Saturday, March 24, 2018

Maybe this guy could use a little walking

Mount Pleasant Candidates



"A Gorilla At The Philadelphia Zoo Is A Bit Of A Clean Freak"



Louis has a peculiar habit of walking upright on two legs. Zookeepers say the reason he walks upright is because he doesn't want to get his "hands dirty."

NOEL KING, HOST:

Good morning. I'm Noel King. A gorilla at the Philadelphia Zoo named Louis has a peculiar habit of walking upright on two legs. He was recently caught on video strolling around, and it is delightful. Even more delightful - zookeepers say the reason he walks upright - he does want to get his hands dirty. Louis is a bit of a clean freak. His keepers have tried to accommodate Louis, even bringing together a little bridge so he doesn't have to walk through mud puddles. It's MORNING EDITION.

Copyright © 2018 NPR. All rights reserved. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information.

NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by Verb8tm, Inc., an NPR contractor, and produced using a proprietary transcription process developed with NPR. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.


"Police say Indiana man took taxi to and from bank robbery"

This undated photo provided by the Vanderburgh County Jail in Evansville, Ind., shows Derrick Faria. Police said Faria took a cab to and from a bank robbery, Thursday, Mar

Open Blog - Weekend


C'mon, spring!

Open Blog - Weekemd


Me, too!

Friday, March 23, 2018

"THB, I'm sorry about your mom. Dehydration is pretty common, but the pneumonia and fluid in the lungs don't sound good. I'll say a prayer for her, and you. 1) Do you remember the last time you colored Easter eggs? In the seventies, with my then-wife. 2) When was the last time you got all dressed up for Easter? 60 years ago. 3) When you were young did your parents hide your Easter Basket? No. 4) Do you remember getting your picture taken with the Easter Bunny? Never. That thing freaks me out. Have a good week, everyone."

From Wisconsin Gazette.com:

  • Updated
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    Blixunami, the gay Geechie Merman, is the headlining act at Mermaid Fest
    Ex-student housing
    Hunter College in New York City has gone to court to evict a woman it says is illegally residing in a dorm room. The 32-year-old ex-student owes more than $94,000 in unpaid residence hall fees. After she dropped out of school in 2016, the college sent her a 30-day eviction notice. Yet she’s resided in the room ever since. The former geography major apparently knows her way around some rules.
    Swimming south
    WiGWag received its first 2018 invitation to celebrate LGBT Pride. The notice arrived from Savannah Pride in Georgia, which is beginning the celebration early this year with Mermaid Fest  March 23–24. Top billing went to “Blixunami, the gay Geechie Merman.” Metro UK described Blixunami as “the most beautiful person imaginable.” 
    Curling bobble
    The National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum in Milwaukee has unveiled a limited-edition doll featuring Olympic curling gold medalist Matt Hamilton, who was born in Madison and now resides in McFarland. Hamilton helped his five-man team win the United States’ first gold in curling in miraculous fashion at the Winter Games in Pyeongchang.
    Making the most of March Madness
    In a growing trend, men scheduled vasectomies on Thursday and Friday during the first round tipoff of March Madness. Why? So they could sit guilt-free on the couch for four days and watch the games with impunity while icing their scrotums. Milwaukee-area urologist Jay Sandlow told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel he expected to perform 22 such surgeries this year, which is more than twice his normal workload. 
    Dealing the seal
    In the latest example of monetizing the presidency, the Trump Organization ordered dozens of 12-inch plates bearing the official U.S. presidential seal. Trump’s sons plan to use them as tee markers at Trump golf courses. Trump courses already feature plates bearing a coat of arms that are said to be from Trump’s family. But The New York Times reported the coat of arms actually belonged to another family. But it’s been modified by replacing the word “Integritas,” Latin for “integrity,” with the name “Trump.”
    No good deed goes rewarded
    Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson and his wife insisted they had nothing to do with a $31,000 dining-room set ordered for his office. But emails obtained by a group called American Oversight proved that indeed they did. A former top HUD official notified a federal whistle-blower agency that she’d been commanded by the Carsons to find a way around the office’s $5,000 redecoration law. For refusing to commit the crime, she earned a demotion.
    Buy American somewhere else
    Jimmy Kimmel ordered a big box of merchandise from trumpstore.com, the official retail website of the Trump Organization, to check out the items’ country of origin. Nearly all the merchandise was made abroad, mostly in China. Two items didn’t list any country of origin, an oversight Kimmel said could lead to fines of up to $500,000. 


