tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-57821927973371449852024-03-18T10:13:13.003-04:00Castles Made of SandMarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09041502316651258186noreply@blogger.comBlogger5725125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5782192797337144985.post-47266998977313167302024-03-18T05:00:00.001-04:002024-03-18T05:00:00.145-04:00More on the Truman show<p>I can't say enough good things about the FX/Hulu docudrama “Feud: Capote vs. The Swans.” And I'll tell you this - even if you have not had my 50+-year fascination with Truman Capote's talent and why he wasted it away like pouring precious water out of a bottle in a sere American literary landscape that he could have helped flourish, you will enjoy this eight-part series as a study of humans and their friendships and their willingness to deal with the devil.</p><p>After Truman drove away almost all of the people who loved him in the New York society-page world that he once ruled, he wound up in California, sponging off Johnny Carson's ex-wife, Joanne. Not even she was enough encouragement for him to get off his aspidistra and finish what he promised would be his Next Great Book, "Answered Prayers." All of us who prayed for a chance to read that book got the same answer: Forget it. </p><p>After Truman died (1984) Joanne held onto a portion of his ashes for a decent period of mourning, and then auctioned them off for $44,000. She hoped that some young writer could be inspired by Truman Capote's boxed remains.</p><p>It is true that everyone <i>could </i>be a great writer; all of us walking around this earth have access to the same dictionaries and thesauri. The skill part is knowing which of those words to use, and when. And why, because Capote spent so much time idly gossiping with yentas that he forgot he could write about things that mattered.</p><p>Parceled off in a hand-carved Japanese wooden box, his ashes at least allowed him to urn a living again. Pun intended.</p><p> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgodX-mNJRmkIWDc7iHNrKVIOrRzbYNepbmvofqjd3iTaV9Ly7pAWmjGcKCO347RXR-T8NIddHjbn7Vy1t4MiuvLvc8rreYZMGmtynp2WzkGbc20caj2faTmQCBr-GuaHj_S_a0EGPsAhNxutYMiGTW7gQh_2qgRvMDvZ7UT2ThaIXFseyJ2mggmbaqYtk/s1000/capbox.webp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="563" data-original-width="1000" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgodX-mNJRmkIWDc7iHNrKVIOrRzbYNepbmvofqjd3iTaV9Ly7pAWmjGcKCO347RXR-T8NIddHjbn7Vy1t4MiuvLvc8rreYZMGmtynp2WzkGbc20caj2faTmQCBr-GuaHj_S_a0EGPsAhNxutYMiGTW7gQh_2qgRvMDvZ7UT2ThaIXFseyJ2mggmbaqYtk/w640-h360/capbox.webp" width="640" /></a></p>Tom Hollander, the actor who played Capote so perfectly, and the hand-carved box.<br /><p><br /></p><p> </p>Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09041502316651258186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5782192797337144985.post-58843374144723707272024-03-17T05:00:00.001-04:002024-03-17T05:00:00.140-04:00Sunday Rerun: Dress Up!<p> The United States Senate, that august body of sobersided ladies and gentlemen dedicated only to the public weal, was conducting hearings two years ago in the Banking Committee about the Equifax data breach.</p><br />Former Equifax CEO Richard Smith (if that is his real name) testified about the data leak that caused the personal banking information of 145 million people to get into evil hands. As in "Smith's" prior testimony before the House Energy and Commerce Committee, he claimed "full responsibility."<br /><br />He also scheduled appearances to sing "Mea Culpa" to the junior varsity soccer team of Salmon P. Chase High School in Blue Earth, Minnesota, the Wednesday Afternoon Reading Club of Conway, Arkansas, and the staff of the E. Z. Bucks payday loan company in Twitty, Mississippi.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf65suY3xhvXS9vqQMssHQCHQwLTaSEChsH2YGbaCtnkHq6asrG1NP6cmRwHVodhro_BLa76OhQoIGI63ZcMMnG9yK_zyqHDTrkrnNF84eGQc8mPmfQR7OFZka5yS9q1gNn4xYiq_t0hE/s1600/mono.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="320" data-original-width="228" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf65suY3xhvXS9vqQMssHQCHQwLTaSEChsH2YGbaCtnkHq6asrG1NP6cmRwHVodhro_BLa76OhQoIGI63ZcMMnG9yK_zyqHDTrkrnNF84eGQc8mPmfQR7OFZka5yS9q1gNn4xYiq_t0hE/s200/mono.png" width="142" /></a><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>But for "Smith's" boffo Senate appearance, a spectator enjoyed the show in a black silk top hat, big bushy white mustache, and monocle sat in the crowd, swabbing away forehead sweat with gag paper money. It was a simulacrum of the man we all know as Rich Uncle Pennybags from the Monopoly game show.<br /><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG6AgqRQc6Yec3JYEXq_LWHvC3QaoAuuTnL5oEL-85vRxKeQpxNEvKDVWPjAmUcFPSRn3z8zHr3zZzJMmWkn7B1ag9BxQwCt0sEfazd_SQhQ4hEcHIIE2HrOttK_AKNN_iBz-uZb1i6YU/s1600/mono2.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="298" data-original-width="192" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG6AgqRQc6Yec3JYEXq_LWHvC3QaoAuuTnL5oEL-85vRxKeQpxNEvKDVWPjAmUcFPSRn3z8zHr3zZzJMmWkn7B1ag9BxQwCt0sEfazd_SQhQ4hEcHIIE2HrOttK_AKNN_iBz-uZb1i6YU/s400/mono2.jpg" width="257" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ms Werner in costume</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />The Moneybags effigy is all part of the protest of the group known as Americans for Financial Reform. The Monopoly "man" is actually a female, one Amanda Werner, who wishes to make known her group's opposition to the forced arbitration clauses that the big banks use to limit consumers' (our) right to fight things out in court with them.<br /><br /><br /><br />But I hasten to point out something almost as important as the fight against the pythons of capitalism, who seek daily at every turn to squeeze the middle class out of every nickel they can force us to cough up.<br /><br />The Monopoly Man did not have a monocle!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSb2_VeVsSR_B6OOGpKszKoajHWPRq0IJFxvlgDu5Kk2GROb6RVO8hwzoj07dvCi079rs4K87Pupx578iH12AK3uLTO2-OeKIcHlssDvqB1Y0yWVU6Y_1Ynxz_FpfRBxzOorlQiGLW0eI/s1600/Scrooge_McDuck.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="355" data-original-width="294" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSb2_VeVsSR_B6OOGpKszKoajHWPRq0IJFxvlgDu5Kk2GROb6RVO8hwzoj07dvCi079rs4K87Pupx578iH12AK3uLTO2-OeKIcHlssDvqB1Y0yWVU6Y_1Ynxz_FpfRBxzOorlQiGLW0eI/s200/Scrooge_McDuck.png" width="165" /></a>Nor did Scrooge McDuck, who wore pince-nez spectacles.<br /><br />People always confuse Monopoly Guy with Mr Peanut, the beloved mascot of the Planters Nut company.<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyR5HIWPC2RYvHektW1rVGMNo25ykSAOwsb6Ex3Czk1IAgTeov_WHdi81caXtaTuLJypl_7vNfjdis7w63s_8NHBtbf0JJxxaYp_HSRsSm312Nxsmz4EBG4JyrbRKHTqiCR3pHvBOguNY/s1600/Planters_Movember_SYN.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="820" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyR5HIWPC2RYvHektW1rVGMNo25ykSAOwsb6Ex3Czk1IAgTeov_WHdi81caXtaTuLJypl_7vNfjdis7w63s_8NHBtbf0JJxxaYp_HSRsSm312Nxsmz4EBG4JyrbRKHTqiCR3pHvBOguNY/s640/Planters_Movember_SYN.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption"><br /></td></tr></tbody></table>That's a monocle!Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09041502316651258186noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5782192797337144985.post-63293785710925618722024-03-16T05:00:00.001-04:002024-03-16T05:00:00.153-04:00The Saturday Picture Show, March 16, 2024<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7HYIKVO-maioLYzb4NflV58pnj-Oq0Oq22FLNg3-cFtxwe7wPd2H1_Sk7Xp72c025wR5a4JF7Nywlqf6WVLn3xb9tY1p6RbUInG85FwfmaaNZDDENefDZ184s4iikUhUOS9vNoH-CUKBrT6oOMVize8OCbIAyXGKEzFNuUltmFFo68oS3giMmVKMVn4E/s1324/sat%203%2017%2009.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="869" data-original-width="1324" height="420" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7HYIKVO-maioLYzb4NflV58pnj-Oq0Oq22FLNg3-cFtxwe7wPd2H1_Sk7Xp72c025wR5a4JF7Nywlqf6WVLn3xb9tY1p6RbUInG85FwfmaaNZDDENefDZ184s4iikUhUOS9vNoH-CUKBrT6oOMVize8OCbIAyXGKEzFNuUltmFFo68oS3giMmVKMVn4E/w640-h420/sat%203%2017%2009.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>This is the legendary Smetana's Delicatessen, at York Rd and Burke Av in my beautiful hometown of Towson, MD. It was here that I would stop on my way home from high school detention to get a half a cold cut sub, a quarter of a pickle, and a coke. Then I would walk up York Rd to the heart of town, stop in at Read's Drugstore ("Run right to Read's!") for an ice cream, and then walk through Towson Plaza to get to Providence Rd and hitchhike home. That's 2.04 miles, says Google Maps. At 6' 5", I tipped the scales at 140 lbs. in those days. It must have been all that walking.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0dQl4QWAAYCK0xaoGKIwmMdFJqyeK0cfE2kYha7HeBmPuNp2AOO9iIsIoDGqNxnJKfpr0w7VVaFZdQ1SvgHeFzvl8MV_7MC3Hbtmcu-nF5d5-W384Q-PBydCYVdgBtuysuocee-9JGq1o6U9_tqS7zxNDLMvBdHKxFkmLJ_GeXxHxfEVstfBE8Hb7b8o/s950/sat%203%2016%2010.webp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="528" data-original-width="950" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0dQl4QWAAYCK0xaoGKIwmMdFJqyeK0cfE2kYha7HeBmPuNp2AOO9iIsIoDGqNxnJKfpr0w7VVaFZdQ1SvgHeFzvl8MV_7MC3Hbtmcu-nF5d5-W384Q-PBydCYVdgBtuysuocee-9JGq1o6U9_tqS7zxNDLMvBdHKxFkmLJ_GeXxHxfEVstfBE8Hb7b8o/s16000/sat%203%2016%2010.webp" /></a></div>Happy St. Patrick's Day tomorrow!<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizaSlHNlkxJRvG8BcwI8kVE93eCtoFnMqjSIUwbHR4ZXbd4J2EBY6AsZlPZrqhouWNIpf0fTIr0YG88JbGBhUZo1686p6EAKunk5jWpPLcwix3SEIFA-P4TiOVaml4uKtey9KczzGuD5ziGs9xg5QOifndo84g8176ALmu7QRw8kJbLGk9TdJItCC6j0Q/s869/sat%203%2016%2008.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="869" data-original-width="715" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizaSlHNlkxJRvG8BcwI8kVE93eCtoFnMqjSIUwbHR4ZXbd4J2EBY6AsZlPZrqhouWNIpf0fTIr0YG88JbGBhUZo1686p6EAKunk5jWpPLcwix3SEIFA-P4TiOVaml4uKtey9KczzGuD5ziGs9xg5QOifndo84g8176ALmu7QRw8kJbLGk9TdJItCC6j0Q/w526-h640/sat%203%2016%2008.jpg" width="526" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It's as if you saw a paintbrush owned by Van Gogh, or a typewriter that Truman Capote used. This is the cord that amplifies the notes Keith Richards plays.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsRa0iRvEmu-u68QgoRv-V0vqrB1caW7URMdabVuQEE70lg0Bc64lSMJIyNSOEUOurEs-ek16uKp1yOaUBAgRKcH4fChF6k9m-3mXukONtEWnacAzkqHaxZaRq0H-l88U9XPTGS-afRrioZwtdQa1uJ9pWXU4JYJR4TUhR74yvofaIhgGDgxzY-jtjiD4/s953/sat%203%2016%2007.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="869" data-original-width="953" height="584" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsRa0iRvEmu-u68QgoRv-V0vqrB1caW7URMdabVuQEE70lg0Bc64lSMJIyNSOEUOurEs-ek16uKp1yOaUBAgRKcH4fChF6k9m-3mXukONtEWnacAzkqHaxZaRq0H-l88U9XPTGS-afRrioZwtdQa1uJ9pWXU4JYJR4TUhR74yvofaIhgGDgxzY-jtjiD4/w640-h584/sat%203%2016%2007.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We are lucky around here; our tap water is very tasty. Even the fish who swim in it say it's great!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmi6pJrahoLh7WDTD4H2xfHkhU0Jc7YN5uH2ZBNgQpXKkDv1wHWl41IHQDEeIqY3gR63PA00_qR5RsMjRfeVDzGb2dM48zquVjYH_8T8Ohy5gCFDGCd32mOos7sgl8wE5YfPByesnilG4uU1c5IYfozZqsE7vgGHQF7xnpVzfeeyozZNPJ4wJ7VX8lBR8/s1051/sat%203%2016%2006.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" data-original-height="869" data-original-width="1051" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmi6pJrahoLh7WDTD4H2xfHkhU0Jc7YN5uH2ZBNgQpXKkDv1wHWl41IHQDEeIqY3gR63PA00_qR5RsMjRfeVDzGb2dM48zquVjYH_8T8Ohy5gCFDGCd32mOos7sgl8wE5YfPByesnilG4uU1c5IYfozZqsE7vgGHQF7xnpVzfeeyozZNPJ4wJ7VX8lBR8/s16000/sat%203%2016%2006.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">It's a good idea to vary your wardrobe and not rely on the same color tie every day of your life.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicZLByxHdlsmyFmtgiODOEnX6vZie5AyZMSxKsjMHzhEqDVsCA5mghs73r4J-7t_k2DtMjuCMasSvsQ-hvzL9qgYztCileV2ai-HdTOiEuhxRxOZUfcajlhAQq6P6Gy1-2ad-L-kCyzjt65IQOCUkoRjQrYXSCHqvsJRq0UYNBZd1F8PsIUfuCW1_GAos/s1157/sat%203%2016%2005.webp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1157" data-original-width="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicZLByxHdlsmyFmtgiODOEnX6vZie5AyZMSxKsjMHzhEqDVsCA5mghs73r4J-7t_k2DtMjuCMasSvsQ-hvzL9qgYztCileV2ai-HdTOiEuhxRxOZUfcajlhAQq6P6Gy1-2ad-L-kCyzjt65IQOCUkoRjQrYXSCHqvsJRq0UYNBZd1F8PsIUfuCW1_GAos/s16000/sat%203%2016%2005.webp" /></a></div>A pound of beef, some cheese and rice, and here's a stuffed pepper that will feed a family of 27!