Open Blog - Weekend

Happy weekend to everybody!

Four For Frifays!

I'm filling in for Ms. Tender Heart Bear, who is performing other acts of charity today.  Here's your questions:

1)  Who is the biggest asshole in Racine?

2)  How hot and how high the humidity before it gets to you?

3)  Will Trump get North Korea jacked up enough that they attack us first, and then we flatten them?

4)  Will Trump get North Korea jacked up enough that they kill him (Trump)?

Everyone have a great week and keep your cool.  I'd much rather worry about the heat than the cold.

Open Blog - Friday

Yeow!

Alltime10s Thursdays

Open Blog - Thursday

Who cut your heads off?

Dear Madame Zoltar

I'm sorry this blog is late, but our basement is flooded.  At first I heard Junior's whoops of joy, soon to be replaced by Senor Zanza cursing.  He's been in the basement for hours now.  What could he be doing?  Fishing?

Mayor lying John has announced his last day on the job: July 16, which also happens to be Mr. OrbsCorbs' 66th birthday.  I can't think of a finer gift to give Mr. OrbsCorbs.  Although he's toned down the rhetoric in recent years, Mr. OrbsCorbs used to taunt the mayor daily.

I wonder if lying John has left an orderly plan for this transition?  LOL.  Not.  I wonder how much money his comrades stand to make?  We've given away millions already.  What's a few million more?

I'm not at all impressed with the three people who have announced their candidacy for mayor.  If this is the best Racine can scrape up, then we deserve everything we get (or don't get).  I can understand, though, an honest person's reluctance to walk into a cesspool.  Most Racinians are blind to lying John's machinations.  No one cares as long as their belly is full.  No one cares until the taxes are due.

This is a real chance to put someone who is ethical and has the community's best interest in mind into office.  I'm sorry to say that I think we'll blow it.  It's like we have a death wish.  We'll elect some Dickert stooge, and not much will change.  Everyone keeps following orders.  The rich get richer, the poor get poorer.

Oh dear!  More swearing from the basement.  That doesn't sound good.  I told him to beware electrocution.  I'm not even going to ask him how it's going.  That would just get me involved in the madness.  When he's had enough, he'll come upstairs.  I can make him a sandwich then and we can discuss the situation.

Obviously, we're not the only household that's flooded.  The county has declared a state of emergency.  I think that does little to help me.  I'm not "connected."  No one is going to come here and pump out the water unless I pay him/her to do it.  I'm not even going to ask why our sump pump failed.  It simply has.  There's nothing to do now but deal with the damage.

Thank you for reading my blog.  I love more readers.  Mostly, we're a merry bunch, except when our basements are flooded.

Contact me: madamezoltar@jtirregulars.com 

Enjoy the warm temps even if it does rain too damn much.  Wet and warm is better than wet and cold.  We had some beautiful days last week.  They'll return,  I hope.
__________________________
Please donate: paypal.me/jgmazelis
If you don't like PayPal, send me a note at madamezoltar@jtirregulars.com and I'll send you my street address so you can send a check or money order.  Thank you.  

Open Blog - Wednesday

Any guarantees?

"Slinging of the Bull"

From the Shepherd Express:

By Art Kumbalek  Jul. 11, 2017

 

 

So listen, I’m back from my so-called vacation—can’t believe President Orange Circus Peanut didn’t give Alaska back to the Russians at the G20 Summit—just in time to land smack-dab in the middle of this so-called Bastille Days Downtown Drink Beer in the Street and Oui-Oui in Les Boulevard Fest. Focking swell.

Once again this fest coincides with the running-of-the-bulls-shit they got going over in your Pamplona, Spain, which reminds me of an idea I had some years back on how our Frenchie-palooza could attract a more culturally diverse patronage (other than young white people walking around in circles)—a patronage that would be brave, not cowardly, in pissing away their spend-able francs on parlez-vous and what-not, what the fock.

I suggested our Downtown French shebang could garner the annual international attention and fervor like the “running of the bulls.” So why not during the Bastille Days we periodically let loose a couple, three rampaging bulls at the swell corner of Jefferson & Wells so as to attract the wealthy international traveler bent on confronting death? Hey, you tell me.

So yeah, I took a week off and now I’m back from my focking vacances, excuse my French. And why I go on a vacation, I can’t tell you. All I get from a vacation is a reminder of a definition for insanity: You keep repeating some kind of stupid-ass dead-end behavior, each time thinking: “O Lord, please let the outcome be a little better just this one time, would you, for christ sakes.” Yeah, I know that’s also the definition of newspaper-column writing, but I’ll deal with that another time ’cause I got other fish to fry.

You betcha, my vacations never turn out the way I’d prefer. You want to know what my vacations are like? I’ll tell you what they’re like. They’re like what happened to this guy I know. Here:

One day this guy I know is on his way to lunch and walks right by a snazzy travel agency with a sign in the window that says, “Four-day cruise down the Murray River—$40 all inclusive!”

