Friday, June 3, 2011
Dr Jack Kervorkain is Dead
Both my parents have told me that they want no extraordinary measures to keep them alive. Shortly before my mother had her stroke, she even told me that she (a staunch Catholic most of her life) could definitely understand where he was coming from. She passed away in '94 from a combination of an auto accident/stroke (accident first, then stroke, the combination was just too much and it was before the clot busters that can help minimize the effects of stroke came on the market). I didn't have to make that decision with her, but still might be faced with it with my father.
As for myself, I can think of circumstances where helping nature take its course would be my choice. I also can understand the people who want to build in lots of safeguards to prevent abuse of the system since I sure don't want someone else making the decision for me!
I ran into Dr. Jack. He was collecting signature at the East Lansing Art Fair while I was in graduate school to get an assisted suicide question on the ballot in Michigan. I stopped, watched a spirited and fun but civil debate he was having with bystanders, signed his petition, shook his hand and wished him luck.
The issue has really fallen off the national radar the last decade or so. It's a shame it takes someone actively breaking the law to spark the discussion.
Four for Fridays
1) What are your favorite summertime activities?
2) Have you ever gone camping? If so, how was it?
3) If you had the opportunity to look into your future, what would you look for?
4) Would you rather mow the lawn or shovel the snow?
Enjoy your weekend!
"The Shark Whisperer"
I don't care what "feeling" I had about a shark, I would never, never, never do that. Never.
I Need Your Help to Get to LA Fast
The "reverend" has not disappointed me. So far, I've received a dollar bill, presumably to prime the donation pump. I received his book, God's Miracle Plan for Man, along with some "anointing oil" and a "prayer cloth." God, perhaps, knows what's in the oil packet - I'm not opening it. The prayer cloth is a small strip of coarse fabric. Two days ago, I received a blue "cord" (yarn) that I'm supposed to pin to myself or wear around my wrist for a day, then put it in my pillowcase and sleep on it overnight. That guarantees a miracle will happen.
All of these items are accompanied by outrageous letters which continually ask for a "vow of faith," a donation pledge that Pastor Bob says will be repaid to you a thousandfold by God. But first, you gotta give him the money.
Yesterday, I received the announcement below in an email. I don't know why Pastor Bob only gave me two days notice of this major event, but I know I must attend. I have no means to do so, however, and thus I am forced to rely upon the charity of my fellow Irregulars to spring for a round trip airline ticket (first class, please), lodging in LA (it would be nice to stay at the Marriott where Pastor Bob is appearing), meals, taxi fare, incidentals, etc. Please contact me as soon as possible after arrangements have been made. God and/or Pastor Bob will return your gift a thousandfold. But first, you gotta give me the money.
Saturday Afternoon at 4:00 pm
The Lord Jesus spoke to me "to go back to Los Angeles. He wants
to release more Prophet's blessings into your life. Also tell the
people that are sick to come and He will be healing them".
We are coming to see you again and Release
the Prophet's Blessings into Your Life...
Healings, Miracles, Financial Breakthroughs
Blessings, Blessings, Blessings,
I also have a very special Prophetic Message
to Release Heaven's Best into Your Life.
Don't miss this Great Church Service
TAKE A BUS, PLANE, CAR OR TRAIN... BE THERE!
Marriott Hotel Downtown L.A.
333 South Figueroa St., Los Angeles, CA 90071
*Public Parking Garage Next Door (South) • * Discounted Parking at Marriott
Come and see Signs, Wonders and Miracles through the power that is in the name of Jesus Christ
Thursday, June 2, 2011
Ballad for the Night (inspired by kk)

There she weaves by night and day
A magic web with colours gay.
She has heard a whisper say,
A curse is on her if she stay
To look down to Camelot.
She knows not what the curse may be,
And so she weaveth steadily,
And little other care hath she,
The Lady of Shalott.
And moving thro' a mirror clear
That hangs before her all the year,
Shadows of the world appear.
There she sees the highway near
Winding down to Camelot:
There the river eddy whirls,
And there the surly village-churls,
And the red cloaks of market girls,
Pass onward from Shalott.
But in her web she still delights
To weave the mirror's magic sights,
For often thro' the silent nights
A funeral, with plumes and lights
And music, went to Camelot:
Or when the moon was overhead,
Came two young lovers lately wed;
"I am half-sick of shadows," said
The Lady of Shalott.
