Chamblee54

This is part two of the Chamblee54 tutorial, Blogging Because You Enjoy It. This lesson will focus on the template, and the HTML codes in it. A companion piece, template with notes, explains what the codes mean. These codes work with a WordPress hosted blog, and may not work elsewhere.
To show how these codes work, we will use screen shots from a post, Why Do Some Want A War In Iran? . The first picture is the HTML for this post. This is what you see when you click on the HTML tab in the editing window. The second picture is the post, as it appears online. There will be numbers on these pictures, which will correspond to notes in this text. Other pictures will be from The Library of Congress .
1- This is the code for a picture of Zachary Taylor. When you enter the picture, in the edit window, the WordPress software will create this code. If you want to use this picture again, you can copy the code into the edit window.
2- This is the code for the start of the text. The justify code tells the system to make the right side of the text smooth. The font code tells the system to use medium size text, and to use a dark green font.
3- This closes the previous font code, and changes the font color to light green.
4- This inserts a link into the text. The link is to a previous post on Chamblee54. This post is the source of the quote by Paul Wolfowitz. The link text is “said”.
5- This changes the previous font code, and changes the font color to blue. The color blue is used for the quote by Paul Wolfowitz.
6- This closes the previous font code, and changes the font color to dark green.
7- This closes the previous font code, and changes the font color to light green.
8- This closes the previous font code, and changes the font color to dark green.
9- This inserts a link into the text. The link is to the Library of Congress. This is a photo credit for images used. The link text is “The Library of Congress. “.
10- This closes the font code, and the justify code.

PG found a post in the archives. It was written the day before BHO was inaugurated. This is a good time to repeat it, with a few comments about 2012.
Al Gore has become the poster boy of global warming. A politician, reputed to be liberal and goofy, he makes the job of deniers a bit easier. Instead of talking about peak oil and the ph balance of the oceans, the oil industry makes jokes about Al Gore. Global warming may, or may not be, a real threat. However, dumping millions of tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere is probably going to cause problems. The facts are that the supply of oil is limited, getting more difficult to extract, and frequently in hostile hands. If we could find another source of energy, we would be better off, with or without belief in global warming. This is not said when people make jokes about Al Gore.
The economy is in ruins. The war in Afghanistan rages. American aircraft is slaughtering women and children in Pakistan. BHO signed a bill to allow the military to take prisoners. We are losing our rights, our security, and our money. Whether this is the fault of BHO, or the tail dragging Republicans, is a good topic for debate.
The election in 2012 looks like a replay of 2004. The Republican candidates are a bunch of idiots. The Democrats have a well funded machine. The one percent has invested in BHO, and is looking for their return. The electoral college is intact, with few calling for reform. The Democrats are waiting for their turn to steal an election.
PG listened in on a conversation in October 2000. One person didn’t think the upcoming election was important. The other thought it was important to vote for Gore. PG heard this, and started to think. He had been neutral, leaning towards Gore, but with no enthusiasm. Bush didn’t seem all that bad.
PG lived in Georgia, which everyone knew was going overwhelmingly for Bush. The electoral votes were going for Bush, rendering his opinion meaningless. This was the election where the electoral college system screwed America. In almost every election PG had voted in, this archaic plan had, in effect, stolen his vote. Now, the entire country was put at risk.
In October 2000, the government had a budget surplus. This meant that capital was not scooped up by the government, but went into the private sector. The dot com stock boom was raging, and more than a few thought that the collapse was imminent. America was not at war.
America was not at war.
So George W. Bush became President. The economy started to sputter, which happens from time to time. Then came nine eleven.
PG thought at the time of nine eleven that something was up. A product of the conspiracy happy sixties, PG thought America and the world were in for some bad times. With the new administration in power, we may finally find out what really happened on nine eleven.
There needed to be revenge for nine eleven. We invaded Afghanistan. The example of the Soviet Union was ignored, and we invaded one of the meanest places on earth.
There needed to be revenge for nine eleven. We prepared to invade Iraq. Before we invaded Iraq, the taxes were cut. We went from a surplus, to a half trillion dollar deficit.
There was an election for a second term. Between incompetent Democratic opposition, and the Republican talent for stealing elections, it was never in doubt.
At some point in all this, the banks started to lend money to people who had no business taking it. This went on for a while, until the loans started to not be repaid, and the banks started to fail.
BHO will be sworn in tomorrow. GWB should be sworn out today. The electoral college needs to be eliminated. The wars need to end.

The first part of this new year’s message is a repost from a year ago. Part two is a recycled email. Thank you Ed. The pictures are Union soldiers, from the War Between the States. They are courtesy of The Library of Congress
One thing that is accepted without question is the year starting at midnight on December 31. That is, in some cultures. Jews have a new year in September, China celebrates some time in January, and the fiscal year is whenever the bean counters say. If you ask google “why does the year start january first”, you get 436m options.
The earth runs on a cycle, based on it’s annual trip around the sun. The winter solstice is the longest night of the year, and in many ways the logical end of the year. The celebration of Christmas, a few days after the solstice, is not a coincidence. The question today is, why do we start a new year a week after Christmas, or ten days after the solstice?
The top ranked answer at google is from catalogs.com. They talk about Julius Caesar and Pope Gregory XIII(13), but never quite say why January first is the big day. It does end on a helpful note: “Calendars are a way that grownups organize time, but clearly not all grownups do it the same way. Happy New Year, therefore, whenever it happens for you.”
