Saturday, August 4, 2018

Kansas City’s Harley-Davidson plant begins shutdown process

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- The end is near for the Harley Davidson motorcycle 
plant in Kansas City north. 
 
Many workers there will be working their final shifts Thursday and Friday. 
 
Two of three shifts at the plant along Congress just south of I-435 
will clock out for the final time. Around 180 workers total will say 
goodbye to a factory that has operated the past twenty years. 
 
The actual plant is not expected to completely close until next year. 
One shift will continue to make motorcycles, but they will begin the 
process of moving operations from Kansas City to York, Pennsylvania. 
 
Harley has a state-of-the art factory in Pennsylvania, and that is 
where they will soon make the three models of motorcycle they 
currently make in Kansas City. 
 
All 800 Kansas City employees are expected to lose their jobs while 
York will gain 450 new jobs at their factory. 
 
Workers have known this day was coming – Harley announced it planned 
to shut down the plant back in January. 
 
Harley said they are not selling as many bikes and they once did. 
Because of this, Harley is building a plant in Thailand to sell more 
bikes in Asia - especially India, where there is a strong love for 
motorcycles. 
 
https://fox4kc.com/2018/08/02/kansas-citys-harley-davidson-plant-begins-shutdown-process/ 

Lawsuits seek reversal of smog break for Wisconsin Foxconn plant, Indiana steel mills

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-met-madigan-emanuel-smog-lawsuit-foxconn-20180802-story.html# 
 
Two lawsuits filed Thursday urge a federal appeals court to force 
southeast Wisconsin and northwest Indiana to comply with the latest 
limits on lung-damaging smog, targeting a Trump administration 
rollback intended to benefit Foxconn Technology Group and a handful of 
other big industrial companies. 
 
The legal challenges — one filed by Illinois Attorney General Lisa 
Madigan and Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel and another by two 
Chicago-based environmental groups — cite the U.S. Environmental 
Protection Agency’s own records and data in seeking to overturn the 
exemptions. 
 
Among other things, last-minute changes by Trump political appointees 
saved Taiwan-based Foxconn from having to make expensive improvements 
as it builds a massive electronics plant in Racine County, just north 
of the Illinois border in an area with some of the region’s dirtiest 
air. 
 
The lawsuits also highlight the Trump EPA’s last-minute decision to 
remove all of McHenry County, Ill., and Porter County, Ind., and part 
of Lake County, Ind., from a list of areas that contribute to chronic 
smog problems in the Chicago area. 
 
“The U.S. EPA is ignoring its own scientific data in order to put 
industry profits ahead of the public’s health,” Madigan said in a 

Spectrum Has Doubled My Internet Speed

 I received a letter from Spectrum today that states that since they're such a great company and I'm such a great customer that they've doubled my internet speed at no charge.  I'm sorry to be such a cynic, but I think this might have something to do with the fact that I live in a building wired for ATT's fiber optic internet connection.  I got a letter from them a couple of weeks ago offering their new light speed connection: 1000 Mbps.  Spectrum must be scared if they're doubling speeds for nothing.  They doubled mine to 200 Mbps.  Thing is, I don't need lightning speed anymore.  I download zero stuff.  As long as the videos play, I'm happy.  But thanks, Spectrum, for your wonderful action.  How about you return my speed to what it was and cut my bill in half?

Mugshots


The Journal Times and Racine County Eye both publish mugshots of the accused.  Check out the guy above.  Arrogant much?  Sometimes you can infer an entire story just from a mugshot.  It's a "dirty" addiction.  I would never admit it, but I'm hooked on the mugshots.

When Grandkids went home!

I have a few pictures from the gas station by the EAA Air Show last Sunday when we met my son to pick up the Grandkids in Oshkosh. Our Grandson told Grandpa to take some pictures of the airplanes and the helicopter for him. So of course Grandpa did it for him and I thought I would share them with you.







A mountain of evidence points in one direction: Russia sought to sway the 2016 US election

Presidents Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin in Helsinki on July 16, 2018.(Photo: Pablo Martinez Monsivais/AP)

WASHINGTON – For two years, cybersecurity researchers, spies and federal prosecutors have laid out a stunningly thorough chain of evidence to support one simple conclusion: The Russian government sought to sway the 2016 presidential election.

