June Statistics, 2009

The pressure is on.....

We are on the cusp of reaching 140,000 pageloads. 150,000 is just on the horizon. What else can I say that is fit to print, but, "Holy Cow!"

I feel two potential outcomes.... perhaps I need to consult the all-knowing Mme. Z.?

First the bad news, let's get that over with:
I have noticed less variety in authors posting blogs and less regular-irregulars participating in the comments. We can see you there, reading, but comment variety has diminished. :(

On to the good news:
At the same time, we do have some new friends joining us and offering their input. Thanks! For those of you who are posting as anonymous, it is a great way to get your feet wet, but please consider selecting a name so we can get to know who is irregular (it only hurts to admit it the first time) and who may be just visiting. Your posts will hold more merit as well. We don't charge, we don't spam. You can send your check personally to me.... ahem. ;>

More good news:
We are at what I believe is a crucial point..... our statistics are actually showing amazing things. (Am I the only geek who gets excited over this?)

Even better news:
While our numbers continue to climb, the two charts I will post have been the most changed and interesting from the past. Even though the variety has paled, the interest has not! Crazy stuff!

Visit Length Return Visits

Length of time spent by visitors is way up. This excerpt from our provider on visit length: "Based on this information you can see how much 'pull' and 'interest' your website is generating for your visitors. If you have a low 'Visit Length' you may want to think up more ways to encourage your visitors to stay around for longer. Offer them something more." We seem to be doing way, way better at that 'offer' lately. Great job irregulars! Don't let the big green blobs dissuade you. These are people who land here by mistake, usually through a Google search. That is normal and expected. Some of those people are even hanging around more and more.

Returning visits: We have increased to 35%-45% lately. Quite a jump from the 25% average we had been maintaining. More from the provider to explain further: From the last 500 pageloads, we extract the total number of unique visitors. The count is incremented each time they return to visit your website (a couple of hours is needed between visits). From this info we can show you how often visitors return to see your website again and again. The best and most successful websites are the ones with a very high return frequency. If you have a low or non-existent return frequency, you may want to change your website to encourage your visitors to come again and again.

Thanks to statcounter for providing this excellent data! So, now you have the facts. Consult Madame Zoltar if you must, but continue to blog, blog, blog on friends.

Please do not feel that your comments or posts are not interesting. Throw them out there. Someone wants to read them. Often times, it is the blogs that get the fewest comments that are the most popular reads.

I Have a New Lawyer

real country

About a day after I read Orbs say that a song and an artist was the true definition of country music, a song popped into my head. A classic. Like all classics though it has a love/hate following. Guys seem to love it, and women seem to hate it. When it's played on a juke box, most women in the bar say, "Oh no, they put this on the juke box??" Guys stop mid stroke in a pool game and give voice, men stop throwing darts. The drunk in the corner raises his head and opens bleery eyes and they all start singing along like it was an anthem.

I bring you David Allen Coe Maybe another true definition of country singing.

It's Legal in Iowa (or Third Time's a Charm)

I am at my college reunion in Iowa. As some of you may have seen in the news this spring, same sex marriage is legal here. And one of my college friends just took advantage of that.

Sue and Jenn were married ceremonially in 2000. They got married again in Oregon where they live when it was (briefly) legal there before a referendum swept it away. Today, they went for the third try (even though it is only recognized in certain states, recognized some places is better than nowhere). I noticed special emphasis was placed on the word "legally" several time during the ceremony.

I talked to them afterwards and they said it was difficult to explain to their kids (one adopted, two in the final stages of adoption...should be finalized next month) that they were getting legally married since their kids thought they were married. In typical child fashion, one asked, "So were you illegally married before?" The kids seemed more concerned about having outlaws for parents than having two mommies!

I made a bad joke to them afterwards about not losing the marriage certificate since they have to keep track of it this time. Little did I know that they actually did lose the certificate from the first ceremonial marriage and they instantly made sure they had it this time!

Have a long and happy marriage, Sue and and Jenn!

Doyle Tax Increases in one month....

