Looking Forward to 2012

A Beautiful Day, with Hope for the Formerly Hopeless

Isn't it a wonderful world!  The sun is streaming into the house.  My tummy is full of sausage and eggs.. and a lot of delicious Gevalia coffee.  On the radio, I'm listening to the Diane Rheem Show interviewing a Duke University neurologist who has done experiments with rhesus monkeys that show that thoughts can create motion outside of the body!  He has great hopes that his research will help trigger rehabilitation therapy (cures?) for victims of Parkinsons, and also for persons who suffer paralysis, and other neurological ailments.  His name is Miguel Nicolelis and he has written a book that I can't wait to read:  Beyond Boundaries.

A Beautiful Night, with no Hope for the Continuously Hopeless

Last night, my son and his beautiful wife treated Elaine and me to a great feast at the Texas Roadhouse.  Steak and salmon and ribs..  done just the way we all wanted them to be cooked.  Lots of peanuts to eat.. lots of peanut hulls on the floor.  Lots of fun.

Of course, everyone had to put up with my weird antics.  At one point, I was telling about my laptop recovery activity and as I showed them how I pushed down on the computer's F8 key, I, instead, pushed down on the edge of my fork and thrust it off into the stratosphere, much to the amazement and amusement of everyone in the vicinity.  Luckily, nobody was stabbed. 

In an attempt to regain my composure, I asked the waitress to bring me a frosty mug for my beer. (Apparently, I am the only person in the U.S. that doesn't drink their beer directly out of the bottle.) As I casually poured my beer into the mug, it overflowed before I could do Elaine's trick of sticking a finger in the froth to stop the flow.  Now that I had inundated the table and napkins with Sam Adams Winter Ale, after conducting a  physics experiment with my fork, everyone could relax and enjoy their meals. 

Computer Stuff.. skip it if you don't give a damn

I am typing this on that laptop that I mentioned.  I love the way it works for me.. usually.  But it has this tendency to not recognise certain codes that are generated and passed from module to module.  The first time this happened, I sent the laptop back to Dell and they returned it in workable condition. 

A few months later, it happened again and I found that if I tried the reboot option 20 or more times, it  would apparently say to itself: "The poor chump has given it 20 tries, lets give him a break this time," and the laptop would start working again.   This happened a few times more.

After a year or so of quiescence, recently, it started its antics again.  But this time, no matter how many times I tried to reboot, it still did not recognise the codes necessary to continue properly.  So I tried any number of tests that could be done, including a 12 hour check of all memory and components, with no success.  I even went into "command mode", but could not remember the DOS commands that would be of any help.

Finally, I began to concentrate on the computer's F8 key.  I hoped that this would get me into what us old computer types call "Safe Mode", although I didn't know what that would do.  I tried every combination of F8 pressure.. except one.. with no success.  Finally, in exasperation, I tried the last resort.. I pressed the F8 key and held it down before and during the pressing of the restart button.  It worked!  Now I am back in business and can take a look at the 892 email messages that have built up while I was "computer-less."

OK.. OK.. for those who know me.. yes, I do have other computers.  I have the desktop that I use as the base for my internal network, I have a small notebook computer, I have a clone of the first portable computer ever  made, and I have two cracked screen laptops.  They all work.

If you haven't heard the story of how one of the laptops got its cracked screen, let me know.  It's a great story.  I've told the story somewhere in one of my blogs.

Fly me to the Moon

My son and one of my sons-in-law showed me a remarkable feature on their DROIDs.  Since I also have a DROID, I, of course, wanted that feature.  Besides it is free.   It's called GOOGLE SKY, and my wonderful relatives downloaded the APP (application) for me.  Now, whenever I want to know what that bright light is way up there in the heavens, I can hold my DROID up, pointed to the object, and it will let me know if it is Jupiter, or Saturn, or the Moon, or Sky-Lab. 

It also shows the outlines of the sky features, such as the Big Dipper (Ursa Major) or Cassiopeia.  This is the fantastic product of an amazing computer programmer!  How he or she did this bends my mind.  I love it!

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My hour is up..  see ya!

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Brain Power

I haven't added to this blog for a while and I know that everybody is wondering why.  (Actually nobody noticed.)

Anyway, today I want to share with you a game that I invented and call "Joe's Triplets."  Many years ago, before the age of cell phones that contained games and other fantastic "apps", I would get bored driving or being driven for long trips.  Looking for license plates from other States quickly loses interest.  Something else was needed.  So, I developed this game:

As you progress through an area with parked or moving cars, check out the first three letters of selected license plates.  Take those three letters and make up words or phrases using those letters, in order.  It's as simple as that, but mind-expanding if you concentrate.   For example, last Tuesday, while walking through the Social Security Headquarters parking lot in Baltimore, I copied down the first three letters from the license plates of some of the cars I passed.  As I did, I made up words and phrases from the letters, and wrote them down as follows: (the parking lot guard watched me very carefully as I did this)

Letters    Phrase or Word Examples

MPW     manpower     moping wimp     lame paws

KPL     Park Place     dark palace     take a pulse

HDR     header     hot dog relish     shade roller

KBF     black buffalo     kick-boxing fighter     pink bifocals

MTF     mountain flower     a minute to five     mouthy fink!

XCZ     excess zest     extra cut zinnias     tax-cut denizens

KHS     pink house     skinheads     thick thumbs

LTL     little     last lamb     Atlanta Lions

WYC  Wayne County     Why complain?     chewy cupcakes

KYH     keyhole     frisky hound     skinny youth

Now I know that some license plates do not start with all letters, so I have developed this variant.  If the first three positions of the plate start with any of the numbers from 1 to 9, change the numbers to the corresponding letters of the alphabet, A through I.  (Zero always counts as the letter O.)

68Z  becomes FHZ  -  fish zipper     fight zone     flashy Amazon

32J  becomes  CBJ  -  Cabin John     I can buy Jello.     Crummy beer joint!

7K6  becomes GKF - aging kinfolk     Go kill the fleas!     eighty kingfishers

I must warn you, this becomes addictive.  I've been doing it for many many years and I can't stop.  However, if you do try this game, in no time at all, you will have stretched and enriched your brain so much that Mr. Alzheimer will be unable to penetrate it.  Soon, you will be as smart as Professor Einstein...

I guarantee it!

Happy New Year 2012!

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Cruelty 101.

We've been plagued by field mice invading our garage.  I have been setting traps and have caught and killed 3 of them.  Elaine says that she heard the last trap snap and the little helpless mouse cry "eee"  "eee" for a few minutes.  I wish that she had not told me that.  I will have trouble sleeping tonight.

But apparently I'm not the cruelist American these days.  The Nation magazine for October 17, 2011 has a piece labeled Cruel America.  Let me give you a few excerpts from that article.

Brian Williams asked Texas Governor Rick Perry if the recent execution of 234 people in Texas bothered him.  Rick replied: "If you come into our state... and you kill... one of our citizens... you will be executed." A listening crowd applauded enthusiastically.

A petition signed by more than 600,000 people was presented to the Georgia parole board trying to save Troy Davis from execution.   Mr. Davis was convicted of murder two decades ago and the conviction was rendered doubtful by new evidence, including the recantation of seven of the original nine witnesses.  The parole board ignored the petition and Mr. Davis was executed.

Wolf Blitzer asked Ron Paul what medical response he would recommend if a person who opted not to have health insurance entered into a coma and died.  Ron answered: "That's what freedom is all about: taking your own risks."  So, the man's death was his own problem, and society should let such people die?  Someone yelled: Yeah! and a listening crown cheered.

A few years ago, the Bush administration secretly ordered the torture of terrorism suspects.  Recently, both former President George W. Bush and former Vice-President Dick Cheney publicly endorsed that action.

More than 2 million Americans are incarcerated.  This is the highest proportion per capita in the world!

What the hell is going on in this wonderful Country of mine?