<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-JhA5HTaE9lnZH1Y5qKLzYOaIGUGTeKL-pfJYTOWlck3P2bps-uy259QIi6J751IzJaCy8mnEP7NZF3oULYG6kG6Iaqa8d4d4oNM2prFpEG4pmSMM56DBJ4QYcmKHqLbV194UrN3hUvd7uqJyn3xrWMailaEQFhaa9aAPIAtjS2lXp7hVkSZClv7u5l0/s818/sat%203%2016%2004.webp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="818" data-original-width="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-JhA5HTaE9lnZH1Y5qKLzYOaIGUGTeKL-pfJYTOWlck3P2bps-uy259QIi6J751IzJaCy8mnEP7NZF3oULYG6kG6Iaqa8d4d4oNM2prFpEG4pmSMM56DBJ4QYcmKHqLbV194UrN3hUvd7uqJyn3xrWMailaEQFhaa9aAPIAtjS2lXp7hVkSZClv7u5l0/s16000/sat%203%2016%2004.webp" /></a></div>The Daffodils, having spent the winter hibernating, are bursting forth already!<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQU6Z5PerdwhLJv5PnHYn_ZjZoxZYimkl7iYhxEuiMWw7u63Zwc4xDOIZGPYdG7To6nEyivp_CYZWVVEyKipqvnsaD-5JYP-vAtx2SBVNnF65Qb1NRsb7OIhEChCAgKGv7hhGRNyq08VkuvynnjRrLxAq9AI7tRmUXcEAvDQEbAA9h35og2soyZ9TqeDc/s1099/sat%203%2016%2003%20messi.webp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1099" data-original-width="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQU6Z5PerdwhLJv5PnHYn_ZjZoxZYimkl7iYhxEuiMWw7u63Zwc4xDOIZGPYdG7To6nEyivp_CYZWVVEyKipqvnsaD-5JYP-vAtx2SBVNnF65Qb1NRsb7OIhEChCAgKGv7hhGRNyq08VkuvynnjRrLxAq9AI7tRmUXcEAvDQEbAA9h35og2soyZ9TqeDc/s16000/sat%203%2016%2003%20messi.webp" /></a></div>Ah, the indignities of a life chasing the footlights. This fellow's claim to show biz fame this week is that it was he who worked the applauding paws of Messi the Dog at the Academy Awards.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHd8t391y13GpobE7vEjBM_U2tyAwlJfuhXqqMDODeJ7gfJ69HqE23NjgjZTxTrbxNM6C0BeVAQLg0FfrlchVlw3krAcqICox3LM5XwN4PT9yU5sKcJttyhTf7q0KwLQMAugiV3ZZr-7v5ERKAvqlNyGxOt04LBuZIWGpdtmFt7-bkq7S6mC6ka7gD9zo/s602/sat%203%2016%2002.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="602" data-original-width="539" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHd8t391y13GpobE7vEjBM_U2tyAwlJfuhXqqMDODeJ7gfJ69HqE23NjgjZTxTrbxNM6C0BeVAQLg0FfrlchVlw3krAcqICox3LM5XwN4PT9yU5sKcJttyhTf7q0KwLQMAugiV3ZZr-7v5ERKAvqlNyGxOt04LBuZIWGpdtmFt7-bkq7S6mC6ka7gD9zo/w574-h640/sat%203%2016%2002.png" width="574" /></a></div>Normal? We passed Normal a long time ago, and we're not headed back that way for a long long time.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMvV8XTfesVRYJ1kARfAILWOaqy59OAuOQPB0tJucU546Jqtme8vAjrWjXX1NSV1MtJUj3jeM9uDlRIz6C8KIUMeG2eM070dYQvPvDsLAVlok4pcKXWp6hjdKBYsQA7oouzb3sBbXqR7zdfO61plrZNIF-gMoN2qfypkBRu7SDyLwkQT6b8jnKpOWL_lU/s960/AdobeStock_332160448.webp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="960" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMvV8XTfesVRYJ1kARfAILWOaqy59OAuOQPB0tJucU546Jqtme8vAjrWjXX1NSV1MtJUj3jeM9uDlRIz6C8KIUMeG2eM070dYQvPvDsLAVlok4pcKXWp6hjdKBYsQA7oouzb3sBbXqR7zdfO61plrZNIF-gMoN2qfypkBRu7SDyLwkQT6b8jnKpOWL_lU/w640-h360/AdobeStock_332160448.webp" width="640" /></a></div>Well, I'll be doggoned! Look what's back! And so are the inane posts from people who will search all over town for a doctor who doesn't require masks for office visits, because "everyone knows they don't work." Some of us will not learn.Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09041502316651258186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5782192797337144985.post-33805221563590194542024-03-15T05:00:00.001-04:002024-03-15T05:00:00.138-04:00First National Banksy<p>No one knows his real name, but he goes around leaving art all over the place.</p><p>They call him Banksy over in England. He accomplishes his goal of activism by doing street art and directing films.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju6E_LYuJFcBZp5E24a3od_ypcPu7hulQLfdeCMIb6VzOj3Ppnx7iY9e7s8H0XP5M62DBFgeuiXab6Cj2OWUTkFuccBg_N1r5kzZPgcMSbm68dQ1JoJYyiY8RVV97jpwTm-MYnLOuDH6GPpr914MwuWXMjE_d-hOrkburQk5MyZAhyphenhyphengENvS2sJWNeza3Q/s2400/banksy1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1752" data-original-width="2400" height="468" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju6E_LYuJFcBZp5E24a3od_ypcPu7hulQLfdeCMIb6VzOj3Ppnx7iY9e7s8H0XP5M62DBFgeuiXab6Cj2OWUTkFuccBg_N1r5kzZPgcMSbm68dQ1JoJYyiY8RVV97jpwTm-MYnLOuDH6GPpr914MwuWXMjE_d-hOrkburQk5MyZAhyphenhyphengENvS2sJWNeza3Q/w640-h468/banksy1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><i>I guess this one would be known in Haiku as "Prop drapes, dreary house. Silhouetted boy and cat."</i><p></p><p>Naturally, someone had to come along and do some forgeries to sell to those unaware. Some of the fakes have raked in a couple of thousand dollars.</p><p>Spanish police have found and broken up a forgery ring in an apartment in the city of Zaragoza. Banksy-fakes made there were being sold at auction or online, and even in some shops.</p><p>The police have discovered nine art pieces at the apartment, and proof of some 25 sales to people in Spain, Germany, Switzerland, the United States and Scotland. They have placed four people under investigation, charged with fraud and theft of intellectual property.</p><p>The police say the people involved are "young followers of Banksy's street art with economic problems." Fans of the man's work rip him off and in turn rip other citizens off. </p><p>The motto used to be "art before commerce," but now it's the art of stealing that is plumping up wallets. </p><p>The fakers were presenting their "work" as part of Banksy's "Dismaland" project, a sort of theme park in the British town of Weston-super-Mare.</p><p> </p><div><br /></div>Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09041502316651258186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5782192797337144985.post-28315330770020406492024-03-14T05:00:00.002-04:002024-03-14T07:28:18.520-04:00Guess what! We went to the moon!<p>I don't know much about basketball, but I will always remember that the National Basketball Association record for scoring points in a game is held by Wilt "The Stilt" Chamberlain of the Philadelphia Warriors, playing against the New York Knicks on March 2, 1962. </p><p>The game was not played in Philadelphia or New York, and the reason for that plays into what I'm here to talk about today. </p><p>In 1962, the NBA was not nearly as popular or ubiquitous as it is today. There was no cable, so there was far less television exposure. The game itself centered around set shots from the court, rather than dramatic dunks under the basket; it was more of a finesse game at the time.</p><p>So the Warriors sought to promote themselves in other ways, with no 24-hour TV coverage. They played some games in a drafty hockey arena in Hershey, Pennsylvania, hoping to attract new fans, and it was there that Chamberlain got off to a hot start that evening, and his teammates kept feeding him the ball, enabling him to sink enough "Dipper Dunks" and jump shots, totaling 100 points.</p><p>All good for the game, and it has been said that that one single game helped the pro league become an American fixture. People talked about it, and went to see more games.</p><p>You know what else has become an American fixture, though, is this dumb trend of people questioning the validity of things and saying maybe they didn't happen. This dates back to the days of early man, when humans had not yet learned much about the nature of the universe, so they made up fables to explain things. This is why your parents told you not to go back in the pool for thirty minutes after you had a sandwich, lest you face a certain, watery, death.</p><p>There is, against all odds, a movement afoot on the socials (TikTok, YouTube, Reddit, Facebook and X/Twitter) that has people wondering if this game, and Chamberlain's feat, actually took place. Because there is not complete video available of the game, and not even a complete audio recording of the play-by-play, people with podcasts and plenty of time to think of things to podcast about are saying maybe this was faked. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBRifcfW6UlFhB7nQ2_0lQA56yoovHF7Cd4DPkfpZmn6dnaX0iiYJFmr4Y99s0vxZVapP877Nm43XaGuvnZXX2d3ROfkBCm5AZj_ptkOa68lj2aFlqUCWiHCrL-5sjg1UC3Xy95o_3mofZVCndy8ibc1pe9efEb3_G3PmqP5wHA4ipeDHZbM_qX-DiGaA/s792/wilt.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="543" data-original-width="792" height="438" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBRifcfW6UlFhB7nQ2_0lQA56yoovHF7Cd4DPkfpZmn6dnaX0iiYJFmr4Y99s0vxZVapP877Nm43XaGuvnZXX2d3ROfkBCm5AZj_ptkOa68lj2aFlqUCWiHCrL-5sjg1UC3Xy95o_3mofZVCndy8ibc1pe9efEb3_G3PmqP5wHA4ipeDHZbM_qX-DiGaA/w640-h438/wilt.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yes, it happened.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>As a nation, as a world, we are awash in facts. For crying out loud, everyone walks around with a little device in their pocket that can tell them the latest news, name the principal exports of every nation, list all the ingredients for a really nice layer cake, and play songs to listen to while you bake that cake.</p><p>And instead of appreciating having the sum total of human knowledge and experience literally at our fingertips, some of us just see a fact and say, "Duh, that is fake news!"</p><p>Where would we get such an idea?</p><p> </p>Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09041502316651258186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5782192797337144985.post-24953097526371869512024-03-13T05:00:00.004-04:002024-03-13T07:31:31.516-04:00Burger king<p>When you find a person of accomplishment, it's always best to acknowledge their talent and dedication to craft, the things that separate a true concert master violinist from someone who just started sawing on an old fiddle the other day.</p><p>Someone who has kept a streak of continuous attainment alive since 1972 certainly deserves our respect, so without further ado, let's hear it for Don Gorske.</p><p>We've mentioned <a href="https://trulyregalmanners.blogspot.com/2018/05/mac-daddy.html" target="_blank">his glorious deeds</a> before, but it's time to check in on the man who has eaten at least one Big Mac every day since 1972, May. He's up to 34,000 <b>two all beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions on sesame seed bun </b>sandwiches, and he's not even slowing down, although he admits, "People thought I'd be dead by now."</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRIUKIcoICvbAD0A2jda9a3ieIZHxNMlrLrK9WuqMNoiLKy6rV3q4DSMd9_tMTle4m8NAWU8ZNdmK6CBE2x7pLXwLpueVtKnr59ls_cnDpmjpevuc_3zn1jESWGEF6Qxeb_I6yHFfRQ9hjvYulSVMuIPatdfqVt_uk5LIe32DCHS1p6ozL6nWjnrP0tu4/s878/bigmac.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="493" data-original-width="878" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRIUKIcoICvbAD0A2jda9a3ieIZHxNMlrLrK9WuqMNoiLKy6rV3q4DSMd9_tMTle4m8NAWU8ZNdmK6CBE2x7pLXwLpueVtKnr59ls_cnDpmjpevuc_3zn1jESWGEF6Qxeb_I6yHFfRQ9hjvYulSVMuIPatdfqVt_uk5LIe32DCHS1p6ozL6nWjnrP0tu4/w640-h360/bigmac.webp" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>He's a retired prison guard, so that would account for his being accustomed to quotidian habits. </p><p>He has a wife, to whom he proposed in the parking lot of "his" McD's, where his picture is on display for all to revere. “She has put up with a lot of obsessive compulsive things I do and hasn’t let my Big Mac thing get to her,” he will tell you.</p><p>As it will, retirement has changed his life in some ways. He no longer goes to the Golden Arches every day; he goes twice a week and stocks up on Macs to nuke at home. He does eat a fresh one when he picks them up - and nowadays he only has one at lunch and one at dinner every day, down from the nine a day he was doing. He doesn't eat breakfast, and as a bedtime treat, he'll reach for a fruit bar or ice cream or potato chips.</p><p>And...he did cheat once; in 1984 he tried a Whopper from Burger King and ran back to Mickey D's, swearing loyalty which now approaches forty years.</p><p>All hail an American Original - Mr Don Gorske, of Fond du Lac, Wisconsin!