From the mouths of … adults?
On March 14, when students nationwide walked out of their classrooms to protest gun violence in schools, the National Rifle Association tweeted a photo of an AR-15 — the weapon used at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School and at many other mass shootings. The tweet read: “I’ll control my own guns, thank you.”


Walking high
A straight and cisgender Australian man started wearing 6-inch stiletto heels to work every day after a female colleague told him that “her heels made her feel powerful.” And he did, too. “I’ve never felt more empowered than when putting on a pair of stilettos and walking through a marble lobby,” said the project manager for a major bank. 
Hometown pride
Rep. Drew Christensen, a member of the Minnesota House of Representatives, promised to draft a bill banning Arie Luyendyk Jr., aka The Bachelor, from the state. He and other Minnesotans are outraged that Luyendyk broke off his engagement to Minnesotan Becca Kufrin — and on the air, no less. On Twitter, a Minnesota police department dared Luyendyk, a former race-car driver, “to drive fast through Shakopee, MN,” which neighbors Kufrin’s hometown of Prior Lake.


Middle School ‘Millionaires’
Students at Lenox Memorial Middle and High School in Lenox, Massachusetts, voted to keep their Millionaires mascot and nickname. In the high-turnout election, 51 percent of students voted to keep the name, which AP described as a tribute to wealthy out-of-towners — “cottagers” — who built mansions during the gilded age and employed the locals.

Four for Fridays!

I almost forgot about my Four for Fridays today. I have been worrying about my Mom she was in the hospital last week because of the flu and dehydration and she was taken back to the hospital yesterday for dehydration, pneumonia and fluids in her lungs. We do not know when she will be coming home this time.

Here are your questions-

1) Do you remember the last time you colored Easter eggs?

2) When was the last time you got all dressed up for Easter?

3) When you were young did your parents hide your Easter Basket?

4) Do you remember getting your picture taken with the Easter Bunny?

I know Easter is next week but I will have more Easter questions next week too.
Have a great weekend.  

Danny Bonaduce - "Feelin' Groovy" (1973)

Open Blog - Friday


Feel good everyday.

Thursday, March 22, 2018

"Greta Neubauer"

From Racine County Corruption:

Greta Neubauer is the 66th District representative in the Wisconsin Assembly

Greta is hosting her first public listening session on Sunday, March 25th, 2018
at 2 p.m. at the Dr. John Bryant Center.
601 21st street, Racine Wi. 53403 

Who will be listening to who?
Civility is invited.

"According to the Racine Journal Times"

From Racine County Corruption:

"'During the chase, according to the DOJ report, Shannon pointed a gun at the officers three separate times and they fired back, hitting Shannon five times.'

"How do you fire back if you haven't been shot at?"


http://racinecountycorruption.blogspot.com/2018/03/according-to-racine-journal-times.html

"Video Shows Sacramento Police Shooting Unarmed Black Man In Grandparents' Backyard"

"Sacramento police officers shot and killed 22-year-old Stephon Clark, a father of two who was unarmed, in the backyard of his grandparents' home on Sunday night.