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The Day after Black Friday 2011

Well, it looks as though people have finally decided that it is useless to save their money in the bank for almost zero interest, and have given it to department stores instead.  Yesterday, at the height of Black Friday, I drove by WalMart, Target, Belk's, Sears, and Kohl's.... all of their parking lots were filled, and this is in Carroll County Maryland, where conservative folks normally are very careful with their spending. 

Or.. maybe, as I mentioned in a prior blog entry, this year, folks believe that the Aztec calendar is right and the world will end in 2012... therefore, they can charge as much as they like now and never have to worry about paying for it.  Whatever is the reason,  I have never seen people so excited.

Carroll County is a great place to live.  Beautiful countryside to enjoy and probably the safest County in Maryland, if not in the Nation.  The people who have lived all their lives here are either devout Conservative Republicans, or Democrats who changed affiliation to allow themselves to be elected to public office in the County, a Republican bastion in Democratic Maryland. 
This may change now that Representative Roscoe Bartlett has seen his district gerrymandered.  Soon, we will probably be represented in Congress by a Democrat.  For one, I will miss listening to Mr. Bartlett make his 5 minute speeches before the Congressional sessions get underway.  I will also miss his Office's notes to me that he is glad that I agree with his point of view.. which I have never done.

In this County there is a great newspaper that I love.  It is the normally quite liberal Carroll County Times.  However, the newspaper does post letters and articles  representing all sides of vital questions, and I find that very refreshing.  As an Independent voter, I want to learn as much as I can about what each side says about an issue. 

So.. having said all that, I now want to gently pick on the Carroll County Times.. but just on page one of their issue for Friday, November 26, 2011.

01.  Weather:  SUNY

I know we are not in New York State so SUNY  does not stand for State University of New York... what does it stand for?  I asked Elaine, and, of course, she knew the answer.  The prediction is for sunny weather, but not too sunny.. rather SUNY.  And the prediction was right.. early this morning, the sun was brightly shining, and it got cloudy as the day went on.  It was SUNY.    I like it!


02.  Beautiful shoppers

The newspaper has an interesting front page color photo by staff photographer, Dave Munch.  It shows three, maybe four, beautiful young ladies with brown coats, grabbing bargain boxes at Target in Westminster, Maryland.  This picture should be picked up by the news services and broadcast around the Nation to show what kind of good-looking folks we have in this County.

I hope that the picture was not staged.. that is,  I hope that Dave did not grab some "upscale" blondes from Reisterstown or Pikesville  and have them pose for his purposes.  Whatever..  I think it is a good advertisement for the "great lifestyle" represented by the beautiful people in Carroll County. 

03.  Poor Bambi!

The headline for a page one article says:  "Deer season off to strong start".  Today starts the two-week deer firearm season.. during which up to 50,000 deer are expected to be ""harvested."  Just today, the toll should reach 15,000 deer killed by rifles and shot guns.. which, Brian Ireyler (Maryland Deer Project Leader) says "...are our most efficient weapons.  They also have the most impact."  (my underlines)

Don't get me wrong, I realize that the deer population is out of control, and they are starting to gobble up home-owners' shrubbery..  I would hope that the meat is made available for eating by the hunter or by the homeless.  Can the meat be eaten if the deer is shot with a shotgun?  Do they just aim to shoot off its head?  I'm sorry, since I have never been a hunter, I am ignorant of all this.

At the age of 16, some of my friends asked me to go "coon hunting" with them.  I had a bad cold and couldn't go.  During the hunt, one of my 16-year old friends accidentally shot and killed another of my 16-year old friends.  I decided that I would not become a hunter.

In a lighter vein, I would like to point to other words attributed in the article to Mr. Ireyler: "This weekend are the biggest days of the year." (my italics)

04.  Happy Anniversary!

In 2011 we are celebrating 100 years of the Carroll County Times.  I don't know what I would do if I didn't have that wonderful newspaper to devour each and every day of my life.  I hope that they stick around for another hundred!



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You Turkey!

I've been so busy lately that I haven't been able to post to any of my blogs.   Since I feel an obligation to continually feed my thoughts to thousands of followers (lol as my grandkids say), I will do a quick one today.

01. Thank you, Grover!

As some of us expected, the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reform failed to come up with an agreement to reduce $1.2 trillion in Government spending.  As an Independent, I am free to say anything at all about the two parties.. and it is clear as a bell to me that the Republican Party's unwillingness to compromise on money issues is killing our Country.  The people who are most able to contribute monetarily to government coffers are not paying their fair share, while the rest of us poor slobs slowly lose our savings.

Today, I found out that an IRA of mine matured automatically for the astronomically powerful rate of .0069%  and the teller told me that if the maturity had waited until today, it would have been even lower.  I guess I should be happy that these low rates ensure that we will  not have inflation.

02.  Putty Putty!

Great news!  Do any of you ladies have a flat butt?  Well, if so, there is a person in the Miami area who will fill your buttocks with cement, mineral oil and flat-tire sealant.  And it will only cost $700!

03.  OOPS!

Tom Zirpoli writes a column in the Westminster, Maryland Carroll County Times newspaper.  Today, he mentioned how one of the GOP candidates told a PBS interviewer that the U.S. should take steps to keep China from becoming a nuclear power.  (China "got the bomb" in 1964.)

04.  You go, girl!

A fed-up senior citizen who had waited two hours for an interview with a communications representative, (only to find that he had sneaked out the back door to avoid her).. went home and came back with a hammer and proceded to destroy the office.  She had come in to complain that her new expensive phone service did not work and nobody in the company was listening.

She received a fine and a restraining order... and, I'll bet,  a feeling of satisfaction. 

05.  Shop til you croak!

On the Diane Rehm show today, a large panel of shopping experts and authors talked about the Black Friday phenomena and its impact on our country.   Some stores have moved Black Friday up to Thanksgiving evening at 8PM.  Many feel that this will destroy the Thanksgiving holiday.

My feeling about this is that some people love to shop.  Let them!   Also, some folks lead kind of dull lives and like the excitement of shopping at 3AM for super bargains.. or at least for "loss leaders".. you realize, of course, that this is all designed to get you into the store where you will buy a lot of other stuff you may not need.  This is good for business and our economy.

Some people also believe that some kind of Aztec calendar predicts the demise of the Earth in 2012.. so they may as well chalk up all the debt they can on their Visa cards, since they will not have to pay up when they are dead.

06.  Does a flush beat a full-house?

World Toilet Day took place on November 19, 2011.  Hardly anyone in the US noticed.  However, around the world the toilet situation is very important.  Out of the 8 billion humans on our planet, almost 3 billion do not have any kind of toilet facility.  Try to imagine what life is like in the slums of certain cities with millions of inhabitants.. where the streets run with excrement.  "Gardez l'eau!"

07.   Adopt a Platoon!

Frances Kane, a concerned grandparent of a U.S. Ranger stationed in Afghanistan, has institued a program whereby donations of goods are collected in the Carroll County area and mailed to platoons in war zones, where certain everyday goods are not readily available.  These goods are passed to soldiers who use them for personal necessity, and some is given by the soldiers to Afghan children for goodwill.

The biggest personal need is.. guess what... wet wipes.. Toilet paper is in short supply or not existent in Afghanistan and the soldiers love to get the little packages of wipes that they can easily carry in their backpacks.

08.  While we are still on the subject of toilets..

The Japanese are marketing facilities that combine the functions of a toilet and a bidet.   Perhaps this obviates the necessity for toilet paper.  We'll see.

Did you know that the word bidet comes from the Old French word for "to trot".. and that somehow relates to how you are supposed to straddle a bidet.  Oh.. you didn't know about bidets... sorry.. why don't you visit the following site:

http://www.wikihow.com/Use-a-Bidet

My hour is up.. I hope I haven't shocked anyone's sensibilities.  All of this reminds me of what an engineer once said about the human body:

"How come the Master Engineer decided to locate a place of intense pleasure right next to a waste disposal system?"

