Saturday, July 16, 2016

" There's a Monster Living Under My Dock (LiveLeak Original)"

From LiveLeak:

"This monster snapper hangs around the dock on occasion, I've handled him quite a bit in the last 15-20 years so he is used to my presence. I decided to mount a GoPro to a stick and got up close & personal with this old turtle. I tried getting him to snap at the camera but no luck...this time."

[credit: licensing@viralhog.com]



Read more: http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=a79_1468556677

Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday to a very special person to me Daddy Orbs. We hope you have a very nice day today and I hope you share a piece of cake with Charlie. This cake looks so good too.

Friday, July 15, 2016

"Take Our Poll: How Should Mount Pleasant Fund Water, Sewer Projects?"

From Racine County Eye:

By Heather Asiyanbi in Government · July 15, 2016 · No comments 

"How the Village of Mount Pleasant pays for certain infrastructure projects like water and sewer improvements – including the construction of new extensions – is up for discussion, but has not yet been concluded."

Read more and take the poll:  http://racinecountyeye.com/take-poll-mount-pleasant-fund-water-sewer-projects/

It's neck-stomping good weather out there.

From Racine County Eye:

 By Denise Lockwood in Breaking, Police and fire · July 15, 2016 · No comments

"A woman is accused of child abuse after she struck a child in the face and stomped on another’s neck after they were fighting with her daughter.

"Sherrita Johnson, 35, of Mount Pleasant, was charged with two counts of physical abuse of a child, contributing to the delinquency of a child, and two counts of felony bail jumping.

"If convicted on all charges, Johnson faces up to 37 years nine months in prison and/or fined up to $70,000.

"According the criminal complaint, officers with the Racine Police Department were called to a home in the 2700 block of 21st St for a report of an 11-year-old girl being struck in the face and a 12-year-old girl’s neck being stomped on at 3:30 a.m. Wednesday. During the investigation, officers learned that Johnson physically fought the girls after they had a disagreement with her daughter at 3 a.m.

"Johnson told the police that once she learned about the three girls fighting, she brought her two children over to the 11-year-old girl’s home. Johnson told police there was a verbal altercation, but she denied hitting the girl or stomping on the other girl’s neck.

"Johnson, who is out on bail, has a pending burglary charge in Dane County.

"A preliminary hearing has been set for 9 .m. Wednesday in front of Racine County Court Commissioner Alice Rudebusch."

Read more:  http://racinecountyeye.com/police-woman-stomped-childs-neck-struck-another/

Four for Fridays!

Good morning everyone I hope you all made it through the hot and humid days this past week. The next couple of days are suppose to be really nice out there. I know around by us you could hear the air conditioners keep going this week. Here are the questions for this week.

1) Have you had an argument with a sibling and after that the only time you talked was for family gatherings?

2) Do you think that people are spending way to much money on weddings these days?

3) When you or a neighbor move away do you ever stay in contact with them?

4) Do you think the prices for county fairs are over priced?

I hope everyone has a great day!

Wednesday, July 13, 2016

"While race narrows, negative views of Clinton and Trump remain entrenched"

From JSOnline:

Presumpteive presidential nominees Hillary Clinton (left) and Donald Trump (right). Credit: Associated Press  

By Craig Gilbert of the Journal Sentinel
 
"Amid a tumultuous summer for the country and the campaign, the negative views of Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton in Wisconsin appear almost fixed in stone, impervious to events.

"That’s one take-away from a statewide poll released Wednesday by the Marquette University Law School.

"Clinton’s lead over Trump among likely voters in the state narrowed from 9 points in June to 4 in the new poll, taken last Thursday through Sunday.

"She leads Trump 45% to 41% among likely voters polled and 43% to 37% among registered voters, a slightly broader measure of the potential electorate.

"That suggests a tightening that is consistent with a number of other state and national surveys released this week.

"But what is striking is how little fluctuation there is in perceptions of the two presumptive nominees, despite a series of dramatic developments since Marquette’s last survey June 9-12. Among them: the Orlando massacre and its aftermath; the FBI’s findings that Clinton was 'reckless' in using a private email system as secretary of state; the Dallas police shootings and the searing debate over racial violence; and the latest in an ongoing spate of controversies over Trump’s campaign rhetoric.

"Yet views of Clinton and Trump are almost identical to what they were a month ago, which isn’t encouraging for either one."

Read more:  http://www.jsonline.com/blogs/news/386696891.html


They both turn my stomach.  Vote OrbsCorbs, Of Course, for Persident 2016.

