Chickens - We eat them before they are born and after they’re dead.
Son of a Depression era Baby: I’ve reached that point in life when I’ve become a person “of a certain age.” I grew up in an ethnic home in which English was the primary but not the only language spoken. Three of my grandparents spoke little or no English and only one taught herself to speak “broken English.” My parents constantly reminded us that they were Depression Babies and therefore could make a week’s worth of meals from a single chicken.
Jokes were clean but the air was dirty: Growing up in Pittsburgh during the 1950s we did not realize how polluted the air was. When a new house was build or an older one re-roofed, the color of the shingles only lasted for a few months. After that all shingles were black. If we drove past the steel mills at a time when a particular process was underway, residue called “quencher” filled the air so thickly that headlights were turned on and windshield wipers were necessary to see. The accompanying acrid odor burned our lungs so we tried to hold our breath as long as possible.
Immigrants were considered less than the rest: Perhaps issues of immigration were not as pronounced as today because there was no email to send hate (only snail mail and the occasional chain letter), no cable news to fill the airways, (“Goodnight David, Goodnight Chet”), and most of the immigrants had come through Ellis Island and were therefore documented. But still discrimination existed. Banks would not loan to immigrants so groups of ethnics frequently got together, pooled their money, and loaned within the community.
No OSHA, FDA or other warnings: By today’s standards we lived unhealthy and risky lives. Nearly half the population smoked and all the chemicals in the air could not have been healthy. We had no warning labels per se, only our mother’s warning that “If you don’t stop that you’ll break your neck.” Nobody seemed to break their neck, although during the spring of my senior year in high school Mickey Hrvacic went swimming in the river and drowned.
So how did they live so long? My father died a couple of years ago at age 87. My mother, who could still bend at the waist and touch her toes well into her eighties passed away in her 91st year. My parents’ doctor, who was about 5 years their senior, continued his practice even after my mother died. A neighbor, Delphina, finally moved out of her home and into a limited care facility at age 98. Our next door neighbor, Mamie, is fit and spry and pushing 90. So go figure. Without the government looking out for our best interests, and by all of today’s standards, that generation, who almost never took pills, lived long, active, and healthy lives.
A little blogging music Maestro… How about the Jewish folk song, “La Chiam; To Life!”
BTW: We will be away from the computer this week. Please stop by and read some of the old blogs. Leave comments of what you’d like to read more of or see eliminated. See you around the corner.
Dr. Forgot
Sunday, March 30, 2008
Friday, March 28, 2008
This, That, and the Other
Toothache Pain Can Drive One to Extraction
Sugar Baby: The fastest growing group with tooth decay is children. Sugar treats, candy, soda, and juice boxes are suspected culprits. Mamas, don’t let your toddlers grow up to be sugar babies.
Guns don’t shoot people, morons do: At this writing an arrest has been made in the Interstate 64 shootings in Virginia. Tests are required before one can drive, before one can get married, or before a person can graduate from high school. But any idiot with a few hundred dollars in his pocket can buy a gun. Oh, and while we’re on the subject, it might take a blood test to get married but any idiot can make a baby (ok, so it takes two idiots). The NRA sings its woeful tune, “When guns are outlawed only outlaws will have guns.” Here’s a newsflash, THE OUTLAWS ALREADY HAVE GUNS!
From the top to the slop: Times are tough for many people, unless of course you are the head honcho at Bear Sterns or other CEOs who have burned through their company’s money then jumped ship with a golden parachute. Good Friday became Black Friday when a California single mom with two kids lost her $ 70K per year job. She burned through her savings and her Mom moved in with her to help pay the mortgage. When she was flat busted she applied for food stamps – and was turned down! She’s caught in limbo. Her fall was so fast that the system still sees her as middle class and therefore ineligible for help. How many of us are one paycheck away from poverty?
