Random Memorial for Monday 4/30/12

Gone but not forgotten:  10 fingers lost in wood shop accidents per day.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission is currently accepting comments on Table Saw safety, in response to the fact that an average of ten fingers are lost each day in wood shop accidents.  Me -- I haven't been an active participant of a wood shop scenario since 7th grade, when I made this (basic) bookend (featured in the picture to the left).  [The jankety scoop I made in 8th grade metal shop has been lost to history.]

Of note, I'm far from an "H-Sammer" like Marilu Henner, but I do currently have a memory like a steel trap, so I also distinctly remember drawing the alphabet in 3-D in order to get a good grade out of Mr. Dombach ... and I do remember our 8th grade metal shop teacher's story of how he lost part of his digits (and how he went blind one time from eating out of dented tin cans).

Anyway, I'm safe (as is my biodad since his wood shop where he made whirly-gigs and rocking ponies and such was dismantled when he headed toward the nursing home) ... but I am worried for the man who made most of the homemade wooden things in my living quarters (thanks again Walter for the CD cabinet, and the interchangeable wooden bar pieces that serve as multi-functional storage, and the plate display unit, and the coat-rack!) who will someday return to a wood shop of his own.

Assuming we can step in and improve this equipment, digits of the future (no matter whether they are on the hands of loved ones or not), you will not be missed.

THE GOAL IS CUTTING EDGE (PUN INTENDED) FLESH RECOGNITION TECHNOLOGY:
http://www.woodworkingnetwork.com/news/woodworking-industry-news/CPSC-Votes-2-1-to-Accept-More-Comments-on-Table-Saw-Safety-140416963.html

THE FINGERS BELONG TO HOBBYISTS, SHOP STUDENTS AND OTHER CONSUMERS:
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/cpquery/?&sid=cp112s2gpt&r_n=sr079.112&dbname=cp112&&sel=TOC_206676&

THIS IS THE RESULT WHEN I SEARCH 7th GRADE WOOD SHOP IN MY HOMETOWN:
http://newspaperarchive.com/lebanon-daily-news/1953-04-30/page-18

Random Scandal Sheet for Sunday 4/29/12

What Chicago is talking about this week:

The fact that it is NOT monkey pox after all.

Child collector* Lise Sievers, originally of LaPorte IN, was on her way back from Africa where she had met two more to add to her collection (she reportedly has two biokids and ten other adoptees already) when she told family by cell phone that one of the kids had a sore that had burst on her while she was there (and that she had a red itchy rash that was rapidly spreading).

Then, in a scene like out of a movie (Outbreak, Contagion, etc.), the CDC got involved, the plane got quarantined at Midway, and an announcement was made over the loudspeaker of something to the effect of "will the real patient zero please stand up".  When the dust had settled, Lise got to make the rounds of the local news to report that it was a false monkey alarm and that it was just scabies from which she was suffering.

Just scabies?  Pardon me?  As excerpted from the link below:  "Scabies is an itchy, highly contagious skin disease caused by an infestation by the itch mite Sarcoptes scabiei. Mites are small eight-legged parasites (in contrast to insects, which have six legs). They are tiny, just 1/3 millimeter long, and burrow into the skin to produce intense itching, which tends to be worse at night."  Makes me want to reconsider all future flight plans and to always travel in threes so that no stranger can be all scabilicious beside me on a flight.

*Note:  This sounds snarkier than I intend it to.  I applaud those who adopt.  My tongue-in-cheek comment should not cast dispersion on this selfless act (so long as it doesn't get to an Octomom/hoarder/Duggar degree).

LIKE OUT OF THE MOVIES!:
http://articles.wsbt.com/2012-04-27/plane_31422994

THE SCABIES SOURCE (I MEAN, FOR MY QUOTE ABOVE):
http://www.medicinenet.com/scabies/article.htm

FOR THOSE WHO CAN,  FEEL FREE TO "COLLECT" CHILDREN AS YOU SEE FIT:
http://www.adoption-alliance.com/intercept/index.php

Random Soapbox for Saturday 4/28/12

I don't mean to go off on a rave here, but ...

[oh -- and it's the last in my month of exclusive raves ... I'm so looking forward to returning to a regular ranting schedule in seven days ...]

... you should be watching Touch.

I catch it on the DVR so I'm only up to episode three, but I already now understand that I will follow a Tim Kring project wherever it ends up (my allegiance to his creative output now gets added to my previously stated  affinities for anything to which Sorkin, Lorre, Garcia or Ball is attached).  And I've noticed a few similar themes to his Heroes days (a global view, a decision to use subtitles and the actual language in scenes set abroad as a nod to the intelligence of his audience, a fascination with how evolution might play out with humans) ... but the biggest one (and the one that makes me well up at least once an episode -- I'm a softie, despite the tattoos and the shaved head) is how we are all connected in ways we couldn't even begin to imagine.

It explores how each action you take throughout the day may affect a "stranger", and how lives that intersect do so for meanings that just might not be apparent to you.  I find it a comforting reflection on a life where people sometimes seem to be around for such a short amount of time and where folks appear and reappear and reconnect in unexpected ways.  I see it as a call to action to more conscientiously move throughout our days, and to consider that every little interaction fits into a tapestry that we can't begin to understand.

