I guess it is ok to steal if you give it back once you are caught?
An Oklahoma City woman forced to fight back after her grandson's bike was stolen.
Ellen Alsup says, "This kid was going around stealing all the kid's bikes."
Alsup says she'd had enough. Her adopted grandson Timmy's bike was one of those taken. She says when she saw the suspected thief down at the end of the block she knew what she had to do.
Oklahoma City Police Sergeant Gary Knight says, "She went up and asked this young man about it, a 13-year-old."
Alsup marched down the street to confront the young man.
She says, "He never took his eyes off me, just like saying come on lady."
Once down the street she grabbed the handlebars on the suspect's bike, refusing to let go.
Alsup says, "I said where is my son's bike? What did you do with my son Timmy's bike? He said, 'It's at my house.'"
She then began shaking the bike telling the teen he'd better bring Timmy's bike back.
Alsup says, "He slapped me on the side of the face."
She was shocked, but managed to tell the boy he would now have to deal with the police.
Alsup says, "He knew the police were coming so he brought the bike back."
She says she's frustrated with the whole situation and will press assault charges. However, she says it's not the 13-year-old that's to blame.
Alsup says, "Where are the parents? What are they doing? Do they just not care about their kids? Do they not care what their kids are doing? Do they want them to end up in jail or prison?"
The teen will likely not end up in jail. However, he is facing misdemeanor charges of assault and battery. Police say he will not be charged for taking the bicycle because he did return the bike.
Somehow, I feel like I am becoming a geezer. After my bike accident, I have used a cane. I feel like poking a young whipersnapper...
Tuesday, March 20, 2007
Saturday, March 03, 2007
Damn Wisconsin Banana Police
Rest easy, Madison, the banana cops are on the case.
You don't have to worry about being overcharged on an undersized banana in this town.
Trader Joe's on Monroe Street had its "Welcome to the Banana Republic of Madison" moment earlier this year when it was busted by the city's weights and measures department for illegally selling bananas for 19 cents each.
To be fair, this is actually a "Welcome to Wisconsin" moment, because the law that city weights and measures inspector Cindy Lease was enforcing is a state law.
"I can't change the law. I just tell them what it is," Lease said. "It's been the law for a long time."
Under section 91.03 of Wisconsin Administrative Code, it is illegal to sell bananas any other way than by net weight. Lease told Trader Joe's it had two options: Either install produce scales - like the vast majority of grocery stores - or weigh the bananas and sell them by the bag.
Trader Joe's chose the second option, put up a cute sign about "fruitful" matchmaking in the produce aisle to announce that "bananas are no longer single" and could be purchased by the bag at 49 cents a pound.
This did not warm the heart of single- banana lover Darlene Gakovich.
"Now you have to buy huge clumps of bananas," she said. "I like to buy two, three or four bananas, all at different stages of ripeness."
She has complained, so far, to the store manager, to the city and to state Rep. Spencer Black, D-Madison.
Gakovich is not at all mollified that this law is designed to protect her, the consumer.
"They claim the consumer might be shortchanged by buying a small banana at the same price as a big banana," she said. "I'm so angry. I don't even want a bigger banana. I think the small ones taste better."
The folks in charge of these laws say Gakovich should aim her banana elsewhere.
"I don't think the problem is with the law, the problem is with Trader Joe's deciding not to have scales," said Judy Cardin, section chief of regulation and safety for the state Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection.
Cardin, who is chair-elect of the National Conference of Weights and Measures, says Wisconsin's law isn't much different from those in most states. She said the laws are "fundamental consumer protection" because they allow consumers to easily compare prices between stores.
I do appreciate the weights and measures inspectors' work when they're making sure that store scales are correct and that the gas pump at the local station isn't cheating me out of any of that oh-so-expensive gasoline.
But, like Gakovich, I think I'm perfectly capable of judging whether I want to spend 19 cents for a banana.
Lettuce look at those state rules. They allow lettuce and cauliflower to be sold by the head, but not cabbage.
I don't carrot all about how I buy my carrots, but section 91.03 does: Carrots with tops can be sold by the bunch, while topless carrots must be sold by the pound. Can you beet that? Yes. The same rule applies to topless beets.
I know this sounds like sour grapes, but explain why, under state law, you can sell Concord grapes by the quart, but all other grapes must by sold by the pound?
And, someone leeked it to the media that you can buy leeks legally by the bunch, but their cousins, the onions, only by the pound.
How do you like them potatoes? It doesn't matter how you like them. Here in Wisconsin, the potato police have squashed your right to buy them by the piece.
Personally, I think they can kiss my asparagus - after weighing it, of course.
You don't have to worry about being overcharged on an undersized banana in this town.
Trader Joe's on Monroe Street had its "Welcome to the Banana Republic of Madison" moment earlier this year when it was busted by the city's weights and measures department for illegally selling bananas for 19 cents each.
To be fair, this is actually a "Welcome to Wisconsin" moment, because the law that city weights and measures inspector Cindy Lease was enforcing is a state law.
"I can't change the law. I just tell them what it is," Lease said. "It's been the law for a long time."
Under section 91.03 of Wisconsin Administrative Code, it is illegal to sell bananas any other way than by net weight. Lease told Trader Joe's it had two options: Either install produce scales - like the vast majority of grocery stores - or weigh the bananas and sell them by the bag.
Trader Joe's chose the second option, put up a cute sign about "fruitful" matchmaking in the produce aisle to announce that "bananas are no longer single" and could be purchased by the bag at 49 cents a pound.
This did not warm the heart of single- banana lover Darlene Gakovich.
"Now you have to buy huge clumps of bananas," she said. "I like to buy two, three or four bananas, all at different stages of ripeness."
She has complained, so far, to the store manager, to the city and to state Rep. Spencer Black, D-Madison.
Gakovich is not at all mollified that this law is designed to protect her, the consumer.
"They claim the consumer might be shortchanged by buying a small banana at the same price as a big banana," she said. "I'm so angry. I don't even want a bigger banana. I think the small ones taste better."
The folks in charge of these laws say Gakovich should aim her banana elsewhere.
"I don't think the problem is with the law, the problem is with Trader Joe's deciding not to have scales," said Judy Cardin, section chief of regulation and safety for the state Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection.
Cardin, who is chair-elect of the National Conference of Weights and Measures, says Wisconsin's law isn't much different from those in most states. She said the laws are "fundamental consumer protection" because they allow consumers to easily compare prices between stores.
I do appreciate the weights and measures inspectors' work when they're making sure that store scales are correct and that the gas pump at the local station isn't cheating me out of any of that oh-so-expensive gasoline.
But, like Gakovich, I think I'm perfectly capable of judging whether I want to spend 19 cents for a banana.
Lettuce look at those state rules. They allow lettuce and cauliflower to be sold by the head, but not cabbage.
I don't carrot all about how I buy my carrots, but section 91.03 does: Carrots with tops can be sold by the bunch, while topless carrots must be sold by the pound. Can you beet that? Yes. The same rule applies to topless beets.
I know this sounds like sour grapes, but explain why, under state law, you can sell Concord grapes by the quart, but all other grapes must by sold by the pound?
And, someone leeked it to the media that you can buy leeks legally by the bunch, but their cousins, the onions, only by the pound.
How do you like them potatoes? It doesn't matter how you like them. Here in Wisconsin, the potato police have squashed your right to buy them by the piece.
Personally, I think they can kiss my asparagus - after weighing it, of course.
Saturday, February 24, 2007
Another enterprise in Richland Center
Gotta love Richland Center....they come up with good enterprises!
A 3-year-old poodle had such long and matted hair that her rescuers at first didn't realize she had only two legs.
Having dealt with three-legged dogs in the past - "tripods" - rescuers had to come up with a new term for the poodle in their care.
"She's a duplex," said Karen Sparapani, community outreach director at the Elmbrook Humane Society.
Acting on a tip, the Elmbrook Humane Society rescued 20 dogs from what they said was a puppy mill in western Wisconsin last week. The poodle, now named China, lost two of her legs when her mother chewed them off, a sign of stress often seen in puppy mills, Sparapani said.
A week later, China is learning to walk for the first time and learning how to behave like a dog, she said.
The dogs were kept in wire pens in a barn in rural western Wisconsin by an Amish farmer.
Elmbrook staff declined to disclose the farmer's name because they want to establish a relationship with him. They are expecting four more dogs as soon as those dogs are done nursing.
The shelter staff is hoping that the farmer turns over all his "cold stock" - dogs too old to breed or deemed unsuitable by the farmer.
The rescuers had to leave behind 150 dogs still being bred twice a year.
Unwitting customers end up buying the product of puppy mills, she said.
"It's never going to end until people stop buying dogs from pet stores and through ads," Sparapani said.
Puppy mills - places where multiple breeds of dogs are frequently bred - are controversial but not illegal in Wisconsin.
The Richland Center puppy mill was cleaner than expected, and the farmer, who gave each dog a number, seemed generally to care about the dogs, said Carol Sumbry, the shelter's volunteer coordinator and humane educator.
Sumbry, who took part in the rescue, said she couldn't look back as she was leaving. She had to concentrate on the ones they could save.
One of those removed was a 4-month-old male Boston terrier. The dog, dubbed Boston by the shelter, severely cut his front paw while the rescuers were in the barn and the farmer didn't want to have to pay the veterinarian bill. Boston is recovering at a Madison hospital and might still lose his leg.
The shelter also rescued a 2-year-old Chihuahua and poodle mix that the farmer said wouldn't breed. Likely under stress at the puppy mill, she has already gone into heat at the shelter.
Two fox terrier and beagle mix puppies were given up because the farmer thought they were ugly.
Some of the dogs have already been adopted, but others remain and are making progress. The first day the dogs were in the shelter, they cowered in the back of their pens, Sparapani said. One week later, they are approaching people and begging for attention.
Anyone adopting the animals will face challenges. The dogs never left their cages, never walked on solid ground and never wore a collar or leash. They will likely be protective of their food, and most are not housebroken. All the dogs will be sterilized before leaving the shelter.
The dogs will learn dog behavior better in a home with another dog, shelter staff say.
A 3-year-old poodle had such long and matted hair that her rescuers at first didn't realize she had only two legs.
Having dealt with three-legged dogs in the past - "tripods" - rescuers had to come up with a new term for the poodle in their care.
"She's a duplex," said Karen Sparapani, community outreach director at the Elmbrook Humane Society.
