Forcast: 4"-6" of Glow Bull Warming Overnight

"Oh the weather outside is frightful ... " Sheesh, we have the second snowiest winter on record locked already, and it looks like it ain't over yet. The following pictures are a good job by my wife Deb (aka, "The Admiral") at showing the white stuff coming down. But these have to be the biggest flakes we have seen in quite some time.

This one is ONE FLAKE on my hand

And here is the driveway just outside of the garage. A lot of what you see are individual flakes. The larger clumps are of 3-4 together.

It took a bit to get this post finished, what with dinner and all. There is now about 2 inches of the white stuff on the ground (that is on top of the *old* snow). The latest forecast is for 4"-7" here in the hinterlands of northern Illinois, through tomorrow.

Can we have that glow bull warming stuff now?????

Ok, so this is about 3 months too late ... better late then never!.

Fact is, I finally went to Ms. Clowry's site tonight. Hey, anyone who can make a "bumper" which sounds just a tad bit smoky, has got to be worth looking into. (And judging by her outstanding musical/vocal talent, it won't be my last ... this lady rocks!!) Thanks to being constantly promoted by WGN over night radio talkers, Steve and Johnnie. (Monday 2-5 am, Monday thru Thursday nights, 11pm-5am ... shameless plug - Harbor Master)

The big thing which got my attention, was a song written by Christa Wells, and performed by McClowry, called "Before The Tree Comes Down". Take a minute or two to listen to it (the full length version) here.

Done listening? (Wiped the moisture from your glasses? This one will raise the level of humidity in your room, guaranteed!) Yeah, it does pull at the heart. Especially if you have served, or you have loved ones serving now.

But wait! There's more!!

Profits from the sale of "Before the Tree Comes Down" are pledged to the charity The Armed Forces Foundation. Please help us support them with the purchase of this song via iTunes.

Source: Lisa McClowry's website

I don't know what her political views or slant is, and guess what, I don't care. The willingness to lend her considerable talents in the production of this song, along with providing all proceeds towards those which the song is about, says it all. She "gets it". And for this if nothing else, may require me to go and actually visit a music store and purchase a new cd or three.

And as for The Armed Forces Foundation, their mission statement says it all:

"The Armed Forces Foundation is a national nonprofit organization under the Department of Defense’s America Supports You Program. The Foundation is dedicated to promoting the morale, welfare and the quality of life of the United States Armed Forces community."

Source: The Armed Forces Foundation website

And for those who chose to donate to this group and help advance their mission, this is very good to know:

According to an independent financial audit of 2007, the Foundation proudly gives 96 cents for every dollar donated directly to the troops through financial assistance and support programs. With an operating budget of over three million dollars, the Foundation is committed to fiscal responsibility by performing independent third party audits on an annual basis. The Foundation is happy to provide the public with audit papers and answer any questions if needed.

Source: The Armed Forces Foundation website

Please, check out the song, and if so inclined, at least take a look at what good works The Armed Forces Foundation is doing for our countries service members and their families.

Remember When ...

The good readers and commenters over at the Rott, started waxing nostalgic today. I was no exception, contributing as much as my five active brain cells would allow. Sitting here in the snow covered bunker, at Snugg Harbor central, the memories were reluctant to fade away in to the cobwebbed recesses of my mind (such as it is). And so let's return to those days of yesteryear ... when men were men an women were all the happier for it!! (And kids were told to "shuddup and eat, before your dinner gets cold, then you can talk.").

Remember when:

Paychecks were a LOT smaller, but they seemed to go alot further.
Yes, they have gone up, ostensively due to inflation, but have they realistically kept pace to the increased cost of "basics", such as gas (auto), utilities, basic food items - meats, dairy, produce, bread? The cost of a new home, car, appliances (not even speaking about *top of the line*, just good quality for the dollar spent items)?

The price you paid for a night out did not require you to get a second (or third) mortgage on your house.
A *nice* dinner for two might set you back 10-20 bucks (including tips and a before dinner drink). A movie (with a popcorn and sodas) between 5-10 dollars more. And that was back in the 70's, go back a tad bit further, to the 60's, and a ten spot could get you through the whole night. As for kids, well a Saturday matinee was all of a dollar. That included two movies, a couple of cartoons, a newsreel, coming attractions, the national anthem, and of course, a soda and popcorn. Plus, if you were sneaky, you could get into the *other* show after yours was over, and see that too.

