A CHRISTMAS BLOG -THE CIRCLE OF LIFE

Wife Phyl and I are spending Christmas in Baltimore with her son Tad, Lindy and the three kids: Lucas, Landon, and Hayden, ages, 5 - 3 - and 1, respectively.

If old Bar was still partaking of the hard stuff  a fifth of Cutty would have been high on HIS Santa stocking stuffer list.

My septugenarian head has been spinning like that kid from "The Exorcist". What goes around - comes around.

They kids are cute, personable as all get out, talkative and active. The emphasis here is definitely on the word "Active".

We have witnessed more blocking at the knees, head-on collisions, and neck high tackles than took place in Sunday's Raven/Patriots game.

Despite what I have just written - the little guys are a total delight and remind me much of what it was like to have 4 tots of my own at this time of year.

They were all also running around in anticipation of the big fat guy in the red suit who, even then, had a real hangup about flying bell-ringing reindeer.

Being here is a little like riding a bike again. You quickly recognize the sound and tone of a kids cry as one that is caused by sleep deprivation and confirms the dire need of a good nap.

So, Bella and I went upstairs - closed the door - and took one.

Thursday is my scheduled flight to Pittsburgh, celebrating the holidays with those former tots I referenced above; three of whom have nine of my grandkids  between them.

Thankfully, none of the grandkids are still young enough to enjoy tackling or attempting to smother their siblings with couch pillows.

But, then again, I'm not confident enough to seek confirmation of my assumption.

Tad is half my age and is constantly down on the floor playing with the kids - practicing moves and rough play with them that I was sure I alone had invented.

Phyl and I have decided: "Being a spectator is good!" Neither of us has felt the slightest compunction to volunteer as a tag team wrestling participant.

I'm enjoying the kids, but am very content to leave Phyl behind in Baltimore,
baking from recipes more diversified than any that Betty Crocker ever thought of.

Of course, that was also back in the day when another Betty, named Furness, was on live TV struggling with those stubborn Westinghouse refrigerator doors.

Times are indeed different in 2013, but it's still nice to relive those old fashioned memories for this Christmas blog.

My attitude is: "Been there - done it and I'm more than thrilled to just sit, taste, and watch."

Phyl swears what Tad gave - he is now receiving.

In her words: "the circle of life has now completed itself."

THE AM-EX RIPOFF?

Christmas is a tough shopping time for grown up kids who are looking for birthday and Christmas gifts for parents who are in their senior years.

My parents were smokers so cigarettes or pipe tobacco was a fairly safe bet - at least early on. I needed to expand my horizons.

Unfortunately, by the time Mom reached her 50's she had pretty much cornered the market on Milk Glass - and I really didn't want to listen to her lectures about buying Dad any more Vodka. He obviously was running out of places to hide it.

I found that a good alternative was driving them to a nice restaurant for dinner post-holiday - something we all could enjoy.

When my kids ask, "What would you and Phyl like?  - I sort of draw a blank. God has been good to us - both with our kids - and our creature comforts.

This year we hung a sign over our closets proclaiming it to be :"Bealls Department Store - Sullivan Branch".

Nowadays, almost everything we wear - from head to toe - comes from our Bealls stores in Florida.The clothes are well made - designs ever changing - selections many - and all the goodies  - needed or not - are reasonably priced.

When we consider our "Beall Bucks" we receive based on prior purchases - their frequent sales - and weekly Tuesday Senior Days - I fully expect someday - after they bag our purchases - they will  put nothing on our charge - and instead, hand us an instant cash rebate.

My alternative gift idea for my kids  - who have no Bealls - is non-specific gift cards that they can choose to spend them wherever and whenever.

A tradition between me and my kids is to use gift cards of varying denominations as opposed to either of us purchasing for the other an item of gift clothing that even the guys over at the Moose would laugh at.

My gift cards are usually either for a great restaurant they might "pass" on due to family priorities, or instead, to as a means of furnishing them with some extra funds for something expensive they like but hesitate to buy. The gift cards can make up the difference and placate their conscience for wanting it.

One of my kids simply asks for a holiday gift card from Lowes each Christmas - as he's always building something.

While some in my family don't understand the logic - it works for us.

My side of the family has concluded gift cards are great - that is - unless they are Am-Ex gift cards, like the two for $25 one of the kids thoughtfully sent to me for my birthday. Couldn't use them!

Even though my kids paid cold cash (which is floating around in someone's business coffers)  - the checkout clerk either overlooked or possibly intentionally failed to clear the Am-Ex cards for future use - and, bottom line - the kids have no receipt to determine which of the hundred stores in their shopping area "did the deed".

"Ole Dad" was upset with both the store and Am-Ex when he found out what happened - but not in anyway upset at the kids.

It was a great idea - and could have easily been the incentive for me to try the top shelf wine at Geckos instead of the house brand. The fact I require neither is beside the point.

Let's be honest: "Who hangs on to all their family shopping receipts - particularly when our progeny have 14 kids of their own. That's one heckuva lot of receipts to store up.

Besides, the kids probably concluded : "The cards are from American Express - what could possibly go wrong?"

I simply reasoned all our kids would need much larger homes or go rent storage rooms (first month free) to retain all of their many receipts.

Despite my calls to Amex - and they were not dull - my attempts to reach  someone who had more than a  passing knowledge of English pronounciation  accompanied by slightly above average customer service skills - were all in vain.

Even following  my encouragement of the "supervisor" to set up a conference call  between Am-Ex , my kid and myself  (and which he also blew) - Am-Ex wouldn't bend.  

The attitude of the Am-Ex supervisor was :"No receipt? No replacement. No reimbursement!" I reluctantly gave up - deciding recovering fifty bucks isn't worth a stroke.

My "Senior Logic" tells me: Am-Ex sold the cards to the retailer for resale - making a profit.The retailer pocketed my kids $50  - also making a profit  - and my kids - the consumers - are out 50 bucks - simply because they don't hoard all of their store receipts and had confidence in "Big Blue".

Maybe on the next trip to Bealls I can purchase a suitable frame for my two bright and shiny American Express gift cards - that do not expire until 2023 - and hang it above my office computer - so I don't forget.

The fact I couldn't use the cards to buy yet one more Bealls sweatshirt and/or a pair of K-Swiss sneaks to add to my collection is a minor issue.

However, the fact that the money didn't go to one of my grandkids to purchase his or her own sweatshirt and sneaks - is not.

Thank You Am-Ex.

STEALING AGAIN/PLAYING CHICKEN,

It continues to scare me that friend Harry http://www.harry2335.blogspot.com and I share some of the same pet-peeves.

Harry's latest blog addressed the subject of "why" questions about football.

I enjoyed the blog but found one comment/question in particular which I "again" chose to steal and embellish:" Why do they (football players) jump around and make funny gestures after a good play or touchdown?"

My mind immediately went to Steelers receiver Emmanuel Sanders, although Harry's observation could apply (and may have been intended) to describe his defensive teammates as well when they finally make a tackle.

One disclaimer: When you watch your favorite football team lose games they surely would have won in seasons past, resulting in their current lousy win/loss record, it would take a mighty fine person not to give in to the temptation to make some player or coach a scapegoat.

I am not that mighty fine person.

My wife Phyl and I often watch the Steelers games - when possible at home - but, when not shown by Brighthouse - we will often gravitate to various local sports bars - if we think we can stomach the drunk fans from the opposite teams.

My wife - an ex-jock in high school who retained her youthful good looks - is also a good football watching partner. She understands the game and watches it with critical eyes - sometimes catching things I missed..

Last week she turned to me during a game and asked sardonically, "Why does Sanders get so excited and dance around if he makes what appears to be a fairly easy catch when he's also the guy who dropped two critical passes that cost them the ballgame?"

I couldn't hide my Irish attempt at humor and replied, "Perhaps it's just because he's so surprised to finally catch one."

She looked at me - rolled her eyes - and went back to viewing the game - or whatever you call it when it involves watching the Steelers this year.

Years ago, the Pittsburgh Pirates had a behemouth of a man, Willie Stargell, a bodacious home run hitter who smacked 48 one year.

Willie also owned a chicken restaurant in the Pittsburgh Hill District. The restaurant had a promotional tie to his home run production. For every homer Willie hit those customers in his restaurant at the time received free chicken.

I wish in this day when - on televised sports events - the networks can instantly display the most minute statistics about the athletes - including their bathroom habits -  they would find the time to add  a couple more.

When a receiver, like Sanders, does make a catch - could they show how much - according to his per game salary - he was paid to do just that  And, then announce that the player has graciously volunteered to donate that same amount to a local charity?

OK, that's not "chicken feed" - but, let's face it - that post-catch childish stuff  is pure "chicken s--t."

Missing Out

As you grow older do you have to stretch your imagination to try to recall what you really missed out on when you were young?

Let me help. Perhaps one thing you missed most - was just that - your imagination.

Caution: this is not one of those old days vs new days blogs.Each generation has gained something on the previous generation.

Take 78 rpm records vs the 33 1/3 albums. I loved my 78s but got tired of having to get up everytime a song ended and the record needed to be turned over. It also didn't do much to enhance pre-teen romance either. That clickety-clack could drive you nuts. The so-called LP's (long plays) were much more accomodating as I moved into my teen years.

There were other benefits to compensate for those short term music days. Actually, they were quite simple.

It seemed to me that some of my best memories are of being alone  - day dreaming out under a big tree of unknown species at the end of Atlantic Avenue school's softball field. In my secret - very own location - I would stare with varying degrees of concentration back at the school building rebuilt after the fire in "45" or "46".

Neither parent was informed as to where I was going.

I used to imagine that the new brick building configuration at the end of my glazed vew represented a steam engine pulling a coal car.  You can only guess at the great cloud pictures I could  - and did - make while lying on my back under my tree. It compensated for my inability to draw anything more advanced than stick figures in those old white tablets made of heavily distilled pulp..