She left the web, she left the loom,
She made three paces thro' the room,
She saw the water-lily bloom,
She saw the helmet and the plume,
She look'd down to Camelot.
Out flew the web and floated wide;
The mirror crack'd from side to side;
"The curse is come upon me," cried
The Lady of Shalott.
Alfred Lord Tennyson
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
House cleaning music.
This gal’s voice was so phenomenal, we should srill being seeing her, but no idea what happened to her.
These guys deserve to be in a Hall of fame. No idea which hall of Fame, but somewhere they deserve alcoloids.
Smashed into fame and faded away. I’m blinded by science.
Dear Madame Zoltar
I checked out a very handy online article from the Journal Times, “Your guide to summer fun in Racine County,” to see what’s coming up this week: http://www.journaltimes.com/lifestyles/leisure/article_ff8c2baa-7672-11e0-88b9-001cc4c03286.html According to that, this Friday, June 3, will be very busy in downtown Racine and the environs:
“Music on the Monument: Outdoor concert by Brian Daniels (country rock) on Monument Square at Sixth and Main streets in Downtown Racine. 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Free. Chairs and umbrellas are provided.” (http://www.racinedowntown.com/2011MOM.html)
“Walden Wheels Car Show: Walden III Middle and High School parking lot, 1012 Center St., Racine. 10:30 a.m.-noon. Free admission, food and beverages. Spectators welcome. People may enter anything with wheels. Call (262) 664-6250 or (262) 770-3113.”
“First Fridays: Main and Sixth streets, Racine. More than 40 Downtown Racine shops and galleries are open until 9 p.m. Enjoy music both in the stores and on the sidewalks, horse-drawn carriage rides and more.” (http://www.racinedowntown.com/firstfriday.html)
Oh my, I really like the democracy of that statement from the Walden Wheels Car Show: “People may enter anything with wheels.” That’s beautiful.
Please note, my dear friends, that Romanian President Traian Basescu is not dead. It’s all part of an email scam designed to infect your computer:
“Romanian President Declared Dead by E-mail Scam”
“Hoax E-mails Relay the False News That Romanian President, Traian Basescu, Was Disfigured and Killed Following a Car Accident; This Is Just the Latest in a Line of Scams Aimed at Exploiting Celebrity Status to Drive Users to Malware”
http://www.marketwire.com/press-release/romanian-president-declared-dead-by-e-mail-scam-1520851.htm
Thank heavens! I don’t think that my homeland can withstand many more problems. This is from last Thursday’s Journal Times:
“A Romania-based scam cost a 57-year-old Caledonia man about $30,000 after he tried to buy a Porsche Cayman online, according to police.”
http://www.journaltimes.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/article_d560aade-87e5-11e0-a621-001cc4c002e0.html
Oh dear, oh my, what is the matter with my homeland? What is the matter with the world?
If you really want to know, send a formal request to: madamezoltar@jtirregulars.com.
Thank you, thank you, my dear Irregular and regular readers (and irreaders?) for perusing my blog today. I so love spending time with you, because I so love you. JTIrregulars.com is the site of good vibrations.
Enjoy the warmer weather, my lovelies. Summer may have arrived. Memorial Day may have broken the ice, in more ways than one. If we start seeing a lot of old Sol, don’t forget the sun block. Hagiolatry!
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
The Last ISS/Endeavor Pass
UPDATE: Okay, I bumped this up since someone on facebook pointed out a really cool part of this pic that I missed. Shortly after the shuttle leaves the ISS, it performs a water dump before returning to Earth. Look closely right beneath the trails and you can see a hazy region in the sky. That's the water dump going on! I see it better in the later pictures instead of the one that is zoomed in. Click on the pics to get the larger version. It doesn't show up as well on the smaller versions.
I have taken lots of photos of the ISS and various shuttles over the year. Either right before docking or right after undocking, you can see them flying together in the night sky. This flight is Endeavors last, so I dragged myself out of bed really early this morning for a 3:19am flyby. I got a couple of shots, but made the rookie mistake of not checking the f stop so they pics came out a little darker than they should have.
