Hate Crimes; Scofflaw; Sarah; Donald; Cruz; Rubio; Clinton; Sanders; Super Tuesday

Nice Spring-like day... 61 degrees here and 64 degrees in DC... partly sunny.. I was able to sit outside in the sun and catch some Vitamin D. 

Here are some things that stir my juices:


From Southern Poverty Law Group's Intelligence Report for Spring 2016:

Tracy, CA =  a Molotov cocktail was thrown at a mosque.

San Bernardino, CA =  Two Islamic extremists killed 14 people and injured 21 after opening fire during a Christmas party for the Health Department.

Willowbrook, IL = a 17-year old punched a 53-year old man whom the teenager thought was a Muslim.

Plano, TX = a Muslim family  had large rocks thrown through their windows twice.

Portland, OR = a student from Rwanda was assaulted by three white men yelling racial slurs.  And he was forced to drink an unknown liquid.

New York, NY = a teen-ager smashed a menorah on the first night of Hanukkah.  When the menorah was reinstituted, the teenager came back and destroyed it again.

Brookly, NY =  a postal worker spit on two Muslim women walking with a child.

These are just a few of the hundreds of "hate crimes" that sub-human Cretans perpetrated during last December. 

Sovereign Citizens Activity:

The Intelligence Report also reports about  a Las Vegas "sweetheart"  who decided to leave his career as  a porn star, male prostitute and sex toy inventor, and become a doctor.  He created a "clinic" in a rundown trailer.  The "Doctor" is accused of having performed "dozens of abortions, circumcisions, castrations, root canals and cancer treatments."  He learned these skills by watching YouTube videos. And.. since he is a Government money hater, he accepted only bitcoins as payment.

After the inevitable arrest, his bail was set at one million dollars. (How much is that in bitcoins?)

Politics

From the Washington Spectator for March 2016:  Our Sarah made an impassioned speech in support of Our Donald, in which she hit most of the paranoid fears of the far right:

"a treasonous government selling out our sovereignty"

"coming after our guns"

"eroding religious rights"

"treating the Constitution with contempt"

"inviting aliens into our country to take our jobs"

The Spectator also listed recent sayings from candidates:

Ted Cruz: "There are more words in the IRS code than there are in the Bible .. and not a one of them is as good..."

Donald Trump:  "...people come in; they live; they shoot.  I want security for this country..."

Marco Rubio: "...the damage that (Obama) has done to America  is extraordinary..."

Well... tomorrow is Super Tuesday.. I wonder who is going to come out on top.   My guess:

Democrats: absolute tie... or Hillary with a very small lead.

Republicans:  Trump followed by Kasick and then Rubio and Cruz (dead last).

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Immigration; Armed Youths; ISIS Fear; The Left Hand; Right Slang; Pot Law; Jean Auel; Mensa

Is this Spring?  61 degrees in Westminster, Maryland today.  And sunny.  Very nice.

Some more ramblings:

Mass Slaughter?

A Domini Social Equity Fund advertisement quotes  Andy Fink, editor of Junior Shooters magazine:
"If the industry is to survive, gun enthusiasts must embrace all youth shooting activities, including ones, 'using semiautomatic firearms with magazines holding 30-100 rounds.'""

Immigration:

Great Decisions information shows: 

The United Nations says everyone has the right to migrate, but they don't have the right to settle somewhere else.  (Now, what the hell does that mean?)

In the United States, before 1924, people could walk in and become citizens in two  years.  However, starting with 1924, a quota system was put into effect.

38% of Syrian  refugees are under 12 years of age.

Only persons born in Germany can become citizens of Germany. (true?)

In 2015, 60 million people in the world were displaced from their homes.

ISIS

I've read that ISIS fighters do not want to be killed by a woman, because then they would have no place in heaven and miss out on all those virgins.  (How on earth will we ever be able to reason with people who are so ignorant in their beliefs?)

Handedness

Let's talk about left and right handedness.  For years (including the supposedly sanitary times when Rome ruled the known world) there was no such thing as toilet paper.  That was what the left hand was for.  Hard to imagine, right?  Well,  I'll bet there are still people today who have no idea what toilet paper is for.

In some Countries, people do use toilet paper, but do not flush it into the toilet.  This makes sense, if one doesn't care what their waste basket smells or looks like.  One story I read in the New York Times told how a family who took in a Russian exchange student had to teach him to not put his used toilet paper in the bathroom waste basket.. like they apparently do in Russia.

Sinister... comes from the word for left handedness... because of the hand-butt relationship.  Why do you think we shake hands only with the right hand?  Gauche... also.

Right is a key word in slang usage:

Right off the boat.
Right off the bat.
Right to life.
Right makes might.
Right as rain.
Right on time.
Right to  work.
On the right track.
Right flank.
Right guard.
Right you are.
Right on!

and remember:  when you are driving.. never make a left turn.. but three rights make one left.

Another Maryland Pot Law Passes:

The Maryland Legislature voted 139 to 0 to make it a criminal misdemeanor to smoke pot in a vehicle. 

Fellow Mensa Member Author

If you want to know what kind of novel a Mensa member can create,  you can check out these books by  Jean Auel:

The Clan of the Cave Bear (a little shocking.. at first)
The Valley of Horses
The Mammoth Hunters
The Plains of Passage
The Shelters of Stone
The Land of Painted Caves

These are all books in Jean's Earth's Children series.. which allows us to participate in the adventures of Ayla, a Cro-Magnon orphan, adopted by a Neanderthal clan.. and her blue-eyed lover, Jondalar.


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Jimmy Savile; Dirty Politics; Gorilla Songs; Gambling Law; Roger Taney; Tips; Billionaires; Mass Shootings; Humor;

This is another repeat of a blog post from 5 years ago.  

Chilly.  Some sun; some shade. Waiting for Spring to spring.

Amazing News

BBC Star as a Predatory Sex Offender:

Sir James Wilson Vincent Savile, OBE, KSSG, alias Jimmy Savile, died in 2011 at the age of 84.  For 50 years, he had been an unknown sex offender (at least he was known to the hundreds of kids he offended.)

We are told that his victims ranged in age from 8 to 47, and that the abuse went on for at least 50 years, while he was a big-shot DJ and entertainer for the BBC.  So far, police list 214 crimes attributed to him, 34 of which were of "rape and penetration."  A case was being made against him and he could have been arrested in 2009, but somehow, he was not.  More information is to come out later on this case.  (Does this somehow remind you of the allegations against Mr. Cosby?  I hope they are not true about Mr. Cosby.)

Dirty Dirty Trick! (Maryland)

If true, this is one of the worst political dirty tricks that I have heard of this year.

A Google search of the Internet for the "Chris Van Hollen" website, does not get you to his legitimate website: "VanHollen.org", but to "Donna Edwards for Senator."   Booooooo!

Singing Gorillas?

I heard where silver back male gorillas hum and sing while eating.  Supposedly, this is a message to his group that he is boss, and everyone should follow his orders. (I wonder how they figured that out.)

 Other Maryland Politics:

Gambling

The Maryland House voted 139 to 0 to allow small stakes (less than $500) card games in homes and senior living facilities.  (Gosh... for years we have been breaking the law when we played penny-ante poker, and didn't even know it.)

Roger Taney

You remember old Roger? He was the Chief Supreme Court Justice that ruled that "blacks are inferior beings, with no citizenship rights"... which ruling had some impact on activity that led to the Civil War.

A bill had passed by the Maryland legislature to take down and destroy his statue at the Statehouse.  Now, another bill has been passed, amending the other, ordering the statue to be taken down, but not destroyed.  (In case the South rises again?)

Tips

This may not be just for Maryland.  Business are now not supposed to collect the tips given to waiters and other service people and shared with dishwashers and janitors.  This is to keep employers from making it look like they are paying the minimum wage to their dishwashers and janitors, when they are not.

(My late wife and my two daughters worked at a local fancy catering service for a couple of years.  In that time, many, many people gave them tips, because they were very good at what they did.  However, the manager insisted that those tips be given to him to distribute to those who did not get tips.  I'm told that he must have kept the tips because none of the other workers ever saw any extra money coming their way.)

Move Over, Mr. Trump

The New York Times reports that there are now at least 100 billionaires in China... quite a few more than are reported to be in the U.S.   I also read that a lot of these multi-million- dollar high rise apartment buildings being erected in New York City are a good outlet for laundering money from other countries... especially China and oil-rich sheikdoms.

And what about that new high rise building that is blocking the sun from reaching parts of Central Park in New York City?  Another BOOOOO!

Old Hat Now?

The Carroll County Times reports on a fatal shooting spree in Kansas City yesterday.  It's on page A6 with other "ho hum" news of the day.  As President Obama says... we are getting used to murder in our streets.   Oh... and I haven't checked yet, but a few minutes ago I saw an Internet headline that another mass shooting has occurred in "Washington."  I don't know if that is DC or the State. ... What the hell is wrong with people!

