Kindergarten Class From China

Tap on the Shoulder....

A true story from the pages of the Manchester Evening Times . . .

Last Wednesday a passenger in a taxi heading for Salford station leaned over to ask the driver a question and gently tapped him on the shoulder to get his attention.

The driver screamed, lost control of the cab, nearly hit a bus, drove up over the curb and stopped just inches from a large plate window.

For a few moments everything was silent in the cab. Then, the shaking driver said "are you OK? I'm so sorry, but you scared the daylights out of me."

The badly shaken passenger apologized to the driver and said, "I didn'trealize that a mere tap on the shoulder would startle someone so badly."

The driver replied, "No, no, I'm the one who is sorry, it's entirely my fault.. Today is my very first day driving a cab. I've been driving a hearse for 25 years."

Have you gotten bit yet?

(picture thanks to National Geographic)

Have you gotten bit by the spring cleaning bug yet?

Common symptoms of such bites include but are not limited to -

- Unnatural urges to clean things that you'd rather not
- Strange compulsions to go thru things that aren't bothering you
- Need to evict of dust bunnies
-Abnormal inclination to go into great detail
while cleaning/organizing/sorting, etc
- Friends ask if you're feeling ok
- Kids and/or significant others look scared
- Friends are afraid to come over in fear they may catch it

No rashes are expected, but strange behavior is,
be careful out there, if you haven't been infected yet,
it could happen anytime!

If you have been bitten, hop to it, it's the only way to
flush it out of your system.

Morning Planets and the Crescent Moon

Last fall we had a nice gathering of four planets in the early evening sky. Now we have four planets gathering in the morning sky (but not the same four). The crescent Moon joined them this morning. I am on vacation in Florida and went out to the south side of the Sunshine Skyway to snap a some pictures. Here is the best of the bunch. It's a big file...I uploaded it at full res (you will see why).

Venus is the brightest one beneath the moon. Jupiter is just above the horizon and fairly bright. To find Mercury, you will probably need to click the photo and view it full size. You can find Mercury between Venus and Jupiter. It's not hard to find with the full size photo. Mars is really tricky. Use the full size photo and look just above Jupiter for a little smudge. That is Mars just barely poking through the morning twilight (I did not see it naked eye, just with the camera).

These planets will be hanging out together for most of May. Mercury and Jupiter will get a little farther away from the Sun each morning until May 7th when Mercury will turn around and start heading back toward the Sun while Jupiter continues to get higher in the sky each morning. Mars will also continue its slow climb away from the Sun. Venus is moving toward the Sun. With these movements, its clear that there will be several close encounters between planets in our morning sky in the coming weeks.

Uranus is to the upper right of Venus technically making this a five planet gathering, but that would take at least a good pair of binoculars to tease out.

Part of the problem is that the ecliptic (the plane along which the planets lie) makes a very shallow angle with the horizon this time of year in the morning sky. Therefore the planets are low in the sky even when they are relatively far away from the Sun. This low elevation makes them more difficult to observe. If you travel down to the southern hemisphere, the ecliptic makes a much steeper angle with respect to the horizon so all the planets appear higher in the sky and are easier to see. Steven Graham of Christchurch, New Zealand, took a pic of the four planets yesterday morning and posted it in the Spaceweather.com gallery. Trace a line connecting the planets and notice the difference in angles between Florida and New Zealand, the obvious result of living on a (roughly) spherical planet.

As Leondard Nimoy famous said in the Simpsons, "Ah, the cosmic ballet continues".

Reprinted with permission from the Half-Astrophysicist Blog.

Prince William and Kate Middleton married

Prince William and Kate Middleton married in Westminster Abbey on Friday as 1 million people packed the streets and an estimated 2 billion more tuned in around the world to witness an event expected to revitalize the British monarchy.

Four for Fridays

Hello everyone! Welcome back to Four for Fridays. I want to thank Orbs for filling in for me last week. I think he did great! Now that I'm back, here are some questions for you...

1) When was the last time you saw a play?

2) What is your favorite flower?

3) What is the snack of your choice?

4) Do you dream in color or in black and white?

Enjoy your weekend!

"Existential Star Wars (In French)"

I am laughing my ass off, except that I don't have an ass. Therefore, my laughter does not exist.
 

Open Blog - Friday

Oh yeah!

The Mighty Root is Full

I did get a couple pictures of a Blue Heron feeding along the river edge and a couple geese.

Water level is next to flood level, I would say it has a couple more feet to go to become a problem, but it is moving right along!

Assisted suicide

In the news is a Gal that has been selling suicide kits for $60. Cheap! Included in her kit is the book, "The Final Exit." Great book. Back in 1994 I was given a year to live due to a terrible cancer. Someone gave me that book. I'm a fighter and fought hard. I had two thoracic surgeries, chemo and rad, and when all seemed at the end, I told my Docs I was going on vacation, and went. The plan was to do my last vacation and finish my exit when I got home. I'm glad I went on vacation instead of pulling my plug too early as I went into remission. The Docs now say I can use the word "Cured." Before all the Thumpers start praising their gods, let it be known I'm an Atheist and have been one for fifty years.

The secondary problems caused by the intensive cancer remedies are causing their own problems and someday I will use the Final Exit. I live life on my terms though and would NEVER bow out due to depression. Life is always full of surprises and we never know what tomorrow might bring. That's why I'm still around. Through the pain, discomfort, heart attacks and other problems, my curiosity always has wondered, "What will happen tomorrow?"

