

Nazareth Parents Sue The School District

Lehigh Valley Live.com (04/09/2014)-- Nazareth Area School District sued over religious notes removed from Valentine's Day cards

COMMENTARY
File this one under, 'careful what you wish for'. This headline could have just as easily been written as, "Nazareth Area School District sued over Christian Belief notes removed from Valentine's Day cards."

Putting aside the arguments for/against the separation of church and state. If schools allow this for one religion then they must for all.

I'd be certain these same parents would be very upset if junior brought home cards saying 'praise Allah'. They no doubt would even more upset if the cards contained quotes from ' Al-Jilwah ' (the black book of Satan). Have these parents even considered how kids who are the followers of Judaism felt when they included in the note, "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son..."?

Smooth move Ex-Lax!
Let me explain how this is going to go down. Valentine's day itself is named after 'Valentinus', a Christian saint of Rome martyred around the year 496. If I were on the school district's board I would do what they most likely will do too. That is take the least path of resistance by eliminating St. Valentine's day in school.

I don't know why everything becomes a big issue these days, but of this I'm certain. Everybody needs to put a sock in it. Christianity doesn't belong in school anymore then Allah or Satan. As I've said before the constitution was designed to both protect religion and protect us from it by forbidding the government's influence over the laws based on religious precepts. The founders of this nation understood that religious beliefs create more division among people then government would in of itself separated from them.

Let me explain more clearly. Worshippers of religion are suppose to keep their beliefs out other peoples faces. Just as importantly as it is for nonbelievers to stay out of theirs. Schools exist to educate. Not to indoctrinate for nor against religion. Why is this so confusing to so many?


UPDATE:
Point Of Observation
04/11/2014 10:51 AM
So far 'WFMZ' received 132 comments. At 'Lehigh Valley Live' they've received 122 comments so far. You mean to tell me not even one person cared enough to leave even one comment here after three days?


Yeah I know I sound like a broken record, but holy shit... REALLY!!!


Online Identity Theft

I've written many times encouraging people to remain as anonymous as they possibly can online. Having one's ID and credit information stolen can be bad, but not nearly as horrific as when it is used online to impersonate someone else. It's hard to imagine all the implications.

This woman didn't have to imagine what it would be like. For her it was very real.

Anna Katzen (her pen name) wrote on 'Salon.com, "I've been impersonated online for eight years... Listed was my complete educational and professional history, from my high school dishwashing gig, to the title of my master’s thesis, to the NGO where I was currently working in New York City."

The person who stole her identity also stole a picture of her. I'm not going to post at length all the things that happened to her. You can read her article for yourself. However I want to strongly reiterate once again how vital it is to guard one's online identify. Even more importantly so then any cards one may carry in their purse or wallet.

Some Of The Dangers Of Online Identity Theft
Anyone can create a fake profile online then use it for blogging and posts to Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, in discussion forums, dating sites, email accounts and thousands of other social media and professional sites. They can also manipulate personal photos in so many embarrassing ways. In so doing they could easily frame someone by posting threats, harass and destroy someone else's character, reputation and careers in so many ways that it would take ten more paragraphs to describe them all.


Some still give me grief about my steadfast belief in my own online anonymity. For all the dozens of reasons why it isn't a good idea, I have yet to come across one single reason why it would be.

If some people want to spend all their time for years playing whack-a-mole trying to get take-downs, risking their careers, reputations and possibly their or their family's personal safety.. be my guest. It ain't for me. I don't need the drama.

Tuesday, April 8, 2014

West End Hotel Has Quibbled With Allentown

WARNING:
The following contains adult language
If you're offended by such, read no further


According to Lehigh Valley Live.com (04/07/2014)-- "For years, the West End Hotel has quibbled with the city of Allentown over whether they are legally considered a hotel or a rooming house....For the second time in as many years, the matter went before the Allentown Zoning Hearing Board."

The hell with the rooms. I'm more concerned about the bar and what it has become.