There were few distractions other than the leaves blowing = perhaps some small birds singing- and the occasional butterly that dared to intrude on my revery

Occasionally the sound of  an organ playing softly at the Presbyterian Church at the end of the field and to the left would waft up into my sensory musings,  drifting in and out on a windy day.

I wasn't accomplishing much of anything back then. Just daydreaming and   slowly exercising my mind capacity.

Sometimes I had a blade of grass or a dandelion stem clenched within my teeth  - possibly imitating my Dad with his ever present pipe. I don't know. I don't care.

I wonder now if he ever removed it during those romantic soirees with my Mom on three total occasions which he insisted occurred during their marriage.

Sometimes, with no planning a forethought - as I daydreamed - and mused -a solution would pop ingto my head as I sub-consciously revisited one of those big pre-teen problems we all thought we had.

But, most of all my time was spent simply relaxing in the little world of my own I had formed.

Unlike the shacks I had built out of  large appliance boxes from Bestwick Electric I never invited anyone to join me under my tree.

 I suspect if  a friend had wandered by during one of my tree visits I would simply have stood up and suggested we do this or that instead of sitting. Didn't care to share.

My tree was a short distance from the alley at the rear of 120 Sumner Avenue, a e house with the white picket fence on 3 sides my grandfathers had built to protect the twos story house in which I  lived with Mom, Dad, and 2 brothers.

Upon revisiting the site while in my 50's it was amazing how much the yard had shrunk.

One late night Mom and I sat at the upstairs rear window with either Brother Jim or Tom (still a baby) while Dad was across the alley with the Forest Hills  Volunteer Fire Department attempting to put out the blaze of the old Atlantic Avenue school.

I wonder what I was thinking that night - other than remembering not to press any body parts up against the extremely hot glass .

 Perhaps my thoughts were of the two goldfish I had brought to Miss Huss's third grade class and left at her request - wondering if, while they were located on the side of the building opposite the fire, they had managed to survive.

My memory is of being thrilled when I learned they were safe - even though some other kid's "show and tell' pussy cat devoured them in one bite during a visit the following week.

Okay, I made that up.

Saccharin was starting to build up on my new computer keyboard.

Would it have been the same if some classmate had interrupted my thoughts with a cellphone call during my tree visit?

As I look back on those childhood days not really sure that I "missed out."

COULD SOMEONE PLEASE TELL ME?

COULD SOMEONE PLEASE TELL ME:

WHY BRUCE ARIENS WAS LET GO BY THE PITTSBURGH STEELERS?

WHY THE PIRATES WITH CLOSE TO RECORD ATTENDANCE
CONTINUE TO CLAIM THEY SIMPLY DO NOT HAVE THE MONEY TO COMPETE WITH THEIR OPPONENTS- INCLUDING SO-CALLED SMALL MARKET TEAMS -  WHO ARE ACTIVELY USING THE FREE AGENT MARKET - PARTICULARLY WHEN THE PIRATES 2013 LATE SEASON ACQUISITIONS ALMOST PUT THEM INTO THE WORLD SERIES?

WHY IS THE PIRATES FREE AGENT STRATEGY PAINFULLY REMINDFUL OF THE GUY WHO WAITS UNTIL LATE CHRISTMAS EVE TO BUY HIS WIFE AND KIDS PRESENTS AT MARK DOWN PRICES AND THEN COMPLAINS ABOUT THE CHOICES HE HAS?

WHY DOES THE FIRST GUY IN LINE AT A SHORT LIGHT WAIT AN INORDINATE AMOUNT OF TIME AND THEN INSIST ON STAYING THERE WHEN THAT LIGHT CHANGES?

WHY, AS WE GROW OLDER -  DEALING WITH ARTHRITIS, EYESIGHT PROBLEMS,  REDUCED FLEXIBILITY AND SUSPECT HAND STRENGTH  - DO WE FIND THE PRODUCTS WE MUST PURCHASE  DUE TO THESE AND SIMILAR AILMENTS ARE WRAPPED IN A WAY THAT WOULD PUZZLE THE GUY WHO CAME UP WITH THE RUBIC CUBE - REQUIRE THE USE OF A BLOWTORCH - PNEUMATIC DRILL - AND THE STRENGTH OF A CHARLES ATLAS STRENGTH SCHOOL GRADUATE - (WITH OR WITHOUT THE SAND IN THE FACE AND WHILE EMPLOYING ONLY 50% OF HIS DYNAMIC TENSION ABILITY ) IN ORDER TO SUCCESSFULLY OPEN THESE SAME PRODUCTS?

ARE THERE REALLY THAT MANY PEOPLE IN STORES WHO ARE INTENT ON STEALING ONE BATTERY OUT OF A 12 PACK OF TRIPLE A  BATTERIES? WOULDN'T IT MAKE MORE SENSE THEY'D SIMPLY POCKET THE WHOLE PACK?

DO WE REALLY NEED TO PROTECT THE BATTERY/CD/BALLPOINT PENS  CONTENTS WITH A SHRINK WRAP THAT COULD POSSIBLY HAVE SAVED THE LIVES OF FALLEN ASTRONAUTS AND ENABLED SUPERMAN TO AVOID THE CRIPPLING EFFECTS OF CRYPTONITE?

WHY DO SO MANY STEELER FANS STILL BELIEVE THERE IS A CORRELATION BETWEEN THE  BONEHEAD DECISIONS THAT STEELER COACH MIKE TOMLIN MAKES AND THE COLOR OF HIS SKIN?

WHY CAN'T THEY RECALL THE NUMBER OF SUPER BOWLS HE TOOK HIS TEAM TOO?

WHY DO SO MANY PEOPLE OF COLOR TRULY BELIEVE THAT THE CRITICISM HEAPED ON PRESIDENT OBAMA IN RECOGNITION OF SOME DOOZY FOULUPS IN HIS ADMINISTRATION ARE STRICTLY BASED ON HIS SKIN COLOR?

WHY DO THESE SAME FOLKS REFERENCED IN THE LAST PARAGRAPH  NOT RECOGNIZE -  THAT IT WOULD BE MORE LOGICAL TO CONCLUDE THEY ARE THE TRUE RACISTS - ARE KEEPING RACIAL BIAS ALIVE EVERY BIT AS MUCH AS THE TOMLIN CRITICS - BUT STILL INSIST ON  BEING MYSTIFIED ABOUT WHAT THEY SEE AS INCREASING RACIAL BIAS?

WHY IT IS SO DIFFICULT FOR PEOPLE TO SIMPLY ADMIT "I WAS (AM) WRONG". WHAT DASTARDLY FATE ARE THEY SO SURE WILL BEFALL THEM IF THEY DO SO?

WHY WOULD AN OVERSIZED DOLPHINS FAN PLACE HIMSELF DIRECTLY IN FRONT OF THE ONLY TV SHOWING THE STEELER/DOLPHIN GAME BUT SPEND MOST OF HIS TIME LOUDLY COMPLAINING TO THE GUY SEATED NEXT TO HIM ABOUT HIS CELL PHONE'S POOR RECEPTION VS THE ONE HIS WIFE OWNS?

WHY WON'T THE FLORIDA AUTO DEALERS CONSIDER  MAKING THE PURCHASE OF TURN SIGNALS AN OPTION WITH AN APPROPRIATE PRICE REBATE?

WHO - IN THE NAME OF GOD - IS ACTUALLY USING THEM AND WHEN IF EVER ARE THEY STOPPED BY THE FLORIDA POLICE IN A STATE WHO CLAIMS THEY ARE ALLEGEDLY CASH POOR?

IS IT DIFFICULT FOR OUT OF STATE DRIVERS TO RELEARN THE PURPOSE OF TURN SIGNALS ONCE THEY RETURN TO THEIR STATE OF RESIDENCE - WHERE - WHO KNOWS- THEY MAY WELL ENFORCE THEIR OWN TURN SIGNAL LAWS?

WHY DO YOUNG DRIVERS NOT REALIZE THAT WHEN THE DISTANCE BETWEEN THEIR SLOW MOVING  CAR APPROACHING A LIGHT AND THE ONE IN FRONT OF THEM IS ABOUT AN EIGHTH OF A MILE THAT SOMEONE MIGHT REASONABLY DEDUCE THEY ARE TEXTING WHILE DRIVING? (SAW IT AGAIN TODAY)

WHY IS THE PRICE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A HALF-GALLON OF MILK AND A GALLON OF MILK (DOUBLE THE SIZE) SO SMALL - AND THE PRICE OF DECENT TASTING CHEESE SO HIGH?

WHY DO RESTAURANTS WHO CONTINUE TO RAISE THE PRICES OF THEIR TAKE OUT NOT ASK - WHEN THE ORDER IS CALLED IN- "WILL YOU NEED PLASTICWARE OR CONDIMENTS WITH THAT ORDER?"

(I'VE GOT THE NAME OF A MISSION IN AFRICA WHO WOULD LOVE TO HAVE EITHER OR BOTH - AND HAVE NEVER TASTED MILK)

ARE THERE REALLY THAT MANY PEOPLE WHO EAT THEIR BOSTON MARKET TAKEOUT WITH PLASTIC UTENSILS WHILE SEATED IN THEIR COOPERS?

WHY DO THE BASEBALL/SOCCER/FOOTBALL COACHES IN THEIR HUGE OVERSIZE VANS USE THE DRIVE-IN FOR THE PURPOSE OF ORDERING FOOD FOR THEIR TEAM, THE LOSING TEAM AND THE LEAGUE OFFICIALS - AND THEN GO BACK AND LECTURE THEIR GRADE SCHOOL AND INTERMEDIATE PLAYERS ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF ORGANIZATION AND COURTESY?

WHY CAN'T PEOPLE FIGURE OUT THE TWO ORDERING LANES AT MACDONALDS?