A Lighter Subject.. Humor

Thank God that Homo Sapiens have a sense of humor!  Michael J. Farrell notes in Humor .. It Helps Us as We Age:

o  Jokes and slapstick can be found in writings from ancient Egypt.

o  Proverbs 17.22: "A cheerful heart is a good medicine, but a downcast spirit dries up the bones."

o  "Only God could have thought up the idea of a smile" sez Angela Macnamara.

o  "Old age is like everything else.  To make a success of it, you've got to start young."  Fred Astaire

And... "Make sure that you keep that sense of humor as you age.. there is no sense in getting depressed about the crazy things going on that you have no control over."  Joe Vaughan

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Purposeful Life; Drug Testing; Privacy; NSA; Torture; LGBT; Earthworms; Rubiyat; Poetry; Jacques Thomas; Intertel

Chilly overcast day.. with snow flurries now and then. 

Today was Great Decisions day.  We had a speaker on the Koreas.. followed by a video on Korea and one on the Kurds.  Good information.


Ramblings:

Do  you have a meaningful life?

From the Mensan Brainwave:  Dorothy L. Leigler sez:

"We all have a need to find purpose in life... our purpose in life may be as simple as dispensing love and kindness wherever we go... possessing a high sense of purpose in life is essential with a reduced risk for mortality and cardiovascular events."

Unnecessary Drug Testing:

Annamarya Scaccia sez: "Last year in Missouri, 38,970 welfare applicants took mandated drug tests.  A mere 48 of them, or 0.1% tested positive."

Privacy Concern

Jimmy Wales (Wikimedia Founder), states that NSA is intercepting and searching a lot of messages sent through all kinds of communications methods.  (I would have expected that they could and would intercept and search all of the communication media that they can reach, using keyword examination. Otherwise, how could they save the US from the bad guys?)

Torture?

The ACLU reports that the CIA has a torture program.  How does one torture people these days?

o  stuff them into small boxes

o  beat them

o  subject them to water-boarding

o  deprive them of food

o  deprive them of sleep

o  keep them in isolation

o  attack their ear-drums with loud sound

o  keep them in darkness

I didn't know that.

In 1953, President Eisenhower ordered the dismissal of all gay and lesbian Federal employees.

Earthworms

Smithsonian sez:  Earthworms in some northern parts of the country are not indigenous.   Glaciers eliminated them as they progressed southward.  However,  their relatives and some who immigrated in plant pots filled the gap.

Spring is almost here

"Come fill the Cup, and in the Fire of Spring

  The Winter Garment of Repentance fling:

   The Bird of Time has but a little way

   To fly - and Lo! the Bird is on the Wing."

From the opening quatrain for the Rubiyat of Omar Khayyam (as translated by Edward Fitzgerald.

But...how about this home-grown poetry?

Spring has sprung

The grass is green.

I wonder where

The flowers is.

Yes, the boid is on the wing.

My, how absoid, the wing is on the boid

Amazing Genius

Jany Malabry writes in Integra about Jacques Thomas, one of my fellow members of  Intertel, who lived in Lyon France, and who passed away a short time ago.  Here are a few of his accomplishments during 89 years of life:

Fought four years in Vietnam.. as a cavalry officer and Army pilot.

Was a photographer in Paris.

Was a lecturer for UNESCO.. on the Culture of Oceania.

Became the world's most noted expert on boomerangs.

  (Four of his boomerangs were taken on the shuttle Atlantis, to study their behavior in micro-gravity, some of his boomerangs were used by Crocodile Dundee, and some were used by the US Navy.)

Navigated Cape Horn at the wheel of a schooner.

Raised a baby bear, suckling it with a feeding bottle.

Was awarded the Chevalier of the Legion of Honor for his exceptional war service.

While Jacques was doing all of these things..  most of us were just sitting around watching TV and drinking beer.  Shame on us!

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Jobs; Government; Social Security Administration; My SSA Class Members; Germany; Japan; Noodles; Poem

Heavy rain.. thunderstorms.. tornadoes .. flooding.. hail stones..  everything you ever wanted from a nice Winter storm.. without (thank God) the snow.  I'll try to finish this before the power goes out.

Jobs

Government Work

One of my granddaughters applied for a computer job at the Social Security Administration, where I used to work and where my son works now.  She was in a line of 200 applicants for one job.

I read where NASA advertised for people to be in its next astronaut class..  18,300 persons applied. Only 8 to 14 will be selected.

Social Security Work

When I was hired for Social Security, I entered a class for future analysts.  In my class were some strange characters (including me, of course)... one guy was the son of a very famous general, and he was sampling all of the Government's offerings to see if he was suited for any... he wasn't suited for Social Security and lasted a very short time before getting let go.

Another guy could not function without his wife waiting outside the class door, to cheer him up from time to time.  He did survive the class, and when he worked, his wife would wait outside all day, just in case he needed her... and he did... a lot.

Another guy was a fired college professor who believed that the only way to learn was to make mistakes.  So, instead of even trying, he just made hap-hazard decisions for each case he worked on. His error rate was 0 cases... all errors.  He lasted just a few weeks.

Another guy was a little shy and when everyone was let go four hours early because of the Christmas holiday.. he stayed in the building, afraid that if he left early he would get fired.  Luckily for him... when he was the only one left in this enormous building, a maintenance man came back to the building that night because he had left something he needed.  After a big argument, the fraidy cat was convinced that it was ok for him to leave.

My favorite guy managed to get fired twice from Social Security, and get hired back again.  His best "move" was to put his foot up on his desk and clip and file his toenails.  He survived the class and supposedly became a programmer.  His first boss gave him a program to write with a deadline one year in the future.

At the end of the year, his boss asked for the test results. "What test results?"

So, the boss asked if he could see the "compilation."   "What compilation?"

How about the program instructions layout?   "Huh?"

Well, what about the punched cards?  (old fashioned)  "I don't have any punched cards."

Ok.. well then, show me the written program sheets.   "I didn't get that far."

Well... what about the flow charts?  "I didn't make any."

OK.. last resort, do you have any analysis notes?  "Sorry, no."

Boss:  "You are fired!"

Now.. even though this employee didn't do a stitch of work for a year except clip his toenails, his boss should have watched over him a little better.  He just assumed from the guy's (probably doctored up) resume that he was someone who could work on their own.  Bad assumption on this boss's part.

Later on, this sterling employee was given to me.. I think I have mentioned before ..  I always try to learn something from everyone I meet.  This guy gave me trouble in this regard until I grabbed onto his initials:  HL.   For years, I had been mixed up when running water into my bathtub or taking a shower.  I always got it wrong and got cold water instead of hot.  However, now... HL... Hot Left...now I would remember which faucet was which.   Thank you, HL.

Work for Retirees in Germany

Some senior citizens in Germany are getting involved with so-called "Granny Gangs" and are robbing banks.  (I always thought that retiree benefits for Germans were more than enough to allow them  to live comfortably.  Maybe they are robbing banks for the thrill of it.

Remember what Willy Sutton said when they asked him why he robbed banks:  "Well, silly, it's because that's where the money is."

That's probably why "scam artists" target senior citizens... that's where the money is.

Work for Retirees in Japan

Retirees in Japan are lining up to work at the new Ramen noodle spas. Yes, the workers put in the noodles, then the hot water, and then You.  I've heard that the customers find it very refreshing... and nutritious. 

Poem that I like.. written by fellow Intertel member, Mario Faverio

Lucky Dew

How lucky is the dew!
Always the first to hug the flowers in the morning,
light as thistledown,
bright as diamonds.
And when the day's fuss starts,
it's gone!

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Immigration; Taxes; Chamber of Commerce; Lobbying; Pluto; King Tut; Stonehenge; Pfizer; Goethe; Faust

Rainy day... but not too cold.  Haircut day.  Cardiologist checkup..."ok.. don't change a thing."  And supper with our friend, Rosemarie.  (I had delicious mini meatloaf.. consisting of ground up brisket.. very nice.)

More Ramblings:

Washington Spectator Stuff:

Immigration

It's reliably reported that the 11.4 million undocumented immigrants in the US paid  $11.84 billion in State and local taxes in 2012.

A 2013 Social Security Administration report estimated that undocumented immigrants and their employers paid $13 billion in payroll taxes.

That's BILLIONS, folks.
              .....
U.S. Chamber of Commerce

It's top lobby expenditures from 2008 to 2015

National Association of Realtors
US C of C Institute for Legal Reform
General Electric
American Medical Association
Pharmaceutical Industry of America
American Hospital Association
National Cable and Telecom Association
Boeing
ExxonMobil

(Almost $600 million in lobbying money.)

The Chamber of Commerce claims that proposed greenhouse-gas restrictions would reduce the U.S. annual GDP by $50 billion.

     .....

Mensa Bulletin

Tut's Tomb

Recent scans indicate that there might be a hidden room in King Tutankhamun's tomb in the Valley of the Kings.  This might be where Queen Nefertiti is buried.

Pluto's Moons

Pluto has four small moons and one big moon.  All four small moons appear to be made  of ice, but the big moon seems too heavy to be made of ice.  Kerberos is its name and its makeup is mysterious..

New Stonehenge?

Scientists using remote sensing devices, report a Stonehenge-like series of toppled and buried stones which may have outlined a religious place.  The site is close to Stonehenge and is known as Durrington Walls.

