You just gotta feel sorry for her .....

Even with an extra million or two, it seems that some lottery winners are still trying to finding ways to save money -- on the government's dime.

Amanda Clayton of Lincoln Park, Michigan won a lottery jackpot worth $1 million, but a local TV news station recently discovered that despite her winnings, she's still using a state-sponsored welfare card to buy $200 of food every month, The Daily Mail reports. As a local reporter points out, those tax dollars could go a long way for residents in a state particularly hard-hit by the recession, but Clayton doesn't seem to see it that way, even though she recently purchased both a new house and a new car with her prize money.

"I mean, I have no income and I have bills to pay," she told local news WDIV. "I have two houses. I'm still struggling."

HEY, it's my kids!!!!!!!

Fred Kormann, Lisa Bozydaj, Debra Dooley and Claire Winslow 

Highland Local Notables: Clair Winslow and Debra Dooley, The Would
by Peter Aaron, February 28, 2012

It would come as no surprise if The Would restaurant in Highland was the visual inspiration for the 1996 film Big Night. It certainly looks the part. Housed in the lower level of a charming, three-story, ivy-covered brick building, the cozy establishment opened in 1926 as the Hotel di Prima, which fed and accommodated weekending Italian-American families from New York.

Its present heyday began in 1994, when the property was purchased by Claire Winslow and Debra Dooley, who rechristened the hotel portion The Inn at Applewood and renamed the restaurant The Would. Winslow, a Culinary Institute of America-trained chef, has a uniquely flavorful style that combines New American cuisine with French flair.

Known for palate-dazzling dishes prepared with local, organic produce, poultry, and other ingredients, and warm, welcoming service, The Would has truly become one of the Hudson Valley’s most beloved eateries. The restaurant has won gold and silver medals from the American Culinary Federation and rave reviews from Zagat and the New York Times.

And it’s not only the sumptuous signature entrees—pan-seared organic chicken filled with collard greens and tomato confit with a braised garlic sauce, just one mouth-watering example—that keep delighted diners coming back. A repeat winner of Wine Spectator magazine’s Award of Excellence, The Would maintains a seasonal cellar populated with approximately 300 bottles of local and international vintages. The on-premises bakery draws raves for its fresh-baked breads, pies, and cakes, and divinely decadent desserts.

“In the high-stress world of work, work, work, it is more important now than ever for our guests to truly enjoy an evening out,” explains Dooley. “I want them to leave satisfied.”

And, judging by the glowing praise from thousands of contented patrons over its nearly 20 years, they always do. Only to return again. Thewould.com

A proud Mom, and well she should be............

This will go unnoticed by most, was an entry on my Facebook page, there are still "a few good men" .... and women. I think it carries a very heavy message with it. Congratulations Mrs. Mueller, you have every right to be proud. Thanks for sharing the moment ............

Doreen Doscher Mueller

I have always been a proud Mom, but today, Brian gave me yet another reason to boast! He is at the end of his two week leave from deployment, and he spent the day in Piner, Ky. helping those affected by the horrible weather from Friday! I am bursting with pride!

Transgender Illegal Alien Detainees Will Get ‘Hormone Therapy’ Courtesy of the US Taxpayer

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the division the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) responsible for enforcing the nation’s immigration laws, will provide “hormone therapy” to illegal aliens it has detained who say they are transgender, according to the agency’s operations manual for its detention facilities.

The 2011 Operations Manual ICE Performance-Based National Detention Standards says that all illegal alien detainees shall be screened by a specially trained detention officer within 12 hours of their arrival at the detention facility. The operations manual specifically states that the “screening shall … inquire into a transgender detainee’s gender self-identification and history of transition-related care, when a detainee self-identifies as transgender.”

If the self-professed illegal alien transgender detainee has been receiving hormone therapy on the outside, ICE will give it to him or her on the inside.

“Transgender detainees who were already receiving hormone therapy when taken into ICE custody shall have continued access,” states the report. “All transgender detainees shall have access to mental health care, and other transgender-related health care and medication based on medical need. Treatment shall follow accepted guidelines regarding medically necessary transition-related care.”

Are we a great country, or what..................

I voted today ....

I spent a long time looking over the ballot, I've gotten many pieces in the mail, from an assortment of politicians. Some I could not tell whether they were for or against a candidate. I got phone calls from the Governor of Ohio, and all the Presidential candidates. I got calls from people I had never heard from, some endorsements were good and some bad.