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Sunday November 6, 2011

Things have been a little hectic lately, and I haven't been able to do my "quick" online bit.. however, I'll try to catch up... so, now you've been warned.

1.  What's going down, or on?

Like all good senior citizens, the first thing I check in the morning newspaper is the obituary section.  If I don't see my name there, I can relax for another day.   However, today, something is not right.  The paper, which normally lists several deceased Carroll County (Maryland)  people daily, most of whom are usually in their late eighties or nineties,  lists only five persons, and all of them "young"!

The ages for these deceased persons are:  69, 69, 58, 56, and 49.  All of these persons died in Carroll County.  I find this very unusual, and a bit disturbing.

I'm reminded of an interview with an elderly Carroll County resident:

Interviewer:     " How old are you?"
Senior Citizen:  "95."
Interviewer:      "Wow!  Have you lived here all of your life?"
Senior Citizen:  "Not yet."

Now, that Carroll County citizen lived in a Maryland place called Taneytown.   Taneytown, perhaps  named after ill-famed  Supreme Justice Taney, is pronounced TAWNEYTOWN.  Everybody in Carroll County knows that, but out-of-towners don't.

Once I gave my much beloved Aunt Marjorie from Massachusetts a drive through the Carroll County countryside and as we passed through Taneytown,  I told her that we were in Taneytown (tawneytown); she said, "No.  The sign says Taneytown (tayneetown)."  She didn't seem to want to believe me, so I said: "Let's stop at that business over there, and we can ask them to clarify things for you."

We walked into the business, and I asked the young clerk at the counter: "Please tell my Aunt the name of this place."  She immediately replied: "Burger King!"

2.  Andy's gone!

But an older person has passed away and will be missed by millions of Americans.  I've written about him several times in my blogs and have always admired his wit.  I'm talking of course about Andy Rooney, who just retired a month ago at the age of 92.  I was hoping he would reach the magic age of 100, just as other clever  humorists like Bob Hope and George Burns did. To pay homage to Andy, I will search out my copy of a  book he wrote and reread it and think once again about the human condition, as he saw it.

3.  Flee when flu flies!

Could those young deaths that I mentioned above be attributed to the flu?  Probably not.. I don't think that it has appeared in this area yet.  Of course, there are precautions to be taken against getting the flu.. the main one is getting a flu shot.  It amazes me that some young people do not think it is necessary to get the shot.

The Carroll County Times (Maryland) conducted an online poll to see if people plan to get a flu shot.  48% of those polled said they would get the shot;  52% of those polled said that they would not get the shot.  This is unbelievable to me. I'm assuming that the people polled were mostly young persons, because, in my experience, not many Carroll County people aged 70 or older even own a computer or a smart phone, and besides, the young think that they are going to live forever.. I guess that is why I see so many young people smoking. 

Let's hope that another epidemic like the one during World War I, that killed millions, never breaks out.  But, I, myself,  would rather be safe than sorry, so I will continue to get flu shots, and I will strongly suggest to my family members and friends to do the same, because I don't want to see their names in the obituary section when I do my daily checking.

4.  Round and round we go.

There are two musical moments when my bodily control disappears and my tear ducts start to ooze.  One is at the sound of Rodolfo's "MIMI!" at the end of La Boheme; the other is during the singing of "You'll Never Walk Alone" at the end of Carousel. 

I love my Netflix hookup and needing a good cry, I asked them to send me a disk of the movie version of the musical comedy Carousel.  They also sent me a separate disk of related information, in which I was surprised to find out that the musical was based on a work by the Hungarian  dramatist and novelist, Franz Molnar (Ferenc Neumann) 1878-1952.  On the separate disk was a copy of Liliom, a 1934 film version of the 1909 Molnar play, by the same name.  Carousel's story line adhered mainly to that of the movie, which was in French, and starred, of all people, Charles Boyer, as Liliom, the character that became Billy Bigelow.  The movie had Boyer singing a little, but it was not a musical like Carousel.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liliom

I highly recommend this two disk set of Carousel and it's related material.  Or, if you don't want to cry, just find and listen to the soundtrack and the great Rodgers and Hammerstein music.  Enjoy!

October 26, 2011

This will have to be a really quick hour.  Lots of stuff to do.

1.  A Piece of the Pie

Diane Rehm says that polls now show that more people like Occupy Wall Street than the Tea Party.  Both "movements" developed, in my opinion, because of the disasters imposed on the people of the United States by past-President George W. Bush.    Argue with me about that, please.

2. A Meeting of the Minds?

I thought that I would never  know a time when a couple of my fellow Social Security retirees would agree on something.  John Culleton could perhaps be considered an "ultra-liberal" and Bud Nason could  perhaps be considered an "ultra-conservative."   In a letter to the editor of the Carroll County Times (Maryland) last Monday, Bud agreed with John that under the U.S.  Constitution, protection of religious freedom extends to all, and that people should actually read the Constitution, understand it, and "maybe even abide by it." AMEN!

I hope that people read the writings of both Bud and John, and as the Reverend Lou Piel suggested in a recent religious column in the same Carroll County Times, take the time to learn the viewpoints of persons with whom you may not agree.

3.  Rotten Old Tomato Cans?

I'm afraid I raised the hackles of some folks when I mentioned that I thought that the ROTC should not be allowed to operate in schools.  This may be "sour grapes" for me, because I secretly wanted to join the ROTC in High School.  (I had severe "stage fright" and as I worked out on the parallel bars in the gym, I watched some of my fellow students give presentations to their fellow ROTCers on the basketball court.  I envied how well they were doing. )   I also wanted to study Latin and Ancient Greek.

However, being more or less the whole support for an aunt and grand-parents since I was 11 years old, a classical education was not in the cards for me.  Also, a career as an Army officer was just not considered a goal in life for people in  my working-class environment. 

Now, with that out of the way.. I must also say that I have always been a peace-loving person who hates war and military activity, even though I did spend 4 years in the military during the Korean War era.  In my cryptographic job, I was required to keep a "burp gun" nearby and I was ordered to shoot any "commies" who tried to break into the Crypto Van.  Luckily, the "reds" never seemed interested in me or my van, hidden in a forest in Germany.

So.. bottom line.. In spite of what I said, I think that ROTC is ok as long as it isn't required.  If somebody can handle the ROTC duties and not ignore their main studies.. more power to them (so to speak).
We do need educated military leaders. 

I read in the Carroll County Times where the barred ROTC will be coming back to Yale next year.  One guy has already signed up.  Off-campus, three Yale students pursue ROTC.  Even though the program will be opened, campus officials believe that very few students will join in.  (I wonder what their dress parades will look like.. five or six guys and girls in uniforms passing in review?)

The Carroll County Times article also says: "The ROTC program, which was founded in 1916, has 490 host units, most of them concentrated in the South and Midwest.  Students receive scholarship money in return for agreeing to military service after graduation.." 

4.  You've got Mail!

The transcontinental telegraph was completed 150 years ago, near the beginning of the Civil War in 1861. The Associated Press says; "...a primative Internet united the US," and quotes Thomas Jepsen, author of My Sisters Telegraphic: Women In Telegraph Office 1846-1950: "I really see the telegraph as the original technology, the grandfather of all these other technologies that came out of it: the telphone, the teletype, the fax, the Internet"

Something for me to think about as I remember the five irritating telemarketing calls I have received this morning so far, and  the one hundred or so emails that came in over night.

If it wasn't for the telegraph and Morse Code, I would not be hearing dots and dashes all the time in my head because of the years I spent as a radio operator and cryptographer.

dit dah   dit dah dit

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October 22, 2011

Our local newspaper, The Carroll County Times, has quite a bit of provocative content today, in my opinion.  Here are my comments on a few of them, and also some other stuff that comes to my mind, such as it is..

1.  Uniform rights

A teen-ager was told that she could not wear a religious scarf while marching in a parade with her fellow ROTCers.  A national Muslim civil rights group has filed suit. 