He can’t believe the price, and a nice relaxing river cruise was exactly what he had in mind for vacation that year. So he races into the agency, slaps two Jacksons down on the counter and tells the agent he wants to book a Murray cruise. Agent says, “Very good, sir,” whips out a baseball bat and knocks the guy stone-cold out.

So he comes to and finds himself strapped to a floating log racing down a white-water river. A little ways down, he sees another guy strapped to a log rolling down the other side of the river.

“Forty-dollar Murray cruise?” he shouts out. “Hey, you betcha,” says his fellow cruiser on the other side.

“This blows. I’ll bet we don’t even get breakfast,” he yells. “I don’t know,” says the other guy, “we did last year.” Ba-ding!

Anyways, my “week off” wasn’t to be one of those vacation vacations where you just sit around on your cushy butt spending dough in hopes to convince yourself you’re having a good time, no sir.

Listen, as a candidate to be your next governor of America’s Dairyland, I’ve heard tell that our Badger State is one of these so-called “swing” states that could flip either way, especially for a presidential election. So I thought it would be wise for me to tour outposts like your Ladysmith, Cadott, Cornell, Black River Falls, Solon Springs, Town of Barnes, and bamboozle the bumpkins with my glad-hand just like a regular would-be governator.

But I’ll tell you, “swing” is not the first word that comes to mind during a jaunt through these hinterland haunts, unless come Saturday night you hang yourself from a beam in the basement, just for something to do.

And it’s a mystery to me that candidates for office believe that a quick stop here, a pop-in there, can do very much to jack-up the opinion of elected representatives held by the bucolic wing of the electorate. Cripes, I remember a story from some years ago that shows just how much work needs to be done to improve a would-be statesman’s standing with the cornfield crowd. I don’t know if this story’s true but here it is anyways, what the fock:

On Friday afternoon, the entire state legislature of a state located not-even-close to either coast was aboard the official state bus touring a remote rural area when the driver lost control and crashed the bus into a ditch. Sometime later, a local farmer sauntered by and upon finding the politicians lying in the road, buried them.

It was reported that county sheriffs then arrived on the scene just as the farmer finished tamping the dirt down over the last member of this state’s legislature. Upon questioning the farmer about the wreck, a sheriff asked, “So you buried ALL the politicians? Were they all dead?”

The farmer reportedly answered: “Well sir, some said they weren’t, but you know how them politicians lie.”

Ba-ding! And thanks again to reader Ingrid Mae. When I’m governor, no taxes for you ’cause I’m Art Kumbalek and I told you so.

 

From: http://shepherdexpress.com/article-30054-slinging-of-the-bull.html

"Extraordinary: The Stan Romanek Story"

This is a documentary about a man who is often seized by aliens.  He is often beat up and he doesn't know why, but he wakes up on the kitchen floor a lot, bloodied and disheveled.  He also receives messages from the outsiders, sometime on his TV.  So I'm watching this documentary when suddenly I see this:

There's a shart moment for you.  I dropped my sandwich.  Then I realized that this is the introduction to a part on orbs that follow Mr. Romanek around, often for miles.

Whew.  For a second, I thought ET was coming for me.

Open Blog - Tuesday

You complain to them if you don't like today.

Fear

Open Blog - Monday

Spread love and sunshine wherever you go.

WIGWAG

From Wisconsin Gazette:

Lisa Neff and Louis Weisberg, Staff writers

News with a twist

Seriously?

It’s bad enough to call the police because you think the thermos containing the sperm and dry ice for your artificial insemination exploded. It gets worse when you call 911 to report it, though, and the sheriff’s office posts the story on its Facebook page — and the next day a news crew shows up at your door. That’s what happened to a Florida woman, who was unable to persuade the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office to remove the post, which included a stock photo of a woman with a disgusted expression.

Royal skies

Some Dutch passengers on KLM flights might have recognized the co-pilot’s voice when he introduced himself on the airline’s Cityhopper services. It was not just their co-pilot telling them weather conditions and estimated time of arrival. It was their king. King Willem-Alexander has served as a regular “guest pilot” for 21 years. The 50-year-old father of three and monarch to 17 million Dutch citizens calls flying a “hobby” that lets him leave his royal duties on the ground.

Dual purpose suit

Sophia George, 88, bought her husband a new gray suit to wear to their 70th anniversary party, which included a renewal of their vows. She figured it was a good investment because he’ll be able to wear it again to his funeral, she said. He’s 93, and recently had a mini stroke. Sophia, on the other hand, is in great health. She led a conga line through the banquet hall.

The company he keeps

Donald Trump’s longtime lawyer Michael Cohen is under fire for posting a picture on social media of his daughter wearing only a black lace bra and stockings. The incident was reminiscent of Trump’s statement during the campaign that he’d perhaps date Ivanka, if she didn’t happen to be his daughter.

