Background

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

STOP THE MADNESS


Today I read an article about - SuperPacs and Secret Money - in the Huffington Post online. The shameful decision by the Supreme Court on Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission has led to corruption, millionaire's money buying politicians. Corporations ARE NOT people, yet they also buy politicians.

The article said:

"The federal system of campaign finance is in the midst of a sea change following the Supreme Court's decision in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission (FEC), which undid a host of regulations covering the use of corporate and union money by independent groups in elections. Those independent groups are forming a shadow campaign apparatus fueled by unlimited and often undisclosed contributions, without the same accountability required of political parties or candidates' own political action committees."

Instead of raising billions of dollars from secret donors, why don't those donors donate their money to fund unemployment compensation for the many people out of work, so they can go to the store to buy groceries to feed their families. Why don't they donate some of their big money to fund charities who take care of the elderly and poor so those less fortunate have a roof over their heads and food to eat.

The rich spend their money on luxuries and lavish life styles. They don't understand that if poor people have money, they will spend it on food, and absolute necessities, which in turn creates demand for products, which in turn makes producers of products to create more products, and to do that it needs more employees. Companies will hire more people to produce the products that are in demand, for those who have the money to spend, and the unemployment rate will come down.

A country that takes care of its poor, elderly, disabled, and homeless, is a much better country. The corruption is being paid for by millionaires who want to see the poor, elderly, disabled and homeless cease to exist. They cannot see below their noses, so high in the air.

Tax the rich, close the loopholes for the rich, and do away with big corporate tax credits instead of making the poor pay more and give up their medications or meals. The "rich bitches" of this country have no heart, no soul, and no patriotic feel for what this country was founded on. They thrive on making things worse, being obstructionists, and being racist. It's getting disgusting to even say the word that starts with "R" as a party. This country will cease to exist if they keep going down their path to destruction. I'm ashamed to say that the "Weeper of the House" is from Ohio.

Saturday, September 24, 2011

GRAND OPENING


On Wednesday evening at 6:00pm, a Grand Opening was held for the Fayette County Headquarters of the We Are Ohio Repeal SB5 effort. The office is located in the old Midland Building on the corner of East and Main Streets, Suite 4.

Office hours are noon to 8:00pm Monday through Friday, and shorter hours on Saturdays. The office has literature, bumper stickers, buttons, and yard signs available for pickup free.

Phone banks are held on Wednesdays, but volunteers can stop by to lend a hand to the effort anytime during open office hours to help get the word out to local voters regarding the repeal effort.


In attendance was former State Representative Ray Pryor, who gave the invocation for the event.


The guest speaker was John Ryan, who was working for U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown of Ohio. He left Brown's office to help guide the campaign to repeal Ohio's new collective bargaining law.
John Ryan, who's been Brown's state director since 2007, left to join the campaign known as "We Are Ohio."

Ryan is the former head of the Cleveland AFL-CIO Federation of Labor, now called the North Shore AFL-CIO, and is widely respected among union leaders.

We Are Ohio is a coalition of labor groups who collected enough valid voter signatures to place a referendum of the collective bargaining law, knows as Senate Bill 5, on the November ballot.

The bill, passed by the Republican-controlled Ohio legislature and touted widely by Ohio's Republican Governor, limits collective bargaining rules of some 360,000 state workers. Even though the State of Ohio claims 360,000 state workers, over 1.3 million valid signatures were turned in to the Secretary of State from registered voters who want to support the repeal of SB5.

A good crowd was on hand for the opening, which also included pizza, pop and desert for attendees.

All volunteers are welcome; please stop by the office and see Sue or Dorothy to deliver yard signs, make phone calls, etc. VOTE NO ON ISSUE 2, THE REPEAL OF SB5.

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

THE WAY IT WAS


A little house with three bedrooms,
One bathroom and one car on the street.
A mower that you had to push
To make the grass look neat.

In the kitchen on the wall
We only had one phone,
And no need for recording things,
Someone was always home.