Lifeslittlemysteries continues with the talk about Caesar and the Pope. It is noted that January 1 was the day that Roman officials started their term of office. In England and her colonies, the new year was celebrated in March until 1752.
The rest of the google results do not look promising. PG does not know the answer to this.

How long have people celebrated the turn of the year? Celebrating the New Year is a tradition that dates back nearly 4000 years. If you had lived in Mesopotamia and Babylon 4,000 years ago (c. 2000 B.C.), you probably would have celebrated the new year in mid-March, at the time of the Vernal (Spring) Equinox. If, however, you were an Egyptian, your new year began with the Autumnal Equinox and the flooding of the Nile. If you were Greek, the Winter Solstice began your new year.
Who set January 1st as the beginning of the year? Julius Caesar was the first to set January 1st as the New Year. Caesar did so when he established the Julian calendar. The Julian calendar, named for Julius Caesar, decreed that the new year would occur on January 1st. Caesar wanted the year to begin in January since it celebrated the beginning of the civil year and the festival of the god of gates and, eventually, the god of all beginnings, Janus, after whom January was named. (It was said, many years later, that the only thing the Julian calender is good for is writing checks.)
Where would you celebrate Hogmanay on December 31st? Scotland is the home of Hogmanay (hog-mah-NAY), the rousing Scottish New Year’s celebration (the origins of the name are obscure). One of the traditions is “first-footing.” Shortly after midnight on New Year’s eve, neighbors pay visits to each other and impart New Year’s wishes. Traditionally, First foots used to bring along a gift of coal for the fire, or shortbread. It is considered especially lucky if a tall, dark, and handsome man is the first to enter your house after the new year is rung in. The Edinburgh Hogmanay celebration is the largest in the country, and consists of an all-night street party.
How is the New Year rung in by the Japanese? The new year is the most important holiday in Japan, and is a symbol of renewal. In December, various Bonenkai or “forget-the-year parties” are held to bid farewell to the problems and concerns of the past year and prepare for a new beginning. Misunderstandings and grudges are forgiven and houses are scrubbed. At midnight on Dec. 31, Buddhist temples strike their gongs 108 times, in a effort to expel 108 types of human weakness. New Year’s day itself is a day of joy and no work is to be done. Children receive otoshidamas, small gifts with money inside. Sending New Year’s cards is a popular tradition—if postmarked by a certain date, the Japanese post office guarantees delivery of all New Year’s cards on Jan. 1.
Who were the first with New Year’s resolutions? It is believed that the Babylonians were the first to make New Year’s resolutions, and people all over the world have been breaking them ever since. The early Christians believed the first day of the new year should be spent reflecting on past mistakes and resolving to improve oneself in the new year.
You can appreciate the Buddhist tradition when you see the timber slung on ropes used to strike their huge temple bell/gong. Some have a huge bronze bell as we are used to seeing, and others have a large round heavy symbol/gong. Smaller temples have, as you might imagine, smaller gongs and will have one or two strikers for the gong. They swing hammer like (as in sledge hammer) items to strike the gong. I’m sure this is what started the heavy drinking associated with their New Year. If you have ever lived close enough to hear these things with their long reverberations you’ll understand after the first few you ‘re ready for a belt. May you all have a health filled and prosperous New Year, Ed

There will be wars, and rumors of war. And they will involve Persia. As in antiquity, these words are true today. Many lies are told to support this truth, and to help push it closer to reality. With the reputed end of the war in Babylon, it is time for a look at Iran.
The excuse given for the war in Iraq was WMD. After the shooting started, war “architect” Paul Wolfowitz said “The truth is that for reasons that have a lot to do with the U.S. government bureaucracy we settled on the one issue that everyone could agree on which was weapons of mass destruction as the core reason,”.
Today, the reason given for a war in Iran is nuclear weapons. The conventional wisdom is that we cannot allow Iran to have nuclear weapons, and must do anything, whatever the cost, to prevent having the bomb in Persian hands. What if this is just an excuse, having a lot to do with government bureaucracy? What are the real reason for this mad rush into combat?
For Israel, a war in Iran would take attention away from the Palestinians. For some in the USA, we have never gotten revenge for the hostage situation in 1979. For others in the USA, there is big money to be made from a war, and from manipulating the supply of oil. For some of the Sunni governments near Iran, there might be a desire to kill Shiites. Could it be that somewhere, somehow, there was a secret meeting, where a decision was made to focus on the issue of nuclear weapons?
Pictures are from The Library of Congress.

On the last day, of what might be the last year, online bookpushers Amazon / Barnes&Noble quit selling a calender. The festive item, by Joe King, is called “I’m Not Gay, I’m Just a Sissy”. (If you want to see what the fuss is about, click here )
Some say the calender was homophobic and yukky. Others think it is unfunny. Like everyone else, Mr. King has a fb page, and has a few opinions about the matter . “I feel like David vs. the gay Goliath. Where is every body? That’s OK, I still have a sling shot… ” Mr. King calls himself “The Most Dangerous Cartoonist in America”, and has been censored before .
There is one comment on Mr. King’s fb page that is being quoted today. It is part of a comment thread that started with this: “Hoo-we! Hell hath no fury like a he/she scorned… The telephone tree of tantrums is lit up like a Las Vegas marquee for “Boy-Lesque” today with hate mail, threats of boycott and even the risk of Jesus spitting on me for my “Sissy” calendar. I SAID I WAS A SISSY UP FRONT. Ironic who the real bullies are isn’t it? Let’s see if I get a call from Oprah’s people or even Anderson Cooper… ” For those with too much free time, here are the comments that followed.
