Chamblee54

Yesterday, PG sent letters to his representatives in Congress regarding the proposed Internet regulation legislation. He has gotten two replies, so far. His house representative, Hank Johnson (the man who defeated Cynthia McKinney) said, . “Thank you for contacting the office of Congressman Hank Johnson. We will respond to your e-mail as soon as possible. Please do not hesitate to contact us in the future. We are eager to hear your concerns! ” . Senator Saxby Chambliss sent a more detailed reply.
Thank you for contacting me regarding S. 968, the “Preventing Real Online Threats to Economic Creativity and Theft of Intellectual Property Act of 2011,” and H.R. 3261, the “Stop Online Piracy Act.” It is good to hear from you.
S. 968 was introduced on May 12, 2011, and referred to the Senate Judiciary Committee. On May 26, S. 968 was reported out of committee and placed on the general legislative calendar. If enacted, S. 968 would amend federal copyright law to authorize the Attorney General to file civil action against violators of copyright infringement law.
H.R. 3261 was introduced on October 26, 2011, and referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary. On December 16, H.R. 3261 was considered before the full committee; however, the bill was not voted out for consideration by the full House. If enacted, H.R. 3261 would authorize the Attorney General to seek a court order against a U.S.-directed foreign Internet site committing or facilitating online piracy.
I am concerned about the substantial negative impacts that intellectual property theft and the sale of counterfeit goods have on our nation’s economy. As Congress reviews potential reforms to our nation’s intellectual property laws and enforcement mechanisms in response to technological advances, we must be certain that we do not make changes that encroach on fair and lawful enjoyment of creative works and legitimate websites. However, we must also be aware of the substantial negative impacts that intellectual property violations have on American businesses and our economy.
It is the role of Congress to seek out an appropriate balance between the lawful use and enjoyment of the public while protecting the rights of the rights holder. Should these bills come before the full Senate for consideration, I will keep your thoughts in mind.
At this point, PG wonders how much he knows about this issue. People have been saying terrible things about SOPA/PIPA. On the other hand, internet piracy is a problem. Whether these bills are the proper response is a good question.

PG has heard about threats to censor the internet. He does not think this is a good idea. It was suggested that he send a message to his representatives in Washington. This turns out to be a bit easier said than done. When you try to get these addresses, you are sent to a form on a website. Mike’s Blog says “He likes you to use his web form so that he can route the email to the appropriate deletion folder. Don’t do that– use his real email address, which is: saxby_chambliss@chambliss.senate.gov. I assume that this will work with all senators, such as Johnny Isakson: johnny_isakson@isakson.senate.gov. If you want to have a lot of fun, make sure your email client is set to forward all email you mark as spam to your senators’ email addresses. Good times will be had by all…” With a bit of huffin and puffin, an address for Hank Johnson was found. Rep.HankJohnson@mail.house.gov.
The last time PG wrote Washington was before the war in Babylon. He wanted to go on record as being opposed to the war. His representative, Denise Majette, sent a long, thoughtful reply. She hinted that she agreed with PG, about the folly of a war, but said there was nothing that could be done. A few months after “Mission Accomplished”, Senator Chambliss wrote PG. The Senator thought the war was going just fine.
Subject: Vote NO on SOPA/PIPA
I Luther Mckinnon. I live in Dekalb County, just outside the Atlanta city limits. I am writing my three representatives in Washington about two pieces of legislation…the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) in the U.S. House of Representatives, and the PROTECTIP Act (PIPA) in the U.S. Senate.
A free Internet has been an instrument for economic growth and military security. It is in our best interest to leave the internet alone.
I urge you to vote against the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) , and the PROTECTIP Act (PIPA) .
Thank You
Luther Mckinnon
The fun starts when the automated replies start to come in. Hank Johnson requires that you use a form on his website, It is required that you enter the nine digit zip code, and a courtesy title. Saxby Chambliss sent a similar reply. Johnny Isakson was not heard from.
Pictures are from ” The Special Collections and Archives,Georgia State University Library”.

