Saturday, April 9, 2011
Friday, April 8, 2011
U.S. Pharmacy Card
My gastroenterologist prescribed a drug for me that my insurance doesn't cover. It costs $83 for a month's worth. Ouch. The first time, my sister paid for it. When it came time to renew, I decided not to do it because I can't afford it. Then a young woman at my pharmacy (Aurora on Erie St.) told me about an Rx card that could help. It's free, it's not insurance, enrollment is instantaneous, and it brought the price of my prescription down from $83 to $28.
It's called the U.S. Pharmacy Card and anyone can get one. Check it out: http://www.uspharmacycard.com/
It's called the U.S. Pharmacy Card and anyone can get one. Check it out: http://www.uspharmacycard.com/
Four for Fridays
Hello everybody! Welcome back to Four for Fridays after a rather difficult week. This week's thought busters are random.
1) What song is the most personal to you?
2) What TV/movie character best describes you?
3) When was the last you were in a courtroom?
4) Who's your favorite cartoon character?
Enjoy your weekend!
1) What song is the most personal to you?
2) What TV/movie character best describes you?
3) When was the last you were in a courtroom?
4) Who's your favorite cartoon character?
Enjoy your weekend!
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Sigur Ros - "Glósóli"
I just happened to be checking out Madame Zoltar's profile (http://www.blogger.com/profile/04522974421889831986), when I noticed that her audio clip links to the song below. I think it's beautiful.
Walker at DeltaHawk
I went to get some pictures of the protesters and King Ding Dong himself. Unfortunately I was on Golf Ave along with some protesters and he went in the airport off Eaton Ln then drove down to DeltaHawk which borders the airport.
I drove over to Eaton Ln and wouldn’t ya know, they left on Golf...dang! Although, I did take some pictures of the protesters; there weren’t very many, almost as many cops as protesters...Laugh’in.
I drove over to Eaton Ln and wouldn’t ya know, they left on Golf...dang! Although, I did take some pictures of the protesters; there weren’t very many, almost as many cops as protesters...Laugh’in.
"Bivouac on a Mountainside"
I see before me now a traveling army halting,
Below a fertile valley spread, with barns and the orchards of summer,
Behind, the terraced sides of a mountain, abrupt, in places rising high,
Broken, with rocks, with clinging cedars, with tall shapes dingily seen,
The numerous camp-fires scatter'd near and far, some away up on the mountain,
The shadowy forms of men and horses, looming, large-sized, flickering,
And over all the sky--the sky! far, far out of reach, Studded, breaking out, the
eternal stars.
--Walt Whitman
"Walter 'Walt' Whitman (May 31, 1819 – March 26, 1892) was an American poet, essayist and journalist. A humanist, he was a part of the transition between transcendentalism and realism, incorporating both views in his works. Whitman is among the most influential poets in the American canon, often called the father of free verse.[1] His work was very controversial in its time, particularly his poetry collection Leaves of Grass, which was described as obscene for its overt sexuality."
Below a fertile valley spread, with barns and the orchards of summer,
Behind, the terraced sides of a mountain, abrupt, in places rising high,
Broken, with rocks, with clinging cedars, with tall shapes dingily seen,
The numerous camp-fires scatter'd near and far, some away up on the mountain,
The shadowy forms of men and horses, looming, large-sized, flickering,
And over all the sky--the sky! far, far out of reach, Studded, breaking out, the
eternal stars.
--Walt Whitman
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walt_Whitman
"Scott Brown reacts to suicide at Cape Cod camp"
"Officials: Suicide victim at Cape Cod camp was employee accused of abuse"
"SANDWICH – An employee of a Christian summer camp on Cape Cod shot himself to death today just days after he became the focus of a criminal investigation into allegations that he sexually abused a camper during the 1980s, officials said."
"I've felt guilty long enough." Hear, hear. I congratulate Senator Brown on his courage.
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Banned by the Journal Times, Again
Your Journal Times user account (OrbsCorbs) was banned by one of our editors today, April 6, for violating our Terms of Service.
You can appeal in 30 days from the date of your ban, and if you say you agree to follow our Terms of Service, your account will be reactivated.
If you have any questions, you can contact one of our editors by email: techguy@JournalTimes.com
Brenda Wishau
Online Programmer
The Journal Times
Phone: 262.631.1735
And I don't even know why.
:-(
I don't remember posting anything particularily obnoxious, although I did refer to Racine as the Pedo Capital of the USA.
Oh well. It's been one of those kinds of days. I wonder if OrbsO'Corbs' account is still active?
:-P
Binge drinking
Another UW Student has died from “Binge Drinking”. The student fell down the basement stairs.
http://www.fox6now.com/news/witi-20110405-uwm-student-dies,0,4801367.story
Definition of Binge Drinking as listed by Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Binge drinking is defined as episodic excessive drinking. There is currently no world wide consensus on how many drinks constitute a "binge", but in the USA, the term is often taken to mean consuming five or more standard drinks (male), or four or more drinks (female), in about two hours for a typical adult
I feel the problem with binge dinking is not the deaths even though they are tragic, but the idiots who drive drunk after binge dinking.