Fleece the American People and Run

Pfizer recently moved its corporate domicile to the tax haven of Ireland.  However, its executives will remain in the USA  This move will no doubt further enrich its big shareholders, and of course, its executives who thought of the move.

Goethe's Faust

Faust sells his soul to the devil, Mephistopheles.  But, he doesn't want magic powers or supernatural knowledge.  Instead, he wants a rich, frenzied joyful life.. where he can experience everything there is to experience

(I finished this and when I reviewed it, the  last part of it sounded extra dumb.. so.. I deleted it and you can make up your own ending.)

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Criticism; Tweets; Cosmetic Surgery; Smells; AARP Humor

This is for a sunny Monday... temps in 50's.. I let the sun heat my legs through our patio glass door.. very pleasant.  Snow is almost gone.  On Saturday, Burnie, our arsonist neighbor, spent two hours chopping his remaining snowdrifts into squares.  I wondered if he was trying to build an igloo.. but I guess he just wanted the snow to melt faster.. or... he was bored and needed something to do.. and it was too early and windy to start his daily bonfire.

So far this year, we have encountered two ladybugs, 3 ants, 2 mealy bugs and zero stink bugs.  Knock on wood.

Funny Times Stuff

Touchy touchy! 

Chuck Shepherd reports that a Scottish author and TV person, was so incensed by an unfavorable internet review of his latest book by an 18 year old girl,  that he traveled 500 miles to the Supermarket where she worked and clobbered her with a wine bottle.

Now he can cool his anger in prison and perhaps write a sequel to his book, like Hitler did in Jail, and call it Mein Kampf mit ein dummes Fraulein.

Tweets

Roz Warren  quotes some comic tweets  from The Bigger Book of Parenting Tweets, edited by Kate Hall:

The 4yo saw picture of me pregnant.  I explained that she was inside me.  She thought about it for a bit, then said, "I never want to do that again."

"No, honey, The deer is just sleeping.  They tied him down so he wouldn't fall of the top of their Ford Explorer."

A cute thing I tell my kids when we see a dead deer on the side of the road is, "Looks like Santa lost his temper again."

Cosmetic Surgery

Jon Winokur compiled a few choice quotes:

Bob Hope:  "Phyllis Diller had so many facelifts, there's nothing left in her shoes."

Emo Philips:  "I lent a friend of mine $10,000 for plastic surgery and now I don't know what he looks like."

Rita Rudner: "I don't plan to grow old gracefully.  I plan to have facelifts until my ears meet."

Sense of Smell

Chuck Shepherd reports  about a 24 year old guy who was arrested for threatening a woman at knifepoint because she would not "smell his armpits."

This reminds me of a guy I knew of in Germany when I was stationed there in the Air Force.  Willy had the ability to fart at will and he had found a German cab driver who liked that smell.  So, Willy would get dressed up, call for his cabbie friend, and get a free ride into town... and back later.

AARP Humor

Q:  What's the difference between a hippo and a Zippo?
A:  One is heavy and the other is a little lighter.

Q:  What's the difference between ignorance and apathy?
A:  I don't know and I don't care.

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Family Celebration; Agrabah; Political Policy Goals; Creating Fear; Immigration; Homicide Rates

This is for the sunny and warm 21st of February, 2016:

Today, my three kids and some of their loved ones celebrated the birthday of their beloved mother and memere.. who was my beloved wife Elaine,  for 43 years.  She passed away in 2000 during a heart operation.   She is still sorely missed by me and my family.

My kids each prepared an entrée from one of her recipes, and I brought rolls... she loved bread products.   So, we dined on zucchini bread, macaroni and cheese, chicken casserole, apple cake, and other delicacies.   Chris and Kathleen passed out birthday presents to everyone, as was our custom when Elaine was alive.  We also sang the Vaughan version of Happy Birthday. 

I brought some family pictures and we laughed and laughed and laughed and laughed over some that were thought to have been destroyed... but are too priceless to get rid of.   Chris will be scanning some of the pictures to create a Vaughan family photo album online or disc.

We were able to view and speak to one of my grandchildren via some version of Skype.  My kids are much more computer savvy than I am these days. 

Now... back to this crazy universe:

Items from recent The Nation magazines:

Agrabah

A reported Public Policy  survey sez:

30% of the Republicans polled favored bombing the Sultantate of Agrabah.

44% of the Democrats supported accepting refugees from this land of genies and flying carpets.

This is interesting because......Agrabah is the fictional kingdom from the Disney Movie Aladdin!

Policy Goals

The Nation editorializes on the political race.. I found the following statement of interest:

"For the Democrats... a race between two candidates who share a commitment to many policy goals that are anathema to their GOP opponents:

the protection of a woman's right to control her own fertility,

increasing access to higher education,

ending the epidemic of police violence against African Americans,

reigning in the corrupting influence of big money in politics,

stopping the scourge of gun violence,

moving America and the world away from a fossil-fuel economy..."

Generating Fear in the Populace

Eric Alterman presents these quotes:

Henry Adams: "Politics has always been the systematic organization of hatreds."

Jay Gould (on how to stay "on top"):  "Pay one half of the working class to kill the other half."


Immigration

The Nation shows the following homicide rates  per 100,000 persons in the US and in Central America:

United States:  4
El Salvador: 40
Guatemala: 35
Honduras:  84

I think I mentioned that in our Great Decisions class, we learned that only a few Mexican children are sneaking into the country.. most of them come from those Central American countries listed above.

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Mensa; Alan Turing; I Claudius; Ice Cream; Pot; Snow; Plaster; Happiness; Auras; Roaches; Receipts; Kosher Delis

Is Spring here?  65 degrees at our house in Westminster, Maryland.  Is it just a teaser?

Stuff: 
You will notice that I do not get deeply immersed in the items that I talk about... this is because I want you (if there is anyone out there) to get interested and look things up on your own.  It's a lot like the Mensa meetings I have gone to from time to time... we talk a little bit about a lot of stuff.. it makes for a lot of fun.. at least for me.

Birth of the Computer?

Right now, the book I am reading on my Kindle is The Man Who Knew Too Much.. Alan Turing and The Invention of the Computer ... by David Leavitt.

Alan was a homosexual in a bad time for those folks in England, and committed suicide at a very young age.  This was a great tragedy for a man who had so much to do with breaking Hitler's code during World War II.   I've read where his action reduced the length of the war by a couple of years and probably saved thousands, if not millions, of lives.  Just imagine what this man's brain could have created had he lived longer.

The author says that he is not a mathematician, yet he fills pages of the book with mathematical formulas and algorithms.   In my younger days I might have understood some of the material, but my tired brain now just wants to skip lightly over the technical parts of the book, content with knowing that I've, in a sense, graduated to a higher mental plain.  (Alas.. I sound like I have espoused the words of my Mensan friends.)

Roman Times

I continue to watch I Claudius on DVD.  Caligula has just had his younger brother beheaded because he continuously coughed.. and he has fitted himself with female paraphernalia and become a ballerina.  He's finally gone completely mad and it is time for him to be assassinated.  Claudius survives the blood bath where all of the other members of the Royal Family are killed, even a baby.  The Pretorian Guard is sure that Claudius is an idiot that they can control and make him the new emperor. 

Claudius' pretty young wife  turns out to be a problem, as predicted by King Herod.  It confirms the tattoo phrase of the last episode of Orange is the New Black...   TRUST NO BITCH!

Dessert:

Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream Company says that they stand ready to make marijuana ice cream, whenever it is legal to do so.

Did it Work?

In 2009, Moscow Mayor Yury Luzhkov promised to ward off snow by hiring the Russian Air Force to seed approaching clouds before they reached the city.   Suburbanites did not like the idea.  I can't find out if the snow solution worked or not.  I suspect not, otherwise, we would be doing it in the good old USA.

Plaster Casters:

I'm surprised that they are still around.  A lady named Cynthia Albritton is the current leader of the folks who try to convince  rock stars to make plaster molds of their private parts.  She has adopted the name: Cynthia Plaster Caster.   I first read about this type of activity in the early 1960's.  Cynthia is available to talk to  your group, and she'll bring her molds to display.

Happiness?

Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me reported a while ago that the happiest person in America was Alvin Wong, a tall Asian American Jew who makes over $120,00 a year.   Why?  I haven't the foggiest idea.

Bottom Line Secrets:

Auras

Glowing light that some people claim to see around certain people may actually exist.  Individuals with the neurological condition synaesthesia "see" emotions as colorful auras.

Roach Medicine

Future antibiotics might be made from ground-up cockroach  and locust brains, which contain molecules that kill harmful bacteria. including E Coli and Staphylococcus.

I Don't Want a Receipt!

It has been reported that bisphenol A can be found on cash register receipts and passes readily through the skin and into the bloodstream.  Bisphenol A has been linked to sexual dysfunction in men.

Keeping Kosher in New York

Balaboosta.. means "perfect housewife" in Yiddish.  This restaurant boasts that it serves Israeli style cooking.. but they do serve shrimp wrapped in phyllo. 

Traif.. means, in Yiddish, foods that are forbidden under Jewish dietary law.  Just check out the pork belly, rock shrimp and bacon doughnuts.