Tuesday 05-19-2009 7:42am CT
Senator Ted Kanavas lists 30 Doyle tax increases

April 30, 2009: Day 30: The Property Tax

April 29, 2009: Day 29: The Medical Records Tax

April 28, 2009: Day 28: The Child Care Tax

April 27, 2009: Day 27: The Birth Certificate Tax

April 26, 2009: Day 26: The Driver Record Tax

April 25, 2009: Day 25: The Phone Tax II

April 24, 2009: Day 24: The Air Emissions Tax

April 23, 2009: Day 23: The Boat Registration Tax

April 22, 2009: Day 22: The Vehicle Environmental Impact Tax

April 21, 2009: Day 21: The Hunting Tax

April 20, 2009: Day 20: The Gas Tax

April 19, 2009: Day 19: The Great Lakes Water Compact Tax

April 18, 2009: Day 18: The Assisted Living Facilities Tax

April 17, 2009: Day 17: The Investment Tax

April 16, 2009: Day 16: The Garbage Tax

April 15, 2009: Day 15: Right to Keep and Bear Arms Tax

April 14, 2009: Day 14: New Upper Tax Bracket

April 13, 2009: Day 13: The Hospital Tax

April 12, 2009: Day 12: Easter Sunday, No Release

April 11, 2009: Day 11: Vital Records Tax

April 10, 2009: Day 10: BadgerCare Plus Tax

April 9, 2009: Day 9: UW Tuition Increase

April 8, 2009: Day 8: The Capital Gains Tax

April 7, 2009: Day 7: The Work Permit Tax

April 6, 2009: Day 6: The Tailgate Tax

April 5, 2009: Day 5: The Seed License Tax

April 4, 2009: Day 4: The Justice Information Tax

April 3, 2009: Day 3: The Cigarette Tax

April 2, 2009: Day 2: The Phone Tax

April 1, 2009: Day 1: The Nursing Home Bed Tax

Rock and Roll Revival

Hi Everybody! Welcome back to the Rock and Roll Revival! This song has been in my head all week. :) Frontman Steve Perry is one of the most entertaining singers out there. His soulful voice is like no other I have ever heard. He even gives me the chills! WOW! Guitarist Neil Schon can play a mean axe with solos ablaze! And the rest of the band can ROCK!

So my friends, is there a singer out there so good that it can take you away?



Another favorite Journey tune-Dixie Highway.

Enjoy!

Spur of the moment get together

I will be at Old Country Buffet tomorrow for supper at 5:00. Its pretty good for a Friday Smorgasbord. I usually have a newspaper for company, but what the heck. if you find yourself twiddling your thumbs, come on down. Hey Abby, I'll pay your way, you catch the kids. Makes it more affordable for ya. Orbs, forget the cooking mess.

If it isn't at the last moment, it isn't spur of the moment... 28 hours notice is pushing it I know, but some of you guys are old and that's spur a plenty.

PET-PEEVES.........What are yours?

I know we've done this before but I've got to re-live it as we may have some new ones.

I hate drivers that need to stop before a turn........happened to me again this morning and I'm still pissed off.........

Kids that miss the garbage can or the laundry basket.........

People collecting SSI for nothing......get your lazy ass to work!

People that walk into the street, they see you coming and walk slower......I speed up with a crazy look on my face..they move faster that way!!!!! 9 out of 10 times I get the finger....



I have about a million more but I don't wanna take any of yours.

Justice, Racine Style

Tisa Hawes, the woman who did nothing while her boyfriend tortured her son to death, received 3 years in prison yesterday: http://www.journaltimes.com/articles/2009/05/28/local_news/doc4a1dd1c54a767495271483.txt. (I just love the Journal Times' headline minimizing Brian Hawes' death: "3 years prison for mom whose son suffocated." By that measure, gunshot victims in Racine cannot be murdered, they just bleed to death.)

Jessie Rodriguez, Tisa Hawes' boyfriend, faces 7 years for killing a two year old, after physically tormenting him for months.

Meanwhile, Adrial White continues in his efforts to regain his legal freedom after blowing away a predator that roamed our streets at night, stealing from others.


Party on, Racine, party on!

Fred and Matroshka, Sitting on the ISS...