Joe King Like most bullies bluffs, the facts outweigh the fists: with almost 100 hissy- fits being thrown today only a couple of my calendars are in actual circulation. All the hysteria is coming from those nice folks who haven’t bothered to actually purchase and read my collection. Stranger still – these are REPRINTS of nationally distributed work several years old. No outcry then. Even funnier, reprint rights were obtained by “Q” one year- Utah’s largest gay paper. GUESS WHAT THE “Q” STANDS FOR? http://www.funnypaperz.com/Q-Salt-Lake1.htm
Joe King Let’s see how far the truth gets before being bullied to death…
Eric C. Martin Cartoonist HAAAAAAAA! THAT’s funny!
Joe King The “truth” is that AIDS is an “elective” disease. It STOPS the day guys quit sticking it to each other. And for the tragedy of women and children infected… THAT stops the day their gay husbands and fathers stop cheating on them. Anyone need MORE education, science or funding to understand THAT?
Chris Rullestad I think gay people are funny…I always have. If this offends anyone, send your hate mail to Joe King.
Joe King The gays are using some online blog to muster enuff negative comments to have my calendar pulled. One of the weirder points of contention is an editorial cartoon from 2005 when the marketing motto that year was “WE ALL HAVE AIDS”. I AM BEING ACCUSED OF MAKING THIS STUFF UP. Apparently being gay involves some type of selective memory as well.
Eric C. Martin Cartoonist You know, I don’t hate or dislike gays . . . JUST the organizations and sites like towleroad or GLAD. I’m not surprised at the dishonesty on said website.
Joe King Well talk about cramming something down our throats… I didn’t invent it, I didn’t market it. I just collected my commentaries over the past decade into a single collection.
Think I struck a nerve… or a blow?
Royce Moore Horn Joe … People are stupid – that’s why there are rocks :)
Joe King They really don’t like my self-caricature either… I think I look hot.
Joe King The real joke is that the editor I worked under for 6 years was a lesbian. She thot they were funny enuff to publish. Some of the bloggers said they would forgive me if I was funny.
Joe King Like I said, one of the cartoons was bought by Utah’s largest gay paper – they thot it was funny. Maybe it’s a generational thing? Today’s gay blogger have no knowledge of their own culture or history and this retrospective collection has really knocked them off their perch (Bird Cage reference they won’t get either!)
Joe King Bottom line: Andy has a hard on for me.
Joe King Anyway, thank you Andy for the best promotion all year!
Joe King Aint the first time I’ve been banned – won’t be the last. I was born with a loud mouth and an itchy shirt, bury me next to the Baptist.
Karl Dixon You keep going Joe, the world needs more of you and less of them
Joe King I dunno Karl, a little bit of me goes a long way.
As noted , Mr. King has a rainbow ribbon on his website. Regarding those tacky rumors, Mr. King says “I think I know why I’ve been such a sissy – I may be a lesbian trapped in a man’s body – cuz I just LOVE women!” Pictures are from The Library of Congress . HT to Richard Rothstein.

There has never been a politician like Lester Garfield Maddox. He was elected Governor of Georgia (with help of a quirk in the state constitution) in 1966. PG was 12 at the time, and saw the spectacle of the next four years with amazement.
Before we get started on this, we should remember a couple of things. Lester Maddox became notorious when he shut down his restaurant, The Pickrick, rather than serve a black customer. He was a segregationist, which means he did not want black people to have the same rights as white people. Looking back for 2010, it seems incredible that civil rights legislation was needed 46 years ago, so that 30% of Georgia could eat in a restaurant. PG does not condone the actions and attitudes of Lester Maddox, or the people who supported him.
There is style, and there is substance. While the substance of Lester may have been horrible, the style was a sight to behold. He could ride a bicycle backwards, and did so whenever a crowd was there to watch. (PG saw this at halftime of the Peach Bowl.) He was on The Joe Pyne Show, and The Dick Cavett Show, and walked off of both.
This section from a previous post tells a bit of the story.The Governor was speaking to a group of reporters. He was announcing the appointment of a Black man to a Selective Service Board.. The reporter said it was the first Black man to serve on a draft board since reconstruction. What did the Governor think about this?The Governor said “Gee”
The screen returned to the Channel Five newsroom. The men at the desks were all laughing. The weatherman looked up at the camera and said “Thats a tough act to follow”
Whatever you might say about Lester Maddox…and there is no shortage of bad things to say…there has never been a public official that entertaining. As for being a tough act to follow, the next Governor was Jimmy Carter. As for the weatherman, PG saw him in a parking lot once. It was raining heavily. The “Gray Ghost” looked at PG with an ironic smile, as if to say “I am sorry”.
In 1970, the Governor of Georgia could not succeed himself. Lester ran for Lt. Governor, and spent the next four years feuding with Governor Jimmy Carter. Lester ran for a second term in 1974, and was trounced by George Busbee.( The slogan : “Elect a work horse, not a show horse.”) When Jimmy ran for President in 1976, Lester made a point of badmouthing Jimmy. In his own way, Lester Maddox helped Jimmy Carter get elected President.
There is a youtube video of the appearance of Lester on the Joe Pyne show. (Another guest that night was Culius Jeezer, who claimed to be 2000 years old). A video of the time Lester was on the Dick Cavett show has not emerged. (Mr. Cavett has gotten old. He discusses the night Lester was on his show in this video.) Another guest that night was Truman Capote. After Lester walked off the show, Mr. Capote said, in his own inimitable way, ” I ate at his restaurant one time, and all I have to say is, it was not finger licking good”.