We only had a living room
Where we would congregate,
Unless it was at mealtime
In the kitchen where we ate.

We had no need for family rooms
Or extra rooms to dine.
When meeting as a family
Those two rooms would work out fine.

We only had one TV set
And channels maybe two,
But always there was one of them
With something worth the view.

For snacks we had potato chips
That tasted like a chip.
And if you wanted flavor
There was Lipton's onion dip.

Store-bought snacks were rare because
My mother liked to cook
And nothing can compare to snacks
In Betty Crocker's book.

Weekends were for family trips
Or staying home to play.
We all did things together --
Even go to church to pray.

When we did our weekend trips
Depending on the weather,
No one stayed at home because
We liked to be together.

Sometimes we would separate
To do things on our own,
But we knew where the others were
Without our own cell phone.

Then there were the movies
With your favorite movie star,
And nothing can compare
To watching movies in your car.

Then there were the picnics
At the peak of summer season,
Pack a lunch and find some trees
And never need a reason.

Get a baseball game together
With all the friends you know,
Have real action playing ball --
And no game video.

Remember when the doctor
Used to be the family friend,
And didn't need insurance
Or a lawyer to defend?

The way that he took care of you
Or what he had to do,
Because he took an oath and strived
To do the best for you.

Remember going to the store
And shopping casually,
And when you went to pay for it
You used your own money?

Nothing that you had to swipe
Or punch in some amount,
And remember when the cashier person
Had to really count?

The milkman used to go
From door to door,
And it was just a few cents more
Than going to the store.

There was a time when mailed letters
Came right to your door,
Without a lot of junk mail ads
Sent out by every store...

The mailman knew each house by name
And knew where it was sent;
There were not loads of mail addressed
To "present occupant."

There was a time when just one glance
Was all that it would take,
And you would know the kind of car,
The model and the make.

They didn't look like turtles
Trying to squeeze out every mile;
They were streamlined, white walls, fins
And really had some style.

One time the music that you played
Whenever you would jive,
Was from a vinyl, big-holed record
Called a forty-five.

The record player had a post
To keep them all in line
And then the records would drop down
And play one at a time.

Oh sure, we had our problems then,
Just like we do today
And always we were striving,
Trying for a better way.

Oh, the simple life we lived
Still seems like so much fun,
How can you explain a game,
Just kick the can and run?

And why would boys put baseball cards
Between bicycle spokes
And for a nickel, red machines
had little bottled Cokes?

This life seemed so much easier
and slower in some ways.
I love the new technology
but I sure do miss those days.

So time moves on and so do we
and nothing stays the same,
but I sure love to reminisce
and walk down memory lane.

MY GENERATION CAN REMEMBER SO MUCH OF THIS AS BEING THE WAY IT WAS!

Saturday, September 17, 2011

WATER OVER WATER



Even after you see it, it is still hard to believe!
Water Bridge in Germany. What a feat!
Six years, 500 million Euros, 918 meters long...now this is engineering!

This is a channel-bridge over the River Elbe and joins the former East and West Germany as part of the unification project. It is located in the city of Magdeburg, near Berlin. The photo was taken on the day of inauguration ...

The Magdeburg Water Bridge is a navigable aqueduct in Germany that connects the Elbe-Havel Canal to the Mittelland Canal, and allows ships to cross over the Elbe River. At 918 meters, it is the longest navigable aqueduct in the world.

The Elbe-Havel and Mittelland canals had previously met near Magdeburg but on opposite sides of the Elbe. Ships moving between the two had to make a 12-kilometer detour, descending from the Mittelland Canal through the Rothensee boat lift into the Elbe, then sailing downstream on the river, before entering the Elbe-Havel Canal through Niegripp lock. Low water levels in the Elbe often prevented fully laden canal barges from making this crossing, requiring time-consuming off-loading of cargo.

Construction of the water link was started as early as in the 1930s but due to the World War 2 and subsequent division of Germany the work remained suspended till 1997. The aqueduct was finally completed and opened to the public in 2003.