One of the big problems with going beyond low Earth orbit (LEO for those who like acryonyms) is that you are no longer inside Earth's magnetic field. This exposes you to all kinds of nasty cosmic rays that can damage cells in your body. A short hop for a few days on the Moon is not too bad, but if we want to establish a base and have people spend months there or even go to Mars, well, that can be a showstopper.

NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA) are both hard at work studying the problem. Enter Fred and Matroshka. They are mannequins desinged to help us understand how radiation effects the human body. Each of them has hundreds of embedded sensors to measure the radiation dose at different locations in the body. Not all radiation damage is equal: you might survive a little more in your biceps than in your brain of lungs. Modeling where the radiation is deposited can only go so far and testing on implanting a bunch of radiation sensors in a person isn't exactly a viable solution.

Current shielding technology couldn't protect us...we would need too much and the spacecraft would be too heavy. On the Moon building underground (say into the side of a mountain or hill) could be a potential solution although excavating would increase the complexity of the construction.

We can solve most of the technical problems to spend a long time on the Moon and could even get to Mars in a reasonable amount of time...staying healthy in space is one of the biggest hurdles that remain (save for money and polticial will).

Reprinted with permission from the Half-Astrophysicist Blog.

NO CHEATING!

GUESS THE SONG TITLE FROM THE PICTURE PROVIDED

Answers are listed in the comments...............

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A little follow up to Menorial Day

Mr. Obama needs to read U.S. history and tour these sites, soaking up the loss and the grief of all these young men, before telling the world how arrogant we are!!! And, by their sacrifice, he had the opportunity to run for, and become President of this great nation. How sad he appears to have no understanding, nor compassion, for those who gave him the ground upon which he stands today!

Begin forwarded message:

Our European arrogance in alphabetical order.

1. The American Cemetery at Aisne-Marne , France . A total of 2289 of our military dead. We Apologize.

2. The American Cemetery at Ardennes , Belgium . A total of 5329 of our dead.

3. The American Cemetery at Brittany, France . A total of 4410 of our military dead. Excuse us.

4. Brookwood , England American Cemetery. A total of 468 of our dead.

5. Cambridge , England . 3812 of our military dead.

6. Epinal , France American Cemetery. A total of 5525 of our Military dead.

7. Flanders Field , Belgium . A total of 368 of our military.

8. Florence , Italy . A total of 4402 of our military dead.

9. Henri-Chapelle , Belgium . A total of 7992 of our military dead.

10. Lorraine , France . A total of 10,489 of our military dead.

11. Luxembourg , Luxembourg . A total of 5076 of our military dead.

12. Meuse-Argonne. A total of 14246 of our military dead.

13. Netherlands , Netherlands . A total of 8301 of our military dead.

14. Normandy , France . A total of 9387 of our military dead.

15. Oise-Aisne , France . A total of 6012 of our military dead.

16. Rhone , France . A total of 861 of our military dead.

17. Sicily , Italy . A total of 7861 of our military dead.

18. Somme , France . A total of 1844 of our military dead.

19. St. Mihiel, France . A total of 4153 of our military dead.

20. Suresnes , France . a total of 1541 of our military dead.

Apologize to no one. Remind those of our sacrifice and don't confuse arrogance with leadership.

Live longer, change your ways

Q: Doctor, I’ve heard that cardiovascular exercise can prolong life. Is this true?
A: Your heart is only good for so many beats, and that's it... don't waste them on exercise. Everything wears out eventually. Speeding up your heart will not make you live longer; that's like saying you can extend the life of your car by driving it faster. Want to live longer? Take a nap.

Q: Should I cut down on meat and eat more fruits and vegetables?
A: You must grasp logistical efficiencies. What does a cow eat? Hay and corn. And what are these? Vegetables. So a steak is nothing more than an efficient mechanism of delivering vegetables to your system. Need grain? Eat chicken. Beef is also a good source of field grass (green leafy vegetable). And a pork chop can give you 100% of your recommended daily allowance of vegetable products.

Q: Should I reduce my alcohol intake?
A: No, not at all. Wine is made from fruit. Brandy is distilled wine, that means they take the water out of the fruity bit so you get even more of the goodness that way. Beer is also made out of grain. So have a cup now and then!

Q: How can I calculate my body/fat ratio?
A: Well, if you have a body and you have fat, your ratio is one to one. If you have two bodies, your ratio is two to one, etc.