"Poll: Strong majority of Wisconsinites want legal marijuana"


From The Journal Times.com:

MARK SOMMERHAUSER msommerhauser@madison.com, 608-252-6122  Updated 1
 
"A majority of Wisconsinites want marijuana to be legal and regulated like alcohol, a new poll shows.

"Results were released Wednesday for the Marquette Law School Poll, a leading measure of public opinion in the Badger State.

"The poll asked registered voters: 'When it comes to marijuana, some people think that the drug should be fully legalized and regulated like alcohol. Do you agree or disagree with that view?'

"Fifty-nine percent of respondents said they agreed, while 39 percent disagreed.

"Poll director Charles Franklin noted the results were a shift from those given to a survey question in Wisconsin two years ago — although, Franklin emphasized, that question was worded differently.

"It asked voters in September 2014: 'Do you think the use of marijuana should be made legal or not?'

"Then, 46 percent of poll respondents said it should be legal and 51 percent said it should not be.

"The new poll results show 'the tide in Wisconsin is turning' on public opinion of legalization, state Rep. Melissa Sargent said Wednesday.

"Sargent, D-Madison, has introduced marijuana legalization bills in the state Assembly, but they gained little traction.

"Marijuana, while still illegal under federal law, has been legalized for recreational use in several states in recent years. They are Alaska, Colorado, Oregon and Washington, and the District of Columbia.

"The latest Marquette poll was conducted July 7-10 and had a margin of error of plus or minus 4.1 percentage points."

Read more:  http://journaltimes.com/news/state-and-regional/poll-strong-majority-of-wisconsinites-want-legal-marijuana/article_6dfefed5-ec37-55ed-96e6-a37558116c77.html

Dear Madame Zoltar

Hello, my Post Toasties!  How hot are you?  I remember talking about this in the winter, how we complain if it gets too hot or too cold.  So, I'm not complaining.  I'm just commenting on the oppressive heat and humidity.  I'm commenting very loudly: "It's hot, hot, hot!"  But it's still better than the s-word.  Let's not even think about that.  Just pour yourself another tall, cool one and read the rest of my blog.

I must express my sorrow at the carnage in Dallas and around the country.  Have we gone mad?  It appears in a number of cases that the police have committed murder, thus they are the target of murderers seeking revenge.  But there's no rhyme or reason about it.  Ambushing and killing five police officers in Dallas isn't the answer to the problem.  We need an honest national dialog on these issues.  I agree with the video a couple of blogs down that says we expect too much of our police officers.  To put it bluntly, I believe that many of them are doing the job that parents did a generation or two back.  Also, the police are viewed as the enemy in many blighted areas.  It's like they have targets on their chests and backs.  How much money would it take to persuade you to go into these areas as a police officer?  I figure a million billion dollars might be enough for me, but I want a tank.

Generations are being lost to a lack of family support.  If no one disciplines a child, he/she grows wild.  I don't mean discipline in the sense of punishment, but rather instilling a sense of discipline in your child.  Teach them the discipline to follow the rules and do the tasks assigned to them.  So, whose responsibility is to see to this?  Certainly not police officers.  There's not enough of them or enough time.  Most of it, I think, falls, undeservedly, upon the shoulders of educators.  The police get involved when the educators "fail."  It's unfair to foist the responsibility of raising your child on an educational system that's already stretched to the max.  Unfortunately, this is the way new generations are being brought up.  The pressure on educators is intense.  They have to try to teach a normal curriculum while also dealing with the distractions of "special needs" children.  Most of them "need" a spanking, but you don't dare touch, unless you want to be sued and lose your job.

Hmm, how did I end up on that soapbox today?  It just angers me that so much is heaped on educators.  Like the video about expecting too much from the police, the same is true for our educators.  Teach your children, yes, that's the teacher's job, but not to raise them for you.  Your child/children are your responsibility, not RUSD's.  The failure to take responsibility for one's children is eating away at the substructure of the teaching profession. 

Perhaps soon the police will be required to carry a variety of disposable diapers and milk bottles in each squad car.  Call 911 when your child's diaper is full and the police will arrive to take care of the situation.  You laugh now, but give it a few more years . . .  So says Madame Zoltar™!

It looks like any intersection in Racine needing roadwork is up for the installation of a roundabout.  I used to be against them, but now I don't care.  I don't know how to drive through them, so I do the best I can and get through, often with many horns honking and people yelling.  Make them all roundabouts.  Maybe Racine can become known as the 'Roundabout City,' with the best tasting water and lowest crime rates.  