Love me, love my dog: It’s a dog’s life. I’ve often said that if there is anything to reincarnation I want to come back as Mrs. Dr. Forgot’s dog. She’s not the only empty nester whose pets have become their babies. Cats have taken over the #1 spot (As the DiNiro character said to the Adam Sandler character, “Cats don’t sell out.”) but dogs are still the most pampered, especially small dogs. “Beverly Hills Chihuahua,” a movie about pampered pets is opening soon. Tokyo now has an annual “Dog Fiesta for the little nippers, and a little rat terrier has a place in the Guinness Record book for the smallest drug sniffer. Their owners don’t even care if they bite the hand that feeds them.
Divided they fall: No less an expert than Democratic Party Chair John Dean has taken his two squabbling children to the woodshed for a stern talking-to. His message to Senators Obama and Clinton is that the dirty little mud balls that are being thrown should be aimed at the real enemy – the other side. To continually smear each other is to hand the election on a silver platter, albeit a muddy one, to the Senator from Arizona.
Just your average good old boy hero: While the Dems are wrapping the foot they continually shoot themselves in, the McCain camp airs its first campaign ad. The white haired tortoise just keeps rolling along.
A little blogging music Maestro… any cut from the Jackson’s album, Victory.”
Dr. Forgot
Sugar Baby: The fastest growing group with tooth decay is children. Sugar treats, candy, soda, and juice boxes are suspected culprits. Mamas, don’t let your toddlers grow up to be sugar babies.
Guns don’t shoot people, morons do: At this writing an arrest has been made in the Interstate 64 shootings in Virginia. Tests are required before one can drive, before one can get married, or before a person can graduate from high school. But any idiot with a few hundred dollars in his pocket can buy a gun. Oh, and while we’re on the subject, it might take a blood test to get married but any idiot can make a baby (ok, so it takes two idiots). The NRA sings its woeful tune, “When guns are outlawed only outlaws will have guns.” Here’s a newsflash, THE OUTLAWS ALREADY HAVE GUNS!
From the top to the slop: Times are tough for many people, unless of course you are the head honcho at Bear Sterns or other CEOs who have burned through their company’s money then jumped ship with a golden parachute. Good Friday became Black Friday when a California single mom with two kids lost her $ 70K per year job. She burned through her savings and her Mom moved in with her to help pay the mortgage. When she was flat busted she applied for food stamps – and was turned down! She’s caught in limbo. Her fall was so fast that the system still sees her as middle class and therefore ineligible for help. How many of us are one paycheck away from poverty?
Love me, love my dog: It’s a dog’s life. I’ve often said that if there is anything to reincarnation I want to come back as Mrs. Dr. Forgot’s dog. She’s not the only empty nester whose pets have become their babies. Cats have taken over the #1 spot (As the DiNiro character said to the Adam Sandler character, “Cats don’t sell out.”) but dogs are still the most pampered, especially small dogs. “Beverly Hills Chihuahua,” a movie about pampered pets is opening soon. Tokyo now has an annual “Dog Fiesta for the little nippers, and a little rat terrier has a place in the Guinness Record book for the smallest drug sniffer. Their owners don’t even care if they bite the hand that feeds them.
Divided they fall: No less an expert than Democratic Party Chair John Dean has taken his two squabbling children to the woodshed for a stern talking-to. His message to Senators Obama and Clinton is that the dirty little mud balls that are being thrown should be aimed at the real enemy – the other side. To continually smear each other is to hand the election on a silver platter, albeit a muddy one, to the Senator from Arizona.
Just your average good old boy hero: While the Dems are wrapping the foot they continually shoot themselves in, the McCain camp airs its first campaign ad. The white haired tortoise just keeps rolling along.
A little blogging music Maestro… any cut from the Jackson’s album, Victory.”
Dr. Forgot
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Viva Las Vegas
Politicians have amnesia for as long as they can remember.
Hillary ducks questions, not bullets: Ok, perhaps those paragons of media outlets CNN and FOX News have not shown the clip of Hillary taking flowers from the little Bosnian girl as often as they have shown the Wrong Reverend Wright, but it is now clear that the former First Lady’s recollection of the events surrounding her visit were, uh, not consistent with film of the event. The term, “I misspoke,” now has another definition – “Dang, you caught me.”