There were no "Soccer Moms".
Our (summer time) days were, for the most part, our own. Yes, there were swimming lessons at the park district, and for a couple of years "day camp" (again, via the park district). But, we were expected to get to and from them on our own. It was only a mile or so to the public pool, and or pick up point for the day camp. We were around 10 years of age, so off we went. As a rule, there were no mom taxi services. Dad had the only car. It wasn't the responsibility of the parents to jam pack your day with activities, you were left to your own devices. If you elected to get into trouble, and happened to get caught, you paid the penalty(s) for same. Which ranged from parents assuming the role of drill instructor, and burning your ears off. Or you faced "The Wrath of Dad" ™ , You did NOT want to face the wrath of dad because your bottom was the prime focus of his wrath, and this was long before ANY parent needed to worry about things like Child Protective Services. Needless to say, we found plenty enough forms of "satisfactory" entertainment to keep us busy during the summer months.

Bagging the Grass
Meant you had to go and retrieve all the lawn trimmings after cutting the grass, and place same into paper or plastic trash bags ... and not dividing up a pile of "natures own" in to sandwich baggies?

Going to the "Five & Dime Store"
Where you could still get stuff (in my case, penny candy that still cost a penny) for five or ten cents? Comic books were 10 and then 12 cents each for the longest time. The special annuals were a quarter and maybe came out once or twice a year. Soda was in cans, but the way to get it out of the machine was by bottle. If you were smart you went around with your wagon, and collected as many as you could to turn in to the grocery store to collect the deposit. Then took that money to the five and dime. Ahhhhh capitalism in action!!!

Having a paper route.
Be it a daily or weekly paper, you were given a stack by the route manager, and expected to fold/roll em up, rubber band em, and deliver each to the subscribers on your route. You were also expected to get the subscription money when it came due. This was done rain or shine. There was no car. There was maybe a bike if you were lucky. That was how you made money before getting a "real job".

The floor is now open. Anyone else care to wonder down memory lane?? Come on down, it's nice down here!

Lessons We Refuse To Learn

Sadly, it seems the specter of the continuing breakdown of a civil society has touched the lives of faculty and students at Northern Illinois University. As most of you may know by now, at least five students are dead along with the perpetrator. A twenty something year old white male opened fire in a campus auditorium. initial reports state he fired upwards of twenty times, and is alleged to have had both a shot gun and pistol (of some sort) on his person.

My heart goes out to all who were injured, may their (physical and emotional) wounds be light and heal quickly. For those who lost family and or friends on this Valentine's Day, you have my sincerest condolences.

This was not something which should be (or so it would seem) an ever increasing occurrence. We are supposed to be a civilized society, a nation, a people ruled by law. And so we (collectively) wonder why, why is this happening. What is generating the kind of mindset which causes people to take out their pain their anger/rage, perhaps even their vengeance, on the innocent.

We have gun laws. There are literally thousands of them "on the books" at the local, state, and federal level. Some were written with the best of intent, others written for nothing more then to either make the authors of same "feel good" or to actively seek to control the access, availability, or sale of same to the general public. In most cases, a number of existing laws are not actively (or routinely) enforced. And some, are on the face of it plainly unconstitutional. But the sad fact is they either are not working or are unworkable.

We have "Gun Free Zones". The idealists who see guns (at best) as tools of wanton destruction and death, with no redeeming social or moral value, and at worst feel they are "just plain evil", see the total banning of firearms from any given area (school, mall, city of Chicago) as the perfect solution. If people don't have guns or access to same, then we will be safe. Our LEO's will take care of any concerns. Virginia Tech, Eastside Mall, and now NIJ victims would beg to differ with you, if they still had the breath of life in themselves to do so.

And to be strictly fair to NIU, they do not in any of their literature state they are a "Gun Free Zone" in the strictest sense of that phrase. Indeed, their policy is as follows:

3-1.5 Dangerous Weapons: 1.5a Possession, use, sale, or distribution in any residence hall, building, or grounds under university control of: fireworks, firearms, shotguns, rifles, hand guns, switchblade knives, any type of ammunition, explosives, and all other serious weapons. 1.5b Misuse of martial arts weaponry, BB guns, pellet guns, clubs, knives, and all other serious weapons. Students who wish to bring firearms to the campus must obtain written permission from the chief security officer of the university. Firearms must be stored at the University Security Office except with written permission of the chief security officer of the university. At no time will any of the above dangerous weapons be allowed in the university residence halls.

The Student Code of Conduct
Northern Illinois University
(Effective August 8, 2006)

So no, by strict definitions, it is not a gun free zone. But by design it may just as well have been.

