Late Night Police Scanner

I haven't listened to the police scanner much lately. I dunno. I think the volume changes and radio squelching irritate me. Anyway, I was listening last night (this morning) between 1 and 2 AM. Wow, the police were kept very busy. If I think of it later on, I may listen again tonight. Saturday night should be even worse than Friday. Sometimes it's good to get a reminder of what is happening out there.

The JT Irregulars has a link to an online police scanner on the sidebar, as does Racine Uncovered, http://racineuncovered.org/ Or, you can just click here: http://www.radioreference.com/apps/audio/?action=wp&feedId=373

Racine Uncovered also has a story up on donating to the Racine Police Department for another K9 unit: http://racineuncovered.org/2011/09/the-racine-police-dept-raising-money-for-an-additional-k9-unit/
 

La Figlia Che Piange

O quam te memorem virgo

Stand on the highest pavement of the stair—
Lean on a garden urn—
Weave, weave the sunlight in your hair—
Clasp your flowers to you with a pained surprise—
Fling them to the ground and turn
With a fugitive resentment in your eyes:
But weave, weave the sunlight in your hair.

So I would have had him leave,
So I would have had her stand and grieve,
So he would have left
As the soul leaves the body torn and bruised,
As the mind deserts the body it has used.
I should find
Some way incomparably light and deft,
Some way we both should understand,
Simple and faithless as a smile and shake of the hand.

She turned away, but with the autumn weather
Compelled my imagination many days,
Many days and many hours:
Her hair over her arms and her arms full of flowers.
And I wonder how they should have been together!
I should have lost a gesture and a pose.
Sometimes these cogitations still amaze
The troubled midnight and the noon's repose.

--T. S. Eliot

"Thomas Stearns 'T. S.' Eliot OM (September 26, 1888 – January 4, 1965) was a playwright, literary critic, and arguably the most important English-language poet of the 20th century.^[3] Although he was born an American he moved to the United Kingdom in 1914 (at age 25) and was naturalised as a British subject in 1927 at age 39.

"The poem that made his name, The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock—started in 1910 and published in Chicago in 1915—is regarded as a masterpiece of the modernist movement. He followed this with what have become some of the best-known poems in the English language, including Gerontion (1920), The Waste Land (1922), The Hollow Men (1925), Ash Wednesday (1930), and Four Quartets (1945).^[4] He is also known for his seven plays, particularly Murder in the Cathedral (1935). He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1948.^[5]"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T._S._Eliot

To hear T. S. Eliot read this poem, click here: http://www.poets.org/viewmedia.php/prmMID/15305

The Beatles - "And I Love Her"

distraught senior citizen

A distraught senior citizen phoned her doctor's office. 'Is it true,' she wanted to know, 'that the medication you prescribed has to be taken for the rest of my life?'

'Yes, I'm afraid so,' the doctor told her.

There was a moment of silence before the senior lady replied, I'm wondering, then,Just how serious is my condition because this prescription is marked 'NO REFILLS'!

Four for Fridays

Hello everyone! Welcome back to Four for Fridays after a seemingly short week. It least mine felt like that. Here are some random questions for ya!

1) How well do you follow football?

2) When was the last time you have been to the dentist?

3) How many keys on your key ring?

4) What is the last thing you watched on TV?

Enjoy your weekend!

Open Blog - Friday

There's something about that group that I can relate to.

"Racine Post Office to use pictorial cancellation to honor 9-11 heroes, firefighters"

From FOX6NOW.com:

"12:30 p.m. CDT, September 8, 2011

WITI-TV, RACINE —

"The Racine Post Office will honor the Racine Fire Department and the memory of 911 by issuing a unique pictorial cancellation on the ten-year anniversary of 9-11.

"The special pictue postmark would normally be available in the West Racine Post Office (1300 Perry Avenue) on the day of the event. However 9-11 falls on a Sunday this year and the West Racine Post Office will not be open. Consequently, Saturday, September 10th has been selected as the date the cancellation will be available."

Read more: http://www.fox6now.com/news/witi-20110908-9-11-postage-cancellation,0,6072031.story

LAW OF THE WILD

The Law Of The Wild says kill only when you are hungry

Photographer Michel Denis-Huot, who captured these amazing pictures on safari in Kenya 's Masai Mara in October last year, said he was astounded by what he saw:

"These three brothers (cheetahs) have been living together since they left their mother at about 18 months old," he said.