"'The only thing that I heard was pow, pow, pow, pow, and I got to the ground,'" Sequita Thompson, Clark's grandmother, told The Sacramento Bee. "'I opened that curtain and he was dead.'"

https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2018/03/22/596051907/video-shows-sacramento-police-shoot-unarmed-black-man-in-grandparents-backyard





"The Men Preparing for Civil War in South Africa"

Mongoose vs, Cobra

https://www.instagram.com/p/BbPPsZVFooG/?utm_source=ig_embed&action=save

The mongoose is nuts.  There's plenty of other meat out there and it doesn't come with a poisonous bite.  Cobra meat must taste really, really good.

"Racine officers involved in shooting case cleared for duty"

 
RACINE — Two Racine police officers on leave after a deadly confrontation with a suspect fleeing a traffic stop on Jan. 17 have been cleared to return to duty.

Racine Police Investigator Chad Stillman and Officer Peter Boeck were put on leave, but they “have been cleared and are welcome back to the department any time,” Sgt. Adam Malacara, public information officer for the department, announced on Wednesday.

“However, they are still dealing with this highly traumatic event and will come back when they are ready,” Malacara said. “They did what they were trained to do but hoped they never had to. It is a difficult situation to deal with.”

On Tuesday, Racine County District Attorney Tricia Hanson announced her office will not press charges against Stillman and Boeck, who were involved in a shooting that resulted in the death of Donte Shannon, 26, of Racine, in a backyard of a home in the 1400 block of Park Ave.

According to an investigation by the Wisconsin Department of Justice, the officers were informed Shannon had a weapon and some marijuana. On Jan. 17, Stillman and Boeck attempted a traffic stop on Shannon, who then got out of the car and fled on foot.

During the chase, according to the DOJ report, Shannon pointed a gun at the officers three separate times and they fired back, hitting Shannon five times.

On Feb. 5, a federal suit was filed on behalf of the Shannon family, against the officers involved in the shooting and the City of Racine. The case alleges Shannon’s civil rights were violated in the encounter that ended in Shannon’s death.

http://journaltimes.com/news/local/racine-officers-involved-in-shooting-case-cleared-for-duty/article_7b689125-c98e-5563-b684-48a500ed7b7c.html


How soon before Officer Boeck kills again?

"10 Cities That Could Be Wiped Out By 2020"

"10 Craziest Cases Of Wrongful Imprisonment"

Open Blog - Thursday


 Or go back to sleep and be conquered.

Open Blog - Thursday


Hey, Betty!

Wednesday, March 21, 2018

"The Useless Rock Worth Dying Over"

Dear Madame Zoltar

Hello, boys and girls, moms and dads!  How are you?  I'm doing OK, I guess.  The doctor saw me recently and pointed out a few problems.  So I pointed out problems of his.  Boy, is he ever touchy.  I'm sorry, but that doesn't exclude you from physical ailments.

I see that the Foxconn enterprise is keeping to its schedule, whatever the hell that is.  Let me say it now and say it loud: I haven't the faintest idea where the development is.  And I don't care that I don't care.  Foxconn coverage is like an addictive drug.  It can swallow up your life.  I choose not to choose.  I want nothing to do with this mess.  I know there's a thousand ways to get rich off of it, but there's another thousand ways to lose your ass.  Too, too many ideas in the air.

I keep getting the feeling that the technology behind Foxconn's expansion will be obsolete before the factory is complete.  As a certified fortune teller,, it pays to pay attention to my "feelings." I would get involved in the hunt for terrorists in the USA, but the feelings are so strong that they obliterate sense.  As for Foxconn, only time will tell.

The headline blares, "Racine police chief given contract extension."  Hip-hip-hooray.  Thank you, Chief Art Howell, for your service to the community.  We love you.

The same paper carried this headline:District attorney not filing charges in Shannon shooting.
Will this mean protests and other civil disobedience?  Again, only time will tell. Raising hell has always been easier than raising your children.