Federal agents have traced data and currency trails across continents, revealed inside knowledge of Russian spies’ computer network, and quoted the private emails of employees at a Russian internet firm working to influence voters. Cybersecurity researchers analyzed malware and followed clues buried in the details of stolen emails.

Those disclosures have left an unusually detailed public view of Russians' wide-ranging campaign to persuade and divide voters in the months before the presidential election. While the government sometimes shares its conclusions about national security threats, rarely does it take the risk of revealing so much of its evidence to the world.

 “It’s unprecedented, both the activity that’s outlined and the fact that we’re privy to so much information,” said John Carlin, a former chief of the Justice Department’s National Security Division.

And it remains widely disbelieved.

Wisconsin Democrat governor hopefuls criticize Foxconn deal

By IVAN MORENO Associated Press Aug 3, 2018 Updated 14 hrs ago

MILWAUKEE (AP) — The eight Democrats running for governor of Wisconsin expressed support for giving more control to local governments and criticized the deal struck by the state to bring a huge Foxconn Technology Group plant to Wisconsin.

At a forum on issues impacting Milwaukee county, the candidates took chances to criticize Republican Gov. Scott Walker. One candidate also used the forum to repeat his desire to legalize marijuana for adults 21 and older.

The forum moderated by Milwaukee County Executive Chris Abele centered on the issue that local governments receive less state aid than the tax receipts they provide to Wisconsin under a shared revenue system. When candidates were asked whether they supported giving municipalities the power to raise taxes to improve transportation infrastructure, all said they favored giving local governments that power — whether through increasing gas taxes or vehicle registration fees or other means.

The Democrat gubernatorial candidates are: Tony Evers, who is state schools superintendent; Mahlon Mitchell, a firefighter and president of the state firefighter union; Matt Flynn, an attorney and U.S. Navy veteran; Josh Pade, an attorney making his first run for office; former state Rep. Kelda Roys; Mike McCabe, a political activist; Paul Soglin, Madison's mayor; and state Sen. Kathleen Vinehout. They will face off Aug. 14 in a primary to decide who will challenge Republican Gov. Scott Walker in November.

Read more: https://journaltimes.com/news/state-and-regional/wisconsin-democrat-governor-hopefuls-criticize-foxconn-deal/article_d7d8bfc6-f158-558a-8b78-8b962ed875cb.html

Entire Police Force Quits In This Massachusetts Town

The citizens of Blandford, Massachusetts, a small town in Hampden County, are in complete disarray after the entire police department resigned Monday night, citing faulty equipment and hazardous working conditions.

Interim Police Chief Roberta Sarnacki and three officers submitted resignations in a letter to Blandford officials on Monday, effective immediately.
“We refuse to put our lives on the line anymore for a town that seemingly cares so little about us,” read a statement signed by Sarnacki, the interim police chief, and the three officers. Immediately after resigning, the officers shut down the police station and said they were never coming back.
Around 8:53 pm on Sunday, the Blandford Police Department’ s Facebook page announced: “Attention Blandford residents: If you have a police, fire or medical emergency, please continue to call 911 as you normally would. Until further notice, please call the Russell State Police Barracks at 413-862-3312 if you need any other police services. The entire Blandford Police Department resigned this evening, effective immediately.”
According to The New York Times, Sarnacki alerted local officials on Sunday about how the job has become too dangerous for her and the town’s three part-time officers. The email cited failing brakes and inadequate air conditioning in the police cruisers, ill-fitting and expired bulletproof vests, and, of course, low wages that barely paid a living wage.

As many media outlets descended on the police station Tuesday, Ciara Speller, a morning reporter for WWLP-22 News, was one of those journalists who documented how the town of Blanford is now without a police department.
Speller captures a photo of the closed police station with one cruiser parked in front.
However, as news of the resignations disseminated through town, officials like Mr. Levakis told the NYT other forces had played a significant part. For example, town officials had been examining a possible merger of law enforcement services in Blandford with the neighboring town of Chester as a way to streamline costs.
The merger, Mr. Levakis said, had frightened and angered Blandford’s officers, who, he said, never before complained about their safety and or the police equipment.
“You’ve got to move with the future,” Mr. Levakis said. “We’re just trying to find better ways to use our money.”
Glancing at Blandford’s crime statistics for 2012, well, not much has happened in the town of 1,233 (at the 2010 census).