And that's a message that transcends mere television entertainment ... one that all should hear.

THE OFFICIAL FOX WEBSITE:
http://www.fox.com/touch/

THE CONSPIRACY FOR GOOD:
http://www.conspiracyforgood.com/about.php

THE 2012 TV SCORECARD:
http://www.tvguide.com/News/Fall-TV-Schedule-1005618.aspx

Random Posting for Penn State 4/28/12

When it comes to Penn State Football, today I am ...

... grateful that the Big 10 network aired the Blue and White game multiple times throughout the week, so I could finally DVR it and watch it a week after it was played.
... confused by the scoring construct of the game (after all, I was a late bloomer who wasn't overly athletically inclined), but if I could figure out Stableford scoring of golf, then I can certainly handle this.
... sad that there was no JoePa to be seen.
... pleased to see Redd and McGloin and Fera (even if they barely played at all).
... disappointed that one of Bolden's first plays was an interception (although, to be fair, it wasn't too much longer before McGloin also threw one).
... intrigued by Paul Jones and curious as to how quickly I will see him on the TV screen again in the QB position.
... concerned that folks might get hurt during this "practice" game.
... relieved that the red shirts on the QBs were designed to be a visual to make sure, above all else, that they didn't get hurt.
... surprised to see Urlacher interviewed on the sidelines.
... amused to hear Mr. Urlacher say that Beaver Stadium seats more fans than Soldier Field.
... apprehensive that bad commentators will make all kinds of subpar punny references to new guy 6'7" Jesse James.
... disgusted that some players chose to act out against the fact that team leadership changed by growing their hair longer than what JoePa would have allowed.
... delighted that JoePa has been posthumously awarded the Dick Enberg Award.
... excited for September 1 to arrive.

SEE DETAILS ABOUT JESSE AND PAUL AND ALL THE BOYS:
http://www.gopsusports.com/sports/m-footbl/mtt/psu-m-footbl-mtt.html

A POSTHUMOUS HONOR (JOE YOU ARE MISSED):
http://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/colleges/longtime-penn-state-coach-joe-paterno-to-be-honored-posthumously-with-dick-enberg-award/2012/04/25/gIQAGyIPhT_story.html

THE SCIENCE OF STABLEFORD:
http://www.cmaj.ca/content/167/12/1337.full

Random Flashback for Friday 4/27/12

Okay ... last picture ... I promise (of that reunion of the semester abroad folks that took place twenty years ago).  [And it's partly because I'm sick of seeing that same Georgia O'Keefe picture in the background (not that there's anything wrong with it ...)]

In this posed pile of people, we were either imitating a similar picture we all took on the hostel bunk bed in Berlin on our group trip ... or imitating a similar picture we all took on the train coming back from Brussels ... or, truth be told, we might have just started drinking by the time this picture was taken.

Last week, Kari volunteered to host the next reunion.  I propose 25 years from the original trip -- which puts the gathering in the final three months of 2015 (this, of course, assumes that we all survive the Mayan Apocalypse, which, by my notes, is just 241 days or so away) ...

Meet me under the Dom anyone?

Random Thought for Thursday 4/26/12

As inspired by all the posts back home of those who voted in PA this week, as remembered by me from the primaries here in Chicago earlier this year, and as belonging to my occasional series that was birthed a few months ago when I celebrated the beginning of my fourth decade ... You Can't Deny You've Hit 40 ... when you look at the election season ads and think, "Who the heck are all of these little kids running for office?"!

LIKE THIS YOUNG'UN:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yHgMJJJa-Ts

OR THIS LITTLE BOY:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JN2IIyWahTQ

AND HERE'S HOW TO JOIN THEM:
http://www.campaignyoungvoters.org/young-people-running-for-office.html

Random Wordplay for Wednesday 4/25/12

Asian Fast Food.

Used in a sentence:  "I'm not talking about a Panda Express kind of experience ... or even that local restaurant in Chicago that can deliver my chicken and broccoli in less than 12 minutes after it's been ordered  (I swear they make it in the back seat of the delivery vehicle, but it tastes so good, I have no issues granting them the freaky fast label from JJ's and looking the other way from any potential health code violations) ... but the special menu items that US companies add to the mix in foreign markets -- a different kind of Asian Fast Food."

Here are some that I saw in an article recently:

Pizza Hut Atlantic Salmon pizza in China (pictured above):  smoked salmon, octopus, crab sticks with wasabi sauce, green peppers and mushrooms

KFC Dragon Twister in China:  crispy strips, cucumber, scallions and peking duck sweet sauce in a tortilla

Pizza Hut Teekha Paneer Makhani pizza in India:  paneer, capsicum, onions, red paprika and tandori sauce

KFC Zinger Shrimp in Middle East:  ummm ... shrimp chosen because they are quick on their ... um ... tails?