My favorite post for this week is "Vaping California Reaper," http://www.jtirregulars.com/2018/03/sorry-i-couldnt-find-original-video-here.html  Have a look and you'll se what I mean.  I can't believe the amount of smoke that gets away.  If he would hold his hits, he would need a lot less material to burn. So, is this man brave or foolish?  I think he's just a burnout who no longer cares what he subjects himself to.

Spring is here!  It was a mild winter.  Junior says the pickings were mighty slim at local toboggan slides.  And with only one, small ice rink downtown, where's a guy supposed to meet the girls?  I keep telling him that things will work out, but that's little solace right now.  Someday Junior wil have the power of a god.  God save us all.

Señor Zanza is busy with his seedlings for the season to come.  He starts them out at home to give them a head start.  He has grown some beautiful vegetables.  Very tasty, especially compared with "store bought" vegetables.  I always look forward to the big meal he makes when most of his crop is harvested.  He once grew a watermelon the size of a tomato.  He says it was on purpose, but I have my doubts.

Thank you one and all for reading my blog today.  I love my audience and I love you.

 madamezoltar@jtirregulars.com

Get out and enjoy spring.  I'm afraid this is the only decent time we will have.  Summer will be blazing hot and I'll live in the air conditioning.
 __________________________ 
Please donate: paypal.me/jgmazelis 
If you don't like PayPal, send me a note at madamezoltar@jtirregulars.com and I'll send you my street address so you can send a check or money order.  Thank you. 


"District attorney not filing charges in Shannon shooting"

RACINE — Racine County District Attorney Tricia Hanson announced Tuesday that her office will not press charges against two Racine Police Department officers involved in the shooting death of Donte Shannon.
Shannon, 26, of Racine, was killed by police on Jan. 17 after fleeing during a traffic stop and brandishing a gun, according to an investigation by the Wisconsin Department of Justice.
Hanson informed friends and family of Shannon of her decision during a Tuesday night meeting. Afterward, she announced her decision to the public via a news release.
“After an extensive investigation and an exhaustive review of the evidence,” Hanson stated in a press release, “Investigator Chad Stillman and Officer Peter Boeck are immune from criminal liability in this case, as Mr. Shannon’s death was a direct result of his deadly threat to the officers.”

Read more:  http://journaltimes.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/district-attorney-not-filing-charges-in-shannon-shooting/article_4d4e9ef3-3523-55d6-a37f-6ac8bb27218b.html#tracking-source=home-top-story

"Sudan, the Last Male Northern White Rhino, Dies in Kenya"



Ididn't know white rhinos were threatened with extinction.  How many other speies have we wiped out?

Open Blog - Wednesday


The nowhere, nothing day.

Tuesday, March 20, 2018

"News of the Weird: Mar. 22, 2018"

From The Shepherd Express:



