AROUND THE HORN
La La Jolla Land: We recently spent time in La Jolla, CA, a suburb of San Diego and discovered they have news there too. Some of the happenings in the Village meet the “only in…” criteria. The latest fight in La Jolla is whether or not to place parking meters in the village (downtown) area. The local news media points out that a group of radicals from, of all places, Vail, CO have voiced their opinions that parking meters would benefit. From this outside observer’s opinion it looks like the proponents might get run out of town on a parking meter.
Beach booze ban benefits: A year or so ago La Jolla (pronounced La Hoya) banned booze from its beaches. The ban worked so well that neighboring beaches decided to go and do likewise. The drunks at those beaches are now protesting that they have nowhere to wile away their time and panhandle. Only in California. Also, city fathers (and mothers – remember, this is California) are considering installing cameras to watch for crime – I guess like drinking and stuff. Word on the street is that city workers are fighting over who gets to monitor those cameras.
More booze problems: It happened in a neighboring city. The police came upon a drunk who was passed out on the sidewalk. He had a companion also three sheets to the wind. The police recognized the drunk and loaded him into the patrol car for a few block ride home. That was that until local media got hold of the story. Seems the drunk was the mayor and the friend was a city worker. Well, at least he wasn’t drunk on the beach or he’d have really been in trouble.
One more California story: While the rest of the country is debating about insurance coverage and aliens from south of the border a clever man from San Diego is actually doing something about it. Jim Ariola grew up poor in San Diego. He excelled in sports and set a record for running the mile that still stands. After high school he attended the U.S. Military Academy. He returned home to become a businessman and entrepreneur. His latest venture is to offer health insurance to mostly poor Hispanics who can use doctors on either side of the border. Why does this sound like a good idea? Probably because this guy is no politician.
A few bits of tid: Tattoos fade. Seems that fewer Americans are marking themselves up with tattoos. Numbers are down about 3% of those who mark their bodies like only drunken sailors used to. The feds hve delayed construction of a virtual fence along the Mexican border. I guess there aren’t enough virtual illegal aliens to justify it. Pitcher Roger Clements is in trouble for fibbing to a houseful of liars. What’s wrong with that picture?
A little blogging music Maestro… how about “Stop the World, I Want to Get Off.
Dr. Forgot
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
All the News that's fit to Blog
FULL NEWS DAY
Sweet Sounds of Phil: The New York Philharmonic Orchestra made a landing in North Korea – the most Americans to land in Korea since the Korean War. Whew, at least the president didn’t make another pre-emptive attack on one of the “Evil Empire” countries. Instead this one was no bomb. In fact, the Koreans gave the Philos the equivalent of a standing “O.” It was cold, bleak and snowy outside the concert hall but inside it was pure love. Could fiddles in Washington while North Korea thaws.
One not so lucky Asian: While North Koreans were looking down on the orchestra in Ping-pong town, another Asian was looking down on some bad news in Texas. Houston Rockets star Yao Ming was watching his version of “My Left Foot,” and did not like what he saw. A stress fracture will require surgery or not. Either way he will likely be lost for the rest of the season. The screwed up injury will likely require screws to hold his foot together. Talk about seven feet of bad news.
Learn baby, learn: Some say Las Vegas is a cultural wasteland filled with pimps, hos, and pleasure palaces. Despite the numerous theaters, concerts, and other cultural activities the stereotype is difficult to shake. Libraries abound, although it is true that the one in Henderson will begin to close Sundays as budgets are reduced. Another bookstore has closed and the one in Mandalay Bay has announced it will close as well. But this week is reading week and dozens of local celebrities will read at local schools – a thirty-year tradition. Perhaps Senator Harry Reid will encourage the movement by changing his name to Harry Read.
Shortage of clicks flicks Google in a fix: Years ago if a floorman in a Las Vegas casino needed to order a drink for a customer he would click a Halloween clicker to summon the cocktail waitress. The mighty click has taken on new status online where every click on one of Google’s ads yields advertising money for the information gatherer. But over the past several months a dearth of clicks has caused Google’s main source of income to wither sending their stock value from a high of $747 per share to a low of $ 447. Google is trying to bounce back from the nadir.