"On the morning we saw them, they seemed not to be hungry, walking quickly but stopping sometimes to play together. At one point, they met a group of impala who ran away. But one youngster was not quick enough and the brothers caught it easily."

These extraordinary scenes followed.

ColorQuiz.com

 

http://www.colorquiz.com/

A very simple test. You click on eight different blocks of color to make them disappear. Then you wait 110 seconds and repeat the process. That's it. From that, these were my results:

Your Existing Situation

Needs excitement and constant stimulation. Willingly participates in activities that are thrilling and offer adventure.

Your Stress Sources

"Wishes for freedom and independence, free from limitations and restrictions except for the ones he choices to give himself."

Your Restrained Characteristics

"Demanding and picky in his relationships, but careful not to bring out conflict or disagreements and this may decrease his chances of achieving his goals and ideas."

"Finds satisfaction in sexual activity, but is emotionally detached which prevents him from becoming too involved."

"Willing to become emotionally involved, but is demanding and picky when choosing a partner. Is careful not to bring out conflict or disagreements as this may decrease his chances of achieving his goals and ideas."

"He is able to find satisfaction through sexual activity, but can be restless and emotionally distant so he never really gets too involved with others."

Your Desired Objective

"If motivated, he will easily and quickly learn new skills. Is very intense person who seeks excitement and sexual stimulation. Wants others to see him as an exciting and interesting person, who is also charming and can easily influence others. Uses his charm to increase his chances of success and gain other people's trust."

Your Actual Problem

Longs the freedom to make his own decisions and plans without the criticism and restrictions of others. Uses his charm to deal with others and get what he wants.

 

Should City Hall be Allowed to Have Burglar Bars?

They already do. But new businesses opening up in the most dangerous parts of the city are not allowed to protect themselves.

Vote here: http://racineuncovered.org/2011/09/bars-or-no-bars/
 

"How Should U.S. Postal Service's Financial Problems Be Fixed? "

Or should we just let it fail? Would private enterprise pick up the slack? Can it, especially in rural areas?

Dear Madame Zoltar

Hello, my ornery orchids! How are you? Taa-daa! September is here. Brrr! Who turned off the heat? Last week, I was wearing shorts and a blouse. This week, people are walking around with long pants and jackets on. Have you noticed that some trees are already dropping their leaves? I suppose I must break out the sweaters and windbreakers. I do love the crisper weather of autumn, but I do so dread the wretched winter.

Our decidedly un-wretched and glorious Green Bay Packers defeated the Kansas City Chiefs last week in the final exhibition game. Our second and third string players outperformed some of the Chiefs’ first string. Hurray! Hurray! Tomorrow night (Thursday), our defending world champion Green Bay Packers take on the New Orleans Saints at 7:30 PM in Lambeau Field for their first regulation game of the season. Crush the Saints, o mighty Packers! Send them back to heaven.

To the right (somewhere – I never know where it will show up) is a screenshot from those wonderful people at the Journal Times and their online story, “Your guide to summer fun in Racine County,” http://www.journaltimes.com/lifestyles/leisure/article_ff8c2baa-7672-11e0-88b9-001cc4c03286.html That “Zoo Debut – Hanging with the Stars” looks interesting, but $200 is too rich for my blood. Perhaps the Senor will “want” to take me, with a little help, that is…

Oh my, oh dear. Well, I really do not like to be the bearer of bad news, but it is my duty as resident soothsayer of the JT Irregulars to inform you of events that affect, or will affect, our community. For some time now, I have been sensing the darkness gathering in the æther above Racine. At first I hoped that it was just a passing anomaly, like a spirit pausing in the night; but no, the darkness lingered, remained, then grew even more. It took me a little while to decipher this omen. I had to be sure. Now there is no doubt. We are facing a grave threat. There is more danger now in the Land of Blog than when the O’Brienite barbarians invaded us, deleting, banning, and censoring. Unlike Brendan the Banner, the leader of this horde is a dark lord, skilled in chicanery. His perceived power is great, his dullard minions many. He is a master of deception and the lie. And he will stop at nothing, absolutely nothing, to banish the truth from our realm.

Fortunately for our community, I can see beyond the miasma emanating from this confluence of corruption and greed. I can see the karma mounting, and the arrogance that guarantees an avalanche of facts. I can see right into the souls of bigots and conmen. I can see so much that I cannot yet reveal. However, fear not, my dear Irregulars. In the ripeness of time, our community will once again be allowed to live and speak freely. A groundswell is afoot, a groundswell that will grow into a wave, a wave that will wash our community clean. The truth will be known and light will permeate the Land of Blog. That I guarantee. Thus spake Madame Zoltar®!