</p><p> </p><p> </p>Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09041502316651258186noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5782192797337144985.post-1169753054531192882024-03-12T05:00:00.001-04:002024-03-12T05:00:00.130-04:00We're gonna dig potatoes<p>From down North Carolina way, this story about an 11 foot, 3 inch woman's potato plant. To be precise, it's the spud plant that measures 11'3"; the article I read doesn't mention the height of Cecelia Smith, from Nebo, McDowell County. I suppose Cecelia stands at an average height, but that potato factory she's got going is tallest in the world, or so says Guinness World Records.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcwbjDn7aKOx9M1g5cH72SLBUROnu3OVHVsSwWk3z2M5ZX1h0r7yLDdR83LZd2PNN0nF3H2I-UArdnlbk3ewWZYy8XARlrnWbQDXL0bxRrrq6zr04w9vEx1rRHCLWYQq-ObglghwCr3R95G4nARHJ9yvR5GKr_vwmNS2VcTAeSYw8-8zNzYIk6RvHVBr8/s800/potato.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="532" data-original-width="800" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcwbjDn7aKOx9M1g5cH72SLBUROnu3OVHVsSwWk3z2M5ZX1h0r7yLDdR83LZd2PNN0nF3H2I-UArdnlbk3ewWZYy8XARlrnWbQDXL0bxRrrq6zr04w9vEx1rRHCLWYQq-ObglghwCr3R95G4nARHJ9yvR5GKr_vwmNS2VcTAeSYw8-8zNzYIk6RvHVBr8/w640-h426/potato.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>She calls the plant "Gertrude," and a minute of research tells me that name comes to us with roots in the ancient Germanic languages, word that meant "spear" and "strength". </p><p>Ms Smith just planted the fantastic future French Fry flora last February, and by May she was figuring on it being in the Largest category.</p><p>The old potato prize winner was a puny 9-foot, 4.1-inch jobber grown in Britain.</p><p> </p>Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09041502316651258186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5782192797337144985.post-80915713974425582252024-03-11T05:00:00.004-04:002024-03-11T05:00:00.144-04:00The Spy Who Did Not Seem To Care For Me Very Much<p>A guy I knew (briefly, mercifully) had been in the Air Force, assigned to guard an important missile site in one of the Dakotas: North, or South, or Fanning. I can't remember much about him, except that he was a real Barney Fife kind of guy, loved uniforms and rules and marching around.</p><p>He told me one time that while making his rounds about the base, he saw a dog that had somehow "penetrated perimeter security" (service talk for "jumped the fence") but when this guy corralled the pooch and interrogated him (I swear that's how he put it) the dog clammed up and would not bark, and a search of his collar yielded nothing, so he was "taken into custody" for "disposition to be determined at a future date," which I hoped was service talk for "someone with a little sense will take Poochie to the fence and send him home," for crying out loud.</p><p>Meanwhile, back in this year, police in India were holding a "suspected Chinese spy pigeon" for eight months, only to find out that the bird was an open-water racing bird from Taiwan. It had escaped Taiwan and gotten to India by air (hitchhiking is forbidden there) and was captured near a port in Mumbai (so maybe it chartered a boat?) When apprehended, the bird had two rings tied to its legs, so police naturally suspected espionage and sent the pigeon to Bai Sakarbai Dinshaw Petit Hospital for Animals. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_z2kmDNt1nRblR29dbyllxK6935EF6lTMLDJ8YgLkprZZxY09cFe0-SfAPPy5CBS9v8-vvh4k-4jiEyU76ioVGAkD48NqABhkeNryyGF5RdKvezDfE0tuR50y0diNNRVklxqfOZVTc6f-RjuBtUlou_kHwYqD86Xr7PuVQE0efove-Bycy2bo6XuyeY0/s720/pigeon.webp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="421" data-original-width="720" height="374" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_z2kmDNt1nRblR29dbyllxK6935EF6lTMLDJ8YgLkprZZxY09cFe0-SfAPPy5CBS9v8-vvh4k-4jiEyU76ioVGAkD48NqABhkeNryyGF5RdKvezDfE0tuR50y0diNNRVklxqfOZVTc6f-RjuBtUlou_kHwYqD86Xr7PuVQE0efove-Bycy2bo6XuyeY0/w640-h374/pigeon.webp" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>There is a precedent here from 2016, when another pigeon (let's assume it wasn't the same one!) was arrested after being found with a note that threatened Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.</p><p>But upon asking the bird to write his side of the story, police saw that he, indeed, could not write, which was a strong piece of evidence in the defense claim that he could not have written the note.</p><p> </p>Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09041502316651258186noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5782192797337144985.post-72556957246988811842024-03-10T05:00:00.001-04:002024-03-10T05:00:00.145-04:00Sunday Rerun: With six, you get a free eggroll<p> When I worked on the midnight shift in the Baltimore County Courthouse, I spent many a lunch 1/2 hour roaming the building. Just reading the legal notices that were posted in accordance with law was a fascinating pastime, and the postings of people who paid $110 to change their names legally were the best. </p><p>A lot of these were women who were divorced and wanted their original name back (that should be free, IMHO) and some were people who disliked being called "Poindexter" or "Jor-El" or whatever, and some were the kind who were into spending that kind of money for a joke, such as the newly-christened "Bud" Wiser or "Dixie" Normus.</p><p>But would you change your name for sushi? Over in Taiwan, people have been changing their names, but enough is enough, say the local officials.</p><p>There is a sushi chain called Akindo Sushiro. They offered free chow on Wednesdays and Thursdays to "whole tables of customers named Gui Yu, or 'Salmon'." All you had to do was to make "Salmon" part of your name. Local media called the resultant commotion "salmon chaos."</p><p>By the end of the first day, dozens of people had gotten their free suppers, and more than a thousand had eaten at half off just for changing their names to a name with aquatic associations. </p><p>And the government offices reported that about 150 "mostly young" people had come in to change their names. </p><p>"Salmon Prince," "Meteor Salmon King" and "Salmon Fried Rice" got their meals for free, and one freeloader changed his name to something that set the Taiwanese name for all-time longest name: "Chen Loves Taiwan, Abalone, Tuna, Salmon, Snow Crab, Sea Urchin, Scallop, Lobster and Beef, Mayfull, Palais de Chine, Regent, Hilton, Caesar Park, Hotel Royal."</p><p>One college student went with "Explosive Good Looking Salmon," and he and his squad gobbled $235 worth of sushi.</p><p>Another student who changed their name and their friends ate about $460 worth of sushi.</p><p>"I do not think we will want to eat salmon again for a while," they wrote online, per the local news.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBA4gR7Kvmi091FjIPz4wtRQKdKi1dqtfCXbvLvVOO660coi-rYL3tiNRV9tZxjttbHg7U_vfyJEzl1J3TIEiNKT3iZXGrmUBR6PiZ8rwdTQeX0aWUEL4FBA-1MQ598KNeNZ9azFu9ZU4/s1862/SushiRollIstock.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1048" data-original-width="1862" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBA4gR7Kvmi091FjIPz4wtRQKdKi1dqtfCXbvLvVOO660coi-rYL3tiNRV9tZxjttbHg7U_vfyJEzl1J3TIEiNKT3iZXGrmUBR6PiZ8rwdTQeX0aWUEL4FBA-1MQ598KNeNZ9azFu9ZU4/w640-h360/SushiRollIstock.webp" width="640" /></a></div><p>Predictably, Taiwan officials didn't find all this very amusing as they coped with all the red tape. Deputy Interior minister Chen Tsung-yen said that the changes for free food were wasting time and causing unnecessary paperwork, according to AFP.</p><p>"I hope everyone can be more rational about it," Tsung-yen told reporters.</p><p>Diners with new names were telling reporters that were going to change their names back to their original non-sushi names after the free meal. The process fee for a name change and new ID card is less than $3.</p><p>And Taiwanese official Ann Chovy took to the airwaves to urge residents to "be careful to take good care of your name." </p>Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09041502316651258186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5782192797337144985.post-88095172880826128082024-03-09T05:00:00.001-05:002024-03-09T05:00:00.130-05:00The Saturday Picture Show, March 9, 2024<p> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6MKpof6-Kh6RPqXAxFS1kKX4ksD8_qJMc6wNwh92OcezO2IumrE1pqrd3fB1kfJpGsOAoTfOb4fkwfWsT6bY-TPa07z7-Mp-QawQnJY_gfzDCfSk8GygPBpNSLfcy874x-cNA9x5_ISUlM-Zg2QecJpwsR6yj5v-6HknXpiW6dcEXQFLir6g9og150C4/s1080/sat%203%209%2010.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1080" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6MKpof6-Kh6RPqXAxFS1kKX4ksD8_qJMc6wNwh92OcezO2IumrE1pqrd3fB1kfJpGsOAoTfOb4fkwfWsT6bY-TPa07z7-Mp-QawQnJY_gfzDCfSk8GygPBpNSLfcy874x-cNA9x5_ISUlM-Zg2QecJpwsR6yj5v-6HknXpiW6dcEXQFLir6g9og150C4/w640-h426/sat%203%209%2010.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Outside of the chance of there being another Willy Wonka movie, what could be more depressing than an abandoned diner? This makes me think of Hall and Oates's song and album "Abandoned Luncheonette," and all those catsup bottles waiting to be refilled.</td></tr></tbody></table></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi_frOFFivGB-4ryrehyRGYa_F-3zMMke7zF5qGe0k5c1v1j8MLERQcDdvUtuLaHo_kC01k0qFI59xCiUvKLJTjaaSuiaF87ixFobflOPjI14zQhOIwod-bStUVL33nFcJX1MQo-Co4z1k_jhyphenhyphenHWKVKEw1-1hImEhwCXta3ulGF1ka2Y24bUlIZxqd-_E/s560/sat%203%209%2009.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="409" data-original-width="560" height="467" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi_frOFFivGB-4ryrehyRGYa_F-3zMMke7zF5qGe0k5c1v1j8MLERQcDdvUtuLaHo_kC01k0qFI59xCiUvKLJTjaaSuiaF87ixFobflOPjI14zQhOIwod-bStUVL33nFcJX1MQo-Co4z1k_jhyphenhyphenHWKVKEw1-1hImEhwCXta3ulGF1ka2Y24bUlIZxqd-_E/w640-h467/sat%203%209%2009.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div>I never found out whether this was random. Probably not, since the people who worked at Radio Shack knew their way around electricity, and would have figured out this way to say "Sayonara."<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie94ZiEvBASllW5VgenIgzf-qmqxc9e_n3EUuZth5OKaeX1RfNvRR7AyFnT7z7HHL9ot4AEKJ9D2IJ1nqBuq38qBpQ95P5JjjQuy2Ckz2jFDTO1Iahjeav5kdJB5zU0GQXo0AXFzmdvIVEDi_01jFOzPFU0AT5Fki25oyZF-SiaByeabhkrOfOk29actc/s874/sat%203%209%2008.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie94ZiEvBASllW5VgenIgzf-qmqxc9e_n3EUuZth5OKaeX1RfNvRR7AyFnT7z7HHL9ot4AEKJ9D2IJ1nqBuq38qBpQ95P5JjjQuy2Ckz2jFDTO1Iahjeav5kdJB5zU0GQXo0AXFzmdvIVEDi_01jFOzPFU0AT5Fki25oyZF-SiaByeabhkrOfOk29actc/w501-h640/sat%203%209%2008.jpg" /></a><br />For two bucks, you could see this world of talent. For $3.75, I saw The Beatles. Today, people pay a thigh and a leg to see Madonna, and she makes you wait two hours before she shows up.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKYPz9roxgoYOwfuxBZYJhFWo3W6u3fdhV6upLuZWWyv1zM7Nm8AbE18Wuqz74GdySvBL5t8fX1SEep0FWiZ_STdq0JVanLdq4SkK6AU0I9fPLLWjg_VGBjSCilcFXkuaNMr-BRROxruzkjF7evGHNJDCnBHhyphenhyphenMoJueWhrrw413oVtKd27kGfS-jlsAUU/s1866/wod.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1866" data-original-width="1244" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKYPz9roxgoYOwfuxBZYJhFWo3W6u3fdhV6upLuZWWyv1zM7Nm8AbE18Wuqz74GdySvBL5t8fX1SEep0FWiZ_STdq0JVanLdq4SkK6AU0I9fPLLWjg_VGBjSCilcFXkuaNMr-BRROxruzkjF7evGHNJDCnBHhyphenhyphenMoJueWhrrw413oVtKd27kGfS-jlsAUU/w426-h640/wod.jpg" width="426" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">It's the smart home designer who takes care to tend to the little details. Note that in this fashionable "living area," the wood tones even extend to the fireplace logs. Class.</div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYheSCFLu9xsUCbZHHnEGFYWaWB4jqRzba27ioWqjUJ4zAltD_Ud8Zt_GhPDI08x1pBnZ7zUyFYpnHDjpIJEDegh5p-AW23UCfjgJVEPfqZSKnzNf8f1aPwywIRnp0AMg0U_0t1-lDvC44fdJVEgiaMetwCmapuF3tGEP7HjB2GhRuoVZLgtDivnqeg8A/s701/sat%203%209%2005.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="701" height="366" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYheSCFLu9xsUCbZHHnEGFYWaWB4jqRzba27ioWqjUJ4zAltD_Ud8Zt_GhPDI08x1pBnZ7zUyFYpnHDjpIJEDegh5p-AW23UCfjgJVEPfqZSKnzNf8f1aPwywIRnp0AMg0U_0t1-lDvC44fdJVEgiaMetwCmapuF3tGEP7HjB2GhRuoVZLgtDivnqeg8A/w640-h366/sat%203%209%2005.