Still goin strong ..............

Dubai (AFP) - Roger Federer claimed the 84th title of his legendary career, kept his nose in front in his personal rivalry with Novak Djokovic, and equalled his best achievement at any tournament by winning the Dubai Open for the seventh time on Saturday.

The Grand Slam record-holder from Switzerland beat the world number one from Serbia 6-4, 7-5 in a colourful success which took Federer’s title haul here equal to those of Halle and Wimbledon. It also put him 20-17 up against Djokovic

Federer served superbly, his 12 aces taking his career total past 9,000, something only three other players have done since 1991.

Even more noticable was his risk-taking, the frequency with which he approached the net, and the commitment with which he attacked his ground strokes.

The victory was a fine riposte to those who said after his third round loss to Andreas Seppi in the Australian Open that his good days were now behind him.

"People are often saying how old I am – but who knows how many years I have left. I can still play with the best," the 33-year-old said challengingly

Should President Obama, or any President, be allowed to serve a third term?

Barack Obama - 

President of the United States from 2009 - ?

Here it comes, folks, I predicted it a few years ago ... and, I wonder if this is the start of something .... that will allow HIM ...... more time in office????????? Remember, there was NO WAY he could beat Hillary, there was no way he could win the election, there was no way he could get his ObamaCare passed, and no way he could win a second term ..... I have stated for years, he may be in that office .................... forever ..... SO, don't tell me it could never happen ... I think the "wheels" are slowly turning ..... he has little to nothing to say about his predecessor, maybe he already knows that there may never be one .............. he just sits back, puts his feet upon that gorgeous antique desk, and smiles ....... then ..... "Hey, get my plane ready, I think I'll go golfin."

With the anniversary of the 22nd Amendment on Friday, Constitution Daily looks at two hot-button topics: Should a President be allowed to serve a third term? And should members of Congress and the Supreme Court have term limits like the President?

The 22nd Amendment also bars a President from serving more than 10 years in office, in a case of a President who assumed office as Vice President.

For example, Vice President Gerald Ford took over for President Richard Nixon in 1974 and served more than two years as president. If Ford had defeated Jimmy Carter in the 1976 presidential election, Ford could not have run for re-election.

Long before the 22nd Amendment, George Washington had set an unofficial precedent in 1796 when he decided several months before the election not to seek a third term. But Alexander Hamilton and many Founders wanted a strong executive, and they opposed term limits as a concept. Thomas Jefferson and an equally influential group of Founders supported term limits for the President.

The only person to break from Washington’s precedent was President Franklin D. Roosevelt, with a record-setting four election wins. Before Roosevelt ran for re-election in 1940, most Presidents didn’t try for a third term in office, let alone a third consecutive term.

Roosevelt’s distant cousin, Theodore, came the closest to breaking the precedent in 1912, when he ran for President a second time. Theodore Roosevelt succeeded President William McKinley in 1901 and had served about 7 ½ years in the White House. Theodore Roosevelt passed on running for a third consecutive term in 1908, fully aware of the Washington precedent. But after a fallout with President William Howard Taft, Roosevelt sought a third nonconsecutive term in the 1912 presidential election. He lost the election but came in second ahead of Taft. (Woodrow Wilson and Harry Truman briefly considered seeking a third term but passed.)

After Franklin Roosevelt died in 1945, momentum built for a presidential term-limits amendment. Congress passed it in 1947, and it was ratified by the states in 1951.

Since then, several members of Congress have introduced bills to repeal the 22nd Amendment. The latest was offered by Representative Jose Serrano on January 4, 2013.

In fact, Serrano has offered the same bill since 1997–during the presidencies of Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama. The bills were tabled each time.

Representative Steny Hoyer offered similar bills in the past and current Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell sponsored a similar bill in 1995—during the Clinton administration. Barney Frank and Jerry Nadler also presented anti-22nd Amendment bills in the past.

There was no interest among legislators in pursuing a 22nd Amendment repeal, probably because most people are happy with term limits for the President. The odds of getting 38 states to ratify an amendment would be very, very steep.

