miriam's ideas

2012-02-14T16:35:00.002-05:00

A few weeks ago I was stranded at Philadelphia Airport without a ride, and I was forced to use the Old Lady card. Fortunately, it succeeded, but the problem with using the Old Lady card is that you have to be an old lady before, during, and after employing the card. There is no time off for good behavior, no furlough, no chance of a reprieve. You never even get one day off.

Once upon a time I had a Cute Young Thing Card, but it expired and can never be renewed.

Euphemism

2012-02-13T21:02:00.000-05:00

I got a bill with a photo of me going through a red light, sent by some kind benefactors who call themselves the Red Light Safety Program. They wanted a decent sized check, but that's not what it's about. It's all about my safety. No doubt they could use the cash as well, but it's really, really about keeping me safe. And the children, too, I'm sure. Let's not forget the children.

Can't we ever call things by their real names? This program should be called the Revenue Enhancement Program, or the Gotcha! Program. That would be more honest. Just as it would be more honest to refer to abortion and birth control by their own names, instead of piously calling them Women's Health Issues. And talking about saving women's health. Pregnancy is not an illness. Every single person I've ever met was the result of a pregnancy. Every one. No exceptions.

Does it ever occur to anyone that women can still get abortions and birth control by paying for it themselves? It's perfectly legal. But it seems unthinkable. We used to pay for medical care, in living memory. When my kids were small, we took them to the pediatrician and paid the bill out of our own pockets. They got the required shots and well-baby exams without aid from the government or insurance. Insurance was for catastrophes.

A couple of years ago, my father suffered an attack of shingles. It was hideously painful, so when shots for shingles came out, I asked the doctor to prescribe a shot for me. The insurance carrier had not yet approved this for payment, and my doctor's office was gobsmacked when I offered to pay for it myself. I did, and was not struck down by a thunderbolt from heaven.

2012-02-13T20:53:00.002-05:00

My brother, the genius, sent me this photo. I don't quite know why he sent it, but I thought I would share it.

Old plants, new shoots

2012-02-08T22:26:00.000-05:00

I got these plants as gifts a year ago. Put them in the garage and forgot about them. I discovered yesterday that they had sent forth new shoots. So I watered them and am watching them grow.

Someone sent me a comment, which has since been eaten by Blogger, asking what kind of plants they are. The answer is crocus, daffodil, tulip, and I forget. I don't know which are which, though.

Undoubtedly more will be revealed.

Relatives?

2012-01-30T22:12:00.000-05:00

Maybe. I can't tell. The photo is not labeled.

The importance of being Ernest

2012-01-30T22:07:00.000-05:00

The image above is that of a thug who was responsible for countless deaths. He has become an icon of the American left because of this picture, which is everywhere: on coffee cups, T-shirts, posters, and for all I know, condoms. The picture looks so dashing, so glamorous! That beard, that beret, that intent expression! And his nickname, Che, is so chic, full of masculine bravado. He is of course, Ernesto (Che) Guevara.

Imagine if his friends and family had called him Ernie, instead of Che. Picture him in an alternative universe, in a baseball cap, glasses with unfashionable frames, no beard, and wearing a T-shirt saying "I'm with stupid" and with his pants falling down, showing his underwear.

Girl in snow

2012-01-29T21:45:00.000-05:00

Ambiguous

2012-01-27T22:23:00.002-05:00

In my e-mail:

You have been selected to receive this ticket because you areentitled to government funding maybe.The US Government must find recipients in order to distributeover $360 billion dollars to organizations and private individuals.

What's that "maybe" all about?

The Chicago way vs Albany Democracy

2012-01-27T22:18:00.001-05:00

I wonder whether the Chicago way has any resemblance to Albany Democracy. In Albany, and in Albany County generally, the Democrats controlled everything. Albany voters voted the straight Democratic ticket every time. I think they are the only county in the US to go overwhelmingly to George McGovern.A sinister Irishman whose name I have forgotten ran the machine. When a house in Albany changed hands, the evaluation--and the taxes--went up. The whole thing was choreographed like a classical ballet. First you got the letter concerning your new evaluation, then you called a lawyer who agreed to "represent" you in appealing the rise. Our fixer, another Irishman, was always off somewhere attending a wake, funeral, wedding, first communion, or barbecue, so you had to keep calling him. When you finally reached him, he said he would fix--I should properly call it "fix"--the assessment for you. This was supposed to make you grateful and turn you into a lifelong Democrat.Every election, a little old man who wheezed and smelled of cigarette smoke came to your door and told you who to vote for. He was completely sincere and meant it but we voted for whomever we pleased. It didn't matter who we voted for. Everyone else voted the straight Democratic ticket.The good thing about the machine was low taxes. The bad things were rotten schools to which no member of the school board would send their kids, potholes, little or late snow removal, no street cleaning, and a host of other deplorable conditions. The good thing was low taxes. Loyal Democrats were given low-paying jobs around the city and were appropriately grateful for them. The elevators at City Hall had actual elevators run by city hacks, years after all the other elevators in the world were automated. Free turkeys and baskets of food were delivered in poor neighborhoods at Christmas.Our mayor was supposed to be very smart and came from a distinguished family. The story went that he could have risen to the House or the Senate, so distinguished was he, but he Had a Mistress, which disqualified him. He came to politics poor and left rich, albeit in a pine box, despite earning about $5,000 a year. I guess he was lucky in his investments.I thought he was an egregious ass. My daughter, a fifth grader, wrote him a letter requesting pay raises for firemen. He sent her a pompous reply as if she were a grownup, but not too bright at that.This all happened a long time ago and I'm sure everyone in Albany County is completely honest and trustworthy at present. Like Chicago. But with lower taxes.

Mother and dad

2012-01-26T20:44:00.000-05:00

I'm sure I posted this once before. I love the picture, though.

I wish my mother and dad had had more pictures taken of themselves. Dad didn't because he was always behind the camera, and mother didn't because she was waiting until she lost a lot of weight to have her picture taken. She actually cut pictures of herself out of family snapshots. I wish she had stopped wishing to be different and accepted herself as she was. Wasn't it enough to graduate from law school before she was old enough to practice law? To be an attorney whose clients loved her? To know every policeman in Columbus, OH? To be married to a handsome guy?

Nope, she was never good enough. Mother told me that her parents never praised her and her brothers. Never kissed or hugged them. Bubbe, particularly, was sparing with kind words. Sarcasm she had plenty of, though. Her tongue was a knife that cut two ways. Her children and grandchildren had to be perfect. Since they weren't perfect, she was never satisfied. The boys didn't seem to mind, but mother felt she could never measure up.

The weight thing came down through the generations and has driven all us granddaughters crazy. I am the fattest of the bunch. The rest are the type of skinny woman who eats seven grapes and four almonds for lunch. Only one of her grandsons had trouble with his weight, and that was my brother the genius. However, he could drown his sorrows in mathematics.

