RBION SMI

Thanks Ernie .....

President Obama's

approval ratings are so low now, 

the Kenyans are accusing him 

of being born in the United States.

Maybe it's the money .....

I have to wonder what threats were exerted, towards coaches, that made them agree to those inane, stupid, interviews they endure, during the game, answering some of the most stupid questions I have ever heard, generally asked by some young, attractive women, whose knowledge of the game is limited to the question that she asks.

Today, "What was your thought on the two interceptions your team had." What did she expect.

"Oh I just loved them, our kicking game is weak, so we practice interceptions, don't you just love them?"

"In both cases, they kept us from scoring, isn't that great?"

The actual reply was something like, "What kind of a question is that?"

When, in fact they derive so much revenue from TV, they will do what they are told.

"Each coach will endure a stupid, inane, question or two, either when leaving the field at the half, or coming back on to the field at the end of halftime. You will not smile or giggle, and answer each question, regardless of how stupid, seriously, without a snicker or a giggle."

"Here kid, is a toy, Merry Christmas, no, I ain't got nuthin to eat!"

Christmas will soon be here, the ads on TV, etc., are already focusing on "Toys" for children. Every child should have a toy at Christmas. I have to wonder where this started, and why a toy, why not a meal for hungry child.

I would like to blame toy manufacturers for keeping this alive, but it was pointed out to me today, the Wise men brought gifts to the Christ Child upon his birth. So, I can't blame J.C.Penney, or Walmart, gifts go back, way back.

I do think the myth has been perpetuated by Mattel and others, Christmas is for gift giving and especially "toy giving," to all children, regardless of their circumstances. Maybe the best thing that can be done is to "brighten" a child's life, even if just for one day. Maybe that one toy can erase the hunger, the living conditions, the cold, the utter despair, for just a brief period of time. Perhaps this is the best we can expect.

I have envisioned a fireman, handing a toy, to a dirty faced, cold, under clothed little boy, living with his family, under a bridge somewhere. Perhaps that's the best we can offer, a few moments of joy, that make the child forget. The "government" can't find them a place to live, or get his Dad a job, or even know they are alive. With all we have in this country, all we through away each day, it just seems ludicrous that the best we can do for this child, is a toy, every child deserves a "toy at Christmas."

Is that ..... really .... the best we can do. And knowing us, that was probably originated by a toy company, or a toy store or a retailer, to sell more toys. Firemen have a toy drive, TV stations have toy drives.

"Here kid, is a toy, Merry Christmas, no, I ain't got nuthin to eat!"

Full of turkey thoughts ...

Black Friday. Why can retailers sell their products for so little today? I guess I do not understand anything about retailing. I never understood sales. Montgomery Ward customers knew what to buy and when. If they needed something they waited for it to go on sale. Many are slaves to sales. Some slept out in the cold to be first in line for a ..... sale. I the XYZ company has to sell something for a dollar, today, how can they sell it for 50 cents tomorrow. Not for me to know.

Had a turkey drumstick and two wings for breakfast, along with half of a pecan pie, with milk, of course. Probably the same for dinner.

So much time and thought and preparation goes in to a holiday, and it is all over so soon. One is done so now we concentrate on the next one. I admit that I have a "holiday hangover." The "blahs." Just sitting and staring. I am noticing a lot of double characcters, spelcheck unerlinses much. I just checked, and my "Ambition Level Indicator" is not working.

OK, glad you asked. The one that stands out the most was in Reno, the late 50's. Dinner was progressing at home while I was at work. Someone stopped me at the bar as I was leaving to have a Thanksgiving drink. Jimmie Johnson was at the bar, asked him about "where" and he had no place to go. Invited him to dinner, called the wife, "set another plate." Turned out that many of my co-workers had no place to go, invited them, and more and more. I don't remember how many we ended up with, it was a house full, two stopped and brought turkeys, already cooked, from restaurants, others brought what they could find. We had much more than we needed, or could ever eat.  It was a memorable day, bringing together so many that would otherwise have been alone.

We ate, talked, ate some more, talked a lot, all brought up memories of past holidays. I got to know people, people that I worked with, but now, in a different way. We has shared a "holiday meal" together. I learned things about people that I never would have found out. Jimmie related much of his colorful past in the "joints" around the country, people he had met, familiar notorious names, Jimmie knew them.

We knew each other, co-workers, but that evening we were all "family." We were all closer after that evening, and it game me a memory I will never forget. If any are still with us, I know they thought these same thoughts today.

BLACK FRIDAY, yet, the Sun is shining in Ahia

Comfort while shopping at COSTCO

Here sits one of the most beautiful women in the world.

Sitting in COSTCO talking on her cell phone

Angie Harmon, in case you don't recognize her like this.

I took this off of her Facebook page, I hope it is OK to do that.

This was her comment.

"I'm not gonna lie, 

I really appreciate how Costco makes phone calls while shopping COMFY & EASY..."

Apology

I know it is a holiday, great season, but I had some hymns running through my head while showering and shaving ..... while shaving, this thought occurred to me ........

Songs a Pedophile never sings, or words he never wants to hear: 

Bill and Gloria Gathers beautiful hymn, even Elvis sang it

"He Touched Me"

It is a beautiful song and I apologize for this.

Please listen to this and then forgive me.

Now, the Season Starts ...... John is singing

A very humbling experience

As we know, Thanksgiving morning, cold outside, snow on the ground, I'm obviously sitting here at the computer, and Caleb enters the room, sits down near my feet, and gives me his "stare." It's his "C'mon dummy, I want something."