Q: What are some of the advantages of participating in a regular exercise program?
A: Can’t think of a single one, sorry. My philosophy is: No Pain...Good!

Q: Aren’t fried foods bad for you?
A: YOU’RE NOT LISTENING!!! ..... Foods are fried these days in vegetable oil. In fact, they’re permeated in it. How could getting more vegetables be bad for you?

Q: Will sit-ups help prevent me from getting a little soft around the middle?
A: Definitely not! When you exercise a muscle, it gets bigger. You should only be doing sit-ups if you want a bigger stomach.

Q: Is chocolate bad for me?
A: Are you crazy? HELLO!! Cocoa beans! Another vegetable!!! It's the best feel-good food around!

Q: Is swimming good for your figure?
A: If swimming is good for your figure, explain whales to me.

Q: Is getting in shape important for my lifestyle?
A: Hey! 'Round' is a shape!

Well, I hope this has cleared up any misconceptions you may have had about food and diets.

Dear Madame Zoltar

Hello, my precious peonies! How are you? The holiday weekend messed me all up – I thought today was Tuesday. I am running late again.

Mr. Avenging Angel submitted an email this week, which reads:

Madame,

In "The Prince", Machiavelli poses the question: "Is it better to be loved or feared?" What about you? Would you rather be loved or feared?

Well, Mr. AA, my first thought is that love doesn’t pay the bills, but fear might. On a personal level, though, I would opt for being loved rather than being feared because fear won’t keep me warm on a cold winter night, but love might. What do you readers think?

As a public service today, I am posting videos on psychic fakes and frauds. Although some psychics are honest, hard working individuals who have only their clients’ best interests at heart, there are those treacherous individuals and groups who try to take advantage of the trust that people place in them. It’s not pretty and it’s not nice, but that’s the way it is, like the neighborhoods surrounding downtown Racine.

The first video comes from California, where Mr. Anthony has a bit of a meltdown when confronted with some disturbing evidence concerning one of his readings, and Madame Vivian appears to be doing quite well with her business.



Here’s an Australian clairvoyant who goes by the name of Carina or Alana or whatever. She’s a pip, and a real money maker!



And finally, here’s a short clip where a fraud gets his comeuppance. Gory, but to the point.



Remember to be careful when selecting a psychic, my friends. A true medium will not be overly eager to collect funds from you, nor will he/she completely loot your bank account until at least the fourth or fifth visit. When in doubt, contact me and I will advise you, for a very reasonable fee. You can reach me at madamezoltar@jtirregulars.com.

Thank you for reading my blog today. Don’t forget, free advice is usually worth what you pay for it. See you next week, my dears.

Relay For Life

Hey everyone,

I hate to ask for money on my 3rd blog, but it's for a good cause so here I go. I am going to cheat and take the mail that they send out and paste it here as they articulate themselves so well. If you have the possibility I would greatly appreciate any support you could give. This is a very important cause as it affects all of us in some way, but I definitely understand if it's not possible or choose not to. Thanks in advance.

This year in my community, I have committed to participate in the Relay For Life.

I have learned that this year, hundreds of thousands of people will hear the words "You have cancer”. I know that some of those people could be people that I care about. Instead of being afraid of that, I have chosen to do something to fight back against this disease and I’m asking for your help.

Will you make a donation to my Relay For Life efforts? To donate online now, click the link below to visit my personal page.

By making healthy lifestyle choices such as eating right, exercising and not smoking we can reduce the chances of getting cancer by as much as 50%! As someone I care about, I’m asking you to take up this challenge to fight back against cancer by making healthy lifestyle choices and supporting my fundraising efforts.

Thank you in advance for your support. Together, we will celebrate, remember, and fight back!

Eliminate it!

Please visit My Page

or if I didn't figure out how to do a link correctly here, just copy and paste this.

http://main.acsevents.org/site/TR/RelayForLife/RFLFY09MW?px=9304365&pg=personal&fr_id=16067&fl=en_US&et=_bZ7bFQOS484kJk054W9-g..&s_tafId=275489

Charlie the "Paws" Kiddie Cat

NIN and The Verve

Time to leave the 1950's and 60's behind for awhile. Lets move forward at least 40 or 50 years.....