I have been around for some time now and still cannot understand how so many people get arrested for 4, 5, 10 times for drunken driving.
I think that anyone who is arrested multiple times, their vehicles should be impounded by the court and sold!
Additionally, If the spouse has a vehicle and allows the drunk to take it, he or she should be arrest and their vehicle should then be confiscated!
There has to be a way to get the multiple drunk drives off the road.
Dear Madame Zoltar
Hello, my diaphanous daffodils! How are you? Surprise, I’m baaack!Oh my, what a story. The “lottery” that I “won” was a scam. I couldn’t believe it at first. I was devastated. Thank God that Mr. OrbsCorbs was there or I might have fallen for it. He appeared at my front door right after I announced that I’d won the money. Mr. OrbsCorbs offered to help pack, clean, or do whatever he could to be useful in the preparation for our move to Romania. He also seemed to pay a lot of personal attention to me (tee-hee), but I know that sudden wealth might have something to do with that. (I found his vague hints at marriage to be unsettling, though.)
While we were making preparations, I received a telephone call from the same gentleman who had called previously to tell me that I had won. He was inquiring about the “earnest money,” and giving me directions on where to send it. I told him that I had no idea of what he was talking about. He said, “It’s right there, printed on the back of your ticket. You must put up $5,000 earnest money as a show of good faith and your intention to come to Romania to claim your prize and live here for at least the next five years."
I panicked. I’ll be honest with you, my dears, I don’t even remember buying a ticket for the Romanian Psychic Lottery. I’m not sure I ever did. When the man called to tell me that I had won $30 million, I wasn’t going to quibble over details. I thought perhaps the lottery was
conducted psychically and I had been selected through the ether. In any case, I didn’t have $5,000 lying around. We had already purchased our airline tickets and had to rent out a lot of storage space for our belongings until we were settled in Romania and could send for them. The house was going up for sale, with some of the furniture still in it, but I wasn’t going to sell the business. That meant I had to hire on a manager at more costs.I told the gentleman that I would need some time to get the money together and he said that he would call again the following day. Oh my. I just didn’t know what to do. At that point, Mr. OrbsCorbs came into the room to ask me if some items were to be put in storage, or shipped with us. He looked at me and said, “Madame, you don’t look too well. Is anything wrong?” Oh dear. I told him about the phone call and the $5,000 and being broke. And I cried. Mr. OrbsCorbs was so consoling. He gave me a great big hug and let me cry on his shoulder for awhile, and then he said, “You know, I think this lottery thing is a scam.” “What?” I said as I pushed back from him. Mr. OrbsCorbs went on to explain about how ruthless telephone scammers ask people to provide money upfront to claim some ”winnings” or “inheritance” or deserted bank account. I was still skeptical. So he offered to take me to the Racine Police Department where we could talk to an officer about it. No thanks! My kind has a built-in aversion to the police.
Finally, Mr. Orbscorbs suggested that I contact some of my psychic friends in the area to see if they, too, had “won” the Romanian Psychic Lottery. I felt foolish at first, but Mr. OrbsCorbs egged me on. So I called, and the very first psychic that I contacted said that she, too, had been informed that she’d won the lottery. She had not yet received any “earnest money” call, though. I was shocked. So I called all of the psychics that I know here. In total, 29 had been contacted and told that they had won the “lottery.” Of those, 14 had already received the call about providing “earnest money.” And of those, sadly, three had already wired money, in amounts ranging from $5,000 to $10,000. Oh my, oh my. If Mr. OrbsCorbs hadn’t alerted me to this scam, I don’t know what would have happened. Thank you so much, Mr. OrbsCorbs. Thank you.
And me, a professional psychic, and I didn’t see through this? That is what happens when greed clouds your heart and your vision. Junior is devastated, too, because he won’t be a teenage millionaire playboy on Romania’s nude beaches. Well, I learned a lot from this experience, mainly that old saw, “If something sounds too good to be true, it probably is.”
I hope that all of my dear Irregulars will accept the newly-humbled me back into the fold of your loving embrace. I wanted to reply to all of your lovely farewell comments in my last blog, but I couldn't because I was crying too hard. I started having nightmares about you right after I wrote that blog. The emotional stress of leaving here, even temporarily, was almost too much for me to bear. It’s like I was created to do just this. So I hope that you don’t mind if I hop back into the spot of the JTI’s official prognosticator. Unless, of course, you’ve already replaced me. If you have, please notify me, and I’ll scratch the bitch’s eyes out, oh, no, I mean, we can “discuss” matters.
Please send your lucky lottery numbers to: madamezoltar@jtirregulars.com.
[Confidential to JD: Those who make deals with the Devil get burnt permanently.]