The top streak is the ISS and the bottom is Endeavor. Notice there is a bright spot toward the left on the ISS streak. Sometimes the sun glints off the solar panels causing a quick brightening of the ISS. This photo is the first time I have captured this phenomena. And here is the next shot, a wide angle version.
Some of you might get one more chance to see Endeavor and the ISS tonight. Check Heavens Above to see if your location is favored. I don't get another pass here in Tucson. There is only one shuttle flight left. Won't know who is favored for that one until it blasts off.
Reprinted with permission from the Half-Astrophysicist Blog.
City Cites Cosmic Corner for Colors
----------
The store is called Cosmic Corner (http://www.cosmiccorner.com/) and it has been there for at least a couple of years, maybe more. I really don't know. The store manager is the same one who ran the old Mainstream Music downtown. They seem to be thriving in their present location.
A couple of weeks ago, I noticed their new colors. It's hard not to. The store used to be painted the same color as the upper level. Someone else noticed, too. Now there is a petition in the store that states "We support Cosmic Corner's new colors" for customers to sign. When I asked about the petition, I was told that the city has scheduled a meeting with the store owner because of objections to the colors. I expressed surprise that the city could tell a private business what color to paint itself. I was then told, "Even though we're not downtown, I guess we're part of that 'downtown thingy' and we need their permission."
That's all I know. I'll admit this is not exactly a piece of investigative journalism. I'm not a journalist. I don't know who objected to the colors, but I assume it's another of Racine's nanny-nazis, like the ones who chased BrewFest out of Festival Hall and want to make smoking and farting in the open air a criminal act. I rest so much better at night knowing that these divine arbiters of all are busy telling everyone else how to live their lives.
Monday, May 30, 2011
Chocolate Fest 2011
Over the weekend, I took my girlfriend (whom never been there) and my son to visit this spectacle. Even though the skies were cloudy with a few raindrops, the temperatures were in the upper '60's. We had fun, anyways.
Sunday, May 29, 2011
As you & I continue to open our deep pockets
The American Red Cross
President and CEO - Marsha J. Evans
salary for the year 2010 was $651,957, plus all personal, medical, & pension expenses.
Less than 10 cents of your donated dollar actually goes to the cause.
The United Way
President - Brian Gallagher receives a
$375,000 base salary, along with numerous personal & family expense benefits.
Less than 12 cents of your donated dollar actually goes to the cause.
UNICEF
CEO - Caryl M. Stern receives $1.2 Million per year (100k per month) plus all living & housing expenses, including a ROLLS ROYCE.
Less than 15 cents of your donated dollar actually goes to the cause.
The Salvation Army
Commissioner - Todd Bassett receives a salary of only $13,000 per year (plus housing) for managing this $2 billion dollar organization.
96 cents of all donated dollars go to the cause.
I don't think any further comment is necessary.
Deadline to register for no-call list is Tuesday
Those who sign up through that day will have their phone numbers put on the list starting July 1.
The list is open to home and cell numbers, but registration must be renewed every two years. Anyone who has forgotten when they signed up can sign up again to be safe.
Wisconsin No Call List Registration
Sunday Grin
Her husband asks "Is that you or the wine talking?"
She replies "It's me, talking to the wine."
Saturday, May 28, 2011
Ah....and such is life.
One lazy Sunday morning the wife and I were quiet and thoughtful, sitting around the breakfast table when I said to her, "When I die, I want you to sell all my stuff, immediately."
"Now why would you want me to do something like that?" she asked.
"I figure a woman as fine as yourself would eventually remarry and I don't want some other asshole using my stuff."
She looked at me intently and said, "What makes you think I'd marry another asshole?"
Bud Commercial
Friday, May 27, 2011
You Might Be From Arizona If...
- You buy salsa by the gallon.
- Your Christmas decorations include a half a yard of sand and 100 paper bags. And several chile ristras.
- All of your out-of-state friends start to visit after October but clear out come the end of April.
- You think someone driving while wearing oven mitts is clever.
- Most of the restaurants in your town have the first name "El" or "Los."
- You think six tons of crushed rock makes a beautiful yard.
- You notice your car overheating before you drive it.
- Your house is made of stucco and has a red clay tile roof.
- You can say Hohokam and people don't think you're laughing funny.
- You no longer associate bridges or rivers with water.