Good work, Seal Team 6!

2012-01-26T10:36:00.000-05:00

What an exciting story!It was like a Daniel Silva story, only real.

The gingham dog and the calico cat

2012-01-25T23:39:00.002-05:00

Does anyone remember that little ditty? I read it when I was a child. The gingham dog and the calico cat had a fight, and when it was over they had eaten each other. Does this remind anyone of Gingrich and Romney?310 million people in the US, and not one Republican with a brain. Welcome to Obama's second term, thanks to the stupid party.

Irksome

2012-01-17T23:54:00.000-05:00

It's been that kind of day. Just when I thought I had Mr Charm's affairs settled and am taking a much needed vacation in California, irksome stuff happened, and I was strongly irked.I respond to unpleasant happenings in weird ways. First, my hair starts to fall out. Don't laugh--the vacuum cleaner is picking up oodles of hair these days. I am going to have to ask Donald Trump for the name of his hairdresser soon.As an added bonus, my stomach gets upset. I react to this by taking so many Tums every day that my osteoporosis has been cured--a miracle. Of sorts. PS: Though my stomach is upset almost every day, I don't lose any weight.

Fifty years ago

2012-01-17T19:48:00.000-05:00

Annoying letters

2012-01-14T22:09:00.000-05:00

Why do letters you have to deal with come late on Friday afternoon, preferably before a Monday holiday, leaving you with the whole weekend to stew about them? I got a deeply mysterious letter from the IRS, declaring that I did not file a return for 2010. Or something. Of course I did, and got a refund from the State of Delaware, if memory serves. I used TurboTax, the service so beloved by unindicted co-conspirator Tim Geithner. Anyway, it is not clear what the letter means; either they owe me money or I owe them some. Or not. Also, they need a new cartridge in their(the IRS)printer. The letter is hard to read.Now I'm starting to worry. There is a streak of incompetence running through my family which makes its way straight into my brain. I am okay in normal circumstances; I misplace theater tickets, get lost easily, and don't recognize anyone I know. I find it a real challenge to change the cartridge on my printer, and as for checking the oil--don't ask! Add a death in the family, Mr Charm's illness, Medicare, lawyers, and sore feet, and I am reduced to a blithering idiot.So--what's this all about? Well, it's sort of an apology for letting down my faithful readers, who are probably sick of all the dreck I am posting, and deserve better. I'll try to cheer up, really I will, and I hope I shall recover my wits.

Red light madness

2012-01-02T20:43:00.000-05:00

Red light madnessI got a red light camera ticket and I was hopping mad. So I did a bit of research on Google, and now I'm really mad. It turns out that this "service" is not local. The company which administers the program writes the ordinance which is passed by a local political body, a minimum number of "violations" are guaranteed to this company, the company --not a local police department or elected officials--sets the lights and camera up, and the cameras are timed to increase the probability of catching motorists. How about this nugget:

Nestor, the company we have outsourced our red light law enforcement to has collected ~ $4.7 million in 3 years. That money we will never see again, and we just shipped it right out of Delaware’s economy and into a private firm. Previously, when you got a ticket, it at least went to the State. It could then be used for police salaries or highway repair. But not in this case.

Apparently Nestor does not do as good a job in ordering their own affairs; they are going bankrupt.In my own case, the photograph shown on the citation is incorrect, in that it does not show the green left turn arrow which I and several other cars are obeying. The tone of the letter itself is nasty and intimidating, clearly designed to threaten those who don't knuckle under and pay at once. Shame on you, Delaware! Is this the way to treat citizens?

It's never too late...

2011-12-29T22:52:00.002-05:00

for divorce.

At the movies

2011-12-26T16:10:00.001-05:00

I just saw the movie, "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo." I won't reveal the plot, because I don't want to ruin it for those who enjoy graphic depictions of rape and torture. But I do have some observations.

The movie takes place in Sweden. You can tell this because the entire cast speaks fluent English with a Swedish accent. This is understandable, because if they spoke Swedish we wouldn't understand them unless there were subtitles. This is not the kind of movie suitable for subtitles.

It is always snowing in Sweden and looks awfully cold, but no-one buttons up their coats.

Clearly tall thin people are better than short fat people. They are good, honest, and virtuous. Overweight people have rotten, even criminal, characters. Guys with potbellies are particularly obnoxious.

Out in the country, only one car is allowed on the highway at one time. If you want to go somewhere and there is already a car on the road, you have to ride a motorcycle.

If you have a Jewish given name, like, say "Miriam," you are Jewish. No exceptions.

My first car

2011-12-24T23:59:00.000-05:00

Iowahawk posted a picture of himself in a little red wagon. Well, this is my first car. It was red, too. Neeneer, neener, neener.

Joy!

2011-12-24T11:24:00.000-05:00

oh-oh.

2011-12-23T20:19:00.000-05:00

Years ago, President Carter sought wisdom from his teen-age daughter, Amy, and mentioned this in a half-baked speech.. Shortly thereafter he was relieved of his job and sent home to deal with his peanuts. I thought we were through with that sort of thing. I don't recall President Clinton seeking advice from Chelsea, or Bush II consulting the twins about foreign policy.

But the current incumbent quotes the insights of his teen-aged daughter, Malia, so teen wisdom is back. He uses Malia's remarks as a jumping off point for some meaningless, banal psycho-babble about change.

Can we send him back to Chicago? Please? Real soon?

The end of the world?

2011-12-21T22:18:00.001-05:00

The end of the world? Why would anyone give any credence to anything said by the Mayans? They were a disgusting group of people if there ever was one, practicing human sacrifice and probably poor dental hygiene as well. Why do you think the Spanish were able to conquer them? The other tribes cooperated with the Spaniards, probably having gotten good and fed up with the Mayans sacrificing their members.

Just because people lived primitive lives a long time ago and are now extinct does not give them a Get Out of Jail Free card. Some indigenous tribes were pretty rotten in their day. Good riddance to them and all their works.

I'm having trouble...

2011-12-19T23:01:00.001-05:00

with Blogger, and am really mad at myself for being such a knucklehead about computers that I don't know how to fix it. I'm using the new version of Blogger, because the old one is actually worse. I can't link!

Went to see the lawyer today, and he gave me a ton of instructions that will keep me busy for days. How did I ever have time to work?

I had to replace the sink disposer for the second time. This is its last chance! If this one breaks....

Is it possible to take a leave of absence from your life?

Another fine business opportunity

2011-12-18T21:47:00.002-05:00

Hi We are register company in Sieria Leone and we deal in different kind of Diamond and we are looking for a long term partner that is willing to buy.If you are interested get back to us with your details as to enable me email you our manifest.