Las Vegas Whoopee: Remember Monte Carlo? No, not the one with Grace Kelly that was the setting of romantic movies in the 1950s but the one whose motto in January became, “You burn me up.” The façade burned. The only thing that was hurt was the pride of the workers who accidently started the fire. Turns out those workers were welders who neglected to get the proper permits for their job. The result was 6,000 guests displaced and $ 100,000,000 in damage and lost revenue to the hotel. But the fire chief took a line from the NBA and said, “No harm no foul.” Translated that means no charges will be filed against the miscreants. That makes it the world’s most expensive weenie roast.
Are local high school students “Dumb, da, da dumb?” It is often said of some of the more promiscuous dropouts, “They can’t add or subtract, but Lord, can they multiply!” Recent tests taken by nearly all local high school students seem to support the adage. 91% of Algebra I students, 87% of Algebra II students, and 88% of Geometry students who took the January exams flunked them. I guess they don’t know if pi r squared or pies are round.
Why Math is important: In a town that likes to keep the acne off its face, it is interesting to see local publicists embrace the new film “21.” The movie is based on the true story of an MIT math wizard who decided that if numbers are predictable, he should be able to win at the casino tables. And did they ever… well, I don’t want to spoil it for you. Perhaps the movie should be shown to those struggling students so demonstrate how good math skills can be helpful.
Could that thump you hear be the Real Estate bottom: Real estate markets across the country have been taking a beating. The news media loves to cite Las Vegas to be one of the worst hit. But to quote that famous Vegas philosopher, Francis Albert Sinatra of song, “The higher the top, the longer the drop.” Real estate prices went meteoric for a few years just like tech stocks had a decade earlier. As we pointed out I a previous post, had you bought a house for $ 200,000 in 2000, it would have appreciated to well over $ 400,000 before the market slide. That same house is now priced at well over $ 300,000. See the big picture?
A little blogging music Maestro… Johnny Cash, “Home of the Blues.”
Dr. Forgot
Hillary ducks questions, not bullets: Ok, perhaps those paragons of media outlets CNN and FOX News have not shown the clip of Hillary taking flowers from the little Bosnian girl as often as they have shown the Wrong Reverend Wright, but it is now clear that the former First Lady’s recollection of the events surrounding her visit were, uh, not consistent with film of the event. The term, “I misspoke,” now has another definition – “Dang, you caught me.”
Las Vegas Whoopee: Remember Monte Carlo? No, not the one with Grace Kelly that was the setting of romantic movies in the 1950s but the one whose motto in January became, “You burn me up.” The façade burned. The only thing that was hurt was the pride of the workers who accidently started the fire. Turns out those workers were welders who neglected to get the proper permits for their job. The result was 6,000 guests displaced and $ 100,000,000 in damage and lost revenue to the hotel. But the fire chief took a line from the NBA and said, “No harm no foul.” Translated that means no charges will be filed against the miscreants. That makes it the world’s most expensive weenie roast.
Are local high school students “Dumb, da, da dumb?” It is often said of some of the more promiscuous dropouts, “They can’t add or subtract, but Lord, can they multiply!” Recent tests taken by nearly all local high school students seem to support the adage. 91% of Algebra I students, 87% of Algebra II students, and 88% of Geometry students who took the January exams flunked them. I guess they don’t know if pi r squared or pies are round.
Why Math is important: In a town that likes to keep the acne off its face, it is interesting to see local publicists embrace the new film “21.” The movie is based on the true story of an MIT math wizard who decided that if numbers are predictable, he should be able to win at the casino tables. And did they ever… well, I don’t want to spoil it for you. Perhaps the movie should be shown to those struggling students so demonstrate how good math skills can be helpful.
Could that thump you hear be the Real Estate bottom: Real estate markets across the country have been taking a beating. The news media loves to cite Las Vegas to be one of the worst hit. But to quote that famous Vegas philosopher, Francis Albert Sinatra of song, “The higher the top, the longer the drop.” Real estate prices went meteoric for a few years just like tech stocks had a decade earlier. As we pointed out I a previous post, had you bought a house for $ 200,000 in 2000, it would have appreciated to well over $ 400,000 before the market slide. That same house is now priced at well over $ 300,000. See the big picture?