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is Enya, the Irish composer and performer whose soporific New Age music has become the <strike>stumbling </strike> building block of a generation seeking heightened spiritual consciousness. Her mansion is valued at 115,567,270.00 United States Dollars, all earned by selling downloads of songs with titles like "Orinoco Flow." </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHo6K097gkIq8aFCAAzxrsfhFVCBTQV-dNgzU9TeD8tqdFETUBr2cIFNhKsNYWwFgtIfuQb1nBBmsABSJ03OaKu6tJZvBr857vl-fABYRrURR_9tzQ9sSLBrpL1PfH2XmH8w1-5RrDBou0F4YVI3a3d-w3j6HIUW5JYADSBz6TrkpsIvXceiAihuqINWY/s1270/sat%203%209%2004.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1270" data-original-width="1028" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHo6K097gkIq8aFCAAzxrsfhFVCBTQV-dNgzU9TeD8tqdFETUBr2cIFNhKsNYWwFgtIfuQb1nBBmsABSJ03OaKu6tJZvBr857vl-fABYRrURR_9tzQ9sSLBrpL1PfH2XmH8w1-5RrDBou0F4YVI3a3d-w3j6HIUW5JYADSBz6TrkpsIvXceiAihuqINWY/w518-h640/sat%203%209%2004.jpg" width="518" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not gonna lie, there was a certain majesty in being six feet from randos. There is always, always something for which to be thankful.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXm76l95lBK2uAbRVn8Byc4C7vvF_MokfHdwXsP1xN0S2me3gezV6RyAWQ6OV6SeLtndofoOoCbhwlBbvGoQeiIxWFSE3k8RxOvGnd1JWD7KajJuxGwEBjbfJteboc9KJ-Mre4fMeUrm8j3g7iJ5R6Yt8BJCnjPskl_-RZbCfi4AQaQyUrgAFJMVP-iTU/s1467/sat%203%209%2003.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1428" data-original-width="1467" height="622" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXm76l95lBK2uAbRVn8Byc4C7vvF_MokfHdwXsP1xN0S2me3gezV6RyAWQ6OV6SeLtndofoOoCbhwlBbvGoQeiIxWFSE3k8RxOvGnd1JWD7KajJuxGwEBjbfJteboc9KJ-Mre4fMeUrm8j3g7iJ5R6Yt8BJCnjPskl_-RZbCfi4AQaQyUrgAFJMVP-iTU/w640-h622/sat%203%209%2003.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"So far away," is all the police were able to determine. They're still on the lookout.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjLdm0ChWIV82z3j2hAtRh-kvFw_9AZawRHEM8BviKNvorLdNVkI5oNLmhKP9YpAoIrp7mTCx0_sEtbXQNwomMGE50VvqIqzmGPLayKTuuxXAFGAPCIkMG0DcBnvAtdE6oSF6N7WxfWquVy4MtjvwPaVShMGjx22jYcplaQ0bsMFHd-byWRarsLv1vN5U/s330/sat%203%209%2002.webp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="330" data-original-width="330" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjLdm0ChWIV82z3j2hAtRh-kvFw_9AZawRHEM8BviKNvorLdNVkI5oNLmhKP9YpAoIrp7mTCx0_sEtbXQNwomMGE50VvqIqzmGPLayKTuuxXAFGAPCIkMG0DcBnvAtdE6oSF6N7WxfWquVy4MtjvwPaVShMGjx22jYcplaQ0bsMFHd-byWRarsLv1vN5U/w640-h640/sat%203%209%2002.webp" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This week, Idina Menzel, who must have a great sense of humor, wished Adele Dazeem a happy 10th birthday. That's how long it's been since John Travolta goobered up her name at the Oscars.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNxMmYF-p81O-1-aChfYzlf_8TM7yzQNrrJg_3yPdvv-jNiIdCAAaM1cT0b3TbzN5G9R0B7QV62MDThrW9laKP-U9TVhdhCXyj7M-A2PzNeL_5k1t522zPLc7wSImAiTY9s6crBcF_5l-jUq0Oh_cpzEnRPGd8Hb7My6A2qMeMTZsmQqGQMAwjUv1verM/s683/sat%203%209%2001.webp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="683" data-original-width="640" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNxMmYF-p81O-1-aChfYzlf_8TM7yzQNrrJg_3yPdvv-jNiIdCAAaM1cT0b3TbzN5G9R0B7QV62MDThrW9laKP-U9TVhdhCXyj7M-A2PzNeL_5k1t522zPLc7wSImAiTY9s6crBcF_5l-jUq0Oh_cpzEnRPGd8Hb7My6A2qMeMTZsmQqGQMAwjUv1verM/w600-h640/sat%203%209%2001.webp" width="600" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In a picture taken before The Big Bang Theory even started showing on CBS, Jim Parsons posed with a poster. Do you think he even dared to dream the show would be on for twelve seasons and spawn two spinoffs?</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRpKuZ1u0VuNJsysho29zf-86mVC4Rwq0G0XjvVbMghacIMWDkgzs0rx6emwPB6gmSqzUQPBdMGHmxCXpVm_M5mvb6Rn4PP1p_EW6zHmCUGuekigowaXV_2gVvS-dUHMc7iXGdDgqQeQYvI7yO2PZmVa_TbcCKeH2PeBm8piHXUMMImLNZNB62LmTAkr8/s780/chuck.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="780" data-original-width="564" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRpKuZ1u0VuNJsysho29zf-86mVC4Rwq0G0XjvVbMghacIMWDkgzs0rx6emwPB6gmSqzUQPBdMGHmxCXpVm_M5mvb6Rn4PP1p_EW6zHmCUGuekigowaXV_2gVvS-dUHMc7iXGdDgqQeQYvI7yO2PZmVa_TbcCKeH2PeBm8piHXUMMImLNZNB62LmTAkr8/s16000/chuck.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The advertising industry was at one time just crazy about celebrity endorsements, no matter how little the celebrated person had to do with the product they were pushing. I mean, Chuck Connors, former big league baseball and basketball player, and actor, most notably on "The Rifleman." Did the Speed Queen people want us to think that when it came time to replace the tired old top-loader downstairs, we would seek advice from Chuck? </td></tr></tbody></table><br />Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09041502316651258186noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5782192797337144985.post-59496643763239899112024-03-08T05:00:00.001-05:002024-03-08T05:00:00.149-05:00Old times there<p>Even though my favorite college football team is Alabama, and my paternal granddaddy hailed from Macon, GA, I look away from Dixieland most of the time. I don't like heat and humidity and most of the politics down there. But I'm not here to talk about politics today. Someone asked me why they call America's sunny southland "Dixie," so I looked into it. </p><p>Please, someone ask about full-length mirrors, so I can look into that, as well.</p><p>There was a savings and loan institution in old Louisiana known as the Citizens State Bank. They were in the French Quarter of New Orleans, so you have been near their location if you ever went to see the Saints come marching in. </p><p>In the curious way of American banking before the Federal Reserve and the FDIC were set up, banks issued their own currency, so you could pay for your coffee and beignet with a ten-dollar note from that Citizens Bank. These ten-spots bore the word "DIX" on their reverse sides, "dix" (pronounced "deece") being French for "ten." And eventually, other banks in Louisiana put that word on their ten-buck notes, and in no time at all, those tens became known as Dixies.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM-ZDOwPS0IoCkGewLWHqarkQHGu-sRdnFUyixppI7AiHDDGFDXamPUBTNCLgfqG2v_5lSZTJ95O_WylAUrc3ijagLATr6XZxONS5IjINOl4rDsKQOV7YFCSYxgWaf1bZ0JvL3SCDc3gARM358tnlE6hOk6N-AL0_XEtf2tLlpGSE0OoQ95Fv_7asXAnQ/s332/DixBankNote.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="144" data-original-width="332" height="278" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM-ZDOwPS0IoCkGewLWHqarkQHGu-sRdnFUyixppI7AiHDDGFDXamPUBTNCLgfqG2v_5lSZTJ95O_WylAUrc3ijagLATr6XZxONS5IjINOl4rDsKQOV7YFCSYxgWaf1bZ0JvL3SCDc3gARM358tnlE6hOk6N-AL0_XEtf2tLlpGSE0OoQ95Fv_7asXAnQ/w640-h278/DixBankNote.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>At first, it was just the French-speaking parts of Louisiana that came to be called "Dixieland," and soon enough, the entire south proudly wore that nickname.</p><p>For those interested in studying Dixieland jazz, a form of hot "jass" (later changed to "jazz"), there's no better place to start than<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ABcNAwytrOY"> this selection</a> by some Englishmen known as the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band. </p><p>Next time, we'll look at why they call it "New" England.</p>Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09041502316651258186noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5782192797337144985.post-42648994891778723432024-03-07T05:00:00.001-05:002024-03-07T05:00:00.140-05:00Truly, leave it to Beaver<p>Let you in on a secret? Two of them, actually.</p><p>Boys like noises.</p><p>And men are just boys with longer pants.</p><p>There was a scene on "Leave It To Beaver" when the Beav told Mama June (not THAT one!) that he was going over to Gilbert's house because Gilbert was working on some new noises.<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgremL12j_JV-k-rQ5rzxyG0wai36yq8BOo5-CQkuwDxvpS5TfPPBCai1N1nAYeBJMufpHf_S7xiDCylPs1xrrBI_RWqFqFqf5wjiSemsBxfa_d5hBPtl5i6RMHxNFiEYuAIMahJmToL0Pf-TtHGHuRU2Pu2eZd4tlSvdM_T-RLXcprgQbgY97qX5xmHmw/s620/june.webp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="464" data-original-width="620" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgremL12j_JV-k-rQ5rzxyG0wai36yq8BOo5-CQkuwDxvpS5TfPPBCai1N1nAYeBJMufpHf_S7xiDCylPs1xrrBI_RWqFqFqf5wjiSemsBxfa_d5hBPtl5i6RMHxNFiEYuAIMahJmToL0Pf-TtHGHuRU2Pu2eZd4tlSvdM_T-RLXcprgQbgY97qX5xmHmw/w640-h478/june.webp" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">THIS one!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></p><p>From imitating frogs to making the sound of a car engine to providing onomatopoetic accompaniment to someone's story about eating too much at Ken's Big Boy, guys are right there with the right noise. It's just a thing we do, we don't want applause or money or anything, we just like something going on besides the hum of the Kelvinator in the kitchen.</p><p>So with that, I introduce to you, boys of all ages and genders, the perfect radio station for us, online at <a href="https://noise-radio.com/">https://noise-radio.com/</a>. The station is in Holland, and they define themselves this way on their home page: </p><p></p><blockquote>Noise Radio is a non-commercial independent radio station. We broadcast 24/7 sound art related tracks such as fieldrecordings, soundscapes, nature recordings, radio and transmission art, experimental audio/music and audio made as a piece of art.</blockquote><p>Listeners are invited to share sounds, so if you tune in and hear "Sausage and hominy sizzling in a pan," guess who??? </p><p>These soundscapes, noises like rainfall and the sound of things melting and the "sonification of weather data from the North pole" and a time-lapse recording of a pond freezing as a beaver walks around, provide the perfect background for whatever you're doing around the house...provided you're not doing the same thing at the same time! It could be confusing if your beaver was walking around the same way as the beaver on the radio.</p><p><br /></p><p></p>Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09041502316651258186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5782192797337144985.post-51807694516924183122024-03-06T05:00:00.001-05:002024-03-06T05:00:00.139-05:00"The Blair Witch Project is like, really real, man!"<p>American is proud to be able to depend on our athletes (generally male) to come up with statements that make their second-grade teachers weep. Unless they were home-schooled, in which case we all weep.</p><p>It was some basketball guy a couple of years ago espousing that flat-earth nonsense, and and now we have a couple of college football players who hope to join the NFL later this year, since surely they will not be drafted by Mensa International.<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgptshyphenhyphenzPS08V4CLHdOhUgJeJFoTndHyfI9XeMOLAXJoCYRFZV3Zs_8EOTRJEd0S85t5fh-fxPPHhXaBadc-5DJg6CwDSM1pbMUT-Y_pUKqYj0tlPn_u0flrlSgMbliA3iEqY3cZxDctBEX6tO_2WfuA-nM4wpQWloaazjM0kXoKe6nlTzmrW76wCWmlj4/s600/mw.webp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="543" data-original-width="600" height="580" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgptshyphenhyphenzPS08V4CLHdOhUgJeJFoTndHyfI9XeMOLAXJoCYRFZV3Zs_8EOTRJEd0S85t5fh-fxPPHhXaBadc-5DJg6CwDSM1pbMUT-Y_pUKqYj0tlPn_u0flrlSgMbliA3iEqY3cZxDctBEX6tO_2WfuA-nM4wpQWloaazjM0kXoKe6nlTzmrW76wCWmlj4/w640-h580/mw.webp" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">That story about charging your phone in the microwave is false!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></p><p>First, let's give a rousing cheer to the faculties of Texas Tech and the U of Illinois, who are sending, respectively, Red Raider Tyler Owens and Illini Tip Reiman on to bigger and better things. Owens was interviewed by reporters at the College Football Combine, and said that he didn’t "believe in space and other planets." </p><p>And he was speaking in Indianapolis, which is as close to being another planet as it could be!</p><p>Nodding to his own assiduous research, Owens pointed out that he had looked into the flat earth theory and feels there are some valid points. </p><p>I am assured that Reiman always wore his helmet during the games, but he felt it necessary to advise the press that he is a member of the “birds aren’t real” movement.