Don’t try this at home

A woman pumping gas near downtown Milwaukee stopped a thief from stealing her SUV by jumping on its hood and clinging to the windshield wipers as the man tried to drive away in her vehicle. Video of the attempted carjacking shows the would-be thief braking in the gas station parking lot as he tries to throw Melissa Smith off the hood. The suspect gave up and jumped into another vehicle waiting in the parking lot. Smith admits it may not have been the wisest thing to do.

Fashion backlash

First lady Melania Trump came under fire for wearing a $51,000 Dolce & Gabbana floral jacket in Italy. Critics noted that the value almost equals the median income — $55,775 — for an American family. They say such opulence is just one of many inconsistencies with the president’s campaign promise to focus on everyday workers.

‘Hail Hydra’

Images of President Donald Trump with his hands on a glowing orb are lighting up social media. Trump, on his trip to the Middle East, joined Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in placing hands on an orb to officially open a Saudi center for combating extremism. And what fun folks had on Twitter, especially tweeters who know a thing or two about comic book villains and sci-fi evil-doers.

Poppies. Poppies. Poppies

“With poison in it, but attractive to the eye, and soothing to the smell.” So said the Wicked Witch of the West. Well, authorities in Catawba County, North Carolina, recently seized an acre of poppy plants valued at about $500 million. The AP reported a person who answered a narcotics investigator’s knock on the door said, “I guess you’re here about the opium.” Authorities arrested one person whom they charged with manufacturing and trafficking by possession.

Bear claws and doughnuts

Doughnut-makers in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, discovered their delivery vehicle damaged in a bear attack — and they know why. The owners of the Moose Watch Cafe found their Ford Focus with claw and paw marks and missing a bumper one morning, and they are certain the bear caught a scent of what usually is inside the trunk. A police officer confirmed the trunk smelled like doughnuts — and said a cop should know. The cafe marked the occasion by selling bear claws.

Polly wants a chocolate?

Mojang, the makers of Minecraft, will be updating the popular video game in response to an outcry over in-game parrots eating chocolate. People protested that in the game, players breed parrots by feeding the birds chocolate chip cookies. The concern is that kids might feed real world birds chocolate, which can be toxic. Minecraft responded by saying it will change what the birds eat. As for confusing kids about how parrots breed? Well …

From: http://www.wisconsingazette.com/blogs/wigwag-north-carolina-poppies-a-sperm-thermos-and-more/article_b952e0ea-4798-11e7-8814-2ba682198930.html

Noise

I moved about 3-1/2 years ago.  I'm literally inches within Mount Pleasant.  To my east are a small field and a school.  The school is in Racine.  And when school is in session, there is almost non-stop screaming all day.  I guess every hour is somebody's recess, but I've never heard a noisier bunch of brats.  I've even come to recognize some of the particular screamers.  There is a young girl who has the most ear- piercing scream, and she does it the entire time she's outdoors.  No long after she goes in, out comes "the murderer."  This young gentleman screams like a monster and chases around other kids.  They, of course, scream.

So, anyway, the school year is over and the school is quiet.  It doesn't matter.  I now live on top of a hill and all of the city's noise pollution can be heard here.  Ironically, it was much quieter living on Main St., south of downtown.  For some reason, every loud motorcycle and "hot" car drives by on our street.  They race like hell up the hill (with no knowledge of who  is at the top) and then race back down it.  To me, the hill is one big traffic hazard. You always take it easy when cresting a hill because you don't know what's on the other side.  Apparently the drivers of Mount Pleasant have x-ray vision.  I've seen so many near misses that I'm very surprised no one has been killed yet.

I also hear every siren activated in Racine or Mount Pleasant.  Again, I guess this is because I live on top of a hill now.  Wow.  We have a lot of sirens.  It never stops.  I hear all of the traffic noise off of Ohio St, and a lot off of Hwy 31.

Everyone here drives 50 mph all the time.  I'm used to sledding around at 20-25 mph on tight city streets.  I know I'm a traffic hindrance here, but I don't care.  The speed limit sign says 35 mph, not 50 mph.  Right now they're doing highway work on Hwys 31 and 20.  It's a super fucking mess.  (Almost forgot to mention the air traffic at Batten Airport. A helicopter just reminded me.)  I didn't like the high speeds when I moved here and I'm not real happy with the construction mess we have now  .(Just listened to a motorcycle cresting the hill.)  My housing specialist talked about a residential neighborhood where you could take walks and enjoy nature.  Bullshit.

Don't get me wrong.  I like living in Mount Pleasant.  The cops are much. much nicer here  There's no long lines at my voting location.  And there's half a dozen grocery stores within a mile radius.  There's no real bus service, so you need a vehicle to live here.  Or a trusted friend.  And don't forget the earplugs. 

Open Blog - Weekend

Have a good one.

Birds!

I promised you that I would post some pictures of birds today. What I am posting is from Buena Vista in Bancroft Wi.. We did see a lot more birds but not all the pictures did turn out so I am going to post the ones that did turn out. The weather was not that good that is why some pictures did not turn out.

                                                         This is a picture of a Bobolink.

                                                      This is a picture of a Dickcissel.

                                                    This is a picture of a Indigo Bunting.

