MARKETING 101

They said the Barbie Doll was a stroke of genius, sell the doll, and forever, sell the clothes, her bike, her car, a plethora of "Post Sale" items. Look at the automotive market and look at all the after sale items in stores all over the world.

But, who was the genius who came up with grass and flower gardens? That is the greatest scam of all time. Many billions of dollars of "outdoor" supplies are purchased every Spring, planted, used, then they die in the Winter, and the cycle starts all over again in the Spring. How great is that.

Think of the guy who invented grass, probably the same guy that invented fertilizer and lawn mowers. Think how brilliant that cycle is. A company takes care of the grounds here at our apartment. A few weeks ago, they fertilized the lawn to make the grass grow faster, so they could mow, which they did today, and do it more often and charge more money. They will fertilize a few more times this Summer. They get paid to fertilize, to make the grass grow faster, to get paid, more, to mow it more. Fantastic.

People spend billions to purchase flowers, that do nothing but look pretty, some smell nice, and then all Summer long, they have to be sprayed for bugs and watered, then, in the Fall they die, and the cycle starts over again, in the Spring. 

Just think of ALL the gardens around the world, and the money they spend on landscaping each year, staggering amount, and people have to repay it each and every year.

That's why that BILLION figure starts with a 40.... and it is just for appearance sake, for a few. Just think of all the homeless and hungry who may pass by some of those pretty flowers  ..... I wonder what they think?

"Mister, could you spare a dollar or so, I ain't eaten in three days?"

"Well, it's like this pardner, I'm broke, just spent all my money on flowers."

A receipt worth a MILLION ???????

BELMAR, N.J. (AP) -- A woman of Korean descent who claims a worker at a CVS in southern New Jersey used a phrase mocking Asians to identify her on a store receipt has filed a federal discrimination suit against the pharmacy chain, according to her lawyer.

Attorney Susan Chana Lask said her client, Hyun Lee, was picking up photos Feb. 7 at a CVS in Egg Harbor City when Lee noticed an employee had identified her as "Ching Chong Lee" on the ticket.

Lee said through her attorney that she complained to CVS customer relations and was allegedly told the worker would be "counseled and trained."

"Store counseling cannot correct intolerable discrimination," Lask said in a written statement, adding they were demanding the worker be fired.

CVS Caremark Corp. spokesman Mike DeAngelis said the company does not comment on pending litigation but has a firm non-discrimination policy.

"CVS/pharmacy is committed to treating all of our customers with dignity and respect," he said.

The suit, which Lask said was filed April 16 in federal court in Camden, is seeking $1 million.

I forget the store, but one time, well, actually many times at a lot of stores, and a lot of instances, I have been asked my name, I reply, "Joe Dooley" and they write down Tom Dooley, or I would introduce myself , "Hi, Joe Dooley," and they would reply, "Tom, how are you." It has made me feel so awful, difficult to put into words........who can I sue?

SUPERMAN is 75

CLEVELAND - The tough, blue-collar roots of Superman's creators are getting a fresh look on the superhero's 75th anniversary.

Creators Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster lived just a few blocks apart in the Cleveland neighborhood that shaped their teenage lives, their dreams and the imagery of the Man of Steel.

In the city's Glenville neighborhood, still in the throttling grip of the Great Depression, Siegel and Shuster labored on their creation for years before finally selling Superman to a publisher.

The Man of Steel became a Depression-era bootstrap strategy for the Siegel/Shuster team, according to Brad Ricca, a professor at nearby Case Western Reserve University who uses Superman in his classes.

"They really just saw it as a way out," he said.

I had that issue and about four stacks of comics that I and my brother started purchasing in the mid 30's. Also had four cheese boxes full of old baseball cards ... have no idea what happened to any of them. Lost track of them 63 years ago.

Thanks Ernie ............... good one, and timely too ...

 A father walks into a restaurant with his young son. He gives the young boy 3 nickels to play with to keep him occupied. Suddenly, the boy starts choking, going blue in the face.

The father realizes the boy has swallowed the nickels and starts slapping him on the back. The boy coughs up 2 of the nickels, but keeps choking.  Looking at his son, the father is panicking, shouting for help.