A few weeks ago I was informed a good skydiving buddy, JJ, had pulled his plug. I asked what the med prob had been and was told no med prob, it had been depression. Mary was shocked at my vehemence over JJ's exit. I'm sorry Orbs, but I do NOT forgive the use of suicide to relieve depression. I too fight depression, but realize that tomorrow might be so interesting that today's depression is forgotten. I'm not saying I won't ever go the route of letting myself out the door, in fact my close friends know that if I have a stroke caused by the blood clot I'm currently fighting, I'm gone. I just can't see sitting warehoused in a nursing home as a stroked paraplegic. At that point there aren't anymore tomorrows that would interest me. Until then the book is on the shelf and the ice cream in my freezer.

Shampoo Warning:

I figured out why I have been gaining weight.

The shampoo I use in the shower that runs down my body says......"for more volume & extra body".

So now, I am going to switch to Dawn dishwashing liquid. It says....."dissolves fat that is otherwise difficult to remove".

So glad I figured this all out.

INCREDIBLE. Man struck by lightning 2x and walks away

This has to be a fake, but it's a good one.
 

Arvo Pärt - "Cantus in Memory of Benjamin Britten"

Sorry for the depressing video, but I think the music is beautiful and haunting. I just "discovered" Arvo Pärt thanks to Colorado Public Radio: http://www.cpr.org/
 

Lend a hand??

Hey there

I am wondering if you could help me out. I know you all have a wealth of knowledge and many connections  I write a column for Mount Pleasant/Sturtevant Patch called Knowsy Neighbor. It is a character piece really...human interest...short bio thingy. The subject simply has to work, live or volunteer in Mount Pleasant or Sturtevant. They don’t need to be a well known – or known at all. They don’t need to own a business or hold a community office. Just regular people. Our neighbors. Everyone has a story or something to share – that’s my belief anyway. Sooo...I am searching for people to interview.

It is super easy. All by email if possible, but I can also meet with them or do it over the phone. I ask a few questions and then start writing. If I need follow-up info I simply email them. The story will then run on a Tuesday and I will email them the link. I will also need a picture to go with the piece. That’s it!!

If you could get the message out and/or let me know of some people who you think may fit the bill – I would be forever grateful!!

Please let me know and have a great day!!

Heather Rayne Geyer

http://mountpleasant.patch.com/

cheers44@hotmail.com
 

Dear Madame Zoltar

Hello, my sonorous songbirds! How are you? Have you been watching the crocus and daffodils and early tulips pop out of the ground? Trees and shrubs are budding. The grass is greening and the weeds are making their annual appearances, too. What a glorious relief from the wicked ways of winter. Spring forth, noble plants!

Here is an AP headline from a few days ago: “Gypsies take refuge in ancient Rome church.”
Here is the article: http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gUFV_ERE2nmxUfHYTpjvd-oESGag?docId=f3fe33f7bdef4ae19107dbe3d28099d7
Here are my thoughts: Roma. Rome. Always to roam. When will my people be free?

For those of you with inquiring minds, yes, I did meet with Senor Zanza. Out of respect for him, I have decided not to publicly discuss our “affairs” at this point in time. (But I must let my dear Irregulars know: oh my!)

On our city’s home front, I want to make note of the controversy surrounding Great Lakes Brew Fest, the Kilties, VenuWorks, and the City of Racine: http://www.journaltimes.com/news/local/article_fc8663ea-6f96-11e0-8db1-001cc4c002e0.html Oh my, indeed. A blog or two ago, I said I was sure that some sort of amicable agreement would be worked out in this situation, but I am no longer convinced. The vibes have changed. It is not yet clear what exactly is going on, but, again, some bad mojo seems to be at work. Deal with the devil and you will get burned. I can’t imagine Racine without the Kilties. At what point do we say to our politicians, enough is enough? I will try to decipher more on what is happening here and keep the Irregulars posted.

Also on the local beat, Racine’s Police Chief Kurt Wahlen announced his retirement: http://www.journaltimes.com/news/local/article_f1a68f2e-6f8a-11e0-b2b0-001cc4c002e0.html Thank you, Chief Wahlen, for your many, many years of service to our city. I predict a long and happy retirement for you.

Well, I’m quite the reporter today, aren’t I, hopping from news story to news story. Here’s a final one I have to comment on. From Reuters: “Members of Kyrgyzstan's divided parliament slaughtered seven rams before their morning session on Thursday, in a sacrifice they hope will banish ‘evil spirits’ disrupting their work.” http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/04/21/us-kyrgyzstan-sacrifice-idUSTRE73K57H20110421 Ha ha, good luck, you fools. I see you took Esmerelda’s advice instead of mine. Of course, hers was cheaper, as your results will be. When you want me to straighten out the mess, let me know.

Thank you one and all for reading my blog today. I had a wonderful time writing it and I hope that you enjoyed reading it. Blogging for the JT Irregulars is the highlight of my week. I so look forward to spending time with you.

Psst, Kyrgyzstan: madamezoltar@jtirregulars.com.

Enjoy the spring my dears. I love you all. Remember, “April showers bring May flowers.” And the Mayflower brought the pilgrims. Oh my. Pelmatogram!

Open Blog - Wednesday

Ladies and gentlemen, the King of Rock 'n' Roll!

Gas and Spending

I Owe My Mother So Much

1. My mother taught me TO APPRECIATE A JOB WELL DONE .
"If you're going to kill each other, do it outside. I just finished cleaning."

2. My mother taught me RELIGION.
"You better pray that will come out of the carpet."

3. My mother taught me about TIME TRAVEL.
"If you don't straighten up, I'm going to knock you into the middle of next week!"

4. My mother taught me LOGIC.
" Because I said so, that's why."

5. My mother taught me MORE LOGIC .
"If you fall out of that swing and break your neck, you're not going to the store with me."