March 20, 2018
12:52 PM

Time in a Bottle
Environmentalists decry all the debris washing up on beaches around the world, but a discovery in January near Perth, Australia, has historians thrilled. The Washington Post reported that Tonya Illman and a friend were walking along the beach when she spotted “a lovely old bottle.” Inside was a damp note, tied with string. “We took it home and dried it out; it was a printed form, in German, with very faint German handwriting on it,” she said. Experts at the Western Australia Museum have determined the note was 132 years old—24 years older than the previous record for a message-in-a-bottle discovery. The note was dated June 12, 1886, from a ship named Paula. Further study revealed that a German Naval Observatory program was analyzing global ocean currents in the area between 1864 and 1933, and an entry in the Paula’s captain’s journal made note of this very bottle being tossed overboard. Thousands of other bottles were released into the sea as part of the program, of which only 662 have been found. Prior to Illman’s find, the previous such bottle was found in January 1934.
Otterly Horrific!
Kayaker Sue Spector, 77, was out for a leisurely paddle on the Braden River in Florida with her husband and friends on March 4 when someone remarked, “Oh look, there’s an otter!” No sooner had the words been spoken than the aquatic mammal jumped onto Spector in her kayak and began clawing and scratching her arms, nose and ears. “He wouldn’t let go, and I kept screaming. I kept beating him with a paddle,” Spector told FOX13 News. She later required stitches, antibiotics and rabies treatment. It was the second otter attack in two days, and Florida Fish and Wildlife has now posted signs about an “aggressive otter” near the area.
Aged to Perfection?
The Carelse family of Lakewood, Colo., picked up some groceries at the Walmart in Littleton on March 5, including a box of Quaker 100% Natural Granola with oats, honey and raisins. When they sat down for breakfast the next morning, they told KMGH TV, Anthea Carelse noticed that the “best by” date on the box was Feb. 22…1997—more than 21 years ago. Her husband, Josiah, ate his full bowl and didn’t suffer any unpleasant consequences, but Anthea stopped after two bites. They planned to return the box to Walmart.
One Big, Honking Proposal
Saturday, March 3, was a big day in Key West, Fla., as competitors sounded off in the 56th Annual Conch Shell Blowing Contest. For 70-year-old Mary Lou Smith of Panama City Beach, winning the women’s division was topped only by a marriage proposal (which she accepted with a hearty honk from her shell) from fellow competitor Rick Race, 73, also of Panama City Beach. The Guardian reports that the large shells were used in the 19th century by seafarers as signaling devices, and dozens of entrants show off their skills each year at Key West’s Oldest House Museum.
The Old Squeeze Play
On Monday, March 12, in Northumberland, England, a car thief making a getaway in a Mini Cooper S discovered the small car was not quite small enough to navigate a narrow stone staircase in Carlisle Park. Local police were called to the park around 11:30 p.m. where they found the car and its unnamed 31-year-old driver both wedged tightly between the staircase walls. Area residents speculated in Metro News that the driver might have been trying to re-enact a scene from The Italian Job—a 1969 movie with just such a scene. “I’m sure the older Minis would have got down no problem,” said Chris Stoker.
Wait, What?
An unnamed Russian woman stunned tourists and onlookers on Saturday, March 10, when she walked into the Red Sea and, with the help of a doctor and her partner, gave birth. From the balcony of her uncle’s apartment in Dahab, Egypt, Hadia Hosny El Said photographed the events as the doctor carried the newborn and its father walked alongside with the still-attached placenta in a plastic bowl. After a few minutes, the mother emerged from the sea to join her family, including a toddler, on the beach. El Said told The Daily Mail the doctor is Russian and specializes in water births.
© 2018 ANDREWS MCMEEL SYNDICATION

https://shepherdexpress.com/advice/art-kumbalek/thanks-for-taking-my-call/

"Thanks for Taking My Call"

From The Shepherd Express:


