Obama has complained that the AZ immigration law could be "applied in a discriminatory fashion." To respond, Megyn Kelly, an attorney and Fox News Channel anchor, took about an hour and read the law in its entirety; something many of the leading Democrats haven’t done.
She also studied Supreme Court history and case law and came up with the following: "My legal opinion is that this (SB 1070) is a little like the existing federal law, but it’s actually less problematic. The Supreme Court has already ruled that, under federal law, cops can pull you over for no reason and demand your immigration papers. Under Arizona’s law, they need reasonable suspicion."
If this is correct, and I believe Kelly, I’m reminded of the classic Wendy’s commercial in which Clara Peller asked, "Where’s the beef?" My beef is that our law has been blown out of proportion with all the Chicken Little's like Mayor Gordon, Felipe Calderon, and Al Sharpton crying "The sky’s falling" when in reality it isn’t. According to Mark Spencer of the local police union, they have been enforcing laws like ours for the last two years. His prediction? In July, when the law goes into effect, no one will even notice.
As far as the California boycott of AZ, John Phillips, a radio talk show host in L. A., took a moment on Bill O’Reilly’s show of May 20 to blast his own city’s leaders: "Our city council and mayor want to be talking about anything other than the fact they have bankrupted the city and that the only school system on the planet that’s worse than L. A. United is possibly the Taliban bomb making school. They’ve ruined everything we have so of course they want to talk about something they have no control over."
If Janet Hance and some guy named Reyes are typical examples of L. A. council members, I think Phillips makes a good point.
To leave a comment or read 52 other comments, click "Jim's azcentral blogs" in the right column under links. There are no viruses awaiting you.
Friday, May 28, 2010
Friday, May 21, 2010
San Diego slobbering for "zonies"
San Diego: In today’s (5-19) Republic, Dawn Gilbertson writes that San Diego is concerned about the possible loss of the "zonie" business this year and wants to make it clear that they never said THEY were boycotting Arizona. They were only ASKING Governor Brewer to repeal the immigration law.
They were ready to let Arizonans know via an open letter that "Hey, we love you guys. Come on over and spend your dough with us." This was after they received a lot of emails from vacationers in our state saying they weren’t coming over this year. In other words, San Diego backtracked and said yeah, we feel sorry for illegal aliens but screw ‘em if they cost us those AZ dollars.
The open letter thing has been canceled probably for the embarrassment of having to eat crow and the Convention And Visitors Bureau wants to make it clear they think it is fine for Arizonans to come over and help San Diego’s economy regardless of how they feel about illegal immigration. What a bunch of hypocrites. What happened to all the garbage about human rights?
Bills of the past vs. today: I was looking through an old checkbook from 1970 today and thought I would compare my bills from April of that year to April of 2010. The amounts from 1970 are Kansas City based.
In April 1970 my gas bill was $6.22 vs. $36 in 2010. My car payment in 1970 was $88. My last car payment here was $435. My electric bill was $5.53 vs. $76.37. My telephone bill $8.28 vs. $24.50 now.
When Barb and I got married in 1967, we decided we should have health insurance. We called Blue Cross and they sold us a policy over the phone for $15 a month. We didn’t need a physical or to show proof of any health conditions. The few times we used it, everything was covered. Costs to see a doctor then were a lot less. I had a doctor while I was in college in1968 whose regular office call was $5. He only charged me $3 because I was a starving student.
On our first grocery trip in ‘67 we had three grocery carts full as we were setting up house. Total cost? $54. I still have the receipt. You could buy a 6 pack of Budweiser for $1.00. Today we spend $54 at the grocery store when we stop by just "to pick up a few things."
It’s a good thing prices were lower then. We felt rich making $14,000 between us.
To leave a comment or read other comments, click "Jim's azcentral blog" in the right column under links. I guarantee you will not get a virus, azcentral is through The Arizona Republic newspaper.
They were ready to let Arizonans know via an open letter that "Hey, we love you guys. Come on over and spend your dough with us." This was after they received a lot of emails from vacationers in our state saying they weren’t coming over this year. In other words, San Diego backtracked and said yeah, we feel sorry for illegal aliens but screw ‘em if they cost us those AZ dollars.
The open letter thing has been canceled probably for the embarrassment of having to eat crow and the Convention And Visitors Bureau wants to make it clear they think it is fine for Arizonans to come over and help San Diego’s economy regardless of how they feel about illegal immigration. What a bunch of hypocrites. What happened to all the garbage about human rights?
Bills of the past vs. today: I was looking through an old checkbook from 1970 today and thought I would compare my bills from April of that year to April of 2010. The amounts from 1970 are Kansas City based.
In April 1970 my gas bill was $6.22 vs. $36 in 2010. My car payment in 1970 was $88. My last car payment here was $435. My electric bill was $5.53 vs. $76.37. My telephone bill $8.28 vs. $24.50 now.
When Barb and I got married in 1967, we decided we should have health insurance. We called Blue Cross and they sold us a policy over the phone for $15 a month. We didn’t need a physical or to show proof of any health conditions. The few times we used it, everything was covered. Costs to see a doctor then were a lot less. I had a doctor while I was in college in1968 whose regular office call was $5. He only charged me $3 because I was a starving student.
On our first grocery trip in ‘67 we had three grocery carts full as we were setting up house. Total cost? $54. I still have the receipt. You could buy a 6 pack of Budweiser for $1.00. Today we spend $54 at the grocery store when we stop by just "to pick up a few things."
It’s a good thing prices were lower then. We felt rich making $14,000 between us.
To leave a comment or read other comments, click "Jim's azcentral blog" in the right column under links. I guarantee you will not get a virus, azcentral is through The Arizona Republic newspaper.
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Splitting the dinner check
Probably everyone reading this has experienced the agony of attending a group dinner. Whether it was something personal like a birthday party or something serious like a business meeting, you may have felt the discomfort that these dinners can produce. Most of this comes during the awkward period after the check arrives. Since the process of paying for the evening is seldom discussed in advance, it can become the next closest thing to a sitcom as people fidget about what they owe on the bill.
A business friend in Kansas City once told me that every time the bill came for a dinner, his friend would have a "pocket full of fish hooks." I’ve met my share of that type, they just never want to chip in if they feel they an get away with it. Then there are the ones who want separate checks for everyone. That would be the most accurate way to handle it but that is quite an inconvenience for the restaurant.
When the contributions are handed in to the accountant of the group, you can bet there will not be enough money to cover the bill and give the waiter a decent tip. That’s when the excuses start: "I only ordered an appetizer", "I left a small tip because the waiter didn’t smile enough", "She drank way more than I did", "I don’t believe in tipping." These are usually the people who have the fish hooks in their pockets or have "short arm disease" when it’s time to reach for the wallet.
When I found myself in these situations, I always made sure I had cash broken down where I could throw the exact amount of what I owed into the pot plus cover my portion of the tip which I usually calculated at 20%. After that, it was up to the rest of the group to thrash it out. If there was a case of everyone having about the same meal and someone suggested dividing the bill evenly, I was able to live with that too. I also never complained if someone wanted to pick up the entire check although a few comments of "That’s not necessary" were almost obligatory to show that at least I TRIED to chip in.
Some groups are generous and not concerned with calculating everyone’s share to the penny while others will insist on accuracy. You may have seen them: they are the ones holding the check and shouting across the table, "Hey Mabel, was that a Heineken’s or a Budweiser you had?" Then there is the guy I used to work with who one day joined a group of us for a couple beers after work. It was a Friday so we were tossing down a few more than usual when I noticed he wasn’t buying any rounds. I asked him when he was going to pick up a round and he said "I’ll pay next time." After we told him "next time" was three rounds ago, he said, "I mean next time we go out."
Needless to say there was no "next time" for that guy!
To leave a comment, go to "Jim's azcentral blogs" located in the right column under links.
A business friend in Kansas City once told me that every time the bill came for a dinner, his friend would have a "pocket full of fish hooks." I’ve met my share of that type, they just never want to chip in if they feel they an get away with it. Then there are the ones who want separate checks for everyone. That would be the most accurate way to handle it but that is quite an inconvenience for the restaurant.
When the contributions are handed in to the accountant of the group, you can bet there will not be enough money to cover the bill and give the waiter a decent tip. That’s when the excuses start: "I only ordered an appetizer", "I left a small tip because the waiter didn’t smile enough", "She drank way more than I did", "I don’t believe in tipping." These are usually the people who have the fish hooks in their pockets or have "short arm disease" when it’s time to reach for the wallet.
When I found myself in these situations, I always made sure I had cash broken down where I could throw the exact amount of what I owed into the pot plus cover my portion of the tip which I usually calculated at 20%. After that, it was up to the rest of the group to thrash it out. If there was a case of everyone having about the same meal and someone suggested dividing the bill evenly, I was able to live with that too. I also never complained if someone wanted to pick up the entire check although a few comments of "That’s not necessary" were almost obligatory to show that at least I TRIED to chip in.
Some groups are generous and not concerned with calculating everyone’s share to the penny while others will insist on accuracy. You may have seen them: they are the ones holding the check and shouting across the table, "Hey Mabel, was that a Heineken’s or a Budweiser you had?" Then there is the guy I used to work with who one day joined a group of us for a couple beers after work. It was a Friday so we were tossing down a few more than usual when I noticed he wasn’t buying any rounds. I asked him when he was going to pick up a round and he said "I’ll pay next time." After we told him "next time" was three rounds ago, he said, "I mean next time we go out."
Needless to say there was no "next time" for that guy!
To leave a comment, go to "Jim's azcentral blogs" located in the right column under links.
Thursday, May 06, 2010
Pet peeves of the road
Welcome to the 21st century multitasking driver.
Over the years drivers have become more ill mannered. Maybe it’s the fast paced, high pressure, permissive, "it’s not my fault" society we live in or maybe it is relative to Arizona driving. When I lived in Kansas, drivers seemed more courteous but that was a long time ago before multitasking and cell phones were a lifestyle. Good driving manners were a part of life in the Midwest; I hope it is still that way.
Here are a few pet peeves of the road that I have noticed as being common in recent years in Arizona: When road work necessitates that two lanes merge into one, most drivers will quickly line up into the open single lane. But, there are always a couple guys who stay in the lane that is closed ahead then race as far as they can in that lane and try to force themselves in at the front of the line. Those guys need to get slapped with a pie in the face.
How about the guy coming the other way at a red light who cuts in front of you to make a left turn rather than waiting until traffic clears. Then there is the 1978 Cadillac going down the street 20 miles per hour in the left lane with the right turn signal on. Another favorite is the guy who passes you, then slows down to a speed slower than you were going. Maybe two pies in the face would be appropriate for these clowns.
In our current era, texting and talking on cell phones while driving has become typical with some disastrous results. Watch out for cars that are weaving all over the place and if you are on a bike in the bike lane, good luck if one of these fools swerves into you. As far as bike riders, some of them are not necessarily members of mensa. They like to ride two or three abreast in the bike lane which means they intrude into the right traffic lane. Legally, they can do that but legality doesn’t matter much after a car kills you.
Those who speed through school zones and side streets make me wonder "What are they thinking?" It’s the same with the lazy jerks who feel they have a right to park in handicapped parking zones. Then there are the guys who drive around with expired license plates. That is easy to do in Arizona as that little date sticker does not stand out. Many years ago in Ohio, a new plate was issued every year in a color totally different from the year before. You couldn’t get a block without being caught in those days. Three pies in the face for these guys: two chocolate cream and a lemon meringue.
To leave a comment or read other comments, click "Jim's azcentral blog" in the right column under links.
Over the years drivers have become more ill mannered. Maybe it’s the fast paced, high pressure, permissive, "it’s not my fault" society we live in or maybe it is relative to Arizona driving. When I lived in Kansas, drivers seemed more courteous but that was a long time ago before multitasking and cell phones were a lifestyle. Good driving manners were a part of life in the Midwest; I hope it is still that way.
Here are a few pet peeves of the road that I have noticed as being common in recent years in Arizona: When road work necessitates that two lanes merge into one, most drivers will quickly line up into the open single lane. But, there are always a couple guys who stay in the lane that is closed ahead then race as far as they can in that lane and try to force themselves in at the front of the line. Those guys need to get slapped with a pie in the face.
How about the guy coming the other way at a red light who cuts in front of you to make a left turn rather than waiting until traffic clears. Then there is the 1978 Cadillac going down the street 20 miles per hour in the left lane with the right turn signal on. Another favorite is the guy who passes you, then slows down to a speed slower than you were going. Maybe two pies in the face would be appropriate for these clowns.
In our current era, texting and talking on cell phones while driving has become typical with some disastrous results. Watch out for cars that are weaving all over the place and if you are on a bike in the bike lane, good luck if one of these fools swerves into you. As far as bike riders, some of them are not necessarily members of mensa. They like to ride two or three abreast in the bike lane which means they intrude into the right traffic lane. Legally, they can do that but legality doesn’t matter much after a car kills you.
Those who speed through school zones and side streets make me wonder "What are they thinking?" It’s the same with the lazy jerks who feel they have a right to park in handicapped parking zones. Then there are the guys who drive around with expired license plates. That is easy to do in Arizona as that little date sticker does not stand out. Many years ago in Ohio, a new plate was issued every year in a color totally different from the year before. You couldn’t get a block without being caught in those days. Three pies in the face for these guys: two chocolate cream and a lemon meringue.
To leave a comment or read other comments, click "Jim's azcentral blog" in the right column under links.
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Is the tattoo fad fading?
Is it finally happening? Has the tattoo finally lost its allure with the young and impressionable crowd? Can the old navy salts now reclaim their territory as the only guys who really know what tattoos are about?
I’ve criticized the tattoo fad a couple of times in this space over the past three and a half years with my argument that although tattoos may be "cool" for a period of time, the popularity will wear off the same as it did for Fu Manchu moustaches, Afro haircuts, and pegged pants. The difference is you can easily get a haircut, shave a moustache, and throw away weird clothes. A tattoo? It’s painful and expensive to remove. Once you have one, it is usually for life.
Do you really want Mary Jane’s name and yours surrounded by a heart etched on your arm forever? Especially since she ran off with some other guy 6 months ago. Do you want your friends saying, "Damn! I can’t believe he still has that tattoo!" Even an authority on the pop culture like Paris Hilton says tattoos are "unoriginal". Pop singer Christina Aguilera is having hers removed at no small and painful expense. Is the day coming when the pop crowd will see someone with a tattoo and say, "Remember those?"
The dermatologists have to be salivating over this prospect. There are a lot of "tramp stamps" out there that I’m sure the girls are wanting to have removed. Gosh, it seemed so cool to have that eagle creeping up your back in 2002; not so much now. Even rapper 50 Cent is having his tattoos removed now that he is trying to establish an acting career. Who would have thought? They seemed like such a good idea at the time.
For those who can’t endure the pain and expense of tattoo removal, there is a product available called Wrecking Balm Tattoo Fade System that claims to "fade away" that tattoo. They have a magazine ad with a girl looking at the tattoo on her back saying, "What was I thinking?" She is depressed because it is bikini season and she doesn’t know what to do about people seeing "that hideous stamp of identity."
So, what is next to leave the culture of the young? My guess is the boys who punched out their ear lobes with gigantic holes in order to wear ear rings will be lamenting that decision soon. That is a huge defacement and may not be repairable. Maybe they will have some use if another remake of King Solomon’s Mines comes along. They can wear black makeup and play the parts of African tribesmen.
To leave a message or read other messages, click "Jim's azcentral blog" in the right column under links.
I’ve criticized the tattoo fad a couple of times in this space over the past three and a half years with my argument that although tattoos may be "cool" for a period of time, the popularity will wear off the same as it did for Fu Manchu moustaches, Afro haircuts, and pegged pants. The difference is you can easily get a haircut, shave a moustache, and throw away weird clothes. A tattoo? It’s painful and expensive to remove. Once you have one, it is usually for life.
Do you really want Mary Jane’s name and yours surrounded by a heart etched on your arm forever? Especially since she ran off with some other guy 6 months ago. Do you want your friends saying, "Damn! I can’t believe he still has that tattoo!" Even an authority on the pop culture like Paris Hilton says tattoos are "unoriginal". Pop singer Christina Aguilera is having hers removed at no small and painful expense. Is the day coming when the pop crowd will see someone with a tattoo and say, "Remember those?"
The dermatologists have to be salivating over this prospect. There are a lot of "tramp stamps" out there that I’m sure the girls are wanting to have removed. Gosh, it seemed so cool to have that eagle creeping up your back in 2002; not so much now. Even rapper 50 Cent is having his tattoos removed now that he is trying to establish an acting career. Who would have thought? They seemed like such a good idea at the time.
For those who can’t endure the pain and expense of tattoo removal, there is a product available called Wrecking Balm Tattoo Fade System that claims to "fade away" that tattoo. They have a magazine ad with a girl looking at the tattoo on her back saying, "What was I thinking?" She is depressed because it is bikini season and she doesn’t know what to do about people seeing "that hideous stamp of identity."
So, what is next to leave the culture of the young? My guess is the boys who punched out their ear lobes with gigantic holes in order to wear ear rings will be lamenting that decision soon. That is a huge defacement and may not be repairable. Maybe they will have some use if another remake of King Solomon’s Mines comes along. They can wear black makeup and play the parts of African tribesmen.
To leave a message or read other messages, click "Jim's azcentral blog" in the right column under links.
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Sign the bill, gov
Do you ever wish college students knew half of what they think they know? I’ve been watching them burn U. S. flags, grow their little protest beards, and chain themselves to buildings for as long as I can remember. They enjoy their version of feeling politically involved unless it interrupts something more important like spring break. Such idealism! Now they are chaining themselves to the old capitol building in Phoenix to protest the probable passing of SB1070 which is nothing more than a reinforcement of federal law that prohibits illegal immigration.