Is there one perfect solution to all this? No, there is not. We are human after all and there will never be a "one size fits all" cure for our all too numerous ailments of our imperfect human nature. However, I will leave you with this:

"One difference between savagery and civilization is a little courtesy. There's no telling what a lot of courtesy would do." - Cullen Hightower

and temper the above with this, of equal importance:

"An armed society is a polite society." - Robert A. Heinlein

The first quote is true enough. There are far too many savages, their numbers steadily increasing (here and abroad). Courtesy (and manners) seem to be dying, the precursor to our civilizations demise. The second quote, well were that in place, would go a long way in reviving both of those. Most importantly it very well may have allowed the students and faculty of NIU to have had a typically quiet and unremarkable Valentine's Day, and for some, to have lived to see the morrow.

The Four Jokers of the Apocalypse

If it wasn't so serious a concern, the whole election process this time around could be viewed as nothing more then the political version of "Highlander"; "There Can Be Only One!" . Lord knows it is certainly shaping up to be a battle royal, if it ends up being between Ms Clinton and Mr. McCain. On the other hand if the (very) junior Senator from Illinois, Barack Obama, gets his party's nod, then all bets are off. Other then a major slip up of truly monumental proportions, there is no way in hell McCain beats Obama.

I am not in any way shape or form, a supporter of said junior Senator, but he has more personality and ability to galvanize his political base in his little finger, then McCain has in his entire (quite sizable) ego. Obama, shows signs of being able to pull in at least some of the middle of the road folks out there, and some of the RINO's (Big slice of irony there, McCain backers.), both groups which McCain dearly needs to win the White House. Add to this the fact that traditionally the majority of Democrats will line up behind whomever is their standard bearer, once chosen, regardless how bloody the battle was to get the nomination. This is NOT the case with the GOP this time 'round.

The world is as dangerous as it ever was. Whither through design, mismanagement, or perhaps plain hubris, the current administration has no been able to address all the demands placed upon it by the War on Terror.

At the same time, the erosion of personal freedom(s) continues here at home. The Constitution has taken quite the beating while Mr. Bush was in office. The First, Fifth, and possibly Second Amendments being assaulted. Our national borders, one of the very things considered as one of the standards to which denotes some bit of land as "being a nation", are criss-crossed with near impunity by anyone who desires to enter. We have more "undocumented aliens" here, then in the entire "director's cut" of "Close Encounters of the Third Kind". (At least the ones in the movie were just passing through.)

Of course there are also those on the other side of the aisle who seek to undo what little good the current administration has done. They also seek to send us closer to, if not directly down the same path which the EU is going down now. (along with Great Briton. may she rest in peace)

Senator McCain will NOT (The one possible exception being the War on Terror, and we only have his personal word on that ... and his past record shows how little he honors his word ... that he will continue the fight.) seek to change any of the above. Indeed, he will continue the big government spending and programs just like Bush and a large chunk of the GOP Senate and Congress. His track record shows, despite what he now says to the contrary, that he will fall in line with the liberal side of things more often then not. The man is only nominally a Republican, and only in his befuddled mind's eye does he wear the mantle of *Conservative". Need we say anything about his staunch support of the Constitution? (If you have to ask, go back to sleep, you really didn't want your First Amendment rights any more did you?)

At Least 12" of Global Warming Outside ...

... and more forecast for the rest of the day. And after spending better then 15 hours at the polls yesterday (election judging) ... Well, Misha talks about Super Tuesday Hangovers here, with voting and monitoring the ongoing results via television and radio. Try spending all that time at the polls ... people, it ain't pretty. The high point of the day was seeing a number of young people coming out and voting for the first time. They were excited and really wanted to be a part of things. I only wish there had been more of them.

We had about 40-50% turnout. And were busy for the majority of the day, despite the beginnings of a major storm starting to dump snow by around noon.

Off to go and start to shovel out the drive. Going to try and use the snowblower...but don't know if it will be up to the task, it's better then a foot deep now.

Wonder if we can get a pizza delivered for dinner tonight?

Super Tuesday Thanks and more.

First off, (as at least a partial explanation as to why I haven't posted any comments today) ... Man, I am beat! Spent all day from 5am til quarter to 9 tonight as an election judge. It was a strong turnout across the board. Our little town prob had better then 40-50 % voter turnout. Won't get into the numbers as far as who was ahead of who, will leave that up to the papers on the morrow. But my guess it Illinois is going to go more or less along the predicted lines. Stong Obama, and McCain.

Secondly, a big welcome aboard to all the good people who have stopped by, thanks to Misha's "Rott-a-lanch"! Hope you enjoy your visit/stay... your comments are always appreciated. I promise to reply once I catch my breath (see first comment above....didn't get any sleep the night before...work nights...tried but no zzzzzzzz's).

In the mean time, Valentine's Day is fast approaching. If you haven't picked up something for your sweetie fella's ... perhaps a new exciting fragrance is just the ticket!

There's an Ill Wind Blowing ... NOT!

