29 Jul11


“Are you the waiter who took my order?”
“Yes, sir.”
“H’m, still looking well, I see. How are your grandchildren?”


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1921, Hitler becomes leader of the National Socialist Party.

1948, Opening of the XIV Summer Olympic Games in London.

1953, Geddy Lee, bassists and vocals for Rush, is born

1958, NASA was created.

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Friday at last!! We are getting down to the time of the last weekend in July and wondering if congress is ever gonna do anything about the debt ceiling~~ The running joke on capital hill.

Here’s a little entertainment in the meantime.

A legislative committee was assigned to investigate conditions in a mental hospital in an eastern state. There was a dance the evening of the day the committee arrived, and the members were invited to attend.
During the course of the dance, a legislative member took for his partner a pretty patient, to whom he had been introduced by a supervisor. “I don’t remember having seen you before,” she inquired. “How long have you been a patient here3?”
“Oh, I’m not a patient,” said the legislator. “I’m a member of a special legislative committee which came down here today to investigate the hospital.”
“Of course,” returned the lady patient. “How stupid of me. However, I knew the moment I saw you, you were either a member of the legislature or an inmate, and for the life of me I couldn’t figure out which.”

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Here is another story about Abraham Lincoln past President of the United States

Lincoln told the story of how he became possessed of a jack-knife.
"In the days when I used to be on the circuit
(traveling on horseback from one county court to another)
I was once accosted by a stranger, who said:
"Excuse me, sir, but I have an article which belongs to you.'
"How is that?' I asked, considerably astonished.
"The stranger took a jack-knife from his pocket.
"'This knife,' said he, 'was placed in my hands
some years ago, with the injunction that I was to
keep it until I found a man homelier-looking that I
am myself. I have carried it from that time till this;
allow me to say, sir, at that you are fairly entitled to
the property.'"

28Jul11

A man hurried into a quick lunch restaurant and said: “Give me a ham sandwich.”
“Yes, sir,” said the waiter, reaching for the sandwich: “will you eat it or take it with you?”
“Both,” was the unexpected but obvoious reply.

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1907, Scout movement founded by Robert Baden Powell

1914, The Austria-Serbia war starts World War I

1933, All non-German books are burned in Germany.

1984, Opening of the XXIII Summer Olympics in Los Angeles

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Yesterday was another hot day with the temperature above 100 degrees. I don’t remember how many days but its been 23 or 24 consecutive above 100 degree days in a row. The drought is killing all the cattlemen because they are selling off their stock because the price of hay has gotten to where they cant afford to keep them. I don’t know how the flood of extra beef is going to affect the supermarket if at all.
I spent a couple of hours watching Congress on our satellite television debate about the debt ceiling bill with no results. You would think they would do something about that thing because of all the effects it’s going to do to the economy!!
Abraham Lincoln said “The legitimate object of government is to do for a community of people whatever they need to have done, but cannot do at all in their separate and individual capacities.”

In my observations of Congress this is what they do. A man gets up to speak and says nothing. Nobody listens-and then everybody disagrees.
I believe that practical politics consists in ignoring facts.
I know that a lot of people are depending on their social security checks to survive~but then the military is not going to get paid if they don’t get this debt ceiling bill through the house and senate. Can you believe that all the government functions will be affected in one way or another. All the payments going to the states that the senators in congress have passed will be stopped. Health program payments to the states and the road construction funding that the states get amidst all the other programs that are in the works for them.
But to listen to all the stuff that they are saying they are more concerned with CUT CAP AND BALANCE which affects the credit rating of the nation.
If they really wanted to do something about the nation they would do something about all the billions of dollars that the multi-national companies in this country are shipping out of the country to cheap labor of their factories in foreign countries a simple solution like putting a high tax on them for doing so.
Why don’t they nationalize all the foreign companies in this country doing business to keep all their profits in the states instead of letting all these monies go overseas to their parent companies.
You know the answer to that as well as I do ~~Congress is not going to upset this apple cart because of all the special interest groups that they cater to because of their campaign contributions from all these groups so that they can stay in office.
So there you have it all the jobs are going overseas because congress made it profitable for multi-national companies to go overseas because of the tax incentive for them to do so. Foreign companies come in and manufacture here because they make more money here than they do by manufacturing at home and shipping their product over and thereby avoiding the excise tax of importing their goods into this country.
And I wonder why is it that there are no term limits on these congressmen like there are on the presidents of the United States. Some of these senators stay in office for decades not bringing any new ideas on how to improve this country. Their sole object is to create funding for their home states. This is a big flaw in the system as far as I am concerned. Everybody that pays taxes in this country goes into a big pot and these senators figure ways of getting their states to get as much of this money as they can to go their state. Of course you have guessed it as many of us have that the most persuasive conversation are going to reap the biggest profit for their states no matter how much money from their state goes into the pot.
Of course I have written more than I have intended to for the blog for today. So maybe tomorrow a different subject.

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Here is another story about Abraham Lincoln past President of the United States

A member of the church, being at a Presidential reception,
closed some remarks with the pious hope that the Lord would
be "on our side."
"I am not at all concerned about that," commented President
Lincoln, "for we know that the Lord is always on the side of
the right. But it is my constant anxiety and prayer that I
and this nation should be on the Lord's side."