Water, water, everywhere and not a drop to drink .................

Watching TV, as usual, and is it just my imagination or is EVERYONE drinking WINE on TV?  Every show, it seems, now has a scene or two where someone is drinking wine, or something.

Did the wine industry get to them, I wonder what they offered. I would not be surprised if the wine industry did not make sure that there are cases of wind delivered to ALL sets where TV shows are being produced. 

I have noticed it more, I think, as since my recent Kidney Stone problem, I have found that my present "system" does not seem to work well with alcohol, so, I have given it up for now.

But, almost every show on TV, at sometime, somewhere, someone is sitting and enjoying a drink. Maybe I just never noticed it before .................now, I am craving a glass of wine .....

Phil should be ashamed ...........

I imagine most of you have seen the Enbrel Commercial featuring Phil Mickelson. It has been on for quite a while, and in prime time, so most of us have seen it. He talks, walks through a crowd, slaps hands with fans, touches fists with a little kid, then, goes shopping for gifts to take home.

This is all good and well, whether the products works or not is another thing.

What concerns me, if you check closely, he is in a gift shop, has already purchased something and has it in a little bag, but then, he picks up a car, a van, silver, I think, and walks out of the store with it in hand, and, I don't think he ever paid for it, just walked right out carrying that van and takes it home to give to his boy. The above photograph shows him after leaving the gift shop, van still in his right hand, not in a bag, and no receipt.

Here is the full commercial, don't share with your kids .... it's just a bad example .... HERE IT IS.

A bad example if there ever was one, just pick something up and walk out of the store with it, and, it wasn't even a Walmart .....................

What's cookin ..............

I have had a number of requests to share some "old"...... basic, recipes that I have collected over the years. Some go back a long way, a few generations, many from the turn of the century. Almost all will be basic, no frills, no "food network" seasoning, just basic, good food, easily prepared.

The first I remember preparing for myself, and occasionally our mailman, who I often waited for with a plate of food .... this was in the late 30's. Food was prepared at 319 South Brown Street in Dayton, Ohio, in our old kitchen, on a gas stove, cold foods stored in our old double door Frigidaire. I think it was similar to the one in the above photograph, the timing is right and it was an electric. Many in our neighborhood at the time were still getting ice delivered.

I remember frying bacon, then cutting up some potatoes and chopping some onion to put on top. I wish I still had that old skillet, a thin iron skillet with a covered handle, about a six inch skillet. I learned to "flip" a skillet at an early age.

I remember our poor old mailman, a very gracious person, would stop on his rounds and sample some of my cooking. He did end up retiring after a long and industrious career, so my cooking did not hamper his career.

I have a small collection of old church cook books, PTA cook books and some old recipes that accompanied some old cooking utensils, plus some old family recipes.

I make make a link page out of this so that they are all retained in one place .... still working on it. Pending surgery will cause some breaks in continuity.

Another one leaves us in 2015

Leonard Nimoy, the actor known and loved by generations of "Star Trek" fans as the pointy-eared, purely logical science officer Mr. Spock, has died.

His wife, Susan Bay Nimoy, first confirmed his death to The New York Times.Nimoy's son, Adam Nimoy, said the actor died Friday of end-stage chronic obstructive pulmonary disease at his Los Angeles home. He was 83.

Although Leonard Nimoy followed his 1966-69 "Star Trek" run with a notable career as both an actor and director, in the public's mind he would always be Spock. His half-human, half-Vulcan character was the calm counterpoint to William Shatner's often-emotional Captain Kirk on one of television and film's most revered cult series.

Reflections while awaiting the loss of my kidney stones ....

Some more random thoughts. Actually with my Kidney Stones and pending surgery, we are sitting more and talking, occasionally bringing back a memory or two.

I was reflecting on Reno a while ago, and some of those who passed through town, and my life.

Ray Slattery came to mind. We worked together at the Nevada Club, worked similar house, so did breaks together, etc., and clocked out at the same time, which often led us to be seated together at the bar on our way out. Slats was a good dealer, a great personality, and good to party with.