OK, I need to 'fess up.  I don't carefully drive through roundabouts, doing the best I can.  I blast through them, the devil be damned.

Well, thank you for reading another edition of Dear Madame Zoltar.  I love all of my readers.  If i could, I'd reach out of the page and plant a great big smooch on your forehead.  In lieu of that, all I can say is welcome, you're wanted here, you're loved.

How hot is it?  Ask madamezoltar@jtirregulars.com

Enjoy summer.  Grill some brats and drink a Wisconsin craft beer.  Just watch out for too much sun exposure.  Use a good sunblock.  Without it, you'll look like a piece of bacon at summer's end.  

What if?


Hear, hear!  I can't stand either major party's presumed candidate.

Tuesday, July 12, 2016

"EMERGENCY RESPONSE: JULY 15TH - DAY OF ACTION (#FridayOfSolidarity)"



Looks like the nearest demonstration is in Milwaukee: 5:00PM (DINEEN PARK, Milwaukee, Wisconsin).

"Monument Square vigil to remember Dallas officers"

Dallas Police Chief David Brown pauses during a prayer vigil Friday in Dallas. Photo: Spencer Platt/Getty Images

From The Journal Times.com:



"RACINE — A Racine Interfaith Coalition prayer vigil is scheduled for 6 p.m. Wednesday, July 13, at Monument Square to remember the police officers who were killed in Dallas on July 7. 

"The Rev. Dr. Tony Larsen, pastor at Olympia Brown Unitarian Universalist Church, will lead the vigil and the public is invited to come together 'to pray for the end of pervasive violence in the country, for the police officers and the loss of life of so many African American men.'

Monday, July 11, 2016

"Dallas police chief says ‘we’re asking cops to do too much in this country’"

From The Washinton Post:




"DALLAS — The police chief here said Monday he feels that law enforcement officers across the country are being asked to take on too much, comments that came as his department was still investigating the mass shooting of Dallas police officers last week and protesters in other cities continued demonstrations against how officers use force.

 "Even as the Dallas police worked to sift through massive amounts of evidence from the shooting rampage that killed five officers — an effort that entails watching hundreds of hours of videos and conducting scores of interviews — David Brown, the Dallas police chief, said he believes officers in his city and nationwide are under too much strain.

 "'We’re asking cops to do too much in this country,' Brown said at a briefing Monday. 'We are. Every societal failure, we put it off on the cops to solve. Not enough mental health funding, let the cops handle it.

'Here in Dallas we got a loose dog problem; let’s have the cops chase loose dogs. Schools fail, let’s give it to the cops. That’s too much to ask. Policing was never meant to solve all those problems.'"

"During his remarks Monday, Brown also offered a hint of the toll that overseeing the response to such a shooting was taking on him. Brown, who has lived through traumas including his son’s death following the young man’s fatal shooting of an officer, said he was 'running on fumes.' The chief also said he and his family 'received death threats almost immediately after the shooting.'

"'We’re all on edge,' Brown said of police in Dallas. 'And we’re being very careful.''

Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-nation/wp/2016/07/11/grief-and-anger-continue-after-dallas-attacks-and-police-shootings-as-debate-rages-over-policing/?utm_term=.cfdb4d4455c0

"Dog Days of Summer – K9 Kastle Fundraiser"

From Racine County Eye:

Dog Days of Summer – K9 Kastle Fundraiser


July 16 @ 7:00 pm - 11:00 pm


“Dog Days of Summer”

"Chrissy’s K9 Kastle Fundraiser

"Saturday July 16 at George’s Tavern. 7pm. $5 Donation at the door.

"The K9 Kastle is a Non-Profit Organization, providing a Home-Based Animal Foster Center for Local Rescues and High-Kill Shelters. Without your help, this would not be possible.

"The event features Live Music, Raffles, and Food.

"Music provided from 8-11pm featuring:

"– Fall Hazard
https://www.facebook.com/FallHazardBand/

"– The Collection
https://www.facebook.com/TheCollectionRocksRacine/

"Meet and greet some of the dogs available for adoption in the George’s parking lot from 7-9pm (weather permitting). Outdoor seating will be available.

"Many Raffle Items will be offered from a wide variety of local business sponsors, including gift certificates for local dining and entertainment. 50/50 raffles will be held throughout the event.

"Please help sponsor the event. Donations are also encouraged. Along with Door Prizes and Gift Certificates, Money is needed for Bedding, Transportation, and Vet Appointments.