Your Faithfully,

Williams Terry.

Love those diamonds!

Happy holiday!

2011-12-18T21:39:00.000-05:00

One of the decorated tees at Longwood Gardens

snow baby

2011-12-13T22:30:00.000-05:00

The joys of 21st century medicine

2011-12-10T15:48:00.001-05:00

One of the most frustrating things in modern life is coping with the nuts and bolts of medical practice. The average practice around these parts consists of 35 revolving doctors, a nurse practitioner, and 50 ancillary persons, none of whom can talk to you just then but want you to leave a voice mail message. Just getting an appointment leaves you disgruntled. You don't get regruntled when the day of your long anticipated appointment comes.I read somewhere that the word ancillary derives from the Latin word Ancilla, meaning handmaiden. This is either true or too good to check. On an average office visit, you deal with at least 3 of these handmaidens before the head honcho performs his brief walk-in part, and 3 more before you leave. The doctor couldn't pick out your face in a line-up. Cursory is the word that applies. Clearly they have other patients who are much, much sicker than you and are no doubt busily bleeding to death in another room.

Gas cap of Doom

2011-12-10T15:06:00.001-05:00

The other Night at about 6:30,the dashboard of my car issued an ominous warning: Loose. Gas. Cap. I parked the car and examined the gas cap;it looked okay to me, but what do I know? I got back in the car and Again saw the warning: LOOSE, GAS! CAP! So I took it to Sheridan Nissan, even though I knew the service department was closed, in the hope that someone who was hanging around there would know how to fix it.The service manager happened to be there. There was nothing wrong with the gas cap. It was tight. He unscrewed it and tightened it again. I started The car: LOOSE! GAS! CAP! he told me to come back tomorrow and they would fix it.i drove home with the message flashing at me: LOOSE GAS CAP!!!!!. The next day the message went away, permanently.

Helping a struggling business

2011-12-05T15:02:00.001-05:00

The state of Delaware wants to give amazon.com a helping hand in building a fulfillment center in Middletown, de. This takes the form of $7.5 million in taxpayer funds. The exact amount is not known at this time, but it involves a$3.47 million grant from the Delaware strategic fund, plus up to $4 million in grant money from the new jobs infrastructure fFund. This would provide the state with 849 jobs!What could be wrong with this? Let's help our infant industries!

Here again

2011-11-30T21:23:00.001-05:00

It is only through stubbornness that I force myself to write this. It is hard to overcome the habit of NOT posting here which has become my default position. I have excuses, of course. A lot of legal hocus pocus has been going on; strictly speaking, it is not my personal business, so I won't expand on it. Then the computer broke down--a good excuse and one I have taken maximum advantage of.

I had the computer set up perfectly; my laptop was jury rigged to connect to my gigantic monitor, speakers, and a mouse. I haven't reassembled the monster yet; just using the laptop as, of all things, a laptop. Anyway, there was Thanksgiving. Then the plumber was needed. My right foot developed a sore spot. Then I turned my left ankle. My iPhone stopped working. Something got stuck in the sink disposal unit, requiring another visit from the plumber. Then the cable television stopped working. Then I had to take Mr Charm for cataract surgery. Then I dropped the cordless phone for the land line and destroyed it. Next, a flat tire. None of these is a tragedy, they all happen to everyone, but not all at once.

Oliver Sachs says he cannot recognize faces, even of people he has known a long time. He also gets lost. I am so glad to learn that someone else shares these weaknesses with me. I lived in New Jersey for 28 years and never really found my way around. Fortunately, I now have a GPS. I recognize people, sort of, but can't remember who they are, exactly. After an ahah moment, I recall who they are. But I am hell on recognizing cars.

I remember my car, in general. That is, I know it is white, four-door, has a sun roof and a spoiler and a rubber antenna. I just don't know what it looks like. So the other day I walked up to a car that looked pretty much like mine, clicked the unlock button, and it didn't light up. I got in anyway and noted with pleasure that it was cleaner than I had remembered. Then I looked at the dashboard and discovered that it was a Toyota. I had gotten into the wrong car! I quickly exited. Why does everyone have white cars anyway? What's up with that?

Midnight snack

2011-11-15T22:48:00.001-05:00

When I was a little girl and my father was still living with us, he and I used to enjoy a certain snack together. Here's what it was: a sandwich consisting of a sliced fresh tomato with sugar on it between two slices of buttered white bread. It was delicious!I've been thinking a lot of my dad lately. He died in April. I thought about things we had done together. There weren't that many of them. I remembered how he had taught me to swim and to fish. I remember that he brought me home a typewriter when I was in second grade and found it hard to write cursive. Ad I remembered the midnight snack we used to share.So I got some nice white bread, buttered it, sliced a tomato and put sugar on it, and made a sandwich. It was pretty good. But not as good as it had been when I was a little girl and my father was still living with us.

News flash

2011-11-10T20:38:00.001-05:00

From my inbox:it's not too later to sign up for the Delaware DEmentia Conference!THank God!

COmputer trouble

2011-11-10T20:21:00.001-05:00

Either the computer or my brain is broken. Still trying to figure it out. All my bright ideas occur when the computer isn't working, and I can no longer remember what they are. One nice thing did happen, though-I sold a painting! My faithful réaders will her more from me anon, when I get Used to this iPad.If ever.

Pitcher and wallpaper

2011-10-23T21:13:00.000-04:00

Snow scene

2011-10-22T23:07:00.000-04:00

A modest proposal

2011-10-22T10:43:00.002-04:00

The State of Delaware is subsidizing a fuel cell plant in a novel way: customers of Delmarva Power will pay an additional sum on their monthly bills--perhaps $1.00 a month--for 21 years.

Perhaps the citizens of Delaware might come up with more worthwhile projects that need to be subsidized. Wait--one taxpayer has a suggestion, from a letter to the editor of the local paper:

My terra cotta sewer line just died after 50-plus years of service. This is going to cost a large amount of money that I don't have laying around. So I came up with a solution -- a 5 cent tax on all New Castle county sewer users added to their bills. This could be a one-time tax. Then I can get back to using my sewer line and keep the economy flowing so to speak. Delmarva Power does it. Banks get bail outs. Why would anybody have a problem with this?

Perhaps, when they have finished with that, they might like to upgrade my kitchen?

Occupying the weather

2011-10-21T10:08:00.001-04:00

My prediction: the Occupy (name of Northern city) movement will last until the first, or maybe the second, really rotten stormy day. When the leaves have all fallen and are being blown around by fierce winds and driving rain, all these people will go home. Anybody want to occupy Cleveland when the wind comes roaring down from Canada? Remember the sunshine patriot and the summer soldier.

The ones in Florida, California, and Texas will stay put for a while.