A little blogging music Maestro… Johnny Cash, “Home of the Blues.”
Dr. Forgot
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Naked Politics
Politicians, like diapers must be changed often – for the same reason.
Doing their best: Six months ago the current administration was being lambasted as a result of the war in Iraq, the economy in general, the housing fiasco and oil prices. “Oh Johnny Boy” might have been a song sung by many a tearful Irishman, but John McCain was running last among Republican nominees. Senator Hillary was polishing up her tiara for the coronation ceremonies – first as undisputed presidential candidate and then for the presidency. The lead horse in the race in the land of Demoville was champing at the bit to be crowned the first Queen of America.
Defeat snatched from the jaws of victory: Ah, but once again those lovable Democrats are doing their best to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. Seems like a 100:1 shot, the dark horse in the race weaved his way through the crowd of candidates to make a surprise run for the roses. And while the two frontrunners fiercely battle neck and neck, splashing mud on one another, Papa John meanders quietly behind, smiling and preparing to move to the forefront once the two leaders expend each other’s energy and bankroll. American politics – you’ve gotta’ love it.
All the news that’s fit to incite: I could not help but notice the two major cable networks regarding the Reverend Wrong – er, Wright. The 5- second snippets of his two inflammatory comments were shown probably thousands of times on “The Best Political Team on Television,” CNN, while “Fair and Balanced,” FOX upped the ante by not only running the constant loop but adding to it a photo of the retired Reverend and candidate Obama side by side, complete with music. Curiously missing from their respective, albeit not respectable broadcasts, save a casual mention in passing was coverage of the 4,000 plus American deaths in Iraq, nor the tens of thousands maimed, nor the estimated 170,000 soldiers who returned home with permanent mental injuries. Gossip sells.
Achy Breaky Heart: The above-mentioned news outlets and their imitators must be crying in their beer since Americans don’t much give a hoot or a holler about news of other nations. An old joke starts out, “Pssst, buddy… do you have any nude pictures of your wife?” When the answer is no, the derelict continues, “Wanna buy some?” Such is the case of French President Sarkozy whose new bride and former supermodel Carla Bruni. He and his bride were visiting the Queen of England and the Duke of Edinburgh when news of the naked pictures leaked. I guess the embarrassment harkens back to every mother’s warning about always wearing clean underwear in case you are ever in an accident. Well, at least wear SOMETHING!
A little blogging music Maestro… “Naked Pictures” by Electric Six.
Dr. Forgot
Doing their best: Six months ago the current administration was being lambasted as a result of the war in Iraq, the economy in general, the housing fiasco and oil prices. “Oh Johnny Boy” might have been a song sung by many a tearful Irishman, but John McCain was running last among Republican nominees. Senator Hillary was polishing up her tiara for the coronation ceremonies – first as undisputed presidential candidate and then for the presidency. The lead horse in the race in the land of Demoville was champing at the bit to be crowned the first Queen of America.
Defeat snatched from the jaws of victory: Ah, but once again those lovable Democrats are doing their best to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. Seems like a 100:1 shot, the dark horse in the race weaved his way through the crowd of candidates to make a surprise run for the roses. And while the two frontrunners fiercely battle neck and neck, splashing mud on one another, Papa John meanders quietly behind, smiling and preparing to move to the forefront once the two leaders expend each other’s energy and bankroll. American politics – you’ve gotta’ love it.
All the news that’s fit to incite: I could not help but notice the two major cable networks regarding the Reverend Wrong – er, Wright. The 5- second snippets of his two inflammatory comments were shown probably thousands of times on “The Best Political Team on Television,” CNN, while “Fair and Balanced,” FOX upped the ante by not only running the constant loop but adding to it a photo of the retired Reverend and candidate Obama side by side, complete with music. Curiously missing from their respective, albeit not respectable broadcasts, save a casual mention in passing was coverage of the 4,000 plus American deaths in Iraq, nor the tens of thousands maimed, nor the estimated 170,000 soldiers who returned home with permanent mental injuries. Gossip sells.