A well-dressed, attractive, and serious looking woman in a blue business suit is sitting at the coffee bar reading a newspaper and sipping a cup of coffee.

At the sound of the commotion, she looks up, puts her coffee cup down, neatly folds the newspaper and places it on the counter, gets up from her seat and makes her way, unhurried, across the restaurant.

Reaching the boy, the woman carefully drops his pants; takes hold of the boy's testicles and starts to squeeze and twist, gently at first and then ever so firmly.

After a few seconds the boy convulses violently and coughs up the last nickel, which the woman deftly catches in her free hand.

Releasing the boy's testicles, the woman hands the nickel to the father and walks back to her seat at the coffee bar without saying a word.

As soon as he is sure that his son has suffered no ill effects, the father rushes over to the woman and starts thanking her saying, "I've never seen anybody do anything like that before, it was fantastic.  Are you a doctor?

"No," the woman replied, "I'm with the Internal Revenue Service".

Rene Rancourt

Boston Bruins national anthem singer Rene Rancourt said Wednesday night’s stirring rendition of the national anthem at Boston’s first major sports event since the Marathon bombing was his most memorable ever.

He also said he worried about being able to get through it. He began the anthem, then put down his microphone and let the TD Garden crowd take it from there.

“I’m sure that the people didn’t even realize how much help I actually did need. It was wonderful. The sound was carrying me, lifting me up in the room. It was just something indescribable,” Rancourt said in an interview on WEEI’s Dennis & Callahan program Thursday morning.

“I’m afraid I would have probably broken up a few times during the anthem. I’m not ashamed to admit that.”

LISTEN HERE

Oops is on the job .............

Hi, Charley Parkinson here, glad to meet you Harley, you want to go to work in this department, right?

Well Harley, we are a tight knit group here, takes a special person to do this job, oops, sorry, didn't mean to kick you.

I looked over your application, I see you have an IQ of 85, that puts you right about in the group we are looking for. Have you had any problems with nerves or any mental disorders of any kind?

Great, oh, well, ah, seizures like that can be controlled medically, can't they?

Oh no, we will train you, we have an extensive training program that we offer.

Well, it's just seven days, but very extensive, oh, i'm sorry, did that paperweight hit you on the foot?

It consists of opening envelopes, how easy is that, eh?

Well no, actually we give you what we laughingly call ... protective clothing.

Yes, on a few occasions you will need a gas mask, just on certain occasions.

Well, you start out with mail for the representatives, then graduate to the congressmen, and your ultimate goal is to reach the top and check correspondence for the president.

Yes, of the United States, impressive huh?

Yea, you might say we have turnover. Well, we had to do away with medical insurance, you know, ah, the premiums got way to high. What we do, well, we all kick in five dollars each week .........

Well, we buy Powerball tickets, and when we hit, well we're gonna start a trust fund to help pay for those hospital bills, whoa, I am really sorry, that coffee was really hot, wasn't it ..... oh I bet that burns ... here's some Kleenex, ugh, sorry, didn't mean to drop the box ..................

No, we haven't hit yet, you know anyone that can claim you on their insurance.

Hey Harley, did you hit your head when you fell ..... now, was that one of your seizures ...

Well, just lay there for a while, and then report to fitting for your protective clothing, can you start tomorrow?

Oops Parkinson moves to Personnel

In a surprise move yesterday, Charles "Oops" Parkinson was taken off of his black ops duties and flown to Washington, D.C. where he will take over his duties in the personnel department of the home office.

"Hey, this is unexpected, I never dreamed of this opportunity. I guess they need my experience in finding the right folks to sniff out these toxic poisons and dangerous bombs, oops, didn't mean to spill that hot coffee on you, sorry," Parkinson stated as he entered his new office.

Oops indicated he would keep all of us updated on his progress in his new position.

Harley Jorgenson, the reporter who conducted the above interview, was treated for burns at a nearby hospital and is expected to make a full recovery.