                                                 This is a picture of a Savannah Sparrow.

                                                 This is a picture of a Upland Sandpiper.

Four for Fridays!

Hello everyone I hope you are staying someplace that is nice and cool with this heat and humidity. I am so sorry about posting this late Drew is working overtime and I was laying down and I fell back to sleep. Here are your questions!

1) In the summer when it is hot outside do you use a/c or fans?

2) If you use a/c is it a window unit or central?

3) Who taught you to swim?

4) Did that person that taught you to swim teach you in a pool or lake?

I hope everyone enjoys their weekend!

Open Blog - Friday

Finally finally.

Wildflowers

This past Saturday Drew and I went to Buena Vista in Bancroft Wi.. It is a very long drive to go there but it is always worth going there. When we got there we had to wait out a ran storm for about a half hour before we could really drive around to look for birds and wildflowers. We have bird pictures and wildflower pictures. So today I am going to post the wildflower pictures and then tomorrow I will post the bird pictures.

                              This is a picture of Cow Tech they are a little wet from the rain.

                                                 This is a picture of Glade St. John Wort.

                                                 This is  a picture of Orange Milk Weed.

                                                    This is a picture of a Musk Thistle.

                                                      This is a picture of a Spiderwort.

                                                 This is a picture of a White Champion.

"DOJ fines Hobby Lobby $3 million for smuggling Iraqi artifacts"

"Hot dogs from coast to coast"

Of course, the Chicago dog is the only one worth eating. Make sure they're using Vienna beef hot dogs.  Now I'm hungry for one.

"Top 10 Conspiracy Theories That Turned Out To Be TRUE"

Open Blog - Thursday

It's Thursday all day today.

Dear Madame Zoltar

Hello, chilluns.  How are you?  Did you go to the parade yesteday?  How about the fireworks?  I missed both celebrations.  The parade and fireworks are for kids.  Senor Zanza and Junior went to both.  They said they had a good time and I have no reason to dispute that.  Personally, I don't like crowds and lots of noise.  But my "boys" love it all.  Junior even got a little sunburn.  Why he won't wear sun block, I don't know.  Maybe the girls are impressed with bright red skin. It's supposed to be another nice day today.

I'm so glad that Senor Zanza has taken Junior under his wing.  There's something that a man adds to a child's upbringing.  Junior adores Senor Zanza and the feeling appears to be mutual.  Senor Zanza spends hours with Junior, trying to point him in the right direction. I must admit that sometimes I'm a little jealous of the time they spend together.  But if Senor Zanza wants to play surrogate father to Junior, it's a blessing.  That man does so much for me, and I feel as if I could never repay him.  For his part, he says that he needs no "repayment," that spending time with Junior is its own reward.  You gotta love him.

We've also been "blessed" with some nice weather, although it rains too much.  These are the "perfect" days of summer.  I have all of my windows open now.  The slight breeze is beautiful.  I don't think I'll need the air conditioner today.  I paid my electric bill the other day and I noticed that it was $20 higher than normal.  That's for the air conditioning in May.  August or September are the worst months, although with climate change, you never know.  It will snow in May and be torrid in January.  The world is crazy, so the weather might as well join in.

As proof of the world's madness, I offer Mr. Trump.  President of the United States obsessed with Twitter tweets.  After all the things he promised, he now hides behind his tweets.  And even those are becoming less and less rational.  I thought he would give up within 6 months of winning the job, but he seems to enjoy the perverse aspects of it.  It allows him to really bluster.  And since he's POTUS, it must be true, right?  Why doesn't Trump spend some time quashing North Korea and its constant provocation?.  The country is run by a spoiled brat who needs to be put in place   Wait a minute - that sounds like the United States.  In any case, we need to invade North Korea as soon as possible.  If they press the nuclear button, we have a lot more nuclear buttons than they do.  It's time to feed the people that are constantly facing starvation under North Korea's current rule.  Show them how the rest of the world lives.  Show them how to stage a coup.

Back home, lying John has disappeared.  He has NOT left the job as he promised, probably because of the interest that Foxconn  has shown in Racine county.  He just can't help himself.  He'll meddle in this affair and Foxconn will move on.  After all, he's the Water King of southeast Wisconsin.  The water prices show that they don't reflect the citizens' needs, but, rather, industrial needs.  And thus our water bills go higher no matter if the economy is doing well or not.  We, the little squirts, always end up paying for everything while lying John lives like a king.  Will someone please tie him and gag him and take him out of Racine.  Let the normal politics run their course.  I bet you we'd be back in the black in no time.  We don't meed a mayor, just a City Administrator.

Thank you for reading my blog this week.  I love my readers and I love more readers.  We are a family run by a nut job like me.  I happen to believe in the power of love.  It seems to work for me and my readers.

