Carl Ravazza

Carl Ravazza (July 21, 1910 – July 28, 1968), was an American violinist, vocalist and bandleader. Born in Alameda, California, Ravazza was a violinist who also started singing when he was in the Anson Weeks Orchestra He was later the lead violinist with Tom Coakley when he took over that band upon Coakley's retirement from the music business. The Carl Ravazza  Orchestra, with the theme song "Vieni Su", performed mainly in hotel venues in several cities in the United States. Ravazza later became a solo singer, settling in Reno, Nevada.

I remember the first time I saw him, mid 50's, I was out for an evening, went to Harold's Club, 7th floor, had a drink, sat back and relaxed, waiting for the entertainment. The houselights dimmed, "Vieni Su" could be heard, and from the back of the room, came this tuxedo clad singer. winding his way through the room, shaking some hands, and in general, endearing himself to the room. That was my first time to see and hear of Carl Ravazza. It was an evening of delightful songs, lilting melodies and golf stories, some really great golf stories.

Carl Ravazza was an entertainer, a genuine entertainer .... his one purpose, to entertain his audience. I have seen many in my time, some were there to be seen, some had no talent, but a name.  Some of his golf stories I remember to this day

Some comments for the morning .....

Another week, starting or ending, however you look at it. I always looked at it as the end of the week, Monday, the beginning of the new one.

The Sun is still rising in the East and setting in the West, so all must be well. I have to wonder, regardless of how hard we try, if we, as people, are capable of actually destroying the world and civilization as we know it.

Jim Madison, this morning, blamed the press for the shape the country is in. Very perceptive, no arguments here. The biggest problem he and I have is education, well not education, institutions, well not institutions, football programs, well, not programs like the ones you sell in the stands .... well, he is an Ohio State fan, which I used to be, and unfortunately, he is not perceptive enough to see what has happened in Columbus, and he is still, blindly, an OSU fan.

His viewpoints on football in no way interfere with his perceptive comments in his blog.

It did get me to thinking, though, I think I will add "the press" to my "list" ... Politicians, Coaches, Evangelists and now, the press. I think the "government" is somehow involved with them. For example. In Columbus, Ohio, three main TV stations, over the years they have greatly expanded their weather departments, most now have four or five "experts" on weather, 24 hour coverage on TV. But, as soon as severe weather threatens, the first thing to go is our TV. I can imagine, at each station, the weather department, when severe weather is pending, they are sitting around, arms intertwined, huddled together, waiting to hear the all clear, which someone else will trigger.

And ONE of the things that the newsmen do, irritates me to no end .... "We have received a tip that there is a large bomb, here in the city, which could kill thousands, we have found out where it is, and we will disclose the location, right after these messages." And the ones I have always wondered about, "Bank robbery, tonight at eleven." How do they get such tips, and how is it that so many "events" .... newsworthy ones, happen at eleven?

A Fall day in Ohio today, a little chilly, walked Caleb and needed my sweatshirt, first walk was barefooted, feet ached a bit after the walk. May have to start wearing shoes .... it's that time of year.

Woody and the Rock

Woody Hayes and Knute Rockne were talking this evening at the Heavenly Sports Bar, while watching the Notre Dame/Purdue football game on the Heavenly TV Network.

"Woody, did you see the helmets, all that printing on them, I hated the jerseys and the pants, and those shoes, gold shoes .... what has happened, where are the black shoes ?"

"Knute, I see the same problem in Columbus. Last week it looked like they made their helmets out of sardine cans, I don't recognize shirts and pants at all, they are playing on a damned piece of carpet, they have changed the stadium all around the damned coach is making over a million dollars a year."

"Now when the coaches get fired they get all gusseyed up and go to work for some TV station pretending like they know what they are talking about. An they change jobs every year or two. That guy coaching my old team walked out on his last team on the night they were playing in a bowl game, and they sure got a passle of bowl games anymore ...... they really look kinda sissified in them gold shoes, at least some oh them appear to be high tops. Hell Woody, I coached my whole career at Notre Dame, how long were you at Ohio State .... and what they hell is that with the The Ohio State?"