“Around the country, towns with shrinking tax bases and rising costs have been forced to make hard choices. In some cases, that has meant merging local police departments or cutting them altogether. Earlier this year, Brooksville, Fla., shuttered its 30-person police department and handed law enforcement duties over to the local sheriff. Other departments have disbanded after problems; Galesburg, Mich., for instance, closed its police department in January after firing the chief,” said the NYT.
“Small towns are having this discussion around maintaining the most basic functions of local government, police services being one of them,” said Josh Garcia, the acting town administrator for Blandford.
It seems as the NYT has discovered the next emerging trend: The Collapse of police departments in rural America.

From: https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2018-08-01/entire-police-force-quits-massachusetts-town

Four for Fridays!

Good morning everyone I hope everyone had a good week. I know that I am recuperating from having our Grandkids here and getting the house back in order. We enjoyed the week with the Grandkids and I will keep having them here with us. Here are your questions.

1) Do you have any kind of bird feeders?

2) If you have bird feeders what kind do you have?

3) Do you have a flower or vegetable garden?

4) If you do have a garden what kind do you have?

Have a great weekend everyone and please stay some place that is nice and cool we are going to have a very warm weekend!

Open Blog - Friday


Make sure that beer comes at the end of the day.

Atomic Powered Underwear

Why you need Atomic Powered Underwear:

It's the latest thing.

Where can you get Atomic Powered Underwear?

I'm a licensed dealer.  $50 a pair.  No questions asked. .

The care and handling of Atomic Powered Underwear:

Put Atomic Powered Underwear in nuclear regenerator.  Set atomic click.  Press the "detonate" button and get behind your lead shield.   That's all there is to it.

Is there any kind of warranty for Atomic Powered Underwear?

Sure.  Your Atomic Powered Underwear are guaranteed for one half-life.

"Privacy Policy for Blogger (BlogSpot)"

"Blogger (BlogSpot) doesn’t specifically require bloggers to have a Privacy Policy"

Read more:  https://termsfeed.com/blog/privacy-policy-blogger-blogspot/

Race to the Bottom

Dear Village Board, 
 
Racine County Executive Jonathan Delagrave continues to lead Racine 
County in the race to the bottom -to no surprise. 
 
There is going to be a KA-BOOM alright in Racine County – but it will 
lead to a devastated tax-base, with a fleeing educated population who 
insist on The Rule of Law (which has been abandoned in Racine County) 
, while an uneducated horde invades to grab their “piece of the pie”, 
resulting in an abnormally high (and costly) incarceration rates 
(fortunately, Racine has a lot of open prison space) ,  deviant 
behavior,  stealing of people’s private property (by government decree 
& common criminals), destroying multi-generational Farms alongside an 
entire long established Community, loosening environmental protections 
(future costs to be determined) , permitting heavy metals water 
pollution (Future supplies of clean water will come from? TBD.) , 
instituting slave labor wages, providing taxpayer subsidies to 
multi-billionaire Corporations, and politician overreach. 
 
But the above just describes the current situation…. while the Tax- 
Farming Politicians claim that  Foxconn and more Industrial 
Civilization  is the Band-Aid to fix all those problems – so Racine 
County residents simply need to be re-assured by lying Racine County 
Executive Jonathan Delagrave that it is so. 
 
And in the aftermath…. 
 
Foxconn will provide very few jobs with (mostly) low wages (and temps) 
dependent upon government subsidizes,  and the “investment” will be 
financed by taxpaying  Residents – all on borrowed money from lenders 
which will have a first claim on taxpayers and require long term 
principle and interest payments. Foxconn will also be given “limited 
liability” for all the environmental damage they will create – and the 
locals will be stuck with all the long term bills and the 
environmental damage  after Foxconn has told SE WI  “SEE YA” , is 
gone, leaving the water supply of SE Wisconsin  heavily contaminated! 
What then? Import your drinking water from polluted and contaminated 
Michigan? 
 
See the post: 
 
https://arrestrecordsofracinewipublicofficials.wordpress.com/2018/08/02/racine-county-executive-jonathan-delagrave-predicts-an-earth-shattering-ka-boom/ 
 
Don’t worry Racine County – Racine County Jonathan Delagrave wouldn’t 
lie to you when he said Racine County would go ‘BOOM” – he just failed 
to affirm that the “Boom” would lead to utter collapse and 
destruction. 
 