Acting on a tip, the Elmbrook Humane Society rescued 20 dogs from what they said was a puppy mill in western Wisconsin last week. The poodle, now named China, lost two of her legs when her mother chewed them off, a sign of stress often seen in puppy mills, Sparapani said.
A week later, China is learning to walk for the first time and learning how to behave like a dog, she said.
The dogs were kept in wire pens in a barn in rural western Wisconsin by an Amish farmer.
Elmbrook staff declined to disclose the farmer's name because they want to establish a relationship with him. They are expecting four more dogs as soon as those dogs are done nursing.
The shelter staff is hoping that the farmer turns over all his "cold stock" - dogs too old to breed or deemed unsuitable by the farmer.
The rescuers had to leave behind 150 dogs still being bred twice a year.
Unwitting customers end up buying the product of puppy mills, she said.
"It's never going to end until people stop buying dogs from pet stores and through ads," Sparapani said.
Puppy mills - places where multiple breeds of dogs are frequently bred - are controversial but not illegal in Wisconsin.
The Richland Center puppy mill was cleaner than expected, and the farmer, who gave each dog a number, seemed generally to care about the dogs, said Carol Sumbry, the shelter's volunteer coordinator and humane educator.
Sumbry, who took part in the rescue, said she couldn't look back as she was leaving. She had to concentrate on the ones they could save.
One of those removed was a 4-month-old male Boston terrier. The dog, dubbed Boston by the shelter, severely cut his front paw while the rescuers were in the barn and the farmer didn't want to have to pay the veterinarian bill. Boston is recovering at a Madison hospital and might still lose his leg.
The shelter also rescued a 2-year-old Chihuahua and poodle mix that the farmer said wouldn't breed. Likely under stress at the puppy mill, she has already gone into heat at the shelter.
Two fox terrier and beagle mix puppies were given up because the farmer thought they were ugly.
Some of the dogs have already been adopted, but others remain and are making progress. The first day the dogs were in the shelter, they cowered in the back of their pens, Sparapani said. One week later, they are approaching people and begging for attention.
Anyone adopting the animals will face challenges. The dogs never left their cages, never walked on solid ground and never wore a collar or leash. They will likely be protective of their food, and most are not housebroken. All the dogs will be sterilized before leaving the shelter.
The dogs will learn dog behavior better in a home with another dog, shelter staff say.
Monday, February 05, 2007
Is it cold?
I have decided the midwest has become inhabited by a bunch of pussys. I see most of the schools were closed today to cold wether. In the old days, when I lived there, we kept workig outside until it was at LEAST 20 below zero. Then we only stopped because the instruments froze up. Today, it was around 0 this morning and they closed te schools....
I remember one year, it never got above 0 for 32 days or something. Out working each day...then we moved to Arizona.....
WIMPS!
I remember one year, it never got above 0 for 32 days or something. Out working each day...then we moved to Arizona.....
WIMPS!
Sunday, January 21, 2007
Local colleges
When I went to Richland Center, many of the students were older - some just coming back from Vietnam - now we have Iraq to bring the coffins home....
When Shawn Cassiman got divorced, she knew it was time to go to college to be better able to support herself and her children.
A high school dropout with an equivalency diploma, she enrolled at UW-Superior at age 40. Commuting from Ashland, she worked at a pizza joint as well as work-study jobs between classes, before gaining her bachelor's degree in 2002.
Now Cassiman has a master's degree and is working toward a Ph.D. in social welfare at the UW-Madison.
She says she was "lucky" to get scholarships and to find the mentors she needed to gain her degrees. But the University of Wisconsin System is launching a new Adult Student Initiative aimed at taking much of the luck out of the equation for older "nontraditional" students such as Cassiman.
"Nontraditional" UW student Shawn Cassiman returned to college nine years ago at age 40 and is now working toward a Ph.D.
The number of students age 24 and older has dropped dramatically in the past 10 years - at the UW-Madison and in the system as a whole. Statewide, nontraditional undergraduate students declined from 27,069 in 1995 to 20,095 in 2005. At UW-Madison, the numbers of undergraduate students age 24 and older dropped from 2,616 in 1997 to 1,661 in 2005.
UW System President Kevin Reilly said the new initiative - proposed as part of the next two-year budget at a cost of $2.6 million - is necessary to close a 5 percent gap in bachelor's degrees that Wisconsin suffers in comparison with Illinois and Minnesota.
That is one reason why the state has a lower average family income and suffers in economic vitality compared to some other states in the region, he said. Creating more high-paying employment opportunities within the state's economy requires an educated population.
"There is a documented need to attract adults with an associate degree or substantial college credit to UW System campuses to complete a bachelor's degree," Reilly said.
The new initiative - to be launched by the UW Colleges and UW-Extension - is in addition to existing programs, and would not mean a cut in funding for traditional students entering college out of high school.
The additional money would be used to identify, recruit and serve potential adult students, expand opportunities for them through distance education and provide more counseling.
Wisconsin has a high level of people with associate degrees who could use UW resources to gain bachelor's degrees, Reilly said. Jobs requiring at least a bachelor's degree include computer system analysts, schoolteachers, physical therapists and graphics designers. The potential market of Wisconsinites age 18 and older who have some college credit or an associate degree is 1.2 million people, and researchers estimate that 60,860 are "extremely or very interested in enrolling in a degree program," UW System officials said.
No one is quite sure why nontraditional students have declined, though the fact that tuition has risen sharply in recent years may be a factor. Sharp competition from private universities offering flexible hours and online courses could also be a factor.
UW System spokesman Dave Giroux added that state budget cuts have forced the system to focus more narrowly on a core mission of traditional-aged on-campus undergraduates. "It has more to do with our internal issues, doing more with less," he said.
But Teri Venker, a spokeswoman for the UW Colleges and UW-Extension, said another major cause is likely a scary university bureaucracy.
"Especially in parts of the state where no UW campus is located, the University of Wisconsin is often perceived as a bureaucracy that some people find intimidating. They don't know where to start," she said.
View from the desks: Rod Perry knew where to start, but he had to get past some obstacles first.
Perry, 63, lost his job as a digitizer in the business outfitters division of Lands' End in Dodgeville in February 2005. He designed digital logos that are embroidered on garments with a computer-assisted sewing machine, but he said he and some 40 others lost their jobs when Lands' End contracted for the work to be done in India and South America.
Perry and others applied for a federal program allowing them to draw unemployment while attending college, but they were denied and had to appeal more than once.
The application was finally approved, and in September Perry started taking classes at UW-Richland in his hometown of Richland Center to get an associate degree in liberal arts, with an emphasis on business.
"The big hang-up is that the program demands that you carry 12 credits. To be 44 years out of the classroom and leap into a 12-credit schedule was at least brutal, but it turned out a little better than I expected," he said.
In fact, Perry ended his first semester with a 3.9 grade point average.
"They want you to finish and then take a job. I said, 'OK, but who would hire me at 65?' "
Perry said he plans to cross that bridge when he comes to it, while Deanna Newlun of Wonewoc has a clear idea of where she wants to go next.
She will graduate from UW-Richland in May with an associate degree in liberal arts and science and intends to pursue a bachelor's degree in criminal justice online through a four-year institution so she can become a probation or parole officer.
Newlun enrolled four years ago at age 28 to find a more interesting career. Married with children ages 8 and 4, she currently works part time as a ticket agent at the Crystal Grand Music Theatre in Wisconsin Dells.
Her husband, Chris, is a truck driver who is often away from home, so it has been a struggle to juggle school, homework, her children and jobs.
"It has gotten easier as my kids have gotten older. At first the classes were difficult because I didn't know what to expect, and some are still difficult," said Newlun, although she has made the Dean's List with high honors every semester.
Both she and Cassiman urged people thinking about going back to school to do so.
"It's never too late, and it's not as bad as you might think," Newlun said. "It has been very rewarding. I've met a lot of new people and I was able to experience college, on a different level but still experience it."
Cassiman said the same, even though, like Newlun, she has also had to take out student loans to get her degrees.
"I ended up with a great adviser in my program. We all need support and help to do anything we do. A big part of support is financial, but encouragement and belief in your ability to succeed are very important," she said.
"It is really important to recognize that because we don't all follow the same type of trajectory doesn't mean that we can't do things. If you didn't do it 20 years ago, that doesn't mean you can't do it. A lot of times people put their dreams on hold."
When Shawn Cassiman got divorced, she knew it was time to go to college to be better able to support herself and her children.
A high school dropout with an equivalency diploma, she enrolled at UW-Superior at age 40. Commuting from Ashland, she worked at a pizza joint as well as work-study jobs between classes, before gaining her bachelor's degree in 2002.
Now Cassiman has a master's degree and is working toward a Ph.D. in social welfare at the UW-Madison.
She says she was "lucky" to get scholarships and to find the mentors she needed to gain her degrees. But the University of Wisconsin System is launching a new Adult Student Initiative aimed at taking much of the luck out of the equation for older "nontraditional" students such as Cassiman.
"Nontraditional" UW student Shawn Cassiman returned to college nine years ago at age 40 and is now working toward a Ph.D.
The number of students age 24 and older has dropped dramatically in the past 10 years - at the UW-Madison and in the system as a whole. Statewide, nontraditional undergraduate students declined from 27,069 in 1995 to 20,095 in 2005. At UW-Madison, the numbers of undergraduate students age 24 and older dropped from 2,616 in 1997 to 1,661 in 2005.
UW System President Kevin Reilly said the new initiative - proposed as part of the next two-year budget at a cost of $2.6 million - is necessary to close a 5 percent gap in bachelor's degrees that Wisconsin suffers in comparison with Illinois and Minnesota.
That is one reason why the state has a lower average family income and suffers in economic vitality compared to some other states in the region, he said. Creating more high-paying employment opportunities within the state's economy requires an educated population.
"There is a documented need to attract adults with an associate degree or substantial college credit to UW System campuses to complete a bachelor's degree," Reilly said.
The new initiative - to be launched by the UW Colleges and UW-Extension - is in addition to existing programs, and would not mean a cut in funding for traditional students entering college out of high school.
The additional money would be used to identify, recruit and serve potential adult students, expand opportunities for them through distance education and provide more counseling.
Wisconsin has a high level of people with associate degrees who could use UW resources to gain bachelor's degrees, Reilly said. Jobs requiring at least a bachelor's degree include computer system analysts, schoolteachers, physical therapists and graphics designers. The potential market of Wisconsinites age 18 and older who have some college credit or an associate degree is 1.2 million people, and researchers estimate that 60,860 are "extremely or very interested in enrolling in a degree program," UW System officials said.