Formerly known as the West End Hotel, 'Jabber Jaws' bears little resemblance to what most of us old folks use to be familiar with. Call me old fashion but in my day they would have called for the men in white coats to take this guy away to the funny farm.

'Scumfuc Tradition'- "I Kill Everything I Fuck"
LIVE @ 'Jabber Jaws' on Saturday, Feb. 1, 2014


In my opinion I wonder what kind of tenant would want to rent there, it's not exactly the 'Hilton'.

Monday, April 7, 2014

A Word About Parking Meters

All three major cities in the Lehigh Valley are going hot an heavy on extending both the rates and the hours on each of their parking meters. Even if visitors resent them, this may play well for Allentown on certain nights the new arena has something going on. Overall it's not too swell an idea. Let's take a closer look regarding the parking meters themselves.(1) At one time if anyone wanted to shop the only game in town was downtown. People simply didn't have any other choice. Such has not been the case for a very long time.

(2) There is not now or ever was a bar, restaurant or diner that would ever think about charging their patrons to park. Hell even the saloons in the old west had hitching posts out front so riders coming into town didn't have to pay a livery stable to park their horses.
What these cities don't seem to get
Few people are willing to fork over money to park when they can go anyplace other then downtown. Can anyone name just one bar, restaurant or diner beyond those in the center cities of Allentown, Bethlehem and Easton where one has to pay for parking?

This idea would be a stupid one even if Allentown still did have a monopoly on shopping. Back in the day all three major department stores provided free parking at 'Park & Shop' lots with purchase. If free parking was a good idea back then, why wouldn't the same hold true now?

These cities have their blinders on and can only see one side of the equation, theirs. I can understand how city government may view this as a cash cow. That may play well on concert and game nights, but outside of a few nights a month patrons will simply go somewhere else. Even if the city should attract a few more downtown, think how many more they would if those customers of beanaries and bars wouldn't be forced to pay for parking.

Ok so the city probably may make out a little bit better then before by extending hours and increasing rates to park. But I fail to see how this will benefit the business owners or people who live in neighborhoods which do not offer residents parking permits.

Apparently cities have learned nothing from history. One of the reasons shoppers left downtown in mass was because they were drawn to the suburbs which offers their customers free parking. One may argue that customers are still paying because it's factored in the costs for store items. Well if that's the case shouldn't everything be cheaper at shops, eateries and bars then their counterparts outside the city limits? This simply is not the case.

Here's the bottom line
If anyone's looking to attract more patrons over their rivals in the suburbs there are three key elements customers are looking for. (1) Affordable. (2) Safe. (3) Convenient & easily accessible (even to the disabled). These three cities are weak in all three of these areas. Increasing parking cost$ only adds to these disadvantages.

Oklahoma Keeps Fracking On

The Daily Mail (04/05/2014)--"Oklahoma recorded 278 earthquakes from 2008 through 2013 that have registered on the Richter scale at a magnitude of 3.0 or greater, a level that can shake objects inside a home. Before that, from 1975-2008, the state on average recorded less than six earthquakes a year."

Must just be some sort of coincidence, eh?

Why we continue to delude ourselves natural gas is clean energy I'll never understand. There is not one fossil fuel that is clean. All fossil fuels require they be burnt to release or convert energy. In all cases huge volumes of water are required. Putting another kibosh on the argument natural gas is the way to go I wrote what "A Fracking Waste Of Gas" it is when drillers 'flare' off gas. About 140 billion cubic feet of it worldwide in 2011. I pointed out an article which said this "produces as much carbon pollution as the entire nation of France produces in one year." So now along comes this news about earthquakes in Oklahoma.

Logic would dictate that this should put an end to the argument for those defending expanding even greater use of fossil fuels, but this isn't about logic. Neither is it about solid science being applied in the best interest of mankind and the Earth's environment. Nay, it's about the economic impact it has on those who depend on these ancient fuels. Fuels which have been around since torches were first lit thousands of years ago.

