A QUOTE

QUOTE FROM Harold Schlumberg

I've often been asked, 'What do you old folks do now that you're retired?'

Well...I'm fortunate to have a chemical engineering background and one of the things I enjoy most is converting beer, wine and vodka into urine. I do it every day and I really enjoy it

How Can I Get John Dickert To Sue Me?

I want him to sue me for slander or libel or something.  I'm broke, so he wouldn't get anything, but I would love the opportunity to perform in open court against him.  The press would have to cover it.

Any suggestions?

"I Miss My Dear Cats"

My water-colored hands are catless now
seated here alone in the dark
my window-shaped head is bowed with sad draperies
I am catless near death almost
behind me my last cat hanging on the wall
dead of my hand drink bloated
And on all my other walls from attic to cellar
my sad life of cats hangs

--Gregory Corso

"Gregory Nunzio Corso (March 26, 1930 – January 17, 2001) was an American poet, youngest of the inner circle of Beat Generation writers (with Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg, and William Burroughs)"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gregory_Corso

For a friend who just lost a very dear friend.

Talking to a lawyer about All Saints

I just got a Collection Agency bill for over $10,000 on an original $1,000 All Saints bill I never got. If this is a bill from when they did the shit job of a double bypass and weren't capable of transferring a Paraplegic without putting me in harms way. This is the bypass over four years ago that had me near a lawsuit then. I kept the notebooks they wrote in to me. Anyone got a favorite lawyer they can recommend?

Dear Madame Zoltar

Hello, my precious preciouses! How are you?

I have a very important announcement to make. It fills me with great joy and great sadness at the same time. I have won the Romanian Psychic Lottery! 90 million Romanian lei. That is “only” about 30 million US dollars. I am rich, I am rich! Huzzah, huzzah!

That was the good news. Now for the bad news: I have to commit to living in Romania for at least the next five years if I want to claim the prize. Oh my! I have been anguishing and anguishing over this for days, ever since I learned that I’d won. I’ve talked it over with Junior and he is all for moving to Romania. He says the girls are “easy” over there. (Oh dear, I suspect that they will be even easier for a multimillionaire’s son.) After much careful thought and deliberation, I have decided that I cannot pass up this opportunity. What this means for Junior’s future is what is most important to me. Now I will be able to send him to the finest college and his finest future.

What this means for me and Racine is: boo-hoo-hoo! I love my dear, dear Racine and I love my dear, dear Irregulars. The thought of leaving here tears at my heart. Yet, it is what I must do. I am quite sure that I will be very busy for the next few weeks and unable to blog. Once settled in the old country, we shall see what happens. I realize that I could probably blog from Romania, if they have the internet, which Junior assures me that they do. I don’t know that I will have the time to do so, however. There are many more psychics in Romania than here and recently they have become politically active because of a new tax imposed upon them. My family’s roots and history may compel me to join in the fight.

So, I can promise you nothing, my wonderful Irregulars, other than that I love you. Maybe I’ll just post an occasional comment. No matter what, I can still astral project to JTI gatherings, so we won’t lose touch entirely. In an emergency, you can still contact me at madamezoltar@jtirregulars.com.

Thank you so much for reading my blogs over the years. You don’t know what it has meant to me. Please continue to love and respect each other. Remember, I will always be watching over you. Peace, my dear, dear friends. I bid you adieu.

Open Blog - Wednesday

 

Those are the strangest looking humps I have ever seen.

 

Stu, This Could Really Test Your Marriage...

I know you and your wife are really tight, but some things can test the best marriages. It turns out that Florida is considering a bill that would allow construction of a columbarium at Daytona International Speedway to house urns containing the ashes of race fans. You could spend eternity live tweeting (theological question: Do they have twitter in heaven?) NASCAR races.

Or are you holding out for Talladega or Michigan International? Is the Florida legislature really that anti-family that it would risk tearing families apart of burial disputes? Will people who are interned here literally be continually spinning in their graves?

Or would your wife say, "Cool!"

Your Daily Dose of Cute

Busch Gardens in Tampa is adding a new roller coaster called Cheetah Hunt this spring. They are also adding cheetahs to their collection of animals.

One of them is a kitten which has gotten a lot of internet play. Here is a video of their new cheetah kitten.

Lutheran Airlines

I'm posting this for Lizardmom, who sent an audio file and wanted to post it on a blog here. She wrote: Is there a way to post this on our blog? if so, I have no clue but it's too funny not to share, could you post if you agree? :)

I don't think there is a way to directly upload a sound file here. In fact, we used to be able to upload our own videos, but if you are using the new composing editor, now you can upload only YouTube videos. Luckily, someone already has posted Lizardmom's sound file on YouTube:

Which is the Guilty Dog?