</p><p>That gag was started by Peter McIndoe some years ago, to, as he put it, fight lunacy with lunacy, and still, some people took it seriously, as does Reiman:</p><p>“Have you ever seen a baby pigeon? How do we know that power lines aren’t pigeon recharging stations?”</p><p>Listen, young men, even if there's a scintilla of a chance that you are joking, please don't. Because there are people out there willing to believe that 5-G networks and chem trails are out to get them. </p><p> </p><p> </p><p><br /></p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div><br /><p></p>Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09041502316651258186noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5782192797337144985.post-88098291550395092412024-03-05T05:00:00.001-05:002024-03-05T05:00:00.140-05:00Full of tears<p>On January 17, 1956, Allen Ginsberg wrote a poem called "America." Unlike most poems, the writer worked the date he wrote the poem into the words...</p><p><i>America I’ve given you all and now I’m nothing.</i></p><p><i>America two dollars and twentyseven cents January 17, 1956. </i></p><p><i>I can’t stand my own mind.</i></p><p><i>America when will we end the human war?</i> </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOirrajNN5geEa5YCXKkbKJpNkGTHlcFEcAp2etMxP6-72_B7vJEsL33aTDsVGpXAWknNuEt6zblYbY1WCA9mH0RozRa_zaEoQp27GXsSzyignlqDHSVZlk_EnblsCnN0VJqspKDGfJ0o7NjcRWATwDTN0cNuEzv49INnDyOgQj_P1x7ttqxmhpQcOYMU/s1000/0919_allen-ginsberg-1000x661.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="661" data-original-width="1000" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOirrajNN5geEa5YCXKkbKJpNkGTHlcFEcAp2etMxP6-72_B7vJEsL33aTDsVGpXAWknNuEt6zblYbY1WCA9mH0RozRa_zaEoQp27GXsSzyignlqDHSVZlk_EnblsCnN0VJqspKDGfJ0o7NjcRWATwDTN0cNuEzv49INnDyOgQj_P1x7ttqxmhpQcOYMU/w640-h424/0919_allen-ginsberg-1000x661.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1926 - 1997</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><p>It's a classic poem and worthy of your attention and time. Google it, if you will, for a thought-provoking afternoon of rumination.</p><p>Toward the end, you will find this line:</p><p><i>America why are your libraries full of tears?</i></p><p>And I am prepared to answer why tears are pouring out on library floors and shelves. Once again in this country, people want to ban books, and decide what children can and cannot read. As far as that goes, sure, parents have the right to decide what their kids read (if they do read) but that's not enough for the Uptight Marching Moms, who demand that books be taken from libraries and class curricula just because they don't want THEIR kids reading them.</p><p>Plainly put, parents have every reason to determine whether their little Bonnie or Clyde can read, but what business of theirs is it what the O'Hoolahan kids from down the street run their eyes over? </p><p>A good way to respond to this nonsense is to ask the Censorious Moms Brigade to list the last five books they read. </p><p>"Hmmmmm....there was, uh.."</p>Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09041502316651258186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5782192797337144985.post-6518655134054740642024-03-04T05:00:00.001-05:002024-03-04T05:00:00.135-05:00Causing Trouble<p>Sometimes, if there is no business for the business you're in, the only solution is to go out and create some!</p><p>Like, say, you sell ice cream down on the corner, but business is slow, so you give a kid an ice cream cone and tell him/her to walk about eating that ice cream so rapturously that other people will ask, "Hey! Wheredja get dat?" And here comes your business.</p><p>Or, you're like that Ground Round restaurant we used to have. Free popcorn on the table for you to nibble while you waited for your burger. Free, heavily salted popcorn. Drink sales zoomed.</p><p>Or, let's say you and your coworkers are three sheriff's deputies in South Carolina, and crime has taken a holiday. Nothing going on; the local blotter has nothing more than a few lost dogs and looky-loo complaints. Do you, a) sit around waiting for a crook to pull a caper, or b) make four calls to four small towns reporting dead bodies?</p><p>I think the answer is pretty clear, don't you? At least, it is for Justin Tyler Reichard, 28, Darien Myles Roseau, 25, and Killian Daniel Loflin, 26, three Chesterfield County deputies charged with misconduct in office, criminal conspiracy and aggravated breach of the peace. </p><p>Police say that on February 4, five phone calls claiming to report an expired person were made in the small Chesterfield County towns of Cheraw, Chesterfield, McBee and Pageland. </p><p>Of course, officers and other first responders had to go check out all five reports and all came back "unverified."</p><p>Investigators handling the case could not give a reason why police would generate phony police incidents. All three now-former deputies found reasonable accommodations at the Chesterfield County Detention Center. </p><p>A statement from SLED (the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division) referred to the three as former deputies, but the sheriff's office is not yet confirming their employment status, or lack thereof.</p><p>"Prank calls happen, but you don't expect it from cops," McBee resident Briana Davenport told the local news. "Because we're supposed to be calling them to help us out. I think it's messed up for it to happen like that."</p><p><br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb1X8RGkwrD1Xv6KFryeoBK_Cskd4RZWbnKeMUb-_XhVVBGRbJIH-3SLpf2GevsHv3NiE06l8xGgdLb_AmnCYtzK0X4Xr036EB3HIqQsvbbhCyvAmCEOd2_NimgqIqkQaJ4V2JCURng-1F0uQ1ibR0RV-NAo2KKqueaQSnVWaam5c0gjb1ryj75rw1sIg/s640/3-DEPUTIES-MUGSHOTS.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="640" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb1X8RGkwrD1Xv6KFryeoBK_Cskd4RZWbnKeMUb-_XhVVBGRbJIH-3SLpf2GevsHv3NiE06l8xGgdLb_AmnCYtzK0X4Xr036EB3HIqQsvbbhCyvAmCEOd2_NimgqIqkQaJ4V2JCURng-1F0uQ1ibR0RV-NAo2KKqueaQSnVWaam5c0gjb1ryj75rw1sIg/w640-h360/3-DEPUTIES-MUGSHOTS.webp" width="640" /></a></div><br /> Let's hope their former co-workers can work with the local prosecutors so these three can take their comedy act to a local Ironbar Hilton for a while.<p></p>Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09041502316651258186noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5782192797337144985.post-89714682877623180382024-03-03T05:00:00.001-05:002024-03-03T05:00:00.141-05:00Sunday Rerun: Risk Management<p> <span style="color: #660000;">Somebody help me understand why people do these things!</span></p><span style="color: #660000;"><br /></span><span style="color: #660000;">Climbing the side of a mountain, driving pegs into the mountain off which to hang a tent for sleeping a couple of miles in the air, hang gliding, flying a personal airplane without adequate training, jumping out of airplanes that are flying very well, drunken boating with no personal flotation device, chasing lightning storms and hurricanes and tornadoes for the purpose of taking pictures of those calamities...</span><br /><span style="color: #660000;"><br /></span><span style="color: #660000;">And now, let's add "hiking in Arizona's Superstition Mountains when it's 111° outside" to the list.</span><br /><span style="color: #660000;"><br /></span><span style="color: #660000;">From the news: </span><br /><span style="color: #0c343d;"><br /></span><br /><blockquote><span style="color: #0c343d;">GOLD CANYON, Arizona — A Phoenix man hiking in the Superstition Mountains has died from exposure to extreme heat.<br />Pinal County Sheriff's officials say emergency responders were called around 1:30 p.m. Saturday to the Peralta Trail in the Superstition Wilderness near Gold Canyon.<br />They say 25-year-old Anthony Quatela III and a male friend had been hiking since 7:30 a.m. and ran out of water.<br />The friend called 911 after they both started to fall ill.<br />Deputies say Quatela became unconscious and never recovered.<br />The friend was treated by firefighters for dehydration and exposure.<br />Sheriff Paul Babeu says the incident was one of three heat-related emergencies in a four-hour period in the Superstition Wilderness.<br />The National Weather Service reported temperatures as high as 111 on Saturday in metropolitan Phoenix.</span></blockquote><span style="color: #660000;">I saw a young woman being interviewed outside Phoenix. With that wide eyed innocent breathiness so common to the young, she told the reporter that "One TIME I went like HIKING when it was like very WARM and I didn't take enough WATER and it was very DANGEROUS..."</span><br /><span style="color: #660000;"><br /></span><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRHaYbEACsJVNll19NiR-inE-qmNTvBLPaV5Intmlp23I3TAdBL-Q" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Image result for desert heat" border="0" class="rg_i" data-src="https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRHaYbEACsJVNll19NiR-inE-qmNTvBLPaV5Intmlp23I3TAdBL-Q" data-sz="f" height="198" jsaction="load:str.tbn" name="4xtHxIGkVwtzcM:" src="https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRHaYbEACsJVNll19NiR-inE-qmNTvBLPaV5Intmlp23I3TAdBL-Q" style="margin-top: 0px;" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Don't look for me</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="color: #660000;">These are people who go hiking for the physical and mental benefits of a good long strut in the mountains, and then they fail to take at least 1,000 gallons of water with them when they sally forth into the heated mountains of Arizona. I would buy a used fire engine, tanks filled to the top, to take with me out there.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: #660000;">As sorry as I feel for the loss of Mr Quatela, and for the sorrow felt by his family and friends, I need help understanding why people do these things, putting themselves (and those who have to try to rescue and revive them, to be quite frank about it) at tremendous risk for no really good reason.</span><br /><span style="color: #660000;"><br /></span><span style="color: #660000;">I just don't get it.</span>Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09041502316651258186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5782192797337144985.post-68857819433011304422024-03-02T05:00:00.003-05:002024-03-02T05:00:00.124-05:00The Saturday Picture Show, March 2, 2024<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgueOs1sHcUE1JkynBjxVMR4KkXsWRzzXRkOnEWt6YuDuBATZOPWbEG9Pl381K_6F0ZLTthidAIj8ZpQV0g5je4CUBcny6_2cUiXk536lxmP2TwSpVLr_W_6tRt8PIgKwdsLhtD4WIMdlgOVhkSgUx-1fSZjNq5w0Rql6EOQn7_RVxMlcWXgY_Gi8v-GQE/s2000/sat%203%202%2010.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2000" data-original-width="1500" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgueOs1sHcUE1JkynBjxVMR4KkXsWRzzXRkOnEWt6YuDuBATZOPWbEG9Pl381K_6F0ZLTthidAIj8ZpQV0g5je4CUBcny6_2cUiXk536lxmP2TwSpVLr_W_6tRt8PIgKwdsLhtD4WIMdlgOVhkSgUx-1fSZjNq5w0Rql6EOQn7_RVxMlcWXgY_Gi8v-GQE/w480-h640/sat%203%202%2010.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div>Many of you will remember the early 1980s as the period in American history when Baltimore's Renaissance was deemed to be complete, because a developer built two indoor-outdoor malls on public property. "Harborplace" became the place to take your out-of-town guests for the first few years, until it became too dangerous an outing. As the city ponders what to do with the almost-empty shells of two malls down there, enterprising people are standing on the Harbor docks with giant magnets, fishing for whatever is metallic. They find a lot of guns and stolen two-wheeled vehicles, which provides a sad exclamation point for the whole story.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkaNqX8qrH7Mf1JVHMowI7gfAWrZ-nnsJ424XMMC2DpPYTJtAbGNt0KkBU4W_RlwUkc6STHjxUDMXfNMbR3QOTE2Nqgg4N3N16-mr2lge2TWQEHNj7gF1W2jGMAWujoj-7XquVJYlxSEmyPeQfS6CbEPSobvAILgOzZwdG4iMa4e4J0kxZXJ7bzNq_7cQ/s2000/sat%203%202%2009.