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Tag Archives: et al.

George- is that you?


Has anyone noticed that the advertisement posted by Instant Checkmate has a photo that looks remarkably like George Zimmerman? If you do not know this company, they offer a service to look up criminal records of anyone for a fee. This ad appears on many web pages.

Pundits Don’t Run


Several high profile pundits make suggestions and solutions to various party programs and platforms. The suggestions while certainly not necessarily bad .good or even plausible serve to only to fire up segments of the public to no good end. Their opinions while allowable under our Constitution often require a wider view. To assume or accept that their premises are correct is to accept sometimes flawed information. These pundits sometimes are the hardliners of a party and often their opinions are not in the best interest of the ordinary members of the party. These folks do not run for office but (and)  sometimes succeed in swaying voters. Each person has the ability to read and decide how truthful (or not) the information is yet many of us follow their activities as blindly as the  “zombies” in movies. I am certainly happy that we live in America where these narrowly focused writers offer their opinions as if they  were the opinions of the greater part of society and are still not in jail.

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What If- Again


What if the elected, selected and optioned government officials were all on survivor? Could we see some decisions that were  more rational?  What we currently have are many talking heads who at best are under informed or at worse so self centric that they feel invulnerable and totally correct. There have been many movies that involve government conspiracies and these movie plots many times involve someone in politics who has reached  high office but feels the power of the office puts them above the law. There are a multitude of “what ifs” that could be applied but what if we did not have the doubt of “what if”?

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Bread On The Bottom


Years ago I worked for the then Jewel Tea Company, at that time I was a grocery clerk, duties included stocking shelves, bagging and something called parcel pickup. Parcel pickup was a way for customers to leave their purchased groceries at the front door of the store while they retrieved their cars  This was a way to keep carts out of the parking lot). the training was primarily aimed  towards customer care (imagine that!). To that end we were taught how to bag groceries, how much to  bag according to customer ( that is not too heavy for older people and those  physically weaker). What brought this memory back is  visiting several retail stores and observing the way the purchases were bagged (or not). The new bagging system is: bag your own ( as best you can), allow the non trained  bagger (store employee)  or a fill in bagger when the store is busy. How many times have you had a bag overfilled and then break as you reached your door at home?   What about the spillage in your trunk or back seat? or the almost  non existent question paper or plastic?  The lesson: use paper if possible, then you make a base of cans (one layer), then boxed products  but only enough goods to have a stable package that will stand without tipping. Do noy overload the bag, just enough inside to fill the bag to within a few inches from the top. If you still want to use plastic, put a paper bag into the plastic bag but do not pu the bread and eggs on the bottom.
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My New Resume


To whom I t May concern, I have decided to write a little letter rather than to continue to complete application forms and send resumes.

I am 70 years old, my current position is as grocery merchant (stocker) for Sears Holdings (Kmart). I work 9 to 15 hours weekly (down from 20-25). My last full time position was maintenance manager for the Springfield Urban League until my position was outsourced. In that capacity, I over saw the cleaning and repair maintenance for 6 Head Start locations. In my free  time, I have done extensive and minor remodeling of kitchens, bathrooms and a few attic conversions.. I have installed  windows and doors, constructed  decks and patios.  My previous employment was with Home depot until retirement in 2005. During my time at Home Depot, I was department head of the following departments at several stores: Hardware, paint, Electrical, Plumbing, garden and operations, the last being in Peoria, IL. I have a working knowledge of building materials . During my 12 years I was involved in the opening and set up of 3 stores, trained several associates who were later promoted to department managers and some to assistant managers. I am at my best early in the day since I am an early riser. I currently contribute to an online Home Repair answer blog –yahoo answers on a regular basis. I am looking to keep myself busy for no more than 20 to 25 hours weekly. My abilities are limited only to what I do not know right now and what I have not tried.

Thank You

 

 

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Septic


We have a sewer system which is pretty common in areas where the city limits lead to open fields and sparse housing. The downside is that we have to maintain this system. This starts with using the right kind of paper products, not using a lot of bleach in the laundry, using a laundry detergent that free of  dyes and  dumping a cake of baking yeast in the system once each month. In spite of this the system has to be pumped out once in every 5 to 10 years depending on the size of the holding system. The system has 2 tanks, the first one contains the out flow from the house drains and toilets along with the used paper and a small amount of food waste. These solids eventually drop to te bottom of the tank and decompose into a muck. The liquids when full enough flow through a pipe that contains  a screen or baffle that keeps the solids ( primarily paper) from flowing into the second tank. The second tank has an electrically operated pump which is activated by a float then pumps the water into a leach field where the water leaches into the ground. This leach field covers a large area so there are no puddles unless certain other solids have clogged the lines (called laterals).  The end of this is, now the pump has died and needs to be replaced but the waste water has to be pumped out into the yard in which case the grass will be greener this year.