Sincerely, 
 
Tim & Cindy 

Manhattan DA Will No Longer Prosecute Smoking Or Posession Of Marijuana


The policy is expected to reduce Manhattan marijuana prosecutions from around 5,000 per year to less than 200 - a reduction of 96%.
"Tomorrow, our Office will exit a system wherein smoking a joint can ruin your job, your college application, or your immigration status, but our advocacy will continue. I urge New York lawmakers to legalize and regulate marijuana once and for all,” reads the statement.
The needless criminalization of pot smoking frustrates this core mission, so we are removing ourselves from the equation," Vance said in a Tuesday statement. "Our research has found virtually no public safety rationale for the ongoing arrest and prosecution of marijuana smoking, and no moral justification for the intolerable racial disparities that underlie enforcement."

The D.A. will also "proactively" work to seal past marijuana convictions "en masse" this Fall.
Vance has based his policy in part on a public safety report which notes that "black and Hispanic individuals in neighborhoods of color continue to be arrested for marijuana offenses at much higher rates than their similarly situated counterparts in predominantly white communities." 

"Such arrests can significantly impact job searches, schooling, family members, immigration status, and community involvement. Yet, sanctions imposed after arrest, fingerprinting, and court appearances are almost always minimal or non-existent. “As a result,” the Report concludes, “large numbers of New Yorkers become further alienated from law enforcement and removed from community participation at an enormous cost to the criminal justice system, for virtually no punitive, rehabilitative or deterrent purpose.”

Full text of the policy:
Beginning on August, 1, 2018, the Office will no longer prosecute marijuana possession and smoking cases (PL § 221.10(1) and PL § 221.05). Assistant District Attorneys should use the new “DP-Marijuana” template in ACT6 to decline to prosecute an arrest. There are two limited exceptions to this policy. A prosecution may be appropriate in either of the following circumstances:
— Cases against sellers: Examples include observation sales where PL § 221.40 cannot be charged, or possession of large quantities of marijuana individually packaged for sale (10 bags or more).
— Demonstrated public safety threat: A case where there is additional information from the NYPD or from our Office which demonstrates that the individual otherwise poses a significant threat to public safety, and an Office supervisor agrees with that assessment. Examples include a defendant currently under active investigation for a violent offense or other serious crime.
Assistant District Attorneys must state on the record at arraignment that ‘the case falls within one of the limited exceptions to our marijuana policy.
Sealing Past Marijuana Convictions
In light of the D.A.’s new policy and the decriminalization of marijuana offenses in other states, the D.A.’s Office has been working with public defense organizations and criminal justice stakeholders to proactively seal past marijuana convictions en masse in Fall 2018.
Ending the Prosecution of Low-Level Offenses
Since 2010, D.A. Vance has markedly reduced unnecessary incarceration and collateral consequences in the justice system by ending the prosecution of tens of thousands of low-level offenses annually.
On February 1, 2018, D.A. Vance ended the criminal prosecution of subway fare evasion (known as “turnstile-jumping”), except in limited cases where there is a demonstrated public safety reason to prosecute the offense. In 2017, the D.A.’s Office prosecuted more than 8,000 fare evasion cases. In 2018, following the first six months of the D.A.’s “decline-to-prosecute” policy, Manhattan fare evasion prosecutions are down -96.4%. The D.A.’s policy also contributed to a 90% reduction in arrests for fare evasion in Manhattan. According to the NYPD, transit crime is down -4.51% citywide in 2018.
Marijuana, Fairness and Public Safety: A Report on the Legalization of Recreational Marijuana in the United States
As described in the Report’s Executive Summary, “our office has, over the past several months, gathered data and conducted interviews with dozens of prosecutors, regulators, and law enforcement representatives from states that have legalized the use of recreational marijuana. Our purpose was to understand the challenges that will need to be anticipated by lawmakers in our state. This work has yielded valuable insights into how responsibly to frame any future laws and regulations to avoid negative impacts on public safety.” The D.A.’s Office “stand[s] ready to advise and assist any participant in the important ongoing discussions about legislative reform of our state’s marijuana laws.”
The Report further notes that black and Hispanic individuals in neighborhoods of color continue to be arrested for marijuana offenses at much higher rates than their similarly situated counterparts in predominantly white communities. Such arrests can significantly impact job searches, schooling, family members, immigration status, and community involvement. Yet, sanctions imposed after arrest, fingerprinting, and court appearances are almost always minimal or non-existent. “As a result,” the Report concludes, “large numbers of New Yorkers become further alienated from law enforcement and removed from community participation at an enormous cost to the criminal justice system, for virtually no punitive, rehabilitative or deterrent purpose.”
Preexisting Marijuana Policy
Recognizing the racial disparities inherent in enforcement and negative collateral consequences for those charged, District Attorney Vance has vocally advocated for the statutory decriminalization of marijuana possession since 2012. In 2017, D.A. Vance issued one of the most lenient marijuana policies in New York State, under which individuals accused for the first time of smoking in public received a 90-day Adjournment in Contemplation of Dismissal (“ACD”), and those accused for the second time received a 180-day ACD. If these individuals remained arrest-free for the duration of these periods, their cases were dismissed and records were sealed.