Although I have no love for the ROTC, and believe that they should not be allowed to operate in our public schools, in this case, I think that the ROTC officers were right.  What kind of military organization would it be if everybody wore a differently styled uniform?  And what about separation of Church and State?

This reminds me of a decision I made when I was a Claims Authorizer for the Social Security Administration.  A beneficiary wrote a letter asking that a religious abreviation be appended to his last name, so that it would appear on his monthly check.  I thought about it, and figured "what harm could that do?"   I made the change.

Letters started to come in from hundreds of other members of his religious sect, and changes were also made  for them because of my precedent-setting decision.  

However, shortly thereafter, hundreds of letters started coming in from members of a rival religious group which had found out about the changes. They wanted similar changes made to reflect their beliefs.  Oh Oh!  I had opened the proverbial "can of worms". Now I was in big trouble... so, a decision was made that all of the name changes already made had to be undone, and no changes of that type be allowed in the future.  Such name change problems should not occur now that (supposedly) all Social Security benefits are deposited electronically to bank accounts.

I wonder what happens to the checks for people who cannot get bank accounts.  Are they deposited in the bank accounts of Representative Payees?


2.  Billionaires' Lament

I read where the rising cost of health care is causing trouble for Walmart and they are about to cut health benefits for some future employees and raise premium costs for others.  The corporation employees a million and a half workers, so their employee costs must be astronomical.. but so are their profits, I've been told.  I've also been told that their dividend rate is very low and profits are instead plowed back into the company. 

Just try to get a parking place at the Westminster, Maryland store.  The lot is always full.  In contrast, the parking  lot at the K-Mart in nearby Eldersburg, Maryland is almost empty, almost all of the time.  Walmart has got to be making lots of money.  Therefore, it seems to me that Walmart can well afford to "eat" the rise in the price of health care for their employees and should stop their complaining.

To be fair, I did visit the local Walmart recently and some charitable information was posted near the rest rooms, where all should be able to read it.   It said that in 2010:

Walmart donated $19,299,556.00 within the State of Maryland.
Walmart donated $1,000.00 to each of these Carroll County entities:
     Carroll County Public Library
     Mission of Mercy
     Literary Council
Walmart donated $467,000,000.00 in cash or in kind within the USA.
Walmart donated 99,000,000  meals within the USA.
Walmart employees contributed 1,500,000 volunteer hours within the USA.

3.  Listen up!

Reverend Lou Piel has a solution for some of the ugly devisiveness that is presently plaguing our country.  In his Column this week he makes a very powerful point:  "... Knowing what I believe but being open to the thoughts of others creates a more healthy society.  Good dialogue tends to break down the walls that we ourselves have created."

4.  At last.. a raise!

It has just been announced that there will be an increase in Social Security benefits in January.  A cost of living 3.6% increase is supposed to take place then.  Of course, this also means that rents for the elderly will also rise.  Where is President Nixon when we need him?  Old Tricky Dick did a lot of bad things, but he also put a cap on prices for a while, to let people take a breath of fresh air and keep a few bucks for themselves.

5.  Label Names

Since I have always loved junk mail, I have always gotten lots of it.  For the past few years, I have tried to keep it confined by renting a post office box, but it still shows up at my home each day.  Have you ever looked at your name on these mailings?  Sometimes they get quite creative, at least for me.

For instance, at some long-ago point of time, I replied to a survey.  Whoever ran the survey sent me a "thank you", addressed to Josurv Vaughan.  The surveyer sold my name to mailers and now every few days I get junk mail with that name.

Yesterday, I got a piece of mail from the Learning Company.  It was addressed to Joseph Called Vaughan.  Since I don't have a middle name, I appreciate their gift to me.  (I did call their 800 # once.)

(I gave a speech once at a Toastmasters Club meeting in which I told everyone about my love of junk mail.  At the next meeting, I was presented with a massive pile of junk mail the other members had saved up for me. )

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My hour is up.  See ya!

October 19, 2011

A very tough day.  Now, I'm waiting for some dark clothes to run through the washing machine and have an hour to spend on my hobby.. which is bugging people with my take on the current "scene".

1.  A Fishy Story

I've been told that the Bonneville Fish Hatchery in Oregon has a celebrity.  Herman the Sturgeon is 11 feet long and 500 pounds.  He is also 70 years old!  If you get out to the West Coast, take a look.

2.  Cowboy Dick

No, it's not Rick Perry of Texas. It's Richard Rothschild of Carroll County Maryland, one of our five Commissioners.  Apparently, he carries an "unconcealed" weapon.  He has a permit to carry it, but I wonder why he has to, in the safest County in Maryland, and perhaps in the whole United States.  I'm told that he can be found on You-Tube.  I hope none of the other four Commissioners get him "riled up."

3.  Joe?

Our local Jiffy Mart has an ad in the local paper: "Remember when 'a cup of joe and a paper' were only $1.00?"  They are offering a cup of coffee and a newspaper for a dollar for a little while.

Hell! I can remember when a cup of coffee was a nickel and a newspaper was a penny!  Coffee stayed at that price until suddenly newspapers reported that coffee was scarse and the price of a cup would have to go up... and up... and up...

At that time, I had a problem with caffeine and was drinking Postum, the cereal drink developed by Mr. Post and the trigger for the Post Cereal empire and Marjorie Merriwether Post and Dena Merrill.  (You can visit the Merriwether Post mansion complex in DC.. a very interesting place, where you can see all kinds of Russian treasures purchased by Marjorie when Russia was divesting itself of items that recalled it's csarist days.)

Anyway, Postum was not coffee, but guess what... it's price  went way up, just as coffee's did.. what a rip off!  Good bye Postum!

Now, I subscribe to Gevalia, which supplies me with pretty good coffee every couple of months.  I drink six cups of six ounce caffeine free coffee each day, and I look forward to it.  If I slip up and drink caffeinated coffee by mistake, I can kiss sleep goodbye that night. 

4.  Elaine's Experience

Elaine has to have antibiotics pumped into her through an IV, so she has to spend some time in a nursing environment where we live.  Since there was only one bed available, she has been located in a dementia/Alzheimers ward.

The first day she was there, she tried to help a lady who seemed to need assistance.  The lady glared at Elaine and said:  "Go to Haband!"  (Pronounced: Hay Band)  She was probably meaning a subterranean location and not a business out of Pennsylvania.

She also observed an elderly couple (both 90 years old) holding hands and whispering sweet "nothings" in each other's ears.  She has  Alzheimers and he is recuperating from back surgery, but has no mental problems.   They have been married for many years and are still in love. (Remember the movie "The Notebook")   It is very touching. 

I'm  confident that breakthroughs will occur within the next ten years and Alzheimers will be a disease of the past.  Stem cells, my friend, stem cells.

When I visit, there is usually two ladies singing: "He walks with me, and he talks with me.."  They sing it in perfect pitch and harmony.. and they have dementia.  What a weird thing our brains are.

5. Irony?

Harpers magazine reports:  July 13, 2011 was the date that Joe Walsh (R. Ill) said that Washington can't put "one more dollar of debt upon the backs of my kids."

The amount that Harpers says Joe Walsh owes in back child support: $98,422.

.......................................  My hour is up again... see ya!...................................

October 17, 2011

Since my eyes are beginning to focus again after a visit to my Ophthalmologist (who happens to be named Barber), and since I have a little over an hour until I visit with Elaine at the Health Care Center, I will do my fun thing again, namely reveal some of my inmost thoughts to the world.. that is, to the one or two of you who actually read these blog entries.

1.  Stinkies

Our Representative, Roscoe Bartlett (R:Maryland), has managed to garner a grant of money to try to find a way for farmers to rid themselves of the dreaded stinkbug. These odiferous rascals have been causing havoc with Maryland produce this year.  They also killed my squash and cucumber plants.. and feasted on a lot of my tomatoes.  I'm sure that the money that Roscoe has obtained will help our farmers.  Great job, Roscoe!

