Tuesday, November 2, 2010

Make Your Voice Be Heard


Today is Election Day across the United States. As US Citizens we have a right to make our voices be heard. I’m urging everyone one of you to get out and vote. Polls are open today from 7 AM to 7 PM. I don’t care if you are voting Democrat, Green, Independent, Libertarian, Republican, or Tea – make your vote count!

Many people don’t think the Presidential Mid-term elections mean that much. They mean just as much if not more than the Presidential Elections. Why? Statistically less people get out and vote. This makes your vote/voice even louder. Another way to look at elections is very similar to emergency management: all disasters are local. I’m not calling your local politicians a disaster, but local elections are where your voice is the most powerful. Do you know the names and stances of your following office holders: school board, city council member, mayor, county commissioner, district attorney, county treasurer, state representative, state senator, judges, governor, state school board, state treasurer, attorney general, secretary of state, us representative, us senators that are representing you?

Voting really should be proactive and not reactive. Kansas is a good example of a reactive state. Kansas is the state that has a couple of times that has banned the teaching of the theory of evolution. However, each time the we ban the teaching of evolution the next election cycle we change it back to allowing the theory of evolution to be taught. I’ve seen this bumper sticker: Kansas -- Where Evolution Is Outlawed And The Monkeys Are In Charge.

Please don’t be a one issue voter – take a look at the campaign literature – and if you have already thrown that out do a search on the candidates whose signs you see in your neighborhood. Whose overall viewpoint best matches what you believe?

Many times we often hear people say Congress is messed up – we just need to start from scratch. Yet, how many of us say, “well, my representative does a good job – it is the rest of Congress”? I have a good friend that never votes for an incumbent. I often tell him, you really need to look what the person stands for and do their political views match yours?

Have you ever noticed that you get to determine if a judge gets to retain their position? This is a time to see if they are soft or hard on criminals. Do you agree with their stance? Are they part of the problem for the back-up of the court system? I’ve heard of several judges that are paid full time yet only working part time – how is this helping out our criminal justice system?

Evolve -don’t let the monkeys be in charge of your government.
-Disaster Chick, guest blogger

Monday, November 1, 2010

Happy Monday

I hope that Halloween weekend was good to everyone. Ours was full of stuff like going to the zoo, trick or treating, and all sorts of Halloweeny type stuff.

I saw this pumpkin and had to post it...

Enjoy and I promise I will have more later in the week...

-Doc

Friday, October 29, 2010

It all came down to the last play


No FSU win... #FSUFAIL instead.
Had a great trip and a fun time but the Noles fumbled away victory in the end. Late night last night and barely any sleep but I hope everyone has a great Friday.
-Doc

Thursday, October 28, 2010

Thursday Random Thoughts 10/28/10

Stuff I have been thinking about:

-Uh Oh, I read the other day that they are making Halloween themed Peeps. Yuck. As if peeps hadn't already ruined Easter now they want to mess up Halloween too.

-Am I the only one who doesn't like "Select a Size" paper towels? Hey I mean just give me the full paper towel please!

-Speaking of things I'm not a fan of please add the "spork" to that list. Give me either a fork or a spoon but not some strange hybrid of the two that doesn't get the job of either done properly.

-Looking back at Disaster Chick's birthday post to me on Monday and I why wonder why Marilyn needed the words to sing Happy Birthday to Kennedy?

-Beware when anyone says, "Oh it's just a natural part of being a human being. Everyone does it." or something like that because I promise you something gross is coming up next.

-I'm taking a half day at work today and heading up to Raleigh for the Florida State - NC State football game tonight. Should be a fun time and a great game but say a quick prayer for me. NC State fans are not known for being the most hospitable or polite to visiting fans so I hope I am safe... GO NOLES >>>-----;;;------->


-In last week's random thoughts post I made the mistake of bragging that I had started downloading music on Limewire. That didn't last long. The website has been shut down for legal reasons. So ends my brief foray into music downloading. Oh well it was fun the 2 times I did it.

- Ever since I cleaned out my desk drawer I have been doing much better about not hoarding ketchup packets. I don't think there is ever a situation where I will need 100 of them.

-My wife and I decided to get rid of DirecTV and consolidate our TV, home phone, and internet service into the Time Warner "Triple Play" bundle. I think it's going to save us upwards of $145 a month and we really can't ignore that kind of savings. I just hope I don't miss any of my sports channels too much. Anyone else done this? Any problems or issues.

-So far I still feel great and haven't gotten "The Funk." Knock on Wood!

-It's almost time to break out my one Christmas decoration that I use on my desk. It's a reindeer that is made out of the same greenery that they make fake Christmas trees out of. I love this little guy and I only get to put him up for 2 months a year. (the rest of the year that spot is taken by a Jeff Gordon antennae ball) I might have to take a picture for you guys and post it later in Christmas season.