I remember one night a bunch of us were off work, sitting around in a bar, and someone suggested it would be fun to go bowling, so we packed up and headed for a bowling alley. I was not a bowler, as were most of the others. We were all pretty bad at it for a gem or two, and then. slats got lucky, suddenly became a bowler, had one in the 290's I think it was. Just lucky, and then, laughingly, mention he was a PBA member, followed the tour a few years. Bowled in a Reno  tournament, liked the town, and stayed.

Slats decided to leave Reno. I was working up at the lake, he got a ride up, a few of us had a nice breakfast, piled in the car, drove to a spot, over the mountains with a lot of road ahead. Slats thanked us, got out of the car, got his luggage, and started thumbing. Never saw or heard of him again, but, that is how many relationships worked in Reno, a very transient town.

Many people entered my life, briefly out there, working in the clubs seemed to be a stepping stone for many of them. One couple, the names escape me, both worked, saved their money, and he entered the University of Nevada, their goal, he was going to become a Veterinarian and they would spend their lives together.

Many, Reno was just a brief "stop" in their lives. A lot of women came to Reno to get  divorce. They would go to work in the clubs. Many got their divorces and moved on, some stayed.

Bob Bartoli, Jimmy Jones, Doc Ledford, Danny Fagan, Joe Frances, Jerry Havens, Jerry Christianson, met and got to know many good people out there. If they spent much time working in the clubs they became a "breed apart." It was a great "community" I lived and worked in, then.

A few, I knew, I never asked, they never told, just became friends, Reno was like that ..... THEN.

A random thought ...............

Just saw an educational ad on TV, brought back a memory.

In 1950, getting ready to graduate high school, I visited a number of colleges around the area, primarily because we could get out of school to do so. I visited a number of different ones, but one that stood out, Ohio State in Columbus, Ohio.

Veterans of WWII were everywhere, using their GI Bill.

I visited one Freshman English Class, held in a gym crammed with desks and tables, being taught by a professor, from his office, and shown on a screen. I talked with some students. They had been in school almost a year, and some Freshman courses they had never met a professor, their only contact was on that screen, and there were some Associate Professors physically in attendance.

Small classes were few and far between in those days.

I ended up going to The Citadel in South Carolina, a military atmosphere, all spit and polish and uniforms, except ...... for Veterans, who enrolled and attended class in civilian clothes. Some of their continued eligibility depended on their GPA, and their grades in individual courses. They were very competitive, their continued education depended upon it.

Overcrowding of colleges was somewhat of a problem after the war ...............

Oh ..... I see now ....

Our good friend, Jim Madison, who was visiting us from his home in Oklahoma, received a text from his wife, this morning ..... it said, "Windows frozen, won't open."

Jim sent a text back, "Gently pour some lukewarm water over it and gently tap the edges with a hammer." Something he had successfully done in the past.

A few minutes later, he received this text reply, "Computer really messed up now."

2/26/15

The previous article about a "Londoner" being Jihadi John, got me to thinking, how could it happen. After giving it some thought, easy. Look at all that is done here in our country, by our "own" people. Finding "people" to perform atrocities should be a piece of cake, and with the internet "recruiting," with access to millions and millions of people, easily done.

Are there any "cukes" in the world, you bet, do they have computers, right on, are they susceptible to ...... following ..... yep. and that is how it is done.

Someone will start an employment agency, Whackos Only. Fee Paid. I am not even going to list who and what they are looking for, we all know.

'Jihadi John' from Islamic State beheading videos unmasked as Londoner

By Michael Holden and Stephen Addison

LONDON (Reuters) - Investigators believe that The "Jihadi John" masked fighter who fronted Islamic State beheading videos is a British man named Mohammed Emwazi, two U.S. government sources said on Thursday.

He was born in Kuwait and comes from a prosperous family in London, where he grew up and graduated with a computer programming degree, according to the Washington Post.

In videos released by Islamic State (IS), the black-clad militant brandishing a knife and speaking with an English accent appears to have decapitated hostages including Americans, Britons and Syrians.