NOT ONLY YUM BRAND PRODUCTS ARE TAILORED TO THE MARKET:
http://www.cnngo.com/explorations/eat/asian-fast-food-504778

AS IT SAYS, KFC IS KICKING MCD'S ASS IN CHINA:
http://consumerist.com/2011/01/the-colonel-is-kicking-ronalds-ass-in-the-china-fast-food-wars.html

FROM SOME RANDOM BLOGGER WHO ACTUALLY ATE SAID PIZZA:
http://www.danmandle.com/china/2008/05/pizza-hut-a-brand-new-experience/

Random Tune for Tuesday 4/24/12

Time is just flying right by.  Here it is the last Tuesday in April, which makes this the last tune I'll add to my occasional series Creepier than Intended for awhile.  And, in this exact circumstance, I am full on blaming Chris Hansen and that marathon of "To Catch a Predator" that was on the other day.  But when I recently heard this classic Carole King penned tune, I felt like we were inside the mind of the creep trying to keep himself from acting on his feelings ... and bonus creepy points are to be given for finding a 50+ year old Donny Osmond singing the lyrics ... and bonus bonus creepy points for the duet he did in this youtube video with his child self!  These words and this song will never be the same again:

"Go away, little girl.  Go away, little girl.  I'm not supposed to be alone with you.  I know that your lips are sweet, but our lips must never meet.  When you are near me like this, you're much too hard to resist.  So, go away, little girl.  Call it a day, little girl.  Oh, please, go away, little girl, before I beg you to stay.  Go away."

EXTRA CREEPY POINTS SINGING IT AS HIS AGE IN A DUET WITH HIS YOUNGER SELF!:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yS9E1zr0t10&feature=related

Random Memorial for Monday 4/23/12

Gone but not forgotten:  king size Snickers and such.

Perhaps the post is a bit too premature as the changes are only promised by the end of 2012, but Mars announced a few weeks ago that it will stop making chocolate products that exceed 250 calories (Snickers, Twix, Milky Way, 3 Musketeers, etc...).  Truth be told, at my increasing age and increasing girth, I should probably see this as a positive development (and, interestingly enough, in this polarized populace that rallied around the old fashioned energy-inefficient light bulb as a cry against government oppression , Mrs. Obama herself has been blamed for this loss of irresponsible snacking) ... but all things considered ...

... chocolate that made me feel like a king when I ate it (even if it ultimately meant I needed a bigger sized throne long-term on which to place my additional poundage), you will be missed.

THE STRAIGHT-FORWARD NEWS BLURB:
http://articles.boston.com/2012-02-17/business/31067406_1_candy-bars-mars-chocolate-products

THE NEWS BLURB WITH THE READER COMMENTS BLAMING MRS. OBAMA:
http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/headlines/2012/02/mars-cutting-king-size-candy/

SOMETHING ELSE I FOUND WHILE LOOKING FOR ARTICLES FOR THIS POST:
http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/299368/20120215/heart-attack-grill-triple-bypass-burger-quadruple.htm

Random Scandal Sheet for Sunday 4/22/12

What Chicago is talking about this week:

Apparently, hundreds of people lined up at a mall in the suburbs because a Kardashian or two was in town.  I thought maybe it was a law forum, but then I remembered that Mr. Kardashian (he of the OJ trial fame) passed away a few years back.  Which then led me to realize that the crowds were there to meet some of his daughters.  I'm not sure of all the details, but at least one dabbled in porn, another seems to be a spokesperson for plump asses and a third should be the next thing that those Phelps folks protest for what she's done to make a mockery of marriage.  Why they were at Sears I'm just not sure -- and why hundreds of people wanted to see them, I just can't figure out!

APPARENTLY, THE HOPE WAS THAT THEY MIGHT OPEN A STORE HERE!:
http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2012/04/20/kardashian-sisters-draw-hundreds-of-fans-at-woodfield-mall/

THIS SUMS IT UP PRETTY WELL:
http://www.forkparty.com/18311/4-hilarious-fan-comments-from-kim-kardashians-stupid-blog

IT's THE NUMBER 1 TOURIST ATTRACTION IN ILLINOIS ... (REALLY?):
http://www.gowoodfieldmall.com/

Random Soapbox for Saturday 4/21/12

I don't mean to go off on a [overdue] rave here, but ...

... here's to the thoughtfulness of boxer Sergio Martinez, who spends time outside of the ring working with bullied children and battered women.

The extent that I follow boxing is relatively limited to the fights of the Klitschko brothers (the story of two guys who promised their momma that they would never fight each other, no matter how successful they became -- and who have upheld that promise despite having oodles of money dangled in their faces by people with misplaced priorities (like Don King)) -- and that in itself is further limited by the fact that the Klitschko fights rarely get air time here in the US because they are such technical successes in the ring that the fights aren't "exciting" enough for an American audience.

But I'm glad I paused to read the article about Argentinian Martinez (although from Argentina, the Wiki says that he's part Greek and part Spain-ish), who wants to show that there is a place for a certain kind of violence (i.e.  in the ring) that should never occur outside of it.  His work with bullied students was more known (HBO honored him before his fight last month) as you don't publicize visits to a safehouse ... but a hip hip hooray to him from me for being a conscientious pugilist.

Sounds like I may have a new fighter to follow ...

HIS LAST FIGHT DEDICATED TO BULLYING VICTIM MCCLAIN:
http://hotboxingnews.com/NEWS2011/news031111sergiomartinez.htm

THERE'S QUITE A FEW SERGIO MARTINEZ IN CHICAGO, INCLUDING THIS COP:
http://www.courthousenews.com/2012/03/01/44319.htm

OF COURSE DON KING THINKS MONEY IS MORE IMPORTANT:
http://english.pravda.ru/sports/other/17-10-2008/106583-don_king_klitschko-0/

Random Flashback for Friday 4/20/12

Hail, Hail, the gang's all here!