I thought this one is pretty cute......


Guilty Dog

"Sympathy for the Devil"

Local blogger Heather Rayne, also know as "Cheers," has posted an article on her blog concerning the sympathy expressed for Curtis Johnson by Racine's business "leaders" while they ignore the victim of his alleged crimes.

Heather's blog is here: http://heatherrayne.wordpress.com/2011/03/28/sympathy-for-the-devil/

The Journal Times story expressing sympathies for the alleged pedophile is here: http://www.journaltimes.com/news/local/article_558b8392-5829-11e0-8022-001cc4c03286.html

My comments on the issue are here: http://news.racinepost.com/2011/03/billionaire-curt-johnson-charged-with.html

The vomit and explosive diarrhea which I expelled in reaction to the Journal Times story (I have IBS-D, often triggered by emotion or stress) were flushed away Saturday. If only we could also flush away these expressions of solidarity with an accused child molester.  How can these people shed so many tears for an accused pedo, but not one for the victim?

This filth has brought back memories of a pedophile juvenile judge in the City of Racine who attempted to molest me as a child. Too bad for him, but a family friend had already initiated me into the "wonders" of child molestation, so I didn't let the judge get very far. But I cried and cried that night thinking about all of the other young boys he had put his greasy hands on. A few years later, a Catholic priest would attempt the same shit with me.

This sickness has permeated Racine for decades. You don't think a pedophile mayor molests children while on the job without aid and assistance from others do you? How did a pedo become a juvenile judge, a sick pervert with a line on all the at-rick children in the city, all the young boys from broken homes that he could molest at will? Obviously, there are enablers throughout our community, like the business "leaders" who express so much sympathy for a billionaire who had every option in life available to him but apparently chose to molest a child, over and over and over again. And then you swine say how bad you feel for HIM?
.
Excuse me, I had to go puke again. Literally. I cannot take this. You fucking pigs support people who rape and molest CHILDREN! I can't finish this blog. Fuck you pig swine pieces of shit that support pedos! May you rot in hell forever. May someone have the decency to blow your fucking brains out of your sick, raping bodies, you bloody pieces of excrement.

Angry Birds: The Movie

Directed by Michael Bay



Sad thing is that I am feeling the need for a new cell phone since Angry Birds is painfully slow n mine (okay, that's not the ONLY reason!)

Open Blog - Monday

It seems to happen every week at about this time.

Computer Generated Preview of 6th Street Roundabout

"Where's the exit for City Hall?"

A Boy Singing to his little sister.....

You are My Sunshine, My only Sunshine'
(Be prepared to get watery eyes! Have a box of tissues handy!

Like any good mother, when Karen found out that another baby was on the way, she did what she could to help her 3-year-old son, Michael, prepare for a new sibling.

They found out that the new baby was going be a girl, and day after day, night after night, Michael sang to his sister in mommy's tummy.

He was building a bond of love with his little sister before he even met her.

The pregnancy progressed normally for Karen, an active member of the Panther Creek United Methodist Church in Morristown, Tennessee

In time, the labor pains came. Soon it was every five minutes, every three, every minute. But serious complications arose during delivery and Karen found herself in hours of labor.

Would a C-section be required? Finally, after a long struggle, Michael's little sister was born. But she was in very serious condition. With a siren howling in the night, the ambulance rushed the infant to the neonatal intensive care unit at St. Mary's Hospital, Knoxville , Tennessee

The days inched by. The little girl got worse. The pediatrician had to tell the parents there is very little hope. Be prepared for the worst.

Karen and her husband contacted a local cemetery about a burial plot. They had fixed up a special room in their house for their new baby but now they found themselves having to plan for a funeral.

Michael however, kept begging his parents to let him see his sister. I want to sing to her, he kept saying.

Week two in intensive care looked as if a funeral would come before the week was over.

Michael kept nagging about singing to his sister, but kids are never allowed in Intensive Care. Karen decided to take Michael whether they liked it or not.

If he didn't see his sister right then, he may never see her alive. She dressed him in an oversized scrub suit and marched him into ICU. He looked like a walking laundry basket.

The head nurse recognized him as a child and bellowed, 'Get that kid out of here now. No children are allowed!'

The mother rose up strong in Karen, and the usually mild-mannered lady glared steel-eyed right into the head nurse's face, her lips a firm line.

'He is not leaving until he sings to his sister' she stated. Then Karen towed Michael to his sister's bedside.

He gazed at the tiny infant losing the battle to live.