From experience I know he wants to go out for a short walk.

I take off my warm slippers, slip in to my boots, look around for a plastic bag, find his fancy leash thing, pull my hood up, and out we go.

Caleb has an unusual sense of smell and sight. He can see and detect odors that are far away. When he detects an odor on the ground, it takes him many seconds to analyze the source. Some he "remarks" with his own liquid, followed by at least two of those back leg kicking things, he really likes to do them, especially if there is something loose around that he can spread.

After much sniffing, and his signature "sniffing pattern" of rapidly going back and forth on the same spot, till it is just "right," he has a bowel movement. That is when I realize, I am 81, old, cold, standing here in my old hunting boots, sweat pants and my white "hoodie," watching this little black dog, have a bowel movement. And then, when he is done, I jump in to action with the Walmart plastic bag, reach down and pick up this steamy, fresh, "stool" that Caleb, who is now happy and ready to go inside.

Marilyn, my wife, is happy, when we go inside and she sees what I am carrying, "Oh, good, he pooped."

If I hit the lottery, well, no, I guess it would be ludicrous to hire someone just for that. Caleb is just doing his job, he makes me get up off the couch, put on the boots, walk around finding everything, gets me outside walking, bending and stooping, and, well he knows I need some "cardio" .... it's just part of his job. I should just be thankful I can still do it. Keep it up Caleb.

Came the dawn ... Thanksgiving

OK, Thanksgiving morning in Ahia, now, a little before 9. The turkey is in the oven at 325 degrees, about 5 plus hours for that. I did the pies yesterday, getting a ham broth ready for my green beans. I'm getting ready for the family at 3.

Apparently the parade in NY is ready for the cold and the wind, and will proceed as hoped. (someone just entered my computer realm, generally around 9, the keyboard now hesitates and is slow. Thanksgiving best wishes to you guys and gals at NSA, or whoever. Our cars get ransacked about once a week, not by them, locals who need money for the holidays, someone seems concerned about our glove compartment and goes through it often. I am thinking about leaving some mints or something for them. I will admit thought that the gloveboxes are more organized than they used to be ... and you will not believe how slow I am having to type right now. Come on, NSA, take the holiday off)

Back to to the parade, it is windy ... they are explaining about the problem with the winds in NY that could ground the balloons, it is complicated. I just learned that putting something on the stove does not mean it will cook, you have to turn the dial ....

I surrender to my computer partner, you cannot believe what all is happening with this keyboard. That o and a just jumped up to the first line .... and the up back there took seconds to type.

Greetings to all, I will be back on when THEY are off ................................. Oh, one last thought. Years ago, when I was younger, there was a parade in NY, which they televised. Now, it is a TV extravaganza, built around the concept of a parade, and occasionally, they show some of the parade. Tight now they are showing a Broadway parade, like live, no,  ...... and ........... Lady Antebellum (SP?) is going to be appearing, in the studio, of course, throughout the parade, life is good. Nothing is an event any more, everything is a TV show .....

No comment ..............

.....seems like we should do more ....

William Bradford (c.1590 – c.1657) was an English Separatist leader in Leiden, Holland and in Plymouth Colony. He was a signatory to the Mayflower Compact and served as Plymouth Colony Governor five times covering about thirty years between 1621 and 1657. His journal 'Of Plymouth Plantation' covering the period from 1620 to 1657 in Plymouth Colony is an important historic document.

My middle name is Bradford, and somewhere it is documented that I am a descendant of his. 

We were in Plymouth on one occasions, in a museum which also had a gift shop. I asked, jokingly, if anyone would pay $5 to shake the hand of a descendant of Bradford. I was informed that everyone working in the museum and store was related to him.. 

Reportedly, ONE out of SIX Americans is not properly fed. Some, even working, don't have enough to go round, and are hungry. ALL OVER TV this morning they are cooking gigantic meals, showing us how to cook for tomorrow. One place in New York, run by a Chef, does a million meals a year for the hungry.

Some Billionaires are giving away half of their fortunes. Cooking shows are on TV, 24 hours a day. I'm sure that somewhere, some hungry child is peering into a restaurant window, where people are spending obscene amounts on "upscale" meals. 

Something is wrong. Somewhere people are complaining because their "flight" was delayed. Someone is complaining because they are having a little trouble getting their Denali through the snow, or "John, turn the heat up a little back here, it's cold in this limo, be careful, don't hit that beggar there."

Communism isn't working, Socialism does not seem to work, a Democracy sure as hell does not seem to be working, "Them what's got, gets." 

The good news seems to be that none of the politicians, congress, the president will show one ounce of concern tomorrow, when they are stuffing themselves. Well, not sure if Obama observes the day or not he would be a little uneasy as it won't be halal. (I looked this up, not sure what it means, something about the way it was killed, similar to Kosher, I guess.)

I guess we should all just be thankful for what we have, share if we can, volunteer time and money, if we can, and just thank God each day for letting us live. I thank Him a few times a day for letting me live this long. Each day is a gift, from Him, I guess I should just be thankful and concerned about that.

To those who observe the day, Happy Thanksgiving. Well, wait a minute, what the heck does that mean, Happy Thanksgiving? 

Happy, the meaning ......

: feeling pleasure and enjoyment because of your life, situation, etc.

: showing or causing feelings of pleasure and enjoyment

: pleased or glad about a particular situation, event, etc.

On the TV news, some guy last night at an auction, spent 11.6 million dollars for an old book. Are we a great country, or what?