So What Alternative Do We Have?
Well I'll tell ya. If you do a search of this blog for "Solar Panels" you will find six articles I've previously written. Solar panels neither require water nor the burning of carbon producing fuels to produce electricity. Solar shingles sure do look a lot more attractive then miles of piping stretching back to drill sites. Drilling units which are far from being ensconced throughout the landscape. And they sure as hell can't produce earthquakes either!

Changes in technology produces winners and losers. It's obvious the present day energy suppliers will fight like hell any kind of technological move forward. There's simply no profit motive for them to do otherwise. They could go into the solar industry, but they realize solar panels don't need a continuing supply of electrical energy or fossil fuels delivered to consumers month after month. They are not alone.

Why Solar Is Not Likely To Take Over
In short, too many jobs would be eliminated. Thousands of workers would be affected at the drilling sites on land and at sea. There's also the makers of steel. The manufacturers and installers of drills, pumps and piping. Along with delivery drivers, rail tank cars, home furnace cleaning/repairmen, ocean/land platform makers/engineers, ocean tankers/river barges, refinery workers, electrical utility suppliers and their employees, etc. etc. etc.

I'm a realist. Solar panels will never become our #1 source for electric unless/until Oklahoma falls into a giant sink hole after a earthquake or the waters and air becomes so polluted that globally we start choking to death. Like every other change, it's in mankind's nature to make no provisions regarding the future generations until we're left with no other alternatives. Whether that day comes sooner then we expect or whether it will come too late shall remain to be seen. On that day, let no one claim ignorance of the facts as an excuse after reading this information.

"He that is good for making excuses is seldom good for anything else.”
~ Benjamin Franklin ~



12/07/2013 -- Oklahoma 4.5M Fracking Earthquake -- man made

Video Courtesy: Dutchsinse


Sunday, April 6, 2014

Is The U.S. Becoming A Police State?

WSB-TV2 Atlanta, Georgia (04/01/2014)-
VIDEO HERE: 11-year-old building tree fort says officer pulled gun on him, friends


COMMENTARY
For a very long time I've resisted the temptation to make such a post as this. However nearly every other day I read about some cop that goes nuts. This is not to say the vast majority of police aren't there to "serve & protect", but there's been far too many over the last few years who've gone gonzo.

Could it be police aren't being trained properly? Could it be too many police departments have hired ex-soldiers who still think they are in some sort of village in Iraq or Afghanistan? Soldiers are not mediators. They've been trained to do two things. Kill & break things. That's what soldiers are suppose to do. Not exactly the best background when they have to adjust to civilian policing. Police departments are looking more militarized with their sharp shooters, equipment and vehicles.

In this country it is illegal to use the U.S. military on American streets. It's not illegal however to hire ex-soldiers, slap a badge on them then equip police departments with military hardware. Whatever the problem is, this is getting way out of hand to the point of ridiculous. When I see stuff like the following happening it scares the hell out of me.

March 2014 YORK, SC
A 70 year old Vietnam vet was shot during a traffic stop when a police officer
stopped him for expired tags and mistook his walking stick for a gun



July 2013



January 2014


This does not represent the large majority of those in law enforcement. I wonder whether police are becoming more aggressive or are we seeing more of this because of all the cameras which are now nearly everywhere?

Either way, as the public becomes more aware of the actions of a few, it does not bode well for law enforcement who depends on both the public's respect and support. The knuckleheads both on the streets and in the police departments need to be weeded out as quickly as possible. The very existence for law and order depends on both the public's cooperation and respect for those who wear a badge. This is for both their and our own welfare. Because of the actions of a few I've been hesitant to speak to this issue, but it still needs to be said.

Turning a blind eye or making excuses serves no one's interests well. Let us support those who risk their lives trying their best to keep us safe. While eliminating those few who abuse the gun and badge that they've been given. Same goes for the lack of respect cops are now given. Hopefully posting about this will in some further way bring to light and benefit all concerned.