More on Oops Parkinson

A number of people have inquired about Charlie "Oops" Parkinson. Some asked if he was in Waco, Texas recently, and the answer to that is no.

Oops started his unusual career with the post office department where he worked in the sorting department in the "hazardous mail" room located  thirty miles outside of Washington in a very remote area. He was ultimately promoted to the "bomb" sorting department, where he was put in charge of  Section 31, which was a highly classified division of the post office department. Any package received in the Washington area that was either suspicious or "ticking" as Oops called it came to his attention.

After a brief stay at Sunny Hills, a "retreat" for victims of nervous disorders and job related "issues," Oops was transferred to the Yorktown Naval Weapons Station located in Yorktown Virginia, where he became an instructor in the Bomb Disposal School.

He was employed there until June of 2011, when he accidentally dropped an NP3475 detonating device which set off an electrical explosion and initiated a chain reaction with resulting explosions in the base commanders office, the communications center, the PX and the officers club. Fortunately the base commander was playing golf, the communications center was closed and both the PX and the officers club were in the process of being downsized as a result of an austerity program that had been recently initiated by the base adjutant.

More recently, Oops is in a highly classified position in a secret "black ops" unit operating overseas in an unknown location. In his last telephone call to his "handler," as they are called, he indicated that all was well, his duties were a bit hazardous, to say the least, and before he could finish the call he had accidentally dropped his cell phone into a sink full of hot soapy water. ...... oops!

"Where's that guy from the colonies?"

The Bearer Party made up of personnel from the three branches of the military stand alongside the coffin of British former prime minister Margaret Thatcher on a gun carriage to be drawn by the King's Troop Royal Horse Artillery during her ceremonial funeral, at the Church of St Clement Danes on April 17, 2013 in London. More than 2,000 dignitaries from around the world paid their last respects at the biggest such occasion in the U.K. since the Queen Mother's funeral in 2002.

WHY did Obama choose to SNUB England, the Queen, and the memory of Margaret Thatcher? I think he has put himself on a pedestal, so high, with thick layers of cirrus clouds beneath him, that he is unable to look down. I doubt that the passing of any head of state would draw him out of the country. Perhaps only the death of a wealthy "donor," or the invitation for a "round of golf" could lure him again to take advantage of all of the transportation resources available to him, at taxpayers expense. Perhaps we should be thankful that he did not take the "multi million dollar" trip to England. Maybe he felt that the country just could not afford it.

"Michelle, I really want to go to .... what's her names funeral in England, but I feel it would just add to the already heavy tax burden that is being carried by these dear friends of ours, the American taxpayers, and, I want to be around for this upcoming vote in the Senate, I'm just gonna die if that don't pass. I got Gabby and some of those parents who lost kids .... well, I just gotta be here .... "

President Barack Obama’s decision not to attend the funeral of former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher Wednesday was blasted by a former Reagan administration official and Fox News analyst who called it shameful, “cheap, small and petty.”

Miss Brooklyn .....

I am sitting here, surrounded by quiet, drinking my first cup of coffee of the day. I have done a few posts on my blog, and, for some reason I have been overcome with sadness. I guess after reading the news in the morning, that is a logical reaction, and I have not even watched the local news from Columbus this morning.

Without looking I know there were a couple of shootings overnight, probably a robbery or two and a few fires, just in Columbus.

The only encouraging event was the National Anthem as it was sung by all of those in attendance at a Boston Bruin's Hockey game. That is on a previous blog, watch  that if you haven't seen it yet. Momentary, and it will pass, but for a moment, there is hope.

I don't dwell on it, but I know the road behind me is much longer than the road ahead.

I think the sadness set in when I looked at a picture, posted by my granddaughter Amanda, of her daughter, Miss Brooklyn, the one posted above here. Miss Brooklyn is looking ahead, I pray to God, she is looking ahead to a full life, blessed with all the good things that life has to offer. But something about that picture of that precious little girl, so innocent and so young, looking ahead, really speaks to me, for some reason.

The sadness is my concern about what her future may hold. When I was her age in 1936, and a similar picture was taken of me, looking ahead, just think what all has happened during that time, until today.