Pictures are from ” The Special Collections and Archives,Georgia State University Library”.
This is a repost.

A blogger named Older eyes put up a post about Tim Tebow and Bill Maher, who recently had a twitterspat. It went like this. “Maher Tweeted: Wow, Jesus just f—- TimTebow bad! And on Xmas Eve! Somewhere in hell Satan is tebowing, saying to Hitler, “Hey, Buffalo’s killing them” … To Tebow’s credit, he ignored Maher, Tweeting only, Tough game today but what’s most important is being able to celebrate the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ. Merry Christmas everyone GB² (according to Tebow’s website GB²=God Bless+Go Broncos).
PG … who forgives Denver for Super Bowl XXXIII … felt obliged to pile on. He left this comment: 1-In all probability, Jesus was not born on December 25. The celebration of his birth was grafted onto a pagan festival day. 2- It sure was fun watching Buffalo run those interceptions back for touchdowns. 3- There is no good choice here. In both cases, you have the option of turning the TV off, or switching away from twitter. If you are in enforced contact ( a work or family situation) with someone who will not shut up, who repeats his obnoxious opinions with disregard for his neighbor, then you do not have this option. 4- When Satan was through talking to Hitler, Jesus spoke up. He said, please leave me out of this.
This got PG to thinking. If you saw a mushroom cloud rising over Peachtree Industrial Boulevard, that might have been the result.  Did Jesus go to hell?
The party line is that Jesus paid the price for the sins of mankind. Is forty four hours in a cave enough? When you consider the billions of lies, murders, and fornications, you have to wonder. Maybe Jesus is taking the place of man in hell, paying the price for your sins.
Pictures today are from The Library of Congress

The story below is a repost from 2009. The Dawgs had a better year in 2011, and will be playing in a more prestigious bowl game. The pictures are from The Library of Congress .
The Georgia Bulldogs beat somebody’s Aggies in Shreveport, Louisiana last night. The affair is something called the Independence Bowl. The Fishwrapper has an ad for a casino-hotel-spa above the fold. Athens can go back to creating a school that the football team can be proud of.
This is the season of bowl games. A few years ago, any town with a stadium, and a chamber of commerce, could get a bowl game. Any school with .500 season could go to a bowl, many of whom now had grafted on corporate names. There was, literally, the poulon weedeater bowl holiday classic.
What follows is a story PG read in Sports Illustrated when he was a kid. There is no source, and there is a slight possibility that it is not true.
In the sixties, NBC had a new years day triple header of bowl games. The sugar bowl was followed by the rose bowl was followed by the orange bowl. Hangovers and national championships were fixed in one day. NBC made handsome profits.
An Olympic committee had a meeting one day, to determine who would telecast the upcoming games. The man from NBC went in, with charts, and promises of money for the amateur athletes. The presentation from NBC centered on the january first triple header, the sugar bowl, the rose bowl, and the orange bowl.
Another network won the bid to telecast the games. After the meeting, an Olympics official had a private conversation with the NBC man. The committee felt that their emphasis on the bowel games was in bad taste.

Here is part three of state laws that some might find peculiar. Part one and part two were put up a few weeks ago. Today will will look at Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, and Iowa. These regulations are borrowed from Bored. // Florida // Apparently with an exaggerated idea of the laws of thermal dynamics, the city council of West Palm Beach, Fla., once decreed that the roofs of all outhouses be fireproof. // A special law prohibits unmarried women from parachuting on Sunday or she shall risk arrest, fine, and/or jailing. // Big Pine Key: It is illegal to molest a Key deer; If caught one will be fined or will have to go to jail. // Cape Coral: It is against the city ordinance to hang your clothes outside on a clothesline; It it illegal to park a pick-up truck in your driveway or in front of your house on the street (This law is limited to only those who do not own the house) // Daytona Beach: The molestation of trash cans is banned; While intoxicated, being under influence of narcotics is prohibited; It shall be unlawful for any person to swim or bathe in that portion of the Atlantic Ocean within the corporate limits of the city when under the influence of intoxicating liquor or narcotic drugs to the extent that his or her normal faculties are impaired; // Don’t plan on using any of the celebratory Champagne bottle sizes known as Methuselahs, Salamanazars, Balthazars or Nebuchadnezzars. These very traditional Champagne bottle sizes are all illegal in Florida. // Florida deals with its prostitution problem by giving prostitutes spending money, a five-year banishment, and a bus ticket out of town. // Florida law forbids rats to leave the ships docked in Tampa Bay. // Florida prohibits topless walking or running within a 150 foot zone between the beach and the street. // Having sexual relations with a porcupine is illegal. // Hialeah: Ambling and strolling is a misdemeanor. // If an elephant is left tied to a parking meter, the parking fee has to be paid just as it would for a vehicle. // In Florida failure to tell your neighbor his house is on fire is illegal. // In Florida it is illegal to fish while driving across a bridge. // In Florida, a special law prohibits unmarried women from parachuting on Sunday or she shall risk arrest, fine, and/or jailing. // In Florida, men may not be seen publicly