Well, actually, 7/18ths of the gang is all here in this picture from our semester-abroad-in-Koln-reunion twenty years ago in 1992.  [And that's assuming the denominator of that fraction only includes the students from Gburgh, Allegheny and LVC who attended, as Klaus L, Klaus F, Art, Anita, Werner and Margaret (the "adults") may still be overseas for all I know.]

Missing from this group --Adam, Brian, Cindy, Karl, John, Pat, Robin, Tracey, both Amys and Doug (who was almost certainly the one taking the picture).  So assuming that is true about Doug, then it's actually 8/18ths of the gang that's all here.

Not quite a quorum ... but that didn't stop us from having one hell of a time! What the heck do we care!  (Actually, almost all of them who weren't there were missed ...)

Random Thought for Thursday 4/19/12

[Just one more of these, and then I'll put this concept to rest for a bit ...]

ONLY IN CHICAGO ... can I have a completely different cultural experience depending on to which 7-11 I choose to walk. They may all sell USA Todays and Slurpees, but I can visit the Pacific Rim if I walk to the one next to Wrigley, or the Middle East if I amble toward the one at the end of the block on Waveland, or to Nigeria if I find myself halfway down Halsted. [Although, to be fair, I was in that one the other day, and the vibe was less Jamaica and more halfway-house-on-probation-just-got-a-job.]

Viva the cultural variety that this city provides!

OH THANK HEAVEN!:

http://www.7-eleven.com/

A DIFFERENT SEARCH RESULT FOR 7-11 CHICAGO:

http://chicago.cbslocal.com/photo-galleries/2011/07/11/storm-damage-7112011/

A DIFFERENT CELEBRATION OF CHICAGO'S CULTURAL DIVERSITY:

http://pocketcultures.com/2010/02/17/cultural-stew-chicago/

Random Wordplay for Wednesday 4/18/12

Intergalactic Nonsense Status Week 2012

Used in a sentence: "I participated last year (see post from 6/22/11) in my college friend's Facebook event (apparently moved up a few months this year, maybe to make sure we got our nonsense out before the seriousness of the impending apocalypse) ... and I will do so again now that it is time for Intergalactic Nonsense Status Week 2012".

I'm debating "what to wear" to that party though ...

Idea 1: "Twas brillig and the slithy toves did gyre and gimble in the wabe ... all mimsey were the borogroves and the mome raths outgrabe."

PRO: It's a classic.

CON: I referenced it last year, and it's clearly not an original, and it sets the bar rather high.

Idea 2: "Many of the Christian faith have said, well, that’s okay, contraception is okay. It’s not okay. It’s a license to do things in a sexual realm that is counter to how things are supposed to be.”

PRO: It fits the definition of nonsense.

CON: It's not always polite to bring up politics at a party, and now that Santorum's dropped out, maybe this quote of his is now passe.

Idea 3: "Send me crops." or "Here's a picture of what I'm eating." or "I need help with a mob job." or "Checked in to my house."

PRO: These old chestnuts are so ubiquitous (and relatively uninspired), that they have faded into Facebook as the equivalent of white noise nonsense.

CON: I wouldn't want to offend anyone who regularly informs the world that they made it home or that they are about to eat or that they are addicted to social media games, since many of them are my Facebook connections.

Idea 4: I could just re-post any of my usual daily items.

PRO: I've been told that they are often nonsensical to most, so they might fit the bill.

CON: The last person who complained about my status updates inspired me to write one of my longest Soapbox Saturday rants -- and I don't want have to feel obligated to block myself after the dust has settled.

Idea 5: "Adios. This is not the deal. That is not the year of the Twain. It is, instead, the almanac for the hills. So be sure to open up, recycle often, wear glasses and get addicted, as the Hardy Boys could quite possibly rock out on Thursday in the hospital. PANIC!"

PRO: That seems to fit what others have been saying at this event.

CON: I can't think of any (beyond the obvious that non-participators might start the paperwork to have me committed) ... so idea 5 will be my post for Intergalactic Nonsense Status Week 2012.

IT's A PARTY:

https://www.facebook.com/events/131094370351258/155038134623548/?notif_t=plan_mall_activity

THIS IS JUST ONE OF MANY WEBSITES DEDICATED TO HORRIBLE THINGS HE'S SAID:

http://www.tnr.com/article/politics/99240/santorum-surge-2012-vetting-quotes

REMOVING PESKY NOTICES AND OTHER FACEBOOK TIPS:

http://digisheets.in/2011/12/08/7-facebook-usage-tips/#

Random Tune for Tuesday 4/17/12

If it is Tuesday and it is April 2012 (and, by the way, at the time of this posting ... it is both of those things ...), then it is time for me to pick another tune that I think is "creepier than intended". And, with Jimmy Fallon involved, it may be that this one is "creepier as intended". I first referenced it back on 9/27/11 when I had picked a different tune from Pearl Jam (it's the only fan club to which I belong in my middle age -- the annual fee is worth it for the holiday song on vinyl and the great seats when they come to town in concert) ... and if you haven't seen Eddie Vedder join said Fallon to interpret this protest song about the BP oil spill and the subsequent tar balls that floated to shore in the Gulf ... then you just might not get it. But, creepy or not, it sure is damn catchy (as these boys who added their version to the youtube can surely attest). I often find myself breaking into this tune at inappropriate times:

DON'T SWIM IN THE OCEAN ... OR YOU'LL GET BALLS IN YOUR MOUTH:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rLWtECZRnSk

Random Memorial for Monday 4/16/12

Gone but not forgotten: 10pm to 7am greeters at the Walmart.