My mind was a blur by the time I got to the polling place. I showed them my drivers license and got what I needed to vote.

I stood in front of that machine for a long while, trying to decide. I finally did a write in ...

I wrote in "Walmart." They seem to know how to run things, how to expand, how to merchandise, how to pacify local governments, how to make friends around the world, so I voted for them.

Dog survives 53 days in wild, reunited with owner

By MARTIN GRIFFITH

RENO, Nev. (AP) — Barbara Bagley says she never gave up hope that her dog would be found alive in the Nevada desert after the animal bolted from the scene of a crash that critically injured her and killed her husband.
But the Salt Lake City woman endured plenty of frustration until her beloved 4-year-old Shetland sheepdog, Dooley, was tracked down Feb. 18 after surviving 53 days in the wild on roadkill and scattered ranch water sources.
"I would think about Dooley constantly," she said. "There were TV commercials with dogs that made me think about him and cry. He's just the sweetest dog."
The Dec. 27 single-vehicle accident on Interstate 80 near Battle Mountain, about 225 miles east of Reno, sent Bagley and her 55-year-old husband, Brad Vom Baur, to the hospital in critical condition. Their other sheltie, Delaney, was killed in the wreck. Dooley ran away and vanished.

Gingrich Slams Media on Limbaugh Focus

 Amy Woods

Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich slammed “the elite media” for focusing on the contraception controversy that Rush Limbaugh escalated last week instead of reporting on the issues relevant to the campaign.

“I am astonished at the desperation of the elite media to avoid rising gas prices, to avoid the president’s apology to religious fanatics in Afghanistan, to avoid a trillion-dollar deficit, to avoid the longest period of unemployment since the Great Depression, and to suddenly decide that Rush Limbaugh is the great national crisis of the week,” the former House speaker said Sunday on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”

Ron Paul: No Federal Financial Aid for Tornado Victims

By John Aloysius Farrell | National Journal

Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas, stood by his libertarian beliefs on Sunday, saying that victims of the violent storms and tornadoes that have battered a band of states in the South and Midwest in recent days should not be given emergency financial aid from the federal government.

"There is no such thing as federal money," Paul said, on CNN’s State of the Union. "Federal money is just what they steal from the states and steal from you and me."

"The people who live in tornado alley, just as I live in hurricane alley, they should have insurance," Paul said.
Paul said there was a role for the National Guard to restore order and provide care and shelter in major emergencies, but that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) led to nothing but "frustration and anger."

"To say that any accident that happens in the country, send in FEMA, send in the money, the government has all this money—it is totally out of control and it's not efficient," Paul said.

I have always questioned the rationality of this. People who live in lowlands, by a river, sometimes flood every year, and expect the government to rebuild their homes. After some disasters, there are many empty trailers and buildings, always seemed like a lot of waste. I think some disaster areas have rebuilt on their own. If there is an individual house fire, the homeowner is responsible. If a house gets struck by lightening, which is a natural disaster, the homeowner is responsible. The difference is hard to spot. I still think they should let Walmart handle the disasters, I think they are better equipped and better staffed, and more intelligent than those doing the job now. I am aware of disaster abuse, right here in our community, and that was on a small scale.

It was fun while it lasted ....

Terrell Owens' latest money woes can land him in jail.

The six-time Pro Bowl receiver, who is currently playing in the Indoor Football League, is $20,000 behind on child support payments for one of his children. The mother of the child filed a petition in Atlanta court that is asking for T.O. to be fined or jailed if he doesn't pay up.

The lawyer representing Melanie Paige Smith, the mother of one of Owens' four children, said in a letter to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that they have received no indication if Owens will ever pay for his daughter. "We plan to ask the court to send a strong message, given that he has only paid support in the last 10 months after a contempt action has been filed against him," Kessler said.

This is the latest in money troubles for Owens. Two of his homes in Dallas are in foreclosure. He tried to get his child support obligations lowered by a court last summer, blaming the NFL lockout on his inability to pay. The court refused his request. According to a January GQ article, Owens owes nearly $45K in child support every month.

After 15 seasons in the NFL where Owens became known as much for his off-the-field antics as his ability to catch, his contract with the Cincinnati Bengals was not renewed for the 2011 season. He couldn't find an NFL team to sign him, and he signed with the Allen Wranglers of the IFL.

He can reportedly make up to $500,000 for the Wranglers, which will not cover one year of child support.