My Ancestry.COM DNA test said that I might be English, Irish, Italian or Jewish.   So, I need to know about Jewish things, just in case.

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Boston; Murder; Living Wills; Misplaced Commas; Government Employees; Smoking; Cooking; Saint John Paul; Olympic Games; Marriage; Eating Champion

Chilly.  Also, my pc is not allowing me to access my msn account and therefore I can't get to see my email.  I can get it on other devices though, so it must be something screwed up on this computer.  I'll give it a rest while I think about what might be wrong.

Ramblings:

Boston Area Traffic

I lived in Boston for a while and found it absurd to try to drive around the city.  The streets were just tarred over cow paths from 1680.  It was better to use the excellent subway system to get around.  

Funny Times: Chuck Shepherd quotes the Boston Globe about one traffic problem:

"...a pedestrian crossing in Cambridge works this way:  If the three clusters of three lights each are dark, drivers proceed.  If a pedestrian comes along, one light will blink  yellow, then solid  yellow, then two solid  yellows, then two reds, until two flashing red lights in each cluster appear... and in Cambridge, flashing red lights mean GO.  There is a 12 diagram pamphlet available to explain the whole thing, in case you are confused."

I learned quickly that cars in Boston traffic do not stop for red lights.  The stoppers are folks from out of town.  The only place I found on the East Coast where traffic was worse.. was in Montreal, where the one way streets are like race tracks and the drivers love to scare the daylights out of other drivers and pedestrians. Don't even try to cross the street!

Fresh Meat

This guy was in jail for 20 years and he was just released.  He was waiting in line at a WalMart and talking to a woman next to him.  She asked him why he had been in prison.  He replied: "I killed my wife with a hacksaw blade."

"Oh," she gushed,  "you're single!"

You asked for it

Joe Piechocki sez:  "While I was watching the NFL playoff games one weekend, my wife and I got into a conversation about life and death, and the need for living wills.  During the course of the conversation I told her that I never wanted to exist in a vegetative state, dependent on some machine and taking fluids from a bottle.  She got up, unplugged the TV and threw out all my beer!"

Eats, Shoots and Leaves

Here is an example of a misplaced comma.  It's from the book named above:  "Leonora walked on her head, a little higher than usual."

Try it again with the comma after the word "on."

Lazy Government Employees?

In 1995, there was a Government shutdown.  However, the employees at the Woodlawn Social Security Administration building felt that they needed to get some important work done and came to work.  Finally, upper management decided to lock the doors to keep the workers out.  (I wasn't around for this fun.. I retired earlier in 1995.)

No Smoking!

In 2011, Honduras passed a law that said that smoking at home is prohibited if family members or visitors complain to the police about the second hand smoke.  On a second offence the fine is pretty steep.. the same as the person's monthly salary.

Nosmo King!

A job applicant signed his name Nosmo King.  When asked why he had such a name, he said it was because his mother told him he was conceived in a garage and she got the idea for the name from that which was painted on the open door.  (Sorry!)

Cooking Tip

When you are cooking hamburgers, poke a hole in the center of each with your finger... this will make them cook faster (and possibly taste better.)

Saint John Paul?

He was beatified in 2011 but I'm not sure what that means.. ..the former Pope did say that only Catholics had access to heaven... surely God objected to that stance.   Bryan Cones in USCatholic.org sez: "...That's not to say that he's not worthy of sainthood, however, because 'holiness is not the same as perfection.'"

A Tale of Two Cities

Officials at the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver provided  the two Olympic Villages with 100,000 condoms (14 for each of the 7,000 athletes, coaches, trainers and officials.)  They learned from the Sydney, Australia Olympic Games in 2000, where officials handed out only 70,000 condoms, and had to order 20,000 more. (What the hell kind of games were being held?)

Contentment

Dave Griffin wrote the following about his marriage relationship:  "You might say that we fit the definition of an old married couple.  There is a comfortable peace between the two of us, each of us knowing that we give something the other desperately needs.  She needs my reason and stability.  I need her warmth and support.  The burden of life is easier because we carry it together."

Some might say that this is sexist or condescending, but I like it.

Champion Eater

In 2009, Steve Hendrix of the Washington Post mentioned a lady who can eat us all "under the table."  While only 5 feet tall and weighing 100 pounds, Juliet Lee is a competitive eater, ranked 11th in the world. In various contests, she has famously downed 34 hot dogs, 22 pork barbecue sandwiches, 48 tamales and 5 dozen miniature hamburgers.  She has also eaten 31 dozen raw oysters, 23 dozen cherrystone clams, 13 slices of pizza, 5 pounds of ribs and 43 inches of a cheesesteak sub.

This superwoman was raised in China and lives in Germantown, Maryland.

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TRIAD; Lawyer/Chauffer; Co-ed Guns; Kids' Charity; Hosptital Hack; Human Predators; Letter to President; Silent Call Scam; IRS Scam; Armed Animals

Coolish and kind of sunny.  In the morning, I held my February TRIAD meeting.. not many attendees, but a lot of information was passed around.

In the PM, I attended the Great Decisions session on immigration. More about that at a later time.

TRIAD Topics

Items discussed at the meeting:

Lawyer/Chauffer:

A Baltimore City lawyer is being charged with driving a getaway vehicle for the holdup of a Yoghurt shop in Owings Mills.  (I thought that lawyers usually chased after incidents and accidents, and didn't participate in them.  I guess she felt the need for a little excitement.)

Co-ed Guns:

Concealed handguns will soon be allowed at the 50,000 student University of Texas.. but not in the dorms or labs.   I believe it will be effective on August 1st.  Lots of Carroll County folks think that is a good idea, but such a law would never get approved in Maryland.

Kids' Charity

In New Zealand, where prostitution appears to be legal, a brothel is fund-raising to provide lunches for poor kids in school.  Some folks there think that this will tarnish the children's psyches.

Hospital Hack:

For some reason, I had not heard of this.  A hospital in Oklahoma City has had its records hacked, and even after paying a $17,000 bitcoin ransom,  the records have not been released.

Predators:

Curtis Bay, Maryland:  I quote: "Two men have been arrested and charged with beating an 83-year-old woman during a home invasion."  The "men" are 20 and 17 years old.  They definitely are not "men" in any sense of the word.  They are young stupid punks, who now get to find out what the punishment is for false imprisonment, home invasion, first-degree assault, burglary and "related offenses."

Child Pornography

Solomons, Maryland:  A longtime swimming coach at St. Mary's College of Maryland was arrested on child pornography charges by displaying obscene matter to a minor.  A search of his home revealed digital media with disgusting images.  Here is a 45 year old man with a long career... doing a stupid thing that will destroy his life.  And what effect did his action have on the impressionable mind of a youngster?

Another "Sweetheart" ,, Pornographer

Upper Marlboro, Maryland:  A 22 year old elementary school volunteer has been arrested and charged with sexually abusing 16 children, one of them at a local church.  Here we go again.. another dumbbell preying on innocent children.  Did Dante find a level in Hell for guys like this?

DeWees' Open Letter to the President

Angry because the President had not yet mentioned eight American police officers who have been killed in the last eight days, Carroll County Maryland Sheriff, James T. DeWees, sent a letter to the President.  The letter was polite, but to the point... I quote: "I'm not shocked that you haven't openly reached out or acknowledged publically the recent rash of deaths in law enforcement, but I am tremendously disappointed!" 

AARP and Scams

The AARP Bulletin for January/February 2016, lists several new scams that should be avoided, we only talked about a couple:.. however, you should try to get a copy of the Bulletin, it's very informative:

Silent Call:

The phone rings and  you pick it up and say: "Hello",  but there is no one on the other line.  This is probably one of the new types of robo-calls, an automated way for the "bad guys" to have their computers learn that there is a "live body" at the number called... and this "live body" can then be a target for theft. 

So.. people need to do what we have been preaching for years... get a telephone with an answering machine, and get "caller ID".. and then, do not pick up the telephone when the telephone caller information is not familiar.  People you know will leave a message and  you can call them back.

IRS Scam:

Caller identifying themself as being from the IRS, asks for money that you didn't know you owed. Do not send them any because IRS does not call people on the phone and ask for money.

Animal Gun Control Needed?

AARP:  A recent report recorded ten cases of dogs shooting people since 2004, usually in hunting accidents.

The Washington Post found only one case of a cat shooting its owner.

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Furnace; Catalog; Product Reviews; Shower Radio; Back Shaver; Shower Mirror; Electrolysis; Toe Alignment; Light Therapy; Hot Water Bottle

Warmish.  Our furnace gave out last night and the house started to get quite cold.. a call to our Security man got him to come to take a look.  He cleared out a clogged line, but it still wouldn't work, so he had to contact one of the maintenance men who is "on call".  (Can't let old-timers live in a house without heat.)  One of our long term maintenance buddies came in and fixed it quite handily.. and while he was here, he fixed the lighting in the furnace room.  Nice guy.

Once in a while, I perform a vital service by reviewing a store's offerings or a catalog's offerings.  My thoughts are given freely and with not a lot of research (I'm not Consumers' Reports.)  If you like, just ignore my entries, I won't mind, but you might want to think about these items when trying to decide what to buy for your latest "squeeze."