Speaking of nadirs: That sometime politician with all the personality of a box of rocks, Ralph Nader has again announced a run for the presidency. Many thought his involvement in 2000 was the chad that broke the Democrats back. No known connection but shortly after the announcement the lights went out in Florida leaving 3 million people in the dark. The Republican National committee immediately rushed to get the votes counted for next fall’s election.
A little blogging music Maestro… how about “The Night the Lights Went Out.”
Dr. Forgot
Sweet Sounds of Phil: The New York Philharmonic Orchestra made a landing in North Korea – the most Americans to land in Korea since the Korean War. Whew, at least the president didn’t make another pre-emptive attack on one of the “Evil Empire” countries. Instead this one was no bomb. In fact, the Koreans gave the Philos the equivalent of a standing “O.” It was cold, bleak and snowy outside the concert hall but inside it was pure love. Could fiddles in Washington while North Korea thaws.
One not so lucky Asian: While North Koreans were looking down on the orchestra in Ping-pong town, another Asian was looking down on some bad news in Texas. Houston Rockets star Yao Ming was watching his version of “My Left Foot,” and did not like what he saw. A stress fracture will require surgery or not. Either way he will likely be lost for the rest of the season. The screwed up injury will likely require screws to hold his foot together. Talk about seven feet of bad news.
Learn baby, learn: Some say Las Vegas is a cultural wasteland filled with pimps, hos, and pleasure palaces. Despite the numerous theaters, concerts, and other cultural activities the stereotype is difficult to shake. Libraries abound, although it is true that the one in Henderson will begin to close Sundays as budgets are reduced. Another bookstore has closed and the one in Mandalay Bay has announced it will close as well. But this week is reading week and dozens of local celebrities will read at local schools – a thirty-year tradition. Perhaps Senator Harry Reid will encourage the movement by changing his name to Harry Read.
Shortage of clicks flicks Google in a fix: Years ago if a floorman in a Las Vegas casino needed to order a drink for a customer he would click a Halloween clicker to summon the cocktail waitress. The mighty click has taken on new status online where every click on one of Google’s ads yields advertising money for the information gatherer. But over the past several months a dearth of clicks has caused Google’s main source of income to wither sending their stock value from a high of $747 per share to a low of $ 447. Google is trying to bounce back from the nadir.
Speaking of nadirs: That sometime politician with all the personality of a box of rocks, Ralph Nader has again announced a run for the presidency. Many thought his involvement in 2000 was the chad that broke the Democrats back. No known connection but shortly after the announcement the lights went out in Florida leaving 3 million people in the dark. The Republican National committee immediately rushed to get the votes counted for next fall’s election.
A little blogging music Maestro… how about “The Night the Lights Went Out.”
Dr. Forgot
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Silly Sweets and Guns
43% of All Statistics Are Made Up
Kiss kiss, bang bang: A rash of shootings has brought Las Vegas into the spotlight recently. For more than a decade local media boasted that between 5,000 and 6,000 people moved to the Valley of the Dollars each month. But nobody seemed to take notice that all the incoming Vegans were not doctors, lawyers and casino executives. Many were second chance people who had issues with theft, drugs, rock and roll, and violence. Gang members from the streets of other large metropolitan areas moved with the flow and as local population topped two million, big city problems became part of the new Las Vegas.
The gun violence is not unique to the Valley. Bucolic campuses in Virginia and Illinois have been hit with gun violence. Yet spineless politicians continue to pander to the gun lobbies while the proliferation of weapons continues. Said lobbyists are so frightened on both sides of the aisle that despite the gun violence wreaked on the American public, nary a word of solving the problem has passed the lips of any candidate. Until Americans grow a spine the violence will continue.
Hershey, Utah? Probably the best know name associated with Utah is Senator Orrin Hatch. But the state that gave us crickets, BYU, and a basketball team named the Jazz has cut a sweet deal with chocolate company Hershey. America’s largest manufacturer of chocolate and other sweets announced recently that it will accept an incentive from Utah and build a distribution center in Ogden, just north of the City of Salt. To date Ogden was best known as the home of Weber State University.
What good can possibly come of such a move? Will Reese’s Pieces become Tabernacle Tidbits? Will Hershey’s Kisses become Brigham’s Busses? Will the Great Salt Lake be renamed Sugar Central? Possibilities are endless.