What is their complaint? Do they believe in illegal immigration? SB 1070 is basically just an exclamation mark on federal laws which are ignored. Under the bill, those who are illegal immigrants will be arrested because they are breaking federal AND state law.
One of the loudest gripes is that legal Hispanic citizens may be profiled and asked for proof of citizenship. I don’t see that as a big deal. All they have to do is carry I.D. and the experience is over. There is way too much sensitivity over this. Have you ever traveled in Europe? I did while in the military and was constantly asked for my identification card. Later, I was there as a civilian and was constantly asked to show my passport. It didn’t bother me at all as I realized those were the local laws and I respected them. How is this different.?
One person writes to the Republic today that the protesters "efforts should be directed toward repealing the federal law making illegal entry a crime." Maybe that would make them happy as there would be no more expensive fences to build, no expense of border patrols, and no local enforcement of laws that the federal government doesn’t seem to think are important. But, I wouldn’t want to hear complaints of long emergency room waits for patients with insurance as uninsured immigrants are being treated for free. Also, no complaining allowed when a ‘91 Honda plows into their car and the driver is illegal and without insurance.
Being in the U.S. illegally and complaining about it is the highest form of arrogance. Linda Valdez of the Republic says that illegal immigrants are "God’s children." In other words, the hell with our laws. Maybe she should check what Mexico does with those who try to sneak past their southern border.
It may all be academic even if SB 1070 is passed as it probably won’t be enforced anyway regardless of the 70% approval it has. If federal laws have been ignored, what kind of power will a state law have? Plus the cops are busy with so much other stuff they will overlook a problem that should have been nipped in the bud a long time ago. Let’s also remember who is running Washington and how much they are going to need future votes after the fiascos of 2010. Somehow I see about 15 million new Hispanic voters coming on board soon. But, until that unfortunate day, it’s nice to see Arizona making a statement.
To leave a comment or to read other comments, click "Jim's azcentral blog" in the right column under links.
What is their complaint? Do they believe in illegal immigration? SB 1070 is basically just an exclamation mark on federal laws which are ignored. Under the bill, those who are illegal immigrants will be arrested because they are breaking federal AND state law.
One of the loudest gripes is that legal Hispanic citizens may be profiled and asked for proof of citizenship. I don’t see that as a big deal. All they have to do is carry I.D. and the experience is over. There is way too much sensitivity over this. Have you ever traveled in Europe? I did while in the military and was constantly asked for my identification card. Later, I was there as a civilian and was constantly asked to show my passport. It didn’t bother me at all as I realized those were the local laws and I respected them. How is this different.?
One person writes to the Republic today that the protesters "efforts should be directed toward repealing the federal law making illegal entry a crime." Maybe that would make them happy as there would be no more expensive fences to build, no expense of border patrols, and no local enforcement of laws that the federal government doesn’t seem to think are important. But, I wouldn’t want to hear complaints of long emergency room waits for patients with insurance as uninsured immigrants are being treated for free. Also, no complaining allowed when a ‘91 Honda plows into their car and the driver is illegal and without insurance.
Being in the U.S. illegally and complaining about it is the highest form of arrogance. Linda Valdez of the Republic says that illegal immigrants are "God’s children." In other words, the hell with our laws. Maybe she should check what Mexico does with those who try to sneak past their southern border.
It may all be academic even if SB 1070 is passed as it probably won’t be enforced anyway regardless of the 70% approval it has. If federal laws have been ignored, what kind of power will a state law have? Plus the cops are busy with so much other stuff they will overlook a problem that should have been nipped in the bud a long time ago. Let’s also remember who is running Washington and how much they are going to need future votes after the fiascos of 2010. Somehow I see about 15 million new Hispanic voters coming on board soon. But, until that unfortunate day, it’s nice to see Arizona making a statement.
To leave a comment or to read other comments, click "Jim's azcentral blog" in the right column under links.
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
I painted my house, saved $300
Since I live in a neighborhood with a homeowner’s association, I am expected to keep my property looking good to enhance the look of the community. I like our HOA as they drive the streets and keep any eye out for those who would choose to let their property deteriorate to a point where it lowers the property value of everyone’s home. I’ve been through neighborhoods where cars sit on blocks in the driveway for six months or someone never cuts their grass and it’s not a pretty sight.
Our board is reasonable and if they see something amiss, they will send a letter to the resident asking them to correct it. Recently they made a sweep of my street and, although I didn’t get a letter, many of my neighbors did for some small infractions. Since most of the infractions were minor and dealt with areas that needed a bit of "sprucing up," Barb and I decided that maybe the front of our place could use a coat of paint since it gets a lot of sun and can look pretty bleached out after a period of time.
One guy gave me an estimate of $300 plus the cost of the paint which would be about $80. Barb and I looked at the house, then looked at each other, and decided that we could paint the place ourselves and save a few bucks. When my neighbor moved a few months ago, he gave me some leftover trim paint so I saved some money there. I bought the rest from Dunn-Edwards for $50 plus the cost of rollers, and miscellaneous items like masking tape. I used my neighbor’s ladder to get on the roof while Barb masked the coach lights and started painting on the bottom.
We finished the job in two days and, although it took longer than spray painting, I think rolling the paint looked much better. I am not a very handy guy at fixing things and doing repairs around the house but I’m proud of that paint job and the money savings it gave us. I also found out that I am bit out of shape as I was really stiff and sore after we finished the job.
Homeowner’s Associations can be good and bad. We are lucky with ours but I have heard of some nightmare associations that go over the top in their demands. One place I heard about had a retired army general for a president of the HOA and he tried to run the place like an army base. Big mistake and he was quickly booted out. A good HOA operates with reason and common sense.
To leave a comment or to read other comments, click "Jim's azcentral blog" in the right column under links.
Our board is reasonable and if they see something amiss, they will send a letter to the resident asking them to correct it. Recently they made a sweep of my street and, although I didn’t get a letter, many of my neighbors did for some small infractions. Since most of the infractions were minor and dealt with areas that needed a bit of "sprucing up," Barb and I decided that maybe the front of our place could use a coat of paint since it gets a lot of sun and can look pretty bleached out after a period of time.
One guy gave me an estimate of $300 plus the cost of the paint which would be about $80. Barb and I looked at the house, then looked at each other, and decided that we could paint the place ourselves and save a few bucks. When my neighbor moved a few months ago, he gave me some leftover trim paint so I saved some money there. I bought the rest from Dunn-Edwards for $50 plus the cost of rollers, and miscellaneous items like masking tape. I used my neighbor’s ladder to get on the roof while Barb masked the coach lights and started painting on the bottom.
We finished the job in two days and, although it took longer than spray painting, I think rolling the paint looked much better. I am not a very handy guy at fixing things and doing repairs around the house but I’m proud of that paint job and the money savings it gave us. I also found out that I am bit out of shape as I was really stiff and sore after we finished the job.
Homeowner’s Associations can be good and bad. We are lucky with ours but I have heard of some nightmare associations that go over the top in their demands. One place I heard about had a retired army general for a president of the HOA and he tried to run the place like an army base. Big mistake and he was quickly booted out. A good HOA operates with reason and common sense.
To leave a comment or to read other comments, click "Jim's azcentral blog" in the right column under links.
Wednesday, April 07, 2010
Can't get a date? Read this.
For you single guys who think you are Mr. Cool, you may want to check out a couple of new books discussed in yesterday's (4-6) Arizona Republic. One of them was written by a couple of ladies and is titled "Undateable: 311 Things Guys Do That Guarantee They Will Not Be Dating or Having Sex."
That sounds serious and even if you think you are the coolest guy in town, it seems inevitable that when the list of mistakes you can make with women has 311 entries, you are bound to screw up somewhere along the line. For example, in this world of first impressions being lasting, it is suggested that you lose the "soul patch" under your lower lip. Why? Because what men wear is usually the deal maker or deal breaker on the list of how women judge a guy. Most women feel the soul patch is a loser and even if they like you otherwise, they still have that underlying worry about what kind of guy would grow a soul patch in the first place.
If you don’t pass the initial 15 to 20 second appearance test, "The door starts to close" says Pepper Schwartz, a female professor of sociology at the University of Washington. Besides the patch, novelty belt buckles, "mandanas", high waisted jeans, tube socks, and Speedos are big time faux pas items. Oh, yeah, if you still wear your high school ring, that may be a deal breaker too; at least I would hope so.
While men have over 300 negatives that annoy women, men usually list only about 10 items about women that are annoying and, if the woman is good looking enough, they will overlook 9 of the complaints even if some of them are wearing eyeliner out to their ears, talking baby talk, referring to their boobs as "the boys" and wearing men’s neckties a la Ellen DeGeneres.
Why are men so lenient? If you are a man, it’s an easy answer. Men will put up with about anything if there is even the slightest chance of having sex with a woman. Being a man, I can understand that logic. Maybe it’s why we are often referred to as "pigs" by the ladies.
When I was dating many moons ago, guys had a standard "look." Clean shaven, slicked back hair, dark slacks and a white shirt. We all looked like clerks in a grocery store but that was all there was to style in those days. I hate to think of someone rebelling and growing a soul patch then.
To leave a comment or read other comments, click "Jim's azcentral blog" under links in the right column.
That sounds serious and even if you think you are the coolest guy in town, it seems inevitable that when the list of mistakes you can make with women has 311 entries, you are bound to screw up somewhere along the line. For example, in this world of first impressions being lasting, it is suggested that you lose the "soul patch" under your lower lip. Why? Because what men wear is usually the deal maker or deal breaker on the list of how women judge a guy. Most women feel the soul patch is a loser and even if they like you otherwise, they still have that underlying worry about what kind of guy would grow a soul patch in the first place.
If you don’t pass the initial 15 to 20 second appearance test, "The door starts to close" says Pepper Schwartz, a female professor of sociology at the University of Washington. Besides the patch, novelty belt buckles, "mandanas", high waisted jeans, tube socks, and Speedos are big time faux pas items. Oh, yeah, if you still wear your high school ring, that may be a deal breaker too; at least I would hope so.
While men have over 300 negatives that annoy women, men usually list only about 10 items about women that are annoying and, if the woman is good looking enough, they will overlook 9 of the complaints even if some of them are wearing eyeliner out to their ears, talking baby talk, referring to their boobs as "the boys" and wearing men’s neckties a la Ellen DeGeneres.
Why are men so lenient? If you are a man, it’s an easy answer. Men will put up with about anything if there is even the slightest chance of having sex with a woman. Being a man, I can understand that logic. Maybe it’s why we are often referred to as "pigs" by the ladies.
When I was dating many moons ago, guys had a standard "look." Clean shaven, slicked back hair, dark slacks and a white shirt. We all looked like clerks in a grocery store but that was all there was to style in those days. I hate to think of someone rebelling and growing a soul patch then.
To leave a comment or read other comments, click "Jim's azcentral blog" under links in the right column.
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
College or Pro basketball?
If you are a poor kid who is a great high school basketball player, what should you do when you get out of school and want to take financial advantage of your athletic ability? Should you go to college? Should you take a chance trying to make it in the professional ranks with the NBA or a foreign team? Those are mind bending questions for a kid. The NBA money sounds tempting but can you jump from the high school level to that of the pros? I doubt it. There are a few exceptions like LeBron James and Koby Bryant but they are a rarity.
I think a good player should go to college and experience the next level of basketball above high school competition. The good college programs give players maximum exposure and probably a little something on the side from the sports crazy alums. I remember years ago when a football player from Oklahoma was asked if he was going to turn pro early. He replied tongue in cheek that "I might but I hate to have to take a pay cut." That drew a nice laugh but more than once that situation has been true. That’s why many programs get put on probation.
If a kid can make it big in basketball at the college level, he can always leave school after one or two years and cash in then. A good college performance means more money from the pros than a kid could ever receive after high school. On the negative side is the injury factor. If he blows out a knee or an ACL in college that could be the end of a big payday for him. It’s a risk but I think it is one worth taking.
Going to college and leaving early seems to be the norm these days. In this year’s NCAA Tournament, there are close to thirty players who were college freshmen or sophomores within the last couple of years who turned professional in 2008 and 2009. Among them was Jerryd Bayless, a star at the University of Arizona who they could have really used this year. He might have been enough to get Arizona into the tournament. But, he chose to turn pro and take the big bucks. Why not? He is probably set for life financially and if he feels that he wants to complete his studies for a college degree, he can always do that in the off season.
Some writers are complaining because the field in the NCAA is weaker this year. So what? They are just college kids and it’s nice to see some of the smaller and more academic schools like Cornell of the Ivy League get in and have some success. If one wants to watch big time pro basketball, the NBA may be more appropriate.
To leave a comment ot read other comments, click "Jim's azcentral Blog" in the right column under "links".
I think a good player should go to college and experience the next level of basketball above high school competition. The good college programs give players maximum exposure and probably a little something on the side from the sports crazy alums. I remember years ago when a football player from Oklahoma was asked if he was going to turn pro early. He replied tongue in cheek that "I might but I hate to have to take a pay cut." That drew a nice laugh but more than once that situation has been true. That’s why many programs get put on probation.
If a kid can make it big in basketball at the college level, he can always leave school after one or two years and cash in then. A good college performance means more money from the pros than a kid could ever receive after high school. On the negative side is the injury factor. If he blows out a knee or an ACL in college that could be the end of a big payday for him. It’s a risk but I think it is one worth taking.
Going to college and leaving early seems to be the norm these days. In this year’s NCAA Tournament, there are close to thirty players who were college freshmen or sophomores within the last couple of years who turned professional in 2008 and 2009. Among them was Jerryd Bayless, a star at the University of Arizona who they could have really used this year. He might have been enough to get Arizona into the tournament. But, he chose to turn pro and take the big bucks. Why not? He is probably set for life financially and if he feels that he wants to complete his studies for a college degree, he can always do that in the off season.
Some writers are complaining because the field in the NCAA is weaker this year. So what? They are just college kids and it’s nice to see some of the smaller and more academic schools like Cornell of the Ivy League get in and have some success. If one wants to watch big time pro basketball, the NBA may be more appropriate.
To leave a comment ot read other comments, click "Jim's azcentral Blog" in the right column under "links".
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
The return of 3-D movies
A 1952 audience watching a 3-D film
If there is one thing you learn from getting older it is that there really isn’t anything new under the sun. Men’s suit lapels and neckties have gotten wider and narrower many times over the years. Skirt lengths always go up or down. Bell bottom pants have come and gone a few times as have a rotation between slicked back oily hair and the dry look.
Short hair has even been in style off and on. From 1957 to 1963, I had a flat top haircut. There was a guy in Amarillo, Texas who gave me the best flat top I ever had and he used plain old manual scissors to do the job. Today, it’s all electric clippers and some guys with great heads of hair have actually shaved their heads! The bald guys of the world can only roll their eyes at something so insane as destroying good hair.
There was a time when a stick shift car was about all you could get unless you wanted to pay extra for an automatic transmission. What a luxury! No more clutch to push in, just put the car in drive and push on the gas. In recent years the stick, or "conventional shift" as it was once known, has made a big comeback. See what I mean? If you have been around long enough, you know the cycles.
All right, now you have the buildup, so I am going to mention an item that was a failure when it came out in the early ‘50s and I predict it will be a passing oddity again. It’s 3-D movies. Avatar was a huge 3-D hit and it looks like Alice in Wonderland will be also. For us in the 50s it was the awful Bwana Devil with Robert Stack and House of Wax with Vincent Price. Once you saw a spear come at you in the audience or saw Price throw some hot oil into the crowd, that was about it. Within a year or so, we put away our special glasses and started looking forward to the next fad which I think was the hula hoop or the Whammo slingshot.
The word is already out that people are suffering headaches and nausea from the 3-D process. One eye doctor says that unless you have equally good vision in both eyes, you may experience those maladies. Who can say they have such miraculous eyesight?
Yes, while there is nothing new under the sun, the cycle keeps turning. I feel sorry for the tattoo lovers though. When that fad disappears, unfortunately the tattoo won’t. Keep that in mind when you think it would be a good idea to tattoo your current girlfriend’s or boyfriend’s name on your body.
To comment on this blog, click "Jim's azcentral Blog" in the right column under "links".
If there is one thing you learn from getting older it is that there really isn’t anything new under the sun. Men’s suit lapels and neckties have gotten wider and narrower many times over the years. Skirt lengths always go up or down. Bell bottom pants have come and gone a few times as have a rotation between slicked back oily hair and the dry look.
Short hair has even been in style off and on. From 1957 to 1963, I had a flat top haircut. There was a guy in Amarillo, Texas who gave me the best flat top I ever had and he used plain old manual scissors to do the job. Today, it’s all electric clippers and some guys with great heads of hair have actually shaved their heads! The bald guys of the world can only roll their eyes at something so insane as destroying good hair.
There was a time when a stick shift car was about all you could get unless you wanted to pay extra for an automatic transmission. What a luxury! No more clutch to push in, just put the car in drive and push on the gas. In recent years the stick, or "conventional shift" as it was once known, has made a big comeback. See what I mean? If you have been around long enough, you know the cycles.
All right, now you have the buildup, so I am going to mention an item that was a failure when it came out in the early ‘50s and I predict it will be a passing oddity again. It’s 3-D movies. Avatar was a huge 3-D hit and it looks like Alice in Wonderland will be also. For us in the 50s it was the awful Bwana Devil with Robert Stack and House of Wax with Vincent Price. Once you saw a spear come at you in the audience or saw Price throw some hot oil into the crowd, that was about it. Within a year or so, we put away our special glasses and started looking forward to the next fad which I think was the hula hoop or the Whammo slingshot.