in any kind of strapless gown. // In Florida, unmarried women who parachute on Sundays may be jailed. // In Miami, it is forbidden to imitate an animal. // Miami Shores Village, Fla., has for years required that all goods made in Communist countries and offered for sale in Miami Shores Village be clearly marked as such. The ordinance notes that such goods are often marked in a “false, misleading or inadequate manner, to hide their Communist origins.” // In Sarasota it is illegal to sing in a public place while attired in a swimsuit. // It is considered an offense to shower naked. // It is illegal to block any traveled wagon road. // It is illegal to fart in a public place after 6:00pm on a Thursday. // It is illegal to skateboard without a license. // It’s against a Key West, Fla., ordinance to spit on a church floor. // It’s illegal in Florida for an unmarried man and woman to live together in “open and gross lewdness.” Connecticut once had a similar law, but only the woman was penalized. // Key West: Chickens are considered a ‘protected species’. // Oral sex is illegal. // Penalty for horse theft is death by hanging. // Pensacola: Citizens may not be caught downtown without at least 10 dollars on their person; It is illegal to roll a barrel on any street, fines go up according to the contents of the barrel; A women can be fined (only after death), for being electrocuted in a bath-tub because of using self-beautification utensils. // Pinecrest: In order to operate a burglar alarm, a permit must be obtained. // Sanford Stage: Nudity is banned, with the exception of “bona fide” theatrical performances. Violating this ordinance results in a $100 fine. // Sarasota: If you hit a pedestrian you are fined $78.00; You may not catch crabs. // Tampa Bay: It is illegal to eat cottage cheese on Sunday after 6:00 P.M. // Under a 1959 ordinance, stubborn children were considered vagrants in Jupiter Inlet Colony, Fla. // When having sex, only the missionary position is legal. // Women can be fined for falling asleep under a hair dryer. The salon owner can also be fined for this horrible crime. // You are not allowed to break more than three dishes per day, or chip the edges of more than four cups and/or saucers. // You may not kiss your wife’s breasts. // Georgia // Acworth: All citizens must own a rake. // An old law in Columbus, Ga., made it illegal to sit on your porch in an indecent position. // A Kennesaw, Ga. law makes it illegal for every homeowner not to own a gun, unless you are a convicted felon, conscientious objector or disabled. // Against the law to tie a giraffe to a telephone pole or street lamp. // Columbus: Can’t cut off a chicken’s head on Sunday; It is illegal to carry a chicken by it’s feet down Broadway on Sunday. // Donkeys may not be kept in bathtubs. // Gainesville: Chicken must be eaten with the hands. // Georgia has 75 laws on how to build rice paddies, even though the state has only one rice farm left. Rice was the state’s No. 1 crop before the Civil War. But right after the war, a hurricane destroyed all the paddies and ponds. It was too expensive to replace them without slaves, so the Rice State began growing peaches, peanuts and other crops. // Georgia officials were revising their state laws in 1981, and noticed they still allowed pensions for Confederate widows. That week the last widow died. Lawmakers bowed their heads, and deleted the law. // In Georgia, movie houses that want to show films on Sunday must reserve one showing a month for religious material. // It is illegal in Georgia to use profanity in the presence of a corpse. // In Quitman, It is illegal for a chicken to cross the road. // It is illegal to change the clothes on a storefront mannequin unless the shades are down. // It is illegal to say “Oh, Boy” in Jonesboro. // It is illegal to take a bath of orange peel. // Marietta: Though it is illegal to spit from a car or bus, citizens may spit from a truck. // Members of the state assembly cannot be ticketed for speeding while the state assembly is in session. // No one may carry an ice cream cone in their back pocket if it is Sunday. // One man may not be on another man’s back. // Signs are required to be written in English. // Hawaii // All residents may be fined as a result of not owning a boat. // Coins are not allowed to be placed in one’s ears. // Honolulu: Within the limits of any public park, it is unlawful to annoy any bird. // In Hawaii it is illegal to get a tattoo behind your ear or on your eyelid unless in the presence of a registered physician. // It used to be the law in Hawaii that children had to obey all “lawful and moral” commands of their parents. // It’s illegal for a shooting gallery to offer liquor as a prize. The shooter might want to come back after drinking the prize and try again. // Idaho // Boise: Residents may not fish from a giraffe’s back. // Coeur d’ Alene: If a police officer approaches a vehicle and suspects that the occupants are engaging in sex, he must either honk, or flash his lights and wait for three minutes before approaching the car. // Idaho Falls, Idaho: If you’re 88 years of age or older, it’s illegal for you to ride your motorcycle. // Idaho state law makes it illegal for a man to give his sweetheart a box of candy weighing less than fifty pounds. // Idaho and other states allow members of the Native American church to use the hallucinogenic plant peyote in religious services. // In Idaho walking along the street with a red-tipped cane is strictly prohibited. // In Pocatello, Idaho, a law passed in 1912 provided that “The carrying of concealed weapons is forbidden, unless same are exhibited to public view.” // Non-married couples in Idaho who engage in sexual intercourse can be jailed for up to six months // Riding a merry-go-round on Sundays is considered a crime.