Demos look like dummies: Say what you will about the Democratic presidential nomination race. It is colorful (no pun intended), offers two strong candidates running neck and neck, and well organized. Well, maybe not so well organized in the Silver State. Dems had a convention last weekend and rented a room at Bally’s that could hold up to 5,000. Problem was more than 10,000 showed up. I suppose that is better than holding a convention where nobody came, but not by much.
Perhaps the parties should share leadership. The Republican frontrunner, Sen. John McCain is a military man from Arizona. He could have given the Democrats some sound advice on organization. Instead this fiasco reeked of “Ready, fire, aim.”
Turban Warfare: Did Hillary’s campaign leak a picture of Barack wearing an African turban to the news media? If so (or if not), this is a story because? Who cares? At the risk of being accused of plagiarism of one of Senator Obama’s lines, this is the silly season in politics. Dump the minutia. On with the substantive stuff – like Hillary ditching that yellow blazer or Barack taking notes, or whether or not John made googley eyes at a female lobbyist.
A little blogging music maestro… a silly song for the silly season: “You Can’t Roller Skate in a Buffalo Herd,” by Roger Miller.
Dr. Forgot
Kiss kiss, bang bang: A rash of shootings has brought Las Vegas into the spotlight recently. For more than a decade local media boasted that between 5,000 and 6,000 people moved to the Valley of the Dollars each month. But nobody seemed to take notice that all the incoming Vegans were not doctors, lawyers and casino executives. Many were second chance people who had issues with theft, drugs, rock and roll, and violence. Gang members from the streets of other large metropolitan areas moved with the flow and as local population topped two million, big city problems became part of the new Las Vegas.
The gun violence is not unique to the Valley. Bucolic campuses in Virginia and Illinois have been hit with gun violence. Yet spineless politicians continue to pander to the gun lobbies while the proliferation of weapons continues. Said lobbyists are so frightened on both sides of the aisle that despite the gun violence wreaked on the American public, nary a word of solving the problem has passed the lips of any candidate. Until Americans grow a spine the violence will continue.
Hershey, Utah? Probably the best know name associated with Utah is Senator Orrin Hatch. But the state that gave us crickets, BYU, and a basketball team named the Jazz has cut a sweet deal with chocolate company Hershey. America’s largest manufacturer of chocolate and other sweets announced recently that it will accept an incentive from Utah and build a distribution center in Ogden, just north of the City of Salt. To date Ogden was best known as the home of Weber State University.
What good can possibly come of such a move? Will Reese’s Pieces become Tabernacle Tidbits? Will Hershey’s Kisses become Brigham’s Busses? Will the Great Salt Lake be renamed Sugar Central? Possibilities are endless.
Demos look like dummies: Say what you will about the Democratic presidential nomination race. It is colorful (no pun intended), offers two strong candidates running neck and neck, and well organized. Well, maybe not so well organized in the Silver State. Dems had a convention last weekend and rented a room at Bally’s that could hold up to 5,000. Problem was more than 10,000 showed up. I suppose that is better than holding a convention where nobody came, but not by much.
Perhaps the parties should share leadership. The Republican frontrunner, Sen. John McCain is a military man from Arizona. He could have given the Democrats some sound advice on organization. Instead this fiasco reeked of “Ready, fire, aim.”
Turban Warfare: Did Hillary’s campaign leak a picture of Barack wearing an African turban to the news media? If so (or if not), this is a story because? Who cares? At the risk of being accused of plagiarism of one of Senator Obama’s lines, this is the silly season in politics. Dump the minutia. On with the substantive stuff – like Hillary ditching that yellow blazer or Barack taking notes, or whether or not John made googley eyes at a female lobbyist.
A little blogging music maestro… a silly song for the silly season: “You Can’t Roller Skate in a Buffalo Herd,” by Roger Miller.
Dr. Forgot
Monday, February 25, 2008
Are We Afraid Yet?
Chicken Little
The sky is falling: The space junk from a spy satellite has fallen to earth after a successful shoot down by the U. S. Navy. The real estate market has also plummeted to the earth in Las Vegas, right? I mean, that is what the media has been pounding into us for the past year or so, right? Well, let’s just take a closer look.
Have you quit beating your wife? Like that trick question pundits say that the Las Vegas housing market has taken a beating. Media repeats what the pundits say like so many seals clapping their flippers and moaning, “Urp, urp.” A recent article in the local paper focused on one particular zip code in Las Vegas in which the housing prices are down by 24%. However, a chart that accompanies the article gives a better perspective. The AVERAGE depreciation for homes in the Valley of the Dollars is a tad over 4%.
Down compared to what? Suppose you purchased a home in Las Vegas in 2000 at a cost of $ 200,000. That year your home saw 8% appreciation so the home where your heart is increased to $ 216,000. In 2001 the house increased in value by 9% for a grand total of $ 235,440. In 2002 it went up 8% for a value of $ 254,275.
Hold on to your hats: Then the market in Vegas began to really do wild toad ride. Beginning in 2003 home values increased by 13% which resulted in your digs jumping to $ 287,331. It got even better in 2004 with an additional 40% increase to make the value a whopping $ 402,263. In 2005 your Vegas shanty increased by 20% for a value even greater at $ 482,716. Things started to slow in 2006 to add only 4% making your old $ 200,000 house worth $ 502,025. Then the housing market crashed according to real estate pundits. Alas and alack in 2007 4 % depreciation occurred making the hovel worth a paltry $ 482,000.
Be sure to not live in the wrong zip code: The illustration above speaks to average appreciation and decreases. The 89169 zip code that shows the 24% decrease is near the Strip where the Wynn and Palazzo construction has been going on making single family dwellings drop in value. Other areas that saw speculators rush to buy and flip which pumped their values up like a Ponzi scheme are now showing the steepest decline.
Parallel to the tech stock crash of 2000? Comparisons have been made between the current housing market in Las Vegas and the tech stock crash. While some similarities exist many factors are not the same. With tech stocks people bought in many cases what businesses call “blue sky,” or a concept with little actual value. Those who borrowed to buy stocks usually borrowed what they could afford. With the real estate run-up the product was solid – housing, but lenders were anxious to loan money on housing regardless of the borrower’s strength or without closely examining the property because they were betting on future value. The market may be down but if you still live in your Las Vegas home that you purchased in 2000 for a market value of $ 200,000, the current value of nearly $ 500,000 makes it a good investment.
A little blogging music maestro… “Home of the Blues,” by Johnny Cash.
Dr. Forgot
The sky is falling: The space junk from a spy satellite has fallen to earth after a successful shoot down by the U. S. Navy. The real estate market has also plummeted to the earth in Las Vegas, right? I mean, that is what the media has been pounding into us for the past year or so, right? Well, let’s just take a closer look.
Have you quit beating your wife? Like that trick question pundits say that the Las Vegas housing market has taken a beating. Media repeats what the pundits say like so many seals clapping their flippers and moaning, “Urp, urp.” A recent article in the local paper focused on one particular zip code in Las Vegas in which the housing prices are down by 24%. However, a chart that accompanies the article gives a better perspective. The AVERAGE depreciation for homes in the Valley of the Dollars is a tad over 4%.
Down compared to what? Suppose you purchased a home in Las Vegas in 2000 at a cost of $ 200,000. That year your home saw 8% appreciation so the home where your heart is increased to $ 216,000. In 2001 the house increased in value by 9% for a grand total of $ 235,440. In 2002 it went up 8% for a value of $ 254,275.
Hold on to your hats: Then the market in Vegas began to really do wild toad ride. Beginning in 2003 home values increased by 13% which resulted in your digs jumping to $ 287,331. It got even better in 2004 with an additional 40% increase to make the value a whopping $ 402,263. In 2005 your Vegas shanty increased by 20% for a value even greater at $ 482,716. Things started to slow in 2006 to add only 4% making your old $ 200,000 house worth $ 502,025. Then the housing market crashed according to real estate pundits. Alas and alack in 2007 4 % depreciation occurred making the hovel worth a paltry $ 482,000.
Be sure to not live in the wrong zip code: The illustration above speaks to average appreciation and decreases. The 89169 zip code that shows the 24% decrease is near the Strip where the Wynn and Palazzo construction has been going on making single family dwellings drop in value. Other areas that saw speculators rush to buy and flip which pumped their values up like a Ponzi scheme are now showing the steepest decline.
