CRUISIN' AND PERUSIN' THE NEWS, 9-28-2014

I saw this tidbit in the Washington Post this week:  “Much has been written this election cycle about the Democrats distancing themselves from Obama ahead of the midterm elections. Some Democratic candidates in tough races regularly emphasize their differences with the president.  And Obama is persona non grata on the campaign trail (unless it’s inside private high-dollar fundraiser dinners).”  Apparently the euphoria over Obama when he was inaugurated in 2009 has not been sustainable even within the Democratic Party ………..What is the number one selling vanity license plate in Arizona?  It’s the veteran’s plate.  It has been number one out of 50 plates available for at least the last three years with more than 61,000 issued in fiscal 2014.  That amounts to over $1 million for Arizona veterans……….Probably the least purchased plate would be the “Pearl Harbor Survivor” plate.  To qualify you would need to have been stationed at Pearl Harbor between 7:55 a.m. and 9:45 a.m. on December 7, 1941.  Estimates say that about 2,000 to 2,500 of those vets are still alive.  Since AZ is a retirement destination, several may live here………As of this writing (9-23) Apple has sold 10 million new iPhone 6 models.  By next month, they expect to have 60 million sold.  Next month is also when Samsung will be introducing their supposedly competitive model to the i6. Will there be any room left for them?  Maybe since I now see that the i6 is having some problems .……….Obama got off his helicopter yesterday in New York (9-23) and returned his Marine Guards’ respectful salute with a whimsical salute while holding a coffee cup in his hand.  Some may think “So what” but that is a typical breach of etiquette and bad manners that this president seems to enjoy.  There is no substitute for class and he continuously shows a lack of it……….Eric Holder has resigned! So far, I see no tears from anyone……….U. S. pro golfer Ricky Fowler showed class and patriotism this week while warming up for the Ryder Cup golf matches in Scotland. He got a haircut and had “USA” cut into his hair as a sign of respect for his country.  Fowler is an alum of Oklahoma State University and has had nice success on the PGA Tour.  His reasoning: “Just thought I would do it for a little team spirit and knew the guys on the team would like it, and it’s been fun to see the reaction of the fans and people, social media, guys on the European squad and caddies over there, as well”.……….Meanwhile, public school kids in Denver are protesting their having to use a certain textbook in their history classes because it shows too much patriotism for the USA.  Maybe they have been using some of the legal marijuana available in Colorado. I suggest they leave this country if they are dissatisfied. That would give them an accelerated course in how life is in the real world and wouldn’t even require a textbook………..Eric Bledsoe has finally signed a contract to play basketball for the Phoenix Suns after the team offered him $70 million for five years. That’s a sweet deal for a guard who has had his share of injury problems but that is the state of sports today……….UCLA 62, ASU 27. Ouch for the Sun Devils. I think Todd Graham is overrated.  It takes a lot more than yelling at your players to win………I wish MSN would quit posting those photos online of people getting beheaded by ISIS. We know what’s happening; we don’t need an illustration every time it happens………… This just in from reader EB:  Michelle Obama must not have passed American History based on a statement by her.  She told 50 attendees of a naturalization ceremony that the Founding Fathers weren't born in America: "It's amazing that just a few feet from here where I'm standing are the signatures of the 56 Founders who put their names on a Declaration that changed the course of history, and like the 50 of you, none of them were born American - they became American." Did she actually mean that those who signed the Declaration of Independence and participated in the drafting of the Constitution were not born in America? Benjamin Franklin was born in Pennsylvania and Thomas Jefferson, George Washington, and James Madison were born in Virginia. John Adams was born in Massachusetts. Only eight of the 56 were not born in America……….Later, JM  

(To leave comments click here.)

                                 

                                                             Ricky Fowler