No one is quite sure why nontraditional students have declined, though the fact that tuition has risen sharply in recent years may be a factor. Sharp competition from private universities offering flexible hours and online courses could also be a factor.
UW System spokesman Dave Giroux added that state budget cuts have forced the system to focus more narrowly on a core mission of traditional-aged on-campus undergraduates. "It has more to do with our internal issues, doing more with less," he said.
But Teri Venker, a spokeswoman for the UW Colleges and UW-Extension, said another major cause is likely a scary university bureaucracy.
"Especially in parts of the state where no UW campus is located, the University of Wisconsin is often perceived as a bureaucracy that some people find intimidating. They don't know where to start," she said.
View from the desks: Rod Perry knew where to start, but he had to get past some obstacles first.
Perry, 63, lost his job as a digitizer in the business outfitters division of Lands' End in Dodgeville in February 2005. He designed digital logos that are embroidered on garments with a computer-assisted sewing machine, but he said he and some 40 others lost their jobs when Lands' End contracted for the work to be done in India and South America.
Perry and others applied for a federal program allowing them to draw unemployment while attending college, but they were denied and had to appeal more than once.
The application was finally approved, and in September Perry started taking classes at UW-Richland in his hometown of Richland Center to get an associate degree in liberal arts, with an emphasis on business.
"The big hang-up is that the program demands that you carry 12 credits. To be 44 years out of the classroom and leap into a 12-credit schedule was at least brutal, but it turned out a little better than I expected," he said.
In fact, Perry ended his first semester with a 3.9 grade point average.
"They want you to finish and then take a job. I said, 'OK, but who would hire me at 65?' "
Perry said he plans to cross that bridge when he comes to it, while Deanna Newlun of Wonewoc has a clear idea of where she wants to go next.
She will graduate from UW-Richland in May with an associate degree in liberal arts and science and intends to pursue a bachelor's degree in criminal justice online through a four-year institution so she can become a probation or parole officer.
Newlun enrolled four years ago at age 28 to find a more interesting career. Married with children ages 8 and 4, she currently works part time as a ticket agent at the Crystal Grand Music Theatre in Wisconsin Dells.
Her husband, Chris, is a truck driver who is often away from home, so it has been a struggle to juggle school, homework, her children and jobs.
"It has gotten easier as my kids have gotten older. At first the classes were difficult because I didn't know what to expect, and some are still difficult," said Newlun, although she has made the Dean's List with high honors every semester.
Both she and Cassiman urged people thinking about going back to school to do so.
"It's never too late, and it's not as bad as you might think," Newlun said. "It has been very rewarding. I've met a lot of new people and I was able to experience college, on a different level but still experience it."
Cassiman said the same, even though, like Newlun, she has also had to take out student loans to get her degrees.
"I ended up with a great adviser in my program. We all need support and help to do anything we do. A big part of support is financial, but encouragement and belief in your ability to succeed are very important," she said.
"It is really important to recognize that because we don't all follow the same type of trajectory doesn't mean that we can't do things. If you didn't do it 20 years ago, that doesn't mean you can't do it. A lot of times people put their dreams on hold."
Where did common sense go?
Why do we need all these laws? If Iwere a lawmaker, I would write laws to get rid of existing laws that do not work! Plenty of those feel good laws out there already.....spike em!
From NJ
After a day of unrelenting ridicule, Assemblyman Jon Bramnick decided yesterday evening to withdraw his bill to ban talking on a cell phone while riding a bike.
"Even my friends didn't like the bill," the Union County Republican said.
A legislative committee on Thursday approved the bill, which would make it illegal for people to use a hand-held telephone while riding a bicycle on a public road. Hands-free devices would still be allowed. Violators would face fines ranging from $100 to $250.
Bramnick said the bill was meant to protect bicyclists and the people they might run into while riding and yakking. He had described the plan as a "common sense proposal."
But the idea crashed harder than a rider flipping over the handlebars.
Criticism came from all angles, from talk radio callers to constituents to casual acquaintances, Bramnick said.
He conceded that even he was having doubts while pitching the bill to fellow lawmakers on Thursday.
"I could feel in my own voice that, as I talked about the bill, I started to have some questions in my mind about my own bill," Bramnick said.
Nonetheless, it was released to the full Assembly, drawing instant media attention followed by a strong dose of mockery, some directed at the bill by fellow lawmakers.
"As my father used to tell me, "You can't legislate common sense,' and that's exactly what this bill tries to do, as the Legislature has already tried to do on so many other occasions," said Assemblyman Richard Merkt, R-Morris.
Pete Garnich, owner of Knapp's Cyclery in Lawrence, was among those who failed to see the need. His shop sponsors weekly group rides, and Garnich said he can't recall anyone talking on a cell phone while riding a bike.
"I wouldn't say it's a problem," he said. "You can't breathe and talk. It's absolutely ridiculous."
All of which contributed to Bramnick's change of heart by yesterday evening.
"The thing is, sometimes you make mistakes, simple as that," Bramnick said.
From NJ
After a day of unrelenting ridicule, Assemblyman Jon Bramnick decided yesterday evening to withdraw his bill to ban talking on a cell phone while riding a bike.
"Even my friends didn't like the bill," the Union County Republican said.
A legislative committee on Thursday approved the bill, which would make it illegal for people to use a hand-held telephone while riding a bicycle on a public road. Hands-free devices would still be allowed. Violators would face fines ranging from $100 to $250.
Bramnick said the bill was meant to protect bicyclists and the people they might run into while riding and yakking. He had described the plan as a "common sense proposal."
But the idea crashed harder than a rider flipping over the handlebars.
Criticism came from all angles, from talk radio callers to constituents to casual acquaintances, Bramnick said.
He conceded that even he was having doubts while pitching the bill to fellow lawmakers on Thursday.
"I could feel in my own voice that, as I talked about the bill, I started to have some questions in my mind about my own bill," Bramnick said.
Nonetheless, it was released to the full Assembly, drawing instant media attention followed by a strong dose of mockery, some directed at the bill by fellow lawmakers.
"As my father used to tell me, "You can't legislate common sense,' and that's exactly what this bill tries to do, as the Legislature has already tried to do on so many other occasions," said Assemblyman Richard Merkt, R-Morris.
Pete Garnich, owner of Knapp's Cyclery in Lawrence, was among those who failed to see the need. His shop sponsors weekly group rides, and Garnich said he can't recall anyone talking on a cell phone while riding a bike.
"I wouldn't say it's a problem," he said. "You can't breathe and talk. It's absolutely ridiculous."
All of which contributed to Bramnick's change of heart by yesterday evening.
"The thing is, sometimes you make mistakes, simple as that," Bramnick said.
Friday, January 12, 2007
sad day
More han 30 years ago, thy made the best pizza with everyting on it. Drank a lot of beer there and bowled quite a few lines on these lanes. Times change....
Firefighters battled wind and two received minor injuries battling a blaze that the fire chief called one of the worst fires he has faced in his 30-year career.
The hardest part for many on Tuesday was dealing with the loss of Center Lanes, a popular gathering spot for the community.
The former owner Ken Hansen said it is hard to find words to describe the loss.
"It was a family business. My mother in-law and father in-law built it in 1959," Hansen said. "We ended up working for the family and carried on the business until 1983. And then we sold it to Tom and his wife, and he's owned it ever since."
Hansen said the loss is a blow to the entire community.
"(If) you don't have a bowling alley and a golf course, you don't got much else to do," he said.
According to the Richland Center Fire Department chief, someone saw the fire and called police. Authorities sent an officer to the scene and five people who were getting ready to open the business were evacuated.
"The officer that arrived on scene went in and told the people that the back of the building was on fire and that they needed to evacuate. They weren't even aware of the fire," said Robert Bindl, chief at the Richland Center Fire Department.
Two firefighters suffered minor injuries from smoke inhalation. The blaze took more than two hours to put out because of wind. The building is a complete loss.
Heavy smoke shut down Highway 14 for hours. Authorities said traffic was rerouted and that a nearby home was evacuated.
Even with backup, firefighters battled the blaze for two hours.
"The wind was a major factor. It was blowing everything right against us. It was just a hard fire to fight," Bindl said.
Always a bowling alley, current owner Tom Hauber turned Center Lanes into a social hub.
The local Chamber of Commerce said that the fire destroyed one of the town's most profitable businesses.
"There is a banquet center, wedding receptions are held here. It affects just about every aspect of the community. I can't think of anybody here that has not been to the bowling alley at one time or another," said Susan Price, director of the Richland Center Chamber of Commerce.
The former owner said he just hopes Center Lanes can be rebuilt.
"It is going to be hard to replace," Hansen said.
The cause of the fire is still unknown. The Wisconsin fire marshal will start investigating Wednesday.
friends said om Hauber is devastated.
The fire chief said that Hauber was so overcome that they had to keep him from running into the burning building.
Long Rock and Muscoda fire departments assisted in putting out the blaze.
Firefighters battled wind and two received minor injuries battling a blaze that the fire chief called one of the worst fires he has faced in his 30-year career.
The hardest part for many on Tuesday was dealing with the loss of Center Lanes, a popular gathering spot for the community.
The former owner Ken Hansen said it is hard to find words to describe the loss.
"It was a family business. My mother in-law and father in-law built it in 1959," Hansen said. "We ended up working for the family and carried on the business until 1983. And then we sold it to Tom and his wife, and he's owned it ever since."
Hansen said the loss is a blow to the entire community.
"(If) you don't have a bowling alley and a golf course, you don't got much else to do," he said.
According to the Richland Center Fire Department chief, someone saw the fire and called police. Authorities sent an officer to the scene and five people who were getting ready to open the business were evacuated.
"The officer that arrived on scene went in and told the people that the back of the building was on fire and that they needed to evacuate. They weren't even aware of the fire," said Robert Bindl, chief at the Richland Center Fire Department.
Two firefighters suffered minor injuries from smoke inhalation. The blaze took more than two hours to put out because of wind. The building is a complete loss.
Heavy smoke shut down Highway 14 for hours. Authorities said traffic was rerouted and that a nearby home was evacuated.
Even with backup, firefighters battled the blaze for two hours.
"The wind was a major factor. It was blowing everything right against us. It was just a hard fire to fight," Bindl said.
Always a bowling alley, current owner Tom Hauber turned Center Lanes into a social hub.
The local Chamber of Commerce said that the fire destroyed one of the town's most profitable businesses.
"There is a banquet center, wedding receptions are held here. It affects just about every aspect of the community. I can't think of anybody here that has not been to the bowling alley at one time or another," said Susan Price, director of the Richland Center Chamber of Commerce.