These two are from 2008. Who said there is no good new music?

A Little Useless Information

HERE IS A REAL FACT:

At 5 minutes and 6 seconds after 4 a.m., on the 8th of July, this year, the time and date will be: 04:05:06, 07/08/09

THIS WILL NOT HAPPEN AGAIN UNTIL THE YEAR 3009!!!
(I had a deep feeling that you just needed to know this)

Virus Removal/PC Tune-Up

I just got my PC back after a little visit to the local Staples Store for some medical attention. It was so well worth the $48 it cost for the virus removal and tune-up...I am now back in action....and it is lickety split fast. I am impressed.

I am so happy...just so happy.

Prison Cell-Phone Use a Growing Problem

According to Time magazine: "In California, home to the country's largest state prison system, more than 2,800 cell phones were confiscated from inmates last year, double the number seized in 2007.

"'Criminals are using cell phones even from death row to threaten victims and harass lawmakers. Inmates are making literally thousands of calls from prison.'"

http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1900859,00.html

Ah, the wonders of technology.

Morning head jukebox

KKD a little Sax, a bit of Wurlitzer and a bit of Hulabalaoo. I can't help ,what my head wakes me up to.

The May Crescent Moon

I just got back in from taking some pictures of the crescent Moon. This is one of the younger Moons I have photographed. New Moon was at 5:11am May 24th and I took these pictures a little after 8:00pm on May 25th (all times MST, also known as Arizona time). That makes the Moon about 39 hours past new.

Earthshine is very prominent tonight and the clouds made things more interesting as well. I took another shot and got a little artsy.

Weather has been very cloudy here recently...I was hoping to do some more photography this long weekend when I had some time, but the clouds did me in.

Reprinted with permission from the Half-Astrophysicist Blog.

A little Monday Humor

Do You Know Where Your Towel Is?

I hope so, because it it Towel Day! Towel Day celebrates the life and work of author Douglas Adams who penned the Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy series. He worked on the original Doctor Who as well and you can particularly see his fingerprints over a Tom Baker episode titled The Pirate Planet.

Surprisingly, I cannot find an official Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Towel for sale anywhere! I think they are missing a major marketing ploy here.

Proudly show everyone you know where your towel is today!

Reprinted with permission from the Half-Astrophysicist Blog.

For the Beckerphile and ex-Mayor Mini Me

http://www.adn.com/life/story/807240.html

An Alaskan man, David Traver, at left, won the 2009 World Beard and Moustache Championships held in Anchorage over the weekend.

Better luck next year to our former mayors.

Can You Name This Flower?

This white flower used to be on Wisconsin's endangered list, but is beginning to make a comeback. It has been reassigned to the threatened list. You can still get a fine if you pick it. So don't do it!!!! Picking the flower damages the plant and it may not survive into the next season.

You can only see these flowers for a couple of weeks in the spring. They grow in rich, moist soil in wooded areas. Sander's Park has some. Petrified Springs Park has lots of them. You can see them if you drive slowly through the northern part of the park, across 7th Street. This picture was shot there. They really are beautiful. You have to hurry if you want to see them in person.... time is running out!

May's Unusual Stats, Just for Fun...

How are you spending your three day weekend? I should be getting ready to go away today, but instead, as usual, I'm frittering away the hours in an offhand way.... My favorite muse... The JTI!

I was contemplating the variety of authors on the site. I wondered how many blogs I have posted. This site doesn't break it down into numbers of blogs per person.... So, I drew up little columns and went at it. Better than taking a shower or cleaning the kitchen. I went back to the last 300 posts. That took us back to the middle of March. We are a chatty bunch! No wonder the parties are so noisy! :) I felt 300 was a pretty fair look into our author-ship.

Care to make any guesses????????

Who is a blog hog, who has been seriously slacking??????

Who's blogs do you enjoy reading? Who would you like to read more blogs by?

Just to make it more interesting, I'll update with results tonight................