Achy Breaky Heart: The above-mentioned news outlets and their imitators must be crying in their beer since Americans don’t much give a hoot or a holler about news of other nations. An old joke starts out, “Pssst, buddy… do you have any nude pictures of your wife?” When the answer is no, the derelict continues, “Wanna buy some?” Such is the case of French President Sarkozy whose new bride and former supermodel Carla Bruni. He and his bride were visiting the Queen of England and the Duke of Edinburgh when news of the naked pictures leaked. I guess the embarrassment harkens back to every mother’s warning about always wearing clean underwear in case you are ever in an accident. Well, at least wear SOMETHING!
A little blogging music Maestro… “Naked Pictures” by Electric Six.
Dr. Forgot
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Age is a State of... I Forget
It Ain’t the Age… It’s the Mileage
Today we will deviate a bit and share a bit of wisdom on age that came to me anonymously via email.
--Old Age, I decided, is gift.
I am now, probably for the first time in my life, the person I have always wanted to be. Oh, not my body! I sometime despair over my body, the wrinkles, the baggy eyes, and the sagging butt. And often I am taken aback by that old person that lives in my mirror (who looks like my mother!), but I don't agonize over those things for long.
I would never trade my amazing friends, my wonderful life, my loving family for less gray hair or a flatter belly. As I've aged, I've become more kind to myself, and less critical of myself. I've become my own friend.
I don't chide myself for eating that extra cookie, or for not making my bed, or for buying that silly cement gecko that I didn't need, but looks so avante garde on my patio. I am entitled to a treat, to be messy, to be extravagant.
I have seen too many dear friends leave this world too soon; before they understood the great freedom that comes with aging.
Whose business is it if I choose to read or play on the computer until 4 AM and sleep until noon? I will dance with myself to those wonderful tunes of the 60&70's, and if I, at the same time, wish to weep over a lost love ... I will. I will walk the beach in a swim suit that is stretched over a bulging body, and will dive into the waves with abandon if I choose to, despite the pitying glances from the jet set.They, too, will get old.
Sure, over the years my heart has been broken. How can your heart not break when you lose a loved one, or when a child suffers, or even when somebody's beloved pet gets hit by a car? But broken hearts are what give us strength and understanding and compassion. A heart never broken is pristine and sterile and will never know the joy of being imperfect.
I am so blessed to have lived long enough to have my hair turning gray, and to have my youthful laughs be forever etched into deep grooves on my face. So many have never laughed, and so many have died before their hair could turn silver.
As you get older, it is easier to be positive. You care less about what other people think. I don't question myself anymore. I've even earned the right to be wrong.
So, to answer your question, I like being old. It has set me free. I like the person I have become. I am not going to live forever, but while I am still here, I will not waste time lamenting what could have been, or worrying about what will be. And I shall eat dessert every single day. (If I feel like it)
MAY YOU ALWAYS HAVE A RAINBOW OF SMILES ON YOUR FACE AND IN YOUR HEART FOREVER AND EVER!
That seems to say it all. A little blogging music Maestro… “Those Oldies But Goodies…”
Dr. Forgot
Today we will deviate a bit and share a bit of wisdom on age that came to me anonymously via email.
--Old Age, I decided, is gift.
I am now, probably for the first time in my life, the person I have always wanted to be. Oh, not my body! I sometime despair over my body, the wrinkles, the baggy eyes, and the sagging butt. And often I am taken aback by that old person that lives in my mirror (who looks like my mother!), but I don't agonize over those things for long.
I would never trade my amazing friends, my wonderful life, my loving family for less gray hair or a flatter belly. As I've aged, I've become more kind to myself, and less critical of myself. I've become my own friend.