The former owner said he just hopes Center Lanes can be rebuilt.
"It is going to be hard to replace," Hansen said.
The cause of the fire is still unknown. The Wisconsin fire marshal will start investigating Wednesday.
friends said om Hauber is devastated.
The fire chief said that Hauber was so overcome that they had to keep him from running into the burning building.
Long Rock and Muscoda fire departments assisted in putting out the blaze.
sad day
More han 30 years ago, thy made the best pizza with everyting on it. Drank a lot of beer there and bowled quite a few lines on these lanes. Times change....
Firefighters battled wind and two received minor injuries battling a blaze that the fire chief called one of the worst fires he has faced in his 30-year career.
The hardest part for many on Tuesday was dealing with the loss of Center Lanes, a popular gathering spot for the community.
The former owner Ken Hansen said it is hard to find words to describe the loss.
"It was a family business. My mother in-law and father in-law built it in 1959," Hansen said. "We ended up working for the family and carried on the business until 1983. And then we sold it to Tom and his wife, and he's owned it ever since."
Hansen said the loss is a blow to the entire community.
"(If) you don't have a bowling alley and a golf course, you don't got much else to do," he said.
According to the Richland Center Fire Department chief, someone saw the fire and called police. Authorities sent an officer to the scene and five people who were getting ready to open the business were evacuated.
"The officer that arrived on scene went in and told the people that the back of the building was on fire and that they needed to evacuate. They weren't even aware of the fire," said Robert Bindl, chief at the Richland Center Fire Department.
Two firefighters suffered minor injuries from smoke inhalation. The blaze took more than two hours to put out because of wind. The building is a complete loss.
Heavy smoke shut down Highway 14 for hours. Authorities said traffic was rerouted and that a nearby home was evacuated.
Even with backup, firefighters battled the blaze for two hours.
"The wind was a major factor. It was blowing everything right against us. It was just a hard fire to fight," Bindl said.
Always a bowling alley, current owner Tom Hauber turned Center Lanes into a social hub.
The local Chamber of Commerce said that the fire destroyed one of the town's most profitable businesses.
"There is a banquet center, wedding receptions are held here. It affects just about every aspect of the community. I can't think of anybody here that has not been to the bowling alley at one time or another," said Susan Price, director of the Richland Center Chamber of Commerce.
The former owner said he just hopes Center Lanes can be rebuilt.
"It is going to be hard to replace," Hansen said.
The cause of the fire is still unknown. The Wisconsin fire marshal will start investigating Wednesday.
friends said om Hauber is devastated.
The fire chief said that Hauber was so overcome that they had to keep him from running into the burning building.
Long Rock and Muscoda fire departments assisted in putting out the blaze.
Firefighters battled wind and two received minor injuries battling a blaze that the fire chief called one of the worst fires he has faced in his 30-year career.
The hardest part for many on Tuesday was dealing with the loss of Center Lanes, a popular gathering spot for the community.
The former owner Ken Hansen said it is hard to find words to describe the loss.
"It was a family business. My mother in-law and father in-law built it in 1959," Hansen said. "We ended up working for the family and carried on the business until 1983. And then we sold it to Tom and his wife, and he's owned it ever since."
Hansen said the loss is a blow to the entire community.
"(If) you don't have a bowling alley and a golf course, you don't got much else to do," he said.
According to the Richland Center Fire Department chief, someone saw the fire and called police. Authorities sent an officer to the scene and five people who were getting ready to open the business were evacuated.
"The officer that arrived on scene went in and told the people that the back of the building was on fire and that they needed to evacuate. They weren't even aware of the fire," said Robert Bindl, chief at the Richland Center Fire Department.
Two firefighters suffered minor injuries from smoke inhalation. The blaze took more than two hours to put out because of wind. The building is a complete loss.
Heavy smoke shut down Highway 14 for hours. Authorities said traffic was rerouted and that a nearby home was evacuated.
Even with backup, firefighters battled the blaze for two hours.
"The wind was a major factor. It was blowing everything right against us. It was just a hard fire to fight," Bindl said.
Always a bowling alley, current owner Tom Hauber turned Center Lanes into a social hub.
The local Chamber of Commerce said that the fire destroyed one of the town's most profitable businesses.
"There is a banquet center, wedding receptions are held here. It affects just about every aspect of the community. I can't think of anybody here that has not been to the bowling alley at one time or another," said Susan Price, director of the Richland Center Chamber of Commerce.
The former owner said he just hopes Center Lanes can be rebuilt.
"It is going to be hard to replace," Hansen said.
The cause of the fire is still unknown. The Wisconsin fire marshal will start investigating Wednesday.
friends said om Hauber is devastated.
The fire chief said that Hauber was so overcome that they had to keep him from running into the burning building.
Long Rock and Muscoda fire departments assisted in putting out the blaze.
Tuesday, January 09, 2007
geezer from scotland
However, I agree with much of what he says. Bicyclists can be rude and inconsiderate. They forget they are a VEHICLE....
It's time to put brakes on antisocial cyclists
BRIAN HENNIGAN
I WAS thinking the other day - what is it that stops some cyclists growing up? This crossed my mind after being sliced up while walking along a pavement designed for pedestrians by an adult on a bicycle, for whom the road was evidently a wee bit on the grown-up side.
Before I begin my assault on two-wheeled idiots, let me get my credentials in order. As some readers might recall, I am no fan of cars in the city; I am pro-cycling. I want more cycling in and around Edinburgh. I would like nothing better than an enormous network of cycling lanes going here, there and everywhere, yes even unto Asda.
Every major company should be compelled to provide storage facilities for all their employees who wish to cycle. The lack of a comprehensive infrastructure to help cyclists is laughable.
The provisions for cycles to be stored on trains and on buses - as they so easily are all over the world - is a joke. One can only hope that Edinburgh's proposed new tram system allows for the transportation of bicycles.
Having established that I am not one of those lunatic motorists who view cyclists as being pigeons with wheels, let me continue to rant against those too-many cyclists who seem to think that by virtue of using a form of transportation that is green, they are somehow excused consideration for others.
There is only one reason to be cycling on a pavement: you are a little child who needs adult accompaniment. All other cyclists should be on the road where they belong. If for some reason your traffic lane is congested and you are unable to make progress, tough. It is not acceptable to simply mount the pavement and continue as if you have been in some way sinned against. If you don't have stabilisers on, the road is the only place we should find you whizzing along.
Here is another fact that some cyclists will find shocking: those funny lights that you sometimes see at the junctions of roads apply to both cars AND bicycles. Red means stop. Red does not mean pedal smugly across thinking no-one can see you. Apart from anything else, your invisibility to other road-users might just be proven in a way you did not envisage.
While we are on the subject of meanings, No Cycling signs mean that there should be no cycling. It might seem cute for you to zoom across the Meadows the wrong way, but one day someone is going to get fed-up with your selfish behaviour and you will be amazed how far you can travel without a bicycle when someone jams a stick in your rear-wheel.
Occasionally cyclists are so stupid and selfish it makes you wonder if the wind has somehow whistled through their ears too quickly and sucked their brains out. Cycling without lights at night is not some environmentally courageous way of showing how you and the owls are as one; it's a way of being on a bicycle that says: "I don't care about anyone else other than myself. If some elderly person or small child crossing the road can't see me - hard cheese on them. I am on a bicycle and don't care."
What makes all of the above modes of behaviour inexplicable is that so many cyclists like to ride around as if they have some sort of cloak of environmental awareness flying behind them. Any degree of environmental awareness must take into account the welfare of your fellow citizens.
Rant almost over, but I couldn't possibly sign off without mentioning helmets. Anyone who thinks pedalling au naturale is fine deserves whatever non-indicating delivery van might lie in their future.
Let's just call it Darwinism - anyone who believes they can do without a helmet probably isn't a useful addition to the gene pool. All that remains is to find a way of billing those who don't wear helmets for any hospital-based repairs that are necessary as a result of their recklessness.
I want cycling to be the future, but I want selfish and/or stupid cyclists to become a thing of the past.
It's time to put brakes on antisocial cyclists
BRIAN HENNIGAN
I WAS thinking the other day - what is it that stops some cyclists growing up? This crossed my mind after being sliced up while walking along a pavement designed for pedestrians by an adult on a bicycle, for whom the road was evidently a wee bit on the grown-up side.
Before I begin my assault on two-wheeled idiots, let me get my credentials in order. As some readers might recall, I am no fan of cars in the city; I am pro-cycling. I want more cycling in and around Edinburgh. I would like nothing better than an enormous network of cycling lanes going here, there and everywhere, yes even unto Asda.
Every major company should be compelled to provide storage facilities for all their employees who wish to cycle. The lack of a comprehensive infrastructure to help cyclists is laughable.
The provisions for cycles to be stored on trains and on buses - as they so easily are all over the world - is a joke. One can only hope that Edinburgh's proposed new tram system allows for the transportation of bicycles.
Having established that I am not one of those lunatic motorists who view cyclists as being pigeons with wheels, let me continue to rant against those too-many cyclists who seem to think that by virtue of using a form of transportation that is green, they are somehow excused consideration for others.
There is only one reason to be cycling on a pavement: you are a little child who needs adult accompaniment. All other cyclists should be on the road where they belong. If for some reason your traffic lane is congested and you are unable to make progress, tough. It is not acceptable to simply mount the pavement and continue as if you have been in some way sinned against. If you don't have stabilisers on, the road is the only place we should find you whizzing along.
Here is another fact that some cyclists will find shocking: those funny lights that you sometimes see at the junctions of roads apply to both cars AND bicycles. Red means stop. Red does not mean pedal smugly across thinking no-one can see you. Apart from anything else, your invisibility to other road-users might just be proven in a way you did not envisage.
While we are on the subject of meanings, No Cycling signs mean that there should be no cycling. It might seem cute for you to zoom across the Meadows the wrong way, but one day someone is going to get fed-up with your selfish behaviour and you will be amazed how far you can travel without a bicycle when someone jams a stick in your rear-wheel.
Occasionally cyclists are so stupid and selfish it makes you wonder if the wind has somehow whistled through their ears too quickly and sucked their brains out. Cycling without lights at night is not some environmentally courageous way of showing how you and the owls are as one; it's a way of being on a bicycle that says: "I don't care about anyone else other than myself. If some elderly person or small child crossing the road can't see me - hard cheese on them. I am on a bicycle and don't care."