Have a nice day, today and tomorrow .............................

Thanksgiving Eve in Ahia

JOIN MY NEW COMMUNITY

NOT SURE WHAT IT IS OR DOES

BUT I HAVE ONE

SEE HERE

I just had to post this .....

I am not endorsing or promoting the food, just love that face!

Sandy Hook report offers chilling details about school shooter

So much in the news, they strive to know "why" he did it. As you read this, ALL the clues were there to indicate a troubled mind, and, they did no good. Perhaps the reason he did it was because he had a mother who looked the other way and she could not face reality. She may have been as much to blame, or more, then her son.

NEW YORK — The gunman who massacred 26 people at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., was obsessed with mass murders and so mentally twisted that his mother planned to move him out of state so he could attend a special school, yet she had him living in a home with firearms and ammunition and gave him money to buy a gun for Christmas.

The information was released Monday in the most detailed account yet of the Dec. 14, 2012, shooting that left 20 first-graders and six school employees dead and galvanized calls nationwide for stricter gun control.

The report from the Connecticut state's attorney in Danbury, Stephen Sedensky III, also gave a chilling account of shooter Adam Lanza's downward mental spiral and of his increasingly antisocial behavior in recent years.

Among other things, it said Lanza, 20, kept a spreadsheet of mass murders, hated to be touched, and did not allow anyone — including his mother, Nancy Lanza — into his bedroom. He covered his bedroom windows with black trash bags, disliked birthdays and holidays, would not let his mother put up a Christmas tree, and made her get rid of a cat because he didn't want it in the house.

As time went by, he only spoke to his mother via email, even though they lived together.

But the 48-page report, a summary of the police investigation that includes 78 photographs of the school and the Lanza home, does not offer a reason for Lanza's rampage or his decision to target the school.

"The obvious question that remains is: Why did the shooter murder 27 people, including 20 children? Unfortunately that question may never be answered," it said.

Thoughts on a snowy morning in Ahia

Morning TV is finally talking, this morning, about the upcoming holidays, oh, yes, I'm sure New York is crowded with shoppers, oh, OK, I imagine that electronics are at the top of the list, I agree, a lot of shopping is done on line, and buying, buying, buying. So that is what the holidays are all about. Buying and selling.

One thing I read was interesting:  "Retailers traditionally operated at a financial loss from January through November, and "Black Friday" indicates the point at which retailers begin to turn a profit, or "in the black". For large retail chains like Walmart, their net income is positive starting from January 1, and Black Friday can boost their year to date net profit from $14 billion to $19 billion."

It looks like weather is going to have something to say about Thanksgiving this year, apparently a storm is moving in. Weather has a way of dominating, anything. Some snow on the cars this morning, not much on the ground though, looks cold. There are even some school closings, I don't remember ever having "school closings" years ago.

I received an email from Sherrod Brown, an Ohio Senator, about the holiday and what he is thankful for. First was our schools and universities in Ohio, then, thousands of service personnel to protect us, then he went on .......  For all our blessings, we know there are challenges. We’re in the midst of rising rates of poverty and income inequality. Last year’s donors to food banks are today’s recipients. It’s that middle class squeeze that we see most acutely during the holidays – with rising energy, food, and shelter costs undermining any sense of financial security. Today more than 1.8 million Ohioans live in poverty. One of six Ohio families doesn’t know from where their next meal will come. Alleviating hunger in America – including hunger for food, work, and a fair shot at providing for loved ones – means eliminating the challenges many working- and middle-class families face. This is a burden we all share and must work together to eliminate. Ohio is blessed to have communities from Dayton to Youngstown that are dedicated to helping those hit the hardest get back on their feet.

What it boils down to, schools, service personnel and those who donate to all of those out of work. Just seems like something is wrong there.

What were the original Pilgrims thankful for .... "Their thankfulness was for the possibilities of religious freedom, taxation with representation, fair hearings before magistrates when charged with crimes, relief from oppressive monarchs and freedom to speak their minds without fear of reprisal. Many of the things taken for granted and rarely mentioned in the thanksgiving prayers of today are what they were thankful for."

OOOOHHHHHHH, the Pilgrims are turning over in their graves ..

The German incident would have made a good movie .....

Yes, I had a Chris Craft on a pond ................

Really, I'm OK. Yes, it's a rather small pond, and, yes, it is a Chris Craft, and, yes, that is me, going round and round on the pond.

Doesn't everyone have a Chris Craft on their farm pond?

Some thought I was losing my mind, some just thought I was nuts.

A friend and his gal rode around the pond with me. He kept saying, "Dooley, this is crazy, this is great, fun, neat, Dooley, you are crazy, this is so much fun, but, you are crazy. Let's go round a few more times."

I had two other boats, an aluminum 12 footer and a fiberglass pram that had been made out at the Owens Corning Fiberglas Tech Center when they were experimenting with their new product, fiberglass reinforced plastics. It was a great fishing boat, very stable.

About where someone is taking this picture was a spot where we did some swimming, there was a fairly shallow area near a spillway, the kids loved to play in the water down there. I would go to the end of the pond, turn around, open her up, get close to the shore, much nearer than I am here, do a sharp left, and the kids loved the waves coming in, and it did kick up a pretty good wave.

At night, I would turn the running lights off, idle about where this photo was taken, and to the right, was the dam, which was our driveway, and went up to the road. I had it times pretty good, I would hear a car, see the lights, shove the throttle all the way forward, run the length of the dam, make a sharp left, go along the bank that you can see, and there was a car, going down a deserted farm road, at night, and looking down to the left, was a boat, running light glowing, the mast on the back, lighted, and that Chris Craft sound, the low rumble. I saw many an owner later on and some related their shock and awe at the experience.