I don't chide myself for eating that extra cookie, or for not making my bed, or for buying that silly cement gecko that I didn't need, but looks so avante garde on my patio. I am entitled to a treat, to be messy, to be extravagant.
I have seen too many dear friends leave this world too soon; before they understood the great freedom that comes with aging.
Whose business is it if I choose to read or play on the computer until 4 AM and sleep until noon? I will dance with myself to those wonderful tunes of the 60&70's, and if I, at the same time, wish to weep over a lost love ... I will. I will walk the beach in a swim suit that is stretched over a bulging body, and will dive into the waves with abandon if I choose to, despite the pitying glances from the jet set.They, too, will get old.
Sure, over the years my heart has been broken. How can your heart not break when you lose a loved one, or when a child suffers, or even when somebody's beloved pet gets hit by a car? But broken hearts are what give us strength and understanding and compassion. A heart never broken is pristine and sterile and will never know the joy of being imperfect.
I am so blessed to have lived long enough to have my hair turning gray, and to have my youthful laughs be forever etched into deep grooves on my face. So many have never laughed, and so many have died before their hair could turn silver.
As you get older, it is easier to be positive. You care less about what other people think. I don't question myself anymore. I've even earned the right to be wrong.
So, to answer your question, I like being old. It has set me free. I like the person I have become. I am not going to live forever, but while I am still here, I will not waste time lamenting what could have been, or worrying about what will be. And I shall eat dessert every single day. (If I feel like it)
MAY YOU ALWAYS HAVE A RAINBOW OF SMILES ON YOUR FACE AND IN YOUR HEART FOREVER AND EVER!
That seems to say it all. A little blogging music Maestro… “Those Oldies But Goodies…”
Dr. Forgot
Monday, March 24, 2008
Monday, Monday
A Leading Authority Has Guessed Right Once
Bang, Bang... Whoops: From the “Post- 9/11 Genius Ideas” department comes the one from Usless Air – er, U.S. Airways. Seems that the panic driven rule that allows pilots to carry guns onboard planes, uh, backfired when a gun went off in the cockpit of a plane. The U.S. Airways flight was bound from Denver to Charlotte and had 124 passengers on board. Nobody was injured except for the pride of the pistol packing pilot. Officials say it was a full flight but full of what? We’ve not yet heard from the NRA but I’m sure the response will be something like, “Pilots don’t blow out windows in airplanes, guns do.”
Tums and Rolaids won’t fix this gas problem: Pain at the pump can be felt throughout the U.S. A few weeks ago I was in the San Diego suburb of La Jolla and the Union 76 station on the main drag posted full service premium gas at $ 4.99 per gallon. Was that a gouge or harbinger of things to come? Average gas prices this weekend topped $ 3.40 per gallon in some states. Tipsters tell us how to ease the pain: stay away from stations in ritzy hoods, avoid stations that are also repair shops or car washes, buy Wednesday morning and use wholesale club gas pumps. Oh, and how about driving less?
Sounds like, “I am not a crook”: Kwame Kilpatrick, that lover-boy mayor of Motown insists he will be exonerated. He and an aide were charged with perjury and obstruction of justice. Prosecutors say that sexually explicit text messages between the two may have been sugar sweet but lying about them in sworn testimony was perjury. Poor Kwame. All around him are people who spew hate and they do not get into trouble. But try a little loving and BAM! Your career is in jeopardy. Perhaps he can get an attorney referral or seek advice about how to handle the situation from Eliot Spitzer.
Sad day in Paradise: Few things are sadder than the loss of a loved one. Over the weekend the Paradise Animal Hospital in Las Vegas burned. The fire was so intense that rescuers were unable to save a single pet during the midnight inferno. One can only imagine the grief of pet owners whose pets were recovering from illnesses or being boarded during the holiday weekend. Everything was destroyed but if the owners are able to reconstruct their client list they should send each owner a letter of sympathy and include perhaps a gift certificate from the animal shelter and a gift card for future services.