For A Lazy Guy It's Been Kinda Busy

First off I want people to know I'm not really a lazy guy. Rather it's been more like a goal then reality since I've retired. I spent almost my whole life (once I left radio broadcasting) doing what I consider heavy labor. I used to move refrigerators and air conditioners up to second floor apartments by myself on a buggy. In my next job I handled 100lb bag of ingredients, stacked up to fifty 2,000lb pallets of product a shift and many other job assignments too numerous to mention here.




Henceforth I set a goal for myself to sit on my ass as much as possible :-)




Here We Go Again!
I thought after the grandkids were now over 20 years old things would slow down. Then my daughter decided to give birth to twins last October (2013). Here we go again. Babysitting while she works. Later on in a few years picking them up after and before school. School musicals, plays, sports, fundraisers etc. etc. etc. Don't get me wrong I'm thrilled about this, but I'm not as wild eyed and bushy tailed as I was twenty some years ago. Neither am I the video recording nut I was back then either.

I'm also older and wiser. Grandkids tend you blow off their grandparents beyond their teen years. Kind of makes you wonder why I was expecting a different outcome. Oh well.


It's Spring Again.. Dammit!
I don't like to let the rosaceae plants turn into trees by letting them grown more then six or seven feet. So every March it's out with the ladder. This takes hours because we have four of them. Then there's the scattering of the 7 foot snow pile that wouldn't melt till the end of April otherwise. This requires a pitchfork and shovel. My homemade fence had a few pieces fall off that I had to hammer and nail back together.

I also had to work with my arborvitae. I have about two dozen. Four of which suffered under the weight of this winter's heavy snows which bent them to the ground. This required me to drive 6 foot metal rods into the ground. Tie them to the stakes in order to try and straighten them back out again.

Shortly we can start all over again taking my dozen or so trays of plants, I bring in each winter, back out to the window boxes. That's after I re-stain and replace the bad wood. I also noticed the garage windows badly need repainting along with some grouting work that needs to be done on the bricks.

Some of the concrete took a beating out back by the garage. Looks like I have to do some work there too.

Don't get me wrong I enjoy Spring as much as the next guy. What I don't enjoy is every March through April these damned ants that seem to appear a different place every year. One year they came into my furnished carpeted basement floor. I found the crack they came up though in the furnace room and solved that problem. The next year it was in the basement window area. Last year it was the second floor bathroom. This year the little bastards came from somewhere to invade our kitchen counter. We tried all the home remedies since I despise chemical insecticides. Well that didn't work so I broke down and bought some 'Raid'. Apparently the little buggers thrive on the stuff. The end of April can't come soon enough!


Sitting On My Ass Is One Thing.. Death Is Not An Option
Over the past few months I've attended far too may funerals. I suppose at my age it comes with the territory. The son's father-in-law died a few weeks ago. Last week it was a former coworker who lost her only child who was only 28 years old Since I retired only a little over six years ago about ten coworkers have assumed room temperature. One went to the gym three times a week and never drank nor smoked. He worked hard cleaning the family's horse stables after work and died in his fifties.

As each of these passed it reminded me of what my late father-in-law once said. First you read the paper for engagements. Then marriages. After that the birth announcements and graduations. Eventually the obits. Eventually he said that he was one of the few left of the people he's known. Oh-Oh...


I've Also Been Busy..
Trying to repair and keep up with my aging computer, car, appliances, kitchen tile flooring, yellowing drop ceiling, crawling out onto my 3rd floor roof to paint the wooden overhangs, drooping spoutings (because of ice damage), getting my mower ready, draining the fuel and cleaning my snow blower's engine up for storage, washing the storm windows and so on and so on.

This is no way to go about accomplishing my goal of being lazy.
Maybe I need to set a lower goal for myself, eh?

No a dirt nap isn't it. That's not an option... I'm too damned busy right now.