6. My mother taught me FORESIGHT.
"Make sure you wear clean underwear, in case you're in an accident."

7. My mother taught me IRONY.
"Keep crying, and I'll give you something to cry about.."

8. My mother taught me about the science of OSMOSIS .
"Shut your mouth and eat your supper."

9. My mother taught me about CONTORTIONIST.
"Will you look at that dirt on the back of your neck!"

10. My mother taught me about STAMINA ...
"You'll sit there until all that spinach is gone."

11. My mother taught me about WEATHER.
"This room of yours looks as if a tornado went through it."

12. My mother taught me about HYPOCRISY.
"If I told you once, I've told you a million times. Don't exaggerate!"

13.. My mother taught me the CIRCLE OF LIFE.
"I brought you into this world, and I can take you out.."

14. My mother taught me about BEHAVIOR MODIFICATION .
"Stop acting like your father!"

15. My mother taught me about ENVY.
"There are millions of less fortunate children in this world who don't have wonderful parents like you do."

16. My mother taught me about ANTICIPATION.
"Just wait until we get home."

17. My mother taught me about RECEIVING .
"You are going to get it when you get home!"

18. My mother taught me MEDICAL SCIENCE.
"If you don't stop crossing your eyes, they are going to get stuck that way."

19. My mother taught me ESP.
"Put your sweater on; don't you think I know when you are cold?"

20. My mother taught me HUMOR.
"When that lawn mower cuts off your toes, don't come running to me."

21. My mother taught me HOW TO BECOME AN ADULT .
"If you don't eat your vegetables, you'll never grow up."

22. My mother taught me GENETICS.
"You're just like your father."

23. My mother taught me about my ROOTS.
"Shut that door behind you. Do you think you were born in a barn?"

24. My mother taught me WISDOM.
"When you get to be my age, you'll understand."

And my favorite:

25. My mother taught me about JUSTICE .
"One day you'll have kids, and I hope they turn out just like you!"

I just learned to Text Message!

"Looney Tunes 3D - 'Coyote Falls'"

A Road Runner cartoon from occasional contributor Cynthia, who wrote, "Always felt sorry for the stupid coyote - always so near and yet so far."



I can't watch those cartoons for too long. They remind me of my life. :-P
 

a girl in the park

REVISED

NO

REMOVED

SORRY IF I OFFENDED ANYONE...

Rio Got the Sunrise Backwards

Those of us who really know the sky notice little things in movies and television shows that might just slide past most people. I saw the movie Rio yesterday and noticed they had a little issue with sunrise.

Sunrise is a little different when you are south of the equator. First, let's take a look a a northern hemisphere sunrise. I am biased, I live in the northern hemisphere. Here is a time lapse of a sunrise in Vancouver.

This is a nice (but random) video I found on Youtube. Notice how the Sun does not rise straight up, but rather up and to your right (south) when looking east. Now let's contrast that to a sunrise taken from Rio (isn't youtube grand?)

Note how the Sun rises in the east and moves to your left (north) when you are in Rio! As you have probably figured out by now, the time lapse sunrise they showed in the movie Rio showed the Sun moving up and to the right (south)as it would north of the equator.

Sometimes movie and television producers get lazy and will film a sunset and run it backwards to illustrate a sunrise. That's not so good either. When the Sun sets in the northern hemisphere, it sets down and to the right (north). If you run this backwards, the Sun will appear to rise up and to the left (again north since the Sun rises in the east) which suddenly transports all the action to the southern hemisphere!

I know some people might think I am nit-picking a movie about talking birds and my expectations for accurate science shouldn't be too high. But would it have killed a major plot point for them to get this one right? For sky watchers, these things jump out at us. So just get it right for crying out loud!

Reprinted with permission from the Half-Astrophysicist Blog.

Jersey Shores Gone Wilde!

Oscar Wilde was known for writing comedies of manners and you could argue that Jersey Shore is a modern comedy of manners (or lack thereof). So it only seemed natural that the cast of the Roundabout Theater's production of the Importance of Being Earnest would dramatize transcripts from Jersey shore. Here is part 1.



You can find part one as well as the rest of the thrilling series here.

Open Blog - Monday

The same to youuuuuuuu!

"Snake Removed From Car's Engine "

Darn. It would hsve been nice to post this before Beejay left on her trip. Were her and Biggie D driving?

Hola, JT Irregulars!

Please allow me to introduce myself. My name is Renifor Zanza. I have studied extensively the science of the mind, the thoughts, the emotion, the seemingly random acts that propel us through the living world and subsequently lead us into the darkest of places that follow.

Some choose the term psychic, instead I choose to refer to my skills as psychikos for my area of expertise, which derives itself more from the ancient terminology. I was born with this gift that has come to me from lives before and deep within my family history.

When I learned of the turmoil surrounding your sublime Madame Zoltar: the potential thievery and scam, and her possible leave of absence from your website, I contacted The JT Irregulars to offer my services. A lovely blogger sent off an invitation to visit (telepathically) and browse through your auras. After scanning the group, I find this cohesive team to be very interesting, indeed!

Of recent, I am receiving a tumult of emotional vibrations from the renowned Madame Zoltar. She appears to have conflicting thoughts and fatigue that may require a brief respite, perhaps a long cruise to the Azure Sea?

Your surrounding environs has recently been under undo extreme of politics, budget restraints, job loss, and sorry to say, future blight. These assaults can alter ones thoughts and dreams and cause constant transmission of negative waves - - of which you may not even be aware. Perhaps, by caring for so many bloggers thoughts, the madame could be suffering some burn-out, which frequently happens to those of us who are constantly on call.

While I never would presume to take over for the splendid, jovial, eloquent (and might I be bold enough to say beautiful?) Madame Z., I humbly offer to assist, on a temporary basis, wherever I can. Of course, my fees would be waived or greatly reduced in the case of extreme or prolonged need.

While I prefer the name Senor Zanza, you can refer to me as Renifor, if you wish. I feel as if I already know you all personally!

Faux Four for Fridays

In today's Open Blog, drewzepmeister said he's having computer problems and is headed up north for Easter weekend, so he didn't post a Four for Fridays blog. I miss it. So, I'm taking it upon myself to post four random questions in a feeble effort to fill in for drew.

1) What city/area has the best climate for living?

2) If you had to choose between being fantastically wealthy, but sickly, or permanently poor, but healthy, which would you choose?

3) How old were you when you first fell in love?

4) How many credit cards do you own?

Have a great weekend, everybody!

"Trick Shot Doc"

Gee, I wish my doc was like Trick Shot Doc.
 

Open Blog - Friday

Some of us will have a Good Friday.

Shut Down Racine Unified for One Year!

Shut down Racine Unified for one year! What would be the pros and cons, would the cons out way the pros?

Unified is looking to cut expenses. They have some crazy ideas so this is my crazy idea; SHUT IT DOWN FOR A YEAR!

Pros:
Save money on wages.
Continues to pay heath insurance.
Building maintenance would be greatly reduced.
Use the wage money to “fix up” the school buildings.
NO loss of seniority!

Cons:
Every teacher in the city would want to kill me!
Loss of income for families, except for unemployment.
Tax base reduced for the city, less money taken in.
Loss of domestic product sales within the city.

This is just a few, I’m sure there are more for both sides.

So how many of you think I'm nuts?

EASTER!

I know I am writing this early. The reason for this is we may be going up north tomorrow to spend the Holiday with my boyfriend's family and my family. I just wanted to make sure that I had this posted for everyone.

Easter is the central feast in the Christian Liturgical year. It is told in the gospel that Jesus rose from the dead on the third day after his crucifixion. His resurrection is celebrated on Easter Sunday.

Easter marks the end of Lent. Lent is a forty day fasting, prayer and penance. The last week of Lent is called Holy Week. This contains Good Friday, Commemorating the Crucifixion and the Death of Jesus. The Lamb is a used for a sign of the Crucifixion.

Easter is a movable feast. This means it is not a fixed date in the relation to the civil calendar. It occurs in the Spring in March or April. The method to determine the date for Easter Sunday is complex, based on the lunisolar calendar. 

Easter customs vary across the christian world. By decorating eggs, egg hunts, the Easter Bunny. Customs like the egg hunt and the Easter Bunny extend from the domain of Church.

Sun rise service is in reflect to the gospel account of the woman coming to the tomb at dawn on the first day of the week. The tradition to sun rise service use to take place in the church cemetery, yard or at a nearby park.

Easter has extended beyond church. Such customs as Easter games, outfits, egg rolling, decorating eggs. Today's date Easter is commercially important with wide sales of greeting cards, chocolate eggs and bunnies, marshmallow eggs and bunnies, jelly beans, filling the Easter baskets and hiding the eggs and baskets. 

I think a lot of people forgot the reason for Easter Sunday lately. That is why I am writing this post. I am not a very big church going person but I do believe in Jesus. I just hope nobody does take any offense in this I am not trying to hurt anyone in anyway. I just thought I would post something about Easter Sunday.

Get the Lead Out

Another City of Racine-NSP home positive for lead-VIDEO

Lead Abatement	Johnson, Fred	608-266-1252	dhsasbestoslead@wisconsin.gov
Lead Certification	Bruce, Shelley	608-267-0928	dhsasbestoslead@wisconsin.gov
Lead Free / Lead Safe Property Registry	Johnson, Fred	608-266-1252	dhsasbestoslead@wisconsin.gov
Lead Hazard Reduction	Schirmer, Joe	608-266-5885	Joseph.Schirmer@dhs.wisconsin.gov
Lead Health Effects	Coons, Margie	608-267-0473	Marjorie.Coons@dhs.wisconsin.gov
Lead Inspection	Schirmer, Joe	608-266-5885	Joseph.Schirmer@dhs.wisconsin.gov
Lead Investigators	Johnson, Fred	608-266-1252	dhsasbestoslead@wisconsin.gov
Lead Poisoning, Adult	Lins, Meredith	608-266-0197	Meredith.Lins@dhs.wisconsin.gov
Lead Poisoning, Children	Coons, Margie	608-267-0473	Marjorie.Coons@dhs.wisconsin.gov
Lead Registry	Johnson, Fred	608-266-1252	dhsasbestoslead@wisconsin.gov
Lead Regulation	Schirmer, Joe	608-266-5885	Joseph.Schirmer@dhs.wisconsin.gov
Lead Risk Assessment	Schirmer, Joe	608-266-5885	Joseph.Schirmer@dhs.wisconsin.gov
Lead Testing, Adults	Lins, Meredith	608-266-0197	Meredith.Lins@dhs.wisconsin.gov
Lead Testing, Children	Coons, Margie	608-267-0473	Marjorie.Coons@dhs.wisconsin.gov
Lead Training Classes	Bruce, Shelley	608-267-0928	dhsasbestoslead@wisconsin.gov
Lead Training Course Accreditation	Bruce, Shelley	608-267-0928	dhsasbestoslead@wisconsin.gov
Lead, Elevated Blood Lead Investigations	Coons, Margie	608-267-0473	Marjorie.Coons@dhs.wisconsin.gov
Lead, Exposure During Pregnancy	Lins, Meredith	608-266-0197	Meredith.Lins@dhs.wisconsin.gov
Lead, General Information	Schirmer, Joe	608-266-5885	Joseph.Schirmer@dhs.wisconsin.gov
Lead, Schools	Schirmer, Joe	608-266-5885	Joseph.Schirmer@dhs.wisconsin.gov
Lead-Safe Work Practices	Johnson, Fred	608-266-1252	dhsasbestoslead@wisconsin.gov
Lead-Safe Work Training Classes	Bruce, Shelley	608-267-0928	dhsasbestoslead@wisconsin.gov

http://www.dhs.wisconsin.gov/lead/

Billy Idol - "Eyes Without A Face"

One of my favorites.
 

מופיע מדהים של איזון וכוח

"Absolute Balance" was the title of the email that contained a link to the above video. I don't know if that's what the title of this blog means - I copied that from the video's YouTube page: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jJrzIdDUfT4&vq In any case, wow!
 

Dear Madame Zoltar

Hello, my frost-bit bunnies! How are you? We’ve been joking about spring’s failure to install or launch or execute or whatever, but it’s not so funny anymore. This continued snow and sleet and hail is obnoxious. People deserve a respite, a reward, after enduring a long, hard winter. So far, we seem to be getting much more punishment than reward. Of course, I am so tempted to intervene in things meteorological, but it’s not nice to fool Mother Nature. The crisis in Japan has shown us what can happen when she gets riled up. I just hope that we warm up a little soon and get out of the 30 degree range for awhile.

For those of you who observe it, I wish you a wonderful Easter Sunday. My parents allowed all sorts of religious, spiritual, and other influences into our lives as we grew up. We observed many different traditions from many different faiths and cultures. One of my favorite Easter activities was the egg hunt. In the Zoltar household, we did not run about looking for the eggs. No, we sat and concentrated until we located them using our psychic powers. It was just as much fun without all that legwork.

We also had Easter parades, where everyone who had a cart, and a mule or horse to pull it, would decorate them in bright colors and ribbons. Fortunetellers’ carts mingled with merchants’ wagons and tradesmen’s trailers, all proudly circling in festive adornment. Those are some beautiful memories. What are your Easter memories? Here’s a video to get you reminiscing:



Oh my, those chocolate bunnies go right to my hips! Don’t forget to share your Easter recollections below. Thank you for taking the time to share. I love spending time with my Irregulars and other readers.

Want to know where that egg you never found last year is? Contact: madamezoltar@jtirregulars.com

[Confidential to JM: Congratulations. 18 years, one day at a time.]

It has to warm up sooner or later, it just has to. Aren’t we supposed to be hurtling towards the sun or something? Maybe if we all lean to the south, we can tilt our planet closer to it. Come on, Sol, kick start your furnace and give us a blast. Stay warm, my dears. Blowsabella!

"Kohler takes the lid off high-end toilet"

"It does everything but wipe you.

"A lid that opens automatically as you approach? Check.

"Pulsating /oscillating bidet with integrated air dryer? Naturally.

"Adjustable-height, heated seat? But of course.

"Charcoal-filter deodorizer? Must you even ask?

"Hailing it as 'a figment of beauty and geometry' that offers 'the ultimate flushing experience,' Kohler Co. is preparing to hit the market with its latest toilet, a piece of minimalist design and high tech it calls the Numi.

"It's been four years in the making and can be yours for just $6,390. Installation is extra, but if you're handy and are watching your budget, you can always tackle that job yourself.

"'It is our most advanced toilet,' product manager Mike Marbach said. 'At Kohler Co., we are always trying to be on the leading edge, and this product is really a blend of leading-edge technology and leading-edge design, and not sacrificing one for the other.'"

Read more: http://www.jsonline.com/business/120252779.html

$6,390? You can buy a used pickup for $6,000, spend $390 on a toilet, and start your own plumbing business. I'd be afraid to use the Numi without first taking an instructional class. Ha, toilet training, all over again.
 

Open Blog - Wednesday

 

  

You have to listen to Tony the Tiger.

 

You May Have Already Seen This Video

This was posted on Break a couple of days ago, as well as YouTube, but it turns out to be a shortened version of a video posted over a year ago on YouTube, about Cookie the Penguin at the Cincinnati Zoo: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3wTWWjYTe1I

In any case, I wanted to post something positive because, as others have also noted, there appears to be a dearth of good news these days. (And the poetry blog that I posted below this is none too uplifting.) At least, I hope those are positive noises coming from Cookie.

"Alone"

From childhood's hour I have not been
As others were; I have not seen
As others saw; I could not bring
My passions from a common spring.
From the same source I have not taken
My sorrow; I could not awaken
My heart to joy at the same tone;
And all I loved, I loved alone.
Then- in my childhood, in the dawn
Of a most stormy life- was drawn
From every depth of good and ill
The mystery which binds me still:
From the torrent, or the fountain,
From the red cliff of the mountain,
From the sun that round me rolled
In its autumn tint of gold,
From the lightning in the sky
As it passed me flying by,
From the thunder and the storm,
And the cloud that took the form
(When the rest of Heaven was blue)
Of a demon in my view.

--Edgar Allan Poe

"Edgar Allan Poe (January 19, 1809 – October 7, 1849) was an American author, poet, editor and literary critic, considered part of the American Romantic Movement. Best known for his tales of mystery and the macabre, Poe was one of the earliest American practitioners of the short story and is considered the inventor of the detective-fiction genre. He is further credited with contributing to the emerging genre of science fiction.^[1] He was the first well-known American writer to try to earn a living through writing alone, resulting in a financially difficult life and career.^{[2] "}

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

An important alert just in from a friend.

Dear friends and family:

As you all know, my undergraduate degree is in Nuclear Physics, and my Masters and Ph. D. degrees are in Particle Physics.

Given the above, I thought I had an obligation to address the issue of radiation from the Japanese disaster spreading around the world.

With all the fear of radiation fallout from Japan I thought it might be useful to tell you about a cheap, effective, homemade radiation tester you can easily assemble and rely upon.

Just follow these simple instructions:

OPEN A BAG OF ORVILLE REDENBACHER MICROWAVE POPCORN.

LEAVE IT ON YOUR KITCHEN COUNTER.

IF IT STARTS POPPING, YOU'RE SCREWED!

Will happen every time:

A blind man was flying in a small plane with his brother, the pilot, when his brother suddenly clutched his chest and died.

After finally finding the radio, the blind man called for help and was answered by an air traffic controller at a nearby airport. "You've got to help me! I'm totally blind, the pilot of this plane is dead, and we are flying upside down!"

The air traffic controller answered "I understand that the pilot is dead and you are blind, but if you are blind how do you know that you are flying upside down?"

"Because I have shit running up my neck!!!"

Symmetry

A video from the fantastic team at Radio Lab.

Macbeth

To-morrow, and to-morrow, and to-morrow,
Creeps in this petty pace from day to day,
To the last syllable of recorded time;
And all our yesterdays have lighted fools
The way to dusty death. Out, out, brief candle!
Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player,
That struts and frets his hour upon the stage,
And then is heard no more. It is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing.

This is one we had to learn while I was in highschool...I still don't know why...

404 error

INSTALLING SPRING...

███████████████░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ 44% DONE. Install delayed....please wait. Installation failed.

Please try again. 404 error: Season not found. Season "Spring" cannot be located. The season you are looking for might have been removed, had its name changed, or is temporarily unavailable. Please try again.

Open Blog - Monday

 

Pee-yew!

  

Body Builing

WHY WHY <

Welcome to JTI Music Video Site

Gezzzzzzzzzzz.

Obscure head music

Some old favorites popped in and i thought I'd share.

A spoof on H&O

if you ask nice, I'll toss up L&M "Angry eyes."

Binge/Comfort Foods

Yeah, it's been Cracker Jacks for me lately. I was going down an aisle at the grocery store a couple of weeks ago when I overheard a woman say to her mother, "I wonder where the Cracker Jacks are?" Right away, I turned around and said, "I'll show you." That started me off on this binge. Now every night I have one, or two, or three boxes of Cracker Jacks. (They come in 3-packs, damn them!) You're lucky if you get one measly peanut at the bottom of a box these days, and the "prizes" have been litigated to irrelevancy

But before Cracker Jacks it was Oreos and before that it was ice cream and before that it was something else. Potato chips, ice cream, and chocolate seem to be the constants that rotate in and out of my comfort food lineup.

What about you? Do you have a favorite snack (or two) that you sinfully indulge, or are you a good American doing his/her part in the war on obesity?

I'm curious

I can't help but wonder what the judge that sentenced this Mother to 10 years for neglectful drowning if he had our Ghoulish baby killer in his court room.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110416/ap_on_re_us/us_toddler_death_facebook

Really???

Wow, is it the fact that we're trying to get into the summer mode,
is it that we desperately want spring to come and STAY,
why are we getting snow?? Really??
Maybe I'm just cranky, and cold.
I just want to get better, this is not fun, I want a do over of a nice, warm,
happy time! I think that's reasonable, don't you??

More summer songs

Summer Ad Nauseum - The Jamies - "Summertime, Summertime"

I took this down, but I'm reposting it because of kk's blog below. And I found a cleaner version.

Summer songs...

Serving Alcohol Drinks to Toddlers!

Last night on the news I heard of two places that served alcohol drinks to toddlers. This really got to me and I just had to write about it. Yes my kids are a lot older but I do have a two year old great niece. This is why it scares me so much.

The first toddler is only fifteen months old lives in Michigan. The family went to Applebee's for dinner and the toddler was given a alcohol drink in a plastic glass. The waiter didn't ask which drink it was and gave the cup to the child.

The second toddler is two years old and lives in Lakeland, Florida. This family went to Olive Garden for dinner. They ordered a orange juice for the boy and got a tropical sangria instead. The boy drank most of the drink and the waiter came and said that was the wrong drink and left the table very fast. When he came back with the orange juice the mom asked what was in the glass and the waiter told her. The mom was very upset and the manager came to the table to apologize. The drink had orange juice, pineapple juice and wine in it. By the end of dinner the boy was very loud, misbehaving and his eyes were dilated and red.

Then his mom took him to the emergency room. The doctor had to give the boy an IV and checked him out. But at that time with test really couldn't tell how much alcohol was in his system. The boy went home two hours later.

The boy is doing real good and nothing seems to be wrong with him. The mom did contact an attorney about this. I don't blame her for that.

This really got to me when I seen it on the news. How can people do this to a toddler and the manager not do something about this. If this was a stronger drink they could have killed the boy. I worry about this because of my little great niece and my boyfriends granddaughter. I don't want to see this happen to any child that young out there. This is really wrong and I hope something happens with this.

Four for Fridays

Hello everyone! Welcome back to Four for Fridays after a week that dragged on and on...This week's questions are random..

1) Do you find the excessive cussing in today's music/media offensive?

2) Were you the oldest, middle or the youngest child?

3) What's your favorite kind of fruit?

4) Do you think you can handle living in the frontier times (late 1800's)?

Enjoy your weekend!

Open Blog - Friday

Hooray!