If you go to google, and type in “singers that wear wigs”, the first name to appear is Mary J. Blige. PG does not follow her closely, but went to youtube and found a video. This is probably not her real hair.
Dolly Parton is known for a lot of things, at least two of which are real. The hair is not. If you ask her “How long does it take to do your hair?”, she says “I don’t know, I’m never there”
If anyone is known for enhancing her natural attributes, it would be Cher. Her fondness for plastic surgery is well known, as is the way her head fits in a hairpiece. In this number, Mrs. Bono talks about some of her favorite people.
Grace Slick is basically retired these days. In her hey day, she never appeared in public in her real hair. PG saw her at the Omni once, and was horrified by her wig. ( Grace sells her paintings these days. Her white hair is cut short. The wigs are in a museum.)
RuPaul is not really blonde. That is a part of her wardrobe. In this video, she co stars with Martha Wash, in a remake of “It’s Raining Men”. The working title for this video was Piggly Wiggly.
It is a bit of show business wisdom that you put the horses at the end of a parade. Deaundra Peek fills this important role today. Last year it was a remake of “Supermodel”, which has copyright issues. Today, it is a cooking lesson. The last three characters of the Youtube code are M2M.
This is a repost. Pictures are from The Library of Congress. As a bonus to our reader(s), we will explore the issue, Does Lady Gaga wear a wig? The answers are a bit contradictory, which is somehow fitting. One page says she does not wear a wig, but does wear extensions in some videos. Another answer is that dying her hair is damaging to the hair, if she went to a salon the paparazzi would see her, so yes, she does wear a wig. If you have too much free time, here is a forum discussion on this subject.

PG is tired of fussing about religion, and football. That leaves rock and roll. This story is a repost . The pictures are from ” The Special Collections and Archives,Georgia State University Library”. Today is the two year anniversary of using pictures, from this fine collection, to liven up this facility.
The digital medium listverse posted a list of “10 Rock Bands You Either Hate Or Love“. What follows is a commentary by PG about these acts. If you are not interested in his opinions, skip to the pictures.
10- Captain Beefheart and his magic band-There was a sampler LP by Warner Brothers around 1970 or so. Available only by mail order, the LP had songs by a variety of Warner Brothers artists. Captain Beefheart was represented by “Hiella guru”, which had a sort of catchy sound. A voice said something like ” Damascus estate”, which fit the overall dada sound of the band. Years later, a groupie wrote a tell all book about her youthful adventures. It turns out the voice said “The mascara snake”
In between the sampler LP and the groupie tell all book, Captain Beefheart played a show at the Great Southeast Music Hall, then located in Cherokee Plaza. PG liked to show up after the second set had started, and the ticket takers left the door open. The night CB played, PG mistimed his visit, and got to talk to a high school classmate, but did not see the show.
09-Metallica- There was a saying in “The electric kool aid acid test” ( which was not the origin of the phrase “drink the kool aid). The merry pranksters set off on a trip around america, and someone said “you are either on the bus or off the bus”. Those might not be the exact words, and they don’t sound as profound without the acid to drive home the emblematic attitude. Getting back to Metallica, PG has never been on the bus for heavy metal. He heard a thing by Metallica on the radio that was pretty cool, and he read an interview with them in a magazine, that made Metallica look like a bunch of alcoholic right wing jerks. They are staggering all the way to the bank.
08-U2- Paydirt. The favorite band of millions, and the only thing that can make PG switch radio stations faster than a used car dealer commercial. Incriminating evidence of Payola in the radio industry,the U stands for Ugh. The guitar player only seems to know one riff. If autos could run on Bono’s ego, there would be no energy crisis ever. 
07-Aerosmith- These guys are famous today because they didn’t OD, despite the best efforts of Stephen Tyler. The simply are not that good.
06-Sonic Youth-PG quit being hip a long time ago. Once he saw a comment about Bono, and thought it was about Sonny. He does not know enough about Sonic Youth to have an opinion. And, for once, that is going to stop him.
05-Elvis Presley- There was a story about Elvis and Natalie Wood. She wanted him to be in a movie she was making, and he did a screen test. To the surprise of many, Elvis could act when he wanted to. The only trouble was, Colonel Tom Parker did not want him to do the film, and so it didn’t happen.
Elvis is an American phenomenon. He was the union of hype and talent. He was also watched over by Colonel Tom Parker, and never stepped out of the role that was chosen for him. Elvis also had the musicians gift for self destruction.
PG heard a racist rant about Elvis once, to the effect that Elvis stole his music from black people. Which only means that it was worth taking.
04-The Beach Boys-Like Elvis, The Beach Boys are tough to not like. Even Nancy Reagan was a fan, and Brian Wilson did not just say no. Maybe they became a self parody, but when they were in the early sixties prime, there was no one who could sing like them.
03-The Velvet Underground-The Velvets existed before recording technology could handle them. There recorded output sucks. The Andy Warhol days were essentially an audition for John Cale, Lou Reed, and Nico. All of them did outstanding work after the demise of the VU. When PG saw Lou Reed doing car commercials…
02-The Eagles- PG read the tell all book by Don Felder. This was the meanest, most selfish bunch around. They made some good records, did mountains of drugs, and wrote songs that are endlessly quoted by people trying to appear intuitive.
PG stood outside the Omni one night, trying to get a ticket to see The Eagles inside. One of the scalpers had a t shirt, with the phrase “DISCO SUCKS” in six inch tall letters. This negativity is what PG associates with The Eagles.
01- The Grateful Dead-PG has written about the Dead before . Lots of people think they are groovy. What is usually not said out loud is the “other ones”, who are not on the bus. The Dead liked to be loose on stage. Sometimes, this translated into shows that were horrible. Many people, not indoctrinated into the cult of Jerry, went to one of these shows and decided that yes, they were dead, or at least smelled like it. Dead heads can also be a problem. Like some of the other units in this list, there are fanatic followers of the GD. Like many fanatics, they sometimes turn as many people away from the object of adoration, as the do towards it.