The word is already out that people are suffering headaches and nausea from the 3-D process. One eye doctor says that unless you have equally good vision in both eyes, you may experience those maladies. Who can say they have such miraculous eyesight?
Yes, while there is nothing new under the sun, the cycle keeps turning. I feel sorry for the tattoo lovers though. When that fad disappears, unfortunately the tattoo won’t. Keep that in mind when you think it would be a good idea to tattoo your current girlfriend’s or boyfriend’s name on your body.
To comment on this blog, click "Jim's azcentral Blog" in the right column under "links".
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
THIS AND THAT
Did you see the column in the 3-11 Republic where Washington Post writer Courtland Milloy berates Obama for being a smoker? He says the lips of the prez are purple probably because of the tar, ammonia and other garbage found in cigs. With as much time as Obama spends for photo ops these days, I’m surprised he has time to have a smoke. Maybe he is cupping one behind his back.....More Obama: After being rude to Senator McCain at the health summit, he later had a change of heart in a post summit letter to Congress where he admitted that there WERE some provisions added to legislation that shouldn’t have been....I’m sorry but I have to agree with Bill Cosby on the incorrect term "African American." However, I am willing to listen to reason. If everyone who considers themselves an African American can submit to me a short 500 word essay that they think can justify that term, I’ll take it into consideration....There are some good movies out at the moment but I hate crowded theaters. Barb and I went to the Camelview in the morning last week to see "The Ghost Writer" and it was unusually crowded. We had so many people around us crunching popcorn and tearing into cellophane packages that it became a distraction. I never eat anything during a movie and it makes me wonder what some people are thinking who go to the show at 10 o’clock in the morning and consume a gallon of Coke with a 55 gallon drum of popcorn....Constance McMillen is a lesbian who is a senior in high school in Jackson, Mississippi. She wanted to wear a tuxedo to her senior prom and take her girlfriend as a date. That sounds a bit unusual but nothing surprises me today so I thought "no big deal." However, the school district canceled the entire prom rather than grant her permission to go as she suggested. In San Francisco, I’m sure this sort of thing is typical but in the deep south? No way. She should have kept her mouth shut and simply showed up with her date at the prom....I think kids should have to wear school uniforms. It eliminates the need to send kids home and tell them to come back dressed appropriately. It also teaches them grooming habits which most of them sadly lack....Turner Classic Movies had one of my favorites on last night. It was "The More the Merrier" from 1943 starring Jean Arthur, Charles Coburn, and Joel McCrea. You may be saying "Who?" but those guys were great actors of the day and the film was a comedy about the housing shortage in Washington during World War II. It was remade in 1966 as "Walk, Don’t Run" with a backdrop of the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. It was Cary Grant’s last film and please don’t tell me you never heard of Cary Grant!
To leave a comment, click "Jim's azcentral Blog" in the right column under "links."
To leave a comment, click "Jim's azcentral Blog" in the right column under "links."
Tuesday, March 09, 2010
Jumping rope without ropes?
Alexander McCall Smith writes a series of ten popular books concerning the "Number 1 Ladies Detective Agency." They are excellent as are his tales of "44 Scotland Street." In the latter he tells of a five year old boy in Edinburgh named Bertie who has an extremely overbearing and sheltering mother who believes he should learn Italian and play the Saxophone in lieu of Bertie’s desire to play Rugby, go fishing, and enjoy the perks of youth as his friends do. Because of his mother, Bertie is an unhappy kid.
I thought of poor Bertie when I read George Will’s column in the Sunday Republic. Will writes of a Massachusetts school where during physical education classes, kids jump rope. That sounds like good exercise to me except there is one important exception: the kids don’t use ropes! Why? Because it is the same old bunk I wrote about in an August 29, 2007 blog about how dodge ball and tag have been eliminated from the games kids like to play. The school feels that some kid’s feelings may be hurt if he/she is not effective as a rope jumper. What are these people thinking?
Parents are so worried about their child’s self esteem that they feel the necessity to constantly tell them how wonderful they are and avoid the risk that the kid might not be able to jump rope. These are the same parents who campaign for kid’s soccer teams to not count goals because it may damage the disposition of the kids who suck at soccer. And, of course, everybody gets a trophy even if they are total losers. It is incomprehensible that anyone would think this behavior is going to get any child prepared for real life.
A new book called "NurtureShock: New Thinking About Children" by Merryman and Bronson points out that parents who constantly praise their kids with silliness like notes in their lunch boxes telling them how incredibly intelligent they are, are doing their kids a great disservice. Those kids tend to falter when they encounter academic problems. Overpraised kids also tend to cheat "because they have not developed strategies for coping with failure."
In summation, Bronson and Merryman feel that parents need to lighten up and let kids be kids. I have never been a parent but I agree with that. I would rather have a kid who stands up for himself and comes home with a black eye instead of a kid who gets awarded a trophy for being incompetent.
To leave a comment click "Jim's azcentral Blogs" in the right column under "links"
I thought of poor Bertie when I read George Will’s column in the Sunday Republic. Will writes of a Massachusetts school where during physical education classes, kids jump rope. That sounds like good exercise to me except there is one important exception: the kids don’t use ropes! Why? Because it is the same old bunk I wrote about in an August 29, 2007 blog about how dodge ball and tag have been eliminated from the games kids like to play. The school feels that some kid’s feelings may be hurt if he/she is not effective as a rope jumper. What are these people thinking?
Parents are so worried about their child’s self esteem that they feel the necessity to constantly tell them how wonderful they are and avoid the risk that the kid might not be able to jump rope. These are the same parents who campaign for kid’s soccer teams to not count goals because it may damage the disposition of the kids who suck at soccer. And, of course, everybody gets a trophy even if they are total losers. It is incomprehensible that anyone would think this behavior is going to get any child prepared for real life.
A new book called "NurtureShock: New Thinking About Children" by Merryman and Bronson points out that parents who constantly praise their kids with silliness like notes in their lunch boxes telling them how incredibly intelligent they are, are doing their kids a great disservice. Those kids tend to falter when they encounter academic problems. Overpraised kids also tend to cheat "because they have not developed strategies for coping with failure."
In summation, Bronson and Merryman feel that parents need to lighten up and let kids be kids. I have never been a parent but I agree with that. I would rather have a kid who stands up for himself and comes home with a black eye instead of a kid who gets awarded a trophy for being incompetent.
To leave a comment click "Jim's azcentral Blogs" in the right column under "links"
Wednesday, March 03, 2010
The short, good life of Tubac, AZ
In this era of unemployment, a federal government lacking in common sense, threats of terrorism, liberals clamoring for government entitlements, and the dreaded "spread the wealth" mentality endorsed by the current administration, it’s refreshing to recall some history of the small town of Tubac, AZ in the late 1850s.
According to local historian Marshall Trimble, A young guy named Charles Poston arrived with his crew of miners in Tubac late in 1856, the year that Mexico gave up Tucson to the U.S. Tubac was located about 45 miles south of the Old Pueblo and, although it had been abandoned, most of the structures were still relatively intact. The Santa Cruz river and plenty of grass were nearby and when Poston’s group started a mining operation, large groups of Mexicans from the south arrived looking for jobs. It didn’t take long before Tubac was a busy little town.
Residents lived well in Tubac. Being in the middle of nowhere, they didn’t have the bureaucratic problems associated with being a large city. Poston later wrote that "we had no law but love and no occupation but labor; no government, no taxes, no public debt, no politics. It was a community in a perfect state of nature."
Poston loved the ladies, especially the Mexican senoritas. With most of the men of that time going to California for the gold rush, the ratio of women to men in Tubac was about 12 to 1. Sit back a moment guys and think about that: 12 to 1! Even Middy and desert ghost could score under those circumstances.
Poston also was a sort of magistrate which entitled him to perform marriages, baptisms, grant divorces and do several other functions. Food was brought in from Sonora along with other goods and the mines were paying off well with plenty of silver.
Unfortunately, all good things come to an end and the nirvana of Tubac wasn’t to last. Problems with Mexico and various Indian raids became common and by 1861 the Civil War had started which meant a couple of protective forts in the area were closed thus leaving the inhabitants to fend for themselves. After the Apaches destroyed Tubac in that year, Poston barely escaped with his life.
By the 1880's, Tubac was re-established and today is a quiet small town dominated with art galleries. It sounds very pleasant but I wonder if it can compare to the Tubac of the late 1850's when Charles Poston ran the town and the ratio of women to men was 12 to 1.
To leave a comment or to read other comments, click "Jim's azcentral Blogs" in the right column under links.
According to local historian Marshall Trimble, A young guy named Charles Poston arrived with his crew of miners in Tubac late in 1856, the year that Mexico gave up Tucson to the U.S. Tubac was located about 45 miles south of the Old Pueblo and, although it had been abandoned, most of the structures were still relatively intact. The Santa Cruz river and plenty of grass were nearby and when Poston’s group started a mining operation, large groups of Mexicans from the south arrived looking for jobs. It didn’t take long before Tubac was a busy little town.
Residents lived well in Tubac. Being in the middle of nowhere, they didn’t have the bureaucratic problems associated with being a large city. Poston later wrote that "we had no law but love and no occupation but labor; no government, no taxes, no public debt, no politics. It was a community in a perfect state of nature."
Poston loved the ladies, especially the Mexican senoritas. With most of the men of that time going to California for the gold rush, the ratio of women to men in Tubac was about 12 to 1. Sit back a moment guys and think about that: 12 to 1! Even Middy and desert ghost could score under those circumstances.
Poston also was a sort of magistrate which entitled him to perform marriages, baptisms, grant divorces and do several other functions. Food was brought in from Sonora along with other goods and the mines were paying off well with plenty of silver.
Unfortunately, all good things come to an end and the nirvana of Tubac wasn’t to last. Problems with Mexico and various Indian raids became common and by 1861 the Civil War had started which meant a couple of protective forts in the area were closed thus leaving the inhabitants to fend for themselves. After the Apaches destroyed Tubac in that year, Poston barely escaped with his life.
By the 1880's, Tubac was re-established and today is a quiet small town dominated with art galleries. It sounds very pleasant but I wonder if it can compare to the Tubac of the late 1850's when Charles Poston ran the town and the ratio of women to men was 12 to 1.
To leave a comment or to read other comments, click "Jim's azcentral Blogs" in the right column under links.
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Republicans, Obama, Tiger
Republican comments unnecessary: The Republicans recently held a convention which, if the clips from Fox News are any indication, was basically a chance for them to blow off steam at the expense of Obama and his administration.
I think such chatter is a mistake because this is America and our natural tendency is toward fair play, sometimes even in politics. For the Republicans to take turns at the podium blasting the president makes no sense. Most Americans know the guy is in over his head as his recent CNN poll of a 44% approval rating shows. His healthcare plan is a flop, the mayor of Las Vegas won’t even meet with him over his recent ill timed comments about that city, every candidate he endorses loses mightily, Democrats are bailing out of Congress, and there is the trial in New York embarrassment. Did I mention that even Benson nailed him today in the Republic? Yeah, that too. Isn’t that enough for now?
Americans are not in favor of kicking a man when he is down and that is what the Republicans have done. Too much of that will turn sympathy in the other direction. Note to Dick Cheney and the rest: Don’t be so hard on Obama; he and his staff are doing plenty on their own. There is no need for an exclamation mark.
Tiger Woods Apology: Tiger's apology was a global telecast over almost every network. I didn't know that what a golfer does could be that important but it started at 8:30 a.m. Friday Phoenix time with a showbiz intro of clips of Tiger through the years plus some commentary. At 9:00, Tiger took to the podium.
His prepared statement was teary and he covered what was expected. He gave his obligatory apologies and explained how he was going through therapy to reconcile his sexual urges. He asked that the press please leave his family alone (yeah, like that is going to happen) since they are not responsible for his actions. When he finished he hugged his mother, wife, and others sitting in the front row for support. There was no word on when he will return to the links.
While I feel a tinge of sympathy for Tiger, I’m wondering how much longer he would have continued his lifestyle if he wouldn’t have been caught. There are probably some Perkins’ waitresses wondering the same thing.
To leave a comment, or read 47 other comments, click "Jim's azcentral Blog" in the right column under "links."
I think such chatter is a mistake because this is America and our natural tendency is toward fair play, sometimes even in politics. For the Republicans to take turns at the podium blasting the president makes no sense. Most Americans know the guy is in over his head as his recent CNN poll of a 44% approval rating shows. His healthcare plan is a flop, the mayor of Las Vegas won’t even meet with him over his recent ill timed comments about that city, every candidate he endorses loses mightily, Democrats are bailing out of Congress, and there is the trial in New York embarrassment. Did I mention that even Benson nailed him today in the Republic? Yeah, that too. Isn’t that enough for now?
Americans are not in favor of kicking a man when he is down and that is what the Republicans have done. Too much of that will turn sympathy in the other direction. Note to Dick Cheney and the rest: Don’t be so hard on Obama; he and his staff are doing plenty on their own. There is no need for an exclamation mark.
Tiger Woods Apology: Tiger's apology was a global telecast over almost every network. I didn't know that what a golfer does could be that important but it started at 8:30 a.m. Friday Phoenix time with a showbiz intro of clips of Tiger through the years plus some commentary. At 9:00, Tiger took to the podium.
His prepared statement was teary and he covered what was expected. He gave his obligatory apologies and explained how he was going through therapy to reconcile his sexual urges. He asked that the press please leave his family alone (yeah, like that is going to happen) since they are not responsible for his actions. When he finished he hugged his mother, wife, and others sitting in the front row for support. There was no word on when he will return to the links.
While I feel a tinge of sympathy for Tiger, I’m wondering how much longer he would have continued his lifestyle if he wouldn’t have been caught. There are probably some Perkins’ waitresses wondering the same thing.
To leave a comment, or read 47 other comments, click "Jim's azcentral Blog" in the right column under "links."
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Remembering Hollywood Squares
Paul Lynde occupied the center square on Hollywood Squares
There was a popular 30 minute show on TV from 1966 to 1981 called Hollywood Squares. In that show various stars of show business would sit in blocks set up like a tac-tac-toe game (See illustration above). Two contestants would play against each other and try to answer the questions being asked of the stars by moderator Peter Marshall. When one of them won the game, they received various prizes.
It was a simple show which usually aired in the evenings before prime time, usually at about 6:30 in most markets. It was fun to eat off a TV tray if front of the Magnavox, and get some laughs from the guest stars in the blocks. As Marshall asked them the questions, they would usually give a "zinger" answer which produced a lot of laughs from the studio audience even though it was usually scripted. If you liked double entendres, this was the show for you. After the laughs, the star would answer in a serious tone and the contestants would have to figure if they were being put on or not.
The game was secondary to the comedy generated by the stars and there were some good ones from that era. Actor and comedian Paul Lynde was the star of the show but there was also comedians George Gobel, Charley Weaver, Wally Cox, Don Knotts, and many others.
Unless you are a certain age, you are probably scratching your head now thinking Paul Lynde? George Gobel? Charley Weaver? Who the hell are they?
For the rest of you, the thought of Hollywood Squares probably brings back some fun memories from the 70s.
Here are a few of the zingers some of the stars dealt out. The questions were asked by Peter Marshall:
Question: What is a good reason for pounding meat?
Answer: (Paul Lynde) "Loneliness!" (That answer brought so much laughter that it took up 15 minutes of the of the show)
Q. True or false, a pea can last up to 5,000 years.
A. (George Gobel) "Boy, it sure seems that way sometimes."
Q. You’ve been having trouble going to sleep. Are you a man or a woman?
A. (Don Knotts) "That’s what’s been keeping me awake."
Q. In Hawaiian, does it take more than three words to say "I love you?"
A. (Vincent Price) "No, you can say it with a pineapple and a twenty."
The original Hollywood Squares had a nice run from 1966 through 1981. Many of the stars of the show are dead now but will be remembered for their great lines, especially Paul Lynde. There were some syndicated versions later but they never could capture the magic of the original show.
To leave a comment or read other comments, click "Jim's azcentral Blog" in the roght column under "links."
There was a popular 30 minute show on TV from 1966 to 1981 called Hollywood Squares. In that show various stars of show business would sit in blocks set up like a tac-tac-toe game (See illustration above). Two contestants would play against each other and try to answer the questions being asked of the stars by moderator Peter Marshall. When one of them won the game, they received various prizes.
It was a simple show which usually aired in the evenings before prime time, usually at about 6:30 in most markets. It was fun to eat off a TV tray if front of the Magnavox, and get some laughs from the guest stars in the blocks. As Marshall asked them the questions, they would usually give a "zinger" answer which produced a lot of laughs from the studio audience even though it was usually scripted. If you liked double entendres, this was the show for you. After the laughs, the star would answer in a serious tone and the contestants would have to figure if they were being put on or not.
The game was secondary to the comedy generated by the stars and there were some good ones from that era. Actor and comedian Paul Lynde was the star of the show but there was also comedians George Gobel, Charley Weaver, Wally Cox, Don Knotts, and many others.
Unless you are a certain age, you are probably scratching your head now thinking Paul Lynde? George Gobel? Charley Weaver? Who the hell are they?
For the rest of you, the thought of Hollywood Squares probably brings back some fun memories from the 70s.
Here are a few of the zingers some of the stars dealt out. The questions were asked by Peter Marshall:
Question: What is a good reason for pounding meat?