Contact madamezoltar@jtirregulars.com

Have a great time enjoying the summer weather.  Be careful around water.  We've already had a few drownings and near-drownings in Racine.  They should teach swimming in school.  A lot of these victims don't have a clue about the dangers of some waters.  Swim only in lifeguard protected waters.  Don't swim alone.  Although I'm with you all at all times, you need a little more physical help here.
__________________________
Please donate: paypal.me/jgmazelis
If you don't like PayPal, send me a note at madamezoltar@jtirregulars.com and I'll send you my street address so you can send a check or money order.  Thank you.  

Open Blog- Wednesday

Just fine.

"The children seeking cosmetic surgery on their vaginas - BBC News"

Published on Jul 3, 2017

"Doctors say they are seeing a rise in the number of young girls wanting cosmetic surgery on the most intimate part of their body – their genitals. The country’s leading adolescent gynaecologists told the Victoria Derbyshire Programme that girls as young as nine are desperate for the surgery because they are so distressed about the appearance of their vaginas. The surgery is called labiaplasty. It’s where the lips of the vagina are shortened or reshaped. It’s not recommended for girls under the age of 18 as their bodies haven not fully developed, but there are concerns that some girls are being given the surgery unnecessarily on the NHS.

"Produced and reported by Jean Mackenzie"

Open Blog - Independence Day

Happy Independence Day!

"Surprise! Brewers on the Rise"

By Frank Clines, Art Kumbalek  July 3, 2017

Open Blog- Monday

Only one more day until the madness begins.

Open Blog - Weekend

Have a great weekend.

Four for Fridays!

I can not believe it is the weekend for the 4th of July already. I hope everyone will be extra safe this weekend with all the fireworks people will be shooting off. We are staying home this weekend with a lot of travelers on the road and we just feel safer this way.
Yes I am up real early today because Drew has been working overtime this week because of the weekend. So I thought I would get the questions up early this morning and here they are!

1) Do you have plans for the 4th of July?

2) Will you be attending any of the parades this year?

3) Have you ever been caught with illegal fireworks and the police taking them from you?

4) When was the last time you remember going to see the fireworks going off in your town?

Have a happy 4th of July!

Open Blog - Friday

What's new?

"Australian Cardinal and Aide to Pope Is Charged With Sexual Assault"

By JACQUELINE WILLIAMS JUNE 28, 2017

Australian Cardinal George Pell after making a statement at the Holy See Press Office at the Vatican on Thursday. Credit Alberto Pizzoli/Agence France-Presse — Getty Image

"SYDNEY, Australia — Australia’s senior Roman Catholic prelate, and one of Pope Francis’ top advisers, has been charged with sexual assault, the police in the Australian state of Victoria said on Thursday.

"The prelate, Cardinal George Pell, became the highest-ranking Vatican official in recent years to face criminal charges involving accusations of sexual offenses. The case will test the credibility of Francis’ initiatives to foster greater accountability after abuse scandals that have shaken the church around the world.

"'Cardinal Pell has been charged on summons, and he is required to appear at the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court' on July 18, Shane Patton, the deputy police commissioner, said at a news conference.

"The charges were served on the cardinal’s legal representatives in Melbourne. Commissioner Patton said there were multiple complainants but refused to provide further details about them, including their ages.

 

"'The process and procedures that are being followed in the charging of Cardinal Pell have been the same that have been applied in a whole range of historical sex offenses, whenever we investigate them,' Commissioner Patton added. 'Cardinal Pell has been treated the same as anyone else.'

"Cardinal Pell, the Vatican’s de facto finance chief, had been accused in hearings before Australia’s Royal Commission Into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse of mishandling misconduct cases against clergy members while he served as the leader of the Archdioceses of Melbourne and Sydney. Then allegations surfaced that he had sexually abused minors himself beginning early in his priesthood and continuing until he became archbishop of Melbourne. He has repeatedly denied the accusations."

Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/28/world/australia/cardinal-george-pell-charged-sexual-abuse.html

If you get a chance, watch the Netflix series "The Keepers."  True story.  It's all about sexual abuse of children by priests and others.  A nun is even killed to keep her quiet.  Of course, the Church does all it can to "protect" the priests.  The main offender is "protected" until he dies.  I know of a similar case here in Racine.  The abusive priest was shuffled around to different parishes.  Then he retired and died, never facing any consequences for his actions.  I bet you that at least a million children have been abused by the clergy worldwide.  Once one comes out, other victims usually turn up.

"Cardinal Pell has been treated the same as anyone else."  That's what I'm afraid of.  In other words, they are going to lie, obfuscate, and bury the truth.  I don't know if I ever had much faith in the Church.  Now I consider them a criminal organization dedicated to abusing children.  The Pope can cry all he wants, they still harbor monsters.

"10 Lies You Still Believe About Space"

Open Blog - Thursday

I'd jump for joy except I'd probably break something.

Wildflowers!

I am so sorry I have not posted any of my wildflower pictures. I have been busy with moving kids and getting all the pictures into the right folders. This is a process to get through with all the pictures we have on the computer.

The wildflower picture I am going to post today are all from Chiwaukee Wildlife Prairie in Pleasant Prairie Wi.. Drew and I went down there this past Friday to get pictures of birds and wildflowers. I hope everyone enjoys the pictures.