The "Sub"

We had a restaurant downtown here in Newark, some years ago, and I used to send out a fax to a list of our customers. Close friend Craig kept all of them, and gave them to me last week. In reading over them, many fond memories came back. Read one this morning that brought back a "Nevada" memory I had related.

In my "dealing" days in Nevada, many stories circulated about incidents that had happened around town. Harold Smith wheeling his Dad around the club on a cart one New Years Eve, the time the IRS closed a table at Harold's Club, Sandy being hypnotized and falling asleep while dealing at the Golden when Baron Von Brenner was appearing on stage, the guy who crawled under a crap table one New Years Eve at the Golden, cutting a hole in the bottom of the money box and collecting all he could get, a lot of good stories.

One I saw, and can attest to, happened at the old Palace, one of the older casinos in town. They had the old floor that was made of little white tiles, very old.

Some friends and I were sitting at the bar one evening, talking and watching the "action." We noticed one of the crap dealers, who seemed to be new, and we also noticed a few of the "moves" he was making, and, obviously, to us, he was inexperienced.  To us, they were very "tell tale."

One method of stealing money, if you were so included, was to wear a "sub." That, being a dealers apron, double layered, with an opening on the side to slide in either money or chips, one way to steal money from the house. Let me say in all my years in Nevada, in the casinos, I never stole a penny from them, that was just not for me. I think much of the success I had in Nevada came from having a good reputation. I was a dealer, box man, floor boss, managed a casino pit, and was in consideration to manage a casino, all before I was 30. I am proud of that.

Also, when I worked out there, we used actual silver dollars, chips were for the higher denominations. We noticed this dealer going to his sub, with silver. A smarter dealer would have "gone South" with chips, they weighed much less.

Anyway, he was going on a break, performed the ritual of brushing his hands, took about three steps, and his sub was weighted down, and broke. We estimated that about 20 silver dollars hit that hard tile with a bang, then, noisily started running around the floor. Gotta hand it to him though, he just kept on walking, right out the door. Never saw him again.

More "Food for thought"

One post it note has created a national movement on Facebook. 

An anonymous citizen left a sticky note on a gas pump as a wake-up call to fellow citizens that has set off a chain reaction of events that could literally altar the 2012 presidential election.

So what did the post it note say that caused such a ruckus? 

The text reads:

"Hey There, Voter! Do you remember that on Inauguration Day (Jan 20th) 2009, the national average for a gallon of gasoline was about $1.78? 

How's that "Hope & Change" working out for you? Anyone But Obama Nov. 2012.

An afterthought .............

Let's give all those "mothballed" drones to all those agencies that patrol our borders, chase down drug smugglers and fight crime, put them to GOOD use. Fly one over the Mexican Border, one around the waters around Florida. It just seems like they could be put to good use, and it would create jobs for all of those who would have to be hired to keep them flying, evaluate the information they receive.

Maybe start a new government agency, all the politicians want to CREATE jobs, here is a way. Better idea, no government agency, a private company, "Drones R' Us," experts in aerial surveillance. Could they be converted to crop dusters?

There are twelve of them. Could some state not figure out a way to race them, have wagering under the auspice of the lottery commission. Race them from Cleveland to Cincinnati, paint them all different colors and you could bet on the color to Win, Place or Show. I think that millions could be generated on SPY PLANE RACING. Maybe the company that owns all the casinos would be interested.

The NFL could pay them to fly over the Super Bowl, all major sporting events could hire them for "fly overs." The government could save money by not using their multi million dollar airplanes for fly overs. Get rid of those Goodyear things that fly around. I imagine that computerized advertising could be affixed on the side of the drones. There are hundreds of uses for them, I think a lot of jobs could be created and the government could recoup some of the THREE BILLION they have invested.

I don't think enough thought has been given to this issue. Any suggestions?    joedooley@yahoo.com

Air Force Shelves $3B Worth of Brand New Drones

Far from spying on terrorists, more than a dozen high-tech surveillance drones, which together cost the U.S. government more than $3 billion, could soon be sitting in a storage facility gathering dust after top Air Force officials admitted this week the birds still are not as good as the half-century-old spy planes they were designed to replace.

Maybe they can cut an infomercial on them and sell them for $19.95 PLUS shipping and handling. Iran, China, India, Germany, maybe even Japan might purchase them. How about Buffet or Gates, or one of the other "Internet Billionaires." Maybe we could break even with the shipping and handling. DOUBLE the offer, give them TWO for the same price, of course, PLUS shipping and handling. Maybe put a limit on them so each country could only make one purchase. Wonder how many such "ideas" are sitting, gathering dust, somewhere ..... now we know what AREA 51 is all about ........... The Twilight Zone .........