Rrrrr-eeee-bbbb-eelllsss: The chant of the UNLV athletic teams was born during the Harvey Hyde football days. It has since been adopted by nearly every other UNLV sport and was heart during the March Madness tournament. Hats off to a ragtag group that the national media continually referred to as “Two walk-ons and a former air conditioner repairman.” Hats off to Coach Lon Kruger as well for bringing out the teams character rather than having to clean up after a bunch of characters.
A little blogging music Maestro… From the Rebel fight song, “U-N-L-V, UNLV Go Fight Win.”
Dr. Forgot
Bang, Bang... Whoops: From the “Post- 9/11 Genius Ideas” department comes the one from Usless Air – er, U.S. Airways. Seems that the panic driven rule that allows pilots to carry guns onboard planes, uh, backfired when a gun went off in the cockpit of a plane. The U.S. Airways flight was bound from Denver to Charlotte and had 124 passengers on board. Nobody was injured except for the pride of the pistol packing pilot. Officials say it was a full flight but full of what? We’ve not yet heard from the NRA but I’m sure the response will be something like, “Pilots don’t blow out windows in airplanes, guns do.”
Tums and Rolaids won’t fix this gas problem: Pain at the pump can be felt throughout the U.S. A few weeks ago I was in the San Diego suburb of La Jolla and the Union 76 station on the main drag posted full service premium gas at $ 4.99 per gallon. Was that a gouge or harbinger of things to come? Average gas prices this weekend topped $ 3.40 per gallon in some states. Tipsters tell us how to ease the pain: stay away from stations in ritzy hoods, avoid stations that are also repair shops or car washes, buy Wednesday morning and use wholesale club gas pumps. Oh, and how about driving less?
Sounds like, “I am not a crook”: Kwame Kilpatrick, that lover-boy mayor of Motown insists he will be exonerated. He and an aide were charged with perjury and obstruction of justice. Prosecutors say that sexually explicit text messages between the two may have been sugar sweet but lying about them in sworn testimony was perjury. Poor Kwame. All around him are people who spew hate and they do not get into trouble. But try a little loving and BAM! Your career is in jeopardy. Perhaps he can get an attorney referral or seek advice about how to handle the situation from Eliot Spitzer.
Sad day in Paradise: Few things are sadder than the loss of a loved one. Over the weekend the Paradise Animal Hospital in Las Vegas burned. The fire was so intense that rescuers were unable to save a single pet during the midnight inferno. One can only imagine the grief of pet owners whose pets were recovering from illnesses or being boarded during the holiday weekend. Everything was destroyed but if the owners are able to reconstruct their client list they should send each owner a letter of sympathy and include perhaps a gift certificate from the animal shelter and a gift card for future services.
Rrrrr-eeee-bbbb-eelllsss: The chant of the UNLV athletic teams was born during the Harvey Hyde football days. It has since been adopted by nearly every other UNLV sport and was heart during the March Madness tournament. Hats off to a ragtag group that the national media continually referred to as “Two walk-ons and a former air conditioner repairman.” Hats off to Coach Lon Kruger as well for bringing out the teams character rather than having to clean up after a bunch of characters.
A little blogging music Maestro… From the Rebel fight song, “U-N-L-V, UNLV Go Fight Win.”
Dr. Forgot
Friday, March 21, 2008
The Law Won
Every Snowflake in an Avalanche Pleads Not Guilty
Who, Me? Uh, uh. Well, Maybe. Ok, I did it: We’ve all heard the old saw that nobody in prison is innocent. Sometimes it proves to be true. DNA analysis and student lawyers often research old cases to determine if “the lady doth protest too much” or if the criminal is guilty. We hear about the few that are overturned but rarely about the guilty.
Is justice delayed really justice denied?: We often hear of somebody who committed a crime but somehow escaped the long arm of the law for years or even decades then is captured. Sara Jane Olsen became caught up in the SLA – a radical group from the 1970s. But she apparently discovered the error of her ways, changed her name, and lived a model life for 24 years before being caught and sentenced. A man from Las Vegas was convicted for a crime and walked away and lived life on the lam as an ideal husband and father for decades before being found out. If the purpose of prison is to rehabilitate and somebody is becomes a model citizen outside the prison gates, who wins?