I quit though, one almost lost control, and swerved and was able to stop, but the headlights were right in my eyes. Shortly after that, I pulled it out of the water and was going to refinish her. I don't know why, remember, impulsive. I ended up selling the motor and, well, I'd rather not say what happened. Damned ADD...................

Black Friday

Black Friday is the Friday following Thanksgiving Day in the United States, often regarded as the beginning of the Christmas shopping season. In recent years, most major retailers have opened extremely early and offered promotional sales to kick off the holiday shopping season, similar to Boxing Day sales in many Commonwealth Nations.

Black Friday is not a federal holiday, but California and some other states observe "The Day After Thanksgiving" as a holiday for state government employees, sometimes in lieu of another federal holiday such as Columbus Day. Many non-retail employees and schools have both Thanksgiving and the day after off, followed by a weekend, thereby increasing the number of potential shoppers. It has routinely been the busiest shopping day of the year since 2005, although news reports, which at that time were inaccurate, have described it as the busiest shopping day of the year for a much longer period of time.

The day's name originated in Philadelphia, where it originally was used to describe the heavy and disruptive pedestrian and vehicle traffic which would occur on the day after Thanksgiving. Use of the term started before 1961 and began to see broader use outside Philadelphia around 1975. Later an alternative explanation was made: that retailers traditionally operated at a financial loss from January through November, and "Black Friday" indicates the point at which retailers begin to turn a profit, or "in the black". For large retail chains like Walmart, their net income is positive starting from January 1, and Black Friday can boost their year to date net profit from $14 billion to $19 billion.

For many years, it was common for retailers to open at 6:00 a.m., but in the late 2000s many had crept to 5:00 or even 4:00. This was taken to a new extreme in 2011, when several retailers (including Target, Kohl's, Macy's, Best Buy, and Bealls) opened at midnight for the first time. In 2012, Walmart and several other retailers announced that they would open most of their stores at 8:00 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day (except in states where opening on Thanksgiving is prohibited due to blue laws, such as Massachusetts where they still opened around midnight), prompting calls for a walkout among some workers. Black Friday shopping is known for attracting aggressive crowds, with annual reports of assaults, shootings, and throngs of people trampling on other shoppers in an attempt to get the best deal on a product before supplies run out.

We really are spoiled in this country ....................

One high priced, upscale grocery store ad states, "Why would you buy your lettuce where you buy your TV?" What does that mean? Trying to slam Walmart probably is not going to work. Perhaps their lettuce is less expensive because they make money on selling that TV. My philosophy, if I had been Sam, would have been, sell the produce and the canned goods at cost, to get them in the store, once in, we can make money on all the other products.

We were in a Walmart today, a Monday afternoon, and they were pretty busy. The store is loaded with a variety of products, a lot of them directed as gifts, and many I saw had full carts, a few of them had two carts.

We are a spoiled country. Go in to practically any store, look at the variety, the quantity, it is overwhelming. We are spoiled. We needed to get a ham for Thanksgiving. Many different brands, some sliced, a variety of prices, all reasonable, we got a basketball sized ham, fully cooked, for $15. I looked no farther, had a hard time fitting it in the fridge though.

And, as soon as she rung up the ham, they knew about it a their supply center, it was noted, and when needed, they will receive more of those hams. Walmart has the second largest computer system, second only to the Defense Department.

Miss Emma, a great granddaughter, has a birthday soon,, her Mother suggested a Fisher-Price Little People Disney Princess Songs Palace Play Set.Went to a website, could order it to be delivered to the store, with five options for delivery date. We went to our Walmart, about five blocks away, got one for $26. Other stores were in the 30,40 and 50's, how great is that?

THE STEUBENVILLE RAPE CASE ....

Guilty on all counts.

Two players from a storied Ohio high school football team raped a vulnerable, drunken 16-year-old girl during a series of alcohol-laced parties last August, an Ohio judge ruled Sunday.

Stunned by the verdict, Ma’lik Richmond, 16, and quarterback Trent Mays, 17, broke down weeping uncontrollably in the Steubenville courtroom. But the case is not over yet.

Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine said the court will convene a grand jury next month — an investigative tool sometimes used by the state to compel 16 people who refused to co-operate with police to testify about what happened in the one-time steel town that night.

More indictments could come.

DeWine also appealed to everyone in America to realize that rape is not a problem confined to Steubenville, but “a nationwide problem.”

“What happened here is shocking and appalling. But frankly, what is even more shocking and appalling is that crimes of sexual assault are occurring every Friday night and every Saturday night across this country, in big and small communities,” DeWine said at a news conference.

“We should not tolerate it anymore — as a people and as a country.”

National studies show that one in every five American women experiences rape or attempted rape in her lifetime — and that one in five girls and women who attend college experiences the same thing during their years of study. The trial drew national and international attention because of its sensational story of teens, booze, sport and sexual assault in small-town America.

But DeWine said there will be no closure for the town until he is certain that “no stone has been left unturned in our search for the truth.” The guilty boys apologized both to the victim and her parents Sunday.