Political Correctness continues its encroachment on our freedoms and in (how we go about) our daily lives. One of it's biggest segments of the population in which to exert its control has been (and continues to be) our public schools. No grade level is immune. And any behavior is subject to scrutiny.

Which brings us to this.

Middle school issues ban on intentional flatulence

By Holly S. Anderson
VillageSoup/Knox County Times Senior Reporter

CAMDEN (Feb 1): The Merriam Webster Dictionary definition for flatulence is brief: "flatus expelled through the anus." And while it's a natural bodily function, it seems some Camden-Rockport Middle School eighth-grade boys are taking it to new heights and making a game of seeing who can expel the loudest and grossest flatus.

Leave it to a bunch of eighth grade boys to come up with this! (Bless em!!) At least they didn't take it to "the varsity level" by attempting to "light em off". Yep, boys are like this, especially at this age. It's funny, it's fun, and there are no extra parts or equipment needed to pull it off. The girls will think it is gross, and the teachers will find it highly disruptive if done during class (big bonus points there!). At that age what's not to like, indeed, enjoy about this?

(And an aside to all you dads out there....admit it, you wouldn't be mad at your son for doing this...well, maybe upset that YOU didn't think about doing it when you were in eighth grade...but still. The young lad is bonding with his peers...a small pungent step forward in the male rites of passage...but still a step forward.)

According to this week's Fire Cracker school newsletter though, the joke's on the boys as the penalty for "intentional farting" is now a detention.

"Strange, but true, thanks to a bunch of 8th grade boys, intentional farting has been banned from CRMS," the newsletter said. "It started out as a funny joke and eventually turned into a game. This is the first rule at CRMS that prevents the use of natural bodily functions. The penalty for intentional farting is a detention, so keep it to yourself!"

Johnny: "But.....but...I just can't keep it to myself!!! The beans and wienies for lunch were just ooooooo.....too much.......*bbbbbbbbbrrrrrrrrrriiiiiiiippppppppp*"

Principal/Fart-Hall Monitor: "All right Mister!! That's the third time this week, and it's only Tuesday! You are on double secret probation!!!!"

And would someone explain to me exactly the correct verbiage/sentence structure for "This is the first rule at CRMS that prevents the use of natural bodily functions." Shouldn't it read WHICH prevents instead of THAT prevents? And are the potential farting felons the start of a trend? If so, what's next, misdemeanor booger flinging?

According to a group of seventh-grade students milling around downtown following Friday's storm-related early release, the eighth-graders' escapades are well known in the school. "They would do it in science class and other places," said Jordan Tyler. "It's a natural occurrence and we all do it 16 times a day."

Imagine so. "Wow, did you hear Billy let one rip in Mrs. Rottencrotch's class today? It was awesome!!! And had great hang time too....you could still smell it at the end of the period." "Man, his colon must be diseased!"

When questioned where he learned that information, Tyler and the other students all said it was true, though they couldn't remember where they heard it.

Hmmm, a single, or perhaps incident done a couple of times during the course of a week gets embellished as only a story can in junior high (as we used to call middle school, back in the day). Perhaps not as big a deal as originally thought? Nope, that can't stop the PC crowd...."We gotta nip this in the bud Andy" {/Fyfe}

One of the other students, Kyle Ruger, said the act by the boys was funny, but he had mixed feelings about whether it was appropriate.

I bet this kid is well on his way to being completely "pc-whipped" before he finishes high school. Sad very sad. Then again, perhaps he is just learning how to hedge his bets...and has a future ahead of him in politics.

Jordan Knowlton minced no words when she expressed how she felt, saying, "It's gross."

"See, I told ya it would gross out the girls!!!"

Remy LeVine said he was in the class when CRMS science teacher Brad LaRoche talked to all the eighth-grade boys about the issue, as well as the consequences

Which was hard to do, I am sure, between the giggles, snorts, and outright laughter, and (I would dearly hope) more then a couple of stray non-pc farts!!

Attempts to reach CRMS Principal Maria Libby Friday afternoon were unsuccessful and school Superintendent Patricia Hopkins said she had not heard anything about the issue or the alleged suspected result, though she did get a good chuckle out of the news.

Nice to see the Superintendent got a (deserved) chuckle outta this...perhaps there is a ray of sanity in that school system. But chances are the Superintendent is a mother of more then one son who has "tooted his horn" more then once around the house. And she knows, or well remembers what eighth grade boys are like.

I ... *poooooooooot* .... excuse me!!! ... hope so.

The Plane Truth

Being a retired Navy Aviation Tech, when I came across this, I had to see which one was *the real me*.

H/T to Kat at Cathouse Chat for taking the quiz first and having the results on her page.