For anyone who unfortunately missed Monday's Celebrity Cipher by Pete Hamill it was:
'Don't tell me about the world. Not today. It's springtime ..... and the kids are trying to hit the curveball.'
It's been a long winter.
The fan
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Monday, March 21, 2011
Disposal
Out here on Williams Street, scruffy-looking strangers amble by from time to time, leaving behind scraps of advertising paper on my porch or affixed to my front door. I don't ask for these
intrusions, or welcome them, and rarely examine them closely.
Once in a while, though, a name or a phrase will catch my eye -- you know how that is -- and just such a thing happened this week.
The name in this case was Olinger Crown Hill Cemetery of Wheat Ridge.
So is Olinger Crown Hill Cemetery selling something? You betcha. Turf.
The sales pitch: "March 2011 Only .....Buy One Interment Right ..... Get one Interment Right FREE .....Your Choice from 7 Different Blocks ...... Small Down Payments .....Affordable Monthly Payments."
Hey, that's a two-for-one deal.
I haven't had such an offer from this particular industry since a Neptune Society invited me in 2009 to participate in a lottery for a free cremation -- a service not to be consummated immediately, of course, but at some time of need in the future.
Well, I let that opportunity slip by and expect I'll let this one go too, but it's comforting to know there's always somebody thinking about you.
intrusions, or welcome them, and rarely examine them closely.
Once in a while, though, a name or a phrase will catch my eye -- you know how that is -- and just such a thing happened this week.
The name in this case was Olinger Crown Hill Cemetery of Wheat Ridge.
So is Olinger Crown Hill Cemetery selling something? You betcha. Turf.
The sales pitch: "March 2011 Only .....Buy One Interment Right ..... Get one Interment Right FREE .....Your Choice from 7 Different Blocks ...... Small Down Payments .....Affordable Monthly Payments."
Hey, that's a two-for-one deal.
I haven't had such an offer from this particular industry since a Neptune Society invited me in 2009 to participate in a lottery for a free cremation -- a service not to be consummated immediately, of course, but at some time of need in the future.
Well, I let that opportunity slip by and expect I'll let this one go too, but it's comforting to know there's always somebody thinking about you.
Sunday, March 13, 2011
Necks
The Denver Post reported this week at considerable length on a significant surge in the sale and wearing of bow ties. I hadn't noticed this, but I don't get around much anymore. particularly among gentlemen of fashion.
Many years ago, when on duty in the newspaper business. I was expected always to wear a proper suit, and with it a proper necktie. I took that to mean the traditional long, flowing tie, and would never have been caught dead -- or alive -- wearing a bow tie.
Never owned one. Never wanted one.
Men in suits have always had three choices.
They may wear the traditional necktie, conventional but perhaps a bit stuffy. They may go about with open collars, comfortable but perhaps a bit sloppy. Or they may wear a bow tie, looking a bit like prize pigs.
I vote for sloppy.
Many years ago, when on duty in the newspaper business. I was expected always to wear a proper suit, and with it a proper necktie. I took that to mean the traditional long, flowing tie, and would never have been caught dead -- or alive -- wearing a bow tie.
Never owned one. Never wanted one.
Men in suits have always had three choices.
They may wear the traditional necktie, conventional but perhaps a bit stuffy. They may go about with open collars, comfortable but perhaps a bit sloppy. Or they may wear a bow tie, looking a bit like prize pigs.
I vote for sloppy.
Friday, March 11, 2011
Fraud III
Colorado Republicans are baying at the moon again about election fraud. They want to pass a bill making it harder for some people to vote.
The chief instigator is Secretary of State Scott Gessler, who by law is the state's chief elections officer. In his most recent role as protector of the ballot, he has again alleged that thousands of noncitizens are registered to vote in Colorado.
So he wants a law allowing him to dig into public data bases to check if registered voters are, in fact, citizens. In suspicious cases he would send out letters asking for proof of citizenship, such as a passport or birth certificate.
He says he's not aiming at prosecutions, but merely at cleaning up the voting rolls.
Well, the history of this sort of crusade reveals another, less noble purpose: To further discourage voting by blacks and especially the burgeoning Latino community -- people who seldom have enjoyed much encouragement from the white-bread establishment.
The chief instigator is Secretary of State Scott Gessler, who by law is the state's chief elections officer. In his most recent role as protector of the ballot, he has again alleged that thousands of noncitizens are registered to vote in Colorado.
So he wants a law allowing him to dig into public data bases to check if registered voters are, in fact, citizens. In suspicious cases he would send out letters asking for proof of citizenship, such as a passport or birth certificate.
He says he's not aiming at prosecutions, but merely at cleaning up the voting rolls.
Well, the history of this sort of crusade reveals another, less noble purpose: To further discourage voting by blacks and especially the burgeoning Latino community -- people who seldom have enjoyed much encouragement from the white-bread establishment.
Monday, March 7, 2011
Sen. John Kerry, the Democrat who chairs the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. supports the idea of establishing a no-fly zone in Libya. So do Republican Sens. John McCain and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell.
These are not senatorial rookies who are questioning the judgment of Defense Secretary Robert Gates. These are big shots clamoring to save Libya from itself. And President Barack Obama's comments on Libya Monday were not encouraging.
Earlier Gates had advised against the no-fly intervention, suggesting that it would first require an attack to neutralize Libyan air defenses.
Well no, said Kerry, on "Face the Nation," an attack is not the only option: "One could crater the airports and the runways and leave them incapable of using them for a period of time."
Uh huh. Think about that. What would Americans think if Libya or anybody else "cratered" JFK, LAX, O'Hare and Stapleton and left them unusable?
We would call it an act of war. Which it is. And demand warlike revenge.
Now I have no idea how much damage Libya could ever do to us, but I know we don't need another do-good war with anyone, anywhere. We've stumbled into enough of them already. And never seem to learn.
These are not senatorial rookies who are questioning the judgment of Defense Secretary Robert Gates. These are big shots clamoring to save Libya from itself. And President Barack Obama's comments on Libya Monday were not encouraging.
Earlier Gates had advised against the no-fly intervention, suggesting that it would first require an attack to neutralize Libyan air defenses.
Well no, said Kerry, on "Face the Nation," an attack is not the only option: "One could crater the airports and the runways and leave them incapable of using them for a period of time."
Uh huh. Think about that. What would Americans think if Libya or anybody else "cratered" JFK, LAX, O'Hare and Stapleton and left them unusable?
We would call it an act of war. Which it is. And demand warlike revenge.
Now I have no idea how much damage Libya could ever do to us, but I know we don't need another do-good war with anyone, anywhere. We've stumbled into enough of them already. And never seem to learn.
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