After a moment, he began to sing.

In the pure-hearted voice of a 3-year-old, Michael sang:

'You are my sunshine, my only sunshine, You make me happy when skies are gray.'

Instantly the baby girl seemed to respond. The pulse rate began to calm down and become steady.

'Keep on singing, Michael,' encouraged Karen with tears in her eyes.

'You never know, dear, how much I love you, please don't take my sunshine away.'

As Michael sang to his sister, the baby's ragged, strained breathing became as smooth as a kitten's purr

Keep on singing, sweetheart.' 'The other night, dear, as I lay sleeping, I dreamed I held you in my arms'

Michael's little sister began to relax as rest,
Healing rest, seemed to sweep over her.

'Keep on singing, Michael.' Tears had now conquered the face of the bossy head nurse. Karen glowed.

'You are my sunshine, my only sunshine. Please don't take my sunshine away.'

The next day...the very next day. The little girl was well enough to get out of ICU..... She went home two weeks later.

Woman's Day Magazine called it The Miracle of a Brother's Song.

The medical staff just called it a miracle.

Karen called it a miracle of God's love.

Lincoln Day Dinner Protest

These pnotos where taken yesterday at the Lincoln Day Dinner Protest on Hy20 by the Marriott hotel from around 4:30 until 6pm. Lots and lots of people, great turnout!!!

"Dream Deferred"

What happens to a dream deferred?
Does it dry up
Like a raisin in the sun?
Or fester like a sore--
And then run?
Does it stink like rotten meat?
Or crust and sugar over--
like a syrupy sweet?
Maybe it just sags
like a heavy load.
Or does it explode?

--Langston Hughes

"James Mercer Langston Hughes (February 1, 1902 – May 22, 1967) was an American poet, novelist, playwright, and columnist. He was one of the earliest innovators of the new literary art form jazz poetry. Hughes is best-known for his work during the Harlem Renaissance."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Langston_Hughes

Green Flash Through a Tree

I was out at a star party last night in Sells, Arizona. The western horizon behind some trees so I didn't really expect any great photographic opportunities. I stepped outside a couple of minutes before sunset and based on experience, thought the Sun looked like it might produce a green flash. I didn't even have my tripod with me so I had to hold the camera by hand (forutnately, using very short exposures you can get away with that!) I had very little time to adjust the settings and think these would have been even better with just a touch longer exposure. Still, I was quite happy to get a unique shot through the tree branches. Here are the pics.

Visibly, these were bright and distinctive green flashes. I saw one on the left and one on the right as the Sun was bisected by tree branches. I showed photos to people at the star party and lots of them didn't even know you could see a green flash from Arizona, subscribing to the mistaken notion that you had to watch sunset over the ocean.

This makes the third night in a row I have seen and photographed green flashes (the one from Wednesday wasn't as impressive as the other two).

Reprinted with permission from the Half-Astrophysicist Blog.

Old Teachers Who Made a Difference

No, this is not a political blog, but a remembrance of an old teacher of mine, Mr. Nelson (henceforth Mr N.) who I found out passed away after a long battle with cancer Wednesday night. I knew he had cancer for a long time, maybe ten years or so.

Now I had a lot of good teachers I remember for different reasons. Mr N. was was my sixth grade teacher. I think I was one of the first classes had had after joining the school. I was in his homeroom and he taught math and science primarily (we rotated to other teachers for different subjects at that age). He was the first teacher I had that wasn't visibly scared of me and my science knowledge. There was a good reason for it...he actually knew more science that I did (at least when I was in sixth grade!) In grade school, most teachers have minimal science background and it shows. Mr. N. knew his stuff and we finally got to do some cool experiments. I remember when he did the electrolysis of water. He said one test tube contained hydrogen and to expect a "pop" when he held the match beneath it and nothing happened. He looked puzzled and said the other tube contained oxygen so the match would burn furiously when exposed to the oxygen. He put the match under that test tube and there was a "pop". He had a goofy grin on his face...to this day I still suspect he did that intentionally! Oh, he had an offbeat sense of humor as well.

There was no science fair in grade school when I went through. Mr N. changed that after I was there. My brother had him three years later and had to do a science fair project. Mr N. let him do a science fair project on home brewed beer. Try getting away with that one today!

The last time I saw him was in 2006 when I visited that small town in Iowa and saw him briefly. Mr N. you are remembered fondly by myself and I am sure many other students. Thanks for all you did.

Four for Fridays

Hello everyone! Welcome back to For for Fridays after another irregular week...I'll leave you with some questions to ponder...