- You see more irrigation water on the street than there is in the Salt River.
- You know a swamp cooler is not a happy hour drink.
- You can say 120 degrees without fainting.
- Vehicles with open windows have the right-of-way in the summer.
- You discover, in July, it only takes two fingers to drive your car.
- The pool can be warmer than you are.
- You can make instant sun tea.
- People will drive more than 100 miles just to see snow.
- You run your air conditioner in the middle of winter so you can use your fireplace.
- People with black cars or black upholstery are automatically assumed to be from out-of-state or nuts.
- You know that Valley Fever isn't a disco dance.
- The water from the cold water tap is the same temperature as the hot one.
- You can (correctly) pronounce the words: "Saguaro," "Tempe," "Gila Bend," "San Xavier," "Canyon de Chelly," "Mogollon Rim," "Cholla," and "Ajo."
- It's noon in July, kids are on summer vacation, and not one person is moving on the streets.
- Sunscreen is sold year round, kept at the front of the checkout counter, a formula less than 30 SPF is a joke, and you wear it just to go to the Circle K.
- Hot-air balloons can't go up, because the air outside is hotter than the air inside.
- No one would dream of putting vinyl upholstery in a car.
- You learn that a seat belt makes a pretty good branding iron.
- You break a sweat the instant you step outside at 7:30 a.m. before work.
- You realize that asphalt has a liquid state.
Four for Fridays
1) If you could own a business, what kind of business would you run?
2) If you could change something in your past, what would you change?
3) Do you think there is life on other planets?
4) Do you know sign language?
Enjoy your weekend!
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Soggy bread
School Vouchers
Earlier this month I ran a poll about support of “School Vouchers”. The results of this poll indicated people who voted where against school vouchers.
Today in the JSOnline, their results are opposite. You can read the article at
Poll measures support for school vouchers in Racine, Green Bay.
In the poll of voters in the Racine Unified School District, 55% said they would favor creating a school choice program for low and middle income children in Racine, while 33% said they opposed it. The partisan support skewed Republican, with 65% of Republican voters in favor, 46% of Democrat voters in favor, and 57% of independents indicating they would back the voucher program's expansion in their community.
AND I AM STILL AGAINST THEM....SER
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
People of Walmart - Music Video
First, there was the website: http://www.peopleofwalmart.com/
Now there is a song.
I assume the next step will be People of Walmart: The Movie.
Comic Side of Bin Laden
"Osama Bin Laden's supporters want to rename the Arabian Sea where his body was dumped Martyr Sea. Really? Martyr Sea? Hiding in your bedroom for six years? How about Chicken of the Sea?" -Jay Leno
"Osama bin Laden is in the ocean. How ironic. Once again surrounded by seals." -Jay Leno
"Osama bin Laden had money and telephone numbers sewn into his clothes. Apparently we got him just as he was on his way to summer camp." -Jay Leno
"Osama bin Laden's death has been in the news all day. Leftish stations are going, 'President Obama saves the world.' Stations on the right are going, 'Obama kills fellow Muslim.'" -Craig Ferguson
"How about those Navy Seals. We're getting our money's worth there. They broke into Osama bin Laden's compound with 12-foot walls topped by barbed wire, and fired a warning shot into his head." -David Letterman
"Apparently, members of Al Qaeda are online slamming the U.S. I don't understand why they're so upset. Everyone in Al Qaeda just got a promotion." -Craig Ferguson
"Bin Laden was buried at sea. Or as Dick Cheney calls it, 'the ultimate water boarding.'" -Jay Leno
"Osama bin Laden was apparently shot twice in the face. It looks like Dick Cheney may have been involved." -Jay Leno
"Bin Laden lived in this compound in Pakistan with all of his wives for 6 years. So he did suffer." -David Letterman
"Bin Laden's wives didn't have it too bad.........by looking at the pictures of the inside of the compound, it doesn't look like any of them EVER had to do housework.
Power pays
Dear Madame Zoltar
I’ll be blunt with you, my dears: I’m running late in writing my blog this week and I don’t have much to say. When a man enters your life, things can get very interesting, but also very time consuming. I swear, on occasion a man demands more attention than a child. Of course, there are rewards… (insert big smiley face here)… I would not continue in my relationship with Senor Zanza if it was one-sided. He is a perfect gentleman and a very gracious man. He is very intuitive and attentive to my needs and desires. Ooo-la-la! He is kind and generous, and very wise and worldly in the ways of romance. He is somewhat evasive about his past, though. Hmm. Well, no one is perfect, but I come darn close. No, oh my, tee-hee, that was a joke.