Parallel to the tech stock crash of 2000? Comparisons have been made between the current housing market in Las Vegas and the tech stock crash. While some similarities exist many factors are not the same. With tech stocks people bought in many cases what businesses call “blue sky,” or a concept with little actual value. Those who borrowed to buy stocks usually borrowed what they could afford. With the real estate run-up the product was solid – housing, but lenders were anxious to loan money on housing regardless of the borrower’s strength or without closely examining the property because they were betting on future value. The market may be down but if you still live in your Las Vegas home that you purchased in 2000 for a market value of $ 200,000, the current value of nearly $ 500,000 makes it a good investment.
A little blogging music maestro… “Home of the Blues,” by Johnny Cash.
Dr. Forgot
Friday, February 22, 2008
Traveling
Guatemala
Did you miss me? We just returned from a trip to Guatemala and did not have time to write while gone. The country is beautiful. It has had a peaceful and stable democracy for the past couple of decades and recently elected a new president. As an American in the political season we sometimes get caught up in our own affairs and do not realize the wealth of other cultures. This is ironic since we are the melting pot of the world.
Habla usted? One reason that we often don’t outward is that we are such a large country. Many of our states are larger than most countries. Another is our wealth. If California were a country, and some believe it should be (just kidding), it would be one of the world’s wealthiest. Another reason is that we can travel coast to coast and border to border for thousands of miles and everybody speaks the same language. In fact, Europeans often tell this joke: “A person who speaks many languages is multi-lingual. A person who speaks three languages is tri-lingual. A person who speaks two languages is bi-lingual, and a person who speaks one language is American.”
Surprises and excitement: I was surprised by the beautiful college campuses in Guatemala. San Carlos University is public and has some 40,000 students and a gaggle of areas of study. Francisco Marroquin University is perhaps the most lavish with stunning architecture in a gorgeous tropical surrounding. The university of the twenty-first century in Guatemala is Galileo University. It is headed by Dr. Eduardo Suger, a brilliant visionary who was a presidential candidate in the recent election. Galileo University is aptly named for the Italian physicist, mathematician, astronomer and philosopher who led the scientific revolution in sixteenth century. Today’s students at Galileo emulate their namesake with studies and technology to rival that of any U.S. University.
A religious experience: Guatemala has much to offer and a rich history. Indigenous Mayans performed dentistry and brain surgery in today’s Guatemala when Europeans were fighting with spears. Ruins of the ancient cities are visible in many parts of the country. To get to those places requires a car or bus ride that is guaranteed to bring religion to the hearts of any American who thinks the LA freeways or the I-95 corridor is a traffic experience.
We visited several locations including Chichicastenango, a historic mountain village about three hours from Guatemala City. It is famous for the market that draws many different indigenous Indian groups who sell to locals and tourists. The village is breathtaking as is the trip to get there. Mountains roads, many of which are being improved to four lane highways but are still often under construction, mixed with bus and truck drivers who are out of the best chase scene in any James Bond movie make the trip one that will cause any atheist a reason to find religion.
Back to puns, politics, and satire next week: We will likely need the weekend to recover from our travels but fear not. Our tongue-in-cheek election coverage and Las Vegas updates will return next week. In the meantime we will pause to reflect over the Guatemalan experience where we met some of the most intellectual and hospitable people and saw some of the most beautiful countryside in the world.
A little blogging music maestro… Rick Nelson’s “Travlin’ Man.”
Dr. Forgot.
Did you miss me? We just returned from a trip to Guatemala and did not have time to write while gone. The country is beautiful. It has had a peaceful and stable democracy for the past couple of decades and recently elected a new president. As an American in the political season we sometimes get caught up in our own affairs and do not realize the wealth of other cultures. This is ironic since we are the melting pot of the world.
Habla usted? One reason that we often don’t outward is that we are such a large country. Many of our states are larger than most countries. Another is our wealth. If California were a country, and some believe it should be (just kidding), it would be one of the world’s wealthiest. Another reason is that we can travel coast to coast and border to border for thousands of miles and everybody speaks the same language. In fact, Europeans often tell this joke: “A person who speaks many languages is multi-lingual. A person who speaks three languages is tri-lingual. A person who speaks two languages is bi-lingual, and a person who speaks one language is American.”