"I was there, well, I think, 28 years, Rock, I did a couple of years each at Denison and Miami before I went to to Ohio State. Yeh, a lot of them boys are wearin golf high tops .... you are right though .... them do't look like a Notre Dame team in those uniforms .... I gotta admit, at first I didn't know which team was which till I saw that ND on their shoulders ... naw, we're relics Rock ..... they've forgotten us by now .... it's a whole new world."

"What is that about that damned band director .... he got fired and don't wanaa leave ... he's still bellyachin about it .... I' bet if his wife divorced him he wouldn't want to leave the house .... wonder what his unemployment is............?"

A great video story

This is truly a neat video and story.

WATCH HERE

I'm down to four filters .......

I don't know how long ago it was but, I bought coffee filters. That gigantic package of plastic wrapped filters, "I'll never have to buy filters again." Well, I only have four left. I think it is the third time, as I recall, that I remember buying them and thinking that. When I was younger it never concerned me, at my advanced age, I think that way. I don't know what time frame we are talking about, but, thank God, I need coffee filters, again.

Cloudy in Ohio this morning, a "Football Saturday in Ohio." Today the Buckeyes take on the powerhouse from Kent State. 28,998 students to choose from at Kent State, 56,000 at Ohio State, which has a budget of well over 50 million each year. The stadium will be filled, another record day of beer sales for surrounding vendors, they will humiliate a bunch of guys who are in college for an education, Kent State will add a million or so to their coffers, and OSU fans will once again smile, after their humiliating defeat of last week. Coach Meyer in his "post game" interview will state that they are dead on for the national championship, Columbus TV will smile again, and the aluminum re-cyclers have another week's work.

Poor, pathetic Johnathan Waters, the fired OSU band director who has difficulty facing reality, will apparently make an appearance on campus today in the alumni band. He was fired by OSU, but wants his job back. Why would you want to work for someone who fired you? And he has threatened to sue the university. In Reno, I know guys that got fired because the owner did not like their appearance, or the way the payed bets, or handled the silver. But, he liked his job, perhaps the best in the country. I am sympathetic with his cause, but I know the meaning of "being fired."

Baseball players don't want to wear protectors on their bating helmets because of a vision thing. A few get hit in the face each year. Football players don't want to get hit with opponents helmets. TV is expanding their coverage to high schools, to get MORE interest in football. There are too many concussions in football. Football is too violent, so to show this, TV is  showing many, many more games, high school, college, professional ... just to show how violent the sport is. One side benefit of this is additional revenue.

The SUN is out in Ohio, a nice Fall day. Watching .... Breakfast with the College Football Experts. I admire their ability to talk ....... endlessly ...... about ..... hundreds of things ..... that they really, probably know nothing about .... but ..... they have a leetle thing in their ear that makes them knowledgeable about a plethora of topics ..............

More New York schools ditch Michelle Obama's totalitarian school lunch scheme

Forget what Michelle Obama has to say about nutrition -- we're going back to the old ways. This is what two more school districts in New York recently decided after witnessing major financial losses and starving students who simply can't stomach the First Dictator's obtuse guidelines for "healthy" school lunches, the latest in a growing movement of resistance against the oppressive new food guidelines.

The school districts of Fayetteville-Manlius and Baldwinsville both scrapped the infamous "Head Start" program due to massive increases in food waste, food costs and students simply not eating the food. Reports indicate that many schools have been suffering financially because students are no longer purchasing lunches, which means that schools are not only having to foot the costs for more expensive food but also eat the losses when the food goes to waste.

"Grilled cheese and tomato soup was a very popular lunch... [but we] couldn't offer that under the new guidelines of the federal government," stated Baldwinsville Superintendent David Hamilton to WRVO Public Media. "Spaghetti and meatballs, we couldn't offer that either."

Lunch sales drop 40 percent due to Head Start rules

In Baldwinsville, lunch sales at the local high school dropped from about 600 students per day to only about 430 students per day. This represents a 28 percent reduction that, like at other schools in the area, is causing major fiscal problems.

A survey conducted by the School Nutrition Association found that about 25 percent of school lunch programs throughout the country have been losing money for at least the past six months as a result of the Head Start program. When asked about why they aren't buying the new lunches, most students indicated that the portions are too small, and the food distasteful.