ANY links in this BLOG ARE NOT mine. Somehow, something picks out certain words and puts in the links, working on the problem.

Now, I am one .........

I remember many years ago, probably the late 60's, I was working for a printer in Heath, Ohio, and one day we had an elderly gentleman stop by the office and talked with Mr. Gainer, who owned the business. He was just curious, he was an old printer, had been in the business all his life, and was interested in seeing "how it is done," in a modern printing plant.

I was introduced to him, and took him on a tour of the plant. I showed him our graphic arts camera, and how it worked, showed him the negative it produced, how it was exposed and "burnt" on to an offset plate, put on the AB Dick 360 Press, and printed him a sample sheet. He was enthralled. He was "old school" and not familiar with the type of printing we did. He was very interested in the whole process.

In his day they used "hand set" type, or had "zinc's" made, or set copy on their "Linotype." This was all new to him. He was very interested in learning how things were done, "today."

Now, I am that old man, I have no idea how things are done today. Been brought to mind recently by all these political pieces we get in the mail, can't imagine how they are all printed. Everything I know about printing is obsolete, and I was in it during the evolution from Letterpress to Offset. The progress, in printing, from the 60's to the 90's was amazing. And that is all a thing of the past in comparison to the "computer age" of printing, but don't ask me, I don't know how it is done today. I am that old man who would like to see how it is done, today.

Today's Mail

Received three fliers today, two big ones, and one half size, and five phone calls from politicians, NONE of which I listened to, incidentally.

One flier for a Curtis Johnson, looked it all over, could NOT figure out what he was running for, then I saw it, small  print, hard to read color, he is running for the Republican State Committee. Nice picture of Obama on it. Read it over a number of times, it said nothing, He intents to STOP a lot of things, nothing about what he intends to do, and not sure what he can do as a Committee member. NO vote there, stupid political piece, he is either getting bad advice or doesn't know any better.

Now a big piece for Betty Montgomery, no, I think they are trying to tell me she is WRONG and a Moderate. They just want me to vote NO on her. That was put out by the Buckeye Farmers Association. In my opinion, it was a STUPID piece.

Another large piece, more note NO for Betty Montgomery. So far, I know Betty is running for something, and apparently people are concerned she may win, against WHO, I don't know. Oh, OK, on the back of that one, they want me to VOTE FOR ENDORSED REPUBLICAN Kathy Johnston for State Central Committee.

That State Central Committee job must be a great one, how much do you get paid to sit on a committee?

All done on heavy card stock, some full color, and we used to have to put a "disclaimer" on every political piece. I guess that is not true anymore, wonder how they get away with it? After reading all this material, the only name I remember is Betty Montgomery.

The story of Jim and Jessie

A few years back we had a restaurant in the Arcade in Downtown Newark. I started sending out a FAX each night in a newsletter format. I had always sensed "something" strange happening in the Arcade. Below is the first installment of a series of stores I called, "The Story of Jim and Jessie. Much is from my imagination, much many of the incidents actually happened. I think that Jim's spirit still lives there ...... 


The Beginning

  I am learning more about the ghost in the basement of the Arcade that surrounds the whole complex.
  Jim Harmon worked in the furnace room in the basement, was a hard working, God fearing man, who attended church regularly at the United Brethren Church on East Main Street. He lived on Hudson Avenue, and walked the few blocks to work each day. Many days, his wife Jessie would walk with him to work, and she would walk him to the Home-style Diner on 4th Street, and they would part on that corner ... he would head on to the Arcade, and Jessie would return home. She would always turn and see him enter the 4th Street Entrance. Jim would enter the Arcade, and go down in to the basement where the huge power plant and furnace were located. He kept every piece of machinery and equipment in "his" "engine room" as he called it, cleaned and polished. He worked and fussed over all of the equipment, the stokers, the coal bins, the burners, the diffusers, as if they were his own.
  Jim had grown up around Mary Ann Furnace, and had attended a small one room school house on Montgomery Road. His family later moved to Brownsville, and he attended and graduated from school there. Shortly after graduation his father was offered a job at the Weyant Greenhouse, "out East" as it was referred to in those days, to work in the Power Plant there. They moved out on East Main, and his father would take the inter-urban each day to Marne.