What makes all of the above modes of behaviour inexplicable is that so many cyclists like to ride around as if they have some sort of cloak of environmental awareness flying behind them. Any degree of environmental awareness must take into account the welfare of your fellow citizens.
Rant almost over, but I couldn't possibly sign off without mentioning helmets. Anyone who thinks pedalling au naturale is fine deserves whatever non-indicating delivery van might lie in their future.
Let's just call it Darwinism - anyone who believes they can do without a helmet probably isn't a useful addition to the gene pool. All that remains is to find a way of billing those who don't wear helmets for any hospital-based repairs that are necessary as a result of their recklessness.
I want cycling to be the future, but I want selfish and/or stupid cyclists to become a thing of the past.
Wednesday, January 03, 2007
whaz the world cummin to!
AN ANGRY pensioner was told it would take 10 days for Reading Borough Council to remove a mangled bicycle from the footpath in front of his house.
Gerard Gadney, 76, of Pangbourne Street, said he was told removing the bike, run over on Thursday night after yobs threw into the middle of Oxford Road, was not a priority as the bike was not a safety hazard.
But Mr Gadney, who has lived in the area for 36 years, said drunks were likely to use the bike to damage people's property.
He said: "It's lunacy. "That bike will end up through my front window before the night is out."
Luckily for Mr Gadney, the council, after being contacted by Chronicle Extra, removed the bike on Friday morning.
Gerard Gadney, 76, of Pangbourne Street, said he was told removing the bike, run over on Thursday night after yobs threw into the middle of Oxford Road, was not a priority as the bike was not a safety hazard.
But Mr Gadney, who has lived in the area for 36 years, said drunks were likely to use the bike to damage people's property.
He said: "It's lunacy. "That bike will end up through my front window before the night is out."
Luckily for Mr Gadney, the council, after being contacted by Chronicle Extra, removed the bike on Friday morning.
Friday, December 29, 2006
damn whippersnappers!
The Globe has an interesting article today by Marcella Bombardieri about how aging faculty members might be affecting the university hiring system. The thrust of the piece is that professors who refuse to retire may be "plugging the pipeline" for young academics hoping for one of the rare plum professorial gigs, resulting in a conflict between the wisdom of elders and the fresh new ideas younger academics might bring.
But the article doesn't mention the bigger problem that leads to the Geezer Vs. Whippersnapper battle - if someone retires, the university doesn't always have the funds or the inclination to fill an open space with young blood.
The discussion board related to the article suggests that the "plugged pipeline" comes from somewhere else. One poster by the handle of "SomervilleSlug" called the issue a "red herring" because more and more tenure-track positions are being replaced by adjunct faculty.
Bombardieri herself wrote a recent piece about how "more than half the faculty at Boston University, Northeastern, Tufts, and Harvard are part-time or are not on the tenure track." If that's the case, then the problem isn't geezers defiantly clutching their desks with one hand while beating off the whippersnappers with a stick. The problem is administrations that cut costs by hiring people on the cheap (adjuncts and lecturers get paid less and, in many instances, don't get any benefits to speak of). That doesn't mean that the adjuncts and lecturers are any less intelligent than the professors, but it does mean that these teachers - many of whom teach more classes, depending on the school - don't get the perks that go with being full-time faculty.
In a city filled with universities and their associated full-time and part-time professors, the "plugged pipeline" could have a serious impact on Boston's economy. It's hard to get by on an adjunct or lecturer's salary, and Bombardieri's articles make clear that a problem is brewing in terms of academic job quality in this city. Good college teachers will leave for more affordable places, and eventually students - and the parents who foot the bill - will catch on that schools are raising the cost of education without paying the people who do the teaching.
But the article doesn't mention the bigger problem that leads to the Geezer Vs. Whippersnapper battle - if someone retires, the university doesn't always have the funds or the inclination to fill an open space with young blood.
The discussion board related to the article suggests that the "plugged pipeline" comes from somewhere else. One poster by the handle of "SomervilleSlug" called the issue a "red herring" because more and more tenure-track positions are being replaced by adjunct faculty.
Bombardieri herself wrote a recent piece about how "more than half the faculty at Boston University, Northeastern, Tufts, and Harvard are part-time or are not on the tenure track." If that's the case, then the problem isn't geezers defiantly clutching their desks with one hand while beating off the whippersnappers with a stick. The problem is administrations that cut costs by hiring people on the cheap (adjuncts and lecturers get paid less and, in many instances, don't get any benefits to speak of). That doesn't mean that the adjuncts and lecturers are any less intelligent than the professors, but it does mean that these teachers - many of whom teach more classes, depending on the school - don't get the perks that go with being full-time faculty.
In a city filled with universities and their associated full-time and part-time professors, the "plugged pipeline" could have a serious impact on Boston's economy. It's hard to get by on an adjunct or lecturer's salary, and Bombardieri's articles make clear that a problem is brewing in terms of academic job quality in this city. Good college teachers will leave for more affordable places, and eventually students - and the parents who foot the bill - will catch on that schools are raising the cost of education without paying the people who do the teaching.
Saturday, December 16, 2006
being old IS funny
Friends ready with a few timely geezer jokesBy Emmet MearaSaturday, December 16, 2006 - Bangor Daily News
I don’t even like Roslindale Leo, Natick Jerome or Moneybags John. Yet they are my dearest, most valued friends.
Leo had been a thorn in my side since, on the night I met him, he invited me to fight on the lawn. And it was my lawn. He ended that night vomiting on the same lawn, an act witnessed by my sainted mother (she actually asked if he would like a tuna sandwich.) Years later, as I lay dying (I recovered) in a Gloucester hospital, Leo asked my (soon-to-be-ex) wife if she wanted to go to a New Year’s Eve party. When she demurred, he said, "He will never know."
Nice guy. In ensuing years, he tried several times to kill me on canoe trips, tipping the craft into ice-filled waters, hitting me over the head with a log and ignoring each bit of advice.
At least you can pick your friends.
I had no choice with Jerome. He came along with the Twomey-Meara clan, disguised as a cousin. Jerome’s claim to fame is that he went back to college and got a music degree, at prestigious Berklee College, at age 55. Then, as testament to this milestone, he never played his guitar again.
He is also known for the night during his rock band days when he played a guitar solo while standing back-to-back with the gorgeous lead singer. His (soon-to-be-ex) wife leaped upon the stage, wrestled the sticks from the drummer and started beating the gorgeous lead singer. Jerome, a trouper, kept right on playing. But, since the gorgeous lead singer was married to the bandleader, Jerome lost the gig, and later, the wife, who took the house and furniture with her. Jerome was left alone, with only folding chairs from the neighborhood funeral parlor for company.
Moneybags John came into my life when he married the (almost) beauty queen from next door in Tenants Harbor. He is a marathoner, perilously thin and takes great pleasure in remarking on my expanding girth and shrinking financial resources. He loves it that my Florida land purchase set off a national, if not international, crash in real estate. John carries a calculator to determine up-to-the-minute calculations on his financial worth and eventual Social Security windfall. Certainly, no one celebrated his open-heart surgery last year, but the event did cut down on the "Emmet is fat" jokes.
John was a naval officer. I could tell how well-trained he was during my brief sailboat ownership when I approached a Rockland dock and threw him a line. I was no naval officer and admittedly failed to secure the line to the boat. But when I looked up, the Navy vet was standing there holding it, instead of lashing it to the dock. We both fell down laughing, praying to God that no one witnessed the feeble act.
The point here (there is one) is that this dastardly trio was born before I was, some of them by several months.
I was born on Dec. 22, along with one Meara Van Der Zee, destined for a career in Hollywood.
That means that I can send them "old" jokes all year long with the understanding that I am still young, at least compared to them.
Now, the days are dwindling down to a precious few. They have already experienced the pain that is age 66 and the tide is turning. Their e-mails grow more and more bitter. The same jokes are now bouncing back.
That’s not funny.
Now that I am next in line, I wonder why I ever had anything to do with this trio in the first place.
Wait till next year.
I don’t even like Roslindale Leo, Natick Jerome or Moneybags John. Yet they are my dearest, most valued friends.
Leo had been a thorn in my side since, on the night I met him, he invited me to fight on the lawn. And it was my lawn. He ended that night vomiting on the same lawn, an act witnessed by my sainted mother (she actually asked if he would like a tuna sandwich.) Years later, as I lay dying (I recovered) in a Gloucester hospital, Leo asked my (soon-to-be-ex) wife if she wanted to go to a New Year’s Eve party. When she demurred, he said, "He will never know."
Nice guy. In ensuing years, he tried several times to kill me on canoe trips, tipping the craft into ice-filled waters, hitting me over the head with a log and ignoring each bit of advice.
At least you can pick your friends.
I had no choice with Jerome. He came along with the Twomey-Meara clan, disguised as a cousin. Jerome’s claim to fame is that he went back to college and got a music degree, at prestigious Berklee College, at age 55. Then, as testament to this milestone, he never played his guitar again.
He is also known for the night during his rock band days when he played a guitar solo while standing back-to-back with the gorgeous lead singer. His (soon-to-be-ex) wife leaped upon the stage, wrestled the sticks from the drummer and started beating the gorgeous lead singer. Jerome, a trouper, kept right on playing. But, since the gorgeous lead singer was married to the bandleader, Jerome lost the gig, and later, the wife, who took the house and furniture with her. Jerome was left alone, with only folding chairs from the neighborhood funeral parlor for company.
Moneybags John came into my life when he married the (almost) beauty queen from next door in Tenants Harbor. He is a marathoner, perilously thin and takes great pleasure in remarking on my expanding girth and shrinking financial resources. He loves it that my Florida land purchase set off a national, if not international, crash in real estate. John carries a calculator to determine up-to-the-minute calculations on his financial worth and eventual Social Security windfall. Certainly, no one celebrated his open-heart surgery last year, but the event did cut down on the "Emmet is fat" jokes.
John was a naval officer. I could tell how well-trained he was during my brief sailboat ownership when I approached a Rockland dock and threw him a line. I was no naval officer and admittedly failed to secure the line to the boat. But when I looked up, the Navy vet was standing there holding it, instead of lashing it to the dock. We both fell down laughing, praying to God that no one witnessed the feeble act.
The point here (there is one) is that this dastardly trio was born before I was, some of them by several months.
I was born on Dec. 22, along with one Meara Van Der Zee, destined for a career in Hollywood.
That means that I can send them "old" jokes all year long with the understanding that I am still young, at least compared to them.