We knew that the Great Recession has changed our culture permanently -- and maybe in ways that I don't even yet recognize (from a historical perspective, my biological father -- born in 1923 and NOT in this picture that I found on google images -- was a child of the Great Depression, so we didn't even get to skip a generation when it comes to economic collapses) -- but now it turns out that even corporate behemoth Walmart has not been spared. Recently announced -- no more "welcome to Walmart" in the overnight hours, as greeters who worked that time slot were reassigned.

Those with whom I really usually just tried to avoid contact while walking into the store (in my pajamas ... or a little buzzed?) ... I guess you will be missed.

DO YOU REALLY FEEL LESS WELCOME NOW THAT THEY'VE CHANGED THINGS?:

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-01-25/wal-mart-pulls-greeters-from-overnight-shift-as-sam-walton-s-legacy-ebbs.html

WELCOME TO WALMART IS ON IMDB (the 12 min training video, apparently):

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1754869/

BREAKING DOWN THE JOB:

http://www.mahalo.com/how-to-become-a-walmart-greeter/#

Random Scandal Sheet for Sunday 4/15/12

What Indianapolis is talking about this week:

... waking up to this view of downtown Indy was a treat today (it's actually at least the fourth time I've visited as a quick getaway from Chicago), although the 11am carillon ringing did cause me a brief bit of panic.

In my groggy state (as per usual, I was bar crawling that night before -- and please note that it's a "C space Indy" and not Cindy to whom I am professing my allegiance on that Funkier Monkey top score listing), my first thought was actually that it was a tornado warning (especially after the storms that went through the plains the night before -- our thoughts are with those dealing with that damage), but it was clearly too pretty of a sound for that purpose.

[On a personal note, once I put two and two together, I was also reminded that the only other time I was awakened by the carillon was at my surrogate grandmother JoAnne's house in Fairchance PA. As she passed a few years back, it was a bittersweet connection that I made.]

I have to say I'm a bit surprised that Indy is the 12th biggest city in the US (it gives off a nice laid back vibe), but I am already looking forward to a return visit this mid-June (after the Martina McBride concert in Dayton OH and Penguin Palooza in Newport KY).

A SUPPLIER OF CARILLONS:
http://www.brgproducts.com/?wcw=google&gclid=CPyshseZuK8CFYXNKgod2kCqiA

SO IT MIGHT BE 12th LARGEST BECAUSE IT SWALLOWED UP THE COUNTY IT'S IN:

http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0108531.html

I'LL BE RETURNING IN TWO SHORT MONTHS!:

http://www.indydt.com/

Random Soapbox for Saturday 4/14/12

I don't mean to go off on a rave here, but ...

[ ... remember, I'm committed to raving for the whole month of April, with a promise to return to my usual ranting self on Saturdays in May ...]

... but three cheers to Dave Cummings (fair warning -- I'm referring to the guy from New Hampshire that is featured below, not the 70 year old gentleman who recently made it into the adult industry's hall of fame -- although, since he was a Vietnam veteran, the stories do dovetail in an odd way ...) who completed his one millionth free throw in a fundraiser he did for two years to benefit our troops.

Being here in Indy for the weekend, I feel all kinds of sporty, what with the Super Bowl having just been played here this year and so much basketball being a part of the Hoosier lifestyle. And so the story featured at the link below caught my eye. He originally thought he might raise a million dollars (one for each free throw), and although that didn't quite pan out, he did raise tens of thousands of dollars for the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund (which researches TBI -- traumatic brain injury).

And the best part was his motivation. According to him (as quoted in a USAToday article from last veteran's day 11-11-11), "I'd spent my life being oblivious about the sacrifices of the people in the military ... I didn't want to be that oblivious guy anymore."

Congratulations on a million free throws ... on raising the funds you did ... and on being a role model for us all.

THE HOOPS FOR HEROES BLOG ... ONE MILLION FREE THROWS THROWN:

http://hoopsforheroes.wordpress.com/2011/11/

... MADE EASIER WITH THIS DONATED ITEM:

http://www.sklz.com/blog/one-million-free-throws

CAREFUL WHEN YOU SEARCH DAVE CUMMINGS:

http://www.aolnews.com/2011/02/23/septuagenarian-becomes-oldest-actor-ever-in-porn-hall-of-fame/

Random Flashback for Friday 4/13/12

Here are a few more folks from our group that studied abroad in 1990 but had a mini-reunion around this time twenty years ago in 1992. (This follows last week's pic of me and my almost-captors who had considered kidnapping me in the parking lot of that hotel in the pic from two weeks ago ...)