Answer: (Paul Lynde) "Loneliness!" (That answer brought so much laughter that it took up 15 minutes of the of the show)
Q. True or false, a pea can last up to 5,000 years.
A. (George Gobel) "Boy, it sure seems that way sometimes."
Q. You’ve been having trouble going to sleep. Are you a man or a woman?
A. (Don Knotts) "That’s what’s been keeping me awake."
Q. In Hawaiian, does it take more than three words to say "I love you?"
A. (Vincent Price) "No, you can say it with a pineapple and a twenty."
The original Hollywood Squares had a nice run from 1966 through 1981. Many of the stars of the show are dead now but will be remembered for their great lines, especially Paul Lynde. There were some syndicated versions later but they never could capture the magic of the original show.
To leave a comment or read other comments, click "Jim's azcentral Blog" in the roght column under "links."
Monday, February 08, 2010
Reid to Obama: "Lay off Vegas!"
Surely Obama must have some advisers to teach him right from wrong in the statements he makes. Maybe they do give him advice but with his ego, he refuses to accept it.
Comments like "I think when you spread the wealth around, it’s good for everybody" should have given most Americans an early indication of what was coming from the guy. America has been based on self reliance, or as Bill O’Reilly opines "each individual succeeds by understanding obligations and doing what is necessary to fulfill them. The government cannot drag us through life’s daily challenges making sure we are all okay."
The prez has had to apologize more than once. On the Jay Leno show last March he replied to Leno’s question about his bowling game with "It’s like...It was like Special Olympics or something." Hey advisers, where are you when the prez needs you? Maybe he got the idea for that comment from another genius, Tiger Woods, who once said after a bad shot that he "hit the ball like a retard." Ouch!
Now that he seems to "get it" that Americans are not interested in his Obamacare health reform, he has started to concentrate more on adding jobs to the economy, although, based on his comments this week and last year, probably not in Las Vegas. In February of ‘09 the prez said companies that received stimulus money "...can’t go take a trip to Las Vegas...on the taxpayer’s dime." That’s reasonable enough but did he have to say "Las Vegas" thus entering into a controversy? LV mayor Goodman demanded an apology which I don’t believe was tendered.
In May of ‘09, Obama returned to Vegas and said "It’s good to be back in Vegas. Everyone should have a piece of the Las Vegas dream and the American dream." Huh? His reason for being in Vegas at that time: a fund raiser for Harry Reid. Poor Harry.
Let’s fast forward to two days ago (2-2-10). In New Hampshire, the prez said "When times are tough, you tighten your belts. You don’t go buying a boat when you can barely pay your mortgage. You don’t blow a bunch of cash on Vegas when you are trying to save for college." This is the same guy who said last month in Massachusetts that "Anyone can buy a truck." They can?
With his latest faux pas, even Reid is upset saying that "The President needs to lay off Las Vegas and stop making it the poster child for where people shouldn’t be spending their money." Senator Ensign and Representative Heller are equally adamant.
Let’s review: Americans should tighten their belts and not go to Las Vegas. They shouldn’t buy boats but trucks are all right. I guess those folks who spent millions at the car auctions in Scottsdale should stop that too since those cars are really toys and not very useful. And, you people with ski trips planned to Colorado? Better cancel those, a waste of money.
Let’s do sensible things like fly an entourage on 15 planes to Copenhagen and waste money on the impossible dream of Chicago getting the 2016 Olympics. How about wanting to try terrorists in New York for a cost of millions? How about the president’s wife needing a staff of 22 at a cost of $1.5 million per year? Other first ladies got by with one or two assistants and Mamie Eisenhower paid hers out of Ike’s salary. The list goes on, but you get the point.
Do you ever wonder if Obama had something to do with those sticky Toyota gas pedals? Could this be his latest brainstorm to boost sales at General Motors? Just wonderin’.
To leave a comment, click "Jim's azcentral Blog" in the right column below "links."
Comments like "I think when you spread the wealth around, it’s good for everybody" should have given most Americans an early indication of what was coming from the guy. America has been based on self reliance, or as Bill O’Reilly opines "each individual succeeds by understanding obligations and doing what is necessary to fulfill them. The government cannot drag us through life’s daily challenges making sure we are all okay."
The prez has had to apologize more than once. On the Jay Leno show last March he replied to Leno’s question about his bowling game with "It’s like...It was like Special Olympics or something." Hey advisers, where are you when the prez needs you? Maybe he got the idea for that comment from another genius, Tiger Woods, who once said after a bad shot that he "hit the ball like a retard." Ouch!
Now that he seems to "get it" that Americans are not interested in his Obamacare health reform, he has started to concentrate more on adding jobs to the economy, although, based on his comments this week and last year, probably not in Las Vegas. In February of ‘09 the prez said companies that received stimulus money "...can’t go take a trip to Las Vegas...on the taxpayer’s dime." That’s reasonable enough but did he have to say "Las Vegas" thus entering into a controversy? LV mayor Goodman demanded an apology which I don’t believe was tendered.
In May of ‘09, Obama returned to Vegas and said "It’s good to be back in Vegas. Everyone should have a piece of the Las Vegas dream and the American dream." Huh? His reason for being in Vegas at that time: a fund raiser for Harry Reid. Poor Harry.
Let’s fast forward to two days ago (2-2-10). In New Hampshire, the prez said "When times are tough, you tighten your belts. You don’t go buying a boat when you can barely pay your mortgage. You don’t blow a bunch of cash on Vegas when you are trying to save for college." This is the same guy who said last month in Massachusetts that "Anyone can buy a truck." They can?
With his latest faux pas, even Reid is upset saying that "The President needs to lay off Las Vegas and stop making it the poster child for where people shouldn’t be spending their money." Senator Ensign and Representative Heller are equally adamant.
Let’s review: Americans should tighten their belts and not go to Las Vegas. They shouldn’t buy boats but trucks are all right. I guess those folks who spent millions at the car auctions in Scottsdale should stop that too since those cars are really toys and not very useful. And, you people with ski trips planned to Colorado? Better cancel those, a waste of money.
Let’s do sensible things like fly an entourage on 15 planes to Copenhagen and waste money on the impossible dream of Chicago getting the 2016 Olympics. How about wanting to try terrorists in New York for a cost of millions? How about the president’s wife needing a staff of 22 at a cost of $1.5 million per year? Other first ladies got by with one or two assistants and Mamie Eisenhower paid hers out of Ike’s salary. The list goes on, but you get the point.
Do you ever wonder if Obama had something to do with those sticky Toyota gas pedals? Could this be his latest brainstorm to boost sales at General Motors? Just wonderin’.
To leave a comment, click "Jim's azcentral Blog" in the right column below "links."
Tuesday, February 02, 2010
"Cigarettes and Catholics" in film
Motion pictures are a barometer of the public mood. Examples are some of the films from the late 60s which reflect the mood and culture of that time. The Trip (1967) and Easy Rider (1969) come to mind.
Another distinctive era is the one I call the age of "cigarettes and Catholics." That era existed between about 1936 and 1959. It was a time when the actors smoked enough cigarettes to make you feel as though you had puffed a carton of Camel regulars by the time you walked out of the theater.
Cigarettes were used to create a mood. If a guy was walking to the electric chair, one of his last wishes was to have that final cig. If a soldier was dying in a war film, he was usually given a cig for a bit of comfort before he said his last words.
In today’s films, sex is usually open and no big deal. In the 1940s, cigarettes were frequently used to convey sex and romance. In this short clip from Now, Voyager(1942), you can see a good example of this as Paul Henreid lights two cigs at once, then hands one to Bette Davis. It’s pretty mild stuff now (no pun) but that scene has become a historical highlight of romance on film. On a sad note, Humphrey Bogart smoked his way through a lot of movies until their effects caught up with him at age 57. He made a living for many years though using a cigarette as a prop.
As far as the Catholic influence on films, it was strong through the Catholic Legion of Decency. The Legion started condemning and approving films for its flock in the early 1930s and did so until the late 70s. If they didn’t like a film, it was condemned with the dreaded "C" rating. Films included on their list were Some Like it Hot (1959) and Psycho (1960), two classics. Growing up in a heavily Catholic city, I knew a lot of people who actually subscribed to the condemned list.
In 1944, the Best Film Oscar went to Going My Way, a heavily Catholic film starring Bing Crosby as a priest. In 1943 Jennifer Jones won a Best Actress Oscar for her role in The Song of Bernadette, once again a Catholic film. Another approved Catholic influenced film was Boy’s Town (1938) starring Spencer Tracy who made a pretty good living playing priests.
I’m sure that during the cigarettes and Catholics era, the cigarette companies paid plenty to have their products saturating films. As far as Hollywod editing films to satisfy the Catholic interpretation of how people should live their lives, they probably figured that it was worth the trouble to satisfy the large Catholic audiences of those times.
Today, that era represents a time long gone. The movies were great and I still enjoy them but today we don’t have to worry about a particular religion telling us what we can and can’t see. As far as smoking, fortunately the movies never influenced me into that habit.
To leave a comment, click "Jim's azcentral Blogs" in the right column under "links."
Another distinctive era is the one I call the age of "cigarettes and Catholics." That era existed between about 1936 and 1959. It was a time when the actors smoked enough cigarettes to make you feel as though you had puffed a carton of Camel regulars by the time you walked out of the theater.
Cigarettes were used to create a mood. If a guy was walking to the electric chair, one of his last wishes was to have that final cig. If a soldier was dying in a war film, he was usually given a cig for a bit of comfort before he said his last words.
In today’s films, sex is usually open and no big deal. In the 1940s, cigarettes were frequently used to convey sex and romance. In this short clip from Now, Voyager(1942), you can see a good example of this as Paul Henreid lights two cigs at once, then hands one to Bette Davis. It’s pretty mild stuff now (no pun) but that scene has become a historical highlight of romance on film. On a sad note, Humphrey Bogart smoked his way through a lot of movies until their effects caught up with him at age 57. He made a living for many years though using a cigarette as a prop.
As far as the Catholic influence on films, it was strong through the Catholic Legion of Decency. The Legion started condemning and approving films for its flock in the early 1930s and did so until the late 70s. If they didn’t like a film, it was condemned with the dreaded "C" rating. Films included on their list were Some Like it Hot (1959) and Psycho (1960), two classics. Growing up in a heavily Catholic city, I knew a lot of people who actually subscribed to the condemned list.
In 1944, the Best Film Oscar went to Going My Way, a heavily Catholic film starring Bing Crosby as a priest. In 1943 Jennifer Jones won a Best Actress Oscar for her role in The Song of Bernadette, once again a Catholic film. Another approved Catholic influenced film was Boy’s Town (1938) starring Spencer Tracy who made a pretty good living playing priests.
I’m sure that during the cigarettes and Catholics era, the cigarette companies paid plenty to have their products saturating films. As far as Hollywod editing films to satisfy the Catholic interpretation of how people should live their lives, they probably figured that it was worth the trouble to satisfy the large Catholic audiences of those times.
Today, that era represents a time long gone. The movies were great and I still enjoy them but today we don’t have to worry about a particular religion telling us what we can and can’t see. As far as smoking, fortunately the movies never influenced me into that habit.
To leave a comment, click "Jim's azcentral Blogs" in the right column under "links."
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
A little movie quiz
I enjoy quotes from movies and many of them have become standards. Those of you who read my pieces know I use them all the time as I feel many can be important in proving a point. (Who can forget Marlon Brando with his "Stella!!!" from the Tennessee Williams classic of 1951, A Streetcar Named Desire). Although my main area of expertise is the movies made from 1930-1950, there were some great ones made after that which can’t be ignored.
There is no way I can write off films like Touch of Evil (1958), the Orson Welles film noir masterpiece, Billy Wilder’s Some Like it Hot, or Hitchcock’s North By Northwest, Psycho, and Vertigo, all made between 1958 and 1960 and masterpieces themselves. Those films were a wake up call to Hollywood after the bad biblical color extravaganzas of the early 1950s which were made strictly to fight off the intrusion of that new threat: TELEVISION!
As it turned out, television and the movies learned to co-exist although one way the movie studios survived was by getting into TV production. Some of you may remember the Warner Brothers’ TV hits of the ‘50s like 77 Sunset Strip and Maverick.
Here is a 5 question movie quote quiz for you: I have taken these from famous films made between 1967 and 1992 except one which is a classic line by a classic actress from a 1950s film. I did not get these from research, I pridefully know them from memory. All five quotes are on YouTube so I will give you links to check your answers after you have written them. See if you can tell me the movie name, and the actor saying the line. Good luck and don’t check YouTube until AFTER you have written your answers! If you are still stumped after the clips, check out IMDB.
1. "Put that coffee down! Coffee is for closers only!" (Answer)
2. "What we've got here is failure to communicate." (Answer)
3. "Fasten your seat belts, it’s going to be a bumpy night." (Answer)
4. "Here’s JOHNNY!" (Answer)
5. "That’s not a knife. THAT’S a knife!" (Answer)
How did you do?
To leave a comment or read the other 29 comments posted, click "Jim's azcentral blogs" in the right column under links.
There is no way I can write off films like Touch of Evil (1958), the Orson Welles film noir masterpiece, Billy Wilder’s Some Like it Hot, or Hitchcock’s North By Northwest, Psycho, and Vertigo, all made between 1958 and 1960 and masterpieces themselves. Those films were a wake up call to Hollywood after the bad biblical color extravaganzas of the early 1950s which were made strictly to fight off the intrusion of that new threat: TELEVISION!
As it turned out, television and the movies learned to co-exist although one way the movie studios survived was by getting into TV production. Some of you may remember the Warner Brothers’ TV hits of the ‘50s like 77 Sunset Strip and Maverick.
Here is a 5 question movie quote quiz for you: I have taken these from famous films made between 1967 and 1992 except one which is a classic line by a classic actress from a 1950s film. I did not get these from research, I pridefully know them from memory. All five quotes are on YouTube so I will give you links to check your answers after you have written them. See if you can tell me the movie name, and the actor saying the line. Good luck and don’t check YouTube until AFTER you have written your answers! If you are still stumped after the clips, check out IMDB.
1. "Put that coffee down! Coffee is for closers only!" (Answer)
2. "What we've got here is failure to communicate." (Answer)
3. "Fasten your seat belts, it’s going to be a bumpy night." (Answer)
4. "Here’s JOHNNY!" (Answer)
5. "That’s not a knife. THAT’S a knife!" (Answer)
How did you do?
To leave a comment or read the other 29 comments posted, click "Jim's azcentral blogs" in the right column under links.
Monday, January 18, 2010
Welcome to Wal-Mart
The site plan for the Wal-Mart to be built in Cave Creek was approved by the town commissioners this week. The store will be built at Cave Creek Road and Carefree Highway which is about five miles from where I live. As close as it is, I doubt I will ever buy anything there but I may stop by to see if those photos of "people of Wal-Mart" that circulate the internet are for real. My favorite is the guy pushing his shopping cart wearing a garbage bag skirt.
Wal-Mart has been known to let people camp in their parking lots, so who knows? Here is a story I picked up this week from the newspaper about an incident that happened recently at a Wal-Mart in Pennsylvania.
Police say a 32 year old man in a hospital gown stole $50 from his ex-girlfriend at a Wal-Mart, then tried to escape on a Wal-Mart owned motorized shopping scooter. He apparently had just been released from the hospital because of injuries suffered in a domestic dispute with the girl where he was hit with a frying pan and a table leg.
Although he was released from the hospital, the guy showed up at Wal-Mart still wearing a hospital gown to meet his ex-girlfriend who had agreed to pay for some of his medication. Suddenly, he grabbed $50 from her and took off on the scooter. He was captured instantly and is now in jail. As the greeter says: "Good morning, welcome to Wal-Mart." Maybe he should add, "proceed at your own risk," at least at the Pennsylvania store.
From the Scottsdale Republic: The Phoenix Open golf tournament is coming up next month. The event is known as a big time partying event and when last year’s winner Kenny Perry recently told a young female hairdresser that he would be playing this year she replied, "I love the golf tournament. I go every night."
Don’t look for her in the gallery, Kenny. She is a "Bird’s Nester."
To read other comments or to leave a comment, go to 'Jim's azcentral blogs' located in the right column under 'links.'
Wal-Mart has been known to let people camp in their parking lots, so who knows? Here is a story I picked up this week from the newspaper about an incident that happened recently at a Wal-Mart in Pennsylvania.
Police say a 32 year old man in a hospital gown stole $50 from his ex-girlfriend at a Wal-Mart, then tried to escape on a Wal-Mart owned motorized shopping scooter. He apparently had just been released from the hospital because of injuries suffered in a domestic dispute with the girl where he was hit with a frying pan and a table leg.
Although he was released from the hospital, the guy showed up at Wal-Mart still wearing a hospital gown to meet his ex-girlfriend who had agreed to pay for some of his medication. Suddenly, he grabbed $50 from her and took off on the scooter. He was captured instantly and is now in jail. As the greeter says: "Good morning, welcome to Wal-Mart." Maybe he should add, "proceed at your own risk," at least at the Pennsylvania store.
From the Scottsdale Republic: The Phoenix Open golf tournament is coming up next month. The event is known as a big time partying event and when last year’s winner Kenny Perry recently told a young female hairdresser that he would be playing this year she replied, "I love the golf tournament. I go every night."
Don’t look for her in the gallery, Kenny. She is a "Bird’s Nester."
To read other comments or to leave a comment, go to 'Jim's azcentral blogs' located in the right column under 'links.'
Monday, January 11, 2010
Harry Reid should know better
What is possibly the dumbest thing a United States Senator could say about a black candidate from his party running for the office of President of the United States? How about describing the candidate as “a light skinned” African American “with no Negro dialect, unless he wanted to have one.”