Thief

2011-10-16T23:22:00.001-04:00

A few years ago, my elderly uncle, who lived alone and was in poor health, needed an aide to help him with daily tasks. The family was lucky enough to get Lisa, a graduate student. She was a wonderful caretaker, caring and compassionate; we all said that she saved Ed's life.

Ed then moved into assisted living, and when he wrote a check, the bank returned it. He had insufficient funds. Lisa had emptied his bank account.

But she was such a warm, caring person!

The scenario repeated itself on Long Island, where the husband of a friend of mine found that his home health aide, like Lisa a wonderful, caring person, had stolen the pain pills he relied on for relief of the pain of cancer.

Something similar happened to me. An aide I hired to help Mr Charm, whom he liked a lot, was competent and took good care of him. I wonder how she cared for the gold jewelry and pain pills she stole from me.

It really hurts when someone you like and trust betrays your trust.

Collecting

2011-10-13T15:28:00.000-04:00

I started collecting just after I moved to Delaware. I had a shortage of drinking glasses, so I went to a nearby Good Will store and bought a dozen. I saw a couple of soup bowls I could use, and bought them too. Soon I started collecting things that were of no earthly use to me because I liked the look of them. I now have collections of teacups, pink depression glass, Carnival glass, small figurines, souvenir plates, and music boxes. Objects to appear in my paintings. Oh, yes, I forgot to mention books, which I actually read. Sometimes. Every shelf in the house is full.

Just as there seemed to be no reason to start collecting things, there seems to be no reason to stop, except lack of space, but that's a compelling one. Some of my stuff has taken up residence in the garage, including my grandmother's samovar.

I finally got the brilliant idea of photographing potential subjects for my art work instead of buying them and bringing them home. The pitcher above is something I resisted buying.

So I am the eccentric woman furtively photographing objects on the shelves at a Good Will store near you. Now you know.

Inventions useful and useless

2011-10-09T20:56:00.001-04:00

I have been assigned the task of picking out a hearing aid for Mr Charm, courtesy of his doctor. I've been researching these gizmos, asking people with hearing aids what kind they like best, and nobody has a good word for any of them. My late father owned several of them and left them all in the drawer. Apparently the technology is unsatisfactory and they are disliked by users and non-users alike. Only cable providers are more unpopular.

So I got to thinking about gadgets--which are satisfactory, and which need more work?

Here's my list. You might have one of your own.

Great inventions: Flat screen tvs, dishwashers, air conditioning. microwaves, eyeglasses, and above all iPhones all do what they are expected to do and then some.

Need more work: garbage disposals, digital thermostats, electric cooktops, hearing aids, Bluetooth devices, and above all, pantyhose.

Fallling off?

2011-09-30T22:07:00.000-04:00

I started wondering why I was not getting as many comments as I used to. Maybe I was a better writer a few years ago? So I went through my early work (up to a point) and can report that I haven't gotten any worse--or any better--over the past 5-6 years. My material may have gotten worse, since I ran out of amusing family anecdotes quite a while ago. Will try to think up some more, or maybe I can make some up.I usually write what I feel like writing. I try to check the grammar and spelling, but I am not going to polish my work. Dr Johnson said a man who does not write for money is a fool. I don't mind being a fool, again up to a point, but I refuse to be--what's the inoffensive way to say idiotic?

My daughter's pre-school class

2011-09-28T22:28:00.000-04:00

She was second from right in the first row.

My grandson likes to draw planes

2011-09-27T22:28:00.000-04:00

Cars that last

2011-09-22T23:56:00.000-04:00

One of the cars cited in this article was the Geo Prizm. However, I know of at least one of these that no longer exists. I was driving it at the time it became extinct. I was preceding across an intersection at about seven miles per hour when I was struck on the driver's side of the hood by a Lexus which was not going very fast but was way bigger than my car. There was a hideous noise and I was spun 180 degrees, to the other side of the street while smoke poured out of the hood, then busily disintegrating and falling in pieces all over the road.I was magically unhurt, but the car! Its mechanical parts had to be swept up with a broom and into a giant dustpan. It was thus I learned that, yes, a car can be too small to be safe to drive. If that car had hit the door on the driver's side, just a few inches from the spot it did hit, I would never have needed another car.Now I drive a four-door Nissan Sentra, thank you for inquiring.

Spending other people's money

2011-09-22T23:42:00.001-04:00

Nothing is easier than spending other people's money. My first demonstration of the wisdom of this old saw occurred in 1976. You may recall that this was the anniversary of the Declaration of Independence--or was it the Constitution--anyway, one of those things. This important event had happened 200 years previously (or according to Ezra Klein, it was 100 years ago. But let's not quibble. It was a long time ago, and none of us were old enough to remember it).Anyway, the library I was managing then was encouraged to apply for funds from the Florida Bicentennial Committee, which we were to raise money to match. We did it, I forget how--maybe it was a bake sale, now illegal in several states because of the trans-fat issue. We raised our share and got the matching funds. Good so far. Then, as 1976 was winding to a close, we were informed that we had two weeks to spend the money, as someone in Washington or Tallahassee wanted to close the books on the Bicentennial.The board members, the mayor and I met in an emergency meeting because we had no idea what to do with the money. We finally came up with a plan. We would furnish a Bicentennial Room in the new library which was to be built shortly. In a lightning swift second meeting, we selected the furnishings of the room down to the color of the drapes and the frame on the picture of George Washington to be put on the wall. It was a piddling sum, but spending it was effortless; none of the group had to look at our personal finances to come up with the money. We could have spend 10 times that, 100 times that, if necessary.My next fun experience was in New Jersey. A bunch of us librarians were drafted to approve proposals for county arts projects. There was a finite sum, and we were to divide it among the candidates. We gave some money to several singing groups and to a group who wanted to paint a mural on a former but now derelict bowling alley in West Milford, NJ. It was fun, and I got an inkling of how much God must have enjoyed making the world and all the people and animals in it.

Depending on the government

2011-09-21T10:52:00.003-04:00

I started to question the longtime stability of the Medicare system when I received my Medicare card. The Social Security system, in its wisdom, issued a card printed on cheap cardboard that looked like it might last 6 months. Why couldn't they at least laminate it? The card has begun to fray significantly around the edges, especially because I have to pull it out of my wallet from time to time. Is this a reflection of how long I would have to use it? Would I expire before the card fell apart?My father lived to be 99--did his Medicare card last?

Obama's virtues

2011-09-18T16:20:00.000-04:00

Fraters Libertas: Faint Praise

I tried to link to Peggy Noonan's actual column, but it's behind a paywall. She enumerates Obama's virtues: he has a nice family, isn't mean, etc.

Other virtues of our president: He doesn't spit on the floor, eats with a knife and fork, is kind to puppies.

Talk about low expectations!