The Washington Post said Emwazi, who used the videos to threaten the West and taunt leaders such as President Barack Obama and British Prime Minister David Cameron, was believed to have traveled to Syria around 2012 and to have later joined IS.

In each beheading video, he is dressed entirely in black, a balaclava covering all but his eyes and the ridge of his nose. He wears a holster under his left arm.

Hostages gave him the name John as he and other IS Britons had been nicknamed the Beatles. Another was dubbed George.

British government sources and the police refused to confirm or deny the report, citing a live anti-terrorism investigation, a position mirrored by a spokeswoman for Cameron.

Clinton says she would push for inclusive problem-solving

SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — Hillary Rodham Clinton said Tuesday that if she decides to seek the White House again she would try to bring Republicans from red states and Democrats in blue states into a "nice, warm, purple space" that would encourage problem-solving.

Clinton, the leading Democratic contender should she run, referred to her likely presidential campaign in hypothetical terms during an interview on stage at a women's conference in Silicon Valley. But she said anyone who mounts a campaign for president in 2016 should make economic growth and restoring rising wages top priorities, along with rebuilding trust and cooperation in the nation.

"I'd like to bring people from right and left, red, blue, get them into a nice, warm, purple space where everybody is talking and where we're actually trying to solve problems. That would be my objective," Clinton said at a paid appearance before the Watermark Silicon Valley Conference for Women.

‘American Sniper’ jury finds ex-Marine guilty of murder

STEPHENVILLE, Texas — Erath County District Court Judge Jason Cashon sentenced Eddie Ray Routh to life in prison without the possibility of parole, then turned the floor over to the families of the two men the defendant had just been found guilty of murdering.

Relatives of “American Sniper” Chris Kyle did not speak, but the brother and father of victim Chad Littlefield wanted to have their say. Each stood to somberly and sternly address Routh.

“You took the lives of two heroes — men who tried to be a friend to you,” said Jerry Richardson, Littlefield's brother. “You became an American disgrace.”

Routh, a former Marine and Iraq war veteran, shot the men several times while at a gun range on Feb. 2, 2013. Kyle, a former Navy SEAL and the deadliest sniper in American military history, often took fellow veterans to the shooting range as a form of therapy. Littlefield, 35, did not serve in the military, but often volunteered his time to help veterans, his family said.

During the two-week trial, the defense team tried to convince the jury that mental illness and post-traumatic stress disorder triggered Routh to turn on Kyle and Littlefield.

Drones spotted flying over Paris landmarks

Paris (AFP) - At least five drones were spotted flying over central Paris landmarks during the night and police were unable to catch the operators, sources close to the probe said on Tuesday.

The country has been hit by a series of mysterious drone overflights at nuclear plants and more recently over the presidential palace, and the fresh sightings come at a time of heightened security following last month's jihadist attacks that left 17 people dead.

The first drone sighting was near the US embassy in the French capital just after midnight, prompting police to follow the unmanned aircraft which continued on towards the Invalides military museum.

But they soon lost sight of the drone and later in the night, four other pilotless aircraft were spotted at several Paris landmarks including the Eiffel Tower, the Place de la Concorde and the Montparnasse tower, the tallest skyscraper in the French capital.

"It could be a coordinated action but we don't know for now," said one source, who asked not to be identified.

"We did everything to try and catch the operators but they were not found," another source close to the case said.

One police source, who also wished to remain anonymous, said there had never been so many drones spotted over Paris in one night.

In October and November, around 20 of the unidentified aircraft flew over French nuclear plants and their operators were never found.

Mysterious tunnel found near Canada sports venue

Montreal (AFP) - A sophisticated tunnel has been discovered near a major sporting venue and a university in Toronto, reports said Monday, with Canada on edge over the threat of possible extremist attacks.

A municipal worker was walking through woods near York University and the Rexall Center last month when he spotted a piece of corrugated metal on the ground, lifted it up and found a passageway, the public broadcaster CBC said.