"We all want a lower carb diet. But it's hard to sell a sub on something that looks more like a piece of paper than a sub roll," added Hamilton. "I understand the shift but now the students aren't opting to eat any of that. They're stepping away entirely."

One million students are starving daily because of new lunch guidelines

What was branded as a program to help reduce childhood obesity is actually turning out to be a major cause of eating disorders for many students. According to statistics released by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), as many as 1 million students per day are not buying lunch at school, with many of them not eating anything at all.

To go along with this, a Government Accountability Institute report found that schools are having to toss about $1 billion worth of food annually as a result of students not eating it. This is a major problem, as school lunch programs were originally designed to be self-supporting, meaning they are not funded by the school district's general fund.

"The challenge has been in maintaining student participation along with managing the rising costs associated with the new regs," stated Lori Adkins, the child nutrition consultant at the Oakland school district in Michigan, to The Detroit News. "[I]t's vital for program revenues to meet or exceed expenses annually for a program to remain fiscally sustainable."

Not surprisingly, the only students still eating lunch at school appear to be those receiving it at a reduced cost or for free. This has created a two-tier, hierarchical food system where the poor are stuck eating Michelle Obama's rations, while the rich are eating normal food in appropriate quantities brought from home.

Good luck with this ...

New York - After Superstorm Sandy hit the East Coast nearly two years ago, the federal government quickly sent out $1.4 billion in emergency disaster aid to the hurricane’s victims.

Now, thousands of people might have to pay back their share.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency is scrutinizing about 4,500 households that it suspects received improper payments after the storm, according to program officials and data obtained by The Associated Press through a public records request. As of early September, FEMA had asked around 850 of those households to return a collective $5.8 million. The other cases were still under review.

FEMA’s campaign to recover overpayments, called “recoupment” in agency lingo, typically involves inadvertent violations of eligibility rules, bureaucratic mistakes or missing documentation, rather than outright fraud.

Many people asked to return money were deemed ineligible because their damaged properties were vacation houses or rental properties, not their primary residences. Others had double dipped into the aid pool, with more than one household member getting payments. Some received FEMA money for things later covered by insurance.

As of July 30, the average demanded refund was $6,987, a sum that could be difficult for many, given the modest annual incomes of most aid applicants. Roughly half of the households under scrutiny reported an annual gross income of $30,000 or less.

The larger pool of cases still under review as of that date involved $53 million in aid payments — or about 3.7 percent of the total given out by FEMA through its individuals and households program — though any potential refunds would likely involve only a portion of that money.

“For most people, the money is long gone and long ago spent on storm recovery,” said Ann Dibble, director of the New York Legal Assistance Group’s storm response unit, which has been helping about a dozen families fight a FEMA clawback.

USS New York: The Navy's Floating & Fighting Memorial To 9/11

She packs over seven tons of reclaimed steel from the World Trade Center, an on-board memorial to 9/11 and her motto sends shivers down your spine: "Strength forged through sacrifice. Never forget." A phoenix from the ashes, USS New York is a deadly memorial to both a terrible tragedy and astonishing heroism.

She is the fifth ship in the U.S. Navy to bear the name New York, but the meaning of that title was much differed for her predecessors. Her naming roots come from a letter Governor George Pataki wrote the Navy shortly after 9/11 requesting a ship that would be directly involved in the war on terrorism be named New York in honor of those who died during 9/11. The Navy was happy to oblige.

During construction, the 7.5 tons of World Trade Center steel that were integrated into the ship's bow structure were treated similar to priceless religious relics, with shipbuilders handling them with incredible care, and lightly touching them as they walked by. A contact of mine who worked with Northrop Grumman Ship Systems, the New York'sprimary contractor, said the ship is probably the best built vessel in the Navy, as workers understood their part in its creation on a very personal level.

This unique emotional connection with the ship and what it represents also exists among the ship's crew. I have talked with a sailor who served on the USS New York, and he made it quite clear to me that it was not a common assignment. From his memory, there was a sort of solemn dedication from her crew that he did not encounter while serving on other Navy ships. In his own words:

"USS New York, at least when I was aboard, had the most motivated crew I have ever worked with. It was a different place. You felt both honored and challenged being there. It is a very special ship for the Navy and you are reminded of that daily when you are part of her crew."