From: https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2018-07-31/manhattan-da-will-no-longer-prosecute-smoking-or-posession-marijuana

Michigan Declares Emergency Over City’s Water Contamination

Dear City of Racine Alderpersons, 
 
That didn't take long as.... 
 
Michigan officials have declared a state of emergency after a city’s 
drinking water supply was found to be tainted with a harmful nonstick 
chemical. Michigan officials have declared a state of emergency after 
a city’s drinking water supply was found to be tainted with a harmful 
nonstick chemical. 
 
Lt. Gov. Brian Calley (R) made the declaration Sunday, days after the 
discovery of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in the water 
supply for Parchment and Cooper Township, near Kalamazoo. (just a 
stone's hop and skip away from Racine) 
 
http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/399511-michigan-declares-emergency-over-citys-water-contamination 
 
But hey - it's just BAU - right? That's BUSINESS AS USUAL. and here in 
MTP BAU is set to happen! 
 
Well, well, who woulda thunk it might happen….. especially in the 
Great Lakes Basin – where fresh water is plentiful, cheap, and used to 
remove Industrial and Human Waste from sight and smell. This waste, 
formerly fresh clean water supplied from a tap, is channeled to the 
sewer system which leads to  a temporary holding facility where it 
receives “treatment” with chemicals prior to being expelled back into 
large bodies of surface and underground water supplies in an effort to 
dilute the extreme contamination and pollutants! 
 
THE PROCESS WORKS! 
 
At least until the concentration of chemicals and contamination 
becomes too great to be fit for safe human consumption. Meanwhile, 
lying Politicians like Walker, Vos, Dickert, Mason, DeGroot and 
Delagrave  proclaim that the supply of  fresh water in the Great Lakes 
Basin is almost too cheap to meter! What happens when the process 
fails and the water becomes unsafe? 
 
I'll tell ya what happens next... 
 
Scott Walker, Robin Vos, Cory Mason, Jonathan Delagrave and Dave (the 
Village Idiot) DeGroot are just part of yet ANOTHER Gang of lying 
Politicians, seeking to expand their power, control and wealth 
transfer schemes. To them,  Lake Michigan is just another asset to be 
given away  to a Foreign Corporation for their use, abuse, and 
abandonment! After all the wealth has been extracted, for their 
personal benefit, the taint and costs will remain for the surviving 
inhabitants ! May you get a large screen TV as compensation! 
 
See the post: https://concernedracinecountyresidentsjustsaynotofoxconn.wordpress.com/2018/07/31/michigan-first-wisconsin-next-as-michigan-declares-emergency-over-citys-water-contamination/ 
 
Foxconn will provide very few jobs with (mostly) low wages (and temps) 
dependent upon government subsidizes,  and the “investment” will be 
financed by taxpaying  Residents – all on borrowed money from lenders 
which will have a first claim on taxpayers and require long term 
principle and interest payments. Foxconn will also be given “limited 
liability” for all the environmental damage they will create – and the 
locals will be stuck with all the long term bills and the 
environmental damage  after Foxconn has told SE WI  “SEE YA” , is 
gone, leaving the water supply of SE Wisconsin  heavily contaminated! 
What then? Import your drinking water from polluted and contaminated 
Michigan? 
 