[Confidential to Ms. kk: Put forth your best effort, my dear, and you will be rewarded.]

Thank you all so much for reading my blog today. I am always thrilled to have visitors. It is an honor to write for you. Especially you.

To contact La Résistance, send an email to: madamezoltar@jtirregulars.com.

Enjoy the waning days of summer, my dears. I could wax poetic, but I fear that my sorrow at summer’s passing would overshadow it all. I’m going to have to seriously consider moving into Ms. Beejay’s neck of the woods. Stay warm, or cool, depending upon the weather. I love you all! Ponerology!

Open Blog - Wednesday

Halfway there!

"Racine native's first novel generating literary buzz"

From (Milwaukee Jouranl Sentinel) JSOnline:

"Racine-born author Chad Harbach spent 10 years laboring on his first novel.

"It's about baseball, love, loss and dreams, all set at a fictional Wisconsin college along the shore of Lake Michigan.

"While many of his former classmates at Harvard University found success in the workplace, Harbach struggled with the book and struggled to make financial ends meet. He took part-time copy-editing jobs while also cofounding the literary journal n+1.

"Harbach's novel, 'The Art of Fielding,' receives its official release Wednesday, and it is bound to be among the big publishing events of the fall season.

"The book, published by Little, Brown and Co., has already brought a financial windfall to Harbach, who received a reported $650,000 advance.

"And the novel just received what may be the most important seal of approval in the bookselling world: a rave review in The New York Times from critic Michiko Kakutani.

"In the kind of lead paragraph every first-time novelist longs to read, Kakutani wrote: 'Chad Harbach's book "The Art of Fielding" is not only a wonderful baseball novel - it zooms immediately into the pantheon of classics, alongside "The Natural" by Bernard Malamud and "The Southpaw" by Mark Harris - but it's also a magical, melancholy story about friendship and coming of age that marks the debut of an immensely talented writer.'"

Read more: http://www.jsonline.com/news/wisconsin/129320048.html

I don't know Chad Harbuch or anything about his book. I just think it's neat that a Racine author has hit the big time. Congratulations, Chad.

Best Milk Commercial Ever

Our milkman was Borden's, but I think Progressive covered most of Racine.
 

The Cleaning Poem

I asked the Lord to tell me
Why my house is such a mess.

He asked if I'd been 'computering',
And I had to answer 'yes.'
He told me to get off my fanny,
And tidy up the house.

And so I started cleaning up...
The smudges off my mouse.
I wiped and shined the topside.
That really did the trick...

I was just admiring my good work.
I didn't mean to 'click.'
But click, I did, and oops - I found
A real absorbing site
That I got SO way into it...
I was into it all night.

Nothing's changed except my mouse.
It's very, very shiny.
I guess my house will stay a mess...
While I sit here on my hiney

Kitt Peak Time Lapse

Beautiful time lapses of the night sky have become quite popular and today we have one from Kitt Peak. This was taken by Dean Ketelsen, one of the guides of the Nightly Observing Program which you should definitely attend if you visit Tucson!

That's why I need to get myself a fisheye lens!

Urgent! One More Team Needed

It is almost time to kick off the Irregular Fantasy Football League for 2011, except we have an issue. We need one more team or else we cant draft. If you ever wanted to play in a non-aggressive (except for KK, she gets fired up)fun Fantasy league, give us a try. But you have to do it today! Comment below if you are interested. We need a team in place today so we can draft tomorrow, and start play Thursday!

My First Grandchild!

Yes my granddaughter is here finally. Saturday I had gotten a phone call from my son asking me to come up by him. His girlfriend was getting induced. I told him I had to talk to my boyfriend about this. He said mom I need you here with me. My son kept begging me on the phone and I kept telling him I had to talk to my boyfriend. My son was lucky I had the weekend off of work.

I was talking to my boyfriend and my son kept texting me and asking me if I was coming up there. Then he was asking me to text him some phone numbers.

So my boyfriend gave in and I told my son and he was so happy. I told him we all had to take showers and I had to pack an overnight bag. But the phone calls and the text messages didn't stop with my son. He was so nerves. 

I had my ex husband's seven year old for the weekend too. So it was my boyfriend, my ex husband's seven year old, my youngest daughter. the dog and myself going up there. I had to try to get everything together for the trip. This was not in the plans for the weekend. We left about 3:30pm and got up there about 7pm.