Illinois // “Dwarf-tossing,” the strange practice of hurling dwarfs in padded suits, is outlawed in the bars of Springfield, Ill., because it’s dangerous and exploitative. The practice is apparently allowed elsewhere in town, with a special permit. // A state law in Illinois mandates that all bachelors should be called master, not mister, when addressed by their female counterparts. // According to state law, it is illegal to speak English. The officially recognized language is “American”. // Champaign: One may not pee in his neighbor’s mouth. // Chicago: Law forbids eating in a place that is on fire; It is illegal to give a dog whiskey; Kites may not be flown within the city limits; Spitting is forbidden // Cicero: Humming on public streets is prohibited on Sundays // Crete: It is considered an offense to attempt to have sex with one’s dog; Cars may not be driven through the town. // Des Plaines: Wheelbarrows with For-Sale signs may not be chained to trees. // Eureka: A man with a moustache may not kiss a woman. // Evanston: Bowling is forbidden; It is illegal to go trick-or-treating on Halloween; It is unlawful to change clothes in an automobile with the curtains drawn, except in case of fire. // Fairfield: It is unlawful for “Negroes” to be within county boundaries from sundown to sunrise. // Freeport: It is illegal to expectorate from any second-story window. // Galesburg: There is a $1,000 dollar fine for beating rats with baseball bats. // Homer: It is against the law to use a slingshot unless your are a law enforcement officer. // If the Rushville, Ill., city council doesn’t have a quorum, those sent can have the cops go out and arrest absent members and bring them to the meeting. // In Illinois it is illegal for barbers to use their fingers to apply shaving cream to a customer’s face. // In Illinois, it is illegal for anyone to give lighted cigars to dogs, cats, and other domesticated animal kept as pets. // In Chicago it is also illegal to take a French poodle to the opera, and for women over 200 pounds (90 kilos) to ride horses in shorts. // In Chicago, Illinois, it is illegal to fish in pajamas. // In Chicago, people who are diseased, maimed, mutilated, or “otherwise an unsightly or disgusting object” are banned from going out in public. // In Minoola, Ill., it’s illegal to take your clothes off and “expose the naked // In Oblong, Illinois, it’s punishable by law to make love while hunting or fishing on your wedding day. // In Zion, Ill., it is illegal for anyone to give lighted cigars to dogs, cats, and other domesticated animals kept as pets. // It is against the law for a monster to enter the corporate limits of Urbana, Illinois. // It is illegal for anyone to give lighted cigars to dogs, cats, and other domesticated animal kept as pets. // It is illegal to give a dog whiskey. // It is legal to protest naked in front of city hall as long as you are under seventeen years of age and have legal permits. // It’s not clear what this has done to the bar business, but a law in Chicago, Ill., makes it illegal to serve liquor to the feeble-minded. // Joliet: Town fathers, reflecting the pet peeve of hearing their town’s name mispronounced ‘Jolly-ETTE’ when all local folk know it’s pronounced ‘Joe-lee-ETTE’, made pronouncing it Jolly-ette a misdemeanor, punishable by a $5 fine. // Kenilworth: A rooster must step back three hundred feet from any residence if he wishes to crow; Hens that wish to cackle must step two hundred feet back from any residence. // Kirkland: Bees are not allowed to fly over the village or through any of Kirkland’s streets. // Law forbids eating in a place that is on fire. // Moline: Ice skating at the Riverside pond during the months of June and August is prohibited; There is a ban on unnecessary repetitive driving on 23rd Avenue. // Morton Grove: You may not own a handgun // Normal: It is against the law to make faces at dogs. // Orland Park: No pool tables are allowed in a public establishment, because it supports gambling. // Ottawa: Spitting on the sidewalk is a criminal offense. // Park Ridge: Trucks may only park inside closed garages // Peoria: Basketball hoops may not be installed on a driveway. // Pullman: It is illegal to drink beer out of a bucket while sitting on the curb; It is forbidden to fish while sitting on a giraffe’s neck; It is legal to protest naked in front of city hall as long as you are under seventeen years of age and have legal permits. // The English language is not to be spoken. // The people in Manteno, Ill., do not want used facial tissue, period. Hence, you cannot “throw, drop or place” a used hankie “upon any public way or public place or upon the floor of any convenience or upon the floor of any theater, hall or assembly or public building or upon the surface or any lot or parcel of ground or on the roof on any building or in any light or air shaft, court or areaway.” // Under a 1872 law still on the books, an alderman in Chicago can carry a gun. Some do. // You may be arrested for vagrancy if you do not have at least one dollar bill on your person. // You may be convicted of a Class 4 felony offense, punishable by up to three years in state prison, for the crime of “eavesdropping” on your own conversation. // You must contact the police before entering the city in an automobile. // Zion: It is illegal for anyone to give lighted cigars to dogs, cats, or any other domesticated animals.// Indiana // “Spiteful Gossip” and “talking behind a person’s back” are illegal. // A man over the age of 18 may be arrested for statutory rape if the passenger in his car is not wearing her socks and shoes, and is under the age of 17. // A person who dyes, stains, or otherwise alters the natural coloring of a bird or rabbit commits a Class B misdemeanor. (Ind. Code 15-2.1-21-13(b) // A sports agent is supposed to give a college 10 days notice before luring a star athlete into the professional ranks. // A three dollar fine per pack will be imposed on anyone playing cards in Indiana under the Act for the Prevention of Gaming. // All males 18 to 50 years old must work six days a year on public roads. // Anyone 14 or older who profanely curses, damns or swears by the name of God, Jesus Christ or the Holy Ghost, shall be fined one to three dollars for each offense, with a maximum fine of ten dollars per day. // Auburn: It is illegal to bike, roller-skate, skateboard, or inline skate in a commercially zoned area. For these offenses, there is a fine of no more than $5 or the impounding of one’s bicycle for a period not to