"Contact: Christine Kiernan (262) 880-0567"

"Warning to Quarry Lake cliff jumpers: Over 80 trespassing tickets issued so far this year"

From The Journal Times.com:

MARK SCHAAF mark.schaaf@journaltimes.com  2 

"MOUNT PLEASANT — While illegal, cliff diving has been a fact of life at Quarry Lake Park for generations.

"But it hasn’t gotten any less dangerous, as evidenced by an 18-year-old Illinois girl who was taken to a hospital by helicopter last month after reportedly going to the park to cliff jump with friends.

"Law enforcement officials say social media and peer pressure have helped drive more cliff divers to the county park at 3533 Northwestern Ave. Many come from out of state, sometimes after park hours.

"So far this year, the Racine County Sheriff’s Office had issued 84 citations at the park, according to a figure The Journal Times obtained Wednesday. The vast majority of those are for trespassing, Sheriff Christopher Schmaling said, with many of those people taking a jump estimated from 20 to 40 feet.

"'We are very concerned, as firefighters and police, about people getting hurt doing that,' Mount Pleasant Police Chief Tim Zarzecki said. 'That’s one of the reasons why we try to step up enforcement in the park and try to make sure we curb this activity as much as possible.'"

Read more: http://journaltimes.com/news/local/warning-to-quarry-lake-cliff-jumpers-over-trespassing-tickets-issued/article_43eac7f7-23c7-5b4b-8e69-c33c7b86350e.html



About fifty years ago, I had a part-time job while in high school.  In the summer there wasn't always enough work for all of us to put in an 8 hour day.  One day four of us  took off for the day after 4 hours.  One guy had a brand new Mustang.  The rear seats were all but nonexistent.  The seats felt like scrub board.  Anyway, we ended up at the Quarry, high on a bluff.  The driver and one of the othr guys dove in.  I can't beleive that I gave it serious consideration.  I'm not that good of a swimmer.  Anyway, I didn't jump and neither did the other guy.  We should've chcked the Mustang for keys and taken off.       

"Police: Cocaine Dealer Busted, Used Local Bar for Trafficking"

From Racine County Eye:

By Heather Asiyanbi in Police and fire · July 9, 2016 · No comments

"Racine police say a 33-year-old man is facing almost 50 years in prison for dealing cocaine out of a local tavern and at least two locations. The drug charges come just one day after he was in court for allegedly punching a female relative in the head so hard that she suffered brain damage.

"Armando Hurtado, of Racine, was charged Friday in Racine County Circuit Court with one felony count of cocaine possession with the intent to deliver and two felony counts of maintaining a drug trafficking place. If convicted of all charges, he faces up to 47 years in prison and/or up to $120,000 in fines.

"According to the criminal complaint, Hurtado’s drug activity had been under investigation for some time for distributing 'large amounts' of cocaine in both Racine and Milwaukee. Detectives believed he used a local bar as a primary trafficking location as well as for illegal, high stakes card games. Hurtado was also suspected of maintaining at least two residences as stash houses.

"On May 26, officers say they executed a search warrant on both of Hurtado’s residences and his vehicles after detaining him during a traffic stop. Police found:
  • 112.9 grams of cocaine
  • A gram scale
  • A scale similar to that used by the U.S. Postal Service
  • Gambling receipts from two casinos totaling $53,450
  • $1,926 in cash
"He is also facing felony battery charges after being identified as the man on June 19 who approached a female relative and punched her in the head before fleeing the area. According to that criminal complaint, the woman was discovered bleeding from her ear and unconscious, and she has been hospitalized since.

"Hurtado remains in the Racine County Jail on a $10,000 cash bond for the battery case and a $2,500 cash bond for the cocaine case. He will next be in court for both cases July 14 for his preliminary hearings."

Read more:  http://racinecountyeye.com/police-cocaine-dealer-busted-used-local-bar-trafficking/


I post this to remind us of some of the human garbage that the police have to deal with every day.

"Please Share: Maricella Chairez is Still Missing"

From Racine County Eye:

By Heather Asiyanbi in Police and fire · July 9, 2016 · No comments


"Please look closely at the photo of this girl: Maricella Chairez is a 15-year-old girl missing since May 31. She may go by the nickname Mari.

"If anyone has information about her whereabouts, they can leave an anonymous tip with Crime Stoppers at (262) 636-9330 or text RACS with your message to 274637 (CRIMES).

"Information can also be shared with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children by calling 1-800-843-5678 (1-800-THE-LOST) or Racine County Dispatch at (262) 886-2300."

Read more:  http://racinecountyeye.com/please-share-girls-still-missing/