It’s just that your priorities shift when another person enters your life. I have to continue to operate Madame Zoltar® Enterprises™, parent Junior, head a household, manage my business and personal affairs, and still make time for Senor Zanza. We try to combine as many activities and as much time together as possible. For example, Senor Zanza loves to hang out at work, learning every detail of my operation. His appetite for knowledge is voracious. He wants to know everything about my business, so that he can help out whenever or wherever he may be needed. I really appreciate that.
I am so glad that Why Not? and Stoughe and their girls have arrived safe and sound in Racine. Hip-hip-hooray! Racine’s summer will be better for your presence. I hope you have a wonderful time here and create many happy memories to take back with you to Sweden. The Racine area has a lot of fun stuff to do. Unfortunately, we have our troubled areas, too. If you got a good grasp on things the last time that you were here, I don’t think much has changed. Be careful, be vigilant, be aware. Major events held downtown are usually family safe (except for that errant Ferris Wheel at Party on the Pavement last year – oh my!), as are any other well-established events and locales. The vast majority of Racinians are honest, hard-working people. Unfortunately, that fact is often overshadowed by the sensationalism of crime.
I know that I’ve grown less trusting of other people in Racine as the years have gone by. That, too, is unfortunate, but also a fact. Does that reflect the reality of life in Racine, or is it my misperception of reality that causes it? I don’t know. You tell me.
Thank you my lovely, lovely readers for spending some time with me this week. I can sense when someone reads my blog. It feels delightful. Thank you so much. I love you all. My, I sure rambled on for not having much to say.
Please send your insider stock trading tips and misheard lyric sheets to: madamezoltar@jtirregulars.com.
I swear, it will warm up sooner or later. Uh-oh, maybe I shouldn’t have said that. Maybe now you-know-who will keep it artic throughout the summer. Please, I’m sorry Mother Nature, it was just a joke. Please have mercy and shine your love light on us once more. Naupathia!
A Follow up to KK's Protest Blog
This time there wasn't as many protesters but cops...gezzzz twice as many as last time, also lots of high school students this time marching back and forth and chanting 'recall walker'!
All Photos Property of SER/JTIrregulars - To purchase these picture write to jtirregulars@jtirregulars.com
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Morning Grin........
Trainer: " You should use the ATM machine just outside this gym ''
The End Of The World Has Been Rescheduled For Oct. 21
Well, duh, of course, an invisible judgment day comes first. I thought everyone knew that.
Now we have a lot more time to party before the world really (no, really this time) ends. And there's not going to be any rolling time zone swath of destruction; it's going to happen all at once. The big unbang. That will show all those dummies who think that the world is going to end next year.
"The Red Wheelbarrow"
upon
a red wheel
barrow
glazed with rain
water
beside the white
chickens.
--William Carlos Williams
"The Red Wheelbarrow is a poem by and often considered the masterwork of American 20th-century writer William Carlos Williams. The 1923 poem exemplifies the Imagist-influenced philosophy of “no ideas but in things.” This provides another layer of meaning beneath the surface reading. The style of the poem forgoes traditional British stress patterns to create a typical “American” image.[1] "

"William Carlos Williams (September 17, 1883 – March 4, 1963) was an American poet closely associated with modernism and Imagism. He was also a pediatrician and general practitioner of medicine, having graduated from the University of Pennsylvania. Williams "worked harder at being a writer than he did at being a physician"; but during his long lifetime, Williams excelled at both.[1]"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Carlos_Williams
Monday, May 23, 2011
"'Zombie Apocalypse' campaign crashes website"
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention zombie blog page: http://emergency.cdc.gov/socialmedia/zombies_blog.asp
I think that's great. I'm sure there are many people who consider this an unfit use of tax dollars, but I like it. You never know when zombies might attack.
joke of the day
His eyes now wide with interest, he responds, "No kidding. I'm in Congress too. What state are you from?"
