This was an example of how "big" athletics has become in acadamia. I am speculating ONLY, that the coach was aware of it and tried to cover it up, "his boys"were just being "boys." Football rules in Steubenville, players can do no wrong. Here, they did, and thankfully, they are going to have to pay for what they did. It would be "fitting" to remove football from the school program. Common decency should be uppermost in the school curriculum and the football coach should nor "rule the roost." I am sure this scenario has happened in the past. I wonder what the football coach there made in comparison to the principal? At OSU, the coach makes more than the president of the university ..... what does that say? Would it not be ironic if they both, while in prison, were held down and raped by some big inmate and his friends ........ 

Walmart Day is a month away

Monday morning in Ahia, cold and cloudy and nor a good forecast for the day, and for the week, for that matter. Thanksgiving week. Columbus, Ohio, has some broken water mains and a railroad track crossing guard that won't go up. That is better than most mornings.

When I was a kid, we had "big" Christmas mornings, a plethora of gifts, As you know by now, my Dad was a Doctor, so we were well off. I got chemistry sets, Lincoln logs, a small pool table one year, a Lionel Train, those I remember, but much more. We put our tree up on the 18th, no outside decorations, then, that I remember, Mom and I would go to Rike's Department store the week before Christmas to see Santa, the fairy land the store had, and those fantastic window decorations.

We had Christmas Week, then, Christmas Day, and it was pretty much over for the year. We call it CHRISTMAS. It was a celebration of the Birth of Christ. Nativity scenes under every tree, in store windows, on church lawns, we saw the Three Wisemen, the Manger, Mary and Joseph standing nearby. At school we had an assembly, they recreated the Nativity scene, on stage, at Emerson Junior High School. After the assembly, on our way out of the school, we got a little bag with some Christmas candy, and some other items, our gift from the school. We even had a gift exchange in our class. Nothing over a dollar.

We went to church, once or twice, even participated in a "Christmas Play" put on by my Sunday School class, the church was tastefully decorated, to celebrate the "Birth of Christ."

Look at it today, one month away, and we are in the midst of a selling frenzy, radio, TV, not sure about the newspaper, never read one, but, we have the Internet, all selling items for the "Winter Holiday."

Christ has gone, sales have taken over. What to call the season. They have some "Summer Christmas Sales." Black Friday, now PRE Black Friday, then, all the SUPER selling days from Thanksgiving to That Day. First, we have to take the Christ out of the day. Sellmas, Bymas, Goodsmas, Frenzymas, "The Selling Season." I like that, or better, The Winter Selling Season. Or, The Winter Buying Season.

Maybe just call it the Season of Walmart and we'll have Walmart Day instead of Christmas. "Deck the halls with gifts from Walmart, tra la la, la la, la, la, la." Let's give credit where credit is due, who actually benefits the most from the season, Walmart

Another "head shaker" .... what? is happening to us?????

Amrit Marajh, 28, was charged with harassment as a hate crime after he allegedly punched the 24-year-old Orthodox Jewish man Friday morning.

The unidentified victim believes he was attacked as part of the deadly "knockout" game, where an attacker aims to knock out the victim with a single sucker punch, police said.

The violent game has been linked to assault reports in at least six states, and three people have been killed in suspected knockout attacks.

The unidentified Brooklyn victim said he was walking home early Friday morning in the Borough Park section of Brooklyn when he was assaulted and heard his alleged attackers daring each other to punch him out minutes before one actually assaulted him, according to police.

He said there was no question that the game was the motive for the attack, New York Police Department Commissioner Ray Kelly said.

"He makes a statement that he was punched in the side of the face," Kelly said. "He also makes a statement that just prior to it they were talking about the 'Knockout Game'."

New York City police arrested four men Friday in connection with the alleged sucker-punching. Only Marajh was charged, however, and the other three were released.

Well, it's Monday .....

So true ....................

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Sunday Afternoon

It is now around 1:30 on this Sunday afternoon, the sun is out, but it is bitter cold outside. I am sitting here, in one of those hypnotic quiet moods, no sound on the TV, the only sound is a slight ringing in my ears. The "quiet" is all around me. Oddly enough, I hear a clock ticking, and we have no clock that ticks. The quiet is quite loud, if that makes sense.

I look out the window on occasions, at that good friend, sunshine, and thoroughly enjoy this quiet. The TV tuner is about six feet away, so too far to reach for, the quiet and the sun, almost have me hypnotized, I am content just sitting, and looking out the window, this is peaceful.

I do hear the wind howling occasionally, I probably have not closed the front windows all the way down, another thing to put on my "list." Not right now though, my body does not want to move, for a while.

No thoughts running through my head, yet there is a kaleidoscope of memories flashing though my head, seems line 80 years of memories has flashed by. I am almost frozen in time yet, my eyes are darting around the room, taking in all of the images. 

Above photo is my view as I sit here. That little table, my Dad made, it is loaded with memories. Picture of my Brother, Mom and Dad, each item on there is a memory. Dice from Reno, a JOE buckle from Wyoming, that little bottle has a small boat in it, a souvenir from Canada, a tintype photo of my Grandfather Caleb, an Oakwood High School buckle from the 40's, a cup from Brad and Bernie, some items from Melissa.A birthday card I saved, to remind me that I am 81. The lamp has been around for 60 or 70 years, Mom liked it. 

On the wall in front of me, one back of me, and to my left, are mementos of the rest of my family and kids. Memories are good, quiet is good, hard to find a place that is really .... quiet. I remember back years ago, the old First UB Church in Dayton, on a few occasions, sat in the church, and learned what "quiet" actually was.

I am now being bothered by, a fly. I have eliminated many of them. I bought two fly swatters yesterday, one in the kitchen and one next to me. I have allowed this one fly to stay for a while, just to remind me that they exist. They did, however, apparently, scare the gnats away. In an earlier blog I told of my training of the  fflys to eat the gnats, I made that up. But the gnats are gone and I just have this one fly left. He is becoming a bother though.