Walnut


The prostate, a gland about the size of a walnut whose function is primarily sexual yet can be a problem area later in life. As men age the prostate depending on family history and possibly external  causes can become enlarged. This size change can result in the ability to urinate from poor to none. In either case it results in a visit to your primary physician, who will usually refer you to a urologist. The cure can range from medication to extreme measures such as surgery.  The surgery on the extreme side involves removal of the gland and resecting the urethra as it is surrounded by the gland. The surgery is common  and reserved for extreme instances of cancer or last effort after other treatments do not resolve the problem. Odd that a small gland can create a glitch such as being unable to p or do it in a normal fashion. Every man I know dreads the “finger wave” when taking a physical but this”wave” is an important diagnostic tool even if it doesn’t feel that way at the time. Which would you think is better a wave or a funeral?

Here We Go Still.


All of the recent writings I have offered and the many high profile (for better or worse) pro and anti firearm people serve to show that this issue is more like a dog with a bone. We just keep gnawing and gnawing but never making any substantial headway. The solution is a lot simpler that it appears because the talkers are each jockeying for position as being right. There is no right for the many people who have been killed or injured in the several recent and past firearm incidents around the country. The bottom line as I see it is the lack of  attention paid to the people young and old who have known and perceived mental instability. This lack is due in part to laws enacted ( or not) by States and Federal government that could have allowed these people to be properly treated or hospitalized if needed. It does not matter that our health care system is still not as good as it could be due to the many resistive  elements from State to State and in the (gasp) Congress. If these energies were directed toward  solutions, think of where we would be.

Luddites or Not?


During 17th century England industrial revolution there several uprisings against the machines there were put in place to replace the workers or at least some of them as the machines were more efficient on producing the work. The uprising workers were called “Luddites” after Ned Ludd,  a real person  who was as romanticized as “Robin Hood”. This folk hero was supposed to have wrecked several machines in rebellion against the machine age. In modern times we have not had a situation such as this but we have had strikes against company’s for layoffs, moving out of States and the United States. these workers could hardly be considered “Luddites” yet the resemblance could be construed as the same. The difference is that any outsourced, downsized or laid off worker can obtain other training if they want it and if it is available. The jobs picture in the U.S. is not rosy and has not been for sometime but the available jobs are geared toward learning a new, different or improving on existing skills. The only additional education required is usually what is needed for the new position and many States have local agencies  available to provide what is needed to achieve that end.  With such resources available why is unemployment still high? part of the equation is location, part of it is “luddism”, part of it is age and health. Another factor is that many have stopped looking for employment.  It may not be a stretch to say part of it is a narrow focus on one’s abilities and lack of flexibility in the search. What else can be done except to inform, train and educate ?

edna’s pie


This recipe is as close as I can remember (and figure out) how my Mom made Apple pie. After a few trials, this may be as close as I can get. I have tweaked it a bit with the Vodka, and adding spices to the crust mixture and on the crust before filling. The additional butter on top is from my memory of  my Mom’s way but the butter on the crust before filling is mine and it adds a good flavor to the overall result

Edna’s Apple Pie

6 to 8 Medium Granny Smith Apples

½ tsp ground Cinnamon

1/8 tsp Nutmeg

1/8 tsp allspice

½ to ¾  cup sugar

3 tbsp flour

Core and peel apples

Slice apples as thin as possible

Combine flour , sugar spices , add apples, mix until apples are coated.

Set aside.

Pie crust

2 cups all purpose flour

1 tsp salt

½ cup Crisco

¼ cup butter

4 tablespoons cold water

4 tablespoons vodka (this is correct)

1/8 tsp cinnamon

1/8 tsp sugar

Blend dry ingredients

Cut in butter and Crisco until pieces are pea sized, then add water and vodka mixture until dough holds together. Divide dough in to 2 halves with one half larger than the other.. Flatten the dough into ½ inch thick round discs. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes or longer (overnight works the best). On floured surface roll out larger  dough disc until the size is 2 inches wider than a 9 inch pie plate. Ease dough into pie plate  evenly. Sprinkle a light covering of  cinnamon and sugar onto dough, place squares of butter around the pastry shell approximately 6 pieces. Add filling. Roll out remaining dough until slightly larger than the pie shell. Before placing top crust on dot the apples with butter about 6 to 8 pieces. Place top pastry crust on and crimp edges. Prick top in several places  with a fork. Place on cookie sheet and Bake at 375 degrees for approximately 55 minutes or until crust is brown and contents are bubbling. Depending on your oven the time may differ.