Those were Harry Reid’s words during Obama’s 2008 campaign according to a new book called “Game Change” by Mark Halperin and John Heilemann. The part about “no Negro dialect unless he wanted to have one” is the most interesting to me. Does that mean that on the campaign trail Reid thought Obama had the ability to talk “jive” to black groups in the inner city and switch to “mid-America white” when the occasion required it? In today’s political climate could a U.S. Senator actually believe that such a statement would not be demeaning to a black man?
Obama is calling the remarks “unfortunate” and Harold Ford, who is black and is the head of the Democratic Leadership Council says Reid’s remarks were “an unusual set of words.” In other words Harry has screwed up big time but let’s try to gloss it over.
So now we have more heat on poor Harry. What he said wasn’t the end of the world but it is enough to keep the public and the Republicans piling on him even harder after his methods of ramming through the Senate’s version of the health care bill. I’m sure he did it at the urging of Obama who is now getting plenty of heat of his own for not showing the health bill negotiations on C-Span after he said EIGHT times that it would be on.
Harry will survive his current term but polls in Nevada show him about 10 points behind his possible challenger. He just turned 70 so with his nice pension, they won’t have to throw any benefits for him. Plus, there are worse things to say like former President Clinton telling Ted Kennedy during the 2008 campaign that “a few years ago this guy (Obama) would be getting us coffee.”
On the other hand, if Barbara Billingsley could play the Beaver’s mom as an All American housekeeper on TV, and then talk jive in the movie Airplane!, I guess it is all right for the president to do likewise.
To read comments or to leave a comment, click "Jim's azcentral Blog" in the right colum under links.
Those were Harry Reid’s words during Obama’s 2008 campaign according to a new book called “Game Change” by Mark Halperin and John Heilemann. The part about “no Negro dialect unless he wanted to have one” is the most interesting to me. Does that mean that on the campaign trail Reid thought Obama had the ability to talk “jive” to black groups in the inner city and switch to “mid-America white” when the occasion required it? In today’s political climate could a U.S. Senator actually believe that such a statement would not be demeaning to a black man?
Obama is calling the remarks “unfortunate” and Harold Ford, who is black and is the head of the Democratic Leadership Council says Reid’s remarks were “an unusual set of words.” In other words Harry has screwed up big time but let’s try to gloss it over.
So now we have more heat on poor Harry. What he said wasn’t the end of the world but it is enough to keep the public and the Republicans piling on him even harder after his methods of ramming through the Senate’s version of the health care bill. I’m sure he did it at the urging of Obama who is now getting plenty of heat of his own for not showing the health bill negotiations on C-Span after he said EIGHT times that it would be on.
Harry will survive his current term but polls in Nevada show him about 10 points behind his possible challenger. He just turned 70 so with his nice pension, they won’t have to throw any benefits for him. Plus, there are worse things to say like former President Clinton telling Ted Kennedy during the 2008 campaign that “a few years ago this guy (Obama) would be getting us coffee.”
On the other hand, if Barbara Billingsley could play the Beaver’s mom as an All American housekeeper on TV, and then talk jive in the movie Airplane!, I guess it is all right for the president to do likewise.
To read comments or to leave a comment, click "Jim's azcentral Blog" in the right colum under links.
Wednesday, January 06, 2010
"Americans love Glenn Beck"
Dana Milbank of the Washington Post has a column today about Glenn Beck titled "Americans love Glenn Beck." He then continues with a diatribe about why he dislikes Beck.
I guess Mr. Milbank never heard of the saying "Every knock is a boost" or "Say what you want about me, just spell my name right." Beck is very popular right now. He has a radio show, a Fox News show, his books are best sellers, and his tours with fellow Fox anchor Bill O’Reilly are always sold out. SOMEBODY likes these guys and believes that they have something productive to say.
Mr. Milbank states that a recent Gallup poll shows that Beck is more popular than the pope. To paraphrase Babe Ruth, "Beck had a better year." Milbank also says that Beck’s popularity "doesn’t say much for the taste of many Americans." Keep pouring it on, Dana. The poll numbers don’t lie and a lot of people are unhappy with what is going on in Washington now and are itching to get to the polls in November. 2010 will be interesting.
Mitch Albom has spent most of his writing career doing sports for the Detroit Free Press. In recent years he has written some best selling books including Tuesdays With Morrie.
Mitch’s column today deals with rules that would be implemented in 2010 if he were in charge. It’s a funny look at some things we all probably wish would happen:
In 2010, no more vampires and no more Jon and Kate. I agree, I don’t ever go to "vampire" movies and I am sick of them. The same with Jon and Kate. All I know of them is they had a phony "reality show" with a bunch of kids and they broke up. So what? Why all the coverage?
I did a blog a couple months ago about sayings I wish would go away like "At the end of the day" and "Back in the day." Mitch adds some more: "totally," "I heard that," and "you go girl." He’s right, it’s time for those to go away.
This is one of my favorites: Coffee places like Starbucks need to have two lines. One for people who want a plain cup of "Joe" and one for the guys who have to have the foo-foo caramel mocha-half and half double shot- foamy latte. Why should we straight coffee drinkers have to wait behind those wimps?
One final wish from Mitch: "Wrap it up Harry Potter!" I’m for that. J. T. Rowling’s agent told her once that her first Harry Potter book was nice but that she shouldn’t expect to make any money from it. She has made billions since then but enough is enough. Let’s see more of that creativity applied to a different subject.
Amen.
To read comments or to leave your comment, click "Jim's AZCentral blog" in the right column under links.
I guess Mr. Milbank never heard of the saying "Every knock is a boost" or "Say what you want about me, just spell my name right." Beck is very popular right now. He has a radio show, a Fox News show, his books are best sellers, and his tours with fellow Fox anchor Bill O’Reilly are always sold out. SOMEBODY likes these guys and believes that they have something productive to say.
Mr. Milbank states that a recent Gallup poll shows that Beck is more popular than the pope. To paraphrase Babe Ruth, "Beck had a better year." Milbank also says that Beck’s popularity "doesn’t say much for the taste of many Americans." Keep pouring it on, Dana. The poll numbers don’t lie and a lot of people are unhappy with what is going on in Washington now and are itching to get to the polls in November. 2010 will be interesting.
Mitch Albom has spent most of his writing career doing sports for the Detroit Free Press. In recent years he has written some best selling books including Tuesdays With Morrie.
Mitch’s column today deals with rules that would be implemented in 2010 if he were in charge. It’s a funny look at some things we all probably wish would happen:
In 2010, no more vampires and no more Jon and Kate. I agree, I don’t ever go to "vampire" movies and I am sick of them. The same with Jon and Kate. All I know of them is they had a phony "reality show" with a bunch of kids and they broke up. So what? Why all the coverage?
I did a blog a couple months ago about sayings I wish would go away like "At the end of the day" and "Back in the day." Mitch adds some more: "totally," "I heard that," and "you go girl." He’s right, it’s time for those to go away.
This is one of my favorites: Coffee places like Starbucks need to have two lines. One for people who want a plain cup of "Joe" and one for the guys who have to have the foo-foo caramel mocha-half and half double shot- foamy latte. Why should we straight coffee drinkers have to wait behind those wimps?
One final wish from Mitch: "Wrap it up Harry Potter!" I’m for that. J. T. Rowling’s agent told her once that her first Harry Potter book was nice but that she shouldn’t expect to make any money from it. She has made billions since then but enough is enough. Let’s see more of that creativity applied to a different subject.
Amen.
To read comments or to leave your comment, click "Jim's AZCentral blog" in the right column under links.
Monday, December 28, 2009
Health reform observations
Those who thought Sen. Ben Nelson of Nebraska would hold his ground against the health care bill had to be dreaming. Did they really think the poor guy wasn’t going to be beat to a pulp by Reid and his buddies to get that 60th vote?
I told Middy the other day that Nelson’s interaction with his Dem friends had to be like a car salesman at 9:00 p.m. beating up a customer for his last sale of the day. That peddler would give away the doorknobs for that sale. You want free power steering? You got it! The desert package? You got it! Sign here!
It looks like Ben may have the last laugh though. He hung around long enough to use the law of supply and demand to increase the value of his vote. While Harry was trying to cram the power steering down his throat he managed to get many other concessions for his state. Ben was also shrewd about playing the pro-life card for a while as another reason to give his vote. He was insistent on that initially but eventually caved. I guess he couldn’t get the desert package for free after all.
Let’s not forget Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla) who got a deal of his own as reported by the AP this morning. Apparently, he worked a deal where his vote was worth "exempting roughly 800,000 seniors in Florida from potential cuts by private Medicare Advantage plans." I’m sure many seniors who live in other states under that plan are crying "What about me?" My answer to them would be to elect more aggressive politicians. After all, $450 billion will be taken from that plan to support other items.
Some are complaining about other special deals for states. Governor Terminator of California says "It is unfair." To him I would say, "Get up earlier in the morning and put in your bid. California is next to Reid’s Nevada and the highway is bumper to bumper on weekends with gamblers heading from L. A. to the silver state. Look at the money California is giving to Nevada!" Put on your selling shoes, Arnie!
If nothing else the health reform bill is giving us a good look at the smoke filled rooms of politics. These guys are on a gravy train and will do anything to stay there. I’m not singling out the Democrats since the Republicans would probably act the same under the circumstances. One of the exceptions this time is that the American public is very dissatisfied with both parties. A recent poll says that 41% of those polled consider themselves neither a Democrat or a Republican. 36% said they were Dems and 21% claimed to be Republicans. With those numbers, maybe the Whigs can make a comeback! Abe Lincoln was originally a Whig. Does anyone have his phone number?
To comment go to "Jim's azcentral Blog" in the right column under links.
I told Middy the other day that Nelson’s interaction with his Dem friends had to be like a car salesman at 9:00 p.m. beating up a customer for his last sale of the day. That peddler would give away the doorknobs for that sale. You want free power steering? You got it! The desert package? You got it! Sign here!
It looks like Ben may have the last laugh though. He hung around long enough to use the law of supply and demand to increase the value of his vote. While Harry was trying to cram the power steering down his throat he managed to get many other concessions for his state. Ben was also shrewd about playing the pro-life card for a while as another reason to give his vote. He was insistent on that initially but eventually caved. I guess he couldn’t get the desert package for free after all.
Let’s not forget Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla) who got a deal of his own as reported by the AP this morning. Apparently, he worked a deal where his vote was worth "exempting roughly 800,000 seniors in Florida from potential cuts by private Medicare Advantage plans." I’m sure many seniors who live in other states under that plan are crying "What about me?" My answer to them would be to elect more aggressive politicians. After all, $450 billion will be taken from that plan to support other items.
Some are complaining about other special deals for states. Governor Terminator of California says "It is unfair." To him I would say, "Get up earlier in the morning and put in your bid. California is next to Reid’s Nevada and the highway is bumper to bumper on weekends with gamblers heading from L. A. to the silver state. Look at the money California is giving to Nevada!" Put on your selling shoes, Arnie!
If nothing else the health reform bill is giving us a good look at the smoke filled rooms of politics. These guys are on a gravy train and will do anything to stay there. I’m not singling out the Democrats since the Republicans would probably act the same under the circumstances. One of the exceptions this time is that the American public is very dissatisfied with both parties. A recent poll says that 41% of those polled consider themselves neither a Democrat or a Republican. 36% said they were Dems and 21% claimed to be Republicans. With those numbers, maybe the Whigs can make a comeback! Abe Lincoln was originally a Whig. Does anyone have his phone number?
To comment go to "Jim's azcentral Blog" in the right column under links.
Monday, December 21, 2009
Holiday grocery shopping tips
Sorry, kiddo, no caffeine for you.
This is the time of the year when most of us overeat which means it is the time of year we overspend at the grocery store. It’s hard not to overspend as the stores are pros at luring you into situations where you are vulnerable to either the sight or smell of a great holiday treat. That treat, by the way, is usually a high profit item and if it gets decent volume sales it can go a long way toward improving the 2% or so average gross profit of a supermarket.
I called on supermarkets for 20 years and I can tell you from experience, these guys are good. Here are a few tips about saving a buck that I have learned along the way: I’m old fashioned so I always keep a hand written grocery list at home that I add to as I get low or run out of standard items. It is a simple form of organization.
Always shop on "best food day" which in Phoenix is Wednesday; that’s when the ad comes in the newspaper. If you don’t take the paper, the store usually has a stack of ads at the entrance. Check the store’s website too as many times they will have coupons online along with the coupons in the ad. Be sure to have coupons that you may have clipped from various other publications too. Also, be sure you have the store’s "card" as that can mean savings when you swipe it at the register.
Private label (store brands) used to be junk. No more, I’ve found private label products to be as good if not better than many national brands. They are cheaper mainly because they have no advertising budget. Watch out for elaborately packaged items like bags of lettuce. That 3 or 4 color printed bag is part of your cost; check the cost difference of the bulk lettuce.
Watch out for the "peripheral" departments. Those are bakery, deli, nuts, floral, seafood, and many stores will have a Starbucks. Those departments make a lot of money for the store. If you want cheese, go to the dairy case. Deli? Go to the meat case. Bakery? Entenmann’s is cheaper but may be a step below the bakery. Seafood? It can be cheaper in the frozen case and tastes the same. If you feel Starbucks is worth its high price, go ahead and have a treat but understand you are paying for a product that yields a high profit to the store. Buy a bag of Starbucks in the coffee aisle instead.
Remember, peripheral departments usually mean higher price and profit. The areas like the soap aisle take up a lot of space and yield lower profits. It’s up to the peripherals to pick up the low profit stuff.
Two final tips: NEVER go grocery shopping when you are hungry! Everything will look good and you will buy the place out. Also, leave your cell phone at home so nobody can call you to add something to your list.
To leave a comment or read the other 54 comments posted, click "Jim's azcentral Blog" in the right column above the clock.
This is the time of the year when most of us overeat which means it is the time of year we overspend at the grocery store. It’s hard not to overspend as the stores are pros at luring you into situations where you are vulnerable to either the sight or smell of a great holiday treat. That treat, by the way, is usually a high profit item and if it gets decent volume sales it can go a long way toward improving the 2% or so average gross profit of a supermarket.
I called on supermarkets for 20 years and I can tell you from experience, these guys are good. Here are a few tips about saving a buck that I have learned along the way: I’m old fashioned so I always keep a hand written grocery list at home that I add to as I get low or run out of standard items. It is a simple form of organization.
Always shop on "best food day" which in Phoenix is Wednesday; that’s when the ad comes in the newspaper. If you don’t take the paper, the store usually has a stack of ads at the entrance. Check the store’s website too as many times they will have coupons online along with the coupons in the ad. Be sure to have coupons that you may have clipped from various other publications too. Also, be sure you have the store’s "card" as that can mean savings when you swipe it at the register.
Private label (store brands) used to be junk. No more, I’ve found private label products to be as good if not better than many national brands. They are cheaper mainly because they have no advertising budget. Watch out for elaborately packaged items like bags of lettuce. That 3 or 4 color printed bag is part of your cost; check the cost difference of the bulk lettuce.
Watch out for the "peripheral" departments. Those are bakery, deli, nuts, floral, seafood, and many stores will have a Starbucks. Those departments make a lot of money for the store. If you want cheese, go to the dairy case. Deli? Go to the meat case. Bakery? Entenmann’s is cheaper but may be a step below the bakery. Seafood? It can be cheaper in the frozen case and tastes the same. If you feel Starbucks is worth its high price, go ahead and have a treat but understand you are paying for a product that yields a high profit to the store. Buy a bag of Starbucks in the coffee aisle instead.
Remember, peripheral departments usually mean higher price and profit. The areas like the soap aisle take up a lot of space and yield lower profits. It’s up to the peripherals to pick up the low profit stuff.
Two final tips: NEVER go grocery shopping when you are hungry! Everything will look good and you will buy the place out. Also, leave your cell phone at home so nobody can call you to add something to your list.
To leave a comment or read the other 54 comments posted, click "Jim's azcentral Blog" in the right column above the clock.
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
"No God?...No problem!"
That is the slogan of the American Humanist Association this year and it will be plastered over public transit vehicles in five cities across the United States: Washington D.C., New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Chicago. Last year the only city targeted was Washington with their slogan for 2008 being "Why Believe in a God? Just be Good for Goodness Sake!"
According to Roy Speckhardt, the Director of the AHA, "Humanists have always understood that striving to make the world a better place is one of humanity's most important responsibilities. Religion does not have a monopoly on morality--millions of people are good without believing in God." Also, Speckhardt pointed to the false assumption held by many that not believing in God indicates a lack of morality as the reason for needing such advertising campaigns. "We want to change the way people think and talk about nontheists, and to pave the way for acceptance of humanism as a valid and positive philosophy of life."
"We understand our message may seem controversial to some, but it certainly isn't our purpose to offend anyone," concluded Speckhardt. "Of course, it's obvious that many people are also good with a belief in God, so I hope we can all find common ground."
Obviously, the message of the AHA will cause some controversy. We live in a country where the belief in some kind of heavenly being controlling our destiny dominates the lives of millions of people. Right or wrong, that is not a bad thing; there is nothing wrong with faith and it has guided many down the path of respect and dignity toward their familes and fellow citizens.
For others, they lead exemplary lives without the assistance of religion. Many leave the door ajar just in case they may be wrong. That’s probably not a bad idea but if there really is a judgment day they better have on their selling shoes when they go in front of the big guy.
I include myself in the second group. I think some religions have strange beliefs but I respect the members of those religions for their faith. I also feel that I live a lifestyle that any god would approve. I don’t break the law, I don’t cheat on my wife, and I never speed on the 101, especially on the West side. I did get kicked out of Sunday school once but I think if there is a HE, HE will give me a pass on that. It was a really boring subject that day and I was a little kid.