WHY DO THE MOTORISTS DOWN HERE TRULY BELIEVE THAT WHEN TURNING ON RED IT IS THEY WHO HAVE THE RIGHT OF WAY OF ALL TURNING TRAFFIC - INCLUDING THOSE WHO DO HAVE A GREEN LIGHT?

WHY AM I BOTHERING TO ASK THESE QUESTIONS WHEN IT WON'T CHANGE A @#$%^ THING?

WHY THE BIG PRINT?

SO I CAN READ  IT.

FAMILY PET PEEVES.

Daughter Beth recently wrote on Facebook that what she truly was thankful for is -  "there are only 6 days left in November for people to tell us what it is they are thankful for."

In my follow-up call to Beth for clarification she confirmed that the "thankfulness" she dislikes appeared to be that which is more maudlin than sincere.

 My read was it was  sort of a twist on "The Lady doth protest too much, methinks." (by Queen Gertrude in Hamlet.)

I think we can both agree that perhaps being thankful should exclude things like:

More Stores now being open on Black Thursday, being one of the first ten in line at CVS for a heavily discounted electronic naval cleaner or - receiving drunken Uncle Morey's hand printed note announcing his Thanksgiving Dinner regrets.

None of these "thanks" appear to be in the original Thanksgiving spirit of either Abe or FDR, regardless of their motivation.

My personal  pet-peeve at this time of the year is "The Year In Review" a subject for which the media - like the store owners and their preferred shopping days - apparently are convinced should be moved up each year.

Their columns and articles inundating us with instant replay of 2013 seem to have started on or about September 1. Next, I fear will be the "First Six Months In Review."

It's stupid. The year still has more than a month to go. Like the possiblility of my life flashing in front of my eyes as a near death experience I would really rather pass on hearing anything more about 2013, particularly if it has anything to do with Justin Bieber or Myley Cyrus.

To me, it would be like, immediately after the first 100 days of Obama's presidency, asking their readers or viewers to make judgments as to his future success.

 I suspect, at this time The Prez and First Lady Michelle were more pre-occupied with trying to locate the good silverware that mysteriously disappeared when the Bush family thoughtfully put it in storage.

I probably fear Alzheimers about as much as my peers, but does the media really believe that all of us old enough to be eligible for AARP membership have already been stricken by it.

While I'm at it, another recent "pet peeve" is the fear of the airlines dictating to us that we must now experience cellphone calls in flight.

In my case the concern is due to a term called  "pleonasm" which  I recently found by mistake while looking for something else.

It means - when applied to our current vernacular - having to listen to conversations  like: "So he said - then I said - then she said", etc. (You may substitute the word "go" for "said" should you so desire.)

A final peeve was captured in a recent cartoon also forwarded to me by Beth via Facebook.

It shows a woman - young to middle age - with a smart phone in her hand announcing "I don't mind pressing one for English. I just want to be connected to someone who actually speaks English when I do!"

OK, I'm done.

OK,I'll Plagiarize - just a little

Friend Harry, has a blog called "The Old Thinker " found at http://harry2335.blogspot.com. I plagiarized something from him recently - but only after gaining his permission - and am about to do it again..

His recent interesting blog entitled "Why 2" got me thinking.

My wife and I are big fans of the detective shows - too many to list here - but we also are puzzled and post these questions like Harry.

Question 1: Why do the police/detectives FBI etc not slide up beside the accused bad guy before they announce who they are and order the alleged fugutive to stop in his tracks?

Answer: If they did, then we could not fill the show with those great chase scenes - where the bad guy throws shopping carts - umbrella stands - undocumented residents - bicycles - stacked canned goods displays - manequins -  boxes containing 2 years supply of Cialis - bathtubs - etc in the path of the good guys who are attempting to apprehend him.

Question 2: Why do the good guys (above) spend so much time at the firing range so they can hit the center of the bullseye 9 out of 10 times from 150 feet , but, when chasing said suspect they always shoot him "dead" through the heart when he's in the 5 to 10 feet range?

Let's be honest here. They  never - or hardly ever - manage to disarm him by shooting the bad guy in the hand which is holding the weapon - or in his dominant leg - which would cause him to fall down - and be cuffed;  therefore allowing them to question him and immediately find out who the top bad dude was who put him up to their dastardly deeds?

Answer: If the guy was wounded and allowed to talk he would quickly name the true mastermind behind the series of crimes and the show would wrap up in 30 minutes instead of an hour. Some say that might tend to p.o. the sponsors who paid for a 60 minute show.

Question 3: What type of healing agent do they apply to the body of the good guy, who has just been stabbed or shot several times and generally had the snot beaten out of him by 5 really bad guys  - two of whom had mysteriously discovered  Monster Truck tire irons just lying around on a marble floor - particularly if  2 or 3 hours later the good guy hops out of his hospital bed - never trips over a bedpan  - puts on his clothes effortlessly and flees out the hospital window - on the 14th floor - to promptly lead a long chase (see question 1) that results in the capture of the bad guy - by the good guy jumping off a 35 foot balcony on the mezzanine level of the Hotel Hilton and tackling him?

Answer: There is no ban on the use of HGH (human growth hormone) in cop shows.

OK Har, I just plagiarized a little. Keep dem questions coming pal.

Probably a Good Move

A buddy of mine was explaining the other day why he always opens, reads his e-mail,  and does what ever Publisher's Clearing House (PCH) instructs him to do.

"My wife left me last week and I miss having someone constantly attempting to make an ass out of me."

Years ago, I used to get those PCH sweepstakes notices in my snail mail and duly affix my signature to the numbers contained inside the mailing while returning one copy to PCH.

Sad to report but the Prize Patrol never came to my home and I continued to write those bad checks.

About six weeks ago I discovered, included in my spam, a new and improved method of PCH contacting me in order to assure I did not miss out on receiving: $7,000 a week for the rest of my life,  free weekly foot massages by THOR, or  something entitled "The Best Of Nixon".

I filled it out and promptly returned it after checking my CD library and  confirming I had had nothing by Marni Nixon - or Audrey Hepburn, for that matter.

Big Mistake!

Now PCH has informed me ( via their two, three, sometimes 4 times a day correspondence) that I should be excited, as I been awarded the winning ticket in the drawing to determine who is their official BFF.

Now, I know what that means in computer shorthand, however I suspect their BFF is something entirely different.

(and yes, I could stand to lose more than just a few pounds)

Happy Monday!

Johnny Inkslinger

Johnny Inkslinger - the so-called mythical accountant for equally mythical logsplitter Paul Bunyan - was one of my favorite heros as a child. Maybe it was because my Dad played the numbers too, but, I think it was much more than that.

Johnny was a Timekeeper. His name, Inkslinger, came from the logger word for camp clerk.

It is said Johnny invented figures and bookkeeping to replace the crude method by Bunyan for keeping accounts by notching trees. Supposedly Inkslinger invented Accounting also by connecting his newly invented pen to a barrel of ink with a rubber hose.

It was claimed that one year he saved 9 barrels of ink by simply not crossing the (t-s) nor dotting the ( i-s). But, the loggers were suspicious of him as they accused him of using a split pen to record the tobacco and socks they bought.

I share their suspicions even today- and believe the recently approved expanded use of instant replay into baseball is only one example of how pencil pushers - number crunchers - and inkslingers are spoiling what was indeed my favorite national pasttime - baseball.

I am here to assure you that few umpires have ever gone to Hell by blowing a ball and strike call while attempting to judge where the agate ended up in the vicinity of home plate.

 Similarly, there are no reports of umpire hanging - even in beloved Mudville - because an umpire closed one eye as he judged which side of the foul pole the baseball passed.

Folks, it is okay to make a mistake - maybe even three or four of them. Nobody has died as a result of failing to note that the foot of the second baseman was nowhere near the bag when he was allegedly turning a double-play.

Here is one guy who is convinced we have evolved into a nation where we fail to understand the Law of Diminishing Returns. We are hellbent on achieving zero tolerance for the word MAYBE.

It would be nice to think that the reasoning for doing so is spiritual. Perhaps that  is because in the cursory reading of my Bible over the years I cannot recall in the Gospels where Jesus is quoted as saying - ON THE OTHER HAND!

No, I do but jest. It is definitely not about religion - at least the type we grew up with.

It IS about this incessant quest to make everything numerically and mathmatically perfect, particularly if by doing so we can convert the result into the making of money - another religion altogether.

To the best of my (again) limited knowledge there is only one individual who can honestly lay claim to the character trait - Perfect - and his people killed him for it.

Does anybody truly believe that in this engorging emergence of cyberspace and miniscule manifestations that the calling of balls and strikes will not be eventually performed by machines despite all protestations to the contrary?

Come on folks!

Do not tell this old fart, who loves to reminisce about - and sometimes savor - the imperfect times in which he grew up, that you experienced baseball fans out there really did not enjoy watching Leo Durocher kicking dirt on the shoes of the men in blue!

I did not think so.

So let us not even venture to wonder if  Johnny Inkslinger actually existed or Paul Bunyan really scooped out the Great Lakes to supply Babe his Blue Ox with drinking water.

Instead, please join me in my Don Quixote quest for traditionalism.

If you choose not to do it for me - do it for Cervantes!

The Simple Things

It is just too easy nowadays for me to to write strictly negative stuff. So, I am trying to reform.

A friend e-mailed us today to report that her young grandson Ethan recently completed  an oral book report on the life of Noah Webster.

At the end of the report the grandson announced that Mr. Webster had died - and promptly fell to the floor for emphasis.

Move over Mark Twain. This is a REAL storyteller.
___________________

Could not get the Steelers game at home so we went to Trumans - a local haunt - slightly upscale - and found corner seats at the bar directly in front of their big bright TV.

It was  our favorite spot for watching the Pirates earlier in the year and now the Steelers - both of which we do not get on local TV very often.