Oscar Pistorius found guilty of culpable homicide

PRETORIA, South Africa – While Oscar Pistorius was found not guilty of murder, but convicted of culpable homicide, a lesser charge that comes with no minimum jail sentence, his family said Friday there are "no victors" coming out of Courtroom GD.

"We as a family remain deeply affected by the devastating tragedy," Arnold Pistorius, the Paralympian's uncle, said outside the courtroom. "And it won’t bring Reeva [Steenkamp] back. But our hearts still go out for her family and friends.”

After 41 days of testimony spanning more than five months, the so-called trial of the century in South Africa is over. Judge Thokozile Masipa handed down her decision Friday, a day after revealing to a packed courthouse and worldwide television audience that no, she would not find Pistorius guilty of murder – premeditated or otherwise. Instead, her determination is that the death of the 29-year-old Steenkamp in the early morning hours of Valentine's Day last year was a tragic accident; that while Pistorius "acted hastily and used excessive force," he did not show intent to kill his girlfriend.

Asking Pistorius to stand, Masipa read her decision.

Not guilty of murder. "Instead," Masipa said, as Pistorius, reactionless, looked on, "he's found guilty of culpable homicide."

As Masipa read the verdict, Steenkamp’s parents remained silent, their faces drawn. Steenkamp’s cousin Kim began sobbing in the public gallery.

Pistorius, 27, also faced three gun charges – two for discharging a gun in public, one for illegal possession of ammunition. Masipa found him guilty of one of those charges – negligently handling a firearm in a restaurant.

Per South African law, the verdict of culpable homicide carries a maximum sentence of 15 years, but does not call for a minimum sentence. The gun charge carries no minimum sentence, meaning Pistorius could receive no jail time whatsoever.

Selective memory today ...

I prefer to NOT recollect today, the event that happened thirteen years ago. There are some things I prefer to keep in the deep recesses of my mind. I have had some rather traumatic events in my life, but I prefer to recollect the better times. This day is one of them I prefer to not remember.

I pray that someone, or some group chooses to not rekindle those memories today.

This is the month of my birthday.... 82 years ago. In those 82 years, I have seen much, much has happened, the world has changed, not just changed, completely changed. Just think of all that has happened since September 30, 1932. Very few things are the same. The rather quiet country of the 30's is not recognizable today.

Herbert Hoover was the President of the United States. I have lived through 14 Presidents, WWII, The Korean War, The Viet Nam War, and assorted "Police Actions." I have gone from the old "Tower Telephone" to the Cell Phone, from the Typewriter to the Computer. From a tube type radio to 3D, curved screen, high definition Television.

Many of those I have listened to, watched on TV, seen on a movie screen or read about in the newspapers, are gone. The house I grew up in is no longer there, in its place, a freeway. actually, the "downtown" I grew up in, a busy mecca of offices and retail stores, is, I understand, gone. Everything has moved to something we were not aware of at the time, but, the "suburbs." The Iceman who delivered ice to our house is now delivering ice to Walmart and other retailers, in bags, not blocks.

The trolley that ran down Brown Street is long gone as are the tracks it ran on. Actually, much of that street is gone due to that freeway that took our home. Earl's Grocery Store is gone, Millettes Deli is gone, had my first "Pepsi" there .... "Pepsi Cola hits the spot, twelve full ounces, that's a lot. Twice as much for your nickle too, Pepsi Cola is the drink for you." Earl used to let me work at his store once in a while. I was so proud, he would fix that long white apron on me. I still remember, pulling that long line of white string, wrapping, and then, with a deft ..... Pull ... break the string and proudly hand the package to the customer. It took me a while to learn that move.

I delivered newspapers, on occasions, to Orville Wright. Have seen Charles Kettering, the inventor of the automobile starter, lived near the founders of NCR, lived across the street from the D of DAP, saw FDR in a parade.

So, I choose to remember those things today ..................

Service Engine Soon

We have two cars, older cars, around like 2000's ... a little Chevrolet Cavalier and a Chevrolet van, an Astro Van, interior is like new. Around 70M on the little Chevy close to a 100 on the van.