For many years,  Representative Bartlett has reigned this Republican enclave, in the midst of Democratic Maryland.  I'm not sure about what he has done to be elected every two years for ages, but I guess it must have been of benefit to his constituents.  My only knowledge about his activity in Congress has been listening to some of his one-minute Republican speeches at the beginning of Congressional Sessions. 

I did try to contact him once to tell him I didn't agree with something he had said in Congress.   Someone from his office wrote me that the Congressman was pleased to see that I agreed with him on the issue.. whatever it was that I can't remember.   I guess they sent me a form of the "bedbug letter," hoping that I would give up and not contact him again.  Well, it worked.

I kind of feel sorry for Representative Bartlett now because the Maryland Democrats are about to Gerrymander his district so that he would have powerful Democratic opposition in the next election. 

2.  Hey, Dude!

I've talked a number of times about the phrases that people use in everyday communication, and how some of them clang in my ears.. such as,  "like" and "I mean, you know".  There are other phrases and words that people use that can let others know when they were brought up, such as:

"23 skiddoo!" ..  popular in the 1920's and early 1930's

"Katey, bar the door!" .. popular in the 1930's and 1940's (I have a friend who is in his '80's that still uses that phrase when he is excited by something....which isn't too often)

"Cool!" .. came into usage by musicians in the 1940's.. and resurfaced in the '60's.. and is used even today, mainly by people under 30.  I have heard people in their 50's and 60's using this word and feel that they should let the younger folks use it.

"Dude!" .. Once again, used by musicians many years ago.  I believe that it popped up into common usage in the 1970's.  Besides it's usage by Michael Moore and other celebrities, it is very popular with folks under 30.  (Recently, at the local hospital, Elaine was being transported by a 24 year old guy named Jordan.  Every few feet, someone would yell at him: "Hey, Dude!")

Of course, I could be wrong about all of this.. but as a curmudgeon, I am allowed to comment on everything, even without doing appropriate research.

3. Alzheimers

The Week magazine mentions a new study by the Mayo Clinic that found it is possible to greatly reduce the chances of developing Alzheimers Disease by lifestyle choices.

a. Become more physically active.
b. Treat depression.
c. Stop smoking.
d. Exercise your brain.

4. Pretty Betty

Good news for us old timers:  Betty White topped Kate Middleton and even Oprah to become the most trusted popular celebrity, according to a recent poll.  At 89... she's still going strong.  I'll bet she joins Bob Hope and George Burns in the Comedians' Centenary Club.

5.  Dick's Book

As I've mentioned before, I'm reading Dick Cheney's book: In My Time.  I'm over half way through and have spent a lot of sleep time with the book in my hands.  BORING!  But that is my opinion.  I lived through all of the events and thought about all of the issues he has brought up.  He tells us why he did some of the things he did.. and I still don't agree with him.   However, from his words and his numerous pretty color pictures, he has always been a dedicated family man, when he wasn't working 20 hour days in the West Wing.  He probably would be a nice guy to have a beer with.  But frisk him first.

That's enough, my hour is up.  See ya!

October 15, 2011

Elaine has been in the hospital, so I haven't done any blogging for over a week.  Events are better today, so I submit the following for your perusal.

1.  Pee More Yet

An NPR report this week made me think about something my grandfather told me years ago.  He was president of a club in a small Massachusetts town.  To become a member of this club (restricted to males), one had to be initiated.  The new person had to wear a topcoat and submit to a mask covering his eyes.  The initiation (which they called "Pee More Yet") consisted of every one of the current members urinating in the new person's pockets.

Gross?  Yes!  But I thought that such activity may have to happen on this one airline that has begun charging to use their restrooms.  That same airline is about to eliminate all but one restroom on their planes, to make room for more seats. I hate to wait in long lines..  I'm glad I don't fly anymore.

2.  Ho Hum!

A study has now shown that turtles do not participate in contagious yawning as humans and other primates do.

3.  Hum Hum!

Another (high-priced?) study has now shown that some beetles mate with empty beer bottles.  (I think that this study was conducted by a Nobel awardee.. ?)

4.  I do, but only for a little while.

The Week magazine reports that Mexico City may start allowing couples to set time limits on their marriages.. with some to last as short as two years (which is probably a bit longer than some regular marriages last these days.)  Lawyers would probably make money on the contracts, while losing money on divorces.. so it will all come out equal.   What ever happened to "trial marriages"? 

5.  No more playboys?

The much advertised Playboy Club TV show died a quick death.  Can you remember those clubs back in the late 60's and 70's?  I went to the one in Baltimore once and spent a lot of money and the most boring two hours of my life.  Most men expected centerfold ladies to serve them drinks and sit on their laps.  Dream on, guys. 

6.  Burning Question!

Who is Click and who is Clack?

7.  Big Mama!

To kill some time at night while Elaine is in the hospital, I have been watching some Mae West movies.  A few are wonderful..

Night After Night with George Raft (1932).. a hokie view of Prohibition. 

I'm No Angel with Cary Grant (1933).

My Little Chickadee with the great W. C. Fields (1940)  Filled with ridiculous situations and double entendres. 

Mae West wrote most of the scripts for her movies and one of her lines that I really like was:

"When you're good to mama, mama is good to you!"

........................OK, my hour is up.  See ya!

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October 2, 2011

Another cold rainy day in Maryland. Lots of little sparrows chewing at the seeds of the purple flowers outside of our windows.  I wonder why they are doing that instead of eating the bird seed I provide in three (count 'em) feeders.   I guess purple flower seeds are tastier.

Here is the main headline in our local newspaper for today:

RAINS CAUSE SURGE IN FUNGI

While we wait for Governor Christie to decide whether he is going to get into the Presidential race, I will purge my mouse pad of remaining notes.

1.  Postal Service?

We are waiting to learn if we will have 5-day mail service.  Meanwhile, Germany has privatized their Postal Service.. and this has been followed by a first-class stamp increase to what would be for us: 68 cents.  Be prepared.

2.  Handy Andy

I just learned that the first TV work by the now retiring Andy Rooney was titled:  An Essay on Doors.

3.  Gas attacks? Gas, a tax.

DC papers report an exploding toilet.  No details available as yet.   Meanwhile, even as we speak, the WAMU Cojo Show is having a debate over whether a rise in the Federal Gas Tax is needed.  Most of the local bridges were constructed around 50 years ago and that is the average lifespan for a roadspan.  Right now, 40 to 50 cents of each gallon of gas we buy goes to State or Federal Highway Funds.

Elaine says that there is a fantastic solution to all kinds of money problems in the DC and Baltimore areas.. just make the Baltimore and Washington Beltways toll roads, in the manner that some North-South Highway Toll Booths are set up.  When you get off, drop a quarter in the pot.  Millions of cars use these beltways each day. 

4.  Whew! Or as we used to say: P U!

XM Radio has a Doctors Channel.. where people can call in and have their questions answered by Doctors who are experts in their fields.  Yesterday, a Doctor who has spent 20 years studying body odor was on call.  I could not believe the different types of odor problems that people can have.

One youngster has had bad breath since she was a baby.  The problem may be that certain bacteria are living a good life on the back of her tongue.  They need to be dislodged from their happy home.  This is usually a hereditary condition passed on from family member to family member.. in this case, the grandmother, who has always had fetid breath liked to kiss her granddaughter quite a bit when she was a new-born, and in that way, probably shared those bacteria.

Armpit smell is also probably caused by a specific set of bacteria.  I think the Doctor said it is curable.

Meanwhile, check out an amazing article on the billions of bacteria that live upon and inside of us.  The article is in an equally amazing new magazine:  ID (Ideas and Discoveries) dated October 2011.  A newer issuance of the magazine comes out on October 12, 2011.

5. New Laws in Maryland

Effective on October 1st, 2011:

a.  No READING of text messages in a car, whether driving or stopped at a light.  Sending is already outlawed.

b.  Fortune tellers can now legally receive money for telling fortunes.

c.  No funeral protests can be staged within 500 feet of the place where the funeral is taking place. !!

d.  Carroll County Commissioners can serve for 4 years, followed by another 4 years, if reelected.