In summation, I have no problem with the Humanists. They are non violently subscribing to the belief that one does not need to worship a god to have a successful life. So what? It's a touchy subject but I say "To each his own and the decision to have religion or not have it is up to the individual"
To leave a comment or to read the 70 other comments, click "Jim's azcentral Blog" in the right column above the clock.
Tuesday, December 08, 2009
Christmas gifts then and now
The Slinky
Christmas is coming and many kids are anxiously awaiting their new cell phones, Xbox games, or whatever else may arrive on December 25th that will help them avoid physical exercise.
One present that offers plenty of activity is the Frisbee. The National Toy Hall of Fame lists it as an icon in the toy business and if you have ever thrown and chased one, you will get plenty of exercise. Although invented in 1950, I still see kids throwing Frisbees around occasionally and dogs love to chase them. It’s still a cheap and useful gift.
Another item that kids used to love is the Hula Hoop. My first memory of them is from about 1958. EVERYBODY had one as they sold 25 million of them in the first two months they were available. I still see kids occasionally spinning a Hula Hoop around their waists. In 1994 the Coen Brothers made a good movie about it with Paul Newman called The Hudsucker Proxy.
Do you remember the Slinky? It used to be a popular Christmas gift. It was basically a spring that would walk down a flight of stairs. It was accidently invented in 1945 when a guy dropped a spring on the ground and noticed it move across the floor on it’s own. It even had a catchy advertising jingle:
"What walks down stairs, alone or in pairs, And makes a slinkity sound?
A spring, a spring, a marvelous thing, Everyone knows it’s Slinky…
It's Slinky, it's Slinky, for fun it's a wonderful toy,
It's Slinky, it's Slinky, it's fun for a girl and a boy."
Kids used to love getting Crayola Crayons. My favorite color was "burnt sienna." I didn’t care about the color; I just thought it had a cool name. They also had a color called "flesh" which was changed in 1961 to "Peach" to satisfy the PC crowd. The same applied to "Indian Red" which became "Chestnut" in 1999.
Other gifts like kites, jacks, yo-yo’s, marbles, and checkers have come and gone in popularity but have been around in some form since ancient times. I think I still have a "cat’s eye" marble around here somewhere. Also, don't forget Lionel Electric Trains; they were the mother lode of presents.
Then, there is the skateboard. When I first saw those in the 60's, I thought they would be strictly a fad. It’s hard to be right all the time and I missed the boat on that one. I see kids on skateboards everywhere all these years later. I saw a kid of about 10 a couple of years ago going down the sidewalk on a skateboard while talking on a cell phone. Go figure, huh?
To leave a comment or to read other comments, click "Jim's azcentral Blg" in the right column above the clock.
Christmas is coming and many kids are anxiously awaiting their new cell phones, Xbox games, or whatever else may arrive on December 25th that will help them avoid physical exercise.
One present that offers plenty of activity is the Frisbee. The National Toy Hall of Fame lists it as an icon in the toy business and if you have ever thrown and chased one, you will get plenty of exercise. Although invented in 1950, I still see kids throwing Frisbees around occasionally and dogs love to chase them. It’s still a cheap and useful gift.
Another item that kids used to love is the Hula Hoop. My first memory of them is from about 1958. EVERYBODY had one as they sold 25 million of them in the first two months they were available. I still see kids occasionally spinning a Hula Hoop around their waists. In 1994 the Coen Brothers made a good movie about it with Paul Newman called The Hudsucker Proxy.
Do you remember the Slinky? It used to be a popular Christmas gift. It was basically a spring that would walk down a flight of stairs. It was accidently invented in 1945 when a guy dropped a spring on the ground and noticed it move across the floor on it’s own. It even had a catchy advertising jingle:
"What walks down stairs, alone or in pairs, And makes a slinkity sound?
A spring, a spring, a marvelous thing, Everyone knows it’s Slinky…
It's Slinky, it's Slinky, for fun it's a wonderful toy,
It's Slinky, it's Slinky, it's fun for a girl and a boy."
Kids used to love getting Crayola Crayons. My favorite color was "burnt sienna." I didn’t care about the color; I just thought it had a cool name. They also had a color called "flesh" which was changed in 1961 to "Peach" to satisfy the PC crowd. The same applied to "Indian Red" which became "Chestnut" in 1999.
Other gifts like kites, jacks, yo-yo’s, marbles, and checkers have come and gone in popularity but have been around in some form since ancient times. I think I still have a "cat’s eye" marble around here somewhere. Also, don't forget Lionel Electric Trains; they were the mother lode of presents.
Then, there is the skateboard. When I first saw those in the 60's, I thought they would be strictly a fad. It’s hard to be right all the time and I missed the boat on that one. I see kids on skateboards everywhere all these years later. I saw a kid of about 10 a couple of years ago going down the sidewalk on a skateboard while talking on a cell phone. Go figure, huh?
To leave a comment or to read other comments, click "Jim's azcentral Blg" in the right column above the clock.
Tuesday, December 01, 2009
Apple pie not American?
The bhut jolokia pepper
We have heard the expression "As American as apple pie" many times but theoretically, it is incorrect. Alexander the Great found apples in Asia Minor as early as 300 B.C. and they eventually worked their way to America in the 1600's with the colonists. While the apple came from elsewhere "it has been transformed into a distinctly American experience" according to John Lehndorff of the American Pie Council.
Do you know the three fruits that ARE native to North America.? They are cranberries, blueberries, and Concord grapes. As the Ocean Spray guys say: "Cranberries didn’t come over on the Mayflower, they were already here."
Then there are peppers. I love the taste of Jalapeno peppers although I can only eat them in bits because they are so hot that I go into hiccuping fits. Don’t ask why, it’s just the way they affect me. The scary thing is that the Jalapeno is one of the LEAST hot peppers as listed on the Scoville Unit scale which measures the hotness of chili peppers. Jalapenos have a Scoville rating of 8,000.
The hottest? It’s the "bhut jolokia" pepper with a Scoville rating of 1,000,000 which is 125 times hotter than a jalapeno! That makes it the hottest pepper in the world replacing the former hottest, the Red Savina. I now have total respect for the people of India as they eat these things either by themselves or as an ingredient in certain foods. There are warnings to not let these peppers or their seeds get into one’s eyes. That is, if you enjoy seeing.
Since I am such a wimp even with the lightweight Jalapeno, I’m sure the bhut jolokia would kill me instantly. That may be one reason it is nicknamed the "ghost pepper." It is even 10 times more powerful than the Habanero!
My favorite Mexican restaurants in Scottsdale are Jalapeno’s and Los Olivos. Los Olivos in particular has a great tradition in the area as the Corral family established it in downtown Scottsdale in the mid 1940s. As much as I like the place, I think that from now on I will make sure to tell them to "hold the ghost peppers." I’m sure they don’t use them, but it never hurts to be sure. Whew!
To add a comment or read the other 39 comments to this story, click "Jim's azcentral Blog" in the right column above the clock.
We have heard the expression "As American as apple pie" many times but theoretically, it is incorrect. Alexander the Great found apples in Asia Minor as early as 300 B.C. and they eventually worked their way to America in the 1600's with the colonists. While the apple came from elsewhere "it has been transformed into a distinctly American experience" according to John Lehndorff of the American Pie Council.
Do you know the three fruits that ARE native to North America.? They are cranberries, blueberries, and Concord grapes. As the Ocean Spray guys say: "Cranberries didn’t come over on the Mayflower, they were already here."
Then there are peppers. I love the taste of Jalapeno peppers although I can only eat them in bits because they are so hot that I go into hiccuping fits. Don’t ask why, it’s just the way they affect me. The scary thing is that the Jalapeno is one of the LEAST hot peppers as listed on the Scoville Unit scale which measures the hotness of chili peppers. Jalapenos have a Scoville rating of 8,000.
The hottest? It’s the "bhut jolokia" pepper with a Scoville rating of 1,000,000 which is 125 times hotter than a jalapeno! That makes it the hottest pepper in the world replacing the former hottest, the Red Savina. I now have total respect for the people of India as they eat these things either by themselves or as an ingredient in certain foods. There are warnings to not let these peppers or their seeds get into one’s eyes. That is, if you enjoy seeing.
Since I am such a wimp even with the lightweight Jalapeno, I’m sure the bhut jolokia would kill me instantly. That may be one reason it is nicknamed the "ghost pepper." It is even 10 times more powerful than the Habanero!
My favorite Mexican restaurants in Scottsdale are Jalapeno’s and Los Olivos. Los Olivos in particular has a great tradition in the area as the Corral family established it in downtown Scottsdale in the mid 1940s. As much as I like the place, I think that from now on I will make sure to tell them to "hold the ghost peppers." I’m sure they don’t use them, but it never hurts to be sure. Whew!
To add a comment or read the other 39 comments to this story, click "Jim's azcentral Blog" in the right column above the clock.
Monday, November 23, 2009
Wal-Mart musings
I never shop at Wal-Mart. OK, I did once a couple of years ago when I needed an electric razor in a hurry. But otherwise, no.
The merits and demerits of the place abound. One lady shopper thinks it’s a great place and although being "whit*e trash central," it has tons of stuff that is cheap and "the grocery department rocks."
Another shopper didn’t like the greeters and called them "door nazis."
Then, another shopper said: "I finally had to leave in a near panic attack. The crowds, the noise, the people, the screaming babies, phones ringing off the hook, no one ever answers the damn phones in electronics!!!" It sounds like she may also have seen some of the customers shown in photos on the internet about "people of Wal-Mart."
As far as Wal-Mart having cheap stuff, remember that they are a huge importer of products from China that are known for being cheap in price and quality. You get what you pay for in life; if you want bells and whistles be ready to fork over.
I’ve talked to people who think electronics at Wal-Mart are a bargain. Are they? The guy who used to run the Philips TV account with Wal-Mart says the pressure from Wal-Mart to lower prices got so severe that they had to take short cuts in quality to meet their requests. Cabinets became thinner, remotes were made more basic, etc.; anything to lower costs. Finally, Philips had to go to Asia to manufacture because the $1 to $2 per hour wages paid to Mexican workers in Juarez in the ‘90s made the sets too expensive for Wal-Mart.
Levis’ jeans are another example of the demands of Wal-Mart. It’s a story similar to Philips. In short, those cheap Levis you pick up at Wal-Mart now are not your daddy’s Levis.
Wal-Mart will always do well because there are those who have no choice but to shop there. There are also those who like cheap stuff whether they can afford better or not. I hear complaints from those who say, "They are running small retailers out of business!" A moment later they are headed to Wal-Mart to save a dime.
As far as I am concerned, Wal-Mart will never see me, especially during the madness of the holidays. Well, MAYBE if I am again in a hurry and need an electric razor.
To leave a comment or to read the other 73 comments, click "Jim's azcentral Blog" in the right column above the clock.
The merits and demerits of the place abound. One lady shopper thinks it’s a great place and although being "whit*e trash central," it has tons of stuff that is cheap and "the grocery department rocks."
Another shopper didn’t like the greeters and called them "door nazis."
Then, another shopper said: "I finally had to leave in a near panic attack. The crowds, the noise, the people, the screaming babies, phones ringing off the hook, no one ever answers the damn phones in electronics!!!" It sounds like she may also have seen some of the customers shown in photos on the internet about "people of Wal-Mart."
As far as Wal-Mart having cheap stuff, remember that they are a huge importer of products from China that are known for being cheap in price and quality. You get what you pay for in life; if you want bells and whistles be ready to fork over.
I’ve talked to people who think electronics at Wal-Mart are a bargain. Are they? The guy who used to run the Philips TV account with Wal-Mart says the pressure from Wal-Mart to lower prices got so severe that they had to take short cuts in quality to meet their requests. Cabinets became thinner, remotes were made more basic, etc.; anything to lower costs. Finally, Philips had to go to Asia to manufacture because the $1 to $2 per hour wages paid to Mexican workers in Juarez in the ‘90s made the sets too expensive for Wal-Mart.
Levis’ jeans are another example of the demands of Wal-Mart. It’s a story similar to Philips. In short, those cheap Levis you pick up at Wal-Mart now are not your daddy’s Levis.
Wal-Mart will always do well because there are those who have no choice but to shop there. There are also those who like cheap stuff whether they can afford better or not. I hear complaints from those who say, "They are running small retailers out of business!" A moment later they are headed to Wal-Mart to save a dime.
As far as I am concerned, Wal-Mart will never see me, especially during the madness of the holidays. Well, MAYBE if I am again in a hurry and need an electric razor.
To leave a comment or to read the other 73 comments, click "Jim's azcentral Blog" in the right column above the clock.
Monday, November 16, 2009
Coen brothers latest film and some flops
I saw the latest Coen Brothers’ film today. It’s called A Serious Man and is showing at the Camelview Theater in Scottsdale.
It’s a good movie but pay attention to the story at the beginning or you will not understand the ending. It takes place in 1967 and as usual I was looking for mistakes like a 1972 Ford Mustang driving by. It wasn’t until late in the film that I caught one and my rock buddies would easily have caught it too: The lead actor was complaining about receiving the Santana album "Abraxas" from the Columbia Record Club. I’m sure most of you have heard it, it is a great album like most of the work from Carlos Santana.
Unfortunately for the film, that album was released in September, 1970, a year after Woodstock and three years after 1967. Sorry Joel and Ethan, it’s in my 33 1/3 collection and I checked it.
The latest AARP Bulletin lists some famous flops. Here are a few of the significant ones. Remember these losers?
The Ford Edsel. I remember it well, a Tech Sergeant I worked for loaned me his once and I thought it was really a great car. I was wrong. Ford lost $350 million on it the couple years it was out. It must have been the push button gears in the steering wheel.
Then there was the Susan B. Anthony dollar from 1979-1981. They looked just like quarters and were mistaken for them by many.
"New" Coke: Why would a company who was number one in soft drink sales in 1985 change their formula? Dumb and double dumb. It quickly was changed back to the original.
DeLorean car of 1981-1982: Only 9,000 were made, it’s biggest claim to fame was being in the movie Back to the Future. Occasionally, one of these chrome beauties will be seen on the street.
Remember when Geraldo Rivera opened Al Capone’s vault on TV in 1986? We all tensed up at what might be in there as the door swung open. There was nothing but a couple of bottles. It was a disappointment but at least it was honest.
Michael Jordan’s baseball career: He found out quickly that hitting a baseball was harder than hitting a jump shot. It helped the Arizona Fall league though, as Mike drew 7,000 fans to a game that would ordinarily draw 150.
To leave a comment or to read the 26 comments already posted, click "Jim's azcentral Blog" in the right column above the clock.
It’s a good movie but pay attention to the story at the beginning or you will not understand the ending. It takes place in 1967 and as usual I was looking for mistakes like a 1972 Ford Mustang driving by. It wasn’t until late in the film that I caught one and my rock buddies would easily have caught it too: The lead actor was complaining about receiving the Santana album "Abraxas" from the Columbia Record Club. I’m sure most of you have heard it, it is a great album like most of the work from Carlos Santana.
Unfortunately for the film, that album was released in September, 1970, a year after Woodstock and three years after 1967. Sorry Joel and Ethan, it’s in my 33 1/3 collection and I checked it.
The latest AARP Bulletin lists some famous flops. Here are a few of the significant ones. Remember these losers?
The Ford Edsel. I remember it well, a Tech Sergeant I worked for loaned me his once and I thought it was really a great car. I was wrong. Ford lost $350 million on it the couple years it was out. It must have been the push button gears in the steering wheel.
Then there was the Susan B. Anthony dollar from 1979-1981. They looked just like quarters and were mistaken for them by many.
"New" Coke: Why would a company who was number one in soft drink sales in 1985 change their formula? Dumb and double dumb. It quickly was changed back to the original.
DeLorean car of 1981-1982: Only 9,000 were made, it’s biggest claim to fame was being in the movie Back to the Future. Occasionally, one of these chrome beauties will be seen on the street.
Remember when Geraldo Rivera opened Al Capone’s vault on TV in 1986? We all tensed up at what might be in there as the door swung open. There was nothing but a couple of bottles. It was a disappointment but at least it was honest.
Michael Jordan’s baseball career: He found out quickly that hitting a baseball was harder than hitting a jump shot. It helped the Arizona Fall league though, as Mike drew 7,000 fans to a game that would ordinarily draw 150.
To leave a comment or to read the 26 comments already posted, click "Jim's azcentral Blog" in the right column above the clock.
Monday, November 09, 2009
Prayers and some lesser stuff
My prayers go to those affected by the unfortunate situation at Fort Hood last week. God bless and take care of our guys in uniform.
The White House is showing its inexperience by publicly denouncing Fox News. Anyone possessing political savvy knows that you never give ammunition to your adversaries. The White House has chosen the opposite tact and it is backfiring. Fox News has a strong following and their denouncement by Obama has only made them more popular.
NPR has been running a survey asking listeners whether they support the White House or Fox. As of this morning 86% favor Fox, 13% favor the President, and 1% is undecided.
Yesterday I stopped behind a painting contractor at a red light at Shea and the Beeline Highway in Fountain Hills. On the back of his trailer was written in foot high bold letters "PLEASE DON’T TELL OBAMA WHAT COMES AFTER A TRILLION." Even the most humorless Obama supporter has to enjoy that one. If not, get a life.
I thought that "Cash for Clunkers" was supposed to get buyers to trade in their gas guzzling heaps for economical cars. Some did but the 11-5 Republic front page story reveals that many of the new vehicles bought were also gas guzzlers that got only marginally better mileage than the trade-ins. Are we to believe that owners of old Ford F-150 guzzlers would actually buy a Prius? Not likely, somebody in Washington was lacking in common sense.