Here is part four of state laws that some might find peculiar. Parts one, two, and three have been posted previously. Today will will look at Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, and Maryland. These regulations are borrowed from Bored. Pictures are from the public hospitality facilities of Dekalb county and Gwinnett county. Kansas //Dodge City: It is illegal to spit on a sidewalk. All places of business must provide a horse water troft //If two trains meet on the same track, neither shall proceed until the other has passed. //In Kansas City, KS, saying the name “George Washington” without adding the phrase “blessed be his name,” can land you with a fine of up to fifty cents. //In Natoma, Kansas, it’s illegal to throw knives at men wearing striped suites. //In Topeka, Kansas, servers are forbidden to serve wine in teacups. //It is illegal to catch bullfrogs in a tomato patch. //It is illegal to hunt whales. //It is illegal to put ice cream on cherry pie in Kansas. //Lawrence: All cars entering the city limits must first sound their horn to warn the horses of their arrival. No one may wear a bee in their hat. //Minors in Kansas City, Missouri, are not allowed to purchase cap pistols; they may buy shotguns freely, however. //No one may catch fish with his bare hands in Kansas. //Pedestrians crossing the highways at night must wear tail lights. //Rabbits may not be shot from motorboats. //Russell: Musical car horns are banned //Salina: It is against the law to leave your car running unattended. //The state game rule prohibits the use of mules to hunt ducks. //Topeka: The installation of bathtubs is prohibited. //Wichita: Before proceeding through the intersection of Douglas and Broadway, a motorist is required to get out of their vehicle and fire three shot gun rounds into the air. Any person caught using or carrying bean snappers or the like shall upon conviction, be fined. -City ordinance 349 of Wichita, Kansas. Kentucky //A person can be sent to jail for five years for merely sending a bottle of beer, wine or spirits as a gift to a friend in Kentucky. //An ordinance in Murray, Ky., says the superintendent of sanitation “shall determine whether a person is small, medium or large.” Why the superintendent should make this determination is left unsaid. //All nude people in your house must be registered in Kentucky. //An excerpt from brilliant Kentucky state legislation. “No female shall appear in a bathing suit on any highway within this state unless she be escorted by at least two officers or unless she be armed with a club”. The following important amendment however is to be considered here: “The provisions of this statute shall not apply to females weighing less than 90 pounds nor exceeding 200 pounds, //Any person who appears on any highway, or upon the street of any city that has no police protection, when clothed only in ordinary bathing garb, shall be fined no less than five dollars nor more than twenty-five dollars.” – KRS 436.140 //Any person who displays, handles or uses any kind of reptile in connection with any religious service or gathering shall be fined not less than fifty dollars ($50) nor more than one hundred dollars ($100). -KRS 437.060 (Passed 1942, from Ky. Stat. sec. 1267a-1.). //Each year, the mayor of Danville, Ky., must appoint “three intelligent housekeepers” to the Board of Tax Supervisors. //Frankfort, Kentucky, makes it against the law to shoot off a policeman’s tie. //In Danville, Ky., it’s illegal to throw slops or soapsuds in the street. //In Kentucky, according to an old law, it’s illegal to use any kind of reptile in a religious service. It’s not certain if the law would withstand First Amendment scrutiny today. //In Kentucky every citizen of is required to take a shower once a year. //In Kentucky you need a license to walk around nude on your property. //It is illegal in Kentucky to marry the same man more than 3 times. //It is illegal to fish with a bow and arrow in Kentucky. //It is illegal to shoot game out of the window of a moving vehicle, with the exception of a whale //It’s illegal to fish in the Ohio River in Kentucky without an Indiana Fishing License. //Lexington: It is illegal to transport an ice cream cone in your pocket. By law, anyone who has been drinking is “sober” until he or she “cannot hold onto the ground.” //No person owning or controlling a billiard or pool table shall permit, for compensation or reward, any minor under eighteen (18) years of age to play any game on the table, unless such minor shall have first displayed an identification card containing his name, age, photograph, and the signature of his parents or guardian. The minor shall keep such identification card on his person, and it shall be subject to inspection at any time by any peace officer. The person owning or controlling such billiard or pool table shall keep and maintain a registration book in which each minor shall sign. The person owning or controlling such billiard or pool table shall supply a blank identification card to each parent or guardian who makes request for same. Any person who violates this section shall be fined not less than ten ($10) nor more than one hundred dollars ($100) for each offense. -KRS 436.320 (Passed 1893; Amended in 1954, Ky. Acts ch. 232, sec. 1) //No person shall sell, exchange, offer to sell or exchange, display or possess living baby chicks, ducklings, or other fowl or rabbits which have been dyed or colored; nor dye or color any baby chicks, ducklings or other fowl or rabbits; nor sell, exchange, offer to sell or exchange or to give away baby chicks, ducklings or other fowl or rabbits, under two months of age in any quantity less