Surprises and excitement: I was surprised by the beautiful college campuses in Guatemala. San Carlos University is public and has some 40,000 students and a gaggle of areas of study. Francisco Marroquin University is perhaps the most lavish with stunning architecture in a gorgeous tropical surrounding. The university of the twenty-first century in Guatemala is Galileo University. It is headed by Dr. Eduardo Suger, a brilliant visionary who was a presidential candidate in the recent election. Galileo University is aptly named for the Italian physicist, mathematician, astronomer and philosopher who led the scientific revolution in sixteenth century. Today’s students at Galileo emulate their namesake with studies and technology to rival that of any U.S. University.
A religious experience: Guatemala has much to offer and a rich history. Indigenous Mayans performed dentistry and brain surgery in today’s Guatemala when Europeans were fighting with spears. Ruins of the ancient cities are visible in many parts of the country. To get to those places requires a car or bus ride that is guaranteed to bring religion to the hearts of any American who thinks the LA freeways or the I-95 corridor is a traffic experience.
We visited several locations including Chichicastenango, a historic mountain village about three hours from Guatemala City. It is famous for the market that draws many different indigenous Indian groups who sell to locals and tourists. The village is breathtaking as is the trip to get there. Mountains roads, many of which are being improved to four lane highways but are still often under construction, mixed with bus and truck drivers who are out of the best chase scene in any James Bond movie make the trip one that will cause any atheist a reason to find religion.
Back to puns, politics, and satire next week: We will likely need the weekend to recover from our travels but fear not. Our tongue-in-cheek election coverage and Las Vegas updates will return next week. In the meantime we will pause to reflect over the Guatemalan experience where we met some of the most intellectual and hospitable people and saw some of the most beautiful countryside in the world.
A little blogging music maestro… Rick Nelson’s “Travlin’ Man.”
Dr. Forgot.
Saturday, February 16, 2008
Money Talks - It Can say, "Goodby"
If #2 Pencils are so popular – why are they still #2?
Really, who IS #1? Seems like everybody wants to be number one. Sports fans and players extend their index finger whenever a play goes their way. Sometimes they extend a different finger of things do not go their way. Vanity license plates can hold the status of being #1. So when a man in Abu Dhabi decided to auction off his car’s #1 tag, folks lined up to bid on it. I’ mean, if the $5 plate brought $ 6.8 million last year (it did), what would #1 bring. ‘Tis a mystery no longer. The plate was purchased for a cool 52.2dirham. Oh, in American money that would be $ 14.3 million. The buyer has his #1 and more cents than sense.
Some people don’t have good cents: We’ve all seen kids throw pennies onto the street. Nobody bothers to pick them up. A movement exists to get rid of the penny (see post of 10/26/07). Readers old enough to remember penny loafers can remember wearing money in their shoes. And every penny arcade had a machine that encased a penny in an aluminum horseshoe that said, “Keep me and you’ll never go broke.”
Some folks actually save pennies. Walter J. Husak is one such person. His penny collection was recently sold. His collection wasn’t very big – 301 pennies in all. Probably not the most impressive of collections. Although it did have so0me rare pennies including one minted in 1793 for two weeks but stopped because of complaints that Lady Liberty looked frightened. Another minted in 1794 had raised stars to discourage counterfeiting. Those two alone brought over $ 632,000. The entire collection of 301 pennies? $ 10.7 million. That averages out to a tad more than $ 35,000 per penny. That ain’t hay.
Up, up, and away: That is where the money went. Silver State Helicopters owner Jerry Airola’s company filed for bankruptcy protection a couple of weeks ago. Airola flew high including financing his own campaign for sheriff – which lost. The difference between Airola and Mitt Romney is that Mitt spent money he had. Jerry exemplified those immortal words of the great philosopher Francis Albert Sinatra who once crooned, “The higher the top the longer the drop.”
Students at the helicopter school were left high and dry and broke after investing as much as $ 70,000 per student to learn about whirlybirds. The company operated schools in 18 states and collected millions in tuition. For now the school remains grounded and flight students learned a difficult economics lesson.
Where’s Andy Sipowicz when we need him? The old NYPD show, still in reruns was a longtime hit. Members of the precinct caught bad guys and had their share of weirdos to deal with. The show is gone but weirdos are still running loose in the Big Apple. A Parks Department employee who did his job on a golf cart went on a rampage running over and killing at least five birds in a park in Lower Manhattan. The 45-year old birdbrain was arrested and charged with reckless endangerment and intentional injury to an animal.
See you next week: Finally, we will be on hiatus until next Thursday or so. See you then. A little blogging music Maestro… Freddy Fender’s “Going Out With the Tide.”