To those who appreciate engineering projects, here's a puzzle for your armchair engineers...and physicists.

Question:

Did that bridge have to be designed to withstand the additional weight of ship and barge traffic, or just the weight of the water?

Answer:

It only needs to be designed to withstand the weight of the water!

Why?
A ship always displaces an amount of water that weighs the same as the ship, regardless of how heavily a ship may be loaded.

Thursday, September 15, 2011

PLEASE CHECK THIS OUT

A friend of mine has a new blog here on blogspot. To all my friends and followers: please go and view his new blog, and sign up to follow him. He is trying to get viewers and get their website off the ground and running.

The blog is PetSuppliesandFashion.blogspot.com CLICK HERE for the link.

His daughter' website is PetSuppliesandFashion.com CLICK HERE for the link.

Thank you and I know they would appreciate your viewing their sites, especially if you like (or have) a cat or a dog, or other pet. The website give all kinds of advice for pet owners and/or lovers.

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

A LEARNING EXPERIENCE



Yesterday I learned how to remove old wall border (the wet & stick kind) that was applied over another border (the wallpaper paste type). I needed to cut some of the first layer off to square it up, and when pealed, it left the paper backing to the wall. I learned that a wet wash cloth dabbed onto the paper backing, then scraped with a plastic putty knife, removes all the paste and paper.

Once all that was done, I was able to paint the wall area where the border stopped. It was getting up and down off the step stool so many times that caused my legs to give out. But the painting got done!

The repairman showed up later and the room was ready for the final work. The mudding was completed on the drywall and the walls of the room were painted. Today, all I have to do is put the electrical outlet covers back on and vacuum the room. Then it's DONE!!

While he was working to paint the walls, I got ambitious and started painting the laundry room, until my body gave out again. He finished the areas I could not reach (because sometimes I feel short and can't reach too high). Even the shelves are straight and painted!

What an improvement all this work makes to beautify a home. Hard work. Tiring work. Makes a body hurt. But the final look is GREAT!

Monday, September 12, 2011

THE REASON

You give me hope
And help me cope
When life pulls me down
You bring me around.

You taught me to care
And help me share
From you I learned love
With grace from above.

It's for you I live
And want to give
You are the reason
That fills the season.

When I hear "love" I think of you
You are my world and best friend too.

I love you because
you are thoughtful
I love you because
you are caring
I just love you because.

A mother's heart can be broken by words
But a hug can mend it and wipe away tears.

So never forget the love that is given
Because it's never ending and things are forgiven.

Sunday, September 11, 2011

REMEMBERING 9/11

REMEMBER 9/11/01 AND ALL WHO WERE LOST
ESPECIALLY THE MANY FIREMEN WHO FOUGHT TO SAVE SO MANY OTHERS.




I remember September 11th for one other very special reason. For as long as I can remember back in my childhood, September 11th was always celebrated by my parents. It was the seed to my very existence. My parents were married September 11, 1935. They met in Dayton, while my mother was working at Frigidare after attending Miami Jacobs College. They had been married 38 years when my father passed away. I always remember 9/11.

Friday, September 9, 2011

MOVIN' ON


For those following my "black cloud" events, I just wanted to let you know that Tuesday I was ready for the final inspection on the new electrical panel. The permit was issued, the inspection was done, and IT PASSED. Of course, I had no doubt as to its viability since the workmanship was so well done.

I now have my final approval certificate and proceed to move on. The carpet needs vacuuming and some general cleaning, but I'm so happy that is done.

Now all I need to do is find someone to repair the drywall around the panel, paint the area, and I'm finished. Next week will not be so bad and things are looking up.

It may be raining outside, but sunny days are ahead for me, finally.

Tuesday, September 6, 2011

KAREN-ELAINE-TONYA & LEAH




Labor Day was a get-together for the girls! Karen, Elaine and Tonya all had Arizona license plates and are members of the National Pink Heals Tour. Leah is the Fayette County lady maintained by Wayne Township Fire Department Chief Ryan McMurray.