1) When was the last time you've gotten a compliment?

2) Do you like to watch thunderstorms?

3) Have you ever gone to the movies alone?

4) Do you think the world has gotten more commercialized?

Enjoy your weekend!

Well, what are your thoughts?

"Curtis Johnson, former Diversey chairman, charged with sexual assault": http://www.journaltimes.com/news/local/article_3f104f50-5647-11e0-a75a-001cc4c03286.html

At first, the Journal Times allowed comments on their online story above. They even posted a separate story asking for people's one word response to the news of Johnson being charged. That is gone and the comments on the original story have disappeared. New comments are not allowed. Some people felt that was unjust and said so in the Journal Times' OPEN FORUM: http://www.journaltimes.com/news/article_d0d709ac-53b7-11e0-ac65-001cc4c002e0.html?mode=comments

Some commenters in that forum say that the comments on the Johnson story were turned off to protect the victim. Then why hasn't the Journal Times turned off comments when other notable pedos have been arrested, charged, and/or sentenced? Check out the comments on this story, and the comments on the related stories linked to it in the article: http://www.journaltimes.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/article_fa2a6452-547a-11e0-bd6c-001cc4c002e0.html Where was the supposed concern for the victim then? And for the victims of all the other pedo stories that they've posted?  Remeber the cop and the high school girl last year?  You could say anything you wanted to about that on The Journal Times.com.  Commenters crucified Gary Becker there.  I know; I helped pound in some nails.

C'mon, we all know what is going on here.  It brings to mind one of my favorite quotes, from George Orwell's Animal Farm: "All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others."

Open Blog - Friday

Oh yeah!

Muddy Waters of Root River

The water is going over the dam at a pretty good clip but it is not at a dangerous level. I looked at Island Park and Liconlon Feild and it would have to raise another 3 feet to become a problem.







CAUTION THIS VIDEO IS VERY LOUD!

I took a short video of the water to show how noisy it is down there.

Notice To Those With JT Irregulars Gmail Accounts

Hello Google Apps user,
Important changes are coming to your @jtirregulars.com Google Apps account. Your account will soon be converted and start working more like a full Google Account.
What this change will mean for you:

• Access to many more Google products. You'll soon be able to use all the Google services that your administrator allows you to access with your jtirregulars.com account.
• New sign in option. You will be able to sign in to Google services from the regular sign-in pages (like http://mail.google.com). Your username is your full jtirregulars.com email address.
• Data ownership. All data contained in jtirregulars.com Google Apps accounts continues to be owned by your organization, and is subject to jtirregulars.com's terms and conditions. Learn more

Prepare yourself:

• For more information, we encourage you to review the Transition Checklist. The Help Center also has answers to many common questions (note that you won't be able to view the full Help Center until you've been transitioned).
• If you have other questions, please contact your administrator.

We hope you enjoy your new improved Google Apps account!
Sincerely,
Your Google Apps administrator

Google said that we had to upgrade or it would be done for us. I sent the above message in an email to the jtirregulars.com accounts, but the upgrade took place before you could read it. I enabled all of the features that they offered.

When you go to access your account for the first time, Google will ask you to accept the upgrade and their terms of service. Please do. It may then ask you to switch accounts. Again, please do.

Report NSP Violations to the EPA Online

http://www.epa.gov/tips/

It's very easy to fill out and submit. I just said that we have a federally funded Neighborhood Stabilization Program that has already been caught violating lead abatement laws and is doing it again. It's been reported to the state, but they don't seem interested in doing much about it. And I posted links to news articles about the NSP lead violations and lack of follow-up, such as http://racineuncovered.org/?p=31558 and http://racineuncovered.org/?p=32433 You can submit a complaint anonymously.

One or two of those complaints will probably mean nothing. A few dozen might get them to start thinking about what's going on in Racine.

Party on, lying John!

"Firecracker Wake Up Call Prank"

I suspect that the guys will like this video more than the gals. Personally, I realize that it is adolescent. Nevertheless, I find it hilarious.

"Dots on the Dam Wall”!!

My First Robin of Spring

 

I hurriedly shot that through a window at a distance, that's why it's fuzzy. I didn't downsize the photo, just cropped it.  The little bugger had his back to me for the pic and then flew away.  I know drew said he saw a robin during our blizzard, but I figure that guy just got blown off course.

-----

Edit: I drove down Pershing Drive today so I snapped some pictures of the snow piles SER referred to in his recent blog:  http://www.jtirregulars.com/2011/03/snow-mountains-on-pershing-drive.html Their melting is also an indication of spring.  As you can see by the pics, we ain't quite there yet: