Useless Information

Did You Know:

 

The fortune cookies were made by a San Francisco bakery, Benkyodo. David Jung, founder of the Hong Kong Noodle Company in Los Angeles, has made a competing claim that he invented the cookie in 1918. San Francisco's mock Court of Historical Review attempted to settle the dispute in 1983.

 

And each one contains a lie!  :)

"Sitting Bull"

From Milwaukee County Corruption:

"One of the great American minds.

 

“'Warriors are not what you think of as warriors. The warrior is not someone who fights, because no one has the right to take another life.  The warrior for us is one who sacrifices himself for the good of others.

 

"'His task is to take care of the elderly, the defenseless, those who cannot provide for themselves, and above all, the children, the future of humanity'.

"As a leader, Sitting Bull's wisdom was infinite.

Our readers and leaders should read and learn from Sitting Bull's wisdom."

 

Read more: http://milwaukeecountycorruption.blogspot.com/2014/02/sitting-bull-one-of-great-american.html

 

 

 Amen.

"The Beatles: The Night That Changed America - A GRAMMY® Salute - Preview"

"The Beatles on 'Ed Sullivan': 50 Years Later"



I was 12 years old and fell in love with the Beatles from that performance.  In 1965, I would enter St. Catherine's High School wearing Beatle boots and long hair.  Talk about culture shock: the boys there had crew cuts and penny loafers.  I was attacked.

Four years later, they were smoking dope and letting their hair grow.   

Open Blog - Weekend

Thank you, Betty Boop.

An older Woman was asked, "At your ripe age, what would you prefer to get : Parkinson's or Alzheimer's?" 

The wise one answered, "Definitely Parkinson's - Better to spill half my wine than to forget where I keep the bottle.".................................Yep!

"Nolan gets message across to Latvian hockey team"

From The Journal Times.com:

By JOHN  WAWROW                                                            

"Three years ago, Ted Nolan needed a map to locate Latvia.

"Now he's speaking their language.

"Thanks to hockey, Nolan has become well-acquainted with the small, proud Baltic nation since taking over Latvia's national team, which he will be coaching at the Sochi Winter Games.

"'Yeah, I learned the language, and the people on the street taught me a couple of terms,' the Buffalo Sabres' interim coach said this week. 'I've learned a few words in Latvian to get by, how to shoot and work and compete.'

"These are among the phrases Nolan required to get across his message to players, a majority of whom compete in the Russian-based Kontinental Hockey League.

"And yet, Nolan's desire to learn the language went beyond bridging a communication gap.

"As a First Nations' Ojibwa growing up in Sault St. Marie, Ontario, Nolan is drawn to how a nation identifies itself through culture and language. In Latvia, that, in part, means speaking the native tongue after the country spent much of the past century under the control of the former Soviet Union.

"As a result, one of the first rules Nolan established was having only Latvian _ not Russian, Swedish or English _ spoken in the locker room.

"'When you're a group that's kind of been put down and under certain rule, sometimes it's tough to find your identity,' said Nolan, who leans on former Latvian NHLers Arturs Irbe and Sandis Ozolinsh to translate when necessary.

"'It's Latvia, so let's use your language. I think you should be proud to be a Latvian. You should be proud to be a Canadian. You should be proud to be from whatever nation you're from. And in Latvia, they're a proud people. And to be a part of that, I'm just thrilled.'"

Read more: http://journaltimes.com/news/olympics/nolan-gets-message-across-to-latvian-hockey-team/article_78e81cee-2fa0-500e-80d0-33d04ec7be20.html


My parents and sister emigrated from Latvia, their homeland, to the USA before I was born.

Local Blogs Busy

From Racine Community Media:

"CITY OFFICIAL MARY OSTERMAN HIT WITH ANOTHER ETHICS VIOLATION!!!"

Read: http://racinecommunitymedia.tumblr.com/post/75870652306/city-official-mary-osterman-hit-with-another


From Racine Exposed:

"Any Comment From Racine City Hall?" on the four latest lawsuits brought against Racine, plus a look at the Osterman Ethics Complaint

Read:  http://racineexposed.wordpress.com/2014/02/07/any-comment-from-racine-city-hall/


From Racine in Ruins:

"Even with the outcome known we fight."

Read: http://racineinruins.wordpress.com/2014/02/07/even-with-the-outcome-known-we-fight/


From Root River Siren:

"SCJ To Now Cut 300 to 400 Racine Jobs"

Read: http://rootriversiren.blogspot.com/2014/02/scj-to-now-cut-300-to-400-racine-jobs.html

Four for Fridays

Hello everyone and welcome back! This week has been a bit of a mess... I came down sick on Wednesday and I'm still recovering. Tender Heart just threw out her back last night. Thank God, the weekend is here! We both could use the rest.... Anyways, here are your questions.....

1) Do you sleep with your sheets tucked in or out?

2) Do you count your steps when you walk?

3) Do you chew your pencils or pens?

4) Have you ever ran out of gas?

Enjoy your weekend!

Open Blog - Friday

Ain't it the truth.

A Sad Story

  Time is like a river.

You cannot touch the water twice, because the flow that has passed will never pass again. Enjoy every moment of life.

As a Bagpiper, I play many gigs. Recently I was asked by a funeral director to play at a graveside service for a homeless man. He had no family or friends, so the service was to be at a pauper's cemetery in the Nova Scotia back country.

As I was not familiar with the backwoods, I got lost and, being a typical man, I didn't stop for directions. I finally arrived an hour late and saw the funeral guy had evidently gone and the hearse was nowhere in sight. There were only the diggers and crew left and they were eating lunch.

I felt badly and apologized to the men for being late. I went to the side of the grave and looked down and the vault lid was already in place. I didn't know what else to do, so I started to play.

The workers put down their lunches and began to gather around. I played out my heart and soul for this man with no family and friends. I played like I've never played before for this homeless man. And as I played "Amazing Grace", the workers began to weep. They wept, I wept, we all wept together.

When I finished, I packed up my bagpipes and started for my car. Though my head was hung low, my heart was full.

As I opened the door to my car, I heard one of the workers say, "I never seen nothing like that before and I've been putting in septic tanks for twenty years."

Byte Me: How Our Gadgets Track Our Every Move

The sheer volume of data sucked out of us every minute is creating a digital duplicate of our lives that can be exploited by the nefarious

This IS an extremely interesting article by Bob Sullivan from NBC News.

http://www.nbcnews.com/tech/security/byte-me-how-our-gadgets-track-our-every-move-n18621

All those gadgets and appliances that can talk to the Internet might fulfill the dream of George Jetson, or they could bring about the nightmare of George Orwell.

 

It is amazing all the technology that is out there collecting data on use daily without our knowledge or consent.  Is it legal, I really don’t know.

 

Here is one example and he has listed several:

 

Cell phones tell stores you are walking by. Thermostats tell power companies when you get home. Computers in your car tell companies where you go, and how fast you get there.

 

Logo is property of NBC...I stole it.

Open Blog - Thursday

Have a great day.

Dear Madame Zoltar

Hello, my fascinating friends!  How are you?  The sun was actually out a few times in the past week.  Goodness gracious, it was quite a sight to see.  Some snow melted and I even drove with the car window open.  Of course, we soon got more snow, then the deep freeze, rinse, repeat.  Everybody’s running out of salt for the streets and highways.  Here’s a suggestion: Spread potato chips and pretzels and other salty snacks on the roads.  The salt will melt the snow and the crunched snacks will improve traction.

Another snowstorm is bearing down on Racine and should be here by the time you read this.  Here we go again.  Snow, snow, snow, then the deep, deep freeze.  Doesn’t Old Man Winter know any other song?  Or is it the Weather Witches?

I have an announcement and an offer to make.  I’ve decided to make my blogs available to the JournalTimes.com if they want to post them.  They can put them in the print edition of the paper, too, if they so desire.   I make these available for a nominal fee. 

Journal Times, adding my blog to your site will result in a move personable, dare I say it, more positive online atmosphere.  It’s a scientific fact that people smile when they see me.  They even smile when they see my avatar online.  What’s it worth to make every customer smile?  You let me know, Journal Times.  My email address is below.  Happy readers make for happy advertisers.

I’d like to publicly address Mr. Justin Bieber, but he’d never know about it.  What I really want to do is bend him over my knee and wail on his posterior a few times.  Such a spoiled brat.  When you start abusing other people and their property, I think it’s time for the joyride to come to an end.  I give his last appearance in court -5 stars.  I hope they put him away for awhile, before someone does it for them.

I’d also like to address the Internal Revenue Service over their refusal to allow my travel expenses for places that I’ve astral projected to.  I’d like to, but I won’t.  I’m no dummy.

Thank you for stopping by my blog this week.  I love visitors.  We each bring a flavor to the communal pot.

When will you have your day in court?  Find out: madamezoltar@jtirregulars.com

Be careful, dears, though I believe you already are.  You don’t get this far into winter without major trauma by not being careful.  I love you all and I love Sol, our sun.  Enjoy your week.  Fefnicute!

Open Blog - Wednesday

Happy whisking Wednesday.

Next year, reserve earlier!

Looking for a Contract?

I'm put 'in a contract out on Punxsutawney Phil; 6 more weeks...the little bastards gotta go...

Who is this creature who claims to be an expert on the long-term weather forecast?

call (262) 555-1212

Open Blog - Tuesday

So much cuteness.

The Crescent Moon and Uranus

I like taking unusual pictures sometimes. They aren't always the most spectacular shots, but they show off unusual conjunctions that may happen fairly often but are rarely photographed.

Tonight's shot that falls into that category is the Moon and Uranus. I didn't think I was going to get a chance at this on as it was raining in the early part of the evening. By chance I happened to be outside around 9pm and it had cleared so I grabbed the camera and went for it. The following shot was taken with my Canon60D, EF 75-300mm lens at 220mm and f/5.6, 0.5 second exposure at ISO3200. I fired up Stellarium to verify which of the fainter objects was Uranus and put a little line pointing to it (and it took forever since my computer with Lightroom and Photoshop had a hard drive crash and I am currently waiting for replacement parts I had to use alternate photo processing programs...don't worry...a good backup exists!)

In October, we will have a totally eclipsed Moon very close to the planet Uranus. I look forward to capturing this pair at that time, clouds willing!

Reprinted with permission from the Half-Astrophysicist Blog.

Have you ever used Time Warner Cable for telephone services?

Bump: I've bumped up this blog because of the new, anonymous, 7th comment.

By the way, I have an appointment this Wednesday for TWC to install telephone service.

Originally posted on January 13, 2014 at 12:25 AM:

I'm thinking of switching landline telephone service providers from AT&T to Time Warner Cable.  I want to hear anyone's experiences with TWC telephone service.

TWC's introductory rate (one year) is considerably less than my AT&T bill.  Plus, it includes nationwide long distance.  Presently, I have no long distance service.  Even after a year, TWC's regular rate is less than what I'm paying now.

I've had issues with TWC's Road Runner internet service in the past, so I don''t want to shoot myself in the foot.

Thank you for your time.

Unscrewed Theater Grand Opening

Most of you know I do improv here in Tucson with Not Burnt Out, Just Unscrewed. We have performed all over Tucson at bars, coffee shops, churches and anywhere else we could find over the years...until now.

We have been on a long time quest to open our own theater and that happened last Friday night. We now have a 96 seat theater with lobby, concession stand, two classrooms and office space. We have been working on transforming the space since last fall and did four shows over the weekend. It is called Unscrewed Theater.

Here is our version of the Dating Game from last Friday's uncensored late show (the early show is family friendly) so it is a little off color at times. The woman from the audience we use as the bachelorette is a local television reporter who did a piece on the theater opening.



You can find a bunch more videos from the opening weekend on our youtube page

Going forward, we are doing mostly family friendly shows and teaching classes. We will add different types of shows and have other groups perform there as well. Very exciting times here!

A Boy and His Bucket

Besides the kitchen cabinets, Charlie now insists that the oven door be open for his inspection, too:

Local Loyalty - Top Dog Hot Dogs

Welcome back to this weeks feature - 

TOP DOG @ Regency 

Top Dog is located in Regency Mall, 

inside the south west exit, near HH Gregg.

The hours are...

Mon-Sat 10am-9pm

Sun. 11am-6pm

While Top Dog has recently come to the mall,

it has been in existence since June of 2009. 

There is also a Top Dog cart running in the summer. 

I will have to find it this year!

Top Dog can be found on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

I know Orbscorbs is a huge fan of Top Dog, as am I. 

Everything I have had there is really good,

 but my absolute favorite are the cheese curds, simply awesome! 

The location is easy to get to, fun to be at and the service and quick and friendly.

If you're lucky, Caleb, the owner, himself may even take care of you :)

All prices include tax, which I really like. 

"We give it to you straight" is one of the benchmark slogans. 

The graffiti art on the walls is pretty awesome. There are a few places you can 'tag' and write on, marking that you were there. 

The 3 words that Caleb chose to describe his place - 

1. Fast 

- yes it is!
2. Fun 

- especially if you take the time to write on the walls 

3. Friendly 

- definitely something that draws you in and brings you back

Stop in and try out the good food, don't forget to try the cheese curds, you won't be disappointed! Help spread the word, and tell them you saw it here!

Open Blog - Monday

I hope that you can bear the rest of the day.

Bronco Run

Ground Hog Day

"NASA Sued for Failing to Investigate Martian Jelly-Donut Rock"

"One man is claiming that the intriguing Martian rock photographed recently by NASA's Opportunity rover isn't a rock at all, but a living thing, and is now suing the space agency for neglecting to investigate further.

"Rhawn Joseph, a neuropsychologist and author, filed a lawsuit in a California court earlier this week demanding NASA 'thoroughly scientifically examine and investigate' the mystery object that seemingly appeared out of nowhere on the surface of Mars this month.

"Dubbed the 'jelly donut,' by Opportunity lead scientist Steve Squyres, the rock is white on the outside with a red center. And while NASA scientists admitted it was 'unlike anything we have seen before,' they definitely determined it to be a rock.

 

"NASA even offered a simple and slightly dull explanation for its curious appearance on Mars on Jan. 8, after photographs taken in the same location just 12 days earlier showed no such object.

"That explanations included the possibility that Opportunity's tires knocked the rock, since dubbed 'Pinnacle Island,' into view.

"But the mystery was not to be explained away so fast for Joseph.

"The self-labelled astrobiologist and author of several books on extraterrestial life instead resorted to legal action against the agency, explaining in the court petition his theory that the rock is indeed 'a putative biological organism.'

"In fact, it could be a "mushroom-like fungus, a composite organism consisting of colonies of lichen and cyanobacteria, and which on Earth is known as Apothecium," Joseph speculated in the petition."

Read more: http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/nasa-sued-failing-investigate-martian-jelly-donut-rock/story?id=22335788 

Hey, hale-bopp!  What's going on up there?

Below is an image which is irrelevant to this discussion, but it might get this blog some more hits.

Chemistry

Useless Informtiona

Did you know:

There are 84 people in the world who’s combined wealth is more than the combined wealth of the rest of the people in the world.

"Steven Seagal - Blues show"

One of my heroes in action.

"2014 Dream Water Banned Super Bowl Commercial"

NSFW  Adults only, please.

Published on Jan 27, 2014

"The following 1 minute commercial for Dream Water was banned from being aired during the 2014 Super Bowl.

"PRESS RELEASE
 
"DREAM WATER COMMERCIAL BANNED FROM SUPER BOWL XLVIII

"Hollywood, FL (January 30, 2014) -- The 2014 Super Bowl Dream Water® commercial will not air during this year's big game. The ad was rejected for being, 'too risqué' for the general public."

Read more:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LKzGarKzhiQ


That reminds me of one of the raunchiest jokes that I know, but I won't besmirch the JTI with it..

Open Blog - Weekend

Happy February!

“'One ring' scam alert from the BBB"

From RacineUncovered:

"The Better Business Bureau Serving Wisconsin is warning cell phone users about a new scam that can result in unauthorized charges appearing on their monthly wireless statement.

"It’s called the 'One Ring' scam because the scammers program computers to send thousands of calls to random cell phone numbers, ring once and then disconnect. The scammers then hope you are curious enough about the phone call that you return the call right away.

"When the cell phone owner returns the call, they are charged $19.95 for an international call fee. After that, there is a $9.00 per minute charge. It’s reported that often they will first hear music followed by advertising. So,it’s easy to see how quickly these charges can add up.

"Consumers who have been duped by these calls report that they are coming from the Caribbean Islands including Grenada, Antigua, Jamaica and the British Virgin Islands.

"If a person thinks they may have fallen for this scam, they should immediately alert their cell phone carrier and keep an eye on their cell phone bill. The earlier they document the fraud, the better their chances of having some or all of the charges removed.

"To be as safe as possible, the BBB recommends the best thing to do if your phone rings and it’s an international number you don’t recognize, don’t answer it and don’t call back."

Share on Facebook

Read more: http://racineuncovered.org/2014/01/one-ring-scam-alert-from-the-bbb/


It just never ends.  If they're not hacking into user accounts, they're scamming people by telephone and online.

Retirement

 

It's important to remain active in retirement...

 

 

Four for Fridays

Hello everybody and welcome back! What do you know, I remembered to set my alarm clock! Seeing I'm up bright and early, at BLB's request I'm going give you EIGHT questions instead of my usual four. So fire away with your answers and enjoy!

1) What do you prefer warm, snowy days or the frigid sub-zero temperatures?

2) Do you have any magazine subscriptions?

3) Do you sleep with your closet doors open or shut?

4) Who you think is going to win the Super Bowl, Seattle Seahwaks or the Denver Broncos?

5) Can you change the oil in your car?

6) What is your Chinese astrological sign?

7) Would ever consider going skydiving?

8) What do you wish you had invented?

Enjoy your weekend!

"Hackers steal Yahoo! Mail usernames, passwords"

"SUNNYVALE, Calif., Jan. 31 (UPI) -- Attackers now own an undisclosed number of Yahoo! Mail usernames and passwords, stolen from a third-party site, the Sunnyvale, Calif., Internet giant said.

"As a result, Yahoo! will now require affected users to change their passwords and use a one-time second sign-in verification to re-secure their accounts, Yahoo! Inc. Senior Vice President Jay Rossiter wrote in a blog post.

"'We regret this has happened and want to assure our users that we take the security of their data very seriously,' Rossiter said in the blog.

"He did not say when the breach occurred, other than 'recently.' He called it a 'coordinated effort' but did not say which third party was involved."

Read more: http://www.upi.com/Science_News/2014/01/31/Hackers-steal-Yahoo-Mail-usernames-passwords/UPI-10511391144460/#ixzz2ry31Izc6

Uh-oh.  Now it's hitting close to home.  I'm afraid to check out how many Yahoo accounts I have.

"Porters project stopped -- Buildings to be removed to make clear development site"

From The Journal Times.com:

By Michael Burke

"RACINE — The former Porters of Racine owner will not redevelop the existing buildings into retail spaces and apartments — but instead will remove the historic buildings to make a clear development site.

"Micah Waters, who co-owned the former high-end furniture store at 301 Sixth St. and owns the property, told The Journal Times on Thursday of his family’s decision not to proceed with an estimated $6 million redevelopment there.

"The project was to have converted the 80,000-square-foot historic building into 37 market-rate apartments and enough ground-floor retail space for up to seven storefronts.

"Now, Waters said, 'The plan is for the property to be developed in another way — maybe with another developer. ... We are going to develop this property one way or another.'”

Read more: http://journaltimes.com/news/local/porters-project-stopped----buildings-to-be-removed/article_e25bf0bc-8a0e-11e3-ae0e-0019bb2963f4.html


How is it that every Joe Blow in Racine knew that this project was goiing to be a disaster, but not the high profile people involved?

As I understand it, three million taxpayer dollars have been invested in this project.  How much you want to bet that the money goes, "Poof!"
 

Open Blog - Friday

Yes, it is, it is, it is, it is.

"Set Yourself Free"

NSFW  CAUTION: Graphic Violence



Oh my.  That'll teach 'em.

"Deport Justin Bieber and revoke his green card."

An online petition: 
 
"Deport Justin Bieber and revoke his green card."

"We the people of the United States feel that we are being wrongly represented in the world of pop culture. We would like to see the dangerous, reckless, destructive, and drug abusing, Justin Bieber deported and his green card revoked. He is not only threatening the safety of our people but he is also a terrible influence on our nations youth. We the people would like to remove Justin Bieber from our society."

Read more and/or sign the petition:  https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/deport-justin-bieber-and-revoke-his-green-card/ST1yqHJL


Madame Zoltar hinted at this yesterday:

"Did you hear that Justin Bieber was arrested?  Like, for sure.  I don’t know why everyone keeps picking on the poor guy.  He should teach them a lesson by returning to Canada and never singing another note again.  Please."

Read more: http://www.jtirregulars.com/2014/01/dear-madame-zoltar_29.html

I wish I could sign the petition more than once.

"Coffee with a Cop" Today, 5:00 - 7:00 PM

From RacineUncovered:

"On Thursday, January 30, 2014 from 5:00pm until 7:00pm, stop out at Barnes & Noble on Hwy. 31 (S. Green Bay Rd) to have a cup of coffee with Police Officers from the Mt. Pleasant Police Department. Meet the officers that patrol your area and get to know them a little more than just the person in the squad car.

"Ask questions about the job. Ask questions about safety or just ask how the day is going. This event is designed to bring the community together to get to know each other in a relaxed setting and allow the community to learn about the police department and its officers. It also allows the officers to get to know the community on a more personal basis."

Share on Facebook

Read more:  http://racineuncovered.org/2014/01/january-302014-coffee-with-a-cop/

Open Blog - Thursday

And P and P.

Global Warming...Where?

Dear Madame Zoltar

Hello, my Frosted Flakes. How are you?  The deep freeze is supposed to break today, but we still have plenty of winter left for subzero atrocities.  I want to move to JTIsland now.  We should just pick out an island and invade it.  Drive out the locals.  Then we can declare ourselves a sovereign nation and apply to the USA for foreign aid.  Give us a few millions dollars and we won’t ally with the bad guys.  It all sounds so lovely.  When do we start?

I see that the documentary, Pattern or Practice, is causing a brouhaha in the city.  Good.  We need more brouhahas and hullabaloos.

The Journal Times is reporting that Mr. Ex-Mayor Becker has been released from the Sturtevant Transitional Facility. (http://journaltimes.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/becker-released-from-custody/article_a36ee24e-8872-11e3-9188-001a4bcf887a.html)  Unspecified “treatments violations” triggered his arrest 12 days ago.  That’s all we know.  I mean, that’s all you know.  I, of course, know all.  Often, the best use I can make of this information is to not use it.  In any case, the experts have decided that it’s OK for Mr. Ex-Mayor to mingle with us once again.  The experts should know, right?

It’s awful to read about the propane shortage and the price gouging going on.  It’s especially so when you read stories like this: “Flatulent cows start fire at German dairy farm – police:”

“(Reuters) - Methane gas from 90 flatulent cows exploded in a German farm shed on Monday, damaging the roof and injuring one of the animals, police said.”

(http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/01/27/us-germany-cows-idUSBREA0Q1HY20140127)  

All that methane going to waste while we starve for propane.  Oh my.

Did you hear that Justin Bieber was arrested?  Like, for sure.  I don’t know why everyone keeps picking on the poor guy.  He should teach them a lesson by returning to Canada and never singing another note again.  Please. 

The “rock star” pope, Pope Francis, has made the cover of Rolling Stone magazine.  He’s also the subject of graffiti in Rome portraying him as the “ Super Pope.”  His love of the common people is being returned many times over.  Bless you, Pope Francis.

Bless anyone who tries to make this a better world.  There are far too few who do.  Woo-woo.

Thank you, my dears, for reading my blog today.  You know that I love to have company.  You know that I love my readers.  You know that I love you.

Make money selling your methane.  Fart your way to a fortune.  Contact: madamezoltar@jtirregulars.com

Stay with the layered look for now, my dears.  There’s no reason to believe that February won’t be just as bad as January.  Or worse.  Remember, the best way to stay warm is to share body heat with someone else.  You can take it from there.  I love the Irregulars!  Jerque!

Open Blog - Wednesday

Is it spring yet?

"Folk icon Pete Seeger dies at 94"

R.I.P. Pete Seeger.

The older I get, the more of these I post.  It's depressing.

Gun Control

It has already started at Gander Mountain Sporting Goods.

When I was ready to pay for my purchases of gun powder and bullets, the cashier said, "Strip down, facing me."

Making a mental note to complain to the NRA about the gun control wackos running amok, I did just as she had instructed.

When the hysterical shrieking and alarms finally subsided, I found out that she was referring to how I should place my credit card in the card-reader.

I have been asked to shop elsewhere in the future. They need to make their instructions to us seniors a little clearer

Open Blog - Tuesday

Try to stay warm.

I Found An Online Job

Can you imagine getting paid to eat online? $9,000 a month.

Just think of the commercial endorsements and advertising from restaurant chains and food companies.

Nuts

Stilt.... You Turn Me On......

OK, so I snagged a line from an Emerson, Lake & Palmer tune and reworked the title. Thought it was clever. Anyways, remember my post about peeps on the subject of plovers? I have been avoiding digging too much into that area because explaining the difference between the many species of sandpipers we have here in Wisconsin can be a chore. However, stilts are much easier.

Wisconsin is the host for two different stilt species, the American Avocet and the Black Necked Stilt. Both are uncommon and a great sight to see, even among birding experts. The American Avocet is mainly found in the western half of North America, however they do venture into Wisconsin for brief stays during migratory seasons.

I have gotten lucky twice to see these gorgeous birds. The first time was at Samuel Myers Park on 5/4/2013 and the other in a flooded pond nearby Union Grove later in the spring.This photo below is from Myers Park.

I had gotten an e-mail report of avocets found at Myers Park and raced down there to see these lifers! Beautiful and majestic these birds are, all in their breeding plumage! Ten of them! They were just wading in the water right as I walking down the sandy ramp. They seemed to not to notice me much... I sat down on a log for more than 20 minutes takings pictures of them pruning and preening themselves, almost symmetrically,  on a warm day. I half expected to see a crowd of birders and photographers there. Lucky for me, it was just me, myself and an obnoxious Killdeer "yelling" at me. Talk about a good day! I later learned that the avocets were gone by nightfall, after just a brief stay....

The Black Necked Stilt is extremely rare in Wisconsin, except for the Horicon Marsh where they are known to breed. Why just Horicon is quite unclear, for they quite common in the western parts and the coastal regions of North America. Anyways, Tender Heart and I were fortunate to see some at Horicon on May 25, 2013. After reading reports of Black Necked Stilts possibly breeding at Horicon, this bird quickly became a "target" for us. The one in the picture below was taken on Highway 49 (Yep, THAT busy highway). I spotted it while we were creeping slowly in the car along the gravel shoulder. As I was snapping away, trying to that perfect picture, a van with Minnesota plates zoomed in front of us, scaring the bird off in the process. I did see the stilt family later on in the summer using a birding scope....

More wildlife photos and stories to come.....

"Free access to E-Edition Monday, Tuesday"

From The Journal Times.com:

"RACINE - Due to the extreme cold and windy conditions, delivery delays of The Journal Times are expected.

"Free access to the e-edition for today and tomorrow is available at http://jo-ee.journaltimes.com/eedition."

Read more:  http://journaltimes.com/news/local/free-access-to-e-edition-monday-tuesday/article_9a3e7e1e-8782-11e3-af5a-0019bb2963f4.html

Local Loyalty - The Grind Cafe

Welcome back to this week's edition of Local Loyalty. 

This week brings us to a well hidden treasure,

The Grind Cafe

7300 Washington Ave, 

nestled in the Razor Sharp complex.

Check them out!

I actually became introduced to this wonderful, cozy, cafe during my 1st LL interview, with Nick from Rely Local. I live close and didn't even know it existed. 

Their hours are M-Fri 6am-8pm

Sat. 7am-5pm

Sun.  9am-2pm.

The Grind has been in business for 3 1/2 years. The feel is warm and inviting, like home. The soups, cookies and pastries are all homemade, using any local ingredients possible. Everything is made right there, and is SO GOOD!

They have coffees, teas, lattes, smoothies, steamers, and tons more beverages, and the make panini's - even for breakfast!! I can't wait to go back and try one of those, yum!

Then there are the amazing cookies, scones, all kinds of goodies, many visits are needed to try everything.   

Steve, the owner, also does catering. 

He had a thing for CNH today, what an awesome opportunity. 

The 3 words he chose - 

1. Fresh 

(LOVE the homemade factor!)

2. Unique

3. Personal

It's so nice to go into a place that feels like an extension of home. Go check them out, and enjoy the coziness and some of their goodies!

Tell them you saw it here, and help spread the word :) 

Open Blog - Monday

Happy Monday! Be super careful out there.

Unified Closed Monday

UPDATE:  Due to the continuation of extreme cold, all Racine Unified Schools will be closed Tuesday, January 28th.  The official message from the district is:  "At this time fully anticipate that school will resume on Wednesday." 

Racine County

• 21st Century Prepatory School Closed Monday
• Catholic Central High School Burlington Closed Monday
• Concordia Lutheran School Racine Closed Monday
• Kansasville Grade School Closed Monday
• Racine Christian School Closed
• Racine Lutheran High School Closed
• Racine Unified School District Closed Monday
• Raymond School District Closed
• St. Catherine's High School Closed Monday
• St. John's Lutheran School Racine Closed Monday Also no After school Activities
• The Prairie School Closed Monday
• Trinity Lutheran School Caledonia Closed Monday
• Trinity Lutheran School Racine Closed
• Union Grove Union High School Closed Monday
• Union Grove Christian School Closed Monday
• Union Grove Elementary School Closed
• Yorkville School District Closed Monday and Tuesday
• Mount Pleasant Renaissance School Closed Monday

Ziggy

Oh my.

"Google Glitch Sent Thousands of Emails to Some Guy’s Hotmail Account"

Daniel Acker / Bloomberg News / Getty Images

"On Friday, a Gmail outage led to widespread panic and confusion across the globe. That same day, an apparently unrelated glitch also caused thousands of emails to end up in the inbox of some guy named David S. Peck. (A Hotmail user, it should be noted.)

"Here’s what happened: users who searched 'Gmail' were led to a results page with a link that said 'Email.' Clicking that link created a new email with Peck’s address – dsp559@hotmail.com —  already filled in. A tipster pointed this out to TechCrunch, who then tracked down the owner of the email address: David S. Peck of Fresno, Calif. They gave him a call to see just how badly this bizarre glitch was affecting him.

“'I’ve been getting thousands of no-subject, blank emails,' Peck told TechCrunch. '500 of them come every hour, I can’t stop them.'"

Read more: Gmail Outage: Google Glitch Sends Emails to Hotmail Account | TIME.com http://newsfeed.time.com/2014/01/26/google-glitch-sent-thousands-of-emails-to-some-guys-hotmail-account/#ixzz2rXnsooGV

I found the headline hilarious. 

Campus Tour Guides Reminded To Use Official Name For Rape Hall

RACINE, WI—Speaking with a group of campus tour guides today, the University of Wisconsin-Racine’s undergraduate residential life coordinator Richard Matta reportedly asked the assembled students to please refer to the south lawn freshman dormitory by its official name, and not as Rape Hall.

Check out the story http://www.theonion.com/articles/campus-tour-guides-reminded-to-use-official-name-f,35044/