Sharper Image Catalog Items

Items for Men:

Weatherproof Shower Radio

Don't miss the dulcet tones of your favorite AM radio DJ while you scrub off the accumulated filth of the daily grind.  Also, if you go fishing... take this radio, because, if in your excitement on snagging a 500 pound Marlin, you drop the radio in the sea, don't despair ... it floats.  A bargain at $99.99. 

Electric Back Hair Shaver

Women definitely do not like a man with "caveman back."  So get rid of it by using this special shaver that allows you to have full access to your rear areas.  Only $69.99.

(In the Service, some guys look like Neanderthal Man or Sasquatch, with hair all over their bodies.  That's usually ok, unless they develop "dingleberries"... these are little round objects consisting of unmentionable bodily excrement that loves to stick to hair and is not easily removed by the host.  Therefore, it behooves his barracks mates to give him a "GI Shower."  Sometimes, the offensive hairy areas are shaved whether the host wants it or not.)

Heated Fog-free Shower Mirror

Those guys who like to listen to their radio in the shower, probably also like to shave in the shower.  If so, this mirror is something they would like to have.  For only $119.99 you get one that has 1x and 3x magnification.  (The 3x magnification would be good for checking out those areas of your body that are hard to see normally because of your fat belly.)

Items for Women

Cordless Portable LED Home Electrolysis Kit

You can roll this over your unwanted hair (eyebrows.. mustache... legs... ) and if you do it enough  times, no more hair will grow on that spot.  For just $99.99.

Here in Westminster, there is a lady who has a nice black mustache.. I've always wondered why she has never shaved it off.  Maybe she thinks that if she shaves it, it will come back again and again and she will have to keep shaving.  It is kind of hard to keep from looking at it when you are talking to her.

During World War II, my mother (a fantastically beautiful woman by the way) decided that she did not the way her eyebrows looked, so she began to shave and pluck them... the result:  the hair did not grow back and she had to draw her eyebrows for the rest of her life.  She still looked good though because she was good at drawing. 

Full  Face Professional Light Therapy System

Using 262 lights (count -em.. 262) in one small package,  one can get rid of wrinkles and acne by shining them on your face for just 8 minutes a day.  The price of beauty is just right at $349.99.

(You might want to consult with your dermatologist first.)

Moisturizing Toe Alignment Socks

Are your toes dry? Are your toes crooked?  Well these socks may be just the thing you need.  They cover your feet, except for the toes, which are forced to stick out as God intended.  Where the moisture part of the package is, I'm not sure.  Only $59.99.

Remember: Moses supposes his toes is a rose, but Moses supposes erroneously.

Something for Everybody

Electric Hot Water Bottle

Fill it up, plug it in, unplug it when it's at 160 degrees, and stick it where it will feel the best.  And just for $59.99.  

Remember that hot water bottle that still costs less than $8?  You had to heat the water and fill the bottle.  Lots more work, but less risk of electrical shock and a lot less expensive.. and it works just as well.

There.. I hope you found something of use in my review.

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Immigrants; President Obama; Youth; Happy Marriage; Women and Guns; Swimming Pools

Heavy rain and winds.. but temperature in the upper 40's.  Most of the snow is gone now.

Some more ramblings:

Home Town Sheriff riles the Ignorant

Southern Poverty Law Report:  Sheriff Thomas Hodgson (from my home area: Bristol County, Massachusetts) claims that 25 Americans a day are killed by undocumented immigrants... a claim that has been discredited... His claims caused 24 people to dress up in Revolutionary War garb and picket the White House. 

These cretins made up signs  condemning President Obama.. some said: "Hang the traitor!" and "We've got rope!"  and "Don't snap his neck, you watch him choke to death."  Come on, guys... this is the President of the United States of America.  Pay him some respect.  Also, check your facts before you vent your spleen.

Fountains of Youth

A woman observed a little old man rocking in a chair on his porch.  She asked him:  "I couldn't help noticing how happy you look.  What's your secret?"

"Well," he replied, "I smoke 4 packs of cigarettes a day, drink a case of whiskey each week, eat lots of fatty food, and never exercise."

"Wow!"   she said, and how old are you?"

He replied: "23."

Happy Wife, Happy Life

Funny Paper: David Martin lists some advice from the Toronto Globe and Mail:

"Men are beginning to understand that doing housework... unprompted goes a along way to creating marital happiness.. Intimacy is not just for the bedroom, in other words, Foreplay can begin with a dish towel."

Women Love Guns

In Texas.. women who observe the open carry law, can buy Bra Holsters and also "gentle magazine loaders."

In Arizona, at a store I believe is called "The Well Armed Woman", ladies can purchase the "hottest" item, "the concealed carry purse."

Time for a Nice Warm Dip in the Pool?

Mental Floss:  Shaunacy Ferro answers the question: "Why do my eyes turn red in the pool?"

She sez: "It's all the nasty stuff .. urine, feces, sweat, dirt mixed with the chlorine.  When someone pees in the pool, for instance, the nitrogen in the urine combines with chlorine to form a chemical irritant called chloramine.  That's what makes your eyes turn red."
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Recidivists; Pimp; ED; Viagra; NRA; Disability; Kosher Deli; Food Restriction; Sunday Sermon

More snow... but tomorrow is supposed to be warmish again.  Crazy weather.

Ramblings:

Clever Saving:  Saint Francis of Assisi sez:  "Preach the gospel at all times.  Use words if necessary."

The Worst Recidivist in New York

New York Post:  the top guy of a "targeted ten"... a list of the worst petty criminals in Manhattan:

G. Johnson, age 56.. First arrested in 1983; last arrested on December 15, 2015.  He has been arrested about once every 76 days since his first arrest.  Some of his crimes:  reckless endangerment, assault, criminal possession of a weapon, menacing, obstructing traffic, sexual abuse, robbery and criminal trespass.  Wow!

The Post also mentioned a guy being held as a pimp.. some of his "girls" described him as a "good person," even one lady who said he repeatedly burned her arm with an iron,  broke her tooth, and busted her lip.

The bad guy said:  "My pimpin' ain't made for weak bitches... these hoes committed voluntary sex acts moved by the spirit of free will."

When one of his "girls" disrespected him, he told a pal: "I stomped that bitch ribs."

Hold the Viagra!

Kentucky Democratic Representative Mary Lou Marzian has introduced a bill that would require men who need an erectile dysfunction drug like Viagra to visit a doctor twice and get a note from their wives.  Mary sez: "I want to protect men from themselves.  This is about family values."

They're here!

The Week: A speaker at the National Rifle Association's (NRA) annual convention told attendees that they should arm themselves against Islamic extremists who have seized control of cities across the U.S. ... and more arrive every day across our "porous borders."

The American Disabilities Act?

The Week:  When a San Diego, California man attempted to board a bus in his wheelchair, a transit cop took away his transit pass because he did not have proper proof of a disability.  The officer also wrote him a "ticket."

Kosher Rodents?

New York Post:  A kosher food supervisor was fired when he complained that: bugs covered the vegetables, rats ran rampant and meat returned by customers was resold. He said that when he complained  about the insects, his bosses told him: "Wash the insects off of the vegetables." and "Don't worry, it's protein."

We eat a lot!

Science News:  In a Salk Institute study, when subjects confined their eating to 10 hours a day, their calorie intake dropped 20% and they lost 7.2 pounds on average.  (Could you adhere to the 10 hour limit?)

Church Service

As a family came out of the church, after the Sunday service, the preacher asked the young son  how he liked the service.  The kid immediately replied: "Pretty good show for only one dollar!"

Valentines Day; Love Poem; Lewis Carroll; HSBC; Middle East; Belichick; PREPOP

Happy Valentines Day!  

 

How about a love poem?  This is from Charles Lutwidge Dodgson (alias Lewis Carroll)..  do you see something different about it?

LOVE AMONG THE ROSES

"Seek ye Love, ye fairy-sprites?
     And where reddest roses grow,
Rosy fancies he invites,
And in roses he delights,
     Have ye found him?"  "No!"

"Seek again, and find the boy
     In Childhood's heart, so pure and clear."
Now the fairies leap for joy,
     Crying, "Love is here!"

"Love has found his proper nest;
     And we guard him while he does
In a dream of peace and rest
     Rosier than roses."

Yes... If you take the first letter of each line, you find an acrostic on the name of Miss Sarah Sinclair, the addressee of the poem written in 1878.

Valentines Day Assault on the  Pocketbooks of New Yorkers:

In today's New York Times, the Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation (HSBC) took out a full-page (very expensive)  "happy face" advertisement of a dad and his daughter.. with the tag line: "Saving for her sweet sixteen.  It starts now."

If you open a "promotional savings account" of at least $1.00, you can earn the staggering amount of 1.01% APY (just until April 2016.)  If a minimum account balance isn't set up and maintained, a monthly fee of $50 may be charged (fine print.)

Valentines Day in some Arab Countries?

Have you thought about the suicide bombers who are extremely sexually frustrated and think that their itch will be scratched by the crowds of virgins waiting for their sorry asses in heaven?