I’m Art Kumbalek and man oh manischewitz what a world, ain’a? So how’s my college tournament basketball bracket doing? Thanks for asking. I’ll tell you’s, I could’ve chosen Trump University to go up against the Electoral College in the national championship game and my goddamn bracket would be none worse for wear than it is right now, what the fock.
Anyways, from where I’m sitting here and now good lord, I’m looking at the first day of spring. Focking swell. All it means to me is one step closer to summer’s hot and humid, sticky suck-ass insected weather that makes me feel like I’m living in some Fourth World sweatshop of a country instead of being an upper-Midwestern American. So spring, thanks for nothing.
Yes sir, March 20, one of only two days in the whole year when lightness and darkness slug it out to a standstill. A tie, a draw—what they call in the sportsworld “kissing your sister.” And in the olden, olden days when there were even more weird-ass religions afoot than there are today, this day was marked as one of a handful of rites those people had during the year where they’d take the day off to celebrate by slaughtering a barnyard animal or three as some kind of nutty sacrificial offering to the deities du jour.
Now, I’m no religious expert but I’m telling you, just imagine if those wacky ancestors were on to something, that maybe they knew something we don’t know or have forgotten—that hacking up a perfectly good goat or cow on the first day of spring actually did buy you a couple extra days of sunshine during the year or relieve your toothache or provide some other kind of beneficial good.
Come to think of it, maybe my NCAA bracket would be more successful, perhaps even perfect, if before filling it out I had first sacrificed a couple, three goats over by Cathedral Square Park. After all, college basketball is like a religion to some, so what the fock. March madness, indeed.
And if you’re still hungover from St. Patty’s Day Week-and-a-focking-Half, here’s a little story that may make you feel better:
Six retired Irish guys were playing poker in O’Leary’s apartment when Paddy Murphy loses $500 on a single hand, clutches his chest and drops dead at the table. Showing respect for their fallen brother, the other five continue playing.
A bit of a while later, Michael O’Connor looks around at the surviving five and asks, “Oh, me boys. I believe we have a bit of a situation here. Paddy is dead and someone surely must tell Paddy’s poor wife. Who will it be then?” They draw straws. Brendan O’Gallagher picks the short one. They tell him to be discreet, be gentle, don’t make a bad situation any worse.
“Discreet? I’m the most discreet Irishman you’ll ever meet. Discretion is me middle name.” So Brendan O’Gallagher goes over to Murphy’s house and knocks on the door. Mrs. Murphy answers and asks what he wants. O’Gallagher declares: “Your husband just lost $500 and is afraid to come home.”
“Tell him to drop dead!” says Mrs. Murphy. And O’Gallagher says, “‘To drop dead.’ I’ll go tell him then, ma’am.” Ba-ding!
Hey, I almost forgot I was going to give up work for Lent, so speaking of Catholics let’s get out of here with this little story:
Imagine the shy young lads surprise when the Pope sat down in the seat next to him for the flight destined for New York City. Shortly after take-off, the Pope began a crossword puzzle. This is really swell, the young man thought. Im really good at crosswords and if the Pope gets stuck, perhaps hell ask me for assistance and Ill get a gold pass to heaven.
Shortly thereafter, the Pope turned to the young man and said, Excuse me my son, but I suddenly seem to be blocked on this crossword puzzle. Do you happen to know a four-letter word that ends in unt and that refers to a woman?” Only one such word leapt to the mind of the young man, a word he felt should not be uttered in the Pope’s presence. He thought a moment and with a bolt from the blue turned to the Pope and said, “I believe your holiness that it is the word aunt you seek—a-u-n-t. And the Pope said, “Oh my. Of course, my son. A-u-n-t. God bless you. I dont suppose you happen to have an eraser?
Ba-ding! ’cause I’m Art Kumbalek and I told you so.

https://shepherdexpress.com/advice/art-kumbalek/thanks-for-taking-my-call/

"Bill could affect Foxconn hiring; local officials opposed"


RACINE COUNTY — Racine County Executive Jonathan Delagrave is trying to put the brakes on a state bill that he believes could hurt local hiring efforts, including on projects related to Foxconn Technology Group.

In an effort to delay a vote on Senate Bill 634, Delagrave sent a memo to the Wisconsin County Executives and Administrators last week urging them to oppose the bill.

The bill states it “pre-empts local governments from enacting or enforcing ordinances related to various employment matters.”

The Assembly passed the bill in February, 58-32, with no Democratic votes. The bill has been placed on the Senate calendar for a vote on Tuesday, March 20.

Local municipalities, under the proposed legislation, could not enact ordinances related to wages; employee hours and overtime, including scheduling of employee hours or shifts; employment benefits; or “an employer’s right to solicit information regarding the salary history of prospective employees.”

"Suspicious death reported at Riverside Inn"


From The Journal Times.com:

"RACINE — The Racine Police Department is investigating a suspicious death that reportedly occurred at a local hotel on Friday.

"Police responded to the Riverside Inn, 3700 Northwestern Ave., for a report of an unresponsive male, according to Racine Police Sgt. Adam Malacara. Someone reportedly called 911, but then left the scene. The male victim was reportedly unable to be revived. 