At this point in our respective timelines, the two in the middle still had different last names ... and someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm pretty sure it was Doug and Kari that were hosting the event that weekend (and the only other reunion of this group that I can remember at a Christmas party some time later after they married).

And does anyone that was there remember, did we have any Kolsch? Or did I bring my Asbach-Uralt brandy chocolate candies with me (that I now get each year at Chicago's Christkindlmarkt)? Or was it just Toffifee for everyone?

Random Thought for Thursday 4/12/12

[Here's another in my occasional series that I revived last week...]

ONLY IN CHICAGO ... can we so authoritatively say "I told you so" to our friends in Miami.

Look -- I'm all for free speech and second chances and such, but the repeated insensitive douchery of Comrade Guillen is just a little too much to handle. And unless Gloria Estefan's people get rid of him (what do you think the Miami Sound Machine is really doing in middle age?) I can bet you some "peso cubanos" that he's going to show his ugly side again this summer (after all, we're only a few days into the season)!

[Oh ... and he might want to stay away from a few of the bars in South Beach (not so much the ones that the Jersey Shore kids attended, but some of the other ones), based on the bridges he already burned with certain communities here in Chi-town.]

RENUNCIA IDIOTA:

http://www.latimes.com/sports/sportsnow/la-sp-sn-ozzie-guillen-protests-20120410,0,683050.story?track=rss

FOR WHITE SOXERS, IT'S "OLD HAT":

http://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/nationals/white-sox-watch-as-former-manager-ozzie-guillen-apologizes-for-castro-comments/2012/04/10/gIQAGkG68S_story.html

THE "BEST" OF COMRADE GUILLEN:

http://guyspeed.com/ozzie-guillen-best-rants/

Random Wordplay for Wednesday 4/11/12

Homeless Hotspots.

Used in a sentence: "I hope it makes you squirm a little bit, but the recent SXSW festival in Austin got 'creative' with a local company providing those stuck with having a life on the street with a wifi signal -- turning them into roving homeless hotspots."

On the plus side, they were paid $20 a day and got to keep any tips they were given. That being said, I can't tell if I feel that they were exploited or if this was entrepreneurship at its best. And I have to say that if we did this in Chicago, it would give everyone an opportunity to log in to their devices while waiting at the red lights of exit ramps or busy intersections. (I'm just sayin' ...)

I'M CLARENCE, A 4G HOTSPOT:

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/13/technology/homeless-as-wi-fi-transmitters-creates-a-stir-in-austin.html

BLAME THE BRITS!:

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/risky-business/sxsw-2012-ad-agency-under-298572

OFF-RAMP BEGGARS -- TO GIVE OR NOT TO GIVE:

http://blogs.chicagotribune.com/news_columnists_ezorn/2011/02/panhandlers.html

Random Tune for Tuesday 4/10/12

Here's the second in my series of tunes on Tuesday in the month of April (Creepier than Intended) ... and I have to admit that it's not so much this version of the song itself that's creepy (it's more ... unexpected, I would say), but it's creepy in how I came to learn of it. And, sadly, I'm not 100% sure of that ... I only know that I heard it as it played out over the end credits of one of the TV shows with which I am enamored. And I distinctly remember that I was staring dumbfounded at the screen with a silly grin on my face over how good the ending of was. Which means it was probably over the end credits of True Blood (can't wait until it starts up again this summer!) or American Horror Story (can't wait to see what new roles last year's actors will play!) or The Walking Dead (spoiler alert -- we're all infected!) ...

YOU'RE NOT WELCOME ANY MORE:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=10C68Gzd5GM

Random Memorial for Monday 4/9/12

Gone but not forgotten: 21 penguins and 45 seabirds.

I should start by saying that these animals (one of whom I captured in that photo in the summer of '09) were relocated from the Lincoln Park Zoo when it chose to close its Kovler Penguin-Seabird House (and although initial reports said that they'd be back when a new exhibit opens, I'm no longer sure that that is the case) ... so they are literally gone from Chicago but not forgotten (as a matter of fact, the Zoo has provided a "where are they now" update at the link below).

I've been a fan of penguins for years (I'm not sure why ... other than that they are just so darn cute -- a bad pic of my collection is now on FB) so I'm saddened that I can't just walk on over to the local Zoo to get my fix. But I am excited to have started booking my summer vacation plans that will include a Martina McBride concert and a trip to the nearby Newport KY aquarium -- which features, what they call, Penguin Palooza.

Penguins and Puffins and Murres, oh my ... you are missed.

A RECENT 'WHERE ARE THEY NOW' UPDATE:

http://www.lpzoo.org/blog/index.php/2012/03/13/where-are-they-now?blog=21

THE STORY AS FIRST PRESENTED LAST SEPTEMBER:

http://www.suntimes.com/news/metro/7805922-418/zoo-to-close-penguin-house-move-penguins-until-new-exhibit-opens.html

JUST ADDED TO SUMMER VACATION:

http://www.newportaquarium.com/exhibitsshows/krogerpenguinpalooza.aspx

Random Scandal Sheet for Sunday 4/8/12

What Chicago is talking about this week:

Those that celebrate, are Easter-ing it up (Happy Easter!) or Passover-ing/Passing Over (Happy? Passover!).