Please join Cindy and I is JUST SAYING NO to allowing Governor Scott 
Walker, Representatives Robin Vos,  Cory Mason & MTP President David 
DeGroot to violate the Wisconsin Constitution (and their Oath of 
Office) by granting special rights to Corporate interests, stealing 
people’s property, destroying multi-generational Farms alongside an 
entire long established Community, loosening environmental 
protections, permitting heavy metals water pollution, instituting 
slave labor wages, providing taxpayer subsidies to multi-billionaire 
Corporations, and politician overreach. 
 
Sincerely, 
 
Tim & Cindy 

Dear Madame Zoltar

Hello, my children!  How are you? We've been having absolutely gorgeous weather.  However, we do need rain.  The best way to start August is with a semi-drought.  The month is known for it.  Pretty soon our grass goes dormant, then it rebounds in September.  August is a hot, dry month.  Back home, I picked Roma tomatoes for export during August.  It was hot, so hot that the sweat just poured out of me.  Every now and agin I would eat a tomato to stay hydrated.  They were delicious.  Those were the "good old days."

I read where ICE detained Ricardo Fierro, a Racinian.  Something set them off.  Does Ricardo have any enemies?  When they swoop in for just one guy, they have a good reason.  Did someone snitch on Ricardo?  Evem so, as settled and rooted as Ricardo is in the community, it's hard to conceive of why they grabbed him up.

My "boys" surprised me by washing and waxing my car.  They're so good to me.  Señor Zanza does it out of love.  Junior usually wants something.  I said "no" to his plan to spend the night at some girls' house because her parents are out of town.  I have to warch Junior every minute, or Señor Zanza does.  How come that boy has no moral sense?

Electric cars!  The people who live next door to me have pirchased an electric or hybrid car. I was crossing the stret and near;y got run over by the silent little thing.  You can't hear them coming (or going) and that makes them dangerous.  I can't imaginge what it will be like when the vast majority of cars are electric.  A noiseless mob.

Driverless cars!  Wtf?  Really? Take away what fun there is with cars.  At what point will these be unleashed upon the public?  And will insurance cover them? I see driverless cars good for coming home from a party or the bar, and not much else.  So, if you're a practicing alcoholic, go out and get a driverless car.

How many times have I answered when someone was speaking on an ear phone?  "There's no Sam here," L said/  Then I saw the gizmo in his ear.  Darn!  I hate being humiliated. 
 
We went to the county fair.  Señor Zanza had never seen ine.  I think the amounyof animals surpised him.  Junior, of course, just wanted to chase girls.  I just wanted to soak in the sights, sounds, snd smellls of the okace.  A slow walk would be fine with me, but Junior keeps pulling us ahead, into the future.

That;s it folks.  I love every one of you.  Here's my email address: madamezoltar@jtirregulars.com

Emjoy the weather.  Doctors and scientists say it's good for you..  Then they talk about sunblock.
 __________________________ 
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.

Tuesday, July 31, 2018

Michigan FIRST! Wisconsin NEXT! as Michigan Declares Emergency Over City’s Water Contamination

3/5 of a Mile in 10 Seconds

From The Shepherd Express:


Jul. 31, 2018
5:09 p.m.