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1333" data-original-width="2000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkaNqX8qrH7Mf1JVHMowI7gfAWrZ-nnsJ424XMMC2DpPYTJtAbGNt0KkBU4W_RlwUkc6STHjxUDMXfNMbR3QOTE2Nqgg4N3N16-mr2lge2TWQEHNj7gF1W2jGMAWujoj-7XquVJYlxSEmyPeQfS6CbEPSobvAILgOzZwdG4iMa4e4J0kxZXJ7bzNq_7cQ/w640-h426/sat%203%202%2009.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div>And it's not only downtown where malls are so crowded that no one goes there anymore. This is the once-glorious Owings Malls Mall in its final days. There was a Saks Fifth Avenue there, where people would go to see the finest clothing available on Fifth Avenue. But no one bought that clothing, and Saks gave way to J.C. Penney. Ironically, a lot of shuttered malls are being leased as warehouse space for Amazon, which has replaced shopping in a mall with shopping from a sofa.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBaHPVWwRHGFsjDbQY8LF9sDZqU2hT4kL67ZNcd0YGCmzSCuaBT5TtWeORfkEgrVtYLa-xIjjBLcvOpBpd-emuCBvf1bLNfif-lr1KaPeI9bgzpn2dVea2jGuh1PvA1Lpo9ZqA0KhJS15etwi-8lC7HB04H815ZW61GAr7Lmr2MLJ6zUEDWNKCBJCcRFk/s640/sat%203%202%2008.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="585" data-original-width="640" height="586" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBaHPVWwRHGFsjDbQY8LF9sDZqU2hT4kL67ZNcd0YGCmzSCuaBT5TtWeORfkEgrVtYLa-xIjjBLcvOpBpd-emuCBvf1bLNfif-lr1KaPeI9bgzpn2dVea2jGuh1PvA1Lpo9ZqA0KhJS15etwi-8lC7HB04H815ZW61GAr7Lmr2MLJ6zUEDWNKCBJCcRFk/w640-h586/sat%203%202%2008.webp" width="640" /></a></div>I found this but the source was not given. I'm gonna guess it was in Wisconsin, where they really take cheese seriously.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN9V8BVEwt3DRDP4ZfSnQdCw8M3h16mMILj7Zpcrcc3lyT4qawwe7gW_iEs-PGruCGEMUQBu9iNJXp7tECuZf2X8Je1pDi54wgNtu8sqBYIgMlC0zJnxashUmQx7o3Rdn7SDVERa3SdqErHTBy5lJVSecJLTPbkzTONnoECOENJKstjYojBITJzb2zK78/s600/sat%203%202%2007.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="501" data-original-width="600" height="534" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN9V8BVEwt3DRDP4ZfSnQdCw8M3h16mMILj7Zpcrcc3lyT4qawwe7gW_iEs-PGruCGEMUQBu9iNJXp7tECuZf2X8Je1pDi54wgNtu8sqBYIgMlC0zJnxashUmQx7o3Rdn7SDVERa3SdqErHTBy5lJVSecJLTPbkzTONnoECOENJKstjYojBITJzb2zK78/w640-h534/sat%203%202%2007.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div>If you suspect that "they" are keeping the secrets from you, you might be right. But it's better to find your own happiness for yourself.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOpKbsXNgnb8dKfXOeh0joYM4rWyxvxWfHbmgVi3pEVigXkjN4CV5n7L25p5Be-CUo6jjXirP5SaYGQb24ZhKstYVPwHYAWfznjZQzRD6qfORi0Xv1QV2dwdhHbWVVDySBZe9SQyz8l1YDvIHyGGodqXPyy_BcnxaA3hjFEmUA28RmOnFQI-dkiSD7u9M/s640/sat%203%202%2006.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="602" data-original-width="640" height="602" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOpKbsXNgnb8dKfXOeh0joYM4rWyxvxWfHbmgVi3pEVigXkjN4CV5n7L25p5Be-CUo6jjXirP5SaYGQb24ZhKstYVPwHYAWfznjZQzRD6qfORi0Xv1QV2dwdhHbWVVDySBZe9SQyz8l1YDvIHyGGodqXPyy_BcnxaA3hjFEmUA28RmOnFQI-dkiSD7u9M/w640-h602/sat%203%202%2006.webp" width="640" /></a></div>I brought home some nice of anchovies in one of those jars with a metal snap closure. It looked like a candle. Now here's this apple crumb dessert, looking fine, until you realize it's another candle! I hope it smells great!<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgTeMmiFanjPTGsmwDHgjBe703NMm4XiLufMz7BA4dfn7Q-kmUcVFHfzDlLWGdkOsgriIpq03w72OLqQnCaenXhiQaZXtE37_AFCNPR_XShB9uu1t-HsM2bWFNUXAFD2faeSU5WvqBUhUwNYjRke44Z5vhQ9B7Gxjs-sUBpA3fZN113JIYEo795D1ASYU/s853/sat%203%202%2005.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="853" data-original-width="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgTeMmiFanjPTGsmwDHgjBe703NMm4XiLufMz7BA4dfn7Q-kmUcVFHfzDlLWGdkOsgriIpq03w72OLqQnCaenXhiQaZXtE37_AFCNPR_XShB9uu1t-HsM2bWFNUXAFD2faeSU5WvqBUhUwNYjRke44Z5vhQ9B7Gxjs-sUBpA3fZN113JIYEo795D1ASYU/s16000/sat%203%202%2005.webp" /></a></div>Good advice. <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkuNA8qhwNoCHCfK_nvQgX3Y582xKCDws-sriFDQmz0r_gJVmrobiK2fpCHRSuazV20lHge4QJP3J1jUmPRwB39091RiNhcyrdhKazTTNnfRuPtXEjt7XSKczJQoRyQqZubG7d5mPloExmmsm1gMg91wi4lltpKU6kWW3bj3qnvmLWS_yHSZfU_B2S7ek/s4032/sat%203%202%2005.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkuNA8qhwNoCHCfK_nvQgX3Y582xKCDws-sriFDQmz0r_gJVmrobiK2fpCHRSuazV20lHge4QJP3J1jUmPRwB39091RiNhcyrdhKazTTNnfRuPtXEjt7XSKczJQoRyQqZubG7d5mPloExmmsm1gMg91wi4lltpKU6kWW3bj3qnvmLWS_yHSZfU_B2S7ek/w480-h640/sat%203%202%2005.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div>This is from Colorado, where some sort of dispute rocks the camping world. My quibble is with the use of the word "recreate." <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC64WWNAIKeRAhyZsMvHk2FjgH1HRT0hggiRCbzAmqZyc38jxL3XC5XA9djW64MOFvQ7veRq1UXl2CRqwPdqKJehXKT4qAsJmgSjCRYes9PCTZkTu7whuqcb5ktCury5rT7_qM_vjWB5Bb8hgootMAIfkEOzKW_4j99lcPJHJTYdmvn3fIQ2CYkjtI1-Y/s960/sat%203%202%2004.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC64WWNAIKeRAhyZsMvHk2FjgH1HRT0hggiRCbzAmqZyc38jxL3XC5XA9djW64MOFvQ7veRq1UXl2CRqwPdqKJehXKT4qAsJmgSjCRYes9PCTZkTu7whuqcb5ktCury5rT7_qM_vjWB5Bb8hgootMAIfkEOzKW_4j99lcPJHJTYdmvn3fIQ2CYkjtI1-Y/w640-h480/sat%203%202%2004.webp" width="640" /></a></div>I might be wrong, but is this the room where Beethoven composed his Third Movement?<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE2P00LiG7JE_hyphenhyphensTJGmZK8BefapATkHabNejv0a0iVlq5O42l5TZrMJ8ME9PeXXUyFs_pVJjPkbkAqj4Zbh8ABFeVk4_lCaDg_KrUsGyOFsZK0Vuo6-rMv2fJ9Aam_6CxUiCYjeN2QebdHXCMardabg90T6PLJHgDDsOXS2yeJ4tFxKiCZfOnrACRlpI/s1160/sat%203%202%2003.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1120" data-original-width="1160" height="618" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE2P00LiG7JE_hyphenhyphensTJGmZK8BefapATkHabNejv0a0iVlq5O42l5TZrMJ8ME9PeXXUyFs_pVJjPkbkAqj4Zbh8ABFeVk4_lCaDg_KrUsGyOFsZK0Vuo6-rMv2fJ9Aam_6CxUiCYjeN2QebdHXCMardabg90T6PLJHgDDsOXS2yeJ4tFxKiCZfOnrACRlpI/w640-h618/sat%203%202%2003.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div>No horsing around in the house! Quit making a ruckus! Do parents say those things anymore?<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-vYyAzY_dHgGwMWMe5H_QbkFdpzqlgHTv9kuZvjDQro2awZqSWu14dB0TgKhH0Vm2lxd0zXMGDc9ifDTgyka7ISvDMsvPj5J67G2F0jvuMS7hB6URTlJLVlFVrSP-920lvHFGUdZBmvV2vS2KKPpggejXlu0j330GHNtqyQdYFZsoqvMQtHqYVvuKRPE/s874/sat%203%202%2002.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="874" data-original-width="699" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-vYyAzY_dHgGwMWMe5H_QbkFdpzqlgHTv9kuZvjDQro2awZqSWu14dB0TgKhH0Vm2lxd0zXMGDc9ifDTgyka7ISvDMsvPj5J67G2F0jvuMS7hB6URTlJLVlFVrSP-920lvHFGUdZBmvV2vS2KKPpggejXlu0j330GHNtqyQdYFZsoqvMQtHqYVvuKRPE/s16000/sat%203%202%2002.jpeg" /></a></div>The first guy to open a golf driving range was also the first guy to realize that someone had to go out there and retrieve all those Titleists!<br /><br /><p></p>Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09041502316651258186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5782192797337144985.post-53226528340934973882024-03-01T05:00:00.001-05:002024-03-01T05:00:00.134-05:00A new one on me<p>How many types of pizza can you name? How about this list - and I still can go you one better...</p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Neapolitan Pizza</li><li>Chicago Pizza</li><li>New York Pizza</li><li>Sicilian Pizza</li><li>Greek Pizza</li><li>California Pizza</li><li>Detroit Pizza</li><li>St. Louis Pizza</li></ul><p></p><p>...and that's a lot...and I can agree with this "no such thing as bad pizza" philosophy (except for Domino's, and they still sell over 400 million pies per year!) but there is one you've probably never heard of, or tasted. Stand by.</p><p>Up in your New York/New Jersey corridor, they sell a ton of New York-style pizza. Crust thin enough to be bendable, tangy sauce, cheese, and toppings. This style is probably what you get when you have a pie delivered here in Baltimore, But in Trenton, New Jersey, they have the Trenton-style pie. These are made sort of upside down: Cheese and toppings go first on a thin crust, then tomato sauce goes on. First, the mozzarella cheese and toppings are placed right on a thin-crust dough. Then the tomato sauce, which is reportedly made from crushed plum tomatoes, is ladled on top. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPMMzeNXXV7sPntippZItruVXndShVei8o9SwmK0BNtKmhb8VF2wLdlZFuH-B675Ccmm1xl-hWOSHJw1ovWB-KcKvBuzYNCUIdcLlyvbP3eQeqr_CMHTlPxBDr25wG3eNkxSycv5oRlE1NgcQdhTA46uWWkBWZHpyYKx3E3PwFbHSyjqRTvGbMKVIoK2Y/s518/pie2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="390" data-original-width="518" height="482" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPMMzeNXXV7sPntippZItruVXndShVei8o9SwmK0BNtKmhb8VF2wLdlZFuH-B675Ccmm1xl-hWOSHJw1ovWB-KcKvBuzYNCUIdcLlyvbP3eQeqr_CMHTlPxBDr25wG3eNkxSycv5oRlE1NgcQdhTA46uWWkBWZHpyYKx3E3PwFbHSyjqRTvGbMKVIoK2Y/w640-h482/pie2.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">PaPa's of Trenton.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>Cooked that way, the Trenton pizza accentuates the tomato sauce, which, according to local custom, is made from crushed plum tomatoes.</p><p>And then...you've waited long enough, so here it is...PaPa's specialty, the "mustard pie." They spread a layer of spicy brown mustard on the dough before slathering on the cheese, toppings, and sauce.</p><p>I like mustard, so I might be willing to give this a shot. They say the mustard pizza is best when topped with garlic and spicy sausage. Pass the Tums and let's try one!</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3ikUpCRIC35DLgnP2MZdB36QM3E_KPe8Gpvt5q23QHo8-JZF0jny5mp81jURV_0eVT94ovXkVAw4jPmxSiGpW1z1hMQIvteRBNIhyphenhyphenrfGpvvkZMuJ5xSbgeG6phJC4SvKkfj8VNePLlrLmvT9YNILlZIy0Nf0haDYKB9Q_uz2eFOeruI9Za2upG_zcLVE/s1594/pie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1594" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3ikUpCRIC35DLgnP2MZdB36QM3E_KPe8Gpvt5q23QHo8-JZF0jny5mp81jURV_0eVT94ovXkVAw4jPmxSiGpW1z1hMQIvteRBNIhyphenhyphenrfGpvvkZMuJ5xSbgeG6phJC4SvKkfj8VNePLlrLmvT9YNILlZIy0Nf0haDYKB9Q_uz2eFOeruI9Za2upG_zcLVE/w482-h640/pie.jpg" width="482" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p>Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09041502316651258186noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5782192797337144985.post-60148719644778246272024-02-29T05:00:00.001-05:002024-02-29T05:00:00.133-05:002/29<p>So here we are, landing on the day that only occurs every four years, because it takes Earth 365 ¼ days to rotate, but our calendar year is too full of pictures of cute little ducks and majestic waterfalls and purple mountain majesties, so we collect these 1/4 days for four years and have a big to-do on the end of February. </p><p>Traditionally, this day used to be "Sadie Hawkins Day," after a character in the uncomic strip "Lil' Abner." Back in the pre-equality days, it was unthinkable for a woman to ask a man to get married, except on this special day, when Sadie's father rounded up all the eligible men for his single daughter to take a run at.<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ8z1eWrBKPQgAqEjA2ZlEiHAUtKWDdVx7g5zpmG_suo2C3UobaKqZo1DQnW9R8tzdBxEmREo83WPoj7OkmwyAJzWZBNS4YcmMSQkm9-fw1WOlIo5UkhF57Ywh9vetDe2dFZNHilEhxLz_I0EUD9Dj_D5i5-ptv_9LPZIaiCcUIwFwj815pYYJLjEZWgo/s500/sadie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="347" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ8z1eWrBKPQgAqEjA2ZlEiHAUtKWDdVx7g5zpmG_suo2C3UobaKqZo1DQnW9R8tzdBxEmREo83WPoj7OkmwyAJzWZBNS4YcmMSQkm9-fw1WOlIo5UkhF57Ywh9vetDe2dFZNHilEhxLz_I0EUD9Dj_D5i5-ptv_9LPZIaiCcUIwFwj815pYYJLjEZWgo/w278-h400/sadie.jpg" width="278" /></a></div><p></p><p>It's not true, anyway. Before I met the love of my life, lots of women asked me to get married. They were my mother, my grandmother, my sister, and two ladies who lived up the street. (Pause for laughter).</p><p>I had an Aunt Sadie, and she never mentioned it to me, probably because I was about 10 the last time I saw her, and also because she called ice cream "cream" like they did in the old movies.</p><p>In Scotland, today is Bachelors' Day, and women are encouraged to wear red petticoats. You'd have to ask a Scot why.</p><p>You can ask someone from Anthony, New Mexico, the town that claims to be the Leap Year Capital of the World. Today, Leapers with 2/29 birthdays will gather today from as far away as Australia and Europe for a ‘Mix and Mingle’ at the Sombra Antigua Vineyard and Winery.