than six, except that any rabbit weighing three pounds or more may be sold at an age of six weeks. Any person who violates this section shall be fined not less than $100 nor more than $500. -KRS 436.600 (Passed 1966 Ky. Acts ch. 215, sec. 5.) //Owensboro: A woman may not buy a hat without her husband’s permission. One may not receive anal sex. Louisiana //Biting someone with your natural teeth is “simple assault”, while biting someone with your false teeth is “aggravated assault”. //Communism has been against the law in Haines City, La., since 1950. //If you’ve ever been to Mardi Gras in New Orleans, you’ll see the kings and queens on the various floats throwing plastic money, medallions and jewels to the crowd, but not food. It’s against the law to throw food from a float in the Mardi Gras festivities. //It is against state law to steal even a single crawfish. //It is illegal to gargle in public places. //It is illegal to rob a bank and then shoot at the bank teller with a water pistol. //It illegal for a woman to drive a car unless her husband is waving a flag in front of it. //It is illegal in Lafayette, Louisiana to play a musical instrument for the purpose of attracting attention, without a license. //It’s legal to walk down the street with a drink in New Orleans, even to drive with a drink. But if you fall over and block the sidewalk, you’ve just broken the law. //Louisiana law prohibits couples who are shopping for a new bed from putting it to the “ultimate test”– in other words, from trying it out by making love on it, or even simulating this activity. //Mourners at a wake may not eat more than three sandwiches. //Rituals that involve the ingestion of blood, urine, or fecal matter are not allowed. //Snoring is prohibited unless all bedroom windows are closed and securely locked. //Taxi drivers are prohibited from making love in the front seat of their taxi during their shifts. //You may not tie an alligator to a fire hydrant. //An old ordinance declares goatees illegal unless you first pay a special license fee for the privilege of wearing one in public. Maine //After January 14th you will be charged a fine for having your Christmas decorations still up. //In Augusta to stroll down the street playing a violin is against the law. //It’s illegal to clean salmon along Maine’s upper Kennebec River. Enforcement of this law has been made easier for many years by the fact that, because of a dam, there are no salmon on the upper Kennebec River. //In Maine, it is illegal to sell a car on Sunday unless it comes equipped with plumbing. //In Maine it’s illegal to catch lobsters with your bare hands. //In Waterville, Maine, it is illegal to blow one’s nose in public. //It’s unlawful to tickle a woman’s chin with a feather duster in Portland. //Shoelaces must be tied while walking down the street. //Shotguns are required to be taken to church in the event of a Native American attack. //You may not step out of a plane in flight. Maryland //Baltimore City: Though you may spit on a city roadway, spitting on city sidewalks is prohibited. You may not curse inside the city limits. //Baltimore has regulations governing the disposal of hog’s heads, pet droppings and oyster shells. //Columbia: You can not have a antenna exposed outside of your house yet you can have a 25′ satellite dish. Though clotheslines are banned, clothes may be draped over a fence. //Gypsies should steer clear of Caroline County, Md., where it’s a $100 fine or six months in the can for “forecasting or pretending to foretell the future.” //In Baltimore it’s illegal to block the sidewalk with a box. But the offense only carries a $1 fine. Another law makes it illegal to throw bale of hay (or of anything else) out a second-story window. That gets you a $20 fine. In Baltimore it’s illegal to play professional croquet before 2 p.m. Sunday. The law also applies to professional quoits. //In Baltimore it is illegal to mistreat oysters. //In Baltimore, it is illegal to wash or scrub sinks no matter how dirty they get. //In Baltimore, Maryland, it is not legal to take a lion to the movies. //In Halethrope, Maryland kisses longer than one second are illegal. //In Maryland, a woman may not go through her husband’s pockets while he is sleeping. //In Maryland, men may not buy drinks for female bartenders. //In Maryland, it is illegal to sell condoms from vending machines with one exception: prophylactics may be dispensed from a vending machine only “in places where alcoholic beverages are sold for consumption on the premises.” //In Maryland, the legislature once proposed a board of parachute examiners to be made up of five licensed parachute instructors who would test and license all other parachute instructors. The plan had been abandoned when it was learned there were only three licensed parachute instructors in the state. //In the entire state of Maryland, it is illegal to give or receive oral sex. //It is a violation to be in a public park with a sleeveless shirt. $10 fine. //It’s illegal to take a lion to the movies. //Maryland now requires that alcohol beverage writers be certified as experts by an agency of the state before they can receive product samples, which it limits to three bottles per brand. //Ocean City: A law from the early 1900’s prohibits men from going topless on the Boardwalk. Eating while swimming in the ocean is prohibited //Thistles may not grow in one’s yard. //You can not have a antenna exposed outside of your house yet you can have a 25′ satellite dish. //You cannot swear while inside the city limits of Baltimore. //You cannot throw a bail of hay out of a second story window in Annapolis. //You may not curse inside the city limits.