The government is investigating these reports and says that information was probably entered incorrectly by dealers and the fuel economy figures are probably outdated. Uh....... yeah.
From Columbus, Ohio.......Some residents are complaining that police officers are telling residents in crime infested neighborhoods that if they don’t like it, they can move. One City Councilwoman has received 20 complaints.
Whether it is correct behavior or not, I’m sure some officers eventually figure enough is enough in crime laden neighborhoods.
Geraldine Ferraro was surprisingly on Fox News last night and carried the title of "Fox News Contributor." Yes, it was the same liberal Geraldine who ran for VP with Mondale in 1984. I guess leopards do occasionally change trheir spots.
To leave a comment or read the 44 comments already posted, click "Jim's azcentral Blog" in the right column above the click.
The White House is showing its inexperience by publicly denouncing Fox News. Anyone possessing political savvy knows that you never give ammunition to your adversaries. The White House has chosen the opposite tact and it is backfiring. Fox News has a strong following and their denouncement by Obama has only made them more popular.
NPR has been running a survey asking listeners whether they support the White House or Fox. As of this morning 86% favor Fox, 13% favor the President, and 1% is undecided.
Yesterday I stopped behind a painting contractor at a red light at Shea and the Beeline Highway in Fountain Hills. On the back of his trailer was written in foot high bold letters "PLEASE DON’T TELL OBAMA WHAT COMES AFTER A TRILLION." Even the most humorless Obama supporter has to enjoy that one. If not, get a life.
I thought that "Cash for Clunkers" was supposed to get buyers to trade in their gas guzzling heaps for economical cars. Some did but the 11-5 Republic front page story reveals that many of the new vehicles bought were also gas guzzlers that got only marginally better mileage than the trade-ins. Are we to believe that owners of old Ford F-150 guzzlers would actually buy a Prius? Not likely, somebody in Washington was lacking in common sense.
The government is investigating these reports and says that information was probably entered incorrectly by dealers and the fuel economy figures are probably outdated. Uh....... yeah.
From Columbus, Ohio.......Some residents are complaining that police officers are telling residents in crime infested neighborhoods that if they don’t like it, they can move. One City Councilwoman has received 20 complaints.
Whether it is correct behavior or not, I’m sure some officers eventually figure enough is enough in crime laden neighborhoods.
Geraldine Ferraro was surprisingly on Fox News last night and carried the title of "Fox News Contributor." Yes, it was the same liberal Geraldine who ran for VP with Mondale in 1984. I guess leopards do occasionally change trheir spots.
To leave a comment or read the 44 comments already posted, click "Jim's azcentral Blog" in the right column above the click.
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Kid's Antics of the 1950's
I watched one of my favorite Depression era films recently called Wild Boys of the Road (1933). In that movie, homeless kids are forced into some unpleasant circumstances as they try to survive the hard financial times of those years.
Watching those kids brought back memories of some of the crazy things I saw and did as a kid with my friends. Fortunately, the Depression years were long gone by the time I was born so my friends and I had only to deal with the late 1940's and through much of the 1950's.
In conservative Cincinnati, Ohio during those times, a lot of people thought nothing of leaving their cars overnight in the driveway or in an open door, detached garage with the keys in the ignition. I had some buddies who knew where those cars were and they would sneak out of their homes during the night an go joy riding in their neighbor’s cars. Never mind they were bad drivers and had no licenses. I was gutless, I never went and I have never been sorry for it.
I knew a kid named Barney Clark who was born to get in trouble. He and I used to go to swimming lessons at the local high school during the summer of my 4th grade. Barney was a couple years older than I and not too swift. One Saturday morning as we were walking to the pool, he saw a car by the curb with a parking ticket on it. He thought it would be funny to tear up the ticket and at the time, it seemed pretty funny. That is, until a police officer pulled up in a ‘48 Ford after we had walked a couple blocks. I was scared to death but fortunately, a good citizen pointed out Barney as the culprit and away he went to the police station in that Ford coupe.
Another fun activity was to go to the local train yard and hop the freight trains as they pulled out of the yard. We would ride them for a few miles then jump off except for the times they were going too fast which meant a longer ride than planned. Sure, we could easily have been killed but kids don’t worry about such minor details.
We used to like to pitch a tent in one of the kid’s backyards and sleep out. Then, we would wander the streets until dawn looking for some way to get in trouble. I remember one time we were fooling with M-80 firecrackers which were quite powerful and loud. We were in a school yard at around dawn when we threw one in a sandbox. As soon as it hit the ground, I looked up and saw a police car coming around the corner. If he heard the M-80, we were cooked, so I stepped on the firecracker as hard as possible and put it out. I could have blown my foot off!
One of our biggest thrills was when a group of us went downtown to the Gayety Burlesque Theater to see the strippers. The headliner in those days was named Rose LaRose. They let us walk right in despite our underage status. What the hell, we had the admission cost. That was quite a night and a signpost on the road to adulthood.
Then, there were the games of spin the bottle with the neighborhood girls. Uh....... maybe I’ll save that one for a later date.
I’ll always remember those kids that I knew all those years ago but never saw again after we grew up. We fooled around for fun and were lucky to live in a less hectic era than the Wild Boys of the Road.
To leave a comment or read comments go to right column above the clock and click "Jim's azcentral Blog."
Watching those kids brought back memories of some of the crazy things I saw and did as a kid with my friends. Fortunately, the Depression years were long gone by the time I was born so my friends and I had only to deal with the late 1940's and through much of the 1950's.
In conservative Cincinnati, Ohio during those times, a lot of people thought nothing of leaving their cars overnight in the driveway or in an open door, detached garage with the keys in the ignition. I had some buddies who knew where those cars were and they would sneak out of their homes during the night an go joy riding in their neighbor’s cars. Never mind they were bad drivers and had no licenses. I was gutless, I never went and I have never been sorry for it.
I knew a kid named Barney Clark who was born to get in trouble. He and I used to go to swimming lessons at the local high school during the summer of my 4th grade. Barney was a couple years older than I and not too swift. One Saturday morning as we were walking to the pool, he saw a car by the curb with a parking ticket on it. He thought it would be funny to tear up the ticket and at the time, it seemed pretty funny. That is, until a police officer pulled up in a ‘48 Ford after we had walked a couple blocks. I was scared to death but fortunately, a good citizen pointed out Barney as the culprit and away he went to the police station in that Ford coupe.
Another fun activity was to go to the local train yard and hop the freight trains as they pulled out of the yard. We would ride them for a few miles then jump off except for the times they were going too fast which meant a longer ride than planned. Sure, we could easily have been killed but kids don’t worry about such minor details.
We used to like to pitch a tent in one of the kid’s backyards and sleep out. Then, we would wander the streets until dawn looking for some way to get in trouble. I remember one time we were fooling with M-80 firecrackers which were quite powerful and loud. We were in a school yard at around dawn when we threw one in a sandbox. As soon as it hit the ground, I looked up and saw a police car coming around the corner. If he heard the M-80, we were cooked, so I stepped on the firecracker as hard as possible and put it out. I could have blown my foot off!
One of our biggest thrills was when a group of us went downtown to the Gayety Burlesque Theater to see the strippers. The headliner in those days was named Rose LaRose. They let us walk right in despite our underage status. What the hell, we had the admission cost. That was quite a night and a signpost on the road to adulthood.
Then, there were the games of spin the bottle with the neighborhood girls. Uh....... maybe I’ll save that one for a later date.
I’ll always remember those kids that I knew all those years ago but never saw again after we grew up. We fooled around for fun and were lucky to live in a less hectic era than the Wild Boys of the Road.
To leave a comment or read comments go to right column above the clock and click "Jim's azcentral Blog."
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Some financial thoughts
Did you know that approximately 32% of Americans have spent less money over the past few months and plan to continue to do so in the future? (Source: Gallup Poll, May 2009) That probably doesn’t include the fools sleeping on the floor at Scottsdale’s Fashion Square this past week to be the first into the new Microsoft store.
Almost 66% of consumers feel that advertising agencies are partially responsible for the current economic crisis because they persuaded consumers to make purchases beyond their means (Source: Harris Interactive Inc., April 2009). Please! This is a typical 21st century reaction from weak willed losers who always look for someone else to blame for their own mistakes. "Gee, I would never have bought that 50" flat screen TV if they didn’t make me. It’s not my fault!"
In a recent survey, the average 401(k) plan investor lost 28% of his/her balance in 2008. Approximately 63% said their confidence in their ability to retire had declined in the past year, and 15% said they were worried that they would never be able to retire. Participants believe the best way to recover losses is to save more or work longer (Source: Barclay’s Global Advisors, April, 2009). Sounds logical to me even though it is unfortunate.
A recent study reveals that today’s pre-retirees will need to postpone retirement by 4.2 years on average to make up for losses caused by the housing market and stock market. That is the first time in history that the retirement age has significantly increased in America (Source: Age Wave, 2009). I’ve see lots of old timers sacking groceries at Safeway. I’m sure they are not doing that because they enjoy that type of work.
To quote the late great actress Bette Davis from her film, All About Eve, (1950): "Fasten your seatbelts; it's going to be a bumpy ride."
To leave a comment or read other comments. click "Jim's azcentral Blog" in the right column above the clock.
Almost 66% of consumers feel that advertising agencies are partially responsible for the current economic crisis because they persuaded consumers to make purchases beyond their means (Source: Harris Interactive Inc., April 2009). Please! This is a typical 21st century reaction from weak willed losers who always look for someone else to blame for their own mistakes. "Gee, I would never have bought that 50" flat screen TV if they didn’t make me. It’s not my fault!"
In a recent survey, the average 401(k) plan investor lost 28% of his/her balance in 2008. Approximately 63% said their confidence in their ability to retire had declined in the past year, and 15% said they were worried that they would never be able to retire. Participants believe the best way to recover losses is to save more or work longer (Source: Barclay’s Global Advisors, April, 2009). Sounds logical to me even though it is unfortunate.
A recent study reveals that today’s pre-retirees will need to postpone retirement by 4.2 years on average to make up for losses caused by the housing market and stock market. That is the first time in history that the retirement age has significantly increased in America (Source: Age Wave, 2009). I’ve see lots of old timers sacking groceries at Safeway. I’m sure they are not doing that because they enjoy that type of work.
To quote the late great actress Bette Davis from her film, All About Eve, (1950): "Fasten your seatbelts; it's going to be a bumpy ride."
To leave a comment or read other comments. click "Jim's azcentral Blog" in the right column above the clock.
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Tiresome words and expressions
The 1960s had their share of expressions that a lot of kids today may not understand. For those of us who lived through that decade and were old enough to have an effective level of consciousness, we remember terms like "cool," a word that has lived on into the 21st century. Fortunately, "keen" died off.
Some others, like "going ape" and "all show and no go" are forgotten. The former meant getting excited over something and the latter described a car which was nice looking but a bit shallow in performance. The 1960s was the era of high performance cars and when the light turned green, you didn’t want that Pontiac GTO to leave your ‘57 DeSoto with typewriter drive "in the dust" as we used to say.
Probably the most irritating expression from that era was "We can put a man on the moon but we can’t (fill in whatever). Since we put a man on the moon in 1969, that was a popular expression to describe a feat that couldn’t be done on Earth. It got old quick.
Today we have some expressions that have become REALLY tiresome. For example, do you ever wish the word "dude" would be eliminated from the English language? How about when a teenage girl says "Ya know" or "like,"or "I mean" about ten times in one sentence and when she varies from those gems, replaces them with "um, uh, um" or "really." See Michelle Wie interviews for more.
Here are a few more I don’t need to ever hear again: "At the end of the day," or "Back in the day." "You go, girl" was cute for a while but enough is enough as with "Whassup?" I probably sound like I’m picking on the teenybopper girls but it wouldn’t bother me a bit if I never again heard them say "Whatever!" in their frustrated tone when they don’t get their way ("No, Erica, you can’t have the BMW tonight!")
A woman from Ohio tells me that an expression that really bugs her is "Children are a blessing from God." Her feeling is that if a woman is infertile she shouldn’t feel that she will miss being blessed by God just because she can’t have children. Then there are those who CAN have children and don’t have them. Should they be unblessed because of a lifestyle choice? I agree with the Ohio lady, it’s a silly expression.
Annoying words? How about "irregardless"? Try "regardless" instead. The "Pacific" is an ocean. Try "specific" when referring to a particular item. Finally, wouldn't it be great if no one ever said "these ones" again?
To leave a comment or read many other comments, click "Jim's azcentral Blog" in the right column above the clock.
Some others, like "going ape" and "all show and no go" are forgotten. The former meant getting excited over something and the latter described a car which was nice looking but a bit shallow in performance. The 1960s was the era of high performance cars and when the light turned green, you didn’t want that Pontiac GTO to leave your ‘57 DeSoto with typewriter drive "in the dust" as we used to say.
Probably the most irritating expression from that era was "We can put a man on the moon but we can’t (fill in whatever). Since we put a man on the moon in 1969, that was a popular expression to describe a feat that couldn’t be done on Earth. It got old quick.
Today we have some expressions that have become REALLY tiresome. For example, do you ever wish the word "dude" would be eliminated from the English language? How about when a teenage girl says "Ya know" or "like,"or "I mean" about ten times in one sentence and when she varies from those gems, replaces them with "um, uh, um" or "really." See Michelle Wie interviews for more.
Here are a few more I don’t need to ever hear again: "At the end of the day," or "Back in the day." "You go, girl" was cute for a while but enough is enough as with "Whassup?" I probably sound like I’m picking on the teenybopper girls but it wouldn’t bother me a bit if I never again heard them say "Whatever!" in their frustrated tone when they don’t get their way ("No, Erica, you can’t have the BMW tonight!")
A woman from Ohio tells me that an expression that really bugs her is "Children are a blessing from God." Her feeling is that if a woman is infertile she shouldn’t feel that she will miss being blessed by God just because she can’t have children. Then there are those who CAN have children and don’t have them. Should they be unblessed because of a lifestyle choice? I agree with the Ohio lady, it’s a silly expression.
Annoying words? How about "irregardless"? Try "regardless" instead. The "Pacific" is an ocean. Try "specific" when referring to a particular item. Finally, wouldn't it be great if no one ever said "these ones" again?
To leave a comment or read many other comments, click "Jim's azcentral Blog" in the right column above the clock.
Monday, October 12, 2009
The ACORN scandal
I’m not an expert on the political scene, and frankly most of it is boring to me, but I have enjoyed the recent exposure of ACORN by a couple who disguised themselves as a pimp and a prostitute to tape the comments of ACORN representatives advising them how set up cathouses and import children as prostitutes while cheating the IRS. This isn’t the first of problems for ACORN as they have also been investigated for voter registration fraud in 13 states among other scandals.
ACORN sounds like a fine bunch of people. Fortunately, the U. S. House and Senate have voted overwhelmingly to "de-fund" current federal allocations to ACORN and forbid it from receiving any of the $787 billion stimulus money according to the editorial in The Arizona Republic on 9-25.
Now, it appears that ACORN wants to sue the two young people who caught them with their "pants down" in a deliberate fraud scheme. ACORN leader Bertha Lewis is complaining that its reps were "entrapped." That’s funny, as they didn’t know they were being recorded on a candid camera and they were certainly being candid. This would have been a great show for Allen Funt.
ACORN receives federal funds to operate. In a recent interview on ABC’s This Week, President Obama was asked about the ACORN scandal which has been a big story on the airwaves. His response?
"Frankly, it’s not really something I’ve followed closely," Obama said. "I didn’t even know that ACORN was getting a whole lot of federal money."
One would think that he would know a little more than that based on his past relations with the organization. Maybe he is trying to avoid a bit of embarrassment by inserting his head in the sand a wee bit.
If anything involves politicians, don’t be surprised at what you may hear. As a guy told me once, "Anytime you get into a bad situation, deny everything."
To leave a comment or read any of the 54 other comments, click "Jim's azcentral Blog" in the right column above the clock.
ACORN sounds like a fine bunch of people. Fortunately, the U. S. House and Senate have voted overwhelmingly to "de-fund" current federal allocations to ACORN and forbid it from receiving any of the $787 billion stimulus money according to the editorial in The Arizona Republic on 9-25.
Now, it appears that ACORN wants to sue the two young people who caught them with their "pants down" in a deliberate fraud scheme. ACORN leader Bertha Lewis is complaining that its reps were "entrapped." That’s funny, as they didn’t know they were being recorded on a candid camera and they were certainly being candid. This would have been a great show for Allen Funt.
ACORN receives federal funds to operate. In a recent interview on ABC’s This Week, President Obama was asked about the ACORN scandal which has been a big story on the airwaves. His response?
"Frankly, it’s not really something I’ve followed closely," Obama said. "I didn’t even know that ACORN was getting a whole lot of federal money."
One would think that he would know a little more than that based on his past relations with the organization. Maybe he is trying to avoid a bit of embarrassment by inserting his head in the sand a wee bit.
If anything involves politicians, don’t be surprised at what you may hear. As a guy told me once, "Anytime you get into a bad situation, deny everything."
To leave a comment or read any of the 54 other comments, click "Jim's azcentral Blog" in the right column above the clock.
Monday, October 05, 2009
Obama and humility
President Obama received a lesson in humility last week as the 2016 Olympic Committee in Copenhagen turned down Chicago’s bid for the Olympics in the Second City. To make matters worse, the Committee dumped Chi Town on the first ballot. It was quite a letdown as some windy city dwellers claim the city spent $48 million in promotional efforts to get the games.