I'm going crazy

2011-09-16T23:01:00.001-04:00

Too much is going on.Yes, folks, I am truly losing it. First Google turned on me, and I finally wrestled it to the ground. The new interface isn't too hot, but I think I've got it down. For now. Wells Fargo continues to puzzle me. I put my mortgage on automatic pay then paid it manually. Twice. Aside from having made three mortgage payments--and two car payments--I went to have fasting blood work and forgot the prescription. Now I have to do it again. I hate leaving my house with no coffee!But what's really bugging me is the medical establishment. First, I have seen three foot specialists and none of them has helped me. The fact that I have pain when walking doesn't seem to concern them at all. But I'm working my way up to the worst of it all.I brought Mr Charm to a surgeon to discuss his having a procedure I read about on the Internet. It is a relatively new procedure, but has been successfully performed for a couple of years. There are learned articles about it in medical journals. If successfully performed, it would improve Mr Charm's quality of life and allow him to live at home, with me, instead of in a nursing home.The doctor's response was like a barbed arrow tinged with a slow-acting poison. He acted as though I were asking him to perform something illegal, although I don't know what modern surgery would consider out of bounds, considering that doctors routinely perform sex-change surgery. The more I thought about it, the more upset I became. He treated me like a criminal. This is still festering in my mind.

Minnesota writers

2011-09-12T23:11:00.000-04:00

I just finished reading "North of Hope" by Jon Hassler. Wonderful! I'm going to read and re-read all of his books. What is it about Minnesota that makes fiction writers so good? Another of my favorites is "Morte d'Urban" by J F Powers.A friend of mine believes that people who live in nice climates--Florida, California--spend too much of their time outdoors and don't develop their brains. Maybe. But I spent eight years living in Upstate New York and didn't develop my brain worth a damn.

Me at 18

2011-09-09T22:54:00.000-04:00

Blogger still doesn't behave. Frustrating.

I'm back!

2011-09-07T09:46:00.000-04:00

Blogger has changed ...something, and I can now post my sage observations again. So come back! both of my readers.

Good for BC!

2011-09-06T23:14:00.005-04:00

Canadians reject a tax.

A perfect day, with road work

2011-09-06T23:06:00.000-04:00

What a beautiful day! It's bright and sunny and just warm enough. .There's a little breeze that seems to come from all directions at once, stirring the trees. Birds singing. Even a butterfly showing off.

And of course, four different road work projects at four different places.Every unemployed person in Delaware seems to be out, holding a sign that says either "STOP" or "SLOW."

More Google freakiness

2011-09-06T23:03:00.003-04:00

Trying to post on this blog. Complained to google, but they couldn't get a screenshot.

Important announcement

2011-09-03T20:12:00.000-04:00

Since this site is non-operational, I am switching my mordant insights to miriamspaintings.blogspot.com

See you there.

I want to sell my paintings on e-Bay

2011-08-30T21:32:00.000-04:00

But I don't know whether anyone would be interested. I truly have too many paintings now and would like to lighten the load. I also need the money. I'd have to figure out how to do it.

Meanwhile, blogger is completely corrupted and I can't clean it up. Oy vey!

The only way I can get blogger to work is through Picasa

2011-08-26T14:45:00.000-04:00

So this is not about two tots at a museum, although they are cute, aren't they?

No, this is about a hotel room, specifically the $3,000 hotel room where DSK spent an interesting visit. Investigators found semen from four (4) different guys in this room. Eeuw! (I can't link, but the story is on smoking gun. Check it out.)

The cleaning lady/rape victim ought to be fired for dereliction of duty if she's the person who normally cleans the room.

If this is what you get in a $3,000 hotel room, what do you get in a $120 Holiday Inn room? Bedbugs? Lice? It doesn't bear thinking about.

This is a test

2011-08-25T20:27:00.000-04:00

I can't get Blogger to post anything. Or to work, generally.

One of my favorites

2011-08-17T22:01:00.000-04:00

This hangs at the foot of my stairs.

How to tell a rioter from a protester

2011-08-17T21:34:00.000-04:00

Here's how.

Clothing display--Good Will Store

2011-08-16T23:38:00.000-04:00

I thought this was colorful.

Has anyone else noticed that Matt Damon has a face like a pie plate?

2011-08-15T20:37:00.000-04:00

Just asking.

His face is perfectly round. You could bake a pizza on it. Not that you'd want to, but you could.

BBC biased against Israel?

2011-08-13T22:23:00.000-04:00

surely not?

The advantages of being an atheist

2011-08-12T16:09:00.000-04:00

I've never understood why atheists continue to write long and vehement books about their beliefs or lack of same. The existence of God cannot be proved, or disproved, and no book can add anything to the discussion. Why can't atheists just relax?

There are positives to being an atheist. They have more time than church/mosque/synagogue attenders, seeing that they don't have to go to church/mosque/synagogue and don't have to feel guilty about it if they sleep late on Friday/Saturday/Sunday morning. They don't have to fast on Yom Kippur or Ramadan, give something up for Lent, or send out those boring Christmas letters. They need not suffer from Jewish/Catholic/ Muslim guilt. They don't have to obey the 10 commandments; they don't even have to know what they are.

Instead of taking advantage of the extra time, they file lawsuits against prayers at public meetings, protest Christmas decorations, and write those dreary books.

Evaluating pain

2011-08-12T15:08:00.000-04:00

More accurate than the usual 1-10.

George Orwell was right

2011-08-10T21:58:00.000-04:00

When the four volume set of Orwell's essays was published some time in the 70s, I bought it and read them all. His work is easy to read and interesting, so it wasn't hard to do.

One essay in particular caught my attention. Orwell objected to a law --recently passed at the time of writing--which would force gun owners to register their weapons. Orwell thought this was a first step to disarming the public and depriving them of the freedom to bear arms. Of course, being a liberal, I disagreed with him vehemently and thought he was an old fussbudget. Having come to my senses in the interval, I am amazed at his prescience.

Look at the situation in England--hoodlums looting and burning property while decent citizens can do nothing but stand back and watch helplessly.

Two lemons and three limes...

2011-08-02T22:27:00.000-04:00

plus bottle of olive oil and bowl, looking for a good home.

Has anyone tried the Kindle app on the iPad?

2011-08-01T16:19:00.000-04:00

I'm thinking of getting an iPad, with a Kindle application, but I've heard there might be problems with the app. There has been some grumbling about incompatible formats and other stuff I can't quite understand. But I know if there's a problem, I will have it in spades and not be able to do anything with it. I say this as one who is still shaking my head about how to replace the batteries in the remote for the Wii. I'll have to read the manual, the thought of which gives me real brain pain.

So--should I get a Kindle, for $150 and change, or break down and get an iPad ($500 and counting)?