The TV set  is sheltered from the light as the contractors recessed it into the wall and placed it strategically so even the heavy door traffic - with the constant opening and closing of the side door - does not interfere with our viewing pleasure.

Picture was great. I know this to be true as I was drinking iced tea throughout the first half.

Having watched cornerback Ike Taylor experiencing a truly miserable half by  cementing  his reputation for possessing hands of stone as he tried to cover magnificient Detroit receiver Calvin Johnson,(basically by himself), I realized a change in defensive strategy was clearly in order.

So, I ordered a Pinot Grigio.

It was a simple adjustment and seemed to please the bartender since he no longer had to keep running back to the kitchen to retrieve my iced teas on an extremely busy day.

It also worked.

Taylor got some help -Johnson caught no more touchdowns - and the Steelers had a come from behind victory that raised their record to a magnificent 4 and 6.

There are a lot of team-support strategies out there. You may want to try the Pinot Grigio Switch if your favorite team is behind at halftime.

You see, it really is the simple things that make old farts happy.

MY NEW BFF

MY new BFF - or as the kids say - Best Friend Forever - has sadly become none other than PCH - formerly known as Publishers Clearing House. On a slow news day in the Sullivan house I committed an incredibly dumb mistake. Some background is in order. In prior years we all - except those who were not qualified -(whoever the hell those poor souls might be) were recipients ONCE a year of an invitation to receive coupons that would put you in the running via filling out the enclosed coupons guaranteed to make you eligible to win great prizes if you would only mail them back to PCH. Should you have that once in 10 million (or whatever) opportunity to win thus having the PCH come to your house - with video cameras - klieg lights etc - and supposedly surprise you with the amazing news that you were a Publishing Clearing house as the carrot of the mailing. PCH is now much more sophisticated. They are a little like the guy back in the 70s who came up to you in the bar beseeching you to lend him $5. Depending on how much scotch I had consumed or the amount of my winnings on the pool table I would occasionally kiss my in the bar to whom you lent $5 and snf eho now stalks you for another fivere dslkd you4

TWO OBSERVANT FRIENDS

A growing trend today is the increasing number of writers found guilty of plagiarism - using words from someone else as if they were their own? There would appear to be enough words to go around.

After all, if we can make up thousands of songs out of FACE & EGBDF and variations of about 8 basic notes, why would we have to stoop to stealing words?

Despite this I am about to PLAGIARIZE using the words from one of my favorite blog writers, Harry Pierson http://harry2335.blogspot.com/

Harry is a fellow senior with similar observations as myself, but fortunately for Harry and his readers,it takes him much fewer words to let you know what they are.

We also both have different writing styles, but even with advancing age, we easily recall the lessons taught by family, school, church, and our life experiences. We may not remember where we put our car keys but refuse to forget those teachings.

As a result, one of us anyway, is contemplating acquiring a forehead tattoo similar to those used in ancient times to identify the crude and lewd. My tat will simply be that of a question mark (?) and not just to emphasize the hairline that keeps rising.

I think it is not out of line to conclude that much of what my friend and I are observing just does not make sense to us. Take cellphones and social media in general as an example.

Here are just a few questions I plagiarize from a recent blog by Harry entitled: WHY?:

Why do people think we like to hear them talking on a cell phone?
Why are 50% of the people coming and going from stores on a cell?
Why do most people talk loud on their cell phones?
Why do they have to talk on their cell phones while shopping?

And, perhaps my favorite question: Why is the first person in line at a light always texting when the light changes?

We are baffled at what we see as a strange dysfunctional compulsion to always be in communication with another? I threw up my hands - (and part of my breakfast) the other day when I heard this well dressed woman on her cellphone at Publix advising her doggie it was time to go to the potty.

OK, I made that up. Maybe it was Walmart.

But, I am sure she had Rover on speed dial.

Why is it so important to be able to demonstrate how many friends one has on Facebook?

How many will lend you money in a pinch - bring over food when you or one of your loved ones is ill - pull your weeds if you are a snowbird - brush the snow off your garage roof  back home while you are gone -send you a thank you CARD - or be upfront with you when you are acting like a damn fool?

How many of your FRIENDS will De-FRIEND you at the slightest hint that you might have dissed them or wrote something with which they disagree?

I used to think the measure of knowing you had friends was simply by observing the number of smiles on the faces of people when you walked into a room.

Later I learned to temper that observation by immediately checking to see if I had remembered to fully employ my zipper and/or remove any trailing toilet paper from my shoe.

So, if you also choose to adopt my self-made FRIEND recognition tool, do not stop at the restroom immediately before entering.

If you do however, you may be surprised to observe the amazing number of YOUR FRIENDS who immediately pick up their cellphones to update THEIR FRIENDS.

HENNY PENNY TIME?

This is normally the time of year - halfway through the season - when we Steeler fans start to follow any team in our division that might possibly appear to present a challenge to us reaching the playoffs. Not necessary now!

At 2 and 6 we appear to have little chance of beating anyone but The Little Sisters Of The Poor - or maybe on a good day - Jacksonville and Tampa. Unfortunately, none of them are on our schedule this year.

We appear to be well on the way to the road to Oblivion, rumored to be a small town on the outskirts of Wilmerding. Like Heaven, it is quite difficult to pinpoint an exact location - but we are almost there.

I know the kingdom of Oblivion exists because many of the prime occupants: Henny Penny, (a/k/a Chicken Licken or Chicken Little) Ducky Wucky, Turkey Lurky, Foxy Loxy, and possibly even Goosey Loosey, are quite vocal as to all things Steelers-like.

They remain puzzled as to whether or not to tell the King of their latest discovery: the Steelers win/loss record, a more dastardly threat to the kingdom than could ever have been imagined by Snively Whiplash for that wiseass squirrel and his bucktoothed  partner; the moose.

Unfortunately, though they differ as to causation for the Steeler calamity, all these kingdom residents are agreed that the sky must be falling. They are not alone. Some of their clan have apparently moved to Pittsburgh proper.

As one Steeler fan who faithfully watched the Steeler/Patriots game - all the way through- I finally decided that my decision to do so resulted in cruelty that upstaged what ever bullying tactics Richie Incognito had on his menu.

Sad to report Henny, etc. but, the sky is not falling - we just stink and have for some time now.

Contrary to the conclusion reached by one pundit in attempting to explain away our increasing number of home losses, it has nothing to do with a suspected recipe change for the Pierogies served to the team as a pre-game meal.

Everybody is sure they have come up with that one true accurate explanation.

Included in this analysis is faulty coaching- the advanced age of the players - new guys who do not understand the Steelers tradition - the noticeable reduction in mobility for their quarterback - receivers and quarterback who are not on the same page - a defense that has a phobia about interceptions - runners who appear to have left their skills in the weight room - and injuries to the offensive line, the severity of which has not been seen since the implosion of the Republican Party.

But, the true answer to our multiple choice question may well be #5 - All Of The Above.

A search for a single important cause via the critics conjectures will be as futile as this writer trying to prioritize the reasons St.Peter will no doubt flag me and send me to very hot showers on that last great day.

There are just too many factors in the Steelers fall from grace for any of us to accurately pinpoint the main reason we might finally be able to get a home game ticket at a reasonable price (gratis?) this year.

Conclusion: As a professional football team - we suck. As a semi-pro team - its still iffy. This years on-field performances (or lack of same) suggest at seasons end (almost any day now) the Steeler organization and our new Mayor should designate a parade to Heinz Field for a ticketholder tailgate party menu consisting solely of Brussel Sprouts and Spam.

Now, that IS cruelty!

If you can possibly agree with the truism I have layed on you, why not give Henny Penny a holler?

And remind her, it is only a game. The sky is fine.

Sports and Politics

It is tough to know where to start - or if to start -choosing to write a blog, that is.

This blog corner has been pretty quiet for a while - and for good reasons. Other matters have taken precedence.

Fortunately, the most important - the eyesight of my wife - seemingly has made a turn for the better, praise God, after several months of painful treatment and an accompanying fear for both of us that she might lose her sight in the right eye.

All other things that normally arouse this Irishman seem to pale in comparison to that of the need for good health as we become an aging commodity.

Sports and politics continue to remain an easy target with which to vent the kind of anger that has inspired many previous blogs.

But, the Pirates had a great season - until recently the Penquins have been playing well - and both Pitt and Penn State continue to field football teams - even if in a difference universe than teams from Alabama and Ohio - and my adopted Florida State football team makes most of us Floridians proud.

Probably best if you did not express that sentiment in a local bar down here as, like in Pennsylvania, the state football team rivalries are fierce.

The Steelers? Like this old guy, they are suffering from age creeping up on them, and draft picks that fail to achieve the early success level of stock picks from Warren Buffett - or even Jimmy Buffett, for that matter.

Politics?  I used to say about New Jersey and Philadelphia the best thing that could happen to this country would be if we discovered a huge eruptive fault line around both, causing them to drift mercifully out to sea.

I now include Texas in my quest to have this one proud state join the latter pair so as to provide all of us with reason, hope, and some signs of sanity.

Ted Cruz and The Tea Party - (not to be confused with one that had Mary Jane and Sniffles as attendees) has started to resemble your rude Uncle Cosmo, who at Thanksgiving dinner continued to ignore your pleadings to pass the mashed potatoes and stuffing.

But, none of the above has been the greatest impediment to my writing a blog recently.

There has been an increasing awareness on my part of the importance for the functioning of the apostrophe/quote key - which my keyboard currently lacks - and which also has given me pause about eating chips and sandwiches while I type. This simple tool of typing has suffered the same abuse from me as the quote, exclamation point - and dash keys.

That I have been able to write an entire blog without the presence of the former  is cause for celebration to this old guy who saw it as a challenge - not a calamity.

Now if I can just apply that same positive reasoning to the likes of subjects such as sports and politics - I may also be well be on the road to recovery.

See you soon.