Kamel Daoud writes in the  New York Times today that in some places, groups of local youths worked up by the speeches of radical imams monitor female bodies at bathing beaches, and hound married couples who display affection in public places.  Some gardens are off-limits to strolling couples. Benches are sawed in half to prevent couples from sitting together.

Kamel mentions also some "grotesque" fatwas:  making love naked is prohibited; women may not touch bananas; a man may be alone with a female colleague only if she is his milk-mother, and she has nursed him.  ..  No wonder there is so much warfare in the Middle East, with all those frustrated folks roaming around.

From Baltimore to Sweet Heaven

Robert Strauss writes in the New York Times, that Bill Belichick is reported to be the highest-paid coach in professional sports, with an estimated salary of over $7.5 million dollars a year. Think back to when he was an assistant coach for the Baltimore Colts.... at that time he made $25 dollars a week.

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PS:  By the way.. the Urban dictionary defines PREPOP as "the small amount of soda that squirts out when opening the can."

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Justice Scalia; Voter Fraud; High School Grads; Whale Bones; Pope to Patriarch; Prison Riot; Metabolism; Trees; Hearing Aid

Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia died yesterday at the age of 79.  Although I violently disagree with most of his writings on the Court, I think that he was a great American, and should be honored by the President for his many years of service to his Country.

I'm reading where there will probably not be another appointment to fill his vacancy this year.. I hope that is not the case.   I hope that the President will nominate someone whom the Senate will confirm, even though they might be more liberal than Judge Scalia.  A liberal on the Court could mean that some decisions might be revisited... such as the Citizens United fiasco of a decision.

Other Stuff:

Voter Disenfranchisement

The Nation magazine  sez:  There are 318,000 registered voters in the State of North Carolina who lack the government-issued ID required to vote under a stringent 2013 law designed to stop voter impersonation.   They also point to the fact that no (I repeat NO) people have been prosecuted for voter impersonation in North Carolina during the last decade.

High School Graduation Achievement

Good news for Carroll County, where I live.  The overall high school graduation rate in Maryland right now is 87%.  The following list shows where the best results are being made:

Carroll County  96%  (the highest in the State)
Howard County 93%
Harford County 90%
Baltimore County  88%
Ann Arundel County 88%

Another achievement occurred in Baltimore County where the % of black graduates has now equaled that of whites.

"Them bones gonna walk around..."

The luggage of a BWI passenger was filled with bones...which the passenger said was "whale bones"... they are being analyzed now and if they are whale bones, he will be guilty of an environmental crime.

Papa meets with Papa

Pope Francis met with Russian Orthodox Church Patriarch Kirill at Havana.  Their main point of discussion was the plight of Christians in Iraq and Syria, who are being slaughtered by ISIS.

Prison Life in Mexico

Those who have watched Orange is the New Black  will be interested  in the riot at the Topo Chico Prison in Monterrey, Mexico.  A  total of 49 prisoners were stabbed or bludgeoned to death by other prisoners...in addition, the following items were confiscated:  60 hammers, 86 knives; 120 "shivs", marijuana, cocaine, televisions, and "USB memory sticks."

At Last.. a Way to Raise Metabolism!

The Bottom Line/Personal newsletter sez:  The Thrombosis Research Institute in London  has found that cold water stimulates immune cell production.  Apparently, during and after a nice  cold shower, the metabolism is speeded up as the body tries to warm itself and this activates the immune system.

I want mine!

Yale researchers have estimated that there are three trillion trees on planet Earth.  That comes out to be 420 trees for each person alive today.

Hearing Aid

Elaine told me a joke which I think she read in Readers Digest:

"My father kept asking for things to be repeated, but he did not think that he needed help with his hearing.  So, one day, I sat him down and told him that he definitely needed a hearing aid.

He looked me straight in the face and said: 'Why do I need a hand grenade?'"

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Valentines; Etch A Sketch; Beyonce; Red Lobster; Goodwill; Kale Salad; Meat Kiosks; Red Carpet; Allegator Window; Student Bunnies

Yesterday was a funny day.  My Hearing Aid doctor did not appear at the time set for my appointment.. so, after 20 minutes, I canceled out.  Next.. Elaine accompanied me to see my new dermatologist, Steve Yang... a nice young doctor who told me that I didn't look anywhere near my chronological age... of course, his Chinese culture reveres older persons..  anyway, he spritzed three growths that are probably at least pre-cancerous and I'll know more in a few weeks.

Next... I bought Elaine's Valentine's Day gift... a heart-shaped box filled with a pound and a half of chocolates from her favorite sweet shop.  She, in turn, bought me a whale-shaped coat hanger, a very nicely made item.

After that, we joined the scantily clad frozen WalMart customers.. to stock up on things we probably could live without.  We do that about every month... because Elaine loves to shop.

Overall.. a nice day... but Goddammit! Its cold!  How did I stand growing up in Massachusetts?  I guess my blood has thinned.

Things to think about:

Etch A Sketch (and Doodle Sketch), owned by an Ohio firm, was sold to a Toronto Company.  This great toy was invented by a Frenchman in 1955.  Its been put together for years by a factory in China.  (My son, Chris, could always create a nice cartoon picture using Etch A Sketch, but I was not that talented and was easily frustrated when I tried to use it.. a similar story concerns Rubick's Cube. )

This morning, Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me, as usual, had plenty of information about a lot of things, such as:

Beyoncé  wants to take somebody's ass to the Red Lobster after ... well, you listen to the song.  Anyway, that restaurant has experienced a big jump in business since her song came out.

If you have an "X", Goodwill Industries would like you to donate your "X"'s "left-behind stuff" to them.  I guess that means clothes, books and undies.. for which, you may get an income tax deduction.

(Last night, at WalMart's, my blood sugar got low and I succumbed to a McDonald's cheeseburger... I didn't expect much for $1,26, and I was not proven wrong... it did solve my blood sugar problem.)  At that McDonald's in WalMart, I did not see an advertisement for the following offerings now given at McD's in Canada:

Double Big Mac  (calories?)

Kale Salad  (same calories as a Double Big Mac... I think they said 800.. wow... that must be some potent kale. ( Besides.. isn't kale only used in that delicious Portuguese Kale Soup... that I can make sometimes.?)

Parisians can now buy "fresh" meat from vending machines!  Would you try a pork chop that was dispensed from a machine on the left bank? (My uncle Billy bought a truck and I helped him deliver fresh meat throughout New Bedford, Massachusetts... but only for a couple of weeks... because, he learned that people would rather get their meat at a butchershop.)

Egyptian President  Sisi has been on a Government austerity kick for a while, and is now getting criticized for having two miles of a Red Carpet laid down for him to drive over.

At a Wendy's in Florida, a customer paid for his fast food by throwing an alligator through the drive through window. (As a Wendy's shareholder, I want to  know... was the food that bad?)

Simon Newman, President of St. Mary's Catholic University in Emmitsburg, Maryland, caused an uproar when he said that freshman students should be "treated like bunnies, and be drowned or shot." The members of the student body are trying to get him impeached.  (They will probably succeed.) 

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Protein; $2 Bills; Prayer; Cactus Art; Boobquake Day; Ivy League; Road Name Change

Cooold! And tomorrow it will be colder.  I guess Winter really is here.

Rambling:

Mens Fitness magazine:  Protein Sources: (per 100 grams)

Lean Beef:  36 grams
Chicken Breast:  32 grams
Yellowfin Tuna:  30 grams
Sockeye Salmon:  27 grams
Pork Chops: 25 grams
Halibut: 21 grams
Eggs:  13 grams
Yoghurt: 10 grams

$2 Bills:

They are now worth $2.. so stop hoarding them.  We used a lot of them when I lived in Massachusetts, but I've never encountered one here in Maryland.  In fact, according to this magazine, in 2005, a guy in Baltimore tried to pay a bill at a Best Buy with $2 bills.  The clerk thought the bills were fake and called the police, who arrested the guy.  I hope they didn't keep him long.

I have some $2 bills... should I go to Best Buy and try to spend them?

The Week Magazine: sez that the election of Obama caused gun folks to think that their guns might be confiscated, so they panicked and bought more.  From 2009 to 2013, gun makers almost doubled their annual production of guns.  (From 5.6 million to 10.9 million.)

Prayer

Since the Supreme Court  recently ruled in favor of Christians asserting their right to open town meetings with prayer, other religionists are popping up, such as:

A Satanist who asked some towns in Florida if he could open their town meetings with a prayer to his "Dude in Charge."  So far, nobody has taken him up on it.

In the Eye of the Beholder

A fiberglass cactus worth $50,000 was knocked over by vandals in Albuquerque, and garbage men, thinking it was garbage, took it to a landfill where it was compacted and buried.

Boobquake Day

Back in 2010 a group of female Iranian students combined to weare revealing outfits to mock a cleric's claim that earthquakes were a divine punishment for immodest dress.  Coincidentally, a  6.5 magnitude earthquake hit Taiwan of the very day of the protest.

So sue me!

A fourth grade mother is suing because a school is not preparing her daughter for entrance into an Ivy League school.

Smart Move

Butt Hole Road has now had a name change in England. (I don't know what it was changed to, but does that matter?)

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MyChart; Trump; Sanders; Cruz; New Hampshire; ISIS; Guantanamo; Borges; The Total Library; Library of Babel

Getting colder.