This is a double repost . These two features have been repeated  before , with text added. Whether the text adds value is a judgement question. For today’s entertainment, the added value text will be included. Historic pictures today are from The Library of Congress.
Two features, posted two times each, is four. These two features are about rules for living, that come in groups of four. There is a symmetry about four. Four Beatles, Four seasons, for corners, four elements. This number is a homonym partner with for and fore. White people say fo wer, black people say fo. And so it goes.
When PG was a kid, his grandmother lived in a side apartment, in a house on Virginia Avenue. The owner of the house was Mrs. Stuckey. ( PG never learned her “real” name, and assumed that checks were made out to Mrs.) There was a framed piece of paper in Mrs. Stuckey’s hall. The top said “The Four-Way Test of the things we think, say or do” , and featured the logo of the Rotary Club. The four rules were simple, on the surface.  Is it the TRUTH?//Is it FAIR to all Concerned?//Will it build GOODWILL and BETTER FRIENDSHIPS?//Will it be BENEFICIAL to all concerned?
The four way test was written by Herbert J. Taylor. In 1932, Mr.Taylor took over the bankrupt Club Aluminum Company of Chicago. Trying to revive the company during the depression, Mr. Taylor wrote a code of ethics, that would be the basis for the company’s actions.
Many said that the four way test was not practical for the business world. The balancing of integrity and ambition can be daunting. It was said that “This emphasis on truth, fairness and consideration provide a moral diet so rich that it gives some people “ethical indigestion.”
PG maintains that fair is a baseball hit between first and third base. Sometimes, the umpire makes the wrong call. In the “real world”, the different points of view in a dispute make rendering a fair judgment a difficult task, if not an impossible one.
There is a story about the revival of Club Aluminum. ” One day, the sales manager announced a possible order for 50,000 utensils. Sales were low and the company was still struggling at the bankruptcy level. The senior managers certainly needed and wanted that sale, but there was a hitch. The sales manager learned that the potential customer intended to sell the products at cut-rate prices. “That wouldn’t be fair to our regular dealers who have been advertising and promoting our product consistently,” he said. In one of the toughest decisions the company made that year, the order was turned down. There was no question this transaction would have made a mockery out of The Four-Way Test the company professed to live by.”
How did the sales manager learn of the intentions of this buyer? Was he tipped off by one of the “regular customers” who feared competition? Was this “regular customer” lying? Many inspirational stories leave out crucial details.
As it turns out, Club Aluminum did sell enough product to emerge from bankruptcy. “By 1937, Club Aluminum’s indebtedness was paid off and during the next 15 years, the firm distributed more than $1 million in dividends to its stockholders. Its net worth climbed to more than $2 million.”
Club Aluminum cookware was cast, not spun. It is heavy, and is a prized collectors item today. As for the Club Aluminum company ” Standard International Corporation bought it in 1968. Regalware made and marketed Club Aluminum for a while, but went out of business in the mid-1980s. The brand name was eventually obtained by the Mirro Company.”
This is a repost. Philosophy and rules for living is always a crowd pleaser. Whether or not you practice what you preach is beside the point.
There is a story above. A company, facing bankruptcy, turned down a huge order because of concerns about how the product would be resold. Today, this seems quaint. Today, the moral thing to do would be to take the order, keep your factory busy, and not worry how it was going to be resold. While some pretend that moral rules are unchanging, the truth is that they do change with the times.
This reminds PG of a story from his days as a blueprinter. With ammonia developed prints, every print is fed by hand, and you have the option to adjust the speed of the machine. Slower prints mean less background, which to some is a higher quality print. ( This is not an issue with digital printing. Some change is indeed progress.)
The company PG worked for was affiliated with a small, family run company in a neighboring city. This company was run by an old fashioned lady, who insisted on adjusting every print to get the perfect background. This was different from the company PG worked for, which ran large jobs for the big city market. To his customers, quality meant getting an acceptable print, DELIVERED ON TIME. Who had the higher standards? Maybe that is a question for the customer to judge.