The good news, we somehow live through it all. Just think of all that has transpired, in my lifetime, since 1932, the year I was born. Things have happened that we could not have dreamed of back then.

To a long and happy life, Miss Brooklyn ..................

WHISTLE - "Foul on Obama"

With votes on gun control legislation scheduled to begin in hours, Sen. Rand Paul (R) of Kentucky accused President Obama of using the parents of children killed in the Newtown, Conn., school shooting as “props” in some cases.

The first term senator was asked at a Monitor-hosted breakfast for reporters on Wednesday whether the bombings at the Boston Marathon had any policy implications for gun control or immigration legislation.
“It is largely a mistake to talk about issues in the wake of crisis, in the wake of tragedy,” he said.

Senator Paul, the founder of the Senate Tea Party Caucus, said he thought gun control “is a legitimate issue for our country to debate and decide where and how we can fix the problems of violence.”

Noting that he has three sons, Paul continued, “I hate to see using people … as props and politicizing people’s tragedy. When I see the father and the mothers … testifying and I know they are coming voluntarily and they want to come and be part of this debate. It still saddens me just to see them. And I think that in some cases the president has used them as props. That disappoints me.”

Lumpy is gone ...

Frank Bank, who played the clumsy bully Clarence "Lumpy" Rutherford on the beloved late '50s TV series "Leave It to Beaver," died on April 13 -- one day after he celebrated his 71st birthday.

According to People magazine, no cause of death was reported.

Bank's "Leave It to Beaver" co-star Jerry Mathers took to his Facebook page to share a few words about his pal on Saturday, writing, "I was so sad to hear today of the passing of my dear friend and business associate Frank Bank, who played Lumpy on Leave it to Beaver. He was a character and always kept us laughing. My deepest condolences to Frank's family."

WOW, this is powerfull

Hockey Game in Boston

The singer starts out with a microphone singing the National Anthem

The crows sings along ... the microphone drops and he becomes the song leader

Not many dry eyes in the arena, hands over hearts flags held

Set for FULL SCREEN - crank your volume up

WATCH THIS - and let the tears flow

God Bless America

Obama Irate as Senate Votes Down Background Checks

An angry President Barack Obama denounced Senate Republicans on Wednesday for failing to pass stricter background checks on gun purchases, calling it a “pretty shameful day” for Washington.

Speaking in the Rose Garden as the families of some of the victims of the Newtown, Conn., shootings looked on, Obama vowed to press on in the fight for tougher gun laws.

“Families that know unspeakable grief summoned the courage to petition their elected leaders,” he said, standing alongside former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, who left Congress after suffering a life-threatening gunshot wound to the head. “A few minutes ago a minority in the United States Senate decided it wasn't worth it. They blocked common-sense gun reforms even when these families looked on from the gallery.”

Earlier, Senate Republicans, backed by rural-state Democrats, blocked legislation to tighten restrictions on the sale of firearms.

In recent weeks, the families of some of the victims of the December shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School pressed lawmakers with stories of personal loss, as Second Amendment advocates countered that none of the proposed changes would have stopped the grisly tragedy.

Explosion in Texas

An explosion has been reported at a Texas fertilizer plant that is on fire on Wednesday night.

A fire at the plant in the town of West, Texas, near Waco, was reported shortly after 7 p.m. local time.

Sources tell NBC 5 DFW that the explosion occurred while firefighters were at the plant on a fire call.

First responders are reporting multiple injuries.

The Waco Department of Public Safety said there was major damage to homes and vehicles, as well as severe injuries to many people.

Viewers tell NBC 5 DFW that a nearby funeral home and an apartment complex sustained serious damage after the blast.

Interstate 35 is closed in McLennan County because of the fire.

Experts.............

At a time like this, "experts" come out of the woodwork. I think that anyone interested in doing so, can now, by watching TV, make a destructive bomb, and know all of the do's and don'ts about detonating it, and probably the best places to do so. All by watching the news for a few days, I have learned much more than I really wanted to know. I personally think the media has done a great disservice with their coverage.