Now, the days are dwindling down to a precious few. They have already experienced the pain that is age 66 and the tide is turning. Their e-mails grow more and more bitter. The same jokes are now bouncing back.
That’s not funny.
Now that I am next in line, I wonder why I ever had anything to do with this trio in the first place.
Wait till next year.
Wednesday, October 04, 2006
King George proclamation
Here is a quote from W's visit to Phoenix today. Apparently, he thinks we are idiots and will believe his scare tactics in the campaign which will be dominated by the bizarre story of Congressman Foley who was the chair of the committee charged with protecting children, but who was clearly being very weird with children.....
"If the people of Arizona and the people the United States don't think we ought to be listening in on the conversations of people who can do harm to the United States, then go ahead and vote for the Democrats," Bush said."If you want to make sure that those on the front line protecting you have the tools necessary to do so, you vote Republican for the safety of the United States."
I am sure that a number of people in the front lines and being killed are not Republicans. How can he think we are not in this together?
I read a letter yesterday that said that perhaps the Republicans had been trying to win for so many years, perhaps they do not know what to do when they won? I fear they had no plan other than to make their buddies in big business rich. They certainly have been doing that. One of these years the bills will come due. Remember the inflation of the 70's and 80's? That was paying for the outrageous spending in Vietnam. Our pensions will go up in flames to pay the outrageous price of creating another war in Iraq. Maybe we will be able to install OUR dictator, but that will not last long.....
Wake up and smell the napalm.....
"If the people of Arizona and the people the United States don't think we ought to be listening in on the conversations of people who can do harm to the United States, then go ahead and vote for the Democrats," Bush said."If you want to make sure that those on the front line protecting you have the tools necessary to do so, you vote Republican for the safety of the United States."
I am sure that a number of people in the front lines and being killed are not Republicans. How can he think we are not in this together?
I read a letter yesterday that said that perhaps the Republicans had been trying to win for so many years, perhaps they do not know what to do when they won? I fear they had no plan other than to make their buddies in big business rich. They certainly have been doing that. One of these years the bills will come due. Remember the inflation of the 70's and 80's? That was paying for the outrageous spending in Vietnam. Our pensions will go up in flames to pay the outrageous price of creating another war in Iraq. Maybe we will be able to install OUR dictator, but that will not last long.....
Wake up and smell the napalm.....
Friday, September 29, 2006
Love the commercial about milk shakes
They are playing a commercial on TV with a couple of guys shaking cows and singing part of Kelis' Milk Shake song. I am amazed there is not outrage over this. I guess the geezers have not seen the lyrics to the song. For the assistance of both of my readers, here you go.....
My milk shake brings all the boys to the yard,and they're like,its better than yours,damn right its better than yours, I can teach you, but I have to chargeMy milk shake brings all the boys to the yard,and they're like,its better than yours,damn right its better than yours, I can teach you, but I have to chargeI know you want it, the thing that makes me, what the guys go crazy for.They lose their minds, the way I wind,I think its timela la-la la la,warm it up.la la-la la la,the boys are waitingla la-la la la,warm it up.la la-la la la,the boys are waitingMy milk shake brings all the boys to the yard,and they're like,its better than yours,damn right its better than yours, I can teach you, but I have to chargeMy milk shake brings all the boys to the yard,and they're like,its better than yours,damn right its better than yours, I can teach you, but I have to chargeI can see youre on it,you want me to teach thetechniques that freaks these boys,it can't be bought,just know, thieves get caught,watch if your smart,la la-la la la,warm it up,la la-la la la,the boys are waiting,la la-la la la,warm it up,la la-la la la,the boys are waiting,My milk shake brings all the boys to the yard,and they're like,its better than yours,damn right its better than yours, I can teach you, but I have to chargeMy milk shake brings all the boys to the yard,and they're like,its better than yours,damn right its better than yours, I can teach you, but I have to chargeOnce you get involved,everyone will look this way-so,you must maintain your charm,same time maintain your halo,just get the perfect blend,plus what you have within,then next his eyes are squint,then he's picked up your scent,la la-la la la,warm it up,la la-la la la,the boys are waiting,la la-la la la,warm it up,la la-la la la,the boys are waitingMy milk shake brings all the boys to the yard,and they're like,its better than yours,damn right its better than yours, I can teach you, but I have to charge.My milk shake brings all the boys to the yard,and they're like,its better than yours,damn right its better than yours, I can teach you, but I have to charge.
I think it is a great play on the song.....and I like the song originally.....
My milk shake brings all the boys to the yard,and they're like,its better than yours,damn right its better than yours, I can teach you, but I have to chargeMy milk shake brings all the boys to the yard,and they're like,its better than yours,damn right its better than yours, I can teach you, but I have to chargeI know you want it, the thing that makes me, what the guys go crazy for.They lose their minds, the way I wind,I think its timela la-la la la,warm it up.la la-la la la,the boys are waitingla la-la la la,warm it up.la la-la la la,the boys are waitingMy milk shake brings all the boys to the yard,and they're like,its better than yours,damn right its better than yours, I can teach you, but I have to chargeMy milk shake brings all the boys to the yard,and they're like,its better than yours,damn right its better than yours, I can teach you, but I have to chargeI can see youre on it,you want me to teach thetechniques that freaks these boys,it can't be bought,just know, thieves get caught,watch if your smart,la la-la la la,warm it up,la la-la la la,the boys are waiting,la la-la la la,warm it up,la la-la la la,the boys are waiting,My milk shake brings all the boys to the yard,and they're like,its better than yours,damn right its better than yours, I can teach you, but I have to chargeMy milk shake brings all the boys to the yard,and they're like,its better than yours,damn right its better than yours, I can teach you, but I have to chargeOnce you get involved,everyone will look this way-so,you must maintain your charm,same time maintain your halo,just get the perfect blend,plus what you have within,then next his eyes are squint,then he's picked up your scent,la la-la la la,warm it up,la la-la la la,the boys are waiting,la la-la la la,warm it up,la la-la la la,the boys are waitingMy milk shake brings all the boys to the yard,and they're like,its better than yours,damn right its better than yours, I can teach you, but I have to charge.My milk shake brings all the boys to the yard,and they're like,its better than yours,damn right its better than yours, I can teach you, but I have to charge.
I think it is a great play on the song.....and I like the song originally.....
Saturday, September 09, 2006
geez, some guys need a date....
I'm glad I am from Wisconsin:( And they stopped at Walmart to buy comdoms before they went to the cemetery.....ewwww
RICHLAND CENTER, Wis. - A lawmaker says he will propose a law to outlaw necrophilia in Wisconsin after the attempted robbery of a grave in Cassville.
Sen. Dale Schultz, R-Richland Center, said he was stunned to learn there isn't such a law in effect in the state, which he said leaves law enforcement with few tools to use in such cases.
Twin brothers have been charged in Grant County Circuit Court with attempted third-degree sexual assault and attempted misdemeanor theft in the incident last Saturday .
Someone had called police after seeing suspicious activity. Authorities said they found a hole had been dug down to the vault of a girl who was killed in a motorcycle accident Aug. 27, but the vault had not been opened.
Sheriff Keith Govier said the three never had any contact with the victim but had seen a newspaper obituary on her death, which included a photo.
Court documents quoted Radke as saying one of the accused had wanted to dig the body up for sex.
Attempted third-degree sexual assault carries up to five years in prison and a fine of $12,500, and the theft charge carries up to four months in jail and a $5,000 fine.
Laws against necrophilia in other states carry penalties of up to eight years.
RICHLAND CENTER, Wis. - A lawmaker says he will propose a law to outlaw necrophilia in Wisconsin after the attempted robbery of a grave in Cassville.
Sen. Dale Schultz, R-Richland Center, said he was stunned to learn there isn't such a law in effect in the state, which he said leaves law enforcement with few tools to use in such cases.
Twin brothers have been charged in Grant County Circuit Court with attempted third-degree sexual assault and attempted misdemeanor theft in the incident last Saturday .
Someone had called police after seeing suspicious activity. Authorities said they found a hole had been dug down to the vault of a girl who was killed in a motorcycle accident Aug. 27, but the vault had not been opened.
Sheriff Keith Govier said the three never had any contact with the victim but had seen a newspaper obituary on her death, which included a photo.
Court documents quoted Radke as saying one of the accused had wanted to dig the body up for sex.
Attempted third-degree sexual assault carries up to five years in prison and a fine of $12,500, and the theft charge carries up to four months in jail and a $5,000 fine.
Laws against necrophilia in other states carry penalties of up to eight years.
Sunday, July 30, 2006
87 year old bicyclist
Nothing hurts worse than a broken hip I think. I broke my pelvis a little more than two years ago. Aches when the weather changes.
But, back bicycling
An 87-year-old Palo Alto man suffered a broken hip after he was knocked from his bicycle in a collision with a left-turning vehicle at Middlefield Road and Colorado Avenue Friday.
Police Sgt. Sandra Brown said the unidentified man was crossing Middlefield when his bike was "tagged" by a vehicle making a left turn, driven by a 21-year-old Menlo Park man. She said police are still investigating the case and interviewing witnesses.
The accident, which occurred about noon, was reported to the public by a resident posting an item on Town Square, www.PaloAltoOnline.com.
Brown said from preliminary reports, "It looks like the pedestrian was actually on a bike crossing the street and was tagged by the vehicle," which was making a left turn. The driver remained at the scene, she said.
The bicyclist was taken to Stanford Hospital, and Brown said as of early Friday evening she was still awaiting word on his condition.
But, back bicycling
An 87-year-old Palo Alto man suffered a broken hip after he was knocked from his bicycle in a collision with a left-turning vehicle at Middlefield Road and Colorado Avenue Friday.
Police Sgt. Sandra Brown said the unidentified man was crossing Middlefield when his bike was "tagged" by a vehicle making a left turn, driven by a 21-year-old Menlo Park man. She said police are still investigating the case and interviewing witnesses.
The accident, which occurred about noon, was reported to the public by a resident posting an item on Town Square, www.PaloAltoOnline.com.
Brown said from preliminary reports, "It looks like the pedestrian was actually on a bike crossing the street and was tagged by the vehicle," which was making a left turn. The driver remained at the scene, she said.
The bicyclist was taken to Stanford Hospital, and Brown said as of early Friday evening she was still awaiting word on his condition.
Friday, June 30, 2006
A quote we all should listen too
The idiocy of the war is summed up in this quote.....bring them home....
"I don't know if this war is worth the life of Terry Lisk, or 10 soldiers, or 2,500 soldiers like him," Colonel MacFarland told his forces. "What I do know is that he did not die alone. He was surrounded by friends.