I must get to work, I have to move a dining room full of items and place them back in the spare bedroom, which is probably where most of them came from originally. Need the dining room for Thursday. It is truly amazing how many items we can amass in a period of time. I just sneezed, nothing breaks a "spell" like sneezing, and, this last fly is really beginning to bother me. I think he is suicidal and is "flirting" with his demise, which may come soon.

Football team rallies around 6-year-old suit-wearing water coach

Danny Keefe has childhood apraxia of speech, which means he doesn't speak very well. He also loves to wear suits and ties, even though he's only 6 years old.

So when 11-year-old Tommy Cooney heard Danny was getting picked on at school because of the way he talks, he decided to do something about it.

He put on a suit and tie, too.

Their relationship began this past spring when Danny asked his mom if he could join the Bridgewater (Mass.) Badgers peewee football team as water coach. The team's coach, Thomas Cooney, said yes and Danny was given a football jersey like the rest of the team.

"But he asked Coach Cooney if it would be OK if he didn't wear the shirt, but he could he wear his suits and a hat to the games," Danny's mother, Jennifer Keefe, told Yahoo News. "He just feels more comfortable."

Six-year-old Danny Keefe prefers to wear suits and ties. 

She's not exactly sure where his affinity for dressing up comes from, but she says Danny's wardrobe consists of five or six suits and various ties to go with them. "They get pretty worn," Jennifer Keefe said, "because that's all he wears."

From the day he was born, doctor's warned Danny's parents that he would be severely disabled due to a serious brain hemorrhage, according to the Enterprise. "You can understand a couple words, but you probably can't understand the story he's telling you," Jennifer Keefe explained.

That's why Danny was picked on. Other kids call him a baby, his mother said.

One day, Danny came home from school sad that kids were picking on him. Keefe's older son, who is a member of the football team, told Tommy Cooney. Danny said, "I don't care what those kids think of me, it's only what I think of myself," according to Jennifer Keefe.

Tommy Cooney went to his mom and told her that he wanted to wear a suit to school.

"I thought it was so nice, I was so touched that he wanted to do that," Jennifer Keefe said. "Then, next thing you know, I'm getting texts from various parents saying, 'Where do you find suits? My son wants to wear a suit.' "

All told, 45 kids showed up to school in either full suits or shirts and ties, according to Keefe, who said it all began with Tommy wanting Danny "to feel loved."

"He was showing him he was loved by dressing like him." Danny's reaction to the boys swanky threads?

"Just his expression," Jennifer Keefe said — "his eyes got really big, and a smile, and then he said, 'They're dressed just like me!'"

And, now you know .......................

1928. The original Gerber Baby is Ann Turner, sketched at five months old by artist Dorothy Hope Smith. How old will your Gerber baby be this year?

Fremont Canning Company, owned and operated by Frank Daniel Gerber and his son Daniel Frank Gerber, were looking for a baby face for its new baby-food campaign that was to start in the later part of 1928. To find a baby face that it believed would represent the new baby food best, the Fremont Canning Company conducted a contest in the Summer of 1928. Many drawings and paintings were submitted. Some were elaborate baby portraits in oil paint while others were simple sketches.

Dorothy Hope Smith, of Westport, Connecticut, an artist specializing in children’s drawings, submitted an unfinished charcoal drawing that was closer to a simple sketch than a professional drawing. This five-month-old baby was drawn with tousled hair, bright blue eyes, and round pursed lips. Smith told the judges that, if the sketch was selected as the winner, she would finish it professionally. The drawing won; but, to her surprise, the judges wanted no changes to it.

In 1928, the "Gerber Baby" symbol was introduced to help identify the new product. It was first used in a baby-food advertisement in . Within sixty days, Gerber Strained Foods using the "Gerber Baby" symbol had gained national recognition and it was distributed to various places throughout the United States. It became internationally recognized.

'Penniless' man is worth $65 million, court rules - and must give wife half

By Estelle Shirbon

LONDON (Reuters) - One of Britain's longest and most bitter divorce battles culminated on Friday with a High Court judge branding a well-connected millionaire a liar and his ex-wife a conspiracy theorist.

Far from being "penniless and hopelessly bankrupt", as he had claimed, Scot Young, 51, was worth 40 million pounds ($65 million) and his estranged wife Michelle Young, 49, should get half of it, judge Philip Moor ruled.

"This case has been quite extraordinary even by the standards of the most bitter of matrimonial breakdowns," Moor wrote in his ruling, noting that it had taken over six years and 65 court hearings to come to trial.

The case has made headlines in Britain because of the size of the claims and the fact that Scot Young has enjoyed financial help from high-profile friends including Philip Green, the billionaire owner of the Topshop retail chain.

Michelle Young has run up legal bills of 6.5 million pounds, while Scot Young has served six months in jail for failing to provide full and frank disclosure of his assets.

The pair were married for 17 years until 2006 and enjoyed a lavish lifestyle of mansions, jet-setting holidays and gifts of diamond jewelry funded by Scot Young's investments in property, technology and start-up companies.

It all fell apart when the marriage breakdown coincided with what the husband described as a total meltdown of his business empire that left him "penniless and hopelessly bankrupt" with unpaid debts of 28 million pounds.

The judge said it was impossible to know the full truth of his financial position due to "the significant number of lies told by the husband to so many people over such a long period".