And how about Obama, today, and the staging of his "announcement." He was acting like a spoiled brat, who had just heard the word "no," and he was mad. I doubt that there has ever been an instance in history that displayed such a pathetic picture of a man, who had just not gotten his way. He will never let anyone forget the catastrophe at Sandy Hook. He is clinging to it, and continually "fans the embers" to keep reminding us, and those involved in the incident. It is shameful how he is using that in an attempt to further his political agenda. The introductory remarks by that poor father, with Gabby Giffords standing by his side was an embarrassment to the country. To me, it was a low point in his time in office, the American president appeared pathetic.

Are we a great country, or what?

Weiner being weighed in New York

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Democrat Anthony Weiner, who resigned from Congress in disgrace two years ago, is weighing a bid for New York mayor, but a poll released on Tuesday suggests his political comeback would be an uphill battle.

Only 40 percent of city voters say they would consider voting for him, while 52 percent said they would not, according to the NBC New York-Marist poll.

Among Democrats, his chances were slightly higher, with 46 percent saying they were open to a Weiner candidacy and 50 percent opposed to the idea.

Weiner's standing with the public has improved in the two years since he admitted to sending lewd messages to women and resigned from his seat in the House representing parts of Queens and Brooklyn.

Doing a little reflecting ...............

I remember many years ago, sixty or seventy, to be exact, Summer, load the car, head out in the Packard Clipper toward Michigan. A two day trip in those days. Stop at a little country store around noon, get their trial bologna in a ring, some Nabisco crackers, fig newtons, Cokes, some yellow cheese, cut from the block, and eat outside on an old picnic table. Delicious. That is the thing that memories are made of, just little incidents, but they stay with you for the rest of your life.

I still do that, on occasions, the bologna,, crackers, fig newtons with a coke, some yellow cheese, and a flood of memories come to mind. That incident from years ago is probably one of the most vivid in my mind, just a casual stop on the way to a vacation in Michigan.

I guess our life is made up of those incidents, sometimes they get pushed back into the recesses of our minds, but some little thing can occur to bring it all back. The "unconscious" to the "conscious." Shades of L.Ron Hubbard and his Dianetics.

One of my first opportunities to drive the family occurred in that old Packard Clipper. I think we were in Canada, had taken a trip East, and headed North, up above Niagara Falls, and took that road that shot across Canada. Dad let me drive, I had my learners permit. I remember one right angle curve, had my foot on the accelerator rather than the break. Really zipped around that curve. Dad suggested I learn under other circumstances.

Suspect?

A suspect has been identified in the Boston Marathon bombing, an unidentified law enforcement source tells CNN.

The station reported on a live feed that officials believe a video from a department store and a TV station helped identify the suspect. It's yet unclear whether a suspect has been located and apprehended or just identified.

The Boston Globe is reporting that authorities have an image of the suspect carrying and possibly dropping a black bag at the second bombing scene.

CNN's report remains unconfirmed. The FBI's national press office says "we have not officially named anyone and we don't know where they're getting that information." Boston Police also declined to comment to HuffPost Crime, saying they don't know about the possible suspect.

Charley "Oops" Parkinson

We hear about suspicious letters being found. WHO are the people who find them?

"Hi little girl, what do you want to be when you grow up?"

"You want to do what, inspect mail, in Washington, isn't that dangerous?"

I have to wonder how people get that job and why. It must be an "entry level" job, a trainee job, "an envelope poison checker," in a separate building, way out of town. Then, if you live through it for a year or two, then you move to another building, in town, but, no  Hazardous Duty pay, you have to take a pay cut, but you don't care. They will, however, pay for a shrink to help you resolve those anxiety attacks.

An odd coincidence, all of the "poison checkers" are Republicans.

Some "graduates" of the "poison checker" program go on to "bomb squad" training, and a few have become "special black opp" trainees.

An anonymous department head was quoted as saying, "A few have made it, we are not allowed to give out statistics, but by golly, a couple of years of spine tingling anxiety just gets you ready for most anything. Old Charley "Oops" Parkinson, after a brief stay in a rehab facility, became a member of the presidential security staff, I think, appointed by Boehner, I think it was."