THE LOST GENERATION

We seniors have become the "lost generation". We didn't intend it to end that way.

In the last three weeks my wife and I have lost a money clip, a credit card, and a checkbook. Today we lost the dog -  in the house.

It is kind for folks to say, "You didn't lose them, you misplaced them." It's also kind of people to say, "You're not fat - you're fluffy."

Truth be known, since becoming a senior I've lost many things - only a few that I've recovered as Blanche Dubois would say, "through the kindness of strangers."

I've discovered there are a lot of honest people down here who continue to turn in - untouched - my material possessions. Most of these losses were due to my fondness of wearing my shallow pocket Nike basketball shorts.

There are some things we can do to avoid a loss - or even being lost. The GPS helps. Even movies. Since watching Henry Fonda in Golden Pond I have never again walked in the woods by myself.

To avoid losing the car, I now make it a point when entering a large shopping mall with several entrances and exits to memorize the display as we enter the store. I also store my computer passwords in a convenient location that I sometimes remember.

I have even convinced my petite wife of the wisdom in her carrying a six foot flag when we go shopping so I can see her over the  high shelves. Many a time we've located each other by the use of our cellphones, unless, of course, I forget to get mine out of our car.

You may laugh at the shopping center example but one get's tired of going back out to the car to see if she got frustrated at searching for me - checked out - and is now sitting in the cool air-conditioning with the dog while she awaits my return from God knows where.

I'm still looking for that "perfect" clapper for my car keys and my cellphone. Yeah, it's great to just dial my cell number from another phone -  but I often forget the number.

The cushions on my couch and recliners have been turned over more frequently than my dear Irish mother in her grave.

I've lost some of my hair, most of my teeth, a high percentage of my hearing, and the ability to go and return from the restaurant bathroom in under 5 minutes.

Sadly, what I haven't lost is those extra pounds, my need for shoes with Dr. Scholl inserts, and my overwhelming insistance on using my dry irish humor in the middle of conversations. This leaves most people, friends as well as strangers, with a puzzled look on their face or their mouth hanging open.

My greatest "lost' concern is that, despite all my precautions, I fear I'm losing my mind.

Fellow seniors - feel free to join me.

REPUBLICANS IN RETREAT

Bill O'Reilly apologized? Get out of here!

Yep, he did. He apologized for the erroneous comment that no Republicans had been invited to the Washington 50th anniversary celebration of Martin Luther Kings speech.

I admire O'Reilly that he apologized. I am also amazed he did not accurately report something that could easily have been discovered by due diligence and appropriate research.

I am neither a fan nor critic of O'Reilly - a strong supporter of almost anything Republican - and I only occasionally tune in to his broadcasts.

I will admit wondering if O'Reilly - at a time that the Republican Party is reported to be desperately seeking supportive votes from the black community - many of whom were widely represented at the Washingon event - has now dug in to determine why none of the Republican invitees chose to attend?

Those invitees are reported to include the two living former Republican Presidents, John McCain their last unsuccessful presidential candidate, and John Boehner the leader of the do nothing branch of Congress - the House Of Representatives.

The two ex-Presidents in the Bush family may get a pass based on stories about their recent physical health problems. But, surely there had to be somebody in a "high" position who was willing to represent the GOP.

I'm probably wrong about this memory thing with which I'm struggling. Am I correct that it was McCain who was all in on the Syrian strike - and now decided he has reservations.

That waffling may even apply to our prez who now appears to have rethought  whether or not he actually established the much discussed "Red Line"

Please read friend Harry's recent blogs about lying: http://harry2335.blogspot.com/

At some point you have to ask yourself, "What the Hell is wrong with the thinking of our politicians?"

DRUNKEN SEX AND THE PAUSE BUTTON

Psychologist Dr. Phil McGraw, recently posted a "tweet" asking the question: "If a girl is drunk, is it OK to have sex with her? "

The tweet apparently outraged quite a few people according to the Huffington Post, which more and more is starting to resemble TMZ.

Although Twitter, a media tool, has been abused many, many times by celebrities, athletes, and just about anybody else who has no brain pause button,  this tweet by Dr. Phil made perfect sense to me.

I'm apparently in the minority once more.

Reactions from McGraw's "twitter tweets" included one individual who questioned whether he had just forgotten about Steubenville and what happened there to a girl who was raped while drunk. There were several more in that vein and by now his question has probably gone viral - for all the wrong reasons.

The question was removed from Dr Phyl's Twitter page due to the irate response - and that's a shame.

After the question was posed, the remainder of the message stated: "Reply yes or no to drphyl#teensaccused." He clearly was soliciting opinions on the subject of accountability - which appears to be holding on by it's fingertips..

Texan therapist Dr. Phil is extremely well trained and has clearly earned his spurs, but, to confuse his therapeutic TV approach and the issues addressed to actual in-depth analysis would be foolish.

To the man's credit, he says as much during his show - (still listed in the entertainment section of your local newspaper) usually prescribing more comprehensive client based counseling by credentialled experts as a necessary follow-up.

 My daughter Beth recently sent me an interesting column by LZ Granderson, a CNN contributor and a senior writer for ESPN. One quote in particular seemed to fit well with this blogs subject matter.

"We don't teach accountability, we don't expect accountability, and I'm not sure we even know what accountability looks like anymore. Some of us have become  so addicted to pointing fingers at others for all the wrong that happens in our lives that self-assessment has become synonymous with blaming the victim."

I truly believe Dr. Phil's "tweet" was an attempt to try and determine just how many in our male population still don't get it when it comes to drunken sex.

Unfortunately, his question - limited by 34 characters - inspired irrational rants and raving by many individuals who apparently have no pause button in either their brain or their fingers.

Probably just a coincidence, right?

THE LAZY SUSAN AND THE CATBIRD SEAT

Back in the 60's and 70's we all went to each others homes - and ate the hosts' veggies and dip with relish (pun intended if it included those miniature weiners).

We did that - sitting at various positions around the coffee table - courtesy of something called a "Lazy Susan" that, if lucky, you could spin around to get at your favorite hors d' oeuvres.(spelling optional)  But clearly, the best seat was in the middle of the couch fronting the coffee table - and within easy reach of the food.

Even now, upon arriving at someone's home, I immediately scope out the couch. It's still close to the goodies and usually provides the best view of the game du jour too.

This also describes what goes on in Washington every two years.

A life long Republican, I initially welcomed the Tea Party. I honestly believed it was something positive that would help our staid GOP - maybe even be the source of a Third Party. I believed we needed fresh blood and it was time to replace some of  of our "elder statesmen" - retiring their powdered "Whigs" in the process.

 Dad said, "You got to be careful what you wish for." He was right - I was wrong. The Tea Party scares the hell out of me.

Let's take the budget crisis as an example. The Republicans have agreed to work with the Democrats on the budget. That is, if they will agree to "drop-kick" Obamacare.

Mike Lee, a Republican Senator from Utah, wrote a lame rebuttal to an editorial column in USA Today chastizing some Republican  politicians for threats the editors described as "having a temper tantrum."

The reason for USA Today's editorial umbrage was apparently that the Republicans - in all their wisdom - have once more threatend to shut down the government, a position the newspaper calls both "dumb and delusional".

Lee's position? "We should use Congress' power of the purse to deny funding for this unfair (Obamacare) law. Congress controls the power to appropriate funds, so defunding Obamacare is simple."

One reader echos my sentiments when he writes in the Letters Reply section: "His (Lee) "the sky is falling" approach to wanting the Affordable Care Act defunded is similar to some who opposed Medicare before and after LBJ signed it into law."

Look, there's nothing wrong with being a member of the "opposition party".We are clearly a country without a rudder, whose citizens desperately want and need more responsible leadership from both sides of the aisle.

However, the image I come away with is that the Republicans are simply fighting for the seat on the couch with the best access to the "Lazy Suzan."

If they keep up with this foolishness - it's doubtful they're going to make it to author and humorist James Thurber's "catbird seat" in 2014.

IT'S STILL ABOUT WHAT'S RIGHT.

Were you statisfied with the outcome of the first OJ Simpson trial? How about the debacle involving Roger Clemons? Do you believe that A-Rod will beat the rap in this latest  matter?

Do you  believe Lance Armstong will ever do any jail time for what he did - including his law suit against a man who clearly was just trying to save a great sport - and whom Armstrong  - and his attorneys - attacked as if , the accuser - not Armstrong was the bad guy?

If you weren't don't waste your time in reading anything more.

This is a difficult subject for a blog. The reason being is that if we had done anything wrong to the extent that the defendants "might' have done - and we could afford their services - we would have run - not walked - to secure the services of the attorneys defending them . That is, if we, had the financial resources- to hire them.

Yeah, that would be a bundle - one heckuva lot more than the government and the MLB or the federal government would apparently be willing to pay an equally intelligent group of attorneys to prove their case.

You see, what we do with our adulation of athletes is to give so many of our heroes a "get out of jail free" card. What about the ones - the majority - who are not cheating?

 Do you remember what it was like to have to stay after school in detention because the kid who threw the spitball at the teacher was unwilling to admit his guilt - and because we didn't want to be a (fill in the blank).

 We so desperately want to have these athletes whom we have rushed toward  or possibly stood in line to get an autograph - maybe even for both ourself and our kids - perhaps on a signed paper or piece of clothing  - a tee shirt or out of desperation, even a bra  - whatever, from whom we are willing to accept almost any outrageos behavior as long as they continue to represent  our sports team - with whom we non-athletes, wannabees, or has-beens  vicariously claim we have some association with that specific athlete - or team.

While we do this we have the gall to make our kids change their clothing if their shirt or blouse celebrates the latest rap artists of the day - some of whom are allowed to use the N-word in impunity - without fear of repudiation..

And, when they ( our jock heroes) do wrong - as often will happen with athletes who see our adulation as that  "get out of jail free card" - our first response to someone like an A-Rod is to blame the authorities - and not the athlete.