exceed 30 days. // Back in 1924, a monkey was convicted in South Bend of the crime of smoking a cigarette and sentenced to pay a 25 dollar fine and the trial costs. // Bathing is prohibited during the winter. // Beech Grove: It is forbidden to eat watermelon in the park. // Check forgery can be punished with public flogging up to 100 stripes. // Drinking from your own bottle in a bar can lead to your arrest. // Drinks on the house are illegal. // Due to a typographical error, a routine ordinance in Shelbyville, Ind., about charging for bad checks started out: “Whereas, the city of Shelbyville through its various governmental fascists receives numerous checks…” This was changed to “governmental facets.” // Elkhart: It is illegal for barbers to threaten to cut off kid’s ears. // Evansville: While driving on Main Street you may not have your lights on. // Gary: Within four hours of eating garlic, a person may not enter a movie house, theater, or ride a public streetcar. // Grocery stores may not sell any type of cold liquor. // Hotel sheets must be exactly 99 inches long and 81 inches wide. // If any person has a puppet show, wire dancing or tumbling act in the state of Indiana and receives money for it, they will be fined $3 under the Act to Prevent Certain Immoral Practices. // In Indiana it is illegal to sell laughing gas with the intent to induce laughter. // In South Bend, Indiana, it is illegal to make a monkey smoke a cigarette. // It is against the law to pass a horse on the street. // It is illegal in Elkhart, Indiana, for a barber to threaten to cut off a youngster’s ears. // It is illegal for a liquor store to sell cold soft drinks. // It is illegal for a man to be sexually aroused in public. // It is illegal for barbers to threaten to cut off kid’s ears. // It is illegal to sell cars on Sunday. // Liquor stores may not sell milk. // Men are prohibited from standing in a bar. // Monkeys are forbidden to smoke cigarettes in South Bend. // Mustaches are illegal if the bearer has a tendency to habitually kiss other humans. // No one may catch a fish with his bare hands. // One man may not back into a parking spot because it prevents police officers from seeing the license plate. // Oral sex is illegal. // Pedestrians crossing the highway at night are prohibited from wearing tail lights. // Smoking in the state legislature building is banned, except when the legislature is in session. // State government officials who engage in private duels can be dismissed from their post. // Taxpayers of Bainbridge, Ind., used to have to swear a solemn oath that the values they placed on their taxable property were the fair market values. // Terre Haute: No one may spit on the sidewalk. // The value of Pi is 4, and not 3.1415. // You are not allowed to carry a cocktail from the bar to a table; the waiter or waitress has to do it. // You are required to pour your drink into a glass. // You can get out of paying for a dependent’s medical care by praying for him/her.// Iowa // A man with a moustache may never kiss a woman in public. // An owner or employee of an establishment in Iowa that sells alcohol can’t legally consume a drink there after closing for business. // Don’t plan on running a “tab” in Iowa; it’s illegal. // Horses are forbidden to eat fire hydrants in Marshalltown, Iowa. // If a law enforcement officer is having a drink in a bar in Iowa and an employee pours water down the drain, the water is legally considered an alcohol beverage intended for unlawful purposes. // In Dubuque any hotel in the city limits must have a water bucket and a hitching post in front of the building. // In Fort Madison the fire department is required to practice fire fighting for fifteen minutes before attending a fire. // In Ottumwa, Iowa, “It is unlawful for any male person, within the corporate limits of the (city), to wink at any female person with whom he is unaquainted.” // Indianola: The “Ice Cream Man” and his truck are banned. // It is a violation of the law to sell or distribute drugs or narcotics without having first obtained the appropriate Iowa drug tax stamp. // It is illegal to hunt from an aircraft. // It is illegal to accept a gratuity or tip in Iowa. // Kisses may last for as much as, but no more than, five minutes. // One-armed piano players must perform for free. // Riverboat gamblers in Iowa have a $5 maximum bet. // The Iowa Legislature once passed a resolution ordering the state cafeteria to start serving cornbread. // Warn your hubby that after lovemaking in Ames, Iowa, he isn’t allowed to take more than three gulps of beer while lying in bed with you — or holding you in his arms. // You may shoot Native Americans if there are more than five of them on your property at any one time.

There is an old saying, what goes around comes around. When you sow the wind, you reap the whirlwind. The thing is, it is not always obvious what is payback for what. Moreton Rolleston Jr. filed a lawsuit to have the Civil Rights Act declared unconstitutional.Forty years later, a Black man, built a mansion on the site of Mr. Rolleston’s home. The fact that this Black man earned his money by playing Black women, in movies, is icing on the cake.
When the Civil Rights Act was passed in 1964, Moreton Rolleston, Jr., owned the Heart of Atlanta Motel. He filed a lawsuit, trying to have the law overturned by the courts. The case went to the Supreme Court, which upheld the law.
The legal justification of the Civil Rights Act was a law giving the U.S. Government the right to regulate interstate commerce. Mr. Rolleston argued that this use of the commerce clause went too far. “‘The argument that this law was passed to relieve a burden on interstate commerce is so much hogwash. It was intended to regulate the acts of individuals.’ If the commerce clause can be stretched that far, declared Rolleston, ‘Congress can regulate every facet of life.'” (PG supports all citizens having the right to housing, education, etc. He also wonders if we are on a slippery slope. The government keeps taking more and more freedom away.)
In 1969, Tyler Perry was born. From humble beginnings, he has been incredibly successful. His signature character is a woman named Madea.
In 1985, Mr. Rolleston was involved in a real estate deal that went sour. He was sued. In 2003, Mr. Rolleston was evicted from his Buckhead home. (Go here for details). In 2005, the propery was sold to Tyler Perry. When the source story was written in 2007, Mr. Rolleston had sued Mr. Perry several times, claiming that it was still his property.