</p><p>Happy day to all those people born today with a built-in conversation piece!</p>Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09041502316651258186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5782192797337144985.post-67587584116392413572024-02-28T05:00:00.001-05:002024-02-28T05:00:00.143-05:00Flushed with excitement<p>My grandparents had one of these down in the basement, but I didn't know that basement toilets were known as "Pittsburgh potties." They tend to be freestanding latrines on the lower level, and the practical thing was that people coming home from factory jobs needed a place to enter the home after a tough, dirty day at the steel mill, drop their dirty clothes near the washing machine, stop off at Tinkletown, and wash up for supper.<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRGlc1v-1whwJGfJa-qN7vdrbfBGbsynejFsOyIqtjdKduKOzNQCO1E4yJ-3R_P4W7_bXa_3x1cMU0hzSnzjXL_Nv8WkY0h1p1yah6O-GHFi9Wv16Qmu6rv9TdX-3fpB6ODEc0bFw1_zbTZfFSb8qAgCK1YWATLwVMRv0U6o-6RT-dI3IvSybgWoIPVi0/s960/potty.webp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="960" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRGlc1v-1whwJGfJa-qN7vdrbfBGbsynejFsOyIqtjdKduKOzNQCO1E4yJ-3R_P4W7_bXa_3x1cMU0hzSnzjXL_Nv8WkY0h1p1yah6O-GHFi9Wv16Qmu6rv9TdX-3fpB6ODEc0bFw1_zbTZfFSb8qAgCK1YWATLwVMRv0U6o-6RT-dI3IvSybgWoIPVi0/w640-h426/potty.webp" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Remember when I promised to keep this blog on the highest, most elegant tone? Neither do I.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></p><p>I'm sure lots of houses in Baltimore have this convenience; they are not limited to the Steel City. In fact, I stumbled over further information while looking for something totally different (believe me!) in the San Francisco newspaper. They have them out there in the city by the Baaaaaaaaaaaay, and real estate agent Ciara Piron is speaking up about her theory behind them.</p><p>It has to do with home construction, back in the 1920s when, for instance, 26 houses went up on one block very quickly. There were no Port-A-Potties then, so Ms Piron deduces that the builders put in the extra commodes for the convenience of the carpenters, masons, all the workers on the site. </p><p>I dunno about that, seems a little farfetched, but Piron says a lot of homebuyers on tours see the lonely loos and wonder what they are. </p><p>Uh, it's a toilet. </p><p>She says that a lot of people will buy an old house with one of these conveniences and plan to build a whole little basement comfort station out of it, and some are happy to have a place that allow them to save a trip upstairs.</p><p>Because all through history, no matter where you live, when you gotta go...</p><p> </p><p> </p>Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09041502316651258186noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5782192797337144985.post-34092834220213385362024-02-27T05:00:00.000-05:002024-02-27T05:00:00.143-05:00"Hey, look! There's Bobi!"<p>At the height of my teenage indolence, I had a wager with my friend over which of us was the lazier, since his father had told him he was the laziest kid in America. </p><p>I said nothing, and so I won, because the laziest thing in the world is not to defend yourself over charges of laziness.</p><p><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Similarly, if I ever live long enough to be the oldest man in the world, I will accept, because I already know how it feels to be the oldest man in the world. Anyone who has ever seen me get out of the sack and head for the water closet will agree.</span></span></p><p><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">But let's take a minute to feel sorry for Bobi, until recently the titleholder of the coveted "Oldest Dog in History" crown. The good people over at </span></span>Guinness World Records are now saying that they do "not have the evidence to support Bobi's claim as the record holder.”</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ7xgnck4WPFMeoT7vj-X9jGrVdfRZlC0kAWLSGSuM1z678vixwAlEEoIpViEN-uAnLqemhkqY7u_cVpfQxYVr2kPehVWh90WvRJLweKlYBYIDI3bLgjKUteqWyWBErXPIx5BG_v5rNACxwoHU-5Z8Y5HTZ1GVv3H6MV5HvFrpIBYVNY0RioSi043y22s/s960/bobi.webp" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ7xgnck4WPFMeoT7vj-X9jGrVdfRZlC0kAWLSGSuM1z678vixwAlEEoIpViEN-uAnLqemhkqY7u_cVpfQxYVr2kPehVWh90WvRJLweKlYBYIDI3bLgjKUteqWyWBErXPIx5BG_v5rNACxwoHU-5Z8Y5HTZ1GVv3H6MV5HvFrpIBYVNY0RioSi043y22s/w640-h480/bobi.webp" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">The late, great Bobi</span></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p></p><p><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Bobi was 31 at the time of his passing last October. He was a guard dog on a farm in </span></span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Conqueiros, Portugal, where he lived with his owner, Leonel Costa. The "oldest dog" prize was added to his kibble in February, 2023, because Costa said Bobi was born on May 11, 1992.</span></p><p><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Veterinarians and other experts raised both doubts and their eyebrows over this longevity claim. </span></span></p><p><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">“We take tremendous pride in ensuring to the best of our ability the accuracy and integrity of all our record titles,” said Mark McKinley, director of records at Guinness. </span></span>“Of course, we require evidence for all Guinness World Records titles we oversee, often a minimum of two statements from witnesses and subject matter experts,” McKinley said.</p><p><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Bobi's microchip data was inconclusive as to the date of his birth, and of course, the photos of him reading a newspaper dated May 12, 1992 could have been faked. </span></span></p><p>And he was a purebred Rafeiro do Alentejo. That breed has an average life expectancy of 10 - 14 years, which is how long I expect a wallet to last, too.</p><p> </p><p><br /></p><p> </p>Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09041502316651258186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5782192797337144985.post-9085919748754509702024-02-26T05:00:00.002-05:002024-02-26T07:11:23.366-05:00Hope against allergies<p>Just after my father's funeral years ago, I had to stop back at the funeral home to handle some sort of business, and the place was packed that afternoon for the viewing of a high school senior who had died eating a cookie at a Christmas party. The cookie had peanut butter in it, although it looked like another type of cookie, so he felt safe in eating it...</p><p>I am sure that everyone knows this sort of peanut-allergy story. It's a tragic situation, but it looks like there might be hope on the proverbial horizon.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyOJCIkJOaEJriOzHb7_YiXRMD3XzytxLDycDcdy5TDf6Lyz_HchGssbo9yoVvicaib3xpBMm9AGfu2EQn7Dqke5Esqgm2D0H1QNNROzPOlqN3UktZzJLOZXzoTqvtu96DO0vHC7Y3h9V_JmpEGsu5YdgcooXp0yIZImTM0oz-PAYH-PoWARiltMw_-Z4/s679/peanuts.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="679" data-original-width="679" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyOJCIkJOaEJriOzHb7_YiXRMD3XzytxLDycDcdy5TDf6Lyz_HchGssbo9yoVvicaib3xpBMm9AGfu2EQn7Dqke5Esqgm2D0H1QNNROzPOlqN3UktZzJLOZXzoTqvtu96DO0vHC7Y3h9V_JmpEGsu5YdgcooXp0yIZImTM0oz-PAYH-PoWARiltMw_-Z4/w400-h400/peanuts.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>The US Food and Drug Administration has okayed the use of the drug known as Xolair, an injectable drug for treating asthma, for people who live with dangerous food allergies.</p><p>Doctors at the Johns Hopkins Children's Center, here in Baltimore, says Xolair counteracts the body’s natural response to allergens. It's been used since 2003 for people with asthma, hives, and nasal polyps. </p><p>The doctors add that this will not give people with peanut allergies the ability to start enjoying those <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fhDxFfJY00Y">goober peas</a>, but it will alleviate the most serious effects. In other words, people allergic to nuts, milk, eggs, or what-have-you will still need to avoid those foods, but regular injections of Xolair will make accidental exposure less lethal, and that's a big plus.</p><p>As always, trust in science.</p><p><br /></p><p> </p><p><br /></p><p> </p>Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09041502316651258186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5782192797337144985.post-655988444197897522024-02-25T05:00:00.001-05:002024-02-25T05:00:00.137-05:00Sunday Rerun: Highway Havoc<p> One interesting thing about working Saturdays and Sundays back in the day was seeing people moving their belongings, with sofas and chairs and bedframes and dining room sets piled high atop their buddy's pickup truck (hint: if you own a pickup, don't answer your phone on Fridays). If not a pickup, people would pile all their earthly belongings on station wagons, SUVs, four-door Impalas and I don't know what-all else.</p><p>A sure sign of moving day was coming home on Saturday afternoon and seeing sofa bolsters and cushions, cabinet drawers, and, occasionally, an entire portable wardrobe strewn alongside the roadway. Hint: if you think you've tied the load adequately, grab more rope and tighten it up some more. Nothing is worse that setting up the couch in your all-new domicile, only to find that it's short one cushion.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaKu-f5Efu23lxkJuzZpeZU-aezBtfI15IyBSuxTLeCvKcOUACgrhWH6bdr-QXYDkSXrgHBGFfdPPPXtXDL0jwU2Zhqc5I_AIJ8gCUg-x_DQeEbZ2PxnRB2_5NTIElflvOvbRjcQ0nijKmbQ6MC_bCfGM64XsHsGEQjWLC3LkUJWw9bTgIAUadscrG/s660/hwy.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="430" data-original-width="660" height="416" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaKu-f5Efu23lxkJuzZpeZU-aezBtfI15IyBSuxTLeCvKcOUACgrhWH6bdr-QXYDkSXrgHBGFfdPPPXtXDL0jwU2Zhqc5I_AIJ8gCUg-x_DQeEbZ2PxnRB2_5NTIElflvOvbRjcQ0nijKmbQ6MC_bCfGM64XsHsGEQjWLC3LkUJWw9bTgIAUadscrG/w640-h416/hwy.webp" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">If you do this...</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuTeeB-4INMzHeijjXrpxkZwv2P4J1A2N7s0fXqeV3g79X564T_16wPn39lrHyt7W-acLpI69Z9b9xMdolJ8pQ0yHgJn-AtgtsJjRQwdy1TzUnoMOuTdQ6iKbBy7zFbRUSHlYXJXjbmiFSN1B2AnN95TXyCmJWvM_zMiHtz8nzuCmjH42fWMs1--8B/s227/hwy2.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="222" data-original-width="227" height="391" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuTeeB-4INMzHeijjXrpxkZwv2P4J1A2N7s0fXqeV3g79X564T_16wPn39lrHyt7W-acLpI69Z9b9xMdolJ8pQ0yHgJn-AtgtsJjRQwdy1TzUnoMOuTdQ6iKbBy7zFbRUSHlYXJXjbmiFSN1B2AnN95TXyCmJWvM_zMiHtz8nzuCmjH42fWMs1--8B/w400-h391/hwy2.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">...you won't have this...</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>But meanwhile, out in Washington State, someone didn't get the "how to pack" message, and a state trooper pulled a U-Haul truck over because of...well, because of this... <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNytrmjrm89yj_3tvh7Di9w51vST4kjrSMrLthPIOUbQrN2IYfd-h4LWc3eSBJoPEgqooVWUTQ6NmcVyrdJFc4mFcm4iWzVy_t8O_XjuF3A8-6xNPUjRyhYEuTXbJR5jDQ59TAxgAh_mFzmiCfMgYczRanOBHWEC77Oq6dwH1N2wwuk6AF2DegnZoH/s1862/u-haul-car-3.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1048" data-original-width="1862" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNytrmjrm89yj_3tvh7Di9w51vST4kjrSMrLthPIOUbQrN2IYfd-h4LWc3eSBJoPEgqooVWUTQ6NmcVyrdJFc4mFcm4iWzVy_t8O_XjuF3A8-6xNPUjRyhYEuTXbJR5jDQ59TAxgAh_mFzmiCfMgYczRanOBHWEC77Oq6dwH1N2wwuk6AF2DegnZoH/w640-h360/u-haul-car-3.webp" width="640" /></a><p>Trooper Cunningham pulled over a guy (of course) driving a truck with an SUV hanging out of its back end not long ago on Highway 97 north of Okanogan.</p><p>"I suppose it's moving season," said the trooper.</p><p>One single packing strap was embracing the SUV, the kind of strap that might hold a bureau, but not a car. The unidentified driver got a ticket for failing to secure a load and fined $139, KXLY-TV reported.</p><p>And, to no one's surprise, the driver didn’t have a valid license. And the rented U-Haul was overdue for return. Both vehicles were impounded.