                                                 This is a picture of a Black Eyed Susan.

                                                 This is a picture of a Crested Dwarf Iris. 

                                                     This is a picture of a Wood Rose.

                                                      This is a picture of a Day Lily.

                                               This is a picture of a Brown Eyed Susan.

                                                    This is a picture of a Dames Rocket.

                                                       This is a picture of Milk Weed.

"Mobile fresh food market moves into Milwaukee's food deserts"

Just like the healthcare on wheels that Kenosha is sending us, grocery trucks could serve our food deserts. I know Dickert doesn't give a damn about the poorer people in Racine, but this is something that he can claim was his idea, too.

Dear Madame Zoltar

Hi, boys and girls!  It's me, Madame Z., with another blog for you.  And you are the most important person here.  Readers, we must have readers!  So read away, my chipmunks.

We've been getting the warm weather of summer and too much rain.  Lake Michigan is at its highest levels in decades.  If you like beautiful beaches, our North Beach would be hard to beat.  But if you go swimming, be careful of riptides that can carry you 50 to 100 yards or more away from the beach.  Experts agree that you can't out-swim a riptide.  Their suggestion is to float motionless until you're out of the riptide.  Of course, you may be halfway to Milwaukee by then.

I'm so very happy to see North Beach so popular again.  It was ignored for decades.  There was the alewife die-off.  That made the beach a stinking mess. But that stopped quite awhile ago.  Still, the beach was deserted except for the occasional beachcomber.  Gangs marked up the oasis.  In fact, I believe that the reopening of the oasis is what started the beach back to normal.  Paul and Jan Curtin reopened the oasis for the 2002 season.  It wasn't easy, especially ridding the place of gangs.  They stuck to it, however, and the oasis gained in popularity.  As soon as it was stabilized, Mayor lying John gave the concession to a pal.  What a prick!  Our mayor is a complete asshole and the greatest deterrent to our city's recovery.  He'll only play ball with his pals and then they violate all the laws and rules.  The sooner this lying prick is out of here, the better.  If I was Mr. Curtin and put in the hundreds of hours that he did in retaking the oasis, I probably would have assaulted Mayor prick.  In fact, I think it's still a good idea.  It's obvious that the man has never suffered a beating in his life.  That's why he's so cocky.  He sorely needs to be taken down a few levels.

Of course, downtown is busier than hell all summer long.  I'm glad that I don't live in the immediate area. It could prove difficult moving around during one of downtown's events.  And the noise would be unbearable.  It's like the rest of the city is supposed to subsidize downtown.  My guess would be that no more than a few percent of Racinians live and/or work there, yet it gets 90% of the attention.

That's because Mayor lying prick's friends have their businesses there.  The prick's pals don't have to pay city taxes or much follow any rules.  As long as the lying prick signs off on it, anything goes.  He rewards his pals with positions on the city's various commissions.  One hand washes the other.  Doug Nicholson, perhaps the prick's best friend, answered "5th Amendment" to all of the FBI's questions in his deposition.  Is that some sort of record?

Oh my, I've spent my entire blog on Mayor lying prick.  I'm sorry.  I get carried away when I see injustice. 

Thank you for reading my blog today.  I love all of my readers.  I wish I could hug you all.

Contact me here: madamezoltar@jtirregulars.com

Enjoy the summer.  We deserve it after winter.  We also deserve to know where our tax dollars go, but Mayor lying prick doesn't want us to know.  It's kind of like living in the old Soviet Union.  Ask too many questions, and you might disappear.
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Open Blog - Wednesday

Hump day.

Charlie's Taking Flying Lessons

"Asea, Can You Say?"

From the Shepherd Express:

By Art Kumbalek 1 hour ago

 

I’m Art Kumbalek and man oh manischewitz what a world, ain’a? And because it’s that time of year, seems to me that the only thing people want to read are the directions on a can of bug spray, and they do so with the attention span of a United States president who lost a popular vote by a boatload. So I’m declaring my independence from delivering a full-blown essay this week, what the fock.

Anyways, I don’t know what it is about this time of year, but it seems every time I turn around these days it’s that time of year again, I kid you not. Cripes, and now it’s that Summerfest time, again, and listen (and don’t stop me if you’ve heard this one before ’cause we don’t have time): After all these years when it comes to this time of year, year-in, year-out, if you even begin to think I could possibly have any gas left to pass through another essay on that annual musical racket down there by our lakefront—then you are abso-focking-lutely correct. Of course I do.

The gas might be a tad overripe, but it smells like this: I’ve pored over and indeed rifled through all the big gig guides and lists and brochures and pamphlets and…HEY! Know what? I think the people in charge of that shebang have gone deaf from all that LOUD ROCK GUITAR MUSIC HELLABALOO they got all the time down there, I kid you not.