Well... here we go again with MyChart medical records... once again, their support was no help at all.  I guess they don't want me to be able to log in and see my test results.  If I had this kind of help desk and programming when I was a manager at Social Security... some folks would have to be reassigned.

Ramblings:

Trump wins for the Republicans.  Followed by Kasich.

Sanders beat Hillary for the Democrats.

Suspicion.. since I think that a Trump nomination will be the death of the Republican Party.. I would suspect that other Independents like me and Democrats think so too and might have changed affiliation for the New Hampshire primary to Republican.. so they could help get Trump selected.   (Dumb idea?  Maybe not.)

Ted Cruz

Frank Bruni writes for the New York Times from Manchester, New Hampshire:..

Frank feels that Cruz is craftier and more devious than was realized...I quote: "He won Iowa with a wicked stew of Bible thumping and mischief.  On the trail, he spoke in messianic, apocalyptic tones about a country on the edge of an abyss;..."

Speaking of "messianic and apocalyptic"..  this is the message of ISIS. According to them, this is the End Times and they would like to get the U.S. to put "boots on the ground" and engage in the "Final War"...

President Obama has done a great job keeping our boots off the ground... thereby saving lots of lives.

By the way, one of the Guantamano detainees complains that his Internet connection has been taken away, and his Match.com profile was canceled.

The Total Library

In an essay in 1939, Argenntine writer Jorge Luis Borges discussed an imaginary libray that would hold not just every book ever written, but every book that could be written.   Remember all those monkeys at typewriters? 

Smithsonian magazine writes that the "Library of Babel" exists on the computer of Jonathan Basile in Washington, D.C.  Basile is only 30 years old, and has figured that since such a library would require storage space somewhere in the vicinity of 10 to the power of two million, he has developed a program that runs when someone plugs in text at libraryofbabel.info.   "The program displays all of the pages on which that text would appear if the library were real."

Got it?  Gonna try it?   I just did... Mensa fun!

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Firebug; Mercy Hospital; Civil War Nicknames and Slang; Secularism; New Hampshire Primary

Snow!  But its not sticking to the street.  I estimate that we got about 7 or 8 inches... this has not stopped our arsonist neighbor we call Burnie from burning a lot more pine in his outdoor caveman fireplace.  One of these days he will burn his house down.  It's just a matter of time.  Meanwhile, even though the smoke fills the air with its stench, we opt to live with it.. because, if we complained, I am sure that he would make sure that we smelled a lot more than we are smelling now.

Some of my doctors are tied into Baltimore's Mercy Hospital and someone somewhere had programmed a contact method, which is supposed to allow one to have access to one's medical records.  Nice in theory... lousy in practice.  I have been trying for over a month to get into my records using this communication method.  No luck. 

I keyed in my usercode and password.  They were rejected.  After a number of tries, I was advised to go to a website where a computer program would determine if I am really me.  I did so, and it gave me my usercode ... which happened to be my password.  So.. I said, OK ..  and tried that .. nope.. rejected again for bad usercode.  I tried a few more times.. no luck.  I was in "limbo" land.

My doctor's office gave me a telephone number to call... which I did.. they told me that my usercode was indeed my password and told me to make sure it was all caps.  So.. I tried it again... no luck.  I guess they really don't want me to know about my test results... then why the hell do they keep sending me non-accessible email messages to check my online information?  

There!  Now that I have vented about a couple of things.. I feel much better.


Ramblings:

Civil War:  Family Tree Magazine, in a 2011 article, listed some nicknames that Confederate troops used based on a soldier's home state:

Alabama - Yaller Hammers
Arkansas - Toothpicks or Josh
Florida - Gophers or Goober Grabbers
Kentucky - Corn Crackers
Louisiana - Tigers
Missouri - Border Ruffians
North Carolina - Tarheels
South Carolina - Rice Birds
Tennessee - Hog Drivers
Texas - Cowboys
Virginia - Tobacco Worms

The magazine also mentioned some Civil War slang.  I like a couple of these:

Bragg's body guard - lice
Flux, quick step - diarrhea
Grab a root - eat a potato
See the elephant - experience combat
Somebody's darling - a dead soldier

Secularism

Susan Jacoby writes about secularism in a New York Times article.. and I quote:

"...Politicians will continue to ignore secular  Americans until they are convinced that there is a price to be paid for doing so.  "God bless America' has become the standard ending of every major political speech.  Just once in my life, I would like the chance to vote for a presidential candidate who ends his or her appeals with Thomas Paine's observation that 'the most formidable weapon against errors of every kind is Reason."

Which brings me to the New Hampshire primary:  Why do they always want to be first?

My prediction:

Democrats

1. Sanders
2. Clinton

Republicans

1. Kasich
2. Trump
3. Christie
4. Cruz

but.. what do I know?

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Orange; Boston Strangler; Supreme Court; Cravings; Stress; Drones; Phone Fraud; Liquid Cayenne

Getting ready for snow.  We are supposed to get about 8 inches of the white stuff in the next 24 hours.  School kids have already used up all of their extra days and will be getting less of a summer vacation if schools are closed again.

Accomplishments:

Today, I watched the last episode (#39) of Orange is the New Black.  A powerful series.  A little pornographic at times, but true to life... at least, true to my early life experiences in New Bedford, Massachusetts..  I was friends with people of all ages, ethnicities, colors, religions, peculiarities.. most of them acted just like the empty-headed inmates of Litchfield Prison. 

And, my spirits danced with these women when a portion of their prison wall was removed and they ran out and into the pond next door.. splashing and playing in their freedom.. just like 6 year olds.

Even more empty-headed than their charges were the CO's (Correctional  Officers)..  and they reminded me  of a "near relative" of my late wife, Elaine.  He was a prison guard at Brocton, Massachusetts, and his charge was DiSalvo, the so-called "Boston Strangler."  This stressful job caused him to down close to a gallon of Portuguese wine each and every night.

Lesson: "Ladies, don't let your daughters  grow up to be inmates."

I also finished listening to the Great Courses Company course about the Supreme Court.  The Professor went into detail on 128 of the 15,000 cases that the Court has heard from its inception. The most contentious cases concerned race, abortion and religion.  Each case with one of these subjects was resolved with a very close margin... usually 5 to 4.. so, each could be overturned, depending on the make-up of the Court.

The most notorious, most reviled, most hated Justice was Roger Taney, who declared that blacks could never have status as citizens of the United States.. and also advocated for slavery to be extended to new U.S. territory.  And, no... the place called Taneytown in Maryland, was not named after him.

Ramblings:

Bottomline Personal is a newsletter that for 36 years has been giving life-helping information from experts in many fields.  Here are a few new tips from that newsletter, designed  to make your life healthier and more interesting:

Overcoming Cravings:  Cravings make people feel stressed, which, in turn, causes the body to release stress hormones.  Gentle tapping encourages the body to release those feel-good neurotransmitters: dopamine and serotonin.  So, when you feel like having a drink, tap five or seven times on:

The top of your head
One of your eyebrows
On your chin
Just under your nose
And a couple of other places...

The newsletter also says that an instant de-stressor is to close your eyes for four seconds. They say that Achim Nowak vouches for this method.

They remind us that we must register our drones if they weigh over a half pound.

They also warn us about "fat-fingered phone fraud."  Scumbag scammers buy 888 or similar telephone numbers that mimic real 800 numbers.  When people mis-dial... 888 instead of 800.. they will get the scammer who will sweet-talk them out of their credit card numbers, or such.

I'm not sure where I read this but it has been reported that liquid cayenne will lower blood pressure.  Only one drop per day is necessary.   I may try this.  Where do you buy it?

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Canada; Global Warming; Aspidistra; Prostitutes; Facebook; Coca Cola; Levant; Fields; Theodore Roosevelt; Politics;

Sunny and chilly.  Not much to this Winter.  I heard that Canadians are upset..  they cannot skate outdoors ...  there is no ice because of Global Warming.  I remember, in New Bedford, Massachusetts, when I was a kid... we had lots of days below zero and lots of days to ice skate on Buttonwood Pond.  Not any more, I've been told.

Ramblings:

Aspidistra, you know, the plant that always grows in bar rooms... it is virtually indestructible.. drunks throw up in its pots, sometimes pee in them, and nobody ever waters them.  But they survive.  Elaine has two big pots filled with the plant that she says is over one hundred years old.

One pot-worth was looking sickly, so yesterday we transplanted it to a bigger container, cut off the dead leaves and talked nicely to it.  Hopefully, it will recover... its a tough old plant.  Since this plant came to Elaine from her mother, she would like to pass it on the her daughter when she departs this globe.

If one travels on the Car-Train to  Florida, one can look out the window as the train passes through northern Florida, and see lots of these plants growing wild.  I've been told that they bloom every hundred years.  Wow!

Current Business Practice

Columbia University researchers say that 81% of prostitutes have Facebook pages and one quarter of them get their clients that way.

It's the Real Thing

The Week Magazine sez:  the secret Coca Cola recipe  is a mixture of lemon, orange, nutmeg, and neroli oils.. blended with coriander and cinnamon.