I love you, I love you, I love you, my dear Irregulars. I am so happy to be back with you. It would have been nice to be rich with a lot of money, but here in Racine I am so much richer with a lot friends. May we never part again. Spring is beginning to sproing. Pay attention. The plants will be putting on the greatest show on earth. Anagnorisis!
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
SICK PAY
There has been controversy over sick pay where some groups/voters claim business should be required to offer sick pay.
Talking with several individuals the range of sick pay they receive at their jobs varies substantially, anywhere from 3 to 7 in a rolling year.
My question is: “should a business be “REQUIRED BY LAW” to offer sick pay?
Talking with several individuals the range of sick pay they receive at their jobs varies substantially, anywhere from 3 to 7 in a rolling year.
My question is: “should a business be “REQUIRED BY LAW” to offer sick pay?
The Story Behind the DP Wigley Co Brew-ha-ha
A few days ago I blogged about the recent happenings at DP Wigley Co where a fundraiser featuring homebrew was stopped:
JTI Special Correspondent Clint Teeters has looked further into this matter and has filed this report:
Thank you JTI Special Correspondent Clint Teeters for your exhaustive investigation and extensive research into this story.
"125.09 prohibits consumption in public places" Does this mean the end of the 4th of July as we know it?
http://www.jtirregulars.com/2011/04/beer-brew-that-made-milwaukee-famous.html
JTI Special Correspondent Clint Teeters has looked further into this matter and has filed this report:
"I emailed the mayor and asked why the fundraiser was stopped at DP Wigley. City Administrator Tom Friedel replied:
Mr. Teeters,
Thank you for communicating with the city on this matter. The mayor asked me to respond on his behalf. In a separate email, I have contacted Mark Flynn of D. P. Wigley
Last Friday the City Clerk’s office received an anonymous report (with a flyer) that the Belle City Homebrewers were planning to offer free beer samples at D.P. Wigley during the First Friday event. We corresponded with the owners of the business, citing state statute 125.06, concerning home brewing.
125.06 License and permit exceptions. No license or permit is required under this chapter for:
(3) Homemade wine or fermented malt beverages.
The manufacture of wine or fermented malt beverages of any alcoholic content by any person at his or her home, farm or place of residence if the wine or fermented malt beverages is to be consumed by that person or his or her family and guests, and if the person manufacturing the wine or fermented malt beverages receives no compensation.
The key words here are, “to be consumed at his or her home, farm or place of residence”. Clearly the D.P. Wigley site does not fall under any of those categories for exception. We felt it was our obligation to inform the owners that a complaint was made and remind them of the law.
Mr. Flynn responded that we were making an incorrect interpretation of the law, so we contacted the state commerce department asking for advice on this particular situation. They responded that there were two additional statutes that governed this situation.
125.09 prohibits consumption in public places and 125.315 prohibits commercially giving it away. Unlicensed business cannot do either.
The statutes cited are state laws, not city policies. The city did not close down the event, but made the owners aware of the state law, so that if they were confronted by an officer attempting to enforce the law, they would not be surprised. When the city receives complaints from citizens it has an obligation to respond. We regret that this situation caused the Belle City Homebrewers to cancel their worthwhile event and that our call to them was given on short notice, but those circumstances were beyond our control.
In an effort to find a solution to what happened last Friday and for the Great Lakes Brewfest, we suggest that the club contact an elected state representative to ask for a change in the statutes that would accommodate events that clubs like yours would like to hold. Statute 125.51(10) allows for temporary licensing and could be modified to include home brewing clubs. The city would be happy to work with your organization to advance changes in this statute.
If you would like to discuss this further, please contact me directly,
Tom
Thomas Friedel
City Administrator
730 Washington Ave.
Racine, WI 53403
262-619-2540
"Yours truly, Clint Teeters."
Thank you JTI Special Correspondent Clint Teeters for your exhaustive investigation and extensive research into this story.
"125.09 prohibits consumption in public places" Does this mean the end of the 4th of July as we know it?
"Notice of claim against the City…in black and white"
"Posted on April 4th, 2011 by racineuncovered
"5:14 p.m. – I received permission from the Claimant and the attorney handling this. Here is the Notice of Claim that was filed against the City of Racine this past Friday. This is the first of about 5 contractors that will be filings claims.
"Click to read Notice of Claim against City of Racine"
Party on, lying John!
Vote Today!
There are many races being decided today in our area, including Mayor of Racine, County Executive, three RUSD board seats, a state Supreme Court seat, three RUSD referendums, and numerous other races specific to your local ward/village/township/whatever.
It is imperative that we vote. Hundreds of thousands of valiant men and women have given their lives to protect our right to vote. Please exercise that right and add your voice to our democratic process.
Monday, April 4, 2011
Sunday, April 3, 2011
The Cyclotrope
No tricks, no CGI, no sleight of hand; just a bicycle wheel, your eyes, and your brain.
Also available here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oyBpt3VrBNg