Peek-a-boo, I see you: An old joke tells about professional skier Picabo (pronounced “Peek-a-boo”) Street donating a hospital wing that was named in her honor – Peek-a-boo ICU. But real peekers have sneaked into the personal files of presidential candidates. Passportgate broke this morning when it was revealed that several workers had spied into passport files of Barack Obama as many as three times. Another, proving he was a fair if unbalanced peeping Tom also scanned the files of Senator McCain. Hillary Clinton’s files were compromised. It reminds me of the Richard Nixon line when he said he knew he would be under a microscope while serving but did not expect to be examined by a proctoscope.
Smoke ‘em or smash ‘em: Las Vegas is said to have some of the most bizarre drivers anywhere. One reason might be due to the fact that everybody drives by the rules back home. But today the pipe dream of a trucker became a pipe nightmare for commuters. Seems that a semi hauling pipes was minding its own business in I-15 when some hibilly ran into it causing the truck to depipe. Result? 14 vehicles involved in six crashes. That’s some piping!
Quick! Think of Las Vegas: What is first thing that comes to mind? Lights. All those lights. One can read a newspaper at midnight. But somebody blew a fuse, or more accurately a transformer, that thrust four major hotels into electric limbo. Elevators stopped, lights went out, and most importantly, slot machines stopped spinning. Well, maybe not the slots. But at 8:00 p.m. or so until 9:30 we were reminded that we really are a desert community dependent on electricity.
A little blogging music Maestro: Anything by the Electric Light Orchestra.
Dr. Forgot
Who, Me? Uh, uh. Well, Maybe. Ok, I did it: We’ve all heard the old saw that nobody in prison is innocent. Sometimes it proves to be true. DNA analysis and student lawyers often research old cases to determine if “the lady doth protest too much” or if the criminal is guilty. We hear about the few that are overturned but rarely about the guilty.
Is justice delayed really justice denied?: We often hear of somebody who committed a crime but somehow escaped the long arm of the law for years or even decades then is captured. Sara Jane Olsen became caught up in the SLA – a radical group from the 1970s. But she apparently discovered the error of her ways, changed her name, and lived a model life for 24 years before being caught and sentenced. A man from Las Vegas was convicted for a crime and walked away and lived life on the lam as an ideal husband and father for decades before being found out. If the purpose of prison is to rehabilitate and somebody is becomes a model citizen outside the prison gates, who wins?
Peek-a-boo, I see you: An old joke tells about professional skier Picabo (pronounced “Peek-a-boo”) Street donating a hospital wing that was named in her honor – Peek-a-boo ICU. But real peekers have sneaked into the personal files of presidential candidates. Passportgate broke this morning when it was revealed that several workers had spied into passport files of Barack Obama as many as three times. Another, proving he was a fair if unbalanced peeping Tom also scanned the files of Senator McCain. Hillary Clinton’s files were compromised. It reminds me of the Richard Nixon line when he said he knew he would be under a microscope while serving but did not expect to be examined by a proctoscope.
Smoke ‘em or smash ‘em: Las Vegas is said to have some of the most bizarre drivers anywhere. One reason might be due to the fact that everybody drives by the rules back home. But today the pipe dream of a trucker became a pipe nightmare for commuters. Seems that a semi hauling pipes was minding its own business in I-15 when some hibilly ran into it causing the truck to depipe. Result? 14 vehicles involved in six crashes. That’s some piping!
Quick! Think of Las Vegas: What is first thing that comes to mind? Lights. All those lights. One can read a newspaper at midnight. But somebody blew a fuse, or more accurately a transformer, that thrust four major hotels into electric limbo. Elevators stopped, lights went out, and most importantly, slot machines stopped spinning. Well, maybe not the slots. But at 8:00 p.m. or so until 9:30 we were reminded that we really are a desert community dependent on electricity.
A little blogging music Maestro: Anything by the Electric Light Orchestra.
Dr. Forgot
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