Summer song

As I posted in the post below, this song always means summer to me, not just cause of the name. It's just a throw open the windows and crank it up going 65 song. Satch is a guitar god, and Stu Hamm, is no slouch on the bass as well!

Summer music??

I know it's not quite summer, heck it's barely spring, but anytime I finally get the sun and some weather that I can get outside to play in I automatically jump into summer mode. On these first few days I have to play certain music that reminds me of summer. One of the albums I play is Dave Matthews Band Crash. For whatever reason I am put into that happy chipper fully energetic mood that I rarely get anytime of the year other than the summer months.. One of the songs really puts me in a summer feeling, reminds me of driving around in my 1987 Mercury Cougar with the windows down and driving around singing my heart out. I can feel the warmth, feel the freedom of just driving, can see the scenery go by. The song is Two Step from the same album.



Another song from that album probably the hit of this album as it's the name of the album is Crash.



It took me a few years to actually read through and truly listen to the lyrics, it's an incredibly seductive and sensual song. Brings me to those hot summer nights (oh my am I blushing a little).

There are other albums that are specifically summer albums such as Alanis Morissette Jagged Little Pill, U2 Achtung Baby and Venus Hum Big Beautiful Sky.

Do you have songs or certain artists that really pick you up or specifically listen to during the summers and nice weather??

Tom Tom Club - "Wordy Rappinghood" (Live @ Summer Sonic '09)

As long as we're talking about words . . .

"The Power of Words"

"The power of words" - a theme that's been recurring lately on the JTI. Synchronicity?
 

I Took the Plunge – No TV

Well, it’s more like I was pushed over the edge by economics. I couldn’t afford my Time Warner Cable bill anymore. I will cut back on food before I will give up Road Runner Turbo, so something had to give. Dropping television halved my bill. I might have been able to afford RR and the Basic Tier of TV service, which essentially are the broadcast channels, but I haven’t watched them in years. (Except, I’ve watched channel 19 for some oldies - I’ll miss The Untouchables.) On the cable channels, I mostly watched movies, Comedy Central, Adult Swim (Cartoon Network), and the History Channel (less and less as they added more and more reality shows). I can get movies from the library, and the rest are available online.

I have a buddy in Milwaukee who has an antenna on his roof and pulls in some nice channels. I don’t have that option. I live in an old apartment building that was retrofitted with cable. Each apartment has its own jack. I’m on a lower floor. Anyway, my computer’s TV tuner card and the TV in the bedroom are analog, so I would need converter boxes, and, again, only to pull in broadcast channels.

A big stumbling block in making this decision has been psychological. I’ve lived with television my entire life. I’m part of the first TV generation. As a child, I was often left alone with the TV. TV is one of my parents. I’ve been telling myself that I need instant access to news in case of another situation like 9/11, or worse. But, in reality, CNN.com covers it just as well as CNN the cable channel. In a dire emergency, my neighbor is right next door and he has two TVs. I have a key to the place (for feeding his cat) and he has said I can stop by anytime I need a TV fix.

I recently got into it, again, with TWC over service issues, so that helped me make this decision, too. I’ll see how it goes. If I go into withdrawal, I may add the Basic Tier back to my services. I think, though, that this may be the next step in my evolution into a creature of the internet. For the past few weeks, I’ve had classical music playing online all day long. It has set a new tone to my apartment. Maybe the lack of exposure to TV will turn out to be a good thing.

My Revue on Johnny Cash!

I decided this morning to write about Johnny Cash. I really like a lot of his music. I also grew up listening to his music with my parents. I know it is his deep voice that gets to me and the southern drawl.

Johnny was born on February 26th, 1932 in Kingsland, Arkansas. He passed away on September 12th, 2003 at the age of 71. He was the third child of seven children.

The style of music for Johnny Cash is Country, Rock, Rockabilly, Folk and Blues. He does vocals and plays the guitar and harmonica.


Johnny always looked up to his older brother Jack growing up. At the age of 5 Johnny was working in the cotton field with his family. Johnny's brother Jack worked at a saw mill in town. One day when Jack was 15 he was at work at the saw mill he was almost cut in half. He was pulled in a whirling head saw. This day Jack and Johnny were suppose to go fishing. But Jack wanted to go to work to make money for the family.

Johnny was inspired by Gospel music at a very early age. As a young boy he began to play the guitar and writing music. In high school he sang on a local radio station and later he released an album called My Mother's Hymn Book.

Johnny enlisted in the United States Air Force. His basic training was in San Antonio, Texas. Then he was transferred to Germany. He was honorably discharged from the service in 1954.

He was arrested seven times but never had to spend time in prison. He did have to spend a night in jail a couple of times. This was when his career was taking off and he was drinking heavily and started to take amphetamines and barbiturates. His friends would joke around and say he is really nervous. But this was how bad he was on the drugs. He would have to take uppers to stay awake during a show. He has tried every drug there was to try.

Johnny was married to Vivian and they had four girls. Then they divorced and he married June Carter and they had a boy. Johnny and Vivian moved to Memphis and he was selling appliances before his career took off. One day he went to audition for Sam Phillips and he sang gospel. Sam told him that gospel wasn't selling at the time. So Johnny played one of his country songs and Sam signed him on.

Folsom Prison Blues was on the top five list the next one was Walk The Line that went to number one on the country charts. This was just the start of the many hit songs that Johnny would have in his career.

Then he had his own t.v. show called The Johnny Cash Show this was in 1969-1971. He had special guests like Carl Perkins, The Carter Family, Neil Young, Eric Clapton, Ray Charles, Bob Dylan and Kenny Rogers are some of the people he had on the show. He also had Kris Kristofferson on the show and help him get his singing and song writing career going.

in the early 70's he started to perform in black. The reason for him wearing the black was for the poor, hungry the people in prison and the Vietnam war. That is how he had gotten the name The Man In Black.