Oscar Levant said:

"Under this flabby exterior is an enormous lack of character."

W. C. Fields said:

"I am free of prejudices.  I hate everyone equally."

Political Outlook

From Espree Issue III:

A heckler once interrupted a political speech by Theodore Roosevelt by shouting, "I am a Democrat!"

Roosevelt paused, smiled, and said, "May I ask the gentleman why he is a democrat?"

A slightly inebriated voice replied, "My grandfather was a Democrat, my father was a Democrat, and I am a Democrat."

Roosevelt responded, "My friend, suppose your grandfather had been a jackass, and you father had been a jackass, what would you be?"

A Republican" was the instant reply.

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AARP; Homeland Security; Underwear Bombs; TRIAD; Pain; Mozzarella; Check Fishing; Trump; Cruz; Palin; Columbus Day; Punk Band Protests

Chilly.  This is the first Friday of the month, and that is the day for our AARP Chapter meeting.  Yesterday, I checked out the meeting location, and there was snow covering some of the handicap access ramp.. so, because I would not be able to push Elaine's wheelchair through the snow, she did not go with me to the meeting.  However, today, when I got there, I found that someone had shoveled the snow at last..  too late for Elaine to attend.

My buddy, Bruce Lohr spoke to our group about Homeland Security and how to look for terrorists, or at least suspicious activity.  It's a jungle out there, folks. 

Bruce mentioned a guy who had an explosive device hidden in his underwear.  Unfortunately for him, his sweat caused a short circuit and his pants began to smoke.  When his fellow (Dutch) passengers noticed this, they correctly took it as a threat and jumped him and started to hit him.  He said that he was really glad to be arrested because he was afraid these folks were going to kill him.

In today's news, another terrorist tried to blow up a plane in Somalia.. probably with another underwear bomb... but, somehow, his wires got crossed and he was blown sideways through the plane's fuselage and ended up being the only passenger that was killed.

Bruce Lohr is a great speaker and he has a repertoire of dozens of speeches about crime prevention.  I will be inviting him out to give his anti-terrorism talk to Carroll Lutheran Village.  Bruce is also the TRIAD coordinator for the State of Maryland and will be having a quarterly TRIAD meeting in March, where a noted "crime fighter" will be giving us tips on crime prevention.

Ramblings:

People with dark eyes are more susceptible to pain than people with light eyes, or so I've read.  True?

New York Post sez:

McDonald's claim that its new mozzarella sticks are "100% real cheese" is bunk, according to some folks who are suing for refunds.  McD sez that they use 100% low-moisture part-skim mozzarella cheese.  Are they telling a "whopper?"

New York police caught eleven members of  the Queens "Snow Gang" who were "fishing" checks out of postal boxes by lowering blocks wrapped in adhesive duct tape and reeling in their catch.  Quite innovative crooks, I would say.

Donald Trump suggested that Ted Cruz stole the Iowa Caucus win.  He would like to see either a new election taking place or a nullification of Cruz' results.  (Do you want cheese with your whine, Donald?"

Sarah Palin sez:  "Polls are usually only good for strippers and cross-country skiers."

The faculty at Brown University voted to rename Columbus Day as Indigenous People's Day. (How do all those members of the Providence Italian community feel about that?)

In Moscow, punk-provocateur band Pussy Riot released a music video this week that mocks Russian law enforcement agencies.  Nadezhda Tolokonnikova and two other band members were jailed for a while in 2012 for staging an anti-Putin protest in one of Moscow's cathedrals.  (So.. there is free speech in Russia!  How would the U.S. Supreme Court have handled the issue of anti-Government protesting in religious locations?)

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Genealogy; City Directories; Hettie Green; Black Sheep; Great Decisions; ISIS; Religion and Strife

Interesting day!  Genealogy group meeting in the a.m.  We studied City Directories.  One can find out a lot about their ancestors by searching through such directories.  I mentioned that when I was ten years old and a street person, I spent a lot of time at New Bedford's great Public Library, which was built with the use of a big bequest by Sylvia Ann Howland (daughter of  the richest woman in the world,  Hettie Green).  One of the features of the library was their collection of incunabula, which was open, free for all to thumb through and enjoy.  Taking a break from looking at that material, I discovered New Bedford City Directories.. and, at the young age of ten.. I did the work of a genealogist, even though I didn't know how to record what I found out.

Recently, though, I got waylaid by information in Boston City Directories.  I was searching for my Aunt Lurana and her family.   I found:  Lura or Laurana or Lurana Etheridge and her husband, William Ethridge, and her daughter, Pauline, and her son, William Jr.

The dates were a little off, but I was sure I had the right family.... but then, a short time ago, I came across an Ethridge family with a different street address in Boston.  There was a Lurana Ethridge, a William Etheridge, a Pauline Ethridge and a William Ethridge Jr.  How could they live in two places at the same time.. checking other years, I found the same thing.  There were two families in Boston with the same names.. for the same years.  What are the chances of that happening?  I hope I picked the right people... but I will need to check other information to make sure.

Next month, we will be discussing the "Black Sheep" in each of our families.  What?  You don't have anybody like that in your family?  Don't be so sure.

I need to find the Internet documentation for the outlaw who retired from being a bad guy, changed his name to Joe Vaughan, and settled in Arkansas.  Also.. that William Ethridge that I mentioned was supposed to have created storefront churches in Boston.. and scammed a lot of people.

In the P.M., I attended the second Great Decisions session.  This one was on ISIS.  We had a very knowledgeable speaker from Hood College in Frederick.  I learned a lot, such as the fact that ISIS has its own currency, garbage collection and other features that one would expect in a city-state.  I also learned that ISIS has a net worth of 2 Billion dollars.

Probably, the only real way to defeat ISIS is to somehow get it to go broke... by somehow destroying its purchasing ability or instituting sanctions against it and/or those who feed it arms and such.

Someone in the audience said that NPR had mentioned today that planes from 22 countries bomb Syria each day.  I wonder if that is true.

Also, ISIS would like to get American troops engaged with them so that the wars of  Armagedon (sp?) can begin.  ISIS members think that this is the "end times" and a messiah, perhaps even Jesus, will be around soon to lead their forces in destroying the infidels.

How many additional people would be alive today if it wasn't for RELIGION.  It always amazes me when I read how Nazi soldiers were praying to God to let them kill Americans... while Americans were praying to the same God to let them kill Nazi soldiers.  Japanese soldiers, ditto. 

ISIS would like to see a "reverse Crusade"...

Sunni vs Shia...   Protestant Ireland vs Catholic Ireland ..  Hindus vs Buddhists ..  the list will go on and on until humans learn how to get along.  Even in the U.S., there are so many hate-filled evangelicals...  but... I think that we are doing a lot better than anywhere else in the world right now in learning what the hell diversity is all about.  Look closely at each other.. we are more alike than different..  regardless of what hate-mongers try to make us believe.

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Carpenters; Death of a Child; Bill Cosby; Medicare; AARP;

Rainy day..  feels just like a Carpenters song... the other day I found a tape I had made with songs by the Carpenters.  Karen Carpenter, in my opinion, had a beautiful voice.. it was a real shame that she had to die so young.

Speaking of dying young... the Carroll County Times had an obituary today about a three year old child who just died of a brain tumor.  Why would an omniscient and all caring God allow a little child like this to die before being able to experience life?

Doctor Huxtable... I can't believe that he did what is alleged... yet.. we will find out because now a judge has ruled that cases against Bill Cosby can be heard.  Personally, no matter what he did, I think that his humorous sketches are hilarious.

Our day started with the electrical power being out for a couple of hours.  Probably had something to do with the buckets of rain descending upon us.  Thank goodness it wasn't snow again.

I attended the NARFE board meeting at the Westminster Senior Center... where lots of mentally and physically citizens were attending some kind of function in the main open area.  Some of the attendees were sound asleep while facilitators were trying to talk to them.  Kind of sad to see.

Later in the day, I spent a few hours at my General Practitioner's office.. I passed the examination and now I get to arrange next for a double open MRI, the filling of a hole in my teeth formed by the loss of a couple of fillings,  the arrangement to get the claws called toenails clipped, and a visit to my dermatologist to see if the weird growth on my left hand is cancerous or not.  Oy weh!  What a curse it is to grow old!

Did you know.... You cannot tickle yourself.    (try it)

Medicare

AARP came up with six ways to strengthen Medicare on its 50th anniversary.  (Thank heaven for Lyndon Johnson):

1.Notify everyone by mail about Medicare options before their 65th birthday.  Right now, such letters only go to those already receiving Social Security benefits.

2.  Let latecomers get coverage right away.  Right now, there are penalties for lateness in signing up and you can only sign up in an annual enrollment period.

3.  Let Medicare negotiate bulk discounts for Part D prescriptions.  Right now, negotiation is banned for Medicare, but not for Medicaid.

4.  Amend the three day rule.  (I'm mixed up on this...  I think there has been a change.. I need to check with an expert like Francis Kane.)

5.  Stop penalizing people who return from overseas retirement.  Now, if you haven't signed up for Medicare, even if you live abroad,  you will be penalized for lateness when you get back to the US.

6. Remove or raise annual limits on coverage for rehabilitation therapies.

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