THE REST OF THE STORY

POLITICIANS are getting LAZY!!!!!!!!!!!!

I've said it before and I will say it again, I am getting sicker of politicians all the time. Now they are even getting too lazy to go out and campaign. We get about five or six palm cards a day in the mail from politicians. We get phone calls all day from politicians, we see them on TV, too lazy to even dress up, campaigning in blue jeans, that, to me, shows a total lack of respect for the voters. And, his jeans were even torn.

Let's be realistic. Obama is going to win again, There is no one who can beat him. But, you can bet on it, according to TV it will be a close race, they will make a BIG issue out of it. It is like making a "one horse" race exciting. They will do it though, a billion or two in revenue for TV.

A lot of it is my age, I have lived through a lot and seen a lot. I am skeptical of politicians and evangelists, I think they were cut from the same log. Evangelists are attempting to do "good," and in doing so, coincidentally, are become multi-millionaires, politicians are doing the same. Oddly enough, they are both making their money on television.

They, and others, have just turned themselves into ENTERTAINERS ..... at least entertainers admit what they are and what they do, they are HONEST about it, the others ARE NOT.

Still WONDERING ... HOW do you CREATE jobs?

Every politician at every level states that he/she/it/they .... are going to Create Jobs. I am still wondering, how is that done.

I can see a company creating some new jobs in an expansion effort. I always thought that demand created jobs.

I think "creating" jobs is akin to creating "weather." It just can't be done.

"Here's 50 million dollars, create some jobs."

Where do you start?

Thieves have a new way to steal from you now!

A  friend sent me this email and I am passing the information on.

Wednesday, I approached my truck  from the passenger side to place my computer bag in the front passenger seat. As I reached to open the door I noticed there was a hole right under my door handle. My  first thought was, "someone has shot my truck !"
I began to  think about it and inspect it a little closer and the light"  slowly began to come on.
I phoned my friend who owns a body  shop and asked if he had any vehicles with damage to the doors that looked like a bullet hole.
"Yes, I see it all the  time. Thieves have a punch and place it right under the door handle, knock a hole through, reach in and unlock it, just as if  they have a key.
No alarms, broken glass or anything.
 I then placed a call to my insurance agent and explained it to him I was puzzled that they left my GPS and all  other belongings.
Here is where it gets scary !
"Oh no,  he said, they want the break-in to be so subtle that you don't even realize it.
They look at your GPS to see where "home"  is. Now they know what you drive, go to your home, and if  your vehicle isn't there they  assume you aren't and break in your home."
He says they will even leave a purse or wallet and only take one or two credit cards. By the time you  realize there has been a theft, they may have already had a couple days or more to use them.
I didn't realize my situation for two full days!  They even give you the courtesy of  re-locking your doors for you.
Periodically walk around your  car, daily if you are in a shopping center or other parking  area.
Report thefts immediately....your bank w/missing  check numbers, your credit card agencies, police, and  insurance companies,

There are some pros and cons on this issue, but there is some credibility in the story. I learned a long time ago, in Nevada casinos, believe ANYTHING someone tells you, nothing is impossible.

God's Balance....

God was missing for six days. Eventually, Michael, the archangel, found him resting on the seventh day.

He inquired, "Where have you been?"

God smiled deeply and proudly pointed downwards through the clouds, "Look, Michael. Look what I've made."

Archangel Michael looked puzzled, and said, "What is it?"

"It's a planet," replied God, and I've put life on it… I'm going to call it Earth and it's going to be a place to test Balance."

"Balance?" inquired Michael, "I'm still confused."

God explained, pointing to different parts of Earth. "For example, northern Europe will be a place of great opportunity and wealth, while southern Europe is going to be poor. Over here I've placed a continent of white people and over there is a continent of black people. Balance in all things.

God continued pointing to different countries. "This one will be extremely hot, while this one will be very cold and covered in ice."

The Archangel, impressed by God's work, then pointed to a land area and said, "What's that one?"

"That's Brooklyn, the most glorious place on earth. It is surrounded by rivers and an ocean, and has forests, hills, and plains. The people from Brooklyn are going to be handsome and beautiful, modest, generous, compassionate, intelligent and humorous, and they are going to travel the world. They will be extremely sociable, hardworking, high achieving, carriers of peace and producers of good things."

Michael gasped in wonder and admiration, but then asked, "But what about balance, God? You said there would be balance..."

God smiled, "Yes. Further south is Washington, DC. Wait 'till you see what I put there."