Please, my reticent, not to say taciturn, readers, let me know what I should do. And how do I replace the batteries in the Wii remote, currently in two pieces? I'm pretty sure it isn't supposed to be like that.

Buy a painting, dammit!

2011-07-29T22:43:00.000-04:00

Go to my painting website and look around, and select one!

Best offer wins!

Hot news

2011-07-29T22:40:00.000-04:00

The heat is back. My lawn has committed suicide. Trees are shriveling up and dying. My rose bushes, which bloomed beautifully in May and obstinately declined to flower in June, have a few tentative blooms. I guess they never got the memo that June is the month of roses.

All I want to do for the rest of my life is find a swimming pool somewhere and stand in it up to my neck, or maybe over my head from time to time.

Meanwhile, there are people in the nursing home wearing sweaters, jackets and, in one case, a wool hat, covered in blankets and sitting outdoors.

My house is beautifully air-conditioned and is going to stay that way. I plan, for the remaining years of my life, to be an energy hog and consume as much electricity, gas, coal, and bandwidth as possible. I will be enabled to do this by the sacrifice of all you good citizens who are installing solar panels and ceiling insulation, leaving more for me to squander. Thank you, good citizens!

Re-evaluating Caligula's horse

2011-07-27T15:01:00.000-04:00

The crazy Roman emperor Caligula famously nominated his horse to the Senate. This puts him one up on the American people, who elected only the back half of a horse to the presidency.

Bloggers in trouble

2011-07-25T22:00:00.000-04:00

Things are rough for a lot of conservative bloggers.

I've been in tough spots myself, trying to live with a graduate student, a baby, and a toddler, but the difference was that Mr Charm was always able to get some kind of poorly paying job doing something--working as a dispatcher at night in a blood bank, for instance. He also had a fallback--a brother who could get him work as a longshoreman. This was hard, dirty work, but he did it at night and attended classes and did his research during the day.

These jobs are not available to young and not-so-young people nowadays. People are living on the edge of a cliff and hanging by their thumbs.

Now that I've got your attention: Da tech guy, and the other McCain and others mentioned by instapundit could use a little something.

These links are not easy in blogger!

And if anyone wants to buy one of my paintings cheap...

Al Anatsui exhibit at the Clark Institute

2011-07-24T22:57:00.001-04:00

Made from found materials--they are really quite lovely.

Hay figures, Pissaro's people, Clark Museum, Williamstown MA

2011-07-24T22:06:00.000-04:00

Wells Fargo alert

2011-07-24T15:36:00.000-04:00

Wells Fargo continues to take their newest acquisition, Wachovia, to the bottom.

Starting August 8, 2011, you can access your converted Wachovia accounts and Wachovia Online BillPay through online and mobile banking at Wells Fargo. You’ll also be able to view your Wells Fargo Advisors brokerage account balances, portfolio, activity, and more.

Please note: At Wells Fargo, your bill pay payments will be processed differently from Wachovia Online BillPay.

At Wells Fargo, funds to pay your bills will be withdrawn from your account up to 5 business days earlier than they were at Wachovia.
Please verify you will have sufficient funds in your funding account to ensure your converting bill pay payments are processed successfully.
To learn about important differences in the way Wells Fargo Bill Pay works, visit wellsfargo.com/welcomebillpay.

Wachovia sinks lower every day it is owned by Wells Fargo.

The teller informed me the last time I visited the bank that I needed to make an appointment with them to discuss my account. I told them I was fine with my account and didn't have time to listen to a sales pitch.

An epidemic of As

2011-07-16T14:42:00.001-04:00

Have American college students gotten smarter?

Forty per cent of college grades are A.

I've noticed the same phenomenon concerning elementary and high school students. How many drivers had bumper stickers saying "My son/daughter is an honor student as (your school's name here) school" back in the day?

None. It was hard to get an A, which incidentally stood for excellent.

Are our children getting smarter? Has our educational system improved to the point where everyone is fulfilling his or her potential to the max? Can we rest confident that America's future is in the hands of these budding geniuses?

Or is there a new definition of honor student--someone who attends school most of the time, gives the teachers no lip and doesn't burn the building down?

Family obligations

2011-07-14T23:14:00.001-04:00

Mother was totally devoted to her family of origin. It was one for all and all for one, though this was never expressed in so many words. Words were for fighting with each other; you could never guess how close they were if you listened to them argue.

My father experienced this solidarity up close and personal. He would get ready to go to work in his car only to discover that mother had loaned the car--at that time their only vehicle--to one of her brothers, whose car was in the shop. Mother decided not to inform him of this before the fact, reasoning--correctly, as it turned out--that he would strenuously object.

Mother could not understand the fuss. After all, Moe was a doctor, and obviously needed the car more than he did.

Small gardens at small houses

2011-07-11T14:14:00.000-04:00

My drive to the rehab where Mr Charm is immured leads me past many modest houses, older houses on small plots, usually including a porch where residents would sit on a warm evening before everyone had air conditioning.

The houses are modest, but well kept, and many have small gardens which have lovingly been planted and tended. These are a balm to a troubled spirit; they make me feel a little better. Just a little, but that helps me get through the day.

Thank you, gardeners.

A walkable neighborhood

2011-07-10T20:41:00.002-04:00

Goodbye, Longwood Gardens

2011-07-09T16:03:00.000-04:00

Memo: To Longwood Gardens

From: Miriam Xxxxx

07/09/11

I got my renewal notice from Longwood Gardens today. Sorry, I am not going to renew.

I have the most expensive membership category there is. I forget what it was called, but I do know I was given passes for several friends, as well as free admission for me and my family any time. I don't lend other people my membership card and I only come on rare occasions when I have the time. I also generally eat lunch there and purchase items in the shop. I would call my membership a win-win, but you win more than I do. Unless the restaurants and the shop are money-losing enterprises.

However, the last time I visited the gardens, people were being asked to show photo ID upon admission. It was almost like flying abroad, without the full-body search. No doubt that will come in time.

There is something disturbing about a garden visit to a quiet, peaceful place combined with showing picture ID. It destroys the mood one hopes to enjoy among the flowers and trees.

A better way to spend the stimulus money

2011-07-08T16:20:00.000-04:00

from the comments:

A couple earlier commenters have pointed out how the US dominated the world economy after WWII. Imagine if we had spent the recent stimulus on bombing German, Japanese and Chinese factories. It would done a lot more for our relative economic position than cash for clunkers. (Of course it would also have been morally reprehensible and provoked an international backlash.

But after the war we gave them money to rebuild their factories.

An unpleasant surprise

2011-07-07T15:17:00.000-04:00

my new car has XM Radio--but only for a limited time, I discovered in yesterday's mail. I get three months free, then it costs $12.95 a month.