I think those people have gone to deaf because each and every year, simply as a professional courtesy, I keep asking aloudly over and over for two simple things at the grounds in the Summerfest: A TOPLESS TENT and a BOURBON TENT—like it would really kill the hippies who run that fest-joint to have a little something for which the common man to enjoy himself by. It may come as an unexpected thunderclap to some, but we’ve been known to drop a couple, three bucks here and there, now and then, for entertainment purposes, what the fock.

But no, everything’s got to be for the young people all the time today. It’s like nothing at all from when me and my gang were members of the young people, lo, those years ago. No sir, in the three-channel TV days of our black & white youth, ’tis a rare-ass occasion it was when there was a good goddamn something to do. Many a long, beautiful, and long some more, summer day was spent standing around in some kid’s dinky back yard locked in the passionate debates of our day—like whose older sister had the biggest jugs. Or we made plans for the future—like how the hell to come by 20-focking-cents for a comic book and ice-cold bottle of Squirt. 

So naturally, you can see how flummoxed I can be to imagine how different for a 14-, 15-year-old kid now today it is, what with all the places to go and things to do for them, not to mention the computers and super-phones they can dick around on for hours, with learning where to send the pictures of their pubescent junk.

That’s probably why we didn’t shoot up the schools back then like they’ve been known to do today. 

We were too bored. Why spend all that time and energy on blowing up the school? Just quit—fock it. That’s what we did.

And the old-school family values. You could hardly take a leak without having to have the whole family along, for crying out loud. Sometimes you could go to some store by yourself, sure, but after five minutes inside with some dickhead clerk on your butt for the entire 300 seconds, you’d be told to scram. There was no telling what a kid by himself might try to get away with.

Cripes, it’s a heck of a thing how a half-a-focking-century can fly by when you lose track sometimes, ain’a? Seems like just the other day I was listening to Pat Boone try to croon “Tutti Frutti” through the AM transistor, and today I can enjoy hardcore pornography on my TV, if I were so inclined.

I wish I was a kid today instead of then when I was, you betcha. Heck, I’d probably even go to the Summerfest and hope adults weren’t around to screw things up since what adults seem best at is to screw things up, same as it ever was, what the fock, ’cause I’m Art Kumbalek and I told you so.

From: http://shepherdexpress.com/article-29987-asea-can-you-say.html

Two things I really, really, really want.

and

"Many College Students are ‘Book Virgins’"

"To gain admittance to college in the 17th century, students had to be able to read and translate various Latin authors on sight. 100 years ago, students were required to have read various classical works before being admitted.

"Today, however, many American students are being admitted to colleges without ever having read a book from start to finish. They are part of a cohort of students known as 'book virgins.'

"The National Association of Scholars (NAS) has pointed out this phenomenon in their recent report titled 'Beach Books: 2014-2016. What Do Colleges and Universities Want Students to Read Outside Class?' The report offers a detailed assessment of the books that colleges across America recommend to their students before they begin classes in the fall.

"The reading level of these books is oftentimes very low, meant to cater to the group of students who are 'book virgins':

"'The desire to appeal to incoming students who have rarely if ever read an adult book on their own… lead selection committees to choose low-grade "accessible" works that are presumed to appeal to "book virgins" who will flee actual college-level reading… [S]uch "book virgins" have to be wooed with simple, unchallenging works.' And how many 'book virgins' are there among entering college freshmen? According to NAS' David Randall—who drew upon NEA and Pew statistics—about 4 million, which represents about 20% of the entering freshmen class. Sadly, these students have discovered that they can receive adequate, and even good, grades in high school without ever reading a page of assigned texts.

"For many students today, it’s considered an embarrassment not to have lost one’s virginity before going to college.

"Would that more were embarrassed about being 'book virgins.'"

Read more at: http://www.intellectualtakeout.org/blog/many-college-students-are-book-virgins 
© IntellectualTakeout.org


People who can't read in college are a threat to our future.  Do you want to be operated on by a surgeon who learned from YouTube videos?  

"American Pravda: CNN Producer Says Russia Narrative 'bullsh*t'"

Hot damn!  Fake news now runs the world.  We have so many media that they have to lie to stay on top.

"New Study of Seattle's $15 Minimum Wage Says it Costs Jobs"

Seattle Mayor Ed Murray signed a bill that raised the city's minimum wage to $15 an hour in 2014. (Getty Images)

"Seattle's $15-an-hour minimum wage law has cost the city jobs, according to a study released Monday that contradicted another new study published last week.

"A University of Washington team studying the law's effects found that the law has boosted pay in low-wage jobs since it took effect in 2015, but that it also caused a 9 percent reduction in hours worked, The Seattle Times reported. For an average low-wage Seattle worker, that's a loss of about $125 per month, the study said.

"'If you're a low-skilled worker with one of those jobs, $125 a month is a sizable amount of money,' said Mark Long, one of the authors. 'It can be the difference between being able to pay your rent and not being able to pay your rent.'

"There would be about 5,000 more low-wage jobs in the city without the law, the study estimated.