And with both of those religious holidays dealing with life and death, it's also fitting that people are remembering those who passed this weekend (and why is it that it always happens in sets of three?) ... 60 Minutes Grand Inquisitor Mike Wallace, Master of the Light Thomas Kinkade, and Pennsylvania Potato Chip Magnate James Herr.

And in my household ... in between all of the ham I'll be ingesting (which I do enjoy, although it seems like every bite eaten just reminds me that it could have been bacon if things had only gone a different way) ... I'll be sending positive thoughts to Dolly in Indiana who heads in for major surgery tomorrow. May your recovery be of the Jamie Sommers variety. Our thoughts are with you!

60 MINUTES GRAND INQUISITOR:
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/04/08/us-usa-wallace-idUSBRE83708Y20120408?feedType=RSS&feedName=topNews&rpc=71

MASTER OF THE LIGHT:
http://articles.cnn.com/2012-04-07/us/us_kinkade-dead_1_thomas-kinkade-popular-artist-nature-scenes?_s=PM:US

PENNSYLVANIA POTATO CHIP MAGNATE:
http://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/2012/04/06/pennsylvania-potato-chip-icon-jim-herr-dead-at-88/

Random Soapbox for Saturday 4/7/12

I don't mean to go off on a rave here, but ...

[hey, it's spring and Easter weekend and the weather's changing so why not do a month of raves for April? Rest assured I'll return to ranting soon enough ...]

... kudos to companies like General Electric, which recently announced its plans to hire 5000 veterans in the next five years as it expands its aviation business under the "Hire Our Heroes" plan.

Regardless of where your hearts and minds fall as it pertains to the military industrial complex (me, I've said before that Brecht's Mother Courage represents my views well), it's those who serve -- who follow orders that are, at their most basic, instructions to risk their lives for the rest of us -- that deserve our support. And support that lasts is the type of support that this program represents -- matching them as they return to jobs in which they can best demonstrate their skill set.

I'm all for the parades and the monuments and the welcoming home with open arms -- but I'm even more for those companies that put longer term plans on the table. And in a world of a volunteer military, where, as R. Maddow says in her new book, "over half of America has not felt any effects of the last two wars", supporting those companies that support our heroes is a step we all can take.

Huzzah GE ... Huzzah!

BECOME A SPONSOR OF THE "HIRE OUR HEROES" PROGRAM:
http://hireamericasheroes.org/sponsors/become-a-sponsor/

JUST LIKE GENERAL ELECTRIC DID:

http://www.chicagolandchamber.org/wdk_cc/innovation_and_knowledge_/2012_news/2012_february/ge_the_latest_company__hiring_our_heroes_.jsp

R. MADDOW presents DRIFT:

http://www.mediaite.com/tv/rachel-maddow-explains-new-book-we-have-gone-to-war-so-frequently-and-felt-it-so-much-less/

Random Flashback for Friday 4/6/12

So that abandoned motel along the side of 15 near Gettysburg in last week's picture? It was, as it may have appeared, a rendezvous point.

But not for any illicit activity -- instead it was the place where a few LVC students met up with a few Allegheny students to go re-une (I can get away with that as a verb, right?) with a few Gettysburg students.

Twenty years ago around this time, a majority of those of us who studied together during a 1990 semester abroad in Koln, Germany (in a program jointly sponsored by those three schools) were going to be in the same spot since that final goodbye dinner when a drunk Pat and Tony did the traditional German dancing in real Lederhosen (and do I remember right that Klaus Fischer or Father Christmas or Klaus Fischer as Father Christmas get involved too?).

And, in my pics (which I'll keep putting up over the month of April), I'm wearing two different outfits, so I think it was a weekend affair. Kicking us off is this parking lot shot of me with Beth and Monika! Viel Spass!!

Random Thought for Thursday 4/5/12

[I haven't added to this occasional series since last July ... but here you go ...]

ONLY IN CHICAGO ... can you be in the middle of a small talk situation and someone ask you "Did you see the fire the other night?" and you need to clarify from them ... was that the five alarm blaze in the Back of the Yards neighborhood or the MLS soccer game we won?

NOT THIS CLASSIC FIRE ...:

http://www.chicagohs.org/history/fire.html

OR THIS RECENT FIRE ...:

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/chi-extraalarm-blaze-hits-back-of-the-yards-20120405,0,7502895.story

BUT THIS FIRE!:

http://www.chicago-fire.com/

Random Wordplay for Wednesday 4/4/12

The dog ate my ... tickets.

Used in a sentence: "The dog ate my ... tickets." [I guess it stands alone pretty clearly as a sentence, doesn't it?]

So maybe it's not so much wordplay -- it's just that the more traditional "homework" has been swapped out for "tickets". Why? Because it happened to some poor guy who had tickets for today's practice round at the Masters. Sierra, his dog, chowed down on four said tickets -- and so he discovered that vets use hydrogen peroxide the way that old wives use ipecac -- and he had her drink it. Then, to show how much he loved his golf, he sifted through the ick and found a way to recreate 70% of the tickets out of the regurgitation.

Then (and I don't know why he waited until after all this), he called and found out that the ticketeers would gladly reprint his tickets (perhaps the thought of handling what he reclaimed made it easier for them to come to that decision?) ...