In 1980 Johnny was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. By my surprise to find out he was the youngest person to be inducted. In the mid 80's he recorded and tour with the Highwaymen. It was Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings, Kris Kristofferson and Willie Nelson. In 1988 Johnny had a double by pass surgery.

In 1993 Johnny sang with U2's album Zooropa the song The Wanderer. Johnny also teamed up with Brooks & Dunn to sing Folsom Prison Blues on the Red Hot & Country for Aids Benefit. He also sang the Bob Dylan favorite Forever Young. Johnny and June had many special guest apperances on Dr. Quinn show. Johnny also enlisted the accompaniment of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers Unchained. Then won Best Country Album at the Grammy.

In 1997 he was diagnosed with neurodegenitive disease, sky-drager syndrome a form of Parkinson's disease. Later Altered to autonomic neuropathy associated with diabetes. The albums American III Solitary Man & American IV The Man Comes Around is the way he is responding to his illness in the form of songs. The video Hurt fits the veiw of his past feelings of regret.

Right before June passed away she told him to keep working. Then two months after she passed away Johnny went to the Carter Family Fold in Virginia. Then right before he sang The Ring of Fire he read a statement that he had just written. " The spirit of June Carter shadows over me tonight with the love she had for me and the love I have for her. We connect somewhere between here and heaven. She came down for a short visit  I guess, From heaven to visit me tonight to give me courage and inspiration like she always has.

He is in the Songwriters Hall of Fame, Rockabilly Hall of Fame, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He also has numerous awards. He has had a awesome career and some of his kids are following in his and June's footsteps with the music. He does have a lot of great music out there and I know I really didn't mention a lot of that. I am really sorry about that.

I just hope you do like this revue about Johnny Cash and I look forward to you comments.

Johnson pleads "Not Guilty."

Here is a song for the tossed aside children, the fall out from the moneyed and powerful. Once again, the JT is not allowing posts.

"Not Intended to be a factual statement"

That's the new term for what most people call "lying". Although I guess this one applies only to when you do it on the floor of the Senate.

The Colbert Report	Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
Jon Kyl Tweets Not Intended to Be Factual Statements
www.colbertnation.com
Colbert Report Full Episodes Political Humor & Satire Blog Video Archive

And don't forget to check out the very funny twitter feed.

Dear Madame Zoltar

Hello, my luscious lilies of the valley! How are you? We’ve finally had some gorgeous, sunny days. I am so grateful. It’s reinvigorating to see little green shoots popping up everywhere. I have no idea of what it’s like in Romania right now, but springtime in Racine is not to be missed. Soon our local tulip trees will be blooming. They’re so showy that it’s almost sinful. Oh my. I seem to be seeing fewer birds than in previous years, but maybe that’s just me, or my neighborhood. How about you? I love our flying friends. And so do my cats.

I’ve read about the troubles in regard to Great Lakes BrewFest and DP Wigley Co’s ‘Hop To It’ and their homebrew customers. I’m sure that something will be worked out to accommodate all of the parties concerned. Racine is blessed with some of the finest entrepreneurs and they are dedicated to our city heart and soul. Bless them all. We will find a way to legally promote events like BrewFest and encourage the people who work so hard on them. Thank you all for your efforts.

I know that “my” candidate for mayor of Racine did not win. Mr. Dickert has some powerful mojo on his side. As near as I can tell, it’s imported, probably some of that Haitian or African voodoo. No worries. Madame Zoltar can overcome that. It will take some time, but I guarantee I can neutralize the effect. Then we will see how fate deals with Mr. Dickert.

Of course, the ongoing devastation in Japan keeps us transfixed. Again, I’m sending all the positive psychic energy that way that I can, as are other psychics that I know. Of course, millions across the world are also praying for the Japanese people. That kind of destruction is Mother Nature at her worst. That is why I try to avoid her at all costs. You never know what might set her off. She’s kind of like our Mr. OrbsCorbs in that way. Tee-hee.

And speaking of Mr. OrbsCorbs, no, I still have not seen hide nor hair of him (not that there’s much hair to see) since he learned that I did not win the lottery. Humph!

In keeping with the season, here’s a 1929 Silly Symphony cartoon from Walt Disney entitled “Springtime:”



Thank you for reading my blog today. I value your visit and love all of my readers. It’s reassuring to spend time with friends and share some thoughts. The pleasure is all mine.

Send your spring greetings to: madamezoltar@jtirregulars.com.

Enjoy the wonderful season, my beloved Irregulars. It feels good just to have the sun shine on our faces again. Get out and get going, my lovelies. Jentacular!

The Sex Pistols - "Pretty Vacant"

Remember these guys? They seem pretty tame now.
 

Open Blog - Wednesday

I hope that we all do.

Penis Museum Gets Human Member

It turns out that there is a museum for everything. It turns out Iceland is the proud home of the Iceland Phallological Museum. That's a fancy way of saying Penis Museum.

They have penises from a large variety of mammals, but just recently added their first human penis. The penis formerly belonged to Pall Arason who passed away recently at the age of 95 (so it's an old human penis) which probably looks small compared to the 67 inch sperm whale penis on display.

I thought I had found a strange one when I found the Chamber Pot Museum as part of the Zentrum fur Aussgergewoehnliche Museen (Center for the Unusual Museums) in Munich. Yeah, I went, I saw chamber pots of the rich and insane monarchs of Europe. Iceland has upped the ante on unusual museums.