Dr. Forgot
Really, who IS #1? Seems like everybody wants to be number one. Sports fans and players extend their index finger whenever a play goes their way. Sometimes they extend a different finger of things do not go their way. Vanity license plates can hold the status of being #1. So when a man in Abu Dhabi decided to auction off his car’s #1 tag, folks lined up to bid on it. I’ mean, if the $5 plate brought $ 6.8 million last year (it did), what would #1 bring. ‘Tis a mystery no longer. The plate was purchased for a cool 52.2dirham. Oh, in American money that would be $ 14.3 million. The buyer has his #1 and more cents than sense.
Some people don’t have good cents: We’ve all seen kids throw pennies onto the street. Nobody bothers to pick them up. A movement exists to get rid of the penny (see post of 10/26/07). Readers old enough to remember penny loafers can remember wearing money in their shoes. And every penny arcade had a machine that encased a penny in an aluminum horseshoe that said, “Keep me and you’ll never go broke.”
Some folks actually save pennies. Walter J. Husak is one such person. His penny collection was recently sold. His collection wasn’t very big – 301 pennies in all. Probably not the most impressive of collections. Although it did have so0me rare pennies including one minted in 1793 for two weeks but stopped because of complaints that Lady Liberty looked frightened. Another minted in 1794 had raised stars to discourage counterfeiting. Those two alone brought over $ 632,000. The entire collection of 301 pennies? $ 10.7 million. That averages out to a tad more than $ 35,000 per penny. That ain’t hay.
Up, up, and away: That is where the money went. Silver State Helicopters owner Jerry Airola’s company filed for bankruptcy protection a couple of weeks ago. Airola flew high including financing his own campaign for sheriff – which lost. The difference between Airola and Mitt Romney is that Mitt spent money he had. Jerry exemplified those immortal words of the great philosopher Francis Albert Sinatra who once crooned, “The higher the top the longer the drop.”
Students at the helicopter school were left high and dry and broke after investing as much as $ 70,000 per student to learn about whirlybirds. The company operated schools in 18 states and collected millions in tuition. For now the school remains grounded and flight students learned a difficult economics lesson.
Where’s Andy Sipowicz when we need him? The old NYPD show, still in reruns was a longtime hit. Members of the precinct caught bad guys and had their share of weirdos to deal with. The show is gone but weirdos are still running loose in the Big Apple. A Parks Department employee who did his job on a golf cart went on a rampage running over and killing at least five birds in a park in Lower Manhattan. The 45-year old birdbrain was arrested and charged with reckless endangerment and intentional injury to an animal.
See you next week: Finally, we will be on hiatus until next Thursday or so. See you then. A little blogging music Maestro… Freddy Fender’s “Going Out With the Tide.”
Dr. Forgot
Friday, February 15, 2008
Friday's Follies
A Closed Mind is a Good Thing to Lose
Day in the life: Today’s news has been bleak. The shooting of perhaps dozens of students and killing at this writing of six on a bucolic Illinois campus. Not a good way to start the day. Adding to the angst was the conviction of an ex-cop of murdering his pregnant ex-girlfriend and her unborn baby. An early morning blizzard I-8 in San Diego County stranded as many as 30 motorists and a teenager got a tiny cut on his finger that led to an infection and his death.
Smothers Brothers prophetic: Those kings of parody did a song in the 1960s or 70s that still rings true today… “They’re rioting in Africa, They’re starving in Spain, There’s hurricanes in Florida, and Texas needs rain. The whole world is festering with unhappy souls, The French hate the Germans, the Germans hate the Poles, Italians hate Yugoslavs, South Africans hate the Dutch, and I don’t like anybody very much.” Perhaps that is why the campaign message of hope resonates with so many young people.
Wash your eyes out with this: The writer’s strike is over so your favorite shows will continue and late night jokesters will have new and clever material. U2 lead singer arranged a Valentine’s Day charity auction of contemporary artworks to raise money for HIV/AIDS relief programs and earned nearly 43 million for the cause. An Israeli Arab woman applied for a new ID card. As required she showed her birth certificate which seemed to confirm her age – 120. She has 10 sons, the eldest of whom is well into his 80s. Remember, it is reported that it takes fewer muscles to smile than to frown, so be lazy. Smile a lot.