Today’s story is a double repost. Part is just as true today as two years ago. The other part is just as false. It is up to the reader to tell which is which.
These thoughts are for you to use. They were articulated by a man named Don Miguel Ruiz. They are called the Four Agreements. . HT to activecitizen54..
PG does not claim to live up to these ideals. Number two is especially tough for him. The main thing is to try, and to always do your best. This is not about what you believe or think, it is about what you do.
agreement 1–Be impeccable with your word – Speak with integrity. Say only what you mean. Avoid using the word to speak against yourself or to gossip about others. Use the power of your word in the direction of truth and love.
agreement 2–Don’t take anything personally – Nothing others do is because of you. What others say and do is a projection of their own reality, their own dream. When you are immune to the opinions and actions of others, you won’t be the victim of needless suffering.
agreement 3–Don’t make assumptions – Find the courage to ask questions and to express what you really want. Communicate with others as clearly as you can to avoid misunderstandings, sadness and drama. With just this one agreement, you can completely transform your life.
agreement 4–Always do your best – Your best is going to change from moment to moment; it will be different when you are healthy as opposed to sick. Under any circumstance, simply do your best, and you will avoid self-judgment, self-abuse and regret.

Jim and Edna were both patients in a mental hospital. One day while they were walking past the hospital swimming pool, Jim suddenly jumped into the deep end.
He sank to the bottom of the pool and stayed there. Edna promptly jumped in to save him. She swam to the bottom and pulled Jim out.
When the Director of Nursing became aware of Edna’s heroic act, she immediately ordered her to be discharged from the hospital, as she now considered her to be mentally stable. When she went to tell End the news she said,
“Edna, I have good news and bad news. The good news is you’re being discharged. Since you were able to rationally respond to a crisis by jumping in and saving the life of another patient, I have concluded that your act displays sound mindedness.
The bad news is that Jim, the patient you saved, hung himself in his bathroom with the belt of his robe right after you saved him. I am so sorry, but he’s dead.”
Edna replied; “He didn’t hang himself. I put him there to dry. How soon can I go home?”

There comes a time when famous people streak in public. The crowd at the parade hears what the little boy says about the emperors fashion statement. Often, it happens bit by bit, like a striptease, until the public knows the truth. This reporter gets the sense that Mitt Romney just pulled off his garter belt, and is about to go for the full monty.
The video embedded in this post is tough to look at. A young man, who cannot tolerate chemical marijuana substitutes, asks Mr. Romney if he will be arrested. The candidate refuses to answer the question, and walks away, to smile for another camera.
On June 9, 1954, Joe McCarthy was set to fall. On March 9, 1954, Edward Murrow broadcast a show highly critical of the Senator. On June 9, the Senate was holding a televised hearing, discussing communism in the U.S. Army. Senator McCarthy was denouncing a young lawyer, and was interrupted by Joseph_N._Welch , an attorney working for the Army. “ You’ve done enough. Have you no sense of decency, sir, at long last? Have you left no sense of decency?” Senator McCarthy was seen as a worthless bully, and was soon out of power.
PG remembers the day he saw the real Jesus. A co worker was an aggressive Jesus worshiper. He humiliated PG with a sermon one afternoon. A few minutes later, the co worker answered the phone, and was heard screaming “I never felt better in my life”.
The video seen here may not be the fatal blow to Mitt Romney. He faces weak opposition in the Republican party, and BHO is beatable. On the other hand, the primary season is just getting started. Many more pieces of straw are going to fall on the camel’s back.
Pictures today are from The Library of Congress

PG notices details, sometimes. One thing is the time on clocks and watches in ads. The time is 10:09:36. Sometimes, it is 01:51:25. There are occasional exceptions, but 10:09:36 seems to be an industry standard. This is a repost.
It focuses attention on the top part of the watch, and makes the bottom part visible. Typically, the logo of the manufacturer is framed by the hands. The manufacturer wants the logo to be visible in the ads.
The hands lifted upward make a welcoming gesture. If you hold your arms out at the 10 o’clock and 2 o’clock positions, it will look like you are about to hug someone. This shape also looks like a smile.
After this, we get into the myths. At this particular time (10:09:36) US deployed the atom bomb on Japan. This particular time is used to remind people of the US dominance. A bit of research into pre atom bomb advertising might disprove that, but PG thinks that is too much work.
Another hypothesis is that Abraham Lincoln was shot at 10:15 pm on April 14, 1865, and died at 7:22 the next day. How this translates into 10:09:36 is anyone’s guess. It should also be noted that standard time was not used in the United States until 1883. Thus, the precise “time” of Mr. Lincolns retirement is not known.
Someone wrote the Timex company about this issue.
A: WE CALLED TIMEX FOR YOUR ANSWER AND IT SAYS THE HANDS ON A CLOCK ARE PLACED AT TEN-TEN BECAUSE IT’S A CREATIVE STANDARD INDUSTRY. TIMEX SAYS THE HANDS ON TIMEPIECES ARE PLACED AT TEN-TEN SO THE COMPANY LOGO ON THE FACE WILL BE FRAMED AND NOT BLOCKED BY THE HANDS.
TIMEX SAYS THE INDUSTRY STANDARD USED TO BE EIGHT-TWENTY BUT THAT LOOKED TOO MUCH LIKE A FROWN AND CREATED AN UNHAPPY LOOK. TIMEX SAYS IN ITS ADS, THE CLOCK HANDS ARE PLACED AT TEN-NINE AND THIRTY SIX SECONDS, EXACTLY.”
Another source discusses this issue when the “creative standard industry” was 8:20. At that time people still said it was the time that Abe Lincoln was shot and or died.
Yet another source, the poetically named stupidquestion.net, has a few more tidbits. It seems like in the 1880’s, pocket watches became popular. In ads, the case was shown more than the face. The omega watchmaker established the 10:08:35 standard in 1915, and the industry followed suit. This would also seem to contradict the atom bomb theory given above.
PG has always wondered something else. Are all photographs for watch ads shot at 10:09:36? If not, then the ads are a lie. According to StupidQuestions, watchmakers send out non functioning dummy watches that are frozen at a certain time. PG ( who does not wear a watch, but uses wall clocks) says this makes him question the honesty of the ad.