The tunnel was about seven meters (23 feet) long and 2.5 meters tall and was lit by an electric generator. The walls and ceilings had been reinforced and tools had been left inside.

Toronto is hosting the Pan American Games in July and the Rexall Center is one of the venues. The facility also hosts major tennis events.

National security officials have been alerted but there was no immediate suggestion the tunnel posed a threat, CBC said.

Authorities have now filled it in but police were tight-lipped about what its purpose might have been. CBC said authorities had ruled out the possibility of it being a drug lab.

A "tank" job .... by a high school

"Say it ain't so, Murfreesboro."

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (AP) — A pair of Tennessee girls basketball high school teams have been pulled from the postseason for trying to lose a game to avoid the top-ranked team and improve their chances of advancing to the state tournament.

The programs at Riverdale, a state champion in 2013, and Smyrna were fined a total of $1,500 each Monday and also placed on probation for a year by the Tennessee Secondary School athletic Association.

TSSAA executive director Bernard Childress wrote Monday in letters to the schools' principals that the teams "made a mockery" with intentional turnovers off various violations and missed free throws. The referee also reported he stopped play ordering the coaches not to make a travesty of the game with a Smyrna player about to shoot at the wrong basket.

"Now I think Riverdale was the first team to start, 'let's lose the game,' but both teams obviously didn't want to win and it really showed," the referee wrote in his game report that was included in Childress' letters.

Childress said high school athletic programs are meant to teach students ethics, integrity, sportsmanship, morals and values.

Both coaches should be fired, they probably instigated it .............

8 more days of ..... till my "procedure" ...

Say a prayer each night for my Urologist, Bodo Knudsen, M.D. .... give him good judgement and strong steady hands .... and a healing sympathetic attitude, and a tremendous knowledge of the Human Urinary system, and how it all works .... and how to fix, when it doesn't .... and, above all, how to turn BIG Kidney Stones in to little, sub microscopic ... minuscule, easy to pass ... reeeel small pieces ........... Amen.

Other than my Kidney Stones and the constant discomfort from them, which will continue until 3/3, the cord on my laptop has frayed, the battery is old and weak, so the laptop that I have used all these many years is .............. well ................ as Colonel Klink might say, "is Kaput." I am back on my wife's computer, took me almost 30 minutes to sign in, passwords were established many years ago.

I have not checked on the state of the country or the world for a few days, I really don't care. My discomfort supersedes all of that. What little sleep I get, a night, sitting on the couch, covered with three blankets .... however, every two hours .... yep, gotta go. I will not go into detail where the discomfort might be, a "private" matter, very private.

I do not do well during the day on so little sleep, I sit and stare, out the window, at the wall, or the TV. The wall and the TV are about the same, boring. Occasionally a car will go by while looking out the window, and even they are almost boring, they all look alike.

I have noticed on the news, a robbery or an escape of some kind, in a vehicle. It used to me, make, model and color. Now it is only the color, sometimes, your choice of perhaps 5 or 6 makes. "Well, gosh, I think it was a, well, it was blue of some kind, and, yeh, I remember it had tires, and it coulda been a .......... or a .......... or a ........... or a ........... or a .......... or a ............ or a .......... or a????? But, I think it was blue, dark blue, or maybe black .... I know it wasn't white."

I miss my laptop, the cord, just to plug it in is around $35 or so dollars, I refuse to pay that for a plug. It was a charger also, I guess, but that is way too much money for just a cord.

I unfortunately missed the Academy Awards last night, that's 50 or so I have missed. I think Bogart won it the last year I watched ... The African Queen .... great flick. Excuse me, I had to take a "potty" break, about every ten minutes while up and around, every two hours or less at night, while trying to sleep, sitting up in a chair, covered with blankets. One night, three house sleep, it was heavenly.

I am not a song writer, but I am in the process of composing one .... incorporating the word ..... "burning."

2/15/15

I imagine most are tired of hearing about Kidney Stones, but last night, went to bed around one, woke every two hours to "vacate" ..... around 6 this morning, I got up and went to the living room, sat in my chair, pulled up my "Snuggy," turned on the TV and fell asleep. I slept, UNINTERRUPTED, till noon. Heavenly .... continuous or continual, not sure which one, but, anyway, I slept. Been a few weeks now since that happened. Just, a few hours sleep.