6.  Good news for retired Presidents!

You don't have to be dead now, to be honored on a US stamp!

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September 30, 2011

A beautiful, coolish, sunny day in Carroll County Maryland.  Lots of little problems to fix this A.M., such as:  the medical technician lost my urine sample..  !?  I had even drawn a smiley face on the container....  also:  oh..never mind.  It's all unimportant in the scheme of things.

1. "Power corrupts.. etc."

Four out of the five (count 'em) Commissioners for Carroll County have voted to extend the contract for a Conservative Media Consuting Service (consisting of one person, named Simpson, I believe... no.. it couldn't be, could it?)  When a Carroll County Times reporter tried to discuss this contract with him, he refused.

Haven Shoemaker, the dissenting Commissioner said, and I quote from the CC Times: "This notion of having a person specifically dedicated... to handling media seems to me to be a frill..."  I agree, Haven. However, it could become less of a "frill" if the Commissioners would see fit to paying me the paltry sum of  $500 per month (instead of the $6,000 that Simpson is getting) to see that all of the Maryland newspapers and magazines receive news items and articles that would make Carroll County shine forth as a tourist heaven (Haven) and a place where all business money, not just for Conservative businesses, could find a good home.  What other "access" is needed, Commissioner Rothschild?

I must repeat again, that closed administration sessions (like the one in July, where the Commissioners decided on Mr. Simpson) generate a false and dangerous feeling of power.. a feeling that certain activity does not need oversight by the public..  in my humble opinion.  We will be hearing a lot more about this shortly in letters to the editor of the CC Times.

2.  Druggies?

The Carroll County Times also reports that a pair of persons has allegedly robbed a victim of some Oxycontin while trying to sell him some of theirs.  The female part of the pair may have even threatened the victim with a knife.  In Westminster!?.. by all reports, the least crime-ridden place east of the Chesapeake Bay.

This reminds me of the time when I was browsing at a used furniture store in Westminster.  Seated in front of the store were two of the workers, resting after lifting a heavy bureau.  A friend walked up and asked them if they needed something to get their breath back.  They thought that would be a good idea.

The friend reached into his pocket and brought out a prescription bottle, opened it, and offered a few pills, which were accepted.  The friend said to them: "This is good stuff, I got it from my doctor yesterday and it's already making me feel good."  I don't have the faintest idea what the medication was, but it doesn't matter.  I hope they all survived.

3.  More druggies?

I heard an NPR report preceded by a warning... it concerned six bodyless heads that were found in Acapulco, Mexico.  Do any Americans vacation in Mexico any more?

I constantly hear from Massachusetts relatives that they would definitely not want to visit Baltimore because of the crime and violence.  It doesn't help for them to watch TV shows like Homicide and The Wire.  I try to tell them that the Baltimore area is a great place to live.  Of course, there are parts of the city and county that you must avoid to stay alive.. or at least connected with your pocketbook.  But on the whole.....

There are horror stories.. such as, my fellow worker, Lou, who got lost in the city and when he asked for directions, was badly beaten up and robbed.  However, once my car broke down in a very "bad" part of town.  I expected trouble, but instead, people came right over and helped me get fixed up and going again.

4.  Optimism after pessimism

Robert Wack once again wrote an interesting column in the CC Times today, about our current "tough times."  If I might, I would like to quote part of his final paragraph, which, as usual, "nails it."

"...Things will eventually get better, but perhaps not before they get a lot worse.  Which way they go depends mainly on what we hope for and are willing to work toward."

5.  One can't always be "The Best"... why not?

Sadly, the 2011 Carroll County's Best award for a Continuing Care Community went to Fairhaven, in Sykesville, rather than Carroll  Lutheran Village,  (where I live)  which only got "honorable mention."  I guess we will just have to try harder next year.

6.  More Good news for Dick Tracy!

The October 3, 2011 issue of that bastion for truth, the Sun magazine, published by American Media, Inc reports that scientists have  now been able to fuse the genes from goats and spiders, to make bulletproof skin for our policemen, soldiers and heads of state to wear instead of those bulky bulletproof vests that they are used to.

September 29, 2011

We're back from a nice trip to Lancaster, Pennsylvania to see a show devoted to the music of Irving Berlin.  You remember that music... it was the kind that you could listen to without getting a nervous stomach, and you could also understand the words in the lyrics.. and... they rhymed!

On the way up, we had a little extra time and visited the Stauffers complex in York.. and, of course, we bought some (a bunch) of cookies.. Elaine likes chocolate animal crackers.. so, we now have a closet full of them.  Come on over to visit and help us devour them..  otherwise we will probably consume them in short order.. to the detriment of our health.

A few news items caught my eye today:

1.  Saudi Women Drivers

King Abdullah overturned a court ruling that would have given a Saudi woman driver 10 lashes.  The Kingdom has an unwritten law that restricts women from driving.  Conservative tradition holds that giving such freedom to women would probably make them vulnerable to sinful activity.

Saudi Arabia is the only country in the world that bans both Saudi and foreign women from driving cars.  No "women driver" jokes in that country.

2.  Here's looking at you..

You can now buy designer 3D glasses for around $100 a pair.  (Why would you want to?)  Theater owners will soon be selling reusable regular 3D glasses for a couple of dollars a pair.  (Same question.)

3.  Bookies

Yesterday, I found out that Big Lots is selling their $3 remainder books for $1.  I searched through the hundreds on display and found not even one book that got my attention enough to read the cover blurb.

However, today, I learned that the Dollar Store has some new $1 remainder books.  I hurried in and found that a few did get my attention.. I bought 5 of them.  Let me tell  you the titles:

An Illustrated Guide to the Lost Symbol  (Connections between the Freemason's and our nation's capitol).. edited by John Weber.   It has lots of slick photographs and looks very interesting.

Zero Decibels, The Quest for Absolute Silence by George Michelsen Foy. One part of the book concerns tinnitus, which I have.

Upgrade Me by Brian Clegg.  Concerned with "humanity's self-driven instinct to evolve."

Beef, The Untold Story of How Milk, Meat, and Muscle Shaped the World  by   Andrew Rimas and Evan D. G. Fraser.   Now, how could anybody not be interested in a book with that title!

Don't Get Sick (A panic-free pocket guide to living in a germ-filled world!)  by the editors of Prevention magazine.


Now, honestly, don't you think I got a great bargain for $5. plus tax?

Of course, even being a speed-reader, there is not enough time left in my life to read these and all the other hundreds of books I want to read.

4.  How to get out of the budget abyss?

Albert Velasquez (Eldersburg, Maryland) writes to the Carroll County Times today  about the money problems of the Government, and makes a suggestion that should be written on a flag and hung outside of everyone's residence:

The tax code should be made fair for everyone. 

It's as simple as that.  Wouldn't it be wonderful if everyone paid their fair share of the expenses of running this marvelous country of ours?

5.  Otherwise Try..

If Congress does not take the steps necessary to change the tax code, what would be another step to take to get our Country going again? 

Government Bonds

"Buy a bond today!  Bonds of freedom, that's what I'm selling.  Buy a bond today!"

If you are old enough to remember this song, you know how the Country responded patriotically to Bond Drives in World War II.  We all contributed.. even kids took dimes to school to buy stamps.. get enough stamps and turn them in to a bond.  I still have some of those bonds.. uncashed.

 ................................................

My hour is up again.  See ya.

..................................................

September 28, 2011

Oy! Such a day!  Up real early to  get ready for medical tests.  Fasting!  Race to Reisterstown.  Wait for an hour under a sign that reads: "Blood Draw Station"...  Race back to Westminster to find Edith Keeney to give her the only key to the Alumni Office.  Hurry up a lunch for Elaine and then  off to let Kim make me look like a movie star... then off to Pier One to buy gifts for three functions.. then off to get supper and then .. oh oh.. I forgot, at 7:00 I was supposed to  go to the Pipe Creek Civil War Round Table... can't do everything.   So, not much time left for this blog.. so it will be an abbreviated hour's worth.