If a legal defense team is able to prevail and keep their client our of jail - (read A-Rod) it may not be a win-win proposition for either the law - or our society..

It's not only the prosecution who are so convenient for us to blame for failing to fulfill our latent desire to punish someone  -  it's us.

Maybe it's time for someone in authority to hire and pay adequately bright prosecuter attorneys with equal skills - to try these cases and teach our kids "it's not right to do wrong."

 I truly believe fair and effective jurisprudence was never meant to be a tug of war decided by which team could effectively hire the best ringer. In my opinion it's still about what's right and what's wrong.

For all of the athletes who are accused of doing wrong in this recent scandal - only one, A-Rod,  has decided to attack the system.

Why? Because due to our adulation and willingness to support paying him an outrageous salary - in a vain attempt to find a hero who is not as tainted in our eyes as those predecessors who we are sure doped up  - he can afford to do so.

How in the name of everything that is holy can we call this "justice"?

Forget about the price of the expensive shirt you no longer are proud to wear but reluctantly are now willing to throw in the trashbin . What about the value system we need and want to teach our kids and grandkids?

Let's face it. There's a lot of blame to go around here.

THE PROBLEMS WITH RISK/REWARD

Here's to your favorite politician - ball player- and the guy or gal who is investing your pension money. Hopefully, they understand the principle of risk/reward (R/R) as well as their assumed responsibility to the rest of us.

I truly believe in the risk/rewards - if applied correctly. It's a time worn familiar concept that asks one to employ both affect and cognitive (both their conscience and their brain) as they ask themself : "Is the reward worth the risk?"

We see R/R demonstrated early on by young children. Most kids are pretty good at deciphering the difference between right and wrong behavior. However, some - despite knowing the difference - are willing to take the risk and "test the system". If we fail to teach them there are punishment consequences - we're going to be drinking a lot of wine during our child raising days.

The principle of R/R is as old as dirt and includes various disparate risks - some historical: Charles Carroll of Carollton, confirmed his disrespect for King George, by affixing his signature to "The Declaration of Independence" in bold cursory -address included - then declaring: "They cannot mistake me now!"

R/R has many biblical roots too. To cite just one, in the The Book of Daniel - Chapter 3 - three individuals: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego successfully took on King Nebuchadnezzar's worship practice edict by volunteering to enter his fiery furnace to prove faith in their God. This worked too.

But, what if  R/R is apparently not as risky as one might think?

Frequently, we read about various people on Wall Street who pursue and often achieve spectacular monetary gains (reward) despite the inherent possibility (risk) that they and their families may face temporary major disgrace and - huge fines.

Apparently, what they don't fear, is going to jail - a powerful deterrent to most of us as we weigh the pros and cons of our actions (pun intended).

Two recent examples.The hedge fund SAC Capital Advisers, founded and managed by Richard Cohen - one of the wealthiest people in our country -was recently indicted by the SEC for insider trading in a huge case.

Cohen, the guy in charge, was indicted for "administrative charges" (translation: loose supervision), but the "civil" action did not accuse him of "insider trading". No jail time.

If Cohen was knowledgable of the insider trading activity - as is widely suspected due to his position in the firm as well as the industry - but is not indicted on insider-trading charges - could you reasonably conclude this might well be a classic example of successful "risk-reward" activity?

The above is not unusual in how the SEC is dealing with so-called "white collar crime." They recently successfully took on a low level executive at  Goldman Sachs and he was found liable for fraud after a two week trial in Manhattan. That's the good news.

The bad news? The SEC negotiated a $550 million civil settlement with Goldman Sachs but did not charge senior executives with anything.

Some in the industry claim, "It was an implicit bargain between banks and regulators in which the SEC did not charge senior executives of banks, such as Goldman, if the company was willing to pay a large settlement to help recoup investors losses."

 One law professor said, "They gave up the office boy instead." A spokesman for a non-profit that advocates for financial reform stated, "They're laughing in the executive suites of Wall Street."

So, why did nobody go to jail  - the assumed risk part of R/R?

A Columbia Law School professor may have the answer: "They (the SEC) never would have gotten the $550 million if they had gone after senior executives."

The reasoning is that the senior executives would have had the SEC tied up in court for months or years and one assumes their employer would have paid their legal bills.

In a recent blog I reported the SEC plans to get tougher on financial fraud. That's tough? What do you have to do wrong in that business in order to get jail time?

The moral? Kids - just like grown ups - will do the damnedest things if they know the consequences of their actions will receive little or no punishment. Just pray those kids don't end up on Wall Street.

But, then again, maybe by then the SEC will finally get it together.

The Tortoise

I am blessed with great kids - but don't acknowledge it often enough.

This truism occurred to this old tortoise just the other day as I reopened a shoe box filled with my electronic toys, courtesy of family.

As is my habit, I looked at the objects for a while hoping one would inform me how to turn it on - before taking some pee-pee steps from my Mother May I days. Then, I slowly entered the "age of the new electronics".

That age is not to be confused with my 20th century prior mastery of: Reel to Reel recorders/players, Cassette players, Polaroid and Brownie cameras, record players, RCA plugs, Manaural and Stereo Receivers as large as your normal imported compact car and Advent speakers best placed on something substantial like the concrete garage floor.

It seems I work better with large objects like a refrigerator or freezer from whence I remove objects that contribute to making ME bigger too.

Unfortunately, I do not have the same success with any miniature electronic device that is preceded by the lower case letter "i" - like the ipod my kids "presented' me with some time ago.

Actually it's an "ipod nano" apparently named after someones mechanically gifted grandparent. I slowly removed it and a set of Bose ear phones that fit inside the ear and were a gift from my wife.

My son Bruce had previously downloaded about 75 songs of various tastes for me. To my latent amazement, when I figured out how to charge this tiny ipod - and determine which ear each of the minature earphones were designed to fit, I had my socks "blown off'.

No, I didn't electrocute myself. I was referring to my amazement at the incredible music I was introduced to as Bella and I waited in the car for "BW' Phyl to come out of the eye doctors office.

I heard Tchaikovsky that sounded like a live Heinz Hall performance by the Pittsburgh Symphony. One movement of  Dvorak's New World Symphony was every bit as impressive as that heard at a Philadelphia Orchestra park concert 20 years ago.

My jazz never sounded better. One cut was as crystal clear as that provided by the incredible acoustics of the intimate Snug Harbor in New Orleans when listening to one of our favorite jazz pianists, Ellis Marsalis.

Heck, even Englebert sounded good in the car.

I'm presently overloaded by "only" 678.8 MB  due to some overzealous importing of my favorites yesterday.

So once more; "The tortoise is saying THANKS TO ALL - particularly my kids who have one heckuva lot of patience with me.

Oops, here comes  Edvard Grieg's "In The Hall of The Mountain King" from Peer Gynt. I have to stand up to direct this one. .

Run, "Tortoise Man"!

THE EVERCHANGING EXERCISE HANDBOOK

So, like me, you pass left to right in front of your two door wide bedroom closet mirror and you wonder what the name of the tyke was you saw briefly moving directly in front of you.

Relax, it was only your extended abdomen protecting those 20 plus pounds or so you packed on as you got older.

Not to worry. You will exercise and go on a diet just like you did in the past. Heck, in three weeks to a month, the added weight will all evaporate just like it did when you were twenty years younger.

To prove your sincerity you immediately buy some exercise manuals to remind yourself how to repeat those successful techniques of the past.

Yep, that's when the fun really starts.

Remember how - when you didn't really want to reduce the still skinny parts of your body - just those areas containing all of your excess fat - you targeted the specific areas of need for big time exercise? Fugeddaboutit!

Despite the teachings of the past stating: "Doing crunches will get rid of belly fat"- targeting a specific area - called spot training - just doesn't work. When you exercise you're burning up whatever glucose and fat that's supplied by the bloodstream - not the fat that's right there on your body. Instead, eat smart and exercise consistently.

Here are some more of the myths from our past:

"Stretching becomes more important as you age.". Nope! Current research shows stretching does little to prevent injuries and may even do harm. Stretching a muscle for 60 seconds or more causes a decline in performance; a stretched muscle when released contracts and tightens - the opposite of what you want it to do.

"The best way to burn fat is to work out longer." Doesn't work! A new study finds it's the intensity of the exercise that has the most impact - running 5 miles does more than walking 5 miles because high intensity exercise boosts your metabolism.

"Cardio matters more than weight training after 50" Sorry, Pal! Weight training is just as important as cardio - if not more so - as you age. While a loss of strength might not be noticeable at 50, by 60 it will start to affect your ability to exercise at all.

"You shouldn't exercise if you're sick". Whoops again! When it comes to exercise and illness, your neck is the dividing line. Translation: If your symptoms are at or above the neck - sore throat, congestion, watery eyes - a workout is fine (except if you have a fever. Then take a few days off.) if your symptoms are below the neck - chest congestion - hacking cough - stomach flu - it's better to rest for a few days.

"You burn the most fat when working out hungry" Sorry, Dude! Actually exercise does not tap it's stores of fat for energy. The bod burns the same amount of fat whether the stomach is full or empty. Exercising w/o eating is not good. A small snack can help fuel muscles.

So you're really confused now - right? Why don't you pause to digest all of this new information by grabbing a large bag of Fritos and some Helluva Good onion dip and escape to the peace and quiet of your recliner. It's been proven that repetetive hand and arm movement plus rapid mastication is good exercise.

Me? I'm just hanging around until they prove that you can lose weight and gain muscle via copious dosages of hot fudge sundaes.

But - by all means - in the meantime -stay the hell off the path you've worn in front of that !@#$ mirror.

(source: AARP - The Magazine - June/July 2013 - p.22)

SO WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE CONTINUING RACISM?

Is there anything that either the White House or the media will not do to keep the racism carrot ahead of the cart?