The sun is out, I guess it is REALLY cold outside, definitely a Winter day in Ohio.

I haven't even checked the news today, but I can guess what it is, as can you. Weather probably is the top story, more snow in the East. ISIS, I am sure is getting some space. A year or so ago, never heard of ISIS, and now, a threat to the world, and, their people seem to be everywhere. They recruit via the internet ... Social Sites ... that is ironic. I wonder what their message is that makes them such a easy "sell."

Perhaps the world is just ready for such a message. I this country, unrest, terrorism, mass shootings by unlikely, disturbed, individuals, police killings, brutality everywhere. We are led by a president who has never had to prove his qualifications, perhaps should not even hold the office. Politicians whose ethics and actions are questionable, an economy, well, a gigantic portion of our citizens are living .... off of the government. We are a welfare state.

A portion of our population is living opulently, making millions and billions living in luxury like the world has never seen. Billionaires are driving down the street in chauffeured multi million dollar vehicles ... passing people who are homeless, hungry, living on that same street. I have often wondered what goes through the head of someone homeless, hungry, no job, no prospects for the future .... watching a limousine slowly drive by, carrying a few well dressed, well fed passengers, laughing and gay, not wanting to see what is outside the car window.

There a many who live in such squallier, such run down conditions, that anything that could happen in their lives, is a step up. That is why "they" may be offering "greener" grass for those who are looking on the other side ....................... an eeasy sell ......

2/10/15 - UPDATE

Tuesday Morning, nothing new on my health issues, still waiting to hear from OSU Hospital on my next move. I have to go through a Pre-Op process, whatever that may be. Evaluation to survive surgery, I guess. They hate losing patients, makes them look bad.... ring, ring ...... "Dr. Knudsen's office." ... Tomorrow at 10, be there at 9:45 ..... the Pre Op Thing .... that is the start of the whole procedure, which I hope leads to Normal Urinary Conditions. The left stone is relatively easy, a tube already exists for that. The right one, well, he has to go through my back, but I would rather not talk about that right now ..... causes strange "hurts" in various parts of my body ...

Anyone watch that game last night, UConn and Number One, South Carolina. It was close for a short time, and then, a blowout .... Number One is no longer South Carolina, and, I hope they have looked better in previous games .... they did not look like a Number One, far from it.

Politics - and the condition of the world, in general. ISIS has suddenly become the topic of discussion. I admit I do not know who they are, what they stand for, and especially, how they have become such a power to recon with. Not long ago, ISIS was a typo. Years ago, 1944, my brother was in the Navy, in Cuba, and was to come home on leave. We received a telegram from him, "Lost ISWAS, be home Sunday night." It had something to do with navigation. Odd, ISWAS is now ISIS.

I must admit, politics and world conditions are not uppermost on my mind. My two Kidney Stones are uppermost in my thoughts.

Ripley - 2/5

NBC News' Brian Williams admits he wasn't on aircraft in Iraq

NBC News’ Brian Williams was not, as he has previously claimed, aboard a U.S. Air Force helicopter that was hit by two rockets and grounded during the 2003 Iraq invasion.

In what was surely a moment of vindication for those who were actually aboard the grounded aircraft, the Nightly News anchor admitted Wednesday that the harrowing story he and NBC had been perpetuating since 2003 was false.

“I would not have chosen to make this mistake,” Williams told the military publication Stars and Stripes, Wednesday. “I don’t know what screwed up in my mind that caused me to conflate one aircraft with another.”

The confession came at a New York Rangers game last week, after Williams reiterated his skewed version of events. The occasion was a tribute to retired Command Sgt. Major Tim Terpak, who’d provided security for the grounded helicopters Williams claimed to have been aboard.