OK that's all I have for this week. You all have a great Thursday and I will catch up with you later.

-Doc

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

I don't want the funk.

I don't want it.

My son was sick all weekend and then yesterday my wife came home from work with it. It's the funk. The fever and stomach virus that makes your life completely miserable for 24 hours or so.

I'm doing everything I can to not get this. I am Washing my hands extra and I even slept downstairs on the couch last night.

I don't want it. I can't get sick. I have stuff to do. Work yes, but more importantly I am supposed to go to Raleigh tomorrow for the Florida State - NC State football game. I can't miss that.

Plus my in-laws are coming into town on Friday and we are going hang out all weekend and do Halloween type stuff and maybe go to the Renaissance Festival. Too much fun stuff to do and I don't want it.

As I sit here though my stomach is feeling kind of odd... AHHHHHRRGGHHH!

Do you get the feeling I don't want it?

-Doc

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Interesting People in History




How many of you know about the woman that held the very first patent to the brassiere? She was Mary “Polly” Phelps Jacob to later change her name to Caresse Crosby. At age 19 the brassiere was only the first interesting event to happen in her life.

Whale-boned corsets were the only acceptable way for a lady to be presented which were very uncomfortable and like many fashions even today were not designed for a naturally well endowed female. Polly planned on wearing a sheer gown that didn’t fit quite right with a traditional corset so she had her maid take two silk handkerchiefs and some pink ribbon to create the very first brassiere. Unlike the other bra-like inventions at the time this was soft and did more flattening than flattering and naturally separated rather than pushing together. However, it did complement the fashions at the time. A patent was issued to her on November 3, 1914 for a “Backless Brassiere” Polly married Richard Peabody, and declared on May 19, 1920 that she was a married woman conducting a business using separate funds from her husband’s account. She later sold the patent to The Warner Brothers Corset Company, and they made much more than she ever did.

Her marriage to Richard was not a happy one. After World War I ended he was a drunk and was in and out of treatment facilities. At age 28 while her husband was in treatment she was asked to be a chaperone for a dinner and trip to an amusement park by Harry Crosby’s mother. Harry was a recent Harvard graduate and within two hours of meeting fell in love with Polly. She was six years older, married, and the mother of two small children. They soon had an affair that led to her divorce. All three families were members of society and were scandalized by the divorce, so Polly and Harry left Boston moved to New York City and then Paris.

Harry began cheating on Polly even before he got to Paris. Soon their life of glamour and luxury led to an open marriage. Polly changed her name to Caresse, upon Harry’s request. However, they had a suicide pact where they would jump out of a plane on October 31, 1942 when the earth would be the closest to the sun over several decades. They would then be cremated and ashes disposed by another plane. Possibly not the healthiest of relationships.

Together Harry and Caresse created Black Sun Press which began publishing their poetry. It became one of the most important small presses in Paris in the 1920s by publishing some of the first works from authors such has James Joyce, D.H. Lawrence, Ezra Pound, and Ernest Hemingway.

In July 1928 Harry met a soon to be wed Josephine, and began a love affair. Once she was married the affair ended only reunite about a year later. In December Harry and Josephine were found dead together – unsure if it was a murder/suicide or a suicide pact.

Caresse continued to run the Black Sun Press, and even tries acting. In 1934 she had an affair with Canada Lee, a black actor/boxer from 1934 though the mid-1940s not caring they were breaking miscegenation laws.

During this time in Hollywood she met Selbert “Bert” Saffold Young. He was eighteen years her junior and had been a football player and now an unemployed actor. She bought a farm in Virginia to please him. He was usually drunk and infrequently home. In 1950 she divorced Bert.

In the end she is also known for writing pornography, being a political activist, opened Washington D.C.’s only modern art gallery in the 1940s and was friends with Salvador Dali and Henry Miller. She wanted to create a “world community” which the organizations known as Women Against War and Citizens of the World. In the end she started an artist’s community 43 miles north of Rome. With the purchase of the land she acquired the title Princess.
January 1970 at age 78 Caresse died from pneumonia in Rome after having experimental open heart surgery at the Mayo Clinic.
Now this makes you wonder about the lives your grandparents and great-grandparents lived, doesn't it?
-Disaster Chick, guest blogger

Monday, October 25, 2010

Happy 39th, Doc!!!


Happy birthday to you
Happy birthday to you
Happy birthday Mr Blogmaster
Happy birthday to you

Thanks, Mr Blogmaster
For all the things you've done
The posts that you've created
The way you deal with all of us
And our problems by the ton
We thank you so much

Everybody, happy birthday

-Guest Blogger, Disaster Chick, doing her best Marilyn Monroe impersonation