"Due to the circumstances, the death was determined to be suspicious. As of Monday afternoon, police had no updates, Malacara said."


Maybe we could turn the Riverside Inn into a reality show.  Give a guy a camera and a sound man and follow around employees and guests.  I bet you it would be a hit, at least in the Racine market.

Open Blog - Wednesday


Halfway there, wherever "there" is.

Open Blog - Tuesday


Hooray!

Monday, March 19, 2018

"Self-driving Uber vehicle strikes and kills pedestrian"



Uber abruptly halted testing of its autonomous vehicles across North America on Monday, the company announced, after a woman was struck and killed by one of its self-driving cars in Tempe, Ariz., Sunday night.

The moratorium on testing includes San Francisco, Phoenix, Pittsburgh and Toronto, Uber said.

Vaping California Reaper





I "vaped" twice in my life and I think it took effect only the second time.  I vaped marijuana and didn't like the high.

Anyway, from my understanding, these guys aren't "vaporizing."  Vaporizing is taking the marijuana to the point that it's just about to burn, and then inhaling those fumes.  Smoking and snorting pepper is completely new to me.

In the firsst video, Hawkins takes his fingers and rubs them across his lips, and then RUBS HIS EYE!  He's fucking nuts.  Soon he was complaining about the burn on his lips and in his eye.

I suspect there are few drugs this man hasn't tried.

"3-month-old boy found dead at a home on far northwest side of Milwaukee"

From JSOnline:

A 3-month-old child was found dead Saturday at a home in the 10300 block of W. Daphne St., according to a news release from the Milwaukee Police Department. 

The release said officers responded to the residence for a sudden death around 8:30 a.m. Saturday. 
 The 3-month-old boy was found dead. 

The cause of death will be determined by an autopsy, according to the release. 

The investigation is ongoing.



Just another mouth to feed.  Better off dead.  The baby will soon be replaced with another.  Very calloused remarks - but this has gone on too long; like a century too long.

"Maple syrup time"

CALEDONIA — It was perfect weather Sunday for the spring time tradition of the Sugarin’ Off pancake breakfast at the River Bend Nature Center, celebrating the maple sugar harvest.

Since the beginning of the month, volunteers have been tapping 70 maple trees on the nature center grounds to collect sap to make the syrup.

Read more:  http://journaltimes.com/news/local/maple-syrup-time/article_bc8bd8fa-8f21-58c7-87a9-bbf79e85c6a5.html


Remember when Huck Finn would write about collecting maple syrup?  Those were the days . . .

"Officials investigating why 126,000 voters were purged from NY rolls"



Open Blog - Monday


When, then?

Sunday, March 18, 2018

"Detroit pub refused to serve Irish people at St. Patrick's Day Parade — to make a point"

From JSOnline:


DETROIT — The bouncer who called Irish people "lazy" and "lower-class citizens" last weekend at the door of a pub on the bustling parade route of Detroit's St. Patrick's Day Parade ignited more than a few tempers.

But he wasn't trying to spark a fight — just make people think.

It was all part of an experiment to raise awareness about how poorly Irish immigrants were once treated in the U.S. against the backdrop of prominent modern-day conversations about race and immigration.

Creator Dan Margulis had a production company record the scene at the fake, temporary pub and produce a polished video of people's stunned reactions. The video is posted on his website, NoIrishPub.com.

"On a day when everyone is proclaiming solidarity with an immigrant group ... we wanted them to feel what it was like to be treated like an Irish immigrant ... years ago in this country, and, hopefully, that would get them to think about the way we treat current immigrant groups," Margulis said.

Margulis, who works in advertising and lives in Bloomfield Hills, rented an empty space on Michigan Avenue on a strip between popular bars Nemo's and McShane's for the St. Patrick's Day Parade on Sunday. He hung a sign that said "No Irish Pub."