The internet product sensation of the day is a video, “Why I Hate Religion, But Love Jesus“. When this reaction was written, it had 3,256,538 views, with 52,544 comments. PG is not impressed.
1- It is not what you say, it is how you say it. This video is one man speaking. He clearly enjoys the sound of his voice. He speaks fast and strong, with growing intensity. He spits out thought after thought after thought, in machine gun fashion. The listener does not have a chance to think about what is being said. The listener does not have a chance to consider if what he just heard is the truth. It is a speech by a demagogue. If you enjoy being moved by a speaker like this, then you might enjoy this.
2- He denounces religion, but repeats the same talking points of religion. He makes the word religion to be the bad guy in his diatribe. The leaders of “religion” are onto this. They know that people do not like “religion”. ( I am spiritual but not religious.) In many discussions today, the word “faith” is used as a substitute for religion. People will soon say the same things about faith that they do about religion.
3- The lecturer, Jefferson Bethke, has the same obsession with life after death as Christianity. The religion has devolved into a scheme for life after death. This attitude has warped Christianity.
4- Hate is hate. It is a powerful emotion, and can do great damage. When you hate something like religion, or sin, you are going to wind up hating people as part of the bargain.
5- PG sees Jesus in the words and deeds of those who believe in him. This speech does not make Jesus look good.
6- There are probably more things that could be said about this speech. However, the thought of listening to it a second time is too horrible.
7- Many of the people who are cheering this video are the ones the speaker is talking about.
8- Pictures today are from The Library of Congress.

Good Morning G-d. Please give me the slack I need to make it through this life. Please give me less pain, both above and below the neck. Thank you for letting me get this far. Thank you for the gift of sobriety, and the memory of inebrience. The gift of moderation would have been appreciated. Help me to overcome the body chemistry that tells me to be unhappy.
Please tell the Jesus Worshipers to shut up. They make too much noise. Help me to forgive them. Give Jesus Worshipers a bit more humility. Help Jesus Worshipers to get over their confusion, and quit hating gay people. Let people know that G-d does not write books. Let men know that A REAL MAN KEEPS CONTROL OF HIS TEMPER. Please tell the proud people praying today that it is better to listen than to talk.
Please find a happy medium for Atlanta water. Let us have neither drought nor flood. It would help if the developers would move to North Carolina, and the politicians would grow a conscience. This may be asking too much.
G-d, Please try to get along better with Allah. This is important. Maybe if you and her got along better, then all those religious crazies would hate each other less. Help white people and black people get along better. Please be good to the people who have already lived, and are now deceased. Please understand that I am not in a hurry to join the deceased.
Help Mr. Obama with the mess this country is in. Help Israel get along with her neighbors, and live within her borders. Help the world solve the carbon dioxide problem.
Thank you for the birds that sing. I will listen to them, and not an electronic device. Thank you for dogs, and dog owners who clean up. Thank you for earth, air, fire, and water. Thank you for incomplete lists. Namaste, amen, all my relations, Good Bye.
This prayer was written for the National Day of Prayer in 2009. Not much has changed. Atlanta has gotten some rain, and the legislature has done very little to solve the long term water crisis. The custom of prayer has gotten attention, through the actions of a show off quarterback. People continue to talk too much, both to other people and to G-d. Almost no one questions this separation of G-d and Man. BHO has been a  disappointment. The inept opposition may help him to a second term. Pictures today are from The Library of Congress .