How would I like to be billed--$45.00 for three months, or yadayada. This kind of math makes me nuts. Three times $12.95 is not $45.00! Trivial, I know, but how can you run a radio station and not be able to multiply 3x12.95? They should not have allowed XM and Sirius to merge.

It reminds me of my Verizon account--$99.00 a month, adding up to a total of $150; or ATT--$30.00 a month per line (I have 2), which adds up to $90 and change.

About that French guy with the girl's name...

2011-07-05T14:44:00.000-04:00

Dominique something?

I was trying to imagine the mechanical aspect of his interaction with the hotel maid. How do you, without a weapon, force someone to commit a Lewinsky? Didn't the woman, er, have teeth?

Just asking.

And the victim! A black, single mom, unlettered, a widowed undocumented immigrant, who undoubtedly attended morning mass every day. All she needed to make her the perfect victim was a wooden leg. Too good to be true. Sadly.

Another chance for untold wealth

2011-07-03T15:07:00.000-04:00

If only I had $389,00 lying around...

Good day,

I have been trying to reach you for sometime now, so i just want to inform
you that I have deposited your ATM MASTER CARD of $800,000,00 USD United
state dollars to the FedEx Delivery services here in England, and i
packaged the ATM MASTER CARD inside a magazine where nobody will notice
the content. Insurance and delivery charges have been paid for, but the
only fee remaining is the security safe keeping fee of $398,00 US Dollars
only, which you will be required to pay before delivery.

However, this was not paid for because of demurrage. Well, I did forward
them your delivery address, but a re-confirmation is important when
contacting them if you want to change your address. I advice you quote the
parcel and shipment code to them for onward delivery to your re-confirmed
address. The Universal ATM MASTERCARD has pin number is 1407, and the
maximum withdrawal limit per day is USD$ 9,500 (Nine Thousand, Five Hundred
United States Dollar) Only.

Please make sure you contact the shipment officer through his correct email below.
Contact the shipment office with the below information and re-confirm your present
mailing address to them:

Attention: Mr. West Newton Shipment Officer Of FedEx delivery services
London, England.
E-mail: fexexpress@post.com
Tel: +44 740 519 1732

Full name......................
Present Home address............
Country....................
Telephone...............

Below is the Deposit details:
Deposit Number: PLCC-101-PL45
Sort/Clearance Code: PLC/101-45/P50
Deposit Certificate N0.: 405576
Shipment Code: CBEL/OWN/0087
Parcel Number: EG2272-UK
Consignment Description: British Magazine
Depositor: Barrister Greg Williams

I am travelling out of town and will be back in three months time.
Note that I packaged the ATM MASTER CARD inside a magazine where nobody
will notice the content, I also told the shipment officer Mr. West Newton, that it
is ordinary British magazine I want to deliver to my friend abroad to avoid
further delay unless you delay to send their security safe keeping fee. You have to
inform them on how you are to send the security fee to them, so they can instruct
you on how to send it to them to enable them dispatch your package immediately to you.

Remain blessed and enjoy your funds.
Barr. Greg Williams.

Happy Independence Day

2011-07-01T23:03:00.002-04:00

Genealogy

2011-06-29T23:41:00.001-04:00

I've been doing a bit of genealogical research lately. Traced my father's father back to Hungary, where I was stopped dead. My father's mother came from a large family, but no trace of them. Everyone on both sides of my family changed their names, which doesn't make it easy. My father's sister was Julia in Hungary, but was transmogrified to Helen here. His brother Gersh became Andy.

My dad's father was known as Wolf when he came to this country, but soon became William P. A friend suggested that wolf was a translation of Zev, and what do you know, he was buried under the name of Schlomo Ze'ev ben Rab Ya'akov. This indicates that his (Wolf or William) father was a rabbi. But I always understood he was an orphan.

My mother's father had a couple of brothers named Feibel and Velvel. I found immigration records for them and they then disappeared into history.

I was contacted by someone else who shares some of my relatives; I'll call him Steve. Steve was able to give me some information which was interesting about a cousin of mine. Then he started discovering new and distinguished ancestors of dubious provenance: Eleanor of Aquitaine, for instance. Except for a gap of a century or two which somehow got lost, Steve claims relationship to her and to various other august personages.

Not me. All my ancestors were mediocre and respectable.

Does Romney remind anyone else of Dudley Do Right?

2011-06-29T15:37:00.000-04:00

The TSA strikes again.

2011-06-29T15:22:00.000-04:00

I don't think they were purposely being mean, they were just "doing their job." They probably didn't want to "get in trouble." This is how the government handles everything. Independent thought is dangerous in a government job. The government is a blunt weapon. Its methods--no doubt comprising pages and pages of procedural rules--are akin to performing brain surgery with a broomstick.

Curses on Mozilla

2011-06-27T14:20:00.000-04:00

Every time I upgrade Mozilla Firefox, all my bookmarks vanish forever, along with the toolbar. I can't even download new apps to restore the toolbar. Internet surfing without toolbars or bookmarks is like taking a shower in a raincoat. I hate you, Mozilla Firefox, you dumb asses.

How to lose weight

2011-06-25T21:07:00.000-04:00

Now that Mr Charm is being rehabbed and I don't have to cook for him, it's an ideal time to tackle that weight loss diet.

Here's how a proper, healthy, but low calorie diet plan works.
1. Plan meals.

2. Buy healthy food, like veggies. Spend time selecting the most luscious, freshest produce.
3. Spend hours assembling, dicing, chopping and stirring really yummy meals.
4. Eat yummy meal.
4. Clean up mess in kitchen.

But this is what I usually do:
1. Go to frozen food department, fill basket and get out of there in 10 minutes
2. Microwave something.
3. Eat not so yummy but admittedly convenient meal.
4. Throw out box.

I get a new car

2011-06-25T20:23:00.001-04:00

But this isn't it.

Doing my bit for the country's economy, I finally got my first new car--a Nissan Sentra, just what I had always wanted. It has everything--GPS, Bluetooth, power this, power that! Cupholders in the back seat! Car payments!

Why I love my brother

2011-06-24T21:06:00.000-04:00

That's him, holding my hand.

This picture was on display at a memorial service for my father, which the whole family attended.

He told everyone who would listen, "Miriam was really gorgeous in those days--I'm not kidding." He is so loyal, I could probably shoot him or set fire to his hair and he wouldn't hold it against me.

Making really wonderful pizza

2011-06-21T22:07:00.000-04:00

Much to-do about pizza from Ann Althouse, re a gushing article in the New York Times:

Heat the oven and pizza stone at 500 degrees for one hour (if using a baking sheet, heat it for 30 minutes). Roll out the dough and top your pizza, then slide it onto the pizza stone or baking sheet. Bake it for three minutes.

And then you have--pizza! Yes, the same mediocre fare you can get delivered all over New York City in 30 minutes! Or you could go out to a local pizzeria!