"Seattle was one of the first U.S. cities to adopt a $15 minimum wage law, and its experience is being closely watched as other cities have followed suit and as advocates push for a higher federal minimum wage.

"The city's law is raising the minimum to $15 for all businesses by 2021.

"In the years covered by the study, 2015 and 2016, the minimum wage was at most $13, depending on business size, worker benefits and tips. The current minimum wage in Seattle ranges from $11 to $15, and unemployment is at a historically low 2.6 percent, thanks in part to the booming tech sector. 

"Seattle has added about 40,000 jobs overall in the last few years.

"Last week, a review by University of California at Berkeley economists found the law raised pay without hurting jobs in the restaurant industry. An author of that report, Michael Reich, criticized the University of Washington team's methodology.

"The University of Washington effort compared economic data from Seattle with economic data from other parts of Washington state — a statistical model referred to as 'synthetic Seattle' — for which economic trend lines were previously similar to Seattle. By comparing the 'synthetic Seattle' where no minimum wage increase took effect with Seattle itself, the researchers tried to figure out the minimum wage law's effect on Seattle's economy.

"But Reich took issue with how University of Washington team compiled its 'synthetic Seattle.' It was based on areas that 'do not at all resemble Seattle,' Reich warned in a letter to the city Monday .

"By contrast, the Berkeley study compared Seattle to a statistical model based on areas around the country — not just within the state — and was thus a 'more representative' comparison, he said.

"The University of Washington report excludes 'multisite businesses,' such as large corporations, restaurants and retail stores that own their branches directly. Single-site businesses, though — which are counted in the report — could include franchise locations that are owned separately from their corporate headquarters.

"Reich said multisite businesses employ a large percentage of Seattle's low-paid workers. That meant workers who left single-site businesses to work at multisite businesses were counted as job losses, not job gains in the UW study, he said.

"Jacob Vigdor, a public policy professor and one of the authors of the new report, stood by the team's findings. He noted that his team's study actually corroborated Berkeley's conclusion, finding zero impact from the minimum-wage law on restaurant employment — when taking into account jobs at all wage levels within the restaurant industry.

"But for low-wage restaurant workers, the law cost them work hours, the new report said. If the minimum wage law hadn't been in effect, those workers would have seen an 11 percent increase in their hours, the report said.

"'When we perform the exact same analysis as the Berkeley team, we match their results, which is inconsistent with the notion that our methods create bias,' he said."

© Copyright 2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

$15 an hour?  I never made $15 an hour in my life.  I think they should raise it to $1,500 an hour.  Then everyone can work one hour a week.  Put those crackheads to work.

"Roundup Could Be Getting a Warning Label"

The state's Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment announced Monday that the weed killer's main ingredient, glyphosate, will be listed in July as a chemical known to cause cancer. (Reed Saxon/AP Photo)

By SCOTT SMITH, Associated Press

"FRESNO, Calif. (AP) — Regulators in California took a pivotal step on Monday toward becoming the first state to require the popular weed killer Roundup to come with a label warning that it's known to cause cancer.

"Officials announced that starting July 7 the weed killer's main ingredient, glyphosate, will appear on a list California keeps of potentially cancerous chemicals. A year later, the listing could come with warning labels on the product, officials said.

"However, it's not certain whether Roundup will ultimately get a warning label.

"Monsanto, the chemical's maker, has filed an appeal after losing in court to block the labeling, arguing that Roundup doesn't cause cancer and that the labels will harm the company's business.

"State health regulators must also decide if there's a high enough amount of the chemical in Roundup to pose a risk to human health. State officials received more than 1,300 public comments.

"'We can't say for sure,' said Sam Delson, a spokesman for California's Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment. 'We're reviewing those comments.'

"Glyphosate has no color or smell. Monsanto introduced it in 1974 as an effective way of killing weeds while leaving crops and plants intact.

"It's sold in more than 160 countries, and farmers use it on 250 types of crops in California, the nation's leading farming state.

"Attorney Michael Baum, who represents more than 300 people who claim a loved one became sick or died from exposure to Roundup, says the fight to protect Californians is not over.

"He said that the state's failure to set the proper risk level would undermine protections California put in place by listing harmful chemicals.

"Scott Partridge, Monsanto's vice president of global strategy, said in a statement that glyphosate does not cause cancer and there's no need to list it as harmful in California.

"'This is not the final step in the process,' Partridge said. 'We will continue to aggressively challenge this improper decision.'

Copyright 2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed

I used Roundup a thousand times. I always wore long pants and I was careful about drift. Roundup is a total kill herbicide. You can get similar and cheaper stuff from Ortho or others. The draw with Poundup is that it breaks down in the soil in about a week. Roundup, like all great inventions, was discovered while searching for something else. Again, Roundup is total kill. Spray it on your lawn and it will die. In fact, I had one customer who was taking forever to pay me. I decided I would write "deadbeat" in her lawn with Roundup, but she paid me first. If you have weeds in your lawn, use Ortho's Weed-B-Gone. It will kill broad leaf weeds, but not grasses.