There is a graphic moving around facebook at the moment. You might know one of the 21,629 people who share this. The graphic (which must be retyped) says:
Salary of retired US Presidents…..$450,000 FOR LIFE
Salary of House/Senate members …..$174,000 FOR LIFE
Salary of Speaker of the House……$223,500 FOR LIFE
Salary of Majority/Minority Leaders…..$193,400 FOR LIFE
Average salary of a soldier DEPLOYED IN AFGHANISTAN……$38,000
Average income for seniors on SOCIAL SECURITY……$12,000
I think we found where the cuts should be made! If you agree .. Pass it on!
PG made a comment …. I know where the cuts should be made.
BRING THE SOLDIER DEPLOYED IN AFGHANISTAN HOME TODAY!
The money paid to unpopular politicians is an easy target for rabble rousers. What they don’t tell you is the profits being produced by killing women and children in Afghanistan. It is estimated that it takes $1,000,000 per soldier per year to fight a war. Where does that $962,000 go?
Before we go any further with this, it should be noted that most statistics are lies. PG does not know where the originator of this graphic got the numbers. The $1,000,000 per soldier per year number is also suspect. Creative accounting is an art form in Washington, and the truth is we just don’t know how much those crooks are taking home.
The pensions paid to former government officials are puny, compared to the money they make in crooked deals. Newt Gingrich is a one man profit center. ” Gingrich defended his actions by stating that his lobbying is not technically lobbying because it “benefits the country at large.” (PG was chatting with a friend once. She was self employed, by entertaining gentlemen callers. She called it consulting.)
Since leaving the White House, Bill and Hillary Clinton have made truckloads of money. Hillary tried to buy her own term in the White House. After she lost to ace fundraiser BHO, Hillary wrote off $13,200,000 she loaned her campaign. “The senator and her husband, former President Bill Clinton, released income tax returns during her presidential campaign that showed the couple earned $109 million in eight years. Their annual income rose to $20.4 million in 2007 from $420,000 in 1999. Almost half the Clintons’ income during those years, $51.9 million, came from the former president’s speeches.”
Pictures for this feature are from The Library of Congress

Chamblee54 is not too proud to recycle posts , often more than once . This one is about ugly. If you are looking for beauty, and her mouthy stepsister truth, then look elsewhere.
Beauty is skin deep. Ugly is to the bone.
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Ugly uses all five senses.
Rahsaan Roland Kirk: I don’t want to see you people, you are all too ugly.
Stevie Wonder: All I see are beautiful people.
Rahsaan Roland Kirk: You know, Stevie Wonder wants to make a lot of money, so he can have an operation and see.
Ray Charles: It’s crying time again.
She is so ugly, she could make a freight train take a dirt road.
He is so ugly, when he was born the doctor slapped his mother.
Is that your face, or did your neck throw up?
French for ugly is : laid m., laide f . Can we say irony?
There are some Jesus Worship blogs that PG likes to read. One of them recently made the lighthearted suggestion that ugly people were not welcome at the church of the other one. The recipient of this comment found this to be “the deeply offensive false accusation he keeps leveling at me.”
FromTheMorning is the one standing up for the pulchritude challenged. (Regrettably, From the Morning is no longer published.)
Pyromaniacs is the aggrieved party here. They say that ugly people “are not only welcome at my church; many of us actually participate in the ministry there”. PG believes you.
Ugly has another meaning. In fact, this is the first meaning PG heard for the U word, years before he connected it to people with unpleasant faces. It is about ugly behavior. People that are mean and cruel to each other. That is ugly.

Police are warning all men who frequent clubs, parties & local pubs to be alert and stay cautious when offered a drink by any woman. Many females use a date-rape-drug on the market called ‘Beer ‘.
The drug is found in liquid form and is available anywhere. It comes in bottles, cans, from taps, and in large kegs. ‘Beer ‘ is used by female sexual predators at parties and bars to persuade their male victims to go home and sleep with them.
A woman needs only to get a guy to consume a few units of ‘Beer’ and then simply ask him home for no-strings-attached sex. Men are rendered helpless against this approach. After several applications of ‘Beer’, men will often succumb to the desires to sleep with women to whom they would never normally be attracted. Men often awaken with only hazy memories of exactly what happened to them the night before, often with just a vague feeling that ‘something bad’ occurred.
At other times these unfortunate men are swindled out of their life’s savings, in a familiar scam known as ‘a relationship’ . In extreme cases, the female may even be shrewd enough to entrap the unsuspecting male into a longer-term form of servitude and punishment referred to as ‘marriage’. Men are much more susceptible to this scam after ‘Beer ‘ is administered and sex is offered by the predatory females.
If you fall victim to this ‘Beer ‘ scam and the women administering it, there are male support groups where you can discuss the details of your shocking encounter with similarly victimized men. For the support group nearest you, just look up ‘Golf Courses’ in the phone book.