Apparently, Mr. Rolleston , who was disbarred in 2007, is still alive.
HT to Millard Fillmore’s Bathtub.. Pictures from The Library of Congress .

The DailyKos has the uplifting story of a calender for 2012. The item is available at Amazon and Barnes and Noble . The title of this calender is “I’m Not Gay, I’m Just A Sissy”.
The calender was drawn by Joe King. He has a great deal of product available. The attached video is him, speaking on a TV show. At the 3:50 point, he says “Instead of commenting on the horrible things, I’ve started commenting on the positive things”. Perhaps this is what he means by the February page of his calender.
Amazon has 70 reviews of the calender at this moment. All 70 reviews give INGIJAS one star. Amazon said you could view pages from the calender if you signed in with your account. PG created an account, only to find out that only January was available for viewing.
The screen shot is from his site, funnypaperz. The rainbow banner is a tasteful touch.
The other pictures are from The Library of Congress.

People start blogs all the time. The problem starts the second week. It is like that cute puppy you saw, you took it home, and you promised to take care of it. After a while you moved onto another hobby, and the dog needs to go out.
With this in mind, it is time for a post about HOW TO BLOG. This will not tell you about search engine optimization. There are lots of people who will tell you that, and a few will know what they are talking about. Today’s feature (and a future page) is about blogging because you enjoy it. Yes, compulsively checking the stats is part of the fun. There will be posts that you think are home runs, and they will be ignored. There are also posts that will surprise you with their popularity.
When you are starting out, you probably want to choose a venue for your blog. The two obivious choices are WordPress and Blogspot . Chamblee54 started on Blogspot, and produced 264 posts. In February 2008, Google services were no longer available to PG, for mysterious reasons. The blog moved to WordPress, where it remains today.
To PG, WordPress is better in a number of ways. It has a better look, it is not owned by Google, and it is slightly easier to work with. It should be noted that not everyone has a hosted blog… one with .wordpress or .google in the url. Some people have their own domain. You can still use WordPress or Blogger software. For someone starting out, the hosted blog is a bit easier. (If you become popular/controversial, you might want to stay under the umbrella of a host. It would be tough for a hacker to take down Google If you have your own domain, you are on your own.)
Once you choose a service, and set up an account, you will need to choose a template (or theme). This is the look of your blog. PG likes the plain templates, with large columns. The one on this blog now is “The Journalist 1.3 “. The columns are 720 pixels wide, which is good to know when you add pictures. The Journalist is used by two very fine blogs, A Philosopher’s Blog and Futility Closet . If you choose to go with Blogspot, the best theme is Herbert. (If you have already started a blog, and want to use another template, the switch is easy. The pictures will remain the same size, which might look odd if you go with larger columns.)
At this point, you are ready to get started. You will, hopefully, learn by doing. This tutorial is open ended, and will probably have future chapters. Here are a few suggestions.
1- The number one rule is Just Do It. The formula for writing is ass plus chair. Don’t worry if it is not terrific, or if it doesn’t fit the theme of your blog. Don’t worry if it will attract a large audience. Just write something that appeals to you, make it easy to read, and put it up. If it finds an audience, great. If it doesn’t, you had fun writing it.
2- Use spell check. Avoid profanity. Use good grammar. Write short sentences and short paragraphs. Try to make this easy and fun to read. (Easy writing makes for tough reading.) Know the correct use of Their/There/They’re .
3- Use Pictures. The blog is a visual medium, and should be fun for the eye. Be careful with copyrights. Adjust the size of your picture to the size of your columns. (You don’t want to load in huge pictures, that will take a long time to load.) If you don’t have photoshop, you can download GIMP .
4- The more you say, the stronger your opinions, the greater your chance of being a hypocrite. Try to walk the walk, but don’t worry too much about this. Hypocrisy is in the eye of the beholder.
5- Enable comment moderation. Your service will send you an email when you get a comment, and you can approve it. You should check your spam folder frequently, as sometimes legitimate comments wind up in there.
6- Videos are fun. Youtube has a good search engine, and probably has something to liven up your post. Blogspot will embed more types of video than WordPress. Some music players can be embedded as well. Be sure to use the code for WordPress.
7- When you get information from another source, give a link. This is a way of giving credit (like a footnote in a term paper), and it enables the reader to learn more about the subject. To insert a link, click on the Visual tab. Highlight the text that you want the link to target. Click on the tab for inserting a link. Copy the url into the field, click “Open link in a new window/tab”, and click on “Add Link”. There is an easier way to insert links, using HTML, that we will cover in a future tutorial.
8- Write your post in a word document. (Here is the basic template.) Check it for mistakes, and add any code that is appropriate. (A later tutorial will deal with HTML). When you are through, click on New-Post, and give your post a title. Click on the HTML window. Add your pictures before you add your text. (This is not totally necessary, but seems to work a bit better.) Find a spot in the pictures, and copy in your text. Click on the Visual window, and see what it looks like. Go to the bottom of the window and click save. Right click on the preview tab, and open it in another window. Review the text and pictures, and correct any mistakes. Hit publish. Look at the finished post, and make sure it does not need any changes. Right click on edit post, and open that in a new tab. Click on HTML. Hit ctrl+A, ctrl +C, go back to your word document, and click ctrl +V. You now have a coded copy of you post.
9- Have a good time. You are not curing cancer, or eliminating world hunger. You are sharing your thoughts with anyone who wants to see them. When you finish a post, start to think about the next thing you want to put up.
10- Top ten lists are often one line too long.