He ordered Young to pay his ex-wife a lump sum of 20 million pounds within 28 days.

Woman finds and returns $223,600 dropped from armored car

Probation officer Jessica Luebke left the Jefferson District state probation department office in Harvey, Louisiana and while driving she saw an unusual sight on the side of the road. What looked like a big 2 foot x 2.5 foot Ziploc bag was sitting near the curb. It took a while for Jessica to figure outwhat was in the bag but eventually she realized that it was filled with cash. In fact, the bundles of $20 and $100 bills totaled $223,600! Jessica told FOX News’ Shepard Smith, “I turned around immediately as soon as it registered what um, that actually was, that it was a huge bag of cash, I turned around immediately and called Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office.”

So where did the nearly quarter million dollars come from? It fell off a truck, or more precisely, an armored car that was transferring the deposit from Boomtown Casino less than 5 miles from the site where the probation officer discovered it. As reported by NOLA.com, Jessica was with supervisor Kewana Ceasor and the Jefferson Parish officers who were trying to determine how the money ended up on Scotsdale Drive, when the armored car pulled up. Jefferson District Administrator, Jon Reeves said that the armored car crew told them that they returned to the casino to retrace their steps once they realized the money was missing.

The Sheriff’s Office returned the cash, then it was deposited at the bank within 30 minutes. As Jon Reeves told NOLA.com, it was lucky that Jessica, a law enforcement officer was the one to find the cash and the situation ended well. We agree, especially after hearing Jessica say, “It was a great day because it actually was recovered. The thought of taking that money or doing anything with that money besides um, turning it in and calling the Sheriff’s office was not on my mind at all.”

If I had found it, not sure if we would be reading a similar story, probably, well, maybe, well, I think, well...

Words of Wisdom

Believe It or Not ................

Here's another one .................... GONE

The government is trying to eliminate all means of privacy in its citizens. They want surveillance cameras on us at all times. They want to be able to track our locations. They want to monitor our internet usage, read our e-mails, and listen in on our phone conversations. They want to be able to give us full body cavity searches for the most minor traffic code violations. Any excuse they can think of to violate our privacy. No secrets allowed.

Unless you work for the government, in which case they deserve all the secrecy and privacy they can get and all the money needed to cover up or lie about any scandals that happen to leak. And they still manage to call themselves “transparent.”

A new Ohio law prohibits the possession of secret compartments in vehicles. Their predictable justification is that they’re trying to crack down on drug traffickers. But what if they find a secret compartment in someone’s vehicle with nothing in it?

That’s still against the law, and it’s the reason one Ohio driver was arrested and charged with a felony, according to The Blaze:

Police initially pulled over 30-year-old Norman Gurley for speeding, but then noticed “several wires running to the back of the car,” WKYC-TV reports. The wires led the cops to a hidden compartment.

Even though a search turned up no drugs, guns or other illegal items, police were authorized to arrest him because the new law makes simply driving a “trap” car a felony. It was reportedly the first arrest made under the new law in Northeast Ohio.

“Without the hidden compartment law, we would not have had any charges on the suspect,” Lt. Michael Combs, of the State Highway Patrol, said.

According to WKYC-TV, the “hide” on Gurley’s vehicle was accessed electronically, “meaning you needed to perform a series of events in the correct order, and the the false floor seats or taillights would then pop out, revealing the secret compartment.”

Though there are some critics of the law, Combs argues that it helps combat criminals involved in the illegal trade.

“We apparently caught them between runs, so to speak, so this takes away one tool they have in their illegal trade. The law does help us and is on our side,” he said.

While it’s unclear if Gurley is involved in drug dealing, Combs said the “hide” in his car was big enough to carry several pounds of drugs.

They’re calling this guy a “suspect” already simply because he had a hidden compartment. There was no evidence to suggest that this man was a criminal, except that he took his vehicle to a velocity greater than what was arbitrarily chosen to be the “limit.”

What if that compartment was there when he bought the truck? And so what if he had it installed? There was nothing in the compartment, and there was no reason to search his truck in the first place if all he did was speed. But again, so what if he had a compartment that was hidden from public view? That, in and of itself, is not reasonable suspicion that a crime has been committed or is going to be committed. This is like saying that if you have a gun, it probably means you’re a criminal, because criminals use guns.

They often describe one’s vehicle as an extension of one’s house. Do you have a safe in your home where you keep valuables? Do you have a “secret” room hidden behind a bookcase? Should these things also be prohibited? After all, people might hide things like marijuana or even cash or gold there. Remember, no secrets allowed. The only people concerned about privacy and so-called “unreasonable searches” are criminals. So, if you have any kind of safe or hidden room or compartment, even the crawl space under a flight of stairs, the government will use that against you if they find out about it: “You may not have anything illegal in there right now, but all that means is that you’re ‘between runs.’” And then listen to the propagandists on the local “news” team congratulate the police for bravely getting you off the street and into a jail cell where you belong.

Willie Nelson’s band bus crashes into bridge pillar in Texas, three injured

Singer Willie Nelson has suspended his tour after three members of his band were hurt when their bus plowed into a bridge pillar in East Texas during rainy conditions.

The Texas Department of Public Safety says Nelson was not aboard in the weather-related accident around 3:30 a.m. CST Saturday on Interstate 30 near Sulphur Springs, 75 miles northeast of Dallas.

A statement posted on Nelson's website, hours after the accident, says this year's tour has been suspended indefinitely.

Trooper Sylvia Jennings says seven people were on the westbound bus, including the driver who was dealing with wet roads and high winds.

