After 1, 361 posts -
I found it was time to find out…
How to know when to stop blogging
That’s Right!
I have too much time invested in my local efforts.
If there is a true Righty out there interested in this blog/domain before it expires…email me through “Contact.”
You know – it’s just all gotten too BIZARRE
————
Promise me you’ll never forget me because if I thought you would I’d never leave.
- A.A. Milne
This past week at work, Sam’s Club left a gift basket (which was put out to be shared) that included, in the same basket, a mixture of, well, you name it. Seriously, in the same basket were some of the following items:
A bottle of liquid hand soap
A package of peanut butter and cheese crackers
Two sample packages of shampoo and conditioner
A package of microwave popcorn
A bottle of flavored water
A package of bleach sanitizing wipes
A couple packages of travel sized tissues
Breath mints
Gum
Highlighters
Easter chocolates
Pens
Chewey candies
A package of cheese crackers
Instant soup
and much more, but that’s what I can remember off hand.
I then made a stop at a local Target yesterday and it made me realize I could purchase just about any combination of items. From saurkraut, engine oil, a waffle iron and diapers, to epsom salt, dish detergent, cottage cheese and a leaf blower (if I had wanted to do so).
Even at a gas station you can find basic groceries, an alcoholic beverage, buy a dinner at an attached fast food restaurant – oh, and purchase gas with a good chunk of your paycheck.
Yes, life is just so easy. And I thought internet shopping was a breeze.
Keep away from people who
try to belittle your ambitions.
Small people always do that, but
the really great make you feel that
you, too, can become great.
Mark Twain
~
The Atlantic calls it”Vital Signs.”
However you want to term these facts and figures, you can’t help but find them interesting, sad, alarming, and thought provoking…
I’ll begin with one that interests me, and take you to the complete story -
22 — The number of minutes cut off a person’s lifespan for every hour of television that they watch after the age of 25. Source: “Not Taking Work Breaks Can Be Hazardous to Health, Study Reports,”CBS News.
Continue to The Atlantic’s
Vital Signs: Serving Pink Slime at School Lunch; Teenage Smokers
I once wrote about my New England sister’s family cat, Roswell, a hairless Sphynx breed of feline. I had mentioned my attraction to Roswell. Please take a look at that post and the photo of the cat with the huge ears.
I have my own two cats, Kramer and Newman. Their names fit them well (swiped from the Seinfeld sitcom). I had grown up with dogs as a child, but after years of allergy shots for one of my children, a cat seemed the way to go. Now with two cats and no children at home, many years have passed. I am now pretty much homebound with Kramer needed insulin shots twice a day as he is a diabetic, and Newman, well he is just Newman (his name still fits him well as he is annoying in many ways).
Once thing I have found is that having pets, especially cats, does keep many humans from your home, even if you are a good housekeeper. There are many people with allergies. That’s unfortunate, as I like to entertain. But according to an article, “Why Do Cats Run The Internet? A Scientific Explanation” on The New Republic, I may draw in a large amount of readership with this post. Why is that?
from The New Republic –
The first thing to acknowledge is that there was a deep interest in cats long before there was an Internet. Miles Orvell, a cultural historian at Temple University who specializes in visual culture, said that what the Internet has done is leverage a preexisting fascination. “There’s a contagious effect of the Internet where something that is there as a latent possibility can emerge at large in society,” Orvell said. “It’s not so much creating this interest in cats, it’s more exploiting this interest that was already there.”
Kramer (front) and Newman (rear)
Do schools really need to resort to mind games to get students to excel? Perhaps those that do should invest some more time and energy in developing their teaching staff.
from Healthland.TIME -
Want a “special brain snack” to boost your test scores? Typically, performance enhancers would be frowned on by school authorities, but in one Florida elementary school, administrators are handing out “FCAT power bars” to improve students scores on the state’s dreaded standardized tests.
According to the Sun-Sentinel, the power bar is really just an apple-flavored cereal bar with the label “Warning: Improves Writing Power!”
Free trip to the Rose Bowl for Wisconsin Vets? Pretty generous!
“The Wisconsin Department of Veteran Affairs was told Tuesday 50 veterans would get the free trip. “Badger Trips” was providing flight, hotels & the tickets.”
Easy come, easy go…
Business rescinds free Rose Bowl trip for vets
With January 2012 just around the corner and the phase-out of the so-called “inefficient” light bulbs, I’m wondering if swooping in and out of different lighting will have a “beauty” impact…
—————-
————————————-
from Consumer Reports -
The phase-out of inefficient bulbs starts in January 2012 with 100-watt bulbs that use too much energy. Fans of 100-watt incandescent bulbs like the added brightness they provide, but when it comes to their energy-saving replacements, you can’t have it all. Based on Consumer Reports tests of seven compact fluorescent light bulbs and two halogen bulbs, to save energy you may have to sacrifice some brightness.