"A Greek philosopher said that only the dead have seen the end of war," the colonel said. "Only Terry Lisk has seen the end of this war."
"I don't know if this war is worth the life of Terry Lisk, or 10 soldiers, or 2,500 soldiers like him," Colonel MacFarland told his forces. "What I do know is that he did not die alone. He was surrounded by friends.
"A Greek philosopher said that only the dead have seen the end of war," the colonel said. "Only Terry Lisk has seen the end of this war."
Wednesday, June 28, 2006
Geezer still got it
Won a whole pile of stuff on a local radio rock show for an email I sent in.....woo hoo!
Tonight I announced the winner of the "Lopsided" July 4th Party Pack e-mail contest.CD's: Joan Jett & The Blackhearts, Rammstein, Wheatus, Gnarls Barkley, The Streets,Divided By Zero, Sissy The Singer, Ashley MacIsaac, Eagle Seagull, <>DVD: Joanna's Angels Vol.1Here is the winning e-mail:I have been a fan of your style of music selection for years. However, since the Lopsided World of L has been on the air, my wife, who has never been a big fan of the music I listen to, has come to LOVE the World of L as much as I do. If I forget to turn you on, and believe me in your mid 50's your mind seems to get slippery about some things, she reminds me to turn you on. After 34 years of marriage, what more could I ask for?Well, I do ask for those other things that just flashed through our minds, but I am used to rejection...Rock on! My wife will be looking forward to the albums :)Mike MillerPhoenix, AZ. 85018*Thanks to all the labels and artists that provided the items*
Tonight I announced the winner of the "Lopsided" July 4th Party Pack e-mail contest.CD's: Joan Jett & The Blackhearts, Rammstein, Wheatus, Gnarls Barkley, The Streets,Divided By Zero, Sissy The Singer, Ashley MacIsaac, Eagle Seagull, <
Tuesday, June 06, 2006
My geezer hero
Hope I grow up just like him!
Perhaps it's not surprising that a lawyer who rides his bicycle to work every day can find splendor in a snowstorm.
Ronald Wallenfang, 62, is an indefatigable bicycle rider.
In a rare instance when he can't pedal downtown from his home in Germantown - a round trip of 42 miles - he'll find time to get miles in during the day.
He's cycled around three of the Great Lakes - always starting from Milwaukee. He's taken two extensive bike trips in Europe. In 1998, he rode from Los Angeles to Milwaukee.
The highlights are many, including shivering alone in a cold thunderstorm on a desolate road on the north shore of Lake Superior.
"At first you feel you are going to die," he said of his Canadian ride. "And then you're afraid you're not."
He owns three bikes - a Trek 520 touring bike, a Trek 7500 hybrid and a single-speed Redline with wider tires that performs best in icy conditions.
When a storm in late March coated Milwaukee's trees with a blanket of snow, Wallenfang was ecstatic.
"For sheer beauty, my bike ride to work today was about as good as it gets," he wrote to an online chat group for recreational bicyclists.
He described how the Oak Leaf Trail was cordoned by snow-covered flora, bright as flocked trees at Christmas. He likened it to "riding into the entrance of a magical kingdom."
Of rides and religion
Since 1993, Wallenfang has ridden 238,000 miles - an average of nearly 50 miles of cycling a day.
He does it with daily rides to the office - a trip that includes long stretches on Bradley Road and the Oak Leaf Trail. Some days he picks longer routes.
On Saturday mornings, he takes a shortcut down Fond du Lac Ave. to serve Communion at Old Saint Mary's Catholic Church downtown.
His vacations often are solitary sojourns in which he sets his own pace and spends much of his waking hours pedaling from one hotel room and a warm shower to the next.
A self-described "compulsive churchgoer," the only thing that will stop him is a Mass.
One of his daughters who books hotels rooms while he is on the road has been known to use the Internet to look for Masses as well.
The highlight of all his rides was pedaling into suburban Atlanta late one summer night in 2005. He was riding from Philadelphia to Savannah, Ga., and coming through Atlanta to visit his son and family on his way to Milwaukee.
His daughter-in-law Charlotte was pregnant and 10 days overdue. He was awakened at five the next morning as Charlotte and his son were off to the hospital. At 8:30 a.m., the baby was born. He rode his bike to see mother and baby at the hospital and continued his ride to Milwaukee.
The most picturesque trip was in Germany along the Mosel River from Koblenz to Trier. As he followed the undulating Mosel, he passed vineyards, quaint towns and Roman ruins.
"An added bonus for me," he wrote to his chat group, "is that after I got a room in a nice little Gasthaus a few miles from Koblenz, had a bottle of the local white wine together with my pork whatever, and gone to bed, I was soon awakened by a 20-piece band playing marches and other songs on the street in celebration of a local guy's 80th birthday. So I went out and enjoyed that."
Keeping the streak alive
Wallenfang is not one of the Lycra crowd who races up and down Lake Drive. He averages 13 to 15 mph on his commute. His chief attribute is his endurance, and sometimes he trades his touring gig for something more competitive.
In 1999, he finished first in the 55-to-59 age group in the National 24-hour Challenge in Michigan, when he rode 326 miles.
Last summer, he came in seventh and covered 301 miles. Leg cramps slowed his pace after "I tried to run with the hounds. This is the kind of thing that teaches you a lesson."
Cycling, he admits, is an obsession.
His wife, Mary Ann, sometimes calls the bicycle his "iron mistress."
A math major in college, he uses a pocket calendar to detail his daily mileage and temperature outside.
He whiles away the riding with little games of calculus, figuring out how many miles he's gone and how many to go as the scenery and his variables constantly change.
His cycling is a "combination of enjoyment - it takes your mind off work - there is the physical fitness aspect to it and the environmental consciousness of saving gas," he said. "You put that all together and it becomes part of your self-identity."
Wallenfang, a partner in Quarles & Brady, has worked at the law firm since graduating from Harvard Law School in 1969.
He starts his commute at 6 a.m. In the winter, he begins before sunrise, outfitted with bike lights and reflective clothing. It takes 1 ½ hours to get to his office at the 411 Building on E. Wisconsin Ave.; his winter commute can take two hours.
When he gets to work, he cleans up with handy wipes and puts on clean clothes that he keeps in his office. If he has a business appointment 3 or 4 miles from his office, he will get on his bike.
His first cycling trip was in the summer after his second year of law school when he rode home to Milwaukee from Cambridge, Mass.
Then came a long period of wandering in a sedentary wilderness. His weight ballooned to 240 pounds on his 5-foot, 9-inch frame.
He didn't start riding seriously until his six children were older, and four were already out of the house. On business or family trips, he will bring along a bicycle or rent one to make sure he gets in some riding time.
He does it all to keep up his streak. His latest is relatively modest - he's ridden his bike every day since Aug. 6, 2005.
His longest streak - from March 6, 1998, to March 21, 2003 - ended abruptly when he was hit by a car in Whitefish Bay and separated his shoulder. He was off the bike for three weeks.
In another car accident, he broke his shoulder blade in 1990.
The potential of accidents or injury must be balanced with the obvious health benefits of riding, he says. At 200 pounds, he is built solid, like a tree trunk.
"The advantage of riding is that maybe I would be dead from a heart attack," he said.
Still, he thinks he is riding a little slower than a few years ago and he feels aches and pains more than he used to.
On his latest trip - a 2,218-mile ride from Key West, Fla., to Savannah to Arkansas to Milwaukee from April 21 to May 6 - his average number of miles per day slipped from 170 to about 140.
His knees also bother him from all of the riding. "I have trouble genuflecting in church," he said with a chuckle.
But the hunger to ride hasn't subsided.
He still needs to knock off four states that he hasn't ridden - South Dakota, Wyoming, Alaska and Hawaii.
And then there's this little trip he is planning in Europe.
He wants to ride from Nordkap, an isolated village at the northern tip of Norway, to Gibraltar, at the southern tip of Spain, a ride of 3,400 miles.
Perhaps it's not surprising that a lawyer who rides his bicycle to work every day can find splendor in a snowstorm.
Ronald Wallenfang, 62, is an indefatigable bicycle rider.
In a rare instance when he can't pedal downtown from his home in Germantown - a round trip of 42 miles - he'll find time to get miles in during the day.
He's cycled around three of the Great Lakes - always starting from Milwaukee. He's taken two extensive bike trips in Europe. In 1998, he rode from Los Angeles to Milwaukee.
The highlights are many, including shivering alone in a cold thunderstorm on a desolate road on the north shore of Lake Superior.
"At first you feel you are going to die," he said of his Canadian ride. "And then you're afraid you're not."
He owns three bikes - a Trek 520 touring bike, a Trek 7500 hybrid and a single-speed Redline with wider tires that performs best in icy conditions.
When a storm in late March coated Milwaukee's trees with a blanket of snow, Wallenfang was ecstatic.
"For sheer beauty, my bike ride to work today was about as good as it gets," he wrote to an online chat group for recreational bicyclists.
He described how the Oak Leaf Trail was cordoned by snow-covered flora, bright as flocked trees at Christmas. He likened it to "riding into the entrance of a magical kingdom."
Of rides and religion
Since 1993, Wallenfang has ridden 238,000 miles - an average of nearly 50 miles of cycling a day.
He does it with daily rides to the office - a trip that includes long stretches on Bradley Road and the Oak Leaf Trail. Some days he picks longer routes.
On Saturday mornings, he takes a shortcut down Fond du Lac Ave. to serve Communion at Old Saint Mary's Catholic Church downtown.
His vacations often are solitary sojourns in which he sets his own pace and spends much of his waking hours pedaling from one hotel room and a warm shower to the next.
A self-described "compulsive churchgoer," the only thing that will stop him is a Mass.
One of his daughters who books hotels rooms while he is on the road has been known to use the Internet to look for Masses as well.
The highlight of all his rides was pedaling into suburban Atlanta late one summer night in 2005. He was riding from Philadelphia to Savannah, Ga., and coming through Atlanta to visit his son and family on his way to Milwaukee.
His daughter-in-law Charlotte was pregnant and 10 days overdue. He was awakened at five the next morning as Charlotte and his son were off to the hospital. At 8:30 a.m., the baby was born. He rode his bike to see mother and baby at the hospital and continued his ride to Milwaukee.
The most picturesque trip was in Germany along the Mosel River from Koblenz to Trier. As he followed the undulating Mosel, he passed vineyards, quaint towns and Roman ruins.