I’m Art Kumbalek and man oh man manischewitz what a world, ain’a? So listen, as a sports fan paying attention to all the blather about the Milwaukee Brewers facing baseball’s trade deadline, Our Town gets constantly hammered with the label “small market,” and gosh darn if I, your personal essayist, haven’t come down with a case of small market-itis, what the fock.
My doctors say small market-itis is a condition a guy gets susceptible to when he’s exposed to an infected agent like a small-market city in a small-market state in a small-market area of the US-focking-A. Swell. So how the heck can I possibly even commence to hope to compete for the really major-league ideas I can write about when I’m stuck in from-what-I-hear is a cheap-ass dink market like this one? Hey, you tell me.
And then I’ll tell you that I may as well just give the fock up right now. All the hotshot ideas end up in the heads of large-market guys and the smart get smarter. As American philosopher Daffy Duck once said: “It is to laugh.”
Cripes, I’m into my 32nd year with this newspaper, and I have yet to hear from any of our Beer Town officials about the declaration of an Art Kumbalek Day. Yeah, “Art Kumbalek Day,” and it doesn’t necessarily have to be anything majestic. How ’bout maybe a few banners up and around; a one-day ban on any and all restrictions that limit tavern hours; a couple, three grand parades down the avenue (can the clowns and marching bands, I’ll just need a bevy of gals in those baton-twirl outfits); 24-hour TV coverage of all simpatico events and a key to the city that’ll actually focking open something, like a bank vault maybe.
But I will insist that the whole metroplex kit-and-caboodle plus business industry plus every man, woman and child not only provide a little lip service to the big day, but also pony up some big-time gifts for christ sakes—gifts at least on the scale they hand out to our revered athlete jocks every goddamn time one decides to hang up the strap and pop into town for a brief appearance at the booty ceremony.
Gift items should include (but not be limited to) a focking four-door Cadillac, a nice portable bar, helicopter, furniture, tricked-out golf cart, new shoes, personal ambulance, boat and motor, 25,000 square-foot condo with house maid, and a radio station.
And let me add that if Art Kumbalek Day doesn’t come together and the town can’t come up with the goods, I’m as good as out of here, vaya con focking dios. And that’s ’cause I only see red when I project my “revenues” I’m expecting for the year ahead. I take that as a kick to my dupa meant to tell me that no longer can I get by in a small-market tin can. Either our town gets more people into the population so that it becomes big-market, or I will be forced to drive a stake through my Milwaukee County picture I.D. and go strolling a bigger green road, I kid you not.
Where? You tell me—Berlin, Bangkok, Rio, Hong focking Kong, fock if I know, but anywheres they got people with deeper pockets and more of them. Yes, ’tis a pity that putting palaver to paper is all about “the business” nowadays. It’s not like years ago when every kid in the whole damn country dreamed of one day becoming the kind of newspaper guy who’d write down the first focking thing from off the top of his head just for the sheer love of getting finished writing as fast as possible so there’d be more time for tossin’ ’em back at the nearest tavern. But today is a colder, crueler world. Those cocktails cost more than they used to.
And what am I to do about the fine line of Art Kumbalek merchandise I’d like to market but can’t ’cause of the pissant profile of area consumer numbers—stuff like the Art Kumbalek Safety Drinking Helmet, Art’s holiday mistletoe belt buckle, the Art Kumbalek action figure for kids, the line of AK apparel and accoutrements (I’m especially excited to get into ladies undergarments one day) BUT I CAN’T FIND THE FINANCING. There’s simply just not enough cowboy, maverick yahoo knucklehead high rollers around our part of the Upper Midwest ready to toss big dough my way for the sheer hell of it. And is that supposed to be my focking fault?
Hey, you tell me ’cause I’m Art Kumbalek and I told you so.

From: https://shepherdexpress.com/advice/art-kumbalek/35-of-a-mile-in-10-seconds/

Broken

Dear City of Racine Alderpersons, 
 
It seems that everything in the City Of Racine is broken. 
 
And now the Mayor - Cory Mason endorses a deadbeat Dad - 
 
Well, then again,  The MOB - aka those dependent upon wealth transfer - do vote. 
 
And, quite simply - 
 
NOTHING HAS  CHANGED BECAUSE NOTHING HAS CHANGED! 
 
There is Not a lick-spittle of difference between R’s and D’s and an 
endorsement of Randy Bryce by City of Racine Mayor Cory Mason which 
could only be approved by his Handlers at the State and National level 
– to include WI Governor Scott Walker, Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, and 
US President Donald Trump. It is just a show for the long suffering 
Resident’s of Racine entertainment – 
 
“It is No Measure of Health to Be Well Adjusted to a Profoundly Sick 
Society” – Jiddu Krishnamurti 
 
It is long past time to eliminate the false dichotomy of the long 
entrenched FAILED “Two Party System”. 
 
Everything is BROKEN! Enjoy! 
 
https://arrestrecordsofracinewipublicofficials.wordpress.com/2018/07/31/wi-guv-scott-walker-and-assembly-leader-robin-vos-endorse-randy-bryce-d-for-congress/ 
 
Sincerely, 
 
Tim & Cindy 

WI Guv Scott Walker(R) and Assembly Leader Robin Vos (R) Endorse Randy Bryce (D) For Congress!

Monday, July 30, 2018

Usual Style

I usually wear it in a Pony Tail. 