1. End of an era..

Andy Rooney is retiring from CBS-TV's "60 minutes".. (I think this was the program which had a presentation on "finding your birth mother".. and started the process that allowed my brother Joe to find his Massachusetts family).. anyway, Andy started with "60 Minutes" when it started itself.. in 1978.  He stayed with the show fror 44 years!  In 1988, he began his special part of the show, before that he was involved, but not a "star."  I think that Andy is now 92 years old.. but don't write him off just yet.  I think we'll be seeing more of him in the near future.

2.  Bam!

Emeril LaGasse.. Fall River, Massachusetts' pride and joy is very sad today.  His mentor, Ines DeCosta died this weekend at the age of 79.  Ines' family ran a nice Portuguese restaurant in Fall River (8 miles from my hometown of New Bedford) and Emeril spent long hours watching her and learning how to cook.

I think that this is her Recipe for good Portuguese Kale Soup:

Take a few pounds of good green kale, and one friendly Portuguese wife.  Then get the hell out of her kitchen and let her make some kale soup!

3.  Scruffy guys..

For some time now, I have been bothered by these actors who think it is sexy to have constant 5-O'clock shadow.  Apparently, some ladies must think so too, or it wouldn't continue.  Guys like Hugh Laurie on House.. If I had a doctor that treated me and looked like a bum, I would rush for a second opinion.

(BTW: did you know that Laurie was once Mr. Bean's sidekick, and often played a kind of effeminate Prince?)

Today, the newspaper feature called "Annie's Mailbox" had this observation, addressed to a questioner with the title: "Sloppy Old Man", who also didn't seem to like partially bearded guys.. as well as women who sported mustaches:

"...A loving heart is the most important attribute of any relationship.  But there is no excuse for either men or women to become unshaven, unkempt pigs because they have become complacent." 

Many years ago, my late wife and I had fun following the careers of the Monkey Lady and the Alligator Man.   He had a bad skin condition that made him look like he had alligator scales.. and she had a flat nose and a luxurient mustache and beard.  They got married and retired to Sarasota, Florida.  They were real nice circus people who did not mind being stared at.

My point in all this is:  if you are going to allow your facial hair to grow.. go all the way!  Don't be wishy washy about it.  There is a lady in the Westminster, Maryland area who has a very nice mustache that she keeps trimmed... I admire her for that.

4.  Enlarging the brain?

A new magazine (I think) popped out at me today.  Its called Ideas and Discoveries, and is written to tickle your thought processes.  One of the provocative questions in the magazine is:  Can bodybuilding raise your IQ?

A Danish study indicates that when muscles are stimulated, a protein knows as BDNF is produced by the brain.  Apparently BDNF has something to do with forming new learning experiences.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brain-derived_neurotrophic_factor

I bought the magazine because it purported to answer many of the everyday questions that humans pose.. and seldom get answers for.   Stay tuned.

5.  Zoom, Zoom.. can you hear that?

The Week magazine mentions that chemists at Tufts University have created the world's smallest electric motor out of a single molecule.  60,000 times thinner than a human hair!!

OK.. even though stimulated, my brain can't handle the idea of such a motor.  However, I like the last line of the report:  "...it could one day be developed into microscopic machinery to perform single-cell surgery or power minuscule computer chips."

Can you even imagine what this world is going to be like in the next 100 years?!

..........................................................

My skinny hour is over.  See Ya.

..........................................................

September 27, 2011

I'm running late.  Got to get to the Social Security Alumni office in a little while for a Board meeting, so this hour will have to be a lot shorter than 60 minutes.  Wow!  What power.. to be able to change time.

1.  Money... again!

Another monetary crisis may have been averted by Congress approving a "compromise"  continuing resolution.  This puts the "body" of the Government back to life, at least until November.. when we have to go through this disgusting process once again.  It's a shame we can't update next year's elections to this year and get rid of some of these congressional "clowns" right now. (In my humble opinion.)

2.  The Birthplace of Democracy

The government of Greece will be trying to enforce a new property tax on its citizens, to try to get the country back to solvency.  Officials say that enforcement will indeed be "trying".. because  85% of the Greeks have their savings invested in their homes.. not in banks or 401 set ups, and they will probably find some very innovative ways to protect their investments, and avoid the tax. Greeks are very clever.. remember Ulysses in the Odyssey?


3.  Top Banana?

In a letter today to the Carroll County Times (Westminster, Maryland), Dave Owings suggested that we create jobs by building greenhouses in Michigan where we can grow acres of bananas; thereby taking over the place now held by Big Banana.  He also hints that this might even put buggy whip makers back to work.

As you can tell, we have another Voltaire in our midst.  Instead of bananas, I would suggest pasta plants.  Just think about how many people like spaghetti.  Why should Italy get  all the money for growing pasta plants?  Give the good old USA some of that action! 

4.  A fun job?

Today, in DC, tourists will be able to see guys rappelling down the sides of the Washington Monument.  They will be looking for cracks caused by the recent earthquake.. and having one hell of a good time while doing so.

5.  Get your TV program here!

Our local newspaper, mentioned above, will begin charging fifty cents a week  for a TV guide to be delivered with the newspaper.  I like our local paper very much, but I think that $26 a year  for a weekly TV guide is a bit steep.. especially when you can get a subscription to a publication called TV Guide for a lot less than that.  I wonder if it will work out for them.  Time will tell.. (or Newsweek or somesuch).


6.  Neither rain nor snow... but $

Postmaster General Patrick Donahue is (even as we speak, or write) on the Diane Rhem Show, discussing things that may happen to the US Postal Service:

The closing of 250 post offices.

The laying off of 35,000 postal  workers.

The discontinuance of Saturday mail delivery.

Are we (the American public) going to stand for this? 

7.  Good News and Bad News

Good:  The stock market is starting to rally again.

Bad: A typhoon has hit the Philipines and millions are being evacuated.

............................................................

My short hour is up.  See ya!

.............................................................

September 26, 2011

I'm going to quickly comment on some stuff in this morning's papers and on the airwaves (radio and PC).

1.  More freedom for ladies?

King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia has announced that Saudi women will be allowed to vote in the 2015 elections (not the 2011 elections).  Can this be a "foot in the door" for the ladies?  Will more freedoms be allowed in the future?  Will they be allowed to drive someday?  Will they always have to be subservient to male guardians?  Time will tell.

Hasn't  Aristophanes' play Lysistrata ever been viewed by Saudi women?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/lysistrata

2.  That's a lot of ...

The last  bull has supposedly been slaughtered by a bull-fighter in the region of Catalonia, Spain.  A cheering crowd in Barcelona happily watched recently as an unfortunate bull had his innards pierced.  A regional anti-bullfighting law was passed in 2010.  It is not scheduled to take effect until the beginning of 2012, but the last of these "spectacles" took place last week, a little ahead of schedule.  

Will these "fights" go underground, like "pitbull fights" in the U.S.?  Probably.  Bullfighting is too much a part of the Spanish culture to disappear completely, in my humble opinion.

http://www.Spain-info.com/Culture/bullfighting.htm

3.  Left, Right or Left?

In the see-saw that is French politics, the Left recently took over their Senate from the Right.  This is reported to be a "smack in the face" to that fellow short guy named Nicolas Sarkozy, and perhaps a foretaste of left-tending voting that may take place in the U.S. next year, because of the obstructionist activity of one of our  political parties, in my humble opinion.

4.  Taking gas...

I have been making an effort to do all my shopping at the local Giant super market, in order to get points towards lower gasoline prices at Shell gas stations.   I got a "fill-up" last week and "saved" 40 cents off each gallon, based on Giant purchases.   Now I have heard on NPR that if I had waited  until today, I would have gotten the 40 cents off anyway, because the price of gas fell that much or more over the weekend.