The people that were there when we got to the hospital was my mom, my younger sister, my older daughter, my ex husband, my niece her daughter and my nieces boyfriend. My son was upset because no one from my ex husband's family came to the hospital.

It was about midnight we were told that his girlfriend wouldn't be having the baby until between 5-6 in the morning on Sunday. So we were getting ready to leave to get some sleep. My boyfriend and I went to get the girls and then we were told that his girlfriend was going for emergency c-section. The baby's heart rate was dropping. She was born at 1:35am on September 4th, 2011. This picture is my son feeding his daughter before we left the hospital right after she was born. I took this picture of my son and granddaughter.


We did manage to go and get about five hours of sleep and came back to the hospital to see the baby. The picture above is me holding my granddaughter after some sleep. My boyfriend took the picture above.  I am very happy for my son. But I also told him I can spoil her and send her back home to mommy and daddy. He gave me a dirty look for that one. But I have a feeling my boyfriend will spoil her more than I will.


It was a very long two days for us. By the time we got home Sunday night we were wiped out. We did have plans to go to a concert Sunday night but we never made it. The main thing for me is I did get to be with my boyfriend the whole weekend and we were able to be there for my son when his daughter was born. I never thought I would hear my son say mom I need you. I hope everyone was able to enjoy there weekend. I am a very proud Grandma!

"World's Shortest Train"

Now I want one of those, too. Gee, I'm like a kid again: everything I see on the net, I want.
 

Early Labor Day Musical Double Feature

In a recent blog, Toad and I were commenting on the good old days when bands like Chicago and Blood, Sweat, and Tears ruled. Today, I heard this song on the radio. I cranked it as loud as I could stand it. It was a classic when I first heard it and it's still a classic today. Chicago - "25 or 6 to 4"



And this one has been in my head for a couple of days now, but I couldn't remember much more than the title refrain. Then I looked it up on YouTube, and, SER, it has finally displaced "Tie Me Kangaroo Down, Sport" as the song du jour rattling around in my brain. Warren Zevon - "Lawyers, Guns, and Money"

Open Blog - Labor Day

Enjoy your holiday!

"Skilled laborers sought in factories"

From (the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel) JSOnline:

"Even as thousands of Wisconsin manufacturing workers remain unemployed, companies are worried about a lack of skilled labor. Some manufacturers say they've lost business or face stagnant growth because they can't find qualified help.

"Often there's a disconnect between people who are out of work and companies struggling to fill factory jobs that require advanced skills such as reading blueprints and programming computer-controlled machines.

"'I worry more about that than I worry about competition from China,' (Paul) Rauscher said.

"Statewide, 31,000 job openings were posted at Department of Workforce Development employment centers last month, including thousands of openings at manufacturing plants. Yet the state's unemployment rate remains stubbornly high at 7.8% as of July."

And:

"While he was at Bucyrus, now owned by Caterpillar Inc., (Tim) Sullivan moved about 125 welding jobs to Texas because he couldn't find enough people locally with the necessary skills. Show up with the right credentials, and companies such as Karl Schmidt Unisia Inc. could offer you a job on the spot, according to the Marinette maker of engine parts.

"'We don't need rocket scientists. We need people with basic technical skills who know how to use tools, work with their hands and make something happen,' said Ron Kadlubowski, director of machining technology at Karl Schmidt Unisia.

"The company has grown from 250 employees in 1985 to more than 900 now. Currently, Kadlubowski said, it has dozens of openings for skilled machine operators.

"'We have so many openings now, it's amazing,' he said. 'If you come in with a basic skill set, and you don't have some rotten work history, you are going to get hired. And other companies in the area are hiring people left and right. The hard part is finding someone who looks encouraging.'

"One problem in addressing the skills crisis is a lack of basic math skills, manufacturers say.

"Many job applicants can't answer the question 'what is one half of one half,' Rauscher said, and they can't measure something to a fraction of an inch.

"'How are you going to get a workforce together when people lack those basic skills? It's pretty pathetic,' he said.

"A manufacturer looking to fill 134 entry-level jobs, paying $15 per hour, received 850 applications but hired only 17 of the applicants, according to Jim Golembeski, executive director of the Bay Area Workforce Development Board, in Green Bay.

"Many lacked a high school diploma or could not pass basic reading, math or dexterity tests. Others flunked the drug and alcohol test."

Read the entire article: http://www.jsonline.com/business/129200543.html


The dumbing down of America. It's been happening for decades. Good, solid, make-a-living jobs go begging while thousands are unemployed. We reap what we sow.