27Jul11

He had been trying to secure the attention of a waiter for ten minutes, but at last got up[ from his chair and, going to the cashier’s desk, demanded to see the manager.
“What for?” asked the girl
“I’ve got a complaint.”
“Complaint?” retorted the girl, haughtily. “This is a restaurant, not a hospital..”

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Today in 1953, US and North Korea sign armistice at Panmunjon. The 38th parallel is established as boundary between North and South Korea.

1996, Olympic Park in Atlanta bombed

2003, Bob Hope dies at 100

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Another hot day yesterday. Alas, Summertime and the electric bill is outta sight cuz of the air-conditioner.

“The weather here in Florida is wonderful,” said the old lady. “How do you tell summer from winter?”
Replied the hotel clerk: In winter we get Cadillacs, Lincolns and stuffed shirts. In summer we get Chevrolets, Fords and stuffed shorts.”

And the congressmen in Washington are still wrestling with the crappy debt ceiling ~~what a waste of time!!

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Here is another story about Abraham Lincoln past President of the United States

A friend thought Lincoln took much counsel with David Davis,
Judge of the Circuit Court, but Lincoln enlightened him
with the following story:
"They had side judges down in New Hampshire, and to show
the folly of the system, one who had been a side judge for
twenty years said the only time the chief judge ever
consulted him was at the close of a long day's session,
when he turned to the side judge and whispered, 'Don't your back ache?'"

26Jul11

After placing an order for a Swiss cheese sandwich, the customer changed his mind. Would it be possible to change his order to an American cheese sandwich he asked.
“Naturalize that Swiss,” called the counterman to the cook.

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In 1922, Highest temperature ever measured on Earth is recorded at el-Azizia Libya: 136 degrees Fahrenheit (58 degrees Celcius) –in the shade.

1928, Stanley Kubrick is born.

1941, Roosevelt freezes Japanese assets in United States and suspends relations.

1943, Mussolini arrested and Fascist government falls; Marshall Pietro Badoglio takes over and negotiates with Allies.

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Hotter than blazes yesterday when I drove to my doctor appointment at the VA. As we sat around waiting to see our doctor a lot of the conversations everyone was talking about was the drought and the ranchers having to sell off stock because they couldn’t afford the hay~~Of course the debt ceiling was another running conversation there.
Tonight President Obama made a plea to the American public to have everyone call their senator about the debt ceiling~~what a mess they have in Washington.

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Here is another story about Abraham Lincoln past President of the United States

To a delegation who begged the commissionship of the Sandwich
Islands for a certain man, urging that besides being a qualified
man he was in bad health, President Lincoln said:
"Gentlemen, I am sorry to say that there are eight other
applicants for the place and they are all sicker than your man."

25jul11

Bill told me to go over to that new restaurant if I wanted some good roast beef.
And?
It was a bum steer

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On this day in 1952, First television program from Radio-Canada Regular program start on September 1952.

1978, First test-tube baby born

1992, Opening of the XXV Summer Olympic Games in Barcelona Spain.




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The big debate in Washington DC about the debt ceiling. Reminds me of a sign in a gift shop which read, “For the man who has everything: A calendar to remind him when the payments are due.” Which brings to mind “You pay a small deposit,” said the salesman, “and then make no more payments for six months.” “Who told you about us?” demanded the lady of the house.
One sure thing about Congress is that they can’t agree on anything. Too many conflicts of interest brought together in one location.
There is a simple solution to all this nonsense. Come November vote them all out and start fresh. Here’s another idea, term limits for all members of congress, if a president only serves two terms then why should these crooks be able to spend sometimes decades stealing from the American public.
I believe Will Rogers said it best when he said: “This country has come to feel the same when Congress is in session as when the baby gets hold of a hammer.”
Enough said on the subject everyone will just have to wait until the August 2nd deadline to see what happens.

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Here is another story about Abraham Lincoln past President of the United States

In the early part of the year 1865, when Joe Johnson had reached
Raleigh with his army, fears were entertained lest he might
suddenly join Lee, and the two crush Grant. The Congressman
then representing the Springfield Ill. district called upon
President Lincoln, when the following conversation ensued:
CONGRESSMAN-"They are becoming anxious, some of them in the House,
about the situation. Have you received anything later? Aren't
you afraid Grant is making a mistake in not moving?"
THE PRESIDENT- "Do you remember that Baptist revival in Springfield,
in such a year?"
CONGRESSMAN- "I do not recall it."
THE PRESIDENT- "Well, Bill, a hardened sinner, was converted.
Upon an appointed day the minister baptized the converts in a
small stream. After Bill had been plunged under once, he asked
the preacher to baptize him again; the latter replied it was
unnecessary. Bill, however, urged the matter, and he was
accordingly put under for the second time. As he came up, he again
asked, as a particular favor, that he might be baptized just
once more. The minister, a little angered, answered that he
had already been under once more than the other converts. Still
Bill pleaded, and the preacher put him under for the third time.
As Bill came up puffing and blowing, he shook the water from his
hair and exclaimed: "There! I'll be blowed if the devil can get
hold of me now.'" The President continued, "General Grant is
very much like Bill. He is determined on making sure of the thing,
and will not move until he has."