The little Chevy, Check Engine Soon light goes on for a while. Originally, we would tighten the gas cap and it would go off. Two day ago, we pulled in to the Auto Zone to have them put their little thingy on the engine to find out what might be wrong. As soon as we pulled in to their lot, the light went off, been off since.

The van, the Battery light, would briefly come on, then go off, and stay off. Yesterday, the Check Engine Soon light came on .... and the Battery Light came on briefly. Got gas yesterday, both lights went off.

So, what to do? I trust NO mechanic. Had one nearby, had a rattle when stopped at a light, diagnosis, need a new catalytic converter, BIG bucks ... checked it out, need a new Safety Plate or some such thing near the catalytic converter. So, have learned to live with the rattle. I now have two cars I have lost faith in. 

In my younger days things like that did not bother me, now them do. I am t a point where I almot hate to go anywhere in the car.

In a turmoil in Ohio, what to do?

Disaster Day Eve - 9/10/14

Will this be known as Disaster Eve? Am I concerned, YES, could it happen, YES, not sure if it will, but, someone is concerned. Could just have been a casual comment in a blog .... but?

A BLAH day so far, cloudy day, gray out, my coffee had a load of grounds in it, some caught in my throat, made me cough, coughed on my morning coffee, never a good sign. Stares, have had a few spells of the "stares" so far this morning, just blank ones, no thoughts running through the mind.

I think Obama is going to speak to the nation tonight, at least he is not going to interrupt Drew Carey on the Price is Right. I won't listen, to me his speeches are just "dead air time." His words have credibility to me whatsoever. I imagine many people with "hot air" balloons will be filling their crafts up tonight, Hot air will be running rampant.

ISIS is still a mystery to me. Who are they and where did they come from? I was not aware of them not too long ago, and, all of a sudden, there they were, and a threat to us. I guess I dozed off, probably another one of those "stare" days.

Stores are filled with pumpkins and Halloween costumes already. Tons of candy, racks of costumes and some neat items, scary items, I have not seen before. May have to get one or two for the grandkids .... one ..... scary hand, pointed at me as I walked by .... and .... yelled BOO.

FONTANA, Calif. (AP) — Authorities have arrested a Southern California man they say stole the same Ferrari — twice.The Riverside Press-Enterprise says Earnie Hooks of Los Angeles was arrested last week behind the wheel of the $250,000 car. Court records say he's pleaded not guilty to car theft and resisting police. Police in Fontana, 50 miles east of LA, say they stopped Hooks at a drunken driving checkpoint on Aug. 29 and discovered that the black 2014 Ferrari 458 Spider he was driving had been reported stolen. Police claim Hooks drove away from the checkpoint and later abandoned the car, which was impounded. But around 3 a.m. the next morning, someone stole it from the impound lot. Hooks was arrested five days later while driving the Ferrari in his Studio City neighborhood.

NEW YORK (AP) — A condo development in New York City's pricey SoHo neighborhood is charging for a parking spot as much as it would cost to buy a nice house in Dallas or Seattle — $1 million. The New York Times reports the 10 underground spots at 42 Crosby St. will cost more per square foot than the apartments upstairs. The parking spots will run between $5,000 and $6,666 a square foot. The three-bedroom apartments will cost around $8 million to $10 million, or about $3,100 a square foot.

Hey, how was Miss Brooklyn's first day of school ... think we'll have a terrorists attack Thursday?

Our new way of life here in America, as someone said fourteen years ago .... this is gonna be the "age of terrorism." And, it is, and getting worse. I know nothing about ISIS, it sounds like a flower of some kind. It seems like they became a threat all of a sudden.

Airplanes are stolen, big airplanes, not sure how they do that. "Hey, Amad, we're gonna steal a dozen or so airplanes, can we park them in your garage?" I would think it would take quite an organization to do that. "Hey, we had twelve airplanes parked here, anyone know what happened to them?"

A car I can understand, an airplane, no.

I suppose it would be a good day, the anniversary of  one of THE most dastardly attacks on our country. December 7, 1941, I vividly remember that day. Silence and staring .... with some nodding and head shaking were all that I noticed. 9/11 we witnessed, first hand, on television, I saw that plane fly right in to that building. I saw that building collapse, I saw the dust, more silent staring, more head shaking, I saw the people running around. I cannot imagine what it was like being at ground zero. I have had a chance to speak with some who were there, unbelievable stores, they are living with memories that they cannot erase.