I remember when gasoline cost 18 cents a gallon.. of course, at that time, I only earned $1.00 an hour (a pretty good wage rate for 1950!)  It's all relative, my friend.

5.  Food for Thought?

I enjoy reading what Rob Spring, a Conservative-leaning columnist for the Carroll County Times (Maryland), has to say every other Monday in that newspaper, even though I seldom agree with it. 

In August, he said that he would stop eating at McDonald's because he did not like them "dictating" apples over French Fries in their Happy Meals.

Was Rob "pulling our legs?"  Happy Meals are for kids.. and senior citizens like me, who look for bargains to supplement our meager pensions.. I know, I know.. he was probably just talking about the food that children eat.. and, yes, I get the point, he doesn't want Government dictating what our kids eat.  But, should we have Governments that do not care about us?  And since when has McDonald's allowed anybody to influence what they serve?

Anyway, I really like the final paragraph in Rob's column for today: 

"People should open their minds and think for themselves.  Don't trust me and don't place all your trust in media outlets that agree with you.  Research outside of the media you regularly frequent, but always find the source story, not an interpretation of it."

I hope that Rob's TV viewing habits include programs in addition to Fox News.

6.  That's puzzling..

I want to put in another plug for The Week magazine.  One of their features is "The Puzzle Page".  There, you will find a crossword puzzle replete with topical clues,  a Sudoku puzzle (if you are so inclined), and "The Week Contest", where you are asked to come up with a clever title or phrase related to a specific topic.

In the May 13, 2011 issue, readers were asked to name the top tune that whales (the Sinatras of the Ocean) were crooning.   Elaine had, what I thought was a winner:

"I am so blue, without you."

In the September 2, 2011 issue, readers were asked to name the smaller of the two original moons orbiting the Earth.. you know, the one that crashed into the bigger one and is now part of it.  My picks were:

"Blew Moon"

"Boo Moon" (Actually, the moon we see at Halloween,)

I know... not too good.. sorry about that.
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My hour is up.  See ya!
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September 24, 2011

Listening, watching and hearing lots of news this morning about "Break ups", I thought that this would make a good theme for today's blog entry.

1.  Breaking up is....

One of my famorite Carpenters song is "Breaking Up is Hard to Do"..  when my kids (and I) were very young, we would lay on the carpet in front of the massive stereo set  after supper and listen to our favorite Carpenters long-play album.  You ask:  "Who the hell are the Carpenters?"  Check Wikipedia, young person!

2.  A Satellite is breaking up.

On the news today, I learned that parts of the falling NASA satellite could either be in the Pacific Ocean, Canada, North Africa, or the Atlantic Ocean.   Stay tuned.

3.  REM is breaking up.

I ask:  "Who the hell is/are REM?"  Something to do with sleeping?  Check Wikipedia, Joe!

4.  Aaron is breaking up.

Aaron Sorkin (West Wing) recently head-butted himself in a mirror and broke his nose.

5.  Arizona heat wave is breaking up

Today, the residents of Tucson were enjoying a break from the current heat wave.  I'm told that the temperature is  now down to 96.

6.  The United States Postal SERVICE is breaking up

I hear that the House has already passed a bill to cut Saturday mail delivery.

7.  NETFLIX is breaking up

With the separation of DVD and streaming movie services.. QUIXTER has been born.  However, the name Quixter is already being used by a guy named Jason, who describes himself on TWITTER as a "girl-loving dopester."

8.  No child left behind is breaking up.

President Obama is now going to allow States to opt out of the No Child Left Behind program.  Virginia is probably first in line.

Lastly:

9.  Fat cells may be breaking the bank soon.. 

A "fat bank" has been established in Orlando, Florida as a place to store the fat that you have had liposuctioned off of your body... because, you may want to have it back sometime.. in surgery?  To get fuller lips?  To cover up wrinkles? To make your sunken cheeks come back to life? To round out your sorry aging butt?  How about you, Santa?  Joe?

(Remember the WWII ad:  "Ladies, take your fat can down to your butchers."  Fat was needed in the 1940's to grease artilliary, and civilians were encouraged to keep a can ready in the kitchen to hold used lard, and fat like that.)

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My hour is up.. and I'm starting to break up.. so I am signing off.  See ya!

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September 22, 2011

(If you are looking for "Chicken Little", you need to see my blog entry for September 21, 2011.)

Today, which I think is the first day of Autumn, I woke up to Good News and Bad News.

Good News First:

1.  Hi!

I woke up!

2.  Thank you, President Kennedy

Today is the 50th anniversary of the Peace Corps, an Organization that shows how great we are as a Nation.. 

3.  No Chubby Checkers

Operation  TWIST has been initiated.  Maybe the financial outlook will improve.

4.  Publication

A book called Time for Outrage has been published in the U.S.  It is an English translation of Indignez-vous, a European best-seller written by Stephane Hessel, a 93 year old diplomat, French Resistance fighter in WWII, and a concentration camp survivor.

Mr. Hessel challenges young people to fight the outrageous things that are going on.  He wants them to stand up to what is wrong in the world, and like Lou Piel indicated in a recent column.. get off of one's butt and take action.

5.  Get lost!

Corn mazes are suddenly appearing around the area.  There is a remarkable one being unveiled at the Ag Center in Westminster, Maryland.   That MAZE is really AMAZING!  Bring the kids and get lost in the maze for a while. It's a lot of fun.

And now for the BAD NEWS!

6.  I'm Going Broke again!

The Stock Market is way way way down again and banks are paying almost nothing for the use of your money.  But I'm told that is OK because inflation is low.  I'd rather have a little inflation.. perhaps that would cause us to have some job creation.

7.  Ah Choo!

Once again, the 5 (count 'em) Carroll County (Maryland) Commissioners, in their wisdom, have cut funding for the Department of Health, and FLU shots are no longer going to be given by that organization.    People will have to get their shots out in the open  at Rite Aid or WalMart or Giant.  Some Medical Offices will be giving shots, at least to people over 65.. I guess that is because Medicare may subsidize them.

(These same  Commissioners have; however, found the money to hire a hot-shot Conservative advertising expert... as well as to contribute to a hot-shot lobbyist for the Maryland General Assembly.)

Another thing  that bugs me about these Commissioners...they like to have their planning sessions in private.. at least they used to before people complained.. when I was Chair of the Carroll County Commission on Aging, I had to make sure that all of our meetings were publicised and open to the general population.

8. "They look alike.."

Twenty six year old twins have been charged with burglary and other crimes in Counties surrounding our relatively crime free Carroll County Maryland.  The madula oblongata apparently has yet to mature in these two guys.  Its a shame we still don't have a Draft.. maybe that would have gotten them off the streets and into a program to learn a more useful skill than thievery.

9.  Did he or didn't he?

The Supreme Court opted not to hear the appeal information for convicted cop-killer, Troy Davis.  Apparently, most of the people who testified that they saw Troy do the crime, recanted their testimony. I would think that this would cause a reasonable doubt in the minds of most people.  But Mr. Davis was executed anyway... he maintained his innocence to the end.

Finally.. Hope?

10.  In an editorial in The Nation magazine dated September 26, 2011, four actions are outlined that President Obama can take, on his own, to relieve the jobs situation.  These are actions that do not allow for immediate obstruction by an obstructionist Congress.

a.  Forgive the mortgage debt for the millions of homeowners facing foreclosure.

Supposed result:  Put 71 billion dollars a year into the economy and create one million jobs.

b.  Enact trade and tax reforms and penalize the offshoring of jobs.

Supposed result:  Stop the accumulation of trillions of dollars in debt and keep jobs in the U.S.

c.  Let Government create pilot programs and public jobs.

Supposed result:  The generation of 2.2 million jobs.

d.  Let the Federal Reserve lend direct financial support to producers and workers, as they did to the financial sector.

Supposed result:  The end of this damned depression.

Do you think that the President will do any of these?

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Well, I think that I got  quite a lot into this day's hour.  At least, I got my juices flowing.  See ya.
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