ALL THAT WAS LEFT WAS THE STRINGS ...:
http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2012/04/04/149996762/the-dog-ate-my-tickets-this-time-the-mother-of-all-excuses-was-real

IT's NOT JUST FOR OLD WIVES -- YOU SHOULD KEEP 1 OZ. ON HAND AT HOME:
http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/112/5/1182.full

AND SO IT BEGINS ... IT's MASTERS WEEK!:
http://www.masters.com/en_US/index.html

Random Tune for Tuesday 4/3/12

[I haven't done an occasional series in a while, so the tunes I pick for Tuesdays in the month of April will all be united by a concept -- they'll be creepier than possibly they were intended to be ...]

Kicking off this new occasional series is this tune, that upon adult reflection, seems to be not so cutesy and actually rather threatening with a Drew Peterson-esque vibe, as in "you will never escape me and my friends who will always be watching you, you cheating whore". Or, as provided a bit more artfully ...

"And a thousand eyes can't help but see if you are true to me ... So remember when you tell those little white lies ... That the night has a thousand eyes ... One of these days you're gonna be sorry ..."

Creepy!

WITHOUT DISSING MR. VEE, HERE's J. CONNELLY's VERSION FROM DARK CITY:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WgHqbJr3NFI&feature=related

Random Memorial for Monday 4/2/12

Gone and soon to be forgotten: the loneliness of a bunch of what were homeless pets before this weekend.

To any and all who participated in the ASPCA nationally sponsored local adoption events that fell under the umbrella of the Mega Match-a-Thon that ran for 24 hours over the last weekend, congratulations on your new family members.

Without delving too much into the controversies surrounding said agencies (other than to suggest that you always research charities to which you donate to make sure that they use funds in the way you wish to support), I can say that I took the end of the month opportunity to follow through with my 2012 Facebook birthday plans -- which means I was able to make a $43 donation to the local PAWS (no-kill shelter) in Chicago in honor of the 43 FB connections of mine who made their birthdays public in the month of March.

Days of waiting for many to find their "forever homes", you will not be missed.

[By the way, this also means I now turn to April and its designated charity -- the Lustgarten Foundation (an organization focused on pancreatic cancer research) that I chose as a way to remember my surrogate grandmother JoAnne (who died after a long long long battle with the disease a few years ago). And since I offer to provide the whoe year's listing as part of the way I've set it up on Facebook, here are the plans for the rest of 2102 ...

MAY -- National MS Society

JUN -- Vital Bridges

JUL -- Save the Children

AUG -- Muscular Dystrophy Association

SEP -- Autism Speaks

OCT -- Susan G Komen for the Cure

NOV -- Greater Chicago Food Depository

DEC -- Trevor Project.]

THE MEGA MATCH A THON IS (WAS) ON:

http://www.aspca.org/Blog/mega-match-a-thon-2012

IN HONOR OF THE MARCH BIRTHDAYS!:

http://www.pawschicago.org/

ALWAYS RESEARCH YOUR CHARITIES ... SOME COMMENTS TO CONSIDER:

http://www.veggieboards.com/newvb/archive/index.php/t-11123.html

Random Scandal Sheet for Sunday 4/1/12

What The Palm Desert is talking about this week ...

... or maybe I should rephrase that, as it is more like what I am talking about this week while wrapping up my third annual Easter holidays/spring break trip to California [Palm Sundays in the Palm Desert!] (with a flight home late tomorrow and a return to work on Wednesday after an extra day of rest -- and since you're not supposed to make your travel plans public on the internet, I guess I'm really saying that time is running out to raid my place -- although, warning, attack cats are on premises).

... California is leading the nation with requiring that restaurants list calorie counts on its menus. I have to admit that I'm of the "ignorance is bliss" mindset (are there calories in bacon and cheese, my toppings of choice until I have that first heart attack?), but to the extent that there are those who now can more easily practice a personal caloric accountability, I guess it is a good idea. And, even more fitting, the restaurants themselves have taken to adapting their menus to make sure that there are lower count items and/or reconfigured recipes to lower the overall total of its popular offerings.

Unless the Supreme Court says otherwise, and let's face it, it's not a question of IF but more of HOW MUCH they say otherwise, the FDA may use Cali's law as an example for the nation as big government gets involved in rolling out this concept as a new regulation later this summer (it's part of Obamacare). It probably goes without saying, but whether you think said government oversight is a good or a bad thing is a matter of personal taste (and since I'm typing this while in California, I should mention that said taste contains 0 calories -- although depending on how vigorously you defend the side on which you fall, you may end burning some calories whilst thinking about it ...)

CA LED THE WAY (WITH A BASE OF 240 FOR AVOCADOS WHICH ARE ON EVERYTHING):
http://articles.latimes.com/2011/jun/22/business/la-fi-calorie-count-20110622

FDA REGS NOW ACCEPTING COMMENTS (AKA TAKE A LOOK AT ALL THE LOOPHOLES):
http://www.foodpolitics.com/2011/04/menu-labeling/

STOP THE PRESSES: MAYBE NYC LED THE WAY (SEE MIXED STUDY RESULTS):
http://www.mondaq.com/unitedstates/x/146784/Healthcare+Food+Drugs+Law/Proposed+FDA+Regulations+To+Require+Chain+Restaurants+To+Post+Nutrition+Information