"Marijuana advisory referendum proposed for City of Racine"

From The Journal Times.com:

AP Photo

RACINE — John Tate II, the alderman for Racine’s 3rd District, wants to find out what Racinians think about marijuana legalization.

On Tuesday, he plans to request the City of Racine Public Works and Services Committee to allow a nonbinding advisory referendum on the Nov. 6 general election ballot that will ask voters the following: “Do you support cannabis being legalized for adult and medicinal use, taxed and regulated like alcohol, with the proceeds from the taxes used to fund public education, health care and infrastructure in Wisconsin?”

Since this would be an advisory referendum, no changes would be made to Racine’s laws based on the result of the vote. It would be purely informational.

“This referendum … is an important step towards ending the crisis levels of incarceration seen in our state and across the country for nonviolent drug offenses,” Tate said in a news release Sunday. “My hope, too, is to move towards breaking the pharmaceutical industries’ stranglehold on pain relief and open a new door for members of our community to manage pain and ailments.”

Read more:  https://journaltimes.com/news/local/marijuana-advisory-referendum-proposed-for-city-of-racine/article_0961455a-58e3-54de-844d-59317f4f01f0.html#tracking-source=home-top-story


Wow, 25 comments and counting.  I'm not even going to wade into that.  I think it's more importamt to outlaw alcohol than it is to legalize reefer.  That would put everyone on eqqual footing.  If you're going to point to Prohibition, I'm going to popint to all the uses of marijuana before Harry Anslinger demonized it.  He could've used some.  Chill him out. 

Sunday, July 29, 2018

Shipping and Handling

As anyone who shops online knows, one of the biggest tdrawbacks are shipping and handling charges.  I've bought items where the shipping and handling were more than what I bought.  Shipping charges are pretty straightforward.  I can understand those.  But handling charges gall me.  Don't you pay your employees?  Isn't it their job to fill internet orders?  So why the surcharge?  Does the "handling" money go directly to them?

As anyone who shops online at eBay knows, sometimes the s&h charges are excessive.  I hate pricks who charge $5 s&h while only spending $1.50 to mail something.  The other $3.50 is just more profit.  Why?  I don't know.  Handling charges are the biggest rip off online.  Even the large companies do it.  Again, don't you pay your employees to do this job?  Or are they dependent upon handling charges for their pay?

I don't expect that my little rant will change anything.  But I feel better geting it off my chest.  And I won't buy from people who charge excessive s&h.

JPMorgan: QE Might Have Devastating Consequences After All

When historians look back and see the cavalier balance sheets of the 
central banks they would rightly assume there was a world war going on 
as every central bank balance sheet is now approaching or exceeding 
levels not seen since 1945. However, the worrying truth is that there 
are no external enemies to overcome; the central bankers are only 
maintaining the growth trajectory that we demand. 
 
The age of sloganeers 
 
The current social contract is mired in the quicksand of global 
finance. It is being kept alive by the corpulent balance sheets of 
central banks, who do their government’s bidding so that the 
politicians do not have to put unpleasant choices in front of their 
electorates. This cowardly behaviour gives rise to slogans and 
sloganeers, who provide familiar but false checklists of remedies. 
“Take bank control”…”America First”…”One Belt, One Road”…”Ein Volk, 
ein Reich, ein Fuhrer”…”One Man - One Kill”. Central banks are 
currently furnishing the excess credit that, in the past, has been 
followed by an orgy of blood. 
 
https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2018-07-28/jpmorgan-qe-might-have-devastating-consequences-after-all

"Mapping The US States Where It's Legal To Smoke Marijuana"

At the beginning of July, Vermont became the ninth U.S. state to legalize recreational marijuana and adults are permitted to possess up to 1 ounce of the drug as well as two mature and four immature plants.

As Statista's Niall McCarthy notes,  Vermont joins other states including California, Massachusetts, Maine, and Nevada where votes were passed to green light recreational marijuana in late 2016.
 Infographic: The States Where It's Legal To Smoke Marijuana | Statista

You will find more infographics at Statista

That doubled the number of states where lighting up was permitted with Colorado, Alaska, Washington and Oregon all previously legalizing the green stuff.

In terms of consumption, California has a massive market for recreational marijuana, larger than Colorado, Washington, Oregon and Alaska combined.

From:  https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2018-07-28/mapping-us-states-where-its-legal-smoke-marijuana