It was very close for the top dog position. So, no one is really hogging, but some are slacking for sure..... I like hale's response. While I enjoy most everything that is posted, I would like to see more from those who post less.
Here are the results:
orbs - 57
hale - 54
SER - 53
kk - 32
logjam - 22
drew - 16
huck - 15
beejay - 11
Mme. Zoltar - 9
abby - 9
liz - 5
stu - 5
dogaddicts - 3
Avenging Angel - 3
toad - 2
why not? - 2
The Sheriff - 1
Mary - 1

A Game

Something we haven't seen in awhile - a new game to test your skills.

And do I SUCK at it.........

SKEET SHOOT!

For some reason I cannot connect to the site, it may be down, so here is another test of skills.

Cannon Game

Don't you wish this would happen to some people?

Proof That the World Is Nuts

In Lebanon, men are legally allowed to have sex with animals, but the animals must be female. Having sexual relations with a male animal is punishable by death.
(Like THAT makes sense.)

In Bahrain, a male doctor may legally examine a woman's genitals, but is prohibited from looking directly at them during the examination. He may only see their reflection in a mirror.
(Do they look different reversed?)

Muslims are banned from looking at the genitals of a corpse. This also applies to undertakers. The sex organs of the deceased must be covered with a brick or piece of wood at all times.
(A brick?)

The penalty for masturbation in Indonesia is decapitation.
(Much worse than 'going blind!')

There are men in Guam whose full-time job is to travel the countryside and deflower young virgins, who pay them for the privilege of having sex for the first time, reason: under Guam law, it is expressly forbidden for virgins to marry.
(Let's just think for a minute; is there any job anywhere else in the world that even comes close to this?)

In Hong Kong, a betrayed wife is legally allowed to kill her adulterous husband, but may only do so with her bare hands.
The husband's illicit lover, on the other hand, may be killed in any manner desired.
(Ah! Justice!)

Topless saleswomen are legal in Liverpool, England - but only in tropical fish stores.
(But of course!)

In Cali, Colombia, a woman may only have sex with her husband, and the first time this happens, her mother must be in the room to witness the act.
(Makes one shudder at the thought.)

In Santa Cruz, Bolivia, it is illegal for a man to have sex with a woman and her daughter at the same time.
(I presume this was a big enough problem that they had to pass this law?)

In Maryland, it is illegal to sell condoms from vending machines with one exception: Prophylactics may be dispensed from a vending machine only 'in places where alcoholic beverages are sold for consumption on the premises.'
(Is this a great country or what?

Well, not as great as Guam !)

Goodbye Marjan...Hope We Meet Up Again

Yes, I am cut off from a friend right now, and the reason is political. Iran has blocked access to Facebook in light of the upcoming presidential elections. Mir Hossein Mousavi is challenging current President Ahmadinejad in the upcoming June 12th presidential election. Mousavi was using Facebook and had over 5,000 supporters (not a lot in a country of that size) on his main page (warning: I think that is written in Farsi) although there are a lot of smaller pages of supporters.

In this country we saw the power of the internet and social networking in the 2008 election. That is one place where everyone can pretty much agree that the Obama campaign ran circles around the McCain campaign. Obviously, someone in Iran is worried a similar phenomena could take root there.

And I went ahead and checked my friends list and Marjan is missing. I don't know why...we have some mutual friends and she is missing from their friends list as well, so she didn't just ditch me for some reason. Searching for her yielded no results either so her account seems to be gone. I would have been a little ticked at the government of Iran for this under normal circumstances, but now it is personal!

I am curious and will be watching for her to see if she show up again after the elections.

Maybe we should start blogging virulently against Ahmidinejad so we can get banned in Iran. It can only be good publicity.

"Horror story printed on toilet paper in Japan"

"TOKYO – In a country where ghosts are traditionally believed to hide in the loo, a Japanese company is advertising a new literary experience — a horror story printed on toilet paper."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090524/ap_on_re_as/as_odd_japan_scary_toilet_paper


What, no Shakespeare?
To pee or not to pee, that is the question.

KDD I can't help the jukebox in my head

Country music

Mom is turned 81 last week. The music she likes has an older flair. Co8untry music, meant COUNTRY. There wasn't flashing lights, fireworks and smoke machines, nor sissyfied line dancing either. Just some good old crooners with a snappy beat. Hey Abby, this song is for you ya Brunette hotty you.

Another Cowboy country crooner