The Pink Heals Tour held a fund raising event at the Fayette County Fairgrounds with music, displays and food. The Jeffersonville Fire Department sold their fish fry meals.


Fire truck Karen pulls the trailer with the cancer ribbon symbol.




Pink Heals t-shirts, sweatshirts, hats, visors, and decals were available for purchase to raise money for women's cancer issues. Fire trucks were on display from the other Fayette County departments, and the City of Washington Fire.

You can visit the PinkHeals.org website and see more of their nationwide work. Also see my previous blog item PINK HEALS for more information about the local Ohio Chapter, Guardians of the Ribbon.

Monday, September 5, 2011

A WORK OF ART


After several hours of work, the new electric panel is a work of art. The old panel of 8 breakers had been "fixed" by someone who thought he knew what he was doing. It was only made worse. (I didn't hire the "fixer.") I was then forced to "fix" the "fix" properly and make it pass code regulations. I now know one of the best in the business - electrician. His expertise is "above and beyond" what I could have asked for.

I am fortunate to know an experienced electrician who works at Home Depot. I purchased all the parts necessary, with his help and advice. Luckily for me, my friend's brother is an expert licensed electrician and was able to do the work for me.

It started Saturday afternoon, but we had to quit at dusk. My halogen flash light was not giving enough light to continue. I was picking up trash and learning as I watched a master in action. I never knew much about electrical things, but I got an education fast.

We returned Sunday morning to complete the job. I was a good "go-fer" and ran to Ace Hardware three times, and Home Depot once for small items that were needed. The bushings and lock nuts from the old panel could not be used in the new panel. (See, I even know these terms now!) The new panel has more breakers and no item is doubled up anymore (on one breaker).

I learned the difference between 220 wiring and 110 wiring, and the panel was then marked to show which breaker was for the stove, the a/c, and dryer outlets.

My new panel will now pass its final inspection and my "black cloud" will be turned to sunny days ahead. I am grateful for my friends and their help and support during my two "black cloud" weeks. I am also blessed to know a wonderful, smart, helpful electrician and volunteer fireman who gave of his time and patience with me through all my questions and learning process. I know his parents and his brother and they are all wonderful people.

On this Labor Day, I can truly say, I watched a "labor of love" for the profession and the job he did to tear out the old and create the new "work of art."

Sunday, September 4, 2011

MY BLACK CLOUD


I now know what it's like to watch a professional, perfectionist, slowly chisel away about three-quarters of an inch of a two-by-four wall stud to make something fit in a wall. When a house is built, wall studs are usually 16 inches apart. Not the one I saw today; it was about 14 inches from the next, and leaning to the left.

This is just one more hurdle to overcome in my quest to conquer the black cloud that has settled in "my space" of life in the past two weeks.

I was telling a friend about my crazy situation, and she said it sounded like I had a "black cloud" over my head. I used to just call it: "if I didn't have bad luck, I'd have no luck at all".

Where there's a will - there's a way, and I will tackle this project with all the vigor I can. I never let a challenge stand in my way. These situations just make a person stronger and wiser.

More details to follow as I climb this new mountain of life!

Friday, September 2, 2011

THE WINDOW


A young couple moves into a new neighborhood.

The next morning while they are eating breakfast, the young woman sees her neighbor hanging the wash outside.
"That laundry is not very clean", she said.
"She doesn't know how to wash correctly.
Perhaps she needs better laundry soap."

Her husband looked on, but remained silent.

Every time her neighbor would hang her wash to dry, the young woman would make the same comments.

About one month later, the woman was surprised to see a nice clean wash on the line and said to her husband:

"Look, she has learned how to wash correctly. I wonder who taught her this."

The husband said, "I got up early this morning and cleaned our windows."

And so it is with life. What we see when watching others depends on the purity of the window through which we look!