So, what could happen on this upcoming 9/11, are there terrorists planning? We have had some days in the past, where disasters and events of one type or another were predicted, they never happened, hopefully, that will be the case this Thursday.

I am concerned about the lack of leadership in this country, really not the lack of leadership, the absence of any leadership. Out leader may be golfing on that day, oblivious to the threats, more concerned about keeping his left arm straight, than the safety of the citizens in the country that he took an oath to protect. If anything, some of his actions have encouraged terrorists. Possibly their only questions as to taking over our country, is why?

Another date of pending doom for our country and civilization .....

Some gumballs for thought ..............

WATCH HERE .... I JUST DID

Miss Brooklyn embarks on her education .....

Well this old man shed a few tears today, still have a bit of a lump in my throat when I look at this photograph. Our Great Grandaughter, Miss Brooklyn, started in pre-school today. She did pretty good, made it through, and then after school they came over for a pizza dinner.

I cannot begin to tell you what went through my head when I saw her, holding on to Mom and Dad's hands, entering that door. I just know it choked me up a bit, no, a lot.

I think it just brought back so many memories, in just that instant, that it was rather overwhelming. I think my age amplified the event. I have seen my kids, my grandkids go through this, but a great grandchild is almost a gift .... from God ... that he has allowed me to live this long and to experience so much in my lifetime. And to see her walking through  that door, on her first day of .... a big part of her life ... much of which I probably will not be around to see, well, it made me sad.

But, just look at that face, Miss Brooklyn .... she was so excited, starting school, what a big day in her life .... and I was there ...... thank YOU for letting me share in this day. Love you Miss Brooklyn.

News Flash

News Release: It was reported this evening that Ohio State University Football Coach Urban Meyer called Kaplan University to inquire if they would be interested in scheduling OSU next year. He guaranteed them a minimum of a million dollars to make the trip to Columbus, Ohio. The representative from Kaplan informed the coach that they did not have a football team, to which Coach Meyer replied, "Small world."

Just a brief question ........

In the Newark, Ohio area, we have about a dozen "Coffee Shops." How and when did that happen?

I remember when it was 5 cents a cup, free refills. You sat down at the table, and instantly, a cup of coffee was in front of you. Not too far from here, in what was a small bank building, a coffee shop, not a franchise one, privately owned, and in the morning there will be a long line of cars going through their drive in window, and a parking lot full of cars .... people inside .... drinking coffee. I have never been in it so I have no idea what all they sell, maybe drugs, I don't know, I just know they are often quite busy.

When did we quit eating breakfast at home. Dad and the kids sitting around the table, Mom doing the eggs and the bacon and the toast. I've seen that on TV anyway.

I too have payed big bucks for a cup of coffee. Krogers has them, that's a grocery store or super market, there is one in our local hospital. When my wife gets her "testing" done I sit and wait downstairs, often get a cup of coffee and a muffin .... the best part of a five dollar bill has bit the dust. The coffee is good, but still, just a cup of coffee, hot water with little to no flavor, but, a dark color.

I guess it is just another example of advertising and marketing .... a status symbol to have that paper cup with the cardboard thing around it so the fingers don't get burned. Oddly though, I have read where the guy who started Starbucks feels that to thoroughly enjoy coffee it should not be too hot. Then why does he sell HOT coffee. ....... because you .... sip it ...... McDonalds the same thing, they even got sued for selling too hot coffee, a women burned her lips or something. That took guts, also, order a cup of hot coffee and then sue because it is too hot .... Yes, we are a great country, going down the proverbial tubes, but a great country ....................

Sunday Morning 9/7/14

WOW, Federer lost, so did the tall kid with the tough name, the B1G ten has proven that their overall talent level has ......... well .......... slid a bit, but their policy of giving small colleges exposure and more than the millions of dollars, they are receiving WINS. I watched some games yesterday afternoon, last night, very little. I am glad I did not watch the Michigan game, did not watch the OSU game, Ohio State that is. I did have the radio on though, listened to some post game comments by the coach and some players.