In a comment on NBC Nightly News' Facebook page, under the video of Williams’ coverage of the tribute, Flight Engineer Lance Reynolds wrote “Sorry dude, I don't remember you being on my aircraft. I do remember you walking up about an hour after we had landed to ask me what had happened. Then I remember you guys taking back off in a different flight of Chinooks from another unit and heading to Kuwait to report your 'war story' to the Nightly News. The whole time we were still stuck in Iraq trying to repair the aircraft and pulling our own Security.”

Reynolds told Stars and Stripes, “It was something personal for us that was kind of life-changing for me. I’ve know how lucky I was to survive it. It felt like a personal experience that someone else wanted to participate in and didn’t deserve to participate in.”

Williams responded to Reynold’s comment and apologized.

Hackers Hack ...... again

By Supriya Kurane and Jim Finkle

(Reuters) - Health insurer Anthem Inc , which has nearly 40 million U.S. customers, said late on Wednesday that hackers had breached one of its IT systems and stolen personal information relating to current and former consumers and employees.

The No. 2 health insurer in the United States said the breach did not appear to involve medical information or financial details such as credit card or bank account numbers.

The information accessed during the "very sophisticated attack" did include names, birthdays, social security numbers, street addresses, email addresses and employment information, including income data, the company said.

Anthem said that it immediately made every effort to close the security vulnerability and reported the attack to the FBI. Cybersecurity firm FireEye Inc said it had been hired to help Anthem investigate the attack.

Living with "frequent" potty breaks

I don't like the word "pea" unless used in reference to the vegetable. Never have for some reason. "Pee" also I don't care for. So, I am in a dilemma, I now, thanks to my kidney stone hardware, tubes, etc., do it frequently, sometimes every ten minutes, at night, every two hours.

Not a pleasant subject to write about, but it is something that at this time, dominates my life.

On visits to Walmart, first this I do, use the bathroom. Then, I know, I have about ten minutes to shop, and, then, another visit to the bathroom. I am on a first name basis with the folks in that back department that offers access to the bathroom.

Quality of Life ...... Not sure what my "Quality" is, right now. For nine minutes or so, not too bad, my Quality is interrupted about every ten minutes or so with a visit to .... well, you know. So, it is difficult to attach an overall "quality" to my life at this time. But I see the Doctor in three days, will know more then what can be done with my two BIG stones.

No surprise to me ..............

Well, anyone who saw, or is even aware of the debacle last Sunday, has to hare my opinion on who controls many sports in this world, they are controlled by the world of Television. I have questioned "integrity" in sports for a long time. I forget how many years ago, I think I was at a game with my son, and noticed a man on the sideline with his arm covered with a red sleeve.

When his arm was raised, play stopped. When he took it down, play resumed. He was the TV guy, received his instructions from the "truck" parked outside the stadium. I have started asking myself, "What would be best for television?" I have been pretty accurate in my predictions. I predicted one year early on in the season, the best game, from the standpoint of TV, in the Super Bowl, which is TV's greatest accomplishment, the best would be Brother Against Brother, the Harbaughs, and that is what happened that year.

I thought,, this year, for a number of reasons, that the Patriots should win the Super Bowl. Possibly Tom's last, tie some records. But then, someone let things get out of hand. With minutes to go, all was well, The Patriots were winning, everyone was happy, and then ..... "What are they doing, they may go down and score, that's not the way it's supposed to be. Call down there, see what's wrong."

Desperation hung heavily in the air .... Vegas was upset, bookies all over the world were upset, TV was besides themselves, this was not supposed to happen. The call went down to the field.

"Do not score!"

Thus, the call. "Pass, but do not catch, let it go through your arms, get intercepted, but do not score."

Close, a bit of controversy, "The dumbest call ever." "Why didn't the QB call an audible?"

The best laid plans, etc., etc, but they do work out in the long run .... that one was close, but, it did prove my theory to the world ............... TV RULES

I picked OSU being the first National Champion, even after their first loss .... they wanted an old perennial powerhouse to win, Notre Dame, Michigan .... but they stood no chance. OSU did, and they won. Oregon, who, where, do they play football ............

When in danger or in doubt, just think, what would TV want .............