Pizza is pizza. There's a limit to how good it can be, and no matter how good it is, it's pizza! Pizza can only reach a certain level of wonderfulness, it's not pate de fois gras.

What next; making your own Wonder Bread?

The money just keeps rolling in

2011-06-20T21:47:00.000-04:00

MONTH OF JUNE ONLINE LOTTO AND GAMING CORPORATION.

WINNING NUMBER: OL/656/020/012

OUR DEAR WINNER,

THIS IS TO NOTIFY YOU THAT YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS HAS WON ONLINE LOTTO AND GAMING CORPORATION SUM OF (ONE MILLION EURO), THIS ONLINE LOTTO AND GAMING CORPORATION PROGRAM WAS MADE POSSIBLE BY GROUPS OF INTERNATIONAL COMPANIES THAT DO ADVERTISEMENTS ON THE INTERNET TO APPRECIATE EMAIL USERS.

ALL THE E-MAIL ADDRESSES USED FOR THIS ONLINE LOTTO AND GAMING CORPORATION PROGRAM WAS SELECTED THROUGH ELECTRONIC BALLOTING SYSTEM OF INTERNET E-MAIL USERS, FROM WHICH YOUR E-MAIL ADDRESS CAME OUT AS THE WINNING COUPON.

WE THEREBY CONTACT YOU TO CLAIM YOUR WINNING AMOUNT QUICKLY AS THIS IS A MONTHLY LOTTERY. FAILURE TO CLAIM YOUR WINNING WILL RESULT INTO THE REVERSION OF OUR FOLLOWING MONTH LOTTERY. (THE EXPIRATION DATE IS 30TH OF JUNE). PLEASE CONTACT OUR APPROVED AGENT BELOW WITH YOUR WINNING NUMBER ABOVE.

ONLINE LOTTO AND GAMING CORPORATION AGENCY.
MRS. ANA PAULA FILIPE.
(DIRECTOR OF WINNING CLAIMS DEPARTMENT).
TEL: +31-622-915-948
E-MAIL: globalworld2009@aim.com

WARNING: YOU ARE TO KEEP EVERYTHING ABOUT THIS YOUR WINNING PRIVATE, UNTIL YOU RECEIVE YOUR WINNING PRIZE BY THIS ONLINE LOTTO AND GAMING CORPORATION PAYING BANK, CONTROVERSIAL CLAIM WILL LEAD TO DISQUALIFICATION. BE WARNED.

REGARDS,

MRS. MANUELA JOHNSON.
(DIRECTOR OF ONLINE LOTTO AND GAMING CORPORATION)

And I didn't even buy a ticket!

At the orthopedist's office

2011-06-16T23:20:00.000-04:00

As many of my diehard fans know, Mr Charm has a broken leg for which he is getting rehabbed. To check on his progress, we had an appointment with the orthopedist who inserted unspecified metal parts in his leg.

He made the trip in a wheelchair--he still can't walk any distance. The doctor's waiting room looked like the ante-chamber to the Miracle Department at Lourdes--casts, crutches, splints, bandages and wheelchairs were the order of the day. To make the visit more memorable, the outer office featured a non-accessible door, and the inner office, where the great man and his acolytes dispense wisdom, also has a non-accessible door. These inconvenient doors were each in a tight corner, making them even more challenging for the halt and the lame. The only thing missing was a spiral staircase.

Fortunately, a couple of the able-bodied patients or their companions held the doors for us.

The inner office is decorated with pictures of various bones you might break if so inclined. I made a note to myself to avoid breaking any of them if at all possible.

Mr Charm's leg is coming along nicely.

Deja vu all over again

2011-06-15T20:50:00.000-04:00

Obama wants Puerto Rico to have a referendum on whether they want statehood or what. It seems we did this already, didn't we? Are we just going to continue to hold these referendums (referenda?) until the Puerto Ricans decide the matter in the "right" way, or to Obama's satisfaction?

I thought these matters were decided once and for all. Puerto Rico had a referendum. They decided on their current status. It's over. They don't vote for president. And they don't pay income tax. A trade-ff they are probably glad to make.

Are we going to allow Arizona--for instance--to decide whether they still want to be a State, or if not, what they would like to do? Perhaps they would like to be a province of Canada or Brazil. Why not? Oh, I forgot--the Civil War.

Don't take my Weiner away from me

2011-06-14T23:04:00.000-04:00

My father died in April, my husband broke his leg and my portfolio has taken a nose dive...The only source of innocent merriment available to me has been The Weiner Story, the unfolding of which took my mind off all this stuff.

Now President Obama wants Weiner to resign! Let Weiner remain in Congress--he is the gift that keeps on giving.

The money from Internet scammers...

2011-06-14T09:53:00.000-04:00

just keeps rolling in.

I received this e-mail this morning:

We wish to inform you that We have sent $5000.00 USD already ,that was
given to you by the European Union, as we are mandated to send you the
total sum of $300,000USD through Western Union.send name, address,phone
number.Processing your first payment of 5,000 USD.to collect /
Sender;s first name:Nelson last name:Rowland Mtcn: 2774950359

You are required to check your transfer status online at our link for
confirmation by clicking on the link below:
https://wumt.westernunion.com/asp/orderstatus.asp?country=global

Regards
Rev Jose Alex
Phone:+447424262370
E-mail: western.uniondept1@helixnet.cn

Gosh.

About government corruption

2011-06-10T11:10:00.002-04:00

I'm reading a book called "Jersey Sting," about a bunch of crooked government officials and others who were caught in a sting in--believe it or not--New Jersey.

It is totally understandable how a situation like this comes about. Our elected representatives--municipal, state, federal--makes laws, which are then interpreted by unelected bureaucrats, which create rules about zoning, safety, etc, which makes accomplishing anything slower and more expensive for business. The creators of capital who want to build something realize that the only way to get anything done is to bribe the bureaucrats and politicians. So they do, and projects go forward. And everyone is happy, until they all get arrested and go to jail.

Don't get me wrong. The crooks, particularly the elected ones, are betraying a public trust and richly deserve to go to jail. But the system as it stands is an invitation to corruption which few can resist.

Incorruptible government officials are often worse. My friend who wanted to build a house on acreage she owned in California was thwarted by a bureaucrat who arbitrarily denied her request and made it stick. Perhaps she should have bribed him, but did not, but he was implacably opposed to her project and was able to prevail. So my friend now owns a piece of expensive land that is essentially useless to her.

Couldn't some of this be avoided by having fewer public officials, any of whom can throw a monkey wrench into any plan?

And then there the environmentalists and the NIMBY folks. Sigh.

Musical notations for life

2011-06-09T20:43:00.006-04:00

Very useful.

Especially grumposo and grumposo ma non troppo.

From willtypeforfood.