One sigh of relief from so many of us Americans is the fact that we no longer have to rely on the jury system to determine whether a suspect was guilty of a crime based on the allegation of racism as their motivation to commit it.

Apparently, regardless of the deliberation by the six member jury and their eventual decision to find George Zimmerman "not guilty" - the Justice Department is still not convinced - nor concerned about their growing reputation as "the hand servant of the King".

Not only did the jury find the defendant "not guilty" of second degree murder, they opted not to convict him of the lesser - but still punitive charge of Manslaughter - punishable by 10 to 30 years in prison.

"Not to worry" ye strident minorities who were disappointed by the verdict but will continue to vote Democrat; Attorney General Eric Holder is coming to your rescue.

As if the Justice Depaertment and Holder do not have enough to do to convince the voting public that they are not biased toward anything that does not favor the President and the Democrat party - they have now decided to investigate further to determine if George Zimmerman may be guilty of a civil violation.This was just announced by Holder to the largest black sorority in our country.

And not-withstanding that the prior decision to obtain civil relief in the OJ case was prompted by the family of the victim - not the government - and the conclusion of our FBI - after a thorough investigation- that the matter in question was not prompted by racism - the "Injustice" Department carries on their misguided vigil.

In view of the criticism this governmental department has undegone in the last year or so, we should be encouraged by the fact that somebody in Washington possesses the biggest brass balls of all time. You are free to figure who this might be on your own. I'm still struggling to be neutral.

"Justice" (?) made their determination to pursue this on the heels of a Presidential message to the nation following the verdict that ever so subtly supports the dis belief of these potential racists who are convinced the 6 women (5 white and 1 Hispanic)  were hellbent on freeing this non-black defendant.

That would be despite photos of the deceased in a position on top of the defendant - and eye witness testimony confirming his allegations that the death of Travon Martin was prompted by the excessive force the deceased had brought to bear on the defendant and the first interview with a clearly non-biased juror.

It would also be despite the further supported argument made by the defendant via the photos of his visible injuries about his face and upper body that they were allegedly caused by the actions of the deceased.

Despite all of this, we have the reassurance from  the Justice Department that their oncoming probe was neither approved nor directed by our President.

As a result we are left to repeat our conclusion that despite the most convincing example in a while of the fairness of the jury system their verdict cannot be viewed by us as the final decision. It is whether or not the Justice Departmen is satisfied with a legal decision that is being protested by their largest voting block - African Americans.

For some time I have railed against what I saw as a tremendously pathetic political party - the Republicans - who without exception accused any action or suspected non-action by the Democrats as being politically motivated. I did so as a registered voter of that party  - and sometimes conflicted supporter (within reason) for over 50 years.

Given this follow- up decision to the Martin-Zimmerman verdict by Holder and the Justice Department  - not to be confused with the musical group from your past - "Paul Revere and The Raiders" - it is clear to this humble guy, who constantly looks for balance in anything political - that we are moving to the wrong end of the continuom of the concerns our forefathers had in mind   about the possible abuse of power by the government they had established.

Who promotes racism? Not Paula Deen. It is promoted by various other entities  simply because of their realization that to do so it sells newspapers - periodicals- TV shows - could affect corporate profits - and may help impact the mid-term elections.

Folks, ask yourself: is there anything presently we won't do in this country in the voracious pursuit of money and power?

My advice: Stay home. Don't waste your time Diogenes!

JUST DIS N DAT

While wondering whether the Pirates are on the verge of another collapse losing three series in a row and 6 of 8 games - after a 9 game winning streak - I may have come up with a valid reason.

Because USA Today seldom has the previous nights baseball scores in the edition I receive, they continue to hone what I feel would be a perfect new motto: for the paper "Yesterdays Sports Results Tomorrow".

 So, returning from an early doctor's appointment  I immediately went on-line to view the Post-Gazette sports section.

That's when I discovered the "flaw in their flue" - to paraphrase a very - very old Frank Sinatra song.

PG sports writer Bill Brink described the effectiveness of the Oakland starting pitcher thusly, " When Oakland starter Dan Straily wasn't striking out Pirates (7), he was keeping their balls on the ground."

C'mon gang!  And this was a home game?

Obviously, tighter officiating may be  a much needed cure to halt the Pirates current losing ways.
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I'm still reeling from the latest bulletin someone sent me by someone who is obviously concerned about the ever increasing PC life we're being asked to live:

"Due to the climate of political correctness now pervading America, people who live in or are from northeast Alabama, north Georgia, Kentucky, Tennessee and West Virginia will no longer be referred to as 'Hillbillies'. You must now refer to them as "Appalachian Americans."

Oh yeah, I know you'll be hearing a lot of that from loyal Panther fans at the next Pitt-West Virginia "backyard brawl" football game: "Go Pitt. Beat those A.H.'s"!

(You see, most Pittsburghers can't spell any better than this old blogger).

MEDICARE AND MONEY

Like everyone else, the high expense of health care really bothers me.

Can our little family afford it. Yeah, for now - but what about in the future? Here's why we're worried:

Our system of health care in this country is reported to be the most expensive in the world: about $8,200 per person spent on health care annually.

So how do we compare with other countries?  Canada - $4,400.  France - $4,000.

Average hospital stay in the USA - costs about $18,000.
In Canada, the Netherlands, and Japan - $4,000 to $6,000 less.

Outcome in the US? Mediocre at best. As many as 100,000 die from medical errors annually. According to World Health Organization - U.S. system ranks 37th out of 191 countries - well below France (1st place) and just above Slovenia and Cuba.

Despite the high cost of medical care in this country, Medicare is still not allowed to negotiate lower drug prices like private carriers. Why are we wasting the bargaining power of 49 million Medicare beneficiaries?

Why are our drug companies allowed to negotiate with the makers of generics to delay the introduction of lower priced drugs? *Why are drug stores allowed to recommend generics strictly because the drug store chains make much more money filling prescriptions with generic drugs - which are not held to the same rigorous testing of brand names?

Answer: A possible 435 reasons. It's called "Congress".

Why do we continue to allow Congress to favor drug companies simply out of a loyalty to the campaign contribution mess? Should 435 people be allowed to make us pay for a health system that squanders as much as $750 billion on "unnecessary services, excessive administrative costs, fraud and various other problems" simply because they lack the guts to act on our behalf?

Some studies conclude that Medicare spending would decline by almost 30% if wasteful costs could be eliminated. Here's a thought.

As a kid did you ever attend a school with mandatory uniforms?

Why not insist that for Congress members as well? On each uniform they would be required to wear patches - like race car drivers - golfers, etc of all the companies who are buying their vote and cancelling your own?

*Supreme Court by 5 to 3 ruled deals between brand name and generic companies can be challenged as anti-competetive. We'll see.

MY DAY

Eleanor Roosevelt - former First Lady - for many years wrote a column entitled "My Day". She was an excellent writer as well as a remarkable lady.

Alas, I am neither. However, today was My Day due to the non-conspirational writing of two of my favorites:  Cal Thomas - a conservative columnist and Bob Beckel a liberal Democratic strategist.

Interestingly, as a long time registered Republican - but with Libra as my astrological sign - I most frequently agree with Bob.

In today's USA Today they found agreement with a pop culture topic:

Cal: "On my list of things about which I care nothing are Kim Kardashian, Kanye West and their out of wedlock child, Paula Deen and the potty mouthed Alec Baldwin. As for Kardashian, having a baby under such conditions used to be shameful, but now pop culture approves of everything.

Celebrity is king (or queen) no matter how you attain it, and Kardashian attained hers with a sex tape and still does nothing that contributes anything to culture. How much lower can we go?"

Bob: "Let's hope this is the bottom. Today pop culture awards celebrity and treasure to people who have done nothing to deserve it, other than being outrageous enough to get themselves in the tabloids.

Kardashian was a nobody until her father represented O.J. Simpson. I'll give her this: she parlayed that tiny thread into celebrity. But if people had not gone along with the scam, we wouldn't be talking about her today."

Cal: "Focusing on celebrities has a dumbing-down effect on our politics, forcing many of our leaders to appeal to the uneducated and uninterested. It's why we hear so many banalities and appeals to emotions, rather than substantive ideas.

Today, the closest many people get to history is the instant replay."

Bob: "Not only has celebrity dumbed down our politics, it has become intertwined with it. I would be delighted not to see another celebrity - regardless of their political beliefs - come to Washington to make another appeal for some cause about which they know little. Beyond their celebrity, many "buy" influence through political donations and an ability to motivate others to give money to a city already awash in cash."

Cal: "Pop culture is to the mind what sugary cereal is to -- the body".

Bob: "I think about our soldiers in Afghanistan, their enormous discipline, commitment to values  and defense of our country. When I compare them with our fixation on celebrities, it makes me sick."

My Criminal Past

 A little girl says to her grandmother, "How old are you, Gram?" She says, "sixty-five." The little girl asks her, "Did you start at 1?"

As a septugenarian, I realize the years have piled up and I'm starting to worry about my past coming back to haunt me. No, not the many wrongs I committed due to a lot of repressed anger. I'm talking about the truly big mistakes.

I was reminded of this the other day as I was reading about the travails of celebrity chef Paula Deen. Ms. Deen has recently witnessed more mutiny than Captain Queeg - and without the benefit of those steel balls Bogey juggled as he, too, desperately sought calm from chaos.

In Paula's case you may ask who chose to mutiny and why?

Well, just about every sponsor she has ever had for her many cooking products, recipes, kitchen implements,etc. It's rumored that even Uncle Ben and Aunt Jemimah jilted her. That's assuming they're still in the good graces of an ever increasing reactionary politically-correct business environment.

Even the supercilious decision makers over at Wal-Mart have realized that Paula and her hot potato - with or without the generous gobs of sour cream and slabs of butter she might have recommended - were no longer going to make their traveling squad.