What’s eaten in Vegas stays inside: Locals in Las Vegas are no different than fans of the NY Giants football team. We love to boast, “We’re number one.” We have the most shows, biggest hotels most rooms, best gambling, prettiest women, sunniest weather, fattest people… WHAT???? Men’s Fitness magazine claimed this week that Las Vegas is the fattest ‘hood in the country. And they did not mean the wads of money in our pockets folks, they meant we are portly, rotund, gordo, obese, plump, tubby and gargantuan.
Could it be? Could the city of dancers and performers that has some of the world’s finest restaurants and largest buffets and a gym on every corner also be the community of the greatest blobs? We’re not too sure how this ranking was reached. Of course, anytime a survey is involved magazine sales increase. Add anything about Las Vegas and sales increase more. Of course, the near naked goodbody on the cover of the magazine doesn’t hurt sales.
Local reporter Brendan Buhler did not take a day off when the story appeared. He instead researched some data from the CDC (Center of Disease Control) and discovered that the corner of Kentucky, Ohio, and West Virginia held the honor of fattest area. The CDC ranks the Valley of the Dollars a paltry 33d. We have to fix that. Drop those dice, get out of the gym, and run from the slots. Go home, lounge in your Lay-Z-Boy and order a pepperoni pizza. We don’t want to see you again until you’ve added a couple of dozen.
A little blogging Maestro… Anything by Fat Joe or Fats Domino.
Dr. Forgot
Day in the life: Today’s news has been bleak. The shooting of perhaps dozens of students and killing at this writing of six on a bucolic Illinois campus. Not a good way to start the day. Adding to the angst was the conviction of an ex-cop of murdering his pregnant ex-girlfriend and her unborn baby. An early morning blizzard I-8 in San Diego County stranded as many as 30 motorists and a teenager got a tiny cut on his finger that led to an infection and his death.
Smothers Brothers prophetic: Those kings of parody did a song in the 1960s or 70s that still rings true today… “They’re rioting in Africa, They’re starving in Spain, There’s hurricanes in Florida, and Texas needs rain. The whole world is festering with unhappy souls, The French hate the Germans, the Germans hate the Poles, Italians hate Yugoslavs, South Africans hate the Dutch, and I don’t like anybody very much.” Perhaps that is why the campaign message of hope resonates with so many young people.
Wash your eyes out with this: The writer’s strike is over so your favorite shows will continue and late night jokesters will have new and clever material. U2 lead singer arranged a Valentine’s Day charity auction of contemporary artworks to raise money for HIV/AIDS relief programs and earned nearly 43 million for the cause. An Israeli Arab woman applied for a new ID card. As required she showed her birth certificate which seemed to confirm her age – 120. She has 10 sons, the eldest of whom is well into his 80s. Remember, it is reported that it takes fewer muscles to smile than to frown, so be lazy. Smile a lot.
What’s eaten in Vegas stays inside: Locals in Las Vegas are no different than fans of the NY Giants football team. We love to boast, “We’re number one.” We have the most shows, biggest hotels most rooms, best gambling, prettiest women, sunniest weather, fattest people… WHAT???? Men’s Fitness magazine claimed this week that Las Vegas is the fattest ‘hood in the country. And they did not mean the wads of money in our pockets folks, they meant we are portly, rotund, gordo, obese, plump, tubby and gargantuan.
Could it be? Could the city of dancers and performers that has some of the world’s finest restaurants and largest buffets and a gym on every corner also be the community of the greatest blobs? We’re not too sure how this ranking was reached. Of course, anytime a survey is involved magazine sales increase. Add anything about Las Vegas and sales increase more. Of course, the near naked goodbody on the cover of the magazine doesn’t hurt sales.
Local reporter Brendan Buhler did not take a day off when the story appeared. He instead researched some data from the CDC (Center of Disease Control) and discovered that the corner of Kentucky, Ohio, and West Virginia held the honor of fattest area. The CDC ranks the Valley of the Dollars a paltry 33d. We have to fix that. Drop those dice, get out of the gym, and run from the slots. Go home, lounge in your Lay-Z-Boy and order a pepperoni pizza. We don’t want to see you again until you’ve added a couple of dozen.
A little blogging Maestro… Anything by Fat Joe or Fats Domino.
Dr. Forgot
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