"An added bonus for me," he wrote to his chat group, "is that after I got a room in a nice little Gasthaus a few miles from Koblenz, had a bottle of the local white wine together with my pork whatever, and gone to bed, I was soon awakened by a 20-piece band playing marches and other songs on the street in celebration of a local guy's 80th birthday. So I went out and enjoyed that."
Keeping the streak alive
Wallenfang is not one of the Lycra crowd who races up and down Lake Drive. He averages 13 to 15 mph on his commute. His chief attribute is his endurance, and sometimes he trades his touring gig for something more competitive.
In 1999, he finished first in the 55-to-59 age group in the National 24-hour Challenge in Michigan, when he rode 326 miles.
Last summer, he came in seventh and covered 301 miles. Leg cramps slowed his pace after "I tried to run with the hounds. This is the kind of thing that teaches you a lesson."
Cycling, he admits, is an obsession.
His wife, Mary Ann, sometimes calls the bicycle his "iron mistress."
A math major in college, he uses a pocket calendar to detail his daily mileage and temperature outside.
He whiles away the riding with little games of calculus, figuring out how many miles he's gone and how many to go as the scenery and his variables constantly change.
His cycling is a "combination of enjoyment - it takes your mind off work - there is the physical fitness aspect to it and the environmental consciousness of saving gas," he said. "You put that all together and it becomes part of your self-identity."
Wallenfang, a partner in Quarles & Brady, has worked at the law firm since graduating from Harvard Law School in 1969.
He starts his commute at 6 a.m. In the winter, he begins before sunrise, outfitted with bike lights and reflective clothing. It takes 1 ½ hours to get to his office at the 411 Building on E. Wisconsin Ave.; his winter commute can take two hours.
When he gets to work, he cleans up with handy wipes and puts on clean clothes that he keeps in his office. If he has a business appointment 3 or 4 miles from his office, he will get on his bike.
His first cycling trip was in the summer after his second year of law school when he rode home to Milwaukee from Cambridge, Mass.
Then came a long period of wandering in a sedentary wilderness. His weight ballooned to 240 pounds on his 5-foot, 9-inch frame.
He didn't start riding seriously until his six children were older, and four were already out of the house. On business or family trips, he will bring along a bicycle or rent one to make sure he gets in some riding time.
He does it all to keep up his streak. His latest is relatively modest - he's ridden his bike every day since Aug. 6, 2005.
His longest streak - from March 6, 1998, to March 21, 2003 - ended abruptly when he was hit by a car in Whitefish Bay and separated his shoulder. He was off the bike for three weeks.
In another car accident, he broke his shoulder blade in 1990.
The potential of accidents or injury must be balanced with the obvious health benefits of riding, he says. At 200 pounds, he is built solid, like a tree trunk.
"The advantage of riding is that maybe I would be dead from a heart attack," he said.
Still, he thinks he is riding a little slower than a few years ago and he feels aches and pains more than he used to.
On his latest trip - a 2,218-mile ride from Key West, Fla., to Savannah to Arkansas to Milwaukee from April 21 to May 6 - his average number of miles per day slipped from 170 to about 140.
His knees also bother him from all of the riding. "I have trouble genuflecting in church," he said with a chuckle.
But the hunger to ride hasn't subsided.
He still needs to knock off four states that he hasn't ridden - South Dakota, Wyoming, Alaska and Hawaii.
And then there's this little trip he is planning in Europe.
He wants to ride from Nordkap, an isolated village at the northern tip of Norway, to Gibraltar, at the southern tip of Spain, a ride of 3,400 miles.
Saturday, April 01, 2006
just getting over the mumps
Mumps hits IowaMELANIE S. WELTEThe Associated PressPublished March 31, 2006, 10:20 AM CST
DES MOINES -- An outbreak of mumps is sweeping across Iowa, the first in nearly 20 years, and it's puzzling health officials and worrying parents.``We have probably, at this point, what we would call an epidemic of mumps,'' said state epidemiologist Dr. Patricia Quinlisk.As of Thursday, the latest report available, 245 confirmed, probable and suspected cases of mumps had been reported to the Iowa Department of Public Health this year.The first cases were reported in mid-January.``It started in eastern Iowa. It's spreading across the state. We have now seen possible cases in three of our bordering states,'' Quinlisk said.Illinois, Minnesota and Nebraska may have one or two cases of suspected mumps, but Iowa is the only state in the United States with so many cases of the virus, she said.Health officials have not identified how it started.Mumps is an infection of the salivary glands. Symptoms include fever, headache, muscle ache and swelling of the glands close to the jaw. It can cause serious complications including meningitis, inflammation of the testicles or ovaries and deafness.The virus is in 36 of Iowa's 99 counties. Dubuque, Johnson and Black Hawk counties in eastern Iowa are reporting the highest incidences.College-age students, those 18- to 22-years-old, have been infected the most, but other age groups are also seeing cases.When 11-year-old Will Hean starting feeling ill in mid-January, his family thought he had a bad case of the flu.But this was different.His face was swelling. So was his throat. His body temperature reached 103. His parents, Wayne and Karen Hean, of Davenport, took him to their family doctor, who sent him to a specialist.``He had the full-blown case of the mumps,'' said his father.``It was on both sides of his cheeks and his throat swelled up. Poor little guy. He was miserable,'' he said.About two weeks later, the Heans' daughter, Kate, 21, also started feeling ill and her face and throat started swelling.She had the mumps too.Hean said he was shocked. Both children had been given the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine, or MMR. So had their other son, 13-year-old Jimmy, who did not get the mumps.A mumps vaccine was introduced in 1967. People born before 1957 are believed to have been exposed to mumps during childhood and should be immune.``The vaccine is working,'' Quinlisk said. ``The vaccine certainly was made to cover this particular strain because it's a fairly common strain of mumps.''Quinlisk said, however, the vaccine is about 95 percent effective.``What that means is out of 100 people who get vaccinated, 95 of them will have lifelong immunity and will never get mumps even if they're exposed,'' she said. ``Unfortunately, five percent or 5 out of every 100, the vaccine doesn't take.''The last mumps outbreak in Iowa was in 1987 when 476 people were infected. Until this year, less than 60 cases were reported annually, with only one to three cases reported in the past five years.The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, which was notified of the mumps outbreak in Iowa on Feb. 9, has identified the strain as genotype g.That genotype has been identified in recent outbreaks in Canada, in two New Jersey cases imported from Ireland and an ongoing mumps outbreak in the UK, CDC spokeswoman Lola Russell said.The mumps epidemic in the United Kingdom began in 2004 and peaked in 2005 when 56,390 cases were reported in England and Wales, according to the CDC.In 2004, New Jersey had eight cases of the mumps. For 2005, there were seven cases, but those numbers are not final, said Nathan Rudy, spokesman for the New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services.New York reported a cluster of cases at a summer camp in 2005. An investigation by state health officials identified 31 cases of the mumps. According to the CDC, the outbreak was most likely introduced by a camp counselor who traveled from the UK and had not been vaccinated for mumps.``Eradication is only as effective as the population remains at high levels of being vaccinated,'' Russell said. ``That's the health message that we always emphasis over and over again.''
DES MOINES -- An outbreak of mumps is sweeping across Iowa, the first in nearly 20 years, and it's puzzling health officials and worrying parents.``We have probably, at this point, what we would call an epidemic of mumps,'' said state epidemiologist Dr. Patricia Quinlisk.As of Thursday, the latest report available, 245 confirmed, probable and suspected cases of mumps had been reported to the Iowa Department of Public Health this year.The first cases were reported in mid-January.``It started in eastern Iowa. It's spreading across the state. We have now seen possible cases in three of our bordering states,'' Quinlisk said.Illinois, Minnesota and Nebraska may have one or two cases of suspected mumps, but Iowa is the only state in the United States with so many cases of the virus, she said.Health officials have not identified how it started.Mumps is an infection of the salivary glands. Symptoms include fever, headache, muscle ache and swelling of the glands close to the jaw. It can cause serious complications including meningitis, inflammation of the testicles or ovaries and deafness.The virus is in 36 of Iowa's 99 counties. Dubuque, Johnson and Black Hawk counties in eastern Iowa are reporting the highest incidences.College-age students, those 18- to 22-years-old, have been infected the most, but other age groups are also seeing cases.When 11-year-old Will Hean starting feeling ill in mid-January, his family thought he had a bad case of the flu.But this was different.His face was swelling. So was his throat. His body temperature reached 103. His parents, Wayne and Karen Hean, of Davenport, took him to their family doctor, who sent him to a specialist.``He had the full-blown case of the mumps,'' said his father.``It was on both sides of his cheeks and his throat swelled up. Poor little guy. He was miserable,'' he said.About two weeks later, the Heans' daughter, Kate, 21, also started feeling ill and her face and throat started swelling.She had the mumps too.Hean said he was shocked. Both children had been given the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine, or MMR. So had their other son, 13-year-old Jimmy, who did not get the mumps.A mumps vaccine was introduced in 1967. People born before 1957 are believed to have been exposed to mumps during childhood and should be immune.``The vaccine is working,'' Quinlisk said. ``The vaccine certainly was made to cover this particular strain because it's a fairly common strain of mumps.''Quinlisk said, however, the vaccine is about 95 percent effective.``What that means is out of 100 people who get vaccinated, 95 of them will have lifelong immunity and will never get mumps even if they're exposed,'' she said. ``Unfortunately, five percent or 5 out of every 100, the vaccine doesn't take.''The last mumps outbreak in Iowa was in 1987 when 476 people were infected. Until this year, less than 60 cases were reported annually, with only one to three cases reported in the past five years.The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, which was notified of the mumps outbreak in Iowa on Feb. 9, has identified the strain as genotype g.That genotype has been identified in recent outbreaks in Canada, in two New Jersey cases imported from Ireland and an ongoing mumps outbreak in the UK, CDC spokeswoman Lola Russell said.The mumps epidemic in the United Kingdom began in 2004 and peaked in 2005 when 56,390 cases were reported in England and Wales, according to the CDC.In 2004, New Jersey had eight cases of the mumps. For 2005, there were seven cases, but those numbers are not final, said Nathan Rudy, spokesman for the New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services.New York reported a cluster of cases at a summer camp in 2005. An investigation by state health officials identified 31 cases of the mumps. According to the CDC, the outbreak was most likely introduced by a camp counselor who traveled from the UK and had not been vaccinated for mumps.``Eradication is only as effective as the population remains at high levels of being vaccinated,'' Russell said. ``That's the health message that we always emphasis over and over again.''
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