To my amazement, the only one Paula seems to have  in her corner - not for her fatty food recipes - but, at least over her use of the "n word"  was none other than USA Today's contributor DeWayne Wickham, one of the first to go into attack mode over the slightest sniff of suspected racism.

He writes, "Paula Deen, 66, is being punished for telling the truth under oath about the racist word she spoke in "private" (ed.) years ago and which she now disavows. There ought to be a statute of limitations of the privately spoken, bigoted banter of someone who was born in the Jim Crow age and has come to regret it. So, I'm willing to give Deen a pass."

I agree with both conclusions. There is a valid reason the NAACP apparently felt no compulsion to become the NAABP.

So, here's my dilemma. When I was about 6 years old - maybe about the age of the young girl in the opening paragraph - my buddy Jack Bash, and I pulled down our shorts and peed against the side of my house.

My question, based on the Deen debacle: Are the indecent exposure police going to come knocking on my door any time soon?

I too, regret, my criminal past.

THE TRULY IMPORTANT THINGS

"Kardashian is hoping for major weight loss!"

Yep, that's Huffington Post's lead teaser in one of it's pop-ups on my computer.

You see - that's the "real news". One wonders if it perhaps should be carried on a separate page entitled: "Huffington For Kids."

Yep, the real news would not be the recent Supreme Court decisions - their impact on this country - whether Proposition 8 in California was legal - if DOMA needed to be reversed - whether the state of Texas is truly wacko - and predicting whether or not Alabama and Missippippi will now decide they can go back to the 50's with their voting restrictions.

Honest, it is not even the Zimmerman trial - covered in it's entirety by Brighthouse's news channel 9 - nor is it about Paula Deen ( which we'll save for a future blog).

A popular media source informs us that the real priority in our country is to determine whether or not naming a baby "North West" really was a good choice.

Yep, that'll keep us all awake this week. Many sleepless nights of worry ahead.

What do I worry about? Well, important things - like proper historical research:

Did Paul Revere really proclaim: "One if by land - Two if by sea - and Three if the Widow Brown is home alone tonight?"

Maybe I can ask Kim and Kanye.

"Yeezus"?

JUST WONDERING

If those folks in Pittsburgh - so sure the city desperately needs professional basketball - are a little put off by the lousy coverage of the NBA finals in the PostGazette. It was like playing "Where's Waldo?"

Extra! Extra!: Michelle Bachman has decided Snowden is definitely a traitor. So, can we assume "It's a done deal?"

Where will the Pirates end up this year?  I reviewed USA Todays baseball coverage and found - with the exception of their own division -  they'd have been in first place in every other one. Please tell ESPN.

So, when you fire the guy who founded your business, one that had a 23% gain in the most recent 1/4 and revenue of 2.48 billion in the latest fiscal year - do you think it's fair to conclude somebody might be PO'd at George Zimmer  - and "didn't like the way he looked"?

When your 7,000 signature petition to the White House to rule against teaching creation in public schools (already agreed upon by The Supreme Court) needs another 93,000 petitions to be considered by Obama, want to wager a guess how many of the 7K -when on their deathbed-  will blow the dust off the family Bible and frantically search for loopholes?

Is it just a coincidence that those yahoos in Congress who are still busy looking for loopholes of their own as to the current restrictive standards for the banking industry receive "7 times" more campaign contributions from Da bankers than those who resist the bank lobbyists and who, correctly, fear another 2008 debacle?

Why are the Republicans continuing to resist filling the federal Court of Appeals openings for the District of Columbia Circuit and accusing Obama of "court packing" - a political strategy they had no problem with when "W' was President?

And, not to be overlooked, did you notice: Democrats have gone viral over the GOP tactics threatening filibusters to get their way. Which makes you wonder: "Does it matter not that Democrats allegedly blocked four times as many confirmation votes via filibusters against Bush nominees than the GOP has done against Obama's selections?"

Is voting in a Congressional election getting to the point when - if we still actually care - we'll just flip a coin - or simply not bother at all - go sip our tea - and watch as this once great country slowly goes to Hell.

After writing several blogs arguing that ethical and illegal business violations will continue to grow exponentially until such a time as we actually punish these guys as criminals, should I now be happy with SEC's forthcoming decision to do just that in the future - or wait for even more creative loopholes?

Again, just wondering.
 http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=G44NCvNDLfc

Why Is It?

Why is it  - that it seems the reportedly 93,895 lawyers in Florida all appear to advertise on my TV?  Who has that kind of money?

I have interacted with both defense and plaintiff attorneys for about 35 years and found most of them to be honest. For those who might disagree, "being clever does not necessarily mean you're also dishonest".We need attorneys. Maybe just not 94,000.

This blog is just pleading for a more level playing field in this protractive attorney/insurance company debacle and is partially based upon a feeling that the  media - for years and years - have pretty much given the lawyers a free pass as to accuracy in their television ads.

Wouldn't you like to turn on the "6'clock News"and see an Investigative Report on attorney fees, legal conflict of interest, disbarment statistics, misleading ads, ambulance chasers, runners - rules for contacting the parties involved - and the bottom line net recovery by the victim?

When will our curiosity to determine the net recovery of Lottery winners include a similar desire to know the net recovery in a big legal settlement in the papers? The media answers questions only about the first.

The legal ads portray the attorneys as modern day "Robin Hoods"  - taking from "the rich insurance companies" to give to "the poor." Any day now, I expect to see two really overexposed legal "hams" adorn themselves with bows, arrows,  feathered hats, and pointed shoes.

That "Robin Hood" comparison might be accurate assuming "Robin and His Hoods" kept 33 1/3 to 40% of their take from King John.

Are all the insurance companies guilty of nefarious claim practices as the attorney ads would seem to imply?"  If not, what percentage are good insurance companies -  or do attorneys see that as an oxymoron?

Look! I'm all for cleaning up the unfair claim practices of any suspect insurer
and my insurance background/ethics involvement will attest to this.

However, I'm just not supportive of placing by inference "all insurers" in this same "bad egg" basket, as so many of the law firms continue to do in what I see as "misleading'' advertisements.

Why is it - I believe we continue to be deluged with these ads without our truly good investigative reporters and/or legislators taking a good look at the accuracy of those ads? Maybe I just missed them.

 Why is it - I'm starting to believe the alleged silence is simply because it's not just the military who enjoy membership in the "Good Old Boys" club?

THE PARTY LINE

Yeah, I know the title of this blog suggests yet another attack on the two political parties in this country. Not so!

The "party line" subject pertains to us as kids who dared to listen in to the conversations of other folks who shared our party line - and, yeah, we did get punished if caught.

But, it appears this is a different time. Not only are party lines a thing of the past, apparently, so is punishment. Ask Sanford and Weiner.

We have an amazing ability to forget and forgive. Partially that is due to the fact we are a forgiving culture and partially it's due to the fact the last devastating act committed by someone or some group is quickly surpassed by the news of a new and more devastating one.

This time the act in question was that of collecting a massive data base of telephone usage by millions of Americans who are not or were not suspected of doing anything wrong.

The next step was having to listen to 'the spinners"(not musicians per se)The initial responses were varied: "We need to relax. This isn't anything new". (Harry Reid). (This also apparently makes it OK).

Because we want to be unbiased, we also offer the observation from Georgian Republican Senator Saxby Chambliss: "I am unaware of any citizen who has registered a complaint about the program." ( Hey, anybody out there who had a clue your calls were being monitored?)

The administration hastened to advise us that no conversations were listened to" "It was just "metadata that was gathered - and patterns looked for - that would expose terrorists". (That's reassuring - who on earth would believe this administration would ever lie?)

You got to wish we had elected that Illinois Senator who advised us protectively in 2007:  "No more national security letters to spy on citizens who are not suspected of a crime." (Ah, s--t - we did elect him - twice!)

Of all the Senate members who came up with a reasonable comment about this so-called scandal - who would have thought it would be our globe trotting Republican member from Arizona - John McCain?

"Obviously if they are trying to track bad people, then I think there's legitimacy to it, but is there sufficient oversight? Is it sufficiently narrow in scope? We just need to hear more about it, but it is a matter of concern." (a-h-h, Johnny, that's why we voted for you.).

But, I want to retract that. Who wants to be investigated next because they uttered "The Party Line"?

THE MONEY GAME AND THE WOLF

A short blog.

You've got to laugh through your tears as to what is happening politically.

Congress calls in Apples CEO to chastise Apple for how they used foreign investments and our current tax laws to save one heckuva lot of tax dollars when Apple might have helped bail out this countries finances had it acted in the country's best interests.

It reminds me of the story about the Dad who gave his son a dollar if he would forego eating dinner and go up to bed instead.

The meal might have consisted solely of  Brussel Sprouts. The story does not inform us here. Therefore, we are left to assume that money was tight, so the son said, "OK." and grabbed the cash.

When Dad finished his dinner, he sneaked up to his son's bedroom - found him fast asleep - and retrieved the dollar bill - which he put back in his wallet.

So, who supported the liberal tax laws allowing corporations to keep their money overseas?

After exhaustive research we find that it was Congress who allowed the handling of overseas profits to continue. There is so much out there about this subject that it would be unfair to "cherry pick" only those articles that support my blog theme here. So, some sparse comments:

The party of "The Little Boy Who Cried Wolf"' were probably quick to blame the people on the other side of the aisle - or at the very least - The White House.

Yet, we can only assume it was solely the Republicans who were responsible as the Democrats would never have allowed such a faux pas. We know this because we have been diligently listening to the liberal media and reading various blogs in lockstep that it is the Republicans - and only the Republicans - who are so tied into accepting Corporate largesse.

Matthew 7 (1 through 3):

"Judge not, that you be not judged For with what judgment you judge, you shall be judged: and with each measure you mete, it shall be measured to you again. And why behold you the mote that is in your brother's eye, but consider not the beam that is in your eye?"

Told you it would be a short one.