I don’t think the good citizens of Chicago are complaining too much as a recent poll by the Chicago Tribune showed that those in favor of the games dropped from 61% to 47% since February. The city is also facing an estimated $500 million deficit next year while city employees are being laid off and taking unpaid furloughs (sound familiar?) Many don't feel the cost of setting up the Olympics is worth it compared to the return on investment.
After facing rebukes from Iran and Russia at the U. N., this was the last thing the prez needed. I’m sure he felt confident flying into Denmark with his entourage of Michelle, Oprah Winfrey, and Mayor Daley. It looked like a pushover meeting with the president in his Amani togs, Oprah in whatever depending on the progress of her latest diet, and his honor, the mayor.
Unfortunately, the Committee may have viewed it as overkill and another attempt by a new, inexperienced president to carve an international niche for himself. I would have loved to have been a mouse in the corner of Air Force One listening on the ride back to Washington: "How can they turn us down!! They gave the games to Atlanta, but not Chicago?" Maybe Atlanta showed a bit of southern hospitality, not overkill.
Personally, I don’t care much about the Olympics. I think too many times results are determined by politics. The U.S. was cheated in the ‘72 basketball finals, there were the killings in the dorms, we boycotted Moscow in ‘80, Russia boycotted L. A. In ‘84 and on and on.
Greece is where the Olympics originated so why not have them in Athens every year and stop the fighting over who gets to host them? It’s laughable to think that will ever happen; about as laughable as Air Force One playing a CD of Danny Kaye singing "Wonderful Copenhagen" on the ride back to Washington.
To leave a comment or read other comments, click "Jim's azcentral Blog" in the right column above the clock.
I don’t think the good citizens of Chicago are complaining too much as a recent poll by the Chicago Tribune showed that those in favor of the games dropped from 61% to 47% since February. The city is also facing an estimated $500 million deficit next year while city employees are being laid off and taking unpaid furloughs (sound familiar?) Many don't feel the cost of setting up the Olympics is worth it compared to the return on investment.
After facing rebukes from Iran and Russia at the U. N., this was the last thing the prez needed. I’m sure he felt confident flying into Denmark with his entourage of Michelle, Oprah Winfrey, and Mayor Daley. It looked like a pushover meeting with the president in his Amani togs, Oprah in whatever depending on the progress of her latest diet, and his honor, the mayor.
Unfortunately, the Committee may have viewed it as overkill and another attempt by a new, inexperienced president to carve an international niche for himself. I would have loved to have been a mouse in the corner of Air Force One listening on the ride back to Washington: "How can they turn us down!! They gave the games to Atlanta, but not Chicago?" Maybe Atlanta showed a bit of southern hospitality, not overkill.
Personally, I don’t care much about the Olympics. I think too many times results are determined by politics. The U.S. was cheated in the ‘72 basketball finals, there were the killings in the dorms, we boycotted Moscow in ‘80, Russia boycotted L. A. In ‘84 and on and on.
Greece is where the Olympics originated so why not have them in Athens every year and stop the fighting over who gets to host them? It’s laughable to think that will ever happen; about as laughable as Air Force One playing a CD of Danny Kaye singing "Wonderful Copenhagen" on the ride back to Washington.
To leave a comment or read other comments, click "Jim's azcentral Blog" in the right column above the clock.
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Baseball, teaching, and money
Letter writer Alan Farmer of Phoenix doesn’t understand the meaning of the law of supply and demand. In the 9-25 Arizona Republic, Mr. Farmer, who is a dissatisfied teacher, is upset that Diamondbacks’ baseball pitcher Brandon Webb is not willing to take a pay cut for 2010 on an $8.5 million option offered by the team. Webb missed the 2009 season because of a shoulder injury which was operated on recently.
Mr. Farmer complains about his 10 hour workdays and that Webb can make more money pitching 6 innings than Mr. Farmer makes in a year. He thinks that athletes should be grateful that they make so much money for the small amount of time they have to work. He goes on to whine some more about how much time teachers have to put in for little pay while athletes like Webb play a game and become millionaires.
I think Mr. Farmer would not see anything wrong with the shoe being on the other foot even though teachers don’t deserve $8.5 million per year any more than sports stars do. However, that is where the pesky law of supply and demand kicks in. No one will pay to see Mr. Farmer teach his classes, and no one will sponsor TV coverage of him doing the same. Webb has the advantage of being in a business that involves big bucks, plenty of TV money and exposure, sponsorships, rich owners, and a demand for players who are good at playing baseball. He also is in a business where his career may be over because of injury and if not, it will be over anyway when he reaches about 40.
Mr. Farmer gripes about players like Webb getting millions for working "a few hours a week." They may only play a few hours a week, but when guys like Webb are working they are applying an immense skill to their game. I wonder if Mr. Farmer could throw 9 innings of sinker balls and change up pitches to get out highly skilled major league batters like Webb has done for many years. How about throwing a 95 mile per hour fastball? Or, could he hit .300 batting against guys like Webb or perhaps Dan Haren (who make $11 million per year). Of course, he couldn’t do any of those things. Unfortunately for him, there is more demand for good ballplayers than good teachers which is a shame but whoever said life was fair.
To leave a comment, click "Jim's azcentral Blog" in the right column above the clock.
Mr. Farmer complains about his 10 hour workdays and that Webb can make more money pitching 6 innings than Mr. Farmer makes in a year. He thinks that athletes should be grateful that they make so much money for the small amount of time they have to work. He goes on to whine some more about how much time teachers have to put in for little pay while athletes like Webb play a game and become millionaires.
I think Mr. Farmer would not see anything wrong with the shoe being on the other foot even though teachers don’t deserve $8.5 million per year any more than sports stars do. However, that is where the pesky law of supply and demand kicks in. No one will pay to see Mr. Farmer teach his classes, and no one will sponsor TV coverage of him doing the same. Webb has the advantage of being in a business that involves big bucks, plenty of TV money and exposure, sponsorships, rich owners, and a demand for players who are good at playing baseball. He also is in a business where his career may be over because of injury and if not, it will be over anyway when he reaches about 40.
Mr. Farmer gripes about players like Webb getting millions for working "a few hours a week." They may only play a few hours a week, but when guys like Webb are working they are applying an immense skill to their game. I wonder if Mr. Farmer could throw 9 innings of sinker balls and change up pitches to get out highly skilled major league batters like Webb has done for many years. How about throwing a 95 mile per hour fastball? Or, could he hit .300 batting against guys like Webb or perhaps Dan Haren (who make $11 million per year). Of course, he couldn’t do any of those things. Unfortunately for him, there is more demand for good ballplayers than good teachers which is a shame but whoever said life was fair.
To leave a comment, click "Jim's azcentral Blog" in the right column above the clock.
Monday, September 21, 2009
1914 Los Angeles to Phoenix auto race
By the early 1900's, automobiles were gaining in popularity. In 1905, the great Apache chief Geronimo was photographed hunting buffalo out the back of an early heap. At about that time the humorist Will Rogers commented that the "only trouble with them (autos) is that you get there quicker than you can think of a reason for going there."
By 1908, auto races were being held to influence the building of better roads. One of the most popular was the Los Angeles to Phoenix race which was held between 1908 and 1914. There were no interstates in those days or even two lane roads. The autos would race across cactus laden and rocky wagon trails for the first place prize money of $2,500. With no gas stations or garages existing, the drivers would carry extra parts and install an oversized gas tank.
One of the most exciting of the L. A.-Phoenix races was in 1914. It went from L. A. to Needles via Oatman Pass, then east to Ash Fork, south to Wickenburg, and into Phoenix.. It was 700 miles of potholes, sage, and arroyos combined with snow and sleet. Needless to say, the roads were a quagmire.
The drivers were racing against time, not each other, so there were a couple of overnight stops. The winner was a famous driver of the day, Barney Oldfield, in his Stutz-Bearcat. However, it wasn’t easy as he had to drive several miles on a tire rim after a blowout near Kingman and his car almost drowned before it was pulled out of New River by a team of mules.
One of the sponsors of the race was the Arizona Republican (today’s Republic) which called the race the "Cactus Derby." At a party after the race, many predicted that someday there would be all weather paved roads across the Southwest. They also predicted that automobiles would pass from being a plaything and would become part of American culture.
In 1914, Barney Oldfield also raced in the Indianapolis 500 where he finished 5th. He went on to many more races and even had a brief career on Broadway and in movies. He died in 1946 at age 68.
To leave a comment click "Jim's azcentral Blogs" in the right column above the clock.
By 1908, auto races were being held to influence the building of better roads. One of the most popular was the Los Angeles to Phoenix race which was held between 1908 and 1914. There were no interstates in those days or even two lane roads. The autos would race across cactus laden and rocky wagon trails for the first place prize money of $2,500. With no gas stations or garages existing, the drivers would carry extra parts and install an oversized gas tank.
One of the most exciting of the L. A.-Phoenix races was in 1914. It went from L. A. to Needles via Oatman Pass, then east to Ash Fork, south to Wickenburg, and into Phoenix.. It was 700 miles of potholes, sage, and arroyos combined with snow and sleet. Needless to say, the roads were a quagmire.
The drivers were racing against time, not each other, so there were a couple of overnight stops. The winner was a famous driver of the day, Barney Oldfield, in his Stutz-Bearcat. However, it wasn’t easy as he had to drive several miles on a tire rim after a blowout near Kingman and his car almost drowned before it was pulled out of New River by a team of mules.
One of the sponsors of the race was the Arizona Republican (today’s Republic) which called the race the "Cactus Derby." At a party after the race, many predicted that someday there would be all weather paved roads across the Southwest. They also predicted that automobiles would pass from being a plaything and would become part of American culture.
In 1914, Barney Oldfield also raced in the Indianapolis 500 where he finished 5th. He went on to many more races and even had a brief career on Broadway and in movies. He died in 1946 at age 68.
To leave a comment click "Jim's azcentral Blogs" in the right column above the clock.
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Globe to Phoenix in 8 hours!!
In 1992, I could drive from Globe to north Scottsdale in my 1991 Chevy Cavalier 4 banger, in an hour and a half. Today, it would be faster with the addition of the 101 and the Superstition Freeway. I mention this because of an ad I saw in the archives of the Phoenix Gazette from 1913 where a company offered fast service from Globe to Phoenix in one of their "big Velie 40's."
The service was offered by the Globe-Kelvin Auto Stage Company which announced that "travelers can get from Globe to Phoenix in eight hours for $11.90." The Velies ran "every day from the O. K. stables" and made connection with the Arizona Eastern railroad at Kelvin for Ray, Hayden, Winkelman, Florence, Mesa, Tempe, and Phoenix.
The W. K. Rudolph Auto Stage Company also offered service of 8 ½ hours from the Adams Hotel in Phoenix to Globe for $15 one way and $25 round trip. They had a stop for lunch in addition to a stop at Roosevelt Dam in each direction.
"Auto stage" was an early name for automobiles that carried passengers and incidental luggage. I assume the "stage" was a carryover from the horse drawn stagecoaches previously used.
The Velie 40 was an automobile made by the Velie Carriage Company from 1909 until 1929 when Mr.Velie and his son both died. They were very successful and had good financial backing as the elder Mr. Velie’s mother was married to John Deere of agricultural implement fame.
The Velies were also successful in race car competition and during the 1920s were selling about 5,000 cars a year.
Today, you can drive to Las Vegas in about half the time it took to get to Globe in 1913 and you can do it in the comfort of your own car.
To read comments or make a comment click "Jim's azcentral Blogs" in the right column above the clock.
The service was offered by the Globe-Kelvin Auto Stage Company which announced that "travelers can get from Globe to Phoenix in eight hours for $11.90." The Velies ran "every day from the O. K. stables" and made connection with the Arizona Eastern railroad at Kelvin for Ray, Hayden, Winkelman, Florence, Mesa, Tempe, and Phoenix.
The W. K. Rudolph Auto Stage Company also offered service of 8 ½ hours from the Adams Hotel in Phoenix to Globe for $15 one way and $25 round trip. They had a stop for lunch in addition to a stop at Roosevelt Dam in each direction.
"Auto stage" was an early name for automobiles that carried passengers and incidental luggage. I assume the "stage" was a carryover from the horse drawn stagecoaches previously used.
The Velie 40 was an automobile made by the Velie Carriage Company from 1909 until 1929 when Mr.Velie and his son both died. They were very successful and had good financial backing as the elder Mr. Velie’s mother was married to John Deere of agricultural implement fame.
The Velies were also successful in race car competition and during the 1920s were selling about 5,000 cars a year.
Today, you can drive to Las Vegas in about half the time it took to get to Globe in 1913 and you can do it in the comfort of your own car.
To read comments or make a comment click "Jim's azcentral Blogs" in the right column above the clock.
Saturday, September 05, 2009
Remember ankle dog collars?
If you like some humorous comments on offbeat subjects, you should read Clay Thompson’s column in the Arizona Republic. For those of you who don’t want to spring for a hard copy, Clay’s column is also online.
One of Clay’s recent columns answered a question for me that I have been wondering about for years. I remember as a kid in the 50s how teenage girls had a style of wearing a dog collar around their ankle. I have asked people over time what that was about but always received a quizzical look. Recently, it was revealed in Clay’s column that when a girl wore the collar on her LEFT ankle, it indicated she was going steady. If it was on her RIGHT ankle, it meant she wasn’t going steady. Sound strange? Remember, it was an era of petticoats, sock hops, padded bras, girdles, and girls washing their hair with bath soap.
At this moment, if you are young enough, many of you are probably asking, "What the hell is ‘going steady?’" Going steady happened when a boy and girl THOUGHT they were in love as teenagers and made a pact that they wouldn’t date anyone else. Of course, the fickle nature of youth would eventually kick in and the couple would break up but, it was a pretty good deal for a while as it guaranteed both members a date on a Saturday night. Unfortunately, occasionally the couple would become a bit too serious and another baby boomer would enter the world courtesy of a hot night in the back seat of a ‘51 Ford.
Having never had kids of my own (I think), I’m not sure what teenagers do now other than what I see from a distance. For example, it doesn’t look like going steady or dating is a big deal anymore. In the ‘50s, a boy would nervously call a girl in the hopes of obtaining a precious date for a Saturday night. That few moments between nervously asking the big question and waiting for the answer was agony! What if she said "No!"? Even worse, what if she said, "Gee, I really like ya a lot but Ralph already asked me out." I think "I like ya a lot" was more devastating to hear than "No." It meant "Not in your wildest dreams are you ever going to touch me."
I’ve noticed in recent years that teenage boys and girls run in groups. I’ve seen mobs of them at places like Paradise Valley Mall and have noticed that several malls in recent years have imposed restrictions on having kids "hangin’ out." The girls dress sloppy like the boys and receive the same minimal respect from their peers. That’s a lot different from my teenage days when we put girls on a pedestal. Well, some girls anyway!
It’s more proof of how the world has changed. Today kids have iPods which never leave their ears, we had 45 rpm records. We had gas stations with attendants and "ding-ding" bells and restrooms that had a purple neon light under the toilet seat to give the illusion it was sanitizing. Today you pump your own at Circle K. We had girls with dog collars on their ankles, today they actually put collars on dogs. Imagine that!
To read comments or leave a comment, click "Jim's azcentral Blog" in the right column above the clock.
One of Clay’s recent columns answered a question for me that I have been wondering about for years. I remember as a kid in the 50s how teenage girls had a style of wearing a dog collar around their ankle. I have asked people over time what that was about but always received a quizzical look. Recently, it was revealed in Clay’s column that when a girl wore the collar on her LEFT ankle, it indicated she was going steady. If it was on her RIGHT ankle, it meant she wasn’t going steady. Sound strange? Remember, it was an era of petticoats, sock hops, padded bras, girdles, and girls washing their hair with bath soap.
At this moment, if you are young enough, many of you are probably asking, "What the hell is ‘going steady?’" Going steady happened when a boy and girl THOUGHT they were in love as teenagers and made a pact that they wouldn’t date anyone else. Of course, the fickle nature of youth would eventually kick in and the couple would break up but, it was a pretty good deal for a while as it guaranteed both members a date on a Saturday night. Unfortunately, occasionally the couple would become a bit too serious and another baby boomer would enter the world courtesy of a hot night in the back seat of a ‘51 Ford.
Having never had kids of my own (I think), I’m not sure what teenagers do now other than what I see from a distance. For example, it doesn’t look like going steady or dating is a big deal anymore. In the ‘50s, a boy would nervously call a girl in the hopes of obtaining a precious date for a Saturday night. That few moments between nervously asking the big question and waiting for the answer was agony! What if she said "No!"? Even worse, what if she said, "Gee, I really like ya a lot but Ralph already asked me out." I think "I like ya a lot" was more devastating to hear than "No." It meant "Not in your wildest dreams are you ever going to touch me."
I’ve noticed in recent years that teenage boys and girls run in groups. I’ve seen mobs of them at places like Paradise Valley Mall and have noticed that several malls in recent years have imposed restrictions on having kids "hangin’ out." The girls dress sloppy like the boys and receive the same minimal respect from their peers. That’s a lot different from my teenage days when we put girls on a pedestal. Well, some girls anyway!
It’s more proof of how the world has changed. Today kids have iPods which never leave their ears, we had 45 rpm records. We had gas stations with attendants and "ding-ding" bells and restrooms that had a purple neon light under the toilet seat to give the illusion it was sanitizing. Today you pump your own at Circle K. We had girls with dog collars on their ankles, today they actually put collars on dogs. Imagine that!
To read comments or leave a comment, click "Jim's azcentral Blog" in the right column above the clock.
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