</p><p>If you're going to be dumb, don't be stupid about it.</p>Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09041502316651258186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5782192797337144985.post-48931801988024538752024-02-24T05:00:00.002-05:002024-02-24T07:30:00.403-05:00The Saturday Picture Show, February 24, 2024<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2KIjLnqVHvCWSomm-Z4J2cawbsNDHftyLCPHbX8d5NjNA12eybfYndfur2bSKL1Ho1qnRYACO8SiihV3Wf8_pS79_v5MeVZ5AqxTbrDoFhVkxusEbcf1jtN_xIfRQR70VNv7wz12vzX8rHpDMITpPFFFU0fyc1DA7FpcuU3zDbF6TtuZZZuXi0Phchyk/s1000/sat%202%2024%2010.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="1000" height="384" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2KIjLnqVHvCWSomm-Z4J2cawbsNDHftyLCPHbX8d5NjNA12eybfYndfur2bSKL1Ho1qnRYACO8SiihV3Wf8_pS79_v5MeVZ5AqxTbrDoFhVkxusEbcf1jtN_xIfRQR70VNv7wz12vzX8rHpDMITpPFFFU0fyc1DA7FpcuU3zDbF6TtuZZZuXi0Phchyk/w640-h384/sat%202%2024%2010.webp" width="640" /></a></div>Ah, mid-February, when all our world turns Orange, and the Orioles are back in spring training, ready for another great year! Can't wait for the season to begin!<p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpFGCtE8TLT3A0Bp-gX97VEsl_resMVFiGOSawFxcjmfahj3jkQsATWSNc7w-2m_L_Rw6vgcbj3S8HPtyiTIBE6obzKOm-5RdQJYFS8AQwmFl1h-yt7hSp9LtQPPNMCHOfOrL9c9EaoT1UT5lTtTYVINRHht5OztLyFkgB6OcTBGSLh6gd0SuuAGzc9eM/s1296/sat%202%2024%2009.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="730" data-original-width="1296" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpFGCtE8TLT3A0Bp-gX97VEsl_resMVFiGOSawFxcjmfahj3jkQsATWSNc7w-2m_L_Rw6vgcbj3S8HPtyiTIBE6obzKOm-5RdQJYFS8AQwmFl1h-yt7hSp9LtQPPNMCHOfOrL9c9EaoT1UT5lTtTYVINRHht5OztLyFkgB6OcTBGSLh6gd0SuuAGzc9eM/w640-h360/sat%202%2024%2009.webp" width="640" /></a></div>I'll tell you, if I had known this movie - The Holdovers - runs for 2 hours and 13 minutes, I might not have wanted to try it. And that would have been a shame, because the minutes flew by. This might be the only time you see these two names in the same sentence, but Paul Giamatti is like Marky Mark Wahlberg to me, in that neither ever made a movie we didn't love.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVktbZySnbYuPgQEhEEDNs97bd7DGHJEjA8ykVC_3PyvbNEcDx-8rVZMGJMVs8MnivGNxcizAAwACDnjqoAyUik8vHu0nVt5tfaojEQT8KTuBrv5-gtYwrY_bvXUMBCD_QZM7aX_yG-tZ9OD6ZIsfq6xk9FAQyorc1ao6EGomYBqnGaL20_4vHPrXmrNk/s640/sat%202%2024%2008%20northern%20flicker.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVktbZySnbYuPgQEhEEDNs97bd7DGHJEjA8ykVC_3PyvbNEcDx-8rVZMGJMVs8MnivGNxcizAAwACDnjqoAyUik8vHu0nVt5tfaojEQT8KTuBrv5-gtYwrY_bvXUMBCD_QZM7aX_yG-tZ9OD6ZIsfq6xk9FAQyorc1ao6EGomYBqnGaL20_4vHPrXmrNk/s16000/sat%202%2024%2008%20northern%20flicker.webp" /></a></div>This is the woodpecker known as the Northern Flicker. It's easy to tell it from the Southern Flicker, which is always seen drinking a Dr Pepper and eating a Moon Pie.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKXKuUj4V4B7DEM32pwuR6DgBKE1tOxDxe_ZWBvkRYnm85M2oD5altkFpU76IZH0xmWVKQCXTVGND2bDeqB3PzORLqBuqkw3X5WqOEiwfx8CnwCsgLsl5UDyc3ReJrT7s6aN_wOMHq_NmTctkohyphenhyphenpZwKx012FUShTq0fFe_MFwoJ4949Nhk2napOhftBQ/s640/sat%202%2024%2007.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKXKuUj4V4B7DEM32pwuR6DgBKE1tOxDxe_ZWBvkRYnm85M2oD5altkFpU76IZH0xmWVKQCXTVGND2bDeqB3PzORLqBuqkw3X5WqOEiwfx8CnwCsgLsl5UDyc3ReJrT7s6aN_wOMHq_NmTctkohyphenhyphenpZwKx012FUShTq0fFe_MFwoJ4949Nhk2napOhftBQ/w640-h480/sat%202%2024%2007.webp" width="640" /></a></div>And what have we here? This is the only Danish Butter Cookie can that was NOT turned into a sewing kit. It's someone's first gee-tar!<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixRLXTQrj5FcPZQiOPtaoU8M6WNRmouJdi763zHOJUT3vl6llcUozVbXvAlbUGSzI-JGmWWn9CsNsp9brlwe2kgPk5w2CxB8Z5zG-8UAxc4hVNyol4ST0O1aHCncNThyphenhyphen4toeZ5UA9dxVpH-CFS7RTCEAtwv517uCqWMCZlAUr7rOUSpEMacFvkpGlJqHk/s676/sat%202%2024%2006.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="676" data-original-width="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixRLXTQrj5FcPZQiOPtaoU8M6WNRmouJdi763zHOJUT3vl6llcUozVbXvAlbUGSzI-JGmWWn9CsNsp9brlwe2kgPk5w2CxB8Z5zG-8UAxc4hVNyol4ST0O1aHCncNThyphenhyphen4toeZ5UA9dxVpH-CFS7RTCEAtwv517uCqWMCZlAUr7rOUSpEMacFvkpGlJqHk/s16000/sat%202%2024%2006.webp" /></a></div>I just don't trust this expiration date. Dates that someone made up never work well.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi04Tw32YPal_VOxPPh3qjdmqqn5GBxIxZ8kOKjDrvQz3LpI8tAsGFelEI7cRv3tTpSR4gvoQunGBjf8Ss_ldeEQOz2Ug-yjQM180-8SEgDSWUYTdW3Hs9-R0liyvX-I4-2gx3wkOyVsfgOeoaUVKTTYBn9LMvUyiP4C0_0xDessPdubuByc0elyGnQbg/s640/sat%202%2024%2005%20ming%20350%20lb%20tiger.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="415" data-original-width="640" height="416" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi04Tw32YPal_VOxPPh3qjdmqqn5GBxIxZ8kOKjDrvQz3LpI8tAsGFelEI7cRv3tTpSR4gvoQunGBjf8Ss_ldeEQOz2Ug-yjQM180-8SEgDSWUYTdW3Hs9-R0liyvX-I4-2gx3wkOyVsfgOeoaUVKTTYBn9LMvUyiP4C0_0xDessPdubuByc0elyGnQbg/w640-h416/sat%202%2024%2005%20ming%20350%20lb%20tiger.webp" width="640" /></a></div>I mean, is it not hard enough to be cop in crime-ridden New York, without having to deal with people who keep huge pets, in this case, a 350-lb tiger named "Ming," in their apartment? <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9RJ6xyaLA0TQlo-SaoYHdH3Td69TE9sNjkw7n5uwPAL_zbEpyCpEpWnSRCh1GQZmtSNuxTJPG7Nhya8dAhSnmWseIVXqDnLeP7C4FlXaitq8hgeD4xZkQxdNffMhBh7gV2dJ6a6HxeoX3X9Rr2GJ8p2s9gT2CTViK8RDDKAj6D_h0J3XRoQm0UDtiY7Y/s640/sat%202%2024%2004.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="426" data-original-width="640" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9RJ6xyaLA0TQlo-SaoYHdH3Td69TE9sNjkw7n5uwPAL_zbEpyCpEpWnSRCh1GQZmtSNuxTJPG7Nhya8dAhSnmWseIVXqDnLeP7C4FlXaitq8hgeD4xZkQxdNffMhBh7gV2dJ6a6HxeoX3X9Rr2GJ8p2s9gT2CTViK8RDDKAj6D_h0J3XRoQm0UDtiY7Y/w640-h426/sat%202%2024%2004.webp" width="640" /></a></div>I didn't plan to have two bird pictures this week, but I came across two good ones and here is the other one.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA-tImmcKnOI6j6wfMBDmaypDPy1EZtiO7RxxC1QSLZz02MiYRQxGmMmLZ2_nlWM9nr8t_QPxe7Wnohko0OJqEXTQnffLQEHbS7hnk0zAWJzYaUZTwawoyXjFE6lm7u-TBHYUpPqL3kq0fQ07UxG7y4fOh8NC2HowrLj8H_OStUwySvVdq0ivFloxwqAo/s752/sat%202%2024%2003%20calculighter.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="752" data-original-width="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA-tImmcKnOI6j6wfMBDmaypDPy1EZtiO7RxxC1QSLZz02MiYRQxGmMmLZ2_nlWM9nr8t_QPxe7Wnohko0OJqEXTQnffLQEHbS7hnk0zAWJzYaUZTwawoyXjFE6lm7u-TBHYUpPqL3kq0fQ07UxG7y4fOh8NC2HowrLj8H_OStUwySvVdq0ivFloxwqAo/s16000/sat%202%2024%2003%20calculighter.webp" /></a></div>From the days of smoke-filled everything, it's the Casio Calculiter, the perfect thing to pull out of your pants when someone needs a light for their Marlboro Light and also to know the square root of 31741956. (It's 5634, according to my non-lighter phone.)<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ6RusGBgquEUzYDG6-dSfmXe11Y4Q-8ez75gLwdiBfeDABf1305ZHhZJd-RYFhOVnRI4kN22PaoaztThdJgouxdKTpvqgmDwn-C3PkPlmXXCIBVO7oWqWDtlGzy4QUrg3YFir6S9F6en4GrznYhi8SAD0pO4gvXyEI2ekpnlZHjVFUD30drZn55KNXw4/s507/sat%202%2024%2002.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="502" data-original-width="507" height="634" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ6RusGBgquEUzYDG6-dSfmXe11Y4Q-8ez75gLwdiBfeDABf1305ZHhZJd-RYFhOVnRI4kN22PaoaztThdJgouxdKTpvqgmDwn-C3PkPlmXXCIBVO7oWqWDtlGzy4QUrg3YFir6S9F6en4GrznYhi8SAD0pO4gvXyEI2ekpnlZHjVFUD30drZn55KNXw4/w640-h634/sat%202%2024%2002.png" width="640" /></a></div>Trivia time: It was not in the script of The Godfather for Don Corleone to nuzzle a cat while hearing the undertaker Bonasera beg for justice for his daughter. The cat just wandered onto the set and Marlon Brando idly stroked it while reproaching the mortician for lack of respect. <br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYMsyGuJSUiQW65SN4O1DXFy_BK7Ojn-ZgNRtWQVNR8VgbUHJiYV1mOOoxKE8N93k9fz9Weefa-l4ooNRJWwru1GYI_R6DNfn5Ol3c-aVuCkKFaFuO63bVPQ7J0TZqAPBWhb5IT5b-hdwNEsotCwIVNLzhDrmp6_9J9-K0-WlGlroYtEHlgXjZo15-q6M/s667/sat%202%2024%2001.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="501" data-original-width="667" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYMsyGuJSUiQW65SN4O1DXFy_BK7Ojn-ZgNRtWQVNR8VgbUHJiYV1mOOoxKE8N93k9fz9Weefa-l4ooNRJWwru1GYI_R6DNfn5Ol3c-aVuCkKFaFuO63bVPQ7J0TZqAPBWhb5IT5b-hdwNEsotCwIVNLzhDrmp6_9J9-K0-WlGlroYtEHlgXjZo15-q6M/w640-h480/sat%202%2024%2001.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">They say when something is made well, it should last forever. The Rolling Stones' song "Tumblin' Dice" has passed the half-century mark and still sounds like it was recorded yesterday. We all need a little fever in the funkhouse, I tells ya!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p></p>Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09041502316651258186noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5782192797337144985.post-37276908527181720122024-02-23T05:00:00.001-05:002024-02-23T05:00:00.131-05:00Keep it current<p>During the football playoff season, we saw <a href="https://youtu.be/4u8f5_HOmqE?si=Qn_M8qDqyNlQ3Sxv">this commercial </a>several dozen times, promoting some betting operation and using a parody of a famous tirade by former Indianapolis NFL Coach Jim Mora. Mora has been a punchline since November 25, 2001, after the Indianapolis NFL Team blew a game against the San Francisco 49ers, leaving them with a record of 4-6. In the postgame press conference, a reporter asked the volatile Mora about the chances his team would make the playoffs.</p><p>The sputtered answer: "Playoffs? Don't talk about—playoffs?! You kidding me? Playoffs?! I just hope we can win a game! Another game!"</p><p>So it was an great idea to have Mora do that spot, now that the NFL has come to embrace gambling on their games, an activity they previously banned. BUT the success of the commercial rode on the likelihood that people of 2024 were aware of the 2001 fulminations of Jim Mora, and I'm not sure that was a sure shot.</p><p>AND I see that Saturday Night Live recently brought on Jimmy Fallon to do his "Barry Gibb Talk Show" with Justin Timberlake playing Robin Gibb, trying to keep up with his older brother as he descends into madness. Ten, twenty years ago, they brought the house down with that sketch, but when they tried it this year, I didn't hear the audience gasping for air between guffaws (I was!) Maybe people don't even know who Barry Gibb even is, as the sole remaining living Bee Gee. </p><p>AND while I'm on this podium, what's with this urge to call the District of Columbia/Maryland/Virginia "The DMV"? Here's the problem with that: there is a state agency that used to be called The DMV - The Department of Motor Vehicles. It changed its name years ago to the MVA - the Motor Vehicle Administration - but the old name is so ingrained in Marylanders that if you google DMV, you are taken directly to the MVA website.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNACAFuo_9wMGgaqTJT-oERlHQeXJjx3bzxyM99Xub1gxmAv1OoSMwtqswjbBWRC5lz4ohH_q7peLXWAL6-4yj6IFLmqdPM3B2rAINZZs2CtDGS9B7yCI0zWsduyZnn7sSrV17GG38latK4SKAb9N10i4ykgIsPhnNT5rIZgQhQq0uT-0jSRjr68R0aXM/s572/dmv.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="572" data-original-width="537" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNACAFuo_9wMGgaqTJT-oERlHQeXJjx3bzxyM99Xub1gxmAv1OoSMwtqswjbBWRC5lz4ohH_q7peLXWAL6-4yj6IFLmqdPM3B2rAINZZs2CtDGS9B7yCI0zWsduyZnn7sSrV17GG38latK4SKAb9N10i4ykgIsPhnNT5rIZgQhQq0uT-0jSRjr68R0aXM/w600-h640/dmv.png" width="600" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>Add to that the fact that Washington, D.C, just a forty-five minute ride from here down highways nicely maintained by the good folks at the <strike>DMV</strike> MVA, might as well be a suburb of Hong Kong for all most Baltimoreans care. If we have to have an acronym to name our little segment of the American East Coast, I suggest calling it the "MVD," as in Maryland, Virginia, and the District.</p><p>I will wait to hear from state and DC officials about my idea to call our area "The Muvved." </p>Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09041502316651258186noreply@blogger.com0