Two band members have minor injuries while the third was seriously hurt. All were transported to a Sulphur Springs hospital. Their names and conditions weren't immediately released.

Honesty is the best policy ....

This isn’t the jackpot you were looking for – move along.

Father and son deli owners from Long Island tried to pull a Jedi mind trick on a customer who came in with a $1 million winning ticket by pretending the prize was only $1,000 police said.

A 34-year-old man came into the Peninsula Deli & Grocery in Hempstead Thursday presenting the valuable scratch-off ticket to Karim Jaghab, the owner’s son.

Jaghab, 26, allegedly tried to convince the man, who didn’t speak English, that the $10 “Unwrap the Cash” ticket was worth a grand, handing him the dough and taking the ticket for himself — even though state lottery rules say he should have given the ticket back to the customer, Nassau County Police said.

But the man wasn’t buying it, and returned the next day to question Jaghab, who decided he needed to up the ante, police said.

“Ok, I will pay you $10,000 as long as you don’t involve the police,” he allegedly told the customer.

Jaghab’s dad, store owner Nabil Jaghab, 57, also got in on the lie, insisting the customer’s ticket was only worth $10,000, police said.

The customer got the truth when he called cops, who arrested the Jaghab’s on second-degree grand larceny charges. The two are scheduled to be arraigned today in a Hempstead court.

Even Crack-Smoking Toronto Mayor Has Higher Approval Ratings Than Obama

Toronto Mayor Rob Ford admitted to smoking crack cocaine, has been in "drunken stupors," and was caught on camera in an expletive-laced rant. But he's still having a better month than President Barack Obama.

Ford has the approval of 42 percent of 1,049 Toronto voters surveyed by Forum Research. The poll results, released on Friday, came as Ford saw most of his powers stripped by the city council in Canada's largest city.

South of the border, Obama must wish he were doing that well.

Ford, who was elected in 2010 on a pledge to cut government spending, also has said he bought illegal drugs and drove after drinking. The mayor has been lampooned on late-night TV for his erratic behavior, which includes a drunken rant caught on camera and knocking over a city council member.

Obama has also been the butt of late-night jokes over various fiascoes since his second term began in January — widespread snooping on Americans and world leaders by the National Security Agency, the IRS' targeting of conservative and tea party groups, and, lately, the botched rollout of Obamacare.

These scandals have caused the president's approval ratings to plunge to new lows in recent weeks.

A CNN/ORC International poll released on Thursday showed that only 41 percent of Americans liked his performance in the White House, the lowest level in CNN polling. Fifty-six percent said they disapproved, an all-time high in CNN surveys.

The CNN survey is the fourth released this week to put Obama's approval rating between 40 percent and 42 percent — and it is among several dismal polling results for the president released over the past three weeks.

Obama's approval rating has reached new lows or tied his all-time lows in surveys conducted by CBS News, ABC News/Washington Post, Quinnipiac University, National Journal Heartland Monitor, and NBC News/Wall Street Journal.

In fact, the CBS News survey released Wednesday put Obama's approval rating at just 37 percent.

Old Sayings

SMI - 11/23/13

Another Saturday morning, cold and cloudy in Ahia this morning, a little on the gloomy side, but we are supposed to see the sun some today.

If you read my blog yesterday, you are aware of my theory on the Kennedy assassination. I have always felt it was somehow an "internal" event. Shortly after it happened, I shared my thoughts with some friends, some scoffed, some agreed. I think now, after a 50th Anniversary of great proportions, I am in more agreement with myself than ever.

If, he was in fact, facing a terminal illness, he would have been known as the President who served a few years, got sick, suffered, and passed on. Not a very impressive legacy to leave. But now, this way, we celebrate his "assassination" every year, and this year, the 50th Anniversary of his Assassination. And, we still remember him as the young, vibrant, charismatic President, husband and father.

What greater legacy than that. Was it planned by his father, his family? We will probably never know, but in my opinion, yes.

Thanksgiving in a few days, in a way I love this upcoming season, and, in a way, I dread it. I look forward to fixing the diner, having the family that is here in Newark, for diner, but, as a "worrier" I am  glad when it is over. I always think of those who have nothing, no home, no job, perhaps a dinner offered to them by some well meaning agency or individual. A few moments with a good hot meal, some fond memories, relived, then, back to reality. I think of my fond memories as a child, the warmth of a nice home, a loving family, a table loaded with fine hot food, and have to wonder what memories those children will have.

When I dream of hitting the lottery, that one that was 500 million, I wondered how much "good" I could do with that, how many families could I help, how many homeless could I get off the streets. Every cold Winter night, I envision some small child, huddled with a brother or sister, trying to sleep on the ground, and more so, about their future. I honestly don't see how Obama can sleep at night as long as some child is hungry, homeless, living under a bridge. Or, how can any of us?

For those reading this that do celebrate the Day, a Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours. Love and Peace to the rest of my readers, all over the world.

Huh, I always wondered about that .............

I was going to put HELLO in different languages, too complicated ..........

The wonder of it all, not a complete week yet, but here are my "hits." I am in "awe" of this, so many from Russia and all those other countries. I really would love to hear from some of you, just a hello EMail if nothing else. Here is my EMAIL I really would like to hear from you. I know where some of you are, just not who. And, if there are any particular questions you might have, could answer those. I look forward to hearing from you. 

What did you think of my "Kennedy Theory?" I have felt that way for quite some time. Makes more sense to me than any other theories, and explains some of the "attitude" that I felt permeated the entire proceedings.

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