Millionaire Coach Urban Meyer, commented that this loss may be a good thing. They still have a good shot at the national title and they now know what they have to do to win all the rest of their games. Many of his losing players felt the same. The largest crowd to watch a game in the "shoe" ... I think they said, did not seem to express the same philosophy. They actually thought it was a loss. Those who had rated them Number 8 in the country were not available for comment.

Some very perceptive TV executive saw these upsets coming and made the decision to televise more high school games. In my opinion, due to these excellent high school programs there is a plethora of good football talent, and the "great" programs are now facing much "stiffer" competition. The little guys are getting better ..... as one pale faced coach stated, "Who the hell we gonna schedule now to insure some victories ..... the "church of the little Sisters" .... well, they became a Cathedral" .. their hope is that some of the "Internet" colleges will start football programs. "We wanna see the University of Phoenix and that Kaplan University play football."

It was rumored around Washintgon that obama is looking in to how he can limit the US Open Tennis Tournament to only US citizens. He commented he was proud of his US citizenship and the US Open should only be for citizens .... too many "foreigners" in it ..... "what ..... only one .... well, all the more reason."

Drew Carey Offers $10,000 Reward to Catch Teens Responsible for ‘Horrendous’ Ice Bucket Challenge Prank

I am concerned that this is a statement of our youth, not all of them, but a few. Just one person came up with the idea, and the scary part, he was able to get others to go along with him or her. Even when/if caught, little to nothing will happen to them. The incident in Steubenville, this and others are a sad commentary on our youth.

“Price Is Right” host Drew Carey wants to catch a group of Ohio teenagers responsible for a “horrendous” ALS Ice Bucket Challenge prank on an autistic boy, and is willing to chip in a $10,000 toward a reward fund.

“WTF? Just saw this. Horrendous. These kids should be arrested and expelled,” Carey tweeted after reading a Cleveland.com report about a group of Bay Village High School students who tricked a 14-year-old special needs student into dumping a bucket full of urine, spit and feces on his head.

“If the Bay Village PD wants to start a reward fund to find who did this, contact me. I'll donate $10k,” Carey added.

Both the police department and Bay Village school district are eager to discipline the teens responsible for filming the prank Police Chief Mark Spaetzel called “reprehensible.”

Investigators are reviewing a copy of the video, which the attackers recorded on the victim's phone and then posted to social media.

Carey, a comedian and former sitcom star, grew up in the Cleveland area, and is willing to offer his $10,000 to an autism charity if the teenagers responsible for the prank are found without any monetary incentive.

SMI 9/6/14

I am trying to get in to a "Saturday Morning" frame of mind. Not easy for some reason. Actually, around 9 in the morning, watching the ............ "Pre-game" football show, "Breakfast with the Experts" it should be called. Four hours or so of chatter, talk, now a very "leggy" attractive blond is interviewing some guy, could not tell what they were talking about, it was football, that I know. Not a "sexist" but why do the sideline folks, on TV, have to be women? I realize they also are fans, and can know much more than I do, but, there are a very few, well known, women, who played football. Lynn Swan, former Steeler, now, that was a sideline guy, or announcer, or whatever. How can some guy who has been coaching for thirty years, been a coach all his life, and here, this gorgeous blonde, showing an abundance of leg,  is talking to HIM .... about football.

Had a homesick pang last night, a football game from Reno, made me feel like I was "back in my Western home." I loved that city, many great memories there, a special time in my life. I wouldn't even recognize it today, but, I still have the memories.

The president and ISIS ... I know that I am concerned about ISIS .... and I know nothing about them, perhaps he does. I have heard that there are quite a few BIG airplanes missing. I wonder with satellites and all, how one can hide a gigantic airplane, but, apparently, someone has figured it out, could it be them?  I have no idea how man of them that there are, perhaps he does. Somehow, when he speaks ... I put no credibility to his words. I really don't know if he knows what is going on. I am concerned that we have an uneducated, uninformed leader, whose inability is going to be the ruination of this country .....

A thought, right now, 11:43, 9/6/2014, much of the country is concerned about ..... football .... what day was that, oh, yea, December 7, 1941 ..... that could never happen again ...... could it?